SanteeSchool District

The Santee School District Board of Education met at 6 p.m. April 16, 2024. Meeting highlights included:

Reports and Presentations

• Spotlight on Education: Pepper Drive site administrators presented an update on student assessment and survey results from the 2022-23 school year, and student academic and climate/culture goals for the 2023-24 school year. Pepper Drive students performed a preview of what they have learned this year in Mr. Hobbs' guitar elective. Click here to watch the performance.

Discussion and/or Action Items

• The Board cancelled the July 16, 2024 Board Meeting.
• The Board discussed cost-saving measures for the 2024-25 school year. Due to lower than anticipated Cost of Living Adjustment, declining enrollment, decreased Average Daily Attendance, the district is projected to receive $2.5 - $3.0 million less in 2024-25 state funding. The Board approved:
  • All recommended items related to “Protections and Programs” categories to support the overall District general fund budget by nearly $1.6M:
    • Transfer of one-time set aside of $1,000,000 from Fund 17 to the general fund.
    • Reduction of department operational budgets.
    • Suspend general education summer school program effective Summer 2025.
    • Eliminate three digital, supplemental curricular resources (Achieve 300, Dreambox, and Lexia) from District funding sources.
    • Reduce the K-9 detection services contract
    • Eliminate a professional development subscription with North County Consortium.
    • Reduce Districtwide professional development (less time at the ERC with subs covering classes) and move professional development to the school sites by adding Curriculum Resource Teachers to site level staffing, this action saves $119,977 from the general fund, additional Curriculum Resource Teachers will continue to be paid from restricted State and Federal funding sources used for professional development and continued improvement.
  • Reallocate a portion of general fund salary ($48,532) for the Director, Communication and Community Engagement salary to a restricted fund.
  • Reduce teaching staff through attrition, expiration of one-time funds, and resume 4-8 class size for a one-time cost savings of $893,227 and ongoing cost savings of $876,353.
  • Reduce the number of site subs paid at $250 per day.

  The Board decided to continue conversations on the remaining items to bring back to a future Board Meeting.

Board Policies and Bylaws

First readings were held for:

• BP 6153 – School Sponsored Trips: Policy updated to reflect the law which eliminates the prohibition against the use of district funds to pay for the expenses of students participating in field trips or excursions to another state, to the District of Columbia, or to a foreign country.
• BP 6162.5 - Student Assessment: Policy updated to reflect that use of technology in assessment shall be consistent with Board Policy 5131.9 - Academic Honesty and Board Policy 6163.4 - Student Use of Technology. Additionally, per CA AB 114, 2023 school districts are required to track summary data on long term English Learners as a significant subgroup. Language has been added to exclude interim and formative assessments from being used in high stakes situations.
• BP 6164.41 – Children with Disabilities Enrolled by Their Parents in Private School Policy updated to simplify language and include evaluation.

The next meeting of the Santee School District Board of Education will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in the Educational Resource Center, 9619 Cuyamaca, Santee. Meetings can also be live-streamed at santeesd.net/LiveBoardMeeting.

Note: These are not official meeting minutes of the Board of Education but rather a brief recap of the Board’s actions. For official meeting minutes and a complete list of actions taken, click here.