001call to order the December 10th, 2025 meeting of the Santa Rosa City School Board regular meeting. Is there any public comment on close session items? Vice President Casten, there is no public comment. >> See no public comment on closed session items. We'll recess to close session for items B1, student readmissions. B2, student expulsions. B3, public employee discipline dismissal release. B4 conference with labor negotiator Vicky Xans for San Rosa Teachers Association, CSCA San Rosa 75 and Teamsters Union 665 and B5 uh public employee performance evaluation as listed on the agenda. We're recessed. We will now reconvene the December 10th, 2025 meeting of the Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance and then remain standing for a territorial land acknowledgement. Reconosco, San Rosa City Schools. Natales territorial Costa. City Schools.
002I acknowledge that Santa Rosa City Schools is on the traditional territory and homelands of the Pomo people, traditional territory and homelands of the Coast Miwok people, and honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. This land acknowledgement calls us to commit to continuing to learn how to be better stewards of the land we inhabit. By offering this land acknowledgement, we affirm indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold Santa Rosa City Schools more accountable to the needs of the American Indian and indigenous peoples. Thank you. >> Thank you everyone for being here tonight. A quick announcement about restrooms. The restrooms inside the chamber are out of order, but there is one outside down the stairs um by the elevators and there is a code 1010. Again, if you
003need the restroom during the meeting, it is st outside down the stairs uh code 10. All right. Report of actions taken in close session. The board voted to approve student readmissions cases numbers 202425-06, 2023 24-12 and 202425-18. Um items considered in close session for action in open session. Seeking a motion for student expulsion case number 202526-04. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Moved by Trustee Deator. Seconded by Trusty Medina. Roll call vote. Trusty Deator. >> I. >> Trusty Medina. >> I. >> Trusty Jenkins. >> I. >> Trusty Kirby. >> I. >> Trusty P. >> I. >> Trusty Casten. >> I. >> President McN. Motion passes. All right. Are there any statements of abstension tonight? All right. I see none. Adjustments to the agenda. Uh Trusty Jenkins. I'm going to pull H4, five, six, and
004seven, please. That was H4, five, six, and seven. Any others? All right, give me one moment. I need a sip of water. Um, so I'm hearing that the consent items pulled are all relating to portables. Um, would we like to move those discussions to after our elementary discussion? Any opposition to that move? All right, let's make that adjustment as well. President McN, there's also some blue cards for those same items. So perhaps that person just needs to know that um we're going to do it at the end after action. Okay. So if you are hoping to make public comment on those consent items, that is going to be moved until after our action item. All right. In a few minutes, we will begin our annual reorganization of the board. As such, this is my last
005agenda item as board president. It is tradition for the president to give an endofear report. So, I will share a few thoughts and these are my own thoughts. I'm not speaking for the board as a whole. This has been an incredibly difficult year. We began with our closure and consolidation process. weeks of apprehension, worry, and tension within our community. Hundreds of you wrote us letters or came to these meetings and made public comment speaking to us about how wonderful and how necessary your school sites are. In the end, this board voted to close four schools this year. A decision that I don't think any of us took lightly. We asked and we continue to ask our secondary educators to be innovators as we develop 7 through 12 programs in the district. There was no shortage
006of road bumps as the Slater and Santa Rosa Middle School staff moved onto the Montgomery and Santa Rosa High campuses. I want to acknowledge those difficulties and I want to thank everyone involved. We also asked the Bella and Brook Hill communities to consolidate into other elementaryaries and for those elementaryaries to welcome them. So again, I want to thank those teachers, administrators, support staff, students, and families for their efforts and their flexibility. Our struggles didn't end there. While consolidation alleviated some of our budget deficit, we are still facing a fiscal crisis. We're not alone. Many districts are facing a deficit, but our low reserve has made us especially vulnerable. And so we are forced to make budget cuts and we will make cuts, deep cuts. It will feel like we are moving backwards. So I am
007asking you to hold on to stay with us for the sake of our students now and students in the future. Please keep your children enrolled in this district. Remain in your jobs in this district. Stay with us. We cannot give in to the idea that school choice, charter schools and private schools will save us. They won't. They will leave our most marginalized students and families behind. Charter schools and private schools are not held to the same laws or the same standards of equity as public schools. Free and public education is the basis of a free and democratic society. So stay with us and fight with us to keep this district alive so that we can go on to fight the bigger battles like asking our federal government to fund education as it should. Lastly, I
008want to acknowledge that I have not been the board president that I hoped to be when I accepted the nomination last December. These past few months, my health caught up to me, and I was not able to balance my health, my full-time teaching job, and this board presidency. So, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Vice President Casten and Clerk Deator for stepping in to facilitate meetings in my absence. I hope now to step aside for a new board president who can lead us through the challenges ahead. So, we will now begin our annual reorganization. I'll hand it over to Clerk Delator. Thank you, President Gmani. As clerk of the Center City School Board of Education, it is my duties to run this process for nominations for the reorganization of the board uh that
009will be seated tonight and move forward through uh next calendar year. I am looking for someone to be nominated for president of our school board. Any nominations? Please speak now. >> I'd like to nominate Trustee Casten for president. >> Can I get a second? >> A second. >> Are there any other nominations for president? Trusty Medina. I'd like to nominate Trafia. >> Can I get a second? >> I'll second. Okay. So, the nominations have been made and seconded for Trustee Casten and Trustee Delator for president of the school board. We'll now go to vote. >> Trusty Jenkins. >> Trusty Casten. Trusty Kirby. >> Trusty Casten. Trusty Deator. >> Trusty Delator. >> Trusty Medina. >> Trusty Lator. >> Trusty P. >> I didn't hear you. Uh, Trusty Casten. >> Trusty Casten. Casten, >> President McN, Trusty
010Datory. Okay, we have 3 to three. No, three to four. So, thank you very much. President Casten, you'll be the school board president for the upcoming calendar year. Please swap seats with President McN. And we will move on to nominations and elections of the vice president. All righty. Thank you. I am now going to accept nominations for vice president Trusty Jenkins. >> I'd like to nominate our newest trustee, Trusty Pre. >> Is there a second? Second. >> Any other nominations for vice president? Trusty Medina like to nominate. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Are there any other nominations? Seeing no further nominations, we'll move to the vote. Trusty Jenkins, Trusty Pra, Trusty Kirby, >> Trusty Pra, >> Trusty Deator, >> Delator, >> Trusty Medina, >> Trusty Lator, >> Trusty P. >> Who Who's
011your vote for Trusty P? Who are you voting for? >> I guess me. >> That was Pra. >> Okay. Trusty Casten. >> Praco. >> President McN. Trusty Deator. >> Trusty Pre. Trusty Pra will be the vice president for the next year. All right. I am now going to accept nominations for clerk. Are there any nominations for clerk? Uh trustee Kirby >> like to nominate trustee Jenkins. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Any other nominations for clerk? Trusty Medina like to nominate Trusty Lator. >> Is there a second? >> Second. Can I second both? >> Yes. Are there any other nominations? >> I apologize. Who nominated Trusty Jenkins? >> Kirby. >> Thank you. >> And >> who seconded? >> Trusty McNed both. Oh, >> and Trusty Medina nominated Daily Tory. >> Okay, ready. >>
012Are there any more nominations? >> See no more nominations. Let's go to the vote. Trusty Jenkins. >> Trusty Jenkins. >> Trusty Kirby. >> Trusty Jenkins. >> Trusty Deator. >> Trusty Medina. >> Trusty Lator. >> Trusty Pra. >> Trusty Jenkins. >> Trusty Casten. >> Trusty Jenkins. >> President McN. not president anymore, but >> apologize. Thank you. >> Um, Trusty Deator, >> Trusty Jenkins will be the clerk for the upcoming year. All righty. With that, the With that, we will move to the appointment of the superintendent as secretary of the board. Uh, this appointment is um required under our bylaws and it gives her the ability to do the tasks that are necessary in order to administer our board. Um, is there is there a motion? Move to appoint superintendent moved as the secretary of the board.
013>> Been moved by trustee Medina. >> Seconded by trustee Mcnal. Uh, roll call, please. >> Trusty Medina. >> I. >> Trusty McN. >> I. >> Trusty Jenkins. I. >> Trusty Kirby. >> Hi. >> Trusty Deator. I >> trusty P. Hi, >> President Casten. >> Hi. >> All right. >> Did I call you? Call. >> Did you get call? >> Yeah. Okay. >> All right. That passes unanimously. With that, we'll move the agenda to reports. Um, there'll be a time for all the members of the board uh to comment in our board reports. But first, we will welcome our representative from the California School Employees Association, San Rosa 75. Good evening. Good evening, President Casten, trustees, Superintendent August, cabinet members, and the community. Thank you to all of you for being here tonight and all of
014those listening on Zoom. We are gathered for what is scheduled as the final board meeting of the calendar year. Let's remember it's the season of giving, sharing, reflection, and gratitude. I want to begin by acknowledging our students, the reason we do all of this work. Gratitude for our students who continue to show resilience. Gratitude for our teachers who keep classrooms alive with learning. Gratitude for our classified staff who carry the heart of this district every day. Gratitude for the board and cabinet as you face some of the hardest decisions SRCS has ever confronted. Tonight's first interim report is our reality check. Our unions have been calling attention to declining enrollment, unsustainable spending, and the need for transparency and structural reform. Tonight, the district's numbers confirm what we've been saying. We cannot continue business as usual.
015We cannot delay decisions. We cannot solve a structural deficit without structural change. SRCS is in a negative financial position so severe that students programs, services, and opportunities are now at direct risk. A negative certification means SRCS cannot meet its financial obligations this year or next. Left unressed, SRCS is on a direct path towards state receiverhip in June. Is receiverhip inevitable? Does the district and the board still have the power to change the course? Whose responsible responsibility is it? As we reflect on the year behind us and look to the year ahead, CSEA respectfully asks the board to do three things. One, make the hard decisions now before the state makes them for us. Preserve local control. Two, continue seeking reductions at the highest levels before cutting studentf facing staff already. >> Commit to full transparency.
016Our community deserves to see clearly how we close the deficit in real numbers, charts, and timelines. >> Do we stand here with hope? Is the message we have been raising finally being heard? Real change begins when a district listens to its workers, its families, and its communities. So, in this season of gratitude, let me end with this. We are still here. We are still showing up. We remain committed to taking care of our students, our teachers, and one another. Can we still build a future for Santa Rosa City Schools, please? >> Thank you, >> President Casten. Could we please see if the speakers outside are on? We're being told nobody outside can hear. >> Yep. Thank you. Thank you for the report. If there is a way to turn the speakers up outside so the
017volume's higher, it sounds like there's a request for that. I do not know if that is a capacity of those speakers. Um, we will now move to the report of our SRTA. Oh, sorry. Teamsters local 665 report. Good evening board and my uh brothers and sisters in labor. I'm Mike Stanford. I'm the shop steward and the faculty president for teams local 665 here at San Rosa City Schools. Recently my members found out that uh we had the camera access removed from us in a capriccious and arbitrary manner. It is important for us to have camera access so that we can do our jobs to be able to find out who committed vandalism on our school sites, who continues to commit that. follow um patterns, follow along on those as well as some other functions. We
018would like that access given back to us. Also going into winter, we do not have access to the backnet to be able to access to see what the HVAC units at our school sites are doing. This slows down our response with maintenance and our contractors for warranty repairs when we at the site do not know what the fault is on a particular unit. Is it misfiring or is it a software wiring or mechanical problem? This means we have classrooms that do not have heat, which right now, especially this week, we can all tell it is not a week to not have heat. During the summer, espec well, when we get into the hotter months, when our classrooms do not cool, that is a problem as well. Relying on facilities, if it's a warranty issue, it
019is god- aful. They took 19 days to send somebody out after I repeatedly asked them to send out SMI who was the contractor to be able to work on a unit. I still have an additional unit that has problems put in the ticket today. There was some movement, but that's because I had to tell the U management at facilities that I am so annoyed with the lack of service from them. Not to mention that they have horrible quality control. They never come out to the sites after they do their projects. We're spending millions of dollars on bond money. They don't come out to talk with us to see how things are going. They just move on to the next project. Also, it has been 13 months since the district proposed staffing ratios and we have
020not had a single meeting over those. Nor has it been a priority for this board. And I get it as the answer when we asked when we responded to negotiate from call from the district was that now we are in the consolidation process. We are not going to negotiate over staffing ratios. So why did y'all propose it last year? And without staffing ratios, how are we to be able to guide ourselves through this process if we don't know what is an appropriate level of service we are giving to our kids. And finally, having reviewed the first interim and seeing where you are going to be given information on cuts tonight, I'm going to have to echo what my sisters have said earlier and will say after me is not enough on the cuts. Is not
021cutting high enough up at the top management. Like I said last month, just fire them all. They're incompetent. And quite frankly, I I don't really have a whole lot of trust in you all either. Sorry, Castone. Not a fan. Nothing personal. So, I'm going to go home after this after eating dinner and learn all the names of state administrators who will be our our boss next year. So, cool. All right. Now, we'll receive a report from the San Jose Teachers Association. Okay. >> Good evening, President Casten, Superintendent August, members of the board, students, educators, CSEA, Teamsters, families, and everyone watching online. I'm not sure what's I'm going to start with, how are you doing tonight? I ask because what's really just a social nicity with an expected response of fine has actually become a really
022difficult devastating >> Pardon me. President H. Let's fix the audio visual. I want to be able to hear you. >> The other podium is not on. I'm not sure where the feedback is. I'm thinking maybe it's from the courtyard. >> Can we would closing the door impact that? >> Perhaps try closing the door. >> All right. How about now? There you go. >> I'm gonna start with how are you doing tonight? And I ask not because I'm really expecting an answer. It is a social nicity. The expected response from everyone is usually fine. But to me, this is a really difficult question lately. It's in fact a devastating question. To me and pretty much everyone in the room. when our my family asks friends, co-workers, even community members I barely know, the person in line
023in the airport that knows my name from the paper and they say, "How are you doing?" I want to say, "I'm not fine." And I'm getting less fine every day. Are we fine? No. We're angry. We're scared. We're worried. We're devastated all at the same time. We're confused. Would t would takeover really be worse than what this board and this administration has done to us? Honestly, logically, I know it would be worse emotionally. I'm not I can't see how that could be true. We're here tonight because we are not fine. And we need you to see that and see us. This board and this administration has failed at their duties. Your budget is not balanced. It's not close to balanced. Your solutions are taking it out on the students and the families and the educators
024and everyone who supports our students every day. This board and this administration have lost our trust. You restructured our district last year, promising to fix the budget. All of the closures and consolidations didn't fix things. You promised to support the new junior senior high schools, which we don't even seem know how to name them. Um, they're becoming last year's problem. Well, you're busy creating new problems with new closures and new configurations. Will those closures fix the budget? >> No. >> Will those new elementary configurations be good for our students? >> Santa Rosa and Santa Rosa City Schools are our is our home. I've worked in this district for 25 years. There's people in this room longer than that. Decades, hundreds of years of experience in this room tonight. And this is our future, right? This
025is where we want to stay. This is where we want to work and love these kids. Our futures are here with these students and these families. Our children, our students in Santa Rosa City Schools, our neighbors children are coming to Santa Rosa's city schools. Are your decisions protecting the future of those kids? Every choice you make impacts us. The educators, the support professionals, the ones who spend day after day in the schools, in the classrooms with the kids. When leadership fails and destroys decades of school communities, educators rise. We rise up to meet the challenges of more students, less space, involuntary transfers, limited classroom resources, the removal of technology, the loss of our colleagues and site administrators. We demand, we rise to demand that you, the board, protect our students future, make cuts away from
026our students in our classrooms, and do everything you can to avoid takeover, all while ensuring that we can provide a quality education in Santa Rosa. When leadership fails, >> we rise up to meet kids where they are, to help them when they stumble. We rise up to do 15 things instead of 10. We rise up to offer emotional support to students and we rise up to build connections to get them to graduation and get them ready to face this difficult world. And we do that while feeling undervalued, disrespected, and disregarded. We we don't work this hard for this board or for this administration. Who do we do it for? Yes. >> When leadership fails, educators rise. >> We rise up when we see you making choices that will hurt our students in our district. We
027rise out to point out inequity, to challenge conflicting decisions, to highlight disastrous implementations. But the reality is, we can't keep rising up to your failures. We're at capacity. We've been pivoting and recalibrating and adjusting to each new decision. And frankly, we're done. We're tired. You have lost our trust. And we have lost our hope. We have joined your committees, gone to dozens of meetings, tried to work proactively and collaboratively at Vatilli, and none of it works. We have offered help, asked you to get help. Yet, here we are with agenda items tonight that have never been discussed with educators. And more coming. We're being asked to teach more students with fewer resources and for less pay. When leadership fails, educators rise. Are we rising up tonight to work together to save this district or are
028we rising up to walk away? We demand you listen to the community and the educators in this district. Protect our students future now. stop the cuts that impact our students and their classrooms and the educators who work with them. Thank you. As folks are leaving, if other folks want to come in and find a seat, I'm going to go ahead and have us take about two minutes, let folks leave, and then let the folks that are waiting outside come in and find a seat. There are folks outside who are hoping to watch the rest of our meeting. Uh there are seats inside, so please head inside and we have seats for you so you can be able to watch from indoors. We'll start up again in about 1 minute. All right, we have seats on
029both sides. So are coming in. All right, I'm going to go ahead and start moving us on the agenda. Uh we're now going to move to the superintendent report. >> Thank you, President Casten. Thank you to our board. Thank you to those who are here this evening, especially those who are staying and and listening to the conversation around our our our budget and our fiscal stabilization plan, um our recommendations and our next steps. Um, as we all know, I'm you know, I I absolutely understand frustration and where our team is as far as the extra work, the extra commit, the additional commitment, the heart that our staff does bring to the work and it is appreciated. I know that there are many difficult things that we're going to have to do as we move forward.
030None of the recommendations we are going to be making are easy. None of them are going to feel good. There are many things that we are going to have to do that yes are going to impact services um to our families and our students and our community. I do want to reiterate that we are committed to making the the recommendations for action from our board and I believe wholeheartedly that our board will take the necessary steps to move us forward from this crisis. It will take all of us continuing to work together and to be collaborative and creative in how we continue to provide excellent services and experiences for our kids. I'm not going to speak a lot about that piece of it because I'm going to um we're going to hear about that later
031in our budget and fiscal stabilization items. I do want to make sure that we keep in mind that as we define our priorities, it is about protecting the core student experience. I also want to reiterate that I want to be clear that as we discuss solutions, these potential reductions are not a reflection of the value we place on our people or the services they provide. We are no longer in a position to fund everything we want to do. We have to prioritize available funding beginning with what we must do to educate our students. I'm going to shift now um just after that acknowledgement. I do want to share that I too am grateful, as President Layman mentioned, um I'm grateful for opportunities that I have for discussions that support our district and cultivate relationships. Some
032of those include our superintendent's leadership council. Great opportunity to hear from students across the district. Um our superintendent's advisory network. I appreciate parents taking their time to meet. our fiscal stabilization advisory committee who many have served for a number of years and it is much appreciated. There are other opportunities that we take at a district level to impact things that do impact our budget to have a say. Um we we have our SULPA superintendence council. We have our resi board that I participate in re related to our fiscal stabil stability around liability um and workers compensation in those areas that affect our budget and our west county transportation board. Uh today I did have an opportunity to follow up on concerns regarding issues and um looking at predicting needs for next year in alignment with
033school configurations. Those conversations do happen on a regular basis and we are also working with county and city partners to coordinate opportunities to support our students and community. Looking at those wraparound services and how we continue to be the community hub without the fiscal responsibility of that falling solely on SRCS with holiday breaks. I do want to share that I have limited availability for making longer visits, but I have had an opportunity to attend some activities and events and drop into classrooms um and support spaces as I'm able. I will be returning to a more predictable schedule around those visits following winter break, but I do want to let you know that I see some amazing things happening in our classrooms and on our sites every day and that does not go unnoticed. So, thank
034you. Thank you for the report. We'll now move to the board president report. Um I didn't have anything prepared as board president. So I'll give my report from the finance committee and the other roles I've been taking on. President Howell raises a question that people do ask every day. How are we doing? And we do instantly say fine. But when people ask me that question, they often times stop. They're like, "Oh, wait." Cuz the answer of fine is not something that is easy for anyone up here or any of you out there to answer. Um, in some ways we're fixing, not even fixing, in some ways we are reacting to decisions that have been made that we have no capacity to go back and then make them because in the world of school finance those
035decisions have already had their cost. Not making smaller cuts earlier leads to having a larger problem today. A part of that also comes to the things that are out of our control. the federal funding gap as we've learned as we've explored the special education challenges and the advocacy that we've done most recently our meeting uh myself superintendent August and and staff with Congressman Thompson's office identifying that the federal commitment to funding um special education at 40% meaning that 60% would come from this district has only been met at 6%. the difference being $22 million a year in the federal funding commitment for special education which exceeds our structural deficit. There's examples like that across our state funding and across multiple other places where commitments were made to our students and to our communities and to
036our schools. And we're left here as the school community having to deal with the failure to actually follow through on those commitments. And we still need to take action and we still need to bring the services that we offer into the scope of the money that will actually flow into our bank accounts. Um otherwise a state administrator does get to come in and does get to make those decisions for us and will do it in a way that doesn't have these meetings and doesn't have the opportunity for us to engage and hear. And no matter how much we may all feel like we are not hearing each other today, I guarantee you that those of us up here are hearing you better than a state administrator who wouldn't even be sitting here to listen in
037the first place. So I have no promises or political statements to make about a brighter future. These next several months, we're going to dismantle things that are valuable. Um I have three kids uh the oldest of which is in sixth grade and so I very much on a very real level understand the impact that we're making not just for today's kids but tomorrow's and we are starting at the top. Uh the reason that we are seeing the items on the agendas for the board started at the top and is moving to the district office next is every cut that we make at the top and every day that we have to know how many students show up because our funding is based on students showing up. Those two factors will then let us know along
038with all of the other activities that we're doing to try and save money and pull back costs, how much we actually have to cut from the services, the academic enrichment services that are important to our students. And making those decisions after we have better data and after we have made the other cuts is because we know that the fewest amount of cuts that we want to make are the ones that are closest to our students. And that's why you're seeing that logic play out on our agendas. And it's not going to feel good because no matter how much we do today, no how much we do within all these things, no matter how many of our students show up to school, the most fundamental thing that will determine how much money we have to spend.
