001Call this meeting to order at 6:05. We will start with the Pledge of Allegiance. Ready, begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right. May I get a motion to adopt tonight's agenda? So moved. Second. Moved by Bianca, second by Pete. All in favor? Aye. Any nays? Five zero. I also need a motion to adopt the minutes from the May 5th, 2026 joint meeting with CMC Board of Trustees. So moved. Was that Missy? Yeah. Okay, moved by Missy, second by Roberta. All in favor? Aye. Any nays? Five zero. May I also get a motion to approve the minutes from the May 5th, 2025 regular meeting? So moved. Moved by Bianca,
002second by Pete. All in favor? Aye. Any nays? Five zero. Also need a motion to approve the minutes from the May 28th, 2026 special meeting for the superintendent's year-end performance review. So moved. Second. Moved by Roberta, second by Bianca. All in favor? Aye. Any nays? Five zero. Bear with me, folks, there's quite a bit to cover on the actions from the closed session. Be it resolved that the Board of Education accept the panel's recommendation from May 29th, 2026, hearing for student 25-019, passed and adopted this ninth day of June 2026 in the County of San Bernardino, California. That passed five zero. Be it resolved that the Board of Education accept the stipulation and agreement for immediate expulsion for student 25-017, passed and adopted this ninth day of June 2026 in the County of San Bernardino,
003California, also by a vote of five zero. Be it resolved that the Board of Education accept the stipulation and agreement for immediate expulsion for student 25-018, passed and adopted this ninth day of June 2026 in the County of San Bernardino, California. Passed five zero. Be it resolved that the Board of Education readmit student 25-003 to MUSD, passed and adopted this ninth day of June 2026 in the County of San Bernardino, California. That was a vote of five zero. Be it resolved that the Board of Education readmit student 25-0082 MUSD, passed and adopted this ninth day of June 2026 in the County of San Bernardino, California, also by a vote of five zero. Be it resolved that the Board of Education readmits student 25-010 to MUSD, passed and adopted this ninth day of June 2026 in
004the County of San Bernardino, California, with a vote of five zero. Be it resolved that the Board of Education readmit student 25-012 to MUSD, passed and adopted this ninth day of June 2026 in the County of San Bernardino, California. Vote five zero. Be it resolved that the Board of Education readmit student 23-009 to MUSD, passed and adopted this ninth day of June 2026 in the County of San Bernardino, California. Passed five zero. We also have a resolution to release and reassign certificated administrative employee pursuant to Education Code 44951, Resolution number 26-19, passed by a vote of five zero. Be it resolved that the Board of Education appoint Sabrina McDavis as the principal of Morongo Valley Unified School, or excuse me, Morongo Valley Elementary School in MUSD, passed and adopted this ninth day of June 2026
005in the County of San Bernardino, California. Passed five zero. Be it resolved that the Board of Education appoint Nick Aguilera as principal of Twentynine Palms Junior High School in MUSD, passed and adopted this ninth day of June 2026 in the County of San Bernardino, California, also by a vote of five zero. Be it resolved that the Board of Education appoint Dennis Zink as the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources in MUSD, passed and adopted this ninth day of June of 2026 in the County of San Bernardino, California. Passed five zero. All right, I now need a break. That was a joke. Thank you for that laughter. Next up, we're going to have our legislative report. No report today. Thank you. Class science not here today. Okay, certificating. Raquel. Good evening, board and public. Since you needed
006a break, I'm here to give you one, so I got the mic and I'm not gonna let it go. So, thank you for the opportunity to address you tonight. First, I wanted to say it was fun to be-- The ribbon cutting for the junior high cafeteria was yesterday, and my husband, who's on theOversight, Measure C Oversight Committee. He went and he took Lucia, and he made sure to tell me, because we're watching you, that President Clary did give a shout-out to MTA for our work to help pass Measure C. So thank you. And CSEA. Which sits right here. Yeah. So thank you. And from there, I have a few things to talk about. June 16th, you will be voting on a very powerful contract that our union, in conjunction with MUSD, did a lot of
007work, two years of work, to come to this finished product. So all of this last year, we've been bargaining, but our MTA team started preparing for this bargaining a year before with a lot of outreach to members, site visits, one-on-one conversations. We had 158 one-to-one conversations with members. We held site visits to every site, meetings at every site. That's 20 whole site meetings. We had different bargaining input sessions. We had a survey that is famous that it took 45 minutes for you to fill out. And it had an 80% response rate. So that tells you how much-- That's an amazing response rate on a survey. I think the gas card that was raffled off helped. But anyways, the point is our members have been engaged, and we've done a lot of really powerful work. I
008don't know if I will be here on June 16th for that vote. I hope to be. However, my son, in an Oasis, 29 Palms Junior, 29 Palms High School graduate, will be graduating from UCR in the morning, and he's on the enrollment committee, but he can't be here tonight because his final exam is tonight at 6:00. His last final. So again, these schools, this community has done a really great job. I wanted to speak again to the reason this contract is so powerful. It is brand new. It's practically a brand-new contract. Completely, articles are wiped out. New ones are in there. There is a lot of shared decision-making. Our teachers have power, and there isn't a question you're going to be able to resolve without talking to us first, which is very powerful. The compensation
009is very fair, and we beat the surrounding areas, which is a win. We get to go brag. But I want to make sure that everyone understands that that is because of the leadership in our union and the leadership in the district through the direction of the school board, that we have decided that while we will always have conflict, and how we deal with that conflict is through community, through openness, through willing to problem solve, through collaboration. We've decided to be student-centered and work together as much as possible. So it does matter who's in those seats and who's in our seats. So thank you for that. I also wanted to speak tonight to the enrollment committee, the report that's going to come out. So Jill and I have been at every single enrollment committee meeting, and
010those are tough meetings to sit through because they're highly emotional. But I will say that for all of the different emotions that are there, some of them are challenging. There's anger, and there's hurt, and there's fear. It's also powerful and beautiful because there is love and there is unity, and that matters. And so some of the things that I anticipate that the enrollment committee will say and that the people in the public will say today are some things that we want to happen before any school would ever close. Addressing chronic absenteeism, addressing MTSS issues, and those need to be done. But I want to say to everyone that it does matter. They have a responsibility as management and as the school board to do that work, but we are in the community, and so we
