001Now opening the May 14th meeting of the Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education. We will start with public comment on close session agenda items. The items are public employee dis discipline dismissal release, conference with labor negotiator, conference with legal counsel, anticipated litigation, student expulsions, and public employee performance evaluation. Um, for public comment, you'll have two minutes each. I'll call three names at a time. I only have three names. So, when you hear your name, go on up and uh line up behind one of the podiums. First is Tyson Wrestler, followed by Rachel Guner, followed by Monae Belt. Do we have a timer ready? Go ahead. Good afternoon. My name is Tyson Resler and I'm the science department chair at Maria Creo. I spoke before and said I would hold my thanks until after you
002acted to remove Dr. Morales. So, I'm here to say thank you. Thank you for not just hearing but listening to the needs of our community and taking action. Now, it's the time to correct many of the bad decisions made under prior leadership. First on my mind is, of course, the needless and chaotic shuffling of trusted principles at many of our sites. Please reinstate Amy Whis at Maria Creo. I could go on at length about what a good fit she is for Creo, but I think we've said all we possibly can. Um, oh, sorry. So, out of respect for the board's time, let me just say that you now have all the evidence you need to make an informed decision. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Rachel Gunter, followed by Monae Bell. Good afternoon. My name
003is Rachel Gunter and once again I would like to implore the board and the superintendent as both a teacher and a parent to reinstate Amy Whis as principal at Maria Creo High School. It's been 62 days since the student led walk out in support of principal whis's reinstatement. Students as teachers have shown up to every board meeting since to ask for reconsider consideration of this decision in both closed and open session settings. staff, students, families have emailed, they've sent letters, they've presented petitions, we've answered the new principal survey twice with the same resounding request. As a community, we are still adamant that Amy Whis is the only fit for Marie Creo. And as a parent, I can't stress enough how unsettling and worrisome it has been waiting for two months for this decision to be
004made when there are obvious other things for our district to be working on. We want to thank you, the board, for listening to us. We know that you have all the evidence you need to make the best decision, which is to reinstate Mrs. Whis immediately. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Monae Bell. Hello. I am Monae Bell and I've been with the district for the past 17 18 years. I'm here today uh to talk about the administrators um who we feel should be back in the schools. One of them being Amy Whis. We also would like to see Brad Kascarelli placed back. Uh, and I implore you to reconsider and reinstate Mercedes Thompson as vice principal at Montgomery High School. Um, we have seen the district already reconsider other administrators and placement, even remove the
005uh, superintendent. Again, thank you. Um, please, please, please add her back onto McGomery High School. Uh, the switching of the admin earlier in the year with moving Mr. Albborne to Slater and uh, Mrs. Thompson to McGomery High School was thought to strengthen our team. Um, it feels unjust. It feels uh, punitive. Um, kind of like the carpet just was pulled out from under us. Mrs. Thompson had secured a relationship uh with the seventh and eighth graders who will be coming to the newly reconfigured M uh McGomery campus as well as she has a relationship with our ninth graders. She was just on the phone last week talking to one of our families who needed some help. Um she is a powerhouse. She comes in, she will not uh sugarcoat anything. She has true transparency. She
006doesn't beat around the bush and quite honestly uh she would make a great addition rounding it out. We need a strong person and she is also bilingual and that's one of the complaints of our parents is they don't have someone to go to. I have a meeting next week on that that a parent requested. Uh please please please uh there would be more people here but you can check with our principal. A lot happens. Thank you. Your time is up. Are there any other blue cards? There are no other blue cards. All right. Thank you everyone. The board will now recess to close session. Now reopening the May 14th, 2025 meeting of the Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education. Please rise for the rise for the pledge of allegiance and remain standing for our
007territorial land acknowledgement. I 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 American Indian and indigenous peoples. Thank you, acting superintendent August. Um, all right. Next, we have report of actions taken in close session. I do have some things to report out. During the close session, the board voted 51 to authorize the district superintendent or designate to adopt
008resolution number 202425-126 to not notify 25 certificated administrators 24.4 FTE of their final release andor reassignment for the 2025 2026 school year. Um the board voted 51 to authorize the district superintendent or designate to adopt resolution number 202425-125 to notify two certificated administrators to FT of final release from their positions for the 2025 2026 school year. Um the bo the board voted 6 to authorize the district superintendent or designate to adopt resolution number 202425-124 to notify 24 certificated administrators 24 FTE of their final reassignment for the 2025 2026 school year. and the board voted 42 to uh provide a notice of release to one certificated administrator. Um the district will be reaching out to individual site teams about those uh final admin placements for next year. Um let's see items considered in close session for
009action in open session. Uh I need a motion on our each of our expulsion cases. Move to accept a recommendation on case 24/25-22. Second. Moved by Trusty Medina, seconded by Trusty Casten. Roll call vote. Trusty Medina. I. Trusty Casten. I. Trusty Jenkins. I. Trusty Kirby. I. Trusty Deator. I. President Mcnal. I. Motion passes. Move to accept recommendation on case 24/25-28. Second. Moved by trustee Medina, seconded by trustee with a dilatory cast. All right. Roll call vote. Trusty Medina. Hi. Trusty Casten. Hi. Trusty Jenkins. I. Trusty Kirby. I. Trusty Datory. I. President McN. I. Motion passes. Move to accept a recommendation on case 24/25-29. Second. Moved by Trusty Medina. Second by Trusty Cast. Roll call vote. Trusty Medina. I. Trusty Casten. Hi. Trusty Jenkins. Hi. Trusty Kirby. I. Trusty Deator. Hi. President McN. I. Motion passes.
010Move to accept recommendation on case 24/25-31. Second. Moved by Trusty Medina. Second by Trusty Casten. Roll call vote. Trusty Medina. I. Trusty Casten. Hi. Trusty Jenkins. I. Trusty Kirby. I. Trusty Deator. I. President McN. I. Motion passes. We to accept recommendation on case 24/25-32. Second. Moved by Trusty Medina, second by Trusty Castton. Roll call vote. Trusty Medina. I. Trusty Casten. I. Trusty Jenkins. Hi. Trusty Kirby. I. Trusty Deator. Hi. President McN. I. Motion passes. Am I missing anything else from closed? All right. We will move on to statements of abstension. Are there any trusty Kirby H3 for me? Okay. Any other statements of abstension? I have a question. I'm so sorry about the abstensions. I'm not sorry. But um if I want I should have asked this before, but now we're in a meeting. If
011I want to just abstain on a couple of the consent items, do I pull them and then let the vote happen or do I abstain at this point? You have to pull them. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Um, any adjustments to the agenda? Yes. Yes. Which items would you like to pull? On the wrong screen. F. Drum roll. Uh 36 8 and 9, please. Any other adjustments? Okay. Special presentations. All right. Today we have Steel Lane Elementary School and Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. Um so we will start with Steel Lane. Oh, Michael Jablonsky. I'm sorry. I forgot it's you now. Good evening. Can you hear me? Good evening, Superintendent August, members of the board. Um, my name is Michael Jablonsky. It is nice to see all of you. I've had the unique experience
012of serving at two sites this year and across our district. I've been able to see the excellent caliber and the dedication and the heart of our teams. Tonight, I have the privilege of spotlighting Steel Lane Elementary. And I get to start with this young woman here. So, this is Stephanie Castro Hercules and her family is right behind me, very proud. Today we celebrate a truly exceptional student, someone who embodies perseverance, kindness, leadership, and academic excellence. A Stephanie has been a part of the Steel Lane family since TK. And from those very first days, her teachers knew she was something special. Even then, she showed the heart of a true leader learner, curious, compassionate, and always ready to include others with a smile. By third grade, Stephanie was already proving to be a standout. That year,
013our first year back from classrooms after distance learning, was a tough transition for many students, but not for a Stephanie. She came back with enthusiasm, with grit, and a genuine eagerness to grow. She even asked for extra homework. That passion for learning and uh hasn't dimmed one bit. Whether she's tackling a new concept or welcoming a newcomer who hasn't doesn't yet speak English, a Stephanie brings her full self with empathy, leadership, and humility. And while her academic achievements are inspiring, a Stephanie's growth as a student athlete has been equally impressive. For the past two years, she's been a powerhouse on the girls basketball team, pushing herself, lifting up her teammates, and leading with positivity and poise. When her team needs a boost, a Stephanie is there, not with loud words, but with quiet strength and
014an unshakable ethic. She's also a vital part of our student leadership team, leading not with titles, but with actions. Her teachers have said teaching would be a breeze if every student were like a Stephanie. When I asked a Stephanie what this recognition meant to her, she told me she felt honored and she was happy. She shared how Steel Lane has always felt like home to her and how proud she is of learning English and becoming bilingual. And let's be clear, she's earned every bit of that pride. A Stephanie dreams of becoming a pediatrician, and knowing her, she'll probably end up curing diseases, solving world problems, and making our community a better place. A Stephanie, you are a role model, a leader, a shining light in our community. We can't wait to see what incredible things
015you'll accomplish in the future with your drive and determination. We know it's going to be a slam dunk. We all know the front office is the engine of the school. It sets the tone. It keeps things moving and it often holds together, especially on the busiest days, everything. At Steel Lane, our front office team is a steady force. and Maria Luna plays a vital role in keeping it strong, responsive, and centered for the past four years. Maria has served as our office manager. She's also a steel lane parent, which means her commitment runs deep. Maria is the first person many students see each day. And let's just say they don't just exactly sneak in to see her. There's always a small crowd of kids gathered outside her office waiting for their morning dose of Maria.
016She doesn't just know their names. She knows their favorite lunch, their latest pet drama, and exactly how many times they've already asked for a bathroom pass before 9:00 a.m. And trust me, they know she knows. Her bilingual skills aren't just helpful, they're essential. She's the bridge that helps families feel seen, heard, and supported. Parents trust Maria. They know she'll follow through, that she listens, and that she truly cares. She is responsive, respectful, and dependable. If someone needs something, whether it's a parent, a student, or a staff member, Maria makes it happen. She builds strong, lasting relationships and bring a brings a calm, solutionsoriented mindset to every situation. This year alone, Maria has supported several different administrators, each with our own system and style. Through every transition, she stayed grounded and professional. She's flexible, eager to
017keep learning, and always focused on what's best for our school. There are days when the phones won't stop ringing. The health office looks like an urgent care. A sub's a no-show, and everything feels one fire drill away from meltdown. I will look at Maria, expecting panic. Instead, I get her classic response. See, that one word, cool, calm, collected, slightly amused, somehow means that she's already handled it, and I'm the one who needs to catch up. Maria may not seek the spotlight, but her impact is felt every day. She brings consistency, understanding, and high standards to her work, and she does it without needing recognition. And tonight, we are giving her that recognition. Maria, thank you for your dedication, for your reliability, and your unwavering support of our students, families, and staff. We are very lucky
018to have you. Thank you. Let's do it. It is with deep pride and admiration that I recognize an extraordinary member of our certificated team, our school counselor, Cara Anderson. In just two years, she's become not only a cornerstone of our student support system, but also one of the most deeply respected and cherished voices on our campus. From the moment I stepped into the principal role at Steel Lane Elementary, Cara has been a steady source of strength, of insight, and care. Quite simply, Carara is the glue that helps hold our school community together. as the only full-time counselor serving 473 students, many of whom face extraordinary challenges, including trauma, housing insecurity, and the adjustment of being new to both our country and our school. Cara is the front line of care. She supports every student with
019equal parts warmth and skill, treating each child with dignity, seeing their potential, and helping them believe it, too. A colleague recently said it best. Cara is relentless in her care for our school, our students, our families, our staff. And it's true. She leads whole class SEAL lessons, hosts game, small groupoup sessions, runs one-on-one check-ins, organizes playground activities, and somehow still finds time to encourage students over the intercom with upbeat announcements. If there's a need, Cara is already on it before we ask. Her impact goes way beyond counseling. Supporting after school programs, running the friendship club at lunch, setting up peaceful coloring corners during recess, and bringing the kind of energy to career day that makes you wonder if she has a secret stash of coffee hidden somewhere. She's also a trusted go-to for our staff,
020whether brainstorming, problem solving, or just letting us vent. And yes, she does it all with a sense of humor, a healthy dose of humility, and an efficiency that's borderline superhuman. Cara, your presence makes Steel Lane a safer, kinder, more connected place. You don't just support students, you empower them. You help them see their strengths, develop resilience, and build the tools they carry for life. You model compassion and professionalism in a way that uplifts our whole community. Thank you for your heart, your hustle, and your steady belief in the power of relationships. Steel Lane is better because you are with us. Congratulations, Stephanie, Maria, and Cara. Next, we have Principal Sarah Imperado from Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. Good evening, Superintendent August um President members of the board. It is my pleasure as the
021principal of San Rosa Charter School for the Arts to present our student of the year, Ethan Rener. It is my great honor and absolute joy to celebrate Ethan Rener, an eighth grader at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. Ethan has been a part of the Arts Charter family for 9 years. In that time, he has truly grown into a young person who represents the very best of our school community. Someone who leans with kindness, generosity, and quiet strength. When we shared the news that Ethan had been selected as student of the year, Miss Tucker, his English teacher, shared that something remarkable happened. Students from all different friend groups, those who don't even know Ethan super well, they immediately smiled and said, "That makes sense." They couldn't think of anyone more deserving, and honestly, neither
022could we. Ethan's teachers offered glowing words filled with admiration and appreciation. Mr. Bishop shared that Ethan is consistently thoughtful, someone who greets you with a a fist bump or a high five and genuinely wants to know how your day is going. Ms. Homestead praised his politeness and his eagerness to help others. Mr. Thomas described Ethan's generosity, a comment that got unanimous nods from every teacher in the room. Mr. JSON spoke about Ethan's empathy, how he's the kind of student who will jump in to help a peer understand a difficult concept or he'll hand over his charger just in time to save someone's Chromebook. And Miss Tucker shared again that Ethan's whole class was cheering for him. That's that's rare and it speaks volumes about the kind of person Ethan is. Of course, his teachers and
023friends also know just how funny he is and how hard he works every single day. Ethan, your presence in our school, it's made it better. You are a role model. You're a helper. You're a friend. And you are a source of joy for so many. And there's no doubt that your future is incredibly bright. On behalf of Charter School for the Arts, congratulations. We are so All right. Thank you. Today we are here to recognize someone truly extraordinary. Miss Nadia Talbett, our amazing elementary school office manager and frankly the heart of our school. If you've ever walked into our front office, you've witnessed Nadia's superpower in action. She knows every student by name. That's not an exaggeration. She knows them the moment she sees their face. She remembers their elective, their classroom, and the little
024things like who's missing a tooth, who needs a quick band-aid, a reassuring smile, and somehow in the middle of answering phones, supporting teachers, and helping families with everything from attendance to enrollment, she literally does it with a song. Nadia wears many hats and wears them all at once. She's our attendance guru, our first responder, our communication cub, our copy machine whisperer, and family liaison specialist, all rolled into one. But behind all the tasks, Nadia is here for the kids. When students are asked if they have a trusted adult on campus they can go to for help, you will hear many of them say, "Miss Nadia, she's their anchor." Whether it's a five-minute reset or a moment to share something going on in their lives, Nadia listens. She hears them. Well, hello darling is her greeting.
