Board of Education Regular Meeting, June 09, 2026

001I'd like to welcome everyone here in the chamber and those watching via live stream and call the June 9th, 2026 regular meeting of the board of education to order with all trustees present. Uh please join us in the pledge of allegiance. Trustee Wyn, would you please lead us in the pledge of allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you, Trusty Wyn. Land acknowledgement is a traditional custom that dates back centuries in many native nations and communities. Our land acknowledgement was developed in partnership with local Kumi leaders. Students from the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts prepared the following video to show our respect for the Kumi

002people who are the original stewards of the land our school district occupies. We respectfully acknowledge that the Kumi people are the original inhabitants and caretakers of these lands now known as San Diego. Despite the attempted genocide and ongoing impacts of colonization, the Kumi spirit remains unbroken and their traditions continue to thrive as they carry the memories of their ancestors who bravely resisted cultural erasure and fought to protect their land and way of life. In honoring their legacy, we pledge to uphold their cultural heritage and right to safeguard their sacred connection to the land for future generations. >> With gratitude and strength, we stand with the Kumi, embracing the past while forging a brighter tomorrow. >> We will now move to item B, adoption of the agenda. Tonight's agenda includes our first reading of the 2026

003uh 27 local control and accountability plan and the 20 uh 627 district budget. I'd like a motion to adopt today's agenda with charter school related items H7 to be heard first. As noted in the agenda, items C4 and C5 will be heard following non-aggenda comment at the end of the meeting. Is there a motion? >> So moved. Uh moved by trustee Whitehurst Payne, seconded by trustee Wyn. Uh student trustees, please vote. And adult trustees, please vote. >> Okay. And Miss Stiltz, can you please provide information for public speakers about today's meeting protocols? >> Yes. Today's meeting of the board of education is a business meeting that is conducted in public and board members will not engage in dialogue with members of the audience. Board bylaw 1025 sets the time limit for public comment on agenda

004items at 10 minutes per side pro and con or 20 minutes total. Speakers will be able to provide testimony at the beginning of the appropriate agenda item or at the end of the meeting for non-aggenda comment. Please listen for your name to be called. Speakers are listed and called in the order received. When your name is called, please come to the podium to speak. Speakers participating via Zoom will be asked to unmute when their name is called. If you are unable to unmute yourself, we will call the next speaker. Please follow along with the agenda so that you know when your item is coming up for discussion. When you begin speaking, the green light below my name on the dis indicates that the timer has started. When the light turns yellow, you will have one

005minute remaining. A buzzer will indicate that your time has expired. If you have not yet done so and would like to sign up for in-person public comment, iPads are available in the back of the auditorium and in the lobby. >> Thank you, Miss Stoultz. And uh Superintendent, do you have a comment on item H7? >> Yes. Thank you, President Bara. Um I'm going to pull the petition for the charter at this point. um because I do want to make sure that all of our educator colleagues that are in design are on the same page about this design for our um students. So, I'm just going to pull it until I'm satisfied that we're overall in consensus about the design. >> Okay. Thank you, superintendent. Okay. We'll move to uh item uh items C and we'll

006start with C1, our student advisory board report. Uh trustee or trustee Wyn, do you have a report for us? Thank you. [clears throat] >> Thank you. On May 18th, we had our last student advisory board meeting and we had the opportunity to speak with Superintendent Fabi about the role of technology in education. Students shared a range of perspectives, emphasizing that while over reliance on computers can be a concern, technology remains essential for research, digital literacy, and preparing for standardized tests and future careers. Many students highly supported limiting technology in younger grades and increasing paper-based assignments, but generally opposed a complete ban on devices. The discussion also highlighted challenges as students found ways around internet restrictions, concerns about online learning effectiveness, and the need for intentional instruction and technology skills rather than assuming students learn them

007naturally. Students shared different experiences with where they learned computer skills ranging from elementary school workshops to middle school classes. The meeting concluded with a presentation from guest speaker Zachary Patter Patter person, the first student board member and founder of the student advisory board who emphasized the importance of student voice in educational decisionmaking and encouraged long-term thinking about the impacts of policies. The rest of the meeting was a potluck and a time for students to enjoy their company to celebrate the last student advisory board meeting for the 2025 2026 school year. And Alina and I were very happy to serve on this board and enjoy all our times with all our students. Thank you. uh and we will be coming back to the student advisory board a lot on this topic topic of the future of

008technology and and students education experience. Thank you so much. Okay, we'll now consider items C2 and C3. These are resolutions recognizing June 2026 as LGBTQIA pride month and gun violence prevention month. Do we have a motion to approve both items C2 and C3? Uh moved by Trustee Hazen, seconded by Trustee Wyn and Miss Sultz, do we have speakers on these items? >> Yes, we have one speaker on C2, Arlene New. C2 is recognizing uh June as LGBTQIA pride month. You have three minutes. Good evening. I support this resolution and the intentional recognition of those who refuse to accept a world where some people deserved dignity while others deserved shame. And while we have made progress, the truth is that many students still walk into our schools wondering whether they will be accepted and valued. This

009resolution acknowledges something important that belonging should never be conditional. Not on how you identify, not on whether other people understand your experience. As noted, hostile climates negatively impact educational outcomes and psychological well-being. When students are afraid, isolated, or forced to hide who they are, learning becomes secondary to survival. We also have to acknowledge an uncomfortable truth. Not every student goes home to a place where they feel fully seen, accepted, or safe. For some young people, school may be the only environment where they can be who they are. That responsibility should humble us. We cannot control what happens in every home, but we can decide what happens in our schools. We can choose to create environments rooted in dignity, compassion, and belonging. Pride has never been about demanding special treatment. It has always been about insisting

010that no person should be treated as less worthy of dignity, safety, or love. I especially appreciate the recognition that our work must include dismantling abbleists, homophobic, transphobic, and other oppressive systems that create barriers. Our identities do not exist in isolation, and neither should our commitment to justice. Students are learning what leadership looks like. They are learning whether courage means protecting only those who are convenient or understood or whether courage means standing beside people whose humanity should never have been up for debate. Belonging is not something we should have to earn. [snorts] Children should have the right to exist authentically. It is something we owe them. And we have two speakers on C3, which is the gun violence prevention uh resolution. Lori Van Orton, you have three minutes. Hello, my name is Lori Van Orordon and

011I'm a retired SDUSD teacher and a volunteer with the Alliance to End Gun Violence. We want to thank trustees Hazen and Patterson, the board, the superintendent, and the district for continuing its leadership in promoting the reduction of gun violence. In June, we wear orange to recognize gun violence prevention awareness month. But it's truly a year-round effort. For the last eight years, San Diego Unified School District has expanded these efforts. For example, providing information about gun violence restraining orders and educating adult family members about their legal responsibilities to store guns locked and unloaded separate from ammunition. We have seen the deadly impact of unlocked guns just a few weeks ago in Claremont, and tonight's resolution continues this life-saving campaign while also recognizing that further traumainformed solutions are necessary to keep our kids and our schools safe.

012In addition, as a member of the school safety subcommittee of the former district wellness council, I commend the board for striving to continuously update school safety efforts. A new addition to this year's resolution commits to a bianial inspection of each school campus by school police or other staff in order to inform indiv individualized options-based active shooter incident training for educators and staff at every school beginning next academic year. The Alliance to End Gun Violence is proud to support this resolution and we thank you. and Roseanne Sharp. >> Good evening. I am Roseanne Sharp, proud grandparent of a San Diego Unified graduate. I'm here tonight on behalf of the Reduce the Risk Awareness Campaign. To reduce the risk of gun violence, California has multiple options to safely, legally, and respectfully disarm someone who should not have

013access to weapons. Gun violence restraining orders are the most familiar option. GVRO's are California's version of the red flag laws operating in other states. They help temporarily remove a gun away from someone who should not have one due to a mental health crisis or other reasons. Governor Nuome and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services launched Reduce the Risk to make sure more people know about GVRO's and the other protective orders available. Reduce the risk at ca.gov has over 700 resources in 14 different languages to help everyone do their part in the fight against gun violence. Thank you, Trustee Hazen, for all that you have done in presenting this resolution and trustee Patterson as well for presenting this outstanding resolution. Thank you, President Barrera. You know how I feel about what you are doing for

014gun violence and also trustee Wayne Whitehurst Payne who's done so much over the years to help us. Thank you, Superintendent Baglia, and your staff to work the work you do every day to keep our children safe. Through your efforts, schools and families across the state understand the importance of safe storage. Because of resolutions like this one and because board President Richard Barrera and the California Department of Education directed every superintendent in the state to notify parents of their safe storage obligations. Our children are safer tonight. As Trusty Hayen pronounced said and reminded us, what matters more than that? Thank you. >> That's all. Okay. Okay. Well, thank you uh speakers. And we've got a motion and a second on item C2 and C3. Uh board members, comments for Yes. Trusty W. >> Um I have

015a comment on item C2. So, good evening board trustees and members of our community. I am extremely proud to be co-sponsoring um this resolution recognizing June as LGBTQIA plus Pride Month. And I just wanted to speak a bit about how Pride Month is not only a celebration of identity, it's also a celebration of resilience and the ongoing pursuit of equality. Um, it is an opportunity to honor the generations of advocates who fought for the rights and the dignity of LGBTQIA plus individuals while also recognizing that the work of creating truly inclusive communities still continues today. So as students we spend quite a significant of our time at school and because of that our school should definitely be places where every single student feels safe, respected and valued for who they are. For all LGBTQIA students,

016that sense of belonging can make a profound difference, not only in their academic success, but also in their confidence, well-being, and ability to envision a future where they can definitely thrive. And this resolution, it acknowledges an important reality. When students feel accepted, they are more likely to engage in their learning, build meaningful relationships, and reach their full potential. Conversely, when students experience exclusion or discrimination, the impacts can extend far beyond the classroom. So, I'm really grateful that Sanoon Unified continues to prioritize affirming and supportive learning environments through inclusive uh curriculum, student resources, and also policies to protect every student's rights to be themselves. These efforts send a powerful message to young people throughout our district. You belong here. Your voice matters and your identity is something to be celebrated and never hidden. Pride Month is

017about more than just recognition. It is about reaffirming our commitment to creating schools where every student, regardless of your sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, all students have the opportunity to learn and grow and succeed. So, as we recognize LGBTQIA+ pride month, let us continue building a district where all students are empowered to live authentically, support one another, and contribute their unique perspectives to our community. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you, Trusty. >> Hi, Trusty Hazen. Thank you, President Barrera, and thank you, Trustee Patterson, for bringing forward this year's gun violence prevention resolution with me. Every child deserves to feel safe at school, at home, and in their community. And as a mom with children in our schools, the sacred responsibility entrusted to us by families to ensure their children are safe at

018school every day is always on my mind. My commitment to gun violence prevention was actually shaped by my grandfather who founded San Dieans Against Handgun Violence in 1988 and instilled in me from a very young age the importance of gun safety and strong common sense prevention laws. Since joining this board, it's been a privilege to work alongside partners like the newly named Alliance to End Gun Violence to strengthen our district's protocols to align with the latest research and best practices to keep children safe. And just a few weeks ago, our community experienced a tragic shooting outside Bright Horizon's Academy near the Islamic Center. And we continue to grieve with those impacted. And we also have to take on our responsibility to act. Tonight's resolution strengthens both prevention and preparedness. It requires annual updates to family

019safety communications, not only on the district website, as we've done for quite a few years now, but also on every single school website as well, ensuring families receive consistent, accessible information about safe firearm storage and their right to seek gun violence or domestic violence restraining orders. It was mentioned earlier and I want to reiterate that this resolution also now requires biianial school safety inspections led by school police and district staff paired with individualized options-based active shooter training for educators and staff at every school beginning in the new school year. And at the end of each year, the board will receive annual updates on implementation of this new protocol. I know that safety is built through partnership, through prevention and accountability, and I'm deeply grateful to serve alongside trustees and district leaders who are committed to

020gun violence prevention and student safety. Thank you. >> Thank you, Trusty. >> Yes, Trusty Person. >> Thank you so much, President. Um, I'll just briefly say, you know, one of the most, I guess, it's frustrating at times, um, parts of being on a board, a school board, is that, uh, school district is a tiny little institution on a vast society and economy, and there's a lot of there's so many things that impinge upon our students and families, um, that we really don't we have very limited ability to affect. And so, you know, whether it's transportation or housing or jobs or peace or inequality, um the levers we have to pull in relation to those are are only within our purview. And so, I guess I I just say that um I'm very thankful for for

021I know it is SDGP, but I guess now it's you you got alliance to end gun violence. Yes. Um which is a beautiful name. That's great. Um I'm very grateful for their uh help and support on this and um we are going to do everything within our power to impact and I think this resolution reflects that. But I think beyond that um we I I as a board member and as a board I think we're also eager to participate in any other activity that leverages the authority and powers we have um to impact the larger society whether that be the state or federal legislature or the culture as a whole. Um, we are eager to do everything in our power, not only to affect what unfolds within our campuses, but actually to impact what all

022everything that impinges upon our students, including the fact that our nation is a wash in firearms. And so, um, I want to thank our partners on this one and thank my colleagues and, um, and, um, encourage you to vote in support of this, but I don't think you need my encouragement. So, >> thank you. Thank you. >> Yes, Trusty Wider. Uh this is something that's uh very troubling because although we do everything that we can to try to influence, it's up to every individual person whether you're a parent, an aunt, an uncle, uh whoever you are to be careful and to recognize that. I remember my nephew is now 30ome years old, but when he was six years old, he visited and there was a gun in the house and I didn't know that we

023had a gun in the house, but he found it >> and uh he brought it to me and I'm going like, what is this? Uh but just, you know, we we all have to come out of the sand, out of the air, and and just recognize that weapons are are not good and to have bullets with weapons and all of that. And not just because we're talking about it on the school board and it's then the schools, stop and ask yourself, what do I have in my house? And if you don't know, ask your husband or ask somebody what you don't have any weapons to you. And u really be sure that the it's not available to children to uh get into because that's how we're seeing some of the things that are happening. And

024of course the whole awareness piece of what happened here in San Diego is just un unfathomable. So we we want to do everything not just as schoolboard members and as people in the district but even citizens do something about it. Stop talking, stop looking, glazing over and blaming everybody and ask yourself, is there something I can do >> to help prevent this? Thank you. >> Thank you. Yes, Vice President Baza. >> Thank you, President Barrera. Um, and both of these resolutions are so incredibly important, not only this this month, as mentioned, but throughout the year. But, um, I do want to also speak to the LGBTQIA+ resolution. I'm so honored to, um, be presenting this along or sponsoring this along with our student board member, one of her last resolutions probably of her, um, of