039Um this is a very very very big deficit that we need to structurally fix. And if we don't, then we will continue to have this problem every year and it won't be all of us making the decisions together. And in regard to our cash flow considerations and the concerns about the state receiver, the actions that we've taken today, and I am going to steal a little bit of the thunder because it was a report out from our finance committee have led us to the place where we've received a report on Monday at the finance committee that we have a high confidence that we will not face that outcome this year if we continue doing the things that we are doing with a whole lot of caveats about how that happens not being good. Um, and
040we're going to be further articulating that in this meeting and future meetings. But we are seeing the results of the past actions lead to a place where the confidence is growing that we're going to be able to navigate through this. Earlier this year, um, my former neighbor and mentor uh, of mine, Alice Waco, passed away. And for those of you that are in this room that knew Alice, you'll know that one of the things that she did in this community was as the president of the San Rosa Teachers Association led a strike back in the '9s that led to better wages and better outcomes for parents, their students and teachers in this district. I say that because how we communicate is going to be very important and we all need to remember that we're keeping
041the students at the center of our best interests even when we disagree and staying and talking to each other and figuring these solutions is going to be really important because having lived through that and heard her words I know how difficult it was when the people in this room weren't talking to each other and weren't listening. So with that, I ask for us to continue the dialogue to find the solutions. And yes, we are going to have to make the hard decisions and we need to make them early. With those comments, I'll turn it over to my fellow board members. Trusty Dator. Thank you, President Casten. Um first I'd just like to thank uh former President McN for your service for the year. uh even under personal duress, you hung in there and uh were
042our president for the year and appreciate your time and your service. Um to the community, we are in this together. Um I ask that we continue to have open dialogues, that we continue to offer ideas and suggestions and continue to collaborate and find solutions to very difficult problems that we are faced with. Um, we value that your children are being taught in our school district. We want to continue to provide the utmost educational experience for those children possible and there needs to be some adjusting to make that happen. We can only do what we can do. We can only provide what we can afford to provide and some very difficult decisions have to be made moving forward to figure out what that is and what the most promising landscape looks moving forward. And not just
043a landscape, but what landscape is sustainable moving forward. That we can not only rebuild and restructure this district, but build it in a way that we can see the great things we have continue to be great and the things that are good have opportunities to grow into greatness. None of that happens with an individual voice and an individual path. This must be done through the collaborative efforts of the entire community. To the new executive team, President Casten, Vice President Pra, Clerk Jenkins, thank you for stepping up to your roles. Understand what goes with that executive leadership of a board and continue to work together. Trusty Medina, Trusty McNal, thank you for your confidence and respect in nominating and seconding me for a variety of positions and know that you have seven trustees that are committed
044to working together to the best efforts forward for this district. We will all continue to stay engaged with the community, show up where needed, send emails, phone calls, texts, continue to communicate with your board of education so that we can continue to be in active conversations and find paths for betterment moving forward. I wish you all nothing but peace and happiness with your families through the end of the calendar year and this holiday season. and we honor and respect those that are no longer with us and we hold them in our hearts as we close out this year and strap down to get ready for the very heavy lift and difficult work that continues to remain in front of us Kirby. Hey. Um, real quick, uh, just wanted to mention that just prior to break,
045um, I was able to spend a half a day on the Santa Rosa High School Junior High campus. Um, I observed the morning drop off, uh, student flow in between the classes, just tried to get a feel for how things were going on the campus, um, general feel. And uh I also met with the director of the art quest and spoke about that program. I then went over and observed uh Mr. Teggy's government class at Ridgeway and uh had a little u question and answer session with the students there. Really enjoyed the interaction between the students. They asked some some uh great questions. Um and then I ate lunch with the students there at Ridgeway. Um, and I just wanted to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the uh quality and quantity of our
046uh of our food there. So, uh, hats off to our food services department. Um, last night I also attended the facilities master plan meeting at uh, Maria Creo High School. Some good interaction there with the uh, with the uh, admin staff. Some great ideas for the future of that campus. And then u I just wanted to say that many of our campuses right now are having winter concerts and performances and I hope that all of you can make time to get out and attend one of those. Thank you. >> Trusty Medina. >> Thank you. Um just a couple things. Um uh President Leman, you mentioned this was the last meeting of the year. I just wanted to highlight I think we do have another meeting next week where there will be a lot of issues
047discussed. So, um there's still another meeting. Um I also wanted to um just really highlight there's a lot of work being done on the facilities master's plan at your site. It's really important if if to get active and involved and find out what's happening at your site. So, you could have input um into the facilities master plan because that really dictates how bond funds are kind of prioritized over the years. So, make sure to get involved in that process as it's happening now. Um, and thirdly, I just really wanted to take a moment to congratulate uh the LCAN High School football team for winning their first ever championship on November 21st. Um, it was a very cold but exciting game and so they did awesome and so congratulations to them on that championship. Thank you,
048>> Trusty Jenkins. >> I didn't have anything prepared. However, I did um want to mention that I attended the facilities master plan meeting at Montgomery as a parent. And then I also attended three of the feeder forums, including the one that was held at the district office. Was that just last week? Oh my gosh. Um, and I think that was the main things. And I'm super pumped about basketball season starting. So, go out and support your teams. Uh, so much fun to do and get out all of that stress by just screaming and cheering on youth athletes. >> Any other reports? Seeing none, we'll go ahead and move to student board member report. Trusty Creo, >> I have nothing for tonight, sir. >> All right, we'll move to public comment on non-aggenda and consent items.
049I do have an extensive number of public comment cards. Um, so we will be limiting public to 90 seconds, but we will let everyone speak. I will call out the first three folks and I will mispronounce names and I apologize in advance. Uh I'll call out the three first three folks and then after each person comes up I will call out the next three. So you'll hear your name called three times uh in preparation for coming up. We're going to start with a soul gary Araf and then have Elizabeth Smith. I can't tell. Oh, it is on. I get to go first. My name is Isold guys. Good evening, board. Good evening, everybody. Um, this is only the third time I've spoken out at one of these board meetings. Last year, you may remember I
050came and talked about losing French at Santa Rosa High. Um, we're still really sad about that. Having an art program and not having French, they kind of go hand in hand. Um, we're still pretty sad about that. That's not, however, what I was going to talk about. Um, the personal cuts at the district office are very commendable. Um, I was reading the report and um giving up car stipens and phone stipens and um c vacation payouts was all very commendable and I know that you count on the things that you get paid for and I'm sure teachers would love to also give those things away like are the phones that we don't have or vacation pay. None of those things we get. We don't get paid any of those things. And the amount of money
051that goes to the top at the district office, I'm not trying to, you know, I mean, I know that you guys have budgets that you your personal budgets also, but the pay is so much higher than where we are as teachers and as support staff and um to take a pay cut, it would it means we have to move away or we have to take another job. Uh so that is really hard for all of us to even think about. >> Thank you for your comment. >> Gary Oaf followed by Elizabeth Smith followed by Megan Marine. >> Good evening uh Mr. President. My name is Gary Aroff. I'm a special education assistant at McGomery Middle School. I worked for the district for seven years. I worked at San Jose High School for seven years before
052I was laid off last year. Um, this district issued pink slips to 161 classif employees last year. Those are the people who clean the toilets, who make sure the attendance is correct, make sure the students get to class, who break up fights, who give meds to our kids. I was making $40,000 when I got laid off. And I was probably about the highest paid class if I had to get laid off. That's all water under the bridge. You can't fix that. But I'm speaking tonight because I found out that you guys are considering cutting the restorative specialist position. And when I worked at San Jose High School, I told our restorative specialist over and over again that there is at least one young man on this planet who lived to be 40 because of what
053she taught him. In this in the four months I worked at San Rose, excuse me, at McGomery Middle School, I've had three restorative conversations. All of them with special ed kids or English language learners. It took about 20 minutes and they completely turned around. My relationship with those students are most vulnerable. Today during fifth period, one of my students left class. Where did she go? She went to go find the restorative specialist. Ladies and gentlemen, look somewhere else. Let's take care of our students. Thank you. >> Elizabeth Smith, followed by Megan Marie, followed by Susie Clenchner. Sorry, I'm really short. Good evening, superintendent, community members, and the board. My name is Elizabeth Smith, and I'm a school-based therapist at the amazing Montgomery High School. I want to begin with a truth that we can probably
054all agree on, but don't always prioritize. Students cannot learn when they're not well. Preventative, responsive, and consistent mental health and wellness services are not extras. They are foundational and they allow students to access learning. They're the foundation that allows students to to be in class, to learn, to Sorry, I'm for many students experiencing mental health issues or personal or family crises, our school-based therapists and wellness centers are that foundation. They're the places students go when they're overwhelmed, when they're grieving, when their anxiety keeps them from focusing, when family stressors make it impossible for them to sit through class. These services are the difference between a student shutting down and a student staying in school. There, here's the reality we must face. If we cut these supports, students will not simply find help elsewhere. They likely
055won't. Many of our students rely on the support offered by our school-based therapists and wellness center coaches because we're here. We are here. >> Thank you very much. That is your time. Thank you. >> Megan Marie, followed by Susie Clackner, followed by Lisa Flyway. >> Good evening. My name is Megan Ray. Excuse me. I've had the privilege of serving as a school-based therapist in our district for the past five years. During this time, I have I have Oh, thank you. Okay. I have witnessed firsthand the dramatic rise in mental health need among our students, especially after shelter in place, pandemic stressors, local disasters, and ongoing community instability. Last year, we opened a wellness center on the campus of Maria Creo High School and many of our other high schools. The center functions as a tier
056one intervention, a universal support system that is accessible, preventable, and destigmatizing. On average, over 100 students access the wellness center each month, individual students, and collectively receive more than 300 wellness services. Before the wellness center existed, mental health support in our district was limited to a tier three intervention, which many students could not access in a timely, appropriate manner. Through our wellness center, students at risk of crisis can meet privately with mental health professionals. Um, our wellness center acts as a hub for our district to partner with community agencies, for example, Sonoma County Behavioral Health, Cape Team, and Human Dodd, allowing cultural responsive group therapy and bilingual support on our campus. This requires a wellness coach and a licensed mental health provider in the wellness system. These services are not optional extras. They are essential
057supports. The need is stark in Sonoma County. Recent youth truce data shows that over 35% of high school students >> Susie Clener followed by Lisa Kleinwick followed by Andy Banell. >> These services are not opt um optional extras. They are essential supports. The need is stark in Sonoma County. Recent data shows that over 35% of high school students reported feeling so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more that they stop doing their usual activities. Additionally, Sonoma County suicide rate is 14.3 per 100,000 residents. It's significantly higher than the California average of 10.5 per 100,000. These numbers reflect not just statistical trends but real children, teens, families in crisis and the urgency of providing accessible, early and effective mental health support in our schools cannot be overstated. I understand our district currently
058faces a budget crisis and that difficult decisions must be made. But I implore you before making further cuts to mental health services, I invite you to visit our wellness centers. See the impact with your own eyes. Talk to the students who use it. Meet the staff who provide the support. Our youth are in a mental health crisis. They cannot learn, grow, or thrive if they not do not feel safe mentally, emotionally, socially. Cutting services now would be cutting off their ability to succeed. Thank you for your time, your consideration, and your dedication to our students well-being. >> Thank you, Lisa Fins, >> followed by Andy Bernell, followed by Chris Burch. >> Good evening. My name is Lisa Kleinwagen. I'm a school therapist for Montgomery Junior High School, formerly Slater Middle School. I'm also the clinical
059supervisor for all of the incredible associate therapists who who serve our general education population. I'm in a unique position of meeting with these therapists weekly to hear about the transformative and life-saving work that they do with our students. These are students who struggle to trust adults and need the focus and presence of therapeutic staff who are legally obligated to maintain their confidentiality while also ensuring their safety. Every week I hear story after story about the unbelievable trauma, despair, grief, students consider students considering the cost of dropping out and choosing lifestyles that would put their lives at risk. Every time I hear one of these stories, I look at my supervises and I think, "Thank goodness you were there to witness and support this student. Thank goodness they were not alone." In a world where students
060are faced with more existential dread than ever before, the need they need adults they they can trust to keep them safe and listen to them. I fear the outcome if our services are not available to them at school. Therapists in schools might be new to many, but that does not make them any less essential. School-based mental health services are the largest providers of mental health services in Sonoma County. The state recognizes the need for mental health services in schools, as evidenced by the passing of Senate Bill 153, which holds school districts responsible for ensuring that vulnerable populations have equitable access to referrals for mental health services. The state also supported the passing of the California Youth Behavioral Health Initiatives, also known as CA CYBHI, which has allowed school therapists in the district to begin to
061bill insurance providers for mental health services generating income for this school district. >> Thank you very much. That's right. Andy Benell, followed by Chris Burch, followed by Marina Matt. >> Hi, good evening. Uh, my name is Andy Bono. I'm a licensed clinical social worker. I work in the uh SEP um San Rosa City School SEP classrooms and I've worked with students and families and support systems for over 40 years. I'm getting ready to retire in the spirit of honesty and vulnerability. I so so wish I did not feel compelled to speak here tonight. I need to model the the respects respectful expression of feelings that we preach and say that I'm outraged and confused and hearing that there is a plan to cut school-based therapists and other mental health supports. How can this be? We
062are in an unprecedented uncertain times, not only in a fiscal crisis, but in a mental health crisis as well. The systems are stressed and we're all feeling it. One in 10 high schoolers uh contemplate suicide. Since COVID, there's been a 70% increase in depression and anxiety. Many of the goes untreated as there are serious barriers. A social worker tenant is treat the folks where they are at. We need to deal with students in the schools. We absolutely need to eliminate barriers and not create more. In SEP, we keep kids from going to more expensive uh NPS's. um the amazing work that a lot of these therapists do here today keep kids from entering the special special ed system and costing the district more and more money. We're getting funded now. You know, we're getting reimbursed.
063Let's keep going with that and quit eliminating barriers. >> Thank you for your attention. >> Chris Pur followed by Marina Maddock followed by Eduardo Ogua. Hi. Um, my name is Chris Burch. I have been a school counselor in Santa Rosa City Schools. This is my 33rd year. I have been a school counselor in the secondary level for 20 or 32 of those 33 years. This is my first year. I'm at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts as an elementary school counselor. And I'm thrilled and had no idea what I was going to experience when I went into the elementary schools that I was actually going to be able to work with kids that were still engaged. They were still open. They were still wanting to learn. They were still encouraged. They were still feeling
064like there was hope. And that's what elementary schools about. And when we're talking about getting rid of support services like restorative, like SBTs, like possibly school counselors and elementary, we're talking about getting rid of the people that can help these students continue to be encouraged, continue to feel good about themsel, continue to learn about their emotions, continue to learn that emotions are okay and appropriate ways to be able to use them. I encourage you to look at the big ticket items, not necessarily the district office positions, but all the consulting money that is going out the door. So, they aren't necessarily positions, but necessarily contracts and subcontracts at the district office. So, I encourage everyone to look at a much bigger picture before you start picking apart these small little pieces to our children. Thank
065you. Thank you, >> Marina Madic. Followed by Eduardo Esgua, followed by Patrick Atinson. >> Good evening board members. My name is Marina Medic and this is my fourth year working as a school-based therapist provider. I am a member of thems. We provide counseling to students with IEPs. As you know, there will be layoffs of school-based therapists this year. And before these decisions are made, my team and I would like you to understand who we are and the irreplaceable work we do as special education service providers. Our responsibilities extend far beyond counseling. We coordinate daily with teachers, psychologists, service providers, and administrations. We complete extensive legally mandated documentation. We monitor progress towards IEP goals and participate in every IEP meeting. Our role is fundamentally different from general education of wellness therapists who are not bound by
066rigor or special education law and California ed code. The expertise required forms work is specialized and it develops only through years of hands-on experience within the special education system. Our expertise and knowledge cannot be quickly rebuilt. If layoffs are determined solely by hire date rather than by job classification of students needs, the district risks dismantling an entire team of highly trained specialists. I would personally like to urge the administration. >> Thank you very much. >> Eduardo Sigua, Mr. Patrick Atkinson followed by um Micah Goldberg. >> Good evening. I'm Eduardo Sea. I am a passionate elementary school counselor at Cesar Chavez Language Academy. I am here today because I was informed on Monday, December 8th by the district office that they were planning to set forth a proposal that will eliminate all elementary school counselors in
067Santa Rosa City Schools. Not only that, but their plan extends further to eliminate school-based therapists and restorative specialists. I'm saddened to know that the elementary students could be losing the biggest components of mental health support. As the counselor this school year alone, I have done seven threat assessments, three suicide risk assessments, referred 18 students to school-based therapy, completed 11 group counseling sessions, about 30 students, two individual uh 83 check-ins. I have done preventative work, 139 classroom lessons. I have done minute meetings with 254 students. And out of those students, 36.2% needed a check-in. Roughly 58 students. To say the least, as trained counselors, we do a lot of to support the well-being of students. Also, we could do billing, which has not been implemented. Um, but we can help with we can help with the
068revenue of the to the school district. To the board, I would ask, do I have your support that when this comes your way, you will look for a solution that will not cut me? Thank you very much for our time. >> Thank you, >> Patrick Atkinson, followed by Micah Carton Goldberg, followed by Julie Mald. Um, okay. I am here today u not just to stand for teachers but also for the therapists that work with our kids. I've heard many whispers about the about proposing significant cuts to mental health services in our district and that includes school-based therapists. The current state of the world is much more dangerous than it used to be and students are having to deal with that fallout. Mental health personnel and school-based therapists are critical to helping our students navigate these
069increasingly unsafe times. As you may know, I'm a teacher in the counseling rich program at LC Allen. We are a teacher. We are two aids and a non-unionized school-based therapist. Our program is centered around this therapist, the counselor in the set program. Without them, we're just the program. For the students who need our support, we cannot provide that if the core of this service is out is cut out. Much as this district cannot function without its teachers, SEP cannot exist without its counselors. And in a time when the next generation struggles to see a future for themselves, you are debating taking away their only lifelines. Do not cut school-based therapists. Thank you. that you >> sorry Micah followed by Julie Awad followed by uh Steph Stefan Petty. >> Uh good evening. I would start by
070like by requesting that something new happen with this presidency on the school board of showing the community the respect of waiting till the applause finishes so we can actually hear who you're calling. For decades, we have to try and hear through the applause because you don't wait two seconds. So, please start doing that. Second, cut from the top. I went and looked at Superintendent a interim superintendent August contract. She is making $60,000 more in base salary than the predecessor did four years a five years ago. That's a cut that could start there. I appreciate that we've already taken some cuts at the district office, but the bone has to start getting cut at the top. Now counselors, I teach sixth grade at one of the most impacted schools, Steel Lane Elementary. 30% of my students
071see either the school-based therapist or our school counselor weekly because they need it. We have students who commit self harm who see who need to be able to check in with our schoolbased therapists on the drop. I have speed dial onto my counseling staff and my restoratives and my school-based therapist and our student safety adviser because they have the time and the training to deal with the stuff that I don't literally don't have time for. I have 305 instructional minutes, 40 minutes of recess, 20 minutes of lunch, and that's it with my students. I don't have time to address their mental health needs. these other people do and they have the training and honestly they cost way less than a single district administrator. >> Thank you for your comments. Julian Mad followed by Steven Petty
072followed by Dearus Rogret Rodriguez. Hello, my name is Julie Mullet and I am a licensed clinical social worker, clinical supervisor, and probably the longest provider of therapy services in Santa Rosa City Schools. If SPTs are laid off by years of service, I will likely be the only person left on my team. I have supervised many of the people on all of the therapy teams and they are all friends that I hold in high regard. I currently provide therapy for students with IEPs who have emotionally related mental health services. sorry, educationally related mental health services. I chose to leave wellness and engagement, apply for a position in special education, and interview with our last special ed director and the MS coordinator, Kim Craraven. It was a choice I made to move to a very different role
073with a very different job duty at that time. And many times since then, I've asked my friends in wellness and engagement to fill our open positions. and not one of them has chosen to make that move or to fill that role and do that type of long-term goal oriented work. Time and time again, the special ed department has had open positions and no one has applied. Not for our counseling and rich program or our SE our MS program. Though I wish that circumstances were different, I feel strongly that the district should not destroy the long-term student and family relationships that our MS and SEP programs have built and hire individuals who did not want to do this type of work in the first place. Should anyone want to do this type of work, they should
074apply for the open positions that are on Edjoin now and will be on Ed. >> Thank you very much for your comments. >> Thank you for your time. Steven Petty followed by Dearus Rodriguez followed by Deborah Ramos. Stephen Petty I tutor three times a week. in a third grade class of 25 kids plus one who is autistic. One third grade girl's mother committed suicide and and the father does not know how to caress her properly. One third grade boy lives with his family in a one room room, one room hotel room. Both children are, in my opinion, above average bright with attention. Almost all 25 kids are mediators between the English language world and their non or minimal English parents. Regard them as cultural ambassadors explaining our culture. Most of their parents don't read. Many
075other parents made it to fourth grade in Mexico and they don't read or write particularly well. You and I are lucky. Third grade, fourth grade, and I just will break it to the thing. The home and family situation can be brutal. So brutal that a student is stunned for life. The third grader beautifully child and many like her have no one to talk to. That's a counselor's job and nowhere where to go. Her body is a shield that closes her in. Her older sister acts out. >> Thank you for your comments. That's >> I should finish the sentence. >> Sir, that's your time. I have to give everyone equal time. Thank you for your comments. Getting rid of counselors has the psychological >> Demarus Rodriguez followed by Deborah Ramos followed by Jessica Bol. Thank you
076Bolf. >> Good evening. My name is Damaris Cordero. I'm a proud mother of multilingual students board members. Uh no one of you have shown any interest in our community. On the contrary, you have focused on pushing us almost entirely out of this district by dening service to both parents and our kids. We demand the equity analysis report for the schools that have been closed. Schools where the advent students, foster children's and multilingual students are concentrated. You have never want to provide early intervention for our students. You have denied them the opportunity to excel and achieve their dreams. You have never cared about the damage you have inflict on the lives of these students at such a young age. You have cut the already limit staff that help our childrens and no one of you have
077advocate for us. You have allow administrators to mock us by ignoring our requests. You have filled the uh multilingual department with staff who do not understand our culture and our needs. Why don't students from minorities group have the same service and opportunity opportunities as other students? I want to ask the teacher to stop saying that everything is fine with the multilingual students and start to advocating for them. Thank you for your time. Thank you for coming to using our children. >> Deborah Ramos, followed by Jessica Bedlet, followed by Katherine Ridau. >> Hello, I'm Deborah Ramos. I am a product of Santa Rosa City Schools. When I became a teacher 26 years ago, SRCS was the place to be, not flee. Last year, after the incident in my classroom at LC Allen High School, I'm sure
078you all know the one I'm referring to. The sitebased therapist provided me support. It was invaluable. Because of her support, I was able to finish out the school year. And I am happily continuing to teach today. And this is heartbreaking that you are considering these decisions. I implore you to be very mindful of the financial choices we are trusting you to make as all of us, our co-workers, our colleagues, our students, our families will all be impacted by your decisions. Thank you. Thank you, >> Jessica Biddolf, followed by Katherine Ridout, followed by Priscilla Cordderero. >> Good evening. My name is Jessica Bidolf. I am currently the school counselor at Hidden Valley Elementary and formerly at Brook Hill Elementary School. I'm here tonight along with Chris and Eduardo who spoke before me because the district office
079is planning to submit a proposal to the board suggesting to entirely cut the elementary counseling position as well as cut or reduce restorative positions and school-based therapists, especially at the elementary campuses. This would leave our elementary schools with zero mental health professionals who are consistently on site. I want to be very clear, this is not just a staffing shift. It is a direct threat to the well-being of our students, our teachers, our families, and our entire school community. Elementary students face real stressors, behavioral and mental health concerns, and emergencies. When these needs aren't addressed early, they don't just disappear. They can escalate. Counselors prevent crises before they happen. And when we support students in the exact moments when they need a trained adult to help them feel safe and ready to learn. But counselors do
080way more than just one job. On any given day, we serve as crisis responders, mental health providers, mediators, SCL teachers, case managers, parent consultants, behavioral interventionists, yard duty substitute teachers, and much, much more. In essence, cutting just one counselor is like cutting 10 or more 10 roles just at once. Roles teachers and administrators simply cannot and are not equipped to absorb on top of their workload. Not only would these cuts be an injustice to our entire elementary school systems, it's a liability. Thank you. Katherine Routt, followed by Priscilla Cordiero, followed by Adena Flores. >> Hi, my name is Katherine Ryout. I'm a mom of four, uh, two who are old enough to be in Santa Rosa City Schools. Um, I want to bring attention to, uh, the concerns of the public and also our teachers
081regarding our current budget situation, which I know the board and the district share. Uh at a recent public information session, it was shared that uh we parents should ask for the board and district to prioritize finding savings in the current budget. I've heard suggestions including deferring curriculum updates or holding on teacher training days and also trying to make these changes for this year and prioritizing cutsaways from students and school closures. As a parent of students in Santa Rosa schools, I'm hearing uh many in our community calling for more transparency regarding different budget items and describing what the costs are in detail rather than vague terms. And I just wanted to share uh these observations and things that we're hearing in the community uh with the board and the district just because I think increased transparency
082related to the budget would help breed goodwill and uh confidence. Thank you so much. Thank you, Priscilla Cordderero, followed by Adena Flores, followed by Ethan Cargrave. Equity impact analysis. Thank you. Priscilla is here as a member of the community and she's asking she's here asking for the schools to comment on the schools that you are planning to close. These schools have a number the highest numbers of English learner students and students who are social socioeconomically disadvantaged. These students are already facing problems and their parents depend on the support of the schools and all the staff. For parents, for those parents, it's not only a school, it's a safe place in their community. We ask that before considering closing a school that you make an an impact equity study that's transparent because if we don't do
083it thusly, it will be discrimination, indirect discrimination on the basis of race and language. What effect will it have on these students? What consequences for English learners for English learner students? What effects on families that cannot depend on transportation? We there are communities that are already tackling many barriers. There are furthermore all students bring in these funds at these schools and we ask that they that that these funds uh these allocated funds where the students are living. Thank you. >> Dina Flores followed by Ethan Cargrove followed by David Mccomish. Good evening, board. Trustee Casten, I'm not sure why I'm currently in court with your exwife. Esquire Aaron Carlstrom is representing Sonoma Valley Boys and Girls Club and the plaintiffs who were suing me for alleged defamation because over 40 Latino children were molested in this
084community have not and have not received restitution. So, this district has been acting illicitly and using attorneys to uh seek out private citizens and take legal action against them. Recently, this district utilized Luther Burbick Elementary School teacher, Brett Ainsworth, to try to file a restraining order against me in which I could no longer communicate with the district, which is highly illegal because I informed you that one of your substitutes, my codefendant, Miss Laura Ainsworth, that he left her in a coma for a week and he had violently attacked a student as well. And so, you wanted me to be quiet. And so this is highly inappropriate because these children have not been paid. And so you contract with the same PI firm that served me my summons and then offered me a job and told
085me as long as I didn't talk about politicians anymore that I would get hired and the case would be gone. So that is extortion. So I've told you this. You're going to get a subpoena. God bless you. Ethan Cargrove followed by David Mccomamish followed by Ken Hersburg. >> Hello, my name is Ethan Cosgrove and I am the founder and president of a coalition called Stronger Together Santa Rosa that is looking into school district consolidation. Thank you. For those who don't know, our county is in declining enrollment. It's not just San schools, it's the entire county. In 2010, we had 73,000 students in this county. We now have 60,000. The state projects us to drop below 50,000 by 2040. As enrollment drops, the amount of money that is spent on students as a ratio with the
086amount of money spent on overhead and administration will change. The only way to actually get at some of these district office levels positions that are redundant from district to district is to merge school districts. I know Senator Schools attempted to. I appreciate the intent. The execution was maybe a little lacking. The scenario that you guys voted on would lead to a $20 million decline throughout the the city. There's another scenario that came out in that same study that would have improved spent uh sorry would have increased revenue by $29 million and that could be a conservative number throughout the city. There is a lot of money that can be made based on our funding model by creating districts that make sense both for our localities and for our communities that like midsize districts. We are
087advocating for three districts that are TK12. One in southwest Santa Rosa, one in central and northwest Santa Rosa, and one on the eastern part of Santa Rosa. If you want to learn more, go to strongerto togethersr.com. I'll say that again. Strongerto togethersr.com. Thank you, >> David Mcamesh, followed by Ken Hsburg. >> Good evening. With the difficult financial decisions facing our district, I become before you respectfully advocating that when staffing layoffs are made, we do not eliminate specific job titles from Santa Rosa City Schools and allow school site councils the option to fund positions through site delegated LCAP funds. As a teacher and school counselor at Santa Rosa Middle School since 1998, I have witnessed the positive impact site controlled LCAP funds have when school site councils are allowed to fund student support staffing. This impression
088has been confirmed by data gathered from youth truth and panorama surveys which showed significant increases in students sense of well-being and safety at our site during years that extra personnel was funded through LCAP. Additionally, operating with clearly defined district allocated site funds, school site councils can make financial staffing decisions without fear of going over budget. ICD's funds being used to support the critically important elementary school counselor, school-based therapists, and restorative specialist positions. I thank you for your time and consideration of this suggestion. >> Thank you, Ken Hersburg. Good evening. My name is Ken Hersburg and I am a fifth year teacher. I love my students and I am here tonight because I am scared for them. In just 5 years, I have taught children who have endured things no child should ever have to experience.
