Special Board Meeting

001I okay e yeah for all how you s for Sora you're going to move over you're going to move down hello are you they're all thank you you hello Alan I'm I'm doing fine I hear I understand where you're yourself comfortable yeah that layout let see if I can get you some there hey okay calling the meeting to order at 7 pm uh marel can you help us please um with the roll call uh and before we start uh sorry Mar um welcome to everyone for uh thank you for being here um especially with such short notice I appreciate seeing each and every one of uh you here um we're going to go ahead and start with a roll call I just want to explain a little bit um and do our general procedure in

002the beginning and there will be an opportunity for um public comment on the Clos session in case you're wondering before we break out to close session uh so thank you for your patience and Mar can you help us with roll call please today is a special board meeting of March 19th 2024 at 7 p.m. members of the board and attendance president sorry president vice president Andres kto clerk Andrea Flor Shelton member Linda Chavez she uh let me know she's going to be late but she will be here member m fam present members of Administration assistant superintendent C Chang thank you uh now I will go on to the land acknowledgement uh Board of Trustees of the alen rock Union Elementary School District does hereby acknowledge that the district schools and Facilities sit on the traditional

003lands of the moek Malone people and the Board of Trustees further acknowledges with respect and reverence of the MMA alone people tribe of the San Francisco Bay area for their stewardship of the lands now please join me for the pledge of allegiance of Al okay thank you um we're GNA move into item 2011 approv School sponsored field trip list uh C I don't know if you have a update or anything um I know uh or Barb any specific other than approving field trips for our children we we just request that you approve these two outof County field trips so the students can have those experiences thank you thank you move to approve by vice president GTO second by trusty Flores Shelton all right um I'm gonna go ahead and open it up for comments from

004the public any members of the public wishing to address the board on these items please join us at the podium okay seeing none I'm gonna go ahead and uh you can't hear me oh no okay good question um so yeah any as I mentioned any members of the P public wishing to address the board on this item please join us at the podium okay seeing none we'll go ahead and move on uh go ahead and uh if any members of the public wishing to address the board on the school sponsored field trip list please join us at the podium sorry it's okay I'm I'm glad you all are here so right now we're on item 2011 approval of school sponsored field trip list seeing none I'll go ahead and bring it back to the board

005any questions or comments from the board just say good have a fun and happy and safe trip thank you thank you all right enjoy wait wait wait have a fun happy and safe you have to say bonage bage all right if if we approve so we're going to go ahead and bring it to the vote um all those in favor of approving this item please uh do so by raising your hand all right four uh four and uh Linda is absent so at this point it passes enjoy your trip uh now we're going to go ahead and move on to close session uh and I don't know C you're ready to make a a report out on the items or we can just read down the list trusty F if I may advise since I

006I I do see uh Mr Ro Helio Ruiz uh might I advise that uh Mr Ruiz report out sure uh Mr re would you like to join us on the podium and just uh report out I can hand you a copy of our agenda all right so um I don't know if everybody's gotten a chance to read the agenda so I want to honor you know and I will read down the the list um so we're going to be closing uh we're going to be going into close session and we will be um discussing items on the agenda um and I will read them just in case somebody didn't uh see those items or know of those items so uh 301 announcement and prople comments regarding items to be discussed in close session which is

007what I'm doing now item 302 recess to close session the board will recess to close session at approximately 7:05 uh Open Session will resume at conclusion of close session item 303 public EMP employee appointment title acting interim superintendent item 304 public employment title acting super uh interim superintendent item 305 Public Employee dis displine dismiss or release item 306 conference with labor negotiators agency designated Representatives C toico assistant superintendent of Human Resources uh Andor cbera Chang assistant superintendent business Andor Jess Cerna lead negotiator employee organization elmrock Educators Association so we will be closing um heading out to close session soon but before we do that now I'm going to open it up and invite all those who uh would like to make a public com on this item to line up here on the wall um

008join me on the p on the podium whoever's ready to speak um please join us and if we could do so quietly so we can give people the opportunity to speak I appreciate it thank you so much uh welcome and you could state your name please and uh hello board members uh my name is Martin Brooks I'm a 28-year veteran teacher from aptitude uh last Thursday over a hundred students boycotted school they decided this after meeting with the superintendent a couple days prior these students have been making the annual Caesar chz March their whole lives they know what they're doing the cost to our school and Ada money one day was staggering many of our most experienced teachers along with a large group of these families will ready to leave the district but on behalf

