BUSD - Board Meeting - 1/15/26

001One, two. the green light. >> Everything I said except What's the donut? We're set. >> All right. Fantastic. >> Good evening and welcome to the regularly scheduled uh meeting of the Bonsil Unified School District Board of Trustees. Happy New Year. Glad to see a full room. Thanks for being here. Uh we'll start with the roll call with our student board representative. >> Einom present. >> Erica here. Uh Rachel Dumbrossski here, >> Roger Merchett here, Michael Gatis here, >> and Lissa Anderson here. We are all accounted for. And uh if I could have everyone stand up. And we're going to have uh Melody Burns. She's from Bonsel Elementary School. She's going to be leading us in the pledge of allegiance today of the United States of America and to the stands. One nation under God, indivisible,

002with liberty and justice for all. >> You may be seated. Thank you so much, Melody. It's always nice to have when our students themselves are here and able to engage in some of the board governance. Uh what we're going to do now is uh report on closed session. Uh in close session, the board took action to approve final settlement agreements and general releases and special education matters involving students and the district identified as OA case numbers 20250339 and 2025080997. These settlements represent a compromise without admission of liability by the district. Under the terms of the agreements, the district will take certain actions, including providing and funding agreed upon educational services and supports. In exchange, the parents in both matters have agreed to release all claims against the district through the effective dates of the agreements.

003Each matter has been resolved collaboratively through the settlement process, avoiding the need for a due process hearing. Upon a motion by Trusty Merchant and a second by Trusty Dumbrossski, the motion passed five to zero. Sorry, everyone can hear me. The board also considered the appointment employment evaluation of performance discipline or transfer of u or dismissal of employees government code 54957. We also discussed our position regarding collective bargaining with the bonsel teachers association in the California school employees association chapter 703 in order to direct the superintendent as chief negotiator in the matter of BTA and CSEA CSSEA contracts. And uh also regarding uh public performance evaluation uh per government code 54957, the superintendent evaluation. And that brings us now to the um approval of the current agenda. Is there a motion? >> Motion to approve. >>

004Is there a second? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Motion carries unanimously bringing us the to the minutes of the board study session on December 3rd as well as the annual organizational meeting of December 11th and the regular meeting of December 11th. Is there a motion to approve? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously. And that brings us to our report. So Dr. Heather if you can uh share your superintendent's report, that would be fantastic. Good evening, esteemed board members, Mrs. McCannernney and B USD community. It is January 2026 and I am very pleased to welcome all of you and to wish you a very happy new year. This is a big year. Many of you know that this July 4th, 2026 marks the

005250th celebration and anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And if you didn't know that, it'll be a big celebration this July. It's also the year of the Firehorse, which if you were not aware, is a year that signifies intense energy, passion, transformation, and change. And internationally, we have the FIFA World Cup, USA, Canada, and Mexico. Super excited about that one. And the Winter Olympics in Milano, Cortina. So, lots to be excited about in 2026. And here in Bonszel Unified, we of course continue our focus in 2026 on what it truly means to belong, believe, and achieve. And that means we continue to focus on our most precious resource and that's our students. The reason we are all here. I am so so lucky as you know that I get to visit our

006campuses every day. Everywhere I go I am continually impressed by the way our students greet us, greet any guests actually as just such wonderful representatives of our district. They greet with kindness, with politeness, and just a genuine beautiful spirit. And here I just wanted to start, of course, with some of the sweet faces. This is a PE class at SMS. You're going to get to hear a lot more from their principal, Angie James, tonight, but I wanted you to see their sweet faces to be reminded of why we're here. And on the right, what I particularly like about this picture with our BHS girls basketball team is that the team is bigger than it normally is. And almost all of those students are three sport athletes. So talk about belong, believe, achieve. That is very

007impressive. All of that, as you know, is a reflection of our BUSD vision, mission, and values. And I'd love, per usual, if Isa would remind us of our vision and our mission. Can you read both of those for us? Thank you. Our BSD vision is that all students in Bonsil Unified School District engage in rigorous and relevant learning experiences that inspire them to be productive community members and future ready lifelong leaders. And our mission of course is that we empower all students to thrive in a positive, safe and supportive environment through high quality education focused on the whole learner. Thank you so much. As we know, this framework guides our student centered decisions and prioritization on a daily basis. Now, at the beginning of the year, I also like to start with a little note

008of appreciation. There are so many things that we could recognize, individuals, events, programs, efforts, all which exemplify our vision and our mission. So today I'm just going to focus on a few patterns that I've noticed and patterns that I really believe anyone observing our BUSD community would recognize. I've noticed care when the work is heavy. Care that goes far beyond job descriptions. I see it every day. I've noticed grace, patience, collaboration with students, families, with each other. I've noticed belief in that what we do matters. and I think everyone else would see that as well. And I just wanted to state at the beginning of the year here that I am deeply grateful to serve this community. I am also deeply grateful to serve alongside a school board that prioritizes our students, that honors our

009vision, mission, and values. And in case you weren't aware, January is school board member appreciation month. So, I want to take a moment to thank our board of trustees for your incredible commitment to our students, our staff, our community. I'm going to ask Miss Gina to pass something down to all of you. um a little proclamation, but I wanted to just state publicly that your leadership, your advocacy, your partnership, they are absolutely crucial to ensuring that we continue to meet the me the academic, social, emotional, the overall well-being needs of every child in Bonso Unified, especially during challenge. Your service provides the foundation. It allows our district to thrive, and we are deeply grateful for your dedication to public education. I wanted to share that this morning I had the privilege of touring the newly

010renovated North County Fire Station 4 with our Bonsel Rotary Club and I got to hear from Chief McReynolds who you've seen before this board is an incredible asset to our entire community and I wanted to state that their values at North County Fire resonate deeply with ours especially the shared value of service and he shared this motto which I think you can see there. It's a motto that's pretty um famous for a lot of firefighters and it states, "We are not here for me. We are here for we and we are here for them." And in our case, of course, the them that's our students. So, I want to thank you for all you do as a board, for our students in our community. Gina passed down a proclamation that's just formally indicating that we

011are declaring January 2026 as schoolboard appreciation month and it will be entered into the record for tonight's meeting. So I hope that everyone can join me in a round of applause for our board members. Now, another great example of each of our BUSD values is our very own California Teacher of the Year. Now, as you know, as we've been publicizing this highly because it's really exciting. There are over 300,000 teachers in the state of California. Only nine of them are recognized as either a California State Teacher of the Year or a finalist. And our very own Mr. Greg Hincha from Bonsel High School is one of those nine. Last Thursday we were um up in Sacramento and we got to attend a gala recognizing Mr. Hinchliff and the rest of the teachers of the year.

012And last night, that was last week. Last night, we attended the school board meeting for San Diego County Office of Education where he was recognized yet again. And today he was presented with a resolution from Assembly Member Deio's office. We are so incredibly proud of him and the ways that he represents Bonsel Unified. Last night, I can't tell you how I was just beaming and I know Principal James was there and Miss Ariano was there. We were just beaming with pride and he shared such an eloquent statement that we asked if he would be um willing to come and share it with you uh our school board. So, I'd like to call up Mr. Hinchliff to share some words. Thank you so much, Dr. Golly. Good evening, everyone. Um, Miss Gina, esteemed board members. Uh,

013I wanted to speak briefly this evening regarding this recognition as California Teacher of the Year finalist. I've had the opportunity to address the San Diego County Board on two occasions now, and so it felt important that I could um share this moment here with our Bonso board as well. Um, and how fitting that this comes during schoolboard recognition month because without your leadership, your trust, and the support of our schools, uh, this recognition would not have been possible. Um, Trustee Dumbrski, it's nice to meet you. I know we haven't met formally, but as you can tell already, you're joining a remarkable remarkable group of other trustees, and I look forward to working with you. Um during my addresses to SDCOE, I shared a little bit about myself, the hidden gem that is our Bonszel community

014and um some of the things that um really uh we were able to accomplish um coming here just from Bonzel. Um the first uh thing I shared was regarding a trip up to Sacramento where I had the opportunity to present to the state board of education on our Native American studies model curriculum. and I had the opportunity to bring a community member with me and a student as well to make sure they could participate in that experience too. And I'm happy to say that that curriculum is now available statewide uh for districts across California, TK through 12 interdisciplinary subjects um to access and to be able to indigenize some of the content at their schools. Uh more recently I returned from a different trip to Sacramento um at the California Teacher of the Year Gala

015where I was truly humbled to represent uh Bonsel Unified among so many other passionate educators and policy makers. Um so I just wanted to take some time during this process to really engage in a lot of the reflection that got us here. And when I think of this award, I'm reminded of some of the professional development we've done, some of the conferences we've attended. One of the big ones was the San Diego annual equity conference um which was kind of the lynch pin for so much networking as well as the um connections we were able to make for our mural that's now on uh the BHS campus. And so the motto of that conference is equity is love and action. And I think what this recognition really shows is all of the little actions um

016and big actions that devoted teachers like the ones in our school district are making every day in the classroom. Um it's a reflection of a lot of the projects that our students are engaging in. I can think of um a student from last year advancing to the speech and debate state championships for the first time in BHS history and now coming back every week to help mentor our speech and debate team. Um really trying to build on a program that's focused on belief, consistency, and message that leadership doesn't just end when you get that diploma. Uh it's also a reflection of students confidently interviewing journalists after being featured in local media like ABC10 or the Village News um through deliberate instruction on media literacy that treats young people not just as consumers of information but

017as critical thinkers and civic participants. And finally, it's a reflection of a student who now holds a keepsake that carries her grandmother's voice made possible through an oral history project in Native American studies. One that honors identity, memory, and indigenous ways of knowing. But ultimately, this is a reminder of what becomes possible when education is place-based, community centered, and culturally responsive. And that's a commitment that I carry forward every day, continuing to learn, to listen, and to work alongside my students, my colleagues, and my community. So just to wrap up um thank you again Dr. Gy, thank you board members um thank you to the Bonsil unified team uh for believing in me, supporting my growth and helping to cultivate me into the educator that I am today. Thank you >> again. Congratulations. We are

018so proud and uh can't wait to see what comes this year because those examples he just gave are all things that I think you probably did in your class last year. Um so so keep that up. We're very very proud. Okay. I'd also want to share that later you're going to you're going to hear a little bit more about recent accolades from our schools and from our um other efforts that we've been that we've been having. But I wanted to share just a few January highlights before we move to some really important recognitions for people that are sitting behind me. Uh first, Bonsel West and our community engagement team hosted an incredibly well attended awesome family game night. And as a family that loves board games and just games in general, it was really wonderful

019to see all of the engagements, the first I'm sure of many. Families really loved it. We also had our community engagement team. They've been very busy. They hosted a BHS and SMS parent workshop and they are doing really a wonderful job of engaging our families and our parents. I also wanted to point out that on the um level of engagement, we are also hosting parent and community forum. Next one is January 21st at 5:00 pm. This is more related to facilities and our our trustees have all agreed to um plan a town hall in their trustee area and I really applaud you all for doing that and for your transparency and opening up the lines of communication. We've sent those out districtwide and we're going to continue to publicize those. on the level of staff

020engagement. This past Monday we had um an awesome professional learning and collaboration day and I wanted to highlight that we offered really customized sessions and we need to make sure we continue to do that. Different employee groups got to focus on things that were really meaningful to them in their roles. We had the mirth math Irvine project for elementary teachers. We had CPI training, Jane Schaefer writing. We had targeted PD for child nutrition services, for custodians, for bilingual interpreters, for our TK pair professionals and daycare providers, school site, district office staff, and elementary special education. And in addition, in addition, we had an all staff session at the beginning of the day that was focused on our two major initiatives for this year and gave staff an opportunity to provide some feedback. The first one

