So hopefully we'll have it by Tuesday and then I can send hopefully we have it by tomorrow maybe and if we do then I can send it to both of them and then I can send it to the board as well. Yeah. So that you'll have you'll each have an Ashland um email account. Um, I will also reach out to you guys of providing a little bio that we put up on our web page so people know who the board members are. Um, and get that updated. Um, is there any other logistics like that we need to just just kind of I don't know how much familiarity Scott has with open meeting law and why we started using the town emails because if there's ever a request for our records, it's better to have your town email be the collecting place rather than having to find town emails inside your personal email.
So I just put this one um road ahead. This presentation is over and that's all I've got. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you, Matt. Like I said, thisformational only. There's no action on this.
So, um, I just want to encourage, you know, explain that to new members in general why we do that. Um because anything and I assume I assume the town clerk will probably if she hasn't already reached out to you about some certain kinds of trainings that you probably got that today. It's fun stuff. And Scott, once you're up and running in emails, please reach out to me and we'll connect on the hotel thing. Yeah, absolutely. It's kind of interesting. I like funky ideas, you know, could be different, could be new. And I know Marcelo, who's a former member of the planning board, seemed pretty excited about the idea as well. So maybe we can engage with him as far as brainstorming as well. He's no he's no longer a planning board member, so it would not be a violation. Right. That's right. He's still around and and helping.
Is there any questions, comments uh from board to uh I have one question. Go ahead. Um, and I'm sorry when you were talking about the next steps for 202526 budget development and you talked about the discretionary block grant, did you say we were including that or we were not including that in our budget? We are including the discretionary block grant in our budget development for next year as proposed in the May revision. Okay. Thank you. I have a question. Uh, I actually have several questions. Uh, maybe you can give me some clarification. I'm not clear on that. Uh the TK add-on, uh is that an ongoing add-on or is it just a one-time shot? Uh it it is a ongoing add-on. It's part of the LCFF calculation. It's currently at that right around 3,200 per ADA. The governor has proposed uh right around 5,500 per ADA beginning next year.
So um all right, good. If there is nothing else, I will adjourn the meeting at 9:02. Do you want a motion? Sure. I'll make a motion to adjurnn at 9:02. All right. Is there a second? Second that. And a roll call vote. Venet. And Trisha Kendall I. All right. Thanks everybody and welcome.
And it is subject to the cost of living adjustment as it goes in as it's ongoing. So yes, it is ongoing and subject to the COLA and it has restrictions attached to it, right? No, it actually flows as part of our LCFF funding, but it is it is designated to support the additional staff facilities um and needs for the lower class sizes in transitional kindergarten, but it flows under LCFF. And remember, our LCFF revenue is all unrestricted revenue. A large portion of it of course is supplemental and concentration which then does have local local requirements for spending. Uh but it all flows unrestricted. Uh you did mention about the class size because there was a class size of 10 to one or 11 to whatever it is. I'm sorry Maria I couldn't hear you. The class size for TK. Yes. Okay. And you mentioned that they will, you know, you're looking at 22 to one or 22 to two.
20 to two. 20-2. Yes. Uh and the question that I'm asking is that two teachers or is that one teacher and an aid? It's a teacher and a pareducator. Okay. Got that. All right. Thank you. Um, is it possible to contact School Services of California uh to give us um uh I'm going to go back to this. There's a graph about district financial conditions declining enrollment by county. I think it's kind of interesting that they failed to add the largest county in California in this in this breakdown. So, could they give give us one that includes San Bernardino County so that we can have a better picture? We're looking at all of these other counties. They're not as large as San San Bernardino County, but for some reason they failed to add San Bernardino County. Can they add San Bernardino County or give us one for San Bernardino County?
So, we'll have a visual for ours too. I I can ask for that data. Yes. Thank you so much. Absolutely. Anything else, Maria? No. Okay. All right. Thank you again, Matt. Appreciate it. Thank you. We'll move on to public comments. Do we have any cards? We have three.
