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AGREEMENT FOR
INSTRUCTIONAL AUTONOMY AT LA JOLLA HIGH SCHOOL
This Agreement is made and shall be effective as of the 1st day of July
2002 by and between the San Diego Unified School District (“District”)
and La Jolla High School (“LJHS”). The purpose of the Agreement
is to provide instructional autonomy and flexibility to LJHS in light
of the fact the school has achieved and maintained high levels of schoolwide
student achievement as measured by the state’s Academic Performance
Index.
TERM AND RENEWAL
• The duration of this Agreement is a five (5) - year rolling agreement,
commencing July 1, 2002. At the end of each program year, the Agreement
may be extended an additional year in order to maintain a continuous five-year
operational time frame. Such annual extension shall be automatic unless
the District or the Principal of LJHS gives written notice to the other
by March 1 of any year, that it does not approve the extension. This Agreement
is revocable by the Board of Education for cause as specified only under
the conditions and mechanisms spelled out within this document.
• Satisfactory progress by LJHS will be determined relative to its
participation in the state and district accountability process and the
performance criteria identified in the Student Achievement Accountability
Contract (Attachment A - to be finalized by July 1, 2002), which will
be established and consistently applied for all district-managed schools,
pilot schools and charter schools. For high-performing schools, the performance
criteria will be based upon the Academic Performance Index schoolwide
and subgroup growth targets; the percentage of students passing the California
High School Exit Exam; the percentage of students meeting UC/CSU a-g criteria;
the percentage of students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) Courses
and passing the AP Exams; and any additional, mutually agreed upon measures.
Success in meeting or exceeding the performance criteria shall be the
basis of automatic extension of this Agreement.
• The Agreement may be terminated by the District or LJHS, upon reasonable
notice to the other party, following a written determination that continued
operation of the Agreement poses a severe and imminent threat to the health
or safety of the students or is not in conformance with federal and state
law which will not otherwise be promptly abated under the terms of this
Agreement.
ENROLLMENT
• The enrollment capacity of LJHS will be mutually determined, using
district capacity policy and procedures, after the current Proposition
MM work is completed.
• LJHS will continue to follow the District’s existing enrollment
policies and procedures. Beginning with the 2002-2003 school year, there
cannot be a variation of more than five (5) percent of the current VEEP
student populations without the mutual agreement of both parties.
PERFORMANCE AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES
• At the Superintendent’s recommendation, the District Board
of Education shall delegate the power and authority to manage, operate,
and administer the educational programs at LJHS to the LJHS Principal,
subject to applicable state and federal statutes and regulations with
the understanding that the District governing board retains ultimate authority
over the performance of those powers or duties so delegated. It shall
be the decision of LJHS to determine the courses of study, scope and sequence,
curriculum, instructional strategies, text selection, staffing configurations,
professional development, and the methods to meet the District graduation
guidelines as described in Attachment B, subject to the above referenced
limitations. LJHS shall use district processes/structures for reporting
data relative to course enrollment and scheduling, attendance, state and
district assessments, and all other student information required for district
and state reporting. LJHS shall notify the District by March 1 each year
of any such changes.
• LJHS shall operate under the California Code of Education and the
established policies and procedures of the District. Should LJHS wish
to be exempt from any policies and procedures of the District, LJHS would
submit a request for waiver from the District Board of Education. Attachment
C contains the LJHS waiver requested via approval of this proposal.
• LJHS will work with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
to expand its relationship with the intent of improving educational opportunities
to all students and improving the number of students qualifying for admission
to the UC/CSU system. Such mutually beneficial arrangements may include,
but not be limited to, the instructional use of technology, internships,
content interactions, departmental outreach programs, cultural outreach
programs, and cognitive research. At this time, Attachment D includes
the letters of intent from LJHS and UCSD. It is anticipated that the initial
plan with specific objectives for the 2002-2003 school year will be finalized
and submitted to the District by July 1, 2002.
• The District shall be responsible for capital improvements and
the maintenance of the school facilities. The District shall, by April
1 each year, provide LJHS with an annual capital improvement and maintenance
program, listing the capital improvements and maintenance projects planned
for the coming fiscal year at LJHS, as reflected in the District’s
major repair and replacement program. LJHS shall provide the District
with comments within 30 days of receipt of such program, regarding the
proposed schedule, priorities and consistency of the planned projects
with the educational needs of LJHS. In carrying out the program, the District
agrees to use its best efforts to accommodate the educational and operational
needs and requests of LJHS.
• The collective bargaining contracts will be in force except for
those provisions that may be waived. Initial waivers requested will include:
- LJHS will not be limited to seniority post and bid provisions in filling
vacancies. Positions will be filled “from among all qualified applicants”
using a process similar to provisions delineated in Section 12.3 of the
SDEA collective bargaining agreement.
- The governing bodies of the various labor organizations can approve
additional waivers.
