2/21/2024 - English - Chula Vista Elementary School District Board Meeting

001This is the regular meeting of the Chula Vista Elementary School District of Education. It is now in order. Welcome, everyone. All board members present, minus Clerk Tamayo. We will now approve the agenda. Is there a motion? So moved. I'll second. Moved by Trustee Bishop, seconded by Vice President Fernandez. All those in favor? Aye. Motion carries. 4-1, absent. oral communications on closed session items the oral communication section provides the public with an opportunity to address the board on closed session items only persons wishing to be heard may attend in person and should complete a request to be heard card and submit it to the recording secretary before the start of the meeting Speakers are requested to limit their remarks to three minutes and speak in a respectful and professional manner. The board shall limit the total

002time for public input on each topic to 20 minutes. With board consent, the president may increase or decrease the time allowed for public comments depending on the number of persons wishing to be heard. No board action can be taken. We have no speakers. We will now adjourn to closed session in accordance with the following. Government Code Section 3549.1D and 54957.6, Collective Bargaining Employee Negotiations, Agency Negotiators, Fagan, Friedman, and Fullfrost LLP, and Adam Silva and McNally LLP, Employee Organizations, Chula Vista Classified Employees Organization, Chula Vista Educators, Nonrepresented Employees, Administrators Association of Chula Vista. Government Code Section 54956.91, Conference with Legal Counsel, Existing Litigation and Public Employment Relations Board Case Number LA-CE-6771-E. Government Code Section 54957, Public Employee Appointment Title Principle 1, Aspire Program. Government Code Section 54956.91, Conference with Legal Counsel, Existing Litigation and Workers' Compensation

003Claim Number 221-048587. Government Code Section 54957, Public Employee Appointment Title, Director of Special Education and Pupil Services Instruction and Support. Education Code Section 35146, Consider Waiver of Student Expulsion Hearing and Stipulated Suspended Expulsion Agreement, Student Number 412997. Conference with legal counsel anticipated litigation. Initiation of litigation, government code 54956.9, subsection D4, one case. Government Code Section 54956.9d1, Conference with Legal Counsel, Existing Litigation in Office of Administrative Hearings, Case Number 2023-080971. Government Code Section 54956.91, Conference with Legal Counsel, Existing Litigation in Office of Administrative Hearings, Case Number 2023100801. Government Code Section 54956.91, Conference with Legal Counsel, Existing Litigation in Office of Administrative Hearings, Case Number 2023110557. I convene to open session with all board members present except for Trustee Tamayo. Closed session announcements will be made by Vice President Fernandez. All right, bear with me folks. We

004got a lot. Government Code Section 54956.91, Conference with Legal Counsel, Existing Litigation and Office of Administrative Hearing. It's case number 2023-110-0557. On the motion by Member Dominguez-Cervantes, second by Member Bishop, the Board approved the settlement agreement by the following votes. The A's are Dominguez-Cervantes, Ugarte, Bishop, Fernandez. Government Code section 54956.91, Conference with Legal Counsel, Existing Litigation and Workers' Compensation, claim number 221048587. On the motion by Member Dominguez-Cervantes, second by Member Bishop. board voted to approve the existing litigation and workers compensation claim by the following vote the a the a's are dominguez cervantes bishop fernandez government code section 54956.91 conference legal counsel existing litigation and public employment relations board case number la-ce-6771-e on motion by member fernandez second by member bishop the board voted to approve The Memorandum of Understanding between the District and the Chula

005Vista Educators in Public Employment Relations Board Case Number LA-CE-6771-E by the following vote. The A's are Fernandez, Dominguez-Cervantes, Ugarte, Bishop. Education Code 35146 consider waiver of student expulsion hearing and stipulated suspend suspended expulsion agreement student number 412997 on motion by member Fernandez second by member Bishop the board approved the settlement agreement by the following votes the A's are Fernandez Dominguez Cervantes Ugarte Bishop Government Code section 54956.91, Conference with Legal Counsel, Existing Litigation and Office of Administrative Hearings, case number 2023-080971, on motion by Member Dominguez-Hervantes, second by Member Bishop. The Board approved the settlement agreement by the following vote. The ayes are Dominguez-Hervantes, Ugarte, Bishop, Fernandez. Government code section five four nine five six point ninety one conference with legal counsel existing litigation in office of administrative hearings case number two zero two three one zero

006zero eight zero one on motion by member Bishop second by member Fernandez the board approved the settlement agreement by the following vote the a czar Bishop Fernandez Dominguez Cervantes got there. All right on to the good stuff Government Code Section 54957, Public Employee Appointment Title, Principle 1, Aspire Program. On motion by Member Bishop, second by Member Dominguez-Cervantes, the board approved the appointment of Beyond Stanco as Principle 1, that Aspire Program by the following vote. The ayes are Bishop Fernandez, Dominguez-Cervantes, Ugarte. Almost done government code section 54957 public employee appointment title director of special education and pupil services instruction and support on motion by member Bishop second by member Fernandez the board approved the employment of Rose tag Nisi as director of special education and pupil services instruction and support by the following vote the a

007czar Bishop Fernandez Dominguez Cervantes who got a tan and that's all I got Thank you The open session of the regular meeting of the Chula Vista Elementary School District Board of Education is now in order. Welcome, everyone. All members are present. And if Ms. Morales, you will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, please. Thank you. We will now approve the agenda. Is there a motion? So moved. Second. Moved by Trustee Bishop, seconded by Vice President Fernandez. All those in favor? Aye. Motion passes unanimously. Special recognition awards and honors. First, we have the recognition of Bristol Myers Squibb Company for grant awarded for Life Science Station, Ms. Morales. Thank you, President Ugarte. I'd actually like to invite up our Director of Innovation, Michael Bruder, who's going to announce this special recognition for us. Good evening,

008everyone. I'm excited to share with you about one of our partners. We're fortunate to have a bunch of amazing partners across our station experiences. And with our next experience that we're opening the Life Science Station, tonight we will be recognizing Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is a global biopharmaceutical company that aims to foster the development and engagement of young minds in science, technology, engineering, and math, education, and careers. Through its various global initiatives and partnerships, BMS actively works towards empowering the next generation of innovators. The district has been fortunate to receive a grant from the BMS company in the amount of $50,000 for our life science station experience. This grant funding will help to establish the classroom space and purchase the materials needed for the career exploration activities that will be part of the

009experience. With that said, I'd like to recognize with... Site Operations Specialist from BMS, Michael Sherman. And Principal Scientist, Brian Simmons, who will both be accepting on behalf of BMS Company. More comments? I hope you realize the real difference that you're making for the children. And your very generous donation really is going to go a long way. You can take that with you always, that you're making a difference for the children. Thank you very much on their behalf. We in CVESD are so proud of our stations and the opportunities that they give students to see the world for the large opportunity that it is. And having this new station is just another absolute star in our constellation. And we love our partners. And we appreciate you so much for the work that you're helping us do

010in the lives of our kids. So thank you so much for that contribution. We appreciate it. We often say that it takes a village to educate our children, right? And everyone from parents to teachers to classified employees and to our partnerships, right, with labor unions and to the community and business and industry. Being able to participate in the different experiences that we offer not only enriches the education that our... students receive but also gives them another experience of what the possibilities are in that being able to give them that it's one of the biggest gifts that we can never give our students so thank you for making that happen and for enriching those lives of our students thank you It's partnerships like these that give our students just a broad experience and exposure to different

011careers that they can possibly have. And so it takes these partnerships, right, business community, labor community, and in this case, the science community. So thank you for what you've given our students. Thank you. I just want to reiterate thank you very much. As we move into this new world of community schools, this just shows how important that our partnerships are with our community members and our corporate members, and so we thank you from the bottom of our heart. Thank you. Recognition of Office Depot monetary donation to Loma Verde Elementary School, Ms. Morales. Thank you president Ugarte. So again, you can imagine that our schools have a lot of needs and being in our classrooms We're just so very fortunate to honor and recognize the National City Office Depot tonight they have made an incredibly generous

012donation to Loma Verde in the 2023 school year of 17,139 student at their student dollars and then in this year already $4,639. And this has actually supplied the school with the rolling whiteboards and other essential learning needs. And so I know Principal Watson and her staff are so very grateful for this support. So we'd like to honor you tonight. So if you'd like to come up, we have the general manager, Frank Bigley, and client engagement manager, Sharon Edwards, who will accept on behalf of National City Office Depot. Thank you. Bree, do you want to come up? Board comments. Just can't thank you enough. You know, these are schools that really need all the partnering we can get to help our children be successful. We really appreciate you for doing that, for going the long mile

013for them. And we promise to continue shopping at Home Office Depot. I know I do. Thank you. Thank you for your partnership, and thank you for prioritizing education and our kids in some of our neediest areas. Education funding is not what it needs to be, and we have to rely on partnerships with the community, and so it really means so much to us that you share your largesse with us, and we can have these things for our kids. Thank you. Thank you for continuing to contribute. This is not the first time that you may have a donation to one of our schools, but your support is always meaningful to us, and especially to the kids, right, that have a little bit more of that equity for them, where with the current resources that we have,

014we are not able to provide. But thanks to partnerships like yours and your continued... community investment we make we can make that possible so thank you and thank you for that support yeah thank you for being a longtime partner to our schools they all need love in their own special way well Loma Verde they need just a little bit more so thank you so much for making that happen over all these years thank you Office Depot As I was, as we were talking up here and I said thank you, I was reminded when the reply was there are families too. And that shows us how our community feels about our students. And so thank you for extending that to us and thank you for being a continuing partner. My favorite part. Recognition of Emo Brown

015Foundation for donation to Montgomery Elementary School's Grade 6 Outdoor Education Program. Ms. Morales. Yes, thank you. I'm excited. I had all three recognitions tonight. So I want to talk about a little bit of the background information first. The Emo Brown Foundation is a nonprofit organization that promotes awareness of issues that the impact of our community's most vulnerable and disadvantaged residents face. The Emo Brown Foundation leverages the multifaceted strength of its members who come from the small business, education, cultural sectors, and social service sector. They host a variety of activities and events to lend a hand to our neighbors in need. The Emo Brown Foundation has supported Montgomery Elementary School in the past. Last year, they helped send six students to sixth grade camp, our outdoor education program, and they also helped to revamp the school

016garden. This year, they did not stop fundraising until Camp for All Students was paid for. so on behalf of our board we would like to recognize Gustavo Gonzalez, Justin Lipford, Aisha Ali, Steve Garcia and Christian Moreno to come up for this special recognition. Thank you for supporting our schools. Principal Ray Ray come on up to board comments. Well, we can't pass up saying thank you again. It's just really, really appreciated. And those children may have likely not been able to go. Sometimes our children don't reach out to the district to let us know that they don't have the funds. Sometimes they just don't. But you reached out to them. So thank you. I really appreciate that. And the children appreciate it. They always remember sixth grade camp. They just always do. I mean, it's like

017remembering graduating from high school, even college, even now. My kids, they didn't ever get to go. So I know what they missed out because they hear their cousins talking about sixth grade camp, and they're in their 30s and their 40s. You know, they're talking about how much fun it was and camaraderie and just... getting away from their parents out in the open. Just thank you. That's what it comes down to. Thank you. We so much appreciate it. And for all those children that aren't here to tell you thank you, we thank you. I'm going to try not to cry. Sixth grade camp is a huge moment in a kid's life. Huge. I remember sixth grade camp for myself, and I'm 46 years old. It is a moment where not only do you get to be

018in nature, and these are suburban kids. They don't necessarily get to be in nature so much. But not only do you get to learn about your environment and be in nature, but you get to have a moment with your friends from school where you get to finally be. kind of have a moment to be a grown-up version of yourself, away from your parents, and start to establish who you are going to be as a person. And in just seeing that you got six extra kids last time, I was impressed. And then when I read on, and it was that every single kid got to go, that is so moving to me. Thank you so much for supporting our kiddos. I don't know what else to say. Just I appreciate you. Thank you. It's amazing. Amazing

019what you have done, not just for the six kids last year, but to every single kid. To be able to provide that opportunity, right, that many kids just tend to skip school just to not be ashamed that they cannot go to camp. but you were able to provide that to those kids, and those memories will live on with them forever, right? As my colleagues said, you remember that, and it's an amazing experience. It's something that helps them grow, and it's all thanks to you, so thank you. Thank you for providing that. I just want to let the public know that Emil Brown Foundation is made up of members that are from here in Chula Vista giving back to the kids of Chula Vista, which is really what it's all about. You make something happen for

020yourself, and then you go back and you give it to where you came from. And so I'm pretty sure each and every one of you either have a kid or had a kid that went through our school district. And at least three or four of you live on the east side, so at least you're giving it to the schools that need it, right? But at any rate, and then also a thank you to Principal Ray Ray because she threw them an awesome, awesome assembly for appreciation. The kids were just all in with the performances. They even got their own rendition of Santa Claus is Coming to Town. But it's amazing work that you do. I remember the first one y'all did at Feaster and now here you are giving big time to Montgomery and Just

021appreciate what you give back to Chula Vista. Thank you I'm glad that we got to finally recognize you. I know that as an organization, you're in the background and you don't do a lot of publicity as far as we're doing this and we're doing that because you're just doing it. And so I appreciate that you're there and you're giving our students the things that they need and that, like my colleague said, all students going to camp. And I appreciate the work that you're doing. And I look forward to that continued work in the future. So thank you very much. All right. We do have the recognition of Turnaround Arts Creative Leadership Award recipient. And before Ms. Carroll makes introductions, I know Dr. Reyes would like to say a few things. Actually, if you talk about

022the... What this is, and then I'll go after you. Okay, that sounds great. Thank you, President Ugarte and Dr. Reyes. The district has partnered with Turnaround Arts California, a nationally recognized nonprofit, to provide high-quality arts instruction to its students. The organization supports schools to enhance their school-wide arts programs by offering a range of activities, including arts-integrated math and history curriculum, murals, poetry, and drumming workshops, family arts nights, and more. The Creative Leadership Award acknowledges select superintendents from across California who have demonstrated a long-standing commitment to providing equitable arts access in their schools. The award is the first of its kind and aims to encourage more leaders to prioritize arts education in their districts. We are so very proud of Superintendent Dr. Eduardo Reyes, who was recently recognized for his commitment to creativity and arts education

023at the Turnaround Arts California Annual Leadership Awards Ceremony on February 7th, 2024. So although I'm very honored to have received this award, I do want to say that the true heroes are the VAPA teachers and the principals. that support their VAPA teachers. And also back there, trying to hide somewhere, Mr. Kimmer, yes, our VAPA director. So there's a partnership that, and the work that is being done is particularly at two schools. So this award is the partnership that it has with two schools. One is Finney and the other one is Montgomery. And so I do want to recognize also the principals for truly supporting their teachers, but the true heroes here are the teachers. Because all the learning, all the fun, all the engagement, it happens in the classroom. So I just want to say

024that because, yes, I'm honored, but I do want to say that it's them that should be recognized. Mr. Keemer, come on up. Board comments? Dr. Reyes? With staff like that, you're going to keep getting the award. Absolutely. Congratulations, and congratulations to who is making this happen. Thank you, Dr. Keemer. I make everybody a doctor. Mr. Romero will tell you that. Thank you very much for everyone who supports. Ray Ray left. Thank you, everyone. I'm an arts professional. I think it's absolutely crucial to have arts in our schools. I will always support our VAPA program with every ounce of my being, and I think that it is much deserved, Dr. Reyes, and I appreciate that you also support this program, and it's the work of all of our kids and all of their teachers, as you

025said, teachers, principals. upholding this idea that art is a connector for children into education. It helps them connect through narrative and beauty and aesthetics. And every child benefits from our program. And I'm very proud to serve on the board that you were recognized on behalf of. district does that make sense okay I lost it at the end there but the my point is just that yes it is a it is very well deserved and congratulations dr. Reyes and thank you so much mark for the work that you do too congratulations dr. Reyes I assume said this is The work of many in the district, right? Many times we get the accolades or we go and receive the awards, but it's always knowing that's on your behalf, on behalf of the staff, on behalf of the

026employees and everybody that's doing the work. We might say set the standard or the direction, but the actual work is being done in the classroom. with staff, with the bus drivers, the cafeteria workers, all contributing to that mission. But thank you for your leadership, and thank you for continuing to strive that arts are present in our schools. Yes, just to add to that, we know that this is the work of many. So thank you to those of you that have put your time and dedication into the vision and also the execution of this. It seems like we're getting an award for arts. at least once every board meeting and that takes dedication and passion. So thank you to all of the folks that work on this. Thank you. Congratulations, Dr. Reyes, and thank you to

027the teachers who put in the hard work for our district to do this. I know that many of the events that I'm able to attend are after hours, and they tend to be the arts, whether it's a music concert or it's a play or a musical or seeing artwork that's being displayed on the weekend. So that right there tells you that the extra time and dedication that you're putting in. after the duty day as many of our teachers do and so i think that we do have an impressive arts program and i look forward to continuing that and i look forward to next month's award you know and if i just want to add uh so the this award was given uh was presented in open la and when i was there there were school

