001this one. Yeah, mine's working. >> I hear you. Do you hear? There we go. >> Okay, Rich. >> All righty. Um All right. So, Jyn, can we have a roll call, please? >> Rich Carnation >> here. >> Paul Kagorno >> here. >> Stephanie Amard >> here. Bill Adams >> present. Natalie Valdez >> here. >> All righty. And just to let everybody know, uh, Malinelli Lopez, uh, she, her father passed away. And so, she's, uh, not going to be here this evening and is taking care of some, uh, obviously family things. And so, we all wish her well, wish her family well, and but she won't be here this evening. So, anyhow, thank you. Um, we're going to go to the flag salute led by me. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States
002of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> All righty. Um, board, do we have any adjustments to the agenda? >> I believe we do. I think we have an item. We do. >> Good. Uh board, we're requesting to uh re-evaluate uh board policy 5117 on interd district transfers. Um it's an item where we had originally included language about the Allen bill um because we were looking to be as inclusive as possible on welcoming transfer students to Windsor, but after further consideration and some more conversations with our our um our lawyers, uh we we are not able to hold the alum bill applicants to the same standards that we've been we would hold all of the transfer requests. And so for equity
003sake, uh we're recommending that we um do not include the Allen bill as part of our inner district language and just use the standard uh inner district that pretty much the the county uses. >> So we're we're just requesting to put that policy at the end of the agenda because you already have voted on it with the Allen bill language and we've stricken the Allen bill language and so we we're asking to approve the new language at the end of the agenda if possible. >> So Mr. President, I'd make a motion that we add the interd district transfer policy 5117 as the last action item on our agenda. 5.6. >> Yeah. I I >> I believe this requires a two-thirds vote. >> Oh, so I second it. Do we have all those in favor? >>
004I >> Okay. Thank you. >> All righty. So, we'll add that item BP 5117 to item number 5.6. All righty. Uh, any other adjustments to the agenda? All righty. Let's move to 3.5. Celebrating success. Is this Pete? Who's going to bring this up? Or >> Lydia? >> Oh, Lydia. Okay, >> good evening. Thank you for having me here uh and share what is happening at Calali which is a lot and it just a few minutes here is not really enough. So this is just a a little drop of water of what's happening there. I want to celebrate the great success that we are having with our recovery attendance recovery program initiative. Uh we have been the pilot in the uh the whole district and it's moving the needle pretty quickly. Uh two points in each
005one of our middle school and then elementary being elementary at 96.8% and uh middle 97.1. The target actually was at 96 and we are even farther than that. the enrichment programs that we have been putting in place with all the help of all our teachers as well and other uh community members outside um like STEM arts weightlifting uh training activities for our kids uh chess, Legos and also a Cali newspaper that I want to share with you. Our students fifth graders have been doing their first It's really awesome in both languages to have the kids so engaged in writing, reading, speaking uh for the community and for the school. It's just really cute to see them uh the future journalist journalists uh here at Windsor. So, uh kudos to them. For first grade and second
006graders, we have granted uh our first TE grant uh that will be bringing golf to our P classes for those first and second graders. So, congrats to that too. um very happy uh regarding our cultural programs at Cali and getting and gathering our community, our families back to campus is one of our third goal in our LC cup and also scorecard and we are really making it and making a difference this year. Our celebration of the Adel Muertos was just amazing. It was a magical night. um the t-shirt design that our uh students get involved in um and creating these designs for the deos muertos with the t-shirts. It's a great competition uh in both languages too. So it's awesome to see uh that happening with the help of our PTA uh parents as well.
007So I thank all everybody uh involved in this dantha aeka and ballet for chlorico and you're going to see a video that we put together so you can see that night what happened but we are bringing our ancestors to and our roots of uh our comm to our community to our school representing what we are at Cali and how we started and then uh movie nights where it brings families the students and in that connection it's awesome and I welcome everybody to come and and spend those nights with us as well. A great uh change this year with our little ones actually the creation of a learning space we are calling it kinderland where we are bringing play-based learning and social emotional learning. We open up a whole space in the middle of our uh
008library. uh you're welcome to come also and check it out. And that's giving that space for our little ones to express through uh play and learn through that uh through through play as well. that has changed a lot looking at data the um the behaviors that we used to have after co especially um th those have diminished at the little ones um kinder and TK so and that is because of this change so it's it's making a difference also the training that our teachers got in pyramid model uh with this plate-based learning focus in mind So awesome. Very proud of our technology engagement on campus. We started our smartboards. Um last year we had 10 coming into campus and this year we roll out 10 more. You're going to see our kids in action. It's
009just making a great difference in in all our population differentiating instruction all across. Um so kudos also to our teachers that are willing to also be trained and bring those new ways of instructing uh to our classes. So kudos to them as well. Uh I want to also celebrate our students through um the change that they have been involved in doing on our campus climate and culture through the program that we brought three years ago safe school ambassadors and uh safe bodies this year. The kids are learner are um being leaders on campus and being problem solvers as well. So awesome work in there. want to celebrate our PLT work which is in process and we have a lot of work to do with that but our elementary teams are really talking the language of
010PLTS and PLC's a lot of work on that we will talk about it in our academic focus next in February when we talk about scorecards and uh one it was really cool also and I want to celebrate my families and parents governing council that worked with us into addressing the data uh Ki desegregating it and looking at different um strategies and tools to bring to make a change as well. You're going to see it in the video. And finally uh also um the our eighth grade uh students pre have brought from last year uh the creation of a eighth grade walkth through or walkway with different pictures symbolizing the bilingualism and the learning and experience that they have been going through all these n years at K and it's really cool you're going to see
011it also in the video and uh big celebration we are granted um with $4,000 from the big picture to bring arts into Kali through a design thinking challenge and implementation with recycler um materials and we are involving our students with uh I want to thank also VAPA coordinator Elizabeth Robertson who coordinated this and we got it and and thank big picture as well for this help and uh and I want to be talking more and more and more because we do so many cool things. Um, but I prepared this little video for you to see what we are about at Kali and you are seeing [music] it here. Everything that I talked about, it's kind of a it's reflected here on the video. >> [music] [music] >> This was our um [music] forico and then
012Daneka. >> [music] >> This is the context with the t-shirts. And this is the kinderland area for playbased learning. >> Smartboards in action. Okay. >> [music] >> It's our safe school ambassadors with our students and our dean and student advisor in action as well. That was a really fun day. Uh [music] body language, body reading, the middle schoolers coming down to uh read and work [music] with our little ones too. Read on Sonoma has been also a great success. 40% more of books read first semester than [music] the whole entire year last year. So the program is working. [music] This our eighth grade graders. This is the path that I was talking about. We do have [music] a solada coming January 30th. So you are all invited as well. And this is, you know, I
013could be talking and talking, but I'm so proud really of of being the it's it's an honor to be the leader at this school and see how the hearts of everybody's are are there um with the hard work that we do. >> Yeah, Lydia, thank you very much. I know we have a a busy agenda today. I'd very much like to hear more about the uh attendance recovery pilot and you know when your school gets two or three more percent attendance we can either cut costs or raise revenue and so that is a very straightforward way for parents and students to help the district by coming to school and being reminded that that's the case and it sounds like you have >> many many many good reasons for the students to be there and be
014enthusiastic. So, look forward to hearing some more about that once that pilot is done. Well done on that. Thank you for your report. >> You're welcome. >> Thank you for having me here tonight. >> Thank you, Lydia. >> All righty. We're going to move to item 3.6, public comment on non-aggendaized items. If there's something uh that's not on the agenda that anybody would like to talk about, you're limited basically to 3 minutes uh per person up to about 20 minutes per topic. Um if somebody already said something that you agree with um you can I don't know people do different things but anyhow or get up. So anyhow um other than that please uh >> yeah if yes Stephanie she'll keep track. Oh, yeah. And and board members, yeah, and if uh you have questions
015or whatever for public comment, non-aggendaized items, board members can't uh address the issue. So, um you can make your comment, but that's all that we can do. >> Okay. >> All right. Thank you. Oh, and if you can uh give us your name and whatever. >> You got it. Well, first I got to tell you, wait, this is so much easier in front of high school kids. >> All right. [clears throat] Uh, my name is Lori Lucas and I started my career at Windsor High School as a student teacher in 1998, January. I stayed at Windsor because it's a place I'm proud to work at. I'd go to conferences and workshops and proudly talk about how student centered we were and how teachers are treated as trusted professionals. Most of the folks I met were
016jealous, telling me that my district sounded magical. But after having watched the last board meeting, um, some of that magic is gone for me. What I heard from some members of the board was shocking, disrespectful, close-minded, and dismissive. It seems that there are members of the board who have their own personal agendas that they want to further and are willing to do it at the expense of good teachers, experts in education. Julie Forest came to you for the approval of a book that has been vetted by multiple national education experts, including those in our own district. And what she faced was with what she was faced with was a berating for larger issues that mostly had nothing to do with her as a teacher. Do we need more diversity in our district? Yes. Not Julie's
017fault. Is there violence in the world? Sadly, yes. But Julie and many other teachers are fully equipped by their training and experience to help students process it. Her research and expertise, however, were ignored and it seeming it seemed almost to be mocked. one member going so far as to say you are not a psychologist. Well, respectfully, none of you are high school English teachers. The district hired us because we are educational experts. We've been trained to provide our students with a safe educational experience. Yet, members of this board have decided that based on their own agendas or misguided opinions that they know better. [clears throat] You chose not to trust the experts that were hired to do the job. You made it clear that you do not believe we are competent or trustworthy. It was
018very apparent that no matter what data or plans or compromises were provided, some board members were not open to hearing it. They had preemptively made up their minds to reject the book. This has unfortunately cost the trust and faith of WUSD staff that we are partners in preparing students for their futures. Would I ever come to the board to ask for anything now? Absolutely not. I don't think my spirit could withstand the kind of beating you gave Julie. As a parent, I understand that we would like to protect our children from hard things. But we have to acknowledge that they will encounter hard things with or without us. In the classroom, we the experts can help them process challenging concepts in a safe and supportive way. If you say that we must avoid hard and
019unpleasant things in the classroom, where do we draw the line? I teach history. Should I not teach about World War I or World War II, genocide, fascism, slavery, imperialism? How about 9/11? Where do we draw the line? So, I wonder the next time a student comes in, and they often do, and say to me, "Mrs. Lucas, did you see the news last night? I don't understand what's happening. Why is it happening?" Will I have to respond with, "I'm so sorry. We can't discuss disturbing things. I'm not a psychologist. Thank you. Hello everyone. My name is Tegan McCoy. I am a current junior at Windsor High School. Yeah. Thank you. [laughter] [clears throat] I'm here today to talk about the recent decision of the board to ban the book Scythe, which was presented by Julie Forest.
020I'm not a current student of Miss Forests. However, I spent my freshman year with her as my English teacher. She helped guide me through the challenges and inevitable changes of my first year of high school. Like many of my teachers I've had through the past three years, Miss Forest has profoundly shaped me in ways that will forever stay with me. To have watched the the board meeting on YouTube and see her judgment be so deeply disrespected sparks a fire with me. To start, I would like to reference a board member whom in the last board meeting held up the book in question Scythe and said, and I quote, "My concern is we are mandating that they have to read this." End quote. They being the student body. I would like to point out that making
021students do stuff is what our entire American education system is built on. Do you think I choose to go home and simplify rational exponents? Us students learn simply because our teachers make us do stuff. Whether that stuff be class activities, homework, or exams. Why would Miss Forest students not be forced to read the novel Scythe? Of course, students are able to opt out of sensitive topics, but otherwise, it should not be a question that Miss Forest not only holds her students to a high standard, but also knows her students individually in each of their capabilities. Secondly, I would like to point out the changes the internet and newfound technology has made for our classroom environments. It is common knowledge that anyone can look up anything into a Google search and they will get exactly what
022they search for. From cute animal videos to extremely disturbing images, teens especially are exposed to much more violence than you'd think. We know the awful things that go on in this evil world. To assume that us students cannot handle these hard topics belittles us. As a student, I would rather have to read about hard topics. I would rather have a safe space to talk about the severity of the information I'm reading with a teacher who cares about me and classmates by my side who can relate to the emotions I feel as a teen reading these sensitive topics. I ask you, the school board, to please trust your students whom you sit on this board to protect. Trust us to interpret things on our own. Trust our educators who have quite literally taught us everything we
023know. And most significantly, trust Julie Forest to know her students, to know triggering topics that may affect each one of her kids. And finally, trust every teacher in this district to use their jud their best judgment in their own classrooms as you were elected to do. Thank you. Good evening, board. Um, my name is Trish Dano. I am here tonight wearing several hats. I am a parent of four children connected to the school. One who is enrolled in the class where scythe was to be taught by Miss Forest. One um current senior, a graduate who is currently a college senior studying creative writing and one graduate who is now a teacher here at this high school. I am also a member of the site council and I want to be clear that the site council
024did recommend this book for instruction. I want to express my deep disappointment in the decision to prevent this novel from being taught. Scythe is not gratuitous or irresponsible. It is thoughtful, age appropriate dystopian novel that explores ethics, power, responsibility, and moral decision-making. Exactly the types of themes we ask our high school students to wrestle with through other commonly taught literature. The difference here is not the content, but the discomfort it creates. The discomfort is often where the most meaningful learning happens. As a parent, I trust our English teachers to guide students through complex material with care and professionalism. As a site council member, I am concerned that the recommendation of a body designed to represent families, staff, and students was overridden. And as someone who has children on both sides of the classroom, as students
025and as a teacher, I worry about the message this sends about trust in educators expertise and judgment. Removing a book like Scythe doesn't protect students. It limits their opportunity to think critically, to question systems of power, and to engage in nuanced discussions about morality and society, skills they will absolutely need beyond high school. I respectfully urge the board to reconsider this decision or at minimum to revisit the process by which instructional materials are evaluated so that educational merit not fear or discomfort remains at the center. Thank you. My name is Harper Herps and I'm a current sophomore at Windsor High School. I think it's utterly unfair to students to prevent a book from being read, especially a book like Scythe. This was a book that was offered to me in the seventh grade at 12
026years old by my teacher. She recommended it to multiple students and many read it and loved the book. They also happen to have a safe space to ask questions. Like everyone before me has mentioned, our teachers are meant to be our safe space to talk about these topics. And by banning a book from being taught, we're removing the safe space. And like Tegan had mentioned before, we're still exposed to these topics, I could find almost anything on social media. There are videos of men being shot on the internet that we're exposed to. By preventing a book from being taught doesn't prevent us from this violence. And I'm someone who struggles with severe anxiety and OCD. And my teachers when prevent when presented with difficult violent topics have managed to not only teach it wonderfully but
027I haven't gone into a panic attack from that. I was able to flourish during the unit of Romeo and Juliet which is a novel that deals with the suicide of two young people after love and their families fighting. Our teachers are here to be our safe spaces and that was what my English teacher was last year. Even when we were reading To Kill a Mockingbird, something that deals with racism and like and rape and everything that's violent and cruel in our world, things that do exist and things we can't just close our eyes and pretend aren't happening. There's nothing stopping us from finding out about these topics. If we start to ban books from being taught, where do we draw our line? We already have things being taught like of Men and The Great Gatsby.
