2025-10-22 Board Meeting

001recorded. 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 Gerard like to speak at this time? >> Uh yes I would. Thank you very much. Um, I am uh not attending the board uh meeting in person this evening because I'm acting as a caregiver uh for a family member this evening and there are no other uh people in the room with me 18 years or older. Thank you. >> Thank you, board member Gerard. Uh would board member um Alvaro like to speak at

002this time? >> Yes, thank you. Um, I'm not attend I'm attending remotely this evening because I've been really ill and got very little sleep and so I'm doing my best to participate via Zoom and thank you for the opportunity to do that. >> And there's no way with me at all. >> Oh yes, thank you board member 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, Anna Cruz and Kimberly Ldios 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

003you to our interpreters Eva Kamacho and Flora Vil Ariel 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 outside the boardroom for assistance. For both remote and in-person attendance, we will use simultaneous interpretation for the portions of the meeting spoken in English. 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. So in all cases, we ask speakers to be mindful of the Spanish interpretation and to speak slowly and clearly. Item 1B is the approval of the agenda. Is there a motion to approve the agenda? >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you.

004There is a motion to approve the agenda made by Trustee O'Neal and a second by Trusty Bonini. Is there any further discussion? May I please have a roll call vote? >> Miss Salvaro I. >> Miss Benini I. >> Miss Gerard. >> I. >> Miss Love. >> Mr. O'Neal. >> I. >> 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 the boardroom in both English and in Spanish. For speakers who require Spanish interpretation for public comment made in English, Miss Cruz and Miss Larios, Miss Kamacho and Miss Vel will provide simultaneous interpretation. For public comment made in Spanish, Miss Kamacho

005and 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 that 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 were appropriate. Uh, Deputy Superintendent Chavez, do we have any comments submitted prior to the meeting for topics not on the approved agenda? not only for um items uh item six. >> Thank you. Um speakers are invited to make live comment and will use one minute to speak. Please keep within the time limits. Uh to make a comment over Zoom, members of the public may use the raise

006hand 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. >> President Torres. >> Yes. >> I misspoke. U we do have two comments um on items not um on the agenda. >> My apologies. >> So we have um uh Larry Moody and then followed by Janice Palisari. >> Yeah, that was okay. Good evening members of the board trustees. Thank you for your service for Sanonteo County. My name is Larry Moody. serve as the government affairs community leazison for job train which is a workforce development organization that is celebrating our 60th year in that space serving individuals throughout Sanonteo County. We presently have seven um career centers from South City, Half Moon Bay, North Fair Oaks,

007East Palo Alto, Menllo Park, Maple Street Correctional Institution, and San Jose. One of the things I wanted to um to do today is to offer uh Job Trains story to this board. We would love to bring our CEO and president Barry Hathaway here to kind of talk about our accomplishments over the last 60 years. Our program um serves individuals from the ages of 17 and above. We have a child care center. We offer uh career training in culinary arts, uh building maintenance, construction trade, facility maintenance, IT support. Uh we are trying to help individuals get careers that will be impactful and give them an opportunity to have measurable outcomes here in Sonteo County. >> We are at time >> and I we would love to have an opportunity to talk to your staff about being

008a part of your presentation before the end of the school year. Thank you >> Janice Palasari. President. >> Yes. >> And Superintendent McGee Chavez. >> Oh, you can hold it. >> Okay. Okay. It It feels like forever since I last addressed all of you. My resolution this school year is to focus on finding the positive in our situation. I've been working um to apply the PBIS standards and goals, specifically the idea of identifying five positives to everyone negative. This has um become especially important to me because there is always so much happening in our programs and at the start of the school year I feel like I have a black cloud hanging over my head with um but with the support of my gateway team I've made it through and have come out stronger. So

009here I go. We now have a principal in place at Yan Campbell Center. The staff she supports have showed many positive comments and their appreciation and her help that she provides. More than one member has mentioned that they hope she is getting the support she needs as she becomes more familiar with the special ed issues and processes. K22 has received wonderful support from Tammy Ziggler and Dr. Jimenez as they kicked off the school year. Tammy's time with us is coming to an end and she will be missed um as she goes. >> We are out of time. >> The team also wants to send wishes to Ellen. That's not enough time. President B. Okay. There's a lot other ones, but um we do need to work on our staffing still. >> Thank you. Um to

010make 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. Um once the hand is raised, please wait to be acknowledged by Deputy Superintendent Chavez. And just a reminder that speakers um will have one minute to speak. Please keep within the time limits. Uh Deputy Superintendent Chavez, are there any members of the public attending remotely who wish to make a comment at this time for topics not on the approved agenda? >> I do not see any raised hands. >> Thank you. at the time. >> Members of the public may also provide live comment in person. Deputy Superintendent Chavez, are there any submitted cards for topics not on the approved agenda? >> No, not at this time. >>

011Thank you. A 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, then please use the raise hand feature when the item is announced, or if in person, submit a card in advance of the item. Cards can be found on the table outside of the boardroom and given to a staff member when completed. Item 3A is the October 2025 employee of the month, Liha Yang, Educational Data Analyst, Research and Systems Planning, Center for Learning Analytics, Educational Services Division. Will Lihao please join me in the middle of the room? So each month the board and the superintendent recognize an employee for providing outstanding service. For the month of October 2025, we recognize Dr. Leia Yang, Educational

012Data Analyst, Research and Systems Planning, Center for Learning Analytics, Educational Services Division. Uh Dr. Yang joined the county office in May of 2022 and throughout her three years with the organization has demonstrated exceptional teamwork, generosity, and a deep commitment to the success of the team. She consistently puts the needs of the team ahead of her personal convenience and never hesitates to pitch in even when a task doesn't directly benefit her. So, for example, she proactively shares resources she has created, such as the school district boundary maps to help teammates accomplish their work more efficiently. She can always be counted on to do what's best for the group as a whole, and her collaborative nature has fostered a supportive and respectful environment for everyone around her. Dr. Yang proactively learns new tools and approaches her work

013with keen awareness of context, stakeholder needs, and team goals. Her contributions have significantly enhanced several key projects, including the student threat assessment tracking system, district data dashboard, and tsunami hazard area county map. Uh Dr. Yang's professional performance reflects both a strong work ethic and a deep sense of ownership and responsibility. She brings a quite but profound expertise to the work of the center for learning analytics. When the team is discussing research or findings from another district or county office of education or a direction to look more deeply into regarding the conditions or performance of students in our county, Dr. Dr. Yang listens carefully and then asks exactly the right questions to provide key insight to help the team move in a positive direction. Whether Dr. Yang is stepping into help a co-orker meet a deadline,

014offering her expertise to others, or helping the team navigate a challenge, she shows an uncommon level of collaboration and dedication. She sincerely celebrates the success of others and uplifts her teammates, never making things about herself. But today, it is about you. So, Dr. Yang is incredibly easy to work with and actively makes the workplace better for everyone. She has a clear commitment to lifelong learning, having recently completed her certified yoga teacher instruction. And we are proud of our county office staff and are pleased to recognize Lehi Yang for her outstanding work. Congratulations for being named employee of the month for October 2025. Would you like to say a few words? >> Good evening everyone. Good evening, President Torres, good evening um deputy superintendent, members of the board. Thank you so much. I really appreciate this

015recognition. I think I want to thank my team and colleagues in the research and systems planning department. Thanks, huge thanks to Jared and Yay and my teammates. I think this reflects the team effort. Your huge support and collaboration have played a huge role in this. I'm very grateful to uh contribute and grow here and I'm looking forward to continue to do great work together. Thank you so much. And this is for you. For item 4 A, is there a motion to approve the minutes of the October 8th, 2025 regular board meeting as presented? >> So moved. >> Thank you. There is a motion to approve the minutes of the October 8th, 2025 regular board meeting made by Trusty Bonini and a second by Trusty O'Neal. Is there any further discussion? May I please have a

016roll call vote? Miss Alvaro >> I, >> Miss Benini, >> I, >> Miss Gerard, >> I, >> Miss Love, >> Mr. O'Neal, >> Mr. Torres, >> I. The motion passes with a vote of 6 and the minutes of the October 8th, 2025 regular board meeting have been approved. Um, item five is the consent agenda. The consent agenda is not debatable and requires a unanimous vote for passage. An item may be removed from the consent agenda and placed on the regular order of business for separate discussion and action if any member of the board, the superintendent, or the public so requests. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> So move. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. There is a motion to approve the consent agenda made by Trusty O'Neal

017and a second by Trustee Love. Is there any further discussion? >> May I please have a roll call vote? >> Miss Alvaro, >> I. Miss Benini. >> Hi, >> Miss Gerard. >> Hi, >> Miss Love. >> Mr. O'Neal, >> hi. >> Mr. Torres, >> I uh The motion passes with a vote of 6 and the consent agenda has been approved. For item 6A, the county board will conduct a public hearing regarding the initial petition requesting a charter for the Ocean Light School, a countywide benefit charter school. My name is Hugo Torres and I am the president of the board and will be acting as the chairperson for this hearing. This hearing will proceed as follows. First, the board will hear an opening statement from the SMCE staff for no more than 10 minutes. Second, the

018Ocean Light School Charter petitioners will be given the opportunity to present also for no more than 10 minutes. Third, representatives from the affected school districts including Beayashore Elementary, Brisbane Berlingame Jefferson Elementary, Jefferson Union High, Pacifica San Bruno Park, and South San Francisco Unified have been offered the opportunity to comment on the request also for no more than 10 minutes each. For staff, petitioner, and district presentations, we will advise when there are two me two minutes left and when time is up. Please make sure to keep within the time limits. Fourth, the board will be given the opportunity to ask clarifying questions to any and all parties. Um, I ask the board to be mindful of giving all districts and presenters the same amount of time and reserve the questions for the end. So, fifth, the

019board 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 hold all applause until the end of public comment and avoid repeating points made by previous speakers. Um I will now turn it over to um our attorney. >> Good evening everyone. We really appreciate all of the public interest and participation in this evening's proceedings. Um, in order to give all parties an opportunity to share their presentations and to make public comment, we will be strictly enforcing the time limits that have been set forth by President Torres. Uh, we ask that all attendees here remain respectful of this process so as not to disrupt the orderly conduct of this hearing. The board very much wants to

020hear from all of you. So I wanted to share a disclaimer that we will be reserved the right for government code section 54957.9 to ensure orderly proceedings and to remove individuals or groups who uh disrupt that process and make it impossible for us to proceed in an orderly matter. We thank you so much for your participation and just your cooperation in this process. Thank you. >> Thank you, Attorney Cho. Um, at the conclusion of public comment, the public hearing will be closed and the board anticipates reconvening to act on the separate request at its December 17th, 2025 meeting. So, at this time, I call upon Marco Chavez, a deputy superintendent, educational services division to introduce the SMCE staff coordinator, district improvement and support with guidance from deputy council Lisa Cho. Um, executive director Dardinell will

021provide an opening statement highlighting information from the charter petition as well as education code that guides this process. So, executive Dardinell. >> Good evening, President Torres, members of the board, Deputy Superintendent Chavez, staff, and community. We are here this evening for the public hearing on the Oceanlight School petition for a countywide benefit charter school. On September 18th, 2025, North Peninsula Charter School, Inc. DBA Oceanlight School submitted a charter petition seeking approval from the San Monteo County Board of Education to establish and operate Oceanlight School, a public charter school for countywide benefit. August 2026, the Oceanlight School petitioners plan to serve 236 students ages 4 to 14 in grades TK through 8. They also plan to grow the school to approximately 488 students by adding a second and possibly third location by year five. The petitioners

022anticipate the school's target school demographic will reflect cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity, and include students with unique educational needs. Per the petitioners, the school will include 25% English learners, 42% socioeconomically disadvantaged students, 14% students with disabilities, and 2% homeless and foster youth. The petitioners additionally anticipate the student body will be reflective of the racial and ethnic distribution of the northern region of the county. 42% Hispanic, 19% Filipino, 16% Asian, as well as other racial groups. The Oceanlight School petitioners plan to primarily serve students from the northern communities of Sanonteo County, including Pacifica, Daily City, Kulma, San Bruno, South San Francisco, Brisbane, and Beayshore with recruitment for the 2026 27 school year focused on attracting students from Pacifica, Daily City, and San Bruno to be served at a site within 2 to three miles of the

023intersection of Hickey Boulevard and Skyline Boulevard. At the 5-year mark, the petitioners plan to expand the school to a multi-sight campus with second and potentially third locations in downtown South San Francisco andor Berlingame near Coyote Point. California Education Code section 47605.6B 6B states, "No later than 60 days after receiving a petition, the county board of education shall hold a public hearing 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 school facilities." In connection with their petition, Oceanlight Schools sent notification letters to seven school districts where they may be considering o operating a facility. However, we note that although the petition contemplates a potential future Berlingame campus

024at page 203, Berlingame school district did not receive a notification letter. SMCOE has communicated with the affected districts via their superintendent including Berlingame school district and each will participate in the hearing tonight in some manner. An important note regarding the review and granting or denial of a county benefit charter petition is that ED code education code section 47605.6B 6B states, "A county board of education may grant a charter for the operation of a charter school under this part only if it satisfied that granting the charter is consistent with sound educational practice and that the charter school has reasonable justification for why it could not be established by a petition to a school district. Further, education code section 47605.6 Six states, "A county board of education may approve a countywide charter only if it finds that

025the educational services to be provided by the charter school will offer services to the pupil population that will benefit from those services and that cannot be served as well by a charter school that operates in only one school district in the county. SMCE staff has begun its preliminary analysis following the California Education Code and the board's guidelines in board policy 0420.4. A full staff report including analysis will be completed and posted to the SMCE website on December 2nd, 15 days prior to the board's decision as required by law. At its regularly scheduled meeting on December 17th, the county board will hold a final public hearing and take action on the Ocean School Charter petition. This concludes SMC's staff's opening statement. >> Thank you, Executive Director Darnell, for the presentation. Um, for item 6B, the board

026will receive a presentation from the Ocean Light Charter School petitioner with a 10minute maximum, Dr. Kelly Mendoza, Don Berdett, Lilang Ping, and Jennifer Shu um will be speaking on behalf of the petitioners. I ask that petitioners for Ocean Light School please proceed to the podium. >> Good evening, President Torres, trustees, Deputy Superintendent Chavez, and community members here tonight. My name is Dr. Dr. Kelly Mendoza and I'm a founding member of Oceanlight School, a school for the planet and the future. Oceanlight School is a proposed TK to8 public school to serve Sonteo County, a place where learning is alive, connected, and full of purpose. Our mission is to help children grow into curious Oh, next slide. Our mission is to help curious children grow Oh, that was on me. Thank you. Thanks, Don. in grow into

027curious, capable, and compassionate problem solvers. Students who don't just learn about the world, but how to care for it. Ocean at Ocean Light, students will learn through hands-on project-based experiences that connect science, art, literacy, and math to the real world. They'll study tide pools and tree canopies, design solutions to community challenges, and apply what they learn beyond classroom walls. Next slide. The world our students are stepping into is changing fast with new technologies, new challenges, and new opportunities. Our job as educators is to prepare them not just to keep up, but to lead. We're building a school for today's learners and tomorrow's challenges. A place where children grow the habits of mind and courage of heart that will make them future ready. Trustees, you'll hear many perspectives tonight, but your decision should rest on evidence,

028not interpretation. Our petition executive summary clearly clearly lays out that evidence as you consider what is best for students countywide. Research shows that this model of learning hands-on, connected, and purposeful helps students not only master academic skills, but prepares them with the creativity, resilience, and empathy that they'll need in the years ahead. Research also shows that TK to8 schools outperform traditional K to5 and middle school models, fostering stronger student growth, belonging, and leadership. Ocean Light's model is grounded in research and draws inspiration from proven models including the former K to8 Ocean Shore School in Pacifica where experiential learning deepened engagement, Quail Lake Environmental Charter School in Clovis, which closes achievement gaps through environmental education, and San Carlos Charter Learning Center, one of California's most enduring examples of project-based learning. Next, Ocean Light board member Don

029Berdett will share how Ocean Light aligns with Sonteo County's goals and priorities. >> Thank you, Dr. Mendoza. Um, and good evening. It's good to see you all again. Ocean Light supports the same priorities that guide the Sonteo County Office of Education. We share the same goals. That's beautiful. Those goals are equity, environmental literacy, social emotional learning, and innovation. As county trustees, your responsibility is to make these priorities real for all students, not just within districts, but across the entire county. Next slide, please. >> Thank you. First, let's talk about equity. In northern Sonteo County, families have almost no innovative TK to8 public options out of more than 30. Children learn in nature, they learn to care for it. Third, emotional learning. We teach both the head and the heart. Ocean Lights program is aligned with