028districts from different parts of california and I had an opportunity to speak to different superintendents and different teachers and different folks that held different positions at the districts. Every single one of them knew about Chula Vista Elementary. Every single one of them knew about the focus and how rigorous our VAPR program is. Every single one of them wanted to know what our secret is. So it was really interesting and it was really uplifting and I felt so proud to represent Chula Vista Elementary because every single district was asking me, how are you guys doing it? How are you guys doing it? You guys are amazing. And so I do want to mention that because I know that this particular partnership is with Finney and Montgomery, but magic is happening at every single site. Thank you,

029leaders. Thank you, teachers. Thank you, staff, for everything that you do to make sure that VAPA is in the hands and the minds and the hearts of our students. Thank you. Recognition of Full House Friday's attendance campaign drawing winner for January 2024, Ms. Casey. Thank you, President Agarte. As you know, the Chula Vista Elementary School District recognizes attendance as an important factor in every child's academic success. The district hosted another Full House Friday. attendance campaign for the month of january to encourage students to attend on fridays when we typically see lower attendance so this evening the district would like to recognize sunnyside elementary as the full house friday january campaign winner so we have the principal and the tens health secretary here from sunnyside coming up congratulations board comments yes i was hoping our principal

030could share how how i know she's got her her right arm there, but if you could share what you did to make this happen. Absolutely. So at Sunnyside, our motto is at Sunnyside together we shine brighter. So I'm the proud principal of Sunnyside, but it is really a collective effort starting first and foremost with our amazing attendance health secretary, Ms. Barbara Pakula. She knows every single student's name. She knows all the parents. She's consistently working to reach out to parents and make sure that attendance is a priority, our messaging, and more importantly, our teachers and our staff are warm and welcoming and make it an inviting place that kids want to be there every day. So it's a culture. It is a culture. At Sunnyside, together we shine brighter. Thank you. Well, thank you. Thank

031you. Congratulations. We appreciate that input. Barbara, I know how hard you work and thank you so much for the work that you do every day to get those kids into those seats. Because you gotta be there to learn, right? We appreciate the work that you're doing and thank you so much for being here tonight and congratulations on your win. Congratulations. Thank you for the hard work and thank you for sharing a little bit of the magic with us. Congratulations as well. Congratulations and thank you for your hard work. And I think I'm going to go on a Friday to Sunnyside. Thank you. All right. Communications to the board. Chula Vista Classified Employees Organization, Ms. Angela Reed. Sorry. She's on my negotiating team. She's amazing. So multiple hats she wears. All right. Good evening. But tonight,

032I'm outraged. I'm outraged at the almost $1.5 million the district is proposing to spend on third-party consultants to provide behavior support to special education students instead of investing in developing the training and ability to current classified employees. Here we are looking to spend more than 2% of the annual classified salary. to outsource what should be done in-house. These two contracts with Maxim Health and VBA that you will be discussing tonight, together with prior contracts with Club Excite, amount to more than 50 temporary contractors. These funds could instead provide a significant portion, if not all, of the funding needed to put an IA behavior specialist on every campus. And I know that's been a goal. Why have these contracts ballooned out of control? It is the district's desire to take the easy road that has led

033to this monster out-of-control spending. The mistaken belief that we cannot hire staff is unacceptable. We cannot use the excuse that paraprofessionals are not available to then turn around and fill the need with agency support. How can we fill this need? One way is to look at the substitute pool of employees. We need to reevaluate how substitute employees are attracted, retained, and paid. Substitutes make minimum wage. Minimum wage does not attract quality candidates. They have better opportunities elsewhere. A benefit of attracting quality substitute employees is we not only have qualified subs, we then have a ready pool of qualified people we can hire full-time employees from. Employees that are already vetted have gone through most, if not all, of the necessary processes to fill a vacancy immediately. Adequately compensating substitutes is the first step in attracting

034quality employees. This not only broadens the applicant pool, it ensures our students have appropriate support when contracted employees utilize their right to leave. With these proposed funds, we could instead provide almost all of the funding needed to hire and train full-time employees to provide behavior support at every school. It's absolutely wild that the district is looking to spend so much on contractors when I have asked, even begged, for professional development for current classified employees to gain skills and confidence to support students in crisis. We should invest in our people, an enduring part of our schools, rather than short-term contract needs. I implore the district to reconsider adjusting substitute pay and supporting full-time employees to reducing the staffing shortfalls instead of spending over $1.5 million to fill ongoing needs with temporary solutions. We need to end

035this contract by March 15th and invest in our staff and our schools by setting sub pay at step one of the classified salary schedule, investing in our professional development and implementing Sharon Casey's district behavior support plan to bring full time behavior support to our schools. Thank you. Thank you. Chula Vista educators, Miss Rosie Martinez. Good evening. It is incredibly humbling and an honor to be the president of Chula Vista Educators. I am always in awe of the amazing staff that we have in this district that no doubt make Chula Vista the best place to be. This week, I have been honored to be part of the Teacher of the Year selection process. We have visited several classrooms and will continue to do so tomorrow. I am so impressed by the amazing experiences that our students

036are having at their schools. It is so difficult to choose a teacher to recognize when so many are deserving. Students are engaged and excited about their learning. When they talk about their teachers, they express how they feel challenged, supported, and loved by them. The level of energy, animation, and engagement of teachers in primary classrooms is truly impressive. The opportunities for critical thinking and building independence with the upper grade students helps to build their confidence and pushes their critical thinking. The excitement of fun activities in BAPA classrooms help inspire creativity. It was hard to walk out of some of the rooms because even as an observer, I was so engaged I wanted to know what came next. What a privilege to get to be in these spaces and watch our teachers at their best. I'm also

037very excited to be here tonight because on your agenda, you will have the opportunity to approve Chula Vista Educators Tentative Agreement. This has been a year's worth of work for our teams. I am so proud of the accomplishments reflected in the language. Our new evaluation process has been a 10-year long project. Many people contributed to the work throughout the years, but it took these two teams to finally get it done. Many people contributed to the work. Excuse me. I want to especially. recognize the hard work throughout these years of Carla Chris who worked on it, stuck to it, and finally made it happen. Creating a reflective model that focuses on growth and grounded by the teaching standards is a student-centered decision that will help our teachers continue to improve their craft and deepen their conversations

038with the instructional leaders that guide the work at the school sites. the transfer language will finally allow a process that facilitates moving across our schools while respecting and valuing the years our members have dedicated to this district After many years of a collaboration MOU, we finally have that language in our contract that recognizes the importance of supporting time for teams to come together and plan and reflect on their instruction and the students' growth. We added previous MOU language for transitional kinder, acknowledging the special needs of this age group as well as those who work with them. We added language around safety, including expectations of safety committees at all sites that include all voices, as well as the MOU for the use of Ajax. We agreed on a salary increase that brings our members pay from

03933 in the county to number eight. It includes stipends in recognition of those who have a heavier workload, like in dual immersion programs, combination classrooms, and special education. We were able to get our members credit for all their years of service, which in some cases make a significant increase to their salaries. I'm so thankful to both teams for their hard work, to Jason Romero and to Dr. Reyes for their leadership, as well as CVE's team led by the amazing Tim Criss. Next month, I will be back to sunshine our new articles for 24-25 since bargaining never ends. Thank you in advance for your thoughtful consideration as you vote to approve this TA and also thank you for recognizing and prioritizing the need for the supports provided to our staff and students by our school psychologists,

040counselors, and social workers. I encourage all parents and staff to continue to provide input through thought exchange and focus groups to create a well-rounded LCAP plan for the next three years. Thank you. Thank you. Administrators Association of Chula Vista, Ms. Teresa Corona. Good evening President Ugarte and Superintendent Dr. Reyes and our board members. As president of Administrators Association Chula Vista, I would like to begin by stating that we are hopeful for the approval of the MOU on benefits and wages that will come before you this evening. Our members are dedicated to the success of our district community and our school communities and an increase to our salary and benefits shows that we are recognized and valued for the work we do and for our contributions to our district's mission and vision. In addition, this evening

041I wanted to address a term that I have used while addressing the board in the past and that term is professional partnership. I have shared that AACV is committed to working in professional partnership with the district and the board. This evening I wanted to elaborate a little bit more on what it means to AACV to work in professional partnership and just share a little bit more on that. Professional partnership means that we are ensuring that the interests of our members are taken into account in district decision making, that AACV is consulted on matters that affect the work of our administrators, that we are represented on district committees, task force, and steering committees, that principals and associate principals are recognized for the wealth of on-the-ground insights and experiences that they bring to the table. when decisions

042are being made and input is being sought. Professional partnership means that the district values the voice of our administrators and that we have a seat and voice at the table. Professional partnership also means that we have strong open communication channels between district administration and the AACV. That information is shared with us as informed partners in the work all of us are dedicated to doing each and every day. Professional partnership with the district also entails that we will be prepared and ready at the bargaining table and that we will work professionally in this setting with mutual respect and common dedication to the pursuit of educational excellence in the district. We're currently working together at the bargaining table and look forward to hopefully a full agreement hopefully coming this spring. Professional partnership also includes having time to

043meet with the superintendent each month on the issues that matter to AACV and to also have an opportunity to hear from Dr. Reyes as well. And AACV appreciates that time and building that and working in professional partnership with Dr. Reyes. Thank you for the opportunity to address you this evening and to continue in professional partnership with you all as a board as well. forward to our continued one-to-one meetings with our AACV executive board members and school board members and so that we can continue to establish that professional partnership with the board as well thank you so much thank you oral communications The oral communication section provides the public with an opportunity to address the board on non-agenda items. Persons wishing to be heard may attend in person and should complete a request to be heard

044card and submit it to the recording secretary before the start of the meeting. Speakers are requested to limit their remarks to three minutes and speak in a respectful and professional manner. The board shall limit the total time for public input on each topic to 20 minutes. With board consent, the president may increase or decrease the time allowed for public comments depending on the number of persons wishing to be heard. No board action can be taken. I believe we have nine speakers. The first two, Kara Good and then Lisa Yagan. Good evening. I'm going to read this because I'm a little nervous. So my name is Kara Good and I have two kids in the district. First, I wanted to praise the district safety committee for the safety measures they have implemented to make our schools

045safer. Second, I had two clarifying questions. Video cameras. At a previous meeting, it was stated that video cameras would be installed at every school by the end of this school year. Is that still the case? Regarding the Ajax app. based on a previous communication I had had with the district safety team. I understand that the Ajax app has been implemented at 20% of our schools, and I'm wondering when this implementation will be completed at all of our district schools. Finally, I wanted to ask why our schools are used as polling places. light of our political environment and the fact that many ballots are submitted by mail these days and the policies that are received from the district safety committee it stated that there are three options when using a school as a polling location number

046one polling place must be separated from where staff teachers and students are Or your second option, to institute staff teacher development days during the voting period. Or lastly, to designate those voting days as a school holiday for students and non-classified employees. Neither of these options is being used at my children's school. So in protest, I will be keeping my children at home while their school is being used as a polling location. That's how strongly I feel about this. I would ask the district to reconsider using our schools as polling places while our students and our staff and teachers are there. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Lisa Yegan and then Rosemary Lowry. Good evening. Good evening, Superintendent Reyes, ladies and gentlemen of the school board. My name is Jade Bautista and I am the

047parent of a student at Fahari Jeffers Elementary, specifically in the special day class TK first grade, mild moderate classroom. I apologize. I cannot be at the meeting in person as I have work commitments out of state, but I want to emphasize how deeply I am. how deeply involved I am in the success of Fahari Jeffers as well as our district with the top priority being our children. I serve as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee co-chair for Jeffers PTA and on the district's Independent Citizens Oversight Committee. Tonight I wish to address the topics of prioritizing investment in resources and training for special education staff and inclusive environments for our children. Investment in resources and training, number one. I have personally seen and requested the need for additional aids in both SDC and mainstream classrooms to

048assist our teachers and students with IEP needs. We need to prioritize investment in aids and training for special education. We need to ensure our schools have the necessary resources to provide our students with the support and accommodations they need to succeed. This means prioritizing hiring more instructional aides and paras at competitive salaries and offering training and professional development for our SPED teachers, general education teachers, and aides. Specifically, I want to commend the SDCTK1 Mild Mod Special Education teacher, Ms. Jasmine Garibay. Every day she shows up to teach three different grade levels of curriculum while meeting the individual educational goals of each child. This is not an easy feat without the support of additional aids. Number two, inclusive classrooms. CVESD is the largest K-6 district in California, and one of the reasons why my husband and

049I decided to settle here and start a family over six years ago was because it was one of the most highly recommended school districts. We can still be that district that others look to as an example. Special education parents would love the opportunity to have their child in more inclusive environments such as the programs implemented in Poway and Coronado. Parents and teachers in these districts have expressed how this program has been extremely productive for special education and their peers, not only increasing test scores or the social or the school overall but it creates an environment that teaches children empathy Inclusive classrooms are not just about providing special education services. They are about creating a learning environment that values and supports all students regardless of their abilities or disabilities. They are about recognizing that every student

050has something unique to offer and that every student deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. But this requires a mindset shift from the administration to the classroom. Please consider piloting such a program. As a parent, it is heartbreaking to see my child struggle to find their place in a school system that rather excludes than provides them with a sense of belonging. Last, I want to reiterate that as a parent deeply invested in not just my child's education, but all students, I also want to work collaboratively with the district to ensure our students and teachers thrive. Thank you. Thank you. Rosemary Lowry. Good evening. I'm Rosemary Lowry, a parent of a child with an IEP. I'm Fahari Jeffers Elementary and a Community Advisory Committee applicant for CVASD. Tonight I stand before you to address the

051topic of advocacy within our education system and to advocate on a specific topic. Advocacy in education is the collective effort of parents, educators, and the community members to enact positive change that supports and defends children and their support networks, including parents and educators themselves. Whether it's a parent voicing concerns at a board meeting, a teacher advocating for additional support for a student, or a community member standing in solidarity with those seeking assistance, advocacy takes various forms. This evening, my advocacy is on behalf of the CVSD special education community as we prepare to welcome a new special education director. Our community seeks greater inclusivity, aiming for comparable inclusion classrooms to those in neighboring districts. We propose collaborating on volunteering and engagement opportunities, which currently lack consistency across school sites, including mine. Additionally, we advocate for specific

052local control and accountability plan initiatives tailored to the special education program, addressing the significant disparities in the math and English proficiency compared to their non-disabled peers. We emphasize the importance of implementing these initiatives district-wide, ensuring equitable access to all students across Chula Vista, regardless of their geographic location, whether they're west or east. We also stress the significance of guaranteeing uniformity in special education programs across all CVSD sites. Every parent should have the confidence in the strength of the education program at their children's home school without feeling the need to transfer their transfer to access better resources, nor should they feel the need nor should they feel that their program could be pushed out. As parents, we aspire to witness both the successes and challenges and challenges within our district, recognizing that your success is intertwined

053with our children's success. We urge you to hire staff who can effectively support our children's growth and development. It's imperative that these staff members embody inclusivity, reject ableism, and receive comprehensive training, including their colleagues in mainstream classrooms. With increasing number of students requiring 504 and IEP accommodations, our community continues to expand. Many parents describe navigating the special education system as an ongoing battle. We seek to transition away from this perpetual struggle, though. We recognize that daily life already presents its own array of challenges for many of us. We want to move to collaboration and celebration. Let's work together to create an educational environment where every child thrives and is included regardless of their individual needs. Thank you for your support and consideration. Thank you. Mary Davis. Hi, good evening board, Mary Davis here. So here

054I'm tonight asking, I want to raise awareness of a troubling trend in the county and ask for allyship. And that's the problem of the conditional release program for the state of California for sexually violent predators. And while that might seem isolated for people in Chula Vista, I wanted to raise awareness because the one that's coming out now, they placed at 1138 Custer in Campo. And that seems way out there. However, it's within less than half a mile than the Pacific Southwest Railroad Museum. And that has historically been used as a place for field trips for children throughout the county. And so next week, I am going to start a campaign where I'm going to going to do a resolution template and send them to all the school districts as well as the county office of

055education asking for each district to put forth a resolution for our state senators to come up with an alternative an immediate alternative to where these violent predators are not released anywhere it's right now that location is two miles from a school and again less than half a mile from where kids throughout the county and again there might be this feeling insulation that that's not Shula Vista's problem but Mount Helix had one that was going to be thrust on them and then Rancho Bernardo so the way this program is going and the way the judges rubber stamping things it is really only a matter of time before Shula Vista is on the menu and again you may have students that have family out there that go visit or go out the weekend to that railroad museum

056and again it's not someplace that is suitable for that a SVP should be put out there. So thank you very much. I appreciate anything you can do to help. Thank you. Thank you. Mark Anthony Hall. I'd like to say good evening to Board President Ugarte, to board members, Dr. Reyes, and your staff. As you see on the card, I stopped by to say thank you tonight. As you know, over the summer, I went to 23 board meetings. I'm here tonight because your board meeting out of 23 stuck out the most to me. And the reason it stuck out, because every time I see the human connection, and I remember Dr. Reyes, I said, I don't know who thought that up. But whoever on your staff thought that up, I'd just like to say thank you.

