001We will begin with the carcass. Okay, as you all know, last month board took action to formally approve Robert's rules of borders as procedures for ensuring our meetings are efficient and consistent. Included in your meeting materials is a useful cheat sheet to help us transition to using Robert's rules of order. One important component to Robert's rules of order is that individuals wishing to speak need to be recognized by the board president. Board trustees received an overview of the system using the Chromebook at your station to request to speak and I would like to remind everyone to use that system to ensure speakers are called upon in correctly. With that, we are going to move to item three, which is Jacob Garcia to the board of education as our student board members. We are going to
002administer the oath of office at this time. All right, Jacob Abby, come with me. You have the oath memorized, right? You ready? All right. So, if you can come over here and stand and face the video, you'll have some support there with the oath. And so, um, I'm going to ask you to raise your right hand and just repeat after me. That cool? All right. Please raise your right hand. Repeat after me. I state your name. Do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic. that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California that I take this obligation freely
003without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter. Welcome Board of Education. Moving on to item four, which is approval of the agenda. There is a correction that needs to be made to the agenda. Uh yes, if we can go to item 10.1. Uh we are going to be in close session. We will come out of close session and the action related to our close session item will be taken in open session. So instead of action taken in close session and a report out, we will actually per the handbook per uh per statute, we will need to be taking that action with a vote by the board in open session. So item 10.1 does need to be amended to
004reflect that. >> So I need a motion to approve the agenda. >> Make a motion to approve the agenda. >> I'll second it. >> Has been moved and seconded that we approve the agenda. We will do a Roll call. >> Abby, >> yes. >> Author, >> yes. >> Laura, >> yes. >> Michael, >> I >> motion is unanimous. Moving on to item five, public comment. Um, we encourage public welcome public comment. Um, if you wish to address the board, we encourage you to fill out one of the yellow speaker cards so that we can uh proceed in a timely fashion. Saw you have a card push button. Hi. Um, might be good news. I am officially no longer the chair of Moms for Liberty Shasta County. I'm still on the executive board, but I am
005now the legislative chair for the entire state of California. So, I will be not worrying about what you have in your school libraries, not worrying about your individual school boards as much as I would have been, but I will be looking at every single policy that is sent to you from CSBA and from the California Teachers Union that is sent to you telling you this is now law. you have to enact it because I will be tracking what is law and what is not and what is a policy and educating you guys on what you can and cannot do and how you can and cannot get out of those things if they're not something that's conducive to our students. So, um, one of those things while looking at your website, on the main page of
006your website, you have title N. You also have it listed as the federal order. It is no longer the federal order. That is the previous administration's federal order. But Moms for Liberty's national lawsuit actually undermined Biden's Title N. Any school in your districts, your areas, your county that has one member of Moms for Liberty enrolled in their schools does not have to comply with Biden's title N. Also, it has been reported to the um White House directly through a reporting thing that they have with Moms for Liberty that that is on your website. Also, every school, which I think is everyone except for Anderson High School that did not say that they will stand for and protect girls sports by not going with Biden Title 9 and by supporting CIF's guidelines. So, all of those
007have been reported. I'd like to see some of us come up with some resolutions to support our girls in sports and not have unsafe practices. Um, that being said, AB84 AB 495 are both in appropriations on Monday, I will be there. It is too late for you as a board to write something together, but if any of you as trustees or any of you as staff want to write something, I will hand deliver that on Monday. Um, also AB727's coming forward that puts the Trevor Project website on every single student ID card in the state of California. That is extremely dangerous. There are groups in there that are not safe for our children and have been linked to trafficking. I will fight that. I will be fighting that. Be aware because I will be back
008about it. Um, lastly, it is an election year. You're up and four of you are up either for reelection or for replacement. So, that's my other thing. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Are there any other members of the public who wish to address the board at this time? Seeing none, we will move on to item six, which is the board initiatives. Um, we are going to get a report on the board. I'm sorry. Let me request to speak. Here we go. Mr. We are honored. We I just want to thank the board for the uh for the vision of having the initiative focusing on countywide uh improvement of literacy. It has been a lot of work. A lot of trustee time has been spent on this and uh as we do have the opportunity
009to celebrate the uh the accomplishments that we've made in the area of literacy uh and look ahead to possible other future initiatives. Uh we are excited and we are honored to uh recognize some partners tonight and uh we have uh we'll turn the time over to get an update on our Dolly Parton Imagination Library launch. So we've gone from talking about it to actually uh we will be registering students. So, I'm going to turn it over to uh to Wendy and we will uh get an update. >> All right. Just making sure I was on. All right. Um I'm Wendy Dickens with First and thank you very much. And I'll let Sha introduce herself. >> I'm Shauna Bambino, executive director for the Shasta Library Foundation. So many of you know that We've been on this
010journey to get Dolly Parton's Imagination Library here and it's Thank you. Um it's very exciting for us. So I want we wanted to give you kind of a brief um rundown of where we're at at this point. Um and we did presentation. Now for the board, you probably have a lot of this information already, but we are going to take this show on the road or the road on the show on the road. So we will be um presenting to um all of the Rotaries and so it will be myself, Shauna andor Mike that will go to the Rotary groups as well as the Lions clubs and um I'm hoping to connect to some Kuanas but we have already got many scheduled for uh the Rotary clubs. In fact, tomorrow we have our first one.