089I've had students who survived rape and sexual abuse. students who were beaten, screamed at, or made to feel worthless at home. I've had children who lost their parent, children who were homeless. I've taught a student who witnessed a loved one take their own life. I have watched children try to learn while carrying grief, fear, and trauma that would break most adults. And I have made at least five CPS reports calls that no teacher ever wants to make. And in every one of those moments, the first people I to turn to were our counselors and therapists. They are the ones who sit with a child shaking in fear. They are the ones who know how to talk to a child who can't find the words for what they have lived through. They are the ones who
090keep children safe while the rest of us try to keep their world steady. When a child is hurting, learning stops. Counselors and therapists don't just support students, they save them. This makes school a place where healing can happen. Cutting them leaves teachers alone to carry a weight that we are not trained for. And it leaves children with nowhere to turn at the moment they need help the most. Please, our kids deserve more than survival. They deserve support, safety, and hope. Do not take away the people who provide that. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. We'll now move to the consent calendar. I am looking for a motion on items 1 through 3 and 8. So these are the ones that we did not pull from the agenda. A motion on one, two, three,
091and eight. >> Yeah, I'll move to approve items 1, two, three, and eight on the consent agenda. >> Moved by direct trusty Kirby. >> Seconded by trustee MAI. Uh roll call, please. Student board member Curio. >> I. >> Trusty Kirby. >> I. >> Trusty McN. >> Trusty Jenkins. >> I. >> Trusty Deator. >> I. >> Trusty Medina. >> I. >> Trusty P. >> I. >> President Casten. >> I. That motion passes unanimously. We'll be taking up items H4 through 7 after item I2. uh in order to take them up after the elementary consolidation item. So with that uh we are going to move to our discussion and action items and we're going to start with budget items. Item I1 uh which includes both the first interim and fiscal stabilization plan. Um, yes. when you're ready.
092>> Wonderful. Thank you so much. Um, I am Lus Gases. Can't hear me. My name is Luc Gases and I am supporting the school district as we as we transition through this financial conundrum. Um, and I call it a conundrum because I do believe very firmly we are going to get to the other side of this. Um, it is the reason why I agreed to take on this work. Um, and everything I see as I let the folks over at the county know, the folks over at Fikmack know, the folks over at the state know, I see us taking the steps necessary to get ourselves out of this situation. So, while Joel pulls up the slide deck, I'm just going to go ahead and get us started. Um, tonight we're at our first interim report.
093>> We did It's okay. >> Hold on one moment. >> I think we got to turn off the sound. There we go. All right. We um we prepared not that long ago a pre- first interrum um my pre- first interrum budget for our for our general fund. And so what we're going to see tonight is we don't have a lot of changes from that. So staff did a really really strong job of updating the budget based on the best information we had. Um, I'll go over just a few of those items. Um, one piece that I do want to stress for us this evening is that we are certifying ourselves as as negative. Um, this is new and different for us. The preferred option is a positive certification. A positive certification asserts that as a
094school district, we are prepared to meet our financial obligations in the current year and the next two. So that's what we aspire to. Over the past decade and a half, we've played around with the the qualified status, which puts a question mark on whether or not we're going to be able to meet our financial obligations in the current year plus the next two. We're certifying at negative which states outright that if we maintain the status quo meaning we do nothing we will not be able to meet our financial obligations in the current year or next. So you'll note positive and qualified was about this year plus two. The negative certification is the next 18 months. Six months plus 12 for the next year. Um so if you can go over to the the negative certification
095slide for me. Thank you Joel. Um this is what our finances show. And again I want to stress it's with if there is no action what we are preparing for the for the board to get us to at second interim that's the next major reporting period we are aspiring we are pushing to get to a positive certification. So we are preparing to bring to the board recommendations and for management to take the actions we need to take the recommendations we need to to to take to get to a positive certification come second interim. It's not going to be easy. It's going to be really hard, but that's what we're pushing for. I work in many school districts where that is a struggle and the fall back is to stick with qualified. It is of no
096benefit to students to be in a position where year after year you're having this conversation about finances. And so we are serious about getting the school district on the right footing. And that means getting ourselves to positive come second interim. You can go to the next slide for us Joel. So as I noted, not too many changes between first interim from our preirst in interim to our second interim. Just a couple that I'll note. Um we have about a $1.1 million increase in other state revenue. That's our community schools uh implementation grant which is good news for us. Um on the other local revenue side that is an equity distribution from our workers compens uh workers comp program. It's our um that was a pleasant surprise to see that equity distribution for us. It was
097about 300 almost $400,000. Um on the expenditure side, um we have tightened up all of our salary projections for the year. We've also incorporated the concessions from management that were approved. Um, and we have also incorporated the start of some of those expenditure shifts where we're going to be looking to maximizing the use of our restricted dollars, which means taking some of those restricted balances and our ending fund balance and making use of them in the current year as best we can. And so we've started that process and in time for first interim we were able to transfer about $400,000 of expenditures out of unrestricted into restricted um which of course helps our our unrestricted bottom line. You go to the next slide. So, a really key piece to know about the way California school
098finance works is that we spend money based on enrollment based on the number of kids we serve. We generate income based on attendance of those students. The tush and the kush. The this is not standard across the country, but it is the way California school finance is funded. On average, um, when we have a student absent, we lose about $60 per day for a student in elementary and middle school and at the high school level about $70 per day and go to the next slide. So, one of the things that makes California school finance unique is the the extent to which we rely on this state. So if you look at the portion of the pie that's labeled LCF LCFF sources, that's primarily state. Yes, it consists of property taxes, but I would submit to
099you it's the state that's on a hook for it because if our property taxes decrease, the state is on the hook to make up for it. If it increases, the state takes it away. And so LCF sources and other state. So we are so reliant on the state here in California as a school district. When the state has a good year, we have a good year. When the state has a bad year, we have a bad year. When the state has a cash problem, they solve it by making it our problem. And they've started to do that with deferrals in June. So in June, we're no longer getting our June aortionment from the state. they're deferring a portion of it to July. You can think of it as your June paycheck. It's as if your
100employer told you that your June paycheck, they were going to hold off on it for a portion until July. Um, last thing I'll note here, there's um you'll see that federal sliver, right? It's a sliver of the portion of the pie. Um, even for a school district like us where we have lots of high need students, it's still a very small sliver of the pie that we get from the federal government. Go ahead to the next one. Oh, actually go back for me one more time. Um, the as as I was listening to folks describe some of the things that that make them unhappy, um, I thought I would share one thing that makes me unhappy. Um this there was recently in October a study released by pace and bellweather combined. The study is called
101excess revenue unequal opportunity. So as folks are thinking about how to advocate for our school district, I would submit to you this is one way. So we have school districts in the state of California that are funded like we are based on LCFF and there are others affluent school districts that are funded based on a model called communityf funded or excess revenue or basic aid. Those are synonyms. They all mean the same thing. This report that was released in October, so just a couple of months ago, shows that by like thousands of dollars per student, those community funded districts get more than we do in general fund than any of our kids. Right? And what is the difference between our kid and a kid in one of these other basic aid districts? It's the luck
102of the draw, right? raise your hand if you selected who your parents are that you were born into, the family you were born into, right? That's not something we control. So for me, this is something that makes me unhappy, there are some recommendations in that study that as folks are thinking about again, how do I advocate for our kids? How do I advocate for our district? I encourage folks to pull up that report. Next slide. our expenditures. Um, it is not surprising that we spend most of our money on people. It takes people to educate kids. We're not making widgets. And so, while this is oftentimes a criticism lobbed at school districts, I would submit to you it's it's not a fair one. Um, of the non-personnel side, I know this area gets a bit
103of attention and so I just want to highlight a couple of things. So on if we think about the dollars that are on the non-personnel side, the there's about 62.4 million that's in the services and operating um expenditures lines and those are the ones that get a lot of attention. Um, and it's unfortunate the label on the object code series u it gets translated sometimes as consultants. So there's this impression that we're hiring 62 million worth of consultants. I promise you that is not the case. What does make up that 62.4 million? About 35.8 million of it. That's more than half. That's 57% is specifically for special education. It does include NPA, nonpublic agencies, NPS's, nonpublic schools, and transportation. Um, about another 32% that's almost 20 million is in what I would consider unavoidable costs.
104It's things like insurance, utilities. Those are things that just as in your home budget, you don't have the option whether or not to pay it. Neither do we. We have to pay for utilities. We have to pay for insurance. There is about $7 million that we're in the process of interrogating. I haven't determined whether I would put that 7 million or what portions of that 7 million I would put in the unavoidable category or in the discretionary category. And that's ultimately what I'm trying to get to is how much of this is discretionary where we can choose not to spend it any further or delay a year, delay two years or reduce it. Um, of that 7 million, I will note for folks there is $2.4 4 million in licenses. And that's what we're in
105the process right now of looking through to see what recommendations we're going to make on what to either eliminate, reduce, or at least defer for a year or two if we can. One of the areas that gets a lot of love and attention um is our special education program. It has been increasing significantly over the years and the pace at which it's increasing exceeds what we would consider the natural cost of the program. So is the cost of the program supposed to go go up expected to go up? Yes. Why? Because we have step and column. We're going to have increases to those NPS and NPAA rates. So we expect the cost of the program to go up as our costs go up. It's just exceeding the what we would consider that natural pace. And
106so that's what we are we are interrogating. And John and team are um pulling out all the stops to be able to see what areas we might we might be able to identify to to manage the cost. You'll note I say manage the cost, not reduce the cost. Um because in special education that's usually our our best approach is figuring out how we can manage those increases from year to year. You can go to the next slide Joel. Here are our assumptions for for our um I want to highlight one of them and that's the the the cola. Um, while we're still using as our cola the most recent DART board from the Department of Finance, uh, I want to note that the Legislative Analyst Office, the LAO, in their economic outlook that was released
107in November did present the possibility that that cola would actually decrease. Now, there's the COLA and then there's the funded COLA. And so we're we're waiting to see what the governor proposes next month in January. So we're about a little bit more than a month away from when we'll get our next major data nugget. I will note that if the LAO's projections were were to come true, that would be a loss of about $900,000 next year and about $400,000 the year after. Here we have um essentially the math that happens after we plug in those assumptions. One note that is really important is that it does not include any solutions that have not been approved by the board. I'm a I'm a stickler about this rule. Until the board takes action, we will not assume
108it. And so this reflects the status quo. If we do nothing, this is where we end the current year, the next year, and the year after. If you can go to the next slide, this shows us what our ending fund balance is after our 3% reserve. And you can see it grows from the 21 to the minus -21 to the - 34 to the -49. And that's what we're preparing solutions for to get those numbers so that we have we're we're back in the black. Here we have our restricted balances. Um we noted earlier that we're looking at some of those restricted balances to see where we might have some opportunities to maximize the use of them. These are those balances as we we expect to see them at the end of the and at
109the end of the current fiscal year. you go to the next one. Um cash is the most critical of areas for us. This is again this is a change in the way we've discussed our fiscal stabilization plan in the past. In the past it's been about budget. Now it's about budget and cash. You will note that despite the fact that we have a very significant negative ending fund balance in the current year, actually last year, current year, and projected for the next two, we're still in control. The county has not assigned a county administrator to us. Um, and that's because we have sufficient cash so far. If we were to run out of cash, that's the definition of insolvent. And that's the point in time in which the county would assign a county administrator to
110the district and the board would lose its authority and the superintendent would lose it lose her authority and responsibilities and it would be consolidated into one person. Um we are we have developed what I call just layers of protection for the general fund and it's specifically for cash. And so you can see as a first entrum, we're projecting to end cash at minus 2 million in June. Um that's what we're we've established some layers of protection to protect ourselves against. Um in the fiscal stabilization plan item, I've noted all of those layers of protection. The very first layer is our capital funds. And in those three funds, we've spoken to the appropriate staff and let them know they are not to spend a dime out of that fund that isn't already planned for in the
111budget. Um, my last layer of protection on that one is our is our is our head of procurement who knows that any requisition that comes through that tries to use one of those three funds, she knows she's not approving it and she's getting me on the phone to let me know what's happening so we can figure out um whether it's just an absolute stop or if we have to find another funding source for it. But we're we're doing everything we can to ensure that we remain in local control. Um I I want to highlight while we have developed these layers of protection, right? So we've got our capital funds and other funds um and then our charter school funds as well that we're we're noting as layers of protection. If you're feeling relief at the
112fact that we've we've developed these layers, I I'm going to ask you not to. Okay? So there is not a single one of those layers of protection that is a good idea. They are bad ideas to protect us from the worst of options which is running out of cash and losing local control. So I want to stress that this is not something to feel relieved about. These are not good ideas. No CBO would be recommending this to the board under any circumstance other than to protect ourselves from losing local control. I know that sounded stern. Um the last thing I'm going to note is we've as we've been changing some of our practices and one of the practices that that we we decided on um and Joel and team implemented in time for first interrum
113was when we do some of our inner fund transfers. And so as an example we have about um half a million dollars worth of equity from our dental fund. Um, typically we would hold on doing that transfer of taking the $500,000 from fund 67 and then moving it into the general fund. We would wait until we close books. We've opted not to wait until we close books and we've done that now. Um, similarly with our charter schools, we typically wait to we're closing books and then we'll do our charges to the charter schools, take those dollars and move them over to our general fund. We've opted not to wait until until closing um this year and we'll continue the practice going forward. We've actually moved the first quarter's worth of charges now. So, our general
114fund is seeing the benefit of those those changes in our practices right now. Again, all of this is to protect us. Um you can go to the next one. You can see this is again what happens if there's no action. I can't even look at this one. Move it to the next one. Um, right. That is no action. If we take no action, that's how far in the in the hole we will we would fall next fiscal year. Um, here you have all of the types of potential cash and budget solutions we're looking at. As we're doing this, I'm going to note we're we're looking at multiple years. And so, yes, we're looking at what's in our current year that we could remove from our budget in the next year. We're also looking at last
115year. and identifying was there something we charged to unrestricted that we could charge to another fund. If we can identify those sorts of changes, we work with our auditor. We work with the county um to prepare those expend those restatements to ensure that we're maximizing the use of some of those restricted dollars as best we can. The very last item you see on that list, the plan for unbudgeted needs. Um, this is an area where I I know folks might be thinking, why would you be thinking of adding things to the budget? There are some things that should be in our budget that aren't in there yet or in our MYP. And so, I would submit to you we have to part of being responsible is figuring out how we do that. The four items
116we've identified to date, um, one is, uh, curriculum adoptions. We know we're going to have one. We've got a math one coming up and we want to be ready for it. Um technology replacement, that's another one. It's not in the budget, so we have to figure out what we want to do and how we're going to pay for it. Deferred maintenance, right? We have the benefit right now of our bond proceeds, but we want to ensure that we're able to protect the seal on our facilities, and that means figuring out how to fund our deferred maintenance plan. Step one of that was having our facilities team prepare a five-year deferred maintenance plan. That's done. Cannot fund it at the level that he's that that it's been created, but we have to figure out a way
117to be able to fund that plan. Um and the last one is OPED. Um OPED is other postemployment benefits. Um sometimes people will wonder other other than what? It's other than pension. So any benefit we give to retirees other than pension like health and welfare, dental, vision, we have a liability that we have to show in our books. To date that liability is unfunded. And so we are going to work to develop a plan on how we can get that liability funded so that it's those we can have some assets reflected in our audited financial report. And last slide here you see the balances in our other funds. Um and you'll note that in our capital funds, these are all fund balances. These aren't cash balances. Um but you can see in some of those
118places where we have fund balances or the same places we're going to be looking at cash balances for availability. Here's a list of all the places we're we're just we're still thinking about and continuing to monitor. um resolving our financial pickle doesn't stop all of the other work from happening. Um and this reflects some of that other work that has to continue to happen while we get to our budget solutions to get ourselves to positive certification at second interim. Um next steps the major financial reporting period we're waiting for our next big data nugget comes in January with the governor's proposed budget. Um, our audit is wrapping up and we're hoping to bring that to the board in June or planning to bring to that board to the board, not in June, in January. Sorry,
119fast forwarded. Um, and then we're in preparation for for March to be able to get to a positive second interimm report and to be able to plan for all of the layoff notices that have to happen. And so, this allows us that time. Um, and the fiscal stabilization plan will we'll talk a little bit about timeline where in January you'll you'll be receiving round two of budget solutions and in February you'll be taking action on those and that's to get us to this the second interim and to be able to show in our second interim all of the approved budget solutions that the board has taken action on. >> Thank you. Before we move to questions, I just want to clarify the for the audience. We're going to be taking item 1A first. Um so
120the board is going to discuss and then take action and then we're going to move to 1B. Um and based on the presentation, the action that is before us is to have the negative certification which would be clearly and transparently acknowledging the amount of money that we need to make decisions to change prior to March as has just been presented to us. With that, questions from the board. Trustee Medina. >> Uh no question. I'd just like to move that we approve the 2526 first interim report with a negative certification. >> I have no uh public comment card, so we'll go ahead and close public comment. Is there a second to Trusty Medina's motion? >> Second. >> All right, it's been moved and second. Is there further discussion or questions? >> Trusty Kirby. >> Um, yeah,
121I just had a few questions. Sorry. Um, to your knowledge in our history, have we ever done a negative certification before? >> I do not know. I'm going to look at other folks who might be able to share. >> I'm not aware of one, but I don't know if Joel is. >> Go ahead. Sure. So, I'm not aware of a negative certification. I know that in 2017 we were qualified and I I'm I didn't have any firsthand knowledge of this, but um after the great recession, I think we that's in 2008, there were some significant uh reductions. I I've seen areas in the budget that show that kind of still have remnants of those reductions. I don't know if we were um negative though, but I know that you know all California school districts were
122struggling around that time. Okay. Um next, the on your pie charts there, the the 4% federal funding sliver on the general and the 6% federal on the restricted programs. Have we been receiving any funds from the federal government for this fiscal year >> cashwise? >> Yes, we have been getting uh federal transfers of revenues into our accounts. >> Okay, thanks. I just wanted to double check on that. Um that's the only questions I have. >> We can have both questions or deliberation at this point. Trusty Jenkins. So I know we had the prefer syndrome and thank you for the presentation. Um it's challenging as we all know to be in this spot. However, to further ask the question of how we kind of got here because when half of almost half of this board came
123on last year and we made hard decisions and the consolidations were supposed to equal a savings of almost $7 million, which was way below what we were supposed to hit. Um, but that's what we voted on and moved forward with. And then a week or two later, we voted to make additional cuts that were going to be equal to around $30 million if those held. So, it's I mean, like, how do we wrap our brains around being negative now if supposedly we made the hard cuts last year and it feels like we're going through the same thing this year? I know that you're that that you're new in this position this year, but so much of it feels like things that came up last year also. Um, and so for us to say that we're
124approving a a negative with the idea that we're going to make the hard decisions and be positive. Um, I don't know if it's a question or just like a talk through it situation. Um, but for us to make such big cuts last year and be so it feels like further away from our goal this year. Um, I know we're going to talk about solutions in a little bit. Um, do you have any thoughts that can help? >> You I have some thoughts both on the on the revenue side and the expenditure side. So on the revenue side, there were some real adjustments to assumptions that were made in the MYP that impacted the school district. So, one um is the with with the adjustments on the number of school sites that we have open, one
125of the pushes from the county office of ed, thank goodness, was to rethink our enrollment projections. And so there was collaborative effort between the district and FICMAT was a part of that as well, the district, FIKMAT plus the county office of ed to redo enrollment projections. And so those changes in the in our expectation on the number of kids we're serving directly impacts revenue. So well in our in our out years we had assume assumed a certain level that got dropped. I want to say it was like 700,000 700 kids one year and maybe a little bit less than the next year. That that's real revenue. So those are real changes in the assumptions on how much money is going to come in. Um, another one that was notable for the school district was the
126change in the allocation model that our SULPA was following. We made assumptions that the status quo was going to remain and last year, I believe it was in spring, um the the the the council for our SULPA made a decision to change that allocation model and that change in allocation model hurt us financially. So that was we had assumed status quo on the revenue side which was reasonable to assume status quo on the revenue side. They changed it. we had to adjust our our assumptions, our revenue assumptions, and that impacted what our outy years look like. Um, but that's not I would submit to you that's not there's no fault in that. Those are changes that are happening. We're adapting to them and refining our assumptions based on the best information available to us. I
127say this all the time. Um, people get frustrated that the numbers are always changing changing. I say to that they better they better change because with every passing day we have better information. So every day they should be changing for the better. Um on the expenditure side we saw some increases in our special education expenditures that just exceeded where we thought we were going to be. Um those changes in one year carry out into the subsequent years. Right? That's why with our structural deficit, um, we're looking for those ongoing reductions, ongoing solutions. If I am off $1 million in our spending this year in special ed, it's not a $1 million problem. It's a $3 million problem across the three. If I'm off $5 million in our spending, it's not a $5 million problem. It's
128a $15 million problem in the NYP. they are those ongoing costs are very impactful to us that way. So those are a couple of examples of how I think about those changes. Is there anything you want to add? >> No, that was very well said. Thank you, >> Mr. Dator. So just for clarification, what this board is currently have motioned and seconded on the table is to accept this first interim fiscal report. We're just here to accept the report. That's what the votes on. Any questions about that should be on the report and we've got other stuff coming up with deeper questions about uh the stabilization and the budget concerns. >> Just to clarify, the action before us is the negative certification. was accepting the report and and declaring our negative certification. Call the question.