025her student board member career. um just you know so San Diego Unified it's not only just for our students here at San Diego Unified but for all of our students um there are many school districts that aren't supporting students and I feel very fortunate to be on a board where we are where we promote safe affirming student centered school spaces we focus on diversity acceptance and unconditional support for our LGBTQIA plus students our families and our educators um these students are vulnerable population and a lot of people may maybe don't realize that but they you know have a higher incre inc incidence of um just dangerous behaviors including you know their depression as well as suicide and they need to be protected and they're really um under fire right now across our country and they're

026and they're students they're kids >> and they're just trying to live their lives. So, um, you know, I I just want to put out that plea, not only this month, but all months. I I know, you know, the entire LGBTQIA+ community, of course, we're in support, but a particularly our students, and they need our help, and uh I'm very proud of our district for always being able to extend that hand. We have students that come to our flag raisings and our other events from other districts because they don't have the support there. So um thank you Alina and uh thank you to my colleagues for supporting this resolution. >> Thank you Vice President Bazo. I'm proud to be a part of this board and of this community. You >> okay with that? Uh trustees or

027DAS and win please vote and know all other trustees please vote. >> Okay items C2 and C3 pass unanimously. You >> [applause] >> Okay, we'll move to item D1. Uh, Miss Green, do we have any reportable items? >> No. >> Okay, thank you. And, uh, Superintendent Bula, any administrative assignments? >> Uh, yes. Uh, President Bara, I would like to welcome three new principal or school site leaders um to three elementary schools. We have we're going to welcome Christina to Cababrio Elementary. Um Jesse Salas to Hancock Elementary and Nathan Saledo to Nibay Elementary School. So again, congratulations to all three uh future principles and I can't wait to see what you do at your schools in to in order to increase student achievement. [applause] >> You can move straight into the superintendent's information. Well, I know

028I enjoyed the last week of school because I shook a lot of hands. I don't know how many hands you got to shake. Um, I even made it to a couple of middle schools and surprised my fifth graders. Um, I I think I shared with you that I subbed in a fifth grade class and so I wanted to go see them and shake their hand. It was really funny to um, see their surprise as I walked in um, because I didn't tell them I was coming. So, well, that's actually one of my favorite parts is actually shaking their hands and seeing the smiles and seeing how proud families are. And I always think of like that's why we exist. We exist for this moment. Um so I want to actually share one particular story that

029stood out which is our student Connor Butler. Connor has cerebal palsy and has been at San Diego Unified um students since second grade. And with the support of the family and dedicated educators, he's thrived throughout his educational journey, but his story u reflects our commitment to ensuring that every student has the support they need to succeed. Let's take a moment to watch this video highlighting Connor's remarkable journey. Thank you, Brett. >> Oh my god, I cry. >> The time of year when we hear lots of inspiring stories of people who have overcome challenges. NBC7 Shawn Delmanise takes us to graduation day at Madison High School where one student earned way more than his diploma. >> My left side is stronger than my right. Cerebral pausy is a group of neurological disorders that affect movement, muscle

030tone, and posture. >> He was diagnosed really young. He was still under two. He was nonverbal. >> A now 17-year-old Connor Butler sits next to his mom, Victoria. >> His balance and his um core strength and everything was really low. His strong will and determination, that's always that is always always been his personality. Though he couldn't walk, Victoria quickly found out how badly he wanted his independence. >> He would army crawl to the refrigerator and open it up and start pulling everything out. He got his first power chair when he was six. >> Then came the day Victoria thought never would when Connor spoke for the first time. >> I remember the when he first said um I'm getting all emotional cuz like I still cry when I think about it. Um he was at

031speech therapy and he was being pushed back in his stroller chair and he was like, "Bye, mama. Bye." And like I started crying and screaming and then after that like he worked and he worked and he worked. Every accomplishment can feel like scaling a mountain with cerebral pausy. >> We welcome you to the graduation ceremony of James Madison High School. >> But Connor treats these mountains like mere speed bumps. the latest one walking across the stage at graduation. >> What do you have to say to the people who think that's not possible? >> You're wrong. >> Honor Lee Butler. [cheering] >> So be brave. be like me. They willing because as Tim driver says you want it all >> Shawn Delmanise NBC7 [laughter] >> I want to celebrate with him. >> I know. Peace out.

032He's like I'm done. I did it. See this scratch? >> Well, I thought it was important to celebrate easily charge you a >> story. Of course, we have many of those stories. >> Now, watch this. You can fix it. >> Um, so as we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates, we'll also look forward um ahead to supporting students and families throughout the summer months. As as a parent, I know how difficult it was when the summer came in and I would think like, okay, what am I going to do with my son? Um because I'm still continuing to work. And so I'm really proud that we have lots of different programs for our families um as we are enjoying a well-deserved summer break, but we continue to support students through prime time enrichment activities, opportunities

033designed to keep our students engaged, connected, and growing. So I'm really proud of the record numbers that enrolled this year in order to be in this program. And in addition to academic and enrichment programs, we remain committed to ensuring students have access to essential resources throughout the summer. Our summer meals program is expected to serve nearly 300,000 free breakfast and lunch meals to children and teens 18year-olds and younger at 80 community locations across the city. We began that service last week and it will go until July 31st. Um our our summer meal program and actually our our entire uh I'm going to say our entire food service department is so hardworking and I really appreciate that they're always thinking about how will we continue to nourish our children even beyond the school day. So, just

034thank you to them. Um, lastly, another important way we're supporting families this summer is by making enrollment assistance readily available throughout our community. Families that are interested in enrolling their children in San Diego Unified can visit any of our 52 enrollment hubs now through July 2nd. to provide personalized assistance. Enrollment hubs are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 pm, and staff are available to help families navigate the new online enrollment process and connect students with the many opportunities available across our district. We're really trying to make sure that we're engaged with our community. We have the support necessary in order to ensure an ease of starting our school year. So, that concludes my superintendent's report. >> Thank you, Superintendent Bula. Okay, we'll move now to uh item E1. So, this is the proposed

0352728 and 2829 academic calendars. Please note a correction to the 2728 calendar that was attached to the published agenda. March 31st, 2028 was shown as March 30th, 2028. Do we have a motion on this? Uh moved by trustee Whitehurst Payne, seconded by Trustee Hazen. Any discussion? If not, trustees. Oh, of Trusty Hazen. Yes. >> Yeah. So, happy to support uh the calendars for 27, 28, and 28 29. Um and I just want to point out that I think it's insufficient to provide educators with just three days to prep before the first day of school. Um, and my hope is, um, that as we continue our work in partnership with educators, um, that we can find a way to do more and as we work on future calendars, um, that we continue to prioritize the support

036and preparation time that our educators need before the start of the school year and after the school year. um there's only one day, one work day um in these calendars after uh the year ends and it just feels um woefully insufficient and so my hope is that we can provide additional time moving forward. >> Thank you. Thank you, Trusty Hes. Okay, no further comments. Okay, trustees win and or please vote. All other trustees, please vote. All right, we will now consider items F1 through F3 related to student discipline and collective bargaining. Do we have a motion on these items? >> So moved by Vice President Boso, seconded by Trustee Patterson. Uh any discussion, questions? >> Yes, Trusty Hayen. >> I swear I'm not going to have a ton, but I think it's really important. So

037for F2, which is ourou with AASD regarding the principal coaching stipens, um I just want to reiterate how valuable and impactful this program has been. Um, and really pleased that we're going to be able to continue our principal leadership coaching program because if we're serious about achieving our student outcome goals, we have to be equally serious about investing in the leaders who make those outcomes possible at every school and for every child. and just want to point out um that there is Wallace Foundation research that shows the effectiveness of school leaders in impacting student achievement, attendance, educator satisfaction, and teacher retention. And actually, and I mentioned this uh to Superintendent Beula earlier today, um just a few weeks ago, Linda Darling Hammond and the Learning Policy Institute released a report on how investing in school

038leaders is key to solving education's challenges. And that report found that principles are the single most influential factor shaping student learning, teacher retention, and school climate. So I am glad to see we are continuing this investment and and hope we can do more. >> Thank you, Trustee Hayes. Okay, adult trustees, please vote on items F1 through F3. Okay, we will now hear item H1, the first reading of the 2627 local control and accountability plan. Superintendent, please introduce the item. Tonight, we bring forward the 2526 local control and accountability plan for the first reading and public hearing. This year's LCAP represents one of the first major planning documents fully aligned to the board's student outcomes focused governance framework. I'm going to pause there because that was a lot of work. Um, making sure that our LCAP

039is aligned to the goals that the board set was really important for streamline and cohesion. Rather than organizing our work around programs, this plan organizes our work around the outcomes we expect for students. It reflects the goals and guardrails adopted by the board and the priorities our community identified through extensive engagement. Last year, the district undertook significant work to redesign and restructure the LCAP so it aligned with the board's vision, community priorities, and our focus on student outcomes. Throughout this year, we have monitored progress, gathered feedback from students, families, staff, advisory groups, and community members, and have used the input to refine our actions and investments. In addition to advisory meetings and engagement sessions, we expanded public awareness through websites updates, media outreach, family communications designed to make the LCAP more accessible and transparent. There

040literally is a video about LCAP 101 and the terms like we're trying to really um bring this up. We also provided school leaders with engagement resources and toolkits to support conversations at the site level and ensure community voices inform this work from the classroom to the boardroom. As the final year of this LCAP cycle, this plan reflects both what we have learned and what we're and what we must continue to improve. It maintains a strong focus on student wellness, literacy, mathematics, college and career readiness, and targeted support for our highest need schools while strengthening accountability for results. The LCAP is no longer simply a compliance document. It is the district's primary strategy document for translating the board's goals into measurable outcomes, investments, and student outcomes. Tonight's hearing is an important opportunity for public review and

041feedback before the board considers adoption later this month. We are grateful to the students, families, educators, and community partners whose voices help shape this plan. I would also like to thank Marissa Allen and the entire LCAP team along with our school leaders and community partners for their leadership and collaboration in this process. At this time, I will ask the staff to present the proposed 2526 local control and accountability plan. Thank you. This is short. >> Good evening, President Bara, Superintendent Bagula, trustees. Um we are here tonight for the public hearing and the first reading of our draft of the 2026 27 um LCAP which is really focused on all of the engagement that we had with our community voices and and educational partners to support student outcomes. We will tonight we're going to be reviewing

042the draft of the LCAP and we will share our key findings from those engagement uh opportunities that we had and explain the revisions based on that community feedback and receive public input tonight before our final adoption on June 23rd. So where are we in the LCAP cycle you might ask? We are in year three, which is our final year of our three-year LCAP cycle. We continue to implement the board aligned goal framework focused on targeted refinements informed by the progress that we have made this year and the feedback that we have received. This year's expanded community engagement will help us shape the next three-year LCAP plan that we will begin to develop in the next school year simultaneously. So, we're monitoring for year three and developing for the for the new um three-year plan. Are

043you okay? Our work continues to be guided by the five LCAP goals. Student wellness, literacy, mathematics, college and career readiness, and equity access and targeted support for our equity multiplier sites. Making sure that we're closing gaps and ensuring targeted support for under for our underserved students. This year we achieved a fiveyear record highoo um participation level. We received over 272 survey responses and engaged more than 2,000 total participants from September 2025 through May 2026. Our outreach included multilingual efforts, public meetings, and advisory engagement. A more detailed report um is included in the board packet that included more details about that engagement and all of the details for you. So who participated? Input was gathered from students, families, staff and community and the broader community. We also work with our key advisory and governance groups including

044DAC DAC and our equity multiplier sites. We synthesized the feedback into five top community themes. Student wellness and belonging, literacy and mathematic achievement, college and career readiness, effective family communication, and language access and inclusive engagement, ensuring that all communities can participate meaningfully. Now, Susan Barndoller, our executive director of nursing and wellness, will go over how that feedback shaped our draft. Hi, everyone. Nice to see everybody tonight. So, this next section details how continuous improvement informed by educational partner feedback shaped the 2627 LCAP draft. So, starting with our wellness goal, this slide highlights how our community feedback directly shaped our updated actions. We heard a clear call to action from our community partners around four key priorities. Providing more student mental health supports, expanding restorative practices across all schools, strengthening safety and belonging, and then directly

045assessing chronic absenteeism. So in response, we streamlined our approach. We organized our existing mental health resources at every site to use them more efficiently and clearly defined our mental health support so students, families, and school leaders and staff have clear guidance on what is available at their site. We also strengthened our overall wellness framework by expanding social emotional learning and deeply integrating restorative practices into our daily MTSS structures. I'm now passing goal 2 information on to Shauna Codrington, our director of literacy. Good evening everyone. This slide demonstrates how community feedback shaped revisions to our literacy and English learner actions within LCAP goal number two. Requests included stronger writing instruction, more early literacy interventions, expanded supports for multilingual learners, and better multilingual communication for our families. So, we expanded our TK through 2nd grade early literacy

046intervention supports that strengthen specifically foundational skills. We increased emphasis on writing instruction. We enhanced multilingual family communication also creating family literacy resources and expanded our guided language acquisition and design or glad and learning how English works. LEHU professional learning supports for our teachers to better support our multilingual learners. I also want to acknowledge Trustee Hazen's review of metric M2N which measures the percentage of our TK sites that are us utilizing the foundational aligned progress reporting tools. Based on that feedback, staff updated the draft language to include the actual TK pilot participation, the data there, and clarify the district's transition to the foundations aligned TK progress report card. Those edits will be reflected in the revised LCAP presented for the second reading and those will be effective beginning in 2627. I would now like to introduce

047Julie Garcia, senior director of the future ready learning department that supports math instruction. >> All right, good evening. Thank you for having us. Um, our mathematics goal was grounded in focusing on a common aligned curriculum uh TK12 or excuse me TK8 aligned to the standards for mathematical practice. Um, we focused on professional learning for teachers through a train the trainer model, supporting datadriven instruction and family engagement. When discussing these this goal with our community, the feedback was more intervention for uh students and pathways for advanced classes and again family support resources. So, as a change, we have embedded intervention throughout our year three plan. We believe that intervention should actually be part of the instructional day, part of the instruction, part of what teachers do. And so working with the data team to build those

