001Doug Paulson: Alright, well, it is 6 p.m. and we are going to call to order this regular meeting of the Board of Education of the Escondido Union School District. Strict. At this time we are looking for public comments regarding closed session items. Seeing none, we will adjourn to closed session and reconvene at 7 p.m.. All right. Well, it is 7 p.m., and we'd like to reconvene this meeting of the Board of Education of the Escondido Union School District. We'd like to open at this time with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Doctor Jo Muga. Interpreter: Bienvenido. Vamos a hacer. Reunion del Departamento de Escondido. The district is currently Escondido. Hoy. Which is a la bandera de Los Estados Unidos. América y a la Republica representa una nation bajo Dios, indivisible con la verdad. Justicia para
002todos. Doug Paulson: All right. All members are present. And we do have a report out of closed session. Interpreter: Bueno. Vamos habla acerca de la reunion in session. Sarada. Mark Olson: Thank you. President Paulson. In the matter of existing litigation. Interpreter: In la asunto de la litigation existant. Mark Olson: voted 5 to 0 to approve. Interpreter: La La Junta directive encontra. Mark Olson: And in closed session...Danielle Del Rosario as assistant principal beginning July 1st, 2025, by unanimous vote of 5 to 0. Congratulations. Danielle Delrosario: Testing. So what happens when you go first? Good evening, President Paulson, board and doctor Ibarra. My name is Danny Del Rosario, and I'm so very excited and honored to accept the Hidden Valley Assistant Principal position. I've been a part of the EEUSD family for ten years, and I can't
003think of a better way to celebrate a decade as an educator with our district than being given such an opportunity. I sincerely look forward to serving the students, staff, and community of Escondido in this new role as AP. I'm also eager to pursue professional growth and to partner with our leadership team at our site to bring the very best learning experience to our middle school students. I'm grateful also for my colleagues, mentors, and friends in EUSD that have shaped me as a professional educator, and I cherish their support as it has in many ways, brought me to this exciting moment in my career. I'm also grateful to be a part of the new era of innovation in EEUSD and at Hidden Valley Middle School. I look forward to this next 2025-26 school year. Thank you
004and go Panthers! Mark Olson: Congratulations. Moving on. In closed session, the board took action... ...recommendation for appointment of Josie Horton as assistant principal beginning July 1st, 2025, by a unanimous vote of 5 to 0. Congratulations. Josefina Horton: Good evening, president Paulson, board, doctor Ibarra and cabinet members. My name is Josephine Horton, and I am honored and excited to accept the mission Middle school assistant principal position. I've been part of the EEUSD family for more than 20 years, and I'm truly excited for this new opportunity to work alongside the dedicated educators, staff, students, and families at Mission. Together, I look forward to creating supportive and empowering learning environments. I am eager to grow in this role, take on new challenges and collaborate with site leaders to support students and success. And to my family and friends
005thank you for all the support and encouragement you have given me throughout the years. Go, Wildcats! Mark Olson: One more. And finally, in closed session, the board took action to approve the recommendation for appointment of Ricky Betancourt as Assistant Principal. Beginning August 1st, 2025. By a vote of 5 to 0. Congratulations. Dr. Luis Ibarra: And Miss Betancourt is coming to us. She's watching in zoom, and she's from Virginia. So let's wave to her military family coming to us. Congratulations, Ricky. Doug Paulson: All right. Thank you very much. At this time, we are moving on to item five, Approval of the agenda. Are there any corrections, rearrangement, or anything that needs to be pulled or changed? Zesty Harper: No, I move approval. Joan Gardner: Second. Doug Paulson: Miss Harper moves. Miss Gardner seconds. All in favor?
006Please vote. And I vote Aye. Zesty Harper: We have a new system. Is it not? Joan Gardner: Mine didn't come up. Zesty Harper: Mine came up. Joan Gardner: Oh I see. Doug Paulson: Just enter manually. And for people in the audience. We do have a new system because the previous system went out of business. And so a motion carries 5 to 0 with no abstentions. All right. Moving on. We are going to go to communication public comments. And we do have we do have nine comments tonight. So we will be going through and hearing everybody entirely. And so we will be starting off with Doctor Joe Muga. Joe Muga: Let me know when you want me to start. Doug Paulson: Go ahead. Joe Muga: Is there a timer? Doug Paulson: Sure. You've got three minutes.
007Joe Muga: Okay. Doug Paulson: You've used two seconds. Joe Muga: No! [laughter] Doug Paulson: I'm just kidding. Just go, man. Go. Joe Muga: Okay. Okay. My name is Joe Muga. It's been four and a half years since my last board meeting, so, you know, I must really feel compelled to be here tonight. Let me start out by saying how deeply disappointed I am with all of you in deceiving the community in the way you are going about hiring a new superintendent. New superintendent. You have denied the community any input into the hiring process. It is indeed solely your responsibility as the board to do the hiring. However, you have a duty to gather input from all stakeholders in the community before making a decision on who to hire. Let me get back to your deceiving
008the community. By Luis announcing his retirement a year in advance the community was led to believe that the board would perform a thorough search for a new superintendent. You knew that. You knew that would be what the community would expect. But you made a premeditated decision to ignore any community input. Joan, when I when I sat on the board with you, we had this, we had our disagreements. But I never questioned your commitment to the students and the community. But Joan, you have failed our community this time by purposely ignoring stakeholder input. Frank, we only got to work together for two years and that was during Covid. So I really didn't get to know you very well. But I know you were incredibly committed to the community by your lengthy service in the police force
009and work in youth sports programs. So I am baffled by your willingness to leave the community out in the cold in the most important decision a school board makes. Zesty. Since I met you, I have never seen you as a board member being dismissive towards community input. I think you and your fellow board members need to take a timeout from the superintendent hiring process to really examine why you want to rush this hire and forgo a search for the best possible candidate. Doug. My good friend Doug, in the final analysis, you and the board are the eyes and the ears of the community to oversee the management of the district. You are not there to be the entity different from the community. So for you to think you have no responsibility to be accountable and
010transparent to the community is very troubling. We made emergency decisions on the school board when Covid hit, but we had no warning and had to act quickly. You have a year to do a thorough search. It is negligent not to do so. Our community is already on the edge. Every day we seem to experience another trauma. We have masked armed intruders, kidnaping both non-citizens and citizens off our streets. Now the people of our own school district have traumatized us. The people who we have felt safe with have deceived us. I can't help but look at each and every one of you in the dais without seeing you wearing masks and depriving us of our rights, as if you could care less what we think, and care less of the well-being of our students. Thank you.