028Of mice and men ends with Lenny being shot in the head by his friend. And Great Gatsby deals with suicide, drugs, and murder. We're already learning about these tough topics, but with the way our teachers are presenting them and teaching us, we're doing it in a safe space where we are allowed to ask questions, where we are allowed to have different feelings. And by preventing us from learning, we're not only removing things that are important and crucial to be learning about, we're not allowing us to learn these things before stepping out into the real world where, like it or not, we're going to be presented with these things. Thank you. Hi, my name is Shannon Wager. I have a son who is in 10th grade in Miss Forest's class. I want to say that I'm
029shocked and embarrassed at the way some of you behaved last month at this meeting with the possible adoption of this book. I purchased it. I read it. Yeah, there's some disturbing things in there, but our children need to see that. First, President Carnation, wasn't it just you a few months back who was complaining that some of our students had low test scores in reading and comprehension and saying that we have to do better for our students? Well, here we have Miss Forest trying to do better by picking a book that will engage our youth, but yet it's shot down. Then we have Trustee Lopez, who unfortunately I'm sorry she's not here tonight, but I have to say this. She just wants to complain how the book isn't diverse enough, completely missing the point that race
030was eliminated in this whole entire novel. And because she wasn't satisfied with no diversity in the book, she attacks Windsor High School as a whole, including the English department. And at about 3 hours into the meeting, she and I quote, "My issue is that most of the faculty landscape of Windsor High School is white. and this book being read and most books are being written by white authors are being read by students with no other diversity. Well, here is my solution to this problem. If you as a board think you can do better than these teachers teaching our youth, why don't you sit in the classroom, get to know the students, find out what makes them tick and what they want to read, and start picking some new material. But instead, a few of you
031board members personally disliked the book before you even got in here and thought it was too heavy. So, you simply voted no. But most of all, I want to thank Trusty Ahmad and Trusty Adams for trying to come to a compromise by offering a pilot program for the book. Trusty Ahmad, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that we have a responsibility to teach our kids about the world as it is. But more importantly, I think you're correct that nobody's going to come to this board anytime soon to get something approved because a majority of you are afraid to allow our teachers to teach something new. So, please reconsider to allow Miss Forest to teach this book as a pilot program. And in the future, can you please let our
032teachers teach and our students learn? Thank you. Uh, good evening everyone, school board. My name is Alex Ardin Rodriguez. I'm a senior at the Windsor High School. I'm in the Vineyard Academy core. And in my English class, we read a lot of books and we discuss what we read. We don't just open up a book, stare at the words, and on a paper and just answer questions. Um, my freshman year of high school, I had three substitute teachers in my English class. Uh, we read to how to to kill a mockingb bird and I got nothing out of that book because we would never discuss it. Uh, I hated reading. I'm going to say that I did not like reading. I never enjoyed reading. That was miserable as a freshman, someone that's joining a new
033experience in high school and whatnot. Um, I was introduced to critical thinking my sophomore year when I had Julie Forest as a my English teacher. We would read these interesting books and novels and actually discuss what was going on. I remember we had these journals that where we could write our feelings or whatever we had and we could talk to Miss Forest about them. She would then give us advice and I love doing that. You know, I was able to write whatever emotions I had bottled up inside. I found myself going a lot and talking a lot to Miss Forest because she cared, you know, she was a teacher that cared for her students. Even now, I see it when I go to stop by. She knows what's best with her students. She knows she
034knows her students best. Uh, you guys say that this book is triggering the students and that it has a lot of violence. I think what we need to be getting rid of is not this book, but we should be getting getting rid of this. We should be getting getting rid of uh social media. We're so exposed to so much things. I mean, it's one of the causes of anxiety and depression and adolescence, not these books. Um, yeah. Sorry. I'll leave you with this. If if Miss Forest didn't care for her students and their education, [clears throat] she wouldn't bother doing all this. We wouldn't bother doing all this. I think you should leave it up to teachers to do their job to teach. Thank you. [clears throat] My name no intellectual knowledge. But the following
035year, sophomore year is when I first met Miss Forest is um that year, like Alex said, we had journals, but that year, not only did Miss Forest teach me critical thinking, but she made me grow in a way that I could look at the world differently by the A I'm sorry. Miss Forest is a great teacher. She cares about her students. She doesn't just show up and leave. And she doesn't do none of that. She's there present every day. A new every day is something new for her. Sorry, I get I get nervous. >> You're doing okay. You're doing great. [snorts] Close. >> All right. I'll uh I think thank you for your time. >> Good evening. My name is Miami Patton and I'm a current junior at Windsor High School. As adults, you often
036feel the need to protect and shield children from dangers and ugliness of the world. But at what point does your protection restrict knowledge? Today we live in a world where we are facing a rapid decline in literacy and an increase of ignorance to the world around us. In the previous meeting regarding scythe, one of the board members concerns was how similar it seems to relate to present times under Trump's administration and how a student could correlate this novel to ICE. As a firstborn generation American, the daughter of an immigrant, I see this as an opportunity to inform our students of the cruelty this administration is bringing upon the United States of America. Rather than focusing on this topic as a trigger and fear for people, use that fear and turn it into knowledge and power.
037Also, in the previous meeting, a board member had a concern that letting the students read books with this violence and quote murder will lead to violence acts within their future. preventing literacy in children and teens and keeping teens ignorant to the brutality in our world is no that sorry that our world is no stranger to is what promotes violence not books there [snorts] were also arguments from the panel that this book was a very uncomfortable read throughout my years in the Windsor school district I've read some books such as the giver which deals with topics of suicide of mice and men which involves abbleism and murder Romeo and Juliet which involves murder and suicide and most importantly night which is a book about the horrors and atrocities that took place during the Holocaust. Not once
038should you feel comfortable while reading topics like that, but they are educational and they are read by all students. While reading these books, I have never once thought of murder or harming anyone due to the contents of violence written in these novels, but rather it educated me and brought awareness. Like Miss Forest had mentioned, there are tons of empathy and ethics in this novel, something that is much needed in times like these. She had also mentioned that she dissects the hard topics and walks her students through the novel. She guides her students in the correct direction and if any of them feel uncomfortable, they have the ability to ask for a different read. Although I myself have never had Miss Forest as a teacher, she is a teacher who is obviously very much trusted. She
039is someone who her students can confide in if topics get hard. This novel is a gateway into knowledge, especially within the world that we live in today. I firmly urge you to reconsider your decision and let Miss Forest incorporate it into her curriculum. Thank you. She's too tall. Um, hello. My name is Elise Pugmire. I am a current junior at Windsor High School. And at first when I heard about the board's decision to ban Scythe, I was moved to anger. And then I realized that I should not form an opinion on something that I know nothing about. So this weekend and this past week, I read Scythe and I watched the board meeting and frankly I was appalled with the way this um topic was discussed and how Miss Forest was attacked. I watched the
040meeting and I listened to Miss Forest's presentation and then I listened to the to the discussion that took place afterwards and I realized that her everything that was discussed afterwards was um addressed in the presentation and she had already given compromises and and she explained that she's there for her students and all these things that we all know about Miss Forest because she's a wonderful teacher and it was um completely ignored. First of all, I would like to talk about how banning scythe just completely disregards the continuity of how this board and this um district um thinks about the books we read and the topics we discuss and the presentations we receive. First of all, like um Mayumi mentioned, we have I have read personally in my high school career many books that could be
041considered to be just as triggering if not more such as Night, All Quiet on the Western Front, To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet, of Mice and Men. All of these topics are they are difficult to talk about and it should be a hard read. That is the point of education. You should challenge yourself to understand these topics that you know nothing about. And that is exactly what Scythe does. And another reason why Scythe is a perfect candidate for a new book is in our current world with the rise of AI and this administration. It is an extremely important topic to be educated on and to discuss. And regarding um Miss Lopez's um discussion about diversity, I wholeheartedly agree that our reading list should be re-examined and we should add more books that talk about
042different um more current um topics. However, I believe that banning scythe and not and attacking Miss Forest um will simply hinder any other teacher who wants to come forward to present a more diverse book or a book that explores um things in the modernday era. And I believe that because of all these reasons, I think you guys should reconsider why you're banning Scythe and maybe maybe reread it, relook at the message message because I wonder if in your guys' reads of Scythe, maybe some of that message was was lost. And to another point for the diversity is the fact that when I was reading the book, I was I made notes and I took notes on it and I was making um and I realized that although race was quote unquote like eradicated, there was
043still topic there was still points in the book where it was recognized that Mid America, which is America, was still centralized in it and that the other um scythes would like take from what like America was doing, which is kind of what which is a reflection of our world today. And I think that those that because even if it even if it's talked about in a more discreet manner, it's still opening up these really really important discussions that should be held in a classroom. And like um yeah, and the last thing I want to say is that um these discussions should be held in a classroom and not online, not on social media, not with uneducated people. It needs to be with Miss Forest who can help people through their feelings. Thank you. Okay. Hello,
044I'm Naen McCoy, teacher at Windsor High, parent of two Windsor High students and a community member. Thank you all for being here. It is not lost on me that most of us in this room have worked all day and I appreciate everyone's time. I am here in support of the students in the district as well as the professionals that educate them. I want to share what is like to be a teacher. Moreover, I want to tell you that I am not only a teacher. I am a counselor and I have been since the age of 22. In fact, credentiing programs tell you pretty quickly that you will have to be much more than a teacher if you spend your days with children. I first started teaching in English in rural North Carolina and was shocked
045that Romeo and Juliet was on the reading list. I tackled it with a mass terror of a young woman fresh out of college. We dove into mature topics such as sex and suicide. And to these 12 to 13 year old and these 12 to 13year-old students handled it with grace and with a maturity that will forever impress me. And most importantly, not a single parent opted out. That was pretty impressing. Impressive considering I was in God's country. Since 1999, I have taught many painful and challenging topics through my novel choices. I've spent hundreds of hours, as have my colleagues, on how to tackle horri horrific experiences in both fiction and non-fiction works. In my former 1112 core, we discussed domestic violence in detail as we read a street car named Desire, for which many of
046my male students was the first time they were engaged. The boys even read the parts of Stella and Blanch since we only had a few girls in some of the classes. In my 910 core, I painfully read aloud somehow without weeping as Maya Angelou was raped by her mother's boyfriend at the age of seven and but h and how she managed to walk to the public library afterwards and sat in a metal chair. Her pain was both physically and mentally excruciating and not a single student left the room. In fact, many of them wrote about how sexual assault had affected them and how this novel I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings helped them feel less alone. In closing, if we tell you we need something for our students, it comes from the unique perspective
047of a person who spends their entire career with children. Nobody wishes to speak in front of you and be criticized, insulted, and rejected. Our twotime teacher of the year was told more than once that she was a disappointment, and it was directly implied that she was not qualified to teach this book to her students. I assure you that we as teachers have done our homework and we have put in the time rather than berate us or make us jump through hoops after a long day of teaching and yes counseling and nurturing our students. Please tell us yes. Please tell us thank you for caring and please ask us what can we do to help support you. This is what you were elected in office to do, to support students by supporting the highly qualified, deeply
048empathetic, and very experienced educators here in the district you serve. Thank you. Hello, my name is Jessica Allison and I teach 11 12th grade English in Build Academy at the high school. Most of the 10th graders that Julie Forest is teaching now will be my 11th graders next year. I understand that you have concerns about some of the violence and themes in the book that was brought forward last month. While I personally think it would have been a worthwhile text in her classroom, I'm not here to address our differences and opinion. [clears throat] Unfortunately, Trusty Lopez is not here, but she expressed concern about the lack of diversity in the approved book list and she is right. I haven't spoken to a single person who disagrees with that sentiment. In fact, if she hadn't just
049made assumptions about the books Miss Forest teaches, she would have realized that she has already brought diversity into her classroom. I would love to teach an entire unit on some of the books on my shelves, but the approval process has been daunting. It seemed like a lot of work, and truthfully, in the past, I was nervous to have to stand here in front of you and present a book for approval. So, I founded different ways to supplement the units, my units with unique and diverse voices. [clears throat] This summer, I finally decided it was time. The process had changed, so I was going to let Julie do the hard work and go through the process first so she could inform me um when it was my time. I thought the new process was meant to
050be easier, but I was still nervous. I'm no longer nervous. Okay, a little nervous. Um but I'm mostly angry. I'm angry that we're not being treated as professionals who want the best for our students and might actually know what that means in terms of reading material. As teachers, we hear stories about family events, friend drama, first loves, first heartbreaks. We analyze essays. We read reading scores and manage IEPs, individual needs, and allergies. We know exactly. We know everything about our students, but sorry, we don't know everything about our students, but we know a lot. Vice President Kagorno, you said this is your job. I would argue that your job is to hear what we, the teachers, the experts in our classrooms see as appropriate, accessible, and an engaging text. Unfortunately, what some of you did
051was make a decision in October without having read the book and before Miss Forest even had the chance to present her research, knowledge, and expertise. Two of you explicitly stated nothing would change your mind. That is not doing your job. The fact that so much time was spent on finding an alternative text without even knowing that there is already an opt- out process in place shows how little you understand about what we are already doing in our classrooms. Trusty Ahmad, I appreciate something you said last meeting because it's what I was thinking and feeling the entire time I watched Julie up here. You expressed concern that nobody would ask to get a book approved again. Julie came to you with a request. Before that request was even officially presented, the book read, "You made decisions."