048interventions into the daily teaching is important. We're also looking at schools that may not offer advanced pathways for our students and how we can get more students involved in the advanced math classes. Our parents also told us that they appreciate receiving support and resources directly from their school sites and teachers because it's more tailored to their community. So, as a shift in the LCAP, we will be designing in central office resources that could then be used at the site level by site leaders and teachers. With that, I will pass it off to our executive director of office of graduation, Jennifer Robersonson. >> Thank you. Good evening. Uh this evening I'm here to talk about our college and career readiness indicator and how that is infused into our LCAP. Um we often hear from our school

049communities about the incorporation of more internship opportunities, apprenticeship opportunities, and work-based learning opportunities. What you're going to see in the LCAP is we added additional language of how we're going to actualize that goal this evening. In our consent agenda, you'll notice that we have the council of carpenters for pre-apprenticeship program and we're going to continue to expand that. So you'll see in at the end of June, we have one with Raidies Children Hospital for clinical observations and then on July 14th, we're going to be bringing forth to the board the San Diego Electrical Training Trust. And so we're continuing to expand upon the pre-apprenticeship work-based learning and internship opportunities for our students. Um, so we want to make sure that the community and the schools are aware that that's continuing. Um, as we've discussed before,

050we have in our board goals and in our LCAP goals and SPSA goals, um, the desire and the metrics to expand our CCTE pathways, our college and career technical in uh, education pathways. And so each of our school sites have a goal for not only alignment but to meet their metrics in in which we monitor um through our data insights have they've created a dashboard where we monitor progress towards completion. So you'll see language of uh that included in the LCAP to support that effort. Um what you also see uh as far as change is we're going to continue to strengthen our A throughG completion rate. So um intervening earlier when we see that a student is off track. Um so we have we are fortunate where we work uh 6 through 12 with alignment

051with our middle school principles and our high school principles in our secondary data club where we talk about what early intervention looks and feels like um and what we could do to streamline that. Um the other thing is stronger postsecary readiness supports. We've talked a lot about that with our students and our parents and our community. And we're really going to be working towards monitoring systems of what that looks and feels like. And so that that is something that we've expanded upon in these LCAP revisions. Um what you're going to see in this slide deals with the equity multiplier and it's ensuring that we are providing targeted supports to our our students um who really need what I like to say a lot of love and attention. And so there is a need to provide

052tutoring supports. There is a need to provide um additional care in terms of check-in, right? So counseling supports, other types of supports, maybe um uh where we go off-site to to um explore colleges, universities, um inter internships, if you will. And so we've now worked closely with our atypical sites, those that qualify for our equity multiplier to ensure that more targeted supports and opportunities are afforded to our students. Um and so each of our sites they have access to again the dashboard that provides interventions for supports and then also we've um each of our school sites work towards ensuring that they're meeting the metrics and it it is all aligned with A throughG completion um CCTE completion college and career readiness and so those are some things that we've added into the LCAP. What you're

053going to see um on this slide is the top priorities that our community mentioned that we really should continue to look into and build upon. So you'll notice that after school activities was one uh that was mentioned um on multiple occasions. And so that is something that we continue to explore as a district um both you know in prime time and and also in secondary what that looks and feels like for before and after school activities. um expanding mental health services was another top component, family engagement. So, starting um with families in the early grades leading all the way up to high school and ensuring that our families feel connected uh to the learning that's taking place at the school sites. Restorative practice is always um a top theme that comes up on how we

054interact with our students and um work to ensure that they have all the supports needed. And then as a district, it is a focus for us, it's a focus for our community as well, improving the attendance. And we strongly feel that if a student um if we meet our wellness goal and our students feel connected and that they belong, then they're more likely to attend school. Um and so we really appreciate hearing the community voices. We have woven um each of those things into our LCAP. So you'll you'll notice that as well. Um, this is also feedback that we wanted to draw to your attention that's specifically aligned to our LCAP goals, our board goals as well. You'll see wellness. Um, I wanted to highlight here those that took the survey um did report that

055around 80.9% feel safe. That was something that we wanted to celebrate because of the the work that we've done um as a district this year to ensure that we're working to identify what what does it mean for a student to feel a sense of belonging, connectedness and then responding to it. So once a student articulates what it is that they need, um we as a district have then worked towards providing those services. Literacy um as uh my colleague mentioned, writing was called out. So um we wanted to ensure that we were providing writing interventions and supports um as well as math interventions and then uh a pathway as my colleague mentioned for acceleration in math. Um I already uh spoke to ensuring that we are always monitoring A throughG and providing supports necessary for for

056students to receive uh tier one instruction and pass their courses the first time. But then if a student makes a mistake, what are the levels of support that we're giving to them? And then uh for goal five um we really for our equity multiplier and our targeted supports um really ensuring that we're paying close attention to our English language supports and personalized tutoring that that we're investing at each of our sites. Um next slide please. So the next two slides really um capture what we just all spoke about. So I'm not going to spend too much time there and jump to the very next slide. Thank you. um it felt a little redundant. So it captures the same. So again, this also um just highlights what we all as a collective team have mentioned this

057evening. Um we really value community input whether a student, a family, an industry partner, um principles, counselors, everyone. And we work to incorporate as much of the feedback as possible. um and we want to align it to each of our LCAP goal references. So this slide really just shows uh an alignment um for you and the reference to the LCAP with regards to what we uh have addressed and expanded upon within LCAP. So as um Medisa mentioned this year was really uh a foundational year for us as a district. We a as we all know we have our student focused outcome governance goals that we really uh aligned our LCAP and SPSAS to um we changed our goal structure right so we before we had math and literacy together and then we then separated the

058two so now we have a five goal structure um we worked really um diligently on that this year we redesigned the LCAP uh framework and we really um we want to highlight the success that We we do feel as a team and we have work for improvement but we had more partner engagement in this LCAP than we have in previous years. Um and that their feedback was really important in the revisions that we had. Um and then we wanted to ensure um this year and moving forward that of course all of our board goals, interim goals, the guard rails are integrated throughout so that there is that cohesion and alignment. Um and then we can all hold ourselves accountable to those goals. Um as we move into 2627 we are strengthening uh we're calling it

059the strengthening year. We where we are really holding ourselves accountable. Not that we didn't in the past but now we're it clear is kind. So we all know the metrics and uh we need to move towards that. So there's been a deeper implementation of the actions that we're going to be taking as a district. Um we've refined the metrics and then we're going to continuously monitor that. Um and and a huge shout out to our data insights team because they are very responsive to the needs of how we're going to monitor and what um meets our our needs as the instructional team in looking at that data. Um, and then what I would mention is that we really will continue to incorporate community voice into this process. So, our next steps, um, we're here tonight

060for the first read, um, and it's a public hearing, so we welcome any and all feedback. And then what we're going to do during the month of June is we welcome written feedback um, that we will continually uh, incorporate until a certain point. So, I I want to go on record and say that we have the ability to provide written feedback until Friday, June 12th, and then what we'll then do is incorporate that into the second and final read, if you will, which would go to the board on June 23rd for board adoption. Uh, so we have on the slide where you where anyone in the school communities could send the feedback to as they pertain to the goals. So, with that, I'll close and we welcome any um uh comments, feedback, questions. >> All

061right. Thank you so much. Board members, questions, comments. >> Good job, >> Trusty Patterson. >> I'll just very briefly say I really appreciate the the the integration of the SOFG and the LCAP is obviously a huge undertaking and um we've kind of my whole term has been watching that development. G and then that integration. So I want to acknowledge all the the work the staff went put into it. Um, and you know, it's funny. I have like PTSD and often when LCAP comes up, I talk about when I was running for office, I broadly understood education policy and had worked on it for a number of years. But the LCAP, you hit back then, you hit the LCAP and you're like, what on earth is this thing >> and it cut up, you know, you're

062supposed to to understand a thing, you cut the thing at the joints, you know, to make sense of a thing. And you I honestly would have to memorize and I usually I can understand the logic and therefore the logic can help me keep it in mind. But on this I had to like rope memorize the thing because it just did not make any sense. And so um one of the things I'd love to get feedback on at some point is whether now when I look at it whether I understand it because I was there when it was being made so it makes sense. I'm like oh yeah or whether actually the public when they look at this LCAP go oh yeah you've cut the world at its joints and I understand this thing. because ultimately

063you want the LCAP to be intuitive to the people to to the general public, not to board members who were there when the sausage was getting made, you know. So, um if if we can, you know, I don't know to add a prompt, but like really that Lup should be intuitive to to our consu to our families and students. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Yes, Vice President. >> Yeah. Thank you to Trusty Person's point. Um I you know I have parents I mean I had students in San Diego Unified and even being on the board I didn't know what that those acronyms stood for and it's taken me time to just understand. So as a parent I'm just thinking I think it's not only important for them to know what you know the acronym

064but really deeply like why should I be like why is this important to me? Why should I pay attention to this? and not I mean it's great to have the website but how are you getting people to the website and are they how are they interested in it I guess at the deeper level like why why should I care about this I mean obviously they care about their students success but how do we connect that with the actual LCAP and I just wanted to ask about um the surveys and I think it's great we got 2,000 but I guess um you know based on the size of our district we're what 95,000 000 students. It comes in at like maybe 3% represents about 3% of our students. So, I'm not saying that it's not great

065that we got 2,000, but I think for the size of our district, it doesn't I I don't feel like it maybe is representative of um and so I I think and I know it's hard to get people to fill out surveys, but um I don't know. I I feel like maybe there's other ways we can we can really reach out and get that feedback. Um and also around the community engagement um which so I know we worked with DAC and the um English language learners um and I know we've worked with PTAs but as I've mentioned before PTAs are not as prevalent now. There's about maybe 30% or less of our students are really represented. A lot of our high schools don't even have PTAs anymore. And uh not of our all of our schools

066are title one. We have about what 35 to 40% of our students that are in schools that aren't title one. So how are we making sure that those that those communities are also being represented represented and I just have concerns that we are hearing from people which is great but are we hearing from the you know as much as as we need to for such a large district as ours. So I don't know if you have any feedback or suggestions around that. Yes, we we really had a robust engagement with our not just through the via the survey. The survey was just one way of capturing some feedback for for folks in our community and our staff, but in addition to that, we engage with our DAC, our DAC, our CAC, all of our advisory

067chairs. And >> but my point is that those don't represent all of our schools that that those are represent specific communities, but they don't, you know, we're still missing a lot of community. >> Yes. And so those that those are part of the efforts that we've we've had. We do point everyone to our website because it does have the reference on how does our LCAP inform our SPS and how parents can get involved in different committees. And so we're constantly pointing towards those resources, but it's not just about engaging our advisory partners. Something else that we did differently this year as well was we developed our principal toolkit. And so at each phase of the LCAP when we went through the very beginning of the year when we're informing people of what is it um

068and how do you get involved not did we created the videos but we also created created slide decks and toolkits with scripts so that principles could use those resources at their um school site council meetings or any local meetings that they might have at their school sites. So I think that really trying to identify the different ways to get people engaged is has been our focus this year and hence I think that's why we've had the all-time high in the last five years of even the engagement increase in the survey. It may represent two or 3% of our district um student population count. But at the same time it's our all-time high. And so that that's I think what we need to celebrate. Is there room for improvement and more engagement? Always. And we'll continue

069to explore uh different ideas that come up and >> put them into practice. >> Yeah, >> that's that's always been the tension that I held. Um because as principal, I always had so many parents um come in and families, especially if their children were singing. That's always like get the children singing, they'll show up. Um but but also they never went to cluster meetings or to board meetings. And so we were trying to figure out a way how might we engage families from the principal's perspective without over you know giving them more work to do. So that's why those toolkits existed. So we're trying to explore that as an avenue of um really distributing more information and then thinking about how do we do this in a more cohesive way and get the principal voices

070because that was always that was always something that I carried. >> Yeah. And I but I I I just think just my point is we always fall back to the advisory committees and um the maybe the surveys, but there's a whole group of parents that or community area that are not represented by any of that or PTA either. So that's something I just really want us to keep in in mind and I know we're talking about and adding a community engagement um goal for SOFG for that exact purpose. >> Yes. Thank you. >> Thank you. Yeah, trusty writer with me. And I guess we're all in a reflective mood this evening, but you know, I know we're here at the district level and doing it collectively, but as you were talking, my mind went to

071uh a case that we heard um today. And I wondered about an individual student, any individual student who is a junior and finds himself or herself with you know, all Fs and D's and whatever, low GPA. What What does LCAP mean to them? I mean, it's nothing. I I want to graduate. I'm going to do it. That's what we say at this point. But how does the system engage to offer that support to that child? So that I mean, some people were confused about whether or not it's possible for a child to graduate at in a year's time with all of that or what is a process. And I think the general public and even students themselves if they determine at that point they're ready to make a change and they want to graduate. How

072do we as a system from the site the teacher offer that support and engage that child so that they can go to the web to find out what they need to do and actually um get involved taking classes after school, summer school. I mean, what are we doing to make it accessible for those children? Because there are some out there. Uh, and I mean, we talk generally because we're at the district level, but there are some individual cases that students need to be able to access LCAP in a meaningful way. >> Thank you, >> Trusty Hazer. >> Thank you. and want to reiterate uh where Trustee Patterson started. Really appreciate all the work that has gone into creating alignment uh between the district's student outcome goals and the LCAP and SPS. Um so whether you

073are a principal or a parent accessing the LCAP or area superintendents or trustees that we are all driving towards the same thing at all levels systemwide. So, I think it's exciting to see this and also echo the does it just look good to us because we were here when it started or is it useful to the community um and and to all of our uh staff and leaders. Um so I have some feedback and I know I shared some in advance but really specific to goal two literacy and communications. Um, I really appreciate the refinements that have gone into strengthening our literacy strategy. Um, and I think, uh, you know, we candidly acknowledge in the LCAP that there are ongoing challenges including variability in implementation, inconsistent curriculum use, uneven site capacity, and the need for

074more job embedded coaching. Um, and I think it's really important uh that we address these challenges if we want all students to become proficient readers and writers. Um, and we're only about half the way there. Um, because we know, at least I believe literacy is one of the most important investments we make as a district. Um and so my questions are really around how we go from pockets of success which have been you know really reflected to us uh in monitoring reports across the year to consistent districtwide implementation which I think is what this strategy and the plan and the LCAP is driving towards. Um I think you know some things around the TK um foundationbased progress reports which you mentioned um that I'm hopeful we'll see in the next version um is really promising.

