001Good afternoon. Today is March 11, 2025, it is 5:04 PM. Welcome to tonight's meeting. Mrs. W, could you please call the roll? President Rego present. Secretary Blen present. Trustee Bradford present. Trustee Felix present. Trustee Ortiz Cornejo present. Council Secretary Dr. Trenton Hansen present. Cabinet members Paul Ford present. Monty Owens present. Denise Hernandez present. Daniel Brooks present. Student Council members Juliana Vizcarra Guevara present. Luis Sanchez present. Janet Romero present. Cinnia Aguirre Hernandez present. Thank you. Please, everyone stand so that Mr. Brooks can lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Now that everyone is standing, please place your right hand over your heart. Let's begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Very well. Let's
002stand for a moment of silence. Please observe a moment of silence in memory of Mr. Doug H.B.I. HBI worked in the district from 1973 to 1991 and held positions such as specialist teacher, human relations project specialist, athletic director, high school principal, and director of educational operations. The council would like to express its sincere condolences to the Jaab family. You may be seated now. We will now proceed to the reports from the closed session. Item 5, Mr. Owens: Thank you, President Rego. In the closed session tonight, the board reached an agreement in case 70. Also, in the closed session tonight, by a vote of 5 to 0, they reached an agreement in case number 202 41103 70. Thank you, Mrs. Hernandez. Thank you, President Rico. To begin, I have an announcement regarding changes in administration. First,
003for the 2025-2026 school year, Alison Hessler will be the principal of Indian Hills Elementary School. Thank you, Mr. Brooks. Also, for the 2025-2026 school year, Giovanca Martinez, formerly the assistant principal of Jurupa High School, will be replaced. Next, in the closed session tonight, by a vote of By a vote of 5 to 0 with all members of the Council in favor and none against, the Council voted to appoint Trisa Molo as principal of Rustic Lan Elementary School, effective for the 2025-2026 school year. Also in closed session tonight, by a vote of 5 to 0 with all members of the Council in favor and none against, the Council voted to appoint Erik Cross as assistant principal of Jurupa High School. And finally, in closed session, by a vote of 5 to 0 with all members of
004the Council in favor and none against, the Council voted not to reappoint employee number 29817 at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. Thank you. Thank you. We continue with item 6 of the agenda: recognizing administrators who receive state and regional awards. Please note, this is an item before the agenda. The Jurupa School District is pleased to announce the exceptional achievements of several JUSD administrators who have been recognized for their outstanding leadership and contributions to education. First, we are proud to share that four JUSD administrators have been selected for prestigious awards. The California Association of School Administrators, Region 19, known by its acronym AXA, the professional organization of educational administrators of the California Institute of Technology, annually recognizes outstanding contributions to the field in various areas of responsibility. The board wishes to formally recognize the
005following administrators: Paula Ford, Business Services Administrator for Region 19; Denis Hernandez, Personnel Administrator for Region 19; Veronica Gonzalez, Technology Administrator for Region 19; and Daniel Br, Curriculum and Instruction Administrator for Region 19. These recipients will be honored during the Region 19 Spring Awards Celebration on May 12, 2025, at the Beverly Convention Center. We are also pleased to announce that Mancy Ovens has been selected to receive the Outstanding Leadership in Education Award, a joint recognition from the California Association of African American School Administrators and the California Association of School Administrators. This prestigious award will be presented at their annual Summit in Los Angeles on March 26, 2025, in honor of exceptional contributions. From Mansi to Education, we are very proud of our administrators and all our Deust employees for what they do for all our students.
006Very good. Number seven: Recognizing the awards from the California School Public Relations Association. Thank you, Madam President. Yes, for items 7, 8, and 9, I would like you, Council members, to please come up here so we can greet the winners. As the Council comes forward, I will begin with the next recognition. The Board of Education will recognize the Strategic Communications Department for winning eight 2025 Communications Awards from the California School Public Relations Association, known by the acronym KSP. At their annual awards gala on March 7, 2025, in San Diego, the department has received a total of 32 state and national awards in just three years. Below is a list of the campaigns that received awards this year. Also, Nidia Rojas del Real has also been recognized for her work in communications. Here tonight is the
007Strategic Communications Department and Consolidator, Jackie Paw. Please come forward, Jackie, Vina, and Nidia. I will take your picture for our next recognitions. We will... Continuing with the same theme of celebrating, two local service organizations recently held their annual orator competitions. The council will recognize the Jurupa students who won the 2025 competition. This represents Jurupa, and I would like both of you to please come forward when I call your names. First, we will recognize from Patriot School the winner of the Lions Club's annual orator competition, our student council member Janet Romero, who is also here tonight, and from Patriot School the winner of the R for We Test annual orator competition, Viviana Maroquin. And please, another round of applause for Janet and Viviana! Congratulations! Very good! Very good work! Thank you again! Very good! We continue.
008I'm going to pass the baton to Ms. Hernandez. Every month we recognize some of the outstanding district employees who are nominated and selected to receive the Best of the Best award. They have been nominated by their colleagues and have demonstrated a great commitment to the students, the employees, and the work of the Jurupa district. Tonight we will honor two awardees: a Classified Employee and a Certified Employee. Our first Best of the Best award recipient. One of the best is employee Daniel Pérez. Mr. Pérez is a network specialist who consistently ensures the smooth operation of technological processes thanks to his experience and dedication. He excels in implementing innovative solutions, including automation techniques, which translates into significant financial savings. His proactive work in cybersecurity and network stability, which he hasn't finished yet, is noteworthy. He says he
009works in a small room, so perhaps he's ready to sit down. He's not used to being around large groups of people. He works in cybersecurity and network stability, especially during critical events like power outages, and demonstrates unwavering commitment. In addition to his technical expertise, Mr. Pérez maintains a positive attitude and collaborates with his colleagues. That's why he's one of the best among the best. Now you can sit down. Thank you. Our next recipient is Jessica Schmid. Ms. Schmid, an elementary school teacher at Academy of the Sun, demonstrates exceptional dedication and leadership. As a key member of several committees, she manages a considerable workload and contributes to numerous committees focused on student well-being and school improvement. Her expertise in curriculum and behavior management is widely recognized, and she generously shares her knowledge with her colleagues. It
010fosters a supportive environment for both students and staff by creating inclusive classrooms and empowering teachers with effective strategies. Congratulations, Ms. SHM, for being one of the best in Jurupa. Applause for Ms. Schmit. My favorite part of the evening, followed by my second favorite, Article 10: Student Council Member Reports. Dr. Hansen, yes, we want to welcome the two Student Council Members tonight. We are eager to hear their reports, and we will begin with Juliana and end with Juliana at the back of the table. Juliana, please, would you like to start? Of course. Good evening, Dr. Hansen, Chairwoman, Council Members, Cabinet, and Community Members. The end of February and the month of March have been filled with honor, celebration, achievements, and excitement. On February 8, ASB announced the new Executive Council for 2025-2026. Congratulations to Siri Melendres