021of course is our facilities planning and in this we are working to ensure that our spaces match the quality of our teaching and the needs of our growing community. We provided updates to the staff. They took a survey. We were gathering more of their feedback and gave them that opportunity to engage. And we also were able to update them on a second major initiative, which is where we are with the development of our five-year strategic plan that we're calling True North 2030. And that's how we make sure that our decisions about space, programs, and resources are actually implemented, and that will move us toward the future we want for our students. We gave them an update. We gathered feedback and we're really excited to tell them that next week on January 22nd, we're pulling together

022a design team writing group session. And their emphasis, this smaller team, is going to be to take all of the language of our draft outcomes, big moves, and success metrics. Refine those drafts for clarity, alignment, coherence, and spend some time identifying assets we have, barriers we have, defining those clear, actionable next steps. And we're very excited for that. And we're very excited because right after that we should be getting ready to be able to bring it to the board for approval so that we can launch into that True North 2030. Okay. So some great developments and now I am very excited to move into a few more very important um recognitions. So first an exemplary community partner recognition. I would love to call forward I know I saw Chamber of Commerce CEO Ruthie Harris and

023any other chamber members that she brought with her. Can you please come join me at the podium? Yes, you and Clappel are walking up. And now I get to say nice things about you. It is such a pleasure to recognize this outstanding community partner. They've served the Bonsel community and partnered with our district since 1990, I think. Right. And this is the Bonsel Chamber of Commerce. I'd like to share a little bit about this exceptional organization. They provide networking opportunities, access to resources and information, and they serve as a strong and unified voice for local businesses. And this is obviously especially important in a small, close-knit community like Bonsel. through their advocacy for economic development and small business support. They play a vital role in strengthening our community and in promoting long-term prosperity. Did you

024know you did all that? Yes, you do. You do. They're also an incredible partner for Bonsel Unified School District. They consistently bring our community together through meaningful and well-loved events. Bonso fall festivals, first responder recognition events, the annual Christmas tree lighting, and this year we're so grateful for the partnership. This has grown every year, we get to co-host and and plan a Patriot Day celebration of local heroes and first responders. And this year, well, not this year because now we're in 2026, but in 2025, we had an incredible event, the Bonsel Bridge Centennial Celebration, spearheaded, run by the Bonsel Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with us and with other organizations. And it was an opportunity to honor our history while uniting generations of residents, families, and students who were there. It was incredible. Okay. Through

025these efforts and their ongoing collaboration, the Bonsel Chamber of Commerce creates these powerful opportunities for our students to engage in civic life, build community pride, and connect with local leaders and mentors. So, we're super grateful for your partnership and for all the ways you uplift and strengthen our community. I personally love working with you and I can't wait to see what we're planning for this year. It's just January, so we've got a lot to accomplish and especially competing with America 250 and all of the other things that are happening. Um, can't wait to see what comes. Thank you for being a truly exemplary community partner. >> And this is a beautiful certificate of Okay. And one more very special recognition. And I'm sure you saw some of the sweet faces of some truly incredible students.

026Talk about representing us. Well, I'm going to ask Dr. Veronica Pendleton to come up for this next recognition. >> Thank you, Dr. Yes. So, I'm gonna go ahead and call up uh Principal Forney. Principal Forney and all our ambassadors to come up front and be recognized. >> And Mrs. Hunt. Yes. Look at this. You guys can see face the board. Yes. Okay. So strong strong school communities are built when students are empowered to lead and serve others. At Bonszel Elementary School, this belief comes to life through the fifth grade ambassador program which provides students with meaningful opportunities to model leadership, responsibility, and service while supporting a safe and welcoming campus environment. The fifth grade ambassador program began in 19 in 2019 with um when Bonso Elementary School campus officially became a closed campus and Principal

027Forney realized that younger students needed help navigating the campus. With the support of her fifth grade teachers, student leaders were chosen to stand at the school gate in the morning to be present and provide comfort to much younger students by walking them to their classrooms. As this initiative has grown over the years, it not only provides students and families with a sense of support and security each morning, but it also creates meaningful leadership opportunities that fos foster a positive, welcoming, and inclusive environment. Aligned with the leader inme curriculum for all students, the program encourages responsibility, service, and student voice and helps create a strong sense of belonging throughout campus. All ambassadors are fifth grade students who have actually applied to participate at the end of their fourth grade year. And under the guidance of the

028school counselor, Miss Hud, Megan Hud, ambassadors are organized into three leadership teams. each team with a specific role and responsibility. Ambassadors on the spirit team, for example, support school spirit by helping plan and promote spirit days, leader and me assemblies, and schoolwide activities that encourage positive participation and school pride. Ambassadors on the welcoming committee greet students in the morning and assist in walking students to class, supporting both new and returning students and starting their day feeling safe and connected. And ambassadors on the morning announcement team deliver daily morning announcements, sharing important school information while developing public skill and communication skills. All ambassadors on our camp on their campus support needs as they arise throughout the school year. Service activities include helping with holiday celebrations in special education classrooms, supporting transitional kindergarten, kindergarten students, and kindergarten

029students with creating holiday cards, and helping with various schoolwide events. Through these efforts, these ambassadors contribute to a caring and inclusive and wellorganized campus environment while gaining experience that prepares them for increasing leadership responsibilities as they will soon transition to our middle and high schools. The ambassador program has a positive impact on both participating students and the on our broader community as well. Students develop leadership skills, confidence, and empathy while serving as roles role models for younger peers. As ambassadors prepare to transition into future leadership roles through ASB programs at our middle and high school levels, they carry forward a strong foundation of service, inclusivity, and student ownership in continuing to strengthen school culture and fostering a shared sense of belonging across Bonso Elementary. Today, the ambassador program stands as a meaningful example of student

030leadership in action. And for that, we thank you, Miss Hud and Me and Miss D. Miss Hut. So, Miss Megan, they do. So we recognize in recognition of fifth the fifth grade ambassador program at Bonsa Elementary School for empowering students to lead, serve, and make a meaningful impact on their school community. We want to recognize you today. Thank you, Megan. You guys want to move over there? If you can't see me, I can't see. Oh my goodness. >> Fifth grade ambassadors, hang out for one second. I'll tell you why in just a minute. I just want to echo because when I'm standing at the gate and I see all of you when we have t, you know, little students and they're coming in and they're so upset sometimes because they just don't want to leave

031their parents. No offense parents, but sometimes they just they're not quite ready. And the way you represent great students, take them to their class. I have seen the magic. You are truly doing wonderful things. Now, I know that the board is going to be moving into I think a recess right after this. So, if you would like parents to have a little photo opportunity, especially with board members, we're going to be moving into a recess where you can do some of that. and then after that we'll proceed. So I'll let um President Anderson share. >> So at this time we're going to take a brief recess. U the agenda is fairly light and we have lots of wonderful young people here. So uh the time is now 6:37. We can reconvene at 6:45. >> Wonderful.

032So parents if you'd like a photo op with the board um I think they'd probably be happy to be in a picture. Yes. I'll put this back up behind you. And thank you parents for coming out and bringing everyone. Thank you. Any photoups? Yes. Yes. Yes. >> Hi Sabrina. How are you? All right, the time is now 6:45. If we can reconvene. I know we've got some glorious gift of gab in the audience. I just want to make sure that we're staying on task. All right, that brings us now to our group uh group reports. So, do we have anybody here from any of our parent organizations, PTAs, PTSAs, Ping? No. Okay. BF DOAC. That brings us then to our labor report teachers association. Miss Arianiano, come on up. Good evening, President President Lissa Anderson

033and trustees and superintendent goalie and Miss Gina Mcannernney. On behalf of our members, I wanted to thank you for listening to the community and adjusting direction after the initial facilities survey. Um, we see the diligence you've brought to this process and is generally appreciated. At the same time, our members need you to find consensus. In a small town like Bonsel, there are a few institutions that shape the future as much as Bonsel Unified. Decisions made here don't just affect classrooms, they affect the entire community for generations. I keep thinking about how one tragic event, a single plane crash, changed the landscape of Bonsel permanently. Where we once had a golf course, we now have a park. Instead of a horse farm, we have a housing development. And if the loss of one man can make

034such an impact, think of the magnitude of impact this board can have with the decisions you make in this room in the next months. But while the board is searching for the right direction, there is a window closing. No matter where you land, our members believe that there are three constants. First, every road map that you are debating would benefit from a bond. We support a bond effort. Second, the large the larger the bond, the more we can accomplish for students across the district. The smaller the bond, the more focus the impact will be. But any plan needs more money than we have if it makes other funding opportunities more viable. And third, spending the general fund dollars on facilities is not the best use of our limited resources. So BTA believes that the best

035opportunity for a successful bond effort is during the midterm election. There will be a statewide there will be statewide issues on the ballot that will drive educationfriendly voters to the polls. And we have learned a great deal from our most recent attempts. What worked, what didn't, and what we need to do differently. Those are fresh in our mind. And I believe, as my members do, that it's time to strike. We also have something we didn't have before. We have a strong stronger grassroots network among young families ready to support, ready to communicate and to help with the leg work required. I haven't felt this kind of grassroots energy since we got BB on the ballot. It's going a long time back. It takes trust, clarity, and community presence to get what we need done. But

036if a vote is not called soon, and I mean right now, it will be too late. We already have it stacked against us. We're going to have to start this race running. But we can do it. Even the best consensus plan, if we don't find it, will be pushed will push this whole district moving forward down the road years and years away. If we don't move now, anything we land, any plan we land on will not be actualized for years and years to come. As I stand here, I do not think we have as good of a chance in the general election as we do in the midterms. And I want you to please consider that seriously. So, thank you for your time and thank you again for the seriousness and care you've shown in

037this process so far. Thank you, Miss Ariana. Do we have a representative here from CSA? Okay. Um, that then brings us to our management reports. Uh, which school principal is presenting first? >> Allison, come on up. So quiet in here. Good evening, board of trustees, Dr. Gina. Um, happy new year. Uh just yesterday we reached the halfway point in the school year. Um I only know this as I had the priv privilege of observing some classes at Bonsal West yesterday. Uh we saw Mrs. Steg Miller in action with her kindergarten class doing math as they moved through their daily calendar routine and they changed 8 10 and nine 1's into bundled one more and made it nine tens. So, they didn't know they were halfway through the school year, but I was like, "Oh, we're

038halfway through the school year." Okay. Um, so, uh, Dr. shared this picture as well. We had our holiday fun. Um, thank you to Doug Mard who plays, uh, the Grinch, and this year we had a new Santa. Jonathan Castanos played Santa for us. Um, lots of pictures, lots of excited kids, just a few tears, a few scared kiddos, but um, always a long line to to see the Grinch and Santa and Snowflake the Elf on the Shelf. Um, oh, I have Okay, wrong way. Okay, as you just saw, our fifth grade ambassadors, and I just shared with Dr. Golly. Um, this really is probably one of the things I'm most proud of. Um, at Bonsza Elementary School, this is my seventh year as the principal and we've made a lot of great changes and put

039a lot of great systems in place. Um, but this along with Megan who's done an amazing job in the short time that she's been with us with these students has really grown and just watching these students as leaders and giving them the opportunity to to showcase their leadership skills at such a young age. I can already see where they will go and the great things that they will do. Um, so just a few little snapshots here there. um our our uh service providers do a holiday event for our special education students where there's games and crafts and so the large group of our fifth grade ambassadors helped with that. Um you can see there on the first day of school those two kiddos doing the morning announcements for the first time and it was the

