2025-12-17 Board Meeting

001Good evening. The December 17, 2025 meeting of the Sanonteo County Board of Education will come to order. As is our practice, this meeting will be recorded. I note that Marco Chavez, Deputy Superintendent, Educational Services Division, is attending on behalf of Superintendent McGee this evening. The board provides remote access for members of the public and welcomes community members joining in person and remotely. The board is following the requirements of Assembly Bill AB2449, which enables remote participation by board members only under specific circumstances. Would board member Alvaro like to speak at this time? >> Yes, thank you. I think I'm on now. Um, unfortunately, I'm not doing at all well and I apologize for not being able to join you in person, but I'm delighted I can at least join you via Zoom. and there is no

002one in the room with me of any age whatsoever. >> Thank you, Trusty Alvaro. We use simultaneous interpretation in Spanish for those attending virtually through the end of public comment. Translation will continue further into the meeting if people are utilizing the channel. Thank you to our interpreters, Ana Cruz and Kimberly Larios for joining us remotely. For meeting attendees wishing to access the Spanish translation channel on Zoom, please click on the interpretation button on the menu bar tonight. We also have Spanish interpretation. For those attending the meeting in person, thank you to our interpreters, Ava Kamacho and Flora Variel for joining us in person. If you are in need of translation and haven't already obtained an interpretation device, please head to the table in the back of the boardroom for assistance. For both remote and in-person

003attendance, we will use simultaneous interpretation for the portions of the meeting spoken in English. If there is a if there is remote or in-person public comment in Spanish, then our in-person interpreters will use consecutive interpretation. The timer will only countdown while the comment is being made in Spanish and not during the translation. In all cases, we ask speakers to be mindful of the Spanish interpretation and speak slowly and clearly. Item 1B is the approval of the agenda. Is there a motion to approve the agenda? >> So move. >> Is there a second? >> Thank you. There is a motion to approve the agenda made by Trusty Gerard and a second by Trusty O'Neal. Is there any further discussion? May I please have a roll call vote? >> Miss Alvaro. >> I. >> Miss Aras. >>

004I. >> Miss Benini. >> I. Mr. Jard. >> I. >> Miss Love. Mr. O'Neal. >> Mr. Torres. I the motion passes with a vote of 70 and the agenda for tonight's meeting has been approved. Item two is public comment. Guidelines for public comment are available on the SMCE website and in board docs and on the table outside in the back of the boardroom in both English and in Spanish. For speakers who require Spanish interpretation for public comment made in English, Miss Cruz, Miss Larios, Miss Kamacho, and Miss Variel will provide simultaneous interpretation. For public comment made in Spanish, Miss Kamacho and Miss Variel will translate consecutively. At this time, members of the public may provide comment for topics not included on the approved agenda. The county board of education does not act upon any matter

005that has not been agendaized except under limited circumstances as permitted by law. It is the policy of the county board to refer matters raised in this forum to the superintendent for investigation and/or action where appropriate. Uh, Deputy Superintendent Chavez, do we have any comments submitted prior to the meeting for topics not on the approved agenda? >> No, none. >> Thank you. Speakers are invited to make live comment and will have one minute to speak. Please keep within the time limits. To make a comment over Zoom. Members of the public may use the raise hand feature. Instructions for using this feature are provided as an attachment in the board packet. Once the hand is raised, please wait to be acknowledged by Deputy Superintendent Chavez. Uh, Deputy Superintendent Chavez, are there any members of the public attending

006remotely who wish to make a comment at this time for topics not on the approved agenda? >> We have three raised hands. Um, let's see. Um, Evan, uh, Leonard, you have one minute. >> Uh, thank you everyone in the board. Uh, my name is Evan Leonard and my son attends the Tide Academy in Menlo Park. Uh I want to raise to your attention and request that the board provide more oversight uh to the Sequoia Union School District for the way they're handling the proposal to clothe close tide academy. The proposal appears to have been made with a predetermined outcome without any analysis of other ways to reduce the structural deficit. This was done during a time of year when there's going to be a direct impact on next year's admissions without giving the school any

007fair warning or a way to address these concerns. Incorrect data has been quoted by board members in public meetings with the cost per student not being factored in appropriately for the equity analysis that's necessary for the increased population of 504 and IEP plans at this school which has tremendous outcomes for these populations far and above any other school in the district. Uh, additionally in public comment, there's an attitude of inflexibility to feedback. The timing of all of this has caused significant harm to the student body population already, even before going further. Thank you. >> Next, we have Olga Survkaya. Olga, you may speak. >> Um, hi. Hello. Um, good evening everybody. Uh, my name is um Olga. I'm a San Mato County resident. I'm a parent. I'm a business owner. And just as Evan, I

008came here to speak about Tide Academy. Uh it is being singled out for closure despite being a small public thriving high school where other students could benefit from. We really urge you to help us to stay open. We are very very important um public school. Other schools facing similar enrollment challengments that we have been facing are not treated the same way. It raises serious concerns about fairness and transparency. We feel like there is none. Tight serve students who often need more support. Students with learning differences, students from minority communities, you name it, we've got we've got it. Those students need your support. Don't fail us. Thank you. Thank you. Um, followed by Aaron Rubin. >> On September 11th of this year, the Sonteo County Office of Education issued a letter to Sequoia Union High School

009District approving of their budget for fiscal year 2526. The letter noted that while there was an expected to be deficit for the operating budget for the next year or two, this the district was supposed to swing back to an excess in 2728. Less than two months later, Sequoia Union approved a $5.2 million recurring pay raise to the teachers of the district, undermining their financial stability without a plan to cover the new expense. In response, Sequoia Union started exploring shutting down one of its smaller schools, Tide Academy, which almost exclusively serves Latinos and special education students. Today, I call upon the board to speak out publicly against closing Tide Academy, which not only contradicts the goals of the district's LCAP, but also sells out the most underserved communities. I urge the board to closely examine whether

010closing Tide Academy is consistent with the board's stated goals and to press for solutions that honor both fiscal responsibility and the promises made to the students. >> Thank you. I don't see any additional raised hands. >> Thank you. Members of the public may also provide live comment in person. Deputy Superintendent Chavez, are there any submitted cards for topics not in the approved agenda? >> No submitted cards. >> Thank you. Public comment addressing a specific agenda item will be heard after the board's discussion on the item. If members of the public wish to speak to a specific agenda item, please use the raise hand feature when the item is announced, or if in person, please submit a card in advance of the item. Cards can be found on the table in the back of the boardroom

011and given to a staff member when completed. For item three, the county board will conduct a public hearing pursuant to education code section 4765605.6B regarding the petition requesting a charter for the Ocean Light School, a proposed countywide benefit charter school. My name is Ugo Torres and I am the board president and I will be acting as the chairperson of this hearing. This hearing will proceed as follows. So, first, the board will receive the SMCE staff analysis and recommendations for no more than 10 minutes. Second, the Ocean Light School Charter petitioners will be given no more than 10 minutes to also present evidence and testimony in response to the SMCE staff analysis and recommendations. Third, representatives from the affected school districts including Beayore Elementary, Brisbane, Berlingame, Jefferson Elementary, Jefferson Union High, Pacifica, San Bruno Park, and

012South San Francisco Unified have been offered the opportunity to give a presentation also for no more than 10 minutes each. For the staff, petitioner, and district presentations, we will advise when there are two minutes left and when time is up, please keep within the time limits. Fourth, the board will be given the opportunity to ask any clarifying questions to any and all parties. Fifth, the board will hear public comment. Each speaker will be limited to one minute. Please keep within the time limits. Speakers shall direct their comments to the board and are urged to avoid repeating points made by previous speakers. All attendees are requested to hold any applause until the end of public comment. Very important. We are very much in appreciation to the attention and the public participation generated by this petition. In

013order to give all parties an opportunity to share their presentations and all members of the public a chance to provide public comment, we will be strictly enforcing the time limits described. We also ask that all attendees remain respectful of this process so as not to disrupt the orderly conduct of the hearing. The board desires to hear from all of you and the board reserves the right under government code 54957.9 to ensure orderly proceedings and will remove individuals or groups who willfully interrupt and render the orderly conduct of the meeting unfeasible. So thank you. At the conclusion of the public comment, we will then um the public hearing will be closed and the board may engage in discussion before taking action on the petition request. So at this time, I call upon Marco Chavez, deputy superintendent

014uh educational services division to introduce the SMCE staff who will provide the staff analysis report and board options for action with a 10-minute maximum. >> Thank you very much, uh President Torres. Before I introduce our speaker, I'd like to take a moment to recognize the respectful and professional uh uh demonstrated by everyone who participated in this um complex process, the petitioners, the district leaders and members of of the community. Um your commitment and construct constructive dialogue is really appreciated. Um, so now I'll introduce our SMCOE uh team member, uh, Joy Dardinell, our executive director, uh, improvement and support for district improvement and support. Um, she will provide us with an overview of the staff analysis and recommendations report related to the review of the Ocean Light School charter petition. Joy, >> thank you. Good evening,

015President Torres, members of the board, Deputy Superintendent Chavez, staff, and community. We are here this evening for a second public hearing and a decision on the Ocean Light Countywide Charter petition. On Dece on September 18th, 2025, North Peninsula Charter School, Inc., operating as Ocean Light School submitted a charter petition seeking approval from the Sanonteo County Board of Education to establish and operate Oceanlight School, a public charter school for countywide benefit. Beginning August 2026, the Oceanlight School petitioners plan to serve 236 students age 4 to 14 in grades TK through 8. They also plan to grow the school to approximately 488 students and add a second and possibly third location by year 7. California Education Code section 47605.6B 6B states, "No later than 60 days after receiving a petition, the county board shall hold a public

016hearing on the provisions of the charter, at which time the county board shall consider the level of support for the petition by teachers, parents, or guardians, and the school districts where the charter school petitioner proposes to place facilities. The SMC BOE held a public hearing for the Ocean Light School Charter petition on October 22nd. The education code also stipulates that the county board of education shall either deny or grant or deny the charter within 90 days of petition. Sorry, let me start over there. You guys are a little intimidating. No, I'm just kidding. I'm joking. Okay, that's 10 minutes. Okay. The education code also stipulates that the county board of education shall either grant or deny the charter within 90 days of receipt of the petition and that this date may be extended by an

017additional 30 days if both parties agree. The decision hearing for the Ocean Light School petition is taking place tonight on December 17th. Additionally, as a matter of best practice, San Monteo County Office of Education staff also conducted a two-hour capacity interview with the Oceanlight School's founding team and their legal council on October 30th to clarify questions about topics including but not limited to the educational program, school operations, and the financial plan. On on November 18th, the Oceanlight petitioners followed up with a request for consideration of a draftou that is a memorandum of understanding and submitted their first draft on November 21st. A copy of the draftou is included in the board packet. SMCE staff from the systems for district improvement, curriculum and instruction, human resources, district business services, and safe and supportive school departments, as

018well as the superintendent's office analyzed the petition in a in an objective and factual manner following California Ed Code and SMC BOE's guidelines regarding the consideration of countywide charter petitions within SMCOE's charter review team is staff with expertise and experience in educational programming including English learners, special education, alternative education, school governance, and school finance. Additionally, staff would like to acknowledge the work of the lead petitioner, Miss Lee Ling Pang, and the remainder of the Oceanlight founding team. While SMCE staff's full analysis is found in the board packet, I will provide an overview of the most significant findings. First, the petition does not provide reasonable justification for why Ocean Light School could not be established by petition to a school district pursuant ED code 47605. Second, the petition does not demonstrate the Oceanlight School will offer

019services to a pupil population that will benefit from those services and that cannot be served as well by a charter petition that operates in only one school district in the county. Third, the Oceanlight petitioners failed to provide at least 30 days notice to Berlin Game School District, which is identified as a site for a potential future facility of their intent to operate a charter school pursuant at code 47605.6. Fourth, the support of the petition is highly localized and concentrated among the Ocean Shore School community in Pacifica School District and each of the seven affected school districts plus Berlingame school district have voiced opposition to the petition. Fifth, due to its failure to set forth a reasonably comprehensive educational program, the petition presents an unound educational program for the pupils to be enrolled in the charter

020school. Sixth, the Ocean Light petitioners are demonstrably unlikely to successfully implement the program set forth in the petition due to simultaneous implementation of multiple initi in initiatives not reaching its proposed target population, insufficient startup funds, and deficiencies in the descriptions of the required elements of the charter petition. Seventh, the petition contains an affirmation that Oceanlight School shall be non sectarian in its programs, operations, admission policies, etc. as described in ED code 47605.6E, but the actual conditions set forth in the petition as it pertains to the admission preferences, BIA, affair, and open lottery. Eighth, the petition does not contain reasonably comprehensive descriptions of five of the 16 required elements as set forth fully in the staff report. Ninth staff have identified several concerns with the supplemental requirements regarding the proposed operation and potential effects of the

021charter school, including the timing of any facility lease agreements, the manner in which administrative services will be provided, potential civil liabilility effects, and the charter school's financial statements. 10th. The petition has not demonstrated the cap capability to provide comprehensive learning experiences to academically low achieving pupils and therefore no preference should be given under ED code 47605.6. Finally, the county board is vested with consider considerable discretion in granting or denying the petition and may base a denial on any of the grounds enumerated or on any other grounds that the county board finds justifies such denial. As a result of our findings, staff recommends that the San Mateo County Board of Education deny the petition for the establishment of Oceanlight School as a countywide benefit charter school. However, should the board approve the petition for Ocean Light

022School, the approval should be for an initial term of 5 years July 1st, 2026 to June 30th, 2031 on the condition that North Peninsula Charter School, Inc. operating as Ocean Light School enter into anouou on or before February 27th, 2026 that addresses to the county board SMCOE's satisfaction each of the staff's concerns, including but not limited to those identified and reviewed in the staff analysis. A conditional approval contingent upon entering into anou is necessary to ensure the sound operation of Ocean Light School as a countywide charter school and to ensure SMCE best practices and expectations as well as any additional conditions or requirements identified by the county board. And this concludes our staff statement. Thank you to the team for all the work and then thank you executive director Darnell for the presentation. For item

0233B, the board will receive a presentation from the Ocean Light Charter School petitioners with a 10-minute maximum. Dr. Kelly Mendoza, Don Berdett, Leelang Ping, Jennifer Shu will be speaking on behalf of the petitioners. I ask that the petitioners for Ocean Light School please proceed to the podium. Um, >> I'm a teacher. I should know how to do this. >> Yeah, >> probably. >> Okay. All right. Uh, good evening, President Torres, trustees, and deputy superintendent Chavez. Thank you to the teachers and families who have shown up tonight. Moved heaven and earth to be here during a very difficult week. It's finals week for me. I have a big stack of papers. Um, and I know you have lots of demands, especially during this time of year. Um, and thank you board and staff for the time

024and care you brought to this petition. We provided each of you with a written response to the staff analysis in advance so that you could review it thoughtfully. Many of the items raised by the staff analysis are routine elements typically finalized through theou process after authorization. We welcome that work. We welcome working with you on that work. We want to begin by affirming this your commitment to equity and your commitment to expanding opportunity for students across Sano County. Slide two, please. What does it mean? There we go. So, tonight the central question before you is simple. What decision expands opportunity and advances equity for students across our county? This is the frame we asked you to hold as we consider three standards for approval. Standard one, does this petition meet the legal criteria for a

025countywide benefit? Standard two, is Oceanlight's educational model strong? Standard three, does this team have the capacity to build a successful school? Thank you. >> Public stewardship isn't about preserving what's familiar. It's about looking out for all students across the county and ensuring access to highquality education regardless of where a child lives. This is your role. Your legal decision rests on this. Is there a countywide need that cannot be served effectively by a single district charter? That is the question. For families across northern Sonteo County, the answer has been clear for years. Long before recent challenges in Pacifica, families in Daily City, South San Francisco, Brisbane, and San Bruno lacked access to what families in other parts of the county already have, a public TK to8 school that offers integrated hands-on realworld learning. With only one

026high school charter in North County, most families don't have the opportunity to choose a school that best meets the needs of their children. families either are stuck with ill-fitting options or move to private school or homeschool. Since the last hearing, we returned to these communities outside Pacifica. We listened, we surveyed, we met families where they are and they told us the same thing. They are frustrated at their lack of options. These poll results are hard to ignore. Only 30% of families say that their child's school is meeting their needs. What are families looking for? They say, "We want more hands-on and real world learning, steam, art, music, and creativity. We want our kids to learn to care for the planet. They want something that does not exist anywhere in the region." It's no surprise that

02783% said that they were interested in having access to a different kind of school, one like Ocean Light. This need not begin in one city. It's a regional void. And that matters because a single district charter would limit equitable access. Countywide authorization is what allows Ocean Light to serve students equitably and fairly regardless of district boundaries. It allows the fair and open enrollment and it allows the school to grow as one school across multiple small campuses close to where need is high. That is what the countywide benefit is meant to meet. Ocean Light is the voice of families across more than six districts saying the same thing. Our children need this kind of school. It doesn't exist today and it would change their lives. Next is Ocean Light's educational model sound. The evidence speaks for

028itself. Ocean Light is built on decades of practice by veteran educators who implemented similar models in their classrooms. It brings together our pillars of project-based learning, environmental stewardship, steam problem solving, whole child development, and family partnership into an immersive and fully integrated learning experience. This TK to8 model is researchbased and intentionally designed to serve diverse learners. This is not theoretical. What education research shows about the benefits of this model on student engagement and learning was also observed by this community of practice. This unique model produced strong outcomes that outperformed California and county averages for many years. But as it stands today, no public school in the north part of the county currently offers a model like this. Ocean Light can fill this void. Families are asking for access to this model of learning because they

029know it's effective. The staff report also recognizes its strength. Your authorization will give Ocean Light the green light to set the launch plan into motion, hiring staff, securing facilities, and making sure systems are in place to meet the needs of all students, including those with special needs. The implementation details and timelines are addressed in theou we've drafted. And finally, the question of capacity. Does this team have what it takes to ready this school for launch? How do Oh, backwards. Sorry. Okay. Um, no, sorry. Um, let's be clear. Capacity does not live in documents alone. It lives within people and more importantly in a team's ability to work together. Humanitarian educator Helen Keller said it best. Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much. Oceanlight's capacity lies in the collective strength of

030its educators, leaders, and community. A community of practice with deep shared experience in this educational model. We have a collection of 27 letters from educators with deep experience with this model who are pledging their commitment to help build Oceanlight. Oceanlight's educators are not working on this for the first time. They have spent years designing and implementing this model to support diverse learners. This team knows how to collaborate across disciplines, align instructions to state standards, support diverse learners, and translate vision into daily practice. When an architect presents a blueprint, no one doubts that the building will have electricity just because every outlet isn't drawn in. We trust the architect because the design is sound and the team knows how to bring it to life. Similarly, at the petition stage, it would be misguided to assess a

031team's capacity by scanning blueprints for missing implementation details. What makes this moment unique is the level of collective experience and commitment that exists right now. Furthermore, our enrollment policy was written to anchor a strong, stable launch and provide equal access countywide. The number of the founding team students is small, just 12, and families who signed the petition only have the preference for the first year. We welcome discussion with the board as you exercise your judgment on what aspects of our enrollment policy support the county's equity goals and ensure a successful launch. Where we begin is a stable foundation. What we grow into is a diverse community reflective of San Monteo County. This is a rare moment. Your decision can harness the collective capacity to make ocean right ocean light a reality for families. Thank you.

