I. Roll Call of Members

II. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

III. Students' Concerns

Miguel Hernandez from Jordan High School, Andrea Kim from King-Drew Magnet High School, and Naomi Tautuaa from Locke High School

Student Poll Worker Program - Mr. Frank Martinez

A. Board of Education Report No. 3
Office of the Superintendent No. 2

(2000-02 Memorandum of Understanding Between the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles City and County School Employees Union for Unit C [Operations Support Services])

B. Board of Education Report No. 1
Human Resources No. 1
(Special Education Credential Waiver Authorizations)

Human Resources No. 2
(Approval of Nonroutine Personnel Actions: Dismissal of Classified Employee)

C. Curriculum and Instruction Committee Report No. 1
Educational Services No. 2

(Resolution to Participate in Partnership Grant Applications Between Visual and Performing Arts Unit and Various Los Angeles Nonprofit Arts Education Providers)

(Resolution to Participate in Partnership Grant Applications Between Visual and Performing Arts Unit and the California Youth Theatre, Inc., the Light Bringer Project and/or Hollywood Entertainment Museum)

(Ratification of Agreements and Amendments, Agreements for Professional Services Aggregating over $250,000, Amendments to Agreements for Professional Services, and Donation)

(Award of Advertised, Unadvertised, and Informal Contracts, Rejection of Bids, and Ratification of Agreement with Tree People)

G. Facilities Committee Report No. 1
Facilities Services Division Revised No. 1

(Authorization for Staff to Proceed with the Expenditure of Funds for Real Estate Due Diligence, Environmental Studies and Design Activities Required to Deliver the Proposed Escutia Projects at the Specific Sites Listed in Attachments A-I)

(Authorization to Pay California Science Center the Relocation Cost Balance [Manual Arts New Elementary School No. 1])

I. Board of Education Report No. 4
(Student Expulsions)

J. Board of Education Report No. 5
(Student Reinstatements)

K. Board of Education Report No. 6
(Resolution of Intention to Sell Real Property Old Ranch Road School Site)

L. Board of Education Report No. 7
(Various Purchasing Transactions)

M. Board of Education Report No. 8
(Grades K-8 Mathematics Textbook Recommendations)

N. Board of Education Report No. 9
(Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) Application Revision)

O. Board of Education Report No. 10 PUBLIC HEARING

(Waiver to Certify as Valid Academic Performance Index (API) Schools with Parent Exemption of Fifteen Percent or More)

P. Board of Education Report No. 11

(Approval to Increase Delegation of Authority for Professional Services Contracts Related to Environmental Issues Not Governed by Competitive Bidding Limitations)

(Authorization for Staff to Proceed with the Expenditure of Funds for Real Estate Due Diligence, Environmental Studies and Design Activities Required to Deliver the Proposed Escutia Project at the Specific Site Listed‹Manual Arts Elementary School No. 3)

S. Board of Education Report No. 14

(Liability Insurance Claims, Employee Reimbursement Program Payments, Self-Insured Liability Program Payments, Self-Insured Workers' Compensation Program Payments, Rejection of Liability Claims, Property Damage Reimbursement, and Employee Litigation Settlement)

U. Board of Education Report No. 16

(Nonroutine Personnel Actions: Suspension-Demotion, Suspension-Dismissal, and Rescission of Dismissal of Classified Employees)

W. Board of Education Report No. 18
(Reimbursement Resolution‹Carnation Property)

IX. Motions and Resolutions for Action

X. Ms. Korenstein - High Performance School Construction (Noticed January 23, 2001, and Discussed in Facilities Committee)(Waiver of Board Rule 72)

Whereas, Students learn best in an environment that is comfortable, healthy, naturally lit and well maintained, and studies have indicated that student achievement is greater and attendance higher when these conditions are met;

Whereas, Most of Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD) schools are in need of renovation to reach this standard of comfort and efficiency, and over 150 new schools must be constructed during the next 5-10 years to accommodate the growing number of students served by the District;

Whereas, Schools spend a substantial amount on energy costs each year, and studies show that energy costs for new facilities can be reduced by 25 percent;

Whereas, Building or renovating a school provides a unique opportunity to move beyond standard designs to create school facilities whose tangible benefits have been measured in the form of increased student attendance, higher test scores, reduced operating costs, elevated teacher and staff retention, and an improved indoor environment by providing cleaner air, better acoustics, and natural light;

Whereas, An integrated design approach can often take advantage of energy savings that become feasible when the interaction between separate building elements, such as windows, lighting, and mechanical systems are considered; and

