SMUHSD Board Meeting - August 28, 2025

001Okay, good evening everyone. This this is a meeting of the Santell Union High School District Board of Trustees. I am calling open session to order. Today is August 28th and it's uh 7:10. Roll call. Trusty Chavez, >> present. >> Trusty Jacobson, >> present. >> Trusty Lan, >> present. >> Trusty Andradi Zuniga, >> presente >> and I am present. Um, I would like to welcome two new student board representatives for the year. Zoe Center and Shira, who is it? Shurah Shur, how do you say your last name? Okay, I'll have to work on that one. But welcome. Uh, they will give their reports a little later in the agenda. Tonight, we have a team from Hannah interpreting as our Spanish interpreters. For those who would like to attend the meeting virtually in Spanish, that option is

002available. Hannah interpreting, would you please communicate that for us this evening? Thank you. >> Thank you. In order to provide language access, this meeting will have simultaneous birectional interpretation into English and Spanish. If you're bilingual, you don't have to click anything. But if you're not bilingual and you're using your laptop, in a few seconds you'll see an icon shaped like a globe at the bottom of your screen. Click on language interpretation and then select English. If you're using your phone or an iPad, in a few seconds you locate the three dot menu in one of the corners of your screen. Click on language interpretation and then select English. When you speak, do so at a moderate pace because the interpreters will be simultaneously interpreting everything you say. The proportional Spanish. Thank you. >> Thank you.

003If you wish to view closed captions of this meeting, please view the meeting on SMUHSD board meeting YouTube channel. The link to the YouTube channel can be found on our website. You may view the captions in English as we live stream our meeting tonight and you may view the captions in a variety of other languages if you choose to watch after this meeting has ended. Viewers may request additional accommodations by calling 650-5582201. For our deaf and heart of hearing community, we have a team from Hannah interpreting services and they will be interpreting our meeting this evening. We would like to ask everyone to speak at a clear and reasonable pace for our interpreters. Thank you. Uh pledge of allegiance. Uh, will our new student board reps please lead us? Pledge of >> allegiance to the

004flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. Okay. report of actions taken in close session. On August 14th, the board took action on the appeal filed under board policy and administrative regulation 4030 to uphold findings the findings and directed the superintendent and deputy superintendent of human resources and student services to pro to provide written notice to the involved parties the party of the uh action the board's action in close session. The board upon motion of trustee land and seconded by trustee Chavez move to approve to postpone the expulsion hearing of case 2526-1 with a vote of 5 to zero. the board and I the board and I wish to um um well report that

005uh Superintendent Booker received a positive evaluation on his performance for the 2425 school year. Um, you know, it's it's difficult and we certainly, you know, with heartfelt appreciation all the work you've done is really I think it's it's really making a difference and it's a long-term goal and we really appreciate everything that you've done. Um, at a special board meeting um on August 7th, the board met and developed the following superintendent goals for the 2526 school year. Goal one, disrupt and reduce the persistent and predictable achievement gap while maintaining high academic standards. Goal number two, ensure long-term physical sustainability and strategic resource planning. Goal three, strengthen instructional excellence through inclusive leadership and professional learning. Superintendent Booker has the full support of the board on his work toward meeting his stated goals for the 2526 school

006year. Thank you, Superintendent Booker, for your dedication to our district and to our students. Now, the one thing I will say and I I I I read the script and I I stayed on point. I will give you just a few seconds that you know in 30 years I don't think we ever had goals that were consistent two years in a row. I mean you know there you know the goals kind of moved around a little bit. It's really I think it's it's it's a real good move for the district and it speaks volumes that the board and the superintendent are on the same page and these goals are pretty you know we maybe is a little word smithing but these goals are pretty well the goals for the district right now. We came up

007last year we focused we'll continue to work towards those goals. We knew last year when we adopted them, they were not going to be fixed in a year, you know, uh but we have to stay the course and u just you know keep our shoulder to the grindstone. So So does anybody wish to um u make any comments? Brief. >> That's brief. >> Got the momentum going and we're going. Well, we certainly appreciate you. >> Okay. Adopt the agenda. The board of trustees may either adopt the agenda as presented or make a change to the agenda through a motion, second, and majority vote. The Brown Act prohibits any additions to the agenda without a 72-hour public notice uh for regularly scheduled board meetings. Are there any questions or comments from the board or the superintendent

008with respect to the agenda? Okay. Uh, I want to make a motion to move item X1, specific board policies and administrative regulations, June 20 25 updates part one to the September 10th board meeting. um because we have received questions from the community and I think we've probably had questions as a result um of the proposed uh CSBA policy and edits. I would like Superintendent Booker to work with legal counsel to review the proposed CSBA edits, provide further analysis, and report back to the board prior to the September 10th meeting. Uh is there a um >> second? Okay, we got a motion and you made that motion. >> I did. >> Okay. Are there any questions from the public? >> Okay. Is there any online? >> I have a hand up. I'm not sure if it's

009for this item or not. >> Okay. We have a question from a community member. >> I gave you blue cards. >> She was going to ask what happened. >> I do have blue cards. Only one of them is of a specific nature. Uh, four or five of them are actually on an agenda item. Correct. >> You just pulled their agenda. >> Well, no, I'm saying I'm saying that now. We have a question. I don't know. >> The hand went down. >> Okay. I think there's a question in the >> Yes, you may. Okay. So, we've got Did we vote on the agenda? >> We have a motion in a second. >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I I >> Okay, we've adopted the agenda. Student board reps, how

010do you vote? >> Thank you. Okay, regular reports. It's a report of the superintendent. >> Thank you very much. Uh, so I'm going to start off with the ribbon cutings. We had uh Berlingham High School hosted a ribbon cutting uh ceremony for the new gym at at Berlingame yesterday. Hundreds of students, educators, parents, and community members. Uh and when I say community members, we had just a tremendous amount of alumni and uh just supporters of Berlingame High out there uh turned out to help us celebrate the milestone in the Measure L program. Thank you to all who joined us. Thank you to Trusty Chavez who spoke, did a great job. Um uh and and to trustee Andreddi Zuniga and land for being there uh to cut the ribbon. The mayor was there. Uh we just

011had members from the oversight committee were there. Uh a lot of people uh it is an absolutely phenomenal facility, state-of-the-art. Uh and on this note, the public is invited to join us tomorrow at Sonteo High School at 300 p.m. uh for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the compilation of a construction of the school's athletic training complex. That facility is amazing as well. Uh we're so appreciative to the voters and taxpayers of the district uh who supported Measure L, our $385 million general obligation bond uh which is making improvements across our district in real time. So please join us tomorrow if you have the time. Uh I also want to just acknowledge at yesterday's ribbon cutting and then uh today Trusty Jacobson, Trustee Andred Zuniga joined me uh at Hillsdale and at Aragon. We did

012um some classroom walkthroughs. We met with uh educators uh in the in the staff uh lounge and had really good conversations. Um but I want to call out and thank CSEA. The grounds on our campuses are so amazing. They are so beautiful. Uh when we were there again the two schools today and then Berlingame uh yesterday and I know if we went to any one of our uh schools across the district uh the same would be reflected. So just a real heartfelt thanks for how uh hard our CSEA staff work to keep our schools and our grounds looking so superb. And I was sharing with uh colleagues earlier today that unfortunately you can't say that about every district across the state and it's not something I take for granted. Um and I'm really really appreciative.

013So and thank you to all the educators that met with us today and and invited us into their classrooms uh and gave us positive feedback, critical feedback, all the kind of feedback uh we want to hear. Uh so we're really appreciative and then we'll continue to do this. Uh this is more so for the educators in the room and listening online. Every Thursday we'll be visiting schools, setting up a schedule. Uh I'll be sending out emails um uh for the next round for next week. Uh but we'll be doing this every Thursday just to you know encourage more connection and relationship and feedback uh be seen see you know all those kinds of things. So uh just very appreciative. Thank you. >> Okay. report of the District Teachers Association. Representative, >> good evening, President Griffin,

014members of the board, district cabinet. Um, uh, yeah, it's been a it's been a a good opening of school so far, as I mentioned last time. Um, and I don't have too much to report tonight. I do want to welcome the two new student board members. Uh uh this is this is a a really important um uh task that you're performing um and and and an act of participation in governance that is um it's really a valuable service not only for yourselves but also representing uh your student body constituents. Um I I do want to commend uh Superintendent Booker uh for take making an effort to organize visits at the school sites. uh I mentioned this to him today uh that I think it's really it's really an important um component of uh again governance

015and and um management to uh have that exposure and have that connection to the sites. Um and I know other superintendents have done this in the past over the years, many years that I've been around. Um I really do think it's a a great thing to have it organized and scheduled. Um I also really appreciate having a board member or two or trustees uh visiting as well um to get a solid perspective of not only the sites and what's happening at the sites but also for teach educators to um communicate directly with the board members and have an opportunity to dialogue. So I just want to thank you all for that. Um negotiations are on the horizon. uh we continue to um you know struggle with the uh the the well the challenge of healthc

016care increases and hopefully we can find some common solutions. I know we have a meeting with the committee tomorrow so we're looking forward to that and looking forward to continuing negotiations and finding um the best path forward for uh all involved. Uh with that uh thank you very much and have a good night. >> Thank you. Report of uh CSEA chapter 519 representative. >> There's no report from CSEA this evening. >> Okay. Report of the Samale Adult School Teachers Association. >> Hey everybody. Uh Lynette Garcia, union VP at the Samato Adult School. Um thank you very much board president Griffin, VP Chavez, and board members and superintendent for the opportunity to represent. Um we're just here like my predecessor. We are um don't have a whole lot to share cuz we literally just started classes.

017Um but let's give you some recent events. We want to really do a warm welcome to our newest staff members. Raquel Deich, she is our evening office attendant as well as Jim Anderson. He is our newest ESL high advance instructor. Welcome. Uh some happenings this week. Oena, our evening ESL specialist, brought one of our student ambassadors, Claudia Hernandez, to the Kevin Mullen Town Hall for an education and advocacy purposes. After the meeting, they had a great opportunity to speak with Ragda Kajja, director of constituent services for the office of the congressman, Kevin Mullen. They emphasized the importance of adult education funding. Imagine that. To encourage civic engagement, Claudia plans to share her experience with the upcoming student council, of which we will share her experience in a future meeting, which leads us to the topic

018and value of student engagement at the Sanato Dan Career Education Campus. We had shared with our last board meeting that we've reinstated our student council last year as the next level of engagement and leadership for our student ambassadors and classroom volunteers. the the impact has been fairly remarkable. Let's define the interrelated groups. Student council represents the students and advocates for their interests. We will be having new um elections coming up. Student ambassadors assist the students, teachers, and staff with registration, testing, and various events. Classroom volunteers assist teachers and students during the class. the impact. We've had a large number of student volunteers. We've increased from 15 in to 100 in this last school year, 2425. The assistance with numerous school events, participating in up to 20 to 25 events each year, representing the school at

019external events, attending conferences and meetings, creating community, bringing students from different levels and programs together, becoming role models, and advocating of course for student ed, student adult education, putting our student I mean putting our school on the app has inspired adult ed organizer. We've introduced Marina Katslova 10 adult ed institutions in California. She's also been featured in co-ab journals, CalPro research, as well as presented at local and national conferences. I think she represented at the Tennessee co conference recently. What we want to share is that when a new immigrant or returning student walks through the doors of SEMA to adult career education, they might feel like they're navigating a new world. You know, many of our returning students haven't been in school for many years. And many of our immigrant students are here for the

020first time. They might be a little confused, feel uncertain, and really a sense of being lost are very common in this journey. At SMACE, something beautiful happens. They don't just learn English or a new skill or get their GED. They find a home. They create connections. SMACE is more than a school. It's a vibrant community where our students discover that their unique experiences and cultures are not obstacles, they are strengths. Here they connect with others who share similar journeys and form bonds that create a fabulous sense of belonging. By embracing their identity, seeing their background, their differences as an asset, our students develop a profound sense of purpose and selfworth. We help our students to realize the abundant potential and find their place in the world where they are seen, valued, and accepted. and our

021work is a testament to the transformative power of inclusion. That's Swiss paraphrase from Marina. Uh on union business, as you know, our teaching pool was impacted when many instructors chose to retire during the CO 19 pandemic, which also affected our union membership. We're happy to report that we're on the upswing and our active group of new teachers has helped us to increase our membership by 25%. We're looking to grow even more. As discussed with our last report, we're working to find ways to partner with the SMAC administration and the district on issues that we all care about. There is power in numbers and a unified front and we hope together we can create a better future starting today. Currently, we are in union negotiations as you just heard with the district with two meetings coming

022up in September. And yes, we do have a benefits meeting, healthc care benefits meeting tomorrow. Fun fact, did you know that the oldest school in England, the oldest school is in England, while a school in India has the most students, Finland starts at the age of seven. Holland begins early at 4 and Germany gives new students Schlitude, a candy filled corn on their first day. China has the most crowded classrooms. Argentina, Chile, and other southern hemisphere count countries have summer holidays in their winter. You know what's cool about this fun fact? We have all of these backgrounds in our population. Kind of cool like that. I think we speak over 20 languages in our school. And in acknowledgement of CTF, AFT, CCAE, union members are pleased to note the CFT executive council voted to support

023California's redistricting effort and is a direct proactive stance. CTF President Jeff Frius stated that the Union unequivocally backs this effort, framing it as a necessary response for the people and our democracy and that while California did not choose this fight, the state is united in its commitment. With solidarity and grace, we thank you. >> Thank you. Okay. Uh report of the student board representatives. Good evening. >> Good evening. Yes. So, my name is Shya Mahapatra. I am a student at San Mateo High School. I'm a cross-country runner, a certified lifeguard, and a coach, a soccer coach for the Youth I-9 Sports League. Our first student board council meeting happened last Wednesday, August 20th, where we all met each other and we essentially learned more about the district. We learned about the key members. And Zoe,

