III. Students' Concerns

Student Members Ann Suministrado of Cleveland High School, Christina Mora of San Fernando High School, and Inyoung Lee of Granada Hills High School

Our Kids, Our Schools - Review of Proposition BB Progress

Office of the Superintendent No. 1

(Initial Proposal to United Teacher Los Angeles - Modification of the 1998-99 Instructional Calendar to Move Staff Development Days Outside the 180-Day Instructional Year)

Office of the Superintendent No. 2

(Initial Proposal to Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) - Modification of the 1998 99 Instructional Calendar to Move Staff Development Days Outside the 180-Day Instructional Year)

A.Board of Education Report No. 1 ADOPTED

(Report of Warrants Issued, Request to Reimburse Revolving Cash Fund, and Request to Reissue Stale Dated Warrants)

Budget Services and Financial Planning Division No. 1

(Ratification of Revised Unique Multitrack Year-Round Calendars for Canoga Park Elementary School for School Year 1997-98)

Budget Services and Financial Planning Division No. 2

(Ratification of Revised Unique Calendar for Watts Learning Center Charter School for School Year 1997-98)

Facilities Services Division No. 2

Facilities Services Division Revised No. 3

(Appointment of Architect for Lincoln High School Project)

Facilities Services Division Revised No. 5

(Authorization to Advance Proposition BB Funds for South Gate New High School)

Personnel Division No. 1

Personnel Division No. 2

(Notice of Release/Reassignment for Appropriate Certificated Management/Supervisory/Confidential Employees and All Contract Management Employees)

Budget Services and Financial Planning Division No. 1

VII. Regular Calendar ­ Communications Dated February 9, 1998

C.Board of Education Report No. 2 ADOPTED AS AMENDED (See Minutes)

(Ratification of Agreements and Amendments, Personal/Professional Services Agreements, Personal/Professional Services Agreements Aggregating $50,000 and Donation of Money)

D.Board of Education Report No. 3 POSTPONED

E.Board of Education Report No. 4 ADOPTED

(Amendment to Lease of Property for District Use - Budget Services Branch)

F.Board of Education Report No. 5 ADOPTED

(1998-99 Relief of Overcrowding Planning)

G.School Safety and Campus Environment Committee Report No. 1 ADOPTED

Office of the Superintendent Revised No. 1

VIII.New Reports ­ Direct To Board For Action

H.Board of Education Report No. 6 ADOPTED

(Policy and Procedure for Debarment of Construction Contractors for Repeated Violations of State Prevailing Wage Requirements)

I.Board of Education Report No. 7 ADOPTED

(Various Purchasing Transactions)

J.Board of Education Report No. 8 POSTPONED

(Approval of Negative Declaration and Approval of Project - 59th Street Primary Center)

K.Board of Education Report No. 9 ADOPTED

(Student Expulsions)

L.Board of Education Report No. 10 ADOPTED

(Student Reinstatements)

M.Board of Education Report No. 11 ADOPTED

(Routine Personnel Actions)

N.Board of Education Report No. 12 ADOPTED

(Unclassified Employee Election to Professional Expert C, Classified Employees Suspension Dismissal, Dismissal and Rescission of Dismissals, and Certificated Employee Election)

O.Mr. Tokofsky - Motion to Establish an Office of Inspector General (Noticed November 3, 1997)

Whereas, the Los Angeles Unified School District projects one billion six hundred million dollars ($1,600,000,000) annually in business, construction, and consulting contracts for the next 10 years, adding an additional approximate four hundred million dollars ($400,000,000) in voter approved Proposition BB funds;

Whereas, such funds should be allocated in the most cost-effective basis that prevents tax dollar waste or abuse; and

Whereas, the District wishes to avoid even the appearance of lax controls over these new expenditures; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles establish the Office of Inspector General and appoint an Inspector General to a term of office of five years, which may be renewed once for a total of 10 years; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles convene a panel of at least three members of the Association of Inspectors General to screen and recommend candidates for the selection of an Inspector General; and be it