032>> We're going to move to the end. Um there's a clear legal path to a yes vote. A yes vote fills a real gap. A yes vote opens doors for families who have been historically overlooked in multiple districts. A yes vote reflects responsible stewardship. The Oceanlight Petition stands on solid ground. The need is real. The model is strong. The team is ready. The community has spoken. For these reasons, we respectfully ask you to vote yes on Ocean Lights petition. Thank you for your consideration. >> Uh thank you to the petitioners for all their work, for their collaboration with our county office, and for the presentation. Um, for item 3 C, the board will receive presentations and responses from several of the affected school districts with a 10-minute maximum per district. I ask that any district

033representatives who approach the podium but have not been introduced, please state for the record their name and association with the district before speaking. At first, we have the Brisbane School District. Please come to the podium at this time. Dr. Michael Milikin, interim superintendent, will be speaking for the district. President Torres, I'm waiting for the slide to come Thank you. Michael Milikin, interim superintendent for the Brisbane School District. At the board's direction, I'm here to represent the district and oppose this charter petition uh for four reasons. Uh misrepresents uh North County schools and school districts. Um second, makes arguments based on those misrepresentations. Third, um, fails the countywide statutory test. Your staff agrees. And fourth, uh, doesn't justify the TK8 design. So, uh, as I shared at the last meeting, uh, the petition misrepresents a Panorama

034school, which is one of the, um, examples it gives for the void that it's filling. Uh second, it uh misrepresents the performance or achievement levels of school districts as well as the charter schools that um it aspires to um be like. Uh the fourth bullet here I think is an important one. It compares school districts to schools. So San Carlos Charter 377 students. Uh for example, South City, a school district of over 7,500 students. So 20 times the size. It's apples to oranges. There we go. Uh this uh outlines the places where um I assert there are inaccuracies. Uh the petitioners agree as I understand it and for from our standpoint uh the petitioners arguments uh must be discounted for this reason. uh Ocean Shore and the charter schools are not as impressive as they

035claim and the North County school districts are considerably better than they claim. Uh our third argument is that the um board of education is prohibited from approving a countywide charter when a single district charter school can address the needs of the target targeted pupil population just as well. Uh the county office of education staff agree with this assertion. Uh here is some of the evidence uh for why uh the targeted population is not a countywide uh population. uh the parent signitories, teacher signitories, petition survey respondents um as well as uh having no Brisbane survey respondents um in the survey that was uh cited in the petition. Uh and I would note that the county office of education staff concurs with this assertion. [clears throat] Um, additionally, um, both in the petition and just now in

036their presentation, the, uh, petitioners claim, uh, make a claim that the TK8 model is a, um, research-based model that provides an alternative to the traditional education that's being offered in, for example, San Bruno, Brisbane, and South City. However, uh despite having by my count, I could be wrong, um just over 130 research citations, not one of them speaks to the TK8 model. Not one. So, if it's a researchbased model, where's the research? Um I did a quick search and it seems to me that the research is mixed. Also, as I understand it, the theory of action for a TK8 model is a personalized setting with ongoing steady, you know, continuing relationships, but their model is a single school across multiple sites. So, they're going to have different school sites, but they're going to have one

037school. I'm not following how this is different than say in Brisbane we take our elementary school students and bring them over to a um single uh middle school at Litman. Our Litman middle school has 161 students. Trust me, it's personalized. Um we have strong relationships. It's not traditional. So for me I have concerns about the assertions being made with regard to the TK8 model. Um so in summary uh keeping it brief uh the four points here are the misrepresentations the arguments based on those misrepres representations uh failing the countywide test and uh not justifying the TKH structure. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you Dr. Mikin. Um, up next we have the Berlinger Game School District. Please come to the podium at this time. Dr. Mara Silvermith, superintendent, will be speaking for the district.

038All right. Good evening, members of the county board. Deputy Superintendent Chavez. Thank you for having me here tonight. Um, I'm here this evening once again to express Berling Games opposition to Oceanlight School County Charter Petition and pledge our support to the Sonteo County Office of Education's staff report of findings and recommendations to deny the petition. As a brief recap, prior to the formal submission of the countywide charter petition, the petitioners were required to provide Berlingame with at least 30 days advanced notice of their intent to operate facilities within our district boundaries. However, they failed to do so and have not presented any evidence indicating otherwise. This single-handedly deprived our district of the opportunity to one, engage in a comprehensive review of the petition, two, evaluate the proposed operation facilities within our boundaries and communicate with

039our board and educational partners, and three, express any substantive concerns or object objections prior to the first public hearing of the petition. Because of this procedural prerequisite was not met, the county should have halted the petition, reviewed the process, and directed the petitioners to provide a mandated 30-day notice before resubmitting the petition. Despite our objections, this did not happen. While Berlingame is not waving any argument that the petition submission was procedurally defective, we are pleased to see that the county office staff prepared an incredibly comprehensive report of its analysts of the analyst of the position petition and capacity um it held in the petition and the petitioner's operational readiness. uh the other details concerning the emphasis of this petition submission and the background of the petitioners. Without going into each of those findings, Berling game

040echoes the staff conclusion that the countywide petition and circumstances surrounding its submission are uh repelled and procedurally and substantial of deficiencies. Importantly, county staff fully acknowledged and aligned with Berlingame's position that the petitioners did not provide proper notice to the district of the proposed operation of facilities within our boundaries. County staff further had findings detailed on page 10 and 11 of the report and it states unequivocally that the petitioners failed to meet this critical procedural notice requirement in ED code section 47605.6A. On behalf of the Berling game school district, I ask the county board to stand in solidarity with every school district within Samonteo County that has expressed its strong opposition to the establishment of this charter. The county board must protect the interests of our local control of the public districts within its county

041lines. To do otherwise would both undermine and jeopardize our ability to effectively serve our families, our students, and our school communities. Therefore, Berlingame School District tonight is urging the county board to adopt the staff's recommendation in its totality and deny the countywide petition. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Silvermith. Um, the Jefferson Elementary School District is not present tonight, but they did submit two letters which are included in the board packet. Um, up next we have the Pacifica School District. Please come to the podium at this time. Dr. Cararissa Bowman, intram superintendent, will be speaking for the district. Good evening, president, trustees, community, parents, staff, and students. Thank you for this opportunity. I am Dr. Carissa Bowman. I'm the intern superintendent of Pacifica Schools. I stand before you because we all share a common goal,

042an unwavering goal, providing the very best learning opportunities for every single student in our county. I want to start by acknowledging that change in our schools is never easy. It brings uncertainty. It brings frustration and at times in like tonight we can feel anger. We see the passion in this room and we see the commitment of the parents and the teachers and we share it at Pacifica. At the center of this petition is a genuine recognition for project-based experential learning and environmental education. PSD absolutely supports that and has it. We value the innovation that inspires a child to look at a tide pool or a STEM project and see their future. We care deeply about what every child needs and what is best for each of them. But while we share these values, we have

043a responsibility, a duty to address the legal and structural realities regarding the Ocean Lights Charter application. First, the legal threshold for a countywide charter is set high, and this petition does not demonstrate a unique countywide necessity. Under education code 47605.6, there must demonstrate a material increased benefit that simply cannot be delivered through a single district and the position does not meet that legal burden. First, Ocean Light is focused on a single community rather than a countywide need. While restructuring Ocean Shore School in Pacifica has stirred anger and has established interest and has not met any of the legal standards for a reason why a charter is needed. Ocean Shore School operates and is standing and has the program that is being offered here in Pacifica and parts of the Oceanlight Charter. Second, the petition contains

044geographic inconsistencies within the petition that conflict with the purpose of the countywide charter. The petitioner's claims site limits options and the north Sanonteo County. However, chart a countywide charter must be by definition available from daily city to Pescadero, the countywide school to solve a localized geographic desire is not in the proper use of the charter framework. Third, between PSD's project-based initiatives and the county's own environmental literacy and sustain initiatives, these needs are being met. We should be investing and in strengthening our existing infrastructure, not creating or duplicating a system for the same finite resources we are all using and need. Furthermore, we must also consider the structural risk and the financial impact of students who remain in our care at Pacifica. The petition projects an enrollment of approximately 300 students from our district. This creates

045a structural deficit. When students leave across various grade levels, the district cannot have fixed reduced cost. We must still maintain buildings. We must still hire teachers. We must still have administrative oversight. As a revenue departs as a per people cost of mandated services for students, that also goes with a students leave for a charter, which leaves our other 2600 students not with the full supports and supplies that they would possibly need. and they are important part to consider in this big picture. I also want to focus on being transparent and honest on the path forward. We hear the community's concerns. We feel the hope. We also know that there is worry. We recognize that for many of you that the Sunset Ridge and Ocean Shore collocation may not have been optimal. We've heard the feedback.

046We know that the reality on the ground mixed classes in a shared curriculum may have not been exactly what was previously at Ocean Shore. But we have staff and we have students and we have community who is dedicated to make sure that we not only enrich that program but we in expand that program. The best path forward is not to be separated, it is to be a partner. We hear the community's concerns. We are committed to responding with actions. Instead of creating a separide county program, we would like to work together to strengthen and expand Ocean School Ocean Shore School and the other schools in Pacifica. We want and hope that the Ocean Shore teachers decide again to join the district initiatives like a literacy leaison person, a project-based learning leazison to help this enrichment

047occur throughout our entire district. We want programs that inspire students academically and nurture their curios curiosity, creativity, and love of learning. We ask that PSD students, families, ocean light, ocean PTA members, and other to be part of this healing community and to move Pacifica forward. We don't want lawsuits or recalls or 100,000 donations to start charters. We want to work together so that every child within Pacifica can serve can be served to the best of their ability without finite resources being separated. PSD is committed to working together with care, empathy, and general partnership to ensure that every student in Pacifica and across Sanonteo County has high access has access to high quality, engaging, equitable educational opportunities. We thank you for your time, for your thoughtfulness, and your unwaving commitment to the students we serve. Thank

048you. And we do recommend to not do the petition for Ocean Light Charter, and we do hope that one day we can work together with them in Pacifica. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Bowman. Um, the St. San Bruno Park School District is not present tonight, but they submitted a letter which is included in the board packet as well. Thank you to all the districts for their presentations and the documents that were submitted. For item 3D, the board will have the opportunity to ask any clarifying questions of the SMCE staff, the petitioners, and the districts. Are there any questions from the board? Uh, Trusty O'Neal. Um I think this one would be to staff and somewhere as everybody can see the the the um application and everything they applied for is quite big over there.

049Did I re did I read something? Oh sorry >> I don't remember receiving a notification from South City. Well let let us confirm. Um, but it's up to the board president. We didn't know in in advance. >> Um, if it's not on the agenda, do we are we still able to >> Is it a request from South City to make a presentation tonight? >> Yes. Well, we didn't receive it in advance. Um, but they're here. >> Yeah. Unfortunately, because it's not on the agenda, we can't hear it as an agenda item, but if we want to have a one minute public comment from >> Okay. >> Yeah. Is that all right? Okay. Yeah, we did have a cut off for submission of all presentation materials unfortunately. So if it's not on the agenda, we cannot

050hear it. >> So during um public comments. Okay. Trusty Benini. >> Oh, my question was um were they one of the notice districts? So, they weren't included in the items, but >> they were um all of the affected school districts were given an invitation to come and speak tonight, and they were also given a deadline by which they were to submit board packet material so that they could be put on the agenda >> or or just their names that they were going to speak. >> Y thank you. Um so, due to that, we are going to continue with board comments and questions. Um so, I'll turn that back over to Trusty O'Neal. Sorry. Thank you. No problem. I understand stuff happens. Um, this is a question probably for staff. Somewhere I seem to have read

051and I want to be sure I have the correct interpretation that a charter county ch a district charter school does not need an interd district um transfer request if theu if somebody from another district wants to go into that. If it's chartered in ABC district, do they need to do an interdist application in order to get to the charter school? >> The question is for either a countywide or a district charter school. >> District chartered school. Do they does someone from another district need to do an interdist application? >> No, they do not. >> So then what would be the benefit of being a county charter school? Because one of the arguments from the applicants is that it's countywide, but if a district chartered school, you do not need an interd district transfer from another

052district. What would be the argument that a county school is better? >> That go to you or um yeah, well, I can answer that and if we want to have the Oceanlight folks also respond. A district charter school does not require interd district transfers to accept students from other jurisdictions. Um the only time you might have a preferential um seating for availability at a district charter school is if you have more enrollment than you have seats available at which point you would have to do a public random lottery which is similar to the lottery process that we see in the charter petition. Um and so there you would give preference to the students of that school district and then if you have any other available seats then those can be given to students outside of

053that district. Of course if there are going to be additional preferences like preferences to founding members um preferences to children of staff um other preferences like that that would also have to be authorized by the chartering authority. >> Okay. So my understanding is correct then. >> Yeah that's correct. >> And do you guys have a comment for for that question? Thank thanks so much for the question. I appreciate it. I want to clarify this is really an issue of equity for why it's a countywide. Um a countywide is required to prefer students throughout the county. What happens as a practical matter in district authorized charters is that because they must prefer district students when there's a high demand school with a lot of demand within the district. All that space end up going to that

054district instead of students throughout the county. We see that in Bullis charter school for example in Santa Clara County where we've got demand all throughout the county to attend bullish charter school but because it's authorized within uh within within Los Altos school district uh students throughout the county don't have that opportunity even though it's a very high performing and in demand program by dear students. So that's the key difference is the preference. >> Okay. No, that answers my question. Thank you. And now, um, another question I had for, um, the applicants is, um, the Pacifica School District did not like close ocean shore. They transferred it up to, um, to Sunset Ridge. And having been on the Pacifica School Board and a resident Pacifica for 40 years, a quite a large portion of your history

055has been on shared campuses. So, what is the issue with being a shared campus up at Sunset Ridge? Because your application also says that you are looking at sites possibly in Jefferson Elementary School District, which has no vacant schools. So, you so whether you're Pacifica Charter or you're chartered and you go to Jefferson Elementary, you are in a shared site at all every site you've mentioned. and that historically you have been a shared site for I think almost like 30 years of your existence. So please clarify that question for me. >> Thank you for the question. >> Um I am a parent of an ocean >> please just state your name so that for the I'm sorry your name. Absolutely. My name is Shiovani Ganguli. Um I'm the parent of a child at Ocean Shore

056School which is now as you say located at Sunset Ridge. The primary difference is that despite the term of collocation that the district has used, it is in fact not really a collocation. Children are in mixed classes. So my son who is technically an Ocean Shore student, the class is a mixture of Sunset Ridge and Ocean Shore students. And there's no preference given to Ocean Shore students to have Ocean Shore teachers. So they are literally in the same classrooms. So the experience of the children is quite different than it was at Ocean Shore and actually quite different even amongst the grades of the school depending on who the teachers are. So I would say that's like the primary difference. If it was a true collocation and the way that collocation as I understand it is

057intended to be they would be quite separate perhaps even in separate wings or something like that and I also just want to be very clear we are not asking to colllocate at FDR um at this point that was something we very briefly asked them to discuss with us they were not willing to and we moved on that is not an option we are currently exploring um but if we were to explore a collocation option like that. It would not be in this sort of mixed circumstance. It would be two separate schools who are sharing a campus. And as you say, Ocean Shore has a history of doing that successfully. We would be happy to do that. Again, if it is this the kind of collocation that I'm describing, not the kind of collocation that's happening

058today. Does that answer your question? Um, so but in your application I seem to recall a page where it says you you were going to do within a something like 2 and a half miles of the corner of Hickey and Skyline Boulevard. Well, that is that that happens to be where South San Francisco, Jefferson, Daily City, and Pacifica all meet. That's right. >> So you So those are the three school districts you would theoretically have a campus on if you were to be approved. Correct. >> It could it could be any one of those um districts that we might end up in. It could be on a school campus, but it also might not be. We could, you know, there are many charter schools that are located in commercial buildings, etc. So, you know, while