011[applause] Doug Paulson: Thank you. Thank you, Terry Price: Good evening. My name is Terry Price and I'm a retired teacher from EEUSD serving 23 years in Escondido as an elementary teacher, technology coach, sbrt and intervention teacher. I currently still substitute teach in this district. I love EEUSD. I had a wonderful career here. I always come to the defense of the district when others want to criticize, but I find it hard to support this decision of the backroom hiring of our next superintendent, who has zero zip nada experience in the classroom, nor as a school administrator. The classroom is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. You can have a school without janitors, without secretaries, without administrators. Might be messy, unfocused, not run well, etc. but you can't have a school without teachers and
012students. How can we support someone who has no personal knowledge of how this all works? When you live your professional life in the district office, it's hard to remember how it feels to be in the classroom. How working with kids all day long feels day in and day out. How it feels to give your soul away to all those other kids, other people's kids. How you go home with barely enough energy to finish the day. Never mind. Have enough energy left over for your own family. How are you going to remember how that feels and being compassionate leader? If you've never experienced it yourself, how will you remember how principals try to balance what the district office wants and the daily reality of their schools? How will you remember how hard it is to support
013teachers and be their academic guide? How time consuming certain students can be for support personnel, and what kinds of support families need from a school. How will you remember those things so that you can be an effective leader if you've never experienced them for yourself? I want to support this district and shout to the Escondido community that the school board does have the best interest at heart when they make decisions, but I can't do that today. You've let me down and you have let down all of Escondido. And here is the strongest rebuke I can give. I am disappointed in you. You know better. [applause] Doug Paulson: Andrea Sima: Those were kind of hard to follow, but I'm going to do my best. All right. Hello board, cabinet, doctor Ibarra, I am here to belabor
014the point I made last week. EEEA 's president Brandi Krepps already attempted to educate you on the Ed code requirements and your own EUSD board goals. However, it appears that we need to go further. This is not about a personality or a character that we may like or dislike. It has nothing to do with the person. It has to do with the experience. In fact, if you had chosen Leonard Levine, who we all love and miss, and obviously for reasons we stay every single time we're here, I would be up here stating yeah, he's not qualified. It has nothing to do with who it is. I find it circumspect that there are no posted superintendent qualifications provided on the EUSD website. But I have decided to be a bit more elementary in my talk today.
015Did you know that in order to be a principal before you can even start taking classes to get the admin degree that those three individuals you just hired. They had to go and have a required minimum of three years classroom teaching experience. To be honest, I think that's kind of bogus. I think it should be ten, but it's not up to me. I would like to bring up some words and qualifications for those middle management positions ss stated in the EUSD job descriptions. Knowledge of educational programs, curriculum and instructional leadership. Instructional programs was mentioned a lot. Needs of students. Designing, implementing, and evaluating major programs and activities. Needed change and higher performance. Doesn't say anything about knowing finance. Learning theory, curricular standards, and then the latest instructional methodology. Do we know what pedagogy is? [sigh]
016Improvement in student achievement. Do you know how to run the testing programs? Instructional leadership mentioned a lot. Instructional programs. New teaching methods and materials. Do you even know the old ones? Directing experimental and pilot programs of instruction. Program evaluation. Developing and implementing a school vision. Supervising and evaluating staff. Operation of classrooms and aiding teachers and students. Behavior concerns. [sigh] Reviewing the work of resource personnel and instructional staff. Supervising the safety and welfare of students. Have you been in a classroom with 15 kids by yourself? How about 20? How about 32? There are more, but these were the chosen words as mandatory for an assistant principal to be qualified for their position. Who is their supervisor? The principal. All right. So principals need all of that and so much more. Who supervises them. Oh the superintendent.
017Right? Or are we passing that job on to someone else? Have you even thought about the principals that are to be evaluated by an individual who has never been where they are? I would like to respectfully remind you all that this is not a burger flipping joint, or just a business to maintain. Yeah, money is important, but it's not the most important thing. The primary job of this district is the education of children. If you don't have the experience and education to do so, then you are not qualified to be the superintendent or even in a position to make choices involving the management of such an important component of this organization. Doctor Ibarra leaving is going to leave a hole. You need to find someone to fill it that can fill his shoes. I have
018no doubt that my words will be met with silence as usual. You do not value my hard work for the past 27 years in this district, and I know for a fact that this will not change anything about your decision. However, if you want to build trust amongst your constituents, the people behind me, the people that are watching and the people that are on summer vacation, I highly suggest the shadowing you are proposing begins on the school campuses and in the classrooms. We do need subs on a regular basis. I leave you with that. And if I spoke too fast, don't worry, I will be emailing this to you all as this is a negative for you to be remembering. [applause] Doug Paulson: Gwen Smith: Good evening board. My name is Gwen Smith. I'm an
019educator here with EUSD. I am here tonight only to speak about your recent decision to appoint the next superintendent of EUSD, and to share my deep concerns about the lack of process. I want to express how this decision feels to many of us in the community. Disheartening. Frustrating. Frankly dismissive of the stakeholders. Voices. Voices that include parents, teachers staff, students, community members. Decisions of this magnitude should never be made behind closed doors without input from those that are most impacted. Stakeholders engagement is not a box to check. It is a reflection of our district's values, or at least it used to be. So I ask, why wasn't there a transparent, inclusive process in this time? Why did we abandon the model used to select Doctor Ibarra and those that came before him? An open recruitment
020process with board input. Why appoint someone without educational experience, no classroom time, no school site leadership as the head of an educational institution? We are a district with 16 schools participating in the Community Schools grant, and our community schools often speak about best practices, well, research and common sense both say that best practices involve listening, listening to the teachers, to the families, to the classified staff, to the unions and to the students. This decision to bypass community input contradicts the collaborative, collaborative spirit that you say that EUSD stands for. If Mr. McGuire is the right person for the job, then let him earn the position through an open and competitive process. Let him share his vision. As it stands, we do not know what the vision is because we haven't heard it. Instead, we're left
021with silence, shadows and spending. A three year contract with no open call and added $26,000 to shadow Doctor Ibarra. And by the way, teachers, shadow master teachers for free. We don't get paid for shadowing anybody. The offer of this future salary, which is already among the highest in the county, while our teachers and classified employees will remain in the middle and lower tiers. So this isn't about one individual, it's about the process, equity and trust. What message are you sending when the leadership roles in education are filled with out education experience? What does it say when input is ignored and the voices of the associations are excluded? What do you believe? Why do you believe a smooth transition is worth it if it comes at the expense of transparency and democracy? I'm not here to
022attack. I'm here to remind you that the people of Escondido elected you to listen, not just act. To include us, not bypass us. This appointment may be done, but moving forward, my hope is that you'll pause, reflect, and choose to lead differently, that you will choose to lead in the spirit of partnership. And lastly, we know many of our families don't feel that they can speak up right now, right? And so we have an obligation to know their voices and to be their voice. And in the name of the students, I thank you for listening. [applause] Doug Paulson: Juan Vargas: Good evening. My name is Juan Manuel Vargas, and I'm here to express me and my family's frustration with the decision to appoint a new superintendent without any stakeholder input. As someone who works in
