001Zesty Harper: Any public comments? Having none, we are going to adjourn into closed session. All right. I'm going to call this meeting to order. Thank you. Before we start the meeting. I wanted to say a little something. I wanted to speak directly to everyone here. I know emotions have been high lately, and I understand the passion behind that. People care deeply about our students, our staff, and the future of this district. Tonight, I'm asking us to remain focused on what every employee here does best, which is to provide our students in this community with the very best education and keep our focus on them. So thank you. Frank, could you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, please? Frank Huston: Please stand. Right hand over your heart and begin. All: I pledge allegiance to the
002flag 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. Zesty Harper: Thank you Frank. So for roll call today, we have four members in Escondido. And then we have one member zooming in, Mark Olson. And you should be if you're online, you should be able to see them. Him. And I think we're going, are we going to be able to see him on the screen? Oh, hear him. Okay, perfect. And we do have a report out of closed session. Frank Huston: In closed session, the board considered the separation agreement of classified employee 650401 and took action to accept the agreement effective upon signature. By a vote of 5 to 0. In closed session, the board considered dismissal charges against
003a classified probationary employee and took action to approve those charges and release employee number 678546 by a vote of 5-0. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Are there any changes to the agenda tonight? I'm looking for a motion. Doug Paulson: Move approval of the agenda as presented. Zesty Harper: Thank you Doug. Joan Gardner: Second. Zesty Harper: Thank you Joan. Because we do have a member remote, we are going to do all votes by roll call tonight. So Doug. Doug Paulson: Aye. Zesty Harper: Joan. Joan Gardner: Yes Zesty Harper: Frank. Frank Huston: Aye. Zesty Harper: Mark Mark Olson: Aye Zesty Harper: Thank you and I am in approval as well. So the agenda passes five zero. Now I'm looking for a motion to the minutes. Joan Gardner: Move approval of tonight's minutes of our previous meeting. Zesty Harper:
004Thank you Joan. Frank Huston: Second. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Frank. Doug, how do you vote? Doug Paulson: Aye. Zesty Harper: Joan. Joan Gardner: Aye. Zesty Harper: Frank Frank Huston: Aye. Zesty Harper: Mark. Mark Olson: Aye. Zesty Harper: Thank you and I vote I as well. Minutes pass 5 to 0. Now for our favorite part of the evening is our recognition. So I'm going to turn this first one over to Rick. Rick Oser: Good evening, board President Harper, board members Superintendent Barak, cabinet and distinguished guests. I'm here this evening to recognize some of our amazing social workers. On March 6th, the San Diego County Office of Education hosted its annual Social Worker Awards. This year's theme, Courageous Hearts. This year's theme, Courageous Hearts Advocate with passion, perfectly reflects the spirit and drive of our team. Please
005join me in congratulating. And when I call their names, please come to the podium. Tina Page, Andrew Carlon, Simone Haleftiras and Alice Coronado on their nominations for Social Worker of the Year [applause]. These four incredible individuals embody the very best qualities of school social work through their tireless dedication to our students. I am also thrilled to share that Alice Coronado was named the winner of the Outstanding School Social Worker Award [applause]. This is a well-deserved recognition of the vital work she does through project success, where she supports our homeless and foster youth and their families. We are so proud of the profound impact Alice has on our students and the entire community. Once again, please join me in congratulating these amazing School social workers. [applause] Joan Gardner: [low level talking] Zesty Harper: Congratulations again. Thank
006you for everything you do with our students and our families. Oh, we'll hold the baby. Dr. Luis Ibarra: Pass him around [laughter]. Zesty Harper: So again, congratulations. Thank you for being here this evening. And on to our next presentation. I know someone is very excited about this. Doctor Ibarra. Dr. Luis Ibarra: Okay, so 12 years ago, we had a vision and that vision started with this notion. And we had two special people, Colin and Jo-Ann Fox, that were tasked with the vision of creating a school that you would want to teach in, parents would want to send their kids to, and we would all just want to be a part of. And so the vision of Quantum Academy came to fruition. And 11 years ago we had our first kids go through that school. So
007fast forward, I am so proud to announce that Quantum Academy has been named a California Distinguished School. [applause] Now, this special state level recognition is a category of achievement gap closures. That is profound. Working with our kids, closing the achievement gap. And this school is now going to get so many visits across the state. But this recognition, it is the first of many to come because this is the first school in the category of intermediate middle school and high school, and next year is elementary. And so what started as a vision has just come to reality. And we know the work that you guys do. I know it's. I mean, I just look back to that first year just, you know, and great kudos to, of course, Colin and Jo-Ann, the edtech team. Kathy Shirley,
008Ted Kirkbride first first principal of the school and Patty first office manager. They're just there were so many people that came and the principles that came came afterwards, the staff that came afterwards, the staff that just made it work and made it to what it is today. So Krystle's here to a lot of that credit goes to Krystle as well. Got Jeremy new principal. Randy Garcia. I shared the news with him last week when he stopped by. This recognition, there's a lot of people to thank and we are so proud of you. We are so proud of you. So congratulations. Come on up. Take a picture. So. So now we have a California teacher of the year and a California distinguished school. So you guys, it's a great district. Zesty Harper: Thank you so much.
009What an honor. Okay, moving on to our next item, which is our public hearing for Heritage Charter School renewal. I'm going to open the public hearing and then I only have one speaker card. So, Shawn Roner, if you want to come up to the podium. Shawn Roner: Good evening, President Harper. Cabinet members, trustees. Thank you so much for having us this evening. We truly appreciate it. And I want to speak on behalf of our staff and thank you for the many years of the partnership that we've had and the opportunity to work closely with you. We value that. We're very grateful for that. I'd like to just take a moment and introduce some of our team members before I start our presentation. We have to the left of me Steve Nelson, who's our general counsel.
