001like this candle. It is 6:33 and we will now reconvene for public session. I want to welcome everybody to our board meeting tonight. Governing board meetings are business of the board that we do in the public and we always appreciate when we have members of our community here to um be with us and to see what we do and we appreciate involvement and hearing from you as well and we hope that today you feel heard and seen for being here. So, thank you again for being here. We will start with our student representative Evan Acosta from Clovis East High School leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand for the flag salute. Ready, salute. Thank you, Evan. We got to take care of some closed session motions and business first. So, during closed session
002the board discussed the appointment of current learning director at Clovis North Educational Center Courtney Davies to the open position of deputy principal of Clovis North Educational Center effective July 1st, 2026. Is there a motion to approve this appointment? Is there any discussion? All in favor? I. Any opposed? Also during closed session the board discussed the appointment of current learning director at Reagan Educational Center Daniel Bravo to the open position of deputy principal of Clovis High School effective July 1, 2026. I'll entertain a motion to approve this appointment. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Any opposed? All right. During closed session the board reviewed routine personnel matters. I'll entertain a motion to approve those personnel matters as submitted. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Any opposed? During closed session the board voted unanimously to dismiss
003a certificated employee who failed to timely demand a hearing after being served charges for dismissal and thus waived their right to a hearing. During closed session the board reviewed student discipline matters related to student number 2609. I will entertain a motion to approve the student discipline [clears throat] matters as submitted. Is there any discussion? All in favor? Any opposed? All right. Now that we are finished with those, Dr. Fullmer Fullmer, will you please give us your superintendent report? >> Absolutely. Thank you, President Stoker Madsen. So, just wanted to highlight a couple of things that have been going on and some celebrations. This past Monday the regional director Victoria Seaman from the US Department of Health and Human Services visited the McCart McFarland Kaufman Ag Center at the Clovis East campus and it was a great
004opportunity for our students. We had three FFA officers share their work with with her and discuss current farming practices, animal welfare, small business practices, their SAE projects that require them to track hours, finances, investments and talk about really preparing the next generation for the agricultural field that awaits for them and she was very, very impressed and had a lot of questions for our students and you'd be so proud of how just like all of our kids how they represented themselves and were able to answer all of her questions and explain how it will impact their future decisions in the field. We also have 12 of our schools who have earned a 2025-26 Green Shield designation which is the Positivity Project's highest award of excellence. The designation is given to schools for their commitment to innovation
005in meaning and meaningfully integrating character strengths into every part of the school experience. And so, huge congratulations to Alta Sierra Intermediate and elementary schools Boris, Century, Clovis, Mickey Cox, Herndon, Miramonte, Ora as Red Bank, Weldon, Woods and Young for earning that designation. We're very proud of their work. We also have had some um schools and departments recognized with some state recognition. So, Buchanan High School was named a 2026 California Distinguished Distinguished School by the State Department of Education and we're very proud of their work in that and looking forward to their being celebrated. We also as I shared earlier when we first learned about the word award but they went up and received it. Clovis Unified's School Attendance Review Board or SARB was named as a 2026 Model Program by the state. Our team was
006one of only 13 programs in the state to receive this recognition which is pretty impressive. And a congratulations to our communications team for winning three California School Public Relations Association Awards. So, the team won two awards of excellence, the highest award given by CalSPRA. One was for Measure A bond campaign work and the other was for their um multi-platform campaign that emphasized the importance of student attendance in school. And then they received an award of merit for helping consolidate all communication into Parent Square in the manner in which they approached that transition in communication with family, staff and our community. And then I would be remiss if I didn't highlight a very small but mighty team. This is National March is National Procurement Month which is perfect opportunity to honor and recognize the hard work
007of our mighty seven-member department purchasing department. And just to give you some context to how much that small team accomplishes, for fiscal year 2024-25 the purchasing department processed 17,147 purchase orders totaling more than 260 million in supplies, equipment and services. And the department also completed 72 competitive bids which generated over a 9.8 million in cost savings to our district. And so, just a small but mighty detail-oriented team and very proud of the work that they do on behalf of our students and staff every day. The 2026 Students of Promise program award ceremony and dinner is a week from tonight and looking forward to seeing you all there. It's at 6:30 at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District Liberty Ballroom. And it is a powerful and inspiring event if you've ever been and it is such I
008don't know, an impactful evening of what resilience looks like and our students are full of grace and hope and commitment to themselves and what they believe they can accomplish. So, it's a great evening. I'm grateful for our Foundation for Clovis Schools who makes that event possible by fundraising to offer those Students of Promise a scholarship upon their graduation and enrollment in college or a career trade. And then finally, I just want to wish everyone cuz I won't see you a restful spring break which will begin the week of March 30th. It is right around the corner which I know with the hot weather feels like perfect timing but with that said, I'll conclude my report. Thank you, Dr. Fullmer. Evan, we are ready to hear your student board representative report. Good evening, President Stoker Madsen,
009members of the governing board, Dr. Fullmer, Mr. Anderson and Ms. Regier. This is the student board report for March 18th, 2026. First is Buchanan High School. Great things are happening in Bear Nation. On Monday Buchanan seniors earning lifetime CSF honors were celebrated at a beautiful evening dessert reception. Seniors shared their advice for underclassmen and rejoiced in their individual future plans. This event opens up what will surely be a joyous graduation season. Last week Buchanan's leadership program and the class of 2026 hosted the 26th annual Ambiance Fashion Show. Coordinated by a group of eight students, 32 senior models worked together to raise funds for local charities. Additionally, in its second year as a part of the show, One Nation Bear Nation saw 19 volunteer models from across Buchanan's campus join to show off some of the
010rich multicultural attire present in the Bear Nation community. Truly a fabulous event for all 51 models involved. In the world of the performing arts, Bear Stage Drama opens next week with an alumna production of Jane Austen's Emma. Additionally, both the Buchanan choirs and the Buchanan winter percussion and color guard teams have delighted audiences at their respective festivals and competitions around the valley. Well done to all the these creative and talented performers. This Friday Buchanan's Peer Counseling Program hosts the annual St. Baldrick's event at lunch on campus. The goal is to raise funds for research and make an impact for children with cancer. Go Bears. Next, we have Clovis High School who is upholding the blue and gold standard. Clovis High students continue to demonstrate excellence both inside and outside the classroom. The girls basketball team
011made an incredible run to the Division 1 State Championship finals proudly representing Clovis High School and the community. Senior Yasmine Aguilera set a CIF Division 1 girls state championship record with seven made three-pointers tying the Division 1 boys state championship record held by NBA All-Star Klay Thompson. Clovis High is incredibly proud of the team for an unforgettable season. This week also brought incredible school spirit with our Cougarchella rally featuring live music from our Rockstar Club and a crowd favorite game of wig snatch where male staff members took the stage in a hilarious competition that had the entire gym cheering. It was a great example of the school spirit and community that make Clovis High so special. Last weekend, the Clovis High drama program opened Radium Girls, a powerful play based on true events following Grace
012Fryer and the young women who fought for justice after becoming ill from painting radium watch dials. You don't want to miss this incredible show on its last weekend at the PAC. Congratulations to Noah Rodriguez and Nethmi Edirisinghe for achieving runner-up in group website and to Jasmine Navarro who was named co-champion for her individual exhibit on labor rights. Next up is Clovis East High School where it's a great day to be a Timberwolf. This week the wreck celebrated St. Patrick's Day by showcasing how lucky they are to be a part of the wolf pack. Gold coins were hidden, Lucky the Leprechaun visited, and four-leaf clovers with the names of all students and staff were displayed. Clovis East Career Technical Education programs have continued to demonstrate excellence. The fire technology program led by George Mavrikis has earned
