GUSD Board Meeting - April 23rd, 2026

001Hey, it is 7:07. I am calling the meeting to order. And before we begin tonight's meeting, Trustee Michelle Nelson has requested to participate remotely pursuant to the Brown Act teleconferencing provisions under government code section 54953.8.3 due to a just cause circumstance. Under the Brown Act, Trustee Nelson is permitted to attend remotely so long as she publicly states the general nature of the qualifying reason and confirms whether any other individuals over the age of 18 are present in the room with her. Trusty Nelson, would you please confirm your request and make the required disclosures? >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, we can hear you. >> Okay. Um, I am participating remotely because of illness and I can confirm that no other individuals over the age of 18 are present in the room with me except

002my two except my cats. >> Thank you, Trusty Nelson. Because the trustee is uh participating remotely under the Brown Act teleconferencing provisions, members of the public may also observe and participate in the meeting remotely. Members of the public may access the meeting by visiting the GUSD YouTube page linked on the board agenda. Members of the public wishing to provide public comment remotely may do so by emailing the board executive assistant Lucy Werta during the meeting at lucy.werta Wera hue rer ta gilroy ununifi.org um and this is also reflected in the agenda. Okay. Um hey al hey hey alen kesita. Oh I'm sorry. I I sorry I Aluen Gay interpreter. This meeting is being recorded or broadcasted. Images and sounds may be captured of those attending the meeting. We will start with the pledge of allegiance.

003If everyone could please stand. >> Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Um, this is a roll call vote. Can I get an approval for the agenda? >> Move approval. >> I'll second. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. >> Twin Fak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. Kenny Moreno, >> yes. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. >> Linda Peno, >> yes. >> Honchu Yi Baker, >> yes. Thank you. >> All right, now we get to the fun stuff, the recognitions. Right. Good evening board, uh, our students, community members, uh, and staff. It is my honor tonight to recognize our senior Edy Hack from Gilroy High School who has served as student board rep to the board of education during the 202526 school year. Like her colleagues, Edie has provided valuable insights from

004a student's perspective to the board through monthly reports that presented information about what was going on at GHS and also what was happening at our elementary and middle schools. And during her reports, she often presented uh an update on Gilroy High, but also one of the schools that she was assigned. Um I want to share a little bit more about Edie with the board and the members of the public. Her favorite class at Gilroy High was leadership because it brought her so many new friendships and memories. She also had fun getting to plan events and bring other students visions and ideas to life. During high school, Edy was involved in student life and student events on campus and also serving her community through volunteer work. Her post-graduation plans are to have fun, adventurous summer before

005attending Chico State as a pre-law major. Go Wildcats. We asked Edie what she learned by serving as a Gilroy High student board rep this year. And she s and she shared that she is a more confident speaker who represents her community with pride. Edie, has been a joy to have you. It's been a joy to have you um present on behalf of your school and other schools in our district. Uh congla congratulations and thank you. And on a personal note, uh I know many of us have seen Edie in this boardroom from the time she was about this little. Um when did you start coming to our board meetings, Edie? How old were you? Elementary school, right? and I still remember she would sit through the entire meeting and not fall asleep. So, uh, great

006leadership. Uh, congratulations, Edie. We are so proud of you and we wish you all the best as you head off to college. That's just something Okay. Um, we have no general public comment, so we will do a report of action taken in close session for case number 2026-9. Um, can I have a roll call vote or a motion? Sorry. Motion. >> Move to expel. >> I second that. [clears throat] >> Oh, >> no. >> Roll call. [clears throat] >> No. And now move to the sus. >> And I move again to suspend the expulsion. >> Don't we have to vote first on >> Where's Michelle? >> Go ahead. >> No, no, no, no, no. >> Vote first and then change it. You Michelle. >> Yes. >> There you go. >> Yes. So, can I have

007a roll call vote, please? >> Yes. >> Jennifer Delbono, yes. Twin FAK, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. Kenny Moreno, >> you can abstain. >> Okay, I'll abstain. I wasn't here. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. >> Linda Peno, >> yes. >> Honchu Ye Baker, >> yes. Thank you. [clears throat] Do I have a second motion? >> Yes. You have a second motion to suspend the expulsion. >> I'll second that. Okay. Roll call vote. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. >> Twin Fak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. Kenny Moreno, >> obstain. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. >> Linda Peno, >> yes. >> Honu Yi Baker, >> yes. [clears throat] Okay. Case number 2026-16. Can I have a motion? >> Move to expel. >> I second. >> Roll call vote. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes.

008>> Twinfak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. >> Kenny Moreno, >> abstain. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. Linda Peno, >> yes. >> Honchu Ybaker, >> yes. >> Thank you. >> Case number 2026-17. Can I have a motion? >> Move to expel. >> I'll second. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. >> Twin Fak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. >> Kenny Moreno, >> abstain. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. >> Linda Piseno, >> yes. >> Honu Yaker, >> yes. >> Thank you. Now we are on to our student board report. Miss Hack. [clears throat] Good evening, Dr. Munchie, board president Fiak, and board trustees. Thank you for having me this evening to share with you what has been going on at our schools one last time. This year has gone by so quickly and I am

009as excited as I am to graduate. It's also so bittersweet to have to say goodbye and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to share and meet with all of you. I have the honor of representing South Valley as well as ghs tonight which is exciting as I did attend there for middle school and I got to reach out to my old elementary school principal who is now South Valley's principal. So that was super exciting. A quick recap, they had band certs which seemed to have been a blast. lunchtime field day activities, a talent show, and the eighth graders got to go on a field trip to Deansza College. GHS students just got to go on a Gablin field trip and loved it. So, I'm sure the eighth graders had just as much

010fun. Coming up, they have a band performance at Santa Cruz, which is so cool and a great opportunity for the kids. On May 8th, they have flag football, which should be fun, and a YP CSB field trip, which I remember was so fun and made us all more interested in college. It also made us really excited for the cafeteria food. SPAC is having an anti-bullying poster making contest, and on May 22nd, they have Tiger Fest and a visit from the fifth graders on May 26th. And lastly, to end off the year, their eighth grade promotion on June 10th. Last time I presented, I mentioned these events, so I thought I'd give a recap and brag a little on how great they were. Starting with athletics, we hosted our midc wrestling tournament the weekend of January

01123rd. This is considered one of the toughest tournaments in the country and host about 100 teams from the CCS, state of California, as well as Nevada, Oregon, and Oklahoma. It was a great turnout and ran very smoothly. There were about 80 student volunteers each day, and they did a great job, and we could not have done it without them. Basketball intram murals is something all of us students really enjoy going to at lunch, hanging out, and supporting our friends and teachers. It's so funny to see our teachers absolutely demolish their friends in a game and then have to have their class right after. And as expected, the staff did end up winning the tournament. We then started soccer inter murals, too, and it is helping support our boys soccer team for next year's season. The

012spring sports season started and things are going great. We have senior nights coming up and you are welcome to come out and support the seniors and their team. We are almost at the end of the season. FFA had their third annual community farm day, which is an amazing event for the whole community. It is so fun for kids to go and visit the farm and get to do fun activities like seeing all the farm animals, a petting zoo with a giant bunny, face painting, arts and crafts, and so many more things. FFA does a great job giving the community an opportunity to learn about the program and agriculture in general. FFA also celebrated their state degree recipients and sectional and regional proficiency winners at the South Coast region state degree and proficiency awards ceremony at

013Hartnell College. The award is only awarded to 3% of members across California. So huge congratulations to those who received it. Also a shout out to our assistant principal spun who was also honored as the star sectional administrator this year. They also has some upcoming fundraisers and events that you should go check out and support. For activities update, we have the Mustang Expo, which couldn't have gone better. There was a great turnout and a lot of excited families and students. It was also a really full circle moment from being one of the freshmen learning about all the great things Gary offers to helping them out and teaching them out about our school. As a senior, we had our club rush, which was amazing and got people excited and socializing, which is always nice. It really helped

014a lot of our clubs get new members as well. There were almost 700 students who received honor role, which is amazing. and the parent club gave us a fun treat and it was so excited and it was so good to see everyone's hard work being recognized. February 2nd to the 6th was school counselors week. Student presented their AC's with a banner written flowers to show our love and appreciation for all they do. Then our amazing marine science teacher took us to the aquarium in February and it was so much fun and so cool to get to see up close all the things we've been learning about in action. So, thank you so much to Miss England for that wonderful experience. Lastly, we had our ASB elections that went very well and I think next year's

015officers and commissioners are going to be really good. I know they are going to make great things happen for GHS and I'm really excited for the wonderful student Glad Mesa taking on my role as board rep next year. She's going to do amazing. For our multicultural week, we had the opportunity from to have different types of representations for all the different cultures we have in our school. Throughout the week, we had activities organized by clubs and ASB like Latinx activities and a performance from Aztec Dance Club. The Asian-American Pacific Islander Club hosted an amazing performance by the San Jose State's Lion Dancers that wowed us all and drew everyone's attention. We also had a rally that had great participation in some really fun games that everyone was in really into including the staff. Last Saturday

016we celebrated the junior senior prom at Willow Heights mansion. It was such a beautiful venue. No matter what part of the mansion you are at, the view is like stunning. There were so many attendees that we sold out on tickets and even had a really long waiting list, which is something we always love to see because it means we're doing something right. our upcoming events. We are hosting gifted games tomorrow which we are all so excited about. It is something all students love to help with. Students have so much fun interacting with all the athletes from the different schools. I have talked to several of our ghs athletes and they are really excited to see some of their former teachers from middle or elementary school. Seniors actually had a senior ditch day scheduled but it

017was canceled because nobody wanted to miss the gifted games. [laughter] We also have a couple spirit weeks coming up which should be fun and we expect to have lots of participation. On April 30th we have the student market which I'm really glad we are having a second market because the first one was super good and had great opportunity for our students. We have AP testing May 4th through the 15th. So wish us luck. And then we have teacher appreciation week May 4th to the 8th and we are looking forward to working with the parent club to make sure all of our teachers feel really appreciative for everything we put them through. And then on May 13th, we have multilingual recognition banquet, which is a really great event for our students being reclassified and it's a

018really special night. And then we have senior awards night on May 19th. And I know we are all hoping to receive scholarships and are looking forward to be recognized for our accomplishments. I decided day celebration is on May 20th. And lastly, we have senior sunset. And I'm really excited and hopefully we'll have a nice sunset unlike our cloudy morning we had for senior sunrise. And then lastly, we have graduation, which is so bittersweet. And as exciting and relieving as it is, we are also pretty sad to say goodbye. But I know everyone will do great things. And that concludes my presentation. Thank you so much for the honor it has been to present to you this past year. It has been a pleasure getting to share with all of you and such an amazing opportunity.

019Being the board rep really feels like a full circle moment from when I was little coming to the board meetings with my mom. It is an experience I would always remember fondly. If there are any questions or comments, please refer please feel free to ask me. Thank you. >> I think my comment would be I look forward to seeing you on the dis in about five years. >> Yes. Thank you. [laughter] Thank you for that great presentation as always. Uh next up we have our superintendent report. Thank you so much for your report, Evie. Um for my report this week, um on March 5th uh March 25th, it's it's been a busy um it's that time of the year. We have a few more weeks. If I ask the students, I'm sure they know exactly

020how many days we have left of school. Okay, who wants to I see some headnots. How many school days? 35. There you go. See, I knew it. [laughter] So, we are wrapping up this school year and it's just been busy, a lot of school visits and events. On March 25th, um Mr. Mesa and I presented at the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce. Uh we shared updates on just district business, uh the progress and some of the initiatives u that we have uh taken on in the district. On March 27th, um we went to attend the YMCA Asset Champions Awards uh in Campbell. April 6th through 10th, uh students were out for spring break. April 13th, um we Mr. Mesa again, we went um to the Gilroy Foundation. No, sorry, I'm taking this back. We uh on

021April 13th, Gilroy Foundation Youth Board. Um I went I was invited to uh attend their last session for this year. We have 45 students from Gilroy Unified that are part of the board this year and uh most of them were there that night at the bowling alley. So it was fun to hang out with them. Um on April [clears throat] 14th, Mr. Mesa and I presented at u the Gilroy uh Rotary, the daytime Rotary. Uh it was the same presentation and as you can see Dr. Flores, she's a member as well, so she joined us and she actually introduced me. Uh on April 15th, we had our non-sight leadership meeting. April 15th, we had our um session with the students youth advisory committee meeting. This we have one more meeting and we will be sending

022um you invites. We hope you can all attend the final presentations that the students will be making on May 6th at 6:00 here in the boardroom. This is our second year doing this and we are very proud of the work that the students do at the schools and the projects that they have taken on this year. So Lucy will be sending out invites. Um on April 17th um uh Sonia and I took five of the youth advisory students up to Santa Clara for the annual um kids in common uh children's summit. Uh this is an event I attended many many years ago. I attended several while I was working at the county office of fed and I remember thinking why are there no students from Gilroy over here even though this is a Santa Clara

023event there was no representation from Gilroy. So this was really important. Um they just had a change their new executive director when she came on board I reached out and I said we would love to bring our kids over. So, uh, unfortunately, we could not take all 20, uh, but they only had, uh, spots for five, but, um, again, it was such a proud moment. There were two student panels that day. Um, and I'm not saying this because I'm partial, uh, and I love our GUSD kids. Our student panel, and Sonia's sitting there nodding, they were amazing. They did not read from their phones. Nothing was scripted. um they had practiced but but they spoke very confidently and keep in mind this is a room filled with over hundred um adults uh elected officials uh

024superintendent um board members uh members of the community lots of CBOS uh so it was really a proud moment for us to see our students just shine uh they talked about um some of the topics the questions were around issues that students face in today's times U they also shared some ideas of how uh just some uh things that could be done to to address those issues. But most importantly the last question was um what do they need from the district and the county? What kind of support do they need? And they they were very confident and shared what they would like to see. Uh so great uh great uh event for us. On April 21st, we had our SPACK meeting and 23rd, uh, which was earlier today. Um, oh, great job, Melanie. You already

025put the picture. Uh, we had a visit by, uh, the CSBA president and several board members from across Santa Clara County. This was just something that came up a couple of weeks ago. I think they were visiting some CTE programs and asked if they could visit our high schools. they only had 45 minutes. So, I had to talk to both the principles to see um which schedule would work better uh for for their visit. They were um and I'm sure you'll talk about it, but they they were really impressed. So, we took them to Christopher High um and we took them through the computer science classes and the digital um academy. U they were they were they left very impressed. So, again, another proud moment for our district. Uh some of the complet uh spring

026visits we are wrapping up Lujia Priya uh elementary Gilroy Prep School, South Valley Middle, Solarzano, Elliott Gekka, Mount Madonna High School, Elroy and Gilroy High and we only have two more left for this year for spring. Christopher High School in Brownell. And then tomorrow we have our gifted games which we are hosting this year at Gilroy High School. I I hope uh you're able to join us tomorrow morning. Also later tomorrow we will be celebrating uh Tracy Yip uh for AXA awards um in Campbell and two of our and our student Adrien Rodriguez uh Rodriguez. April 24th in the morning we have um uh the run for fitness at Gilroy High School and later that evening we will have some more recognitions. Um we have uh let's see what are we doing? We have the

027spice of life awards honoring uh Briad Lorenzo and then two of our students from Christopher Chioma Okiki and Madison Dutra. That'll be on u Saturday evening. Uh also it's a super busy weekend. We have two teams going to um attend the CD awards ceremony honoring Gekka for California Distinguished School and Gilroy High for Exemplary um arts education award. So we have several staff members that'll be attending those events. So we've all kind of assigned different events because it's a super busy weekend. So we we are all um going to different places. April 28th is Capacito with the counselors and then on April 29th um the board all of you trustees have already received uh the invite for future chefs of America. I hope you can join us. Uh before I wrap up, I just wanted

028to um just a shout out for uh our administrative assistants districtwide. Uh I want to celebrate them this week. They truly are the glue that they keep our schools together. uh the work that we do and sometimes it's again behind a lot of behind the-scenes work but our schools would not be able to function uh seamlessly without the work that all our administrative assistants uh do every day. So thank you um to all our administrative assistants. We just wanted to shout out uh that concludes my report. Thank you, Dr. Munchi. Next up is item six, our consent agenda. This will be a roll call vote as well. Can I get a motion? >> Move to approve. >> Second. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. >> Twin Fak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. >> Kenny

029Moreno, >> yes. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. >> Linda Peno, >> yes. >> Honchu Yaker, >> yes. Thank you. >> Thank you. Now we're on to item seven, public hearing on the Gilroy Unified School District's initial proposal to the California Schools Employees Association Local Chapter 69 for contract reopeners for the 2025 2026 school year. >> Good evening, President Fak, members of the board, Superintendent Munchi. I'm here to present in this um public hearing the district's proposal to the community and to the board for contract reopeners for the 2526 school year with CSEA and we are providing the public as well as the board with all of the items that we plan and intend to open. >> Okay, I am closing the public hearing seeing as there's no public comment. Now we're on to item 8A.

