Marin County Board of Education Pension Reform Resolution

On January 12, 2021, Deputy Superintendent Terena Mares presented the Pension Reform Resolution to the Marin County Board of Education Board. The presentation outlined the issue with the growing pension obligation, the need for solutions, the history of the creation of the Resolution, and the Resolution's call to action. The passage of the Resolution was denied by the Marin County Board of Education and will be directed back to the Pension Reform Ad Hoc Committee for further evaluation. 

State Budget Proposal and School Funding - Recorded Workshop

On January 21, Mike Fine, CEO of Fiscal & Crisis Management Team (FCMAT) and Brooks Allen, Executive Director of the CA State Board of Education, presented their insights on the Governor's budget proposal and school funding.  A link to the recorded workshop is provided below.

Click here to view the Marin County School Funding Forum – January 21, 2021

California School Reopening Dashboard 

All districts have successfully entered their data into the California School Reopening Dashboard.  As a reminder this upload will be required every other week with the next submission due on February 8, 2021.  As a reminder this requirement is in response to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) order from January 14, 2021 requiring all LEAs (as well as charter and private schools) to submit data on how student instruction is being provided.

Black History Month 

Black History Month begins February 1! And while we know anti-racist educators teach Black history year-round, we know you will be interested in how you consider the way you are framing the month this particular year. Learn more about the need for—and history behind—Black History Month and get support for teaching Black history in a way that moves beyond trauma and embraces liberation and resistance. 

We have sent out some amazing resources that we have received from Felecia Gaston of Performing Stars to all educators and have them up on out website as well.  Please click here for more informaiton.  We are also scheduling a session for students with Richard Rothstein - Author of the Color of Law for March 18.  Information on this will be provided.

Golden Bell 

It is once again time for Golden Bell Recognitions! Below are the nomination forms and the links to the online nomination and selection. Please note, site administrators should receive this information from their district Superintendent or designee.

• Teachers & Faculty Selection Form
• Classified Staff Selection Form
• Transformational Leadership Selection Form
• Classified Employee of the Year Nomination Form
• Educator of the Year Nomination Form
• Trustee of the Year Nomination Form

A list of past award recipients can be accessed on the Golden Bell website. Please note that all Golden Bell forms must be submitted electronically by Monday, March 15, 2021.

Talk Saves Lives - February 5, 2021

Participants will learn the common risk factors for suicide, how to spot the warning signs in others, and how to keep ourselves, our loved ones and those in our community safe in an ever-evolving COVID-19 environment.  An Introduction to Suicide Prevention for Educators and Community Members is held on February 5, 2021 from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.  Talk Saves Lives Registration.

Dedication to Special Education Raffle - February 6, 2021  

Dedication to Special Education (DSE) is selling raffle tickets to win a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid courtesy of Toyota Marin! Please consider supporting this wonderful organization who does so much for all our Special Education students countywide! The drawing will be held virtually at 3pm on February 6, 2021.

 

Please see the video below from Executive Committee member, Alicia Ncho-Oguie for more information.

Download Attachment

Available until Feb 11, 2021

Click to Download

 

Mental Health Resources - Redwood Credit Union

Our partners at Redwood Credit Union joined with Jennifer Miller, author of Confident Parent and Confident Kids, and Julia Barragan, Director of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) to develop level specific, diverse, informative, and well-executed videos to utilize with students and parents. The focus is wellness and positive coping skills as families address with isolation, and remote learning during these unprecedented times.

 

Please share far and wide with your staff and families. The videos are short, interactive, and have a specific message appropriate to each grade level-- K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. It portrays “students speaking to students” and encourages parents to watch with their children.  It is an excellent homework assignment as well.

 

Thank you to Redwood Credit Union for producing the video. We are fortunate to be the recipients of these useful tools in addressing wellness and mental health.

• K-2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGZFIXFdEpo&feature=youtu.be
• 3-5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYg4LrniDto&feature=youtu.be
• 6-8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv0l8NY-YSY&feature=youtu.be
• 9-12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUN0zAI7Txo&feature=youtu.be 

 

Dr. Madeline Levine - February 23, 2021 at 5:00-6:30 p.m. 