Resolved further, That the selection panel use the following criteria when making their selection: That the inspector general shall have verifiable experience in criminal investigations and prosecutions, the conducting of audits, public administration, conflict of interest and campaign finance laws, and any additional skill or knowledge necessary to carry out the duties and responsibilities of an inspector general; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles shall select the inspector general from the candidates recommended by the panel of Inspectors General; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles establish policies and procedures for the removal from his or her position as Inspector General if 1) a two-thirds majority of its members votes for the removal; or 2) if the Inspector General is found to have violated a state or federal law or regulation, local ordinance, or a policy or practice of the Board, relative to ethical practices, including, but not limited to, the acceptance of gifts or contributions; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles define the duties of the Inspector General as being responsible for auditing and investigating any and all matters regarding the operations, activities, construction, and expenditures of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles, District and Board staff, and District contractors and subcontractors. The authority of the Inspector General shall also include investigation of possible conflicts of interest, improper communications with Board Members on potential contracts before contract awards, or other ethical violations and be it

Resolved further, That the Inspector General shall have subpoena power as authorized by state and local codes or granted powers and the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles acknowledges that any investigatory file compiled by the inspector general is an investigatory file compiled by a law enforcement agency subject to disclosure pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 6254 of the Government Code; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles direct the Inspector General to establish procedures to require that a prequalification questionnaire be completed by each construction company, engineering firm, consultant, legal firm, product vendor, and any other business entity seeking to contract with the board for the furnishing of goods or services. The Board will establish polices and procedures to prohibit the District from entering into a contract or doing business with any firm that knowingly provides false information on the questionnaire. The questionnaire shall solicit information regarding the firm including, but not limited to the following subjects: (1) Experience; (2) Quality and timeliness of past performance; (3) Reliability and responsibility; (4) Compliance with wage, hours, and other fair; (5) Compliance with equal employment requirements; (6) Subcontractors used by the firm; (7) Integrity of the firm and its key personnel; (8) Gifts given, or contributions made, to members, alternate members, or employees of the Board; (9) Lawsuits filed against the firm and their dispositions; and be it

Resolved further, That the Inspector General shall, at a noticed public meeting of the Board of Education, report quarterly on the following: (a) School construction, design, and repair contracts, including expenditures on such projects for consultants, attorneys, developers, and construction firms; b) Expenditures of funds allocated by Proposition BB and any future bond measures approved by the voters for school construction, design, or repair; (c) Travel, meals, and refreshments, private club dues, membership fees and charges, and any other expenditures which are specified by the Board; (d) A report on savings or recommendations for savings; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles fund the Office of Inspector General using existing District resources, which may include redirecting funds which would otherwise be allocated to the Independent Analysis Unit or the recently established Special Audits Branch.

P.Ms. Fields - Regular Board Meeting Schedule FAILED

It is the intention of Ms. Fields and Mr. Kiriyama to substitute the following motion for their motion noticed on December 15, 1997:

Whereas, The Board has a significant responsibility as the policy making body of the Los Angeles Unified School District;

Whereas, The fulfillment of the Board's duties requires informed decision making taking into account recommendations from the Superintendent, his staff and community members;

Whereas, The Board has an interest in focusing its attention on items requiring their action in order to reduce any delays felt by schools due to a large number of agenda items not demanding immediate action; and

Whereas, Neither the Board nor the public is well served by extended board meetings; now therefore be it

Resolved That, the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles initiate an analysis of the administration of Board and committee meetings which reviews best practices and brings forward recommendations of any changes which would allow the District to better serve the citizens we represent;

Resolved That, the analysis include in its purview the efficacy of Board rules in promoting effective Board meetings;

Resolved That, the Board hold Special Board meetings and closed sessions only on alternate Mondays when Regular Board meetings are not held, unless it determines by a majority of its members that an emergency meeting is necessary;

Resolved That, the Board meeting begin promptly at 1:00 pm and end no later than 5:00 pm, at which time miscellaneous speakers and speakers to expulsion actions will be heard, unless an affirmative vote of four members postpones the adjournment to a time certain;

Resolved further, That over the course of each year, Regular Board Meetings be held in each quadrant of the District.