010So thank you, Steve. Our assistant executive director, Jorge Torres, our business manager, Jonathan Takagi. And next to him is Sandy Knapp, who is our principal at Heritage Flex Academy. I'd also just like to take a moment and share publicly a few things that I've shared privately with Doctor Ibarra. I want to say that our team would like to congratulate you on these many years of service. Doctor Ibarra. And over the past 12 years, it's been a privilege for us to work with you. After spending almost 30 years myself in education, I've worked with a lot of educators and districts, and I can honestly say you're among the best. Doctor Ibarra your dedication to improving student achievement, your willingness to innovate. The Quantum Mechanics Academy is a great example of that, and the fact that you
011always put the priority on kids is not lost on us, and we appreciate that as you being the leader in our community for education. And so on behalf of our team we wish you the best and we're going to miss you and appreciate all the many years we've been able to work together. I also want to take a moment and just also share how fortunate our Heritage team is to work with Mr. Maguire. And over the past few years, I've gotten an opportunity to work with you. We appreciate that. We're grateful for that and are looking forward to working with you. And both you and Doctor Ibarra have put the district in a wonderful position, and I know that personally, as an educator, see throughout the state some of the challenges that districts are facing
012and the two of you with your cabinet and your board have done a fabulous job. And I hope that, like us, that the folks in the district recognize that and see the great things that you've all done. I, I want to take a moment in at a very high level, just share kind of how our schools work. It can be confusing. And so I want to take a moment. I want to talk about that. We have two tracks that were outlined in our charter. You can see at the top we have a traditional track where our students go to school five days a week like a typical elementary school or middle school. And then you can see on the bottom part of the graphic, our flex program, which, which are hybrid learning, where students come
013two or more days a week and, and go through that program. We have 1320 students enrolled at our heritage K-8 programs. And I'll talk more about that in a moment. I have another slide to address that. And so these students move up these tracks together and then enroll at Escondido Charter High School. You can see that at the end of the graphic. So we have two programs that are high school. And I think for us since 1996 when we opened parent choice has always been a key part of what we do, offering that for our families. And we've tried to stay true to that, even though we've been innovating and making some changes. We've stayed committed to the idea of providing parents and children different options for their learning. I want to briefly talk about
014our school's demographics. We're very proud of the fact that our school is able to serve a diverse population. I'll show you on the next slide a little more about that. But you can see here the breakdown of our different programs. Heritage Elementary next year is projected to have 645 students. Heritage Junior High School, you can see 275 and so on and so forth. And you can see over the years that our enrollment has remained consistent and we anticipate it staying at these numbers. We're not planning to grow our enrollment. I also want to say that that's something I've been really thankful for to be able to work with the cabinet and particularly Doctor Ibarra over the years to, to make sure that we're not having a difficult impact on the district schools. And so I
015think that's something we've been able to work together to make sure that we're supporting the district. So the next slide that I want to share are some elements from our dashboard. You can see here our chronic absenteeism, which is very low. And so we're doing a good job with our kids, but I want to highlight our CAASPP performance. You can see our scores there for ELA math and our science, the CAASPP exam. And although our scores are continuing to improve they've remained pretty consistent. Our English language learners, I want to take a moment and pause on that. You can see in the 23-24 school year that we had a dip there. And that's something that I included in the charter and worked with Mr. Maguire. We talked through this. And so I want to highlight
016two things. Number one with the way that the English language assessments, what they call the cut offs as the state continues to increase those cutoffs, we had a large pocket of students that were just below that cut off. And so you can see that we had a dip to 33%. And then we bounced back as we were able to, to address the needs of those kids and we anticipate it to remain historically 55%, 60% has been where we've been at and we anticipate to be there. I offered to Mr. Maguire for this year to give a report to the board just showing that we're going to continue to address the needs of those English language learners. Our demographic trends I want to highlight a couple high level elements for the board. The first thing I
017want to say is we're really proud of the fact that we serve a diverse community. As you can see, about 35% of our students are white. And of course, the remaining remainder of the students are minority students. We have about 50%, we fluctuate, but around 45 to 50% free and reduced lunch population. And over the years that has been a wonderful thing for us. Where we're located in East Valley to serve that community. One of the misconceptions that that exist, I think for sometimes for our schools is we actually provide priority in our lottery for students in East Escondido around our school. In addition to that I think it was 2018, doctor Ibarra and I worked through providing that priority to Oak Hill, Glenview, and Orange Glen elementary so that we wouldn't have a kind
018of an adverse impact on any one particular school in kindergarten class. And it's been, like I said, an honor and a privilege to serve those kids. And it's been wonderful to be able to see those, those children from kindergarten through 12th grade be successful. Our special education, you can see the statistics there. I'm going to talk about that in a little more detail in a moment. And then I talked about our English language learners and our population for our Heritage K-8. You know, free and reduced lunch. On our special education, I want to share with the board members that I'm sure you're aware of this, but we partner with the district to provide our special ed services, which has been a terrific partnership. And we've had that since we opened in 2003, Heritage K-8. And
019I shared just this morning with Mr. Oser how terrific that relationship has been and remains to be. We've got a great team from EUSD that works with our staff, and the way that our partnership works is the special ed money that the state provides per student for Heritage K-8 goes directly to our district, and then they're able to use that money not only to provide our services, but also to provide additional services for other students in the district. And that's been a great partnership for us. I want to highlight, you can see on the right hand side, the EUSD staff members that work with us. We appreciate the opportunity to work with Patrick and his team. And again, it's been fabulous. And we've just got a really transparent partnership and communication and honestly couldn't see
020it going any better than it is. And so we appreciate that support that the district has provided for us. I shared this morning during our visit, it's pretty rare for charter schools to not only have such a positive relationship with our authorizer, but to be communicating and working together in such a way to have a partnership, not just with special ed. We work together to build a baseball field. To just have that kind of relationship has been fabulous because it's what's best for the kids in Escondido. And again, that's not lost on us as a charter school. The last slide, I want to highlight some key elements about our curriculum. And then at the end, I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have, but I promised I would keep my presentation short and
021sweet for you all. I know you got a busy schedule. The first thing that I want to highlight that I that I believe is the secret sauce for our success with our performance is that we have a content rich curriculum for heritage. Cade. That's what we call classically inspired. And so our curriculum for our K-8 program is a core knowledge sequence curriculum that's very rigorous. And if you were to come and visit classes, you can see the depth of information that students are working through, but it's also very integrated linearly all the way to eighth grade and then horizontally across the classes. The classically inspired approach is important because it's not only rigorous for us and for our students to provide that for them, but it provides a really, really content literacy focused curriculum. And
022it emphasizes certain types of pedagogical practices in the classroom that we model for students. And get them involved. Even today with the visit, I think you could see kids reciting poetry, memorizing material, just those sorts of things are really, really powerful. And what we're fortunate to be able to do as a K-12 school system is to build that from, from kindergarten all the way up into 12th grade. And it's incredible. If you were to come to see a senior level class, an English class, a seminar that's 55 minutes long. And to see the sorts of things that our students are able to talk about and do and write about, those communication skills and memory development and literacy is really, really powerful. The next bullet point that has always been core for us, we've always been
023a, what we call back to basics. And that means we are always going to focus on reading, writing and math. There's a lot of important things that we do for kids, but the bottom of the pyramid for us is reading, writing and math. So it's very, very rigorous. And what that means, just in a practical sense, if you were to take a second grade class, a fifth grade class, it means we're going to make sure those things happen first before anything else. That's the center of the dartboard. And what we know as educators, we all know this in the room here, that if we don't have that foundation, then students aren't going to be successful in ninth grade, 10th grade, and on into the workforce and into college. And so that's something that's at the
