001Good evening. I'd like to go ahead and call the regular meeting of the Board of Education to order. It is March 23rd, 2026, and it is 630. Matthew, will you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, please? Do we have any changes to the agenda? There are no changes to the agenda. Do I have a motion? I move that we approve the agenda. Second. Student rep? Aye. All those in favor? Aye. So moved. And now we've got lots of students here. So I believe this is going to be a really nice highlight. We've got the Alhambra High School Drama Club. So you guys are on. I'm Kalina Montero, and I'm one of the co-presidents of the drama club. My name is Ethan Bossa, and I'm another co-president of the drama club. My name is Megan
002Kelly, and I'm the vice president of the Alhambra Drama Club. And my name is Annabella Boyce, and I'm the social media manager for the Alhambra Drama Club. And we are here to give you a little sneak peek of our upcoming show, Once Upon a Mattress. We have posters. Anyone would like a poster? We're going to perform two songs for you and hopefully we'll spike your interest. As you can see on the posters, we will be performing on April 30th to May 2nd. On May 2nd, we'll be having a matinee show and also an evening show. You can get tickets at gofan.co and there's also a QR code on the posters. Thank you and we hope you enjoy. Okay, that was absolutely spectacular. I would watch that on Broadway. I think you guys were absolutely fabulous
003from the choreography to the singing, everything. So impressive. That is awesome. Thank you guys so much for coming here and giving us a preview. I know a lot of us are going to go to the musical. We always do every year, but this is absolutely so much fun and delightful to start our board meeting like this. Brenda, do you have comments? Oh, I just wanted to second everything you said. Broadway, you guys, Broadway. That was fabulous. Oh, my gosh. The energy, just fabulous. Thank you so much, and I'll be there on the 30th. Looking forward to it. Wow. Wow. Thank you. Thank you so much. I love seeing this program at Alhambra just continue to thrive. I will not tell you the date, but I was in Mr. Wiener's first musical. And there were only
004like 15 of us that participated in the whole thing. And so it's so wonderful to see such active engagement and to see. You all care about this and continue and have a whole booster program with this. So it is amazing, and I'm so excited to come and see the whole performance. Thanks for coming here. So what's the total student involvement? Do you have like a guess? Over 100. Amazing. That's awesome. So great, guys. Thank you. Thank you again for coming. We really appreciate it. If you want to stay for the board meeting, you can. If you want to run off, you can do that too. But thank you very much. Oh, I love it. Kids are staying for the board meeting. Comments from our student rep. No, maybe they aren't. It's like Arlene over here.
005They were just being shy. Yeah, there's a couple people missing. Okay. The Los Juntos Elementary third grade musical was held on Friday, March 20th, and it was a full house. Thank you to all the families that could attend. Los Juntos hosted their annual movie night this past Friday. They watched Inside Out and enjoyed popcorn and snacks. Thanks to the PTA for hosting such a fun event. Los Juntos would also like to give a special thanks to supervisor Chanel Scales Preston for reading to students during Read Across America Week. The Martinez Area Community Emergency Response Team will provide a 30-minute presentation in Spanish and English on March 30th starting at 5 p.m. about the community warning siren system when there is an emergency. Los Gentes Open House is on Monday, March 30th starting at 5.30 p.m.
006And state testing begins the week of April 20th. John Muir Elementary's PTA STEM Fair displayed student work on science experiments and projects from the fourth grade music students. They had special guests that included Mathnasium, Rex Mechanic, which is industrial 3D printing, New Leaf Collaborative, East Bay Vivarium, fire ecologists with East Bay Regional Parks District, medical laboratory scientists, code ninjas, U.S. born and paper pie books, and the Camp Shine Nature Camp. Students and families had a wonderful night of engagement and experiences. Fourth graders participated in an interactive history lesson called Walk Through California. Students presented expert cards that they researched about California and wrote during class. Parents were welcome to view. The TK classes from John Muir Elementary went to the Lesher Center for the Arts to see a children's production called The Magic of Merlin's
007The Sword in the Stone. The students enjoyed the show and loved experiencing live theater, just like me just now. Some students got to sit on stage and participate in part of the show, and it was a magical experience. After the show, they walked to Civic Park for lunch and had a time to enjoy the playground. It was a wonderful day and a valuable experience for our TK students. John Muir's open house on Monday, March 30th. There's a minimum day on Thursday, April 2nd. Spring break is from April 3rd through the 10th, and that's for the whole district. And state testing starts on April 20th. At John Swett Elementary, second graders took a trip to the California Academy of Sciences. All grade levels had a songerific musical performance last Friday to show off what they've been
008learning in music this year. Fifth graders had a hands-on science trip to Nancy Boyd Park. The fifth grade class is connected with the astronomy professor at DVC and is going to visit the planetarium for a show about the night sky in the northern hemisphere, which is part of the Earth and Space Systems Science Unit. They are very excited. There's an open house on March 30th from 530 to 630, and that's for John Sweat. At Morello Park, Harvest of the Month parent volunteers visited PE classes this week and introduced students to this month's fruit and vegetable of the month, grapefruit. Our fourth grade classes visited the John Muir National Historic Site and learned all about John Muir and the environment. For Read Across America, Morello Park celebrated in many ways. They had classrooms. that participated in
009the MEF read-a-thon. The whole school participated in one school, one book, and read Happiness According to Humphrey. I read that one when I was in elementary school. Upper and lower grades visited each other for their regularly scheduled buddy day and read books together. On Monday, March 23, Morello had their Mad Science Assembly to get students excited about science and their upcoming STEM fair. For open house on the 30th, there will be food trucks, a book fair, and the first grade concert in addition to the wonderful classrooms highlighting student work. On April 22nd is the STEM Fair. It will include lots of community presenters, including the UC Berkeley Chemistry Club. I was actually just at one of their events that they hosted at UC Berkeley. It was the Berkeley Chemistry Tournament. It was a great experience.
010They're so amazing. Wonderful program, great people. And the Mount Diablo Beekeepers with a live enclosed hive and more. Now for my personal comments. Only five meetings left. It is crazy that in just a few months we'll all be back in summer again. Spring sports are fully in swing, and we have just a week and a half until spring break. This is the last week of college decisions, so many of us seniors will be heading out of town to tour. I personally can't wait to attend Bruin Day at UCLA next month. And on the top of college... Topic of college, scholarship applications were due today, and I'd like to say thank you to all the wonderful businesses and organizations that were so generous and offer so much aid to Alhambra students every year. Thank you. Great.