Please note: The following motion noticed by Ms. Fields and Mr. Kiriyama will be substituted with the language printed above - Regular Board Meeting Schedules (Noticed December 15, 1997)

DISCUSSED IN BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS/PERSONNEL COMMITTEE, FEBRUARY 19, 1998

Whereas, The Board has a significant responsibility as the policy making body of the Los Angeles Unified School District;

Whereas, The history of the Los Angeles City Board of Education reveals that prior to 1976, the Board held regular meetings every Monday and Thursday; in the 1976-77 school year the Board reduced its regular meetings to once a week; and beginning in the 1991-92 school year to the present, the Board has held its regular meetings twice a month to do the Public's business;

Whereas, The fulfillment of the Board's duties requires informed decision making taking into account recommendations from the Superintendent, his staff and community members;

Whereas, The volume of District business requiring the Board Members' attention has increased necessitating substantially more preparation time and resulting in extended board meetings; and

Whereas, The Board has an interest in reducing any delays felt by schools because of several factors, including but not limited to the number of agenda items due to the passage of Prop. BB and class size reduction; now, therefore, be it

Resolved That, the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles make all necessary changes to the rules, policies and procedures of the District to allow the body to hold its regular meetings on the first, second, third and fourth Monday of each month at 2 p.m.;

Resolved That, the agenda items be limited to 26 a meeting, with the exception of items of urgency and placed on the agenda by the Board president or the Superintendent;

Resolved That, one Board of Education meeting per month be held in each Board district on a rotating basis; and be it

Resolved further That, the above resolutions be implemented on a 10 month trial basis and reviewed at that time before becoming permanent.

Q. Mr. Horton, Mrs. Boudreaux, and Ms. Castro - Spending Limits on School Administration

Whereas, The Initiative proposes that, beginning in the 1999-2000 fiscal year and every year thereafter, no more than five percent of all funds received by school districts (all federal, state and local revenue) shall be expended on administrative costs, as defined by the measure;

Whereas, The Initiative proposes that, beginning in the 1998-99 fiscal year and every year thereafter, each school district shall include in its budget a system indicating the contribution of each expenditure to the achievement of a specific performance objective pursuant to the district's effort to improve pupil performance;

Whereas, The Initiative states that every district failing to comply with any provision of the Initiative shall be fined by the State Board of Education an amount equal to five percent of the basic
per-ADA revenue limit times total ADA;

Whereas, The penalty for the Los Angeles Unified School District would total $116.4 million if the District was to be found out of compliance;

Whereas, The Initiative includes in the five percent, and thus subject to reduction, certain school district costs that protect the safety of students, such as school bus maintenance and repair;

Whereas, The Initiative includes in the five percent, and thus subject to reduction, certain school district costs that provide and protect the quality of educational services provided to students, such as curriculum development, staff development, and supervision of instruction;

Whereas, The Initiative reduces fiscal efficiency by reducing district services provided to school sites, such as data processing, payroll, accounting, bulk purchasing, and warehousing.

Whereas, The Initiative will increase administrative costs at school sites as they assume more administrative responsibilities from the district;

Whereas, The Initiative will increase administrative costs in school districts as they carry out the mandates contained in the Initiative; and

Whereas, The Initiative is opposed by several major statewide educational organizations, including the California State PTA, California School Board Association, Association of California School Administrators, California School Employees Association, Service Employees International Union, California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, California Association of School Business Officials, Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin, and the League of Women Voters; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles oppose the Spending Limits on School Administration (95/5) Initiative.

