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MESSAGE FROM THE MORAGA SCHOOL DISTRICT - SUPERINTEN...
Superintendent Spotlight February 10, 2025 Dear Moraga Community, As we enter February, we take this time to honor Black Excellence Month, celebrating the achievements, resilience, and contributions of Black individuals throughout history and today. This month is an opportunity for us to reflect, learn, and recognize the profound impact of Black leaders, scholars, artists, and changemakers who have shaped our world. In our schools, we strive to cultivate a culture of belonging, where every student sees themselves reflected in the stories we tell, the history we teach, and the voices we uplift. Here are some announcements of interest: Budget Advisory Committee Recommendations In our Governing Board meeting on Tuesday, we will be bringing recommendations from our Budget Advisory Committee to the Board to consider. Final budget cuts will be made in the March meeting. Currently, our recommendations are approximately $646,000 for 2025-2026. Without additional funding, more cuts will need to be made in the 2026–2027 year to fully close the structural deficit. The Committee identified core values during this process. We commit to maintaining high levels of learning through investments in curriculum, class sizes, single subject curriculum, intervention, professional development, and teacher preparation and collaboration time. The cuts are extremely difficult, but the core programming for our students will remain focused on our goals of all students learning and belonging. For the full presentation, please see these SLIDES. Comprehensive Safety Plan Update Each February we update our comprehensive Safety Plan. I want to express gratitude to our wonderful Safety Committee who has worked hard this year specifically on updating technology and mobile device policies and practices to support student wellness. Some of the work this year has included parent education events and messaging during Digital Citizenship Week. In April, a full technology report will be given and policies will be updated with recommendations. As we move into a new year, our safety goals have been updated to reflect another important need: preparation in the event of wildfire. We look forward to working with Moraga Orinda Fire Department on this critical initiative and ensuring that our practices maximize student and staff safety. Here are our new safety goals for 2025-2026: The Moraga School District will utilize best practices for securing the physical safety of students and staff. Implement annual staff and student training on the Standard Response Protocol. Engage staff in staff preparedness training. Maintain a locked door system at each school site and develop an inspection checklist. Conduct safety drills on all campuses, including reunification, evacuation, lock-down, and shelter-in-place. Safety drill information will be communicated to families. Make CPR and First Aid training accessible to all staff. Train staff and educate students on opioid danger. Train staff on administration of naloxone. Partner with the Town of Moraga and Moraga Police Department to address crossings and traffic safety. Communicate with families best practices for safety. Implement facilities upgrades in the Facilities Master Plan related to safety (communication systems, windows upgrades, traffic flow improvements, fencing). Review best cybersecurity practices and improve cybersecurity infrastructure. Work with MOFD to ensure linked communication devices and to develop more comprehensive wildfire safety plans. Install choking devices in school cafeterias. The Moraga School District will continue to prioritize mental health and wellness practices for social-emotional safety. This includes ensuring inclusive campuses for all students. Continue social emotional learning program, Second Step. Maintain counseling and wellness services on all school campuses. Communicate resources for mental health and support will be communicated to all students and families. Provide training for middle school students and staff on suicide prevention. Continue the Too Good for Drugs program in elementary school. Implement lessons for students on digital citizenship and cybersafety. Continue parent education for best practices with technology. Implement and communicate district policies for technology on campus. Support LGBTQ+ students through on-campus clubs and implementation of gender support plans. The Moraga School District will institute restorative practices to assist in positive behavior intervention systems (PBIS) and student discipline. Continue PBIS teams at each school site and collect data on behaviors and interventions. Communicate PBIS and