031325 Board Meeting Español

001Okay, uh, welcome everyone. It is now 6 pm and I'm calling to order the regular Board meeting of the Sunnyvale School District Board of Education. This meeting is available in English and Spanish with a translator. Is there a translator? Yes, for the translator. Please give instructions on translation services available. Yes. Good evening, everybody. Uh, the Zoom interpretation feature will be used in this meeting for English and Spanish. Support all participants on this call must select their language of preference by clicking the language when the host turns on the interpretation feature. This is found in the globe icon located on your feature panel. Interpretation for this meeting will be conducted simultaneously. Thank you. When evening, the Zoom interpretation feature will be used for support in English and Spanish. All participants on this call must select their

002preferred language by clicking on the corresponding language when the host activates the interpretation feature. This feature is found in the tool panel under the globe icon. The interpretation mode for this meeting will be simultaneous. Thank you for your attention and cooperation. I see that all members of the board are present. So we can begin. So you may stand to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the republic that represents one nation before God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. At this time, is there anyone who can read the land acknowledgment? If we have a copy, very good. The Sanibel School District is situated on the ancestral and unconceded land of the Muek Molone Tribe who have peacefully

003honored and cared for this land for thousands of years. We acknowledge that all members of the Sanibel community continue to benefit from the use and occupancy of this land. We acknowledge our responsibility to learn from the wisdom of the Molone people and to consider how we may work to redress injustices and move forward together honorably. Thank you. We also have approval of the agenda. Is there a member of the public who would like to speak on this matter? It is only to approve the agenda. If not, shall we continue? If there is anyone online who would like to speak, if there is no motion to approve the agenda, I make a motion to approve tonight's agenda, and I second a pending discussion. If not, all those who are in favor, if you could confirm. Yes,

004very good. The agenda has been approved. Let's continue with public comment on the matters from the closed session. I don't see anyone in the room, so if any member of the public wishes to speak on this matter, please raise your hand electronically. Tonight's topic is a conference with negotiators for the MP. It's 6:05 PM. We're going to have a closed session and then we're going to take a 5-minute break. We expect to return at 7 at the earliest. Okay, very good. Yes, okay. [Music] Are Green Jeremy said not all to Which I to talking kinder today not right you know they're hope I'm Kids nor [Music] Power [Music] [Laughter] Know than [Music] you [Music] If not Oh [Music] ok [Music] Hello everyone, thank you for being here. We're going to continue with item C. We've

005returned from the closed session. It's 7:03 PM. We're in this regular meeting of the Sannivel School District. All members of the board are present. As a public reminder, Spanish interpretation is available. Also, a reminder that this meeting is being recorded throughout. We're going to continue with item six. We're going to do a community recognition [Music]. We have a special guest invited. We have teachers, administrators, and parents in our community. For a community recognition, I have a letter of accompaniment for a program that started last year that was sponsored equally by the school, the parent-teacher association, and the Sannivel education association. It's been a program that has inspired us a lot and opened opportunities for students in both junior high schools. Our younger students who will soon be going to junior high school, so it's an

006opportunity for all students in the future as well to recognize this group. The counselor will read a letter of accommodation. This District promises that all students will know each other by name so they can have a life full of joy and purpose. The Sun School District Learning Philosophy says that we will develop students who act with empathy and kindness. We will develop skills in students so they can advocate for their communities. We will develop students who appreciate the uniqueness of other people and the diversity of perspectives. We will provide the opportunity to experience an inclusive and community-oriented environment. Parents and students in leadership positions will also have the opportunity to provide equitable opportunities for growth so students can develop the skills they need to express their voice. Connect also strengthens mastery learning by giving reminders

007that learning is age-appropriate, also providing opportunities and resources that correspond with each child's needs and interests. It also facilitates authentic and meaningful parental involvement. It started in [year missing] and has shown how respectful it is by providing another opportunity in [location missing]. Also, having opportunities for collaboration between parents, families, and students in [location missing]. The Sun School District and the Board of Education of this District honor [this/their] To the teacher, the principal, and the parents, Mima Mona Palami Yala, and the student leaders are also honored. It's March 13, 2025, in San California, and we have our signatures here. Very good. [Applause] Congratulations. Before making comments, as a table, we always welcome comments from the public first. So, if a member of the board would like to speak on this matter, you can raise your hand

008electronically, or if you can't submit a card in person, raise your hand if you 're on Zoom and want to make a public comment. I have two cards that are in the room. Miss Caracota Yini, and it looks like we have one person online, so I'd like to invite you to the podium first, and you'll have 3 minutes to make a public comment on this matter. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you, D.G., and all the board members. We need to turn on our microphones, and we also need the timer to be on. I wanted to thank you. I'm going to take this opportunity to talk about [Music]. I want to say that we all have children. We're used to being invited over so the children can play after the long holidays. They always receive a hug

009from friends, they high-five... Five and everything else. Sometimes children are invited to a group activity, and it doesn't occur to many parents or families that there are children for whom this doesn't happen in their lives. Imagine a life where, outside of your own family, there is no one who recognizes you as a person. For many of the children, each student is known by name. To have a life full of joy, full of purpose, are two components of the developmental profile of students. We all deserve that joy. This particular program allows children to connect according to their interests. They can find an interest they have in common, commit to helping their friend with the joy they need. I want to congratulate the school principal and my friend Pala. I thank them for this program, for making

010this possible for so many children. It is something very important. A true friend accepts you unconditionally, helps you grow, supports you during difficult times, and improves the confidence you have in yourself. Thank you very much. Now, Miss Michelle Yini will speak. I am Michelle Yini, president of the Sanivel Education Foundation. I am also asking for a moment to make a public comment. I want to say how proud I am, on behalf of the staff, to have been able to support this program since... It started with financial contributions and institutional support, and in particular, I want to say that it's such a beautiful example. Why should it be obvious to all of us, and as just expressed, children are the focus of everything we do? That's why we're here. Every student deserves the world. Not every

011day is sunny, but we have to create sunshine whenever we can. It's an example of creative problem-solving: identifying needs, challenges—all of that comes together and those needs are met in a way. It's never enough; we can always do more. And that's why, in part, tomorrow one of the checks I'm going to give is to the Colombia Parents Committee. It's going to be additional funding for Colombia and the expansion of Connect to Colombia. I'm so proud of the work that everyone here has done, and the rest of the community that has come together at our two high schools. Every time you hear about incredible things happening in high schools that are centered on children, that's one of the things I'm so proud of. Well done! We have a comment from the online audience. Welcome back. Thank

012you. Thank you. I'm part of the City Council. I just wanted to say I'm so happy That you're here recognizing this fantastic program makes me so happy. I want to thank all the wonderful volunteers and everyone else who has been working so hard on this. It's one of my favorites in the district. Thank you so much for the recognition; it's very well deserved. Congratulations to you all. Now, I'd like to invite you to say a few words. Thank you so much. If you could come up to the podium, thank you so much for recognizing these students. This program doesn't always reach every goal we're trying to achieve, but we create the environment so that it can happen naturally because I think lasting relationships are being formed. I want to recognize Andre first; he was the

013first president. He's in Homestead. Now, I wanted to thank the Education Board for recognizing this club as a place where children with learning disabilities can connect with students from the general population. I have a visual impairment, which isn't always obvious to the public, but Connect is a good place where I can live without being judged. Normally, in Moscow culture, people judge others a lot. So, this opportunity is excellent for the Students with learning disabilities so that peers can gain a better understanding of each other. I want to thank the Education Board for inviting me and also for creating this Club, all the adults who have helped, and I hope these practices continue and that we can continue doing everything possible for a better future for everyone. Thank you for your time this year. This is

014a club where you can make friends and play board games. It's a club you can come to as often as you like. There are two field trips each year, and there's pizza once every three weeks or so. It's an opportunity to meet new peers and connect with them. That's why it's called Connect. It's called that because in high school there are some awkward moments when you think nobody cares, but in this club you can talk to friends, you can play games, for example. We can do other games together. We have a co-chair. First, I want to say good afternoon to everyone. The reason I like this Peer Connect group is because when I first started attending, I arrived late. So it was difficult to meet people and make friends. Mr. Bri introduced me to Pier

