At the September 5 meeting of the Sacramento City Unified School District Board, the Board announced the appointment of Malcolm Floyd as principal of Bowling Green Elementary and recognized two SCUSD Stellar Students who attend high school at the Met, Axly Ramirez Rojas and Baruka VanBeakom.

• As a freshman, Axly Ramirez Rojas began taking classes at Sacramento City College, where she excelled. In her classes at the Met, Axly advocates for herself to make sure that her understanding is consistently deep and thorough, and she often helps her peers with math and other classes. Following a summer as serving as an Ambassador at Washington Elementary, where she forged caring connections with many younger students, Axly is now serving as an intern at Washington Elementary.
   
• Baruka VanBeakom has a deep passion for theater and the arts. Baruka consistently shares her love of the arts with others and always makes space for anyone who wants to join in. Baruka often takes the initiative to lead her peers and always rises to a challenge, whether it be academic or any other obstacle in class.

The Board received informational updates from two district advisory committees:

• The Community Advisory Committee. The next Community Advisory Committee  General Meeting will be held on September 17, from 6:00 pm – 7:30. Please visit https://selpa.scusd.edu/calendar for information on meeting topics and the schedule of future meetings.
   
• The American Indian Education Program Parent Committee. The meeting of this advisory committee will be held September 25, 2024 from 6:30 pm to 8:00. Please visit https://www.scusd.edu/american-indian-education-program for more information on this committee and the meeting schedule.

The Board received an informational update from District staff about the opening of SCUSD’s schools at the start of the 2024-25 school year that included an overview of the District’s  preparations and results across multiple departments including Academics, Enrollment, Youth Development, Facilities and Operations, Health Services, Human Resources, Nutrition Services, Safety, Student Attendance, and Communications.

• Here is a link to an overview of SCUSD’s school reopening presentation https://www.scusd.edu/sites/main/files/file-attachments/9.1_opening_of_schools_presentation_to_the_board.pdf.

The Board took action to approve a resolution recognizing September as National Attendance Awareness Month. School attendance is crucial in order to ensure all children have an equal opportunity to learn, grow and thrive academically, emotionally, and socially. This resolution emphasizes SCUSD’s focus on reducing absenteeism and commitment to address the factors that cause students to miss school.

The Board held an informational conference on a joint SCUSD – Black Parallel School Board Action Plan and the District’s progress in implementing recommendations put forth by the Black African American Advisory Board. The Board then took action to approve and adopt the SCUSD – Black Parallel School Board (BPSB) Action Plan, which is designed to address specific educational disparities faced by Black students, specifically highlighting Black students with disabilities within the district who often encounter compounded challenges. The plan emphasizes the need for responsive practices tailored to the unique needs of Black students with disabilities with emphasis on systematic accountability driven by a continuous improvement model to combat the historic racism within the American public school system. During the Board’s discussion of this item, Board President Lavinia Grace Phillips referred to racism as “the elephant in the room.” Through collaboration between the District, community members, and educational partners, the BPSB Action Plan aims to provide a more equitable, fair, and inclusive education for all Black students, particularly those with disabilities.

• For more information about the BPSB Action Plan, please see this announcement https://www.scusd.edu/press-release/sacramento-city-unified-unveils-historic-action-plan-improve-student-supports-student and visit SCUSD’s SCUSD/BPSB Action Plan website.

The Board took action to review and approve SCUSD’s response to a June 17, 2024 Grand Jury issued a report entitled, “Sacramento City Unified School District Fails Its Most Vulnerable Students,” in which the Board was asked to respond within 90 days of receiving the report.

• Please see SCUSD’s response at https://www.scusd.edu/sites/main/files/file-attachments/9.5_approve_grand_jury_response.pdf.

The Board conducted a Determination Hearing for Charter Renewal for Growth Public Schools and subsequently approved the charter renewal for Growth Public Schools.

The Board held a Public Hearing on a resolution to convey a utilities easement entitlement to Sacramento Municipal Utility District at Oak Ridge Elementary as part of new construction at that site. The Board subsequently approved the resolution as part of the approval of the meeting’s Consent Agenda.

More detail on all of these items can be found at https://www.scusd.edu/board-education-meeting/board-education-meeting-160.

For more information about the SCUSD Board of Education, including the schedule for future Board meetings and to submit a public comment at future meetings, please visit https://www.scusd.edu/board-education.

The next SCUSD Board meeting will be held on September 19, 2024 at 6:00 p.m.