011Thank you very much. Okay. Do we have any employee organizational reports from MEA? No. Mary, no. Okay. How about CSEA? No. Okay. How about comments from PTA? No. Okay. Moving right along. Let's see here. Okay, public comments. The public may address the board regarding any item within the jurisdiction of the Board of Education for Martinez Unified School District. For items on the agenda, the public may comment at the time of the board considers the agenda item. For items not on the agenda, the public may... comment under public comment. These comments are limited to three minutes each. 20 minutes have been allocated for this portion of the agenda. Additional time is allowed at the end of the meeting if there's not enough time to speak during public comments. To comply with the Brown Act, the board
012may listen to comments from speakers, but can neither discuss nor take action on items presented. Members of the board are very limited in their responses to statements or questions by persons commenting on items not on the agenda. So just so you know, we do have about, I think 15, 14 or 15, I lost track of counting. And since a lot of these are students, we're gonna go ahead and just take all the public comments at this time. so that the students don't have to stay around until the end of the meeting. And we will keep it at three minutes. And then also just FYI in case you don't know, if you ever need translation services, as long as you request it 72 hours in advance, we will provide a translator so you can still speak
013for three minutes and then the translator will translate it in three minutes. So whether it's Spanish, German, Chinese, we will provide that. But it just has to be 72 hours in advance. So with that, first up, I'm gonna say the first name because it's a student, Valera. Valeria oh sorry Valeria. Good evening members of the board and superintendent. My name is Valeria Gonzalez-Sandoval and I'm a sophomore at Alhambra High School. As I have done previously I'm here to advocate for what is in best interest of the student body at Alhambra High. The district website states we are dedicated to providing a rigorous and comprehensive educational experience that challenges and nurtures the intellect of every student. This seems to be a little bit untruthful. Removing the seventh period would be detrimental to all students on campus.
014There is a little bit of hypocrisy, which I find a little bit inappropriate. You have all glorified and taken the utmost pride in the college acceptances to NYU, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Stanford, and Harvard College in the past two years, while threatening to take away a key factor that contributes to greater prestige. Removing the option to take an extra class would make students applying to colleges inferior compared to other applicants. This would make heightening applications depend on concurrent and dual enrollment and leaving students who reach for prestigious futures to figure things out for themselves. Although it would greatly impact those who aim to go to a four-year, it doesn't just mean it would affect those people. It would affect all students at Valhalla-Hamburg High School because our diplomas would... all diplomas issued from Alhambra would
015be less competitive, therefore negatively impacting anyone who is trying to go into the workforce after high school as well. As a district who claims to be dedicated to excellence, it is important to consider what would truly allow students to reach this excellence. Thank you. Thank you. We have Samantha Y, and then after that we have Ramona H. I'm just not going to say last names. Hello, my name is Samantha Yosaki and I'm a junior here at AHS. I'm here to talk about the importance of seventh period. I've had a seventh period for all three of my years, all three years of my enrollment at AHS. I can say from experience that it is one of the most important periods I've had. Seventh period has allowed me to take classes that correlate with my future and
016passions. Taking away seventh period means taking away creativity. If students can only take six classes and need to take and need to meet the requirements to graduate, they will have no room for classes that they are actually passionate about. I know from experience that many students every day are excited to go to those classes that correlate with their future and passions. Taking away the opportunity to give your students joy in exploring their different paths does not align with your morals and priorities as a school board. Another example is the musical theater class itself. You all said you loved our performance, and we always see at least one board member at the shows. If we didn't have musical theater seventh period, none of this would be possible. Seventh period has allowed us to have extra rehearsal
017time that is so beneficial to our art. We have used the time to have extra rehearsal to get better at harmonies and get down the tricky choreography. Seventh period is also important because of its environment. It is a space for students to thrive and feel safe at the school. Seventh period students are also some of the most dedicated because they chose to be there. You all say every year of how proud you are of the opportunities you get to provide and seventh period is one of them. But every year you try to strip those opportunities away, which is highly hypocritical. We are now choosing to fight for a seventh period classes because it is crucial for our education and mental well-being. I hope you as a school board choose the right thing for your students
018and keep seventh period. Thank you. Hello, everyone. My name is Ramona Hawkins. I'm a freshman at Alhambra High School, and I would like to talk about the district's decision to try and remove seventh period. Students take an extra period for a number of reasons. Some students want to take an extra elective. Some students want to take a non-required academic class. Some students need to retake a class. And some students have learning center and want to take one elective. I will be a sophomore next year, and sophomores have five required classes. English, math, physics or chemistry, PE, and world history. If sophomores continue with the second level of their language of choice, that would bring their schedule to six periods. If Hale-Hambra stops providing a seventh period, then sophomores would not be able to take an
019elective. Earlier at this meeting, you heard the drama club present songs from our upcoming musical, Once Upon a Mattress. As Samantha pointed out, the majority of ensemble rehearsals for this performance happens during seventh period musical theater. Some students have conflicting interests in electives. As freshmen, we choose one elective for a one through six or two through seven period schedule, or two electives for a one through seven. High school is a time where we should try new things to find where our true passions lie. Seventh period expands the options for different classes and APs. I have a friend who is taking four AP classes and some of them clash with each other scheduling wise. Taking a seventh period is the only way she can fit all her classes into her schedule. In conclusion removing seventh period
020from our school will leave students without a competitive college application and has us choose between academics and enjoyment. Thank you. This next public comment, there's four people on here. Megan, Annabelle, Ethan, and Kalina. Good evening. So you just saw us perform, and like Samantha said, we just wanted to talk about how without a seventh period, we wouldn't be able to put on performances like that. We wouldn't be able to put on our productions. Our musical theater and advanced stagecraft class are busy at work. Our advanced stagecraft are the only ones who are really able to build our sets, and that can really only take place during seventh period. In musical theater, all of our extra rehearsal time goes... is during seventh period. So we wouldn't be able to put on productions, especially the musicals, because
021all of the rehearsal pretty much is during seventh period, and we just wanted to talk about that. And I just want to add also, taking away seventh period will take away the opportunities that my underclassmen, who are very passionate about theater and are very passionate about their futures, it will take away the opportunities that me and my other seniors have had. they might not get into their top colleges of choice and they might not reach the prestige that many staff and other workers at MUSD take so much pride in and I want that for the best of my underclassmen. I also just wanted to add, I know a lot of us are speaking on behalf of the drama club, but I also encourage you to keep in mind the students who are taking the seventh
022period to add rigor to their course loads so that they can build a successful future for themselves, whether it's another AP or another elective that helps them build their interests in what they might be pursuing in their future. Thank you. Thank you. Next we have Soraya. Hello good evening members of the MUSD board. My name is Sarai Chavez Montero and I'm a sophomore at AHS and I'm here to speak for the students whose educational opportunities are being taken away. The proposal to cut seventh period isn't just a schedule change it's a fundamental shift in what our high school experience represents. For many of us electives aren't extras they're the reason we show up. Whether it's band, coding, musical arts, or woodshop these classes allow us to build a four-year trajectory of mastery. By removing seventh
