LUSD official condemns hatred, bigotry
Lodi Unified School District Board of Education Vice President George Neely took a moment to denounce the actions of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend that resulted in at least one death, during Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting at Julia Morgan Elementary School in Stockton.
“What happened in Charlottesville turns my stomach. I’m not going to be quiet about this, we cannot allow this type of hatred and bigotry in our area. We have to oppose it everywhere, especially in our schools. Many of these white supremacists are young, white men, and many of them were recruited in schools,” said Neely, adding: “People are not bigots because they are strong and tough, but because they are weak and afraid.”
Neely called for the board to draft a resolution denouncing white supremacist groups, which he offered to draft with the help of Ron Freitas, another member of the board.
“We have all kinds of antibullying programs at our schools, and white supremacists are the epitome of bullies. I ask everybody to join me in standing up and saying, ‘No, we’re not going to put up with that!’” said Neely.
“I’m with you on that, George,” responded board member Bonnie Cassel.
Cassel brought up the tree limbs that fell onto Davis Elementary School last Thursday. The tree in question was between 200 and 300 years old, according to Cassel, who added that a “commemorative something” will be made out of wood from the oak.
She then welcomed two new student representatives: Melissa Ann Bongcaron of Ronald NcNair High School and Jasmine Villanueva of Tokay High. Both are seniors, and presidents of their respective Associated Student Bodies (ASBs).
Two items were pulled from Consent Agenda A by Neely: Item A1, regarding changes to the district’s budget and Item A7, regarding project change orders for the Joe Serna Jr. Charter School roofing project. For item A1, Neely wanted to clarify that even though $1,790,000 was to be set aside to hire new FullTime Employees (FTEs) as Community Liaisons in North Stockton schools, approximately $1.2 million would be reserved for future years, as the money was from a multi-year grant. Item A7 then passed 7-0.
For Item A7, Neely had more pressing concerns regarding an increase in the cost from the initial bid, although the roofing work had already been completed.
“There was an increase of $163,424, that’s a 39 percent increase. Something of that magnitude should have been looked at rather closely, not just on the regular consent agenda,” said Neely.
Neely questioned whether the company that gave the bid was competing against other companies, and why the project was not initially bid with the cost of the new plywood sheeting that was installed. According to Neely, 7,200 square feet of sheeting was installed, requiring 225 sheets of plywood.
“I just had my own roof redone, and the best sheets of plywood cost $30 per sheet. Maybe nothing is wrong, and I just don’t know the other costs,” said Neely.
Neely moved to table the decision to approve Item A7 until LUSD’s chief business officer can investigate the cost of the project. The motion passed 6-1, with Freitas as the only dissenting vote. The remainder of Consent Agenda A passed 7-0.
The student representatives gave reports on their respective high schools, where fall sports teams have begun practice and student clubs are preparing to recruit for the year.
Tokay High School counselor John Hunt gave the Lodi Pupil Personnel update, reporting that the school’s psychologist’s office is “getting back in shape,” and applauding the effort into addressing the class size issue, although he did express concerns that Tokay High still lacks a sufficient number of counselors to handle more than 550 cases. Gary Knackstead of the board asked Superintendent Dr. Cathy Nichols-Washer to look into the student-counselor ratio.
Lodi Education Association President Michelle Orgon apologized for her absence at the Aug. 1 meeting, as a group of teachers had traveled to the University of California, Los Angeles for training. She thanked families for their contributions to teachers’ efforts to set up their classrooms before the school year began, and announced that 115 teachers attended a “New Teacher Boot Camp.”
Orgon then brought up the issue of room temperature settings, saying that many classrooms do not have adequate air conditioning. She invited members of the board to sit inside a classroom to feel the temperature, and mentioned that many elementary schools hold PE classes inside, contributing high temperatures in the rooms. She also brought up the issue of handing out Local Accountability Plan (LCAP) surveys to parents during Back to School Night events.
“We should not impose parent surveys during Back to School Night. Let’s set up a time to talk about LCAP separately,” said Orgon.
Ron Heberle of the board acknowledged Orgon’s concerns about the surveys and air conditioning, expressing his desire to put more control into the hands of teachers as well as get students and parents more involved in LCAP.
“”I want to make sure the process is as inclusive as possible. I want student representative involved, I want parents involved,” said Heberle.
Neely also addressed the air conditioning issue, suggesting the use of fans and portable air conditioners if the problem cannot be remedied quickly. He also mentioned that Chrome Books used in classrooms have been timing out during lessons.