PCS Board of Education Meeting: June 23, 2026

001The biggest revision here, or what you will see the through line is that professional learning for PCS next year systems and resources are all going to be focused on improving an aspect of tier one instruction And Mtss in service of multilingual learners and students with disabilities. One thing I do want to note for you in the LCAP, you won't see students with disabilities necessarily throughout. It's because they're not an unduplicated population, but our data does suggest that's who we need to focus on. So Sometimes you see it referred to as students in academic distress because That's just a technical component that we can't put in. The other commitment that we have is that educational services will be supporting and monitoring a lot of the outcomes that are related through to being prepared for college and

002career. We think with a really specific eye on that data very regularly And specifically with our multilingual learners and our students with disabilities in mind that we can really see movement because we'll be tracking that very clearly. Okay. This is, again, same goal for goal two. All students will have a trusted adult. The main revision in these action items is just to have a more systematic approach to improving attendance and reducing chronic absenteeism, particularly at these schools where saw that the data was most necessary to have a focus there. We will be focusing for this on our Hispanic students, LTELs, and our students with disabilities. Action 3 is students with disabilities will improve in ELA and math, and our focus really here for this implementation is expanding co-teaching and collab classes, and then strengthening our

003systems. And with the goal is that our students with disabilities have a broad access to rigorous and rigorous coursework by 27-28. We want to make sure that our students with disabilities are fully on track and able to graduate A through G and not have any barriers. So we're going to be looking at that closely Our goal force is still the same, 95% of our multilingual learners reclassify within seven years. And there's some key implementation improvements for next year. We will there will be a newcomer plan to support newcomers coming in, whether that's in elementary or secondary We want to monitor and ensure that in TK through 6 that our multilingual learners are getting 30 minutes of designated ELD. It's really important to their growth. And then there will be an adoption of aligned seven through

00412 ELD curriculum, which currently We do not have. And then we are going to be really focused on that reclassification and seal of biliteracy outcomes. I'm sorry that I might have not gotten the right slide, so I'll just talk to the last one. For goal 5, which is the same goal. It's around our all alternative education programs. There's There's one school that was added before it was just San Antonio. So the change to that goal is we've also added Sonoma Mountain. And in that goal, we are looking to improve our outcomes for our Alternative Ed students. Part of that process, I think we've talked a lot about, but we are looking at a really strong MTSS foundation and reallocating some of the resources So that we can have earlier intervention throughout our entire system. So

005that is there's not there's not many changes in that actual goal. Except that there's a new school added. Yeah. I just have a quick clarification. So the goals are the same The actions are the same, but the focus for those actions are going to be very specific. The implementation of the actions. is going to be looking a little bit different. It's the same headings for actions. However, as I said, there have been some that have been removed or consolidated. So before, for example, Mtss was kind of spread over 3 actions, and was a little bit vague in what the implementation would look like And so those have been consolidated into one very clear, this is what we're doing for MTSS in implementation in 2627. And each goal. Yeah. And so if you go, if you

006look at that in the actual action section It does it not It is a lot. So if you focus on in the action description box where it says 2627, that is the new part that has been changed. I kept what was previously done so that you could have a reference of how the implementation looks different Yeah, okay, thank you. We're about to we're about to enter the third year Is this where I want to continue? What do we want to change? I'm not sure how many meetings have happened since you got here. I know you haven't been here even two months. How has community participation looked? I haven't been able to be involved this year. So I wasn't able I wasn't here when those meetings were happening, but there were several meetings What a lot

007of this comes from, there was a… I was so thankful for this. It was helpful in pulling it all together. There was a document that listed what the community's different ideas were to improving And it then had votes and tallies by the community members, by staff, by principals, and it was like this green dot chart pink box for families. And so I was able to very clearly see where there was a lot of Consolidation around what we wanted the LCAP to look like this coming year. And a lot of it was focused on MTSS Tier 1 best instruction. There was definitely a focus of, like, what are we doing specifically for our multilingual learner students? And that's why there's a kind of a clear, this is what's going to be implemented this year. And ways

008to monitor it. So that is some of the big things that came out of what the when the communities met. And also, just to answer Caitlin's question, I noticed, I've been on LCAP for a couple years. And what I noticed is when it was held at McDowell School There was a lot more community and parent participation than when it's held here. I have no idea why, but maybe we might want to look to shifting back there, because we got a lot more participation. I'm really glad you said that, because I would not have known that. So that will help me in thinking about when we're planning for the next 3-year cycle That having it on school campuses might Engage more people, which is what we want Any other questions? No, very good. Thank you. Thank

009you. Okay, maybe Okay, now we have the adopted budget presentation. Good evening. Tonight I'm presenting the district proposed 2627 budget and multi-year projections. Based on the assumptions available at this time, the district projects positive certification, meaning we can meet our financial obligations in the current fiscal year And throughout our multi-year projection period. The budget reflects a stable financial position, maintains reserves above the state minimum requirement, and demonstrates the district's ability to continue supporting student programs and services While remaining fiscally solvent. While the state budget has not been finalized and assumptions may change, the budget before you reflects the most current information available and positions the district for continued fiscal stability. While tonight's presentation focuses on financial information, the budget is ultimately about supporting students. The decisions reflected in this budget are intended to preserve educational

010opportunities, support staff, and ensure the district remains financially stable and able to meet the needs of our students both now and in the future. This slide illustrates the formal budget reporting process required by the state. While the budget is adopted in June, our financial position is continuously monitored and updated throughout the year. Each reporting cycle allows us to incorporate new information Related to enrollment, staffing, and expenditures. Our revenue projections are driven primarily by enrollment, attendance, and state funding assumptions. Enrollment is projected to remain relatively stable over the projection period and attendance rates are consistent with our current expectations. The assumptions also include a 2.87 statutory COLA, which is higher than our second interim multi-year projections, and an additional 1.44% super cola, which is included in the governor's May revision. These assumptions are based on the

011latest guidance from school services of California and will be updated as additional information becomes available from the State. I was just, could you explain what a super cola is? Or were you going to do that? Nope, I can do it now. Yeah. So generally, when the governor is setting any of his budgets or updates throughout the year He can create the statutory cola, which is from the Department of Finance or he can use the LAO to create or what he anticipates. He's not creating it, anticipates what the COLA to be So, number one is the statutory. When we're looking at levels cost escalation and increases throughout the year. They have the opportunity to do a super cola to kind of settle up and Make right, maybe revenue that should have been received in super years.

012So it's considered a super cola because it's above the guidance from the statutory from the LAO. And it is considered one time So we will only see it in current year Thank you. Yeah. Are this slide summarizes the major expenditure assumptions used in developing the budget and multi-year projections. The budget does not include any unsettled compensation increases for either the 24-25 school year or 26-27 As negotiations are still ongoing. The projections include the normal step and column movement for certificated and classified employees that we always estimate at about 2% annually. The budget also incorporates the projected employer contribution rates for CalSTRS and CalPERS shown on this slide. These pension costs remain a significant expenditure for all California school districts and are an important component of our long-term financial planning So we often talk about the

013statutory benefits that we attach to salaries. The biggest cost of our statutory benefits are our CalPERS and CalSTRS, though you can see CalSTRS is flat funded in our multi-years Our CalPERS is continue to increase over the years. The total general fund revenue is projected at approximately 137.6 million. With LCFF remaining the district's largest revenue source at nearly $100 million. The revenue projection showed here reflect the assumptions discussed on the previous slide, including the 2.87 statutory COLA and the additional 1.44 Super Cola included in the governor's May revision. You will hear me say that over and over tonight, because The budget has not been adopted, and like we see in previous years, a lot can change between now and July 1st. So this budget also reflects increased state support for special education and other one-time funding

014sources that were included in the May revision. Because a significant portion of the district's revenue is from state funding. our financial position. While these projections represent the best information available today, the state budget has not been finalized and additional changes May occur before the state adopts its final budget. We're sitting a little differently this year. Exactly a year ago, I was up here and we were anticipating One-time funding and some additional revenue that the message from the school services and capital advisors was, we're not sure if we're going to receive it. So don't add it to your budget. That was the student support success block grant And, some additional one-time funding. So this year's budget looks really different, because at the recommendation of the State agencies, it was to include it in this budget. Total

015general fund expenditures are projected at approximately 135.9 million in the 26-27 school year. The expenditure budget reflects the reduction in staffing adjustments that were implemented during the 25-26 fiscal year As well as reductions associated with the expiration of certain restricted and one-time funding sources. As typical for school districts, salaries and benefits make up the largest portion of the district's expenditures and remain the primary driver of ongoing costs. The remaining expenditures support instructional materials, operational services, transportation, utilities, maintenance technology and other costs necessary to operate our schools and our programs. One important item to note is that June 4th was our cutoff date for budget changes. The expenditure assumptions reflected in this budget or based off of information available as of that date. As a result, any staffing position or organizational district changes made after that

016date are not included in this proposed budget presented tonight. This includes elementary student advisor positions, which administration would like to restore using one-time restricted funding that are not currently in the expenditure assumptions before you tonight We will continue to work with departments throughout the summer to review staffing needs and budget impacts. If any changes are determined to be material, they will be brought back for a 45-day budget revision for board review in August. This slide highlights the amount of unrestricted general fund resources required to support programs that do not receive Sorry, sufficient restrictive funding to cover their full costs. The district contributes unrestricted resources to support several programs, including special education, transportation, and routine restricted maintenance. The budget tonight does include the governor's proposal of an increase of 40% to special education funding, which we're

017waiting for final approval and routine restricted maintenance. There is a state requirement that we allocate 3% of our budget each year for that And it is a total contribution One of the key components in multi-year projections is, excuse me, is that each year carries forward into the next. The revenue, expenditures and assumptions included in the budget year become the starting point for future years. Which is why decisions made today can have a significant long-term impact on the district's financial position. The purpose of the multi-year projection is to help the district evaluate those long-term impacts and ensure we can continue to meet our financial obligations in future years. Because these projections are built in to the assumptions, they will change as enrollment, state funding, labor agreements, and other factors evolve. As new information becomes available, we

018update the projections to provide the board and community with the most accurate picture of the district's fiscal outlook. This slide summarizes the district's projected financial position over the three-year period. Based on the assumptions discussed tonight, the district is projecting positive operating results and increasing ending fund balances in each year of the projection. Compared to second interim, the district's financial outlook has improved primarily due to increased in the statutory COLA, the additional super cola and increased state funding for special education and other one-time sources. I just feel like this is the slide we've been waiting for. This slide shows the district projected ending fund balance broken out between restricted and unrestricted resources, as well as the projected Reserve levels over a multi-year period. A question came up during budget review was why the reserve presentations may

019differ depending on where you are looking in our budget materials. So if you're looking at our Fundo one on the Sax form Everything is separated out by restricted, unrestricted, and then there's a third restricted and unrestricted. So where it gets a little confusing sometimes is that the 3% reserves required by the state is based on the district's total expenditures unrestricted and restricted combined, though the reserves themselves live in unrestricted. So you can't compare the unrestricted reserves to the unrestricted expenditures, because it doesn't tell the whole picture for the district So based on the current projections, the unrestricted reserve is expected to increase from 5.2 in 26-27 to 7.53 by 2829. This reflects the positive operational results shown in the previous slide The improved revenue assumptions incorporated into the multi-year projections. While these projections will continue

