From: Gwyn Lurie, Board President

To: Parents, Teachers, Staff

From: Gwyn Lurie, Board President

Subject: Overview of Upcoming June 18, 2013 Board Meeting

Please click this link for the Board packet

materials http://www.montecitou.org/domain/64

Hope everyone is already off to a fantastic summer. This year at MUS has been a packed one. Our kids have benefited so much from the hard and inspired work of our incredible teachers, staff and administration. But there is no question that there has been a lot of change this year in our little community and that, for some, has felt unsettling. MUS feels like a second home to many of us, and change at home is never easy. As a Board, and I know too as a teaching staff, much time is given to developing Norms and Values that allow us to operate as a healthy group that, while we may not always agree, we always try to embrace things like: assuming good intentions, treating each other with respect, and always seeking to understand before jumping to conclusions or making important decisions. I believe that these kinds values and norms would positively benefit any family, or community, including our own.

The one thing I value the most about our MUS community is that all doors are always open. We have a School Board, an administrative staff, and a community of teachers who are all, at the drop of a hat, willing to sit down and talk to any member of this community who has questions or comments, or concerns. I urge each and every one of us to take advantage of these open doors. To seek to understand. To assume good intentions. Because at the end of the day, it is our children for whom we are modeling these values. And I know that for every one of us, our top priority is that our kids go through MUS and receive the most positive, supportive, happy experience possible.

To that end, we have our final Board Meeting of this school year coming up on Tuesday, June 18th. As always you are welcome to come as there will be ample opportunity for public comment. Your input is very important to us.

The will begin at 4:15 pm. We will have a closed session to

review the topics below and then open up the meeting at 6:00 pm for our

regularly scheduled meeting.

Closed Session items:

-  We will receive an update from Superintendent Tammy Murphy on possible district litigation.

-  We will be presenting Tammy with her annual performance review.

At 6:00 pm we will go into our regularly scheduled open Board Meeting:

Our consent agenda will be moved up to the top of our agenda as Mrs. Murphy will be asking the Board to approve 3 new staff hires: a new Dean of Students, and two new teachers. We will also have the opportunity to meet and welcome each of these fabulous nominees.

Monica Hammonds as our Dean of Students. Monica'sundergraduatedegree was from UC Santa Cruz and then UC SB for her teaching credential. She taught for 11 years at San Marcos HS- Health and ChildDevelopment.Monica has been an assistantprincipalfor the last 8 years with the last 4 at Dos Pueblos HS. She was the 14-0 recommendation from the Committee. She was in charge offacilities, studentactivitiesandmany of the duties outlined in our job description. She had a senior class of 564studentsthis year, so she is not scared by 494 students!

Raina Azzam will join the 4th grade team from Ellwood School in Goleta. She has taught for 7 years in SB Countyandin Del Mar. Her BA was inPsychologyand Women's Studies from UCSB and this is where she also received her MA with emphasis in teaching.

Kim Fuller joins the 6th grade team from MarinCountywhere she taught in both NovatoandMill Valley the last 3 years. Kim's undergraduatedegree was in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley. Her master's degree in teaching was from UCSB.

Strategic Initiative #3 Technology in a 21st Century School:

We will be asked to approve the purchasing of replacement computers and laptops for students.

We will also be asked to approve the acquisition and installation of technology infrastructure such as switches and wireless devices as recommended to our district by last year’s FCMAT report.

Strategic Initiative #6 Financial Sustainability:

Tammy and Virginia Alvarez will present the final budget for 2013-2014.

We, as a Board, have been reviewing the Budget along with answering

questions and getting feedback at the previous four Board meetings. We

will also get a report on the state of the California State Budget any potential impact on MUS. Overall, while the budget is tight and we remain in solid financial position, the administration has done an excellent job over the past couple years to help us weather these challenging economic times coupled with higher enrollment.

Strategic Initiative #5: Staffing: Human Resources:

Tammy Murphy will present the board with a job description of an employee who will be responsible for maintaining the physical plant.

Strategic Initiative #1: Student Learning and Achievement

Under our Superintendent Report we will begin to discuss ways in which we will, with the consultation of our Bond consultants John Isom and Associates, be reaching out to the greater Montecito Community to get feedback for our facilities plan.

We hope everyone has a great rest of summer and if you cannot attend the

meeting and have questions, please send them to .

and be sure to look at Tammy’s board meeting recap after the meeting.

My best,

Gwyn Lurie

Please click this link for the Board packet

materials http://www.montecitou.org/domain/64