011also have to do work. What are we doing? If we want our school to be good for our baby, what are we doing to make it good for the other babies? We have to want it to be good for those kids, too. If chronic absenteeism is an issue, are we taking it serious? Are we planning our trips around breaks? And if we can't, are we taking the independent study to make sure the school has the NHA? But also, it's not just the dollars. It does teach your kid that they should be connected to school and that school is a priority. Are we giving our fellow students that our kids go to school with the benefit of the doubt if they're struggling with behavior? Are we giving the school the benefit of the doubt if they're
012struggling with behavior? If somebody can't get to school, can we help them with a ride? All of those things matter. We have to be in this together if we want schools to stay open and we want them to be good. And I'm telling you from a person who has had two children graduate and be successful and then decided to parent forever and had a third one later in life. And when I went to enter her in kindergarten, I was really reflective about with my position and the way things are working, I could put her in any school. And I chose to put her in Oasis, which is a school I work at, which struggles with behavior. But she is thriving because I believe that she is enriched by being there with the children and that
013she can enrich them. She's thriving. Missy and Roberta, you know, invented spelling key kindergarten tasks so she can write letters. "Dear Miss Bunny," B-U-N-N-Y, "please leave me a basket," B-A-S-K-E-T, "with a good toy." Independently, by herself, thriving, even when the children in her class are struggling. So we have to believe that the solution is not what other people do, but it's what we do together. So that is my call today, is whatever decisions happen, we still have to be together. Community exists. You have to have conflict. But how we deal with it and what we do to solve it is what's going to make a difference for our children and their future. Thank you. Thank you very much. Marine Corps Rep? Not in this evening. That'll take us to the reports by superintendent and staff
014members. We'll start with Dr. Gracie Gutierrez Good afternoon. So tonight I have the pleasure of speaking on two topics. The first one is the TK Kinder Boost. And that may sound a little familiar to some of you. It is actually, I don't know if I should call it a program, but it is something that we offered previously years back. And at a recent principal meeting, there was a request by principals, asking, "Can we bring this back?" This TK Kinder Boost is offered during the summer, and it is a way to provide some transitionary support for our youngest learners prior to starting the school year in August. So our target audience are our students who have never been in school. They're coming to TK for the very first time. They're coming to kinder for the very
015first time. And so we have been advertising the TK Kinder Boost in hopes of encouraging our families to register their students now so they can come to this TK Kinder Boost during the summer for one week, registering them now instead of waiting until right before school begins. The sooner we know how many students we can expect, the better that we can prepare for their arrival. This week would be very important for students to get that acclimation to being in a school environment. For many of them, it is the very first time that they are leaving their parents' side. And so it's an opportunity for them to interact with adults in a school environment to begin to familiarize themselves to that school setting. The focus is more on those social skills. It is not academic-based, but
016it will give us an opportunity to potentially identify some needs that children may have. Like is it that some students maybe are not potty trained or are there medical needs that we haven't been made aware of that we would rather discover during this week of summer school and not the first day of school. And so we are providing transportation from the home school to the summer school site. So we are monitoring the enrollment. We have openings at Oasis, at Onaga, and at Yucca Mesa, which are the three summer school sites. Have to say that Oasis, our slots are already filled. The communities of the Yucca Mesa and Connecting Schools and Onaga enrollment has been a little bit on the slower side, but we're keeping it open up until right before we begin. This summer boost
017program will not start week one or week two. It will actually be week three. And so we're excited about bringing this back to our families. I have a quick question. Right up front. Mm-hmm. Okay. I think it's a great idea for one, just that familiarity for the new guys, the new kids. So a student at Oasis- Oh ... do they have potential to go to Onaga or the other, was it Yucca Mesa? Or is it restricted to the home school? No, so Oasis would be housing students from 29L, from Palm Vista and from Condor, because for summer school, those students are being housed at Oasis school. However, if our enrollment is low at the other schools and we still have a need to increase space at Oasis, we can transfer one of our summer school
018teachers over to Oasis. It looks like that may be what we do. Right now we're looking at offering two teachers per school, but again, it's been slow with the other two, so we may end up transferring teachers over to Oasis to continue to welcome our students. Our goal is not to turn anyone away. Yeah. That's just my point was with we'd really like to get away from that, so that's good to hear. Thank you. I'm sorry, I have another question. What is the cap for students enrolling? We are maintaining our TK ratio, which is 10 to one. However, we also have instructional aids, so that each teacher could potentially have up to 20 to one. It's hard to tell what the interest is going to be given this is the first time that we are
019bringing this back. And so, we've already had an informational session with the applicants for both teachers and instructional aides to give them the information they need to be able to lead the program. So it's 10 to one, but there could be up to 20 with the addition of the instructional aide. Thank you. Mm-hmm. I'm sorry. I know that it's week three, but what are the dates for week three? Absolutely. So that would be June 22nd through the 26th. We didn't want to go with week one, given that there's a lot of adjustments that are being made by students who are going to a post-summer program. And then week two is a four-day week. We wanted to take advantage of a full five-day week, and that's how we ended up with week three. And it will
020be offered from 8:00 in the morning up until midday. Students would get lunch provided, breakfast provided as well in the morning. I'm just wondering about the type of program that they're going to be introduced to. Play-based? It is. It will be very much play-based and exploration, familiarizing themselves with routines and just those initial expectations. I've been at a school site on the first day of school when you tell TK students, "Stand in a line," and they have no idea of what that concept is. And so little things like that. We've also engaged in a partnership with our nutrition services department transportation, and through Wayne, I believe our Morongo Healthcare Basin District, so that they can come and interact with students. For example, one day will be devoted to how do you get on a bus?