013national accreditation, the gold standard in the industry. With this program joining Brian Greg Gibbs' nationally accredited criminal justice program, Clovis East is now one of only three schools in the nation with two nationally accredited safety pathway CTE programs on the same campus. Clovis East was also represented at the statewide Educating for Careers CTE Conference in Sacramento where teachers on Angie Brazil presented on innovative practices within Clovis Unified CTE pathways. The livestock barn at the ag center now officially bears the name of long-time and highly respected teacher Ken Diaz. A naming ceremony was held to honor Diaz's 37-year career during which he led students to multiple FFA national championships, reserve championships, and California state titles while helping grow the agricultural program into the thriving pathway it is today. The wolf pack hosted powder puff last night
014bringing the community together for an evening of flag football, cheer performances, food, and fun. Congratulations to the junior class of 2027 who took home the win. Next, we have Clovis North High School where the stampede embodies unity, courage, and commitment every day. Last Thursday, 275 students and staff joined the St. Baldrick's Brave to Save head shaving event. The stampede is donating 10 ponytails of hair to children with hair loss while others shaved their head in solidarity with those battling cancer. The goal was $6,000 and as of Monday, there is over $7,000 raised. What an incredible effort. Clovis North students had an incredible showing at the Fresno County History Day competition with all of their projects earning either first or second place in their categories, a true testament to their hard work, creativity, and dedication. Several
015CN students were named co-champions and qualified for the state competition in May at Sacramento State marking one of the program's strongest performances to date. Clovis North is so proud of these Broncos for their outstanding achievements and for representing Clovis North with excellence. Tuesday also brought some luck to the Clovis North campus when Dr. Shapiro and our two DPs dressed as leprechauns to hand out gold coins and chocolate to those wearing green. It was a fun way to celebrate the luck of the Irish. Next Wednesday, the site is excited for the luau-themed special education dance for all CUSD students. With dancing, snacks, games, and more, it's sure to be a blast. Let's celebrate together because in CUSD, aloha means unity. Go Broncos. And last but not least, Clovis West High School where the golden eagle soar
016with Olympic spirit. As the campus springs forward into a busy season, students at Clovis West High School have been actively engaged in a variety of events that highlight the school spirit of service, competition, and academic focus. Leadership students recently hosted the 18th annual La Bella Vita fashion show, a beloved campus tradition benefiting the Poverello House. This year's event generated so much excitement and community support that the show expanded to three nights. Seniors took the stage as models joined by creative participants from the AP Environmental Science class who showcased trash and fashion outfits from recycled materials. Students from Clovis West feeder schools also participated making the event a true celebration of the greater Clovis West community while raising support for a meaningful local cause. In academic competition, the Clovis West mock trial team is preparing to
017head to the state competition tomorrow. The legal eagles have demonstrated outstanding dedication and preparation throughout the season and are ready to make their case on the state stage. Meanwhile, the annual Hoop It Up basketball tournament is currently underway on campus during lunch. The tournament will culminate Monday with the highly anticipated championship matchup to determine whether the student team or staff team will take the win. Academically, the junior class has begun statewide testing kicking off with the English language arts assessment. Good luck, juniors. This concludes the student board report for March 18th. Thank you. Thank you, Evan. Does anybody have any questions for Evan? I have a question, Evan. I think you put on your um bio that you participated in mock trial. And what else? Academic uh academic decathlon. Are both of those concluded for
018the year for you or what? >> Yes. Um so, mock trial, we actually had the opportunity a couple weeks ago to compete um at the courthouse down in downtown Fresno which was just such a fun experience. I've been in it for 3 years now and I was an attorney this year and I actually had the opportunity to deliver our closing statement which was just really fun this year and it was a great opportunity especially competing against some of our other uh schools in Clovis Unified just because it was so fun seeing some of my friends who are on the other teams and supporting the other schools in CUSD. Um in terms of academic decathlon, that is concluded as well. Um that was also really fun down at Sunnyside High School. Uh I was also on
019the competing team and it was just a great experience to kind of show off what we practiced for the whole year. Um in addition to that, I just recently competed in history day where I was a co-champion uh with some of my friends. We did a group performance and so all of those were really fun experiences. Wow, congratulations on all of that. Thank you. >> me tired. How do you find time for all of all of those things? And I think you have something special to share with the board about maybe your next chapter in life. Yes, so in December I found out that I was a match for the QuestBridge scholarship which is a full ride scholarship um to mult- uh there's uh various private universities uh throughout the country that partner with it
020and I actually matched to Pomona College down in Claremont. So, um I'm receiving a full 4-year full ride to attend Pomona in the fall. Wow. >> [applause] >> Thank you. Congratulations and surely all the other things you were sharing with us had something to do with that full ride scholarship. >> Thank you. Keep up the great work. I know we have you for another um meeting, but that's very exciting and >> Thank you. I hope now you can kind of coast till graduation and then >> [laughter] >> enjoy, you know, the labors of all of your work. So. For sure. Or the yeah. All right, let's move on. We have our special presentations, Dr. Fullmer. I'll turn it over to you. Thank you so much. Yes, so first I would love um to invite up
021Assistant Director of Budget and Finance, Mr. Kyle Ellis, and he is going to help us kick off and recognize our 2026-2027 budget book cover contest winners and our runners-up. And there was some incredible work this year. Very, very proud of our students. Good evening, board President Matson, Dr. Fullmer, Mr. Anderson, and Mr. Brugger. I am honored to be here tonight to present the finance finalist and winner of our budget book cover contest. Now, before we begin, I'd like to acknowledge Xerox for their generous sponsorship. Uh their support allows us to award each finalist a $50 Visa gift card and our winner a $250 gift card. I'd also like to recognize the outstanding work of our budget finance team who have earned the ASBO Meritorious Budget Book Award for not 15 years, 20 years, 25, but
02228 consecutive years in a row. So, we're very proud of that honor. But, this doesn't happen by itself and we truly believe that showcasing our students' artwork adds a meaningful value to this achievement. So, we're very honored to be able to share this achievement with our students. We're proud to feature artwork of our finalists and winner for the 2026-27 Clovis Unified School District Adopted Budget Book. And this is a tremendous honor and I'm excited to share the incredible work with you. At this time, I will begin calling our finalists to join me at the podium. Each As each student's name is announced, their artwork will be displayed on the screen, so you'll be able to see that large right there. And they will receive a plaque. After we announce the winner, we will invite all
023students to the dais to be congratulated by our board. And parents, make sure you have your cameras ready. I got it. There. Yeah, we're all set. Perfect. To our students, you should be incredibly proud of yourselves. Your creativity, your skill, your passion for art have truly inspired us. This year's contest included four categories. We have TK through kinder, first grade through second grade, third grade through sixth grade, and seventh through 12th. And the top entries for each category were selected followed by a voting process to determine our category favorites and overall winner. And now, the time that we've all been waiting for. Let's bring up our students. Okay, let's see here. Get our presentation. Excellent. Okay, starting off with our first, Samuel Allen, sixth grade, Riverview. Next, we'd like to invite up Ion Barati from
024Fugman, second grade. Up next from Clark, eighth grade, we have Amia Nava. And also eighth grade, but from Granite Ridge, we have Audrey Tao. >> [applause] >> And then finally, we have Lena Sergupa from Fugman, kindergarten. >> [applause] >> Okay, can we get a drumroll? We have our winner. And the winner is Audrey Tao. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> And now, if we can have you introduce us walk around the board and shake hands with the board and so that they can congratulate you. Nicely done. >> [clears throat] >> We might need a booster seat >> [laughter] >> or booster step. >> [clears throat] >> Go ahead and take pictures if you wanted have them up there for some pictures. All right, I think we can move on. Dr. Fullmer, will you please introduce our next
025special presentation? Yes, so this time I'm going to invite up to the podium our director for visual and performing arts, Mr. Jeff Dean, to introduce another group of very, very talented students. Um, I can't wait for you to get to hear what they have for us. Good evening, uh, President Stoker-Matson and members of the Governing Board, Dr. Fullmer, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Gear, Mr. Acosta. As we continue to celebrate music in our schools month, I have the privilege to introduce to you a band that is the first of its kind in Clovis Unified School District. It's my pleasure to introduce to you from the Clovis North Educational Center, the Riverboat Wrestlers, a Dixieland band under the direction of Mr. Eric Dewhurst. The best way to introduce these incredible students is with their origin story. In late