Just remind the speakers that we're limited to three minutes. If you could try to squeeze that in. First up is Javier Alejandra. I just want to say just first, you know, as a product of snowline, I like your hats. Um, but I I love ABUSD. Uh, dear board members and esteemed cabinet, I come before you tonight to celebrate some student success and stand in solidarity with CSEA and AVUDA members. Our students recently performed Sideno. It's a regional Hispanic musical style at the grid, a major CTEM event for Southern California sponsored by Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and Netflix among others. Not only were our students that featured performers, but the great academy also ran the open mic portion of the event. We received high praise from Lori Gaffagan and Allison Frenzel, the CTE CTA CTE consultant for the California Department of Education. In addition, our students provided sound uh performers and DJ support for the international children's festival, the sped dance at Granite, and the Cinco de Mayo uh celebration at Vanguard.
Thank you, Miss Opara for attending and supporting these events. I also want to raise awareness uh of a very special opportunity that we hosted and I want to say thank you to Mr. Powell um for your support. Uh we welcomed Drien. He is an inner scope signed artist and his full production and management team for a private performance and workshop with our CTM students. Though not yet public due to an upcoming documentary, I can share that our students shared the stage with Drien and were invited to perform with him on tour. This once in a-lifetime opportunity, a direct connection between our students in the highest levels in the music industry. And yet, despite these accomplishments, I I want must voice a deep concern as we enter year three of AMS funding, I just again want to draw attention that I'm here to serve to offer up my expertise working with directly with the office that manages um AMS funds and Peter Ga and Allison Frenzel who I work with at the California Department of Ed.
Even though I have been repeatedly been to um board meetings, I still have not had any meaningful discussions at the site or district level. So, as the senior instrumental director in the district, this exclusion is not only disheartening, it's a missed opportunity for our students. As thankfully many of you pointed out, the arts matter. They humanize education. They uplift and heal. They teach empathy, identity, and self-exression. So I ask that we can work together and I we can utilize that expertise that obviously I just demonstrated for you uh for the benefit of ABUSD. Thank you for your time and thank you to all the retirees and their incredible service. I hope to emulate that as well. Good night. Thank you Javier. Thank you for your comments and waiting around and you got here really early. I saw you at five o'clock. up next is Violet Carter.
[Applause] Thank you. Um, uh, Violet Carter, 25-y year teacher. Today I want to speak to you about a pressing issue in our education system. The failure to uphold the high standards for all students which is leaving many of them unprepared for the challenges of the future. In our schools, we see students with behavior issues being allowed to walk out of the classrooms and roam the school grounds unsupervised for extended periods. This lack of accountability sends troubling messages. Are we telling these students that their behaviors doesn't matter? Are we accepting that because some come from low social economic backgrounds or belong to minority groups, they deserve lower standards, this is not a message that we should be sending. The consequences of these leniencies are evidenced in the way that some students express their frustrations. It is not uncommon to hear vulgar language or threats, behaviors that have no place in a productive society.
If we continue to tolerate these actions without holding students accountable, we are setting them up for failure. How long will they last on a job site if they can't manage their anger? How long will they maintain a healthy relationship or contribute positively to society? Our educational system is not just about impairing knowledge. It's about shaping responsible resist uh resilient individuals. When we allow students to bypass rules and avoid consequences, we are telling them that they are not capable of leading productive lives. This is a disservice to them and to society as a whole. Parents are unaware of what happens during the school day when their children get in trouble. Instead of facing meaningful con meaningful consequences, they might be sent to the office to spend a day on YouTube. This lack of proper supervision and support means that students are not learning how to manage their behavior or make positive choices.
Parents deserve better. Our students deserve better. and society deserves better. We must demand more from our educational institutions. Scu schools should implement consistent and fair disciplinary measures that hold all students accountable regardless of their background. We need to foster environments where high expectations are the norm. In conclusion, our current approach is failing our students. By not maintaining high standards and allowing unsupervised behavior, we are hindering their growth and future success. When we become numb to a seven-year-old telling us to shut the f up or a 10-year-old threatening to kill us, what are we thinking? Are we excusing their behavior because of their home lives? believing that is simply how they are being raised or assuming they don't know any better or can't do any better. Shame on us. We must commit to creating a school system that upholds excellence, supports all students, and prepares them to be responsible, successful members of society.