021How do you sit appropriately, like bus expectations. Another day would be, how do I-Go through the lunch line. What is expected of me? How do I... And so interacting a little bit more in depth with these individuals, and then the healthcare district, having them come over with the giant toothbrushes and showing kids about hygiene and things like that. So trying to make it interactive and fun for them. Especially fun. Yeah, absolutely. Especially fun. Yeah. All right. So I do have one other topic that I'm going to be addressing, and that is the June 1st professional development that was focused on the new math curriculum and training that our teachers received. So that did take place last Monday on June 1st, and this was a district-held day of professional development where we focused on providing our
022teachers and our certificated staff with training on the newly adopted math curriculum. So the teachers spent their time familiarizing themselves with their teacher's edition, exploring the various components of the program that's been adopted for their level, and then they were also able to engage in some initial planning for the next school year. It was also an important step in just ensuring, that we have that alignment across our district and that we really are outlining the instructional shifts that are outlined in the new California math framework. I also have a shout-out for MTA. So we would like to thank them for partnering with us to add an additional day to the work day to the calendar, because that is what allowed for this training to take place. We had outstanding participation. We only have 11 makeups
023to do come the beginning of the school year, seven elementary, three middle, one high school. So, it would not have been possible for us to train at this scale without the partnership. So thank you for that. So we did have all three of our publishers that were present to facilitate the training. The trainings were organized by grade level, and at the secondary level, it was by course level. And our special education teachers also received individualized training specific for navigating or balancing multiple grade levels, as is their caseload. During this day, we also introduced our new math pacing guides, and these pacing guides incorporate essential standards that were developed by some of our own teachers. And this was very important because, again, it just highlights our commitment to being a standards-aligned district, which gives us that
024consistency and that alignment across our schools. So I do want to just take a moment to thank everyone for being involved, our teachers for showing up ready to learn. It's not easy to show up with a positive attitude when you've added a day to the work year, but they did. They were eager, and they were excited, and we're very grateful that they can take this with them. Should they want to go through it during the summer, by all means. If they want to wait, at least they have that choice, right? And so this would not have been possible also without the support of different members of our instructional services team that played key roles in setting up the day, communicating with the vendors, ensuring that our material got here on time, working with staff on
025creating the pacing guides. So just thank you to everyone for that. I was going to thank you on behalf of at least one teacher that you did it at the end of this school year instead of disrupting the beginning of next year, which I know we've done that in the past, and it's very disruptive. So that built-in snow day was really critical. I know the MTA was very hands-on with all that, and to hear it's only 11 teachers. How many teachers do we have all apart? 415. Does anybody in the crowd know the number? I do. 415. That's really phenomenal to get that kind of participation on any training. So, that's really critical because math is something we need to see a lot of growth, and all of this curriculum will get us in that
026direction. So thank you. And I just want to add that I received a lot of positive feedback from the teachers as well about the day. Thank you. I attended. I really thought it was well organized. Multiple sites, and the teachers made it to the multiple sites. A lot of positive feedback from the teachers that I got. Yeah, that was kind of difficult. It was not maybe the right day, and there's teachers who were trying to get ready to close down their classrooms, but they did it, and I thought the instruction was pretty good. And yeah, I have a lot of compliments to everybody that attended that. Thank you again. Next up, we'll have our enrollment committee update. Good evening, Board President Claire, Board of Education members, Superintendent Dr. Vargas, and cabinet members. This is the
027first time I've done this with the slides, so I apologize if I mess anything up like Dr. Turner. Tonight, I am presenting the final report and recommendations of the Northern New Heights School District Enrollment and 7/11 Advisory Committee. On behalf of Chairperson Jennifer Kazak and the entire committee, I would like to thank the board for the opportunity to participate in this important work.Over the past several months, the committee met publicly, reviewed extensive information, heard from community members, toured school facilities, and considered a variety of options related to enrollment decline and the future use of district resources. Today, I will briefly summarize the committee's work and present the recommendations that were ultimately approved by the committee for board consideration. The committee was established by the board in December of 2025 in response to ongoing enrollment decline
028across the district. Our charge was broad. We were asked to review enrollment trends, evaluate building capacity, consider consolidation and boundary scenarios, examine potential surplus properties, and ultimately provide recommendations to the board. From the beginning, committee members understood that our responsibility was not simply to evaluate numbers, but to consider the educational community and long-term impacts of any potential decisions. We also understand that our role was advisory. Final decisions remain with the Board of Education. One of the strengths of this process was the diversity of our committee itself. The committee included parents, community members, district employees, teacher representative, business representative, and members with facilities and construction expertise. While members brought different perspectives to the table, everyone shared the same goal, making recommendations that would best serve students and families throughout the Rhonda Basin. The committee reviewed extensive
029enrollment and financial information. The committee reviewed enrollment trends, showing a decline from approximately 10,000 students at the district's peak to approximately 7,300 today, with continued decline projected over the coming years. We also reviewed information regarding the district's financial challenges, including structural budget pressures and the impact of the state's ADA funding model. While these realities provide important context, the committee viewed them as one part in a much larger conversation that also included educational quality, community impact, facility conditions, transportation considerations, and equity. Throughout seven public meetings, the committee reviewed a significant amount of information. This included enrollment, demographic data, facility assessments, financial and operational information, consolidation scenarios, and community feedback. Committee members also participated in school site visits to better understand facility conditions firsthand. Perhaps most importantly, we have heard from parents, staff, students, and community members
030representing the schools across the district. Those voices played a significant role in informing our discussions and ultimately our recommendations. This slide reflects the committee's primary recommendation and the area where the committee spent the greatest amount of time in discussion and deliberation. Over the course of our meetings, the committee reviewed enrollment projections, facility conditions, financial information, transportation considerations, community feedback, multiple consolidation scenarios, including options ranging from no school closures to the closure of multiple campuses. The committee understood the financial fiscal challenges facing the district and took those concerns seriously. However, after extensive discussion and review of the available information, the committee reached consensus that school closure should remain a measure of last resort. Members repeatedly expressed concern about the long-term impacts that school closures have on students, families, staff, and the community served by those schools.