024would you like to tell us more about what we did? >> Yes, I would. Hi, my name is Zoe Center. I'm a student from Berlingame High School. To know a little bit more about me, I'm a part of my school's robotics team and I'm aos I'm also a part of the teen library board for the Berling game public library. After we got to know each other and we learned a little bit more about our district, students shared stuff about their districts and their schools that they appreciated, like the community and the diversity, but they also shared some issues that were happening in their schools. One major issue throughout all schools was the amount of academic pressure on top of students to get into a good college. Other issues that were mentioned were littering, vaping in

025bathrooms, and wasting food. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Well, thank you, Shia. Now, we have two things in common. We both went to Sam. We You go to Satil. I graduated from Samill. I was also a certified lifeguard. So, yeah. Oh, yeah. They had water back then. Governing board comments. Um just a second. Trusty Chavez. I'll keep this brief. Were you on the swim team also? >> I was on the swim team. >> So if you're a lifeguard. Yeah, that's so impressive. I Yeah, I'm sorry. I want to say a big welcome to our our board student board rep reps. Um you we're just always excited to have board reps part being part of our meeting and and um and a big welcome from all of us. Um I'll make this brief. I just wanted

026to echo what uh Superintendent Booker had already mentioned about the the ribbon cutting ceremony. It was it's just amazing and I know tomorrow's ribbon cutting ceremony is going to be amazing as well. It's just to see uh I was to see a building levelized and then from the ground up. It's just beautiful. The facility is amazing and I know it's going to be there for a while. It's it's I just want to say big shout out to to everybody in our in our county. All of our taxpayers approved um the the bond measures and almost all of our school sites. We're going through the different school sites. Last year we had some big cutting ceremonies at some of our other schools. Uh and so this year it is the Berling game High School gym and

027then tomorrow that was yesterday and tomorrow Samonte High School gym. I also wanted to give a shout out and thanks thanks to um Trusty Land and Trustee Andrea Zuniga who were there and also pre prior board members Peter Hanley and Linda Lee Dwire. They were there as well and they deserve a big shout out as well because they started they approved the project before the rest of us were on the board. They approved it with you you guys. So um well two of you guys have been here for a long time but you get what I'm saying. So it's it's that momentum rolling getting that ball rolling. So, the prior board um deserves a big thank you as well. Um so, that's my report. I'm just excited about all all the positive changes and the

028community rallying around. There was a couple hundred people there just as Superintendent Booker said and it was an amazing time. So, I know tomorrow will be just as amazing. Thank you, >> Trusty Jacobson. >> I will be brief as well. I just want to highlight the visit that I had today at Aragon High School with Superintendent Booker and Dr. Jones. Um, and trustee Andrade Zuniga joined us a little later. Um, it was wonderful to visit the classrooms. Uh, we got to see, I don't know how you say it, like a prototype of one of our new, newly designed classrooms and what that's going to be like and the new technology that will be there, which was wonderful. Um, I saw I was very impressed that each classroom had uh kind of like a chart on

029the wall where people tucked in their phones. Um, like a pocket where they tucked in their phones and I did not see any students using their phones in class. Um, I saw in English class kids writing with pencils and paper. Um, it was wonderful to see. It really was. Then then we went to AP Lang and they were like this. They were doing it timed right. So, but in all classes they all looked different but all of the students were engaged and um we saw some really great um teaching strategies, many different teaching practices going on. Um and then we we observed brunch. So I got to see what the kids are eating for brunch. Lots of fresh fruit, whole grain muffins, bagels. I think there were some tater tots. So, Napoleon Dynamite would have

030been happy. Save some of those for later. Um, anyway, it was great. Everybody, what else I saw at brunch is the students were really happy and engaging interpersonally with one another. Um, so lots of good conversation and good-natured socializing on campus. And I want to echo what Superintendent Booker said. The grounds and the the campuses are looking really really nice. Um, we also got to visit with a teacher in the faculty lounge and it was um really eye opening. We had a good conversation about um the use of AI and some challenges that he's experienced with that. Um that's something that I think we need to have ongoing conversations about and and thinking about and talking about as a community. Um he also it was really great to hear the way that he expressed appreciation

031and enjoyment for his job as an educator. how much he enjoys working here and the way that he complimented and expressed admiration for his colleagues and what great educators they are. One of our student board reps from last year bumped into her and she was just so excited about the new year. She said she just loves all of her teachers and it was just a really positive day. It's great to be on campus and to see and hear and experience um what it's like, what the climate is. And then um the last thing I want to say, which is I say it with a heavy heart, um that it's always really sad when we have um a school shooting in our in our society, which happened yesterday. And you know, for people who are involved

032with schools, it always brings up a lot of anxiety and feelings that we have. And I just want to say that I want to commend Superintendent Booker for uh doing some training on response to active shooters on campus. um and also for the many resources that we offer for mental health for our students and our staff. And as Superintendent Booker has said before, we can't control all of the things in the world, but here at San Monteo Union High School District, we are doing everything we can to keep our our schools and our um campuses safe. And I just want to reassure the community of that. Thank you, >> Trusty Lan. >> Thank you. Um, uh, Trusty Jacobson, I'm glad you said that about what the shooting and and I I acknowledge as well the

033safety then and importance in our district. And thank you, Superintendent Booker, and the administrators in the room that help make our schools safe, and I really appreciate it. So, thank you. Um, on a more light note, I do want to say congratulations and welcome to the schoolboard members, Zoe. Great to see you again. It's only been a little bit since BIS for you, I think, but it's so I am just beaming with pride to see you here and be a part of this. So, that's impressive. So, thank you both of you. Welcome. Um, principles, it's great to see you. Uh, I know we only get to see you once in a while and and that's a good thing. We don't have to have you at all these meetings. Um, uh, but it really is great

034to see you and welcome back and I know you guys are doing a great job on the in the field. So, thank you so much. Um, I do want to say that, you know, I could just do ditto ditto ditto, but I have to say I finally got to something. I went to the ribbon cutting, too. So, I was actually present. So, um, I don't get away very much. And, you know, due to my job, and it's hard to get away, but luckily I got to see it. And, and as every one of you said, we got to see, you know, so many people in the community, the parents. Um, it's funny because the PTO president was the PTA president that I had at my school. So, it was like great to see Ingred again

035and speaking and and in part of it. So, we have a very small tight community in Berlingame and it's great to see all of us kind of there and and really proud of the work that we did. That gym went up so fast. Yansy, I am just got to give you guys kudos, man. That was a great job going through it. It's incredible. We have, you know, the one thing I have to say about our district is we have state-of-the-art facilities. And that is I have to say that I am so proud of that across our district, you know, and we just keep going and making it better and better. And I I think we are an envy of of many many districts around the area. So, I'm very proud of that and be on

036the board and be able to support that. I do want to acknowledge that there were several other board members present, the the former the, you know, two trustees, Peter Hanley and Lind Lewire. It was great to see them in action and back and getting to see the fruits of their labor before they retired from the board. Um, it was great to see uh Dr. Skellyy, Kevin Skellyy, who is the former superintendent here, who was a major part of this too, the push. So, I want to acknowledge him as well. Um, it was just great to see the the whole environment and all that. And and a lot of former BIS students were there just saying, "Hey, Mr. Land, it's good to see you." So, that was kind of nice. So, a really special day. Um,

037I think that's it. Thank you. Okay, Trusty Andrade Zuniga. >> Yes, thank you. I want to start with land acknowledgement that was written by some of the Cappuccino students a few years ago now. Our community acknowledges that all of our campuses lie on the ancestral homeland of the Romeous Aloney. The Raush are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula whose land was stolen from them and whose native language was lost because of Spanish colonization. As settlers on the stolen land of the peninsula, we should be alongside the Rome Tush remembering and honoring their ancestors and relatives. We thank the first people, the Rome Shaloney, for taking care of the land we use now for education and activities. Our responsibility of caring for the earth is unique and personal to each of us but should

038be rooted in allyship with her shalom so we can work together to protect and preserve the land for future generations. Um welcome to our new student board reps. Um, I'm so excited because I was able to sit in on some of the interviews and I think when I think it was when I your I think it was your interview I came I came in online and um yeah, I am blown away by the just the amazing accomplishments that you all have had and um just what you're going to contribute to the to this board. So, I I'm really really excited to see this year's students and um what you all are going to do. So, thank you. Um I was able to uh go to Aragon and Hillsdale today as well. Um one of the

039So, I shout out to all the educators that I saw today. Um um one of them was my kids teacher in middle school at Abbott. And so that was a very long time ago. And so that was neat and it was nice to see Principal Jones. Um I also got to go to Hillsdale and of course Hillsdale everybody so great. Um it was shout out to to all the educators there. Thank you Principal Gilbert for umo like hosting us and uh being our tour guide uh around the campus. Um my assistant came with me, Karen, and she was just like, "Oh my gosh, the campuses are so beautiful." Um and I guess that's kind of a theme, right? Um it's we are we are so blessed to have such a wonderful district. Um and this

040come goes into the ribbon cutting also. So, um, I was on when I was on the PTSO at Hillsdale as a parent, we is when Measure L was going around, people were campaigning for it and we voted on it. Um, and it's nice to see everything into fruition. like it's great to see the fruits of those of that labor and everyone that had come to all the trustees that were on the board at that time and congratulations you know and that was I don't know the campuses are beautiful um so thank you um yes just like trustee Lan and trustee Chavez I attended the Sanonteo County Schoolboard Association planning meeting um we're working on getting different um committees together to be able to push some work forward that is um that are specific things that

041are affecting our students all over all over the district um and all over the county actually because we're not the only district. And so um I'm I'm grateful that we have these more intentional and organized workg groups um because there will be some really great work go out of our our association this time. So any other trustees that are out there watching or anybody here, please please please join us because it's we're doing some really great work. Um I attended the equity advisory committee meeting. We were working on um giving our input on the questions for the panorama uh survey. Um we were particularly focusing on a certain like chunk of questions that we all got as a group. And so that group is great because there are people from other parts of the community

042that speak on issues that we're talking about. And so it's really important to get students and parents and um community partners and teachers um all involved. So that's a really great group. So please join us um if you can. We need more student voices there. So thank you. Um yeah, and so our sports are back, our theater's back, our all of our extracurriculars are back. So please go and support our students. Um it's great. Uh lastly, oh I also attended I went to visit Bridge a couple or last week and what was neat was I got to sit into one of the math program classes and science. Um they're doing amazing things to get the kids prepared for other types of opportunities outside of school. Um Principal Showman is amazing. Thank you for uh guiding

043me around too and showing me what y'all are doing. The students are so lovely. Um, but I I do want to say that um our students are being affected by a lot of the immigration raids and immigration issues that there are right now um in the community. We are I if I'm nervous then I'm on edge. I can't imagine being a teenager in this district and experiencing um all of the different things that are happening in the world as well. So, I just want to rem remind people, families, that there are red cards available with your rights to um inform yourselves and make sure that you understand um what your what your rights are and what up uh what type of support you have in the community. Um so, that's it and thank you very

044much and great to see you principles and thank you Okay, I have a comment and actually one of our I don't know if it's a goal. It's a stated understanding that we uh one of our keys here is to provide a safe environment both for the students and for uh our employees. And you can't learn if you're not safe, you know, and and one of the things we're going to talk about later shortly hopefully is the successful safe openings of our schools and we're going to celebrate that. Um the district under uh the superintendent's leadership and the administration works very hard to uh have emergency response plans and and they actually go through them and they're not just a document on a shelf. Um and the reason I'm saying this because I was I was

045deeply saddened and outraged by the uh the the tragic mass killings in Minneapolis. You know, my heart and prayers go out to the victims, the families, and the entire community. That senseless act of violence is a sobering reminder of the uh urgent need for change. You know, I we've been sitting here for years and how many school shootings, how many public shootings, you know, in all kind of places have we heard about and we just keep it just keeps happening. >> Yeah. and nothing is changing. Um, personally, I and this is I denounce all forms of violence and reffirm reaffirm my commitment to fostering safer, healthier communities. Uh, preventing future tragedies requires a comprehensive approach, expanding hack access to mental health services, which I think we do a good job. will continue to strive improve

046early screening um for those services and support those in crisis and we need to enact stronger common sense controls over firearms. Uh you know no community should have to live in fear. I mean, it's just uh this is our collective problem >> and it's time for us to come together, address the root causes um and work towards a a safe environment for everybody, our students, our employees, our citizens. It's just I mean I hate to have to say that, but anyway, that's that's my comment. Okay, public comments. If you would like to join us in person and wish to make a comment about an agenda item or during the public comment section at the beginning of the agenda, please fill out a request to address the board form and submit it to the secretary. This

047form should be given to the secretary before the agenda item begins. If you are joining us virtually, use the raised hand feature on Zoom to be recognized. When invited to do so, your camera must be on before you are called to make a public comment. We will call on you to begin your comment once we have promoted you into the meeting. If your camera is not operational, please email your comments to the board of trustees at boards smuhsd.org. Please note that comments are limited to three minutes. They will be limited to two minutes this evening. Uh based on the number of people wishing to speak, the board president may increase or decrease the time allowed for public comment depending on the topic and the number of persons wishing to be heard. I will call on

048in-person comments first. Marvin Gin Jen, >> welcome. Good evening. >> Thank you. Thank you. That's Jen. Um to the board members of the Sonteo Union High School District, as a parent of a student who receives special education services, I'm writing to respectfully ask that this district provide clear and more detailed information about the special education program offer at each high school. Right now, as family plan for their children's future, whether transitioning from middle school or considering school transfers, it's often difficult to find comprehensive information about the types and levels of special education support available at each campus. This includes questions like which school offers full inclusion? Are there programs for students with more intensive needs? Is there is there a dedicated staff for emotional or behavior support? What resources support look like at each site?