129Trusty Medina said call the question. >> Is there any objection to calling the question? Closing debate. None. Let's go to roll call, please. >> Student board member Curio. Hi. Trusty Medina. >> Hi. >> Trusty McN. >> Trusty Jenkins. >> Hi. >> Trusty Kirby. >> Hi. >> Trusty Deator. >> Hi. >> Trusty Prack. >> Hi. >> President Casten. >> Hi. >> And passes unanimously. With that, we're going to move to item 1B, fiscal stabilization plan, and recommendations to the board. Next up is our fiscal stabilization plan and this is another action item for the board. Um I've been calling this round one of budget solutions. Um we are we are early for budget solutions. It is much more common for a school district to bring to the board solutions uh for consideration and discussion at the
130first meeting in February and then ask the board to take action at the second meeting in February. That's the very common timeline we use and that's again to so that we can ensure that board approved solutions get incorporated into the second in report and we have an opportunity to to follow all the March 15th requirements that we have to. So round one is early. It consists strictly of restructuring of the district office management positions. So the $1.9 million of solutions is 100% district office 100% management. 100% district office management is this list of solutions here. And that's what we're asking the board to to take action on this evening. Um, I will note right, we always have an audience. Uh, but the county is, you know, very interested in the action the board's going to
131take on this item. Figmat is very interested on the action the board is going to take on this item. Um, I've assured them that we've we're all prepared to for staff is prepared to make the hard recommendations. The board is prepared to make the hard decisions. Um, we know this is going to hurt. We know it's going to be hard and we know that we want to get to a positive cell certification come second interrum. Um I want to just highlight a couple of things beyond the list of district office solutions that are there. Um while these items the next batch of items don't require board action, we do of course want to keep the board and the public informed. And so, please know that to date, we've identified almost $8 million of one-time fund
132balance um resources that are available that we're looking to transfer expenditures into. Um I think sometimes when I say transfer expenditures into it, there's a little bit of a red flag that might go up for folks. And I just want you to know we are only going to transfer expenditures that are appropriate, eligible, and won't get called into a question in a subsequent audit. Right? So, we are we are we are going to be responsible about anything we do here. And we do it alongside of the county office of ed, alongside of the auditor. Um, right. And our auditor is independent of the school district. So they have no skin in the game other than to let us know when we get something wrong. Um on page three of the fiscal stab stabilization plan, you
133can see the layers of protection we've identified for for our general fund. Um I am aiming to get to about $20 million. You can see I'm still a little short there, but I'm looking to get to $20 million worth of protection for the general fund. Um you'll see listed a few items that we're just previewing for you for round two. Round two is still a work in progress. We're continuing to develop it and we will be bringing it to the board for discussion at the second January meeting um and for board action at the very first meeting in February. Um lastly, know that we had Fikmat on site last week. They are conducting interviews and reviewing documents to prepare the fiscal health and risk analysis or fiscal health risk analysis, the FH. They are scheduled
134to have that report ready for us around the middle of January and will present it to the board. Then um SCO has received our preliminary fiscal stabilization plan. Um it was due to them on December 8th. Um they are currently in the process of making a determination whether they were they were they will assign a fiscal advisor. They'll make that decision by December 15th. That's on Monday. Um I often get the question, what does that mean? What would a fiscal advisor do? A fiscal advisor would come with stay or rescend authority over the board. To stay a board action means to pause it until there's additional information provided. To resend means to declare board action null and void. So, you would have someone assigned by the county who would have some authority over the board.
135Um, I've served as a fiscal trustee and a fiscal adviser. Some examples of what that might mean. What does it mean for a fiscal adviser to stay or resend board action? I'll give you two examples of what I did as as trustee. Um, one staff took to the board um a list of reductions of staff both at the school site and the district office. Uh, the board approved it. That was in February and then May revised happened and staff recommended to the board reinstating lots of positions at the school site and the district office. May revise is not the final budget act. And so I stayed that decision until there was an actual budget act where they can actually show they could afford those positions, which meant they're trying to reinstate positions and I didn't
136allow them to with my stay authority. Another example, um, staff took forward in close session a request that was to authorize for negot negotiations. The board approved it. I stayed that decision which prevented them from going forward and starting negotiations with one of the bargaining units. I stated again until they could show that the board was going to take action to be able to afford what they were going to put forward at the negotiations table. So those are just two examples of how an outside entity with the authority to stay or resend can change the direction of staff and the board. >> We do have public comment cards on this. So, we're going to start with questions from the board. Well, then we'll receive public comment and then we'll begin deliberations. Uh, Trusty Jenkins and
137then Medina >> with the SCO financial advisor. Is that um is that would be a would that be a county like a current county staff that they would just attach to San Rosa City? >> The it it could be a current county office staff member. It usually is someone external. So, it's usually going to be someone they identify with financial expertise who can come in and take on that role. >> And what would be the reason why they would do that? Like what are the that's it's a it's a great question. Um they would the plan we've we've developed so far I would submit to you is is solid. We're doing we're making solid progress on it. I'm a stickler for some things and one of those things I'm a stickler about is that it
138has to be real. A solution has to be a real one and cannot be speculative. So if you're telling me we're going to reduce positions, I want the the position control number, right? That's specificity. Um what I don't accept are things like we're going to increase attendance by 1%. Increase it first and then we can include that as a solution, but before then we don't. Those are the sorts of things the county is going to be looking at. This is there is some subjectivity to the work that the county can do that can be frustrating for us on our end and that's that they they have to have confidence that staff is going to make the hard recommendations and the board is going to make the hard decisions to solve the financial pickle that we're
139in. If they don't have confidence in that, that would be a space where they would then say, "We need a fiscal adviser to come in to help ensure that the district doesn't run out of cash in June and prevent an absolute takeover of the school district." >> Mr. Medina, >> thank you. So looking at um the document attached uh part of this is a restructure to the or chart and um one of the concerns that I have is from the 25 26 to 26 27 is um multilingual services you know it was brought up by a parent speaking earlier but where where does that go? Um, we're a district with a very large um, English learner population and and I think this is something that we have to have like intentional expertise to deal with
140and I don't see how that happens under this new reorganization. So, can I get some insight into that? >> Yeah. Going to ask >> to come through. >> Superintendent August. So these are this is the first step which just thinking about this is the what the how comes next where we will provide you know really some more detail about how the work happens as we're looking at this it's rather than having things siloed which is you know if we think back to some of the restructuring that we've done over the years rather than having one person or you know one or two people responsible for trying to move something forward for the entire district. It's really something that needs to be embedded throughout everything that we do. That work still will need to live and
141be driven within the educational services portion of that division. But really when you're looking at how our directors would be working with our principles and working with our our certificated staff and our other staff, that's where that making sure that that work moves forward. That's something that in our conversations is top on the list to make sure that that work is called out in the expectations for how for what happens. So there there are a few things that we will be bringing forward that will show the actual responsibilities and how those um areas would be brought forward. >> I think so it sounds like it's being spread out and I think with this specific work I think it's it's one of those niche type of jobs that really requires very specific experience. of course throughout
142we need to make sure to address it but I think there's a lot involved with multilingual services or English language learners and I'm wondering are there any examples of any other districts that spread the work out like this? we can bring that information back when we are looking at the how. I think you know, you know, really having listened to the very valid concern of a parent speaking earlier specifically on what almost aligns to these two issues, English language learners, multilingual services, and equity. Um I right now thinking about that as as I relook at this I'm I'm not comfortable with moving forward with that specific change seeing that >> not listed within >> we're still in questions right now. Uh we still need to hear from the public before we move to deliberation. Uh
143is there a question that would further your line of thought? >> Yeah. So, so the question is um is there the possibility to amend this change now before voting on it? I I I don't feel comfortable seeing that eliminated tonight without answers to those questions. So, is that something that we could do? So amending an item is always a possibility. So I'll start there. I would submit to you given where we are financially with the multi-year projections, some of the really hard work and hard thinking that we have to do is about how we serve our emerging bilingual. Right? Being bilingual is a skill. And so how do we how do we serve it and enhance it which means that kids shouldn't to be labeled English learners for seven plus years right so for me
144it's how do we restructure the services we provide to get them into actual actually being bilingual and I don't know I don't know that the answer is in a coordinator position. So, some of my wonderings are about what are the services we can provide to a student to move them into actual fluency in two languages >> and and I agree with that. But my question in terms of what's being proposed, it seems like positions are very specific positions are being designated to be lost. and and my concern is that intentional work when we don't have the answers as to what what this would look like. I have that concern where it seems like positions have already been identified without knowing what would happen afterwards. So that's my concern specific to this. >> Superintendent August, could
145you address the management uh question? Yeah. And I'm actually going to to defer to to some of my colleagues who have more experience in the classroom and with being a providing those direct services to students as that's not my area of expertise. But I do want to want to make sure that as we look at this, we we have identified how those are served within the remaining positions. there's a little more detail to make sure that that we don't miss anything else and that it is doable and the implementation of it. I would not I mean the board it is up to the board's discretion how things are revised. That is not our recommendation. Our recommendation is to move forward with these in with these the restructure as presented and it is not because we
146do not value the positions or that we don't believe in the very necessary work that still needs to happen. It means we have to do something differently and we cannot continue to provide services in the same way that we have been and that's for many positions across the board. So, um I really appreciate um the importance of the language that we're using right here. And I think one of the things that is really resonating for me is this entire year we have been really looking at this concept of the multi-tered systems of support. And one of the things that has been a real push in our work is is not looking through the lens of what is the work that you do compared to what is the work that I do, but looking at how
147we all integrate and braid the work together in order to lift the services for our students. So, one of the things that we've been when we've been examining what this reorganization can look like is to be really careful about not talking about work that is being lost, but how are we going to be able to do that work differently so that we can continue to look at the services that are needed by our students who are developing their language skills and not looking at that work as something that we pull them out of class to give them because it is the integration within the classroom that makes things stronger. And Melanie, I'm hoping you can promote Alisa Haley who's joining us remotely. >> She's there. >> Uh Alisa, would you like to jump in and
148talk about Thank you. >> So, I'm going to address it on a little bit on twofolds. First I want to assure everyone that number one DAC is not going to go away. Something that is is and will continue to be held at the district level. ELAC is a sitebased um meeting that continues to happen. There are set items that have to be shared with the um parents. It is a uh parents of multilingual students. They are the ones that run the ELAC at the at the SC will not that will not be eliminated. I just really wanted to stress that. But as far as the educational component, we really need to look inside the classroom. How are we serving our students? How are we scaffolding lessons for our English language learners? Are we showing them
149realia? are we bringing in different strategies and that happens within the classroom instead of what Stacy had said too that pull out. So those supports would be there in the director of elementary and secondary that's where those would be housed as well. They would be supporting the teachers giving ALD training in any curriculum at our high school level or giving strategies and supports with at the elementary level. Does that make a little bit of sense? I'm hoping. >> I appreciate the comments. Any further questions? Trusty Medine? I I think it sounds like there's a potential loss for very specific experience and I think would you agree that historically these positions were created because English learners and multilingual services were kind of left out and marginalized. And I think that's my concern. Moving to the services
150being more spread out that will go again towards that historical move where our English learners and and and immigrant students are further marginalized just because the work is so spread out. Right. So that that's the concern and and I think that that's the question, >> right? If I can address that. Um I think that it's really important that the work has to happen with all of us because that is not in with all of us. That's when kids get marginalized. When we have a separate department and we're not integrated, then something might be happening when that we don't know about in elementary or secondary. So when you weave it all together, those supports are stronger and the bridge and the bridge is there and there aren't going to be those gaps. But we don't know
151of examples of that in other districts. >> Yeah. You know what? Actually, I can give you an example. Um in our own district and so even within our own district when I first started um 13 years ago um and another um principal uh was at Vi, Miss Aayita Diaz. And it was really a focus at our sites to make sure that our English language learners and our English language families were lifted. And it was through educational processes bringing sites together, bringing the parents together. We actually merged our ELAS. So um to hold a um different events. So it was the work happening at the sites and I don't want to just say it happens just with the principal because it does happen in the classroom position was created. It actually fell in state and federal
152and so that's where um we had different discussions different meetings but we did look at data and so the conversations were were being had and were being held. I mean ultimately it's always going to be work done at the sites but I think the intentional support and skill level we're talking at the district office right now that's required and and I imagine that when you were doing that work there >> that existed and we're talking about maybe eliminating that intentional support and skill knowledge skills and abilities. The intentional work has to then come from the directors and the executive director and the assistant superintendent and that's where that work will always be um lifted and and held up and pushed forward. >> Thank you. I'm going to pull it back to the board for further
153questions. Trusty Jenkins, >> I think I know the answer to this. However, um of the budget solutions that are brought forward for tonight's action, are any of it this year or are these all decisions that will impact our budget for next year? >> These are budget solutions for the upcoming fiscal year. And I have a few questions. Um first, recognizing that this is earlier than tradition um but later than I think most of us throughout this room and and that were in this room prior wanted to be able to see the specifics of the decisions um and the options that we're considering. Are there any actions that we're not taking that we could take sooner? I cannot think of an action for the board to take that staff hasn't already taken for the current year.
154So things like maximizing the use of restricted resources, things like the hiring freezes, like could a hiring freeze come to the board instead as a resolution? Yes. Or staff could just implement it on our own, which is what staff has done. Um nothing is coming to mind um that could be done for the current year. uh the for next year the the idea is to solve the structural deficit. I suppose the board could tell us solve the structural deficit and then some. >> Um for the fiscal advisor, you've served in that role in the past. Are there any proposals moving their way towards us? Is there anything that we have directed? Is there anything that we anticipate coming forward to the board that you would if you were serving as a advisor uh delay or
155overturn? >> Um nothing that's coming to mind. I I think the at this point just I'm going to be very very frank. I'm not the fiscal adviser for the school district. That's kind of what you're getting as the CBO for the school district, right? That's the lens I bring. It's the vantage point I have. Some of the adjustments we've been making this year are exactly the sorts of things I would be pushing other school districts to do. Those cash solutions, that's that's one way. The the review of all contracts, that's another piece. um these are all the things that that the tools in the toolbox that I would bring forward and it's the experience that you're having right so if it starts to feel severe it's because we have a severe problem that needs to
156get solved and I'm going to keep pushing us for we have to get to positive at second interim I don't know that all CBOS's would make that recommendation to you but it is the one with my experience from my vantage point. It's what I'm going to push us toward. >> I appreciate that. And I would say that that was my expectation when we appointed you was to have that level of detail. One of the things we talked about at the finance committee is a new board policy to eventually come up here to consider transparency and further analysis for board considerations. Can we expect over the next six months while you're serving in this position that you would flag any decision that comes to us as something that you would stay or overturn uh in our
157written reports before it came to us? >> I would submit to you it wouldn't make its way to you. So in cabinet that would be a conversation and we would stop it from going forward at that point. And I would suggest that that is at least my expectation and um I am going to presume the expectation of my colleagues. You mentioned the $8 million in uh transferred expenses into the other accounts and I want to ask a should or could. These were probably expenses that were happening or ongoing um or types of expenses that happen each year and they were coming from unrestricted funds or differently restricted funds and the suggestion is that we can now use restricted funds. Is that because we should have been doing that and we didn't do the rigor in
158order to properly code it or is that because we could have but we were intentionally making a choice to use the general fund so those restricted funds could be spent on something else >> going to say it's it's a combination of some things. So the bulk of it so 4.3 million of that is new one-time revenue that's come into the district this year. So we the staff did an expert in this I'm saying staff did an excellent job it was before me. So staff did an excellent job of developing the budget for for this year and not incorporating some of the riskier elements. And that's what that's what we then got with the budget act was $4.3 million of new one-time dollars that we now have the benefit of taking some of those unrestricted expenditures
159and moving them over. So that's it's new to us. it wasn't sitting anywhere unused. Um, we've got about $3.2 million of medical billing dollars sitting there in fund balance. That dollar amount does get my curiosity going. That one does make me pose some questions of are there some opportunities there that we might have missed? How might we think about this going forward? Um, and so with that sort of that that for me is like a refinement of our spending plan. How do we plan accordingly? One of the challenges though I will note about medical dollars um they're they're not the most it's federal government um federal government is proven especially recently to be fickle. And when you're fickle we can't always count on you as a partner. And so with the medical dollars in particular,
160we want to we've got some wonderings about that. Um these dollars though, I will note they're sitting in our fund balance. So they're here. They're they've been received. The cash is in the bank. We can absolutely look at um opportunities to transfer some expenditures there. >> Any of the expenditures that you're looking at transferring to the new one-time funds, are any of those ongoing expenditures or are they all one-time expenditures? Oh, they will very likely be ongoing expenditures that we will transfer for a single year to help restore our ending fund balance to help us restore unrestricted reserves. >> And then in our multi-year projections, which we're just looking at, we are not moving those out of being ongoing expenses within our general fund. It is just for the cash reserve. >> Yeah. just one
161year that we get the benefit of it and then those costs go right back. >> And so then when we're looking at the structural deficit numbers that we're looking to solve, we are still considering those $4.2 million a part of that structural deficit that must be resolved. >> The original 4.2 that's unrestricted, yes, remains a part of the ongoing structural deficit. >> So we're not saying, hey, we have onetime funds, we're just going to keep doing ongoing expenses with onetime funds. No, the only way I would allow for that to be reflected in our multi-year projection is if we showed you $4.2 million worth of expenditures that we would shift on a one-time basis in the current year and then you take action to eliminate those costs in the outgoing years. That's what it would
162take for that to be okay. Uh, Trusty Jenkins in the Medina. >> Um, you had mentioned, well, something that is happening in the background is these budget solutions, the tiny ones like cuts that are happening or tightening and I know that it's been brought up in the past and maybe it lives out in the web into the interwebs. Um, however, I don't know if if like there's a document posted somewhere and if there's not, if we could get some like solid transparency about like what has been done so far that's not like a board decision, stuff that doesn't happen up here. Um but to show the community like the things that have that things that have been done to help um to help with the budget solutions kind of in the background cuz sometimes like
163I hear whisperings of things from staff or from my kids for you know because as teenagers they get more information than I do oftentimes. Um and so getting that information transparent and public facing would be really helpful. Is that uh something that can be >> we can we have we have our own internal documentation. We can clean it up so that it can be actually public facing. You know, we sometimes finance folks, we have our own Excel spreadsheets, but they're they're for our eyes, and so there aren't they aren't necessarily neat and tidy, but we can try to neat and tidy it up to make it public facing. >> Trusty media. Thank you. Um, looking again at the ORIC chart. Um, I'm looking at the student services administration and I see executive director of engagement
164and support and then there's like one coordinator below and I think in the positions it says one director going to one coordinator. Um, I think in the existing org chart there's already a coordinator. So I'm wondering would there be two coordinators now as I because I only see one listed here so I'm just trying to >> Yes. So, um, right now in this little, um, wing of the work, the division that we've been doing under wellness and engagement, there's the executive director, there's the director of mental health and, um, community schools uh, development, and then there's the coordinator of interventions. The proposal is to um move the director of mental health and coordination and uh community schools development into the um special education line to reemerge because that is where that position originated. that there
165was one mental health program that provided mental health supports for both um educationally related mental health as well as some general education services. A few years ago that was split and we had the educationally related mental health services under special ed. We had the general um uh education mental health services that was you know brought out of that division and serving non special ed students. And the um proposal is to merge that back together to try to maximize those services under special education. And because that would be under that line, it would be um changed from a director to a coordinator position. >> Okay. So, let me see. So, then well, under special services now there's already a coordinator. So, now there would be two coordinators there. folks in the audience folks in the audience
166are about to put the slide up that we're talking about on the screen for your benefit. So >> yeah, I can I can clarify that. Um there's currently a coordinator uh for special services and that is one of the position reductions um being proposed. So, uh the current uh special services coordinator that that position would be eliminated and then with the position currently in wellness and engagement at the director level is um moving into special services at the coordinator level. So there would be one coordinator. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Slide 10 please. One more. >> There we go. >> Right there. >> Yes. So, the coordinator of mental health position would be the one coordinator position under special services because the existing coordinator position under special services is uh being proposed for reduction or
167elimination >> and two program managers are being cut from there as well. Right. >> That that is correct. reduction from 7 to five. So, uh three administrative uh positions in special services being proposed for reduction. >> Thank you. Any further questions? Not seeing any. Trusty P. And then I'm going to go to public comment >> just for clarification. So, and I making sure I'm trying to ask this correctly. So, if we disagree or we vote against the recommendations that are being presented, we're ultimately undermining the purpose of this work and there's no room to negotiate or make um recommendations where the cuts need to be made. Correct. >> I'm sorry. Say that one more time. Um, if we disagree or we vote against the recommendations that are being presented, uh, we're ultimately undermining your work
168and there's no room to negotiate or make our own recommendations on where cuts need to be made. Correct. I don't know if I'm asking that right, but I think what I'm trying to say and I might be mansplaining myself um is everything that you're recommendation recommend recommendating recommen >> recommending sorry it's late recommending we ultimately should be agreeing with your recommendations correct in order to fix our problem. >> What what we've offered here is our best thinking on how to restructure. >> Correct. >> Given the financial pickle, >> correct? >> Any further questions? All right, last question. Interesting with Dina and then I'm going to then I'm definitely going to public comment. I think um I did want to go back to um the multilingual and equitable services. I think I think I see Mr.
