[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6469211,"mediaKeyId","5781070-20a4482431070dd83bafd19a4ef5bb18","parentId",5781070,"title","Board approves multiple MOUs, a run‑out agreement and personnel resolutions in unanimous votes","audioSeconds",2789,"startMs",4453000,"endMs",7242000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5781070-20a4482431070dd83bafd19a4ef5bb18&start=4453&end=7242","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5781070-20a4482431070dd83bafd19a4ef5bb18/thumbnail_4453000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6469211/California/Board-approves-multiple-MOUs-a-runout-agreement-and-personnel-resolutions-in-unanimous-votes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6469211-6014987e0b1e5276de79aa2265e96984/orig.mp4?Expires=1776413643&Signature=G7SJ1gow3oYhTgfobZhQOSmW0eR~BYxOtk6eBRA62P0f9Jfu30wZnMaqR8mCSI997ugBPLatKJFfbWpB2VL22qBQ7981vZ9V5t7l2Agp8SfdIrhkz9y-UmTwkloaiVr8vF-Y0wjqJLTVSikrC3anG6CHfwpBiAnjv5cA2UFqb7IJ1oYU~zwxLxYjy60qcxwDKo-RUs4zVzvY2LoTGB60njTl~btWRl639gRo~XnsVf626QCVO~iFOz0BNn2FytvVCyhcWABEXDxOTEkciSqTlRDCkI6i~3qzi3Lyc-Jp5IKE3e4n6o2ye431Id83F28WQd2uPZj41WI22ndFsGpbsw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Amador County Unified","date","2025-09-18T05:16:47.63Z","article","The Amador County Unified School District board voted unanimously on a set of consent and action items at its meeting, approving a run‑out contract for medical claims processing, data‑sharing and partnership agreements, and personnel resolutions related to staffing for the 2026–27 school year.

Key outcomes recorded in open session:

- Consent agenda (Item 13): The board approved the routine consent items presented (warrants, routine contracts and personnel listings). Motion passed by recorded roll call; student board members are not recorded as voting on personnel items.

- Item 15.1 — Allied Benefit Systems LLC run‑out agreement (contract award): The board approved a one‑time run‑out agreement to process claims for services rendered through Sept. 30, 2025, billed after Oct. 1, 2025. The district manager said the primary one‑time fee is $18,009.94 and additional fees may apply for bill review, medical-record review and related services. The agreement also includes a contingency for a percentage fee on savings realized from bill reviews. Motion approved by roll call; vote recorded as unanimous among voting trustees.

- Item 15.2 — K‑12 Strong Workforce Program MOU (contract award): The board approved a data‑sharing memorandum of understanding required to pursue the K‑12 Strong Workforce Program grant that funds career and technical education (CTE) and dual‑enrollment courses. The superintendent said the MOU has no direct fiscal impact on the district and is required to apply. Motion approved unanimously.

- Item 15.3 — Resolution ACUSD 2025‑2026‑04, intent to terminate certificated employees due to reduction in particular kinds of service (resolution): The board approved intent-to-terminate notices for three currently vacant certificated positions (two elementary teacher FTEs and one BCBA/program specialist) for the 2026–27 school year; the district reported total annual savings projected at $322,395.21 if positions are not filled next year. Student board members do not vote on personnel matters. Motion approved by a recorded majority of voting trustees.

- Item 15.4 — Resolution ACUSD 2025‑2026‑05, tie‑breaking criteria for certificated reductions (resolution): As a companion to Item 15.3, the board adopted tie‑breaking criteria to determine order of termination if necessary. Motion approved unanimously by voting trustees.

- Item 15.5 — MOU with Grand Canyon University (contract award): The board approved a memorandum of understanding to allow Grand Canyon University students to complete practicum, student teaching and internships with the district; the term is set through Aug. 26, 2028 and the district reported no fiscal impact. Motion approved unanimously.

- Item 15.6 — Public notice declaration in support of a provisional internship permit (personnel/other): The board approved a provisional internship permit for an individual hired on a short‑term staffing permit to continue as an intern at Plymouth Elementary; the permit is limited to one year. Student board members did not participate in this personnel vote. Motion approved by voting trustees.

- Item 15.7 — \"Sunshine\" proposals for 2025–26 negotiations (labor procedure): The board accepted initial proposals from the district and CSCA local chapter 239 to open specified contract articles (paying allowances, health and welfare benefits, hours/overtime, transportation) for the 2025–26 reopeners and authorized negotiations to proceed. Motion approved unanimously.