024heart of everything that we do with our curriculum. I talked about our classically inspired and what I want to land on with this. One other additional thing I want to add is this approach has enabled us to really integrate our curriculum. And what that means is if you were observing a fifth grade class today in history the content that they're learning in history is connected to English and it's connected to science and all the other things that they're doing. So there's this real integration and it happens across the grade level, but also vertically all the way up and not just up through our eighth grade, but actually into our high school. And that has actually been a very, very positive and powerful thing that we've been able to see as a staff. I actually yesterday
025briefly went over to the fourth graders and taught a lesson, and I was just, I'll be honest with you, I've been doing this a long time. I was really, really shocked at how how much the kids knew. And, and so after, after we were talking, the kids were great. You know, fourth graders were wonderful. When I talked to our principal, I said, boy, it's just amazing what the students know. Having been a history teacher myself and the questions I was asking them and I said, what do you think that is? And he said, you know, Shawn, the the content integration is just so powerful. So in kindergarten, they're learning an appropriate amount a bit. And then in third grade and then in fourth grade. And that just builds and builds and builds and builds and
026builds over time, which is really, really powerful. Professional development. We've really, especially since our last charter renewal, have spent a lot of resources on professional development. We're thankful for the state grants that have come down the pipe, and we've used that for a lot. We've sent over 60 teachers just in the past few years to a classical learning training. We've been doing things internally. We're just really trying to build our staff and continue to grow as a team. And that's been something that's been very, very powerful. And then the last point I want to make is our parent formation. I think something. This is my 29th year with our schools and something that I think has been unique over the past, I don't know, 5 or 6 years has been our constant, our focus and
027concentration on parent development. We believe and we say again and again and again to our families, you're the primary educator of your children. And although we play a very important role in that process, we have to work together. And it's a challenge we have. Just just like you in your schools, busy families, challenges with things to be involved and to do the things that we like to do. And so we're really working hard to try to find ways to partner with our families to provide trainings, convenient opportunities to meet with them, encourage them, share things about our curriculum, things that they can do at home. So for example, just on Tuesday, we had a parent presentation at Heritage and we had our high school football coach come down and talk to the families about a
028set of values and things that they opportunities they could share at home. That he sees as a, as a coach and an athlete. The things that they talk about out on the field or on the court or on the diamond. And it was wonderful to, to see those connections being made and to support the families. And so that's something that's been a big priority for us and will continue will continue to be. I'm going to stop there and, and field any questions that you may have. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Does anyone have any questions? You good? Okay. Thank you so much. Shawn Roner: Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Zesty Harper: Appreciate it. I am going to go ahead and close the public hearing. On to public comments. Do we have any? No. Thank
029you. Do we have a report from CSEA? Thank you Noemi. And you guys don't have to stay. That's fine. Yeah, absolutely. Otherwise, we start like a three hour budget presentation [laughter]. Noemi Navarrete: That was a very quick no [laughter]. You know, me just making friends. Well, at least they can say they had a good laugh, right? Okay, I'm going to behave, I promise. I mean, the background noise, you guys. Okay. Well, hello. For those of you who don't know me, I am the president of CSEA chapter 150. And tonight I'm speaking to our board members as a leader who leads by example with integrity. I do my best to show kindness, open communication, and transparency with our members. And I think I've demonstrated that over the years. Yet I did not get to get to
030this, you know, point in life on my own. I have looked to my former union leaders for guidance. Rick Beebe and Roger. Oh, wow. You know, it's hard to look back and remember the great leaders that came before us. And for a lot of you guys, you know, Rick Beebe, you know, Roger Faber they worked really hard. Rick Beebe was here for 15 years, and I think he was instrumental in ensuring that the relationship that we have today is so strong. I can say that with cabinet, the open communication, the open door policy that, hey, if something is happening, come and talk to us. Let's resolve it at the lowest level. And I've always respected that. And I've always been very thankful for that. And that's something that they established and they worked so hard
031to create. So I ask you as board members, to look to for those leaders to help guide you so that you can be good leaders for us and for our students. Okay, dude, every time I talk about them, it makes me so emotional because it's their fault I'm here. So are you ready for story time? CSEA Story time. So I have letters from our members. That could not be here, so I'm just going to read them. Good evening, Doctor Ibarra and fellow members of the board. I'm greatly disappointed in the results of the last board meeting. You heard our community and outrage and disapproval, yet our words fall upon deaf ears. You stroll through perfectly curated classroom tours, yet you failed to see the work behind it. Work that needs to be done and fairly
032compensated for. From noontime supervisors to paraeducators to our librarians. It's likely you don't respect the work. A good friend of mine worked as a paraeducator for Lincoln Elementary SCSB program and earned less than what your new stipend stipend is. If you visited their classrooms, you would know that paras for that program, work their tail bones off to make sure that these students are well taken care of, especially since these kids need extensive support such as constant behavior corrections, and assistance with toileting. They come home with bruises and injuries, yet your actions make it seem like you don't care for their work or our work. I thought that we were working towards helping kids and advancing their education. Where has this goal gone? Mr. Doug Paulson will continue to have my support as a board member
033if he wishes to rerun for the board. I appreciate his vote against the increase and it did not go unseen. Unlike the work of our teachers and classified staff does. Everyone else shame on you and your lack of ethics. Sincerely a concerned employee. I am a classified employee who has served this district for over ten years. Like many of my colleagues, I was deeply disappointed by the recent 4 to 1 vote to increase your stipend by 400%. While some board members do not consistently fulfill their obligations, such as attending meetings and events, they are still willing to accept this substantial increase. Additionally, it is concerning that a board member who does not send her own children to our school is nonetheless willing to accept money that should benefit our students. Due to funding cuts many
034schools are unable to afford essential equipment like projectors and other basic supplies. The $10,000 per month that you have allocated to yourselves would instead provide the following much needed resources 200 reams of paper, 2400 pencils, 50 packs of construction paper, 144 binders, 100 backpacks, 480 composition books, 100 bottles of paint, 600 highlighters, 600 whiteboard markers, 1200 pens and five projectors. It is shameful that these resources are being diverted from our schools. Resources our students and teachers desperately need simply because you feel entitled to this increase. Is there a is there justification for this decision that you have not shared with the community? As public servants your priority should be the welfare of our students and school, not personal financial gain. Next letter. Good evening. Tonight, the CSEA president is reading the statement on my behalf
035as I am unable to attend tonight. I would like to respond to statements made by board member Joan Gardner at the last meeting. Miss Gardner, you shared that you joined the Board of Education because you are passionate about supporting public education. If that's true, members of the community would appreciate clarification regarding your participation in Christian Town hall meetings, where you were observed promoting charter schools rather than public education. This perceived inconsistency has raised questions as to your true motivation for joining the school board. You spoke about responsibilities such as attending meetings, reviewing agendas, and participating in board activities to justify the recent increase in compensation. It is important to consider how this compensation compares to that of district employees. Do you realize that your new compensation now equals, or even exceeds the annual earnings of
036an LVN in our district, who gets paid ten months out of the year? I'd like to remind you of the time you shadowed an LVN during [inaudible] week, and you chose to leave early because the realities of caring for a student in crisis were too overwhelming. Do you truly believe that you should be earning as much as someone who works in a position that is too difficult for you to even shadow. We are not saying you don't deserve a stipend increase, but the respectful thing to have done was to wait until the employees earned their fair wage and our budget was more stable. Instead, you chose greed. Please don't forget that the board service is not employment. It is public service. Comparing your role to the professionals who serve students every day is not only
037inaccurate, it is disrespectful. You also stated that higher competition would attract people motivated to serve. Many in this community are concerned about the type of motivation this level of pay will actually attract. Additionally, your interactions with the EEEA president both during and after the meeting were concerning as they were perceived as being aggressive and confrontational. Remember that professionalism and respect and respectful behavior is essential, particularly in a public setting, and our community looks to its leaders to model those standards consistently. Finally, regarding the statement that we get what we paid for based on what we have seen, this community deserves better and you do not deserve you not deserve $2,000 a month. Lastly, Mr. Paulson, thank you for note for a no vote. As a follow up, I would ask whether you might consider directing