023the high school district and witnessed a similar lack of transparency during their superintendent search, I respected EUSD for previously modeling a more inclusive approach when Doctor Ibarra was hired. This time, however, not only were community members left out. Longstanding partners like CSEA and EEEA were not consulted. That's a clear departure from the values in the EUSD's Governance Handbook, which promises partnership with employees, families and the community to support student success. Where was that partnership? In an email I sent you all, I stated that I recognize that Mr. McGuire has served as the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services and may have done so capably. The thing is, the announcement that was emailed to us lacked clarity on how his background qualifies him to lead the district. He reportedly has no classroom experience, has only been with
024EUSD for four years, and will need to shadow the current superintendent for a full year. I mean, you even have to put a resolution in this meeting to waive the administrative and teaching credentials required by Ed code. I have not received an answer to the following questions via email, so I will ask him here. What roles and responsibilities did Mr. McGuire hold during his 17 years in K-12 education? How well does he understand the needs of our diverse student population? And what demonstrated cultural competency does he bring, particularly in relation to the Escondido community? A decision of this importance should never be made behind closed doors. It undermines transparency, trust and effective leadership. On behalf of my family and fellow residents I urge the board to reconsider and conduct an open, inclusive superintendent search that
025truly reflects the values of EUSD and the community. Thank you. [applause] Doug Paulson: Lali Vargas: Hi. My name is Lali Vargas and I will be starting fourth grade at Quantum Academy. I don't think it's fair that we don't get to discuss as a community about this decision. We should be able to let them hear our voices and tell them what we think. Like what we did for Doctor Ibarra. We should do the same for the for the next person who will take over. You should let us tell them what we think and feel. Thank you. [applause] Doug Paulson: All right. Ollin Vargas. Ollin Vargas: Hello. My name is Ollin. Oh, my name is Ollin Vargas, and I am starting sixth grade at Bear Valley Middle School. I think that it is unfair that our students,
026parents and staff didn't get an opinion on this decision. At Farr elementary, I was able to voice my opinion as a student ambassador and I added to the school's success. I hope you can give the same chance to our community by allowing our opinions to make the district better. Thank you. [applause] Doug Paulson: Thank you Ollin. Georgine Tomasi. Georgine Tomasi: Okay. All right. Good evening. Good evening. EUSD board, the super, and Doctor Ibarra. President Paulson, you wrote a memo to the community saying you would be sharing an important and exciting update. The board would be taking action today to approve the contract of Mr. McGuire as the incoming superintendent. I'm here tonight to inform you that the community was not pleased with this announcement. Many of our members felt that a decision of such magnitude
027should have been made with their input and collaboration. The process of appointing the next superintendent is an opportunity to bring together diverse voices and perspectives, ensuring that the decision reflects the collective wisdom and aspirations of those who hold our schools dear. Sadly, you bypassed this opportunity, leaving the community the impression that their concerns, their contributions are unwanted and unappreciated. When I served on this school board, I recall the board purchased the program Thought Exchange, which is a way to pull together a very large, complex community and give everybody parents, students, teachers, staff in the community at large, a voice. I'm puzzled why the board, at minimum, did not utilize Thought Exchange to start seeking community input, suggestions and ideas for the new superintendent. Transparency, inclusivity are the cornerstone stones of a healthy democracy, and your
028decision making process appears to have lacked both. Because McGuire lacks the appropriate qualifying credentials you also will be approving to have Dr. Ibarra mentor and train McGuire for a year, at a cost of the community of over half $1 million. Don't trust my math, because I think it's more. Having two EUSD superintendents will be confusing to this community. It's ironic that Mr. McGuire's appointment tonight would mean he will have fewer credentials, less expertise, and less experience than the majority of staff and employees he will be charged to supervise, evaluate, and lead. Community engagement is not merely a box to be checked. It is a cornerstone in shaping a thriving educational environment. You have the chance to correct this wrong tonight by first delaying the hiring of the new superintendent, by hiring a search firm to
029find more qualified candidates, and by including a broad based community coalition along with the teachers, staff, parents and students in your search for a new superintendent. Guys, you've got plenty of time to do this. Our community deserves this. I hope you believe we do too. Thank you so much for your attention to my comments. [appaluse] Doug Paulson: And Liz [Shulock?]. Elizabeth Shulock: Good evening board president Paulson, board members, doctor Ibarra. Mr. McGuire, Miss Frank. My name is Elizabeth Shulock, and I've been a parent with kids in this district since my son started kindergarten at Bernardo Elementary in 2012. He's just graduated from high school, and he'll be studying bioengineering at UCSD in the fall, by the way. I still have a daughter in high school, and my youngest is still at Quantum Academy, which is
030a great school. My husband and I moved to Escondido 20 years ago this month when we bought our first home and had plans to start our family. We moved next door to a lovely couple named Brad and Vicky Pascoe. For 20 years they have been the best neighbors we could ask for. Sadly, Brad passed away recently from complications from ALS. I knew Brad and Vicky were teachers, and I even knew that Brad worked for EUSD, but I didn't know him in his professional capacity. I knew him as the guy who took our family photo every Halloween when we came by trick or treating and then sent it to me. He was the neighbor who invited my kids to use their pool during the pandemic, when we were stuck at home. He was the gardener who
031commiserated with my husband over their shared battle against gophers and our yards. But his connection to the district really hit home when we attended his memorial service on Saturday. Now, I thought I might see a few familiar faces since he'd worked in the district. But there were, well, more than a few. In his role as a tech TOSA, Brad worked with and impacted people across our school sites. There were several current and former teachers from Quantum Academy there as well as as many others who I just only recognize their faces from the boardroom or from design team. But one of the teachers from Quantum told me that Brad was the reason that she was at Quantum, and my older two kids had her, and I didn't even know about this connection with my neighbor. Brad
032spent 36 years with the EUSD, and he's not alone. Many of my kids former teachers have retired after decades of service in this district, having served under five or more superintendents. There are teachers in this district who have been here longer even than Miss Gardner's been on the school board, if you can believe that. These people form a tight knit community. They are more than just employees. They dedicate themselves not only to the students, but to the district and to each other. So as a parent who sees our school staff as partners and my children's education. I was deeply disappointed that this board did not treat our certificated and classified staff as the partners they are when selecting the next superintendent. Also, the lack of transparency by the board has done you a disservice. Andy,
033you have your work cut out for you to gain the trust of the EUSD community. I know you are planning to meet with stakeholders across the district and I hope, like I do, you recognize that our dedicated staff are our partners in educating our kids. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience that I hope you rely on as you take on your new role. I wish you all the best. Thank you. [applause] Doug Paulson: Alright. We have no public hearings tonight. We have time for a report from CSEA, chapter 150. Noemi Navarrete: I'm going to put this up a little. Good evening everyone. This message is primarily for the board. As the president of the California School Employees Association, chapter 150, I am here representing the dedicated classified professionals of Escondido Union School District.
