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Board adopts responses to three civil grand jury reports; supervisors spotlight truancy and pensions
Summary
The board adopted resolutions responding to three civil grand jury reports — on nonprofits, pensions and truancy — with members emphasizing concerns about truancy rates and contesting pension-related findings.
The Board of Supervisors on Nov. 24 adopted resolutions responding to three civil grand jury reports released earlier in 2009: a report on nonprofits, a report on pensions, and a report on truancy and school engagement.
Several supervisors used the ordinance-approval moments to single out the truancy report and to press for a citywide plan. Supervisor Marr and others said the number of chronic truants in the city (which they characterized in the hearing as roughly 15–20 percent in some measures) represented a systemic problem affecting elementary as well as secondary schools; they urged the school district and city agencies to produce a comprehensive response within months.
On the pensions report, Supervisor Ellsberg and others criticized some of the grand jury’s conclusions as overreaching. Ellsberg said the report’s recommendation for a defined-contribution approach was not well grounded and that the grand jury failed to credit improvements undertaken by the retirement system. The Government Audit and Oversight Committee, which handled the reports, rejected or deconstructed some of the grand jury’s recommendations in committee before the board acted.
The board adopted the three resolutions without recorded opposition after committee consideration. Supervisors said the grand jury’s work was valuable but that some findings warranted further deconstruction and response from city agencies.
Ending: The board’s formal acceptance of the reports and its committee responses set the stage for follow-up with the Unified School District and the Retirement System, which supervisors said must provide additional detail and plans in response to the board’s request.