Board members recorded routine roll-call votes on each action; where student board members were present they did not participate in personnel votes. No item failed, and no item was tabled or postponed at this meeting.

Below are the formal actions taken as recorded in the meeting minutes and on the public audio stream.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","ACUSD/COE Board Meeting of 9/17/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Amador County Unified School District board approved a sequence of contracts, memoranda and personnel resolutions in unanimous roll-call votes during the meeting.","taxTitle","Amador County Unified, School Districts, California","taxId",65687,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6469216,"Teachers, students and union delegates press Amador Unified board over proposed insurance changes",0,4560000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5781070-20a4482431070dd83bafd19a4ef5bb18&start=4560&end=4560","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5781070-20a4482431070dd83bafd19a4ef5bb18/thumbnail_4560000.jpg","/articles/6469216/California/Teachers-students-and-union-delegates-press-Amador-Unified-board-over-proposed-insurance-changes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6469216-6c7be25d922c3323f51e622b56246bc5/orig.mp4?Expires=1776413643&Signature=Q014eVEfh2r-zMYKXp6l6wcUaEZptoC2RU3JmenyYe~VyP3X2W-ggz5pWksW7MTs6EzcQaGLt0-LeVNVH2-umktj50ABo-gH0raWgtw0j37w7N6qVCcmzuVPZAkw3l0OextV-Hi13NJSx2GJxijo9O1V0zs-PwiUanuvl-xsNPOWeUvfi3JkUD9kUEH7bVf79SbFbNzpSpDnETnUka~fDmYdGCFG8QLphnuRo5a7tAop762QeczVKwC4OsL72kSq6qxzrpvKCA4d11hno5ejiWUdHbvc4J1L7CrbzFoZqIG~C9iwchh~7~-0GmNXuLhsVwwp8UDJqqYjztfFaQ7bsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dozens of teachers, union leaders and students used the public-comment portion of the Amador County Unified School District board meeting to press trustees over proposed changes to employee health insurance and district finances.

The comments, delivered at the boardroom meeting and during an adjoining county session, centered on the district\u000fs recent insurance proposal, the effect on employees\u000f take-home pay and what speakers described as insufficient, untimely budget information presented to bargaining teams.

Speakers said the district\u000fs September 5 offer to change employee contributions would slash pay for some educators, force difficult personal tradeoffs and is already affecting school culture and events.

\"Under the district's September 5 offer, my insurance costs would rise ... That would reduce my take home to just $2,333,\" said Michael Garcia, who identified himself as an educator and parent. \"That would fall short by over $500 every month, meaning I\u000fd face impossible choices between paying bills and buying food.\"

Jeannie Jensen, speaking for the Amador County Teachers Association (ACTA), told the board the accounting presented to the public and bargaining teams was not current and urged trustees to demand an up-to-date, line‑by‑line accounting of district finances so negotiations could proceed from a shared set of facts. \"The data and information you received last night was based on May figures,\" Jensen said. \"We want an accounting of where our finances are at this moment and how the bargaining unit proposals affect that up-to-date accounting.\"

Several student speakers said the dispute is already affecting school activities and student well‑being. \"This crisis isn't just hurting our teachers, it's hurting students,\" said Aubrey Gold, a senior leadership representative at Argonaut High School. Other student leaders said reduced teacher involvement was forcing students to fill gaps at events and reshaping traditions.

Multiple speakers urged the superintendent and trustees to lead negotiations personally and to prioritize retention. Kurt Moco, who described prior experience leading large-scale retention efforts in the military, recommended Superintendent Robert Critchfield personally lead bargaining and that the district create a retention plan. \"When teachers feel cared for, they are far more likely to stay,\" Moco said.

Other staff and community speakers raised separate budget concerns, payroll errors and confidential information handling problems, saying mistakes have caused employees to lose pay and describing at least one instance where a business-office email included another employee's financial documents. \"This is a HIPAA violation,\" one commenter said.

Board members responded with repeated assurances that they and district staff were working on the financial details and negotiations. Trustees thanked employees for speaking and said they would continue working with bargaining representatives. Several trustees asked staff for more detailed cost data and said they understood the concerns about recruitment and retention.

No formal bargaining outcome or board action on insurance was taken at the meeting. Speakers asked the board to prioritize a transparent, current accounting and expedite negotiations; the board agreed to continue discussions and to pursue additional financial analysis and outreach to bargaining groups.

The public-comment block that focused on employee health coverage and bargaining occupied the majority of the board\u000fs first public-comment period, and several speakers urged trustees to act quickly to avoid further staff departures and continued disruption to student activities.