025As they walk into the office, Miss Nadia helps them shift their mood, reset their focus, and sends them back to class feeling supported. Nadia, thank you for your heart, your laughter, your patience, and the deep care you offer every single day. You are far more than an office manager. You are an integral part of our Narwhal family. Today I am proud to help us recognize one of the exceptional educators, our very own Miss Tina Perez. Now, if you've been lucky enough to observe Tina in action, you know what I mean when I say she can teach any student at any grade level. I've personally seen her work with kindergarters, with middle schoolers, and of course, with her incredible fourth and fifth graders she's teaching in her classroom this year. No matter who is in front
026of her, Tina meets them with the same passion, the same wisdom, and the same deep sense of humanity. What sets Miss Tina apart is not just her talent in the classroom, though she has that in abundance. It's her heart. It's her ability to connect socially and emotionally with students. And she is a steady, compassionate presence in a world that often feels overwhelming for our young people. She listens with her whole being. She helps children navigate big feelings, real life challenges, and moments of self-doubt. She has the right touch of humor. Speaking of humor, we can't talk about Tina without mentioning the laughter. She keeps our staff grounded and joyful. Whether she's reflecting on a particularly messy science project or one of those did that just happen moments in the classroom, Tina brings us all along
027with her through the ups and downs of teaching with a sense of humor and openness that invites us to reflect, to grow, and to do this deep work together. Her impact doesn't end when a student moves on for her classroom. Just ask our middle schoolers. They had her as a teacher when they were younger and there's something special that happens when a student sees Miss Tina walk by. They straighten up. They smile and somehow they're just a little more motivated. That's the Tina effect. Our students want to do their best for her because they love her and more importantly because they know she loves them. Academically, Tina sets the bar high. She challenges her students to think critically, to question, to engage and she does it in a way that affirms their identities and their
028experiences. She has fully embraced ethnic studies and art integrated instruction, ensuring that every student feels seen, valued, and empowered. She just doesn't just teach the curriculum. She brings it to life in ways that are meaningful, inclusive, and unforgettable. Tina, your work is visionary. You You blend rigor with care, humor with honesty, and high expectations with deep love. You are a role model of what it means to teach with both head and heart. And you make our entire school community better just by being you. Thank you. Congratulations again to all of the awardees. Next, we move on to the report section of our agenda. Starting with our California School Employee Association Santa Rosa 75 report, President Mary Leman. We'll give everyone a minute to step out if there are folks who were just here for the
029awards. All right, President Layman, you have the floor. Thank you. Can everyone here? Good evening, President Mcnal, board members, interim superintendent Lisa August, student board member, who isn't here tonight, uh cabinet members, and everyone joining us on Zoom. Thank you to everyone who showed up tonight in person. Whether you're here to speak, to listen, or simply to stay informed, your presence matters. It says we care about our schools, our students, and our future. On behalf of CSEA, we want to recognize the students and teachers of the month from Steel Lane and Charter School of the Arts, and send a special congratulations to our honored classified employees, Maria Luna from Steel Lane and Nadia Talbot from Charter School of the Arts. We're proud of your work and the heart you bring to the campuses every day.
030Last night, our members ratified theou for job description changes and layoff recisions. And tonight, we respectfully ask for your support in approving action item 8 uh for thisou. That will be 13 lives changed, 13 families with a bit more peace of mind. It's progress and we're grateful, but it's not the whole picture. Many of our co-workers are still facing layoffs. And there aren't just positions on a spreadsheet. These are people. People who show up every day for students, even while facing uncertainty about their own future. They deserve more than just a mention. They deserve our compassion, our honesty, and our full commitment to treating them with dignity through every step of this process. Classified staff are the ones who open the doors in the morning and close them at night. We keep classrooms clean, meals
031served, students supported, phones answered, and technology working. We do this work not for recognition but because we care because we believe in that what public education can be. We don't need the spotlight but we do need to be included in the conversation and involved in the planning. Especially now, as we prepare for these school closures and consolidations, we ask to keep us involved and at the table. Let's make sure the people closest to the work have a voice in the decisions that shape our future. Let's not just rebuild. Let's build better for students, for families, and for each other. Where will the district's motto take us? Engage, embrace, and empower. Let's engage by showing up for one another with open minds and shared goals. Let's embrace the hard work for one another with open minds
032and shared gold. Let's embrace the hard work ahead with a clear focus on what's best for the kids. Let's empower our schools, our staff, and our community to turn challenge into opportunity, and to create a future that's more equitable, more united, and more hopeful with courage and compassion. Thank you. Next is our Santa Rosa Teachers Association report. Is President Katherryn Hal here? She is not. Okay. Good evening, President McN board trustees and acting superintendent Lisa August. I am Angela Gillatza. I'm the Santa Rosa Teachers Association Secretary. President Katherine Hal is not able to be here tonight. On behalf of Santa Rosa Teachers Association, I want to extend our sincere thanks to Trustee Delator, Trusty Casten, Trusty Kirby, and Trusty Jenkins who joined us for an informal conversations with Santa Rosa Teachers Association board members. We
033deeply appreciate your time, your willingness to engage in open dialogue, and your continued commitment to strengthening the relationship between the educators and the board. Your presence and thoughtful participation made an meaningful impact and we are grateful for the opportunity to connect in such a collaborative spirit. We look forward to continuing these conversations in the future gatherings and appreciate your dedication to supporting our schools, our community, and hope to see all of you at one or more of our upcoming conversations. Thank you very much. Good evening. Thank you. Next is the superintendence report. Acting superintendent August, you have a report for us. I do. Thank you, President McN. I will keep it short, just a moment. Um, I want to start by saying thank you for this opportunity um to serve in this role. Um, I've
034had in the last couple of weeks um it's felt like triage with calendar and and emails. So, I want to start by saying that I am receiving lots of commi communication and I have not been able to respond to all, but please know that that your voices are heard. Um, I have had an opportunity to focus on three areas that I've shared are priorities. Um, those being academics and enrichment, safety, and building trust. Um, one may one way that I commit to showing this is by being present, listening, and being thoughtful in what and how I share information. It was impactful. Um, thank you, President Layman. um in speaking about the impacts of what we are going through right now um as a community, as our district, as all of our labor partners, our families,
035our students. It's not something to be taken lightly. This is hard work and it is really appreciated the energy that our teams are bringing forward in doing so for our students. Um I've had the opportunity to um attend several school events um today and yesterday. I did get to um participate at least briefly in our empower team meetings at both the Montgomery Junior Senior High School team and the Santa Rosa Junior Senior High School team. Um some great conversations. Um the reports um I'll I'll skip and and share that information later. um but also had an opportunity to attend the multilingual reclassification ceremony which was an absolutely fabulous event. If you have not gotten to do so, please please go to that and celebrate our students. This year we had over 300 reclassified. It was
036a wonderful event. Also spent time at Santa Rosa Middle, Herbert Slater Middle, um the anchors away event. Um lots of lots of time spent um trying to have individual meetings connecting um with many of our administrators, especially those who have been impacted. And I'll be scheduling time with those who might whom I have not yet gotten to have at least a few minutes of a personal conversation with. That's a commitment that I do make is that regardless of whether the information is something that someone wants to hear, I may not be able to give you the answer that you want, but I will provide as much transparency and and clear communication as possible. And I appreciate being held accountable to doing so as well. Thank you very much. Next is my board president report. Um,
037first I just want to say thank you to our acting superintendent for really stepping in and stepping up um at a time of need in this district. I've um been able to spend some time at the district office and really see her in action uh even the day after we appointed her. Um just seeing her commitment and how she juggled all of the chaos of settling into that role. Um, so I'm really happy that she agreed to take that role and I'm confident in the direction the district is heading. I also want to say thank you to all of our staff at Herbert Slater Middle, Santa Rosa Middle, Montgomery High, and Santa Rosa High. Um, I've had the chance to talk with some of those teachers about the challenges in trying to manage these mergers
038into the junior senior high programs and just hearing how much work, how much effort folks are putting in, I'm just so grateful. Um, it's a really big lift that we're asking. I think it's going to be great for our students, but I acknowledge um the challenges. I acknowledge how difficult the transition is. So, I just want to say thank you to all of the staff, the empower teams that are working on that. Um, I am hoping to still meet with staff at more school sites. I have been getting emails and invitations. I'm sorry if I haven't replied. Um, I'm hoping to get out maybe next week um to visit a few more school sites. Are there other board member reports? Trusty Jenkins and then Trusty Deator. Thanks. Um that we have so much to celebrate.
039Hopefully families are reading parent squares, staying up to date on schools um postings and congratulating those in your community that are being recognized from the CIF sideline cheer award given to the Monty cheer team to the culinary students from Coreo and Piner who competed at the state level competition and so many more. As we start to wrap up the school year, I'm hoping at some point we have a portion of the district website um possibly dedicated to celebrations and folks can repost links, etc. While the last three weeks have been um really another whirlwind, I've been very and I've been very actively engaging in the community, instead of giving you a breakdown of all I've been doing, I wanted to clarify some perceptions. Um, at the last meeting I brought up my concern regarding the
040A to G graduation rates and this was interpreted as we need to get these rates up. Um, and that was not my concern at all. I personally am not in support of being an A toG district as it does not serve all of our students. The expectation with A to G is that we want all of our students to be ready for a 4-year college and be able to pay for it right after graduation, which I just don't agree with. Um this is a path for some of our students but not all of them. Um what those scores represent to me is the need to not only re-evaluate the A to G um district part but also the need to hook students into being lifelong learners provide them with skills and an education that launches
041them into into the world not only a career at the age of 18 or directly into college. If we expect every single teenager to have their entire lives planned out during high school, we are not setting them up for success. Culinary shop. All of the shops are not only taken so that students can work in a restaurant or join the trades. The Spark Center is not only for aspiring astronauts. They also provide basic life skills that are needed in life. I'm really excited about the idea of the CTE wheel as it has the potential to expose students to a variety of careers that they may want to learn more about. All students need to love um all students need to experience success in education. It makes the classes they don't love more bearable, creates stronger
042community, which again makes the parts of school that aren't their favorite more tolerable. When the community is strong, community members are contributing to the whole. Folks are supported and seen. This is what we want. Another piece of that is language. As an adult, most jobs interacting with the public, which is most jobs, are more likely to hire and often pay more to employees who are bilingual. I had the honor of participating in the reclassification ceremony, and it was incredible. I do have a hard time with the language that we use to identify some of our students. We celebrate when a student is reclassified out of an EL determination. I hope I'm saying that right. EL determination. But that sounds like they're leaving their native language behind, which would be absolutely detrimental to the success of
043that student and their primary circle circle. Um, and I'm hopeful that many, if not all, students who are reclassified are also receiving the seal of biiteracy later on. If this is not happening, we must work harder to correct that. We have such rich diversity in our communities and we must celebrate that. We must actively work on connection instead of segregation. People fear what they don't understand, which creates divide, segregation, and oppression. I witnessed a celebration of differences displayed at the Montgomery spring dance celebration dance show this last weekend, and it was beautiful and moving. Language offerings in school is imperative, ideally starting at a young age to prep the brain for additional language acquisition later. I would love to understand the English language personally as well as some of my non-native English-speaking friends. Um my
044point in all of this is that public education is viewed as a pipeline to one specific outcome creating functioning contributing members of the community and to our society as a whole. We must remember we are coaching these young minds to someday be in charge and at every level individuals need support. Um I request all of us that we continue to be curious lifelong learners and to use our personal resilience as well as that of our amazing youth to work together as we move forward with these upcoming transitions. Trustee Delator. Thank you, President McNali. Um, thank you everybody for being here tonight. I also want to express um the gratitude and appreciation for all of the teachers and staff that are continuing to put in the work and efforts of this extremely huge lift uh to
045move forward with the 7 through 12 campuses that we are envisioning. Um none of this happens without you. So thank you. Thank you for your tireless efforts to make this a possibility. Um, unfortunately there is no pause and we continue to hear that throughout. Where's the pause? Can we get more time? We are in the position we're in for a reason and we're trying to build better opportunities moving forward and you're a very big part of that. Um, I'd like to express my gratitude to the Murray Crew High School art teachers and we uh got to visit the arts and ceramic show last week and it was a phenomenal expedition of true talent, gifted artistry through students that get to spend time um literally molding their imaginations to whatever medium of art they're putting forward.
