Download minutes PDF Minutes Approved

James Jordan Middle School Board of Trustees

Minutes

Regular Board meeting

Date and Time

Thursday September 22, 2022 at 7:00 PM

This Board Meeting is open to the public.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH ORDERS FROM
GOVERNOR NEWSOM, THIS BOARD MEETING WILL BE ONLINE. The right to
teleconference continues under AB 361 because California public health officials
continue to declare that a state of emergency, requiring social distancing measures, still
exists in Calfornia, particularly in Los Angeles County. James Jordan Middle School
("School") welcomes your participation at the School's Board meetings.


https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84542354836?pwd=MkxQRE50aEpFV1VETmxjYVliYlMvZz09

 

Meeting ID: 845 4235 4836 Passcode: V02flaYT

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The purpose of a public meeting of the Board of Trustees ("Board") is to conduct the
affairs of the School in public. We are pleased that you are in attendance and hope that
you will visit these meetings often. Your participation assures us of continuing community
interest in our School.
To assist you in the ease of speaking/participating in our meetings, the following
guidelines are provided:
1. Agendas are available to all audience members on the home page of
www.jamesjordanms.com.
2. ONLINE Board meetings will still have time reserved for PUBLIC COMMENT. If you
wish to make a public comment, expect to be limited to 3 minutes. To speak, send an
email to bsmith@jamesjordanms.com with a Subject of PUBLIC COMMENT.
a. Non-agenda items: any person may address the Board concerning any item not on the
agenda provided that no individual presentation shall be for no more than 3 minutes (or 6
minutes with translation) and the total time for this purpose shall not exceed 20 minutes
(provided that the President may grant additional time if circumstances permit).
Ordinarily, Board members will not respond to such presentations and no action can be
taken as the Board is allowed to take action only on items on the agenda. However, the
Board may give direction to staff following a presentation or calendar the issue for further
discussion. Individuals may also request that a topic related to school business be placed

on a future agenda and once such an item is properly agendized and publicly noticed,
the Board can discuss, respond, and possibly act upon such an item.
b. Agenda Items:The presentation to the Board shall be made at the time a specific item
is under discussion. Any person may address the Board concerning any item on the
agenda provided that no individual presentation shall be for no more than 3 minutes (6
minutes with translation) and the total time for this purpose shall not exceed 30 minutes
(provided that the Board Chair may grant additional time if circumstances permit).
Speakers are requested to state their name and address and adhere to the time limits
set forth herein. Each speaker is limited to 3 minutes in English and 6 minutes with
translation. Spanish translation will be provided by the school at every board meeting. If
you need translation for another language, please contact the school 48 hours in
advance to allow us to find a translator.
4. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and upon request, the
School may furnish reasonable auxiliary aids and services to qualified individuals with
disabilities. Individuals who require appropriate alternative modification of the agenda in
order to participate in Board meetings are invited to contact the Principal
(lara@jamesjordanms.com, 818-882-2496)

Trustees Present

B. Smith (remote), N. Mondragon (remote), R. Edelen (remote), S. Belle (remote)

Trustees Absent

P. Lambros

Guests Present

E. Hodes (remote), G. Lara (remote), M. Marsh (remote)

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

B. Smith called a meeting of the board of trustees of James Jordan Middle School Board of Trustees to order on Thursday Sep 22, 2022 at 7:01 PM.

C.

Approve Minutes

S. Belle made a motion to approve the minutes from Regular Board Meeting on 08-18-22.
N. Mondragon seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
P. Lambros
Absent
B. Smith
Aye
N. Mondragon
Aye
R. Edelen
Aye
S. Belle
Aye

D.

Determination of need for online board meetings

S. Belle made a motion to to hold all board meetings online for the next 30 days.
N. Mondragon seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
N. Mondragon
Aye
R. Edelen
Aye
S. Belle
Aye
P. Lambros
Absent
B. Smith
Aye

E.

LEAD TEACHER REPORT

  • Lead Teachers
    • 6th- Dr. Palisoc 
    • 7th- Ms. Estrada 
    • 8th- Mr. Chavez 
    • The board will see our leads in future board meetings 
  • Enrollment- JJMS is fully enrolled with 150 kids in each grade level
  • Campus Culture- 
    • Our Flag Football team too their first win (the other team forfeited) Our team will be ready for our next game next week. 
    • Our first Book Fair is in full swing, sponsored by Ms. Gameros (ELA Chair) 
    • Robotics is also in full effect by Mr. Bhatri 
    • Astro camp has been planned during the Spring time
  • JJMS had the first field trip to listen to a speaker about a great program about life struggles 

F.

PUBLIC COMMENT

No public comment 

II. Financials

A.

Adjusted budget for board approval

B. Smith made a motion to table the adjusted budget to the October board meeting.
S. Belle seconded the motion.
  • JJMS finances are very strong 
  • There are several buckets of money with different rules 
    • LCAP is a commitment to spend the funds as described
    • Some money may expire at a certain year or date 
  • JJMS has a surplus in every bucket
  • Mandate block grants, ESSER funds, etc 
  • Hold harmless was expected to be reflected 
  • JJMS follows the rules tagged with expenditures 
  • Teacher salaries
    • One teacher was added 
    • A raise was given to all teachers given teacher input about stipend dollars 
      • $2000 were moved into teachers base salaries 
      • The percentage raise will be on a slightly bigger 
      • Small cost in the out years
      • We want to retain strong teachers over the years
  • 3% percent bonus will be given to all employees for October 
  • The substitute line is also very high. Moved external 18k more.
  • Smith- Explain the teacher retirement. Are teachers using it?
  • Dr. Marsh- This is the amount JJMS pays into STRS and teachers also pay a small amount into the retirement fund. 
  • Net Income of $162k is a very healthy place to be 
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
B. Smith
Aye
N. Mondragon
Aye
S. Belle
Aye
P. Lambros
Absent
R. Edelen
Aye

III. LAUSD/CDE REQUIRED BOARD ITEMS

A.