020to be refined as additional information becomes available, the district is projected to maintain reserves above the state required minimum throughout the projection period and continue to meet our financial obligations in all three years. It is important to remember that these reserve projections are based on the governor's May revision and the funding assumptions currently available through school services of California. The state budget once finalized, may change some of the assumptions that we've presented tonight. These are our ending balances for some of our special funds, including adult education, food service, deferred maintenance, our building fund which is our bond, our capital facilities fund is our developer fees reserved for capital outlay fund enterprise fund, self insurance fund and a foundation foundation trust fund. Amanda, what is Enterprise Fund? The Enterprise Fund is also a donation fund. It

021is for scholarships. Yep And with that I welcome questions. Ellen, do you have questions? No, she asked, she answered. Yeah. Caitlin. Can you just remind me about what percentage is like one payroll? Oh, yes. Yeah. Yeah. Oh gosh, sorry, I didn't mean A month's payroll, I am having a total 7% something and a half, 8%. My calculator, I apologize. But yeah, so most of our payroll is by 10 months and And our salaries, so we would add our salaries and benefits. So 55, 75, 76. A little over 100 million. So our monthly Payroll is over $10 million, so maintaining 3% reserves would pay for about 2 weeks of payroll. Okay, thank you. Any others? Okay, thank you. I did ask about the reserves, so I really appreciate having that up there. It's There's all kinds

022of numbers and, you know, percentages, and so I just wanted to get a sense of how that It actually impacts the bottom line of our ability to provide Yeah, no, it was great pointing that out. I think that this is an important slide because we often I mean, I was excited to present that we are above 3%. It feels like that's all we talked about last year was how close we were. But we do have other funding sources within the general fund and we have quite a few expenditures. So I think it is important to look at the budget as a whole and still make sure without that we are meeting the state requirements and being able to highlight the total picture. I just… I just want to add… I want to Thank you, Amanda

023and the business team for first of all, for a clear presentation. We started out this year about $17,000 above our 3% unrestricted reserves. Which was not a great place to be at. We ended up, going into a Conditional. What's the qualified which we could have argued and disagreed with, but we were very, very close. And to see that we're at 5.24% moving up in the right direction. We… district this size, we should really be, you know, closer to 8 to 10% reserves It just shows just the district, the district as a whole. We really tightened our belts this year and throw some positions. We did everything that we could to get those reserves up where they need to be. And I'm just proud to see that It made a difference in that we are moving

024in the right direction. All that said, with the caveat that we have not settled with our bargaining unit. So that's going to have there will be an impact there, but it's good to see that we're on the right track. That is a great point. I do want to add, though, now, because there is additional revenue in the year that we were not anticipating that second interim. If we had not received the Super Cola, the additional statutory COLA and the addition to special ed. We still would have been above our 3%, but we would have been closer to 3.5%. So I think, though it's wonderful that we're trending in this direction, I don't want anybody to feel like the decisions that were made last year We're for naught, because all of the information that we had,

025we had to make those decisions based off of the assumptions at second interim to maintain our 3% reserves. So that It is highlighted a little bit more showing now with the additional revenue. And again, Super Cola is one time. So we've been calling it a COLA fields funky, especially when it comes with requirements that are awesome requirements. I'm very excited to see like paid maternity leave finally being a thing, but that is going to That comes with a cost. That is another great point. So it's a cost that It's really an unfunded mandate because they're giving a super cola in year one, but it's not a one year thing. So it will be in out years. So we did build into our excuse me, our salaries for the year, looking back at the last three

026years, trying to make… you don't know what that's going to look, right? The last I read, it is for Pregnancy disability leave. There was some language that what does that actually look like? So you don't know if it will be available to all staff, but they anticipate about 3% is what of your salary is what you use to kind of budget for that. So we did include that mandate into our assumptions. So I know that there has been talk for a couple of years. about the Proposition 98 money. And I have not been able to figure out whether we're getting some of it, none of it, maybe I, you know, it's like every day it seems to change So, I was just wondering if you have any notion about that, whether you have… I mean,

027I know it's not going to be resolved until the end of the month, but were you did you use that in your calculations at all, or did you just go, we're not we're not touching that so great question included in our assumptions is 3.9 mil or excuse me. The overall 3.9 billion of the 5.6 are included in the budget assumptions. That's what we're seeing in if you read the language clearly, I should go back. It's probably some of the super cola, but that's really where we're seeing the additional One-time funding, the student support block grant and the Learning Recovery. So So even though they owe it to us constitutionally, it's only one time money. It is being it so I was at a meeting About a few weeks ago, at the state level with the

028CDE and CSBA and already people are already suing over this. I mean, I feel like I say that I stand up here every year and say, CSBA, AXA, Everybody's suing the governor, but, that The budget, and yet it hasn't come. So there is already litigation on it because, quite frankly. It is due to us, and actually May tax receipts just came out today, and they revenue in California is up even over anticipated for May. So the prop 98 guarantee is that 40% of tax receipts are spent on education. So already, if revenue at the state level is up and the budget isn't updated, we're behind. So it's going to be Probably for the year, an ongoing thing. There are a lot of questions in this budget where What's being charged to education versus healthcare and

029things like that. So when we were looking at what legislation gave back to the governor to see if he may veto it or accept it. There weren't a lot of large changes. I think we were anticipating. There are a few small increases that would increase the 3.9 billion up a little bit more, but we will still not be essentially what is owed to school districts, the 5.6 million. And I would argue that that should be unrestricted because that would have been part of LCFF funding if it was given to us when it was due. Well said. Thank you. Thank you. I don't want to put you on the spot. That's not your fault, that's for sure. Okay You can't really. Okay, thank you. All right, next we're going to have a report on our or

030an update on our nutrition services, local food sourcing update. Great All right. Well, good evening, everybody. Thank you very much for giving me this time. As you know, every year I join a board meeting for what everyone hopes will be a brief update about school food I'm 0 for two, but we have tonight. Anyway, I'm particularly grateful. Usually my update is in July, and I'm particularly grateful to be here this evening because so much of what I have to report on, I am happy to report to this board And to this superintendent. Because so much of it has derives from what I have come to understand from you all as the expectation of our food program for our community. Caller, is there I want time credit for that, Carl, please. So this is just as

031a reminder, we work in a high volume operation. We do almost a million, roughly a million meals we serve to students every school year. And there are lots of decisions that go into every single day, and there's a lot of pivoting. And so we have set this compass As kind of guide us through the myriad of things that we should hold important to us to help guide our decision making. And every year I come and I talk about most of those, but one thing we have not really talked as much about Is this idea of stewardship We owe our community that we serve our very best every day. But we also have to remember that we owe the community we live in And we have an obligation to do our very best to contribute to

032the community even when it may not be the easiest thing to do. And so we always try to recognize that we have a lot of buying power. We buy a lot of food We employ a lot of people We create a lot of waste. We are a career pathway for many And so we are a large, well resourced food operation for a school district in our county where there are so many smaller who are understaffed. And so we have a responsibility to serve them and behave accordingly as well. And this past year This is how we tried to do that. So this just as a reminder, is our vision for our food program. We didn't want to just set that as an aspiration. We codified it in our vision for how we operate, and we

033try to keep that at the core of the decisions we're making For this past year, this was an interesting year for us as a food service organization. We had our administrative review at the state, our state review was this year. It was our first one since 2019. Which does a lot to take up a lot of time And resources. At times it can be very frustrating in terms of how much progress you're making on the goals and aspirations that you have. But one of the things we've always been trying to do since I began is to direct more of our dollars To our community. It started with us just day 1 buying more from Feed Cooperative, which is an awesome food hub right here in Petaluma. They represent something like 50 farmers and ranchers. It's

034super cool. And so we started Right away by diverting our money, some of our money there, but with procurement laws you're capped at what you can spend without going to competitive bid. And so this year we are part of a big buying group, but we went out on our own outside of that And did our own RFP for produce, locally sourced produce Because we felt it would be an opportunity for us to increase our spending above those thresholds. And not only did we want to buy locally, but we wanted to buy In a way where our dollars represented our values. And so we used some of our budget, some grant money to hire a consultant to work with us on developing an RFP of what that would mean. We created Scoring rubric that awarded extra

035points for produce sourced within 150 miles of us awarded extra points for minority owned farms and ranchers, socially disadvantaged farms and ranchers, and Farmer outreach. So vendors who are willing to reach out to local farmers and create for them the opportunity to sell to us by doing some of the operational things that are very challenging, like invoicing and distributing. We're all part of our scorecard And so we're really proud of what that turned out to be. We increased our spending by 50%. Locally, the byproduct for us was what our students saw on our menu was we had farm to school produce, which represented the produce we bought through that channel. We awarded each award by item, by month. So we were always buying seasonal items and putting our seasonal Items on our menu which led

036to more seasonality on our menu. And to my prior point, we made sure that that Rfp had what's called a piggyback clause in it, which stipulated that any school or school district in Sonoma County could piggyback off of this contract and buy to hopefully increase the opportunity for more money to move into our local economy. So we learned a lot. It's a pretty cool thing And it has allowed us to build for what hopefully will be a different approach and more spend this year. Or another thing I'm super excited about this year we signed a food recovery agreement with UNAVita, and we have diverted over 5,000 pounds of edible food To Una Vida, and it's such a treat working with Lynn and her team. But most of the food we've we've We have donated at

037the beginning of break, so it's beautiful produce, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, fresh milk, not just packaged stuff. We We have to serve a compliant meal, which means every student has to take a fruit or a vegetable, and not everybody wants the fruit or vegetable. And we watched a lot of beautiful produce go right in the trash can. So we implemented share tables this year, which allows us to Students who are hungry can come back anytime and get that food. And we can also donate that food or we can reincorporate that into our food grant program, minimizing waste. We have a responsibility to our community as well. So we participate in the health department's Healthy Meals Coalition with other school districts and health departments and parents. We are a host site for the SRJC for their

038certified dietetic manager program. In fact, our very own John Weaver is a recent graduate of this program. Super awesome. Got all As. He just graduated and we recognize that in our district we Very Important environmental aspirations and considerations in the work we do, and we recognize that we are a constituent in that and can either help that work or harm it. So we participate in the climate action task force as well. One thing that I'm hypersensitive about is that in a year that was a little bit of our operation is stronger than it has ever been, that is a byproduct of going through a review. And so I'm proud of that. But there's a lot of the high optic things that We're not there yet, and we're not where I'd like us to be on

039a lot of those things, and so I'm very sensitive to the idea that this sounds wonderful. These And it's not intended to replace or negate the things we need to work on or forget about those. These are small changes. They're incremental changes, but they are improvements. They are important. We are Helping to this year will spend more with feed. We are going to incorporate more locally made items. We're having fresh baked Cousteau bagel. Croissants next year. So If nothing else, kids will come to school and smell fresh baked bread, which is pretty cool. And so we have a lot of work to do. So much work. There isn't an area of our menu that I don't look at and recognize we need improvements. Our operation How we could be doing things different. This is a