031Once the school's closed, those impacts can be significant and difficult to reverse. Additionally, the committee's discussion extended beyond the schools, identifying potential closure scenarios. Members considered the broader district-wide impacts of enrollment shifts, including class size and education, staffing needs, transportation considerations, campus capacities, traffic flow, parking, and overall student experience. Throughout the process, the committee sought to understand how significant changes could affect students, families, and our school communities. As a result, the committee concluded that before any closure is considered, the district should demonstrate that viable enrollment, recovery strategies, retention efforts, and operational efficiencies have been fully implemented and evaluated. For that reason, the committee recommends that the district refrain from closing schools at this time. Members agreed that school closures should remain a measure of last resort with the lasting impact they have on students, families,
032staff, and communities. Instead, the committee recommends pursuing a series of strategies designed to strengthen enrollment, improve retention, and enhance financial sustainability. These include adjusting school boundaries across the district to better balance elementary enrollment and make more effective use of existing capacity throughout NUSD. The committee also highlighted targeted outreach to families residing within district boundaries who are currently enrolled in charter schools, faith-based schools, or other educational alternatives, with the goal of re-engaging those families and bringing them back to NUSD. Members further emphasized strengthening the district's MTSS system. The committee felt strongly that expanding academic, behavioral, and social and emotional supports can improve student outcomes, increase attendance, strengthen student retention, and positively impact district revenue. Additionally, the committee supports continued investment in and expansion of the ACE Infant Study program. Members view ACE as an opportunity to
033provide families with high-quality public education option while also attracting and retaining students who might otherwise leave the district. Finally, the committee recommended continued advocacy at the state level regarding ADA funding and rural school funding considerations that more accurately reflect the realities of geographically large districts. Taken together, these recommendations reflect the committee's belief that meaningful alternatives exist and should be considered before the district considers the permanent closure of any school campus. Throughout the committee's work, one of the themes surfaced repeatedly, alternatives should be fully explored. As part of its discussion, the committee reviewed information from a variety of sources and included the budget stabilization report. While the budget stabilization report was only one source of information reviewed by the committee, members generally agreed with its premise that additional opportunities may exist to improve physical sustainability and
034operational efficiency before pursuing campus closures.Regardless of what actions are ultimately taken, the committee members felt strongly that the process matters. Throughout our discussions, members consistently emphasized the importance of transparency, communication, and thoughtful planning. Family, staff, and students deserve clear information, adequate time to prepare, and opportunities to understand how decisions may affect them. The committee also felt strongly that any changes should be evaluated not only for their financial impact, but also their impact on students, school communities, and educational equity across the Monterey Basin. For that reason, the committee is requesting that any future actions include clear implementation timelines, transparent communication, ongoing monitor of student outcomes, careful consideration of equity implications, and assurances that any receiving schools are fully prepared to support additional students. Committee members discussed not only classroom capacity, but also staffing, transportation, parking, and
035overall campus readiness. We felt it was important that any boundary adjustments or enrollment shifts be supported by thoughtful planning so schools are positioned for success from day one. Ultimately, the committee believes that successful implementation is just as important as the decision itself. In closing, I'd like to thank the board, district staff, community members, and fellow committee members who participated throughout this process. The committee approaches work thoughtfully and with genuine commitment to students and families across the Monterey Basin. We respectfully submit these recommendations for the board's consideration and appreciate the opportunity to share our work this evening. Thank you. And do we have any questions? Any questions from the board? I just want to say thank you so much for doing that. This is a very comprehensive report, and you guys went over a lot of
036data, and you did a lot of work. So just thank you to you and to the whole committee for all of your work. We all appreciate it. Well, I heard that you said the process mattered. That really got me here because it was so vocal at times, a lot of emotion, but there was a lot of information, I think, that our community gleaned from this about our district. And I think they gleaned more about some of the issues that we do have out there, like the enrollment and our absent issues and all those kind of things. I think maybe out here in our community, and maybe I think even myself, a lot of not really thinking about the whole picture all the time. I'm sorry? Not thinking about the whole picture all the time. Complacency,
037maybe. Everything's going fine. Our kids are at school. We're teaching. And I think this brought us out of that complacent level and made us think a little bit more about our community and our schools and what we had to do. So I don't know if that makes sense, but thank you very much, enrollment committee members. You did a spectacular job, I think. And you learn, too. And it's good to get the perspective from your wide vocations and backgrounds out there to check out the community. Thank you. Thank you. Roberta? I just want to go ahead and share the same thoughts. I was at the committee meetings. I saw you listening. I saw you asking thoughtful questions, and I was really, really proud of the committee that was formed and the way that you handled yourself
038with the public. And I'm thankful to the public that was there that offered all of their suggestions and concerns and their support and their love of our district. I liked what Amber said, and this is how I felt through the whole process of the enrollment committee, is that we're in this together. We are. I'm just thankful that you did such a good job, and you worked so hard, and you were so diligent at it, so I appreciate that. Yes. I guess all that's left to say is thank you. We really appreciate it, and we know there was a lot of work and there were a lot of headaches and a lot of stuff going on. So thank you so much for your information and your time for all of you. Yeah, I agree. This is
039a very professional group. I was able to attend a couple of the meetings and really impressed by the report you put together. Very nice job. So we will take all that to heart, and we appreciate your time. Thank you so much. Thank you. We have a number of public comments around this particular . So we had a number of comments on item 6D, public comments. With that, I'll read the disclosure. Individuals may address the board on issues within the jurisdiction of the MUSD board that are not on this agenda. There is a time limitation of three minutes per person and 20 minutes per topic during public comment. Please refrain from applause or recite commentary to ensure the board members can properly hear all public speakers. Members of the public are expected to maintain a professional,
040courteous decorum during their commentsInappropriate behavior which disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the meeting will result in forfeiture of your public comment privileges. The board is prohibited by state law from taking action or discussing items not included on the actual agenda. Public comments on specific agenda items will be deferred until consideration of the item on the agenda. With that being said, we will start with Cordelia Reynolds. Oh, yeah. Hi, thank you so much. Thank you, everyone in the room. I live in Landers, and I'm here to support Landers Elementary, but I care about, obviously, all the schools. I was at the last committee meeting, and I was moved to tears to see the committee do the right thing and to recommend no school closures. I am the treasurer of Landers Community Association,
041so I feel pretty in touch with the vulnerability of my community. We have real poverty in Landers, and that school provides a lot for our community. To see it close would be beyond devastating, not just for the kids and the teachers and all the employees that we care so much about the school, but for our community in general and for the vulnerable people in our community, it would be really, really upsetting. My daughter was born in Landers. I intend for her to go to that school. I had the privilege of touring the school and walking with the principal, who's amazing, and the teachers are amazing. And if you guys haven't been to Landers Elementary, please go and visit it and see the school that you should be here to protect. And I think, for me,
