Board of Education Meeting - March 13, 2025 (Spanish)

001Good afternoon and welcome to the regular meeting of this governing board. This afternoon, order is called at 4:00 PM. Student Member Armstrong, present. Member Cintron, present. Clerk Crisfield, present. Vice President Garza, President St, present. This afternoon, yes, we have requests for comments and agenda items. Although governing board meetings are not public meetings, they are open to the public. Individual speakers will receive 3 minutes to address the board on an item, whether or not it is on the agenda. The board will limit the time for public comment on each item to 21 minutes, according to board rules 93 22.2. Christina Williams, please come to the front. You need to turn on your microphone. Good afternoon, members of the governing board. I am Christina Williams. I work at Mayir School. I am a seventh-grade teacher. I am

002here to talk a little bit about two of our counselors at our school. They were hired as senior counselors. I wanted to let you know about the impact they have had on our school. First, I want to talk about the consistency they have brought to our school. For the past two years, they have been counselors and have been doing a great job supporting our high school students. They communicate well and give us information immediately when I discuss a student issue. Usually, that same day or the next, they come and inform me how they will work with the student. They are very collaborative and help us teachers make good decisions for our students. Finally, we have a consistent team, and I think they have been working very positively with our students. They have worked on developing

003systems, holding special meetings with the eighth graders to discuss their promotion, ensuring they are up-to-date with their academic progress, helping them organize their work schedules, and they are very accessible to our students. The students know where to find them, how to make an appointment, how to talk to them. Many times they are outside in the courtyard, ready to work with our students. Secondly, I want to mention that our high school students have many emotional needs, and these counselors are very patient with them. Last week, I passed by—I don't remember which counselor— but I noticed that one of them came and approached a student who was sitting with his head down. He came, spoke, and truly, he found out what that student's needs are. I think they have a kind of superpower, and I don't know

004much about how they're working, and I want to see if it's possible to continue their contracts since they've been doing a very good job at the school. Thank you. If you can come forward, please, welcome. The microphone is ready. Thank you, good afternoon. I'm speaking to the cabinet and Superintendent Acevedo, and I don't say "entirely" because he's been doing a very good job as superintendent. I've spoken to you all in different capacities, and right now I think this is the first time I'm speaking on a limited basis. I've worked at MAYF School for 18 years. Yesterday was the most difficult day of my career. I'm very grateful for the support the district offered and provided to our school, both the teachers and their colleagues, students, theater partners, and in order to navigate a very unexpected

005event. This helped me realize how important it is that we have staff at the school who personally know our students and have the ability to offer the necessary help to students when tragedies like these happen. We have an incredible team at the High School, as I just mentioned. Miss Williams mentioned, "Thank you all for recognizing that our high school students' needs are different. They are often overlooked, but their needs are different. We've been hiring incredible staff, and these two counselors, Ms. Contreras, are exceptional. It's an exceptional team. It's wonderful to see the work that has been done by combining these resources and this support, as Ms. Williams mentioned. This is also on video, right? Yes, as Ms. Williams mentioned, these two counselors aren't just doing the basic services; they're doing comprehensive counseling. They've done a

006fabulous job. I've never presented information in support of any staff member or person here before, but I'm here now on behalf of the students, not the teachers. The students are benefiting from having these two people. Our primary responsibility is to our students. I hope you take that into account. Thank you very much." Miss Kirst Clinton said, "Hello, welcome. I'm teacher Ms. Clinton. As my colleagues have mentioned, the work these two counselors have done over the past two years... you already know it's been very difficult for us to find the ideal staff." The ideal position has been a matter of effort in every way, and I think I'm finally reflecting that we've found the right staff for the right position. We're seeing that they're having success working with the students. I'm worried that these two counselors

007will leave. What will happen to our students? Will we continue without them? Right now, there are enough adults to help the students with their needs. The counselors are doing a fabulous job. They're more than counselors; they have their heart and soul dedicated to helping these students. I see my students who were often overlooked, and now they're receiving that help. I think you need to take all of this into account, and I hope you can find some funding or consider a more permanent position because our high school students are a class of their own. I've always compared them to kindergarten students. Maybe they have a little more attitude, but they just need a lot of attention and a lot of love. I think I would like you to consider keeping these counselors. Thank you very much.

008And lastly, we have Robert V. Hello everyone, thank you. I'm here to speak on behalf of 22 high school teachers. We are here tonight to thank you for the support you have offered to Mayf Middle School. Under your guidance, we have seen considerable growth in the high school. We want to ensure that the staff and students receive the necessary support. I hope the board members will take all of this into account and reflect on it so that we can maintain financial responsibility to the district. Maintaining a high school student director has made a big difference. I believe we have the administrative team in place and we want to move forward to improve the school's services. We know that the funding to continue the positions of the two counselors is ending. We want you to please

009consider seeking funding to retain these two counselors. High school is a very special and important time in a student's life. We want staff who can be firm but also show compassion, and these two counselors have dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to helping these students. The work they have done has gone far beyond their job descriptions. They take personal time with each student. They have done many interactive activities to provide... They have also created emotional support for students, including backpack searches to ensure they have everything they need to succeed in school. They have worked very hard to meet these student needs and have established a culture where no student feels out of place. They have filled a void we had in our school. I hope you will consider this very important role they have played at Mayer Middle

010School. They have helped the students, teachers, and administration. Thank you for your time, dedication, and work in helping make Bellflower, the Bellflower district, the best it can be. Thank you very much. I will give a letter to everyone. Yes, please give it to Carie, and she will forward them. Thank you for speaking. The table now goes into closed session. The open session will resume at approximately 6:00 p.m. Thank you. The district will pay Mr. Martinez the sum of $ 81,000. He will receive health benefits until the end of the calendar year or until he obtains new employment, whichever comes first. Mr. Martinez will receive vacation pay of $ 72,213. His resignation will be effective March 13. 2025 Thank you, my Field. Replacement pages for items 14.6 and 14.9 are on the back table. Some other

011replacement pages. No other replacement pages. Well, great. Tonight, for the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, Cecilia, lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand, right hand over heart. Ready? Let's begin. I swear allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic which stands for, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much. Do we have any amendments to the agenda? No corrections tonight. Great. Tonight we have some recognitions which we are very excited about, ma'am. Please, recognitions tonight. I'll pass them on to you, Mrs. Carter. Now, if the board will come down for these recognitions, tonight the Board of Education is pleased to recognize district teams for winning winter season championships. Please come forward when I call your name. Representing Mayf, Councilor Mercado, and

012Captains Noa Clark and China, please come forward. Thank you for the training of staff and coaches and the dedication of our students. And hard work won many awards. First, they were Division 3 champions, fourth place in the 12-year-old division, third place in the national novice division, and second place in the national competition. Congratulations to all the students and players! A round of applause for all of them. Please, I would like to recognize someone in the audience tonight. We wish you all the best of luck. Congratulations to everyone! That is the final recognition of the evening. Well, now we are going to move on to our student being honored, Craig Williams. We are in the Highlighting Students section. If you could come forward, please. Thank you very much for being here. Good evening, Board President Stuart,

013Board Members, Interim Superintendent Acedo, Cabinet Members, and Guests. My name is Craig Williams, the proud Principal of Craig Williams. It is my honor to introduce a teacher who will be introducing the student who will be highlighted today, Martin Wise. Thank you. Giving a microphone to a teacher is dangerous, but well, as we know, when any child arrives in our world, they have many desires, dreams, and fears. This Michael is very fortunate because he was born into a family with many dreams and aspirations. And he is the middle child of Maria. And Marg and Lea, who were here tonight, also growing up as the only boy with girls, this presents him with many challenges, and he has met them. In first grade, Mrs. Shore, the teacher, found him to be exceptional. A first-grader, always positive, she

014said, very cheerful, continuing to push himself at that young age to do his best and encouraging his classmates to do the same. Second, Mr. Mesma and Mr. Gilstrap said the same about him and saw the spark in Michael. Also, in sixth grade, he shone brighter than ever. The first day he entered the classroom, Michael was a force to be reckoned with. He had a class with three girls who sat together. They were very powerful girls and they joked around, but the moment I saw him, he had this confidence and showed a very sharp focus. Being a sixth-grade student, he stood out without missing a single word that was taught to him and directed to him. And sometimes, when you see an academic of yours in your classroom, Michael is one of them. You can't trip

