001We have a quorum. This meeting is being webcast live and recorded. The recording or webcast may capture images and sounds of those attending the meeting. Close session items are as follows. 2.1 Recommended expulsions. 2.2 Recommended reinstatements. 2.3 public employee assignment reassignment appointment. 2.4 4, public employee discipline dismissal release complaints. 2.5 Conference with labor negotiator. 2.6 Conference with legal counsel existing litigation. And 2.7 anticipated litigation. Public comment on closed session items will be heard at this time. Pursuant to board policy, the board may limit individual comments to no more than 3 minutes and individual topics to 20 minutes. It is recommended you begin your comments by stating your name. There are no comments. The board will now adjourn to close session. We will now uh convene the regular session. I'm going to introduce the interpreter. Alandra
002Moran will serve as the Spanish interpreter for this meeting. Meeting attendees who would like to listen to the Spanish interpretation of the proceedings, please pick up headphones from the table located in the back of this room. This announcement will be now shared in Spanish. Thank you. This meeting is being webcast live and recorded. The recording or webcast may capture images and sounds of those attending the meeting. Members of the public who would like to provide public comment on items listed on tonight's agenda. We recommend you fill out the public comment form, the green form located on the table at the northeast entrance of this room. Please hand the completed form to the board manager, Monica Andrew, before the item comes up on the agenda. We recommend you complete a separate form for each agenda item
003on which you would like to comment. Miss Andrew is located in the back of this meeting room. Thank you. Members of the public providing public comment, please use the microphone on the stand located in the front of the room. We'll now do the pledge of allegiance. Board member Todd Odo will now lead us in the pledge of allegiance. Please stand. The student performance for this evening is LDonte High School Orchestra and Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, Andy Deo. Thank you, board president Naylor, Superintendent Shrum, board members, and parents who are with us tonight. You guys picked a great night to come. Not only are we doing awards, but we always start our evening with a performance by our students. And this one's a great one. Tonight, I'm happy to introduce the Eldiamonte Chamber Orchestra led
004by Mr. Advala and Miss Scoffield. And tonight, they're going to be presenting the first movement from the Abdelazour suite. I practice that, by the way. The music was first composed in 1695 and was designed to be played as a sort of soundtrack to a live play. Next week, in fact, these students will be joining the rest of the L Diamonte Advanced Orchestra as they perform this suite in its entirety at the annual CMEA Orchestra Festival this year. That's taking place at Tiller Union. So, we'd love for you guys to join us. So, take it away, [Music] orchestra Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Laughter] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] That was fantastic. That
005was fantastic. Students, thanks so much for that. Thank you. That was a great presentation. Beautiful music. Really appreciate that. We'll now move on to our um public recognition winter athletics and visual and performing arts students and presenter is the administrative school leadership, Miss Liz Serado. Thank you. Good evening board president Naylor, board members and superintendent Shum. Tonight I have the pleasure to get us started in our student recognition for athletics and BAPA. But before we do that, I would like to recognize the parents, friends, and family and I see a lot of grandparents as well in the audience for I would like to recognize you for your efforts in making sure that you provide transportation that you provide hours of countless listening to playing of music in your home and cheering for your students on
006the sideline whether it's early in the morning or in the evening. Thank you. We value your efforts in being partners with us in your student success. To get us started, I'm going to call to the front Mr. John Perez to introduce our star athletes and then Mr. Mike Farfarland to int to celebrate our Baptist students. Thank you. Tonight, I have the honor to introduce Vicel Unifi's outstanding winter sports teams and individual student athletes. I want to take a moment to express our thanks to the parents and everyone who has supported these athletes throughout their journey. Your commitment to being there for them, to supporting them through every victory and every challenge has made all the difference in their development, not just as athletes, but as individuals. Tonight, we'll be taking photos of all the students
007being recognized. To access these photos, there is a QR code located at the back of the room somewhere. Thank you. And first, I'm going to introduce our girls and boys wrestlers. If you could please step forward as I call your name from El Diamante, Mia Cervantes. She was the EIL League champion, third at Division 2 section championships and fourth at Masters. Christopher Kryson, the EIL League champion, Division 3 CIF section champion, second at Masters, and the first ever wrestling state champion at El Deonte. Their girls head coach is Jackie Kryson and the boys head coach is Chris Kryson from Redwood. Audrey Sigura, EIL League champion, second at Division One Section Championships, third at Masters. Emily Carvalo, the EIL League champion, second at Division 1 section championships and second at Masters. Gunnar Benedict, EIL League champion.
008Sorry, fourth at Division 1 section championships. Fifth at Masters. Adrien DeLeon, EIL League champion, third at Division One Section Championships, fourth at Masters. Brody Pryendorf, EIL League champion and seventh at Masters. And Blake Rainwater, ninth at Masters. The girls head coach is Jesse Ramirez, and the boy boys head coach is Dave Watts. And finally, from Mount Whitney, Isaiah Cologne. EIL League champion, first at the Division 3 section championships and eighth at Masters. Boys head coach is Gonzo Mesa. Athletic director is Luke Vidac and principal's principal Alex Marin. Each of these wrestlers advanced to the CIF State Championships held at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield on February 27th through March 1st. Can we please get one more round of applause for the great performances? Please pose for a quick picture. What do you need them to
009do? Fantastic. Thank you. You guys can exit out the door right here. Next from Redwood High School is the Redwood cheer team. The Rangers were the division 3 section traditional competitive cheer champions for the 2425 season which was held at Buchanan High School on January 18th. Team members are Kaen Barnes, Autumn Flores, Jennifer Gagnon, Annayia Gonzalez, Emily Hernandez, Rean Keer, Sophia Mendes, Autumn Milbour, Sienna Minnesota, April Morales, Ayla Morgan, Jenna Tofoya, Mia Trevino, and Chelsea Villa. Cheer advisor is Evette Wright. Head coach is Myini Diaz. Want to thank all these girls for showing up tonight. One final applause for Redwood cheerleaders, and then they'll take a picture. Looks like they know what they're doing. Thank you again, Next from Golden West High School is the girls wrestling team. [Applause] The girls were the division one
010CIF Central section champions and this is the first division 1 girls wrestling championship for VUSD. In addition to being the EIL League champions, the Trailblazers also won the Redwood, the Sanger, the Lore, and the Mission Oak tournaments. team members. And I'm going to read fast, so you're going to get your applause the whole time. Serenity Bame Nolla, Bea Castillo, Destiny Chavez, Kayi Fernandez, who was the division one section champion. She was second place in Masters and an eighth place medalist at the state meet. Marissa Luna, Rebecca Miller, Justine Perez, who was fourth place at Masters and qualified for the state championships, Ariana Ramos, Gia Monet Ramos, Alexis Rios, Daniela Rosales, Hillary Topete, who is the team manager, Alexa Torres, first place at Masters. She also qualified for state. And Carly Williams. Girls head coach is
011Andrew Sanchez. One final applause for the CIF Central Section Division 1 Champions. Guys, you're going to have to get two two lines. Thank you. And finally from Golden West High School, the boys wrestling team. Standing in front of you, the Trailblazers are back-to- back division 4 CIF Central section champions and I'm sure they are hoping for a three repeat next year. Team members, and again I will read their names fast. Jason Andrade, Aiden Archaga, Rowan Butry, Alex Carmona, seventh place at Masters and he qualified for the state meet. Isaac Carmona, Jesse Enriquez, Adam Msca, Jason Gutieres, David Lopez, Nate Miller, Blake Pacheco, Jose Rosales, Caleb Settles, and Garrett Taylor. Boys head coach is Richard Sanchez. Again, one final applause for the CIF Central Section Division 4 back-to-back champions. Gentlemen, can pose for a quick picture.
012There's no wrestling mat, so they're a little out of the element. And again, for all parents in attendance, there is a QR code that'll have all these pictures available for you guys to download. Again, congratulations to all athletes tonight. Parents and athletes, you are more than welcome to stay for the remainder of the board meeting. However, if you'd like to take this time to go and celebrate your athlete, I encourage you to do so now. Thank you. I'd like to now introduce Alan McFarland, the director of visual and performing arts. Good evening. Tonight I'm excited to recognize both individual and team accomplishments within the field of visual and performing arts. So, first I'd like to highlight uh some outstanding choir students. So, students come on up. So, so after a rigorous uh audition process, the
013students before you were selected to California's central region honor choir. So, even larger than the Central Valley, the central section consists of 14 different counties spanning from Nevada, the Nevada border, as far north as Stockton, all the way down through Kern County. And these students, they all performed in Clovis on November 9th. So students as I call your name please take one step forward. Audience please hold your applause until all students have been named. So for Meldy Monte, Emily Ruiz, Harrington Rashall, Noah Rosario, Diana Padilla, Janie Sperry, Mink Doyle from Redwood, Abigail Ray, Amelia Folultz, Brenley Travis, Katie Robas, and from Mount Whitney High School, Braden Lions and Timothy Timothy Flores. Ladies and gentlemen, your central section honor choir. Um, we have just a second. Yeah, hold on. So, if that wasn't impressive enough, actually
014five students from Vicelia were then selected to perform for the All State and with the All State Honor Choir. So, they performed in in Sacramento in January on January 18th. So, the following students, if you are here, will you please step forward? Diana Padilla, Janie Sperry, Minhe Doyle, and from Mount Winny High School, Braden Lions and Timothy Flores. All right, at this time, we'll take their picture. And again, like you heard with athletics, if you just got here, when you leave the door, there is a QR code. Take a take a flyer, take a picture, and these pictures will be uploaded for your keeping later. [Music] Everyone tight. If you are a fan of uh choir, one of them are running away to the Redwood. Redwood choir program or coral program has their a concert
015tonight at LJ. So if any of you are bored tonight, go ahead and follow her out. [Applause] All right. Next, I'd like to uh recognize some outstanding orchestra musicians. Come on down, students. So, also after a really rigorous audition process, the students walking in before you, each of them were selected to perform with the California Orchestra Director's Honor Orchestra. All of these students uh performed at Santa Monica High School on Saturday, December 7th. So, students, same thing here. As I call your name, take one step forward and audience uh please hold your applause until all have been announced. 17 students from Vicelia made this group. Obviously, not all are here, but let me read. So from uh Golden West, Jean Wei, Matteo Zacharias from Redwood, Abigail Rodriguez, Caleb Emma Grace Diaz, Gabriel Atenza, Gavin Oblad,
016Caitlyn May, Samuel Nicarum, Kumbbo, Sierra Carlson, Sophie Sias, Yong Lee, Zoe Lovegrren, Julianne Arakai, Bianke Lumapas, and Zachary Tamoka. And from Mount Winny High School, Giovanni Himemes Chavez. And similar to choir, we actually had uh some students advanced to the all-state level. So, two of our students from Vicil Unified advanced to the California Allstate Orchestra uh performance. Those students, both from Redwood, Bianke Lumapas and Zachary Tamoka. Thank you. All right, these students are joined by the uh the orchestra directors both at Redwood, Rodney Yakakota, Elijah Avala and uh from Mount Winnie High School, Max and Vieiraa and Jaden Perez. Thank you for being here. [Applause] [Music] Thank you. Honor orchestra students. [Applause] To round out the visual performing arts section of tonight, I want to take this chance to recognize three outstanding performance ensembles or
017performing groups. Students, come on up. All right. So, first to recognize Redwood High School Dance Force. This season, after multiple top placements at both the CIF Central section and the USA Regionals, the Redwood Dance Force once again qualified for the USA Dance Nationals, which will be be held in Anaheim later this month. They're looking to defend last year's performance, which included four top six performances and even a national championship in the open medium lyrical category. So today, of course, it's a big team, but representing the Redwood Dance Force, we have Gwyneth Miller, Mia River, and Caris Nepensky. Congratulations and good luck later this month. And then finally, we have two different groups with the remaining students here, uh, two different performing ensembles that have both qualified to perform in the prestigious state coral and state
018orchestra festivals later this spring. So after a really tough process to get in, it includes it includes uh having a high enough rating at a public festival. It includes sending in a live performance. Um only the top groups around the state were per uh were invited to perform. So representing this the Redwood High School chamber singers, we have Abigail Ray and Brinley Travis. [Applause] And uh representing the Redwood High School Chamber Orchestra, we have Xander Ceena Cabayto, Aaron Kimble, and Terra Kaza Kazde. All right. So, we'll take a picture here with the Dance Force. We have Michelle Lap. And again, making a second appearance here, Redwood Orchestra, Rodney Yukata, Elijah Abala. And then one, two, Congratulations and good luck this spring. Vapa families, if you want to go celebrate with your students, go ahead and