Looking ahead, speakers said they expected the board and bargaining teams to keep meeting; trustees reiterated the district intended to continue negotiations and to provide updated budget information to the board.","Dozens of teachers, union representatives and students told the Amador County Unified School District board their members and classrooms are already feeling the effects of proposed health insurance changes and budget shortfalls, urging the board to prioritize negotiations and budget transparency.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6469206,"Board reviews cellphone policy language, asks sites to harmonize school-level rules",1684,9420000,11104000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5781070-20a4482431070dd83bafd19a4ef5bb18&start=9420&end=11104","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5781070-20a4482431070dd83bafd19a4ef5bb18/thumbnail_9420000.jpg","/articles/6469206/California/Board-reviews-cellphone-policy-language-asks-sites-to-harmonize-school-level-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6469206-de57fc0e98ad4e3af3f49c236916c1e9/orig.mp4?Expires=1776413643&Signature=lYf0KT0xrD9iFQZnfQV6RYasFF44PqXV5fw-Q62HYIGK5BXQnzCXekSVChtJj-hS3Vv~A4NteFGwKRXVb0w8F4jheHZahfKJ4oGTLxpkfXwV-Xzfd3QCViPrPhbn9~OHXXY3INtLTGocICGxP~5pgfMEpHcMXCcUIVsBc8NUgWuhXV~Fim0DMVM9g5tN9gAvXzOpC4eaqe1H5twkiaO4uzK0jSafD1p8iI~8G0tNHKvQ76mAhunaPYEITgZwd8PhWihtF0mDArL6~M2tOYsSzZgjgeYuhakewihedc3KSmHnR4fR30E9F8BMQROzePJT5yfMe~3hdpherPrw9iQH5g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Amador County Unified School District board reviewed its updated cellphone policy language and discussed how site administrators are implementing school‑level rules under the new state law.

District staff presented Board Policy 5131.8 and explained that the district had adopted model language supplied by the California School Boards Association to comply with the Phone‑Free Schools Act (AB 3216) and Education Code requirements (including Ed. Code §48901.7). Staff said the district language requires mobile devices to be turned off during instructional time while preserving exceptions in the Education Code for emergencies, medically required use and teacher‑granted permission.

\"By 07/01/2026 all school districts must develop, adopt and update every five years a policy to limit or prohibit pupils' cell phone usage,\" the presenter told trustees, referencing the statute. She said the district had adopted the CSBA-recommended language at the June board reading and that most campuses have developed implementation rules in student handbooks or administrative regulations.

Administrators and a classroom teacher who spoke during discussion all emphasized that successful implementation depends on consistent enforcement by teachers and site leaders. One secondary teacher described a simple classroom routine using a pocket chart to collect phones at the start of class and said consistent faculty buy‑in had greatly reduced in‑class use and improved attention.

District staff outlined several implementation options for trustees: maintain the current board policy (which meets the Education Code), direct educational services to work with school sites to draft consistent site-level rules, adopt a district resolution that delegates implementation choices to site councils (the approach LAUSD has used), or seek legal counsel and craft an original, more prescriptive board policy. Staff warned that custom board policy language would raise legal costs to ensure compliance with state law.

Trustees discussed trade-offs including equity, enforcement and safety. Several trustees favored harmonizing rules at the school level for like grade spans (for example, making junior high schools use the same approach) to avoid student confusion when policies differ only by campus. Administrators noted some site practices in other districts use lockers, wall pouches or magnetic pouches to store phones; staff cautioned pouches can be defeated by inexpensive magnets available online and that any storage approach carries trade‑offs (security, cost, administrative burden and the potential for lost items).

No board action was taken. Trustees directed staff to work with site administrators — particularly secondary principals — to ensure consistent, grade‑level implementation and asked for a future update on site policies and any recommended modest tools (for example, inexpensive hanging shoe‑organizers) that would not require major new legal drafting or outsize expense.

The board\u000fs review emphasized the statute\u000fs emergency exception: school staff may permit device use in response to a perceived threat or danger, and district policy preserves that exception in compliance with Education Code provisions.","District staff told trustees the board's current policy language meets the state Phone-Free Schools Act; administrators said most campuses are already implementing clear, school-level rules and the board asked sites to align practices across grade levels rather than adopt a novel district-wide regulatory approach.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves multiple MOUs, a run‑out agreement and personnel resolutions in unanimous votes

Teachers, students and union delegates press Amador Unified board over proposed insurance changes

Board reviews cellphone policy language, asks sites to harmonize school-level rules