030the county's whole child, whole community vision, and we bring California's T- cell competencies into daily practice to nurture confident, compassionate, and collaborative learners who contribute positively to their communities. Uh, next slide, please. Fourth, and finally, innovation. This isn't about nostalgia or recreating the past. It's about using a proven school foundation for innovation, building a countywide offering that embodies what's possible when rigorous academics are connected to relevance, relationships, and real world purpose. By aligning with these priorities, Oceanlight will serve as a hub for collaboration, sharing environ environmental curriculum, hosting teacher learning days, and inspiring student projects that ripple across districts, strengthening the county's capacity to educate the whole child. Um, Oceanlight board member and lead petitioner Leeling Pang will now explain why Ocean Life's petition meets the criteria for countywide benefit. >> Good evening. A countywide

031charter is approved when its services benefit students who cannot be served as well by a single district charter. That's exactly what Oceanlight does. First, Oceanlight expands the table. We will provide a unique alternative. Many schools add on a steam lab here, a garden there, on seal block once a week. What makes Ocean Light distinctive is that we weave all of these threads together into one coherent TK to8 model. Environmental learning, project-based work, families, and teachers fully integrated every day. There's nothing like Ocean Light in North County. Unfortunately, individual districts are struggling to sustain innovative programs within tight budgets. These are often the first to fade, not from lack of success, but from lack of scale. Ocean light removes barriers. A spark has been lit in Pacifica, and this is a chance to harness its light

032for students across the county. From daily city to Pacifica to South San Francisco, families are just a few miles apart. Yet invisible district lines decide who can and who cannot access innovative learning. That's why Ocean Light must be countywide to connect the dots across districts and make innovative education accessible to every family. Our multi-sight model ensures equity and placebased learning. It's how we make learning both local and linked, rooted in each community yet by one shared vision. Next slide. A countywide charter will maximize benefits and minimize impact. You'll hear concerns tonight that Ocean Light could harm district budgets. But remember, public per people funding is meant to follow students. Families deserve to choose the programs that best meet their needs. By approving a countywide charter, no one district will bear the full effect of a

033new school. Ocean Light will be zip code blind in our enrollment. As we execute our outreach plans, enrollment and funding will naturally spread across several districts, minimizing strain while maximizing benefit. Ocean Light will keep more students in public education. Next, board member Jennifer Sue will now highlight the strength of our community support. >> Ocean Light is not an abstract idea. It's a communitydriven effort with strong and growing support. As you can see by the sea of blue here today, this is represents families, teachers, and community members who are eager for a public school that gives their children hands-on experiential learning and connects them to the environment and the community. A charter petition requires parents signatures for 50% of first year enrollment. And in just 10 days, we received signatures for over 300 students in eight

034different school districts and 12 zip codes in San Monteo County. These signatures are actual students all across grade levels intending to enroll at Ocean Light next year, exceeding 100% of our first year enrollment. To support this level enrollment, 10 teachers are required. However, 15 with deep experience have already signed our petition. They want to be part of the team. The community is behind us. We've already discussed partnerships with the Heel Project, Pacifica Beach Coalition, New Sun Road, SEI, and many others, which will give students authentic field-based opportunities from day one. Our founding team, board, adviserss, and consultants collectively have experience in education, leadership, school operations, and finance. They've proven to successfully run a school like Ocean Light. Our operations plan, including finances and compliance, was developed in collaboration with charter school back office firm EdTech,

035ensuring strong budgeting, compliance, and multi-year stability. We're ready to partner with you all to build something exceptional. A school that reflects your values and vision. The ocean thrives because of its diversity. Coral reefs, kelp forests, wells, and plankton, each keeping the whole ecosystem alive. Our public education is much the same. It stays healthy when there are many kinds of schools, each serving students in unique and essential ways. As trustees, you are the stewards of that ocean, shaping the tides of opportunity for every child in San Monteo County. Change can feel like a wave, powerful, even disruptive. But waves also renew and restore, stirring life and possibility. We ask you to keep your eyes on the horizon. Approving Ocean Light strengthens the long-term health of our public education, bringing balance, choice, and resilience to students all

036across San Monteo County. Ocean Light, a school for the planet and future. >> Thank you. >> Um, >> just quick comment, trustees, there's a correction on a mislabeled table um, example four in our, uh, charter petition. Thank you, Brisbane School District for pointing that out. So, we just wanted to hand you the correction. >> Thank you for the correction and thank you to the petitioners for the presentation uh and for keeping within the time limits. Uh for item 6C, the board will receive presentation and responses from districts with a 10-minute maximum per district. I ask that any district representatives who approached the podium but have not been introduced please state for the record their name and association with the district before speaking. So first we have uh Beayshore Elementary School District please come to the

037podium at this time Narula superintendent who will be speaking for the district. Good evening, President Torres and esteemed San Monteo County uh Board of Education. Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight. My name is Babna Nurula, and I come to you on behalf of my community of students, families, and educators. not just as the proud superintendent of Beashore School District, but as someone deeply committed to ensuring that every child, particularly those historically underserved and at promise, receive the education they deserve. I stand before you to express our strong opposition to the Ocean Light Charter petition to provide an and to provide an explanation as to why this petition does not meet the criteria for a countywide charter. Number one, lack of countywide need. Do we have a countywide need for this charter? The answer

038based on both data and lived experiences in our district is no. Oceanlight proposes to serve north San Mato County and beyond. But the petition provides no concrete evidence showing that Beayshore School District or any of the surrounding districts named in this petition cannot adequately serve students. Our district already offers a highquality TK8 education with strong evidence-based literacy programs, steam initiatives, career and technical education pathways rooted in a climate of inclusion where every student feels connected, capable, and cared for. Student voice is central and datainformed decision decision-m is at the core of our district. These programs are designed to meet the diverse needs of all of our learners, including those who may need additional tier 2 and tier three support academically and socially. Robust, culturally responsive, comprehensive programs and passionate educators that are invested in every

039single students learning and growth are the hallmarks of a great district like Peso. There is no gap that requires countywide charter intervention. Specifically, the petition does not identify specific gaps in educational services within the county or provide data on student performance or unmet needs that would justify the establishment of a new charter school countywide. The petition inaccurately represents cherrypicked student data related to the now closed Ocean Shore School to establish a false causation merely because some data points may be correlated. Statistically, correlation does not imply causation. In addition, the petition also frames itself as a countywide solution. Yet, the evidence suggests otherwise. The organiz the organizing team appears to be a group of Pacifica parents dissatisfied with the closure of Ocean Shore School in Pacifica School District. As stated in the petition itself, while parent

040voice is important, a countywide charter is not intended to cater to the preference of a handful of families. This is a Pacifica based issue best resolved by working collaboratively with Pacifica School District. A countywide charter is intended to address systemic gaps and provide access to students who cannot be adequately served by existing schools. The Ocean Light petition does not demonstrate this based on the evidence just presented. Number two, equity concerns in the Ocean Light petition. While the Ocean Light petition mentions serving underserved populations, you just heard the percentages. It lacks specific plans to ensure equitable access and outcome for English learners. The petition does not detail how it will support English learners, including staffing, concrete plans for English language development, curriculum and instruction, or assessment strategies for students with disabilities. There is no clear plan

041for educating students with special needs, including IEP implementation, and no detail on programs that meet the needs of students with disabilities and provide access to rigor and standardsbased instruction in least restrictive environments for low-income students. The petition does not outline strategies for recruiting and retaining low-income students, nor does it address potential barriers to enrollment for these families. It is abundantly clear from the lack of any detail or attention to equity beyond broad platitudes to serving subgroups of students that serving these students is an afterthought and not the central focus of Oceanlight's petition for a countywide charter purportedly to provide choice. There is no staffing plan, no assessment framework, no focus on curriculum and instruction, and no accountability measures to ensure students actually receive the support promised. This is a false choice. Let me make this

042real. It means that a student like Amamira who's learning English and is on her way to reading fluently fluently might not get the tailored instruction she needs. It means a student like Javier who relies in specialized math and reading support through his IEP and is successful in all his classes could face gaps in services that are critical for his success. And it means that students from low-income families may encounter barriers to access with no plan in the petition to recruit or retain them. Without explicit plans and measurable goals, the charter risks serving a disproportionate number of more advantaged students exacerbating existing inequities. Number three, facility governance and financial concerns with the chartical concern is facility and readiness. The ocean light petition describes plans to secure a facility, but specifics are weigh. A new charter opening

043without a confirmed and appropriate site and a solid for natural plan is a significant risk. The board should consider whether the proposed charter can uh realistically provide a s stable learning environment from day one. It is important to note that the petition lacks clear governance and accountability measures. While it mentions a board of directors, a founding team and advisory council, roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes are not fully qualified uh clarified. Without strong governance, there is no guarantee that the school will operate in a transparent or accountable manner, especially regarding equity and instructional quality. The financial plan presented is preliminary and does not include detailed multi-year projections, cash flow assumptions or contingencies. This is concerning because any shortfall could jeopardize both the new school and the surrounding districts that lose funding. Public charter schools are funded

044based on student enrollment. So sty siphoning students without demonstrated need would undermine the financial stability of our existing schools. Sustaining our evidence-based and specialized programs will be challenging in this scenario. Student access and success are at risk here. In conclusion, approving the Oceanlight Charter would establish a charter without demonstrated countywide need, divert resources from existing programs that effectively serve students, risk exacerbating education inequities due to lack of concrete uh equity plans, and prioriti prioritize the preference of a small group over the needs of a broader student population. Let me be clear, this is not a critique of innovative teaching or of parents advocating for their children. Innovation and parent engagement are vital in public education, but countywide public charter authorization must be grounded in evidence of systemic need, equity, and the capacity to serve students

045responsibly. Ocean Lights petition falls short on all these fronts. We urge the board to carefully consider these factors and deny the Ocean Light Charter petition. We thank you for your time and commitment to ensuring equitable and highquality education for all of the students in San Monteo County. Thank you very much. >> Brisbane School District, please come to the podium at this time. Michael Milikin, intram superintendent, will be speaking for the district. Good evening, uh, President Torres and Board of Education. My name is Michael Milikin, the interim superintendent of Brisbane School District. I'm here at the direction of the Brisbane School Board Board of Education to deny the Oceanlight Charter petition for four reasons. First, the petition misrepresents the state of public education in the north county. Second, Ocean Light is intended to serve a small

046group of Pacifica families, not Santo County as a whole or even the North County. Third, the petitioners are attempting, at least in spirit, to convert a Pacifica public school into a charter school, contrary to ED code. And fourth, the petitioners are misusing this county level charter process for what is really a district level matter. To my first point, the petitioners misrepresented misrepresent programs and outcomes at North County school districts to make it seem like a charter school will better serve Brisbane students, but their facts are wrong. Ocean Light Ocean Lights petition incorrectly labels local districts, including Brisbane, as failing in certain performance areas. The errors are circled in pink in which the petition wrongly labels three school districts as failing in the red or lowest performance category. Neither Pacifica nor San Bruno Park is failing

047in ELA or mathematics. Here are the screenshots of the 2024 dashboard for all students. And here is the screenshot for Brisbane in 2024. In fact, Brisbane's academic performance in these areas exceeds the standard for all students. Brisbane's math and ELA programs are working. The petitioners have fabricated an an area of need in our in our opinion. Since my submission of these slides last week, lead petitioner, Miss Pang, emailed me a correction to the table on page 16, maintaining that it is simply mislabeled. The petitioners now claim that this chart accurately represents the performance of English learners rather than all students and should be identical to the English learner table on page 136. So I'd encourage you if you can go to page 136 in your petition. So, I'll go back to slide two and analyze

048the table as if it were the table on page 136 representing the performance of English learners as the petitioners now maintain. The table has 50 squares that are meant to show that Ocean Shore, similar charter schools better serve English learners compared to North County school districts. However, 21 of the 50 squares of this table are mislabeled. And those errors are not randomly distributed. Rather, they contribute to a false narrative that Ocean Shore and the charters are high performing and the public school districts are low performing. Specifically, there are 20 squares for Ocean Shore and the charter schools. Four schools, five performance indicators. 14 of those 20 squares are mislabeled. Of the eight blue squares for Ocean Shore and the Charters representing the highest performance level, six of those squares are wrong. Of the six red

049squares for the North County school districts representing the lowest performance level, the ones that are I circled previously in pink. Still wrong. So in some this table has an overall error rate of 42%. But that error rate increases to 75% when the petitioners are representing charter school success. And the error rate increases from 42 to 67% when they represent North County School District's failures or red squares. As such, the table on page 136 is dangerously inaccurate and misleading. Finally, examining the progress of English learners in these charter schools caused me to consider the number of English learners that they serve. These charter uh these three charter schools after which Oceanlight intends to model itself average 7% English learners, 12% socioeconomically disadvantaged students, and 6% students with disabilities. These are far below Sanonteo County averages. stated

050expectations. I would argue that having these schools as models is not reflective of county interests. Back to slide five. The petition similarly states that Oceanlight will offer a variety of programs not currently offered at North County Public Schools, but this too is a misrepresentation. The petition claims that Panorama Elementary School in the Brisbane School District does not offer certain programs that are in fact fully integrated into the curriculum. Environmentalism is an integral part of our science curriculum, and Panorama is the recent beneficiary of a $2 million public utilities grant to redesign its landscape to provide for permeable surfaces and outdoor learning spaces. Panorama does indeed have overnight field trips via outdoor education. Panorama has been developing its project-based learning curriculum for the last three years. Panorama uses common sense media curricular materials to teach digital

051and media literacy. And for social emotional learning, Brisbane has a robust social emotional learning program SEAL with ongoing professional learning for our staff. In some our schools already provide much of what Oceanlight proposes to offer as distinctive program features. To my second point, education code states that quote, "A county board of education may approve a countywide charter only if it finds that the educational services to be provided by the charter school will offer services to a pupil population that cannot be served as well by a charter school that operates in only one school district in the county. Ocean Light School's target population is families in the Pacifica School District and a Pacificabased charter school would serve that population just as well. Therefore, the county board must deny the petition under this code. For slide seven,

052there's clear evidence in the petition that Oceanlight is meant to serve Pacifica families, not families across North San Monteo County. This slide outlines evidence to that um claim. Therefore, there is no benefit to granting a countywide charter petition instead of instructing the petitioners to seek approval from the Pacifica School Board. Slide eight. Likewise, because Oceanlight is not targeting an unmet need in Brisbane, Brisbane families are not interested in Oceanlight. If there is little interest from families in Brisbane and more broadly on the Bayside of Sanonteo County, there is no reason to grant a countywide charter petition. Slide nine. Oceanlight asserts that it will offer programming that is currently lacking across North Sanonteo County, but Brisbane already offers it programming, experiential project-based learning, steam curriculum, and social emotional learning. We have an award-winning sustainability program and

053we recently sent seven staff including all three principles to a national project-based learning conference this past summer. As such, Ocean Light is not needed at the county level. To my third point, Ed Code states that quote, "An existing public school shall not be conser converted to a charter school. The petitioners are attempting to convert Oceanshore School into a charter school. Nearly 70% of the board and founding team of Oceanlight have documented ties to Ocean Shore and 80% of the teacher signitories for Oceanlight are connected with Ocean Shore. The petitioner's express goal is to create a new and improved Ocean Shore school. Quoting the executive summary on page 10, Oceanlight School was founded in response to the loss of a beloved K8 public school. We honor Ocean Shores schools. Excuse me. We honor Ocean Shore School's

054core strengths and extend them." End quote. At minimum, granting this petition would violate the spirit of the ED code that prohibits converting a public school into a charter school. To my fourth and final point, this petition and the issues the petitioners hope to address belong in front of the Pacifica School District Board of Trustees, not this board. This board has full authority to deny this to deny this petition quote on any basis end quote it deems appropriate. Denial is appropriate here because this is a Pacifica focused petition. This petition is not the result of countywide demand. Rather, it is the product of a school reorganization process in the Pacifica School District that left a group of teachers, residents, and families feeling wronged and unheard. The petitioners have legitimate interests and they can and should have

055their interests address, excuse me, can and should have their interests addressed, but these are school level and district level concerns that should be addressed with the Pacifica School District either one within the framework of their legal dispute or two via a school district charter application. I'll stop there because I see I've come up to my time. Thank you. >> Berling Game School District, please come to the podium at this time. Mara Silvermith, superintendent, will be speaking for the district. Mara, would a microphone there work for you? >> Yes. And you can have that chair as well. >> Thank you for the accommodation. All right. Good evening, trustees. My name is Dr. Marla Silvermith. I'm the superintendent of the Berling Game School District. Thank you. I requested the opportunity to address the board and raise an

056important procedural defect in the countywide charter petition submitted by Ocean Light petitioners and the failure of the county staff to halt the procedures applicable and the consideration of the ation code 4765.6 details the specific procedures that must be followed if a petitioner seeks to submit a petition to establish a countywide charter. This section unequivocally states that before a petition to establish a countywide charter may be submitted to a county board of education, each of the school districts where the charter school petitioner proposes to operate a facility must be provided with at least 30 days notice of the petitioner's intent to operate a charter school. This is an objective, a procedural requirement must be met and verified by the county before initiating the petitioner review timelines. This did not happen for our district and despite recognizing

057this omission, county staff failed to discontinue the process and reject the petition. It's important to provide the timeline of events that took place leading up to this evening's public hearing so the county board is fully aware of the circumstances supporting Berlingham School District's opposition. On August 7th, 2020 11th, 2025 by email, Ocean Light notified seven school districts of its intent to submit a countywide charter petition and that it was proposing to operate facilities within those school districts or respective boundaries. It's also my understanding that the county office received the petition on September 7th, 2025. Nearly two weeks later, I attended a meeting uh during which the county petition was discussed. Deputy Superintendent Marco Chavez participated in that meeting and confirmed that only seven North County school districts were named in that petition and all received

058notices from the petitioners. On October 2nd, Mr. Chavez sent letters to each of the seven school districts. This letter provided separate notification from county office the petition had been submitted. It was listed a series of dates for the consideration and action and petition of the date of tonight's public hearing and details for the impacted school districts regarding the opportunity to present during the hearing and submit supporting documentation. Berling game did not receive this letter. Then on October 13th, 2025, Mr. Chavez emailed me and shared upon further review of this petition, county staff discovered that our district was spe uh specifically named as a possible location for a charter school facility. The phrase Berling campus was identified in bold petition in the petition as a second or third location for the charter school. Mr. Travis stated

059that um Berlingham was not identified as a district of interest uh for the initial campus but wanted to make sure I was aware that Berlingam was selected as a potential future site. When I responded that day and informed Mr. Chavez that I had not been notified of this uh future location. He stated that he was notifying me now and that the petitioners did not identify Berlingame as the location for its initial campus but that it was identified as a possible second or third location in the future. Importantly, following this exchange of emails, Mr. Chavez confirmed that Berlingame quote should have received a letter from the petitioners as they are required to notify all school districts if they intend to request any facilities or areas. The petitioners reported that they reached out to all seven school

060districts and Berling game was not included. End quote. I received a link to the copy of the petition that afternoon from Mr. Chavez after I requested it. Three days later on October 16th, 2025, Mr. Traavez reached out and notified me that if Berlingame wanted to submit documents or a slide deck for tonight's presentation for this hearing, we would have to do it that day. When my assistant contacted Mr. Chavez, he agreed to extend that deadline to the next day. However, this did not provide our district with any time or opportunity whatsoever to review the petition, consult with our board, or pro prepare any slides or other documentation to include with the county board agenda's materials for tonight. This is unacceptable and failed to afford our district with any advanced written notice required under the law.