015him up in any way. He met every challenge and still... When he makes a mistake, you can see that he's thinking, digesting the information, and learning. He says that he's like a rising wave; he's the kind of person who inspires his peers to new heights every day. His natural abilities, his work, and his actions put him on lists of highly accomplished young people. His intellectual curiosity and academic achievements make him a small part of the 2025 robotics team. He was ready for that team. Michael was ready. This Michael spent 95% of his time working on robotics and 5% on projects with his peers. If someone didn't know how to do the robotics projects, he would teach them. He also taught second and third graders. He helps them in a natural way, with great patience and

016expertise, ensuring that the third graders feel that when the robots are successful, it's their achievement. And when they're not, he trains them better. With all his compassion and heart, he also helps them when he works with his reading buddies, helping his peers in math. And if that weren't enough, he has Gate Band, where he showcases his creative side on clarinet on Tuesday nights. Exceptional student, magnificent musician Michael makes the world a smarter, more compassionate, and more beautiful place simply by being Michael. From your Wildcats family at your school, we are so proud of the young man you have become and we are so excited about your future. Congratulations, Michael! What did you want to tell us? Something? Well, did you want to take a picture with us? Well, let's take a picture with him. Okay,

017we're going to move on to our student representatives. We have St. Martinez. Good evening, my dear interim superintendent, Mrs. Zedo, guests, and students. This is the March report from Bellflower School. So, starting with our events, the breakfast for students up to eighth grade had over 100 people. Everyone was informed by their counselors about the next steps in the college and university process. How that comes slowly, but we have to start seeing the process. Some twelfth-grade students gave us some tips and information about what processes to follow. Then we had an ICONA fundraiser. Read Across America. We sent five students from five elementary schools where... Once they attended and were able to read to the youth this week, we have Renaissance Week, a meeting and several activities during the week, dressing up in costumes and stuffed

018animals. We had a big meeting with a new game where the youth were sliding down the floor on top of certain slides. And finally, today the third quarter ends and tomorrow there is no school. TR school vacation days this coming weekend. Some future events, we don't have many, but tomorrow at noon we will announce the theme of prom night. So on our social media it will be at Ovation Long Beach this year and the time is 7 pm on May 3rd. So some other news: the counselors are almost finished with meetings to finalize the students' classes for this coming year, and on behalf of Belflower, we send our condolences to communities that need it in our Freedman community. From the school, it is as follows: Good evening, President ST, Superintendent Mr. Acevedo, Board Members, District,

019colleagues, I want to thank you for your support during this time. We all appreciate it, the family appreciates it. For academics, we have a new program in school. The Early College program, through Cerritos University College on our school campus, allows first-year students to take college courses to earn credits toward their majors. That was a meeting we had the other night. It's something that's going to flourish. Moving on to sports, we have the Hall of Fame celebration on February 18. Eight Monsoons were recognized for their outstanding performances. Courtney Cummings is our Flag Football Star, recognized by the National Foundation at Rams Stadium for his performance on and off the field. For the arts, our choir performed some Valentine's Day songs. We had an early concert downtown, and there will be another performance in Los Alamitos and

020another in West Coast. A big show tonight, this Saturday, and a jazz festival with over 30 bands in attendance. We had our elective fair, which was sponsored by different students to explain what their classes were about and all the activities during the year. There were student body presentations honoring people. Historical and famous Black women from all over the world, it was a great event, and at the open house it was already raining, so it wasn't very fun, but some of you did come and we appreciate it, and the skills assembly was great, we had a lot of fun. We received a lot of support, thank you for coming. We can showcase our talent programs and your skills, and now I'm going to pass it on to Skills USA President Roman Diaz and Vice President Max

021M of the program. Good afternoon. It's an honor to be here. I want to thank the high school. I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to Skills for the year 2024-2025. During the school year, we had several leadership competitions, and in January, at the regional level against other high schools, our members worked very hard to win eight gold medals, six silver, and three bronze. In April, we are going to Ontario where 28 of our members will be competing at the state level. We have also participated in more community service, such as helping clean a residence in Reer, doing a tour of various departments in Citos College, and partnering with the police department for a safety event. It is a pleasure to have graduates from MAYF visit our school and share their

022engineering experiences with our members. I want to thank them for having this program because it has been an important program for the members and students of this school and their relationships. Thank you. Good afternoon, District B. I am Maximo Ramos from MAY High School. Skills USA is here this afternoon to express my gratitude and recognition, and to allow me and other students to demonstrate our skills and future abilities. Skills USA has given us a very incredible opportunity. It's useful to use our skills this summer. This program has helped me find my potential and help others who have joined this academy. I know it has helped many of us to showcase our STEM skills. As Roman said, it has been incredible, a great experience for everyone. Thank you so much for helping us all for so

023many years, for letting us compete regionally, state, and nationally. Thank you for letting us go to Ontario this year and for many more years to come. Thank you to the Bower District for helping us find our leadership and our potential. Thank you. That concludes. Thank you very much. Now we have Julian Becerra substituting for Jures from his High School. Good afternoon to all, to President Stuart, board members, to Superintendent Acevedo, members of the public. My name is J. Becerra, and it is a great honor to be here again. As it is, I have returned. And unfortunately, this is my last presentation as the student representative of your High School. To begin, we had three winners in our school under the direction of Mr. Guzman. I. Guido and Ruby Gutierrez won the gold and silver medals

024in the telecommunications competition. J. won the bronze. All three students will continue In preparation for the State competition that will take place in April, the students then went to the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles. The students from Miss Adams' and Miss Ens' classes went there on February 12th. The guide introduced us to what the museum had to offer, from artifacts from the camps to Nazi propaganda. Holocaust survivor Eva Paulin told the students her shocking story, explaining a little more about what she remembers in the concentration camps. This impacted the students and prompted them to ask more questions about what it was like, with many more details. Next, we organized a dodgeball tournament. It was a very fun game, with students playing against staff. There weren't many staff members. We had a very fun game. Then,

025one of our students, Lis Nunez, participated in the Lions Club speech contest, and she presented a good argument. Her speech was about friend or foe. At the moment, she won the first rounds. The first round was local, and the second round was by city. We are not sure about the third round. Where it will be, but yes, she will participate in the third round. We wish her the best. She is doing a very good job. The C advisory staff and a student C representative attended the C advisory committee meeting last night to learn about the programs offered to students. While they toured the program, our advisor, Ms. Davila, learned how to fly and land an airplane using the flight simulator. She was very excited, like a little girl again. To finish my report, this is

026what we have pending since we have a different schedule. We use the block schedule. We will continue with school tomorrow. On March 20th, we will have our career fair. It is a day when many people from Servo or Long Beach, or people who have experience in their jobs, offer information to students so that they have an idea of ​​what they want to do after high school. We are looking for more guests for our career day on March 20th. Let us know if you are interested, if you want to share what you do with the Summerset students. The second one, on March 7th, will be the start of Blog 7 and starting Blog 7 from the 17th to the 21st. We have our Spring Spirit Week and we also have four field trips: one to Disneyland,

027one to the Los Angeles Fair, another NRA which is basically a race, and a film festival that will be held at California State University, I believe. And this concludes my presentation. Thank you very much. It was a great honor to do the reports for the board, and have a nice afternoon, everyone. Thank you very much. We are sad that you are leaving, but thank you for doing that for us. We know you have other obligations, homework, going out with your families, so you can leave now. But thank you for your reports. We don't have an employee reporting representative. We have PTA communications from Mrs. Morgan. PTA communications with President Linda Morgan. Thank you. Good afternoon, President, Board Members, Acevedo, staff, and members. You should already know how this is done, but a membership update: we

028have passed last year's total by 30 members. We have 2,444 members. Thank you. And what you can't see here, but I attended the PTA meeting and found out that they have 100% of the teachers who joined the PTA, I promised them that next month they'll be on the device too. It's a competition. I'm glad to hear it. Ernie P has 100% that they met with the parent-teacher association and the collaboration between parents and teachers has been great. It's been a month, many, many things have happened. Many of our schools had Valentine's Day events, different dances and activities, teacher appreciation, a luncheon, and I know there are more pending at different locations. They had African American history activities, an arts reflection program, making the campuses more beautiful. I know that at Thomas Jefferson, I want to