057On our website, we changed our mantra. It says, a boy must first be restored to himself before he can be restored to someone else. Many boys live most of their lives unrecognized and feel dehumanized. Once a boy learns to love himself, he will care about loving somebody else. We teach anger management. We work with sixth, seventh, eighth grade boys. They're asking us to do kindergartners now. Quite all boys, you know, the kindergartners come to school angry. And they're not angry at the teachers. They're angry at life. Home has failed them, and not all homes. You remember when I came here before, I said, home, arm around them, neighborhood, school. Once again, you guys get it all. Teachers get it all. They get the anger. They get all the discipline. And these kids, they don't need

058medicine. They need love. And that's what I believe that's what your human connection is about. I already live on a mountain, but your mantra makes me sizzle. It's in my blood. I talk about you at other school districts. You're right. Everybody knows about Chula Vista because we talk about them too. Today I met with Mr. Benway. This is Oscar Benway. He's our community director. He's at Rancho Del Rey in Bonita Vista. And we told the principals about your human connection, and they liked it. We're in six schools now in Lemon Grove, and we talked about the human connection, and they like it. So I just want to say thank you. We look forward to working with you in the future, but I just want to say thank you because I like staying on a mountaintop,

059and I like to get up every morning with a sizzle and a pep in my step. And I like looking these kids in the face because my favorite saying is, I used to be a boy. I had two great parents. I told you before, they were married for 64 years. And the frontal lobe of most boys at certain ages is just made out of rubber. And what you do and what the community does will help break through. Let them know you're special, you're needed, you're cared for. We need you to graduate. San Diego is the third highest city in America. You need a job. You need education to get a job, to support a family. So I just came tonight to say thank you for putting that in my life. I don't know which one

060of your staff members came up with it, but it's like my foundation for everything we do now. So thank you very much. Thank you. Mary Doyle? Good evening, trustees, school board president Ugarte, Superintendent Reyes, staff and community members. My name is Mary Doyle. I'm a resident of Imperial Beach. I'm a retired Sweetwater Union High School district educator, but I taught in IB and Chula Vista. And I'm a former member of the South Bay Union School Board. I come in peace, and I don't think my request will cost much or any money. I'm here to discuss and ask for board action regarding the current pollution crisis and the hazards our children and the rest of our community endure living on or near the shores of a huge and unresolved ocean sewage tragedy. Of course, we've all

061heard about it, read it in the news, been saddened by the signs that turn us away from the closest beach to Chula Vista. and breathe the South Bay air loaded with aerosolized pathogens. It seems every political entity in the San Diego region has raised a voice in distress, and I'm grateful for those squeaky wheels. The elected officials and news sources who will not drop the subject, from Mayor Aguirre of Imperial Beach and your mayor, Mr. McCann of Chula Vista, who recently visited D.C. to advocate for money for this solution, to the school children. at South Bay Union School District who wrote letters to the president. Thank you. I feel it's time for school boards across this region to take a stand as well. South Bay Union School District approved a proclamation last February 8th regarding

062the issue, and I have sent a copy to your communication apps. and also to Superintendent Reyes. I visited Sweetwater School Board, San Ysidro School Board meeting, and Coronado School Board meeting, and I'm gonna keep going because I'm retired. These last few weeks to ask for this. Our children need this. Just in your recognitions, you recognize the need for children to have a positive experience in nature. We have beautiful nature around us here in the South Bay. We just need it to be clean. Today I listened to KPBS, and they were interviewing Dr. Stigler Granados of San Diego State Public Health, and she brought up the issue of environmental justice. This area of the state is not being treated the same as other areas. If this kind of pollution were occurring up in... La Jolla or

063anywhere else there'd be much more of an uproar and so I need every elected official anybody with a voice to Speak up about it. I urge that's why I'm here to urge you to join your colleagues in the school boards I'm taking an insulate institutionalized stand against this mess and I ask that you chime in and advocate for rapid repair of our border sewage infrastructure We basically need money Check your emails for the copy that I sent you from South Bay Union. And thank you very much for all you do. It's a tough job. Thank you. Dr. Alexis Avina. Hi, good evening. My name is Dr. Alexis Avina. I have a frog in my throat. And I'm a mother of two children, a CVSD alumni. I'm also a community member. I'm here tonight to talk

064about two points. I'm excited first off to tell you all I'm very excited to celebrate Read Across America coming up on March 2nd again. Some of you already know this, but I'm a strong supporter of all things in support of early literacy. Literacy ignites the flame of knowledge and possibility. It is the cornerstone upon which the dreams of our children are built. When I read to my children each night, we go on adventures around the world through experiences of our friends and characters. By nurturing early literacy, we unlock the doors to exploration, empowerment, and endless opportunities. So great work. Secondly, I'm looking on a more serious note. I wanted to touch base on a recently released study about our school districts student achievement stores. Earlier this month UCSD's extended studies Center for Research and Evaluation

065and the Voice of San Diego compiled data to evaluate student achievement and trends. They looked at lots of data across all schools in San Diego County including ELA scores and math. There were some surprising results the bulk of the school district of our school districts schools are trending the same Approximately 20 schools. They're seeing no change in math and ELA scores from past years 11 schools are trending worse in English and math and 11 schools are trending up This may not seem like a big deal since we're doing about the same overall except that 12 other school districts in San Diego County are trending better than in English and math than the Chula Vista Elementary School District. But what are we doing differently? Is it an issue of resources, policy, budget, equity, or governance? Whatever

066the reason is, I hope that the board has an interest in pursuing solutions, equitable ones and sustainable ones. I want this school district to be best in county, best in state, and it's important that we make this happen. Our community's educational foundation depends on it. Thank you. Thank you. Before we move to the district safety and health update with the board's permission, I would ask that Mr. Romero be able to introduce our new principal and our new director. Good evening, President Mugarte, Governing Board, and our Superintendent, Dr. Reyes. It's with pleasure tonight that I introduce to our community and our Governing Board our two newest administrators. I'd like to call up our first promoted employee, Vianne Stenko. Vianne comes to us by the way of Solana Beach School District. She is a CVESD graduate, a

067graduate of our Sweetwater schools, a resident in our community, and a mother who sends her child to one of our schools. So it's with great pleasure tonight that I introduce our first Principal One candidate of today, Vianne Stenco. Vianne. I just wanted to say a couple of things here. You know, I'm standing here today, as you just mentioned, as a proud graduate of the Chula Vista Elementary School District, and even more importantly, an Allen School Eagle. I wouldn't be here today without the foundation that was laid out for me in this district, and it is significant that I stand here today coming full circle. I want to thank you all for the opportunity that you have given me to take on the role of principal for the Aspire program at Allen Elementary. I am eager

068and ready to take on the work that lies ahead. I will work hard each and every day and am proud to serve you and my community. Lastly, I just want to thank my parents, my two younger but much taller brothers and younger sister, my husband Jeff and my daughters Lana and Amelia, and my entire family, most of them who live here in Chula Vista, filled with aunts, uncles, and lots of cousins. My family has loved, supported, and cared for me unconditionally. I owe everything to them and will carry the values they gave me as I continue my work as an educational leader for the Chula Vista Elementary School District. It's great to be home, and thank you again. Congratulations. Welcome. And I just can't go without saying in walking Vianne back after her interview, I

069found out that one of our board members was a teacher of Vianne a couple years ago. Just a couple. A couple years ago. Thank you. I'd like to now call up our new special ed director, Rose Tagnesi. Rose comes to us from the Grossmont Union School District as a special educator for just over 20 some odd years. She has a ton of experiences working with our students with exceptional needs. She comes well recommended and is a well-known name in the special education world in Southern California. So, Rose. It's a pleasure to welcome you to Chula Vista, and thank you for joining us. Thank you. I'm so excited about this opportunity to come to Chula Vista. And it was really nice listening to parents and the information about instructional aids, and I've been taking notes. I

070do want to let you know that I do have a passion for inclusivity, and that is sort of the foundation of my professional purpose. I believe that all kids can, and I also believe in supporting the people that support the students in the classroom. And so I look forward to getting on board and jumping in. I don't know if Sharon and I will always dress the same, but... I am looking forward to contributing to Trula Vista and bringing my knowledge and experience to our students and to this community. So thank you. Congratulations and welcome. And we're continuing with the theme of Mr. Romero and we have our district safety and health update. Great, thank you. As our continued efforts to make Chula Vista Elementary School District the safest schools in the state of California, it's

071my pleasure tonight to provide you our February safety update. We want to just confirm that we have added a second security guard to Harborside Elementary School. So we have multiple coverages, not just at the school site, but in the surrounding community, making sure that the pathways to school and when we leave school are safe for our students, staff and our community. We had our second round of lockdown drills and so we met with the safety committee, the internal district committee to look at those times and we're happy to report that our times are improving and the rates of our active participants in our lockdown drills are over 97% which means when we go through our doors, when we're checking our doors to make sure that they're locked, we're having 97% of our doors that are

072locked. working on getting to the ultimate goal of 100%, but improving each time that we have our drills. We've revised and updated our emergency response protocols and procedures. So one of the things that we were looking at as we have updates that happen in real time as it comes to our safety practices, we're taking feedback that are given by our site safety committees and our school site safety committees, and we're putting those into new protocols and procedures. Currently, the one that we're working on, is a new one for us was when all of us received on our phones tornado updates for school sites right that was a new one for san diego and a new one for chula vista and so we met immediately after that and talked about how we need to come up

073with a one pager for our schools on how to respond to tornado and high wind emergency warnings We did have to postpone because of that rain that happened. We did have a February parent safety meeting. We have rescheduled that to March 14th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Topics that will be considered are some of the things that we want to prioritize, such as our safety plans that have been completed at our school sites, our Ajax app and the implementation of that. school cameras and our tornado warning. So the new date has been March 14th, 2024 here at the district office in room C. Our Narcan update. So Narcan has been distributed to all 50 school sites. We provided the board with Narcan last month. We have developed a plan to train personnel. We worked

074with our nurses and we got a approved standing order by the California Department of Health to be Narcan providers at our school sites. So it was a process that we needed to go through. They went through our distribution procedures. They approved it. And I'm happy to say that every single school site and every member that we provided testing kits to are approved by the California Department of Health. We are now working with SDCOE with the opioid overdose response plan. That is something that's happening countywide. All righty, thank you. Any questions? Yes. Two questions. The opioid plan, what is that? So in response to the uptick, and uptick is a, I'd say, a safer word, probably the epidemic of fentanyl across our county and our country, the County Office of Education is working on an opioid

075response plan on how to identify when someone has been exposed to fentanyl or overdoses or any other opioids. So they're working on a training that should be part of our annual trainings that we give our teachers and staff members every year. We have a regular, so like our mandated reporter trainings and some of our other trainings related to the safety of students. The opioid response plan will be part of those annual trainings. And the Narcan, you said the site nurses are the ones that are trained to... Could you expand on that? So we were training multiple members at every single school site. Our district nurses were helping us get authorized by the state of California. So they were all on board in making sure that we have the safest protocols, and so they went through

076the training plan, and we got approved through the state. So do we have multiple members at each school site? And then the next question then is, do all the staff there know who that is? who those persons are so they could reach out to them that's a great question i i don't know have that to answer but what i'll do is i'll make sure that jose cortez and ahmed wiggins who's uh emed is headlining this project to make sure that that's part of the procedures i assume that it is but i don't want to take anything sure you know because you have on things can happen god forbid out of the playground just anywhere and everyone needs to know who their contact person is thank you thank you Thank you as always for your presentation.

077I appreciate it. And I'm looking forward to the rescheduled safety meeting. I didn't realize it was canceled until I was about to leave the house and I was like, well, deluge, oh no. thank you so much um i look forward to that on march 14th in room c yes got it thank you um i just wanted to follow up on some questions that were raised by one of our parents during open session the video cameras what's the rollout expectation for that great question and so part of uh what we're looking at is we have the Sobel group that did those plans. We are daily getting reports from the Sobel group and in meeting with Oscar Escobar, what we talked about is looking at the priorities established under those safety plans as being the protocol to

078establish which schools get them next. So their plan still is to get them installed as quickly as possible, but I'll report to you next month on the timeline on that. Thank you. And the AGIC's implementation timeline as well. Great question. And so we are in real time working with Ajax every day on this. We have some schools that are, I don't want to say piloting because a pilot sounds like we may be. you know doing it or may not we have some schools that have initially have rolled out with this program and what we're doing is we're working next week to have a ajax informational meeting with all of our stakeholders one of the plans that we shared in cabinet this week was having ajax come to a board meeting to provide the board an

079update on what the ajax app looks like and things like that so that's to come a full implementation by the end of the school year without a doubt but probably like in an april board meeting coming to the board and showing uh in real time what that app looks like great thank you for that i appreciate it and okay no no sorry okay um and then finally uh what are the safety protocols that we have in place for the polling places for our schools so that's one of the things we can talk about at cabinet one we always prioritize that the with the polling places uh we have additional staff that have been assigned to those polling places. We do have our SROs that we're tapping into to make sure that SROs are patrolling those

080areas and on campus. As the community member mentioned, a lot of our ballots are done by mail and just dropping off at times. So we do want to make sure that we have the appropriate amount of staff and ensure that our SROs know. where our polling places are at our school sites. Thank you so much. And again, I always appreciate those reports. I think it's a really high priority in our community, and I appreciate that we continue to talk about these issues. And it's without reservation that our goal is to make sure that our schools are the safest in California. Yeah, I appreciate that. Thank you. And I appreciate that I got to walk through with the Sobel Group. And gosh, it was just so... precise and specific about every little thing on campus. And

081so I know that we have a huge list of things that we have to address, but I appreciate you keeping us abreast of that timeline. Thank you. Do you have another question? I did, I'm sorry. I should have looked at my notes. I took your question, you don't even know. Okay, Chairwoman, Lucy Ugarte asked last month about an outreach to our Chairwoman, Board of Supervisors Nora Vargas, about their responsibility to what's happening in the magnet, the HHSA building there. Yeah, so I know that that actually has reached out to their office and they played phone tags my my ideas to have a sit-down not just a phone call because I think the issue I totally agree with you and the board and this this is a serious issue and It's a serious issue that has

082I think multiple layers So I believe that we need to I know that I'm also having a meeting with them City manager and also how I'm gonna be having a minute a minute with the city manager for this to address some of the issues that are part of Chula Vista and and we'll continue and I Can't guarantee you but I will continue to make sure we that I follow up to have sit down or meeting with a chairwoman Vargas yes, I drove by that area again and We may want to include MTS as well. They have a responsibility there the the shut the the trolley That's what many of the people that come for services at HHSA That's how they get there and that's why we have a lot of the homeless issues that arise

083they stay close to their transportations right there the HHSA services are right there and then that of course has a Domino effect on our children in our community walking to school safety our staff yeah, because even though we We had one security guard and then we added another one. Well, we can only do so much. Right. That's why we need these partners. It's a bigger issue that, and they can only cover a certain area. Now our kids are working for him all over the place. Mm-hmm So I was just wanting to follow up on something I'm trying to get called up before and I did I ran into chairwoman Vargas but at the time Was she was dealing with the flooding and the rain and so she's been incredibly incredibly overwhelmed with that. So Put

084it on her radar I'll continue to each other. Thank you Thank You. Mr. Romero Any other board questions? I was with a group of parents during the tornado warning, and my first text message after Dr. Reyes texted the board and informed us about what was going on was to tell him that the communications department did an excellent job of getting information to parents. I was with them and they were very, very at ease. They were very pleased with getting that information out right away. It was almost instantaneous. So thank you to the communications department. I had a question with regard to the Narcan. I don't want to make assumptions, but I know that cabinet goes to different sites. Are you all taking Narcan on your person? And I ask that because we have a number

085of teachers or... other employees in our district i'm going to use miss martinez as an example who's on site and i think that it would be very helpful for any staff member who's constantly rotating and going to other sites if they were also provided with narcan in the event that they find themselves in that situation so yes all our cabinet Executive Cabinet, we're giving Narcan. I think it's a great idea. I'll work out with our labor partners, and I'll make sure that our presidents have access to Narcan and give everyone a Narcan kit. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you for your report. That's all I have. Thank you. Consent calendar. The following items listed under the consent calendar are considered by the board in one action. There will be no discussion on these items

086prior to the time the board votes on the motion unless members of the board, staff, or public request specific items to be discussed and are removed from the consent calendar. Do we have any items? Oh, we have one. Oh, no, not this one. We have any items being pulled? 11B. And I don't know if it's appropriate at this point to call out that special meeting minutes. It says on the agenda special meeting minutes, and we don't have those. It's still on the agenda. Thank you. I know you shared that with me too, but I'm looking at the hard copy, so that's why. Thank you. And so are you wanting what I'm pulling? Okay. 11B. specifically to call out something it's just a clarification and 11 C 11 CA 11 CI 11 CK 11 J 11

087R and S together 11 you Okay, I just want to clarify. For C, can you please repeat? Sure. C-A, C-I. And C-K. Okay. And the rest is J-R-S-U. Yes. Okay. Any other items? I'm also interested in addressing 11-C-K, 11-D, and 11-J. Thank you. Any other items? All right. So. This is an action item. Is there a motion to approve the consent calendar minus 11B, 11CA, 11I, 11CK, 11D, 11J, RS, and U? So moved. Second. Moved by Trustee Bishop, seconded by Vice President Fernandez. All those in favor? Aye. Motion carries unanimously. 11 B trustee Dominguez Cervantes it's just a clarification it would be under item 18 board communications it states that I toured harborside well I toured harborside area I didn't want it to imply that it was harborside school it didn't say school but I