169Martinez in the back if my eyes don't fail me. And I'm wondering if if we could get some perspective from from that position as to what these changes would mean potentially for English language learners. Before we pull more folks down, I want to go to public comment so we can receive the questions from the public that may come up and then we can have them and have them come down and provide further information on that. But I want to make sure that we're hearing from the public before we go in that direction. But with that, unless there's any objection, we'll move to public comment. Um, I have Betty Garcia, followed by Micah Carlin Goldberg, followed by followed by Robin Felberg. Uh good evening. Um am I on? >> Yes. Good evening. I'm here to speak
170to you briefly about why we must have no further reductions in the HR department. And the reason because is that the consequences of continued cuts reach far beyond our office and directly impact the entire district. HR is the backbone that keeps everybody and every employee in this district supported and properly placed and legally protected. With the most recent cuts, we've are already operating at the absolute limit. What is manageable? While some school sites may have closed, the HR workload did not disappear. It simply shifted. The same value of evaluations, hiring processes, salary placements, and benefit administration still exists, and the remaining staff are carrying it, all of it, on significantly fewer shoulders. If cuts continue, critical functions will begin to suffer. Open enrollment and new higher benefits processing will slow down. Salary placements and salary
171unit increases for certificated staff will take longer to complete. Districtwide participation, one-on-one employee meetings, and ongoing communication will be limited. Tracking and processing employee leave, something essential to payroll accuracy and legal compliance will be delayed. Verification of employment requests which employees rely for housing loans and financial stability will stack up. Most important importantly, major legal requirements such as AB2534 and Senate Bill A48 will not not be completed efficiently or accurately if staffing is reduced any further. These aren't oper optional tasks. They are legal mandates. HR is the department that protects Thank you very much for your comments from labor law violations, grievances and >> Micah Carllin Goldberg followed by Robin Felberg followed by Liliana Santiago. >> Um Mike Carlin Goldberg. I'm a sixth grade teacher at Steel Lane. Um, I have to echo what uh
172Trustee Medina said in that messing with multilingual services is potentially catastrophic. Um, stealing has a highly impacted school community. Our students come into kindergarten knowing very few letter sounds and names in English and sometimes very few in Spanish as well. So, we're starting from literal zero. And by the time they get to me in sixth grade, many of them have been in EL in our school system for six or seven years. And I am one person with 30 students. I currently have 22 ELELs. Six of them are level ones. Three of them have just started in our school district in the last two years. And I have zero outside support in teaching these students because current budget cuts have already removed the reading specialist that steel lane used to pay with with title one site
173funds which was reclaimed by the district to spend somewhere else and you eliminated our TOSA. These people took our most disadvantaged students and got them to the point where they could access material in my classroom. I cannot do that. I am one person. it will not work. Now, as for the district cuts, thank you for doing some. I urge you to talk to your staff classified and certificate about who to keep and who to get rid of because there's definitely more people in the district office who don't do their jobs. >> Thank you, >> Robin Felberg followed by Liliana Santiago, followed by Shayana Kirk >> from Betty. Um when our capacity drops, our risk uh rises. Even now, our team Oh, thank you. Even now, our team is stretched so thin that we barely are
174managing the current case load. Response times are slower. Um and each delay increases frustration for staff across the district who depend on HR to do their jobs. Human resource is not a department whose work can be simply be absorbed elsewhere. Every delay, every backlog, and every missed deadline has a ripple effect across the entire organization. If we want to maintain legal compliance, employee trust and districtwide operational stability, then no further cuts can be made to the HR department. In fact, to keep pace and demand and prevent serious legal and operational issues, we should be discussing strategic support, not reductions. Thank you. Thank you. Liliana Santiago, followed by Shaina Kirk, followed by Deborah Martin. Multilingual program. Secondary. Notch. Thank you very much. >> Hi, this is good evening. She says this is Liliana Santiago. She is
175also the vice president of DAC. You may be familiar. I'm here to talk about the uh suggestion to eliminate the multilingual services department and mig migrant ed. This department provides support and services to more than 2,700 English learner students in our district which represents 28% of our student population. I am greatly concerned in the structure of this offer or this suggestion since the responsibility to support our students would fall on two people neither of whom have an English learners as their main focus. how are you going to plan to uh cover adequately these service essential services during the last three years I've participated in DAC and this year we have uh succeeded in uh significant advances to be able to call upon representatives for all schools these are very difficult to carry out the last
176year with it was decided to eliminate the positions of directors of of elementary and secondary and now they're proposing to restore them we can make decisions more more carefully Okay. And and can we make student question uh decisions more more thoughtfully and uh and better researched to know how we are going to sol solve these problems that are going to be created with the changes that are approved. And furthermore to propo to propose to eliminate counselors as specialists, restorative specialists, interpreters and other services that are crucial in this in the well-being of our students. Without these supports, you can imagine can you imagine our district in three, five or 10 years. The DAC committee is asking you don't take these u these decisions without further bring first bringing in the pertinent information adequate plans for
177restructuring and guarantee that services for our students are the necessary services for our students are provided. Thank you. >> Thank you Shaya Kirk followed by Deborah Martin followed by Ashley Bell. Hello and good evening all. My name is Shaina Kirk. I'm a parent, elementary school counselor, and a fierce LGBTQ plus advocate. I'm here with love and gratitude for the near insurmountable task ahead of us. But I'm also here to fiercely advocate for mental health supports, all of them, because they're critical. Students of all ages are experiencing school closures. Some students may not have safe homes to go. Some may experience homelessness and food insecurity. Some may require extra care as they navigate their gender journey, immigration concerns, self harm, parental separation, life with an incarcerated parent, complex grief and trauma. If your first thought is
178none of this should be handled by the schools or they should just seek outside help, what a privilege that must be. Many families cannot access such services due to constraints on time, money, transportation, school-based therapists, restorative specialists, counseling related staff of all kinds offer missionritical services to our kids. We may need to save money, but we also cannot afford to lose those services. So, I really encourage us to think about those things that are absolutely necessary. They are not a want, they are a need. So, thank you very much. Thank you, Deborah Martin, followed by Ashley Bell. >> Um, I would like to um suggest that to these cuts that you are taking into consideration um perhaps consulting and professional services that could be added to that pot perhaps by 50%. Um, you are trying
179to reduce administrative positions right now and I have to agree that how are you going to secure the job of those people that are in administrative positions? You're shifting that work to other people. What is the security that you're going to give us the parents and the students that those people are going to carry out for multilingual services already is not enough what you are doing right now already the community doesn't feel supported and you are asking on top of that to cut some more also I don't think that this is the time to be u looking at to new curriculum or new media. It seems to me like that's just a glossy new thing to distract from the real problem. It's like getting new shoes when you have socks with holes. I think we
180need to focus on the foundation. Perhaps you can move that a year or two later. I do not think that the cuts that you are proposing right now are benefiting the community. Thank you very much for your time, Ashley Bell. >> Ashley Bell, San Rosa High School. Um, coordinators are not the people who are serving our most vulnerable students. Full stop. Period. The people who are serving our most vulnerable students do not work in an office. They are our FEFS. They are our counselors. They're our SBTs. They are all the people on campus, our SSAs, our teachers. Those are the people who are serving these students. I have worked in the district 10 years. I worked with ELELS. I have no idea what the multilingual department does, but I do know who to call for
181help at my site. The people who are serving those students are on the chopping block, but not because of a coordinator position. I'm glad to see that the educational services department is being cleaned up. It looked a lot in the original web like some like European nobility family tree. There's a lot of weird lines and I'm glad to see that it's getting cleaned up. That's important. But uh much like uh director Medina pointed out, there's like something weird that like we're cutting restorative, but there's a restorative coordinator and we're desperate for cash, but we have a public information officer. Um I think that there's more to cut. I think that there's more to cut, especially if we're considering cutting the actual humans, the individuals who work with our students. Everybody at the district office, as
182far as I know, has, in my experience, more often than not, gotten in my way of achieving things for my students instead of helping me. When I ask for help for my eels, you know what they tell me? Have you tried Google Translate? Yeah, I sure have. Thank you so much for that help. That's excellent. When I make suggestions about curriculum or books, there are people just getting in my way. So, those cuts are not going to hurt our students. The CSA cuts will. >> Thank you for your comments. I'm going to bring it back to the board and first I'm going to ask some of the questions that came up in the public comments. Uh and then I'll go to our student trustee first. Uh so first uh one of the questions I'm paraphrasing
183a lot here. Uh the action before us does not confirm or does or do not relate to the person currently in a title or position. No, the the these are not about the particular people in a position. The personnel action will come in January. So, this is specifically for structure. Again, the how and the who are to follow. The the specific details and we do have examples that we will share with the board as far as other districts that are structured similarly that'll come out um to you in a communication. And along those lines, um, one of for a few different services that we provide, when we're looking at these recommendations, we are we're not discussing ending those services. We're looking at reducing management positions. >> That's correct. It's the management position that gets eliminated.
184So no in the examples of whether we use or do not use restorative practices in our services, whether or not we have multilingual services, any action by the board today does not presume that we're cutting the service to the student. It is just how we're managing and we would bring up the how later. >> Yeah. And very specifically the district office management position. >> The district office management position. So not the site management positions that were mentioned. >> Right. >> Great. No sight. >> Um, and then I know you touched on it in the previous item, but a comment did come up concerning how we're managing consulting and other services. Could you give me just you just remind us of the 90 version of that answer? >> Yes. So, that's the the list of the
1855,000s that I mentioned. We're going and we're putting them into buckets. So, we've got our 62 million, figuring out what of that is special education, what if that is unavoidable like insurance and utilities. Um, that was the one where I noted we oftenimes think we look at that 62 million and think that's consultants. It's not. It's professional services which includes things like utilities which we have to pay. It includes insurance which we have to pay. Um, right now I have about $7.2 million that we're interrogating further to determine what in here is is actually unavoidable. What can we reduce? What can we eliminate? What can we defer? um are all to be determined in that last $7.2 million. >> Thank you for bringing back to the board for discussion, further questions. Student Trusty Core, would
186do you have any questions that you'd like to start us with? All right. Then I'll bring it to the board. Uh Trustee McNally. So, I am an ELD teacher. Multilingual students are extremely important to me. Um, so I I'm hearing what Trusty Medina is saying, what some of the um people giving public comment are saying. My thinking, you know, having someone with expertise at the district level is is nice. It is something that we want to have, something that we may someday return to having. But as we've said in this meeting, we can't have everything we want. And of all the cuts that could be made to multilingual services, the cut that I would be most comfortable with is a coordinator at the top. Um, I think that the people that have the biggest impact
187on our multilingual learners are site staff. are their ALD teachers, their thefts, the counselors. Um, we have to make these district cuts to reduce the amount of other cuts um closer to the site. So, I don't I don't like making that cut, but I still support it um as part of a larger plan. Steam deal. So again, looking at this uh plan, um under multilingual services and and the cuts that I'm seeing, um we're cutting a director and a coordinator. Does that sound right? >> Yes. >> That was a guess. Yes. Yes. >> Correct. That answer was yes. Okay. Um >> but those specific titles again that doesn't mean that the work goes away. It's a shift in in how that the structure of the department. >> Yeah. I think having listened to the parent
188from DAC speak um you know I'll assume that those numbers are right around 2700 students about 28% of our population. That's a significant number of students. Um and and again my concern with the elimination of a specific position, it's again that knowledge, skills, and abilities specific to this demographic. Um I did ask before we went to questions if maybe we could get some insight from um Mr. Martinez who works with this population I believe um on on any thoughts of these changes and how it could impact. Is that okay to get that insight? We can hear from if we can turn on the microphone up top. I do want to just recognize that we are in the discussion around the specific positions. We do not have agendaized today. anything regarding service cuts or services to
189students. So, it's just the director and coordinator position that's on the agenda today. >> Good evening, Board President Casten, members of the board, Superintendent August, um members of the public, San Rose City Schools staff and community. Um so what I will say is um it will have a significant impact um to cut multilingual and if you look at the chart you're bringing up two director positions that could easily be consolidated into a K12 director position. So it's not about cuts and saving money as much as it's about cutting services to our most vulnerable population. and that's our our English learners, multilingual students, migrant um education and Indian education which is what that department oversees. Um and I am the director of that department now. I was director of secondary and I've got 31 years working
190uh with this population. Uh you will lose partnerships. I I've helped uh develop um a dual immersion collaborative uh with 11 dual immersion districts um county office um and and Sonoma State University um to support improvements around um our offerings for our students. I've also um established partnerships with uh Sonoma State and and the Sonoma County Office of Education for Science Education. Um and so in terms of professional development, we're providing it. Uh in terms of our family engagement facilitators, we're supporting them and training them to be able to come back and provide great services for our students and families. That's all done under the opsis of this department. And it is a department coordinated that brings in migrant education, Indian education, multilingual education and supports practices across the district, across subject areas and across
191um the board. I have worked with the majority of the teachers that were here today around uh bringing in strategies to increase student discourse in mathematics, in science. Um, and this is the work for multilingual. Um, and uh, so wiping that position on there wipes out an entire department dedicated to the most v vulnerable population in our district. I would strongly suggest that you rename one of those bullets and keep that department so that you maintain the partnerships, you maintain the coherence, you maintain the support to our teachers, to our schools, and to our leaders. Um and um I moved into that department because of the equity based work that it does and the impact that it can have on our community and our schools. Um and so um I I I think that this
192needs to be thoughtful um as far as what other positions are being brought back. If you look at that chart, there are nine um positions in ed services being eliminated and three being brought back. Um because um those positions that you have there are new and within that the wipeout of the multilingual department is a serious offense to equity for our students. >> Thank you for your insight. So I want to pull it back to the board and actually if address I I want to make sure that we give an opportunity to address is any part of this plan uh intending to wipe out our multilingual services. >> No. >> So so my question as a follow to that >> at all. >> Okay. Thank you with that trusty medina. >> Yeah. as a followup
193to that. So, um, looking at multilingual services, this new org chart doesn't kind of show us where then migrant ed falls in or Indian education falls in. Where do they fall in on this new work chart? Cuz those currently fall under multilingual services, right? So, which director do they fall in? Who's are those disappearing as well or where do they go? Superintendent August. >> So, as we've been working, we did not bring the detail here intentionally this evening as we are still working through some of the the specifics on how that will work, but we do have preliminary thoughts to ensure that our Native American education still continues, that are multilingual, all of those pieces. And so there's a we have a working draft of where the MTSS work continues across the board integrated within
194the education services arm of that of that three-pronged approach to student services support under the executive director of TK through 12. That is where the Indian education the and I'm trying to remember off the top of my head trying to visualize our our internal workings on that. Sorry if somebody else remembers offhand you can go ahead and speak to it. Um you might have that available from notes. But the multilingual was envisioned to be a collaborative effort between the elementary and secondary directors where they each have the primary um responsibility of making sure that that's happening at the grade levels that they support and then in collaboration to make sure that we have districtwide coherence through there. So now we have these individuals reporting to two people like for example the migronet person whoever's in
195that migronet >> no that that we have remaining under the if I remember correctly under the TK through through 12 executive director so no not not necessarily reporting to two people it's who when I'm talking about the split between the elementary and the secondary it's about ensuring what's going on at the school sites that those through the working together, you know, to have a a district-wide plan, but also then to make sure that they're specializing what's going to happen in each of those grade levels. So, you know, fanning that work out, the support >> questions, trusty P and then Trusty McN. Um, be very careful because I don't want to be inappropriate. I'm going to be anyway. So, I felt like that was more of a plea to keep a job than to really discuss
196um more of like the job description. And I would hope that with a reorganization and jobs being um redistributed, there would be a contingency plan instead of cuz I just feel threatened right now that if this person's position was eliminated, all these partnerships would disappear and I hope there would be a contingency pl in place where partnerships would stay intact to continue relationships to support our most vulnerable population of students and families. So, I felt like that presentation was a little inappropriate and a little threatening. >> So, I I won't speak to to that um particular um sharing of of information. What I will share is that the way that we approach partnerships and between it's between organizations and people change at organizations. Any of this information here that's presented tonight is not about who
197is in what role. It is about a shifting of the way that we are organized. That does not mean that those partnerships end. That does not mean that the work ends. It means that it is how do we organize differently to ensure that the work gets done. And I want to reiterate something that I feel like is incredibly important as we have these conversations. These are not recommendations that we believe are optimal. This is what we believe is the minimum to make sure that we are continuing to provide core services to our students and yes multilingual services that is a core service to our students. So as we are talking and and not only that but there that's what we are in the process of identifying is where do we focus the majority of our
198efforts that doesn't mean that we structure in the same way or that we do the same things that we have always been doing. We have to look at everything differently and these are not pleasant recommendations. They are not always ideal and yet this is the the circumstances that we find ourselves in. This is the difficult work that our staff are doing and this is the difficult these are the difficult decisions that our board has to make. >> Trustee McN >> just want to mention again that we are talking about positions not about the people who will fill those positions. So in the coming months when we discuss personnel and and we decide who we want to fill these new uh student student services positions, we can consider that expertise that multilingual expertise in choosing who
199fills these positions and you know even into the future if we end up with external hiring processes we can make that a priority in our hiring. Um, I think that sometimes it can even be an issue for multilingual services to be sort of siloed because that can take the responsibility off the rest of the staff. Um, so again, this is not ideal, but I am comfortable moving forward with this. So to to dusty deusty deator cassen make a motion to move we extend the meeting to 11:45 please there a second moved by trusty daytori seconded by trusty medina to extend to 11:45 uh any objections there's an objection so we'll go to a roll call >> trusted theorei >> I >> trusty medina >> I >> trusty Jenkins, >> no. >> Trusty Kirby, >> I.
200>> Trusty Pre, >> I unwillingly say yes. >> Trusty McN, >> President Casten, >> I that passes 61. We'll extend to 11:45, though that does not mean we have to use that amount of time. Uh with that now that painful thing is over with. Um I'd like to ask a question on this topic and Miss Kazeris um superintendent August has the work been done to fidelity that this is the minimum presented for our options at this point was William what's presented tonight. basically if you put your best foot forward with all the work that's gone into this to make this presentation to us tonight. >> Yes, this is I submit to you this this is our best thinking given the restructuring of the district office that needs to happen and the financial situation we are
201in. >> I believe that I respect that and the main thing that each one of us have concerns with is how is this implemented? There are still questions on the how and that's not being discussed tonight. Just to make everybody clear, we have time to figure out the how and to make sure these pieces fall into the right place. But unfortunately, these are pieces that need to be manipulated and moved for us to sustain and achieve some fiscal responsibility. >> That is correct. How we operationalize is to come. Mr. >> Kirby, do you have any I mean, I would just say I I appreciate the work that went into this. I I agree that we need this uh $ 1.9 million and uh in savings and uh I'm ready to vote on it. >> I'm
202going to provide my comments. I'll go to Trustee Medina. Um, >> thank you. >> Given what Jersey McN brought up, I just wanted to um ask um because she brought up the idea of like the positions being, you know, the skills and everything being revisited. So, with these new director positions, would they be then open for people applying? So everybody would have to apply for these positions with new updated skills and requirements for them. >> Most of the positions, yes, we would expect to be bringing forward. I not everyone on there, but most of the positions would have new job descriptions or revised um updated skills and requirements. And so that would, you know, the board does approve job descriptions >> with these under student services admin, director of elementary and director of secondary. Would
203those have updated or new job descriptions? These are new positions, right? >> Yes, those would have updated job descriptions. I think the positions have existed in the past, but they would need to be reworked to encompass the um revised vision of how we move the district forward >> and the work of what currently falls under a multilingual services director. Would that be something incorporated into both of those? again. Yes, we will be bringing forward recommendations for action on the how. This at this time is just the what. >> And then I'm going to step in and provide my sentiments and then see if there's a motion. We can deliberate if there is one on the specific motion. My sentiment is simply there are people doing good work that we won't have doing good work in
204these positions if we approve when we approve this. if we approve this. Um, and we're going to have that same choice on many items that are going to come before us. And these are the positions that are furthest from our school sites. Um, I worry greatly about compliance and some potential increases in liability. Um, I worry about the customer service as in the teacher services and employee services that are expected from our district office which are already um not universally renowned uh for their speediness because of the current staffing levels. Um, and we all need to expect that we will have less from the district office. scenario that I am particularly concerned about is a situation that occurred at the end of last year where every certificated administrator in our district office was deployed to
205a school site um because we had run out of administrative subs and uh we would not have been able to cover all the school sites which means a consequence of these actions is that at the end of a school year we could see school administrators being moved from one site to another because we do not have that resource. And with all of those worries, the the worries I have for the positions that we're going to be discussing that are on school sites and in classrooms um are more consequential. And they're a place where I want to have the resources, however meager they may be, um to have a better outcome in those conversations about what we still have to support our students. So, it it's not optimal. It's not ideal. There's been lots of words
206to say that, but I do believe it is what we need to do. Is there a motion? >> Motion to approve the fiscal stabilization plan and recommendations to the board. >> Second. >> Moved by Trustee Day, seconded by Trusty Jenkins. Roll call vote, please. Like to move to amend. Uh there's Can you state the amendment? Yeah, I'd like to move to amend to add a multilingual services um director under the executive director of TK12 and change the positions from 90 to 8. Is there a second to the motion to amend hearing? No second. The motion fails. Uh we'll move to a roll call vote on the original motion. >> Student board member Coreo >> I. >> Trusty Deator >> I. Trusty Jenkins. >> Hi. >> Trusty Kirby. >> Hi. >> Trusty Medina. >> Me. >>
207Trusty P. >> I. >> Trusty McN. >> President Casten. >> I. >> That motion passes. Six uh seven eyes and one no. We will now move to item I2. update on board request on elementary consolidation plan. There are many names here, so I'm going to go to Superintendent August uh to introduce the item. >> Thank you. Um we will actually begin the presentation um with our executive director of special services, John Fischer. I do want to just make a statement about the reason that we are making some recommendations. uh with us tonight is making sure that we are as we are making recommendations for change as we are looking at addressing how we best serve students we need to think strategically in the long term. We are not only looking at how we address current
208problems but looking at how we restructure whenever possible to best serve students. And so this came about because of that conversation. And so I just wanted to to share that this is not being brought forward because it's fiscally driven. It's brought forward as we are addressing some issues that we have to deal with and they are related to things that are happening because of the fiscal issues. So just making sure that there's an understanding of the why we felt it was important. So thank you. Director Fischer. >> Okay, we're uh getting the presentation being shared. Um so tonight there are potentially two decisions needed. Uh one is the structure of elementary schools for the 26 27 school year and beyond. And depending on the decision on that, um there will uh need to be an
209a boundary approval because again depending on the decision on the first piece of it, um there may potentially be two options which when we get there, executive director Bardelli would would explain that next. Uh so the structure considerations uh options for elementary school structure one is to create new TK and four to six campuses and what that would involve is Monroe and Layman uh elementary schools uh being a TK through three lower elementary school and what is currently the Commtock campus would be a an upper elementary school with four through six. And the fourth through six students more or less that were originally slated to be at Monroe and Layman would be would be at um Commtock. The other piece about that in this particular option is that uh Lincoln Elementary School would be closed.