040start. We have a long way to go. But I think that it is a key piece of the work we should be doing as a food program in the community. So I think That's it Oh, yeah, that's all I have. Yeah. Oh, I think one thing I did want to mention, though, real quick to you while we're talking is Speaking of working locally, what you probably saw on your contracts tonight is a contract with Crystal Creamery. We are longtime partners of Clover. They are our home team and we support them till the end, nth degree. However, they have informed us that they are getting out of the school milk business. And so which we understand and appreciate the school food program is a big machine, and it is very, very difficult for local smaller scale

041providers to keep up with the regs and the requirements of the school food program, and you're left with the biggest and massive, most is why this work is so critical To try to level those things. But I wanted to mention that we'll communicate to the community, because when they go in the lunchroom, they won't see Clover next year. Wasn't our idea, but we thank them for many years of awesome partnership. That's all I had Thank you. Do you guys have any comments or questions? I just want to comment that the difference that you and your team have made in our food program from what was it 3 years ago when we had frozen boxed lunch that you microwaved, and you know it was really, really inedible and unhealthy, and you've completely transformed this, you and

042your team and the the committee with with the support of the district. But it it really it You know, I think these things that you're looking forward to will happen. Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. And I also just want to add how much I appreciate working with you, Brian, and Your focus on students and you know, going into going into CASA, going into Panama High, asking students for feedback about menus, giving students allowing students to have a tasting menu So we can bring healthy, healthy food to students has not gone unnoticed, and I just appreciate you the few years that you've been here, but you've done a lot of changes, and I see more and more positive changes happening in the future. Thank you. Thank you, thank you. I also want to appreciate the

043fact that you're doing as much local as you can. I mean, Sonoma County is An important community for serving us locally and so I appreciate the reach out, and I hope it continues. Yeah, thank you very much. Yeah, actually, that was Matthew when I first started. He said, we are a school district in Sonoma County. We have no good reason why we should not be a model school food program. And so Thank you. Thanks. And you kept it short. Not even close my my portal was very good. I think I thought import is pretty Okay, so ordinarily we would take a break, but I think that there's a lot of people here, and I think there's a lot of public comment. So we're just going to So get ready, and we will start it in

044just a minute. All right. We're coming back together We have several various topics to talk about. And so And then there's one topic that's on non-agendized that where it's all on one topic, and so we will be each one of those people will get two and a half minutes, and I will let you know when that happens. If you're discussing the pride flag, that will be for, not yet For the two and a half minutes. So as you're sitting listening, you can kind of adjust accordingly. And then we had some on proposition 28 and VAPA funding That is under discussion. So whether it's elementary or high school, that would be covered in the presentation. So we will be having that public comment at the time of the discussion. Okay, so I know, but Hopefully, it

045won't be that long. Okay, so all of the next Several people will be 3 min. Okay? So we have Krista O'Connor on the lap subcontract. Is that clear to everybody? All right Hello. My name is Krista O'Connor, and I represent the Petaluma Federation of Teachers. As our Vice President of High School, I would like to remind the board and the PCS community that our teachers have been working the entire year without a renewed contract Our contract that expired June 30, 2025 should have been replaced by a new three-year contract that would extend through June 2028 But our negotiating teams have been unable to agree on anything more than the minimal updates to portions of the contract that do not include wages or benefits. This matters because not only did most district-level management take advantage of

046their contracted increases within the past few months, but our teachers have been shouldering cost of living increases Along with the emotional and material effects of ongoing district budget cuts. Many of our teachers live outside of Petaluma, resulting in significant increases in transportation. The more cuts that are made, the more that responsibilities fall to those who remain It is worth pointing out that we enter the July academic year largely with entirely new district leadership, with three new board members by December Meaning, those who are largely responsible for making these decisions will not be here to feel those impacts, while teachers and classified staff will feel them significantly. We understand that salaries make up the largest portion of any district's budget, but when we have morale decreasing as costs increase, we are setting up a perfect storm

047For the fall when we will be starting our second year without a contract I hope that the district and union negotiators can find a way to fairly compensate those who are working most closely with our students and families. Thank you very much for listening. Thank you. All right, Kellen. Kellen Castleberry. involuntary transfer of Sarah Baj from Casa Grande. Thanks. So nice to see you guys and thanks for making time I'm just speaking regarding the involuntary transfer of Sarah Baj from Casa Grande High School to Petaluma Junior High. Several colleagues, students and families have provided letters of support for Sarah at staying at CASA I'm here with letters to Read but because of the time constraints, I'm just going to read the letter that was submitted by the English department. I think it encompasses the sentiments

048of our entire faculty, as we have many signatures from the faculty In support of Sarah's staying at Casa Grande, she's such an important member of our community. So we are writing to express our views on your proposed decision to move Sarah Obaj from Casa Grande High School to Petaluma Junior High. Sarah is an incredibly important member of our department, and her innumerable contributions deserve careful consideration. Sarah is a tireless advocate for advanced students and a dogged supporter of our ELD students. Not only is she one of the hardest working people at our school site, she is also one of the most creative, compassionate and clever teachers in the industry. We know that you know this. We understand that for these reasons, you would like her to share her gifts with students and colleagues at Petaluma

049Junior High That said, we would like you to consider what this means for Casa Grande and our English department. Sarah's leadership at our school is acutely felt through her service as prior chair of our department, as mentor to new and returning teachers, as coordinator of vertical and horizontal curriculum And as a master of her subject matter, she is an irreplaceable asset whom our school relies upon. In addition to the above mentioned roles Sarah has embraced, she is also the North Star in her advocacy of our rigorous curriculum for students of all backgrounds. Sarah demonstrates agility in teaching students of varied abilities that they are worthy and capable individuals. She encourages students to strive in order to meet their potential. She does so with her patient and steadfast pedagogy. With her careful listening and her compassionate

050communications Sarah is a big-hearted teacher with high standards for her students. When one walks into Sarah's room, it is usually packed with students eager for her guidance. Her students care for her, feel safe with her, and respect her. Her ELD students are ready to advance to the next level. Her on-level students are well prepared for their A through G college preparatory next level of English, and they understand how to be 30 seconds in this culture of learning. Thank you. So I'll end with, we hope you'll reconsider your plan to move Sarah. We need her here at Casa. She's a goucher through and through. We cherish her collegial warmth, pedagogical prowess, and empowering leadership. Let us keep our kind, smart, dedicated, and brilliant colleague, Sarah She is a gift Thank you. Thank you. Okay? Joe tennis.

051All right, good evening. My name is Jolene Tinnes. I've taught at Casa Grande High School for 25 years. I was hired the same day as Sarah Obaj. I'm an English teacher. I'm an ELD teacher, and I'm an eLERT, which means I help oversee the multilingual learners at our school. So I'm here tonight to speak on behalf of my colleague, Sarah Obag on behalf of the ELD families and staff who have reached out to me, and on behalf of fellow CASA staff, and on behalf of all Pcs teachers and staff When leaders consider management and personnel decisions that involve expertise, livelihoods, leaders reflect, learn and improve. So I frame my comments tonight with the same hope in mind if there's reflection, what could be done differently to avoid such a magnificent error Because a grievous error

052has occurred that has torn the fabric of our CASAS staff that has damaged touted programs in ELD, and sowed seeds of distrust among us We're a district that waves banners regarding our supposed humanity and care of all people, all students, teachers, and staff. Those are the optics, but the reality in this case was egregiously callous, undignified and inhumane We can we can and should do better. As you reflect, I have some suggestions. Please develop a clear protocol for involuntary transfers. Senior teachers have traditionally been treated with respect and dignity, especially regarding involuntary transfers. That has been a norm, but it's not been clearly outlined through negotiations. Perhaps now is the time. Please support teachers and staff through any involuntary transfer transition. I suggest consideration of physical moving support and a planned readjustment readjustment protocols so

053the involuntarily move can adjust to their new settings Use proactive person to person interactions and communication in a humane way. There was nothing proactive or humane about this. It was an impersonal email. Followed by a reactive scramble. A surprise email at the last possible moment is not dignified, respectful, or humane It's callous to treat a veteran teacher, any staff in such a detached and personal fashion. To do so to a high school teacher the day before finals week shows a disconnect from the demands of the job. It makes the caring vibe Pcs attempts to broadcast lip surface. Peace be humane and respectful in your procedures. Please support inexperienced Excuse me. Please support and experience principles and set them up for success regarding staffing. Ongoing training is needed for these inexperienced principals, and that's a responsibility

054of district and board leadership. Set those principles up for success to understand staff dynamics and staffing decisions And how they might affect students, other staff, and strong programs like our ELD program. As on load stop Employees, students, and Thank you for reflecting Thank you. Patty, Paula. on The completed project at Mary Collins. Can everybody hear me? Okay, great. Thank you. Good evening to all. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you tonight. I am Patti Paula. I'm a retired elementary school teacher. I have taught in four different states due to my husband's Coast Guard career, and I've also taught in Petaluma City Schools district I am a strong advocate and proponent of public schools and education in general. I want what is best for students and what is best for the community And all

055the schools in which I have had the opportunity to teach, there were a very small percentage of them that had such a beautiful space as Cherry Valley Park on their premises This is what makes what happened to this lovely little community park so sad This was precious space. The new classroom project at Mary Collins School is a wonderful thing for the students, and I'm happy for them that they will be getting new classrooms and a new amphitheater. In my opinion, however, the placement of this project was not in the best interest for the Cherry Valley neighborhood and community. I believe there could have been another solution that would have benefited all That is in the past, though. The main concern that I want to bring to you tonight is the lack of communication with the

056surrounding neighborhood of Cherry Valley Park, and on the part of the school district. I live on Elm Drive between the Magnolia Roundabout and Cherry Street. We are heavily impacted by the traffic. We love living near a school. We understand that. From what I hear, this project was first introduced five years ago, that's what I heard. I was told that flyers and notices were handed out in the neighborhood and community meetings were held, but we were not notified of any of these meetings, nor did we receive any flyers Or notices during those 5 years. The first I heard about what was going on at the Cherry Valley Park was September of 2025, when I happened to be walking by on a Saturday morning and saw a group of people there with a city council member The

057members of the group informed me what was happening. The communication around this very important matter was lacking, and that is an understatement in my humble opinion. Sadly, that park has been forever changed. My point in presenting this to you is to prevent the lack of communication on your part from happening again. I will be more vigilant next time, you can be sure. I walked by the park on June 16, the day the construction began. I asked the person in charge if there was a place where I might be able to see a rendition of what the completed project would look like He handed me a plain white card of flimsy paper with one address on it, construction at PETK12.org, and told me to look at that, and it would show me everything. I did, and

058it took me to a generic page about facilities and construction. From there, I navigated to the home page that had two spaces for projects at Valley Vista and McDowell Schools But nothing for Mary Collins. The next day, I went back, and I was going to ask him for another address, because this one didn't have the information I had asked for. But he wasn't there. Can you wrap it up, please? Thank you. Is that what he gave you? Okay, that's all time you have. There's many people who want to speak. Okay, thank you very much. Hi, I'm sad that more board members weren't here because I had a song prepared. But whatever, no one came here to hear me. My name is Todd Seiders. I'm the chief negotiator for Petaluma Federation of Teachers, Local 1881. I'm

059gonna keep my comments brief and general, because as a chief negotiator, I don't want to impair the negotiations process. As was already stated by one of my colleagues, in a week, we will now be out of contract for one year. That's the longest we've been out of contract in my recent memory. While we're out of contract, as you know, prices keep going up and up and up. It's harder and harder just to get by, and with where we're at right now, I'm asking the board to consider two things. Number one to make sure that debatable expenditures, we'll put it politely, do not get placed on us that we do not have to pay for those. And then secondly, and I know this is very, very generic, but again, I don't want to interfere with the

060process, we're asking you to please ensure, given the situation and the timing And the costs that you do really live up to giving us a fair and equitable settlement. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, Molly Lunibas But is this for proposition 28? Okay. But it's about parcel tax. Okay, hi. My name is Molly Lunabas, and I teach at… I teach art at CASA, and I'm here tonight to provide some background on recent art funding issues that lead to the current art funding issues that you'll hear about later today. Thank you for having us here tonight, and we would like to welcome members of the press who are here as well. Thank you so much for your commitment to public transparency. In the fall of 2024, we documented serious violations of parcel tax measure C slash K.