023period, you're forcing us to choose between the classes we have to take and the passions that keep us engaged in school. Beyond personal passion, there is the reality of college and career readiness. Top tier universities look for four-year commitments to programs like world languages or the arts. If we lose the period, we lose ability to compete with students from neighboring districts who still have those opportunities. Furthermore, we are seeing the immediate impact of our... of these cuts in our core AP offerings, especially in AP US history. Students are being turned away or sections are being dissolved because of rigid enrollment allowance. When we tell a motivated student they can't take a rigorous college level course because the numbers don't perfectly align, we're effectively capping their potential. before they can even enter the classroom. I understand
024the budget is a puzzle, but students shouldn't be the pieces you discard to make it fit. Cutting seventh period creates a scheduling conflict. If a student needs a required class, they now have zero room left for that elective that might have been their future career path. We're asking the board to look past the bottom line and to the long-term cost. A school with fewer electives and restricted AP access is a school that loses its competitive edge, and more importantly, its heart. Please don't prioritize a simplified schedule over a diversified education. Keep the seventh period, protect our AP sections, and keep our futures wide open. Thank you. Next up is Ben. Ben Scott, sorry. Hello. My name is Ben Scott, and I wanted to talk to you guys about removing seventh period. I don't think you
025should. So first of all, I have spent the last four years, I'm a senior in high school at IHS, and I spent the last four years. well three years technically, in seventh period. My freshman year, I didn't have seven classes. I had one through six, a busy schedule in my opinion at the time. However, one of the classes I had was learning center and I'm still in that class today. It is a very helpful class for me, but my freshman year was chaotic. I had a lot of things that I had to do and so on and I didn't really have a space where I felt like I could, you know, I guess belong. And then I auditioned for the play and the musical. And there I learned about a class that Mr. Weiner was
026teaching at the time called musical theater. I decided to take it the next year, altering my schedule to be a one through seven. It was my only actual elective that I could take because I had learning center. And I've learned a lot of crucial skills, I guess, about like speaking out and so on. And another crucial thing that I... Sorry. So yeah, it was a safe space and I really wanted to make sure that I had that again. So I took it, I think a total of three years now. And I met so many people that I feel like I can talk to about pretty much anything and people I can learn from. I met a few teachers that I feel safe with, especially taking stagecoach as well. I met Miss Stafford. And I also
027met Miss Malky, who both, I guess the easiest way to put it is created a safe space. And I never found that in any other class. And it's really nice to sort of look forward to at the end of the day and be like, hey, I have something I can look forward to after a long day of classes that sometimes were not the greatest to be in. And one of the most important things to me is that I'm not sure at least you guys know you guys have tried to make a schedule that doesn't have a seventh period and I'm not sure how you can do that while also maintaining the contract you guys have with the teachers union which is what I think you should hold first. Thank you. And I hope you guys
028have a nice night. Next up we have Emma Scott. Hello, my name is Emma Scott and I am a senior at AHS and I have had a seventh period class for three of my four years and it has always been the highlight of my day. I remember being a freshman begging my mom to let me and my brother have one through seven schedule and she finally agreed. Thanks to that, I was finally able to be in the shows. My freshman year, I didn't get to be in a single show because they had a strict contract requiring me to be at every rehearsal that I possibly could. Then I was also on the soccer team and doing scouting BSA and was unable to follow through with that. But thanks to this amazing program and being able
029to have seventh period musical theater, it has allowed me that extra time to be able to maintain being in the shows and my extracurriculars. Theater has opened many doors for me. Thanks to being in musical theater, I have met many of my best friends, and what I had thought I wanted in college has definitely changed. I personally thrive on a busy schedule, and being able to have a one through seven... being able to have a one to seven course schedule and still being able to have my learning center class and multiple. I forgot the name of electives. Thank you. has allowed me to maintain a busy schedule and also have a safe space within the drama program. I have benefited more off of the drama program than I think I have of all 10 years
030of playing soccer and all three years of being in Scouts. And I personally think that getting rid of seventh period, not just musical theater, but any of the classes, would be a big mistake. Thank you for your time. Next we have Amy Scott Slavik, and then after that we have Jada. Hi, good evening, board members, superintendent, and staff. Those were my kids, so proud. Anyway, I'm here in two capacities tonight. The first is as a parent. My twins, Emma and Ben, are here tonight. Both have benefited greatly from having musical theater in seventh period. Having it in the seventh period has many benefits. It allows kids, particularly those with ADHD, a chance to move around and be creative and be themselves in community after holding it together through classes requiring more sedentary and being more
031sedentary and needing increased attention during the earlier day. My understanding is if the class was moved to second period, it might actually decrease access to the class for seniors who have senior requirements in second period. I also want to speak about the benefit of both drama and musical theater for kids with neurodiversity. It allows them to learn so much about understanding other points of view, overcoming fear of public speaking, singing, and feeling involved in a group where they fit in. Today I also speak as an officer on the Contra Costa Labor Council. Changing schedules is a subject of bargaining and it's my hope is that since you have a settled contract this year, if you want to look at this, to discuss it in bargaining. It's a subject of bargaining. So please respect their current,
032or MEA's current just bargain contract. I also wanted to say to keep musical theater in seventh period as it helps with the practice schedule for the shows so that they can have the class and then when they have practices right afterwards, they're all right there, they've been doing it, and it really helps with the continuity of doing that and that everyone's getting kind of equal access to practice. And then lastly, I want to say that, you know, as an RN, I've seen research showing most teens need more sleep and benefit from a later start time. So that's something to consider for people doing the second to the seventh is that that does allow for that. Lastly, for any students with Learning Center, they aren't given the same opportunity as other learners for exposure to electives.
033Having seventh period musical theater helps level the playing field for students who have learning differences and allows them to find joy in school. My kids want to go to school because of their love for musical theater. Please keep it in seventh period. This program is so important. Thank you. Good evening. I have been compelled to speak here tonight because my communication to the board has gone unanswered. For the second year in a row, I've learned that my daughter's only option for Spanish is through dual enrollment with DVC's career and college and career access pathway. The state is very clear that this pathway is designed to increase access for historically marginalized groups in education. In order to do this, the state recommends the following. Classes should be offered in person on the high school campus during
034the normal school day whenever possible. This year Spanish 121 was offered outside of the normal school day. Next year Spanish 220 will not be in person, on campus, nor during the school day. This creates many barriers for students. Anyone with limited internet access, anyone with limited availability in the evenings due to sports, work, or family obligations. My daughter would not be able to play flag football or soccer or maintain a job if she takes this course. This is a barrier. The state also recommends that any virtual synchronous class be held in a classroom with an adult present to facilitate, hand out papers, answer questions, et cetera. Not doing so makes learning much less effective, a barrier. Further, it is recommended that students should be provided with appropriate support and tutoring by an educator on campus.