075So um really using this new um foundationsbased assessment and screening tools rather than relying solely on the CASP which we had done previously which doesn't provide us with any literacy data until students are entering fourth grade. I think um this is really going to be valuable for us as we work to understand the development of foundational literacy skills um and where our youngest learners really are and what support we need to be providing because clearly we're not doing enough or we would be seeing different outcomes. Um so my understanding and I just want to make clear is that um the new TK align the preschool transitional kindergarten learning foundations um progress report is going to be used in every TK classroom in every school in the district next year. >> Correct. >> Okay. >> Correct.

076um which I think is really important and it sends a really strong signal um to educators and administrators and families um and it really represents a shift from us thinking about TK simply as just a junior kindergarten um to a year that looks and feels just like preschool and is designed around the developmental needs of three, four and fivey olds which is what is reflected in the PT uh KLF Right. Um, and so I think that's huge. Maybe it seems like, oh, it's just a report card. I think it reflects so much more than that. So, thank you. I see nodding heads here. Really appreciate that work and the shifts that are happening um when it comes to early learning um and the work that's going to be described in the next version of the

077LCAP. Um, I also have some questions around the literacy coach and reading specialists. So that's the LCRS grant. Um, so that represents like a $10 million plus or minus investment, which the LCAP says, so we served 22 schools last year and there'll be 24 in the upcoming year. And the LCAP notes that CASP, MClass, Dibbles, and I Ready are used to measure the outcomes for the LCRS, but I don't see any specific targets for the participating schools. So for me as a trustee and I imagine for the community becomes really difficult to understand the efficacy of the LCRS right we're investing $10 million but what difference is it making right because the only metrics we have are districtwide CASSP or I ready which doesn't tell us about um the impact of this coaching model um

078so I guess my question is can we in the LCAP include metrics specific specific to outcomes at the participating school sites so we know how well the coaching is working. Is that doable? And >> I mean what do you all think of that? >> I I want to say my expectation is that there would be a part of the SPSA because now it becomes a sitebased goal as well. So that's actually where we need to actually I mean the SPSAs and the LCAP should be like this >> and so this is an avenue of that expectation of you're getting a resource should be I mean your SSC should actually be able to see the data moving forward and set the goals like this is actually where the real collaboration happens at a site level. >>

079Yeah. So I think if it Yeah. if they're reflected if the individual schools goal is reflected in the SPSA and then as a collective of 24 schools if the board and community can see um the outcomes we're seeing for the $10 million investment we and really the state is making I think that would be really powerful. Um I'm also wondering so in the LCAP there's CASP data cited um I imagine it's the most recent 2425 as evidence that the coaching model is working um but it feels misaligned with like I guess was the coaching can you speak to what the CASP data tells us about that and why that was included there as an indicator of success for the coaching model because I couldn't make sense of that. >> Yes. So our literacy specialists work

080directly with our um kinder, first and second grade students. They've been in this process now for the past two or three years depending depending on the cohort that they were a part of. And so when looking at that third grade data from the CASP that we're able to see the growth on the CASP for those students that were in those previous grades that received that direct coaching and support and foundational skills and also um how they are performing in other areas on informal assessments as well. >> So and specifically at those schools we saw gains on the C like the third grade CASP scores at those schools. >> Yes, we did. >> So that could be more specific and called out because it looks like it's >> districtwide. saw gains and so we assume that

081the participating schools made gains. Um let's see. Oh, >> this is so this is around consistency of literacy instruction and it's something that's called out I think as a challenge. Um, so I guess if we know that evidence-based foundational literacy instruction works, um, it seems like there's not enough clarity around the plan to ensure students receive it consistently in every classroom, not just in schools participating in the coaching grant. And so really to so where I started around how do we go from pockets of excellence or achievement to scaling it. Are there plans next year or is it impossible um to scale coaching, professional learning, accountability to improve implementation fidelity across the district? Um and could that be incorporated in the LCAP or are are we only limited to those 24 schools? >> We are

082in the process right now of planning professional learning. um grounded in the science of reading and the California literacy state guiding documents for all teachers TK through fifth grade starting next year. >> Can that be reflected in here and and what we hope and again like being realistic about what participation looks like? Obviously we know we offer it doesn't mean everybody participates. Um but I think setting some goals around that um could be really powerful. >> Yes, that will be included. And just so you know, um, Trustee Hazen, um, the current version of the LCAP that you're reviewing, we were not able to make any changes. So, um, although, um, that is an action that's going to be taken place, you'll see it next year. It wouldn't be reflected in the current copy that you

083have right now. And that's based on county from directly from, [clears throat] um, feedback directly from the the county office of education. So for when you say people can share feedback by Friday and we've been taking feedback and that feedback is going to be incorporated, it won't be incorporated or how will it be? >> It will be incorporated based on the current actions that we have um on this current and present document, not for the plans for the upcoming school year. >> Got it. Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Thank you. Thank you. Trusty H. Do you have something else? No. No. >> Yes. Yes. Trusty Aras. Yes. >> Thank you. And I'll make this quick. Don't worry. Um, thank you so much for your presentation and I also really wanted to highlight what

084you wanted to celebrate before the 80.9% of students that feel safe. I think that's beautiful. Hopefully we can get it to 90, maybe 100 real soon. Um, and I definitely do want to echo what Trustee Patterson was saying before on the LCAP. I remember when Marty gave me the binder and she was like, "This is the LCAP." I was like, "What? [laughter] What are we talking about?" I had no idea what it is. But now that I've been in it and I've seen the website and I've literally given it to friends of mine whenever they're bored, I'm like, "Hey, read this." Um, so I'm really happy with the work you guys are doing and I understand the LCAP now. So that's like a big celebration for me. Um, I did want to ask a question

085though on the equity and targeted support. Maybe I just didn't catch it, but um, for the first bullet point, Jen, when you were talking about more explicit equity multiplier site targeting, um, can you explain a little bit more about what that's going to do exactly? And I you briefly mentioned maybe I misheard it that there's some sites that are qualified. Um can you kind of explain that a little more please? >> I'm not going to get into how they qualified. Um because that would be a separate conversation but what I would like to share is that I'll use an example. Um the area superintendent team [clears throat] and I met with the principles who qualify for the equity multiplier and discussed here is um what your students are saying. Here's what the the data is

086showing with regards to um potential ways in which we intervene. Um we worked alongside Garfield, Twain, Alba, for example, and we had conversations of perhaps we need more counseling services on their campus to deal with not only academic supports but also um social emotional wellness. So then we then had contracted services with the schools. We've hired additional counselors at their school sites to provide those levels of support. So, each school then tailored the intervention support specific to their student needs. That would all be in their SPSA. You'll see that um spelled out and then um it's aligned. So, um a lot of uh I will say a lot of the supports went into the social emotional well-being of our students. Um and it's exactly um aligned with the student case that uh Dr. Whitehurst Payne

087brought up. Um uh early intervention is really important because often the schools that we talk about in the equity multiplier are atypical schools where um students have not yet felt a sense of belonging or connectedness to a comprehensive school site and then we stumble upon um a need to intervene too late. their 11th 12th grade year and it's really difficult at a comprehensive school site at a high school to then intervene at that moment. So then we look to our colleagues at the atypical site who then respond differently and have the ability to to vary in program programmatic offerings. So you'll see some of that spelled out in their um in their SPSAS. Uh, another thing that I could talk about is um really our um foster youth um really responding to the needs of

088when our students um have the high mobility and responding to their needs um in a more immediate way um both social socio thank you it's been a long day social emotional and um for academic achievement and so those are the things that are ta tailored out um and so each school community. Uh they had conversations about the data and then they built a plan in their SPSAS of how they were going to use the equity multiplier funds to meet the needs of their students. >> And I will add that they are selected by the California Department of Education. They send us the list of the school sites that have qualified for this funding. It's not something that we select. >> Great. Thank you, Superintendent. No, >> you're about to say that. Okay, great. Um my

089only really great format. I love this. I love this is what you told us and this is what we're changing. I think that's a really nice um framework. I'm wondering and and I really appreciate the um getting our LCAP doing the incredibly hard work to get our LCAP uh aligned with our student outcome focus goals. So as we move from kind of the foundational to strengthening it going forward in our next are we also anticipating that we can um kind of more closely uh mirror the smart goals that we set in our student outcome focused governance. So we're getting more and more specific about what we're trying to achieve in these different areas in the LCAP. Yes, we can definitely do that. And I'm really happy that you're going to be going through this process

090soon. Yeah. >> Ahead of the us having to write the new three-year plan because typically um many times our timelines do not align. like our budget timelines don't necessarily align with the LCAP timelines, but in in this situation, I think it's going to align perfectly because you're going to do the work ahead of time and then we're just going to get to come in and piggy back on the work that our board is going to be engaging in. >> That's terrific. Thank you. >> All right. Well, thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Really great work. Yeah. Appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> All right. We'll now hear item H2. So this is the first reading of the 2026 27 district budget. Superintendent, thank you team. Governor Gavin Nuome's May budget revision provided us

091with additional funding we were not counting on when the second interim budget was presented in March. However, the budget being presented tonight does not account for the funding we are expecting to receive from the May revision. The reason being the final state budget is still being negotiated by state leaders and we do not anticipate the budget to be approved by the governor until June 30th at best. As a result, this means that while today is the first reading of the budget and on June 23rd, you will vote on the second reading of the budget, we will have to return in July to provide what will be by all indications a positive revision to the budget. We will have asked you to approve on June 23rd. So, if we can work on all those timelines, please,

092that would be really great. Tonight, our CFO Amy Shackleford will present you with a balanced budget for the 2627 school year. In that budget, we are making investments in the classrooms and campuses where our students learn and in the people who educate students and support their ongoing needs. Until the state budget is finalized, we will continue to advocate for the financial resources our students deserve. I will now turn it over to Amy to provide her update. Thank you, Superintendent Beagula. Tonight, I will be providing a brief overview of the governor's May revise, reviewing our current year estimated actuals, and then spending the majority of the time discussing the proposed 2627 budget and multi-year projections. One of the unique challenges in California school finance is timing. state law requires school districts the clicker does not like

093me. Uh school districts to adopt a budget before the state finalizes their own budget at the end of June. As a result, tonight's budget is based only partly on the governor's May revise and also from guidance from our county office of education. Once the state budget is finalized, we will be returning in July with a 45day budget revision to incorporate impacts from the state budget. Thank you. It never likes me. Um so moving on to May revise. Thank you. Um the governor's May revise significantly improves the outlook for education funding compared to the January proposal. The most significant change is the increase in Prop 98 funding from approximately 121 billion in January to now 125 billion in May. This increase reflects stronger than anticipated state revenues, which in turn increases the amount available for education

094funding under California's Prop 98 constitutional funding formula. With the increase in Prop 98 funding, the governor also continues to propose withholding a portion of the funding as a safeguard in the event that state revenues do not fully materialize by fiscal year end. The proposed withholding has changed from 5.6 billion in January to now 3.9 billion in the May revise. Staff will continue to monitor as the legislature finalizes their proposed state budget. If the remaining withholding is released, San Diego Unified could receive about 57 million in additional revenues. The improved Prop 98 outlook translates into approximately 133 million in additional funding for the district. The largest components include approximately 80 million for the proposed student services professional development block grant or Spudbug, 37 million from increased special ed funding, and approximately 17 million from the proposed

095augmented COLA. While these additional revenues significantly do improve the district's financial outlook, it is important to understand that they do not create a budget surplus. Rather, these resources will help address existing financial obligations and budget pressures. Specifically, these funds will help negotiated compensated commitments, offset rising special education cost, and address ongoing operational cost increases. So moving on to the total general fund for current year. So before discussing the 2627 budget, I want to briefly review where we expect to end the current fiscal year. So based on our estimated actuals, the district is projecting total general fund revenues of approximately $1.9 billion for 2526. Unrestricted revenues account for 1.36 billion of that. And the largest source of unrestricted revenues continues to be our local control funding formula or LCFF, which is California's primary funding mechanism for

096school districts and represents approximately 93% of our unrestricted revenues. The district also receives restricted revenues that support special education, expanded learning opportunities, lottery, and other categorical programs. Overall, revenues are tracking largely as projected and provide the foundation for the assumptions that we've utilized in the proposed 2627 budget. Turning to expenditures, the district is projected to spend approximately 1.97 billion from the general fund during the fiscal year. Personnel costs continue to represent about 90% of our unrestricted spending. In addition, the district contributes approximately 320 million from the unrestricted general fund to support programs such as special education and routine restricted maintenance. This slide compares our second interim projections from March to our current estimated actuals for the unrestricted side of the general fund. Overall, the district's financial position has improved modestly since second interim. Revenues are

097projected to come in about 11 million higher than anticipated, while expenditures are projected to be just about 8.8 million higher. As a result, we are projecting an improvement overall of 6.5 million to our ending fund balance. Consistent with the district's fiscal stabilization strategy, the 6.5 million has been designated to help reduce the projected budget deficit in 2728. So, even with the improved state outlook, our underlying financial pressures have not changed. You will note that enrollment is forecasted to decline over the multi-year projection. As enrollment declines, our average daily attendance or ADA also declines. I do want to point out that districts continue to benefit from a legislative change that occurred a few years ago that enables districts to be funded based on the higher of the current year ADA prior year or the ADA average

098of the past three years. As reflected in our projections, we are funded using the most favorable calculations available of each year. This provision has provided important fiscal stability as districts across the state continue to experience declining enrollment. You will also note that for the proposed budget, we are including only the statutory cola of 2.87% 87% and not the proposed augmented cola of 4.31% until we know what the final state budget will allocate. Lastly, I want to highlight the special education revenues reflected at the bottom of the slide. Currently, the district receives approximately $122 million from federal, state, and local sources to support special education services. If the governor's proposal to increase AB 602 special education revenues it's ultimately approved, these revenues could increase to approximately $ 160 million. So even with the proposed increase in

099special ed revenues, the district will continue to rely heavily on unrestricted contributions to support those services which I'll discuss further on the next slide. So, moving on to our expenditure assumptions, many of our largest cost drivers continue to grow faster than our revenues. While some costs remain relatively stable, such as our employer contributions rate for pension benefits, other expenditures continue to increase each year. For example, we are assuming annual health and welfare increases of 7% which translates to about 11 to 12 million a year in additional costs. We also continue to budget for normal step and column increases for employees representing about 10 to 11 million annually. And then I also want to draw your attention to the contribution amounts at the bottom of the slide. So on the previous slide I mentioned the district

