Trustees discuss long gaps between regular meetings, no change approved

Trustee Anne Phillips pressed the Lawndale Elementary School District Board of Trustees on the district calendar and the frequency of regular board meetings, asking how the district could go six weeks without a meeting. The question came during consideration of superintendent action items; Phillips said she was concerned that the district had only one meeting in January and asked whether the board had previously gone that long without meeting. Superintendent Castro and other trustees replied that the calendar was shaped by holidays and staff vacations, which make it difficult for staff to prepare agendas during certain holiday periods. No motion was made to change the calendar during the meeting. Several trustees said other districts hold only one meeting per month and that the board would vote for the current calendar to allow staff time to prepare materials. Trustee Phillips said she disagreed with the approach but voted with the board to move forward. The board did not adopt any change to the regular-meeting schedule at this session and left the calendar as presented; the superintendent indicated staff would continue to manage agenda timing around holiday staffing constraints.