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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – During a special Monday night meeting, the Lakeport Unified School District Board of Trustees decided to move into a new phase of hybrid learning that will have students back on campus starting early in January.
In a split decision – with board members Dan Buffalo, Jennifer Hanson and Phil Kirby voting yes, and Jeannie Markham and Carly Alvord voting no – the board decided after a three-hour discussion to enter hybrid learning, which is “stage two” of the Lake County Return to School Continuum Plan, at the start of the new semester, after Christmas break.
Markham and Alvord, who argued that it was in the best interests of students to get back to campus sooner rather than later, favored the start of hybrid learning on Nov. 30, after Thanksgiving but before the holiday break.
Nov. 30 was the date that district Superintendent Jill Falconer told the board was the date when staff would be fully prepared to switch from distance learning to the hybrid model, which will include having some students on campus at all times.
“As I’ve said all along, we’ll be ready when we’re ready,” said Falconer.
That’s also the date that the Kelseyville Unified School District announced last week that it plans to move to the hybrid model.
As proposed in Lakeport Unified’s case, students would be on campus for certain days of the week. Falconer said students would have “grab and go” breakfasts and lunches on the days they were on campus, and would have additional meals sent home with them for the other days when they’re learning at home.
During the course of the meeting, the board would hear about the challenges that the pandemic and its impact on school is creating for children, their families and teachers.
Absenteeism is up, there is an increase in failing grades, and students are enduring emotional stress and burnout from the combination of trying to learn online while being isolated from their social networks at school.
Alvord, who noted her own challenges with her children, said other parents have shared with her their struggles – such as a child developing an eating disorder and others suffering from increased anxiety and depression as a result of being separated from their classmates and teachers.
Like the majority of Lake County’s school districts, Lakeport Unified has been in the distance learning phase one of the Return to School Continuum Plan since the start of the year.
That phase calls for staff to be on campus with only a limited number of students – including those in special education – having class in-person, while the rest of the students participate in instruction virtually. There is no athletic competition or practice.
Lucerne Elementary and Upper Lake Unified schools started the school year with in-person instruction and have kept their campuses open thanks to numerous modifications and enhanced safety protocols.
Falconer said Lakeport Unified’s staffers are still finalizing their plan for the transition, and because it involves ongoing negotiations with their employee bargaining units, the plan wasn’t ready to be made public for Tuesday’s meeting.
Growing rates for absenteeism, lower grades
As an introduction to the Monday night discussion, Falconer presented data to the board showing attendance and engagement which helps monitor how students are performing.
“I warn you, the numbers are not great but we are in the middle of a pandemic,” said Falconer.
For Lakeport Elementary School, in the 2019-20 academic year, the school reported a 9.5 percent rate for chronic absenteeism, which is defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days in an academic year. For this year, that number has risen to 24.4 percent.
For Terrace Middle School, Falconer said the absentee rates rose from 8.3 percent last year to 35.8 percent this year, and at Clear Lake High School, the steepest increase was noted – 3.8 percent last year to 24.1 percent this year.
At the Lakeport Alternative Education Center, however, the numbers Falconer showed are encouraging: the 15.1-percent absentee rate reported in the 2019-20 school year has dropped to 2.1 percent this year.
“Our alternative education program kids are really engaging in distancing learning,” Falconer said.
She said the district’s student and family advocate continues to conduct several home visits a day to try to remove barriers to students’ engagement and attendance. “It remains a challenge.”
In a breakdown of subgroups, which can be seen below, Falconer said some groups of students are having higher absenteeism. Native American students have the highest absenteeism at the elementary, middle and high schools, with socioeconomically disadvantaged students, special education students and Hispanic students also registering high absentee numbers.
Regarding academic progress, the first quarter showed a sharp rise in the number of D and F grades given at the middle and high schools, according to Falconer’s report.
At Terrace Middle School, there were 175 Ds or Fs given in the 2019-20 first quarter, compared to 351 this year. At Clear Lake High School, the numbers are worse: 190 Ds or Fs in the first quarter of last year versus 436 this year, Falconer reported.
Falconer pointed out that chronic absenteeism goes hand in hand with lower grades.
The district contacted parents to ask about their preferences, and Falconer said that 75 percent of parents wanted hybrid learning – and soon – while 25 percent wanted to stay on distance learning.
