GEOGRAPHIC AREA OF THE SCHOOL BOARD'S JURISDICTION

The Lucerne Valley Unified School District is a K-12 school district located in the desert region of San Bernardino County. The district serves four schools, and has a total student population of 1,034. District schools include 1 Elementary School, 1 Middle School/High School and Alternative Education Programs. The district also offers Head Start and Healthy Start programs.

WHERE AND WHEN WAS THE MEETING WAS HELD

The meeting was held in the multi-purpose room of Lucerne Valley Elementary School on Wednesday, June 6th, 2001 from 7:00 to 9:30 PM.

NAME AND OCCUPATION OF EACH BOARD MEMBER

Julia Bell – Retired Administrator of Lucerne Valley Elementary School
Board President

Brynn Risler – Business owner (Kiwi Sandals)

Board Member

Tom Courtney – Business owner (Courtney Construction)
Board Member

Bill Lattin – Retired bus driver of Lucerne Valley Unified School District
Board Representative

John Shank – Supervisor Specialty Minerals Inc.
Board Vice President

MAJOR TOPIC OF DISCUSSION AT THE MEETING

Several parents spoke about problems at the school. Most of the discussion centered around negotiations with teachers for salary increases. Teachers in the Lucerne Valley Unified School District had not had a raise since 1999 and the parents were concerned that the school board and administrators were not listening to the needs of the teachers. Parents were also concerned that some teachers would pass their dissatisfaction into their classroom and that their children would not be provided an adequate education. One parent was disturbed to find that the district had a reserve of 1.2 million dollars and could not understand why the district needed such a large reserve yet will not offer the teachers an adequate raise. Several parents mentioned other local districts that had given their teachers a 10% raise retroactive to September 2000.

The second major issue was the discussion of hiring a new school superintendent. The board decided to reject all of the applicants and repost the position. Parents were concerned that no one was hired and wanted to know what requirements they had. The board said they could not discuss specific issues about candidates, but said they were looking for someone who would be in tune with our community and its needs. The board informed the audience that they would try to have a new superintendent in place by September if possible.

Parents also complained that they were receiving misinformation, or no information from school personnel and student aides. The board asked for a list of problems they have encountered so they could discuss each issue and try to resolve them.

Another big issue was the flooding of the road in front of the high school. Alternatives to the grass in front of the school were discussed to stop water from sprinklers running into the street. A community member said he would take a county representative by the school to see if they could help with the repaving of the road.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM ATTENDING THE MEETING

I was surprised to see so much community support for the teachers on the issue of our contract negotiations. There were several teachers at the meeting, which is unusual. I am sure that much of the input about negotiations from parents was based on conversations with teachers prior to the meeting. I feel the board was effective in the way they handled community input. I was not surprised by the way the meeting progressed. They followed the agenda and acted on the items as they always do. For the most part, we have a good school board.