The Piedmont Unified Board of Education recognized outgoing board members Amal Smith and Megan Pillsbury at its Dec. 14 meeting. See the Exedra recap below:
Both served on the board during the pandemic, what was arguably the most challenging period for public school officials across the country in recent memory. Smith and Pillsbury reflected on that time in an Exedra interview earlier this week:
The following summaries are provided by PUSD:
Superintendent search update
Representatives from Leadership Associates (LA), the firm hired by PUSD to conduct a search for its next superintendent, said it had met with 50 groups, representing PUSD and the community, over a three-day period in November and also received 417 responses to an online survey requesting feedback on superintendent qualifications that was incorporated into a position description.
The position has been posted and as of this week, 22 requests for an application have been received, the district said. Applications are due Jan. 16, 2023. LA will bring all applications to the Board on Feb. 1 to select candidates for interviews which will take place later that month
Other Board actions taken at the Dec. 14 meeting:
Approved the Piedmont Middle School, Millennium High School, and Piedmont High School plans for student achievement
The PUSD Site Councils serve as a forum where school staff, parents, and students can discuss a variety of issues that affect student performance in Piedmont schools and develop site-based goals to improve student learning. Site Councils discuss topics such as curriculum, communication, and school climate in an effort to educate stakeholders and provide long-range guidance and insight. The California Education Code requires the school site council to develop a School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). The purpose of the SPSA is to create a cycle of continuous improvement of student performance and to ensure that all students succeed in reaching academic standards set by the State Board of Education. The School Plan for Student Achievement is developed with the input of all Site Council stakeholders and reflects the current educational needs of students
Approved positive certification of the 2022-23 first interim financial report
The First Interim Report for Fiscal Year 2022-23 provides an update of actual expenditures and revenues through Oct. 31, 2022, and a projection of the budget adjustments necessary to complete the fiscal year. The First Interim also includes a multiyear projection (MYP) to serve as an early warning system to begin planning for the District’s spending over the following two years. Based on the projections for expenditures through the end of the fiscal year and assumptions for future years, including ongoing budget adjustments necessary in 2023-24, the District will meet the 3% reserve in the current and two subsequent fiscal years. District recommends that the Board certify the First Interim as “Positive.”
Approved state discretionary block grant plan
The Board is required to discuss and approve a plan for the expenditure of the Arts, Music an Instructional Materials (AMIM) Discretionary Block Grant, approved by the Legislature as part of the 2022-23 Budget Act. The plan as presented is to allocate the funds for operational support by designating the full amount towards the District’s required (3%) Reserve for Economic Uncertainty. The State bill approving the AMIM grant requires the governing board of each school district receiving the grant to discuss and approve a plan for the expenditure of funds at
a regularly scheduled public meeting. Piedmont USD has been allocated $1,503,374 in AMIM grant funds.
You can watch the meeting on KCOM’s video service HERE and view the full agenda HERE.