011as Chairwoman, Saraí Segundo as Vice-Chairwoman, Sofía Félix as Treasurer, Kate Gamboa as Secretary, and Victoria Moreno as Clubs Chairwoman. We are incredibly proud of them and can't wait. Let's see the positive impact they will bring to our school next year. On February 19th, our Future Farmers Club students exhibited their animals at the recent Indio Fairgrounds. Their hard work and dedication to the Future Farmers Club were evident throughout the event, and we congratulate them on their efforts. Yearbook sales have officially begun. We are excited to capture and celebrate the 2024-2025 school year thanks to the dedication of our yearbook team. A special congratulations to Mr. Ganti for being named Teacher of the Year for Jurupa High School. His commitment not only to his students but also to our entire school and district is truly inspiring. Throughout
012March, we proudly celebrated Women's History Month, recognizing the invaluable contributions of women to history and society. On March 14th, we would like to invite Council members to our last min of the year: our Monster University-themed spring min. We will showcase our spring sports, our academically outstanding students, and most importantly, have lots of fun! The week of the 10th, we're organizing a pre-mini school spirit week! Monday is Bu's Pajama Party - wear pajamas! Tuesday is Scary Game Tuesday - wear your favorite t-shirt! Wednesday is Jacks College - wear Jacks or college clothes! Thursday is Terry and Terry Twins Day - coordinate with your best friend! And Friday is Wear Your Class Colors Day! We're also organizing a door decorating contest to add some excitement to our rally. Later that afternoon, we invite everyone to Chu Chella,
013our first Community Resource Fair, from 4 to 7 pm. This free event is open to all Jurupa families and will feature delicious food, local resources, family-friendly activities, and live performances. We hope to see you there! On March 6th, we had the honor of participating in the Jurupa Bali National Honor Society induction ceremony. Students presented the symbolic lighting of candles, each representing the four pillars of the National Honor Society, as they celebrate their outstanding achievements. Finally, our spring sports teams are in full bloom as they begin their seasons. We wish them much success! Good luck and we hope to see many victories. We also want to congratulate our athletes of the year, Andreas Barbosa and G elg. The dedication and excellence of our athletes do not go unnoticed. With this, my report concludes. Thank you. Next
014up is Luis Sanchez from Nueva Vista. Good evening, Dror Hansen, trustees, cabinet, and members of our community. We began the ELPAC tests on February 19th. At this time, 80% of the students have started the exam, and we will continue to have make-up exam sessions for the remaining students. Currently, our bilingual helpers are working to administer the oral portion of the test and will continue until we have all the students evaluated. We had another amazing and fun Friday event at the end of February. The theme was the pride of Nueva Vista, and the cafeteria served delicious nachos. Our community teacher, Mrs. Arias, organized a kindness photo booth. Our next quarterly David Busters field trip is scheduled for March 19th. The criteria for students to attend include achieving an 85% attendance rate, passing all classes, and maintaining
015good behavior. The Distribution and Logistics students in the technical careers had the opportunity to visit At our community partner, the Niagara Bottling Company in Ontario, students spent the day learning about various career growth opportunities, preparing for interviews, and the importance of safety first. Students toured the facility, from the water bottle injection molding process to how they are packaged and shipped, and learned that the Ontario plant can produce 2 billion water bottles annually. New Vista students participated in the Social Trades Tour at Patriot High School. Students had the opportunity to speak with qualified tradespeople and learn about the various opportunities available. Our sustainable agriculture program continues to expand. We have learned a lot and are taking steps to raise a substantial amount to supplement our school nutrition services. We expect to harvest a large amount of
016corn and cucumbers by the end of the school year. We also hope to grow flowers for use in our school's graduation and awards ceremonies. Once again, we thank the District for its support. We believe that every student deserves the opportunity to thrive and build a successful future. As a community school, we empower students through hands-on experience and community support. We have a partnership with the center. of opportunities for young people to ensure first paid work experiences for students. With this, Janet Patriot said, "Good evening, Superintendent Hansen, trustees, and community members. It's officially March Badness, but instead of basketball, the administration has organized its own attendance competition, which will take place between March 3 and 21. Advisor classes will face off in this challenge. Classes will have three weeks of perfect attendance, and each grade will
017win a frozen yogurt bar for their class. As we approach the end of this school year, Patriot wants seniors to be aware of all their opportunities. On February 28, we took seniors and juniors from third and fourth grade of high school on tours to Southern California Trades. This event showcased a variety of career paths that students could explore. Some of the field representatives included police officers, mental health specialists, and even JURUPA employees. Many of our technical career classes also help students explore future career plans. Last week, a group of CTE medical students had the opportunity to visit the nursing school." At the University of Lom Lenda, students learned about the nursing profession, practiced CPR, and learned how to administer injections. They finally ended their day with a tour of the campus. On February 25th, our
018ASB organized the first blood drive of the semester. We had over 50 students donate. Each student received a free Neno gift card, and two students were selected for a special drawing. I am very excited to announce the theme of our spring schedule: cars racing through the high school. The spirit days are as follows: Monday: Cozy Day (dress in pajamas); Tuesday: Tom Matter Day (wear jeans); Wednesday: Speedway Showdown (wear red or blue); Thursday: Mia and Auntie Day ( dress like a friend); and Friday: Maximum Power Day ( wear neon). Our third-grade class council has also officially announced the details of this year's prom. The theme is "A Night on Antennas." This ancient Greek dance will take place at the Edwards Mansion on April 12th. We are excited to see all of our graduating warriors! Last week,
019on March 6th, our school hosted Future Warriors Night. Current eighth- grade students who attended Patriot and those who will attend next year participated. Several of our programs, such as ASB Link Crew, CTE, and more, were also present. Students enjoyed exciting performances from our cheerleading squad, choir, and band. We are eager to welcome our new freshman class in the fall. Regarding sports, our spring athletic season has officially begun, and our teams have started strong. All teams will begin playing in the league next week. Our baseball team has had some exciting preseason games against King Colony and HOME High Schools. They currently have a record of 4-0. Our SAFA team has also had some exciting competitions to start their season with games against Shadow Hills, Corona, and Arlington Schools. They currently have a record of 2-0. Our
020boys' tennis team has had a solid start, going 3-2. Their first match of the season was a great opportunity to showcase their skills. Our girls' war polo team has also had a great start with 11-0. This concludes my March report. Thank you very much. We finished with Cynthia from R High School. Good evening, Dr. Hansen, trustees, and community members. I am pleased to present the highlights of our school as we continue the spring season. Athletics has had multiple meets showcasing strong performances from our athletes. Our baseball teams recorded impressive victories against the Indian Springs and 29 Palms teams. The varsity team also secured victories, while the junior varsity team also performed excellently against 29 Palms. Our football program had the opportunity to interact with younger students at Rest Clin Elementary School during Reading Week at
021E In the United States, 43 of our players read to elementary school students, creating a fun and interactive esports experience. Our team is performing exceptionally well with a record of six wins and one loss. We look forward to competing for the League Championship on Thursday against Monclair. Our orchestra participated in the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association Festival, providing our music students with an enriching experience. Our drum line also performed in the Rust Clin Vocabulary Parade on March 7, contributing to a lively atmosphere for the younger students. ASB students worked diligently with the administration to organize a successful registration day on February 6. This event allowed current Rubido students to explore the courses and programs available for the upcoming academic year. We are excited to welcome new students to the ASB family. Since the