019follow them out. Don't forget a QR code there for the free pictures later. And to continue on with the rest of the board meeting, I want to invite back up uh administrator of school leadership, Mrs. Sado. Thank you. Thank you so much. We've got such talent. I appreciate all the uh hard work and parents again, they need your support at home and appreciate all the time that you put in taking them from um all their competitions and just supporting them throughout their high school and and careers. We want to move on to um action taken in close session and we had a lot of work in close session. So, um, some of this is from our board workshop and I will read out each one of these. So, in closed session on a motion by
020board member Viegas and sec a second by board member Gabby, the board agreed unanimously um to approve an agreement with employee number 11435. In close session on a motion by board member Gamoyan and a second by board member Viegas. The board agreed unanimously um 70 to appoint Kimberly Nelson to the position of administrator of of accountability and [Applause] advisement. Kimberly Nelson currently serves as a principal of LDonte High School. Miss Nelson began her career in education as an English teacher at Manache High School, where she taught for a year. She was then hired with VUSD to teach English at Mount Whitney High School, where she taught for two years. Her teaching career landed her at Farmersville High School, where she taught English, served as an AVID director and ELD coordinator for 16 years before returning
021to VUSD as a teacher on special assignment. Prior to her current role, Miss Nelson served as an assistant principal at El Diamonte High School for three years. Miss Nelson holds a bachelor of arts in English with a minor in history from the University of California, Santa Barbara. And she holds a master of arts in educational leadership from Brandman University. She holds a single subject teaching credential and an administrative services credential. On behalf of the trustees, congratulations to Miss Kimberly Nelson. In close session again on a motion by board member Gabby and a second by board member Odto. The board agreed unanimously to appoint Lorie Dirkson to the position of director of special education. Lori Dirkson has served Vicel Unified for a total of 28 years. She currently serves as the coordinator of STEM. She started
022her career with VUSD as an ed specialist at La Hoya Middle School and has held various roles since. She served as a mathematics teacher at La Hoya Middle School and Golden West High School, an assessment specialist for special education at Golden West High School, and a teacher on special assignment secondary mathematics. Prior to her current role, Miss Dirkson held positions as the assistant principal at Denton Elementary and La Hoya Middle School. Miss Dirkson began her career in education serving as a special education teacher for Albuquerque public schools and taught special education for Tiller County Office of Education for two years. Miss Dirkson holds a bachelor of science and special education with a minor in social science from the University of New Mexico and a master of mathematics education from Fresno Pacific University. She holds a
023multiple subject teaching credential, a supplemental credential in mathematics and administrative services credential. On behalf of the board of trustees, congratulations to Miss Lori Dirkson. Again, in closed session, on a motion by board member Odto and a second by board member Viegas, the board agreed unanimously to appoint Angelina Gonzalez Thomas to the position of director of student services. Angelina Gonzalez Thomas has served by cell unifi for a total of 14 years. Miss Gonzalez Thomas has served the district in various roles, including an English teacher at Greenacres Middle School, assistant principal at Crestwood Elementary School, Valley Oak Middle School, and Golden West High School, and is currently serving as the principal of Goan Elementary. Miss Gonzalez Thomas holds a Bachelor of Arts in African-American studies and a Bachelor of Arts and English from California State University, Fresno.
024She received a master of arts and teaching from Bard College and a master of education in educational leadership from California State University, Fresno. She holds a single subject teaching credential in English and an administrative services credential. On behalf of the board of trustees, congratulations to Miss Angelina Gonzalez Thomas. In close session on a motion by board member Gamoyan and a second by board member Belt, the board agreed unanimously to appoint Dr. Terry Martindelle to the position of administrator of school leadership. Terry Martindell currently serves as the administrator of equity and student services. Prior to her current role, Terry served as the director of equity and student services for two years. Before joining Vice Unified, she worked for Tillery City School District for 29 years where she served as an elementary school teacher, a middle school
025vice principal, and an elementary principal. a middle school principal and the director of leadership and support. Miss Martindelle has also served as adjunct faculty for Fresno Pacific University and National University. Dr. Martindell holds a bachelor of arts and liberal studies from California State University Fresno and a master of arts and education from Fresno Pacific University. She holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership and management from Alliant International University Fresno. She holds a reading and language arts specialist credential and administrative services credential. On behalf of the board of trustees, congratulations to Dr. Martenddale. And for tonight in our closed session on a motion by board member Gamyan and a second by board member Belt, the board agreed unanimously to appoint Joshua Baky to the position of administrative human uh ser resources development. Mr. Joshua Baky was
026recently served as a talent and HR consultant where he has provided HR cons consultation to business leaders. Prior to his consultancy work, Mr. Baky held positions as the inter interim manager, organizational excellence and human resources consultant at California State University, Fresno. He also worked at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles as a talent manager of university succession planning. He has done work at the USC Marshall School of Business in the roles of associate director of talent management and assistant director of human resources. Early in his career, Mr. Baky served as an admissions counselor, associate director of undergraduate admissions, marketing, and manager of training and development at Biola University. Mr. Baky holds a bachelor of arts in radio, television, and film from Biola University and a masterers of arts in psychology from Pepperdine University Graduate
027School of Education and Psychology. On behalf of the board of trustees, congratulations to Mr. Joshua Baky. Again, in closed session, on a motion by board member D. Young and a second by board member Odo, the board agreed unanimously to approve resolution of release and reassignment of certificated administrator listed as follows. Employee 1387,5768 and 14574. In close session on a motion by board member Gabby and a second by board member Odto. The board agreed unanimously to approve resolution of non-reelection of probationary certificate employees listed as follows. Employee ID 188845 and 24192. In close session, I motion by member uh board member Gabby and a second by board member Odto. The board agreed unanimously to approve resolution of nonremployment and non-reelection of probationary certificate administrative employee listed as follows. Employee ID 24842. In close session, a motion
028by board member Odto and a second by board member D. Young. The board agreed unanimously to approve the settlement agreement for case number VCU 294247. And that's it. Moving right along. Um there are some revised item um there are revised item enclosures number 4.1 4.2 7.2 7.23 and 7.24 tonight's agenda. Do I have a motion to adopt the board meeting agenda? I'll make a motion. I'll second on a motion by board member Odto and seconded by board member Belt. Call for the vote. Motion by Viegas. Wh I'm sorry. Thank you. Um call for the vote. Motion passes 70. Uh student member votes yes. Focus on student learning, spotlight on good things happening in the district. Presenter, Superintendent Kirkum. Thank you, President Naylor, board members, and what a fun evening when we uh continue the recognitions
029of the amazing things uh that our students, our employees, and our community do every day for our school system. And so, congratulations to all of our athletic and VAPA award uh winners. And then uh we have academic and other pieces coming up here in just a little bit. So a great night and and of course to our LD chamber orchestra as well. So so much talent um it's hard to fit it into just a few hours at a board meeting. So hopefully members of our community have the opportunity to attend these great events that happen all across our campuses all throughout the year. So as we talk about the spotlight on good things happening, we're going to begin tonight with our focus on Black History Month. Many of our schools celebrated Black History Month in
030February. Lots of different ways, lesson plans, activities, other events. A couple we're highlighting here. On the left, we have LDA High School held lunchtime activities, jewelry making, poetry, performing, dance showcases. And then we also see here Mountain View Elementary, uh, where students had a specialized lesson around Black History Month, but every class completed a lesson on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and compiled a list of their dreams for their future. We live in such a diverse community. It's important to make sure that we make sure that we're that we make sure every student is seen. And so, thank you to all of our sites that participated in Black History Month activities. National Future Farmers of America Week was also held recently in February. Uh, and we know many of our schools also marked the occasion
031with fun-filled activities and want to take a moment. Our FFA chapters uh typically are state and nationally recognized. Uh, and so we've had them up in front of the board on multiple occasions. I just want to take a moment to recognize all of our FFA teams, their staff, the students, and the families who make great things happen. We're really proud of what they do across all of our campuses, engaging our American Indian students. Last month, we participated in an all-day event at College of Sequoia Native Young Gathering. This event offered Native American students the opportunity to learn about available resources at the College of Squoyas, including informative workshops, career assessment to explore future career paths, and a campus tour. Students enjoyed lunch while engaging with students from other schools in the area. National History Day.
032Also in February, the Taller County Office of Education hosts this event where students showcase their presentation on any historical issue, idea, people, or events. Finalist projects were selected to move on to the state competition included students from our very own Gan Elementary, Ridgeview Middle, and Redwood High School. Congratulations to these students, and I especially appreciate the teachers and principles that take advantage of these many events that are sponsored through the county uh and throughout our state. Family Night events held across at many of our schools. We're spotlighting here. We have Annie R. Mitchell family night uh where they PTA hosted a family skate night last month. Around 250 parents and students attended the event. So that's a that's a great turnout. So congratulations to them. Crowley AVID uh which is called our advancement via individual
033individual determination program attended a higher education day at Fresno State. The AVID program provides students with opportunities to learn about colleges and experiencing college life. So 60 fourth through sixth grade students from Curley attended this day at Fresno State where they enjoyed a basketball game and dinner at the SaveMart Center. This experience was made possible through advanced learning opportunity funds available to our sites. All of our schools, especially at the elementary level, participate in I Ready, which is an assessment and also an academic tool. And frequently throughout the year, they recognize students who have uh reached certain benchmarks in that program. And so here we see a couple of schools and their celebrations including Annie R. Mitchell uh for students who met their I Ready goals. Over 550 students enjoyed a popcorn party and at
034Oak Grove we see here students who demonstrated achievement and uh they got to tape their principal to the wall. So I'm sure he enjoyed that very much. And uh uh congratulations to those schools and and many of our schools who host these events to recognize our students. Uh that's something I heard from my student advisory. Uh my elementary advisory in particular wanted to make sure that we had opportunities for students to be recognized at all of our campuses and that actually is now one of our strategic plan actions coming directly from what our student advisories said they wanted to see more of. So excited to see this uh continue at our schools. We had read across America of course also happens in March uh and many of our schools celebrate this week. Uh they have
035guest readers, they do readathons, lots of other events that happen. We had elected officials, law enforcement, uh community leaders. Several of our board members and staff took time out of their schedules to read to our elementary students. It's events like this that showcase the best of our community and highlight the importance of literacy. Speaking of our community, uh very fortunate in Vicelia that we have a very supportive community for our students and our schools. uh incredible partners and a couple presented here uh Raw Hyde and Allen Law Firm sponsored over 250 kids from Houston Elementary to go to the Enchanted Playhouse Theater Company's performance of Tinkerbell last month. Great opportunity for students to be exposed to experiences they might not otherwise have. At Oak Grove, we see ASB students in conjunction with the school counselor
036and our community and family resource center parenting network organization partnered to run a diaper drive to collect diapers, wipes, and formulas for families in need. Nearly 700 items were donated. Continuing our spotlight, one of the things also uh again that we heard from our teachers and others is how do we make sure students are equipped for the next grade? And so you see a couple of examples here. We're going to be sharing more later this spring of how we're enhancing and building upon this for especially our elementary pre-K into kindergarten. But here you see here our sixth and eighth grade preview days. By the end of April, all incoming seventh and 9th graders will have visited their school that they'll be going to middle or high school to learn about programs, clubs, and other information.