015Connect, and I made two friends. One of them is my best friend now. When he told me there were two excursions and pizza, I said, "Well, that made me want to come back." So they welcome everyone, and since everyone is welcome, we can make friends with new people. That's why I like it. Thank you. [Applause] [Laughter] Please come to the podium. I come every Wednesday to help the students. Thank you so much for recognizing this wonderful program. When Susan started it, I was helping her a lot. I was talking to Mich the other day, saying that this year has been a little different compared to last year, but I see that the kids are generally starting to attend. So I said, "Well, we need to talk to the Leadership team." The main thing I'm seeing

016at Connect is that the kids, especially the Special Education kids, always want Wednesday to come because they always say, "I'm going to be there on Wednesday." They're very excited, and seeing their involvement with the kids is really something very beautiful for me. It gives me so much joy to see them helping each other. I hope it will become more organic, more natural, so that all the kids can... Connecting with other classmates so they can make more friends. I'm told that Colombia is doing very well. It can be very popular among younger children so they can make meaningful connections. Because some children are sometimes not invited to parties. So I hope this will create a gap so that every child is invited to parties. Thank you very much. [Applause] You have very nice speeches. I am

017Susan Sala. I am one of the mothers who helped start this club last year. It has been such a lovely collaboration between the teachers, the administration, the students, and the parents through education funding and the Deo Aros group, who are also contributing. My son, Daniel, participated in this program last year, and it was so nice to see him interact with children he wouldn't normally interact with. He really enjoyed his personal life and simple things like playing games, eating lunch together, and going on outings. We are excited to see it expanding. In mid-school, it's called Friends, and we hope we can also do it in elementary school. There will be ups and downs, of course, but it is affecting all students in a very lasting way. So I want to thank everyone who has helped make

018this program happen. May it be successful, thank you. I forgot to publicly thank Saran for her contributions and Mr. Raki, who has been a champion for this initiative since it began. Thank you again. We want to say something else before we continue to Isabel. If she would like to do anything, I love everything you have done. They told me that what you have been doing is an excellent program. I am so happy that the children are responding to this program. I hope to see this continue. Let's take a picture with the table with the certificates. We have everything here very well. Nice to meet you. Everyone can be in the picture. All the tall ones go back there, the shorter ones go front. [Laughter] [ Music] [Music] Two, three, one more picture. One, two, three.

019[Music] [ Laughter] [Applause] Thank you. We have some sweet cookies. Please help yourselves. Congratulations. [Music] Got it. Thank you so much for bringing. I appreciate that. Hey, how you [Music] doing. Hey, do you ever go to the one? There are differences among us, or how was that good? Is it kind of similar to ours, where just people come? Drop good. Good. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you again. Open space. It's great. By the way, I really liked your speech. [Laughter] [ Music] Next. [ Laughter] Sch than [Laughter] [ Music] [Music] It's 7:30 and we're going to continue with item number s. Comments from the superintendent 's board. Are you ready? Do you want to start later? This week we had a legislative luncheon. We're going to be more active too. We had a community week.

020[Music] We hope everyone will go to the awards ceremony. Although it's going to be during a volleyball game, I'm really sad I won't be able to go. We were trying to cover all the things they had. We were going to see the programs. Normally there are many programs and services. It was very normal. All the committees, all the weekly meetings. Thank you, Mich. I was going to talk about the legislative luncheon, but I was a big part of it, so thank you very much for all your effort. Thank you. And thank you. Yes, I really liked the luncheon. You were the one who managed to get everyone there, and it was very amazing. You did very well. It was something very important, and I really liked being able to hear about all the legislators. Our

021representatives and I also wanted to talk about CMS. It was so funny what was happening. It was like a kind of sitcom. So I'm going to send you the rest of my activities later. Emily, what everyone said about the luncheon too. I was able to attend my first luncheon because I was also working with a lot of people. They were all very supportive. They were very kind. And yes, thanks to Bridget because she played a very big part in all of that. I also went to the San Miguel walk. One of the parents introduced me to it, and also the PTSA president. They were all very kind, and I was very excited to be able to attend. I'm also working on helping with our walk in Fairwood, and tomorrow we'll see what happens with the

022weather. The funniest thing was when I went to volunteer with my daughter's grandparents. They were talking about the environment. They were talking about leaves, saying, "Oh no, I don't want to put this on." So I had to help them with all of that, and I had a lot of fun. Sounds great. So I'm going to send the rest of my activities. I remember the legislative luncheon. It was just a few days ago, but it seems like it was a long time ago. For those who don't know, that luncheon was organized by the County. So we got to talk with legislators and other board members. We saw 12 legislators, including Director John Lee from the School Prosecutor's Subcommittee, and many other committees from Southern California. We also had the chair of the California Board of Education.

023It's a very interesting time; there are many changes and things happening at the federal level, and there's also what's happening here in Santa Clara County. How can we work together for the children? We had some very good conversations. I slept for two days. So that was the biggest event of my week. I'm talking about other things, but that's all I have. There's one other thing I wanted to mention: Women's History Month. So we should all think about all the wonderful contributions of the women on our board, in our cabinet, our teachers, our allies. So we all need to celebrate each other. Thank you. So we have two topics. First, we're going to talk about the pending search process that started next week. We're going to have groups for the public, and you can find more

024information at sd.org. There's going to be a link with all the information. There are going to be two community forums, one in English and one in Spanish. There's also going to be an opportunity to participate in an anonymous survey, and we really want to encourage you to participate because we want to hear from everyone. So we encourage everyone to attend one of the forums or take the survey or both. And the other topic is that exactly five years ago, the Department of Public Health ordered the Santa Clara County schools to close, and that began a very difficult time. And when I think about that time, the thing I'm most proud of about the superintendent is that he set a goal for us to be stronger when we came out. From the pandemic, and I will

025always be very proud of how we were able to respond to that moment. I'm also proud of our teachers and staff for supporting our students and for supporting the needs of our community. It's not anyone's fault that they didn't want to be at the county level or anything like that. But all the conditions were very difficult for us to return to school at the beginning of fall. We all wanted to return, but the message said that you could return, but only if you signed a security document. That was the message they gave us. And then there was another different system. I don't know if you remember. We've been doing this all week. So we were preparing to return, and then they invented another color, purple. I don't know if you remember. And there were all

026these things they were communicating to us about how difficult it was going to be to return to schools. But we persevered. We came together again. Our families supported our teachers. Our teachers and staff supported each other, and our families did too. We still have work to do. We are building on all of that and on our commitment, which is encapsulated in our strategic plan to To improve the performance of all students. And that's a very positive outcome of all of that, so I didn't want to start with negative memories. Ah, but that outcome is something I'm very proud of. Thank you very much. Now, let's move on to number eight, comments from the Sony Education Association. If there is a representative online who can raise their hand—I do n't see anyone—then number nine, comments from

027the California School Employees Association. If there is an official representative online, please raise your hand electronically. Then we'll continue to number ten, comments from the public. So this is the time for the public to comment on things that aren't on the agenda. It gives an opportunity for members of the public to address the board. But according to Brown Act 549 54.2, it says that the board cannot take action on any item that is not on the agenda. You only have three minutes per person and 20 minutes for public comments in total. Each speaker is asked to give their name and affiliation so we can include it on the record accurately. I have a card for anyone who would like to speak who is on Online, you can raise your hand electronically now, and we're not

028going to ban anyone. We're also not going to ban anyone from making any negative comments about the table or any other decisions. We ask everyone to respect one another. All ideas and comments are welcome. So, there's someone in the room, there's someone online, so you can begin. You have 3 minutes. Thank you very much. It's nice to see you. As always, I'm the president of the education association. I've come here with a check, and also a presentation that will give you an update about our schools. As you may remember, we have funds from a special grant for an inclusion and equity initiative. So we've written checks for 000 to schools at the Colombia and Vargas level. Oh, and this is to buy equipment, or for scholarships, or for arts classes that focus on mental health.