R. Mr. Horton - Establishment of Accountability Task Force (Noticed 1-26-98)
ASSIGNED TO BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS/PERSONNEL COMMITTEE ON
FEBRUARY 19, 1998 POSTPONED TO MARCH 9, 1998 REGULAR BOARD
AS REQUESTED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT.

Whereas, Every school district employee must take some responsibility for student achievement; and

Whereas, The Board of Education intends to move as rapidly as possible towards a system structured around accountability for student success; now therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles direct the Superintendent to appoint a Task Force on Accountability which shall be charged with recommending to the Board and the Superintendent an organizational structure and general principles to create clear accountability at all levels for student achievement.

This Task Force shall recommend principles which will address issues such as:

Resources and procedures for intervention in low performing schools;

The link between employee evaluation, promotion, rewards and sanctions--both individually and collectively--to measurable student achievement;

Meaningful measurements of student achievement;

Resources and organizational changes necessary to institute accountability for student achievement in all aspects of District operations, including schools and classrooms, cluster and central offices;

The effect of decentralization, and the role of central authority; and

Other issues the task force deems appropriate to achieving the goal of reorganizing the schools and the District along proven principles of accountability.

The Task Force shall take into account existing research, educational studies, and proposals on related issues, such as the recently issued report of the California Commission on Rewards and Interventions, the CSBA Focus Group on Accountability, the report of the LEARN Task Force on Assessment and Accountability, and other relevant documents from professional and private sector organizations

The Task Force shall be composed of leading educational experts with direct knowledge and understanding of organizational structures and accountability, with an advisory committee composed of representatives from:

• Organizations of District employees and parents;

• The business community;

• Universities and K-12 educational organizations;

• Other public institutions; and

• Shall also include the Board's Independent Analysis Unit.

In order to move as rapidly as possible, the Superintendent shall appoint the Task Force and report its composition to the Board of Education by the end of February, 1998. The Task Force shall complete its work and submit a set of recommendations to the Board and the Superintendent by the end of May, 1998.

S.Ms. Valerie Fields, Mr. Kiriyama and Mr. Horton (Waiver of Board Rule 72) - Opposition to Proposed "Opportunity Scholarships" or Other Voucher Proposals ADOPTED

Whereas, Since 1879, the California Constitution has contained a provision prohibiting the use of public funds "...for the support of any sectarian or denominational school, or any school not under the exclusive control of the officers of the public schools...";

Whereas, Legislation has been proposed to provide publicly funded "scholarships" for low-income students;

Whereas, These proposals would permit parents to use public funds to enroll their children in private or parochial schools;

Whereas, California's public schools have never regained the level of fiscal support they had prior to the enactment of Proposition 13 in 1978, and currently receive approximately $1,000 less per pupil than the average level of support in other states of this nation;

Whereas, The public schools of this State face challenges to which few, if any, other states are subject, and need a substantial increase in their resources to meet the unprecedented demands;

Whereas, The private schools of this State are not required to employ certificated teachers, to conduct schools for a given number of hours per day or days per year, or to test or provide public reports about student achievement; and

Whereas, The diversion of funds to private and parochial schools would not only diminish the resources available to the public schools, which serve the vast majority of the States's students, but would also produce an extreme inequity resulting form the ability of nonpublic schools to select students on the basis of criteria that elude legal prohibition against discrimination; now, therefore,

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles strongly oppose any proposal to divert funds from the public schools by using taxpayers' dollars for students to attend private or parochial schools.

