001Good afternoon and welcome to the regular meeting of the education board. This afternoon it starts at 5 pm. List, please, student member. Ah, member Astron, present. Miss Estúa, present. Secretary Sitón, present. Vice President Crifo present. President Garza, present. Today we have a request for comments on the closed session agenda. Good afternoon everyone. I'm sorry I couldn't attend the previous meeting, but I watched the video last week and enjoyed the budget presentation. However, I got stuck at the end where the superintendent clarified that we'll know the budget recommendations, and I feel like President Garza wasn't happy that we'll have them in August. So, I hope that during the closed session you can talk about this and find out what's happening in Sacramento. That way we can be prepared for the fund cycle and starting now will
002help us save. And yes, Amy was with the Paramount teachers who received a pink note, she says, "It was horrible." So we want to be prepared, and that's my motto, like the scouts, is that we have to be prepared. Thank you. Thank you. At this time the goal will be withdrawn to a closed session. The open session will meet at approximately 6:30. Good afternoon and welcome to the regular board meeting. We will now begin the open session to conduct regular business. They write to Cintrón. Now, he's not giving us an update on the closed session topics, as we'll be returning to the closed session after the regular meeting. So let's move on to the oath of allegiance to the flag. Anthony Martinez can lead us in the oath of allegiance to the flag. If everyone
003can turn around , place your right hand over your heart and let's begin. I swear allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Now is the time for acknowledgments. Dr. Simen. Thank you very much, President Garza. I'm going to ask the board to come downstairs for the acknowledgments. Miss Carmen will help us with the awards this afternoon. This afternoon the board of directors would like to recognize the athletes and teams in our district who earned the distinction of CIF titles during the winter sports season. Please introduce yourselves while I call your name and what you're here for. May Ford, wrestling team. Uh, the men and the girls represented the struggle and we want to
004recognize the cars Juan Tron Casco and Tony Nuen. Both teams did incredibly well, despite having several injuries during the season. They sent 12 wrestlers to the high school championships and four qualified for the state championship in Bakersfeld. The girls won a league championship, and it's the sixth one they've won in 10 years. They also held their CF championship in the northern division while doing advanced high school wrestling. Although some of them are among the most humble athletes, their achievements deserve recognition, and Mer is very proud of everything they do both inside and outside their wrestling mat. They deserve a round of applause. This afternoon we want to recognize the following fighters. Hack Alvers finished sixth in the state championship and qualified for the Masters championship . Sam climbed to fourth place in the Cif championship
005and also qualified for the Masters. George Silva finished second in the CF state competition and also competed in Masters. Colt Palacios finished sixth in CF and also qualified for the Masters. TJ Alvarez, who finished fourth in CF and then fifth in Masters, qualified him to run the state championship in Bakersfield. We also want to recognize the champion female wrestlers of the CF championship. Boys first. We'll take a picture. No. Congratulations. Okay, now let's recognize the champions, the fighters with Heiden and Ganasawa. He finished second in CF and won the championship in Masters, which qualified him for the state championship in Bakersfield. to give him a round of applause. Kita Inter Mendez won her individual CF championship and was fourth in Masters, which qualified her for the state championship in Bakersfield. Adelia de la Cruz finished
006third in CF and qualified for the Masters. Masia finished second in the CF championship and also qualified for the Masters championship. Ash finished fourth in the CF championship and also qualified for the Masters championship. Fuya finished third in CF and also went to the Masters championship. Reina Chavez finished second in CF, second in teachers, and also introduced Mayer at the state in Bakersfield. We need to give a round of applause to our fighting girls here and they're going to take a picture. Another round of applause for all our athletes. Congratulations. Well, that concludes the awards for tonight. If the females can return, I just want to see a name; I don't have it on the list. Okay, uh, I apologize, students, please stay put. Now we would like to recognize the entire team as a
007team for winning the CF championships and call out the rest of the team. Lis Diejos, Danica de Ojos, Eva Méndez and Romina Castillo. champions of the Inter-School Federation on behalf of the Board of Education. Congratulations. Great job, ladies. Well, that cleaned the room quickly. Well, we have some corrections on the agenda today. We have no corrections tonight, Board President Garza. Thank you. Presentations from staff and committees. President PTA, Alexander Cortés, may pass. Go ahead, please. Well, good night everyone. Good evening, Madam President Garza, Board of Education cabinet, esteemed community members, staff, and cabinet. This March report includes reflections. That will be my first slide. Ah, here we have our theme this year was I belong. This issue grew throughout the district and truly resonated with our community. I am pleased and proud to announce that