052Julie was then interrogated for an hour and 40 minutes. Back in August, the approval process felt daunting, but I was going to do it. Now I know better. Good evening. Um, I know the school board um is invested in what's best for the students in this district and I as a teacher in this district for 25 years was also and continue to be invested in that. My name is Marie Ganister and I want to talk about the engaging literature that Julie Forest was trying to bring to her students using topics such as AI. Thunderhead was an amazing character in this book and I think that students would really learn from this and learning how to critically analyze literature, read it, discuss it and dissect it is what we want our students to be doing. You
053have a teacher who came before you, had been vetted through site council and TAC and all these things and had this book that she wanted to bring to her students of her own valition, her own time, her own planning and this board really clamped down on it and I really want you to reconsider. It made me sad to watch the uh taped meeting and I I I know you guys can do better. I really do. Um, I've seen you do better. So, I'm hoping that you will reconsider and allow these students to be um, educated. Miss Forest is amazing. So, allow her to do her job. Allow all these teachers to do their job, please. Thank you. We goody. if you can be the is there anybody else that on on this topic because we're
054we're kind of like way past the 20 minutes but there's two more great thanks >> I'll read quickly hi my name is Elizabeth Frerus I'm an English teacher at Windsor High School um and I watched the video recording of the last board meeting as well and what really struck me was that I heard fear amongst the board members, fear of being responsible for the safety of students and and I can respect that and I think there's no one in this room that isn't concerned with student safety. But how do we keep students safe? Do we shelter them from difficult topics or do we expose them with support? So, I heard that board members express concern about violence in the world and violence in this book, loosely suggesting that reading about violence may cause some students
055to become violent. However, no evidence or reasoning was presented to demonstrate a causal relationship between the two. I did just some, you know, slight research on this and it's not difficult to find sources that show that actually a low level of literacy is a risk factor for violence. In fact, I found an NIH study that quote says that says, quote, "Adolescence reading below grade level were significantly more likely to report carrying weapons, carrying guns, to have been in a physical fight at school, and to have been in a physical fight resulting in injuries requiring treatment. Low literacy is a risk factor for violence. Reading books in a supportive environment is not. I understand concern over what con constitutes age appropriate exposure for high schoolers even in a fictional realm. I would simply respond that it
056is a common for my students many of whom are avid gamers to compare their body count in various video games. They're already exposed to violence as other people have said. They even play the part of the perpetrator lending urgency to discussions about the motivations behind and the implications of such behavior. I would also remind board members that as educators we are teaching critical thinking and thereby critical thinking. Sorry, critical reading and thereby critical thinking. Assigning a book does not mean that we condone behaviors in the book. On the contrary, novelists write to critique problems in the world and teachers encourage students not merely to absorb information but to think critically about it and by extension the world in which they live. I will close with a personal connection. I was raised in a highly protective
057environment in which I was only allowed to read literature that promoted or at least didn't criticize my parents' views. I grew into young adulthood comfortable and confident in the rightness of my nay their views. I dis um did this help me when I was exposed to other views in the world? No. It left me alone, overwhelmed, and confused. Did it help me when I realized I was working for a bonafide narcissist who lied to my face, tried to cheat me out of earned wages, broke laws, and exploited employees for his own benefit? Not at all. I felt completely alone in trying to figure out what was wrong and how to deal with it. Because I had never encountered a narcissist in the halls of fiction and had never discussed this disorder with my parents or
058teachers. I was left alone to deal with one in real life when the stakes were high and the damage real. This is how protection from the real world can make youth vulnerable to harm. Thank you. Good evening board members. My name is Tor Benestad and I'm speaking to you today as a STEM educator for our school but also a former principal of a private religious school. I have direct knowledge of what it's like to be in your shoes. In fact, I had to work with my past board regarding a book, The Brave New World. If you know anything about the book, you know that parents would be concerned, especially at a religious school, of the drugs and orgies involved in the book. It was difficult. We had to we ended up approving it because we
059realized the students weren't reading it for the scandal. They were reading it to understand what it means to be human in the world of total control. I see the same transformative potential in scythe. As a STEM teacher, I am jealous of the build's build core being able to, I hope, eventually teach this book. We are currently living through the greatest shift in human history with the rise of AI. Scythe offers a profound look at what they call the Thunderhead, a benevolent AI that has solved poverty and disease. This isn't just fantasy. It is a philosophical laboratory for our students to discuss the ethics of algorithms and the value of human agency. I understand the desire to protect students from themes of death. But curriculum is not a shield. It is a tool. Denying this book
060doesn't protect them. It merely removes a safe guided environment where they can wrestle with the very real concepts of mortality and power they will encounter in the world. Furthermore, we must address the process. If we want a curriculum that is diverse and re representative, we do not get there through subtraction. We get there by empowering teachers to bring forward effective modern tools. I'm requesting two actions. First, revisit and approve SCY, not as a pilot program. Approve it. Trust the educational value that veteran educators recognize. Then I ask you to task your district leaders, create a transparent rubricbased plan for adding new representative curriculum that we and that we will not be stuck in a system of defense, but are instead moving toward growth. Let our students have the tools to build the future and not
061just hide from it. Thank you. Thank you. This um this you'll be the last person that on this particular topic. We're not we're not closing close session. We're just we're about 35 minutes into this one topic. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Good evening, President Incarnation and members of the board. My name is Deborah Doyle. I um live in Windsor and um and I am going to make it unanimous tonight. Um my mother was a teacher and when she moved to California, she'd always taught uh Catholic in Catholic schools. Then she moved to California and she taught um reluctant readers in Southern California and it took her nine months and they were reading Shakespeare. They were performing Shakespeare. They started their own newsletter, a newspaper. It was that long ago. Um and it was amazing
062to see and I see that you have some amazing teachers at Windsor High School and I just applaud I applaud them all. Um, my name is Deborah Doyle, as I said, and just for identification purposes, I'm Windsor's appointee to the Sonoma County Library Commission. I was chair of the commission for 5 years during COVID, the recovery staff management changes, and I also chaired the recent successful campaign for renewal of our tax measure. Um, that will support the library for many years to come. However, I do not speak for the library. And, um, I have a masters in library science. Um, I've worked in a federal library, managed several corporate research departments. I'm the past president of the California Library Association and I'm currently the president of United for Libraries, which is a national division of
063the American Library Association. So, I've seen a lot of censorship. I have been involved um in over six years in national, regional, and local conversations about censorship and book banning and fighting legislation that will allow the removal of books from school and public libraries all across the country. I helped craft California's Freedom to Read Act, which applies to public libraries. So, I was shocked to see the Press Democrat story about the about the this school district with the word censorship and bookb. So, being a good librarian, I as so many of the people here, I did some research. I also read the book because um the library has lots of copies, but they're all out. So, um, I I uh I read Scythe and it seemed to me that once you get past the gleaning,
064it's a story that recognizes that mortality and awareness of death are essential to humanity for humanity to find meaning, purpose, and compassion in life. It's a wonderful lesson. I was also impressed with the thoroughess of the planning and the many layers of approval that the curriculum went through before it arrived here in this room. I realize that schools and public libraries are a bit different. public library patrons can object to a book. It goes through processes and phases and the last is coming to the commission. In my tenure, and I've been on the board for the commission for seven years now, only one item has come up to the commission level. It was the U magazine published by the NRA. Now, some of us on the commission didn't like the magazine, but we unanimously said
065it should be in the library collection because, you know, every library should have enough stuff that's going to irritate somebody. A public library, a school library, that's just the way it goes. You don't get to decide what my kid reads. I don't get to decide what your kid reads. And you don't get to decide, well, y'all do sometimes. Um, so, uh, you know, this class was this class was geared to get reluctant readers to read and discuss the work together. It wasn't the the suggestion that they can go and pick up scythe in the library is not the same thing. This was going to be a coherent conversation, a long conversation with peers and with someone who guide the conversation. Really important thing. and um and I understand that it's available, but you know, how
066likely is it that a reluctant reader is going to take the time to read that book? Mr. Adams suggestion of a pilot program is a very good one. Also, uh u uh trusty am um if you if you I would suggest that you go back to do that. And um uh is that time? I'm so sorry. Um, so I really think that um I would also recommend that you reconsider and um let him read it. Thanks. I'd like to thank everybody who has spoke on that one particular topic so far in a nice respectful and educational way. I'd like to now continue to have public comment open for additional discussions. I see we have some people that are um our regulars. Um please come forward with new topics. Thank you. >> Good evening board members
067and WSD staff. My name is Kevin Scanland. Currently a 28-year resident the town of Windsor Windsor Creek residential and elementary school neighborhood. I've been in the neighbor or I've been in the government realm for over 40 years and an educator for 27 years and was a volunteer for 16 years at Windsor High School. Superintendent Decker, uh thank you for acknowledging me at the December uh meeting. However, anything I have to say I've said uh to you in person both in the meetings and one-on-one meetings. I am not the anonymous uh poster you seek on Facebook. I liked your attempt to divert people away from what this district and school board is about to do to the town of Windsor as a whole. The beautiful thing is the information is gaining traction in the community. Also,
068please um board president, next time we have the Windsor Creek uh elementary agenda item on there is that to follow those uh FPPC rules about actually leaving the chamber. uh starting in 2020 when the uh Windsor Unified School District first seen the Windsor Creek Elementary um property is a probable surplus property. You could have been including the town of Windsor and deciding a great use for the uh district and or town, but you chose the course of failing and at community engagement and putting students first. I guess Windsor Unified School District really does doesn't need another school because you own Windsor Creek Elementary and won't build a new school there after saying how much you desperately needed some property for a muchneeded school site at Coilacres project. Following known history of behavior from Gallagher Companies,
069the Kora Creek project at Armonto Rulo and Condi has already had issues. the job site manager failed to notify the town planning and building department of their occupation of the property in violation of the application. And then another time, a shelter in place order had been initiated because some grading equipment collided with a main uh natural gas line that caused an overwhelming response from the uh Sonoma County Fire District, Windsor Police Department, town and Windsor staff and PG&E. This one incident put the town at risk during the time with overall safety and other town services. The project is a blueprint for your acceptance of the horrific plan you have for Windsor Creek Elementary School property. The construction equipment at the Corora Creek Apartments upon its completion will be available for Windsor Creek Elementary from a
070mere fence post distance away. The ill-advised idea of the same kind of apartments at Windsor Creek Elementary will be a forever drain to the community propagated by some of you that live in town as some of you in this room that aren't residents of the town yet have the power and control to make a huge mistake and fails to put students first. Your job in the community community thanks to the taxpayers is to educate our youth not be vicarious landlords. Thank you very much. I promise it's a different topic. [laughter] Sorry, I'm sure you're sick of me. Um, again, my name is Elise Puckmire. I am a current junior at Windsor High School and um, I want to talk about the new schedule for next year. Um, today was brought to my attention that the
071schedule, the new schedule was approved, at least by the school, which would make it so we would have every single class on Monday and then we would have set block days for Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday, Friday. The problem with this with this new schedule is the fact that 40 minutes is simply not enough time to do much in a class. And I've heard the argument time and time again across when I was in middle school, we had the same schedule. Um, when I was in high school, it's been debated since my freshman year. The argument is that, oh well, on Mondays we can do quizzes, we can do tests, we can do all of those sort of things. However, in my experience as a high school student, most of my tests and quizzes or most of
072my tests take a lot longer than 40 minutes to do. So, this simply just wouldn't be beneficial. Another reason why I am apprehens like I'm scared of this plan is the fact that this would be to the detriment of student athletes. Now, as I'm sure you're aware, but the Wednesdays would still be kept shorter and and they would be like it'd be B days on Wednesdays and Fridays. So, put yourself in the shoes of a student athlete that has to miss Tuesdays and Thursdays for a sport or has to miss Fridays for a sport and it's the same each week. There's no like variety in the schedule. This would make this would mean that the student athletes who um are trying to do their best in school and trying to show up for their school
073and be a part of the bigger Windsor community um within athletics um would be at at a huge disadvantage in their academics because they just simply wouldn't be in class. They wouldn't be learning. And another reason why this um is ineffective is because I've heard the argument that oh well if you're a student athlete then you shouldn't be able to take A4A or 8B. But then I'm also hearing a conflicting argument saying that there should be no gaps in a student's schedule because of them because you will have every single class on Monday. These do not fit together. It's simply they they contradict and they conflict because if you're if on one hand you're saying, "Oh, well, you shouldn't have any gaps, but then on the other you're saying these student athletes need to have
074gaps, then that would be to either to their detriment on Monday or throughout the rest of the week where they just simply aren't in class and are not learning." And then bringing it back to the fact that the Wednesdays would still be like short, it would mean that every single that week after week after week, the time that you're spending in your B-day classes, which are equally as important, I'm sure, as your Aday classes, would be less and less and less. And that builds up over time. And so the students who have their most difficult classes on Bdays, would be at a huge disadvantage because they simply just wouldn't be in class for enough time to learn the material. And especially as an AP student, I'm really concerned that we won't be able to get
075through all of the material we need to prior to the AP tests if we're like truncating these classes for the 40 minutes on Monday and then on um Wednesdays. So, if it I'm hoping for a rec for you guys to reconsider and for the school to reconsider um the new schedule because I simply the only benefits I maybe see are for um students who take classes at the JC. And my argu my argument against that is the fact that most students taking JC classes are online anyways. So, it's not like you're having to go to class like during the day. And if you are, then maybe you should reconsider and see if there's a different class you can take that fits with your schedule because we're a high school and high school education is what
076um is most important. Thank you. Is there any other public comment on any other topics? All right. Seeing none, we'll close public comment and we'll move on to um 3.7 reports from student board member Rebecca and Natalie. I see Natalie here. I'm not sure if you're together. >> Yeah. Hello. I'm Natalie Valdez. My partner Rebecca is at her play which she directed and wrote and is in. And so that's awesome. And you guys should definitely I'll go into it in a little bit, but you guys should definitely be there. So bear with me. There's a lot for me to say. My mouth is a little dry. So, okay, next slide. Um, Maddie Washburn, you know, we're reconvening from break, so it's hard to get some photos, hard to get some events on the calendar, but
077they do have donuts with grown-ups coming up um on January 23rd. So, yeah. And there's some uh Jiffy Donuts right there. Okay, next slide. Brooks Elementary. So, these are some photos from their winter art stroll that they had before break. And then also some photos from their what was it? Their pie the teacher and fourth grade student council cuz fourth grade students were raising money for the penny wars. So, also some photos there. Super fun. um coming up there. Oh no, that had also happened is the Windsor Middle School elective came to present on January 15th or wait was that that was today. That's today. Okay. And then also science camp meeting for parents. Was today right now? Um, and then coming up tomorrow, their school spelling be on the 16th at 9:00 a.m. Um,
078their site council meeting on the 22nd at 3:30 p.m. and then their award assemblies on the 30th. Cali, they had their spirit week from December 15th through the 19th. And then upcoming is their family movie night on the 23rd from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Which these are so fun. I haven't gone to one yet. Well, I'm not like a family there, but I haven't gone to one yet, but they do such a great job at, you know, doing all these fun community things. So, love to see it. And then TK 100th day on the 30th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Okay. Windsor Middle School, they have their open house showcase on the 21st um from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. There's the English and Spanish version of the flyer on there. um an awesome way
079to check out their electives that are going on and all the amazing things their campus is doing. And then their band performance on the 28th from 6:30 to 8:30. Some other photos on there were from I went to their friendship and fellowship club which I'll talk a little bit about at the end. But some fun photos, great raffle and then also the students did love their turkey pesto sandwich. So I took a photo of it. I would like kind of snuck in. And I didn't want to seem weird like I was taking a photo of their food, but I did snap a photo. So, their school lunch committee, the snack committee that we're also doing at all the campuses, they were doing a great job. So, and coming up, I think we have our field