022application window for the 2025-2026 school year closed on March 4, elections will be held from March 10-17, and we look forward to the contributions of our new ASB leaders. Our Rubido Future Farmers Club had another successful fair. Indio this year, 27 students and their animals earned numerous high marks in exhibits, and several animals even advanced to the championship rounds for the Market classes. Additionally, three students were awarded the fair's Magic Carpet Scholarships. At the end of the event, all the market animals sold for excellent prices at the auctions, and we couldn't be more proud of our Future Farmers Club members. The ABID program organized a 3-day trip for students to explore various college campuses, providing them with valuable information about college life and broadening their perspectives on post-secondary education. On March 6, students attended the
023Discover CSU event at the convention center in Berside, where 12 seniors learned more about 10 California State Universities, enhancing their knowledge of potential college paths. As we approach the end of the year, students are beginning to register for their classes for the next semester and are meeting with their advisors for one-on- one discussions about A-G requirements and other graduation criteria. Thank you for your time. This concludes my report. Thank you, students, and thank you for your reports. Thank you for sharing them with us tonight. Well done. Good article. C11 comments from the Board of Education. We begin with Trustee Ortiz Cornejo. Good afternoon everyone. Thank you, student members, for your monthly reports. First of all, I just want to thank everyone present today. Congratulations to those who received their awards tonight. The awards you received
024are fantastic, but even better is knowing that you are doing an excellent job and that the lives of the students are being positively impacted. Thank you all. Just to update you from this past month, Trustee Felix and I attended an event on February 26th—I mean, February 22nd—a very fun event because she had always wanted to visit the historic park, the C Park located in California. It was a very fun day. And on March 5th, we went to the State of Education event by Riverside County. The Riverside County Superintendent gave a speech, a report on the current state of education in Riverside County, and we heard from various schools and what is happening in their districts. So it provides a general idea of how the schools are doing and gives us an idea of How we
025can improve is all I have for now. I have comments for the end. Thank you, thank you, Trustee Felix. Greetings to all. Good afternoon. Spring break is coming soon. Are you excited? Of course! I had a very fun time at the community cleanup event. Being there, I saw some of our students from our district present, as well as students from other neighboring districts. My son and I were picking up trash right before his soccer game, and we saw some trash like a cup. I told him, "You know you're saving turtles' lives!" He said, "How is that possible?" I told him that all this trash ends up in the ocean, and little animals like turtles end up eating it and drowning or getting hurt. So he was very happy to know that he was helping to
026prevent that. On the first Saturday of the month, we will participate in this event to help clean up the community trash. If you know of people who need volunteer time, such as seniors, this is an excellent opportunity to volunteer, beautify the city, and also receive credit for your volunteer hours. I also attended another event in Berside County. In the Bevers Side district, and I'm proud to say that out of the entire county, we're one of only two that offer college courses while the kids are in high school. So they're opening up time and starting school early. So that recognition from the Jurupa district among 26 districts in the area was very positive. I'm very proud, and I, for my part, am proud to be part of such an excellent committee. Thank you, CICAF. I have
027a question for Cynthia. First, you mentioned a vocabulary parody. Can you tell us more about that? All I know is that some Rubido students were present, learning. It was an event for the students. Oh, I'll have to call your school to ask more. Okay, let's continue with the comments. Thank you. First, Janet. I'm very happy for you, and it's fabulous. Viviana, where are you? Congratulations! I know how difficult the Ry Forway Test is, and I want to tell you both that in my school, when I was in high school, I had those exams. When I was in high school, I didn't receive much attention. But now I get paid to say things, to open my mouth—not here, but when I give classes and lectures. These are... Something very valuable so that you can be in
028a group and be very well prepared. Congratulations, and also congratulations to the best of the best. It makes me very happy that you chose Jurupa for your career, and also for Mrs. Jan, Miss Jan, and Housing. Well, I want to thank the assistant superintendents for their work and also because they are congratulating you tonight. I want to add my congratulations. Each of you has helped me and been excellent role models for the members of your staff who have also supported me, as well as our communications department. You are my people and you make me proud. For those who don't know me, communication is my professional field. Mrs. Paul and I have known each other for a long time, and for those of you who are regular attendees or listeners, you have heard about my Jurupa
029online Spanish Adult Education classes three nights a week. Thank you very much once again to my teacher, Mrs. Amalia González, a very kind woman. Another very kind woman who has encouraged me is Araceli Molina at the adult school. Last week we made a podcast that you could see online soon. I will share I need to get Dr. Hansen's approval first before we share it with the rest of the community, but when you want to watch it, it 's on YouTube and it's @journeys. Remember, it's on YouTube @j byco. And remember, adult school is free. Here I see people who are in the same class. When they have the option when taking classes online, it's not having to see people face to face. I'm already used to the Zoom app for virtual meetings, but the first
030time was through Google Meet, and I didn't know how to use that app. In Google Meet, I was lost. This week I just wanted to finish and I didn't want anyone to see me crying, much less a trustee, until I heard a kind voice that said, " Okay, that's fine, Ms. Karen." And I knew my Michael. He's back there, the audiovisual technician for the meetings. These are the kinds of people we have here in our district. That's the kind of help they receive here, and it's free, right? Oh, okay. Thank you very much. Thank you, colleagues. Last month I attended a musical concert at Rub High School in the Elian Concert Center. Let me tell you, I attended in the afternoon when it was... High schools and excuse me, I almost missed the performance of
031Her Valley, but they played before I arrived. But I had the opportunity to hear Patriot and Rub, and a fun fact I learned is that Rub has the number one trumpet player in the entire country. So congratulations to him and Rub. And then the next night I attended a City Council meeting, and Eren's company was there to explain some of the power outages the city has experienced. While I was there, I ran into some members of our district custodian teams. They were very friendly. We chatted. I know you, you know me. The campus was very clean during both events. And that day during lunch, they had all their clubs and the band outside, but by the afternoon everything was nice and clean for those afternoon events. Then, as I was leaving, I saw a line
032of buses, and I started playing on the buses, and they asked me, "Can we help you? Are you looking for someone?" And I said, "No, I'm just thanking you for the fact that you make sure our students get to school safely." On my way home, our bus drivers and pilots do a fantastic job. Both my colleagues and I attended a State of Education event presented by Riverside County Public Schools Superintendent Edwin Gomez. At that event, there was a singer, a student from Rubero High School, who sang the national anthem. I can't believe how beautifully he sang; he hit every note, and we received recognition for that as well. Later that evening, I attended a dinner for an organization called STEP, which provides STEAM scholarships and programs. They were instrumental in raising funds for the school.