035This was not provided. This is a barrier. It is the responsibility of the school district to facilitate communication between the DSPS and students with 504s and IEPs in order to ensure that students rights under IDEA and Section 504 are fulfilled. The San Diego Unified School District failed to do so and the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights found them in violation of Section 504. Alhambra makes it very clear that quote It is up to the students to request services and ensure all requirements are met to receive accommodations. Parents are not included in the process at the college level. It is extremely frustrating to have a 15 year old student with learning disability forced to take a pretty core class through a community college before she was ready to and to be told that I'm
036not allowed to be involved in the advocacy process in any way. Again, another barrier. Additionally their grade in this course becomes part of their permanent college record and if students do not score highly in the class it can impact college admissions and financial aid. A barrier. Dual enrollment is an excellent program for students who want to take career pathway college level courses in order to narrow achievement gaps and have access to courses not typically offered by high schools. But that is not how Hanbury is using the program. The district appears to have used Spanish 121 not to open doors but to avoid hiring a point four teaching position. That decision was made without community input and well before the normal hiring season was over. It is now using 220 to address budget shortfalls. There are
037sign ups. There is a teacher. There is no demand for this to be offered as a college course. This creates barriers for students to access standard classes that every other high school in the area offers. It is not appropriate solution to hiring challenges and budgetary issues, and it forces students and families into choices they should not have to make in public high school. Thank you. Next up we have Sophia, and after that we have Landon. Hi members of the board. I'm Sophia. I'm a sophomore at Alhambra and I recently found out that I may have to take Spanish 4 through DVC again when I already took it through DVC this fall. At first I when I first took my Spanish 3 121 class through DVC I thought that I would be able to take Spanish
0384 through Alhambra to be able to I don't know achieve all these things. Taking Spanish 4 for me Spanish for honors is more than just like checking off a box on my transcript. It's like actually getting the experience. I, I'm sorry, the courses at DVC are, they are not designed for high schoolers. If the high school, if a high schooler wants to go get that Spanish access through DVC. They should be allowed to but I shouldn't have to. That shouldn't be my only option. I should take it if I want to heighten my education. I do have a 504. I have ADHD and through DVC I in the fall I sorry I'm really nervous. An online class, I heard that it was going to be 6 to 8 p.m. An online class will not further
039my abilities. Having language classes in person is essential when improving your speaking skills. When you learn a new language... Having in-person classes every day is crucial. None of the interactions that are imperative to learning any new language will happen over Zoom or any other online platform. The reason this class is so important to me is that it is the language of my family. Having this allows me to speak to my cousins, to my grandparents, and to the rest of my family who don't speak English. It is a valuable job and life skill in a state that is 40% Hispanic. Having an online class from 6 to 8 p.m. would prevent me from playing flag football and soccer. I should not have to choose between sports that are essential to my high school education, to my
040high school experience, and my education. Removing this class would make us the only high school in the district that does not offer a honors or AP language, which is frankly really embarrassing. I have so many friends who go to Akulani's. Sorry, I don't know. I shouldn't have to take it through college and I don't know what it will take for me to take it through the high school. But I I do not want to be a DVC student yet. I need to take it through my high school. So please I'm really asking you to consider not cutting this class. Thank you. Landon. Good evening. My name is Landon Poston. I'm a senior at Alhambra High School. I have been a student in the Martinez Unified School District since my first year of kindergarten at Morello
041Park Elementary. I am one of the current sitting co-drum majors of the Alhambra High School Bulldog Marching Band. I am also on the Stagecraft 2 crew and have been the lighting designer for all of Alhambra High School drama productions for the past two years. I've been involved in music and technical theater through Alhambra has helped shape me at who I am as a person. I have made friendships, developed skills, explored career paths, and really just found out who I am and what I'm good at. I also have dyslexia and ADHD. School is genuinely really hard for me. Having a learning difference is really isolating and can be really difficult. The effort I have to put into my academics just to even pass my classes is honestly pretty staggering. It takes a lot of support from
042not only teachers, parents, but other friends as well. Part of my IEP that I have is to be inside a learning center class for one period of my school day. What I didn't tell you earlier was my experience of exploring my passions through the junior high. This is because I didn't have the opportunity to take electives at the junior high. I had to take a learning center which took up my only elective spot at the junior high. Once I got to Alhambra, there was finally an option for me to take a seventh period, and I felt that I could really explore myself and find out what my passions were. Every year I've had to advocate for myself to be able to take a seventh period so that I could have access to academic support through
043learning center and equitable access to elective classes. Those of us with learning differences deserve to be able to have equal access to elective classes. One of the few ways that I've been able to accomplish all of these things is through utilizing my seventh period. Students like me with learning disabilities arguably need the ability to break up their school day with electives more than anybody else and having something other than academics to keep them at school. When I'm playing my trumpet in my band, nobody knows, cares, or judges me for not being able to read or spell as well as anybody else. I am valued by my peers because I can know how to run things in the booth. When I get to be creative and design lighting for every production, I not only have fun,
044but I'm also proud of myself in the end. Had there not been a seventh period at Alhambra, I would not be the same person that I am today. Today, I am an excellent musician, a leader, an artist, a designer, and overall, creativity is expressed during seventh period. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Jen Fennell. Oops, sorry, Violet Harrington. Hi there. Sorry. My name is Violet Harrington and I'm a sophomore at Alhambra High School. This is my second year at AHS and I've had a seventh period for both years. As a freshman, I was faced with the trouble of choosing whether to take Spanish or ASL, both being languages that I had wanted to study for a long time. With the option of taking a seventh, I was able to learn both, which will help
045my future job opportunities and allow me to communicate with a lot more people. I have used both of these languages in many scenarios. This year I am taking stagecraft as my seventh period run by Miss Stafford and it's one of the only electives that I'm offered and it's one of the only it's one of the only classes that are offered during seventh. There are only there are a limited number of classes that are offered seventh and I love stagecraft but I would love to have more academically rigorous classes. I have learned how to design and construct my own space a required life skill that I will need in the future from this class. The nature of taking on a seventh period gives students a competitive edge on job and college applications as well as teaching
046needed life skills and education. Additionally as some of our AHS students take a learning center class and how there are required full schedules for both freshmen and sophomores that they would be unable to enroll in an elective for the first two years of high school. That is 50 percent of Alhambra students. This factor would make Alhambra exactly like the middle school. It's really messed up that. out of the five of the seven years of higher education after fifth grade, five of the seven years students aren't able to choose their electives. Seventh period offers a branch out of that. Sorry. Removing seventh periods would reduce the flexibility of creating our schedules, lessen the chance of students getting into classes that they need, and put us at a disadvantage for college applications, which would make it harder
047to compete against other high schools for dream colleges and jobs. Thank you. Thank you, and I believe that's it for public comment. Let's see. Do we have any changes to the consent calendar? Oh, we do? Is that okay? SPEAKER 1 Good evening. My name is Karen Azevedo. I teach Spanish at Alhambra High School and I just wanted to talk to you about what it's like for these students. You saw what enthusiasm with students who are excelling and happily learning with drama. And that's exactly what happens when students get to advanced levels of language. They love what they're doing. They excel for the love of learning. They're not looking to check off a box and show that they took the class. They can communicate creatively in the language and they enjoy it. They have been waiting
