Board Meeting May 11th, 2026

001Good evening. Calling to order the board of education meeting for the Awani City School District for May 11, 2026 starting at 5:07 p.m. Thank you everyone for being here today. We have a very exciting and celebratory board meeting. Before we begin, we will start with roll call starting with Miss Kobon >> present. >> Mr. Barita >> present. >> Miss Rivas >> present. >> Mr. Seagris is not present today and Mendes Garcia present. >> We will now uh next item will be our flag salute. Good evening, President Mendes Garcia, and to our wonderful community. We have a treat this evening. We have students from our Thompson program at Dery that will be here to share the wonderful things that are happening. And so leading us in the flag salute this evening is one of our favorite

002students at Dery, Daikon. Wo wo. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. Put your right hand over your heart. Ready, begin. I pledge your allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for dance. One nation under God when the team and other for all. Please have a seat. Great job. Thank you so much. So glad to have the program here today with us and our students. Next, we'll be moving on to our strategic plan, which is our district administrative update. Thank you, President Mendes Garcia, governing board members, and our EMCSD community. Uh, one of our favorite things uh to do at these meetings is really present all the wonderful things that are happening across the district, and today is no exception. As we're starting to wind down for the

003school year, we have lots to celebrate, many to recognize. And so this evening, we kick off our strategic plan update with lots of information for you to take note of. Lots of celebrations and lots of recognitions. Our first image there, which you'll hear a little bit about later on, is our musical theater showcase, which took place a few weeks ago. Phenomenal. And I also want to acknowledge that helping us this evening with the strategic plan update are Dr. Torres and Mrs. Tran who will be filling in for Dr. Dr. Pito this evening and we're going to kick it off with priority area number one ensuring academic excellence for all. Thank you Dr. Garcia. So I wanted to take a moment and share with you some updates with respect to the strategic plan specifically specifically goal

0041.1 meeting and exceeding grade level standards and 1.4 for increasing language proficiency and reclassification rates because this particular slide speaks to the GLAD professional development. Um this is really in the area of language acquisition specifically we are working with a cohort of teachers here in Almani city um that are going to be doing collaborative training with Cal State Fullerton and Almani city. So this is a really unique opportunity exclusive to Almani City to really support our educators in the area of English language acquisition specifically with glad strategies. I I do want to share something that's really important about this. Not only is this a part of our strategic plan, but the educators providing this training um are actually trained EMC educators specifically in GLAD. So, a big shout out to those members in the office

005of instruction who have spent the last two years in glad training to be able to provide our colleagues here in Elmani City with this specific uh support. I'd also like to add specifically to goal 1.1 meeting and exceeding uh grade level standards is currently right now our intervention teachers and um some of our special education colleagues are currently taking the Orton Gillingham morphology training. So all of our educators in the K TK2 space um that amounts to 160 educators every administrator teacher and special assignment classroom teacher sale teacher non-cat classroom teacher who has contact with TK through grade 2 students has been in invested in training. So this particular training is for intervention teachers focusing on grades three through five. So that that space where students need additional sport support specifically for morphology training, spelling,

006word convections. Um so this is currently taking place and will conclude on Friday. And then finally our summer enrichment program is off and it's it's going very very well. Currently right now we have approximately 1,400 students that are currently enrolled. This year we're offering summer enrichment at six sites. Columbia, Dery, Petero, Rio, Honda, Rio Vista, and Wright schools. Our our summer enrichment program is a steam program that really merges uh mathematics, science, and engineering with art in a very esoteric, nuanced way. Really encouraging creativity and innovation with our students. The same program, the same program is being afforded to our students who are currently enrolled in our dual language programming. So, our students will have the same opportunity in Spanish and Mandarin. So, not only do they get those opportunities in summer enrichment, but continue

007along the trajectory of their language progression outside of the regular school year into the summer enrichment program. So, really exciting. We're also focusing on we have six sections of accelerated math for our seventh grade students as well as six sections of integrated math uh reaching our goal to have more students in higher level coursework. Overall, overall the idea of the summer enrichment program is really to provide a a learning opportunity for our students that is enriching, meaningful, but ac but situated in an academic context. >> Thank you, Dr. Torres. And that leads to one of many slides this evening where we're going to be inviting our school community to join us as we celebrate some end of the year accomplishments. Beginning with our promotions, we're going to have the opportunity to celebrate some eighth graders

008tonight. But those dates that are listed for you beginning on June 2nd through June 5th, we will be celebrating all of our eighth graders and sending them off to the high school. So, please join us as we say goodbye to our eighth graders and wish them all the best. I am confident that our classes are just so amazing and the students are just doing such great things. So, these are names. There's going to be so many names for us to be on the lookout for as um they get older. That leads us to priority area number two, delivering diverse experiences and opportunities that prepare students for future success. I won't say much about Conga Kids because we have a special treat for you this evening. We've invited our two finalists, Dery and Clemenson, to perform

009for you as one of our first items of interest. But I do want to say that our fifth grade students across the district have this wonderful opportunity to receive dance instruction during the school day. My favorite um I don't know if this is going to be performed this evening, but they included Bollywood this year. So it it has just been phenomenal to see our kids learn culture, rhythm, teamwork, and all that comes with that the culture. So, uh, congratulations to Dery and Clemenson in particular that were able to represent the Elmani City School District at the LA live finals last week. They did a phenomenal job and you'll see what I'm talking about in just a bit. Good evening. Through our partnership with Ali City Parks and Recreation, all of our second grader students participate

010in Almani students program, which focuses on essential water safety and foundational swimming skills. They learned skills such as floating, gliding, basic kicking and arm movements, and how to safely return to a standing position in the water. This program is especially important because drowning remains one of the leading causes of accidental accident accidental death for children. By providing early exposure and structured instruction, we are helping students build confidence, independence, and critical life-saving skills. musical theater. On May 1st, our district proudly hosted the third annual musical theater showcase at the Almani High School auditorium, featuring performance from all 14 schools across the district. Each school presented the musical number that reflected months of preparation, collaboration, and artistic growth. The event opened with a special performance by a district-wide group of students, all stars, alongside Dr. Garcia. Through

011musical theater, students develop confidence, creativity, and community communication skills while also building teamwork, discipline, and a strong sense of belonging, school pride. Expanding our culinary arts opportunity, we have partnered with Sauté Culinary Academy to provide a hands-on culinary learning experience for students in specialized instructional support programs. Students participated in a series of structured sessions focused on kitchen safety and preparing healthy meals and building teamwork and communication skills. Lessons were intentionally designed with visual supports, clear step-by-step instructions, and structured routines to ensure a cross and success for all learners. As a culminating experience, students will visit Sauté Culinary Academy in Manurva to prepare recipes using professional equipment, helping them build independence, confidence, and real world career awareness. Our migrant education speech. We are proud to recognize Jasmine Benites Ramos, an eighth grade student from Dery's dual

012language program for her outstanding achievement at their migrant ed state speech competition held in Monterey earlier this month. Jasmine earned first place in prepared speech and second place in extemporary speech, demonstrating exceptional skill in both structured and on the spot speaking. She probably should have came up here. She has represented She is awesome. She has represented our district at the state level every year since sixth grade, completing in Spanish and showing a strong commitment to bilingualism and academic excellence. Her prepared speech topics focus on important and relevant issues including the impact of screen time on youth and the importance of learning a second language. These experiences highlight not only her confidence, communication skills, but also her critical thinking ability to engage with real world topics. Jasmine's accomplishment reflect the strength of our migrant ed students

013and dual language programs in developing bilingual biliterate students who are confident learners and effective communicators. We are incredibly proud incredibly proud of her per for her representing EMCD with such distinction. Cheer showcase. Mark your calendars. Our EMCSD cheer showcase is another exciting opportunity to highlight student talent. It is held will be held Saturday, May 16th at the Colombia gym. It will feature performances throughout the day. Schools are grouped into three performance times morning, midday, and afternoon, ensuring all participants teams have the opportunity to show showcase their routines. This event is a great example of how extracurricular programs help build confidence, school pride, and a strong sense of community among our students. Thank you, Miss Tran. So, for music education, for the fifth consecutive year, EMCSD has been recognized as one of the best communities for

014music education by the NAM Foundation. This award recogn Right. How about a round of applause? This award recognizes our commitment EMC's commitment to equity, access, and high quality music instruction, including band, choir, mariachi, and music theater opportunities for all students. And finally, our band festival is this Thursday. Please join us for our seventh and eighth grade honor band festival which features talented students and musicians from across all of our K8 schools throughout the district. The evening will begin with a special performance by our district's all-star mariachi band showcasing rich musical talent and cultural traditions within our programs. Following this performance, students will come together as a district-wide honor band highlighting not only their individual music skills but also their ability to collaborate and perform as a unified ensemble. This event reflects the dedication of both

