Board of Education to Discuss Possible Major Changes to School Year Calendar

What's happening in and around Piedmont this week:

Piedmont City Council, Monday, Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m., City Hall council chambers, 120 Vista Ave. Items for consideration include:

• A public hearing on the experience, education and general qualities desired in a new city administrator. See "City Council Wants Your Ideas on New City Administrator" for more information.
• Final authorization of the issuance of bonds or the incurrence of debt to refinance certain existing debt obligations to the California Public Employees Retirement System (the "side fund").
• A resolution calling a General Municipal Election for Fe. 4, 2014, approving charging candidates certain costs, and adding a measure relating to refinancing of certain existing debt obligations to the California Public Employees Retirement System.
  

• A recommendation to approve three additional projects to be paid for through the PUSD modernization fund. They include a two-way communication system at Piedmont Middle School Piedmont and Millenium High Schools and district headquarters ($990,000); a new phone system, which would reduce operating and maintenance costs by about $45,000 per year ($133,000); and tree planting at Beach Elementary School ($12,000).
• Deferral of decisions on several other projects until PUSD receives the balance of modernization funds for 2013, estimated to total $855,000. These include a reserve of $500,000 in work on the Alan Harvey Theatre at PHS. The school board may propose a bond measure to pay for a comprehensive remodel of the theatre; the reserve would be needed if a bond measure is not approved by voters.
• Discussion of alternative school calendars for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 academic years. Start and end dates for the school year are negotiated with the Association of Piedmont Teachers (APT) as part of the contract process. Three alternatives are under discussion: one similar to the current year's, one that would start after Labor Day and the most radical proposed change, a calendar that would start school earlier in August, end the first semester before the winter break and end classes by the start of June. The APT will vote on alternatives this month and bring its members' choice to the school board for discussion Oct. 23 or Nov. 13.