009of our community I would like to thank you the school board for your Swift and decisive action we are so pleased that the board is looking into systemic and strategic solutions to improve our schools and attract students dealing with the legal ethical and financial issues of providing a fair severance package to our ter terminated superintendent will be challenging you have your our sympathy and undeserved and uh unreserved respect and support thank you thank you good evening members of the board my name is Dela Gonzalez I am part of imp andus maker but I'm also parent of two students here at down R School District I am here to ask the board when making decisions that affect the ation of our children such as bringing a new interim or doing anything that will affect keep parents

010and students and atlet involved we have fought for 10 years to get resources to have a voice in commun in decisions around our kids for you guys to not let us have that voice this time I am here to urge this um board as you make your next decisions in involve the parents involve our children involve your students and protect the educational progress that we have done for the last 10 years such as EIC studies social emotional strategies reservatory Justice and parent engagement thank you have a really good night hi good evening my name is Maria Martinez I am a teacher here at Alam Rock and um I want to thank the for um making the difficult decision that had to be made uh we appreciate your service to the district and we know a

011decision has been made and we need to work together and look forward to a brighter future ahead here in Alam Rock um I look forward to um working as a teacher um alongside the community members um to make sure we are getting a superintendent who is going to exemplify the qualities we need to move our district forward so thank you very much hello uh my name is Danielle D Ambrosio and I've been a teacher at Lindale for 23 years so of course I know the board you guys have a huge decision about what what our needs are as far as an interim superintendent so my request would be that it's someone who knows how classrooms function in 2024 and also someone who could finish out this year in a strong and positive and organized way

012and also board members moving forward Ju Just remember that you all you're the superintendent boss so you you know you you hold a lot a lot of power as well and moving forward I'm also on the bargaining team and we are currently bargaining the next three-year contract and the day after the superintendent was let go uh sadly we had to cancel bargaining that day that would have been bargaining session number four but um moving forward I would like us to all be transparent and get it done quickly and efficiently and there's no reason this bargaining needs to drag out 20 sessions so we just canceled number four and we can definitely get this done you know in a quick and honest and transparent Manner and I look forward to that moving forward so thank you

013good afternoon my name is Claudia quo I'm an impu leader as well as a mother of the student in the alrock school district I am here to remind the board members that anytime you make a decision that will affect our children students and parents have the right to be involved as well as given transparency throughout the process especially when it comes to selecting a new superintendent for our district you have all the tools to support uh with clear and timely manner communication such as the aison barents Square apps emails texts and phone calls to Aid in all this I urge you all to be transparent with any new contracts given to a new superintendent and also ask you all be mindful of selecting an inm superintendent that will will be a neutral party to manage

014our district while the permanent position is filled thank you thank you thank the members of the board I'll be interpreting simultaneously for the parents okay so we have four minutes thank you for the aot of timeand hello my name is Maricella Hernandez I I'm a part I'm a member of UK and parent of to children who are in the AL School District I'm here to request the the trustees that when you take when you make decisions that affect the education of our children such as a new superintendent and a permanent superintendent think about think about the engagement of the parents the children students that it be a transparent process that's focused on parents students and to make a decision especially focused on a new superintendent that's all thank you good afternoon my name is Veronica

015and I am anduh leader and a mother of two alen Rock students as well I am here asking the board when making decisions that affect the education of our children such as bringing in the new interim and a permanent superintendent that you think about the involvement of students parent and allies that this new uh interim superintendent does not run for a permanent position because they cannot be engaging into long-term decisions also a transparent process where it allows parents and students to be involved and any other Ally that has made uh a push forward any of our recommendations as parents that we have worked with the previous superintendent also somebody that aligns with the values that we had set here in Allen Rock School District such as restore Justice uh such as parent engagement um as

016well as support systems for students with special needs um as well as um not being able to uh being able to provide extra resources on mental health and wellness support um again we ask for a transparent process and a process that centers parents and students in the decision making especially in hiring the new uh and permanent superintendent thank you hello my name is Rafael I am PL from aptitude I'm also representing several other PL from aptitude first off I would like to thank the board for listening to our concerns last Thursday as a school and Community we feel as aptitude has always been neglected in many ways thank you for giving us the opportunity to bring in more kids and make our school stronger now that we have the opportunity to make change in the