080trip to Sacramento for that. So, awesome. Okay, Windsor High School. Um again, the People versus Mother Goose, which um our other representative is at right now, is going on tonight and then also tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m. and then their second show at 7:30 p.m. Something to note is they only have 40 seats reserved. So, if you're going to go, try and reserve it online, but it is free. Um second thing is our election informational meetings the 21st through the 23rd during lunch in the theater. And if you're a student listening or you have a student at the high school, encourage them whether they're in leadership or not. They should definitely be there and learning about all the opportunities that they can influence our school. The flyers up there too, but it's on social media
081as well. Um, winter band and orchestra performance on the 28th, also in the theater. And then WHS showcase open house, which I have flyers for you guys, but I left them in my car. um on the 29th from 5:30 to 7:30m. Another like I also mentioned for the middle school, an awesome way for um prospect prospective students and families and also students and families that are already at the school to just see what is going on, what are these elective classes doing. They're doing an awesome job. So being able to showcase all that they do, all that the teachers do, and all that the students are doing. Um 8th grade orientation is February 5th through the 6th. Um and another great thing that we do at the high school um that leadership is putting on
082for all eighth graders out of district, the middle school and Cali. And then Valentine's singing Grams thing. This is our third singing grams this year. So hoping we get a lot of, you know, loveydovey singing Grams in February. So if again, if you have a student or you are a student, you should buy one because they're very fun. Um and then the winter sports rally on the 20th and then yeah there's some flyers on there and then yeah some presents and boxes. Yeah. Okay. Big picture learning. Um just yesterday they went to the Paluma Wildlife Museum and then upcoming they're going to go to the Cirle Cirto Sole Echo at Oracle Park on the 16th so tomorrow. And then also the Warm Springs hatchery on the 5th. And yeah, there's a little bit of information
083about that. One of their teachers is completing training, so they'll be able to take some salmon eggs into their classroom and then hatch um yeah, they're they'll hatch them into the creek. Okay. Windsor Oaks, they do so many fun things. I'm a little jealous, but um upcoming they have or they just had their bowling trip, which they do every month. And then they have Snoopy's home ice field trip from 9:30 to 2:30 p.m. On the 23rd they have Fiesta Friday on the 30th which Rebecca and I are planning to go on and you guys should go too. They make really good like tacos and really good food. Um and then they have another farm field trip on the 6th and then they have classroom visit talking about and discussing climate action. And then also with
084climate, the Sonoma clean power field trip on the 12th and then another bowling trip in February. And then those are some photos from we had mentioned Rebecca and I mentioned I think last board meeting or the board meeting before they had been working on connecting with the other um continuation schools in the county. And so this is their game that they recently had had against Ridgeway. So I think they won. So, I mean, they're from Windsor, so obviously. Okay. Okay. Bridges. Okay. Upcoming is their basketball Special Olympics on February 6 that Santa Rosa High School will be hosting. And then a little shout out to Marcos and Armando. I just wanted to gain a little light on what they do. They're currently working. They're getting work experience at Oliver's through the Department of Rehabilitation. So,
085I think that's something really awesome. and they're there Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday working and then, you know, they walk back to the school and yeah, so it's fun to see them there. And then last but not least, our Windsor Unified District spotlight. Okay, so this month um we are doing the friendship and fellowship club at the middle school and so it's again student initiated meeting that takes place on Wednesdays. Um, and then it just provides a great space for students to gain friendships, especially those who maybe don't have friends to hang out with at lunch. You'll find them there and then support one another. They have great discussion topics and they always have fun activities. I think I was there on Tuesday and they or no, it's on Wednesdays. I was there on Wednesday
086and we did real or cake. I don't know if you guys know that game, but it's very fun. And then they also do a little raffle with it. So if you win a round then you get a raffle ticket then you get some candy and then u Mrs. Clever also made some chocolate chip cookies so they were really awesome. So just a great um space for students to connect with one each other one another. So yeah that's all thank you Natalie. Um going to move to 3.8 28 superintendent report. All right. So, today I'm going to focus on interd district transfers, just one topic, not going through all the different things that I've been doing or been we've been doing because there's a lot of questions out in the community. I figure I would address
087some of those questions here with the board. So, introductory transfers, uh, we have 516. This is as of last year and these numbers are even or higher this year but we have about 516 kids that come to us from other places not in our our Windsor unified boundaries and we about 394 that go elsewhere and you can kind of see the breakdown. The majority of our students that come in are from Santa Rosa City School District and there's been a lot of chatter with what's going on in Santa Rosa uh right now and and currently they are they've changed their process with regard to approving interd district transfers and they have not been approving interd district transfers. So I want to walk through kind of what that looks like for us. So for for us,
088what we've done, if you look on the right hand side, we have updated our web page to make sure everybody understands what to do if they're interested in an interd district transfer. And the first step is going to be contact Claudia. So Claudia is Brian secretary and her information is there. And we modify this cuz it's pretty confusing for families to try to navigate all of this. So instead of having them read, you know, oodles and oodles of of words, we just said call Claudia. So that's the first step. and then she'll help walk walk them through and give the give them the information they need. But what you're going to have to do as a parent is is request and get the following documents from the current school. Really, here's what we look at.
089We look at grades, attendance, and discipline, right? That's what we're looking at when it comes to interd district transfers. Uh, and there's just a process. So, there's forms, but really the message here is please call Claudia and she will help you through this process. Oh, I should say we want to get all this done by May. The earlier the better obviously, but May 1st is really our our date where we're we're staffing our classrooms, if you will. We want to know who we've got coming so we can make good decisions. Now, this has happened. Uh what are your rights as a as a family if the home district denies the interd district transfer? Well, they they can deny. They do have that ability. However, there are exceptions to that rule. So, if you are a
090student of somebody who's in the military, then you you do not get denied as long as the accepting district takes you in. Uh, also, if you're a victim of bullying, which is defined in education code, I didn't put all the all the other words in here, but if you're a victim of bullying, you cannot be denied by your home district. Also, if you're a continuing student enrolled in the school outside of the home district, they can't all of a sudden say, "Oh, you've got to come back." Also, if you have a sibling who is attending the same school that you're you want to be at, they can't deny that. But here's the if you go to the next slide, what I really want to talk to is specialized programs. So, if a student wants to
091come to Windsor and the district that they are in does not offer something that we offer, that's called a specialized program. And you cannot deny an interd district transfer if we have a specialized program that the district you are currently in does not have. Uh so if you keep going and they are defined and whatnot, but I'm just going to kind of cut to the chase here. Next slide, please. So to be considered under this specific uh provision, what you have to do as the parent, you have to go to your home district and say here's the specialized program that I am interested in going to. Here's why it is important for my child to be going to that specialized program and there can't be something that is substantially similar in your home district. So
092you're need you're going to need to prove those things to the home district. Uh then they might ask for supporting documentation, a syllabus. It depends on what they they offer. We're offering um a letter of support for families that describe our specialized programs so they can look through them. At least what we've identified we offer that uh other districts do not. So, having said all of those things, it is possible that the the home district could deny that student even if they make a case that the specialized program isn't offered in their home district. If that happens, they have a right to appeal the decision to the Snowman County Office of Education. And we are actually going to be sending our representative, which is going to be Brian Williams. And if he can't go, it's
093going to be me, to make sure that we are there in support of the family who is interested in coming to our district. And all of this information for for what to do can be found on the SCO website. We've also put it on our own. So, let's get into what a specialized program is. Well, it could be a lot of different things. Uh, specifically, our high school is different than any high school in the area, right? Why? We have a core program. We have a bunch of different cores. Also, we have freshman seminar at our high school that's not offered elsewhere. Even if there are freshman support classes that other places offer, we have a very specific class that teaches specific skills that nobody else has. Also, I put a picture of our middle
094school because frankly, we're different than the entire uh Santa Rosa City School District regard to how we're doing middle school, right? So, we have a traditional 6th through 8th grade middle school. That is a specialized program by definition. Also, we have CTE courses that are that are not part of the course uh and they're different than what might be offered in Santa Rosa. And we have unique electives all over the place. We have more electives in our middle school than anybody. So, and I'll get to the list here in a second. Actually, I think it's the next slide. So, if you look at our middle school, we've done an analysis of what we offer compared to what other districts offer around us. And these are all classes that we can't find offered anywhere else. I
095mean, physical education is offered obviously, but the the a lot of these classes that we offer, they're they're just different. So, you go through that. If a family's interested, they look at our syllabus, they say, "Oh, I would love to be a culinary student. That's something I'm interested in. My family has a background in whatever it might be, cooking, restaurant ownership." You you're then going to talk to the home district, say why you want to come here. And at the high school, if you go next, these are all the different classes that we found we offer that are not offered in other places. So, I guess the takeaway here is board, I wanted you to know kind of what's going on out there, what we've done to combat the the questions that we're getting. Uh
096because it's very confusing and uh hopefully this can help families to know what to do if they're interested in coming to our school district. And as I showed you before, we have over 500 interd district transfers. Um, I would say over 400 of those students are probably from Santa Rosa for secondaries, you know, 7th through 6th through 12th grade really. And it's confusing right now with everything that's going on. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Jeremy. Any questions or >> Allrighty. Thank you. Um, moving on to 3.9 board trustee reports. Any trustees have something? >> Sure. I'll go really quickly. Um, I am going to go see Rebecca Herman's play tomorrow, The People Versus Mother Goose. It's at 6:00 p.m. as far as I know. I don't know how to get tickets, so I'm going
097to get there early. And you should get there early, too. So, it'll be great. Very proud of her. >> Thanks, Bill. >> I went to the dress rehearsal last night. I'm going at 7:30. if you can get there for when she wins a Tony, you can say I went to the first play that she wrote and directed. It's um on a on a serious note and I wanted to raise I want to thank again the public commenters um on a high emotion topic. I'll concur with my colleague President Carnation um reasoned and civil and that's very very effective and so thank you very much for taking the time. Um, I will share although we don't comment directly on uh public comment when we get to routine board matterners in future board meetings I am going
098to ask that we put on a motion for reconsideration on our February 19th board meeting. Historically um historically we get matters on the agenda with not usually one person asking but two because if we had three we'd have a quorum. So, uh, just kind of as a heads up that we maybe can talk about that will be at the very end of the meeting and we're not going to go to midnight tonight. So, um, but I I uh was planning on that anyway and more than half of the speakers um requested that in a variety of different formats. So, I wanted to share that. Um the couple things one is uh we have our great big annual wrestling tournament coming up this weekend at the high school. So all the facilities are going to be
099all we've got like 45 teams coming from all over Northern California, Nevada, Oregon coming to visit our our school. We're trying a new system that's paperless. So, it's all going to be computers, monitors, and all kinds of high-tech stuff that I'm just um I'm optimistically nervous. And I told Brad I need him there with his brains and his whole brain, the smart people that know how to do all that computer stuff to make sure that if there's a glitch, they know how to fix it in a second. Um so, anyhow, that that's coming up. It's going to be really good. Um I wanted to bring up uh something. So, um, as a person who's been involved with public comment for 35 years, it's it's, uh, it's you're able to come up and say what you
100want to say in 3 minutes because you kind of thought about it and whatever. When you're on a board, it's a lot different because things come flying at you from different areas. You've got people bringing up different concepts and ideas and what have you. And sometimes you say things and so in my case, sometimes my mouth catches up with my brain. Sometimes my brain catches up with my mouth. It's not always in the in the same order. So, anyhow, I appreciate when people bring up uh a question um as is the case this week. Somebody brought up a question that they thought that maybe uh they weren't sure how I said it or however I said it. So, any I wanted to kind of clarify something and that was this. we were having I'm as
101one of the speakers and I don't remember which one honestly made a mention that for some time I'm interested in math and getting our scores up and whatever and and I think I might have posed a question that said something to the effect of at one time why don't we just teach math for one class then teach math again for the next class and teach math again for another class until we get to the point where and the same with English until we get to the point where the kids, they get it. And and the comment was made by another teacher who teaches another subject and thought that I might have discounted this other subject matter and and so I'm really appreciative that that person brought this up to to someone who brought it up
102to me. And so I wanted to take a little second to clarify what my thinking is behind that. And it and it's this now that I've uh have a little bit of miles under my feet. The reason why math in my life has been so important and why I value it so highly is because my degree in college and finance is very heavily math oriented. I need math to to do those kind of things. But more [snorts] so than that, I I know a lot of people don't know this, but I ballroom danced. I was involved in ballroom dancing for better part of 20 plus years. Um, and you need math if you want to be a good dancer. And I played the trombone for years and I played the drums for many, many years.
103And if you want to be a good musician, you need to know math. If you want to understand the financing of how your house and your loan works and your amortization, all that, you need to know math. If you want to buy a car, you need to know math. If you want a good deal and you want don't want to pay userous rates uh for interest. So, in my life, because in sports, you you need to know math. Um hopefully if we're playing Yukaya, you need to know high math. Like, we scored a lot and they scored a little. So, that's probably not going to be the case this year, but nonetheless. So, the reason why I am focused so heavily on wanting to get our math scores up for all of our students is
104because I've lived and and I'm living the benefits of having a good strong math background in all of those different areas in the arts. Um, and so and I know that without that good math background, I wouldn't have been as successful in those areas and there would have been greater challenges. So, it's not that I think that one is more important than the other. I just think that one is very foundational and that without it, it really can limit progress that you can make in in other areas. So, I'm not sure if I have explained myself better or worse. I'll find out because I'm sure I'll get a comment somewhere down the road. But I just wanted everybody to understand that the reason why again I think I've said it, math is so important because
105it it intersects our life in so many different ways down the road. And um so anyhow, and if anybody is not sure exactly what I mean by that, please feel free to reach out. not we'll go have a soda and we can talk about it more. So anyhow that's pretty much uh the thoughts on that. Um anybody else anything or >> Sure. Well, >> I just want to thank everybody who spoke tonight on that particular topic and I just want you to know I heard you. I heard you. Um yeah. Yes. I'm sorry. We asked if we can take a break. We'll take a five minute break and come on back. Is that a good I'd like to bring us back to our meeting. Um, we'd like to start at uh 3.10 staff association reports.
106Thank you. Susanna Feffer, WDEA president. Good evening, [sighs] trustees, Mr. Decker, Jen. Um let's um start off by first recognizing an exciting development. We have a tenative agreement and it should be going out to our membership for ratification next week. Um for most of the teachers in our district, the new salary schedule makes a substantial difference over the course of their careers. and the collaborative efforts of the negotiating team led by Diane Hardy and district leadership brought us to a compensation package that honors longevity, modestly offsets exorbitant increases to benefit costs and promotes continued education and advancement in our professional practice. So, thank you. Um, we have an expanded safety article which can only serve to better protect our entire schoolwide community including classified staff, students, families, and of course our teachers. Um, we also
107increased some overage pay and cleaned up a few other things. This tenative agreement is a substantial improvement as um and it strengthens the ability to attract new talent and encourages retention and these things matter and should be acknowledged. So, thank you trustees. Thank you Jeremy. And most importantly, thanks to Diane and to the negotiators. So, happy new year, right? And it's that time of year. Um, is the season to hear the murmured rumors of potential retirements, workload reductions, and decisions about what we as teachers are planning to do after the end of the school year, particularly our best talent and our most experienced teachers. Many of my colleagues are in the process of deciding whether to continue their tenure in Windsor or to move on to other professional endeavors. These decisions aren't being made impulsively.
