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San Ramon Valley school board members are set to hear a report Tuesday about the implications of a new state law going into effect in the fall semester limiting the start times for public high schools and middle schools across California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom gave final approval to Senate Bill 328 in October 2019, which requires that middle schools begin classes no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools begin classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m. starting this fall, in all school districts throughout the state.
Legislators cited research that suggests sleep deprivation, while not healthy at any age, has additional negative impact on children and adolescents, by altering hormone levels, mood, and proclivity for future health issues such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure, according to San Ramon Valley Unified School District officials.
The staff report prepared by Superintendent John Malloy’s office ahead of Tuesday’s discussion states that the district will work toward ensuring the priorities of the legislation, as well as of students’ needs, are met, and that equitable access to required courses will be ensured.
One measure discussed in the report is a “robust and dynamic” seventh period that would run until between 3:30 to 3:45 p.m., offering options for a five-, six- or seven-period day based on students and families’ needs. The report also emphasizes a commitment to flexibility for students engaged in extracurricular activities, and to adhering to the requirements put forth by applicable laws and the San Ramon Valley Education Association (SRVEA) contract.
The public hearing comes as the superintendent’s office is working on a schedule that meets these requirements, ahead of the fall semester.
The San Ramon Valley Unified School District Board of Education is set for their next regular meeting Tuesday (Feb. 8) at 7 p.m. The agenda is available here.
In other business
* The board is set to host a second public hearing on redistricting, following the shift from at-large to by-trustee elections in 2019. The shift to by-trustee elections means that trustees are required to live within a defined trustee area, and only elected by voters of that area.
SRVUSD and other school districts using by-trustee elections are required to evaluate whether existing trustee areas have roughly equal numbers of voters, based on the most recent census data, which was released over the past several months. If the variance between trustee areas exceeds 10%, redrawing district boundaries is generally in order.
Demographers hired by the district to evaluate the relevant 2020 census data determined that the variance for trustee areas, based on this data, exceeds 10%, meaning that boundaries will need to be adjusted.
The district’s first public hearing on the redistricting process was at their last meeting, on Jan. 18, in which demographers presented their findings and discussed the 2020 census data, as well as potential revisions to trustee area boundaries. Discussions are set to resume Tuesday night, when demographers will be joined by Harold Freidman, the district’s legal counsel.
* District staff are recommending that the board pass a resolution in support of Assembly Bill 1614, which would increase the Local Control Funding Formula, a measure that school districts statewide have long called for, and which would intend to “strive to reach the top 10 states in the country in K-12 pupil funding.”
* Board members are poised to vote on a resolution that would approve provisional internship permits for educators, allowing them extra time to complete subject matter competence requirements usually required for internship permits. The measure comes as the state has stopped issuing emergency permits for educators, amidst struggles to staff classrooms during the pandemic.
* In a closed session ahead of their 7 p.m. open session, district officials are set to confer with legal counsel on one matter of anticipated litigation and one matter of existing litigation. They will also talk with the district’s bargaining team about labor negotiations for the California School Employees Association and the Service Employees International Union.
