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We have one more which is 28. So we need a motion to approve uh 28. I'll move item 28. Um can I ask just ask something? Maria asked if they could have the funds on that. Can we table that to put the the fund numbers on that? Uh Matt, if we table this, is this going to um throw a wrench in getting people paid and removing the funds? No. If the board chooses to table it this evening, I can adjust the I can adjust the resolutions to uh show the actual fund numbers. That's fund 01, fund 11, fund 12, fund 13, 14, 25, and 40. and bring it back at the next meeting. Okay, Anita wants to table. Anybody else? I think tableabling is a good idea. Okay, we have two. Anybody else want to table it? I do. Maria. Okay, so there's uh three to We'll go ahead and table that.
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Um, we could be using our time and resources to preserve things uh individually like we did with Clover Road, like we saw outside of the establishment of historic district uh with partners that can commit to reinventing areas of our downtown while also respecting its history. Um, my colleague from Blush and myself, we actually uh inhabit a floral shop and an ice cream shop just with modern takes on it. um those modern takes on more traditional businesses that establish the storefronts that we're in seems to me to to speak more to the current culture of Ashland grounded in the past but with an eye on the future. Um there's also been a lot of citations about being beneficial to businesses but other historic districts um have kind of encapsulated something in time and I personally struggle to see how freezing Ashlin's downtown in the current moment does that in the same meaningful way.
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Um, ambassador installation banquet. Miss Rando Treyo and I saw the the ceremonial candle lighting, passing of the torches um of our new ambassadors. Um, let's see. Ribbon cutting at Cypress College for the Boys and Girls Club. there having a um a actually a station there for college um counseling and workforce counseling and development. Um let's see um the Orange View thing. I think Mr. Flores had talked about uh us digging up the time capsules and we found one of them. So, but it was amazing. And I met one gentleman, lots of alumni coming back to celebrate. Um, but I met one alumni that drove all the way from Arkansas. Oh my. So I was like, wow. And I have a hard time getting up that morning from, you know, five minutes away. I was like, you drove from Arkansas? Wow. Not that I have nothing to complain about.
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Uh, Kylie on item 28. Okay, thank you everyone. We made it through the consent agenda. So that brings us to no need for close session. Uh brings us to closing items, which would be future agenda items. Do any members of the board? I know Renee has something she'd like to agendaize for a future board meeting. Yes, I do. Um I would like to No, Renee did. I asked Rene. Go ahead. Go ahead. We'll start down that way first. Move this way. No. Okay. Go ahead. Next. Renee, you have something you brought up? Um, yes. Um, a few things. Um, first, I'd like to add a discussion information item for open session. I would like to continue our discussion on equitable access across high school campuses. Um, I would also like to um request or see if it's a possibility. Um, I came across a uh term now twice in our um interimm reports um the long-term debt.
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So, I completely respect what we're trying to do here and ultimately agree that we should be preserving these sites. Um, but what from what I've heard on all of these topics is that this blanket district could serve to make things more cumbersome for businesses that are actively trying to make downtown thrive rather than provide any sort of benefit in trying to combat some of the properties that we've already lost. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Good evening. Bill Novakowski, 39 Lake View Terrace. Um, I will admit to being somewhat shocked and taken aback to see a document like this being handed out as we walked in. Um, it seems that obvious obviously someone is rather rattled by the prospect that they can't do what they want in the downtown district. Um, we've seen historic properties being demolished and replaced by big box apartment buildings on Main Street.
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So um, and then the city of Cypress, um, liaison meeting, um, you know, we met with U. Mayor David Burke and the police chief and uh several of us were there and so it's rich discussion about that. Um oh gosh May 6 just recently two nights ago we had our AI cadence parent tell me I'd like to thank uh Mr. Matsuda and Dr. Freed and Tyler Sherman. Uh the room was packed uh with um parents and um a lot of rich questions and I hope that we can have more of those things because I think we learned so much from each other and questions. we got more questions and I thought they were they were really important questions and I think it demonstrates the work that we're doing in our district how we're leading the way with a AI and the tools that we're using.
