An historic meeting occurred last night between the Ojai Unified School Board and the Ojai City Council.  They discussed historical designation for the Ojai Avenue school site, and many other interesting issues.  Unfortunately for me, due to work commitments I was unable to attend.  Nevertheless, I watched the video (available here) this morning, and my colleagues did just fine without my supervision (joke…).

Here’s hoping we continue a productive collaboration with the city.

And please fee free to share your thoughts with me about the future of the Ojai Avenue school property.

For everyone who missed it, you can now view the entire several hours of our January 31st Board Retreat at http://youtu.be/6nYOdujLshc.

Our February 3rd meeting should be there shortly it not already.

I had a great day at today’s Board Retreat.  Many thanks to the many people who came and spoke.  It was particularly valuable hearing from the members of the public, and I’m gratified that the Board appears open to doing this again. To staff who gave up their Saturday, I’m very grateful, especially since they’re getting ready for our regular Board meeting Tuesday.  Having to staff two meetings in one week, with one on a weekend, is a grueling schedule.  Today came off flawlessly.

Also, more than ever I’m excited to be working with my fellow Board members.

Some important things I took away today:

1. There’s a great mix of experience and expertise on the Board.
2. We are all committed to transparency and accountability.  I heard that loud and clear today.
3. We began to discuss the District and its property.  Nothing was decided, but one trend was strong.  There was a common feeling that if there is any action on District-owned property (sale, lease, partnership, etc.), it should be in the context of an overall master plan.
4. We are still likely to lose a little more enrollment, but eventually will likely stabilize for now.  That means losing more general funds over time.  We are going to need everyone’s creativity to find alternative sources of additional funding or support.  We’re also going to need the participation and support of the City of Ojai.  To that end, I was particularly pleased to see and hear from Councilmember Bill Weirick today, who is the Council’s new liaison to the OUSD.  I was happy to hear him discuss the possibilities of the District and City working together.

We didn’t solve the world’s problems today.  We just talked about many of the challenges that lay ahead of us, but I think we off to a good start.  Again, thanks to Kathy Smith, Danni Pusatere, Superintendent Bangser, and everyone who made today possible, especially those who took the time to attend and speak.

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I made a promise during my campaign (and I wasn’t the only one) that I would work for and support televising OUSD Board Meetings as part of my commitment to transparency and community involvement.  I have great news.  I have been informed today by the Superintendent that through staff’s diligent work in the last month:

“our live feed from the Board Room to the City Council technology office (i.e., our means to get on channel 10) is operating!! Our meetings will be televised with a 15-minute delay. You might ask a family member or friend to view it, starting at 9:30 tomorrow, and text you to inform us if we are, in fact, working. 

Thank you to Kathy Smith, James Hahn from the City, Tom Friedman, David Rogers (District technology technical leader), and Josh Brown for getting us this far.”

I want to express my personal thanks to the above-named staff and Superintendent Bangser for the extra effort to make this change.  It took a little financial creativity, and technical wizardry, but they got it done for the benefit of all of us who care about the school district.

I’m very excited that we’re meeting this Saturday, January 31, 2015 at the OUSD District Office, at 9 a.m.  It’s going to be a very interesting meeting.  First, we’ll review the protocols by which we govern the District, and work with each other, the Superintendent and staff.  We’ll review important information for Board members to best understand their role, and learn various demographic information about the District and its students.

Then we’ll kick into the meat of the meeting as far as I’m concerned.  We will discuss the trend of declining enrollment and what that means for the future of the District.  Can the trend be reversed?  If not, where do we go?

Then, in a related conversation, we will begin to discuss how to discuss what to do with District property.  How should we begin the conversation to make sure everyone is heard?  This is a meeting for discussion only.  We will not be making any decisions about property at this meeting.

This is a special public meeting, so there will be a place for public comment.  Come let us know what matters to you about the agenda items.

Here’s the agenda: http://www.ojai.k12.ca.us/Portals/0/Supt/Agenda/1-31-15%20agenda.pdf

See the Ojai Valley News Article here.  1-28-15 OUSD board to talk priorities Saturday

Enjoyed a great evening of holiday music from the Nordhoff High School Music Department’s String Orchestra and Symphonic Band under the direction of Bill Wagner.  If you’re looking for an easy family evening, a concert like this is perfect.  The modest door donation goes to a worthy cause.  Next up the music of Disney Broadway…

GET THE APPLICATION AT: COC application 12-15-14

Measure J Citizens’ Oversight Committee

Seeking Applicants

The Ojai Unified School District Board of Education is seeking applicants for a Citizens’ Oversight Committee for Measure J. The Committee will meet at least quarterly and has the responsibility of informing the public concerning the expenditures of the Measure J bond.

The Committee will make an annual report to the Board and the community regarding the District’s adherence to the law and to the text and intention of the Measure related to expenditure of these funds.

The members will serve a two-year term and for no more than two consecutive terms. There are currently at least seven openings on this Committee with a minimum of seven members.

State law requires that the Committee, at a minimum, be composed, as follows:

• One member active in a business organization representing the business community located within the District.

• One member active in a senior citizens’ organization.

• One member active in a bona fide taxpayers’ organization.

• One member who is a parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the District.

• One member who is the parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the District and who is active in a parent-teacher organization such as the PTA or School Site Council.

• At least two other members, selected from the public at large.

Please feel free to call Kathy Smith at (805) 640-4300, ext. 1011 for an application, or you may obtain one at the Ojai Unified School District Office, 414 E. Ojai Avenue. The application may also be downloaded from the home page of the District Web site (http://www.ojai.k12.ca.us). Applications are due no later than Friday, January 23, 2015. The Board will interview qualified applicants in February and appoint Committee members no later than at its March 11, 2015 Board Meeting.

GET THE APPLICATION AT:  COC application 12-15-14

The Ventura County Star asked for a few comments about the election and my immediate priorities.  Here’s what I said:

I’m grateful for the trust and confidence placed in me by the voters.  There’s a lot to learn.  I’m excited to work with Superintendent Bangser and the faculty and staff of the District, as well as my fellow Board members.  With the overwhelming voter support of Measure J, the school board must now focus on building a well-conceived master facilities plan and an effective citizen’s oversight committee.  As we deliberate on how to best spend the money entrusted to us, I hope to make the board meetings more accessible so that the public can follow along and truly participate.