037Um, and this is really important. I I was able to see this at one of the elementary schools where the middle school came down and it was students who were presenting this information to the students who will be coming which I think is even more powerful about what you need to do to make it through successfully but also all the other exciting things uh that are available as you move through the system. Proud again of our sites who have taken many of our initiatives and have said you know we're going to do this and we're going to do it so well we're going to reach the gold standard. we're going to be recognized for this work. We just don't want to do it. We want to do it the best we can. And so, continuing
038this work, we're proud we we have a couple of schools join us now uh with their PLC work. And so, proud to share that global learning charter received the promising practices award from Solution Tree. This award is earned through a commitment to the PLC at work process and clear evidence of improved student learning. So, I'm glad to see that list growing and can't wait to see all of our schools receiving that gold standard of practice. Speaking of that, state recognitions, this has been in the newspaper. Again, extremely proud of our schools here. Both Creek Side and Sequoia were honored by the California Department of Education as model community day school and a model continuation high school, respectively. Both schools were one of only two in Tallery County to be recognized for this category. And also
039proud to announce that over the weekend, La Hoya Middle School received the California Schools to Watch award by the California League of Educators, which is also supported by the California Department of Education. Congratulations to these schools for their hard-earned success. [Applause] uh an event I love. I've I've told many of our students who are in this program. I myself was and I didn't win an award, but I was in mock trial in high school for for what that matters. So, we're really proud to see this great event across our schools. Our teams always do exceptionally well here. Congratulations for several of our students as we move on with their successes. You might remember mock trial happening during the night of our last board meeting. So, we have a little update here. Redwood narrowly defeated Golden
040West in the county competition, moving on to the state competition this not this month. Also worthy of note, two Redwood students took home the top award for courtroom artist. You can see those up on the screen. So, it's not just students who are portraying the role of a of a witness or a lawyer, but all the other things that are associated with with trials as well as the artistry there. So, congratulations to these individuals for their successful year and we can't wait for another competition next year. Oh, there we go. Our Future Business Leaders of America, another great program and event we have across our schools. 124 FBLA students participated in the Central Section Leadership Conference. 26 schools from across the valley travel to Turlock to participate in the competition. For the 40th time in
041school history and 12 years in a row, Redwood FBA brought home the Doris Low sweep stakes title. Additionally, 18 students placed in the top 10 twice and 80 students will be attending the state competition. Congratulations to these students. and also continuing our spotlight on our student success. Really proud of this partnership we have with National Education Equity Lab, which sponsors uh dual enrollment courses with universities across the nation. And so uh we're able to bring those professors in uh facilitated by one of our very own teachers depending on the class. And one of the things that they do each year is they celebrate students for being in the top 20% of scholars nationwide enrolled in these courses. These courses are taught by college instructors. Students receive college credit for their class. We have two classes.
042We have a class at Mount Whitney and a class at Golden West. Uh one is cloud computing and the other is introduction to uh sociology. Uh and again now there are thousands of students across the nation participating in this same class. So this makes this recognition even more outstanding. So, we had 13 students from Mount Whitney and Golden West who were recognized as being in the top 20% of students nationwide taking this class. And a couple of our students were in the top 5%. So, their futures are very bright. Uh not only are they receiving college credit, but this is they're on par, you know, top 20% of students all across the nation taking these same classes. So, really proud to see this program continue uh in our district and continue to grow. our science
043olympiad. Over the weekend, middle and high school students competed in the annual science olympiad. Proud to report that Green Acres and Rididge View Middle took first and second place and are headed to state. Redwood and Golden West placed first and fourth and will advance to the NorCal competition. Congratulations to these students and teachers. Moving on to sports, proud to see the dedication of our students and staff and families at our ELOP tournaments. These happen every quarter. And so now we've had our second now annual volleyball championship that was held at Ridgeview Middle School. And in the final, Houston defeated Highland in what was a thrilling game to earn the championship. So congratulations to Houston and I'm sure they see him there brought home a trophy. Pursuing victory with honor. Recently, downtown Vicelia Kuanas, another great
044partner, participated with TCOE uh in this winner's pursuing victory with honor for student athletes. These are students that are nominated by their coaches for sportsmanship and are awarded a certificate patch and lawnside that reads, "An athlete of character lives here." Two students from each comprehensive high school received an award for a total of eight students in basketball, soccer, and wrestling. At Vicelia Unified, kindness is part of our yearly campaign. So, it's great to see these students celebrated for their character. We saw this individual earlier and uh wanted to make sure we spotlight it. It's not every day we have a state championship uh team or individual. And so, we want to recognize Chris Krieman who won the state championship in his weight class. He makes history as we heard earlier as the first wrestler from
045El Diamonte to achieve this remarkable feat. Congratulations to Chris. I don't think he's still here but just want we saw him earlier. So, uh, following in some family footsteps, I believe. Spotlight on Visual and Performing Arts, LDante premiered Little Shop of Horrors. It was great. Global Learning Charter students participated in ELOP and Winnie the Pooh for families and friends. And we're excited these opportunities for our students from elementary through high school. And one of the great things about our extended learning program is students have opportunities to participate in these type of events now way before and might find out they have a love for acting or or something like that. and are able to pursue that when they get into middle school and high school. Also, we saw this group earlier, but we want to
046recognize Redwood Dance Force for their advancing toward the US Nationals. Uh they secured first place in both hiphop, medium lyrical, and third place in small lyrical. Uh their captains also earned as a top 10 senior soloist event. Congratulations to this team. And again, we saw them a little bit earlier. Spotlight on the district. Our student advisories continue. We see here our high school students most recently were in person uh and our elementary and middle were on uh Zoom and I think next month all will be here in person uh and currently and we'll hear a report here in a little bit but our student advisories are working on giving feedback around the actions that are in our strategic plan and I mentioned a little bit of that feedback a little while ago and those are
047all things that are going to help us build out our strategic plan. Many actions within our strategic plan are focused on our student and family and community connectiveness to our schools. Want to recognize some of our staff. Diana Garcia was honored as CTE teacher of the year by the Tallery King College and Career Collaborative. Dennis Deak was recognized as a rising star in communications by the California School's Public Relations Association. By the way, our communications team brought home eight awards from their conference where they also held and presented a couple of presentations. Congratulations to you both. Way to represent Vicelia Unified. So, I'm not sure if they're here, but give them a round of applause. Appreciate. Now, another group you don't necessarily always hear from unless things go really, really bad. Just make a little
048joke there. We're very fortunate to have an unbelievably talented financial team in our district. And so once again, for the second year in a row, um our budget team received the Pathway to the MBA award pre presented by the Association of School Business Officials International. This award promotes and recognizes best budget presentations across school districts. I want to thank not only our board for providing us with sound budget policies, but also to our budget team who work diligently to provide our board with the information and materials they need to make those decisions. Congratulations team. If we have members of that budget team here, if you if you want to stand real quick, I'm not sure if we do, but I want to make sure we we recognize you. There we go. I can tell you
049this takes a lot of work and this is important because this is about best practices around making these practices visible to community. And I believe I haven't looked this year but I believe last year the only two districts in the area uh that to receive this were us and Clovis. And so uh really proud of that. We'll see. But this is um you know a huge honor uh for this team and and to receive it two years in a row is just outstanding. So congratulations to to them. Continuing with our observances this month, we have arts education in California, youth art art month, music in our schools, school nutrition month, national women's history month, read across America week, school breakfast week, and Caesar Chavez Day. And we'll have of course uh spotlights on those events
050in our next uh uh spotlight. Social media, Power School Messenger, President's Day, Step into Leadership or some of the messages. Oh, helps if I do the screen there. And then continuing, we had state recognition for Sequoia and Creekide, National FFA Week, and TK Enrollment. Continuing with our social media, we had have high-five Fridays. This time was at Hurley Elementary. Read Across America Day and Women's History Month. TK openhouse for incoming 2526 students and families. Yes, it's that time. National Nutrition Month and School Breakfast Week and Say Something Week. It's a busy month in the spring. Also, California Arbor Week, CSAC student aid, and spring forward reminder. Hope everybody enjoyed that and and did that successfully. So, that concludes our spotlight. A lot of amazing things happening in our schools and across our district. That concludes
051my report, Madam President. Thank you. That's a lot. Appreciate that. Uh, um, yeah, go ahead. If I may ask, um, superintendent from, as you make your way back to your seat, um, I I loved all the activities highlighting Black History Month, and I was wondering if we had any update on the potential renaming of a building um, at Redwood High School in honor of Mr. Edmund and Arthur Weisinger. And and for those of you who don't know, those were uh, two individuals uh, back in the late 1800s who fought against school segregation here um, in California and who really paved the way for all of our students to be able to share a classroom space together. So, I was just curious if we had any updates on that. Yes, that process has been continuing following
052our board policy and administrative regulation. So, um the last update I got I my anticipation is that that will happen this semester. Thank you. Any board comments? Public comments. Okay. Moving on to 4.2 2025 20226 expanded learning opportunities program. presenter is assistant superintendent of education services Andy Deo. Thank you, board president Naylor, Superintendent Trump, board members. Um, thank you again for allowing me a bit more of your time to talk this evening about a really exciting program we have in our district and I want to talk to you a bit about what you can anticipate for the coming school year. So, the school board has worked very diligently the last few years really clarifying and stating publicly what we believe and where our beliefs come from. And I'm happy to say that the ELOP campaign
053definitely lives in all of these areas. What I want to show you tonight is how that actually looks. So little bit that we're going to hear about tonight is really reminding us again what ELOP is, where it came from, why the state wanted it, felt it was important, what it currently looks like, what our families are telling us, and most importantly, what we can anticipate for the years to come. So, just as some reminders, and I pulled this language from the Department of Education to just really remind us what the why behind ELOP is. And remember, this was created right after the the COVID pandemic we had. The state recognized that our students were suff suffering and we wanted to see an opportunity for them to extend the school day and the school year and
054the ALOP campaign was designed to do that by offering creative programming with lots of parental input from our own community. Further, we have to create programming that enhances the school day, not just replicate or duplicate what the kids are already seeing. And most importantly, we have to create options that our families are asking for. And what's really exciting to note is one of the components of this is the state requires us to really review data. And we can't continue to be doing programming that's not showing it's giving us the results we want or that the community is looking for. So, this graph you're looking at is going to show you a couple different things. Now, the yellow bars are going to indicate for you over the last three years that we've had the ELOP campaign
055going, the number of different courses that students took advantage of because in the afterchool program now, our students can participate in more than one program offering a day. The blue bar is going to show you the number of actual students that are participating. So basically what this is showing you is the first year ELOP started we had about 2,000 students participating in the afterchool program and they were enjoying about 3,000 different offerings. Right. Over the 3 years, we have seen those numbers grow tremendously. Now, we have over 9,000 student offerings, meaning they're taking 9,000 different courses, and we have over 5,000 students who are participating in the EL EOP program. What's most exciting is that represents 33% of all the students in our TK through sixth grade schools are involved in our afterchool programs in
056one way or the other. So that tells us that they're enjoying what they're seeing. Another important statistic we want to look at is chronic absenteeism. And just as a reminder board, you know that the state identifies chronic absenteeism is any child that has missed more than 10% of the school year at any given time. Coming out of the pandemic, we knew that our numbers, and this wasn't just Viceel Unified, this happened across the state. we were almost 40% of our population was experiencing that that absence from school. We know if kids aren't in school, they're not going to learn. So, we've worked really hard focusing on that. I'm happy to say that last year we were just a little bit above 20% and we are trending lower than that. So, we're looking to see those