061The PCS Business Office unilaterally cut long-standing materials funding for VAPA, library and tech Swept nearly $50,000 of restricted parcel tax carryover to pay administrative positions, and did all of this without public process or transparency. After a rigorous months-long process, and I should say unpaid largely, by volunteers, volunteering teachers, months-long process with interim superintendent Mondrian and site leadership, we fixed the problem We reached a common sense agreement that restored materials funding, returned the parcel tax to compliance, and put in place a plan to prevent these mistakes from happening again. Barely a year later, this past fall, 2025, the business office violated that agreement again by terminating parcel tax materials funding and using Prop 28 to backfill those cuts. That is textbook supplanting and a direct breach of both the parcel tax voter mandate and the intent

062of Prop 28. Tonight, you're going to see the downstream effect of those choices. Cuts to advance arts courses are now on the table, including costs as only AP Visual Arts class This rigorous, high-impact class keeps many of our most vulnerable students engaged in school, and is the very pinnacle of our program. I am asking you as the fiscal backstop for our district To direct the business office to restore parcel tax materials funding as agreed. End the misuse of Prop 28 and protect advanced art courses from further erosion. Thank you for your consideration and special thanks to families who are here tonight supporting art students. And once again, thank you so much to the media for your time and coverage and informed public is vital and your work makes that possible Thank you. Okay, so now

063we're going on to flying the Pride flag. And each one of the following people will get two and a half minutes. Stephanie, Erin, I get this wrong. I'm sorry. Stephanie Aaron. Yep, a random Thank you. Gilbert Baker, at the request of Harvey Milk, hand-dyed and hand sewed this flag, which flew at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day in June 1978. With it, he assigned meaning to every color and created a beautiful symbol for a community who was persecuted, forced to remain in a closet And prevented from being with someone they loved. This is not about whether love is beautiful or not. This is a conversation of logic, definition, direct meaning, and intention. The pride flag was created with meaning behind each color, of which pink represents sex Whether you acknowledge the sexuality aspect of the

064flag or not, it in fact does carry the meaning by definition, to be gay or lesbian, etc. is to have a varied sexual preference. Gay is an adjective that primarily describes people who are romantically or sexually attracted to people of the same sex or gender. My 4-year-old is not sexual. My 8-year-old is not sexual. I love and have friends and family in the gay and lesbian community whom I love and adore and support. I will rally behind them at every instance. However, in regards to our school, I as a parent want my children to embark on their natural journey without influence by the government's opinions or preferences Whatever they naturally become, we will embrace. But in the meantime, we don't need symbols sexualizing them. The flag, while I respect others who choose to fly it

065on their porches, have no place on a public school. Stay in your lane. The school system needs to focus on academics. Get back to reading, writing, and arithmetic. Let our children be. Children should not be thinking about who individuals are choosing to romantically pursue. Stop infiltrating our children's minds and lives With unnecessary sexualized symbols Please do not misconstrue this as me being a bigot or against the gay or lesbian community. I love and adore them and support my fellow people. However, my children are my children, and we do not need to be having a conversation with a 4-year-old about what this is in their minds. I disagree with this decision. You have 30 seconds. Thank you for your time. Betsy Betsy Rayleigh Betsy Braley. You know what I've always appreciated about Democrats? When I was

066growing up, Democrats always proud of themselves on neutrality in schools. I appreciated that because no matter what your background was, Muslim, conservative, Christian, Buddhist, whatever, your family could have access to free education without indoctrination Who here knows about the pride flags flying year round? I guess everyone does. Okay. I'm here to inform you that it's against the First Amendment. Here's what it says. Schools cannot compel students to affirm beliefs they disagree with as established by the US Supreme Court in West Virginia State Board of Education versus Barnett Displaying the flag in a mandatory attendance environment creates coercive atmosphere for families with religious or scientific objections to aspects of gender ideology. I understand that you see it primarily as a statement of inclusion, equal treatment, and love. People are not fighting this because they're bigoted or

067have some deep hate towards these people. People are against it because explaining the flag's meaning involves explaining sexual orientation, gender identity, or both. The question is not whether the flag stands for inclusion, but whether a symbol representing these concepts is in appropriate To be displayed at public schools. You can opt out of sex ed in public school. Why can't I opt out of that flag? My friend Sarah's son came home with a pin that said no kings, yes, queen. You tell me, does that sound inclusive to you? I would it would be equally inappropriate if people were handing out Trump propaganda at school. Government institutions should not endorse any particular worldview, whether religious, political, or ideological. When schools push this hard in one direction, they dismiss and disrespect opposing views from parents You don't reduce

068hate, you create it. Neutrality isn't hatred, it's fairness. You have single-handedly divided Petaluma, so I ask you now, not out of bigotry--not out of hate, but out of love and concern for our community and deep longing for unity. What do I have to do to get these flags taken down? And I would like an answer for that. Thank you. Kevin Marks Hello, thank you very much. Just real quickly, just haven't found out about the year-round thing. You've got the week and the month for pride for diversity You have that time to do that. Does it have to be flown underneath the American flag, or it should be probably American, it should be the American flag, the State flag, maybe a school flag, and maybe when you throw up some colors for a time of week.

069We don't have to focus on The colors all year long. And just me being a granddad, having grown up here and had my kids grow up here. The questions that I get from little like what, you know, it's a rainbow. Yeah, you know, I like the rainbow. I like tie-dye Right? But You don't get all the colors. You're working on the alphabet. You don't get the whole year. Okay, the colors are fine. It doesn't need to be all year long. Keep in perspective so you can focus on the diversity, which is supposed to be introduced to instead of getting sidetracked and all the other Interpretations of the pride flag. Okay, I do not align with those folks who when we talk about sexual diversity and all that. But It's something that has to be discussed,

070should discuss at home and not pushed across the board. Every time you drive by a school, you know, or a fire station, or a police station. It's like one week's good enough, isn't it? Do you need all year long? You know? Or change the rainbow colors to be more of a rainbow versus stripes. The only thing flags are good for back in the day was to see where the troops were. So anyways. Just box it down. It doesn't have to be all here I appreciate your time. Thank you very much for being here. Thank you. No, I'm not going to pronounce this correctly. I think it's Garian Is there someone Great. It was on the pride flag. I'm Did somebody fill this out? That could be it. Yeah. Sorry. My apologies. That's okay. That's okay.

071I've been called worse. My name is Grant Garle. My wife Marcy and I have lived in Petaluma for 50 years. And we're born again followers of Christ. And We just don't think that the pride flag should be flown at all. And so I'd like to read you something that caught my particular attention that I ran across today. The world today is trying to convince us more is better. That more genders are the more genders, the better. The more post-pregnancy options, the better. And the more belief systems are, the better Because the broader the path, the one can follow, the better. While all of this may be appealing and inclusive, it has one major problem. They can't all be true. Imagine a city which a green light could mean go to some drivers and stop to

072other drivers And the determining factor as to what the green light meant was up to each individual. What would be the end result? Chaos, catastrophe, and no one would be able to safely where they wanted to go. We here today about people having their truth in philosophy, there is a principle known as bivalence, which means that any proposition, theory, statement of fact is either true or false. It is neither, nor can it be both Not everyone can be right about their religious beliefs or how to access the eternal realm. John 14:6 of the Holy Bibles, Jesus declared, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except by me Again, to say that all paths lead to one destination is the practical equivalent of saying all freeways will

073take you to the same city, all flights will take you to the same destination You need to get on to the specific freeway and board a specific flight that coincides with the desired destination. It may be 30 seconds. Okay. It may be appealing to think that no matter what you believe, you'll end up in heaven, but it's not true. Revelations 2, 7 says Jesus promised he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give To eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise garden of God. Only through Jesus Christ can we access heaven and the tree of life. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life And I love you all. I know you may

074not agree. Thank you. Eleanor, please. Eleanor Stevens. It could be. Yes, Elena Stevens. Sorry. Hello, my name is Elena Stevens. I consider myself an expert on this topic. I went to public school as a member of the LGBTQ community. I've noticed a lot of people walking up here today know nothing about the community Haven't dealt with the community and don't know anything. I wonder why they think that seeing a flag with representation is going to turn someone gay. Do we understand that that's not how it works? Yeah, so that's why we should have the flag. Thank you. It does nothing. The flag is going to help kids feel safe. You having wanting the flag gone is going to send a message to kids of all ages, of all backgrounds that maybe they're not safe And

075maybe they shouldn't come out because look at what's happening. A lot of people should really think, I mean, you guys are really in your feelings about people's lives. It's kind of sad Really think I do encourage you to learn. But the pride flag is only there to help people. It's only there to make people feel safe And your prejudice and oppression against a marginalized community only sends the message that they're not safe. And actually is the reason why we need the flag. Thank you so much. Thank you. Okay Valerie Quintrell. I am the mom of two kids within the Sonoma County School District's public school districts. They've always attended Sonoma County Public Schools. I don't have enough time here to mention all the times that they have both of them, but one of them in

076particular been excluded, harassed targeted mistreated and denied an equal and fair opportunity to an education All because they're part of the LGBTQ community. This has very, very real damaging effects. On a person. It is completely hateful. And it serves no purpose or good whatsoever. I realized that a flag is a symbol. A flag is a symbol and a promise and a commitment Publicly. That people will not harm, discriminate, exclude, mistreat Students that are just wanting to feel safe and be safe within the public school system. If this hurts your feelings, offends you, disturbs you, I ask you to reevaluate your heart because we're talking about Children Thank you. Okay We are finished with comments on the non-agendized items. We're going to take a break 10 min. All right. We are back to order. And continuing