210So that's that's option one. and we're going to talk a little bit more about um what that looks like and the uh consequences and implications of that. Um the other option is to keep all sites as TK through six campuses and in that option Lincoln elementary school would stay open um and Commtock would not be used as the uh um upper elementary school. So that's that's the options. Um in addition to that um particularly with the Lincoln staying op open option it involves some fairly significant construction of of portables which is addressed in in a later slide. And the other piece with respect to the structure consideration is something near and dear to to my heart um is options for distribution of special education classes across school sites. And the the two points there and
211I'm going to talk about this more in in a slide or two is to distribute more equitably across all school sites. uh special ed classes have been somewhat concentrated at school sites and it's been driven by where is space available like there's a classroom here a classroom there the the biggest example from last year was rise which I'm going to talk about a little bit more and uh to somewhat concentrate special education where space is available our optimal solution is if a student is in a special education program like RISE or ESN and that that student can stay at one site throughout their elementary career rather than having to go to more than one site. So, it's a balance between equitable distribution, not too many at one site and um having pods I would say
212of of program classes. Next slide, please. So, to motivate this, I wanted to briefly talk about special services priorities. first free appropriate public education that we provide the appropriate supports, services, spaces uh for our students with IEPs. Second, inclusion um and I think this is a long-term big picture district goal um that we improve inclusion of students with disabilities. And here's where the concentration issue comes to the four. When we have too many special education classes and too many students at one site, it is very very difficult to include in in general education classes. There just is not enough space in the general education class for inclusion. And on the other end of that, inclusion is a benefit for general education students. At the same time, we don't want pure general education classes. We strongly
213feel that there's a benefit to having a diverse population. As was emphasized in our special education study, special education students are students, period. And the more we can have diverse campuses with students with disabilities, students um with all sorts of different needs on one campus, we are moving towards our vision of uh special education students not being otherred, not being considered separate. A for example, a layman student is a layman student, not the layman ESN student. And that's that's really our vision that we're is driving a lot of the work that we do in district. As you know, our goal is to serve Santa Rosa City School students in district, not have them at SCO or NPS's or other districts. And so it's having the programs and supports and spaces uh available for our students.
214flexibility. That is um students with IEPs, that's an individualized educational program. It's not a category. A student who is an ESN student may have one of a dozen different kinds of programs. We should not look at that student just as an ESN student, but as a student who has particular needs, who has particular skills, what is the best package of services and classes that we can give to that individual student to make them successful? So flexibility, not rigid categories. This is a rise student has to be in five periods of rise all day. We want flexibility in our system. Again, having um the opportunity to be in general education classes is a key point to this. We have students who are in our rise program who may be in general ed an hour a day.
215We have students who are in three, four hours a day. And that is the goal with our programs. Continuity. Um, if a student is in a special education program or a general education student, ideally they can stay at their one one school throughout their school career and not have to move sight to sight depending on the grade level. Again, my example is the RISE program. Um, we had to find spaces for our rise classes last year and as you remember and I I I tried to make a commitment to coming up with bringing back those rise classes together and we have an opportunity to to do that now. Last year the rise classes from Burke Hill were split up on ultimately onto four different campuses. Singleton rise classes teachers can't collaborate etc. So this is
216this is an opportunity to bring some of those rise classes together and we can ultimately have the rise classes on a couple of campuses. Lastly, the uh overarching principle that is guiding our district decisions at this point multi-tered system of supports special education is a piece of that but only a piece um and it is a priority and as emphasized in our special education study that we was completed nearly a year ago. One of the key points of that was developing a robust multi-tered system of support. So that is part of the effort in special services is not only for students with IEPs but for supports for general education students that can support those students before they get to special education if their needs can be met. Next slide please. So specialized programs under scenario
217one and and scenario two. Um, and there's I'm going to say there are some positives and negatives with both. I I want to say our students last year and I mean all our students had to who had to transition schools that was a hardship on those students and staff at that time and both of these plans one a little bit more is going to involve more transfers of students. That is going to be a hardship and that is acknowledged. However, as Superintendent August was saying just a few minutes ago, we are trying to develop a longerterm vision for our district, not just what's most convenient right now. We want something that is sustainable and is going to help move our district into the the next 5 10 years beyond and build a better system. So
218scenario one which I'm I'm going to call the um it's this is the the comtock being the four through six uh campus and layman and monroe being the TK through3 distribution of special education programs the upper grade special education programs to a large degree would be moving to comtock um Lincoln would be closed which would require the movement of multiple uh extensive support needs classes to other sites likely um Monroe would absorb some of those. At the same time, Monroe being a TK through3 campus, the four through six ESN and SEP classes would be moving to uh would be moving to Comtock. Um inclusion, we will have better ratios at all our schools with respect to the percentage of students with IEPs at the school. that absolutely promotes inclusion. We will still have some schools
219that have very few students with IEPs because of space limitations. That that's a problem as I was saying that students uh having students with disabilities on campus benefits all students. At the same time, I want to make one point and this this is likely going to occur under both these models. We have um plans to site um three to four rise classes at Hidden Valley. we believe we can do it. So, we would be moving um some rise classes to the east east side of the district. Again, um I'll say more equitable or or wider distribution of of program classes that would happen under each of these models. Um collaboration. If we have no singleton special education program classes, there's opportunities for collaboration between teachers. again somewhat improved with the four through six and the
220TK scenario one TK through through three model and I know Lisa in a minute's going to talk about that when we get to general education piece of it um in addition to that flexibility greater opportunity for students to have flexible schedules whether they're in a separate uh special education class 20% of the time 50% 60% etc and lastly with a greater concent concentration of students at the lower grade levels and in separately in the upper grade levels. There are greater opportunities to develop multi-tered system of supports and interventions and executive director Haley I think is going to address that in in the next slide a bit too. And then finally, I mentioned the the rise classes. Under either scenario, we're going to be able to group them somewhat, which is again that's been one of
221the big priorities if we can make that work um with our elementary uh reconfiguration because I I I know I keep reiterating this point. The the single least favorable effect last year from the school closure was the splitting up of the RISE classes in my view. Um scenario two which is TK through six with construction that leaves Lincoln Elementary School open and it requires adding portables at uh Proctor Hidden Valley and Burbank. Our programs would be in special services. I should say the programs would be somewhat less um distributed. It would likely lead to an increase in special education percentage at Lincoln which right now is uh 34 35% and with initial IEPs over the course of the year it's probably going to creep up to 37 38%. Expectation under scenario 2 it would exceed
22240%. Um not optimal again very very difficult to have uh meaningful inclusion with those kinds of numbers. Alisa. >> Yeah, I I had to find my mute button. Sorry. Um, so I'm going to go over the scenarios and we talked a little bit about them last time. And so the first one is the TK3 and the 46 models. So the reorganization of this grade level um structures allows for an improved focus. So you would be focused towards that grade levels. For example, um we the talking about TK through 3 is really learning how to read, how to get the words off the paper, what they mean. Four through six really is going into context, going into um in-depth writing and just a higher level of academics and rigor. And so with this, the instruction and
223the curriculum would be housed within the system, but it would allow for a lot more um ability to share um curriculum and supports. It aligns with the framework of the state for the UPK3 initiative and the focus of the fundamental learning and learning to read once again is a really um important initiative and it's something that we always talk about too. reading, making sure our kids read by third grade. So, it also um the scenario one works to help to reorganize our staff. So, you have increased staffing at sites. For example, we had and this is, let me explain it first. Um we are currently um supporting through some title funds um instructional assistance. They're spread out at different sites. If you were to have the two models of the TK3, TK3, and then the
2244 through six, there would be extra supports. So, they wouldn't be so spread out. So, you'd be able to do what we have tier 2 supports, which are very difficult right now because we don't have those structures in place as they should be. Um, and that involves a lot of small group work. It involves skill-based instruction, visual supports. Our teachers are trying the very best to do tier one instruction for all students, making everything accessible to students. That's not always the case for all students. Some students need a little bit more. And this is one way to solve the situation with our special ed um over identification. If we have a strong tier two and a strong tier one, kids usually do not get to tier three. With scenario two, it would be the same
225as the TK6 as what we do have and it would have fewer grade level partners for collaboration with the TK3 4 through six model. You would have more teachers, so more ability to collaborate with one another. Some of our schools do have general education classrooms that are singleton as well. So, it's very hard to plan with the grade level when it's just you. Uh there's also more ability to share resources. The uh scenario 2 has a bit more with the combination classes because you cannot spread out the kids the way you could with the different scenario one combination class of configurations. So when you have a combination class, it's often split where a teacher is really trying to do both curriculums and that's not that's a not an easy task and there won't be any
226change to the uh structure. The facilities will require new portables and and maintenance. So that is what director Eric Odin will talk about. And um I'm trying to think of what I didn't cover last time. So I think we got I think we're okay. So Executive Director Odin, >> thank you Alisa. Um so so next slide would be the fiscal impact. Um a lot of this is just around um bond fund. A lot of this is not I don't think coming out of general fund estimates. So um for for scenario one which involves um using Comtock as a 4 through six elementary campus a lot of that current year cost you see there and future cost is around comtock um turning it in you know adding a playground fencing and some fixing some of the
227road in that first year and then future costs of um classroom modernization and furniture that was needed um as we move forward. Uh a lot of the savings in scenario one comes from the closure of Lincoln, which that is their implementation plan number from the original board approved um implementation plan for Lincoln, which included um new TK buildings, fencing, um access control, classroom modernization, and furniture. So you can see um a net cost to implementation of around 8 negative 8.5 million. Um this is kind of a something to remind us here that um the Lincoln bonds come out of the elementary bonds which are about a fourth of the secondary bonds. Our secondary bonds are 400 plus million and the elementary bonds are over 100 million. So, uh, when we save it, any anything that
228saves on the, um, smaller bond, uh, really gives us a lot more spending power, um, in that elementary, uh, needed area. Uh, scenario two, um, in the current year, a lot of that current year is around what, um, kind of got pushed back till after this item, which is around portables, right? the need for rooms at some of these sites um that director Haley, director Fischer, and um Dr. Bardelli are going to talk about around the need for classrooms at these sites. Um and then of course adding back in that if Lincoln stays open that that need for the the work that needs to be done at Lincoln as part of the master plan. So, um, yeah. Scenario two, um, something I don't like very much is temporary buildings, which this this requires, um, to
229to get us through. So, it would be a temporary solution needed to bridge us until something we need to do better long term. So, I'll let uh Dr. Bardelli continue from here. So when we think about the general fund estimates um what we see in both scenarios is that uh there will be cost neutral as when staffing is concerned. So when you think about the number of students that will attend the schools, the number of teachers that will need we are going to move students and the teachers will move with them right. um we are still talking about staffing three elementary school sites. So also when we think about support staff we also have the same cost neutral. Um the other thing that you might think about is bus routes. Um as um you know
230Mr. Barksdale always says costs are calculated based on our usage ratio. So if students get bus to school right now, uh going to a site or a different site won't really generate more ratios for us, right? It's it's you know pretty much rerouting the same number of buses that we have. Um just you know instead of going to one site they will go to another one. So all in all when we think about the general fund both of these scenarios are pretty much the same cost. the I did reach out to um director Barksdale from West County. he reviewed the different um boundary scenarios and so that's where he had said that on either of the two boundary scenarios for or either of the two boundary options for scenario two because of the way things
231shift it would likely have one more bus versus with option with scenario one it would because of the proximity of the three schools and the way that they could do the routing that it would require one less bus in that scenario than the other. So that that's the only um that is the difference. >> But would each bus require more mile? So I let us go into some questions on this first section, but I want to we do have public comment on this and so I want to let's have short questions on this prior section and then we'll go into the boundaries. Trusty Dator McNina >> got a few questions. Um, first and foremost, have we had any discussions with our staff and teachers to see if either of these scenarios are actually feasible? >>
232The table can please respond, please. >> Um, I will tell you that I've had one offs with teachers. Um, and some are for it and some are are not. So, it's been a pretty pretty, you know, 5050. Um, and it just really depends on what their specialty actually is because like there's a few teachers that are teaching upper grades that would love to teach the primary because that's their specialty and they really like that foundational programming. I have grave concerns of moving forward with such a monumental shift again mere months after we went through a 7-12 model without being fully supported by our staff and teachers that this can actually be done to fidelity. Um especially when I'm hearing that both scenarios have costneutral implications as far as staffing and students. Um see questions. >>
233Yeah, I'm still on my question and why my question is important. that we need to make sure we're having the right conversations before we vote on anything. Uh, next question regarding to Comtock of a potential four to six. Have we addressed the safety concerns of that campus and the building that would need to take place to have elementary school students on that campus? I know even this year with middle school students, we've had issues with community members being in close proximity to the park and being open. Um, was that part of the consideration has gone into place as far as that implementation? >> Yep. A big chunk of that cost up front there is um around fencing that would need to happen around that site which is wasn't going to happen either way as part
234of the facilities master plan for uh comtock. And then my other concern with Comtock, um, we are having continued issues with our current bus routes getting students to that campus on time. Um, there's one way in and one way out on Comtock's campus currently and not a lot of room for us to configure that otherwise. Um, so are we making sure we're asking those proper questions about busing if we intend to send elementary school students to that campus? So, I did have that conversation with West County today around the timeliness around bus routes and I have some information that I will share with the board. There's some student specific information so I won't be sharing it publicly. >> Thank you. Trusty McN >> is Lou still here. >> I just want to know if she
235thinks scenario 2 is fiscally viable. Uh we seek her trusty pra trusty medina. >> Uh I have a few questions. Um you know we talk about this um in part about you know distributing diversity and all that. Why would this TK3 and 46 model not be done throughout the district? Why only the west side? Yeah, >> one thing at a time. I think it's important because it comes up now because it's really actually also solving a need now and a need long term because you've heard some of our teachers come to speak about they don't our specialty teachers like our music teachers, they don't have a classroom. Our PE teachers don't have a classroom. these this model would allow for that space and would allow for space to grow. And so that is why we're
236really thinking about if you're as we close Steel Lane, what really is the best educationally sound way route to go? A other question I have is so the the bus routes it talks about being costneutral versus based on the number of routes but it looks like the distance of the routes would be a lot further and I think if I recall correctly um the cost of routes is based on mileage. Is that correct? So there could be increased mileage cost, not just a route cost. >> It's a combination. And so in the conversation with West County, that was the rough that's kind of our rough estimate when we're looking at a transportation cost. It could be slightly more, slightly less depending on the route. So it's because of that, it's hard to nail that piece
237down. That's really the only difference in the general fund operating costs that we see between the two scenarios because the staffing stays the same. The, you know, aside from minor shifts that would happen anyway based on an actual enrollment in different grade levels, the transportation is the only piece. And so 135 is our general estimate for our average bus route. So the specifics would depend on actual writership on mileage on all of those kinds of things. So that is the best thinking from West C from West County as far as what we would need to add. Go ahead. >> And if you remember uh there are different passing requirements depending on student age. So when you think about um where the two early elementaryaries are located. So the campus at James Monroe and um Helen
238Layman are kind of central to their attendance boundary and we need to bus any student that lives farther than half a mile because these are young students and the state says they can just walk half a mile to school. Um the upper elementary that is you know housed at um Comtock instead has a radius of a mile because the students are older. uh the state says that they can walk a little bit farther and so given the central location of the comtock campus also reduces the number of busing that we need to do. >> When I think of Abraham Lincoln, I think one of the things that really comes to mind is the walkability from that local community to that school. Mhm. >> And one of the concerns from this transition is um there's a
239lot of families that have multiple kids and now their little kids are going to be split into two different schools. And so parent engagement and involvement when now they've got to maybe travel to a school that's not walkable, how is that being taken into account and what are the adverse impacts from that? So once again I want to go to when we have community events it would be that the community and so everybody's invited and it would be working together and you know how do we make it a community all these schools would have the community schools on top of their schools that they have for the grant. So that would be another um aspect of of working together and really trying to bridge everything also at different levels there's different programming. So now even
240at one site so I'll give an example at one site you will have a holiday program grades TK through three and then another night a different night have it four through six. So that is happening already um in the TK through six model as well. >> Well, one one example on that just immediately that pops to mind is back to school night. It's usually elementaryaries is the same night throughout. So if these parents have >> kids in two elementaryaries then >> and that's which child do they choose? >> They don't have to choose either because they can we can we can work to make it so it doesn't do that. So, we don't do that. And that's something we can do when we schedule things is to make sure that that doesn't happen on the
241same night. And going back to the bond fund estimates, um I see the the savings for Lincoln put in here, but and obviously it says from the FMP um in keeping comp stock as an open facility, what FMP costs are should be included here that are not? >> Yeah. So the the costs that are are are listed there, the current year future costs are about eight eight and a half million or so whereas comtock's original um implementation plan costs are around 15 million. um due to >> I thought I understood that those were the ones just to get it to the level needed to serve four to six but then there's the existing FMP and the needs that are required you know long-term in FMP which seems to be what's listed as savings here for
242Lincoln but is that being accounted for in the future costs um for leaving comp stock open with what need to have been identified long term. >> Correct. If if comtock stayed open as a middle school, it would cost more. I mean I mean the modernization of middle school um classrooms like specialty classrooms cost a little bit more than elementary school classrooms. So there's a bit of a savings there if it becomes an elementary versus a secondary site. Um the other thing I mentioned is that um you know savings on the elementary bond is a lot bigger savings than an ele savings on the secondary bond because of the larger size. So what what's listed here under scenario one um it is about the approximate costs for to turn Comtock into a 4 through6 campus um
243for the current year as well as the future costs of upgrading the classrooms to to beat the middle school modernization needs that they they would need. >> But but again just getting to my point. So, are there no other needs of that facility that have already been identified? Regardless of whether it's a secondary or elementary school um that needed to be updated, whether it be a gym or paving or parking or any of those things, none of that exists in the FMP. Now, that's not being identified in these figures. >> It is identified in those figures there. Yes. the the the needs that would would need to happen now. We would need to have a potential master plan meeting if it did turn to a 4 through six campus of that community and about what
244their future needs are of that site versus what the old FMP was for the middle school campus. So, I can't say for sure that the needs that they would ask for or need aren't fully represented here. Jesse Pra and then Jenkins. >> Thank you. Um first, uh thank you for bringing this to for a presentation. Um one thing I'd like to say is uh when you talk about um guarant or at least I took it as you're guaranteeing space next year for um the extracurriculars like music and art and guar I take it as guaranteeing them space for next year. I don't like to make promises that I can't keep. So, I don't want us to say that we can pinky promise or guarantee that there going to be space next year when you don't
245know the numbers that would be um enrolling in those districts or in the schools. Um but my question, did you already address the equity issue with the east schools? >> Well, no, but did you just ask that because I didn't hear you? Jesse Brack, we can't hear you if you're not on the microphone. So, sorry. >> Uh, did you answer his equity issue? >> Can you restate the question in your own >> about um if the models for TK's and four through six would be affecting the westside schools, would it also be on the east side schools? >> Did I ask that right? >> Yeah, it was the response that Alisa gave. I don't know if you want to um >> restate that response. Alisa, >> my humor or no? Um no, we did not
246say that we are that we were going to do it this year. I think it's important to implement something and implement it well. Um and I like to say this, focus on just one thing and let's do it right. >> I agree. But if we're going to do one thing for one side of town and we're all Santa Rosa City Schools, we have to do it for all the schools. Um, so I feel like maybe that's something we still need to uh discuss. And then my other question, since I wasn't on the board when the decision was made for Steel Lane to close next year, um, and I got to make sure I'm asking this correctly, what are the numbers of enrollment at James Monroe and Helen Layman? like since I feel like those schools
247are closer and could we consolidate those and keep Steel Lane open if that's up for discussion? >> Superintendent August. So the um the information related to all of that was in that report from the fiscal the sorry not fiscal the school consolidation advisory committee that we followed the CDE best practices went in looking at the recommendations for the schools for closure >> um Lincoln was the next school on the list also when you look at the rankings recommended by the committee. So just there there were a number of factors and the when we looked at the demographics of who would fit where. One thing that was um we did present at the time for or discussion was around consolidation of several elementaryaries on a on a middle school site >> and that was um not
248um not accepted as a as a recommendation to move forward with. wasn't um what the board requested and there was a lot of public feedback about that. >> Okay. Thank you, sir. I'm playing catch-up still. I was working on my masters last year, so I didn't listen to a single board meeting. >> Trusty Jenkins and I'm then going to go to Kirby and then I'll open up for a second round of questions. I'm wondering with um well, one I'm I'm really not a fan of closing Lincoln at all. Um because uh for a few reasons. One, I feel like in our conversations last year, we talked a lot about the same stuff about making sure that special ed is distributed evenly and making sure we're pushing in services to Lincoln because it is so walkable
249and that neighborhood really does need a neighborhood school. I have huge concerns about leaving that building empty um without a solid plan, but I but more than that, I don't I'm not on board with closing Lincoln. The other piece that I'm cur well I'm curious if there is with scenario 2 the TK through six and then this addition of portables everywhere if we held off postponing spending money for a year steel lane will we avoid having to put portables on campuses is and what are the numbers cuz the other thing is I'm not seeing like school numbers in the presentation and do we have those like what we're like even what we're expecting next year if steel lane were to close I haven't seen the numbers for the like how many kids we're expecting at
250the schools >> no but I'm asking them >> the numbers were shared during the September presentation what we are expecting is about to have 500 so uh the numbers of students that live in This area that we are discussing today is about 1,700. So 1,700 students those will be divided among four schools. Hidden Valley, James Moro, Helen Layman and Lincoln, right? So when you do, you know, 1700 divided by four, you get something around, you know, 450 at each site. uh the way though that the side the the students are divided and the size of attendance boundaries don't really divide the students evenly. So what we are looking at is to add so currently hidden valley is about 500 students. We are looking to add about 125. So we are projecting hidden valley to be
251at about 625 students. Um the rest of the students will be divided between James Moro and um Helen Layman and we are looking at having about 550 students at each of those two sites. Now as you know we are building buildings at James Moro at Alen Layman right and so we will have space there to absorb the extra students. uh we are not building currently at Hidden Valley. Um some of the portables that were brought up today are at Proctor Terrace and Burbank, right? Those are to address issues that we heard a few months ago around overcrowding at those two sites. Um Lincoln is projected to remain at around 350 students. So all in all, that is what we're looking at right now as projections. Um hopefully that kind of like >> but it doesn't
252we're talking about like we haven't had any time to settle from decisions that were made less than a year ago that drastically impacted our entire community. So making any changes that don't have a financial benefit right now period makes zero sense. It's like we have to let the trauma from last year settle before we shift everything around again. >> Keeping keeping still lane open will have a fiscal impact. Right. So we know that operating a middle uh an elementary school site only on uh keeping the lights on cleaning um you know and everything else just operations is half a million dollars. >> So I I want to make sure we're staying within the confines of what we have posted. If we were discussing reopening or or changing, we would need to have that analysis come
253back and we need to post it on our agenda for discussion. Um, which can happen and we can do that. We just don't want to go down the road of having that conversation right now without posting it. Trusty Jenkins, do you have other questions before I go to Trusty Kirby's questions? And Trusty Kirby, your questions and I'll do a second round. >> Thanks. Um, hey, just to clarify and maybe Director Odin can weigh in. Um, I was under the impression that we are currently already going to put portals on Burbank and on Proctor Terrace and I thought we were also putting some on Hidden Valley. Is that correct? Whether or not we do either of these scenarios. >> Um, yes and no. Right. Yeah, that's what's on the board consent item that have been pushed
254to behind this. But yes, so some of that like Burbank um is but in talking with uh Dr. Bardelli and director Haley and director Fiser um this is the number we came up with dependent upon you know kind of this outcome tonight on these two scenarios if we needed more at Hidden Valley um and or Proctor. I mean the initial ad at Proctor was one. It could be up to three. initial ad at at at Hidden Valley was, you know, a couple. It could be up to four. So, a little bit depends on what happens tonight. And is that timeline dependent? I mean, if we don't do anything tonight, we still have time perhaps in a future board meeting to address those timelines if we don't pass this tonight. Is that fair? >> Not Not
255with DSA, right? like I got to get through DSA and I got to get these all done in the summer. So I'm already at, you know, I superintendent August, you know, asked me to push it till this month when I wanted it last month. So I'm already, you know, panicked to say the least. >> Okay. Um, question back up front here. Um, do we know if any of our feeder districts currently have this TK346 model? >> They do. Benner Valley, um, Ulupa Elementary is an early elementary site and Strawberry Elementary is a upper intermediate. I don't know you want to call it. Um, I've read on the newspaper that Ring Valley is also considering a similar setup. They are looking at something a little bit different. they are looking at K2 uh 3 4 5
2566 7 8 and I think that is because they want to have you know a middle school and so like you know they cannot do K3 for five so they need to readjust a little bit um when we were thinking about as you know director Haley said um we prefer doing a K3 because that is better aligned with the state standards and we have the space to accommodate Um, so I'm also concerned uh what director Medina brought up about the fact that we kind of didn't we overlook the fact that uh we're going to perhaps have to implement all the um facilities master plan cost at Comtock if we keep that school open. I assume it's going to be much more than 17 million at uh Lincoln since Comsoc is such a bigger campus. But
257also, are we going to lose the money that we had planned on saving once we shut that campus down? >> Well, no. We would continue to operate this. It's the same number of schools and the staffing stays the the same regardless. That's why there's a net neutral staffing for for either scenario one or scenario two because the operational piece doesn't change. I'll let Eric speak to the facilities master planning piece, but I just wanted to clarify that again in either of the scenarios regardless the staffing piece of it is that's where we talk about net cost. >> Maybe I didn't say that correctly. Um, what I was getting at is if we shut Comtock down as we had planned to do, then we, you know, we had planned on getting that savings from closing that
258campus and perhaps renting it, repurposing it, leasing it, whatever. So, we're going to lose that part of what we had planned on. >> It would become the other school that would be closing. So, it would be Lincoln that we would realize the savings from the non-operation versus Comtock. >> Okay. Um >> it won't be a dollar for dollar but it would be >> okay >> similar >> this um and lastly uh did this scenarios did they take in the I know it just came out so probably not but the uh the student population forecast that we received um did did we include any of this report or the thinking in that report in these decisions about these scenarios. >> Um, >> yes, go ahead. Sorry, >> hold on. We received the uh study last Wednesday
259and the scenarios, right? We already discussed them pretty much in in September, I think, right? So, we did our own internal estimates. So, we do have estimates for enrollment at, you know, for both scenarios. And I think um director Haley wants to share about uh work that she has done on creating classrooms. So we do have various scenarios you know looking at this year's enrollment and if these scenarios were in place this year right how many classroom would we have how many combination classes you know how many teachers will we need and so on. So all all of that projection work was done. Okay, thanks. >> Uh, superintendent uh August, you wanted to respond and then I'm going to give my questions and then we'll go to round there the demographic study what as Dr.