042as someone with a young child, this has been very educational to understand how vulnerable my school is and how vulnerable all these schools are. And I think there can be a new conversation about enrollment and about getting more families back into the school system. We are very vulnerable to the Airbnb community. I know. I'm an interior designer. I've worked for a lot of Airbnbs, and they came into our community hard during COVID. A lot of families moved out, and that vulnerability has ripple effects like this, in terms of feeling like there's not enough kids in Landers to support a school. Well, there are, and there are more kids that we can get back into our school system. There are more families going to be back into our community now that the Airbnb market has flatlined,
043basically. And so, we really have to see this holistically and just from a big picture point of view. And I think like the lady said at the beginning, we're all in this together, and I would just implore all of you to see this about protecting our schools and changing the conversation. I don't want these teachers every year to have to fight to keep their job and feel like there's no security at their school because I found out from them, this is not the first time they've been up against this school closing. And I'd really love for these schools to always remain open and for us, as a community in the Morongo Basin, to be dedicated to these schools remaining open. And if that means going to state level, then we can go to the state
044with it, because attendance is not something to use to maintain a school being open when we live in a rural community that's been devastated by Airbnbs without any regulation. We just have to think of it differently, and I really appreciate all of your consideration and your time. Thank you. Thank you. Mark Ferrisson. Board of Education, district superintendents, administrators, fellow staff, and community members, thank you for this opportunity to speak to you this evening and to speak to you very quickly because I've learned what three minutes is like. I am here as a teacher with a 35-year tenure in the Morongo Unified School District, and I'm here to represent one of the schools that would potentially be affected by the pursuit of school closures, Landers Elementary School. Having been with this district for so long, I
045have seen the benefits that MUSD has reaped from being a fiscally responsible district. I am not asking the board to change that approach or to be fiscally irresponsible. What we are asking you to do is to consider two very important things when planning for Morongo Unified School District's future. Number one, please remember, we are not part of a corporation where success is measured by profit margins or bank account balances. We instead provide an incredibly important service to the public, and what matters the most are the families who entrust us with the care and education of their children. Their success, their well-being, is the ultimate measure of our accomplishment. Closing a school like Landers Elementary is counterintuitive and counterproductive to this mission. It will not only lessen positive outcomes for our students but will also further
046erode the community's trust that we are putting their children first. LES is a small school in a rural area which services a population where 91% of its families are socioeconomically disadvantaged. These families, these students are some of the most vulnerable in our district. Closing this school would send the wrong message to the communityLanders Elementary School is a hub for activity and an actual lifeline in this small community. Number two, I'd like you to consider and remember that the information presented by those who have recommended school closures has failed to demonstrate how this would address the projected budget deficit in the next five years. And when you shift to the possibility of only maybe closing one or two small schools, any net positive fiscal impact becomes negligible. The numbers simply do not justify the harm that
047would come to the families and children, nor the disruption of their education. Closing a school like Landers Elementary would negatively affect the wellbeing of the students as well as that of the students at the school which would attempt to absorb them. It would affect this for years to come, and we are yet to see any data that proves that after upgrading facilities, creating staffing arrangements, figuring out transportation logistics, not to mention all the hidden costs that come with any large project like this, we have yet to see that this move would have any significant positive impact on the MUSD financial bottom line. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you. Elizabeth Rodriguez. I'm going to hold my comments. Abby Harrison. Hello. Thank you for the opportunity to address you. I grew up here. I'm not a
048current teacher or student or parent. I just bring a community perspective. Graduated from Yucca High. I've spent the last 10 years studying at UC Riverside, UCLA, doing my master's degree in political science, teaching and researching there. So my world involves a lot of statistical analysis and the math and what the research shows. So I dug into what the peer-reviewed published research from universities shows about the effects of school closures and wanted to share some of that with you. So a 2024 study from the University of Houston found that school closures led to decreased test scores, increased behavioral issues, and even years later, decreased chances of attending university. They found that this was even more so for students who are already socioeconomically disadvantaged, which we know means it will impact our Landers community quite severely. In
049terms of busing and commutes, 2022 studies from Temple and Syracuse and a 2024 study from University of Ontario, Toronto, excuse me, found that anything above 30 minutes for bus rides, as they got longer, academic performance went down and absenteeism went up. Additionally, a 2013 University of Nebraska study found that closing schools decreased nearby property values, decreased business activity, and decreased civic participation. And this was supported by a 2021 University of Michigan study that found that closing a school decreased surrounding property values by an average of 13%. We know that some of our funding comes from property taxes, so that's a significant cost that could come into play in the following years as property values go down. And so sort of the... Oh, there was also a TCU 2025 study that found that school closures led
050to overall declines in enrollment as quite a few families would seek alternative routes of education instead of having their students move to whatever school will be absorbing them. And most importantly of all, I actually found a study that was published just last month, May 2026, by Dr. Pearson at Stanford University, and he studied all California public school closures from the years 2011 to 2019. He studied across rural and urban districts, across districts at different levels of financial health. And his final conclusion, based on running different and different statistical analysis on it, was that school closures on average had no impact and did not improve financial positions of California school districts. So for me, that's how I view the world. That's what my work is, and I think that that shows that all of those schools,
051all of those districts, I'm sure, had similar projections where they expected to save money, but the math and the statistics of the study shows that in the end, it does not save money for a district. Thank you. Thank you. Justin Zeeby. All right. Good evening. So it's the end of the school year, and I often like to reflect on what was learned. But first, I do want to thank all the parents and teachers and staff and community members who devoted countless hours to this enrollment closure process. It's inspiring, and it gave me a lot of faith in my own children's future here in the community. I mean, so many took on what amounted to a second full-time unpaid job, researching reports, attending meetings, asking questions, and advocating for their own schools. And that commitment is
052impressive because after months of studies and paid consultants and presentations and public hearings, we all learned what we already knew. Our desert does not have too many schools. In fact, after all the money that was spent searching for some justification to recommend school closures, what is now before you is a resounding response that school closures are not the right path forward.But the valuable thing that we've gained from this process isn't this report. It's clarity. See, our schools do have some real needs. The study revealed some aging facilities, portable classrooms that need repair or replacement, staffing challenges, the need for shade structures, enrichment programs, expanding art opportunities for all, and the resources that many families desperately want for their children in order to live here. And we learned how much work that the board and all
053of us really have to do here. Because the most important thing is that we've learned that this district, much like the desert, is resilient, it's strong, and perhaps more than the outsiders may realize, that across these many miles, our communities that sometimes rarely interact, came together and were unified. Parents from different schools stood beside one another, teachers and staff supported one another, and we discovered that we're all fighting for the same thing. Not one school, not one neighborhood, but every single child. So that unity has to be the most important thing that comes out of this process, because the solution to our challenges will not be found by carving away at our foundation. It will be found through thoughtful leadership, careful stewardship, and a commitment to investing in the schools that we have. The money