029thank them and thank you very much. Oh, family engagement events, whether they were dances or what else, they had meetings, activities across America, a book fair, a picnic, and other activities that celebrated Women's Month with assemblies, and scholarship applications are pending for those who are in their senior year. They showed me some pictures, certain snippets, one of them Steven Foster. This is the mother and son dance, that's Bellflower Middle High School PTA. They had a family engagement event where they painted and took Drinks in Lindstrom. At the first Lindstrom school, they had a math assembly. Others had a book fair and their Cross America activities. The staff joined in the fun on Twins Day. That's the picture you see in the right corner. At WRA PTA, they had an International Women's Day assembly. They had

030their Make It party and also a BMX assembly at their school campus. To end Kindness Week at WRA, at the council sites, I had the pleasure of meeting President Stuart. Thank you for your time, and I enjoyed it very much. We attended the District 33 Annual Meeting with one of the officials. I also attended the Board of Works meeting. Thank you for inviting me and being able to see and participate. I really appreciate that. It was a good event. Also, the Teacher of the Year Committee was a new experience. Thanks to Doora Ryan and Doora Smith. Oh, sorry, Doora Smith. And also, we all know we have many amazing teachers, so it was very nice to read the applications. It was fun for me to realize that many of the nominees had already been awarded

031or recognized. For their PTAs with honorary service, for going the extra mile, the parents know their teachers and appreciate them very much. So it was fun. On the right, you can see the Council officers for the next term, which begins July 1st. We have a good group. We are looking for a few more volunteers: membership secretary, communications secretary, history secretary, and finance secretary. Someone who is interested and has a passion for the students. We would love it if you would join us. One of the upcoming events is our art program, which will be on Tuesday, April 1st, at 6 p.m. here in the Board Room at the Council level. We received 45 entries from us. Of the two PTAs who participated, we will celebrate the winners that afternoon. Formal invitations will be sent out by

032email. And the mixer, the story, is when we review the year and celebrate everything the PTAs have done. They usually have a nice presentation to share with each other. That's coming up in May, and our honorary service awards night. I have one more thing I want to share regarding the superintendent's research. We have shared all the information in the different forums, but I do want to I want to emphasize that the PTA forum is scheduled for 1:45 pm. Most of the parents work for the PTA, and I'm just letting you know that if attendance isn't what you anticipated or what we'd like, there's a community forum, and we shared the online survey with everyone. I just want to ask if we don't have the participation we want. Most of our parents work. That concludes my

033report. Thank you, Mrs. Morgan. Can we give the schedule to the board members so they can see it, or can we see if there's anything we can do for those dates and times? Absolutely, there's a community forum this afternoon available to anyone who can't make it at the scheduled time, but we'll give them a copy. Okay, I can give that to the superintendent's report. I'm grateful today because we started the afternoon celebrating the students of Craig Williams and Mayf High School. It was a good way to start. Yesterday was a difficult day for the Bellflower community. My condolences to the family of the Mayf student. During this very difficult time, our staff is committed to supporting students and staff as we navigate this period of mourning. I want to express my gratitude for the response

034of our crisis team, our dedicated staff, and the support from the Los Angeles Department of Education and the Department of Mental Health. I am also grateful to Maya Yof for coordinating these resources so that our community receives help during this time. We will support each other and prioritize the well-being of the students and staff. Tomorrow, the school is closed. This will give everyone a day to take a break and recover. I thank you all for being here, and thank you for this afternoon. Thank you all. Now, I had a debate about whether to speak about this or say something. I don't want to say too much because I want to respect that family. But obviously, what happened is tragic. We are here to support you. Whatever you need—teachers, students, staff—please contact us. Our hearts are

035with you, our prayers are with you, and we support you in any way we can. Moving on to committee reports, I'm going to go through the list. We have quite a few committees. Alliance Vice President Garcia wants to talk a little bit about what we discussed. The main topic of the Alliance board at this last meeting was climate and culture. Yes, we talked about that, and we talked about how climate and culture look different in different places. School sites and we agree that there are things we need to ensure, and that they are taken into account across all school sites because we are all doing the same thing. We talked about how we can do that, how we can ensure that we can continue talking about it as well, and have those forums for all

036Alliance members, maybe different tactics we can use during staff meetings, also different ways of breaking the ice. We also talked about having our next meeting, I think it's rescheduled for April 22nd, maybe to quickly review what we've done, how we started, and where we are now on the issue, and looking ahead to what else we can put on our agendas to ensure that we cover all the different aspects and points of view that exist, and needs. Another thing that came up was how we do the teacher of the year thing. We had the application process; some teachers were chosen. This year it changed to honoring one teacher at each site. That's great because each site has someone who goes above and beyond what is expected. I really liked that change, and next year we would

037like to do the same for the staff. CSA that they need each shelf at each site, and then we choose a district teacher and a site person. But it was a very, very nice update that we received at that meeting. Also, anything we might have missed? Well, we didn't have a meeting. So we don't have anything on foundation. Brad, do you want to say anything about that? Any foundation update? Well, a couple of applications have come in, and we need to talk about that at the board again. The next board meeting, we have the future planning for schools. Does anyone want to say anything about that? Okay, the next thing we have is a trip to the learning center this Sunday. Dr. Smith, myself, and a full bus are going to San Diego, visiting eight

038sites, or five. Well, easier than that. A couple of days in San Diego. We're going to have a very productive trip. We're going to report on that when we get back so you know. We have a purpose for each committee. In that committee, we're looking to review the enrollment data, the trends, and look for short- and long-term solutions. That's what we want to do. We have an Athletic Committee. We're going to meet soon. We're looking at a code of conduct that applies to athletics. Me and President KS. Sorry, he likes titles. This is Secretary CR. Well, for his ego. Now we're going to look at the code of conduct and different things on that topic. We started the climate and culture. Member Armstrong and I started that, and we're going to meet on March 31st.

039Then we updated quite a few of the school safety committee meetings. We had quite a few meetings, Mr. Centr, Mr. C, Mr. Crit. Do you want to talk about that? March 10th was the last meeting we had. We had the task of having 11 different security firms submit bids, and in the committee, we had very great dialogue and conversations. We chose four companies from the 11, and on March 19th, we're going to have the next meeting. We're going to receive presentations from each company, asking quite a few questions, and we're going to bring information back to you and have a more robust discussion here. Member Armstrong, is there anything you want to report from Lxta? You attended in person in Parman. Is there anything you want to report? Yes, Lxta keeps me quite busy. Well,

040I did n't want to put it Under scrutiny, but there are quite a few things happening. We have Assembly members Senator Lina Gonzalez and Tony Thurman; they're going to be talking about safe schools and immigration protections. Those issues will be heard on April 2nd. And I also have a plan. We do it individually or as a board, writing to help support. I have a plan I can share. This was a legislative week about the California Boards Association. What they do is have our public connection with the California Boards Association and Assembly members. This is what was being posted this week. They had quite a few talking points and discussions about budget priorities, sponsorship legislation, and Assembly members were presenting many things. Much of this is online, but also... Well, one thing I'm going to share

041because this was a conversation that a board member asked me about. We have Jose Luis. He says there's going to be a hearing about comparing school board members. I asked if you have anything to do with that. Well, yes, I was the one who brought it up. He says he has... He's going to be talking about dual language immersion. They're going to have a hearing on that topic, and what that will do is establish a 3-year grant from the California Department of Education that will focus on increasing the amount of instructional materials for dual language immersion programs, purchasing materials, and I have many things to share, but for now, that's all. Thank you for your updates. Well, yes, sharing, I'm going to give you copies of this information. Thank you very much, I appreciate it.

