It May Be Summer, but the SCCOE is Hard at Work

The Wednesday, July 16, 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 on the agenda, the SCCBOE will receive the Student Board Member Report, and then 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).

Next, the Board will consider approving its Consent Action and Information 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, specific educational initiatives, outside donations the county has received, disposition of surplus items, Head Start program reports, and employee compensation increases over a certain threshold. This meeting's agenda includes resolutions recognizing National Immunization Awareness Month, the Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, American Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month, Disability Pride Month. You can read more about all of them under agenda items 5 and 6.

Then, the Board will consider a Resolution Approving a Name Change for a Solar Energy Project Escrow and Control Agreement. This is an action item and the agreements can be found under agenda item 7A. The SCCOE has several solar projects throughout the properties it owns (Including Ridder Park). These projects were done through a partnership with Engie Services. Engie Services has been purchased by Opterra Energy Services (thus the request for name changes in the agreements).

The Board will next receive an update from Dr. Toston and Dr. Kristen Lee will present Head Start and Early Head Start's Self Assessment (and Plan of Action). This is an action item and Dr. Lee's presentation can be found under agenda item 7B. The presentation includes the results of the self assessment which included interviewing of Policy Council and Staff Members for areas of strength and improvement. Full enrollment, family engagement and Increased transparency were strengths, while back office data systems across the board were weaknesses. The Board is asked to approve the plan of action for improvements.

We will then be asked to consider adding another board member to the Interim Governance Ad Hoc Committee. This is an action item and the list of all the Board Committees can be found under agenda item 7C. This commitee's intent is strong board governance now and into the future of the SCCBOE.

Next, the Board will go into Closed Session to hear 7 interdistrict attendance appeals. It is important to note, the SCCBOE is an appellate body for local school district interdistrict transfer requests, charter school applications, and expulsion decisions. The process and criteria the Board must use is outlined in Board Policy 5117 found here.

Please note, these are just the highlights of what is on the agenda for the 7/16/25 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.