038a portion of this unsolicited increase towards supporting schools in the district. Next letter. Good evening, members of the board. Tonight, I have asked Miss Navarrette to read my statement on behalf. I do so quite because, quite honestly, I no longer trust that you know who I am as both an EUSD, as the employee and a taxpaying resident of Escondido. I feel unseen and unheard and at this point deeply uneasy. So no, Mr. Olsen, you will not find me approaching you at the bleachers of your children's games to start conversations. If you are unaware of the erosion of trust that has taken place, then I ask that you take a moment to reflect, truly reflect on the impact of your decisions. You must have some understanding of what your actions have done to the collective morale
039of those you serve. In a single decision, you have ushered in a level of distress that will not be easily or quickly repaired. It raises the question how could it be? From my perspective, resources have been diverted away from teachers, staff and most importantly, EUSD students. Yet this decision was justified. In what? In ways that left many of us feeling perplexed. And perhaps that justification allows you to rest easily. After all, the increase you approved represents for some of us an entire livelihood. But I won't dwell there. What I will say is this as public servants, you are entrusted not only with making decisions, with receiving feedback, especially when it's difficult to hear. At the last meeting, the visible frustration and emotional responses from board members were concerning. Leadership requires the ability to sit with
040discomfort, to listen, and to respond with composure. If there is one request I leave with you is this, reflect on the trust that has been lost and consider what it will take to rebuild. Our students, our staff and this community deserves nothing less. Until then, I will be stepping back from engaging in person. I don't want to trigger you and lose my job. Although I live in poverty already, losing my job would mean losing my ability to live in a hotel I currently live in. Sorry, it's the first time I'm reading these. I am homeless. I have a roof over my head, but often the roof leaks and the roaches get in. But at least my kids, my EUSD students get a warm bed and a bathroom. Thank you for your time. Last one. Dear
041board members, I'm writing to express my disappointment regarding your decision to award yourselves a monthly stipend of $2,000. This action, in my opinion, undermines our work and shows a lack of appreciation for our efforts. As a preschool teacher, my primary focus is on fostering social development in my students. It is essential to teach them classroom expectations rather than simply enforcing rules. While rules simply imply a system of control over a space or a group of people, expectations promote a sense of community built on mutual respect. A vital skill that they will need to succeed in life. Our classroom expectations are we are respectful, we are safe and healthy, we are friendly. Respect is the positive feeling of admiration or esteem for someone. Honoring their worth, feelings and rights, often involving. Treating others with kindness, listening,
042and politeness. I have always looked forward to our to your visits to our classrooms. I tell my young learners, one day you can be a board member too, and make good decisions that will benefit all of us here at EUSD. However, your actions teach them that dishonesty and disrespect are justified in the pursuit of success. Please be aware that your stipend exceeds the salaries and retirement benefits of some of our classified staff members. Every month as you receive your stipend, remember my young learners and the teachers who invest 110% of themselves each day to shape their minds? They are our future leaders. Sincerely, preschool teacher. Okay. Thank you so much. Zesty Harper: Report from EEEA. Brandi Krepps: Okay. Good evening, President Harper. Board members, Doctor Ibarra and cabinet. Thank you, Noemi and our classified staff.
043She went outside. But you guys are amazing. I would like to begin by thanking Miss Frender and Miss Nakamura for allowing me to hang out with them on Monday and do activities with their kinder students. I had an incredible time reading about leprechauns and making butterfly hats. That kind of experience brings me incredible joy. I would also like to congratulate the Del Dios Girls field hockey team, led by coach O'Brien, on their giant win against La Jolla Country Day. Final score. Del Dios nine La Jolla Country Day zero. Awesome. Coach O'Brien has built a strong field hockey program at Del Dios that has expanded into the high school. Congratulations to the girls and coach O'Brien for creating a powerhouse team at Del Dios. I would also like to congratulate our social workers who were nominated
044for the School Social Work Award and a special congratulations. There she is, to Alice Coronado for this incredible recognition. You are awesome. Congrats. And now the unfortunate part. Unfortunately, I need to correct some false information that was shared at the last school board meeting. Board Trustee Joan Gardner stated that teachers get paid to attend committee meetings. The direct quote was, let me remind you that every time you serve on a committee or spend extra time, you submit a timesheet. The committees that we are required to attend are unpaid. We call these adjunct duties. We are responsible for signing up for even more after hours committees and or meetings that occur during set aside prep time in the morning or after school that takes away from our job duties. Here is a list of committees that
045we attend without pay. PBIS, Site Leadership Team, PTSA. School Site Council, Smart Festival, substitute teacher tech support, Wellness Committee, website content, RBO, Writing Celebration, and ELAC. I am speaking tonight not only as a union president, but as a representative of the educators and staff who served this district every single day. At the last board meeting, I was approached and verbally attacked by a member of this school board. Please don't roll your eyes. Be respectful. This interaction was inappropriate, unprofessional, and unacceptable. I want to be clear disagreement is part of public service. Passion is part of advocacy. But personal attacks, especially directed at members of the public or employee representatives, cross a line that should never be crossed by those entrusted with leadership. Joan, I asked you five times to get away from me. I explained
046that I did not want to have a discussion with you at that time. Your response to me was, yeah, run away. Board members should understand the importance of professionalism in your role as a school board member. Encroaching on the personal space when someone has asked you repeatedly to walk away, is not professional and is aggressive. To tell people that having educators on a school board is a mistake is insulting to our staff and our community. To tell an employee of the district that you're the last one to speak shows the lack of professionalism that you have exhibited time and time again. The best solution that I could ask for is for you to resign your position as a school board member. School board members are elected officials. With that role comes a responsibility to uphold
047the highest standards of conduct, not only during meetings, but before and after them as well. Professional decorum is not optional. It is essential. It ensures that all voices can be heard without fear of intimidation or retaliation. For that reason, it is important that this incident be acknowledged and placed on the public record. Transparency is the cornerstone of public trust. When conduct falls short of expectations, it must be addressed openly so that trust can be restored and maintained. Joan, your conduct after the meeting was inexcusable. I've given you plenty of time to reflect. Recognize the mistake you made and rectify it. You have chosen to pretend it has never happened and will not take accountability for your behavior. This is about the culture we create as a district. It is about whether educators, staff, and community
048members feel safe engaging in this democratic process. No one should leave a public meeting feeling targeted for simply doing their job or expressing their perspective. We have a lot of work to do as an association on that as well, but we had every right to share our feelings about your decision to utilize funding you claim we don't have to give yourselves more money. Ignoring us and our pleas for transparency is what caused the last board meeting to be full of concerned staff and members of the public. The last time we pleaded for you to consult the community and requested transparency, we were ignored. Emails go unanswered. Joan, you may read them, but you certainly don't respond. In addition, I would like to address the current discussion regarding board stipends. If this board is considering taking
049the compensation, there must also be clear expectations tied to that compensation. I am calling for the development of a formal board policy that outlines specific requirements for receiving a stipend, including consistent attendance at all board meetings, participation in assigned committees, engagement and community events, and district functions. Adherence to a clearly defined code of conduct. Professional and respectful interaction with staff, unions and the public. Compensation should reflect commitment, accountability, and service. In a time when our district faces real challenges, it is critical that leadership models the standards we can expect from everyone else. Stating that we get what we pay for certainly isn't modeling high standards. We ask our educators to maintain professionalism under pressure every day. It is reasonable to expect the same, if not more, from those who govern this district. I, EEEA our
050members and all staff in this district remain committed to working collaboratively with this board. I believe the work we do is important. I believe in the work we do, and I believe in the importance of respectful dialog, even when we disagree. But respect must be mutual, accountability must be consistent, and professionalism must be non-negotiable. Thank you. [applause] Zesty Harper: Last part of communications. All written communications have been distributed. Now on to the consent items. Does anyone have any items to pull? Otherwise, I'm looking for a motion. Doug Paulson: Move approval of the consent agenda as presented. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Do I have a second? Joan Gardner: Second. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Joan. So we will do a roll call vote. Doug, how do you vote? Doug Paulson: Aye. Zesty Harper: Joan Joan Gardner: Aye.