059of course it would be great to find a school that we could, you know, a school that is intended a building that is intended to be a school, we are open to many different options for that facility space. >> Have you been in contact with the office of the state architect? I mean, let's say you rent a commercial building like you said, you you would have to be very very quick in terms of getting approval by the and I kind of depend on staff to answer this question too. Would the location of a charter school need to be approved by the Department of State Architecture also if it's a not if it's not a existing school? I was asking staff Oh, Lisa, Deputy CH, >> that's a question that I don't know how to answer

060because I have not set up a charter school myself. So, yeah, leasing a commercial facility, you'd have to go through the processes of making sure that the facilities are appropriate for a school. Um, but that >> for the state department of architecture, correct? >> Yes. I would not know. Yeah. I mean, that's what we have to do if we're >> if the county board were to authorize this, it would have to ensure that all of the state legal requirements for setting up an appropriate facility are met. So, that would be, I guess, research on my part to assist the county board in responding to that question. But, yeah, depending on what what type of facility um they were to set up, we would have to ensure that kind of compliance. So, it's a it's a

061significant degree of oversight, I think. And >> I I apologize that I didn't introduce myself. I'm Lee Rosenberg. I'm legal counsel for uh charter schools throughout the state of California. So, it's an area of law that I practice. So, charter schools may elect to uh occupy facilities that satisfy the California building code, not go through the state architect's office. And so, in satisfying the local building codes, we would be getting an educational use type uh occupancy permit the same as other charter schools throughout the state. So that means you would have to actually go through the planning process through a local jurisdiction, a city, daily city, South City, Pacific, wherever to get a zoning change. >> If that was required, we would go through that that process. Having been on a planning commission and a

062city council, most zoning doesn't. It might say public use facility, but if it's commercially zoned, it's usually like C1, C2, C3, not public school or public use facility. So you would actually put yourself at more of a disadvantage because you would have to go through the application process, the public notices, public hearings, and maybe a general plan amendment, which is only allowed three a year by a by a general charter city. So you would only So you could not get a general plan amendment if the building you chose is not a um zoned for a school. and you would have to meet those reparking requirements etc. >> We we certainly worked with city councils throughout the state and we've found success where there's a lot of commercial spaces available and and where cities are looking

063to um bring bring different types of uses to those types of properties but it certainly is a process. >> Have you found are those administrative approvals which would be a lot quicker or are they public noticed? >> We have been able to go through those administrative processes. >> Okay. Is the majority is administrative process? I would say in most cases. >> Did they need a general plan amendment? >> Not not in the cases I'm thinking of from recently. >> Okay. What about other cases you don't >> certainly do? Certainly from from city to city there there are definitely variations, but we do see charter schools occupying commercial facilities throughout California. >> Okay. Okay. And um there was another concern about in the staff report regarding if you were to be approved tonight, you are actually

064past a deadline for some $150,000 grant from charter schools there. >> How what are your plans to meet that deficit? >> Um so that's actually not completely accurate. There was there is a December 5th deadline, but we've been in contact with the organization and there is another deadline that will happen in March and so we will be able to apply for that on that deadline. >> Do you have any sort of written confirmation for that? >> Yes. Um, so we did, it's the um California Department of Education that administers that particular grant and we um had some communication back and forth over email that confirms that there that they anticipate having a second spring cycle for that grant. And that's why we were comfortable with the timing of this um of this petition because obviously

065that was a big consideration of when we would submit this petition. And obviously if the board were to grant us the authorization to move forward, that would basically greenlight our ability to apply to these grants. >> Thank you. Um any other questions from the board? May I just respond to Trusty O'Neal's question about the division of state architect and I I apologize that that kind of threw me for a loop. Um public schools using commercial properties um especially for instructional purposes do require approval from the division of the state architect uh specifically for plans alterations and conversions to ensure compliance with structural safety accessibility and fire codes before the building may be used as a public school. So yes. >> So just to be clarify if I'm if I'm um understanding this correctly then they

066would need to get the approval of the state architect in addition to approval for zoning general plan or anything else local jurisdiction. >> Yeah. There's a whole process they'd have to follow under the California code of regulations >> and they would need to get that from our decision date today. They'd have to negotiate a lease, find a place, negotiate a lease, and get it approved before the start of school in August. >> The intention is to open up a school by August 2026. Yes. >> Okay. Thank you. >> May I just add that that is true for for California school existing public school facilities, but not commercial facilities under education code section 47610, which is known as the mega waiver. Uh charter schools again may be subject to the uh state building code when it

067is a a a non district facility for modifications. Thank you. >> I'll just add one other thing which is that we do have an architect that we're working with who is advising us on these matters as well. So we are staffed for that. >> Thank you. Um for any other questions, please make sure that you um indicate who the question is for before asking your question. Trusty Benini. >> Thank you. Um so um first thank you everyone for the presentations. I my question to um uh President Torres's point um I'm not this could be to any district actually um who presented or who's here. Um so my question is um has any district already assessed the potential cost of facilities or the impact or have you already expended any costs in preparation or anticipation of

068potentially um having a site in your district? Hi, thank you for the question. Dr. Carissa Beman from Pacifica. Um on both fronts um we have had uh cost and preparing a possible location for the charter including making sure that every >> you can keep going. >> Oh okay. [laughter] I love it. Um and so um yes, we have had uh costs to make sure that make sure that any building that could possibly be prepared would be including cleaning and security checks and along as our safety plan. Um right now if a uh charter school was to be approved um we would have to relocate several businesses and rentals so that we would have space for the charter school. So we would also have a loss of income. Um the estimate for that is approximately 1.3

069u million. However, depending on the full extent and the grade levels that could be less or more. >> So the what can you clarify with the 1.3 million is that the loss of income? So the loss of being able to rent the uh school and all the the businesses and vendors who are currently already renting rental space within that building. >> Okay. And then the um just a followup the the um costs or the things you've already done or you're anticipating um in preparing. Could you estimate um a cost to the district and a monetary? >> Um right now just for preparation we're at $237,000. >> Thank you. >> Trust O'Neal. Um just kind of Dr. Chris being out on Pacific I'm pretty much are you speaking of the Lindomar site is what you're speaking

070of or >> the LC the Lindar ed education center that is one of the locations that we were looking at and having prepared um if the charter approval was approved this evening. Um, we've also looked at our other school sites and possible um because of the the law um moving our own programs and making sure that whatever facilities they would have would be equivalent to what we offer our students within the public school. So, we've looked at all the multiple um sites, but Lindsar is the one that we've spent the um majority of the income and making sure that it's cleaned, ready, and safety inspected. Now, if if you were to put a school back in the Linda Marsh School, does that mean that the 4H farm in the Pacifica Community Garden would have to

071relocate and close? >> It's it's possible based on the um Prop 39 and the the agreement that would be needed with the charter school to meet their needs. Um, for example, all of our schools have gardens where our students have active hands-on learning. And for the Ocean Light Charter have equivalent programming, the school would have to provide a garden since ours do. So that the community garden may need to be um given to the charter as part of the lease andor another alternative with creating a garden or other type of space for them so that it's all equivalent. in the 4 age farm. >> Um, that I cannot speak to, but I would be happily get that information for you. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Trusty Gerard, did you >> Yes. Uh, this is for

072Pacifica. Um, it was stated that currently at Sunset Ridge all of the um classes are combined. Is and I am not familiar with that campus. Um is there any possibility that um the ocean light or the former ocean um shore school could be separate on that campus? Sure. So there is um the opportunity to discuss that the main reason for the mixed classes is we're staffing to enrollment district. So if our class size for example is 24 students, we want to have 24 students in that class. Um, Ocean Shore as an individual school wasn't able to fill every class so that it met the staffing to enrollment ratio. The same for Sunset Ridge to ensure that we were being efficient and effective in our funding. The classes were combined so that we'd have a full

073staffing um ratio for the students in that classroom and not any partial classes which require the same expenditures as a student or a classroom with full amount of students in it. So, was was that one of the reasons that Ocean Shore School closed was because they didn't have enough students to fill those classes with 24 students each? Um, they were one of our smaller schools and they had declining enrollment. The district as a whole had a structural deficit. Um, Ocean Shore School, which is still operational, wasn't the only school part of the restructuring. We also sent students from our Valar um kinderg excuse me from our sixth to eighth grade to the IBL middle school. The comprehensive program was also part of that restructuring. The Ocean Shore students who were in sixth and 8th grade

074also went to IBL as part of that. And then we still operate a TK8 program through our Cabrillo campus. So there were multiple changes that took place to help with the structural deficit and to ensure that we were no longer um spending within that deficit. And the main goal was three-fold and one being um compensation for our teachers and the employees that work so hard and being able to enhance our programming for our student with the collocation. and we've been able to open a a different computer lab, launch a CTE initiative with our Pacifica pipeline, and we've also received um grants that were no longer divided upon among six schools, but five schools because the collocation had share resources. >> Okay. Thank you very much, >> Trusty Benini. Oh, um I just wanted to um

075make sure if there were my initial question if there were any other districts who feel like they've already expended or have an idea of how what the impact of facilities cost might be if a district if a school was located in your district. I don't see any hands so but I have one more question. Um so my second question is for the petitioners and the um I would say just like the threshold question is set out in the very first paragraph of the statute right and there's been much discussion about um how to um analyze this um in terms of whether or not um the uh the district of Pacifica could in fact have the charter there and what the difference would be. There was a statement earlier that it was based on the countywide

076um uh model was based on equity. Um and then um Trusty O'Neal asked a question and I had already you know done a lot of asking about what the statute says and then I'm I see where it is now where um if you were a district charter that students could attend your school from other uh areas from other districts if they so chose to apply. So my question is if you as a petitioner prioritize a regional impact and want students to come from different areas of our county, then you could I I'm want to understand better why you are distinguishing that from having it be a Pacifica school charter. and in and having the the um application be open. I I cannot distinguish that in my mind. I don't see it upholding an equity argument.

077So, I'm looking for any other evidence or any other comments you might want to provide on that front. Um because essentially, you know, you're you you gave us information about, you know, whether services cannot be served well by a single district. You sort of reframe the question or the statute statement, but really it's um whether the um whether the pupil population that will benefit cannot be served as well by a charter school that operates in only one school district in the county. And as I said, it's the first paragraph. So if you have any other comments on that, I would like to understand better. >> Thank you for that question. It is really at the crux of the issue, isn't it? Um, so and I maybe there are members of my team that may have

078also things to add about this, but essentially the countywide um mission of what our school is about is to serve across district lines. Correct. Um we think that with um a district-sonly charter in Pacifica um that there is this his history of other schools charter schools that have performed very well and become really high in demand. And the result of that, as Lee was speaking about, like Bullis for example, um the result of it is that it just boxes out, right, other students. Um and that's the practicality of what happens when a a charter school becomes really popular when um so that's one of the issues. That's why countywide because we won't legally have to give preference to any one school district. Are you asking specifically about our enrollment preferences? Is is that >> Well,

079I'm my question is really based on like why answering this question. Why couldn't you just be a Pacifica charter? Because you could in your charter lay out your preferences. Now, as the code says, and I've checked with council, you know, um if you have more than the number of students, you know, that you can have capacity for, you'll do a lottery anyway, >> and then you'll likely, you know, get that result depending on the percentage, right? Or the likelihood of students being in Pacifica or not. >> Um, but I can't see the difference. >> Okay, I can help you visualize it. I think the practical reality is that even though students outside of the district if we were a single district charter could come in without an intra district transfer is the practical reality is

080they would still be boxed out because they wouldn't the the spaces I think still require that we provide preference to the district in which we are chartered and so they would have preference and so if for example we were a single district charter in Pacifica then There would be a preference given to Pacifica students and if a school is popular what will result is that students outside will not be able to come in. Not an totally analogous example, but Summit Shasta is a very popular charter and there are people in Pacifica that want to go to that charter, but because of the way their enrollment plan is set out, many students are boxed out of that school as an option, right? And so our intention in seeking a countywide charter is because we don't want

081to box anybody out. We don't want to exclude anybody. We want any student that needs a school like Ocean Light to be have the opportunity to do so. >> So, I'm going to um read a section of the statute. Right. So, I'm looking at the section. It's under E under the same number and it's E2. A. A charter school shall admit all pupils who wish to attend the charter school. B. If the number of pupils who wish to attend the charter school exceeds the charter school's capacity attendance except for existing pupils in the charter shall be determined by random public drawing. My understanding is that even in this moment you have more students and families who have signed on to support the charter than you have capacity. So by by my opinion of that it

082would be I'm still >> right. >> Yeah. Go ahead. Um that you would already be in the the realm of a public I mean sorry a random lottery. >> So the way that our uh enrollment policy is written and the enrollment policy is something that you guys have to approve. So if there are adjustments that you want to make to it right that is also something to to consider. Okay. So that but um in terms of how we would run the enrollment preference is that it would go by grade, right? So we would only run a lottery for the grades where it is there's more kids than there are seats. Um so that's some I think that's an important piece. So if you look at the people who have signed an intent to enroll in

083the school for the first year, the really the where they maybe it might trigger a lottery is in the TK to K grade band which is the entry level. The other grades will probably not trigger any lottery for first year. Um and then of course as the as people learn about the school that will change as the years go by. Um, the other thing is that you I think what the enrollment policy writes right now is that you would begin to fill the class with based on the priorities. And then when you get to that band where there are more people in that band than there are seats, that's when you run the lottery. Does that make sense? You wouldn't just run it. It makes a little bit of sense. However, does it >> I

084will so my question I appreciate like yes potentially we change the enrollment what or the pre preferences whatever but I feel like that's not the question at hand. The question is why couldn't it do the same thing within the district? And I guess my follow-up question if you want me to be more detailed is if you were to apply or have to applied to Pacifica initially, right? >> Um if if you were to have done that, would you have changed the preferences to prioritize the regional desire for your school? >> I guess I I feel like maybe there's something that's missing here. We can't if we were a district charter, we we have to give preference to the people in that district. We cannot change that preference. That's the law. So it there's no choice

085that we would have if we were in a district like if let's say we were in the Pacifica school district and there's enough people from Pacifica who would fill the whole school then that's what we would have to do and that is not what we want to do. We want to be able to offer this program more broadly. I think to me one of the critical words here is the population that we're targeting the population that we're targeting is the population of San Monteo County, not the population of any one district. >> Yeah. And I and I hear you. Um, but even in your current model, I see that you're calling out the grade bands and you're saying, "Well, we would be Pacifica anyway for all of these grades and for these couple for the

086incoming lower grades that we might be able to enter into the lottery." So, I again see it as being equal. That's just my analysis of it. >> But, but there's a you know, the the first year. So let's say that the TK to K classes are more mixed are representative of the district you know at a demographics level over time we will those classes obviously will continue to move up and we will you know backfill with a similar demographic. So over time we would get to that demographic that is our goal. Unfortunately, that's not where we are today, but our goal and as you've seen in our outreach plans, which the staff, you know, did comment on as being very good, we are already doing that outreach to try to expand. >> Thank you, >>

087Trusty Alvaro. >> Sorry, can I say one other thing about the capacity that you raised? So, we do have a target enrollment for the first year about I think it's 238. Um, but like the Pacifica School District, we also plan to staff to enrollment. We also plan to we actually really like the idea of doing combined classes as well. So we have some flexibility on those numbers and our goal would be to you know bring in everyone that we can in the first year which would make us more financially sustainable as well. Um so that's what we would want to do. >> Trusty Alvaro. >> Thank you. Um this question is going to go to the petitioners. I keep looking at the term countywide and to me countywide means Laund Pescadero, East Palo Alto, everything

088from there up. So when you talk about serving the north county, I'm very confused as to how that could be possibly construed as countywide. So like any startup school, this is a startup school. You have to identify where the need is greatest to begin with. And I'm we are not saying that the need is not great in other parts of the county. Um but this particular place which is northern Sanato County which is of course a a descriptive it's not a defined word we don't actually have that geographical region defined but um this area of daily city San Bruno um South San Francisco Koma for Spain it's the the the lack of option ions is particularly pronounced. There are three districts that don't even have the option to enroll in a TK to8 school. It's

0897% of students in that region that can be in a TK28 school versus in Excuse me. Hang on a second. I understand all that. You've said all that. I've heard it. What I'm trying to get my head around is if it were to be a countywide school, it would have to serve the entire county, >> right? >> Not so it gets back to the big question, which is why is this not a local charter? as with every other charter in the entire county is a local district charter including Oxford Day Academy >> which we approved on appeal. So they ended up being under our jurisdiction but they're actually in the Sequoia district. So every other every other charter in the entire county that you're holding up as being and many of them are exemplary >>

090are local charters who may or may not serve some kids outside of that local district. That's we all know that some there's some transfers that happen. So what is it that makes you not a local charter? I think it comes back to the question of equity. equitable access and the location does affect who will come but there is no restriction on who can come anyone we've we've had several families that are in the Cabrillo um unified school district who have expressed interest and it would just depend on where whether their family feels they can do the commute Right. Um but ultimately this is just the first initial site. The the the plan is to be able to if we're successful in this one site, our initial site that then we would set up satellite campuses

091that are all under one school. And there's a lot of efficiency in that model that we have we have planned to tap but have not tapped yet. Right. We have to be successful in your first location. And where do you pick your first location? You pick it where the need is high. >> If I could add to that, al although we use the label countywide benefit charter, that's sort of the the broad label. What the law actually says in terms of doing the evaluation is is there a pupil population that we can identify that would benefit from this charter? You know, in some counties we see, for example, um schools that help students who are dropouts and they're in a certain region of the county. The question is whether there's an identified population that could