Whereas, The Blue Ribbon Citizens' Oversight Committee in Resolution No. 2000-4 on September 27, 2000, recommended to the Board of Education that it mandate the development of comprehensive sustainable design criteria and the necessary implementation infrastructure for the construction of new and renovation of existing LAUSD schools and campuses; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles support the recommendations included in Resolutions No 2000-4 of the Blue Ribbon Citizens' Committee, and directs the head of the Facilities Division, in consultation with the Director of Environmental Health and Safety, to develop more resource efficient design criteria for use in the construction of new schools and the renovation of existing District schools and campuses; and be it

Resolved further, That the design criteria will be developed in consultation with the Collaborative for High Performance Schools and include such measures as site orientation, energy efficient envelope, lighting, and space conditioning; water efficiency; waste management; material resource efficiency; and heat island mitigation measures; and be it finally

Resolved, That no later than 90 days after the adoption of this Resolution, staff present to the Board of Education a recommended High Performance Building Design and Implementation Plan including specific cost-benefit data, performance measures and a performance tracking mechanism to ensure the effective implementation of these measures.

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles direct the Superintendent and staff to provide to the State Board of Education all of the relevant financial and educational implication of the Carson proposal for a separate school district.

Whereas, The District provides home-to-school and school-to-school busing services for approximately 65,000 students every school day on over 2,215 routes;

Whereas, Approximately 86,000 other types of bus trips are provided each year, including classroom field trips, late activity buses, athletic team buses, parent buses;

Whereas, Over 40 million miles are driven annually in support of the District's student transportation program;

Whereas, The Los Angeles Unified School District school bus fleet is the largest in the County of Los Angeles with approximately 1,300 buses; and

Whereas, The Board of Education wishes to reduce the amount of diesel exhaust pollution being produced by its fleet by replacing some of their older diesel buses, and by installing diesel particulate traps in others; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles authorizes the Transportation Branch Director to apply for funding under the State's Lower Emission School Bus Program for the purpose of purchasing new low emission buses and to retrofit a portion of its existing diesel bus fleet with diesel particulate traps.

Whereas, February 4-10, 2001, marks the third annual national Black Family Technology Awareness Week, which links churches, schools, individuals and African-American organizations in an effort to hold activities that increase access to technology and focus on the importance of technology in everyday life;

Whereas, Black Family Technology Awareness Week was founded by the Career Communications Group, Inc., whose Chairman and CEO is Los Angeles Unified School District graduate Tyrone D. Taborn;

Whereas, the importance of Black Family Technology Awareness Week is recognized by the technology community, including lead corporate sponsor IBM and corporate level participants Microsoft and Sun Microsystems;

Whereas, A national survey reveals that only a third of African-Americans have access to the internet compared to half of all whites;

Whereas, The Los Angeles Unified School District has demonstrated its commitment to early exposure to computer technology by putting 13,000 computers in our elementary schools, making the ratio of students to computers no greater than 6 to 1;

Whereas, A national report indicates that last year more than 3.5 million African-American adults went on-line for the first time, nearly doubling the black online population, in part due to initiatives like Black Family Technology Awareness Week;

Whereas, Access to the internet and computer technology knowledge is becoming essential to African-American students entering the workforce as companies move their recruitment efforts online, job-seekers are putting their resumes on career sites and computer use is becoming mandatory for many jobs; and

Whereas, The lack of internet access further disenfranchises communities that have historically been underrepresented in government, health care, small business development and commerce; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles will recognize the disparity that is created by the digital divide and support endeavors like Black Family Technology Awareness Week because they promote and fund local programs and training sessions that motivate Black youngsters and adults to become the technological workforce of tomorrow; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board of Education will emphasize mastery of higher-level mathematics and computer science in addition to literacy to ensure that the students of Los Angeles can bridge the digital divide.

Whereas, India suffered a devastating earthquake on January 26, 2001, killing as many as 35,000 people and injuring nearly twice that amount;

Whereas, Estimated damages to facilities, services and community resources is estimated at $5.5 billion;

Whereas, The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has initiated relief campaigns in the past to assist those who have experienced the effects of natural disasters, most recently in response to the earthquake in El Salvador; and

Whereas, The LAUSD has a moral and civic obligation to teach its students the intrinsic value in assisting those in need, be it in their own community or the world community; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles authorize a campaign to collect funds to assist the people of India in overcoming the January 26th earthquake; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board directs the Superintendent to assign appropriate staff and resources to organize and begin a fundraising drive immediately; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Superintendent identify the most appropriate agency in Los Angeles responsible for disbursing funds and resources to India.