054spent looking for ways to close schools must now be matched by the energy spent to improve them. And that work begins now. So the committee has spoken, and the community has spoken, so now the question is clear: Will the board be listening to this? So please follow the recommendation and keep our schools open. And let's spend this summer focused not on what we can cut, but what we can build together. And I thank everybody on the committee, and I do thank the board for your time, and I hope everyone has a nice summer. Thank you. I believe it's James Graham. Hello. Good evening. Yes. Yes. Good evening. Hello. Thank you. So I wrote this while I was waiting, because last time, I cried when I came up here and told a little story. So, I'm
055just here to put a positive push, a vote in for a positive push to keep all schools, specifically Landers Elementary, to keep the schools open. My daughter has had a very positive experience there. We were from down the hill, and we arrived at Landers Elementary in second grade. She began to thrive, and she had learned to love school. It's really a special place where all the faculty treats every student like family. They call each student and parent by name, and that was such a breath of fresh air in the world that we live in. We moved up here to the high desert. We were excited to find there was a school that was very nearby. And now that school is our daughter's home. And it's very special to feel like you have a home, especially
056in a hometown as small as ours. A lot of people that I meet at work all have a rich history with the town, Landers, and the school. Judy Dishon is in the crowd. Thank you very much. Judy, she told me this afternoon that her son went to school, and if he wasn't in the first portable brought there to Landers, it was one of the first. And it was very heartwarming to hear all these stories and to be a part of the legacy. It's very difficult to open a school in a small town. A lot of people fought very hard to make this school a reality, and I think we owe it to them and the Landers Elementary future students and parents to have a place to learn and grow and call home. Also, would it
057be possible to add some portables and a fence for the middle school and high schools? All right. A little off point there. Sorry. Thank you for your time. I know this job and decision is not easy. Thank you for your service in the schools. And once again, I'm just a parent speaking for my daughter and all the parents and students who could not be here this evening. Have a blessed week, and thank you for your hard work. I know it's not an easy job. So, please keep the schools open. All right. Thank you. James Osler. I want to start by giving David Daniels an apology for calling for disciplinary action against him. As it turns out, it appears that David Daniels is the only one up here doing his job ethically. My concerns about hunting
058do still remain, but they're not with David. According to the district's own facility master plan, Palm Vista Elementary has over $5 million in identified improvement projects, ADA upgrades, security improvements, classroom modernization, playroom improvements, roofing, HVAC systems, lighting upgrades, accessibility improvements, office modernization, and other campus upgrades were all identified, assessed, and approved. The district's own reports show Palm Vista is improving attendance, is improving, suspensions are down, says student engagement is up, academic performance is improving. Staff did what they were asked to do, students did what they were asked to do, and families did what they were asked to do, in spite of Stella Kent's slandering, suggestive black term. I've looked for and even requested from the district itself the invoices and public documentation showing what was spent on Palm Vista's projects that have been completed, and
059I cannot find a paper trail accounting for those costs. I can see where the funds were approved. We are told projects are completed and on the website. They're not. But where are the invoices? Where are the expenditures? And where are the contracts? If Palm Vista had over 5 million in assessed needs and improvements, where is the funds? Was it reallocated? And then, fortunately, a lot of you are going to like to hear this, we have the issue of your lobbying with Friendly Hills. The optics, they're not good. Some of you have been publicly meeting and communicating with members of Friendly Hills, a predominantly white school and a community while Palm Vista has been under consideration for closure. Palm Vista is a very diverse student population with at least 30% black students and black staff involving
060black families. You knew and know exactly who would be displaced if that school closed, and yet you encouraged discussions to continue anyway. You can call it whatever you want. I call it systemic racism. If Palm Vista were to be closed by any of you deciding it be closed, it wouldn't look good seeing the blatant values you have currently been putting in practice with your lobbying with predominantly white schools while exploiting schools like Palm Vista for funds, a school with high populations of people of color. Honestly, this entire process is at your inclination has been in very poor taste. And frankly, you should be embarrassed. Embarrassed that families have had to fight for basic transparency, embarrassed that the public has to ask where millions of dollars in Palm Vista projects stand, embarrassed that a school showing
061measurable improvement is being treated as disposable, clearly because the school serves staff and a large number of families of color, and you're okay with their displacements. Where are the funds? Where are the invoices? Where are the projected unfinished receipts? Why were private meetings taking place? And why would this community trust a process that has given them any reason not to, especially when you have blatantly practiced values our community does not share with you? Thank you. Carolyn Riggs. Hi. Thank you. I'm Carolyn Riggs. I just want to make a quick note. As a parent from Friendly Hills, we personally requested meetings with the school board and as soon as we did, came forward and told everyone, "We are on your side, Palm Vista." I want to make that really clear. As soon as we found out
062what schools were up for closure, we started trying to build coalitions. It took a while. We're still doing it. Anyways, I just want to be really clear. We have the right to request meetings with all of our elected public officials, and we all should be doing it. Okay. It's good to see you all. I want to thank you again to the enrollment committee. Oh my God. You guys put in so much work and sweat and emotional... I don't know if there were tears. I saw some tears. Okay. We learned so much about our district attending these meetings. We learned importantly that our district is not in financial distress, let alone crisis. That was really cool to learn. In this economy, hey, we learned that MUSD has the resources to keep all of our schools open.
063Also great news. We learned of all these different ways to shore up the budget, and not one of these included closing any of the schools that were proposed. Most importantly, we were reminded of how dedicated the families of Morongo Basin are to students. To the enrollment committee, the families of MUSD thank you for your informed recommendation. All schools should stay open. No school closures. This recommendation is a win for common sense, for equity for the Morongo Unified School District ecosystem and the entire Morongo Basin community. I want to say one last thing. With a little help from the Morongo Unified School District. From Landers to Morongo, Palm Vista, Friendly Hills. All students there deserve our care and fight for all we will. Let's do it once more with feeling. One, two, three. From Landers to
064Morongo, Palm Vista, Friendly Hills. All students there deserve our care and fight for all we will. Thank you. Next up, we will open the public hearing for the LCAP for '26-'27. Do we have any comments from the board? Additional comments? Any public comment, Maria? No. With that, we will close. I'll take a motion to close the public hearing for the '26-'27 LCAP report. So moved. Second. Moved by Roberta, seconded by Bianca. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Five, zero. Next up, we'll open the public hearing for the '26-'27 proposed budget and fund balance. Do we have any comments from the board? Any public comments? May I get a motion to close? So moved. Moved by Pete. Second. Seconded by Missy. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Any nays? Five, zero. Next up, we'll open the public hearing
065for the '26-'27 Selva Local Plan Annual Budget and Service Plan. Any comments from the board? Any public comments? May I get a motion to close the public hearing for the '26-'27 Selva Local Plan Annual Budget? So moved. Moved by Missy. Second. Seconded by Bianca. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Any nays? Five, zero. This will now take us to the non-agendized public comment. So we will start with Ruben Rodriguez this evening. Good evening. I just wanted to bring up really quick two things. One is something I've noticed. Throughout the year, I've been keeping track when my wife comes home and says the dreaded words, "It happened again." What happened? We don't have a bus. We don't have a bus to go to a field trip that we had planned. This happened five times this year at
066Palm Vista. Two of them were awesomely rectified. The district found a way to get transportation and make it happen, but three of them were not. Two of them were concerts at the Palm Theater. Those are opportunities that students have lost forever now. So going forward, we really need to find a way when we create opportunities for our kids to get them there. Secondly, because Morongo Unified School District's name is all over it, in case you haven't seen it, School Leaders has started using what happened these last six months as what they call a case study on their website, which is actually an advertisement for how to bring what happened here to other districts. So after being this community, having to go through all of that, to see it now used as advertisement. You guys should