029Oh, the after-school chess club, and also the folklore club that we see in our schools, which is very popular but very expensive. So this money, these funds, are very important for them and the students as well. We're going to give each school a rainbow banner so we can continue to support them. Inclusion. Because everyone can have fun with it. Oh, and we've also contributed $127,000 to support student growth across the district, and there are more funds that have already been deposited. Oh, and there's also a great variety, like the play that Pegi mentioned. And I was able to go to that play, and it's really nice to see that so much of the community came out to support the high school. We also have resources for the library, and we're going to have the Justice,

030Equity, and Inclusivity initiative. So thank you so much for your support. I would always like to know more about opportunities to show you support and a very good relationship. Thank you so much. Here's the letter. So we're at number [number]. We can talk and discuss anything on this list before we can approve it. If necessary, we can remove one for separate action, and the public can also talk to the board about any of these items. Is there anyone here in person or online who would like to comment on an agenda item or who would like to remove one for separate action? If you're online, please raise your hand. Electronically, I see one person online. Please speak. Your name, your affiliation, there is no name, you are a Zoom user. Please tell us your name and

031your affiliation for the record. We're going to give you 3 minutes for your comment. Thank you. Hello. Excuse me, uh, what does it say? No more Zoomy Ambrosia. I think this is the appropriate time to speak. I wanted to thank you for considering, uh, the math pathways, and also, thank you very much to the staff for listening to us. I think this plan is going to be very good. I'm very excited. My son is in eighth grade, and last year I spoke with you asking for something like this, and it seems like the process worked, and I'm very excited about this improvement. This is just for consent. Thank you very much. So, we'll see you later. Thank you. So, we're going to continue. If anyone wants to remove something, or if anyone wants to make

032a motion to pass it as is, I'll make a second motion to pass it as is, and I'll do it. So, no questions or comments, everyone in favor. Yes, the chair votes yes, the motion passes. So, we're at 12. We're going to talk about, uh, we have the chair who's going to Presenting on item 12a. Good afternoon. I'm not alone today. A team that has worked a lot with me, Valentine and Jane, will also be presenting today. Well, please come forward because you have also worked very hard, and we want you to be present for this discussion. So, we are very happy to be able to reach this moment. We have been working for a little over a year to get here. We have the math pathways in 2020, and now we have the plan

033for the initiatives that we are trying to build together. We have a very good collaboration with the principals and teams at the high school level. So, we are doing this work. We have been looking at all of this to be able to have a good pathway so that students can enter the math system at various stages in a way that works best for them. So, maybe in sixth grade they want to accelerate. So, this pathway that will be presented to you today will give our students opportunities. It is also well involved with our promise to students and our strategic plan to ensure that everyone can have an education that can help them with all their needs and that they can achieve everything they want. So, I'm going to let Dora Valentine talk about these pathways.

034Thank you very much. Doctor, thank you very much, Board of Directors, and staff. Yes, I wanted to emphasize that although this plan will emphasize options, we are still committed to the growth of all our students. We have answered some questions about what our high schools are doing to have more acceleration, and we have been thinking about it. We don't have the answer yet, but we are asking ourselves. I was talking with Mr. Iwasaki recently about what we have been doing this year to implement the new math curriculum so that students have more options in math, and we also want to improve interventions next year. So we are thinking about different layers for acceleration and interventions so that everyone is working with their strengths and addressing their needs for everyone's success. Any other questions? Is there

035a presentation? Only the EMS in the package. We should demonstrate the package. I don't know if you can review the graphic; if not, please show it. So while we wait, I'm going to describe it because it's going to be a change. What is the change? It seems like there's a new layer. Could you describe what's different? Yes, of course, which is very good. The thing about this version is that we're working to have a way for eighth-grade geometry that isn't an elective, because that was one of the things the community members asked us to do—to have electives like band or something like orchestra. So, keeping all that in mind, and also with the idea that some students are already on the acceleration path, we have this blue path. We also have yellow and orange paths.

036So, in between, we have opportunities for summer support. We want all students to have an opportunity for acceleration, but also an opportunity so they don't need outside support. Thank you very much for showing the chart. So, if we can see in this box, the first blue box, we have open enrollment. What we've added is a summer bridge so we can increase the number of students in the green math path, 67. We want to have more students represented in algebra, which is one of the measures in our educational plan. So, we have that summer bridge to help those students who are already ready. We hope they can succeed in this plan. What we currently have is the yellow or orange path, 678, and also The green one from 6th and 7th grade and Algebra 1. Many

037students can take Algebra and Geometry simultaneously in eighth grade. So, if, for example, students don't want to take Geometry at the same time, they also have the option not to. So, there's also the option for sixth-grade students to start with Math 7 and then Algebra 1 in seventh grade and Geometry only in eighth grade. So, we have these diamonds, which are the Summer Bridge classes to support students during the summer. Before, we only had one. And you're going to have to help me, because before, we only had one Summer Bridge, but in this new plan, we have one between Math 6 and 7 and Algebra 1, and also one between Math 7 and Algebra 1. So, now we have three because we really want to support students who have an aptitude for math, and we

038want to support everyone within our current system. So, we're not encouraging them to take an outside math course. So, that's the summary of our new path. I think that was all. So, now we're going to talk to the audience. I know We don't have anyone in the room. If there's a member of the audience who would like to speak about this, now's the time to raise your hand online. So you'll have to give your name and affiliation, and we'll give you three minutes for your comment. It looks like there are three people online. Miss Wilson, who's first? First, we have Kir Hubble, then Katie Rolland, and then Ambr. Thank you. Good evening. I'm Brian Hubble. I'm here on my wife's phone, which she gave me to talk on. So what I wanted to say is

039that there are some good things about the program that's being proposed, but I think some current students, especially seventh graders, aren't going to be included in this program. So we have to start with the current students first. There's no way for a current seventh grader to take algebra and geometry without using an elective. Before, in Colombia, there was something about doing it with a zero period or a flexible class. My son did that, and he was taking calculus as an 11th grader, and also statistics. So, students who can do calculus can be more successful in college. I believe that this opportunity is important. What I understand is that they did n't have the same opportunities for geometry, and now they are trying to make them more equitable, but it seems like it's a worse option

040for Colombian students. There should be an option, especially for seventh-grade students, to take algebra and geometry if they want in eighth grade without having to use their elective class. That was my main comment. Thank you very much. Next person, please: Katy Rolland, and then Ambrosia Studley. You have 3 minutes. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm K, a mother of a student in SMSM. I wanted to thank you, as others have, for the time you have taken to work on these projects and also for all the slides you shared online. Thank you very much for all of that. I wanted to talk to you about the implementation of these advanced courses and how students feel supported. My student is in advanced math in CMS. I wanted to tell you a little about her experience. At the end of

041the first term, she was told that we are going to make a list of the Students who shouldn't be here, and we're going to give it to the principal so they can move them back down to math six. And maybe... It wasn't the best way to say it, but at the end of the second quarter, which we just finished, they were told again, " We're going to have a list of students who shouldn't be here." And then they had to complete a self-assessment. How many times are you going to ask students this? Because the message students are getting is, "Maybe they shouldn't be here. We're not sure. We have to review. We're going to review one more time. We're still not sure you should be in this class." This gives them a lot of anxiety.

042Oh, and also the inequity that exists in our district. The first time, I thought, "I'm going to ask my friends in other classes." But no, it wasn't asked in other schools. So when you tell a student that you think they can take these advanced classes, support them and tell them that you believe in them because they're going to remember for the rest of their careers as math students and members of our society that someone believed in them. Not that someone thought they didn't belong. Maybe... I'm not good at this. Thank you, thank you. The next person is coming. You have 3 minutes. Now we're going to talk about the... Oh yes, thank you very much. Excuse me, it's been a while. Oh really, I like these hybrid meetings because I like being able to do

043several things while my family is busy at home. So last year I spoke about my student who is now in eighth grade and wanted the students to be able to take an elective class along with an advanced math class, and I really like that we have this new program that's going to let us do this because they are very important for our students. I also wanted to talk a little bit about the culture aspect. I was in a meeting, and there were many students who were very excited that they wanted to take the summer class. Now, maybe similar to Bri's comment, but I also wanted to talk about the culture and the messages from the schools about math. Oh, I think we want to celebrate everyone where they are and not encourage students or parents

044to force their students to go through this program quickly because I know that it was in the plan and they couldn't do it, so then they had to take a class during... Summer. And now they're taking an Advanced Trigonometry class. So it doesn't have to be all math at once, and I'd like you to focus on that message. And again, thank you for this, I appreciate it. [Music] We're concluding public comments. We need a motion to try. So we have a motion to try the discussion. I make a motion to approve the math pathway curriculum. We have someone second to approve the math pathway. Second, thank you. Evely, do you have any questions or thoughts about the math pathway? We can talk one by one. I like the fact that there's an opportunity for the