033They have free activities and programs during the summer, so you can look up more information about the STEP program. Then I also had the opportunity to participate in a RE Across America event at Mission Bell Elementary. Thank you, Mrs. Worley, for scheduling that appointment. First of all, you have a fantastic staff. Your principal is tremendous and magnificent. And again, I must say, your school was so clean; I was amazed by the work done by the custodians and those who take care of the schools. Although they were going through a traumatic time because a mother of a Mission Bell student passed away, she was very active in the school, and I witnessed her professionalism, her kindness, and her dedication. I was quite impressed. Mr. Ens was there with me to help me navigate the school, and
034I was amazed. I know, Mr. Ens, why you are receiving this award tonight because you truly deserve it. When Principal Aguilera said the staff was struggling with the loss of that volunteer mother, you picked up your phone and made several calls and immediately addressed the needs of our staff, the parents, and the entire Mission Bell community that you helped. So, thank you very much, and thank you for your training. And thank you to Dr. Hensen for placing you in this position. Another happy thought: I was the only one to recognize that it was the Winnie the Pooh cartoon character and not Stitch at that event. I was proud to identify it. Also, the Pico program, the involvement, and the participation of the parents were integral in supporting that event. And as you said, Mr. Owens,
035it's not just a one-day thing; it's ongoing services that they will need. Dealing with trauma is also important at Camino Real School. I saw the book vending machine; the students love it. The second- grade students also have a garden that they maintain, which impressed me quite a bit. And just two more things, I assure you. There's a local organization, Machado Family Giving, in our community, and I 'm proud to be associated with them. Two weeks ago, they were able to donate 500 winter jackets to the District. 24 schools collected the jackets, and many put them in their offices to give to students in need. So, thank you to Machado Family Giving for those jackets. Then, through Pico, there's also a partnership with TR Street Grand Hill, and 200 students are going to receive a new
036pair of shoes and socks thanks to Machado Family Giving. They received some grants and used the money to benefit our students. I think they have an event next week; the students are going to look great in their new shoes and socks. And lastly, I'm excited to participate in my first week of legislative action so I can advocate not only for our district but for our county as well. I am fortunate to be paired with our State Senator, Ms. Cervantes. So I am excited. If you have any suggestions or advice for me, please let me know. And I am excited to offer my services to the community. I just have a few updates I would like to share. I would like to acknowledge Alison, Iri, Jovan, and Erik, all the principals who were appointed tonight, and
037their new school sites. I wish them all the best, and they deserve it. As for our administrators, I couldn't be more proud of you. You deserve it. You are an amazing team. Being elected has a certain caliber; it requires a certain caliber of work, but it is an honor for me to work alongside you all for the benefit of our students. So thank you very much. As for the very best who were recognized today, every month I am thrilled to see people who are receiving recognition for going above and beyond their jobs and beyond the basic requirements of their work to serve our district and perform at a high level. So congratulations to you as well as to those who won the contest. Although I wasn't there, I can say what I want, right? Congratulations
038to both of you. And may they continue on this same path, striving to practice the art of public speaking effectively, because it will serve them well in their future as leaders. Also, congratulations to our communications team for the awards received. We have seen much progress. Our communications team has truly taken us to another level, and the quality of their work, their messaging, their consistency, and the positive way they approach it is tremendous. Thank you and congratulations on your recognition. Student Council members, it is always a pleasure to hear your updates. Oh, I heard, "Wow, what a creative title for that event!" I thought it was very cool, but hearing about the tests, the gardens, and all the activities that are taking place, the students are going to find something they like, something they enjoy, and
039they will be able to enjoy time with other students and staff. Thank you for the updates. And then, for the past few weeks, Dror Hensen and I have visited some schools. Peralta also gave us a warm welcome, and we were able to tour their school and see our teachers in action, visit the campuses, and walk through them. I really like that. I feel that, but I also want to express my gratitude to Peralta Elementary School invited me to Career Day to talk about my career. Normally, I'm invited just to be there and greet people, but this time I was invited to talk about my job. I work as a professional merchandise salesperson. They told me they needed someone to work in that field, and I was thrilled to hear they needed someone to speak. I'm
040excited to participate again. For anyone who has a job that you find unique or different, or even if it's typical, I encourage you all to volunteer to speak at schools for Career Day. You can open students' eyes to what they need to pursue a similar career and the different nuances. Maybe they'll see something and say, " That sounds really fun, but what are the technical aspects of that career?" or "What does it take to learn that job?" So I encourage anyone with a full-time job to schedule an appointment during Career Day to teach students what they do. It might give them an opportunity they had n't considered before. My colleagues mentioned that I'm going to echo the State of the District event, the event hosted by Superintendent Gomez of Riverside County, and the partnership we
041had with other districts. Upon hearing the State of the District report within Riverside County, they highlighted several schools, and Jurupa was recognized for its Dual Enrollment program, which has contributed to increasing our graduation rates. So, congratulations to everyone involved in that Dual Enrollment program. I know it continues to grow, and it's so important for the future. A little later this month, we're going to visit the GR Middle School, and I'm looking forward to that visit. You won't be there yet, right? A few more weeks. Well, that's all I have. And we're going to move on to public comments. We have about six or eight public commentators tonight. Please see the guidelines for those who will be speaking publicly. The council does not answer questions, and we don't speak; we're simply here to listen. If the
042item is not on the agenda, we cannot comment on it, and it's a maximum of three minutes per person. We will call on you individually to introduce yourselves. If I don't pronounce your name correctly... Name, please excuse me, my last name is often mispronounced. We'll begin with Daniel Silvas. Thank you. May I turn on the microphone? Oh, very good. Now then, good afternoon, council members and community of Grupa Valley High School. I want to echo the words of the students serving on this council. All of you have excellent public speaking skills and a bright future. I didn't take public speaking classes, and I wish I had. I want to remind you that this month is Women's History Month and that International Women's Day was recently celebrated. I congratulate all the women here. I am here
043as a member of Grupa Valley High School. As a father of three children and a grandchild who participate in youth sports, it has come to my attention that there have been some problems with youth sports at Valley High School. Before I begin, I just want to say that I am not opposed to anyone. I believe that every person has the right to pursue happiness in this free country we have. But the only condition is that they cannot pursue happiness without respecting the rights of someone else who is also pursuing that happiness. There has been a boy who has been competing in girls' sports, and it has been on the international news. The truth about this is that the district is violating Title 9 of the federal guidelines for these sports. This is also in violation
044of the recent executive order signed by President Trump. Those who manage these sports need to know that they can lose federal funding for allowing this to happen, and I don't want that to happen because my children attend the district. The district needs to know that I have spoken with parents in the district who are very angry that the district is allowing boys to participate in girls' sports and to enter the... The room where the girls change, which is a place specifically for girls, I want to ask you if you have daughters or granddaughters or nieces. How would you feel if a boy were violating the private space of your daughter or granddaughter or niece? Even Governor Nsam has said on a podcast that boys competing against girls is not fair; it robs them of their
045opportunity to be part of a team and also robs them of opportunities. Maybe you can start a program for boys who are into sports; they also deserve happiness. But please listen to the parents of California and JSD. I want to ask the council to do what is right and protect girls' sports. Please put politics aside and safeguard young women's sports. I'll say it three times. Thank you. We continue with Jessica Tapia. Good afternoon, JSD Council members. I am Jessica Tapia. I work for the UNA, a legal ministry here in the district. I worked in this district until 2023 when I was fired because I didn't allow boys in the room where the girls change. Young ladies, I am here again this afternoon to continue standing up for the students and parents who are being silenced
046by what you are allowing to happen. The truth always prevails, even when they try to hide it. And the truth regarding High School has come out that for almost two years, Osley has allowed a male to participate in girls' sports. I am receiving messages from parents and students both inside and outside the district who are extremely angry about what the district is allowing to happen to female athletes. It is a direct violation of Title 9, which is meant to give girls a fair chance to participate in sports. I am sure you are aware that President Biden and his effort to rewrite Title 9 was a disaster on its own, and now Title 9 is based on a student's biological sex. At any time, a legal investigation into this matter can be brought, and I hope
047you are prepared for it. Allowing girls to be in a room where they have to change in front of a biological male is a crime, and I will not sit here any longer if you want me to stay quiet while this goes on. To clarify, it's not about hating, and it's not about being unfair or being rude. It's not about saying it's unfair that boys are competing against young girls. What's being tolerated is accumulating; right now it's just one boy. But what will it be like next year? And next year I have daughters, and I have a thorn in my side. So I'm not going to turn a blind eye to the corruption that's happening. This council has to protect the young women who are participating in sports, the young women of their district. Let
048the district know that their daughters are being treated fairly and equitably in the district because right now that's not the case. For the record, it saddens me to know that there are children who are confused about how God made them, whether male or female, and they need help. But saying that isn't hating them. And I also want to thank God for the fact that this district elected me because it's a testimony that has reached millions of people to teach them that when you run for what's right, you'll always do well. Safeguard The girls' sports, now we have Oscar. Good afternoon, are you the president? Karen, superintendent, good afternoon. An ID. Who is the president? I have a daughter who plays sports in the district, and I'm here to talk to you about the young man
049who is playing in the girls' sports. As you can see from my shirt, he's repeating what was mentioned earlier regarding the executive order that President Trump signed protecting girls' sports against the participation of biological males. He's talking about section one of this order, which addresses Title NUE, a law that was enacted to ensure the protection of girls and young women while they are playing in team sports, and it also affects the federal funds that a school can receive. So, Title NUE protects women, and we're hearing about a biological male who is participating in the girls' sports. He's beating everyone and setting records that are impossible for any woman to beat. So, this executive order says we're going back to biology. Biological sex, not an individual's gender identity, has to be their biological sex. So it
050has to be defined by their sex. Section 3 of this order, signed by the president, says that any district that violates this order is in danger of losing federal funding. Everything we're saying right now is going to be on the record. Other districts are also dealing with this issue. The district of Chino has implemented policies that protect children. So we're giving you notice that this is happening, and we 're saying this so you can weigh in, so you can vote. We want to know who on this council is going to protect women. All of you are women, so who among you is going to stand up to protect women? And this isn't about feelings; it's about doing what's right. We know that boys and girls are different. They can't compete the same way in sports
051because boys are bigger, they have more muscle. There's a big difference. So we have to make sure that girls have a safe place to play and compete. Not only that, but we also know that many young girls depend on scholarships. Many do n't have money. To go to school, they depend on scholarships, but if you have a boy who is beating everyone because he is a biological male, they are stealing the opportunity to attend school too. So if you want to worry about someone, worry about all those women and not just one boy. Good afternoon. I am Cristian Villagrán, I am a son and an uncle, a veteran and a member of this community. I would have liked to say good afternoon to everyone, but we are here talking about worrying things: safeguarding women's sports.
