Thursday, May 21, 2015

Santa Cruz City Schools board reacts to grand jury report


SANTA CRUZ >> In a unanimous vote Tuesday night, the Santa Cruz City Schools board responded to last month’s Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury report, which criticized the district’s Parcel Tax Oversight Committee’s organization.
Tuesday’s response was largely a confirmation of the numerous concerns raised. Many of the point-by-point responses, however, stated the district had already moved to remedy a majority of the grand jury’s concerns.
The Parcel Tax Oversight Committee is charged with monitoring how appropriately the district applies district special tax revenue to specific programs.
Superintendent Kris Munro said the board was being called out for not giving clear direction to its committee, adding that district staff members are working to establish bylaws for all other existing action-taking committees. A standardized annual report template is also in the works, she said.
“Many of the grand jury recommendations are items that we had identified ourselves. As soon as these items came to our attention, we immediately moved to remedy and correct,” Munro wrote in a press release.
Some organizational changes to the committee include ensuring the group complies with meeting rules spelled out in the Brown Act, clarifying its rules and procedures and providing improved public access to meeting dates, current and former meeting agendas and committee contact information.
The district contested some of the grand jury report findings, however. Librarians and counselors funded by parcel taxes do not perform administrative duties, and clerical work related to their work is not restricted under the ballot language, the district wrote in its response letter. Also, a 2006 board vote breaking down how tax revenue is divided between multiple tax-funded interests expired with the parcel taxes and does not need to be applied to new taxes, the response states.
Taking the largest step in acknowledging the committee’s shortfalls, the board also voted Tuesday to approve a set of bylaws for the committee, which had not previously existed.
Trustee Jeremy Shonick said he felt the grand jury’s report should give the board and district some pause, and cause some soul-searching.
“I think we need to send a very clear message to the public that yes indeed we take these grand jury findings very seriously,” Shonick said.
Trustee Patty Threet asked the board to delay its vote on both the response and new bylaws to a later meeting, in order to give the Parcel Tax Oversight Committee an additional chance to review the final direction. A majority of the board voted to move forward Tuesday with both the proposed bylaws and grand jury response as written, however.
The hard look at the committee comes as the district considers pursuing next year the renewal of the Measure P parcel tax and a new school facilities bond measure.
The board also heard an update on project projections for the coming year. The numbers, said Jim Monreal, assistant superintendent of business services, were turned on their head — in a positive direction — by the governor’s annual May budget revision. More definite information will be provided during a June 3 district budget advisory committee meeting, he said.
May 20, 2015
Santa Cruz Sentinel
By Jessica A. York

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