017district we need a leader that possesses several important qualities first we need a leader that not only listens but is responsive to our concerns we have been lacking a leader that with that quality for a very long time we need a leader who is proactive in keeping students in the district and keeping our schools open part of that is to make sure all of our schools receive Equitable funding we need a non-biased leader who looks at our schools equally and does the best for our students and Community we need a leader who invests money properly into our schools for example some of our schools need proper fencing signage new painting for the buildings and for the grass to be cut at aptitude our sign is broken and Faded Believe It or Not these kind of

018Aesthetics turn parents off from sending their kids to our school we need a leader who protects our children from various forms of abuse and does not ignore the issue we need a leader who is willing to work with parents to come up with pollutions and problem solving not someone who dictates and demands without considering what is best for our community finally we need a leader who is compassionate and truly cares for our kids and our community our children are the future they need to be treated as such thank you for listening to our concerns hopefully we can work together to build Alan back up again and make it stronger than ever good evening my name is Allison singani I'm a parent of two former alamro students uh from Russo mckinty and Renaissance Academy um who

019are now thriving at Independence um I came tonight to express some disappointment with the decisions around leadership change that were made without full transparency and without parent and Community involvement uh this district has a long history of parent and community organizing many of you have also been involved in the parent and Community organizing these parents in this community deserve to be involved in decisions about leadership uh my hope for the future uh is that the temporary uh superintendent the interim superintendent who's appointed tonight is a a custodian of that position a placeholder and that there is Broad Community engagement and Broad parent involvement in selecting a permanent uh superintendent to fill that role uh we have spent too much time too much energy as a community uh moving this forward and fighting for the positive

020change that our children need to to risk sliding backwards now so I I ask you to please consider that carefully and ensure that the community and parents are deeply involved uh and their children's needs are considered and selecting the next superintendent hello my name is esperans alejandres I am part of Po activos in somos um I'm here to ask the board when making decisions that affect the education of our children such as bringing in a new interm and then a permanent superintendent think about the development of student students also a transparent process that censers parents and students in decision making especially in the hiring of a new superintendent but also a neutral party that manages the Center District until a square is occupied thank you and have a good night good evening Bo um just

021hearing all the parents teachers and community members uh it's it's on it's on point that we uh listen to them and I'm here to support what the community is saying and to be honest with you all like the communication about the news um could could be better improved as well I would say that with all due respect you know I saw parents finding out through Facebook that there was a meeting today I saw parents asking if they got the information I know that yall doing your best during these uh times um but at the same time I think we need a um institutional approach to it on how we're going to ensure that this process and any big decision like this all parents and and relevant staff and Anders should be communicated um in a

022in a institutional manner so there's a system of communication that all parents should get they shouldn't find out through Facebook or through someone out there and I think that's just what will make Alam Rock better as well but to hear what people are saying in terms of a public process that is um something that we known this board to have done in the past we appla that process because a lot of districts might not follow that um for other positions for this one is critical and legal to have a public process and to go into deep Community engagement so that we find the right candidate that um we all wish to see and Lead um echoing what people talked about the Innovation that this school district has also done how do you continue that and

023also your Partnerships and someone that could bring resources back to this board it pains me to be at a county or city meeting and they don't mention Adam rock as a critical player someone that should be at a decision making table I hear about Franken McKinley and great for them I want the same thing for this board for this community um the last two things I will mention with my limited time is that this type of decision creates fear with staff how do you reassure them moving forward and I hope that you all can lead with a common vision and show us how to get out of this bad situation um in a collaborative thank you my name is Olivia Ortiz yeah I have been a parent in this District yes for 10 years very

024disappointed today about the decisions that the board took until now I hope we don't go back to years in the past where the community was not heard where this Bo thought that they had the power to do whatever they wanted to do today please I'm requesting when you make a decision any type of decision please involve the parents involve the students and the in the community in general especially in order to select this interim superintendent listen to the community here to make sure that you listen to the community in the past we've made you heard we in the past we made you listen to the community and we have to do it we'll have to do it again okay okay I want to thank Dr Bower publicly for all the work that she did here