A virtual conversation with Dr. Madeline Levine, psychologist with over 35 years of experience as a clinician, consultant, educator and author.

 

Dr. Levine will be discussing her book and New York Times bestseller, The Price of Privilege, which explores the reasons why teenagers are experiencing epidemic rates of emotional problems. Her current book, Ready or Not, focuses on how to best prepare our children and ourselves for an uncertain and rapidly changing world. Dr. Levine will include strategies and practices on how we can support our students during these unprecedented times.

 

Registration Link: https://mlevine.eventbrite.com.

  

High School Student Virtual Wellness Speaker Series

Through a collaboration with a Marin County high school student leadership group and various local community based organizations, I am pleased to share the Marin County High School Student Virtual Wellness Speaker Series! This series, designed for high school students, offers engaging talks on a variety of subjects related to teen mental health & wellness.

Watch this short video from the student leadership group that captures snippits of what to expect for each speaker’s session! 

 

More information, registration and flyer information follows here:  

• Student Wellness Speaker Series Website with Information & Registration
• Student Wellness Speaker Series Flyer to Share Far and Wide!

 

 

2019-20  Audit Reports and Audit Findings

Audit Reports for the prior fiscal year, including corrective action plan(s) for each finding are due to be filed with COE, the California Department of Education and the State Controller by March 31, 2021.

 

The district board will review and accept the annual audit, any audit findings or recommendations and any corrective action plans at a public meeting. We will complete our review of audit findings and issue requests for any additional information required to resolve findings by April 30, 2021.

 

 

W-2 Distribution

Marin County Office of Education processed and produced 4,781 W-2 forms for 2020 (last year it was 5,684). Forms were available for Districts to pick up on January 22, 2021.

 

 

Marin County Office of Education Property Tax Estimates

The County of Marin has released the first run of 2021-22 Property tax estimates on Friday, Janury 29, 2021.  This information has been shared with our District Business Officials.

 

• 107911 Marin County Office of Education 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107051 Bolinas Stinson School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107171 Kentfield School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107191 Laguna Joint Elementary School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107211 Lagunitas Elementary School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107231 Larkspur Corte Madera School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107251 Lincoln School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107291 Mill Valley Elementary School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107111 Miller Creek Elementary School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107311 Nicasio Elementary School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107651 Novato Unified School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107351 Reed Union School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107371 Ross School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107891 Ross Valley School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107451 San Rafael Elementary School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates 
• 107741 San Rafael High School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107471 Sausalito Marin City School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107641 Shoreline Unified School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates
• 107761 Tamalpais Union High School District 2021-22 Property Tax Estimates

 

Property Tax Forum - Spring  2021

Marin County Office of Education will be hosting its 6th Annual Property Tax Forum as a virtual event this year. 

 

We will send out a 'Save the Date' flyer as soon as the date and panel participants have been finalized. Please extend the invitation to attend to your Board Trustees.

 

Budget Work Sessions

We are continuing the budget workshops that began as a pilot in January 2020 and have proven, especially during the pandemic, to be a valuable professional learning and network opportunity for business officials and their staff. Weekly workshops focused on second interim budget preparation will begin again on Friday January 29, 2021 and will continue through February.

Confronting Antisemitism Series II: Taking a Stand - Rescue and Resistance During the Holocaust - February 2021

Series II is an exploration of the heroic women who stood up to Nazi discrimination during the Holocaust. 

Series III being held in March-April 2021, addresses Genocide Awareness.  What are the patterns of genocide in history? How can our community come together in commemoration and activism?

Click here to learn more or to register.

 

Elevation to Transformation Seminar Series

This virtual 2-day series is designed to help participants develop the foundational tools to discuss race, elevating racial consciousness, and the impact of race on their lives and work. Click here to learn more or to register.

California Department of Education Weekly COVID 19 Updates

Following are the weekly COVID-19 updates for the months of December 2020 and January 2021, from California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond:

• December 4, 2020
• December 11, 2020
• December 18, 2020
• January 8, 2021
• January 15, 2021
• January 22, 2021
• January 29, 2021

COVID-19 Marin County Alert

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) lifted the regional stay-home order for Marin County and moved into the purple Tier 1.  This change became effective on Monday, January 25, 2021. 