034I come before you tonight not only on behalf of our members, but as a voice for the families, students and staff who believe in a school system that values transparency, transparency, equity and integrity. I want to speak plainly about the board's recent appointment of Mr. McGuire as superintendent. Let me be clear. Andy, this is not a personal attack. You have been robbed of the opportunity to prove yourself. This is a statement to the board about principle and process. The decision to appoint a superintendent, arguably the most influential leadership position in our district, was made without community input, without classified staff input, without certificated staff input, without stakeholder input of any kind. This was done behind closed doors with no public vetting, no stakeholder panels, and no demonstrated effort to involve those who are impacted most
035by this decision. The educators support staff, students, and families of EUSD. We learned that Mr. McGuire does not possess the appropriate credentials required by the State of California to serve in this role. That's not a small oversight. That's not a clerical error. That is neglect of duty. As CSEA members in a merit district, we know firsthand how strict the hiring process can be when it comes to meeting the needed requirements and qualifications. In order to serve meals, clean classrooms, administer medication, or provide student support, we are required to have the proper clearances and ongoing training. Our members are held to the highest standards daily. So why is this acceptable for the leader of our entire district to be held at a lower one? What message does this send to the staff who work tirelessly every
036day to uphold district policy and support student success? What message does this send to our students, especially those who we are trying to inspire to follow rules, meet standards, and pursue education? This is not just a matter of policy, it is a matter of principle. The board's actions here erode trust. They raise serious questions about your commitment to good governance and public accountability. And they set a precedent and undermined the very rules we expect everyone else in this district to follow. As a governing body entrusted with safeguarding the educational well-being, this community, of this community, you owe us transparency. You owe us accountability. You owe us a superintendent who meets the qualifications, who earns the confidence of the people they are meant to serve, and who reflects the value of educational integrity. The board's duty
037is not to operate in isolation. It is to reflect the voice of the people. And right now, many in the district feel unheard, overlooked and disrespected. On behalf of CSEA chapter 150, I urge this board to take responsibility to explain to this community how this appointment was made and why the usual standards of input and credentialing were bypassed. If mistakes were made, own them. If standards were sidestepped, correct them. That is what leadership requires. This district belongs to the people of Escondido. We will not be silent when decisions are made that are that disregard the process, undermine equity and compromised trust. Thank you. [appaluse] Doug Paulson: And Escondido Elementary Educators Association. Brandi Krepps: All right. Good evening president Paulson, s chool board members, doctor Ibarra and cabinet. First, I would like to congratulate Danny and
038Josie as our newest administrators. [applause] Both of these women embody what our district excels at. As a friend to both, I can say that I can't think of any other people that I would want to see in these positions. They're both incredibly dedicated to our students, which has been at the forefront of their leadership. As a special note. Josi, thank you so much for supporting me in my difficult role as president of our association. Your love, support, and friendship has not been lost on me. No matter what EEEA will always be there for both of you. Thank you both for your leadership. And I can't wait to see the amazing things you do for our district. Thank you so much for being promoted. You guys are amazing. Thanks for the tears, Josi. Thanks for the
039tears. I'd also like to read a letter from someone in the community who couldn't be here this evening. Members of the board. I am one of the outraged members of the community, writing to protest the school board's flagrant disregard for following the established process for selecting the superintendent. The lack of transparency and failure to involve the community in the process is stunning. Selection of a superintendent is one of the most important obligations of your positions as board members. A moral one. And yet this board proceeded to purposely exclude the teachers, the staff, the parents and many in the community who have invested in the education of our children. The failure to conduct a search for the best qualified candidate for the job, and instead to grant Mr. McGuire, who lacks teaching and school administration experience
040and never served at a school, a waiver in order to fast track the appointment is not acceptable and should not be tolerated by the community. You have betrayed the trust of the community. Sincerely, Chris Nava. President Paulson, in your announcement to our district regarding your appointment of our new superintendent, you mentioned that you concluded negotiations. Both labor groups have asked for the board to be transparent about your plans for our future superintendent. However, you chose to remain quiet and negotiations did not happen overnight. You said, quote, the decision was made with deep consideration of the district's present momentum and future direction, and with a commitment to ensuring the continued support of our teaching and classified professionals who are at the heart of our schools. How is your decision shown a commitment to our students? Teaching
041and classified professionals is what you called our staff. If we are professionals, why didn't you treat us as such by gathering our input in this important decision? It was requested by Doctor Ibarra for me to share the actual survey that I sent out to staff, asking for their input. Doctor Ibarra asked me for that survey to understand the context of it, to help you all understand the responses that you were reviewing. If there was any kind of issue with my survey that all could have been avoided had you done one of your own. Then again, you claim deep consideration when making your decision to determine the future of our district without having attempted to gain input from the community and your staff. You mentioned that Mr. McGuire has 17 years of experience in K through
04212 education, but there was no detail as to what that experience was. In fact, everyone who has attended a public K-12 school has experience in education. All of us in this room have experience in education. Your email to our staff and community was was deliberately misleading and does not show the integrity of our school board that is expected by the constituents of whom you serve. You also said, we believe this collaborative leadership style is critical as we continue to actualize the unlimited potential of our learners. We believe that collaboration is critical as well. This entire situation was not at all collaborative. EEEA leadership has been asking for transparency and collaboration for years now, and we continually have to stand here and ask for you to be collaborative. EEEA has shown that we are student centered
043and dedicated to this community when we spearheaded the plan to put safety measures in place to bring this district back to in-person instruction during the pandemic. We did that. We dedicated our summer to putting our students first. Another quote from your announcement is all of you have a voice in the coming months to shape what is next. If any of us had any kind of voice, you would have valued it enough to let us speak prior to making this decision. You would have requested input from the community of which we all serve prior to making this decision. You have the time and yet you have rushed a decision without following the usual practice of doing a search. Teachers are required to have specific credentials to be employed in our district. We have to continue our
044education just to make it to the highest column, so we can make the money that is warranted for the credentials and education that we have. Supposedly, you value highly trained professionals, but you don't hold our district leadership to that same expectation. We are incredibly disappointed in your decision to go through this process in secrecy and with a lack of transparency. I don't think you realize that had you addressed all of this publicly and we had asked, there wouldn't be the community backlash you are receiving. Today I sat in front of some incredibly qualified professionals who applied for our Assistant Superintendent of Ed Services position. How can they be a step lower than our superintendent but have far more qualifications than your choice? I just don't understand. Please educate me. When will these listening sessions take
045place? During our duty free lunches, when teachers are usually still working while they eat at their desk? After school during ELOP sessions? What time do teachers have to sit down for listening sessions? We can barely go to the restroom or gather a moment to collect our thoughts, much less sit down for a listening session. And you, of all people, being an educator should know that teachers have little to no time of the day that they are not teaching or supervising students. The listening sessions now are too late. [sigh] President Paulson, why do you feel the need to respond to emails of people sharing their concerns with a tally of how many emails you've received about this topic. Be mindful that you may not have received a gigantic number of emails when you never asked their
046thoughts to begin with. The school board has made it very clear that you're not interested in the community's thoughts. Had this not been recorded, you would probably have said that all of us here tonight have sung your praises. You're not interested in seeing any other alternative to the decision you make. Stop devaluing the input that people are sharing with you. Why isn't the board being honest about the emails that you are receiving that are expressing concerns? And by the way, I'm blind copied on a lot of those emails, so I know they're happening. Again, we are asking that you conduct an appropriate search to find a highly qualified leader for our district. I feel the need to address the desire to hire yet another consulting firm out of the general fund, to support a company