030Gilroy High School a science future farmers of America program. This is an information item and we will get be getting a presentation. Good evening board. Um, I before we begin with our presentation, I'd like to take this moment to thank you for allowing our officer team to present about our program. My name is Aaliyah Paleo and I've had the pleasure of teaching at Gilipe High School for the past 5 years. Um, I teach a science one, a biology, vet science, and a government and economics. Good evening everyone. I'm Angelie Gutierrez and I teach agricultural chemistry and floral design and is this is my first year teaching at Gilroy High School. Hello everyone. My name is Britney Bean. I teach farmtotable and this is also my first year at Gilroy High School. And now we're going

031to hand it off to our officer team and let them introduce themselves and talk a bit more about our program. Good de good evening board. Um, my name is McKenna Cooper and I am currently serving as the vice president at large of Gilory FFA. >> Hello everyone. My name is Francisco Diaz and I'm currently serving as a vice president of committees. >> Hello. My name is Madison C. And our president is Isabella Alvarez Rubio, but she could not make it tonight due to illness. So, first off, we just wanted to start out by reading you guys um the FFA mission statement. So it is FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of um students [clears throat] by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. And we also

032wanted to show you that the FFA program is composed of the three- ring model. So this is our three- ring model that makes up the successful agricultural program at GY High. So the first component is classroom which is an important part of a successful agricultural program um lies in the curriculum in the classroom. The second component is SAE or supervised agricultural experience. So these are projects that provide members with hands-on learning experiences that are needed to apply their classroom knowledge with real life situations. And our third comp component is FFA and leadership. So this provides opportunities, develops life skills, promotes leadership and gives students a positive atmosphere to develop friendships and have fun. >> Okay. So moving on to the classes that um we offer at GHS are related to agriculture. So we have a

033science and a biology which are freshman classes. Agriculture, chemistry is for sophomores, farm-to-table, floral and vet science being our elective classes available for juniors and seniors. And finally, a government and economics being for our seniors. Um, so one of our, as we mentioned, one of our components of agricultural education of the three- ring model is our supervised agricultural experience projects. So SAES are projects that are related in some way to the agricultural industry and all members in FFA are required to complete an SAPE project. So these are the four different types of SAE projects. So beginning with exploratory. So the exploratory SAE projects are designed to help students become more knowledgeable in the seven areas of agriculture. And one of the examples of an explor of an exploratory SAE project that we offer at Gway

034High School is our greenhouse which um is integrated into the classes and the the classes often go out to the greenhouse to um participate in activities there. Um we also have our research SAE project. So our research and experimentation SAE is a science-based exper experience using a science lab or an environmental site for study. So our a biology classes as well as our a science and vet science classes actually have this kind of project integrated during the fall semester. So our um our adviserss teach those students how to complete this project and walk them through it in class and they are able to choose a project area that is related to agriculture that they would like to focus on for that project. Um we also have our placement essaes. So an a placement SAPE is

035a program that involves the placement of students on farms in aggra businesses in school facilities or in community facilities to provide a more learning by doing experience. So I actually did a placement SAPE um which was volunteering at the animal shelter in the vet clinic. And then we also have our entrepreneurship sesses which are kind of similar to placement except in entrepreneurship the student will personally own all or part of an enterprise in agriculture or related area. And what an example of that is Francisco actually has his own landscaping business as an SAPE project. And then this is our AT data analysis for last school year. And AT, if you're not familiar with it, is um AT, which is also known as agricultural experience tracker, is our online record book system that is used by

036all FFA members to track their hours within FFA activities in their SAPE projects and as well as their financial records. So for last school year, our our chapter's direct total investment was um $79,000. Our total leadership engagement was over 12,000 over 1,200 hours. Um, our total economic impact value was over $232,000. And then our to our chapter's total community service hours was 2900 hours. >> Okay. So, what is FFA? FFA is an integral part of agriculture education under the California Education Code 52454. It works with classroom instructions and SAE to help students apply what they learn in classroom to real life situations. Is a part of the curriculum and is graded as part of the course. Moving on to membership and demographics. So our FFA chapter has 321 students which is a 42.6% 6% increase

037from last year with the help with our middle school recruitment and our new farm-to-table class. Our chapter is very diverse with 63.9% being Hispanic and many other backgrounds. This shows that FFA is growing and open to anyone no matter your race, cultures, and beliefs. Moving on to a little bit of data involving our chapter. So from the previous school year, the 2024 to 2025 school year, our chapter um recognized 10 state degree recipients, which the state degree is a degree offered to FFA members who have shown excellence in our program through their SAPE dedication and leadership participation. And we recognized three sectional proficiency winners, two regional proficiency winners, and one state proficiency winner. We also had one regional star in aggra science and then one regional officer and three sectional officers. All this data from

038our previous school year allowed our chapter to gain chapter of the year award last October. Moving on into our current school year, the 2025 to 2026, we have received eight state degree recipients, six sectional proficiency winners, four regional proficiency winners, one star in aggra science and one regional star in aggra science and three sectional officers. Moving on into a bit of data involving our general uh chapter. We have four overnight trips and we have 36 total off-campus activities, over 102 onampus activities, 30 competitive events, six leadership conferences, two fairs, and we have eight teacher professional development events. And to touch on some of those activities that Ben mentioned, um, one of our most common activities are our monthly chapter meetings. Um, the purpose of those meetings is to inform our members on what our chapter

039has done in the past month and any upcoming events that they can choose to participate in. Um, which includes any spirit days, dress up days, competitions, and our financial report of the month. Um they also we also as an officer team plan fun activities for our members to participate in at these meetings so that we can build community in our chapter. Um in addition to that we also host two spirit weeks throughout the school year. We have one in October for our first year members um to help integrate them into our program and help them start making those connections within our chapter. And then we also have our FFA week to educate our members on the history and importance of FFA in our daily lives. On top of that, we also um our program offers

040several conferences for our members that allow them to build leadership skills and meet people from across the state and make new friends. And last but not least, our chapter also participates in several community service activities. And to name a few, we do participate annually in the Christmas parade in town. And we also recently had our Gilroy garden plant sale where students were able to volunteer to help sell these plants to the community. Okay. And next up is our FFA competitions. Through our program, um, our members are given the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of competitions that are sectioned into two categories, LDEs and CDEs. LDEs, also known as leadership development events, help our students through boosting their public speaking skills. Our chapter offers a variety of these including creed speaking, impromptu and extemporaneous

041public speaking, prepared public speaking, job interview, and Elcredo in which we've recently had a student place fourth overall in the entire state. CDEs are equally important to the program. Um, known as career development events, they further the technical abilities of our students through hands-on experiences that take place outside of the classroom. Examples of these offered by our chapter include team events such as BIG, also known as bestin informed greenhand, cooperative marketing, veterinary science, farm power, horse judging, and floral design. These teams have also had a huge success rate, placing highly at both the sectional and state levels. Many of these competitions also grant our students the abilities the ability to tour colleges across the state of California, exploring future education and career pathways in addition to fostering skills that boost our chances at future success.

042Thank you. In our school chapter, Gilray, students can run for office officer positions such as president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, reporter, historian, and sentinel like me. Through these roles, students can have the opportunities to organize meetings and develop real world skills through their management of events like monthly meetings, FA week, and farm day. Above chapter leadership officers, members can pursue sectional, regional, state, and even national leadership positions. Opportunities like these allow members to represent our school, create greater professional networks, and advocate for agricultural literacy on much larger scales. FA also provides leadership conferences where students attend workshops focused on public speaking, teamwork, career readiness, and decision-m such as GLC, MF, ALA, and state conference. These conferences help students build confidence and prepare for careers in agriculture and leadership roles in and out of our communities.

043Something our chapter really likes to touch on is community service and partnerships. Every year we have an annual canned food drive and hygiene drive where we ask students to come and bring canned food or hygiene products and we collect them and we donate them to local shelters to deliver to people who may need them. Other volunteer opportunities that we give to our general membership include the LJB pumpkin patch, the Gilroy rodeo, and the Gilroy garden club. Something else that we do as a officer team for the community is we travel to the middle schools and give them a presentation similar to this one on what FFA is, why they should join, and what the program has to offer them. Another thing that we do, which is probably our biggest event of the year, is the

044community farm day. Our community farm day is an annual event hosted at the Gory FFA school farm. It's a free event where everybody around the community can come and see our farm and get more information on what our program is about. We invite the community uh we invite families and especially younger students. We gear a lot of that towards them. There's a lot of stations, as you can see in the photos, where we get to teach these younger children about agricultural education and just get them excited about agriculture. We offer hands-on interactive activities like petting zoos, we had egg painting, we had face painting, and we had um pin the tail on the animal. Um this is led by our FFA members. So along with our officer team, we also opened up the volunteering to

045our general membership. So this whole event is based on and ran by our membership and our students. So it's a huge opportunity for them to increase their community service. They can get their hours and it's just a great opportunity to get this out into the community to people who would have probably otherwise not been able to get this opportunity to learn about agriculture. This builds leadership and communication skills to everybody that comes in. It's a great opportunity for our membership to get better at their leadership and communication skills. In the past, this this year was our third annual farm day. And in the past, at our first one, we had 500 members or 500 uh attendees. Last year, we had over 800 attendees. And this year in 2026, we had over 1,400 attendees, which we

046hope to continue to grow in the years to come. This concludes our presentation on agricultural education. On behalf of me and our adviserss and the officer team, we would like to thank you for giving us this opportunity to give you guys a glimpse into what our program is about. Thank you for your presentation, board. Are there any questions or comments? Yes. Uh, not so much of a question, but Oh, go ahead. You want to take a picture first? Okay. I just wanted to um compliment all of you. When I walked in and saw all of you in your uniforms, I was like, who are these kids? Are they from like a private school? I don't know. But so welloised. I mean, so articulate. And I've I've always heard about FA, you know, I'm 54. I

047know FFA was around when I was a kid, but I never really understood what those kids did. And I wish I would have done it. I probably would have gone into like floral arrangement. In fact, I was just telling my husband, I wish I could learn how to make, you know, flower arrangements. And is that one of the programs? I I think I heard floral. But I am so impressed with just how you were able to present yourself and and kudos to the adviserss and the teachers. Um I I think you're an exemplary group of students. So I wish you very well. And um I do have one question. How is AI impacting agriculture? You don't have to. It's kind of a torical question, but but I know that it is uh uh impacting it.

048I'm just curious if that's part of your learning and how that's we're going to adjust and and uh but if you have a response, I'm even more impressed. So actually for the previous semester my SAPE project was a researchbased project where I looked into the impact of AI and recognizing the public awareness of AI in agriculture. And I would say that AI does in fact start to play a pivotal role in agriculture when you look more into what kinds of technology we use such as precision a agriculture where we're able to uh specifically locate certain diseases through um AI programming and we're able to use this data that AI gives us and make more better informed choices on what we choose to do at farms and allow us to be more efficient with our processing

049and be more accurate as time goes on. >> And my last comment, someone said college and career readiness. Kudos to you because that is the the the words that we're we're using now and at the universities and colleges and in the high schools. So, you guys are right on point. So, thank you for your presentation. Uh, Trustee Kim, >> you guys did an amazing presentation. Thank you so much for coming and sharing your program on the school nights. Um, I just wanted to say personally, thank you for doing the FFA community farm day. I've been for the past three years with my now seven-year-old. It's an event that she looks forward to. Um, she loves making little piggy ears. Um, she did come out of it with like her whole face painted somehow. I don't

050really know how that transpired, but anyway. um she really loved it. She learned a lot from the students um presenting their animals, too. So, it was it was nice to see you guys shine. So, thank you so much. >> Uh Trusty Dono, >> I too want to thank you for this presentation. I want to thank um assistant principal Spinetti for your leadership, teachers. Thank you so much for everything you do. And the leadership team, I'm so impressed by you. I've been impressed by FFA for a long, long time. longtime educator in Selenus and Westmont High School and now here in Gilroy. I'm just um the FFA is is a phenomenal program. So, thank you for promoting the ideals and the legacy and the honor of FFA and um I love following you on social media

051and I appreciate everything you guys post there. I just cheer you on every time I see pictures. So, keep going with that. And I also want to thank the leadership team for this year in particular for protecting the ideals and the honor of FFA. So thank you for everything that you've done as a leadership team. >> Trusty Peno. >> So I graduated from Gilroy I'm sorry Santa Maria High School in 1970. Yes. Santa Maria is an agriculture area and I was raised in Delano with um a farmworker family. So FFA has been near and dear to me for a long time. Um in my senior year which was 196970 your parents were not even born then. Um girls were not allowed in FFA. I um was a college prep student. Didn't have room in my

052in my schedule for FFA. But Marcy Schmidt was the first girl at Santa Maria High that was involved in FFA and she went on to a glorious career in agg and lives in Kern County. Um so our our sen my senior yearbook had 22 pages devoted to FFA. It was a big deal in Santa Maria. Um my son when he was in uh middle school looked at my yearbook and said why do you have all these pictures of lamb butts in this because the the lambs were faced to the person right and I said what are you talking about and I looked and I said oh yeah that's FFA and he said what's FFA middle school so I had to tell him he was not also involved in FFA unfortunately but your um navy blue

053jackets with California and this and the city below it has been um part of my life for a very long time. You really did a great job today. >> Thank you, >> Presy Moreno. >> I don't know who put the presentation together, but that's I'm talking about the slides and everything. Love it. I love clean, easy to read, follow along presentations. So, whoever did that, you guys did an awesome job. I also too uh did visit the farm this year. I went last year as well. Um it's a great thing for the community. Real shout out to the guys that do parking cuz they're out there in the sun and it's cars coming in and out, same directions, opposite directions. Um I miss the pigs. I had to ask where are the pigs? Apparently, it's

054the Santa Clara County uh fair's fault. Apparently, they don't have it. So, I miss the pigs. Um, my daughter Emma is in uh Miss Bean's class for farm to table. And I want to say to you specifically, more pizza, please. [laughter] Not only she enjoyed it doing it, I also enjoyed it. So, thank you guys for what you do. I'm a big supporter. Hope you guys get out there to that greenhouse and and and have it going. If you guys need something from us, let us know. Thank you. Um, I I do have a couple of questions and then also the comment. I I love the student presentations. So, the more we can do that, the better because you guys did an excellent excellent job. Um, and your speaking your your speaking ability is amazing.