049These are critical pieces of information that help families make informed decisions that align with the their child's needs. It would be incredibly helpful if the district could create a publicly available and easy to understand guide or web page outlining the special education offering at each high school. Not just a general description like you have right now, but a clear breakdown of the types of programs, level of support, and any unique services or areas of focus available at each campus. As a parent, I believe that transparency and access to this kind of information is vital steps in promoting equality that we talk about here today. Mr. Your time is up. >> I got 4 seconds. >> Do I have >> That's negative. All right. >> Thank you, >> Amanda Kavatana. Forgive me if I mispronounce your

050name. Good evening. >> Good evening. My name is Amanda Kovatana and I am a longtime resident of San Mattel County. I came here from Bangkok, Thailand, where I was a gender non-conforming child, a tomboy. Thailand has a third gender tradition, men and women who live as the opposite sex. The West knows us as lady boys, and for the women, Tomms, short for tomboy. We believe that people with such cross- sex presentations carry karma from a previous life as the opposite sex. It is part of our reincarnation theology. We do not believe that we are the opposite sex in this life. Here in the US, you speak of people having been born in the wrong body. Gender dysphoria is thus pathologized as a birth defect to be medicalized for life rather than being a karmic lesson

051to be resolved. Thailand has been known as the sex change capital of the world. But Thai law forbids miners to access these treatments. This was by recommendation of the LGBT community from observing that young people change their minds and are then stuck with these irreversible changes for life. Young men must also get permission from their parents to undergo this treatment until they are 21. Today in the US, gay and lesbian children who are gender non-conforming as many of us are were told they are likely trans. The identity of trans give these children considerable power over their peers and their parents to use special language and pronouns. A power that never quite satisfies. >> Excuse me, your time is up. Thank you for considering my comments in your reviewing of your policies concerning LGBT students. >>

052Thank you very much, >> Arian Adamenko Kova. Excuse me. >> Yeah. Could I request three minutes? I practiced a three minute speech. >> I'm sorry because if I I've already given people two minutes and we have a 20 minute limit on u public comment. >> Okay. Good evening, members of the board, colleagues, and friends. This speech comes from my heart. I'm a 24-year Spanish teacher in this district and a longtime LGB rights activist and a mother of a formerly transidentified son. As such, I deeply appreciate the core humanistic values that guide this district's policies and approach towards our students and families. In our schools, we strive to create learning environments and communities in which students of different sexualities and gender presentations feel comfortable and accepted by both their peers and by the adults on campus.

053But I am here tonight to voice my very serious concerns with the proposed updates to the board policy on parent and guardian consent and authorization on social transition plans and changing students gender on the official record. The proposed update removes all references to parents and guardians when making such changes. We must recognize the importance of family involvement in all decision-making that affects the students health and well-being at school. There are multitude of reasons that young people may become fascinated with a trans or non-binary identity as my son did. Trans ideiation is almost always tightly correlated with mental health, bullying, internalized and externalized homophobia, or an unhealthy addiction to online identity groups that share negative messages about self-image and encourage experimental cosmetic changes to the body through drugs and surgeries. Sadly, we saw in our own

054home that my son along with many adolescents, they reject their sex under a socially mediated belief that they were born wrong. We need to look to other cultures such as the Thai culture and indigenous communities where people are seen as being born in the correct bodies but may have karma or other things that they need to do to do in order to suff to accept themselves and to love themselves. Our district needs to >> time is up. >> Got it. Let me finish. Um, >> no, I'm sorry, ma'am. I You're >> Thank you for your consideration of this important issue. >> I would suggest that uh you could email that. >> Okay. >> Everybody email it. >> Beverly Talbot. It's Beverly for sure. Oh, okay. Good evening. >> Hi, I'm Bev Talbett. I've got problems

055with administrative regulation 5145.3. But first, context. In the deep blue Bay Area, I see concerns about boys playing in girls sports dismissed as MAGA talking points. Well, I'm a registered Democrat who's volunteered on many Democratic campaigns. I'm a pro-choice, pro- labor, anti-gun, lesbian, atheist. My concerns arise not from right-wing wrong think, but from a desire to protect student safety, free speech, and Sono County schools from costly, completely avoidable legal exposure. As you know, a federal court vacated the Biden administration's Title 9 rules that expanded sex-based protections to include gender identity. The judge wrote that the original intent of Title 9 was to prohibit discrimination based on being male or female and that incorporating gender identity quote turns Title 9 on its head unquote. Perhaps in response, the regulation now defines sex correctly as the biological

056condition of being a female or male human being. Yet by retaining gender related definitions, the regulation, like the vacated Biden rules, turns Title 9 on its head. Gender identity is defined as a student's internal sense of their gender, regardless of whether it corresponds to their actual sex. That means a boy with an internal sense that he's a girl can still play on girls sports teams. That's exactly what led the DOJ to to sue the state department of education and CIF. Thus, this regulation exposes the district to litigation from both female athletes and the DOJ. Also, this regulation newly categorizes a student's sex as private information. References to a student's sex that arise in everyday conversations about, say, boys teams or sex-based eligibility rules could be privacy violations. Moreover, the regulation requires district personnel to address

057a student by requested name and pronouns. Meanwhile, two federal appeals courts have comp have ruled that compelled use of phone and other restrictions on acknowledging time is up biological sex violate the first amendment. >> Thank you. Also the Ninth Circuit, Cynthia Cravens. >> Good evening, trustees. My name is Cynthia Craravens. I'm a lifelong liberal, a longtime Democrat, a former candidate for California State Senate. I'm here tonight representing Women Are Real, a nonpartisan partisan coalition of more than 160 women from the Bay Area and beyond. Our members include mothers, teachers, doctors, attorneys, dransitioners, and athletes. I'm here tonight because members of Women Are Real are concerned about the proposed revisions to administrative regulation 5145.3, specifically the section on support for interex, non-binary, transgender, and gender non-conforming students. While the California School Board's Association is often viewed

058as a trusted source in the areas of biological sex, Title 9, and parental rights, the recommendations have created serious legal, oper operational, and ethical risks for districts. The district's current policy already contains contradictions and vulnerabilities. The proposed revisions do not solve these problems. They make them worse and increase the risk of litigation. The US Department of Justice has already taken Title 9 enforcement actions against the California Department of Education. There is no reason to think that this district would be immune to this same scrutiny. The contradictions in this policy are glaring. On the one hand, it defines sex as biological. But then on the other hand, it grants access to sex segregated programs and facilities based on gender identity, which is a subjective feeling that even the ACLU admitted before the Supreme Court is fluid

059and changeable. This is unworkable, invites costly litigation, and undermines fairness and safety for female students. The members of Women are Real respectfully urge this board to not adopt these revisions. instead modify your policies to align with federal law under Title 9, keep parental involvement and pro and protect all students. Thank you so much for your consideration. >> Thank you, Jenny Ari. Good evening. My name is Jenny Ari. I have a 22-year-old daughter who experienced prolonged mental health disruptions, including hospitalizations, after learning from an app on her phone at age 13 that she was likely transgender and having that belief endorsed by adults at her middle school who were well-meaning but naive to the consequences of their actions. I'm here tonight as a volunteer board member of Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender, DIAG, a

060501c3 organization, which believes there's no wrong way to be a boy or a girl, which supports the rights of women and girls to single-ex spaces and sports and is committed to open dialogue and free speech. I can't tell my own daughter's story in the time allotted, but I'm pleased to read the statement of a friend who currently has a child in the district, but was unable to be here tonight. Here's that statement. My name is Michelle Kuscella. I have a son who is currently a student in the district and a daughter who graduated in 2019. Overall, we have had very positive experiences with this high school and felt we were working as partners in the education of our children. My son has been fortunate to have some of the same great teachers that my daughter

061learned from years ago. On the rare occasion that there were any concerns about our kids, there was free and open back and forth communication between my husband and I as parents and the teachers and administrators at the school. That is why it is quite disappointing that as part of the proposed policy changes, the district seeks to keep parents out of important decisions regarding their students. The new policy removes all references to parents in the case of a student who wishes to change his or her name or gender identity at school. Why would schools want to leave parents out of the equation if a student is struggling with gender confusion? These changes will open up SMU HSD to potential lawsuits. You may have heard of the tragic case of Yale Martinez in Southern California who died

062by suicide. >> Your your time is up. So, >> thank you, Eden Jacobson. Hello, my name is Eden Jacobson and I'm a student at Hillsdale High School. I came here today to speak for my own lived experience and not to represent anyone or anyone in any way. I play girls lacrosse and tennis and last year I had the opportunity to play in a varsity game for lacrosse. This game was the last game of the season and would determine our placement for the CCS championship. During the season, we lost only one game and it was to the and it was against the team we were now facing. The best player on the opposing team was a strong, fast, and aggressive boy. the best player on the he dominated the game, winning almost every draw he took,

063which is essential as winning possession is essentially winning the game. He also scored the goal that determined the outcome of the game. One boy on their team made all the difference between Hillsdale finishing second in the league rather than first. The other team took the win and finished their season at first place. Playing against a boy made me aware of the risks and unfair advantage of allowing boys to compete in girls in girls athletics. This summer I was chosen as a delegate to represent Hillsdale at Girls State, an immersive week of government simulation. Each delegate was required to write a bill to be considered by the state assembly and senate. Because of my experience playing against males, I addressed this issue in my bill. The solution I proposed was to create a mixedgender team for

064any student who does not choose to identify with their biological sex. The goal was not to exclude transgender or non-binary athletes from participating in sports according to their chosen identity, but rather to allow them to continue playing without disrupting or jeopardizing female athletics. I posed the option for these students to either choose to play with the mixedgender team or the team associated with their biological sex. Out of 400 bills written, my bill ended up being one of only 25 bills that passed both chambers. Thank you. >> Thank you. You know, I apologize, but I if I open it up, this is our meeting. We have a long agenda and if I open it up uh you know we heard you we understand the issues. You're welcome back for the next board meeting but uh you

065know we often see the public comment at the board meeting going on keeping us here and uh we we need to get to other business. So I thank you. I welcome you back. Um, and if you have comments, and we really need these so we don't have to replplow this this uh this land anymore. Uh, if you have additional comments, please send them to us. So, thank you. Uh, are there any hands? >> There are two hands raised. >> Bring them in. Corey, you may begin. >> Hi. Um, good evening. My name is Corey Conn. I had uh sex reassignment surgery when I was a teenager and some of my doctors were in the San Francisco Bay area. Um, I wanted to give you a little bit of my personal history because I was a

066a trans teenager. uh children need support from their families and from adults in such a way that they have a way to uh feel grounded and connected with the reality of their situation. These children deserve support from adults who uh not only care about getting them through their teenage years, but who care about what their long-term health and welfare will will look like. Um, I would like to encourage the board members to look inside of themselves and think about whether affirming something in a child which uh the child may sincerely feel to be true uh but isn't in line with reality is actually in the child's best interests and whether you should be able to trust the parents to help provide the guidance for those children to reconnect with the uh reality of their situation.

067Um it's a very difficult thing for me to have have to have learned that it's just not possible to change sex. Uh you can emulate the other sex. Uh you can become a sex mimic, but you have to face the reality of your situation. Um, I hope that you'll understand that as a a genuine sort of kindness and try to pass that along to the students and families in your district. Thank you and good evening. >> Thank you. >> Good evening. Can you hear me? >> Yes. My name is Jamie Reid. I'm a clinical researcher, a lifelong Democrat, a mom of five boys, a lesbian, and the public whistleblower from a pediatric gender center. I am here tonight because I know what happens when policies ignore reality and because I currently serve as the co-executive

068director of a national organization called the LGBT Courage Coalition. We are an organization of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, parents, and allies who oppose the medicalization of youth. We defend sex-based protections and advocate for evidence-based care. We see firsthand how policies like these affect families across the country. The board is being asked to approve revisions that look small on paper, but please know they carry major consequences. Let me highlight three here. First, the contradiction. The new policy defines sex biologically under state code, but then allows for sports, locker rooms, and restrooms to be based on gender identity. That creates confusion for students, staff, and parents, and will put your district on very shaky legal ground. Secondarily, this is the promotion of secrecy. The old policy did not treat sex as private, but this new one does.