061To be clear, EDC code does not make a distinction regarding the specific time frame for notifying potentially impacted districts. Just because the petitioners identified certain locations for an initial campus does not mean that only those impacted districts were entitled to the advanced notice. This does not matter whether a location in Berling's boundaries is the first, second or third facilities locations proposed by the petitioners um in this petition. The law requires the petitions petitioners provide advanced written notice to each of the school districts where the charter school petitioner proposes to operate a facility period. Mr. Chavez fully acknowledged this procedural deficit in his email in correspondence with me. Yet nothing has been done about it. Upon learning of this defect, county staff should have halted the review, rejected the petition based on that procedural uh defect,

062and required the petitioners to reissue all notices to all affected districts with at least 30 days prior to re resubmitting the petition. This has never happened. It's both disappointing and shocking. County staff has decided to allow this review to move forward despite the clear procedural flaw by the petitioners. It not only affects a failure of county staff to adhere to the legal mandates under the ed code for countywide charter petitions, it also demonstrates the sheer lack of regard of interest to our district. These notice procedures are not suggestions or recommendations. They're required by law to be performed so the districts have an opportunity to review the proposed petition, meaningfully evaluate any potential impacts to my district or other considerations, meet with my educational partners who are here tonight, and have sufficient time to prepare remarks

063um for the position with our county board's consideration. We were completely stripped of this opportunity. While I don't intend to speak to the substance of the petition given the lack of notice and time to perform a comprehensive review, I do implore our implore our county board to reject this petition as submitted based on this procedural failure. If the petitioners desires to pursue a a countywide charter, they must follow the rules by providing the requisite advanced notice to all districts whose boundaries they propose to operate facilities before resubmitting this petition. If Berling games request is not honored to the current and the current petition does move forward, we'll be uh submitting a formal letter to the county board and consulting with council regarding our other available options. Thank you. >> Jefferson Elementary School District, please come

064to the podium at this time. Josie Peterson, assistant superintendent, business services, will be speaking for the district. >> Thank you. Good evening, President and members of the Sonteo County School Board of Education. My name is Josie Peterson and I serve as the assistant superintendent of business services for the Jefferson Elementary School District. I'm here tonight to speak on behalf of Superintendent Sandy McCullik, who is regrettably unable to attend due to our regularly scheduled board meeting. For the same reason, our Jefferson Elementary School Board trustees are also unable to attend, but they have sent letters to the board me to the board members prior to this meeting, and I have also brought hard copies with me tonight. We are here to address the petition proposing the establishment of the Ocean Light Charter School. While we respect

065the concept of school choice, we believe this petition must be denied because it fails to demonstrate a compelling case of serving a true county interest. The evidence within the petition strongly suggests a hyper local focus concentrated in Pacifica and it is our contention that this local effort is seeking an unnecessary county remedy. A county charter must serve an interest that cannot be met by a district charter and given the petition's lack of demonstrated countywide need. This group should be working through the Pacifica School District. We must also be absolutely clear about the severe financial and operational implications this charter, if approved and located within our boundaries, would have on our existing community and students. I have also brought tonight a letter from the president of the Jefferson Elementary School District, American Federation of Teachers, underscoring

066the gravity of this potential impact. The AFT president raises specific concerns that go to the heart of our mission. PK8 model that duplicates services Jefferson Elementary School District already provides particularly at Franklin D. Roosevelt School, meaning no gap in service would be filled. It threatens to fragment our community, divert public funds, and destabilize the supporting and learning environments we have worked hard to build. The invitable cuts resulting from this funding diversion will make it harder for the educators to do their jobs and meet increasing student needs, directly harming teaching and learning conditions. The Jefferson Elementary School District operates under the local control funding formula. Our revenue is to our enrollment figures. The establishment of a new charter school will invitably lead to a decrease in the number of students attending Jefferson Elementary School District, resulting

067in a direct and significant loss of state funding. This funding pays for teachers, counselors, special education staff, and essential student support programs. Our district is already navigating a challenging fiscal landscape and landscape and is currently managing a budget shortfall. Adding a guaranteed reduction in revenue would det be detrimental, forcing us to make substantial cuts to critical staffing, student support programs, and essential services across our schools. Granting county author authorization for what is essentially a local duplicative effort undermines the intent of the education code. We respectfully urge the board to weigh the potential impact on the countywide resources against the certain severe and negative financial impact and instructional consequences this petition holds for the stability and solveny of the Jefferson Elementary School District. For these reasons concerning the lack of true county interests, the duplication of

068services, and the severe fiscal impact on our public schools, we are urging the Sonteo County School Board of Education to deny the petition. Thank you for your time and consider cons care careful consideration of our financial sustainability. The Jefferson Union High School District is not present tonight, but submitted a letter that was included in the board packet. Uh, Pacifica School District, please come to the podium at this time. Leverne Via Lobos, board member Martha Lad, interim deputy superintendent, and Carla Torres, interim director, educational support services, will be speaking for the district. >> Um, good evening and here we are. My name is Martha Lad. I'm the interim d um deputy superintendent of Pacifica School District and I am here with Dr. Carla Chavez Torres, interim executive director of educational support services and Leverne Villa Lobos,

069a member of the Pacifica School District Board of Education. We are here tonight to discuss our opposition to the petitioner's request to create a county charter. And as you know and have heard, the county board has brought discretion to deny this position for any basis that the board finds um justifies the the denial. Additionally, the countywide charter as proposed must demonstrate that it will offer services to students that cannot be served as well by a charter school that operates in only one school district in the county. And we will show as others have shown the petition fails here. Um it is a it is an attempt to duplicate a public school model that in fact still exists in Pacifica. The purpose of a county charter is to provide opportunity to all county students. This county

070charter is not is not set up to serve underserved students specifically or especially in a county like San Monteo where all county students will have priority not just north county students. Even the noted transportation claim in the application typically is not an issue for afflu the affluent students that exist all across our county. As such, this petition will fail on that count as well. If this petition was really interested in targeting underserved students, it would not be seeking a county charter. Uh overview, our key assertion is the proposed charter does not offer new or innovative programs. It replicates programs already implemented within Pacifica School District and approving the charter would divert funding from existing public schools without adding unique educational value. As noted by the petitioner's admissions priorities, it is clear that the aim to

071duplicate a public school that already exists and programs that are already in place and thriving in Pacifica. Therefore, approving the charter would divert funding from existing public schools without adding unique educational value. I think um really to understand how we it's important to kind of understand how we got here. Like many districts in California, Pacifica had been adjusting to ongoing declining enrollment related to declining birth rates and outofcount and state attrition since 2019. This decline has been of 14 plus% or around 450 students. This decline in its financial impact was masked by COVID funding and further enrollment decline and it's project and is projected to continue through 203132. An inability or reluctance to respond to declining enrollment resulted in structural budget deficits beginning in 2019. In 2024, the board took action to bring the district

072into fiscal health guided by three goals. No more structural budget deficit, enhance student programs, and consider futural compensation for our employees. The reorganization resulted in um reducing two of our K8s to K5s colllocate um and colllocating one of our K8s after reducing it to a K5 to another K5 dis um school. So Ocean Shore has been moved to Sunset Ridge. The school two schools exist on one campus sharing resources. I noted that someone had or a couple of our colleagues had noted that the school had been closed. It's actually has not been closed. We started 2020425 with six schools. We ended 2024 25 with six schools and we open the school year with six schools. Again, um the admissions preferences target um Pacifica schools and Pacifica students among our six schools. Um this uh this

073we had a $3.5 million deficit that we were working with last year and the changes that we made that I just described actually brought us into fiscal health health. we managed to exceed our uh revenue percentage which would allow us to meet our third goal which would be to consider uh future compensation for our um employees. Um moving the number of students that was talked about here would be about $2.6 million. 300 students would put us right back where we were in terms of a budget deficit. As I mentioned, they are primarily talk targeting Pacifica Pacifica students. It will undermine the fiscal health, the educational opportunities of all Pacifica students. Um, we achieved something really important last year. We used a novel and a unique approach called collocation to keep a school, its culture, its

074teachers and its students together as best we could. And we recognized that it was not um we did not make everybody happy that it was a difficult decision and we are still working through that with our families um and and working through what that means for the future. But it does represent an opportunity and we do remain fiscally sound. Look at the data. We are proud of Ocean Shore School and we are proud that it still exists. It is a good school and it has had uh good test it has uh strong test scores and it has made um good has made important strides from the this year um and in the in the years following. it has made uh strides in improving um among its students populations. So um it is a school where

075uh teachers, students and families work hard together and students are learning are improving across their subgroups. We also want noted that the information on this slide provided by the petitioners um definitely um skewed towards the north side of the county um showing that uh attempting to demonstrate that there was a need for a TK8 in the north county. Um however um when we look at it, we actually see that there's a higher concentration of students able to attend TK8 schools in the north county as opposed to in the center central county or in the south county. Does Pacifica need a charter school? Pacifica has here are some of Pacifica's highlights from uh TKA programming. Uh we do have a lot of solid partnerships. We have thematic and interdisciplinary learning, hands-on project based learning, a green

076campus culture, school gardens, indoor and outdoor learning spaces. We maintain robust um programs, content experiences, resources across all of our campuses. And when we compare programs, all of this need that they have um is directed all of the need that is directed at their admission priorities with the exception of homeless and fostered youth in the county does not really exist in Pacifica. We have these programs further dis demonstrating that the target students should not be Pacifica students. The charter proposal and the existing um Pacifica school district programs quite simply this slide represents what the position petitioners hope to have for students and Pacifica schools do have for their students every day all year. and we continue to expand. All of our schools this year are are um investing in project-based learning. We've embarked on a

077career technical education pathway that has partnership with Jefferson Union High School District. Um and we can that will help us to continue to meet the demands of 21st century learning models. um which would connect with exciting hands-on curriculum and career exploration and will um as our children uh move off towards high school. We have 21st century classrooms and we have a um our district values the TK8 um school schools. We still maintain uh Cabrilo Elementary School as our TK8 campus. It is a uh model that offers a continuous uh um uh peer and teacher relationships, seamless transitions from primary to upper elementary to middle school, robust wraparound supports all on one single um community-based campus. Through district reorganization, we maintained our commitment to um to a TK8 grade school at Killo. We are at time.

078>> We um again I just wanted to um finish just by saying u uh we we uh thank you for your time. >> San Bruno San Bruno Park School District. Um please come to the podium at this time. Amanda Blanchett, vice president, San Bruno Park District, uh, board of trustees. Heather La, executive director, San Bruno Education Foundation, and Andrea Shay, community member and parent, will be speaking for the district. >> Hello, President Torres and members of the County Board of Education. My name is Amanda Blanchett, and I serve as the vice president of the San Bruno Park School Board. On behalf of San Bruno Park Elementary School District Board of Trustees and District Administration, [clears throat] I am here to formally express our opposition to the Ocean Light Charter of School Petition. After careful review,

079we find that the petition does not meet the legal and educational standards required under California Education Code 47605B, and we do not believe this new school would serve the needs of our community. San Bruno Park is a small district located geographically next to the Pacifica next to Pacifica where the drive to create the Ocean Lake Charter School has originated. We would like to call to attention that the charter petition seems to be driven less by a genuine effort to serve all students across Northern County, but rather an effort to solve a highly localized and contentious issue at the city and district of Pacifica. Those familiar with school issues in San Monteo County are well aware of the struggles that the Pacifica School District is facing. We deeply sympathize with these struggles as our district's struggles

080are well documented. However, we must take issue with the idea that this charter school is designated to serve the broader county population including San Bruno. The Oceanlight School centers around environmental education, STEAM, family partnerships, and social emotionate these focus areas as they align with learning initiatives across the San Bruno school district. We would like to take a moment to share about our programming in the arts. We staff one elementary music teacher, excuse [clears throat] me, and not just one, but two middle school music teachers. This allows us to offer students many options including band, orchestra, jazz ensemble, and choir. We also provide visual art instructions and a unique one-of-a-k kind art, media, and entertainment pathway focused on Pacific Islander culture and history, plus theater and dance programs across both elementary and middle school levels. For

081steam initiatives, we have a robust Lego robotics program that encompasses every school in our district. Three of our five schools have active garden programs and half of our elementary schools maintain dedicated steam classrooms serving all of our students. Our goal is to expand these programs to our remaining schools with counselors at every elementary school. We believe this demonstrates our commitment to the development of our students social and emotional growth. Additionally, family liaison are present at every school and we have recently been awarded a community schools grant further demonstrating our strength and dedication to our family partnerships. We are extraordinary extraordinarily to make and we would be happy to share more of our programming with those who are interested. These existing programs show that we do not believe that Ocean Light would fill any clear educational

082gaps in the San Bruno school district. Therefore, we conclude that the petition does not present an educational program that is demonstratively sound or unique as required by law. Finally, three of our five San Bruno Park schools are designated as title one schools, serving more than 40% of students from lowincome families. Nearly 30% of San Bruno students are English learners. We are proud to serve a diverse student population, including those with greater needs. Our review of the petition raises significant questions about the petitioner's ability to recruit, enroll, and serve economically diverse and language learning populations in our region. Criteria that must be legally satisfied, and we find insignificant evidence that this requirement would be met. Furthermore, we found no evidence of community forums, meetings, or information sessions conduct with San Bruno residents regarding the charter school.