042Tonight, yes, we have requests in open session, agenda items. Members of the governing board are not public, but it's 3 minutes that you can address the board about scheduled and unscheduled items, and it's 3 minutes, 21 minutes according to statute 93332. You can present. Thank you for being here, and yes, I read your statement, thank you very much for giving it to us before this. Good evening, present members of the board. Superintendent Acevedo, my name is Kenf, a special education teacher at Mayford High School. I have worked for Bflow for almost 24 years. We are here, I am here to present my concerns about the state of our school. As a teacher, I see that the special education learning environment is fractured. We feel disconnected from the students and the community. The students have potential,

043and we put our energy and passion into ensuring they receive the education they deserve. But we feel ignored when decisions are made about these students' futures. When decisions are made without input from those closest to the issue, it causes a disconnect. General reports can provide a lot of information, but not more specific information about the students' needs. There are safety concerns, fights every day; it seems there's no clear plan to maintain order. As a teacher, I come to work without knowing what will happen that day. The lack of attention from administrators has created a chaotic environment, and it could have been fixed, but now that the institution is out of control, people and students could get hurt. We are responsible, and the administrators must be responsible for their actions. The administration must also ensure safety

044and that special education students receive the support they need. I know many don't want to express their opinions for fear of reprisals, but I... In my 24 years in this district, I have never felt so overwhelmed, so disillusioned, so disrespected as I have in these last few years. Maybe I care a lot, but I don't know any other way to do my job. We have a lot of integrity, we work hard every day, always advocating for them, so this is my fight. It's unfortunate that I have to make this statement, but in the future, if I face any retaliation after speaking out here tonight, whether in any evaluation or any other aspect of my role, I will consider it retaliation. I will always speak the truth to the powerful and will be a strong advocate

045for the students. Moving on to topics of discussion, we have a topic tonight, 12.1, the financial statements. 12.1 Mr. Albedo, yes, I'm going to pass this on to the Chief Business Officer. Thank you very much. Good evening, President, Vice President, Board Members, Cabinet, Staff, and Community here at home. I have a pleasure to present tonight the Second Interim Report, a second opportunity to look at the financial activities of the district. I'm going to say once again in the reporting cycle. Financial reports that we report in each cycle. We will always know where we come from and where we are going. We have reached the second interim report, which reports on expenses up to January 21-25 and projects expenses and revenues through the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2025. We also began the budget

046development progress and have contacted the sites and offices starting next week. We received information in January when the governor gave us the budget. I included updated information that we received in January in this report tonight. Much of this information is about the plans up to date. As you know, we always make plans for the current and the next two fiscal years. As you can see, we started in January, but we began to align the budgets that are in place for the current year and for the future. The future budget planning is a monitoring process that occurs throughout the year. Today I am going to give you the second interim report, which provides information up to January 31 and the estimated expenses that may be incurred during the remainder of the year. of the year. It

047also gives information about two additional years, 2025, 2026, and 2027. Today I'm bringing it for board approval so you can see that we are fulfilling our obligations, both current and for the next two years, regarding our budget. To project income and expenses, we make these planning assumptions, and income is the second largest part we receive from California. This has to do with the cost of housing, the ADA financially sponsored, and enrollment. Enrollment tells us how much money we receive. How many students are enrolled tells us how many will come next year. Our percentages on the budget went down; it was 2.3% and now it's 2.03%. This means we're going to generate more income, less income. But from the government, we're going to receive more. A budget as proposed, but we're going to wait and see

048what happens with the fires. We'll update ourselves in May when the government gives us the budget information for the 2025-2026 school year. They will provide information about the next two years to the best of their knowledge. They will also include in the updated numbers expenses, including increased expenses due to contracts and useful employee expenses. The largest expenses we incur as an employer, aside from employee salaries, are retirement and health and welfare benefits. We work hard to provide the best possible health and welfare benefits for employees, ensuring they are appropriate and affordable. District, CPERs, and K-Stars rates are defined by the State of California, and I include them here as well. Our unrestricted income is the largest portion we receive from the State of California and other local, state, and federal resources. It is divided into

049two areas: unrestricted funds, which are shown on your screen today, and restricted funds. I will focus on unrestricted income, which is the less restrictive funding. You can see that, given the factors I mentioned earlier, there is a slight decrease in the income we project for the year. These factors, which I outlined earlier today, are sources where we use calculations to determine... The revenue and income we're going to receive, and we think it's 150.1 million as unrestricted funds this year, I also divided the other half. We have income and expenses; these are the expenses we project, and I'm showing you—I want to say good news—we have an operating budget of about 134 million, and the expenses are going to be about 129.5 million. The difference of about 7.9 million is a collaboration between the fiscal department

050and the program department to see in which areas we can improve, in which areas we can make changes to the budgeting processes, looking for areas where we can use the unrestricted funds. First, something I mentioned earlier: restricted funds have expiration dates. We're looking at which ones are available, when they might expire, and we're looking at the programs to see what can best support us. Those are the numbers I'm presenting tonight. As I said before, we're required to do a multi-year projection, which, of course, is the culmination of a fairly large document with many numbers. So I'm trying to give you the most important parts. On this slide, I'm showing the unrestricted expenses, the unrestricted revenue, and it gives us a balance below the... As you can see, we finished last year with a $96 million

051unrestricted balance based on lower revenues and lower operating expenses. Over the next few years, we're going to see a decrease in the balance. This is very similar to the report I presented in the first interim report. I made minor year-over- year adjustments, things that will happen as information becomes available to me, but this number hasn't changed drastically from the first interim report. We're still projecting, and in June, within this timeframe, we'll give you final calculations and the budget for 2025-2026. This is the entire fund. I mentioned earlier that the general fund is divided into two areas. I like to focus on the unrestricted balance, but we often look at the general fund, as it's the larger one, the one we operate with and where we do most of our business. I like to show you

052the entire fund, very similar to what I said in the first interim report. We made amendments and adjustments. We looked at areas where the state, with the new factors, has allowed us to change a few things. We've seen our expense progression. We have several numbers to look at. This is the first interim report, like when... We end up in the general fund. We're going to break down the different funds. The balance we're projecting is 103 million, an amount some of which can't be spent; it has to be saved for certain things like our inventory or prepayments we make to merchants for next year. We have the programs allocated 26.6 million, as a board, as we promised in December, 59 million, of which 19 million is for holiday facilities, and 49 million is the projected deficit.

053That leaves us with about 7 million dollars. I think we mentioned last time that it's 3%, and it's a required reserve. I've talked about this before; the state requires us to set aside 3% to ensure we have that as a reserve. Just to give you an example, a payroll can be 9 billion dollars, and the state wants us to save and reserve 7 million dollars. But you can imagine if we have a payroll of 9 million dollars, it's not enough. And we have 11 million that isn't allocated right now. This slide basically summarizes that. You can see that the blue is what's without. Restrictions, the balance in the fund in general, the reds with restrictions, which are programs like Title One Elop, all the titles, several titles, some of the after- school programs, Special Education,

054all are the A balances that are A, and the orange ones are the combined ones. As the system can see, we are in the year 2022-2023 when we had 135,000, in 2023-2024 138, but this year we anticipate having about 106.9 million, one of a larger decrease in the year I remember. That's because in 2020-2021 we did receive a lot of funds that were for one-off purposes for the pandemic, and many of those have already expired this year. We already used them this year and continuing into the next few years. We have a balance of 78 and 59 million. That's basically what we are seeing. What we are seeing are the revenues that are decreasing or that are not keeping up with the expenses. The services department, along with the other departments, is looking at the

055budgets. I am very excited to prepare for the Next year's budget is the first year I'll be able to do it this year, like anything else you do yourself. You have more knowledge, and it will give us an opportunity to get involved and see the things within our reach. The last slide talks about the next steps. We have the release of the governor's budget review. There are three steps: in January, they give us the preliminary budget; in May, they release the revised budget; that's how we prepare our budget. Those are the numbers we know, although the law requires us to have a public hearing and a meeting. And you, as the board, have to approve a budget before then. The state doesn't have to have the final budget until June 30th. This puts us in

056a situation where we're going to present you with the information we have that's the best and most available. And in July and August, if there's a big change in the figures from what we were told, we have a 45-day review, and we return it in September 2025. That's the culmination of the year. In the current year, as I said, I'm in two worlds, using both things. How are we going to present the real numbers for 2024 and 2025? And then we're going to do them at the Los Angeles education office and we're going to start all over again. Thank you very much. Questions, colleagues, Secretary Kur. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you for the presentation. I know this is the next budget, which is the one you're going to be part of the entire process

057of. I know there's something about that. You know what the discrepancy was between where we were going to end up and the last fiscal year, where we actually ended up. There are two parts that I saw. The actual calculations were presented in June, which is when we gave you the number, where we thought we were going to end up, and it was a difference of 45 million from where we actually ended up. Could you explain how that happens? I can explain because at the board meeting we had the actual calculations that projected a number, but then there was a place where a precise and accurate number, what they presented to the board, was a more accurate reflection of what they were closer to. How did the year end? Maybe there was a discrepancy in the