026September, Mr. Dewhurst was performing with the Saint John's Riverboat Jazz Band, who was scheduled at a [snorts] Pismo Beach event to play. The host of the venue asked Mr. Dewhurst if he had any youth bands that could also come and play because they love to support young musicians. Mr. Dewhurst approached his jazz band students about the idea of starting a Dixieland band. Five rehearsals later, they had a 45-minute set that blew the Pismo Beach audience away. Word from Pismo's spread across the traditional jazz community, and since September, these students have performed for the Fresno Dixieland Society's Mardi Gras Festival, and are scheduled to play at the Jazz Affair Festival in Three Rivers this April. The band has also been invited to perform at similar festivals in Monterey and Sacramento. The band consists of one senior,
027one sophomore, four freshmen, and two eighth graders. All eight members have performed in the Fresno-Madera County Honor Band, four with the Honor Jazz Band, one with the Honor Orchestra. One of them is a three-time member of the California All-State Jazz Band, and three are current members of the Youth Orchestras of Fresno. These students really are the best of the best. So, the band got its name by honoring their hosting founders, the Saint John's Riverboat Jazz Band, and adding a Clovis Western touch, hence the Riverboat Wranglers. Performing three short tunes tonight, please welcome Mr. Eric Dewhurst and the Clovis North Riverboat Wranglers Wrestlers, sorry, wrestlers. >> [music] [music] [applause] [music] [applause] [music] [applause] >> Wow. Uh that was impressive and enjoyable. I know I'm sure President Stoker-Matson and some of our board will have some comments,
028but just truly amazing. Great job, you guys. That was so incredible. Thank you for sharing. I wish you could see the audience like we could see the audience. Everybody's head or their leg was tapping, their foot was tapping, or their hands, and wow, you were incredible. I would put you up against any professional group. Thank you for sharing your talents. I likewise like to say that was awesome. I'm a French horn player, and so I love the brass instruments, but I mean I love all music, and just the fact that all the incredible solos, that takes a lot of guts, especially at your young age. It's a lot of pressure. I mean, wow. The clarinet player, the trumpet player, the trombone, the tuba, the saxophone, I mean, all of you guys, I mean, awesome. The
029drummer, the pianist, it's just wow. Tell us your names. Uh my name is Yahir. I'm Gus. I'm John. I'm Gabriel. Kenneth. I'm I'm Dustin. I'm Aaron. You guys are so much better than the guys at Disneyland. So much better than the guys at Disneyland. >> [applause] >> Well done. I really appreciated not only the talent that each of you have, but all eight of you, when I look, you had that joy, and I just would encourage you to continue on with that passion and that joy in your heart for music. Yeah, they're just fabulous. You guys all were having fun. That's that is what's so neat about it was watching you guys just go at it. Well, I guess I'll jump in, too. No, thank you, guys, for sharing. That was incredible. Clint, you're funny,
030because I was sitting here thinking, I feel like I'm at Disneyland. That was amazing. Such incredible talent. You guys did an amazing job. Thank you. Thank you so much for being here tonight and just bringing us joy. Music is so inspiring, and thanks for sharing that, and keep playing. And we feel privileged, because this is the first time that the Riverboat Wrestlers Is it wrestlers or Wranglers? Wrestlers have performed for the board, so thank you for being here tonight. >> [applause] >> All right, Dr. Fullmer, will you please introduce our final presentation? Yes, and so we've moved from students, and we know behind all of our students are champions, right? Supporting them. And so it is my great honor to invite up to the podium Associate Superintendent of Human Resources and Employee Relations, Mr. Barry
031Jager, to introduce the recognition of our 2025 Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Educator of the Year Honorees. Well, thank you, and good evening, President Stoker-Matson, members of the Governing Board, Dr. Fullmer, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Gear. We are excited to continue this night of excellence. I have two of the three individuals that we we will be recognizing tonight that were finalists at the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, and you know, the these individuals represent close to 7,000 employees in the work that they do from the administrative side, the certificated side, and the classified side. And it truly is our employees that make a difference. You saw it with our students, you saw the artwork. You know, we are just humbled with the outcomes of our students, and we know that it truly is our our educators
032that do tremendous work. And so, I want to recognize now to my right, this is Holly Stanford, English language development teacher, English language development coordinator at the Reagan Educational Center. She has been the ELD coordinator for the past 10 years. She started at Mickey Cox in Pinedale, worked her way into administration, found her passion doing her best work with our students at the Reagan Educational Center and and leading a team out there. And so, we are excited to recognize her as the teacher finalist of the year at the county level. And I just want to share just an excerpt of what was shared about the work that Holly does. And Holly is a powerful advocate for clear and effective communication with our students, families, regardless of language differences. She consistently goes above and beyond to
033ensure that parents understand what their children need to succeed. This commitment is further evidenced by her work in maintaining up-to-date EL and RFEP online folders and a role and her role in facilitating long-term English learners. Student and parent conferences where she helps to navigate the complexities of language acquisition and academic expectations. Truly making sure she's making a difference for every student on her campus and on her center. Ladies and gentlemen, Holly Stanford and her family. >> [applause] >> Thank you, ladies, and thank you for being here. Your family is a true support system. To my left is educator of the year, our administrator of the year finalist, Dr. Annmarie Cervantes. Dr. Annmarie started in Sanger and then worked her way into administration and counseling at Clovis West High School. She has been in her current
034role as administrator of student services and student attendance for the last 20 years. We are extremely proud of the work that she does. Her work is the backbone of our district, the enrollment of our students, the accountability of our students, connecting with families, and making sure that she is working with every site in our district. Annmarie is truly a leader of leaders, and I'd like to share a bit of her packet that was read by Fresno County, obviously making her a finalist as well. Dr. Cervantes demonstrates unwavering commitment to serving families facing challenges such as homelessness, foster care, suspensions, expulsions, and school transfers. She has built partnerships with community organizations ensuring comprehensive wrap-around services for students and families. Her compassionate approach has reduced um and instilled accountability and personal growth in students and families in
035Clovis Unified School District. Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Annmarie Cervantes. >> [applause] >> And lastly, he could not be here, but he is absolutely a tremendous representation of our classified employees. That is Alvaro Cobian. He is our current ag farm supervisor at the McCart McFarland Kaufman Ag Center on the campus of the Reagan Educational Center. He is there from sunup to sundown. He has built tremendous relationships with our students, our staff, our community, and and he took over in a time that they were in real need, and he has built such a tremendous rapport with the with the ag staff and the entire staff out at the Reagan Educational Center. I will share a little bit, and then I know he had a he had a previous engagement, but his work does not go unnoticed. Um
036Daniel Bravo shares that Mr. Cobian plays an integral role in fostering an inclusive and inspiring environment for students. He ensures that every student, regardless of background, has an equitable opportunity to succeed in agriculture education. He embodies the Clovis Unified philosophy of providing a fair break for every student and creates an atmosphere where students feel supported, motivated, and empowered to learn. Visitors to the Ag Center consistently remark on the pride and professionalism reflected by Mr. Cobian's work. An environment where students thrive both academically and personally. He could not be here, but we are very proud of these three individuals. Let's give a round of applause for Mr. Cobian as well. >> [applause] >> You will notice the two plaques to our right. These are an outcome of their work as a finalist and the representation of
037our district. So, Governing Board, we're extremely proud of our three finalists at the county level. Congratulations to each of you, and thank you for your service for our school district and how you represent us and the work that you do individually in your spheres, right? I think I've learned the most over my seven, eight years on the board is how we all serve in our own sphere, and it takes everybody serving in their own sphere for this district to do what it does. So, thank you for what you have given in your spheres and the the lives that you have touched. So, we would love to shake your hand if you want to come up and join us. I know you brought your family. You are welcome to head out to have dinner. >> [laughter]