046So, that was really appreciated. Um, I want to express some gratitude for former trustee, former president, former vice president Stephanie Manieri and thank her for her time and commitment to this board and her community and knowing that she will continue to be an intricate part of the community and the education for all. With that being said, I want to bring attention to the very real seriousness of what public perception of these positions can lead to. We are here as a governing board doing the best we can to make decisions to build better institutions and environments for children to thrive, children to learn, children to imagine and grow and teachers to have the resources necessary and the staff to have the resources necessary to make that happen. Not everybody's going to agree with those decisions. Not
047everybody's going to agree with our limited resources and how we choose to use them to try and make those happen. So when you step to the podium and you scream and yell at us and you tell us how horrible our decisions are and what horrible people you are, please remember and understand we are people. We are community members. We are fathers. We are mothers. We are daughters. We are sons. We have a life outside of this position. And to my fellow board members, I ask that you do not take these stresses across a threshold and let them consume you within your homes, within your families, within your hobbies, and your opportunities. We have to find ways to regulate this stress appropriately so it does not affect us mentally, physically, and emotionally to where we cannot
048be true leaders and continue to function through these very tough situations and the chaos that we are in. We are doing the best we can. We are being studentdriven and student forward with all of our thoughts and how to make this community better, but we can only do this with the support of the community members that are involved. We cannot do it alone. There's a reason there's six of us and hopefully we'll be a full team soon enough when we get applications for the empty seat. But remember as you're making comments who you're making comments to. It is not a sounding board where nothing's felt. We are human and we'll do the best we can and we will respect you and just ask that you respect us. And I've never turned away a phone call
049or an email or an invitation to sit down and have a conversation no matter how hard it is. So reach out if you have something to say you want to say. It doesn't have to be limited to 90 seconds or 3 minutes on a podium when you're that upset. Make sure we're having these conversations and being proactive so we can learn and grow and heal together. Thank you. Trustee Kirby, then Casten, then Medina. Uh, quickly, I uh I was out of the country for most of the time since the last meeting, but uh just uh wanted to give a quick shout out. I I did attend the um national school foods study by the USDA on Monday over at uh Steel Lane with our director of u child nutrition services Ed Burke. Got to see
050him in action and uh just a real shout out to him. He was he got some glowing reviews from the USDA on uh on his uh his organization and uh it was it was really they were really impressed. So shout out to Ed. Um just to piggyback on director uh Delator's comments um the application window for uh trustee area 6 is now open. So please come join us up here if you are able. Thanks. Yeah, thank you. Um, a short long report. So, I had the opportunity to attend the Santa Rosa High School empower team meeting today and there was really difficult conversations happening about really difficult things to make these transitions work. But the level of honesty and open communication, the level of give and take, the level of uh not even give and
051take, the level of collaboration around minute but very important details of this transition seemed very robust to me. And so I just want to commend everyone that's involved in those teams for digging in and effectuating a monumental task that we made without having the information of what all those things were going to be. And we recognize that um there's not enough time. It is happening backwards and it's happening that way because of the situation we're in and seeing today the staff working together, the teachers, the district office, everyone making those conversations happen, calling people to get them into the room in that moment in order to be able to make sure all the opinions are at the table. Um it was just it gives me a lot of confidence in where we're heading and that
052we're on track for a very successful reimagination of how we're providing education to lead to that higher academic excellence and enrichment opportunities that we want to give all our students that we were not able to provide in past years because of our funding constraints. So, um, thank I just want to thank everyone that's going through this process cuz we know that I know that we didn't make it easy. Um, in fact, we probably made it about as hard as possible uh with the amount of time we gave you all. So, uh, along those lines, I've also completed uh the Masters and Governance program through the CSBA. It's a 40hour um intensive training program for trustees uh that includes all the areas of operations of the district and I received my certificate from that um I
053think two 3 weeks ago when I completed those trainings. Uh we had our finance committee meeting on the first Monday at 3:30. Uh we were able to welcome Tammy Monttero who is the staff that's been provided to us to help support our finance operations from Fickmat. uh get to ask her very technical, detailed questions about her work that apparently never get talked about at this level because they're technical and detailed. Uh but it was good to get to see the face of the person that's providing us that important technical assistance. Uh we also received a comparative budget study looking at ADA comparisons and spending across different groups of districts. and we received um early preliminary input and acted as an additional place for public input for the elk cap which will be coming to the
054board in uh future meetings. So all of that is a brown acted committee. You can go online um all the agenda materials are available on the same portal as these agendas and you can watch the whole meeting um on YouTube if any of those things were of particular interest to you. Um I did participate with SRTA. I just want to be really clear. There were not four of us in the room for any of these meetings. And I appreciate SRTA structuring it in such a way where uh we're able to have healthy and um robust communications that were honestly mostly about having healthy and robust communications which I think we can all agree is vital for the entire district. Um and I also appreciate all of the other teachers who've reached out to meet with
055me individually and separately with groups from the various campuses and I hope to continue doing that. Uh, I want to acknowledge the San Rosa City Council who last night unanimously approved the memorandum of understanding for school resource officers. That does not mean that we will have them yet, but it does mean that our two entities are able to work now on the next phase, which is securing the funding. And that strong so show of support from the council um I think definitely speaks to the importance of safety for our youth both when they're on campus and when they're out in the community. And that's something I think we're all very concerned about. Um the incidents are untenable uh whether they're on campus or not. And I'm looking forward to continuing that collaboration. And on a
056much happier note, I attended the CCLA elementary spring concert, which when you span first to uh sixth grade of music talents, it uh creates my 2-year-old had a really good time. Um, and everyone was having a really good time and it was just good to see all the smiling faces and positivity and I'm hoping that I get to 10 more of those leading up to graduation. So, thank you. Uh, for me, um, I I wasn't planning on speaking, but some things came up and I want to speak. Um I I will echo the thanks to former trustee Manetti and emphasize that the area uh application seat is open. Please uh connect with Melanie um for that. Um I wanted to provide a counternarrative on the issue of A throughG. Um, a lot of my motivation
057to serve is to counter a lot of historical um, I want to say systems that have impacted students of color primarily. Um, I'm a strong supporter of A throughG. To me, from my perspective, A throughG is uh the basic general education that parents and families should expect of our students graduating out of high school. It's a general education. It offers more doors for them once they graduate. Um I'm really opposed to this narrative that um that's made that not all students are going to college. Of course, they're not all going to college, but that doesn't mean we should expect less of them. The higher we expect of them, the higher they'll achieve. If we set low expectations, they'll achieve lower. If we set high expectations, even if they don't meet those high expectations, they might
058still achieve higher than we than if we had those low expectations. Stephen Dina, while I don't disagree with you, I want to avoid us turning the report section into a discussion. Well, let me let me continue. So, I had the privilege this week of interacting with some students in part of of scholarship application process and two great examples. One of them um met all the A3G requirements. He has a 4.52 GPA and after graduating he's going to do sheet metal work. He's going to a sheet metal apprentice ship. Another young lady 4.45 four five GPA meeting all the A throughG requirements going into an electrician apprenticeship something that requires a lot of hard work and effort just to get into. So the point being is that that should be what we strive for and continue
059to do with A throughG requirements is allow our students to have more opportunities. Um, and the only other thing that I'll say is that I had the privilege of meeting with a major funer of the read on Sonoma movement, which I find as a really positive program that seems to be impacting students by promoting reading um, by incentivizing reading and really trying to push those third grade reading levels up high. And I hope that maybe we could collaborate with this nonprofit organization to bring those efforts to our district because they're showing really great results in other schools throughout the county. And I think anything that we could do to get better results, especially at that early age. Um I I I think would definitely benefit our students in in the trajectory of not only our
060statistics, but in their lives. And that's all for me. All right, our student board member is not present tonight, so we'll go to our school reconfiguration update. Thank you, President McN, members of the board and our community. We're going to um provide this really in the way that it's intended, which is as a report rather than as a discussion item as what's been happening in this last month or so. So, just to give a a quick couple of updates on some highlights and and some things that we're working through, we've taken a look at the structure of our teams and the way the effectiveness of the way that we implement um this redesign, this reconfiguration as we move forward. And so looking at yes, our empower teams have been incredibly impactful and they are that
061work. I don't think there's a a need to change what's been happening there other than now they've been they're ready to move on to more focused groups. So, they've done a great job working as as the whole and we'll give some updates on some specific things um some highlights from yesterday and today. But at the district level, we have some teams that have been operating as well. And so we've tried to streamline those and turn the design team really into a decision making a place where we can make decisions the issues that come up through our empower teams. The things that that are the bumps along the road that they're not able to work through or that are above the area of responsibility. We now are making those decisions in the design team. So we've
062added some people to the room. um we've adjusted who is there um so that that we can make sure that we're having the conversations with the right people in the right way in a timely manner. So that's one way that we're changing how we how we move forward. Our implementation team was meeting weekly which was more of a report out of kind of where we were with activities and now that's been changed to really be here's what what is needed for implementation. here's how we need to connect these different dots and and move forward. So, really trying to adapt based on the feedback that we're hearing from our sites, from our staff on on how we can better move forward. So, just wanted to share that little restructure. Um, as far as the impact, I
063wanted to also say, sorry, um, just from an enrollment perspective, we are over 2,000 students right now at Santa Rosa High between our junior and senior programs, which is um, incredible. And Montgomery Junior and Senior High is also up um, in their enrollment as are as is Piner. So, we're we're we're moving um, in the right direction. There are shifts across the district that always happen um when we're looking at these. Helen Layman is um definitely um getting up there in in enrollment with um some great changing in in some great changes as they're bringing in and welcoming the um Bella families as is Monroe are welcoming Bella families as well. Proctor and Brook and Burbank I'm sorry are welcoming Brook Hill families. So, just a reminder of where those moves are taking place and
064that remember this is our first year in this in this 2-year um phase and then later um other other sites as well. So, just thinking about the fact that we have a long-term vision, but really we have to figure out how to get there by showing you the smaller steps along the way. So, just be prepared for additional changes in the way that we communicate what's happening. the um empower teams. I do want to share um some great news related to actual locations on on staffing um for for our Montgomery and Slater families and and students. It does. Um we have a 99% we would say that we are committed to being able to have a portion of the new building open um for for for staff and students to use um that lower level
065for our seventh and eighth graders, which I know the big a big concern for our community and our staff and students has been about the restrooms and locations for seventh and eighth graders. So, we're very excited um that we're going to to be able to to make that commitment. That just makes it a little bit easier. We already had plans and this just makes it a little bit easier to implement that. Um as uh trustee um Casten shared um the empower team meeting at Santa Rosa High today. Great collaboration, difficult conversations. Absolutely. both yesterday and today with the with the Slater Montgomery team and the Santa Rosa's team, really real raw conversations. I somebody had said that it feels like an arranged marriage. So, I wanted to share that because I thought that was pretty
066apt. Um, you know, it's a really good description of okay, this is the situation and now we get we get to figure out how to make it work down to all of the little details. The things that are important for our community to know are that we will take care of your students. They will be receiving an excellent education with a lot of enrichment opportunities. We are working through those details. And so everything is not perfect as we as we go through this, but we have the right people on the teams to come together and make it happen. So we do expect that. We are also looking at um now that we've had thank you um to President Layman again for sharing about the um csea approval ratification of some job descriptions andou that actually
067impacts the student safety advisor positions which are the extra adults on campus in the rec in the reconfiguration. So wanted to to share that those are the little bits and steps that that are moving forward. Um, again, I just want to share that both sets of Montgomery and Santa Rosa, um, the junior senior high school programs are starting to meet in smaller groups to work out specifics to each of their departments or particular areas. And, um, I'm very happy to say that the classified staff are also involved in each of those teams. So very important that we have classified certificated administrators at the site as well as district office support and our our team members from SCO um supporting there as well. So again I want to continue the great work and kudos to all
068of you for making it happen. Thank you for the update. We'll now go on to item E, public comment on non-aggenda and consent items. You will have two minutes each. I'll call three names at a time. So when you hear your name, please line up behind one of our podiums. First is Donna Gibson, followed by Tina Pareda, followed by Ma Carlin Goldberg. Are you Donna? Yes. Go ahead. Hi, my name is Donna Gibson and I'm here to speak about the urgent need to reexamine how SRCS is spending millions of dollars on outsourcing supports particularly for students of special education needs. Right now, the district is paying $52 an hour for agency staff and $110 per hour for their supervision, mounting to 6.4 million. The same workers are being paid 23 to 27 per hour by
069the agency. Meanwhile, SRCS's own classified staff with have more responsibilities and are paid just $20.74 per minute. This is not uh effective or uh and it's inequitable. The cost is not sustainable. This is uh if this is your idea of cost-effective spending, you can and must do better. These funds should be used to pay district staff competitive wages so we can hire and retain qualified employees in house. These there are solutions. Reach out to the JC Sonoma State to find students looking for part-time work and education. Attend job fairs. Go to community events. hire people from our community who are ready and willing to support our students. And most importantly, HR must move faster, decreasing the time it takes to process applications and get people into the classrooms. This isn't just about dollars. This is
070about priorities. Let's stop spending millions to outsource when we could be building a stronger, more sustainable, and more committed workforce right here at SRCS. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Tina Pareda, followed by Micah Carlin Goldberg, followed by Nan Taylor. Oh, Tina Prett. Sorry, I thought it was an A. Hi, I didn't come with a speech today because I just am going to speak from my heart and I'm on my toes right now and in heels. Um, I'm coming up because it was really awkward to receive a recognition for being teacher of the year with such a crazy year and I was recently rifted. So, it was like really strange and I've been I've taught many different grade levels this year because of all the changes. Um, and I don't know what's going to happen
071with our school, the arts charter, but I've observed many schools. I have like it it's very a big passion of mine to go into classrooms and study the culture of a classroom. And um I when I went in for interviews, I'm interviewing the school. I want to know what they offer our community. And I get to work at the arts charter. It is an amazing school that offers something I've never seen at other schools. is a art integration school. And if you don't know what that means, you can't have arts integration without social emotional learning. You can't have arts integration without social justice. You can't have arts integration without cultural responsive teaching. You can't have arts integration without creating community and transforming tomorrow. That's how I feel about our school. My first week at our
072school, I was walking around to all the parents saying, "I get to work here. It's amazing." So, I don't know what's going to happen to our schools. And I want to recognize that. To recognize me, you're recognizing our staff and everyone at our school that makes that community. I feel very special um to be there. And I love working for the district only because I love working at our school. Um and so I I just want I just want to be up here to say that if you recognize me today, it's you've recognized Santa Rosa's Charter School for the Arts and everyone there and all the teachers. And I'm just so grateful. and whatever decisions happen and as we move forward know that our school is offering something really unique and very special and I
073hope you think of them in your future decisions. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Micah Carlin Goldberg followed by Nan Taylor followed by Rachel Shadburn. Uh good evening. My name is Micah. I'm a sixth grade teacher at Steel Lane Elementary. I want to start with a couple of observations. one um I've been watching board meetings online. More than half of the staff that have been recognized as staff of the month over the last five months have been Rift individuals. So our best people are the ones that we are asking to leave. Second, in most of those meetings, the general session has started anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour later than the scheduled 6 p.m. time. I request that you change the start time for the general session to 700 p.m. so that we do
074not waste hundreds of hours of students, families, and staff's time waiting for a close session to finish. Um, as I said, I'm at Steel Lane Elementary. We've had four principles this year. Mr. Jablonsky is our fourth principal this year. Next year, he's going to be at another site and we are going to be getting our eighth principal in 11 years. This is chaotic. I want to say thank you for removing the previous district superintendent who was causing much of this chaos. But this administrative shuffle is destroying school communities. Every time we get a new administrator in, we have they have to learn us. We have to learn them. They all want to do something different than the way it's been done. Many of them don't ask how it's been done and just want to implement
075their own thing which leads to chaos. Mr. Jablonsky is easily one of the best administrators I've ever had. He's the first administrator in almost a decade who's actually done real discipline and really backed up the teachers. So, of course, he's going next year. It's tough being a teacher and when you take our leadership and throw it all over the place, it's not good. And honestly, you're not hiring the best people often. One of the reason we had four principles this year is because Vicky Xans and the HR department hired a principal who was completely incompetent over the objections of the hiring committee which is what you time is up. Thank you. Next is Nan Taylor followed by Rachel Shadburn followed by Norma Brco. Hi, my name is Nan Taylor and I have been a teacher
076with Santa Rosa City Schools and the RISE program since 2016 when this program was initially taken back from SCO. We have called Brook Hill our home for the last 8 years. This specialized program is now going to be displaced for some of our highest need students onto three different campuses. We have not been given the same opportunities as the rest of students to go on field trips to our new receiving schools to become familiar with the campuses or welcome to collaborative events. When going to look at the selected classroom at Charter of the Arts, the amount of modifications are extensive. A child-sized toilet needs to be put in. A sink needs to be installed. A gate is being built around the front of the school. The lenolium tile is being replaced. The wood rot next
077to the window replaced. The walls are going to be repainted and cabinet space and storage installed, all supposedly before the start of the school year. At a listening session, it was told our special education families would have priority transferring their siblings to campuses so that families could remain together. However, being placed on a charter school campus, one of my parents was told that it's a waiting list lottery system and that they would not be guaranteed a spot on campus. How do we expect parents to not want to leave the district and look at non-public schools or other campuses where they can have a typical TK through sixth grade experience for a child who needs that consistency? This is far from what is best for students. This might actually be what is worse for our elementary
078rise students. I am urging you to reconsider the closure of Brook Hill and the detrimental effect it will have on the rise students or at the very least make it an absolute priority to get all of these Rise classes onto one campus for the start of next school year. It is not my fault or our students fault that you didn't think of the amount of toilets and bathrooms we would need in classrooms or the fencing for the safety of the gen for the safety of our students or the general education peers and relationships we have built over the last eight years. But because you chose to do this, we now need to fix the problem. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Rachel Shadburn followed by Norma Barco. Good evening. My name is Rachel Shadburn with
079my colleague Sandra Sandy Monroe. I'm the vice president and office manager for Schultz Brothers Moving in Storage. I'm here to speak about the awarding of bond contracts by Santa Rosa City Schools without allowing competitive bids to be submitted by approved firms. We were one of seven firms who submitted a request for qualifications packet to provide moving services for school sites on the 2025 summer consolidation projects. We were expecting to provide a bid because we were approved through the RFQ process and were waiting to receive the broader scope of work. And since the Public Works Brown Act requires that all public works projects totaling $50,000 or more and paid for by bond monies go out for competitive bids. Instead, we were surprised to be informed that due to the school board's view of a time constraint,
080the details on services needed were given to only one firm and only that firm was allowed to submit a bid for those services. This is in direct conflict with the directive from provided from the RFQ stating no contract will be entered into as a direct result of this RFQ process. The district will solicit proposals from pre-qualified firms and on a project bypro basis. The district did not solicit proposals. Nothing was announced to the approved firms and on any further decision until our office representative reached out for more information on the next steps in the bidding process. With this decision, Santa Rosa City Schools eliminated any other potential lower bids being submitted, which could be saving the school district and the county taxpayer bond measure dollars. With the school district's current situation, saving money on this
081consolidation project should be a top priority. We therefore request that the awarding of these moving contracts be paused and the school district opens the competitive bidding process to all RFQ approved firms. Thank you for allowing me to speak on this. Thank you. Next is Norma Brco. Hi, my name is Norma Bronco. I have been an elementary teacher in the district for 29 years. I have a few things I would like to address. First, please look at for a superintendent and district administrators who are invested in our community and not just looking for a step towards the next position somewhere else. Second, staff and health. Staff health and safety. Many of our staff have been hit by students. My daughter is an elementary teacher in the district and suffered a mild heart attack due to stress
082from the classroom. Our staff need support. We need to keep class sizes at 24 for primary. The classroom teacher cannot do it all. We are keeping our counselor at our site. We are very happy that she's staying. We need that support. We need a family engagement and restorative on-site. They are the ones who help out when a student is having trouble in the classroom or elopes. Teachers needs help with translations. It looks like we may have less staff with more students. Being an elementary teacher comes with its difficulties. Finally, elementary does not have a comprehensive reading program. Wonders was taken away and we were given 95% which is a foundational skills program. The CCD units alone are not the answer for teaching students. The amount of prep a new teacher or a teacher changing grade
083levels is enormous regarding these units. Please come to our schools and ask the school staff how we are doing. We are the ones working with students and doing our best to meet their needs. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any other blue cards? There are no other blue cards. All right. Then we will move on to our F items, which are the consent items. I did ask that we move consent up on our agenda to make sure that we're able to approve things. And I move to approve F1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 10 through 16. Second. That was moved by Trusty Medina. Seconded by Casten. Roll call vote. Trusty Medina. I. Trusty Casten. I. Trusty Jenkins. I. Trusty Kirby. I. Trusty Deator. Abstain. President McN. Motion passes. F3. I'll move con I'll move item
084three for discussion vendor warrants second was there any discussion so the reason that I pulled this was um simply because I personally would like a more formal conversation regarding vendor warrants and so I'll set that up separately with Lisa excuse me with acting superintendent Lisa August Um and so I'll set that up separately. So I want to abstain from that. Um right now currently are we saying any other discussion? Roll call vote. Trustee Casten I. Trusty Medina I. Trusty Jenkins abstain. Trusty Kirby I. Trusty Deator I. President McN I. Motion passes. I move item six, approval of contracts bond for discussion or sorry, I move it for approval to discuss it. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? Yeah, I was going to ask um acting superintendent August um would there be any issue if
085we pulled if we took out the the moving contract components of this um of these contracts until we got further clarification from legal. Maybe they bring it back at the next meeting to understand that a little better. So, we actually had um legal because we did receive the the notification shortly before coming here, you know, um and we actually sent a response to to the um protesting um organization and I can share the the legal opinion which is that because we were using professional services, it there we are not in violation. We've actually moved forward. It's under the bid limit for professional services. And I'll actually let um director executive director Odin speak to it. Because of the timeline, it is urgent that we move forward. It would impact theou agreement with SRTA. Thank you.