008100 students from across the district participated in the Reflections program this year. As you can see in these photographs, our recent Reflections Award Tonight are the 30 winners from our Belfower PTE Council District from Kindergarten through 12th grade. One student was so lucky that he made it to 33rd and won an award in that competition as well. These are the other winners, a great presentation of their artwork. They received awards, certifications, and we were able to see their art, play the videos, and showcase their art. There's more here too. You can see one recommendation from each school. And this is our membership report. We currently have 2,394 members. Our goal is 3,000, so we are 600 members short. Please continue to join us. You can register for one or all of them. They can scan
009the sheet and become members by supporting us. We only need a few more. These are the information sheets available on our Instagram. He can show you each unit, each school, and what events they have planned for next month, this month, from Bankster to Mayfer and Wrth. And these are our upcoming events, this HSA awards night, where we give awards to district volunteers for all the things they have done. April 17 will be Volunteer Appreciation Week, and April 19-25 will be an official nationwide Volunteer Appreciation Week. Thank you all, and then we have this Spring 23 awards ceremony, and thank you very much. Have a great night. Thank you, Miss Cortés, superintendent, um, you're going to give us your report. Thank you, President Garsa. Dear board members, staff cabinet colleagues, and valued committee members. It's a
010pleasure to be with you tonight. I want to share several highlights in the Belfower district as we continue to move forward supporting staff, students, and the community. I want to congratulate the teams at Belfower, Mayfer High School and Preparatory School for their successful WASK accreditation through 2029. It was a significant achievement, a reflection of the dedication, professionalism and collective effort of the staff, students and member site leaders. It is a sample of our work in school facilities and our commitment to excellence. We also made progress in district leadership and innovation , third collection of guides. On March 20, they tried to shape the future of this great district. Our second AI team meeting was held on March 25th, and the next meeting with Dr. Casander Vigas was held on March 24th for Summerset students. Each
011effort reflects a commitment to conscious planning, innovation, and the development of systems that will continue to advance this district in the area of arts education. This elementary school band session concluded, the choir session is in full swing. These opportunities are very important for students, not only as places where they can express their creativity and other expressions, but it also gives them experience, giving them confidence, discipline, and joy. Our Master Plan survey has also received over 1000 responses. The level of participation shows the community's commitment to investing in the future of our schools. We thank staff, community members, and parents for their conscious contributions in planning for the years to come . Now we're going to have our first... Well, many years ago there was an annual sports day that took place in this district. Presente
012Cortés shared photos with me about, well, about three weeks ago we're going to return that effort. We have a fourth-grade student and I know that he has been pushing for this initiative. He has brought together Superintendent Mr. Bonnie Carter and principals as well as the PTA representatives to plan a great day on March 27 at Faster Elementary School between Faster and IOC. This is the bands of the fourth through sixth grades. It's a day I can't wait for, and it's going to be great for our students. Personally, I want you to know that if it weren't for something good, I wouldn't be announcing this, but cabinet members have asked me to report it. I was sworn in as the next president-elect of the California Association of African American Superintendents and Administrators. known as house. March
01317. I accepted the responsibility with gratitude and humility and I will gladly represent the Belfatal district and the nation. Thank you to everyone at Armstrong. I appreciate all your good wishes and support. This means a lot to me. And as spring break approaches, I want to extend my... Well, let's go, we're here, wait for our... our vacation time. As we come to our spring break, I want to extend my sincere wishes to all students, staff, families, and Board of Education members for a good, well-deserved break. Hopefully, they will have the opportunity to recharge their batteries and return refreshed to the important work we have coming up soon. Thank you all, I appreciate you all very much . Thank you, Superintendent Simon. Now we're going to move on to, sorry, comments. Well, updates from the committees.