015our students and our music teachers as they prepare the showcase for their growth in instrument in instrument music. The festival will take place on Thursday, May 14th at 5:45 at the Dery School and we look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of our young musicians. Well, good evening everyone. I just wanted to invite our board and anyone else who's interested. We will be holding our 22nd annual Run for Your Heart event on uh Thursday, May 21st, uh 9:00 a.m. to uh 11:30 a.m. at Peek Road Park. It is a 1.5 mile race for both seventh and eighth grade students. Um and a little friendly competition as well. Uh we have a perpetual trophy uh that is awarded to the teams uh with the best combined or the lowest combined scores. So, uh, welcoming, uh, or inviting

016everyone who'd like to attend. And if any of you are interested in running, we can get like maybe an an adult race going. Dr. Garcia, >> I don't think so. >> No. All right. Well, next year. Next year. >> Year. Maybe next year. >> And a quick update on transportation. We are hearing all these wonderful things that are going on in the school district as we get ready to close out the school year. Just a quick update on the number of study trips, field trips that we fulfilled that require transportation. Uh, you can see they're coming out of co Um there was an NH uh field trips that number peaked last year. We hope that the number still continues. There's still a few weeks left in the school year. Uh we have 226 field trips

017so far that we have scheduled or have completed this year. Um and it's a um a wonderful opportunity just to highlight all the great learning that happens outside of the classroom and beyond um our EMCSD schools. Uh in addition to our study trips that we coordinate transportation for, uh we also transport about 500 students on a daily basis from home to school and back uh across 38 bus routes. And we're pleased to report that our average ride time is about 25 minutes um on those right times with no child being on a bus for more than 50 50 minutes. Um so we always try to make sure that we um have the even from the moment they get picked up, right? um the best experience possible um until they arrive at school. And on the

018next side, you'll see some of the areas or locations that we've our students have visited um as you can see with 200 200 plus um study trips throughout the year. Um I don't know what destination we haven't visited, right? um including I I the highlights are obviously Washington DC and Sacramento's the airport drop offs are are I think the highlight for the students but there's plenty of other locations that um the students um have a great time when we have those study trips. >> And that brings us to priority area number three, preparing students to thrive in an interconnected world. Mark your calendars. We have our annual wellness festival taking place at the Jeff Seymour Family Center next Saturday, May 16th. This is one of our signature community events that supports health and well-being of

019our students and families. This event brings together a wide range of community partners, including our mental health agency uh partners, medical providers, local organizations that provide access to important resources and services. In addition to the resource hub, the event features social emotional learning activities for students and families, a supervised calming space that models self-regulation strategies, and a community swap meet that fosters connection and sustainability through exchange of books, clothing, and garden goods. So overall, the wellness festival strengthens the connections between families and essential supports, ensurings that our ensuring that our students have a strong foundation of health, wellness, and community to help them succeed along with their families. So, I have the opportunity to share with you a dual language milestone, and this year marks a historic milestone for our district for our first Spanish

020dual language cohort completes the full K8 program. How about a round of applause for our students? these students began together in kindergarten have continued through 8th grade representing the success and consistency of our dual language program. As part of their culminating experience, our eighth grade students completed a rigorous biiteracy SCA capstone project which I I I want to add, you know, this is this is something that was recognized by CDE as part of just a stellar program. the idea of creating a biiteracy seal for our dual language students. This included conducting research with our kiddos, writing, delivering formal presentations of both Spanish and English and were evaluated by a panel to help verify their language proficiency. Through this experience, students demonstrated not only bilingualism and by literacy, but also strong critical thinking skills, social cultural

021competence. This milestone reflects the commitment to preparing our students to be confident global ready learners. And in addition, our dual language programs are continuing to grow. As a result of student outcomes, increasing family interest, we are currently offering Spanish dual language programs at Dery and Colombia schools using the 9010 model in early grades and gradually builds towards balanced bilingual instruction and a matter dual language program at New Lexington with a 50-50 model. Due to this growing demand, we've expanded additional sections at Columbia School in both TK and kindergarten this year. Looking ahead, we're excited that our first Mandarin dual language cohort will enter middle school in the 2728 school year, marking another important milestone for our district. These programs are aligned to California's vision for multilingual learners and help prepare students for advanced coursework and

022the state seal by literacy and long-term college and career opportunities in a global society. Student connected and social emotional support. Each year we administer the boss behavioral assessments in both the fall and winter to better understand student needs. For our younger students in TK through third, assessments are completed by teachers while students in grades fourth through 8th completed self assessments. Our counselors use this data to identify areas of need and develop targeted small groupoup supports focused on skills such as self-regulation, social skills, relaxation strategies, and problem solving. They implement evidence-based programs including second step, bounceback, and seits while also provide ongoing support in areas like pure relationships, organization, and goal setting. This comprehensive approach allows us to proactively support students social emotional development and truly address the needs of the whole child. For this one,

023all I have to say, yeehaw, volunteer brunch. We're excited to host our annual parent and caregiver volunteer appreciation brunch which will take place on May 29th at Dery School. This year's event has a fun rodeo themed root tootin celebration to recognize the incredible contributions of our volunteers. Our parents and caregivers play a vital role in supporting classrooms, assisting with school events, and strengthening connections between our schools and the community. This event provides an opportunity to bring everyone together, celebrate their impact, and express our appreciation for the time, care, and dedication they give to our students every day. Their partnership is essential to in helping us create welcoming, supportive school environments where all students can thrive. And that brings us to priority area number four, aligning leadership, staffing, and resources to student centered priorities. >> All

024right. Thank you. Uh this year, in partnership with the Elmani Elementary Teachers Association, uh we've established a special education collaborative uh committee. The purpose of this committee is to collaboratively identify challenges, problem solve, and strengthen our overall special education programs and systems. To date, the committee has met twice and has engaged in meaningful discussions focused on identifying professional development needs, reviewing eligibility and placement processes, and examining reclassification practices for multilingual learners receiving special education services. The team is also working to build a shared understanding of our inclusion model and strengthen our non-catategorical program. This ongoing collaboration reflects our commitment to continuous improvement, ensuring that our special education programs are inclusive, effective, and centered on meeting the needs of every student. And this next slide covers information. and it's kind of an overview of our district

025staffing and classification trends dating back to the 20134 school year. Um there are two years that are absent in this uh the 1415 and then the uh 2021 uh when we u were um on virtual instruction due to co uh but it also gives us a um a clear sort of picture on how the organization has evolved uh over the years based on student needs. Uh later in the meeting tonight, you will see the 2526 administrative ratio report on the agenda. Um and just to provide you a little more context to that um prior to that because it does tie into this slide, uh historically the California Department of Education has required that that uh the administrative uh ratio report um be um taken, adhered to, and then sent to them um as a um

026measurement device. Uh historically um that report um was required annually but um recently or probably in the last 15 years it's actually been taken away and so it's no longer a requirement. Um but each year we bring this report because we believe it's a wonderful measure um and it remains a vital tool for our fiscal transparency and staffing. Uh to give you a current snapshot our administrative to certificated ratio currently stands at 26. uh that means you know 26 allowable admin. Uh for context the actual allowable limit is 35.19. So we remain well within the threshold. Um so back to our slide um that that we're presenting. Um for those um that aren't familiar with this um what this does is it breaks down all of our employees into six different classifications. Um and so

027um for our reporting structure, it's helpful to remember that our internal systems categories categorize every employee into one of these six CLA uh classifications. Specifically, you have confidential. You have CSEA, which represents our CSEA 10 classified bargaining unit. CTA, which are our elementary Elmani Elementary teachers association um uh employees. Management, which is usually anyone that is um a coordinator or above, um falls into a management level. Permit teachers are our CSEA 356, our child development instructors bargaining unit. And supervisory would be anyone who um might oversee or has say into the work of of an individual or a staff member. And so as you look at our staffing level levels over the last decade um there are fluctuations each year. Uh but I want to highlight three of those time frames uh and why um

028there were some significant fluctuations. If you look at the 201516 school year, uh this was the year um that LCFF funding was implemented. This new funding model allowed us to strategically increase our classified staffing at individual school sites to uh better support the operations and our students um who we serve. When you look at the 21-22 school year, um this was a complex year as we returned from online uh learning due to COVID. uh we were required to provide both in-person and virtual learning opportunities simultaneously. Um and we also pri prioritize student mental health by hiring additional uh counselors. Another note on that is um this is also a time frame when our local SULPA um which uh supports our special education programming not just for our district but all the East San Gabriel districts