088didn't want it to imply that just that I was around touring like I did today yesterday thank you for that item is there a motion move to approve Second. Moved by Trustee Bishop, seconded by Trustee Dominguez-Cervantes. All those in favor? Aye. Motion carries unanimously. 11CA, Trustee Dominguez-Cervantes. Yes. While it's new employment, while it's exciting to see that we're getting new staff, again, it... It speaks again to what we continually talk about, that why are they leaving? I know that Mr. Romero's created a matrix of some sort, a survey for exit, to capture the reasoning, outside of probably salary, because our staff, they're getting McDonald's pay, if not less, our IAs. But have you gotten a, you were going to get some kind of a, do a deep dive and a root cause analysis and just

089kind of give us a synopsis on it? Yes, so can you answer that? And also, for example, I'm looking at the I, and I see most of them are from our classified section. staff so could you address that please yes and so you know part of human resources is prioritizing the human and human capital management and we did do a deep dive into looking at not just this year but going back and looking and we don't see a trend that is more this year than any year in the past actually compared to two years ago, we're actually losing less classified employees. But one of the things that we're noticing is because of programs in our own district, we're promoting and poaching from within. So within our, like this month, we have, I think it's 28,

09029 employees, 27 of those being classified. Four of them are instructional aides. And the rest are... are either new duties, bus attendants, social workers. So on our exit interviews, a lot of them, some of them are salary. Some of these people are returning to school. And then a large portion of them, we're poaching from within. We're taking instructional aides that are becoming now ELOP employees or moving into new positions. So the trend isn't anything when we have 5,000 employees. you know, just under 5,000, you know, 28 a month isn't, you know, isn't statistically significant. It's significant for us to know how we can do better. Obviously, you know, salary is part of it. You know, people do take positions in, so take, for example, a classified position, noon duty. That's not necessarily seen as like

091a wage prevailing position where they're going to provide for a home. It's a part-time position. Whereas a teaching position is more of a career. And so part of also what we've done is we've had two pathways to get classified employees into certificated positions. Part of our partnership with CVCEO, National University, is through our Aspire program, which is going to be a Golden Bell-nominated program that we're bringing forward because we're providing access to employees in the classified area to become certificated employees. giving them opportunities to have their credentials paid for and continue to work and earn benefits without having to do what normally has happened in the past, which is resign from your position, give up your salary and benefits, and pay to go to school. So part of what we're doing is trying to attract,

092and that program is growing. Me and Angela Rosendale are now working with USD to provide a second Pathways grant. We're calling it TREE. And Angela, I can't remember what TREE stands for, but it's something really cute. But TREE stands for something where we're recruiting all of our classified employees to continue that pathway to get positions as teachers in our district. So there's a lot of positive that we're doing. At the end, I think a lot of it is salary. A lot of it is people that are going to take decisions. Now, I'm wondering if doing a deeper deep dive, and I think in the end, for instance, our classified president, she's... 17 years, I think she said she's been in IA. So it's not that it's their career because she's able to do that, and

093so do other people do it because they love it. But they could love it better maybe someplace else if they had better opportunities. And if it's not going to be the salary, then opportunities like... growth, the personal growth that you were just speaking of, to have more of those, whether we reach out to some of our universities that are around here that might provide or offering grants. I don't know who our creative person can be out there who's going to look for these grants and opportunities. That's you? Okay. You used to be just sharing all the time. It is a passion of mine. I wasn't the person who went to school to become a teacher. I didn't. I fell into teaching, and it was amazing. It changed my life, right? So I am, you know,

094I've worked with National University. We've worked with the University of Phoenix. We have this new partnership with USD. We're partnering with San Diego State. And so we are doing that work right now. But just make it, grow it bigger. We're growing. So it becomes real obvious to the staff where it's not just because they heard it, because the union president is the one that told me about it, but because they hear it, that it's available at all the schools and that it's being relayed. Hey, hello, this is here. Come get it. So maybe to your point, Trustee Omega-Cervantes, we can do some work with our communications department to communicate to more folks. we have an amazing communications department so maybe we can use their skills and talents to share that information we start looking over

095there more and i forgot one of them that we are we are also partnering with is southwestern college because Southwestern College is now exploring the opportunity to offer a four-year teaching program where currently most programs are a fifth-year program. So you go to San Diego State, you get your bachelor's degree, then you go back another year, year and a half, and get your teaching credential. There's a pilot program at Southwestern College that we're partnering with that offers a four-year where they get their teaching credential and their bachelor's at the same time. That's right, Ms. Communications. And guess what? A lot of these classes can be done via online. My granddaughters are taking advantage of that. It's a four-year program. They have San Diego State programs right there. So if we can give them and share

096with them these opportunities, maybe more would stay. Thank you. I believe that's Mrs. Communications. Yes. Okay, and then... Both of you wanted to address items C, K. Go ahead, Kate. Go ahead. All right. Yes. I'm sorry. Well, actually, we spoke of it, I believe, in connection to what we just spoke of. My concern is about developing why we have so many. It's all connected, I believe. The vendors, we're having to contract so much out. So if we know we have to contract so much out, for instance, the maximum health care staffing services, it's retro to October 1st. So that means, in my brain, it means we didn't anticipate needing as much, so now we're going retro to cover that difference right through June. Same with verbal behavior associates. It's retro to July. That's concerning because

097it's going so far back. So in my mind, if someone can explain it differently, that'd be wonderful. It means we're not, a couple of things are happening. We're not anticipating, which I don't think that ever happens with Mr. Esquivel because he just is great with the numbers, but there's more need than we're aware of at the time. That's why we're needing to contract more. But if we're needing this so much, why are we not creating this specialty, these specialties in every school? You know, providing those, that training so that we can still be self-sufficient and not have to contract out so much. I want to ask Ms. Casey, since a lot of it is from your department, to... address this? Sure, absolutely. So at the beginning of each school year we look at not only

098the staffing needs for school sites based on students IEPs but we also look at settlement agreements and so a lot of this is also based on settlement agreements and services they provide for students outside of the school day. But there are also staffing issues like speech and language pathologist, nursing, and then there are behavior aids that are part of those processes. And so those behavior aids right now are filling sub positions so when we can't find a substitute or we're looking to hire, when these students have significant needs or classroom needs, we're putting people in immediately. And then that increases as we get more needs through IEP processes. And so it's hard to predict. throughout the year how much we're going to need for some of these non-public agencies we meet monthly with the teams

099to look at what needs are coming up and what we've already allocated for that contract and then we increase the as we know things are arising so this is a contract for the entire school year hoping to project out through july it's quite an increase so could you also share um so for example i know that There's some school sites have they paid for additional IAs or behavior specialists. So let's say for next year a school saying you know I can't afford an IA or behavior specialist but yet we're contracting we're doing a contract even though it expires in June but we're doing a contract. Is there I think the question is, is having this contract going to be taking away jobs for the folks that we have now? No. So these contracts are for

100additional supports when they're not taking away positions we have open. So we have these positions open waiting to hire. They're filling in while we're waiting to hire those positions. So are we saying that those positions are open but we don't have anyone to fill them? Correct. So every one of the, well, not everyone, of course, but as a general statement, these are positions that are coming in to fill vacancies, generally speaking. Yes, and also I just want to back up. Sharon said it, and I don't want it to go on unprioritized. We have 600 plus aides. A majority of them are female aides, right? We also have pregnancy leaves. When we have pregnancy leaves, it's extremely difficult for us to find substitute replacements for these positions. So either we have a certificated sub that takes

101in that position. or we use Maxim to provide that sub in those three months or four months that the teachers are going to be out. So they provide multiple resources for us. The time gap between hiring a staff member, but also when we have long-term leaves, we have Maxim that provides those long-term leave supports. I think what I'm trying to get across is that let's see what we can do to grow our own resources so we have to contract out less. Additionally, with verbal behavior associates, just to see that the amount was originally $300,000 and now it's increased by $650,000, to me that indicates a systemic issue, something that we need to resolve at a larger level. So that right there, the fact that it was shared, it's 2% of... of the classified salary total

102here these both of these items again a systemic issue that needs to be addressed yes i am looking into that uh we are working on looking at why the aids were assigned and how they got assigned but also with verbal behavior associates they do assessments for us as well so when we have a parent that's not happy with our functional behavior assessment we offer vba to do that assessment for us with their bcbas they also provide bcba supervision for our rbt so there's a little bit more to the vba than just aids i'm sorry miss casey could you please um define the acronyms that you're using sure thanks independent educational evaluations Functional Behavior Analysis, FBAs. So they're doing those for us when our teams are requesting a non-public agency to do them. And we are

103not, just to clarify, we are not able to do independent assessments because we have to hire out for those particular things. Correct. And that is VBA specifically and not Maxim, correct? Correct. VBA is doing those assessments. And so Maxim, in my understanding of this conversation, they are really... mostly just being used as substitutes for positions that we are unable to fill. So Maxim right now has 10 FTE for five for instructional aids that are being used for we can't fill and five for behaviors aids that are supporting classroom needs that have high behaviors. The other part of Maxim is speech and language pathologist, teachers, and ERMS therapist. Okay. We are, why are we unable to fill those with union people? So those are open positions that, or they're covering from attorney leaves. So we don't

104have a non-public agency position unless there's a position that's open to be filled or someone's on leave. Are we unable to get temporary people that would be through our hiring process directly? For subs for speech and language and ERMs and teachers, those are hard to find. Those are very hard to find. In fact, I don't think we've had a sub pool for speech and language pathologists, ERMs therapists for those pieces, and we're having a difficult time finding some special education subs as well. Okay, well, our union president over here gave a great suggestion as far as I was concerned that if we are paying substitutes at the step one level, would we be able to more likely fill those positions in a quick manner rather than have to rely on outside agencies who, from what

105I hear, are actually less qualified than the people that are working through our district. in terms of para-education background? Yeah, with the teachers, we're talking about two different things. So our teachers, our speech and language and psychologists, those substitutes are certificated. So those substitutes are paid at the Step 1, Range 1 for them, and we still can't find candidates for those positions. So that's where Maxim comes in with that support. and the behavior aids that we have. It's a specific qualifications and I'm not in disagreement that salary is a consideration when looking at people taking on substitute positions. So can we do this because what I'm hearing from the board, there's a couple of things. What I'm hearing from the board is that This way I think it's a bigger issue that we need to

106look at a more of a systemic matter in regards to The hiring and how we're hiring and how we're filling the positions we do understand that there's times where if We have an opening for three months We can't find someone we're having difficulty finding for someone for three months We have to provide services to that students. So yes, then we use agency, but that should be The last resort. The last resort, exactly. That should be the exception to the rule. And so, Ms. Casey, I know that a lot of the services that this contract's addressed are services that have been already rendered, correct? Correct. Okay. So if we can do this. One is or ongoing rendering or have been rendered. So if we can do this if we can't Moving forward. I know that right

107now. We just hired a brand new director if you can have her Take this on as one of the priorities and look at the system. You know, what is the system and what can we do? to ensure that we are prioritizing our own employees, our own staff, and working closely with HR to be able to continue promoting and hiring and recruiting to bring those people on board. while at the same time minimizing the number of folks that we get from agencies. Yes, absolutely. I've started that work, and I will continue it with our new director, yes. Thank you. Oh, I'm sorry. No, I just wanted to say thank you for that, Ms. Casey, and I look forward to working with our new director. And, yes, we need to prioritize hiring from our pool of people.

108I appreciate it. So if I can ask the board to say a lot of the services in this contract have already been rendered. if you would consider the approval with the knowledge that we will be looking at prioritizing our employees and in this case, we will be working closely with the new director to ensure that our employees come first. So why did it take so long to bring, for example, Maxim since we started October 1st? Because of our previous director or what happened there? Yes, so I was brought to my attention when we had a contracts meeting with prior staff and from there I've been trying to clean this up. We have contracts meetings. We anticipate what the needs are and we make a proposal for that contract not to exceed in a certain amount.

109That wasn't being monitored with prior staff and so when I got a hold of it is Cleaning it up and adding this money to cover what we've already prioritized and and put out to school sites. So yes, it was it was an oversight on the team's part. Yes, and to be clear the the second contract for the VBA one that All the services rendered there are for testing independent testing Not all of them, no. It's a portion of the contract. What else is part of that contract? They're providing BCBA, so board-certified supervision for registered behavior technicians. They're providing RBTs. So we actually were using them for RBTs when we didn't have district RBTs, which we do now. And they're providing behavior aids for classroom support. They also are providing one-on-one aid support for students who

110have non-public agency aid on their IEP. And do you think that in your work you will be able to develop a plan that we can transition some of those services to staff that we have with us? I'm working on that right now. Thank you, Ms. Casey. We'll get it cleaned up. Okay, so all of, have we addressed everything, your questions for 11C, A, I, and K? Because they need to be taken in one motion. okay on seek on 11c yes 11c and then you have subsection i okay okay c is everything cleaned up yes move to pro 11c i have a motion do i have a second my second motion by clerk tamayo seconded by trustee dominguez cervantes all those in favor say aye aye aye motion carries unanimously And are we able to get

111a report on the on how we are going with that? Thank you I know it's gonna be too soon for this Friday Next Friday be Soon would that be enough time? Yes. I've already got a plan going so I can put it in a board update for you the next Friday 11 D just a quick question. I know that For March, being Women's Month, what are we going to do out there? Is there some plans out there in the school district, the schools? Or is it just going to be the resolution here? Dr. Reyes? You know, being that I have four daughters and two granddaughters. I love that question. So what we'll do is I'll work with, I'll ask Ms. Carroll to work with Giovanna and to put something out there for, and also our

112equity director or coordinator to put something out there, not just out there for the sites, but also some resources. I, as always, want to read it aloud because the public doesn't hear what we're saying. So with your permission, I'd like to read the resolution. Whereas Women's History Month is celebrated every March as a celebration of women's contributions to history, culture, and society, and whereas Women's History Month is promoted by a yearly theme, which for 2024 is equity, diversity, and inclusion. and recognizes women who speak up and are leading change in their fields, and whereas women of every race and ethnic background have contributed and continue to contribute to our country's triumphs and accomplishments in countless ways, and whereas women of diverse backgrounds have served as leaders in the forefront of progressive social change, not only

113to secure their own right of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also to abolish slavery, promote fairness, equality, and safety in the workplace, and to advance... the modern civil rights movement, and whereas women have played and continue to play critical roles in the economic, cultural, and social spheres of our nation's life by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working in and outside the home. And whereas the role of women in history has been overlooked and undervalued in the past, though its significance is now emerging and assuming its rightful place as an important part of the body of American and world history, and whereas the Chula Vista Elementary School District has strong women leaders in classrooms and in administrative positions. The most recent data indicates that nearly 74.3% of teachers identify as female. And now

114therefore it be resolved that the Board of Education declares the month of March 2024 as Women's History Month in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. And I just want to say there's a lot of that that really strikes me. I really love the fact that we are celebrating this in our district and especially about the intersectionality. That's an important part that is in this that I really appreciated. So whoever drafted the resolution, I appreciate the intersectionality there. And I move to approve it. I'll second. Moved by Trustee Bishop, seconded by President Ugarte. All those in favor? Aye. Motion carries unanimously. 11J. It's just a quick question. Which day is our district going to celebrate? March 2nd since it's a Saturday read across America this girl thank you sir so what we try to do in

115Chula Vista is celebrate on the closest school day to March 2nd which is his birthday so many of our schools are acknowledging read across America day on March 1st that Friday before thank you I just wanted to say if there were any schools out there that are looking for a reader for Read Across America Day, it is my true honor to come and read for your kids. It's my favorite thing to do. So I just wanted to do a plug for that, especially for schools that are doing it the whole week. I'm here for you. Move to approve. Second. Moved by Clerk Camayo, seconded by Trustee Bishop. All those in favor? Aye. Motion carries unanimously. 11R and S together since they're both overnight study trips. I continue to impress how important it is to reach

116out to the families that have children or families that haven't responded for any kind of reason. So I was hoping, and I know I've brought it up like at least two or three other times, maybe I should just be asking, is there a policy or procedure in place where, you know, administration at each... school knows that there's a protocol, whether it's two to three days. And it's not just paying for the particular trip itself. A lot of times it's the items they need, the sleeping bag, the boots, the different things. And if we knew in advance, there's sometimes other resources we may personally have that could reach out and help. If we knew and if the principals knew that there was... some real effort, like a deliberate effort to letting us know, and I know

117the district has relayed several times that if the district knows. that they'll make sure that it's funded. But is it just the trip itself? Well, what about the items they need? I know my niece went to sixth grade camp in December, and my family got together, and we all pitched in, and the sleeping bag, the thermals, and the jacket, and the beanies, and all this other stuff. But we have a big family. We could do that. Some children don't have a big family. or the resources to do that. So I'd like to see a policy or procedure in place so that there's a deliberate effort to reach out to the family, to call them like a voice, not just an email or another letter. Like, what is the reason we can help? Ms. Morales and

118Ms. Riggs, if the two of you can work together on creating a system, a procedure. I know that Ms. Morales, you've done a lot of work with the principals, but if the two of you can come up with procedures, written procedures, that way we have it in place and there's no, making sure that we don't miss a student. And along those same lines, we're speaking about some of these trips that the children take, they don't necessarily compare to what the children on the east side trips that they take. I've met with some of our union members, and it just, she brought it to my eyes. I thought, oh, my gosh, some of the schools on the west side, they don't go to the museum, to the... The Star of India trip a little more pricey

119things like that. It should be some Equity here that all the children get to experience the same types of trips that all the other students experience I don't know what we can do about that to push that thought out Thank you without Objection if you'd like to motion to have R and S Approved in one motion. I motion. I second. Motion by Trustee Dominguez-Hedron. Seconded by Trustee Bishop. All those in favor? Aye. Motion carries unanimously. And 11U. Yes. In reviewing some of these trips, the regional intervention program training in Nashville, there's a... person see Isaac. I think it's I looked up that program. It sounds like an amazing program something that maybe Isaac that's the last time I believe could share with us when they come back what it is they've learned. It's all the

120whole focus is on developing and implementing how to address a de-escalation of behavioral issues. It seems to have a very strong support nationally. It's serving children with behavioral problems under the age of six years old, many with varying developmental abilities. The RIP tackles problem behaviors such as aggression, bedtime sleeping issues, destruction of property, high activity level, noncompliance, mealtime problems, running from adults, separation anxiety, tantrums, and trouble at school. The list goes on. So my point being is, I don't know, maybe some of our community schools would. you know, also want to integrate some of this. I know, I just think it's a great idea. And if they could come back and share and maybe we bring this trainer here. Miss Gacy, you're smiling. Yeah. This is actually the training to implement our PIP program. Yes.

