S.F. School Board Notes - Septermber 13, 2005

S.F. School Board Notes
Board Meeting: 9.13.05
By Nicole Freeling
GreatSchools.net Correspondent

• District Agrees to Mediation with Union
• Board Discusses Superintendent Transition

At an unusually quiet meeting lasting just under an hour, the board discussed action being taken in an attempt to move forward on labor negotiations with Service Employees International Union Local 790. The union, which includes cafeteria workers, secretaries and custodial staff, has discussed the possibility of a strike if it cannot come to terms with the district over a contract.

There was no discussion at the meeting about the resignation last week of Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, although board members met in closed session afterward to discuss the terms of her resignation and to formulate a plan for appointing a successor. Ackerman herself did not attend the meeting, as she is in Washington, D.C., serving on the President's Board of Advisors for Excellence in Education. Deputy Superintendent Gwen Chan attended the meeting.

District Agrees to Mediation with Union

Tom Ruiz, the district's director of labor relations, said the board has agreed to the union's request to engage in informal mediation. Before the meeting, the board submitted to union representatives a list of seven possible mediators. The union had submitted its own list of five candidates last week.

There were no names in common, the district's chief administrative officer Michele Modina said after the meeting. However, district and union representatives have agreed to meet this Thursday to "come to an agreement on who can help us work this out," Modina said. "We want to mediate. We want to work this out."

Board Discusses Superintendent Transition

In what board member Mark Sanchez described as an "incredibly amicable" closed session meeting, the board had a somewhat freeform discussion about the transition process and contractual issues relating to the superintendent's departure. Sanchez would not specify what issues were at stake, but said the matter of a controversial $375,000 severance package had not been raised.

Further discussion was postponed until after next week, when Ackerman and several members of the board will be in Washington, D.C. for the awarding of the Broad Prize. The district is one of five finalists for the national prize, which recognizes achievement in improving student performance. As a finalist, SFUSD will be awarded a minimum of $125,000. The winner receives $500,000.

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