Monrovia Unified School District
Board of Education Meeting Highlights
December, 2021
Joint Meeting with Monrovia City Council
The Monrovia Unified School District Board of Education and the Monrovia City Council met to discuss ways to improve our community by strengthening its partnerships. During the joint meeting, the elected parties discussed adding flashing stop signs near schools, outdoor mental health programs, joint use of outdoor field spaces at our schools and more. Click this link to watch the full meeting: https://bit.ly/3y5K9pr
Annual Organizational Meeting
During the Annual Organizational meeting, the Monrovia Unified Board of Education elected a new president and officers for the 21-22 year. The changes are as followed:
- Selene Lockerbie, Board President
- Traci Gholar, Board Vice-President
- Jennifer Anderson, Board Clerk
- Rob Hammond, Board Member
- Maritza Travanti, Board Member
President Lockerbie has been part of the MUSD Board since 2018 and has children attending Clifton Middle School.
“I’d like to thank Ms. Travanti for leading the Board for the past year,” said Board President Selene Lockerbie. “This year was not only full of the expected challenges of school board governance, but also the daunting challenge of navigating through a global pandemic. Ms. Travanti led with intelligence, grace, decorum, and strength. As I take on the role of School Board President, I look forward to a year of progress for our District working with this proficient governance team, Superintendent, and the Monrovia community,” President Lockerbie said.
For the full release, please go to: https://www.monroviaschools.net/apps/news/article/1543430
Recognitions
The Monrovia Unified Board of Education invited a student from Wild Rose School of Creative Arts to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at its December 13, 2021 meeting. 4th Grader Rebecca Macias did an amazing job starting off our Board meeting.
Actions Taken by the Board of Education
The Board approved an agreement with Paper Education Company to give MUSD students access to live 24/7 virtual tutoring in all subjects every day of the year. The service will be available to students in grades 3-12 and is available in English, Spanish, and eventually Mandarin. Access to Paper’s tutoring services will be made available in January.
In addition, the Board also approved an agreement between Grand Canyon University and Monrovia Unified. This new partnership will provide substantial tuition discounts for MUSD graduates who choose to attend college at Grand Canyon University. The agreement also provides discounts for MUSD teachers, staff, and even parents who choose to continue their education through one of Grand Canyon University's online programs.
The Board also appointed and welcomed its new Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Greg Francois. Dr. Francois joins the district from the Paramount Unified School District where he has served for the last fifteen years in a variety of roles including interim assistant superintendent, director, principal, and assistant principal. He also has extensive experience as a counselor, teacher, and adjunct professor. He brings a wealth of experience in areas like curriculum and instruction, CTE, AVID, social-emotional learning, strategic planning, evaluation, and more.
The Board also welcomed Cheryl Plotkin as Interim Assistant Superintendent of Business Services through the end of January, as we complete the search process for this position. Ms. Plotkin has tremendous experience as a CBO and has served in interim roles in both the Glendale and El Rancho school districts since retiring a few years ago.
Staff Presentations to the Board of Education
Director of Business Services David Conway presented the first interim report for the 2021-22 Fiscal Year. The report details the current operating budget, actual revenues and expenditures as of October 31, 2021. It also includes the Multi-Year Budget Projections for 2022-23 and 2023-24 for the General Fund.