057numbers go even below that. Now, why I I can't say that ELOP is the reason for all of that, but I can tell you that the data we're receiving both from school sites and our community is telling us that our students are coming to school. One of the reasons is because they want to take advantage of those after school programs. So, we're really excited about that. Another thing that I wanted to just share with you is what does it currently look like? So again, I shared with you earlier that on any given day, we have over 5,000 students that are p participating across our 26 elementary sites, our middle schools, and our high schools. Now, what this is showing you is that the ELOP funding, thanks to what we've been able to do, these are
058the type of program offerings that our students are able to participate in right now. You see things like robotics, um, VAPA type things, theater, agricultural, dance, etc., etc. Our families have told us those were the types of things they were interested in seeing. And our students every day get to see those different type of experiences. And not only that, we've also been able to set up opportunities like on weekends. So we do lots of different type of sporting events. We do culminating events for the theater program, for our health sciencemies, chances for students and their families to engage in what's happening at school with them with their families and the communities during our off times. But this is the exciting thing I wanted to just share. You know, we a component of this campaign is
059to really make sure that we are getting the feedback from our families to make sure that the offerings we're providing are what they'd like to see. So, I've just shared with you a few of those quotes that I thought were really cool that talk to us about why the ELOP campaign is important. So, you're going to see some statements up there that are talking about perhaps some students who are receiving special education supports. The LOP campaign takes care of all of our students. Anybody who would like to join us is able to join and they do so in ways that they really like it. You'll see that parents are noting that it's helping the creativity come out. Their children are enjoying coming to school. It's building their confidencees. Those are all great things that encourage
060us to continue the things we're doing and seek opportunities to make it even better in the future. So now what I wanted to talk just a little bit about is what's coming in the future. So again, as the law is suggesting to us is they want to continue to see us growing and supporting this this campaign. I'm really excited to see that the state of California is continuing to sponsor the ELOP campaign. um they're cons continuing to fund these endeavors. So because of that, we've been able to go a little bit further and find out, well, what other types of programs is our community interested in? Families, what type of things were your children want to take part in? So this year we did it a little bit differently. We asked our community to let
061us know what type of events would they be interested in providing for us and then we created a vendor fair. At the vendor fair, our sites were able to come in and determine based on their site data and what their own school community is looking for which of these programs would best fit the needs of their particular school sites. So, school board members, a little bit later tonight, you're going to be asked to consider some of the contracts for these vendors that will allow us to kind of move into some additional things. Now, that doesn't mean we're not going to be utilizing our wonderful partnerships we already have, right? Pro Youth is a great partner. We have our Alleo sports team. A lot of what's currently great will continue and we're just going to be
062adding to it. So really excited about these opportunities for our kids to see. And again, this is based on what the school sites have said. This is what we need for our kids to be excited about our afterchool programming. And that's at the elementary level. Another part of the law talks about the secondary programs. Now, the law says as long as you have a robust offering at the elementary level, you could use some of your ELOP funds for secondary. And we've got a great program in elementary. So, we've been able to expand to our secondary sites. So, next year, what we're going to be seeing is more of the types of things you saw that I just shared at the elementary level, offerings for the middle schools based on their own individual needs. Another thing
063I want to point out that we're really excited about, Creekide is our school that we have in our school district that supports students who need a little bit extra. This year, we're going to be offering a very unique summer program for those students to help get them reconnected to the school system so that when they start school in the fall, they'll be better prepared to be successful. And then of course we're partnering with our advanced learning department here in the district to make sure that not only are the programs we're offering fun and exciting and enriching but also advances the standards that California state encourages us to do so. So again super excited about the coming year. This is going to be wonderful things are going to be happening and I just again wanted to
064share with you what we have coming. So I'm here to answer any questions you might have. any um community response? How about board member? Uh I just want to say thank you, especially with the programming at Creekide. I'm really excited about that. I remember years ago having the conversation of how do we keep kids connected to schools and and reconnected to schools in this case. Um and so hearing that we're going to be having summer offerings and after school programs there just really warms my heart and excites me. So thank you. Well, and I appreciate um that vendor fair is a very cool idea about site differentiation. They know their kids probably best and that's very cool that um they can come and choose from that. That was a great addition. I just want to
065say I want to go back to elementary school cuz I'm looking at these classes I'm thinking, wow, wish I had that when I was young. Any other board comment? Thank you. I appreciate the presentation. Okay, I'd like to now um we're going to move on to um student achievement awards 5.1 and that would be administrator of school leadership Liz Serado. Good evening board president Naylor, board members and superintendent Kirkstrom. I'm Elizabeth Sorado, administrator of school leadership, and tonight we have the pleasure of recognizing outstanding high school students in the areas of English, world language, and citizenship growth. The board will also recognize the United Student Association of Iselia, USAV winter student of the season. USB consists of a unified school district secondary students dedicated to the improving the educational programs and representing student views to
066the board of education. These students represent the best of the best from our schools in the areas for which they have been selected and we are very proud of of them for their accomplishments and for how they represent their schools and our district. Each of them is certainly worthy of this special recognition tonight. But before we begin, I would like to first recognize and thank the parents and families of each of these outstanding students. Your support and encouragement is valued and appreciated. I would also like to recognize and thank their teachers and school staff who have supported their learning and successes. All of us share pride in the accomplishment of the students. We are very happy to be able to take time tonight to honor the students and hear about their accomplishments. Students, you will
067receive a medal a as part of this recognition recognition which you are invited to wear at your commencement ceremony. Our communications team created a card with a QR code that you as a parent can pick up at the table at the end or if you have it so that you can access pictures from this um event. At this time, Yolanda Monaves, assistant principal, Sequoia High School will get us started. You gonna come and say hi to me? Yeah. All right. Good evening everyone. I would like to recognize the following students for the overall student achievement award. My first student unfortunately could not be here but I do want to recognize her and um she was nominated by Miss Karubia as her academic counselor. Leila is a dedicated, goal oriented student who excels academically, consistently earning
068a 95 to 107% in her classes while actively working on egeneuity. Her teachers describe her as creative, kind-hearted, considerate, and resilient. Ila is determined to pursue a degree in the medical field and appreciates the fresh start Sequoia High School has provided her. She embodies the Sequoia's strong spirit and her teachers are incredibly proud of her accomplishments and character. Next, I have Jacob Chavez, who was nominated by his academic counselor, Mrs. Gonzalez. Jacob has consistently demonstrated hard work, dedication, and a positive attitude throughout his tenure at Sequoia. With excellent attendance and a strong commitment to success, Jacob has shown great improvement and achievement in all aspects of his studies. According to his teachers, Jacob is not only hardworking, but also a supportive classmate, always encouraging others to contribute to a positive classroom environment. Jacob's drive, work
069ethic, and upbeat personality make him a true asset to Sequoia. We at SEOA are excited to see his continued [Applause] success. My next two students are being nominated for the USB Student of the Season Award. Amy Santa Maria. Amy was nominated by Mrs. Dart, her ASB teacher, for her excellent leadership and creativity. As an active member of ASB, Amy's explorative nature has flourished and she is recognized as a strong communicator and leader among her peers. She participated she's participated in various school events including FFA, the Academy of First Responders, and the Forestry Cha Challenge in San Bernardino just this last semester. Amy plans to attend COS, transfer to Fresno State to earn her veterary degree at and transfer to US um UC UC Davis with a focus in livestock. She embodies the Sequoia strong spirit
070as a leader and positive [Applause] influencer. My next student is Israel Solorano. Israel was nominate Oh, go ahead. Israel was nominated by his biology teacher, Mrs. Pacheco for his excellent qualities. After arriving at Sequoia High School at the end of last year, Israel quickly earned a reputation as a smart, humorous, and helpful student. He is considerate, outgoing, and known for thinking outside the box, which earns him the respect from his peers. Israel is a passionate student working towards pursuing a certificate in welding at COS. He is living the sequoia strong spirit, flourishing and leading with creativity and positivity. [Applause] Now I would like to call to the podium principal Miss Tammy Olsen. Good evening. Tonight, Vicea Adult School would like to recognize Monica Huerta. Since her very first day enrolling in our high school equivalency
071program, Monica has worked diligently at keeping her attendance consistent and making progress in her studies. Um, even when life has thrown some speed bumps and some brick walls, um, she has persevered through these issues and displays amazing dedication to her studies. She, uh, just informed me she just passed her science test, which that makes number four. So, all she has left now is math. So, congratulations and keep up the great work, [Applause] Monica. And next, I would like to recognize Javier Leon. Javier is not only present but engaging in every e lesson that he's in his class. He comes to class with a smile and collaborates with his peers on a deep level. He takes his education very seriously, but also isn't afraid to laugh and enjoy the English language learning process. He's been here
072for a year in America. Javier states his goal is to work on speaking English better. He practices anytime that he can at home with watching videos and at school. Javier owns an organic fertilizer business and was to wants to build his English to be stronger so that he can do more with his business and communicate with potential customers on his own. Congratulations, Javier. when you're done. Okay. Yeah. And at this time, I will introduce Carly Hawkins, principal from VCIS. [Applause] Good evening. Tonight we will start with our two overall academic achievement award winners from Viceli Charter Independent Study. First tonight we have Julia Gonzalez. Julia is a true eagle. Attending VCIS since her freshman year, she is a bright, independent worker who is going to be an amazing mental health therapist. Julia is ranked number
073one in her class with a 4.19 GPA. She plans to major in psychology and also study sociology and has already pursued many courses in these fields at COS. Outside of school, she loves playing the guitar, dancing, writing, film, and photography. She would like to explore more college courses in these areas of interest. We look forward to all the amazing things Julia is going to accomplish in life. Congratulations, Julia. [Music] All right, our second overall academic achievement um award recipient tonight is Mr. John Wattley. It truly is an honor to provide this academic achievement award to John. He has worked very hard to overcome any obstacle in his way to achieve this outstanding academic success. He is a hard worker and is very conscientious in everything he does. He has qualified for lifetime membership in CSF
074and is graduating in the top 5% of his class. In fact, John graduated today at VCIS. John is a significant presence on the VCIS campus with his friendly greeting and pleasant attitude to students and staff each and every day. His love for learning and his future goal to become a school librarian to help students is amazing and we couldn't be more proud. Congratulations, John. [Applause] All right. Tonight for our first uh recipient for the USV award, we have Miss Lesie Morz. [Music] Lesie has been a dedicated student at VCIS since her freshman year, embodying the true spirit of sorry, a spirit of a true eagle. This year, she is enrolled in the CNA certified nursing assistant program and taking a medical terminology class through a COS to pursue pursue her career goals in the medical
075field. Known for her bright smile, helpfulness, and friendly nature, Leslie excels academically. Her ability to absorb and discuss complex topics during teacher meetings is truly impressive. She is highly deserving of this award. Congratulations, [Applause] Lesie. And to round us out tonight for our second recipient for the USAV award, Mr. Amos Bell Altoano. Amos has been a student at VCIS since his freshman year, making him a true eagle. He has progressed from beginning to advanced dance and is involved in acting, dancing, stage design and technology and marine biology at VCIS. Yes, we have all those things at independent study. Outside of school, Amos enjoys family time and volunteering with programs like Compo Creativio. He play he plans to pursue a career in the biomed field focusing on robots and medicine. Amos is joy to have and
076is a true leader and we look forward to seeing all he accomplishes in the future. Congratulations, Amos. [Applause] And next this evening we have Mr. Scott Braun from VTEC High School. Good evening. I'm excited to present the VTEC USAV Winter Award tonight to celebrate Julia Lenderos. She is a shining example of what it means to be fierce. Arriving from Hanford as a 10th grader, she embraced opportunity, completing nine COS classes, earning the seal of biiteracy and excelling as a CI CSF lifetime member and Spanish club leader. As a saludiatoran and bulldog bound, she was the first in her family to attend college and she was accepted into the MAP program as a junior. Julia's future as a social worker is bright and her heart for others makes VTEC proud. Julia [Applause] Lenderos. I have other