011Um it is in Reading Rotary and Shauna and I are both members of that. So she will be presenting because I'm the president and it's weird for the president to do one. Um, what I wanted to show you was kind of some of the information we're planning on distributing to people to let them understand a little bit about why Dolly Parton's Imagination Library should be something we're all excited about. So, we will be talking a lot about why literacy matters for our youth. Um, you know, when we do I'll talk a little bit in a minute about sentenced and when we talk about what literacy needs and efforts that those um really involved in lit you need to come forward with. We'll talk about the whole age group. But when we first talk about literacy,
012we're going to talk about early literacy because Dolly Parton really focuses on that zero to five age group much like first five and many of the programs that Skoey has and what the library tries to achieve. So one in three American children entering kindergarten, they don't have the skills to read yet. Um, and I know when some of us were a lot younger, I won't won't point anyone out, but when we were younger, maybe we didn't need to have any skills. Um, but we might know at least our letters or we might know how to write our names or even if you can't read words, many of the kids are entering in without even the skill of knowing what a letter looks like or what that sounds like. So, it's really important that we begin
013to really expose children younger and younger to books, just seeing them and how you open them and looking at the words, etc. 57.2% of third graders in Chasta County were not meeting literacy standards in 24 25. Um, and so that's a big deal because third grade, for those who may not know, is kind of the the the litmus test. If you don't know how to read by third grade, you are no longer learning the same as the youth around you because now you're still trying to learn to read when everyone else is learning from reading. So it's really an important grade to get everyone to. Um so we want to make sure people understand that. and one when a young child enters kindergarten ready for read ready for school there is an 82% higher chance
014that they will master basic skills by the age level compared to those kids who don't um and so we want them ready for school and a part of that is really knowing what school books look like but just stories right how to listen to a story and how you know that important that is um in their lives Dolly Parton has launched the Imagination Library way back in 1995. I did not realize how long she had been doing the Imagination Library because uh I learned about it, you know, some years back when Syscue County was doing it first here in our region. Um, and so I didn't realize it had been so long and she's been doing this. Um, and it's been a wonderful thing across the nation and she really has utilized a lot of
015experts to decide which books to send his kids. Now, a family who signs up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library can have three or four or five kids depending as long as they fit in that age range of zero to five and each child gets an age appropriate book. So, each child gets a different book each month. So, it really is very wonderful for them to build their particular libraries in their own homes. And she's given out more than three million free books um each month to children around the world. So, how it really works is that a child gets registered. Anyone can actually register the child for a book. Um they must they will receive 60 books. Um there is a portal that the moves, they can go in and change the address. Uh, right
016now we're not up to receiving those quite yet. That'll start September one. We'll start receiving people's applications to do that. And thankfully to the library and the foundation, that work will happen there. And they'll be collecting what's already been established at the national um portal. And the national portal, if people identified that Shasta County was their place of residence, they will get that forwarded to us and as long as the child still is in that zero to five age range, they'll start receiving books um later in the month. So, um all children in Chasta County birth to age five can enroll so there are no restrictions and thankfully like we have some uh neighboring counties uh like Syscu and uh Taha, they already have a Dolly Parton Imagination Library, so we're pretty fortunate about that.