092be served by the charter school as a countywide. And the test is not that it could not be served by a single district charter. The question is whether it could not be served as well. And that that as well qualifier is really important because what we're saying is sure it's possible to open up a district charter, but it could not serve as well uh the target population the charter is trying to serve. And again, that means taking away those district boundary lines that can create barriers to access. Okay. Thank you, >> Trusty Gerard. >> Yes. Um, just for clarification, so we're talking about um making this available to, for one of a better word, right now, North County. But do you have any idea where this location is going to be? I mean, you're talking

093about 200 and some odd students to start, but do you have any idea at all where what facility or where a facility might be? >> So, um I think it's no secret that we've filed a Prop 39 application with the Pacifica School District. So, that is one option as they spoke to. Um another option we've been in discussion with Skyline College. We have been looking also at other locations um you know in the in that what is it what is the exact >> to the three mile radius. >> Yes. Yes. >> That location um including like churches who have space like places like that. So you know it could be any of those locations. We don't have one specifically like you know signed lease yet but we have several different options that we're exploring. >>

094Thank you. Trusty Aas. >> Thank you. Well, first of all, thank you for the presentations. Thank you for everyone who's attending and for all the efforts and work that is being put for today. Um, I do have a few questions and these questions go um regarding the staff analysis and the questions for go for the petitioners. Uh there's a lot of discussion of what's uh equity and how better serve our northern area of Sato County. I represent district 3. Um I I I heard in your presentation of your wish list poll um that you you you provide that survey. I saw a lot of important areas in there. I'm wondering and thinking about northern area of Sato County. I didn't see anything about mental wellness. I didn't see anything about belonging. I saw a lot

095of academic. But I can tell you living for more than 20 years in that area that if we don't think about that first, you can put the best curriculum, the best school, and it's not going to be able to attain that or perform to what you're offering. So that's one of the first questions, the first comment I have. Uh from there, uh you also talk about the enrollment and how you're going to have equal access and you're going to have a fair lottery when needed. Um, so in the page page nine of the staff uh analysis, it talks about how the petition targets a demographic reflective of the northern Sato County Public Schools. In 2019, uh the county of Sonteo uh conducted a series of um assessments, evaluations, and uh the community collaboration for children's

096success identified daily city and South San Francisco some of them. So here uh it says that northern Sanato County public schools have 25% English learners, 42% soioeconomically disadvantaged, 14% students with disabilities, 2% homeless and foster youth, 1% African-American, 0.27% 27% American Indian, 16% Asian, 19% Filipino, 42% Hispanic of Northern Sato County, 8% two or more races, 2% Pacific Islanders, and 11% white. So, as a Latina, I want to say that when I read the many, many um emails and when I see the composition of your board and even members of the community today, I'm trying to see for people that look like me, right? Like other Latinos who are like, "We're interested in what you're offering. We're interested in in what you're proposing." I just haven't seen that either, right? When we talk about equity

097and access and opportunities. So if if we even go into what's happening right now with the administration in our local areas, right, I think that's the area when you talk about areas of need and when we talk about countywide, Satel County, the Latino Hispanic population is in need, right? So I haven't seen that yet in here. So uh my question is are the petitioner parents and grandparents reflective of this demographics that I just listed? This question for the petitioners anybody can answer. >> Are you the so the founding board and team? >> Well, yeah, because you have preference. Let me see. So, going back into page page eight, you have your pet petitioner stated admission preference of fair and open lottery. But um it also says that uh for grace levels ex the admission preference

098are as follow. Number one is children of teachers and staff. Right? Then number two is children and grandchildren of Ocean Light School funding board and founding team. Three is students who are children or grandchildren of current board members. Number four is children of supporting families as defined as those who signed that ocean light petition. So you have information that of all those who already signed. um siblings of students already enrolled attending Ocean Light School and siblings of students admitted but not yet enroll so they're coming in so they all have the preference um and then I really end number seven homeless and foster students eight students who are residents of uh county sato and number nine is all other applicants >> so again I go back into what the representation of the county is where

099the need I really see and I like to hear the composition of the list of your preferences. Uh thinking about phenotype, uh ethnicity, right? Where is the the the the response from? >> Yeah. So, our founding team is um consists of um a lot of Asians. Um we also have Eric who's back there. He's he's Hispanic. Um, what are you? [laughter] >> Donna is >> Indian and Jewish. [laughter] >> Um, and Donna is um, uh, AfricanAmerican. Yes. Um, so I think we do have a diversity, but we also have open seats on the board that we have kept open specifically because we want to make sure that those seats will be filled to to represent the demographic that we are trying to um to to serve, right? Because those voices are super important. Um, and

100uh our outreach plan really does break it down. It's not just reaching people uh parents generally, right? We actually are very specific in our outreach plan about how we're going to connect with particular ethnic groups to make sure that they know about it. We also have a team that's established within um that we've already been starting to tap and we will develop that's called the diversity leadership group and their job will really be to be that bridge culturally as well as linguistically um to the different communities. >> So going back into let's maybe put away the ethnicity even though 42% of Hispanics represent that Satel County, right? uh especially the northern Santo County as it says here in the public schools. Uh what about social economic disadvantage? Is the board representation um representing that 42%

101of soio economic disadvantaged members >> petitioner supporters. >> So a couple of things I just want to clarify. So we did not collect demographic information on the intent to enroll signers. I think, you know, as I'm sure you're aware, that would be you, we are not able to make any, you know, enrollment decisions based on any, you know, um, ethnicity, race, etc. >> Sure. >> Um, we, as Leeling mentioned, you know, we are doing extensive outreach and very targeted outreach to the communities that you're mentioning. We are partnered with um, you know, places like the Pacifica Resource Center to do outreach to their population. And in all frankness, like I don't I don't know what the people on the board what our socioeconomic status is. That's not a conversation that we've had directly. So I

102don't think we're able to answer that for either the board members um or the petition group because that's not information that we've collected. But I I really want to, you know, say that we very much hear your concern and we share your concerns and we really want to do outreach and partner with these communities. um and you know bring on more board members, bring people into the school who can help us to do that and we have already you know been actively doing that even since submitting the petition. Um I also just want to like include that you know our our website is already translated um into several languages. All of our materials that we've been sending out are translated. So you know we are doing you know as we understand the best practices to

103do this outreach >> and and that's if we if we um can assure that every household has a computer to access the website right >> and we are also you know yeah doing flyers we are doing information sessions we're tableabling at community events um so we are doing you know multiple avenues to outreach >> okay thank you uh what about uh it says 14% of students with disabil in the north and Samato County public schools. uh students with disabilities as demographic of this are there are there already set up and not thinking about the future but right now um the services uh of students with an IEP with a 504 plan that uh will be needing consecutive right not uh probably someone that you contract and maybe there's not enough support or individuals who can

104provide those specific services for individualized education. Um what is what you have already not like in the future or when the student comes right because if you're going to open it and and student comes in that one day one they will need all the services that are required in their IEP. >> Um absolutely we have to be prepared on day one to serve all of our students including students with special needs. Um to that end um we have working with a um retired SULPA um executive director from a Selpa who's retired a retired um special education director. We have worked with them to write a scope of work for all of the um tasks that need to be done prior to the opening of school. Um we've identified three candidates that we will approach to

105um to hire to do that work for the opening of the school. >> What what what is the position or uh you're saying that there's three people as candidates to hire? >> Well, for our special education consultant. So in preparation for opening, we intend to hire a special education consultant to help us do all of the setup work that we need to be done. And then, you know, we have a pro procedures. We need to have um student information systems. We need to have um processes, forms, setting all of that up. We need to train the staff on that. Um so, that's why we want to have a special education consultant to do that. When we open, um it is our intent. We had originally planned to have a wellness coordinator. um we have decided

106that that is not sufficient based on comments um from the staff report and so we're converting that position to a director of student services special education that person will then become the um special education administrator covering responsibilities of 504s SSTs and doing that all within the framework of the multi-tered um MTSS I'm sorry I'm better with my initials than I am with my words um so we will have a an employee that has that direct responsibility that reports to the head of school. >> So, is this a consultant or is this someone with credentials and who has worked within the special education field? >> Okay. For the consultant piece, that would be a contract out to do the scope of work and they would have to have experience as an administrator in special education um

107and also um some credentiing the appropriate credentiing for that. That's what we would look for in our consultant and of course for our employee that would be hired to run the programs when we're um open um that they would have to meet this the credentiing requirements both at the administrative level and at the um having their appropriate special education credentials. >> So will the wellness be replaced then? Is that what you said? >> Yes. So, and then the the director of SPE um student services would have other responsibilities besides special education. They would they would pull some of that. It's it's the same kind of model that other schools um small school districts are using. >> Yeah. As a special education teacher, I I can, you know, when I hear you saying that the responsibilities

108are big, right? Because every student and in any certain day or several students who might need that support, you can imagine through the day if you have a TK to 8, how are they going to be serviced, right? Every every single day with the specific goals and objectives in their individualized education plan. So, it's a little bit of concern of mine just to hear that that is not yet >> um you don't have the plan ahead as you have the plan for other things. >> That's not in the table yet. >> You're you're looking to hire a consultant in the future. >> To be clear, we do have, you know, we have an RSP teacher budgeted for. We have other, you know, providers who would be providing like the day-to-day services that you're talking about.

109>> What is the other one? I'm sorry. the title >> uh and a resource uh resource services provider RSP. >> Yeah. So that we have an RSP teacher budgeted for the first year which is based you know roughly on the ratio that we expect to have. I believe it's 28 per RSP teacher. Um and then we would also have contracted services for you know OT, speech etc. Um that would be coordinated by the director of special ed. Um you know potentially with support also from the head of school. And I just also want to add, you know, special ed is extremely important to us as an organization. We really believe that, you know, all students must be served. And so it's not just a legal question for us where we're trying to check a box.

110This is really a part of who we are and it's part of our DNA um to really place high value there. >> Uh last question. Let's see. >> Can I can I please pick a can I make a comment? Yes. If if I may, if I may ask, if you're not part of the um uh group or the the petitioner group, please state your name so that we all know who you are. >> Joan Widderman. >> Okay. Just um >> did you want us to answer the question? >> Some of these questions were already asked. I'm sorry. >> You asked like before before we got into this line, you had asked a question about I think social emotional learning. I don't know that we addressed that. >> Well, I am more very specific about mental

111wellness, right? Mental well situations where student again 504 plan where there's depression, anxiety, other uh other needs, right? That are very specific to them and that in any moment in a school, you know, that individual student is going to need those supports immediately, right? >> Got it. Yeah. >> So, so >> that's one. The other one is students with individualiz education plan where it's like that's a constant every day, right? Right. We're making sure that they're learning with their peers at the same time and the same level, right? So, we would expect that the director of student services and special ed would also be the 504 uh plan administrator as well. And we would um have a counselor um that would be a contracted role that would coordinate with her or them, >> not part

112of the staff. I mean, you know, in all honesty, I would love to have a counselor on staff. Yeah. But from a budgeting perspective, we aren't able to have all of the roles that we would like to have full-time. So, that is something that we will, you know, try to raise money for and try to add over time, but it's not something we're able to afford in the first couple of years. >> Okay. Um and all just to say that um you know you talk a lot about the environmental education, STEM, uh experiential project based learning. Um it talks about how family school partnerships are going to address the regional equity and opportunity gaps. Um are the petitioners and petitioner supporters part of that equity and opportunity gaps? Do you see yourself and petitioners who

113have been signing this petition? um members of the community who really have that that gap or that need or that sense of uh they're not giving any opportunity or equal access to just because I've heard a lot of uh what I read is you know I put him in a private school or I chose to do this or I just wonder if you can explain a bit more about that. >> Well, I can only speak to my own personal story. I'm a former foster child and so that's near and dear to my heart. I'm sure other people have things to contribute, but that's one example. >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Trusty Benini. [clears throat] >> Um I have a question about transportation. Um I was hoping that the petitioners could remind us um how

114you have addressed that in your petition or how you've been thinking about it since you submitted it in terms of the statement about the region the countywide the equity. Um given that I think the statement you made um one of you was something to the effect of well if the parents can withstand the commute. Um we know that not all parents can do that in the equity spectrum and and especially in the region given the demographics that um Trusty Aras has highlighted. Um and so I'm just curious if that's uh what was initially part of it. I didn't notice it but I might have missed it. Um, and also whether it's a a question going or a consideration going forward as part of your budgeting. Um, or other things that you might do that might

115not require budget. I don't know. But have you thought about it? >> Yes, we have. Um I think that is one of the reasons why we are proposing uh a model where we have one school in multiple small campuses is to facilitate um an the ability to have a school that has a um cohesive model TK to8. It will be on every every small campus will have the full continuum of TK to8. So I just wanted to clarify that it's not it's not about oh taking the fourth and fifth grade and put them on one campus and [laughter] the the the uh the kindergarteners in another campus. It's not not that it is TK to date on each campus and then when we are sustainable on that campus then we set up a satellite campus

116and then there's there will be sort of cross interaction between the campuses but that allows us to be both local and linked bring it to the neighborhoods um that need it most where where transportation is a challenge for for the families that we can bring it closer to them. So, that's one way we're trying to um make sure that there's access across the county to the program. Um but that also depends uh that's a another reason why a countywide charter is beneficial. Um otherwise, we would have to literally petition every district separately um and and go through that whole process in order to um to be able to open up those satellite campuses. Now for the fos for the homeless youth um we will be providing transportation. So that's in our petition >> and special

117education >> right you have to >> special ed as required >> you have to for special ed right but um >> so but my I guess I'll give you a specific example and tell me how you might address it. So, you have uh not enough students from Pacifica for TK and you have a lottery and you have a student who's applied from the furthest point you can think of within, you know, the region you're anticipating would be of interest. Um, and they they don't have a way to get there. What will you do? I think it depends on how many we have, right? Like they have creative ways to work on it as a community, too. Um, you know, many families when you're in a community-based school like ours, it's very common for families to

118carpool together. So, setting up those relationships where that can happen would be a way to to do it cost-effectively. And, you know, we are the family relationships are a really big part of what this school is about. And you can sort of see that in the room. you know, it's you don't you don't generate this kind of interest without a a a community that really cares for one another and works well together. And that DNA is what we want to bring into Ocean Light. Um it is part of the culture and you you have to jumpst start that culture with a group of people who know how to do that kind of working together. Um so yeah. >> Okay. Well, thank you for sharing that. I just I find that transportation is a really it's

119a it's a big equity issue. Um and so I'm glad you're thinking about it. Um and thank you for sharing what you have so far. >> Trusty Love, >> thank you. I just wanted to um kind of ask a little bit more about what you were just talking about and it's a question I asked about in the last hearing. um that you want to sort of circumvent the process of um avoiding going to the elected residents of a community to have them weigh in on your school being in their community. Um you keep talking about we're going to we want to bring it to the people who need it. These people who have all these great needs, we're going to bring them this thing that they don't even know they need now, but they may

120need. Um why do you think that's besides efficiency why do you think that's so important to circumvent the process of taking you know you do Pacifica we really think that there's a lot of interest people in Daily City are so excited they really want this like why not have Jefferson Elementary School um district have the opportunity to learn about the charter and then make a decision about it >> in when we set up this next campus we don't really circumvent the process at all. I mean, we would do the same thing that we've done. We would go out and talk to the communities in, you know, in that district and we would have another hearing just like this where all the districts who would be affected, they would get a chance to speak to it.