Whereas, The Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles is the policy-setting body for the Los Angeles Unified School District;

Whereas, It is the intent of this Board to balance its commitment to employee compensation with other crucial needs for the student of this District;

Whereas, This Board has not yet seen a detailed, strategic and long-range plan for managing the resources necessary to preserve the Board's set priorities;

Whereas, The Board of Education is on record as having set a number of important policy priorities in the past 18 months, including, but not limited to:

• District-wide reading program (K-12), including all necessary textbooks, materials, and coaches;

• District-wide math program (K-12), including all necessary textbooks, materials, and specialists;

• District Arts Program;
  
  
• Professional Development;

• District Intervention Plan;

• Increased Custodial Services and School Site Maintenance;

• District Technology Program;

• Choice/Magnet Schools;

Whereas, The Governor and the State Board of Education have put in place aggressive, appropriate goals to improve student achievement; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles direct the Superintendent of Schools to report within two weeks the specific funding changes required in Fiscal Year 2000 2001, as well as projections for the following two years, to fund the adopted compensation packages; and be it

Resolved, That the Board direct the Superintendent, while budgeting the new compensation package, to preserve and implement all of the policy priorities that have been set forth by the Board identified above, especially fully funding and completing the "roll-out" of the following textbooks for the 2000-2001 school year, including the subsequent teacher training components associated with each text:

• Reading: consumables for Grades K-2, all new reading textbooks and consumables for Grades 3-5, and remediation materials for Grades 6-12;

• Mathematics: Grades K-12, and;

• Science: Grades 6-12

(The Board will decide which are to be referred as Consent Calendar communications)

Board of Education
DD. Office of the Superintendent No. 1

(Adoption of the 2000-2003 Memorandum of Understanding Between the Los Angeles Unified School District and United Teachers Los Angeles [UTLA])

FF. Division of Adult and Career Education No. 1
(Waiver Regarding the Adult Education Distance Learning Program)

GG. Business Services Division No. 1

(Agreements and Amendments, Agreements for Professional Services Aggregating Over $250,000, Amendments to Agreements for Professional Services, and Donations)

(Award of Advertised, Unadvertised and Informal Contracts, Cancellation of Contract, Rejection of Bids, Rescission of Contracts, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Environmental Site Assessment Contracts, and Approval to Increase Amount of Authority in Awarding Contracts on Advertised Construction Work)

JJ. Facilities Services Division No. 3

(Authorization to Enter into Lease of Property for Immigrant Student Guidance Assessment Center)

(Authorization for Staff to Proceed with the Expenditure of Funds for Real Estate Due Diligence, Environmental Studies and Design Activities on a site Appropriate for Construction of the Proposed East Valley New High School #1B)

Curriculum and Instruction Committee
MM. Educational Services No. 1
(Standards-Based Promotion (SBP) Program)

NN. Educational Services No. 2

(Approval of Early Education Improvement Plan: Building a Foundation for Academic Success)

Facilities Committee
PP. Facilities Services Division No. 1

(Approval of a Preferred Site for Valley New School No. 1, California State University Northridge)

RR. Facilities Services Division No. 3

(Resolution to File on a Districtwide Basis for Participation in the State School Facilities Program)

(Resolution on Use of New Construction Grants for Aldama Elementary School Addition, Bell No. 3 Primary Center, Belmont/Hollywood Primary Center No. 2, Van Nuys Elementary School No. 1, Belmont/Hollywood Primary Center No. 3, Hobart Elementary School Addition, and Lankershim Elementary School Addition)

UU. 9:30 a.m., Closed Session, December 12, 2000
2:00 p.m., Regular Meeting, December 12, 2000
2:00 p.m., Regular Meeting, January 9, 2001
9:30 a.m., Closed Session, Januaary 23, 2001
2:00 p.m., Regular Meeting, January 23, 2001
1:00 p.m., Closed Session, January 30, 2001

XII. Correspondence and Petitions

VV. Report of Correspondence PUBLIC HEARING

XIII. Miscellaneous Business

Meeting, Conference and Convention Motions and Announcements

Motions and Resolutions (Draft Language)

WW. Ms. Young, Ms. Fields, Ms. Hayes, Ms. Korenstein, Mr. Lansing and Mr. Tokofsky - Safe and Clean School Environment ASSIGNED TO SCHOOL SAFETY AND CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT

Whereas, The safety of the students and staff of the Los Angeles Unified School District is of paramount importance;

Whereas, Every student has the right to a safe and clean learning environment in good repair;

Whereas, It is the responsibility of every District employee to ensure the safety of our students;'

Whereas, All schools should be maintained according to a uniform standard;

Whereas, Parents need to be assured that their child is attending school in a safe environment;

Whereas, The daily use of District facilities can result in wear or damage that can create a hazard to students and staff;

Whereas, The proceeds of Proposition BB have enabled the District to perform much needed repairs, and increase maintenance and operations funds; and

Resolved, The District shall establish a program to conduct annual cleanliness and safety evaluations at each campus; and be it

Resolved further, That Maintenance and Operations, the Environmental Health and Safety Branch, and the Local District Facilities Directors shall work cooperatively to develop a uniform inspection checklist for this purpose and cost analysis. The program developed shall be presented to the Board for review no later than March 31, 2001.