Teachers share concerns
Markham, a retired teacher, said she believed it would be easier to make the transition from distance learning to the hybrid model between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. She suggested students and teachers could ease into it rather than having to hit the ground running in January.
However, teachers like Catherine Dunne believed that coming back between the holidays would be challenging.
Clear Lake High School woodshop teacher John Moorhead said he is in no hurry to have students come back for in-person instruction. “It’s another wrinkle in a landscape that is only filled with wrinkles.”
Moorhead said he’s for keeping things the way they are through the end of semester, and maybe into the second semester. Explaining that he’s spoken with his coworkers about the issues, Moorhead noted, “We’re not quite ready for primetime.”
High school biology teacher William Pettus said he and his science colleagues also have serious concerns about moving to the hybrid model due to the inability to properly clean items that are shared – everything from pencils, desks and dividers, to microscopes, beakers and glassware.
“I would love to say we have a solution for this, and we don’t,” Pettus said.
High school special education teacher Cary Stillman explained that she’s doing some in-person teaching now, along with distance learning. Bathrooms, handwashing, going in and out of classrooms and bussing can be handled fairly safely now, but Stillwell said they will become more convoluted as more people are on campus, and they don’t yet have a solution.
Stillman agreed that the mental health of students is imperative, but that they need to come back to school – safely.
School nurse Diane Gunther pointed to growing COVID-19 case numbers across the nation and the state, and said that the Thanksgiving holiday is a big concern nationwide, as it will increase the chance for virus transmissions.
“We need to be on our toes” when transitioning to the hybrid model, Gunther said.
She said she thought the district has been “pretty lucky” in having minimal problems due to some significant situations involving the virus. That’s with a limited number of students on campus, and the risk is likely to increase with more students present.
Board weighs risks, plans separate sports discussion
While Markham said she was anxious to have children back on campus for school, even if only part-time, “Athletics worries me.”
“I share that sentiment,” said Buffalo, noting that it’s a very real risk. “At the same time, athletics is important to the well-being of our students.”
Buffalo said he saw the upcoming holidays as a litmus test for the community and the nation as a whole as far as COVID-19 transmission.
Gunther said that caseload increases generally are seen two weeks after a holiday, followed by hospitalizations and deaths. The biggest case spike in Lake County came exactly two weeks after Labor Day, she added.
Markham said she thought the district needed to transition to hybrid learning on Nov. 30, adding that it won’t accomplish anything to wait until January. “I do think it’s hurting kids to have them not at school.”
“I’m with you,” said Alvord.
Alvord asked Falconer what she would like to see happen.
Falconer deferred, saying she serves at the board’s will and that she and district employees “will make your decision work.”
Buffalo offered the motion to transition to the stage two hybrid model at the start of the calendar year and the next semester, and to give Falconer authority to make changes to that start date if necessary, which the board approved 3-2.
Buffalo thanked the district’s team for their efforts, noting he knows the community wants to move to the hybrid model and the faculty wants to teach students.
At its meeting next week, the board also will have a discussion on sports, as high school Athletic Director Milo Meyer received news on Monday that state sports officials are set to let competitions for sports including football, volleyball, cross country and wrestling begin in December.
“The school district is going to have to make a decision” as to whether or not to allow sports, Meyer told the board.
He said coaches will need guidelines and parents will have to arrange for physicals for their children as the usual free physicals at the school won’t be available this year. There also will be questions about transportation and scheduling.
Falconer also noted that the Lake County Return to School Continuum Plan allows sports only if the school district is in stage three.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
In a split decision – with board members Dan Buffalo, Jennifer Hanson and Phil Kirby voting yes, and Jeannie Markham and Carly Alvord voting no – the board decided after a three-hour discussion to enter hybrid learning, which is “stage two” of the Lake County Return to School Continuum Plan, at the start of the new semester, after Christmas break.
Markham and Alvord, who argued that it was in the best interests of students to get back to campus sooner rather than later, favored the start of hybrid learning on Nov. 30, after Thanksgiving but before the holiday break.
Nov. 30 was the date that district Superintendent Jill Falconer told the board was the date when staff would be fully prepared to switch from distance learning to the hybrid model, which will include having some students on campus at all times.
“As I’ve said all along, we’ll be ready when we’re ready,” said Falconer.
That’s also the date that the Kelseyville Unified School District announced last week that it plans to move to the hybrid model.