040first day of school and they were so nervous. So I said you can come in my office and I I'll do them with you. Um and then you see our students walking in the morning. We still have students and we have kids that wait for a specific student to walk them to their class every morning. And this parents were so sweet at Christmas time at the holidays. They were bringing gifts to our fifth grade ambassadors. Just little thank you gifts for taking such good care of their little four, five, even some six and sevenyear-olds who still struggle to navigate the campus. Um, so we're just really grateful for this program and that it continues to grow. Um, I want to talk about our TK and K team a little bit. Um, two of our TK

041teachers, uh, Shelene Pek and Jen Herd, spent a year working through the California Preschool Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations course through the San Diego County Office of Ed. Um, so they took also took a play-based learning course through USD. So then they brought what they learned back to campus and not only to their own classrooms, but they shared their knowledge with their entire TK and K team, putting together presentations in order to support their entire team and their early learning. So they supported their teammates by collaborating with them on creating new spaces in their own classroom, which I know our cabinet saw as they walked um our campus last week. um sensory safe spaces. Uh and in collaboration with our OT Erica How and our Spedtosa Jessica Kust and our AP Heather Chamberlain, they used PTA

042funds to create sensory stations in the hallway. So, it's still in the works. That one in the top left, those are we have items that need to be put up on the um walls. Um and then they also created bins, sensory bins for classrooms and acquired couches and flexible seating to support students diverse learning and their social emotional needs. So as you walk through their classrooms, I was in a a TK class for quite some time today and um students are given the opportunity to um to sit where they are comfortable, still attending, still paying attention and sometimes they just need a break. So this is our one of the hallways and it's um a sensory pathway in the works. So we're grateful for that team as they support those um those younger students and

043their early foundations of not just instructional learning but um learning their to cope through social emotional um pathways as well. Um our Orton Gillingham intervention with our TK teachers while our students were halfday in the fall. This is just a little snapshot of data um of what this what the teachers went through and worked with the students. So you can see that they worked on consonant sounds, diagraph sounds, short vowel sounds, CVC words, final ewords. Um really focusing on those consonant sounds in the beginning. And you can see the baseline and then the six week mark and then the ending mark in December and how much these students grow grew based on um the the teachers and the Orton Gillingham program. And thank you to the district and to the board for allowing us to

044send more staff members. This past fall, we sent a TK paraprofessional, two specialed paraprofessionals, and another teacher to Orton Gillingham training. Um, it's really proven to be working well. And I have this short little video. It's like two seconds long. Um, of an Orton Gillingham activity. No, it's not available. Okay. Well, I'll keep practicing my YouTube skills. And um it's students outside. They're on a big plat, a big play, like a play mat. There's letters and they're jumping on the letters and sounding out the letters and then another student spells the word. So, just a lot of interactive um they use sand, a lot of, you know, tactile things through the Orton Gillingham program to help our students continue to learn. Okay, some fun stuff around uh school. We did our first underground spirit day

045where we don't tell the students what we're doing. And we did it on the 67th day of school. So, um teachers and staff members got to choose different ways they wanted to represent um 67 and kids had to guess as they walked up in the morning um and got into their classrooms what exactly was going on and the squeals and the excitement when they figured it out was some teachers had like a six seven headband on and um it was it was really fun. Uh let's see. Um our holiday food drive for Love on Your Back. Uh we collected 443 jars, cans, and boxes of peanut butter, soup, and mac and cheese, plus $640 in monetary donations to Love on Your Back um to help feed and serve our students, especially over the holidays and

046during the break. Um a lot of holiday activities went on. a couple up there to highlight our always wonderful TK program. The TKers up there singing. Each class took a turn singing a different song. And then Dr. and I believe some of our other cabinet members were there for our uh hiphop elves, which is a collaboration with Mrs. Spencer's first grade class and Mrs. Chic's third grade class. And they really rocked it. And um we definitely have some future stars up there. So that was fun. Um we sat sadly said goodbye to Mrs. Sarata, our wonderful music teacher that we've had for the last few years. Um her passion is in the strings and she had um an opportunity to go and be a full-time orchestra teacher. So as sad as we were and I

047begged her to stay. Um so this was her last performance. A lot of our students that are fifth grade ambassadors are also in our orchestra and I'm working with Dr. and seeing if there's any way we can get that to carry that on. But we have a new music teacher, Mr. Brockman, and he comes to us with years and years of experience in his own niche and talents. Um he loves to sing and on his very first day I took the cabinet into his classroom where he just off the cuff the kids had not done it. They he taught them how to sing in around and they off the cuff did it and they did it wonderfully. So he also plays the piano and he's really excited that we have a show choir in the

048middle school and as he gets his feet wet and more comfortable um perhaps we will start our own elementary school choir. upcoming events. There's cute little Melody who um did the pledge for us and our and our uh bons all bear. Um lots of things coming up. Our second grade paper picnic is next Friday. Um school site counselor leader leader and me assembly PTA talent show always a hit. Um we have counselor appreciation week coming up in February. Um our second grade let's hear it for America um programs are always so great to come to um couple leader and me assemblies and if you can join us on the 27th it's our second multicultural event. We're very proud of how we rolled it out last year. Um as a staff and our staff really took

049the lead. Um we are encouraging more family participation this year and we're getting it. So, we're really excited to um to see that grow. Thank you. >> Thank you, Principal Forney. And now we have Principal Angelique James for Sullivan Middle School and then Bonsel High School as well. Correct. >> Correct. Yes. >> Fantastic. >> Okay. Well, put my glasses on so I can see. Okay. Good evening board members, Superintendent Dr. Mrs. McCannernney, and our student representative, Mrs. mode. Um, so as you see this up here, um, Sullivan Middle School continues to provide meaningful opportunities for students to engage, lead, and connect with the broader community. Recently, our Sullivan Middle School choir proudly represented our school at Fall Christmas Parade, filling Main Street with music, joy, and Wildcat pride. This year's performance was especially meaningful as

050our middle school singers were joined by students from Bonso Elementary, creating a collaborative and spirited performance that truly reflects the strength of our Bonso community. We are grateful for our choir directors, staff, and families for their support. What I want you to do is look up at the um at the take my glasses off. We sent um I wanted to put this picture up in the top lefthand corner. We sent letters for our Veterans Day over to um some of our military troops and this was them. They sent back pictures of them getting the letters and reading them. I have a few more pictures and some of them it looked like they had tears in their eyes. So, we showed the kids and um this was very heartfelt and it's a special not just for

051our students but our staff too. It's really, you know, honor for us to give back to them. And um as they were looking at the letters, you can see the pictures that they drew and things that they provided for our troops. Um also you can see our amazing assistant principal, Mrs. Tiffany Suedos at the middle school um helping with our row awards um when I'm over at the high school. And um again, we've got our float there and you can see we had a great turnout for Sullivan Middle School. And then again with the elementary um providing that support with us at Sullivan Middle School, we remain committed to recognizing and celebrating student leadership and character. We proudly honored a remarkable group of students during our Wildcat lunchon. These students consistently demonstrate integrity, kindness, and

052perseverance and the values that define our Sullivan community. They stand out not only for their academic efforts but also for the positive choices that they make each day and the way that they upl up uplift their peers. In addition, we continue to reinforce positive behavior and leadership through our roar awards. It stands for resiliency, organization, can do attitude and responsibility. And each month we recognize students who consistently model these core values both in and out of our classroom. Students are also recognized for demonstrating our learner profile traits. These students play an important role in creating a school environment where all learners feel safe, supported, and inspired to grow. Strengthening community partnerships remains a priority. Let me make sure I'm okay. Uh remains a priority across our schools. Recently, Superintendent Dr. Mr. Anguano and myself had

053the opportunity to attend a welcoming network gathering hosted by Lieutenant Glenn Tywin, station commander at the Fal Brook substation. This event brought together local community leaders for meaningful dialogue focused on collaboration, partnership, and support for the families we serve. Opportunities like this allow us to build strong relationships, learn about aval available community resources, and continue working together to support students at Sullivan Middle School and Bonsel High School. Our students also came together to celebrate the arts during our winter performances where Sullivan Middle School and Bonsel High School showcased their incredible talents of our students through show choir and our guitar perform performances with over 500 community members in attendance and I stopped counting after 500. They were out the door. Um it was a true celebration of music, creativity, and school pride. Our show choir

054students delivered a high energy polished performance that reflected their dedication and teamwork. While our guitar students impressed the audience with their m musicianship and confidence. The enthusias the enthusiastic support from our families, staff and community members highlighted the strong connections we share across both campuses. We extend our sincere thanks to our talented students, Mrs. the core, our supportive families and community members for making this event such a memor memorable event. So, what I'd like to do is highlight some of the data we have from our star score. So, we took our star um in the fall and then again in the spring. So, for Sullivan, if you look at I broke it down by each grade level and for the high school, I just did it as a whole school. But, as you see this,

055you can see that we've increased our reading scores. We have 67 per students who are either at or above proficiency and we've increased for 2% from the fall. Seventh grade 66% with an increase of 4% from the fall. And then our eighth grade is at 73% of our students are either meeting or exceeding proficiency and we've increased by 7%. So what did we do? Right. We have amazing students, amazing parent support, but we've been giving our teachers release days to review the ESPback practice tests and our data that we currently have and then review the writing assessments. So, it's the constant improvement. We're looking at um our current information from our students and then letting that drive our instruction. We also have had many professional development days for our Jane Schaefer which has really provided

056that support, instructional support for our students um for last year and we continue that support this year. For our math scores, we have 62% of our students in sixth grade who are either at or above proficiency, 55 in seventh grade, and 60% in eighth grade. Now, we did see a decrease from the fall to the spring. Um, which that's been a typical trend that we do see, but just like we did last year, we are seeing an increase in math scores and our state scores from last year to this year. So, the interventions that we did try last year worked. So, we're going to start implementing our intervention math again during the school day because we offer tutoring, but not as many students take advantage of that because they don't have either the ability or

057they're involved in other activities. So, we're providing math intervention classes, which will start next week during the school day. Um, we also have students that are strategically placed, we added this this year, and our math um advisory classes. So, we have all three of our math teachers who are taking on um specific students in their advisory, which is an extra 20 minutes in the morning to get it started off right, practice math scores, and really review the information that was taught or a little bit from the day before. I've also given math teachers release day to review the common assessments that they've given, curriculum, and review assessment information from the practice test for usback. All right, the upcoming we have a lot. So, I'll just highlight a few. Um, we all we have semester awards

058coming up on the 26th of September. Um, we also have our the uh Sullivan Middle School and Bonso High School ASB that's going to be attending a leadership conference at Knots. So, they're both going on the same bus. So, I'm excited about this. So, we have this leadership um partnership happening at both the middle and high school. Um, this will be Sullivan's very first parent university. We are very excited about this. We're partnering with the sheriff's department who's coming out for the first 45 minutes. And then I have six to eight I'm really excited. I have like eight teachers who are going to be giving presentations um about academics, what we are currently doing in our math and language arts departments. Um and just how to survive as a middle school student and parent. So

059these are some things we're going to be providing that night for our parent university. And then we have the famous China banquet on February 6th. And then we are going to celebrate our school counselor, school psychologists, and other service providers during that week. We have to push it off a week because I think they're doing spirit week and some dance come the week before. So, just to focus on on those there. I also want to we've got our new um PTO president and I really want to thank her for this. Um to extend extend a heartfelt thank you to our Sullivan Middle School PTO and Wildcat families for the incredible support and generosity showing during our staff food day. uh that was happening before spring or winter break. The kindness and care and delicious treats

060truly made us feel appreciated and a special thank you to our PTO president Desi Pñena for her leadership and dedication to our school community. We are so grateful for the continued love and support we received from our families. It truly makes Sullivan a special place. Okay, on to Bonsel High School. They had a really cool float and I think they had the most energy of the whole um parade. Uh yes, I think Haley took it away. Haley, um she did a great job. Um it is with great pride that I continue to share a moment of celebration. Um before I get there though, you can see I put Greg's picture up there again. Um very proud of our speech and debate for that. Are we kidding? Yeah. Okay. All right. Again, a congratulations to Greg