school policy to parents through school and district messages. Implement the Sandy Hook Promise Anonymous Reporting System to identify behaviors of concern and ensure all JM students have access. Train all administrative staff and counseling staff in threat assessment. Train staff on Title IX practices and explicitly teach students about sexual and gender based harassment. Reading Difficulties Risk Screener (new law) SB114 was signed into law in July 2023 and is codified in Ed. Code 53008. This new law requires local school boards to adopt a CDE approved kindergarten through second grade Reading Difficulties Risk Screener by June 2025 for implementation in the 2025-2026 school year. You can find more details in this presentation. JM Elective Fair - A Collaboration with Campolindo! Over 150 Campolindo students representing more than a dozen elective programs visited JM on January 22nd! JM students saw performances from Choir and Instrumental Music, and had a chance to talk to students and teachers about Sports medicine, Art, Video Production, World Language, Journalism, Woodworking, Auto Shop, Engineering, Drama, and a number of other programs. Beyond featuring opportunities at Campo, this event aimed to inspire and connect our JM students with the many elective offerings here at JM. Finally, the event served as a homecoming and reunion for former JM students and their teachers. Many a JM teacher was amazed to see how much their former 6th grader had grown in the last 5 or 6 years! Our close partnership with the Acalanes Union High School District helps us prepare students to thrive in all there is to experience in our wonderful high schools. Access to electives through a 7-period day is a long tradition in both Moraga at JM and at Campolindo. This is a wonderful privilege that is supported by local contributions, without which, it simply would not be possible to offer. Sincerely, Julie Parks, Superintendent
Tuesday, Feb 11 2025
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MESSAGE FROM THE MORAGA SCHOOL DISTRICT - REGULAR GO...
GOVERNING BOARD NOTICE REGULAR MEETING JOAQUIN MORAGA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL LIBRARY 1010 CAMINO PABLO TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2025 6:00 PM 5:30 PM Closed Session 6:00 PM Open Session Items of interest to the public include: MSD Safety Plan Special Education Report Preliminary Budget Reduction Recommendations The meeting agenda is available here MEETING GUIDELINES Members of the public may attend this meeting in person or watch via the Zoom Webinar. Public comments will only be allowed in person. To Watch the Open Session Meeting via Zoom There are two options members of the public can use to watch the open session meeting via Zoom: Option 1: Join Zoom Webinar using a computer and enter https://zoom.us/j/98834748675?pwd=bmd1UkpQbno2Q3p6b3FESFpwMzhJUT09 Option 2: Call in using a telephone; dial 1 669 900 6833 US; Webinar ID: 988 3474 8675 To Participate in Public Comment To participate in public comment, you must attend the meeting in person and fill out a comment card before the Board introduces the agenda item. The Board will not receive public comments through the Zoom webinar. The raise your hand and chat functions will not be used during the meeting. Regular Board meeting agendas provide an opportunity for public comment on items on and not on the agenda. Special meetings provide an opportunity for public comments on agenda items only. Individuals are asked to limit their comments for any item to not more than three minutes. If several people share the same issue, please choose one as your representative, and that person may be given additional time. The Board shall limit the total time of Public Comment to 20 minutes for each agenda item. Agenda items will be discussed in the order in which they appear on the agenda. Once the discussion of an agenda item has been completed, the Board will not reopen the discussion on that topic later. AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT NOTICE In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, for those requiring special assistance to access the board meeting, access written documents being discussed at the board meeting, or otherwise participate at board meetings, please contact the Superintendent’s Office by sending an email to jbaier@moraga.k12.ca.us . Notification at least 48 hours before the meeting will enable the district to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the board meeting. Dr. Julie C. Parks, Ed. D., Superintendent Moraga School District 925-376-5943 jparks@moraga.k12.ca.us
Saturday, Feb 08 2025
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MESSAGE FROM THE MORAGA SCHOOL DISTRICT - SUPERINTEN...