055It's much further than [laughter] when I was your age for sure. Even 10 years ago, much better than I was. Um, I did have a couple questions. um farmtotable. What does that course entail? Like what are you teaching them? So farm to table is kind of like agriculture culinary. So the agriculture uh perspective of it, we talk about where our food is coming from, how it's processed. Um like for example, right now we're talking about beef specifically. So we're talking about labels on our food. What do they mean? um you know because it's easy to see a label and be like oh organic but like what does it really mean? So we're going deeper into educating um the students about what is in our food and how it gets to our table. Um and then

056we take that and we apply it um because I am in what used to be the culinary classroom so we have access to the kitchen. Um so we do cook and then this semester we're going out to the greenhouse. Um so we're going to begin um planting and so we can utilize those things in the classroom. So really going full circle with the farm tot. So learning how to plant, what goes into our food and then applying it in the kitchen. >> And do you work or will you work with the culinary program? >> Uh we no longer have the culinary program. This is the culinary program. >> Oh, that is the culinary program. Okay. Thank you for that clarification. >> Um and then how do you I'm curious how do you calculate the total

057um economic impact value? How did you get to that number? So that is provided um on uh AET the online record book that we use. So the students put in their projects and it automatically just tallies um that for us. >> Okay. And then the last question um you know with your the C the CTE programs that you have the a science one the vet science the floral so if any of the students have taken that as a CT course what are you doing with that? um are you going to apply that in your career? Is that the career that you want to go into? I'm just curious because as we're looking to expand CT pathways, we want to make sure that the ones that we the new ones that we develop are really impactful

058and useful. Um and kids want it. >> Yeah, of course. That's an amazing question. So, for these past two years, I've been taking the vet science class. Um and that's really motivated me with my future career. So now I'm pursuing to be a vet and going to Chico State, majoring in animal science and then going to vet school after. So these classes really have helped. >> Great. Thank you. Anyone else? >> Yes, Trusty Peno. >> It's ironic. Um Santa Maria High being a big FFA and apparently so is Chico State which is my alma mater. So, [laughter] and um one other thing about I really appreciated your statistics that you gave about the um ethnic background of your members. I would add please include gender >> because I think that's important as well. >> Yes,

059trust to that point you have a really good mix uh just from what I can see here. So, um I would just be curious if all of you are um intending to go and and study something in in agriculture or anything that you've learned in your time in FAA. So, is there is there a connection there? I'm I'm just curious very quickly if you can go down the line if are you all seniors? >> No, you're not. Okay. Okay. Who are the seniors? Okay. So, we got three here. Yeah. C can you share if if that's something you're you're planning on pursuing? Um, so I've taken the veterinary science course. I ended up going into something that's completely different than help me see a lot of different pathways that I um was interested in pursuing

060for a while. I wanted to be an a teacher like my adviserss here does help you see Yeah, all the different animal >> also at the same time I went I raise and >> thank you for sharing. >> Thank you. Thank you very much. >> [laughter] [laughter] >> Yes, we can take a couple of minutes if you would like to to leave or if you would like to stay, we would Love to have you stay as well. [laughter] Thank you guys. >> Thank you. >> Great job. >> Well done. Well done. Thank you so much. Okay, now we are on to item 8B, uh, approval of the Gilroy Unified School District's initial proposal to the California School Employees Association Local Chapter 69 for contract reopeners for the 2025 2026 school year. And this is an

061action item. >> Thank you, members of the board. So today we are requesting that the board approve and take action on what was presented prior in item 7A during the public hearing which is the approval of the Gilroy Unified School District's initial proposal to CSEA to begin bargaining for the 2526 school year. >> Okay. Are there any questions or can I have a motion? >> I'll move to approve or >> I'll second that. [laughter] Roll call vote, please. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. >> Twin Fak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. >> Kenny Moreno, >> yes. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. >> Linda Piseno, >> yes. >> Honchu Yaker, >> yes. >> Thank you. >> Now we are on to item 8 C, resolution number 2526-18, request and consent for consolidation of election on

062Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026. This is an action item and Dr. M okay >> she will present. >> Thank you uh trust. So as you know this is election year. Uh board members are elected to a 4-year term. The cycle for reelection uh is on a two-year basis and that way you you don't have all the board members uh going out and being elected at the same time. Um so this year the district must hold an election uh for members every two years. So this year we we will be terming out four ele uh four of our board members. The governing board is required by ED code section 5322 and elections code section 13307 to adopt a resolution directing the county board of supervisors to call an election and to consolidate the election with the governing

063board elections being held on the same day which would be November 3rd this year uh by the school or community college district having area in common with the district thereby reducing the cost of the election. Additionally, the governing board must decide on the specification of the election order, that is the length of candidates statements and who will pay the cost of the statements, qualifications for elections to set office and the methods to determine the winners in the event of a tie vote. In our district, um based on our board policy, the district shares the cost. So, it's a 50/50 cost in case a candidate uh does decide to um have a statement and the cost is approximately $3,200 um which is then shared with the candidate. So, I am bringing forward this resolution for the

064board tonight uh to to make this um request to the uh registar of voters. >> Are there any questions? Seeing none. Can I have a motion? >> Move to approve. >> Second. >> This is a roll call vote. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. >> Dwin Fak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. >> Kenny Moreno, >> yes. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. >> Honu Yi Baker, >> yes. >> Linda Peno, >> yes. >> Thank you. Now we are on to item 8E, the 2026 CSBA delegate assembly runoff election. This is an action item and Dr. Munchie will present. >> Uh a couple of board meetings ago, the board did vote uh on this item and we have a tie. So there are two names um that have been forwarded to us. So, I'm requesting the

065board to make a recommendation tonight. There's a ballot. Um, and Lucy, usually she mails the ballot. So, if the board would like to have a discussion regarding which candidate they would like to vote in. >> Yeah. So, the the two candidates are >> This Elizabeth Holidayiday from Campbell Union High School District and Jodie Murehead from Santa Clara Unified School District. >> And as a reminder, the board did vote for Elizabeth Holidayiday the last time. So, And I think she's the only one that emailed us, too. >> Time, too. >> Yeah. Which shows her efforts to >> Yeah, >> I know. She's >> So, um, can I have a motion? >> I'll motion to uh approve our vote for uh who was it? >> Elizabeth Holiday. >> A second. Came >> president. In fact, we need

066to go back. Uh oh, there's a roll call. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Yeah, we can do we can go back. Sorry about that. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. Twin Fak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. >> Kenny Moreno, >> yes. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. >> Linda Peno, >> yes. >> Honu Baker, >> yes. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Sorry. We're going to go back to 8D since I prematurely checked it off. >> Um, it's resol resolution number 2526-21, National After School Professionals Appreciation Week. And this is an action item. Dr. Munchie will present. >> Uh, I am bringing forward a resolution to recognize April 20th through 24th, 2026 as National After School Professionals Appreciation Week. As the board knows, our district um we are very proud to have a very robust afterchool program.

067Uh we have two uh agencies that we have partnered with for for several several years now. Uh and all our elementary schools, middle schools, and one high school, Mount Madonna High School now operate an afterchool program where students can stay uh till 6:00. So to recognize the professionals that work in these programs, I'm bringing forward a resolution uh to the board to recognize these professionals. >> Are there any comments or questions? Seeing none, can I Oh, yes. Trustee, >> I appreciate this um this recognition. Um, I too agree that this the after-school program is such an integral part of our district's educational program for our students that I just can't even imagine what it would be like without an a robust afterchool program. So, I'm just really happy to be also um to be able

068to recognize them today. Thank you. >> Any other comments or >> I just ask a just a format question. Why is it a week not a day? But why are there why is the length do we have just this historically been a week? >> I think most recognitions last for be is it? >> Yeah. So like administrative assistance it's a whole week. Um >> superintendent appreciation week. >> That didn't never happen. Zero days. Zero days. >> Okay. Thank you. >> It would line I would think with teachers appreciation week which happens usually the first week of May. So yeah >> and it's pretty typical. So nurses Yeah. you know, classified staff. We always do a week. >> Okay. Uh, can I have a motion? >> I have a motion to approve. >> I'll second. Roll

069call vote, please. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. >> Twin Vak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. >> Kenny Moreno, >> yes. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. >> Linda Peno, >> yes. >> Honu Yaker, >> yes. >> Thank you. Okay, now we are on to item 8F, approval of uh Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy 2026-2027 instructional calendar. This is an action item and Dr. Winsllet will present. >> Thank you, President Fak, members of the board, Superintendent Munchchi. Today I'm here to present to the board item 8F, which is the approval of the Dr. TJ Owens Early College Academy instructional calendar for the 2627 school year. As a reminder to the board and the public, this um has a different timeline and a different process than the normal calendar as we do have to

070align to Gavlin the Gavlin College calendar um which is very unique to this particular school. Uh this has been presented to the district by principal Benich um and is coming to the board for approval um should you vote tonight. >> Are there any questions or comments? Seeing none, can I have a motion? >> Move to approve. >> Second. >> Roll call vote, please. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. >> Twin Fak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. >> Kenny Moreno, >> yes. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. Linda Peno, >> yes. >> Honchu Yaker, >> yes. Thank you. >> Okay, we are on to item 8G, the approval of director of child nutritional services, uh, job description, and this is an action item. And, uh, Dr. Winslow. >> Thank you, President Fak. If the board would

071so permit, I'd like to go through items 8G, 8F, and 8 I um in sequence because they all somewhat do connect and then we can take action on each one individually should the board choose. >> We could probably take action all at once. >> Sure. Thank you. >> That can Yeah. So, what I'd like to do is to go through items 8G, 8H, and 8 I all in sequence, and then we can discuss any items um should the board choose. They're kind of connected, so it would make sense if we just go through them all. >> Okay. >> All right. So, item AG, I do want to let you know that we are presenting two specific management um job descriptions today, but these are not new management positions. So item AG is an update and

072an upgrade to the existing director of child nutrition services which is currently vacant. Um so nobody is in that role but it's already on um on our staff and an integral part to the district. The reason why we're bringing this to the board is based on community feedback, feedback in spec as well as feedback on the survey. We're seeking to update and upgrade our food services and the delivery of what we do in terms of the quality of food uh to the students that we do serve. Um this position is being upgraded in the idea that we're seeking more of um a deeper farmtoschool connection and those schools and those elements of a specific talent where somebody can connect the community fresh fruit and integrate those into our school district is something that the district

073operational team including our CBO has identified as something of high need for the district. In addition to that, this specific position has a great scope of service to the district. Um, serving over 50 directs or direct reports, which means employees that serve under this specific director. It's a very demanding job and a very significant job. I do want to also highlight that this position has no impact to the general fund. It is a self- sustaining program and it is uniquely paid for by this uh by these categorical funds within the um the food service uh this food service account. So it's a self- sustaining program. Also this is a very unique classified position classified management position that it does require enhanced um education for example a bachelor's degree for the funding itself. So, it's it's

074a very unique position, completely self-funded, um something that does not impact the general fund at all. Um and we are seeking to improve the quality of candidate that we can find with very specific skills that we currently do not have in this district. So item AG is to upgrade update that specific job class that already exists within the district, but that it does identify some new um very specific skills that we're seeking to improve delivery service to the students of Gilbert Unified. Item 8A is also not a new management position, but it is a shift from a different management position within the district. So we are very blessed to have been able to work with Mr. Kermit Shrock for many years in the district. Somebody who served the district with fidelity and has a very

075unique set of skills. Um but what's unique about Mr. Shrock is he came from the certificated world. This specific position which is in the existing form a data assessment program administrator does exist within the certificated world. So somebody that requires a California teaching credential andor admin credential. Most districts do not have this specific position. and the certificated range it's in the classified management side. Um Kermit has or Mr. Shrock has very specific skills which made him very unique for the job. Um but as we comped as he announced his retirement and as he's seeking to uh to travel the world we we uh we encourage him to he's he's been here for so long. Um we are seeking to really look and comp what other districts do in terms of data and assessment program coordination.

076So our team got together and we looked at shifting this into the classified ranks. I do want to highlight that this is actually a cost savings to the district. So a certificated manager does cost more than a classified manager, but we're looking to to comp um more appropriately when it comes to this specific duty, which does not oversee teachers. It does not oversee other certificated employees, which is what does require the certificated management credential. Um so we're seeking to shift that position um directly into that. We've updated it also because Kermit skills and what he has done for the last couple decades has morphed over time. So our team got together to make sure that we reflected exactly what we were looking for for the new data and assessment program coordinator which is what we're

077titling this. So in summary, just as a reminder, this is not a new management position. It is a shift from certificated to classified management and it does represent a cost savings to the district directly in the general fund. Item 8 I is simply to reflect the changes of 8G and 8H and update the classified management salary schedule. So there's no uh change in existing staffing. There's no change in existing salaries. This is simply to reflect what we are requesting the board approve tonight, which are these two positions, and integrate them into the existing salary schedule, which would be item 8 I. So, I'm open to any questions should anybody have questions on either 8G, 8H, or 8 I. >> So, I have a question on um 8 I. [clears throat] So, if somebody Excuse me.

078>> [cough] >> is certificated that doesn't preclude them from applying for that classified position. Correct. >> It's complicated because we would be looking at opposing pension structures. This position also does have different day structures when it comes to perdeium analysis. So, we would be seeking somebody in the classified world. >> Any other questions? Yes, trustee Moreno. um [clears throat and cough] the food services um the child the director of child nutrition. So when I was reading the basic functions the the paragraph there it to me it triggered a lot of like the ideas that it bumps up against or it replaces what Sedexo does. There's a lot there that seemed to be like you know we're talk food warehousing and um alloc allocation design. Are they going to work very closely with them? There's not

079does it feel like there's some overlap there to you? I >> That's a great question for Mr. Mezo as he can really decide he can really define to the district why we need Sedexo and why we have our own staff. It's a very nuanced question that he is absolutely adept at answering. >> Yeah, thank you Dr. Wel and thank you Trusty Kenny Moreno for that great question. So is explicitly compliance related. So there also are a comp our procurement our arm um so that we don't procure the meats the milk all those the products that make up components of all the milk products we would have to have a purchasing team to do that a procurement team in order to remember it's $16 million operation now and the compliance of federal and state regulations are

080unforgivable in fact next Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. will have a procurement audit uh and they'll be walking Christopher and Bronnell and we welcome them to walk any site for that matter because we we have a phenomenal program and we're proud of that. But Sodexo is a compliance related arm. We have to supervise our employees. We have to guide our employees and it has to be a director a supervisor level. So Dexo cannot do that. They're forbidden to do that. >> Yes. Trusty Don. >> Yes. I appreciate the um the food service position. Um I nutrition, child nutrition is just such an integral part of student well-being. I'm really happy that we're going to um seek a great candidate and and compensate them well for doing that job. And then also the um the the

081the second position. I can't go toggle back and forth. H the data and assessment position. I'm saddened to to lose Kermit. He's such a a wonderful person and we're I feel like we're so lucky to have had him for so long. I am though looking forward to um Trusty Marino, this is for you. Poking fun just a little bit. I'm really looking forward to the job description here under leadership and program coordination presents reports, data summaries, and recommendations to the board of trustees and district leadership. Really looking forward to it. I also like the idea of how you're moving it to um a classified position and I'm just really curious to see the candidates that we're going to get. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you. >> Thank you. We hear Trusty Moreno likes clean

082presentations so [laughter] >> make sure that's a question on the interview panel. >> Did you say short? No. Um any other questions or comments? I did have um so correct me if I'm wrong. My memory might be um incorrect, but we've had that position uh vacant for a while or how long has that pos we it's been vac been vacant for a while. We did lose a director of child nutrition to a neighboring district and so we've been actively soliciting candidates. Again, the unique nature about this job is it does require specific education requirements, very unique to other classified management because it's directly connected to the funding. So in order to fund it appropriately again not hit the general fund at all within the self-contained state of California requires specific requirements for this this job

083itself. Even the title has to be identical for us to make sure it does not impact discretionary funds. >> And how long has it been vacant? >> I want to say about 6 to 8 months. >> Correct. Yeah. >> Resignation was June 2025. June 30th. >> It's been a while now. Before that, I do want to reiterate it was vacant for about four years. And so it was very um that's very specific skill set is quite hard to find. >> And who was the interim? >> Uh the interim was Mr. Mesa, our CBO for four years. He was uh bravely >> lightening your load hopefully. Right. Good. >> Correct. We are hoping. Yeah. [laughter] >> Okay. Thank you. Yes. to that point, where do you um recruit for a position like that? >> Everywhere and