077with our agenda I'm just going to report on activities and correspondence of school board members. It goes back to May 26th, mainly graduations and promotions. So we all went to the Kenilworth Petal Lima Junior high schools and the dual language immersion programs promotions And we also went to the Valley Vista Public Waldorf Inaugural eighth grade promotion. And we went to the graduations of alternative Ed PHS, CASA, and the adult ed graduations. We also went to Matthew Sendoff. And the Casa Grande Senior Capstone interviews Mary Collins open house And we had superintendent meetings. Anybody? Do you want to mention something? Oh, I'm sorry. The Petaluma accelerated Charter. We also went to their promotion. Apologies. And so now we have comments from the public on consent items. For the consent agenda. Do we have any? I don't

078have any cards for anybody. Okay, moving on. We need a motion to approve the consent agenda by consolidated motion. I move to approve I'll second. Any questions? All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Right? It passes. The motion passes. And now we have comments from the public on action items. I don't have any cards Okay Moving on, our first action item is the board 2026 27 board meeting date. I move to approve. Well, it's an act. Okay. It's an action item. We Who's presenting it? Are you specific we brought last time. Well, we changed it. At the agenda We change it to first and third. So for for the board approves for the board consideration to approve We have the 2627 board meeting dates. We have moved so that the change from this year and previous

079years to next year is to move it to primarily the first Tuesday and third Tuesday of the month There was a change from last meeting. Yeah, it was, we decided to have our first meeting of the year on the 28th of July instead of the week before. To put some more time between our board governance training. And the first meeting Okay. I see 717 for governance. Yes. And then below that is a 728. And then 728. Yep. That's our first board meeting. Okay, I was just… yeah, never mind And the reason it's not in the third because it's not a first or third Tuesday, it's the fourth Tuesday or maybe the fourth. So it's I know there's one that's a fifth. This is why it's over there. It's the… I think it's the March 30th

080Anyway. Is that okay, Caitlin? It sounds like you can't be there, but that's fine. Okay, yeah, I don't that's why I can miss one. if it… if we get Responses from our two absent board members that they can't attend that, then we might push it back again. Okay. But we can make that once we approve this, then we can get is what we needed. We need to approve this now and then and then if we need to amend it, we can amend it On the 30th. Okay, so I need a motion. I move to approve the new calendar for the next school year. I second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Okay, the motion passes. Approval of the contract for the Assistant Superintendent of Student Services for the school year 2026-27 So this is replacing,

081not that we can ever replace Esmeralda Sanchez Mosley, but this is the position assistant services Any questions? I move to approve the contract. All those in favor? Aye. The motion passes. Business services, approval of the capital facility contracts for May 2026. Thank you. The contracts included on the spreadsheet support a range of projects, including the Petaluma High School track replacement Campus clock and speaker upgrades, energy management services geotechnical and special inspection services annual asset management services and site specific improvements at McDowell, Petaluma Junior High, Casa, Kenilworth, McKinley, and Petaluma High School. Any questions? Okay, motion. I move to approve. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Right, motion passes. The approval of resolution 2526-59 of the State of California appointment member and alternate to Redwood Empire School Insurance Group Thank you. This is an annual resolution

082that names the Chief Business Officer and the superintendent as the representatives for the Redwood Empire School Insurance Group for voting purposes. You sure you want to do it? It sounds so fun. Super exciting. Every other month. Yeah. Well, then I'll move to approve that resolution. Second All those in favor aye. Any opposed? No, because it was unanimous. And it was approved. Approval of resolution 2526-60 regarding the authorized designated personnel to sign contract and agreement documents for fiscal year 2026 27. Thank you. This is another annual item that names the superintendent and chief business officer as district signers for contracts and bank accounts. Move to approve. Second. All those in favor? Aye. the motion passes Ed services You know Approval of the overnight field trip request. Yes, I recommend that you do it. It's specifically for

083PHS ASB camp this summer. I'll move to approve. I'll second all those in favor. Aye. All right, it passes. All right, great. And then the next one up is approval of resolution 252644, the renewal of the charter for Pangrove Elementary Charter School. Yes, and I would like to ask the board, would you like me to do a like, just a brief presentation on charter renewal process and for the benefit of the board and also the public, just because we have so many charters here at Petaluma City Schools. And I wanted to clarify some process questions and also kind of what the board's responsibility is versus the district versus charter school And some the technical changes that have been made between the public hearing that what was posted and not. But I wanted to ask if

084that's something the board That would be great. That would be helpful. Thank you. Okay, great. Thank you. Can you go to slide Actually, I got it because this clicker and me are really working together now. All right. And so Based on the May 26th meeting, I just wanted… I thought some more information about the ideal charter renewal process, what it would look like so that because we have more charter schools, I think that would be helpful. And then just a real clarification of what the different roles are. Oh Carl, there we go. All right. So just a reminder for everybody that the charter renewal, the purpose of that process is to determine if the petition substantially satisfies the statutory requirements. It also, you know, we need to make sure that there's a sound educational program

085at Pengrove. There is. And then we also need to make sure that the process is following and the petition is meeting any new updates to California law, including Ed Code and also specific charter school law and amendments. And is it in the best interest of our students? The board is not asked to determine if the petition is like a perfect document with no errors. The role for you is really Is Penrove a great option for our students? And are our students learning as we see in comparison to what our standards are? And by all means they are. They're a mid-performing school And so In general, this process is to update those things and make sure that we are in compliance with the law. So notice I wrote ideal charter renewal process because this year It

086wasn't ideal and it wasn't ideal for lots of reasons, one of which there was nobody in my position for the whole year that this went on. So that's a challenge right then and there of itself Charter renewal process, I've actually been through one as a principal. I've helped many other schools through them as well. It is a… it's a big process. It takes a lot of time, and it is especially… it would be especially hard for anybody, but if you are a new principal And it's your first year as a principal, it's also even more challenging, and so when you have the combination of a new principal, nobody in my role providing that kind of support, it just makes it a more challenging process. So this is the ideal renewal charter process. In the planning

087phase, having a very clear renewal timeline of when we're going to have a first draft, when legal will pry, when we'll have a second draft, when legal will reply When we're going to get it to the board, all those things laid out ahead of time helps everybody stay on track I think one thing that is different that both the community and the board should be aware of when you have a district affiliated charter, which all of ours are. Sometimes the the… the roles blur a little bit between district and the school site because we have invested interest, right, in making sure the petition passes. It's a very different than if you were an independent charter So in some of this, I think there was less clarity on these phases and who was going to be

088doing what, and so I think that was just part of our learning, and I'm doing this presentation hoping that Our process in the future can reflect our learning from this process. So in here, community engagement I would say that we probably could have had more structured stakeholder meetings and had more transparent communication of changes and the rationale behind the changes And then we did follow the rest of it pretty, pretty good Okay, in terms of roles and responsibilities, this is what I was saying. Sometimes here with a district affiliated charter, you will have a the charter school and district staff kind of Combining roles or more of a support and less of a I don't know, it's definitely more friendly here than in a lot of other districts, right? It's not as… it's very friendly.

089Other districts, it's more adversarial, and there isn't so much support from the district in supporting the process. Okay. But the main thing that I want to share here is that The board's responsibility is to review the petition, the findings and evidence, and determine whether statutory requirements are met and approve or deny based on law. And there's only a few reasons you can deny a charter. It's basically if the students fail to meet sufficient progress in their standards. And then you also have to determine and say in your findings why that denial is going to be in the best interest of students. For, I would argue, all of our charter schools, but in this case, Penn Grove There is nothing, there's no legal reason why not to approve their charter for five years, because their school

090has made sufficient progress towards the standards. It can be denied if, again, the academic performance is low, there's fiscal instability, governance failures, safety or compliance concerns, and material deficiencies in the petition, of which this petition does not have material deficiencies. It did and may even still, I hope we got most of them, have some technical and factual corrections, but they don't rise to the level of denial. So with that, I was very I got the opportunity. I was very pleased because we've had a principal transition and it's summertime. I actually got to work with some of the Penrove community to rectify some of the technical errors So there were a list… there was a… there were errors that I was able to rectify prior to the submission and putting this Sorry, this updated charter petition

091on the board agenda. And then I got some more, and I got those This morning, I think, or maybe I don't know when I got him. I got them sometime soon. And so I… but I did what I really appreciate about the Pengrove community and the staff there is how diligent, dedicated, and passionate they are to making sure that this is actually an excellent document That really reflects their school and what their school stands for. And so I wanted to honor that and make sure that we could get the technical changes in. Which is why you have been given an errata sheet because it shares exactly what changes were made between the Friday posting of the updated of the charter, and so I made… I'd made updates before that, right? And then posted them. But

092the… this specific sheet, the errata sheet, shows the updates that were made since Friday, and I just wanted it to be very clear for you all and the public what was changed and why it was changed So it was specifically around, for example, one example was in the petition it referred to the Pta. Well, Pengrow refers to their Pta as fo pta. I don't know if they say FOPTA, but I think that's kind of cool So if they say that, that's reflected throughout the charter, right? Because I feel I'm just I'm very proud of the community that they're invested to making sure that this just isn't, which I've seen many of charter petitions that get passed that are pretty generic But they really wanted it to reflect who they are. And so that's what the

093changes that you see before you, none of the changes were material. All of the changes were technical, clerical, typo type things, or just a clarification, so that we were clear that the school nutrition program meant School, lunch and breakfast, what Mr. Dufour presented about. So That's the changes that have been made that were made up to Friday, and then more were made on that sheet for today's consideration. And so it is hopeful that you approve the updated charter with The errata corrections in mind Yeah, and so I just want to say that although it was not an ideal charter renewal process, it was a process that produced a very strong charter petition, and I really appreciate the extra effort that The entire Pengrove community went to make sure that it reflected Penrove and who they

094are and what they represent for our students. So before the board, you have a petition that really does satisfy all the statutory requirements. It reflects a sound educational program. It does include the technical corrections that was identified through educational Partner's feedback, and it does not contain any material revisions from when it's… when it was presented at the public on May 26, th nor to what was posted on Friday So our recommendation is that you approve the Penrove Charter Renewal Petition for the full renewal term of 5 years, incorporating the technical corrections identified in the errata sheet. Thank you. Well done. Any questions? Comments Thank you. Because I was Curious about, and I really appreciate that Penrove community and your ability to talk to them and you know incorporate a lot of their Concerns and everything

095else. So I really appreciate the time it took to do this. I know that they take it very seriously, so I appreciate that. All right, I need a motion. I move to approve the Pengrove Charter Renewal petition for the full renewal term and incorporate the technical corrections on the errata sheet. I second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. All right motion passes. Excellent. Yay Okay -Oh. Okay, so now we have comments from the public on discussion information items. There's only one, and it's the review of Vapa and Proposition 28 funding If we have several Oh, okay. So we have several people. You each will have 2 min Okay, so adjust your comments accordingly. All right, are we ready? Okay, Michelle Anderson. Good evening, board. How are you all? I am here to speak about the