Superintendent Spotlight January 28, 2025 Dear Moraga Community, Happy Lunar New Year! As we welcome the Year of the Snake on January 29, 2025, we celebrate a time of renewal, joy, and togetherness. The Year of the Snake serves as a call for thoughtful action and strategic change. We are ready! Additionally, January is Board Member Appreciation Month. A heartfelt thank you to our local community members who have stepped into the challenging job of leading our school district. These positions hold great responsibility, and we are very fortunate to have a governance team of dedicated, passionate, and inspired individuals looking out for our students each and every day. Thank you to President Martha White, Vice President Kristin Kraetsch, and Board Members Larry Jacobs, Stephanie Stoan, and Lee Hays. Here are some announcements of interest: New Executive Orders on Immigration and Moraga School District Response The federal government recently revoked its previous guidance discouraging immigration enforcement actions in schools, daycares, and other designated “sensitive locations.” This decision may create fear and uncertainty for many students, families, and for our dedicated and passionate educators, staff, and administrators committed to all students learning and belonging everyday. Schools must be spaces of trust. This trust, between our staff, families, students, and the Moraga community, is foundational to ensuring high levels of learning for all students. We will continue to work to foster deep trust in our community. Our staff is monitoring changes in the laws and have been given guidance. At this time, our protocols are as follows: Staff should follow all directions and orders from immigration officers that are in the form of a warrant, subpoena, and judicial order. These are all legal documents with which school staff must comply. Staff should request that any written document such as a warrant, subpoena, or judicial order be reviewed by the Superintendent prior to any action taking place. Teachers and staff should contact their principal, who will call the Superintendent directly. The Superintendent would then seek immediate legal counsel as to the best course of action. The California Attorney General’s Office recently issued guidance on immigration, which can be found on their website: oag.ca.gov/immigrant/resources. On this website you’ll find “Know Your Rights” information related to immigration status questions. Budget Advisory Committee Update Our Budget Advisory Committee continues to meet to look deeply into expenditures and revenues in the Moraga School District. With all indicators from the Governor’s Budget Proposal pointing to a relatively flat allocation from the State and less one-time dollars, we will need to cut approximately $900,000 from our operating budget to bring our budget into alignment with our funding. This is an incredibly challenging task. Over the last several years we have expanded our wellness and counseling staff, our STEM staff, and support staff to address the needs of our students and to ensure that we continue to offer excellent access in Moraga. Our committee is working hard to identify areas that we can compromise while still maintaining our core commitment to all students learning and belonging at high levels. HERE is our presentation on expenditures and HERE is our presentation on revenues. The next step of our Budget Advisory Committee is to meet for a final meeting and develop consensus on recommendations to bring to the Governing Board in February. MLK Day of Service at JM On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the JM community united for a meaningful service project led by Eco teacher Dawn Lezak. The day began with an informative and lively talk by Julie Noble Stagg from the Moraga Garden Club, who shared valuable insights on how to support Moraga's pollinators in home gardens. Following her presentation, community members joined forces to plant a new pollinator habitat garden outside the administration building. The garden's design emerged from student proposals in Ms. Lezak's class and features native plants, showcasing the learning experiences of the students. The event drew participation from Campolindo's Leo Club, the Lamorinda Lion's Club, the Lamorinda Kiwanis Club, and numerous students from MSD, highlighting the collective effort to enhance the school's environment. Many thanks to all the members of our community who came together and a special thank you to our district maintenance team who worked tirelessly to make this project a success, our JM PTA for supporting the project, and to our Service Learning Liaison Jessica Gorelik for bringing the team together! Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Mid-Year Our Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) is updated with a mid year progress report annually. This document is foundational for our strategic plans in the Moraga School District. Our LCAP Mid-Year is posted on our website and a presentation summarizing this work is available HERE. As we move into the spring, we will be gathering educational partner input for our 2025-2026 LCAP. Stay tuned for some surveys! Sincerely, Julie Parks, Superintendent
Wednesday, Jan 29 2025
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MESSAGE FROM THE MORAGA SCHOOL DISTRICT - SPECIAL GO...