As proposed in Lakeport Unified’s case, students would be on campus for certain days of the week. Falconer said students would have “grab and go” breakfasts and lunches on the days they were on campus, and would have additional meals sent home with them for the other days when they’re learning at home.
During the course of the meeting, the board would hear about the challenges that the pandemic and its impact on school is creating for children, their families and teachers.
Absenteeism is up, there is an increase in failing grades, and students are enduring emotional stress and burnout from the combination of trying to learn online while being isolated from their social networks at school.
Alvord, who noted her own challenges with her children, said other parents have shared with her their struggles – such as a child developing an eating disorder and others suffering from increased anxiety and depression as a result of being separated from their classmates and teachers.
Like the majority of Lake County’s school districts, Lakeport Unified has been in the distance learning phase one of the Return to School Continuum Plan since the start of the year.
That phase calls for staff to be on campus with only a limited number of students – including those in special education – having class in-person, while the rest of the students participate in instruction virtually. There is no athletic competition or practice.
Lucerne Elementary and Upper Lake Unified schools started the school year with in-person instruction and have kept their campuses open thanks to numerous modifications and enhanced safety protocols.
Falconer said Lakeport Unified’s staffers are still finalizing their plan for the transition, and because it involves ongoing negotiations with their employee bargaining units, the plan wasn’t ready to be made public for Tuesday’s meeting.
Growing rates for absenteeism, lower grades
As an introduction to the Monday night discussion, Falconer presented data to the board showing attendance and engagement which helps monitor how students are performing.
“I warn you, the numbers are not great but we are in the middle of a pandemic,” said Falconer.
For Lakeport Elementary School, in the 2019-20 academic year, the school reported a 9.5 percent rate for chronic absenteeism, which is defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days in an academic year. For this year, that number has risen to 24.4 percent.
For Terrace Middle School, Falconer said the absentee rates rose from 8.3 percent last year to 35.8 percent this year, and at Clear Lake High School, the steepest increase was noted – 3.8 percent last year to 24.1 percent this year.
At the Lakeport Alternative Education Center, however, the numbers Falconer showed are encouraging: the 15.1-percent absentee rate reported in the 2019-20 school year has dropped to 2.1 percent this year.
“Our alternative education program kids are really engaging in distancing learning,” Falconer said.
She said the district’s student and family advocate continues to conduct several home visits a day to try to remove barriers to students’ engagement and attendance. “It remains a challenge.”
In a breakdown of subgroups, which can be seen below, Falconer said some groups of students are having higher absenteeism. Native American students have the highest absenteeism at the elementary, middle and high schools, with socioeconomically disadvantaged students, special education students and Hispanic students also registering high absentee numbers.
Regarding academic progress, the first quarter showed a sharp rise in the number of D and F grades given at the middle and high schools, according to Falconer’s report.
At Terrace Middle School, there were 175 Ds or Fs given in the 2019-20 first quarter, compared to 351 this year. At Clear Lake High School, the numbers are worse: 190 Ds or Fs in the first quarter of last year versus 436 this year, Falconer reported.
Falconer pointed out that chronic absenteeism goes hand in hand with lower grades.
The district contacted parents to ask about their preferences, and Falconer said that 75 percent of parents wanted hybrid learning – and soon – while 25 percent wanted to stay on distance learning.
Teachers share concerns
Markham, a retired teacher, said she believed it would be easier to make the transition from distance learning to the hybrid model between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. She suggested students and teachers could ease into it rather than having to hit the ground running in January.
However, teachers like Catherine Dunne believed that coming back between the holidays would be challenging.
Clear Lake High School woodshop teacher John Moorhead said he is in no hurry to have students come back for in-person instruction. “It’s another wrinkle in a landscape that is only filled with wrinkles.”
Moorhead said he’s for keeping things the way they are through the end of semester, and maybe into the second semester. Explaining that he’s spoken with his coworkers about the issues, Moorhead noted, “We’re not quite ready for primetime.”
High school biology teacher William Pettus said he and his science colleagues also have serious concerns about moving to the hybrid model due to the inability to properly clean items that are shared – everything from pencils, desks and dividers, to microscopes, beakers and glassware.
“I would love to say we have a solution for this, and we don’t,” Pettus said.
High school special education teacher Cary Stillman explained that she’s doing some in-person teaching now, along with distance learning. Bathrooms, handwashing, going in and out of classrooms and bussing can be handled fairly safely now, but Stillwell said they will become more convoluted as more people are on campus, and they don’t yet have a solution.
