Board Meeting Highlights: October 9, 2024 (Regular)

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7.1 Superintendent Report

Superintendent Erik Burmeister shared the following:

Today is International Walk and Roll to School Day. We loved seeing Fremont Unified staff, students, and families walking and rolling this morning! Thank you to all who participated and the many volunteers who helped guide students and welcome them to school! We loved seeing our Board Trustees and staff, elected officials from the City of Fremont and AC Transit, and leaders from around our community supporting our students! And thanks to the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program for coordinating!

Today,  I am celebrating a personal milestone. Today is my 100th day as superintendent of Fremont Unified. I couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate than Mrs. Helm’s kindergarten class at Leitch Elementary! I chose a kindergarten class because commemorating the 100th day of school is a well-loved tradition in many kindergarten classrooms, and in that tradition, I got to wear a 100-day crown handmade by some of Mrs. Helm’s students while I spent time with their small groups during their activity rotations and while I read them a book.

We sent a video and blog message I authored to our community today to share my reflections after 100 days, but I’ll share just a few now.

• Fremont Unified has many strengths. The first is our staff. I am so impressed by the level of student engagement, the creativity of the instruction, the commitment of our site leaders, and the teamwork exhibited by our teachers and staff.
• I’ve also grown to respect FUSD's resilience. As a significantly underfunded district, FUSD continues to provide incredible educational value for the relatively small amount of money it receives from the state. Knowing Bay Area districts as I do, I can attest that FUSD accomplishes much more with much less than most.
• The sense of pride of place and connection to the community is truly inspiring–and rare in the Bay Area. I am impressed by each school's unique personality and identity; it’s exciting to see a nice balance of autonomy and coherence alive and well in Fremont.
• I have also seen those places where our leadership team will need to focus our energies to secure Fremont Unified's success in the future. The first and most obvious challenge is our budget. Once we address the immediate need to balance the budget, we must consider additional funding streams where possible.
• Funding is closely tied to our ability to recruit and retain well-trained, committed staff who can afford to work in and live near Fremont. As it stands, Fremont struggles to compete with other Bay Area districts that can pay more and provide medical benefits.
• As the 24th largest district in the state, it’s sometimes difficult for families and staff to navigate such a large organization and understand how to get the desired information and response. As such, we are working to shift our practices to be more responsive to the needs of our students, staff, and parents. We’re big, but we can be more nimble.

100 days in, and I am as impressed and hopeful as I was on the first day I started. Thank you to everyone who has welcomed me to the District, invited me to your classrooms and offices, and joined me in partnership to serve our students. And thank you to Leitch Elementary, Principal Rancap-Perez, and Mrs. Helm and her students for reminding me of why we do what we do!

Next week, we’re hosting four Balanced Budget Input Sessions. I invite FUSD staff, families, and community to join us on October 15, 16, 17, or 18. You can find details and information at fremontunified.org/balancedbudget. Also on that website is our anonymous survey for our community to provide input as we go through this process. I’ll note that no decisions about reductions have been made. The Board is expected to take final action on reductions in January 2025, but there are many steps before we reach that point.

At the next Board meeting on October 23, we will have a pre-interim Board budget update with the most up-to-date potential impacts on our budget situation, including higher-than-anticipated enrollment and the effect of settlements with our labor partners in light of CSEA’s tentative agreement.

Congratulations to the Fremont Unified high schools named to the 2024 AP School Honor Roll! This College Board program recognizes schools with Advanced Placement programs that are increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness. The AP School Honor Roll offers four levels of distinction: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Tonight we are celebrating the following high schools for their recognition by the AP School Honor Roll:

• John F. Kennedy High School earned the Bronze level distinction. Its 2024 AP coordinator was Assistant Principal Josh Hunter, and Principal Ronaldo Fisher accepted the award.

• American High School earned the Gold level distinction. Its 2024 AP coordinator was Principal Sandhya Sharma, and she accepted the award.
• Irvington High School earned the Gold level distinction. Its 2024 AP coordinator was Assistant Principal Jason Aucoin, and Principal Stan Hicks and AP Aucoin accepted the award.
• Mission San Jose High School earned the Platinum level distinction. Its 2024 AP coordinators were Assistant Principal Beth Benomo and Teacher Pete Vaz, and Principal Amy Perez and AP Benomo accepted the award.

7.2 Student Member Report

Student Member Sriya Neti congratulated the schools recognized with an AP School Honor Roll award. High schools are preparing for Homecoming and celebrating various spirit weeks. Emphasized the importance of participating in the Balanced Budget process, and encouraged students to attend the SURFBoardE Student Forum for Budget Reduction on Wednesday, October 16 from 4:30 to 5:30pm at the District Office.

13.1 Irvington High School Showcase

To start this Showcase, students from the Irvington High School Band performed in the Boardroom under the direction of music teacher Charlie Rodda.

Principal Stan Hicks, Irvington teachers, ASG student reps, and the school’s PTA president presented the Irvington High School Spotlight, highlighting the school's accomplishments, areas of focus, unique characteristics, student perspective, and parent/guardian and community perspective.

At Board meetings during the school year, one school will present to the Board a brief presentation highlighting the school's accomplishments, areas of focus, unique characteristics, student perspective, and parent/guardian and community perspective.