083Therefore, we believe the petitioners lack sufficient evidence of capacity to successfully implement their program as required by law. For these reasons, we do not find that the charter petition meets the requisite level criteria, legal criteria. Accordingly, the San Bruno Park District Board of Trustees respectfully recommends the San Monteo County Board of Education deny the Ocean Lake Charter School petition. Thank you for your time and consideration. [clears throat] Hello board. My name is Heather Lada and I am president of the San Bruno Education Foundation, a volunteer-run nonprofit organization dedicated to support and improve the educational opportunities provided in the San Bruno Park School District. From that vantage point, I have a deep sense of the offerings available in San Bruno's public schools and also the needs of our district students. After reviewing the petition for the

084Oceanlight Charter School, I really felt for the parents and community of the Ocean Shore School in Pacifica that their district decided to, I thought, close, but I guess move um and change. There are clearly special parts of that school that that school community misses and um you know, I understand that our our school district also went through some neighborhood school closures and I know that those can be difficult. However, there's no compelling need for that school across the rest of North Sonteo County. In fact, the petition misstates the availability of similar programs that meet similar needs already in neighboring districts. In particular, in the San Bruno Park School District, as Amanda stated, you know, many of our schools have programs very similar to what Ocean Light would like to offer. And I also detailed many

085of these in a letter that I sent ahead to the board regarding the steam offerings that we have projectbased learning and many of the programs Amanda mentioned. The fact that these similar programs are already offered in San Bruno may in part explain the very limited demand for Oceanlight Charter School from San Bruno families. As evidenced in the petition itself, the schools overwhelmingly being requested by Pacifica residents and not residents across North County. just a few living in San Bruno signed the petition to indicate interest in sending their children to the school. Also notable is that of the families surveyed about their interest in attending, only 59% of those families would even send their children to the school if it were located in West San Bruno, right next to Pacifica. Finally, the proposed location of the

086charter school in Pacifica, West San Bruno, or West Daily City makes it unlikely that the student body would be ethnically or socioeconomically representative of North Sanonteo County. The proposed location would place the school in an easier commuting distance to the wealthier parts of the north county and make it difficult for the more socioeconomically disadvantaged families on the east side of North County to be able to commute their children to the attend the charter school. The east side of San Bruno also includes greater proportions of our Latino and English learner students that the charter school would be less accessible for. As a result, the charter school is likely to pull wealthier students with parents with more time available to commute their children over to the school location. This would take away parents from our public school

087communities who have a desire for active engagement in their schools and the financial resources to help support that engagement. Consequently, this charter school has the potential to undermine the ability of local school districts like San Bruno's to continue to provide existing services and academic offerings that are demonstrably similar to those the charter school proposes, but which San Bruno Park has successfully been able to provide to broader populations of students, including the populations of three Title One schools. For these reasons, I ask you to consider denying the application for this charter school. Thank you. >> Good evening, trustees. I'm gonna have to talk fast. My name is Andrea Sha. I'm a San Bruno parent with children in fourth and seventh grade in our public schools and I also previously served as a trustee for the San

088Bruno Park School District and on the board of the San Bruno Education Foundation. I'm here tonight to respectfully urge you to deny the Oceanlight Charter School petition. After reviewing the petition, it's clear that the proposal does not meet the legal or educational standards for county authorization, nor does it reflect a genuine or broad-based need in North County. In San Bruno, that lack of demand is evident. Only a handful of families signed the petition, and there have been no meaningful efforts to engage our community through public meetings or outreach. Um, on the contrary, our families have not asked for a charter alternative. They've shown deep commitment to strengthening our existing schools. The recent passage of Measure X, a partial tax approved by over 75% of our voters, shows strong local support for our public schools and

089continued investment in them. Um, I'm going to skip the programs. Um, I'm also concerned about the petition's reliance on academic comparisons to other schools. The originating school community, Ocean Shore, did not serve a newcomer students or long-term English learners, making those comparisons incomplete and misleading. Without clear plans to recruit or support these students populations, Ocean Light's projected outcomes do not reflect the realities of North County schools or the diverse learners they serve. Finally, the proposed loca city or West San Bruno are not easily accessible to families from the eastern or more economically diverse parts of our region. This would likely result in a school that is less representative of county students and that risks deepening inequities rather than addressing them. For these reasons, I respectfully ask the board to deny the Oceanlight Charter petition or

090unmet need nor capacity to equitably serve the full diversity of our region students. Thank you for your time and for your continued dedication to ensuring that public education in our county remains equitable, strong, and community centered. >> South San Francisco Unified School District, please come to the podium at this time. Dr. Shantara Moore, superintendent will be speaking for the district. >> Good evening, President Torres, members of the Sonteo County Board, Deputy Superintendent Chavez in absence of Superintendent McGee. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. As I said, I'm Dr. Shantara Moore, Superintendent in South San Francisco Unified, proudly serving almost 8,000 students. We are deeply committed to providing every child with exceptional, equitable, and engaging education as evidenced by our bold, inclusive, equity centered strategic plan. I am here today to express my

091strong opposition and respectfully urge you to deny the Oceanlight Charter petition. While I absolutely appreciate the petitioner's desire to serve students well, this proposal does not meet the legal standards for a countywide charter. As we've heard, it also poses significant risks to the the current public charter system serving our most vulnerable communities. First, the petition fails the legal test for a countywide charter. We've heard countywide charter must serve a pupil population that cannot be served well by a single district charter. Oceanlight's own data proves the opposite. Their community survey shows that 70% of expressed interest comes from just one city, Pacifica. This is not a countywide need. It is a localized demand that seeks a countywide solution which would unnecessarily pull students and resources from six other districts. Second, the petition is incomplete and built

092on vague promises, not a sound plan. The law requires a reasonably comprehensive plan. The petition falls short of that. There are critical pieces missing. The petition explicitly states that key health and safety policies not available yet, that the parent handbook will be written after authorization. A petition cannot necessarily be deemed complete when its basic operational documents are non-existent. There is also an unrealistic financial model. The petition admits that revenue from donations and grants should be less than 10% of costs. Yet its entire model relies on expensive resource-heavy programs without a realistic funding fundraising plan. This poses a high risk of fiscal failure and disruption for enrolled students. Third, the proposal poses severe fiscal and systemic harm to existing public schools in North Sanonteo County. Even a small enrollment loss has devastating financial, programmatic, and staffing

093impacts. These are the very dollars that fund our teachers, our staff, our counselors, our wellness supports that serve our students, particularly those students who are in marginalized or vulnerable communities. By spreading this enrollment impact across six schools, Ocean Light dilutes the visible harm but deepens the s the systemic damage, forcing all of us to cut programs for the many to fund a school for the few. Fourth, the petition undermines equity and fails our most vulnerable kiddos. The petition claims to serve underserved students, but its outreach, God bless you, and productive demographics tell a different story. Focusing on Pacifica does not reflect the profound linguistic and socioeconomic diversity of the north county. This plan lacks the specific ways in which culturally and linguistic responsive teaching will occur in the professional learning and the professional learning provided

094to ensure that this happens. Furthermore, the lack of a credible recruitment plan and the presence of transportation barriers will inevitably limit access for English learners, students with IEPs, and lowincome families in communities like South San Francisco, Daily City, and San Bruno. We must not create a new system that risks further further stratifying our students. The petition claims that families in North Sonteo County lack access to highquality innovative programs. This data proves false. We are already delivering excellence. This charter would simply duplicate and dilute, not innovate. Fifth, the governance and capacity concerns are significant. While the founding board may be well-intentioned, I believe they are, it lacks direct experience in running a California public school, managing multi-sight operations, and navigating the complex realities of special education compliance. The heavy reliance on private management on a private

095management company as earlier mentioned for core fiscal operation raises serious questions about the transparency and local accountability for public funds. You've heard me talk about the specific fiscal risks in this petition. Specifically, the over reliance on soft money, but I must underscore that this is not just a local issue. It is a symptom of a statewide crisis in charter school oversight that the legislature has been desperately trying to fix. Just two days ago, on October 15th, Ed Source reported that Governor Nuomoe vetoed Senate Bill 414, a bipartisan effort to crack down on charter school fraud. This veto leaves major oversight gaps in place for at least another year. Let me be clear. I am not alleging fraud by the petitioners that are here today. But I am stating that they are asking you to approve

096a new charter at a time when the state's own mechanisms to prevent financial misconduct and to protect public funds are acknowledged to be critically weak. This is a high-risisk environment. You are being asked to entrust millions of p millions of dollars in public education to a new entity with an unproven board and a speculative budget. precisely when state level safeguards have failed to be enacted. Approving this pos this petition isn't just a vote on ocean light. It is a vote to assume a massive oversight responsibility of this board that the state itself is struggling to manage. We should not experiment with our children's education and our public funds in this regulatory in a regulatory vacuum. Now, let me paint a picture for you of the great things happening in South San Francisco. Our students are

097already thriving in a vibrant, well-rounded learning environment. We are home to state recognized academic programs, award-winning arts and athletics, and a deeply inclusive community traditions. Our students initiated and led the now nationally recognized Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day Movement. Our schools have received Sonteo County Kent Awards, the CSBA Golden Bell Awards, the United States 2020 Honor STEM mentoring award in collaboration with Janentech for excellence in public private partnership for innovation and our students consistently compete at local, state, and national levels from national history day to music, band, and dance competitions. We are proud of our ballet folklorico programs that celebrate our culture and our athletic teams that build resilience and teamwork. Our students are actively engaged in community service, strong career technical education pathways, access and exposure to college and career fairs at the

098elementary, middle, and high school levels, and access to strong counseling, wellness, and social emotional learning programs. All of these values align to our graduate aims outlined in our portrait of a graduate. Our teachers and our staff ensure that excellence is not reserved for a few. It is accessible for all. This is what strong community-based public education looks like in North Sonato County. It is what we are building together and it deserves to be protected. In closing, districts in North Sato County are innovating already. We are implementing next generation science standards and problem based math and science curricula, expanding environmental literacy, and strengthening social emotional supports. We are doing this work within our public systems alongside our families and our students. Approving this petition would not be an act of innovation. It would be an act

099of fragmentation, duplicating existing programs while destabilizing the very districts committed to educational equity. Given that the majority of signatures on this petition come predominantly from the Pacifica area, it is best likely served in Pacifica rather than all of Sonteo County. Our collective responsibility is to protect the coherence, strength, and equity of public education in our existing North County schools for every child across Sonteo County. I respectfully urge you to deny this petition. Thank you so much for your time, your thoughtful consideration, and your partnership in serving all of our students. Thank you to all the districts for their presentations. For item 6D, uh the board will have the opportunity to directly ask clarifying questions of the SMCE staff, the petitioners, and the districts. Um I will also add that they have the option of emailing

100these questions to attorney Lisa Cho um for further investigation. Um are there any questions from the board at this time? Trusty lab. >> Thank you. Um I just had a couple clarifying questions here. Um one I was curious about what had been done um between the district and the school that was being closed um in terms of meetings um to study how the two might be merged. um kind of address some of the concerns that have been raised. I'm just kind of that's a question mark on what process was in place to successfully kind of bring Ocean Shore from its current lo or previous location into its current location. >> Um I'm going to ask you to repeat that after. Um I will ask board members if they are asking a question to state um

101who they are referring the question to so that they could answer um and then ask their question. >> Okay. So my question I guess then would be to the it would be to both but to the school let's say to the school district what steps did you put in place to um make this process of um I know the terminology has been mixed on if it's a closing of a school or emerging of a school whatever you did um I had been involved with Redwood City doing that kind of work and I was just curious what process you used Um the the term that we're using is a collocation. So it's two schools on one campus sharing resources. Um and the process that we used to work with the teachers and the administrators and staff

102and families was we had we developed both a transition team and a visioning team. um at uh at for both schools. And so the visioning team was made up of members of each staff which included um uh parents, teachers, and um and administrators. And then the transition team also included that group, but also district staff so that any decisions that they made the district could coordinate as well. Um, we also had other types of support measures that were taken. We offered um we we offered uh different types of um transition support. We had a mental health therapist that offered um support to to um I'm sorry, we offered uh uh family engagement nights in May. Three different family engagement nights to families. Um and then staff engagement evenings to families hosted by uh therapist to

103uh to work uh you know engaging in resilience activities. So those were some of the activities that we engaged in. >> Um okay. >> Yeah. Thanks. And did you have other questions or did you want the other >> Why don't other people go and then I will >> trust O'Neal just reminder if you could state who you are asking your question too? >> Um I'm asking someone from the Pacifica School District. When when Ocean Shore was relocated to Sunset Ridge, how many students were at Ocean Shore School? one and then two, how many students actually went to Ocean Shore versus leaving the school district. I don't have the exact numbers of uh students that are there right now, but I would say that there were um 200 um there uh 250 students were expected to

104transfer to um Sunset Ridge or colllocate to Sunset Ridge and we have about 190 students there now. So it I just want to be sure I'm understanding you correctly. When the decision was made to close Ocean Shore, there was approximately 250. >> Okay. Collocate. There was 250 at Ocean Shore was the >> K through five. Yes. >> Okay. And that was the K through five, right? >> That colllocated distance at ridge. >> Order, please. >> Okay. So that was the K through five. And then how many of the six, seven, and eight went to IBL? Because one of the main one of the main reasons you're saying is the fiscal impact given the ADA. And I'm looking to see how many students have you lost already that are still within Pacifica School District, but are

105potential, you know, leaving if this was approved. That's the question I'm asking. if you >> Okay. Sec. Um >> we >> go ahead. >> Um we did we've done a nutrition study uh from last year to this year and um we had uh 20 um you know 2660 last year and so we've lost about 100 students. So we're at about you know 2560. We were anticipating losing about 50 students. We've added a grade level for TK. So that's kind of covered up some of what what the loss is. Um and so we are seeing a higher amount of attrition in those middle grades, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade. And we have seen a larger number of students going to Good Shepard um parochial school in our in our district as well. probably about 40 students

106are attending Good Shepard Parochial School and about uh 30 of those students are from Ocean Shore. Um we have had of of all the students that have left the district this year, 40% of those students have moved um out of the district. So um not not um out of state in fact. >> So um >> one of the things >> that's a complicated question. One of the things you mentioned here was um SULPA funding. Okay. It was that it would that special needs students could come to Pacifica if the charter school and to be honest I don't know if this goes to you or to county office of ed staff or to Ocean Light is if there is a special needs student. There was a mention that the ocean light could join the SULPA program

107at the county office of ed. Is that true? >> That is correct. >> Okay. Would the funding that is allocated for SP student with higher needs does that go to the charter school or does it go where does that go come from? >> The the funding follows the student. >> The funding would follow the student. Now, one of somewhere in one of these documents, you could see how thick the binders were. Okay. What it said that somebody mentioned that they could potentially go to Would the charter school join the SULPA? Is that the plan? Is that standard practice? >> I would defer. I know that that most charters do join a SULPA, not necessarily the county SULPA that they're located in. >> So, you're saying that Ocean Light would have the opportunity to join the

108SULPA program in Santa Clara County, just as an example. >> Um, not possibly. Um, I know for example, El Dorado County is a popular uh place where charters um seek the SOPA support. Um there's also some charter schools within our county that use our own SULPA. >> Okay. Okay. And but the funding would follow the student and it would go to the charter school who then would be obligated to provide the special needs that the student needs. >> Yes. >> Okay. Based on their on the need the IEP. Okay. Um one of the now this is for Ocean Light. Okay. One of I know one of the main stays and one of the things that was really touted for Ocean Shore was parent involvement. And I know when I was on the board there, there

109was a required requirement of 96 hours a parent was um required to do and they either paid somebody to do it or they did it themselves. Is that going to be a requirement at Ocean Light? Um based on the current laws, we cannot require any um parent volunteer hours and in order to achieve um equitable access because we know that different families have different situations um some parents have to work two jobs in order to you know um keep things going. So there will not be a requirement but there will be a lot of support to help families be able to contribute whatever they can to the program. >> Okay. Second in your outreach a lot has been made that something like you know 70% I think was the figure that was mentioned were Pacifica

110parents. Tell me how was the survey distributed to get the numbers that are in your your application? What was your target market? What was your marketing? And could you also share how are you going to market your school? And I can't think of a better word. Okay. But market your school to North County or to the county as a whole. >> All right. Um, so there are a lot of members of our team who sort of work on different um areas of the uh petition, but also like our efforts. So, I'm going to probably call on Rachel to um respond to your second question. But for the first question, um we uh held about 15 info sessions over the summer um on Zoom and in person. And um our in-person um uh info session was

111actually at the South San Francisco Library, the brand new beautiful building. And um we uh the way that we got the word out about these info sessions was that we play placed target ads on social media to make sure that we were reaching people with children, younger children um in our demographic in all of the north county cities. Um and from that we had people who signed up for the info session and as part of the the info session after that they responded to an interest survey. >> Okay. Then then how did you get 68% of your people from one school district versus when you are applying for a countywide charter? >> What is your outreach to the full county going to be? So the social media advertising was to the entire north county region

112which is our target demographic for the first location. Um of course because of P because Pacifica is very familiar with a program like this the interest in Pacifica is the highest because there are people who understand this program and have recently lost a program like this. So naturally they were the first the beginning of the excitement about it but that does not really determine what the future of our outreach will be. And I'll hand it over to Rachel to explain a little bit more about our outreach plans. >> Good evening. My name is Rachel Rhyrs and I'm found >> a little closer to the mic. Thank you. >> Okay. Um I'm gonna a few things that have already been said, but I want to explain about our outreach and about our future. Um, equity isn't

113an afterthought at Ocean Light. It's the reason we exist. North County families face real barriers. Long commutes, district boundaries, and limited program availability. Our plan for a multi-sight TK to8 model directly addresses those barriers. So, we're aiming to begin in Pacifica Daily City and expand towards South San Francisco, San Bruno, so families, especially those with young children, can access our program. Uh, the design makes Ocean Light the opposite of exclusive. It's a countywide model built for proximity, not privilege. Each campus will reflect demographics of its surrounding community with targeted recruitment. That's what we're working on. Uh, we have multilingual outreach already. We have community volunteers that have translated materials into Tagalog, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Arabic. Um, and that will continue. Um, so we have multilingual outreach and partnerships with local early learning centers and

114family resource agencies. We are also developing transportation partnerships including van pooling, shuttle services, and transit subsidies for families needing them so everyone can get to Ocean Light wherever we are. Um, Oceanlight's multi-sight approach ensures that equitable access to environmental and project-based learning isn't determined by zip code, but guaranteed for every child in Sanonteo County. We will continually review our enrollment data and adjust our strategies so our student body reflects the region's diversity. For us, equity is a living process. >> Okay, that's that's enough. Okay, but you you have stressed equity. Okay, and I noticed in your application you're inequitable to your employees. Okay. Teachers are going to be in the Calsters program, which is a defined benefit plan. Yet classified people are going to be in a 403b which is a def is not a

115defined benefit plan. How how can you justify equity if you're not treating the employees equity in your application >> here from Ed um I just wanted to to say that it's excuse me sorry it's the rare charter school that is in the first program uh the majority have uh >> would you please speak into the microphone >> oh I'm so sorry uh it is it is not the norm for charter schools to be in the PERS program there are only a few that are and it's it's generally the ones that were established a long time ago and as uh an outgrowth of public schools. >> But I'm saying you stress equity, but you're treating the two classifications of employees inequitable. 403b versus a a defined benefit plan are two different things. I also look and

116saw that your salary for according now I you know was an AI answer or whatever that your salary is very high for the median income or median for teachers in Sonatel County. How is can you share how you that's going to be sustainable for you on a fiscal basis? Yes, I think the intention behind that is that uh the school would be starting with nine teachers and that those nine teachers would come with more experience uh and therefore the average teacher salary was set higher. >> Okay. So, I probably have some more but I'll let others go. >> Thank you. Um Trusty Alvaro, >> thank you. Um excuse [clears throat] me. I want to address this to the charter school applicants. I do the best I can to talk. Lad, hopefully you can hear me.

