The Morongo Unified School District Board of Education had a budget workshop in addition to its regular business meeting this week. Dan Stork breaks his report into two parts. Today, diverse topics that arose in the regular business session: summer session, busing, class overcrowding, athletic eligibility, staffing decisions, and expenditures…
During the regular open session of the Morongo Unified School District Board of Education, Assistant Superintendent Tom Baumgarten summarized the summer school programs. Between 129 and 158 students attended credit recovery sessions at the high schools, with two sessions each in Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms. La Contenta Middle School also had a credit recovery session for 58 students, as well as an 8th grade intervention program. Condor and Yucca Mesa Elementary Schools had summer tutoring programs.
Assistant Superintendent Dave Price said that bus services started up smoothly, which he ascribed to First Student (the driving company) bringing in more drivers, and the addition of more stops on major arteries. Morongo Teachers Association representative Jason Bolt asked about relief for some very large classes. Price said that the District expects to hire six teachers shortly, and will redistribute some teaching loads. Twentynine Palms High School Athletic Director Jeremy Johnson urged the Board to review eligibility standards for athletes, with an eye toward having a probationary status category. All matters on the Action Agenda were approved without discussion or dissent. But Board member Karalee Hargrove pulled the Payments item from the Consent Agenda to question several items, and Ron Palmer pulled a personnel action item to question elimination of an instructional assistant position at Landers Elementary. After discussion the payments were approved unanimously, but the personnel action was upheld 3-2, with Palmer and Hargrove dissenting.