052I say this three times: when I served in the army, my leadership always encouraged everyone to speak up when they noticed something was wrong. Well, I am here tonight speaking because something is wrong. There is something that is not right, but here in the Jurupa district, when something is not right, it is not corrected. A biological boy is competing against young women. He is going to steal more than trophies or records; he is going to steal opportunities. He is going to steal their precious high school memories, their chance to be champions, their chance to earn scholarships to go to college, and the chance to have a A safe place where they can compete among their peers says this is just misogyny in disguise. Repentance is more important than all of this. Be the leaders we
053voted for to stand up for your community, to protect them. Be brave and stand up against the corrupt political cartel of Sacramento. Three times I say it: save women's sports. Glory to Jesus now and forever. Next public commentator: Jose Carrillo. Good afternoon, council. I'm Jose Carrillo. I wish I had a prepared speech, but I don't, and it's not necessary because it's really about common sense. I'm a concerned community member. I'm a husband, a father, a protector, and a provider. It's part of my ability as a man to stop what I'm doing. It doesn't matter if it's a two-hour commute from work to have these three minutes to share how I feel. What I feel is devastating. Sometimes I don't even have the words, but I'm here imploring you today, and especially you, Dr. Hensen. I
054don't want to speak to you directly, but you're the only man present here on the council. I don't know what your thoughts are, what your beliefs are, but I'm asking you to use the power this council has to protect. These young girls are the victims of this 17-year-old boy, who will soon be a man, perhaps in days or months, we don't know, but who is taking advantage of them, stealing their championships, their medals, their trophies, and perhaps their hopes of going to school because he believes it's something it's not. We pray for this young man, that he may find out who he truly is. I don't mean to disrespect anyone, but there is a man here in this room today who thinks it's okay for a biological male to enter the girls' bathroom, the room
055where they change, and that is cowardly. You are cowards, and you think it's okay for a young girl to undress in front of a biological male, and it's not okay. Governor Nusan doesn't think it's okay either; he also said it wasn't fair. And I, just an ordinary man, an ordinary taxpayer, think it's also unfair. My daughter is here tonight, and I want to teach her and show her that her father will do everything that needs to be done to... put his foot down. The truth is, these are difficult times now. People are using politics for their own agenda, their own narrative, but it's not about that. It's about what 's right and what's wrong, and what's happening here in Jurupa is not right. It's a beautiful community, with ranch-style properties. It's beautiful, we love it,
056but we don't want this negative attention right now. It's not nice attention we're receiving. We want to be recognized for who we are, not for being someone. We don't want to be recognized because of a man who is taking away the rights of our girls. I would like to give a speech, as I said, but no. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your service in the military. Maria Carrillo, good afternoon. As my husband said, I am a mother. I don't care that you are from different districts. We are here to advocate for all the young women in California. I feel that all of you ladies on the council wouldn't be sitting there if we didn't have the opportunities we have, the opportunities that are being taken away from our girls. Now he's asking
057for handshakes with our careers, with our colleges, the opportunities that are being stolen from our girls. I am a concerned mother. I will continue fighting. My husband just got off work, and what are we doing? Instead of enjoying our property, we're here advocating for all the girls, and as he said, for the boys too. It's not about hating anyone. I hope that one day the realization will come that parents protect their children from harming their own bodies or taking hormones that will also harm them. We wish them the best, but it's not right. It's not fair that our little girls, our young women—there are some of them—are cutting their genitals in the changing rooms. They're not going to tell you that, are they? They 're telling us. Why are we afraid? Or are we going
058to visit other districts in California and say that it's not right? I'm not afraid of anything. What are you afraid of, Sacramento? The Department of Education has been failing our students. You're graduating 86 young people in the district, and the test scores are so low, it's shameful. That's the excuse of every district: "We're focusing on education." But you don't. The results in California, the scores, are horrible. So Why aren't we focusing on that instead of this gender or sex ideology? We want to protect the safety of our girls. Are we waiting for something to happen, like the young woman who broke her neck for participating in something similar? We have to react. So, as adults, now we can do something. You are leaders, you are adults. You can focus, or you can write a policy
059to protect our girls, to also protect the boys who are being lied to by their parents. There are many things you can do. You are representing a community, and I hope that what you do is right and protects our girls. Please safeguard girls' sports. Thank you. It's not that difficult. Thank you. Let's move on to the article on reports, administrative reports, and written communications. Hansen S. I would like to share with you the video of Experience. Thank you to the Communications Strategies Department for that video. I know that this is a problem that everyone is aware of, what we heard tonight. It's important to understand that it's not just the county. I want to share with you some information that we received from our attorneys and also from the executive order that was announced a
060few weeks ago. What they specifically said Section 21.5 F states that a student is allowed to participate in programs and activities, including athletic programs and competitions, regardless of their registered sex. It also states that LGBTQ+ students must know their rights and have the right to play and compete in athletic programs. It also addresses the impact of California law. In 2013, the California Institute of Finance (CIF), which governs all athletic programs in private and public schools, adopted policies stating that participation in athletic programs is a valuable part of the school experience and that students can participate in athletic programs. As reported by CIF, they will continue to follow California law, which states that students can begin and continue to attend and participate in athletic programs. We have conflicting information here, and we do have a risk
061that federal funding may be limited. We are caught in the middle of these legal issues. All the information we have received from the lawyers moving forward is that we follow California law, and executive orders do not supersede California law at this time. These are the laws of California, and we are a public agency governed by the law. The state of California, with its policies and education codes, requires us to follow those laws. I believe there will be more to come on this topic later, given Governor Newsam's recent comments, and it appears this will likely go to court. But right now, this is where we stand. We are looking at and following the laws, with the advice and guidance we receive from attorneys who are very knowledgeable about these situations. So, I felt it was important
062to share this with you tonight. I know everyone has talked about this, but it's important to know that it's not just about going against what the law requires us to do. That's all. Thank you, President Rigo. Article E was approved to opt, accept, grant, and decline routine actions by consent. I have a motion: first, the motion by Trustee Jen F, and second, by Trustee— excuse me—first by Trustee Felix, and second by Trustee Ortiz Cornejo. Excuse me, any questions or comments? Okay, we'll vote. With a vote of 5 to 5, Articles E1 through I16 were approved. We continue with Article J1, certifying the second interim financial report for 2024. Ms. Ford, please. And we're going to put a presentation on the screen. They're looking for it. Very good. There it is. Thank you. Tonight is the
063time of year in March when we present our second interim budget report. In December, as you know, we have the first interim report, and this will give you some changes and updates since the last report in December 2024. So, in the cycle, we're at the end of this five-part cycle. Second interim financial report in June. We're going to present the budget for your adoption and approval for 2025-2026. What I'd like to talk to you about tonight is a little bit of the updates to the State Budget. Where is the State Budget? We're also going to talk about the current year's expenditures through January 31st, and then a general overview of the District's multi-year budget, each of the three areas. Speaking of the State Budget, as mentioned earlier in January when we talked about the Government's
