Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Small Schools topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board pulls consultant and K‑resolution items after funding and contract errors at June Jordan small‑school program
Summary
Board members questioned funding, evaluation and retroactive contract language for June Jordan and Small Schools for Equity; staff acknowledged a drafting error and the board withdrew the K resolution for correction and resubmission.
Board members pressed for detailed fiscal information and program evaluation results for June Jordan High School, a Small Schools by Design site, and discussed related consultant contracts and K resolutions. Mary Richards (executive director, high school team) and deputy administrators described an ongoing comprehensive evaluation for the Small Schools by Design initiative that includes fiscal structures and program effectiveness.
During review of a consultant/contract item tied to Small Schools for Equity, staff discovered that an incorrect/residual K resolution had been placed on the agenda, creating retroactive reimbursement language that did not match the factual record. Yashika Crawford, manager of Excel After School, described how contract language from 2009–2010 led to unpaid amounts that Small Schools for Equity had effectively covered and said staff found an inaccuracy in the contract drafting. "There was a request ... that amendment be made per principal ... That was not done," Crawford said.
Several commissioners said the retroactive wording must be corrected and requested financial breakdowns showing all district and private funds supporting the school so the board can assess achievement versus investment. Commissioners asked staff to provide a clearer financial accounting and to add the evaluation and funding review to the appropriate committee agendas. The board agreed to remove the item for first reading and bring corrected, separate items back at a later meeting.
Next steps: Staff will re-draft the K resolution(s) with accurate retroactivity language, provide requested financial data about the small-school differential and related supplemental funds, and return corrected items in a subsequent meeting. The board also requested that evaluation data include a financial component to analyze investment-to-achievement ratios.
Source: Board discussion and public testimony at SFUSD board meeting.