025apologize I want to apologize for the way this process was done conducted for all the services that she has provided in the district at the end of the day I want to remind you we the parents the students we are part of this district and the district has made progress because of the parents and the students we hope the the process of all being the students the community teachers organ involving organ involving Community organizations um allies I hope that doesn't change H that you make decisions that that represent the families of alam have a good evening good evening board of directors my name is caman swona and I'm an arusd parent and a community resident but I'm also the vice president of sa philanthropy Silicon Valley program I'm here this evening to share our commitment

026to a newly refined economic Mobility strategy that requires an ecosystem approach in key priority communities including East and Downtown San Jose which includes the Allen Rock School District this ecosystem approach is to advance a strategy that is centered on children and families and their access to holistic educational and economic m Mobility opportunities and we understand that this requires public private Partnerships between private philanthropy and government entities as well as a robust nonprofit infrastructure we are proud to support several arusd Partners as our grantees which include the Valley Health foundation kadango and the c p Collective and many more who assist your students and families in having access to wellness centers Early Learning programs and critical Services Direct Services and other programs these were all an initiatives that were built over the last 10 years as

027you design and Implement your process for naming your interim and longer term leader I hope you reflect on the leadership that is critical to fostering these types of Partnerships values and attributes like stability Vision leadership transparency a spirit of collaboration and an ability to bring multiple stakeholders along while always centering equity and the children and families of this district and I will also say as a parent I think you have a very unique opportunity in this transition to once and for all bring many different types of parents together so that we're all working for one Alam Rock rather than pitting our needs against each other thank you thank good evening members of the board my name is Michael Elliott I'm the president and executive director of Valley Health Foundation just yesterday my organization with our

028partners at the county of Santa Clara announced that 33 schools in this County will receive funding to establish or enhance a month of the health Wellness Center on their school campus nine schools in this District were awarded those grants with over $3 million in funding we are exceptionally proud and privileged for the opportunity to serve your students these are largely federal dollars that come with lots of restrictions and deadlines so the stability of the district is very important to us so with that in mind I urge you to engage in a deliberate and inclusive process as you select your next leader engaging with your parent community and your teachers and everyone that's part of the Allen Rock Community and to do everything you can to support the staff that will be working very hard to

029move programs like these forward thank you very much good evening board members my name is Zia Rodriguez Diaz and I'm a teacher at adante academy as the board moves forward in selecting a permanent superintendent please consider electing a leader who truly understands the alrock community the needs of our students and someone who will help regain the respect and dignity we teachers deserve thank you good evening board my name is Danielle Letz and I'm a teacher at hubard media arts academy and I want to say I appreciate the difficult decision you had to make just this past week and I know there's been a lot of uncertainty about what this means moving forward um we need to take this opportunity as a step to move forward in the right direction and we're looking at an optimal

030optimal timing of where we can find somebody to be ready for this next school year as a new superintendent when we're looking for an interim superintendent we definitely need somebody who can communicate with staff Community families and who can establish that trust because there is definitely uncertainty right now and as we move forward just keep those lines of communication open um we don't want those to break down thank you good evening my name is Veronica Talton I'm a performing arts teacher at Joseph George middle school and also at Lindell Elementary School I'm a member of the Santa Clara Alliance Santa Clara County Alliance of black Educators and also the African-American community service agency and I rise tonight and speak in honor of Stefon Clark I stand full uh fully committed to africanamerican the African-American community

031and I want to remind the board once again as I do regularly to support African-American students Educators and community members I have experienced harm as as have some of my students in this District but I want to say flat-footed black lives matter and in this District in 2020 a black lives matter in school resolution ution was passed and I will remind the board that we matter in this this community as well I'm one of only two that I can see in this community right now but when I uh when my students enter my classroom they see a sign that says you are seen you are heard you are valued you are cared for you are creative and you are a community and regardless of what we look like on the outside we are familiar we

032are family and I want to share from this book called change sings and the final moments that I have by Amanda Gorman and this book says I'm a chant that rises and Rings this is Hope where my change sinks I also walk our differences to show we are the same I'm a movement that Roars and springs there's a way where my change sings change sings where there inside me because I'm the change I want to see we are the waves starting to spring for we are the change we sing these are the words of Amanda Gorman California poet Laur and Bor thank you for the hard decisions that you've had to make thank you hello board my name is um dilia I am a parent here at alamro school district and um the thing I