SPECIAL GOVERNING BOARD MEETING MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2025 6:00 PM 6:00 PM Open Session Items of interest to the public include: - Governor's Budget Proposal - Mid-year LCAP Update The meeting agenda is available here . MEETING GUIDELINES To Watch the Open Session Meeting via Zoom There are two options members of the public can use to watch the open session meeting via Zoom: Option 1: Join Zoom Webinar using a computer and enter https://zoom.us/j/98834748675?pwd=bmd1UkpQbno2Q3p6b3FESFpwMzhJUT09 Option 2: Call in using a telephone; dial 1 669 900 6833 US; Webinar ID: 988 3474 8675 To Participate in Public Comment To participate in public comment, you must attend the meeting in person and fill out a comment card before the Board introduces the agenda item. The Board will not receive public comments through the Zoom webinar. The raise your hand and chat functions will not be used during the meeting. Regular Board meeting agendas provide an opportunity for public comment on items on and not on the agenda. Special meetings provide an opportunity for public comments on agenda items only. Individuals are asked to limit their comments for any item to not more than three minutes. If several people share the same issue, please choose one as your representative, and that person may be given additional time. The Board shall limit the total time of Public Comment to 20 minutes for each agenda item. Agenda items will be discussed in the order in which they appear on the agenda. Once the discussion of an agenda item has been completed, the Board will not reopen the discussion on that topic later. AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT NOTICE In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, for those requiring special assistance to access the board meeting, access written documents being discussed at the board meeting, or otherwise participate at board meetings, please contact the Superintendent’s Office by sending an email to jbaier@moraga.k12.ca.us . Notification at least 48 hours before the meeting will enable the district to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the board meeting. Dr. Julie C. Parks Ed. D., Superintendent Moraga School District 925-376-5943 jparks@moraga.k12.ca.us
Friday, Jan 24 2025
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MORAGA SCHOOL DISTRICT MESSAGE - MEASURE D CITIZENS'...
MESSAGE FROM THE MORAGA SCHOOL DISTRICT CITIZENS' BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING MEASURE D THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2025 6:00 - 7:00 PM ZOOM The meeting agenda is available here . This meeting will be held via Zoom. Members of the public may attend using the Zoom link above. Any writings or documents that are public records and are provided to a majority of the Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee regarding an item or items on this agenda will be made available for public inspection in the District Office located at 1540 School Street, Moraga, CA, during regular business hours. CITIZENS' BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES MEASURE D Sean Creedon Sameer Pangrekar Michael Seitler Jack Weir John Panetta Ben Rojas Gian Panetta
Monday, Jan 20 2025
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MESSAGE FROM THE MORAGA SCHOOL DISTRICT - 2025-2026 ...
MESSAGE FROM THE MORAGA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Monday, Jan 13 2025
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MESSAGE FROM THE MORAGA SCHOOL DISTRICT - REGULAR GO...
GOVERNING BOARD NOTICE REGULAR MEETING JOAQUIN MORAGA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL LIBRARY 1010 CAMINO PABLO TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2025 6:00 PM 5:00 PM Closed Session 6:00 PM Open Session Items of interest to the public include: Financial Audit Report New District Boundary Plan 2025-2026 Attendance Calendar The meeting agenda is available here MEETING GUIDELINES Members of the public may attend this meeting in person or watch via the Zoom Webinar. Public comments will only be allowed in person. To Watch the Open Session Meeting via Zoom There are two options members of the public can use to watch the open session meeting via Zoom: Option 1: Join Zoom Webinar using a computer and enter https://zoom.us/j/98834748675?pwd=bmd1UkpQbno2Q3p6b3FESFpwMzhJUT09 Option 2: Call in using a telephone; dial 1 669 900 6833 US; Webinar ID: 988 3474 8675 To Participate in Public Comment To participate in public comment, you must attend the meeting in person and fill out a comment card before the Board introduces the agenda item. The Board will not receive public comments through the Zoom webinar. The raise your hand and chat functions will not be used during the meeting. Regular Board meeting agendas provide an opportunity for public comment on items on and not on the agenda. Special meetings provide an opportunity for public comments on agenda items only. Individuals are asked to limit their comments for any item to not more than three minutes. If several people share the same issue, please choose one as your representative, and that person may be given additional time. The Board shall limit the total time of Public Comment to 20 minutes for each agenda item. Agenda items will be discussed in the order in which they appear on the agenda. Once the discussion of an agenda item has been completed, the Board will not reopen the discussion on that topic later. AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT NOTICE In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, for those requiring special assistance to access the board meeting, access written documents being discussed at the board meeting, or otherwise participate at board meetings, please contact the Superintendent’s Office by sending an email to jbaier@moraga.k12.ca.us . Notification at least 48 hours before the meeting will enable the district to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the board meeting. Dr. Julie C. Parks, Ed. D., Superintendent Moraga School District 925-376-5943 jparks@moraga.k12.ca.us
Saturday, Jan 11 2025
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MESSAGE FROM THE MORAGA SCHOOL DISTRICT - SUPERINTEN...