Stillman agreed that the mental health of students is imperative, but that they need to come back to school – safely.
School nurse Diane Gunther pointed to growing COVID-19 case numbers across the nation and the state, and said that the Thanksgiving holiday is a big concern nationwide, as it will increase the chance for virus transmissions.
“We need to be on our toes” when transitioning to the hybrid model, Gunther said.
She said she thought the district has been “pretty lucky” in having minimal problems due to some significant situations involving the virus. That’s with a limited number of students on campus, and the risk is likely to increase with more students present.
Board weighs risks, plans separate sports discussion
While Markham said she was anxious to have children back on campus for school, even if only part-time, “Athletics worries me.”
“I share that sentiment,” said Buffalo, noting that it’s a very real risk. “At the same time, athletics is important to the well-being of our students.”
Buffalo said he saw the upcoming holidays as a litmus test for the community and the nation as a whole as far as COVID-19 transmission.
Gunther said that caseload increases generally are seen two weeks after a holiday, followed by hospitalizations and deaths. The biggest case spike in Lake County came exactly two weeks after Labor Day, she added.
Markham said she thought the district needed to transition to hybrid learning on Nov. 30, adding that it won’t accomplish anything to wait until January. “I do think it’s hurting kids to have them not at school.”
“I’m with you,” said Alvord.
Alvord asked Falconer what she would like to see happen.
Falconer deferred, saying she serves at the board’s will and that she and district employees “will make your decision work.”
Buffalo offered the motion to transition to the stage two hybrid model at the start of the calendar year and the next semester, and to give Falconer authority to make changes to that start date if necessary, which the board approved 3-2.
Buffalo thanked the district’s team for their efforts, noting he knows the community wants to move to the hybrid model and the faculty wants to teach students.
At its meeting next week, the board also will have a discussion on sports, as high school Athletic Director Milo Meyer received news on Monday that state sports officials are set to let competitions for sports including football, volleyball, cross country and wrestling begin in December.
“The school district is going to have to make a decision” as to whether or not to allow sports, Meyer told the board.
He said coaches will need guidelines and parents will have to arrange for physicals for their children as the usual free physicals at the school won’t be available this year. There also will be questions about transportation and scheduling.
Falconer also noted that the Lake County Return to School Continuum Plan allows sports only if the school district is in stage three.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
20JULY Return2School EngSpan FINALFinal by LakeCoNews on Scribd
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall’s meeting this week will include nominations for next year’s board members and a discussion and vote regarding bylaws updates.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, via Zoom. The meeting is open to the public.
To join the Zoom meeting click on this link; the meeting ID is 872 2935 2332. Call in at 888-788-0099.
At 7:10 p.m., District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon will give his monthly update to the group.
At 7:30 p.m., MATH will hold nominations for three board seats for the coming year – one at-large and two representing Middletown proper.
At 7:40 p.m., the group will have a discussion and vote on the clarification to Article 4 Section 1 regarding the board election.
There also will be opportunities for public input and discussion of items on the December agenda.
The MATH Board includes Chair Tom Darms, Vice Chair Sally Peterson, Secretary Paul Baker, and at-large members Rosemary Córdova and Lisa Kaplan.
MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
For more information emailThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, via Zoom. The meeting is open to the public.
To join the Zoom meeting click on this link; the meeting ID is 872 2935 2332. Call in at 888-788-0099.
At 7:10 p.m., District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon will give his monthly update to the group.
At 7:30 p.m., MATH will hold nominations for three board seats for the coming year – one at-large and two representing Middletown proper.
At 7:40 p.m., the group will have a discussion and vote on the clarification to Article 4 Section 1 regarding the board election.
There also will be opportunities for public input and discussion of items on the December agenda.
The MATH Board includes Chair Tom Darms, Vice Chair Sally Peterson, Secretary Paul Baker, and at-large members Rosemary Córdova and Lisa Kaplan.
MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
For more information email
Email Elizabeth Larson at
California State Controller Betty T. Yee has published the 2019 self-reported payroll data for fairs, expositions and First 5 commissions on the Government Compensation in California website.
The data cover 3,631 positions and a total of more than $57 million in 2019 wages.
The newly published data include 2,784 positions at 29 fairs and expositions and 847 positions at 38 First 5 commissions.
In Lake County, the First 5 Lake Commission is reported to have salaries totaling $115,797 and health and retirement contributions totaling $20,741.