058way the budgets and the budget processing were done before the projections. I have a slightly different method, I'm going to implement it and I'm going to... I'll present it to the board and they'll give us their opinions to see how it's going to work. I'm just going to present some figures for the current calculations in June. It's going to be my best guess, given the information I have, of how we're going to end up in the district when we close the numbers. And yes, I appreciate it because I do see some changes in this process. I do see that we're going in that direction. I understand that you have n't done the entire budget for us yet. It seems we have a spending problem, that money is n't being spent. I think it's a bigger

059concern among the voices on the board and in the community to spend this year's money on this year's children. Those tables are a little different. But we have the money, but we're not spending it. Last year's children are the ones who are losing out. That's my concern: to have the most accurate numbers to make the budget and be good with the money, and what we can spend currently this year. I see that you're making that effort, and I appreciate it very much. Thank you very much. Does anyone else have any other questions? Thank you very much. Continuing with the main actions, our main action is 13.1 Legislative Action Appointment: Do I have any questions or comments from the board? I presented this last time we talked about it. I thought it would be good to

060have a legislative action committee to look at some of the issues we'll be seeing on Coast to Coast, to see things happening in government in the future. Does anyone have any questions or comments, Secretary CRW? Thank you for taking the initiative on that committee. I think it's something for our district that has been very neglected, and besides those things, your initiative to participate nationally, regionally, and stateally for our children and all children is very commendable. So, thank you very much. Anything else? I have a question about approving item 13.1. One second, one second. Roll call. Members: Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Stuart: Yes. Continuing, 13.2 Approve the Public Agency Supplemental Retirement Services. Do we have any questions or comments, staff? Do you have anything about this? I want to say that I'm excited because all of

061you, if it's approved, it 's incredible, and I thank you for your service. Being able to retire has to feel incredible, and I can't wait for it to be my turn. But we're excited about the people who participated in this, and that they receive a bonus when they leave and can retire. Congratulations to all of you who were able to take advantage of this incentive. Anything else? A motion to approve 13.2. You have the motion. A second motion. Roll call. Student member: Yes, Ms. Armstrong. Yes, Cinton. Yes, Kitfield. Yes, Ms. Gar. Yes, Ms. St. Yes, it's official. Congratulations. Moving on to the schedule, to the consent agenda. I want to withdraw item 14.4, the first list of the communications devices policy. Does anyone want to withdraw? I want to withdraw 14.7 and also 14.21. Is

062there anything else? I have a motion to approve the consent agenda without 14.4, 14.7, and 14.21. Second motion from the secretary. Student member: Yes, moving to the first item, 14.1, the first reading of the communications devices policy. Actuary: 14.4. Secretary: Your microphone is on. 14.4 is the first reading of the portable communications devices policy. Your microphone is on, that's why I asked if you wanted to add anything. I thought I got 14.7, 14.4, want to start with a different one, okay, 14.4. The cell phone policy, I think I'm going to speak because I was the one who suspended it because we should have another conversation regarding the cell phone policy. I want to say that one doesn't agree with this rule. I think our students shouldn't have their phones at recess and lunch because that's

063where bullying happens. And that's where it happens. But if we decide to move forward with this rule, what I want to assure you and talk about tonight is that we have many teachers here, which is incredible, and many people who are watching. We are deciding to have the cell phone rule that they can't use their phones in the classroom. What's going to happen? I'm a teacher. If the administrators don't agree, it's not going to work. If they're complaining, send them to the administration. Send them to the board. Have them email us. We want to see a change, and the only way to make a change is to enforce the policy, but we have to have everyone backing this up. And I'm thinking that we're taking the easy way out. If I were taking the This

064decision wouldn't have them out at all. We're looking into it. I want to talk about it. I want to give my colleagues something to discuss. But everyone has to agree. The school staff and administrators have to implement this, and if the teachers aren't going to comply, I don't want to do punitive things. But we have to do something. We all have to implement this rule, Vice President Garza. I agree with you. I agree, President. I've been in the position that I enforced the cell phone policy, and a student assaulted me because they weren't ready to hand over their phones. That means no one enforced it, like the substitute teachers at the schools. They have to know the cell phone rules. They have to hand them over from the folder they're given that day because anyone

065who enters the school for our students has to know that this is something we're really going to make sure is enforced. Who should be involved? The parents. I agree. This is our rule. This is what we're going to do. Talk to the board, the teachers, and the administrators. The teachers can talk to the other teachers and the administrators. And hopefully our children will be able to be free from many of those problems they have with phones, and we hope this will have a positive impact. We don't want to get to the point where we're saying no phones at all in our schools, but that's always an option. I don't think any of us are at that point yet, but if it has to come back to us and we have to make a different decision,

066it's a practice the board can have. At that time, Superintendent Acevedo, as long as the principals understand what this rule requires, what it requires them to do. This is the first reading. If it's read a second or a third time, nothing changes, and it goes back to a second reading and is approved. It will be reviewed again with the principals. They have access to it as it's currently written, but there's no discussion about how to implement it until it's approved. That's something we're planning to do in the future. If this is approved tonight, when we have a new rule, it will take a second reading. That's the first reading. It will take a second reading because I'd love to see their point of view. Maybe they need our support to be able to take this

067to the next level. Corporal, but this needs to be a conversation they have to have with you. Thank you for clarifying. We did n't change anything in this policy. That's the policy that's in effect. That's the policy they reviewed previously; they had already reviewed it. This is the one that's been corrected. Okay, Secretary K, thank you, Madam President. I just want to support what my colleagues have already said, and something that most of us feel. I know that many school districts have stricter policies on cell phones, and I applaud this administration and this board for thinking about this deeply and having these conversations. I think I, personally, am very divided on this issue because the reality is that this policy, with some exceptions, is basically the same policy we've always had. But a policy is

068only as good as compliance. Teachers and all staff need to know that we will support them when it comes to this policy. We have to see if the policy is being followed to know if it's not working. I know it's incredibly difficult. I have to take my children's phones away; I can't imagine what they have to go through. Doing it on a daily basis, I know it's very difficult. And I know that the attention our children need, the more they are involved and the more we reach them, the less of a problem it will be. But it's going to take all of this. This is the direction we're going to go so that you don't... Let's say we need to implement a stricter policy, like the ones in certain districts that don't have phones on

069school campuses at all. We're going to look at how those districts operate, and perhaps that will inform our future decisions. But for now, given that the problem is phones, we need to do our best to control it. That's all I'm going to say. I agree, Vice President Garza. Anyone else, Member Armstrong? I've already spoken about this. These kids can find ways to get out of everything. They know how to tear open those bags and get those phones. We're here to support the teachers, but we have to set an example for the teachers that staff and teachers shouldn't be on their phones. We also have to be all in this together. We have to make sure that parents are aware of what we're going to enforce so that parents aren't angry. We also have to be

070very direct and have all the necessary components in place to implement it and support our teachers in this because those kids are going to try everything to get their phones. That's all I have to say. We have to do this because we need the kids to focus on their studies. Activities in the classroom, and not Sol in that, but some teachers in high schools sometimes do, and that's why I have a conflict because with artificial intelligence and technology, everything one does, the phone, many times some teachers encourage children to use their phones because they have a kind of lesson on the phone, the lesson they're going to be doing. I work with special education, and young students, those children are very attracted to a phone, even those 3-year-olds have an attraction to phones, they can

071find them everywhere. The thing is that we have to be ready to support, we just have to make sure that everyone has everything in order to do it right the first time so we don't have to regress. Member of the board, yes, for me, I think I go back and forth with this policy because I understand both sides. I understand that children are very attracted to phones, they can be used as a tool in the classroom, but I also understand that teachers have to struggle quite a bit with many more things than just the phone. Usually, many things arise from phone use. Yes, I want to support my colleagues, I think the same. It's a general policy that, if implemented properly in all schools, ensures everyone is on the same page and that it's not

072punitive, as President Stuart mentioned. But... excuse me, does anyone want to say something positive? It's good that this policy isn't just something heard on campus, but something that's actually implemented. Parents, especially those with children, should be informed about this policy, and students should have the opportunity to be taught how to use phones responsibly. Sometimes, this responsibility isn't present with some students. I'm thinking of the young people in history preparatory school; some students might be very happy with these policies because they, too, get distracted from their academic goals when the teacher has to deal with 10 or 12 students on their phones. So, I want to see how this develops. I want to know more about the processes once it's implemented. I want to see what the program will look like, how it will be executed.