045kids to take another elective course as well as the geometry course. When I was homeschooled, I had what was an Advanced Math class. Do they still make that class flexible? Is it still possible? Thank you for the question. Yes, there was a year when Colombia tried to have an Advanced Geometry class during the flexible period. But since there are minutes in that period instead of 51, it was very difficult to cover the amount of content they needed to learn. So your daughter was one of the students who had that option, but we determined that we couldn't support it. Well, for students with so little time, I like that they can have the opportunity to choose because many times children are involved in their classes and want to take elective courses but can't because they are

046focusing on things they want to finish, that is, in terms of math, and in the end they can't take an elective course. And I think it's very important that children have an elective course in high school; it helps them participate with their students and interact with their classmates and have something that isn't part of what they have to take. A very brief question regarding geometry: I think the person who spoke also talked about the zero period, that before there was an option, which is more difficult, sets, but they have tried, that is, it makes me curious, it's a good question. I think we have tried to find different solutions over the years. There were about two years in Colombia when geometry was offered during the zero period; it was through the Juntos program and the

047way it was It was designed and offered during period 11, I say zero because, well, we offered Spanish, physical education, and geometry because they aren't the core classes. Officially, it was designed for Juntos students because the schedule was convenient for the Juntos students, and there's no longer geometry in Period Zero because Juntos has expanded. Now we have so many students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade that we have language arts in Period Zero. Can you explain a little more why, how it expanded, geometry can no longer be offered? My brain... I 'm not quite grasping that idea. I'll try to explain something complicated without graphs. We'll visualize it. Partly, it was because during that time period we didn't have as many Spanish language and literature sections as we were teaching. So, to ensure that all

048Juntos students had their seven courses, geometry was an option for some of them during Period Zero. With the expansion of Juntos, there are more Spanish language arts sections and more geometry sections. That's partly due to staffing. The number of staff members who can teach Period Zero depends on their own schedules, and that limits the number of sections we can offer. I know it's a... A very clear explanation, I think it would be better if I followed up with a diagram because it's also difficult for me to explain it clearly without those graphics. A follow-up question would be, for example, if there were a need, which can be demonstrated, if we had more students who qualify for geometry, could they have it within their schedule during the zero period? We might have to change the type

049of teachers we are hiring. I don't think we need more math teachers; we would change the schedule, the start and end time of their school day, but we were trying not to create a zero period for geometry, and here are some reasons. I didn't mention it in the presentation. In fact, the first is that we know that normally children and families want to start early and finish late, so we need that zero period in general, and I just want to explain the general impression. The other is that we know that this path isn't for everyone. We created it because we think it's the right path for some of the students. I know there was a question about a recommendation that we don't push students to take the class, but at a conceptual level, algebra is

050very abstract thinking. Ten years ago, students were almost pushed a lot to take it. We know that algebra is a good fit for some students, and we want to encourage students to take the classes that best suit them. We don't want to encourage all students based on family responses. But we know that this class isn't for everyone, so we have to think about that. Another thing is that there are some challenges with transportation and family involvement in Period Zero. We wanted to keep that pathway out of Period Zero, and there's a cost to adding Period Zero to the schedule. There's something else I was thinking about, a couple of things I wanted to say, but okay, let's change the subject a bit. Another important point, because as always we want to intervene and support all

051students, is that it's a way to support students who want and need this pathway, who are there according to their own strengths. We want to meet the needs of all students, the unique needs, depending on what each student needs. I'm going to share my concern and then my question. My brain normally likes these kinds of things, but there's the math pathway, to give more opportunities to more children to take advanced math classes. We're not doing well with that. There are some concerns. It can be difficult during The summer, but generally I'm very excited about this teaching plan, and I mean, having more children is going to help them be more successful academically, and the fact that they're taking advanced math classes, I think that's important too, considering our demographics. I think it's going to be

052difficult, but I think it's a good opportunity. The other part, which is related but different, is that we don't want to separate algebra and geometry. I remember a while ago there was a push for this, and generally it's not the best thing for the children. That's what we determined back then, but anyway, I think every decision has positive and negative aspects. It's not the same for this decision. I think there are some parents who really want this, and a smaller group of children will want to participate. But what worries me most is that the gaps we're trying to address are going to get even bigger if we make that space. So that's why I have some questions: What plans have been put in place to ensure that these changes don't amplify the gaps we already

053have? We want to make sure we're taking I take all the votes into account, and I'm concerned that some will fall behind while others will rise even higher. It's not an analogy to express my concerns. I do n't think it will widen the gap because we're not changing the students; in fact, we're providing an opportunity to make it more meaningful in terms of teaching. I know there are different philosophies depending on each family and educator, but the reality is that in any of our paths, if you're on track, you're ultimately on the path to meeting the requirements to go to any university. I think sometimes it seems like we're behind, but in the end, the students after us have four years of high school. There are kids who are already prepared, and we want to

054support that path at the same time. So, if a child decides to start algebra in ninth grade, the reality is that they're not falling behind because in high school, you can always accelerate your progress. It depends on your aspirations, your skills in math and science, what you want to achieve as a student, and we just want to focus on how we're teaching and how we're providing meaningful opportunities for children. But I don't think that we are worsening the gaps because in the end we are reaching students according to their needs and providing the resources they need to succeed even though it is very difficult. In other classes we will be there. Someone from the audience commented that we need to support students even though it is difficult for the student, and I think we want

055to be that if it is difficult for a student who is on the accelerated track, we have to provide what they need to succeed. There is something I didn't mention that I would have mentioned as you were speaking. There is something you said that I forgot. But well, let's continue. I'm sure at some point it will occur to me. Hello, uh, thank you for this presentation on learning pathways. I attended one of the outreach sessions, and it was very well done, very detailed. The questions were answered well. I'm wondering about the Bridge courses. And how are those courses? What kind of staff would there be for those courses? And do we have the courses we need? But apart from that, many of the questions in the packet asked about the students who have been included

056in this pathway. What kind of plans are there for intensive interventions so that All our students need to be at grade level because to get them to high school, we need them to be at their grade level. I'm concerned that some students are at a lower level compared to others. So I want to make sure that we're supporting these students as much as we can. To put it clearly, they're on the right track, but they're way below grade level. We want them to succeed. In the visits we've made, the tours we've done, and the discussions we 've had with schools, talking about the kinds of behaviors, why students are behaving this way, it's that sometimes kids seem to be out of control or angry because if they don't understand math, it's easier to get angry

057or behave a certain way rather than not understand what's going on. So I think there are many reasons like that, reasons like, there are thousands of reasons why we want students to have more support and to keep them on track with their studies. So, there's this plan, but what's the overall plan for the kids who are way below grade level? How do we keep them on track so that... A student who is entering high school but is a few years behind in math—how are we supporting those students? Well, we have summer programs that have been created with that in mind. We try to incorporate that as much as we can. We always try; we did the math academy last year, but it didn't work out. We're always looking for opportunities, especially during the school year,

058because the reality is that families have different expectations during the summer. So it's more difficult, but we're trying to provide that support through instruction throughout the day and in the tutoring that happens after school. All our schools are always trying to find ways to do this, taking into account the teachers we have. But many of the efforts—looking at other programs—have consistent challenges. Sometimes there's a lack of connection between what they're teaching and what the students need. So we need to get the students where we need them to be before four weeks have passed, for example. We need to take into account what the students need. But it's a little difficult with outside programs, so we always consider that as part of program planning. We're looking at... Which students are working to inform our teachers at

059the level of instruction, and are there other ways we can assess and monitor student progress? What are the things we need to do to inform instruction, and teachers as well? Generally speaking, they are teaching math, improving their ability to teach. We are making a lot more effort and giving more time, not only to teach the curriculum but to have stronger skills to teach math better. We're not talking about math in general, but just this page. But I think my children went to Bridge when they took the accelerated track, and I remember it was a very precise plan. These weeks where you have to do half a year's worth of math in weeks, hours a day of math. So it was well designed for what they needed and wanted to do, and in the end, they

060did it. But when I see the summer programs, there are different goals, but the idea of Bridge is not how they are going to do it. How is it going to be done? But that idea is to say, we can have very intensive weeks so that students can get to where they need to be after those weeks. And from that idea, expand it to think about what we can do during the summer. And the children who Out in the summer, for example, maybe they're already in a better place in high school because they see it's not horrible, it's not something to hate. I think one of the questions in my packet is how can we have an intensive approach to intervention? That concept, not a point. Yes, that's not just for high school, but also