047that has no professional resume, that happens to be connected to our former Community Schools coordinator, Kimberly Israel. Kimberly contributed a wealth of knowledge in her role as our Community Schools coordinator, and her departure from our district was unfortunate. However, with that being said, why was it required to be paid for from the general fund as opposed to the Community Schools grant? Why were you proposing to take even more money from our students to pay people who aren't employees of our district? I'm hoping this wasn't some attempt to dodge the necessary approval by the steering committee that is required prior to spending anything larger than $5,000. As cochair of that steering committee, I would have rejected the proposal. The purpose of the Community Schools grant was to bring our community into our schools, to help co-create
048the schools our community wants. I would like to thank you for voting this proposal down. There was no need to approve the money to pay someone close to $250 per hour, plus additional expenses. Moving forward, I am hoping that we can be a true community driven district. I am asking that all of you up there get back to focusing on our students and when you focus on student driven decisions, you cannot be wrong. I wrote a letter to the school board last week regarding the desire to hold off on paying the Learning Center Collaborative another $358,000. Yet again, this has fallen on deaf ears along with everything else in the room this evening. And I'm really hoping that this board can explain to our staff why monies continue to be cut from classrooms from the
049students of this district, but there is plenty of money to pay consulting firms. You owe the community an explanation as to why consulting firm is more important than a behavior tech for a troubled student, a paraprofessional who supports our most vulnerable students, an intervention teacher who helps academically challenged students get caught up, or a special education teacher who can assist our special education programs by keeping them in compliance. Due to its dedication to our community and our students, EEEA leadership and its members, the heart of our district, as you claimed, will continue to have faith that you will think hard moving forward about how you are making decisions for our district. We hold ourselves to the highest expectations, and in no way should any of you expect any less. At this time, you've made it
050all very clear that there is no desire to work in concert with your labor partners, and it's not up to us to fix this anymore. It's now up to you to show this community that you are capable of leading our district, as you were elected to do so. Now get back to putting students first, as these employees have. Thank you. [applause] Doug Paulson: All right. Thank you all for your comments. All written communications have been distributed. Moving on to consent agenda section. Well, F through the end of it. Is there anything that anybody would like to pull from the consent agenda? Looking for a motion to approve. Joan Gardner: Then I'll make that motion. Mark Olson: I'll second. Doug Paulson: Miss Gardner moves, Mr. Olson. Seconds. Discussion? All in favor, please vote. All right. Could
051we please see a hand vote? All in favor, please raise your hand. Passes five zero. It doesn't matter. Motion carries five zero. Joan Gardner: Do I have to log out? Doug Paulson: Moving on to item L, the California School Dashboard Local Indicators. Dr. Luis Ibarra: We're going to have Kathleen Sorensen come up to the podium to go over the local indicators. Kathleen Sorensen: Good evening board president Paulson, school board, doctor Ibarra and cabinet. It's my honor to be here tonight to share our California school dashboard indicators. The local indicators are a little different than what we normally talk about when we talk about the dashboard. Usually when I speak about the dashboard, I speak about the academics and the suspensions and expulsions. The local indicators are addressing the other priorities, and we are allowed to
052use a self-reflection tool to determine how we rate ourselves on these local priorities. So I'm going to take just a few minutes to go over the local priorities, as it's a requirement for me to share these with you at the same meeting that you approved the LCAP . So the information that I'm sharing with you will, while we are allowed to self reflect and rate ourselves, I upload this and it will appear on the dashboard when all of the academic information is published in November. Okay, so first of all, priority one has to do with appropriately assigned teachers access to curriculum, instruction materials and safe, clean and functional school at facilities. So this is all related to our Williams visits. And what I can report is in terms of appropriately assigned science teachers, we have
053823 teaching positions. Out of those, we have 12 out of field positions and out of field teacher is a credentialed teacher who has not yet demonstrated the subject matter confidence in the subject area. Of those teachers one was an ELA teacher, one was a science teacher, and one was working on their EL credential, their English Learner certification, and the others were elective teachers. So of those teachers, the science and the English teacher have since completed their necessary subject area credentials, and the elective teachers are on local assignment options, which is uncommon. We do that every year. Then we have 21 interns. One is a music Wheel teacher and the other are special ed teachers. Then we have just four teachers that the CDE considers ineffective. It means they're on. It has nothing to do with
054their teaching abilities. It just means that they are on an emergency permit to get what they need to be able to meet the requirements to start an intern program. Finally, in terms of access to instructional materials, no, per the Williams visit, no students are without access to their own copies of standards aligned instructional materials. In all the years that we've been doing Williams, we've never had an instance where students did not have all of their materials. And then, thanks to our wonderful maintenance and facilities department, our facilities were all deemed as being in good condition. Okay. And then priority two has to do with implementations of the state academic standards. Okay. In terms of professional learning for teaching academic standards and frameworks we are in full implementation in terms of standards based materials being available
055to all students. Again, that was addressed in the last slide. We are in full implementation and sustainability. We feel like we've definitely got that one down. In terms of programs to help staff identify areas of improvement. We spoke a little bit. Mr. Oser spoke a little bit about that last week. That's in full implementation. Implementation of career tech, health, PE, and world languages, also full implementation. And rate of success at identifying PD needs of all teachers and individual teachers, as well as supporting teachers on standards they have not mastered. Again, Mr. Oser spoke a little bit about that last week and we are in full implementation. A priority three has to do with parent engagement, and in terms of building relationships between school staff and families and seeking input for decision making, we're in full
056implementation and sustainability and building partnerships for student outcomes. We're in full implementation. And priority six has to do with school climate. And so I'm pleased to be able to share with you the California Healthy Kids or CHKS results that came in about a month ago. And I think that you may have heard a little bit about this in some of the board updates, and we are very excited to report that we've had fairly significant improvement. Certainly more change than we've seen in many years. In terms of the elementary school, fifth grade students, we had 1493 fifth grade students whose parents signed the consent and completed the CHKS survey. And of those students 75% of those students responded that they feel safe at school all or most of the time, which indicates a 4% increase. Then
057at the middle school level, we had 1373 seventh grade students whose parents signed the consent and who completed the CHKS survey. And of those 60% responded that they feel safe at school all or most of the time, which is an increase of 6%. Then we also looked at The percentage of students who feel connected to school. At the elementary level, we had 76% of our students, sorry, 70% reported that they felt connected to school most or all of the time, which was an increase of 4%. And at the middle school level we had 53% of our students respond that they felt connected to school most or all of the time, which represented a 2% increase. Then finally priority seven, which is about access to a broad course of study, which is essentially looking to make
058sure that students have access to all of the core classes, but can also access advanced classes if they wish, if we offer them. And we do do a regular audit, and all of our students do have access to the broad course of study. Any questions? Joan Gardner: Thank you. Doug Paulson: All right. Questions? Zesty Harper: It's nice to see an increase in the CHKS survey, the results. That's really nice too. I don't have a question on it. It was just a comment. Don't worry. Doug Paulson: Yes. And I, I would just like to say it's nice to see an increase in the number of students feeling safe at our elementary and middle schools. But if you look at the inverse number, it means that other number don't feel safe. And we've got to work very
059hard on that, because whether it's 20%, 25% or 1% feeling unsafe, it's too many. So. Thank you. No action on that one. We are moving on to item M1. Educational services, art, musical and instructional. Andrew McGuire: So this is the adoption of the LCAP . This is the arts and music one? Doug Paulson: This is arts and music. The discretionary plan. Andrew McGuire: It's on our screen. Doug Paulson: Yeah. We need item M1. Andrew McGuire: So the arts and music instructional materials block grant is presented last board meeting in the use of those one time funds as part of our EUSD plan. Doug Paulson: All right. This is an action item looking for a motion to accept. Frank Huston: I'll motion. Joan Gardner: Second. Doug Paulson: All right, Mr. Huston moves, Miss Gardner seconds. Discussion.