067read it because you guys are quoted in it. And I don't think it gives a real honest evaluation of what went on here, because this talks about how much trust it built in the community when it had some adverse results. Anyways, if you want a copy, I have copies. Otherwise, it's on School Leaders, Home, Success Story, Morongo Unified School District, The Thirty Million Dollar Question. Thank you much. Thank you. Terrence Latimer? Good evening. I'm going to read a prepared statement. My name is Terrence Latimer. I'm the Executive Director of 29 Dines, which is a fiscally sponsored project of community partners, and we're based in Downtown 29 Palms. This spring, our team had the privilege of delivering our Harvest and Thrive program as part of the district's ELOP program, or the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program. We
068operated three days a week for the past several weeks across 10 of the district's elementary campuses. And I just wanted to thank the board, the district staff, ELOP site coordinators, and especially the students for the opportunity to serve. It was such a delight. We invited every kid to approach food like a food scientist, and that meant staying curious about what they ate, asking questions, experimenting, and discovering. Some students made butter for the first time, which was surprisingly very simple. They grew vegetables, herbs, and flowers as part of uncovering broad concepts of nutrition. They explored tastes and flavors and fruits, and our team had the chance to connect with students as they explored their relationships with food. The feedback from students and site staff told us the same thing that we felt every week, which is
069that food is a powerful gateway, a powerful doorway to learning and to expanding. Beyond the campus, 29 Dines is co-producing the second version of our community-focused food festival this year, which I encourage and invite you all to visit, where we'll be celebrating food, culture, and the creativity of the high desert. And again, I just wanted to say thank you so much for the opportunity. Thank you. Thank you. Jennifer Blooma. Good evening, members of the board. I'm here today to share some concerns I have as a teacher in the Morongo Unified School District. I have proudly served this district for 30 years and have always been committed to doing what is best for our students. I understand that resources are limited and that business services must be diligent in ensuring those resources are allocated responsibly. However,
070the students we serve are not numbers on a spreadsheet, and teachers are not robotsDecisions about staffing and class placement have a direct impact on the quality of education our students receive and on the wellbeing of the educators who serve them. I am deeply concerned about the number of combination classes that have been planned, not only for my school site, but across many schools in the district. Students in combination classes receive only a portion of their teachers' instructional time and attention compared to students in single grade classrooms. At the same time, teachers are expected to prepare and deliver two grade levels of curriculum, effectively doing twice the work without receiving compensation that reflects that responsibility. I think that we can all agree that a small stipend does not adequately account for the significant additional workload that
071combination class teachers take on. Having taught multiple combination classes throughout my career, I can speak from experience about the demands they place on teachers. The level of exhaustion during those years was intense. I often found myself with little energy left for my own little family because so much was required simply to meet the needs of my students. While teachers are willing to work hard for their students, it is unfair for the district to ask so many educators to shoulder this burden when alternatives may exist. In the past, in my past as a teacher in this district, business services provided principals with their staffing allocations and allowed them the flexibility to manage those resources at the site level. In my experience, principals worked hard to minimize the number of combination classes whenever possible. While that sometimes
072meant slightly larger class sizes in other classrooms, I had a larger class size than I probably should have one year, but it was worth it, so that both students and teachers benefited from having a teacher focused on a single grade level. If we trust our principals to lead their schools, then we should also trust them to make decisions about how to best allocate the resources provided to them. They know their students, their staff, and the unique needs of their school communities. Allowing them the greater flexibility in staffing decisions would ultimately better serve both students and teachers. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. That moves us to the consent agenda. Do we have any items for discussion or to pull for further discussion? I think I have one. Can we pull board policy
0730440? The assignment number? A1. No, that's not a review. This is consent agenda. Yes. Sorry. It's the first item. You're talking about the district technology plan? Yes. Okay. Any other items? May I get a motion to accept tonight's consent agenda, excluding item AI? I move. Moved by Pete. Second. Second by Bianca. Let's go ahead and discuss that board policy. I just have a question for clarity, because in the detailed summary of the board policy, it states that the policy has been updated to reflect that the state and California Department of Education no longer requires districts to have a technology plan. And then in the next part, it also says, "Maintains the requirement for the superintendent to develop a technology plan." So it just seems contradictory, and I didn't know if anybody had any clarification on
074that and why it might be worded that way. So- Go ahead. So that just is making it now an optional policy to have versus the state monitoring it- Okay ... and making you have that policy. So when they'll become district practice, and optional policies, whether or not, how we want to update this policy going forward if you adopt it. Okay. So we're not taking orders from the state about the policy. We can do what we want. Basically. Okay. So is this an ed code requirement or is this CSBA recommendation, or do you know the genesis of this? So it was a CSBA basically recommendation for them to change it. I don't know anything more than that. Okay. That's good enough for me. You good with that? Okay. May I get a motion to approve the
075consent agenda item A1? So moved. Moved by- Second. Moved by Bianca, second by Roberta. All in favor? Aye. Any nays? Five to zero. Maria, did you put this together, this consent agenda? Thank you. Having this summary was extremely helpful, so thank you so much for that. Sorry, probably you can't see it, but believe me, it's wonderful. Action itemsThis now takes us to our SELPA local plan annual budget and service plan. We are looking to adopt the current SELPA plan for '26, '27 to include annual budget and service. May I get a motion? So moved. Moved by Bianca. Second. Second by Pete. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Any nays? Five to zero. Next up would be the Prop 28 Arts and Music in Schools Funding Annual Report, '25, '26. Do we have any discussion around that
076item? Okay. Can I get a motion? So moved. Second. Moved by Pete, second by Roberta. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Any nays? Five to zero. We have been requested to adopt the '26, '27 school plans for student achievement for the following schools: Blackrock, Bolton. I guess this is the entire district, right? Instead of reading them all out, it's the entire district. May I get a motion? So moved. Moved by Roberta. Second. Second by Pete. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Any nays? Five to zero. Confidential Parent Settlement Agreement. The board has been requested to approve the confidential parent for student 7588936552. May I get a motion? So moved. Second. Moved by Missy, second by Pete. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Five to zero. Next up, Resolution 26-22, Education Protection Account. The board is requested to adopt
077Resolution 26-22. May I get a motion? So moved. Moved by Roberta. Second. We'll go with Pete. Second by Pete. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Five to zero. Next up, we are being asked to adopt the Resolution 26-23, which is community fund balance. May I get a motion? I move. Moved by Pete. Second. Second by Bianca. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Five to zero. Items for review are the second read and review of Board Policy 4361, Board Policy 9320, Board Policy 9320.1, Board Policy 9322. We also have the first read for Board Policy 3280, which deals with lease and sell of district-owned property, Board Policy 4300, which is administrative and supervisory personnel. Also within that scope is Board Policy 6146.3, reciprocity of academic credit, Board Policy 7110, facilities master plan, Board Policy 9200, which limits board
078member authority. The Williams quarterly visitation, any questions around that from the board? I did have one question. I know there were certain sites we did. We didn't have every site this particular cycle, or can you speak to that? The official Williams visits are divided into the eight schools that have been chosen, the very first week of school or thereabout, and then the first week of second semester they are divided. The quarterly Williams report is required for us to report to you anything that was a complaint or any kind of Williams complaint. It's not really visitation. And that there were none. Okay. Excellent. Thank you. Information on items, accounts receivable, cash receipts, budget transfer transaction. Future agenda items, we will have the adoption of the LCAP and budget overview for parents. That'll be on June 16th.
