School Board Recap: Audit, Song and School Days

The Poway Unified School District Board of Education held its monthly meeting Thursday night.

Here are some of the highlights:

[Editor's Note: Students from Morning Creek Elementary School performed two songs at the meeting. An audio slideshow is attached to this story.]

• Audit: The board accepted an independent financial audit report conducted by Wilkinson, Hadley, King & Co., LLP. The report had no findings.
• School calendar: The proposed school calendar for 2012-13 was introduced for a first reading. Officials hope to have the calendar finalized by the end of the year. In past surveys, conducted by the district and the PTA, parents have said their priorities in scheduling are getting the start and end dates as soon as possible so they can plan and maintaining a full week off for Thanksgiving, said Bill Chiment, the district's associate superintendent for personnel support services. Here's a look at the proposal, as described in Patch's meeting preview article: 

The proposed calendar includes 180 students, five more than the reduced school year of 175 days that was negotiated with employee unions for the current school year. Those deals expire in June 2012, but the five-day reduction, permitted by state law, could be renewed during the coming negotiations and the calendar would be changed. However, the school year would not begin before Aug. 20, 2012 or end later than June 13, 2013 after changes.

• School begins: Monday, Aug. 20, 2012.

• Winter break: Monday, Dec. 24, 2012 to Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 (inclusive).

• Spring break: Monday, March 25, 2013 to Thursday, March. 28, 2013, with a spring holiday on Friday, March 29, 2013.

• Last day of school: Thursday, June 13, 2013.

• Next meeting: The board will meet on Monday, Dec. 12. This will be the board's organizational meeting, where officers are chosen for the coming year.