121So that's our new coordinator that was previously Chelsea. So he has to go get trained with our director of early childhood to be able to implement PIP. So that's what this program is. So they're going to be trained. I'm really excited about that. Thank you. So that's on one. Big thing. Can I actually address this? I actually would like to put a space on our agenda during presentations after the safety and health presentation. I would like to hold a spot on our agenda in the future to have a place for people who go on these. to these events to have just a quick report out so that we can all benefit from the things that they learn at those at those places point of order and well and well we can do it at the

122end but again it's about our placing items on the agenda with the way that we have written into our bylaws And you had another question? Yes. It's in regards to the coast to coast travel expenses. I do agree that Dr. Reyes should attend, but I do not believe that anyone else needs to go. I feel strongly that we have federal representatives and local offices here that we as trustees can reach out to. And additionally, CSBA provides numerous weekly notices and updates. And the travel charges are $3,675, I think that money should go to help for tutoring when we have so many children and so many schools that could really benefit from the tutoring since our focus is the academics. Thank you. Dr. Reyes, do you want to address the coast-to-coast? Yeah, so the coast-to-coast is

123put together by CSBA. on a yearly basis, which is the California School Board Association. And traditionally, it's been to advocate for funding or different issues that school districts have in California. Obviously, the issues change from time to time, depending on what's needed. Although funding almost seems to be the... the ongoing issue. So CSBA, the way it is designed is that CSBA, because it's the California School Board Association, is that they promote that the team that is sent is board members and the superintendents. And board members, it could be... one, two, three, four, five, or however many board members from one to five and the superintendents. So that's what CSBA promotes. Can I address that as well since I'm the person traveling here? The CSBA, as he said, AXA is the group that is in charge

124of superintendents, and CSBA is for board members. And I am, as you probably know, I'm the delegate for Region 17 for CSBA and the vice president of San Diego County School Boards Association as well. This trip is actually intended for board members, and the superintendent... can also come to support but the work that's being done there is creating lobbying opportunities for board members in those spaces in Washington we we the time that I went last we met in the department of education we met with the with Cindy Martin the the head of the department of education we were able to ask questions and lobbying there and then also work with our local lawmakers but i will say the last time that we went we were able to get significant funds or in 2022 at least

125we were able to get significant funds by being present in that space during that time especially during budget reconciliation where they're saying, what do you need for your schools? And a lot of our ELOP money that we got was a result of some of the work that was done while we were there. So it's important not only to have our superintendent go, and I understand that he's a representative for us in a lot of spaces, but it's really important to have school board members in this space because it is intended for school board members. Do we have a motion? So moved. Second move by trustee Bishop seconded by vice president Fernandez all those in favor aye any nays nay motion carries 3-2 Consent. All right. I would like to take a 10-minute break until 820

126right public hearings The public hearing section provides the public with an opportunity to address the board on specific items. Persons wishing to address the board on any public hearing item must complete a request to be heard card and submit it to the recording secretary before the start of the meeting. Speakers are requested to limit their remarks to three minutes and speak in a respectful and professional manner. The board shall limit the total time for input on each public hearing item to 20 minutes. With board consent, the president may increase or decrease the time allowed for public comments on each public hearing item, depending on the topic and the number of persons wishing to be heard. And we will be conducting public hearings. to receive input on the tentative agreement with the Chula Vista educators and

127ratify the tentative agreement with Chula Vista educators for the period of July 1st, 2023 through June 30th, 2026. Mr. Romero. Great. It's with great pleasure today that I present an opportunity for our governing board to approve our tentative agreement. We worked for a good chunk of this year and a partial part of last year coming to a full contract agreement of three years. And it's without prejudice that we ask the board to approve this agreement. Are there any board questions or comments? I have a question. In section 38.8 through 39.14, there's reference to shared assignments. Do we have shared assignments? Dr. Reyes? Ms. Romero, can you share with the board when... That happens with the share assignments. Yes. So currently we do have shared assignments and that is when two members of our Certificated group

128share one teaching assignment. So that does happen on occasion it's with District approval that we do that and we want to make sure that it's the teachers that are uh understanding what they're getting into of one of the reasons why is uh we we go we're very transparent that for them to earn a full year service credit they need to work 75 percent of the year and a shared assignment is usually a 50 50 right i read the details on there but i was just wondering if it had even existed it does exist in our district where do we have that so uh clear view i think was one that we have uh at that i know for sure okay um but yes we do we do have all right And then I just had

129a note that I can share later. It's more about the enumeration, more like a typo, I think. I'll share that. Thank you. Thank you. Any other board questions or comments? I move to approve. Hold on. Sorry. I'm now opening the public hearing. We have one speaker, Rosemary Lowry. Hello again and good evening. I'm Rosemary Lowry, a parent of Fajari Jeffers Elementary. Before I dive into my concerns, I want to express my support for teachers and the invaluable work they do. However... I'm here to address a specific issue regarding the language added to Safety Article 14, which carries potential ramifications for our students. In particular, I'm referring to Section 14.3, which if an employee is subjected to serious bodily harm, for example, scratch, bite, hit, kick, inappropriate law enforcement, such as a school resource officer, SRO,

130will be called and the member may file a police report. The site administrator shall follow up with a written report. This addition without a clear definition of what constitutes serious bodily harm raises concerns particularly regarding incidents involving students with disabilities who may exhibit behaviors like scratching, biting, hitting or kicking during meltdowns. The inclusion of such language absent from the previous contract raises fears about calling law enforcement to school sites for incidents involving elementary students who are very young, especially those in special education and also POC communities. The potential traumatizing effect on these students coupled with the lack of aids or properly trained staff could lead to negative outcomes and instill fear of law enforcement interactions among our student population. Furthermore, there's apprehension about the necessity of law enforcement intervention on campus. While I acknowledge that

131there are circumstances where action is warranted, and especially in this day and age, I do urge the reconsideration of section 14.5.1, which makes Crisis Prevention Institute nonviolent crisis intervention training, also known as CPI, training optional. If we do mandate this training for all staff and teachers, it could help reduce the need for law enforcement involvement and foster a safer environment for everyone. While the intention behind these measures may be to enhance teacher safety, it's crucial also to ensure that the implementation of robust procedures are implemented to prevent elementary students from being unjustly drawn into the school-to-prison pipeline. Thank you for your support and consideration, and at the very end, I am going to go off script. I also want to truly thank Sharon Casey. I know you've gotten your fair share of emails from me.

132I really want to thank you for all your support for special education. I do also want to address the Board of Education. I heard you today. I do believe that you're here to support special education as well. And I'm really looking forward to this new special education director. Thank you. Thank you. Seeing no other speakers, I'm now closing the public hearing. Now I move to approve. Oh, you stole it. Second. Moved by Clerk DeMaio, seconded by Trustee Bishop. All those in favor? Aye. Motion carries unanimously. Administrative action items. Adopt the resolution of the Board of Education of the Chula Vista Elementary School District ordering an election and establishing specifications of the election order of the Chula Vista Elementary School District. Mr. Esquivel. Thank you, President Ugarte. I'll just go ahead and first start with the

133presentation report on the general obligation bond 2024. This would be on the November 2024 election. First one to start off with some historical general obligation bonds of the district dating back to 1998 I was not yet an employee of the district yet and So they took out a 95 million dollar general obligation bond that's has been fully expended by 2005 And you'll see 17 schools modernize about $20 per hundred thousand dollars of assessed valuation That's currently about seven dollars per hundred thousand of current assessment the 2012 proposition II that's a ninety million dollar Authorization is fully expended by 2019 See nine schools are modernized by summer 2019 and the authorization amount or assessed valuation way was thirty dollars for a hundred thousand I Believe the current rate assessment on that is about twenty dollars and

1342018 measure vv 150 million dollar authorization we finished up two schools in summer of 22 but there's additional projects and this was during the covid era where we did hvac a lot of roofing led fire alarms also part of it's funding the transportation yard at maxwell street and then you'll see excuse me the $20 per 100,000 of assessed valuations and then even those 150 million dollar authorization 100 million bonds have been issued and so there's 50 million left that's unissued and that too is under the $20 measure M you'll see that 300 million dollar authorization back in 2020 a lot of them again HVAC roofing district-wide solar project that was a large project there again at $30 maximum per hundred thousand of assessed valuation 112.5 million has been issued so there's a remaining 187.5 that's

135unissued So the 2024 proposed obligation proposing a 360 million dollar general obligation bond based on the 2024 facilities needs assessment that was done at the district all district sites the educational support and service center and also the transportation yard were assessed with that assessment there was a A facilities needs capital projects of over $800 million of current assessment based on current pricing and with valuation inflation indexes up. And you'll see the major categories of modernization, new buildings, site infrastructure, safety, security and technology and then play area enhancements. You'll see some of the projects including the school building modernization relocatable replacements at school site security improvements and additional Projects there. So we want to show you here is just the proposed sources and uses of those funds for example, you will see the top line estimated

136sources of funds from the measured VV unissued that 50 million dollars measure M 187.5 million unissued and then the proposed 2024 bond measure for a total of almost 600 million dollars and the estimated use of the funds you'll see there allocated between the measure vvm and 2024 for a total of 812 million dollars so you'll see even with the proposed bond measure of 360 there would still be some projects that would not be completed even with the 20 proposed 2024 bond measure. As far as some of the categories you'll see the estimated uses of funds of five categories for modernization to play area enhancements. Here's a little bit of detail on the modernization new building site infrastructure safety and play area enhancements categories. Typical projects from school modernization including restrooms HVAC roofing such and new

137buildings it's primarily relocatable building replacements we have a lot of relocatable buildings that need to be replaced and also staff housing site infrastructure underground utilities irrigation stormwater mitigation and within all this is also the the roof roofing that we had to do in prior years air conditioning systems safety and security and technology a lot of the safety and security improvements are in this area in addition to some of the items that would be in the Sobel group report and play area enhancements primarily play structures and rubberized surfaces and artificial turf play fields and just next few slides are just a some just a picture of some of the work that was done modernization Sunnyside summer of 2019 these next ones are they're not as flashy but they came in handy over the break as far

138as being able to withstand the rains in our schools HVAC upgrades on roof replacements at Palomar in 2001 harborside roofing replacement the complete roofing I keep looking back as mesmerizing to me the the roof but I'll go on to the next slide as our solar project in 2022 and then hail crest hvac upgrade although the roof looks a little worn out we were assured that the air conditioning systems are not placed on any roofs that are not in dsa standard so it just has a little just a little bit cleanup but the hvac systems were upgraded here at hail crest and Maxwell Transportation Center. It says 2023, but that's when it started construction. And we are set to complete the transportation yard by August of 2024 and be invited to that ribbon cutting ceremony. Next

139slide, I'd like to ask Mr. Dale Scott with Dale Scott and Company to provide some information on a voter survey that was conducted recently by the district with the help of Mr. Dale Scott, who is our financial advisor and provides us with, for many years, investment advisory services on issuing certificates of participation and general obligation bonds and refinancing. Mr. Scott? Thank you. Good evening. I'm assuming this microphone is on. Good. Thank you. So the state of California, it's a fairly high bar to pass a general obligation bond. There's actually two votes, which we forget about. There's the vote tonight. It has to be passed by the board. I'll note, by the way, that the board action requires a majority of four. It's not a simple majority. It actually requires four yes votes, one no. and

140can have one no vote or five yes votes. And then in the November election, it requires a 55% majority of the voters. So that's where I bring you to tonight. We conducted this survey. It was conducted in November of last year. If I can go to the next slide, please. You can see that we did it in both English and Spanish. The survey itself was actually conducted by a firm that's located in San Diego County. There were 408 interviews that were conducted and completed. Most of that was done by either cell phone or landline, but the really important number here is at the bottom. You can see it says margin of error of the survey is 4.85%. What that means, for those of you that don't follow surveys, is when I say this is 70%,

141that means 70% plus or minus 4 or 5%, just so you know. The way the survey works is once the person is beginning the questions, the firm that is undertaking it asks them a couple warm-up questions, get them to understand that this is not something that they're trying to sell them. They really are looking for their opinion. Then begins to ask them the questions, which all go through. And then at the end, they give them a few questions about demographics. And I've moved a couple of those slides to the beginning because I think they're important for you as a board to see. Remember that we're talking to voters. This is not a survey of community members. It's not a survey of parents. It's a survey of voters. And in fact... the first question that's asked

142is, do you plan on voting in the November 2024 election? So even if they're a registered voter, but they say they don't plan on voting, they're thanked and let go, because we only want to be talking to people that are going to vote. So let's look at the next slide, some of the demographic slides. We ask them, again, we talk to voters, do you now have or have you ever had any children or grandchildren who attended or are now attending a school in Chula Vista Elementary School District? 43% said no, 43%. I'm sorry? Did the survey end at that point? No, no, they keep going. Because they're going to vote. They're going to vote. I think the important issue there is... Often, and I don't mean to be presumptive, but often board members consider their,

143think of their constituents as parents because those are the people that show up. But almost half of your voters are not parents and have never been parents or grandparents in the district. So keep that in mind as we work through this. The next slide, please. Nevertheless, they have figured out a very important fact about schools. We asked them, do you agree or disagree with the statement, quality schools improve property values? 87% agree. I always like to say, can you think of any issue in your community where 87% of the voters agree on anything? So here we have 87% of the voters saying that they agree that quality schools increase property values. Okay, we'll go to the survey. So what happens in the survey is... After they get through the few warm-up questions, without any information,

144without telling them anything, what they're doing, what's planning, the person just reads them what we believe the ballot language will be. Now, that ballot language has been changed, obviously, from what's on the resolution tonight, but this is when we were putting this together. We constructed what we believe that ballot language to be. They read the question. This is what would be on the ballot. It's limited to 75 words. And then they say, would you be voting yes or no for that measure? If the person says, I don't know, then they ask them, would you be leaning yes or leaning no? And there you have your, what we consider the yes vote, the yes vote and the lean yes vote. So in other words, in this example, in this question, without any information, we have 72%

145of the voters saying that they would vote yes or would lean yes. Quite remarkable, really. I mean, that is a very, very, very high initial vote. They then begin to ask them a number of questions, and we divide it up into different sections, and I've only taken, it goes quite some time, but I've only taken the highlights of it, so in the interest of time. The first is we give them a series of questions about various projects, and the projects, when the questions are asked, they're randomized, so not everybody's getting them in the same order, obviously, but these are the top five, if we can go to the next slide. The top five projects, you can see the black line is the 55%. The blue are people that said, well, knowing this, I would be

146more inclined to vote yes. And the top five are expand STEAM classrooms and labs, ensure ADA accessibility, upgrade security and emergency communication systems, repair and replace leaky roofs, update electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems. All of those are over 70% of the people saying, I would be more inclined to vote if I know. I also think it's important to look at the dark red, which are those people who said, I'd be more inclined to vote no, which is really a very, very small number of people saying that. So all the projects, I didn't include all the projects. There are 30, 40 projects. Almost all of them are over the 55%. We then asked a number of attitudinal questions about teacher-staff housing. We were really more concerned about the messaging. We asked, and this is the number

147one message, and I think it's a great message, would you agree or disagree, would you be more likely or less likely to agree with this statement, providing teacher-staff rental housing will make Chula Vista more competitive? So you had at least 55% agree with that, and then you had another 10% saying, well, I'm already on a vote yes. That wouldn't make a difference for me. I'm a yes vote. So it takes you really into the high 60s. The other statements are great. They're not quite as good. More teachers would be able to live in the community where they work. Below market rate rental housing for teachers and staff. Good responses, but really the one that stands out, I think, is provide teachers more competitive, makes the district more competitive. We then ask a number of questions.