084anywhere somebody [laughter] will read. So um we you know we have about 50 we our new uh recruitment system does inject into about 50 different recruiting websites throughout even the state of California. So we'll have a national reach. Um I would say you know based on the description and based on the special skills we're anticipating we're going to be not only competitive but also have a broad candidate structure. We also reach out to local universities. We look for diet the dietitionian structures and so forth. So we'll be doing as much as we can and then we also recruit locally right if they're we're bringing more and more people back to Gilroy especially as job instability is becoming more of a difficult um thing in the valley. I think Meta just announced they're releasing 8,000 employees

085today. Um, so the more and more the the market's becoming tough, people want to come home, they want to serve their local community, they're tired of commuting, and we're a stable employer. And so I think we have a lot of attractiveness in finding people who might not have served within public schools, but have a desire to give back. >> I have a question. Yes, Trusty Nelson. >> Um [clears throat] um this position was created a couple of years ago. Is that correct? >> The director of child nutrition. Correct. It was created a couple years ago. >> Okay. And that was because of new requirements. >> Yes. It was as as Mr. Mesa mentioned, it's about a $60 million operation. We pretty much quadrupled our workforce and um all food um was at no cost to

086students. And so that incredible expansion we at one point only had a single supervisor unmanageable and at one point um Alvo was or Mr. Mesa was the supervisor and the director and chef he was doing [laughter] all of it. So in order to adequately staff we we do have a supervisor and then we created a director position. >> Okay. And I did look on edit east side was also trying to find the same person and they're offering just a little bit more than we are. So, we're competitive. >> Or if Justine Nelson, you're requesting to increase the salary. >> No, no. >> Okay. [laughter] Just making sure. >> No, no, no. Thank you. >> Okay. Um, can I have a motion for items G, H, and I? >> Motion to approve items G, H, and

087I. >> Second. Roll call vote, please. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. >> Twin Fak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. >> Kenny Moreno, >> yes. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. >> Linda Piseno, >> yes. >> Honu Y Baker, thank you. >> Thank you. >> Now we are on to item J, change in high school math pathway. This is an action item and Miss Sonia Flores, director of educational services. Good evening, President Fyak, Vice President Nelson, trustees, and Dr. Munchie. Thank you for the opportunity to present an important curriculum initiative that will actually impact years to come if approved. Um, tonight I'm requesting your approval to transition Gilward Unified High School's mathematics from our current integrated math pathway back to the traditional algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2 sequence. You'll hear me reference these two pathways

088throughout the presentation as integrated for integrated math pathway or AGA which stands for algebra geometry algebra 2. The request to consider a change in math pathways was sparked with the release of the 2023 California math framework, the textbook adoption cycle, and teacher discussions around student math data, academic success, and just conceptual understanding. The newly released California math framework was adopted by the state board of education in November of 2023. It is a comprehensive guide for K12 mathematics instruction that organizes learning around the three interconnected components and the why, the how, and the what. With regard to the why or the drivers of investigation, there is a focus on ensuring students engage with math to understand and expl uh and to explain the world to predict what could happen and to solve real world problems and

089create change for the future. With regard to the how, students will continue to leverage the eight standards for mathematical practice such as learning to make sense of problems, reasoning abstractly, constructing arguments, etc. With regard to the what, students will be expected to reason with data, explore changing quantities, take holes apart, and discover space and shape. This framework emphasizes equity, ensuring all students are viewed as capable of deep mathematical thinking, and it explicitly outlines two pathways, the traditional AGA pathway and the integrated pathway. Both are valid approaches, and districts maintain the autonomy in choosing what works best for their students. Gilroy Unified is not alone in considering a shift from one pathway to another with the timing of textbook adoption cycles and the release of this new math framework. There are actually a few districts considering

090moving to integrated math who are currently on the AGA pathway. Interestingly, and there are a few who are currently considering moving to AGA from the integrated math pathway. Everyone sees this as an opportunity because if we are to shift back to or if if a district is to shift to any which pathway now is that time because of the textbook adoption cycles and the adoption of the new math framework. The 2023 framework builds on the strengths of the 2013 framework maintaining several similarities with what remains the same is that both support implementation of the common core standards. Both encourage rigorous conceptually grounded instruction built on big ideas and um districts maintain their autonomy to adapt pathways and sequencing to meet student needs. What's new in this framework is also shown here. There is an explicit

091emphasis on equity as previously mentioned. The framework states a commitment to all students specifying that all students deserve access to rigorous conceptually rich mathematics. The wise that were on uh one of the first slides are introduced as drivers of investigation. The framework maintained the content connections and the eight standards of mathematical practice but has labeled those as the what and the how. And the idea is that the framework now gives context and purpose to the math content. And the framework validates both AGA and integrated math pathways. Here you can see Gilroy Unifi's math pathway history. In 2013 when the last framework was released, we were teaching the traditional sequence of algebra 1 in 9th grade, geometry in 10th, and algebra 2 in 11th. In 2014 and 2015, our teachers reviewed the framework, and there was

092much discussion about moving to an integrated math pathway, which we eventually started in 2016. Eventually, we transitioned completely to math 1, 2, and three by 2018. We've maintained the integrated pathway for the past eight years. And today, we're proposing to return to that traditional sequence, not because integrated math pathway, the integrated math pathway is inherently flawed, but because our data and teacher feedback and student outcomes suggest that the traditional pathway may serve our students a little better. And if we are to shift back to an AGA pathway, now is the time to consider such a move. given the timeline for the textbook adoption which you'll hear about later this evening. This visual is taken from previous math framework publications when the state was introducing the integrated math pathway back in 2013 when we first shifted

093to integrated from AGA. We saw promise in a philosophy of interle standards that would be spiraled throughout a student's three years of math. As you can see, algebra traditionally focused on statistics, algebra, and function standards, noted by the S for statistics, A for algebra, and F for functions, while geometry was purely based in geometry, and algebra 2 covered a higher level algebra skill and more statistics. On the other hand, integrated math covered algebra, statistics, and geometry, and functions throughout all three years of math. Both approaches are rooted in the California framework and continue to be rooted in the California framework and have pedagogical merit. The key difference is depth versus breadth and clarity of progression or at least how our teachers have also described it. Additionally, with the introduction of the new math framework, math

094instructors at the college level weighed in. Some colleges have been frustrated with the math progression and even allowing algebra 2 to be waved through requirements such as computer science or statistics to count for admission to the UC system. They are still acknowledged as such. It hasn't changed, but it has definitely brought about some controversy. And there have been some disagreements about which pathway truly prepares students for college level math courses. When California first moved to the AGA pathway, it was challenging for school counselors and university admissions officers to understand where and how students met geometry requirements. Full disclosure, I did not generate this image, but it was actually from an article published by UC Berkeley in the fall of 2024 with the release of the math framework regarding this controversy surrounding high school math pathways.

095The article is titled, "Math education needs reform. It got a war instead." So, this is just an ongoing debate between higher ed and the state of California about how to best prepare students um for math. High school teachers themselves have also raised concerns about the breadth versus depth of the math concepts covered when comparing Aga versus the integrated math pathway. The next few slides show screenshots from the most recent 2023 California math framework showing how the framework organizes math around big ideas or interconnected math concepts. Here you see the big ideas for math one and math 2. Math one is on the left. Math two is on the right. You can see that the sheer number of concepts and connections between those concepts as teachers are required to weave in connections among many big ideas

096are complex. Then you compare to the big ideas map for algebra 1 on the left and geometry on the right. Geometry on the right does look a little bit more but you can see that algebra 1 focuses on really building up the foundational skills that algebra uh that geometry and then algebra 2 build upon. [clears throat] While you see that the integrated approach on the bottom emphasizes interconnectedness of many concepts, thereby aiming for breadth, while the traditional approach on the top emphasizes depth with fewer big concepts being covered more deeply. Please note there was no visual for math 3 or for algebra 2. Um, but both approaches are valid. Um, nonetheless, our teachers feel that students will benefit more from focused deep learning in each domain in the AGA pathway. Bringing in student math CASP

097scores from 2015 through 2025, just looking at 8th grade and 11th grade um data, you can see the percentage of students who have not met, met, and exceeded the standards on the standardized test. The color coding highlights the um comparisons between cohorts. In 2015, for example, those students who did not meet um standards in 8th grade are compared to the 2018 CASP scores for 11th graders highlighted with that yellow. So you can see it going from 34% to 46% not meeting. So that's what those color coding stands for. starts comparing the same group of students or that cohort of students um that had progressed from 8th grade to 11th grade. Um this chart shows that the percent of students not meeting grew and the percent of students exceeding dropped. I do need to note that

0982015 and 16 were the last years that grade 11 had algebra 2 as a course, hence the asterisk next to 2015 and 2016. And the dash line shows where there was no math test scores available due to the pandemic. So that's why it looks a little crunched when you're looking at um cohort comparisons. You can see that eighth grade performance has remained relatively flat with approximately 47 to 50% of students in the notmet category over the recent years. Grade 11 performance shows similar trends with 52 to 56% in the notmet category and exceeded performance has declined from 21% in grade 8 to 19 to 20% in recent years. The trend line is concerning and despite eight years in the integrated math pathway, we're not seeing the improvement we'd hope for when we shifted to the

099integrated math pathway. I do want to highlight that the math framework um notes that not one track is superior to the other, but rather the math instruction in the classroom makes the greatest impact on student math achievement. It is for this reason that the framework emphasizes an equitable approach to math instruction. Here you can see our existing math pathway where in the middle school we have math sixth, 7th and eth. And then that feeds into math 1, 2, and three. And then there's an accelerated um math 6, 7th, and eighth. And then students in the accelerated have the option of going into just math 1 or math 1 plus. Some go into math 2. Um I do want to highlight that math one plus is actually one and a half courses um kind of meshed

100together um where math 1A1B means the first semester of math 1 and the second semester of math 1 plus the first semester of math 2 and math 2 plus is actually the second semester of math 2 and all of the math 3 regular curriculum. So in two years of time, our students in the integrated math pathway, if they're taking the math one plus pathway, are doing three years of math. Um that's how the integrated math pathway has been designed. Um but e even with that, if students choose to maintain the math one, two, and three, they still have the choice of going into AP pre-calculus in their senior year statistics or calculus. And here you can see what a math progression from middle school to high school might look like with a shift to AGA.

101There are two paths. One with an accelerated track into geometry, algebra 2, and AP pre-calculus. And one with the standard track of math 6, 7, and 8. Um, and into algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2, and possibly AP pre-calculus, statistics, and calculus. Our team has also looked at how do students advance into um a higher level math and there's different options and we I've sat on different webinars. I've sat and talked with different math teachers and one option could be that students can take two different periods of math in their freshman year if they felt like they didn't have the skills ready to jump straight into geometry. um or if they felt that they could jump straight into geometry, they could just go into geometry in their ninth grade and then move into algebra 2 and

102then AP pre-calculus and then calculus. Our team met with math teachers throughout this year and have informally had conversations with math teachers prior to this year. Teachers have asked for us to consider a change to the AGA pathway. It's not something that ed services was like poof, we we woke up one morning and we said, "Let's do this." No, this has been a constant dialogue. Even when I was principal at GEKA, it was a a a conversation that we had had. And in a Zoom meeting where all high school and middle school math teachers were invited, teachers shared what they felt were the benefits of maintaining the integrated math pathway. Here you can see their responses that reinforce why we moved to the integr integrated math pathway to begin with. namely spiral review is embedded

103throughout reinforcing prior concepts. When taught well, students see how algebra, geometry, and statistics are interconnected. And in theory, students can access the math plus route, avoiding rigid tracking um systems. And again, I want to highlight in theory. Our teachers also shared the drawbacks of maintaining integrated math. And you can see that there are more opinions listed here than on the previous slide. Teachers note that while spiraling makes conceptual sense, students report having never seen content they were supposedly taught before. We end up retaching instead of reviewing, consuming valuable instructional time. Students are not developing the procedural fluency needed for success in college level math. And um teachers reported shallow coverage of many topics which means that students lack the foundational skills that make higher math accessible. The math oneplus and two plus move too quickly

104for many students. As I mentioned, kind of jamming three years into two, and students enter thinking they're good at math only to struggle with the accelerated pace and then they disengage. And in practice, it's hard to move between accelerated and grade level tracks. Students who need to drop from math 2 plus to math 2 also face gaps in their learning and then they transfer with that placement into the lower level math as they see it. even though they're on grade level. On the other hand, our teachers identified more benefits of moving to AGA than maintaining the integrated math pathway. Those include depth and clarity where each course has a clear, focused progression on one mathematical domain at a time. Students and teachers both know what's being taught and why. Stronger foundations in that students develop

105deeper conceptual understanding of stronger procedural skills. reduced cognitive load by focusing on one domain at a time. Teacher expertise in that teachers can develop a deeper expertise in one domain leading to better instruction and meeting diverse goals that not all students um they there's still the ability to differentiate some of that instruction and some of the coursework as students progress through their three years of math. That said, we do know that there will be some challenges should we move back to AGA. For example, students may see the domains as separate rather than interconnected unless teachers deliberately build bridges across the different courses. We'll need to develop new curriculum maps, select new textbooks, and provide professional development to teachers, which is why we're using this as the opportunity to have this discussion. Students who accelerate in

106middle school will need clearer pathways to advance to high school courses like AP Calculus, but we're also taking that into consideration. And we must be intentional about avoiding rigid tracking that limits opportunities for students should they want to advance into higher level math. We don't want to minimize these challenges, but our teachers survey data, our conversations have tried to address some of these challenges. And we feel that some of those uh risks um can be addressed and uh they out they're outweighed by the benefits. We use this year as an opportunity to see if the grass was really greener on the other side. Um specifically, we allowed our high school math teachers on the pilot teams to pilot both integrated and AGA textbooks from two different publishers. So you can see publisher A there was

107six weeks of integrated math curriculum piloting and then there was six weeks of the AGA textbook. So math one teachers piloted the algebra 1 curriculum, math 2 piloted some of the geometry curriculum etc. And then from January to April, publisher B, one set of the integrated math and then one set of the um uh AGA pathway. Teachers again taught sample units and uh provided their feedback for each one of those. Overall, teachers believe that the traditional pathway is superior to the integrated approach, as you can see here from the teachers survey responses. And more teachers disagreed or strongly um disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement that the current math pathway prepares students for advanced math courses in high school and beyond. You can also see a relative split between those who agree and disagree

108with the notion that integrated math offers a logical progression of math concepts. So that's been part of that debate. Um and a majority of teachers surveyed indicate disagreement or strong disagreement with the idea that students retain the material in um integrated math courses. On the other hand, more teachers agree or strongly agree that moving to traditional AGA pathway would improve student success in the future math courses. They feel confident that students, parents and staff will support this transition and um it will allow greater flexibility in differentiating instruction to meet students varied needs. If we if approved to move to the traditional math pathway, we're not proposing an abrupt change. Instead, we're requesting approval for a gradual year-by-year transition that allows us to implement thoughtfully and support um and support students and teachers throughout the process.