079And then the presentation on local indicators also on June 16th. Next regular board meeting will be June 16, 2026, at the same location, and then we'll have a special board meeting for the superintendent's evaluation June 17, 2026, at 8:30. With that, that leads us to board comments. We'll start with Roberta this evening. Just want to thank everybody for being here tonight for the comments that everyone made. I wanted to draw attention to the donations that Palm Vista got from, I think I wrote them down, Toshiba, Hearst Foundation, and the Honda USA Foundation, and if I added these up, it's $66,000. I don't know who was responsible for that. We have to have your approval before we can finish submitting it. So if you approve it tonight, then tomorrow we're on it. So thank you. It's
080approved. No brainer. That was the easiest decision of the whole evening. Thank you. No. Congratulations. That's really quite impressive. Thank you again to the committee report, the enrollment committee. I know how hard you worked on it. Other than that, I guess that's it for tonight. Thank you all. Pete? Well, this past week or two has been pretty important to our schools andTeachers and board members and everybody. We all went out, most of us went out and visited our schools as they promoted and did all their great things. It was outstanding. Everyone I went to, really picks you up when you go to those things. It's pretty nice. Yeah, enjoyed it all. I enjoyed the teacher's training. Man, that's really good. Fantastic that you got that squared away. Yeah, I guess I wouldn't need to say
081much more. It's been a good year. Thank you. Missy? I had the opportunity to attend a lot of the promotions and graduations, and I want to say they were all phenomenal. It was great to see all the participation going on. I also want to thank all the parents tonight again that spoke up for your schools. I know how important those schools are. I do know what they are for your communities, especially the small schools. So thank you all that came with all of your information and your hearts that were in it. I think that's all I have. Thank you, Missy. Bianca? I want to thank everyone again for coming and speaking because we all know it's a hard thing to do. I just really want to thank the enrollment committee, Carla, for speaking today on
082that. You guys volunteered for an unfavorable position, and you guys did exceptionally well. I want to draw attention, it feels so awkward without having our student reps here today. I feel like there's a big hole in the evening. And it was filled, though, by all the graduations and promotions that we did get to see. All five of us board members were at all of the high school graduations this year. So I just want to say thank you to the district staff, for the admins, teachers, counselors, everyone who made that happen. It was an amazing wave and such an honor to honor those kids and celebrate them on their next steps leaving the district. It was really beautiful. I'm going to stop now before I start crying. Thank you. Thank you, Bianca, for keeping it together.
083I actually want to thank all of the staffs at Black Rock, Yucca Valley High School, and the 29. Flawless graduations. Really, really amazing. That starts with the staff and it's a lot, a lot of work, probably a lot of unpaid work, honestly. And then I want to thank the community. You go to Black Rock, we went to the Bell Center, completely packed. Went to 29 High, completely packed. Yucca High was, I don't even know, packed plus. There probably had to be 2,000 people there. It was really, really amazing. And the spirit of those kids and can't speak for the entire board, but maybe I can, that's what our job is all about, is getting those kids across that finish line so they have new opportunities in the future. So, all of our decisions should be
084around that as much as possible. One other thing that nobody mentioned, I was surprised, 29 Junior High, their new kitchen is unbelievable. It's a place of pride for our district. And I've heard a lot of comments we're not spending money. We are. Believe me, I'm just as frustrated as you. It's a very methodical loan process. We have to do bids, we have to have prevailing wage. We have engineering, all these things that go into every one of these projects. But I highly recommend that you go to, you said Facebook, right Janae? And the website and Instagram, and take a look at the pictures at 29 Junior. That's the kind of money that we're spending through Measure C that will really change that campus. It's really, really amazing. I'm excited for Nick to be able to
085have the opportunity to have a brand-new kitchen. I don't think he's out here, but really, really excited for those students to have a really wonderful place. There's a huge shade structure. They're not going to be out in the sun. They can enjoy their lunch. Beautiful landscaping. It's just amazing. I guess I'll stop talking about it, but I was really impressed, let's put it that way. Thank you to the board for going to the ribbon cutting. That was really nice to have that support. And then all the staff members, I know Dave gave a speech and many, Ms. Roggendahl and several others, Dr. Vargas. But that's a community effort. That's the board, that's a committee that started with CSEA and MTA that came together and got the community to support it. So, don't think we're not
086trying to spend your money wisely. We really, really are as far as the Measure C money is concerned. So, with that, we will- Can I say one more thing? We will have Bianca add one more thing. I went to the kickoff today, so I wanted to make sure that I acknowledged Nutritional Services. It was a fantastic event. Very well attended. It was just great to see all the families out there and all the community outreach as well, because we had San Bernardino County out there. We had a lot of different booths and a lot of vendors and a lot of stuff going on. It was great to see. And also, thank you to Janae because she put on this fantastic video about the graduations and the new kitchen. So, if you haven't seen those, check
087them out because she did a really great job with that. That's it. That's all I have. Roberta also has a postscript. Well, I remembered the minute that I turned off my mic, but it was what Bianca brought up, too. I attended the event from Nutritional Services, the summer kickoff, and it was so well attended. It was very heartwarming to see how many children were there. And three of them won bicycles, and that was pretty exciting. And the other thing was, I wanted, Mr. Rodriguez, before you leave tonight, I would like that school leaders report from you. And I didn't quite catch from one of the speakers the Pearson report on school closures. If you can give me that reference, too, before you leave tonight. Thank you. Anyone else? Thank you for your attendance. And with
088that, we will adjourn at 7:31.