029uh they received a grant which allowed uh them to bring on four additional employees to again better help support the needs. uh because we were the fiscal carer for that grant, we had to hire the employees which obviously meant they were with us um in our books but paid through this grant. Um and in 2023, the grant um did go away and those those positions no longer remain. And then finally, as you look at 20 uh 2024 through current, um we see some significant growth um specifically because of two grants. Um, we've added enrichment facilitators through ELOP community funding and we've off uh also uh added community school leads through our community schools grants. Both of these roles are directly tied to expanding services for our students and our families. Um, as we turn our

030attention to some recent information that came out, uh, we're pleased to report that investments in California or just in classroom schools across the nation continues to rise. Um, when we look at uh the Great Recession in 2010, California ranked last out of all the states as far as funding per student. Um, and we've been increasing over the years, we're not number one. We're far off from being the highest um funding uh state per student. Um, but we rank around 16 or so, so it's above average. Uh, better than dead last back in 2010. Uh with those uh added investments, obviously you see the impact to um uh staff pay uh teacher pay uh report that recently came out um highlighted what the average teacher pay was across the nation. You can see it there. California

031obviously um in that regard um is number one across the nation as far as teacher pay. Uh and here in EMCSD uh we are above um California's uh average teacher pay. Now why is that? uh California uh distributes funding on an equity based right so it's not uh determined based off the number of students per se um that is a factor but they do it based off of the level of need uh in school districts um so uh across the state of California your average school district receives about $22,000 per student per year of funding and EMCSD we receive about $30,000 uh per year of funding and across the nation that averages about 1819,000 um So, uh, California always a pioneer with funding, right? Um, and as you can see, we benefit from the equitydriven

032funding formula here in El Monte. And so, uh, with the high levels of need, we receive a lot of resources, um, and it's reflected there, right? So, that's something that we're closely monitoring as we go into the upcoming year. We're closing out the school year in a few weeks and we're already um actually the the the Monday after school is out. We have a board meeting and we will be bringing the adopted budget to the board for approval marking officially the start of the upcoming school year. So, we're monitoring that closely because in schools 80 to 85% of our uh of our spending activity is on people, our staff, right? So, that's something that we monitor very closely. >> And that brings us to a couple of our last slides. us. So, another thing to

033take note of, we are in a very exciting partnership with the Hollywood Bowl. LA County Parks has provided a few districts in LA County, Elmani City School District being one of them, a special link that will give us access to dollar tickets that they're setting aside for schools. This is the first of its kind, this type of partnership. Um, and thanks to the the partnerships that we've cultivated with the local county and our partners. And so I just want to make sure that we are spreading this news far and wide. Uh May 7th is when the web page went live where you can see all of the concerts that will be offered for a dollar. And then on May 14, tickets will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. Um parents will receive a link through

034Parent Square, excuse me, a code through Parent Square. Our staff will receive a link through email. We really want to make sure that Almani City School District is uh represented at the Hollywood Bowl this summer. an iconic experience in Los Angeles and we're so fortunate to have the shuttles uh nearby in the Almani bus uh way. So, please make sure that you share this information. We have lots of people from our community today. Please make sure that you um share this wonderful, wonderful partnership and take advantage of the Hollywood Bowl and we hope to see you there. Yay. Well, this is a really fun slide. Um, as as I mentioned at the top of this presentation, we're celebrating many things this evening. And in the coming days, we'll have the opportunity to celebrate many of

035our retirees uh that we're saying farewell to and expressing our deepest, deepest gratitude for all that they do. 12 teachers are retiring with the combined service of 383 years of service educating our students and 16 retirements from our classified and management teams with over 472 years of combined service to Almani City School District. And so as we prepare to uh finish out the school year, we want to make sure that we say thank you and lucky you. One of one day we will all be there, but in the meantime, we will be celebrating you every step of the way. Congratulations to all of our retirees. And that concludes our strategic plan update for this evening. Um, thank you. >> Thank you so much, Dr. Garcia and cabinet. Next, we have our board member reports starting

036with Miss Kobe. >> Thank you. Um, I just wanted to share um a couple of things I was able to do since we all last met. Um, one of them was celebrating uh teacher appreciation week and day of the educator. It was great to see everyone celebrate, recognize their teachers um and to see everyone come together last week um kind of in celebration of that um that wonderful service that's provided to our students in our community. Um also got to kind of wrap up the school visits um that we've been doing over the last few months with Dr. Garcia. Um it just uh it's it's been a real pleasure to see the way the strategic plan is is being implemented at our school sites. getting to hear from students um in their experiences with a

037lot of these programs, getting that kind of personal feedback. Um and then seeing some of these programs, some of the ones that were were brought up earlier. Um students who are learning to read with some of these new techniques. Um our older students who are reading full novels and having discussion sessions around those topics. Um so just really getting to enjoy the broad overview um of everything in the district. And um that'll wrap it up for me. Definitely looking forward to all of the events coming up in the next few weeks as well. Thank you, >> Mr. Peralta. >> Um, I was fortunate to be able to attend the musical theater showcase uh about a week or two ago. Um, again, I continue to be amazed and impressed by the uh excitement, the enthusiasm of

038all the students that are involved. Uh, they continue to be very enthusiastic, not only for their own group, but for the other groups at other schools. And that's just something that I I I didn't expect the first time going out. Uh these are kids who probably don't know each other, but they have that same uh thing that they like doing, which is musical theater. And they just they just come out and support each other. Um so that that idea of community and cohesiveness is growing within that within the district. These students are all going to be going on to high school together, so they're all going to meet up again there. So, it's great to see that that spirit is is is going and and is alive and and strong within them. Uh, the other

039event I was able to attend was the closing day ceremonies for the Enonte Phillies uh girls uh softball association. They presented the uh the board and and and our superintendent with a uh appreciation uh plaque for all the things that that we've been able to help them with and provide for them over over the years. Um they are currently at year number 54 right now within the community. I think they started in 1972. So they're they're uh they're going to be getting ready to celebrate their 55th year uh celebration because they couldn't do their 50th during COVID. It was during it was during that time. Um so just be prepared to seeing advances going on there. They did get u a large uh grant from Home Depot, so they're starting to make some improvements on

040the field itself as well. Um and so we're looking forward to seeing some growth there as well. >> Mus, >> not at this time. >> And from my board comment, um I just want to wish everyone as you wrap up the end of the school year. Um thank you so much to our staff, to our administrators for all the work that you've put in this school year. It's always great that we're able to come together at the end to celebrate our teachers of our teacher of the year, our classified staff of the year. And I know that everyone's waiting for our items of interest so that we can continue our celebrations. >> Yes. >> Thank you, President Mendes Garcia. Well, as I said, tonight is definitely a very special evening as we celebrate the many

041ways that our students and staff continue to bring our district vision to life. From the arts to service to leadership to deep care shown for students each and every day, tonight's uh recognitions reflect the heart of the Almani City School District. So to kick it off, we are going to bring the energy into this room. We're um introducing our two finalists for Conga kids that represented our district so well. Clemenson and Dery School. Let's hear it for Clemenson and Dery. Thank you. So for many years, our district has proudly part partnered with Conga Kids program to provide every fifth grader student access across Elmani City School District the opportunity to experience the joy of dance, culture, movement, and teamwork through the arts. This investment reflects our deep commitment to ensuring that students have meaningful opportunities

042to express themselves, build confidence, connect with others, and experience the richness and diversity of the world around them. So tonight we have a special treat. We invited our schools to come and perform for you. And all I'm going to say is just be prepared to be amazed and wow. Are you ready, Clemenson? >> Yeah. All right. Stay here. >> Yes. Woo! Hey, Darling yellow the romantic elus. Fore darling get Darling, can Was that amazing or was that amazing? Thank you so much, Clemenson. Thank you for representing our district so well. You all all of you have some amazing amazing moves. And next, we'd like to invite uh students from Dery who were also able to compete last week and again represented Almani City School District so well. Dery, where are you? Woo! Easy. Heat. Heat.