Superintendent Spotlight January 6, 2025 Dear Moraga Community, Welcome back and Happy New Year! We are looking forward to welcoming our students back after Winter Break. Today, our teachers gathered to engage in professional development and get the year started out right! In our professional development, we worked on universal design at JM. Universal design is a conceptual framework for teaching and learning that takes into account the diverse needs of students in each classroom. Strategies like differentiation and student choice can allow multiple access points for our students in the classroom. Our teachers work hard each day to ensure this, but we are always learning and honing our craft. In elementary, our teachers worked on the development of new elementary report cards that will be utilized next year. These report cards seek to give families authentic and meaningful feedback on our essential standards. If I sound excited, it is because I am! Teaching and learning is the best part of our work. Here are some announcements of interest: Budget Advisory Committee Update Our Budget Advisory Committee met for the first time in December to begin reviewing the Moraga School District budget. During this meeting, our team of teachers, classified staff, district office staff, and parents dug into our First Interim Budget Report to deepen understanding about our current budget projections and key factors, like expanding TK, the loss of one-time COVID relief funds, and the increasing costs for operations and personnel that are impacting our small district. A list of questions was generated that will be explored in more depth in our next meeting. For more information, please reference our presentation from this meeting HERE. MLK Day of Service at JM Continuing our commitment to embedding community service in our learning in Moraga, we will be hosting our Second Annual MLK Day of Service on January 20th from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. On this day, volunteers are welcome to come support our Eco Club students in implementing their design for our JM garden! We will be joined by various community partners, including members of our local Lions and Kiwanis Clubs, high school student club members, and local master gardeners. Welcome to TK and Kindergarten! Each January, we host an informational meeting (virtually) for all families of incoming TK and Kindergarten students. All are welcome! This year, our meeting will be on January 16th at 7:00 pm. For the 2025-2026 school year, the following students are eligible for TK and Kindergarten: TK - All students who are 4 by September 1, 2025. Kindergarten - All students who are 5 by September 1, 2025. This year we are very excited to begin the full implementation of TK! That means all four-year olds are welcome and we will be expanding our classes to accommodate our Moraga students. Enrollment for TK and Kindergarten will begin on January 16th. All information is on our website HERE. Sincerely, Julie Parks, Superintendent
Tuesday, Jan 07 2025
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MESSAGE FROM THE MORAGA SCHOOL DISTRICT - REGULAR GO...