Sufficiency of Instructional Materials (required by Williams Decree monitored by LACOE)

B. Smith made a motion to declare that JJMS has sufficient instructional materials for all students, and the board has reviewed all 21 forms.
N. Mondragon seconded the motion.

JJMS is on the list of Williams monitoring. Each teacher had to fill out this form on the second day of school. Teachers had to determine physical textbooks and online textbooks. Every student has a textbook.

 

Teachers have certified these forms.

 

JJMS has enough textbooks for all students. 

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
P. Lambros
Absent
R. Edelen
Aye
N. Mondragon
Aye
B. Smith
Aye
S. Belle
Aye

B.

Master Plan for English Learners

B. Smith made a motion to adopt the 22-23 Master Plan for English Learners.
S. Belle seconded the motion.

The Master Plan will be proofread. 

 

Correct any spelling and grammar errors

 

“Students learn discrete English grammar skills"

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
N. Mondragon
Aye
P. Lambros
Absent
R. Edelen
Aye
S. Belle
Aye
B. Smith
Aye

C.

Specification of LAO authorization for Sohail Bhatri

R. Edelen made a motion to add a detail to the motion that was passed on 8/19/2021 regarding a Local Area Authorization for Sohail Bhatri to teach math during the 2021-22 school year and specifying that the SEID number for Mr. Bhatri's LAO authorization is 1696693314.
N. Mondragon seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
B. Smith
Aye
P. Lambros
Absent
S. Belle
Aye
N. Mondragon
Aye
R. Edelen
Aye

IV. Governance

A.

Approval of updated Code of Conflict required by state law

N. Mondragon made a motion to adopt the updated new Code of Conflict required by state law.
B. Smith seconded the motion.

Our attorneys have reviewed the latest Code of Conflict required by state law

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
B. Smith
Aye
N. Mondragon
Aye
R. Edelen
Aye
S. Belle
Aye
P. Lambros
Absent

B.

Facilities update

JJMS is currently in the punch list phase. Items are being identified to be fixed. 

 

TCO will become a permanent permit. 

 

JJMS has purchased a new property on Strathern. Currently under inspection stage. 

 

Additional details will be presented at the October meeting. 

 

The plans from the architect will not be ready until November. 

 

The house on this property will be leased to a JJMS employee. Our attorneys will develop a leasing agreement. Perfect compliance with public funds. 

C.

Modification of Independent Study Policy

S. Belle made a motion to that JJMS will not offer independent study programs. Students who need to be absent from school for more than 10 days due to a medical condition will be referred to Carlson Home Hospital and will be able to automatically re-enroll at JJMS after their medical condition is resolved.
N. Mondragon seconded the motion.

JJMS is not an independent study school. The rules have changed for quarantine and isolation. 

 

 

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
P. Lambros
Absent
S. Belle
Aye
N. Mondragon
Aye
B. Smith
Aye
R. Edelen
Aye

D.

Declaration of Interim Executive Director for October 2022.

B. Smith made a motion to name Griselda Lara as the interim Executive Director for the month of October 2022, and invest Mrs. Lara with all of the authority and signing powers of the JJMS Executive Director. The board authorized a provision of a $1000 stipend to Mrs. Lara for taking on additional duties during the month of October.
S. Belle seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
B. Smith
Aye
N. Mondragon
Aye
R. Edelen
Aye
P. Lambros
Absent
S. Belle
Aye

E.

CLOSED SESSION: Personnel Evaluation Executive Director

B. Smith made a motion to go into closed session at 8:09 pm.
R. Edelen seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
N. Mondragon
Aye
S. Belle
Aye
P. Lambros
Absent
R. Edelen
Aye
B. Smith
Aye

F.

OPEN SESSION: Compensation for the Executive Director

B. Smith made a motion to set the 2022-23 compensation for the Executive Director Dr. Myranda Marsh of James Jordan Middle School at $144,000 with a $20,000 stipend bonus for a total of $164,000.
N. Mondragon seconded the motion.

Smith- On behalf of the JJMS Board of Trustees, the board recognizes that Dr. Marsh had an exemplary year with the global pandemic, learning loss, and staff and teacher challenges. Dr. Marsh had a great year supporting staff, parents, and students. Thank you for the work with the board and our new facility. 

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
P. Lambros
Absent
N. Mondragon
Aye
B. Smith
Aye
S. Belle
Aye
R. Edelen
Aye

V. Closing Items

A.

Adjourn Meeting

B. Smith made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:29 pm.
N. Mondragon seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
P. Lambros
Absent
S. Belle
Aye
B. Smith
Aye
N. Mondragon
Aye
R. Edelen
Aye
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:29 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
G. Lara
Documents used during the meeting
  • 22.23 JJMS Budget to Current Variances.xlsx
  • williams forms.pdf
  • 2022-23 Master Plan for English Learners.pdf
  • 2022-23 James Jordan Middle School COI (4893-7380-5099.v4).pdf