100could receive an additional 37 million of specialed revenues if the governor's proposal is approved. So while that additional funding would certainly help, it does not eliminate the need for that substantial contribution from the unrestricted side. So as shown here, the unrestricted contribution increases from approximately 284 million in the current year to more than 332 million by the 2829 fiscal year. With that additional state funding, that contribution would still continue to grow, but instead would be closer to 300 million by 2829. So, and lastly, routine restricted maintenance. This is a statutory requirement. We must contribute 3% of total general fund expenditures to maintain our district facilities each year. And for our district, that's roughly 57 million. So this slide brings together all of the assumptions that we just discussed and presents the district's general fund unrestricted

101multi-year projection. So as you can see we are presenting a balanced budget for 2627 with an ending fund balance of approximately 58.3 million which includes the state required reserves for economic uncertainties of $40 million. While the district is able to present a balanced budget in 2627, our multi-year projection continues to identify future budget challenges. Currently, we project that additional solutions of 74 million will be needed in 2728 and 137 million in 2829. I also want to point out that this is the first time we are presenting 2829 fiscal year as part of our multi multi-year projection and as such it does reflect a greater degree of uncertainty as part of that multi-year and it does not incorporate the majority of the governor's may reise proposals or any subsequent negotiated commitments. So, as we move forward,

102staff will continue to monitor state funding, enrollment, and expenditure trends and other fiscal factors while contributing while working with the board to identify ongoing solutions to m maintain the district's fiscal stability. So, what's not included in the budget? So, I do want to highlight several items that are not included in tonight's proposed budget. There remains uncertainty because the governor's may revise has not been yet approved by the legislature. Consistent with county guidance, those items have not been incorporated into the proposed budget this evening. These include the augmented cola increased specialed funding, the discretionary block grant, and the 3.9 billion Prop 98 withholding and any expenditures that may be associated with those potential revenues. Should any of those proposals ultimately be approved and as part of the final state budget, staff will incorporate those impacts into

103the district's required 45day budget revision and return to the board with that updated financial upl outlook. So this next slide uh reflects a required disclosure under education code where districts are required to identify the components that make up their general fund unrestricted ending fund balance. So based on the proposed budget, the district is projected to end the year with an unrestricted fund balance of 58.3 million. Of that $40 million is reserved to meet our 2% required economic uncertainties. And then essentially all of the remaining budget is committed to recognizing our inventory that we store in the warehouse, any school carryovers and design um that are design uh any designated funds to help address future deficits. The slide provides a summary of all of our district funds for 2627. While much of tonight's presentation has focused

104on the general fund, the district manages multiple funds with legally restricted purposes. Across all funds, we project approximately 2.7 billion in ending fund balances. However, the majority of these balances are restricted in uses and cannot be used to support general fund operations. Over the next few weeks, we will continue to monitor developments in Sacramento as the legislature and governor work towards adoption of the state budget by June 30. The proposed budget before you reflects the best information available at this time and provides balanced spending plan for 2627 while continuing to address future year budget challenges. We will return to the board on June 23rd for budget adoption and then again in July for the 45day budget revision where we will incorporate any changes resulting from the final state budget. And with that I conclude my

105presentation and I will turn it back to board president Barrera. >> All right. Thank you so much Amy. Very very clear. Uh board questions or comments? Oh no public speakers? No. Okay. Any board questions or comments? [snorts] Trusty Hazen. >> Yeah. So, I think you know it's great to see obviously the the good news and that we're in good shape for 26 27. Uh and I heard you say multiple times there are budgetary pressures there's pressures right that there is a lot of good news now and we have work to do to address some ongoing challenges. And so I'm wondering if you can speak to those pressures, those concerns you might have um as we look ahead. Um and then also um as we look at uh you know 27 28 and 28 29 deficits.

106Um obviously we know there's going to be new funding that hasn't yet been identified likely in the form of block grants. Um but if you can speak to um whether the anticipated revenues from the May revise will impact 27 28 or 28 29 um deficits or if those will remain largely unchanged. >> Um so as far as um pressures in our budget um obviously the largest one is the volatility of how the state funds education. um our revenues come from three main categories, corporate taxes, personal income tax and sales tax. And then on top of that, um the infamous 1% generates about 50% of those revenues. So we are very sensitive if as an example a billionaire leaves the state or if there's any kind of economic downturn in the stock market as an example.

107So, um that will um continue to always be our number one pressure is that we feel like we're making good progress and then something happens at the state level um or at the national level. Um we've sat through six months of very stressful federal activity that um easily can make or break um some of our programs that are funded from those federal funds. So um between the federal and the state volatility with the revenues that continues to be our highest pressure um as far as budget going in the out years. Um the other piece of it is the infamous one-time funds that we get every year. Um uh we understand the logic behind that because you know with stock market performance that is capital gains. capital gains they consider to be one-time. And so it's

108always um a waiting game to see when revenues dump do come in, how they analyze it, and how they categorize it, whether it's one-time or ongoing. And so that's another large component. Um a lot of the other the on the expenditure side obviously we are um personnel um based 90% of our budget um uh is part um our unrestricted budget goes 90 90% of our our people. So we have our ongoing efforts of stepping and column in health and welfare um utilities also um that is something that's outside of our control. We can implement as many solar projects. Um I really appreciate Lee's team um 5757 projects recently um completed but every two steps we move forward with solar they come back and do a rate increase. And so that's just going to be one

109of those ongoing challenges as well. Um and then speaking to May revise and the impact for 2829 as I mentioned um it's two years out but it's not two years out for us because given the size of our uh district it's it it does take we do need longer runways um and so 27 28 28 29 those two years. Yes. Um so we immediately are going to start the work in July once we approve this budget. So we actually don't start don't stop working on our budget. As far as the impact of May revise um those revenues, we are appreciative that what they are proposing is a larger piece of ongoing revenues versus that original um Prop 98 holdback was considered one time. And so with the fact that they are proposing an augmented cola

110and specialed revenues, those are ongoing revenues that are going to essentially help support those negotiated contracts going forward. And then so that's less of a revenue volatility in the out years because that large piece of it is ongoing. Um, so it is going to be that year-by-year um, uh, reflection on what they do with what they consider onetime revenues because with AB1200, um, it is there for a reason. It's to ensure that districts have that longer runway so that when they see something out in the future, they have time to react. But as far as when we do our reporting, it's that three-year third year um has some squishiness into it because again, as I mentioned, the state um volatility on the revenues and so it's kind of this little hamster wheel. And so while

111um it can be frustrating that we say we have a deficit in year three but it's because of that long way to address that before we actually get concrete revenues um because the expenditures were were fairly um steady because of our large percentage of staff. >> Yes. Trusty Waters. I want to commend the staff for putting up with this um trustees and even the the larger public because I I keep saying this that uh I don't think that folks realize that we're kind of dealing with jello at any given time in the sense that um if you want some eggs you go to the grocery store and buy a dozen eggs but with us. Uh I remember once someone said to us, why are they borrowing all that money? Mismanagement, mismanagement. And they didn't realize

112that we only get money twice a year in large bulks from the taxes that you pay on your property. So there are a lot of factors, a lot of variables. And I don't know about you all, but I know mine has gone up 2% every year. And if you remodel or anything, it goes up more. So it's increased. But we don't get that information when we're trying to do our budget in December, January, February, and so on. And so you guys are having to deal with jello and our nervousness and whatever is going on. But I just say to all of you here uh to the citizens that we are now hearing we may have 50ome million dollars more blah blah blah. It's that's the way we have to operate >> until we Prop 98

113says we get so much 40% I believe you said of all the revenues that come into the state and yet they want to play around with well will we really give it to them even though they're entitled to it or will we take some of it and and put it somewhere else. So, there are a lot of factors that we're dealing with here to try to keep things going and to keep our employees going so that we don't have to do layoffs because we're we have the March 15 notices and so on. But I just want you all to know that we are trying to do our best and we thank the staff for uh helping to keep our nose grounded, our noses grounded and um on the straight path. And I could hear our

114superintendent saying to me, I'm waiting for the day when I can really do some great things for children. That instead of talking about cuts, we can talk about using some of the money that has been voted on for us to help children in a meaningful and tangible way. That's what we're all hoping for. But thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Whitehurst Paint. I have a three-page uh list of that. >> All right. [laughter] >> Of how I would like to invest in different and innovative ways for children. >> Yes, Vice President. >> Thank you, President Barrera. And yeah, touching on what Trusty White Payne was mentioning, a lot of times school boards were always talking about austerity and cutting back and where we can. And I think to Dr. Bula's point, it's shouldn't be that

115way. You know, that's like a mindset that, you know, has just always been been there uh for school board, but we we can think a lot bigger than that and think how we can, you know, grow what we have and not always be thinking about the cutting part. Um I wanted to ask about the extended learning opportunities programs. Those have are just staying maintain the same amount. So is that just the projection? They're not planning on >> there was no significant change in the May revise. It was a small amount of dollar just to maintain the percentage of districts that were going to qualify in the tier one and to solidify the tier 2 rate for those districts that qualified. So nothing material >> changes but okay thank you. >> All right. Well, thank you

116so much Amy. We'll see you in a couple of weeks. Final budget adoption. Thank you. Okay. We'll now consider item H3. This is the public hearing and approval of the 2627 annual service and budget plan for the local plan for special education. Can we get a motion on item H3? Moved by Trustee Ord, seconded by Trustee Whitehurst Payne. Any questions or comments? If not, trustees or DAS and win, please vote. Oops. Start it. Start it over. Okay. And all other trustees, please vote. Okay. Passes unanimously. Uh can we get a motion on item H4. Uh Trusty White Payne, seconded by Trustee Hazen. Any questions or comments? If not, trustees win and our DAWs, please vote. All other trustees please vote. >> Oops. >> Sorry. >> Clear it. Okay. Trustees winning or please vote. [laughter] Uh,

117is it working? Trustees winning our vows. Okay, there we go. All All other trustees. Okay, great. And uh can we get an motion on item H5 to Trusty Whitehurst's point? This is about our transnote. >> Yes. Moved by Vice President Boso, seconded by Trustee Wyn. Uh questions or comments? If not, uh trustees or DAS and win, please vote. Okay. And all other trustees, please vote. >> Okay. And uh item H6 uh well, I guess we're going to consider items Oh, we just did H5. So, yeah, H6 uh is around hybrid work. Uh do we have a motion? Uh moved by Trusty W. Do we have a second? Seconded by Trustee Patterson. And I believe we have one speaker on this item. >> Yes, we have one virtual speaker on this item. Dave Beller, if you

118>> Hey, can you folks hear me? >> Yes. Go ahead. You have three minutes. >> Awesome. Uh Dave Beller, local crackpot. Um I have uh a uh uh I have a a statement here. Give me just one second. I'm sorry. Um, okay. So, I welcome the hybrid work policy, but have concerns. Uh, most of us support clear expectations, but this policy creates instability and uncertainty for employees. It states that hybrid work may be terminated at any time by supervisors with no grievance or appeal process. The DEI section requires that hybrid work agreements be equitable and comply with standardiz sorry standardization evaluation criteria outlined in the policy. But there's no mechanism in the policy to ensure equitable application nor are there any substantive standardized evaluation criteria outlined. Uh the policy puts the onus of requesting and

119developing hybrid work arrangements on individual employees rather than the collective. There's no advanced notice requirement for terminating a high-grade work agreement. There's no meaningful protection for employees against capriccious decision by their supervisors. Without agreement process, the admonition against reprisals and retaliation is meaningless. For these reasons, staff can't make meaningful life decisions about housing, child care, or transportation because our schedules can be revoked overnight. Also, hybrid work directly supports climate goals for California, San Diego, and San Diego Unified School District by reducing commuting emissions. But there's no mention of these benefits anywhere in the policy. Without speculating as to the reason, I find that absence conspicuous. Uh, I urge the board to strengthen protections and accountability in this policy and properly acknowledge its environmental impacts. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any further board questions or comments?

120If not, trustees win and or please vote. All other trustees, please vote. Okay, that brings us to our consent agenda. Uh, items I through I56. Do any board members wish to pull any items from the consent agenda? Uh, yes. Trusty W. >> Yes. Uh we'll pull item I50 for separate uh consideration. Um okay, >> please. Yes, go for it. >> No, go for it. You can you can make a comment. >> Um I just wanted to make a comment on item I 50 because it really resonates with me and who I am as a person. So, um I'm actually really proud to be in support of the ratification of this agreement with the LASA service clubs of uh San Diego County. And this partnership is especially meaningful to me because I have personally been involved

121with LASA since the fourth grade. So through my years in the program, I've really seen firsthand how it creates a lot of opportunities for students to develop leadership skills, build confidence, and find a sense of belonging within their school communities. And I think what really makes LASA unique is that it empowers young people to recognize that their own potential um and to use their voices that it can make a really big difference in our community. Um, students are encouraged to lead service projects, engage with their communities, and also develop skills that extend far beyond the classroom. These experiences help students grow into confident leaders who understand the value of civic engagement and service. So, for many students, especially those um from historically underserved communities, programs like LASA provide opportunities that might not otherwise be available.