051Zesty Harper: Frank Frank Huston: Aye Zesty Harper: Mark. Mark Olson: Aye. Zesty Harper: Thank you. I vote I as well. The consent agenda items pass five zero. Now we are on to discussion and or action items. I'm going to turn it over to business services for our 2025-26 transportation plan. Andrew McGuire: Yep. Still me. So every year the state now for the last few years, let's say, requires us to present our transportation plan in order to maintain our funding for the following year. And the first year of this, we did a full presentation outlining kind of what we do for transportation and any opportunities in the future. Nothing has changed in our plan since the last presenting, since last year when it was adopted. And so it's presented to you again, as it's been for
052the last two years without change. For adoption again. In order for us to maintain our the funding, we get a little bit of funding we get from the state for Transportation Services. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Does anyone have any questions on that? Doug Paulson: I do, and I want to apologize for my question in advance, but I'm looking at the under Current Transportation Services third paragraph down. We will over the next year, we will continue to work with community partners and stakeholders, i.e., City of Escondido neighboring districts, to increase our capacity to transport students for our after school programs and summer school. First of all, I'm just wondering, are we working at increasing our capacity and how would the city of Escondido be involved in that? Andrew McGuire: Just their role with the general public
053transportation. They do host meetings that has, I can't remember the name of the, the, the organization, but at City Hall around public transportation in North County. So the city is involved in that. And part of it, and just streamlining that process even throughout the city and bus routes and whatnot through public transportation. And that particularly is specific to most of that paragraph about what we do in our after school and summer school, which we also do have this year, a new contract with San Marcos USD to provide the transportation to the pool. For our kids to go to the YMCA pool. Doug Paulson: Okay. Okay. Thank you for that clarification. And yeah, San Marcos, if you go down to Camp Surf in Imperial Beach, it's San Marcos Unified that's doing the transportation of the kids
054from the camp to a non-polluted beach. So city of San Marcos is moving out. Thank you. Andrew McGuire: Thank you. Doug Paulson: Move approval as presented. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Doug, do I have a second? Frank Huston: Second. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Frank. Doug, how do you vote? Doug Paulson: Aye. Zesty Harper: Joan. Joan Gardner: Aye. Zesty Harper: Frank. Frank Huston: Aye. Zesty Harper: Mark. Frank Huston: Aye. Zesty Harper: And I vote I as well. The transportation plan passes five zero. On to human resources. Certificated reduced workload program. Audrey Frank: Yes. I'm seeking approval of two renewal certificated reduced work program participants for the 26-27 school year. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Any questions on these? Otherwise I'm looking for a motion. Doug Paulson: Move approval. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Doug. Joan Gardner: Second. Zesty Harper:
055Joan, thank you for the second. Doug. How do you vote? Doug Paulson: Aye. Zesty Harper: Joan. Joan Gardner: Aye, Zesty Harper: Frank. Frank Huston: Aye Zesty Harper: Mark. Mark Olson: Aye. Zesty Harper: And I vote I as well. Motion passes five zero. On to our board policies. Our first read. Did anyone have any questions on those? You had I know you had a couple comments. Joan Gardner: Yeah, I actually do. As to as to the first one. Lc 3100 the budget it adds and we've had this in the past, but it formally adds a budget advisory committee. Do we have plans to. Andrew McGuire: It says we may, may build that out and have that. We've not explored that at this point yet, but once the board policy, if it were to pass tonight, that's
056something that we could consider doing. Yes. Joan Gardner: Well, it didn't "may" sound to me. It sounds like that's what the plan is. Andrew McGuire: The superintendent designee may appoint a budget advisory committee. Joan Gardner: But we don't. Is that coming from the the CSBA? Andrew McGuire: Yes. And honestly, I don't know why it needs to be in a board policy. It's something that we've always been able to do. Joan Gardner: Well, don't we have discretion as to what we actually put. I mean, is that through education code, now that they're requiring us to put that in as a "may". Andrew McGuire: Yeah. There were some updates in different parts of the laws that were cover budgets for school districts or public agencies. So that's one thing that was included in that, that we may
057have a budget advisory committee. But also there's some other additions in in this board policy. So it's not just about that. Joan Gardner: Oh, I know, I mean, we actually always did. In the past we had a budget committee without having policies. Andrew McGuire: Right. Oh, might as well write it down. Joan Gardner: I don't understand the necessity, but okay, fine. Doesn't it doesn't change anything, especially if it's a million. It's a it's an advisory committee at that. Andrew McGuire: Right. Joan Gardner: But it seemed actually when when we're looking at what's coming down the road, it might not be a bad idea. Andrew McGuire: Yeah. It would not be a bad idea. Joan Gardner: And then the district budget provides for increased or improved services for a local control funding formula equity multiplier funding
058generated schools. Andrew McGuire: So there's and it's honestly not that enough money to cover the needs that that would apply to, but there's some additional funding for schools that have, they call it the equity multiplier. So it's very high in duplicate account schools, I believe at this point. Kathleen, we don't have any and the equity multiplier category, right. When it first came out we did not make the list. So it's a very small amount of funding statewide. And it's a very small list of schools that have very high unduplicated counts higher than even we have and ours are high. Joan Gardner: So in the event that we do have one that meets that criteria. Andrew McGuire: It would fall under the same rules like we would do for our LCAP funds to improve and increase
059services for the students that generate those funds. And we're talking about some schools that might have 100% unduplicated count. Joan Gardner: Okay. And then the next one was I wanted to ask for an explanation of the employer's pension Pre-funding trust program. Andrew McGuire: So districts are allowed to prepay through a variety of mechanisms for those post-retirement benefits. I know that some districts have utilized they had an abundance of some one time funds, maybe that happened during the Covid era or to use some of those to pay down future expenses for retirees through our both both sides of our retirement systems. So this just brings it into the board policy that that's something that we could do, but it's also been something we could have done. So some of these things here, it could just also
060be moving around things in board policies from one to another. But that's not something that's generally new. It's something that's been done for a while. Joan Gardner: Well, this this looks like it pertains to pensions payments, right? Andrew McGuire: Yeah. Joan Gardner: Not post-employment. Andrew McGuire: Well, including all of all of all of those things. Yes. Everything that we would that we would have to fund for someone who is no longer working for us because of retirement. Joan Gardner: So you're thinking this is coming from another. Andrew McGuire: They're adding it into a board policy for something that's already been in existence. I'm not sure why they keep moving things around between board policies, but we're trying to keep up with it through our CSBA updates. Joan Gardner: Okay. And, you know. Andrew McGuire: There
