By Sofia Williams
Managing Editor
Manhattan Beach Unified School District (MBUSD) held a board meeting on Wednesday to
appoint new board members, as well as present and discuss district finances and litigation,
consider employee assignments, and approve amendments to board policies and bylaws.
The organizational board meeting began with the recognition of outgoing board members
Jennifer Cochran and Sally Peel. Peel administered the oath of office to the new appointees,
Jen Fenton, Kristen Weinstein, and Tina Shivpuri, which was followed by a 20-minute reception
to celebrate both the outgoing and incoming board members. Following the reception, incoming
board President Cathey Graves, Vice President Fenton, Clerk Weinstein, and Superintendent
Dr. John Bowes were appointed to their respective positions to conduct the remainder of the
meeting.
“It’s overwhelming [to have been initiated to the school board], but I am so proud to have this
honor and represent not only the families and the students, but the teachers and all the
employees,” said Shivpuri. “There’s so much work to be done if we’re all focusing on the same
goals.”
Manhattan Beach Middle School (MBMS) student Emma Rawitz provided the board with
updates about the events and activities taking place at MBMS. Student board representative
Jack Clarke and ASB Vice President Dylan Okamoto also informed the board about events
occurring at Costa.
“I think the most important thing [about being a student board representative] is to rep-
resent the student body,” said Clarke. “It’s so important, especially when they’re conducting
board business, that there is a student perspective there. I think we’ll really be able to help
improve the action that the district takes because they will take into account the considerations
of the student body when they make decisions.”
The first action item on the board meeting agenda was the ratification of the interim financial
report, which is required biannually by all California school districts. The financial report was
compiled and presented to the board by Deputy Superintendent Dr. Dawnalyn
Murakawa-Leopard.
“One of the challenges that [the school board] always faces [in preparing the financial report] is
that school districts are so dependent on state funding,” said Murakawa-Leopard. “We are
reliant on state revenue in order to be able to run the programs that we run here, and that’s
always a bit of a challenge for us.”
Additionally, the board ratified change order number 2 with construction company Balfour Beatty
to provide a $125,000 increase to the budget of the new music building at MBMS. The board
also provided for the employment, retirement, and reassignment of district personnel, addressed
the removal of obsolete equipment used by Maintenance and Operations, IT, and Costa’s
library, and approved an increase in the hourly minimum wage rate.
“I think we always are looking to make sure that we have a positive budget certification, which
means that we can meet our obligations for the current year and the next two years,” said
Murakawa-Leopard. “During the pandemic, the government funneled a lot of money to schools
to support our needs. That money is going to go away, but what I think we’ve learned is that
some of the support we’ve put in place [with that money] will always be valuable. How we
manage that transition and keep those programs going will also be really important,” said
Murakawa-Leopard.
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