086Okay. Um yeah, we we created a pool to to get to get proposals from, but it doesn't mean that everyone in the pool gets prop needs to give a proposal to um for us to go forward. Just like with architects, uh specialty services like this as as acting superintendent August had mentioned that um we're not required to uh go out to public bid for these services. So um we we had legal help us draft a letter in response. So, and so just for clarification, um is there a different threshold amount aside from that 50,000 that was mentioned or is it because all the individual projects are less than 50 and a matter of time? I just want to kind of better understand that part. It's it's actually 115,000 for um professional services. And do we
087know the total of all these? I didn't add them all up. Uh I might need my team. I don't have it pulled up in front of me. It's on the but either way the limit would apply to each of those contracts separately, not cumulatively. Correct. So they're all under 50, let alone 115. Correct. Cumulatively isn't important for a consider from a legal consideration. Yes. Correct. Thank you. And I'd like to add that this is one set of moves over several years. So the there are additional opportunities for all of the all of the movers that were in the pool to have items awarded in the future. Thank you for the clarification. Oh, I was also just at the empower meeting today during coffee break. The moves are a very important place to for us to
088provide certainty, a timeline and to have this established. And I think I mean unless anyone wants to raise their hands and say I'm wrong here like making sure that we have these services lined up that we're able to deal I mean we got key fobs keys going places. We have a lot of logistics happening and I wouldn't want to see us derail any of that through delaying action tonight on what's a very important um part of that. Yes, very much so. It keeps me awake at night already. And then the reason that I initially pulled this um aside from that is simply because I really want to see a facilities master plan update. I know that's coming. Um so like I'm not comfortable with all the money spending without seeing where it's all going. I
089mean I know it's we can see where it's going in some in the information that's given, but the the long-term the plan for all of our facilities cuz it's kind of a big one. Um, so that was that's why I pulled it just for me to personally abstain from that for tonight. Okay. Roll call vote. Trusty Casten. Hi. Uh, I think I'm on the wrong one. Trusty Kirby. I. Trusty Jenkins. Abstain. Trusty Deator. I. Trusty Medina. I. President McN. Motion passes. Thank you. I move item eight, approval of resolution 202425-114 amending the districtwide electronic access control contract waving further reading of the text. Second, discussion. The reason I pulled this one is because it has a $9 million price tag. Um, and I am just wondering if we can spend our money better as that's
090a really big ticket item for what appears to be switching out locks. I mean, I know there's more to it, but you could just elaborate a bit. Yeah, there's quite a lot more than that. In fact, locks are one of the smallest things as as a piece of that. Um, we we always add a 10% contingency as well into these bids. So, there's there's there's built-in um help in case we run into problems in there, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're going to spend it. In fact, most times we actually don't, but it's there for emergency uh needs that come up if when we open walls, we find god knows what. um most of what's being done at these and in fact the the the first sites are specifically a lot of our larger sites
091and Santa Rosa High in particular has a tremendous amount of issues with doors and as a maintenance department which I also oversee. Uh we do not have anywhere near enough funds to to solve the massive amount of door problems in our district. uh the thousands and thousands of door issues we have um that a lot of them are on the deferred maintenance plan. So part of what this helps solve is close that loop. It would take my department's entire budget like for 10 years to sol solve these problems and I can get them done in just about a year and a half this way. So um it's effective to make sure these doors close properly and safely so that when we have lockdowns, someone's not trying to struggle to close their door. It's closed. Um
092the electronic locks are another large uh price tag piece, right? Because they have to run wiring to every door. Uh we're not doing every door in the district, but we're doing the bulk of the doors. The amount of key loss we have in the district is massive. And I don't mean people are intentionally losing keys. They're just missing and we make keys a ton. Um this eliminates that key factor. Card keys will be issued and people can carry around a card key. If they lose it, it could easily just be deactivated and keep our schools safer. was, you know, this is all tying back to that school safety as the number one issue that came across every site. So, we we put the big bulk of the big ones first. This is a larger number
093up front and every number coming to you in the future will be much much smaller. So, this just is this just for four schools, correct? And um I think about a decade ago we put the coline locks. Is this totally replacing all that that was done or? Yeah. So we did we put coline locks in. It helped with our keyway but um only some of the classroom doors got hardware. Most doors the crash bars really and the really expensive doors too by the way um received nothing. No door closers either or anything else. So it was a it was a nice piece. It was good. and we're keeping that intact as well, but we're electrifying the door strikes. We're um replacing all the closers. We're replacing doors as needed as well. Um so, and crash
094bars um you know, the easy exit devices which are on many of our doors are all still original old and those things are about $2,500 a piece. So, when you start multiplying that out around the thousands of doors we have, it adds up quick, but it is a necessary need in our district. And I didn't see when is this work expected to be done by? We're expecting to do all 20ish sites within the next year and a half. You Yeah, you'll be getting more of these uh in groups um as as they get them drawn up and um priced. This specific contract, when is this specific one supposed to be done by? They have it listed until I think about nine months to nine or 10 months, but it'll be done quicker than that. In
095fact, you know, they're not all going to be done. Santa Rosa High is already half the wiring's, you know, in there already. So, thank you. They'll be done in time. Just to confirm, these are restricted funds for a project that was in our bond plan and we couldn't use these funds for anything else because these were bond funds that can only be used for facility and these types of upgrades. Correct. Yes. And I think just to add a little cl like does this because there are electronics in in the context of safety in terms of like some sort of lockdown like is there like some centralized control where like all doors could be locked from like one location? Yes. This is what's a great piece to what we're doing of working closely with it um
096in in designing the system and it pairs with our phone system and our lockdown system. So if a lockdown is triggered, the system will lock every door on the campus immediately. So which will be incredibly helpful as well. And not to get in the weeds, but with all of our our failures, they have UPS battery backup interrupted battery packs to back them up. Okay. Thanks. Just because it's the one question that didn't get asked from this morning as well. um the ability to give if a teacher's got their key card and they're subbing in a building that they don't normally have access to. It's also enables you to be able to give temporary access to folks so you have better control in the sense. Yeah, exactly. And really quick as well, just a keystroke on
097a computer, right, versus me trying to make keys or something quickly. And if I can add, it also helps with facility use access and you know outside agencies. We no longer have to provide actual keys. We can check these out and turn them on and off and logs of what? Roll call vote, please. Trusty Casten, I. Trusty Medina, I. Trusty Jenkins, I. Trusty Kirby, I. Trusty Deator, I. President McN. Motion passes. I'll move item nine, approval of resolution 202425-111 for the SRMS/HCMSTK classroom buildings alternative design build project. Waiting for the reading of the text. Second discussion. I pulled this one. I think I actually pulled this one last time too. Um, could you just remind me then because I feel like we've talked about this, why we're moving forward on adding TK stuff to currently
098middle campuses when we haven't decided what we're doing with those campuses yet. Um, because of the timeline it takes um to get these things done. And if I wait and and the board decides to move a potential TK8 school to either of these sites in the year 26 27 school year to start, we will not have any facilities for them to h to do that. So you then therefore couldn't move them. We're trying to get ahead a little bit of planning and get this going in case. I knew it was a timeline thing. I forgot that piece. That was what that was what was missing in my brain. Thank you. Yeah, I will say that I am also asking I think I brought up in my deferred maintenance uh later tonight to to discuss these
099items because I am wanting an an idea of what's going to happen so that I can also help work with these stakeholder groups directly because I don't know who I'm working with exactly directly. So I kind of asking you as well for some guidance. Roll call vote. Trusty Casten. Hi. Trusty Medina. Hi. Trusty Jenkins. Hi. Trusty Kirby. I. Trusty Deator. Hi. President Mcnal. Hi. Motion passes. Was that the last one? Okay. G items. Um, organization of the board. We need to elect a vice president. Let me find my script. Okay. I am now going to accept nominations for vice president. I'll nominate uh Castile Lator to for VP. Is there a second for that nomination? We need seconds. Second. Trustee Delatory, do you accept the nomination? Yes. Are there other nominations? Trusty Jenkins. I'd like
100to nominate Trustee Casten. Is there a second? Second. Trustee Casten, do you accept the nomination? I do discussion. Trusty Kirby. I was just wondering if maybe we could hear from the two candidates maybe. So I mean I feel like uh we're back in December. Um, but man, a lot's happened since then, and I think we've really developed as a team, as a board. Um, I appreciate the collaboration that we've had, the differences of opinions, the way that that's helped mold us to a place of setting a good direction um, in really difficult circumstances. and I feel I've had the opportunity to step up and help vocalize um things I saw as being needed while also sitting back and having the opportunity to hear from other board members and uh help augment what all of us
101were feeling and change my opinion uh multiple times through our conversations through that period. I also took it very seriously. I worked with CSBA um you know completed the masters in governance program and getting to even for the few months that we've had the finance committee going I think show that we're able to bring issues forward in a way where we're to have in-depth conversations about important things while us while creating room for more to get done and for more of our priorities as trustees to get addressed not by limiting anything that any of us want to work on. Um I'm still not seasoned. I'm still here for 5 months and uh you know that's that's something that I wear. Um but we're also a very young board and I think that I have an
102ability to bring some outside of the school district leadership and governance experience and collaborations with other entities that would be valuable for us. And I'd look to do that while supporting President McN's um vision and leadership and you know um continuing to support in the ways that you find most helpful and needed and I don't have a specific vision of what that means. I think that's something that would happen if I'm chosen for this position. But, you know, a lot has fallen on your shoulders and I, you know, I look forward to continuing no matter what happens as a part of the team helping you, but think I could help a lot in the role of vice president. I think if I may before Trusted Lago, I I just wanted to say that like my
103mayor in nominating Trust Lores, not only because he's been here longer, but I think he's done a really good job at like having a presence in all of our schools. Um, not just because where's Trusty Deator today would be maybe better if it's where's VP Deator today, but because he's built those relationships over time and I think he does a really good job at listening and I think as we transition I think to continue that work and build off of that. Um, I know that Trustee Casten is very capable and I I would love to see him move up to clerk, but but that's really in large part why I think Trusty Lator would be good to continue to do that work and and build on all his relationships he's built as kind of an
104ambassador from the leadership on the exec team. Thank you, Trusty Medina, and thank you, Trusty Casten. Um, I agree this deja vu. We were just here a few more months ago and um again talk about ourselves um through this perspective and through this lens. Um I truly feel feel that the value I would bring to a vice president position um is the consistent unbiased neutral balanced leadership that I have shown from day one two years ago. Um, and the governance experience I bring from 20 years of experience throughout education and non-education entities throughout this district. And it's all about community and building relationships. And I have the ability to listen and have a symbiotic relationship with the president and with the superintendent um, and all of the board on how to communicate those narratives that
105are needed. and push forward the need of not only the students but the teachers, the staff, the families um through all aspects of the educational opportunity. Um I've had an opportunity to work with this board for two years now. I've had an opportunity to work with uh Trusty Medina and Trusty Mali throughout that time. um shared some time with acting superintendent Lisa August um doing radio interviews and being a vocal point for this board and this community on what we're doing and why we're doing and why it's so important that we do it together. Um and I feel it' be a natural um attrition to move from the current clerk position up to the BP position. Um, and I would welcome and think Castston would be a great addition at clerk if the rest of