108They're being informed by cumulative years of our experiences here in our Windsor schools. Compensation is part of the equation, but it's not the entire calculus. As most of you know, I've been attending board meetings for many years. Actually, it's been many, many years. I've seen how decisions made more than a decade ago are still rippling outward today. Some in positive ways, some in negative ways. Those ripples affect the students and they affect the staff and the staff's morale. They affect whether teachers choose to stay, go to another district, retire, or just leave the profession altogether. Um, they're not theoretical decisions. They're very real. As our association president and as a garden variety classroom teacher who goes to work every day, I also see the human side of those decisions every day. And that's because every
109teacher begins the profession inspired and full of dreams of what our impact will be on our students. Some of us call that the fire, a sense of purpose, optimism, and belief in the power of education. We believe in our curriculum and content, the powerful effect of the discourse, and the growth opportunities provide in discomfort, difficulty, and even failure. We believe in discussion and in our ability to guide students through complex ideas with care, professionalism, and expanding the setting of our classroom into a contextualized reality of the entire world. So when that fire goes out, it's not abstract and it's not gradual. It will happen in a specific moment over a specific event for a specific teacher. And it's nearly always an incident, a meeting, a directive, or a specific decision that makes a teacher realize
110their professionalism as an educator doesn't count. And it's extraordinarily difficult to reignite that fire. It's also never the same. Your recent decision to ban Scythe from the 10th grade buildcore curriculum was one of those moments. Scythe is widely regarded as appropriate for high school students. Its themes, power, morality, responsibility, death, ethical decisionmaking, they're not gratuitous. They're very much the themes of our human dilemma, repeatedly grappled with through the course of human existence. From rudimentary prehistoric paintings on cave walls to the most elegant and eloquently chosen words from a Pulitzer Prizewinning poet, these themes are exactly why literature exists to help us all grapple with the discomfort of unanswerable questions together as a human race. It's a way to share this burden. Thank goodness we have incredible educators like Julie Forest in our ranks to encourage
111our students to experience in a safe and guided environment the hard challenging and treacherous reality of our human create our human condition. So last month during your deliberations not to approve the novel scythe for 10th grade buildcore English those who voted it down offered several rationes that just don't cut it with no actual analysis of the facts. One reason was given for banning the book is that it just deemed to lack diversity. We all know that diversity in our curriculum is critical and as educators we obviously support that goal. However, banning a book doesn't create diversity. It just narrows access. We build representation by adding voices, expanding offerings, and enriching the curriculum, not by eliminating texts that have great educational value for our students. Another rationale presented by a trustee who voted no was their
112own personal discomfort with the content. While individual and personal reactions to literature are totally understandable, it's actually why we read books, watch films, and look at art. But one adults discomfort isn't the same as student harm. And it certainly cannot be the standard by which access should be determined for all students. As Jeremy alluded last month, if discomfort alone dictated our curriculum, very little meaningful literature would remain. And another trustee said, "I am not a book banner." And then voted against adopting Scythe. Respectfully, that action is a textbook example of what a book banner does. Not that we would have had access to that textbook because based on your decision last month, that textbook probably would have been banned, too. But my point is not to be sarcastic. It's to provide clarity through cognitive through
113the cognitive dissonance. Actions, not labels, define us. As a board of trustees, your actions are our governance. So, board of trustees, school board of trustees are elected by voters and represent all taxpayers to responsibly steward our public funds and to make decisions that serve the best interest of our entire district long term. Speaking for parents of our students is part of your obligation, but is not your entire and sole duty. So, if one parent who has the ear of a schoolboard member doesn't like Scythe and doesn't want their child to read it, that doesn't mean the entire community does not want any of our students to read it. As Trusty Ahmad reminded us last month, parental choice already exists. Families could opt their own children out without keeping the rest of the students from the
114novel. But that wasn't what happened. What happened was that access was closed off for all students in the build corps over the objections of a few and not one single public comment tonight endorsed your decision. Your decisions carry weight, especially now when books are banned instead of taught. Our teachers receive a clear message that our expertise is not trusted. And that message has a direct impact on our morale, our professional identity, and teacher retention. This matters so much to teachers who are currently deciding whether to stay, retire, or seek seek work elsewhere. So yeah, improved salary schedules help. Thank you. Thank you very much. But they can't compensate for a climate of dra distrust. Our tentative agreement does signal progress, but teacher retention won't be sustained by compensation alone. It also requires your respect, your
115trust, and confidence in our professional judgment. I'd like the individual trustees to reflect carefully on your decision to ban scythe and the broader implications of your decision. Scythe should have been adopted. WDEA does continue looking forward to working collaborative with the collaboratively with the district and the elected board, whoever that may be, to rebuild and maintain a system that attracts educators, retains talent, and serves students well now and in the decades to come. Thank you. Hi. No clicker for me. Are you all click for me? Okay, no problem. Okay, here it is. Oh my gosh, it's late. Um, hello board and uh district. I'm Sheila Wac, uh, CSEA Chapter 673 Windsor President. Um, I just assumed the next term for the next two years, so no one ran against me and I guess no one
116wants the job, but I'm in it, so I I'll be here. However, I'll click to the next. Uh, well, let's see how we do that again. There it is. Okay. I'm getting ready to to go out on my journey. Uh, but it's a temporary goodbye. It's not a breakup. Um, I've got a couple of updates with our chapter. We have anou uh right now uh that's out at CSEA um waiting on approval for extending bilingual liaison uh calendar by 5 days. So they can assist families that week before school starts. And um it was it was a need. Um, so I was really happy that, you know, our district was just fine with it and and we were we're excited and I believe that this will pass a vote with our csea membership. Also, today
117just I just received that um I I put in an amendment to our constitution bylaws to include online voting. Uh which you would think that would that could just be something so simple, but um it took a minute and I had it was a learning process. have never amended a constitution bylaws before. So, it's three readings and a lot of language to get into our constit constitution bylaws, but CSEA gave their stamp of approval and now I'm just taking it back for the third reading with our chapter. So, just got that news today and I'm glad and my vice president will be glad that's done because she doesn't want too much load while I'm gone. Um, I just want to take a moment uh to talk about why I do the work I do for
118CSEA and why this internship really matters to me. The CSEA member intern program, it's not a vacation. It's um not a resume booster or a fancy title. It's a hands-on master apprentice experience where members work sidebyside with professional staff to truly understand how labor relations work in real life, not just on paper. As a labor relations representative intern, I'll be learning directly from experienced mentors. I'll be exposed to contract interpretation, member representation, policy application, and the day-to-day realities of supporting employees across districts in and in short, how decisions actually get made, how problems actually get solved, and how people are actually supported. Let's see here. Don't know why this is taking more What? There it is. Okay. It takes a few clicks. Um, when I applied for this internship, I didn't realize how many applicants
119had applied for this. Um, there were over 50 and they only selected 12 for the north uh North Bay. Um, and that was there's 12 for the spring and 12 for the fall. So, this is a huge deal. Um, and it was it was rough. And I'm just super excited. I just spoke with my labor rep recently and she asked if I was anxious uh cuz I'm starting in on the 26th. I said I am not anxious to do this internship. I'm a little worried about my leaving my babies, my chapter. Um and my district and my school I am coming back. Um but that's more of the nervousness just leaving all that behind. I do this work because I believe employees deserve leadership that understands the system well enough to protect them within it.
120this internship is going to stretch me. It's going to challenge me and probably humble me a little, which I consider professional growth. It may not always feel that way when you sit on the other side of me. Um, when I'm challenging something, um, mostly because protection sometimes sounds louder than it feels inside my head. Um, I just want to say something out loud that really matters. I do feel that I have kind of a superpower uh thanks to gears of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. I've gained a near supernatural ability to keep personal out of the business with the union. And I feel like I'm just the right person for this and I'm going to gain a few extra super superpowers in this training. Um so I'm leaving I'm leaving my baby like a little nervous, a
121little emotional, but a lot proud of how far we've come. I've had to rebuild some trust with our members and regain members who left um our last Eboard. And I I'm not here to speak poorly on the last Eboard. However, I'd seen a a need for something more and a voice that was a little louder and eyes that were watching a little closer and ears as well, listening to members. and I opened up town halls in this past year. Made sure people's voices matter and kept my door open always cuz I think that's really important. I answer any question. It helps I sit by a computer throughout my day, but I will answer all questions and I answer quickly. And I think I've built that trust in this membership and I'm going to continue building
122that when I get back. Uh, part of this program does require me to formally relinquish my presidential duties during the internship, but the district knows, and I want to reassure you, I'm not heading to planet Mars. I will remain reachable for past practice knowledge, historical context, and member insight to support both the district and our chapter leadership. My vice president, Maddie Clever, will be stepping into leadership during this time, and I'm incredibly grateful to her. Mattie is organized, timely rule following, and she follows through through, which we all know is not a small thing. While she may not yet know every layer of meaning behind the contract, constitution, or bylaws, she knows how to ask the right questions and seek out the information she needs, and that's exactly what this membership needs for continuity, and
123I trust her completely. Um, so this chapter is most definitely in good hands. I've got a strong leadership team. um my Eboard, strong women on this uh my Eboard. I've got engaged members. Business is going to continue as usual and CSA support remains solid and I've got a good working relationship with this district and I will be back. And what I will bring back from this internship won't just be knowledge. I'll return with sharper skills, deeper understanding, and a broader perspective that will make me a stronger union leader and a better partner to this district. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing. Supported staff, strong schools, and a community built on trust and respect. This internship isn't about stepping away from that work. It's about stepping into it more fully
124so I can return even better prepared to serve. With that, I am happy to answer any questions or hear any comments you may have. >> Well, thanks for your the slides are always real good. Um, and >> I think in May, I was trying to do a 100 days in my challenged math. >> Uh, but let's plan on on May. June is always too crazy with budget, >> but maybe >> build into your report when you're back on May if you can claw out the DAS from Maddie. >> I will. >> Give us give us a report about what what it's learned and why this is valuable both for the chapter and the district. >> Yes, I can't wait. I I did find out my region will be from Yukaya to Leot. I think that's
125going to be a a different world up north. Um, you know, this culture is all I know, Windsor. So, I'm gonna get a little taste of some um of the other cultures in other districts. I'll get to do a little bit of some things in Santa Rosa, which should be very interesting with everything they're going through. Um, and to see what that looks like when, you know, a district's in some turmoil. So, I I'm going to come back probably with too much to say. I'll have to limit myself, but I'm so so excited to get this under my belt. So, thank you so much. If there's anything else, I don't want to cut anyone off. >> You've been to Leot? >> Um, not that far. I've been to Leightonville. I There's good camping. >> It
126is just like it sounds. >> Okay, great. I I was told I might see some people on tractors and who knows. We'll see. But I think it's just it's going to be good. It'll be good for me to see these smaller chapters that um you know I've think of us as small but I know there's some real small ones up there. Um but I think it's going to be a really great experience and I've got a really great mentor so I'm really excited to be working with her. Um yeah and then I'll be back May 14th so I will be back to speak on behalf of everything I learn. So I don't know who will come in the meantime here. I may not have anyone. My labor rep said she will try to show up
127to the meetings. Mattie's a little gunshy right now, but she who knows though, she might show she might show her face. Um, I'm going to encourage her. Um, but anyway, but just know I will be back and you're in good hand and we are in good hands. >> Thanks. Good luck. >> Thank you. >> Thanks. All righty. Um, we're going to move on to 311, approval of minutes for the December 18th meeting. Can I get a motion? >> I'll make a motion to approve the minutes. and a second. >> I'll second. >> All those in favor? >> I >> All righty. Uh, moving on to 312 staff recognition. Uh, the Pete. Good evening. I have the honor of presenting the staff recognitions for uh, Brooks Elementary this month. Um, and we have both classified and
128certificated recognitions. And I do want to remind the board and we will be sending an email to you, an email invitation, that the staff recognition will be held at the Brooks staff meeting which is going to be on February 11th at 1:30. I don't know the room yet, but I'll make sure Jen knows uh so we can get that to you and hopefully we can see you there. So, our classified recognition this evening is Esmeralda Alvarez. Uh Sheila works with Esmeralda and she's smiling already because she knows how awesome she is. As Meralda is the definition of above and beyond, she steps up for anything that is needed without hesitation and without being asked twice. While she officially serves as our bilingual liaison, her impact reaches far beyond that role. She constantly supports our front
129office, fills in for secretaries when things get hectic, and does so with confidence, professionalism, and care. Esmeralda is exceptional at her job and takes pride in getting everything and every detail right. She ensures all materials are completely and completed accurately in Spanish so our Spanish-sp speakaking families feel informed, welcomed, and respected. She catches what others might miss and make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Esmeralda supports our school community like no other, and her dedication, reliability, and heart for service make her more than deserving of recognition. So, Esmeralda, good job. And I believe she is going to be the interim secretary 3 filling the big shoes not physically of Sheila uh as the secretary 3 of Brooks. So uh and then the certificate of recognition goes to Shawn Gilbertson. Uh Shawn uh and this is
130from his peers. He is so personable and helpful to other to helpful to students, staff and families. He cares so deeply for Brooks and the community. We all appreciate the things he does for our school and students. Shawn has been there every time we need help supporting students. He seems to have created a bond with the students who need him and approaches them with kindness and patience. The students love him and he brings the fun he brings fun to everything he does. Shawn always has a positive spin on difficult situations. He engages with students respectfully and listens well. He is genuinely happy to find out whenever and to help out whenever and wherever he is needed. He has been an excellent asset to the school community, lifting up teachers, staff, and students. Way to go,
131Sean. Thank you, Pete. Any comments? All right, going to move on to uh consent items. I'm going to turn this over to Paul. Okay. So, for the consent items, do we have any items that we need to pull for discussion? Okay. Seeing as there's none, any public comment on any of the consent items? Seeing none, I'll move that we approve consent items 4.1 through 4.8. >> I'll second. Okay. All in favor? I >> I >> Oh, where where's the 4? Oh, I'm sorry. 4.9. Yes. >> I again [laughter] I don't know if we got all that >> official. >> All righty, that's passed. So, let's get All right. So, let me get rid of that there. All righty. Moving on to U. Did you get that, Jen? Did we got all Okay. Uh moving on
132to 5.1 consideration of acceptance of the 202425 audit report. This is going to be introduced by Austin. >> Yeah. So tonight um presenting the audit, we have uh the senior executive director from Christy White, Sarah Palifox here. Um you guys know Sarah, she's here quite often. I shouldn't say quite often, but she's been here every year except for last year. Um, one thing that we did a little differently this year, uh, instead of printing out a bunch of copies, we figured we'd save some paper and so it is available in there as a PDF. If you guys want copies next year, just let me know. Um, but we did do that a little differently this time, just so you know. >> Great. Well, thank you for having me. Um, it's my pleasure to be here
133to present the audit report for the year ended June 30, 2025. um as I do in um other years, I like to highlight a few pages of the report that I find to be really useful in your review of the report. Um the first being on page one of the audit report. This is where we issue our opinion over the financial statements, our independent auditors report. And you'll see this noted in the opinion paragraph and in summary. In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly in all material respects the respective financial position of the governmental activities. each major fund and the aggregate remaining fund information of Windsor Unified School District as of June 30, 2025. This is a an an unmodified opinion which is the best opinion that can be issued. The
134next page that I um like to highlight is the summary of auditor's results. It's um towards the end of the audit report and if I can get there quick enough it is on um report page 82 and this is a summary of the various opinions that we issue over the district. Um and so we again as I mentioned we issued an unmodified opinion over the financial statements noting no material weaknesses. Um however we did note a significant deficiency that I'll um go over in summary. For federal awards, we issued an unmodified opinion with no material weaknesses nor any significant deficiencies. And for the testing of federal awards, we tested the special education cluster. And over state awards, we issued again an unmodified opinion with no material weaknesses nor any significant deficiencies. And in the past
135few maybe in the past three years there's been a change where there may be findings that don't rise to the level of being a significant deficiency. However, with state compliance, if there are minor non-compliance areas, they have to be reported. So, you'll see there um we've noted yes, there is an audit finding disclosed that's required um to be disclosed um per the audit guide. And I'll go through that in the um findings. On the next page, page 83. Um this is the um significant deficiency related to the financial statements. Um so finding 2025-00001 relates to financial reporting. Um and I will note this is a continuation of a prior year finding however it's been improved um significantly. There is just one area um that still needs to be um corrected. Um there was a closing
136entry that needs to be posted for um updating the inventory balance at June 30th. Um so we've um posted an audit adjustment to correct that um and noted um to have that entry um posted during the closing process. And on this page there is the district's corrective action acknowledging the finding um and noting ways that they will correct going forward. On page 84 um you'll see that there were no federal award findings. And on the next page are the state award findings. There is one finding um finding 2025- Z002 related to kindergarten continuence. Um in our audit, we review students that are retained and we look for a required form um a California Department of Education um approved kindergarten continuence form and for one student um the form was not on file. Um so we
137we recommend for all continuing if there are any retained kindergarten students that this form be um kept on file. Um, and the last few pages I wanted to review, um, starting on page 86, this is where we present any prior year findings and if the finding has been corrected. Um, and you'll see this, um, is a continuation, the first finding over financial reporting. The, um, finding was partially implemented. You'll see three, uh, excuse me, two of the three bullet points were addressed with just one, um, still needing correction going forward. And on page 87, there was a finding last year related to instructional materials and that finding has been corrected. The corrective action has been implemented. Um so with that, um our firm extends our appreciation to the district. We work with so many individuals
138throughout the district in terms of the audit um in the business office, especially Jillian and Austin for collecting a lot of that data for us to review. We really appreciate their assistance, very timely in providing requests. um and very timely in providing um any answers to questions. So that's not always the case. So I do like to um let that be known. So really appreciate their work um and allowing us to perform our work. >> So if there are any questions, I'd be happy to answer. >> Nope. You were thorough. Thank you. >> Good news. >> Thank you. >> All righty. Thank you very much. All right. Going to move on to 5.2 Two, consideration approval resolution establishing criteria to determine certificated permanent and probationary personnel who may be exempted from order of layoff. >>
139Yeah, >> we have to approve that. >> I think we have to accept. >> Did I skip ahead? >> You have to prove that >> sometimes my effort to be efficient. So, let's go back to 5.1 slowing you down, Rich. I know how you always help us get out of here early. [laughter] Let the record point that our good friend to the far right over there, she made the beating last longer. Um, so for 5.1, >> make a motion that we accept and approve the audit report is presented. >> Is this a resolution or just No. Okay. Uh, can I have a second? >> I'll second. >> Oh, okay. All those in favor? >> I thank you, Stephanie. Okay, Pete. Sorry that you prematurely got up to get on to 5.2, but please carry on.