043We're moving in. Like every Wait with me. Wait with me. Heat. Heat. We're going to get a picture with our board members and our two one finalist teams. And as they're getting ready for these pictures, I'm going to share that this year some of the dances that the kids learned were uh Bollywood, um the Charleston, Kumbia, Salsa, Hip Hop. They were all phenomenal and they did a fantastic job. As you were able to see, every one of our schools has a conga kids team. Um and so we were able to have a competition amongst the district to select the two finalists that represented our district. I think we need to be cheering them on throughout the picture just so they know how much love comes from us. >> YAY. ONE MORE ROUND OF APPLAUSE. Thank

044you, Clemenson. Thank Thank you, Derery. And to our teachers, our families and staff, thank you for supporting our students and encouraging them to step outside of their comfort zone and shine. >> We're moving on to our next item of interest this evening. Um, every month we invite one of our schools to come and present and share the wonderful things that are happening at their school sites. And so it is our pleasure to introduce Dury uh Mr. Yepes who is going to introduce the presentation. Thank you Mr. Yepes. >> Yes. Thank you. Good afternoon board members uh Dr. Garcia and cabinet. Uh we want to say thank you for inviting us back uh to highlight the wonderful work taking place at Dery such as what you just saw right now. That was beautiful. Right. Give him

045another round of applause. Yes. We at Dery are incredibly proud of our academic programs, the many events, activities, and opportunities we provide for our students and families throughout this year. I would like to thank uh Dr. Garcia, Dr. Pinedo, Mr. Salenbach, and Mr. Andera for consistently visiting our campus and witnessing firsthand the outstanding work of our teachers, staff, and students. We're also grateful to our board members, Miss Jennifer Kovian and Miss Elizabeth Rivas, for recently visiting Dery and seeing the high levels of academic excellence and the vibrant school culture that exists across our campus and have also been witness to events such as Dia Muertos, Lunar New Year, PTA Founders Day. By the way, thank you Miss Pendes Garcia for attending that that event. um our back to school night, open house, our musical productions,

046uh Shrek uh Jr. and so so many other things that happen and take place at Dery. Uh we are always very proud of all the wonderful things that happen there. Um so so typically at this point uh we would have students that would come up and present a recap of the wonderful events um talk about the great academic work and accomplishments that Dery has seen this year. However, um today we wanted to take a different approach and shine a spotlight on our Thompson program and the in and the incredible staff who make such a difference in the lives of our students, families every single day. I would like to say that behind the doors of the Thompson classrooms are some of the most dedicated educators, service providers, and professionals in the Elmani City School District.

047The learning, the care, and the support that happens in these classrooms is truly extraordinary. Today, I am honored to be joined by three outstanding teachers. Miss Grace Castillo Mr. Chris Diger, >> Miss Nancy Perez and our SLP McKenzie Moist and they are here with some of the staff that are sitting along. And so we want to say thank you, acknowledge them if we can give them a round of applause cuz they are amazing. And they are going to be um when they come up here they are going to be talking about the programs, the services and most importantly they are going to be talking about the amazing learning that happens in their classrooms because there is a lot of learning that happens in these classrooms and we are so proud of that. Before we start

048though, I would like to take a minute uh we had uh several retiree teachers who came from far and beyond to be here with us and they're joining us today. Uh we want to say thank you for their dedication and they have really built the strong foundation of the uh Thompson program that we have today. So, I'd like to acknowledge uh Denise Bond, Linda Harstry, Powette Large, Pan Rousson, and all the way from uh Japan. I believe she came down to be with us. Maybe not. Um Miss Violet Dresser. Um Terry Cappy. And we also like to acknowledge two uh former alumni of Dery that have gone on and done amazing amazing things. I'd like to acknowledge Nazarin Saboki and Guadalupe Romero. >> So we are going to begin the program. Uh we're going to

049share a short video uh that provides a glimpse into our Thompson program. We have two of our students that will be um presenting the video and then um it will be followed by a presentation by Miss Castillo, Miss Mr. Stitcher and Miss Perez. So once again, I just want to say thank you to the board, Dr. Garcia and Cabinet for giving us this opportunity. We hope that you enjoy our presentation. Thank you. Hi, my name is M >> and I am Max 2. We are second grade students at Derpy Thompson. We use AAC devices to help us talk and share our ideas. We want to show you some of the cool things we do at school every day. >> And I am Max 2. >> Thompson. >> In our program, we learn, play, communicate, and

050work hard together. We see our classrooms, our friends, and some of the technology and activities that help us learn. We are we are really excited to share our school with you. Thanks for watching and enjoy the video. >> You know, once the kids come in here and they're they feel secure and they feel safe and loved, then we can start with teaching them, you know, the skills to, you know, go throughout their life. more than just educational stuff which we also do but we're also teaching them the school the the skills to get through their life in a daily basis and we also help families as much as possible here because it's a this is a what they call a low incidence disability which means it's a very very small percentage of the specialed population

051that falls under this category. They require uh highly specialized professionals, materials, equipment, and just an overall environment for them to be able to have access and to thrive and to be able to have the same opportunities as their peers. When I come in and I do we do PE, so we do games, but we do a lot of, you know, getting their arms moving. A lot of it the importance is just that to let them experience uh different uh games and activities. >> So this type of bike it's a special kind of bike. It helps with physical therapy with Max. He knows how to pedal but he needs assistance with it. So that's why I'm here to push. >> And the emergence of new technologies is particularly eye gaze technologies has allowed these students to

052have a voice they never had before. A lot of times the communication aspect is what's the difficult causes very much diff difficulties with these students. They're trying to tell us something and we're not understanding. Uh we have different communication programs. So one of the ones we use here at Thompson is um touch chat. And so they use an iPad and there's a lot of different picture icons on that iPad. And then the kids use their pointer, their index finger to be able to say something that they want. you know, I want bubbles or I want cars. Um, and then we also have more complex communication devices. So, those are some of the eye gaze devices. Uh, these are for students who um have a hard time with verbalization, vocalization, but also their mobility is also

053impacted. So, what they have best control over is their eyes. Um, and so we use these devices um to help them communicate to us what they need, what they want. the eye gates to give themselves a voice to tell us what what they what they want or interact with their community. Even just to say hi and good morning just like everybody else does is really what these kids want to be just like everybody else. >> And we also advocate for them to be included in the um gened population um genet classes. So I think it's a great program where they're able to come go to their mainstream class and come back here if they need to get out of their wheelchair, stretch out. But our students are more than capable of learning like every other

054student and deserve access and deserve all the opportunities that their typical peers have. And that's what we're here to do. When we incorporate these things into our students lives, how much drastic improvements it can make on their lives for them and their families. Uh good evening Dr. Garcia, uh Mr. Solomon, Mr. Herrera, and esteemed board members and community of course. Uh, my name is Chris Tiger, >> Nancy Perez, >> and my name is Grace Castillo. Uh, and we are special education teachers and proud representatives of Dery Thompson School. and we are here to share some um information on our amazing program. Um Amani City School District hosts two highly specialized regional programs designed to support students with complex needs on our Dery Thompson campus. The orthopedic impairment program or OI program serves students with severe

055orthopedic impairments and complex cognitive, physical, and communication needs. While the Shine program serves students with profound cognitive, communication, and ambulation challenges along with intensive long-term medical needs. Together, these programs serve students from transitional kindergarten through 8th grade across the West San Gabriel Valley Special Education Local Planning Area or SULPA. We provide highly individualized instruction and supportive and inclusive environments with a strong focus on the whole child. This includes academic, as you saw, functional communication, and social emotional development. Instruction is aligned with grade level standards and adapted to meet each students unique abilities through hands-on learning, differentiated strategies, assistive technology, and adaptive equipment. Our instruction is supported through the use of the unique learning system or Everway curriculum which provides standards aligned differentiated lessons designed specifically for students with diverse learning needs. These programs also also

056allow us to monitor progress and adjust instruction based on student performance. In addition, our students access many of the same instructional tools used across the district, including StMath, iReady, BrainPOP, Near Pod, and other resources available through the Clever platform. These tools help ensure our students have access to grade level content with appropriate supports in place. Uh another key component of both programs is ensuring access for learning communication and participation with our students. Uh we integrate assisted technology, adaptive equipment, augmentative and alternative communication or AAC devices um throughout their school day. Uh these tools allow students to express their needs, make choices, access the curriculum, and actively engage with both peers and staff alike. Uh while also ensuring that full physical access to their environment is is accessible. Uh our program is highly collaborative in general.