017So, those kiddos will also be able to registered. So, we're really hoping that the Imagination Library in our community can help improve kindergarten readiness by getting books more quickly into the hands of children, especially in some of those areas that are more remote and they're not nearly they're not as close to the library systems. Uh we do have a little free library system in our county, but again you have to be living near them to to access them. And some families, as you heard earlier, have to drive quite considerably far to get to some of the services and or don't have transportation to get out there. But these will come to them in the mail. So that's a helpful thing for them. It's a great way to start their own personal library, have those 60
018books to kickstart that and to really drive home that um lifelong learning and reading within these children. We want to strengthen the families because getting the books into the hands of the parents promotes them having their children in their laps and reading. It helps bond. It helps create some of that. And we'll be getting out some tips about how read to your child. And even if you don't necessarily have your own literacy, you know, you don't know how to read yourself, there are things you can do um even with your child to promote them learning more quickly. Um it really does lift the entire community and this is where we're going to really be hitting home some of the information because when we're thinking about economic impact, if we have illiterate people in our community,
019you have less ability to keep employment, you have less workforce. So, we want people to understand that literacy is a direct correlation to the quality of workforce you're going to receive later down the road. So, getting that will bring some economic benefit. Um, and then, you know, it will, you know, this number here we realized is not quite accurate. Um, it might change again. It's always an evershifting number because different and then kids age out. But currently we believe there's 16,593 eligible children living in Chast County. Um we have an average of about 1720 births a year. We know that's accurate because that's how First Five things. Um our goal is to serve at least 30% of those eligible children by the end of 2026 and I believe we'll be able to surpass that by
020far to be quite honest. Sure. So, we have a couple of ways to get involved. Um, one of those upcoming events is going to be on Thursday, September 4th, and that's going to be our sentenced event that's going to be held at Cascade Theater. Um, this is going to be a really vulnerable film about literacy in America and we are expecting a really amazing turnout for that. Um, and that's something that you guys can partner with us on. Uh, we also have Champions for Children that's coming up that same week. That's going to be held on Saturday, September 6th at Turtle Bay and that is a family fun event um that is held there and we will be kicking off Imagination Library at that event. Um and that is from 10 to 2 pm. And
021then um learn more about partnering with us. You guys can go ahead and scan that QR code. We have different flyers over here on this table um that does have that QR code on it as along with different flyers with these upcoming events. >> Yes. And I've invited Dolly Parton to come to the Champions for Children. Now, she probably won't, but um maybe you never know. I've written her and I told her we're very close to the Appalachians of of her area. So, uh but we uh know that it'll be a fun event. Kids will be able to sign up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library at the Sunday of or the Saturday event on September 6th. The sentenced event, for those of you who don't know about that movie, it was uh co-produced by the
022Literacy Project and um Steph and his wife, the Curies, from um their experience going on the road. And so we were hoping to get one Aisha Curry here, but she's unable to get here. Um, but it really does follow um the families that are that they were able to connect to that have some illiteracy and they have permissions the the families are very proud of the film. um they still have an ongoing relationship with those families, but it really does kind of describe the trials and tribulation that they've had to go through due to their being illiterate and and how it's kept them kind of unable to keep jobs and unable to get higher paying jobs because they just don't have the ability to do some things that people who can read can't. So again,
023QR codes going on there. Um I'll stop there. These are the flyers. You'll see them on the back table as Shauna mentioned. Um, but we want to make sure we answer questions. Um, I do want to just give a big shout out to, you know, uh, Shauna's team and Scoy's team, uh, because it really has been a joint effort. First five's team, we really have been working closely together to make sure that we have thought of everything that we need to think of. Um, and so we are doing a lot of outreach to a lot of different groups. Um, making sure that we're doing some personal invitations to people um getting that to get them there to watch this film to then also be able to participate in either um Dolly Parton donations to Dolly
024Parton's Imagination Library because it does take funding and then um also reading pals. So shout out to Reading Pals um which many of you probably already know about and it will also be an opportunity for people to sign up to either be a volunteer for reading pals or to donate to reading pals. So sentence really is one of those things that we want to make sure people in the community understand literacy and why it's so important. Um there will be a resource table along with the booths for Imagination Library and um reading pals but the there there's wonderful projects happening. Haven Humane has a read to your dogs project. So I think you know there's always some fun things that happen with literacy. Thank you. >> Yes. Thank you for doing what you guys are
025doing. I really like that it goes straight to the house. How how do we look to see what kind of books are available and then who chooses what books get sent? Is it the parents that go on there? They request it or is it the Great, great question. Um, and actually if you do the QR code, you'll be able to go to the website that says find out more about Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library sends the books. They have gone through um they have experts in a in a vetted arena that have chosen the books to go out um that then they meet regularly because they change the books over time. Um and they're the ones who pick the books. They're the ones who send the books. Um, so we don't have