061how we communicate with these kids during the summer and the school year. We also need to make sure they have enough time for that, to have that knowledge, that individualized support they sometimes need, so that every student can succeed. I see the gaps in elementary school where I am, and that's very important because I don't know what we're doing to close those gaps. I don't know if our teachers are doing it because they're bad teachers or anything like that, or because they don't have enough professional training, but because of the large number of kids who have fallen so far behind. We need to see if we're focusing intensively on those kids sometimes. I mean, I'd like to see that commitment. Also, following the promise to ensure that every student can succeed, we need to make

062sure that students who maybe aren't on the advanced trajectory are at least on the right track and in a good place, according to the... District requirements are being considered. I know you were talking about this, I don't know if this is a good time to ask, the best way to ask, but next year we might have something similar. I do n't think it will be as structured as this, but for example, a math pathway for students in grades 3-8, for example, so they can be successful and at grade level. It could be something like what you were saying, right? I mean, having a strategic plan, and I don't know exactly. I know we're just in the process of seeing what the main points are that we're going to focus on, but I think that would

063be excellent. It wouldn't be exactly the same, but having a presentation like this about the math pathway so that students can be successful and at grade level. I think we really need an understanding. We need to understand that we have the math pathway for high school, and that makes me happy. I have the same comment as Heidi, which is that I would like to see an intensive summer program for students who are below grade level. As Miss Heidi said, I wanted to comment a little bit on the process because I think that normally for matters that we need to pass, we have an opportunity to review and discuss them thoroughly before passing. I know we're trying to do the things efficiently so we have fewer meetings this year, but in terms of the process and

064the scope, I know that initially it was going to the high school families, and that made the best sense because they are in high school, they understand what high school is. Sometimes elementary school kids don't understand what high school is, so they are very scared of high school. But the parents of the kids who are in elementary school have been very interested and talking a lot about high schools, so because of that, there is only one board member who is informed, it's Michelle, who is the only one who has a child in high school. But aside from the update that Mike gave us, I don't know if others really know what's going on at the school. I don't know if, for things like high school in the future, I hope we can invite people at

065different grade levels. I want to clarify that it was going to be for fifth-grade students, all of them. Yes, fifth-grade kids were invited. There were also two community outreach meetings. The first one I wasn't notified about first, but I did attend because I have friends who have kids in high school who told me this was going to happen. Then the second one was announced as... Midnight the night before was a reminder that arrived the day before. There were also some communications before that. I don't have the timeline there, but we did communicate with kindergarten through seventh grade. We contacted the families via email through our communication system. Unfortunately, that always happens. I mean, it was a mistake. I thought it was only for the middle school kids. Well, we know the intention, but maybe it

066didn't work out as we wanted. The other thing is, I want to talk about expectations because we know there have been incidents. Students felt a lot of pressure; they were thinking about suicide. There was an incident recently at CIN. So there's a lot of concern about whether high school student groups feel too much pressure. I'm thinking about the way we communicate, and what the kids are hearing. The need to think very carefully about the messages and the way we communicate with my students was on SMS, and the message was, "Do what you can. Do your best. If you want to write just one sentence or two, that's okay. Everything we do has value." Now, Aan is doing well in college. But he really decided, "Okay, if I'm going to do..." The least I can do

067is if I'm on vacation. I'm on vacation from high school. He did n't have much motivation. And then when he heard it, what he heard was that I, or rather another kid, might hear something else, like, "No, he hasn't." I think having high expectations and multiple paths can tell him, "Look, there are many paths that will be there for you whenever you want." I love that message in general for everyone. So, without torturing anyone that you have to do this, it's the end of the world. Just by establishing that there are multiple paths for you, we're going to make them available for you. So I wanted to thank the teacher for making that comment about transportation. Because there are also barriers to Summer School, for example, because families depend on them for childcare, they need

068transportation. It would be really good to see all of this, and I support all of those things. If there's any way they could do a presentation focusing on high schools for the coming year, I would really like to know how they're doing on a day, what the path will be for a sixth or seventh grader who is below average, and how we're going to prepare them for success in high school. Thank you. We're ready to vote. I just wanted to One more thing to mention regarding the intention of messaging the community, regarding the information given via Zoom, I heard about this from the students and that they were very receptive. There are certain educators who are very involved with what's happening with the students. Although perhaps our schools are n't like other districts that are

069in the same district for high schools, we still want to have that support for the students. Ambrosia and Ky's comments about the culture and the intention are that everyone feels supported while also maintaining a level of rigor. It's a balance, and it's going to be different for every family, but I think we have to be very intentional about that in the community and with the parents as well. I'd also like to add again that all avenues are giving students what they need to keep moving forward, and it's very important that we all remember that we want to push them, but only with the appropriate force, and help the students where they are and make sure they have the appropriate cognitive load. There's one other thing I wanted to say, something very small, maybe you already

070know this, but I have kids who were in middle school recently, but if They told us 6 7 8 That's regular, they're not behind, it's regular, but as for the culture I don't know why. Where does it come from? Or it's not the culture, the culture is that you're at 678, you're behind, it's just that I wanted to share, yes, absolutely. I know that our society does that, so that's why I wanted to emphasize it, but you're not behind, uh, we're ready to vote, everyone in favor of passing this new math path. Say, "Oh, the president votes like this, the motion passes." Thank you so much for everything, thank you, table, thank you. So we're at 12b. So this is the interim budget report for 2024-2025. Good afternoon, everyone. I am the budget officer. So

071I'm going to present the budget for 2024-2025. Oh, and I also wanted to reiterate our promise that every student will be known by name and will be able to know their strengths and needs and be able to succeed in the future, and that's why we're all here. So, summary of the presentation for our new table members: I'm going to speak fairly quickly, so I'm just going to talk about the key information. So we're going to start at a higher level and talk about the predictions. economic considerations, and then we're going to talk about considerations for the state, then we're going to talk about local budget conditions, then measures to reduce costs, then predictions for the interim budget, and then we're going to look ahead and talk about some reflective practices, and then at the end

072I'm going to open for questions, but if you have any questions before that, you can interrupt me. So, AB 1200, what is it? It's the reason we're here today. So, simply put, AB 1200 is a set of regulations that the state has passed for the districts, so we have to have a series of tests for our finances with the intention that if there's any problem or any reason why we think we're not going to meet our financial obligations this year or the next two years, we'll be informed. So, there are several parts to AB 1200. It's a very serious thing since we're subsidiary to the state and its education system; they also have a responsibility to us. So, if they're going to take control of a district if it can't manage its resources effectively, then

073we're fine to be able to do that, but if there's another conversation we need to have... One that takes into account where we've been, where we are now, and what's most likely to happen in the future. So, let's talk about the economic projections. There's a lot of inflation, and it's probably going to keep increasing. With security in the markets, there's a lot of volatility. Interest rates are probably going to be high. Growth has been relaunched because things have changed. The country's economy is still strong, but there are reasons why we might be concerned. So, let's talk about the federal environment. We have two things that are going to impact us. First, it has to do with all federal funds. Only 2% of our general funds come from the federal government. We don't think we're going

074to retain access to these funds. This main concern regarding finances and the new administration has to do with the impacts of inflation, tariffs, and economic predictions. The thing I wanted to emphasize is housing. Due to tragedies like the fires in Los Angeles and growth conditions that don't favor investors and labor, we're seeing less construction than in other years. This comes from our collaborators in school services. California is part of the presentation they give to the governors. So the important thing here is the expenses section, and these expenses we have include automatic costs in our system. These are automatic costs related to teachers and staff. Then we have inflation; we can't avoid it. It's the reality that all districts have to address. The increases in personnel costs and contributions to special education keep growing. This is

075related to total enrollment, not the number of special education students. So if they have more students, the contribution will increase. And then there are insurance and related costs. We're seeing insurance costs increasing 20% ​​each year. These are expenses we have to absorb as districts. And this is before anything else has happened, so expenses were going to grow faster than what's coming in. We see this interesting statistic: 6% of the district's workforce received funding. This is a national dilemma. We're looking at how we can reduce things. Stanford and Harvard aren't hiring new staff either. Many local districts are also making different decisions because of... This, along with all the other increases in system expenses, puts us in a unique position, fortunately, to have options. So we always have the opportunity to make jokes about CBOs. What