048all this time when they started out with their language as freshmen or as sophomores or in eighth grade. And as they progress, they can use the language more and more creatively. And they do this for the love of learning, the dedication to fluency in an additional language. which they've been looking forward to since they were young. Over the years, it's been very sad for me to watch as we've lost our language lab, and then we lost AP Spanish, and to lose Spanish IV honors is just so... discouraging and I don't know how students entering high school would choose to come to Alhambra High School if they don't have the repertoire of classes at advanced levels. So these kids when they earn their seal of biliteracy they truly are they're able to communicate in these creative
049ways on a wide variety of topics and it's such a thrill and so amazing for them and their futures and I urge you to please reconsider the decision to cut Spanish for her. Thank you very much. Do we have another public comment? Yes. Okay. Hello. I'm Christina Boyce and I'm a sophomore at Alhambra and I'm Natalie Chu. I'm also a sophomore at Alhambra. We've taken the Spanish 121 course through dual enrollment at DVC in the fall semester, and we want to argue for Alhambra class for Spanish 4. Yeah, so last year with the class it was really difficult for us to do because it was before school in the morning and we had already the when they chose to make us do this class it was after we had already signed up for Spanish 3
050expecting a regular Spanish class and then we were sort of thrown into this college class which we weren't prepared for because it wasn't set up for high school students and it being in the morning it was caused lack of sleep and it was like 10 to 15 hours of homework a week which really wasn't very doable for us along with extracurriculars. Along with that since Spanish 121 was condensed into half a semester half a year one semester the course material wasn't able to we didn't get the full extent of the course material because we didn't have time to let the course sink in and we were rushed from one unit to the next. And as a language learner, I know and I have experienced the importance of having in-person connections and communication in the language
051that we're learning. And by having an online course for Spanish 4 that would limit our ability to communicate and to learn how to learn a new language. And this year there are 27 people sign up for honor Spanish 4 which is more than this past year. It's a full section and so we shouldn't be denied the opportunity to excel in a language. We don't want to just do it to just to show off for college which is helpful but obviously we also want to actually learn a language and be able to use it in the real world. And it's not fair to deny high school students a high school class and force them into another college class. Going along with what Christina said, As high schoolers, we're preparing for college. We're putting so much rigor
052into our course selection. And it's not just to check off a box or to say we've done this class. We want to get the full extent of what we can learn in especially a language course that we can carry on with us through life. Thank you. Thank you. Believe that's it for public comment. Okay, I'm moving along do we have any changes to the consent calendar? No changes to the consent calendar perfect before we make a motion. I just want to acknowledge the Trustee president that's 11.2. It's an action item. Oh You're right. I forgot we moved. Sorry. Thank you. Okay I just want to acknowledge the MCE donation of $6,660 for Alhambra High School's photography and digital art class. So thank you, MCE. And do we have a motion? I have one more comment.
053We also have a high school teacher retiring, Kathy Gregory. She's been with Alhambra for a long time. I worked with her because I was in the English department at the junior high, so whenever we did some cross-planning, she was there and was an excellent colleague. And I also had the privilege of having her son in one of my, I think it was my very first year teaching. So she's been with us for a long time and served our students really well. So I wish her the best in retirement, and thanks for your service. And actually... I almost forgot. We do wanted to acknowledge that Mary Sary has passed away recently, and I know Brenda knew her really well. So, Brenda, did you want to make a couple comments? I did. Do you want me to
054make it now? Yes, please. Okay. I just want to take a moment to honor Mary Sary. She was a beloved teacher at John Sweat Elementary. She passed away last week. She was the true light in our educational community. She was full of joy. She was always up for a little hijinks. And she was a true team player. She had a special gift for seeing the best in everyone and in all of her students, and she made every student feel valued and cared for. I just would like to read to you what her granddaughter wrote, in part, to everyone who knew my grandmother as necessary. She loved all of her students and wished you all the best in life, and she truly did. You'd have to know her. And I had the privilege of working alongside
055her. her positivity left a lasting impression upon me. And so on behalf of the board, I would hope that we could dedicate tonight's meeting in her memory and the incredible impact that she made on our community. And do you want to have a moment of silence? Thank you. 10 seconds. Thank you very much, Brenda, for that. So back, I was thinking consent calendar because of personnel. So do we have a motion to approve the consent calendar? I'll move to approve and I would also be remiss if I did not mention the other retiree who's a paraeducator at John Muir, Lisa Mendoza. Thank you. I know I had probably worked with my kiddo lots of times. So also congrats on your retirement and I will move to approve the consent calendar. I'll second it. Student rep.
056Aye. All those in favor. Aye. So moved. First discussion item we have is a food service update. Andy Cannon. Good evening board superintendent and community members We have the pleasure tonight bringing forward our food services supervisor Jeffrey Yao and he's going to give us a report on all things nutrition services for the district Good evening everyone. Thank you for having me here. Just want to review what's currently going on and in food service I have Anthony and Bill with us from Chartwell So our agenda, we're gonna go through the administration review, our meal participation, menu focus, food service events, 2026, 2027 regulations, and if you guys have any questions at the end. So administration review. Recently we had our administration review. This is done every five years with CDE. It's a USDA requirement. Our last
057AR was conducted in 2018. There was a slight delay due to COVID like everything else. So this the timeline for the administrative review, the OATS off-site assessment was completed on January 5th. Our onsite was just completed a couple weeks ago and then we get our results at the end of April. So the offline sessions where we upload the CD requests a bunch of documentation on these topics right here and they it's like 7,500 forms of documentation that they'll review and that's what they're going over now and they'll give us the results in April We had an on-site audit on March 5th and 6th. March 5th we had lunch audit at Morello Park. On the 6th we had audit at Las Juntas for breakfast and lunch. What the auditors looked for is all the required signage,
058food safety, the required components that we serve our students to make sure we're meeting USDA requirements when we get these as reimbursed meals. And then, yeah. the correct claiming procedures. Our feedback, we haven't got the final results, but our feedback was very positive. Our auditors were exemplary students in how we're serving our students. Pretty smooth service, meeting all the requirements and everything like that. Next one. Okay, no worries. So anyways, so our menu, third topic is meal participation. This year we served 2,000, as of February, we served 2,880,220 meals. This is slightly lower than last year as of February. We're about 35, slides are not moving, but we're about 35 meals less per day versus last year. There was a big decline in November for some odd reason. I think a lot of students were
059all sick. stuff like that as activities, but as in February our numbers are going back up stronger, so the The path is we're doing a lot better now So hopefully by the end of school year will be matching verse at least versus last year Which goes up to our next topic? So this is why just this as you see also last year the percentage of students participating in breakfast and lunch is fairly similar. 41 percent of our district participates in the breakfast and then 39 percent about 60 percent in lunch. Okay, so many focus which is kind of related to our participation Big thing with students. We're always trying to feed healthy options like those chickpeas you're having right there. It's a healthier snack They're barbecue crispy chickpeas. It's very trendy in the food food