057Uh we work closely with related service providers including physical therapists, occupational therapists, adaptive PE specialists, uh vision specialists, AAP specialists, and speech and language pologists. Say hi, McKenzie. uh our program uh also inclusion like as stated before inclusion is a big portion of our program an essential part of this these kids' lives. Uh most of our students participate in general education setting to the greatest extent possible for them. Um inclusion provides meaningful opportunities for uh students to build social connections uh strengthen communication skills and engage with grade level peers. It also helps foster understanding, acceptance and a sense of belonging within the school community as a whole. Uh, our classrooms are intentionally designed to be accessible, engaging, and responsive promoting independence, mobility, and self- advocac self- advocacy for our students. So, this this work would

058not be possible without the dedication, collaboration, and expertise of our staff and supportive um leadership team. So, we would like to recognize our principal, Mr. Yep. Our assist our assistant principles, Miss Luna and Mrs. Tang, program specialists, Miss Carissa, our school psychologist, Dr. Cervantes, and our school nurse, Mr. Albert, for their continued support of our students, staff, and families. Their leadership and commitment help our program possible. And we definitely can't leave out the person who brings it all together, our director of special education, Mr. Munoz. We would also like to recognize our instructional support specialist, uh, for short, ISS, and our nursing staff who are essential members of our program. Our ISS staff are highly trained, experienced, and specialized to work with this unique population. They play a crucial critical role in supporting teachers and

059students by helping deliver highquality instruction, implementing accommodations and modifications, and supporting students in inclusive settings. In addition, they provide essential daily care and assistance with medical needs. Their work ensures that students are safe, comfortable, and ready to learn each day. We also value a strong partnership with our families, recognizing that the collaboration between home and school is an essential uh part for our student success. The Dery Thompson program is about creating opportunities, empowering students to communicate, learn, and thrive in ways that honor their strengths and support their individual needs. So our belief at Dery Thompson is that education is not all about access to a curriculum but it's about access to communication, movement, social interaction and independence. Every student has a voice and it is our responsibility to ensure that that voice is heard, supported

060and valued in every aspect of their school experience. Thank you. And now you're going to join us in our Dery Warrior chant led by one of my faves. Well, all my students are my favorites. Sorry. Oops. Kazaya Huarez. Y. >> Yay. Because I uh Follow along everybody. >> Here we go. Ready? >> We are the warriors. >> Dirty warriors. >> The dirty warriors. >> Warriors rise. >> W as leader. >> Rise as leaders. is respectful, inclusive, >> respectful and inclusive, >> safe and empowered. >> We are the warriors. >> What did the warrior? >> Thank you. Thank you so much, Jery. Thank you to our wonderful special ed team. And I'm going to ask, there were so many people that were introduced today. Um, if you can please stand. Some of us know who you

061are, and it's so wonderful to see you, but I would love for our community to celebrate you. Um, and to thank you for the years of service, the commitment, and the dedication. And this has been a long-standing program with the district. I just appreciate our retirees coming back to celebrate the wonderful things that you originally planted. Please stand so we can acknowledge you. The current two. The current two. Everybody. Thank you. And now we're moving on to uh some recognitions for this evening. Um our first recognition this evening is our classified employee of the year. It is my great honor to recognize our classified employee of the year, Miss Susana Vargas. Sana has served in the Almani City School District since 1999 and throughout her career has supported nearly every school site across our district.

062Her longest tenure has been at Sherpser School where over two decades she has become a trusted and deeply valued member of that school community. As a health service specialist, Susana exemplifies professionalism, compassion, and an unwavering dedication to students and families. She consistently goes above and beyond her job responsibilities, not because she has to, because she genuinely cares. Susanna arrives early each morning to ensure that students are seen and clear to return to class before instruction begins. Minimizing disruptions to learning while also accommodating the schedules and needs of our families. She understands that caring for students also means caring for the people who support them at home. What stands out most about Susana is not simply what she does, but how she does it. She treats every student with dignity, patience, and kindness. She takes time

063to listen, to build relationships, and to identify the needs that sometimes go far beyond a visit to the health office. Families know they are always welcome, supported, and respected when they walk through her door. Her compassion and initiative were especially evident when she personally created and participated a walking club for one of our students struggling with mobility challenges. Day after day, she walked alongside that student, encouraging and supporting them until measurable gains in mobility and endurance were achieved. That is the kind of dedication that cannot be captured in any job description. Please join me in congratulating our 2026 classified employee of the year, Miss Susana Vargas. Oh, where are we? Can you join us for a picture? You're going to Few people All right, everybody. We're going to do this together. Very nice. We love

064her. Love her. Our next recognition this evening is our certificated employee of the year. And you just had a chance to hear from her directly, but it is really um my honor to recognize Miss Graciella Gracie Castillo from Dery School. Since joining the district, Gracie has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to her students, as you saw firsthand this evening, and her families through her compassion, advocacy, and deep belief in every child's potential. Gracie's journey in our district is especially meaningful. She began in 2008 as an instructional assistant at Dery before leaving to work at LEO as an orthopedic impairment itinerant teacher. Her commitment to students and families ultimately brought her back home to El Monte in 2017 as a teacher. This year Gracie the year that Gracie returned to EMCSD as a teacher was also the year

065that her son began in our dual language program. This year he promotes from Dery as part of the program's first dual language cohort. a reflection not only of her professional investment in our district, but also the trust and belief she has in the opportunities that are provided for students and families. Those who work alongside Gracie describe her as an educator who leads with heart and consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that students feel supported, valued, and capable of success. She cares deeply for her students and works tirelessly to create learning environments where students feel safe, encouraged, and empowered. And once again, you were able to see that firsthand this evening. Gracie is recognized as a leader amongst her colleagues. She leads much of the district's training around unique learning systems, a curriculum that's highly

066respected for um the ability to integrate technology into instruction in meaningful and engaging ways. And whether you're she's supporting colleagues with curriculum implementation, helping teachers use technology to increase student engagement, or organizing parenting activities such as a Mother's Day lunchon where we we were able to surprise her with this notification, or cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gracie brings joy, energy, and heart into everything that she does. Please join me in congratulating our 2026 certificated employee of the year, Miss Gracie Graciella Castillo. All right, we'd like to invite Dery staff to please join us for a picture. She pulled them out. Here's the >> This is going to go by this. Love this. Their certific are here. What's their >> Yeah, those are >> Wait, wait. Here we go. >> They're right there. You're too

067top Tonight, we're also proud to recognize the Tech Trek participants who will represent Almani City School District this summer. Let's hear it for Tech Trek representatives. Woo! There's so many things that we are proud of as a district, and this has to be one of my favorite. Almani City School District has proudly participated in Tech Trek since 1998, a partnership with the American Association of University Women. Through this incredible program, our district sponsors middle girl middle school girls to attend a week-long summer STEM camp experience designed to inspire future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Students go through an application and interview process and are carefully selected based on their potential leadership and interests in STEM related fields. Programs like Tech Trek directly align with our strategic plan as we continue expanding opportunities, exposure,

068and real world experiences that help students imagine new possibilities for their future. For many students, this experience becomes a turning point, an opportunity to see themselves as future scientists, engineers, doctors, innovators, and leaders. And at this time, I'd like to recognize our 2026 Tech Trek participants. not with us this evening, but we still want to acknowledge Leilani Mcdow Smith, Sophia Ho, Victoria Andrade, Dana Garcia, Maline Trong, and Tina Ina Trong. These girls will be off uh to San Diego in just a few weeks for a week-long experience on all things science. Congratulations, girls. Have an amazing amazing experience. Family stand. Okay, congratulations. Our recognitions continue. We are also honored to continue a longstanding tradition in the Almani City School District through the recognition of our American Legion scholar, excuse me, school award recipients. Our district

069has proudly participated in this legacy award program since the 1970s, making it one of the most prestigious student recognitions that we present every year. The American Legion School Award recognizes students who exemplify the highest standards of character, leadership, citizenship, scholarship, service, courage, and honor. What makes this recognition especially meaningful is that students are nominated both by their peers and staff. Individuals who witness firsthand the way these students lead and positively impact their school communities each day. At each of our middle schools, two students are selected as honorable mention recipients and two students are selected to receive the American Legion School Award recognizing their exemplary leadership, integrity, and commitment to their school community. Tonight, we are especially grateful to welcome our representatives from the American Legion Los Angeles Post 8 who come come to this award

070every single year and it's so good to see you again. I would like to invite our guests to join us and join the board in recognizing our students. Alex Era, district commander for district 17. Hugh Krooks, junior, past commander of the department of American Legion. and Miss Danielle >> Duo. Come on up, Miss Danielle, who's currently the post commander. Thank you so much for being here and thank you for helping us recognize our students. At this time, I'm going to uh recognize our honorable mentions, beginning with Colombia School, Carmen Pang, and Sarah Sea Garcia. Is that right? Congratulations, Carmen and Sarah. from Der from Dery School. Honorable mention Kenneth Kang and Jordan Salazar. from Gidley School. Honorable mention Adrien Wang and Tienne Fan. from Potto School. Mariah Dominguez Moya and Emory Gallardo. Wait, wait, wait.

071>> They didn't call her yet, right? That's her >> from Real Hondo School. Mina Michelle Wyn and Dang Co Trang Hungry and from Frank Wright School, Jake Annayia Korea. and my Annie Thong. >> Congratulations to our American Legion honorable mention. All right, at this time we're going to take a group picture and we're going to invite parents to to come up in just a second to take a picture as well that celebrate our wonderful and amazing students. Here we go. Family photos. Okay. >> All right. My honorable mentions, you guys could head back into the side room. There's a little reception there for you and your families. Okay. All right. Mr. Brooks >> as we transition. I'm Mr. Crooks will be uh a few words on behalf of the American Legion Postate. >> Good afternoon.