061must be an entire office dedicated to moving things around, cut and paste style. Joan Gardner: Well, because I was also concerned about the deferred maintenance. Andrew McGuire: Deferred maintenance. Well, that one also that specific that whole section there is about our committed fund balances. We've talked about that here in the past and the board has committed funds in our ending fund balance. But our. And correct me if I'm wrong, Mrs. Cagle, you may come to the podium if you think you need to. This is a competition [lite laughter]. Now, our our deferred maintenance is still required by law to give 3% of our expenses into our deferred maintenance program, but that's something we do as a transfer into our restricted fund. It's not something that we commit in our ending fund balance, am I right
062so far? Thank you. So it's it's taking it out of that because it's not something that would be a committed fund where other commitments we make, like we have done in the past where we've committed funds, for instance ADA drop in our, in our enrollment where we had one for federal funding that could have been cut, we set aside some money in the board, committed that in our ending fund balance towards that. My, I'm imagining we haven't done it here since I've been here, but some districts could use that commit those funds in their ending fund balance as opposed to transferring it where we transfer it into our restricted fund, where we charge all of our expenses for our maintenance program that come out of the deferred maintenance funds. So to me, what this is
063saying is this is not something that's allowable as a committed fund anymore. While all of the other things that are on there still are. Joan Gardner: And so that's why it was taken out of this. Andrew McGuire: Yeah, we would still we're still required by other law to fund our deferred maintenance program by the 3% of our expenses. It just wouldn't be in a commitment. Joan Gardner: It's just it's a law. Andrew McGuire: Say it again. Joan Gardner: It's a law. Andrew McGuire: It's a [inaudible] do that funding for it, but not but we're not able to commit it as a part of our ending fund balance, like some of those other examples that I gave. Joan Gardner: Okay. And I guess I think that that answers my questions and that that makes it acceptable
064as far as I'm concerned. And I think the rest of them made sense. Andrew McGuire: Okay. Joan Gardner: Oh, no, wait a minute. Andrew McGuire: Okay. Joan Gardner: Noard policy 3515.4. Andrew McGuire: Okay. Joan Gardner: I just think there's. I don't understand some of the at the end. Option one ends here, one that was necessary. And then option two begins. Option two. The board. Board shall determine the appropriate, the appropriate determination of amount for the for the of reward in parentheses and then the next sentence is: the board shall determine the appropriate amount of for the award. Andrew McGuire: Right. And then option two ends there. Joan Gardner: And then option two ends there. And I don't know the necessity of that. But also I don't know. This doesn't make sense to me. Board shall
065determine the appropriate determination of amount for the reward. Andrew McGuire: Yeah. That's apparently a typo for the award. Joan Gardner: But it's a duplication. The next sentence is a duplication of the same. Doug Paulson: This policy does not seem like it's ready to go, so I think this is a first reading. It'll get cleaned up and come back to you. Is that the plan? Andrew McGuire: Yes, sir. Joan Gardner: That's what we have first and second readings. Zesty Harper: Does anyone else have any questions on these? Doug, do you have any questions? Doug Paulson: No. Zesty Harper: So do I have a motion? So we're going to bring 3515.4 back for a second reading. But do I have a motion? We can group 3320 and 3100 together. Do I have a motion to approve those?
066Frank Huston: I motion to approve 3320, and 3100. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Frank. Do I have a second? Joan Gardner: Second. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Joan. Doug. How do you vote? Doug Paulson: Aye. Zesty Harper: Joan. Joan Gardner: Aye, Zesty Harper: Frank. Frank Huston: Aye, Zesty Harper: Mark. Mark Olson: Hi. Zesty Harper: And I vote I as well. So those two policies are approved and will bring the other one back for a second reading. Now we are on to board members reports. Doug. Doug Paulson: Okay. So just want to congratulate the district on the dedication of the YMCA. The we went to the ceremony last Friday and that's a big step. I think I've talked about this maybe a dozen times, but getting that facility reopened as a, a public entity as something for the
067benefit of the community is absolutely huge. And I sat and listened. Held my tongue a little bit. I don't believe that at the dedication, the school district and specifically Mr. McGuire got the attention and the credit that that we deserve that that our cabinet deserves for the work and the strategic, the strategy that went into getting that facility approved over so many obstacles. So I was, I did the tour, I was very happy to see that the gym is back open and hopefully will be open for more groups in the future. The big double basketball gym. That's a, that's huge. That's the biggest one in the city of Escondido. And the fact that it was empty and unused and looking at, at not being used ever, that's big. The pool and swim lessons, that's sort
068of the centerpiece and that's huge for the community. But it's just one thing looking forward to see, seeing what we do in the Appleby preschool, a place that's very close to my heart. I'm hoping to see that open and thriving again very soon. And I'm really looking forward to seeing more areas, more spaces. And there was one partner that was originally involved that did not wind up there. And I, I, I, I don't know that we're at liberty to talk about that, but getting every group that wants to be involved in that area space is really vital. Went to a couple weekends of rugby games at Rincon. That's always great, great energy and really well attended. Today I went to the showcase at Hidden Valley Middle School. Absolutely outstanding. Several students came up and what
069I was taken with was their enthusiasm about their learning. One particular young lady, I think that one of the teachers directed them to, hey, go get that guy and show him what you're doing. Showed me first of all, their, their, the cars they made, the self-powered cars and an explanation of how they did it. And then the competition and an individual explanation of who built each car. That was great. Same student showed me the analysis of the book The Outsiders. What I was really pleased with there is not only was the level of thinking about the book, very good, and the comparison that this student made with her neighborhood and some of her friends, which is really the whole point of that particular piece of literature. Outstanding. But she also told me the whole story
070of the author of that book, and that's an interesting story. So I talked with a number of boys. They did displays on their community problem solving and the boys were having not a conflict. They were having a competition of which homeless shelter display was better, and as only 12 and 13 year old boys can do. They were quite competitive. That their display was providing better services to the homeless population than the other display. And then a young man who showed me their genetic modeling on the computer program, and I'm not even sure what it was, but his ability to explain to me that, yes, this is what the genetics say, the probability is going to happen. And then he explained how the probability doesn't mean that this is what's going to happen. It just is
071the probability. And I was just, as usual, very impressed with the level of knowledge the organization from the school. Absolutely outstanding and recharging. And it just reminded me again of what we've been saying. We need to do everything possible to keep attention on the primary purpose of this entire organization, which is educating the children of Escondido. Thank you. Joan Gardner: So. I was pleased to. At the last day of the Read Across America week, I was pleased to read to a very lovely second grade class at Juniper School and. Zesty Harper: Sorry to interrupt. Joan Gardner: Oh, okay. Better? Zesty Harper: Yes. Thank you. Joan Gardner: Okay. And they enjoyed the book Anansi and the very strange moss covered rock, which is an African folktale and a very nicely illustrated. So I think I'm going
