April 2015 State Council Meeting Minutes

Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children
California State Council General Business Meeting Minutes

April 28, 2015

California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Videoconference Room 3102
Sacramento, CA 95814

State Council Members

Members Present:

John Burns, Task Force Chairperson; Jerry Dannenberg, State Council Member; Kelly Frisch, Department of Defense (DOD) Liaison Representative; Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner; Kelli May, DOD Liaison Representative; Jacie Ragland, State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) Designee

Members Absent:

Senator Marty Block or Designee; Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin or Designee; Patricia Rucker, State Board of Education

Invited Participants:

Annie Arthur; Sylvia Crowder; Peter Stubbs

Welcome and Introductions

• Jacie Ragland, SSPI Designee: Opened the meeting of the California State Council for the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (State Council) at 1:02 p.m. at the California Department of Education (CDE) headquarters in Sacramento, and welcomed those present.

Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes

• Kelli May, DOD Liaison Representative: Informed State Council Members that she recently learned that DOD members are ex-officio members and cannot vote or make motions.
• Jerry Dannenberg, State Council Member, made a motion to approve the minutes from the October 29, 2014, meeting minutes, seconded by Jacie Ragland. The State Council voted unanimously to approve the minutes.

Commissioner’s Update

• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: The annual business meeting of the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) is scheduled for November 3–7, 2015, at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Seattle, Washington, and is open to the public. The following year’s meeting will be in Florida. The Commission hopes to see representatives from all 50 states, now that all states have joined the Military Interstate Compact (Compact).
• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: There are ongoing efforts to work with state athletic organizations, urging them to allow military students to participate in sports programs in their new schools without “roadblocks.” General Stephen Hogan, Executive Director, Interstate Commission on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, has been meeting with people to discuss this and has been told that students would be allowed to participate without obstacles.
• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: A two-day conference sponsored by the Military Child Education Coalition will be held on May 12–13, 2015, at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, California.
• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: Some issues have arisen in school districts because there sometimes is a misconception that “the Compact enables you to do anything you want,” and parents need to be aware that not all issues are covered by the Compact. For example, issues have come up regarding special education and after school programs that are not Compact issues.

Commissioner’s Newsletter

• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: April is the Month of the Military Child.
• Jacie Ragland, SSPI Designee: Next year, the CDE will have a lobby display with photos and a program description. CDE Press will assist with the layout and advise on how best to present the material.
• John Burns, Task Force Chairperson: There is a great deal of traffic in the downstairs lobby at CDE; the idea is to grab people’s attention with good graphics and easy-to-understand text.
• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: Stated that she hopes to get a letter from the SSPI to the field, informing school administrators that California is covered by the Compact. The letter could include California Education Code citations regarding the State Council’s existence to represent the needs of military students, and could include the five main areas covered by the Compact. The “Red Book,” which outlines Compact rules, is a helpful resource, but has been lost somewhere in San Pablo.
• John Burns, Task Force Chairperson: Stated that he will create the letter for the SSPI and hopes to have it completed by October 1, 2015.

Disputes Resolution Update: Pastel Case

• Peter Stubbs, CDE Legal Counsel: Stated that the Pastel case he and Commissioner Kate Wren Gavlak worked on is nearly over. In this case, military parents objected to the Capistrano Unified School District’s (CUSD) refusal to place their son in a fifth-grade math class, although he already had completed the fourth-grade math curriculum in Virginia.
• Peter Stubbs, CDE Legal Counsel: The CUSD Superintendent refused to work with the family and the Compact. There is a need for a better way to resolve such disputes more quickly, and the CDE did not receive the case for review until the school year was nearly over. Even the Uniform Complaint Procedure, in which districts have 60 days to respond to issues, takes too long to help some students; the case needed to have been decided by the start of the school year.
• Peter Stubbs, CDE Legal Counsel: Stated that the Compact does not cover as much as some people believe it does. For example, some parents have tried to go around the required minutes for physical education instruction. But the Compact is not so broad as to deal with physical education minutes, teacher evaluation, program fees, or English Learner requirements.
• Peter Stubbs, CDE Legal Counsel: It often is unknown when districts are not following Compact rules unless a case is brought to the attention of the State Council or CDE.

State Council’s Appointment of the Military Family Education Liaison

• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: The National Commission reports that many states are struggling to fill the Military Family Education Liaison position. Several other states have a person from their department of education in this position.
• State Council members discussed the idea of having Jacie Ragland, SSPI Designee, add the Military Family Education Liaison position to her responsibilities.
• Jacie Ragland, SSPI Designee: Stated that she believes it would be more appropriate to have someone in the position who has a more direct relationship and is more closely involved with military families.
• John Burns, Task Force Chairperson: States may be having trouble filling the position because state departments of education do not necessarily have people with military connections. The position may need to be recast differently than originally planned.
• John Burns, Task Force Chairperson: Made a motion to recommend that the National Commission study the issue and establish guidelines for states on how best to reflect the needs for the position.
• State Council members voted unanimously in favor of the recommendation.
• Jacie Ragland, SSPI Designee: The following committee assignments have been made for the State Council:
  • Communications Committee: Sylvia Crowder and Alfredia Hines
  • Training Committee: Sylvia Crowder and Kelly Frisch
  • Dispute Resolution Committee: Jerry Dannenburg and Peter Stubbs
  • Web Committee: Kelli May

Public Comments

• There were no members of the public in attendance.

State Council Member Comments

• Jacie Ragland, SSPI Designee: California State Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin has been appointed to the State Council.
• Jerry Dannenberg, State Council Member: The California School Boards Association is having a conference for school law firms. Perhaps someone from the Association of California School Administrators might like to be invited to hear about matters related to Compact regulations.

Next Meeting Scheduled

• The next meeting of the State Council was scheduled for October 27, 2015.

Adjournment

• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: Adjourned the meeting at 2:58 p.m.