Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District surveys stakeholders on earlier start date; trustees vote on new superintendent, annual salary

 

Results of a stakeholder survey have encouraged Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District officials to continue mapping plans for a two-week earlier start of the school year.

This school year, the district's 34 campuses enrolling some 23,000 students started Aug. 30, later than Brea-Olinda and the county's 10 other unified school districts, with start dates from Aug. 15 to Aug. 22. Anaheim and Fullerton high school start dates were Aug. 10 and Aug. 15.

According to the survey, 68.4% of the respondents favored a one- or two-week earlier start date, with 48.6% favoring a two-week earlier start implemented over a two-year period and 19.8% favoring a one-week earlier start. Not changing the start date was favored by 31.5%.

The survey garnered 3,868 responses, including 2,346 parents and guardians, 871 employees, 602 students and 49 community members. Trustees reviewed the results at the March meeting.

Each of the groups clearly favored some form of an earlier start date: 65.67% for employees, 67.09% for parents and guardians, 77.07% for students and 77.55% for community members.

Strongest support for moving the start date up two weeks implemented over a two-year period came from community members at 61.22%, followed by students at 56.64%, employees at 48. 56% and parents and guardians at 46.33%.

Breakdown for the 31.5% who didn't favor moving to an earler start: employees at 34.33%, parents and guardians at 32.91%, students at 22.92% and community members at 22.45%.

Transition to an earlier start date would be in the 2024-25 school year.

A decision by trustees is expected by June. At present, trustees appear to prefer a two-year implementation period for a two-week earlier start, one-week earlier in 2024-25 and another week earlier in 2025-26, based on individual comments at recent meetings.

One question up for discussion is how to alleviate a shorter summer vacation during the two potential transition years, with some trustees suggesting a longer winter break, among other possible solutions.

Another survey question asked respondents for the best reasons for an earlier start date. Top reasons: ending the fall semester before winter break, alignment with other districts and more classroom time before Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate testing.

Top reasons for not moving start date: Don't see negatives to current calendar, shorter summer vacation during the transition years and no benefits for elementary and middle school students.

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Trustee vote to hire Alex Cherniss from the 11,200-student Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District to begin as superintendent July 1 was 5-0 but was 4-1 for a $375,000 yearly salary. Marilyn Anderson favored $365,000, 5% over current pay, the same percent recently given four assistant superintendents.

Cherniss told trustees his primary focus will be “to get more kids to meet and exceed grade level standards.”

Yorba Linda City Council views upbeat reports on city finance, Black Gold Golf Club operations

 

Yorba Linda has been buoyed by some good financial news lately: City revenues are up, led by a significant increase in sales tax collections, and income from the city-owned Black Gold Golf Club will lead to a sooner-than-expected payoff of the club's outstanding debt.

City operating revenue will be about $1.4 million more than expected at the end of the fiscal year June 30, according to a report to the City Council by Finance Director Dianna Honeywell.

The increased income will be led by a predicted $400,000 boost in sales taxes, reaching an anticipated $9 million. Operating revenue is projected to total $44.8 million.

“Increases in sales tax are driven mainly by gasoline sales, heavy industrial equipment sales and the rebound in local restaurants with people venturing out more since the end of the pandemic,” Honeywell reported..

Other expected increases include $300,000 in building permit and plan check fees and $289,000 in parks and recreation fees.

A projected $106,000 in reduced revenue from property transfer and transit occupancy tax income is partly attributed to a “slowing of the housing market.” Other expected declines: Interest, recreation brochure advertising, cable TV franchise fees and oil well certificates.

A strikingly upbeat report on finances at the 22-year-old, city-owned golf course also was presented to the council, prepared by General Manager Rich Cessna. He called the most recently completed fiscal year “the most successful...in Black Gold's history.”

A highlight of his report is a sooner-than-expected settlement of the club's $2.3 million debt to the city. Final payment had been expected in 2030, but now the projected payoff is June 2028.

Cessna said club revenue totaled $9.1 million, with a net profit of some $1 million. “This was a record-setting year, as golf demand continues to be at an all-time high, reinvigorated by the covid pandemic.”

“However,” Cessna advised, ”golf has not been historically recession-proof, and demand for golf is anticipated to soften over time, so this level of profit should not be counted on moving forward.”

Cessna also noted: “With the demand at the highest in golf’s history, Black Gold was forced to limit the number of golfers per day to maintain an acceptable pace of play” and to “prevent the golf course from becoming damaged from just the sheer volume of visitors....”

He added that the goal of reducing the number of rounds was successful, but Black Gold still produced more than 6,000 rounds beyond the normal targeted average of 58,000 – “obviously a good problem.”

Note: My math was off in my Feb. 16 column reporting Ryan Bent's per-vote spending in the Nov. 8 council election. He spent $10,714 to win 12,334 votes for 87 cents per-vote, not $1.15.

The numbers for Carlos Rodriguez and Janice Lim were correct: He spent $104,953 to win 16,392 votes for $6.40 per-vote, and she spent $61,110 to win 13,266 votes for $4.61 per-vote.