121and and um it it's just a little bit different because we're not bringing it to the district, but it does not negate the importance of us going to the communities, doing the surveys, talking to them, and asking them what they want. Now, we do know that because of the way that um schools are funded that districts are not incentivized to to um approve charters. That's the reality. It's not that they don't see the value of certain programs, but the financial realities, it's that it is very disadvantageous from them point of view to have a charter come in. So, that's the reality. I just want to add, you know, I do not see this at all as circumventing the process. You know, we're all here today. There's a lot of people here who we've, you know,

122brought out both on both sides of this. So, I I, you know, this is a public process. We are not circumventing anyone or anything by taking this route. Um, we are trying to accelerate getting this program out to everyone who wants it and needs it. >> Can I ask one other question? >> Yes. So just then um kind of curious then in Pacifica um this was a very fast process right that um I think a decision was made maybe in January to merge the schools and now there's this process where not even a year and there's already a petition. So I think that's generally from everything I've read a very quick process for something like this and then wanting to start in the fall and just looking like the academic concerns that the staff from

123the county office raised were really serious in my opinion. You know that the number one thing I write are the kids and the education they're getting. And the people who did that review work closely with school districts, charter schools, understanding multilingual the needs of multilingual learners, special education, um, early literacy, all these different types of things. And they had some kind of great concerns about it. So would, you know, do you feel like the time frame is a little too fast on it? And would you have more breathing room if you had another year to kind of think about this? and then the the other parts of Pacifica, how involved, you know, are the families in the school? So, I've heard from many letters that a lot of the people who families that were at

124Ocean Shore are not jumping in and supporting the parents aren't volunteering at the current school and are really like trying to make it work. And I don't know if that's true or not. We get a lot of comments. >> I'm sorry, just to clarify, you're saying that parents are not volunteering at the current >> Yeah. Just like what's going on? like how are you balancing the creating a new school with all the things of being present in the current school? >> I mean, you know, I'll I'll speak for myself, but I know there's many others who can say similar. I mean, I'm volunteering in the classroom every week just as I was at Ocean Shore. And the reason I feel that I'm able to do that is because we have a teacher who is an

125Ocean Shore teacher, so I'm able to, you know, she's used to that. I know that there's other parents in the school who do not feel that they have the opportunity to volunteer as much. So, it's not a question of desire, but it's a question of opportunity and you know, like as I'm sure you're aware, volunteering in a school as a parent, like you need to have the teacher on board with doing that. So, that's not always the case. Um, so I think that's a big part of it. Um, you know, I also personally work on the, um, diversity leadership group, learning group for the school and I'm very involved in that way. I think there's several other team members here who are, you know, similarly involved in different aspects of the current school and, you

126know, would love for this to be a great situation that we all want to stay in and be part of, but that's just not what's happening today, unfortunately. >> Okay. So, there's no sort of way you can kind of go back. I'm sorry. I just don't understand what that means. [laughter] >> You I'm just saying like say if this if this doesn't get approved like you guys have been still working on the relationship the district and other >> is there is mediation going on between the PTO's. This is everyone is trying very very hard to make this a positive experience for our children. >> Yeah. >> Right. That's our primary goal here is to make a good experience for our children. and being here today doesn't mean that we don't want to do that at

127the current school. >> Thank you. >> Um I'll speak to the timeline. Okay. So um 8 months is a short period of time but look at what this team has been able to accomplish in the short period of time. I think it's only been about six months. No maybe nine months now. [laughter] Nine months, right? To put this together from nothing. Um but I think what's really important to recognize that the capacity of this team is not just words on a paper. It is a community of practice right. So we have the systems in place that were not that far lost right in the past. The teachers who are coming they know how to do this model. The families they know how to do this model. Um, and that is what allows us to harness

128this moment. If we were to wait another year, it will just sort of dissipate a little bit more, right? That's why this that's why we wanted to make this happen quickly because we recognize that this capacity in this room is what we need to hit the ground running. We can't do it in eight months if it wasn't for this this expertise here. >> Just add one other comment to the piece about you know involvement in the school today. I just want to point out that you know we're not able to do the programs that we were able to do at Oceanore for a variety of reasons but one is sheer numbers like you know we had about 400 420 I believe something like that students at Ocean Shore last year. I don't know the exact

129number of students now but you know they've moved the 6 to8 portion to a whole different school that's really impactful on our programming because we had a lot of crossgrade collaboration so that's one thing that we cannot do any longer and there was quite a bit of attrition due to the decisions that were made by the Pacifica school district to approach this in the way that they did. So we just don't have the numbers that we used to have to be able to run all the programming that we used to be able to do. Trusty O'Neal. >> Um, this question is for Leang. When, um, you prior to your application even, you came over to my day job, you and Karen Newi, to just talk to me about, you know, your process and everything. And

130one of the questions I asked you was, why are you going for a county versus a district charter? And the first thing you said was not equity, not you know development, but the funding is that because the Pacifica school district's funding is so low, you would rather you wanted to go for county funding. Do you have any idea how much the more the funding would be here at the county versus a district charter? I don't think that the reason was that there would be more funding the way that charter school >> what you said was the per your per your lawyer funding would be better at the county approved district. >> Well, the way that the funding formula works is I I understand it's a complicated issue. It is some sort of an average of

131where the kids are coming from and what their LCFF funding is for that student then gets allocated to the charter. So it kind of follows so the funding always follows the student right. So like so if a kid is coming from Daily City then we would get whatever their LCFF funding is for that child. um if they're coming from San Bruno Park, we would get whatever funding is allocated for that child minus the property taxes, that piece of it, the because they are basic aid. Um so it's it's different. It's a kind of a complicated formula, but I don't know that because the the districts that we're drawing from, unless we're drawing a kid from Hillsboro, which is much higher funded, [laughter] then maybe yes, it would be advantages, but really um the districts around

132us are are not really funded that much differently from Pacifica per 88. What I understand >> I think maybe maybe what Leling was speaking to I wasn't there but one thing that we haven't talked a lot about tonight but one of the reasons that we also decided to do a countywide charter petition is because we don't want to have a really negative impact on the districts and by doing it in this way we have a better chance of spreading out that impact across districts so that is part of our thought process here >> I'm guessing that may have been what the conversation was about. At the very beginning, there was a very thoughtful analysis. Should we be at a district charter? Should we be countywide? And the team did look at different districts and there

133was a concern that if we located in one district like a basic a district for example, and we were taking students from that district that that could have a greater financial impact and that the funding rate could ultimately be lower. That was on an individual district analysis. But that's ultimately what led the to the idea that that that the countywide approach is the way to spread out the burden for lack of better word a little bit more equitably across the county. But knowing that the funding rate would be the same per student ultimately under the LCFF. So there may have just been a sort of a that that was probably part of the evolution but it was about spreading that impact. Trusty Benini. >> Um there you made a statement just a bit ago that

134um when it when in response to Trusty Love's question that you that one of the reasons other reasons I guess now um that you decided to apply for county charter was somewhat based upon the fact that districts are disincentivized to approve charters. Um I would note that every charter that is in our county um uh is uh approved by a district except for Oxford Day Academy which came to us on appeal and our board at one point approved that. Um so I you know I don't understand that entirely unless there's some other reason. The law did change about five years ago through what's called AB1505 and it did it did create additional grounds on which charter uh school districts could deny charter petitions based on fiscal impact. That wasn't something that existed until 5 years

135ago and so the climate has changed uh in in that regard and it's made it um sort of a straight path to denial for for many for many authorizers at least. >> So the change in the law is the basis of your statement. >> I'm sorry. Say it again. the change in the law was is the basis of your statement that they're disincentivized. I mean, they were concerned about that before. Just saying. I know they couldn't use it as their official reason, but >> well, certainly now there's a very clear basis that a school district could use to deny a charter. They're not required to do so. Um, but they they can choose to do so. We we have seen that across the state utilized um notwithstanding what what we would think would be in

136the best interest of the community. >> Okay. and trusty audience, >> just to confirm what I heard. I'm not sure if I understood correctly, but you say there's going to be a burden to all of the districts instead of one instead of just specific district by opening a charter school. >> Well, we we recognize that anytime that a student chooses to go to a charter school rather than the district school, under our state's laws, the money file follows the child. That's really how it should be, right? taxpayers pay uh for government services and the educational dollars follow that student to where they attend. So we fully recognize that when a student goes to a charter school they are no longer providing revenue to that school district and of course the school district has been paying

137for the incremental costs associated with that education. So we certainly recognize that there is a fiscal impact. We just propose that what matters most is the interest of the students. Is that student getting the best education possible? And so while there is some burden, we think that by having a countywide charter, we are we are minimizing that for any one uh single school district. So so countywide for example, the burden wouldn't be fully felt on Pacifica uh school district because the enrollment plan does call for uh very broad-based enrollment. >> Can I just go back into the 42% of Hispanic uh students in public school in Sato County? So meaning that by those students choosing to go to this countywide um charter then the students that stay right which we're talking again there's 42% um

13825% English learners 42% so economically disadvantaged then those that stay and don't go into this countywide school will feel that burden that you're talking about by those students choosing to join. Well, I I don't think in the in California that any school district has the right to be a particular size. We have school districts in the state that have 10 students. We have school districts that have 400,000 like LUSD. Every charter, every school district should be the right size for the number of students enrolled. And I think throughout the state, we're seeing school districts having to rightsize themselves. Ultimately, the state constitution guarantees uh an education, a public education for every student, and all districts have the obligation to provide that. It's a matter of right sizing certainly and the state law does build in

139some some time. Uh the the enrollment loss is not immediately felt. The enrollment loss is is felt a little bit gradually the way that the legislature has set it up so that districts can rightsize and and ensure that students are served fully. >> Thank you. Are there other questions from the board? Um my questions were submitted ahead of time and any other questions I had were already asked. So, um, that concludes our questions from the board. Thank you. Um, for item 3E, um, we're going to move on to public comment. Um, before I do that, just doing a pulse check if we're good to continue, if anybody needs a break. Okay, we're going to power through. So, for item 3E, the public is invited to make public comment related to this agenda item. Comments are

140limited to one minute. We did a really good job last time. Let's do that again, please. Um, for those attending in person and wishing to speak, if you have not already done so, please fill out a speaker card on the table in the back of the boardroom and return it to a staff member when completed. Uh, Deputy Superintendent Chavez, do we have any comments submitted prior to the meeting related to this item? >> Thank you, President Torres. Uh, yes. As of um 6:30 p.m. this evening, we did receive um 33 um comments um related to item 3E. Um, of those, uh, we had a total of 31 submissions opposing the Oceanlight Countywide charter petition, tw 27 of which were from parents, staff, community, members of the Franklin D. Roosevelt School community in the Jefferson Elementary

141School District. Um, also we received three from the Pacifica community and one action works signed petition with 357 electronic signatures of parents, grandparents, guardians, educators, school staff, taxpayers, and voters of the Pacifica community. And then we also had a total of two um comments in favor of approving Ocean County white charter petition. one from a daily city resident and the other from uh a parent and early childhood specialist. Um so these submissions will be forwarded to you and will be made available um on our website and anything else that we any other comments that we received after that we received or may have received after 6:30 will will do the same. >> Thank you. Um speakers are now invited to make live comment and will have one minute to speak. Please keep within the time

142limits. Speakers shall direct their comments to the board and are urged to avoid repeating points made by previous speakers. All attendees are requested to hold their applause until the end of public comment. If there is remote or in-person public comment in Spanish, our in-person interpreter will use consecutive interpretation. The timer will only countdown while the comment is being made in Spanish and not during the translation. Please remember to speak slowly and clearly. to make a comment over Zoom. Members of the public may use the raise hand feature. Uh, Deputy Superintendent Chavez, are there any members of the public attending remotely who wish to make a comment at this time related to this item? Yes. So, we have several. Um, we'll start with um Sue Degree. Hello, Sue. If you can unmute. >> Good evening. Can

143you hear me? >> Yes. So I'm talking uh from a higher vision uh because I was a young teacher in Berlingame when Ocean Shore started and at that time it was a rage of the type of hands-on and I think the beauty of Ocean Shore for all these years it has stuck to that wonderful teacher pupil community parent um system and uh the stewardship for the community but it's the hands-on. And so I am a general ed teacher and hands-on is extremely important no matter whether you have a disability or learning challenge or whether you're a brilliant person. And so the other thing that stood out for this particular uh communication this school was not only their stewardship and their hands-on the disability. They were annually a go-to place to learn all about disabilities. And

144I as an advocate I was in the school many times with students with disabilities of various degrees and it was a wonderful experience. So I think innovation and true record. >> Thank you. Um we'll move over to Stacy Lean. >> Hi. Um I'm a parent of a fifth grader in search of a middle school with a project-based learning model. And guess what? I can't find one. I can't find a public middle school in my area of Sonteo County that blends academics, creativity, and hands-on learning and discovery. There isn't one school that spoke tonight that offers what Oceanlight School will offer for their middle school age students. I'm concerned my child will struggle at a middle school where kids are expected to learn from a textbook and not with hands-on activities applying all of their lessons

145to a real world project. A school like Ocean Light will offer my child and so many others out there the opportunity to thrive and not struggle in a classroom where there is only one way to learn and not the way that works for him. My concern isn't unique in any way. It's held by many families in Sonteo County. Thank you. >> Thank you, Megan McKenna. >> Hi. Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> All right. Well, California has always been moved forward by believing in people with the vision to expand what's possible. And tonight you have the opportunity to lead that way for education both for teachers and for the students. Ocean Light offers something that does not exist. Project- based experiential learning rooted in the environment. It's long- form immersive learning that spans weeks

146or months, integrates all subjects around a central theme and requires deep collaboration among experienced teachers from all grades and is especially effective for English language learners. This is a craft and schools in this area, despite claims, are not practicing it at this level. The timing matters. Teaching is evolving and having recently been orphaned, we have the educators, the experience and the model here, right now at Ocean Light. This is what the future of education wants to become. Supporting Ocean Light is a chance to be a beacon for innovation education and to give kids, especially those that don't fit in a typical classroom, a place where they can belong, thrive, and truly love learning. Let's build this now while we have the people who truly know how to do it. Please approve Ocean Light. Thank you.

147>> Thank you. Um, now Jennifer Sue. >> Hello everyone. I'm an Ocean Life board member. Unfortunately, I'm sick, so that's why I'm not there in person. Um, the board's decision tonight is pivotal in determining the broader impact to San Monteo County community. If you vote yes, Ocean Light could be available to all families in San Monteo for the 26 to 27 school year. If no, the status quo of inequity remains between the northern and southern regions of San Mo where there are 13 charter schools in the southern region. The law grants the board the discretion to approve Oceanlight's petition subject to anou addressing concerns. Ocean light team is ready to partner with the board to provide Oceanlight as an additional public school choice for Sanonteo. We're ready to address all concerns in theou. This document

148will outline our shared goals, intentions, responsibilities for all parties working together, and an accountability framework for an ongoing partnership. This is literally what I do for my job and have for my entire 20-year career in corporate partnerships. So, I'm ready to work with your team on building this exceptional educational option. Um, the collective community voice is asking for >> We are at time. >> Okay. >> Thank you. Thank you, Tara Nuts. >> My offense is that the other school district leadership claiming that the just this is just about Pacifica. It practically makes my blood boil. You are ignoring your own communities. I know multiple families in the region who are desperate for another public school option for their unique learner. Be that an autistic PDA profile kid who is constantly triggered and on the verge

149of practically needing a non-public school but really just needs a flexible relational setting or an anxious fifth grade family who can't bear the thought of putting their quiet fragile child in a large busy middle middle school. People are practically crying or have plain given up and yet you you you pretend not to see them after the first year. No district is going to lose more than one or two% of kids to ocean light. Yet you are scared, selfish, to give families an opportunity. Are you rolling out your red carpet to welcome families suffering in other schools? Or are you just trying to keep poor San Monteo County poor choice poor, too? >> Thank you. Um, Anna Young. >> Hi, good evening, trustees. I'm a 15-year public school educator and a parent of a second grader

150and incoming TK student. It's from both perspectives that I speak in strong support of Oceanlight School. While many districts rightly note that they offer project-based learning and family participation, no school in Northern Santo County offers these practices as deeply or systematically as Ocean Light proposes to. In my daughter's first grade class at Ocean Shore School last year, I saw how a unit ostensibly about penguins was the foundation for interdisciplinary learning. A zoo field trip wasn't just for fun. It made learning real. Parents weren't on the sidelines. They were dunking students blubbercovered hands into buckets of ice water or sliding kids down a ramp to teach about survival adaptations. This wasn't a showcase unit either. It was just an everyday at school. Ocean Light will ensure that this kind of learning is foundational rather than occasional

151and accessible to students countywide. As an educator, parent, and community member, I respectfully urge you to approve Ocean Light Charter. Thank you. >> Thank you, Stephanie B. >> Hi, thank you for giving me some time here. I just wanted to speak out in support of Ocean Light Charter. Uh, I'm genuinely excited about the possibility of this school serving Sanonteo County families. I think what stands out to me about the school is that although it did grow out of a challenging situation, I think the founding team didn't just try to create recreate, sorry, what existed, they really leaned into imagining a new type of program where hands-on immersive learning wasn't just an add-on, but the foundation. While most schools really do work to include their hands-on elements, and I think they do do that every day,

152I it's what's different about Ocean Light is that it's built around them. I think the previous speaker could really attest to that. Um, with someone with a 504 child, I think, you know, things like this are really a benefit and the opportunity to be able to thrive somewhere in that type of learning learning format. I strongly encourage you to support Ocean Light School petition. Thank you. Thank you, Will Mali. >> Hi, my name is Will Mali. I'm from San Bruno. I wasn't going to speak out, but I realized I don't think you guys got my my one of the supporters of Ocean Light. I believe that can should have a choice of a different choice if they wish to attend. um by shutting down this opportunity doesn't make sense for everyone that does want this

153opportunity. My sons, they're in fourth and seventh grade. When we came to um public school, they were shocked that they were sitting in the classroom. They were having difficulties sitting down because they were used to a play-based school. Ocean Light appears to be that type of, you know, community where they want the kids to um be active as well as having the parents be active in the school. And I don't see that in my middle school. I see that in my elementary school. So after fourth grade, I don't know what I'm going to be doing besides sitting at home. Looks like Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh Bren Brenda Hammond. >> Uh good evening. Um, my children attend the South San Francisco school, one elementary and one middle. I don't have anything negative to say.

154They are quite happy. But I still advocate for the kids, the families. We should have a choice. You are advocating for the children. All these district leaders are here advocating for their students. So the big question is, will this negatively impact our children? Education should be limitless. Budget should be limitless. But nothing is free. So, will this charter school negatively affect the children? That's the big question we should consider. I support the charter school. Thank you. Thank you, Sher. Stella, Sher, if you can unmute. share if you can unmute. >> You're welcome to speak. >> Yeah, we can hear you. >> Okay, great. Um I Great. Thanks. Uh I'll keep this brief. I am a Daily City resident, business owner, and parent, and I want Ocean Light School in my community. We don't have anything

155like this near me or within my district. I'm really excited about the possibility of having a school like this in my county for my kids to attend. And honestly, I don't care how we get one, whether it's districtwide or countywide, because we need it. And I really want my kids to go to school like this. I have friends and family across across San Monteo County that I know would jump at the opportunity to attend a school like this or for their kids to attend a school like this as well. Just don't know about it. I just learned about a couple months ago. So, give the school time and you'll see the the amount of interest that it can build. Please vote. Yes. Thank you. >> Thank you, Marie V. >> Hello. Can you hear me?