072Good evening. If >> if you'll notice that I'm my my hat does not even say post 8 anymore. I started out my American Legion career at post 8. Now I've transitioned to star post 309 which is u the American Legion star post. But I will never ever forget this is where I learned being what American Legion was really about. Just so you know, we consider the students here, these these students are what you call our future of America. So that's why we think this is a highly highly we think these are these are the wonderful students. >> That's right. Thank you. >> So when they come up here, please give them a rounding rounding applause. Okay. Thank you. And thank you, Postate. Postage's been doing this, like she said, since the 1970s, and they do

073not continue to stop. >> Thank you, Mr. Krooks. At this time, it is my honor to recognize our American Legion awardees for 2025 2026, beginning with Colombia School. Kathy Nuen and Zang Hong Ren. >> Yes. from Dery School, Jasmine Benite Ramos and Kalixto Gonzalez. from Gidley School. Ana Adja Congratulations and Genesis Martinez Garcia. Congratulations >> from Potero School. Fernando Chavez Blanco and Par Bales. from Real Hondo School. Sitlari Maria Barera and Michael Knock Nuen >> from Frank Great School. Lucas Sapata Lopez and Jocelyn Cow. Ladies and gentlemen, these are the American Legion winners. Congratulations Now everybody get a little closer. right here real quick. Two more. Here we go. One, two, and three. One, two, and three. One, two, and three. Congratulations. Students will be receiving a special medal that we get every single year.

074parents reception. Thank you, What's going on? You still have to let people speak. We are resuming tonight's Almani City School District Board of Education meeting at 6:51 p.m. Our next item is communication starting with public comments. Okay, starting with number one, um Mr. Isaac Guvas. Good evening board members. I'm speaking tonight on behalf of a teacher who wishes to remain anonymous. So here we go. I along with many other other educators in this district am exhausted, overwhelmed, and increasingly feeling unappreciated. The district's proposed 1.25 raise does not keep pace with the rising cost of living. In reality, I'm being asked to accept less while continuing to give more. What makes this especially frustrating is that many other public professionals receive cost of living adjustments automatically. Meanwhile, teachers have to fight to maintain the value of

075our salaries. As an educator, that feels discouraging and disrespectful. The district often highlights that teacher pay is competitive nationally while ignoring the fact that California has one of the highest costs of living in the country. And this proposed 1.25% raise does not come close to matching that rising cost. So, let's stop comparing apples and oranges, shall we? And start discussing fair compensation for the teachers working in Almani. I have also seen teachers, including myself, being asked to teach classes outside of our expertise or credentiing in order to expand elective offerings. I want our students to have opportunities, but these additional assignments bring added stress, preparation, preparation, and pressure, often without compensation or meaningful recognition. We have situations where banned teachers are being asked to teach PE. Think about that. Whatever happened to having a credential

076teacher in every classroom? That standard does not align with being asked with with asking educators to teach outside of their of their credentialed areas. I believe the district needs to re-evaluate its priorities. I continue hearing that uh declining enrollment is a major reason why the district does not have enough money for meaningful salary increases or staffing support. Yet at the same time, the district has found a way to hire 30 new management or administrative positions. From where I stand as a classroom teacher, that does not align with the message being given to educators. I truly believe that 30 more competent, effective teachers in our classrooms would be more effective than 30 additional management positions. I constantly hear the district speak about mental health and wellness and self-care, but those values must also apply to its

077employees. It is difficult to hear those messages while watching educators struggle and live paycheck to paycheck while fighting rising inflation. Rising skyrocketing high uh housing costs, rising gas prices, grocery bills, trying to raise a family. Y'all little league isn't cheap. Okay? If you kill uh say no to fair pay, you're killing my child's big league dreams as well. I care deeply about our students and this community. I continue showing up because I believe in the work I do. But passion alone cannot continue carrying the weight of under staffing, rising costs, and increasing demands. If this district truly wants to remain uh to retain experienced educators and attract new teachers, then it must show uh respect through action. Fair pay, please. Thank you. Next we have Mr. Garrett Ching. >> Good evening EMTA members, school board

078members, superintendent Dr. Garcia, assistant superintendent, administrators, colleagues, and guests. My name is Garrett Ching, and I am a proud member of the Elmani Elementary Teachers Association. I appreciate the opportunity to address you once again. I am here again tonight because while the district has moved its counter proposal from 75% to 1.25%, that movement still falls far short of what our educators deserve and what this moment requires. Let us be clear, moving from 75 to 1.25 is not a meaningful response to the re realities facing the staff in this district. In turn, the union moved to 4.75 in an effort to continue bargaining in good faith and to demonstrate that we are trying to move this process forward responsibly. We are making movement. We are showing flexibility, but we need this district to do the same

079in a way that reflects actual respect for the people who keep this district running. We are also asking the board to advise the district to fully cover the highest single medical premium so that every single employee has the ability to choose the medical plan that best meets their needs without being forced to make that decision. based on an out-of-pocket cost. Access to quality healthcare should not be a privilege. It is a basic support that allows employees to care for themselves and their families. The district has stated that the district's contribution structure ensures that 0 out-of-pocket monthly premiums remain available for employees, but availability is not the same as equity or choice. The reality is that some of our members are still paying monthly premiums out of pocket because the plan is that is available at

080zero cost is not always a plan that best meets their medical or family needs. Employees should not have to choose between affordable coverage and appropriate coverage. This should be permanently ongoing. The district speaks often about mental health, wellness, and self-care for students. We agree that those things matter, but those values cannot stop with students. They must extend to the staff members who show up every day and manage increasing workloads, rising expectations, and more frequent, difficult, and intense student behaviors. Our educators are being asked to carry more than ever before. They are supporting students academically, emotionally, and behaviorally, often while absorbing stress that takes a real toll on their own well-being. If this district is truly committed to mental health and self-care, then that commitment must include the adults who are serving students every day. It

081is not enough to celebrate educators during teacher appreciation week and then offer compensation and benefits. Proposals that do not reflect the value of their work. Appreciation without action rings hollow. Respectfully, educators cannot continue to carry this district on their backs while being offered proposals that fail to reflect their worth. The truth is the truth is simple. Without its educators, this district is nothing. Schools do not function without the teachers and staff. Programs do not run with them. Student support does not happen without them. The district's mission cannot be carried out with the very people it is asking to settle for less. Because if this district truly values its employees, then that value must be visible not only in words, but in compensation, in benefits, and the everyday decisions made at the bargaining table. Thank you.

082>> Thank you. Next, we have Mr. Pedro Galindo. >> Good evening, board. I wanted to speak on a few more points regarding our salary increase request. First, cost of living. Without an onschedule salary increase last year, our members absorbed a 3.1 increase in cost of living. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics and are effectively earning less due to red due to reduced purchasing power, this year's CPI for the Los Angeles area continues at 3.2 2 and will only climb higher with the recent surge in gas price. The state of California provided 2.3 cost of living adjustment to Elman City School District and is expected to provide 2.4 and 3.1 for the 26 27 and 2728 school years respectively. In light of these facts, EMA holds the position that COLA should be considered pass

083through. In other words, COLA is the baseline. And I spoke about declining enrollment and I want to reiterate that we recognize the impact of declining enrollment, but we hold firm to the notion that EMCSD must adjust accordingly and not expect our members to absorb the consequences of reduced funding. And we're still waiting on the report of the 30 management positions that we know have increased. We realize that in some cases they're not officially management. So we eagerly await that detailed report. Regarding workload, every year our members adapt to the ever growing list of initiatives, mandated assessments, training programs, and assignment changes with little guidance or support. On average, more more than 80% of our members report working between 6 to 15 hours each week outside of the instructional time period. This represents an additional 4

084to 8 and a half hours that takes place beyond the typical 40-hour work week. At the hourly rate, this represents between 10,000 and $22,000 per year. Health care benefits. The cost of health care has risen nearly 30% over the last six years. Each year, over a third of our members pay an average of $6,000 in out-of- pocket expenses to cover family members. In light of the two million in uninsured benefits each year, members who do not use their benefits or underuse their benefits, EMA argues that these dollars should be used to support members who currently pay out of pocket for healthcare expenses. Over the past two years, 22 EMA member retirements have equal nearly 3 million in ongoing savings for the district. Additionally, every year an average of 2 million of unused health benefits gets

085reabsorbed into the district's reserves, equaling a total of 12 million for the past six years alone. Lastly, the increased spending on services and consultants contributes to the overspending at a time when those funds should be used to protect members purchasing power. Thank you our members for showing up a second time. We're here to demand fair pay and compensation. Thank you. Next we have Mr. Ronis. >> Good evening board members. Um I have nothing prepared. I just wanted to speak from the cuff and just tell you about my my truth here. Uh first and foremost, I wanted to thank you for the opportunity because I've had many opportunities this year uh to supplement my income. First and foremost, I'm dead tired today. I've been working since six o'clock in the morning and my school uh I

