District will fill superintendent position
In a brief special meeting, Jan. 31, the Board of Trustees of Tehachapi Unified School Board began the process of appointing a new superintendent.
Former Supt. Richard Swanson resigned last October and Lisa Gilbert has been serving as Interim Superintendent.
The position is expected to be filled from within the district, and the board retired to close session to discuss the process and timeline that will be followed.
Budget woes
Earlier in January, the board met with the budget among agenda items.
The agenda item at the Jan. 17 meeting was a proposal to raise the reserve fund from 3 to 17 percent. It was brought out that the reserve had been 10-12 percent until the recent budget woes at the state level that severely cut funding. Trustee Leonard Evansic said that in this uncertain period, not having a healthy reserve is "highly irresponsible." He said the district is constantly in a position of "reacting, on a roller coaster ride," not knowing if programs would have to be cut. A larger reserve would allow for long-range planning, he said.
Trustee Patti Snyder expressed concern that a reserve of 17 percent would affect employee raises and might be "very disheartening to the teachers and others who work for us." As a compromise, the board approved raising the reserve fund to 9 percent for the present year.
It was also brought out that because the state funding cuts were not as severe as anticipated, furlough days will be restored. The last day of school will be June 7, rather than June 1, as originally scheduled. The state's January figures, however are based on the assumption that the Governor's tax proposal will be approved in November. If the taxes are rejected, cuts of up to $4.8 billion could be made to education for the next year.
Another agenda item concerned disciplinary hearings. The board approved the appointment of the school administrators to serve on an administrative hearing panel. Three members of the panel would be selected to hear a disciplinary case and give a recommendation to the board. Parents could appeal that decision to the board if they choose.
Gilbert said that getting a quorum of trustees together for these hearings can sometimes be difficult. Under this new system, she said, it is hoped that these matters can be settled swiftly so that the students are not kept out of school for so many days.
To prepare for taking on this responsibility, the administrators will have a training session. A workshop and training for the trustees was also recommended. Under the Brown Act, the board workshop would be open to the public. no art