260Bart Deli shared was not included as far as theirs but there are we we are still in the process of reviewing and double-checking because there are some discrepancies in some assumptions that they made. So I I would have concerns about us using that at this point for projecting that enrollment um at in this scenario. And I wanted to revisit the the question about the um postponing. So essentially status quo is scenario 2 with boundary C. So it but what that means is we don't do all of the portables which does impact um substantially oper the um service for our special education students. >> Okay. And that was going to be my question is if we take no action we don't change um what is what does that mean? And so if we take no action
261tonight that means scenario two with option C just for everyone's clarity. Uh, I'll do one more round on questions and then I want to make sure we have time for public comment which means we need to receive the boundary presentation. So, uh, Trusty Medina and then Trusty Dator. Um, one of the things that I don't see well first off um I think you said about 1,700 students is what we're talking about here. Um, staffing is probably going to be based on the number of students, right? I'm the one thing I don't see here is potential savings or increase in cost tied to staffing from these changes. Um what if any are there? >> There are um pretty much staffing uh our projection currently are are to be costneutral. Um our elementary classrooms are staffed very
262tightly this year. So if you remember last year, part of the savings of uh consolidating sites was saving staff by, you know, collapsing maybe not full classes. Pretty much I think we have no room right now in our elementary sites. Um and so pretty much teachers will move together with their students to a different site. And so you know the cost is pretty much the same net um moving costs. And I think that what we're trying to do here is solve a problem that we're going to create by closing steel lane. And I'm curious if I I think I would like to see maybe at next week's meeting what would be what would happen if we stopped the creation of that problem? What would the fiscal impact be? So that is something that we would
263need to bring back and it would we do know that it would be an increase in costs because the the cost of the savings of that closure and consolidation is already assumed in our multi-year projection. So it would be an increase in other reductions that would need to be made as part of that, you know, it would increase that deficit, that ongoing structural deficit. >> Stein, let's go to your question and we're going to go to the boundary presentation so we can get public comment and then we can ask questions again after that, but I want to get to the public as quickly as possible. Uh, boundary opator, >> I got two questions. First, um, can I please get clarification to the board on what this action item is asking us to take action on?
264What is expected from a decision tonight? We are looking for direction well action on either scenario one or scenario two. And depending on that action there are there may be a boundary discussion or boundary decision that is required. So it is required. So if it's scenario one there's a boundary presented with it. So it would be request for action of approval for scenario one with the associated boundary or the other option is scenario two with either boundary A or boundary B. And so that's where if we get into the the boundary discussion, I think that will help the board to understand one of the issues that when we made the the adjustments um when we consolidated schools, there was not essentially Lincoln does not have a large enough pool of students who attend there to
265have a a distribution a student population that isn't overly weighted towards special education. If we c if we went with say boundary C for example, it means continuing to put our special education classes clumped or concentrated at sites that have space rather than making that adjustment to really more evenly distribute this the student population. So, we're asking the board to vote on and make a decision on scenario one, a massive monumental shift to our elementary education without any input from our teachers, families, staff, or status quo scenario 2 with a boundary change. And we're being asked to make that decision as a board tonight. >> And we also have the option to take no action, which would leave the status quo at scenario two with option C. So, we have those three options. One doesn't
266require us to take action because we're starting to ask questions that are leading into the content of the boundary presentation. I'd like to receive the presentations. Well, I'm not done with my questions. My second question, can we please relay information that was previously presented on what the population of Lincoln students are that are actually walking to that school and being neighborhood families? Yeah, I don't know. I I I I don't know that information tonight. >> Okay. It was presented in September. My point for that question is we have done everything we can to keep that a neighborhood campus and to get families to go there and unfortunately we're still at a very low number and neighborhood families are not choosing Lincoln Elementary as their home school. So that's why we're struggling with attendance on that
267campus. We have tried let's receive the boundary presentation. >> Yeah. >> All right. So as this I I call this option A goes with scenario one. Um everything else on uh Hidden Valley, Proctor Teras Bank stays exactly like it is right now except with uh Hidden Valley taking over the current attendance boundary for Steel Lane on the east side of 101. That was I I think the feedback that I received um after our September presentation. So this uh reflects this. There is no change in the St. Rose neighborhood uh at Proctor Terrace. So everything else stays the same. Uh same thing for Burbank on the boundaries. Um here as you can see um Helen Layman will absorb the um current boundary for Lincoln and James Mororrow will um pick up the boundary that used to
268be um Alberbella. I want to recognize here that there are families here that were moved to a different school this year and they will be moved again to a different school this school year too. So potentially we're asking families to uproot twice and change you know and move schools twice. So I just want to recognize it. It's baked into um this map. There is really no way to make it work. um these light purple and light blue will all attend the comtock upper elementary for grade four, five and six, right? And so those two will all combine together into the upper elementary campus. So this option is the only one we have. The boundary between the two lower elementary or primary school is Gville Road and Stony Point, right? So it just cuts that pretty
269much cuts the area kind of like in the middle between the two primary school sites. Now option B and C go with scenario number two. So if we just keep everything SDK6 campuses um let's go with option C because this is the status quo. This is exactly uh our current attendance boundary just redistributing steel lane between Hidden Valley, James Mororrow and Alan Layman. Um here the boundary is not Gville because it follows uh the current boundary between James Moro and Alen Layman. Um the area to the east of 101 will go to Eden Valley. The area to the west of Eden Valley, sorry, of 101 will go to James Mororrow. I know that uh when we were discussing about elementary boundaries in September, there was some questions about lining up the elementary boundaries to secondary
270boundaries and that is option C. Um without touching the other schools, we could have the opportunity here to extend the attendance boundary for Lincoln um down West College all the way to the end of the district. This will line up um Abraham Lincoln's attendance boundary with the new boundaries for Santa Rosa High. So basically Lincoln will become a fully school that is served by Santa Rosa High and will feed into Santa Rosa High. Um again I want to recognize that this uh families here in Coffee Park. This is the I think the old water treatment plant right that was uh developed were attending Albero last year are attending J um sorry Al Helen Layman this year and we are asking them to move to Lincoln next year at least residentially. We can still offer them
271the opportunity to stay at Alen Layman as transfers and continue and finish up their elementary career and we just enroll new students into Lincoln moving forward. Right? So as new students come into the neighborhood, you know, move into the new development there in a Copperfield Park, they will start in Lincoln rather than at Helen Layman. >> I'm gonna ask some of my questions first because I haven't asked any yet and then I'll go to the board. Um, so one of the concerns that I have, uh, in general with more grade level splits and transitions, um, relate to the logistics of being a parent first, then I'll go to the educational outcomes. But there was a parent from Rinken Valley that very uh clearly articulated what it would be like to have to go to two
272or three different campuses by creating these smaller chunks of uh grade levels at any given campus. Um and I think one of the strong suits of some of the changes we've made is that we're actually between our TK8, our TK6, and our 712 options heading in a direction where you're going to have substantially more convenience for parents um for longer periods of time. I I know we haven't had a lot of time to do an analysis, but when we look back at the body of comments we received on this over the last 12 months, do we anticipate a loss of students through because of that inconvenience? >> We haven't opened enrollment yet. So it's it's difficult to know given that's a big change. It's it's it's difficult to project right and we have not conducted
273like a market study where we survey parents to ask them their preference. Um you know talking about the multiple drop offs. Uh by law uh we need to start elementary schools at 8 but uh we can also start it later. So it's not early no earlier than 8. We know that all our high school starts at 8:30. So there might be some flexibility there for staggered um drop offs and pickups where uh we can design uh start times between the two sites between the primary and the intermediate site where parents might need to do just one drop off and one pickup and the bus will take the students you know to and from the other site. Um, you know what I'm thinking right now is you do the drop off at the primary site at
2748, right? Then the, you know, the older student takes the bus and goes to the other site and then you do the pickup at in the afternoon at the other site, right? Just because um K3 have different minute requirements that for six, we can, you know, they go to school about 20 minutes longer. So like there could be that leeway that we can use within the school day, right? It's a little bit of a change, but it's still one drop off, one pickup, maybe two different locations. >> Okay. And then similar to a concern I expressed in discussions earlier this year around Proctor Terrace, you Lincoln Elementary represents our southern southwest border of our campus. Um, and any students, any parents or families that are using a commute pattern where they're going to be flowing
275to Highway 12, um, or to Highway 101 don't currently naturally have to go by the campuses that we're talking about consolidating them into? Uh I similar to the last question, what is your best thoughts on the risk of having students transfer out based on workplace address based on all the things that we know could become available? Um JX is not that far down the street. Um if if we're disrupting and necessitating parents to go in the opposite direction of their primary commute quarters. >> Yeah, that's true. Um now here we're talking about Lincoln right I imagine >> Lincoln yes >> um we will be offering busing to um the Helen Layman primary campus right and the comtock and we are going to be the only district you know like let's say that you want to
276go through Rosland that they won't provide transportation especially given that um Lincoln remains >> like a you know walk to school right will want to provide transportation to their new school. Correct. And so, um, that is is something to consider, you know, and it's baked into this new design. >> Okay. Thank you. And then along those lines, I know at the last meeting on this, there was an articulated benefit um around the educational links and of this grade model splitting. Um, but a lot of the research that I've read recently around especially length of time on campuses, the school community being built up, parents having more uh opportunities to volunteer um because they see the time at that campus being a longer period of time. um you know th this to me is intuitively not
277in line with that and and so I I need to understand how that research and those logical flows don't apply to this this opportunity the scenario one >> I'm I'm sorry I'm not well read on that research base so I can really talk about you know what what the findings were you know my you know 11 p.m. brain says, you know, eight is better than five and being at a site for 8 years helps you build more community than being at at a campus for, you know, five and then having to move to a different campus for just three. >> That that is just, you know, it's my 11 p.m. um >> you know, hypothesis right now. So what I'm asking what is the thought process behind scenario one that causes us to not be
278concerned about having additional breaks in a shorter period of time. >> So I think that Alisa can speak to the pedagogical side of that because that's really what it comes down to. Both can be true that yes there's a benefit for the TK through three and four through six and also it's true that there's a benefit having that longer time on campus. They're just different benefits. But Alisa, if you want to expand. >> Yeah. So, it really is that focal point of um that foundational where where your TK3 is really that foundational skills. It's foundational reading, foundational in math, foundational in writing, and it is um it's the strategies you use, and it's really those those honed in focuses. And so then the four through six really is then the content not that you don't
279do content because you do in TK3 but you know more in depth and and the different science um aspects and the writing aspects and then you know really the reading you know you're reading your um analyzing your using inquiry. Um but so there is that option for teachers in those upper grade levels to departmentalize or collaborate together to really build in what their their expertise is too. And then at the elementary level um really focusing on making sure those kids all the kids needs are met and it's balanced with our special ed population as well. So one side is not heavier. we have opportunities to integrate because the the goal is not to keep our kids in special ed. The the goal is to have them leave special ed. And so by providing different opportunities
280due to the availability of space as well and targeted groups, then that's another benefit. >> Thank you. Those are my questions. Any questions before we get to public comment? Trusty Jenkins the Medina and then Bracken. >> Yes. I have two questions. The first one might be kind of long. Um but my first question is actually for director Odin. Um so my understanding of what is coming this summer is that we are currently planning on closing steel. SRFax is moving to Santa Rosa Middle. Leela and additional classes are moving to Bella. Comtock is moving to Piner. LC is adding a 78 onto their campus with a brand new 4x4 model. We're possibly planning on doing something with Rinken Valley in a couple years. And then we're still figuring out sports facilities for Slater, excuse me, Montgomery
281and Santa Rosa junior senior programs. is a monumental change such as we're proposing even feasible for our staff when we are cutting to the bone between now and then. I don't know if I'm the person to ask that question of if you have a facilities question. I can tell you it's easier for facilities for me, but um I'll let uh Superintendent August or Director Haley speak to that. So, it would involve the moving of of teachers. Yes. And and it would hit the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade teachers. Um, and when doing the math, I did do the math of teachers that had to move from other schools to the current school. So, for example, there are several teachers at James and Row that are teaching upper grade. They would have to move and that
282number is three. And then and that does not include the number of um teachers currently at James and Row teaching. And then Helen Layman teachers would also have to be in the move. Steel Lane will be in a move regardless of what is chosen. >> It just seems absolutely impossible. But my second question is for Dr. Bardelli. um with the option of I think it was option number two extending Lincoln's boundary a little bit. Does that free up any space um that we could possibly take off some pressure from Hidden Valley and Proctor? >> No. Uh that will just wish um move an attendance boundary from Helen Layman >> to Lincoln. So it might relieve some of the overcrowding at layman but not on this other side of town. So you know proper terrorist and
283valley and burb bank will need to be addressed pretty much just with new construction. And then the other part of that, thank you. Um, was what I had brought up a few times now, uh, I think even including last year was with the Proctor Terrace Luther Burbank boundaries. Um, there's got to be a way that they have less schools, less secondary schools that they feed into if that boundary is a horizontal line instead of a vertical line. and adjusting that so that the it it there just seems like there should be a more balanced way. And so those then we can count on those kids actually going to the secondary school that they're slotted for because as we know in elementary school often times if kids are starting to have the choice of where they
284want to go, like what makes them feel safe, it's going to be who their closest friends are and where their friends are going. And so if we've got elementary schools that are split in three different high schools in our districts that we h do that we can control. Um is there like we've got to be able to play with those numbers and make that uh a little bit less drastic. >> Yeah. And I do have a little bit more uh details on a different map that's included here. >> Before we go there, I want to let's ask that question again after we get through public comment and bring up new maps. So uh trustee Medina then P and then I am going to ask that we move to public comment. My my question is as
285it relates to um keeping the three schools open, Monroe, Leman, Lincoln. Um if we're closing Steel Lane, right, we're talking about 1,700 students and I think I heard there's about 420 at Steel Lane. Uh nine portables are supposed to accommodate that difference. we that's what we've calculated but it sounds like that's assuming that all students go to the right place right so when I do the math let's say 30 students per classroom that would be about 14 portables versus nine so I'm just trying to understand why there's that difference or are we anticipating a huge reduction in students or what's going on >> so we are adding rooms currently at James Moro and layman to um absorb some of the steel lane uh student population. Now if >> is that on top of the name?
286>> Uh we are adding six and six currently. Well it's yes. So we are adding two buildings right and Eric correct me if I'm wrong but we are adding I I think five rooms in James Moro because we had to remove one and six at layman right Eric? three at layman because we have to remove three. >> Yes. >> So with those plus the empty rooms that we have identified at Ediden Valley that are currently used for other uses uh we should we are able to fit the students from steel lane at these three sites. And I think too, um, Director Haley, um, on the pedagogical stuff, um, it seems like those things that you mentioned can be done whether you're separated on campuses or on a single campus. Um, I don't think that's restricted.