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I was wondering if we might be able to have a presentation by assistant soup Matt Schulenberg on long-term debt as detailed in the second interimm financial report. I just is is that the desire of the board? Well, we're we're we're she's just asking. Um but is it something just because our meetings have seemed to get outrageously long in the recent months? Is that something that we could just get information on in an email? Yeah, I think maybe uh Renee you can just request that information might be easier to uh just provide to you than having it agendaized and discussed. Would that work? I need direction from the board to do that. So I know I'm I'm asking her if that was okay since she's bringing it forward. Yes. I would just like information on it. Okay. Yeah. I think I'm And it would be public so it's Yeah.
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something that really is a visual blight that blocks the view of the church and everything else. Um, now the only person who could be damaged by a historical commission uh historical district um might be somebody who is planning on demolishing a building and replacing it by another big box apartment. And if you think 128 Main Street is a pretty building and you want to see more of them in downtown Ashlin, vote against the historical district. But I ask you to vote in favor along with myself because I like the way this town looks. It's got class. It's got style. And we should keep it that way. Thank you. Enough. I'll end discussion if we have another outburst. Sir, John Dudley, Chestnut Street, Ashland. Um, I've run an exterior remodeling company for over 25 years. We do probably over 100 projects a year that touch some type of historical commission uh in the permitting process for exterior remodeling work across Mass and surrounding states.
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So I'm really I'm really happy with um the work that we're doing. I mean I'm proud about our drivers, our vision uh you know our mission statements because we're we really truly are leading the way. Thank you, RJO. Thank you for sharing. I'm glad that I get to go after you because you said a lot of um great things that I don't have to repeat. Thank you. I think I said this last time, but I just wanted to give another shout out to our community advisor um uh committee uh award winners from Selpa, uh Luis Cordova, Melissa Naine, um Marne Nuin, Gail um Ratare, and Lisa Wright. Um and they were uh honored for going uh above and be beyond uh for students with disabilities. um the hope cup um on that Friday. Um Trusty O'Neal and I were um uh gosh, it's just a amazing event getting um um all the bus students uh from across the district over to Hope.
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Okay. Email. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Everybody's good with that. Can we go back to the first one was the first one you wanted? Um equable access equitable access but I want the specific what you want discussion information it would be it's not a dis it would be information. So yes so the discussion slash information item yes and what what do you want us to bring? Oh so we can continue discussing it. Um so I know I had posed that question at the beginning of the board meeting um about clarity of inter intrad district transfers. Also we received information on inter intrad district transfers. Um and then I did have a question but I was hoping to maybe um email you the question as superintendent Nelson if that's okay as far as requesting just a little more data to prepare for that. So, let's stick with the item that you want to agendaize first.
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Many of the homeowners or renters in these districts have no awareness that they're in them until they try to get a building permit to do some needed work. and they're typically pretty shocked at how regulated their properties actually are. And as we're tossing around words like suggestions and things like that, these are very binding. And if you look into some of these details, which you have to do into something like this, um they they they can completely block your ability to get a permit and do this work. So just you have to be really careful when people say things use words like that. I understand the desire of the historical committee and others to prevent the demolition of historically relevant buildings, but this bylaw is not the right way to do this. I believe it's too broadly applied to the streets included and could have severe long-term consequences on the properties or regulate.
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It's a celebration. Uh there's music. Uh they have DJ going and food services uh serves lunch and there's snacks. And then our um students that are um buddies of our students with disability come um they were doing face painting and then they're assisting the students. They um play soccer. They have little soccer meets out on the field, but there's a lot uh a lot of other things going on. Um I think there's like the on the other side there's um what do you call those blow up things that you obstacle courses? Yes. So, it's a lot of fun the kids have. Um I think our students that volunteer have more fun than the students um that come for the event because they're they're just um cheering them on and having a great time and I love that event. Hope I can always go to that.
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Um, so what did you are you clear on what she's asking? I I if it's I'm not saying we're approving it. I'm just I just don't know. I want if you'll repeat the data so that I'm sure I have that. And my question would be does it need to be agendaized for the next board meeting or can it be a June agenda board meeting since we have all of the retirees and um I'm just asking timing. June one or the first June one. Either one. It's up to you, Rene. When do you do you need this right away? Um I'm not sure about timeline since I just joined the board. So um I'll leave it to the discretion of the board. Let's go with the second meeting in June. Okay. Give more time since we have a lot going on. I I'll uh I'll I'll support that.