122They create supportive environments where students can build meaningful relationships, strengthen their identities and also discover pathways for future success. So as someone whose own leadership journey has been shaped by in part of the opportunities like provided, I know the impact of this work is real. The investment we are considering today is an investment in our students, our schools, and the future leaders of San Diego. So, I'm very grateful for the LA for the work Laca has done for generations of students across our district and I am pleased to support this agreement and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to pull the item from the agenda to make a comment >> but [laughter] no thank you trusty win. I will recuse myself from item I50. >> Okay, with that trustees Oh, I'm sorry. Do we have

123a motion on the consent agenda? Moved by Vice President Bazo. And do we have a second? Seconded by Trustee Patterson. Okay, trustees or DAS and win please vote and all other trustees please vote. All right, that's great. Okay, we will move to non-aggenda public testimony. Miss Stoultz, looks like we have a number of speakers. >> Yes, we have 14 speakers alto together. So that would be two minutes per speaker. And we'll start with our virtual speaker, Allison Beastcker. Biscer, you go ahead and unmute. You have two minutes. Um, I'm sorry if my children you can hear them in the background because they're they're here. Um, my name is Alison Biscer. I am a uh credentialed elementary school teacher. My husband is a special education teacher at the high schools level. Um, and I'm here today

124because I'm concerned about how much screen access and screen reliance we're normalizing in schools, especially for our younger kiddos. Um, and I want to be very clear before I keep going. I am not anti-technology. I know technology matters. I know AI is a big part of the world our children are entering into. Um, but that's actually why I am so concerned as an educator because if we are preparing kids for an AI future, I don't think the answer is more screen time. Um, the kids who are going to thrive are not just the kids who know how to click through a platform. They're the kids who can focus deeply, think critically, communicate, solve problems creatively, regulate themselves, and most importantly work with other human beings. Um, and I feel wholeheartedly that those skills are not

125built by spending a large portion of our school day on Chromebooks. Um, I'm not not in the classroom anymore. I left teaching when I had my um, six-year-old. But when I was in the classroom, the most meaningful learning I saw was not kids clicking through a program. It was always kids reading real books, using their hands to write, talking through ideas, building, moving, asking questions, getting curious, and learning how to stay with something when it felt really hard. Um, and that's what really worries me about the current state of screens because screens can make it easy to look like learning is happening, but as teachers, we can feel the difference. Um, we see attention shift, we see stamina change, we see emotional regulation change, how we see how quickly kids are getting used to being

126prompted and entertained and redirected by a device. And all of this is happening at a time where we're seeing already unprecedented amount of children struggling with anxiety, depression, attention, sleep, emotions, all of those things. >> And thank you, your time is up. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Genevie Z. Make policymandating exit surveys so parents and students can share their experiences and get directed to crime reporting resources. This would prevent reaffending abuse of teachers. You deserve to know every instance of teacher induced infection and bodily harm. For the past year, I've watched you all perform sound bites for your Instagram YouTube commercials. You pat each other's backs, repeating the word wellness like it's a drinking game. Meanwhile, our children sit abused, forced in feces and urine in your taxf funed classroom seats, obstructed from toilets or

127hygiene, or even soap. The bare minimum in school for sanitation and safety required by law has not been met. You are ignoring a student health crisis. Did the principal report this year's two documented wolfful toilet obstruction, child neglect incidents to CPS? The child who was forced to urinate publicly in the classroom because he didn't know the answer to Miss Crew's math question was transferred to a safer school. Months ago, his mom told the teacher about a classmate bully who was causing strange behaviors at home. She didn't like her son being around aggressive older kids. She didn't like that he wasn't allowed water or toilets in class. He was suffering health harm. This soccer mom was one of the witnesses to Princ Julia Martinez crime of lying to police about my behavior to have me dragged

128away from my birthday girl at our playground playd date in 2025. PC48.5. This boy was also in the grass that day with my crying daughter. They have a favorite tree. Because of principal's retaliation against me for reporting genital injury from illegal school activity at Golden Hill Elementary, the kids no longer feel comfortable at their own community center playground. After this teacher forced this woman's son to publicly urinate in class like a dog, the parent found out that the bully was enjoying touching her son's genitals during recess and peeing on other kids and it had been going on for months. Every parent knows when a child needs to excrete urine, they begin grabbing other genitals and don't stop until they gain relief. This is why toilet denial causes urolia. The medical disorder is sexualized urination. This

129mom thinks she was pressured into signing a document stating she would not sue the school. The principal refused the request to record the meeting. During the unprofessional interview, the principal was allowed to lead the boy with questions like, "So, he instigated it, didn't you?" The boy quietly said, "Yes." Later in the car, the boy asked his mom, "What does instigated mean?" The principal reported the soccer mom to CPS. "This school year, the sexual abuser and neglectful teachers are still at the school." The principal is a criminal who is instigating a multif family toilet denial lawsuit. Stop her and all teachers who violate human rights before we lose more money for our schools. Thank you, Ashley Stojen. Ashley Stojan, followed by Amelia Lever. Hello, I'm Ashley Stojan, a TK teacher, born and raised in San Diego,

130a student of San Diego Unified, attending Daylor Lewis at Patrick Henry. I got my bachelor's teaching credential and masters at San Diego State, and I'm now about to be in my ninth year of teaching at Joiner Elementary in City Heights. And now, as a mom of a one-year-old and 2-year-old, everything I've learned and observed came to a head this past year in my TK class. I had previously taught seven years of kinder before the move to TK. I began some small analog changes at the beginning of the school year, but I still dutifully used my well-crafted slide deck to lead lessons and point at the Smartboard screen. But this past January, I had a mental shift that it all needed to stop. That I didn't need to use the screen anymore as a crutch and

131could teach the way it had been done effectively for generations with physical tools, charts, readalouds, and my instruction where the students would connect directly with me. So, I made the decision to go fully analog, that the screen would be completely off and anything that needed to be done could be accomplished without it. Within a month, my principal commented on the changes in my students. They were visibly more calm and regulated in the space. And over the course of February and March, I was sitting there wondering why I also felt so much better in that classroom. But we were getting messy and artsy. We were making connections, doing physical activities and experiments, and the screen was getting dusty, and it was incredible. Going analog was the best decision I made, and the students and I benefited

132greatly. The rolling cabinet of tech devices that sat in my classroom all year was never opened and completely unnecessary. So, my purpose today, with inspiration from schools beyond screens, is to say that not only can it be done, it should be done. I desperately wish I could go back to my time in kindergarten to do the same and undo the hours spent on educational videos, phonics videos, and even movement break videos. They weren't necessary. For the benefit of students emotional regulation, attention span, and eyesight, and ultimately their well-being, I am committed to being an analog teacher. As a professional, I hope that the district can move forward with a plan that encourages more teachers to go analog as well as limit students access to screen time and an unsafe digital environment that frequently harms them

133in many ways. There's a better way forward. It starts with connection to people, not screens. Thank you, [applause] Amelia Lever. Followed by Eduardo Fuentes Belorama. My name is Amelia Lever. My daughter Athena is sitting back there. She's 9 years old. I think it's completely unnatural that she was given a Chromebook so early in her education when there's so much empirical evidence to show that using our hands to write on a piece of paper or to read a book is a much more effective learning tool. I believe that there's safety issues around using computers. Um it was quickly brought to my attention by one of the other concerned moms about the use of roadblocks and this being um a tool where um chats can be made with you know people that she doesn't even know. That's

134really concerning to me. Um there's data breaches in relation to the use of these Chromebooks. There's access to pornography and there's violent content. These are all really powerful reasons to just get back to basics. This is how all of us in this room learned. We learned using a pen and paper and look how far we all got. I'm a qualified attorney and I am dyslexic and there's no way like right now I'm I'm studying again and I'm using a computer and it's really difficult and so that makes sense to me that I learned using a pen and paper and despite my learning disability I was able to reach that level of accomplishment by being a lawyer. So please, please, I ask you from my heart to your heart to reassess this issue of all these

135Chromebooks being used in the classroom. I understand that a really large investment of money has been made to put those Chromebooks in the classroom, but it's really not necessary. It's not a natural way to learn. Our children learn through play. They learn through um relating to other people. As the earlier speaker said, they relate or they learn through these other modalities, not just through the screen. Thank you so much, [applause] Eduardo. Eduardo Fentes Beldorama, Sheree Stratton, [clears throat] Good evening. I'm the father of two young daughters who will attend San Diego Unified Schools. I'm here tonight because I'm deeply concerned, as are a lot of people here, about the district's continued reliance on edtech and screenbased instructions for our youngest students. When children arrive at our schools, screens are increasingly becoming a part of the

136daily instruction. But where is our choice as parents? Many of us are working hard to reduce screen time at home only to only to discover they are waiting for our children when they get to school. I understand that tech has a place in education. Students should absolutely learn digital literacy and computer skills, but there is a major difference between teaching technology and teaching through technology. What concerns me even more is that edtech companies have enormous financial incentives to get their products into classrooms as early as possible. Every district that adopts platforms generates more usage data, more engagement metrics, and more info that companies can use to market their products to the next school district. Meanwhile, our children bear the risk. As parents, we should not have to prove that less screen time is better for

137young children. That responsibility lies with the district. The burden of proof belongs to those making the change, not the parents questioning it. Please show us the evidence. show us that more screenbased instruction is creating better readers, better writers, better thinkers, and healthier children. And if [clears throat] the evidence cannot be clearly demonstrated, then the default should not or should be to reduce screen time, not expand it. Just this year, LA Unifi, the largest school district in California, voted to significantly limit screen time for its youngest students. If LA is moving away from screens for its youngest learners, why is San Diego moving towards them? As parents, we entrust the district with our children for six hours every day. We ask that those hours maximize human connection, curiosity, creativity, and learning, not screen time. Because at

138the end of the day, kindergarteners do not need personalized algorithms. They need crayons. They need books. They need conversations. They need recess. And more importantly, they need teachers. And they deserve a childhood built around human connection and learning, not another screen. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Angelica Oliver. Angelica Oliver. Followed by Amelia Simpson. Hi, I'm Angelica Oliver. I'm part of the leadership team with Schools Beyond Screens. I've had the opportunity to work with some of you. Um, I'm here to share my husband's statement. He had a prior engagement and he couldn't be here tonight. Good evening. My name is Bobby Oliver and I've been teaching English at a public high school in San Diego County for 15 years. Since 2011, classrooms have changed considerably. We've seen the full gambit from students walking down to computer

139labs to type and print essays to carts full of laptops open infrequently to devices and bedrooms that served as makeshift classrooms and to classrooms with each desk serving as a space for personal devices. Over that decade and a half, and I would assume for many before, one thing has remained consistent. Our children's attention constantly feels the tug of elsewhere. [snorts] [sighs and gasps] It's natural learning is hard work and it's not always comfortable nor fun. Elsewhere promises relief from the discomfort of productive struggle. Before, however, the nagging distractions from classroom instruction were dealt with in routine ways. That was the student was separated from the distracting toy, note or person. Now, sadly, being a teacher feels more like we are the distraction from their prioritized use of technology. As educational professionals, we are in a

140constant battle with students to ignore the temptation of an elsewhere that manifests with a swipe or a tap. And this elsewhere is at the command and manipulation of millionaires. The temptation they orchestrate consistently asks our children to pay attention to their service, not the teacher. Ironically, our districts hand them the medium for this conflict. Devices given to students have become more of a hurdle to learning than a supporting hand during the hardest strides of instruction. As a dad of San Diego Unified students, I'm aware this problem is not unique to my district. My kids have seen my frustration with my students and they know that my attitude towards them on screens and devices has been cultivated through the frustration of the current state of my profession. I fear that the district is failing to recognize

141that our students cannot manage the tug of elsewhere, a place we are guiding them daily. If we have the ability to separate them from distraction, why wouldn't we? If we care about their learning, why refuse to be present in this moment? Their futures cannot afford for us to be elsewhere. Thank you. >> Thank you, [applause and cheering] >> Amelia Simpson, followed by Stephanie Trimis. My name is Amelia Simpson and I have two children at Longfellow Elementary. I'm also a trauma surgeon and the chief of surgery at Scripps Mercy Hospital and spoke here a couple of weeks ago. I'm here again to support the schools beyond screens mission of technology reform in our schools. specifically eliminating devices for TK through 2nd, eliminating one-on-one devices for third through 8th, blocking student access to YouTube, social media, and

142gaming, using adfree programming, and preventing device use during lunch and recess. I have attended several recent schoolboard meetings and we have all heard numerous parents speak on their concerns regarding the growth of tech in our schools. I've also seen our time to speak last minute limited and board members routinely leave early. This is both disappointing and disheartening. Despite this, we have thoughtfully articulated our concerns with screens in our schools. Full tech reform should be a no-brainer for you to enact. There is only benefit and curriculum without unfettered screens already exists. The only real barrier is that change takes effort. It has come to light that you as the board are considering a scaledown version of tech reform for the next school year. I find this unacceptable and very disappointing. We have begged and pleaded for

143you with you for weeks to hear our concerns. As paid elected officials, it is your job to support our students and anything short of what has been achieved in Los Angeles would be a failure on your part. I am speaking here today to challenge you, the school board, to take real effective change for this next school year and show us that you are worthy of our votes. You must do better because the health, wellness, and future of our children is what's at stake. Thank you, [applause and cheering] >> Stephanie Trimise, [applause] followed by Robin Nton. Thank you. I just want to start by thanking you all for listening to this. Clearly, this is a topic that's very important to parents. Um, I will just start by introducing myself. My name is Stephanie Trimise. I'm an

144elementary and middle school classroom teacher for over 10 years. I also hold a master's in literacy education. And finally, most importantly, I am the mom of children in San Diego Unified Schools. I want to start by sharing a recent Senate testimony from neuroscientist Dr. Horvath, who states that Gen Z, current 14 to 29 year olds, is the first generation to be less cognitively capable than their parents. Every generation since the late 1800s has outperformed their parents. This is what we want to see. We want sharper children. Gen Z is the first in modern history to have underperformed on basically every cognitive assessment we have. Basic attention, literacy, numeracy, effective function, executive function, and IQ. This me the measures began to decline in 2010. It's not biology. It's not major shifts in the school structure. Both

145of these remain similar to prior generations. The one major shift has been the widespread integration of technology in our learning environments. I know it's a big ask to turn to teachers whom have been stretched and pushed to adopt these tools that they we've invested a lot of money in and ask them to reverse course. However, we can't ignore this data and we now know better. So, we must do better. Teachers need to hear that they have permission not to use the technology in their classrooms daily or even at all if they teach our primary learners. We need to shift back to one-on-one reading assessments for our primary learners. Computer-based assessments are not effective or efficient, especially as a means of formative assessment for teachers. And finally, learning centers and free choice time should not consist

146of laptops. This is when critical, expressive, and productive uh learning should be taking place and that is inhibited when a student is receptively engaged with a commu computer program. We aren't asking for teachers to do something totally new. Quite the contrary, we want to see the pendulum swing back to a school setting where students learn best from engagement with physical manipulatives in their environment and other human beings like their peers and their teachers. Thank you, [applause] Robin Nton followed by Sarah Nichter. Uh, Robin is passing her time to me. Hi, my name is Sarah and I have four school age kids, three in elementary school and one in middle school. Recently, my husband visited my son's middle school for a field trip and he said that during free time before school and at lunch, it