148Next slide, please. Regarding what I call attitudinal questions, but they're really about taxpayer protections. That's another way to think of it. Again, these are randomized about how do you feel. So if you knew would be the way it starts. If you knew that, for example, Funds could only be spent locally and could not be taken by the state and spent elsewhere. Would you be more likely or less likely? Now, this is a question we've asked across the state. We've seen since COVID this answer rise to the top for obvious reasons. And you can see almost 80% of the voters said, if I knew that, I would be more inclined to vote for this measure. Followed by full public disclosure. Full public disclosure is required for how the funds are spent. Again, 75% more inclined. Next

149slide, please. Under California state law, interpretation of California state law, we have to disclose the dollar cost to the voters. What is it going to cost you in your taxes? And that has to be put into the ballot measure itself. But it can be put in either as... the cents per hundred dollars of assessed valuation, or it can be put in as dollars per hundred thousand dollars of assessed valuation. Now to be clear, three cents per hundred dollars and $30 per hundred thousand dollars is the same number. That's also a math test. We're asking them, you know, which one do you like more? I can't figure out why some people like three cents more than $30. It's... It's different from district to district. Sometimes it's the dollars that work, sometimes it's the cents that work.

150Here, people seem to prefer hearing it as three cents per hundred dollars than $30. It really doesn't make any difference. They'll hear it both ways in all the literature. So it's an interesting question. So the survey is much longer than I've gone through, but I will say then at the end, if I can go to the last slide. We've now gone through the ballot language. We've gone through the projects. We've gone through the costs. We've talked about teacher-staff housing. We've talked about taxpayer protections. And then we asked them the question again and asked them how they would vote. Now that you've heard all this information, how would you vote on this measure? The interesting thing, you can see both before information and after information, is people in this district really know what they know. There

151is not a lot of movement. in this. Before and after, we typically see a lot of movement, sometimes down, frankly. The more I hear about it, the less I like it. But in this case, it's not. You started out at 72%, you ended up at 73%. The no's went up a little bit, the yes's went up a little bit, the don't no's went down quite a bit. So I'm happy to answer any questions about the survey. It is a very, I would say, a very, very positive survey with over 70% of the voters saying they would be voting yes for it and, of course, strongly supportive of almost all of the projects. There are no speakers. Any board questions or comments? I have comments, not questions for our survey. I don't know if you want

152to break that up. You can go ahead. Okay. So I looked up Measure M bond measure because it's referenced in the... Language here for 2020 March. There's a typo somewhere in here. It says April, but it should be March It was a March 2020 primary bond measure so I'm looking at it and The goal doesn't specifically state all the existing facilities or the acquisitioning and leasing of real property. I don't know what's actually going to transfer over. I was comparing the language that's being proposed in this bond measure versus the one in 2020. And again, in that language, talking about classrooms and staff housing. I did some research and the UT back then interviewed the CBE president and at the time she said that a quarter of that bond measure was targeted for the housing.

153Now whether that was just her perception or whether it was actual factual information, I don't know. But this bond measure is $360 million. Okay, the previous one was 300 million, right? Is that correct? Okay, what did we actually, what are people actually paying? From what it looks like, we're looking like it's another 96 million dollars on top of that that the community pays. It's not us, it's the community pays the interest on it. So they're really looking at... Another hundred million dollars that they're paying so on the surface. It looks like 360 million well when in fact it's going to be a hundred million dollars more and and I think that that language if It goes through that needs to be we need to be very transparent to the community and I understand and I

154It was interesting that you shared a piece about the difference between three cents for every $100 versus 30. dollars for every hundred thousand well three cents doesn't sound like a lot so if you want to get it to go through that's what you tell the people but if you want them to be more aware of what they're really going to pay you tell them thirty dollars you know and because it's the tax the homeowners that are going to pay this it's an assessed value so every time the value is assessed and our property values are going up so therefore then we get assessed more money i don't think the community They need to be made informed of that. So I'm going to read a couple of my notes because I know I've jumped all over

155the place. So the March 2020 bond measure M, the goal, they didn't specifically state that all the existing facilities or that acquisition or leasing a real property was included so it seemed to me that see it seems to me that CBSD continually depends on just bond measures do we get any money from the state do we get any money from the feds of course we get money from the state but that's for through ADA and that's to pay our staff teachers and all the and that's just for So they give us no money for our buildings and for our facilities. Correct. The state requires the district set aside 3% of our general fund expenditures for routine maintenance costs, but that is only to maintain and provide routine maintenance on the facilities of the district. It's

156not for adding a building, remodernizing a building, and so you're talking about at the most. $10 million a year, and most of that is used to maintain the building. So the state of California, other than there are state bond funds that they provide, but that's only as a matching to general obligation bonds or other local funding outside of the general fund. So they do not provide that. Okay. So this measure at $360 million plus, we still have to factor in the interest, correct? Correct, because it's a $360 million authorization of principle, just like when you take out a loan, you pay interest. And what we do is you either have an outstanding loan at 25 years. More recently, we've done those in Mr. Scott. talk about a shorter repayment periods either between eight to 15

157years of repayment. That's the intent of this bond eight to 10 years. Correct. And it depends on the districts of the valuation. So the district has authorization to do either one that we've more recently turned to that a shorter timeline repayment in order to save taxpayers right interest. So The March 2020 measure M which was a $30 per hundred thousand of the assessed property value for repayment that assumed matching tight state funds Correct. No, it doesn't assume it. It just said states that if there are State funds available matching funds. We would be able to match the dollars. We'll be able to extend the job Geo bond funds. Okay. Did we get any? for that March 2020. We have received not for that March 2020. We have received some for the modern early modernizations. I

158think they were in between 2012 and 2019 under proper measure. He So this last bond measure stated that projects included classroom repair, security cameras, thank you, Mr. Romero, perimeter fencing, solar energy system. I can see some of these items being checked off. The new heating and air conditioning, parking lot improvements. But it also spoke specifically about building the UT article that was, it was quoting, it's a February 16, 2020 UT article. About 20 that quoting 29,600 students at the time and that we would be building a hundred units of affordable housing for teachers and staff offered at 70 to 80 percent of the market value and At that time they I believe they quoted you mister short, short-timer, Mr. Esquivel, that it would be to also renovate the schools and make the school security improvements.

159So I wanted to know how much was attributed to this far, so you've called out much of it, but it doesn't, back then we even spoke about 100 units of affordable housing being built, and it didn't get built. So now we're asking for the same thing, more money. So that just doesn't, right. Yeah, so a couple of things. Oscar, can you elaborate on a couple of things? Because Trustee Dominguez-Cervantes raises a couple of points that other folks may have also the same understanding. So I think it's a good time to clear that up. One is, in the previous bond for housing, have we spent... You know, we haven't built the units yet. Is there money left? Have we used all the money or is there money left for housing? And two, until we use the

160money, even though we haven't used the money, or when do they pay? Taxpayers are assessed once a bond is issued. For example, you issue a $50 million bond authorization, then the repayment starts immediately. And so the... They are assessed on on the next property tax bill So as far as the question on the staff housing, we're currently the money's still available there and with the most recent issuance There's about the believe 30 million dollars available and right now we're housing correct and based on the last bond issue that's our estimate the District is in the process of reviewing the feasibility of that staff housing so working with Brookwood Associates and that was on the agenda tonight to determine you know what the feasibility is the cost the location of that's the workforce housing but I

161believe we've got that housing site I identified correct correct correct and that was how much so well it didn't come from that bond that the purchase of the land did not come from the bond. So that's why we haven't used the money yet to build the housing. One of the things that we're doing now is looking at, well, how many units can we build? So there are certain, one of the things that when Oscar and I met and the team met is we wanted to go very... We want to be very careful in how we, because it's the first time this district or any district in the South Bay and in the county has done staff housing. We want to make sure we do it in a way that is, one, first and foremost, transparent.

162Two, that we do it right the first time, and that we take our time in making sure that we have the product that we want and that we need. So based on that, Oscar, can you share, for example, the land? Do we use money from the bond to pay for the land, or how was that land acquired? Yeah, the land has not been acquired yet. We're currently... in escrow for that land in the millennia area for about six and a half acres so that scheduled to close mid mid-march and that could is available to be used since if it's going to be staff housing that would you could use the general obligation bond funds for that but currently we're in the process of acquiring the feasibility study to determine how many units can be built

163on that site with the processes and once the feasibility study is is completed then that's a presentation to the board for you to see all the detail involved including the timing the cost the type of housing involved that you would be able to look and eventually it would be brought to the board just like any other project for approval i have a problem with continuing to ask the taxpayer, the community to keep paying for the same thing, the one-time structure. I understand the ongoing, you know, you have to do roofs, you know, facilities. That's ongoing. It's just forever you have to do that. But the housing for staff, that one was in the previous bond measure. I can't accept that it be part of this bond measure, so therefore I don't believe that it should

164be as high as it is, this bond measure. Thank you. And also remember the part of the feasibility study will be financial analysis to determine the rent proceeds and the expenditures so that is there a surplus of funding? With the staff housing that can be reinvested back into whatever the board decides with the superintendent's direction You mean it goes back it goes into the general fund? But see that becomes a problem as well because the community didn't pay or doesn't doesn't get taxed for us to then get this leftover money which is quite a bit and so then we use it at our our discretion which i know we're responsible but that's not what the community is being taxed for and that's up to the board because they can choose to put that back into

165facilities use as well so it's really up to the superintendents Direction and the board's approval. Board's approval, yeah. So a couple of things. So the $360 million, that includes all the different expenditures that were projected based on the analysis and audit of the needs of the sites, which amounted to what, close to $800? $812 million. So would that include? Well, that includes all the items that are listed with a modernization site improvements the all the HVAC that are we mentioned that just to bring the structures up to current standards and equalize them among all school all school sites. Obviously there wouldn't be a need for Sotomayor Jeffers to be brought up because they were brand new schools. And then we still have that how many millions that are targeted for that housing. Still sitting there

166so I just don't understand why it has to be this high then if you were to exclude that Staff that housing for the staff in which has been promised to the community and I understand and I want it just as much as anyone else But that was promised in the previous bond measure the 360 million dollars and then mr. Scott can That number is to write that the amount the max $30 maximum limit that schools have doesn't mean you're going to issue $360 million at one time. Right. If I may also, that is correct. I do want to clear up one discrepancy, and that is there are not specific projects that have specific dollar amounts within this bond. That decision will be left up to the board. The board decides whether it wants to spend

167any of that money on housing, for example, or any other project after the election. What it's giving you is the authority. to spend that money, not the requirement that you spend that money. I think that's splitting hairs. You're giving the impression to the community that that's what it's for, and then, oh, we changed our mind. Anyway, I think I've made it clear what my position is. Thank you. Thank you. I just have a couple follow-up questions, comments. First of all, I'm so excited to see restrooms and water bottle filling stations on this list. I can tell you as a person that lives on the west side that we have old pipes, and it's so, so, so important to update these things. I'm also excited about the ADA improvements. Does that include ADA-friendly playground equipment? That

168was one of the questions. Yes. Fantastic. Love it. And then for the relocatable building, is that to make sure that we can handle our TK expansion in the future? That's part of it. Part of it, but the majority of it is we have older buildings, portables that were installed back with CSR back in the 96, 97 that need to be replaced. So when I was in college. Awesome. Cool, cool, cool. Okay, so my only question is... I'm looking at this negative 214,897,023, that number that is basically that we have less than what we need for all of the things that we're trying to do with it, right? Where does that money come from? Is that money that we're hoping to get matching funds? Or what does that number represent? That could be one of the

169areas that fills in that gap is the state matching funds and that state. is contemplating a geo bond in one of the future elections the other one's just prioritization of projects prioritizing those areas where the restrooms are most needy and then working forward with that. And so if I understand, we the board get to make those priorities after it's done, right? So we get to vote all along the way to go, yes, this next thing, yes, this next thing? Correct. So I would be working with the team. We would be making recommendations, and the board has the final authority to approve or not. And this is when we like gavel closed our regular meeting and gavel in our corporation meeting, is that correct? No, that's the community facilities district, public financing corporation. This would be,

170it would look like the when solar panels. Okay. For projects like HVAC projects. Got it. So it's like the usual. Those are all my questions. Thank you so much for your presentation, Mr. Scott. It's great to see you again. Any other board questions or comments? This is an action item. Hold on, Mr. Scott. So when we poll for these voting attitudes, remind me why that black line is there. Black line is the 55% threshold. And when did that threshold change? It was changed by the California voters in November of the year 2000. Year 2000. So I would assume that your company does this across the state as far as informing school districts about bonds, yes? Correct. And since 2000, have you seen any of these bonds fail? Sure. Okay. Because they increased the threshold there,

171obviously, right? Well, they actually lowered the threshold. It used to be two-thirds, and that was dropped to 55%. So there have been many more that have passed, but there are bonds that fail. It is not the norm, but it does happen. Okay. So all my questions, let's put it to a vote here and in the public. I motion to approve. I will second that motion. Move by Vice President Fernandez, seconded by Trustee Bishop. All those in favor? Nay. Aye. Motion passes 4-1. First and second readings, Board Policies, Administrative Regulations, and Board Bylaws. It's the first reading and second reading, possible revision, proposed revisions to Board Policy BP 1312.3, Uniform Complaint Procedures. Mr. Romero. Governing Board, this is, we brought back this policy again for review. Our attorney looked at this and highlighted in this is

172the area of updating, which says that now enrolled in a school district students who are migratory and students participating in newcomer program. The update is approved through the California School Boards Association and through the state of California. And the update is included in the California regulations 5 CCR 4611. Any board comments or questions? I had a question. On page 1 of 8, the second paragraph, second sentence, it says, the word says unlawful. discrimination, harassment, intimidation. I don't know how there could be anything that's lawful. So I just thought maybe it might be some tweaking necessary because there is no lawful discrimination. Because to say there's no unlawful discrimination or harassment implies that some of them is lawful. Anyway, I just thought maybe it needed to be tweaked a little bit. If that's the way it's

173written at the state, it's fine. Yeah, can we just strike the word? Take a peek. There's just nothing lawful about discrimination. Unlawful? I'd actually like to keep it. I agree with my colleague here because I feel that it's used to define. discrimination, harassment, intimidation because when two people are having an argument, the idea is if somebody says, you're bullying me because they're in an argument, this is used to define how the law defines what bullying and harassment actually are rather than just saying, I feel harassed by you. Do you understand what I mean? I know the intent, but I mean, I'm very literal when it comes to reading. So anyway, then page three of eight, third paragraph, first sentence. Question is, which district staff gets this training, when and how often? Third paragraph, first sentence.

174Page three of eight. I'm just curious which staff, excuse me, district gets this training. Second paragraph she said. Is this part of the, is any of the, UCP is not part of the JPA training is it? No? Yeah, who gets that training? I can't find that. Page three. I believe it's page three, the first sentence of the second paragraph rather than the third paragraph. Superintendent or designee shall provide training to district staff. To ensure awareness. Oh, okay. I see it. Thank you. Second paragraph, it looks like. Yes. So our uniform complaint procedures, we have Title IX compliance issues. We have UCPs. Those are all provided to our principals. And we have district training consistently throughout the year on anti-discrimination policies that are brought forward. We have regular trainings with staff regarding how to do that.

175And then our website provides access to our community on the complaint procedures. When we say consistent and regular, should there be something defined that says quarterly, twice a year, once a year? Do we have an administrative regulation for the sport policy? Yeah, because that would be more of an AR. Correct. So can we do this? I don't know if we have an AR. If we don't, can we? Write an AR to define some of those points. Yes Then my next questions on page four of eight fourth paragraph plus So this section describes a difference between and I'm going to need help with this one Describes a difference between the district uniform complaint procedures versus the districts Williams uniform complaint procedures So help me understand what the difference is because I've brought it up two or

176three times on other times and I'm not getting it. And if you guys do, please help me understand what the difference between the two because it does go into detail that it shouldn't be this other. But some of the items that I brought up, I felt fell into it. So I obviously didn't understand it. So if we can get have a clear definition on that, please. Sure. There's two different complaint procedures. And they are different. Mr. Romero. Thank you. So a UCP, not a Williams UCP, can be drafted towards against a complaint, let's just say by an employee. So an employee who are a community member who has a complaint against an employee would be a typical UCP complaint. A Williams complaint is the Williams settlement agreement that happened, I believe, early 2000s was about

177equal compliance for our facilities. for our textbooks, for access to materials, for maintenance of our- Certificated teachers? Certificated teachers, and under the No Child Left Behind, the requirements for them to be fully credentialed. Those were all those specific areas related to the Williams settlement and outside of the traditional UCP. basically two areas. If someone comes in with a complaint, we help them to identify which area of complaint that we have. And so our Williams complaint forms and our UCP complaint forms are on our wall as soon as you enter the district office to the right of the district office. Right by your pictures. Here's a question for you. I brought up an issue before the current principal was at... and I'm just going to be just totally factual here, at Marshall, where there was in

178the K-1 special needs class, there was erratic presence of a certificated teacher, and that complaint continued on through just even last week. So where would it have fallen had someone known to... file this complaint will it have fallen under the the Williams so I'm on that page the Williams so when I asked about that before I was told it was not so you believe it falls under the Williams could you rephrase the question so sounds like an attorney that's all right the particulars which you're I'm trying to avoid some of the specifics but I'm trying to just be general about certificated teacher not being present in a classroom for great lengths of times. So not having a certificated teacher? Right, in the classroom for that specific need. Okay, so that would be Williams. Right, so

179I asked about that. So does that mean, because I think we should self-report too. We need to be transparent. So, and I brought it up. to you and then to board meeting and then again right now. So I know it's in the process of being resolved and there's a section of that where it's reported and then resolved. Yeah, so that was a question that you answered, Ms. Carroll, when it was a, yes, so I'll. Remind you. So the question is Trustee Dominguez-Cervantes was asking how come it shows we having zero Williams reports. When we had Unless you're sharing that there was a teacher a classroom with the teacher does not Certificate it at a particular time and you mentioned that it was because he had not been reported It had not been formally reported as

180a Williams complaint. So that's so unless it's formally reported by somebody That's why we were showing zero. So you're going to give me a form in a few minutes so I can report it Well It's in the process of being resolved, so it will be reported as resolved. Yes, if you want a form, she will give you a form. Yes, we can give you a form on that. Our goal really is, in terms of internally, our goal is to resolve the issue, not to... File a complaint on ourselves right it's to try and and get that resolved and I know that our teams have been working Oh, I know right I know you guys have been working really hard on this, but it just never got resolved But it's been happening for a few months

181So after I brought it up it still didn't so I think we need to take that step forward and and self discipline ourselves and self-report. When we're not doing something correctly, we need to do that. We're resolving it. It's being addressed. And I do appreciate you guys working so hard on resolving it. I know that there's other mechanics and moving pieces that played into this, but the public doesn't see that. They don't know the internal moving pieces. And Dr. Reyes, maybe this is where a proper developed administrative regulation will give you kind of steps on the process, similar to the grievance process, right? You have level one, level two, level three. Try to develop something like that. That way, solving some of the issues takes time, and I understand that. but if we're not seeing

182movement then I see where Trustee Dominguez feels like she needs to follow up with here's the written complaint but if we have something in writing that this is the process and it takes two months for this once we the district knows we have a window two months to solve it if not then here's the next step See if we can develop something like that That way we have some guidelines and we can we can know how to operate Sure Thank you. Thank you for your patience all of you guys and let it go publicly stated that I know how hard you're working It's all these moving pieces that don't allow you to put them all in the places and there's missing pieces. Thank you Motion by Trustee Vice President Fernandez and seconded by Clerk Gamayo.