109Um, for example, um, it's not just all at once because the students who are currently enrolled, and I'm going to use this, uh, visual here. The students who are currently enrolled in math one, for example, next year would not go straight into geometry, right? They need to then go into math 2 and then into math three, right? So that they could fill their full sequence of learning. And so that's why it's a phasedin approach. um ninth graders for next year, incoming ninth graders would have the option of enrolling into algebra 1 or math 2. Um for those who would have normally enrolled into math 1 plus, they would we would recommend math 2 and then uh there's always a few students who qualify for math 2 plus and so those students would still have that

110opportunity. Um to close, I want to bring this back to that California math framework. The 2023 framework validates both approaches and it emphasizes that districts should choose the approach that best serves their students. Our recommendation of the traditional pathway aligns with the framework's core principles of equity and mathematical thinking. And we're requesting an approach that our data and teacher expertise suggests will serve all students better, particularly struggling um learners and those who might focus from deep instruction and the depth from the AGA pathway. Um the traditional pathway still supports all eight standards for mathematical practice and the four content connections. We're just organizing them a little bit differently. Again, emphasizing depth over breath. Thank you for considering this request and board approval is requested to transition to the traditional math pathway following algebra 1 geometry

111algebra 2 through a yearby-year approach. Thank you. >> Are there any questions? >> Yes, trustee Moreno. >> Just more personal. I have a son that will be going to high school in 2728. If I follow along the pathway, is it algebra 1, grade nine, geometry grade 10, algebra 2, grade 11? >> Correct. >> Okay. And so they will not be he will not be doing any of the math one, two, or three. >> Correct. >> Okay. >> Any other questions? Yes, Trusty Delono. >> Um, I have a comment, not a question. That's why I was going to see if Trusty Pano had a question. I really appreciate this presentation and I'm feeling very um thankful tonight to be able to vote on this because it's giving teachers exactly what they want. And so I'm happy

112to hear what they want. Um us having the ability to give them what they need so that they can do their very best for students because they're feeling teachers feelings of efficacy um matter and their ability to um do a good job. So, I'm just really um thankful to have this presented to us like it was and having so much of the teacher input in here that really is um is helpful. Thank you, >> Trusty Peno. >> So, I have a lot of comments. I'm sorry. Um it's what happens when you've been around too long. So, I really appreciate that this is a reflection of teacher input like Trusty Delono said. I think that's really really crucial. Um, your slides on CASP scores worries me. I go back to when I was middle school principal

113and math scores were atrocious. And the first thing I did is literally went through test scores to find out because at that time you had students who came from every elementary school in the district. So I wanted to see where the strong student math students were coming from [clears throat] and where the weaker ones were coming from. And I passed that information on to district office and said there's a problem with this school because their kids are not doing well in math across the board. Um, politically that was not um acceptable, shall we say, and I understand that. But when those kids continue to go through and those scores and their their math proficiency um was not great. And at that time elementary um credentials were wildly based on liberal arts degrees, very little math.

114And every state research showed this is a problem. So, lots of influx into professional development for math. Long story short, I'm thinking I understand high school frustration when they get kids and is it truly integrated math as opposed to Aga? I'm not opposed to it. I went through Aga back in the dark ages. Made sense to me then. Um, but I liken it to again in the dark ages in the ' 60s, '7s, and ' 80s, we retained kids because there was nothing else we could do. And we thought we were doing, we teachers thought they were doing the best thing for kids by retaining them. And research showed 85% of those kids never improved. And when you asked them what grade they were in, almost 100% of them said, "Well, I'm in fifth grade,

115but I should be in sixth." And so we stopped retaining kids as a result. So this gives me flashbacks of that. Are we fixing a problem? Are we offering a solution for a problem that doesn't exist? is the problem really um much sooner than nth grade math. And again, I have no problem with AGA, but I'm I'm just wondering would we are we is this really the solution? I I think for the next presentation when you see our math textbook adoption request, you'll see that we've considered that carefully and and it'll be the first time that we have not um requested the same publisher for our K1 and our 25 and that's intentional and I'll talk a little bit about that in my presentation. So I think it's about fixing the system from the ground

116up. And so it's been great for Sonia and I to really work thoughtfully on the input from teachers really from kinder through 12th grade level. Um, and we have lots and lots of information, feedback from that. So, I'll let her finish this part and then I think we can talk more about those early years in the math adoption presentation. >> I'm glad that we're addressing that. I just think it's uh so we have to wait six years before [laughter] or eight years before the kids get to nth grade. Better late than ever. It's okay. I I do feel though that it's I I had mentioned that neither is truly um the one thing that is going to improve student achievement and most importantly it's the teacher in the classroom and that that is truly what

117the research says. It's what the framework itself calls out. And so um it's important that we supply our teachers with the professional development not only as we adopt the textbook um whichever we end up you know actually approving but that the textbook give the company gives us the professional development to understand how to use the the books but also the philosophy behind this new framework in terms of having students having more students uh student voice in the classroom and that is a big push that ed services has been um you know trying to implement through professional development with our inservice days etc. So it's I I hear exactly um what you're saying and I believe that um sometimes a change in that curriculum can be the thing that shifts or sparks or makes teachers think

118differently about their approach and the teachers have been asking for this for a very long time because the other part is fidelity with curriculum implementation and if teachers aren't using the curriculum because they themselves don't buy into the curriculum or they themselves don't even buy into the content then we're going to have big gaps in educational outcomes. >> Trusty Baker, thank you for the presentation. Um, I hated math. I really did, but I loved algebra and I I truly believe it's because of the teacher I had, Mrs. Monica Corby, who did pass away a few years ago, but she never she was always um someone I remembered and reflected because of the way she taught that class. So, I do believe that any child can learn any subject as long as they have a good

119teacher. So, with that said, um I think it's fair to say that math is a lot of a lot of students don't like math. Both my kids don't like math and I want to say they're pretty good students, right? And but as I'm listening to this presentation, I'm wondering and and I don't want to get into the weeds, but um I'm just going to make a comment around this. um with the introduction of AI with all the different um apps and and you all know this you know students are asking why do I need to learn this I mean I think they're also asking that about other subjects but particularly math because now there's software out there that you can literally put in a formula and it will show you how they come to that

120now I'm not saying that we don't teach math we have to teach math it's it's one of the fundamental I think um critical skills that that, you know, our our kids have to learn. But with that said, um I'm curious how teaching math is changing with AI. So, and maybe that's in a later um and and I don't mean to like open up a can of worms, but I do think it is important as a district that we are um addressing this because this is what is going on right now in the classrooms right now. my own daughter who's taken statistics, she's like, "Oh, I just asked Chachi PT." I'm like, "What is it?" No, you have to. And she's like, "No, mom, I did, but I just wanted to doublech checkck my problem." And

121so, so, you know, I I I think that has to be a part of the discussion equation. Um so anyway, >> yeah, I mean our AI policy, our AI guidance to teachers. We're, you know, trying to set for teachers their expectations for stu like the to work with teachers so that they can set their expectations for student use of AI and there is a lot of you know why are we learning this and and what have you. the framework does try to address the why behind math and that's why I wanted to pull this image back up because that was new in this framework and it was really this emphasis of understanding the why behind the math concepts that the students are learning tying it to problem solving in the real world predict what could

122happen um impact the future right with these mathematical equations with mathematical modeling how can we actually address some of these problems that we're facing and I remember you know years ago um there was also debates in algebra classrooms about whether or not teachers should allow students to use their calculators right and so it's it is an evolving discussion that we always have with every um content area >> I also want to say I appreciate the depth versus breth >> yes trustee peno >> and I have heard far too many times teachers and even parents say, you know, I'm not really good at math, >> or I don't really like math. Um, no one says, you know, I'm not really good at reading, or I'm not really good, I don't really like reading. And reading is

123every bit as complex as math. It's not just decoding, it's comprehension. And so um you know I've been in education related for 50 years and that is um a concept that we can't get over that hump that math is not mystical. We can do it. It if you can read you can do math. And um we just have to uh I don't know we have to change that concept in our head that I don't like math so it's okay to say that but no one says I don't like reading. >> Trusty Delono. >> Yeah I'll be brief. I appreciate the comments of Trusty Peno reminding us to think of the big look at the big picture, right? Uh we get presented information to make a decision, but it's really this bigger picture that we have

124to be reminded of and the opportunity that exists since we are a unified school district to really go upstream. And so I'm looking forward to the presentation of how those materials will support that effort. >> Um I did have one question. I I definitely appreciate all of the um the collaboration and the input from the teachers. I'm curious, did we ask the students that were take that were in the pilot and how how were their grades as well? What so what were what was their feedback? >> I don't have their grades, but the feedback is part of the teachers feedback process. Um and so the teachers do collect feedback from their students. >> Okay. So the students liked the um AGA. >> That's our understanding. Yes. >> Okay. Great. Thank you. I actually had to

125take algebra three semesters. Algebra one three semesters because I couldn't get the concept. [laughter] [gasps] Um so thank you. Um this Yeah, my math teachers weren't great. Um okay, so there are no other questions. This is an action item. Can I have a motion? >> Move approval. >> I second that. Oh, roll call vote, please. >> Jennifer, >> yes. >> You call my name. [laughter] >> I didn't hear it. If If you did, that's fine. Yes. [laughter] >> Um, Linda Peno, >> yes. >> Honu Y Baker. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Okay, now we are on to item K, the first reading of the requested new instructional materials for math. This is information only item and um staff will present. >> All right, good evening trustees and superintendent Munchie. The math conversation continues this evening.

126We are presenting our recommendations for the mathematics instructional materials for your cons consideration beginning in the 2627 school year. This is the first reading of the proposed adoption and it is an important step in our selection process. Our recommendations this evening are the result of a comprehensive review process led by our own Jennifer Evans and many many of our GOD teachers. This multi-phase process considered the new California math framework, classroom piloting, and feedback from teachers. Throughout this process, we focused on identifying materials that support rigorous mathematical understanding, meet the diverse needs of our students, and provide strong instructional resources for our educators. The materials being presented tonight are available in the lobby of the district office, and we encourage the board and the public to take time to review them. At the conclusion of this

127presentation, we welcome questions from the board. No action will be taken tonight. A formal vote for the adoption will be requested at the next regularly scheduled board meeting. Uh Sonia talked a little bit about the math framework and just as a reminder, it was adopted in July of 2023 after several years of development, public input, and revision. The previous state framework was adopted in 2013. So, as she pointed out, there's been several changes to it. This framework provides the state's guidance on how math should be taught. You may be wondering why districts are just now piloting new materials and we are actually GSD is ahead by a year for many of our districts. Some districts aren't piloting until next year. There are a few key reasons. First, the alignment takes time. Publishers needed time after

128the 2023 framework was published to develop programs that align and reflect the updated framework. Second, in California, the state follows a curriculum adop adoption cycle that guides when new instructional materials are reviewed and approved for use. These cycles are typically every six to eight years. And third, our districts must follow a thoughtful review process before making a recommendation to the board. I won't read these because um Miss Flores went through these, but again pointing out the similarities and differences. It's helpful to start with some context for our math pilot process. Our last math adoption for elementary occurred in 2015, and many of our secondary programs were also last formally adopted around that same time. Some have had updates with from the publishers in recent years. This year, Miss Evans brought a new element to our

129math adoption process and engaged our teachers before we even started by attending a and hosting a math curriculum fair at Glen View Elementary. Publishers were able to share an overview of their programs. Teachers could come um voluntarily and look at all the materials. And from there, math pilot teams were formed and reviewed the materials more closely. Teams then selected which programs to pilot in their classrooms. teachers implemented the pilot program and they had two cycles and at each point they debriefed their experience and then they did the same. They collected student work, they observed instruction and they gathered their feedback throughout. After both pilots, a formal data process was used as the teams reviewed the evidence together and reached consensus on a program to recommend for adoption. Throughout the process, we use the CDE's criteria

130map, which f focuses on five areas: standards alignment, program orientation, assessment, access, and equity, and instructional planning and support. They've really considered what the teachers needs are in planning for and delivering that instruction. The combination of classroom piloting and state criteria helped ensure the recommendation reflects both teacher experience and California standards and adherence to the process. Since you all didn't get a chance to attend, this was a layout of our Glen View math curriculum fair. Um the county office has since held one similar and now Losanas Unified is also doing something similar. Some of our teachers join the fair getting some swag for our pilot teams. In K1, we had eight teachers total. Each school in the district was represented and each grade level was represented. In two through five, we had 13 total teachers.

131Again, with each school represented and each grade level represented. In middle school, nine teachers, three teachers per middle school, and one teacher per grade level per school. High school had a total of seven teachers. Two teachers at high school, one from Mount Madonna, and all levels of math were represented. After the careful process, these are the recommend recommended um textbooks for elementary K1 thinking math or innovat. That's going to be hard for people to say, Inovamat. Um, Innovat is a hands-on program that builds early learning number sense through exploration, reasoning, and problem solving. This is one of the few early learning in those K1 that is very developmentally appropriate. So, it incorporates some of those early learning foundations that you find in the um preschool through um transitional kindergarten and kindergarten foundations as well as

132the new math framework. um lots of hands-on, lots of exploring things that we might have seen many years ago in classrooms. So, as to Miss um Trusty Peno's point, how are we developing that number sense early on? So, it's really awesome and a really rigorous um program for them, but also learning is fun. We're recommending fors two through five the California Reveal Math from McGra Hill. Um it is a program that aligns um and develops conceptual understanding, fluency and application through structured lessons and hands-on learning. Um Innovat has a um digital component, but that's not the core um support. The reveal math does have a digital component um but it is adaptive. It uses Alex. So, if you're familiar with Alex from many times ago, students can work through that at their own pace, but

133it's not integral to um the teachers um classroom instruction piece of that. For middle school, we're requesting envision math 6 through 8th through Sabbath. High school again is looking at amplified Desmos math and it this demonstrates the pathway that um Miss Flores had recommended earlier this evening. We always want to know the cost. Um, in years past, elementary has always done an eight-year adoption. We are looking at only a three-year adoption. One, this an eight-year adoption locks us into very um high numbers, and we know with declining enrollment, we we don't want to be locked into those high numbers of student consu consumables. And we also want to have that opportunity to revisit should we find that these programs aren't meeting the needs of our students. And three years is a really good implementation time

134frame. And Nova is about $298,782 for three years. And the reveal math is $53,185 and some change for three years. Obviously, in the upper grades, there's more consumables. In the lower grades, the cost is lower because it's more hands-on things, modeling clay, kidney beans, all of those things that you'd expect to see in the younger classrooms. middle school, the SAVIS cost is $45,598 again for a three-year um contract for our high school. This outlines again what Miss Flores is recommending as the pathway. Um so each year, so the 2627 school year, it would be a one-year adoption for a cost of $263,214. in the second year again another one year um illustrating algebra 1 geometry math 3 for $130,000 and then finally to that transition of the AGA for $105,600 and that will be a

135four-year adoption because that's the pathway we'd like to continue on with the materials displayed in the lobby hopefully they're all out there questions for Thank you. >> Thank you again for this presentation. Can you go back just one slide please? >> Sure. So um so they're you're excited everyone's excited about the materials and what they've selected and what they want to implement and then I guess things don't have to be uniform right we have different publishers and different you know um products here and how are we ensuring there's a through line there's continuity with this >> yeah so that was part of the piloting process so the CDE has um again it's a pretty extensive matrix so they have those five components teachers literally had to go through and grade on each of the matrixes

136to ensure they align with the standards that um as long as their standards align, we know that those learning progressions are happening. But I can speak to elementary particularly in K1, we really struggled have for the last I don't know 10 years with our K1 curriculum because it's very um worksheetbased and very little hands-on learning. But the new one, the Nova Mat is very hands-on learning. The kids loved utilizing it. The teachers, even though there's a lot of prep with it, we've we are working around some of that by providing we'll provide the copies and things for them and doing a bunch of the front-end um organizing of materials. But the kids really really enjoyed that. And for secondary, we actually had the middle school and high school math teachers meeting um together at a

137few different points so that they could talk about that shift not only to AGA, but then they were also seeing what the different options were. Um and so that discussion um is ongoing because then once we have the curriculum maps then we want to make sure that uh the math 6, seven and 8 feeds in appropriately for the skills that students need to be successful in algebra 1 and geometry. >> Yeah, it was uh Jennifer did a great job really leading the teachers through multiple sessions at after they finished each pilot cycle. Teachers were brought together to really debrief. We have lots of data that was collected in terms of their input. Um, and they've really really thoughtfully engaged in this process. >> Yes, Trusty E. Baker. >> I was just curious, are these when

138you're um calculating the cost, is it just the books or do these come with like softwares and other learning material. >> So, the total cost I mean the is about 1.7 million for from a K through 12 adoption for the upcoming few years. Um and that includes our professional development especially as we launch this next year. It includes the software, teacher materials, um student consumables and for most of these that all have digital components. So that's digital access for staff and students. Thank you. >> So I know as as we go digital it doesn't mean that curriculum is getting cheaper. >> No. [clears throat] So K1, um, I love the idea of manipulatives, but I've also lived through a math adoption many years ago where teachers loved them except on a day-to-day basis. The storage