038>> You are welcome to go ahead and Well, that was a fun night of special presentations. A special night. It is now time for public presentations. This time is reserved for individuals who may wish to address the board regarding a matter that is not included on the board agenda. Please note that because these items brought up during the public portion right now are not on the agenda for the Brown Act, we as a board may not discuss them or act upon such items, but I want to assure you that we hear you and and we listen and and process. So, I hope that you feel heard tonight. So, we will have our first speaker is Amy Kilburn. Come on up, Amy. Good evening, Governing Board, President Madsen, Dr. Fullmer, Ms. Regier. My name is Amy
039Kilburn. I am an educator in the district and also the ACE President. I'm here to talk about two additional groups of educators that are outstanding, the interpreters, the ASL interpreters at Buchanan, and the naturalists up in Sonora. And I have a letter that they have from the community that I'm going to read to you. Dear Clovis Unified School Board, we, the undersigned educators, staff, families, and community members, stand in strong support of the ASL interpreters and naturalists classified educators of Clovis Unified School District as they work to secure fair contracts through the Association of Clovis Educators. Clovis Unified has long said we believe in people, not programs. ASL interpreters and naturalists are the people who make these programs possible. ASL interpreters ensure that students who are deaf or hard of hearing have full access to
040their education, every lesson, every interaction, every opportunity. Naturalists at Sierra Outdoor School provide transformative, hands-on learning that builds confidence, sparks curiosity, and stays with students for life. These educators are not supplemental. They are essential. Their work directly advances the district's core aims, maximize achievement for all students, operate with efficiency and effectiveness, develop and sustain a high-quality workforce. There is a principle that has long guided this community. We're too poor to buy cheap. When we underinvest in people doing the work, we don't save, we lose. We lose stability, we lose quality, and we risk losing the very programs and services that define Clovis Unified. For over a year, ASL interpreters and naturalists have been working to secure their first contracts, but progress has been stalled by the district's lack lack of collaboration and compromise on the
041issues that matter most to these educators. At some point, values must be reflected in action. If we want strong programs, we must invest in the people behind them. We urge the district to reach fair agreements in a timely and meaningful way. We stand with ASL interpreters, we stand with naturalists, we stand for a fair contract. And I have copies of the letter for you all. Thank you, Ms. Kilburn. >> [applause] >> Speaker number two, Cameron Hermosillo. Good evening. My name is Cameron Hermosillo, and I am part of the ACE ASL interpreters bargaining unit. And the last time that I stood here, I was introducing our sunshine proposal on November 13th, 2025. I've been an interpreter in this district for 4 years and in that time I've realized something that's hard to accept. I make less
042now than I did in my previous job working retail. In these years I've continued to grow professionally working towards my EIPA certification and even earning my master's degree because I believe that deaf and hard of hearing students deserve qualified interpreters who can give them full access to their education. But while we've been working to better ourselves and serve students, the district still hasn't addressed a serious problem that students are going without interpreters every single day. That's just not an inconvenience. It's unsafe and it's unequal access to education. Our team has proposed solutions to make sure we fill the ongoing vacancies so that our student students are not being denied access. Every time we've been told no without meaningful explanation. Meanwhile, the needs of our students remain unmet. When there's no access to communication, there's no
043access to instruction, no access to relationships, no access to belonging. We're We're not asking for special treatment. We're asking to be recognized as the essential members of the educational team that we are and to be compensated like our surrounding districts who have a starting pay higher than what we cap out at after 8 years of dedicated work. We're asking to be supported so we can stay in these positions and provide consistent access to every deaf and hard of hearing student in this district. Thank you for your time and for the opportunity to remind you of what's truly at stake here, communication, safety, and equity for our students. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Speaker number three, David Chacon. Good evening. I am David Chacon. I'm a wrestling student at Buchanan. I'm also a senior. And the
044few of the reasons that I want to talk here tonight is because at wrestling I would wonder like if the coach is talking and there's no interpreter there, I don't know how to communicate with the coach. Sometimes things happen like maybe my leg got hurt. The coach wouldn't know how to communicate with me or emergency services. Interpreters have to be there to be able to allow me to communicate. Coach try to text and they write, but it's not equal access. It doesn't help me understand what the coach said. The interpreters help me understand. And if I'm in class sitting and there's no interpreter, the teacher just talks. And the teacher will tell us like things that are due and what's going on and give us assignments and I don't understand if there's no interpreter. So
045they'd have to try to call an interpreter come and sometimes there's not an interpreter available and I miss things. I miss when things are due. My grade decreases because of that. I need an interpreter there. That's it. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Speaker number four, Ms. Morales. Good evening. My name is Yahaira and I am the mother of David Chacon who just walked off. He is my deaf son who is currently a senior in the deaf and hard of hearing program. While this is his final year, I'm not here just for him. I'm here for students and families who will continue to rely on this program. For deaf and hard of hearing students, sign language interpreters are not optional. They are not They are essential. My son depends on his interpreters every day
046for communication, for learning, and for feelings including included in his classroom and wrestling events. Without an interpreter, he does not have equal access to his education or to participate fully in school events or school activities. He is left out of conversation and instructions and connections. Interpreters do so much more than translate. They build trust, they build support, understanding, and help students form relationships. They are critical part of creating an environment where students feel included and able to succeed. That is why it is concerning to see interpreters leaving at this rate. We cannot afford to lose any more. When interpreters are not available, students lose access not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well. As a parent, I want to be clear that if we want interpreters to stay, there needs to be change by
047making them feel supported, valued, [clears throat] in the work that they do. When interpreters are supported, they stay and when they stay, our students thrive. My son may be graduating, but there are many students who still depend on this program. They deserve access, they deserve inclusion, and it starts with supporting interpreters. But it doesn't stop there. It also means making real improvement to the deaf and hard of hearing program. We need a program where every student is supported, included, and truly understood. With staff who know how to care for and educate for to care for educated deaf and hard of hearing students. Thank you for your time and I hope you take this into consideration. >> [applause] >> Thank you. Speaker number five, Peter Moreno. Good evening. My name is Peter Moreno. I'm a member
048of the ASL interpreters bargaining unit. There are issues that the district, the interpreters, and most importantly the deaf and hard of hearing students are facing. We don't have enough interpreters to cover the needs of our DHH students who have interpreting services on their IEPs. It impacts our education, but it's also a safety concern. On Monday, March 9th, we had a student at Clovis East and one at Cart, but not enough interpreters to cover both. I was sent to Clovis East, but had I been sent to Cart that day, the Clovis East student would have gone without an interpreter during the shelter-in-place and evacuation during the the the bomb threat. He would have not had an interpreter for the verbal instructions given by law enforcement as they went room to room. Imagine not knowing what's going
049on in that situation. The district uses the excuse that there is a shortage of interpreters everywhere. There's only a shortage if you give up trying to attract and retain the student the staff that our students need. Other districts are staying attractive and and our staff are going there. It's a simple supply and demand issue. We've lost over 10 signing staff and interpreters over the last couple years due to the fact that we couldn't negotiate our needs. That's roughly 25% of our staff lost. There doesn't have to be a shortage. Some interpreters have left for better paying jobs getting 20 to 35 dollars more an hour. We know of interpreters who would come back and that are interested in applying if they knew they could live off of one job. There doesn't have to be a
050shortage. Take my story. I'm an I've been an interpreter for 20 years, 15 years with Clovis Unified. I have my bachelor's degree and my and my EIPA cert EIPA certification. With all those credentials, I make less than a year one non-fully credentialed teacher. For over 20 years I've worked two and three jobs and it causes burnout and it affects the quality of my interpreting. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. There does not need to be an an interpreter shortage. We can keep the interpreters and attract interpreters to apply if we compensate them appropriately for the highly specialized skill that we've cultivated and for the degrees that we have earned. There does not need to be a shortage. Thank you for your time. >> [applause] >> Speaker number six, Ms. Green.