140>> It's all right. I needed to stretch anyway. So, thank you. Nice to see you again. Um, so the the resolution before you is regarding skipping criteria. Uh, the district annually reviews skipping criteria as it prepares for potential layoffs. Um, this will help us account for specialized training or credentials or experiences that teacher have that we establish are essential to help us meet our our uh educational goals in the district. Uh, an example might be um B-clad certification, um, a physical science credential, a math credential. Um, and they're all listed there. Uh, we've deemed them to be of importance to the district to help us meet our needs, and we ask that um, you approve this resolution. Is there any questions for Pete? >> Nope. Just a motion. >> Roll call vote. >> Ask for
141public comment. >> Oh, thank you. Is there anybody in the public that would like to comment on this topic? Seeing none, I'll bring it back. Uh, can I have a motion to accept this? >> I'll move to accept this resolution. >> Second. Um, all those in favor? >> I I And then Jyn, >> go ahead and call us out. >> Rich Carnation, >> yes. >> Paul Kagorno, >> yes. >> Stephanie Amard, >> yes. >> Bill Adams, >> yes. >> Natalie Valdez, >> yes. >> All righty. Thanks. And uh, jumping to 5.3 if you wants to hang up. uh consideration to approve a resolution authorizing the superintendent design to execute an agreement with the office of administrative hearings for the hearing services in connection with potential reduction or discontinuence of certificated >> that was that's been
142moved to the next meeting. It's been taken off. Sorry, Rich. >> Uhhuh. Okay. So, do we need a >> It's not on the current agenda. >> Williams. >> So, did I print this before? Uh >> we must have done, I think. No worries. Um, it's the Williams, the revolution for the Williams. >> We also have new software that is very glitchy and it will give us the older version even up until right when this meeting started. I had an older version. So, yeah, totally understandable. >> I printed this at about a quarter to 4. So, [clears throat] >> that's odd. >> The um So, any Okay, so 5.3 is gone. So, do we was it officially gone or do we have to make an amendment to the >> on the regular agenda? It's a >>
143It's gone. Okay, cool. So 53 is gone out of that thing. >> It's being brought back at next well potentially being brought back at next month's meeting. >> So is the um Williams report is that now 53? >> Yeah. >> Okay. So let me make sure that's >> I was wondering when you added 5.6 earlier there. It's really 5.5 that was added but that's okay. >> We'll just Okay. So we can make an adjustment to that at the end. So 5.3 >> and you if you can bring us into public hearing. Okay. Yeah. Public hearing for the 26 2026-13 Williams quarterly report. >> What's that? >> At 8:19. Um so for for this quarterly report, we did receive uh one complaint about sufficiency of materials. I'll remind the board that last board meeting um uh
144director Zuconei brought in a number of curriculum adoption requests um so that those can be they were approved they've ordered um and that uh resolves the complaint. >> Very good. Okay. Um so we had actually it's kind of cool because we always have this thing every quarter and we never have anything on it. We just always think it's you Brian. Um, so we finally got one. Good. And then we've got it resolved already. >> Yes. >> Okay, cool. Um, any questions from the board? Anybody from the audience? Jeremy, do we need to do anything other than just accept this? >> Um, if anyone has any questions, uh, I can have Annette come up and answer them. Otherwise, it's just a matter of accepting it and then we send it off to SCO. >> Right. I
145mean, do we have to make a motion to accept it? Okay. Um, no public comment. I I make a motion we approve 5.3. A second. All those in favor? >> I >> All righty. Thank you, Brian. >> It's a resolution. >> It's a public hearing. >> Yeah. So, do we have to open it and close it? >> Let's open it. We opened it, >> right? >> What time is it now? >> It is 8:20. >> A minute in there. All you need >> 8:20. So, for the record, we opened it at 8:19. It's now closed at 8:20. >> He took it as a resolution. He took it. >> Oh, you did bring it as a resolution. >> It is a resolution. >> Oh, and a public hearing. >> Close it. Let's note Let's note the
146time and let's do that. >> Okay. So, for the record, this resolution was this discussion was open at 8:19. >> Mhm. >> It was closed at 8:20. >> Mhm. >> There was a motion accepted. All voted on. And now we're going to have a roll call vote. >> Rich Carnation. >> Yes. >> Paul Kagorno? >> Yes. >> Stephanie Amard? Yes. >> Bill Adams. >> Yes. >> Natalie Valdez. >> Yes. >> Very good. Thank you. All right. Now, is the LCAP is that 5.4 >> in the new Yes. >> numbering. All right. So, 5.4. Uh LCAP midyear report for the WSON Unified School District. Um so, I need to bring this at a at a regular schedule board meeting, but the the board has actually requested something different this year, and that's what we're going to
147be providing. uh we're getting the final finalizing kind of details about the date that we're going to have our study session. Um and so that'll be an opportunity for the board to uh get a really deep dive um into having our district staff kind of present some of the data, but then having our site administrators there uh to really do the analysis. Um that will be during our study session and then we're going to bring them back at the next board meeting to do our scorecard reports. Uh normally we'd be doing our score scorecard reports at this meeting along with the LCAP midcycle report. Um but because of some timing this year with us bringing on Renon Soma, we kind of pushed back the second administration of our Renstar test um for a couple of
148weeks uh to allow them to get the the accurate data. Um so that's why it's going to be pushed into February. Um but we'll be able to talk about in terms of where we were from the baseline at the beginning of the year um to where they are at the middle of the year and principles are going to then talk about what's happening right now. So that the study session will kind of be a bit of a postmortem looking back at last year's um and the scorecards will be looking right now and and Bill I did ask them to make sure that they're coming with some historical context uh with their data to say let's make sure that we're comparing year-over-year um not you know so you have some idea of you know what does
1494% growth mean is that good is that bad with that >> this midcycle review is annoying to us because we are it's like forcing the district to do what we already do. So for us, we it's kind of minimized, right? We do our scorecards. We do we're going to do our study session. So just realize that's why it's not a major presentation for you. >> I can do one though if you'd like to see it. >> I don't have any questions. >> Anybody else? >> All good. Um we have to make a motion then. >> Okay. You do have to vote. >> We have to on this >> resolution vote or just Okay. >> Did you can I have a motion to accept >> 54? >> I will make a motion to accept 54 the
150LCAP midyear report. >> Second. >> All right. All those in favor? >> I I >> Any oppose? All good. Thank you. >> What's the thing we have? >> You've only explained by five really at the beginning. >> Yes. >> Yeah. All right. Well, and so yeah, so just so we're clear because I did call it 56 earlier. So actually it's going to be 5.5. >> Yeah. >> And we've agreed to put back on the agenda BP 5117 interd district attendance. >> And it's exactly what we approved uh last month except for we removed item seven which references the Allen bill. >> Okay. Is there any questions from the board? >> Any questions from the audience? >> And Brian, we all got um another full copy of board policy 5117. That is the new redacted version.
151>> Okay. So, that would be the document that would be the policies. Yes. >> All right. I would move that we accept the revised version of board policy 5117. Is that okay? Good. the interd district transfer policy. >> Can I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? >> All righty. Thank you, Brian. Okay. Can you hand these to Jen, please? >> Can you double check and make sure that those are all proper >> the way you want. Rich, just so you know, we've updated the governance calendar. We had the wrong one attached the past couple of meetings. It was the wrong version and so we fixed it. So now we have the proper version attached. Jen Jen caught it uh just before this meeting. >> Okay. So
152I don't know what our close session would be, but maybe at the next meeting. I mean, I'm I'm completely flumxed on trying to get into the website these days. >> Oh, the our district website. >> Yeah. And maybe we could have Brian spend 15 or 20 or Heather Heather would be probably >> just so just so I'm clear. Are we talking about the WSD website or our what you used to call board doc? >> Board doc. >> Oh yeah, we're all kind of with you actually. So Jen, do you want to talk a little bit about our conversation we just had >> two days ago? Yeah. >> So we've all had issues with it. I mean, you know, I was really excited about getting this new version of Board Docs. A few people were. I
153looked around to see what the options were and we just all agreed that Board Docs had been so good for us and we really had all liked it that we this is the same company, we'll stay with them. But this is a brand new product for them. It isn't Board Docs, you know, enlightened or whatever. It's a brand new product. And basically they are still building it and it's got glitches and they're working really hard. I've reported every issue that we've had with them. Um >> so they know you on a firstname basis. >> Oh yeah. In fact, >> so I know in the past we had the vendor come. I don't know if Brad can do that translation into our application of it, but I think we need to do it sooner than later.