061for our California Teacher of the Year. It is with great pride that I continue to share a moment of celebration for one of our very young, Greg Hencliffe, who's been named California Teacher of the Year. This recognition represents the pinnacle of the teaching profession and places Greg among the elite group of educators who impact reaches far beyond the classroom. As you have already heard, Greg is a teacher who cares deeply not only about his students, but also about his colleagues, our school, and the broader community we serve. His commitment to students is evident in the relationship he builds, the high expectations he holds, and the way he consistently creates learning experiences that are meaningful, inclusive, and inspiring. Greg's work reflects a belief that every student deserves to be seen, supported, and challenged to reach their

062fullest potential. Beyond his classroom, Greg is a trusted leader and collaborator among our staff. He is generous with his time, shares his expertise freely, and models professionalism, humility, and dedication. His influence strengthens our school culture, and reinforces the collective work we do every day to support students and families. It has been a true honor to be a part of Greg's celebration and to witness the recognition of his impact at the state level. His selection as California Teacher of the Year is not only a testament to his exceptional practice and the art of teaching, but also a reflection of the values we hold as a school community. Greg, we are incredibly proud and grateful for the example you set and as an educator, leader, and advocate for our students and our native community. Okay, I'm very

063proud to share several highlights from Bonso High School that reflect the incredible leadership, talent, and commitment of our students, staff, and families and community partners. Each month, we recognize exceptional students, and we've just started implementing um our student of the month. So, you can see in this bottom picture uh that we've recognized, we were doing four students at every grade level. And it's been we've been so fortunate to have women's bonsel club um be a part of this that um they give gift certificates to our seniors and they come and they represent and um just you know honor our seniors um with that uh with that award. So thank you to the Bonso women's club for being a part of that. Um our students also proudly represent Bonso High School at the Falbert Christmas parade

064marching alongside our festive Bonsel Blizzard float. students showcased school pride, creativity, and community spirit. The float was a crowd favorite and reflected the collaboration of students, staff, and families. It was a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season and to reinforce our connection to to the Bonso community. Academically, our students continue to shine through speech and debate. Bonso High School students competed in regional SDIVSL tournaments alongside hundreds of students from across the region. Our debaters demonstrated confidence, strong reasoning, and professionalism, earning praise from judges and strong placements in novice and varsity divisions. These experiences highlight our students willingness to take risks, engage in complex thinking, and grow as communicators and leaders. And our college and career readiness remains a priority at Bonsel High School. Recently, our 10th and 11th graders participated in the Design

065Your Future, a presentation led by our early college CTE coordinator, Miss Aaron Barker and Mr. Greg Khcliffe. Students explored academy pathways, early college opportunities through Polyomar College and industry experiences and certifications that allow them to earn college credit and build build real world skills before graduation. We're also excited and this year we have the Interact Club which is a new studentled service organization connected to Rotary International Interact Club. It provides students with meaningful opportunities for community engagement, leadership and development volunteerism. And again, I'd like to thank our PING group, our parent group for their generosity and support in our staff and campus. They provided sweet treats for the high school staff and they've donated a bunch of furniture. We actually have really nice furniture um that's in the staff lounge now for our our teachers.

066And then lastly, we have our academy speaker series. Um I know that Eddie has been a big part in organizing this and really reaching out and he continues to reach out. Um we do have different speakers that have volunteered to come out to speak to our high school students and our symposium. So it's our differentmies with the law and leadership, medical sciences, computer sciences, public service and other career pathways. We have speakers that are attached to each one of thesemies that do come out and present to our students. Again, our data for uh highlighting the star results and this is schoolwide for Bonso High School. We do not have our 12th graders are taking the math because not all 12th graders are taking math. Um but as you can see the star reading proficiency rate.

067So students again that are um at or above we have 69% and then I went ahead and put where we were at last year at this time which was 50% of our students. So we are seeing growth across the school. Um and then we have 67 of the student 67% of the students who are meeting their growth targets. So looking at that and then really breaking it down, maybe they're not proficient, but 67% of them are continuing to see growth. Um, for our math, we were at 42% this year, last year at 44%. Not too far off, but again, we had 66% of our students that are continuing to reach their growth targets. All right, some highlights. We have a lot going on, which is great. Um, we have a lot of um, our students

068getting involved. Well, we have a blood drive tomorrow. So, if any of you would like to come up, give blood. We have our We have our highest blood drive. We have 40 people signed up already. That's our highest amount. I know that um she's going to talk about it a little bit. Um so, we're excited about that. We also have our mock, it's tis the season for speech and debate and mock trial. So, mockt trial, they do have their competition rounds one through four coming up um in the next month. So, that's going to be really big for us. And then um again, we we're excited. We've got uh CSUSM innovation hub that we've partnered with that we do have students from each of themies that'll be attending there to learn more about um career

069pathways. And then lastly, we have the Val Victoria Circle event that'll be happening on February 11th. And then lastly, I got to do a plug. At the end of this month, we have Frankenstein that's going to be at the students are so excited. We were It was supposed to be done a little bit earlier. I think everybody got that terrible flu. So, we had to reschedule and uh because we can't there was only one person who didn't get sick. So, we rescheduled for the end of this month. It's happening here 7 p.m. for all three dates. So, hopefully you can make it. They've worked really hard and they're very excited. And uh we do have Miss Emma who has um joined us. This will be her first time that she's doing this on her own.

070So, come out and support her and our students. Thank you. Thank you, Principal James. And that concludes our management reports. Correct. Fantastic. So, now we'll move on with our board reports. And we'll start with our student board member. Happy New Year first of all, and I hope everyone had a great holiday. Um, congratulations to Mr. Hinchiff for being California Teacher of the Year. Um he's very deserving of this recognition and our students are appreciative every day of the hard work and devotion he puts in in making sure we are heard and seen. So thank you very much. And of course thank you to our board members who are always keeping our students students in mind and putting us first. So we appreciate what you do every day. Thank you. Um, and then it's also really

071amazing to see the fifth graders still so young, um, being great leaders and also being recognized and further encouraged to continue being involved. So, I'm sure that we'll see them um, continue being involved in um, this in during school and in their community in general. Um, regarding what's going on at the high school, girls and boys basketball is continuing to play well during the season. Um, and we're looking forward to spring sports as well because um, interest meetings are starting. So, we're looking forward um, to see track and field and boys volleyball as well. It's only this is our second year being a team. So, we're very excited to see what they do this year. Um, and then in ASB right now, we're just planning. So, we're planning our next pep rally to honor our

072sports and have some student engagement as well as planning um academy classes. And in regards to themies, we have four clashes um that we are going to be doing this year, which is where um themies compete against each other. And we don't want it to just be competition against the like othermies. So we are also planning um in intraacademy activities focused on the actual academy. So medical club might do um a like workshop on first aid knowledge. That's what medical club's doing right now. So if medical club, you know, helps facilitate that, that would be great. So that's what we're planning currently. Um, and then clubs of course as do Miss James mentioned mock trial has their first competition a week from today down in San Diego. So wishing them luck. I'm I'm included. And

073then Red Cross has their blood drive tomorrow from 8:30 to around 1:30 in the NPR. And as Miss James also mentioned, they have the highest number of donors. Um, and before it was 36. So that's amazing that it's now 40. And that's due to Aaron going to classes, going around and asking people for donations. So, it's really effective and the club is going really well under his leadership. Um, and then Interact Club is new this semester. Um, we had it last year as well, but it's just started late this year, this school year. Um, and it's a great space, um, an opportunity for students to get more involved in the community and get their community service and their hours for graduation. We are actually having an event in Balaboa Park January 31st, so the same

074day as theaters Frankenstein play where we will be giving backpacks and school supplies to students in need. Um, we looking forward to what this year brings us and everything it entails. Thank you, >> Trusty Ortega. >> Okay, I got five points. No. Um, no, I just wanted to um start off by saying that uh our our policy of belong, believe, and achieve. Um, listening to the the stats with the ambassadors from fifth grade, I think that's like the first step in having kids feel like they belong when they're welcomed and they're escorted to classrooms. Uh, parents too. Um, I think pe uh students actually get that really really strong feeling that they're they belong there, not having people turn their backs on them, having people address them. and with our younger students. I think it's

075I think that's probably the one of the best programs that we could be having. And then to follow it up uh believe and achieve, I think we have um well, I've said this before, our numbers make us a small school district, but our teachers and staff make us a great school district. And Mr. Hinchliff, of course, is a big part of that. And along with the second parts of our our motto, belong, believe, and achieve. I think Mr. Ninsliff goes really long, really forward on teaching our kids to believe in themselves and then to achieve a lot of great things. I know a lot of people would agree with me on the things that he's accomplished. Um, I just I could go on and on about Mr. Hedgecliffe. I met him when he first started

076out, you know, and I saw him over in Paula and at a an event that they were having out there for Native Americans. And I saw him there and I'm like, "What are you doing here?" You know, and he goes, "Oh yeah, well I heard about this." And I go, "So nobody invited you here? You heard about it?" And I mean that that's initiative. You know, nobody told him about what was going on there, but he thought it was important and he paid his fees to go there and and I think now he's one of the people that people would invite to do speeches at those kind of events because of the things that he's accomplished over the years. and uh he met a lot of incredible people at that event that he still collaborates

077with. Um and I believe you were up in Sacramento along with during the curriculum for some of the things that started with that first uh year that you were here. Um and then to go up I can't remember how many years you've been here, but it seems like a a hundred with everything you've accomplished. If you were to start telling people everything you've done here, they'd be going how old are you? clean up cuz um so um yeah to go up there and be one of the teacher of the year is just incredible. But uh it was it was going to come anyway because of all the things that you've been doing. And um and I also want to thank the board for again I always say that you know one of the things that

078the board can do is come up with ideas on things. That's not really our job. Our job is to really approve things but you know we also have the the ability to stop things. And when we have programs like this that are going successfully and stuff and we're not stopping them, I think that's one of the things that we can do best is let people do what they what they're going to be doing, what's best for our kids, and we're not stopping it. So, I applaud the board for, you know, showing the appreciation for everything that our our teachers and staff are doing, our students are doing, and uh not stopping it, you know, um because one of the powers that we do have is the ability to say no. And um yeah, we just

079don't even think about it. It's always like how can we do this better? And I'm already talking with Mr. Infield about more things they could do and he's already adding on to that with other things that he wants to be doing. So, um I do see more great things coming from him. And you know, I see that with a lot of our teachers, a lot of our staff. Um just because we have one teacher that's recognized as teacher of the year, he does it in an environment that is conducive to creating, you know, great teachers. Uh not everybody could be teacher of the year, you know. I mean, just, you know, somebody's got to come in second, but when you're second to somebody doing such great things, it's not a bad place to be. And

080I guess that's all I have to say right now. Happy New Year. And uh uh um I actually missed out on I was out of town. I was over in Arizona. So, I missed out on the big flu thing and everything. So, and the rains and stuff. I didn't see any of that, but um I'm glad everybody's back and healthy now. And um looking forward to the rest of a really great year. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Ortega. And Mr. Dumbrski, Dr. Dumbrski, looking forward to hearing your first board report. >> Thank you. Thank you everyone for giving your reports and congratulations to you Mr. Hinchcliffe. Is that how you say it? Yes. Okay. Um for that's a really huge honor in this state, huge state of California to get to get that award.

