Apple Valley Unified trustees approve bargaining 'sunshine' filings, language-course adoptions and personnel actions

The Apple Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees approved the district's initial 'sunshine' bargaining proposal and received union reopener proposals, adopted middle-school world-language courses designed to feed directly into second-year high-school language classes, and took personnel actions following closed session.

Jeremiah Harrison, the district's director of human resources, told trustees the successor agreement with the Apple Valley Unified Teachers Association is "open for negotiations at this point and it's our desire to begin negotiations tomorrow," and he placed AVUTA's sunshine proposal and the district's proposal on the record for negotiations. The board also received a reopener filing from the California School Employees Association Chapter 828.

On curriculum, trustees approved course-of-study adoptions for French 1A/1B and Spanish 1A/1B at the middle-school level to ensure students who complete a 1A/1B sequence in seventh and eighth grade may advance into the second year of high-school language without repeating content. Mr. Scher explained the adoption "memorialize[s] the idea that students who do take the sequence'would then go straight to the second year in high school," describing it as a pathway alignment.

The board voted to enter into an agreement with Public Agency Retirement Services to design and administer a supplemental early-retirement program for eligible employees, provided the program shows sufficient employee participation and demonstrated fiscal savings to the district.

Following closed session, the clerk reported the board took action on several personnel and discipline items. The clerk announced approval of a Skelly officer recommendation and a five-day suspension recommendation for employee number 4865. Several expulsion recommendations and stipulated expulsions listed on the closed-session agenda were also approved by voice vote.

All motions recorded on the agenda were moved, seconded, and approved by voice vote, with the board president closing public hearings where no public speakers were recorded.

Votes at a glance - Approve district initial 'sunshine' bargaining proposal (AVUSD): approved by voice vote. (Provenance: SEG 1471'SEG 1512; SEG 1820'SEG 1830) - Receive AVUTA initial bargaining proposal (public hearing opened/closed): received; no public comment. (Provenance: SEG 1750'SEG 1767) - Receive CSEA Chapter 828 reopener filing: received; no public comment. (Provenance: SEG 1794'SEG 1816) - Adopt Middle School World Languages (French 1A/1B, Spanish 1A/1B): adopted by voice vote to formalize progression to high school second-year language. (Provenance: SEG 1836'SEG 1866) - Authorize agreement with Public Agency Retirement Services to design/administer supplemental early-retirement program (contingent): approved; implementation contingent on participation and fiscal analysis. (Provenance: SEG 1874'SEG 1881) - Approve personnel/discipline actions disclosed in closed session, including employee #4865 five-day suspension recommendation and multiple expulsion decisions: approved by voice vote. (Provenance: SEG 1278'SEG 1395; SEG 1884'SEG 1906)

What happens next: The district and unions will move into formal negotiations on the articles listed in the sunshine proposals; staff will work with Public Agency Retirement Services to evaluate participation and cost savings before enacting the early-retirement program.

Sources: Board meeting proceedings and clerk's announcements reported by the Apple Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees.