Though a much less hectic agenda than this past week, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board of Education will get a chance to shape future objectives on Thursday.
Prior to the board’s meeting on Thursday evening, a special "board retreat" will be held to the public at 1pm in Room D100 of Santa Monica High School. The objective of the retreat is to hear from SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton on district goals and priorities moving forward, guided by the district’s three Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) goals.
Presentations will be given by Shelton on district priorities, as well as on the following subjects:
- Guaranteed Viable Curriculum (by Dr. Stacy Williamson and Dr. Ashley Benjamin)
- Reclassification (by Dr. Benjamin)
- Special Education (by Victoria Hurst and Jillian Bucciero)
- Transformative Approaches (by Dr. Devon Smith)
- Maintenance (by Carey Upton and Glen Infuso)
- Budget (by Melody Canady and Gerardo Cruz)
The board and other district officials will also take part in storytelling and symbolism exercises, such as choosing "symbols of me" that represent qualities they are proud of, challenges as a board member and a part of their individual stories. Shelton asked similar reflective questions of his staff before his first year as Superintendent, an exercise that he said would bring officials together into a stronger unit.
"When we are reflective and self-reflective about who we are and what’s going on with us, then we can bring the best self to the space to support and educate our students," Shelton told the Daily Press last year.
A few hours later, the board will reconvene for a regularly-scheduled meeting, a truncated agenda with just weeks remaining before the 2024-25 school year. The board will be appointing a new Director of Student Services, effective August 1, as well as hearing the District English Learners Advisory Committee (DELAC) End-of-Year Report.
Focusing on the district’s English Learner Programs, the DELAC committee will highlight accomplishments from the 2023-24 school year, including a host of special meetings with district officials, as well as recommendations for actions and expenditures.
DELAC recommendations include hiring staff who work directly with families of English Learner students, providing additional English Learner parent training and collaborating with Special Education officials to "ensure that parents of [English Learners and Special Education students] have the tools and information necessary to advocate and promote student success with reclassification and academics."
The committee also recommends monitoring Reclassified Fluent English Proficient students to ensure that students have not been prematurely exited from the English Learner curriculum, using the ELLevation software. The English Learner software program currently serves over 1,700 school districts and 2.5 million students nationwide.
thomas@smdp.com