The commission’s two paid employees are the executive director, who receives an annual salary of $75,751 and $6,503 in retirement and health, while the secretary receives an annual salary of $40,046, with retirement and health costs totaling $14,238, according to the website. The commission also has nine unpaid board positions.
For 2019, the Lake County Fair, 49th District Agricultural Association, reported a total of 51 employees, with wages totaling $321,131 and retirement and health benefits of $22,648. The top administrative job has a yearly salary of $65,015 and retirement and health benefits of $4,422, plus numerous part-time positions for the fair and seven unpaid board members.
California law requires cities, counties and special districts to annually report compensation data to the State Controller. Controller Yee also maintains and publishes state government and California State University salary data.
No statutory requirement exists for superior courts, UC, community college districts, fairs, expositions, First 5 commissions, or K-12 education providers; their reporting is voluntary.
A list of entities that did not file or filed incomplete reports is available here.
Since the website launched in 2010, it has registered more than 12 million pageviews. The site contains pay and benefit information on more than two million government jobs in California, as reported annually by each entity.
As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Yee is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.
The data cover 3,631 positions and a total of more than $57 million in 2019 wages.
The newly published data include 2,784 positions at 29 fairs and expositions and 847 positions at 38 First 5 commissions.
In Lake County, the First 5 Lake Commission is reported to have salaries totaling $115,797 and health and retirement contributions totaling $20,741.
The commission’s two paid employees are the executive director, who receives an annual salary of $75,751 and $6,503 in retirement and health, while the secretary receives an annual salary of $40,046, with retirement and health costs totaling $14,238, according to the website. The commission also has nine unpaid board positions.
For 2019, the Lake County Fair, 49th District Agricultural Association, reported a total of 51 employees, with wages totaling $321,131 and retirement and health benefits of $22,648. The top administrative job has a yearly salary of $65,015 and retirement and health benefits of $4,422, plus numerous part-time positions for the fair and seven unpaid board members.
California law requires cities, counties and special districts to annually report compensation data to the State Controller. Controller Yee also maintains and publishes state government and California State University salary data.
No statutory requirement exists for superior courts, UC, community college districts, fairs, expositions, First 5 commissions, or K-12 education providers; their reporting is voluntary.
A list of entities that did not file or filed incomplete reports is available here.
Since the website launched in 2010, it has registered more than 12 million pageviews. The site contains pay and benefit information on more than two million government jobs in California, as reported annually by each entity.
As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Yee is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children in the United States, and many of these tragedies could have been prevented.
The California Highway Patrol will address this issue with the assistance of a yearlong campaign to ensure children are properly restrained while traveling California’s roadways.
The California Restraint Safety Education and Training, or CARSEAT, IV grant, which provides funding through Sept. 30, 2021, will enable the CHP to present seminars and new parent classes to help reduce the number of deaths of unrestrained and improperly restrained children involved in crashes.
“Passenger safety, especially when it comes to children, is a primary concern for our Department,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “Using a correctly installed safety seat that is suitable for the age and size of a child is the best way to keep them safe.”
California law requires a child be properly secured in a safety seat in the second row of a vehicle, when available, until they are at least 8 years of age.
Children age 8 and older, who are at least 4 feet, 9 inches in height, may ride in the back seat of a vehicle in a properly fitted safety belt.
Children under the age of 2 must ride rear-facing or until they reach 40 pounds or 40 inches in height.
Contact the CHP Area office nearest you for more information about child passenger safety or to schedule a free safety seat inspection.
During the pandemic, classes and seminars are being conducted both online and in-person in accordance with California Department of Public Health guidelines.
In addition to educational efforts, the CHP will conduct enforcement operations concentrating on occupant restraint violations throughout the year, with a special emphasis during the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign, Nov. 9 to 29, 2020.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of safety, service and security.y, Service, and Security.
The California Highway Patrol will address this issue with the assistance of a yearlong campaign to ensure children are properly restrained while traveling California’s roadways.
The California Restraint Safety Education and Training, or CARSEAT, IV grant, which provides funding through Sept. 30, 2021, will enable the CHP to present seminars and new parent classes to help reduce the number of deaths of unrestrained and improperly restrained children involved in crashes.
“Passenger safety, especially when it comes to children, is a primary concern for our Department,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “Using a correctly installed safety seat that is suitable for the age and size of a child is the best way to keep them safe.”