081So if you can't hear it, I am from Michigan originally, the Midwest. The long A will come out uh every so often. um and I um joined this board and you know submitted my application for this position because I care deeply and I'm an advocate for children's health. I have been doing this for my whole career probably started way back when I was in high school myself um and working on these things and um so that's really why I wanted to serve in this position. I'm really excited to um you know work in this district. There's lots of, you know, very wonderful, exciting things happening. Um, but I think as you were mentioning, Jen, you know, we do need to look ahead to the future and for a potential, you know, bond proposal to be

082able to work on our facilities needs that we need to meet for the district and to be able to move forward, you know, to have a healthier environment for our kids to to go to school in. I have um one uh child one son in sixth grade at Bonsa West right now. I have a two-year-old at home. So, I loved hearing about the TK, you know, active um engagement in the classroom and doing social emotional learning um because I'm in that toddler phase right now uh with him. And so, I'm just, you know, very excited to um engage with the community. I look forward to having the first town hall I think of all the board um on February 26th at Bonsza West and um I'm definitely you know someone who's going to listen and

083take into heart you know all of the needs um and opportunities for this district. So thank you >> Trusty Merch. >> No report tonight. >> Short. Okay. >> Wow. >> Trusty got us. So, I'm going to ask a rhetorical question. How many Mr. Hinchiffs are there? Because, and the reason I ask this is because every single time I see a report, I see all these pictures and everywhere there's Mr. Hinchiff everywhere. It's impossible for you to be in so many places there. You must have clones or twins or triplets or something. Um, no, but I I I just want to say that, you know, that it's this is one of those those honors that did not surprise me at all. I mean I mean I've seen him work hard through the speech and debate program.

084I've seen him do so much. The countless and countless hours and his involvement in the school is just incredible. I I call him behind the scenes Mr. Bonsel because I mean he's literally everywhere. He's like the face of the school at this point. And uh I I think it's one of those honors that that is is really really welld deserved. So thank you from for everything that you do because I mean it. I mean I've seen you in action and I've seen you there all those long hours and I see how much you care. I see how much you work with your students and uh it is it we see it and we appreciate it and I am so happy and proud that you're part of this district. That's all I have to say about

085that. Second thing I want to talk about is ambassadors. And I I I think that I liked seeing the the student ambassadors here as well. And I'll tell you why. Because, you know, when you're a small child and you're going to school, it can be very intimidating, especially when you see all these big people and and and the reality is is that we're all kindergarteners repeatedly, right? So, we're kindergarteners in in the the you know, elementary school, then we go to Sullivan, right? And then all of a sudden there's people there. Then you go to high school and there's all these people that look like adults there. Then you go to college and it's the same thing. So, I just think that if there's a program that can help people not be those small students

086not be intimidated by their fellow larger students and to show that kind of camaraderie and and to show that kind of caring. I think that is an incredible program. I also think the encouragement of public service is really really good because that's where it starts, right? The foundation of of not just worrying about yourself but but giving to others. And I think that that's it's a great way to do that. So, um I'm glad that that program is there. the other and I I say I just want to end real quick on a question because our music teacher you said is gone the one who did the strings. So what are we doing with our strings program now? Do we have another person that can continue that program? because what you were talking earlier about

087our ability to to continue things that are good and positive and I think in this particular instance it's it's really sad to lose someone like that because it's a very unique set of skills that she brought and was teaching and I thought it was a very unique opportunity for our Bonsel. So, I would very much strongly encourage us to find a somebody who knows how to teach the strings so that we can continue that program as soon as possible because that's something that makes Bonsel unique versus a lot of the other uh schools in the area. And I don't want to lose something that we built so well because they've come in here and they played for us. I've seen pictures of them giving concerts. I don't want that to go away. So, whatever it

088takes, whatever we need to do, please let us know because uh the you know, the longer we wait, the the the more distance and people, oh, we're not going to prioritize it. I think we need to make sure we get that. So, anyway, that's what I got. >> Thank you, Trusty Gatis. Uh so, I have a little bit of words today, so indulge me as I pontificate. Um, I would like to start by thanking my fellow trustees for the confidence you have placed in me to continue serving as the president of the Bonso Unified School District for a sixth con consecutive year. And more importantly, I value the way that this board works together. We carry out our service with a shared sense of responsibility to our students and to our community. I'd also like

089to work welcome Dr. Rachel Dumbrosski as our newest trustee. Thank you for your willingness to serve and I look forward to your perspectives and collaboration as part of this governing body in 2026. Uh it is important to ground our work in a shared understanding of where we are headed. I offer this vision statement as a guide. Designing spaces to flourish means creating learning environments that elevate Bonsel Unified and strengthen our entire community, supporting rooted growth as we move forward together. It is worth noting how this board has governed during our collective tenure. Since I assumed the role of board president, I cannot recall a formal vote that was not unanimous. That consistency shows more than agreement. It reflects a governing culture shaped by respect, careful listening, and thoughtful decision-making. That same approach has carried Bonsel

090Unified through significant change. Most of us were elected in 2018 and together this board has hired two superintendent, navigated the challenges of COVID and helped Bonsel Unified become one of the first districts in California to reopen safely for students. We have expanded rigorous and relevant learning opportunities through themies at Bonsel High School, strengthening pathways that prepare students to be future ready lifelong learners. These experiences matter. They demonstrate the sport's capacity to lead through complexity while remaining grounded in core values. Today, our context continues to evolve. More than,200 new homes are already in various stages of buildout within the district. That level of activity brings both opportunity and responsibility and calls for planning that is intentional, ensuring that our facilities, programming, and learning environments evolve in ways that are thoughtful, well aligned, and consistent with our

091mission, vision, and core values. Community participation in these conversations has already been strong, and that engagement matters. Many additional meetings and forums are scheduled to continue listening, sharing information, and working through options together. Extensive and transparent information is available at bonselusd.com. At its core, this board's role is stewardship. We are responsible for the long-term health of Bonsel Unified. That means designing spaces to flourish, places that support strong programs, student well-being, and the needs of our community today and into the future. Even our district logo reflects reflects this shared journey honoring the history of our one room schoolhouse past while bu building bridges to new educational pastures ahead. As our work continues, a few questions help anchor effective governance. How do we balance near-term pressures with our obligation to plan for students who have not yet

092walked through our doors? How do we ensure that the choices we make today strengthen Bonsel Unified for the long term and serve our entire community well? Thank you to my fellow trustees, our superintendent, teachers, staff, and community for your continued partnership. The work ahead is important and I look forward to the future that we are shaping together while acknowledging those who came before us dating back to 1895. As we move through an election year, it is my sincere hope that this board remains focused on steady, valuesdriven governance and on serving the public good. And that brings us to agenda item number seven, our consent agenda. Is there a motion to approve? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Motion carries. Bringing us now to our information items. We have a

093presentation on facilities planning. Miss Caroline Brown, is that you? Come on up. Good evening. Thank you for having me. Um, happy new year for those who haven't seen yet. Um, we have a presentation tonight on the facilities planning. Uh what I'd like to do is uh run through some of the uh items that we talked about at the uh board study session last week and then talk a little bit about some of the survey data that we've collected to date and then update you on some new information regarding SDCTA and some of the geo bond timelines and then um talk a little bit about the study session on February 3rd and and what you would like us to prepare for that. Um, we have our framework of the future. I believe we went over this

094in the superintendent report, so we won't spend time on that. Um, and so, uh, at the session on last Wednesday, we discussed the demographics. Nothing new. Um, just thought I'd supply this information again so that the broader community can see that we've got a short-term decline in our TK5, the replacement classes of those cohorts. Um we're reflecting now the low birth rates that are uh from 2017 to 2020. Um we have significant loss of student mobility in the grade levels uh 8 to nine and some other grade levels across the district. Um but we are going to have some growth coming with the new residential units that uh Lissa Anderson just mentioned about too. Um this is a repeat of the district mobility comparison. All of the red are under 95% retention going year-over-year. And

095you can see our lowest uh retention rate is between 8th and 9th grade. Um this is the summary of our uh in dwelling units that are coming in. We've got Centro uh sorry, Citro and Campus Park. Um Ocean Breeze and the Havens um right on knocking at our door. Um so now I'm going to transition to the financial data. Some of you this is what you've seen but we wanted to have the broader community see the financial update. Um this is the uh rate that uh Fieldman roll has supplied to us. Uh standard and pores and Moody's were very highly rated because of our strong fiscal accountability. um historical assessed value from 2004 to 2026. We have a steady um increase in our assessed value, especially in the past 10 years, and we are at

096about 5.6 billion in assessed value. In the lower right corner, if we were to um assess a geo bond in the future, we have a gross bonding capacity of about 141 million, which is about 30 million more than what we were contemplating. uh we were had accessible in 2024. We have some outstanding debt of 8.9 million. So our uh net bonding capacity is about 132 million. And then if you take a look at the tax roles, um Bonzo Unified is at 19.71 uh per $100,000 of assessed value. And so it's quite low in comparison to some of our area districts. So San Diego Unified has almost $375 per $100,000 of assessed value um because they have multiple bonds that are assessed um on their tax roles right now. Um and then you can see that

097Coronado has the lowest and um and we're just down there in the lowest cortile. And so that's $19 per 100,000 of assessed value. we can assess $60 per $100,000 of assessed value for a a TK12 district and it's $30 for an elementary. So, if we look at sizing the bonds, um, we could do a $25 per $100,000 of assessed value, and we would project being able to, uh, assign projects of 42 million. At $30 per $100,000 of assessed value, that would be about 51 million. And then up $40 and $5060. So the maximum would give us approximately 102 million that we could spend on district projects. So it's time if we're going to take a look at doing a November um election, it's time for us to um procure our consulting team, whether we are

098going to do a communication consultant or a survey consultant. And then the f finance team members are pretty much all taken care of with the group that we engaged with um on the last round. A little bit of new information from the taxpayer association. Um we are sticking with the three months, six months prior schedule uh for now, but new guidance is being developed and they are going to probably uh loosen up the requirements uh and lift some of them and they will be um approved at the next board meeting for SDCTA and then communicated back to us. But for right now, they do want us to stick to this guideline, especially in the letter of intent if we do intend to uh to do a bond. And then at the meeting, we had a

099little bit of a discussion around the development of Gird Road and what that might look like. Dove into a little bit of public private partnerships and and how where our assets are and how they could be configured. No decisions were made at that time. So then we develop we spent a lot of time at the study session discussing the survey questions and we rei revamped them and um did a pilot as promised at the January staff meeting. So, we've currently got 103 U responses collected to date and I'm going to provide you with a little bit of a summary knowing that as we expand this data will change as we're as we're getting more information from people. So we have quite a bit of um spread across the uh schools and then um obviously it

100would be mostly um district employees so far. Uh but some district employees are community members and their parents and um and their parents are former students. So we're double double dipping on the 103 there. Um so the facil's priorities um the top four priorities are around replacing aging portables, ensuring we have adequate space, rebuilding or modernizing and building a new secondary middle high school. And then the other priorities um long-term capacity for enrollment, cost control, improving traffic, building a new elementary, minimizing construction impacts through the phase building and environmental considerations were of lesser priority for um the one of the questions on the survey is to whether we should develop Gird Road and what's your support level for that? We had high support in uh 74 and 18 uh supported or somewhat supported. We had

101some neutrals that were unsure because they needed more information and some somewhat disagrees and strongly disagrees. And looks like there was three. So the somewhat strong um I'm sorry, somewhat supportive and strong supportive. Out of the 92 that clicked that answer, 53 responded with narrative responses. So it's in order of 40 41% was concerned with overcrowding and inadequate existing facilities. So 22 of the 53 commented on that. 18 of the 53 commented on the district owns the land and should use it. 20 of the 53 had comments around the opportunity to build modern and future ready schools. And then the lesser 16 of 53 flexibility for strategic, creative, cost-effective solutions across a middle school, high school, elementary. And then um enrollment growth 14 out of 53 responded that we needed to address the increasing enrollment