073I don't think it should be a one-time thing; it should be something we do and are reminded to do throughout the year. That's my opinion. Thank you, Vice President Gar. Yes, I would like to ask a couple more questions regarding this policy. If it is approved, let's say, in this second reading, what are your thoughts on developing the program? Are we going to send it to all staff, teachers, administration, and support staff so that everyone knows about this policy, or are we going to give it to the students? And if we are going to do that, how are we going to do it? Are we confirming that everyone in our school district understands this policy? Because we could put it in a booklet, but how do we confirm that it was read? Well, I suggest,

074Ms. Garcia, that after this is approved during the second reading process, we can determine what the program will be for that period of developing the project because you have to inform the staff, establish procedures, inform the students and their families. I suggest that we have a timeline, some guidelines. Can't we do something like, "For next week"? We have to spend some time planning. Also, so that you are aware, our district could benefit from an educational program, cell phones, or something that can be done at the same time that we send it. This policy, "best practices at home," doesn't tell parents what they should do. But there are some things we encourage them to do as a School District, and perhaps some information about what's happening to young people. Because it's not about the policy, but

075in my opinion, it's not only about that. Some parents do need this information, and the students also need education on the subject because maybe they do n't know what's happening. They're the ones involved in this issue, so to speak. We need some kind of educational process, giving them information and ensuring they understand that it's for their own good, as much as possible, as much as they can understand. Well, I'll make a note about something we can investigate: how the same policy we have is going to develop. The piece of supervision and responsibility on the subject is similar to what your current policies are. There shouldn't be a shock factor in exposing the issue, but how do we give the information? I know we have this policy, but now we all have to do it. Yes,

076there's going to be a bit of a shock factor because there are many students who are in the classroom and on their phones, so... This is going to be something surprising. If I have a question, this isn't possible because we're not changing the language. We need a second reading, or we can stop this, approve it, and start working on how we're going to develop the topic and how it's going to be implemented. Yes, I think it is, or would be, part of another agenda. If there's something else, I think I 'm learning how to approach the Sintron member agenda. If in the second reading, I'd like to say if there can be a suggested plan for the development of the implementation. Something we can do in this second reading. Well, I have a personal question.

077What's going to create the development, or in the second reading, do we, or do you want us to, create the process? If you don't mind, it would be better to work with the sites, the high schools, the middle schools, to talk to them to see what's the most reliable way to reinstate this particular policy. So you'll talk to us again, and then we'll add our opinions. Okay, any other opinions, student board members? I think it's... these are your favorite things too, right? Yes, I see one of my teachers here, and cell phones are definitely a problem among my peers and classmates. In class, everything around us, well, it's not going to apply much to me because I'm about to graduate, but if I see where this is, how it can benefit all students, it's definitely

078something that students... We're not necessarily going to say they're going to like it, but again, when the Board of Education shows them the benefits, eventually maybe they'll understand. I think I understand about cell phones, but they have Chromebooks. Their cell phones are like extra things they ca n't do on Chromebooks. Thank you for being honest. One more thing, colleagues, but I just have a question as a student. And you're in the school field, I don't see staff, teachers, instructional staff with their cell phones walking around. Well, my teachers, they put their phones down and put them away completely. I think the influence they're showing benefits the students because they're not using their cell phones either, so in that part, we do n't have to worry. Well, then we're already on the right track, let's say.

079Yes, perfect, and I do understand that the staff uses cell phones, but as a Physical Education teacher, I need my phone because I've had to call 911 a lot. Sometimes we want to model. But I also want students to raise their test scores, and that's what we're going to focus on. Something else, well, a motion to try 14.4. Does that motion have anything seconded? Okay, let's take a vote. Student Member: Yes, Ms. Armstrong. Yes, Centron. Yes, Mr. Kitfield. Yes, Ms. Gars. Yes, Mr. Stuart. Yes. Okay, moving on to item 14.7. Well, thank you, Madam President. More information, I need or would like, on this personal matter. Well, this is a resolution for the board in accordance with the education code that will allow the district to release temporary employees at the end of the year

080by giving official notice of that. Are they temporary, or are some props not temporary? There are teachers and some counselors and a couple of administrative positions as well. That's something of a procedure that we do every year, something routine, let's say. But as I understand it, our past practices have been that the board, as I understand it, I'll put it, this has been the case, that the board has not acted to do this when it should, according to the education code. Of course, the board can make these resolutions. So it's in line with what the law requires regarding the Release of Temporary Employees. So that's in accordance with the law. And this is what we should be doing when we're releasing these temporary employees. So, we don't need these employees. Well, it's not necessarily a

081matter of not needing them, and nobody should think that this resolution or the fact that we asked the board to release temporary employees who are n't vital is some kind of release, a typical thing that boards do annually. We've done it according to our processes; we haven't involved the board, as I understand it, but we're doing it. Essentially, a primary reason why districts do this is typically because it allows you flexibility in terms of looking at your overall staffing picture, your budget numbers, and it also allows you to see why you need these temporary employees to begin with. It may also have to do with money. If there's no budget, it's not going to be available for these positions. I think René wants to say something very well. Yes, Brad, it does have to do

082with funding. I agree with that statement. Because we're giving this notice to release these employees doesn't mean that maybe they won't come back, or maybe they will. Well, some employees may be invited back because there's a continuing need. If there is A fund, a source of funds for your position. Last year, many temporary employees were given notice that they might not be returning, and a number of them did return based on need. The only thing that concerns me is that I understand the procedure, and I applaud you for doing it appropriately before the board, even though we hadn't done it previously as a routine practice. But what worries me is that when you let go of all these valuable people, how do you retain them? How do you do that? How do you execute the

083process in alignment with the budget needs and all that? I understand, but how do you ensure that we aren't losing quality people in this process? Well, it's good that you asked me that. That's the most difficult thing in terms of doing this. The challenge that comes with having temporary jobs is that, in the team, usually when people are put on a contract, the dialogue is that it's a one-year contract and it expires at the end of the year, and there's no guarantee that you're going to return. So from the beginning, the fact that someone has the label of temporary employee... Well, yes, it is a... I've been both temporary and permanent staff, and I've received notices. I have a lot of empathy because I've been in their shoes and I know how it feels, so

084there's no better way to do it than to be frank. But the other component is that it's better to inform them early that this is a possibility, that this could happen, and bring them back as soon as possible, instead of a surprise in June. Because I've been on that side too, delivering the news in June, "You're not coming back," and there really was nothing more to do, budget cuts, whatever it was, and that's more painful than giving notice now. So one thing we ask of principals when they talk to their people is to let them know, obviously, that this is something that could happen, to give them this reassurance that there's a possibility that maybe they'll be asked to come back, but that they also need to take care of themselves and maybe not rely

085on that. It's better for me to inform them early instead of the adverse. I've been a limited-time employee at the school too, so yes, I understand. I think the main thing is to make sure that when we're doing this, if there's a need, we're on top of the issue and do what we can. that we can retain the best people, but also ensuring that when those funds run out in that category, it's categorical that we find the funding elsewhere to ensure that we equally address the needs. Thank you for sharing that. That's the process we have in play today: looking at the needs, funds, priorities, and planning approved by the board. My intention is to get things done as soon as possible when it's reliable. Well, the other challenge we see is that we have

086a lot of temporary teachers. Sometimes, in terms of protocol, what planning do we have for the future? What are we working on to limit the number of temporary teachers we have? They should only be used for certain situations, but in this district, no, not anymore. But sometimes we abuse that. What do we do to not have so many temporary teachers working? Well, it's good that you asked me. We started this year because it was a conversation I did n't want to mention to her, but K and I talked about this earlier in the year, that this was a concern. So one thing I did very early on was work with the human resources team to see how many temporary teachers we can convert to permanent and reclassify. Let's say about a dozen, maybe. A little

087more than we 've had in many, many years, which I was very happy about. Part of our annual review is that in September, when we have more information about the budget, maybe in October, we take time to review and look at those things to ensure that we have people in temporary positions for appropriate reasons. Generally, those reasons are that they are holding a place for someone who is sick, injured, or unable to work. Categorical funds also help us. Other grant funds also help us, and we are also holding the position for other people depending on the source of income. Well, to clarify for those who are here and watching this, when the district sends out these notices, when these people who receive the notices realize whether they will be able to return or not, or

