Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves Public Education Enrichment Fund spending plan; members press for reserve review and instruction time discussion
Summary
The board approved a PEAF spending plan for 2014–15 after staff explained the plan and answered questions; commissioners urged review of PEAF reserves and discussed a potential seventh period and dedicated world language funding.
The Board of Education approved a Public Education Enrichment Fund (PEAF) spending plan for the 2014–15 school year after Deputy Superintendent Kathy Fleming read the superintendent’s proposal into the record. The resolution cites the 2004 charter amendment that established PEAF and authorizes the district to amend the spending plan during the budget development process depending on state and city funding.
Kathy Fleming read the resolution and described the recommended allocations for sports, libraries, arts and music and the continuation of current staffing and programming levels. "The community advisory committee on PEAF has submitted its recommendations to the board and the superintendent," Fleming said as she outlined the plan.
Board members thanked staff for the responses to earlier committee questions but raised policy and equity concerns. President Feuer asked the administration to re‑examine the reserve funds and whether some PEAF reserve dollars should be transferred back to school sites via the weighted student formula. "We have asked our school sites to be very patient… I think that there should be a plan perhaps to wean us from this as we receive more revenues from the state," Feuer said.
Commissioner Morase voiced support for the PEAF Community Advisory Committee recommendation for a seven‑period day and urged creation of a dedicated funding stream for world languages. Commissioner Mendoza McDonald asked about a previously discussed development/grant‑writer position; staff confirmed a grant writer position is funded in the infrastructure budget and has been filled.
The board conducted a roll‑call vote and the motion carried (recorded in the transcript as "5 ayes"). Staff said the spending plan may be amended later in the budget process in response to state funding levels and City and County allocations.
Next steps: staff will proceed with implementation and monitor the district’s reserve position as the budget cycle continues.
