001Good evening everyone. Good evening and welcome to uh this edition of the Colton Joint Unified School District Board of Education meeting on today, November 6, 2025. And we have a full house which is great to see. We have some amazing celebrations today with some of our staff and our students of course and then we have some business to take care of. But uh we'll begin as we do each meeting. Uh we'll start with calling the meeting to order and I will ask um Miss Medina if you'll please call roll for members in attendance. >> Mrs. Flores, Mr. Fuentes, Miss Dorinoa, Mr. Ibara >> present. >> Mrs. Haro, >> Mr. Flores >> present. Thank you for that. Miss Medina. And then we'll roll into the pledge of allegiance as we begin every meeting. I apologize. I
002didn't have a chance to ask somebody in advance, so I'm going to put somebody on the spot. My good friend, Mr. Mike Williams, is here who is a public servant many times over, a friend of the district, uh, former city treasurer for the city of Colton, and a veteran. So, I would ask, Mr. Williams, if you'll please lead us in the pledge of allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you for that, Mike. And again, thank you for your service to the community and our country. And uh today, we'll get to recognize some of that service. So, I appreciate you being here. We have translation services available for Spanish-sp speakaking um participants
003in today's meeting. In attendance, we have Miss Cynthia Bueno, a translator with the district, who will make those services available to whoever would like to avail themselves. >> Thank you, President Flores. Good evening. Thank you, Mrs. Bueno. Our first item on the agenda is item 1.3. This is the adoption of the agenda, and we currently have two recommended amendments to the agenda. The first one is, I'm sorry, just one. The first one is to withdraw action item 6.33, approval of the 2025 2026 NJOTC instructor's salary. Dr. Miranda, are there any other recommended changes to the agenda? >> Those are it for tonight. >> All right, I'll go ahead and ask then if there is a motion and a second to approve the agenda as requested for the amendment. >> I'll move. Motion by board member
004Fentes, second by board member Haro. Um any questions, any comments? Not all those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Hearing none. It is so ordered. So the agenda will be amended. And that takes us to our school showcase for this evening. And we have with us today representatives from Slover Mountain High School. So I'll start by introducing principal Fraal. If you'll please introduce your student leaders for tonight's presentation. >> Good evening, board president Flores, board members, superintendent Dr. Miranda and members of the audience. Um, Slover is serving with purpose together as one district. And tonight we have Matthew, Christian, and Deiana. Come on up, kiddos. Okay. Hello. My name is Matthew Argatvar. I'm a senior at Sllover Mountain High School. And I would like to introduce Christian Gutierrez. >> Gutierrez. and I'm
005a senior at Slover Mountain High School. And I would like to introduce Diana Loera. >> Hi, I'm Diana Lera. I'm a senior at Silver Mountain High School. Thank you for allowing us to share a little bit about our journey. >> And now we would like to share how Slover has been creating community this year. We had our fall PBIS kickoff. We all gathered together in the NPR and learned about our schoolwide expectations. We got to do team building activities. We earned slower gear. And at the end, we had a fun alternative game with our ROAR acronym. We are respectful, optimistic, accountable, and resilient. This year, Slover is proud to welcome our new assistant principal, Dr. Frasier. With just the short time she has been with us, she is welcome, welcoming, and caring for Slover. Slover
006hosted our back to school night. Sllover families got to meet Sllover teachers and staff. We also got to learn how our title one monies are spent for us. Our our ASB were all hands on deck with our guests from 100 black men of America supporting our barbecue. We also had some special guests to visit us in our classrooms. Superintendent Dr. Miranda, assistant superintendent of student services Dr. Ortiz, and director of student services Melissa Kingston. Slover celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month every day during morning announcements. We had Hispanic Heritage Week with each day having a dressup theme. During lunchtime, we had music and ASB provided elote and aua frescas. We would like to share some of our academic accomplishments. Since our last showcase, we had our mini quarter 1 award ceremony and it was packed house with
007families celebrating all of our accomplishments. We have 15 students who received perfect attendance awards. 21 students received students of student of the month from teachers and counselors. 29 students received honoral awards. 34 students received principles on honoral awards. During the month of October, we acknowledged breath cancer awareness. LGBTQ history month and bullying prevention. We wore pride colors on Mondays, pink on Wednesdays, and orange on Fridays. We also had lunchtime activities on these days. Slover also celebrated SEAB beds day as we as we had 87.92 of positive student attendance. >> Silver hosted its annual fall wellness and health fair. We had a huge turnout from the community with different support groups for ourselves and families. Students were actively asking questions and requesting information from San Bernino County Behavioral Health and CJUSD mental and behavioral health department.