051Hi. I am here and my son is part of the deaf and hard of hearing program. I brought a little I'm more on the um athletic side and I wanted to show you he is a varsity wrestler. He was at Buchanan um area at that time, Alta. He is now at Clovis High. Um and that's how we know David. They're the only two wrestlers in California that we know who are deaf and hard of hearing. Um and if my son does what his coaches think he's going to do, he will be the first deaf and hard of hearing athlete to ever place in California. Um this is important to us because it's his dream, it's his goal. Um What he does here in athletics um is going to you know form his entire future for
052his college education, if he's going to be a coach in the future, things like that. Um but in order to do that, he needs the proper support. We had to leave Alta Sierra and Buchanan because they refused all interpreter uh they refused all tutoring. We've heard they do not have funding for it. Um they just denied it all after my son actually experienced um a teacher who was emergency credentialed uh no hearing um deaf and hard of hearing uh experience at all. She had um there were some inappropriate things towards my son that happened. She was not allowed to be around him. So when I asked who was going to provide my son his services, they said we have no one. So it's not just the interpreters, it's the tutors, everyone. And a lot of
053the tutors are not fit because they don't understand exactly cuz they come and go, a lot of them are temporary. The interpreters understand even though my son doesn't need to sign, he doesn't the comprehension issue. Um people are not trained to understand how to deal with them. The way their brain works, it's very different. Um so I am in total support that we need these interpreters. We need people who can give the kids all what they need. Um and I just hope you guys can take that into consideration because my son's entire future and everything he wants to do is dependent on that. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Green. >> [applause] >> Speaker number seven, Ms. Botello. Oh, dear. Hello. My name is Margarita Botello. I am a former student of Buchanan. As a former
054As a hard of hearing student individual, sorry. I have had the privilege of working with numerous exceptional sign language interpreters through my throughout my elementary and high school years. It is disconcerting to note that there is a shortage of interpreters for these remarkable students who have the potential to make a positive impact on this world. The absence of interpreters would deprive them of equal access of to education. When I had an interpreter, it significantly enhanced my understanding of the teacher's instructions as I would also often miss crucial information due to distractions. I urge you to consider my my perspective as an an adult who has been benefited from the support of interpreters. I am now pursuing a degree in sign language and my goal is to give back to the Clovis Unified community and future
055students in communicating through sign language. I am grateful for the dedication of these interpreters who ensure that there's no student left behind. The person I am today is due to their tireless efforts and I urge you to consider this their accommodations so that other students can continue to benefit the way I did. Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing. >> [applause] >> Speaker number eight, Heather Custer. Good evening. My name is Heather Custer and I'm here as a parent of three Buchanan High School graduates to support the naturalists at Sierra Outdoor School. My children, like every Clovis Unified sixth grader before them, had the opportunity to attend camp at SOS and I had the good fortune to join all of them as a chaperone. When I asked my children their favorite experiences at camp,
056all three of them mentioned activities guided by naturalists. My son remembered the stargazing night and listening to the naturalists tell ancient stories about constellations and explain the science of our universe. The impact of that night created an interest in astronomy which has led him to dark sky areas each August to watch the Perseid meteor showers. My oldest daughter remembers the ropes course. She recalls the anticipation of climbing the pole up to the top with the encouragement and watchful eyes of the naturalists guiding her from below and the one awaiting atop the platform. The pride she felt conquering that challenge boosted her confidence to try other new experiences. My youngest daughter embraced the silent mile. Walking in nature, listening to the sounds and observing the world around her, the signs the naturalists posted along the way
057drew her attention to details she might have missed on her own. Put your belly up on this tree and look up or stop, listen to the sound of the water. This solitary time to use her senses and to clear her mind has stayed with her. She continues to see nature as a respite and a source of wonder. Witnessing all of this as a chaperone made me appreciate the expertise, training, heart, and soul the naturalists bring to their jobs and share with our children. They contribute to the development of our CUSD students in mind, body, and spirit in ways their classroom teachers cannot. They deserve compensation that values the impact that they have on our children, compensation that respects their education, their years of experience, their commitment to safety of our children, and their devotion to
058a treasured Clovis Unified tradition. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Speaker number nine, Mr. Moss. Good evening, governing board. My name is Scott Moss and I'm a naturalist at Sierra Outdoor School. Tonight my colleague and I drove the 132 miles, 3 hours, because it was important for you to hear us. I love what I do and CUSD says that they believe in people, not programs. And I'm one of the people that make Sierra Outdoor School run. Things this past few days that I have done as an I trained an intern who wants to stay in education. Um I cared for five wild birds of prey, managed the safety of 35 students as they climbed up on our high ropes course, uh drove a school school bus full of students down a windy mountain road, and that's
059just the job. Teaching, safety, mentorship, and only works because of the naturalist. And right now the people doing this work are being asked to keep giving more without a contract to reflect that. After over 1 year of bargaining, we are in mediation and about to be pushed to fact-finding. Not because we want to escalate, because the district has come with no real movement. We are asking for a fair contract because without the people, there is no program. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Speaker number 10, Austin Thibault. Hello, my name is Austin Thibault, also naturalist at Sierra Outdoor School. And first I want to thank you for operating SOS. It's an amazing place. Um I'll speak briefly to an agenda item that I'm in as we're upgrading myself and colleague from substitute naturalist to part-time naturalist.