GOVERNANCE
• Governance Board. The Governance Board of LJHS will operate
in a manner consistent with the Articles of the LJHS Governance document.
In keeping with that document, the Governance Board will be composed of
nineteen members:
- the principal;
- eight certificated staff representatives;
- the SDEA site representative;
- one classified representative
- five parent representatives;
- one community representative;
- two student representatives.
• Assignment of the Administration. The current LJHS administration
shall remain at LJHS under this agreement. Decisions concerning any change
in the status and/or assignment of the LJHS administrators (principal
and vice principals) shall be determined by the District after consultation
with the Principal and/or LJHS Governance Board when appropriate. The
District will make all practical and reasonable efforts to assure this
process is inclusive and collaborative for the LJHS Governance Board and/or
Principal.
• Evaluation of the Principal. The LJHS Governance Board, the LJHS
Administration, and the Superintendent will mutually agree to the goals
and performance objectives by which the Principal will be evaluated on
an annual basis. The LJHS Governance Board will communicate their evaluation
recommendations to the Superintendent based upon the mutually agreed upon
goals and performance objectives. The Superintendent will review and may
include some or all of said recommendations in his formal evaluation of
the Principal.
• Responsibilities of the Principal. The Principal shall be
responsible for the daily operations of LJHS and report to the LJHS Governance
Board. The duties of the Principal shall include, among other tasks:
- taking all such actions as may be necessary or desirable to properly
and efficiently operate the school;
- serving as the instructional leader for the school;
- evaluating the vice principals and teachers of LJHS in accordance with
District policy and State law;
- acting as principal liaison with the District;
- fulfilling the goals and performance objectives mutually agreed to and
established by the LJHS Governance Board, the LJHS Administration, and
the Superintendent.
FINANCIAL
• Basic District Obligations. The District shall continue
to be financially and operationally responsible for meeting payroll and
providing compensation and employee benefits and the associated personnel,
payroll, and benefit administration services for all certificated and
classified employees of the District performing work at LJHS in accordance
with applicable Federal and State laws, including but not limited to collection,
reporting, and payment of all applicable federal, state, and local payroll
taxes, unemployment and disability insurance withholding, administration
of workers compensation insurance programs, and maintenance of payroll
benefit and safety records.
• Categorical and Site Funding. In addition to funding for
staffing-related expenses and reallocated amounts, LJHS shall receive
from the District its fair share of other funding received by comparable
District schools as if the Agreement at LJHS were not in place. The expenditure
of categorical funds must be in compliance with the requirements of the
funding source and documentation and program descriptions will be provided
by LJHS. The following descriptions are intended to guide the parties
regarding funding allocations in connection with the funding of such programs
as the Blueprint in which LJHS may or may not participate, at its election.
Whenever a decision is made by LJHS regarding participation in a District
program or service, whether LJHS funding is required or not, LJHS shall
participate in preplanning and its administrators and teachers will receive
the same notice, advance material purchase, seating, nametags, etc. as
are provided to other District staff.
- If a District program, service or staffing is funded with Categorical
or other site monies alone, LJHS will receive Categorical funds for that
program only if it participates in that program.
• Particular Programs, Extended Day and Summer Programs. The
District will establish a billing documentation process, fund code and
account which will allow LJHS to separately track state revenues received
and expenses incurred by LJHS. At the end of each fiscal year, the account
will be reconciled, with LJHS being responsible for reimbursing the District
for any deficit that has accrued; conversely, LJHS may retain and utilize
any surplus that has accrued for the purposes of LJHS.
• Funds and Accounting. The District and LJHS will cooperate
in the establishment and coordination of the accounts of LJHS. The District
shall establish and maintain one or more accounts and fund codes, together
with a billing process, which will allow the parties to track funds expended
by LJHS from District revenues, including funds received from State and
Federal sources.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
• In the event of a dispute between District staff and LJHS staff
regarding the terms of this proposal, both parties agree to notify the
other, in writing, of the specific disputed issue(s). Within 30 days of
sending written notice, or longer if both parties agree, a representative
from the Office of the Superintendent and the Principal of LJHS shall
meet and confer in an attempt to resolve the dispute. If this joint meeting
fails to resolve the dispute, the issue(s) will be presented to the District
Board of Education for resolution.
• This process is not required to occur prior to district action
in those cases where the District determines continued operation of the
Agreement poses a severe and imminent threat to the health of safety of
the students or is not in conformance with federal and state law. Said
dispute resolution can occur none-the-less subsequent to such action.
This proposal is being brought forward by the Superintendent of Public
Education and the Principal of LJHS.
Dana Shelburne, Principal
La Jolla High School
San Diego Unified School District
Alan D. Bersin
Superintendent
San Diego Unified School District
Approved in public meeting of the Board of Education of the San Diego
Unified School District on 4/9/02.
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