008Fifth district supervisor Joe Baka also supported Silver with providing educational supplies for all students. Silver has had opportunities for enrichment trips. Our RO careers and child development class was able to attend CSUSB student symposium which dis discussed using AI in child development careers. Silver scholars also attended the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway where we where we got to learn about forestry and engineering careers. One of the best parts shared also was we learned mental health grounding techniques with nature. Silver scholars and families were invited to attend Latinima which highlighted the richness of Latin American and Hispanic societies highlighting women. It is hosted by the Hispanic Coalition of Small Businesses. We are proud that we were invited two years in a row. 14 scholars were surprised with receiving scholarships. We also are so proud to announce that
009our very own Miss Baka was honored with the education award for her many years of service to students, family, and community. Slover was invited to participate in Dr. Morana's community cabinet highlighting careers in child development. Our very own RO teacher, Miss Hernandez, and students Diana Loera, Leila Sharter, Sophia Padilla got to share how RO was given them the opportunities to see careers in child development. Slover would like to thank Dr. Miranda for giving Slover the opportunity to highlight the great achievements at Slover. Slover participates in the Inland Empire Alternative School League. The fir the f the the first sport to be played uh was boys and girls volleyball. We are proud of volleyball for our volleyball team for always being a model model scholars and trying their very best as we volleyball players who had
010never played the game didn't give up. RO child development class. >> Okay. Okay. RO child development class hosted the trick-or- treat event with Bloomington Head Start and ASB. It was called Sllover University School and Scares with Monsters Inc. theme. ASB created a maze and teachers and staff opened their doors to give tes and finished in the library. Slover staff and students also continued the celebration of Halloween fun dressed as Monster Inc. theme too. Slover had a great turnout with students and staff at our fall blood drive. We participate two drives a year as we help build community to be a part of saving lives and supporting our local healthare systems. Here are some upcoming events. MAP testing, mini quarter 2 award ceremony, spring athletics college and career fair, spring wellness and health fair, spring blood
011drive, and girls empowerment day. Lastly, we would like to invite everyone to our first annual walk to school with Ruby Bridges Day. During advisory, we're inviting our entire school to walk together along the purple path to schoolwide equality and justice symbolizing unity, encourage, and progress. >> Please follow us on our social media pages and you can see all the events happening at Sllover. Thank you. May we answer any questions or would you like to give us any feedback? Well, first of all, we want to congratulate you on a great presentation. >> Very well done. And what I'll do is I'll ask if my colleagues have comments or questions for our student leaders. Sure. Board member Fuentes. >> Such an awesome job. Great. We all make mistakes when we when we speak and stuff. I'm making
012a mistake right now, but uh you guys did such an awesome job. A lot of great things are happening at Slover and I just love can't spell Slover without love. So, you know, it's an exciting school. I'm glad you guys are doing what you're doing. Keep doing what you're doing. Keep bringing all those exciting things to the school so that the students can engage not just in the achievement uh education part of it, but achieve uh success in whatever that you guys do. So, great job. Thank you very much. Other comments, questions, please. Board member Ibara, >> first of all, I want to say thank you for being here and uh one of the things that you highlighted was the fact that your attendance at Sllover is pretty high. We're looking at pretty close to
01388% if I heard you correctly. It was 87.92 if I'm not mistaken. And uh that's wonderful because in order for students to be successful, they have to be in school. And one of the things that drives students to school is all the events, all the wonderful teachers, instruction, and the excitement of completing what they've started. And I've seen Sllover grow over many years. And through those years, I've seen many many students achieve very well and do well with with their education and move on afterwards. So, I just want to commend each and every one of you that's up there. You represent Slover. you're the student leadership there on that campus and that's a big responsibility because a lot of students look up to you and uh and you you wore it very well and you
014did an excellent job in your presentation and uh just wish you well the rest of the school year. Thank you. >> Please board member Flores. >> Congratulations on on uh your presentation. It was wonderful. Um, I love that you're having your first annual u Ruby Bridges walk to to school day. Um, you know, we all know the story behind this. Um, you know, there's this little six-year-old girl who was walking to school in the n in 1960 and she was um had to be escorted by uh you know, with federal agents to keep her safe, you know, and um all because of the color of her skin. So, I congratulate you on taking a stand on this and moving forward with this and I'm looking forward to it. Thank you. >> Comments, other comments, questions.
