For the first time in months, the school board meeting finished early. There was no earth shattering revelations, no hard driving discourse on painful budget issues, no discussion of mission statements. Just a plain, old meeting. It was refreshing.
Two students from Sassarini were recognized as students of the year: Angel Barcenas and Julia Hart. Principal Leticia Cruz described Barcenas as a kind student who has strong leadership skills and participates in GATE, helping to enhance his strong academic skills. She said he is willing to help his peers by sharing learning strategies and would like to be an architect when he grows up. Barcenas was chosen by school staff for his caring attitude and academic excellence.
The second award recipient, fifth-grader Hart, is part of the Sassarini student council and has run for president this year. Cruz applauded her sense of community, willingness to help her school be a better place, and her kind heart. Because of her love of animals, she aspires to be a veterinarian.
Trustee Dan Gustafson presented both students with plaques. Cruz had flowers for the mothers and hugs all around.
Following the presentations, Janet Hansen, VMTA president raised some concerns over recent discussions about upping the salary in the search for a new principal. At issue are a potentially significant salary increase and an additional housing subsidy which could draw a top-notch principal to the open position at the high school.
“If teachers see that there is no money for them but there is money to pay for ‘important’ positions, there will be a noticeable difference in the kind of support you’re going to see,” Hansen said. “The conversation about how compensation affects who works in the district goes a long way.”
Further along in the meeting, Justin Frese, assistant superintendent of business and trustee Nicole Ducarroz dicussed a food service workshop they recently attended. The group of six total, all residents of Sonoma, came away with ideas about how to integrate food from school gardens and local farmers into cafeteria kitchens, how to save money by composting as well as a variety of other topics that they’ll be pursuing in the near future.
Frese said, at the risk of patting themselves on the back, Sonoma was already doing a lot of the things which other districts’ are striving for … like eliminating chocolate milk and incorporating a salad bar. Next steps include talking to district food service personnel to decide which programs to push forward.
Frese went on to report on two facilities projects: the high school fence, which is almost complete with landscaping to be installed soon to soften the look. Network upgrades are also continuing site-by-site.
The meeting adjourned before 8 p.m. The next meeting will be the last of three special board meetings to address the budget. It will be held on Nov. 17 at the district offices.