096importance of arts education in our elementary school And protecting teacher planning time. For young children is not just another subject. It is an essential part of their education and development. Arts give children a chance to be creative, express themselves, solve problems, and build confidence. For some students who may struggle in traditional academic subjects, art, music, dance, theater is a way is where they shine. It's where they feel successful, valued, and excited to come to school. Elementary school is a critical time in a child's life. These years help shape how students see themselves as learners. When children have opportunities to create, explore, and succeed through the arts, they develop confidence that carries over into other areas of their school and life. I want to also emphasize the importance of preserving teacher planning time. This time allows

097teachers to work together, review student needs, and develop lessons that are aligned to the state standards while incorporating current research and engaging Instructional practices. planning time for me has helped me implement OG Phonics program into my classroom successfully. This time helps ensure that students receive meaningful, high-quality instruction that meets the needs of today's learners. Both arts education and teacher planning time are investments in our children. They support student achievement. I know, creativity, confidence, and a positive school experience. I would also like to remind the board that our community has already spoken on this issue Voters choose to support funding for the arts education because they recognize that a well-rounded educational includes opportunities for creative self-expression and artistic learning. The community made a commitment to our children when they voted to support art programs in our

098school. We have a responsibility to honor that commitment and respect the will that the voters continue to provide meaningful arts education in our elementary students, preserving these programs reflects the values of the community, ensuring that future generations of students have the same opportunities. Thank you. Thank you All right. Josie, Richter. Good evening. My name is Josie Richter. I'm probably a familiar face to many of you because I've been teaching at CASA for over 20 years, my first year was 2002-2003. And in that time I've seen our department go from 3.5 full-time teachers all the way down to one full-time teacher who was me and a half time teacher about two years ago. That's how far our department has slid with funding and student enrollment with the change of the VAPA graduation requirements, the seven period

099schedule and the influence of Prop 28 money on what we could offer at CASA. We hired two new teachers last year and got back up to where we were in the early 2000s. Five sections of sculpture were added with the full understanding from the art department that it would be funded by Prop 28. We hired a teacher who could teach five sections of sculpture. Now that money is in jeopardy. We are cutting again in the arts the AP Art 3 class has been cut as it stands now. I teach that class. It's important to me, but to the students, and it's the only Class that students can take an art class for 4 years and get there. We don't have that in any other visual arts built in. My request to the board is that

100I would like to understand where our Prop 28 money has gone, or if we were ever given it, because if we had those 5 sections being paid for by the State 30 seconds. Thank you. We wouldn't need to cut Apr. 3 and change the program that we only recovered From 20 years ago, we're back finally back to where we were 20 years ago. And I thank you for your time. Thank you. Okay, Christy Holtquist. Good evening and happy summer. I'm Christy Holquest, a TK teacher and a supporter of the Visual and Performing Arts My students loved our music, art, drama, and dance classes this past year. In TK, we do a lot of dancing, singing, make-believe in art, but it's not my area of expertise These educators have their degree in this specific areas and

101share their knowledge and love of the arts with our students weekly. I come here to ask you not to cut any of these programs and to use the funding as it was intended to be used. To expand and sustain art, dance, drama, and music education. According to my research on this source of funding, districts must source of funding districts must use 80% of these funds to hire credentialed arts educators and their remaining money may be used for supplies and art partnerships. 1% can be allocated for administrative cost What I found is that we should not be shifting money around to fund something different. VAPA funding strictly requires that the funds cannot be used to replace pre-existing funding. For example, the current music teacher should not be paid by VAPA funds because they already were being

102paid by the district. So I kept searching for why or how we could be using VAPA money for the music teachers already in existence. 30 seconds. Okay, Ed source or edsource.org has a list of frequently asked questions, and my specific question was there Quote, can you pay for existing art programs with new money? The answer says, quote, no, you must supplement and not supplant. Also under the California CDE.california.gov question number 22 asks if LEAs can calculate funds from one school to another. The answer is no. Okay, I'll skip all that. So I ask, as a rule follower myself, that the district make sure we are following the law, honoring what the voters supported during the elections, and please do not dismiss the importance of the arts for our youngest learners. Thank you. Thank you. I'm

103sorry for interrupting everybody. We need to we have a lot of comments, so. Molly Lunabis Hi, again, my name is Molly Lunabas and I teach art at CASA. Thank you for having us here tonight. And again, we welcome members of the press who are here as well. Thank you so much for your commitment to public transparency. Tonight's discussion should not be about whether the arts or AP art are worth saving Petaluma voters answered that question over 20 years ago when they approved local parcel tax funding for VAPA. California voters answered it again when they passed Prop 28. This funding was created to provide dedicated supplemental arts funding across the state. The voters have spoken. We support the arts. We expect our public institutions to do the same The question before you is different. Will PCS

104school board uphold its fiscal responsibility to honor the will of the taxpayers and comply with the rules attached to those funds? When restricted local parcel tax dollars are cut and then backfilled with Prop 28 money that is not honoring voter intent. It erodes public trust and puts this district at legal and financial risk. For that reason, we are formally requesting that this board order an independent financial investigation into the PCS Business Office use of Prop 28 and parcel tax funds. We also ask you to publicly commit to correcting any misuse that is found That is the minimum step needed to restore the trust that has been lost. This is how you show voters that their voice still matter in Petaluma City Schools. Thank you for your consideration, and special thanks to families who are here

105tonight supporting art students. And once again, thank you to the media for your time and coverage and inform public is vital, and your work makes that happen. Thank you. Thank you. Johanna Hagler. Good evening. My name is Johanna Hagler and I'm an incoming junior at Casa Grande High School. I'm here today to express my concern regarding the removal of AP Art 3, AP and AP Art 3. Sorry. From the arts department. APR is currently the only advanced placement course within the visual and performing arts department at Casa Grande, and its removal is significantly limits opportunities for students seeking to advance their artistic education. Art 3 and Apr. Are critical stepping stones within the high school art curriculum. They help prepare students for college level art programs and provide a clear pathway for those pursuing careers

106or majors in the arts. The removal has created an unexpected roadblock for many students, including myself, leaving us confused, frustrated, and uncertain about our futures I have planned to follow the arts pathway at Casa Grande since my freshman year. Art is my passion, and I have relied on the structure and stability of Casa Grande's art program to help me achieve my future goals. Now that pathway has been disrupted, students who carefully plan their educational journeys deserve civility, not sudden changes that force them to reconsider years of preparations. These cuts have caused me to feel penalized by decisions that I have no role in making. In fact, I have even considered switching school districts because of the challenges these cuts may create when applying to art schools or pursuing an arts-related major. Beyond the impact on

107individual students, these cuts will affect Casa Grande as a whole student retention may decline as students seek schools that offer stronger art programs. Enrollment and demographics may also change. Students may choose not to attend Casa Grande at all if advanced arts courses are no longer available. These cuts also weaken the connection between our schools and the community without strong public education in the arts program. There is less incentive for community members to participate and attend events. Our shows will be hindered by lack of advanced work traditionally created by older students in advanced courses These students often produce some of the strongest, most inspiring pieces showcased in our exhibitions. The removal of these classes is only one example of many course cuts occurring at Casa Grande. Together, these reductions limit the opportunities for students to narrow

108the diversity and narrow the diversity of interests and talents represented on our campus. Art benefits students in countless ways, regardless of whether they plan to pursue it professionally in art, and they do not simply prepare kids for careers, but they foster creativity, critical thinking, and self-expressions for numerous disciplines, qualities that are very valuable in every work field I urge the board to reconsider these cuts and recognize the importance of maintaining a strong arts program for current and future students. Thank you. Kristen Hegler. Good evening. My name is Kristen Hegler, and I'm a parent of a student directly affected by the proposed elimination of a third-year art class in AP art. I'm also a taxpayer, stakeholder, Petaluma native and change Graduated from Casa Grande High School When my daughter started as a freshman, I thought, what

109a great opportunity to get an early start in a career pathway and improve her access to higher education. However, now it appears I was wrong. Early career paths are only for certain groups, which is not equitable to the student body. The decision to eliminate the third year art course and AP offering in this entire visual and performing arts department is deeply concerning. More importantly, it appears to have been made without adequate consideration for the students who have already committed to an established arts pathway. We encourage students to explore career interests, select pathways, and build their high school schedules Around long-term goals. Students who follow that guidance and invested years into the arts should… are now being penalized because the district has chosen to remove the very courses they are counting on to complete their educational

110plan. For students like my daughter, this is not a simple schedule change as a loss of opportunities, preparation, and choice Apr is more than elective. It's rigorous college-level course that helps them develop portfolios, strengthen college applications, and prepare for careers in creative fields, removing it sends a message that the arts are less deserving of investment other than other academic disciplines. Beyond the academic impact, this decision creates unnecessary stress for students. They're now left wondering whether they can complete the pathway they've spent years pursuing, and whether they'll have access to the opportunities they were promised when they were in seconds. Students deserve stability, transparency, and a clear plan for how the district intends to support those Educational goals have been disrupted. I urge the board to reconsider these cuts, preserve the third year art and AP

111courses. Maintaining these programs to the students. If the board ultimately determines that these courses cannot be maintained, then at minimum, I ask that any reduction be implemented through a phased transition over the next two school years to allow these current students the ability to complete their coursework through graduation without interruption and giving younger students time to adjust their academic plans. I have more to say, but thank you very much Thank you. Amber Laba. Did I say that right? My name is Amber Leiba. I have an incoming CASA senior. And to have a kid who's quiet and pensive is to watch a kid get less out of his education than his more gregarious counterparts. What Art 3 has brought to Clyde is an opportunity to excel and be seen on a campus where he often feels

112invisible. Under Ms. Richter's tutelage, Clyde has grown his hard-won talents and confidence. And Glide's sculpture teacher Amy made a point of coming to his 504 meeting to advocate for Clyde's academic success. Ms. Richter and Amy have provided the same care to numerous art students throughout the years. ART provides an outlet for kids to voice and regulate complex emotions. A perseverant, kind, dedicated student deserves a classroom in which to belong. This student has already bought his supplies for his summer AP art homework. Clyde proudly chose a case to hold his burgeoning art portfolio that he plans to grow next year. This class has caused his only 8 be hovering for visual and performing arts. The arts are an important tool for building empathy and connecting to our community These students have worked hard to get to

113an AP level only to find the staircase ripped out from under them. Eliminating art three and AP art is a disservice to not only our students, but also to our community at large. We need a place for these kids to belong and create Thank you. Aaron Vandermeer. You have two, but you don't get double time. I don't want to say anything until it starts the clock. So first off, Ditto for everyone before me For advocating for the arts. My name is Erin Vandermeer. I am a teacher and a union leader. Tonight I'm here as the VAPA chair. I'm sort of combining two comments. I'm just going to get straight down to right now, our high schools ran classes in the last year that were strategically added to fit the funding for Prop 28 expectations. Only

114to find that perhaps this isn't what happened as far as the funding. This is concerning when each site has a specific allocation of funds that is published online each year for these classes to be offered. I'm here to ask the board to direct the district office to set up an annual public process that outlines clearly the amounts of both the 80% for positions and the 20% for materials, and then how many sections each secondary site can afford The following year with their annual allocation, there are sometimes inclusions of PEAs and other types of positions. This process would also allow for regular verification that the funds are being spent according to Prop 28 restrictions. At the moment, I'm aware of Pillumahai having access to Prop 28 sections while CASA does not And as far as I