069But sex can never be confidential like a grade or a medical record because it's an observable fact. Third, parents. The old policy required parental authorization to change a student's record. It directed compliance officers to meet with families and to support students. This new policy deletes all of that. Now is not the time for you to go into further extremes. Now is the time for reflection and to look honestly at what these policies have already done and recognize that there is a huge tide shifting. The adult responsibility right now is not to double down but to pause, reflect and protect sea sexbased protections for women, girls, and yes, for gays and lesbians like me. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any more comments? >> There are none. Okay, we're going to move on to uh end communications

070to the board of trustees. >> Yes, we have one this evening. Uh we uh Mr. Hawkins and the business services office. Uh we sent a memo to uh Mr. Montgomery who's the executive director of Design Tech High School just affirming after our renew uh review and analysis uh their uh adopted budget um uh for this year. and uh we concur with their report uh with several notations but nothing uh outstanding or um alarming of any kind. Uh so this is something we do cyclally or annually. Uh and so I'm just sharing that communication. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh recognitions. Are there any recognitions? >> Not this evening. >> Okay. The consent agenda item O. Does anybody wish to pull an item or is there a motion? I'll move to approve the consent agenda. >> I'll

071second that. >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. Are there any comments? >> There are none. >> Okay, there no blue cards of this board have any questions, comments? Okay. How do we vote? >> I >> Student board members I Okay, >> the consent agenda passes. Special reports and appearances. Boy, the highlight of the evening. About time. Special reports, start of school reports. >> I I'm I'm pleased uh to have so many of our uh site principles here in front of us tonight to talk a little bit about uh the start of school for each of their campuses. And um one, thank you for giving up your evening. I really appreciate it. And uh I've just been so impressed with how we've opened the school year. Uh how encouraging um dynamic, enthusiastic it's

072been at school sites. So um I'm going to start I'm going to kind of go a little bit out of order here, but I'm going to start with uh Dr. Sammy Showman and Bridge Academy. and as they called it, the vibe was extremely energized and amazing. Um, I got so much feedback from our staff about how excited people were by our team, uh, and the opportunities we had to serve our students. At the end of last year, we had two new hires, um, which is really exciting, a PE teacher and a science teacher. And they we actually worked the last, well, at the end of the school year, the first few days of summer, uh, teachers paired up to start planning different activities for the beginning of the school year. So the first day uh

073so those first few days we spent welcoming our students back, building communities, setting our intentions for the year ahead. Teachers collaborated kind of setting uh the tone and our focus this year for a lot of cross collaboration, cross-curricular projects. Uh students engaged in a lot of community building activities. They became reacquainted with our graduate profile of becoming navigators, communicators, and collaborators. We welcomed new team members of staff and students to our community. Uh some that are new to San Mato and some that we inherited um luckily from other schools. Uh the staff musical chairs was a big hit. I'm glad I was able to pull it through and instill some confidence in the kids when I won, you know. Uh we wanted really this year to make sure our students felt safe. They felt included,

074welcomed, and loved as they got back. They have a lot to be uncertain about right now, and we want to make sure that they knew we're going to do everything we can to give them the education and experience they deserve. So, you can see from some of the photos we share, um you know, on the left, the posters, they're really thinking about what does it mean to be a communicator? Um, in the top they were doing like a scavenger hunt of who's who on staff. Uh, the teachers had questions of like who's worked here the longest and who um who is the first year and where do you go if you need a bus pass. Uh, the bottom is a picture of our new wellness center. So, I want to thank the board. I really

075want to thank Yansy and his team for making this happen. Kids have been in there every day, all the time, brunch, lunch, before school. Um, Trusty Zuniga got to see that and interact with kids in that space. And then you can see, you know, on the top they were doing some little relays and at the bottom um right starting to work on their goals for the year. Next to the wellness center, we have a new art space. We have a new science program that you will hear about um later on this evening. And then our empower Sanonteo programs have started and are underway. So um our compass is still love, hope and justice anchored in in Lakesh driven by our graduate profile. This year I have an incredibly amazing team and staff to work with

076this year. I feel fortunate uh to work with them um to create an exciting year really for our kids and I want to thank you for entrusting me and getting uh to do a job that I love every day. So, we're excited about the year ahead. Thank you. >> Thank you. And before we go on, I would be remiss if I didn't share that uh how appreciative I am of this team. Like I I I tell them a lot, but I'm going to tell them again. I mean, this is a rockstar team. We are so lucky to have this set of principles in our district. Um they are so committed. They do love what they do. They show it every single day. They take their roles so seriously. Um, but they also have a lot

077of fun on campus and uh it's a joy to come onto every one of their campuses. I feel welcomed. Um, uh, it's encouraging. It's uplifting and and that's always starts and ends with culture and each one of them have built an amazing culture. So, I just want to look at all of them in the eyes right now and say thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You do amazing work. Really, really amazing work. and I used to be a principal and I know how impossible the job is. Uh impossible. It's so hard and yet you make it look so easy. So with that, uh I'm going to transition to Dr. Mike Jones from Aragon. >> Thank you for allowing me to stand here as proud principal of Aragon High School for a second year in a

078row. Uh this year has gotten off to a great start. So, as I did last year, I solicited input from our stakeholders for top 20 uh bright spots that I'll share with you. Our PTSO continues to support us with brain break kits such as um things like cornhole, spike ball, audio systems that are all furnished for use in the center courtyard to increase student social wellness and decrease use of cell phones. Number two, ninth grade orientation was a success, once again facilitated by our link crew of 12th graders, Miss Busy and Miss Caldwell this summer. 9th graders also enjoyed a whole campus to themselves the first hour of school the first day to get acclimated. Good progress was made over the summer on the student parking lot construction. The shade really helps keep things cooler

079and it adds so much comfort for students and staff. Classroom transformation model room 100 looks great and the EV charge stations are in and I can't wait to plug in my vehicle every day when I drive to work. Number four, nine new certificated and two classified staff have been added to Aragon and uh we launched our meeting with them monthly meeting last week. New families orientation night with the principal was held last Wednesday and over 300 families were in attendance and there were both Spanish and English versions offered. The principal's welcome coffee for new families was held on the first day of school. We had a surprise guest um Randall Booker and also admin assistant Char Aino. Our club fair took place this week during lunch with over 160 offerings to keep our students actively

080engaged. Aragon continues to grow. Our enrollment is at 1651 and we're happy to have that have that number of students with us. Um our senior sunrise was well attended uh last Friday 7 a.m. I was there at 6 a.m. on a Friday. It was lots of fun. The center court was packed. If you want to see all the great things that happened, go to my uh the principal's Instagram page to see some cool video reels there. There are two sections for Spanish native speakers three this year, whereas last year there was only one. Assistant principal for 9th grade and our dean presented attendance and discipline policies in all 9th grade English classes the first week of school. and the Aragon music department's tri music honor society was awarded California State Chapter of the Year. Get

081ready for Foot Loose, the musical coming November 20th through 23rd. It's time to cut loose. Yes, the principles no more trash and your trash equals your responsibility campaign during lunch is making a difference already. Student schedules were available in Aries before jumpstart for the first time since COVID. So that was great to see. So far, 622 athletes have been cleared for athletic participation. 298 parents and guardians attended our seasonal athletic sportsmanship athletic sportsmanship night on Tuesday night. Over 100 sophomores are applying to take advantage of our study hall. CTE has added two additional teachers who are getting their official CTE credentials, further strengthening our offerings. After a successful pilot la pilot last year, our trades MC3 program is thriving and we expanded to two sections this year. Wellness staff have brought ninth graders and support

082classes into the wellness center to learn about pro programs, 42 in total. And finally, Aragon has been named San Mateo's most spirited high school for the second year in a row, and we were honored by the Chamber of Commerce um back in May. Thank you so much for your continued support. >> Thank you. >> That's great. That's great. Thank you. Uh next up, we're going to ask uh Jose Gomez to represent Cappuccino Q. >> All right. Good evening. Uh good evening, President uh Griffin, uh members of the board and student board members, welcome and and to the cabinet. It's it's great to see you again. You know, usually we don't come here often, but uh you know, it's the start of the year when we have to come and present and showcase some of the

083highlights of of the school year, but you know, as years pass, I like to highlight again the bridge program that we get support from this this this district obviously, but the bridge program is an important program within our community. This year we've able we were able to grow it to around 40 students to help our nth graders transition into high school. We really focus on SEAL curriculum throughout that whole uh few weeks. Um and we really want to focus on building relationships, building trust with our students and building community with uh with that being said, they they're able to transition into the first few days of school, knowing where to go, having trusted adults on campus. So again, I just like to uh thank our staff for running that. We always uh work hard to

084build and and grow that program. Um again, our our amazing leadership teacher, Drew Bwater, along with the leadership students do an amazing job with orientation and uh and our and our annual welcome and also focusing on including our ML uh multilingual learners and making sure that we have uh student chaperones or student guides that speak the language to make them feel inclusive and invited. um because it's they're navigating potentially a new school, new language, don't know what to do. So, we really are mindful of that. And um I want to thank Sal Castile for our multilingual specialists for supporting and organizing that. Um another highlight uh I want to shout out is our student equity council has grown and it's 41 students. So, it's double from last year. So, I look forward to supporting some

085of the work, some of the new traditions that they've created uh around Cappuccino High School and some of the new things uh that they want to do as a group. So, I look forward to uh highlighting that in our uh annual uh campus highlights. Um the other thing I just want to recognize our facilities and our classified staff, specifically our operations crew and then our main office. The attention and care they give our families is just above and beyond. opening of school for school phone administrators is is tasking. But the number of people coming on the campus, I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to do that. I need help. They do it with attention and care that we all should be proud of. And uh I just want to tip

086my hat to them. And then last year we had some honest conversations toward the spring semester about who we are as a school and what we want to be and what we want to become. And some of the goals in the work for this year is to continue working on program coherence. Um we want to make sure that with strong alignment that will lead to equitable support and sustainable impact for all of our students. Um and one of the focuses for PD this year is is uh rooted in our ATL approaches to teaching and learning. uh specifically around self-management and an emphasis on organiz organizing student thought and the five phases of capturing notes, processing your notes, connecting your thinking, uh summarizing and reflecting and then applying your learning. Um this was also supported with

087um a retreat we had with our department chairs prior to the opening of school to kind of hit the ground running to frontload and uh around this this initiative and to have them really support us with uh with their prof with their department goals that we'll be having discussions with later on this year to also align with uh PLC goals as well that are tied to our school goals. But overall it's been a great start of the year. Um but I also want to acknowledge the the the challenges that that we face as a result of the societal uh issues we are dealing with and the impact that has as uh on us as educators and as well as it and our students and our community. So um with sorry with that I just want

088to make sure that I committed to my staff that we'll give space and time to also support each other to make sure that our students feel safe uh included and then um we'll support our students to continue to build confidence in our organizations institutions that we're here to support them and guide them through whatever they have to navigate. So thank you again. Appreciate it. >> Great job. >> Thank you. >> All right. Next, uh Jeff Gilbert Hillsdale. Thank you. >> Thank you, President Griffin, members of the board, student board members, members of the cabinet. Uh it's uh it's wonderful to be here at the start of the school year. Uh we started the year at Hillsdale reflecting on a quote from Buckminister Fuller who said, "Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living

089geniuses them." Um it is our belief that every student in fact does have genius and that our work in the classroom and in our structures and schools is to find that genius and help grow it. Um and just in the first couple of weeks I've had the chance to go into classrooms enjoyed going into classrooms and to see the the quality and depth of work that's happening already is really u inspiring and and hopeful. Uh you see that on the on the fields as well. You see it in the in the drama spaces. You see genius growing throughout the school. But we all know that that doesn't just start on August 13th. And so the work that went into that uh smooth opening uh really was with our facilities crew and our counseling staff and

090our classified staff. Uh it was our leadership team and our leadership students. And uh and so in that we were able to see um a senior sunrise amaze day that welcomed all students to the campus. To see our staff on campus all summer meeting, planning uh revising, thinking about our students has been really rewarding. Uh we are really really excited about this year. There are hundred things I could talk about, but I really have thought about uh three. One that happened just today to watch uh our club day. So, we have a club fair day and and uh it probably happens all around this the district, but to see five or 6 hundred students in the uh in the courtyard signing up for dozens and dozens and dozens of clubs and just to see the

091the diversity and the students there together in that space and the the sort of awesome responsibility we have to create democratic spaces uh where all students see are seen and viewed and find a place for them on our campus. Uh it was really really inspiring to see that today. Uh and secondly, we're excited about the work uh around Empower San Monteo, our connections with other schools and our connections down to the middle schools which uh just haven't happened at the level we need them to happen. Uh so we're really excited about that work and uh we're really excited this year also for the first time in probably a decade all Hillsdale High School students will be developing a a personal digital portfolio of their academic work which is linked to their graduate profile that we

092have as a school. Uh building toward their senior presentations and this year a senior symposium again in April which we will certainly invite you to take part in. Um so that work is um is a a belief again in the genius of all of our students and giving them an opportunity to demonstrate that. So thank you for your support and uh it's great to be here uh for a school year for the graduating class of 2026. >> You all right next up representing Middle College and Peninsula High School, Janora Lewis. lady. Good evening, Superintendent Booker, esteemed cabinet, esteemed board trustees to my babies >> and President Griffin. First of all, I want you to know that I am coming fresh from the back to school night at Middle College this evening. So I am bringing

093momentum and energy with regards to what was happening earlier at Middle College. Um as you also know our school year for Middle College actually kicked off on the 6th of August. Um and it really was an incredible start. I had an opportunity to open that uh orientation week up. Um the middle college team really pulled together a dynamite week of orientation and community building activities um to welcome our really awesome MC students. um everything from the the ice breakers to the campus tours really focused on building strong connections right from day one. Um I am happy and proud to report that Greg Lance actually in the summertime took these students from the MC effect club to Guatemala >> and in that effort students were supporting the microloans to womenowned businesses and I really think that

094that is an amazing and inspiring way to connect learning with global impact. We also sort of borrowed a a page from our superintendent's playbook and launched a schoolwide bowling trip. I did not get to go to that one, but I did get to go to the one that the district had. And I think it was a really cool way to center community around that that particular tradition. Um, our club rush is also like generating a lot of buzz. That was like a really important thing that was expressed to me. The environmental club is already planning a really big trip to Yoseite. I'm going see if I can pull that off cuz I love it there. Um and really Middle College is really really so proud to offer so many student centered opportunities for growth and

095engagement. Um the other thing that I am excited about I had an opportunity this evening to meet uh Dr. Perez who of course is the president over at the College of San Monteo. He gave me so much love. He hugged me. >> I was just like wow he's like a brother from another mother. But um it was really awesome to see us continue to work hard on strengthening our connections and the coordination with our partnership with regards to the College of San Mateo. I'm also really excited to report that we had 180 completed applications that were submitted on time which was huge uh from what I understand and of course I think that's a strong sign of the of the demand in the entrance in middle college. Um, I'm also really tickled to to say

096we're in pre-production meetings with regards to a school promotional video and um, we're working on highlighting what kind of spirit that Middle College really engenders. It's going to capture, of course, students and programs and really the unique experience that's happening over at Middle College. Um, I also just want to give love to the amazing group of people that uh, make up Middle College. I I'm really one of the newest kids on the block, but the robust partnership that they have created really makes this possible. Um, I truly dig everything that we do and how much it stays rooted in in student centered inclus inclusivity and is community focused. Um, Middle College is definitely proud of who we are and even more excited about where it is that we are going. Having said that, as I