139of them, the getting them out ended up being a nightmare and they sat on shelves. So how is this different? So when we adopted Go Math, you've probably have still walked through classrooms to this day where there's big gigantic plastic bins full of Unifix cubes and all kinds of counters. ANOVA mat is not really based on those giant kits, right? It's not about the woowoo of all of the manipulatives. These are simple things like they require modeling clay like kids are taking things apart. It might be utilizing I beans. So they're really things that you would hope to see in a kinder first grade classroom. It allows the teacher to do centers centerbased instruction. Um yes, is there some prep time and so we really have we struggled through some of those conversations but in

140the long run the teachers on our committee felt that it was a far better experience for the students um and that they didn't just have bends of materials. These were things they might incorporate into their art projects um just really a better way of learning um how to develop that number sense in those early years. >> Any other questions? Yes, Trusty Moreno, >> thank you for the presentation. Um, yeah, I don't understand most of it. Math is not my strong suit. Uh, as Anisha knows, I I get weak when I go into the math classrooms during our site visits to call to the high school. I try to stay near the door for the air. It's >> We'll send you into the K1 classrooms. >> Yes. Thank you. Um, yeah, a couple things. Um, so

141when I saw the uh materials displayed or the recommended textbooks slide, the first thing I thought of was, you know, if if thinking math and and amplified are so good, do they not, this is more process maybe, like do they not create elementary and middle school um curriculum that that would it kind of goes with what uh Trusty Dona was asking, you know, continuing this continuity between, you know, so to jump from this to this do they just not make it or >> they do and in some cases we may have piloted amplify in one of our rounds or we might have piloted a Sabbath in the earlier but I think we've really moved away we traditionally in this district have always stayed like in elementary it has been the same K5 and I can

142tell you from living that experience it's not always the best just when you think about if you think about something that looks the same feels the same the structure is the same and you've had that now for six in your educational experience, it gets tiresome, right? And so providing some novelty for our students and even different the software programs that they're utilizing in the different levels is really important to provide that variety um and and ways in which we're measuring the student learning. And each company may have a specialty that just fits that niche or that grade level better. >> Okay. Because it it what it reminded me of was like going from tablets to Chromebooks. >> Yes. you know, it's be nice if it was all the same. Just um I think it makes

143things easier on everybody, including the IT. Um but the other thing I was going to ask about and uh maybe it's more business related. >> Uh no, is the old curriculum, what happens to the old curriculum and is there a way to monetize it? >> There's a sad story to lots of as curriculum adoptions. We really try to get it into the hands of students, right? So all of those extra materials, you'll probably see if you've gone to open houses or you'll start to go to your end of school year events, they'll have tables that are giving away the consumables. And so as much as we can, we like and the state in in emphasizes us to try and get those out into the community. Um the sad thing is there's not a real stream

144of places to recycle. Like in the olden days, there would be a resell market for old curriculum. You know, districts might buy them, other countries might buy them. But because we live in such a digital world and the software pieces change so quickly, um, often they end up in a recycling plant. Yeah. >> Um, I did have two questions. So, if I'm reading this right, are we purchasing math 2 and math 3 books and curriculum that is going to be obsolete? >> Yes. Yes, we are. We're moving from again it's that transition from one pathway to the next. So in the first year it will be algebra 1 materials, math 2 and math three. Then the following years we'll purchase just algebra 1 geometry and then math 3. And then in the next year algebra

1451 geometry is a waste of money. >> It's >> they're consumables. >> They're all consumables. Yeah. So that's why this is the time to consider that. >> Okay. And then um gosh, what was my second question? Oh yes. Um so you talked a lot about the K through one as like a lot of project based learning. What about the other grade levels >> as part of the new framework that that um connection to the real world learning is in in throughout right so there's projects there's experiences that the teacher can you know engage the students in but that's a really really critical part of the new framework. Okay, great. So, all of the other ones also have Perfect. Thank you. >> Not just worksheets and math test. >> Thank you. Okay, this is an information

146item. Any other questions before I close it out? All righty. Um, Trusty Nelson, did you have any question? I keep forgetting to ask you. >> I'm trying not to talk too much, but I I did want to give kudos to the teachers who did the pilots. Um, it's a lot of work >> and um I didn't comment on the last one, but at some point maybe the state will stop doing the pendulum. Oh, let's try this. Oh, never mind. Let's try this. Anyway, I'm just being a smart Alec. Sorry. Okay, I'll I'll go back to my cave now. Sorry. Bye, >> Trusty Nelson. That's why it's important to advocate >> and we'll be back next next month looking for your approval of these items. >> Thank you. Um, okay. Okay, now we're on to item

147I, the Cal or I'm sorry, L, California's Indoor Scholastic Federation Athletics Offering at Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy and this is an action item. Good evening again. Um, President [clears throat] Fak, Vice President Nelson, trustees, Dr. Munchie. Tonight, I want to provide an update on the California Interscolastic Federation or CIF, multi-school membership agreement that you approved last year, allowing GEKA and Gilroy High School to plan out athletic participation for all interested GEKA students at Gilroy High School. During this planning year, CIF informed us that our plan as proposed is not feasible. And therefore, I am also requesting board direction regarding athletic offerings at the Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy or GEKA. As you may recall, almost exactly a year ago, in April of 2025, you approved a plan for GEKA to

148pursue a multi-school agreement between Gekka and Gilroy High School. after hearing from a student whose senior project was about the benefits of athletics on overall student well-being. The issue of athletics at GEKA has been um in question since the school first started and it was always why can't GEKA have athletics and it was because of CIF regulations. Well, we jumped into that. That student initiated conversations with myself, the Gilway High School athletics director, Josh Adams, and principal Julie Bergrren, as well as with Gekka's principal, Anna Benich. Upon our research, this multi-chool agreement was intended to allow all GEKA students to participate in Gilroy High's athletic program, and the 2526 school year would be the planning year. This year, Miss Bergrren met with Miss Benich and Mr. Adams to discuss the logistics. It seemed very promising.

149We were all very excited and the schools were moving forward with the plan until very recently around March. Miss Bergrren actually heard directly from the state CIF that the multi-chool agreement could not be honored as intended to review our understanding of the multi agreement. Um it stems from CIF bylaw 303. The intent was to allow all GEKA students to participate in Gilroy High School athletics where Gilroy High, a CIF member in blue there, would allow participation on its teams by all students who are currently enrolled in GEKA highlighted in that red as the noncif school that do not offer intercolastic athletic programs. the bylaw itself says who are currently enrolled for all the students who are currently enrolled in any noncif member school. Again, the intent was to allow all GEKA students to participate in

150Gilroy High School's athletic program. The idea was that all GEKA students would have access to competitive athletics as they currently access athletics at GEKA through club sports on their own time. informal activities that are set up on campus like the volleyball informal play that the kids have and students versus teachers or um the Gavlin through Gavlins and Gekka's clubs that they have. Having one agreement with one school would streamline operations and resources for GEKA having only one athletic schedule, one school with which to coordinate transportation, one athletic director to contact. There's also a relationship existing between Gilory High School and GEKA due to students ability to participate in Gory High specific band and color guard programs which was an ongoing thing and is now of course open for the whole school district as it's a

151district-wide um color guard band program. [clears throat] It would also strengthen student participation in athletic offerings at Gilroy High School for those sports where there may be fewer students participating or trying out. However, CIF informed Miss Bergrren that they will not allow students outside of Gilroy High's attendance boundaries to participate in Gilroy High athletics. They will honor the 2627 agreement only for GEKA students who live within Gilroy High's boundaries. This poses an issue as GEKA draws from multiple attendance areas which would require GEKA to have 12 or more multi-school agreements. Even within our own school district, that would require two multi-school agreements. 230 students of the 34 who currently attend uh GEKA are Gilroy Unified residents. 70 complete intradist transfer requests to attend Gilroy Unified School District, specifically GEKA. Only Gilroy High School residents can

152participate in the 2627 agreement as approved last year. And again, this was the planning year for implementation for next year. Each of these students who are not Gilroy High School residents would require a separate multi-school agreement, transportation, and coordination of various schedules. Other considerations include that the school districts may deny the request for the multi-school agreement. They may see it as Gecko students taking spots from their own students. They also are the ones who are expected to pay for the fees for the student to be um because there's a fee attached to the CIF multi-chool agreement. So, they would have to pay for that. And then the question of transportation comes into play as to who would own that cost for transportation. um given the various agreements and the various sports schedules um this can't

153fall all on the shoulders of the principal and then that would require additional staffing and additional cost. Um there are also uh just the various schedules that Gecko students would have to navigate but also that the the school would have to navigate and 2728 would be the earliest implementation year should that be the direction that we'd want to go. um because again only Gilroy High School is the one that we have um formally agreed and approved. So board direction regarding the following is requested is requested. Allowing only GHS resident GEKA students to participate in Gilroy High School athletics in the 2627 school year. pursuing CIF agreements between GEKA and all its partner high schools or just for GUSD high schools for the 2728 school year or maintain GEKA's existing opportunities such as club sports, marching

154band, color uh color guard, clubs, leadership opportunities and other programs available through GEKA and Gavlin College. I am saddened and disappointed that this is the news that I have to share with you as we were all very excited about this possibility. Um but uh board direction is requested for um how to proceed. Um with regard to athletics, >> trustee PTO, >> I have to say it's a little um annoying because we didn't bring this up. it was brought to us and now we're being requested to give direction for a uh proposal that we didn't create. >> We were informed originally by CIF that this was a possibility. That's why we pursued it and they said, "Yep, absolutely, you can do it." And once it was all ready to go, teed up and submitted, the state,

155not the local, and the local is who said yes, move forward. The state came in and said no. And that's not something we were anticipating. I apologize for that. >> Well, I understand that, but I I guess I'm asking why is it our decision now to give direction? >> Because we have choices. Well, it's board direction is requested. >> Yeah. To either proceed or the other options. >> And why is this now our decision? >> The way I understand it, it's an opportunity to provide direction. Um >> and and why why we didn't have direction when it first came. I mean it was created by the site and I I get that. So now we have to make the decision whether GEKA has athletics or doesn't have athletics. >> We did three as a board

156we did approve to move forward >> their proposal moving forward. Yes. >> And now we have three options that we have to make the decision on. >> I don't know. I'm just a little annoyed by that. I'm >> I'm sorry. Oh, wait. >> Yes. Trusty Baker, >> can you clarify again? You said it's the state coming down saying no. Is are is this like a California ed code? >> It's the California bylaws, the CIF bylaws. >> And how are those amended? >> I think we push back. I mean, might it might be just an old policy, right? I mean, we I I don't think we just >> CIF. You don't amend CIF. >> Okay. All right. Well, maybe that's what I need to >> California intercolastic federation. >> So, I I am too very disappointed

157because I think athletics any any of those, you know, number of ways in which uh students can engage. I have heard that um students don't want to go to GEKA because there isn't a sports program and the ability to also participate in other co-curricular activities. So, um so that's sad for me to hear. Um, I think for me it it comes down to also equity. If if you know students live outside uh the the Gro High boundaries, I I don't know if it is fair to just say, "Oh, if you live in GHS's boundaries, you can go join the football team." Um, so I'm very conflicted because I I don't want to take away opportunities, but I'm also very concerned about the equity um challenges that this uh raises. Uh yes, trustee. >> Do you

158have any recent feedback as to how many GEA kids want to play sports? >> So last year the students were surveyed um and that those results I don't think that they're much different um from this year, but we had seen that um it was about I'm trying to pull this up. I had asked the same question and I have it 44.8% were interested in volleyball, 34.3% were interested in track and field, 33.6 were interested in soccer, 28 basketball, and then it it declined from there 25 and then down. Um but we did have um 66% uh I'm reading from last year's um board um agenda item and out of the 300 GEKA students who were surveyed 143 responded. So 47% response rate um and 79% of that 143 said that they would be interested in

159playing sports at Gilroy High School. Uh, Trusty Dabono, first >> I would be interested in pursuing what we could do, what we can do. Um, and then if it isn't completely equitable, meaning that all the partner school districts wouldn't want to engage, um, I would also be interested um, putting it back into the GEKA student population to decide whether they wanted to engage in all or nothing or what was possible for students who had GUD or partner school agreements. >> I could see it actually going that the students would say, "Of course we want athletics. We of course want it." And then knowing that only a few of them, we could probably get a majority of students saying, "Great, only a few of us can do it." But then even with that majority vote saying

160yes, only a few of us can do it, you'll still have the students saying that's not fair. And I'm concerned about what could happen with uh you know an outside uh you know a student coming in from outside of Gilroy Unified or from another school district that refuses that multi-chool agreement that they could then >> and I and I think then that's strengthening Trustee Pano's argument right now. >> Yes, Trustee Pano. So really my argument is or my concern is staff brought it to us and we had to approve it because of CIF. To me this is a staff decision not a board decision. We're talking about one school and not a district um approval process. So, I I think that's what I'm struggling with is why is this decision coming to the board as

161opposed to staff making that decision? >> So, I think we're looking more for guidance. I I we were not expecting the board to vote on it tonight, but it was more up for discussion, but also general guidance. Just like when we brought it to the board, there was direction given to the bo to staff to move forward. And what we were hoping to do tonight is to again get some sense of is there any direction that the board would provide for us. But we were definitely not expecting the board to vote on it on >> It's an action item. >> It's it's an action item. >> It's an action item. So, >> right. But I mean, yes, I understand. And any guidance would be good and uh make the decision about how that's my guidance.

162>> All right. >> Um any other Yes, Trusty Moreno. A couple things I wanted to ask. Um, is there an appeal process? >> It has been appealed. Okay. So, there there's been a lot of back and forth with >> I don't know how that how CIF works. Also, is there any discussions or options to not be a part of CIF? >> Uh, no. [laughter] >> Do you need to be a part of that organization? >> Yes. But for the students to compete with other schools, it's it's an athletic competitive. >> Okay. Well, then I'm gonna gonna end with this. Um, [clears throat] so I appreciate you bringing it to us. I like to know things like this. Um, and it's unfortunate. Um, but no one is forced to go to GEKA. And when you choose

163to go there, you know what you can and can't participate in. So, I don't think we have to like, you know, let's not break the bank and file lawsuits and go crazy. Um, unfortunately, it was a great idea. Um, my son would also appreciate it because he he said he'd go to Gecko, but he wants to play baseball and that option was maybe on the table. Now, it's off. But um like I said, no one's forced to go and we appreciate GEKA and for what it is and um and the students that go there. But obviously um this is not going to go very far. >> Thank you. And I did want to highlight that when GEKA came into existence, the issue of athletics was actually determined by the board when GEKA first was um

164brought forward with the design and the discussion and it had been a topic that had come up at different points in time. So I apologize for the frustration. Um I am I am also very disappointed in this but um the the board has um was the one who initially said no athletics at GEKA um when the school was designed. >> So last thing sorry um and I'm just curious on this where students participate in in college classes they can't participate in college okay >> they cannot participate in college athletics. However, they can participate in college clubs, right? So, for example, I'll use cheer as a as an example. Our we allow our 11th and 12th grade gecka students to participate in gavlin cheer, for example. Um, and because that's a sport, we cannot participate be

165in college athletics because not not only are we not full-time college students, but it also starts counting against the clock with NCAA sports and all of that. Mhm. >> Trustee Kim, did you have a question first? >> Oh, okay. Trustee Delono, >> but I'm looking at the direction requested. The last one is maintain the existing program, right? So, if there was direction or action to be made, it could be action could be just carry on. >> Trusty Peno. So GECKA is a nonCIF member, >> correct? >> In order to become a CIF member? >> No, >> they have to get the multi- school. >> They're embraced as uh they become part of another school that is CI a CIF member. >> So it's impossible for them to become a CIF member on their own. >>