T.Mr. Tokofsky and Mr. Kiriyama - Recommendations to Implement the Learning Support Component of School Reform (Waiver of Board Rule 72)(Noticed 2-9-98) ADOPTED

Whereas, In its "Call to Action", the Los Angeles Unified School District has made clear its intent to create a learning environment in which all students succeed;

Whereas, New governance structures, higher standards for student performance, new instructional strategies, and a focus on results are specified as essential elements in attaining student achievement;

Whereas, A high proportion of students are unable to fully benefit from such reforms because of learning barriers related to community violence, domestic problems, racial tension, poor health, substance abuse, and urban poverty;

Whereas, Teachers find it especially difficult to make progress with the high proportion of youngsters for whom barriers to learning have resulted in mild-to-moderate learning and behavior problems;

Whereas, Many of these youngsters end up referred for special services and often are placed in special education;

Whereas, Both the Los Angeles Unified School District and various community agencies devote resources to addressing learning barriers and initial processes have been implemented to reform and restructure use of their respective resources - including exploring strategies to weave District and community efforts together - in ways that can overcome key barriers to student achievement; and

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles should adopt the following recommendations made by the Standing Committee on Student Health and Human Services:

1.The Board should resolve that a component to address barriers to student learning and enhance healthy development be fully integrated with efforts to improve the instructional and management/governance components and be pursued as a primary and essential component of the District's education reforms in classrooms, schools, complexes/clusters, and at the central office level.

2.In keeping with the California Department of Education's adoption of the unifying concept of Learning Support, the Board should adopt this term to encompass efforts related to its component for addressing barriers to student learning and enhancing healthy development.

3.In adopting the concept of Learning Support, the Board should adopt the seven area framework currently used by the Division of Student Health and Human Services to guide coordination and integration of existing programs and activities related to school, home, and community.

4.The Board should direct the Superintendent to convene a working group to develop a plan that promotes coordination and integration of the Learning Support component with instruction and management reform efforts at every school site. This plan would also clarify ways for complex/cluster and central office operations to support school site efforts (e.g. helping schools achieve economics of scale and implement practices that effectively improve classroom operations and student learning). The plan would also focus on ways to further promote collaboration with communities at the classroom, school, complex/cluster, and central office levels. Such a plan should be ready for implementation by Spring 1998.

5.To counter fragmentation stemming from the way programs are organized and administered at the central office, the Board should restructure the administrative organization so that all programs and activity related to the Learning Support including Special Education are under the leadership of one administrator. Such an administrator would be charged with implementing the strategic plan developed in response to recommendation No. 4.

6. The Board should direct those responsible for professional and other stakeholder development activity throughout the District to incorporate a substantial focus on the Learning Support component into all such activity (e.g. all teacher professional education, training activity related to LEARN, the Chanda Smith/Special Education Consent Decree, early literacy programs).

7.To facilitate continued progress related to the restructuring of student health and human services, the Board should encourage all clusters and schools to support the development of Cluster/Complex Resource Coordinating Councils and School-Site Resource Coordinating Teams. Such Councils and Teams provide a key mechanism for enhancing the Learning Support component by ensuring that resources are mapped and analyzed and strategies are developed for the most effective use of school, complex, and District-wide resources and for appropriate school-community collaborations.

U.That the Board of Education authorize the retention of the law firm of Manatt Phelps & Phillips, LLP, to provide advice, counsel, and representation of the District with respect to the following:

2. Issues that are raised from time-to-time by the Proposition BB Oversight Committee;

3. Other Proposition BB issues or matters that may arise.

X. Receipt of Communications For Action At Next Board Meeting

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

Board of Education

V.Office of the Superintendent No. 1 REGULAR

(Initial Proposal to United Teacher Los Angeles - Modification of the 1998-99 Instructional Calendar to Move Staff Development Days Outside the 180-Day Instructional Year)

W.Office of the Superintendent No. 2 REGULAR

(Initial Proposal to Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) - Modification of the 1998 99 Instructional Calendar to Move Staff Development Days Outside the 180-Day Instructional Year)

X.Accounting and Disbursements Division No. 1 CONSENT

(Report of Warrants Issued, Request to Reimburse Revolving Cash Fund, and Request to Reissue Stale Dated Warrants)