060industry high protein low fat lots of nutrients and they're really tasty but a Lot of kids they don't like their beans and or the greens so when they see either beans or greens on their plate even though it might be nachos but they're like can I have it without the lettuce the tomatoes and things like that. So it's it's it's I subbed at many elementary schools and you could just see these kids like I really like the nachos but no I don't want it just because it has like a couple of pieces of lettuce on it. So we are trying ways to try to increase our meal participation. We still want to feature a lot of scratch made meals and offer healthy options but also to make sure kids eat because I have seen many
061kids just walk past the line because either there's no more pizza or there's not a kid like a student favorite item they kind of walk past the pie. So we always try to right now we're trying to offer with the three options, a student favorite option. So a sample menu would be like a whole grain rotina pasta with chicken and creamy rose sauce with broccoli. Then that's a scratch made healthier option. And then we have a chicken sandwich with tater tots. Students love their chicken sandwiches. And then we have the pizzas with green salad. I do have a lot of parents who actually call. to make sure like we just serve chicken sandwiches and chicken tenders every day. I think that's my number one complaint like the kids sometimes don't get the chicken tenders because
062we run out and just serve more of those. So that's can never get rid of that. So also to promote healthier options. Chartwell helps us do events discover kitchens. So some of them some of the topics for just every kitchen is the crispy chickpeas you're tasting now. They were shared at the middle school. We got really good feedback from both middle school elementary when we. did little taste testings but once they were put on the menu kids were like no we don't want it so it's often different. We had focaccia for the holidays and we had the gingerbread like little little cookie stuff and then blueberry what was it blueberry bars. Yeah. Upcoming events we're going to work with students at John sweat with the fifth graders. They want to do a sushi roll making
063class Bill and Anthony will be teaching those classes and that will be also to be making part of a lunch I think they're making cucumber rolls, right and then we have the eighth grade barbecue coming up as well as the Senior barbecue coming up for the end of the year. All right, so now going up to the next school year 2026-2027 regulations We have California banned all additives. Listed up there, I can't pronounce one of those words. So when you can't pronounce it, don't eat it. We're actually up for that. I think everything we serve right now do not have any of those additives. Same thing with if you go down to the food dyes, nothing we're using now have food dyes in them. You guys will see the Trix cereal still being served. They're
064reduced sugar and they're actually all colored with vegetable juices, vegetable fruit juices. There's going to be a higher sodium and sugar reduction to just promote healthier eating. Any questions? I know I went through this pretty fast. I have heard from kids that they do like the lunches are getting better, so good job on that because I think more kids are eating lunches. I mean, even though it looked like your numbers were down, I've heard positive comments. I did have a question. Are they allowed to get drinks if they don't get the meal? I was told that that's not the case because if they just want milk. So the milks were... What we do now is because we don't get any reimbursements for the milk that we serve and no prices have jumped up high Right.
065So in order to get a reimbursements from the state or the federal we need to serve a complete meal And that's what it was part of the audit So we're not required to give us milk but chart walls more than we had offered there was a time where we're getting We change our chocolate milk And students were grabbing two, three, four at a time. So we had to cut that back because I think each one was closer to like 70 cents, 80 cents a chocolate milk. So we do require students to now like take a piece of fruit and a cheese stick and it makes a complete meal. And they're more than welcome to put that fruit and cheese stick at the share table with the milk and just drink the milk. Or they can
066take that as a later on snack, which kind of promotes also kids, you know, have a complete meal. So and the kids know that yes Okay, because I think milk is important and milk is healthy. Yes healthier than other things. So I was yeah Yeah, so and I can see limiting just to one but if they so they have to take like an apple and a cheese stick Yes, so we get reimbursed because us food costs go higher, you know, we're seeing a lot of costs go higher we cannot Char will cannot continue to without charging our school district and then the school district can't supplement that we don't get the reimbursements Okay, as long as the kids know because I know I've heard comments about the milk and I think milk is very healthy
067So thank you very much for that. And Did Brenda did you have any questions? Didn't have any questions. I do want to say that the food quality is excellent that we got to enjoy it Last week was it last week that we were able to enjoy some of your food and was fabulous And I was at the schools forever and I have to say that when we switched Chartwell I thought the quality of food went up as well as the healthy Aspect of the food so and I really appreciate you're not feeding them die because once they have to die it's over they Through the roof, so thank you for all you do for us. Thank you Matthew did you have any questions? No, Annie? No, I did want to say too. Yeah, we did
068have the food It was at a facilities meeting and it was wonderful. So you guys really did a good job. Um, do we have any public comment? You tried it. Okay. Good. Good to know. I haven't tried it yet because we're up here. Awesome Well, thank thank you very much. We appreciate it. Okay, I'm gonna have it afterwards but Next up we have review of proposed Martinez Adult Education Teacher Salary Increases, Janelle Ayot. Good evening Tonight the board is being asked to consider a 2% salary increase for Martinez adult education teachers our adult education teachers just as a reminder our part-time hourly teachers and they're excluded from the class certificate and collective bargaining agreement with me a So that's why this is being brought forward separately The salary increase that's being proposed would be retroactive
069to July 1st 2025 any The increase in compensation would be paid by adult education funds and there would be no impact on the general fund and this will be brought forward for action at the next meeting. Thank you, very informative. Any questions? Public comment? Great, well we will see that next time on the agenda. The first action item we have is Martinez Adult Education Contra Costa Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Program salary increase. I don't know why I said the whole thing. Janelle Ayot. This item is being brought back for action this evening. As a reminder. We run an electrical apprenticeship program through the adult education and the apprenticeship teachers are a part of the IBEW local 302 union and those teachers are paid at the union journey level worker salary rate which is being increased and
070so the board is being asked to approve the increase. As a reminder the funding for these teachers comes from the RSI which is the related and supplemental instructional funding that's provided by the state to to support apprenticeship education and it does not impact the general fund. Great, thank you very much. Questions? Public comment? Do I have a motion? Do you want to make it? I'll move to approve the Martinez Adult Education Contra Costa Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Program salary increase. I'll second. Student rep? Aye. All those in favor? Aye. I don't actually know if he's allowed to vote on that. Was he allowed to vote on that? Probably not. I'll take that away. We'll just do it again. Who made the motion? Okay. So make it again, please. Don't mind. I'll move to approve the Martinez
071Adult Education Contra Costa Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Program salary increase. I'll second. All those in favor? Aye. So moved, thank you. Okay, the next item on the agenda is adoption of CSBA updates February 2026. And we do have a couple that... A couple of board members that are not present today had some questions and wanted to discuss so we're going to pull off of this BP 43 19.24 under personnel we want to move that to next board meeting for approval and then also BP slash ar 51 45.2 and then under the bylaws we want to and the 9000s we want to pull 93 22 and 93 23 so we have did you have any more comments you want to make about that or No, actually these items were brought before the board during the first read
072in our last meeting and so I am just asking that they be approved those the items that are remaining that they be approved by the board So does anyone have any questions on any of the other ones? No, I think we caught them all with the ones we pulled. And I know we have a public comment on this. Jen Fennell. I have a public comment on the pulled ones. Well, we're going to do them next time because, yeah, we, yeah, sure, go ahead. It would be better to know now. You just might want to do it again next time. Okay. While the full board's here. Hi, my name is Jen Fennell and I am a teacher at Alhambra High School and I wish to speak on two of the proposed policies. I completely understand that