077VTEC Wolverines that we will celebrate at um VTEC, but I'd like to congratulate them also. [Applause] And next, I'd like to introduce Mr. Brandon Grid Iron from [Applause] Redwood. Good evening everyone. So, our first student is Riley Ciss representing our English department. Our English department nominated Riley because she is an outstanding student who's deeply engaged in class and genuinely is invested in learning. She's a joy to have as a student and consistently goes above and beyond in all assignments. She's a positive energy and always aims to support her peers. Join me in congratulation congratulating Riley Ciss. Our next student couldn't be here with us tonight, but I would like to read her uh recognition, and she's being nominated from our world language department, and that is Kaylee Manchanka Ramirez. Kaylee is an AP Spanish language
078and culture student who exemplifies the qualities of an active and engaged language learner. While Spanish is her first language, Kaylee consistently strives to refine her grammar and expand her academic vocabulary, enabling her to express her thoughts and ideas with greater precision. She frequently contributes to class discussions, thoughtfully asks clarifying questions to ensure deep understanding, and she even shares stories from class with her family, which often leads to deeper conversations and connections and an experience for which she is truly grateful. Congratulations, Kaylee. Our next student is I Isabella Ambers. Isabella has shown remarkable growth in both her responsibilities and personal citizenship through dedication and perseververance. Excuse me. She has made significance improvements in her attendance and academics performance demonstrating her commitment to success. She maintains open communication with her academy principal meeting meeting to discuss her
079progress and ensure she's on track. Beyond academics, Isabella serves as an office aid for athletic director, taking on responsibilities that showcase her reliability and leadership. Her journey has been one of resilience. After transferring schools, she has returned with a strong focus and has excelled ever since. Join me congratulating Isabella [Applause] Ambrose. Our first USA student of the season is Miss Taylor Langford. Taylor has been named United Students Association of ISEL USAV winter student of the season. As ASB president and an active member of multiple clubs, she leads with honesty, heart, and dedication. Taylor excels in academics, leadership, and campus involvement. Always striving to make positive impact. She proudly represents Redwood at school board and PTSA meetings, embodying the spirit of a true Ranger. We are grateful for her commitment and leadership. And I just learned
080tonight that Taylor was accepted to TCU's nursing program. So, congratulations, [Applause] Taylor. And our last and final student who couldn't also be here tonight is Xavier Legaspi. Xavier has been named the United States uh United Students Association of Vicel USA wonder student of the season as well. He leads with quiet confidence, always leading by example and going above and beyond to support others. Xavier dedicates countless hours to helping classmates, ensuring school activities are the best they can be. His kindness, humor, and strong work ethic makes a lasting impact on those around him. Though uh young, his actions and leadership speak volumes. We are lucky to have him as an ASB student. Congratulations, Xavier. I'm [Applause] sorry. And now I would like to introduce Mrs. Kimberly Nelson from LDonte High School. [Applause] Good evening. Eldi's outstanding
081English student is Diego Medina Gutierrez. Diego excels in analytical and creative writing, but his ability to ask thought-provoking questions truly stands out. His insightful contributions spark enthusiasm in class discussions. Beyond academics, Diego has taken on rigorous courses, mastering the curriculum with impressive test scores. He has also significantly impacted campus life, serving as our ASB president, leading clubs like CSF and key club and excelling in water polo and swimming. A humble leader and mentor, Diego inspires others through his dedication and example. And I'm proud to add that Diego will be attending Stanford in the fall. I am proud to present I am proud to present Diego as LDiamante's outstanding student in English. The outstanding student in world language is Fatima Guteras Badia. Fatima, the proud daughter of immigrant immigrant parents and sister to five siblings, has
082been a dedicated LDonte high school student since her freshman year. She has excelled in all her Spanish classes, including Spanish 4 AP and is currently enrolled in Spanish 5 AP literature and culture. Fatima consistently demonstrates strong academic skills and cultural awareness by engaging with complex material and and sharing her insights. She actively participates in the Spanish club and is deeply committed to her heritage. I am proud to present Fatima as LD's high school outstanding student in world [Applause] language. Winter USAV student of the season is Sarah Glascock. Sarah is a dedicated student leader. She has earned this honor for her service to the students of LDiamante as part of the ASB social media team. A natural leader, Sarah understands the importance of service and the positive influence student leaders can have on their peers. Her
083future plans in sports medicine are a testament to her ambition and potential. I'm honored to present Sarah as the USA student of the season. The other Winter USA student of the season is Alyssa Ibara. Alyssa, an exceptional leader at LDonte, has earned this honor for her effort to ensure the smooth running of events. Alyssa enjoys activities where she gets to help students directly. She embodies all the core values of the LDonte leadership program, respect, kindness, and inclusivity. Alyssa's quiet leadership, leading by example, is a powerful demonstration of the influence one can have. After graduation, Alyssa plans to attend COS. I am very proud to present Alyssa as the USA student of the season. We have a few other outstanding minors who cannot be here this evening, but I'll definitely honor them at the school site.
084Ladies and gentlemen, LDonte outstanding minors. [Music] [Applause] It's now my pleasure to introduce uh principal, the principal of Golden West, the Michael Lambert. [Applause] Come on, guys. Good evening. It's my pleasure to discuss these amazing trailblazers with uh the audience and and the board. Our first award winner is for the English department. That's Jana Vega. [Applause] Jana is a dedicated and kind student who consistently exceeds high standards, particularly in college level English. She demonstrates growth in her writing and discussions, mastering all of her assignments. Her love of learning drives drives her to go above and beyond expectation, showcasing creativity and originality. Jana also supports her peers with assignments, showing unmatched compassion. She is a leader both in the classroom and beyond, consistently pushing herselves and others to excel. Jana [Applause] Vega. Our next recipient is
085from world language and that is Judith Contrus Magna. Judith is a dedicated and focused student, always prepared and striving to excel. She fosters positive relationships with her peers, motivating them to reach their potential. Her continuous pursuit of improvement and infectious positive energy create an uplifting environment. With an optimistic outlook of her future, Judith is truly deserving of this award. Judith Contrus Magna. Our next award winner is for citizenship and that is Ray Vega. Ry has shown significant growth in citizenship, positively influenced by his peers and forming stronger and more constructive connections. As a SYON counselor, he demonstrated his ability to make a positive impact on other students. Oh, sorry. A point. That was a poignant pause. Sorry. Ray also worked diligently to become eligible for football in his senior year, showcasing determination and commitment. His
086dedication to personal growth, leadership, and fostering positive peer relationships highlights his development as a responsible and influential member of his school community. Ray Vega Our next award winner is the USAV uh student of the season and that's Hillary Topete. Hillary was nominated for her exceptional leadership and dedication to Golden West. As ASB athletic commissioner, she takes initiative, stays organized, and supports school athletics, promoting student involvement and school pride. Her reliability, hard work, and commitment to leadership and teamwork make her highly deserving of this recognition. Hillary [Applause] Topete. Our next USAV student of the season is Arieli Solorano Diaz. Arieli was nominated um for her exceptional leadership at Golden West. She brings enthusiasm, creativity, and initiative to every project, planning events, fostering school spirit, and ensuring student activities run smoothly. Arieli leads by example, collaborates effectively,
087and works tirelessly to create a welcoming, connected community. Her passion and dedication make her highly deserving of this recognition. Arieli Soloano Diaz [Music] [Applause] The next principal coming forward tonight is from Mount Whitney High School and it's Mr. Alex Marin. [Applause] Good evening. Hey Maria, go Whitney for USAV. Isabella Deluna. Isabella is an exceptional leader who brings dedication and creativity to ASB. She has a talent for designing eye-catching signs and infographics, fostering school spirit all across campus. While excelling in these roles, she maintains an impressive 3.85 GPA. As our school's drum major, she leads with enthusiasm and a positive energy that inspires all those around her. Isabella Deluna USAV, not present today, probably outwinning a track and field event. Joshua Santa Cruz. Joshua embodies the essence of a quiet leader, dependable, hardworking, and committed to
088excellence. He consistently ensures that every task he undertakes is completed to the highest standard. A dedicated athlete, he competes in both cross country and track while also excelling in our computer science program. Balancing these commitments, he's maintains an outstanding 4.23 GPA world language. Yareli Ramos. She accomplished what few students achieve, earning a perfect score of five on both the AP Spanish language and AP Spanish literature exams. The latter being especially challenging. Since the inception of the World Language Club, she's been an active member, demonstrating a deep interest in exploring diverse cultures. Yeri [Applause] Ramos for English. Kennedy Thomas Kennedy is an exceptional leader who consistently excels academically, fully engages in class activities, and demonstrates a strong commitment to her future. Kennedy is always attentive, submits high quality work on time, and approaches every task with
089a positive attitude. Her thoughtful contri contributions enhance class discussions as she leads by example with integrity and diligence. With her dedication, work ethic, and passion for learning. Kennedy is truly deserving of this recognition. Kennedy Thomas citizenship growth. Ashley Borayo. Throughout her high school career, Ashley has consistently improved her grades and citizen citizenship and is on track to graduate this spring. She has been an active member of the basketball team and has used her leadership to positively impact her peers. In addition to her academic commitments, Ashley now works part-time in the community while maintaining strong grades and preparing for her future. Her positive energy and warm smile, pause for the smile, just kidding, are always and welcome presence on our campus. Ashley exemplifies determination and ambition, paving the way for a bright and promising future. Ashley
090Boreo [Applause] Thank you parents for joining us today. If you would like to stay for the rest of the meeting, you are more than welcome to do so. But I'm sure you want to go celebrate. Have a great evening. Thank you. It is so nice. Um and congratulations to all the students who won awards tonight. Your hard work and dedication really uh shows. So, thank you so much parents and teachers and also students. Moving on to general public comment. General public comment on any topic not on the agenda may be heard at this time. If you have public comment on an item listed on tonight's agenda, there will be an opportunity for you to share your comments at the time the item comes up for discussion by the board. Pursuant to board policy, the board
091will limit individual comments for general public comment to no more than 3 minutes and individual topics to 20 minutes. To comply with the Brown Act, California's open public meeting law, board discussion is limited to items on the agenda. Therefore, when receiving public comment for items not on the agenda, the board's role is limited to receiving such comments, and the board may not engage in dialogue with the public. The board thanks the public for its participation in public comment and understanding of the board's responsibilities. It is recommended you begin your comments by stating your name. And I have one public comment, Joel Moore. All right. Good evening. Uh my name is Joel Moore. It's kind of hard to follow up with all of that with this kind of dreary stuff, but uh I'm just bringing to
092the attention of the board. Uh I've gone to the uh management, the vice principal and the principal of Royal Oaks Elementary where both my kids attend and my oldest son attended previously. Um we had a change of leadership over the past few years. Lisa Majarian was moved to another school. Um, we had another uh principal, Mr. Gomez, come in and he passed away from cancer. And then we have a new uh principal, Miss Cooper. And the uh atmosphere on the campus has changed. There's a lot of issues coming up. There's a lot more fights occurring on the campus. And my wife works at the campus, so I can't really lean on my wife for any of this advice. It really is coming from my kids, their friends as they come over and they talk to
093us about the uh incidences on the campus. There have been uh fights uh recently on February uh 12th. There were three fights in the day. Uh no students got suspended. Uh there was uh one group of students that got a uh structured recess for one day uh after a fist fight. Uh one of the fist fights was you know the kid was left bloody. They were on the ground and uh I got frustrated. I had a meeting with Mr. Garza and Miss Cooper and they informed me that it's just ed code and Mr. Cooper even emphasized the fact that these weren't fist fights, but my students and and my my uh friends and family that are around our area are saying that that's not what's happening. And the students are saying that they feel like
094it's just a free-for-all on the campus now. They know that they can't get in trouble. We've had a student's mother come on campus, create a scene, injure my wife while she was working, and uh there were incidences just today where a student made threats to students on campus, uh indicating he was going to come and shoot the school up. I can't talk to my wife, like I said, about this stuff. I'm just getting this information from my students. Haven't even had a chance to really even call the school about this latest incident. But this follows up another incident just about two weeks ago in my daughter's class where another student made threatening comments. And so I'm just bringing to the board's attention that there is an atmosphere change at Royal Oaks and it is a