183All those in favor? Aye. Motion carries unanimously. Mid-year update to the local control and accountability plan and the local control funding formula budget overview for parents. Thank you, President Ugarte, Superintendent Reyes and Board. I'm here to share with you tonight the first mid-year LCAP update in several years because the state has returned the mid-year update. And as we are finishing the third year of a three-year plan, we're here to give you sort of the mid-year report of that. Thank you. So the background just to remind you is that by February 28th we needed to be sharing this information with you in a regularly scheduled meeting and It really is a supplement of the annual update for the 23 24 el cap it's all the mid-year information that we want to share with you there are

184other times when you get mid-year updates you we just had the dashboard update we have several metrics that we cover and so here we want to give you some additional data and actions that we've identified tonight Some of the data that guides the LCAP goals, as I said before, you see the results from our end of the year tests. You have seen the dashboard and the present update from this last reporting. And we have some data that is internal. local data, but tonight we're going to focus on the survey data and that comes from ThoughtExchange, that comes from Hanover Surveys, it comes from the many community outreach and community events that we have and we did for this last year's LCAP third year part. So again, this is the current LCAP in its third year

185and at the end we'll talk about where we are in the upcoming next. third three-year process that we're moving into. These are things that we want to share with you that came from our community outreach from the previous year, and then we'll talk about what we're doing now for the upcoming. So our educational partner engagement that we provide our community every single year has many different places that we have events and gather our community and get a lot of information. But we use ThoughtExchange. It's an opinion-sharing platform. But we also ask students, parents, guardians, all staff, and... parts of our district for example the district advisory councils we reach out to the PTA we have student focus groups and We also have ongoing in personal el cap school and district events So for the LCAP

186from 21 through 24, we had three goals that were outlined. I'm just placing these here to remind you that these were created and updated in that three-year process. And I've highlighted the three specific areas that we focused on. Goal one was really rooted in equity. initiatives and supporting equity with specific focus groups goal two was the support that we wanted to provide that was social emotional and physical and safety and wellness and goal three was of course making sure that we had students accessing our services to improve academic achievement again a specific focus on different groups of our students. The current budget that we're going to be covering is something that you approved in December. It's from the first interim financial report and so the LCAP budgeted action items that were approved was from the

187adopted LCAP and here the mid-year update is as forward. This is the total amounts and then we'll go and break it down for each of those three goals moving forward. So with the first goal, again, focusing on equity, there was an adopted budget of over $5 million, and at this mid-year update, again, we are wrapping up this year's budget in these areas. Specifically... The areas that we covered within the LCAP was through, again, asking our community partners what our educational partners wanted. And in this, the themes in this goal was really increasing academic and social-emotional support. It was for the groups asking for improved equity initiatives for our students and families. And specifically options for stressed or struggling students and those that were needing acceleration. Keeping in mind that this was a three-year plan that

188was exiting from a pandemic and some of our emphasis in our budgeting and our planning was around that recovery. So our actions. in with those requests were that we added in the LCAP additional leadership at our schools with the highest unduplicated counts for students of students and those were associate principals and we we made sure that we had additional support and administrative coverage at those schools We also employed a district communications supervisor to expand translation and interpretation. Again, that really helps with equity and access to materials information for our communities and families and making sure that that material gets sent out to our communities. And then with those that needed more options for wanting to accelerate and to improve. academically we had the continuation of impact teachers and tutoring help and expanded learning opportunities that

189had been included in previous years the second goal again supporting the social emotional and physical safety wellness was an adoption of over five excuse me 10 million and right now we're looking at nine nine and a half approximately In this area, we heard from our partners that they were looking for additional support for at-risk students. We wanted to, we heard that students with trauma should receive additional supports resulting in reductions of behavioral incidents. We heard that from... families and teachers and classified certified staff and then of course everyone continues to think about the increase of safety and security at our school sites in and out of the sites so with those requests and overall themes we moved forward with the action of employing additional psychologists counselors and social workers and continued that providing the social-emotional

190groups and plans and adding to that multi-tiered system of support around social-emotional work we also reduce the teacher and student ratios at it says key grade levels but if you go back and look it's really actually all grade levels and so we've seen that where it really does help to give additional support And then finally, because of the concerns of safety, security, and wellness, we executed a contract with the SROs, and that resource officer team really did help, including the homeless outreach, besides that safety in and outside of our schools. With our goal three the focus being around academic achievement the adoption a majority of the funding in LCAP was 15 million and some change and the mid-year is we're getting close to the end of utilizing those funds and the academic requests that our

191partnerships asked from our surveys was that we needed to and you heard it tonight i think is that we like to continue the support for our vapa programs and that we are very happy with the increase of that Continue with the increased technological supports at the school sites. I know that during the pandemic, we had a lot of technology needs and it continued as we returned because of the use and many of the programs that we continue to use for academic supports. And then finally, expanding some support in the literacy instruction area and our actions. because of those requests were that we did provide additional VAPA materials and we did employ additional VAPA teachers and when we employ VAPA teachers not only do our students get additional services in visual arts and music etc is

192that we also get time for our professional development and our collaboration for our teachers which really does increase student improvement And we also continue to employ additional technicians to support our staff and our schools with some of the new technology coming in and also keeping the moving and transitioning from those labs to the carts and having them in our classrooms to continue our services with our support materials. and then finally we had increased library supports and staffing ratios to help continue to have that access to library books and literacy to our students So those are sort of the themes that we kept hearing in this year's goals as we are finishing out the year. And that is how the update for this mid-year is looking. So in closing, we want to just say that it

193is the slow close to the three-year plan. And we really are looking forward to building this next new year. three-year plan with all of the community's ideas and thoughts and sharing in the surveys and making sure that we are listening to what we really need to be utilizing these additional funds for. I want to just say that right now, even though this is a mid-year and we're closing out this previous three years, we're moving into the next three years. And as you know, we've had a few community forums here. But now we have, not only have we asked our principals to... with all of their different social events with their families to reach out. We are also hosting several community forums at different schools and then inviting those schools as well. The good news is

194to tell you that I have the thought exchange numbers from previous years, and this year's survey was 1,000. And moving into this upcoming three-year planning process, we have nearly 3,000 already, and we have about a month to go. So the good news is we are getting out there. We're getting the word. We're hearing from people. We're starting to see the themes. We're starting to see the areas of interest. I'd like to say that as I look at that, it reflects what you're hearing here when people come to speak to the board and to our community. And we will certainly use that as we plan forward in the next three years. this is what we have been sharing on our website and we've been sharing it at our sites and one great idea that we had

195is we are sharing with families as they're picking up their students in our after-school lead programs and that really made a big difference so thank you to the lead staff but our thought exchange opinion sharing platform is still being used this is a QR code there's also the link to it on our on our website it's open for all to participate. I often say if you have some more ideas, just go back and take it again. And so far, we're really proud to say nearly 3,000, and I look forward to updating you on even more. So again, thank you for the mid-year. review of what our community has really wanted and how we've been putting our money and our actions towards that and we look forward to the next update for the the upcoming plan

196we have no speakers on this item board questions and comments reference to the devices that children the students have to use does that come out of the site budget Or does that come out of district budget? Dr. Reyes? Ms. Riggs? Well, it's a little of both. So the way that we distribute LCAP is that we have made some decisions around technology. This happened to be the technology staffing because it took additional people to support both the fleets that came back into the schools. But technology is purchased through funds at the site as well. I know that we're working on... a continuation because we bought a lot during the covid uh use and now we're going to have to continue but schools are supporting their technology as as as well as we have supported the employees

197so this the site provides for the students so so is rick so uh is lcap covering the one-on-one devices this uh is covering the tech technicians and the funding for the employees that are serving our technology. Am I hearing a no? It's a no because this is specifically for people. Okay. The technicians. Yeah, so, so, so, so a lot of the one-on-one devices that were purchased. were purchased with extra money during COVID. Now, third grade and up, they have one-on-one devices. Now, the issue that we have now is that we're having a hard time replacing those as, you know, as technology is, after three, four years, you got to start renewing. Yeah, so we're having a hard time because we're talking about a lot of money that it takes to replace. So we are looking

198at, okay, so... what's going to be the plan how are we going to be doing that uh so that's a larger conversation that we need to have with the board to look at priorities and look at how how are we addressing that point so so now the other part is that from a district perspective from a district point sites from a site level do spend money to to replace some of those devices Hi, thank you for your presentation. I always like hearing about the LCAP for sure. Okay, so goal number one, is it possible to go back to the slide for goal number one? Let me go right back to the beginning. Perfect. So it would be the next one, I believe. Okay. Yes, so the educational partners wanted and so one of the ones

199that I just noticed was more options for stressed or struggling students I see on the right Stuff where we're addressing Needing to accelerate but I don't see on the right something that addresses specifically stress or struggling students and I do remember seeing the LCAP the the survey results and I feel like the number one thing was mental health. Right. Right. So what is the connection in that particular goal? I know that goal two had some of that. I just was wondering how it ended up in goal one and what the connection was. I think because this specifically talked about the stress and wanting to accelerate, there were many stresses at the time, correct? There was stress. about how they were feeling and the recovery and the anxiety, which certainly would be the social-emotional aspects. But

200then there was the stress of feeling struggling and feeling behind. And so the reaction and the action that we took was continuing those impact teachers that really could pull small groups, really make a huge difference in accelerating for those students that were feeling that way. So there were... many ways to support the stressed student. Ms. Riggs, could you expand? You mentioned the impact teachers, but I know we did a lot of things to support our students. Could you expand on some of those specific things? If we want to talk about the academic sides or the social academic sides. So not only were the classes smaller, that helped with recovery, but also the many assistance that we have to help run smaller groups. And then I also think about the technicians. We had computers, so we

201had a lot of recovery programs working. We kept Achieve. We did things like that as well. I think of the after school programs. I know that's not an LCAP plan, but we have to think about how everything threads together. And those after school programs help as well. On top of that, there were specific interventions that started taking place with our students. And so that's like the academic pieces. But then we could talk about the social-emotional. And I flipped back over here because I think what was really important, besides smaller class sizes and these additional support staff responding to accelerating, we now have the psychologists, the counselors, the social workers. And I want to say that that's not always social-emotional. Counselors can really help in academics. They can help in behavior. They can help with attendance.

202It's a multi-tiered system of support. Thank you. So I know that the LCAP report is about LCAP money, right? That's what we're talking about. The goals directly connect to the money that we spend from that pool of money, right? So my question is, because the additional psychologists, counselors, social workers, did that come out of LCAP funds or COVID funds? I was under the impression that it came out of our ESSER funds and not LCAP. Am I incorrect in that assumption? Well, there's many things that we use multiple sources for. And when there are the expenses of millions of dollars, we look at a use of ESSER funds until they, and now they end this year. And that's a big issue. But they were also covered in LCAP. I see. Okay. Great. And then... I had

203written down about tech materials having to be replaced. Refurbished. And are we, is this something that we're looking at for the future, possibly on the future LCAP for next year? Or where are we going to find the money to replace? Because I know site funds are finite, right? Right. And if we are putting the onus on the sites to replace their own technology, I know we have the people that the district pays to fix stuff, but... there's only so far that you can help a laptop limp. Am I right, Jacob? So what's next steps here? Is that an LCAP question or is that a general funds question? It can be an LCAP question. Of course you want to keep in mind what LCAP is representing. It's additional funds for low-income. And our English language learners

204and so of course we would want to make sure that we're funding And our foster youth with those things so we have to be very clear as to where this money goes and who it's for As we roll out those plans and use multiple budget sources Thank you so much, and I wanted to say Thank you for adding the LCAP meetings that are coming up. I'm really excited that those got added. And I love the message that I got. Thank you, Giovanna, for shape the future of CVESD. There's a lot of parents that say, why do I keep getting messages? What the heck is the LCAP? And I love getting a text message that really... boils it down to one quick sentence, shape the future of CVESD. I would also have accepted, help us figure

205out how to spend this money. Because that's really what it's about, right? I love that you're sharing the lead pickup. That's brilliant. That's totally brilliant. And I applaud you for finding outside-the-box ways to really engage the community. So thank you for that. Yeah, and I just want to say that I want to give kudos to Giovanna's team because she's done an amazing job in really marketing and publishing the whole LCAP. So, Giovanna and your team, thank you. I also received comments from the community about, that was so nice. I keep seeing it again, so it keeps reminding me, you know, to go back in. So, thank you. So, bless you. Bless you. Sorry. So. The goals. I saw that we looked at the goals and many of them at the mid-year, we already spent the

206money that we had allocated. We're halfway. How are we intended to get there if we still are halfway? I think that's a good question. I looked at that also, and I've had multiple conversations with our team and Oscar and Kristen, and really when things are purchased, it is encumbered, and then salaries are, of course. that continues. So I know that we are in good hands to know that by the end we will have reached our limit and we won't go over. And it is well planned out. What I would say is that's why we bring it to you in those quarterly meetings so you can look at not just LCAP but those other funds that are supporting. Walk me a little bit more about when you say You discussed it with the team. Who's that

207team? That's a great question. The budget team. So Kristen, Oscar, as soon as we started taking on this mid-year update, the end of the year, and then looking at next year, what we've been spending, and of course the actions around what's been most successful, we want to make sure that we are looking at that, but then also what is the community still asking for and making sure that that's the priority that goes back into LCAP. Those are really important, but it comes down to, like Kate said, spending the money. And I think that it's really important that we know that when the community asks for something, that it's placed in the LCAP, we are responsible for that and that we don't go over those funds and that we do a great job of managing what

208we expect to have to cover and the salaries. And I do agree that we have to spend the money, but we have to do it strategically. So I didn't hear as part of that team that you consult as your instructional team or special services. So I would expect that those people are on that table because a lot of what happens in LCAP. It has to do with instruction and special education. Specifically, you here in the background information, you quoted California Ed Code 52062, and that is very explicit of things that need to happen before today. And I don't know if those things have happened. For example, did we have a hearing? Did we present this information to the parents community already? So, I mean, I'm reading that. And it says that before the 28th, we

209need to present this to the parents. We need to have a hearing. And we need to have it available to our partners. So I don't know if that has happened. One nice thing about taking on the LCAP is that the county really does give us a lot of updates and we have had regular meetings with their LCAP team and as I stated this mid-year update has been brought back after years and this was brought forward and so when we were meeting with all of the other county districts we've been following the fact that the hearing is the presenting by the end of february at this board meeting and that's how we inform our community about what it is that we are sharing so do we have another important meeting before february 28th sorry you're saying

210this presentation is the hearing yes got it and just uh so we're not approving it because it says that we cannot have it on the same day This is just informational only it does not have to be approved So there's no update to the annual plan? An update You're not updating anything to the LCAP? No, we're not adding anything to the LCAP. We're just giving you a projection of mid-year, what we've been working on, what we have included, how the budget... So, for example, those goals that are almost depleted of money, are you not going to do anything else during the next four months? Yes, we will. Oh, yes. How? Well, if you... If we're not updating the money... Right. So if you want to... Are we doing more things? Right. When we end the