097switch my hats a little bit, Peninsula High School is also one of my most exciting things that I would want to report in terms of updates. First, I want to start with a huge shout out to PH uh S's facilities team and the backup with regards to Yansy because not only did they pull off campus beautifification projects, but they also made sure that every classroom was spotless and ready for our faculty and staff. It really really helped us accommodate for the growth this year as we are growing and I'm so grateful for that. um our professional development uh was kicked off with a really powerful focus and I have to give love to Michelle Fischer on that. What she presented was the seven cultural we wealth definitions from Tara Yoso's work whose culture has capital

098and I love that because it's such a an amazing and energizing way to ground the team in equity culture and recognizing the assets that my students bring as well as their families to PHS. I am also really thrilled to report that both our students and staff had perfect attendance during the first week of school which really shows their commitment and exciting excitement and positive energy to a really strong start of the year. At PHS we do something called fun Fridays which is a school fi schoolwide event. And this particular event was given we call it tacos and so all of us on campus have an opportunity to literally eat some of the best tacos I've eaten. I always get a little extra ones, too. I tell them I know to principal. Um Um I love

099that we bring it into such a joyful vibration as a community because food has a way of bringing people together and it really was a beautiful kickoff for the Puma family. The other thing I am tremendously proud of is that PHS went above and beyond. We hold we held excuse me 35 plus pumification meetings. These particular meetings are specifically designed for new students and their families as they transition into the Puma family. It is intentional. It is personal and it is student centered. I also am really really excited about the development of our business pathways. These will open doors for my students and really provide them with opportunities to experience real world learning. And I am so proud to share that one of my very own PHS teachers has uh been accepted into the Aspiring

100Latinos Fellowship, which is a huge honor and a testament to the caliber of staff. And finally, none of this would be possible without the amazing group of people that PHS has come together. Again, I am very new to this, so I'm so tickled by that. They continue to model for me their resilience, their innovation, and their care for our students every single day. I'm proud of the energy on our campus right now and I cannot wait to see what we'll accomplish this year. >> Thank you. >> All right, next up representing Mills, Pam Dazinski. >> Hey, good evening everybody and welcome back to school. Uh I just want to thank my colleagues for the inspiration. Um they're truly remarkable and as you can feel just a lot of positive energy uh from the leadership in

101our district and uh they're just uh uh really a blessing to work with. Um so to start off with I want to thank Superintendent Booker for highlighting the Mills Jazz Band at the welcome back for uh the entire district and thank you for those of you that were able to attend or to watch a recording of it. Um, you know, that was a very special opportunity for all of us on the Viking ship. Um, we just had a lot of pride that day in our students. And you know, when you're the principal of a school, it's not just one of your children up there, it's all of them. And so I always have the the great pride of uh knowing and seeing all of the students um up there play uh for the superintendent with

102the superintendent and uh really it was inspiring. So thank you. Thanks for creating those memories for them. Uh Mr. Booker, it was a great start to our new school year. And uh we continued that by welcoming the class of 2029, our freshmen uh to uh school the day before school on the Tuesday. And uh like some of the other schools, our leadership class put on a really engaging community events and community builders so that they would feel comfortable uh coming into high school. So just a reminder that this is uh generation uh alpha. It's a new generation and so we're just learning a little bit more about them, but they truly are remarkable. Um, they want to engage, they want to learn, they want to connect, they want to build friendships and learn new passions,

103and we're seeing that in our new Vikings, uh, right away. Uh, we're also seeing our students and how they've grown over the summer, uh, coming back to school. And um the first day of school, as is our tradition, we welcomed our students at the student entrance with pompoms and noise makers. Thank you, Dr. Kempky, for being there. Uh just 10 minutes as they walked through the doors. Uh you should have seen the look on their faces. some sometimes they forget that we do that, the ones who come back, but they're always just stunned um and have a smile as they're walking to their first class. Uh later, Char and Randall came by with cookies, so we really appreciated that. We had welcome events uh during lunch all last week led by our leadership team from

104temporary tattoos to bubbles to chalking in the center court. Uh yesterday we had a transition lunch for students for students who are new to the school uh to make sure that they are buddied up and that they are feeling comfortable on the Viking ship. Uh we also had uh Superintendent Booker uh come and visit with staff in our new staffy lounge uh which he also supported. So he had a great gathering in there around 30 to 35 staff members who came over during their lunch uh to have pizza with him, play a little bit of pingpong and engage in some really great conversations. So uh thank you for doing that and we hope you come back and continue to to make connections there. Um our theme this year is we are all a piece of

105the puzzle. Uh we really want to foster the leadership of every educator at Mills High School uh no matter what their role. And I truly can say that I work with some incredible leaders at Mills High School. Um and so uh to to that we are building a puzzle mural and my colleagues said that I couldn't bring swag tonight for you so I brought you an assignment instead. And um I'll be leaving this puzzle piece with Char. And I have the instructions on another sheet of paper around what you can put on your puzzle piece, including a picture of yourself, some biographical data, um and some of some adjectives that describe you, as well as your hopes and inspiration. And then I invite you to come to Mills and put your puzzle on our mural

106wall uh next time you come by with uh Mr. Booker and visit our classrooms and just a reminder that we all are one community. We all are connected and we all are leaders supporting our students. So, thank you. Welcome back and let's have a great year. >> Thank you. >> So, good. Thank you. Thanks so much, Pam. Uh, next up from Sonteo High School, Ivon Shu. So, good evening, President Griffin, members of the board, student board members, Superintendent Booker, and members of the cabinet. Um, I find it really hard to believe that this is my 19th back to school report along with Jeff that probably didn't mention it. Um, but each and every year brings like truly excitement and joy. It's something that we look forward to. opening day. Um, every year is different and

107every year, um, it's so wonderful to welcome back a new, uh, group of students. And while we all say that we had a really smooth opening day, um, this was probably one of the best, all thanks to the hard work of my administrative team, our school counselors, family engagement coordinator, office staff, operations crew, activities director, student ambassadors, um, everyone. Uh it truly does take a village uh to make everything come together as we do and I am uh truly blessed to have the staff uh to work with that um all have a common uh goal of welcoming our students back and creating a safe and secure environment where all students feel um included um and uh calling Samonteo their second home. Um, as you know, preparations for opening day uh begin as soon as we

108wrap up graduation. And so we're already planning um as we move one class out, we are thinking about the next class coming in. Uh we were very busy hiring for uh new positions since we welcome 10 new certificated members. um updating handbooks, reflecting on the past year, looking for things that we could do um better um and um really listening uh to um things that worked and things that didn't work. Um students are on campus by the end of July making signs to welcome our students. Um and staff staff are attending workshops and doing their online trainings. Um, a really special s shout out to our operations crew because Wednesday, was that just yesterday? No. I'm like, this has been a really long week. Uh yesterday we only um completed our Williams Act facilities inspection

109and we passed no deficits and um you know I owe it all to uh Billy Decom, our facilities manager, uh the operations crew that um really went classroom by classroom uh talking to teachers and making sure that um we provided a safe environment for our students and visiting every classroom every closet, even my office. The one of the inspectors came in to unplug my mini fridge out of a surge protector and into the wall so that my my office would pass inspection. Um, so they went through things with fine detail if they came into my office to re unplug my refrigerator and plug it in somewhere else. So, um, and despite all of the construction that was happening on campus, getting our, um, ATC, our athletic training complex on board, um, you know, the operations

110crew is truly outstanding. Um, we spent a lot of time doing phone calls, making sure our, uh, families took care of all of their data confirmation to ensure that all students were in classes and not um, sitting and waiting for their parents to complete work before we could allow them attend class. Um, on the first day there's always electricity. Students are eager to get their schedules, happy to see each other again, enthusiastic about starting or returning to school. Um, and for our seniors, it is truly bittersweet. Sometimes they were smiling and sometimes they were sad because it was their first their last first day of high school. And so for them to come into that realization um you know and seeing them kind of the joy yet sadness in their faces um you know it

111was you know left me you know speechless in making sure that they enjoyed every moment um that we have with them uh to make their senior year a great year. Um students were in classes the first day. no line outside the counseling office waiting for students to change their classes. Um um I think uh Randall and Char were there and they can attest to that that hallways were clear. There were no students walking around trying to avoid classes saying they were lost or needed to go see a counselor. Um and so truly one of the smoothest uh evening uh days ever. Um, last night we had our first uh PTO and uh foundation parent meeting. Um, we were the guests of honor answering town hall questions. So, we had a lot of freshman uh families

112there that were just excited as their students to uh begin high school and uh start some volunteer work uh with uh our parent groups. Um for the past few years, we kick off the first few days um uh with our week of welcome uh where we establish norms and expectations for all staff and students while building community. Um the activities that were presented over the first four day four days of classes were made for Sanonteo High School students and by teachers um uh who came up with these lessons so that everybody was following um their lesson plan for the day um where we covered important skills and knowledge about school support systems and reviewing important policies. Um we continue with our cell phone free environment. So we are way ahead of the July 1st 26

113implementation of AB3216. Um this year we look forward to building out our dual enrollment p business pathways program. Um and we are very excited to begin our work with Empower Sonteo. Um again I'm truly blessed with a staff who believe in and understands the benefits of mentoring and that four years is not enough time. At Sonteo, we've had a very successful mentoring and ting tutoring program called Bearcat Connections. So, Empower Sonteo is building upon and expanding that work. Um, we have had a number of staff members attend the two-day ETA training and are eager to start work as uh Empower Sonteo mentors. Um, we will start mentoring groups within our 9th grade SSE classes and we're hoping to start two to four groups this semester. Um, in addition, we've already reached out to Fiesta Gardens,

114which is right next door to us. Um, and we plan on collaborating with them on some projects as they settle into their new home. Our new band director, of which we hope this is it. We've had four in the past four years, and so our seniors really have gone through a lot. Um, he's already reached out to Fiesta Gardens because they don't have a music program there. um uh they lost um some students because I they don't have an eighth grade that they went to other middle schools. So, he's already reached out to them to see if any of their musicians wants to join us uh for the September 12th game against Aragon. So, we're going to have a lot of uh kids there. Um and so, and lastly, to wrap things up, uh uh

115we hope to see you tomorrow at our ribbon cutting. We are really uh looking forward to um using this facility. Um it is uh beautiful and uh we can't wait uh to celebrate with you. So thank you very much and go Bearcats. >> Thank you so much. Uh I'd like to invite up Dr. Jen Fong for Berlingham High School. >> Good evening everyone. Um we're really excited about at Berling game this year because we opened the gym. >> Yeah, >> it was a big a huge project and um yesterday was the ribbon cutting uh featuring uh the band with superintendent Booker at drums. So thank you superintendent. Several hundred people celebrated this Measure L project including generations of Panther families. I think I counted a couple of great grandparents there. Um, and hundreds of alumni,

116staff, and community leaders were present. So, I want to really give uh many thanks to the district's amazing construction and facilities staff who worked tirelessly not only to finish the gym, but also we had HVAC projects and they also remodeled a number of office spaces to so we could share rooms and they created six new classrooms out of thin air. Why? Well, uh, I'm not I can't quite reach the milestones of my colleagues, but I did reach my fourth year here at Berling Game. So, I'm now a senior like the class of 2026 who started as freshman in my first year. And in that time, Berling Game has increased by over 200 students. So, we needed not only the extra classrooms um and we also um hired about 20 new teachers and counselors, which is

117a huge huge uh challenge for us. Um, but we're we're embracing it. I think we hired some great people. Uh, and this allowed us to expand uh any number of courses, but in particular visual and performing arts and our career technical education programs. And I'm particularly excited about our new dance class and also our new Panther dance team, which will perform for the first time tomorrow at our very first rally in our brand new gym. >> So, across the board, uh, Berling game students continue to impress, and I'm just going to give you one highlight. Um uh uh we I mean I'm just well actually I was really excited. I did see the the Bay Academy in the dance class and it really just warmed my heart to see uh students just being included and

118um just you know going out there and giving it their best. But my my other main highlight is over the summer um some Berling game students uh won a a contest and they got to meet Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. So just just one example. Well, there's so many things that happen at Berling Game and I really appreciate this opportunity to update the board. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> All right, last but not least, uh definitely Angela Taylor, our director of adult dead, wasn't able to join us tonight, but uh she gave me something to read and I I want to share it with the board and community. Uh first week back highlights their theme for the 2526 school year, courageous leadership and advocacy. Our first week back was alive with

119excitement and momentum. For the moment our ESL morning students arrived on campus Monday, Monday, August 18th, nervous, excited, and eager to find their classrooms. The energy was contagious. Staff guided them with uh care. And in classrooms I visited, I met was met with smiling faces, ready to learn and full of gratitude. Afternoon and evening programs carried the same spark. And while our lower level ESL classes started a bit smaller, the rest of our classrooms were full, a welcome relief and a strong start to the school year. This year, under the theme of courageous leadership and advocacy, SMACE kicks off with a positive, energized spirit and ambitious goals. Our ESL, GED, high school diploma, career education, and active adults programs are all rev revving to go, ready to serve students with dedication and excellence. And as

120we forge ahead to produce a skilled workforce, we are expanding workforce development, employer engagement, apprenticeships, and career readiness opportunities while also strengthening pathways to college. Career fairs, small business fairs, resume and interview workshops are already on the horizon alongside our returning business entrepreneurship and newly launched workforce readiness classes. Across all programs, we remain committed to responding to our students evolving career, college, and lifelong learning goals, standing in solidarity with them every step of the way. We proudly launched a new tradition honoring our teachers and staff for their decades of unwavering service. Their extraordinary record of commitment stands as a testament to the heart of SMACE. Together they embody an unparalleled legacy. 704 years of dedication to our adult school, our students, and our community. With courageous leadership and a spirit of advocacy, this year promises

121to be one of solidarity, impact, and inspiration for our students, our staff, and our Sato community. I know that was a lot, trustees, but it's just so exciting, and I I'm just grateful for all of you. Thank you again. Thank you. Thank you, >> Trusty Land. >> I just I just love this stuff. as a principal, just I I just want to say how it's so impressive to listen to all of you individually because the diversity that we have in this district with your leadership. Every one of you has such a unique leadership style and just to hear just what's happening at each of your schools has just been incredible and I'm just proud to be up here to be able to say that this is our team because you guys are incredible. It really

122is great to listen to you. I I just thought it was amazing. So, thank you so much for spending a little time with us and sharing what's happened so far. Thank you. Trusty Chavez. >> I'm not very good at plagiarizing, but I'll try my best. I just want to echo what uh well, what Trusty Lance said, but also what Superintendent Booker said earlier about such great leadership here. We have amazing principles. And I just feel, you know, I can't express. I can't articulate. So, I'm doing a really bad job of plagiarizing, right? But, um, you guys are all amazing. Our schools are amazing because of your leadership. Your staff looks up to you. You have an amazing staff. Every school site does have an amazing staff. So, I want to thank you for recognizing that.