California law requires a child be properly secured in a safety seat in the second row of a vehicle, when available, until they are at least 8 years of age.
Children age 8 and older, who are at least 4 feet, 9 inches in height, may ride in the back seat of a vehicle in a properly fitted safety belt.
Children under the age of 2 must ride rear-facing or until they reach 40 pounds or 40 inches in height.
Contact the CHP Area office nearest you for more information about child passenger safety or to schedule a free safety seat inspection.
During the pandemic, classes and seminars are being conducted both online and in-person in accordance with California Department of Public Health guidelines.
In addition to educational efforts, the CHP will conduct enforcement operations concentrating on occupant restraint violations throughout the year, with a special emphasis during the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign, Nov. 9 to 29, 2020.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of safety, service and security.y, Service, and Security.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Unified School District Board will hold a special meeting on Monday to consider when to move into the next phase of the county’s Return to School Continuum Plan.
The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9.
It will take place in the Marge Alakszay Center at 250 Lange St., with seating arranged to ensure the requirements of social distancing.
Community members also can participate in the meeting via Zoom.
The main item of business will be the board’s consideration of approval for the start date for hybrid learning, which is Stage 2 of the Lake County Return to School Continuum Plan.
Lakeport Unified, like the majority of Lake County’s school districts, started the new school year in distance learning mode due to the challenges of COVID-19.
Documents for the meeting did not give a proposed date for starting Stage 2.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9.
It will take place in the Marge Alakszay Center at 250 Lange St., with seating arranged to ensure the requirements of social distancing.
Community members also can participate in the meeting via Zoom.
The main item of business will be the board’s consideration of approval for the start date for hybrid learning, which is Stage 2 of the Lake County Return to School Continuum Plan.
Lakeport Unified, like the majority of Lake County’s school districts, started the new school year in distance learning mode due to the challenges of COVID-19.
Documents for the meeting did not give a proposed date for starting Stage 2.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council will hold a special Monday meeting to discuss the purchase of new radios for the police department and the sale of a city property.
The council meeting will convene at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9.
Because of the county’s shelter in place order, Clearlake City Hall remains closed to the public, however, the virtual meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEG TV YouTube Channel. Community members also can participate via Zoom.
The agenda can be found here or viewed below.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You can also visit the city’s town hall site and submit written comments at https://www.opentownhall.com/portals/327/forum_home. Identify the subject you wish to comment on in your email’s subject line or in your town hall submission.
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments prior to 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9.
On the agenda is a request from Police Chief Andrew White to purchase 42 mobile and six portable radios, with accessories, from Command Communications in an amount not to exceed $47,175. Staff also is seeking authorization to trade-in the mobile radios being replaced.
Also on the agenda is consideration of the sale of city-owned property at 15886 18th Ave.
City Manager Alan Flora’s report to the council explained that in 2018 the city was deeded a 1,022-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bath single-family dwelling with an attached garage on 18th Avenue due to a default on a Community Development Block Grant Home Rehabilitation loan by the homeowner.
The original loan amount was $117,000 at 3 percent interest which would have matured in 2023, Flora said.
Flora said staff placed the home up for sale on the open real estate market and received several offers.
“The proposed sale price is $130,000, recouping the City’s loan funds that were previously
Defaulted,” Flora said in his report.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The council meeting will convene at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9.
Because of the county’s shelter in place order, Clearlake City Hall remains closed to the public, however, the virtual meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEG TV YouTube Channel. Community members also can participate via Zoom.
The agenda can be found here or viewed below.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson at
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments prior to 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9.
On the agenda is a request from Police Chief Andrew White to purchase 42 mobile and six portable radios, with accessories, from Command Communications in an amount not to exceed $47,175. Staff also is seeking authorization to trade-in the mobile radios being replaced.
Also on the agenda is consideration of the sale of city-owned property at 15886 18th Ave.
City Manager Alan Flora’s report to the council explained that in 2018 the city was deeded a 1,022-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bath single-family dwelling with an attached garage on 18th Avenue due to a default on a Community Development Block Grant Home Rehabilitation loan by the homeowner.
The original loan amount was $117,000 at 3 percent interest which would have matured in 2023, Flora said.
Flora said staff placed the home up for sale on the open real estate market and received several offers.
“The proposed sale price is $130,000, recouping the City’s loan funds that were previously
Defaulted,” Flora said in his report.
Email Elizabeth Larson at