16.1 Irvington High School Electrical Update and Closure of School

On the evening of Thursday, October 3, Irvington High School experienced a significant electrical issue that affected the power supply across the entire campus. The outage was identified as a failure in the main electrical grid, which impacted classroom lighting, HVAC systems, and essential safety equipment, including fire alarms and emergency lighting.

Despite initial efforts by district maintenance and utility personnel, the repairs required extended time due to the complexity of the issue. After consulting with facilities and safety experts, the decision was made to cancel classes on Friday, October 4, prioritizing student and staff safety. Notifications were promptly sent to parents and staff, and the district is coordinating with local utility providers to restore power as quickly as possible.

Associate Superintendent Danny Hillman, Facilities Director Adam Lint, MOG Director Tom Ekman, and Cumming Group Consultant DJ Halbert provided updates on repair timelines and any additional impacts on school operations with a brief Irvington Electrical Summary presentation.

The Board unanimously approved funding for services by General Lighting Systems to provide electrical services and generator set-up at Irvington High School.

16.2 Adopt District Educational Specifications for Lunch/Shade Structures & Swimming Pools and Approve the Prioritization of Future Facilities Projects

The Fremont Unified School District’s current Long-Range Facilities Plan (LRFP or Plan) was adopted by the Board of Education on August 28, 2024. The Plan identified approximately $2.6 billion in facility projects.

Educational Specifications and District Standards are critical for school districts to efficiently and effectively implement a Long-Range Facilities Plan. They provide a clear framework and set of guidelines that ensure consistency, equity, and alignment of educational objectives across the district. They serve as a blueprint for effective educational planning, ensuring that all students have access to high quality educational facilities.

Staff is beginning the process of reviewing and updating the District Educational Specifications and District Standards, and plans to bring them to the Board for review and approval. Staff intends to bring them in manageable sections that can be reviewed and approved in future meetings.

There is a functional difference between Educational Specifications and District Standards; however, the terms are often used interchangeably and are generally understood within the school facilities industry provided the proper context. To better understand the differences, below is an attempt to define the terms:

• Educational Specifications focus on the educational vision and functional requirements of school spaces and define the spaces and amenities of the site. The primary purpose is to ensure equity and standardization across all district schools by establishing standards for all projects. Ed Specs incorporate the District’s goals, objectives, and policies. They Specify the intended use, including grade level, curriculum content, and teaching methods. Details generally include size, acoustic requirements, electrical/media/technology, plumbing, HVAC, and finish materials (floor, wall, ceiling). They also cover any special furniture or fixtures necessary for the educational function of the space. Guide the development and design of site-specific projects for school implementation.
• Design Standards ensure the appearance, sustainability, and overall quality of the facility. Defines the products and equipment of the facility. Specifies the products and systems to be included in construction projects. These standards ensure equity among school sites, creating consistency and equity across the district. Early knowledge of these standards helps coordinate with all aspects of school construction to ensure seamless integration of new facilities or improvements with existing systems. Standards allow for early communication with manufacturers, enabling precise and accurate responses to questions during the design phase. They also help provide a more accurate basis for cost estimates, as the products and systems are predetermined. District Standards dictate the Construction Specifications for projects.

Staff has prepared the first two items (Pools, and Lunch/ Shade Structures) based on feedback received by the community regarding the Long-Range Facilities Plan. These Educational Specifics are included in the presentation on FUSD Educations Specifications & District Standards.

On September 25, 2024, the Board requested that the American HS and Irvington HS pools be brought before the Facilities Advisory Committee and Board for consideration.

On October 1, 2024, the Facilities Advisory Committee reviewed and provided meaningful feedback on the educational specifications presented.

The Prioritized Project List (Appendix C of the Long-Range Facilities Plan), was approved by the Board on June 26, 2024.

The Board unanimously adopted the District Educational Specifications for Lunch/Shade Structures & Swimming Pools. The Board did not take any action on the Prioritization of Future Facilities Projects

16.3 Receive 2023-24 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Results

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) system of assessments includes the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) Summative Assessments and the California Alternate Assessments (CAAs) which are administered to FUSD students in grades 3-8 and 11. In addition, the CAASPP suite of assessments includes the California Science Test (CAST) for students in grades 5, 8, and one administration in high school. All CAASPP assessments are typically administered during the spring of each school year. The tests are comprehensive end of the year assessments of grade-level learning that measure progress toward college and career readiness.

CAASPP data for the 2023-24 school year are preliminary and subject to change. A Local Education Agency (LEA) is permitted to use their own preliminary results for local planning, including public meetings with their local governing board. Statewide results are still embargoed and undergoing a review and validation process to ensure reliability and completeness across all LEAs. Final data for the CAASPP, as well as aggregate statewide results, is scheduled to be released publicly by the California Department of Education (CDE) on October 10, 2024 through the Test Results for California's Assessments (TRCA) website. Additional CAASPP reports, along with other measures of district and school performance, will be released through an update to the California School Dashboard (www.caschooldashboard.org/) scheduled for December 1, 2024.

The Board received the 2023-24 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) results for the Fremont Unified School District.