014The Board has any updates from the committees. Yes, I have one. I believe that through the Calls Committee we went through the WASC accreditation and it went very well. We are waiting for the news, but many teachers, Mr. Whitney and his staff did a great job. It went very well and I was very excited about the effort. That's all. Anyone else? Thank you. We will continue with public comments. Tonight we do have a request to address an item on the agenda from John Paul Treyer. Please come closer to the podium. Hello good evening. My point is public comments. I completed my second walk in the neighborhood where I grew up and went to Belfower North School. One of the points that the parents expressed to me was that when their children turn four, it will
015be easier to understand which school they should go to. They're going to start, where they're going to attend, tk. It would be nice to have maps showing where each student in our district goes, as well as how they are in other districts, and also to see if there are ways to track who has a 4-year-old to improve our enrollment. People call me and ask me where they're supposed to go. They were interested in primary Wrf. I have also been told about this issue of a sentence by Albert Baxter, it was originally Ernie Pile where he was supposed to be , but behind Albert Baxter they say that they were transferred to another school. I don't know why people who live in one area are sent to another area outside where they live, so they are
016unable to walk to school. A parent on Rosecrs Avenue told me that if the bathrooms aren't working and are being repaired, they could have secondary bathrooms, temporary substitutes for their portable toilets, because the lines to go to the bathroom are long, and they also have to change schools in Mayfer for special education. Mayfer for special education, they have program centers and then they are sent to their home area of Bellfire, they don't have the same programs, so I don't know if we can work to have the same special education programs in both middle and high schools for special education students. I also saw other signs from other districts. My son goes to the Downy district or the salamitos, Catholic schools, Gar Preparatory, Cerritos. We can have a label too, that I'm proud of being on
017the Buckener honor roll, uh, I'm going to be proud, I'm going to graduate in such and such a year at Bellflower Mayfir. We need to encourage people to return to improve the district. They should consider returning to the Belfary district. We need to have more contact to increase enrollment. I've gone door-to-door twice in my neighborhood. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Dr. Let's move on to discuss the consent agenda. We have a few points that we want to retain tonight. I would like uh 11.5 expulsion 27 this 17006. Well, seconded, uh, list of votes, Mr. Chebu Chebui. Yes. Well, a motion has to be made first for the rest of the consent agenda. Excuse me, I have a motion to approve the agenda. Consent retaining 12.5 case number 26-17-006. I second the motion. Uh, I'll vote,
018please. Student Chevique member . Yes. Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs. Armstrong, yes, Mr. Stuart, yes, Mr. Crisfield, yes, Mrs. Garza, yes. Now, the issues that were withdrawn are 11.5, the expulsion case 26-17-006. I have a motion to approve this matter. Well, I would like to make a motion to either continue or adjourn this matter until the next board meeting. Let's take attendance. Liar, yes, Armstrong, yes. Stuart, yes. Cintrón, yes. Crit Garza, yes. Now we will move on to the board's communications. Student member Chevique, as member Cintrón said, I want to make it brief and short. I only have a few things to say tonight. First of all, the last time I was here I was 17 and the day after that I turned 18. So, uh, I think my free membership is over now and I have
019to switch to the real-life paid membership. So, the only thing is that on March 19th, a Thursday, Mefer invited Norwk High School and their F415 electronics teams for the CF contest. We held an event because Mayor and Norw are the best talent in CF, and we also invited all the classes, all the teachers, all the students to come and be spectators, and it was a very good event, with very good attendance. They were all very agitated, they were making a lot of noise. Uh, it was the last game. Yes, it was very close. Yes, we ended up losing two to three, but it's the only loss we have on our record. I think we're still in good shape for the playoffs. So, even the people who were confused and didn't know what was happening, were
020smoking some joints. So that's it. Thank you, my Ilshevik president, eh Armstrong. Thank you, Madam President. Let's see what I did. I went home and represented well, I behaved well, and it was truly an amazing conference to see so many superintendents and community-based organizations . In one location they also had board members and some teachers present. And to know the support that superintendents have, this is what I honestly didn't know about this. It has an academy where they can create connections, network, have mentors, and they really help each other up. And this leadership is centered on the soul and what they have in mind is to cultivate more leaders. And they talked about five fundamental energies that leaders must have : purpose, wisdom, growth, love, and self-realization. I could go on and on about all
