At its Thursday meeting, the board will look to adopt a resolution authorizing and ratifying emergency heating, ventilation and air conditioning work. Specifically, a contract with AC Pros for $169,720 to survey and repair systems in the Samohi Innovation Building, after an early September heat wave necessitated the move.
"During the heat wave, the HVAC system had significant systemic failures," a staff report on the item stated. "While the ventilation continued to function in several rooms, the air conditioning in rooms that had ventilation was insufficient. The failure of the system resulted in classrooms, offices and other interior spaces reaching temperatures in which normal teaching, administration or other activities was disrupted, discontinued, or made impossible to continue."
The district’s maintenance team reached out to AC Pros, which had previously done work on the Innovation Building’s HVAC system, to provide emergency repairs, servicing and equipment replacement or enhancement of existing HVAC systems, with the work slated to be completed by Thursday. The heat wave, which took place between Sept. 3 and Sept. 10, featured five straight days of temperatures hitting at least 87 degrees Fahrenheit, including a 100-degree day on Sept. 6.
On Thursday, the board will also have a study session on the district’s Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, which is a state-mandated program to provide unduplicated students in grades TK-6 with after-school and summer enrichment activities.
Per the California Department of Education, an "unduplicated" student means a student that either: Qualifies for free or reduced lunch, is homeless, a foster youth or an English Learner. The program offers daily activities, including at least 30 intercession days in the summer, winter and spring.
The district spent $2,462,960 on the program between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, using the state funding on partnerships with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Malibu and Santa Monica, SMMUSD School-Age Programs, after-school sports and independent contractors such as Planet Bravo and Rediscover Center. In 2023-24, children attended a total of 32,249 program sessions.
Also on the agenda, the board will welcome Webster Elementary School Principal Carina Diana to speak on school celebrations from the past year, including prioritizing restorative justice practices and building out its indoor elementary physical education space.
Other items include an annual public hearing on the sufficiency of district instructional materials, an extension of the employment agreement of SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton, and resolutions in support of Safe Schools Month and the Week of the School Administrator.
thomas@smdp.com
