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Schools

SRVUSD Meeting Preview: Chinese Immersion Program, Purchase of Tech Equipment and Layoffs Up for Review

The San Ramon Valley Unified School District will meet Tuesday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at 699 Old Orchard Drive, Danville.

The San Ramon Valley Unified School District has several interesting items on the agenda for Tuesday night's school board meeting. Read more about the issues they plan to discuss:

There will be a final review of the Measure A Facilities Oversight and Advisory Committee Report.

Measure A is a $260 million school facilities bond passed in 2002 under Proposition 39, which reduced the required 66, 2/3 percent approval, to 55 percent for passage of a school facilities bond.

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Future district facilities requirements include construction needs for a number of schools, including , and California high schools, Golden View, Montevideo, Twin Creeks elementary schools and and middle schools.

Many of the district's remodeling needs will require further funding that cannot be met by Measure A funds.

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The board will also be reviewing the appointment of new members to the Facilities Advisory Committee.

Also on the agenda are possible layoffs and reduction of hours for classified non-teaching positions.

This includes the reduction of hours for one Autism Specialist Paraeducator from 33 hours per week to 30 hours and one Special Education Paraeducator from 29 hours per week to 14.5 hours.

The layoff of one 25.75 hour per week Autism Specialist Paraeducator is also included.

The board will also be considering adding a Chinese Dual Immersion Program to the district, staring with a kindergarten class at Quail Run Elementary School.

If approved, the program would begin fall 2011 with a Mandarin-speaking Quail Run kindergarten teacher chosen to teach the class.

Plans are to expand and add one grade level per year until the program spans to grades K-5.

In addition to teaching Chinese vocabulary, students will be taught math, social studies and science in a 50 percent English and 50 percent Mandarin model.

The board will also be re-evaluating the number of portable buildings the district currently leases and owns.

There are plans to purchase 31 portable buildings and remove 22 of the 53 portable buildings currently being leased by the district.

This will cost $813,610 but is expected to save the district approximately $250,000 in annual lease costs.

A recommendation to add to the district’s Master Lease Purchase Agreement with Apple Inc. will also be reviewed by the board.

Master Lease Purchase Agreement Schedule #15 will bring 156 HP Desktops, 120 VGA Adaptors, 37 WiFi iPad2s and one PowerSync iPad cart to California High School and 32 WiFi iPad2s to .

The cost for the new equipment is $158,853 over four years, with 80 percent of payments anticipated to come from parent donations.

The board will also review its policy on interdistrict transferring for students.

The SRVUSD meeting will be this Tuesday, May 10 at 7 p.m.

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