021the different things, but as leaders, we are only as good as we actually do things, and we are representing the community and we are like this link. So it's very important for us to do things and we have no problem doing them. And they also talked about it; it was a long story, but what I took away from it is that sometimes we have situations where we feel hopeless, that we can't get out of the hole we fell into or dug ourselves into. But we should never, ever lose hope, because losing hope is an enemy of justice, and we are working to ensure that all our children are receiving what they need at school. And I'm going to leave it at that because there's much more. But I just want you to know that I
022know you all would have loved our meeting. So, we have to keep going and we're going to keep advocating for our students and teachers and we're going to use and pull out as many resources as we can. We have very good community resources and we're going to do what we can for our students. That's all. Thank you. Thank you, member Armstrong, member Stewart. Thank you, President Garza. To clarify, I report to bring awareness of the amazing things that the administrative and teaching staff are doing for the children in our community day after day. I report to celebrate student success, to bring conference information to the board that might educate colleagues or our partners who elected me to do that work, and many people thank me, send me emails, messages, tell me that I provide a
023lot of information and that I present because they work hard to provide something for students and appreciate the recognition for students. So my report is not going to be short and brief and probably never will be because I'm going to continue to celebrate with students and staff and I actually go to a lot of events and I'm visible in the community. So yesterday was a meeting regarding the facility's master plan and input on the vision I've heard from our community members and what I would like to prioritize for the facility if we had the funds to do so. My response was that they should install restrooms to provide more shade and trees for students. A science lab at Belf High School. The aesthetic aspect of the school is basically the painting; each school may have
024its own accent colors, murals, something that invites students to be there and gives it its own identity. The floor in the halls has heard a lot about this. In our SAC reports, it says that the interior floors are needed, and possibly the NPR or the wrestling room above the high school would be good because it would align with the equity of all schools having it, and Belf has some very good athletic programs and they are always sharing gym space. So maybe a gym that's used only for wrestling, so other teams can practice when they don't have time to share the gym. So that's what I hope we'll keep in mind in the future. Later that day I went and I know I've said it all along, but I truly mean it from the bottom of
025my heart, it was my favorite event as a board member since I've been here on this board. It was the Mr. contest at Belf High School, and it was organized by the ABS team and Shannon Hones. We need to report this event to promote it so that the third-year students can hear about it; it will be their last year and maybe they'll go. Basically, what the Mr. Bud contest is about is that, as Sat said, she was very good as a master of ceremonies. It's like a children's beauty pageant. There are 11 of them and, well, trust, participation and creativity are what you judge them on; one had to put on something with spirit. Some came out wearing their soccer or sports jerseys, one had the mascot, he didn't have a cheerleader costume, so they
026just showed their school spirit. The second one was a talent show; they sang, they danced, the comedy was incredible, it was very good. The last category was formal attire and interview. So Ángel Basán was Mr. But of 2026, Jonathan González was second place, Sebastián Luz won for best formal attire. Congratulations to Idren Garcia for winning the award, Mr. Genius, and I thought that prize was really cool because they won and I was very impressed. But they also give them a highlight of the speech at the AD Assembly, saying God is the Lord with genius. And Alejandro Corral won for best talent because he played the drums, and Martina won for the People's Choice Award where the public could put bills in boxes and vote for who their favorite person was. It was really cool and