106the board saw fit. Um, to unify a executive board um, with different values and different perspectives, but all with the same goal to build the best innovative educational experiences possible. And we all bring valuable tools these positions. That's why there are six of us and I can't wait until there's seven of us again. Um but I truly feel that uh my ability to communicate and connect uh would be crucial at the BP position and to have already ch share chaired a meeting through a chaotic time. Um having that experience and ability to continue to do so if needed uh for the rest of this calendar year. Any other discussion? Trusty Jenkins. just to kind of um add to the conversation. Um I had the the opportunity to get to know Trusty Casten a little bit
107before we both took um our seats up here. And one of the things that we were discussing is something that I do not have a huge strength in is the actual governance, the understanding of governance. um and uh he's been very very helpful in general about that. But I also think that he would be such a it would be such an important position to uh to kind of be the or to be the vice president and assist um President McNal with governance in general as we continue through these um challenging times and challenging transitions. up here we have half of half a brand new board. Um, and having having someone with that kind of experience in a leadership role such as vice president, I think would be extremely beneficial to our entire district. Any other
108discussion? I completely agree and just reiterate that that governance experience is something that we both bring to the request of the position. Um, and it's not something that either of us lack. Roll call vote. Trusty Casten. Myself. Trusty Jenkins. Trusty Casten. Trusty Kirby. Trusty Casden. Trusty Deator. Trusty Deator. Trusty Medina. Trusty Lator. President McN avoiding a tie because this is a very stubborn board. Trustee Casten. Congratulations, Vice President Casten. All right. So, continuing with vacancies created by um Trustee Mani's leaving of the board, we need to fill some committee positions. Uh we need to fill her spot on the Sonoma County Office of Education Ad Hoc and the Board Policy Subcommittee. Um I'll make a recommendation. Trustee Medina, you look concerned. Remind me what the SCO 6x6 ad hoc is. It's the ad hoc with
109SCO that uh meet every Thursday and get a report on the partnership with SCO and Sum City Schools. It's called six basic because there's six core priorities that we're working on with SCO. It's not because of the membership. Okay, that's what I wasn't clear. Thanks. And for that, I would actually recommend to ask if Trusty Jenkins was still interested in that position. Yes, I am. What time does that meeting take place? 7:30 tomorrow morning. 7:30 to 9 every Thursday. Alternating sites. Tomorrow's at Santa Rosa City Schools District Office. The following week will be out. I was going to recommend Trusty Jenkins to join the policy subcommittee. Are you able to do both? I am because the 3x3 ad hoc was only one meeting and SART is very um is very rare and I had been
110interested in the policy one um coming on but I wasn't totally interested because it was a little intimidating but now that I've been here for 5 months I'm very much interested in both. I had been interested in the ad hoc myself, but given the time of it, uh, I don't think that would work. So, I'd be happy to recommend Trusty Jenkins for that. Um, I also know Trusty Casten, you wanted to step down from policy. Yes. I'd like to I'm going to be stepping off of the board policy update subcommittee to create two openings on that for new opportunities. So then I also wanted to recommend trustee Kirby. Yes, I am interested also in the board policy committee. So those would be my recommendations. Trusty Jenin for both committees and Trusty Kirby for the board
111policy. I move President McN's recommendations. I think just to clarify, I think uh they're appointments by the president. You just appoint I think so Sonoma County Office of Education's that external one. So we'd actually have to do it as a vote. Yeah. And then the board policy is just appointments. So it's really just so I would move the uh trustee Jenkins for the S county office of education ad hoc committee. I'll second that. Have a question. It was about the board policy not chairing though. Correct. or how does that work? We can discuss later. Those are all those are all appointments. So that's not something we need to do. All appoint a chair. Thank you. Uh okay. So roll call vote on the ad hoc. Trusty Casten. Hi. Trusty Medina. Hi. Trusty Jenkins. Hi. Trusty
112Kirby. I. Trusty Deator. I. President McN. Motion passes. And I am appointing Trusty Kirby and Trusty Jenkins to the policy um subcommittee. Uh Trusty Kirby or Trusty Medina. Are either of you interested in chairing that committee? I'm down to chair. Okay. Do I have to make that appointment in a meeting or no? Okay. We'll talk about it later. All right. Moving on to resolution recognizing National School Nurse Day. Move to approve. Second. We We have John Fischer here to give us a a brief brief presentation, a a spiel. I was like, didn't that pass? uh trustees. Um this is a resolution uh recognizing uh National School Nurse Day and one of our wonderful Santa Rosa City Schools uh nurses, Allison O'hery, and also Nico at the is in the house. She had a few words
113to say about the role of nurses. So, I'm going to turn it over to Allison. Great. Thank you. It's an honor to be here um to present. Um my name is Allison O'Hurle. I am one of the credentialed school nurses for Santa Rosa City Schools and um I just wanted to take a moment to say what we do for you so that you know there are eight of us and when I am asked what we do as a school nurse the answer always feels so long but I don't know where to I but I don't know where to start. So here is a quick summary. So far this year, Santa Rosa City School District nurses completed 1,000 health assessments. We have screened vision, hearing, and dental for approximately 4,200 students, resulting in 600 referrals. We
114have developed hundreds of individual health care plans for students with diabetes, seizures, asthma, allergy, and other chronic illnesses. We have responded to healthcare emergencies and kept our students safe and stable while waiting for emergency medical response. In working with the community, we volunteered our time and assisted in setting up a free cardiac screening event that took place at LC Allen High School in February for children in Sonoma County. Through community outreach, we volunteer our time and assist in setting up things programs such as placing Narcan, AEDs, and EpiPens at all of our school sites and maintaining them annually with the assistant from our wonderful classified staff. We trained hundreds of staff on the use of Narcan, AEDs, EpiPens, and how to respond to seizures. Additionally, we work with our public health department to ensure immunization
115compliance and prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases in our community. We also connect families with community resources, insurance, and dental appointments with Sonoma County dental health and our major medical providers. In some cases, we are the first responders responders to a mental health crisis and support our student with their mental health care needs. We also support our staff and colleagues with health care questions and concerns. And we do so much more. Happy National Health School Happy National School Nurse Day to all school nurses nationwide. Healthy children learn better and school nurses make it happen. Thank you very much. Did we already have a motion and a second? Roll call vote. Sorry, who was the second? Trusty Casten Aston. Um, here trusty Medina. I can do it instead. I can Oh, wait, wait. I had a
116public comment. Oh, Margaret Boon. Thank you. I'm sorry. I um I taught the medically fragile class my first seven years in the district, the unofficial one, and then moved to ESN for a couple years. Now I'm back teaching medically light medically fragile kids. So the nurses have always been a huge part of my class. The first year they actually made all the school nurses rotate through my class while we waited to get a classroom nurse. Um, Nico I got to work with in summer school. He helped me with a student having a seizure on a playground. So, the nurses have been super essential to us and they come to all our IP meetings. They do our seizure care plans, our asthma care plans, they help us check in the medicine, all kinds of things. I
117just want to say thank you Do we need do we need someone to second who is actually sitting here? Yes. Go ahead. Just going to add a comment. Um I think nurses are amazing. There's a huge need for nurses in general. I'm glad to see that there's a lot of work done being done in the district to to have more students go into healthcare. There's a lot of like funding and support out there going into it. I had the opportunity to to meet with a student um at that's at LC Allen um that recently was recognized uh by community matters. She's a safe school ambassador. She's so passionate about becoming a nurse. She's a Filipina um and so she's amazing and so I'm glad to see that there's a lot of students um going into
118nursing. I just got to review a lot of scholarship applications and probably at least 15 are headed into nursing. So that's awesome. Trusty Jenkins, I also very much appreciate all the things that nurses do. Um, in addition, I want to make sure that you guys are fully supported as well. Um, specifically in like policies and procedures around all the things that can happen in a medical school. I mean, not a medical school, but you know, um, with the increase of special ed as well as just normal stuff like all of the screenings. So, thank you so much for all you do and I hope that we can that we as a district can support you in any way that we can. Roll call vote. Trustee Medina. Hi. Nick, hurry up. Trusty Casten. Trusty Jenkins. Hi.
119Trusty Kirby. Hi. Trusty Deator. Hi. Trusty McN. Motion passes. All right. Next is a resolution recognizing May as the month of better hearing and speech. And I'm going to let Vice President Casten run this. Um trustees. Um this is for a resolution recognizing May is the month of uh better hearing and speech but it's really an opportunity to recognize the work that our speech language pathologists uh do. Our uh lead uh SLP Daniel Ult was here but she has a newborn maybe three months old and she had to get home so uh she was going to say a few words. So I'm going to say a couple words in in her place. Um, and we're recognizing the supports that our speech language pathologists pro provide for our students. SLPs do work on articulation, fluency, voice,
120and social communication among many, many other things. They collaborate with our classroom teachers and other professionals to help students generalize their skills. They work with our youngest infant students, zero to two, all the way up to our 18 to 22 year old students, helping our students communicate and navigate their world. They work with speechonly students, extensive support needs students, DHH students up at Hidden Valley. They teach pragmatics enabling students to develop and improve social skills. They work with our non-verbal students through other modes of communication with AAC devices. They provide a wide variety of critical services in our district. In short, they help our students find their voice. Thank you. Thank you, Director Fischer. Uh we do have public comment on this. Are there any questions from the board before we go to public comment?
121All right. Uh my first card is Margaret Boon. Then I'll be followed by I believe Steven Schultz. Just wanted to say thank you to the speech pathologists um working in ESN and MAP classes. They are another person who is a huge support to us. the now a lot of my kids are non-verbal and so we've been really working on getting a lot of AAC devices in the rooms and training the kids on those and the kids have just you know they look so forward to the speech pathologist coming it's always a super fun time a lot of our kids are working on social skills and understanding language and so everything's kind of games and fun and watching videos and acting and playing cahoots and things like that and it's just a wonderful and engaging time.
122Thank you. Thank you. With your permission, Steve has left me his speech. Absolutely. I was going to wait for you to correct my name pronunciation there. Steve Schultz is one of your speech therapists. He's the site rep and the auxiliary member for the San Rosa Teachers Association exec board. Thank you for honoring the SLPs tonight. It is important, however, that I share with the board on behalf of your speech therapists how hurt, dejected, and demoralized they were by Dr. Dlepsy's report, wherein he basically accused us them, of being money-grabbing leeches who have created much of a 7 million sped deficit by bulking up their case loads in order to get overages. Nothing could be farther than the truth. Just the truth is that they do not control their case loads. They they are assigned to
123them and they have case loads limits of 55. What do we do? We work with our 0 to3 our prek 22 populations hard deaf of hearing articulation language social skills stuttering augmentative communicate communication and those who are non-verbal and more in multiple languages. And of course, like everyone here, we strive to nurture and help them blossom to their fullest, most empowered selves. We also help keep Santa Rosa City Schools in compliance with the state and federal law. We do not allow to we are not allowed to deny services to the students when our case loads are over 55. For example, we are not ones who took back the SCO students with more to come next year, many of whom I guarantee will have speech services in their IEPs. This year alone, I believe your SLPs
124have recouped approximately $300,000 in Medicare medical money and have build for our services. So, please know that we are proud to consider ourselves valuable members of our greater SRCS family and we look forward to serving our students and the families together with you. Thank you again for honoring us tonight. All right, that's the last card I have unless there's any other public comment. I'm going to bring it back to the board. Are there any questions of Director Fischer before we move to discussion? I'll move to approve resolution number 2024/25-117 recognizing May as uh the month of better hearing and speech. Oh, wait, that was a wrong number. 2024-16 recognizing May 1st through 31st as better hearing and speech month. Second. Moved by Director Medina, seconded by Clerk Deator. Any further discussion? Roll call vote, please.