088what they will be asked to do, whether they can return or not. Well, we don't have a scheme, a definitive timeframe. I can't say March 31st. I ca n't be that specific. We do needs assessments, and this has a lot to do with it. We try. to fix those issues before the end of the school year, or if not sooner. Well, thank you, Vice President G. Thank you, President Stuart. I think you've already answered all the questions I was going to ask, but I do want to clarify, I want to clarify for myself, what is the staffing process? We need to be updated, or perhaps withdraw those processes so that we have a more accurate number of temporary teachers. I'm very glad you asked that because I'm fairly new, and I'm new with René because

089René is in the budget department, in human resources services. We've spent a lot of time trying to see what our approach has been, what we've done, what we 've done, to see what our contractual obligations are in those contract processes, in the class sizes, because that guides what one does. We've looked at all the school sites and all the enrollments up to the day to project how many teachers we're going to need, for example, to meet those contractual obligations with respect to staffing, and then that addresses the other parts, like we have our intervention needs at the other sites. It's repeated at each school site, and each site has different needs and looks different. That's what gives us a bit of a challenge because Enrollment has dropped, schools are smaller, numbers are harder at grade

090levels because they normally couldn't afford two teachers but don't have enough to hire a third. All of that is related, and we're doing it site by site. We're working on that process with the high school as well. Any other questions or comments? A motion to approve Article 14.7. Second motion. I'm second. Roll call. Member CUD Sun: Yes, Ms. Armstrong. Yes, Ms. C. Yes, Mr. Kitfield. Yes, Ms. Garza. Yes, Ms. Stuart. Yes, okay. Last, Article 14.1 suspended. Recommendation to grant RFP. Secretary: I have... And I'm sorry I didn't send it earlier. If you need more... We had talked about going to Planet BS because I realized that on this RP we only had one person who responded. There are two, but someone responded, but they didn't respond. But the RFP... Just give us one. How do

091we present it? We tried to get quotes. Was there anything different for this particular one? And we're at Planet BS. Or still... good questions. I think I can get most of them. We did it through the normal process, which is two weeks in the newspaper, and we continued with it on our online site. We have it in all the required parts. by law and we followed up with any questions the merchants had, we continued with the questions the suppliers had to see the sites to look at it, the two suppliers who did come are the suppliers we got, we are at Planetbits, it's on our website if you are interested in that, there when you go to Fiscal Services you will see that on our website where suppliers can go to Planetbits, I am very

092pleased, I am very happy that our first tender for P Planet Bits is going to be for the Mayfair courts. It's a good process, yes, in this case. Although we only had two, they gave us a provider that is very good for the services we need in this particular case, at a price that is reasonable for what we need. I'm not disappointed in this. We couldn't wait because of the funding; we had to do it earlier so that we could apply and qualify for the funding so that it could be affordable. I'm not disappointed in how we did, but I am anticipating using Planet Bits for our tenders in the future, and I am anticipating sharing more with the board. I don't have any concerns with this in particular; it was just an opportunity to

093ask the question about Planet Bits. Then it all worked out. I'm glad we're going to continue with that, and thank you for your work on it. You're welcome. Any other questions or comments? An exciting approval of 14.1. The second exciting. Please take the roll, member Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs. Cinton, sir, ma'am, ma'am. Continuing with board communications, we can start with the student representative. Good afternoon, everyone. As we just had our meeting, we had 10 Spirits and our assembly. The rain made it difficult to set everything up, but it was a good opportunity to share so that everyone could achieve academic performance. We were able to announce the greeting and Victoriano for the 2024-2025 school year. I want to congratulate J and Eduardo for the greeting. I also gave prizes to the people who participated in our

094games. After that, I recently attended Read Across America with other students. The schools we attended were Baxter, Ramona Wood, Washington, and Erpil. I had the pleasure of attending my elementary school, Baxter. It was very nice to see my teachers and have the opportunity to read to the young children. In the spring, some activities have begun: swimming, baseball, softball, beach volleyball, volleyball, children's tennis, and more. It was the end of the third trimester, which is very nice. School is almost over. More on this now is planning for the events of those in their last year of high school. There is no more for the school in general. Again, the topic of PRAM will be released tomorrow. There will be more programming for PRAM; it is more for the... who are in their senior year of high

095school so they can enjoy their last months here. People are being accepted to universities. I already received some; I was accepted to Enona, Yucatán, and Santa Cruz. I'm waiting for some more for biology. Thank you, and stay tuned. Next week, for the anatomy course, we're going to the National Science Museum with my teacher, Mrs. Mens. That's going to be a lot of fun. There are more fundraisers, but it's more like a slower season. Thank you, Member Senet, Member Armstrong. Thank you, President Stuart. Good afternoon, everyone, and again, thank you for joining us while we conduct board business. I hope you've adjusted to daylight savings. I'm still struggling. Okay, I was able to get management on the implicit bias training, and I'm anticipating that the rest of the employees will also receive this training. I attended

096Elis International's 31st Annual Fundraising Gala. It was my first time attending the gala, and it was a lot of fun. The event was very well organized with an action-packed casino game and a lavish buffet. That chicken was delicious! It's that they already know so that they donate to dozens of local programs to help improve the lives of women. I contributed to the activities. I did n't do the silent action, but I did the other fundraisers. It seems that every time I think I've been sick, every time I think I'm going to get better, something comes up again. I 'm trying to take my vitamins and take care of myself so I can be here because I missed the meeting last month, a few weeks ago, because we have them twice a month. I'm trying to

097figure out how I can heal. This month is March, we celebrate women's history. All month long we celebrate all the achievements and contributions of women in history, and this is in my area: disability awareness. Developmental disabilities are diagnosed when a child is developing in childhood and before adulthood. Developmental disabilities impede various areas of development, such as physical, learning, language, or behavioral development. Developmental milestones such as language, responding to sound, walking, and following simple instructions are milestones in a child's development. This month is March, and this year it was in March. I like to celebrate. Yes, I try to bring activities to the 3 and 4 year olds. It's amazing to see them dancing. Oh, the music. C call, and we had the Three Kings' Cake. They are three and four years old. We are celebrating

098anyway. I love to celebrate, and tomorrow is 3/14. Do you know what that is? It's Pie Day. I have my shirt, and I'm going to eat pie. Is that math, yes or no? I'm not. I do n't do math, but I'm going to eat the pie and the cake, and I'm going to put on the shirt. There are many other things that are happening and will happen this month, but I'm trying to stay healthy, and that's all. I can go on and on, but I'm going to stop before they put a time limit on me. The limits are set by Mr., not Mrs. Member Center. I was able to attend the Women's Leadership and Entrepreneurship Conference that the Los Angeles County Office of Education held, and it was a privilege to be able to go

099to that conference and attend and be part of the keynote speakers. I think if we can bring in a keynote speaker for development for our teachers or administrators or both, it would be incredible. Our keynote speaker was very... A lot of power, and I know President Amy is going to touch on this, but I have to say it was an all-day event. They had different sessions, there were student musical presentations. It was very powerful and very beautiful, and it also gave us an opportunity to connect, especially as a newer board member. Having those connections is very, very important, and having those network connections—one of the platforms—is something I was pointing out when I was speaking to the board member, that Bellflower is no longer insular and that we can have connections with all the people

100in the region to have the best knowledge and bring it back to the district, and that our district is strengthened. That happened, and I could see how my colleagues from previous boards echoed. I would like to thank you for allowing me to attend these conferences and bring back knowledge and be more aware of the issues that are important for administrators, teachers, board members, and superintendents. There was so much happening; it was very incredible. But I do want to take a point of privilege and mention—excuse me, the staff, the students, and the board have already been recognized—but I give my due to the students and To the family of this week's student, my family is connected to Craig Williams and a May Fair family. It's very close. I want to offer my condolences and my family's.