GOVERNING BOARD NOTICE REGULAR MEETING JOAQUIN MORAGA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL LIBRARY 1010 CAMINO PABLO TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2024 6:00 PM 6:00 PM Open Session Items of interest to the public include: New Board Members Take Oath of Office Annual Reorganization of the Board Dashboard and Attendance Report The meeting agenda is available here MEETING GUIDELINES Members of the public may attend this meeting in person or watch via the Zoom Webinar. Public comments will only be allowed in person. To Watch the Open Session Meeting via Zoom There are two options members of the public can use to watch the open session meeting via Zoom: Option 1: Join Zoom Webinar using a computer and enter https://zoom.us/j/98834748675?pwd=bmd1UkpQbno2Q3p6b3FESFpwMzhJUT09 Option 2: Call in using a telephone; dial 1 669 900 6833 US; Webinar ID: 988 3474 8675 To Participate in Public Comment To participate in public comment, you must attend the meeting in person and fill out a comment card before the Board introduces the agenda item. The Board will not receive public comments through the Zoom webinar. The raise your hand and chat functions will not be used during the meeting. Regular Board meeting agendas provide an opportunity for public comment on items on and not on the agenda. Special meetings provide an opportunity for public comments on agenda items only. Individuals are asked to limit their comments for any item to not more than three minutes. If several people share the same issue, please choose one as your representative, and that person may be given additional time. The Board shall limit the total time of Public Comment to 20 minutes for each agenda item. Agenda items will be discussed in the order in which they appear on the agenda. Once the discussion of an agenda item has been completed, the Board will not reopen the discussion on that topic later. AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT NOTICE In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, for those requiring special assistance to access the board meeting, access written documents being discussed at the board meeting, or otherwise participate at board meetings, please contact the Superintendent’s Office by sending an email to jbaier@moraga.k12.ca.us . Notification at least 48 hours before the meeting will enable the district to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the board meeting. Dr. Julie C. Parks, Ed. D., Superintendent Moraga School District 925-376-5943 jparks@moraga.k12.ca.us
Saturday, Dec 14 2024
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MESSAGE FROM THE MORAGA SCHOOL DISTRICT - SUPERINTEN...
Superintendent Spotlight December 10, 2024 Dear Moraga Community, This time between Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks always feels a bit like a blur - there is so much to do and time seems to move so fast! In the Moraga School District, we certainly feel this. During the next couple of weeks, our teachers will be working hard to get in final units prior to the semester, incorporate fun and connecting seasonal activities, and probably fielding a few indoor recesses as weather moves us inside! Meanwhile, counselors will be looking out for our kids during a season when there can be big feelings and students need extra support, administrative assistants will be gearing up for TK and Kindergarten enrollment opening, custodians and maintenance staff will be keeping the HVAC running and setting up for special events, and the District Office will be looking forward into the next year as we begin the process of preparation for the future. Here are some announcements of interest: First Interim Budget Report and Budget Advisory Committee Like many Districts in California post-COVID, we are running a structural deficit. We have managed this through strategic deployment of reserves to maintain our programming, programming that is supporting our students to learn and belong. However, we are now facing a need to make budget cuts and reductions. To do this, we are assembling an ad hoc Budget Advisory Committee that will begin meeting this month. Over the next several months, we will share committee recommendations and next steps. This is a challenging time for us, but one we will be working on collectively. The District is responsible for four required budget reports per year. In our December Governing Board meeting, we presented the First Interim Report. This report, essentially, takes our adopted budget from June and “catches it up” with actual revenue and expenditures through October 31, 2024. It is an important report that is submitted to the County Office of Education for approval. I am including our presentation on the First Interim Report HERE and an FAQ that summarizes this report HERE. Universal Meals Report Thank you to all of our families who shared feedback on Universal Meals. We continue to work hard to make this program wonderful for our students and a great option for our families. We have come a long way, reducing sugar in meals, incorporating more scratch cooking, and improving our facilities. Families have received communication directly from our Coordinator of Nutrition and Food Service, Selma Mirante, but I am also including her report to the Board HERE for your review. Demographic Study and Adjustment of Boundaries The Moraga School District regularly seeks out demographic studies to be able to make accurate assumptions regarding future enrollment. This helps assist with proper staffing, procurement of supplies, and budgeting. The good news: our enrollment is increasing! Much of this is the result of the addition of Transitional Kindergarten (TK), which will scale up to include all students turning four prior to September 2nd next year. This is very exciting, and it also requires us to look at our facilities needs to ensure that we have the right classrooms for our new students (thankfully, this can be addressed in our Measure D bond). It also means that some of our schools may be approaching capacity. The Governing Board will be looking at the Demographic Study and considering ways to adjust district boundaries for elementary schools that will maintain capacity at all of our schools. There will be more discussion on this during our January meeting, along with an implementation plan. For families already at school sites, don’t worry! We will not be moving any current students or families. Rather, we will be looking into the future to keep balance at our schools. Sincerely, Julie Parks, Superintendent
Wednesday, Dec 11 2024