166They can if we want to have GEKA have its own standalone athletics program. Well, that'd be cheaper than what is proposed, I think, under >> but there facilities, um, stipens for coaches, the athletic directors. So, it's not necessarily cheaper uniforms. >> And in terms of of, um, the board making the decision that it didn't include athletics, remember Gecko was approved at least 20 years ago. >> Absolutely. >> So, things change. >> I know. And as the experience I've I've had is once you set up something then kids and parents want more because they see what they don't have and that's hard. So >> is there a possibility if if we decided that we want to pursue having GEA um be have a CIF membership to use Gablin facilities. >> That would be nearly impossible. It's

167already challenging enough for us to get in with our PE classes. Um and we work the units around the availability of the facilities when we can get in. So that would be extremely challenging >> and you can't have them be a CIF member but use Gilroy facil Gilroy high school facilities. >> That would not work. >> Nope. [laughter] Mr. Mesa says nope. >> Is that uh because of the >> I believe part part of the regulations around offering athletics and athletic programming. Did you have a question or a comment, Trusty Delona? >> Can I Yes. >> Can I make a motion then >> to >> Well, it's You can provide input. >> Uh but there's no motion because we're not voting. >> But it's an action item, >> but we're not voting. We're just providing

168direction. So, you can provide what you think the direction should be. >> Why is it an action item then? So is it an action item or is it poor direction? So it >> it's an we had put it there as an action item and that's why we had sent the agenda to the board. >> Okay. A long time we posted it on Friday and we didn't get any feedback. So you know I thought it would p if the board didn't want to vote on it and we didn't hear from any of the board members. >> Okay. Then we can make a motion then. I move that we table this. >> Isn't that maintained for now? >> Um table and would you like to bring it back at some point? >> How about uh >> in

169December? >> I used to. [laughter] >> Jeez. Sneaky. >> I'd like to make a motion. >> Isn't that option three though? >> She made a motion. >> There was a motion made. So we either have to second that or Oh, that we have to do it. The show has >> Well, did you have a comment on the motion? Because the motion has been made. >> So, we need to Did you want to second that motion? >> I have a comment on the motion. Isn't the motion to table it the same basically as maintain existing opportunities almost the same as just maintain? >> No, it's not our decision. Then somebody makes that decision. But to table it, >> it comes back. Yeah, when you're when you're not on the board. Nice. >> Yeah, that's helpful. >>

170Or it doesn't have to come back at all. >> Okay. So, we have a motion >> maintain. >> We have a motion. Is there a second >> to table? My motion was to >> table it. >> Meaning nothing is being done today. Meaning the board isn't taking action on it and doesn't give direction, but staff can move forward. >> Huh. >> Okay. So, that motion does not go through. Fails. Um, is there a second motion? >> [sighs] >> This is really difficult but I move to go with maintaining >> existing opport maintain existing opportunities. >> Yes, I second. >> Okay, so there's a motion and a second. This is a roll call vote. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. >> Twin Vak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yeah. >> Kenny Moreno, >> yes. Michelle Nelson,

171>> yes. >> Linda Piseno, >> abstain. >> Honu Baker, >> yes. >> Thank you. >> So, I'm sorry. Um I do I think something I learned in um one of our trainings is if if there is a board member that abstains, they do need to explain the reason why. >> Yeah, >> I'm abstaining because I do not believe it's our decision to make. >> Thank you. So can >> because he was not >> but it's also close. >> Yep. Okay. Um All right. Now we are on to item M. Renewal of contract with YMCA of Sulin Valley for summer learning camp 2026 not to exceed $553,922. >> Good evening again. I'm going to talk about items 8 M N and O just in terms of opening. We are getting ready for our summer learning programs.

172And so to do so, we need to engage with our partners with YMCA and youth alliance to provide those services. Um we are looking to renew our contract with YMCA who's been providing um support for our summer loan program for many many years. As Dr. MCI said um the contract is not to exceed $553,922.7 and this is to provide services for 29 days. Um they provide services for about 11 hours of those days starting at about 7:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. You want to do it contract by contract? >> We can do it all at once. The second um item is for Youth Alliance um again for 29 days of service um 532,48.94. And the last is another contract with YMCA. YMCA has departmentalized. So we have our power school team and then they have

173like a different department is providing the sports program um for our summer learning again for the 29 days of the summer programming not to exceed $82,387. All of these will be paid for out of our ELOP or expanded learning opportunities grant fund. Questions? >> Any questions? on your calendars July 10th for the summer showcase to come visit our programs. >> I I did have a question. Would it be easier for us to just have like a master contract from them >> instead of all these little contracts? >> So there one these are two different agencies. So YMCA and youth >> well from each each agency. >> Um but we for like the sports program that's like a separate division within YMCA. So we have to contract that separately. Yeah. Um, are there any other questions

174or comments? Seeing none. Oh, yes, Trusty Kim. >> Okay. I have a contract on 8 or question, sorry, on 800 for the um sports program. >> Is that going to be at the three sites? >> Yes. It'll be at the middle school sites and the elementary, >> the play, Elliot, and Brano. >> Yes. >> Okay. Thanks. >> And we hope to serve over 600 students this summer. Um, okay. Can I have a motion? >> Move to approve. >> Second. >> Uh, this is a roll call vote. >> Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. >> Twin Fak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. >> Kenny Moreno, >> yes. Michelle Nelson. Michelle Nelson. >> Um, well, we'll just >> She's muted. >> She's >> uh Trusty Nelson, you're mut muted. Can you please unmute yourself? >> Trusty Nelson.

175No, >> she stepped. >> Okay. So, we will have her abstain. >> Linda Peno. >> Oh, >> yes. >> Honu Baker. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. >> Okay. Now, we are on just >> I was going to check. >> Um, all right. We are on to the next item which is the renewal with the Santa Clara County Office of Education for the 2026 2027 school year not to exceed $400,000 and Miss Pledo. >> Yes. Good evening trustees and Dr. Munchchi. I'm here to bring forth the contract to purchase the spaces at the alternative schools run by Santa Clara County Office of Ed. These are for students who need intensive tier three interventions um who may be placed there. These spaces are uh are specifically but not exclusively for expelled students

176and some and also justice involves students who may be transitioning back to the district and this is a significant decrease from previous years. >> Are there any questions or comments? >> Yes, trustee Mor. >> Um it's not really related to this but kind of is. Um and I don't know maybe more towards Anisha or Dr. Muchi, sorry. Um, is there a way for us to go visit or how do we do that? Do I call them and ask them to visit? >> No, I I can call them and schedule a formal visit. >> I mean, I I would like to know the program and how it works. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. >> Excuse me. Can I interrupt for a second? >> Yes, Trustee Nelson. >> I had to go cough up along for a

177minute. Um, can I vote uh yes on 8 M 8N and and 8? Can I add my vote? Oh, it's done. >> Yeah. Yeah, it's it's already done and we just you as absent. >> Okay, never mind. All right, I'll Okay, thanks. Bye. >> All right. >> Mhm. >> Okay. Any other questions or comments? Yes, Trustee Delbono, >> I appreciate the decrease in aotments very much. Um could you let us how many seats did we fill for this year so far? Do we know? >> I don't know where she Okay. >> Thank you. >> All right. Seeing that there are no other comments or questions, can I have a motion? >> Move to approve. >> Second. >> Roll call vote, please. Jennifer Delbono, >> yes. Twin Fak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. >>

178Kenny Moreno, >> yes. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. >> Linda Piseno, >> yes. >> Honu Yi Baker. Thank you. >> Okay. >> Now we are on to item Q. Board policies revision February 2026. This is the first reading and it is a discussion item. Are there any questions or comments? Seeing none. This is a first reading. So, we'll come back the next um board meeting. And now we are on to item nine. Um let's see. This is Can we do it all at once? [laughter] 9 A through F. Good evening, President Fak, Dr. Munchi, members of the board. We will rocket through items in section 9. Uh this evening I have a contract with uh architectural systems for a fence installation at the kindergarten SDC building at Elliot Elementary School not to exceed $22,363. I'll

179move on to item 9B, which is a contract with Corinthian Electric for electrical switch gear upgrades at Gilroy High School Future Farmers of America Farm not to exceed $28,671. Uh item C is a new contract with ADIS Architects for the design services for the career technical education grant application for Gilroy High School not to exceed $1,481,243. And then item 9D is a resolution 252619. This is permission to solicit bids for the demolition of the building at 240 Swanston Lane. And then item 9E is our resolution in support of applications for eligibility, determination, and funding uh and designation of authorized district representatives uh for RCTE applications. And then our uh final item is the approval of the removal of references to Caesar Chavez in the district facilities. This is an action item. Um, and real quick,

180just for reference, uh, I'd like to, uh, present just some of the items that we are planning to remove. Uh, simply removing, uh, the this is a quote at the library at South Valley Middle School. Uh, we're proposing to just simply remove the paint, uh, and and, um, uh, paint it out to the normal color of beige. Uh this is the library at Gilory High School where we will just uh remove the lettering on the building side. Uh what will remain is the word library. The uh mural that is painted inside will be modified uh to um simply create the Aztec calendar um in a perfect circle and we'll work with an artist for the rendition on the right hand side uh to become either landscape or something um that we agree upon with an

181artist. Um this is a quote at Christopher High School. Uh and we're just going to do the same thing. We're going to paint it out. um with the background uh uh base colors that you see there. And then finally, this is the multi-purpose room at uh Prep School, which will just become the multi-purpose room. I will entertain any questions you might have on my items. >> Are there any questions or comments? Yes, trustee Peno. The mural, just FYI, the mural at um the library at Gilway High is not an Aztec calendar. >> Oh, it's not not an Aztec calendar. >> No, it's a mural of the U farm worker labor. >> Oh, in the back >> you can put He took it off the screen. So, sorry. >> You look deep in the red. >>

182The red I was That's part of the typical >> Yeah. UFW um flag has the black eagle and the Aztec calendar as but >> yeah see I don't see to me that's the the farmworker um movement >> that's the essential not the Aztec calendar I stand corrected um and and is there any what are the plans for the brass uh marker plaque for Moxa anything is that going to stay there >> that will uh more than likely it's actually I think right now it's behind a book vending machine in the foyer because that's the only place that they can put their [laughter] book vending machine. Um it would more than likely be removed at the next uh opportunity. >> Okay. Can we see that on there? >> Uh yeah, I think it's right there. >>

183There. Yeah, that one. So that will remain the same. >> That I believe. Yeah, that one's on the building. Um I think it's if I'm not mistaken that is uh presently it's inside the foyer if you walked in. Um it's on the left hand side and I believe they have a vending machine in front of it. It's been that way for a few years. >> It's not it it is open to be I went and read it the other day when I was there. >> Oh, okay. >> Yeah. >> So, >> but you'll figure that out. >> Yep. Yeah. When we get over there. >> Yeah. [laughter] >> Thank you. >> Uh Trusty Baker. >> Yeah. You know, when the news first broke out, my heart was just shattered. And um, you know, I think

184this is still a national debate about, you know, how to replace Caesar Chavez because as a man, he was flawed, but the work that he did to really bring light to the farm workers um um um you know, to bring them to the limelight and we can't erase that. And so my question is as we are looking to replace and I'm not against replacing his name. I'm wondering how we have engaged with our student body and really understanding this moment because this is um historical moment. we are replacing him with either just nothing or are we also um thinking about when we're doing that is that also taking away from the the farm workers movement because I think that still needs to be personally it should still be um somewhat visible and um because it's

185it's it's it's the community that we lived in was um impacted and so so I'm just curious if there was any kind of engagement with our students and and um really understanding this moment and and maybe also um not to create more work but like what would you like to see here instead instead of us just making an executive decision that we're just going to erase the mural. We're we're not going to put a name here. we're going to, you know, could could we look at um perhaps what other places might be doing to to ensure that um we're not erasing history. We're erasing this man and because he was flawed, but not the work that he was a part of. So, I just wanted to state that. >> Any other comments or questions? >>

186Delono. >> Yeah, I too struggle with it. Um like it it almost uh it almost feels fast I don't know what the rush is or yeah what I mean yeah how how we how have we discussed this with anybody other than because I think when it first happened I was like yes we're going to do this and like oh we haven't even I haven't even digested it quite yet. Um yeah what is the process? How has anyone other than us right now been engaged in this discussion? >> So I can comment to that. Yeah, in the facility subcommittee the the board trustees decided that right now we're just going to remove we're not replacing. So that there's a difference, right? Because if we have to we're we eventually down the road will add to replace

187but that takes community input. So that that is that is a consideration that we will have community input. Um but right now we're just removing instead of replacing. >> Yes, Trusty Moreno. >> Um yes, we had the discussion in facilities. I don't think we were all in agreement because I wasn't. Um I also felt like uh trusty doono that maybe u moving fast but I will say trusty peno um helped me see a perspective that I don't have and um and how it relates to a culture and and a thing that that doesn't really isn't part of my daily life. And um I did bring a little caution to the fact that sometimes we move fast and we we maybe regret it in the future, but it's but if it's very meaningful to those that

188it's meaningful to um I wouldn't stand in the way and um I think it's important to be supportive of of the I forget the woman's name. Yes. Supportive of of those things that we we don't know about. Um I also did have a bit of hesitation but um I do agree that uh we we don't have a perfect solution so we have to do some we do something sometimes we don't maybe have hindsight we have hindsight later but um for right now um it's important for some and that's good for me >> trusty delo >> yes thank you for sharing that but it also helps me to understand like you like you're saying that we're removing something, we're not replacing it. So, the removal is just the empty space and then the process of engaging

189the community and really having discussions about what it should be replaced with will happen later. >> Yes. >> And there's time for that. >> And and to your point, Trustee Baker, I think I mean a lot of organizations have put out press releases and you know, he was one of the faces. He was not the movement, >> right? There were a lot of other faces that helped the movement. So, this is the man that we're talking about, not the movement. >> So, if there are no other Trusty Nelson, did you have any questions or comments? >> No, I'm fine. >> Okay. Um, can I have a motion to approve items >> 9 A through F? >> Move approval of items 9 A to F. >> I'll second. >> Roll call vote, please. Jennifer Delbono, >>

190yes. >> Twin Vak, >> yes. >> Gabriella Kim, >> yes. >> Kenny Moreno, >> yes. >> Michelle Nelson, >> yes. >> Linda Peno, >> yes. >> Honu Yaker, >> yes. >> Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good evening. >> Thank you so much. Now we are on to item 10, board member reports. >> Rusty Moreno. >> Sure, I'll go first. Um, I was going to say, let's not forget we have a a visit to the yard coming up. Um, so very excited to see where Paul works [laughter] and it's very very very luxurious office and all that. Okay. Um, so, uh, it's been a while, I think, was it the March since we've been together. Um, I had a a chance to do a site visit, uh, Mount High School, >>

191um, one at Gary High School as well. I did say it earlier, I did enjoy going to the farm, um, FA Farm. It was really nice to see those guys in action, to talk to them about their their cattle and and their animals. Um, I was able to to uh attend the bicycle ebike um motorbike community meeting at Brownell. Um, that was great. I also had a chance to attend a the Gary High School drama club put on a production of Clue. It was very student driven, nothing fancy. Did a great job. I really enjoyed it. also had a chance that same weekend to visit Christopher High School and uh attend their Princess uh and the PE production which was hilarious and the uh the woman who was the star was fantastic. Um and then

192I did have we did have a facility subcommittee meeting and I was able to um replace Trusty Kim on Spack, my old stomping grounds. Got a chance to attend Spack uh this month and and enjoyed my time. So that's it. Thanks. Okay. Any other trustee reports? Yes, trustee Kim. >> Yeah. So, as mentioned, I did go to the FFA community farm day with one of my kids. Um, and really we we do enjoy it every year. Um, I also attended the ebike walk safety nights um with other kid. Um, and then I was able to attend the Gecka talent show for a little bit and that was um entertaining. Some a lot of great dancers, a lot of great singers, um, some comedy acts. Um, also uh that same evening there was Gavin College had

193an art show that I walked through and that was nice. Um, one of our teachers was showing off his art there as well. So, it was good to see him. Um and then last well Friday maybe I think it was Friday um I helped um with the Gecka senior projects with the kids the seniors presenting their projects that they've been working on. Um so we got to in my classroom I believe there was 10 different projects um that we did that the kids presented on. They had a 10-minute presentation and then Q&A and then they opened up the NPR and all the kids had different posters that we um had to as a judge had to go and talk to the kids again about their presentations. Um so yeah, they just have been working on

