School Board update, Oct. 11

At the Oct. 11 meeting of the Tehachapi School Board, Superintendent Susan Andreas-Berval introduced Dennis Franey, the new District Interim CEO, to the School Board and to those in attendance. Franey, who is semi-retired, was appointed by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. He told everyone that he was delighted to be in Tehachapi. Born and raised in Kern County, he said that he has come up often and loves it in Tehachapi.

Superintendent Andreas-Berval told the Board that district enrollment is up 166 students this year. With the exception of Monroe, all schools have increased or stayed the same as last year. In answer to queries about the timeline for Jacobson's sixth grade addition, the Superintendent reported that architectural plans should be completed by October of 2017. At that time, the project will be put out to bid. Construction is projected to begin in March of 2018 with a move-in date of August, 2019. The work on Wells Education Center is projected to take an additional six to eight months.

Personnel Director, Tim Beard, presented the long awaited report on the use of facility dogs. Beard reported that the district's legal council has advised against their use in the schools due to liability concerns. Board Trustees Kermode and Wallek have been advocates for the use of facility dogs in the schools. Beard said that if the issue is to be pursued, the district will first need to hire a consultant. It was asked if the dogs would then have a personnel file. Trustee Kermode, who has worked with facility dogs, said that "yes" they would have a personnel file, just like any district employee.