095great school. It's got great staff and I do I do believe in the leadership. I just feel like something is either hamstringing them. I don't know if they're they feel like they're waiting for a Google review and they're afraid of maybe getting a bad review. I don't know what's going on, but I just wanted to bring it to your attention because I feel like it's not being addressed in the school properly. And I just feel so disappointed as a parent that has my kids going to that school that stuff's not being taken seriously. And it feels like it's getting more and more violent. there's like a buildup coming and I with this threat today I just thought that I had to come down here bring it to your attention and and I'm sorry that I
096had to be so jury with such great things happening in front of us but I just wanted to bring it to your attention so thank you for your time I appreciate it. Thank you. Any other public comment? Okay, moving on. Consent agenda. Would any board member like to pull an item from the consent agenda? Uh, yes. I would like to pull a consent item 7.55. Any others? May I have a motion to approve the consent agenda or I should say the remaining items on the consent agenda other than 7.55? A motion. Second. on a motion by board member Gabby, seconded by board member Gamoyan. Call for the vote. Motion passes. Motion passes 70. Student votes yes. And I'm going to go back to um item 7.55. more discussion on that. Go ahead. Uh yes, I
097just want the uh board and the public to be aware that uh uh 7.55 is an agreement between Viso Unified and Terabel Terabella Unified, which is the school district in which I'm employed. Uh this uh item has to do with EDC code leave under 44987.3 that I also qualify for. Um, I have a direct conflict of interest on this item and I will be abstaining from the vote. Okay. Thank you. May I have a motion to approve 7.55? So, I still move. I'll second. Okay. Hang on. Belt. Belt. And then who seconded? Viegas. Thank you. And a motion by board member Belt, seconded by board member Viegas. Call for the vote. Motion passes. Vote six yes. One abstension. Student votes yes. Moving on to student representative report. Miss Maria Vidc, Mount Whitney High School. for
098LDiamonte. In honor of Black History Month, LDiamonte Black Student Union and the Student Services Team organized lunchtime activities for students to experience spoken word poetry, the evolution of hiphop and beaded jewelry making. In celebration of Women's History Month, LDiamonte will showcase local impactful women in our home room slide deck on posters around campus. The LDME annual buffball tournament was March 3rd through 7th. This year over 100 students performed students formed teams for the co-rec volleyball tournament held every spring. The last day of the tournament featured a rivalry game between staff and students. LDonte FFA organized a week of fun activities for National FFA week. A highlight was watching teachers try to put clothes on a goat. for Golden West. On February 10th, Golden West celebrated kindness week with campuswide fun featuring awesome activities and feelgood
099moments for everyone. On February 21st, Golden West brought the fun with the winter carnival packed with excitement. FFA did the annual Kiss a Cow fundraiser where they raised over 1,200 in a hilarious, heartwarming competition. On March 10th, Golden West ASB is bringing the heat with March with a March Madness tournament. Looking ahead, students are gearing up for two major events. Western week packed with themed activities and school spirit and the exciting kickoff of the Yusede Sierra Showdown, bringing friendly schoolwide competition and fun to our campus. for Mount Whitney. Mount Whitney varsity wrestler Isaiah Cologne placed top 24 for the CIF state wrestling tournament for the 106 weight class. He went 3 and2. Mount Whitney ASB is planning a Mount Whitney is lucky to have a staff member like you on March 17th. BTSC is planning
100a catchup day for Mar for March 31st. This event helps encourage students to catch up on their grades. We have 27 teachers participating. Essports continues to be successful and adds another win to their record. For Redwood, varsity girls wrestler Audrey Sigura took seventh place in the 145 lb weight class at the wrestling tournament and where she became the school's first four-time CIF state wrestling placer. ASB hosted the first ever Makers Market and it was a huge success. For Redwood, we had 22 students student business highlighted during the event. Students were able to bring business cards, items to showc, and etc. to show to show off their skills. The class of 2026 hosted their annual car show on Friday, March 7th. Redwood FFA hosted the FFA Ranch race during National FFA Week. Four teams plus teachers
101battled it out to see who could finish the course the fastest. The winner was the Redwood a mechanics team. For Sequoia, the Sequoia counseling team will host a parent meeting on Wednesday, March 12th at 5:00 p.m. to discuss post-secary options for their graduating students. Sequoia will be ending quarter 3 with 51 graduates and is looking forward to enrolling 69 new students from across the district in quarter 4. Sequoia's forestry class teacher, Mrs. Pacheo, will take a group of students to Sequoia National Park on Friday, March 14th to assist in forest restoration. Sequoia partner Sequoia's partnership with the Sequoia National Parks Service allows students to gain hands-on experience while enjoying the park's beautiful scenery. for VCIS. VCIS 10th grade students continue to engage in one-on-one sophomore counseling meeting conferences with each student and their families to
102map out their college and career goals, ensuring every student has a pathway to being college and career ready upon graduating from VUSD. The TCOE Project Aare team hosted a pop-up event at VCIS on February 19th and it was a huge success. Students and staff were able to engage with the project aware team who were promoting mental health awareness and other various resources available to students. The VCIS marine biology students were able to engage in a field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium where they got to put the skills they've learned this year into action. The students also had the opportunity to visit CSU Monterey Bay and tour the campus for VTEC. VTEC FFA held their annual celebration during the National FFA week. VTEC's parent group held a successful Denim and Diamonds event. VTEC staff is
103holding CASP and ELPAC pumpup parties with other prize offerings for students that show engagement and critical thinking on the state tests. VTEC ASB is holding a lucky day celebration on March 17th for students to build community and friendly competitions. During our last USAV meeting held on February 24th, we started to review specific actions for the VUSD strategic plan. At this meeting, our area focus was on supportive learning and growth, establish establish student acknowledgement systems that honor and recognize a broad range of student achievement. We discussed ways to create a more positive and supportive school culture aligning with the VUSD strate strategic plans commitment to student success and well-being. A key focus was improving how we recognize and celebrate students for their achievements as recognition helps students feel valued and motivated to excel. We explored a
104wide range of recognition categories including traditional academic rewards like honor role, attendance milestones, scholarships, and graduation honors. Classroom based incentives such as academic com competition, homework passes, and public displays of student success were also were also discussed as ways to encourage learning. Social media was highlighted as a tool to showcase student accomplishments, particularly in clubs, extra extracurriculars, and major events. Additionally, peer-to-peer recognition strategies such as team gifts, freshman acknowledgements, and small tokens of encouragement were emphasized as ways to build student connections. Community-based recognition, including scholarships and district level awards, was also considered an important piece of the system. We also discussed different ways to deliver recognition, including in-person events like senior night and board awards, digital celebrations through school website and video programs, and physical displays such as posters, plaques, and banners. The overall goal
105is to create a well-rounded, consistent approach to student recognition that highlights achievements across academics, extracurriculars, leadership, and sports, helping all students feel seen, valued, and encouraged to reach their potential. We look forward to continuing our discussion of the VUSD strategic plan during our March meeting. Thank you. Great job. I love the fact that we're going to highlight at each school because, you know, um kids do like to be acknowledged for all their hard work. So, that's the great ideas. Love it. Any board comments? Thank you, Mari. Um let's go on to board member reports. We'll start with uh board member Gaby. Actually, I'm going to go no report. Board member D. Young. Thank you, President Naylor. Um uh I would also like to I'd like to start by uh saying thank you to the public
106for their comments. Um those things items will be uh taken under advisement and referred to our superintendent Kirk Shump to take action if needed. Um for my board report today uh we're going to keep it short. Let's take bets on that. Um the first site that I'm going to talk about, I have to do a disclaimer that I do have a direct conflict of interest and heavily biased um which is Denton Elementary. And uh because I have my daughters and wife work there, uh just keep that in mind. But I have to say that uh Denton Elementary is a phenomenal school primarily because of the culture that has been grown there and you can see it every time you step on campus with uh the writing from students which I'll uh talk about in a
107little bit and then uh just by the sheer presence. And so those are things that I noticed and I hope that the rest of the public noticed as well. Um, one of the things that was very profound when I visited there, I believe it was third grade writing that was on the wall and this is a direct quote from a third grader. Um, and this had to do with a context about viewing the world through the eyes of a child written by a child. And it it was a a child's eyes about seeing the world and being the best part of themselves. And that just struck me uh from coming from a from a third grader uh thinking about those things and then portraying them in writing. Uh so just it was great to read
108uh great to visit um very very glad about the things that are happening at that school and I would be remissed if I did not talk about the librarian there at Den Elementary. Um not only is she my wife but uh she is also an individual that does things for kids regardless of the accolades, regardless of the awards. uh just because it's something that needs to be done and she cares that much and she's probably really going to give it to me when I get home tonight for bringing this up. But uh she actually won several awards for uh high circulation for that library. And I wanted to point out that the work that she does is to get books into the hands of kids so that they can learn to love to read as
109much as she does. And that to me is what our libraries are all about. So, uh, congratulations to Mrs. D. Young. Uh, please take it easy on me when I get home. The next site that I visited was uh Houston Elementary principal uh princ with principal principal uh principal Monica Senz and uh this was another interaction with students that just kind of blew me away and I had to stop and think for a moment that this is coming from children. But we had visited one of the classrooms and uh you know I knelt down to see what the kids were doing and they were they were doing a compare and contrast about a book called Kitty and Dragon and uh you know unbeknownst to me I was about to receive a direct instruction from these
110two students. Um but they they had this wonderful re interaction and essentially performed dialogic reading to myself. uh about this story and I just kind of knelt there in awe as these students taught me about this book and comparing and contrasting about the characters. And so I just wanted to make a notation of that that we have kids out there that are doing so much more than you could ever think they're doing. And so that was great to see. So thank you. Uh next site that I visited, oh actually no, this is even better. Um, Little Shop of Horrors musical put on by LD Monte High School. Uh, I have a little bit of PTSD from this play just because uh, my mother owned a floral shop uh, that I grew up in at a
111very young age working uh, probably about 9 or 10 years old. Um, but who knew that plants could be deadly, right? And this was another great musical, phenomenal performance by students that you would not think that they're students in a high school. you would think that they're on Broadway. And so I just have to say, keep them coming. And as long as you keep up that high quality of uh of plays and acting, uh myself and my family will be there to watch. Uh next item I have is the uh California School Board Association's Masters and Governance course 2 that I took over the weekend, which uh was uh quite a bit of fun. Uh we went over policy and jud judicial review and we also touched on student learning and achievement. And so I
112have a couple more of those to go to kind of uh to knock out my uh I guess it's a award or certification in the Oh, I get a pen. Oh boy. Well, that's worth like six Saturdays right there. Um but yeah, that was great. Happy to attend. Um, VTEC Vicelia Technical Early College Principal Scott Brawn. Uh, we we had actually uh fellow trustee Bel and I had the pleasure to attend Denim and Diamonds which uh was a fundraiser for those for that school and those kids and I was happy to bid on a few items and actually win most of them and able to give a couple to my mom. Uh, and it's just great to see that what our kids are doing and the successes of that because that's what we're here for.
113That's what it's all about. And so, it was a wonderful night full of in inspirational stories of student success, uh, great company and supporting our kids. And, uh, I wish them all the best and great job. March 4th board work session. So to the public, uh if you want to see the meat and potatoes of what, uh cabinet and the district does, this is where you need to be. Um cuz right here, you know, we we go over our agenda and we go over items and student spotlights, but on these work sessions, we actually work on the direction and strategic plan for the district, which is vitally important. And so if you're ever interested in that, to take a day uh to come and learn and put in public input, I I highly encourage you
114to do so. Hurley Elementary with Carrie Mononttoya uh was able to just visit today. Um there was a great couple of students I have to notate in the library since their librarian is currently out on extended leave. uh they were part of the school's leadership and they were there donating their time to make sure that the library stays fully stocked and organized and they were happy to do it and that to me shows ownership in their school and that they care about how it looks and how books are getting to kids. So to those students I say thank you and keep up the great work. Devisadero De Visadero Middle School. Kyle Yaines. Is it Yaines or Yans? Jiannis. Man, I messed that one up. You can call me Kevin. Um, so I felt bad for
115Kyle because uh he was putting out a couple of fires while we were there, but I I appreciate you leading us around. Uh, it was a great visit. Um, we had the opportunity to talk to one of the very new uh intervention prevention specialists that was going around on the uh golf cart. Uh, his name was Edgar. He was a former student, which is always great to see. And the interaction was it was it's one of those ones almost as good as the student interactions just talking about how to reach fellow students and understanding where they've been and where they're going and how to get them get them to a better place. And so that's always great to hear from a former student who's now employed at this district. So thanks again uh Principal Kyle.