211LCAP... at the end of the year before we start the new one. We go from, as it's the baseline metrics start from the 19-20, so from the very beginning of this. And we, excuse me, then we place all of the other metrics. So there's a lot of metrics right now that we just got the dashboard update. We just got the CAS results finalized. Those are from last year. So what we look at is from that year to year. So right now, at the mid-year, we just don't have any state results. We're about to take those. So let's show me goal two, how much we spent on goal two. There's a million there. And goal three, there's about 100, 200, 190. So four months, 190 for goal three. You're now proposing to add more? No, we

212won't be requesting any additional funds to cover the actions and the metrics that we already have in place for the LCAP for this year. Why? Because it's... Because it's been approved and we have the money to cover what it is that we put in the action. And I appreciate your question about who the team is, but I was referring to the budget conversations that we've had because you asked about the... just the funding sources and the money. But we also meet regularly with our curriculum team, with our teams around our counselors and our psychologists and our pre-K. And so it's a whole group of us that continue to work on these actions. Right, but I would assume that if you're meeting with the people who have the money, You're also at the same time meeting

213with the people who have the background on what we need to do to move these goals forward. So I would expect that Sharon's team, Jessica, Rochelle, be a part of that table and have that and also have conversations with our labor partners, all three of them. about how does LCAP look like from your lens, and do we need to modify, right? Because sometimes Angela has good ideas on what we need to do. Sometimes? I'll say sometimes. How dare you, sir? I'll say sometimes. And she'll punish me later, but that's fine. Agreed. I can give her 100%. Correct. I'll leave it at that. Thank you. I have a quick follow-up question to what he said. Was the intent to present this LCAP to the DAC-DLAC meeting that had to get canceled, is that something that was

214scheduled for that? So that we have the, as you said, there was parent presentation. Was that the intent? No, we've given input sessions to DLAC along with many of these other partner engagements. But my understanding from the county, although it may speak about a hearing, is that we're responsible for giving an update. No action needs to be taken. We have it as a part of this general session. I was going to ask something similar like is what gets presented to parents at parent meetings for myself It's a little too broad. If I were a parent, I would want more information about where exactly we're putting the money on those bullet points, right, instead of one big broad number. And then how are we assured that those dollars are being put to good use? Conversations with

215others here about how are we ensured that those dollars are being used successfully for kids? But just a little bit too much of a view from 30,000 feet. I personally, as a parent, would like a little more zoomed in information. I totally agree, and this is not what we share with our parents when we're getting input. This was a recap for you to not only see the budget that you were approving in December and then updating on those goals. When we share with the LCAP and the community, what we do is we explain, first of all, what some of you already said is, what is the LCAP? Where does this funding come from? Who does it serve? what specific populations of students, how do you assure good use of the funding? And so we cover

216the eight responsibilities that we have. We cover that there are metrics that we outline. We look at the results. We currently right now internally will be going from department to department and looking at the end of the year sort of what. Others were asking is how do you know that you were successful? When we get those metrics, then we will be able to say, did this help? Was this enough? How do we continue to improve it? Is the community asking for this? And do we want to continue because it's been a successful practice? When we get the metrics, it happens after we've already established the next DELCAP though, right? Yes. So there's like a lag. Yes. But we still have data. What's that? We still have data. I mean, we have our internal data, right?

217But we don't have, like, the dashboard or the metrics from CASP at the time that we're having to establish the first year of the LCAP. Is that correct? Is that correct? Yes. There's a lag, right? There's a lag in when we get the final results for CASP and the dashboard because I think it was just last month, and yet the test was taken in May. So there is quite a bit of lag when we see that. So like everything else, we just have to cross our fingers and hope that we're making the right decision to start off. And that's why we need the check-in. Is that correct? Well, we have internal metrics as well that we certainly want to cover so we know how we're going to proceed. And so, yes, it is slow, but

218we have so many other things that we look at, too. Thank you. All right, thank you. I have a lot of questions because I look at this through the lens of our accountability as a district and I'm very much a person that just because we say something doesn't mean it's true and so we need to have data to back up. everything that's being presented here. One of my first questions that came up as you were talking, you talked about the thought exchange. What was the number? I would like to know the numbers of respondents to that thought exchange because that helps me understand. The overall picture from the district perspective of our families, our community. So this plan started at the beginning of, well, at the end of last year in June. And at that

219time, there was 1,010 responds in Thought Exchange. So that's where I can go back and look to see exactly how many respondents we had. And what I see there at the bottom, it says in-person LCAP school and district events. When I see that, as Trustee Fernandez said, that it's a 30,000, it's out. It's up from the airplane view. But for me, I need to see where those events happened and the dates. I don't need exact dates, but in this month, we had them at this site. In this month, we had them at this site. I'm as as a accountability piece and an update. I'm just looking for more data as trustee Tamayo said it it worries me when I see that was the first slide I saw that we're mid year and There's you know,

220we went from adopting a budget and mid year We spent almost 30 million dollars or we have spent 30 million dollars and we have one million left and so i would like to know as far as where did we spend the money was it on our homeless and foster youth was it on our el students when you say we purchase things what did we purchase specifically for evap what platforms did we use i guess that my questions come from the fact that i was expecting a lot more data while we don't have, how do you say, well, we're saying we don't have the data, the metrics, we still have trends and we still have previous years to look at. And I might be being a little biased because I sat through a 46 slide presentation

221on LCAP last week that presented all of this data that showed the evidence of where the money was going, how it was being spent, what we were doing for our students. And I think that. collaborating with the other departments and understanding that you know this is what the board's going to expect when we see a presentation of this magnitude especially with LCAP and LCFF because it's hard enough that the community and parents don't understand the intricacies of how funding comes through LCAP and how we're spending it that we need to see that accountability piece and exactly where that money is going how it's being spent and and what were the results of spending that money even if we don't have like narrative is okay but even if we don't have Data because it's not done

222where we are at this point What what has that done for our population our student population? At this point because it's great to say we spent the money, but I'd like to know Where and what we're spending it on because I think when we finally get to the very end that is what we're going to have to do I I have some other questions the you talked about Allocation of resources and it doesn't matter it could be any one of the LCAP. How were the decisions made to? to Distribute those how did how do we give those resources? How were they allocated for any of the yeah? Any of the goals? Any of the goals. So going back, they were decided through the community asking for those resources. And so then it was determined based

223on the need of the school and the population of the most English language learners and that. So the percentage of those students had a higher percentage of those resources going to them. So were the sites doing individual needs assessments? Were we as a district doing a needs assessment? How was that determined? My understanding is that it came from looking at the population of the students. So if there were more homeless students, if there were more foster youth, if there were more... English language learners low income that gave a higher percentage and so that equalizes that additional funding that comes there and I think that What I'm asking is in the next round in the presentations I won't have these questions because I know that you'll go back and you'll work with the team and then

224you'll have this information to present to us because that's what I'm looking for in an LCAP update. I would like to see how that money how those resources are allocated the data behind where that went and like i said it's not so much we can say we spent this but i would like to see directly where that's going and then the what the most current information with dashboard with our students doesn't have to be everything but i think it helps us to see where where we're putting the money and where it needs to go just having those visuals on there I appreciate, like you said, the big out view, and that's maybe something we do for our parents, but I think here, because we are the accountability piece, we need to see all of that

225data. Any other forward questions or comments? I was just really interested in, I know that legally LCAP is around our English learners and our foster youth, et cetera, et cetera, but I know that we have put in... with an emphasis on the BIPOC and LGBTQ students. And I'm just wondering how those two pieces play into what our plans are here. I'm just wondering, specific to that group of students, because it's written in there, how are we addressing that issue as well? Thanks. I know that when the goals around those... specific populations were outlined it was considering the the the concern and the care that we wanted to place on specific populations. And again, going back from the original three-year goal, it was really around recovering from a pandemic and all of the issues that we

226were facing emotionally, socially, and those populations came to mind. So again, that was there. along with the funding for the specific populations that you referred to. Thank you. Board communications, members of the Board of Education, communications. You have report calendar first. Sorry, I did skip that. You're right. I put a checkmark and we weren't there yet. Report calendar to the Board of Education. Board members, if you have any reports that you would like to request. Trustee Dominguez-Servantes. I think Mr. Romero already said he's going to give us a synopsis of the outcome of the exit interviews, right? Was that not what we said earlier? All right, thank you. And the protocols for volunteers, I know that Sharon was working with a particular parent we were working together on, and she issued some really nice instruction.

227But I'm wondering, I think we need a... a policy for volunteers, let me share one of the examples. A volunteer, already been fingerprinted before. I can understand it getting fingerprinted once a year, things happen, so you have to do that. But in this particular case, and it could have just been that admin secretary's understanding, so... in this case they were going to wait for 10 more people to volunteer before they would fall over over the so that just correct i know that you you know you corrected that but the point being that there's also other discrepancies out there so if there was a standard policy that people could they'd know and then you know once you know you know that that's just the rule and that's what you do so i'm looking for a report

228on that or so so so if i can do this i know we have a ar on on um So can we set up a committee so we can review the AR and update the AR of our volunteers? Yes. And then we can provide a report on a board update. I would like to add an addendum to that. Can we please meet with our parent partners as we review that? If we're making any adjustments, I would like to have parent representation in that room. Sure. Thank you. Would a week be enough time or you need two weeks? I mean, that's a lot. Maybe a couple weeks. Give Sharon a break. She's got a lot of stuff to do. In a week I'll do it, but maybe a couple weeks. Tell you what, before the spring

229break. Okay, got it. Okay, that gives her a chance. So the other was, I know that we spoke about the very deliberate outreach for parent engagement. And there was different venues that were shared, you know, as far as the social media aspect, wanting to engage the parents more so that they can become our, we can become better partners with them to support the child for the academic purposes that we're really concerned about. And I know that we spoke about it briefly, but I'm hoping to see a very deliberate attempt to where we do reach out to. Cesar, you have parents here. You have a child in this district, right? You've mentioned it before. So a very deliberate attempt to engage the parent. What can we do to help the children? These trustees, they're already okay,

230but we have parents out there that don't. That don't have that. information or availability, they don't think they have it. You just need to reach out to them, please. So that's just for the reports, and then we report on our other activities later. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Nailed it. I would like to request presentations from people who we send learning opportunities. This is the appropriate place to ask for that? Awesome. So, yeah, it would be amazing if, for example, President Ugarte went to Coast to Coast last year and still has not had an opportunity to report, right? Exactly. So just have a small space earlier in the meeting so that we can have people from the board or people from the cabinet that might want to do a quick... presentation on something that they learned

231or just ways that they have that trip has benefited the district so My only concern is that we do send a lot of people out to different conferences so I would be concerned that we take a lot of time or Not all but you know so so maybe maybe if So so can we do this because I think it's a great idea for somebody goes somewhere learn something doesn't keep that information to him or herself. Totally agree. So can you give me some time to figure out if not, because I am concerned about taking time or maybe it could be a teacher, for example, goes to a conference and then teacher says, well, I don't want to go to the board meeting. So there are different variables that might be in play regarding doing the

232presentations here. Could you give me some time to think about maybe a way that we can share that out? So I think my image of this in my head is sort of in the same way that public comment or whatnot can be limited to 20 minutes or whatever. So like this in my mind is like five to 10 minutes maximum. And it would just be because like there is continual concerns around our travel schedules that have come up again and again, especially for things that are large out. output of money. I mean, if somebody goes to a professional development that was $50, I don't think that there's anybody super questioning it, but like these larger amounts that are being spent for us to go to these big events, then perhaps that's, that it can be

233kind of focused on those larger things, because I do think that there is a lot to be learned. gleaned at these things and that they should be shared out with the rest of the board and with the public. So like maybe if we have teachers or administrators that are doing these cool things, maybe that can be like in a board update kind of thing. But if there are things where potentially the public would be like, why are you spending that much money? We have this opportunity to go, this is why we're spending that much money. You know what I mean? But like in a very small amount of time. Is there a second on this? the second or the first or anything. I thought I'm looking at, see Dr. Ray is providing us and sharing

234with us what can happen. How we can make this work. I think in order to update the agenda, I would have to have a second in order to insert something into the agenda on an ongoing basis. So I think that's why they're asking for a second. But I think I have the same concern that we don't want everyone to give us a report out. Right. No, that's not the intent. So what about this? Let's have Dr. Reyes look at options, and then he can give you an option, and then you can bring it back. That's fine. Trustee Bishop, do you want information, for example, would it suffice to if, let's say, the heads of departments, let's say Miss Casey has a couple people attending a conference, right? and then they come back, obviously she would,

235you know, she knows that she has that information, et cetera. If she could, through a board update, report out so that the board has the information, would that suffice? So, yes, for, I feel like for departments, yes. But what I'm talking about is just because we keep getting... Public concern around travel requests for things especially that the board is doing so maybe maybe to clarify or to Focus that we could be it could be stuff that the board and the superintendent Well, what I'm, okay, so that's the theory, right? But a lot of times we run out of time before we get to that. It's 10.15 now. We have to be done by 10.30, right? So when we get to board communications, if you take eight minutes to speak and I take six minutes to

236speak, there's literally one minute left for the rest of the people on this dais, right? So, right. This is what I'm saying so what I'm saying is if the concern is that we want to make sure that we are making good choices with our ink with the money that we're spending for these trips Then an opportunity earlier in the meeting so that the public can say hey, this is why they're spending the money on these travel requests That's what I'm requesting. And I'm not saying a long period of time, like five minutes max, and as needed, not like every single time, but as needed, have a space for that to happen is what I'm asking for. But of course, I agree with my colleague that you can, this is me just giving you additional information

237of what I'm looking for, but yes, please come back and let us know. Yeah. Board Communications, members of the Board of Education, communications to the public. Trustee Dominguez-Cervantes. Yes, I want to thank Olympic Elementary for the opportunity to serve as one of their judges. They had a speech competition. They shared their superpowers. That was amazing. They did a great job. I'm looking forward to seeing the finalists when we finally get to see them. It was so much fun. I also attended Chula Vista Hills APTA Reflection Ceremony, and that was also, I really enjoyed watching the kids and getting their awards and just how happy they are to be recognized. Enjoyed that. And something that blew my mind, I went to the production of Moana. at Discovery Charter on their opening night. And the costumes, the

238scenery, the singing, the dancing, the acting, the choreography. You're like, wow, these guys are professional. They were really, really, really good. This was like bravo. It was just great. I loved it. And then separate from that, the separate parent and separate teacher meetings I have, sometimes they request to meet with me. And Matt, thank you. I appreciate our classified and CVE presidents. I appreciate your time that you dedicate to. meet with me and I'm looking forward for the opportunity to meet with our administrators association at some point. Just give us some dates. And that's really good. A lot of communication, a lot of contact with the public, and I appreciate our cabinet for just jumping on it all. I really want to thank you. I know I talk a lot. I know I say a

239lot. And thank you to Ms. Rochelle. She met with me for about an hour, hour and a half, a couple of weeks ago as well. And we're going to meet again. And I appreciate you all. I really do. I thank you for your patience and for helping our students and our parents because, like you've all shared, their parents love their children and they only want their best. And we don't come across as well as maybe we should, but it's coming from the right place. Thank you, Ms. Communications and everyone else. Thank you, Ms. Arrizuela. Mrs. Communications. Thank you. Thank you. And I appreciate all of you for your patience with me. Thank you. I'm gonna try and read this really quickly so that we can get home in time I want to thank Dean for

240the conflict of interest training that was really helpful I was excited to go read to Linda Colby's class at Loma Verde I would love to go back every time Dac Dillac the math and English learn at the math presentation and the English learner reclassification presentation were incredible thank you for the people that put those on The LCAP forums, I went to a couple of them. I encourage anybody watching this to go to the new ones. We really want your input, and thank you so much for that presentation on that. I got to judge the speech contest at Tiffany. It was awesome. Thank you, Dr. Reyes, for inviting me to the YMCA fundraiser kickoff. If you have not yet, please donate to the YMCA. South Bay YMCA is a fantastic partner. I also got to see

241Moana Jr. at Discovery, and it was, in fact, incredible. And Ms. Rochelle Carroll was there, board member for Discovery, and it was pretty cool to see it with you. I got to represent the district at the Council of PTA's meeting. I was totally thrilled to get to be at Chula Vista Hills Reflection Ceremony. That was, I mean, beautiful, beautiful stuff, and it was great to hang out. The administrator's breakfast was amazing. I always love attending that. I got to be hands off to the, hats off, hello, it's late, to the people that put together the substitute appreciation reception and Mr. Romero being the greatest emcee ever. It was a really fun event and I was really excited to see our substitutes getting excited about becoming full-time teachers. That was the most inspirational. The Share the

242Love lunch was wonderful. Thank you to the people that put that together. I wanted to say happy Black History Month to everybody. I want to say happy Lunar New Year to everybody that celebrates. And I also want to take a moment to... I want to acknowledge the passing of Next Benedict, a 16-year-old non-binary child that was beat to death in a bathroom in Oklahoma. That is the reason that we have the policies around LGBTQ kids that we do. And I think it's really important to acknowledge their passing and realize that it is our job to protect our LGBTQ students. Thank you so much for everybody and all your work. I always appreciate you Have a great night Thank you everybody for allowing me the opportunity to bring a motion to adjourn a second motion by

243trustee Thelmaio seconded by trustee Fernandez all those in favor Motion passes meeting adjourned at 1021