125Trusty Medina. I. Trusty De Laator. Hi. Trusty Casten. Hi. Trusty Jenkins. Hi. Trusty Kirby. Hi. And President McN is absent from this item. All right. We'll move to item four. Uh it's an action item. Resolution recognizing May is Sorry, there we go. My computer was stalled was stalled there. Uh moving to item five, resolution for mental health awareness month. Uh presenting I have listed here since it's coming up. I'm going to go with director uh desert. Sorry, Stacy. Thank you. Uh uh trustees and uh acting superintendent August. Um, I am here only to introduce my colleagues as they uh bring to you the resolution for mental health awareness month. To hear with me tonight is director Eric Lofty and one of our school-based therapists Elizabeth Smith who is currently serving at Ranken Valley. Take it
126away. Good evening. Um, I'm Elizabeth Smith and I'm a school-based therapist, like was just said to you, at Rinken Valley. Um, I'd like to thank the board for recognizing May as mental health awareness month in Santa Rosa City Schools. This resolution highlights the essential role that mental health and wellness play in students learning and healthy school communities. According to the CDC, one in seven children ages 3 to 17 has a current diagnosed mental or behavioral health condition. And more than one in three high school students report experiencing persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. This is a powerful reminder that mental health is not a peripheral issue. It's central to how our students show up in the classroom and in life. Santa Rosa City Schools continues to demonstrate the commitment by its commitment by expanding access
127to mental health services directly on our campuses. This helps reduce barriers, normalizes care, and ensures that support is available when and where students need it most. Every adult on campus plays a vital role in supporting students well-being. This recognition reflects the board's mission to support the whole person, promote equity, and prepare life ready learners. Thank you for your continued leadership and dedication to mental health. Any questions from the board? Discussion. Motion. Move to approve. Second. Roll call vote. Trusty Jenkins. Hey. Hi. There we go. Trusty de Laator. Hi. Trusty Castton. Hi. Trusty Kirby. Hi. Trusty Medina. President McN. I. Motion passes. Thank you so much. All right. We will now move on to Oh, this is a long title. Resolution number 202425-12 final recommendation for reduction or continuence of certain particular kinds of services for
128the 202526 school year. Hello Dr. Zance. Hello President McN, acting superintendent August and members of the board, those that are here with us tonight and those that are listening. Um, as you recall in February of this year, we brought forward a preliminary recommendation for reduction or discontinuous discontinuence of certain particular kinds of service uh for the 2526 school year. Um, per ED code, prior to May 15th, the board needs to approve the final layoffs or final PKS for certificated employees. So today I have brought forth a resolution in which we are um proposing that let me give you the exact number um Let's see for layoffs. So for layoffs, it appears that there are about 63 layoffs that will be going forward. Um and that is between um admin and um certificated teachers. Uh the
129total savings is $8.9 million in um certificated and $2.1 million in administration for a total of 11 about 11.1 million. Um the number that you'll see on here is not as large as the original numbers that were presented and you'll see that the number of names on the list do not equal the number of positions that have been eliminated. And that's due to attrition uh resignations, retirements, and um as well as not filling vacant positions. Questions? Jesse Jenkins. This is more for I'm not sure what I call you. It's so long. Acting superintendent August. Miss August. That's what I'm going to use today for the rest of the evening. Um, since I heard that it's not the number that we were expecting, how does this impact our budget? So, the overall savings is actually right
130around what we had projected. It's that the number of actual layoffs versus the resignations, right? I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear, but yes, discussion. Mr. Kirby, that question um on this particular one with the school counselors uh listed there, can you just clarify the school counselors? There was a ratio that we What's the ratio that we had decided to use? The ratio for school counselors is 400 to1 um all the way K TK through 12. And when we're deciding for the next year on how many counselors to retain or let go, um are we using the projections as of this date or did we use projections from some other time frame? To calculate the counselors, we actually use the current enrollment. So, the exact number of students who have pre-enrolled for next year
131and that's obviously were were able I know these are pe the counselors that were being laid off. So, we were able to take quite a few back. We were able to rescend um quite a few of the counseling um layoff notices and that was due again to um we had a couple of counselors resign. Um and also we are going to pull back in with um the LCAP five MTSS counselors and three college and career counselors. So that added to the number that we were able to pull back, but it doesn't affect the general fund. It's coming out of LCAP funding. Thanks. So, so more just to make sure for for clarification for language, it is it doesn't affect our so our base. So the the ratio is 7 through 12 at 400 to1. However,
132in our LCAP, we have down through elementary as well as some college career college and career and some NT MTSS counselors that were called back. That was a very high priority um identified in the LCAP. Medina, could you share those total numbers again and total savings? So the total savings at um for the certificated that would include teachers, SLPs, nurses, psychologists, counselors is 8,914,9651. [Music] And the savings for certificated administration which includes site admin and district district admin is 2,148,550.98 and that totals to 11,63,51649 and I think if I'm calculating correct in admin the net difference is 12 less positions than 2425 and uh 67.45 in in other certificated. Does that sound right? Mhm. Thank you. Other questions, comments, or a motion? Of course. And I just want to say that these these reductions are
133not made lightly. And you know, I I know that yes, we are glad that we are are hitting the the dollar savings that we need to, but we are aware of the impact on our on our on our school family and and our families at home. So, I just want to I just want to acknowledge that. I think the the other thing that I'd like to share is that, you know, seeing a lot of the very specific resignations um or people moving on on their own, um the void of specific positions in specific areas really concerns me because we got to bring people in in some very specific areas and we have very little time, I think, to hire people with very particular skills. those. I just want to put that concern out there. And
134I know those are probably vacancies, not eliminations of positions, but correct. We do actually currently have the transfer window open and a pool for um chemistry teachers and earth science teachers as well as Spanish teachers because those three areas are high needs. And at the next board meeting, I'll be bringing forward the declaration of needs for um positions where we may need to hire um temporary permitted teachers. The folks on this list are reel eligible for hiring for what period of time? They are eligible for rehire in 39 months. If they are permanent, if they are probationary, then it's 24 months. I mean, I Yes, we're hitting the numbers we need to hit to have the resources. Well, we are hoping these are the numbers we need to hit to have the resources that we
135need. We're losing a lot of really important talent. I think one of the things that's important for us to recognize is that the process leading to this list is not merit-based and it's not merit based by design because that also helps prevent discrimination and other things from happening in these processes and that means that there's some really great people on here that have done great things for our kids and um you know I hope that we are in a place where those people are available to come back if those positions open up and want to just recognize their service and the fact that they were really important for us. I just wanted to clarify, I guess, because we're retaining some people um with this process, they may not necessarily be in the same position that
136they are currently, right? I mean, they may be accepting a position somewhere at a different site perhaps or different position. Is that correct? Yes. So, the way that the process works is that the sites identify um teachers that need to be involuntarily transferred because they're not enough sections or enough classes at their current site for them to teach. So, there are other sites that have particular vacancies. So the first step in the process is we have what's called the involuntary transfer process where teachers based on seniority come in and they select from those vacancies for next school year. So they may be moving to different school sites. Then if there are still vacancies that is when we start rescending people or taking back layoff notices to fill the vacancies that still remain. Trusty Jenkins, I
137wanted to piggyback on what um Trustee Casten said about like just the appreciation of people that are within our district and the importance of supporting people at all levels. um both positively and with constructive um feedback and that how important that feedback loop is so that people can and this is for the classified as well. Um just so that people can continue to grow both pre personally and professionally. And it's so important that our peers and um people who are supervising us that people are getting feedback positive and negative so they know where they stand at all times as well as um know how to advance their careers and just humanity in general um forward. So, I appreciate all of the work that you've done in this um and just the sentiment uh that's going
138out to anyone in these positions right now. Emotion anyone? I have no blue cards on this. I move to approve. Moved by Trusty Jenkins. Second by Trusty Casten. Roll call vote. Trusty Jenkins. I. Trusty Casten. I. Trusty Kirby. I. Trusty De Laator. I. Trusty Medina. Hi. President Mcnal. I. Motion passes. Moving on to G7 and I'll let Dr. Xans read the title. Okay. So, this is resolution number 202425-113 final reduction in classified workforce involving California School Employee Association CSEA Chapter 75 for the 202526 school year. And so without repeating everything I said about February and doing all of that, um it is a little bit of a different process with the classified employees in that they do have bumping. And so we spent a wonderful day together uh myself, director Jesse Olsen, uh President Mary
139Layman, and Tammy Alonso going through meticulously each and every position so that we're sure that the people that will be receiving these layoff notices um are the right people to be receiving them. Um after doing that, again, it's a 39-month rehire. There are no probationary in um there are probationary but they don't have rights to rehire uh for classified. We ended up with 93.07 FTE of employees that um of reduc reductions in classified the total savings for that was 7,421,000 $421,08 Put on my glasses. There you go. 7,421,600.98. In addition, um there are final notices for seven classified supervisory positions for a total of1,39,32.94. Trusty Medina. Yeah. So, uh, just one thing that I was kind of looking for kind of some clarity on was that in all the changes, I see that there's an
140increase in student safety advisors and I'm wondering is that something that's like already happened? Is that like a future thing? Are other positions maybe transitioning to that? Could you clarify that because I think it's like about a million dollars. Yes. So while we reduce the number of restorative specialists, we increase the number of student safety advisors to um maintain a higher um ratio of adults to students on campuses. the um student safety adviserss are trained in tier one restorative practices. So they are able to handle kind of the tier one issues at the school sites. In terms of how we're hiring for that, the current restorative specialists through um Tucker versus Grossmont Union School District have rights to a job for which they are qualified. So any restorative specialists that applied during the window that
141we had open of the student safety advisors today were offered their choice um based on which school sites they applied to. There were only five that put in applications. Um we're hopeful after last night's CSEA meeting and a better explanation to the members that um more restoratives will apply for those student safety advisor positions. So we did go ahead and reopen those today for another 5 days um so that they would have the opportunity to apply. uh any SSA positions that are not filled after that will be open to any other employee of the district or the public. Just for clarity, are those two positions in the same salary range? Student safety advisors are slightly lower than restoratives. Restoratives, I believe, are 26 and student safety adviserss are 24. And with the I see that
142there's eight restorative response specialists remaining. Were those going to be I remember there was the discussion about people being districtbased but would they be would they be placed at a site with district supervision or are they going to be based out of the district office? So, that actually is part of my next board item, which is theou and job descriptions that we came to an agreement with for CSEA. And I'll have Stacy come down and explain a little bit about how those restoratives are going to function, but the short answer is they will be based out of the district office. So, they won't be they won't have a location on the site. No. And is the sim is it similar with the family engagement facilitators? I'm going to have Rodri come down and explain how
143the family engagement facilitators will be distributed. Question Medina. Uh the family engagement facilitators will be actually housed at the sites. They will be supervised um centrally, but they're housed at the sites. Thank you. And and just to to add, uh so how many so I see 14.25 remaining family engagement facilitators. So that seems like there won't be at least one per site. So, what sites won't have one? I believe that's going to be based on um the need at each of the sites, the unduplicated count if I remember correctly. There's there are 16 in total each traditional site. So the charter, just to clarify, the charters have their um so in the past the LCAP um we added positions that the district was paying for for the charters um in the 2324 version of the
144LCAP based on feedback in that round in the 223 school year. And so because of direction at that time, we placed F fe at all of the sites including the charters. And so as we are looking at fiscally reducing to what we need for for the district funded programs, should the charters choose to include those positions in their budgets, you would see something coming back for that. So just to clarify, I just heard there's 16 remaining, but here I'm seeing 14.25 25 remaining. So, which is it? So, um we did spend quite a few hours yesterday and and trying to get everybody right. Um the fact that it says that there are 14.25 to five remaining. I would need to look and see if there were possibly um resignations, retirements, people transferring into higher positions,
145but nonetheless, if we find that we are short, then we will immediately resend to bring it back up to the 16. So, so I guess I'm just I just want to be clear like if there's 22 people being eliminated on this list that's being provided to us and maybe one or two shouldn't be because of this, would we know before like we vote or I mean are we voting to eliminate someone and saying oops our bad? We're voting to do final layoff notices for tomorrow because legally we have to. um that doesn't mean that we cannot still resend a layoff notice. So when we go through them tomorrow, we will make sure that we have the appropriate number of family engagement facilitators, which would mean a slightly less savings than what's being presented. Correct. Uh
146by 1.75 family engagement facilitators. So it would be slightly less. And um I did want to say that with some of these numbers we our actual savings is a little bit more but the way that it was calculated was based on the salary of somebody in a particular position. It was not converted to a 1.0 and then multiplied by the portion. Um so we need to fix that tomorrow and after tomorrow the number the savings will look greater than what it looks like today even with that 1.75 family engagement added back in to push the button. Um, when that is updated, will it be added into the board minutes or how will how will we get that additional information, the corrected information? That's a procedural question that I do not have the answer to. We
147can provide that information to to the board so it can be attached as an information item at the next meeting. I just want to pull this up for a second to the big picture of why getting these details right is so difficult. And I don't know if there's actually a question in this, but we're recognizing that we're making layoffs for budget that the state hasn't actually told us how much money we're going to get. Um, just today the May revise came out and there's now going to be $1.2 $2 billion in Prop 98 funds that the state may or may not give us even after they approve their budget in June because of a proposal in there. And so to to get to the level of accuracy that you are at for tonight to be
148able to issue notices to address this financial stuff when we're in a place where we have no accuracy about what our mandates are, whether or not Prop 98's going to be fully funded, whether or not we're going to have all these things. Um, you know, I just want to commend the work that's gone into getting it to this place and, you know, similar to recognize each of these classified staff for being put on a yo-yo. And my wife and I went through this every year when she was working as a special ed assistant. Unfortunately, it's a structural flaw in how the state of California runs education that necessitates the fact that there's going to be people who find out they have their job again in July. And that happened to us two years in a
149row um when there wasn't this much budget conf. So I want us to be as accurate as possible recognizing that we don't have the tools to do this right and that's not okay but it is how it is. Just another quick clarification. I know we discussed this during the road shows and everything, but when we were talking about the savings for sta staff here and the way you're calculating it, was it just salary or is it salary and benefits? It is salary and benefits. It's the total cost. Okay. Thanks, Adena. Yeah, I think, you know, consistently I've expressed that I'm really troubled with releasing family engagement facilitators. I really see a need for them. Um I'm glad that there at least would be one at each campus, but I still think that [Music] um some
150campuses have a lot more students than one. And I think the need to like maybe look at ratios and stuff in the future might be well I think is essential because it's just way big difference in workload um if you're just one person on the site with 2,000 people um versus one with 300 people. So, um yeah, I think again I'm going to ask maybe we could pull the family engagement facilitators from uh the list. I'll probably be voted down, but I'm going to ask Trusty Medina, we're um totally acknowledge your concern. I definitely have it as well. um through this fiscal stabilization process. One of the things we're trying to do is look at funding the schools more um efficiently and creatively and by looking at some of our restricted resources which would um
151align more accurately to those needs. Students that um would have possibly more um language support needs. We're looking at more creative ways of possibly providing more primary language support to sites like that. So that that's something that we're looking at in cabinet right now as well. And I'm what I'm referring to in particular is using for example like title one centralized funding to be able to provide additional staffing to sites that um would not um could could possibly use more um primary language support for an additional staff member that that's bilingual, for example. So since you brought it up, um I'm seeing that Title One funding is being reduced drastically maybe from sites. So does that mean that more of it's being kept centralized at the district for things like that? Yes. Okay. I'll move
152resolution number 202425-113 final reduction in classified workforce involving California school employee association CSCA chapter 75 for the 2526 school year and read wave further reading of the text. I'll second uh I'd like to request a friendly amendment to pull the family engagement facilitators from the list if you'd accept. Roll call vote. Trusty Casten. Hi. Trusty Jacobs. I. Trusty Kirby. Hi. Trusty Daily Tory. Hi. Trusty Medina. Well, I really don't want to do this, but yeah. That's the savings. So, yes. That's a yes. President McN. Motion passes. All right. Moving on to G 8. Right. I'm very tired. Okay. G8 is approval of the California School Employees Association chapter 75 2425 number 9ou job description changes and layoff recisions. So, this refers to what um Trusty Medina was talking about with the restorative specialists. That is
153one of the job descriptions that was approved last night and allows us to bring back or resend the layoff notices of the eight most senior restorative specialists who will be working through the district office. And um I have Miss Dadary here who will be able to explain better the concept behind this. In addition um we are asking for approval of the job description of special education technician which will allow us to resend the layoffs of the three most senior clerk typest force. special education technician job description better exemplifies what is required of this position and we don't need as many so the first three will be pulled back their recisions will be pulled back um also approved by CSEA last night was the job description for a new job classification which is a special education
154health aid to work more directly with our high needs special education population. And lastly, um an update to the certified wellness coach, making it a 10-month calendar to align with the grant. Questions, comments, emotion. Um that it's not saying the financial impact in the agenda item. The financial impact of pulling back those um the restoratives and pulling back the typus clerk is included in the previous resolution. And there is no um there is no impact yet for the new classification because we have not given it a salary range and we have um not decided how many there will be. If I may add on on that new position, the wellness coaches, that is also grantf funded. Um, we need a motion to extend the meeting. I move to extend to 10:45. Is there a second?
155No. 10:30. 10:30. 10:30. Yes. Second say 11. All those in favor? No. What position? I I I think we should go to 11 just to give us some time flexibility. We go if we go earlier, we go earlier. [Music] But I mean, unless anyone has changed opinion, the motion's been voted on. So, let's we should proceed with the meeting. Motion to approve. Approval of California School Employees Association chapter 752425 number nine job description changes and layoff for session. Second have a question. So I was going to ask if uh so I just want clarity on this. So this restorative and intervention support um I haven't I didn't quite catch how you all phrase it. Is it a new classification or is it a reclassification or is it a spec update? Because I think that matters.