102of the um new developments coming in. Of the eight neutral responses, uh, six provided narrative and they were, uh, around these, you know, wanting more information, what are the implications? How much is it going to cost? And it's you just unclear. So there some questions that we would need to answer as we go through the process. And then the opposition, we had three that somewhat disagreed or strongly disagreed. who provided narrative responses. Um, join another school district. Uh, go back to Fbrook. Uh, local neighborhood opposition. Perhaps Gird Road uh, residents don't want to build a school. And then perhaps there's some disruptive alternates like performing arts or agriculture, nursery, farm-based uses, etc. And then on the grade level configurations, we had quite a bit of support, strongly support and somewhat support the TK6 um 78

103and 912 configuration. Uh we had 77 that were in the strongly support or somewhat support and then uh seven neutral unsure needed more information and then 19 look at that me doing math in public 19 uh somewhat opposed and strongly oppose. And of those comments we had of the 77 that strongly supported or somewhat we had 13 narrative responses and they're summarized here um in uh support for separation of middle and high TK model offers consistency systemwide consistency thoughtful metriculation um strong design if we were to do a good design of a 712 if it was very um it sufficient and designed to be separate with shared efficiencies for some of the facilities. Um and then a concern about capacity and then their neutral responses. Seven were clicked on neutral. We had three that provided

104narrative responses and they're summarized here. a 100% of them were separation between middle and high uh as a as a condition. Um and the model would be you know adequate staffing levels, sufficient building capacity, physical and programmatic um separations and there was a comparison to a private school where the um private schools do this all the time. So there is a way to configure the sites that it would be successful to have multiple ages. And then the summary of a somewhat disagree and strongly disagree of the 19 that clicked those boxes. We had 10 that provided narrative responses and um there were some opposition of a 712 campus. Um some comments about um uh maturity, student experiences, not combining the ages 12 year olds with with high school students etc. And then the next we'll

105jump to the funding and financing options. We had listed out the uh geo bond developer fees, private public partnership, um joint use and the other ones that are there. The highest uh priority is to access go after state and federal facilities funding and developer fees and general obligation bonds and then explore the public private partnership. So those were the top um options that people were supportive of. And then the level of support for a future bond out of the 103 respondents we had um 73 I'm sorry 83 uh strongly uh so highly support or support uh whereas we had very little um response on the little support or no support. some um uh moderate support in the 18 uh of 18 respondents. And so um we then had the respondents do a uh partnership model

106sort of what do you what what do you think we should explore? So they are in order of of preference. So performing arts, media, uh community use, medical use, senior housing, uh and then came the retail and the research and then hospitality, lodging, workforce housing, and limited residential. And then out of the responses, we had 21 that clicked other, 14 of which were sports, gym, aquatic, and ice rink. Six of them were a farm equestrian and uh four community youth after school. And there were three other unique ones that was a civic building, a trade school or lowincome housing. Uh and then we have a level of support. uh we have some people that would be interested in future engagement opportunities if we had some more design meeting or advisory meetings or community meetings and

107then some said maybe we would and then 41 were no I'm not interested in in coming and so then um I guess what we want to do is launch into a conversation about the next steps on the um facility survey and how we're going to roll it out and if there's anything that we need to consider before we roll it out the rest of the way. >> Well, I just wanted to say um you know, I was looking at the data which is nice. I like the graphs. They're very well done. Um except for the fact that 95 would you how many how many how many respondents did we have and how many were district. It's kind of like we're pulling within our own people. >> That's right. because that was the first phase was

108to test the survey against a group uh at the meeting on Monday and so we haven't gone out farther than that yet. >> Yeah. Because I think that that's probably the the the real telling uh um data that we need because you know obviously there's going to be a stronger support for education and facilities within our own people. So, I think we need to just to look outside that to kind of get an idea because um that's where, you know, we we've been through these bond elections several several times. And I I think one of the things that that we failed on many many times is really getting in touch with the people. And I mean, we send out flyers and we do these things, but I mean, I'm talking about really grassroots get get

109in pe, you know, let's get people's advice. Let's talk to them. And so I think that that that that if we're going to do something, we got to do it the right way this time. And we've got to look outside the box. We just don't I mean, sure, we're going to can get a marketing group that came in just like we did last time and the time before, but we really need to think about what works, what gets what what how do people see things, right? They see things in different ways, right? Depending on who they are. And I think if we're going to do something like this, we need to really really have a a um a detailed plan on how we're going to reach out to everyone, all the stakeholders in our community

110because I think we have we have not done that well in the past. Um despite our efforts to do so, obviously the results prove that we have not. So I I think to me that's that's the most imperative thing. >> Dr. do you want to comment on the next steps? >> Sure. Oh, sorry. >> Yeah, >> I had serious concerns after, you know, getting the rewrite of the questions of of them actually adding any perspective that would help me make a decision going forward. So, I rewrote questions and I realized that that puts a little monkey wrench and I'd be more than happy to meet with people to kind of go over what My thinking is >> okay. You have do you have it Dr. Collie? >> I do. So, um, and I can summarize

111just a little bit. That's what I was about to to indicate is that trustee um, reached out to me and said that wasn't sure if there was enough context in some of the questions in order to uh, go out to the broader community. right now we've been able to share this with staff and staff has a lot more understanding um more nuanced understanding of where we are and where we've been but to go out to a broader community what was expressed and let's see if I can pull that up in front of me is that the first question that deals directly with development of Gird Road property let me see if I can find it um the comment was that right now it's not asking should the district do something and it's not asking or

112giving multiplechoice options and also not providing funding. If I've captured that correctly, Trusty Merch, let me know. >> Is it is it possible to >> access the thing that you said to me and then I marked up and >> I know I'm not very good at that, but I I did mark it up. >> Yes. >> If I share this with more data, is that what you'd like? to actually put it up on the screen. >> Yeah, might as well put it up >> because I think I can just do with board data. >> It's coming through now. that are being proposed by one, I want to acknowledge uh our uh teachers association representative with your commentary that you made already today. And also I know that um this has been a heavy lift. I

113think that district staff did an excellent job of incorporating the changes that you know were done in public session at last Wednesday's facility session. So I I personally think so I just want to give a counter point before we deep dive into potential uh red lines to consider because I I think the survey tool represented exactly what the board has been asking for uh following the uh the December meeting where we had the introduction of the you know the public private partnerships and you know and I as the board president ask for applause because there's a fundamental question that has been lingering on my mind you know twice you know shy there apparently but I think that that question the way it's phrased right now asks directly the general community and the general external community

114should move forward with a general external survey exactly the piece of the equation that's been missing in all the dialogue that we've been having to date. So, and then in terms of, you know, there's been all sorts of discussion of of uh configurations and programming. Uh and to trust commentary at last week's facility session, he said, you know, it's really up to the board to decide. And I agree. I think that we we have uh we have gone above and beyond in trying to come up with with plans where we then you know try so hard to avoid the stigmatized property that the district owns in the middle of of the district for you know it's been designated educational site for 40 years that you know we've been kind of pussying around you know and

115trying and you know our last we specifically asked you know our last attempt that going to do anything down road trying to come to some sort of you know process and so you know that failed we didn't have the money to buy a new piece of property that would be smaller to have an elementary school clearly and it's interesting even from an internal perspective there's not really that as much interest to build an elementary school as there is to build a secondary school so and we didn't have that data point earlier either um the uh you know looking at just the data the internal community. That's more information than I've seen. >> You can go back when when it's my turn to speak, then we'll get to it. >> But we'll just we can go

116to the beginning. Question one. >> I'm not driving. >> He's driving. >> He was getting excited to to look at things, I guess. No, I wanted you guys to see what what I proposed and then I can tell you my my reasoning and maybe you have a different thought. But >> keep going before we get there. I think the survey is excellent. I think I think the survey is excellent. I think the survey accomplishes exactly what the board has directed, you know, district staff to do. And then also, should we pull a trigger on a bond? One of the things that I don't think that I've personally felt that we've gotten complete value for in the past are these marketing companies that come in and ask generic questions of our community that has a longstanding

117historical precedent in as it relates to previous attempts to to engage in land use. So I personally think that even this survey as is right now community launched would provide better construct for us to make a go bond decision than anything that I've seen with the last two bond attempts that we've we've engaged in personally three three bond attempts. So that being said now let's go through the red lines. >> Okay. So I I would agree that that any survey outside company um what I have seen doesn't add any benefit to the district. Um but in this I we're going to go down to I don't forget the red line. Let's go down to the question because I is anyone who who's in control. >> Okay. Could you go down to the question one? Keep

118going. Perfect. Stop. >> Back. Back. >> Stop. Go back. There you go. Right there. >> So, what I wanted to do with frame with this is frame what are the problem that we have, which is we have a high percentage of portables that are very old and they're beyond their useful life. Okay. And as as you can see, I put number of portables. I don't know the number. I just know it's % in Sullivan. These can all be filthy. The amount of money we have to spend and then you look at the answers. Okay. Should the district okay if we scroll just a little bit one replace the portals with new portables but this one site at a cost of I put in 18 million. Don't know if that's the number but we should know

119that number. This most likely can be done without a general obligation support. Replace the PO portables with permanent construction at the solar site. This would cost again question mark $30 million require general obligation support build new 7 through 12 grade level on G road based on now one of the things that I I put in there. I know that there's support for a 9 through 12 and Oh, you said you put in 110 million. I had I thought I had 100 million but you you upped that. I didn't I had 100. So somebody put 100 kids. Um the reason I had put in there about based on our if you take a just you know we need to run the numbers but if you take a look at a middle school and high school they

120have some synergy being on the same campus. As we divide those put up put them 15 minutes apart it doesn't matter. We now have each one of those campuses will need more expense. We'll need cafeteria. We need janitors. We need more office people. We're also we're presently running at a deficit. Okay. So, if now we're adding to that deficit spending. So if I don't want to be in a position where we build a school and then we have to come back to our employees and say we need to bring this money out of the general fund. >> Okay. I I I want to stop us right here because this is derailing the focus that the board has already created and and and given direction on. This goes right back to what we discussed last week

121that our survey tool was dysfunctional because it was reading at a level that the general population doesn't have the context nor understands. And as somebody who actually did market research professionally with I wish I had every I was talking earlier about we have Esquire and Ed and PhD. I have an MSBA. I taught statistics. I did market research professionally. This is not a viable survey that would provide information on an item by item basis to have clear answers from our populations regardless of who those populations are. either if they're our internal constituents for our staff and teachers or if they're going to be our external uh uh general community. This is asking at least seven different things in one question and it's it's mis it can be potentially misleading. It's offering solutions that again are

122board level decisionm that we didn't have until right now and I only have a piece of it. I think that we need to move the survey that we have into the community and then we'll have the complete picture that even maybe as early as the uh next workshop we can then at least start talking amongst us. This is a board level conversation. This is what we discuss at the dis or around the table when we're doing a facilities workshop. This is not this is not to go to the general public. I mean that and we have we have information. We have context. If there's people in the general public as we move forward with our town halls and with our uh engagement, then we can create looking at cost analysis and and different programming options.

