WATSONVILLE — Facing an agenda packed with two highly watched issues, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday is likely to draw a large crowd that will pack the Watsonville City Council Chambers.
The meeting is scheduled to get off to a big start, when the trustees will consider approving a charter petition by Navigator Schools for Watsonville Prep School.
In a strongly worded 16-page report, district staff has recommended denying the petition. Governing bodies typically heed staff recommendations.
The trustees will also consider approving a multi-year contract agreement between PVUSD and Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, the union that supports the district’s educators.
In addition, the trustees will consider a similar agreement with district management.
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Charter school headed for likely defeat
Officials from Hollister-based Navigator Schools submitted a charter petition on March 28 to open Watsonville Prep School for the 2019-20 school year.
It would start with two classes each of kindergarten, first and second grade, for a total of 180 students. It would add another grade every year until it had an eighth grade class.
More than a dozen parents and students have addressed the trustees, saying that the school would give them “another choice” in their education.
The issue has also drawn dozens of teachers who asked the board to deny the petition and said that the new school would draw already scarce resources away from PVUSD.
In its report, PVUSD staff stated that Navigator officials are “demonstrably unlikely” to implement the program described in their 749-page charter petition, and said that the organization presented an “unrealistic financial and operational plan.”
Among other things, the report questions Navigator’s plan to use 14 percent of its revenues to pay its Charter management Organization, a number the report says is “inordinately high.”
The report also lambastes Navigator for offering in its charter petition a 21 to 1 student-to-teacher ration, and conceding during an April 25 board meeting that the ration was 30 to 1.
In addition, Navigator did not present a plan of how it would pay for its middle school program when implemented in six years, the report stated.
In its petition, Navigator pointed to the success of its schools in Gilroy and Hollister as examples of how Watsonville Prep would succeed here. The organization also said that the schools serve a similar demographic as Watsonville.
District staff was critical of those assertions, saying that the community here is different from that in those cities.
“… The Petition fails to take into consideration the needs of students in PVUSD, including English Language Learners, migrant students, and foster youth and transportation demands,” the report states. “These omissions reflect a lack of understanding of the unique population of the PVUSD community.”
The charter petition also lacked a Navigator also did not include a “reasonably comprehensive” description of its program for both English learners and migrant students, the report said.
It noted several deficiencies in the proposed math program, and said that in some cases that it offered “obsolete methodologies.”
To see the charter petition, visit tinyurl.com/ybvemqde. To see the PVUSD staff report, visit tinyurl.com/y9g75h76.
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Tentative agreement with teachers
After 17 months of contract negotiations, PVUSD and PVFT announced on May 10 that they had reached a tentative agreement. Teachers ratified the agreement on May 18, with 85 percent voting yes.
If approved, the agreement will give teachers a 7 percent raise over three years for K-12 teachers, and 13 percent over 3 years for early childhood and adult education teachers. Teachers would also receive a 2 percent bonus for 2016-2017.
Teachers also agreed to permanently increase the work year by two days. Prescriptions and co-pays will be minimally increased starting Oct. 1.
To see the tentative agreement, visit tinyurl.com/ybhqhf94.
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Management agreement
The offer includes a 1 percent raise retroactive to July 1, 2016, a 2 percent raise retroactive to July 1, 2017 and a 3 percent raise effective July 1 of this year.
The management agreement also includes minor changes to the health plan.
If approved, the agreement would apply to Mark Brewer and Lisa Aguerria Lewis, who serve as assistant superintendent of elementary and secondary education, respectively. It would also apply to Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez and Chief Business Officer Joe Dominguez. Assistant Superintendent of Education Services Susan Perez and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Chona Killeen would also be included.
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The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees will meet Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Watsonville City Council Chambers at 275 Main St. in Watsonville. For information, visit www.pvusd.net.