033want to mention as other parents I mentioned before is that the interim superintendent should not be the Perman um the last time we had an interim superintendent who was Steven fist in 2012 he then became the permanent superintendent and um and then when he retired Dr Bower came in so we need to make sure that we have a voice in this because when we had an election when anest quit and we had an election here uh not even election we had a an appointment a a thing for uh for our new um board member one of the things that was taken off was um bylaw 9223 and this that one specifically irked me and it mind knew we were still on Zoom because it said the one that that took away was was a special

034meeting one week before appointment and this was taken out and this was never considered and the one thing it says the community will provide an opportunity to provide public comment to express what applicant characteristics will be important to them in the selection process that was completely taken out we had no voice as as the public to say anything about how we're going to elect the next board member the next it was because we need to do it quickly we need to do it quickly and the thing is it was on March 29th you could have done it in a week because it would have been March 3rd and the next board meeting was not until March 9th which means you had that week you just chose not to do it so if you're honest about

035this I don't want to see 9223 being used we want transparency this is what transparency it looks like do not use any of these bylaws any of the legal tactics to not have our voice in this new position thank you good evening trusties my name is Delinda mendosa I am a teacher at adalante and I'm here tonight um for you um asking um that when you consider the new interim superintendent that you look at someone who understand the various departments in the district also this new interim superintendent should understand how the classrooms in the schools function in 2024 um we need a interim superintendent who understands and is knowledgeable on alumrock schools and needs to um listen to students families and Community as you hire the new superintendent please consider um a person who um

036has the understanding of how classrooms and schools function and 2024 they should be upto-date in current practices and pedagogy cell needs cultur culturally responsive teaching and learning promote anti-bias training for diffic for faculty and staff and Trauma informed teaching and know how to support students um currently sitting in our classrooms some of the qualities that we would like to see in the new superintendent include trusting their employees to do the job they were hired to do be transparent use understanding um of implications of decisions know the inner workings of school district be student centered understands Partnerships with labor groups communicates with staff and Community is a problem solver who seeks Solutions sees people for who they are is a leader and not a manager and someone who is trustworthy thank you thank you to the

037board thank you to my members that showed up I see a lot of area people I have someone members in the hall as well I'm Alan Dory I'm a business agent I represent the Keers bargaining unit here I've been here for about 17 years I was really happy to see this board come in I'm not happy right now what you guys did last week was shameful there was no transparency and whether it was legal or not you had an obligation to the bargaining units to the children in this District to the students to the parents to the teachers to everyone in this community and you guys did not do what you should do so if it wasn't illegal it was still shameful and you should be embarrassed for those of you that voted to eliminate

038the superintendent it was done without any notice whatsoever right now the state budget is about 80 million dollars in debt and and right now billion rather excuse me they're looking at a a budget cola this year for less than 1% the next couple years will be two or 3% to Hope okay how do you get through those times right now School service is talking about how to have furlows how to have layoffs and all these different things how how do you cut en close schools so we had a steady leader Dr Barra went out there to the Latino community and there was a time that she was actually getting people back in at a time when most of districts around here were suffering for declining enrollment and we're back to declining enrollment now because people

039that work in Sant say they don't live here anymore they can't afford it Dr Dr Bower she was able to bring funds to this District by doing it she's been a steady capable leader that's what we needed and by the way there was transparency when you hired her the community knew what you were doing and if you pick an intern tonight the community don't know what you're doing you guys did something underhanded and sneaky I i' apologize except it's not warranted it's not warranted Teamsters are here tonight we're we're asking for you to help protect labor peace because that's what she brought us we want you to resend your vote if you're going to vote her out again then do it in public do it properly do it in a way that is not underhanded

040thank you very much good evening my name is yaroas and I'm a product of Alan Brock Unified School District I grew up in East San Jose and today I am here to speak on behalf of kadango kadango has been a strong partner of Alan for two decades offering proven prek and child care services that prepare Alan Brock Unified School District children for success in school while allowing their parents to work to work and afford to stay in the area we hope the school board will consider an open process that includes Community input in its election of a new president and of a new superintendent we also want to offer our gratitude to Dr Bower for her steadfast leader ship that strengthened and stabilized Alan Rock for a decade we look forward for our continued partnership

