Dear NUSD Community,

BIG CONGRATULATIONS NHS WRESTLING TEAM-MCAL CHAMPS! WAY TO GO!
Our students continue to shine! Congrats to the Coaching Staff, Rafael Ayala, Robert Barkus, and Jon Anger too!

Board Workshop

Saturday, February 5, 2022, was a most productive day of reflection, refinement, and planning for the remainder of the year. Trustees had a board workshop which started with the mid-year Superintendent evaluation regarding progress toward intended achievement of district goals. That portion of the meeting was followed by the most critical reflection, AB 1200 Fiscal Oversight by Marin County Office of Education.  Mary Jane Burke, Marin County Superintendent of Schools, reviewed with the Trustees the established agreements between MCOE and NUSD to receive positive budget rating for 2022-23, which were set last spring and early fall 2021.

Mary Jane and her team began working with NUSD in May 2021 when budget concerns surfaced due to a structural budget deficit which included declining enrollment, increases in pension costs the state no longer covered, and overall deficit spending. MCOE oversees all districts’ budgets in Marin County based on legislation known as AB 1200 in order to secure fiscal responsibility in districts countywide.

Trustees reviewed the agreements with Mary Jane to determine our compliance in order to receive a positive budget rating from MCOE.

  1. MCOE provides monthly presentations to NUSD board to monitor fiscal solvency
    • Presentations occur the first board meeting of every month to track expenditures and compliance.
  2. Increase student attendance from 93% to 97%
    • Due to COVID, and even with all the Independent Study contracts being generated by teachers, we have not realized the 97% attendance rate.
  3. Align enrollment and staffing with an anticipated loss of students of 375 for 2022-23
    • Enrollment and staffing have been aligned for the 2022-23 years with significant reductions of 30 teachers of our 400 certificated staff.
  4. Track enrollment data for greater accuracy and accountability
    • The first month of school attendance reporting fluctuated significantly, but we are now balanced in our accounting recording and provide monthly reports to MCOE.
  5. Establish a Budget Advisory Committee
    • The Budget Advisory Committee was formed and provided budget recommendations to Trustees in January through a board workshop and a final presentation for action on January 25, where Trustees approved reductions.
  6. Align class size to the NFT contract language of 24:1, 28:1, 31:
    • The enrollment and staffing alignment are completed for the 2022-23 school year.
  7. Freeze any new hiring at the district level beginning immediately
    • All district positions were frozen if open and not filled during the 2021-22 school year.
  8. Reduce/eliminate district office positions
    • The following district office positions were eliminated for 2022-23 school year
      1. Warehouse Position             $  79,000
      2. Benefit Specialist                   $106,000
      3. Tech Supervisor                    $151,000
      4. Grounds Position                 $  67,500
      5. Director Student Services      $175,000
  1. Review Marin Community Foundation (MCF) Grants to Hamilton, Loma Verde, Lu Sutton, and Lynwood to ensure ongoing funding
    • MCF funding has not yet been determined for the 2022-23 school year. This would be a significant loss to these 4 schools, Hamilton, Loma Verde, Lu Sutton, and Lynwood
  2. Ensure required Medicare costs are accurately calculated since a $900,000 cost was not recorded for 2021-22
    • Medicare costs are being tracked for accuracy and inclusion for the 2022-23 budget.

The good news is that we are tracking on our AB 1200 MCOE Fiscal Oversight Agreements established with MCOE. We are hoping the state will grant “hold harmless” for Average Daily Attendance (ADA) for this school year, that would help tremendously with moving toward a 97% attendance rate.

It was a positive Board of Trustees Workshop on February 5, 2022 to track our compliance and accomplishments. I hope this helps with understanding the AB 1200 Fiscal Oversight for NUSD by MCOE and the conditions NUSD needs to meet in order to get an approved, positive certification for our upcoming budget cycle for 2022-23.

We appreciate MCOE Oversight and support for a positive budget certification.

Respectfully,

Jan La Torre-Derby, Ed.D.
Superintendent