147was a sea of kids in small groups clustered around schools laptops. My son is honest with me that they are bypassing firewalls and finding gaming websites to play. He also admits that he and his friends sneak gaming time during classroom time. When I asked him how much time he spends in front of a computer at school, he guessed that it was probably four hours a day. So, not only is he seated for seven plus hours a day, he spends over half of that time in front of a computer. As a parent, it feels vital that we have targeted, drastically limited device use in the classroom, better firewalls, and ban device use during school free time. Thank you. [applause] >> Troy Murphy. Troy Murphrey. Followed by Charlene Houston. >> Hi. I I didn't learn any computers

148or any of that stuff when I was in school, but I learned it now when I went to work. Uh my name is Troy. I'm a member of the College Area Community and Mesa Colony Community located east of San Diego State. Our last communication from UCS or SDSU project manager was in April 2020, six years ago, in which he communicated that the design task force meeting, this is about the whole site improvement grant that went to Tubman um uh six years ago in which she communicated that the do design task force meetings had not been conducted yet and that the community would be notified when the first design task force first meeting was scheduled in answer to our concerns. Her emailed responses imply that the buildings of concern would remain with reconfiguration of administrative administrative

149space within the buildings and that the master plan showed the mature trees would not be would remain in the front campus. None of this has happened. It was only the unexpected communication from a Tubman staff member that the community became aware of S San Diego Unifi's plans. The community has been very involved with Tuffman over the years in efforts such as serving on as community members of the government's board collaborating with the pre principal to write the proposition Z grant application coordinating donation of fruit trees through the rare fruit society which were recently removed and staff parking installed. There was no notification of the community who would have gladly taken the trees. Procuring taxf funder funded grants for trees planted around the school campus. Investing hundreds of more hours shephering through the tree care agreements

150between the city Tubman and San Diego Unified. Installing and repairing drip irrigations on the donated trees. Coordinating the procurement and installation of dustadon lighting. procuring trash recepticles from our former city council member, organizing community cleanups in coordination with Tubman staff, students, and working with our city council members. >> Okay. Working with our city council members and park board members over the years to advocate for funds and joint park for a joint use park benefiting Tubman and our community. Even so, we were not including in any communications of significant changes the district made. >> Charlene Houston. >> Okay. >> I thought it was going to be three minutes. You cut us all short. [applause] Good evening. I'm also going to talk about Harriet Tubman. Um this they received a grant for school improvement and Troy that

151Troy helped write in 2020 funded by you and led by San funded by funded and led by San Die Unified School District. Um in these grant the from this grant these promises within have been broken. Promise one the community garden would be moved during construction to the west side of the school which had mature fruit um that produced much fruit and that was broken. They cut them down, threw them away, never asked us if we wanted them or said anything about it. Promise number two, save the historical auditorium and administration buildings. Broken. They're going to destroy the auditorium and they're going to build a new one which will be larger, moving towards the sidewalk, which leads to number three. Promise number broke. Oh, yeah. Broken. Promise number three. Save the three large old beautiful trees.

152two jackarandas and one other broken. The new auditorium will involve cutting down one of the jackarandas. Promise number four. Trees and plants along Sarinac were never supposed to be disturbed. The crate myrtles, 12 trees were bought for $200 each with a grant with a promise to nurture and care for the trees. Broken. These are pegged to be destroyed. The construction company is waiting for the go-ahad. These trees are owned by the city. Again, no outreach to the neighborhood community if they might want them. Promise is broken. >> Walton Jones. Walton Jones. He's not here. That concludes an agenda comment. >> Excuse me. >> I don't see your name, but please come. Thank you. I did do the um thing in the back. I own a home on Mohawk Street now housing Tubman Charter School. I'm

153also a member of this Mesa Colony community group. Our group has in included such prominent members as the late Janet Cooling, a pioneering LGBTQ contemporary American artist and professor emeritus at San Diego State who installed the tile mural on the Edgar Alrich building scheduled for demolition at Tubman. So why am I here? We need your help. Imagine our shock when we recently learned that the u multi-purpose auditorium would be um removed that we removed the large legacy western jackaranda trees and grass and modifying the admin building by William Templeton Johnson the master architect responsible for Baloa Park museums and the Prescidio to name a few. While the district's consultants did not find Tubman's Lexi buildings historically significant, I am puzzled that it does not seem to have considered the historical designation of continuously used for

154educational purposes. Interestingly, the University Heights Historical Society refers to that educational use criteria, at least in part for this Normal Heights Ed Center campus. The Tubman site has been a focus of teaching and learning since 1891. It's located in the center of Mesa Colony, once known as La Mesa Colony, a town of La Mesa. Before it was Tubman, it was used also as Mir Alternative, John Mir Elementary, Laame Mesa School, La Mesa Heights School, back to its wooden building in 1891. Unfortunately, the district has demolished the Irving Gill Spanish Colonial School Building already on that site. Of significance was a progressive mirror alternative school for humanistic studies on the site. It was a developmental K12 magnet which pioneered self-directed learning models, shared school governance, humanistic framework for encouraging students to turn negative behavior into positive

155learning opportunities, and an early prototype of PBL, project-based learning work at school systems like the renowned high-tech campuses. The district's current facilities improvement project website states, "The intent of a district facility project includes addressing community impact. The district's facilities division says it supports the equity and identity of the neighborhoods they serve. I ask that the board of education reconsider this historicity of the Mohawk Street Toman site and sees its plan to significantly alter our community and remove the trees this Thursday. Thank you. [applause] Thank you for everyone who came and spoke in non-aggenda public comment. Appreciate that. >> And now we will take a moment to recognize our outgoing student trustees, Alina Wyn and Ashley Ordas and Superintendent. >> I would like to take a moment to recognize two remarkable student leaders and welcome the

156next generation of student voices to our board. First, I want to thank our outgoing student trustees, Alina from Hoover High School and Ashley Ordas from University City High School. Over the past year, Alina and Ashley have served as thoughtful advocates for more than 94,000 students across San Diego Unified. They have challenged us to listen more closely, think more deeply, and ensure that student perspectives remain at the center of our decision-making. Their leadership has helped strengthen our district and reminded us that some of the most important insights come directly from the students we served on behalf of our district. And before I know these are my reading comments, but like I appreciate and love having students on the board, the questions that you pose, the things that you want to accomplish, the way that you push

157us to think about student voice. I have love and respect for both of you and I know you're going to continue leading. So, I'm just really proud of you and I will miss you both of you and I'm very proud of you. Um, before I turn it over to trustees to say a few words, let's watch a short highlight reel of their year on the board of education. Please play the video. [music] >> [music] >> Okay. >> [music] [music] [applause] >> I want to turn it over to trustees to say some nice words. >> Well, first ask trustee Ardaz, would you like to say a few words? >> Yes. >> Go for it. Yeah. Perfect. I [clears throat] want to start off by saying thank you to the students that voted for me, allowing me

158to serve the honorable role of being their student board member for the 2025 2026 school year. And to my parents, I see them um for always supporting me and being the reason being the reason I am the person I am today. Thank you to all the trustees. Trusty Hazen, thank you for teaching me to ask the questions that nobody is willing to ask and to fully want to understand the reason on why people do things. Trustee Sabrina Bazo, thank you so much. I remember when I sat next to you at the beginning of my term. You taught me things I never would have thought otherwise. And being with you for the uh Vapa Showcase was an amazing experience. I loved every single moment with you. Superintendent Fabi, my favorite superintendent, by the way. You were

159an amazing person. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of all the work that you have done. And the fact that you were a principal, I know every single student who was a part of that school truly honored you. And even if they didn't, I know someone, their parent or a friend, I know you deserve that love. And I'm very proud of everything that you've done. You have done everything for this board. And I know you will continue doing so for the many years to come. Trusty President Barrera, you are an idol. Every single time I see you with your soda, I'm like, "Okay, he knows what he's doing." Um, being a part of you on this board really taught me the true meaning of understanding the power in youth. And I'm very, very happy that

160I got to serve here with you. Trusty Whitehurst Payne. Trusty Whitehurst Pain. Every single time she unmutes, you guys know that she is saying words of wisdom, words of loyalty, and words of love. She truly believes in students. She truly believes in the adults who help students become the people they can be. And I'm very happy to get all that wisdom from you. And I love you so, so much, Trusty Patter, my representative, by the way, because of UC High. I've learned a lot from you. I've spoken to you many times. And one thing I will never forget is that what you say is true and always true. You are such an incredible and smart person. Every single time we've had our discussions, after every single agenda comment, I know that what you truly care

161about is what's going to benefit all and not some. Thank you so much to every single staff of the board who helped me ground myself, Marty, Melissa, Susan, every department of this district, because they are the pieces that make our district be a whole. the police officers. I shake your guys' hands and I smile at you guys because I hold a special place for you in my heart. You are the reason students are safe in every school and I love you all and even the ones that I haven't met yet. Thank you for the custodians who waited for us at the late student advisory board meetings and for cleaning up after us. I know high schoolers can sometimes be messy. Stacy, Lorena, and Catherine. Thank you for being with me every step of the way.

162And finally, my partner, Alina. I remember the first time that I met Alina and we were sitting down in the back of the room and we were staring at Quentyn and Joseph and we were like, "What are we getting into?" You have taught me many things. You have been a big sister. I'm very proud of you and I'm so excited that you will be going to UCSC and staying local. I will be visiting you many, many times. being with you every step of the way. If I could choose to relive it, I would choose to relive it with you. We have been through trials and tribulations, but we have succeeded in a lot. A lot of students have looked up to us, and I know students have looked up to you specifically. I'm very proud

163of everything that you have done, and I love you very, very much. I would like to end with my last special thank you to every school staff member and teacher across every grade level. You are the reason so many students walk through their school doors every day. Thank you for bringing passion to your work, for caring deeply about your students, and for making a lasting impact on the lives of young people throughout this district. To Ethan and Lauren, embrace every moment of this opportunity. Be present, stay engaged, and make the most of an experience that will pass more quickly than you expect. Listen to those around you. Learn from every perspective and pour your energy into the projects and initiatives that matter to you. Above all, remain humble and never forget who you represent. Be

164the kind of student leader you would have looked up to if you were sitting in the audience. I have complete confidence in both of you and I could not be happier that you were chosen to represent the students of our district. I know you will make a meaningful difference. I think the moment I truly realized I had accomplished what I set out to do was during the unity conference I hosted on April 24th. In the middle of it all, I took a step back and looked around the room. I saw an incredible amount of students from diverse backgrounds sharing ideas, telling their stories, and learning from one another. I didn't see differences. I saw humanity in a world that can feel divided by conflict, hatred, and uncertainty. That moment gave me a sense of peace.

165It reminded me of what I had always hoped to contribute to. Bringing people together, fostering understanding, and creating spaces where every voice feels valued. That vision of unity and humanity is what so many leaders, activists, and change makers have worked toward throughout history. It is a vision that continues to inspire me today. And I'm very happy because part of the reason I took on this role was for how interested I was in being a leader and how I want to pursue my government goals. So, if you guys see me up there in Congress, >> you know, maybe you'll you'll recognize her. When I spoke with Zach Zachary Peterson, the first student board member and the person who helped pave the way for all of us who followed, I was reminded that there are people who

166deeply believe in the power of young people. People who see problems and are motivated to create change rather than accept them. I have seen that same commitment in every student board member who has held this position. And throughout this year, I have done my best to carry that tradition forward. If there's one thing I hope to leave behind, it is the belief that students have the power not only to imagine a better future, but to help build it now. This chapter of my life has been unforgettable, filled with moments I will cherish forever. It has been a true privilege to serve, and I hope every student felt they had someone they could trust throughout this year. Last year, I ended my speech by saying, "We often say that students are the future leaders, but I

167believe we are not just the future, we are also the now." A year later, I still believe that with all my heart. To every student listening, believe in your voice, believe in your impact, and believe in your ability to create change today, not someday. The ideas you share and the actions you take matter more than you know. I am grateful for every conversation, every experience, and every person I have had the opportunity to meet along this journey. Each of you has made this year meaningful in your own way. I'm not leaving yet. I still have one year. And to end my sermon for the night, as Trusty Whitehurst Payne would say, I will leave you all and the students with a quote I go by. Time is limitless, so speak your words forever. Thank you.

168>> [applause] >> Okay, maybe I should have gone first because I don't know how I'm going to outbeat her. But [laughter] good evening everyone. I've spent the last few weeks really thinking about what I wanted to say tonight. And originally the original goal was to thank every single person in the crowd and every single person I've talked to and every single person that I've worked with. But I've been specifically instructed not to do that because that would take me way too long. So, um [laughter] I guess like the truth is no speech really feels big enough for a moment like this because tonight I feel like I'm not really just closing out a board meeting. I'm also closing out a really big chapter of my life that has shaped me in ways I never could

169have imagined. So when I first um became a student board member, I thought my job would be to just represent students. And what I didn't realize was how much the students, educators, leaders, and all people in this district would end up shaping me. This position has given me so much more than a seat at the dis. It gave me a purpose. It gave me confidence. It gave me mentors. It gave me friendships. It gave me so many perspectives. And at most importantly, it gave me hope. Hope in public education, hope in leadership, hope in what is possible when people come together to serve something greater than themselves. So over this past year, I've had the privilege of visiting schools across our district, meeting students from every background imaginable, hearing stories of challenges, perseverance, and dreams.

170And every time I walked away from those conversations, I felt truly inspired because despite everything students face, they continue to show up. They continue to dream. They continue to lead and they continue to believe that tomorrow can be way better than today. That belief is what makes San Unified special. It is easy to look at education and focus on the problems we still need to solve. But what I have seen this year is something so much bigger than that. I have seen teachers who stay late because they refuse to give up on student. They I have seen counselors who carry the weight of helping young people navigate some of the hardest moments of their lives. I've seen parents who work tirelessly to support their children such as the parents we have in the crowd today.