060And that's a big win uh that came from our our bargaining sessions. However, um the real reason I'm here is that since then our bargaining has essentially stalled out. Um the um the bargaining team on the district side is uh no longer offering much. Um And what we have to go to next is fact-finding if it uh if something does not change. Um and I wanted to say that I honestly don't think the fact-finding is would be in any of our best interests. Um Some of the things that they will find is that we are currently working overtime hours with no overtime compensation. And they will find that our use of our substitutes at SOS is not exactly in alignment with education code. Um and they'll find that our turnover rate has been extremely high.
061Um we've lost essentially our entire team twice over uh in the last 10 years and even more than that in the more recent years. Um And also the compensation we're asking for I think is extremely reasonable. Um it brings us closer to a living wage in our area, but still under what is considered a living wage of our area. Um it is numerically speaking for our entire SOS team 1/75 of a swimming pool upgrade that was previously authorized. So we have our bargaining on Friday again. Um so I'm going to have to ask you all to reconsider if the SOS naturalists are worth 1/75 of a swimming pool. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Speaker number 11, Ariana Singh. Good evening. My name is Ariana Singh. I am both a deaf employee in
062this district and a former deaf student. I know firsthand what happens when students do not have full access to communication. Assuming students are fine without proper support is audism, discrimination against the deaf and hard of hearing community. Even students who use hearing aids or cochlear implants still have to work twice as hard to process what is happening around them. These devices don't mean we can automatically understand everything. Group discussions, fast speech, background noise, or videos can all make communication difficult. When access is missing, meaning our interpreter, students are left trying to piece together what is happening. They may see mouths moving, students laughing, raising their hand, or standing up without understanding what is being said or why. If a teacher turns away while speaking, voices are too quiet, or the room is noisy, comprehension becomes
063even more difficult. Without proper access, deaf, hard of hearing students miss important information, classroom discussions, and learning opportunities that their hearing peers receive every day. Over time, this can lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection from school. It is equally important to create a workplace where deaf, hard of hearing, and signing staff want to stay. Our rule Our roles require high levels of responsibility, proper training, qualifications, bilingual skills, and cultural competencies. When staff leave, student lose students lose language access, consistency, and trust. A student's right to an equal education cannot be fully maintained under current conditions. Sorry. Thank you. Thank you. Speaker number 12, Julie Abdallah? I think, or Adele? I'm not sure. Good evening. My name is Juliana Abdallah. I have been with the district for 8 years, and for the past three, I
064have served as the interpreter for the number one nationally ranked wrestling program at Buchanan. While working with this program, I've really come to understand what Doc Buchanan meant by the by people over programs. Without the people, coaches, parents, students, CUSD wouldn't have these programs we're so proudly promoting. Now, if you're not familiar, the wrestling department is not an easy one to work with. However, after much trial and error, our program came together, and we found a way to make it work for the sake of our student. That has led me to wonder, after a full year of negotiation, why haven't we found a way for the district and the bargaining team to work together to ensure our students have access to the very best programs this district has to offer? Because if we truly believe
065in the concept of people over programs, then we should also believe in working with the people who make these programs possible. Thank you all for being here. We appreciate you taking the time to share with us, and I assure you that we listen, we take notes. Um so, thank you for being here tonight and sharing. All right, next is our consent agenda. I'll entertain a motion to adopt the consent agenda as submitted. Motion. Second. Any discussion? All those in favor? I. Any opposed? We'll give We'll give it a second. Don't Don't worry. Take your time. Bye. All right, thank you for your patience. Uh Action N1, I'll entertain a motion to ratify the memorandum of understanding between Clovis Unified School District and the Association of Clovis Educator Naturalist to reclassify two employees currently identified as
066naturalist substitutes to naturalists. So moved. Is there a second? Any discussion? All in favor? I. Any opposed? All right, N2, the board will now consider the employment contract for the position of administrator of facility services. Under government code section 54953D3, the board provides a summary of the proposed compensation before taking final action on the contract. The salary for this position will be $160,729. The fringe benefits are those identified in board policy 4154 for certificated management. Do we have a motion? So moved. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Any opposed? N3, the board will now consider the amendment to the employment contract for the superintendent. Under government code section 54953D3, the board provides a summary of the proposed compensation before taking final action on the amendment. The new base salary for this position will be
067$313,098. The fringe benefits are those identified in board policy 4154 for certificated management. Do I have a motion to adopt an amendment to the contract for the superintendent? So moved. Second. Um any discussion? I would personally like to note, um just for the record, that since Dr. Fullmer's appointment 3 and 1/2 years ago, there has been no adjustment to her salary. In the meantime, uh or in that same time frame, we have increased our employee salaries both initially by 5.5% and then an additional 3.5% a a different year. So, um my personal opinion is that we're just trying to get her caught up to what we've done for our other employees. This item would keep all other provisions of the contract the same as they already were, unchanged, and it would just update the salary
068to remain competitive in our area, and we did run a comparison. I think you all received those comparisons, um that really it reflects that the increase is comparable, um and actually is still on still on the low side compared to a lot of superintendents in our area, and is is just comparable to what's already been implemented by for our other employees. So, does anybody have any more comments? I'd also say that in comparison, there are districts that aren't aren't as well run as ours. Any other discussion? All in favor? I. Any opposed? N4, I'll entertain a motion to approve the district's second interim financial report and adopt a positive certification indicating the district will be able to meet its financial obligations for the remainder of the 2025-26 school year as required by Assembly Bill 1200.