194it all year and they did some really great work. >> Any other Yes, Trusty Baker. We have a beautiful slideshow as you can see. [laughter] Um it was actually my second time back uh to DC in April because I I chaperoned a trip uh with my son in 8th grade. So um but uh it was a great trip. Um uh I think uh we did some fantastic work. Um just want to point out the the picture from the far left. The reason why we took that is to show how many bags I travel with. So if you can't count, there's probably like five bags there compared to um my fellow trustees. So um but yeah, great trip. Um would re recommend it to the other board members um for next year. Um I also had

195a chance to go to Mount Madonna, which was great. Um because I I honestly I didn't even know where it was. I keep thinking it's like up on a hill somewhere because of the name. Um, but it was very interesting because I had no idea that there were all these other organizations um, using our building. So, it was good to actually see all the different preschools and and how how all that um, worked there. And then um, I just want to also say um, uh, I attended the um, Goro Garlic Festival, the Queen Festival. My daughter was in it, but I want to share that the winner uh, U. Rachel, I don't remember her last name. Gallagher is a um Ger High School um uh graduate um from six years ago. So, uh the f

196or the pageant did not happen uh for the last six years because of the shooting and clearly we didn't have a a festival. Um Miss Kawada's daughter was the reigning queen for the last six years and she's Yeah. Kylie. And and unfortunately, she's moving to Tennessee uh this summer. Um, so she was happy to give the rain. But I also want to just do a shout out. Um, the majority of the the girls on the court are from our school district. Uh, including there were four from Christopher High School seniors. Um, so it was a lot of fun and, uh, it's going to happen again next year. So, um, come out and support our kids. >> Yes. >> Scholarship. >> Oh, yes. She got a $15 to $100 scholarship. So, we were very proud. It

197was actually a lot of fun. and I had no idea what to anticipate, but it was fun. >> Best Delono. >> Um I too um finally got on the Mount Madonna campus for about a 20 minute visit. Um I just had not been there and I needed to see it. I needed just to kind of get an idea of what it looked like with kids and you know just and so it was good to even though it was really brief, it was good to do that. That wasn't this week, that was um previously. And um I attended um gosh, was it last night? Yeah, last night the exchange club um fundraising dinner and that was really nice. They raised a lot of money for our schools and our kids and so I'm really appreciative of

198them. Also the previous week attended the um Gilroy Sunrise socks and shoes fundraiser. We raised $42,000. Yeah, it was crazy. New committee, new bre, you know, new energy. Yeah, they're doing it and that goes right back into our our town for kids in our town. So, thank you to all of our service clubs for everything they do to support our kids. Um, I too went on the Coast to Coast trip and I joined um President Fiak um Vice President um Nelson and Dr. Baker on the trip and I was impressed with the organization of the the trip. I just really appreciated how they use the event to educate us as board members, help us understand how to utilize our voices to advocate for education, really get us grounded in the four priorities. They they help

199select priorities that really focus us in our conversation. And so um and then we prioritize within those four priorities to focus on fully funding mandated um programs like IDA and and title one but also CTE education. And so um that was just really great. I also really appreciated how they give you they have speakers that come in that help you understand that these issues and educational topics that apply to all of us are really um just bipartisan issues. and so that we have lots of entry points to approach the work um irregardless of you know what party your congressional rep might you know lean um or whoever you're talking to and that was really nice um it was great to be able to meet board members from all over the state um to also realize

200that we're all facing the exact same thing everyone's in the same boat um and it was just nice it was really nice to be able to then bond with other people on our um on our board and get a greater sense of our role as advocates, as board members, and then what might be next. I still wonder if we made a difference, but it makes me think like, well, then what do we need to do, right, to make a difference? And so, that's really good thinking to have. Um, I was telling um Trusty Moreno, I felt really proud to be an American when I came back. Um, even though there was some strange things, you know, in Washington DC, but I just felt super proud to be an American. And I also um also really

201appreciated um President Fiak brought um great um what do you call a takeaway you're going to talk about a leave behind um to leave with the congressional um um aid around Gilroy specifically Gilroy and what matters to us [clears throat] and how and the impact of CTE. Um great talking points too. I really appreciate that from President Fak and um and we got I thought we got a good idea of like what we could do next time. um to improve it as well. And then um one of the districts left behind one of their t-shirts like oh we need to bring a Gilroy Unified t-shirt next year and leave that for yeah some swag for our congressional reps and just little things like that. So I'm looking forward to next year and what that could

202look like with additional members coming and being more powerful and using our voice. >> Um Trustee Nelson, did you have a board report? >> I just wanted to say ditto basically. Um, I do wonder what the impact was, uh, not meeting with the with Representative Laughron and just meeting with her staff person, but the alternative is to do nothing and that's not that's not reasonable. Um, but we just need to keep at it. We just need to keep advocating. I was surprised at the bipart you know the survey results for the bipartisan support of education but on the flip side when people were asked for their priorities education was way down the list so but education touches everything uh we need to advocate more about the importance of education um yeah that's it um I

203need to stop talking now okay [laughter] >> um trusty you. Baker, did you >> just wanted to add um since it was brought up, the two things that we did um um uh advocate for it was kind of our focus attention was on getting more um or getting what is owed to us, the federal money on IDA and uh CTE. So, those were the two main issues that uh we were advocating for. uh trusty Peno first >> not having gone and just listening um it's not what impact you made on Washington DC but what that impact made on you because I hear the advocacy and the um what focus now so that don't discount that >> uh trust Bono >> I was just going to mention um one of the aha moments that I had

204um one of the trustees that was at our table I forget I think from like Anaheim or something like that um made it made us helped us understand that I was always thinking it was you know that we were to be funded at 40% right for IDA it's up >> it's up to >> 40%. And like that's a big difference. That's a big difference. And so it made just made me start to think about well then if we start to choose it as it is versus what it should be, I wonder how that changes some of the ways that we think and and what and what we how we move forward. And then in the picture, did you put this together? >> No, I think um Trusty Nelson did. >> Um Jack Oonnell is in

205>> Well, but Trusty Nelson provided >> Oh, thank you. Jack Oonnell is in this picture. Just funny fun fun fact we're at the congressional reception and everyone's wanting to talk to Adam Schiff and it's really exciting and then Nancy Pelosi and it's like rock stars movie stars coming in very exciting and I'm standing there next to Jack Oonnell I said are you his policy aid for Jack for Adam Schiff and he said um I'm Jack Oonnell like and I didn't have my phone I was like Jack Oonnell wait Jack >> well Jack O I said former he's like yeah nice to meet you. >> Nice to meet you. He was kind about it though. >> No problem. Um yeah, so I just kind of wanted to talk a little bit more about the uh Coast

206to Coast. Um so grateful that more of the Gilroy came and I I think I mean we we made an impression with the other board because they were like, "Okay, Gilroy really showed up." So thank you very much for for doing that. Um and you know our voice is important uh as elected officials and while I yes we had like you know the IDA we every year we go back every year and and talk about it um it does make a difference right because we're talking to people that already believe in this right because Zo Zolan has been like trying to push the fully funding IDA you know since she's been in in office. Um what she needs from us are the stories, right? So that she can then try to convince her other um

207her colleagues to to really this is an important issue. It is an a bipartisan issue, but it um I think when you made a um comment or ne trusty Nelson um the I love it when they provide us the statistics um and the survey data because um the survey data is like almost everyone thinks education is important and want to have you know fully funded education but when it comes to like the how important is it to you it is like way at the bottom. So, I mean that could be a good or bad thing, right? Because it's not a high priority. So, people are not like raising the bell. Um, but also because it could be because they think that the public education system is working, right? So, it's a good and bad thing.

208Um, yes, it's working, but it could be a lot better with the funding that was promised. Um and and so there are there were four uh federal priorities and the way that the coast to coast works it um so it's all of the school districts in California and the majority of the school districts in California are small districts not like you know the larger ones in Santa Clara County. So their priorities could be are very different sometimes from uh Santa Clara County school districts. Um and and also just to there were so the rural schools um and uh priority area that was last five years. So that finally passed right. It just it takes time. It just takes time and a lot of like same thing over and over and over. So things do get

209passed. it just takes time and consistency. Um so just to kind of give you an example like the four priority areas were for artificial intelligence and education. Um and basically the federal government kind of wants to deregulate and remove the state's control over regulation. Um the other one is uh workforce and career technical education is you know uh at least for now keeping the the funding for Perkins and uh WEOA. Um and then number three is children's online safety, privacy and mental health. Uh that also kind of has to do with the um you know like on honestly I think that should not be our problem. should be the the company's problem, but it's it's our problem because everything's our problem. And then uh priority four is the federal appropriations budget budget which the IDA

210came into. Um and for us because that the the other two priorities were not very important that you know so we get to choose uh what priorities we had. So that's why the CTE programs and um the fully funding IDA were our priorities. Um, so it I mean it was a good trip and I'll share with you what um we had as a leave behind and when I was researching this leave behind I was like oh my god because one of the statistics that really kind of um hit home to me was that uh in our population of Gilroy only 29% hold a bachelor's degree or higher as compared to Silicon Valley on a it's 56%. The US average is 36%. So like we are way way way behind right and so that's why it

211is so critical for us as a school district to really build out these comprehensive uh CT pathways because we know our students are not all going to go to a four-year college, right? There's a reason why, you know, in terms of like a average median wage, Gilroy is low. I mean, it just it just compounds after compound after compound. So, we as a district have this amazing opportunity to change that trajectory. So, that's why I'm like super excited and passionate about being on the board now because this is a really critical um point and I really appreciate Dr. Munchie and the cabinet for all of the work that you're doing. Um, and I think you know this 10 years from now when I'm long gone, [laughter] I I think that you know Gilroy it the

212school district itself is going to be really really amazing and really transform our community. Um, >> yes. Yeah. So, thank you so much for all of the work that you've done in terms of the CT pathways, you know, applying for grants and facilities and all that stuff. It's important and um I really appreciate that. That's the direction that we're going. >> Can I make a comment as to what um I thought was powerful about what you were sharing because when when you said when we looked at what the nation thought were top priorities, they thought the economy >> and healthcare were top priorities. And so you made the correlation between investing in CTE and improving the economy. We could make it to tie to everything really. But um I thought then if we have to

213change our argument to let it make it land um with the right people, we have we have to start thinking that way. >> Yeah. Because you know the the return on investment is for every dollar that you spend in CTE, you get $3 back. So that's a no-brainer in terms of like if you're talking business investments. I mean it it's well worth it. Yeah, that was a powerful argument. >> Yeah. Yeah. Um, and then the other thing I um wanted to talk about is um the visit or the tour that um so the Santa Clara County or no sorry the California school boards association president um along with the Santa Clara County School Board um leadership team and a legislative action team did a tour of multiple schools within the the county or yeah the

214county, Gilroy being the first one that they toured. Um, everyone was very impressed with the facilities and the programs that we were doing. And it was really great to kind of highlight it because even Bonnie Mace, who's the executive director of um, Santa Clair County School Boards Association, was saying, you know, this is really great because there's this misconception that Gilroy is a backward kind of town. like it right like we're farm workers and we don't have and I'm like yeah so it it was you know that's why it's really great that we're bringing people down to take a look at all the great programs that Gilroy is doing and we're getting better at it but I still think that we need to do a better job at like tooting our own horn right about

215telling about all the amazing things that Gilroy is doing um and then so we did a tour of Gilroy then we went to um Osborne School at Juveninal Hall. I was super impressed with the programming that they had there. Um they they have a beautiful wellness center. They have an amazing library. Um and they have um so they're also looking at like CT pathways. Uh, so they they have a like a music I don't remember how they call it, but like a music um area where kids can like write their own lyrics and compose music and it's all digital. Um, so it was really really impressive and they also started uh dual enrollment. So they there's a new program or it's recent. And I think I may maybe the first year or two where um

216you know kids that are going through the Osborne school, they're dy enrolled in one of the community colleges. So when they graduate, they can also have an AA degree. >> And they were telling us that, you know, uh two of their graduates got accepted to um two of the UC schools. So I mean, yeah, it's it's a huge huge difference. So, um yeah, I was super impressed with that. And then the third school that we went to was um an elementary school in uh Certino and it's actually it's Port uh something Murdoch Portell Portwell. Um and actually that elementary school ranked the number one in the state. Um and it was great to see what they were doing in the classrooms. And so they in 2018 they comp they did completed their strategic plan. They

217had a um portfolio of a student. And so now what they did was, you know, when they're slowly launching it, they asked all the teachers, so what does a portrait of a student look like in the classroom and in the lesson plan? So every time they do a lesson plan, it's it's tied to one aspect of the portrait of a a student. And um they really what really impressed me was I went into the a second grade classroom and they were integrating AI into that classroom and how they were doing that was they were working in in groups. So collaboration of uh four four students and you know they were doing a um superhero cape. So they had to write out what it you know what it looked like and you know the color and

218everything in complete sentences. Um and then they fed it they would after they do that they feed it into the AI machine and then it uh generates a a picture of what it is. So I, you know, I really like was impressed with how they integrated AI in a really thoughtful way. Um, and that school, I think it was is, you know, pretty much all uh project- based learning. So, and and what inspired me was like, oh, we can get there because we're already starting that foundation with our strategic plan and portrait of a student. So, um I was not able to make the fourth one which was in um the Mountain uh View Wispin School District. >> Uh but yeah, it was it was super interesting to to tour the different schools um and

219learn about what everyone was doing and kind of see where we're at in that kind of um space and where we can go for sure. That's it. Oh, one uh couple other things. Actually, one other thing I do want and I will send everyone a calendar invite, but on May 29th, which is on a Friday, um the Santa Clara County School Boards Association is actually coming to Gilroy and doing a lunch and learn um at barbecue 152. So, um please uh it it's on I'm sorry, May 29th at 11:30. I will send everyone an invite for that. It would be great if you can attend. Um, okay. I think there was one other thing, but that's okay. Um, all right. Any other board member reports? Sorry, that was a little long. Um, okay. Upcoming and

220new referral agenda items. >> Yes, >> we're still on. >> Okay. So um when we do recognitions like we did the afterchool recognition today because our meetings are on Thursday then we only have one day post our recognition instead of a week. So, can we put those recognitions on the previous meeting so that it's like anticipating the recognition and it almost feels like an afterthought when we do it Thursday and then we only have Friday left. >> Is that just me? I don't know. >> Okay. >> Yes, trust. I wanted to go back to a couple requests um how we are going to how we're going to move forward with wellness centers with funding changes and then the other request was um getting a report of the um the impact and how we're measuring efficacy

221of the teacher on special assignment like coaching roles within the district. Thank you. >> Anything else? Um, oh, I'm sorry. I do remember. Um, so the legislative action committee for the Santa Clara County School Board, they we just approved a slate of, um, bills that we're going to support. So, um, I will also send everyone that whole list of bills. Um, and so, so that you're aware of what it is and what we're supporting. Um and so what we do is when we get these bills or we are aware of the bills, we uh as a legislative action committee representing all schoolboard dis uh school board members for Santa Clara County, we write letters of support. So it holds more power than just one person. Yes. Are you going um Dave Cortez is having like

222a bus to you're doing that? I have to check my calendar. >> Okay. Is anybody else representing us with that trip? I'm not I can't go. I have to look at my calendar and see. Yeah. >> What are you talking about? >> Uh Dave uh Dave Cortezy does a annual u I think did you go one year? Um he does an annual bus trip to Sacramento. >> Oh, okay. >> For advocacy. Yes. >> When is that? >> I would have to check. Um, and look at my calendar. Yeah. >> Okay. And then announcements. The next regular meeting of the board of education will be held on Thursday, May 7th, 2026. Closed session will begin at 5:30, followed by regular meeting at 7:00. The agenda will be available on the district's website by 5:00 p.m. on

223Friday, May 1st, and the board will not have to adjourn back to close session. So thank you