287I think it sounds like maybe the the benefit is just more teachers together, but I think there's alternative forms for further collaboration. Would that be correct? >> Um I will say yes and no. I think yes there is if you have if you have partners grade level partners many sites don't and that also comes because of our combination classes and they will be heavy with combination classrooms next year. Um not I'm sorry in not in scenario one in scenario two and three it would be heavy in combination classrooms. So that's a little bit difficult to collaborate with. But also when you're looking at support staff that you're able to that you have at schools now and you're able to put them together, you can distribute differently and so it can be smaller groupings. It can
288be different pushins. I know that um a teacher had mentioned uh having an e specialist and the tossa is gone and that that support was really beneficial. So that is support that can happen as well. Not as indepth because you know it isn't a te a c certificated teacher but our instructional assistants are pretty amazing as well. >> And while it may reduce the need for combo classes, it doesn't necessarily eliminate the potential need for combo classes, right? to have the TK346 >> nomination classes will be on forever. However, um I did take the numbers and I worked classrooms and I worked um class configurations with with trying to keep it as class size reduction that we currently have. um and was able to do that with the combin with scenario one the TK3 model
289there were oh I want to say there was only one combination classroom at the 4 through six and then at the other sites there was I'm trying to think I know that one site had two and the other had and another site had one so when scenario two and three it was a greater number of combinations. Um, one school had five combination classrooms, another school had, I think, three, and it was just so they they were much higher. >> All right, we need to be moving this so we can get to the public. I will allow everyone ask more questions afterwards. I'm going to have Trusty Pra's question and then go to public comment. >> Sorry, just kidding. Don't use that word. >> Um, I really don't feel comfortable voting on this tonight because uh
290I feel like if we're supposed to be promoting and encouraging more transparency and collaboration with our teachers and SRTA that we should really include them in the conversation about these scenarios because it affects them >> and the families. And I really want to look at the numbers of each of those schools enrolled in the west part of town because it should be uh we should be dis is it the word displacing the fewest amount of students. Trusty Brat, can I ask as soon as we're done with public comment that you reintroduce that concept? Um but I want to make sure that we don't close down this item before we give the public a chance to speak. >> That's fine. >> Then I'm going to move to public comment. Uh we're going to start with Maria
291Crane. Uh we then have uh two comments from two students that we will read and then after that we will follow uh with Mara Deson. >> Okay. I'm going to I'd like a little extra grace. I've been here five hours and so um I'm Maria Crane and I'm currently an art teacher at Lincoln Elementary and I want to challenge us tonight. Maybe I'm an art teacher but I want us to think more creatively and critically. We're losing millions of dollars and I think there's creative solutions that haven't been looked at that could restore financial stability without closing schools or harming students. And I'd like to offer some. First, we need a community-led fiscal recovery summit to bring to the table the strengths of different partnerships, locals, those that actually know how to lead a system,
292a business, a school into out of the red and into the black. We have expertise and crowdsources revenues that could seek cost-saving ideas. Second, we need to aggressively explore more priv private partnerships. That includes leasing the unused lands and schools at fair market values to local businesses, medical offices, early childhood programs, and nonprofits. Um, also seeking corporate sponsorship. Third, we have enormous untapped potential even in solar energy and utility savings to install solar and battery storage in our campuses. Fourth, we must rebuild trust in enrollment through programs families dual enrollments and give communities the types of schools andmies they're seeking. Next, we need a grant strategy task force that would focus on federal, state, county. Other districts have brought in 5 to10 million dollars doing coordinated grant work. We deserve the same. At the same
293time, we can't ignore internal restructuring and third party auditing that would examine the inefficiencies in our central offices, transportation routes, contracts, and other savings. >> Thank you very much. >> I I need to take a little more, guys. I've >> Every every person who has spoken tonight has received the exact same amount of time, and that is the rule that we're going to follow. Everyone will have equal time. I will ask Dan to come up uh to read letters from two students who had to leave uh before they could give comment tonight. uh Marlo Chavez and Miss Garcia who wrote her first statement away. I cannot read it. >> Just to clarif clarify uh these are parents who came as Lincoln and uh in the interest the spirit of fairness I suggest that I have
29490 seconds uh for each if that's okay. >> Correct. >> Okay, I am uh I'm ready. This is from Maria Chavez and this sort of represents the feelings of the group. I'm here because I am concerned about school closures, specifically transportation and transportation safety. Will they provide us buses to bring our kids to school? Who will guarantee for us the kids will be okay? My child is in an accident. How will they go get them since we go to and from the school just like many students on foot? Special services at which many at which schools can we depend on having special programs for our kids with reading or with speech? Since our current school there are many such programs and other schools don't have them at all. uh what would happen with with uh
295Lincoln schools since we saw a few months back that schools these schools are at the risk of being vandalized as has happened already and there are areas where an area where our schools located is at even greater risk of vandalism. Why hide from us the reality of a situation that our district finds itself in? Why lie to us about the district's debt numbers? Why engage in uh continuing closure of schools and firing teachers if instead cuts can be made elsewhere? For example, if we don't buy new books, the teachers can work with the one that they have and uh avoid a lot of red ink. Uh we can move the district off to office to one of the closed schools. You can cut district office staff. In the end, there are many ways to save
296money without harming kids. Let's think about their well-being and not just your own. Stop hiding this very serious situation which the school closures will not solve the problem. We oppose school closures and discrimination. That's the end of that one. Um, the second one is from Anali Garcia. Give me, sorry, give me one moment. I'm ready for another 90 seconds. How, and I'm translating from Spanish, so give me a little breathing room here. How many of you are are are being cutting your salary? They're starting to close our schools. Uh, the question is, how many more schools are necessary to pay for the bad administration? How many teachers must be uh dismissed? Our school is one of the few that offers special services and we're gambling with those students who are the most uh most vulnerable.
297Lincoln has been receiving students from schools that closed last year and the plan that you guys put forward and to the moment doesn't seem to be functioning and uh thinking and the frustration that they that they be submitted to students. We need to in the district we need to think about uh learning environments that are stable in order to have academic success. Not even have they taken into account that the the at the school we want to uh we want that want to attend. Scarcely have you resolved the problems with trans with transportation. Have you think about about the lines of of the different kids coming that would have to manage the different entries and and pickups uh to have the opportunity to do the right thing for our students to help to end the
298races systemic racism that we are feeling and we are feeling attacked for belonging to a majority of of the Hispanic speaking community the Spanish speaking community in comparison comparison with other institutions that included Thank you. Thank you. >> I'm Marla Desonne, followed by Kirsten and I'm going to have you say your own last name when you get up there. And then we'll have Micah Carlin Goldberg. >> Um, good evening. My name is Mara Dane and my children attend Lincoln Elementary. I am a stay-at-home parent and tonight I should be home having dinner with my children and by now putting them to bed. Um, this crisis has taken me away from my job because um, apparently you need to be told to do your job. Your job is to clean up this mess and I implore
299you not to close more schools. This board needs to find long-term, meaningful, and more creative ways to actually balance the district's budget. It's become clear closing schools did not magically fix much of anything. Stop punishing our communities, educators, and especially our students for your mistakes and mismanagement. And now since I've seen the presentation, you should be asking parents what they plan to do if you close that school. Because for me, I will be looking at all my options since I have to move them anyway. If I have to move my children and start a new community somewhere else, I will be looking at all of my options in this town. Thank you. >> Kirsten, followed by Micah Carlin Goldberg, followed by Anna Diaz. I'm Kirsten Marie Singmong Tong and my son is in extensive support
300needs. So that's why I stood up while you guys were talking about special ed cuz I feel like it's really important that you should hear from a parent of an ESN child before you start making decisions for them. I just want to say he went to preschool at Seal Lane Elementary. Then he was transferred to Brook Hill and that's all during COVID. And then he was transferred to Lincoln. And then he was transferred back to the RISE program at Brook Hill which didn't pan out. It was kind of a disaster. And then he went back to Abraham Lincoln where he spent the rest of third grade, all of fourth grade, and now he's in fifth grade. And it has been the greatest thing to see him grow under consistent teachers. Okay? He didn't grow as
301much when he had to switch teachers every semester basically. But now that he's had consistent teaching, he has grown so much. He's grown from a nonverbal kid using the textbook to using his own words. I can't tell you how emotional that makes me. And I just I want to continue to see that growth. and he's in such a great program with inclusion which I want you to know that the principal works really hard on inclusion with the gened kids. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh Micah Carlin Goldberg followed by Anna Diaz followed by Deborah Tapia Martin. >> All right. Um so I'm a numbers person. um saying you're going to save money because you don't spend money on Lincoln for the $2 to $17 million. Um I've been on the facility master plan for Steel
302Lane for a decade. I would love for you guys to spend the money it would take to actually get that done. It's never happening. All right. If you take away the fake $17 million, scenario one costs $8.48 million while including the bus route series number two uh only costs 5.23 million. So that's $3 million less staying with what we have. Second, if K2's46 was actually the best choice, you'd be including the wealthy schools on the east side in this right now. This school district before all of you uh implemented A through G for all with no time, no planning, and no plan, and it was horrible for students. You guys implemented 7 through 12 last year with no time, no planning, and no real plan, and it has been terrible for students. If you do
303this to elementary, it's going to be terrible for students. Now, Steel Lane can solve your problems. Right now, we have six classrooms that have Lewis Early Learning Academy students at them, which you're already planning to move. That's six empty classrooms. We have a capacity of 550 without adding a single new portable on our campus. We can take the students back that you gave to uh Proctor and to Burbank that are overcrowding them, and we can take the students you need to have come from somewhere else. We already have integrated special ed. Our sixth graders go to camp with us. We take our students with everything and they are implemented with all of our other students because they're our students. >> We're now going to go to Anna Diaz and then Deborah Tapia Martin. >> So
304good evening board. Um I would just like to start off this um with thanking Trustee Deator. every time I email you guys, he is the first one to respond and I really appreciate the impact. Trustee um or now president, I've emailed you a couple times and I haven't heard back to you from you and it's really disappointing. My name is Anna Diaz. I'm from Rosland and I'm an alumni of the school district. Uh to start off, uh thank you Trusty Medina for most of your questions. I also had those same questions. So when you asked them, I got those answers to those questions. Along with that, I'm asking for the board for tonight to please table this and to please get input from the families that it will affect well this decision will affect and
305from the teachers union as it affects them as well. You will get another round of declinement and enrollment if you guys go through with this without their input. Also, transportation is a big um factor of today. If you guys separate a family that has a sec a second grader and a sixth grader, I mean, gas comes and goes with their prices, but it's not going to impact the families as they struggle with transportation. And I know you guys are promising busing and whatnot, but at the end of the day, sometimes those those promises don't come through. Uh, I don't agree with Commtock. Uh, it's just going to become more of a cost for you guys. So, please really table this and come back to the families and the teachers union. Thank you, >> Deborah Tapia
306Martin. >> Um, this is ridiculous cuz when you introduced the mess of redistrictoring all the schools, the option TK through3 was there and the community voted no, no, no, no. because of the disadvantages of moving the kids because of families with multiple kids and the issue of transportation in the morning and pickup and extracurriculars. Why is this even presented right now? You're trying to make this decision. No one is here. This is very sneaky. If it's not meant to be sneaky, that's what it looks like. This is ridiculous that at 11 p.m. this such an important vote is being made. Nobody's here. There's no input from the family. What are we doing? You said you wanted to do something and do it well. You just made huge changes. You're also saying that you're going to
307get rid of the counselors and all the people that are trying to solve and keep people calm. This to me, it's just terrible that you're even considering option number one. The community already said no at the very beginning. This is ridiculous. I cannot believe that you are trying to make even more changes like this. You said you wanted to keep families together. You're fragmenting it even more further. You cannot build community like this. >> Thank you for your comments. With that, we're going to bring it back to the board. Um I'm going to go to Trusty McN first. I want to ask a real quick question. uh for scenario one because this is the first time that we get to actually say if we want to actually discuss this first. Is there a motion in
308a second to consider it? If there isn't, I want to save us time to be able to focus on the other questions that come from that. So, do I hear a motion in a second to consider scenario one? I do not. So, we do not need to take action for scenario two to move forward. Uh that is where we're at. But it does leave the question and I want to ask staff for where they would like what they if they would like to present us a recommendation for scenario two and then we'll come to questions and discussion. >> So yes, our alternate recommendation based on not moving forward with scenario one would be to move forward with scenario two with boundary B. >> Okay? And that would require action if if we were to go
309with your alternate recommendation at that point. Let me go to uh Trusty McN. >> Well, if no one is interested in scenario one, then I don't need to say all of the very >> correctate things that I was going to say that >> um I don't want us to table this because I want us to move forward with our fiscal planning. So I move to approve scenario 2, option B. >> Is there a second? Okay. As the chair, I will second that. So we have before us um a motion for scenario 2, option B. I will speak shortly on why I'm seconding it. I like the alignment of Lincoln to the San Rosa High School uh boundaries and I believe that that puts us in a better place after today's meeting without shutting down necessarily
310other discussions especially with the insights from the demographic study that are coming up around alignment. But I see that as being a step forward for alignment of the Lincoln boundary to one secondary. Uh let me go to questions and deliberation from other trustees. Trustee Medina and then I'll go to trusty Kirby. Um, I think right now I'm close to just passing that with with the sense that I'd like to really see what potential options exist if we were to push back any closing of Steel Lane. I feel that again it goes to that we're solving a problem that we're creating and and I feel like I need more information to make a better educated decision. Um just because I feel that there's so much there that we could work with. Um and so so right
311now I I'm not supportive of just approving that motion. Trustee Kirby. >> So I just want to clarify if the other the other option I guess would be scenario two with option C which maintains the boundaries the way they are now. Is that >> correct? And we would need to take no action for that option. >> Okay. >> So the motion before us would be to adopt uh map B. >> And really the only other option is map C. what we have if we don't >> and there is room for things to come back with the demographic study for the other concerns that I mentioned around some of the maps and alignments. I know Trusty Jenkins mentioned alignments on the east side for secondaries. We have that demographic study for which we are handling potential
312data errors so we don't rely on faulty information. Um but yes, no action scenario C action scenario B trusty deleatory. So we have an understanding of the fiscal impacts by closing steel lane because that's a decision that been made. The work's already been put into that. Do we have an option to be presented with information of keeping still lane open and what that looks like fiscally or not? We don't have that prepared. What it what we could refer back to is what the projections were from last year. So, and off the top would be your the you don't see a huge savings from the teaching staff because that largely aside from alignment of of classrooms. Um, sorry 11:00 brain myself. Um, the staffing ratios that there's not a lot there as far as savings, but
313it is all of the support staff and the administration. So you are talking multiple six figures. >> But if we have a new layer of discussion where we're trying to avoid fixing a problem that we've created, what work would need to go into getting this board numbers to review if we were to keep still laying open, having the Leela students going to be biella and opening those classrooms and not needing portables at other schools. Are we too far down the tunnel or can we ask for those projections so we have that data before we make educational decisions on this process? >> The board can always ask and and direct staff to do that. the area that there are a couple of cautions that I would provide and that is one the ability to stick with
314our fiscal stabilization plan and to show that the board is committed to moving forward with decisions um for consistency when you're looking when you're talking about making a decision and unless there is compelling information that's going to change that from a fiscal perspective there. I do not believe that there would be any information that we would bring back that would show a cost savings by keeping Steel Lane open. So again, we'd be having to identify additional deeper alternate reductions. So that's one piece. The other there are two more which around the DSA timelines in order to for the portables to meet the the changes for next year that we need a decision on that absolutely no later than next week and that is really really pushing it. We're already pushing that. The other pie I
315is around open enrollment and or enrollment for next year that the longer that we push that the more difficult it is for us to make sure that we are providing families with timely um and stable information because we're I caution us not to continue to delay those actions to where it's going to create that further or uncertainty. >> Further questions or comments I should say, Trusty Jenkins. >> So, I think I'm okay with what's being presented with the caveat of I do want further conversation. So, like approving it for this year again, these short-term things. um further conversation about adjustments in the future because again things need to settle once one school closes. We have to let the cards fall and actually see what we're left with. Um I do have some concerns about this
316boundary shift. Um just I I like the boundary shift in theory so that it all stays together. I have a little bit of concerns that um just with retention of students, but I think it's a good move for consistency. Um that's where I'm at. So I would like to suggest that it is very difficult for us to uh ever reach a place where we're complete because demographics change, things change. We've changed a lot really quick. So that's a part of why we're now seeing more changes that feel really quick. Um setting the expectation that we know we have a demographic study coming in that is something that we will give us new information that would make it a new conversation uh especially around some of the boundary things that have come up and recognizing that
317that means that that's going to come back and be talked about and we're doing that intentionally. uh it's not we would take action tonight and then that would be a surprise that we would use that new information to have new things come forward. Um can we I would like to say that that would be a general sentiment of the board is that we would want to use that data as a trigger for having this conversation again so we weren't just repeating the same information that we've had before. Is that a general sentiment? Just that that when the demographic information comes in, this conversation's coming back around the boundaries. So what I hold issue with is that we need to stick to the decision we made last year to show that we are a steadfast board
318that made a decision and we're going to stick through it no matter what. when yet we're still trying to learn from that decision and see what happened and didn't happen and to understand if we truly go for I cannot be asked to make another monumental shift of a decision because I made a decision last year and I need to make another decision now and hopefully it'll work out and it shows that we stand by our word. I got to see numbers that this stuff's actually working and put us in the right direction and we're being fiscally responsible and cannot put a vote out of I cannot use my vote um in just hoping that it's going to work out. I need some data. I need some numbers. >> This isn't a monumental shift. This is
319a slight boundary change. >> And any further >> by opening up that we're going to send everybody to Lincoln. We're assuming they're going to go to Lincoln where they haven't gotten to Lincoln as is. So, it it does matter the boundaries. I mean, if we're waiting for demographics, fine, but boundaries do matter. We're hoping that students are going to go there because we changed the boundaries and said, "This is your school now, so go there." >> Is there new information for this discussion that would change anyone's Let's go to a roll call vote, please. >> Trusty McN. President Casten. >> Hi. >> Trusty Jenkins. >> Hi. >> Trusty Kirby. >> Hi. >> Trusty Deator Tory. >> Nay. >> Trusty Medina. >> Nay. >> Trusty P. >> No. Or nay. >> That passes for three. We
320will now move to items. My notes up here. H. 537 567 I believe uh Director Odin. >> Yep, I'm here. Um, I think due to the I can ask director Haley or Director Fischer for a little help here, but I believe that with the board's action on 2B, I think we do need these portable um that that I put up as as as consent items to be approved just to make sure we can have the space needed to um have the capacity for the students where they are as well as the special ed programs to be distributed among the other schools. I'll I'll let maybe Director Fischer speak a little bit to that. >> But before we speak too much into it, Trusty Jenkins, you pulled it. Could you uh state the scope of your
321questions on these items? >> Yes, they've kind of changed, I suppose. Um, so the campuses that are on the block for getting $2 million slots of two-year portables are is it Proctor, Hidden Valley, and Luther Burbank. Right. >> Correct. So I guess for me I'm kind of confused how this is related to the decision we just made and steel lane when Proctor and Burbank are already they're already crunched on numbers. So is this a se is this separate or is this the same situation? >> So >> it's similar. I think it involves special ed right where special ed is going to go. >> So I can I can help with that a little bit. So the idea currently is that we have a concentration of special education programs at campuses that have space which means
322Lincoln as you know the director Fischer said we have about 37% of the students at Lincoln that will be eligible for special education services next school year. Uh these projects that um we are proposing right now will allow us to move and redistribute special education programs to these three additional campuses. >> Is that absolutely necessary or can they stay for a year, two years? >> The the bigger a issue for me is is the rise classes that are separated in four different schools. and that my my biggest goal would be to bring the rise classes together and that would require um additional building at at Hidden Valley. Um and again last year we because of the decision we made in finding spaces and nonoptimal and without sensory rooms and so forth, they were split up
323among four different schools. under this scenario, we can have a rise program with with Lincoln staying open at um uh two schools, Burbank and Hidden Valley. And so the teachers can actually collaborate and so forth. >> Now, when we say four classrooms, remember that elementary schools, they're assigned by age. So it means that over four years or the eight years that the students are in elementary school will move four times. That's that's that's what >> right currently. Yes. It would mean thank you which and and that's the point there would be multiple transitions moving from say charter school for the arts where we have one classroom moving to uh layman um we have currently have a classroom at proctor and so now it's not possible for a rise family to stay at one school um
324for their for their uh career of of of their child in rise. And so what this would allow is at at Hidden Valley in particular, we we would be able to have a full grade span at Hidden Valley. Um Burbank, we would have a partial grade span. So that would eventually involve transitions uh as well. >> And Burbank and I mean in my brain, Burbank and Hidden Valley are already crunched. So why are we why are why are those campuses the ideal places for this program? >> Um because there's to my understanding there is there is room and capacity to build with respect to hidden valley there is some capacity with rooms that aren't currently used for for classrooms. I think Dr. Belli may >> well it's pretty much the only sites we land and
325you know direct can say a little bit more. So Hidden Valley has a field that we can use to you know for portables and there is some space in the back of per bank where we can add the additional portables and there is uh and then a Proctor Terrace as Dr. Roden said we have current plans to add one room we can add another one next to it. So those are the options. >> Are the portables going to be used specifically for the RISE program or is there going to be shifting around? I I don't think that's necessarily that'll be a site decision as to who goes where. >> Um >> in consultation with the site. >> Yeah. Yes, it would be in consultation with the site. I ideally in my view we can have
326rise classes somewhat clustered but not separated from the from the rest of the campus in a segregated area. That said, having classrooms near near each other allows them to share spaces, the ancillary spaces like sensory rooms and so forth, which we don't have currently with our um with our rise configuration. So, uh question for the board. Um the proper time for public comment on consent items was at earlier, but I do have one card for or I have one speaker for these items. Uh is there any objection to adjust adjusting the agenda to allow public comment? Seeing none, then we'll move to public comment. Uh Micah, Carlin, Goldberg, and this is for all of the H items that are before us. And then we'll return to the board. >> So since it's three items, I
327get uh four minutes and a half, right? Yes, >> it is 90 seconds. >> I think it's not a good choice since there's three items, sir. >> Put in three cards. >> There's 90 seconds left in this meeting. >> Okay. So, um, again, Steel Lane solves your problem. We have physically more space than any of the other campuses that you were talking about. The overcrowding at Burbank and the overcrowding at Proctor is because you guys took 80 of our students at the end of last year and shifted them to those schools already. That's it. Like you once we have Leela moved to their own site, we have six more classrooms. And even if you had to build one portable on our site, we could probably take most if not all of Rise program. Like again,
328we have space, we have experience. You, as several of the board members are saying, you're trying to solve a problem that you're in the middle of creating. So don't create the problem in the first place. That's that's my whole thing, right? All night. And then I I know I'm getting really um emotional, but like you guys are working on bad information. Last year, apparently the closure committee was told that Steel Lane Street was terribly, terribly dangerous, but the city had already fixed the problem. The district didn't bother to tell the committee, right? And you keep talking about making these monumental changes and huge changes when not making a change fixes all the problems that you're trying to solve. Just keep open steel lane and it fixes your problems. Thank you. Have a good night. >>
329Thank you. I'll bring it back to the board. Further questions or a motion? >> There's nowhere else we can put this that doesn't >> I mean the other side has space is Lincoln. So it would be to pretty much concentrate more students at Lincoln. And that's bad because of >> not inclusivity. >> Yeah, I think we could the some numbers we've looked at, we would end up with 13 special education classes that link in significantly more than gened classes. >> By approving scenario D, we've created the need for these portables. So, we don't have many options left but to approve these to provide the space of the last action item we just approved. Is that a motion? >> I move to approve consent items. It was 4 through 7. Correct. >> Second. >> Moved by
330Trusty Kirby, seconded by Trustee McN. Roll call, please. >> What was the motion? >> To approve H4 through 7, the bond and the portable items, which were all interrelated in the reason for being pulled. So, it's been moved and seconded. See no one raise your hands. Roll call, please. Trusty Kirby. >> Hi. >> Trusty McN. >> Hi. >> Trusty Jenkins. >> Nope. >> Trusty Deator. >> No. >> Trusty Medina. >> Hi. Trusty Pra. >> No. >> President Casten. >> Hi. That passes 43. With that, we'll move to approval of the minutes. Motion to approve the minutes of our regular board meeting on November 12th, 2025. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Right. Moved by Trusty Delator, seconded by Trustee P. Uh, roll call, please. >> Trusty Dator Tory, >> I. >> Trusty P.
331>> Trusty Jenkins, >> hi. >> Trusty Kirby, >> I. >> Trusty Medina, >> abstain. >> Trusty McN abstain. President Casten, >> I. Motion approves minutes of the board of meeting held on November 20th, 2025. >> Second. >> Moved by Trustee Deatory, seconded by Trustee McN. Roll call, please. Trusty Daily Tory. >> Hi. >> Trusty McN. >> Trusty Jenkins. I >> Trusty Kirby. >> Hi. >> Trusty Medina. >> Hi. >> Trusty Prack. >> I. >> President Casten. >> Hi. >> Board member requests for information. I appreciate your not having any. Uh we'll move to uh we will we have our information items are available for review on the agenda and we will move to adjournment. We're journing at 11:33.