156>> Yes. >> Hello. I am a Daily City resident and I plan on sending my child to Ocean Light. Thank you, Danielle Elite. >> Hi there. I'm a parent uh and a resident of San Bruno. Um because San Bruno didn't offer a PE public K through8 projectbased experiential learning option. My family sought out a school that aligned with how our son learns best. That led us to Ocean Shore during his kindergarten year. In December of that year, we learned the program would be closing. This year, we continued into the Sunset Ridge and Ocean Shore merger colllocation, hopeful that the programming would remain intact. Unfortunately, that has not been our experience. My husband is on campus daily helping with the programs and we've seen what he's seen is a model struggling to function as intended. Because

157the future of Ocean Light remains uncertain, I've been forced to look outside our district for other options. What I've learned is very concerning. Families may submit only one inner district transfer for a year. That leaves us with an impossible choice. Gambling on the chance of being accepted elsewhere or staying in a school that's not meeting our child's needs. >> We are asking >> just to preserve continuity with his peers. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Julia Aries. >> Uh yeah, this is Julia's husband, Spencer Ers. Um we're the I'm the parent of a four-year-old in Daily City. Uh and our family is searching for a great K through8 fit uh for our daughter uh starting next school year and Ocean Lights vision has really resonated with us. Uh we support more school choice in

158Sonteo County and ask you to approve uh the petition. Thank you. >> Thank you, Deborah Sherwin. >> Hi. Um I am a parent and Pacifica of a first grader and of a toddler. Uh I am speaking on in support of the charter. Uh I'm really inspired by the positivity and the vision that's been that this team has built. um and really not just what it can do for our kids but for our communities um and how um the way the program is run um will grow and strengthen our community. Parents are hungry for this type of programming and um we keep coming up against walls um finding how where to get um what we're looking for um and we have a chance to really coales all that energy here in Oceanlight um and I really

159hope you will take advantage of that opportunity and approve the charter. >> Thank you. Alex Sabieski. >> Yes. Um, I'm speaking on behalf of Ocean Light in support of it. At the first public hearing on October 22nd about the petition for Ocean Light School, President Torres asked an important question. What will Oceanlight School add to the county's leadership in environmental education? Um, the response is four-fold. With our existing and worsening problem of sea level rise, Sanonteo County is exactly the place where a school like ours must be located. Oceanlight will be a living laboratory that will first and foremost educate and engage our diverse TK through8 students through project-based collaborative learning. Using [snorts] and tier one mental health strategies, we will address the mostly unagnowledge climate anxiety widespread among children and youth. Finally, as Conteo

160County educators, we will offer our colleagues around the county in the state curriculum training to to promote environmental literacy that is integrated with language, math, and science literacy. Teaching about climate justice will be central to this curriculum as well. Thank you, Deborah. I think you already spoke, so I'm going to go to Stephanie Sig Saguara. >> Hi, good evening. Um, I'm a mother of two currently calling from South San Francisco and I wanted to say that like many families, my family would love to see more school options in our area, especially the option of a TK to8 school program like Ocean Light. There's nothing like that in our district. Um, as parents, we all know that every child is different and not every school will be the right fit for every individual child. We, as

161parents, deserve options so we can choose the best school to meet our children's needs. Um, Oceanlight will give my family and many others the opportunity to find the right educational fit. Families need choice. Please vote to approve Ocean Light school petition. Thank you. >> Thank you, Rebecca Stella. Hi, my name is Rebecca and I have a little one. Um, and our family and I were in support of the charter school. Not only for our kids and our future kids, but um, just for children in general. uh we all parent in different styles and I believe that education should also be available in different options and just having that option here would be so great. Uh so please vote yes. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Fe Jose. >> Hi. Can you hear me? >> Yes.

162>> Uh thank you. Um I grew up in uh South San Francisco. Uh my kids also uh grew up in South San Francisco. There was not an option of a a chart I'm sorry a charter school and I believe this hands-on education is is would have would per have been perfect for my kids. Now my grandkids are um uh we're looking for a charter school uh where there is um a different kind of learning and I I wholeheartedly believe that Ocean Light is the perfect school for them. So I do wish um that the board will consider uh this petition. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. And our last raised hand is Zaya Cook. >> Hi, my name is Shauna Cook. Sorry, suddenly nervous. Um, I'm speaking to you tonight in support of Oceanlight

163Charter. I I urge you to approve. Um, I'm also speaking as a mother of a toddler who I'm hoping to send to the school. Um, and also as a mental health professional. Um, I was uh supported by a K- through8 school and it cannot be understated the impact of being a kindergartener drop you into the experience of it as a kindergartener, having an eighth grader help you learn how to read and then going through your growth and becoming an eighth grader and turning around and sitting with a kindergartener to help them to learn how to read. So in practice, that is what closing circles relationally looks like. That is the crux of Ocean Light School with project-based learning, experiential learning, and I hope that you will vote yes. Thank you. >> Thank you. That was

164our last raised hand. >> Thank you so much. Members of the public may also provide live comment in person. Um, we are going to call up members. Please line up when your name is called to microphone one over here and microphone two at the podium. Um, and staff will be on the sides to assist and direct deputy supernet and chavez. Are there any submitted cards? >> Yes. >> Wow. >> Several. Um, we're going to start with students. We have a couple of students that chosen asked to speak. um Connor uh Fagan and followed by Parker Lindau and then we have Christine Fagan. You can line up at your closest microphone. >> Good evening. Good evening. My name is Connor Fagan and I'm a fourth grader. I used to go to a K to8 school where

165learning was hands-on and connected to what we were studying in class. When we learned a unit, we didn't just read about it. We did projects and went on field trips that helped us understand it better. That made learning exciting and fun. Since my school was merged into one big school, that kind of learning isn't really there anymore. We haven't got on field trips like we used to, and learning doesn't feel as connected. I really miss that. Ocean Light would bring back the kind of school where learning is active, creative, and meaningful, where kids are excited to learn and think deeply around the world around them. Students in North San Mateo County don't have a school like this right now. And I hope you'll approve Ocean Light so kids like me can have that chance again.

166Thank you. >> Thank you. Parker, followed by Parker Linda, followed by Christine Fagan, followed by Juel Marie. >> Hi, I'm Parker. I graduated in 2020 from Ocean Shore. Um, and when I was 10 years old, me and my fourth grade class went on an overnight trip to Fort Ross, a rushing trading post down the coast of California. We chose professions, worked in the garden, cooked, created art and plays to share with the rest of our class and teachers. While being one of the most fun and formative memories of my early education, it was also deeply informative and pushed me to be interested in US and California history. I had the time of my life bonding with my classmates and teachers while also getting an incredible educative experience. And Ocean Shore had so many more above

167and beyond moments like this for me throughout my time here. Ocean Shore is one of the defining reasons that I'm a well-rounded and interesting person and has not only given me invaluable tools for my education, but helped me discover the talents and passions within my character, a deep love and care for our environment, a desire to question the world around me, a love for physical media and creating. So much of Ocean Shore's message and dedication to teaching children in a way that makes them understand and engage has been instilled in me. It is a bittersweet memory as while I feel incredibly blessed to have br been brought up within Ocean Shore, I also desire intensely for the children of today to have the privilege of an oceanore education as I did. I would not change

168my experience for the world. Ocean shore is a rarity and something whose spirit deserves to be protected and treasured for years to come. Thank you. >> Thank you Christine Fagan followed by Juel Marie and then Kathleen Bibb. >> Good evening trustees. My name is Christine Fagan. I'm a parent of a fourth grader and a active volunteer at school. You're here tonight that Ocean Light isn't needed because districts already offer a project based or experiential learning. As a parent who spent years inside classrooms, I want to be clear, occasional activities are not the same as a school intentionally designed to around this approach. Ocean Shore was a K8 school. While the districts described this move as a collocation, in practice, the schools were merged. Middle school students were moved to a district single middle school and

169the K to8 model where students learn leadership by mentoring younger ones no longer exists. As you've heard, there are only three K to8 public schools in all of the northern part of Sanonteo County and none of the fully integrate project-based learning with meaningful family partnerships. This is an equity issue. When schools are designed this way, students feel known and supported. They trust with uh they trust the doubts and engage more deeply in learning. Ocean like fills a real gap. I urge you not to let this opportunity driven by a deeply committed founding team pass. >> We are at time >> of remaining the status quo is is far greater. >> Thank you. Juel Marie follow Juel Marie followed by Kathleen Bibb followed by Stephanie Trelogan. Good evening board members. My name is Juel Marie. I'm

170an eighth grade student who has been at FDR since kindergarten. I'm speaking today to kindly ask you to deny the Ocean Light Charter petition. FDR is a community full of loving and caring people that have dedicated their lives to the education of students like me. One thing I have learned from FDR is that staff will motivate you to be the best the best version of yourself. FDR is special because they teach leadership skills. For example, I am part of the advisory council who will give feedback on how to make the school the best it could be. I've had the opportunity to be a teacher's aid in two special day classrooms at our school. Approving Ocean Light could harm our most vulnerable populations, such as students in our SDC program, by taking away necessary resources like

171our sensory room. Students use a sensory room to help regulate their emotions and calm down. Please take into consideration the students who will be impacted the most across the county and deny the Ocean Light Charter petition. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Kathleen Bibb, followed by Stephanie Trilogan and then Sandy Mills. Is it working? Okay. Good evening, President Torres and the board of trustees. Kathleen BB here, CTA staff. for most of the districts that are impacted by the ocean life projected draw of students. As I've indicated previously, CTA does not support this charter because it is not a fiscally and administratively sound education investment because that's what it is program for the students and community of Sanonteo County. Again, it will devastate Pacifica and it will impoverish the students of Pacifica once it's been

172established. The staff report found Ocean Light an unound education program and unlikely to imple implement the program as proposed. These are two of the fundamental core bases of charter law to deny the petition. CTA urges the board to act accordingly to their resourced report of their staff and deny Ocean Lights application. Thank you very much. >> Thank you, Stephanie Trloan. S then followed by Sandy Mills and Sheila Gamble Gamble Dornne. >> Okay. All right. Um my name is Stephanie Trloan. I'm a teacher at Sunset Ridge and this year I also have the privilege of teaching Ocean Shore students. I urge you to vote against the petition for Oceanlight Charter School. We have the opportunity to expand Ocean Shores program and share it with Sunset Ridge families. Why not work together to make this program even

173more robust at home in Pacifica? Ocean Shore is on a campus with willing partners who are ready to imagine and realize their visions, values, and goals. Let's unite and strengthen our existing public schools rather than further dividing our limited resources. As educators and parents, we tell our children that we are stronger when we work together, sharing resources and supporting one another. Establishing a charter is the antithesis of this idea, which is why I implore you to deny this petition. Thank you. >> Thank you, Sandy Mills. uh followed by Sheila Gamble Dornne and then Grace Grace Subieski. >> Ocean Light is not the result of a reactionary moment or a fit of peak. While Ocean Shore families were understandably upset by both the outcome, disregard and disrespect from the district. This petition is not driven by

174that resentment. It is driven by conviction. The Oceanlight founding team brought this petition before you because it believes deeply in an educational model that is effective, forwardthinking, and results in strong student outcomes for diverse learners. The recent events in Pacifica simply opened the door to take something good and reimagine it for today and tomorrow's students. Importantly, this effort is not self-interested. More than half of a founding team has no children who will benefit from Ocean Light in the near term. They are here because they believe this model should exist for students across Sonteo County, not be limited by district boundaries. We respect the Pacific that Pacifica faced a difficult decision. Ocean Light is not relitigating that choice. Thank you. Thank Thank you, Sheila Gambledornne, followed by Grace Subieski and then Becky Hawworth. >> Yes, I

175I'm Sheila Gambledornne. I'm a retired uh Pacifica School District teacher and also a marine science um educator. And I just wanted to thank the board for the members who have acknowledged my u email to you supporting ocean light not only for the marine science program but also as becoming a mentor for ocean light in the their commitment to immersive project-based learning for the future. Ocean light will be part of the sustain help our children be part of the sustainability of our planet. The key word in what I've just said is immersive. Um, and at oceanshore when we ran ran the um marine science program called oceans 411, this is what happens. And the whole school is turned into an environment that we're studying. And that's for two weeks. the students the seventh the middle school

176students uh teach the young students and this is the same but immersive is the key word in what ocean light will be providing. >> Thank you Grace Sieski Beck Becky Howorth and Christina Lee. >> Hi trustees. Thank you so much for your time. Um appro um approving Ocean Light School will address the inequality in school choices that the residents of northern portion of Sonteo County um have been presented. Um if what you will see in front of you is a table outlining figures um with the percentage of schools in um North Central and South County um how many TK to8 options are available to students. um you will see across the north districts of Sonteo that only three TK to8 schools exist. Hence only 7.8% of students in North County have access to or are

177attending a TK to8 school while 11% in the central um area of the county um attended TK to8 and this percentage is all the way at 19% in the south. Um, furthermore, given that these schools in the north have district boundaries, students in South San Francisco and San Bruno have no TK to8 options. The districts in the south benefit and only by having more TK to8 schools. They also have more charter schools which don't require interdist transfers. Thank you. >> Thank you, Becky Hoorth. Uh, followed by Christina Lee and then Jennifer Mitchell. >> Good evening, trustees. My name is Becky Howeth. Thank you for allowing me to speak to you again tonight. I'm an educator and a founding member of Ocean Light School. I want to emphasize that the program at Ocean Light is sound

178as the staff report acknowledges. The report highlights that our educational vision is clear. Our science program is especially strong. Our model aligns with whole child research and environmental literacy and civic engagement are well integrated. These statements show how strong a foundation for show a strong foundation for student learning and can by no means be labeled as unsound. Any remaining concerns can be addressed through a memorandum of understanding after approval of the petition. When thinking about curriculum, it is critical that staff are involved in the selection of curriculum, particularly as part this is part of our head of school and staff enrollment planning. Involving experienced educators ensures that the program is implemented effectively from day one. Thank you for your time and I urge you to vote yes on the ocean launch. Thank >> thank you

179uh Christina Lee followed by Jennifer Mitchell and then Karen Key. The staff report acknowledged the petition exceeds signature requirements. Public comment was overwhelmingly supportive as it was on October 22nd as it was tonight. The educational vision is strong and aligned with research. Yet the staff still raised concerns about future implementation details. Importantly, the concerns raised are not legal deficiencies. They do not prevent this board from exercising their broad discretion to approve Oceanlight's charter petition and address any of the board or staff's concerns through conditions and oversight memorialized in anou. Please approve Oceanlight's charter petition subject to anou to address concerns. Denial would go against the county's equity goals. Denial means that Oceanlight will need to petition for a single district charter reducing access to other students in Sanonteo County who would otherwise benefit from a

180school like Oceanlight. Thank you. >> Thank you, Jennifer Mitchell, followed by Karen Key and then Jennifer Lee. Hi, my name is Jennifer Mitchell and I spent 28 years at Ocean Shore School where I began as a kindergarten teacher and eventually moved into special education. That path shaped not just how I teach, but how I think about schools and school systems. Learning works best when it's experiential, connected, and deeply human. I now teach special education in Los Altos and my work and working in a different district has expanded my perspective on what supports students with disabilities need. It's helped me to see more clearly which structures empower students, which ones limit them, and how intentional design can make all the difference. Although I'm no longer working in Pacifica, I remain connected to the Ocean Light team.

181I want to help them build a program that is not only compliant or functional, but robust. One that honors neurodeiversity, fosters independence, and uses experiential learning as a core access point, not an add-on. For students with disabilities, learning through experience isn't just engaging, it's transformative. It's how students build confidence, agency, and a real sense of belonging in their learning. >> We are at time. Thank you. Thank you >> Karen Key, Jennifer Lee, and Teresa Nalta. >> Good evening, trustees. So, early interest from Pacifica families is high, and that's entirely expected. Pacifica families had firsthand experience with this educational model for decades, which is why Pacificans moved first. But it does not dictate who Ocean Light intends to serve. A lot of Pacifica interest does not mean demand is limited to Pacifica as you've heard from

182some of the voices over Zoom. Uh nor does the W law require early interest to be evenly distributed across districts. The early outreach efforts before the petition was submitted focus on preschools outside Pacifica. And as a result, 47% of TK and K families who signed and intend to enroll were families outside Pacifica. This shows that with more outreach and an an approved petition, which is easier for people to understand that we are then open as a school, I'm sure interest will continue to grow. And the legal question is not about where interest in in Ocean Light began, but rather um where this program will serve students countywide across districts. And that question on that question, the evidence is clear. Ocean Light can and will serve students across district boundaries. Thank you. Thank you, Jennifer Lee.

183Terresa Navalta, followed by Joan Weidman. >> Education Code section 47605 allows for the denial of a charter petition due to potential fiscal impacts to a school district. However, Pacifica School District and other districts wrongly cite this section as grounds for denying Ocean Lights petition because that section addresses charter petitions to a single school district, not to a county. Regardless, the San Monteo County Office of Education's website says that a charter petition decision cannot be based on whether the charter school will negatively affect school funding or facilities. Ocean Lights petition is for a countywide charter school under section 47605.6. Under that section, this board has broad discretion to approve Ocean Lights charter petition if the student population would be better served by a countywide charter rather than a single district charter. Denying Ocean Lights petition would

184perpetuate existing inequities between North Sato County and the rest of the county. >> Thank you. uh Teresa Navalta followed by Joan Weidman and Virginia S. >> Good evening trustees. Tonight you may hear about how Ocean Light School is just a bunch of angry parents trying to resurrect Ocean Shore School. This is just not true and honestly a rather hyperbolic reductive claim. In fact, the main petitioner will not have any children attending the school. I know for some folks it may be difficult to believe that some of us are still altruistic in nature and want to bring something that is incredibly beneficial to a wider community of families. That is why the founding team came to you for authorization so that kids from across our diverse county can benefit from an educational model that is different.