Y.Business Services Division No. 1 REGULAR

(Ratification of Agreements and Amendments, Asbestos Consulting Services Agreements, Personal/Professional Services Agreement, Personal/Professional Services Agreements Aggregating $50,000 and Over, and Amendments to Personal/Professional Services Agreements)

Z.Facilities Services Division No. 1 REGULAR

AA.Facilities Services Division No. 2 CONSENT

Business and Operations/Personnel Committee

BB.Budget Services and Financial Planning Division No. 1 REGULAR

(Nonroutine Budget Transfers for Parent Community Services Branch Positions and Medi-Cal LEA Billing Option Program Positions, Jefferson New Middle School Capital Outlay, Elimination of Native American Mascots, Year-Round School Operational Grant, Implementation of SEY YES Project, Earthquake Related Repairs Capital Outlay, and Child Development Division Central Office Positions

CC.Personnel Division No. 1 CONSENT

(Implementation of Automated Fingerprint Processing/Clearance System for District Employment Applicants)

DD.Division of Instructional Services No. 1 REGULAR

(Districtwide Student Learning Standards for the Arts)

FF.Report of Correspondence APPROVED

GG.Ms. Fields, Mr. Horton and Mr. Tokofsky - Opposition to Political Contributions Initiative (Anti Worker Initiative) on the June 1998 Ballot (Noticed February 9, 1998) BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS/PERSONNEL COMMITTEE ON FEBRUARY 19, 1998

Whereas, Working people have historically joined unions to make their voices heard on government decisions that affect their daily lives;

Whereas, The Anti-Worker Initiative will make it difficult for union members to join together and be heard on government decisions;

Whereas, The Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles respects and affirms the right of its employees to join unions and have a voice in the political process;

Whereas, The Anti-Worker Initiative was placed on the ballot by out of state interests who do not care about California's working families;

Whereas, The Anti-Worker Initiative singles out labor unions, placing costly bureaucratic restrictions on unions but not on corporations and other special interests; and

Whereas, The Los Angeles Unified will be required to implement costly new procedures in order to comply with the Anti-Workers initiative, money that will be diverted from the education of our children; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles opposes the Anti-Worker Initiative on the June 1988 ballot.

HH.Mr. Kiriyama and Ms. Fields - Restoration of Visual Arts Education (Noticed February 9, 1998)

INSTRUCTION/CURRICULUM AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT COMMITTEE, MARCH 12, 1998

Whereas, The visual arts education program in the District has been seriously eroded in recent budget-cutting times and is at present taught by visual arts teachers in secondary schools only, leaving over 150,000 elementary students without a sequential program of visual arts instruction;

Whereas, The visual arts assist students in their ability to explore new concepts and associations, to understand abstract ideas, to build models, and to recognize patterns;

Whereas, Evidence is growing that the arts are critically important to education and learning; that research shows that arts education strengthens students' academic and cognitive abilities; that according to the College Entrance Examination Board, students of the arts outperform non-arts educated peers on measures of academic ability; and, a UCLA study consistently found higher levels of student involvement and educational achievement among students taking advanced arts courses; and

Whereas, Visual arts programs are effective when they are comprehensive, are sequential in content, are well planned, are implemented districtwide through careful consideration of resources to meet identified needs, and are given a high priority by the District and the community; now, therefore,

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles establish as a goal that the District provide a visual art resource teacher for each of the 27 clusters;

Resolved further, That the Board of Education direct the Superintendent to seek resources in the District budget to add the number of visual arts resource teachers necessary to provide visual arts staff development to each Cluster;

Resolved further, That the program be phased in over a period of 5 to 6 years starting in the school year 1998-1999 with the addition of 4 visual arts advisers in the first year of the restoration program to be assigned in four geographic areas of the District (north, south, east and west) with additional teachers or the total number necessary to insure that a comprehensive, sequential program of staff development be available to Cluster schools; and be it

Resolved further, That appropriate central clerical support be provided for resource personnel and materials.