123But we need the highlevel data that I think that the current survey that has been put out to the profession, you know, during professional development that is providing us and and able to move forward. So I as far as I'm concerned that this is completely not in the realm of the scope of what the board direction is or in terms of the data that we need to clearly make next steps with some general general highlevel understanding. We're not asking for every member of our community to become a board member. We've all gone out and campaigned or been appointed as the case may be. In some cases, we've been working on these land use issues for for as it relates to some of the people in this audience and and that are here in this room

124and as myself personally, I've been working on this land use issue directly since I've been here in since 2012 and there's people who've been doing it before then and this site, if you go to the saved valley.com website, there's all this history as it relates to the obstructionist politics that have happened since the 60s. This is this starts to create levels of complication that we need to cut through with laser precision as a board and be able to start making decisions that are not looking at convoluting the problem but to create laser focused solutions. And I think that the current survey tool that is on the table is doing a great job. And I as far as I can see right here, this is absolutely not appropriate. and and and we should just stop the

125conversation right here and just look at do we as a board think that the current survey we've all had access to take a look at it and I you know again I've I've loved the fact that we've been unanimous in our approach but if we have to somehow divide at this course of time in order to direct our staff so that we can meet the potential timeline if we're to go for an a bond and I'm not sure going for a bond this year is the appropriate thing to do but I see a urgency and the only way we're going to meet that is if we ch make a decision ision right now that we push out the survey as is. It's been piloted. I see the data on this screen as better data than

126we've had in years. And I'd like to see that extended to the community. Get hundreds of survey respondents in the community. Then we can sit around the table on on February 3rd and we talk about things like this and we talk about whether we want to go for a go bond. That's that's where we're at right now from my perspective. The reason I have dollar values is that >> again I'm going to cut you off again. That's it has nothing to do with dollar values. Mr. Merch, Trusty Merch, it has nothing to do because >> when I make a decision as a person if I'm going to go buy a car, >> but we're not we're not offering we are not off I'm going to cut you off again. We are not offering solutions right

127now. We need a highlevel data point so that we can effectively make timelines that are being presented to us as a board. And I don't want to have I mean we had a long productive meeting last week as a board workshop. We had a survey tool that went to the entire board. We have a survey to >> cut you off there because I felt that I made a number of comments and they were not addressed. Okay. I made a number of comments. Okay. that we need to be very specific on what we're going to do. We're going to build a gymnasium that's going to cost us nothing. >> And again, we don't even have the data elements we need in order to be able to make those decisions. Roger, we need to have highlevel information

128in order to be able to make these decisions. And I am at this point I'm we need to look as trustees and as I mean I can go back to the speech that I wrote in in introduction to this meeting. I am very proud of what we've accomplished. It is time that we address the elephant in the room. We rip off the band-aid. We put gird wrote on the table as a general concept. We get the feedback and then we sit around the table and this is what we talk about on fe February 3rd. >> Obviously, you know, we have a difference of opinion. Let's let's go to the second question. I have very few questions. Okay. So, Bons question two would be Bonsified District owns 50 acres on current road. Give me a little

129more room there. >> How should the district proceed with school property to pass? We've already circumvented the main question that I asked very specifically in the December meeting which is should the district explore building a school on Gird Road. That is question that I in I that's the the whole reason why we paused and we didn't talk about hey let's move forward with a squa hey let's go and uh do a um uh explore PPPs the I paused us I paused us in December and I said we need to have a very highlevel general question that says should we even rip off the band-aid and look at Gird Road in its in conceptually. So this you you've already circumvented that with this proposal. >> Well, no. I'm saying should you look to build an do

130a general obligation bond? >> Wait, we talk >> them the amount. Okay. >> We talk we talk about a general obligation bond as one of the options of funding mechanisms that we should explore in the survey >> because cost in other words we they know a bond will cost money. You they should be given some some context what that is. We know what these things cost. But if you told me, hey, we need $10 million or $10 million to build a high school, >> we might not necessarily need a general obligation bond if we have a private public partnership that has has deep pockets. >> Look at answer number two, maximize income from grid site to augment funds for construction sites as needed. Then it says, you know, the other one says C question four.

131This says C question three. Again, we're saying, hey, there's things we can do to get our own money if we don't we don't >> talk about that. Can you bring up the question that I mean we we have we have a presentation of should we explore uh uh funding from the state should we explore goon should we explore public I mean that that looks at all of the things >> as a person that would read this I would say yeah go get the money from everybody else go get it from the state go get it from the federal government >> and that's exactly what I did when I took the survey >> and guess what go get it from everybody else don't get it from me though >> you can do that me as a

132as a homeowner and then as a board member but as a homeowner that's what I'd say yeah And that's the option that you can click every single box. You can click every single box and you can leave the general obligation bond unchecked as a as a person who is tax adverse. That is one of the mechanisms in the survey that you would be allowed to do this. All again these I I that survey I think does exactly what we need as a board in order to sit around in February and be able to make decisions that we have been dancing around and not clearly because again to your point we need to have a plan but we can't plan without some highlevel data points. This now brings the level of planning that again trustee level

133planning to the general population which is inappropriate. We are not looking to generate an entire community of of of wannabe trustees. We're looking to get data points. >> I'm looking for where we can get support. Okay. >> Well, and we asked those questions in the in the survey. So, I mean, I'm comfortable at this time to to to take it to the vote with with the board in terms of providing direction. That is the survey as presented that was piloted with our with our with our teachers and staff. >> We have two more questions to go through. >> Okay. Go ahead. I mean, you've already made your decision, so you don't you know, let's let's go to number three. Keep going. >> That's a long >> Oh, yeah. I'm a very short I want to

134be short and sweet because people will have very the district is looking at a public private partnership PPP to maximize income to help fund and build school facilities. No specific project or agreement is being proposed. >> I like that you didn't you didn't redline that as much on that one. That's good. >> Potential PP concepts would you be most open to exploring? Conception rank all options. So just the same question. In other words, what would you get support? Now, in this, I do think that that when you look at that we're trying to facilitate uh more votes for what we want to do is get money. You should really we should meet with the people that are most affected in the community. So, in other words, you know, I don't live in Sycamore Ranch, but

135if we That would be where I would go. For instance, if if if we had a blank piece of land at Bonsel West. >> Well, isn't that what the town hall is supposed to be for? So that you can talk to the >> What I'm saying is is if you look at this, if I'm if if we had a blank piece of property on West, I would not be somebody who lives in group Valley saying, "Oh, I don't care what you do. You won't put up Albertson's there. I don't care. >> They're going to care. care, right? But but the people who are going to care the most and have should have the most to say are those people. >> You know, Roger, I'm going to capitulate on this one a little bit. I I'm

136going to agree with you to a degree. I think that uh one of the questions that's in this survey actually talks about what part of the district do you live in? And there is the ability to say I live in off the 76. I live in the nude neighborhood of Citro. We can look at specifically pulling out the answers for those people who indicate that they live in the Gird Valley. And I would be very much actually very willing to entertain looking at what what are the priorities of the Gird Valley residents as opposed to the people who live in the rest of the district at large and take a look at what are those differences and where can we emphasize you know what here? Let let me let me backpedal also for a second

137unrelated to to this specifically. I was yesterday at the board of supervisors meeting in downtown San Diego where there is a socially equitable cannabis ordinance that the uh supervisors are considering. And I I I I did a little riddle me this and I gave a a public comment yesterday. And the riddle me this is that we have in fact you know what I'm just going to pull up my speech because I think it's it's appropriate. So uh let me open it. >> If you want to put a pot farm on their property I would object to that. >> Well so it looks like somebody's already seen what I might have been saying. Uh but let me let me um open recent. Okay. Good morning honorable supervisors. Thank you for your service. My name is Lissa

138Anderson, president of the Bonsel Unified School District for the sixth consecutive year and chair of the Bonsel Community Sponsor Group. I am here today because I love my community. I am here today because I love San Diego County. I'm here today because I love the United States of America. I am here today because I love planet Earth. Both BUSD and BCSG independently unanimously submitted letters urging no option on the socially equitable cannabis ordinance. I also spoke before the planning commission before this proposal was advanced with even fewer protections. What's before you today is not simply a cannabis policy. It is a land use decision with irreversible educational, public health, and moral consequences, especially for rural communities. Let me ground this in reality. Bonso Unifying spans 88 square miles of semi-ural San Diego County. In the

139absence of appropriate state and local facilities funding, we have tried to build adequate sec secondary facilities through multiple failed bond measures, each undermined by nimi obstructionist politics for decades. We have land constraints, we have infrastructure constraints, we have zoning obstacles that make it extraordinarily difficult to site a new school. At its core, our work in education is about designing spaces to flourish, places that support learning, purpose, health, teamwork, and long-term community stability. And yet, here is the paradox I need you to sit with. We cannot fasttrack a school. But under this ordinance, we can fasttrack industrial scale cannabis cultivation, including in proxim in proximity to existing and future school sites under the banner of social equity. So, let me pose a hypothetical, but a legally plausible one under the framework you are considering. Imagine a

140future Bonsel Secondary campus finally built through a public private partnership because traditional funding failed us. Now imagine a large-scale cannabis grow operation co-located next door approved more click more more quickly than the school itself. Students arriving each morning to learn. Student athletes training, practicing, and competing as close as 600 ft 1.67 football fields away. young people spending formative hours breathing particulates, handling plant material, and normalizing daily proximity to a product we simultaneously warn them to avoid. Is that the legacy you want attached to your vote? Is that what equity looks like for rural children? Because to us, this feels like extraction, not equity. It feels like sacrifice zones, not opportunity zones. I want to say something personal, carefully, and respectfully. I have a neurodeiverse loved one who during COVID when schools shut down, athletics disappeared,

141and structure vanished vanished. He struggled like so many young people did. Marijuana compounded that struggle. Today he is a person of faith and he will tell you unprompted that access to cannabis should be more limited, not less than what we have today. Vista is already a cannabis corridor. Supervisors, you have influence. Influence and influenza both derive from the same root word. One describes what moves through a population. The other describes what infects it. You your votes shape what is normalized. Your votes determine what is built nearby. Your votes shape what our children breathe, see, and come to accept as inevitable. So, I ask you to pause and consider this decision not just as policy makers, but as stewards. Is this the legacy? This the influence you want attached to your legacy. Is this what you

142want remembered as the environment you helped create for our children? This is not about demonizing canis cannabis. It is about where, how, and at whose expense we scale it. If our county can accelerate development that degrades community health faster than it can support schools that lift children toward purpose, schools intentionally designed as spaces to flourish, then something is profoundly out of alignment. I ask you on behalf of educators, parents, students, and future generations to pause. So, I agree with you, Roger. I don't think that we should have a marijuana farm on the 50 acres that the district owns in the middle of Gird Road, but I do think we should have a school. And I think that our survey tool that we have designed and that's that's already been presented to our internal staff and

143has already been given a stamp of approval by a Barnesel Teachers Association representative here at this meeting starting today is all that we need to move it forward to the rest of the community and then be able to make an informed decision as to where we go next at our our February 3rd meeting. I appreciate listening. Well, here here's my opinion on this. I've listened to both your sides. So, um I think you're both talking about the same thing, but at different points in time. Um it seems like one is talking about a macro level. Let's see generally where the general and you're looking at more of more strategic more you know and so I I I think the I guess the big question that we need to ask ourselves is which one is more

144appropriate at this point in time because I think I think Roger's being like well I I think they need to make a practical decision and I think Lissa is saying well we need a general decision so we can start progressing towards that. So the question is do we do we ask more spec and I the other the only other question I have with Rogers is is I think sometimes people might not know what general obligation bonds are. I don't think that some of those things I don't think they know. So they might get confused by your questions because it might be too technical for them at this point. Okay. doesn't work that way. That's what we generally So, can I just add And if we get to the $100 million property and everyone goes, "Oh,

145wait a second." Yeah, I said yes. six months ago. >> I don't think we're even at the point yet to ask how much money somebody's willing to pay because we don't have a plan to present unless we have a pretty picture that says this is what we're looking to accomplish and we haven't had that discussion as a board and I'm going to go right back to what you said last week. These are board level decisions and we need some data elements in order to inform our board level decisions before we go to the public with that general question. And that's what what what what you know Caroline was bringing up in terms of our marketing survey that uh company that we might need to hire. But that's a very simple we just follow up with

