REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 5, 2025
FROM
DAVID MYERS, Director, County Museum
SUBJECT
Title
Employment Contract for Agua Mansa Field School Instructor
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Employment Contract with Jean Pickard as a Field School Instructor at Agua Mansa Cemetery in Colton, for the estimated total compensation cost of $8,400 for the period of August 23, 2025, through December 12, 2025, with the option to extend the term for a maximum of two successive 30-day periods.
2. Authorize the Director of the County Museum to execute amendments to extend the term of the contract for a maximum of two successive 30-day periods, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Director of the County Museum to transmit any amendments to the employment contract identified in Recommendation No. 1 to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: David Myers, Director, 798-8608)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this employment Contract (Contract) will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total estimated compensation package for the Employment Contract is $8,400. Costs are expected to be offset by participant fees. Sufficient appropriation and revenue for this Employment Contract is included in the County Museum’s (Museum) 2025-26 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Museum is tasked with developing visitors’ appreciation of the County’s diverse regional identity and administers five museum branch sites throughout the county to achieve its mission. The Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery (Agua Mansa) in Colton is currently operated as a historic branch site of the Museum. The cemetery is a historic burial ground associated with the Agua Mansa and La Placita communities, the first non-native settlements in the region.
Approval of this Contract will authorize the employment of a Field School Instructor for the Agua Mansa Cemetery for the period of August 23, 2025, through December 12, 2025, with the option to extend the term for a maximum of two successive 30-day periods. The Field School Instructor will lead a 15-week archaeological field school for undergraduate students designed to provide participants with the required experience necessary to qualify for archaeological work within various industries in the County. The Field School Instructor will also help to uncover, preserve, and document grave markers that have been buried over time.
The Museum is recommending a new employment agreement with Jean Pickard, who will serve as a co-instructor for the field class. Ms. Pickard holds a BA in Anthropology with a focus in Archaeology and has experience in both academic and cultural resource management (CRM) settings. She has served as an assistant instructor for the two-week and five-week Mount Trumbull field schools through California State University, Long Beach, and as an assistant instructor and faculty lecturer for Methods and Techniques in Archaeology at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Her background also includes specialized work in artifact and digital curation within the CRM sector.
This item also authorizes the Director of the Museum to execute amendments to extend the term of the Employment Contract for a maximum of two successive 30-day periods, subject to review by County Counsel. The Director of the County Museum will transmit any amendments to the employment contract identified in Recommendation No. 1 to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution. Either party may terminate the agreement by giving the other party 15 days’ written notice.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Scott Runyan, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-0226) on July 23, 2025; Human Resources (Gina King, Assistant Director, 387-5571) on July 11, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Celia McDonald, Administrative Analyst, 387-4052) on July 11, 2025.