156It is um a renaming of the previous job. So there were not significant changes to the job description itself aside from location where they report and who their supervisor is. Um so and we did want it we did want it. What was that? There were a couple of adjustments to the job description. Some of the essential duties that were very relevant in the past and are not really an active part of the job at this time were removed from the job description and a little bit more of a clarity on um the tier 2 and tier three level support with doing um it might a heightened focus on group work. um because the position will be um helped by the student safety advisor position that is taking over the tier one support that will free
157up the time to be able to focus on the tier 2 and tier three work. Okay. So, it's just a spec update with a name change. Okay. Thank you. Any further discussion? All right. Let's move to the vote. Roll call. Trusty Dory. I. Trusty Cassadin. I. Trusty Jenkins. I trusty Kirby. Hi, Trusty Medina. I and President McN is absent. All right, we'll move on to item nine, approval of, sorry, my internet keeps flashing my agenda item here. Approval of City of Santa Rosa Elementary School District resolution number 202425121 um authorizing bonds. And we'll get into the details. uh acting superintendent Lisa August presenting. Thank you, Vice President and members of our board and community. I do have um one of our um or I have bond counsel on the line as well. If we have
158questions or on Zoom um if there are specific questions I will give a little overview of actually both items 9 and 10 if that's all right because they are related. Um so attached are the resolutions and the documents that would the resolutions approve as to form. So what that means is that all the details are not included because that's all the pieces that come over the next couple of months as we do the issuance. So it's related to this the particulars based on the market at the time that we go forward with a bond sale. So every we can only issue um as as much in funding as we expect to be able to spend within a couple of years essentially. So, our facilities master plan was, you know, developed and yes, we'll be making
159updates to that, but we'll need money, you know, a new infusion of money because we are spending the money in the way that the um public did approve um through through the bond measures. So we have about $550 million total in approved bond funds and those are expected to be issued over an 8 to10 period 8 to 10year period of time roughly every two years. So you issue a chunk of money. You have projects that you do over that period of time and then you do the next issuance and the next set of of projects and so on and so forth. And in that meantime, the property values typically increase. And that's what gives you the space as you pay down those funds that are those bonds that are issued. You also have more more
160space within the property values for that assessment to to move forward. It's a the assessment is on the um property value. So, just a little background because I know that we have some new board members who were not here um when we did the last issuance in March of 2023. So, this is um a a procedural thing um but it is important because this is the amount that we are able to issue at this time and it's divided up remember between our elementary and our high school. So that's why you have two different um resolutions and why I say high school because that is the way we are the Santa Rosa high school district and the city of Santa Rosa Elementary District. So on the elementary side I believe it is 30 million in this
161issuance and on the not to exceed 30 million. So that will depend on the actual um the the um actual interest rates, the terms of of you know how long for the financing as well as the um the dollar amount available in that in that tax in that taxable amount. And in the high school it is not to exceed 100 million. So 30 million and 100 million. This last issuance was 134 million combined between the two. So around the same time or same dollar amount. We have no cards on 9 or 10. So let's take questions from the board on 9 and 10 together. We'll do discussion and then we can move into the motions. Uh, trustee Medina just like to move to approve resolution number 202425-121 authorizing the issuance and sale of general obligation
162bonds of 2022 election 2025 series B in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $30 million and approving related documents and actions. Second moved by Trusty Medina, seconded by clerk deatory. Roll call, please. Trusty Medina I. Trustee Deator. I. Trusty Casten. Hi. Trusty Jenkins. I'm gonna abstain. Trusty Kirby. Hi. And President McN is absent. Trusty Medina. Uh for the next item, I'd like to move to approve resolution number 2024/25-122 authorizing the issuance and sale of general obligation bonds the 2022 election 202025 series B in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $100 million and approving related documents and actions. Second move by trustee Medina, seconded by trust clerk deatory. We'll stop. Do we have a discussion? Trusty Kirby, quick question. Are we limited by the by the amount of money that we can put up
163for this? Is that the max? Yes, that is that is the amount that in working with our financial adviserss that they believe is appropriate at this time based on property values. Okay, that was it. Right. Roll call, please. Trusty Medina. Hi. Trusty De Laator. Hi. Trusty Jenkins. Abstain. Trusty Kirby. Hi. Vice President Casten. Hi. And President Mcnal is absent. All right. We'll move to item 11, discussion of the deferred maintenance plan and update and facilities update. We have a couple updates in this uh title here. Uh presenting is acting superintendent Lisa August and executive director Eric Odin. Thank you. I will actually um hand it over to our team, executive uh director Eric Odin and our project manager Kathy Cotfried. Good evening. Um well, oh not quite there. President McNintendent August, uh thank you for
164having uh us today. Um going to get this quick set up. share and see if it'll work. Oh, great. It worked. Lisa, you didn't have to back me up here. Uh we just uh want to present. Did we extend the meeting? I'm sorry. Are we was extended till 10:30? Okay. I didn't know we were 10. We still have an action item after. I I know. I want to make sure that we get that one in. Um thank you for having us talk about deferred maintenance and capital improvement facilities updates. Um here, um this is just kind of the overview of what we deal with in M. um just as an overall site as of today. Um knowing that it may switch moving forward, but as of now, this is kind of what we deal with
165um with the amount of staff that we do have. I write wrote that down at the bottom. It's in all my signatures in my emails. If those of you that get emails from me, you'll see that in my signature line. I just kind of remind people that patience is a virtue. We have a lot of um sites to take care of. Maybe go. Maybe it won't go. Why won't it move? Hold on. Sorry. Let's try this one more time. Doesn't seem to want to share my screen. Oh, there it goes. Right. It's a good thing that you did extend the meeting, right? We go. Deferred maintenance. What is it? It's obviously um postponing and or unplanned maintenance activities on assets due to really for us is budget constraints. um in the M department and it
166leads to that backlog of needed repairs. Uh why does deferred maintenance matter? Well um increased costs, right? Higher repair costs as things break instead of being preventatively maintained. U so emergency pairs, increased downtime. We obviously have some safety and security risk potentially with compliance issues. um reduced operational efficiency, reduced productivity. Impact on budget is um for short-term savings, long-term costs, and compounding costs. Some examples of some of the stuff on our sites. You can see um some repairs that are needed to be maintained and some of the examples of that are listed here. Um, a lot of what we get are um updating things that um will be encompassed in our bond program thankfully, right, with some of these infrastructure needs as we talked about doors earlier today um getting done as well as campus
167safety improvements. some different lifespans here of what you know typically we need to look ahead as part of a program we're developed to deal with deferred maintenance and expect that carpet lifespan is 10 to 15 years or a roof lifespan is 25 years or a building lifespan is about 60 years before we need to do some something major to it. So, um, both measures I and L, which were our previous bond funds, as well as measures C and G are going to help, um, help us rebuild and capture some of this, uh, deferred maintenance we have. Our funding sources are um for maintenance and operations are the routine restricted maintenance program or fund. It's it's 3% of the total annual generate general fund expenditures. Um they also include in those those dollars we get for
168M all salaries in my department and all benefits as well as all materials. So it it leaves a little bit to purchase things that actually are needed to actually repair things in the district. So, as we talked earlier with doors as an example of of how much it costs to to do something like that and that 3% while it seems large upfront by the time you deduct salaries and benefits out of there, there is some left but not as much as you know we hope. Um there are other augments to to help with deferred maintenance. Obviously, bond funds are are our major source right now. um fund 14 which is a deferred maintenance fund that the district used to carry and I'm pretty sure we're almost out of funds in in fund for the old
169fund 14. Uh we do get state fund reimbursements which we work with a consultant to get us matching dollars for some of our projects and we have earmarked with them almost $140 million of state matching funds to deal with our bond funds um for this this next decade. um as well as uh fund 40 some reimbursement funds from insurance. Here's a typical flowchart of what you know a work request that gets created and what what kind of happens to it and how it goes. Obviously safety is is a priority. So if it's a safety issue, yep, we schedule the work and we get that done. If if it's not a safety issue and we don't have enough resources, it starts to go towards the deferred maintenance log and it could be a possible bond project
170as we move forward. We have created with our maintenance manager a um deferred maintenance program. This is kind of an example of the front sheet of what we have. We have an entire large spreadsheet that basically goes through every school site building by building talking about its age, when the last time things were done, when the expected next change out will need to be, the expected cost of that. Um, so we could try to see as we maybe look to get future bond funds in the future that we'll have some sort of document that could easily show the public, you know, where we're at and how much money we would need to solve some of our uh major facilities problems in the district. Um, again, the average age of school in this district is 50
171years of age. So, we could talk about a typical building is needing major refurbishment in 60 years. We're already over on a lot of our buildings that need that kind of love. Um, and so facilities project, the use of rest routine restricted maintenance funding and state grants helps to makes that deferred maintenance list shorter and less challenging. We have completed many projects so far in the couple of years since we've started the bond program um with me here um as well as some before. a lot of our roofs that you see that Santa Rosa High roofing project that was done a couple years ago. Obviously, we're done a lot of painting projects over the last couple of years and you guys approved a few tonight. Thank you. Um as well as gym gym updates, right?
172Gym floors for safety as well. Um I could show you tons of pictures but which continued to add to the amount of slides we'd have today. Um kind of tied on to this, we wanted to um put in a little bit of a facilities update as I mentioned before. Um we and the facilities team, this is Kathy Gotfred, our pro um project manager in the district, uh we need a little bit of help from you guys to help us um kind of identify with some of this. And this is a great point or way for us to talk directly with you and kind of get feedback as we kind of go forward um to talk about some of the stuff that we have sent your way or are looking to send your way um for
173some feedback. So I I kind of put a quick list together of some things. Obviously we talked a little bit earlier about the Commtock campus and the the Santa Rosa Middle campus about what may may those things look like as we our goal is to always work with stakeholder groups and try to work together and and see what their needs are and not just guess on our end and then give them something, right? We want to work together with them. So, I kind of need to know as best we can um who might be at these sites. So, um some of what's up here to talk about is up here, but we're also here to answer questions about um anything else you have with either deferred maintenance, maintenance and operations or uh facilities. Herby then
174Tori. No. So we just approved several of the painting projects and in looking at some of the schools look around the gutters on these schools are absolutely completely trashed and holes. I I just want to make sure we're not are they just going to come along and spray paint on on these gutters that don't even work or are we replacing those as part of that project? Yeah, I I assume you're speaking of LC Allen as one of the ones. Sure. LC is is one of them for sure. Yeah. So, the roofing project is being um designed still right now. So, that it's hard to replace a gutter that's part of a roof system ahead of the roof system. So no, unfortunately it will get painted to make it look a lot better, but uh the
175the gutter system will be changed out in complete with the roofing system as part of a one complete system for warranty. Okay. Uh that's a shame. I agree. Yeah. Um, also the so on some of our new projects particularly like at Piner I know obviously bathrooms are a big concern with uh are are we moving towards single stall u bathrooms? I know on some of the newer campuses, you know, everyone's just instead of having these big group uh Yeah. group areas that become a problem, are we trying to think ahead and getting that design down the road and most of our projects? Yeah, excuse me. We are. It was a big topic in the facilities master plan that we had a couple years ago. Um and it is in there. It's actually in the new
176building at Montgomery. It has the um all access restrooms on both floors. um it's kind of been bumped down a little bit on the list of priority as we go through this this consolidation, right? That that lifts all those projects to the top. And so it's still in there and we I'm sure as we master plan in the fall and into the winter that's still going to come up as a topic because of supervision and I know it's it's a very uh still a high priority on the site. Exactly. Lastly, um I know this came up at some of the um empower meetings was the locker situation particularly for the middle schools. Uh the combination of the campus. What do you uh are there how are we going to solve that problem? I guess are
177you talking about um like regular school lockers for the kids or for PD lockers for I mean are kids going to be able to store anything? Yeah, I go to all the empowerment meetings. Um, and I think we've solved all but the women's locker room at Montgomery. We are waiting to just to see how many kids they are. So, we put the correct amount of lockers in the locker room for them. So, we don't short them any lockers. Um, but as far as standard lockers, I'm told by the sites that they have everything they need. So, which is good. Okay. Thanks. If you don't mind, is there a system in place to make sure when a project goes under deferred maintenance that's not a graveyard that's forgotten? Yes. I mean, in a sense, it's kind
178of up to the maintenance manager to keep an eye on the deferred list and make sure and and you know, we work and meet regularly to talk about what projects there are. In my luckily, in my time here, uh we've had we've always had bond funds to help with with major deferred issues like roofing, HVAC. Um, so yes, we work together as a team, the facilities, the maintenance and operations team together on the deferred list to see where and now that we've created this new um what we used to have was kind of a deferred log, right, of just a logging of things. This is a more of a holistic plan about how to um capture that information and utilize it better moving forward within our department together as a team. It's really hard to
179look at this list and try and give you guys any information tonight on what we would advise on where to the fund should be directed. Um, we don't have the full plan in front of us yet. We don't have the full vision of student population and needs. Um, with all due respect, I cannot express enough how embarrassing it is to approve funds and paying over something broken and dilapitated to make it look better opposed to saving that money and making sure that that equipment is sound before we add a coat of paint on it. It's just I can't believe we're having those discussions at this time. Um, we are at a huge budget deficit. A penny saved is a penny earned. And the fact that we're gonna spend money on painting on rusted out gutters
180so they look better just it's a really bad look. Well, I mean that school um badly needs paint, not just the gutters, right? The whole school to protect the building envelope itself. So, you know, whether whether or not we paint the old gutters is kind of moot in the sense that to help keep the water out of the building, we need to paint the buildings for sure. So, um, but the unfortunate part of the roof system that we use, the gutters are a part of the metal roofing system. So, you can't replace one without the other, and I got to get through DSA on the roof part, which takes a lot longer, and that means I have to either delay the the LC paint, which I don't want to do. The site last year, you
181know, had summer school, which is why we couldn't paint it. So, I want to, you know, give that campus some attention that it needs to give it some life. And you know, I know the school is very excited to get it. I I agree with you. I I would have loved to do both the roof and the paint together this summer, but with school closure and consolidation, we had to pause all that planning and that pause just delayed that roof, right? So, here we are. I And I'm not questioning any of this. That's why I'm saying with all due respect, I I understand the immense workload that's put in front of 15 16 of employees to try and get that done. Um it just we got to attempt to find ways and whatever we can
182do to help with that process to try and work smarter, not harder. Um because unfortunately our resources continue to dwindle and slip away and um the need just far outweighs um what we can provide. Agreed. Uh couple questions and some comments. So, just to confirm, when we approved when we approved the um Comtock and San Rosa Middle, part of that is that we know they're in our elementary and in our secondary district. So, we have options and we may use those in the future. But we also know that because we're just approving the design at this stage, we can start work that is somewhat sight agnostic at least for the first few months while we're finalizing where we're going to locate schools. Correct. There's to move this fast on these buildings. There's some limits we
183have, right? So, it's not like a full design that we would normally come and work with stakeholders. But yeah, at some point though in the near future, we will need to and want to get together with the site stakeholders and kind of figure a few of the interiors and some other and part of the reason I'm saying that is because I don't want to give you feedback on that right now because I know some of the site stakeholders are literally touring sites this week and I want to make sure we have time to receive their input before we give the feedback, but recognizing that that's getting the designers engaged so that we're able to move nimly once we get that feedback and we're able to make a decision. Yeah. Okay. And then the second question
184I have on the updates to the facilities master plan. That's not a nebulous thing out in the far future. What's the time? I mean, I have a sense of it, but what's the timeline for us starting that master planning process? Yeah, I'm working with QKA, who you just approved tonight, right, to to work on that timeline. So, I'll I'll get that back to you. But we're targeting fall. But we wanted to give the 7 through 12 sites like a a couple of months to kind of understand how it's working before we because if I ask them today, there's a laundry list of stuff, but maybe some of it flushes out or some other stuff rises to the top. So, it's kind of given them a little bit of a a head a start of the
185school year before we and and there'll be many uh meetings with especially those sites. Um it won't just be one, it'll be many. But we when you say targeting fall, you're saying targeting fall for completion in winter for meetings for site committee meetings. Yeah. For feedback and stakeholder group. But we're looking at updating this plan by the end of this calendar year. We're trying to get it done by the end of the calendar year. Yeah. I've told Aaron at QKA buddy up again. We're going to be spending a lot of time together many nights. So that I mean it gives a good sense for folks that this isn't something that's going to be a two-year planning process and you know year like we're taking the plan we have and we're adjusting it for the changes.