073the purpose of the communication policy is to protect students from inappropriate conduct, which is absolutely what we should be doing as a district. However, this policy appears to be overly broad and overly restrictive and I will show this through the following examples. It doesn't seem to take into account the fact that people who are employees in the district also have ties within the community outside of their employment. If an older sibling is hired as a district employee, they could no longer text their sibling without including their parents in the text. If a staff member is related to any student in the district that is not their child, sending a text to say dinner is at grandma's without including their parent in the text violates the policy. If a district employee is also a parent who
074is helping out in field trips, away games, weekend tournaments, other community events, sending a simple text for coordination, such as saying we're meeting for lunch at the dining hall, would violate the policy. The second policy I wish to discuss is the freedom of speech and expression for students. This includes a dubious interpretation of the Supreme Court case Hazelwood School District versus Kohlmeyer. In this case, the court found that a principal could restrict student speech, but this was limited to a restriction based on a lack of journalistic standards as well as reasonable restrictions. Alhambra has at least three publications. As the incoming graphic publications and yearbook teacher at Alhambra, I will be heading the program where students produce the yearbook and the dog watcher. Alhambra also has a creative writing publication called Backroads. The Torch, aka
075the yearbook, has been around since 1908. Backroads dates back to the 60s. These are long-standing publications that we have. The board policy allows the principal or the proposed board policy allows the principal to create a code for students and while I believe that Sorry, and while I believe it is meant to make sure that they are adhering to journalistic standards It does seem to be overly broad in scope in addition There is a paragraph that focuses heavily on the advisors role which seems to be intending to convince students to more appropriately use their free speech Again, it does appear that the intent behind the policy is to make sure that students are adhering to basic journalistic standards and obviously not using the publications in order to bully or otherwise demean or be inappropriate about or
076towards other students. However, it does appear to be written in such a way that it could restrict student speech based on topic, and I believe that is against not only the Hazelwood ruling, but generally speaking, students' free speech. Students should be able to write an article disagreeing with school or board policy, provided it adheres to journalistic standards, and I'm concerned that this would restrict that. I believe some of these issues could be rectified by not just the principal creating the code, but rather that students be involved in creating the code, as well as making sure that we are not violating students' First Amendment. Thank you. Do we have any other questions? I just, can you give me the first one? I just want to verify it's the same one that I have. Yeah, but the
077first one was 4-119.24. I don't know that we pulled that one. Those were not pulled. Those were not pulled. Those were not pulled. Can you come up and state those again, please? I believe, I apologize, there were multiple of these and it was a little bit confusing. I believe it was 411, sorry, 4119.24, 4219.24, and 4319.24, but it might have been elsewhere as well. I remember reading those and they were similar, so maybe we should pull. All three? You've already taken action. Oh, we pulled one of them. Oh, you haven't voted yet. We haven't voted yet. Okay. So let's go ahead and poll also from this BP4-119.24 and 4219.24. And the other ones we've pulled. So we're actually polling six. Did you get all that, Nikki? Okay. No, four one four one nine point two
078four four two one nine point two four four three one nine point two four And then you have the other three. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. So now you can vote. Yeah, so you know other questions Okay, do we have a motion? I'll move to approve the board policies as amended I'll second student rep. I all those in favor aye so moved Thank you next up we have approval of the measure R and measure K audit reports Andy cannon As we do each and every year we bring forward the audits for our bond measures So our previous bond measure was measure our 120 million dollar bond project that worked on our elementary schools And then we also have our new Measure O, which is a $90 million general obligation bond to fix the high school, the
079junior high, and the adult education. So the two audit documents were prepared by Christy White, our auditing firm. They are attached for the board's review. There are no findings in the current year for either of those measures. So I'm asking tonight that the board approve the audit reports for Measure R and Measure O for the 2024-25 school year. Can we change the name of that item? Because it says R and K right now. It should be R and O? Yes, that's correct. Good catch, student rep. Any questions? Public comment? Do you have a motion? I move that we approve the audit reports for measure R and measure O. Second. Student rep? Aye. All those in favor? Aye. So moved. Next up we have DecoTech Network Licensing, Joe Gangler. Good evening board superintendent Patrick. This is
080a item for your review and hopeful approval regarding upcoming renewal of licensing for a five-year term for our wireless network software as well as our network software. It runs everything for us. This is only awarding this proposal to the most responsive bidder at this time so that we can submit it for review by the E-rate program and hopeful approval for funding, which will fund 50% of the cost. of the software. We elected to use a five-year deal to take advantage of pricing, which would be reduced significantly if we did a five-year deal rather than a one-year deal. That would lock in our pricing for five years. So at this time, I'm available to answer any questions regarding this RFP proposal for your review. Thank you. I don't have any questions. Do you have any questions,
081anyone? No, I just appreciate the constant attention to finding money wherever we can Exactly. Yes All right. Do I have a motion? Move to approve the deco tech neck network licensing. I'll second student rep. I all those in favor aye so moved Next up we have review and approval of the contract with KC e champions LLC I won't go on the rest of it Andy cannon We're bringing this contract forward as an action item. Normally we do consent, but when we look at the sheer cost of this being approximately $1.4 million, we wanted to bring it as a separate item to the board. This contract is for our after-school program. It is sponsored using our after-school program funds that are given to us by the state. So it is a restricted source that goes directly
082for its purpose, which is after-school programming that allows kids to have an educational experience for a nine-hour day. This contract is approximately 2% of an increase for our current contract price. So a very reasonable increase considering the cost of inflation and other cost pressures that happen. throughout the district. It is a one year contract. We are working with the company and we found that their approach and overall success has been favorable for the district. But we're going to do one more one year contract to look at the program and then we may be bringing back a multi-year contract this time next year. But we are asking that the board approve the contract with KCEE Champions LLC for the 26-27 school year. Thank you Was there would there have been a substantial savings if you went
083for a multi-year or probably or not? No, the company is still kind of working out a few things and getting into this environment. So they weren't quite prepared We would have been we would have been amenable to it But this was kind of the balance that we struck between the both parties great. Okay. Thank you Any other questions? Just confirming there's no encroachment on the general fund that this is This is funded completely through restricted funds? Yeah, this is through restricted funds and then additionally through parents who support the program because their kids are not necessarily eligible, but we have space, so we have a pay-as-you-go model for that program. Thank you, Andy. Was just gonna ask I think was it Amy were you the one who brought this forward so a year ago when
084we were looking at vendors and Switched have you heard any parent feedback or student feedback? It's okay if you haven't but just One reason that we went with just a single year is that we're still collecting baseline data to ensure that how the year went and so at this point in time we haven't been receiving any negative feedback. Yadira Zapata is the one who oversees the program is going out on behalf of the Ed Services Department and really supporting them. Thanks, because we're not actually even a full year through right and so they were hesitant like and as Mr. Cannon stated that they were hesitant about Putting in a multi-year agreement when we hadn't gotten our full baseline. Okay, perfect. Thanks Do we have any public comment on this? Do we have a motion on