060And please vote. [low level talking] And motion passes 5 to 0. Moving on to item M2. Andrew McGuire: Now, this would be the adoption of our LCAP as presented at our last meeting. Doug Paulson: Okay. Any questions on this? Zesty Harper: I just had a comment. Doug Paulson: Go ahead. Zesty Harper: So on the LCAP, I know it's a ever changing document. We have. I had questions last, last meeting. I think I will be voting no on the LCAP. I still don't feel like it's meeting the needs of our students enough. And I hope we, I hope we make modifications to it to really focus on that tier one instruction. Because with all these millions, it hasn't, it hasn't moved the needle yet. So I'm excited for future changes for it. Doug Paulson: All right.
061Thank you. Other comments? Please vote. Oh I'm sorry, I'm sorry. No, we've got a motion. No, we do not have a motion I apologize. Frank Huston: I motion. Mark Olson: I'll second. Doug Paulson: Mr. Huston moves, Mr. Olson, seconds. Please vote. All right. Motion passes 5 to 0. Moving on to item. I am so sorry. 4 to 1. Zesty Harper: Sorry. Doug Paulson: As previously stated. Motion passes 4 to 1. Moving on to item M3 Business Services, the adopted budget. Andrew McGuire: And this would be up for approval for our budget as presented, the budget for the 25-26 fiscal year starting July 1st. As presented last board meeting. Joan Gardner: Move approval. Mark Olson: Second. Doug Paulson: Miss Gardner moves. Mr. Olson seconds. All in favor? Please vote. And motion passes 5 to 0. Moving
062on to item M four. This is human resources, Miss Frank. Audrey Frank: After a salary comparison, I'm seeking approval to increase rates for substitute teachers, social substitute social workers, and substitute counselors to keep to keep competitive with the surrounding districts. Doug Paulson: Thank you very much. Looking for a motion? Zesty Harper: I'll move. Doug Paulson: I'll second. Miss Harper moves, Mr. Huston seconds. All in favor? Please vote. Please vote. And motion carries 5 to 0. Item M five. Human resources side letters of agreement. Audrey Frank: I'm seeking acceptance of a side letter with CSEA regarding permit teacher calendars and salaries in order to comply with the recently approved tentative agreement. Doug Paulson: Thank you very much. Looking for a motion? Mark Olson: I'll make a motion as presented. Joan Gardner: Second. Doug Paulson: Mister Olsen
063moves, Miss Gardner. Seconds. Please vote. And motion passes 5 to 0. Moving on to item. Make sure I'm right to item M6. This is resolution 2024-25-31 before us for action is board resolution 2425-31 to waive the credentialing requirement for the superintendent position pursuant to Education Code 35029. The resolution is in the material before you and is part of the public agenda. Do I have a motion to approve? Joan Gardner: I'll make that motion. Frank Huston: Second. Doug Paulson: Miss Gardner moves. Mr. Huston seconds. All in favor, please or please vote. Motion passes 5 to 0. Moving on to item M7. Before us for action is an addendum to the employment contract of the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services. The addendum adds additional duties to the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services in anticipation of the transition
064to superintendent. The addendum is for a period of one year and increases the salary to a total of $234,000 for the one year duration of this contract. Do I have a motion to approve? Mark Olson: I'll make a motion to approve. Zesty Harper: I'll second. Doug Paulson: Mr. Olson moves. Miss Harper seconds. Please vote. And motion passes 5 to 0. Item M8 before us for action is consideration and possible approval of superintendent's employment contract. Education code 54953 requires an oral summary of the salary and fringe benefits to be provided to the superintendent. This contract for employment is before you and attached to the public agenda. The contract is for a three year period. The annual base salary commencing July 1st, 2026, will be $260,000 pursuant to step one of the Superintendent Salary schedule, with a
0653% cost of living increase thereafter attached to the contract. In addition, Mr. Maguire will continue to be paid an annual stipend of $1,500 for holding a master's degree. Mr. Maguire will be entitled to 26 days of vacation and 12 days of sick leave. The superintendent will pay his share of PERS and the district will pay the employer share. The district will provide an automobile allowance of $400 per month, consistent with the existing superintendent contract. The district will also pay for membership dues in the Association of California School Administrators and other professional membership in one other professional organization. The superintendent will also continue to be provided a mobile telephone and laptop to be used for district business. The superintendent will have the same medical and dental coverage provided to other full time district employees. Again, this
066contract does not take effect until July 1st, 2026. Do I have a motion to approve? Zesty Harper: I move approval. Doug Paulson: Miss Harper moves. Joan Gardner: Second. Doug Paulson: Miss Gardner seconds. Do we have discussion? Joan Gardner: So? So we'll begin with me, I suppose. And I, I listened very carefully to everything everyone had to say. I wish that some of them had stayed to hear what I have to say. All of the emails that I received, I read carefully. And my my sympathies and my understanding is with you. However, I have to give you my perspective. And as I said, I, along with my fellow board members, I'm sure have received several emails expressing concern regarding the board's decision to select a sitting cabinet member as the next superintendent of the EUSD upon
067Luis's retirement. Perhaps you are not aware of the protocol established at the very start of his tenure by our current superintendent, of having the entire cabinet present in closed session board meetings. Through this process, the board members have come to know and have been able to assess the capabilities and character of various assistant superintendents over an extended period. I have been involved with several superintendent searches, and we could have done an expensive nationwide search that would not have guaranteed ongoing success. From experience, I can tell you when you bring a new superintendent on board. There is always a period of time that is a learning curve being introduced to the district and our direction. A new superintendent always brings their own ideas and preferences with them. So there is a time span of accommodation and
068finding a lump of accommodation and finding a comfort level with the district stakeholders, adapting to a new superintendent and vice versa, and inevitably, some change in direction. I don't believe this is the time for major change in our district. We have been so fortunate to have found Luis Ibarra to lead our district. It is unusual to have a superintendent serve in one district for a tenure of more than five years. We've gone well beyond that. This is a testament to his leadership skills and vision for EUSD. He has imparted and shared this vision with Andy McGuire. They have worked together on many of the critical issues and in enhancing the educational offerings leading to achievement for our students, which have made us a model district and the the envy of others. Even though we prefer
069continuity, I understand we could have done a search, held input meetings, and come to the same conclusion. Wasting the time we can put to better use and having Andy meet with different stakeholder groups so you may get to better know his experience in education, his dedication to EUSD, and his commitment to excellence as we are, as we on the board are as well. So there may be some who will still recall the board's previous search to replace one superintendent after after much time and effort, the choice was internal as well. So that's my point. That's my personal point of view. Thank you for listening. Those who are stayed.. Doug Paulson: Mr. Huston. Frank Huston: Thank you. I won't be as long as Joan. Joan Gardner: Sorry about that. Frank Huston: No, no. Thank you. You