069So moved. Second. Any discussion? I just have to say 28 years. Is it 28 years? 28 times? 18? >> 28 years. That's incredible. It is the longest running, I believe, when I asked Michael before, Michael Johnston, um in the state of California. Wow. Congratulations, and thank you for the work that your whole team does. That's incredible. All in favor? I. Any opposed? N5, I'll entertain a motion to authorize the superintendent or designee to approve a financial agreement with the Bank of America to fund the 2026-27 employee computer refresh program. So moved. So moved. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Any opposed? All right, N6, I'll entertain a motion to authorize the superintendent or designee to enter into an agreement with the recommended architectural firm to provide design services for the new elementary school number
07036 located near Perrin and Minnewawa Avenues. Is there a motion? So moved. Second. Second. Any discussion? I hope you all took time to review presentation >> the presentation that gave us some explanation on that. It was very informative. So, all in favor? I. Any opposed? N7, I'll entertain a motion to authorize the superintendent or designee to enter into a pre-construction management service agreement for the new elementary school number 36 near Perrin and Minnewawa Avenues. So moved. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? I. I. N8, I'll entertain a motion to award the following bids. Bid number 3057 for athletic athletic field lights at various sites. Bid number 3059 for Clovis North High School pool shade structure. And bid number 3061 for Nelson Elementary School modernization phase one per the attached tabulations. So moved. Second. Second. Any
071discussion? All in favor? I. Any opposed? All right, on to information items. There is just four there. Um do you have any questions? [clears throat] >> question Yeah, just what's phase seven now with Terry P. Bradley? Or increment seven? Increment seven is the event center and then the last two high school academic wings. Thank you. Any other questions? Sorry. Okay. Um we will now move on to our board subcommittee reports. Um our admin services HR board subcommittee. Yeah, I'm happy to make that report. It's going to be a abbreviated report. We only uh got through about half of our agenda. We spent 2 hours in there. We probably have about another couple hours to go, but just the one thing that I can report is the status of our transportation department and the transportation facility
072renovation. The district is going to go ahead with a lease on a temporary facility to maintenance facility for our buses. They were able to find a a very reasonably competitively priced lease on a facility which we had a chance to see in closed session there. It there's plenty of square footage there for the buses, for all of our equipment, offices, bathrooms that will be leased and that way we're we're not moving things around the existing facility as the work is being done. It will allow the work to to get done without the the day-to-day activity of fleet maintenance um at that location and instead it will be nearby. That's all I have for tonight and then as soon as we finish we're meeting again next week before students of promise and then we'll bring you
073that update at our next meeting. Thank you. Yeah, I just added Devere Steers put on a presentation for us that was very in-depth, gave us a lot of history and how things work, how things have changed in cost, how the process worked. Very in-depth, very efficient how we do things. >> In-depth about what? In-depth about how we're spending our money, how we're how we pick the different the different you know architects and construction. I mean and one of the examples that stuck with me so much was the DSA example that was it Bud Rank that was 50,000? Oras was 50,000 about 10 years ago for the DSA fees and Hirayama a few years ago was 958,000 or so. 550 550 550 10 times. I mean it was just crazy the the change in cost and
074and so when it's sometimes people think oh we're spending so much money it's not a lot of it is the state of California makes our costs so high. And the costs are increasing exponentially to construct a school. Really what spurred the whole conversation was a number of us had questions about well, if we're building the same school over and over, why can't we just reuse the plans and save money that way? But that is just not how it's done and because every site has different requirements, every lot size is different. It was very very very interesting for those of us who are interested in that kind of thing. But that's what started the conversation and it ended up being a 2-hour very interesting question and answer presentation by staff. And um the members of the
075committee were educated. So thank you for that. Thank you. I think that's important for all of us to understand you know when we hear the price tag and we have to answer to our community about the price tag of the schools that we're building, we need to be able to understand what's going into it and actually had a conversation with Mr. Steers. Mr. Steers, will you come up? I'd love for him to to share publicly what some of the changes have been, why we why they're costing so much. There's just some new things from DSA that we are needing to build that we haven't had to build on our other elementary schools and I thought it might be good for our community to hear some of those things. I need to call facilities. Hold on.
076>> [laughter] >> There we go. So yeah, thanks. I think at first when we looked at this this question there's a number of factors that go into it, right? When we talk about how our how the prices of our schools escalate from one school to the next, but just more specifically you know, what's changed in our last five elementary schools cuz we looked back to Bud Rank which was 22 years ago and what's changed school over school over school and I think it's important for you all to know every 3 years there's a code cycle change with DSA that comes with new regulations. So when that comes, new regulations never do new regulations come with a cheaper price tag, right? So as we continue to add EV chargers. Now we're required now to put EV
077chargers when we build a new school. We're required to put solar, we're required to put battery storage. All of those things that that quite frankly we were doing solar before because it was a cost benefit for us to offset our our production or our usage rather. Now with the requirements we're we're putting in what is the requirement because there's been changes to the NEM 3 status that don't make it as as productive for us to do that. We've also added a grade level. So when we added a grade level, we now have to build two new classrooms. When you just do the cost per square foot the addition of two new classrooms equates to about $2 million. So you add that to it. We've also added because we are a destination district and our special
078ed population continues to grow, we now add we've added the construction and the design of two permanent special ed classrooms in our wing. So that's an additional two more million dollars. So when you start to look at those things we're not building anything that's above and beyond what what Bud Rank is compared to, right? From 22 years ago. It's the fact that as everything right now is continues to get more expensive, we bear that brunt on the confront on the construction front as well. When you look at it just the California construction cost index since 2007 has increased 109%. So those are direct costs that we have to then bear the brunt of. Can you briefly explain what the DSA is, why it was founded? So DSA stands for Division of State Architect and so
079every project that's done on a school site has to have their plans go through DSA for review. They review for three things. They they review for structural, access and then fire life safety. So those they have three divisions of DSA and so if we touch a school and do any sort of a modernization project, it'll trigger that we have to go in for DSA review. And DSA the they they charge us to review the plans. So we submit and and you guys are all familiar with us talking about DSA and and the time periods that it takes, but those costs have have also gotten exponentially more expensive. It's set to be a percentage of the overall cost of the school, but when you look at what it was compared to Oras versus Hirayama, it has
080grown exponentially which which just keeps that going. We also have testing and inspection fees. Those those are different and they vary from site to site, but I think to board member Autry's >> [snorts] >> example, at Oras I think we were roughly and I I don't want to misquote, but we were roughly 120,000 in testing and inspection fees at Hirayama we were 628,000. That's because there was some mitigation that had to be done on that site when we when we go through that. So every site is different, every site comes with its own challenges, but that that's why we set a budget that we have to plan for all of those things as we as we set forth the budget and then we will design to that. I'm guessing with the increased fees that means
081that they process things much more quickly, right? Sort of. Sort of. It it it it works depending and so right now this is a code cycle change year and so what you'll hear if you talk to anybody in the industry is everybody rushes to get their plans in to DSA before the code cycle changes which then forces them to have a huge backlog and then potentially what they'll do is then they end up bringing in outside reviewers that that don't work for DSA. So you could have an architect that's a public architect in in Oakland or Sacramento that gets outsourced to then review our documents. So we have had that before. That is that is somewhat typical in this in this industry when it comes to code cycles. Thank you, Mr. Steers. Informative for us.