117I looked at your border map, the map that you have of where you want to draw from, and you specifically say north of 92, which seems to me to include a number of districts, including Milbury, a good chunk of Sonteo School District, and certainly Sonteo High, but you're you're talking about elementary here, and um Coreo Unified. um not the lowincome parts below 92 where all the farm workers live but the higher income parts above 92. Have you reached did they get the letter? I don't see them here. I haven't seen anything coming from them as in terms of discussion. >> So um the the letters by law go out to the districts that we initially would locate in. That is the reason why we do not did not send it to Berlingi because the way

118that the process um works with um the ad code is that when we um decide on the next location that we would then send the letters to them at that point to notify them and give them an opportunity to respond. since um the identified location is at the intersection of Hickey Boulevard and um Skyline. Um the the re the the the districts that would be affected the most would be the districts around that region daily. So Jefferson Elementary, San Bruno Park, South San Francisco, Komaos, uh, and Brisbane, those were the school districts that we notified, but not Cillo, which is further down the coast. Okay. So, your map is about what you dream might happen somewhere down the line, but not what you're looking to do right now. >> Correct. That's right. >> So, the

119idea of serving countywide is really if the first one takes off, then you might open another that would serve a different part of the north county and then you might open a third that would serve a different part of the north county. >> That's right. But initially, we're looking at basically Pacific. It would be more in the five-year plan um kind of time time frame. >> Okay, that's all I have. Thank you, >> Trusty Benini. >> Um I have uh two follow-up questions. They're both for the charter school um representatives, but the first one is um can you tell me whether it's an actual number, a percentage or an estimate, how many of the current students at the colllocated Ocean Shore School have signed and are planning to go potentially to this new school? I

120don't know the exact number for the children who are going to be at from Ocean Shore to coming to I do know the number for Pacifica and that's there about 240 not good at remembering numbers but I think it's about 240 in Pacifica that signed the petition with an intent to enroll. >> Okay. So um do you have a reasonable estimate as the percentage of the percentage of students that are currently attending the colllocated school? >> Does anyone know >> that number? I can get it for you though. I will send that information to you. Great. Thank you. Um my second question um is based upon your decision to seek countywide charter versus um applying to Pacifica School District for a charter. So, the way that I've read all the materials is an explanation as

121to why um it would be uh advantageous from your perspective to have a countywide charter, the benefits it might bring, the needs you have um determined in in your your through your data. Um the way that our policy reads is that you need to provide a reasonable justification that the students cannot be served as well by a charter school in Pacifica. And so I would like to understand what your reasonable justification is for not seeking to apply to Pacifica as opposed to seek a countywide charter. Um so I think to be let's try to be very clear about what has happened in Pacifica because that informs why why did we not seek a petition district specific petition. Um, when the district decided to close this 50-year program, it was indicating that it did not value

122a program like this, not enough to um sustain do what it takes to sustain a program like this. Perhaps there were budget issues, right? Um, but the budget issues did not reflect the failure of this program. what the the budget issues were structural for the whole district. And what we determined is that a program like this cannot really be sustained within a small school district. that it really does need to scale up and really uh meet the needs of the county, especially since we had determined that the there was a need in Sonteo County for a program that is unique like Ocean Light. Nothing exists like this in North Sanonteo County. And there's only one charter in this whole region north of 92 and it's a high school west where south of 92 there are

123so many options. So this is about bringing choice, taking something that happened that was difficult, but really seeing how it can be harnessed to meet the need for equitable choice in northern Sanato County. That's why we took it to the countywide charter. >> Okay. I just want to clarify my question slightly. So if you were to just go with me on this hypothetical, if you were to apply to directly to Pacifica, you would still be providing a choice. You would still have the independence that is offered through the structure of a charter school. um you would still be able to um it seems to me from the estimated numbers probably have enough students to start since a large majority of your students who are families who have signed are from Pacifica. >> So the question

124is really why can't you do that? Why wouldn't that work >> in Pacifica? The the the way that I'm reading our policy is that we need to have a reasonable justification as to why that was is not a feasible solution to the problem you have identified or the um opportunity you have identified. I think it's about opportunity, right? So um in order for a for a program like this to serve the students equitably um we want to be zip code blind. If we were to charter in Pacifica, we would be obligated to give Pacifica residents priority, the impact will be even greater on Pacifica if we were to do that. The way that we have written our enrollment policy, there is no priority for any particular city. It is really about meeting the need in

125the region. Are there any other questions from the board? Trusty L. So I have this question for you as well. Um so the the examples you used San D Carlos Bullis um and then um the other one Quail Lake all of those were district charters. So you that was sort of that you highlighted them as a model and again this is sort of following off of this question. you know, we have KIP schools and we have other um summit which you also mentioned and they have multiple sites but they actually are kind of came up from the community and you're looking almost like it seems like something that's going to be brought to these communities like we will expand because I don't hear a lot of um from you or from the other districts that

126there was a lot of input from those other communities like you're saying you know what what do you guys want from the school let let us No, and we're going to redo this school or this petition to really reflect these communities that we are going to be of. And so just kind of curious why you have these models, you have um Summit Schools, KIP schools, and those have used the district model and you you know because you could do Pacifica and then nail it in Pacifica and then go to other communities and bring the schools. So I'm just curious why happen. I you know when when a charter school has is chartered within a district um every time they um they want to open a new school they then have to appeal set submit a

127new petition to another district and there are different requirements for each district which is expected. Um there is a certain amount of efficiency that can come from um a district-wide charter where really you are submitting one LCAP every year. This is a missiondriven school and if we can bring some of that administrative efficiency, it's really what it does is it saves money to bring it to the students. Um Okay. Um the other question I had and I this is really a clarifying question because I don't really understand how it works and maybe question for the county staff is the issue of this is it prop 39 and if you are using that in Pacifica and you have a certain number of students what happens to all those other students who don't live in Pacifica. Pacifica

128as I understand it doesn't have to take those students. So now you have 180 students in Pacifica um going to the school that's been provided by Pacifica School District, but you have 47 in Sam other, you know, in San Bruno Park or somewhere else. What happens to those students at the at the beginning, right? Because you said you're going to start with multiple sites, >> right? >> And then that seems potentially really expensive, >> right? and you need at least 80 students to I believe to actually get a prop 39. So you have these 47 sitting here and now you have to create a space for them. >> It seems that that would be extremely challenging from a facilities and from a funding perspective. So what are your thoughts on that? >> Um so yes

129the prop 39 requires that a district provides equitable facilities for the students that are attending that charter school from that district. Um, currently with the people who have signed the petition, Pacifica School District is the only district that we would qualify for that Prop 39. So, um, part of it is a negotiation between the district for those extra students who are not in district students because they are not obligated to provide that facility for those students. So there will be a lease agreement typically that's negotiated for those extra students which then brings income to the district through rental of those um extra classrooms. Um it can be a challenging process to negotiate but there's also money on the table um to help offset some of those costs. Um but we are also looking at other

130facilities that would be just rental. Um, so we're not entirely dependent on being able to qualify for Prop 39. >> Other questions from the board? >> Trusty Bonini. >> Um, my question is actually for the Pacifica School District. Um so kind of based upon my first question when I asked before um if students from the current colllocated ocean shore school say 50% of them end up going to a new charter school um will it be sustainable to continue the programming at the colllocated school like if students my question is basically if students choose not to go can they continue with the programming that they're they've been um accustomed to having. >> Um you So your number was >> I just estimated it at half >> half. Yeah. I mean, it gets into the millions of

131dollars and with a district as small as as we are, u millions of dollars is a lot of dollars. And some things that you have to consider in our district is the high cost of special ed. Um 27% of our students um have an eligibility with autism and that is a significantly higher elig amount of students in our district with autism, higher than the county, and then higher than the state. And so we have a lot of high students that we serve with high needs in the district. So uh that's a substantial a dollar amount when you look at all the needs of the children that we serve in our district. >> Thank you. >> Other questions from the board? Um, so I know that there were some like data specific questions that were asked.

132Um, if you did not get those answers, um, I recommend that you send those questions to Lisa so or attorney Joe so that way she can, um, retrieve those answers for us. Um, my question I have just one question and it's for our county staff. Um, I know one of the highlights of the charter is the environmental justice and literacy. I also know that our county office has been pretty spectacular and award-winning in those efforts as well. So, what how are how is that program being offered there different from what our county can offer um to all the districts if that makes sense? if I understand the question correctly, um how how does a charter petitions program connect or align with the counties >> or how is it different like what what are they offering

133that we aren't that we can't offer? >> We can bring that back to you. We're we're in the process of analyzing the fully analyzing the program the petition. So that is something that we can definitely um dive deeper into and bring that back. >> Perfect. Thank you. I will also send it as in an email so it's it's there. Yes. >> Um we will now move to the last phase of public hearing. So for item 6E, the public is invited to make public comment related to this agenda item. Uh for those attending in person and wishing to speak, um you have not already done so. Please make sure you fill out the speaker card on the table outside of the boardroom and return it to a staff member when completed. Um, I also want to

134acknowledge that um I have received uh emails and letters and I have read and responded to them. I know I also received additional letters and emails today. Please note that I have not had a chance to get to those yet, but I will um and that I know before we move forward. Uh just a few reminders. One, I know it's late. I know we've been here. I also want to acknowledge that there's a lot of feelings and emotions um but that we are respectful to all of our speakers um so that way we can hear everyone equitably. And just a reminder that everyone has one minute to speak and before we move on to public comment um I am hearing that some folks need a break. If someone can motion for a break. >> I

135move that we take a five minute recess. >> Um there is a motion by Trusty Benini to take a fivem minute recess. Is there a second? >> I second it. >> Thank you. Um there is a motion by Trusty Bonini to take a fivem minute recess with a second by Trusty Alvaro. Is there any further discussion? Uh may I please get a roll call vote? Miss Alvaro I >> Miss Benini I >> Miss Gerard >> I >> Miss Love Mr. O'Neal >> Mr. Torres >> I The motion passes with the vote of 6 and we will take a five minute recess and we will return at 9:18. Thank you. Hold on. If we can start making our way back, that would be great. I will have to use my principal voice. We are starting in

13610 9 8 6 5 2 and one. We are now returning from our break. It is 9:20. So, as a just a reminder for item 6E, the public is invited to make public comment where they will each have one minute to speak. Um, and this will be related to the agenda item we just had. For those attending in person and wishing to speak, if you haven't done so already, just a reminder to fill out the speaker card and submit it to a staff member. Those are located outside on the table. Um, Deputy Superintendent Chavez, do we have any comments submitted prior to the meeting related to this item? >> Yeah. Um, yes. As of 6 PM this evening, we did receive three comments um or three uh emails. So, we'll forward those in their entirety

137to the board. I'll just summarize the the three. We received one from uh Sarah Johnson. Uh the center expresses support for approving the Ocean Light Charter School within the Pacifica School District. uh they wish to enroll their child there explaining dissatisfaction with the current school and lack of uh alternatives. We also received um an email and a letter from Heather Elada. Uh she's the president of the San Bruno Education Foundation and a volunteer nonprofit uh supporting the San Bruno Park School District. Uh she urges the the county to deny approval of the proposed Ocean Light Charter School. The foundation argues that the petition un um overstates the need of uh such a school as um similar steam robotics uh garden leadership and social emotional learning programs already exist in uh San Bruno public schools. And

138the third email was from um Alexis Petru uh from San Bruno um a longtime San Bruno uh resident and active public school volunteer that urges opposing the proposed uh Ocean Light charter uh school in northern Satel County. Uh the writer um shares that the new charter school would divert essential funding and parent involvement from existing uh public schools in that area. So those are the three that we received as of six. >> Thank you so much. Speakers are now invited to make live comment and will have one minute to speak. Please keep within the time limits. As a reminder, speaker speakers shall direct their comments to the board and are urged to hold all applause until the end of public comment and avoid repeating points made by previous speakers if possible. So, if there is

139remote or in-person public comment in Spanish, our in-person interpreter will use consecutive interpretations. 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. Deputy Superintendent Chavez, are there any members of the public attending remotely who wish to make a comment at this time related to the item? >> I I do not. Oh, there is a hand raised. Uh Karen Ni. >> Hello. >> We hear you, Karen. >> Okay. Hi. I can do this now or I can wait for a later time. Is this the appropriate time to start? >> Yes. Okay. All right. Hello. Good evening, trustees. My name is Karen Nusti and it's

140very nice to see you again. I wanted to say a few words tonight on behalf of the leadership team and the vision for the new public charter. Um, as some of you know, I've spent a lot of years working in schools around the Bay Area. I'm not here tonight to speak to my previous connection to Ocean Shore School. Um, I'm really here just to um ask you to consider an assetbased mindset around what could be. Um, we know that families want choice and no one in uh the leadership team or as part of this group wants to be divisive in any way. We we everyone wants to work together. Thank you. We also have a hand raised from Shopny uh Ganguli. >> Yes, that's me. Thank you. >> Go ahead, Shafne. >> Sure. Hi, I'm

141Shiovani. I'm a finance and ops leader at an Ocean Light board member. I have been working significantly on the financial planning for Oceanlight. Our financial planning is conservative and flexible. Our goal is to build a plan rooted in reality and grounded in the experience of charter schools successfully operating across Northern California. To that end, we partnered with edtech, recognized experts in charter school finance to ensure that every assumption is data driven. We took a very conservative approach, careful with revenue projections and disciplined with expenses. We position the school for long-term financial stability and healthy reserves. At the same time, the budget was designed to be flexible. It scales with enrollment, allowing us to allocate resources strategically as a school grows and to add expenses as we secure grant funding. In short, this is a thoughtful

142evidence-based budget that gives Ocean Light a strong foundation for launch and for sustainable success in the years ahead. Thank you. >> Okay, I don't see any other raised tents remotely. Thank you. Members of the public may also provide live comment in person. Deputy Superintendent Chavez, are there any submitted cards? >> Yes, we have uh submitted cards. Um we're going to start we're going to start with our with our students. Um and just for the public comments, um we do have two mics set up. So, we'll I'll call several names and as you um please go to the mic that's closest to you. So, I I ask that speakers will line up as their names are called to microphone one and microphone two as directed by staff. >> Thank you. Thank you. And then we have

143uh deputy superintendent Bolt over there to help and associate superintendent um Tammy Moore over here. So, we'll start with uh Ellie Swidler uh followed by Lena uh Stret and Divi uh Bdett. Hi, I'm Ellie, a fifth grader currently at Ocean Shore Sunset Ridge. I went to Ocean Shore kindergarten through fourth grade. I enjoyed the project based learning like making slideshows, pillows, and diaramas. The field trips also helped me by learning about the world around me. For example, having a unit at about the California Railroad and afterward going to the California State Railroad Museum really helped me envision what what it would be like. Interacting with other grades also helped boost up my learning, like having buddies really helped our school environment be bully free. Parent volunteers doing things like theme days and extracurricular activities like

144art can really help our school, too. For example, a teacher does a lot in one day and even more in one whole school year. So the parent can help support their child's class and teacher. Ocean Light would have all these things and therefore I would like for the future generations to experience the same. Thank you. >> Lena followed by Vivy. >> Hi, my name is Lena Star and I'm a fifth grader at Ocean Shore Sunset Ridge School. I have gone to Ocean Shore since kindergarten. I hope ocean light opens there be more crossgrade learning which allows students to interact with kids from different grades with reading buddies, steam buddies, seventh, eighth um teachers and pod days. I had so much fun in fourth grade going to point rays with the fifth graders. There's not much