Whereas, The arts are an integral part of our community life, giving us a tapestry of human experience and expressions that both celebrate our differences and exemplify our commonality;

Whereas, The arts offer unique opportunities to enliven and deepen the lifelong educational process for children and for adults;

Whereas, The Los Angeles Unified School District recognizes the importance of both arts education and education through the arts;

Whereas, Very Special Arts is an organization that promotes arts, education and creative expression involving children and adults with disabilities, thereby strengthening the human spirit and improving the quality of life for all; and

Whereas, The Very Special Arts International Arts Festival, Art & Soul, to be held in Los Angeles from May 28 through June 2, 1999, will bring thousands of artists with disabilities form around the globe to our community to share those goals of deepening the educational process for all; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles enthusiastically welcomes Very Special Arts and the Art & Soul Festival to Los Angeles and wholeheartedly supports the educational and artistic opportunities provided by this festival to understand our differences and celebrate our shared humanity.

JJ.Ms. Fields and Mr. Kiriyama - Delegation of Authority to General Manager, Facilities Services Division ASSIGNED TO FACILITIES COMMITTEE

Whereas, The Facilities Services Division has an established process for selecting architects and engineers for construction and repair projects with professional service agreements;

Whereas, There is already an annual report produced that provides summary information on the number of architectural and engineering firms hired, and the construction dollars they designed; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the approval of architect/engineer to projects with professional services contracts be delegated to the General Manager of Facilities Services Division.

KK.Ms. Fields - Support of Senate Bill 6 (Alpert) as Amended July 21, 1997 WITHDRAWN

Whereas, Senate Bill 6 (Alpert), as amended July 21, 1997, would repeal existing sunsetted law dealing with bilingual education and replace it with the Alpert-Firestone English Learners Education Reform Act of 1998; and

Whereas, This measure would require that all programs for English learners develop fluency in each child as effectively and efficiently as possible, develop academic skills in the core curriculum, and promote cross-cultural understanding, giving consideration to the educational preferences of the parents; and

Whereas, Senate Bills 6 would require each school district to design a program for English learners based on sound and legitimate educational theory in consultation with the district advisory committee and include, among other items, the district's long-term strategy to recruit and train teachers as appropriate; and

Whereas, Districts would be required to comply with federal law regarding services for English learners; and

Whereas, Districts with more than 50 English learners would be required to establish school district advisory committees, with the majority of each committee to consist of parents; and

Whereas, The State Board of Education would be required to adopt an English language development test to determine all pupils' primary language at the time of enrollment, and within 60 days of enrollment, districts would be required to assess the pupils' speaking, comprehension, reading and writing skills in their primary language; and

Whereas, The State Board of Education would be required to provide any test approved for use under this program in any language spoken by English learners constituting at least 10 percent of the state's K-12 population; and

Whereas, Senate Bill 6 would require districts to provide certain information to parents of English learners and assure parents certain rights in the instructional placement of their children; and

Whereas, Districts would be required to establish their own procedures and criteria for reclassifying English learners as English-proficient, following State Board of Education regulations and including designated criteria; and

Whereas, Provisions would be established for district accountability for instructional programs for English learners; and

Whereas, Senate Bill 6 would take effect only if specific provisions were funded; now, therefore,

Resolved, That the Los Angeles City Board of Education strongly support Senate Bill 6, as amended July 21, 1997, to assure appropriate educational services for English learners, access to the core curriculum, equal opportunity for academic achievement, and the ability to compete successfully in the work force and to participate fully in the nation's democratic culture.

LL.Meeting, Conference and Convention Motions and Announcements

MM.This Week In Education

• Portola Middle School Student, Worldwide Poster Essay Contest Winner

• Student Philip Tanedo, WISA Olympics of the Imagination Poster Essay Contest Winner

• Figueroa Street School-Yellow Brick Road

• 38th Annual Humanitarian Award

NN.Speakers

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.