072to keep that in my repertoire, especially for a second or third grade class. The kids seem to really enjoy that and it's something new for them. I also was represented the board at the last DLAC meeting in the district. And I, I brought away, I actually, the principal who was assigned to that particular night was Lisa Pitard. And so we had a really nice conversation about what's going on at her school and a reading program that's being I guess kind of piloted there that might be ripe for sharing as another method to help our kids who are learning to read and who are struggling still. And also the presentation that evening was on the parental involvement policy, which the talk evolved around to the fact that the safe walk program, which is staffed by parents
073is no longer actually working. So we need to to get after that and make sure because parents are concerned, especially for the schools in the inner city for the, for the walks to mission and Lincoln and, and Farr and Pioneer and so forth. So the, again, the parents expressed their concerns about that. And there was also a presentation on the English learner programs and the, the programs available, the dual dual language program available in the schools that provided that. And also the alternative for English immersion. My one concern is this we have dual language programs at multiple elementary schools, but there's only one, as I understand, one middle school that continues that on. And so what happens to those kids who are at 50/50%, they reach the fifth grade and the 50% English, 50% Spanish
074go on to a middle school, and they're immediately expected to basically be doing 100% English. Rick Oser: Trustee Gardner. That's correct. So we have four elementary schools that have dual language programs and one middle school Mission Middle school has a strand that's a dual language program. Students who opt in to the middle school DLP will take a Spanish course as well as they'll take a history course in Spanish. And so that continues their path towards biliteracy. So high schools also have a biliteracy program. So with the seal and biliteracy. So the intent of our program is for students to start in the DLP and then continue through middle school and on to high school. With the ultimate goal of the seal of biliteracy. Joan Gardner: Is there, is there enough room for all of the
075middle school DLP students to continue on? Rick Oser: In some cases there is a waiting list. But it's, it's an opt in program. And so students are, their families are opting in. We currently have I believe it's 64 seats at each grade level at the middle school. Joan Gardner: Again, my concern is for those who are used to 50%, 50 over 50, right? And then they don't have that any longer. They're expected to drop into a total English program. Rick Oser: That's correct. Doug Paulson: It seems like you're also agreeing that that would be a growth area for the district. Rick Oser: It is, and it's something that we've been tossing around ideas of having a DLP academy where it provides more opportunities. Something that we really need to think about is the long term
076vision of DLP throughout EUSD. And so we are taking a real critical look at our current DLP programs and with intent to expand upon them. And in some cases, maybe even open up additional opportunities. Joan Gardner: I will tell you that I have attended the promotion ceremonies for eighth grade for those students, the DLP students. And I was very, very impressed with their mastery of the language, English and Spanish. So I think it's a worthy program. Yes. And I hope that we can make sure that all of those kids who start out are able to continue. Rick Oser: We agree as well. Right now just to add on to it. We have many of our fifth grade students as well as our eighth grade students have just completed a project based learning project on environmental
077stewardship. And the key aspect of that is that the students present to a panel in English and Spanish. And so once again, with the intent, our entire program is designed so that they're fluent, well, biliterate in English and Spanish. And so that's the, the overall arching goal of the DLP. Joan Gardner: Well, as I said, if they follow through to the end, they certainly are and they have a lifetime of achievement in that. Rick Oser: That's correct. Joan Gardner: Let's see. And then lastly, I attended the superintendent's advisory roundtable yesterday and there was brainstorming involved in, first of all what's what we're doing now and and engaging parents and what we can do to increase that parental engagement and also student behavior. What's happening now in the realm of student behavior and what we can
078do to enhance our attention to student behavior. So I thought what, what the brainstorming involved was done so creatively that in the end the ideas that came out of it were very inspirational. And we talked about involving the students in being the, the public relations people for the district, for them to actually get out and talk about what they're accomplishing in our schools. And one idea that came up was the fact that we have two local weekly newspapers that are offered freely about the district and that they. If we could get in contact with them and offer them the opportunity to have some student opinion writers or to let them know what's going on in the schools, that they might be open to dedicating a column, either on a weekly basis or a monthly basis,
079on a regular basis to our students. And that would I think it would benefit both the schools for getting the message out, but it would also benefit the circulation of the papers, because you can be sure the parents and students would be picking up multiple copies of those newspapers. So I thought it was a, it was a successful it was a successful meeting. And I look forward to the next one. I'm done. Zesty Harper: Thank you. Mark does have a report. Go ahead. Mark. Mark Olson: Yes. Thank you Zesty. Good to be with everyone tonight. Appreciate the accommodations. I just wanted to piggyback on on kind of what Doug said. I had the opportunity to go to the rugby program a couple weeks ago and just was really impressed. I want to really thank everyone
080who was involved in in setting up not just that program, but all the explorer programs and the extracurricular activities. I had the chance to talk to a lot of parents and one family in particular I met a couple times, and they're they're somewhat new to our district. Most of their children have gone to charter schools or Montessori schools. But for one reason or another their current child goes to Juniper and this, this child has some challenges. And it was really quite surprised that he was enrolled in this program. They're not a sports family. And I asked about their experience and they said it really has opened up an entire new world, not just for their child, but for their family. They have been able to interact with different people, not just from the school, not
081but throughout the district. They're a family of limited means. They don't have a lot of opportunities to engage in activities such as this. And so it really opened up a different world for their entire family. And I was really proud. Not just of our staff that puts all these things in time and dedication into it, but also of this family that kind of took a chance to do something different. And so it was just a great experience. And I was really happy to, to, to know that we're thinking outside the box. And I really just wanted to congratulate the staff and just encourage them to continue to look at different ways to educate the entire child and to build our community through the resources that we have. I think we're unique in the sense that
082we look at things differently, and I just wanted to kind of share that with the board. Another opportunity that kind of was surprising this week actually ran into a family that I or a mother and a daughter that I knew and came to find out that the child was not even enrolled in any sort of school. This was someone I knew. I was really quite shocked and embarrassed that I had no knowledge of this, I just assumed. And so I want to thank the staff that were involved in trying to get this rectified. But I thought to myself, if this was someone I knew, you know, how many more might be out there? And so I think it's just, you know, it was a reminder to me that I need to do a better job