145crossra in actions and friendships now. I remember doing buddies in first grade. We were doing a steam and trying to make a boat float. It was a lot easier to learn with a buddy than with myself. And I now that I'm an older buddy, I remember how buddies treated me when I was little. They were kind and respectful to me and made me feel special. I treat my little buddies that way now. I think we should be able to keep this tradition going so that kids in the future like my three younger siblings can have the same experience that I did. Thank you. >> Vivy followed by Arya followed by Connor. Hi. Hi. My name is Vivie and I'm 8 years old. I really want Ocean Night Light School because I hope the teachers there

146will be happy. Um, just Oh. Oh my gosh, I messed up. >> You're okay. Go ahead. >> Can I start? >> Yeah, go ahead. >> Thank you. Hi, my name is Vivie and I'm 8 years old. I really want Ocean Lake School because I hope the teachers there will be happy like they were at Ocean Shore. When the teachers are happy, they come up with fun ways to teach and that makes the kids happy, too. It goes both ways. At Ocean Shore, it always felt like home and family with teachers, my friends, and lots of adults. Kid families, new kids, and kids, new families. We were all connected. Now, school doesn't feel the same. Sometimes it just feels like being at work. is the is the same thing every day. That's not the best for

147me. I want to have a better childhood than that. I really hope you say yes to Ocean Life School. Um, thank you for listening. >> Uh, Arya Chang, followed by Connor Fagan, followed by Ruby Reinhardt. >> Good evening. My name is Arya. I am an eighth grader at Ingred Lacy Middle School in Pacifica. I attended Ocean Shore from kinder to 7th grade and I want to share how Ocean Shore's style of learning shaped me as a student in person. Project-based learning really helped me learn better and master better master topics and be more comfortable with public speaking and collaborating with my peers on group projects. My absolute favorite project at Ocean Shore was Oceans 41. As a middle schooler, I worked on Oceans 4 and one for about a month, preparing a curriculum, then teaching

148K through five students about different ocean themed topics. These project projects help build my confidence with working in groups and having patience with younger kids. I see myself using these skills throughout the many more years of school I have left and maybe even when I finish school. I feel the education I received at Ocean Shore helped mold me into the confident and well-rounded and adaptable student I am today. I hope you will approve Ocean Light's charter petition to my so my younger siblings and kids have the option to experience project- based learning and experimental learning at Ocean Life. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Um Connor Fagan uh followed by Ruby Reinhardt followed by Grace Cassidy. Hi, my name is Connor F. Okay. Hi, my name is Connor Fagan and I'm in fourth

149grade. I went to Ocean Shore School from kindergarten through third grade. What I loved most about school was that learning was hands-on, creative, and fun. We didn't just read about things, we did them. We went on field trips and did projects that connected to what we were learning. I also like that kids from different grades worked together. older students taught us lessons and I had a younger buddy that I helped every week. On pod days, we met in small groups with every grade for different activities and projects. It made school feel like one big family where everyone cared for each other. I used to imagine that one day when I'm in seventh and in eighth grade, I get to be one of the leaders teaching those lessons. I'm really excited for Ocean Light because it'll

150bring back that kind of learning in TK through 8 school. project based, fun, and full of teamwork and family participation. I hope you'll approve Ocean Light's charter petition so I can learn in a place that helps kids think deeply, care for the earth, and make a difference together. >> Ruby Reinhardt and then Grace uh Cassidy followed by Liam Cassidy. >> My name is Ruby. I believe that Ocean Light would be awesome. I look forward to being a middle schooler who can work on projects as peers with all grade levels. Working with my classmates in different grades has granted me the opportunity to be exposed to different ways of thinking. It strengthened my arguments and made my own work better. I look forward to I look forward to seeing Ocean Light implement their version of group

151projectbased learning. I encourage you to approve the petition for Ocean Light. >> Thank you. Um, Grace Cassidy. Uh, followed by Liam Aiden Cassidy and followed by Brick Hole. >> I am Grace. I'm a fourth grader student at Sunset Ridge School. We used to have garden class with the teachers and parents every week at Ocean Shore. But since we moved to Sunset Ridge, we never had any garden classes because of what we learned about pro protecting the environment from ocean shore. My friends and I are forming a green team to pick up and sort out trash at our school. I also used to spend an hour at our buddy program to get to know each other, but this year we are only allowed 15 minutes with our pod. Not really doing anything and we don't really

152get to know each other very well. >> Thank you. Uh Liam followed by Brick. My name is Liam Cassidy and I am a fifth grader student at Sunset School. I would like to have a school like Ocean Light School. I used to do a lot of project project based learning at Ocean Shore. Like I got to pick the screech owl in third grade and learn about it at English language arts, math, science arts, and social study. And I still remember it to this day. But this year, we haven't done anything like that. Actually, I don't feel like I haven't learned anything new this year. this year and some kids bully me after copying my answers. But I cannot change schools because all the other Pacific schools are full. My mom has to apply to private

153schools in Daily City in San Francisco. >> Thank you. Uh Brick, followed by Monica Howell and then Amanda Anthony. >> Good evening. My name is Brick and I graduated from Ocean Shore Middle School a few months ago. Um, it was extremely beneficial for me and all of my friends who went there. It was a great time. Uh, whether it was being taught by the older students when you're younger or teaching the younger students when you're older, which is just great for both parties involved. Field trips were incredible. Yoseite and Kawasoga were both very memorable and fun times. Sadly, Sutters fort was like cancelled because of COVID, but the field trips that we did get were fantastic. If I didn't graduate, then I would wanted to have continued my time at Ocean Light. and that's why

154I think you should sign this petition. >> Thank you. Uh Monica Howell, then Amanda Amanda Anthony, followed by Margaret Lamont. >> My name is Monica Okahowell and I'm the parent of an autistic second grader attending school in Sonteo County. In kindergarten and in first grade, my son attended an alternative school where a strong culture of parent volunteering foster deep community bonds and mutual care among families. I believe Oceanlight School is building that same spirit where parent involvement helps every child feel seen and supported. Additionally, Oceanlight will offer experiential project-based learning which previously has been especially powerful for my son. His neurodeiversity thrives in a small close-knit environment where relationships and hands-on learning go hand in hand. I urge you to approve the Oceanlight petition. It offers a collaborative inclusive model where all children, neurotypical and

155neurodeiverse, can truly thrive. >> Thank you, Amanda Anthony, followed by Margaret Lamont and Tiffany Hannah. >> Hello. Thank you. Uh my name is Amanda Anthony. I'm the board president at South San Francisco Unified School District. I submitted a letter uh and I won't repeat everything here, but uh what I will say is that uh in my previous role uh many years ago, I worked for Chicago public schools. Chicago was the leading charter colllocating colllocating uh district at that time. It was a big part of our education reform efforts and it was really really hard to have two schools on one campus and more importantly it was really hard to see schools be differently funded and differently sun. We also did a lot of school closings. That was one of my last projects. And I understand

156that it's really really difficult u to make decisions that are financially based um to close a school and affect programs that that worked for a lot of families. But I'm coming here to say that the redress that they are seeking by opening a or trying to appeal to a countywide charter school is not the right redress. It should have been to Pacifica and it shouldn't be um approved by this board. Thank you very much. Margaret Lamont, followed by Tiffany Hannah, and then Amy Bernett. >> Thank you everyone. I wanted to just briefly talk about um K8 options in Sonteo County. Oh, thank you. I am tall. Um it's not on. Okay, I wanted to talk about K8 options in Sonteo County. Partly because that was really important to me when choosing my um children's schools.

157Um as the Pacifica School District slide showed, there's only three K8s in northern Sonteo County. There's six in southern Sonteo County. And in my district, which is Pacifica, there's only one school. It's full. There's a wait list. my kid can't go there. Um, and so that's not a choice that I have right now. Project-based learning is also not really a choice. So, I have a second grader um who's now in the um colllocated. It's, as far as I can tell, it's not really a collocation. It's everything's really from the parent and student experience completely merged and it doesn't have um the project based things that that we were doing before. So for me it's just it's about choice offering choice for for people across um the entire county and all the districts off or different

158things and then students from any of those um districts could come here and have that choice. >> Um Tiffany Hannah followed by Amy Bernett and then uh Ra uh Rachel uh Rymer Raymers. >> Hi. Hi. My name is Tiffany Hannah. I am a resident of Pacifica, a Pacifica school district employee and the first vice president of CSEA chapter 128. We represent classified employees, the cooks, custodians, pair professionals, librarians, and office staff, the people who keep schools up and running. I am here because I am very concerned about the negative impact of Oceanlight Charter School on my school district. Opening a charter school would take away students and therefore jobs. We strongly oppose anything that takes away from our union. We are stronger together. I worry that such a loss of students would effectively force us

159to close a school, something we desperately wanted to avoid doing. We worked so hard for a successful collocation. It deeply saddens me that all this work was done in vain. Thank you for your time. >> Amy Bernett, followed by Rachel Ry, and then Jessica. Welcome. >> Hi, my name is Amy Bernett. I've been volunteering in school since 1996. I've had my teaching credentials since 1999. And what I wanted to come here and tell you today is that you have this beautiful opportunity to gift the children and families of San Monteo County something different. Why I say that is because thousands of children I have taught over all of these years in Santa Cruz, Marin, Contraosta, and San Monteo counties unequivocally I can tell you this. Every single child learns differently. every single one of them.

160And you get this opportunity right now to lay the groundwork to gift the soil where all of these seeds will be planted. The roots will grow out in all directions and create something magical for this community. Ocean light is exactly what our communities need and these children deserve. Thank you so much. >> Rachel Ry, Jessica, welcome. And then Deborah Sherwin. >> We deeply respect district schools and the educators who serve students every day. We're not here to divide the community. We're here because families are asking for this educational option and it doesn't currently exist. The families supporting Oceanlight are also community members. We are teachers, parents, and neighbors who love public education and want to expand choices within it. This isn't opposition to districts. It's about believing that strong public education includes diverse options for

161diverse learners. Public education is strongest when it meets every family's needs. Some students thrive in traditional elementary schools. Others need different approaches. Oceanlight offers families hands-on learning experiences driven by steam, environmental stewardship, and a TK to8 option, all encompassed by strong family participation. This doesn't weaken districts. It strengthens public education by keeping families in the public system who might otherwise leave. We're asking the county board to recognize that community unity includes respecting famil family's choices for their children's education. >> Jessica, welcome Deborah Sherwin. And then Christina Lee. My name is Jessica Welcome and I'm part of the client financial services team at EdTE, a social enterprise company that supports charter schools. I currently work with six charter schools, all located in the Bay Area. Previously, I served for nearly a decade as the director of

162business services for San Carlos Charter, one of the successful K through8 charter school models highlighted in Oceanlight's charter petition. The budget we built is based upon our extensive experience with strong TK through8 programs operating in the Bay Area. It is conservative with revenue projections and realistic with expenses. We worked closely with the founders to create a multi-year financial model that thoughtfully and strategically responds to the evolving needs of a growing student body. This budget reflects the mission and the values of its community with an emphasis on responsible stewardship and sustainable growth. Finally, as a parent of two graduates of a K through8 charter school, I'm really excited for the children of North San Monteo County to have the same option that my daughters had. >> Deborah Sherwin, Christina Lee, then Grace uh Subies. >> In

163response to the concern about impact to district's finances, those impacts are non-specific and do not constitute significant harm. All districts take into account projected enrollment in their financial planning. And when declines in enrollment are atypically abrupt, the state's local control funding formula provides ready mechanisms to mitigate that impact. Districts may opt to receive LCFF funding based on the prior year average average daily attendance or the three-year moving ADA rather than the current year ADA. while they make adjustments to long-term projections. The three-year option is particularly relevant for Pacifica, which has already experienced a net decline of 111 enrolled students following the site reconfiguration that moved the middle schoolers from two schools to Ingred Bacy and colllocated Ocean Shore to Sunset Ridge campus, leaving a broad swath of families without access to their preferred type of

164TK through 8 program. Pacifica has already managed through this major transition and now with efficiently consolidated sites that are staffed to enrollment, the district is well positioned to absorb changes that serve the public schooling needs of its residents. >> Christina Lee, Grace, Soies, and Taroo KNS. >> Good evening, President Torres and trustees. I'm Christina Lee, Oceanlight board member and parent to a third and sixth grader. All of the affected districts will need to make adjustments for reduced enrollment since average daily attendance ADA funds follow students. But the local control funding formula LCFF lessens the immediate impact of declined enrollment. Districts receive LCFF funding for the greater of the prior year, current year, or prior three-year moving ADA. Therefore, next year, any affected school districts could use their pre- Oceanlight ADA for funding purposes and spend

165that year wisely planning for any anticipated reduced funding in future years. Choosing to be funded with the prior three-year moving ADA would be particularly helpful to the Pacifica School District because it could take advantage of its higher ADA in the 2023 24 school year before its January 2025 reorganization decision which drove many families out of the district, a decline of 111 enrolled students or four classes. Thank you for your time. Grace Soies, Taruk Knots, and then Nicole Sashkar. >> Hi, my name is Grace Soies and I'm a mom of four in Pacifica. Um, I also wanted to emphasize that as a mom of four, private school is just not accessible to my family, nor is driving 40 minutes to the closest county charter school, and I am desperate for options that meets my children's um,

166educational needs. One objection that Pacifica School District has given is that proving Ocean Light would contradict Sonteo County's Office of Education's own fiscal oversight. Um, our rebuttal to that is that SMCOE's fiscal guidance to Pacifica address that district's specific circumstances, small size, declining enrollment, fixed boundaries, and structural deficits. Those recommendations were appropriate for that context. But with that said, Beayshore School District is a small district that has just one school, 360 students. Oceanlight operates under a fundamentally different structure. Countywide enrollment access partnership across jurisdictions and edtechback support office um providing fiscal oversight and economies of scale. Um our budget's conservative project and um databacked and our fiscal controls meet the SMCE's standards. Thank you. >> Taruk knots, Nicole Sashkar, and Jessica Paul >> better. >> Yes. >> I have experience as a CAC rep, a

167CPAC lead, and a parents helping parents support group mentor. You have heard me beg for help for families. Literally every week I hear Bay Area families desperate to find a school for their neurode divergent or otherwise struggling learner, something other than their local school. Here is a committed group with the energy and 50 years of historical knowhow to provide a school that these kids would fit into. A school that's a little bit smaller, a little softer landing, a little more of a communal learning style. It is ready to share the gift with northern Sanonteo County. Not just the educators, but all the families here are ready to be a school village to the families that don't usually have a village. I personally have a middle schooler in a car two hours a day to a

168different public school. He is ready for his less restrictive environment to be closer to home. So are peers like him. Northern Sanonteo County is a desert for kids with needs. You know what would be really perfect next to Ocean Light is an adjacent county therapeutic program for younger kids. Ocean Light would hold those children tight. >> Nicole Sashkar, Jessica Paul, and Jan Jenna Vandenbum. >> Hello, my name is Nicole Sakar and I speak today as a parent of a high school sophomore in the Sonteo High School District and a neurodeiverse third grader in Berling Games School District. I strongly support the proposed charter, not because we're unhappy with our home district, but because some children, like my own third grader, often need a different environment to truly thrive. For us, that perfect fit would cost

169us at least $4,600. Sorry, my note was Before we moved from Pacifica and Ocean Shore, I witnessed my child make tremendous progress, not because her needs disappeared, but because the school, the program naturally supported her even beyond the context of her IEP. I don't speak for all special education families, but I've seen what becomes possible when students are in a setting that fits their needs. Please approve ocean life because children's access to equitable education options that meet their needs shouldn't depend on geography or ability to afford private tuition. Thank you. >> Jessica Paul, Jenna Vandenbum, followed by Andy Gustoson. >> My name is Jessica Paul. I grew up in Pacifica, went through our local schools, and have spent nearly 20 years in education teaching in both San Francisco and Pacifica. My father was also a

170Bay Area teacher for 30 years. And through him, my own teaching, and my children's schooling, I've seen how a supportive alternative learning environment can change a child's life. Ocean Light offers another option for students who may not fit within a conventional model, including English language learners, neurodeiverse students, and those whose strengths and interests don't always align with traditional expectations. These students often flourish in settings that emphasize relationships, hands-on learning, creativity, and real world problem solving. When my father passed away, his former students, some from decades earlier, came to share how his belief in them inspired their paths as teachers, engineers, and parents. That kind of lasting impact is what Ocean Light can bring to countless students and families across our county. Ocean Light represents choice, community, and the belief that every child deserves to learn

171in an environment where they truly feel they belong. I urge you to approve Ocean Light so more students can have that opportunity. Thank you, >> Jana Vandenbomb, Andy Gustoson, and Erica Torres. >> Good evening. My name is Siana and I'm here to express my strong support for Ocean Light. I was an active parent volunteer at Ocean Show for four years. During that time, I saw firsthand how children truly thrive when learning is project-based, creative, and connected to family and community. Students learn by doing and parents were an active part of their child's learning. When Oceanore moved to the Sunset Ridge campus, something important was lost. Not just a program, but a sense of community. It just wasn't the same kind of learning, the hands-on approach that inspired us was missing. We eventually moved our daughter