015Well, again, great job on the presentation. I think what's amazing to see is all of the activities are that are happening uh on campus. Um not just the academic achievements, which are fantastic, but all of the the athletic the uh after school activities, the fun activities. And I want to congratulate you on building a great environment where the students have that sense of pride and we want you to be proud to be part of Sllover Mountain High School. It has a rich tradition in our district and you're just adding to it and making it even greater. So, thank you for that. Um, Principal Freel for what you do and your leadership, your incredible staff and of course, um, thank you for what you do for leading and guiding our students. Um, Natalie Pocket, thank you
016for what you do. You do a lot behind the scenes. I don't think folks realize sometimes how long you've been really advocating over Service is nothing new to your family and we are grateful for what your family has done, but we are grateful for what you continue to do at Sllover Mountain and for our students. So, well, well deserving of the recognition. So, thank you for that. Um, and again, thank you. We'd love for you to come up, shake your hands, and congratulate you. All right. Uh, next on our agenda are special presentations. I'm going to go ahead and take a little bit of uh, president presidential privilege, if you will, and just do a quick switch. We'll actually begin with our employee recognition and then we'll jump to the Apple Foundation recognition just because
017we have um a number of guests that are here. Uh students are here and of course we always try to get them home so they can finish their homework and get to bed early, right boys? We we'll we'll talk about that here in a minute. But let's start with our employee recognition. Big game tomorrow. We'll start with our employee recognition. So at this time I'm going to ask that our directors of human resources if Mr. Eniso and Dr. Mr. Cvantes would please come forward and uh lead us in the presentation for this month's employee recognition. >> Good evening board president Flores, board members, superintendent Dr. Miranda and members of the audience. My name is Erik and Cisa. I'm director of human resources classified and I'm proud to present this evening the employee recognition for the
018month of October. Our first person um that we would like to recognize is as the kids say rolling deep. Um he has a dual role in our district. He is a special education instructional assistant and also happens to be our uh football coach for the Colton High Yellow Jackets. So I would like to call up Coach Ray Rodriguez. And honoring him this evening is going to be a lot of people and uh principal John Abbott. Thank you so much. >> Thank you Director Eniso. Good evening, Board President Flores, members of the board, Superintendent Dr. Branda, Executive Cabinet, families, friends, guests, staff, uh, and of course, our amazing students and, uh, amazing coaches, and of course, who we're here to celebrate this evening, the amazing Mr. Ray Rodriguez. I'm going to go ahead and read our
019narrative. It is with great pride and administration that I recognize Coach Ray Rodriguez for his unwavering commitment to Colton High School, our students, and the greater Colton community. Coach Ray has served as the head varsity football coach at Colton High School for the past six years. A role that demands not only expertise and leadership, but also tremendous time, heart, and sacrifice. His days often begin before sunrise and end long after lights go out on the field. Much of that time is volunteered. A testament to his deep dedication to building a football program rooted in character, discipline, and teamwork. Year after year, Coach Ray works tirelessly to ensure that his players find success not only on the field, but also in the classroom and in life. In addition to his leadership on the field, Coach Ray
020serves as an instructional assistant supporting students with extensive needs. This work requires patience, empathy, and compassion. Qualities that Coach Ray demonstrates with ease every single day. He brings the same energy and positivity to the classroom that he does to the football field, inspiring, inspiring his students to learn, grow, and believe in themselves. His colleagues often describe him as the kind of teammate who lifts others up and leads quietly through action and example. Coach Ray has been a vital part of our district for many years, impacting two high school campuses as a special education aid. In recent years, he's joined our transitional opportunity program, TOP, where he continues to support students with a positive attitude and a caring heart. He works diligently alongside teachers, assisting with many moving parts of each school day and ensuring students