101What a great job the administration has done to support teachers and students, and we will continue to support them in any ways we can. Please take advantage of any services you need; there's no shame in that. There is no stigma. There is power in numbers, and please make your voice heard. That's all from me. Thank you, thank you, Madam Secretary. Thank you, Madam President. Let me see, we have amics. It's always one of my favorite events. I sat in a... it was really cool. The President also... it was one of my favorite events. We also went to... we went to the Liquid Legend event that honors Project Shepherd, which she helps with. Viva R. And also Dennis R. Denis Sler, who was a volunteer and educator here at PTS. I'm glad to represent and honor

102PTS. The reflections, as always, President Stuart... we went, we attended... it's very important to partner with PTS at the sites and in the partnerships of... Parents and teachers in general, one thing we 're talking about is how to get more involved. One of the ideas we 've mentioned is having a film festival for high schools. This was my first idea to present it to the public. It's a vision that might happen in the future. The Youth Hall of Fame was another one, and I'm part of that. That's another thing that President St and I have talked about quite a bit. It's great that we have that event for our Mayfair students, but I do think our Bell Flower students are being excluded from it, and I want the district to honor those students, like we

103do with the Mayfair students. With that foundation, it's a vision that maybe the board can do for those students. My report wouldn't be complete without mentioning the wrestling. Congratulations because after the Youth of Fame, we had four wrestlers who went on to compete at the state level: Briana in eighth grade, Lisa Prado in seventh grade, and Ken Cartin in junior grade. That's incredible. Congratulations to them and congratulations to the whole team. On April 26th, we're going to Washington, D.C., to advocate for our students. District colleagues and administrators will be there as well. And also, regarding the foundation, I'm getting much more excited about it. Chris submitted his application to be on the board of directors. He's also Josh's brother, and they do a lot of work in the community. I think the group that's coming

104together to start this foundation is going to be a great thing. I'm a believer in justice. Well, I've determined that having these people who are willing, even though they've had bad experiences in the district before, who recognize the change and recognize the efforts we're making, and are willing to continue serving the students, is something I really felt when I met with him. So I'm very excited about it, and I want to say Happy Women's History Day! Happy Women's History Month! Excuse me, I don't know if you realize it, but I'm surrounded by amazing women who do so much work, and Brian is surrounded by them too. Andrew is also surrounded by them. We have a great team. I admire all of you. At home, my two daughters, my wife, or here, I'm always overwhelmed by

105your power, your passion, your leadership. Thank you. And in my opinion, every single day... This whole Women's History Month thing doesn't make sense. Now that I say it out loud, sometimes you have to hear it. True. But— and I'm kind of stuttering on this last part because my reaction is going to be similar to my colleagues'—it hurts, my heart aches for our student and his family. And I just want to say that I'm proud that everyone has come together and supported the students. I thank Ms. Acevedo for the conversations we had afterward. I think it's something that in a perfect world, nothing like this ever happens. I'm a little traumatized by this experience I had last year with my younger brother. But the idea that I couldn't... when that happens, there's someone else in our

106school community right now who's still here, who's looking for someone to give them a different path. And it's not necessarily about going to find a new program to come to campus. The needs are there; we have to provide what they need. I know, I know we can all see that someone sometimes needs someone to talk to. Let's do everything we can. This is a very sad reminder. My condolences to everyone. Thank you for your strength in Armstrong. Thank you, Mr. Garza. Thank you, Madam President. I was also able to attend the national SUR meeting, Carnival Night, and it was a very nice event, an event that... Board member Armstrong said it's the night they raise a lot of money for sponsorships and scholarships for these programs, and it's a good cause for us. We also

107made our donation to those causes ourselves. Well, I... I'm sorry, I was also able to go to the Hall of Honor. It was a wonderful night celebrating the students of Mayir and all the other surrounding districts. I agree with the board members that we have to do something for our Bellflower High School students. Raise their accolades and honor how hard they work. I would like to see something like this happen in the near future with our current foundation. I think we've all said it before, and it's a difficult time for the Bellflower School District. I know we've been through this before, and we always hope it never happens again. Our condolences to the family. Support for the staff and administration who have to put all of this in place. Thank you to the district staff

108for helping our schools, especially Alm, who had a part in that. And I hope we're always talking to our kids as much as we can. Young people, you never know, because you really never know who you're going to be able to help just by saying hello. Or asking, "How are you, teachers? Please, as much as you can." I know you already do that. But maybe I'm just telling the experts to say hello to someone, see how they are, check in periodically. You never know who might benefit from that attention, and we can maybe pass that characteristic on to the young people because they know what's going on with others, and they'll know first. So, encourage students to talk to the administration, maybe other teachers. That might be a factor that helps too. But again, I

109think we're all doing this, but let's continue to support it that way. Thank you very much, and good night to everyone. Thank you, Vice President. Well, I've been very busy these past few weeks. I attended the Hall of Fame. Congratulations to all the student athletes and recognized teams. I went with Mrs. Acevedo to the State of the City Alliance meeting on February 26. We talked about climate and culture in schools. I attended an empowerment conference in Alhambra with a member of Sintron. You're right, the keynote speaker, Merlina Iyna Valentine, was very inspiring. She was a school principal and teacher. On her way there, she got quite sick. I had sepsis. Both her arms and legs were amputated. They told her she would never be a principal again. She returned to the school and made it

110better. She inspired so much because I know it was because of education. She showed her fight, her spirit. It was a very inspirational day. I also attended the Leadership session conference, which was very good, and another one on Artificial Intelligence. Leiko presented it. A reminder: I spoke with Mr. Acevedo. We talked about a plan for this Artificial Intelligence, a policy about it. We're also going to talk about the process. I also went to the Reading in America event. I visited Lincoln. I spoke with Nuru, second-grade classes, Mrs. Comings. It's a tradition. I always go. I like going there. I like to stop by the kindergarten class. Mr. Dr. Robinson, thank you. Mr. Stern, thank you for guiding me around the school campus and allowing me to be with you. I visited Washington. Thank you, Mr.

111Roo, for letting me into your classroom. It's a special education kindergarten class. This is an art class, which is Proposition 28. It's a program. The teachers and students were drawing, and the teachers were very cool. An 11th-grade student, president. The student body was reading it to the children. I liked how they integrated the high school students with the elementary school students. Very good concept. And it was a class for fourth through sixth grade. I'm also going to say we should look at that for younger ages. Good program. I attended the fair at Mayf school with KT KFI. Thanks to Mr. Diaz, Mr. Wright, and Mrs. McDonald's for taking us to see classrooms. I loved the CTE classes I visited, except for the science class where they were... cutting cats. That wasn't... good. But the other

112classes were great. Thanks to the teachers and staff. And thanks even though it was raining. It was a great night. I met with the president and Mr. D. We talked about concerns and how to collaborate with the district. It went very well. Thank you for meeting with me. On Monday, I went to the arts reflection in the PTA STEAM building. So much talent and such beautiful art from the students. It was very... an honor to celebrate them. It was very... smooth. It's softball season. Good luck to the May Bower teams. They also have very good teams. So I'm a coach. So I can't go to many softball games, but I'm the coach. I'm in school for wrestling, so sometimes I can't go, but today I was trained to use ADs, and that was effective in

1132019. But many districts are catching up. In the memo on Friday, can you give me an update on how many we have in each school field, where we are in training, who has training to use ADs, and who has training to use ADs? I want to talk quickly about school board pay. I want to talk about this publicly because people don't understand how the pay for board members works. It's based on the ADA and the school code. They think we're famous and rich. We earn $ 240 a month. I want to say this publicly because when someone says, "How much do we earn?" and all the benefits we have, it's $240 a month that we earn. We're very excited. We don't want to be selfish and speak for ourselves. It encourages us that you're seeing

114a law where school board pay hasn't been increased for 40 years. I want to say, two meetings a month, events, emails, phone calls—everything we do—it's $240 a month, and I want to add, before taxes. I just want to inform you. So... Anyone who wants to start writing emails, if anyone is willing, I mean, we want good people on this board. If anyone is willing, please contact me. We would like to send emails to Patrick Donald from SBA. They are starting this journey with us. Lastly, I want to say that I am very proud to be with my colleagues. You can see the emotions when we talk about the young people, the children. We care a lot about our teachers, our staff, our young people, and you can see that in our emotions. I mean, I

115am very proud of you all. You have sought this position, you have been elected to this position, and you have genuine, great, good intentions. All of you, and I want to thank you. And the last thing I want to say, as an elected official, we get bullied online. They say nasty things about us. I want to reiterate that you think about the things you say to people. I know that member C-tron talked about this, but please think about the things you say to people, write online. Read it again. Read it out loud. I will talk about it, talk about people's families, talk badly about other people. I mean, if not, well, I will pray for you and wish you well, but it's not cool to write things. ugly things from other people in this. Thank

116you very much. Any information? Any information about information points? Well, I made a mistake. I want to... Returning to something we voted to approve the legislative committee, I want to say that I would like to add board member Gar Vice President Garcia and member Crisfield. I want to include them on this committee. I hadn't mentioned it before. Any questions about this information? So, unfortunately, the Board of Education has to... we have to pause and return to closed session. We're going to have a recess. There won't be any further action taken in open session.