Committee recommends renaming advisory group, debates committee composition and kindergarten admission rules

The policy committee reviewed multiple non-instructional policies on May 6, including proposed edits to the advisory-committee policy and an update to kindergarten/admissions language (Policy 7001).

Members agreed to remove the word "citizens" and use "advisory committee" to make the language more inclusive. The draft was edited to require that resolutions appointing committees specify scope of work, and trustees clarified that appointments should be based on interest, experience and expertise rather than representation of a single group unless the board expressly intends geographic representation.

On admissions, trustees reviewed statute-derived language that allows districts to offer kindergarten for children whose fifth birthday falls on or before Dec. 1 and discussed whether to adopt district language that would increase the age through which students must attend (from the legal minimum to 17). Counsel said the district must pass a formal resolution to change the attendance age; trustees expressed preliminary support for both enabling age-5 kindergarten and exploring a resolution to increase mandatory attendance to 17, contingent on legal review and resolution drafting.

Committee members asked staff to circulate the advisory‑committee draft and the kindergarten language to the board and to place both items on a future policy calendar so they could appear on the next agenda for first reading.