116Um uh really appreciated the visit. So great job. And uh last but not least, a vice cellular partners in education committee they which is called VPI uh which is uh interesting. But um this committee meeting today uh it's all about how we as a district we meet with our local business partners to uh figure out how to how to make our pathways uh fit the needs of our kids and then also fit the community uh once they get out into the work field. And so it's very important that um you know it's one thing to just teach a vocation but it's another thing to actually plan and prepare students as much as possible to be su successful and actual careers once they leave um school and so that was great to partake to hear input
117from our local partners and uh very happy to attend. And with that I conclude my board report. So, how'd I do, President Naylor? Better. Um, uh, board member belt. Thank you, President Naylor. Um, on behalf of the entire board, uh, and of course, uh, and our employee, Superintendent Shrum, I want to make sure we say thank you once again. And we don't only they have all these days of appreciation but we need to do it about every week for Monica Andrew who keeps us organized our board manager who um every morning we get a text message reminding us what our calendar is and whether we are going to get there on time or not. And um thank you so much Monica. You keep us all going. Um, and with that, uh, I'm on target to
118still finish, I think, all 42 school sites by the end of the school year. And principal, uh, Perch, again, it was fun to be able to be there with, uh, board member D. Young to see Denton and all that's happening there. But I also want to announce that um because of our attending the Denim and Diamonds uh found the VTEC foundation fundraiser uh the belts will be helping the egg shortage um while I was talking imagine that while I was talking to a teacher and a parent about goats uh my wife happened to raise her sign a number of times and we won the auction for chicken coupe. So, we now have a chicken coupe in our backyard. Fortunately, we have about a half acre to put that there. And today, I negotiated buying some
119chickens. It's going to take a long time for us to recoup the cost of all that. But, thank you once again, um, Principal Brawn and that parent group that literally raises money. They had $30,000 last year for scholarships and I think they were pretty close to that again this year. So, it literally is a extremely active parent group that helps students at VTEC. Uh, I I enjoy reading across America. So, I actually I do the the crazy thing and that is wear a bright color jacket and do voices and read the same book sneeches from TK all the way to sixth grade because I can mold it to that age group, whichever group I'm with. And this year I actually had the opportunity to go to seven schools and 26 classes. Not something that everyone
120is going to jump into doing, but thank you for all of the principles who worked really hard, had point people who actually gathered these community folks to come in and inspire young people. Keep reading, reading, reading. Um, Saturday I attended the science olympiad uh as I almost forgot it, but uh if you uh want to look at my Facebook, you'll see a video that I put out this afternoon highlighting the amazing number of students who applied science. And again, congratulations to uh Greenacres, Principal Corass, and all of your coaches that helped. uh they won first place and Rididge View uh won second place and they're going to go on to state. This is a it's kind of an add-on thing that we don't always have enough perhaps uh adults helping. So I'd like to highlight
121that some way possible because it it's applying their science. And of course then I was surprised my granddaughter from Hanford was actually there too taking a test on fossils and anatomy or something. But um it is putting again science into some applications and uh an amazing event that our county helps support but also then of course back to the school sites. Today I I also attended the um Powers School chronic absenteeism webinar. So I have some ideas of what P school is going to help introduce to us to do some add-ons to the already software that we purchase from them uh to help parents and families and students be aware of how things are going on our daily absentee look and to actually encourage students that and we're seeing the numbers. They are trending. we
122are seeing an improvement. It doesn't take more money, just takes more awareness. And so I'm looking forward to seeing that we continue to see uh our chronic absenteeism take a good chunk downward uh as other school districts are still wrestling with it. So congratulations to uh our staff. Uh it is improving here. Thank you, board member. Thank you, President Naylor. Uh I like many board members had the privilege to read to some classrooms and I got to read the Lorax and a story about creepy carrots which was lots of fun. Um so thank you for all of our teachers, librarians and staff uh that are really fostering a love of reading across our district. Um since our last board meeting I've had several community members and constituents and even folks outside of the district and
123outside of Vicelia and Tari reach out to me about information around immigration services workshop information um and specifically our board policies. And so, of course, I'm always looking to what are other school districts doing? How can we improve? How can we, you know, do things differently? Um, so I looked up Fresno Unified, and if you Google Fresno Unified Immigration, you get this awesome website uh that greets you uh with a commitment of Fresno Unified School District. To every student, regardless of immigration status, a video welcoming folks to the site and the page in English, Spanish, and in Mong as well. On that same site, it has information about board policies translated in Spanish and Mong as well. Um as well as family preparedness plans resources uh in immigration video for school site staff um local
124news resources um workshops uh facilitated both through the district and through uh nonprofit organizations and I all this wonderful information including information about social and emotional supports for students and families. I have shared this website uh with our school district staff and I would love to see our district lead in the same way and and provide this information to our students and families um and and not just in English but in Spanish and Mong and any other languages um that you know our community members need this information in. Um I would absolutely love to see that and I know it's necessary resources for all of our families and students. Um, and secondly, I I I'm an avid reader of federal, state, local news, uh, but also news from our school sites. And so, I did
125want to highlight one article from a student at Redwood High School, uh, which was concerned about bathrooms being closed during the regular school day. Um, and them stating that, you know, bathrooms are locked for the first and 10 minutes uh, in class. Um, and also some of the concerns that have arisen among students and staff. And understandably, we know we want our bathrooms to be safe. I know our district has been working very hard uh in terms of um you know informing students about resources and preventing vaping and things that happen inside bathrooms. And so um but I also want to note that there is ed code around this and I want to ensure that our district is following ED code uh around bathrooms and ensuring that we have a sufficient number of bathrooms and
126restrooms open uh when students are in classes. Uh understandably I even as adults right uh we don't always have control over our bodies and when we need to use the restroom. So, I just want to make sure that we are continuing to follow Ed code appropriately. Uh, I know Redwood is also very unique and that has a very big campus and we want to make sure students have time uh to to use the restroom before and after class. Um, but just wanted to flag that uh and also wanted to thank our student reporters on the ground um and you know all students who are bringing issues and awareness to the board. So, that concludes my report. Thank you board member Gamyan. Um, thank you principles who invited me to read at Read Across America. That
127always is fun to interact with kids. Um, as I've been going around, I just really appreciate the engagement that I see with the students. I kind of feel like now I'm seeing our strategic plan unfold in front of me. And that's really um, cool to see. and teachers. When I go around to different schools, you inspire me. So, thank you. Thank you, board member Odto. Yeah, just a real quick thank you to uh Houston Elementary and Principal Monica SCS. Had a great visit there earlier in the week. Got a chance to walk around for an hour with her and with her assistant principal. And the feel on campus is really, really solid. It feels uh active. It feels happy. Feels healthy. feels organized, feels academic. Uh you see evidence of teachers planning together and doing
128things in coordination, common assessments, um things that help kids understand where they're at, things that help kids learn on a day-to-day basis, teachers that are positive. So, thank you for the site visit and thank you for for what I saw there at that school. As Mrs. Goyne says, you know, we're the strategic plan is taking effect, but more than that, folks understand what kids need to experience to be able to learn, and Houston is an excellent example of that. Thank you. I want to kind reiterate that same thing. You know, um I appreciate Principal Yates and also Principal Merrick and I went to Mount Whitney and and um Lynwood Elementary and it's nice to see the kids engaged in learning and it was Valentine's Day at elementary school. So to see kids learning and engaged,
129I thought, wow, we're doing something right. So thank you again. Um, I also want to thank Maria for participating and being our student rep and also participating USAV. It's important that we have our student voice um as part of our strategic plan. So that input is very very critical. So thank you so much. That's it. Student soon and no report. Okay, we'll move on to the next one. Okay, going on to administrative panel recommendations, actions. Do may I have a motion to approve the recommended expulsions? A motion. I'll second. Okay. On a motion by uh board member Gabby, seconded by board member Le Young. Call for the vote. Motion passes 70. Student abstains. Moving right along. Recommended reinstatements. May I have a motion to approve the recommended expulsions reinstatements? I'll make a motion. Who said
130that? Dr. B. I'll second. Okay. On a motion by uh board member Viegas, seconded by board member Gabby. Call for the vote. Motion passes 70. Uh student abstains. Moving on to item 12.1, global learning charter school renaming. Uh presenter is going to be administrative of school leadership Liz Serado. Good evening again, board president Naylor, board members, and superintendent Shrum. You'll recall last Tuesday at our board study session, Assistant Superintendent Mark Thompson shared with you the report of the process used to recommend the naming of GLC. Tonight, I'm bringing the outcomes for your consideration. But first, I would like to take a moment and acknowledge the ad hoc committee made up of students, parents, and staff of GLC for their work in this endeavor. Some of them left because it got a little bit late for
131them, but I would like you please to stand so that we can recognize your work. Thank you so much. I know there were several meetings and we appreciate your work very much. Board, we have tonight the second reading for your consideration of approval of the new name. Oh, here we go. Which um outlines the process and based on the voting, this is what we have. The new name for your consideration will be Sierra B Elementary. They will keep stars as the mascot and their new colors will be black and gold. Very nice. Uh, any public comment? Any board member discussion? Okay. So, do I have a motion to approve the recommendation to rename Global Learning Charter School to Sierra View Elementary with the mascot of the stars and the school colors of black and gold.
132I'll make a motion and I'll second. Okay. On a motion by uh board member Viegas, seconded by board member Belt. vote. Motion passes 70. Student votes yes. All right. Thank you. Yeah. Congratulations. Moving on to 12.2. Um, Vice Unified School District second interim budget report. Director of business services, Kayla Johnson. Good evening, board president Naylor, members of the board, and superintendent Shum. My name is Kyla Johnson, and I am here tonight to present the 2425 second interim budget report for approval. Our second interim report is essentially our midway check-in point for our budget, July 1st through January 31st, 2025. Our budget is the tool that the board has to ensure that we are meeting our core beliefs and commitments. The budget provides us with the resources that allow us to ensure that all students can
133achieve at high levels and demonstrate demonstrate continuous growth. The board's role in that is approving our budget and is what set the conditions for student learning in our district. And this also allows us to align our budget to our strategic plan. Our agenda for tonight, we will go through the second interim report and go through our revenues and expenditures. And then we will also talk through the multi-year projection for our general fund and then go over VUSD outlook and discuss next steps. The purpose of our second interim report is to certify to our county office of education and the state that we are fiscally solvent. And that means that we are able to meet our financial obligations for our current year and the next two years. And when we look at our um our uh
134minimum reserve, that means that we end or we have a we have to have a minimum of a 3% reserve. And right now we are projecting a little over 9% reserve in our general fund. So we are able to meet that reserve. And in terms of our which I'll go over in a later slide, we are showing deficit spending and we plan to do that this year and the next. And that is related to spending down the ending balances of our one-time funds for learning recovery. And then as part of our 2526 budget adoption in June, that's when we will be bringing recommendations back to the board to um approve that budget and get us back in line. And because of the position that the board has put us in, we are able to certify
135a u positive ending fund balance, which is another requirement. This slide shows our general fund summary. It's broken out between unrestricted and restricted and then combined. We do spend most of our time talking about the general fund unrestricted budget because this is our main operating budget. And we're on this slide, what we're wanting to point out is our net change in fund balance. So, as you can see on the unrestricted side, we are showing a deficit of $6.19 million. Our restricted side shows 27.5 with a combined total of 33.7 in deficit spending. The restricted side of the the general fund is where we have our categorical programs and also our one-time expenditures. And this is where like our learning recovery funds are. And just as a reminder, when we talk about deficit spending, that means
136that we're spend spending money in a current year um for expenditures, but the revenue was received in a prior year. So that's why it shows as a deficit. This slide is our general fund revenue. This is a comparison of our revenues at first interim to second interim. As you can see, the main changes here are related to our LCFF revenue and our other local revenue. Our LCFF revenue saw an increase of about $4.2 million in revenue, and that's related to um an increase in attendance rates. And then also, we had just under 1% increase in our unduplicated pupil count. And then our other local revenue increase is related to our interest earnings and that is our money that we receive that's pulled at our county off county treasur's office. This slide is our general fund
137expenditures and you can see here um overall the increase in expenditures from first interim to second interim is $4.3 million. This is just about a one just under a 1% change and this is mainly reflecting shifts within our budget. The main areas that we did see increases here are related to our books and supplies and that has to do with increasing or increased funding for our LCAP and our title one. And then we also saw increase in services for um our ELOP programs and special ed. This slide goes over our general fund unrestricted deficit. So as I mentioned earlier, we are showing a $6.19 million deficit. And when we back out on one-time um costs or car and carryover, which accounts for our site and charter discretionary and then our LCAP, that actually brings us
138to a surplus of $3 million. And this is our multi-year projection. Again, this is on general fund unrestricted. on the left hand side of this side of this slide. This shows the assumptions that we used to build out the current year projection for 2425 in the next two years. This information is based on the governor's budget proposal that we did receive in January. So we um we based the budget based on those colas and the ADA and the ADA is our funding based on actual student attendance. And this is as we are coming out of our three-year hold harmless agreement. And as you can see for our ADA, those numbers stay the same. We do budget conservatively and do not budget for growth. So current year, as I mentioned, we are looking at a $6.19
139million deficit. And then in the two out years, we show a slight deficit in 2526. And then in 2627, we are projecting a surplus of $6 million. And I just want to point out that these are based on assumptions at the time as what for what we know and they can fluctuate. We will be receiving the governor's may revise in May. And so once we have that information then we will make um adjustments accordingly. And then I also want to point out last year when we brought our multi-year projection to the board for second interim we were projecting a $10 million deficit for 2425. And so right now you can see that we're at a $6.1 million deficit and that's due to some of the actions that we've already taken and the board has approved.