172to a private school to keep her engaged. But we would have much rather have stayed in a public school that reflects those same values. Ocean Light will be a school where project-based learning and family engagement are at the heart of education. Please approve Ocean Light so that more families return to public education. Thank you. >> Andy Gustoson, Erica Torres, and Becky Hawworth. >> Hey y'all. Good evening. My name is Andy Gustiffson. I am an alum of Ocean Shore class of 94 from back when it was alternative class. My daughter is a current first grader and I have a soon-to-be TK kid. So, thanks for having me uh and giving me a chance to speak tonight. I want to talk about the strong desire in our community for a program like Ocean Light and why I

173believe people from all over North Sono County will want to attend this school. My family has that long history with Ocean Shore and its commitment to project-based learning and family partnership. So much so that my husband often jokes that he heard how great my elementary school was on our first date. So when I was offered a position at UC Berkeley and we began to prepare to move from Texas to the Bay Area, the first thing we did was register my daughter at Ocean Shore. Even before we signed a lease or got quotes for movers, I was saddened to learn that o ocean shores family partnership experiential projectbased learning was not going to be continued in the same way it was and had been for 50 years. And I believe ocean light is the new school

174that will allow my child to experience the education I had. Thank you. >> Erica Torres, Becky Howorth, and Alexi. >> Hello. Um, hi, my name is Dr. Erica Torres. Thank you for pronouncing my name. Uh it's I feel very proud of that. Um I am a mom to a third grader at Ocean Shore and I'm also a psychologist and you know it's very heavy being here but I also feel very optimistic about the possibilities of having choices. Uh I'm a San Bruno resident and um I do see the possibilities for us having a more diverse and equitable access to choices in ways that were not accessible to me growing up. um because private school was not an option and the public school system was not necessarily what was needed. Uh but was the only choice

175that I had and so raising a diverse uh child and really being empowered um to speak about how I want other diverse children to have access to the kind of programming that Ocean Light could provide. Um, I hope that you will consider despite politics and bureaucracy and everything else um what is good for uh northern Sonteo County. Thank you very much. >> Becky Howorth, Alexi, followed by Brennan Pang. >> Good evening. My name is Becky Howorth. I'm a teacher and a founding member of Oceanlight. I've spent many years in public education here in Samonteo County, but I no longer teach in the public sector. Educators deserve stability, respect, and professional growth. Protecting teachers means protecting the conditions that let great teaching flourish. When districts close innovative programs, morale suffers and good teachers leave. Ocean Light

176creates a place where teachers can thrive with the kind of learning that drew them into this profession in the first place. For families, the size of a district holds little meaning. What truly matters is the quality of the teaching and the learning opportunities their chosen school provides. This isn't about replacing teachers. It's about retaining them in public education. Many talented educators leave when they no longer find room to innovate. Ocean Light gives them a reason to stay through professional collaboration, new instructional models, and a shared learning network with the districts. Thank you, >> Alex Soieski, then Brennan Pang, followed by Margaritu. >> Hi. Um, I'm here just speaking on behalf of a teacher who's fearful of retaliation within the district. As a current elementary teacher, I've had the privilege of seeing firsthand what makes this

177program truly special. What stands out most to me is the power of project-based learning. Our students don't just memorize facts. They explore ideas, collaborate, create, and solve problems in ways that are make learning real, relevant, and therefore lasting. Sorry. Watching them take ownership of their learning is one of the most rewarding parts of teaching. Another unique strength of Ocean Light is how parents will be present and involved in the classroom. That partnership creates an incredible sense of community. Students learn life skills like communication, empathy, and teamwork as well as they see different versions of respect more modeled respect modeled every day. Respect means different things to different people. And this teaches empathy early and practically. I might not be being an expert in what makes the perfect public elementary school, but I did attend four

178different elementary schools as a child and I've worked in three as an adult and I can tell you this will be a special program. Thank you. >> Brennan Pang, Margaret Redu and followed by Ethan Pang. >> Good evening to Deputy Superintendent Chavez and President Torres and trustees. Uh I'm reading the statement on behalf of a teacher from Pacifica who fears retaliation. They speak in support of Ocean Light's charter petition. I'm a teacher of the Pacifica School District. Pacifica School District's claim that Ocean Light is a duplication of its current program is false. Ocean Shore School exists only in education code. None of our iconic thematic and project-based programs are being brought forward to this current school year. Each turn of events where we try to include our proven successful practices and programs have been rebuffed

179and pushed aside due to the current constraints of a huge school with an overworked administration doing double the work. The environmental literacy program or Oceans 411 has yet to be discussed this school year by anyone other than the opposers of the program. not by the administrators that would have approved its implementation, nor by the teachers who would participate and run it, and not by the parents who are essential to run the program. Aside from name, Ocean Shore School's project-based and experiential learning no longer exists. >> Margaret Redu, Ethan Pang, then Joan Whiteitman. >> Good evening. My name is Margarite Rodigu. I'm a teacher in the Pacifica School District. I'm here tonight to speak not only for myself but to stand in solidarity with and for my colleagues who do not feel comfortable speaking for themselves.

180My support for Ocean Light proposal is driven by my professional commitment to the children of San Monteo County to provide the very best that a public school can offer. The multi-age family participation project-based learning model will build on proven practices that produce engaged, ethical, lifelong learners. I am confident that its environmental education will be second to none. I'm confident that its partnership with multiple districts will further enrich the program. I'm confident that the school will welcome and engage a diverse community across all aspects of its operation. This will be an exceptional place like no other currently in operation to teach and learn. My colleagues and I appreciate your thoughtful consideration of this proposal. Thank you. >> Ethan Pang, Joan Weidman, followed by Faith Hall. >> Hello, my name is Ethan and I went to Ocean

181Shore School from kindergarten to 8th grade. Uh today I just want to share one of my favorite memories from that time. When my class stayed the night at Fort Ross, it felt like history came alive. The ocean wind whipped through the fort walls and suddenly we were part of another time. Think night at the museum. We weren't visitors anymore. Now we were hunters, crafts people, and cooks. Some of us made pickles and jams while others crafted copper lanterns or planted herbs. Each of us researched and carried out the duties of real people who had worked or lived at the fort. But the most powerful lesson came when we learned about sea otter hunting. The same beautiful coastline we lived beside was once nearly emptied of otter because people didn't understand sustainability. This experience helped me

182realize that history is more than the past. It's a reminder of how our choices shape the future. This type of learning will stay with me for a lifetime. So please approve Ocean Light so kids can continue to engage in learning like this. >> Joan Weidman followed by by Faith Hull. followed by Sandy Mills. >> Hi, I'm Joan Widman. I'm a founding member and a former school board member. The Ocean Light School team is comprised of experienced educators, successful administrators, and engaged parents who have run programs like this and know how to sustain them. Collectively, this represents more than a century of experience in project-based and environmental learning. What makes this effort distinctive is that this collective expertise already exists within a functioning community of practice educators and parents who have built integrated family partnership programs

183that have thrived for years. We, the Oceanlight team, are seeking the opportunity to bring that capacity countywide. Our goal is not only to open a school. It is to build a professional learning hub that supports other districts interested in deeper project-based learning, environmental and family integrated education. This petition is about experienced practitioners offering a proven model for the benefit of the families and students in San Monteo County. >> Faith Hull followed by Sandy Mills and then Eric Chavez. >> Good evening board of trustees. My name is Faith Holly. I'm here to speak in support of the petition. I am speaking to the rebuttal the notion that Oceanlight's petition fails the countywide test. Countywide charters exist because district boundaries limit access, not because interest must be evenly distributed. California Education Code 47605.6 asks whether a single

184district charter could serve students as effectively as countywide, and the answer is no. Our model connects families from Daily City, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Koma, Pacifica, Brisbane, and beyond. Communities that share the same unmet need for an environmentally focused TK to8 project-based public school option. Early interest from Pacifica does not define future enrollment. It reflects where awareness began, but not where opportunity ends. Pacifica community members organized first because they experienced the loss of this learning model firsthand. The benefit of a countyw countywide charter isn't about who heard of it first. It's about everyone who access can access it once approved. Thank you. >> Sandy Mills, then Eric Chavez, followed by Karen Key. >> Good evening. My name is Sandy Mills. I am a science teacher, retired science teacher. I've taught in many several counties

185uh several school districts and counties both in the Sanonteo County, Santa Clara County, even the East Bay and I was a science a trainer for foss science all over the state. Um but my earliest days started out as a naturalist in outdoor education and it was then that I learned that the best way to learn was to be on the trail um outside in the environment and now the term is placebased learning. Um and so I fully support this ocean light program because I understand that projectbased and experiential learning is vital to for so many kids for access. Um, and so I urge you to vote in a positive way. Thank you. >> Eric Chavez, then Karen Key, followed by Dustin [clears throat] Patnod. >> Good evening, trustees. Uh, my name is Eric Chavez. I

186am a resident of Pacifica and former uh, special education teacher at both Sunset Ridge and Ocean Shore. Um, and as uh one of the founding uh members of Ocean Light, I'd like to attest to the fact that a lot of thought and care has gone into our educational program uh which is not only unique but sound. Uh Ocean Light weaves environmental stewardship with community and family partnerships with project-based steam learning into a cohesive TK through8 model, not as add-ons as some of our other local districts offer, but as the foundation for how students learn every single day. No existing North County school combines these elements into a comprehensive place-based countywide approach. Um, I'd also like to take uh my time tonight to uh reiterate that Oceanlight is committed to meeting the diverse needs uh of

187its families through a flexible schedule. Our transitional kindergarten will operate at a half-day academic program with a high quality extended learning option after school uh for families who need full day care. Uh we plan to leverage uh ELOP funding to provide these wraparound services at low to no cost to um any and all qualifying families. Thank you >> Karen Key Dustin Patnod followed by Alexandra Cook Milligan. >> Thank you trustees for bearing with us. It's been a long night. Um I'm Karen Key. pop the founding team at Ocean Light and really I know you've heard a lot about Ocean Shore and you know all the troubles that's been happening there but really um 50% of our team have students who have graduated 8th grade and don't have any more students in the district. Um our

188entrance forms come from families across the county. Daily City, South San Fran, Koma, Brisbane, Pacifica. Many have never attended Ocean Shore. In fact, a lot of the Pacifica um signes are actually TK and K parents who've never really interacted with us before. And it's really hard to go to an education a community event and say come and join the school that has not been approved. Um, so it's it's hard to do that outreach and I think once you approve us, we will go out to all these other counties and, you know, really try and look for everybody, but we're not looking to resurrect Ocean Shaw. We're looking to provide this new um, innovative um, school for Northern Conte. So, we urge you to approve it. Thank you, >> Dustin Patnod, Alexandra Cook Milligan, followed by

189Stephanie Ching. >> Good evening, uh, trustees. Uh, I'm a labor relations representative with CSEA. Our union represents over 4,000 classified employees across the county, including in Pacifica, Jefferson Elementary, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Burley Game, and Brisbane. CSEA strongly opposes the granting of this charter petition. We know that siphoning off more students into charter schools will harm our members and the students who they will continue to serve in district schools. Declining enrollment means that districts will struggle to pay classified employees what they deserve. It means districts will struggle to attract and retain highly qualified staff. This matters for the quality of student education. This matters for our members whose children go to the same public schools they serve. This matters for the economic and educational well-being of San Monteo County. I urge you to oppose

190Oceanlight's petition. Alexandra Cook Milligan, then Stephanie Ching, followed by Fran Dickinson. Hi, my name is Alishandra Cook Milligan. Thank you for listening to us tonight. We really appreciate it. With my full chest, please, please let this amazing group of people do their thing. I trust them wholeheartedly. I'm an alum of the Shar Park Alternative School. I was so lucky jumping up and down with excitement that my oldest got into Ocean Shore. Wasn't the same, but it was the building blocks and then better. And as I'm studying what Ocean Light is doing, I can see again that it's okay. It's building blocks, but it's different. It's so much better. They are taking a proven model and and making it reach farther. Like if they had just kept it within Pacifica, that would have been a disservice

191to the county. This is the school that children deserve. I'm a marriage and family therapist. I'm all about feelings. I'm listening closely, paying attention, and I can say I am really disappointed with what the district did last year. And while we debate charter schools, private institutions are laughing their way to the bank. I watched friends leave and it was heartbreaking. And what I want to do with my deep philosophical belief in public education coming from a family of public educators is to keep the money public. And while we do this, we are hemorrhaging students to private institutions. I think everyone in this room can agree that public education >> we are at that time. Stephanie Ching, Brand Dickinson, followed by Stephanie Sigawara. >> Good evening. My name is Stephanie. I'm a parent of three children

192who have all experienced and thrived under the project-based learning model at Ocean Shore School. My children, like so many other children, learn best in a hands on learning environment when they are collaborating with their peers, when they can explore the world around them and ask questions. Ocean Light will provide that kind of learning environment. Pacifica School District claims that they already provide what Ocean Light will offer, but that is not true. As an active parent volunteer regularly at school and a PTOE board member, I am experiencing firsthand that our district does not value this learning model and is not providing the encouragement or support to continue project-based learning at our collocated site. In fact, because Ocean Shore and Sunset Ridge have mixed classes, we are now functioning as more of a merger versus a collocation,

193making it incredibly challenging to continue the programs that my children have thrived in. This is why I strongly encourage you to approve Ocean Lights petition so that my children and all children in North Santo County can have this choice. Fran Dickinson, Stephanie Shigawara, followed by Kathleen Bee. >> Good evening, trustees, and thanks for the time. My name is Fran Dickinson. I'm the executive director at St. Carlos Charter. Uh, I'm here because I'm genuinely excited about Ocean Light School, and that excitement comes from 30 years of experience watching progressive education transform students lives. Ocean Light embodies the same successful approaches that have made San Carlos Charter thrive for three decades. inquirydriven learning, project-based curriculum, and true community support. There's a beautiful connection here, too. Back in the early 1990s, our San Carlos charter founders visited Oceanore

194School, Oceanore Shore, sorry, it's late. Uh, in Pacifica while drafting California's first charter school petition, uh, now Ocean Light is carrying forward that Ocean Shore legacy. Uh, and it feels like we've come full circle. Um, North Sanonteo County currently has no elementary charter school option. Families there deserve this choice. Ocean Lights founding team has the experience, the vision, and the heart to succeed. Their environmental focus is exactly what today's students need. I urge you to approve this petition. Give North County families the mission-based innovative public school option they've been waiting for. Thank you. >> Stephanie Shigawara, Kathleen Bibb, followed by Sheila Gamble, Dorne. Good evening, President Torres and trustees. I am a mother of two little ones, and tonight I want to express my strong support for Oceanlight. I am thrilled that there may be

195an option for a TK to8 school near or around my home in South San Francisco. Like all parents, I want my children to grow up in a safe and stable learning environment. A TK to 8 will illuminate the potentially disruptive and stressful transition to middle school. It will also foster strong relationships, connections, and bonds between peers and adults that comes with this type of school. As my children grow with the school, they will learn firsthand how to become leaders and role models for younger students, which will stick with them their entire lives. Oceanlight will engage students with project-based learning and collaboration between parents and teachers. This hands-on learning approach is exactly what I want for my children. I believe this public TK to8 school will be a powerful addition to the school choices I have

196near and around my home and for the entire Sonteo County. Thank you. >> Kathleen Bibb followed by Sheila Gamble Dornne and then Marie President. I am Catherine the CTA staff person. >> Could you speak into the microphone please? >> I am the CTA staff person assigned to Pacifica and the impacted districts. Um, I make no mistake, CTA supports charter schools and students and teachers and Don Berdett, Ocean Board member, uh, assured me on Monday that they would want CTA in there for the teachers. Therefore, I want to be very clear about CTA's objection to this application. one, the misrepresentation of the academics of the impacted districts, which has been pointed out, and that the outlined intention is not to offer equitable admission, but rather is to set up an exclusive system of preference for the

197Pacifica signatories of the application. And secondly, the devastation such a charter will have on those students deemed not qualified as exclusive candidates means fewer resources in teachers and because of the charter drain on the already minimalist funding of these impacted districts. Really hope that the board considers much of what's been presented here including the hope of >> We are at time. Thank you. >> Sheila Gamble Dornne followed by Marie then Tanya Guido. >> Good evening trustees. I'm Sheila Gambledornne. I a former retired uh teacher from Ocean Shore School. Um I coordinated their um ocean literacy program and I understand and of course all the districts have really excellent programs. The difference is that while districts may touch on environmental topics through NGSS standards, ocean life makes environmental literacy and community stewardship a lens through which

198students learn all subjects. Our ocean literacy program was ex was unique and was given the Jefferson award and it was because the students are immersed in the study of different ocean habitats and the middle school students run the activities on the school site and the beach. This is the importance of a K8 program. Families are seeking this integrated approach. a school where environmental values, family partnership, and project-based learning are the core, not extras. We're not competing with districts. We're expanding the range of public education options available to families. Thank you. >> Marie Marie, followed by Tanya Guido, then Tony Reinhardt. >> I'm actually reading on behalf of Marie. My name is Marie. I am a parent to a fourth grader. When our child started school, we enrolled them in a traditional school setting in Daily

199City. That was not the right decision for our child. They were not happy at school and they would come home crying, saying that they did not want to go back. After struggling every single day for two years, we decided to look for other public school options. This is when we found Ocean Shore School. The project-based hands-on crossage learning was a phenomenal fit for our child. School became fun. They looked forward to school and learning every single day. We felt connected to a larger community that was caring and supportive. What I learned from this experience is that not every s student learns the same way and not all schools work for every student. Ocean Light will bring to San Monteo County families a public school option with an alternative education setting. It would be a great

200disservice to families to withhold this option. This option shouldn't be available to those that live in Pacifica. >> Doesn't deserve the right to learn in an environment that works for them. >> Tanya Guido, followed by Tony Reinhardt, then Jonathan Markham. I'm speaking on behalf of a former student, Maryannne Knox. I am 18 and neurody divergent. I attended a school similar to Ocean Light from kindergarten through 6th grade. I liked my teachers. I liked the parents of my classmates. Even if I wasn't super popular and sometimes had a hard time, I still felt like I had friends because us kids would talk in class, go on lots of field trips together, I still think of that school like it was a family. And I am glad to see people once a year at our KOA event.