064budget for 2025-2026, it proposed a tail of 2.4, which is what we used to calculate our budget. But now the Office of Legislation has said that it's probably going to be closer. At 2.26, the good thing is that so far, state revenues have been strong and are increasing or exceeding what the governor had said. Of course, we 've all seen that the stock market is currently experiencing declines and that the state economy in general remains mediocre, and that's why the state doesn't want to commit to many expenditures. And even if the stock market does well overall, the California economy is weaker than in previous years. The Proposition 98 guarantee is extremely sensitive to changes in state revenues. Any change in our state revenues represents 95 cents for every dollar of our Proposition 98 funds, for
065better or for worse, and that's why we're exercising caution. So, the governor's budget presents a reasonable mix of one-off and ongoing expenditures, so we're comfortable with that. But due to the risk, as I mentioned, given the stock market risk and also unforeseen taxes from the Los Angeles fires, those who live in those areas have extra time to pay their taxes, so we're not going to see the full picture until months later. That's why the The governor is recommending delaying $1.6 billion of Proposition 98 will result in a one-time payment, but we don't know when. We're going to receive the state's projections of a decrease in school attendance and enrollment, but the governor's budget also includes additional funding for transitional kindergarten and the requirement they had imposed of 10 adults—excuse me, one adult for every 10
066students. So it's another area where there isn't much certainty right now, and it wo n't be until May that we'll have a clearer idea of what they're going to expect from us. Like many districts in the state, we continue to experience a decrease in enrollment, and the average daily attendance percentage was 93.3 percent in the first interim period and is now 92.7 percent in this second interim report. That's based on our reports. We've seen a slight increase in the percentage of non-duplicated students. We've also seen improvements in the district's negative tail, from 1.75 to 1.63 percent. So, to better understand how the decrease in enrollment affects the District, I wanted to share this example with you. If the district's enrollment remained the same, the district would receive what is equivalent to the statutory tail. This
067year it would be 1.07, next year 2.43, and then in 2027 it would be 3.52. That's in the second column. And then in the third column, it represents the money we would receive if enrollment remained the same for the next 3 years: this year 160 million, next year 277 million, third year 287 million. However, since enrollment is decreasing, not staying the same and not increasing, the column is more realistic about what we can receive, and you'll see that it's a notable decrease. In column six, these are the additional revenues we would receive if we weren't in a situation of declining enrollment. But since we are experiencing declining enrollment, column seven shows the actual numbers if the statutory tail remains at 3.52 for the year 2026. In 2027, we would see an increase in LCF revenue,
068but it won't be as much as if we hadn't lost so many students. That's the difference between $19 million and $5 million. But our current projections indicate that what you see in column S is what we can reasonably expect. What we anticipate is a negative result this year, a negative result next year, and maybe $ 5 million in 2027. This demonstrates the impact that the year-over-year decline in enrollment has. So, looking at our attendance and enrollment this year, we lost 195 students compared to last year, and we are projecting a loss of 389 students for next year and another 250 students for 2027. The reason for the decline is primarily because there are about 1,000 to 10,000 seniors leaving compared to the few who are enrolling for kindergarten. So, a big difference. We are losing
069more than we are gaining. It's a pattern that we are seeing happening, and we think it will continue. The coming years, that's why I'd like to see now we want to talk about the changes since the last report in December. Since that report, we're expecting or projecting a slight increase in our funds, based on adjustments to our average daily attendance rate, as well as federal revenue and local revenue and resources. This is also due to donations and reimbursements from the Medical program that we've received in the other federal revenue category. You can see a deficit of 18,992. This asterisk next to it means it's not an actual decrease in revenue. What we're doing is reclassifying the Expanded Learning Opportunities after-school program to Fund 12, the Child Development Fund. We're moving the money from one fund
070to another, and that's the appropriate place for that program because it's not part of the Productive Development Fund; it's a separate fund. So that's why we're going to pay for it with another fund, not the general fund. And that's why you see that large deduction of 18 million dollars. No, don't worry, we didn't lose that money; we're simply using it from another fund. Now, if we look at the provisional revenue as a percentage of the budget, you can see that Most of the funds we receive come from our local control formula, the LC. Then also some federal revenue, other state revenue, and other local sources, but most of the funding is from the LC, the local control formula, which is based on school attendance. Updates to the second interim expenditure budget: we are projecting a
07174.83% decrease in employee benefits, that's also $1.2 million in books and supplies, and we have also exercised a lot of caution in purchasing our supplies, being proactive in that regard, and then also $ 445,000 for outlay capital. That's any piece of equipment that costs more than $5,000. So we are projecting that we will spend less on that kind of equipment, and the $9 million you see [Music] in other services. That's the difference we're talking about with this program that we just explained to you. No, that change in the after-school learning opportunities program: we are moving the funds with which we pay for the program and also the funds with which we buy supplies for that program. The line where it says outward transfers is about the same ELOP funds, but In total, between the first
072interim period in December and now, there has been an adjustment. We have been able to decrease expenses by almost $2 million. The following chart shows where the money is spent. The largest amount is on employee salaries, almost 40%, and then everything else is district operations, benefits, books, services, and equipment. So when we look at the ending balances, the ending unrestricted balance will be $ 63,340,293. And then the ending restricted balance is $ 25,640,249. This balance of our unrestricted funds includes dedicated health and welfare funds, dedicated funds for the deficit or decrease in tuition and daily attendance, as well as discretionary funds, school allocations, lotteries, and donations. And obviously, we recognize and receive donations as soon as we receive them. So that total changes. And then also included in this balance is the required 3% reserve
073by law, $ 11,157,540. So when we look at the multi-year budget, looking at the next three years, because we are required to present it to you... A balanced budget for 3 years. The assumptions we're using to develop the budget include the governor's January proposal of 2.43, which will possibly be reduced to 2.26—we'll know in May. And then, as mentioned before, our budget includes the projected enrollment decline. So we're taking into account several factors: average daily attendance, the percentage of non- duplicated students, the recently hired teachers' jubilee contribution, the jubilee contribution rate for the recently hired classified staff, health and welfare limits, deferred maintenance, and a reserve for economic uncertainty. Taking all these factors into account, our expenses are exceeding our revenues. So every year we're in deficit, and in the third year, you can see
074where it says "committed to support for deficit reduction or enrollment," and the average daily attendance, we're only 473,000 above our required 3%, and all other funds are committed or dedicated. So there's not much room to maneuver in the third year of this budget; things are going to be very... The line they want to see is where it says "unrestricted decrease structural deficit." When we have a deficit in restricted funds, much of that can be attributed to timing. We receive the money all at once, but we have to spend it over the next three or four years. But when it comes to unrestricted spending, that's a structural deficit, and that's the gap we have to close immediately to bring it in line with our income. So, as part of that process, we've been addressing the deficit
075in different ways, knowing that for every 1% improvement in attendance, the district would receive $2.7 million, and that would be $2.7 million multiplied by three because we're talking about three years. Knowing that, we continue to focus on improving attendance overall. Our student services department and the education department are working with our school leaders to provide a variety of attendance incentives. I know you've seen attendance programs, Saturday school, and many opportunities to improve attendance. Starting in 2025/2026, we're going to take advantage of the new Attendance Recovery Act, where the district will be able to recover attendance through... Summer school and also before- or after- school programs. For example, if you have children who have missed days and want to make them up, you can do so through before- or after- school programs, even in the winter.