XX. Mr. Tokofsky - Historic Preservation Coordinator

Whereas, The Los Angeles Unified School District is undertaking a vigorous effort to improve its facilities and meet the needs of students in the 21st century, through new construction and significant building modernizations and alterations utilizing Proposition BB funding;

Whereas, The majority of the District's school campuses are now over a half-century old, and special attention is necessary in order to ensure that long-overdue rehabilitation and expansion projects do not adversely affect these schools' most treasured features;

Whereas, A community outcry arose in 1999 at Lincoln High School when much-needed air conditioning units were installed insensitively, marring the school's most historic elements;

Whereas, The District currently lacks any comprehensive inventory of which schools have historic value and lacks design standards to guide modernization work at historic schools;

Whereas, The District, with the assistance of the Los Angeles Conservancy, obtained a $50,000 grant from the Getty Grant Program's "Preserve LA" project to conduct an inventory of the District's most historic schools;

Whereas, District staff lacks any specialized historic preservation expertise necessary to guide and implement this grant, and to assist in making daily multimillion dollar decisions on historic schools;

Whereas, District staff can build on the Getty Grant activities by developing its own set of design guidelines for historic schools, saving considerable time and money on each individual project by solving from the outset the District's programmatic and facilities needs at historic campuses;

Whereas, Schools represent the heart of every community and the public face of education to every neighborhood ­ fixing in the community's mind either positive or negative images of what takes place behind the school walls; and

Whereas, Denver, Colorado's school district has created an award-winning curriculum involving students in linking the rich history of their schools to the history of their city and neighborhoods -- an opportunity currently missed here in Los Angeles; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles approve creation of a Historic Preservation Coordinator for the District, a position with significant professional experience in historic preservation and architecture; and be it

Resolved further, That the Historic Preservation Coordinator shall: 1) help complete the District's historic school inventory; 2) develop comprehensive design guidelines for rehabilitation of historic schools; 3) review rehabilitation and modernization projects affecting the District's historic schools; and 4) coordinate, with assistance from the District's curriculum staff and an outside curriculum consultant, a model program involving District students in understanding local history by learning about the history of their own school; and be it finally

Resolved, That the District approve $100,000 in salary and benefits for this position, with $40,000 for salary and benefits for administrative support and $35,000 for a curriculum consultant for the model local history program, for a total of $175,000.

Whereas, Governor Gray Davis has issued an order to all government offices in the State of California to restrict their use of electricity in order to reduce the threat of rolling electrical blackouts;

Whereas, A majority of schools and offices in the Los Angeles Unified School District City of Los Angeles receive their electricity from the City's Department of Water and Power, and therefore, are not under threat of rolling electrical blackouts;

Whereas, the District has a moral and civic obligation to practice energy conservation, in order not only to reduce the risk of rolling electrical blackouts, but also to enable the Department of Water and Power greater flexibility to supply electricity to the State of California; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Superintendent request the eleven Local District Superintendents develop strategies for energy conservation and to communicate those strategies to Local District offices and schools; be it

Resolved further, That the Superintendent direct the facilities staff to investigate the utilization of solar power in new construction of schools and offices and for gradual adoption at all district facilities. This investigation should compare the initial cost of installation with long term savings, in both fiscal cost and electrical power.

Ms. Fields will comment on the following:

• 31st District PTSA Legislation Conference

• Emerson Middle School - Golden State Scholars

• Academic Decathlon Awards Banquet

• District 7 Grant Recipients

• Willenberg Special Education Center's Student Exchange Program
  

• Governor's Budget Report
  
  
• Evergreen Elementary School‹El Salvador Earthquake Relief
  

• NoHo Arts District Adopts Lankershim Elementary School

• National Observance of PTAs and 104th Anniversary of the Tenth District PTA

XIV. Adjournment

Please Note That The Board Of Education May Refer Any Item On This Order Of Business For The Consideration Of A Standing Committee Of The Board Of Education Which Meets On The Thursday Immediately After This Meeting.

Members Of The Public Who Wish To Address The Board Regarding Items On This Agenda Should Call The Board Secretariat At Area Code (213) 625-6273 Or (818) 997-2300, Extension 6273, Prior To 10:00 A.M. The Day Of The Meeting To Determine If They May Be Added To The Speakers List.