154We just saw a couple of things and one of these times we're going to we're going to miss some and you know we're sort of >> they they've assured me I had a call from head office on Monday because we had discussed moving to another place. >> We were ready to move on. we were ready to move, but they've really elevated us up there to and really listened to our, you know, our problems and our complaints. And given how pleased we were and what a good customer we were with Board Docks, um so um they called from head office on Monday. They've promised us that they're going to work on some things that should absolutely um fix it. So, we're kind of stuck at the moment. The really the only other product out there that
155is comparable is the CSBA one is it's called um >> Gamut. >> Yeah. But it's theirs isn't the the the online it's basically Gamut online, but they they've got another pro um thing for it. And you know, it's a similar product, but the CSBA customer service is awful. We use it for our policies and it just isn't good which is why we decided to stay with diligent and at the moment we're having the same problem with diligent but you know they have promised us we um in DAT had a conversation about it on Tuesday given the promises that they've made and the follow up email that they sent we said we would keep trying >> for this year. So, we're we were going to see it through the end of the year, Bill, just because
156they were so responsive when we said, "We're we're about done with you." >> So, what I'd like with my fellow TR I I I'd like and I I can do a one-on-one because I'm just illiterate on this stuff. >> We can get a tutorial for those of us who'd like to go between now and >> organize that for you. You can have a one-on-one if you want or you can have a group session if you want. Whatever it is that you think would help you, they are willing to do for us. The one thing that I think that board docs did so well was they came out if you remember they spent three days with us and that was wonderful people the companies just don't do that anymore you know co changed everything >> h
157>> they zoom you >> that's what so it'll be an online >> what what does this cost us a year this program >> I think this one is 15,000 >> I don't remember right Austin >> I don't remember I don't remember >> I think this one I board docs was 10,000 and this was a significant, you know, jump, >> right? >> Um, >> so, so I know they're working through it, but my little my little business brain just [clears throat] said, "Hey, you know what? I'm glad that they're being responsive and whatever." And so you'd say, "Hey, since you're being twice as responsive, we'll pay half as the price because we're the ones working this through you and giving you your intellectual property. So, I know you're going to want to give us like a
158nice big fat discount." I'll have Austin talk to them. >> Oh, [laughter] Austin. >> You know him, too? I will. >> Yeah. Honestly, if if this doesn't work, if they don't get significantly better, we talked about potentially trying to build our own um through Google Docs or something. And so, we'll see where we go. We're going to give them a couple months and that's kind of where we're at. But to your point, Bill, let's get you some training because I had the same issue. I was lost. I still kind of am sometimes. Mhm. >> I know every every meeting or every time I look at it I go, "Oh, a new thing. Press that button and all of a sudden you go >> and and I and I totally get that." I I've got to
159say that I am now starting to feel more comfortable with it. Like I re I feel like the things that went wrong for me before they have fixed and so now I'm kind of much more comfortable with it. I hate the fact that you guys have a different version though, so that's not a good thing. So, >> well, sometimes it'll it'll work on my computer and it'll work on my iPad, but it won't work on my iPhone. So, if I'm trying to find something and so there's >> we'll get some training for you all and anybody else who wants it, Austin will talk to them about the price, >> we'll get them Austin. I think I think like by the May meeting >> if we are not happy with it by the May meeting >>
160that is time to tell them we will not be renewing and we will then figure you know spend we'll figure something out. I >> I think if they're making good progress though that then you know we just haven't seen the progress yet. We're trusting that they're going to make good progress. That's kind of >> I feel like I've seen the progress but that's because I'm in it all the time. >> Yeah. And [clears throat] I mean it's gone like I couldn't get in now I can get in. >> That's progress. [laughter] Um and it has gotten better and they are responsive like >> they were like you're going to the wrong site go here. Like so that's a little bit user error too but I think it's just it's not super intuitive and that's the
161other issue is that just the user friendliness but it's getting better. So maybe maybe with a little training in a few months, we'll >> we'll be [clears throat] all adjusted and not want to switch to anything new. >> I'll reach out to them for um training dates and then figure that out with >> Great. Thank you. >> Cool. >> Um let's see. Sorry. >> And future board items. >> Five six. I see the governance calendar upcoming um 6.0. Is there any Jen? We we were going to have two workshops. >> Yep. We're trying to schedule uh the first one from your direction was the study session for CASP basically and then the second one is um the kind of process review for for the book adoption. >> Any rough idea? >> Well, I sent I
162sent one lot of um dates out yesterday, I think, and then none of those work. So, I did send you all another set of dates today. We need to look at that. >> We kind of need to get it scheduled. This is a big meeting for my staff. There's a lot that goes into the planning and every principal is going to be present at that meeting. Um, so if you guys could lock down a date, it would really help my staff. >> My best guess at the moment from from what we've had is February 2nd. Could >> Could you do me a favor and email me? I'm I'm having some issues with my school email. So, Jen, could you email my uh company as well? >> I always do that >> because I I didn't
163get some like >> I always do that. I always So, what I do with all of you is I do the W USD email >> on the you know on the the line the CC line and then anybody except Stephanie because you all have personal ones that you like to use, I always send it to those as well. I keep all of my communications in the official record. >> Just saying [laughter] >> if if you look at it, but if you want I can text you the dates as well. >> Yeah. >> Whatever works best for you. >> It's just it's afternoon I didn't get a email. >> So yeah, I I think there's an overlap there too because I was >> we were chatting briefly before the meeting in close session about the potential
164joint meeting with the town and one of those dates was February 2nd. So >> I if we could maybe >> I believe >> send a comprehensive >> Yeah. Well, >> message that has all the potential dates and and >> I tried to do that. The email I sent I sent out the dates and those dates were for both the CASP and the joint meeting. So, you know, to get all of your meetings for all of that. But actually, um, John came back and they're kind of pushing back on the joint meeting a bit. So, we probably won't be having the joint meeting in February. >> We going to have it at all. >> I think we'll have it. Um, John wants to talk to Jeremy. Um, >> he he got called off on jury duty.
165We were supposed to have lunch this week at our monthly meeting, but he got called to jury duty. So, we haven't talked. He wants to talk to Jeremy about it. Um, so >> but I wasn't I didn't know that. So I think he had planned to talk to me then. >> Yeah. [snorts] >> And Bill, you know, we always ask for two people if we're going to bring back an item and you had said something. >> So I would I wanted to make that mention in the announcement. I would for future board items like to request that we add to an agenda item on our February 19th meeting a reconsideration of the approval of scythe. Um as I said historically one board member was not enough to get something on but two is good because
166three means a quorum and it's already approved. So uh would ask I would make that motion to do it and see if there is a second which would I think be enough to put it on. So my my question to that is from our last board meeting. I thought what came out of that meeting, not necessarily what was reported in the paper was that we were going to get together and get the English folks together and we were going to have a workshopping to go over that whole process of how things are approved or what they're approved and stuff in which that book was going to be brought back up. It is actually the English department's idea of having multiple books be approved. It wasn't my idea. It came from their department. So is bringing
167that back before we have that session with everybody. Is that premature or because I'm not looking at this as one particular book as much as just the process by how this even happens. So um you know we all listened and Stephanie's point was hey this could set precedence and I think that having that workshop that is what's going to resolve and set forth this whole process in a simpler way um one individual talked that she was concerned that now she doesn't want to bring forth this thing. So I think the process of how things are put together I think is very very important and I don't want that bigger picture to get lost in one particular subject and I'm not I I think that that might happen. Here's what I here's what I would say,
168Rich. When >> with regard to the process, and I understand that the board wanted to have a workshop, however, I I would be having my team lead that process to design and create whatever that that is to bring to you for potential approval. Um, I can have you meet with the team, but we still haven't even met with the team, you know, my director of curriculum, my my assistant superintendent. So, I would commit, if you wanted me to, to doing two things. I could bring back to to Bill's request. I could bring back that as a separate item. I could also bring back a process that I think could potentially work at the same meeting if you want me to do that. If you want to be more involved, I understand that as well. You
169just have to let me know. Usually, how I do things is I do all the leg work for you, right? And then I bring something that I think will work and that you would want to approve. I know this is a different item, but you have to tell me how involved you want to be with the English department personally or do you want to direct us to be involved with the English department to try to get this done? I I I think what from going back from the last meeting, what my takeaway I thought was was that in my meeting with some of the different teachers was that they had some ideas and some suggestions that they wanted to run by us as well. Kind of an open form type of a thing and say,
170"Hey, look, we would like to do this and this and this." I always like to get information, no disrespect to staff, I like getting information from the people that are actually doing it. So, if you're the teacher that's got to read this book and then talk to this group and that group and know all these different things, I like to find out what are the impediments, what are the what what's the positives if you I always tell people if you were king for the day, how would you want to do this, right? And so I like getting that feedback to where they can because out of that process usually comes a really good uh a good program. We've been on the board seven years. That's never been discussed on how any of this stuff really
171comes to pass. Which books are in, which books are out, why they're in, why they aren't, all these different things. >> It's just board policy what we follow. Yeah. >> Right. No, no, I I get it. And so, look, when I when I met with John and some others, they had some ideas and I liked some of the ideas they brought, things that I didn't think of or whatever. And I'm going like I I told them here was my concern, right? And then they said, "Well, here's how we can take care of those things." And I liked it. So I think that by having that workshop and I called it a workshop I don't know what else to call it where we can get together and say hey here's challenges we have as teachers bringing
172something forward right what is that so maybe you guys have already had that that meeting or have >> well I think we we know what the challenges are I I think we all know that but we haven't changed the policy um I think that we have ideas to what the pol I guess I just need to know what your involvement is going to be really cuz we I'm comfortable with us doing this leg work for you and bringing the feedback that we got or if you'd like to be directly involved of course that's your prerogative. I guess I just need I need direction. It it I'm speaking for me and only me. When when I had a teacher tell me, hey, look, what's your concern? And I mentioned and said, look, instead of the opt
173out, we just give two solutions. I'm going, I'm good. You got me. As long as there's two solutions that people can pick which one that they can go through or three. I was good because at that point nobody's having to have the there is a lot of I've I've had parents call and say hey look the opt out thing isn't always necessarily accurate. Yes you can opt out but then what is the opt out? So if there's a book that you can opt out to then why isn't that book just included in the first place as a co- companion. So anyhow I don't think this thing needs to be super complicated. Um I think it's actually the suggestion was very simple. Um and I kept asking you know what is that opt out companion book
174then but we couldn't ever get to that point. So anyhow I just don't want to get one thing in front of the other. I think that I'd like to resolve this issue for everything versus just one particular book that people are concerned about right now. >> If that makes sense. >> That's that's up to you guys. Obviously >> that sounds like a no to my motion if the motion gets a second. I think the workshop is absolutely there. Remember, I made a motion for the book and a workshop which was voted down by three trustees last month. But what I'm proposing is reconsidering the approval of the book side. >> Mhm. >> If that gets a second, that would be on the agenda for the 19th. I don't know that this workshop about the process
175and the overall expansion and diversity and the much broader issue is going to be ready by the 19th. Um, but my motion is to revisit and reconsider the approval of the book side. >> I mean, I would I would second that. I'm supportive of that position. I don't know that I necessarily want to rehash a decision that we made previously if it's going to just come out the same. So, um, I'm a little bit torn because I don't really want to put us through more turmoil as a board. This is hard. Yeah. Well, and I think that's a very practical programmatic governance question when we might be at a 22 now. But what I would suggest is we do it and um you know we only and I know the the holdovers who are here
176at quarter to 9, we truly only lobby or deliberate when we're sitting up here. We don't do it on the sidelines. And I think uh should there be the second of the motion to put it on the calendar, we almost start with a straw poll, Mr. President, to say we have this on. What's the straw poll on where people are on reconsidering the approval of this book? And if we find that there is still well, we'll have a straw poll to know what people are. And if people say, well, they'd like to have a little bit more discussion. I don't know that, you know, a full two and a half hours of revisiting, but I hear what you're saying, but >> you have your second. >> Okay. So, I think we need to work that
177out and perhaps you can work it out with the superintendent about what that looks like because I absolutely agree with you, Stephanie. I think we'll we'll need to do an early an early check-in um to say what's you know, is anyone changing their mind? >> And that's really what it's about when we get right down to Is anybody going to change their mind of of the 3-2 majority? Or could we say, "Look, we'll have a seven vote count for this one. We'll do it specialty because it was actually a 4-3 vote the other way." But >> am I students voted, you know, for approval? But >> am I pushing to also get the new process agenda? >> That is not the motion I'm making. And I think hurrying the process would do the process disservice.
178>> I don't think revisiting one book is going to derail the process one way or the other. Uh, is my view. I think we can do both. And um but I think the the the process is a much bigger longer thing and again I think we made the commitment our our emphasis is a workshop commitment time for the CASP deep dive. >> Yes. And then a one that perhaps you come come back with all the input that you've gotten from both public comment and the board on here's a way I know we talked you know briefly on there's examples from other jurisdictions about how you know this is done but that's that's outside the scope of my request for getting under consideration of the particular curriculum item icon. So as a question then so if
179in the middle so February meeting is February what 19th. >> Yes. >> Okay. And if this was to come up and it was discussed and and if and if the board said okay fine we're going to approve this uh to go we're half more than halfway through the semester. So then we're going to teach say yeah go ahead and teach that book for the rest of the semester. You go through half of it, you do what's how does that process look to you? >> Well, I briefly spoke with Miss Forest on the break before she left and I said, "If this is reconsidered, does this make any sense? Can you do it?" She said, "I think so. I'm talking with the class." So, it may come from her that it is too late. I don't
180think so. she was going to talk to her class about how they would plan that and get that feedback piece cuz I don't want to approve it if she says this is great but it's 1 of March and then we're gone for a week and a half for the holidays and and whatnot. Um so we're already halfway going to be irregardless we're going to be halfway through the semester. So that sounds like we are rushing something versus taking the time to go through the process to get the process resolved. And if that resolves all the issues then and if this book is approved then it would be delayed another half a semester and it could be taught in September when school starts again after the process has gone through where we get all the feedback
181from all the English teachers, staff, the whole folks and everybody that's concerned with it. I feel like we're now rushing this again. to Stephanie's point, I don't want to go through another hour, two hour discussion um about the book. So, I'm not sure how this gets I I almost see it as a as a a compromise in a way. I would almost be willing to bring it back, but with the assurance that you don't put us through this again. There are there are other ways to approve books, >> correct? >> That don't involve us. And I want to see you guys work on that. And I want a a new policy on that. >> Understood. >> But I would also But I also think that it's not fair to the teacher now to make her
182wait until September if she wants to do it before. Do you want me to try to schedule a special meeting to >> to do this more quickly so she has more time? >> It would be more focused. I mean, >> it would just be one item. >> Sounds sounds like we're inching towards two and three/4ers. And so, >> well, and Rich, [clears throat] to your point, and I and I hear what you're saying. I think my motion for reconsideration is based on we have a process. That process was followed as we've heard, we talked about last time, we heard for an hour in public comment today. people didn't like how the evaluation of the process went and the decision but in the four corners of how the policy relates now and going through the site
183council and the TAC those eyes were dotted and te's were crossed and and I'm I I again that's why I think we have both hand now it that today is not the day really for the persuasion perhaps I would throw it out you know Jeremy mentioned maybe we do a special meeting expedited because we're on this quicker >> I mean we need to do next week so that we probably need to do it next week so the teacher has time to teach the book. >> Yeah. I mean, >> if we're going to if we're going to consider, >> but again, that's your call. That's your direction to me. >> So, we do have time to have a special meeting to discuss it, but we don't have time to have a meeting with the folks to
184go over the policy. >> We We could do We I can do whatever you guys want us to do. >> Well, I keep hearing that we don't have time. We can't schedule anything. No, we we can schedule time with them. What do you I don't know what you're referencing. >> In our last meeting, we asked when can when's the soonest we can get together with the teacher staff. >> Mhm. >> And have this and we were told end of January, early part of February. >> Yes. because we were talking about prioritization of the study sessions and what came first and what came first from you guys to us was the the cast results. So that's the direction that you gave us and there's a lot that goes into preparing that for you. >> That's what
185that's what the time crunch was. If I mean if you guys want to flip that you you of course you direct me. So that that's your prerogative. Um I just need to know what what your direction is. It it seems to me that if the if the whole reason well at least part of why I was took my position was that there wasn't an alternative a real alternative other than an opt out. If there's just somehow we can just tweak that part of it, that part of the policy to when the book is being introduced to have them know what they're going to be reading if they opt out of that and this is an opt into another book. I don't think it's a hu I don't think it's a huge change in our policy.