185I have personally seen and benefited from my family's experiences at Ocean Shore School and I want to see other kids from across the county benefit from Oceanlight School. My children are better humans because of their experiences in this programming. I implore you, please vote yes on our petition so that parents and children can have more choice in San Monteo County. Thank you. >> Thank you. Joan Weidman, followed by Virginia S. um followed by Valerie Davidson. >> Hi, I'm Joan Weidman. My points were covered in the question and answer section, so I'm giving you guys a minute back. Thank you, Virginia. Can you state your last name, please? >> Shapony. >> Thank you. Yeah. S, it's been S for a long time. Um, thank you, trustees and staff. Um, I am currently a teacher at Ocean

186Shore School. I'm in my 20th year with uh Pacifica School District. Ocean Lights founding members have dedicated themselves to envisioning an educational program that is no longer available to the students and their families in northern Sonteo County. This group has exemplified the solutionary process and put into action. They are innovative and responsible visionaries who have been willing to champion the educational needs of our community. Ocean Light has strong backing from the public and seasoned educators, many of whom are afraid to speak out of fear of retaliation or worse, from their employers or their union. Here I stand at the end of my career, speaking from my heart and my truth in defense of what I know is good for a community. I remain dedicated to quality public education. I along with fellow teachers will support

187the launch of this school. Together, we call on you to give students of Sato County a true gift and say yes to the petition. Oh, sorry. Say yes to the passion and talented itself on behalf of our county. Thank you. >> Thank you, Valerie Davidson, followed by Faith Holly and followed by Tanya Guido. >> Thank you. Um each of us are here because we are passionate about education and for our kids. We want our kids to have schools that meet their needs. I met a parent whose children attended and thrived at Ocean Shore. They're now adults. When I went to look at schools, I had no concept of an alternative school until I went into the school and to saw the it was a joy. It was a different way of teaching and of experiencing

188and of learning. Um I believe in public education and focus on the basics but by offering the option my children had a wonderful experience. This is not for everyone but I think that you miss an opportunity if you deny this petition. It has passion and it should have this. Thank you. >> Thank you. Faith Holly, Tanya Aguido, followed by Chrissy McBride. >> Hi. Thank you. I'm Faith Holly. Good evening, trustees of the county board. First of all, thank you for your deep listening and thoughtful questions throughout the charter review process. It is greatly appreciated. I have felt heard and my community's concerns have been treated with respect. This is a welcome change from the experience we've had in Pacific School School District. I am here to reiterate my support for the charter. You have an

189unprecedented opportunity to harness deep community involvement that drives positive outcomes equitably for students. And you can invest in the supply of programming options in the north county that can attract families and raise total demand for public education and embrace a positive vision for the future that can strengthen communities exponentially with each new cohort. Or all of this meaning and meaningful energy can dissipate. You can hope that the district admins in Northern County can get unstuck from where they are deep in the status quo. You can let >> We are at time. >> Oh darn. Okay, thank you. >> Thank you. Tanya Guido, Chrissy McBride, followed by Sarah Kuzanza. >> Start that yet. Okay. Dear trustees of Sanonteo County Office of Education, I'm writing this on behalf of Terry Vorhees, who has had two sons attend

190Ocean Shore from the years 2003 to 2014. Robert, who has Down syndrome, was on the general education roster with support from the special day class from K8. Max, who has been diagnosed with Asperers at the age of three, was fully included in the general ed with pullout supports. After touring all the options, Ocean Shore was the only option with the hands-on learning, focus on ability awareness, support of our ocean, parent involvement, and all-around amazing staff. Robert is 27 and lives in a new community. His experience at Ocean Shore helped him integrate easily. He attends a community program, works one day a week, and volunteers for a touch of understanding, presenting to fourth and fifth graders about Down syndrome, continuing the legacy of the Ability Awareness Day at Ocean Shore. Max is 25, graduated from UCSC

191and computer engineering, and now has a full-time IT job and plays bass in a punk rock band. Our neurode divergent children need options that do not oneizefits-all in reading about Ocean Light School and hearing about their vision. Thank you. Thank you, Chrissy McBride, followed by Sarah Kosenza, followed by Leo Kosenza. Hi, I'm Chrissy, parent of two, currently in their last year in the Pacifica School District. Regardless of tonight's outcome, there is some concern about Oceanlight's projected firstear enrollment, specifically that there are too many students coming in from Pacifica. I wanted to clarify that any preference provided to families who signed the petition is limited to the first year only and this exists to ensure a stable launch. This is common, lawful and reasonable. The law does not require perfect geographic distribution in the first year.

192Moreover, in the first year, even if every supporting family from Pacifica enrolled, 45% which is 222 seats would remain open for the rest of San Monteo County. After submitting the petition, Oceanlight ramped up their outreach beyond Pacifica and will continue to do so, which will result in more interest countywide. For my family and all families who want more public school options in in Samonteo County, please approve Ocean Lake. Thank you. >> Thank you, Sarah Kosensa, followed by Leo Kosensa and then Zachary Pang. >> Anger is a normal human emotion. We've been dismissed as simply angry parents wanting our school back. It's true. I am angry. But I choose the ways in which to funnel this anger into protective and positive ways, which is what I'm doing right now. It's understandable to experience anger when you're

193lied to, manipulated, gaslit, when you're betrayed by a system that's supposed to support you. The Pacifica School Board has acted in these ways towards our community and now they continue this campaign of lies onto you, the trustees of the Sanonteo County Board of Education. When the Pacifica Board says that Ocean Shore still is still still exists, it's a flatout lie. It sounds nice, but please don't believe it. Ocean Shore only exists in the title. I'm an alumni of Al of Oceanore and my second grader is there now. Well, kind of. And I say this because Ocean Shore doesn't exist today. I'm on campus every day. I volunteer and I see this with my own eyes. This is a merger, not a collocation. The values, morals, and teachings of Oceanore are gone. You're being lied to,

194and it's at the expense of our children and our future. We plan to take the best parts of Oceanore and use it as a foundation for something better. The north side of Sanonteo County doesn't have a school like this. When Ocean Shore closed, our choices closed and we were forced into positions we that were not suitable for our families. Thank you. >> Thank you. Leo Quizensa, Zachary Pang, followed by Alexandra Bril. >> Okay, first of all, I was going to write something with it. Um, that's my girl. She's I was with her in the classroom and she has that little my little eight-year-old now. Okay, that girl that was here when the students that spoke, that's the product. She's she's she knows what she is. She got an education. She's part of all I feel

195so proud of myself. I was crying there when that girl was talking because that is what we're about. Ocean Shore, there's nothing like what Ocean Shore was. We are so lucky and blessed. Somehow in this whatever this universe, how long I've been here, we ended up here. And God, how we got here. How lucky we are. And to not continue on with something that might be oh good. Maybe better. Who knows? But it was great. And if you can get better than great, well, great. But it would be a travesty to not even go for this. Just nuts. So forget me about talking about, you know, this is for everybody blah blah blah. You're getting my heartfelt stuff right here. Thank you very much. Um, Zachary Pang, followed by Alexandra Bril, followed by, uh, Eric

196Chavez. Uh, hello. Um, I am a sophomore at Accidental College studying urban environmental policy. Um, I was born and raised here and attended Ocean Shore for 9 years. What stood out to me was the Oceans 411 program and how early and thoroughly it got me to grapple with complex topics like climate change. It's in large part because of this emphasis on programs like this as well as the continual support I received over these nine years that I decided to study something so tied to environmental justice. The bottom line is I want to see kids like me have access to such a formative learning experience and I think that Ocean Light School can fill that gap. Thank you. >> Thank you Alexandra Bril, Eric Chavez and then Chelsea Jod says Bondini. My name is Alexandra Bril

197and I'm a seventh grade teacher at FDR. As someone who has taught in a colllocated PBL charter school, I urge you to deny the petition for OSHI. With respect to state standards, projectbased learning as the core curriculum is an incredibly challenging pedagogy to implement successfully and honestly. Potentially sharing a campus with an emerging school system that has made this PBL promise to our county will come with many detriments for a school that has accountably served our community for over 44 years. FDR TK8 school holds an open interd district invitation to join our standards aligned UDL base TK through 8 school. >> Thank you. Eric Chavez, Chelsea Jatzas uh Bondini followed by Tiffany Hannah. Uh toos. >> Uh my name is Eric Chavez. I'm on the founding team for Ocean Light. Uh and as such, I'd

198like to use my minute to address two uh issues. Um first, we've come to understand that there have been false reports of a request by Ocean Light School to colllocate with FDR Elementary School in Daily City. Uh on behalf of the founding team, uh and to reiterate what Shiobani um our board chair has already uh mentioned, um this is uh in fact not true. Uh secondly, I'd like to rebut the argument being made for the denial of Ocean Lights petition based on a failure of notice to the Berling game school district. The procedural issue cited in the argument is uh one that's already been addressed and it's not grounds for denial. The Berling game school district was notified by the county office of education. Uh Dr. Silvermith actively participated in the October 22nd hearing and

199is here again tonight to voice her opinions. Uh not a single school district was deprived of the opportunity to engage in this process or communicate its position. >> We are at time. >> Okay. >> Thank you. Uh Chelsea Jots Bondini followed by Tiffany Hannah followed by an Marie Cruz. >> Good evening. My name [clears throat] is Chelsea Jods Bondini and I'm a parent of a first grader at FDR. Um as well as a public school teacher and advocate. I urge you to deny this charter petition for endless reasons, including that it follows a Christopher Columbus model. Incredible education that far exceeds what has been presented by the petitioners already exists in San Monteo County and does not need to be discovered. This model clearly leaves out our most vulnerable children, including and especially those who

200benefit from special education services. Shout out to FDR's SDC pathway. Our community did not ask for, does not require, and didn't want doesn't want this charter. Please deny this petition. Thank you. >> Thank you, Tiffany Hannah, followed by [clears throat] Anmarie Cruz, followed by Monica Howell. >> Good evening. My name is Tiffany Hannah. I am the school secretary at Ortega Elementary School in Pacifica. And I'm here speaking on behalf of my union, CSA Chapter 128. Two months ago, I stood before you and shared how strongly my union does not support the charter school. At this point, I believe everyone here is well informed and that decisions have largely been made. I am standing here now to ask the Ocean Shore and Oceanlight school groups for this to end. The time for healing is upon us.

201I urge you to channel all of this passion and energy into bringing your vision to life at the location where your students and teachers currently are. We are neighbors and co-workers, a community. Regardless of where we stand on this issue, we share the same schools, the same town, and the same responsibility to one another. The division hurts my soul, and ultimately it is hurting all of us. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you, Anna Marie Cruz, followed by Monica Howell, followed by Sebastian Diro. >> Hi, good evening. I'm Anmarie Cruz. Um, I have a son that goes to FDR, um, TK to 8. My eldest son did attend Ocean Shore. Um he he was there through middle school and was a special needs child. He had a great experience. But when it came time

202for my elementary school child, Ocean Share no longer they were no longer um they no longer had a special day program for for my special needs elementary school child. And so even though my older child was welcome there and had a great experience, unfortunately my younger son was not um accepted to enroll there. Um my concern with Ocean Lake um charter school is that they may be put in the same position. Um offering a special day program at first. Um it to me does not sound like they're prepared to accept those children. My primary concern is just the acceptance and the change that will be put on these special children if accepted and then having to leave. >> We are at time. Thank you. Uh we have Monica Howell followed by Sebastian Deiro and followed

203by Jonathan Markham. >> Good evening. I had a speech written out but my phone died so I'm just going to speak from my heart. I do have a second grader that's attending Ocean Shore Elementary School which has recently colllocated with Sunset Ridge Elementary School. My second grader is autistic and he absolutely thrived in the Ocean Shore project-based learning model. And I am here to also say that I'm a proud um Filipina. My husband is Palestinian and I am the daughter of immigrants from the Philippines and I'm originally from Daily City. My husband also attended school in northern Sonteo County, South San Francisco and we have never seen a program like Ocean Shores before. When my son was in kindergarten and first grade, he got to go on field trips almost every month. We built a

204relationship with family members in which when he had behavioral challenges, I felt comfortable enough to go directly to the parents and we worked it out ourselves rather than escalating it to authorities and having them decide what to do. I'm here to say that definitely the project-based experiential learning model that Oceanore has founded is ideal for students with differing abilities. It is where my neurodeiverse kid has thrived for the past two years. >> They are at time. Thank you. >> Thank you, Sebastian Tapiro. Um, followed by Jonathan Markham, followed by Joel Trong Vargas. Uh, hi, my name is Sebastian Dapiro. I attended Ocean Shore from kindergarten through 8th grade, and I recently graduated in college with a degree in cultural anthropology. I'm currently in the second round of interviews for the Fulbright National Scholarship to return

205to the Anaperna region of the Nepoese Himalayas where I conducted field work on environmental conservation. I credit a large part of my interest in conservation and my love of the outdoors to my time at Oceanore and its philosophy of environmental stewardship. Furthermore, the hands-on learning experience and the field trips were incredibly influential to me. I have a distinct memory of visiting the Marine Mammal Center in fourth grade, witnessing the rehabilitation of injured seals, and beginning to understand the impact human actions have on the natural world. This wasn't just a marine biology lesson. It was a way to see how climate change was affecting the ocean I grew up next to. These early moments shaped how I learn and how I work today and they are the reason I strongly support ocean life. Thank you. >>

206Thank you uh Jonathan Markham followed by Joel Trang Vargas followed by Aubrey Duffy. >> Good evening. My name is Jonathan Markham and I just want to point out that the staff report frames strong Pacifica support as a weakness. I want to suggest it's the opposite. Launching a TK school in 8 months requires experienced educators, shared practices, and a committed community. Oceanlight has all of that and more. the heart, motivation, and desire to share with all families with students who learn better with hands-on project-based learning interwoven into their curriculum. This community brings decades of success in projectbased learning, environmental literacy, and family partnership that reduces risk and strengthens implementation. Strong early support is what will allow Ocean Light to grow equitably and sustainably across the county. Thank you. Thank you. Uh Joel Trong Vargas, followed by

207Aubrey Duffy, followed by Amy Trong Vargas. >> My name is Joel Trang Vargas and I'm a proud parent of two beautiful children who are part of the JESD family. future TKER, a fourth grader, and a longtime staffer close to 20 years, Amy Trung Vargas. There are a few things I want you to put into consideration. FDR is a small but mighty campus that fosters a strong sense of community and solidarity among students, families, and staff alike. This magic sense of belonging is deeply felt at any event I attend. This does not come by accident. FDR puts its work and does exactly what it needs to do to serve our diverse families. And lastly, it does it well. Rather than building something entirely different, I invite families to embrace what exists. 10,000 students have left our

208county schools in the span of five years, and these numbers continue to dip. The mass exodus of families are byproduct of Bay Area housing crisis. Less students enrolling in our schools means less funding in an already historically underfunded district. Approving this charter will do nothing more than exacerbate the enrollment deficit. uh real impacts on the workingclass immigrant families that we serve. >> Best plan >> is to already join our village. >> Thank you. Uh we have Aubrey Duffy followed by Emit Trang Vargas followed by Dr. Marcos Garcia. >> Good evening board members. My name is Aubrey Duffy and I'm the proud principal of FDR TK8 School in Daily City. I'm here tonight because I believe deeply in the power of strong public schools. And FDR is just that. FDR is not just a campus. It

209is a community woven together over generations. Educators who have dedicated their entire careers to the children of Daily City, families who return year after year because they know their children will be supported academically and emotionally, and students who proudly call FDR their second home. I want to speak directly to the families who submitted this charter. We are not against you. We would welcome any new families into our school. All children deserve great schools and we already provide exactly that. If this charter is approved, we could lose funding, programs, and dedicated staff who have chosen public service as their as their life's work. The children who rely on us every day will feel that loss most of all. I urge you to honor the families who trust us with their children and vote to deny the

210Oceanlight Charter petition. Thank you for your >> Thank you. Um Amy Strong Vargas, followed by Dr. Marcos Garcia, followed by Ted O. >> Good evening. My name is Amy Trong Vargas. I am a proud Thank you, sir. I am a proud teacher at FDA FDRTK8 school in Daily City. I implore the board to deny the Oceanlight Charter School petition as uh FDR could be a possible collocation site. We are a small but uh yet thriving school community with dedicated educators, vibrant students, and loving families. This will be my 17th year teaching in the district. I have witnessed firsthand how public school enrollment has declined in San Monteo County. Um, and this trend will just continue due to the high cost of living in the Bay Area. And despite the stark reality, FDR's enrollment of students

211with special education services remains high. Um, I continue to have a maxed out student case load as a RSP teacher at FDR and one in every five students at our school site has an IP contract. Our school is built on a community which champions inclusion, acceptance, and kindness. I invite families who are in search of this opportunity to come and visit and consider enrolling in our school. Thank you so much for your thoughtful consideration. >> Thank you. Um Dr. Marcos Garcia followed by Ted O followed by J. Marwan Hans Hannon. >> Good evening. I'm Marcos Garcia. I'm an assistant superintendent for South San Francisco Unified. I'm here with two other cabinet members. South San Francisco supports the San Monteo County Office of Ed staff report analysis and recommendations for the following reasons. First, on the

212core legal requirement, it is this is not a countywide solution. The staff report confirms that the that demand is concentrated in Pacifica. Approving a countywide charter charter for a localized interest violates ed code and pulls resources from six districts to serve a niche group. This is the very definition definition of fragmentation, not countywide benefit. Second, the fiscal and operational plan remains speculative and high risk. The governor's recent veto of SB415 underscores the state's own oversight mechanisms for charter finances are acknowledged to be broken. At this moment of heightened risk, you are being asked to approve a budget untethered to a time. >> Thank you, Ted O, followed by J. Marwin Hannon followed by Anthony Rain Reinhardt. Hey, good evening, President Torres, uh, Deputy Superintendent Chavez, and members of the county board. I am the assistant

213superintendent of business at South San Francisco Unified School District. Uh, okay. On behalf of the South San Francisco Unified School District, we formally request that the board uphold the Sato County Office of Education staff recommendation and deny the countywide charter petition for Ocean Light School. Uh beyond the technical fear of this uh specific petition, we must address the broader impact of charter expansion. Research consistently shows that the proliferation of the charter schools often fails to deliver the promise innovation while simultaneously destabilizing local public systems. Studies often find that a significant portion of charter schools perform no better and sometimes worse than the traditional public school counterparts, particularly when accounting for student demographics. yet they operate with less public oversight. Charge schools divert essential funding away from established districts. >> We are at time. >> Okay.

214Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh J Marwin Hannon followed by Anthony Reinhardt followed by Meg Lamont. >> Alaikum. Uh, good evening, President Torres, Deputy Superintendent Chavez, members of the county board, staff, and community. My name is Jason Marwan Hanan. I'm the assistant superintendent of human resources in the South San Francisco Unified School District. I stand before you today on behalf of our district to formally request that this board uphold the Sanato County Office of Education staff recommendation and deny the countywide charter petition for Ocean High School. The SMCE staff's exhaustive analysis confirms that this position as this petition as currently presented fails to meet the fundamental legal thresholds required by the California Education Code. Granting this petition would not be would not only be an act of expanding choice. It would be an endorsement of

215a localized private style school funded by public dollars at the expense of the greater Sanonteo community. The petition is legally insufficient, operationally flawed, and most importantly, philosophically misaligned with the collective and diverse needs of our students throughout the county. Thank you. >> Thank you, Anthony Reinhardt, followed by Meg Lamont, followed by Rick Grus. Try to get it up here. All right. Good evening. My name is Tony Reinhardt. I'm a resident in Pacifica and a parent of two children who attend public school and I would really appreciate leaving them in public school. By the way, a charter is a public school. Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of the Ocean Light school petition. San Monteo County has long prioritized equity, accountability, and continuous improvement in public education. One important driver of that improvement

216is constructive competition within the public system. competition that encourages schools to listen to families, innovate, and raise expectations for all student outcomes. Today, access to public school choice is not even dis evenly distributed across the county. Families in southern Sanonteo County have s significantly more options. Ocean Light School would be a meaningful step toward restoring uh parody of access while remaining fully public and accountable. When thoughtfully authorized, charter schools strengthen. they don't divide our system by promoting responsiveness and excellence for all students. I respectfully urge this board to support the Oceanlight School Charter. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you Meg Lamont followed by Rick Guz followed by Kendra Vera. >> Thank you. I'm the parent of a second grader in the Pacifica School District and the district has suggested that Ocean Shore School

217still exists as a separate school that maintains the distinctive project-based programming it maintained for 50 years. Um, so when I walk into the Sunset Ridge School building, I turn down the first hallway to the right, I go down the hallway and there's four second grade classrooms. Um, and they're all completely mixed. So Sunset Ridge and Ocean Shore students are mixed together in four classrooms. My Ocean Shore student has a Sunset Ridge teacher. I want to be clear, she's fantastic. This isn't about Sunset Ridge, but when I asked last year repeatedly, what would collocation mean? And could it mean sharing, say, a second grade teacher? I was told again and again, you might share an art teacher, you might share a music teacher, the lunchroom, and shared facilities. Um, and the truth is it's just one

218school. My child, as I understand, is co-enrolled in Sunset Ridge. And in Ocean Shore, there's one principal, there's one program. That's what it is. There is no collocation that I can see. Um, so with the loss of Ocean Shore, our district no longer provides a public school option that delivers the statemandated curriculum through achieve project based approach. Ocean light would do that. Thanks. Thank >> Thank you. Rick Cruz, Kendra Vera, followed by uh Kaylee Hon. >> Hi, good evening. My name is Rick Cruz and um what happened at Ocean Shore is a tragedy. Uh however, to bring Ocean Light to cohabitate with another school is not the answer. FDR is an amazing school. The most marginalized students learn not in their own pace, but in some cases in the only way they can. The staff

219of FDR are amazing, working with limited resources to reach students that cannot be reached by traditional means. Excuse me. Students, by the way, that Ocean Shore sent away years ago. Where did they send them? They sent them to FDR, a truly inclusive environment. so inclusive that some of the neurodeiverse kids don't know they're special. And the neurotypical kids treat their neurodeiverse peers with patience, love, and understanding. These are the young teens that we need more of in our communities. Don't let Ocean Lights Misfortune become another thriving school's undoing. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um, we have Kendra Vera followed by Kaylee Harren and I believe Sher Stella already spoke online but unless Yeah, she did. Okay, thank you. >> Hi, I'm Kendra Vada. Um, I just we'd like to acknowledge that FDR sounds like a

220wonderful school um as Ocean Shore was and um both have wonderful communities and programs. Ocean Light is different because it's an integrated program. Um, I would also like to point out that um I believe the school district sent out um some misleading information stating that it was the plan of Ocean Light to move to your location. I don't know anything about that. Um but yeah, that we haven't had meetings about that or anything. Um I'd also like to say that school funding does not belong to institutions or programs. It belongs to the students. That principle exists to protect the right of families to choose a school that best meets the needs of their children. Ocean's growth is phased in over multiple years, allowing districts time to adjust their staffing and variable costs as enrollment changes.

221LCFF also provides stability through prior year and multi-year ADA ADA averaging, giving districts a planning cushion rather than forcing immediate cuts. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um, Kaylee Haron and I believe FA Jose already spoke online. >> Um, hi. I wasn't originally going to speak today. Um, so I'm a little shaky. Um, I come to you as a child of Sonteo County Schools and Oh my god, I'm crying. Um, I am I was student taught Ocean Shore and Sunset Ridge and I love them both and I teach at Sunset Ridge now and I want us to come together. I want all your ideas. I I'm a student of Northstar Academy. I was a project based learner and I'm bringing that to my classroom now. And please don't take our funding away from I have like

222a lot of English language learners and I I know you're scared your parents and I'm not a parent but I want us to come together and I know we can. But I know that all the teachers that that we have at our campus right now are trying so hard and we want to work as you have asked for volunteers over and over again and so few come and [laughter] oh my I'm so sorry. I did not anticipate that. Just gonna end there and take a deep breath. >> Thank you very much. Um, President Torres, those were our cards that were submitted. We did have an additional three hands online. If you Yes, we go with Okay. So, we're going to go um to our Zoom um participants. Mike Sagara You can go ahead and unmute

223Mike. Okay, we'll move to Kim Barrett. Kim, >> hey there. Um, I didn't Can you hear me? I didn't speak earlier thinking that I would cry, but now that everybody's broken the tears, um I just wanted to speak on behalf of Ocean Light as an advocate. Um and I hope that their petition can go through. Um I think it is really um uh very emboldened that they have taken it this far to make something that was um unsuccessful for the district and really turn it positive. I think what they're trying to do is offer something that is really unique in the county and offer that to children across the county. So I think that for that reason um I think it would be very helpful for you guys to take that into account and give

224children more choices. Um so thank you very much. >> Thank you. Um Mike, let's try it again. Mike Sagara. >> Oh, hi. Uh sorry. Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Oh, great. Thank you. Uh good evening. My name is Mike Sugawara. >> [clears throat] >> As a grandparent, I've seen the increasing pressures placed upon our schools of public education. By approving the petition for the Ocean Light K through8 charter school, you will jumpstart the emergence of an active community of educators and parents who are dedicated to realizing that all children should have an opportunity to attend a quality, engaged, and interactive K- through8 school of learning. Our daughter is one such educator and parent who fervently believes in volunteerism and the hands-on approach for learning and teaching excellence. In a time of financial constraint,

225the board should think and act boldly to help build a K through8 school model that can lend to both a greater efficiency of county resources and increased stability in school enrollment. Let's unleash the support within the greater community. >> We are at time. >> Thank and thank you very much. >> Thank you. Those are all the speakers. >> Thank you. Um as always, I just want to highlight our our youth and students who spoke. It's always great to see them advocate and um be present during these times. So, having received comments from staff, the Ocean Light School petitioners, the affected school districts, the and the public, the board now closes the public hearing. Um, for item 3F, the board may now deliberate if it so chooses before acting on this matter. Are there any comments

226from the board? Trusty Benini. >> Oh, hi. >> We need a 5m minute recess. I can someone motion for a fivem minute recess. Is there >> second? >> Thank you. There's a motion by Trusty O'Neal for a fivem minute recess and a second by Trustee Gerard. Um we will reconvene um at 10:32. Thank you. >> Thank you. by the team. Um, >> Miss Alvaro. >> Sorry, I was just saying I couldn't hear anything. Thank you. It's fixed now. >> Trusty Alvaro, we are doing a roll call vote for the fivem minute recess. I forgot to get consensus by the board. >> Sorry, I told you I couldn't hear you. I >> thank you >> Miss Aras >> I >> Miss Benini >> I >> Mr. Gard >> Miss Love >> I >> Mr. O'Neal >>

227Mr. Torres >> I motion passes with vote of 70 and that 5m minute recess it has been approved even though we already took for item 3F the board may now deliberate if it so chooses before acting on this matter. So are there any comments from the board before we proceed um to a decision just a reminder that we do have a few items on our order of business um after the vote is made. So whether you are here in the room or outside, just be mindful of noise um as we um conclude the meeting. Um so is there a motion? >> Oh yes, comments first. Um Trusty O'Neal >> or comments or discussion what [clears throat] whichever ends up being. Um, I just want to say as everybody knows, I was on the Pacifica School

228Board 14 years. And ironically, I was on the board that when we were doing all the remodels, um, I was on the board, the previous board voted to give Ocean Shore their own site, but I was on the board that we continued to honor that commitment to to the Ocean Shore community and the and at that point it was called the Alternative School before Ocean Shore. So I see a lot of heads nodding back there, you know. So [snorts] I I very familiar with the excellent program and I always found it interesting there. Um, if you go to the open house or you go see Oceans Week or and there, you know, we have every board has different mix and there was one board there that had one of the most conservative people I could

229think of in Pacifica on the board and also a very liberal board member, but both of their kids went to Ocean Shore because they felt that Ocean Shore offered critical thinking skills and the ability to question and to ask the different things. And I have to admit this is a hard decision for me either way because I really respect the people that are there. I know Joan Weidman was on the board with me for I don't know I think eight or nine years I think. Um the uh the Dr. the Yanidist, the superintendent. Um, one of the school principles that sign, one of the people that signed on to this is actually works for the county office of Ed and is the principal for the um the Jones Gulch YMCA camp. So, it's very and

230um it's it's it's kind of morose to have to look at that because you know I know Pacifica is a declining enrollment school district and the main reason this happened was because of funding in the Pacifica school district and several every lot of school districts in San Monteo County are below the state average of funding is 23,000 per student and P barley game I think this year it's your turn in the barrel told to be the lowest funded school district on our chart. You know, last year it was Pacifica. The year before that it was San Carlos. You know, and when with when the high cost of living in this area and the state average for funding schools is $23,000 and Pacifica, Berlinger Games, San Carlos, which are the lowest three lowest funded generally we're

231getting 11 and 12,000. I mean, that's half of what they're paying in Bakersfield. So, it's a it's really leads everybody to have to do some um um questioning about what are the facilities, how best you can meet the needs of all the students and the students in in town and in your district. So, it's it's really difficult. And um I went to a uh when I was on the board for when we started to remodel, the first thing I asked was, "Well, what's when does a school pay for itself? How many kids need to be in a school to pay for itself to self-fund?" And the answer I got from the count this the chief CBO was between 550 and 600 kids. And I know I look I checked with the Pacifica school district and

232when Ocean Shore um the end of last school year there was 367 kids in its highest enrollment in the last decade was 432 which means there and I'm sure there's other schools in Pacifica are facing the same challenges and I think one of the issues we as a county is facing is the declining enrollment in every school district in the county. And just as you see stores and and stuff in shopping centers closing because retail is ending, you know, the Westfield Mall in San Francisco is an empty shell of itself. I mean, I not saying schools, but I know each school is a community. I mean, my kids went through the Pacifica School District. They went to Jefferson High School District and each one's a unique community and I can tell you stories about all

233the schools, you know, and every school is special. Every kid especially is special in each community, no matter what school. So, as we vote, whatever the decision, I just want to acknowledge all the people that I really respect that were involved in this petition. and um move on. >> Thank you, Trusty O'Neal. Any other comments from the board before we continue? >> Okay, just a reminder before we proceed that we do have items after the vote. So, if you are in the room or outside, just being mindful of um the talking and the noise, please. Um now, is there a motion? Trusty Alvaro, >> thank you. Um I I have to agree with Mr. O'Neal that this is not an easy one, but um I'm going to move that we deny this petition. >> Is

234there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. There's a motion to deny the petition made by Trusty Alvaro and a second by Trusty Gerard. Is there any further discussion? May I please have a roll call vote? >> Miss Alvaro, >> I. Miss Aras, >> I. >> Miss Benini, >> I. >> Miss Gerard, >> I. >> Miss Love, >> Mr. O'Neal, >> I. >> Mr. Torres, >> I. Um, the motion passes with a vote of 70 and the board has voted to deny the Ocean Light Charter petition. Item 4 A is superintendent comments. Deputy Superintendent Chavez, do you have any comments to share? >> Um, yes, very brief briefly. I again, as I um shared earlier, I want to thank everyone that was involved in this process. I want to especially thank our team that really

235went uh followed the process according to Ed Code, according to guidance from our deputy attorney Cho and specifically to um executive director Joy Dardinell and coordinator Ma Fairley who led this process in our in our office. Um and so wanted to acknowledge that. >> Thank you. Um for item 5A, board members will comment. Uh, Trusty Alvaro, >> I don't really have anything to comment on other than I'm sorry I couldn't be with you guys tonight. And I really want to thank everyone who took part in this process. The petitioners, the people who came out in support, the people, we had lots and lots and lots and lots of emails and many, many, many were opposed and they were all carefully thought out and worded. And obviously, thank you to our staff, especially uh Miss Fairley

236and Miss Darnell for doing such an incredible job. So that's it. That's all I have. Thank you everybody. >> Thank you. Um Trusty Love, >> I just want to echo the thanks to everyone here. What a professionals all the way around. And um I learned a lot through this process and I hope our school districts also have open hearts and minds because there's a lot of great stuff happening out here with this community and um we can all learn from it whether in Pacifica or not. >> Thank you Trusty O'Neal. >> I just wanted to say my vote was because I think it for the it was for the better good of everybody. However, I do know everything that was said by the parents and supporters of Ocean Light in my experience has been true.

237>> Thank you, Trusty Aas. >> Thank you. I also want to say that, you know, being 10:44 p.m. and seeing this room full of people, whether it's one side or the other, I agree with uh uh Trusty O'Neal. I think Ocean Light has worked really hard and what you presented um is it's information that we want to see everywhere in all districts in all Sato County schools and we want all of our childrens to have those opportunities and um again I want to thank everybody who's here for bringing your comments and having the time to stay till the end. >> Trusty Benini >> um I also want to start by thanking our staff. This was a huge endeavor to um go through this process and I think it was done with great professionalism. Um and

238all of our our questions along the way were answered and um thank you to our our attorney Lisa Cho. Um and I also want to thank everyone for their input on the process. Um that's you know that that is what what you know the process is for is to make sure that you have a voice and I can assure you that um I first that I didn't respond to um the hundreds of emails um because um I you know read them all and I letting you all know now that I I did read them um and they were very balanced um each way. Um, I just, you know, since we didn't have discussion, um, in making the the decision, um, you know, I I just really feel really strongly that we have to be supportive

239of our of our districts. It's it's something that is um it's it's it's a difficult time right now and um it is very much um top of mind that um that some of the comments that we heard tonight about um needing to heal the community um that I know I have family in Pacifica. Um I have friends who live in Pacifica who've gone through the schools in Pacifica and um who are you know have been there for their whole lives and it is a it's to me that what I'm hearing it's very sad. Um and so I know that people want different things and want choice but in our system we have to support one another. So I encourage everyone to support those teachers that are trying their best at the school. um volunteer your

240time if you can. Um you're looking at a few PTA presidents up here and so this is you know where you might end up. I don't know but um but it's so important. We need that support because schools are the community. So thank you to everybody and um and you know I just I really appreciate it and I'm I stand with that. So thank you. >> Thank you Trusty Gerard. >> Yes. Thank you very much. Um, I will echo everything that's been said so far and um, I know we have some really disappointed people here with us. Um, but um, you know, we had a very difficult decision to make and we've spent several weeks going over information and studying it and reading it in order to uh, make the decision that we made this

241evening. It was not taken lightly, believe me. And I want to thank our staff um for all of the time and effort they put in and by giving us um good information to go by because uh we don't always know everything um that's involved in all of these things and it's very helpful. I um will tell you I have not been reading any novels in the last few weeks. Um it's those binders and this packet and a lot of other things and probably 200 emails. Um so and I started acknowledging them at the beginning and then it was just I did read them. I looked at them but I did not acknowledge all of them. Um but uh thank you for everything the input both pro and con. And um I want to thank everybody

242that came tonight because um as a board member um and I've been a board member for a long time. My number one priority has always been the kids. Always. And I think um that we heard a lot of that tonight, which is really um dear to my heart. I think what we need to do is figure out a way to all work together so that we can involve all of these great ideas um in all of our schools in Sonteo County. And uh so I again I want to thank you and um uh I guess we move on and hopefully in a positive way. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um I wasn't going to say anything, but there's a feeling in my heart. Um and I want to take a moment to look at everyone

243in the room. Um regardless of what position you stood on, there was passion there. And if you bridge that together from both sides, something greater is going to come out of it. Um, but that's a um collective effort and we're here to support that any way we can. Um, so thank you to everyone. Um, item six is the adjournment. The next regular meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 14th of 2026 at 7 p.m. And this meeting is now adjourned.