027I thought that the ASP was also so interesting because they have so many sponsorships and thanks to everyone who donated to the winner, but Mr. B won. I hope their students can compete next year, but the person who won won a 2026 book, a prom ticket, a free rental of Toxido, also a prom photo package and also a Cheesecake Factory gift card and I thought it was amazing, they also won a ring and I thought it was very impressive that they tied it to the activities that are happening at the school. I believe this will increase student participation, and thank you for having me there as a judge. I appreciate Jonathan C, Angelica, Betan, Carlot and Director Comens as well as the other judges. Thank you Miss Comins, for bringing this up again . This
028is part of the celebration tonight; it's the 75th anniversary of the opening of Bellflower High School, so it was pretty amazing. On March 23rd I also went to the meeting of the Mayor of Cerritos Council, Frank Okuyama. It was his last night as mayor and he received a proclamation for the woman's historic month. Thanks to Mary Okama for her service. There were so many city partners celebrating. Citos College President Dora Don Green, Assemblywoman Sharon Cork Swers, was recognized. ABC Directors and Board Member Tatiana Yokiamo also received recognition, as did the others. So thank you very much for the recognition and the partnership over the past few years. And finally, I just wanted to give him some recognition. I already spoke with Dr. Simons, but also with Esmeralda, and with our team staff about the registration
029video. It almost made me cry, it was so good and the truth is that so many students were involved, I had a lump in my throat, but Dr. Guitana surprisingly said it was incredible, it was fabulous, I shared it with everyone, she said it publicly, so she can say it too, but it was so good and so thank you very much, Esmeralda, to everyone who was involved. the company. I simply love seeing all the students and what we have to offer here at Belf, so a shout-out to all of you. Thank you. Thank you, Stuart Board Member, this, Sintron Board Secretary. Thank you. I mean, I absolutely loved Member Armstrong's report on leadership that he shared at that. I think I would have liked to go. It is definitely needed. I left my notes at
030home, but I do want to say congratulations to the wrestling team, which is a place that has a special place in my heart. Everyone looks to Mr. CF for this, but I was a wrestler in high school too. Watching the girls wrestle and seeing how far they've come is amazing. No, I'm not going to say how many years, but it was really cool to see this suddenly. I loved seeing our young women blossom in other ways, in other senses, that they haven't been able to master, and I'm really looking forward to going to the coast-to-coast conference. That will be at our next meeting in Tulare; I think we talked a bit more about it last year. We'll be reporting more again, but to remind everyone, coast to coast is where we get the opportunity to
031meet with our legislators, have time with them, sit down with them, give our opinions and show them evidence, give them stories about what's happening in our district and how they can truly support us, especially, very especially in these times, and that always brings me to report that we can't ignore what's happening politically because it is hitting home more than ever for some, for most. And I just want to say that I really look forward to bringing or going with this group to the coast-to-coast meeting in Washington DC with cabinet members and the superintendent with us as well so that we can truly and properly advocate for and hold people accountable. In our unique ways and styles, I eagerly await that day and hope to return with reports for you. Enjoy your spring break and tell
032me how it went. I don't receive it, but all of you deserve it. If I missed anything, sorry, but that's all from me. Thank you. Thank you, member of this Cintrón, Vice President Kchfield. Yes, thank you Mr. President, Madam President, uh I was able to go to the guiding conference. Thank you staff for doing that. Great job! Garza and I were there. Great collaborative work with all interested people. I am very encouraged that this work will continue. We can both be wrestling fans. I want to congratulate the Mayfer fighters again. I see that you all know that my daughter and I would like to say thank you to everyone who reached out with their thoughts and prayers. She is home now recovering; we are back home. I want to thank everyone who contacted me about
033that, because at the end of the day we are parents first and human beings too. This, uh, if it could be, is a pleasant distraction to have quite a few conversations. Uh, I met with Dr. Simon, I still love the job, it was a pleasant distraction, but we're back home. Thank you to everyone who contacted me. Thank you, Vice President KF. In my opinion, everything has already been mentioned. I'm going to say thank you to everyone. Thank you so much. Have a relaxing spring break. See you on April 23rd. At this time the Board of Education will reconvene, take a recess, and close the session . President Garza, just one correction. Our next meeting will be a special meeting on March 30th. We have a Board of Education meeting on March 30th. Special, I had
034forgotten about that one. Well, at this time the Board of Education is going into recess in closed session and no further action will be taken in open session. Have a good night. Thank you. M.