076So, if we track attendance, that improves our revenue. We also capture staff savings through employee attrition and resignation. Ms. Denis Hernandez is a master at identifying staffing deficiencies; I just read the numbers, and she takes care of the rest. We continue to review our contracts to see which ones we can reduce or eliminate when possible. We also always try to secure other types of funding, such as grants, revenue-generating ideas, agreements, contracts, etc. And I have to say that our student services team has done a fantastic job with the community schools. The Medical program reimbursements are perfect examples of how we can recover funds or receive funds, or how to match expenses that would normally come from the general fund. So, it has been very helpful to be creative in examining how we can generate revenue.
077While we continue to address the issue of declining enrollment, we need to consider other possible actions. We are coming to... That point. That includes restructuring the district to the right size by closing or repurposing schools. Other considerations would be reconfiguring grade levels to balance attendance and potentially better serve our students, or even reviewing the boundaries of school areas. Perhaps we have to approach it from multiple angles, multiple facets, to close that deficit, that spending- revenue gap. And the last option, something we really don't want to do but would be responsible not to consider, is reducing staff or laying off employees. These are all tools that are available for our consideration as we deal with and manage this situation, primarily the decline in enrollment. I know that's a lot. I have a little more to share
078with you, and then if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. As part of this second interim report, the board has to certify 11 other funds that we manage. Each fund is projected to end the year with a positive balance, but I wanted to draw your attention to the Early Childhood Development Fund. And again, that increase in the Early Childhood Development Fund has to do with that change we made to the ILA funds, moving them to the general fund, to the fund for... Child development: there are many factors that affect our budget. We will continue to monitor state revenues and also the actions of the legislature because they are acting right now. Today I received 20 different proposed bills in my email that I have to evaluate so I can talk to
079the state about them. There were 2,000 proposed bills in total. The good thing is that most of them were not about education. So that's good, but we continue to monitor the situation, the legislation, the action of the legislature, and as soon as we get more information, we will make the necessary adjustments to the budget. In May, we have the annual budget review that happens every May, and when May comes, we will have the most up-to-date information to present to the council, and in June it will be your responsibility to approve the budget by June 15th. The state has to approve a budget by June 15th at the latest. So with that, thank you. Do you have any questions? Thank you, Ms. Ford, for the detailed report. I appreciate it. I know that, as you said,
080you don't want to do Ms. Hernandez's job, but I assure you there are more who don't want to do their jobs, and I say this in the kindest way because you are so talented and the... You decipher all this information and explain it in a way that we can understand. Trustee Bradford, I agree with President Rego. Although I have a degree in finance, I 'm glad you're doing it, Ms. Bradford. I'm more of a people person who focuses on feelings. So I want to ask you how you feel about all of this. I feel like we've done a lot to try to counteract our situation with declining enrollment, and we're also getting back to more normal queue rates. We're not seeing the 8% queues that we've seen before, and we don't anticipate seeing them again.
081So as part of that, we have to adjust the district to the right size. So the sooner we can do some of these things, the sooner we'll see our budget adjust to the revenue. I feel confident. We have an excellent team. We have an excellent board, too, and I'm confident that with everyone working together, we can balance the budget. I'll never forget that we're talking about the students. We're taking care of them, and I'll never forget how many meals were served. They can't learn when they're hungry. Definitely, absolutely. When I pray, I say to God... Whenever you help me shut my mouth, to keep me quiet, but someone here today said our graduation rate is 86 percent when it's 94 percent. Look it up for yourself if you want. When people talk about Jurupa, the
082projects being a pigsty, I want to slap them. I 'm a pacifist, but we graduate many students. We have excellent teachers, excellent staff, and Mrs. Ford, we forget to pay for everything. Thank you. And our community also voted to approve the bond to improve schools. Thank you for that. That's why I'm so glad you take care of this and explain it in a simple way that we can understand. So, aside from the things you suggested, and completely avoiding layoffs, I'm not a housing attorney. I focus more on veterans' issues, but housing is something we have to consider because when developers want to build housing here in our community, we receive a portion of the profits. So, potential housing projects aren't in the budget, right? And she says, "That's right, they're not there." And that's because
083those funds aren't included in the general fund. It's another fund, and those funds are received from the developers. They can only be used to improve school facilities, only for facility improvements. Yes, there are a few other things that can be done with that money, like buses, to buy buses. But it has to be expensive equipment that the district needs; it can't be for salaries or anything like that. That money is designed to mitigate the effects of new students attending or living in our district, and not for the instructional program, so they are very restricted funds. So if we had to add a school or add a classroom to a school, it could be paid for with those funds. But what about sales taxes? Over time, does that money benefit us or not? What benefits us
084most when a developer comes is the number of students who will live in those houses because if there are more students living in those new houses, then they enroll in our schools, and we receive more money for each student who attends our schools, who enrolls in our schools. Of course, there are also benefits from paying property taxes, etc. Thank you, SF, for correcting the graduation rate. This year we are only in a deficit of 19 million dollars in restricted funds. That's what we are. Projecting that is from January 31st to June 30th. Things may have changed, but from June 31st onwards, that's what has been projected. And when parents call to excuse their children's absences, whether due to illness or whatever, that does n't help our attendance, right? They are absent, and that's it, right?