186Yeah. We're not starting from zero. We're taking what's there and and having input to adjust what's there and not starting from nothing. um some of the feedback I've received and uh I just want to make sure we're bringing up um when we say secure fencing at school site perimeters there's a vision of security fences that are not very academically aesthetic. So, um, you know, as as you're moving forward on that, I think we want to make cognizant that we do want to have campuses that are secure and look like academic institutions and Yeah, correct. Yeah. And we are working with the sites directly on that. And actually, Santa Rosa High, which is one of the earlier ones we're working on, is um I think they put it out on parent square, the plan. And so,
187we're getting a ton of feedback directly. And I've met with school site council and I I'm actually doing a staff meeting. Uh we did a staff meeting for volunteers who want to come and I'm actually joining their staff meeting next week to discuss with staff a little further about what's coming. Yep. And the trenching studies for Hidden Valley and Proctor Terrace. Um everyone's reading the tea leaves. It's been a rough year. uh when we voted on the consolidation, Proctor Terrace doesn't have another boundary change planned for year two because we're and that boundary change we did give them put them at the ability to meet capacity within their current facility. So, what we're looking at here is the ability to improve and um expand that campus as our easternmost campus. We're not looking at any
188that's our intent behind it, right? That's that's the intent. That's one of the schools that still remains that has more portables than permanent classrooms. So, that's kind of more to address that. And and we have that big chunk of portables and those cargo containers kind of like in a prime place where we might be able to give them a nicer facility. And this is for us to see what we'll need to do to invest in their campus. Correct. Yeah. DSA will not look at anything we bring to them until this happens. So, it's just to help them move forward. Well, I appreciate this opportunity and I know we have 20 minutes left, so I'll stop asking questions. Medina, thank you. Um, I have a few questions. Um well, in looking at deferred maintenance and also
189like the the work orders, um I'm wondering with deferred maintenance, do you look at stuff that's tied to potential Williams Act um complaints and and how does that get prioritized? Yeah, we we do typically, you know, we look at it if it could become one, you know, and that typically goes to the top. It's not quite a It could be a safety issue, but not necessarily. So, that would prioritize it as a work order, but um typically we'll just get a Williams complaint sometimes. Sometimes they just don't put the work order in. They just send directly the complaint to which we respond to immediately because we have to. And on work orders, do you all choose a priority or the person submitting choose the priority? they have the ability to prioritize when they submit, but
190it goes through the maintenance manager first. So, he can rep prioritize because sometimes people just check the medium. I think it's default to like a medium um priority and he could look at it and see if it's should be a high priority or a low priority because sometimes people don't check to make the switch. And in terms of uh maintenance, uh one thing that I've heard a lot about is our fields for sports and stuff. um even simple mowing and picking up of grass. I've heard a lot of complaints about like a lot of weeds and um policies around what chemicals or lack of use of chemicals. Is that something that's part of this plan or is it a whole something different? Yeah, unfortunately board policy is I can't spray for weeds, right? that's not
191necessarily a bad thing, but with seven guys to tackle 400 acres of grass and weeds, it's it becomes a impossibility. So, yeah, weeds grow like weeds, and our staff does the best they can to get to it as quickly as they can. Um, so it is it's a challenge, but it's something that we um actually were spending time on today to take our grounds crew in a different direction to try to see what kind of better outcomes we could get. We've shifted our grounds in my eight years I've been here and kind of what their duties are uh to try to tackle things a little bit differently and improve every year to try to get a little bit better cuz when I got here we could spray and certain areas were tackled in in just
192a few weekends with spraying and then now I've I'm playing catch-up for years. Um and so we're trying to constantly evolve the process. And you said that's per board policy correct before? Yeah. When I on that. I would just say like if there's like alternative things that you could potentially do that maybe you could propose to the board so that we could maybe be more effective in doing that. I think I' I'd love to hear about that. I don't know exactly where we're at at policy wise. Um yeah, I think uh I am concerned about some of the things that I saw like in the work orders especially as it related to like mold in some places and I'm wondering like how is that tackled in terms of priority? Does it have to wait till
193summer? Did you say mold? I'm sorry. Yeah, I saw a couple things saying, "Oh, there's mold here. There's mold there." We always do investigate that. I don't That's considered safety. So, if someone does um affect some sites that for the Slater group that's moving to Montgomery and the Santa Rosa Middle or even San Rosa High Group moving on, Santa Rosa High had mentioned some things and we had our resid group out to test um at the next available day. We always do an initial site investigation first right away to see if there's something visible right away. But we do bring out our testing company right away also to air test go through the third party um testing and then we get that report to the end user too to make sure that they understand what
194what happened. Yeah. Cuz I saw those were like at least 30 days since they've been requested. Um, the other question that I wanted to ask in relation to the issue with solar panels and our role in that, is that tied to anything that we're going to have to expend extra? Um, given where we were at with that as far as like maintaining the solar panels or anything or just Well, does our obligation under the contracts and the work that hasn't been done? Are we going to have to be spending more? I just trying to follow you. Is your question if we want to add the solar to the sites that weren't done? Is that for the sites that we have solar at? You know what I'm talking about? I do. And that's actually an item
195that is not um under deferred maintenance, right? That is not under deferred maintenance. That would be potentially um under sol under energy projects under bond. And so that's something that um more information will come back to the board after we have the final communication between legal counsel and the um contractor. So the final thing is you're asking kind of for guidance from us. Um I imagine you want that ASAP. Um is that something that we could look at like at the next meeting? This is a discussion item, right? So, um I think real clear specific asks that maybe we could start working on or I don't know what type of timelines needed but sounds like the sooner the better. Sorry. Um, as far as the locations, there are some um, communications issues that we need
196to work through um, specifically with some other school site or other districts related to charter boundaries that could impact the location. And so that's we're going through that process right now and that's part of the the hold up on that. And we are also providing the opportunity, as director Odin mentioned, the opportunity for the the two potentially relocating charters, depending on what happens, to be able to tour both of the open middle school sites. Can I just request that we suspend the rules, move to item 12, handle that action item, and then use any remaining time to come back to this discussion without objection here. Great. Um G12, the district is bringing an employment contract for Lisa August. The contract is effective beginning May 15, 2025 through June 30th, 2026 as the interim superintendent. She
197will she will receive an annual salary of $261,537, the same salary as the previous superintendent. This contract then allows Lisa August to revert back to her CBO position effective July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2028. Having outlined the terms of this agreement orally, I will now seek for the board to take action. I move approval of the superintendent's appro employment agreement. Second move by Trusty Casten, seconded by Trusty Medina. Roll call vote. Trusty Casten. I. Trusty Medina. I. Trusty Jenkins. I trusty Kirby. I trusty de lauri. I President McN. Motion passes passes. Thank you. So, as we move back to this item, I do have a question. Um, unfortunately, if something gets deferred too long, it turns into a safety issue and an emergency issue. Um, which is a really big problem. In years past,
198I do recall there being an issue with us accepting help with some of these situations, especially weeding and mowing. We didn't want to take work away from union work that needed to be provided to these, you know, employees. Um, is there a current stance on that? Is that something we need to review? Are we accepting help? Are there community organizations, parent groups that are using these sites, um or even CTE programs within our sites that can provide gardening, cleanup, maintenance that might help cut some of this workload back? Yeah, they they do. We have a beautifification form that the site will fill out or with what they're doing. A lot of it does s um come around like a weekend weed pulling with with a foundation or somebody, you know, some group that wants to
199help out, which is outstanding. Um those go through to my office and then they're routed through CSEA for approval as well because we are as you had stated we have a union contract and we have grounds workers. So it's it's kind of up to them to also approve it along with myself and cabinet. So um and we CSA has been very gracious and helpful and understanding you know some of the issues that we do run into and and and approving those as they come in as well. So it is helpful. There's a big notion in the community still is that well we can't help because you know it's union work that needs to be done. So, if there's a way to communicate more clearly where we're at and where our needs are, I'd hate to
200have this backlogged for 10 months or a year simply because our understanding, I get it. And if there's people that are willing to bring a lawn mower or a weed whacker and step in and help, um, if there's opportunities for us to accept that help or increase those opportunities where it's not just once a year and centered around one day, what we're identifying that helps welcome that day. Okay. Good. um portables, the lovely portables. So, once upon a time, the portables were all going to go away and then they didn't. And now we've repurposed some of the ones that were going to go away. Now there's a portable shortage. Now we're trying to find portables. What's What's the situation with portables? Are we keeping some of them forever? And I hope not. Just speak to
201that a little bit. that that was never that's not the goal. That wasn't what stated in the master plan either. Obviously, we were the goal of the master plan was to eliminate portables and replace classrooms with permanent classrooms as are needed. And so, as what we bring to you are, for example, the Pioner building, right? It's it's classroom permanent classroom space as needed for capacity. Um, and to eliminate some of the portables actually on that site. A couple of portables get taken away with that build. But the goal is still to work through with the the bond uh provided what we'll see what the facilities master plan committee come up with as we move forward into this fall into the winter and we bring you back a revised master plan for approval. Um but that
202is still the goal. No one likes portables. No one. And no one likes cargo containers either. So the goal is still to eliminate those. Um and then additionally just on the feedback loop of the um facilities and master plan I know when I was on with the SART team um having it come there was really really helpful. I learned so much about deferred maintenance um because of all the crisises that we have been through and then yet another one this year. Um so just making sure that you know obviously stakeholder groups I thought it was really really beneficial to come to start because it was such a broad group of people. Um and then that deferred maintenance list I remember it just being so huge then and with all of the additional things um I
203look forward to speaking about to giving more input um as we move a little bit further. I I do too. I'll work with um interim superintendent August. Uh I don't want to screw that one up. Um on some of the other groups that we can meet with, right, as part of the master planning, it's not just sites like you had mentioned. Yeah, we would like to meet with other stakeholder groups as well. Just real quick, back to portables. Are are we going to need to move portables for next year or do we say we're good? No, we're good. We want to talk about Did you say a portable sink? What if a portable has a sink? Do we want to move it then? Well, I still need to use DSA to move even move a
204portable, right? So that that kicks the can past this next next school year and uh so just due to timing with DSA. So, um, no, but we are, we worked with the empowerment teams actually today at Santa Rosa High to talk about working through this year with some portable sinks for science, but into next year, next summer, bringing something to you guys with planning and going through DSA to add syncs into Dodto for permanent sinks. So, I just want to make sure we do not need portables because SCO did offer to have further conversations to speed along the process if necessary to attempt to move around any of our portables. So, I just want to make sure we do not need portables or continue that conversation to start next school year. No, we do not
205need the portables and through our legal counsel, we've been advised that we would not be able to to meet the um definition and through DSA itself that we cannot meet the definition of an emergency under DSA that because it's due to a closure that's not related to mold or fire or or things like that. There are different rules that apply to to each of those situations, but through the empower teams, they've they are working through other ways to make it work that there there are potential other things beside in addition to the portable sinks, but we don't want to we want to let them get through that that process together to determine what what those solutions are. That's where the department, those smaller group committees are are beginning to work together now to to identify
206the how and the what and the where. And so again, being very conscious of how and when we share the information out. We don't want to share before they finished their conversations. Any more discussion? All right. Moving to approval of minutes. Move to approve the minutes of the regular board meeting held on April 9th, 2025. Second. Roll call. Trusty Casten. I. Trusty Deator. I. Trusty Kirby. I. Trusty Medina. Abstain. Trusty Jenkins is absent. Um, President McNain. So we'll have to bring that one back or move to approve the minutes of the regular board meeting held on April 23rd, 2025. Second. Roll call. Trusty Casten. I. Trusty de Laator. Hi. Trusty Kirby. I. Trusty Medina. I. President McN. I. Motion passes. Can we go back to the vote on April 9th? Trusty Casten. I. Trusty Deator.
207Hi. Trusty Jenkins, this minutes. Yes. Hi. Trusty Kirby. I. Trusty Medina. Abstain. President McNstain. The motion passes. Motion to approve minutes of the special board meeting held on May 7th, 2025. I'll second if we could add that. Um, add the members in attendance to the minutes, please. Sure. My apologies for that. I will make sure that that gets added. Are you okay with that amendment? Yes. Roll call vote. Trusty Deator. I. Trusty Medina. I. Trusty Casten. Abstain. Trusty Jenkins. I. Trusty Kirby. Stay. President McN. Motion passes. Are there any board member requests for information? Trusty Medina, then Trusty Kirby. Yeah. Request for information. Um I'm curious as to when Elsiana High School was supposed to be built. It was originally a 53 acre site. Then it was reduced to 40 acres. So, I'm curious if
208we could look into what happened to the other 13 acres. It's an interesting question. We will trust Kirby information. Um, I would like an update. Um, let's see. An update on I know that we were having some I guess I'll call them trials for the uh cell phone policy, future cell phone policy. I just want to make sure before the since we only have a couple meetings left prior to next year that we take a look at that and get some kind of update or report on how that's going. And the other thing was we had talked about a board policy potential board policy been brought up about whether or not we were going to move to perhaps open potential for open campuses versus closed campuses. So, I just would like an update on how
209how we're going to move forward with that and maybe get some input from the sites on that. Could I suggest you you're now on that committee and it was being sent back to the committee. So, I'm back to the committee. So, we'll look at it the committee. Y I still would make sure we get the sites involved in that and get their input on how they're going to implement a potential change. There was a lot of feedback we got from that policy package and it would be great for the committee members that are on the committee. Ah, good to know. Thank you. That's it. Any other requests for information? All right, we have our information items at the bottom of the agenda. Have a good night, everyone. Meeting adjourned.