Merced board elects officers, approves routine motions, awards warehouse contract and adopts wage compliance

At a special Dec. 17 meeting, the Merced City School District board completed its annual organization, approved routine items and adopted several administrative actions.

Trustee Lacetti was elected board president after a nomination by Trustee McCutchen and a second by Trustee Jong; Trustee Delgado was elected board clerk following nominations. The board approved the consent agenda (routine items under the district's $355,000 threshold) by voice vote.

Administrative Services presented Resolution A-1 (2024-225) recommending award of a pallet-racking storage contract for the Operational Support Services Center warehouse. Dr. Doug Williams said no competitive bids were received; the board approved moving forward with a vendor recommendation.

Dr. Don Hubble opened a public hearing and the board approved the district's 'sunshine' letter to begin negotiations with the Merced City Teachers Association. Hubble then presented the district's plan to comply with California's Jan. 1, 2025 minimum wage change, raising hourly pay for affected classified staff and noon supervisors to $16.50; the board approved the change and asked staff to provide counts and budget impact details in a follow-up briefing.

The board also nominated and approved a delegate to the California School Boards Association delegate assembly (Trustee Lacetti) and heard brief board updates and a superintendent report.

Votes at a glance: appointment of Jennifer Andrade as Learning Director (unanimous); approval of consent agenda (unanimous); Resolution A-1 awarding pallet-racking contract (approved); approval of the sunshine letter (approved); approval of minimum-wage compliance to $16.50/hr (approved).