123I just have one quick question for our amazing Vikings um leader of the ship, uh Principal Dazinski. Um so, on the P puzzle piece, is it adjectives um that we think we would describe ourselves as or is it what we think others would describe ourselves? Because mine might be completely different, but I don't know. That's all. Thank you again, everybody. Oh, okay. A thank you. Thank you everybody. Amazing job and I'm just so excited about every campus that we have is very special, very unique and you guys bring the life there. Thank you. >> Yes. I also want to say thank you for your amazing presentations. Um echoing what Trusty Lan said, yeah, you're all different and that's what makes our district so beautiful is the diversity. Um, I I'm just really excited for this

124school year. Um, seeing the every year like how different it is and just all of the excitement around the like specific goals and things like that. I just I'm so I'm so grateful and I'm so excited. I we we produce such amazing students out of this district and um it's because of you too. So, thank you, >> Trusty Jacobson. I want to thank you as well. Those were wonderful presentations. So many good things. I think the thing that stood out to me the most was when Ivonne was talking about the last first day and what it's like to be a senior because I have a senior this year and it's like all year long this is the last time we do this. This is the last time we do this. And the and the fact

125that kids are sad about it being the last time says a lot that it's a it's a positive thing. So anyway, thanks again all of you principles. Carry on. >> Our student board reps, we have a comment. >> Yes, Mr. Griffin, I believe it's time for us to go. >> You know, we didn't they tell you you're you're here for the duration? Well, you know, I u appreciate you reminding me of that and I uh I I'm sure the principles and everybody in the audience is wondering when do we get to go home. So, we appreciate your reports. As far as I'm concerned, you're released to get a good night's sleep. So, >> thank you, President. >> So, all principles and student board members can leave, right? >> Yes. Okay, we're going to move on

126so quietly. >> Thank you again everybody. You guys are amazing. >> Okay, we're going to go on to the uh teacher induction induction accreditation update B2. >> All right. Very excited to introduce Dr. Dr. Sabi Hopkins, Dom Beu, Michelle Fisera to speak about um the induction program and our glowing accreditation update. >> Well, good evening members of the board. Uh it looks like everyone's getting a little stretch break and that's great. No worries. >> We're really excited to be here tonight to provide you an update um on our program as well as uh our accreditation process. And I am here tonight with Don Beigu who is our lead mentor and Michelle Fischer who is our accreditation coordinator last year and currently a mentor at Peninsula High School and Bridge Academy. And uh just as a

127reminder this is information only. There are not any recommended actions to take but we are happy to answer any questions at the end. So I'd like to just start out with a brief why. Why did we embark on this journey? We made a decision to pursue developing our own in-house teacher induction program in order to provide a more personalized and customized system of support and mentoring for our new teachers. We wanted to make sure that they were getting the support that they needed that was in alignment with our district vision for equity and instruction. Another reason why we went through this whole process was we wanted to ensure that we had collaboration between our instructional services and human resources to begin creating a pipeline that goes from recruitment to the credentiing process. This also helps

128us retain more teachers in the profession. So since we officially launched in October of 2021, we have supported on average 30 teachers a year in the program and 18 mentors. And one of I think the wonderful highlights has been that our mentors are really enjoying this work. So one of our first year mentors said last year working directly with an induction candidate was the highlight of my school year. We had so many powerful and productive conversations throughout the year and I witnessed such immense growth in my induction candidates teaching practice. It was a privilege to work with him. I am now going to pass it over to Michelle Fischer who's going to talk about the accreditation timeline. Good evening everybody. Um so here we go. Let's talk about what started um a couple of years

129ago um in terms of the accreditation process for Sonteo Union. Um so we're here because in summer of this past summer we were we became fully a fully accredited institution um for teachers to clear their credential. And just as a quick reminder, right, when teachers do graduate out of their credential program, they get a preliminary credential and the state requires that and they participate in a mentorship program for two years. They have five years to kind of do that work. Um, and as Sabi just mentioned, it was we really felt in 2017, 2016 that we were sort of primed um to kind of go to the state and really explore the opportunity to in-house that program rather than to outsource our teachers to the county office of education. Um and so 2017 we took ourselves

130up to Sacramento um and met with the CTC there and then we began the program development. In the fall of 2021 we were granted our provisional um kind of accreditation. And so then we really began to develop all of the program components, the forms, the mentoring, everything. And to really like there's just a lot of work. I don't know what to say when you're going to in-house that kind of program, right? Um and so we're in full program implementation and then in summer of last year, um we began the formal accreditation process with a team of reviewers from the CTC um who got assigned to us. So um how that kind of went. So, we then Sabi and I spent a lot of time together last year, many many lots and lots of time and

131a lot of writing time. Um, and we had to write to all of the common standards in all of the program standards um that the state requires to have an induction program, pulling evidence um both data, qualitative, quantitative, interviews, candidates, mentors. We pulled everything together into this huge crazy report that I know you've read. Just kidding. Um, but you can find it on our accreditation evidence website that we also had to build for the state. So everything is there and it's public view. So we if anyone has a question about what our program is all about, what what are forms this that timelines, how we do this, um, all of that is there at that website. It's pretty exhaustive and as is as is the report. So, fast forward, we go through this whole year

132of writing um and we're meeting with the CTC and then we have our visit in um spring of this part of in the earlier part of this year and Sabi and I were you know as any accreditation we were a little nervous. I'm going to put the we're like, "Okay, how is this going to go?" Right? Like could there did we think of everything, right? And did we anticipate the questions um that the reviewers might have of us, right? And could we answer to what we thought might be potential things that would come up and this visit starts and they start interviewing. They interview us. They interview our mentors. They interview our teachers. They interview all candidates and candidates that have come out of the program as well. and they come back at us and

133they say, "Oh, you're amazing." Like overwhelmingly like this program is um you're doing some amazing work and we have no problem fully recommending you for accreditation. In fact, proceed. We don't have really at the moment much to say. So, we were like, "Well, that's cool. Um and here are some of the things we want to highlight for you of what they found. Um kind of two big key areas. One is program design and one was program experiences. Um in terms of program design, one of the things that really again makes us super unique as a district in California is this pipeline that starts with the hiring process. Right? We hire a brand new teacher or a novice teacher into our district. the articulation, the orientation, the mentorship, and it streamlines and pipelines right into our

134systemwide support of a coaching model in our district. Very unique. Um, and they even the review team was like, that's unique. But what it does is it provides this system of support throughout a career of a teacher. And in other districts, you might get two years of mentorship and then you have no PD in your district. Like that's not uncommon, right? like or it's haphazard but not for us right we really see like we carry our themes of PD through our mentorship and our induction program and then all the way through and as you kind of graduate out right or graduate forward I should say one of the other things that they really um highlighted for us is that we have a real um we have a cycle of inquiry but a cycle of inquiry

135around assessment so we collect a lot of feedback and a um through surveys um through interviews use through looking at documentation that is being produced and we use that to refine the program kind of continuously throughout the year. Um there's an induction advisory group. Um there's just it's just always consistent and it's always being tweaked to continue to improve it. The third piece is is that the impact is can be felt. So when you speak with principles in particular, right, who are kind of very close and paying very close attention to their novice teachers, right, because they're young, right, and we have to support them that they're really finding that it's making a difference in their effectiveness. this mentorship with an teacher with one of our mentors who knows instruction, who knows curriculum, who's gone

136through the times when, you know, the cell phones are all out or that this is happening and da da and can help a brand new teacher navigate that. I mean, can you remember when you were 22 in the classroom? That was me, right? And you're like, "Oh, shoot. I'm 22 and you're 18 and right?" but you need someone there to support you and help you do those things. People are not going to get it on their own. They need that support. So, that was one of the one of the pieces. And in fact, one of the quotes um right, oh my gosh, it's blocking. Oh, I can't read the rest of it. The reflections the reflections that the um candidates do, they're always reflecting, right? helped me look back at my lessons with more insight

137and more purpose and made me want to work that much harder to making my lessons a little bit more inclusive, understandable, and with student interest. The heart of mentorship is reflection. What you want in a young teacher is that they are reflective, right? On the good, the bad, the all this because that shows you that they are can grow. if they're not reflective, right? Like that's a little then you're like, "Okay, how do we get that going with you?" All right. And then program experience. So, this was the other piece that the committee highlighted for us. We have a very um our program is very centered on the our candidates, right, and how they are feeling and being supported. Um and we have this whole piece with our instructional framework that us as mentors, right,

138we bring into the coaching conversation. So the conversation is equity focused. Um you're developing those lenses. We're looking at your work with that and it's about where your growth is as a candidate, how we meet you there, and then how we bring you along a continuum. Our mentors feel seen in this district. Um I have been a mentor for quite some time. Um, but the mentors are practicing self-reflection. The mentors are setting goals. They are watching each other mentor one another. Um, when they're candidates as a way to kind of get better, they feel respected. They feel valued. They feel like they're really contributing to the district and their work in a way that's just slightly different than when they're working with students, right? It's like the bigger like a bigger hole, I would say,

139or bigger piece. Um, and then finally, again, kind of coming back to that really individualized candidate support pe our people, our candidates feel like we're in their court. We're here to work with them, right? No matter where they're at and what they're doing. And in fact, a candidate said, I think it says everything about this program that even though it's extra work, right? I will genuinely miss it next year. the work was so on point and felt even more so this year that every cycle contributed something useful to my day-to-day practice, right? Those small tweaks, right? And I think sometimes people like they don't want to leave us, right? They're like, "Oh, no, please. What will we do?" But I do think, right, like that's so so so key um for everyone that is involved

140in this piece. And if you ever get the chance to to chat with a brand new teacher or a novice teacher in that, it's really something special. There's an excitement and we just have an amazing program and our and the CTC, you know, said so too. So, we have much to be proud about and there's more excitement and more things and I'll pass it on to Dom to talk about overall program strengths. >> Yeah. Good evening everyone. I'll see if we can move that. I I'll use my teacher voice. Don't worry, I still got it. Whoa. Um well um I'm I I have the pleasure tonight to speak to some of the program strengths that uh we observed um not only in preparation for um the uh committee but also just in kind of through

141all of the reflection that we've done. Um and uh when we looked closely at our induction program, we found that its impact doesn't come from just one thing. It's really the way several of these strengths work together. Um, our supportive and trusting relationships really create what I would consider the the powerful foundation to what is the heart of the coaching program. Um, our high-quality mentorship interactions are kind of the walls that give that program structure and translate it into instructional growth. Um, our responsive and supportive program leadership is the the roof over the structure and uh of the over the structures and the culture that sustain sustain that meaningful growth. Um and our alignment between mentors, programs and expectations kind of ensures every room is connected. Um and together these create you know that safe

142and supportive place where new teachers can truly grow. Um and as you can see as a uh one candidate noted regarding their mentorship experience, it was an invaluable part of my progression as a teacher filled with authentic inquiry and thoughtful reflection. Um and so just the quality of the relationships really kind of as I noted earlier make a huge amount of difference. Let's jump in. Um to that point um the sight specific mentors uh support means that our mentors are embedded tailored support to the realities and cultures of each site of each site. Um this makes the the program highly relevant and responsive. Um it's not just a generic program. It's teachers getting uh support to the unique challenges and cultures of each individual site. Um the individualized mentor development uh that we see encourages

143mentors to develop their craft and their growth. Um and it ensures that the induction improves year after over year. Um, as Michelle Michelle stated, there's um, you know, a sense of, uh, pride for mentors in the program because often they're getting as much out of of the program as they're putting into the program and the relationships they develop. Um, our agile ongoing program support is timely and responsive. As the accreditation team noted, our induction program serves as a safety net that allows teachers to take instructional risks and innovate. Um, and I think it's that nurturing that allows them to feel comfortable to take those kinds of risks. Um, go ahead to the next slide. Another strength of our induction program is our high quality mentoring interactions. Um, equity focused mentor training means our mentors are

144explicitly prepared to help teachers develop culturally responsive pedagogy which aligns with our district's values and LCAP goals. Consistency and frequency of contact ensures our mentorship is structured, ongoing and relationship driven. Uh, this promotes a district level commitment to sustained teacher growth. Um, the perceived positive classroom impact on the part of our candidates means they are experiencing real improvements in instruction as a result of their mentor relationships. Um, nearly 100% of teachers report experiencing high quality mentoring and mentors express strong confidence in providing that support. a direct result of clear communication around expectations and experiences. Next slide. Our final strength lies in our responsive and supportive program leadership. Um, intentional collection and use of feedback underscores that leadership's responsiveness is built into the design, not left to chance. Surveys, advisory committees, and feedback loops ensure teachers

145fund um and and mentors voices directly shape programs decisions. Our advisory committee demonstrates that leaders model culturally responsive communication, showing that the way we support teachers mirrors the way we want teachers to support students. Um, ease of accessibility and clear communication translates to responsiveness to urgent concerns which builds confidence among staff. Um, as you see in the data, 99% of teachers and mentors agree that program leadership was supportive and responsive. Um, our accreditation team called out our program leaders ability to honor and address feedback from mentors as a major strength. Thank you. >> Thank you so much, Dom. One of the final highlights from the visiting committee was they could not express enough how highly aligned this program was both within its components and across our system. It's inigned with our newly hired teacher support