085Yes, correct. Whether it's an approved absence or not, it's still an absence and it doesn't contribute to our daily attendance. And then we would have to advocate in Sacramento for how they distribute the funds because when the children return to school, they are recovering their lost jobs, they are receiving services, but we are not receiving compensation for what they have done. We receive funds based on enrollment. Sorry, we don't receive funds based on enrollment; we receive them based on attendance, whether they are present or not. We have to be sure they have a desk, a chair, supplies, etc. For a long time, we have advocated for receiving funds based on our enrollment and not our attendance. Regarding potential actions, how would the boundaries of the schools be reviewed? Does that mean changing the boundaries of
086each school? They belong to each school. Ah, we can expand it, or we can take from here, add here, to balance enrollment in each school because we have some schools that have very low enrollment and others that have very high enrollment. So that would balance enrollment. It could be a few changes, that's why we say review them, but not necessarily the whole district. They didn't do this about two or three years ago. She was talking about when the district was organized into trustee areas. But it's not the same. This is about the attendance limits, the attendance boundaries that belong to each school. So that option will examine the possibilities of making adjustments that would benefit the schools. Very well, thank you. I just have a few questions. You mentioned that the updates to the state
087budget, these $ 1.6 billion that are delayed, is that the same as what happened in 2018? No, it's not the same. Basically, what's happening is that the Governor is saying the Proposition 98 funds are so many, but he's not quite sure if he wants to give them all at once. So they're trying to avoid a situation that happened a few years ago when some had The opportunity to file your taxes until November, and the delay created many problems in state revenue. So now you're exercising a little more caution and want to save those $1.6 billion momentarily and then determine how to get that money to the schools. All of this is part of Proposition 98. You can look up information about them if you want more detailed information. Regarding enrollment, well, it's been declining for
088a decade now, it seems to be slowly decreasing every year. I think when I came to this city there were 22,000 students in the schools, and one less school because we hadn't yet built many projects in our community to build apartments and houses. We don't have a ... Projection because we're declining when so many new homes are being built, and that's a question everyone in the state is asking. The birth rate has decreased a lot. Before, there was an average of one new birth for every home built; now it's like 25% births for every home built. So it's a pattern we 're seeing. We're not seeing the same number of students, the same generations of students, as in the ' 90s or early 2000s. So many couples, many couples, are n't having children or are
089postponing it. Qui says we should tell couples to have children, have fun. And she says I'd like to put something in the water to help, but it's not possible in terms of reconfiguring the grade levels. How do you do that? Examine all the grade levels and basically how they're structured in each school and see if we can potentially find some efficiencies, some changes. Do you mean, Dr. Hensen, we have elementary schools, for example, which are transitional kindergarten through sixth grade, middle schools from 7th and 8th grade, and high schools from 9th to 12th grade. There are several ways to structure a district, many Districts have elementary schools from kindergarten through fifth grade, and middle schools from sixth to eighth grade, and then high schools. We've seen places where ninth-grade students are separated from the others.
090We have a kindergarten-to- eighth grade school that we could change to kindergarten through sixth grade. So, these are changes in grade configurations and in terms of the boundaries or borders of each school. It's a tool to balance the number of students in each school. In a perfect world, each school would have roughly the same number of students. But what happens is that as families move in and out, or new houses are built within a particular area, we see imbalances where there are schools with many students. For example, SISL school has more than 700 students in one elementary school, and then we have some elementary schools that only have 300 students. That's a big difference, and it's common to see districts making adjustments to the boundaries or borders of each school to try to remedy this
091situation and maximize efficiency and the ability to operate those schools in the same way, restructuring the grade levels. The same goal can be achieved if we adjust or revise the boundaries or limits and review the grade configurations in the schools. That could help us be more efficient and spend less money. Regarding sentiment, Bradford indicates that the feeling is one of urgency. There is an urgency to set the District up to the right size. That decline in enrollment that contributes to the deficit—that gap keeps getting bigger with each passing year. So we want to start that process as soon as possible. The faster we address the deficit, the easier it will be to close the gap over time. It can be done quickly, but that means closing schools, laying off employees, and obviously we want to
092avoid that. So we need a 3- year plan to reduce our spending. It's the most efficient way to do it. We are at that stage right now of formulating that plan, and our hope, our desire, is that in a few months we will present you with a long-term reduction plan so that the board doesn't have to make a decision overnight. Thank you, Dror Hansen, for the explanation. So you are certifying both the general fund and the 11 other funds that the district manages, and that is what we are asking you to certify. At this moment we have a motion. CICA made the motion and Trustee Felix seconded the motion, and we reviewed all the content. We asked our questions and made our comments. We're going to vote. Very good, the motion passed 5-0. Item on
093the agenda. Final comments from the council: CICA Blen. Very good, thank you. The cabinet for all your detailed reports, and thank you, Dr. Hensen, for helping us see how we can restructure the district in whatever way is best for the community. And that's all I have. Thank you, Trustee Bradford. Thank you, Trustee Blen, for your comments as well. I'm going to echo them. Are you joking that I don't want Ms. Ford's job because I can't do what you do? I'm going to respond to what the president said about attending a career school. In schools, I went to Peralta. I went like an action figure for race day. In my career as a photographer, I had a jacket with many different little bags because photographers used to use many little bags to store many different things.
094The only important photo I took was when our son was Greeting the crocodile hunter, and I never had the nerve to tell him I leaked the photo, but then he noticed, and that's all I have. Thanks, Trustee Felix. I also want to share that I attended the career center at the polygraph about two or three months ago, and I enjoyed it because every opportunity you have that you take advantage of is a career. If you're an entrepreneur, you go to college, get your degree, and then you work in business. When I was 21, I was able to open my own wellness center. At 21, I signed a lease, and the owner said, "We've never done this before with someone so young." He told me, "You're so young, and you're thinking like this." So when I
095arrived at the Daily Career Center, we told the students that at a young age, you can be entrepreneurial. You can sell little things, pens, whatever, and they got very excited. Then, when I told them that the polygraph was looking for different careers, I told my friend, who cuts hair, "You can..." and she said, " What am I going to talk about?" And I told her, "You can tell them, 'You can open your own business. You can cut hair. You can do this.'" That's the other thing, and then the children, uh, they get interested in many things, and when I went to my son's class, my son told me, "I want to open a business." He doesn't take his careers or positions for granted because he can inspire other students. Thank you. And thank you to
096the team for always being so welcoming to us. They explain everything in a very calm and easygoing way, and when problems arise, they always help us. Thank you for educating us, Trustee Ortiz Cornejo, once again. Thank you to everyone present, to the cabinet, because you are magnificent as well. I also want to thank everyone who spoke today. It takes courage to stand up and express how you feel and to stand up for the community. Thank you for that. I am a mother of a daughter and a son, both athletes, and they are very, very different. I totally understand your situation. I also want to share with everyone. In my opinion, everyone should be very passionate about addressing these issues in Sacramento. There are ways to do it, and we need to connect with the resources
097available to do it. I also think it's important that we do it in a way that we are not attacking anyone, especially when it comes to young people. I am a mother, and I don't believe that it matters what my son does; I will protect him. It's a matter of... Very vulnerable, but as a mother and as a mother of athletes, I totally understand all the angles of this issue. But let's address it where it belongs: in sacraments. If we want to see change, we must do it in a way that demonstrates compassion and kindness because they are members of our community. That's all I have. Thank you, thank you all for being here. Thank you. I don't have any other items to share. What a shock, right? But I want to commend Trustee Ortiz
098Cornejo because you stepped out of your comfort zone and expressed your opinions and feelings on this matter. Dr., do you have anything else to add? Not at this time. Thank you, and thank you all for everything you do. I know that sometimes it's work that goes unrewarded. Thank you because you are leaders in the community, and your compassion for our students and families in the community is very inspiring, and we certainly appreciate your leadership and the fact that you are doing your best to be leaders in very difficult times. Thank you. Well done. Very good. So, this meeting is adjourned until next month. Thank you.