026a lot of control over that except for to give them some input if we so chose, but um, they are the ones who do all of that. And >> they're really amazing quality books that you receive. Um, we had received samples in the mail and they really are amazing books and age specific to those kids within the household that are needing those books. I think that every child always receives there's two books that they always receive and I believe one of them is the code of million colors um because that's very dear and near to um Dolly Parton and then the other one is the little engine that could um those are the two that every child always receives because those are the two that she finds the most important for kids to hear the
027messaging behind. >> Mr. F, could you speak a little bit? I I appreciate the context with some of the things that are happening in other counties. Can you speak to the demand that you're feeling already? I know we're launching in September, but what what are you feeling right now with the energy behind it? >> People are excited. They're really excited when we talk about this. Um people are like, "When do we get to sign up? Why can't we sign up now? Where do we get to sign up?" Uh so I think we have a waiting list. We can't necessarily um find out exactly how big the waiting list is at any moment because you have they're going to have to go through last time they checked it was 500 or so kids but they have
028to go through and make sure that those kids actually still qualify uh because there are parameters once they turn age five they're not supposed to get books anymore um so there will be some of that but um really there's excitement and I can tell you that sentenced the movie has um actually brought a lot of different partners to the table so which is the cradle to career collaborative is helping pay for some of this. We have um you know the literacy project which isn't even around here helping do some things for this um and then we have all of the first five shasta skoy the library um not just um the foundation but the library itself and so I think it's just remembering um that literacy can be such a a an event or it
029can be such a bringing together kind of um topic because everyone knows um how important it is to be able to read and how wonderful it is to be able to read to other people, especially your loved ones. So, we see the excitement just continue to grow and we're going to continue to see the growth of this excitement as Wendy and I do these road shows and get the word out there more. We just see that the excitement is going to continue to grow. >> I want to thank you both for your presentation. It was very informative and I appreciate it. I really want to thank you for the first to your event on the 4th and 6th annual conference which will start on the fourth and continue to the seventh. So I'm not going
030to be able to attend and many of our board members aren't either. So I apologize for that. I really believe the key to our freedom. So thank you for what you're doing. So, Robert, I had submitted something to Steve that work. Did you get mine? >> I I I I didn't get one, but since you asked, I will let you speak. >> All right. Well, I just want to thank both of you. I'm just I'm so excited about Library finally coming and really appreciate the enthusiasm. I like this idea of the road show. Is that going to go beyond like Rotary? You're going to try to do other businesses and other things, too? Yes, definitely. I think we're we're very committed. Um, and I think we know that uh we want to get out there
031the the two events specifically. So, we're trying to get some before that, but we know it will go beyond that. And we're hoping, you know, we'll end up doing what some of times we also do, which is go to city council meetings to kind of just let them know. We'll go to the board of supervisor to let them know. Um, we'll be doing some of the things um with, you know, Rotary hits a lot of the businesses. So thankfully we'll have that ability through there. I think the one club that I wasn't able to get clear connected to was Kuanas, but we want to get it to Guanas for sure, right? Because they probably have some young kids that they could get signed up for Dolly Parton Imagination Library. So we'll be working on that.
032Um, and we'll be making sure we're going to a lot of different boards to just kind of present this information to let them know that it's there and available and it's >> and I know we're talking about the books and the books are available in Spanish, too. >> Yeah. So, so much appreciation to both of you for for all your work on it >> and to Mike because he's been very helpful, too. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Don't go too far. >> Okay. >> We will now go to item seven which is community recognition of first five Shasta friends of Shasta County Libraries and Shasta Public Libraries. >> Uh I'm just so excited that this is launching. Uh we have had several meetings. I remember an information meeting a long time ago where we
033had an opportunity to learn a little bit more about it. I appreciate your update. to the board regarding information on how this works. I can tell the board this would not work without the people that we are recognizing tonight. It is required to have a 5013 501c3 partner and so our uh Shasta Library Foundation Shauna. So, thank you so very much. It is an incredible lift in the registration and the database management and so we want to recognize our Reading Library as well. So the Reading Library and the Reading Foundation Reading Library Foundation uh and then we wanted to accelerate the launch and so first five Shasta and this board took action to uh to get it started to put some funding in to uh to begin and now the road show is recruiting those
034partners that are going to help fund it because as it grows obviously there's going to be more costs involved. So first five shasta this would not have happened without without the the partnerships here. So, uh, thank you so much for your time this evening. Thank you so much for your passion, your vision to make this happen. Again, this is not going to solve all of our literacy problems, but instilling a love. Having a kid waiting at a at a at a mailbox, waiting for their their free book and access to books zero to five across the county is a remarkable remarkable thing. So on behalf of the board, on behalf of our entire Shasta County Office of Education team, we would love uh to recognize and I know your tips of the spear of your
035organizations, but uh if we could have Julia, Shauna, and Wendy come forward and accept a little token of our appreciation. Hey mate. I will see you on the 4th. And then I'm leaving very late after that event and driving to Monterey. So if you see me pulling in at Monterey at 1:32 in the morning, it's because I I won't miss that. We will now move to item eight which is a uh close session for an interd district appeal. So I would have to ask all of the audience to at this time exit for family and district.