 

Cal/OSHA Issues Emergency COVID-19 Regulations for All Employers

On November 30, 2020, California approved 21 pages of emergency Cal/OSHA regulations on COVID-19 infection prevention for all employers. The regulations went into effect immediately and will remain in effect until October 2, 2021.  Please see the attached memo from the School and College Legal Services of California for more information.

Cal/OSHA Issues Emergency COVID-19 Regulations for All Employers - ADDENDUM

This change effects Cal/OSHA’s Emergency COVID-19 Regulations, and School and College Legal Services of California are revising the associated Legal Update, Memo No. 72-2020, dated December 7, 2020.

Employee Leave and Accommodations During COVID-19

Please review the attached legal update from the School and College Legal Services of California (SCLS) regarding employee leave rights and accommodation requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic.  In light of the imminent expiration of the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) additional leave benefits on December 31, 2020, SCLS is issuing the Legal Update to provide an overview of available leave for certain types of requests related to COVID-19. Please note this is a general overview only and does not address each unique request for leave and/or accommodations.

Public Agency Statement of Facts

This is a reminder to update your district’s statement of facts listed in the Registry of Public Agencies.

Bid Limit Increased for 2021

The Superintendent of Public Instruction has raised the bid threshold limit for non-construction, competitively bid contracts. Please see the attached memo from the School and College Legal Services of California for more information.

Social Media and the Brown Act

AB 992 took effect on January 1, 2021 amending the Brown Act with an aim to provide clarity on the actions public officials can and cannot take on social media.

CDPH Issues New Sweeping Schools Guidance

This Guidance consolidates and supersedes prior CDPH schools guidance, and updates CDPH’s COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Learning Framework for Schools dated July 17, 2020. All public and private schools in California (Local Education Agencies “LEAs”) must comply with this public health directive.

Mandating Vaccinations for Employees

Currently, there is no mandatory vaccination requirement from either the state or federal government. This Legal Update addresses the question of whether a local educational agency may mandate that its employees receive the COVID-19 vaccination.

 

JLAC Legislative Action Day - February 10, 2021

The JLAC Legislative Action Day will be held via Zoom on February 10, 2021 from 8:00-10:30 a.m.  Speakers include: Brooks Allen, Executive Director of the California State Board of Education and Education Policy Advisor to the Governor, Assembly member Marc Levine, Senator Mike McGuire (TBD), as well as a legislative panel on policy and politics with leaders from the CSBA, ACSA, and CASBO.

 

Please click here to register.

 

Click here to attend the Zoom Session. If joining by phone, please use the information outlined below.

Meeting ID: 886 8327 2667
Passcode: 375022
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,88683272667#,,,,*375022# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,88683272667#,,,,*375022# US (Houston)

 

LCAP

Our LCAP team has held two sessions with district teams dedicated to the completion of the 19-20 Annual Update. 

• The next session will be held on Thursday, February 11.  This will again be designed as a work session for district teams and will focus on the 2020-21 portion of the annual update, as well as a discussion about goal development for the next three year plan that is due in June, 2021. 
• Technical Assistance sessions will be scheduled between February and April for districts.  These sessions will follow a similar format - work sessions for teams with MCOE LCAP team providing support.  The schedule of these sessions is forthcoming.
• The Annual Update template has been uploaded to DTS.
• There will be a new template for the Budget Overview for Parents (submitted for board approval with the LCAP).  This template has not yet been released from CDE.

 

Speech Pathology Group - Youcue Boot Camp: 3 Pathways for Social Learning - Part 2 Monday, February 1, 2021 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. This workshop will review 3 pathways: Building Greater Emotional Understanding, Cooperation for Social Success, and Resilience for Life's Challenges.

 

School and College Legal Service - Student Discipline Including Special Education - Tuesday, February 2, 2021 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Participants will review general discipline, manifestation determination, and discipline issues.

 

CAPTAIN CADRE Coaching Session - Evidence-Based Practices for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - Tuesday, February 23, 2021 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. In this coaching session, participants will learn about Evidence-Based Practices.