by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Claremont Unified School District’s Board of Education unanimously approved Tara Moxley as Claremont High School’s new assistant principal of student services, effective July 1, at its May 16 meeting.

Moxley was one of 54 applicants for the position and has served in various roles in Upland Unified School District for over a decade.

The board also unanimously approved its annual declaration of need for fully qualified educators.

“This declaration indicates that an effort has been made by the school district to estimate emergency permit needs for an entire school year, and to prepare for unplanned staffing changes,” agenda item 17.02 read. “The ‘Declaration of Need’ must be board approved and submitted to the Commission [on Teacher Credentialing] prior to the issuance of any emergency permits required for the 2024-2025 school year.”

Sycamore Elementary School Principal Amy Stanger, front left, CUSD coordinator of educational technology Kara Evans, center, and CUSD Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Julie Olesniewicz, front right, were recognized recently by the Association of California School Administrators. Pictured with the trio are (L-R) student representative John Ramirez, CUSD Board of Education Clerk Richard O’Neill, board member Kathy Archer, vice president Kathryn Dunn, Superintendent Jim Elsasser, board member Alex McDonald, and president Bob Fass. Photo/courtesy of CUSD

The board also recognized recent Association of California School Administrators spring awards recipients, including CUSD Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Julie Olesniewicz, who received the David Millen Mentoring Award; Kara Evans, coordinator of educational technology, the Promising Administrator Award; and Sycamore Elementary School Principal Amy Stanger, the Claremont Management Association Charter Leadership Award.

El Roble Intermediate School teacher Geoffrey Payton was also recognized as the 2024-2025 CUSD Teacher of the Year. The announcement was made April 18, but Payton was not present, which prompted the reschedule.

Annual business

The board unanimously approved resolution 17, ratifying an engineer’s report by SCI Consulting Group in accordance with the Landscaping and Lighting Act of 1972 for proposed improvement projects for fiscal year 2024-2025.

The board subsequently passed resolution 18 unanimously, declaring the district’s intention to levy and collect annual assessments within the CUSD Recreation Assessment District.

“The Recreation Assessment District was established to finance the installation, maintenance, and servicing of certain recreational improvements at the District’s schools,” agenda item 15.02 read. “Improvements include landscaping, turf, playgrounds, replacement of playground equipment to conform to safety standards and Americans with Disabilities Act, irrigation systems, parking lots, play surfaces, lights, signage, gates, fences, play courts, and tracks. The assessments levied pay for only that portion of the cost of recreational improvements which are attributable to public use of such improvements. Assessments per Single Family Equivalent Unit to be levied and collected on assessable lots and parcels of land within the Recreation Assessment District for the fiscal year 2024-2025 are not proposed to increase from the assessments per Single Family Equivalent Unit levied and collected for the fiscal year 2023-2024.”

The estimated cost for installation, maintenance, and service of recreational facilities is anticipated to be approximately $1,190,592.

The resolution also set a public hearing date for 6 p.m. Thursday, June 6 at CUSD’s Kirkendall Education Center in order for the community to share input “concerning the proposed levy and collection of assessments.”

Other agenda items included:

• The adoption of minutes from the May 2 board meeting.
• Oral reports by student board members, locally elected Board of Education members, and Superintendent Jim Elsasser.
• Staff updates on the implementation of Ethnic Studies and the Seal of Civic Engagement at CHS and The CUSD Implementation Plan.
• Adoption of the CUSD student calendar for the 2025-2026 school year. Board member Kathy Archer abstained.

The following consent calendar items were adopted:

• An August 5-9 trip for the CHS coed cross-county team to attend a camp in Wrightwood, California.
• Two April warrants totaling $9,682,805.
• Budget adjustments and transfers, which were not attached to the board agenda as of Wednesday.
• Disposal of an obsolete milk cooler at Sumner Danbury.
• Acceptance of donations and gifts worth $52,774 — a $31,546 donation from the Condit Elementary School Parent-Faculty Association for “contribution toward RTI and STEAM Paraeducator salaries,” “2023-24 Art Consultant and Music Instruction,” and “laptops”; a $20,477 from CHS Theatre Boosters; $500 from the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery for a bus bill; and a $250 reimbursement for percussion coaching by Jack Perry.
• Various vendor agreements and one amendment with FIT Learning Inland Empire to increase the agreement amount by $30,000, for a total of $100,000, for specialized academic instruction in math and reading. Funding will come from the special education fund.
• Certified personnel actions, which included the resignation of Vista del Valle teacher Leah Holsheimer, CUSD Speech-Language Pathologist Vanessa Rossi, Condit Elementary School Principal Christine Malally, and El Roble Intermediate Assistant Principal Chantal Welch, and the reassignment of Octavio Hernandez to CHS teacher.
• Various CUSD classified personnel actions.
• Approval of a school property use agreement between CUSD and the Claremont Educational Foundation for its SLICE summer program.
• And the ratification of the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s 2024 plan for expelled students.

The next CUSD Board of Education meeting at the Richard S. Kirkendall Education Center, 170 W. San Jose Ave., is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, June 6.