076you see here represents the times the funds are one-time. So LRD and SSPD, their message is, you have to be very careful with the types of funds you receive. But these proposals have changed, and so have the methods of distribution. In June, when we finally implemented the budget, they said we have to be very careful with these funds because they are only received once and cannot be used to manage long-term promises. So what are the local budget conditions? As I mentioned, many districts use limited funds to add staff and programs, but they reveal some of the structural deficits we have to address, since costs and expenses are increasing rapidly, and revenues and conditions for growth are relaunching. So we have to be proactive with our strategies, so we are reducing spending wherever we can. And

077so these are the times when having a reserve is very important. It would be very important or appropriate to use the reserves or these limited funds to create Options to address some of the necessary reductions—the last point regarding local conditions concerns our transitional kindergarten ( TK) program. As Jer mentioned, we need to expand the program, and we need to quickly create nine new classrooms and teachers, as well as 16 new staff positions. This amounts to $2.5 million per year in personnel alone. That doesn't include the infrastructure requirements needed to create this program from scratch. So, for a district like ours, we do n't have additional funding to support it. This puts more pressure on the general fund. For some of you, this is a recap, as you've already seen it. This graph shows the students

078and staff. The blue line shows the registrations. We've seen that we have more students who have registered for TK, and the orange line has also increased thanks to the limited funding we received due to the pandemic. Here we have the student-to- staff ratio. Twelve years ago, we had more staff per student. This is a significant investment. If we had the staffing ratios of ten years ago, it would make a difference. of 44 million dollars, so that's why we're there. We know that underneath it all we have the reasoning, but it's important to know how we got to this point. This is also something that you probably already know. Organizations are very impacted by the number of staff who stay in an organization. So having competitive benefits is very good for the whole organization because when

079we have to hire new staff, we have to start from scratch with the culture and many other things. So, remaining competitive is a great advantage for us. But the reality is also that, in order to address the cost of living, it has also increased. And here's another data point: we have limited funds of about 4000 to 4 million dollars per year, and that's going away. That's not going to be in place anymore. You can also see from several past years that we had more income than expenses, but that has changed, and now we are spending more than we are earning. So we have to think about this. It's not a good representation of our structural deficit because there are other things that are n't included there, but this is a general overview so you have

080an idea. So I just wanted to take a moment to Reviewing our process for reducing expenses. So this process began in August. We, as the executive cabinet, talked about where we were, what our goals were, and some of the challenges. Then we spoke with the entire cabinet at the end of August to begin the process of what we call a reverse map. We started with a goal by a certain date, and we began to think about what we would need to do to achieve that goal. This involved continuing our analysis and data collection, and also having more cabinet meetings to develop a communication plan. Then we had focus group meetings where we began the process of generating and analyzing the impacts of each possibility for reducing expenses. We wanted to be very thoughtful and intentional

081in order to achieve our goals, but it wouldn't be responsible to just do things without trying to filter the ideas. So then we used the information from those groups and communicated it to the cabinet. And then we drafted a plan that we wanted to present to our education leadership. So on November 5th, we presented this plan to the principals and deputy principals. Jeremy had some notes, so during the presentation, the principals and deputy principals could write down their questions. The discussions about concerns were very open and collaborative. From there, we continued in December, and that review was presented on January 7th. We spoke with all the directors and then refined the plan for review number C. That was presented to the IOT on February 5th, and the directors received a presentation to share with the

082staff who would be impacted because we wanted to be very transparent. So there were different plans for the coaches; we wanted to be sure that everyone knew everything and had the opportunity to give us feedback. So, literally in the notes, it said, "Please communicate all of this to everyone." Here is the process. So, I put here part of the language from those notes that while we are restructuring our staff according to expenses, limited funds, and the decline in registrations, we are committed to avoiding job cuts as much as possible by using retirements or extensions to retain staff. So, we want to continue with that as quickly as possible. So, there are the planned reductions that will be implemented at the beginning of the year. So first, we're going to eliminate some of the coaching positions

083we created to get us to where we were before the limited funding. So it's going to be 17 instead of 23. This is going to be the main part of the reductions. We have several options. We thought we could manage services differently to create more efficiency. For example, the conduct counseling and playground support contracts. So we wanted to create a new model, so all of that went through our review process. We also wanted to reduce operating contracts. For example, Zoom. We're only going to have one account for board meetings and Panorama. So it's not that we're going to stop doing surveys, but we're going to have other systems. So instead of using Zoom, we're going to use Google Meet because it's already part of our system. We also identified a new model for long- term

084independent studies. So only one teacher will be reduced for that specific position, but we're not going to need them in the same capacity. There are also some substitute support contracts that we're going to reduce. We're going to maintain the supports. So before I pass it on, Jer, I didn't really put contracts in place because I think in the spirit of a collaboration, I don't want them to notice because of this meeting. I'm going to speak in general about [Music]. What we have for substitutes with the project are permanent substitutes. We also have substitutes through other contractor services. So we want to change that so we can save. So they're just going to suggest it like this, and as you said, it's going to be a little different. Thank you very much. The last thing is

085that due to the decline in registrations, we can identify six teacher positions, but we're adding four TK teachers and also for instructors, so that didn't work out. But those are the reductions we have planned for 2025-2026. So the next example shows... Ah, you've probably seen this format, at least some of you have, but this shows the general funds by category. It has to do with the various certificates and classifications, so we have this year and for the future. So I wanted to show you here where the red and yellow are those percentages for this year. Our expenses are going to see a 7% increase, but looking ahead... After that, there will be an increase of 1%, so what I've been able to achieve from the first interim until now is with the reduction of these

086costs, these measures, the implementation of these measures to reduce costs. We have more data because we have a master contract, and we need to spend up to this amount throughout the year as a District before returning to you throughout the year. That doesn't mean we spend the entire contract. Now we have more data that we can monitor, that is, monthly and daily costs. We realize that in our projections, we realize that. So you see the reductions, the measures to reduce costs, as well as the savings and reductions that will be seen in the future. So I wanted to highlight that, and now we have the reserves. This is basically what it's about. If you see the darker part in blue, it's the obligation to reach the minimum. However, through the leaders we've had, we've passed

087resolutions. We have a focus on having the objective of having 20% ​​in reserves. It's very important to have that because funding changes frequently, which we'll talk about better in a moment. These are the assumptions. Over several years, the first is the cost of a 1% wage increase. Then we have the growth from property taxes, which will affect the projections we have for the coming year. With the increases in property taxes, this year's data will determine next year's data. We're seeing little growth; those numbers have been adjusted. We'll talk about that in more detail in a moment. There haven't been any major changes in the enrollment projections. We have enrollments that are still decreasing in our system. Something I found interesting that I wanted to highlight is that the percentage of students who qualify as English

088language learners from the foster care system is now at 4%. There are several reasons why it's now at 4%. Not every family fills out the forms, so I found it very interesting that there's a reduction in these students who are learning English from low-income backgrounds and are in the foster care system. That number has decreased according to the projections. Community support has been incredible, and to finish [Music] we want to take into account the assumptions Regarding the budget, we're in year 3 of the negotiation. We're going to see a 3% increase in the budget this year. Commercial property taxes— a large portion of those funds comes from the building sales sector, and we're not seeing much of an improvement in those costs. In real estate, I wanted to talk a little bit about the fact

089that we're not seeing much movement in this sector. Market valuation—well, basically, it depends. I mean, the amount of real estate that's available is increasing. We have, however, 6% discounts on large properties in Glendale, California. So sales are slowing down. There are also 97% discounts on certain properties. It's hard to believe, but it's true. The impacts are also from the Federal Government. They're starting to sell their buildings, to terminate building contracts. There are going to be very large spaces available. There are mixed signs regarding demand. Not everyone has returned yet. Sometimes people go in a few times a week to work. But what gives me a little optimism is that the technology industry is increasingly asking employees to return to the office. So, finally, companies that are Requiring workers to return to the office can also

090increase property sales and rentals. Regarding investments and what we can do, and not much, this comes from property taxes. Here I've marked the parts that were corrected due to the proposition. It allows the owner to appeal the property valuation. When a property is sold or new construction is completed, the tax bill goes up, but owners can also file an appeal, which sometimes takes a while to fully process through the system. The County Board of Supervisors has a large number of active appeals that will be heard soon. So those numbers next to it are the active appeal amounts. That is, the lower amount there was in 2024 and 2025. I spoke with someone who told me, don't be confused, that amount is going to increase next year. There is a lot of risk when you're in

