Discovery Charter, Student Board Member Appointment, and Governance Ad Hoc, Oh my!

The Wednesday, November 19, 2025, Santa Clara County Board of Education (SCCBOE) meeting will start at 5:00pm. Contemporaneous public comments may only be made in person in the San Jose Room of the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE). Community members can follow SCCBOE meetings at home by clinking on this link and scrolling down to the Watch Live heading. If you cannot attend in person, and have a comment that you would like the SCCBOE to consider in its decision making, please email all of us prior to the board meeting at SCCBOEMembers@sccoe.org. The entire agenda and supporting documentation for this coming week's meeting can be found here.

First up, the Board will hear Public Comments of Persons Desiring to Address the Board (for non-Agendized items). Participants are given 2 minutes at most to address the Board, and the Board is not permitted to engage on the subject matter because it is not agendized. Next, the Board will hear Reports from SCCOE Bargaining Units (which include its teaching and staff unions, among others).

Then, Michelle Johnson, the Director of the Charter Schools Department, will kick off a Public Hearing on the Discovery Charter II Charter School Renewal Petition. This is a discussion item and Discovery's presentation and petition can be found under agenda item 4A. Discovery was established and approved on appeal from San Jose Unified in 2013 , materially revised in March 2015 and April 2016, and renewed in 2018. They were supposed to renew in 2023, but because of COVID, renewal deadlines were changed per state law. Current enrollment is approximately 450 students. The public hearing will go as follows: 10 minute SCCOE staff presentation, 10 minute Discovery presentation, 10 minute San Jose Unified School District opportunity to comment, public comment of one minute each, followed by the ability of Board members to ask clarifying questions.

Next, the Board will hear Board Committee Reports. The Board will get an update from the Governance Ad Hoc Committee. This is an informational item and the report and the drafts of board bylaws reviewed and update can be found under agenda items 5B, and 6A-F. The Board appointed President Maimona Afzal Berta, Vice President Victoria Chon, and myself to serve on an Ad Hoc Governance Committee to identify and work towards implementation of stricter SCCOE fiscal controls and policy reforms (many of which had not been updated in 15 years) in reaction to a discovery that in recent years there was evidence of practices and conduct in contravention of current SCCOE policies.

The Board will then consider approving its Consent Action Items. The consent part of an agenda generally includes non-controversial subject matters that can be approved all together if the Board all deems the items non-controversial and chooses not to pull any for discussion. For the SCCBOE, this part of the agenda typically includes minutes from the prior meeting, resolutions recognizing ethnic groups the county serves. This meeting's agenda includes a resolution recognizing National Special Education Day and Ed Roberts Day and requests to accept specific donations. You can read more about all of them under agenda item 7.

The Board will next Interview and Appoint a Student Board Member to the SCCBOE. This is an action item. In accordance with Board Bylaw 9150, the SCCBOE will conduct interviews with student candidates for the Student Board Member position. This process provides an opportunity for students to share their perspectives, experiences, and interests in representing their peers at the county level and for the SCCBOE to choose the best candidate. The term for the Student Board Member would begin immediately and end June 30, 2026.

Then, the Board will consider Nominations for the California School Boards Association (CSBA) Delegate Assembly. This is an action item and more information about the nomination and "election" process can be found under agenda item 8B. Representatives to the Delegate Assembly are tasked with representing our area's interests with the CSBA to ensure that this statewide organization is advocating with the state and federal government in all of our districts' best interest. At least one board member is asking the board to nominate them.

Next, the Board will consider approving its Consent Information Items. The consent part of an agenda generally includes non-controversial subject matter and Informational Items, typically include Head Start program reports, approval of board policy updates, and employee compensation increases over a certain threshold. This meeting's agenda includes Contracts Over $250K, Disposition of Surplus Items, Educational Services Department's Monthly Enrollment Update, the Head Start/Early Head Start Monthly Board Report, and 2025 Williams Settlement Annual Report. You can read more about all of them under agenda item 10.

The Board will next go into Closed Session to finish the Superintendent Evaluation and to discuss anticipated litigation.

Please note, these are just the highlights of what is on the agenda for the 11/19/25 meeting. You can inform yourself about the rest of the agenda at the link provided above. As always, feel free to email me with any questions.