186>> I I No, but when I asked I asked what's the optin book? What's the alternative? >> I think it's a small change. It's just a very very little small thing. You say, well, let me rephrase that. It was said if somebody, the kid, the parent, somebody didn't like a book, that's our policy, they can opt out. Great. What's the optin? What is the book? If so, if they opt out, what are we doing with that student? What are they learning for that period of time that the other student they're reading that other book? So what what book are they reading? What is that book? I asked that five times. I was looking for a yes. Just give me the name of the book that they will opt that that's what they will read now,
187right? So then we could make a motion. Good. We approve that book and this is the other book. Pick your one you want to read. It was really pretty simple. it just may not be a book that to the to the point I was trying to make before it's very difficult for a teacher to lead a discussion when you have half a class reading one book and half reading another and so that's why I think sometimes that's difficult but that's where I would need to talk to the English department >> but I think Rich has a different question which is what is the book and what I heard even though I don't think we got a direct answer is that it's customized depending on the reason why the student opted out in the first place.
188So if there was like some kind of trauma they would try like maybe I'm making this up but I thought she said something about oh we had a student who opted out and then we had her read this kind of book because it seemed like the appropriate so I think it might be customized to the student and that might not be the answer that you're looking for. >> No no I I didn't catch that part cuz I you know >> but we might need to get clarification on that because >> I might not be correct but I don't know that we want to rehash this now. I mean, I think we had the enough votes to if they'll be back on the agenda in February, I think >> and I am I am perfectly happy
189if if let's just address it again and maybe it becomes a mood point with a straw poll and the votes don't change. I think we should have that special meeting sooner than later. getting to your point of having the teacher know um that would I mean I I mentioned the 19th because that's a regular but having a special meeting next week on reconsideration itself we address it again and make a decision or see if there's a change in the decision I guess >> I mean but we ask for CASP testing I mean is that's what we did >> no no I'm not saying I'm not saying the workshop yeah >> right so you you you had shared Paul well a small change to the policy, make sure that we ensure the opt out. That's changing
190the policy, right? And so, so >> if we have that small change, then maybe I change. >> That's all I'm >> and and that's all we've been asking for. >> So, I think the question is, do we want to try and do a special meeting to address this? Get it addressed one way or the other and get it behind us next week. I would prefer that rather than waiting to the 19th and then I think we can have the CASP workshop and after that when we can manage to get the staff time and the preparation done the uh the addressing the policy change >> the book the the book adoption policy. >> So can you amend your request because maybe we solve them both at the same time. Look, I it's a small but it's
191an important issue that there's a choice on the the reason look it's not like we're asking going hey we're not hey we're going to read Jack and Jill went up the hill sweet nobody cares but people do care about certain things certain levels of things there are there's con there are people that are concerned earned. That's why we send the paper home, say, "Hey, we just want to let you know, you know, this is coming your students going to be reading this and if you don't like it, you know, you can opt out, right?" So, there's obviously a certain level of sensitivity for some folks that they read it. All I'm asking for is a simple little thing of saying, "What is an alternative?" The fact that we can't produce an alternative concerns me that
192there isn't an alternative. Here's >> because if there was it would be readily said, "Yeah, it's this." >> Here's the difficulty. I can do exactly that, but that's not me getting feedback from teachers, right? I can give you the exact language in a policy, but I don't think that's what you're asking me to do. You're asking me to meet with teachers to talk through the policy and really do a deep dive into what's going to work for them and also potentially work for the board. That that could I potentially pull that off next week? Maybe. But but I'm I'm hesitant to commit to that. What I know we can pull off if you guys are asking me to is to bring one item back for you to talk about because that has me that has
193nothing to do with me coordinating people and trying to figure this out. So we might be able to pull it off. But but again I I'm just not sure and I don't want to tell you that I can if maybe I have certain maybe John Richards who's a department chair is out next week. I have no idea. Right. I I don't want to tell you yeah I can do both. Uh, maybe I can, but but I'm I'm not sure. Brian and and I mean, >> you really only have one night to do it as well. >> Okay. >> The holiday and then middle school have got their um showcase and then Elac is meeting. So, we really only got Tuesday night to do it, >> which we're and Austin and I are in Sacramento, the
194governor's workshop. and Brian. >> But Jere Jeremy, I don't think we're asking for a seismic change. I I really don't. >> It's just a conversation I have to have. Okay. You know what I mean? And make sure it works. >> Okay. Okay. Understood. I I don't mean to throw John under the bus. This was John's idea when I met with him. >> And so, >> and I just mentioned his name. I I I meant I want to make sure I have >> Well, no, no. What I mean is, >> why don't you ask John? said, "John, it was your suggestion was I said, "Hey, this was a thing that a lot of people are were concerned about the sensitivity of an issue of person coming into a classroom and shooting and killing all the kids."
195That was an issue. So John's like, "Hey, look, we understand that. We can appreciate that. What we normally do, and we've seen in other areas, is that there's a companion book or a book similar that has kind of the same type of topics that they can read that's maybe not as offensive to somebody's sensibilities. Said, that's a great idea. And I'm going, so let's do that. Right? That way, every person has their opportunity to pick which one they're choosing and it's good. Then we're done. That's what we could have been done before. again go back and watch the video three, four, five times. I said, "Just give me the name of another book. Give me the opt- out book. What is it?" And you can't do it. So when you can't give me the name
196of a book that is our state policy of being able to opt out, then I Well, is there really an opt- out policy then? >> Does that make sense? and and and I just want to be able to vet John's opinion with the rest of the department and have a real discussion and I don't want to commit to you guys that I can get all of that feedback or certain without really taking the time to reach out. That that's why I'm hesitant to also say I can solve this next week. That's all. I'm not afraid to try, but right here and now I haven't talked to anybody, Rich. And that that's my worry. >> I I I understand. But I just think [clears throat] that that's how this issue is resolved for not only just
197this but for everything. >> I don't I um I mean I think what I'm where I'm torn is that we do have an opt out policy. And if and I remember this from being a student at Windsor High School. We had a student who for very specific reasons did not want to read a book that was required. um and her mom, you know, said, "No, she's not reading that book. She's not going to participate in any of this discussions." And they came up with an alternative that made sense because of the reason why she opted out. Um, and I'll just say she was African-American. She was the only African-American student in the class, and the book was about slavery and about had some things that her mom just didn't want her to have to be
198the person on display in the class. So I can see why just having had that experience why there couldn't necessarily be one opt out because the teachers are really customizing that experience for the student. So I don't know that they can answer the question. So I don't know if it's as simple as we think it is. But I do know that if any parent came to any of our teachers and said my student is not going to read that book, they would say okay let's figure out something else. So I don't know. I think we're at an impass. But I don't think we're at an impass. I think we're just really honing down to what the real issue is. And so, you know, I like your point. If if book A is the one book
199and here's the other book, the companion book, they still have the opt out. They could opt out of out of both of the books. And that's fine, but at least there was at least two options. Now, this thing about the opt out though, I just this week I had a parent email me not about a book but about a a subject matter assignment in the class that the student was a you know bothered by it mentioned to the parent. >> I'm sorry, Bill. the but we get anyhow the student went to the teacher and said I don't feel comfortable doing that assignment and the teacher said that's the assignment you got to do it anyway right so again how opt out is opt out that's real life that's this week not on a book on
200another subject matter now I'll be honest with you I saw the thing and I I it didn't bother my sensitivities, but it did theirs. But we aren't the arbiter of who what topic is the thing that people have issues with, right? >> And so, um, anyhow, I'm willing to have that conversation. I'm just not willing to commit to saying I can solve that conversation by next week because I just don't know what's what it entails until I get in there. >> If I might, for planning, we have a motion and a second to add reconsideration at our next board meeting. If we can do it sooner than the 19th, I think that would be good for reasons that we've talked about. If some targeted portion of a policy adjustment simultaneously >> Mhm. could come in.
201>> I will definitely >> sounds like that. But that that is not tied to the fact of I'd like to respect every person who has come from public comment at both meetings has unanimously supported the existing policy to approve the book and I'd like to have our board deliberate on approving the book in that context because we did not have that at the last meeting and by the next meeting and if that meeting can be sooner than the 19th of February I think that's good for a great number of reasons. >> Is that clear? is that >> and I will work really hard >> immediately to get with the English department with Brian and with Annette and with Danielle uh and see the feedback that I can get based on the ideas that you brought
202up so that hopefully I can bring these at the exact same time and maybe one solves the other one without having to discuss scythe specifically. >> What? Well, I'm just saying if I >> I specifically went to address scythe and reconsidering the approval request that came in under the policy that we have. Let's make no mistake. I apologize. >> We are missing creeping into policy and if we can't get policy adjusted for we have a fifth member here who will come in about diversity and equity and white teachers. All things to be talked about, but they are not in the policy that brought Scythe through the book approval process. So, just to be clear, I'm sorry to be firm about that. >> That makes sense. I understand what you're saying. >> We got we got
203mission creep there. >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. So, we have a motion, we have a second, and then we have a discussion about a lot of different things and then we have a talk about mission creep. If this discussion, I think you have two trustees that have expressed to you tonight that that small adjustment in the policy is what probably gets a yes to what you're hoping for. But if you want to only have your spaghetti the way you want it on your plate bill, you may not get it. So I think in the spirit of compromise and of community working things through. I'd like our motion to be as broad so that way we can discuss it and take action on it in a meeting that could include the potential for a resolution. If
204the motion is only this is what it is, eat it or don't eat it, that can be your motion too. >> If if we can have the consideration be timely by the April 19th meeting or before >> you meet in February. >> February. See, I already bunched two months. >> Sounds good. >> That February 19th meeting or before and we can include some policy components. Great. I just did not have the feeling that the policy components could be worked up in time for that. We we we may not have the ultimate policy stuff, right? >> But we might have enough of a policy modification that resolves this. >> And I think >> for this this particular >> in the scope of the reconsideration, I'm fine with that. >> I'm not saying no policy. I'll I'll
205I'll make the same motion that I made before, which was well, we don't have a motion. It's just really to me, right? It's going to put it on the agenda. how you shape that with the superintendent because you helped shape the agenda. As long as it includes another vote on reconsideration and if along the way in our deliberations there are some pieces that need to get adjusted and we can get the data right so it's not that you know well we asked the staff and the staff couldn't tell us because they weren't ready or they don't want to or they were working on the CASP workshop. So I that's why I think if we can do it sooner than later, I think that addresses the issue of the class could would know one way or
206the other >> and and and and I'm good with that. >> Okay. >> I'm good. And if we can meet sooner, I mean, I know that you guys have some time constraints after this weekend. I'm more available. Uh you know, everybody's going to have to work it. But again, so the meeting, you know, we can reconsider the thing, the book, right? But it's also I'm looking for that companion part so that way there's a little bit of choice. And if that's part of what our overall discussion is so that way we can make those choices, I'm good. That's that that's the >> and that might be just hypothetically an adjustment to get the reconsideration vote done that does or does not survive into our broader long-term policy. I mean correct. Okay. All right. No, I'm
207fine with that. Is that clear enough guidance like mud >> for you Paul and Stephanie? I >> think so. >> Can we tie the reconsideration with the with the promise that we are going to work on, let's say we don't have it done in time. You said it's probably not going to get done in time. >> I just don't want to commit to it. >> No, no, But I mean, if we're reconsidering it as part of the motion or whatever that that we approve it with the condition that we will have a policy by >> X date. Yes. Is that something we can do? >> We can commit to getting another policy in front of you before the end of this school year is out and probably way sooner than the end of the school
208year. I just don't want to say I can get it done next week. That's all. But if you could do that, that I think that might satisfy. >> I have some different ideas though than what I've heard in terms of companion books and whatnot. So, I guess I'm going to have to bring That's the thing. I have to bring those to you so you can discuss up here because I can't do that. >> I don't necessarily mean you have to do that for the reconsideration. >> I understand. >> Okay. >> Yeah, I do understand. I just mean >> the bigger picture is we're going to need a full board workshop on this topic. >> Yeah, that's why you can't. >> Yeah. Then I think there was like a question of can we just kind of
209delegate it out to kind of away from the board. I don't know that that's gonna >> that's up to you guys, right? That's my question cuz I can we can move a lot more quickly if we're this is our job every day, right? You all have jobs. So if I'm trying to get all five of you together, then it takes time to coordinate schedules and then it pushes all of this conversation out. That's why I'm asking because we can work really hard next week and prioritize this or at least the following week, next couple weeks, but it it's hard to wrangle you guys, right? And we already have something that we've committed to doing and we still don't have that commitment date and we're looking at February 2nd. So if you think through that >>
210and that's the CASP workshop, >> correct? >> So this would realistically probably not happen until maybe early March, right? >> Late February, >> mid late February at the best case scenario, early March. um talking about the a workshop maybe >> a workshop on I thought we were doing this way sooner >> but back so again though I like the idea of not I'm not even provisionally approving the book or it's there's some strings attached to it and I don't >> in the general way that I would imagine it coming up because we're going to have it on the agenda would be a friendly amendment to the motion right that the motion is this and with the contingency of there will be a new policy developed by year end or something. But again, I think we're
211getting a little ahead of ourselves cuz >> this was just the last half hour about the joy of having the meeting again. So, >> are we are we in a good spot now? Again, >> we have to decompress, too. You know, [laughter] >> I just wonder what we're doing for the next three hours cuz, you know, we're we're in the carnation. >> Why don't we just stay? No, just kidding. >> The uh Sounds good. >> Oh, yeah. Everyone wants me to order snacks again. One time thing, guys. one time thing. >> For the record, McDonald's told me that you surpassed my spending at the last meeting. So, I am now the second highest McDonald's behind you, skinny little goo. Anyhow, um, sounds like we have a motion. Sounds like we have a second. Sounds like
212we have an agreement to put it on the board agenda on the 19th for certain sooner if we can. >> Sooner if everybody can meet, which I think would be great. Um, if you know whoever is listening, >> I'm just looking for book number two that we can have it there with it. >> I understand. >> And and >> I'll I'll bring that up. We'll tell the department find something that is an alternative that a parent or a student can say, "Hey, >> I'd rather read this than that one." >> You get that, you you're you're going to get my vote. >> I will I will make sure that is well understood. that book isn't, you know, it's got to be there. >> There's a bunch of books that are already on the approved book
213list. Just so we're all clear, there are very there are many different ways to do this. Sometimes it's just if it's on this list, the board doesn't see it. If it's not on the list, then that has to go before the board as approved. Right? If it's not on this state list, then it goes before the board. There's many ways to do this. So, I will bring exactly what you said up that's specific to the books that they're going to teach. There's also more general ways to do this, too. So, >> I'm looking for more general. >> Okay. >> Understood. >> So, that way it's easy. It's not complicated. >> Understood. >> Does that make sense? >> It does. And I and I also heard that from another >> trust department has even a more
214refined way. Good. Bring that too. Again, this wasn't my idea. I just thought it sounded good when I heard it. >> I will we will commit, Brian. This is going to be you, me and Annette, right? So, we'll commit to making this a high priority as well as the CASP uh preparation. These would be the two things. >> Okay, >> I move to adjourn. >> Second. All the motion done. Yes. [laughter] Does >> that fail?