DOWNEY - The Downey Unified School District Board of Education Tuesday heard presentations in which representatives from Downey United Masonic Lodge #220 presented plaques honoring Old River Elementary's Linda Zarate, Rio San Gabriel Elementary's Sandy Aguirre, Griffiths Middle School's Jayson Quimby, and Warren High School's Cari White as the Masonic Representative 'Teachers of the Year.'Coordinating and doing honors as emcee was the Masons' Bob Udoff, after he was introduced by DUSD assistant superintendent/instructional services Jerilyn King-Brown. Warren High principal John Harris said White "seems like the right person for so many positions and so she wears many hats at [the school]." At Warren since 1999, White is chair of the special education department while being active on many fronts, including organizing the campus' American Cancer Society Youth Club. Griffiths Middle School principal Gregg Stapp said Quimby, who is English department chair and the school's Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) driving force, is another outstanding teacher who wears many hats. "When I think of Jayson Q., I think of hard work and commitment to students," Stapp said. "He routinely is among the first teachers to arrive at work and the last to leave each day." Another area of expertise he is working on is helping in the development of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) for the District. Rio San Gabriel Elementary School principal Paula Barnes said Aguirre is an "outstanding, organized, positive and involved teacher inside and outside of her classroom." She noted Aguirre's 23 years of dedicated service to the District, beginning at Gauldin Elementary in 1986, and moving to Rio San Gabriel in 1989, where she has taught first, second, third, fourth and fifth grades. Aguirre's many involvements include service as a BTSA (beginning teachers) support provider, Parent Assisted Learning (PAL) instructor, and on the District science committee. Old River School Elementary School principal Teresa Medina said Zarate, Title I/Resource Teacher at the school, is not only an outstanding educator but a "person of the highest character and integrity," and that "there isn't anything [she] wouldn't do for the staff and students at Old River." Zarate, who "moved around the district teaching at various elementary schools, some by choice, some by circumstance, before coming to Old River" in 2007, is completing her master's degree in education and is finishing up her fieldwork in administration. In other action, the Board: •Accepted with gratitude cash and in-kind donations from various individuals and organizations/groups, including a total of $65,000 from the Downey Kiwanis Foundation, distributed as follows: $50,000 for the purchase of computers to be used at Sussman Middle School, $10,000 in support of the TLC Family Resource Center, and $5,000 for the Character Counts program; •Approved the payment of expenses for convention and conference attendance; •Ratified the settlement agreement regarding case # 2009010729 and approved the payment of $9,000; •Approved the proposed revisions to AR 3111, Regular School Calendar for 2009-10 (school starts Sept. 3); •Ratified purchase orders by the Purchasing Department; •Ratified the issuance of payroll orders for hourly, overtime, Civic Center work performed by classified personnel, Adult School, and Food Services, through March 2009; •Ratified the Los Angeles County Office of Education contract for providing CalWorks support services to participants in the Regional Occupational Program enrolled in vocation and adult basic education programs, effective July 1, 2008-June 30, 2009; •Approved the contract for services relating to mandated cost claims provided by Centration, Inc., effective July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010; •Ratified the agreements between Downey Adult School (DAS) Career and Education Center and the American Red Cross, John Bardokar, M.D., John P. Cardin, M.D., Clinica Medica Espana, Clinica Medica Sagrada Familia, Compucare Systems, LLC, David Gothard, M.D., FAAFP, Minerva Lobarbio-Banares, M.D., Universal Care Medical Group, and Women's Medical Group, to furnish practical experience to students enrolled in the Medical Assistant program; between DAS and Samir T. Ayoub Dental Corporation, Beautiful Smiles Dental Care, Children's Dental Health Clinic, Class 1 Orthodontics of Dr. Amara Crandall, Downey Community Dental, Gene R. Humphries, DDS, MS, Orthodontist, Rosecrans Dental Group, Dr. Joseph Stan, Inc., and J. Wayne Wilcox, DDS, to furnish practical experience to students enrolled in the Dental Assistant program; as well as between DAS and Amed Medical Billing Service, Dr. Ed Guzman, and Gerald Ho, to furnish practical experience in the Medical Billing & Coding program; •Accepted the Williams uniform complaint quarterly summary (no complaints for the 3rd quarter); •Approved a 60-month lease/purchase of two Xerox Docutech 6155 PMC Production Publishers at the monthly lease rate of $18,362.25 for use in the Communication Center, to be charged to the General Fund; •Approved the renewal of Bid #06/07-05 for backhoe services on an as-needed basis from Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2009 with Terra Pave, Inc., Whittier, in the annual estimated amount of $150,000, with no guarantee that this amount will be met or exceeded, to be charged to the General Fund, Bond Fund, and/or Deferred Maintenance Fund, as required; •Awarded Bid #08/09-09 for stock paper to Unisource Worldwide, La Palma, in the anticipated annual amount of $108,234; Kirk Paper, Downey, in the anticipated annual amount of $43,320; and Keldon Paper Company, Los Angeles, in the anticipated annual amount of $10,132.50, with no guarantee that these amounts will be met or exceeded, to be charged to the General Fund; •Approved the change orders involving work done (MA certification testing) for Downey Adult School; and various work (concrete, carpentry, roofing, electrical, cafeteria work) done by various vendors for Warren High School's new library, classroom building and modernization program; •Accepted as complete fencing, ceramic tile, flooring, and concrete work performed by various contractors; •Approved the adjustment of the 2008-09 General Fund unrestricted budget to reflect a decrease to the fund balance in the amount of $421,722; •Approved the adjustment of the 2008-09 General Fund restricted budget to reflect a decrease to the fund balance in the amount of $140,042; •Approved the adjustment of the 2008-09 Adult Education Fund restricted budget to reflect an increase to the fund balance in the amount of $2,219,245.00; •Approved the adjustment of the 2008-09 Adult Education unrestricted budget to reflect a decrease to the fund balance in the amount of $3,186.00; •Approved routine Personnel items until subsequent action is taken by the Board; •Approved the abolishment of one vacant intermediate Clerical Assistant position, and one vacant Child Care Assistant position, effective April 7, 2009; •Adopted Resolution No. 200809-18, concerning the mandated biennial governing board election (i.e., voters will decide whether three members will be elected to the DUSD board), scheduled for Nov. 3, 2009; •Reviewed the list of titles of middle and high school textbooks recommended for adoption for the 2009-10 school year; •Approved the Memorandum of Understanding between Downey Education Association and the district regarding the 2009-10 Adult School calendar and summer session; and •Endorsed the actions taken by the superintendent on all student cases. The next meeting of the Board will be a special budget study session meeting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28 in the ROP Room of the Gallegos Administration Center, 11627 Brookshire Ave. (This meeting will look at all the items on the proposed/tentative District budget with respect to the salient ramifications of the state budget).

********** Published: April 10, 2009 - Volume 7 - Issue 51