146program where we have workshops to help make sure all of our newly hired teachers are aware of our district instructional priorities and commitment to equity. Our instructional coaching and evaluation program is also highly aligned. If you're an instructional coach and you support a brand new teacher, you automatically become their mentor. In fact, our evaluation forms have been modified based on our induction program teachers experiences. So if you're a teacher going through induction, you're not feeling like you're doing two separate things at the same time. Your induction work and your evaluation work are parallel to one another. our L all three of our LCAP goal priority is priority areas empowering educators creating these safe connected communities for our brand new teachers which is one of the biggest reasons why teachers don't stay in the profession if

147they don't feel like they're connected um and also making sure they're able to provide a humanizing education for their students. We're also aligned within the program. The fact that both teachers and mentors are providing feedback on high alignment means basically every teacher in the program is experiencing the same high quality level of mentorship regardless of who their mentor is or what school site that they are at. And so I'll just touch on some areas of growth. I think that's important for us to acknowledge. There's always room to grow. Um, first of all, last year we had a teeny tiny dip in some of our mentor confidence levels, and that's not surprising because we had more new mentors last year than we've ever had. But this is a great opportunity for us to revisit mentor training,

148making sure they have the professional learning they need so that they feel more confident about the support they provide. We had a few candidates and mentors talk about this in um individuals learning individualized learning plan for teachers. Some of them are felt like you know what this didn't feel very relevant. That's another opportunity for me to be working more closely with our mentors to make sure when teachers are identifying the kinds of inquiry activities they want to do, it needs to be directly connected to their classroom practice. Some candidates said they want even more mentor collaboration on the inquiry cycles. And again, this is a great opportunity for me to work with mentors to talk about what does it look like for us to authentically support teachers through these inquiry activities as connected to growth

149areas they've identified in the California standards for the teaching profession. Now, my favorite area of growth, I think, connects to what I said in the very beginning. One of the reasons why this program I think has been so successful is because it's required a deliberate collaboration between human resources and instructional services. And I have to say without Kirk and Julia, this program would not be where it is. But because we've been able to do so much cross department collaboration, I think we've really created a model that we can use when we're looking at other complex um district-wide initiatives. So, we're really proud of the work that we have done. And finally, it's the mentors that make this program work. And I feel privileged to work with these powerful, wonderful educators every day. So, thank you.

150And we welcome any questions about the program or accreditation process. >> Does the board have any questions, comments? >> Trusty Lan, >> I get to be first, I guess. Well, you know what's inspiring? what your presentation is always amazing, but what I love about this is that what you talk about with the integration, just the alignment that you do have done with all of their trainings and all of the things that you do and how it's not another thing on their plate. It's like it's a parallel system. For new teachers, especially going through that program, that's incredible because it's just one more thing sometimes. And that's how I hear it as a principal. I constantly hear that from teachers, especially new teachers, like, "Oh my god, I got to do this and I got to

151do this and I gota So, it is quite amazing to hear how you've done it and and how you, you know, you systematize things into some way to really integrate the LCAP and all the things that they have to start thinking about." So, very impressive. It's gotten me inspired because I started thinking while you're like, you know, I need to talk to these new teachers this way. I did it, you know. So, I was just starting to take notes on on things that I need to do to improve to be better at the practice at my school. So, really just thank you so much. I think it was incredible and well done. Thank you. >> Any other comments? >> Comments? >> Yes, please. >> I just wanted to say thank you for your presentation. Um,

152well, one, it's so great to see you, Dom. I haven't seen you in forever, and it's always great. Um, and both of you, too. I mean, this was a great um example of just innovation and what we do well here at this district. I think mentorship is so important, especially for folks that are coming like new. We have so many things we have to learn here. The culture um a lot of it there's like steep learning curves sometimes with just everything. And so I think um especially from other like from new teachers seeing this program, it's going to make them want to become mentors as well. So it's just like that, you know, that uh pipeline. Um it's also really important for our students to see that our our teachers are mentored, too. I mean,

153it's it's a village really. And so I'm just so proud of this. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you for your presentation. I kept flipping back and forth because, you know, even though I have reading glasses on, I couldn't read all this. But you guys, all three of you guys did an amazing job. And I know that, um, if I were, if I were in the teaching, uh, that's a great career. My sister was a teacher for 38 years. Um, all of our educators are amazing. I know that if I were a new teacher, I would feel taken care of by by what you guys have by by your mentoring mentorship program. So I would feel like blessed to be part of that mentoring. So thank you for your presentation. It's Thank you. There's a

154lot here. >> I'll just quickly say thank you. It was a really really great the data and the the evidence that you cited really shows what a success this program is. And um we really want our teachers to succeed. We want them to feel like they have the tools and the resources and the support to succeed. And I really appreciate you going through the effort to um to make this happen when you described all of the the you know the paperwork and crossing the tees and dotting the eyes that you need to do for something like this. That's a lot of work and um we're grateful that you have done it and you've done it with heart and soul and thank you. Thank you. >> And we get to do it again in seven years.

155>> Are there >> seven >> are there any public comments online? >> It's amazing. >> There are none. >> Okay. I will thank you for for the presentation and all your hard work. >> Yeah. 99%. I mean, it's like amazing. >> Thank you so much everybody. >> Thank you. Good night. >> Thank you. Okay, we're going to go to uh construction. Are there any items for construction? >> No, not this evening. >> We're going to division of human human resources consent agenda. >> Consent has the personal actions. Uh we recommend approval. >> Approve the agenda. >> Okay. >> The sorry, >> we have a motion and a second on the consent agenda for human resources. All in favor? I >> I Okay, passes 50 and move on to personnel actions. >> The first uh item

156is the personnel actions addendum. Uh no recognitions. Recommend approval. >> I move to approve. >> Second. >> A motion and a second. Are there any comments online? >> There are none. >> Okay. Motion a second. All in favor? I >> I T >> Oh, we still have two two more items. This the second item on >> Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'm doing T3. >> Yeah, >> the second item is sitebased fellowships for teacher leaders that would take the leadership role for the PLC's that meet uh regularly on at the sites. The stipen is a small $2,000 recognition of that leadership. I make a motion to approve the PLC implementation. >> Second. >> Okay. All in favor? I >> I. >> The next item, the next item is an approval of a job description that um it's

157a current position in the district, but we had a realignment. We moved one of the in uh support positions in instruction to technology to do uh bring some of the data that was in instruction over to the technology department. And therefore we added some um duties for multilingual learners into this position. Changed the name the title a little bit and a few of the essential functions. >> Are there any comments? >> There are none. >> Is there a motion? >> I move. >> Second. >> Okay. We have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I I thank you. Passes 5. >> Okay. Uh Division of Student Services. Not this, >> not this evening. >> Just division of instructional services. >> We have a short presentation on some proposed pilot courses of study. Um

158Mr. Brian Simmons along with some of his his colleagues are going to um share about these really exciting courses that are being proposed and piloted. I think we have um Colin in person and then Maggie is going to join us online. That's right. Okay. Good evening, uh, President Griffin, trustees. Nice to see you all. Happy happy new year. Um, I'm going to go quickly because it's getting late. Um, I'm joined this evening by two of our teachers, Colin and Maggie. Colin is our new business pathway lead and Maggie is a new teacher at Bridge Academy who've worked and they've worked hard to pull together a new ML environmental science program at Bridge, which we'll be talking about. We sort of combine them all together just to expedite the process here. Uh this slide is a

159quick overview of what we're going to discuss this evening. We're going to we're going to give some context about a bit about for the new business courses that sit in our work to create two new pathways in the district business and healthcare careers and how we're funding the development of these new pathways and then some specific details about the new courses of study uh that Colin is going to provide. And then we'll conclude with a with a brief overview of the new courses uh that Miss Owens and the Bridge team have developed to support STEM at Bridge Academy. Um, so as you may recall from my presentation way back when in April, and I'm sure you remember every moment of it, um, because it was only in April, >> um, we received a grant from

160the state of California called the Golden State Pathway uh, grant. This grant is allowing us to fund the development of a of robust pathways in business and healthcare careers at four of our school sites. There's a lot of words on that slide, but pardon me. >> We have chosen to invest in these two pathways because we have significant student interest. there's significant labor market demand and and and we have a need for more pathways in the district, especially at our smaller schools uh that that don't have as many uh pathways. We also want to be sure to provide more access to high wage pathways for underserved student populations. We believe that these new pathways can and will become models for our pre-existing pathways to evolve such that they ensure more students complete pathways and also

161uh achieve dual enrollment outcomes that are really significant part new part of of CTE in 2025. Um, as you may remember from my presentation last April, 90 plus% of our students uh take a CTE class in the district, but fewer than 15% complete a pathway. Finally, these are also pathways that can be easily set up uh to be duly enrolled at our local community college district and that are not always that's not then that's not always an easy thing to do because it's always it requires that that the college has a pathway available in a particular area. Um the this slide outlines pathways that are planned at the four school sites at which we look to grow the programs. Uh Cappuccino, our school with the lowest number of pathways will create two new pathways, one

162in business and the other in healthcare. Meanwhile, we will also grow a business pathway at both Sonteo and Peninsula. And then finally, we will develop a new c new healthcare pathway at Mills as is indicated there. It is intended that we may be able to coordinate the sharing of offerings across Mills and Cappuccino obviously because uh that's partly why we're situating those two pathways at those two sites uh those two geographically approximate schools um in order for these pathways to be successful in ways that our previous efforts have not been as successful in getting students to uh to provide access to rigorous uh highle coursework uh specifically our AP program if you want to sort of contrast another program in the district that we have that provides college level coursework. um we know we need

163to build some supports in place um many pathway so so basically we'll have a variety of what are called integrated student supports that's what the CTE world calls the supports that you provide to support students in these courses I've said the word support a lot um many pathway participants will start their experience by participating in a college counseling class that's sort of situated at the bottom there um that helps them identify the path or path that they would that they would like to explore during the nth and tth grade. So they would be doing that essentially as a as a as an as a learning experience to understand what their options are because too often and again this is we have students in the district that have in some ways they've had a they've had

164a plan in utero uh about what they were going to do with themselves in terms of their post-secary lives and some of our students just haven't had the opportunity to to be exposed to that. And so we think these college counseling classes are really a way to expose and and and and and ignite students uh passions around what they might be interested in because we don't really have anything that really does that explicitly in the nth grade. Um, and this form of support is really critical to helping students begin to identify their purpose. And purpose at the end of the day for all educators is always what's critical. Once kids know what they that they have a purpose, the rest of it is easy. Um, the support. So then there also would be some alignment

165of some supports uh at each of the schools. So we would want to leverage we plan to leverage the support that exists through programs like AVID or other tutoring programs that we have to ensure that students are successful in these more rigorous these these rigorous pathways. Um, so you may wonder how we're paying for this. Um, just to give you and the community a sense of the grant resources being brought to bear to support this effort, this this slide outlines the various grants we have secured directly uh related to this project. And while we're super excited and proud to have secured nearly $3 million as indicated there in competitive grants, this work is continue currently being funded by this soft money and we would have to to identify other sources if we are to if

166we are to sustain some of these programs. So this is something for us to to really continue to think about as a group. The state is great at helping us start things. They're not always great at helping us maintain those things or sustain those things. And so this is work that we're going to continue to do to figure out what are the what are the funding streams that are going to support this work going forward. Um and I will say that the startup costs for new programs as you can imagine are expensive. Um especially in healthcare careers, the business pathway is not going to be super expensive in terms of startup costs, but the the healthcare careers pathway I mean some of the equipment I was just looking at is pretty expensive. Uh skeletons and

167tables and things that all these interesting things. So, um, this timeline, uh, there's there's a lot there, but I think I would just say that it's a brief overview of the work we've done thus far and will continue to do, uh, into this into the spring of 2026. Um, this this grant that we have, it ends in 2026. So, we have a one-year planning grant, and that's really what we're doing right now. Um, and this this um um, and that's what we're going to be using. The key new injection of funding that will be critical to this effort is in the last column to the right there. um where where we hopefully will be securing implementation grants uh for each of the individual pathways at each of the schools for $500,000 each. That's the goal

168in the spring. So there is more money to sustain this work at the state level at least for the next few years. Um I'm going to pause on sort of all the big picture stuff here um and give our business pathway lead uh Colin Johnson an opportunity to describe our new courses which is really what we're here to talk about. So uh Colin, come on up. Thanks so much. Thank you for the introduction. Uh members of the board, it's a pleasure to meet you. And I come to you as one of um Savvy's inductees. I've just joined the the district. I've been going through the experience that she was describing and I have to say I am truly humbled by my association with the district. Um, my entry into teaching is recent. I'm a recovering

169entrepreneur. I went into that with the original intention of teaching entrepreneurship to underserved communities, really focusing on democratizing the the where and the how of entrepreneurship. And so I stumbled into by, you know, no better description um an opportunity to be an adjunct through CSM. So I have been in the district for the last two years teaching these two courses. Uh originally intro to business and then entrepreneurship kind of came on what seemingly was a as an afterthought. These are dual enrollment courses and I succeeded in uh persuading us to change the order because at the end of the day the dual enrollment um courses are intended to serve or reach those who might not have other pathways at other access into college per se. Um so the the populations of interest in some respects

170aren't all that inspired and entrepreneurship gives us an opportunity to introduce the idea of study from the perspective of what do you care about? What's a problem that really matters to you? A problem is not a problem. It is it's an opportunity. Um and so with that orientation really sort of looking at you know what is the methodology of of exploration in in highly ambiguous situations uh one can sort of imagine launch and then build that future but once you get into it you start to scale that business you need some management skills and so the second semester is the introduction to business that's what we're doing right now that's not really struct uh sort of like strictly speaking a pathway per se um it's just the dual enrollment offerings at Aragon and Berling game.