085this? I'll move to approve the contract with KC e champions all second student rep All those in favor aye so moved Next we have review and adoption of resolution 2026-22 Andy cannon You've seen several of these piggyback agreements and this is another one Specifically for the TK playground area at Morello Park for a reminder for everyone here and those that are listening online This project is adding two new TK classrooms to Morella Park and we're also updating the playground area. So we will have three TK classrooms all converging at lunchtime, at recess, on a beautiful new playground if the board approves this. We have worked with several people to be able to go through this process. We are now at the point where we feel that the board should approve this. up to $179, $180,000
086project for the playground area at Morello Park. So with that, I'm asking for approval this evening. Great, thank you very much. Questions? Public comment? Do we have a motion? I'll move to approve or to adopt Resolution 2026-22. Second. Student rep? Aye. All those in favor? Aye. So moved. Okay, next we have superintendent's report. Yes, thank you, Trustee President. I just have a very short, just something I just wanna share, some information that came out that was shared through one of our media source outlets, and that is, as everyone knows, earlier in the year, as we were making decisions and recommendations to the board for reductions, mental health was a very important issue and the board through its actions decided that, you know, we valued those positions and we were able to keep most of them
087for the for this upcoming school year. And so I wanted to also add that the California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a motion to enforce the courts requiring the U.S. Department of Education to restore discontinued mental health grants. and he is also asking that the Well, just what just one second. Excuse me. So there was an order by the district court to fully reinstate discontinued unlawfully discontinued grants And so he filed suit Asking that that happened and and here's what he said that in California and nationwide Grantees have issued layoff notices and even though they take effect Affect months later the ongoing uncertainty complicates planning and staffing for critical programs that support students' mental health. Attorney General Bonta, who sued the department as a part of a coalition of 16 attorney generals across the
088country, urged the court to hold the administration fully accountable for failing to comply with this order. So by claiming that the grants will continue under protest, the department is making grant recipients jump through unnecessary hoops, such as filling out reimbursement forms. We talked about that that have been required for by four recipients for mismanaged funds enforcing grantees to submit meaningless performance reports, so we are hoping that by filing this motion that the courts will act in our favor and Hopefully school districts across the state may see some relief or some additional funds that were withheld around mental health. So when I read this, it just gave me hope. And so because it's such an important issue in our district, I just wanted to share it with the board and the public. Thank you very much.
089Let's start with Brenda for board reports. Can I ask two questions? Yes, go ahead. So what is the time frame for resolution? Do you think that that would be within a couple of months, or do you think it's going to take longer than that, Dr. Patrick? Well, it... You know, Trustee Leo, I'm not really sure, but I can tell you that the courts have been responding in school districts' favors. It's really just a matter of enforcing and making sure that it's adhered to, and I think that this motion was filed because a higher court did say that it was unlawful to withhold those funds. So I'm hopeful that... We will know sooner than later, but I'm not holding my breath. Well, I'm glad that we chose as a board to hang on to our mental
090health professionals. I wish we could have kept them all because we would have had to go back and fight to rehire. So hopefully we will get some relief. Okay, my board report. Hopefully it won't be too long. It's been a busy few weeks and I've seen my fellow board members at events throughout the district. My calendar was full. I would like to highlight the junior high play Oliver. I absolutely love musicals and this one did not disappoint. The students were fabulous and the solos were so impressive that these kids would get up there and sing entire songs. So impressive. It was very entertaining. And then I also can't go without mentioning the Junior High Booster Club had been incredibly busy raising funds for our kids. And I attended their crab feed last Saturday, I think
091it was. It was delicious. There was definitely no shortage of crustaceans. And the desserts were auctioned off again. And I'm just putting it out there because I was privileged to get a slice of chocolate. cake to top off the evening so apparently I sit in the right place. So I'll be going to more of these. It was delicious. So big thank you to my table friends for that one and that's all I have to say. Thank you. The MEF readathon, the third readathon was... the first week of March. We had really good participation across all of our elementary schools and we will be awarding the top reading classes with donut parties right before they head off to spring break. And a special shout out to our two Las Juntas SDC classes who are both winners
092and who read more than any other classes in all of Las Juntas. And they had full 100% participation of their students. So that was really... Felt like a really awesome moment so really exciting and we'll have more Numbers reports coming soon and how we can support library services with those funds Awesome, that is exciting to have lots of just do that. That's great So I just wanted to quickly acknowledge that we have received concerns from families and staff regarding the recent high school testing schedule And we just wanted to acknowledge that you know, it's The impact at last minute changes, we take it seriously and we are looking into that and we are committed to making sure this does not happen again in the future. And it was very disruptive for the students, especially if
093they thought they were gonna be able to sleep in and they couldn't. So and I was telling people too that hadn't seen the email so they were like you told me and I said well you don't have to do and they're like we're gonna tell our kids now I'm like, okay Anyways, and then I attended the facilities meeting Brenda was there and actually Logan was there too. I was a alternate so I did not talk but I was there and I did get the good food though it was from our food services so that was and it was great too because it was actually at the high school so we were able to walk around and see the actual changes and the auxiliary gym where that would be we're trying to go with that name
094so I'm going to say that but it was it's so much helpful it's it's so much better to see it in person and walk and see where everything is so thank you for doing that Andy and letting me tag along for that. Let's see, I attended the Noodles and Notes fundraiser for the junior high on Friday night. It was great turnout. It was good. Everybody's always busy with music stuff. And then on Saturday, we had the CMEA Festival, and it was at Kalani's, and that's the California Music Education Association. Poor Mrs. Stafford had to be there all day. She's always participating. She volunteers on that. But the AHS orchestra, they were fabulous. And they, for the ratings for the first time, they performed the ratings for the first time with two scores of 83 out
095of 100 and one score of 85 out of 100, which are two excellence and one superior. And the thing that makes this, in the past we've had judges have not been... in the strings and or yeah and this one was by the strings excellent so it really meant a lot for that person to say hey you guys did a great job they had very little feedback because after the performance they have a clinic and they had very little feedback because it did such a great job so that was really awesome and then they always take pictures too and cute pictures hopefully you'll get that in the yearbook and then the junior high also the wind ensemble they received a unanimous superior, three superiors, also for sight reading. So that was wonderful. And then at this
096particular festival, it was really interesting, only Mrs. Stafford and Mrs., I couldn't pronounce her name, Sammy Flansbaum, they were the only two, they were representing Martinez, but they were the only two female instrumental music directors at the group at that event. So I love that we have... female power here so awesome job for that um yeah i think that's about it so yeah i just really want to quickly say um about miss gregory uh i'm a senior i i'm i take ap lit with her right now i just wanted to say she's an amazing teacher we've read so many books what i really love about ap lit is we get into the classics so we've read macbeth i've read the picture of dorian gray Death of a Salesman, all these really great books that we
097get to choose, actually, most of them. And she's just an amazing teacher. I've learned so much in that class. I know how to write a poetry analysis now, which is really cool. And I just wanted to say I'm really honored to be a part of her last class, and I wish her well in retirement. Awesome. That's very nice. I'm sure she's going to be listening and very excited. So with that, we will adjourn the meeting, and it looks like it is 8.05 p.m.