082Yeah. We'd also like to hear from Mr. Autry for the CART so subcommittee meeting. Yeah, so we we CART picked a learning director from Clovis High, Aaron Morgan. Um it was him and another learning director in Clovis. Very tough, both very qualified individuals. Um and Aaron just came out on top. It was a tough tough pick for us, but we are it's a it's a big thing because uh Rick Watson's run that school 12 years. 14 years and he's done a Dr. Watson has done a great job there and and it's a it's going to be a change, but we are very excited about our pick and he's going to he's very excited about it which you need to be excited at CART cuz CART is a very different school, has a very innovative in
083the ways it does things and he's excited to get involved in it and we're excited to have him. Question. So when you guys do the panel because it's Fresno Unified and Clovis Unified, are there equal number of board members? I mean or not board members, equal number of representatives from both districts on the panel and then do you have to have just a majority in order to approve or how does that work? >> just it's a it's a board. So just like ours, so majority wins, but it's it's a board. Our board is one Fresno Unified, one Clovis, one business person by Clovis, one business person by Fresno. There is a one neutral party that's neither and that is So it did it Fresno Unified is involved in that just their their superintendent sat on
084the board along with the current. Yep. All right. Well, then I'll just say it's an honor that one of our employees was chosen. Will we have an opportunity to meet him in meeting here? Yes, so we will bring him for administrator um introductions. And I do recognize this one's a little bit different because CART has its own board as part of the JPA that they make the appointment, but uh we will still include Mr. Morgan in introductions to you so you have a face to go with the name. Great. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Autry. All right, we'll have board member reports. We'll start with you, Ms. Yolanda Moore. All right. Um lots of track, um but it's fun because I'm getting to go to the high school track meets and the middle school. So,
085it's been fun, and it's actually really been fun to see Sanchez out there the intermediate ones. The I heard a mom say, "What school is that?" Another mom was like, "That's the new middle school." So, it's kind of fun. Um people seeing the Longhorn logo out there. Um the senior events are starting. Clovis High had their NHS ceremony um this week, and there was a young lady who um was inducted into NHS, a senior. They said she had come to Clovis Unified less than 2 years ago. I can't remember exactly how long, but it was less than 2 years ago. Did not speak any English. Um and she was being inducted into NHS, which is such an honor. And I thought it just spoke volumes to the opportunities that we provide for students and the
086supports in place um that she was able to earn that in such a short amount of time of being in our district. Um and then this morning, Dr. Fuller and I had a lovely visit at Fort Washington. Um got to visit a lot of classrooms. It was interesting. Every classroom we went into, it didn't matter what grade, um all of the kids were just like locked in and engaged. You know, every now and then you walk into a classroom and it's like, "Eh." But like every kid was like engaged and locked in. It was really good to see, um and I think it was a fourth-grade classroom. You're They had a little Q&A for Dr. Fuller. But it was good. So, I had the teacher had vetted some of the questions, but there were a
087few that she had not, but the kids had great questions, and Dr. Fuller was just was on it, and some of them were tricky like, "What's your favorite What's your favorite school?" You know. >> [laughter] >> But she was on it with the answers, and so it was kind of cool to see just the questions the kids had. One young man asked her, "How do you manage all of the schools in the district?" This is a fourth-grader asking her how does she manage it. So, it was just kind of cool to hear and have that um that time with the kids this morning, and uh that's all I have. I had the opportunity first last Thursday to attend the barn naming um at the McFarland Kaufman Agriculture um Center, and that was wonderful. I've had
088a few opportunities to meet Mr. Diaz, and he's wonderful man, wonderful family. Um as well as I stayed afterwards, they had a FFA I guess it was an FFA open house and dinner, and I was just so impressed with the student officers from the FFA over there. They were just incredible. I mean, they literally circled around us and literally they stood up, and they said their responsibilities for their position, and it was just it was just a wonderful evening, and I think it was I don't know. They I think they they picked my name for the basket. I got the basket. So, I'm wondering if they rigged that or something. I tried to give it away, but it didn't work, you know, but I was honored. Um I also had the opportunity this past Monday
089to attend the Buchanan High School uh CSF awards. Um I really try hard to go to all of these every year, although my spring break this year will prevent me from going to a couple, but it's even more special because, you know, the principal over there is Omar Hamiden. He was my master teacher at Clovis High Clovis East High School 20 years ago. He was also my son's sponsor for uh for senior awards um for my second oldest son in 2014. So, I hold a special place in my heart for Mr. Hamiden, okay? He's a great guy. Um but anyway, but I I enjoy getting to go to these evening events. It allows me the opportunity as a full-time school teacher to be able to go in the evenings and participate in these events, and
090and they really, you know, Mr. Hamiden leaned over to me and said, "Hey, I really appreciated you being here." And that, you know, that made me feel good, you know? So, it's just interesting, you know, kind of the full circle we come. Just real quick, I went to the FFA barn naming also, and that was really nice thing to honor uh Mr. Diaz. He is uh very has done a just a wonderful job with ag, and he's kept ag alive in Clovis, and not only kept it alive, but just made it vibrant and growing and just a great great CTE not a CTE program, but oh, it is somewhat of a CTE program, yeah. It's just a great program. It was nice to see him honored. Lots of great things happening across Clovis Unified, uh
091and it's amazing how every 2 weeks we have so much to report. I had the pleasure of attending the Sierra Vista IDAC uh council with Mr. Dilly as well as Dr. Ware. It was 2 hours of just being so impressed not only with the students, and they were some things the same students doing the Scandinavian dance, quickly changing to do the folkloric dance, as well as the Hmong dance. Um they did something very interesting, which they broke into nine teams, and we had a passport, and we went to each station, and it was truly the students who were so proud of the program, and they could articulate exactly what each of for instance, if it was student council, they shared about that, leadership, uh bridges. And then I got to the my last station happened
092to be the parents, and uh they are proud of the school. They are always supporting the teachers, and they want their children engaged. And I says, "Well, what are you doing in terms of like you're the president this year. How are you building for continuity?" And they said, "You know what? They the kindergarten mothers and fathers do not have to pay. So, they get them in the very beginning, and they are parent club members for the remainder of the 7 years there." Um I also had the pleasure of doing a site visit at Nelson Elementary. I visited my long-term sub that I was hired for in 1990 by Linda Hauser in room six. Um I am happy to say that they are going to have a major renovation because that room looked very familiar in
093terms of the storage and everything. Um but the one thing that has not changed is the culture, and I mentioned this last time. The culture of the school, the culture of the district, um Monica Brewer was a student at Nelson. She is now a long-term employee at Nelson. And um one of the other things, I attended a community event. It was the Blood Cancer United uh gala, formerly known as LLS, Leukemia Lymphoma Society. There was 21 teams who raised They were high school students aged 15 to 18 who raised over 700,000 in 7 weeks for cancer awareness. Of those 21 teams made up of 40 students, half of them were from Clovis Unified. Representing four high schools, a 15-year-old, Tess Leslie, from Clovis West, came in second place for raising the second highest amount. 15
094years old. She came in at 75,000 in 7 weeks. And I said, "Formerly being of a nonprofit, we need to hire her." In addition, there was a Clovis North team. I saw Dr. Shapiro earlier. And they were recognized for their statewide efforts of not only uh all these teams, they're co-curricular, their academics. They did 20 presentations, each of these teams, to across these businesses, and just talking about how a lot of us are impacted by cancer. And they were awarded for being able to going up and down the state's promoting cancer awareness or Blood Cancer United. I share that because a lot of times we talk about what's happening within the boundaries of Clovis Unified, but our students are doing great things up and down the state. Thank you. So, I just have two quick
095things to share. I had um the opportunity my kids and I went to a UC Merced volleyball game because BYU was playing them. And we drove up, and I'm it was standing room only. I'm in the corner, and this darling college-aged girl comes up to me, and she says, "Hi, Mrs. Madsen." And it was Minar. If you remember, Minar was one of our board reps. And she had a UC Merced shirt on, and she said, "I just have to tell you I'm the ASB president here. So, I am still involved in leadership." And I said, "I'm going to go back and tell the board about that. And it was just fun for her to share that and she was excited about it. And of course I remembered her. Um but that was a fun thing
096to report. And then I've had the opportunity the last several Thursdays to participate in a a thing called the FBI Citizens Academy. Uh and it's been very interesting. I got to go to the shooting range last Saturday. It was awesome. But I bring it up because I've met some interesting people that serve in our community and one lady that I met, um Miranda, she is the senior vice president of ATM and card services at EEOC. And I said, well, we love EEOC at Clovis West and we're super excited about our partnership at Clovis South that we're trying to get. And she knew all about it and she went on to say how much they love having their branch at Clovis West and how much they love that a lot of the students get hired, and
097which we know knew that, but also some of the students get internships because of clients that come in. And the clients are impressed with the students, and so somehow they collaborate and they are able to get um internships. I don't know if they're over the summer or what, but I just thought that wasn't maybe part of this CTE program that we thought would be um a consequence or you know, something that good good out of it. So it was really fun to make that connection and and to hear from her perspective that partnership and the benefits to our students. So um yeah, they look forward to also doing that at Clovis South. So. Well done. Yeah. And then we'll share I'll share another time some the reason that I'm actually in the FBI Citizens Academy
098is Yeah. Yeah, I know. Cool. But some heavy heavy topics and heavy topics that impact our students. That um Yeah, we'll need to address. So. On a lighter note, it's 8:14. We can call this meeting done. Adjourned.