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And I think I agree with several of the people that mentioned this earlier. Um, not to mention a major regulatory hurdle, time and cost to do basic exterior remodeling work. Sorry, even even a quick little look at at the way this was set up. Uh window the windows that are prescribed, there's even a permanently affixed grill. So just a big we make money off this too. So the more expensive it is, it's better for a remodeling company, but it's not good for people that own these. So on a even the grid configuration on the windows could be one and a half to twox the cost. You know, a per permanently fixed SDL or authentic divided light versus something that can be removed. Simple things like that. And there's a whole bunch of them. You have to really look into this. So this ultimately leads to deferred maintenance and a lockedin aged look and potentially even blight.
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Um the community schools leading and learning visit, I finally got to go to one. I was really really um impressed with the work. Um, you know, you can talk about it, um, see it on paper, but until you experience it, um, it's a really, um, enriching, um, uh, um, feeling to be uh, you kind of they because the people that visit don't know who we are and so to hear the comments that are being said about our our schools, our kids, our teachers, our administrator um, is extremely enamoring. So um and then our NEA uh president Becky Pringle was there um and just she was really um really impressed and also our students led um the groups. So that was really impressive too. It just shows the work that we're doing. Uh you forgot color and light student art exhibit. I know there's so many things you went to.
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And then my last um I'd like to add an action item to revise the governance handbook to align with CSBA in request of information. Is it the policy that you wanted to like you want me to bring both policies? Is that what you're referring to? Because you referenced the policy. I just want to make sure I bring the right or upload the right attachments. I think you referenced 9200. Yes. So, um it was well it was referenced of 90 board bylaw um as reason why we couldn't get data um as requested. Um but it was clarified by CSBA that we should as a board and as a single board member be allowed to get data um as requested and as soon as possible for the intent of being informed decision makers. That would be a change to the bylaws, correct, that you're asking for? Well, and we just we just reviewed the governance handbook.
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I know we we can think of some of the areas like Nucket where that didn't go that way but it can do that to downtowns. So the existence of a existence of a bylaw and design guidelines this is the other part that goes along with this is very problematic particularly in these towns as you get start to get to some of the cities. So even though the design guidelines are not set in stone, historical committees use these to regulate as they are far more thorough and specific than the bylaws. So in my experience uh more so than the actual bylaws is what they use because it's hard to look at a bylaw a lot of times when these committees are trying to actually look at these projects. They look at the guidelines and these guidelines grow. They can ultimately grow to 100 plus pages. So, and the and the design guidelines are controlled by the committee and can be changed at a simple committee public hearing by a majority vote and then changed that ultimately changes the lens from which these projects are looked at or reviewed.
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Um, but of course that's just always it's always a pleasure to see um uh and and support our students who are um uh gifted in the visual um arts and I applaud all of our teachers who guide our uh talented artists. Um open house um at Gilbert. they did their capstones at their open house which I thought was a really unique um way uh to get um folks to come and do that. Um so this celebration and then the kids got to do it in kind of an informal setting um uh at at the tables there and it was uh really enchanting. Um a lot of them were it's done got it over with. So I was um really excited to do that. uh April 18th, Oxford had a signing day for four of their students. Um and um that was the first time I had experienced that.
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No, it's not a change to the board bylaw. I had asked them specifically saying that the board bylaw 9200 had been referenced to say that is the reason why we should not be given information except by board approval. and they clarified that that board bylaw um that was not the intent in that board bylaw that as board members we should be allowed to be given information when requested and as soon as possible. What data did we request that we didn't get? Um I've asked I've asked for data um and didn't receive it. This ref this is in reference to directing staff work. So, um I did not create that governance handbook. Um the wording it came directly from your California School Boards Association facilitator who worked through this two separate issues. Public data that is available that we can point the board to and provide it to them is one thing.
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And review means regulated, subject to the bylaw as determined by the committee, not permitted by rights. So, people have to be really careful what they're giving up. So, if enough people really see the value in this, we should approach a bylaw that applies to individual properties. Like you heard before, Somerville has 200, plenty of towns have plenty. It's more work for individual committees, but if it's worth it, we should do it. And the bottom line is we should not pass this bylaw as it's being presented to us. The long-term consequences are too severe, and if enough people want this, it should be sent back to the drawing board, drafted to be applied to specific properties that want it. Thank you. Thank you. Um, just before we get to the next speaker, Paul, sorry. I'm going to limit discussion to those people who are in line right now.
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