021receive the support they need to thrive. What makes Coach Ray truly remarkable is his humility. Despite the countless hours he gives and a profound impact he makes, he never seeks recognition or praise. He gives because he cares about his students, his players, his colleagues, and his community of Colton. Under his leadership, the Colton High School football program has continued to rise, achieving a team GPA of 2.94 with every varsity player maintaining eligibility and earning back-to- back league champions in 24 and 25. Along with playoff appearances in both seasons, these accomplishments reflect not only athletic success, but also a culture of accountability, discipline, and teamwork that Coach Ray has built with intention and his heart. Coach Ray embodies the very best of what it means to be a Yellow Jacket. Dedicated, humble, and deeply committed to
022service. His presence on campus makes Colton High School a better place. and his leadership has shaped not just a football program, but the lives of countless students who will carry his lessons of hard work, perseverance, and integrity far beyond our campus. >> Thank you, Coach Ray, for everything you do. You make Colton High School and Colton Joy Unified School District proud. >> I got a dress. Okay. >> Thank you guys. Hold on. Let me fix this. Thank you guys. Um, thank you guys for having me up here tonight. Uh, first boys, I love you guys. Love all of you guys. I didn't even know you guys were coming. I didn't tell anybody, but hey, thanks for coming. Love you guys. It's been a pleasure, you guys, to be able to work for the district and
023coach these young men over the last six years. Um, I started off at Grand Terrace before that and I loved the games over there as well. Um, but like I said, I love you guys. I love all the players I've been able to coach over the years and um, I I appreciate you guys allowing me to be here and do those things. Um, can't forget this, the transition opportunity program. Um, they are a phenomenal program on the on the side of Colton High School. Um, they do a phenomenal job with uh, helping the students transition to life after high school, life after Colton High School. Um they Miss Miss uh Ashton Reynosa, Lindsey Scar Bro, and Rob certainly do a phenomenal job of kind of um giving the staff that's there a a guidance, the
024proper guidance to take care of the kids that we work with and then kind of get them ready for life after school, like um getting into the community, getting jobs, learning how to do stuff at home. And and I wouldn't be here without them obviously. I know they're the ones that kind of nominated me for this. So, I appreciate them and um I appreciate working with that group and I I I work with two great teams with these guys over here and then the transition opportunity program over there on campus and I love it and uh thank you. I mean I appreciate everything guys. >> Coach, thank you to my better half over there, Kathleen Camra as well. Coach, I want to um I want to say just on behalf of myself and and my
025colleagues because many of us have had the opportunity to see you grow professionally and uh what you've what you've done not only again with the program um but with all the students that you've touched has been incredible because um while we're proud of the athletic prowess and yes the wins are great um it's what these men do after they graduate. It's who they become. Men of integrity, men of honor uh who respect one another, respect the community and give back. And gentlemen, we expect nothing less of you. And I know that no matter what you do when you grow up. Um, know that the lessons that you're learning today with your teammates, with your brothers up there are going to carry with you the rest of your lives. And we're incredibly proud of you. Um,
026there's uh there's and the coaches that are there too. Um, thank you because you're giving a lot of your time, your talent, your energy, your resources. You're out there late. I see it. I I live by the football stadium, so I see those lights on late at night and you guys are working late into the night. uh and it means the world to us because you're investing in our in our students and in their future. So gentlemen, um good luck tomorrow for the community. We do have a first playoff game tomorrow at home. Ganesa, >> if if you guys Yeah, if you guys are in the area, stop by. We're going to be there playing Ganisha tomorrow at home. We're excited. First round of playoffs and we're hoping to get this thing rolling. >> Yeah,
027it's going to be a great game, boys. So, um, get some rest, you know, do well tomorrow in school, and we'll see you guys