115know, the junior highs and the small schools don't either There's currently no transparent system in place to monitor or provide professional or community feedback on concerns regarding how Prop 28 funds are being spent, and that needs to be remedied post-haste. When I have raised concerns about how funds are being moved and ultimately cut in positions, it's been said to me numerous times that this is all legal I'm not sure I agree, but I do think that it's a really low bar Okay, we should be striving to fulfill the intent of the legislation and provide what Prop 28 is intended to do Through a clear and well-documented public process. Thank you for your time. Thank you. I really appreciate all of your comments and the fact that you stayed for the whole meeting. I really appreciate

116that. It really works to your, you know that the comments are related to the discussion item. It really helps us when we're thinking about those items. Okay, so now we're going to have a discussion about the review of VAPA and Proposition 28 funding. So I just want to start by appreciating the public comments that are up here. And I don't disagree. I think when you think about VAPA and music education, I think about my own children who are in the schools, and it's one of the highlights of their day. I mean, I know my son Gabriel comes home from music class so excited practicing My son Sebastian loves art, loves nothing more than to dig into doing some art. So it I see the tangible change in my own house. the VAPA and music, the

117cognitive and academic growth, social, emotional Well-being of our students, the identity expression, particularly the ones that the high school student who spoke. The human development, school climate confidence, the improved attendance, inclusion engagement in school. Prop 28, starting in 2023-24 was a permanent ongoing funding stream for the arts and music and school funding guaranteed in Accountability Act. Some of the points, 80% of the funding needs to be spent on staffing for arts instruction, 20% on materials. When I looked today, one of the speakers talked about I'm primarily addressing the elementary because that's kind of what we discussed and I wanted to address. But I also want to talk about the secondary. From my understanding Petaluma High School has been allocated 3 sections of Prop 28 prop 28 sections. And CASA has five prop 28 sections. And

118so we need to confirm that with You want to speak to that? Sure. CASA has five in current year, 25, 26, and they have rolled into 26 and 27. They were not cut. Okay. the Go ahead. Can I just, while it's still in my brain, when you said if they weren't cut Then Why are strictly because of the budget reductions around Sections Well. I'm asking. Yeah. It's a serious question. So when you said that they weren't cut, if there are 5 sections for proposition 28 that are better funded out of there That it has to do, some of it is ultimately by changing through the budget advisory committee. We did reduce sections at both of the high schools. So Without having conversations with the principals. I know some sections were cut based off of enrollment.

119I'm not sure why these specific courses were were cut. In other words, we weren't here at the district office, we're not cutting specific courses. It's more here are the number of sections that you have as a principal of a high school principal or junior high principal And then based on the enrollment in the courses, they're looking at what makes the most sense from a master scheduling perspective. I think Petaluma High knew that they had the three sections and were carrying them over. I don't think that the CASA not quite understands the 5 other sections are tagged to prop 28. Yeah, that's just my what I I believe. Can I make a comment Yeah, can I just continue with what I was saying though? So I guess my question is, if we have five sections that

120are funded by Proposition 28, that it shouldn't be an issue about the size, you know, about the reductions They they should be covered. I could be wrong. I mean, I'm certainly not the budget expert up here. But So I'm just confused about why there are art programs that are being cut at secondary. I mean, anybody who wants to help me understand this Can everything cut at the second because everything's getting cut at the secondary because of the sections. Yes, so we did decrease sections moving from the 7 period required for all students, and then there were additional sections that we had been using one time funding with. The difference right now between the call out between Petaluma High and CASA is that district we have met with Hr, myself, and the principal at Petaluma High,

121and we were able to call out the 3 sections VAPA sections to make sure that nothing was supplanted, that if one of the classes was being reduced, it was a new class coming in. We have not had that meeting with Casa to see why which classes are. So it's in the budget for the 5 sections. We still need to meet with CASA principal to make sure that it is not supplanting. the business department, the district as a whole. We always follow the the laws and regulations. It's our names on it, too. So that's the difference why it's called out at Petaluma High. We haven't met with Casa yet, and then once we can confirm Which classes those are. We can then say which ones they are Can I make a comment about AP art now?

122AP art is a capstone class. I know the enrollment this year, or for next year was only 20 students. It's a new class You start with 20 students and then you build. I don't know how many students are in R2 right now. But basically by cutting this, we are limiting Their ability to To move on, number one. Number two, as a capstone, it seems very short-sighted to me. I know there's only 20 students. Who knows the year after? I don't know how many students are in art two But I imagine that if the course is offered next year that most of those AP, most of those ARC 2 students will continue on just from listening to comments, it seems like a lot of students are looking forward To are looking forward to following along and

123doing art 3 as a capstone. So I would, I don't know if we have a vote in this, but I would absolutely never vote to approve something like that. I think it's really short-sighted. I think it's shorting our students unfairly. So I just It's been in my head for a while and I just needed to get it out there. So again, this is not a directive that we want to get rid of this discussion. So it's fine. I think the crux of all of this stems from the $6 million in reductions, the reduction section. So everything is tightening up. So when as a high school principal, you are used to receiving X number of sections And then you receive Y, and it's 5 or 10, 15 less, you're having to make a much, much tighter

124master schedule the Prop 28 sections, though, have to be clearly tagged to the correct courses, and that's what I think Petaluma High has already done. Casa, we need to work… we need to work with CASA to get that done. So I'm gonna start this presentation is primarily on elementary. When we end, I'm going to give a little glimmer of Some at least just kind of kick off the conversation with you guys. And I want to give a disclaimer, even though I understand, like, you know, you can say as a superintendent, like, it's all my responsibility. I want to. We did a forensic sort of a forensic analysis of what happened It took multiple meetings to figure out how this all happened and why. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. I'm just saying this is

125where this is the reality. This is where we're at. And I want to. I'm going to focus here on the prop, the elementary Prop 28. Okay. Okay. Historical analysis So if you look at the 2025-26 here The way this was funded, parcel tax funding was for 3.8 elementary and charter music teachers. Under Prop 28, we were funding 4.4 VAPA slash music. So there was 1.0 elementary music teacher. 0.4 handwork 3.0 elementary VAPA teachers. And then we use some Prop 28 carryover to pay for 1.0 elementary VAPA. So if you look there, if you add that all up, it is ninth, what is it, four or six, seven, eight 9.2. So we had 9.2 teachers. Thank you, Kirsten. 9.2 VAPA slash music teachers this year. And that's the funding stream. If you look for next year

1262.6 elementary and charter music teachers. 4.4 VAPA slash music teachers, and out of that 1.4 elementary music, 0.4 handwork, 2.6 elementary VAPA, and then you notice that there's no funding there, no carryover, nothing funded from carryover So let me go to the next one so you can see. I think it stays there. Okay. The 1.0 elementary VAPA, that is the reduction from carryover being expended. I'm going to talk about, I'm going to get back to carryover at the end. The next one is with a 1.2 reduction voted upon by the Board of Education in January or February of 2026. So when the board voted to reduce Through that $6 million in reduction, 1.2 of those positions were from The parcel tax funds. And I'm going to get over here. Okay, so let's talk about parcel

127taxi. Okay. Measure D Was Petalma City Elementary School District maintaining excellence in schools Act of 2007, $75 per parcel annual tax. the allowable expenditures for Measure D were school libraries Reading specialists, music and art programs. Smaller class sizes, grades 4 through 6. Technology and computer instruction, and teacher recruitment and retention. So you notice here, when we talked about this back in January and February, parcel tax d was well overspent by a significant amount of money. And as a board, we said, what in here do we want to keep? Because It was I can't remember the exact amount how much it was bringing in 700,000, something like that. If I remember correctly. We said, okay, there were… I think we came up with at least four options. At least 4 options of what we could do

128here. And the one that rose to the top for everybody was option 3. And I think that was the recommendation from the budget advisory, and then it was also what the board approved. And that was Again, out of those priorities that I just read for measure D, the allowable expenditures, we decided from that parcel tax, we want to keep not we want to keep all of it, right? But from what it will actually fund the partial tax will fund. These are the top priorities that rose to the top for the board And for the Budget Advisory committee Keep 2.5 reading specialists Keep 2.6 FTE elementary music teachers. Keep 2.4 library assistants. So those are the assistants that run all seven of our elementary libraries Eliminate art supplies. So remember, this is out of parcel tax.

129I'm not talking about Prop 28. Eliminate 1.2 FD elementary music. Eliminate 1.0 reading specialists. Again, not because we want to, but because the parcel tax doesn't have enough money in it every year to fund all of the things that we have been funding for it. And so You can see here 1.2 FTE elementary music was reduced. Okay, so that is a reduction. So that is an elimination of positions, right? We noticed. So then So the summary, 1.0 reduction from the carryover being expended, 1.2 reduction voted on by the Board of Education in January or February of 2026. So if we look at the historical analysis again This year, we're at 9.2. Next year we're at 7.0. Why? One point elementary VAPO is being paid for with carryover. 1.2 is being paid for, was reduced from

130the parcel tax, not Prop 98, not Prop Parcel tax 1.2 reduction. Then when we look at it, from the notes that I have from Dave Fichera, who was the co-facilitator, I know with Aaron, the committee. And I know there's some disagreement about what was said or what was agreed on My understanding is for this year, we have 2.6 plus the 1.4. So what that would mean is 4.0 elementary music. 0.4 handwork. 2.6 elementary VAPA. For a total of 7.0. I would love to say, let's keep 9.2. Like, I'd like to see 10. I'd like to see 15 arts teachers, but from a funding perspective, and to balance our budget, that's where we're at. So now, before I get to the questions The bright spot here. So this is where it is a little bit tricky.