140Um and that is like the earlier retirement incentive, some of the organizational restructuring and then also working through the LCAP process and those are things that are helping us to bring that deficit down. And for the B USD fiscal outlook, our governor issued the initial budget proposal for 2526 in January. This slide highlights some of the major things that are coming out as re regarding that. We do have a projected cola of 2.43%. We also have our transitional or TK class size ratio of 10 to1. We also have some potential changes for the ELOT program coming and that's moving from tier the tier one to 55% unduplicated rate which could result in more funding for us. And then there's also proposals for one-time funding related to professional development, teacher retention and other rising costs. And
141then there is also new investments proposed for CTE and school facilities projects related to Prop 2. And then some of the the fiscal challenges that still remain for Viceelo Unified are our flat to declining enrollment that is being offset by the TK growth for another year. And then we also have the expiration of the one-time funds. Our next steps is um adoption of a second interim budget report um tonight and then we will submit that to our county office of education for approval by um March 17th. And then in May, the governor has until May 14th to issue his May revise to the 2526 budget. And then in on June 10th, we will be bringing our proposed budget and estimated actuals for 2526. And then on June 12th is when we will be bringing that
142back for adoption. And then we will come back again in September where we will be be bringing you our uned audited actuals for 2425 which will be the close out of this year in September. And that's the end of my presentation. Good job, Kyla. I appreciate it. Thank you. Uh any public comment? Any board member comment? Okay. Uh, do I have a motion to approve the 2024 2025 second interim budget report? I'll make a motion. Second. On a motion by board member Gabby, seconded by board member Gamoyan. Call for the vote. Motion passes 70. Student votes yes. Good job. Thank you. 12.3 Public hearing Vice Unified School District Interest Initial proposal for classified negotiations. Second reading. I will now open the public meeting or public hearing to allow for public comment on this item. Uh,
143Ministry of Human Services, Judy Burgess. That's okay. Good evening, Board President Naylor, board members, and Superintendent Schum. Um, I would like to um start us off with our district interests. Um, provisions of the California Government Code, article 8, section 3547, require that public school employers and exclusive representatives present proposals which relate to matters within the scope of representation at a public meeting of the public school employer prior to commencing negotiations. The district approaches the coming negotiations with California School Employees Association, Chapter 83, with the intent to negotiate a mutually agreeable contract through collaborative and objective bargaining in order to address common interests in alignment with the district's vision, mission, and goals. Our district interests are to ensure all students achieve at high levels and demonstrate continuous growth. to provide learning environments that are safe, supportive,
144and innovative. Supporting employee success and equipping them with the tools necessary for achievement and growth. Maintaining district reserves to preserve the instructional program for all students during economic cycles and engaging in an open and honest exchange of information through collaborative and objective bargaining with California School of Employee Association Chapter 83. We have an interest in opening the following articles. Article 14 evaluation procedure and article 15 leaves. Both parties have an interest in opening a mutually agreed upon articles. Article 10 employee benefits and article 13 salaries salary. And both parties also have an interest in opening mutually agreed upon articles in which we would bring in agreed uponus. Again, we look forward to good faith negotiations with California School Employee Association, Chapter 83, and both parties acknowledge our commitment to provide an exemplary educational educational program
145to the students and community we serve. Thank you, Judy. Uh any public comment, any board member comment? Okay. Uh I will now close the public hearing and recon reconvene the regular session. May I have a motion to approve ISEL Unified School District interest initial proposal for classified negotiations? So moved. Second. On a motion by board member Goroan and seconded by board member Odto. Call for the vote. Motion passes 70. Student votes yes. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] And then 12.4 public hearing. California School Employees Association Chapter 83. Initial proposal for classified negotiations. Second read. I again will now open the public hearing to allow for public comment on this item. Thank you. And I'd like to introduce um CSEA President Shauna Weaten and Chief Negotiator Andrew Sanchez. Good evening. I may need to make a
146correction. I'm the vice president, not president. Superintendent Drum President Naylor board members and Miss Vidac. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Shauna Weaten. I'm the library media tech at Mount Wein High School. I've been employed with the USD since 2008. I'm currently the chapter 83 vice president. And I would like to formally introduce our chief negotiator, Andrew Sanchez. He will be presenting our second read. Thank you, Judy and Shauna. Oh, sorry. Good evening, Board President Naylor, Superintendent Shrum, and the trustees. It's a pleasure to be here tonight with you all to present our second reading for our negotiations. Um, I'm Andrew Sanchez, as they introduced me as, and I'm a full-time specialized learning center support technician for our district. Uh, as well as serving as our chief negotiator for our
147union. I'm proud to serve over at Valley Oak Middle School and our SELK program and Compass program. CSEA approaches the district with the intent to negotiate a mutually agreeable contract through positive, collaborative, and objective bargaining that will benefit both parties and allow our students, families, and district to receive the essential support and services they need while ensuring a safe and inclusive learning environment. CSEA seeks to ensure VOD students and families receive this support necessary to succeed. The following is our proposal for the Cal from the California School employees association and it's Vicelia chapter 83 to the vice school district for our 2025 20226 reopener negotiations. The California school employee association and its vicea chapter 83 present this initial proposal for the 202526 reopener under the provisions of the current bargaining agreement. It is CSA's intent
148to alter or amend the following articles as indicated in president and present our proposals for public discussion and in accordance with government code 3547. Our interests are as follows. Article 8, promotions. CSA proposes modifications to enhance the promotion selection process. Article 10, employee benefits. CSA proposes to increase the district's contribution to employee benefits to cover any increases and maintain the current benefit standard for all unit members. Article 13, salary. CSEA proposes to enhance the salary schedule to provide an equitable wage increase to help maintain the integrity of the salary schedule and an acceptable standard of living for all employees. In article 15 leaves, CSEA proposes to modify the language contained in bereavement and jury duty to align with the changes to state law and provide additional clarification. All other provisions of the collective bargaining agreement
149enforced to June 30th, 2027 shall remain in full force. CSEA reserves the right to make additional proposals at any time during the bargaining process, including but not limited to responses to proposals made by the district. Thank you. We look forward to continue serving our students, families, and of course our district with the utmost respect, professionalism, and sitting down with Dr. Burgess and the rest of the Vic USD, sorry, negotiations team. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that, Andrew and and Shauna. Um, any public comment, any board member comment? I will now close the public hearing and reconvene the regular session. May I have a motion to acknowledge receipt of the CSEA chapter 83 initial proposal for classified negotiations? I'll motion and I'll second. Who's who said that? Belt. Thank you. I'm sorry. On on a
150motion by um board member D. Young and seconded by board member Belt. May I have the vote? Motion passes 70. Student votes yes. Moving right along. 12.5 recommended recommendation and resolution to eliminate particular kinds of classified service classified positions. Um Judy Burgess good evening again. Uh recommendation I bring be before you recommendation and resolution to eliminate particular kinds of classified service classified positions and all of the positions are indicated by exhibit A included. Okay. Any public comment? Any board member comment? Board member D. Young. Yes. Um would it be possible to have a short explanation for the reasoning why uh these uh reductions are necessary for the district? Um yes. So there's only two reasons why we would have classified eliminations or reductions. That would be of lack of work or lack of funds. Is
151did you want me to maybe expand a little bit more on some of the reductions? We have several um almost half of the reductions are from learning recovery funds which are suns setting this year. So those were temporary additional hours that were added. Thank you. Uh my second question is uh this agreement was in collaboration uh an agreement with CSEA chapter 83. Yes. Okay. And then third and final uh question is for our superintendent Kirk Shawn. Uh um Kirk, is it uh your recommendation for approval of this resolution? Uh this is the staff district recommendation. Yes. Yes. Okay. All right. Well, thank you. Any other board comments? Uh I just wanted to also additionally comment. I know there were lots of concerns around um some of the potential cuts to ours. Um and though I
152I also recognize our our district's efforts in maintaining benefits um in positions that previously did not have benefits. Um so I just want to thank both our district and our union partners um you know for these in good faith negotiations um as our district moves forward. Um so thank you. Thank you. Any other board comment? May I have a motion to approve the recommendation and a resolution to eliminate particular kinds of classified service classified positions? I'll make a motion. Second on a motion by board member Gabby, seconded by board member Gamoyan. Call for the vote. Motion passes 70. Uh yes, and student votes yes. Moving on to 12.6, notice of intent to employ certificate of personnel and approval of provisional internship remitt request. Administrator of human resources, Judy Burgess. Last one. Board President Naylor and
153board members and Superintendent Shrum. This is um a recommendation for approval for provisional internship permit um for the candidate to then um demonstrate uh the requirement of subject matter competency. Any public comment? Any board member comment? Can I make a comment real quick? Absolutely. Board member, I probably should have made it the last thing, but I just appreciate the c collaboration between the district and our classified employees and our certificated employees. So, thank you. Thank you. If I can say something to Absolutely. Uh, President Naylor, also let it be known real clearly, we are not expanding one for the other. We're not expanding certificated. Um, we're just literally replacing this internship. So, it's just a an ongoing development of our entire district. Any other comments? I want to kind of reiterate what um, board member
154Goyian said. Thank you for the interest based bargaining. Um that the collaboration means you know that it's for the good of all. So I appreciate that. Okay. May I have a motion to approve the notice of intent to employ certificate personnel and provisional internship permit request? So moved. All second. On a motion by board member Gamyan, second by board member Gabby. Call for the vote. Motion passes 70. student votes yes. President Neler, if I could make one more comment. My understanding is to districtwide we have like 200 positions open. Is that why we have approximately 196 vacant open positions? Okay. Thank you. Close enough. Thank you, Miss Burgess. Great. Thank you. Uh 12.7 warrant list February 1st, 2025 to February 28, 2025. May I have a motion to approve the warrant list from February 1st,
1552025 through February 28th, 2025? Move to approve. Second motion by board member Odto, second by board member Belt. Call for the vote. Motion passes. Six yes, one abstension, student votes yes. And with that, meeting is now adjourned.