091an area with many new properties because the valuations are very high. But then, because we need to think short-term, I've also been working on next year's communication. I've been working with And we're going to send a budget summary first to the staff in a few weeks. We're also going to communicate with parents to acknowledge the challenges, express the structural deficiencies we have, and also assure people that we're doing everything we can to minimize the impacts on staff and schools. Communication and engagement will come from community meetings. We're going to have Special Education meetings, and the School Board CSA meetings will return in April to talk about the indicators and where we are in terms of the actions we want to present for the new ELPAC. So that's going to happen. That's the communication plan. We're

092also going to... To monitor the indicators related to the budgets, incorporating updates as they become measurable. What we'll need is a process similar to the one I just explained. We've already started scheduling meetings. There are several levels. We'll know more in June regarding our goals for reductions. The idea is to run the ideas through several stages to better understand our objectives. What that means is that we're committed to not laying anyone off in 2025 or 2026, but we'll know over time which positions we want to reduce. As people leave their positions, we don't necessarily want to fill those vacancies, so we have to act as we see how things continue to develop. I think there's something you'll like. [Music] I mean, let's lift your spirits a bit. We're going to continue being transparent, thinking very

093carefully about how we can focus. This process started a few months ago. I wanted to go through the same process. I really appreciate the statement on equity, the reflective practices component. I wanted to take this opportunity To highlight some of the successes we've had this year, we can begin by answering the question of how we are supporting our goals through our actions. We have expanded transportation services so that students can have access to after- school opportunities. There is a reimbursement we receive from the state, which has been incredible. We have improved attendance; we have two school buses that are 90% funded. We have water bottles in all schools so that students can fill their water bottles. We are improving parent and student engagement through surveys and participation opportunities. We have also expanded school enrichment opportunities.

094Congratulations to the dedicated and committed QUEAS coordinators who have made this possible throughout the year. It is now available to all English language learners. Congratulations! Thank you very much. We are implementing new math pathways for high schools. All students have access to science camps. [Music] We are able to offer a support system to address social-emotional difficulties through the counseling program. This year we have invested 215,000 and we are Already committed next year to professional development days for paid teachers, I heard directly from teachers who spoke about how much they appreciate this opportunity. Thanks to Marer for helping make this possible. We have improved our transparency regarding the ELC and the fact that it is a large part of the budget. We have also had the Local Control Plan, which gives us more flexibility for students.

095We focus on how our system can significantly impact our students. We hold weekly meetings about transportation to review the progress we have made. We achieved 82% public approval of our plan, reaffirming their confidence in us. We have excellent CS partners. We are in the second year of curriculum adoption. We have a game-based learning model. Initially, it was in two schools, and now it is in all schools, community colleges, and community colleges. We also have student development training on math instruction, and we have received very positive feedback on that training. We have contributed to a neighborhood resource center. We have a library project, and after we complete it, we will have an annual cost model. This is equity in action. Amazing special education team! SAR Halloween is using the reverse inclusion model for special education students

096so that those students can enter high school and take general education classes. Because of the commitment to these students, there's a lot we've done. Some of the impacts can be measured, and others ca n't. But thanks to the strategic plan, this system really is an example of the key characteristics we want our students to have. And as they prepare for a life full of joy and purpose, so there are many successes as well. Thank you. [Music] It's time for public comment. If there's a member of the audience, we don't see cards in the room. If there's anyone online who would like to make a public comment, please raise your hand electronically. So far, we have one public comment. I'm going to announce that each public comment has 3 minutes. Please state your name, your affiliation,

097and the topic. It should be about this specific matter, which is the interim budget report. We have AATA online. Very good, you have 3 minutes. Thank you so much, Doctor and counselors, for this opportunity. I wanted to thank you for the presentation. I loved seeing how the district is spending the funds and what the funding looks like going forward. I loved it. That there is such an excellent strategic plan, we have identified how to address the lack of equity in the district. It seems to me that there are more needs that we need to address, and the revenues don't look very good to support our students so they can perform better. I appreciate the fact that the district is trying to think about contracts for substitute teachers, thinking about staff who are leaving their vacancies,

098and that it is thinking about all of that and taking all expenses into account. But I would like us to investigate ways to raise more partial taxes to help improve the savings situation we can have in the future, and if it is possible to find some way to look for resources that are not duplicated. There may be resources available. I see that each school now is trying to spend funds on certain programs that are sometimes duplicated in several schools. So I know that there are collaborations that can be done to lower costs as well. So we must look at possibilities to reduce expenses and have programs in all schools. Thank you, thank you. So that we can have a conversation about this matter and schedule the Hoffman awards. I think we need to extend the

099meeting. Can someone make a motion? I move to extend, Michelle. He made the motion on the agenda. Yes, it was me. I'm sorry. And I make a motion to extend the meeting until 10:00. Second, very good. [Music] Second, it's getting late, isn't it? So we can talk about it. We don't need to vote for or against extending the meeting. We're going to vote to approve the extension until 10:00 p.m. Everyone who is in favor, say yes. The motion is approved so we can discuss it. We need a motion to approve the discussion, a motion to approve the budget report for the year 2024. Who wants to start? We can start at the end, and then each of us... I wanted to mention something we mentioned earlier, which is that there are so many students who

100are looking for options. No, not students, we are... There are several ways we are looking for opportunities to generate income. For example, the programs that are done after school, where there are collaborators, for example, who are contributing 15 million dollars. Maybe it's not the same formula, but thinking first about the needs of the school and then bringing income to the school to be able to increase the funds. I want the district to start considering options to generate funds. One of the... The reason the Child Care Center is so attractive is because it's a high need for families. We've heard it time and time again. The County Education Office came here and said there were hundreds of families across the district who meet the criteria for state-funded preschool or low- income preschool. So, even an expansion

101of preschools would be a way to provide after-school care, where one can have extra time after school. Combining it with some high-intensity tutoring would be a win-win situation. The cost could vary depending on the amount of income families have, but it's a way to generate income. It could be a powerful tool, considering there's a lot that's currently unknown. Other districts around us are receiving the same message, and some are in more difficult situations than we are, and they're directing the district to consider not only expanding preschool and after- school care, but any income-generating ideas the district might have. So, I don't know if one of the things we can agree on with the district is an idea we have. I'd like to elaborate on this. That possibility. Because something I didn't mention before is whether

102to use that as an opportunity to get to know our students and meet their needs. We're not seeing the kind of progress we want to see, but if we have them for longer periods, if they're in a childcare center, if there are community members willing to pay, and we can find that model through community partnerships. I think there's a lot of opportunity there, and that's something the community is interested in as well, instead of just thinking about the deficit we have and how we're going to continue. I really like this idea of taking control. I think it's going to be an effort; it's going to require work, but I think the community is in favor, not only in this classroom but also in our external partnerships. I think it's going to be a big effort.

103There are several models we can implement, but I'm recommending that as a way to generate income—an after- school program. It's something we can think about and answer better later. We're talking about generating income. One question: the idea would be that we need something that not only generates income but also gives us some profit that we can use to fund something else. That's something that would give us profit, right? I mean, correct. Contribute, put into the general fund. Okay, so if we can talk to the district, I think it's a bit of a broad exploration. We can think of several reasons. We need to be creative and see where this type of model is successful. We're going to explore it, and I think it would n't generate revenue next year, maybe the year after, but we

104would have to develop the model to be able to implement it. So that wouldn't change the course of what we're doing right now, but it's medium-term and long- term, and I think what they said, 5 years later, is when it's working. If Isabel had anything else to add, Michelle, two quick things. I had some questions about TK. So I wanted to know about the four new classrooms, and do you know where they're going to be? I don't know, I don't remember exactly. I don't know if Cristina knows, so there are going to be four General Education classrooms, plus one Special Education classroom in the school. So, plus one Special Education classroom. Good job, team. How about this for Mike? So, regarding the funding for that test case, there are two paths. So, if it comes

105back, we might be able to have revenue. I don't remember in... Where did I see it? But it seems there's a plan from a legislator who's going to pass a law to fund it. Okay. So I do n't know if it's a possibility. A very good question. So, I do n't know if the legislation will be for next year or the year after that, but the legislature decided they were going to fund transitional kindergarten in the state based on all students in the state, including students who were receiving community funding and then moved to kindergarten without community funding. So, if we're hopeful about the legislation... Ah, we have districts that we mentioned in our superintendents' meeting last week that said they're not in a position to offer transitional kindergarten. Ah, but if they are going