041with the district as we ensure every Alan Brock child has access to Quality preschool and Child Care thank you thank you um good evening uh uh trustees uh my name is Victoria partia I am a parent at Adelante too and I ask you I ask that you are involving the par the parents in the next phase of the our district tonight tonight's meeting is an example of what you should not be doing going forward I was notified through this meeting um just that somebody mentioned through Facebook um no no message on parents Square no email no nothing I would expect more Outreach and engagement to parents and students for decisions that will impact our children's education thank you good evening board member board president I made it um I um am sympathetic to the tough

042decisions that you have to make and I know that um it's challenging I've been um Affiliated in part of alrock since the 80s when my kids went here and alrock has gone through turbulent times before but it's very resilient comes out on the other side doing very well we have an excellent staff teacher staff community so what we would ask is um when you do go out for your superintendent search that you do include everybody which would be the union members the community the parents staff everybody in the select one and I don't envy your challenges that you face thank you good evening community and Schoolboard members I'm here to emphasize the critical need for selecting a permanent superintendent who embodies qualities of culturally responsiveness or cultural responsiveness effective communication with the community and proactiveness

043especially with a recognition of multilingualism as a valuable asset the decision-making process regarding this has exact exacerbated instability within our schools adding unnecessary strain to an already challenging environment as a relatively new teacher in my third year of service I have encountered firsthand the repercussions of this instability and it is a burden that no educator no parent or student should bear I implore the board to prioritize the selection of a superintendent with a proven track record in fostering a positive School culture thank you for your attention to this pressing matter good evening my name is Joselyn Ms as most of you know I recently retired after 35 years in alumrock this is my first time back in this room so like little stressful um the last 13 years I was our area president um I

044am here tonight because I deeply care about the future of this district and this community I mean I walk in here and I mean these people are like family that are part of the community um during my time in alumrock I have seen more than 10 superintendent come and go through this District uh some of them more than once um sometimes they left by choice and sometimes it was a decision made by the elected Board of Trustees what I have learned is that things may not always be as they appear to the general public especially when the change comes as a surprise such as was the case this last week I trust that the board majority who made this decision based their actions on what they believe to be in the best interest of the

045education of the students in Alam Rock I also have confidence that their decision was not made lightly nor was it based on any personal benefits or political preferences tonight the same board has the job of turning this recent difficult decision into an opportunity to select an interim superintendant in doing so please take into consideration some of the following qualities that we would like to see someone who understands respects and supports the needs of our students staff and Community someone who has experienced and works well with labor unions both in spirit and action someone who is honest and has integrity and someone who listens with an open mind thank you thank you nor hello my name is Norma P I'm a parent of a student at aptitude we're here to thank the the the board for

046the support given to the community especially for the support given to the leaders at aptitude we want to let you know that we are ready for the change the only thing that we are asking for have a superintendent willing to work as a team with the community we certainly know that in all schools there is adversity but when there is a solid team with the same purpose everything can be overcome and for some reason it doesn't become overcome at least you'll have the satisfaction that we tried we tried everything possible and impossible we want somebody to celebrate our achievements and our failures and I say goodbye thanking you extremely what you what you uh put in what you plant is what you sew which is always good evening uh my name is Elo Rodriguez and

047you well know me from now you know because I been come and talking to you most of the time uh I want to be direct about what I have to say I don't want to elaborate so many stuff or anything I just want to say to you that whatever is Hur in our community that is important let's work to take care of them to watch after them do whatever you need to do change of of our superintendent or whatever need to do have to be somebody who is well equipped to take care of the community as well as take care of you guys because I know you guys doing a great job and you're done doing the best for our community and I appreciate the things that you are doing we are I'm looking forward

048and I'm well prepared to make these changes with a new superintendent that is going to be taken over in any way I'm not here you know to attack anybody or anything like that but I just want the best for our community and for all of us thank you so much thank you good evening um members of the board my name is Tom Fu on behalf of Teamster I wanted to um say um that you know Teamster's been working with the district for so many years and for for myself as a member um union representative I've been here you know past on my 24th year here working as an employee and 12 years as a uh representative but uh this evening I want to address the board that you know the decision that you made last