This means holding every student to high expectations, providing consistent supervision, and addressing behavioral issues with the seriousness they deserve. Our ch children deserve an environment that challenges them, nurtures their potential, and equips them with the skills of re reliance needed for the future. We need to stand together to demand better for our schools, our students, and our community. Our children, your children, deserve nothing less. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you for your comments. Very well said. Uh number three is I believe is that Len Len, I'm sorry. Day and this is the topic of special education. Hello. I'm a special education non-reelect candidate. I love my class. Oh, sure. Okay. Can you hear me now? Yeah. Okay. Sorry. You have to bend over a little bit. Okay. I love my class and I've spent the past year and a half building up my students reading, writing, math, self-confidence, communication, and social emotional skills.
and invested my money and time. I spend more time with my students than my own three-year-old. I was heartbroken when I received the letter, heartbroken to leave my students, but also confused because I had positive observations and evaluations. My students have gone up one to three grade levels in reading. Many people offered to write me letters of recommendation and told me how impressed they were by the work I was doing with my group of students. I've loved working with the people at Apple Valley and I'm very appreciative of the district and all the training I have received. It was a tough year. I had some violent students in the classroom and this was my first year dealing with severe behaviors. A student's behavior started escalating and he almost broke AID's nose. I asked about CPI training for myself and my classroom staff since no one in my class had received it, not even that student's one-on-one.
I was told there were no trainings available and that it was mostly for deescalation strategies anyway. As if that weren't important, that's exactly what we needed. The student kept escalating and we had a day with four violent episodes. We called the office for extra support but received none. AIDS and a student were hurt that day and I was blocked I was blocking punches throughout the day to keep others safe even after we evacuated the classroom. I asked again for CPI or any deescalation training and was again told no. I also communicated that an aid was stressed out by the level of violence in our cast classroom. I was told that we could just replace her if she doesn't want the job anymore. I was startled. The aid does incredible and I mean incredible work. She could be a teacher herself. To hear how interchangeable and discardable we all are to our admin was disheartening.
We as teachers and paras are on the front lines keeping these kids safe and learning and impacting the lives and mental health of these students. We also had a student moved into our class from gened. This student had extreme behaviors and was only working about a grade level below, but he was stripped of his one-on-one and put into my SDC full-time. Suffice it to say, my entire class, which until then had been organized and excited to learn, went completely upside down. Instead of support for a new teacher dealing with extreme behavior, we received recriminations. He was triggered by a pair's voice. It was my classroom management. He was treated unfairly because we rewarded other students for doing their work. He was rewarded as well. I was confused. My paraff was hard, but we were trying our best to use positive behavior strategies to help this student.
My mentor came and observed and said he loved my classroom in the way I ran it, but that a student exhibiting those behaviors would be sent to the office at his school, not disrupting the class all day. Then came the behavior text. A few highlights from their many to my class. Apara was told she could not go to her already late lunch because a student had asked for a break with her. The whole class was showered in candy, ending with days of candy wrappers all over the floor. A student would threaten others and yell at the teacher, but be gifted a fidget that cost $30 on Amazon for 60 minutes of decent behavior at the end of the day. This triggered the rest of my students for months, understandably. And a student was rewarded for sleeping most of the day because if he was sleeping, he wasn't disrupting.
I could not believe this is what the district intended with this program. None of the behavior text oh sorry most of the behavior texts set up extreme expectations of gifts, candy, and rewards the teachers cannot afford to keep up with once they leave. They also established an atmosphere where students were unhappy and jealous of the toys given to certain students and started escalating themselves. Multiple students told me that if he gets toys for acting like that in this class, then I'll do it too. I can say definitely that their visits increased this student's behavior. We had to systematically wean him off the candy and toys and he would eventually get back into the swing of our class rules and expectations more or less about two weeks after they left every time. These are things we tried to quietly deal with in our classroom. As an intern, I did not want to sorry I did not want to step out of line or rock the boat, so I tried to keep it all inhouse.