171I've seen district staff who dedicate countless hours behind the scenes because they believe every student deserves opportunity. And I've seen board members who care deeply about the future of this district and the students who depend on it. What I've seen is a community and that community has changed me. So to my fellow board members, thank you so much. You welcomed the student into this space and treated me with respect, kindness, and genuine care. You showed me what leadership looks like. You taught me that leadership is not about titles or position. It's about service. It's about listening. And it's about having the courage to make difficult decisions while never losing sight of the people behind them. Those lessons will stay with me for the rest of my life. And to the educators and staff throughout this

172district, thank you for everything that you do that often goes unseen. Students may forget lessons, assignments, or test scores, but they will never ever forget the adult who once believed in them. And every day, thousands of students walk into schools where people believe in them because of you. That matters more than words can express. And to the students of Standing Unified, thank you so much for trusting me and thank you so much for trusting in Ashley. There were moments this year when I questioned whether I was doing enough, whether I was representing you well enough, whether I was living up to the responsibility of this role. But every time I visited a school and heard a student's story, every time a student came up to share an idea, concern a dream, I was reminded why

173this work mattered. You were the reason I sat in the seat. You were the reason I spoke up. You were the reason I kept showing up. And carrying your voices into this room has been one of the greatest honors of my life. There is someone I really need to thank personally and I think it's okay if I do because she worked on me on this board. But Ashley Ashley or Das I genuinely don't think I can talk about this experience without talking about you. Very few people understand what this rule is actually like. The pressure, the responsibility, the excitement, and the total uncertainty of literally everything. But you did because you lived it with me. You've been a partner, a friend, and a constant source of support throughout this whole entire journey. We've shared countless

174meetings, conversations, laughs, challenges, and memories together. Also, dinners and drinks after meetings. Um, and when people look back on this year, they will remember your advocacy, your leadership, and your impact. But what I will remember most is your heart. So, thank you for serving alongside me. And thank you for believing in students. and thank you for helping make this experience one I will cherish forever. [snorts] And as I look around this room tonight, I realize that many of the people who have helped me get here may never fully understand how much they have meant to me. Because the truth is that none of us get anywhere alone. Every accomplishment, every opportunity, every success is built on the encouragement, support, and sacrifices of others. And tonight, more than anything, I just feel grateful. Grateful for every

175mentor who believed in me. Grateful for every student who trusted me. Grateful for every educator who welcomed me into their classrooms. Grateful for every conversation that challenged me to grow. Grateful for every single person who has made me a better leader and a better human being. And as I leave this position, I'm not leaving with all the answers. But I'm leaving with something I believe is far more valuable. I am leaving with faith. Faith in students, faith in this district, and faith in the future. Because after everything I've seen this year, I can honestly say that I am hopeful about where Standing Unified is headed. I see a district that is moving forward. I see people who care. I see students who are ready to lead. And I see a future that is brighter because

176of the people in this room. And to the next student board members, I hope you embrace every second of this opportunity. There will be days when you're nervous, days where you wonder if your voice matters, but I promise you that it does. So never forget that you belong here and never forget that there are more than 90,000 students who experience only you can truly bring to this table. So speak boldly, listen carefully, lead with compassion, and never lose sight of why you're here. You're not just representing students. You're reminding this district that students are not the future. We are part of the present and our voices matter now. So tonight, it signifies that my term is coming to an end. my love for this district, my belief in public education, my commitment to serving others

177will not. So before I leave the seat for one of the last times, I simply want to say thank you and thank you for trusting me. Thank you for teaching me and thank you for believing in student voices and thank you for giving me an experience that has forever changed my life. Serving as one of your student board members has been more than an honor. It has been a privilege, a responsibility, and a gift. One that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. And it looks like we are winning it together because look at where students are at now. So thank you. [applause] >> Uh do any of our board members want to give brief thanks to Ashley and Alina? Who would like to jump in? Trusty Whiters. >> Yes. >>

178We'll go down the line. Okay, I'll go first and here we go. Well, both of you are really tough acts to follow. Um because I think everything that you expressed and everything you feel about this district um reflects what we want every child, every student to feel um to feel loved and supported and inspired. And so, thank you for continuing to push all of us um to make sure that that is what we are providing for all of our students. Um the voices um that both of you bring to this table and to your work out in our schools and in the community is so incredibly valuable. Um it's been an honor to work with each of you. Um, Ashley, I love that you're asking tough questions and um when something doesn't seem quite right,

179you're you're raising those concerns. Um, and Alina sharing all of your insights um about what this district can be for our students is so so powerful. So, thank you for your service um for recognizing that we are better together and I'm really excited for both of your futures. So, wishing you just the best of luck um in college and as you wrap up your career here at San Diego Unified. >> Thank you, Trusty H. Vice President Fos. >> Thank you, President Barrera. Um so, yes, I echo um Trusty Hazen's comments. Um I had the opportunity to sit on that side of the DAS with Ashley for half the year and sit on this side with Alina for half the year. So, it was wonderful to kind of get to know both of you and sit

180next to you and have some of those, you know, fun side conversations. And I would like to just actually thank you guys for teaching me. I felt like I was learning from you. And I love the freshness and just, you know, I could hear see that, you know, that you were thinking like what you wanted to say and um how that's evolved during the year too. like both of you have just matured and and you know just your questions. But it was it was just cute watching you um like just really, you know, listening and wanting to contribute and how you've gotten so more comfortable with that and and uh contributing. So um I appreciate both of you for um for your just your en energy and your passion. Um, I also want to say

181thank you for just being selfless because I feel as a student board member. I feel that about myself, too. It's not just about my beliefs or what I want to get across. It's what is best for, you know, the district. And I feel like, you know, it's it's very easy to get caught up in, you know, I have something a pet project and I want to just focus on this. But really, our students need and you guys do such an excellent job of representing all of our students and really listening to all of their voices. I think you even tried to go to or maybe you did get to all the high schools which I don't think any of the other board members have have done that. Um gotten around to all the schools. I

182mean that's pretty amazing. We have a lot of high schools and um and just the advis the student advisory board bringing in other student voices in so it's not just you in the spotlight the whole time, you know, you're bringing trying to bring those other students in. And I I really love that part of you too because I think that's also important. Um, so I I know both of you are gonna, you know, you're already doing great things and you're gonna continue to move on to do that and I'm just so proud of you and um excited for you as you, you know, step into these next uh, you know, endeavors and uh, hopefully you'll come back and visit and and uh, let us know what's going on with your life. So, thank you for

183sharing your time with us. >> Thank you. >> You're good. Okay, Trusty Waters. >> Of course, I couldn't lose this opportunity to express my love for these two young ladies who have been outstanding and presented so much to us. I when we first were looking at having trustees, student trustees, it was like we we need to hear the students. We need to hear what the students are saying to us as adults and to have them here uh with us given us that advice and sharing has been awesome. You exceed my expectations. Can I say that? You really exceed my expectations. Uh, I remember when I was um at Cal State U San Marcos and I was on the foundation board also and there was a student who was an elected official um from his hometown

184and I say to both of you, you're ready for real elections now. If you want to go and run and run for mayor or run for mayor of Sandy, um, no, I didn't say that. Okay. If you want to run for mayor of something, you can do that because I think I like your methodical way of looking at things. What you bring to the table is just awesome and I would encourage both of you to continue in in that field of bringing people's um advice uh comments to the public and helping to solve problems rather than to just leave them hanging. So, I really appreciate that about both of you. And I I would just say as advice as people, including myself, give you advice. Always think about what you want and be sure that

185you're fulfilling that need because then you can do your best. I look forward to hearing from both of you. Doing well in the future and thank you for hugs and kisses to both of you. >> Okay. >> Thank you, Trusty Wers. Trusty Person. >> Thank you, President. Oh my goodness. I'm I'm Gen X, so my my colleagues know whenever this happens, I I just hear that. Was that poised to men? It's so hard to say goodbye. I mean, that thing rolled for like three years straight, every single like montage. Um, but I'm hearing it right now. Um, and uh, but I, you know, it's funny with student trustees. You know, there's, for me, there's two, I'm trying, as this is unfolding. I'm trying to think through what it means to me, but on the one

186hand, I don't understand student trustees really. You know, they come in and when I was your age, I was literally like waterlogged, water polo player. I'm girls. I mean, nothing. I don't even know what I was thinking about. I hardly thought about school. I was trying to fake that I'd read Heart of Darkness, you know. And so I see these trustees come in and the the just the courage it takes that first day. They're looking at all these elected trustees like, "Oh my god." You can see they paddle into a wave that's just gigantic and they're terrified that, you know, that they're going to bail on it. And um and so to me it's like I'm a little stunned that they have so much courage. I mean the courage both of you have and I

187I can still see those first days when you would like be looking at all the trustees half in disbelief that you were really here and not knowing how you were going to grow into this thing. And on the other hand, I think it's so much of what you were going through in those early days is like maybe a sense of imposture like I'm just a student and these are trustees. But I think one of the things that you probably learned in the process is you're just trustees. I mean we still we say student trustees to distinguish it because there are certain legal um criteria on certain agenda items or this or that. You were elected in a slightly different manner. um we fundraised and you you know I mean and you had student um support

188so I can't really say which is more legitimate um but um but but what I I think I want to say is yes on a certain level you you came to understand quickly that you had a right to be here that you had an important voice to be heard but for me watching you this year it really brings home a reality which I think is important for all the public to understand which We don't we don't ultimate boards are not seven additional superintendents. There are professionals that go through multiple they've been through an entire career 26 years. They have three rounds of hiring. That's they're the ones who figure out how to implement it. What a board member is responsible for is judgment, character, representing the values and interests of their community. and you came

189in, you're just trustees in the sense that you are absolutely valid representatives of your community. You have a voice that is just as valid as ever and people can hear from your your discussion on the dis. You could put blindfolds on and not be able to still read a transcript and not be able to distinguish your speech from other trustes speech, which is truly remarkable. And part of that is the growth you've had. But part of it is actually that's actually what people want when they elect elected officials is to represent their values and their interests and have character and have discipline and take the work uh uh seriously. So I as I you're going to go out into the world and you're going to do amazing things far more amazing than any of us,

190Lord knows. Um um but more than anything I want all the students to take all the students to take from your example and all the public to take your for your example. What they need in representatives is not that you know all the answers. Not that you've seen you've had the experience in this discipline. We have professionals to deal with that. but that you do exactly what you did on this board night after night, which is deeply care about your fellow students, deeply care about your community, be deeply invested in the future. Um, and for me personally, I think all of us are tired of the baby boomers destroying this country and this world. I'm tired, I'm Gen X, and I'm tired of Gen X destroying this country and this world. and it's time honestly

191for us to to help you find find your generation's way out of the disaster we've we've um prepared for you. So, I'm sorry for that, but bless you. It's been a genuine honor of a lifetime to serve with you. >> Thank you. Um just very quickly, so when we all go home tonight and we're all kind of exhausted, Ashley and Alina are just getting started. I see you every Tuesday night at the end of the board meeting. You're working and you're planning for, you know, for what's what's coming next. So, you're two incredibly hardworking elected officials. And Ashley, we're lucky to have you for one more year in our district. And I know you're going to continue to bring your powerful, clear voice uh to all of the decisions that are made uh for students,

192decisions that this board makes, but decisions that are made um in at the school sites as well. I know that's who you are, and I can't wait to vote for you for Congress and president and every every everything else. Um, and Alina, I've known you since you were in elementary school. And uh, and the truth is you've grown, but you've kind of always been the same. Alina has always been the person who just gets everybody else organized and focused. Um, and your growth has, uh, been profound. Um and I you know we hear it in your words on the dis your voice your words has absolutely impacted and in times changed the votes that the rest of us took on this board. We've seen it happen uh repeatedly. And what you do, what you do,

193Ashley, is you, you know, as uh Cody and other people were saying, you do the great work that that really good elected officials do, which is you put the time into listening uh to your constituents. you um you are always prepared when you come to our meetings because you've been in conversation um with other students and with you know educators and parents and other people as well. So you come to that with the power of uh of a collective voice um and then you bring yourself to that and you represent it well. So we're incredibly lucky in San Diego to have you staying with us at UCSD. You're going to do amazing things. Selena, I've seen you do amazing things for a long time and you're going to continue to to do amazing things and

194Ashley looking forward to working with you in a lot of different ways uh o over the over the at least the the next year. So with that would like to present trustee Ashley Ord with uh this plaque and trustee Alina W with this plaque. >> [applause] [applause] >> All right. And as the uh tradition and the legacy of our elected uh student board members continues and gets better uh with every group, we now uh are so excited to swear in uh Lauren and Ethan and Superintendent Fagulo, please. >> And I promise there'll be lots of pictures. I know, I know, I know. Uh tonight, as one pair of our student trustees move on, we're excited to receive the next pair. I would like to officially welcome incoming student trustees Lauren Lee of Scripps Ranch High

195School and Ethan Ramirez of San Diego High School. Lauren is a passionate advocate for equity, wellness, and student voice. Through her leadership as a student equity ambassador, founder of a UNICEF chapter, and a participant in numerous civic engagement efforts, she has demonstrated a deep commitment to serving others and creating positive change. Ethan brings years of student leadership experience, having served on the district students advisory board since middle school. As a student athlete, ASB leader, and school news reporter, he has dedicated himself to ensuring students feel informed, connected, and represented. Together, Lauren and Ethan embody the leadership, service, and civic engagement that we strive to c cultivate in all of our students. We're excited to partner with them over the coming year and look forward to hearing their perspectives as we continue working to improve outcomes

196for every student. Lauren and Ethan, welcome to the board of education. We are honored to have you join us and we look forward to the impact you will make on behalf of all of our students throughout San Diego Unified. Congratulations. [applause] >> There's a swearing in. We're now doing the swearing in. Yes. >> Yes. So, we go to Okay. Will you direct us, please? >> Yes. >> Ashley and Alina will do the swearing in. >> Oh my god. Okay. Great. [applause] Yeah, this >> raise your right hand and please repeat after me. I state your name. I am >> do solemnly swear >> that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States >> that I will support and support and swear to defend the Constitution of the United States >> and the

197Constitution of the State of California >> and the Constitution of the State of California >> against all enemies foreign and domestic. >> against all enemies foreign and domestic. that I will bear true faith and the allegiance >> that I will bear true faith and allegiance >> to the Constitution of the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of California >> and the Constitution of the State of California. >> That I will take this obligation freely >> without any mental reservations >> or purpose of evasion. and that I will well and faithfully >> and that I will well and faithfully >> discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter. >> discharge the duties which upon about I am to enter. >> Thank you. [applause] >> [clears throat] >> Okay, raise your right

198hand and repeat after me. I your name >> I Lauren Lee >> do solemnly swear that I will support >> and defend the Constitution of the United States >> and defend the Constitution of the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of California >> and the Constitution of the State of California >> against all enemies foreign and domestic >> against all enemies foreign and domestic. that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States >> that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of California >> and the Constitution of the State of California. >> That I take this obligation freely >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. without any mental reservations or

199purpose of evasion. >> And that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties >> that I well well that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties >> upon which I am about to enter >> upon which I will about I'm about to enter. >> Congratulations. [cheering] [applause] It's photo opportunity time and I believe Richard has to adjourn the meeting. [applause]