The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s Board of Education will meet for the first time in the new decade this Thursday at the district offices in Santa Monica, and there are a number of items set to be discussed, according to this week’s agenda.
The SMMUSD board will kick off 2020’s first meeting with a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday before later adopting Resolution No. 19-15, which declares that the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District aims to celebrate the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America.
“We commemorate the timeless values he taught us through his example – the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership,” the resolution states, adding: “On this holiday, we commemorate the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit, and speaks to the best of who we are as human beings.”
The MLK Jr. celebration is expected to take no more than 20 minutes and will precede a study session where staff and the board of education will review student achievement data related to the district’s FASTbridge screening assessments as well as the district’s interim assessments for English Language Arts and Math in all grades.
Later, during the meeting’s Major Action Items section, the board is expected to adopt its second resolution of the night, which encourages all schools and teachers in SMMUSD to observe the Fred T. Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution on Jan. 30.
“Fred T. Korematsu was one of these individuals, who refused to comply with Civilian Exclusion Order 34, based on the federal Executive Order 9066, which imposed strict curfew regulations and required 120,000 Japanese Americans to leave their homes to be incarcerated in American concentration camps during World War II,” the resolution states.
The approval of a 2018-19 Annual Financial Audit Report is expected to be the final action item of the night as district staff has recommended that the SMMUSD board of education accept the 2018-19 Annual Financial Audit Report and approve the administrative responses to the findings and recommendations contained in the subject audits.
The audit is mandated by California Education Code and was completed by the firm Moss, Levy and Hartzheim LLP, staff said.
“The Board of Education and the Financial Oversight Committee have previously received copies of the audit report and an information copy is available for public review in the Office of the Superintendent,” the agenda reads. A copy of the report can also be found online as well at bit.ly/SMMUSDAudit.
The Board will meet on Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. at 1651 16th Street.
brennon@smdp.com