201I had some things go on in later middle school and early high school. So I was no longer part of that community and I can tell the difference between the school like Oceans Light and my current school. My brother has to ride in a car for two hours a day to another public school so that he can meet his needs. I think that he and kids like him would be helped by a school like Ocean Light. Tony Reinhardt, followed by Jonathan Markham, followed by WY Clothier. >> Hi, my name is Tony Reinhardt. I am a father, a member of the community. Uh, thank you to the members of the board in the community for me to talk. I've reviewed the arguments presented against the establishment of the Ocean Light Charter School in Northern Sanonteo County.

202These objections generally fall into four categories. Funding for existing school districts, countywide need, curriculum differentiation, and existing projectbased model. At their core, these objections reflect a desire to preserve the natural monopoly of traditional school districts. They are rooted not in educational outcomes, but in the fear of competition. Ocean Light would be a public charter. That means that it has the same floor as everybody else regardless of cost for the individual. That leads to choice. And ultimately, that's what parents want. They want choice. When parents can choose among strong public options, all schools, districts, and charter alike must continually improve. Competition compels innovation, responsiveness, and accountability. It ensures that districts cannot simply assume their current offers are current are good enough. Instead, they must strive to be excellent because families are watching and they have options.

203Even if ocean time >> I implore you to approve. >> Jonathan Markham followed by Wy Clier and then Danielle Lee. >> My name is Jonathan Markham. I'm a resident of Pacifica. And I would like to urge the trustees to vote in favor of the of the um petition for Ocean Light School because I believe that as well as all of the amazing educational advantages that you've heard described, you will bypassing it give an important very important message to the public. A message that we can trust the public schools and the local government institutions to make decisions that really demonstrate that they put the educational opportunities of our children and our families first. Recognizing that our children flourish in a variety of educational settings rather than protecting systems that have shown themselves to be broken and

204are urgently in need of change. Thank you. >> WY copier followed by Danielle Lee and then Carla Torres. >> Good evening trustees. I am a Sonteo County public school educator in my 28th year a staunch union member and so believe me when when I say it takes an exceptional and unique program such as Ocean Light to bring me to speak on behalf of a charter school petition on a school night. Why? Simply put, families in Sonteo County deserve to have access to a school like Ocean Light, a place where students will be immersed in a deeply rich and experiential program that will spark curiosity at ignite a lifelong love for learning. How do I know this? Because I am a product of a robust experiential program myself from Illinois and this model is completely transformational.

205While I know county public schools are doing their best to provide field trips, community gardens, and I heard a lot of accolades tonight that are super impressive, the pedagogical foundation of Oceanlight is experiential and project-based where students might have 8 to 10 immersive interdisciplinary learning experiences out outside the classroom in just one year. This is very different than what our current public schools can offer our county. Ocean Light is thoughtfully planned. It's supported by passionate teachers and parents dedicated to providing an alternate model, a choice for our county's families. So, please vote yes. Thank you. >> Danielle Lee, followed by Carla Torres, followed by Judy Lee. >> Hi there. I'm Danielle and I'm the parent of a neurodyiverse first grader and a resident of San Bruno. Families in north San Monteo County have very limited

206access to K through8 schools. In fact, San Bruno doesn't have a single public K through8. The K through8 model offers stability and continuity during the most critical years of a child's development. That consistency is especially meaningful for children who benefit from consistent relationships and a strong sense of community. My son thrives in experiential learning environments that nurture curiosity and connection, and it's given him confidence. A K through8 charter like Ocean Light builds on these principles, giving families in our area a much needed choice. A whole child community-based school where students can grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Ocean Light would only strengthen our local educational landscape with this in- demand option. Thank you, >> Carla Torres, followed by Judy Lee, followed by Alexander Gan. >> Good evening, President Torres, Deputy Superintendent Chavez, and members of the

207board. My name is Dr. Carla Chavez Torres, and I am here representing myself, but have been an employee of the Pacifica Schools District since July 2021. Pacifica recently conducted a community feedback survey and received 559 responses. Of responded, 74.6 were parents and 15.4 were staff. Overall awareness of the countywide charter application was 75.6%. Importantly, 82.5 said they did not participate in Ocean Light separate interest survey conducted in Pacifica. In terms of perceived need, 66.7% reported they do not see a need for a charter school in or near Pacifica and 64.2% said Pacifica schools district's current programming meets their family's needs. Taken together, this feedback indicates strong support for the district's existing programs and limited community demand for a new charter. for Pacifica. Even a modest enrollment shift would have an immediate and significant impact on

208on our funding on our general fund. >> We are at time. >> Thank you, >> Judy Lee. Followed by Alexander Gan and our last card, Julie Almer. >> Good evening. Ocean Light integrates a curriculum of environmental sciences with project-based learning, which connects steam, sustainability, and stewardship with real world impact. But just as important as what is taught is who has access to it. While there are other K to8 charter schools in San Monteo County, many are located in more affluent areas. workingclass and immigrant families in northern Sanonteo County deserve the opportunity to the same access to this kind of specialized and missiondriven school. Additionally, Oceanlight's pillar on parent participation is one of its greatest draws. My children's previous school where parent involvement was also built into the curriculum showed me how children can thrive when

209in families are truly integrated into the learning community. It builds stronger relationships, greater accountability, and a shared sense of purpose. Sanonteo County has always been forward thinking. Let's continue that legacy by supporting a school that reflects the values we want to pass on. I want my children not just to be consumers of the world, but to be stewards of it. Thank you. >> Alexander Gan followed by Julie. >> Good evening. I'm a workingclass parent living in Daily City. I grew up in New York in the9s and was fortunate enough to attend a public magnet school, an experience that opened doors for me and helped shape my future. Oceanlight, like the magnet school I attended, offers a specialized educational focus that will give my kids experiences beyond a traditional classroom and classmates from a diverse background.

210I'm excited that Oceanlight will focus on environmental education and project-based learning by incorporating it into the charter of the school. These tenants will be fundamental to the classroom experience at Oceanlight, not just optional features for teachers to incorporate or not as it is at other schools. And honestly, we really need to do what we can to emphasize kids learning environmental sciences. But what I really like is that the Ocean Light School will be open to families like mine in Daily City. It is rare to find a public school that offers this kind of unique opportunity. I urge you to support this charter. Thank you. >> And Julie Almer, >> thank you. >> Good evening. I am a Pacifica resident, parent, and past teacher. I also have the privilege of teaching third grade at Skyline Elementary,

211just blocks from the proposed Ocean Light Charter School, whose petition I oppose because of the harm it could do to our community. I am an innovative educator and parent. I strive to model resilience through change and challenge. Ocean Shores closure is our chance to unite and strengthen our existing schools. I've taught in Pacifica schools before joining South San Francisco Unified School District, where I now work in a community that reflects the diversity and strength of our North County neighborhoods. Our schools thrive when we work together, sharing resources, supporting one another, and building a collective vision for all students. Ocean Light risks d dividing that effort and redirecting resources for those who need the most. For the sake of all students in Sanonteo County, I strongly urge you to deny the Oceanlight Charter petition. Our public

212schools are the heart of our community and they deserve your protection and support. Thank you and thank you for being >> President Torres. We do have a raised hand in Zoom. >> Okay. >> Yes. Um, so we have Megan McKenna. >> Hi, thank you so much for taking my comment. First, I want to note that the survey Dr. Tori's referenced was sent out to parents enrolled in Parent Square just 36 hours ago with the guise of being a a basis for district discussions. It was hardly scientific and it was not in-depth. There was really, it was yes or no questions. Uh, families everywhere leave public school districts every year because a school doesn't fit their child all over the country. Even with top rated, top funded schools, they face this issue. To say that a

213charter will take funding away from any school or a district is malarkey. The funding note that follows the child. We all know this. They do not bring money into a school. Kids are not a commodity. They're little humans. And what we really need to do is create an environment where they can all learn the best that they can learn and thrive. We cannot say a district is perfect for a child in any of these areas. This charter will open up the doors for so many. Please consider approving the charter. Thank you. >> Uh one other hand. Um Danish uh Remen. Uh hi. Hello. We can hear you. Yeah. Thank you so much. I just want to provide my support for the Ocean Light School. I am a parent of a 4-year-old. Uh I'm living in

214San Bruno. I've heard a lot of uh points, a lot of good points about supporting ocean light. I just want to say that from San Bruno it's we have done a lot of effort to try and understand the curriculum uh and I can understand change is different change is difficult but the curriculum and the focus for project based learning has been such a eye openening what we want for the future of our children's so I hope the board member please consider that uh from us thank Thank you. >> I don't see any other race ts. >> Thank you so much. Um, first and foremost, I want to just say how proud I am of our youth for for advocating and whether they spoke or just showed up. It's incredible to always see them be here.

215Um, second, I know it's very difficult to condense your thoughts down to one minute. So, thank you for keeping within the time limits. Um, makes my job easier. Um, but that being said, if you did not get a chance to share or share everything, you are always welcome to email us. Our emails are on the county website. Um, and please know that I am reading every single letter. If you already emailed me, you don't need to email me again, but you are more than welcome to if you feel obligated to. Um, lastly, as we continue, um, I know some folks will be exiting. Just a reminder that we still have a meeting to continue and finish off in here and we can hear everything out there. Um so thank you. Um having received comments from

216staff, the Ocean Light School petitioners, the effective school districts and the public, the board now closes this public hearing. The board will reconvene and act on this request at its meeting on December 17th, 2025. Any further deliberations by the board prior to acting on this matter will be in conformance with all requirements of the Brown Act and this hearing is now closed. We are moving on to item 7A which is superintendent comments. Deputy Superintendent Chavez, do we have any comments to share? >> No comments this evening. >> Thank you. Um, for item 8A, when an ad hoc subcommittee meets or a representative attends a meeting related to their given assignment, board members may choose to bring a report to the board at this time. Would any board members like to report out? Okay, I am

217seeing none. Um, are there any comments or questions from the board? Trusty O'Neal, >> I just have a question is we just got this schedule, you know, in our packet here and this capacity interview as part of this. What what is that? >> That would be a conversation between the petitioners and staff to ask maybe some questions that were raised here um that we'll bring back as well as um questions that that surface through our analysis. Okay. So, the board doesn't need to be involved there at all. Okay. I just wanted for calendar purposes. Thank you. >> Yeah. But if you have a questions, um, you can email them to >> Yes. If you have any questions that you would like us to pose at the capacity interview, please feel free to send those along.

218Um, don't CC one another. It would just come to myself and Marco. >> Um, yeah, sure. um for the capacity interview. It's it's really an opportunity for um the county office staff to ask questions of the petitioners. So, if there was anything that was unanswered tonight, you're welcome to add your questions to that and then we'll present that um during that interview with the petitioner. >> Trusty Benini, >> I'm not looking at the um agenda. Can you state when the um excuse me, when that capacity interview is Yeah, I believe it's in our board packet. Correct. that we have capacity interview or it's been shared also with the petitioners that were um meeting with them on October 30th. >> October 30th. You're correct. >> Thank you. Um are there any comments from the public? Oh,

219Trustee Love. Yeah, I'm not there yet. I'm not there yet. I'm at the ad hoc uh subcommittees. Yes. Um any comments from the public? Thank you. Um there is no action to take on this item. Um for item 8B, board members will comment. Um Trusty Lab. >> Yes, thank you. Um I noticed that we received a letter from um Christa Bowman from Pacifica School District about a housing proposal. I believe it is um just yesterday. It just kind of got lost. I mean, put in with everything else. Is this something we're going to follow up on or the committee is going to follow up on? >> Uh yes. So, this has been sent to the um county office staff for them to respond. >> Okay. Thanks. >> Um Trusty Bonini, >> these are just our

220final comments, right? Okay. Sorry. Um so, well, first I just want to thank all of the comments from this evening. Um I think I logged about 87 emails that I received as well. So, thank you for all of those to the public. Um I've read them all. I have not responded to them, but um I I have read them. Um so, thank you for the, you know, sharing more more information tonight. Um I just wanted to share that I was able to visit um the special services programs at Elportal and Palace Veris on um the 10th and also Canyon Oaks with um Trusty Love and that was really great. So, thank you so much to um uh Jesus Jimenez and um uh sorry, Tammy Ziegler who helped um at special services. And um as far

221as my uh area, um I was really excited to be uh able to visit Baywood Elementary School yesterday for in Sano Foster City. Um that was great. There were many parents there. they have shifted to doing their uh visits to community visits. And so they invite the public um you know whether it's volunteers at school or other um uh you know agencies or or sometimes our county office um to come. So that that was really great. And then just finally um I'm looking forward to more visits. So hoping that in the next week or two we'll have we'll have more of those. And uh that's all I have. Thanks. >> Thank you Trusty O'Neal. Thank you, Trusty Alvaro. >> I just have one thing. Thank you. Um I was I wanted to ask I already

222talked to President Torres about this. I would like to adjourn in memory of Bill Burns if we can. Um Bill died um about about two or three weeks ago. He was 84 years old when he first he did teaching teacher court in Indiana which is kind of like teach America and then he came here he took a job with Sano County Office of Ed in 1969 and he was working to help uh non-graduates earn their GED equivalency. He then was the coordinator of career prep center helping what we then called high high risk youth. In 82 he worked with this county office and probation and created the county's first community schools program for wards of the court. In 86 he oversaw three community schools and a mobile van to visit pregnant teens who couldn't come

223to school. Those continued for a very long time until we merged them all into what is now Gateway. Um in 92 he was named administrator of court and community schools and continued to work with us. He retired in 97. So I only had the privilege of working with him for about three years. Uh but then he went to work after his retirement. He went to work with Project Rita and Redwood City Library and became a part-time jail instructor teaching parenting skills and poetry writing course to the men and women in the county jails. He was an exceptional person. He was an exceptional administrator, an exceptional teacher and I would um respectfully like to adjourn in his memory. Thank you. >> Thank you, Trusty Gerard. Um yes, just very briefly um thank you to everyone that

224spoke uh this evening. I also have reviewed all the letters or emails I should say that we received. Some of them I did acknowledge and others I I have just read and and didn't. But I do want people to know that that we're listening and um I am in full support of um uh remembering Bill Burns. He was an exceptional exceptional person and and I feel very blessed to have uh known him. as Susan as Susan has just stated, he did some amazing work and uh really set um some high standards for things for our community school kids and kids um that were at risk. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Um my only comments are to thank um our county office staff for for being here with us for the setup for all the

225logistics and organization of everything to the setup to the tech to the layouts and just um working with our community members. So thank you so much and we really cannot do that without you. Um and for item nine, the adjournment tonight, um we adjourn our meeting in memory of former SMCE staff member William Burns Jr. who worked to create the county's first community schools programs. And I want to thank uh Trusty Alvaro for bringing this forward. Um so tonight we adjourn our meeting in honor of a dedicated educator and beloved community member William also known as Bill Burns Jr. who passed away peacefully in his home on September 27th, 2025. Uh Bill was born in 1941 in San Francisco. He graduated from Campbell High School and then earned his bachelor's degree and teaching credential at

226San Jose State University. Bill dedicated his life to helping others, especially the underprivileged um to improve their lives. He took a job with the county office in 1969 helping non-graduates graduates attain GED equival equivalency certificates and he also served as the coordinator of the career preparation center helping atrisisk youth. Bill worked to create the county's first community schools program for wards of the courts and oversaw the community schools and a mobile van to visit pregnant teens unable to attend school. After his retirement, Bill returned to his love of teaching and poetry and was hired by Project Reed at the Redwood City Library. He became a part-time jail instructor teaching parenting skills and a poetry writing course to the men and women in the county jails. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Bill's wife, Peggy, and

227all who knew and loved him. Tonight, we honor Bill Burns's memory and his lifelong commitment to learning. So, the next regular meeting will be our governance workshop on Wednesday, November 5th, 2025 at 6 PM. And this meeting is now adjourned. >> Thank you. Good night, everybody. >> Good night, everybody. >> Good night.