049week uh really affected us as a bargaining unit and um it was caught by surprise and that you know nobody expected um what I have here in my hand is a petition signed by our members uh not all the members uh got the notice um you know uh because of the late notice that was given about this board meeting um I have here a quarter of the members that signed a petition to have Dr B put back in her position and that uh you know we need we need a leadership that's stable to to bring us through this tough time I know the uh you know the state is having a difficult budget issue that you know at this time uh moving on with a interim or new superintendent it's it's going to be a

050difficult decision for you to make but what I want to do is give you this petition for record so that you know on behalf of Teamster we we support the superintendent and uh at the same time we'll be working with uh the board to you know move forward in this process and uh I thank you on the bottom of my heart that uh Teamster here to stay and support Youk you thank you uh thank you ladies and gentlemen my name is Danny Garza I'm president of the Plata Royal neighborhood association just outside of your District but my Knack my neighborhood act uh my my neighborhood advisory committee has your children in it that's why I'm here I also represent Mayfair Arbuckle Cassel and Capitol Park over 68,000 kids people here in Alam Rock okay now

051I urge you not to be full fooled by by the teamsters and they 20 people 40 people I don't know you know like I said I'm a retired iron worker 30 years but the decision was made there was a vote and now we move on and just to be clear I may be one of the last to speak but the other people you heard today said the same thing thank you good evening members of the board my name is Sandra AA the area president and it's clear tonight to see that bargaining units in this District are treated differently because area is in full support of the decision that the board made and we're looking forward to the process for moving forward the decision that was made has been made and now we need to work

052together looking forward for a brighter future ahead this is the optimal timing to select a new student super intendent to be placed by the beginning of the school year and we need to begin this process ASAP there have been signs that the district needed a fresh new start and area believes that the board took the appropriate actions to help Alam Rock move forward and to help the students teachers families and Community into our next stage of this journey we would like to ask that during this time that we be transparent we need an interim superintendent who understands the various departments who is knowledgeable with the alumrock schools the needs of the students families and community and also one that is willing to work and do the job that they are asked to do we're not

053looking for a stepping stone we want an interim as an interim and a superintendent that's going to come as a superintendent we need a superintendent who has an understanding of our classroom school function in the 20 2024 they should be up to dat with the current practices pedagogy seal needs cultural responsive teaching and learning promoting anti-bias training for faculty and staff trauma informed teaching and know how to support students who are currently sitting in our classrooms area is behind you thank you we look forward to moving forward together and we support thank you okay seeing no other public comments um any questions or comments from the board I would ask if uh you wouldn't um be able to ask General uh our Council to explain why it is that we have to uh go to

054recess into close session because a lot of questions have been raised and I think it would be beneficial for the public to know the legal requir go ahead and ask him directly is that what's that so I I can repeat it would you like me to ask him Council would you be able to explain why it is that we have to uh recess into close session in order to uh talk about these Personnel matters thank you roio yes Personnel matters are confidential matters and they have to be discussed in Clos session to maintain their confidentiality so if there are any actions an inclose session they'll be reported out at the end the law requires that correct that's correct thank you for explaining that thank you for clarifying that uh any other clarifications comments from the

055board uh Linda I just want to thank everybody the teachers area the unions all for coming out and thank you we are listening to your voices and we appreciate you being here thank you okay any other questions or comments just as the board president is been one of the toughest 4 days as as board trustee um and I want to assure you again you know I've been able to speak to the media I've been able to talk to some of you I was able to send them you know letter as soon as I could that I you know our our our board maintains steady and we will legally do what we need to do stepping forward with the decision that's been made with a majority of the of the of the board um you know

056we get to move forward and I look forward to continuing to see the parents the community our stakeholders involved um and all coming together with a common Vision uh on behalf of our children our families and our staff so I look forward to seeing you again and contining to see packed uh rooms like this in our future board meetings thank you e at [Music] 930 8 my glasses I think I need glasses now uh PM um at this point said um Rio if you can please uh report the actions taken in close session close session item 3.03 Public Employee appointment uh interim superintendent uh the board took an action to I board took an action unanimously to appoint Dr ime almazan as interim superintendent of the district effective March 26 24 also close session item

0573.06 the board unanimously took an action to appoint the assistant superintendent of Human Resources uh as the senior lead negotiator in area negotiations there are no further actions to report thank you at this time I Jour the meeting at 9:39 p.m. thank you welcome Dr am next time