086participated in part of the before school program. So, I thank you for that opportunity. I've also been involved in musical theater and putting tons of hours with musical theater. I need this supplemental income because the cost of living has increased. I can't afford to eat anymore. I really can't afford to put food on the table. I live in Bueno Park. I communicate from this district every single day and I fill up my gas tank probably once every four days. I can't afford I can't afford it anymore. And I'm really asking for you to allow me to have a livable wage just simply based on my contract. I'm 54 years old. I shouldn't have to be doing these supplemental. I shouldn't have to be coming to work at 6:00 in the morning just to make that

087extra income to offset what I'm losing. The cost of living has increased. Inflation has increased. I can tell you as a teacher, I'm hurting. I'm asking you. I'm pleading with you. I think 4.75% is is a fair fair uh uh request to make. I'm asking you. I'm pleading with you. I need to survive. I need to feed my family. I need to be able to put gas in my car. I'm asking you. You say so much how you value teachers all the time. You say how much you value us. Show us. Don't tell us. Prove it to us. Please give us that livable wage. Thank you. >> Next we have Miss Janette Annayia. Good evening, members and president of the board. I'm here to speak up on behalf of our beloved elementary teachers who over

088recent years have effectively been taking wage cuts. Meanwhile, the cost of living continues to rise. We feel it in groceries, rent, and gas every day. Yet the offers being made to our teachers do not reflect that reality. When we tell our teachers their work is only worth minimal increases increases that do not even keep up with inflation, what we are really saying is that here in El Monte, our children's education is worth that same value. To be clear, the current offer is just 1.25%. less than 1% higher than the last proposal and that is something we cannot accept. Recently, as a parent of Okersonen Elementary, I have been fortunate to be able to volunteer my time at our school. And I have to admit, at times we moms joke that our school gets no love

089from the district. Yet, I choose to keep my kids here. Why? Because our school does get love from its teachers. I see it in the way they cheer during award ceremonies, celebrating our kids with genuine pride. I've seen teachers cry at the end of the year as they reflect on the growth of their students. And I know for a fact that many of these teachers spend their own money just to create meaningful memories for our children. It's important to recognize that stress and financial pressures can affect us all. When someone is caring for a loved one or struggling to make ends meet, even basic tasks can become overwhelming. That being said, how do we expect the people we trust with our future, our children, not only to teach them, but to guide and shape their

090future to give 110% every day when year after year their pay loses more and more value? Because these teachers are not just employees of a district. They are the foundation of our children's future. They help shape their character and support them in ways that go far beyond academics. Even when salary schedules look competitive on paper, many teachers still being priced out of the community are still being priced out of the communities they serve. A district cannot claim to value education while expecting educators to fall behind financially year after year. If we truly value our children, we must show it by valuing the people who dedicate their lives to teaching them. So I ask you, President, and members of the board, superintendent, who hasn't looked up once, how much is our children's education worth to you?

091We cannot afford to lose these incredible teachers. How committed are you in fighting to keep them? Thank you. Thank you. Next we have Mars Spinoza. >> Good evening everyone. Um, I'm coming to you as a special education teacher who is often put at risk because we don't have uh substitutes for our instructional aids who are absent. We often get emails that say, "So and so is out today and unfortunately there are no subs available. Have a good day." Now, I don't know if you know, but I had a student punch me in the face and break my nose. We were fully staffed that day, but the person who was responsible for working with this student was not appropriately trained. So, that's just like having an absent person in the room. I'm asking the board to

092seriously consider bringing on more classified staff. I understand that there's uh money is tied, but we need them. We had one uh non-cat classroom today. We're both ISS were out. So, what happens? The teacher doesn't take her break. She doesn't take her lunch. She stays with her kids. That should not be happening. We have a contracted company for support staff and yet there never seems to be enough. And I understand that there is an order in which support staff goes. Our medically fragile are first as they should be. But by the time you get to non-cat, we're way down at the bottom and there never seems to be enough. And that is unacceptable. That creates exhaustion, fear, anxiety, and stress in our teachers. And I just ask that you please consider making some accommodations to

093help our teachers be successful. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next, we have Miss Shantal Cravens. Thank you. Good evening, president, board members, superintendent, and community members. My name is Shantel Craravens. I am a 36-year veteran teacher in this district. Teachers, raise your hand if you have at least 20 years experience. >> 20. Thank you. Now, raise your hand if you're in your first five years of teaching. I applaud you. According to current trends in education, career teachers are disappearing. Why, may you ask? Stagnant wages for one. Teacher salaries have not kept pace with the cost of living. According to statistics, 50% of teachers leave the profession within the first five years. The loss of experienced educators reduces stability within schools. I'm proud to stand here tonight on behalf of the teachers of this district and

094our union. I am here to ask that you honor our request for a 4.75% raise. Last year, educators in this district received a 0% raise. During that same year, the cost of living did not stay flat. As a result, we are living with the incredible shrinking paycheck. When we ask for a 4.75 raise this year, we are being reasonable. We are asking merely to try and keep pace with inflation and costs that are choking us. A 4.75% simply prevents dedicated professionals from falling further behind financially. After a year of 0%, many teachers are effectively taking a pay cut. Teachers are feeling this deeply. Yet every morning they still show up for students with patience, compassion, creativity, love, and commitment. Caring about students should not require sacrificing financial stability for our own families. We sat here

095last month while the schoolboards school board spoke about providing quality education for students. Tonight, we ask you to demonstrate that value. A 4.75% raise is not excessive. It is respectful. It is reasonable. We are not standing here as your adversaries. We are your partners. Elevating our paycheck elevates education. Supporting your educators is one of the clearest investments you can make. Thank you. Next we have Elaine Graph. >> Good evening Dr. Gar Dr. Garcia Board of Education and Cabinet. My name is Elaine Graph. I came a few weeks a few months ago and spoke to you about how the salaries have not kept up with housing prices and even milk prices since 1989. I also told you I might retire and I am. I'm retiring with 37 years of service to the district. I want to

096com I want to comment on the offer that Mr. Salenbach advised us about today. He included the benefits allowance in the proposed raise an additional 65% to the offer of 1.25% on the salary scale. He gives a number of 2.52% as a raise. The problem is I would not get 2.52%. I do not need a bit additional benefits. I need the raise to be on my salary to help my pension. I would not benefit from that number. I am single and have no dependence. I just went had a meeting with Devon in the afternoon about benefits and thankfully, you know, there's there's been generosity of the district. I have no additional contributions that I need to make for my health coverage. So it seems that unless I would receive the difference between what I need

097and the increased benefits that is being proposed, then this is not an equitable raise for people like me. Um if there is an increase in benefits that I don't need, then please give me the differential as part of my salary to determine my pension. In addition, there was included something about stipens, and I wouldn't benefit from that. And this this contract is for 2526. I'm not going to be teaching next year, so I can't even try to get a stipent. Um, members of the board, I ask you to please direct the district negotiating team to provide a fair raise on the salary schedule so it will benefit all of us equally. including my fellow retirements and me. We could really use the raise for setting our pensions. That would be a great way to honor

098us for our over 300 years of service talked about earlier. I'm going to add something now a little off cuff. I am retiring a year before I wanted to because my class has so many behavior problems. Our hands are tied in how we can discipline students. And I'm I'm serious. I have been so stressed out. It is so hard to teach now. When I started in 1989 compared to now, my burden of preparation, the the behaviors I'm having to deal with and so on are so difficult. Please find out from us individually. Talk to us how hard it is for us. Thank you. Do we have any written communications? >> We did receive one written communication. >> Okay. Thank you. Right. Um, thank you so much for everyone who spoke today. Um, as a board,

099we always appreciate we listen. That's part of our role. We're not able to respond back, but do realize that again part of our role is to listen to ensure that we're providing the direction that needs to be given to um for our district. Next, for close session, we will be going over two items. close session item pursuant to government code 54957.6 conference of labor negotiators EMETA CCA 10 and CCA 356 and item two close session item pursuant to government code public employee performance evaluation of the superintendent. Thank you. Welcome back. We are resuming our open meeting for the Mon City School District at 8:23 p.m. During close session, no item no action was taken for item one and item two. Okay. Next, we have approval of minutes. Do I have a motion for the consideration

