GO Board Watch: January 9, 2018
Welcome to GO’s School Board Watch for the meeting taking place Wednesday, January 10, 2018.
This week’s agenda includes the following key items:
- Budget presentation guidelines
- Resolution requesting Blueprint for Quality Schools implementation plan
- Measure N process and timeline
- Measure G annual report for 2015-16
Budget and Finance
Budget Presentation Guidelines
The Board will hear a first reading of a proposed Board policy that would require the District to follow Government Finance Officers Association guidelines for all budget presentations. The proposed guidelines, if accepted, would go a long way in increasing the consistency and transparency of OUSD budget presentations. The guidelines would provide additional context and information that would make presentations more accessible to the general public.
Blueprint for Quality Schools
The Board is slated to hear a resolution directing the superintendent to develop a detailed work plan for implementing the recommendations contained in the blueprint for quality schools. Due in mid-March, this work plan would include, among other things, the criteria for selecting schools for reconfiguration, staffing levels, timelines, guiding values, and expected outcomes.
Tax Measures
Measure N Process and Guidelines
Supt. Johnson-Trammell will present to the Board on the success of the Measure N funded Linked Learning programs and the ten-year plan for continuing to expand Linked Learning services for Oakland students. It also discusses the process for what happens when schools are unable or unwilling to adhere to the requirements of Measure N. Students that participate in Linked Learning, on average, gain 8.9 more credits by the end of high school and are 5.3 percentage points more likely to graduate. According to the presentation, “By 2020, the percentage of high school students in Linked Learning Pathways will increase to 80 percent, 100 percent for rising sophomores.”
Measure G Annual Report for 2015-16
The Measure G Parcel Tax Independent Citizens Oversight Commission will present the 2015-16 Measure G Annual Report to the Board. According to the text of the legislation, Measure G funds are intended to help the District, “to attract and retain highly qualified teachers, maintain courses that help students qualify for college, maintain up-to-date textbooks and instructional materials, keep class sizes small, continue afterschool academic programs, maintain school libraries, and provide programs, including arts and music, that enhance student achievement . . .”
You can explore how Measure G funds have been spent throughout the district, by program and by school, through the interactive dashboards at TrackG.org.
Earlier this week, Aimee Eng and Jumoke Hinton Hodge were elected as the new President and Vice President of the School Board by their colleagues. Congratulations to them both!