070very eloquently stated a lot of things that were on my mind also. Having only been on the board for three years, I've not had the opportunity to go through this process. And I do take this process very serious. It is something that is very important. But one of the main things that happened three years ago is this country basically stopped educating our children everywhere, and we had to jump in and work really hard to rebuild that education that was lost. Doctor Ibarra has done a fantastic job in leading this district in that manner, and I'm very thankful that we had him at the helm at the time. This board has been very, in my opinion, pointed on the direction that we want this district to go in the education that we want our children to
071have. And it's interesting that as we're going through this, the one question that came up when Doctor Ibarra came to us and said, I plan on retiring. The question was, do you have a replacement? Is there anyone in your staff that you feel would be able to take on the reins? Now, Doctor Ibarra has built a legacy here for a man to come in and say, I would like to see Mr. McGuire take over the reins because I feel he has the qualifications and the desire and the momentum to push it forward meant a lot to me because we had other people that could take that position. So when you go to the person who's legacy is at risk, if the decision is the wrong decision. And he wholeheartedly says, hey, this is the person
072I feel you should move forward with. That's what we looked at. And we didn't just look at it casually. We we as a board went in a deep dive to find out is Mr. Maguire the person we want to lead this district? And you have to remember, we as a board are the ones that direct him. He is the one that then puts out the the the message. So ultimately, if this decision that we make this evening is not the correct one, we are ultimately the ones that made the decision. I'm willing to take that risk. I think Mr. Maguire is going to be a fantastic superintendent, and I welcome him into this family as a superintendent. Thank you. Doug Paulson: Mr. Olson. Mark Olson: Thank you. I want to acknowledge everyone that spoke this
073evening, including the two young students. I know that's not easy and it's not easy to take time. So anyone that wants to be engaged in that, I salute you. And thank you for taking the time to come out. I also want to acknowledge that something that probably nobody has. Mr. McGuire's family that was here, I'm sure that was. There's some words that were not easy to hear. And so I acknowledge them for sitting there and being cordial, as well as the other staff that are here, as my two colleagues that have already spoken have mentioned this was not a light decision. It wasn't an easy decision. And to suggest that the board mailed this in or took this lightly is completely and utterly inaccurate. But as been mentioned before, we have a unique opportunity to
074sit with the cabinet and to watch them in different capacities, not just within our meetings, but out in the community, at school functions, at site visits. We're constantly assessing or we should be, and I believe that we are, the direction of the district, the tone of the district, the character of the district. And it's not something that we take lightly. It's something that we're very proud of. And that has to do with everybody that's a member of EUSD from the families, the students, the staff, all the staff. They're part of that. And we look at them as, as to how we're doing. And I can tell you, in my interactions with Mr. McGuire, he is dedicated to EUSD. I know that some questioned that, but I can tell you that is absolutely true. Regardless of
075where his address is or where his family resides or where they go to school. He is dedicated to the success of the Escondido Union School District. I've seen it, and that is the things that we try to ascertain as we went through this process. Every person I've referred to Mr. Maguire from the community has reported back to me a positive response. That is the leadership that we are looking for as board members. That is the leadership that this community needs and deserves. And I wholeheartedly support Mr. McGuire in this new venture, because I know that he understands what our vision is and he is committed to carrying that forward. And I'm not here to say that there's probably going to be some challenges. That is life. That is part of the process. And hopefully this
076community gives him an opportunity to demonstrate his commitment. Because just like students who make mistakes and learn from them, that is what I'm willing to give some deference to as we go through this process. So I'm happy to support Mr. McGuire as we move forward. And I thank Doctor Ibarra for the leadership that he has demonstrated to prepare his staff and the cabinet members, as well as all the staff, to continue to carry this district to where we want to go, not where we are, but what we hope to go. And so I will be happy to support Mr. McGuire in this endeavor. Thank you. Doug Paulson: Miss Harper. Zesty Harper: Thank you for this opportunity to speak on our hire for the new superintendent to lead our district forward. Our sole focus as a
077board, and why we are here. Every single one of us is our students. We are focused on providing them the best education possible so they can be successful in life. And we take community input seriously and we take our charge as board members seriously. I'm going to give you a few examples of the opportunity we constantly have as our sole focus to get input from the community, whether it be formally or informally. We have quarterly meetings as a board, which I don't think other districts do with EEEA and with CSEA. We have a design committee that's made up of community members, staff and parents. We have a DAC committee, which is our district advisory committee, which also includes sites from representatives from every school sites. We have a community schools advisory that we all that
078board members, all of these committee's board members sit on to get the input from. Community schools advisory, where we have community members, teachers and different program specialists in there as well advising us. We have LCAP meetings, multiple LCAP meetings a year to talk about that structure. We have LCAP surveys that if you can't make it to the meeting, you can participate in the surveys to get your opinion. We have the city school subcommittee where we can get input from the city, the city members as well, the city council members. We have a GATE collaborative. We have a safety committee. We have a Sped council. And we have my favorite, actually, the PTA council, because they by far are the most involved and the most active. So these are just few of the opportunities, formal opportunities
079that we have to have input from the community of where they want to see Escondido. We are very aware of where they want to see Escondido, and that's why we have chosen Mr. McGuire to be our new superintendent, because he will usher us forward to that goal of what the community is looking for, for our students. And that is our number one priority. We have a diverse community, and Mr. Maguire cares deeply for that community. He cares for our English language learners. He cares for our underserved students, for our SPED community, for our even our reclassified students. We have so many diverse communities that need special attention, and Mr. Maguire is the perfect person to usher us forward in that direction to serve them even better. I would like to remind everyone that we are
080the sixth largest district in the state. We have over 40. We have 13,000 kids. Hopefully when they show up for attendance. Okay, we have a $300 million budget. The education part is very important and we have a great support staff, and we will be hiring an assistant supe for Ed Services as well. But we also have a huge business side to this district. And I know some people don't like to see this as a business, but it is a huge operation that needs that support and that is invaluable to the success of this district. So I appreciate that we're going to have someone with that business experience and is able to stay, create the structure for us to continue this business and this school district positively and giving the support and resources we need to