100of approval for the April 20th, 2026 board meeting minutes? >> I'll make the motion. A motion by Miss Kobon. Is there a second? >> Second by Miss Bara. Any discussion or questions? All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? >> The motion carries 4 Z. Next we have reports. We have a report on the 2526 certificated employee admin ratio. >> Uh good evening. Before you for uh just review is our annual um admin to certificated employee ratio. Uh, as mentioned earlier, this was a report that uh, many years ago was required to be um, completed and submitted to the California Department of Education. Uh, that is no longer the case, but we continue to utilize it just as kind of a framework for um, you know, ensuring that that we're appropriately staffed, especially

101within our administrative areas. >> Are there any questions? >> Okay. Next, we have our action and consent agenda. Are there any items um a board member would like to pull separately to vote at this time? Right. I will now ask for a motion for the action and consent agenda. >> I move to approve the action consent agenda. >> Motion by Miss Rivas. Is there a second? >> Second by Miss Bartam. Any questions or discussion? All in favor say I. I. I. >> Any opposed? >> The motion carries. 4 Z. Next we have our action item starting with number one, consideration of approval of purchase orders. >> Members of the governing board, this is the purchase order report for the prior month. We have 425 purchase orders on the report totaling $1.3 million. >> Do I

102have a motion for item one? >> Motion to approve. >> Motion by Miss Sparta. Is there a second? >> Second by Miss Kobon. Any questions or discussion? All in favor say I. >> I. Okay. Any opposed? >> I abstain. >> The motion carries three zero with one abstain. Next item two, consideration of approval of resolution 2526, school year number 39, delinquent tax receivables assignment. >> This is a routine item that comes once every three years. A resolution allows us to continue participating in the joint powers authority that we are a part of uh where we sell off delinquent taxes to the GPA. Um and they um in turn uh sell them at a premium of 110% roughly uh generates about $8,000 a year of additional unrestricted income into uh the district's budget annually. >> Thank

103you. Is there a motion for item two? >> I'll make the motion. Motion by Miss Kobe. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Second by Miss Rubas. Any questions or discussion? >> All in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? >> The motion carries 40. Next we have item three, consideration of approval of resolution 2526 number 42, reduction of employees requiring child development permit. >> Uh good evening. Before you for consideration is resolution 252642. It's a reduction of uh child development permit teachers. As we do staffing uh each and every year we look at the number of positions needed uh based on program needs and so on. Um and so for the coming school year we have identified that we must reduce by one um child development instructor. Um and so this resolution gives

104us the ability to provide a 60-day notice to that employee. Um and so that way we can go through the process. uh in the end um there are times where someone resigns because they're going elsewhere and that person's brought back but uh we we must uh submit this within that time frame in order to provide notice for 60 days. >> Thank you. Is there a motion for item three? >> I'll make the motion. >> Motion by Miss Kobon. Is there a second? >> Second by Miss Bara. Are there any questions or discussion? All in favor say I. >> I. I. Any opposed? >> The motion carries for a zero. Next we have item four, consideration of approval of resolution 2526 number 41, non-remployment of classified employees. >> Um before you is resolution 252641. Um it's

105the formal layoff notice for uh classified employees within our csea 10 bargaining unit. Um this goes back to the March 9th board meeting where we issued a resolution identifying uh positions in which we wanted to reduce. Um and so this is the formal notice that actually provides a a layoff notice to these individuals. Um with the idea that the next item on the agenda is a memorandum of understanding and agreement with the association um identifying how we will um address the layoffs and actually provide the opportunity for um employees to switch their hours so we can resend the layoffs. In order um for us to do this and to ensure that we're um covering all bases in case that um memorandum of understanding doesn't pass, we must go forward with just this portion of it,

106which is a formal layoff process. >> Is there a motion for item four? >> Motion by Miss Bara. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Second by Miss Ras. Any questions or discussion? >> All in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? >> The motion carries 4 Z. Next we have item five, consideration of approval of MCSD, CSCA and its Almani Alman Elementary chapter 10 effects of layoff memorandum of understanding. >> Uh thank you. So this is the actual memorandum of understanding which sort of lays out the process that we will follow which is um allowing us in agreement to shift hours for our library media technicians and for our attendance uh clerks um to a later portion in the day. Um, it also, um, allows the employee the ability to, um, at least

107three times within a month, um, if they need to shift their their schedule for, um, daycare or something of that, it gives them that sort of right to because we wanted to make sure that if we're asking employees to shift their hours, um, there may be situations where they may need some support. So, we we wanted to write that into that memorandum of understanding as well. The next piece on that is going to be um your instructional support specialist which is part of our head start program. Um again this is another area where every year they're shifting shifting in positions because of program needs. Um and so we have identified um how we will actually lay out the process um for allowing instructional assistance where their position may be eliminated because that program is eliminated

108and how they can apply to the other opening. So while we're uh removing some positions, we're adding positions on the other side. So it's it identifies that process as well. >> Thank you. Is there a motion for item five? >> I'll make the motion. >> Motion by Miss Kobe. Is there a second? >> Second by Miss Barta. Any questions or discussion? All in favor say I. >> I. The motion carries 4. Next we have item six, consideration of approval of declaration of need for the fully qualified educators for the 2627 school year. >> Uh thank you for so before you for consideration is our declaration of needs which we um complete every year and we submit to uh the CDE. Uh this is just identifies um what we list as could be potential positions. We

109don't anticipate them. But if we come into a lastm minute situation where we must hire for an open position and we're not able to find a credentialed person and if we have to utilize um a stip or a PIP which are permits uh um years ago they were emergency credentials now they call them STIPS and PIPS in order for us to utilize that process um we would have to have this already in place and submitted to the CDE. If we didn't, we would then have to wait for a board meeting, bring it to you, um, get it approved, then send it up there, wait for them to accept it before we can even hire in that position. So, while we don't anticipate the actual need for the positions listed, we sort of try to identify

110potential areas that could come out of the blue and at times could be harder um, to fill with credentials um, and list those on there as a precautionary measure. >> Thank you. Do we have a motion for item six? Motion >> motion by Miss Baralta. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Second by Miss Rivas. Any questions or discussion? All in favor say I. I. >> I. Any opposed? >> The motion carries 4 Z. Next we have item seven, consideration of approval of certificated personnel matters. >> So traditionally this has been a um an action consent item. Uh but because of uh some of the people that we are bringing on board uh we uh brought it for an action because we do believe there needs to be an abstension. >> Okay. Is there

111a motion for item seven? >> I move to approve item seven. >> Okay. Motion by uh Miss Rias. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Second by Miss Kobe. Any questions or discussion? All in favor say I. I. >> I. Any opposed? >> I abstain. And the motion carries 30 >> 301 and then one abst >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> What's the verb for that? >> Abstension. >> Absention. Thank you. >> Okay. Next we have item A, consideration of approval of management position, director of nutrition services. Members of the governing board, we're pleased to recommend to you tonight uh Miss Gur Kina Oa as our director of nutrition services. Uh we thank Miss Jenny Lee for all the years of service um and elevating the the work in her nutrition services department. Uh

112Kina joins us from the Wood Union High School District. previously serving at West Coven Unified School District and most importantly she started her illustrious career in the Monte City School District um many years ago serving um when we had all these nutrition education grants uh during the great recession years. Um so before you today is a recommendation for Miss Kino Ya as our director of nutrition services. >> Thank you. Is there a motion for item eight? >> Motion by Miss Bara. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Second by Miss Kobon. Any questions or discussion? Congratulations, by the way. Welcome back. >> All right. >> Did you call for the vote? >> I called for the vote. >> You didn't call for the vote. >> I know. I'm >> Was pausing. Do it. All

113in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? >> Motion carries 4 Z. >> Congratulations. >> It's late. It's late. Okay, >> next we have our board. Am I Are we good? >> Yes. I I just want to take this opportunity to acknowledge that Miss Binoa is in the audience and we always uh give our um people that are coming back to the district or that are being hired the opportunity to just say a few words. >> So, while you're making your way to the microphone, just I want to say welcome home. >> Thank you. It it definitely feels this way. It's been 15 years and um it just feels like a dream. I'm super excited to be back. Um I can't wait to work with everybody. Um bring back some of the knowledge that I've

114gained in the last few years. Um but I think more than anything, I'm super humbled uh to come and once again have the opportunity to learn and grow with the Elmont City School District community. Um it's really been a dream of mine to come back and I'm here. So I'm so happy. Thank you everybody. I can't wait to see all the wonderful things that we'll do together. >> Awesome. >> All right. Moving on to our board policy update second reading. >> Do we have a motion for the approval of our board policy update second readings for items 1 through 18? I so move a motion by Miss Rivas. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Second by Miss Kobe. Any questions or discussion? All in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? Any abstensions?

1154 Z. Motion carries 40. Next we have our future discussion items. Is there any items anyone would like to add at this time for future discussion? Okay. Well, then that adjourns tonight's meeting at 8:37 p.m.