171But it has been a great laboratory for figuring out how to have these surprising winds like both academic wins but also uh social wins where the classes have become melting pots. Um and so you see these two sort of constituencies of students getting together working in teams you know really having a a meaningful association. And what we're doing today is we're asking that you approve the introduction of these course proposals into the catalog for the district so that we can have independence from the college partners should the as as Brian alluded to should the the supply not be present like we may have more demand than the schools the colleges themselves can can provide. So let us have our CTE credentialed instructors be able to teach these ourselves. Maybe they won't be dual enrollment, but

172what they will do is they will allow students to qualify for DECA, which is another career technical student organization which has uh lit the fire of intrinsic motivation like nothing I've seen. Um students are asking for curriculum. They're studying on their own. They want to do things that, you know, aren't in the syllabus. They're going crazy and they're really having an incredible time. And so by bringing those two things together, we see that this uh petri dish uh really sort of holds the promise for what the pathway itself once you know finally baked and then delivered uh can can in fact accomplish. So with that I um I ask that you approve the introduction of these uh two course proposals. Thank you very much. >> We have one last presenter as well. Thank you Colin.

173Uh that was great. Uh and I think there she is. I see Maggie up there on the screen. Hi, Maggie. Um, so we'll give you a chance. Let me wh I'm going the wrong way. Sorry. >> Um, so, um, Bridge, uh, I'll just quickly tell a quick backstory that this that that Bridge came to me in July. They had hired Maggie, I think, in in in the middle of June. Um, and Sammy had called texted me. I was actually out of out of town. Um, and she texted me to say, "Can we get going on this curricula on this new idea of this ML environmental science class uh, and the roots of success curriculum?" And I was like, "That sounds awesome, but we need to have a process and get it in place." And so

174here we are and Maggie's going to tell you a little bit about the program. >> Uh thank you. Uh good evening uh members of the board. Thank you for having me. My name is Maggie Owens and I'm the new science teacher at Bridge Academy. Before joining the Bridge team, I was a math teacher for many years and I also taught computer science. So I've always been a STEM teacher and I've also always worked with newcomer students. And this experience has shown me how our multilingual learners are often excluded from STEM subjects, both in terms of their access to rigorous science courses that provide hands-on learning opportunities and project-based learning, but also how they see themselves and that they often do not feel like they are good at STEM subjects and they don't consider STEM pathways

175after high school. So for this reason, I am passionate about students recognizing this narrative and then breaking it and placing themselves in the STEM world. When I was designing this class for these students, I wanted to provide them with a rigorous science science learning experiences that would help them connect what we're learning in the classroom to understanding their communities and how they can improve the world around them. I'm very excited about the roots of success curriculum. It covers important science con scientific content and it's also a pre-apprenticeship program. So students are going to learn about careers and pathways in green jobs and then they'll receive a certificate from the department of labor after completing the course. Uh the pedagogy ensures students de develop academic and job readiness um while learning the science content. And then

176I also have the freedom while I'm doing this to augment the curriculum to ensure we cover the NGSS standards that are relevant to their graduation requirements. So I'm just super excited for students to deepen their love for science or fall in love with it for the first time, but also gain confidence and a broader perspective of possible things they could do after graduating from San Moan High School District. >> Thanks so much, Mitch. >> Thank you so much, Maggie. and and you can see why I'm super excited to come to work every day. Uh I get to work with these folks. Uh so uh we'll answer any questions you got. >> Does the board have any questions? >> I have a comment. >> Yes. >> This is great. Um I was able to go to

177Bridge and see Maggie's class um and see the students in action and they were super engaged and they were really having a good time and asking great questions and it was it was very impressive. So thank you. Are there any other comments? Trusty, >> I just Oh, sorry. Did you >> No, I thought the trusty land. >> Okay. Sorry. I didn't know which one you called on. Um, that was amazing. I really am inspired by by the way we're doing it and the initiatives we're taking to make this happen and these are two great examples of new courses of studies that we need to implement and I just think it's outstanding. I'm going to ask for a personal favor now. Um, I think you need to work with the partner districts on electives and CTE

178just to so we could learn what's possible because it's really I think it's time to to reinvent electives at the middle school level and just hearing all the amazing things you are starting to do in the high school level. It's like how can we connect with you and get some inspired because it's something that I think would really help us and and I don't mean just my district and my school but the partner districts as So there's an initiative, there's a strong workforce grant in the next couple of weeks. Uh I don't know if you all have gotten wind of that and I know that in San Bruno they're working on one and they were actually going to ask us for a letter of intent soon or letter of support uh as well as uh

179Santo Foster City. So there's definitely some some there's some new funding. One of the challenges in CTE land has been that if you don't have a credentialed teacher CTE credentialed teacher, we can't use any of the CTE money and that sort of you know left out a lot of our middlegrades schools. So I do think the strong workforce grant though doesn't have those same restrictions. So, um, I'll, you know, I'll connect you tomorrow, just in your day job. I'll connect you to the to the effort that's underway because we just spoke to the county office about this a couple days ago. >> Perfect. Thank you, Trusty Jacobson. >> Yeah. Oh, great presentation. Really excited about it. I've been, you know, really hoping for more CTE pathways and you've answered the call so wonderfully, been really

180responsive and I'm so grateful. Um, quick question about you mentioned something about college counseling class in 9th grade. Can you help me understand what you mean by that? >> So, ninth or 10th grade, we're sort of and we're looking at different things. So, there's actually these classes already exist in the district. So, our we have a college and career readiness um sorry, a college counseling uh uh lead just like Colin who actually works at the district office trying to build these programs out. She's teaching a class at Sonteo right now. So what that is is that's a third period class, you know, every every day every day of the of that's taught and the students they're basically being that class in particular actually is focused on multilingual learners to basically give them exposure to so

181they do interest inventories and they do um trips to colleges or or to businesses. It's really a way to get students exposed to what the options really are before they then we just you know we have course selection moment and we're like well you should probably take this class because that's the only one that's accessible to you or the only one you know you might know anything about. It's really trying to give students an earlier set of supports when they before they have to make those decisions. >> Yeah, that's really exciting. I think that definitely needs to happen earlier. So >> yeah, so 9th through 10th it's going to sort of depend. We're sort of >> wrestling with the schools a little bit about where and when because students schedules are impacted. So it's this

182is the other thing we're sort of you know there's some cheese moving going on that's going to happen. >> Yeah I know I know we've talked about how this is a challenge you know >> about you know as a board we've talked about how can we how can we get them into the pathways earlier and have that exposure and then they're scheduling constraints in those earlier grades and I I don't know >> we have some ideas we're going to bring back to you at a future board meeting. I do know that on this this is on the sort of graduation requirements questions that I think we've been we've been wrestling with already. >> Yes. Yes. >> Great. Looking forward to it. Thank you so much. >> Any other questions or comments? Any comments online? Okay.

183We'll entertain a motion. >> I'll move to approve. >> Second. >> Okay, we got a motion and two seconds. >> All in place for the last one. >> All All in favor? I I >> Thank you. I did. >> Thank you. >> We're done, right? >> One more. I'm kidding. >> Yeah, we're for 20. >> Yeah, we're we're closing in on it. >> No, >> let's go. >> Okay, I'm going to hand it off to Mr. Hawkins. >> Uh I'm Go ahead. >> I I'm so excited uh for a man who needs no introduction. Um but um Tony Shay of Keygent um uh we are so incredibly lucky to work with um Kgent. Uh they've done such a great job with for the district as the financial adviser uh on all bond related matters. um

184really ensuring uh the um the lowest rates possible uh for our community members uh as well as doing numerous refinancings that have saved our taxpayers tens of millions of dollars over the years. Um, we're back with um, Measure L and we are on the series D Uding round and um, I would like to thank Tony because couple minutes ago I walked over there and said, "Hey, remember how much time I gave you. Um, I need you to shrink that down." So, I threw him a curveball at the last minute. So, wanted to apologize but thank him. Um, and I will turn it over to Tony back. It's been years >> in the building >> since co >> Yeah. >> Let him Oh, you got it on. >> Oh, yeah. It's I'm sorry. >> It's on.

185>> Okay. >> You get closer to it, I think. >> Um I'm just going to go through it really quickly. I know it's you guys are tired probably. Um so, as Yansancy said, we're issuing the U series D from measure L. Um it's going to be the final series of bonds from this measure for 96.25 million. The three prior series were also issued for the same amount. So, all four of your series of bonds have been this same amount, 96.25 million. Um, you probably recall when this bond was passed, it was for a $1555 tax rate. So, I'll come back to that again when I talk about the particular series of bonds and um some of the interest rates and tax rates that we're looking at. Um, just to really quickly go through the two

186factors that you know go into issuing bonds, interest rates and assessed value. interest rates, you've heard in the news. Um well, since COVID, they've gone way up. Uh you know that from your mortgage, you know, what used to be maybe a two 3% borrowing is now 6 7%. Same thing with bonds. Um most recently in this year, we had the announcement of tariffs in April that spiked the geo bond rates and all interest rates. And most recently, we had chairman of the Fed Powell talking about um maybe lowering the overnight borrowing rate twice from now till the end of the year. That won't necessarily translate to lower long-term borrowing rates, but the overnight lending rate might go down. Um assessed value. Being a a basic aid district, you know that your assessed value is very

187strong. Um, in the bad times it's been resilient and in the good times it has grown robustly and consistently. Most recently your assessed value is almost 116 billion. Um, that is a 4.7% growth over last year. And when we look at the Sanonteo County assessed value tracker for the 2627 year, you're already on track to grow another 2.9% and that just kind of ticks up as time goes by for this district. So you're already off to a very good start. So now the particulars about the series D issuance. Um we are actually going to be targeting an aggregate tax rate of 1390. So $13.90 instead of the $1555. I think back in 2020, the board and the administration was allowed us to do our job and didn't try to twist our arm to, you know,

188squeeze every dollar out so we could do our job and actually put some conservative assumptions into this bond measure. So, even though rates have spiked so much, we can still deliver your proceeds on time and below budget. So, that's something that the district should be happy about and proud of. Um, the interest rate associated with this series of bonds is right now looking like it's going to be 4.2%. That's as of today. This rate will fluctuate until we actually get a chance to lock the rate and that's going to happen midepptember. Just to compare for you, series A we issued at 2.3%. So, it's almost double, but still within the assumptions that we had when we put together the bond measure in 2020. Um, assessed value growthwise, we're using 4 and a.5% for the long-term

189growth. Your 40-year annualized growth rate is about 5.8%. So, we're using a much lower assumption than what your actual experience has been. So, I actually expect that even though we're targeting 1390, I would expect that it will be 1390 maybe for the first few years and it will probably drift down as well as your assess value continues to grow as it has been. Any questions? >> Is this a negotiated sale? >> Yes, it will be a negotiated sale. Uh we will be watching over Steifle who has been your underwriter for a number of years now. And as you know, we look at the comps um all districts that are selling bonds in California that are similarly rated to you. We will be comparing what they propose as interest rates versus what we've seen in the

190market. >> Do me a favor. Remind me of our credit rating. >> Any agency doesn't matter. >> Uh Moody's these bonds are rated AAA. >> Okay. >> That which is for for the public the highest that the bonds can be rated >> pretty much. >> Okay. >> Go ahead. >> Oh, just um I had a final thing about the timeline. We're expecting to be able to uh get your We met with the rating agencies today, I should say, with Moody's. Um so AAA, as you know, and they joked about introducing a quadruple A, but you know, it's not probably not going to happen. Um so we will get that rating next week. We will sell bonds um midepptember. We're we're slated for September 18th right now, market allowing and we will close on October 9th

191and that's when you'll have your money and it'll be at the county treasur's office. >> You mentioned you mentioned the volatility between now and September of the rates. >> Yeah. >> How volatile could that be? >> Just asking. >> Well, you're just one tweet away from the market moving. One tweet away from someone. >> Yeah. I mean, it's a daily basis. Yeah. >> Yeah. So, >> I I think you know this you guys are very insulated against bumping up against your tax rate. So, I think you know once these bonds are issued you can breathe a sigh of relief and not have to worry about bond rates for a while. Yeah. You know, I think this this is pretty close to what the plan I mean know the numbers are all very favorable. uh your

192conserv your conservative nature or Yansy's conservative nature or the board's conservative nature have all come into play and it's really rewarding to see it come together and you know cuz this this is a tough time to be going to market and you know we're able to you know meet our promise and actually beat our promise to the taxpaying public about the debt service and I just I feel good about that and we just got to hurry and get these responds issued. >> Yeah, >> that's right. >> Get them sold, man. >> President Griffin, I just wanted to note one additional um group that really supports us, and that's our school sites. Um one of the ways that we were able to um do this um is by moving a little bit faster than we actually

193had initially planned um given that we were able to to issue earlier. Um and our sites have really uh you know, put up a lot. They've been construction zones over these last couple years and we really want to thank them um as well as partners to the board um and to Keegent um in really putting us in a great place uh for this um which has been able to save us uh escalation cost and to really maximize the funding uh that we have. So >> you beat the tariffs too, huh? >> Yeah, sure you did, Yansancy. I hadn't planned on that one, but uh uh you know the default. >> Anyway, you know, you've done a good job. I appreciate it. I appreciate the uh Greystone and the magic the field is doing and I'll

194entertain a motion. >> I'll make a motion to initiate. >> I'll second that. >> Okay. We have a motion and a second on this last issuance for uh measure measure L. Any discussion? Any online discussion? Okay. All in favor? I >> I Thank you. Passes 50. Um, let's hurry. You got any requested board items? >> Just the special education stuff, but I don't know if we could do a um >> What do you mean by special education stuff? Sorry. >> Um, I had asked for either a study session or hang around. >> Thank you. Yeah, >> special education. Okay. So, we got one new board item. Anything else? Going once. Meeting adjourned. Okay. Two and three. >> Sorry. I needed to