106to do it, then which programs will they have to cut? So, there's not much sympathy for students going to community-funded kindergarten schools. But if it's not for next year, I hope it's going to be for the year after that. So, according to that mandate, if we're part of it along with a district in Santa Barbara, that has to do with it. State Mandates Commission. So in May they're going to make the first decision. I don't know if it's going to be something simple; they're going to say whether it's a legislative mandate or not. If they say no, then they won't have to follow the CDA rules. But if they say yes, it's a mandate, then it's going to go back to the legislature to say how they're going to get the funding. So the first

107hearing is in May. Maybe we won't know the results until the fall, so it's going to take time to resolve it. There's a little hope there, but it's not very certain. So we're going to have more flexibility if it's a mandate. And that's the reality. The right thing to do is offer transitional kindergarten; it's a very good program. Hi, thank you very much for the presentation. I had a question about the time mentioned in the presentation. Because I have, in my designated time, to review the package, but I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to review it. So I really liked the presentation. It was so thorough. Ah, I feel like it's an area where I have to think about it more and I need support. So this part of this

108interim report, where it fits in, what can we expect in the future? Very good question. I know this presentation was very long, and I sent it to you longer than it should have been. The report came out at 5 PM, but the presentation... Ah, it wasn't ready on time. So, the expectation going forward is that it will arrive on time, no excuses. That's going to be the expectation. So, your question is rather, where does this report fit into the budget cycle? That's where I like to say this. [Music] So, every year we have a 15- month cycle. In June, every three months, we review the budget. So, 15 months until September 15th. So, we have five reviews. The budget is adopted, and then during the next review, you have the information on September 15th. Then

109the first interim report in December, and then the fourth review, which is the second interim report where we are now. These aren't current figures; they're from the past budget, but now they're based on the new balances. So, you'll have updated information. So, every three months, you'll receive something, and we're in the middle of it. During the adopted budget, we'll also have the estimates, but we'll also have the actual expenses, and then September will be another review. So, we're in the middle of the process. Another question/ comment: So I was looking at page 67 about the process and the actions we, as the board, are taking. What is our contribution? And where is our opportunity to contribute to the why of this? Not the how and when, but the why. So I wanted to know, uh,

110where are we going to make those cuts, and if we have any, can we comment on that? Ah, can I maybe say something else that other boards have been reviewing? So this is going to be our first conversation, and there's nothing in the [Music] process on page 16 that had nothing to do with the board. We have to approve it. And I do appreciate that Mike has given us some updates, but it's a crazy year. Everything moves very fast, but I'm surprised when people say that because we haven't had this problem in the past. Um, everything has been very good. Oh, and a white helicopter came in that has given us a lot of money every year, and he said, " Surprise, we have better numbers than we thought." We had average numbers, and we

111were telling Jerry, "We have to cut." So, natural attrition, and he was like, " So, apart from the limited money that ran out, we generally didn't..." We've had this situation before, so if what we fear becomes a reality for the Neo that comes in, then there will be more. And there will be an opportunity to cut more things. We, as a board, must be part of this process because it's part of our job to review and be transparent, and we have to be collaborative with the district. It's not about controlling, but I think we have to be involved. I don't want people crying to me, coming to yell at me, or whatever might happen here, but it's part of our job, and since we don't know how to do it without problems yet, it's not

112surprising because we haven't been in this situation before. But if we look around us, we can see the districts that are close to us. Some have done well, some have had many problems with the community or with the units in the unions. But we have to have this discussion open, and I think that statement 16 tells me that we have to be more involved in the process. So I would ask that we have this conversation sooner so that we don't just approve something we do n't really know until very late in the process. It's going to be very difficult to make changes, and I appreciate that. Oh, and I also like the perspective that we've never done this before. So I can tell you that this is exactly the conversation we're having for the next

113two years. So we're already starting that process. We don't have all the predictions, but we have more. Over the next two years, we're going to commit to getting more involved in that process. We're going to use our knowledge where we can to identify adjustments that will have less impact, and also work with you to identify all of that. Some of the things Arthur identified are things we've seen over time that are easier, but we see that some things are decisions at the regulatory level. So what are we going to do? I think there's a very good point that the way I think about this process is that everyone in this system is part of the process. So I really like that you want to be involved. It's going to be difficult to talk about all

114of this in an open meeting. So some things are going to have to be in closed session, like negotiations. So we have to filter everything down to a point that would be appropriate. So here we have a revised idea because the conversations they have every week in communication with Dr. Gallagher, that would be the starting point, and then the directions or concerns about the process, so that's going to be an avenue for receiving those comments. So we're going to have to talk more about the process, so maybe we need to discuss it more in the future. So I I think thinking about the timing is that there are probably a lot of districts that are talking about job cuts, we're not doing that. So that has to do with the decisions now on the reductions

115that we've identified. They're reflected in the second interim report, which we haven't adopted yet. We're going to adopt it in June. The reality is that it's not final, but it will be late in the year. But what is the appropriate time? But we're going to be able to start talking now about two years in the future. So when are we going to bring it to the table? When are we going to present it to the public? So those are very good [Music] ideas. Collaborating a lot with the district. Ah, I think that as part of my community, I've been aware of what's happening in the community and what the teachers are thinking as well. So, for example, I've been thinking about the cuts at my school, and knowing that they're going to make cuts in

116all the schools, I knew that the impact was going to be huge. And if we're talking about our strategic plan, ah, and equity, those are considerations. Instead of cutting certain services in all the schools, maybe we need to consider when they're needed more for the students and their needs. I think those are conversations that... I would like to be able to have that there to consider as decisions are being made, instead of this being what we've decided. Ah, in this phase discussion, yes. Ah, I'm good. I've been going over all my training. Ah, we need to be reviewing and monitoring to be transparent about what's coming up on the table, and I think that's why I'm here, that's why I want to be here. And I do think we have a very good foundation, and

117that together we can. It requires us to have those conversations and that trust. So, if I could reiterate for my notes, we're going to talk about a process to integrate everything, where we're also going to include the board in the process. That's what we're going to discuss there. I want the district to come and talk with us, and then we're going to talk about revenue generation, and we're hoping that we can have some childcare, right? And everyone is comfortable with that. So we could also have savings, have savings that we have to promise to use the money on something. So maybe a subcommittee or a team, and everyone is comfortable with that. First note: Maybe it's the same thing you were saying, that we're going to talk about in a meeting. Regarding governance, how do

118you want to be more involved on the board? What would be the best process? So I don't know if everyone agrees, but we don't know how long it's going to take. So I think the governance meeting is going to be the best meeting to talk about this—how we want to be more involved and when. So I'd like to have this meeting this year before Mike leaves. So maybe it will be better with the new president because he's going to want to be involved too. So we can start talking about it, not finish it. So it's time. We're ready to vote. Everyone in favor to approve this. The interim budget report. Say, President, vote. Pass. Thank you. I have a suggestion. I think maybe we'll have time. I don't know if maybe we should discuss our

119last item next time, or if you want to continue during the governance meeting. I think it would be a good place to discuss it. So I have to make the motion, and I move to postpone item 13, item 13a, to a future meeting. Second, so some discussion. Everyone in favor. Say yes. President votes yes, and the motion passes. So the last thing is for the meetings. The next meeting is on Thursday, March 27th. It says here at 5, but if I remember correctly, we're meeting at 6. So, on Thursday, March 27th at 6, it's going to be a development governance meeting. So, we're on the new schedule. We had it from 5 to 8, but when the Prophet Councilor said she couldn't do 5, I thought we voted to change it to 6, right? No,

120according to reports, we said it was from 5 to 8. So now we have to inform you that it's going to be different. We're going to have to make that change. You can do it, but it says it's a regular meeting, so it's a regular time for the public. So it would be from 5 to 8, yes, but the calendar says 5, and it's always at 6. So that's the difficulty with changing things, but we can do it at 6. You see, it's a regular meeting. So, it's a governance meeting. So, we're going to have to talk about that later. Have fun! So, the next meeting is going to be on Thursday. March 27th at 6 pm there will be a governance meeting here in the district office. The time is 9:51 pm. We finished

121the meeting.