146okay now we've got what we have. Here's a general plan. Will you be willing to pay this money for investing towards this general plan that we have created as a board? >> I think you're at step two. I think this survey is a step one and then I think you're already at step two. And we don't even know the amount. I mean, you were putting numbers in there, but we don't know the exact amounts of these things. >> Yeah. >> I mean, this guy comes in and says, "Oh, your property's worth million." Trusty Marchett, could I um offer something that we had talked about is perhaps in this first survey since it's more high level. Could we link information that we've put together some significant information that shows for example this kind of configuration would

147be this much money like tack that kind of um dollar amount to something. So that at least in even though this is high level at least there would be more information that they could go to where they could see that because I do think that the next step then would be okay people seem to think that they are interested in a general obligation bond. Have we defined it? Do they know what that is? We could maybe look at how we could add a definition here and next level at what would they actually be willing to support at what level if they fully understand the funding mechanisms like how much money it would affect them personally on the assessed value of their home. Is that something that would perhaps help It's like after us. You also

148had several open-ended questions on that survey revision and that they will not fill that out. I mean we saw that just with the staff we had 18 out of 10 and something fill out qualitative information. >> No, it was more than that. Um it was depending on the question. I mean >> depends on which question it was. >> Yeah. >> Oh okay. Okay. So maybe a little more but still just among the staff like people do not complete the open-ended question portion. they will do the pick and choose, right? The multiple choice or the ordering. So, if you know we're going to revise questions, then I would like to see close-ended questions with closedended responses to that, which is what I thought we had produced from last week's discussion. Um, and I also think that

149a lot of what you're trying to understand from the people is more qualitative information that would be shared at a town hall or type focus group session. That's where you get the how and the why. What are you, you know, willing to do? This is the what, like what are you willing to support or not? And are you willing to support it or not? And then we move forward into step two with here's the configurations. Here's the different specifics around what we can do. >> Well, it seems like you have the vote, so you should proceed. >> Well, let's formalize it then. Is there a motion to move forward? >> Well, I before we do that, I just want to make sure that we're all on the page and everybody understands. I mean, I I

150think as I said, I understand Roger's concerns because Roger's looking more he's looking more towards the questions that Rogers are asking, like you were kind of pointing out are things that are probably going to be like three steps later when we get it because that is pertinent information, right? that when we go out there to get our marketing research at that point in time they need to have but we also need to frame the questions in such a way that it's they're easier to read easier to understand because people like you said Roger people don't want to sit there and try to figure things out if they if it oh man general education what general what's that you know okay I'm not answering this so we got to we got to be make sure that

151if we we do that because it is pertinent information later on because I know last time we did a bond we said well what were people willing to do and what they're not willing to And obviously the information we got was was not necessarily as accurate as we had hoped. So I I think I think what Roger's kind of saying is is we need to frame questions whether they're now or in the future. They got to be more narrowly focused so that we can get a better indication of what people are willing to do and not willing to do. But I think at this point in time, I think we just need to see if we should even move forward on this and and is something that the community even wants us to to to

152continue to to beat on because if it's not, then okay, we go in a different direction. But um but I do think that that some of his concerns are something that we definitely need to like you were saying address in town halls or address in surveys a little bit later because um as you said, we can't just go genuinely say, "Hey, you want to build a school over there and then people say yes and then they go and read the stuff when they go to vote and all of a sudden it's like you know money. >> Yeah. So I said so I do think that's a point in the process. Um I'm just not sure if that's right now. Um but it definitely is something that needs to be addressed. So that's that's my opinion

153on it. >> With that is there a motion to move forward with the survey? I'll make a motion we move forward with the survey that was produced before. And uh just to add to that though, I'm not a real big fan of surveys. Like I I I was listening to Roger, they're saying about, you know, you go and use a porta potty and someone, you know, someone says, "How'd you like the port?" Well, I tell you what, a lot of people will say, "It was great. It was awesome. It was the best port ever." Because if you say, "No, I didn't like it." You get 10 more questions on why you didn't like it. So, you know, just to end it now, okay, it was great. Okay, I'm done. So, um, but I'll make a

154motion that we go with the survey we produced earlier before. >> Second. All in favor? >> I. >> All opposed? >> I very sad that I've lost my track record, but >> no, before I was president, that was before I was president. So, no, I I I'm I I Roger, I'm genuinely sad that that that streak has has ended, but I I I I know that I know this has been this has been something that's been building for a while and I truly do hope that the community can work together to come up with a solution that makes sense so that we have appropriate infrastructure and not cannabis farms on Gird Road or other places in our community. And then um we have on uh so >> flip back to the presentation then. >> Sure.

155>> But I think we're go all of us. Okay. Go ahead. >> Um so we do have our discussion around the February 3rd uh board study session. Sounds like we want to continue with the survey as it's written and we'll send it out to the community groups that we have um access to and then hopefully get some responses so that we can compile them for the third. Uh we had also talked a little bit about having um further exploration with public private partnerships and um and perhaps Terry Tao coming back to talk about that. Go ahead. Just a quick clarification because next week is our first parent or next parent and community forum >> for the survey. I understand that we're proceeding with that survey. However, there were a couple things that were still on

156the table I want to make sure that I've clarified before we proceed. A link to the documents that are on our website is already embedded. Um, I can specify somewhere a link with information that does allow people who do want that opportunity to take a bit of a deeper dive that has a little bit more associated with it. I could add that. And I also heard and I just want to clarify a couple different board members mention that perhaps a definition of general obligation bond or something along those lines that could be easily woven in since this is a different audience. I could add that as well. I just wanted to clarify before we proceed if that is part of the direction. >> Well, you'd also have to to look at like public public private

157partnerships, things like that. Things that you know what I'm saying? This nomenclature we know, right? We we deal with it all the time. So, I I think when you're doing a poll to the general public, you have to watch watch what you're how you present the question because otherwise either you're not going to get a response or you're not going to get an accurate response. And we did provide a definition um that was very simplified for public private partnership, but I don't believe we added something in there about general obligation bonds. So just maybe to make it even parallel, I could add a very simplified definition. So at least there's something there. >> And I think maybe before we send it out, we asked maybe take a mini poll from 10, you know, just regular

158PE, you know, people outside if it was possible. Hey, what do you think about this? Just to make sure if you're going to >> use that at our community uh uh forum next week. Yes. >> And then see if we need to tweak it >> if there's Absolutely. So I can do that. >> When you say public private partnership and then you refer to it PPP, make sure you put the parentheses PPP. Otherwise, >> yes, >> go with health. >> Okay. >> I want to make a point of order though. If you're talking about changing the survey, we already made a motion. We're going to keep it the same. >> Yes. So it's it's the same but adding the a link it's not the same >> purely because I'd be asking to add a link

159and a definition for general obligation bond. Do you feel that that's significant enough of a change that we would need to revote? >> I can amend my motion to allow for that change if my if the second will be amended as well. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I >> did you change your mind? Okay. I was I was hoping that would be the case. >> Okay. And then so and then we will uh release that to the town hall um or not town hall the uh forum parent parent forum community forum next Wednesday. And then from there, um, you know, you can circle back to the board and let us know if there's anything that we need to be advised of that might need to be, um, addressed before pushing it out to

160the community and, you know, really try to get it out there universally so that we don't have just all Gird Valley or all the people around this site, you know, that we actually have distribution across the district. >> So, I can do that. So after the forum um I can circle back and see if there's something that is maybe fundamentally confusing or um inadequate. Thank you. >> Okay. Okay. Um so then um we have the town halls coming and we'll generate some prompt question some question prompts for you for each of them and I believe locations have been ironed out now. Um and then we have discussion and next step. So >> we already did that part. >> I know >> we just went out of order. >> We did. >> Uh and then of

161course the link back to the facilities planning page where we have all the presentations there. >> And we'll update the um image that you have there because we've since added quite a bit more information. Thank you. And I know that this is this is charged and there's been a lot of work there's been a lot of work product. Uh I'd like to continue to thank everyone in this room in including our denter on the moving forward with you know the survey as design because I I really do feel like you know Bonsel is a very special place and from my heart I really do want the best for the community from you know Pendleton to Pala and everything in between and you know as mentioned you know we have a bridge in our logo you

162know it's it's it's time it's time to really address what the land holdings are and come up with a plan as a board that we can then share with the community that the community is not confused. One of the problems we had in 2024 was that there was not a concrete plan because it was very chicken and egg in terms of we needed the bond funding in order to purchase the property in order to be able to do things and and there was confusion and I don't want to see that moving forward. We really need to make sure that we have community cohesion and support even if there are those that fundamentally disagree with having a school in that specific low education because they're they're scared about change, you know, and and I'm hoping that

163we can make change feel good as as best we can and that we'll be proud as a community to have TK through 12 facilities that, you know, we will send our own children and grandchildren to and and have a a point of of community building for for all of us. Well, and I just want to say one thing too because going forward I just want to make sure that you know we as a board we've we've been very cohesive for a very long time and I think again I'm just going to talk about my favorite guy John Steuart Mill right philosopher um when it comes to speech and differences of opinion um he believes that all opinion have value right because number one if you listen to somebody and you disagree with them but you

164actually listen don't just hear them listen it allows you to challenge your own views and support the fact that hey yeah I do believe what I believe thank you for challenging it and thank you for letting me re-evaluate so that has value there second thing is maybe somebody's partially right right maybe maybe you're thinking about your opinion boy that part of their argument is really good then it allows you to to reform and revise your own argument into a new one and the last is maybe they're totally right and you're totally wrong and so in any of the cases listening to somebody not just hearing them but actually actively listening and and and and and and trying to envision what they're saying has value. And I just want to make sure that we continue as

165a board to adhere to that because I think if we do that, then it helps us make the best decisions for for for this uh school district. >> Thank you. All right. Anything else as it relates to this item before we move on to the other action items? >> Thank you, Miss Brown. Thank you, everyone. >> All right. That brings us to our action items. The first item is the uh S the school accountability report card reports and uh there is a um request to have those officialized. >> Is there a motion? >> Motion to approve. Oh, >> just Heather and uh >> Veronica we're going to make uh change make those changes. There's there's a number of typos that just need to be taken care of. >> Other than that I'm fine. So the

166trusty Merch indicated that um there's some um just more um non they're nonsubstantive in terms of the content uh edits that need to be addressed. Um and with that is there a motion to approve moving forward with some um edits? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries. Bringing us to our action item number two. This is the master contracts between Bronzo Unified School District and Oak Grove Center and the Community School of San Diego High School for the 202526 school year. And these are um placements uh for um special education. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Motion carries unanimously bringing us to our contract with Infinity Communications and Compliance for some teleconnect professional services. >> I didn't even I read through and

167I meant to ask I didn't understand what I was reading. What What is this for? Could you Okay. So, >> got Okay, great. Okay. So motion to approve. I'll second. >> All in favor? I. >> Motion carries. Bringing us to our fourth and last action item. This is a ratification for a whole bunch of tree trimming. >> Is um I'm sorry. Ratification of agreement between Bonso Unified School District and PWLC1 for tree trimming at Bonsel High School and Sullivan Middle School. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I motion carries unanimously bringing us to our public public comment section of the meeting. Not going to any speaker today. Okay. In which case, this brings us to planning. We've already seen addressed during both the superintendence report as well as the facilities

168planning section that we have a number of meetings coming up. Uh but beyond the town hall and the board workshop, we have our next regular meeting on Thursday, February 12th uh here um in person unless otherwise noticed. Close session at 4:30, open session at 6. And with that, we shall adjourn the meeting at 8:43. Thank you all. >> All right, we're done.