131If you look at this Prop 28 carryover line. We went from one point elementary Vapa down to nothing for next year. There will be some carryover. There will be some carryover for next year at elementary and at secondary. It's not going to be a lot… it's probably not gonna be a… it's certainly not gonna be as much as we had for this year, but we will have some. How much will it be? We won't know until I'm not as actuals So I can't sit here and tell you it'll fund A 0.4, a 0.6, I don't know. And we don't Amanda, do you want to expand on that? I just was going to add, as we were going through to separate the piece of the budget advisory committee who made the recommendations. So we did that

132piece of it. The other piece that we were talking about when we were bringing the resolutions for forward or HR brought them forward for reductions is positions that historically we had just rolled forward, but that we had used either restricted funding or carryover We hadn't been treating them as temporary each year. This year we did that through the resolutions, knowing like we may have additional funding, we may have carryover. We're going to notice them now in case we don't have it, and we're going to do everything in our power to see what we can bring back All year long, we said at the soonest the end of June, once we knew the budget, but likely not until July, like as hard as that was. So that VAPA 1.0 VAPA that was eliminated because it was

133carryover to fund that position That was part of the process the whole entire time. Now that we are almost adopting are proposing the budget. We now are looking at we have one more payroll runs, I believe, tomorrow once our final payroll, there's a supplemental the very beginning of July. We will start working on what our actuals for fiscal year 25-26 looks like, and then we'll have an understanding in July what we anticipate our carryover to be. We won't know our true carryover until August, September, once we have an audited actuals, but it will give us a better idea, along with the new restricted funding on what can be brought back Amanda, I don't want to put you on the spot, but I mean, we talked about this earlier today. Do you have any sense for

134the amount of carryover? You know, I don't not off the top of my head, and I didn't have a chance to put you on the spot because I think that's part of the crux of it is, like, if we know Even A ballpark. I mean, I just would love to have a ballpark of it because I think about we always thought it would be July like right because we don't want to give wrong information. And then so that's in this whole thing. No, I know. We will have it in. Yeah. I just think I hear the student and the parent, you know, talking about Art 3 and AP Capstone, and I mean, yes, we want to provide that. Yes, yes, yes, and maybe there's a way through once Casa understands that there is five sections

135that are tagged to Prop 28 to maintain that 80% balance They may be allocating it differently, like they may just say, oh, we thought these are just all plain sections. No, what 5 are actually tied to art? And maybe then we say, no, we have to… we got to bring this back. So that was my question, was that once you discuss that, which It sounds like Erica's gone for the summer. I don't. Yeah, she will on her out of office, she said she's gone. Maybe she's here for a while. She's back in early July because we are meeting about something else. So we definitely will make sure So what I'm wondering is if you if can this these positions come back at the for Apr. Art If it's one of the designated Proposition 28, who

136makes the who makes that decision about what goes into prop… what's being paid for by proposition 28? So is it the principal and an admin that decides student sign up, student interest, right? It's not section. Yeah, so that it is there a possibility that the AP art would be retained? I don't see why not. Okay. Okay, so then what do we do with our students? But I also don't want to say guarantee that that is going to come down. We can't guarantee it, but when would we know? Conversation with Erica's in July. I don't know, I just got an out of office that she's gone for the summer. I believe it's early July. I know she might I think that's just trying to help the students that are here that so that we can have

137some kind of clarity about when they might know whether this is a done deal or not. I feel like it's our responsibility to help them. Well, I think we're looking at a music teacher. The 2.6 elementary VAPA is already there, is already in the budget. Okay. Well, we just got this. figured out. So that'll be a function of Hr. To let that teacher know that we're bringing back 2.6 elementary Vapa. So Okay. Okay. July 6th so that We would be notifying teachers that are teaching it whether or not that section can go forward. Correct. In the middle of July. Correct. All right, thank you. Can I can You've already had your public comment. Well Can you speak to the secondary reductions? All right, we thank you. Yeah, I know we all have been around for

138a long time. Are you talking to me? Yeah, talking to me? Yeah, or whoever can answer that question about I did not do a deep dive into the secondary sections. All I'm all I What I found out is we have three prop 28 sections tagged to Petalma High School. Five Prop 28 sections tied to Casa Grande. Okay. If you want, I mean My goal was to get the elementary one. in place, because this is… this was the big topic of conversation, what was going on, what happened. This took quite a bit of time and tears. We can look at Secondary in the sort of the same way. This is what. So we wouldn't be able to get an update on that though until not for next week. Not until July. Do you think that also

139was given That's what we're checking, and it's… it… it's I think they're clear. I mean, we need to discuss this with the principal at CASA. Right, that's what we're discussing. The shoulders are one thing. Right now, we're trying to figure out… was attached, I think… I don't know if what's causes? So, Petaluma High, I… I believe, Gio, if you're watching, let me know if I'm wrong. Of the three sections last year I believe one of them, two of them are the same, and there was talk. I can't remember for sure, but maybe the third one Didn't have enrollment and then it was a different new class that hadn't been offered before. And that's Which is a BAPA, like an arts class. Yeah, and that's the rule is that it's new. Yeah, it's not supplanting. It's

140a new class, just like APR. It's a new class. Sure, but at a certain point, then it becomes a continuation. CASA has five sections. I'm going to call this This year, this year, they have five sections in next year's budget. The meeting that we haven't had to make sure that They weren't moved to Art 1, or I don't know, is that if there are five classes charged, they're like, I don't know what five classes are charged. That's what I was going to ask. That's what we I have to find out. Yeah. From last year for current year to see if they're in the new schedule that will need The principles to see what the plan is for the master schedule for next year. And if for some reason three of the classes are the same

141and two are not, it would be the same thing. Maybe they decided to not run two classes for whatever reason. It would need to be to a new classes. It wouldn't be we wouldn't take from classes already there. So maybe when Amanda, when do you think you'll have a better sense of the carryover? I know we talked about unadded actuals Sir. Like, will we have a sense of delay, or it won't be until September? Yeah, we… we all have an idea in July. We will have an idea for the July board meeting. So, oh, for the July board meeting. But then on the July board meeting, what you could do is say Hypothetically, there's enough for, again, X number of sections and secondary sections at elementary could then say We want to use all the

142carryover to bring back as much art as possible, knowing That carryover is carryover is just carry over one year. And so, but it could buy some time to bring back the classes That Some students are counting on right now, and then and also to message out to families and say, hey, this is going to be for one more year, or you could use half of it so that it lasts for two years, right? Then you kind of extend the length of it. I have a question about carryover, though. So it's good for one year, but then 28 gets refunded every year, right? Correct. Am I correct? Yes, but the carryover doesn't get refunded. No, I understand that, so I kind of think it's disingenuous to say it's only for one year when Prop 28 gets

143funded every year So No, no. So, if we went back to the slide deck here, right, the… I think it's I know this is an elementary as an example, but say it's From Prop 28, I think there was three about 3 or 3 point something. That's ongoing every single year you're going to get the carryover is just we had a lot of carryover. The reason we funded 1.0, the committee decided to fund 1.0 is because we didn't use a lot of the money the first year. Correct. Once you're using the Prop 28 money every single year You're not gonna have a bunch of carryover. Well, no, I understand that, but if you use carryover to fund a position, then the following year, we're going to get Prop 28 money again, so we can continue funding

144that position. Yeah I don't know if that's right, but That's my question. So I'm just going to use hypothetical number. So say the elementary schools re receive enough prop 28 funding for 3 teachers each year. Those 3 teachers are going to continue, or if or something else if one of them went away But with carryover, we're like in this year we have enough money with a carryover, so we'll have four That's if so then we kind of have to wait for the end of the year because maybe the teacher worked half of year, or maybe we received a little bit more money than anticipated because it was based off of enrollment. So We could potentially have some of the this left over the following year to bring this person back, but it's a temporary each

145year because the carryover isn't ongoing. So we have the 3 with ongoing, and then we have, unfortunately, this other position That we will fund as long as we can with the carryover, but at some point, as salaries increase Technically, Prop 28 will increase because it will receive COLA and it can change every year, but if the rate of increases in COLA, as we know, they don't match. So at some point, the carryover will go away, and we live in a world where Funding isn't increasing as much as our salaries are. We're going to be in the position that we were with the parcel tax, where we are funding more than the revenue brings in. So that's why it also we need To be an ongo… annual allocation that we're looking at annually, so we can

146be clear that not only do we have the funding for the current staff that continue forward, how much can we fund? How long can we fund the additional VAPA? Maybe it's enough for two VAPA FTE to be funded with carryover, and then the decision would need to be made, do you do two in one year, or do you know that carryover will be in year two, and maybe you keep one person for two years Those are all things that can happen with the carryover. We just need to make sure we don't want to guess what it is, what our carryover is going to be, and then be wrong and not be able to fund a position that we've now promised to have, we have the staff because they weren't that position wasn't eliminated, then it's

147coming out of our unrestricted general fund. So I think the first step, I'd recommend, so the first step is meeting with CASA, talking about the five sections that are tagged to Prop 28, seeing if that solves the problem with AP with the AP sculptures AP art. If not, then the first meeting in July take a look at Amanda then has a much better sense of what is the carryover going to be And do we want to spend it all in one year? Do you want to look at doing it over a couple years? What does it look like at secondary? What does it look like at elementary? It may fund another section or two or three. I don't know. I don't know what it is going to be at this point. But in July, we'll

148have a better sense, and then we can potentially add a section or two knowing that it's going to be The carryover sections will be temporary, not the ongoing sections. Right. So you don't know Which classes at CASA are being charged to Prop 28. Not off… no, I don't know what classes it is. I only have names. You know at Petalum High. Yes, because we met with the principal. Okay. So the other piece that I just wanted to touch on, which just makes it Petaluma City Schools a little bit more difficult is the secondary. Because it is a site allocation, the secondary schools pulled their funds together. So we have a Petaluma joint Union secondary, we have the elementary and then the charters each have their own allocation. They are not pulled in to either the

149elementary or the secondary. That's why when you see Valley Vista Public Waldorf, this will be their first year to receive prop 28 funding. Charters did not receive it, do not receive supplemental funds in their first year of operation. So we look at their enrollment in their demographics are very similar to Pengrove. We know that Penrove and Mary Collins Can each support a .4 FTE. So that's how we came up with the allocation for Valley Vista at the point 4. So they want handwork instead of music or something else. Yes. Okay, my question about that is So we submitted to the state our plan for Prop 28 for the whole district Because the individual schools did not want to have to go through all that. So am I right? Yeah. Okay. So Hand work was not

150part of that Plan So I don't think I will have to look back, but when you said it was a poll, it was a designation saying that you were going to do that. The original plan that you're talking about was part of the arts and music discretionary Block Grant The committee created that plan did not need to be submitted for Prop 28. The district is using that, but Valley Vista Charter School didn't exist when that plan was created. So I thought there was a Prop 28 district-wide plan There's a VAPA. Yeah, a VAPA plan. A VAPA plan For the district That that was submitted and approved. Submitted where? to the state. That was that was for arts and music. That was… that was for arts and music discretionary block grant. But then it for it

151was for Pop 28. Okay. At least that's that was my understanding that The district that the individual schools could either do it. Which would Contain a lot of paperwork. But your objection is that there's handiwork that's being funded through Proposition 28 to clarify, that's all. But I think the bottom line, right, is Valley Vista Public Waldorf Charter school, we approved a charter for a public Waldorf school. it didn't… they weren't… they didn't receive Prop 28 funds last year, because they're in their first year of operation. They receive it for next year. And what they want is to be able to fund the handwork. And so Yeah, thank you. Yeah, no, we don't. Okay. Okay. Yes. So any other discussion about any of this? But I do think, I mean, if you wait until have the

152conversation with CASA Number one and so get a sense for the carryover and you could potentially fund a few more sections. Things like that should have been done, but Can we get an update on that via email before the meeting on the 28th Like more like mid July. I mean, you won't be here. I don't know, can we get an update in writing before the 28th? Yeah, I'll send an email after the meeting. Okay, it would be really nice. Maybe we should move it back to the 21st. Yeah, well, because we want these students to know if they have this class or not sooner rather than later. I don't want to wait till July. Thank you. Okay, thank you. Okay. Good, good discussion. Okay, we are done with discussion items, future business. Any future business?

153An update. Okay. All right. All right. Meeting adjourned.