083of trying to listen and ask questions and make sure that people know the resources that are available. And so just encourage others to ask those questions and don't take things for granted because I was quite surprised. So again, grateful to be here, grateful for the accommodations. I look forward to being with my board colleagues this Saturday. Thank you. End of report. Zesty Harper: Thank you Mark. Okay, so for my report, I wanted to thank Brandi for mentioning the Del Dios girls hockey field hockey team because. What? We'll put you first next time. How about that? But congratulations to them because that is amazing. I got up early one morning last week and got to hear Doctor Madrigal, which is the principal at over at Oak Hill. She presented to a local community group about Oak
084Hill and they also partner together with their reading program, which, Audrey and Doctor Ibarra are a part of. And they've finally roped me into as well. But she was telling again all the great things that happen at Oak Hill and how their staff is amazing and so I just wanted to thank her again for really going out into the community and spreading the word about all the great programs and what we have to offer here. I attended for my first time. I can't believe I've never been to one is to the Bond Oversight committee meeting the ICOC I attended that, which was very informative, and I really enjoyed the question that our questions that the members were asking of our facilities department, they are on top of it and making sure those fund dollars and
085any change orders are being spent wisely and correctly. If I have it correct, we have earned $5.6 million in interest over the life of the bond. And then we have spent also had part of the bond. We had the bond money, but we towards other projects as well. We've had $10 million about in developer fees and about $25 million in state matching funds as well that have gone to all of our projects. And I also wanted to thank Joyce Masterson, who was, is it's not a retirement from, from her position, but she's, she's fulfilled the six years and then some. So because you can't serve more than that. So but she was holding on to another person can join so wanted to thank her for her service and again her she that that committee was
086on it with the numbers. So I appreciate that. I attended as well, the YMCA opening with all of our community partners. Great to see everyone coming together and really trying to work. Someone coined the phrase a one stop shop for our community where they can get medical attention, dental, they can do their physical activities. They also can get their education and there's a lot there in one spot to really, really benefit this community. So I can't again, just as everyone else can't wait to see it grow. I also got to talk, you talked about Orange Glen and the reading. So I went to Jamie Russo's class this this week and sat with her class and had the students read to me one on one and made a few notes on, on their fluency, but they
087were tremendous readers. They were able to decode and they were really picking up the rate at which they were reading their books and the thought into which they even picked their book to really challenge themselves to read at a higher level. So they're going to do great things. And I'm going to go back next week and read with them again. And let's see, I attended the superintendent's star meeting. I forget what it's called, but great, great discussions. I love hearing from the different points of view. Each table that I rotated to really had great ideas for our district and, and a good opinion and a good viewpoint to help us. So great information there. I was able to stop by the hidden Valley showcase today as well. Right when I got there, ASB representative Ava
088Lopez came right up to me and had, you know, well introduced herself and showed me around. She was a great ambassador. I think it was easily double the size as it was last year. I mean, double the amount of tables you just walked in and you could feel the enthusiasm of the staff and the students, especially the students who were really showcasing what they've done this year and what programs that are available to them, including the culinary. And sorry, am I taking yours too? But it was it. Thank you. But it was. It was excellent. It's a great showcase, and I hope a lot of fifth grade parents took advantage of it to go and see what opportunities their student might have if they chose that school. And then also it was interesting, there was
089a sub admin there. Her name was Erin English. And she, she introduced herself to me and she goes, I've, I've obviously been an admin all over the place, all over the county. She goes all over the world and she goes, I was just astounded when I came here. I walked around, there was no trash on the ground. Every student was polite. Everyone was holding doors for each other. She was going on and on about the caliber of students over at Hidden Valley and what that staff and that principal has put together to really transform that school into something they are obviously proud of and willing to share and welcome new people too. So kudos to them. And then so after that, I came here, rushed over here for the Personnel Commission meeting where we had
090the new our new PC commissioner, the representative of the board. Crystal Clark she was sworn in and that was a really quick meeting, which was very lovely after a long day, but that is the end of my report. Thank you so much. And you guys don't have any reports because I said. Dr. Luis Ibarra: No, I actually have a. So I want to welcome to our meeting and just point out Mr. Oliver Zempoalteca, who's sitting over there. He is a Boy Scouts, Boy Scouts, right? He's a Boy Scout and I guess he's earning a merit badge by sitting through it. So good job. [applause] That's Michelle's, Michelle's little one. And then also I wanted to, today we had my favorite part of the year is we announced our employees of the year. So first we
091went over to Rincon Middle School, where we surprised teacher of the year Amber Terry, who is the science teacher at Rincon Middle School. So congratulations to Amber. Then we drove over to Glenview Elementary School, where Diana Kim, kindergarten DLP teacher, was named teacher of the year for the district as well for elementary. And then we drove over to juniper to honor office manager there, Tracy Menesis. Menesis for classified employee of the year. So three fantastic employees. And congratulations to to all of them. They represent the wonderful employees that we have here in the district. So that concludes my report. Oh well one more. I also went to Hidden Valley and the first place I just happened to be there was culinary arts. Zesty Harper: Just happened. Dr. Luis Ibarra: They. Okay they're doing some great
092things there at Hidden Valley, but the culinary arts teacher, she did. I don't know if you the reality show of the bus, the food trucks, food truck race. So the kids had to design a food truck kind of through art, a signature dish. And they cooked it and we were able to sample all of them. So highlight of my day. So that concludes my report. Zesty Harper: We'll have to check if it was all. Dr. Luis Ibarra: Yeah. Culinary arts teacher, Miss Paul. Zesty Harper: Do you have anything left? Andrew McGuire: So going back to Mr. Paulson's comment about the YMCA and the event there, and certainly with all the partners involved, there was definitely a lot of elbowing each other out for recognition for things. But honestly, the recognition that we all get from
093the work that we did put into it and it was significant to make that happen, is just seen in those confident smiles we see with those kids, especially on that Friday when their last day. And they've learned how to swim when they started that week, having never even been in the water. That's the recognition that we get every single week. Our kids go there. And that same recognition we get when we see our kids in all of our classrooms and all of our schools. And there's so much to be proud of here. From our girls field hockey team at Del Dios, I got to say it, they are crushing it on the coast over there. But the things that are happening in our schools, there's just so much to be proud of out there. And
094that is really just the only recognition that any of us up here really need. So thank you, everybody, for all your hard work and making all that happen. Thank you. Zesty Harper: Thank you so much. Our next board meeting will be April 23rd at the Carilyn Gilbert Education Center. We will not need to go back to closed session, so our meeting is adjourned. Have a safe evening home.