081our students and to our classrooms. I hope everyone will allow Mr. McGuire the opportunity to show what he is able to do, what us as a board know he's able to do, as someone very special to this district has always said we need to assume positive intent. We need to assume that we don't have ulterior motives. Our motive is the students of this district, and we are making a choice as our employee for the best person to serve our district. I also want to thank Luis . Without your leadership this district would not be where it is. We are continuing that legacy. I appreciate your guidance, the guidance you're going to give Mr. Maguire into the future. I appreciate this opportunity you've created for us, because we've been able to see what Mr. Maguire has
082been able to do, and you are just going to lead him forward as well. So thank you to that. But I again, wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly support Mr. Maguire, and I thank you for taking this district on. And I know it'll be in good hands. Doug Paulson: All right. Thank you, Doctor Ibarra. Dr. Luis Ibarra: Yes. I want to take this moment to recognize the significance of this decision. One of the most important responsibilities of a board of education is selecting the next superintendent, someone who will lead our district, support our staff and champion our students into the future. No one has worked more closely with Mr. Maguire than I have . Over the years I've had the opportunity to observe his integrity, dedication and deep understanding of what it takes to lead with both heart and
083vision. I have every confidence in his ability to continue moving this district forward. I am proud to fully support the board's decision, and am honored to walk alongside Andy during this next year of transition. It's a privilege to provide mentorship and coaching as he prepares to step into this very important role. Together, we will ensure a smooth and thoughtful transition grounded in our shared commitment to students, staff, and the continued success of our schools. Doug Paulson: All right. And at this time. Before I let this go any further, we do need to vote. If there's no further discussion. And motion carries 5 to 0. [applause] Andrew McGuire: These speeches are generally short and center on gratitude. Sorry. For the trust being extended for a promotion and certainly that was the original intent here tonight and
084I want to thank you to our school board for your trust. However, this moment calls for a deeper conversation centered on answers to the many stakeholder questions. In addition, I believe that speaking to what I am will be much more valuable than if I spoke to what I am not. So let me begin with where I come from. I have been steeped in the experience of the educator my entire life. I come from a family nearly completely composed of educators. I have seen firsthand the impact that profession has on a person from the most personal viewpoint. I have seen the joy that the success of reaching even just a single student can bring. I have seen the pain of the struggle to reach those who aren't easily reached. I have seen the frustration felt from
085the ever changing and often misaligned leadership decisions forced upon those closest to me. Those close to me in work and at home, know that it truly takes a village to raise me. And that work is not yet done. I was raised by a team of strong men and women, all teachers. From my mom who is watching from home tonight, who retired recently after a career as a teacher and administrator in Stockton, where I grew up. To my late grandmother, a World War II marine veteran and then lifelong high school English teacher. To my late grandfather, also a World War II marine veteran. That's where they met. Who then spent his career as a college professor. To my aunt and uncle, both lifelong teachers, and only makes sense that in college I gravitated to who has
086become my loving wife and mother of my children who are here tonight. When I met Audra, she was working towards her degree in mathematics at UC Davis with the plan to then seek her teaching credential, which she earned at USD. She began her career teaching here at Del Dios, where we were, where we lived after we were married 21 years ago. Who I am and who I continue to become has been shaped by these educators and more. Why does that matter? Because who I will become as the superintendent of EUSD will be shaped by the educators of EUSD. This village of educators will have every opportunity to shape the decisions and direction of this district through me, with me, and supported by me and all of our others in support of our schools. But that
087I do not set out to do alone. I do not have all the answers. And I say that proudly. Why? Because what I have done in my 17 years working in public education. To me, what is important is not what positions I have held, but what I did with those positions. Recently, while I was visiting a classroom, the teacher had a sign on her wall and it read Just smile. Nod and agree. Then close your door and do what's best for kids. Finally, I found the words to summarize my career so far. In every role I have been in, I have sought out the input of the people closest to the work. But we have all heard this before. Input. What I mean is I go find where the system is not working for people
088at the front line, and then work with them to create a better system. My focus is on systems, and no system in a public school district should be seen as good if it is not as supporting the student teacher relationship. My leadership style is centered on ensuring that the people at the front line have what they need to succeed. And as that sign said, succeeding here is absolutely doing that which is best for kids. I will be in service to this cause every day. I believe public education is how we guarantee the promise of America. And that can be that it can be attained by everyone. And I think that what we can do here in Escondido can be an example to everyone. I would put our teachers and staff up against any district out
089there. We have so much talent in our schools that it only makes sense to tap into that as we set out to do what is best for our kids, so that that system is not something we just smile and nod at, but that it is purpose built in the image of what is our greatness, our classrooms. Everything we need is right here in Escondido. First, by trusting our educators from the classroom to leadership to drive the educational process always focused on the best interests of the children. This September, I will be asking for representatives from every school's teams of teachers to form two advisory councils, one for elementary and one for middle schools, because I cannot and should not do this alone from the top down. We will evolve the purpose and function of our
090design team to bring in parent voices, along with a deeper connection to our PTAs and foundations. Beyond these focus groups, I will be visible in the school community to get to know all of our stakeholders and so they can get to know me. We will continue down the path of building from within by leveraging all that Escondido has to offer. We will continue to build or grow our own initiatives, such as our P3 and residency programs, in conjunction with the newly formed partnership that is coming alive at the YMCA campus here in town, where National University is building a campus now. These programs create an opportunity for our students, our own students who left us in eighth grade to come back after high school and work in our classrooms as they progress all the way
091to a teaching credential where our unique and impactful NETs program develops excellent educators. We will continue to develop new partnerships through our Community Schools Focus, where we bring our families and others in the community into our schools to support our purpose, to create bright futures for every learner we serve. And this is what the framework is all about. For our support staff, we will continue to strengthen their connection to and impact on that student teacher relationship. Together, we can continue to build a future for Escondido full of hope and promise through partnership, innovation and most importantly, love. I look forward to working with all of you to make it happen. Thank you again. [applause] Doug Paulson: All right. Thank you very much. What we are going to do now is run through board reports very
092quickly, and then I'm sure you'll want to get some some photos. [low level talking] No report. Any report from cabinet at this time? Our announcement of the next meeting, the next regularly scheduled board meeting will be held on Thursday, July 17th, 2025 at 7 p.m. at the Escondido Union School District. Carilyn Gilbert Education Center, 2310 Aldergrove Avenue, Escondido. 92029. We are adjourned.