BUSD - Board Meeting - 10/9/25

001Thank you. Good evening and welcome to the regularly scheduled October meeting of the Bonsel Unified School District Board of Trustees. We'll start with a roll call with our student board rep. >> Einom present. >> Eric present. >> MCO are you here? >> Roger Merch here. Michael Gatis is here >> and Lissa Anderson here. We are all here and accounted for. Thank you to everyone for being here. Um if we could all stand for the pledge of allegiance. >> And if I could ask our student board rep to lead us in that please. to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> You may be seated. Prior to convening here in open session, the board met

002in close session where we discussed the appointment employment evaluation of performance discipline transfer dismissal of employees govern code 54957. Discussed our position regarding the collective bargaining at the Bonsel Teachers Association of California School Employees Association chapter 703 in order to direct the superintendent as chief negotiator in the matter of BTA and CSCA contracts. uh talked regarding uh the public perform employee performance evaluation government code 54957 superintendent evaluation conference with legal counsel regarding potential litigation government code 54956.9 in one matter and conference with legal counsel regarding existing litigation of subdivision of government code section 54956.9 and in the student matter of uh number SE-00003-2025 5. In close session, the board took action to approve a final settlement agreement and general release and a special education matter involving student SE000032025 and the district. Under this agreement, the

003district will provide educational services to the student involved at no cost. In return, the students parents have agreed to release all claims related to the students educational service against the district as detailed in the settlement agreement. The matter was resolved collaboratively without the need for a due process filing. Upon a no motion by Trusty Anderson and a second by Trusty Merchant. The motion passed five to zero. Um at this point we are on the approval of the current agenda. Is there a motion to approve? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously bringing us to the approval of the minutes for the regular meeting of September 11th, 2025. Is there a motion to approve? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Motion

004carries unanimously, bringing us to our reports. And our first report is from our superintendent, Dr. Galley. [Music] >> Good evening, board of trustees, and good evening, everyone else, and Miss McCannernney. I am um happy to be here October for this board meeting, but I'm actually going to start with something that um if this works, I'm actually going to start with before we begin um to pause for something extremely important to our community. And this is to honor the life of our sweet bees third grade student, Raiden James Sorano. As you know, this has been an incredibly difficult time for our bees community and our community in B USD as they cope with this terrible loss and try to support each other through this tragedy. Our hearts go out to the Sorano family and to all

005those who are missing Raiden so much. I'd ask that everyone please join me in a moment, a quiet moment of remembrance for Raiden. Thank you. Though this is tragic, um I do hope that Raiden's family, as many of you know, maybe feels some level of solace knowing that Raiden's organ donation has saved the lives of I think it was three people. And it's truly heroic and again, our hearts are with them. And in a time as difficult as this, I think it's really important that we're reminded of the strength of our community and the support that we have for each other. I have to call out our bees staff. They have been incredible. The administration has been incredible. Our wonderful counselors and psychologists and the amazing Bonsel Elementary PTA have been all of them spectacular

006supports pulling together to help Raiden's family and friends who are so saddened by this loss. And in this little image here you see over on the right that is our bees counselor Megan Hund. It is not easy for our counselors and our psychologists to make sure that they are figuring out the very best ways to support staff and students and the family and uh she's been amazing. We also were able to bring in and I want to just publicly thank Love on a Leash. If you're not aware of this volunteer organization, they're a very special organization and they bring service dogs, therapy dogs to support families and people and organizations that are dealing with all kinds of different issues. We put out a call to them and they responded with bringing four beautiful therapy dogs

007to sit with our students, including Raiden's sister and other bees students who also other ones who had recently suffered a sudden loss of a parent. We had quite a bit in the bees community just in the last several weeks. The students are already asking when they can come back. And as you can see, they absolutely loved um just having an opportunity to sit and and feel the the peace and the the love from these from these pups. And um I also wanted to call out in addition to love on a leash, I already mentioned the bees PTA. um they have worked with as I said the staff even amidst this kind of tragedy pulling together something as large as like that jogathon was absolutely shocking. Um I should have mentioned also that we've been able

008to partner with Elizabeth Hospice grief group and they are also a wonderful support. So it just is a testament to our community to how many people can come in the in the face of this kind of loss and try to step up and help. Um, so I just wanted to say publicly thank you to all of them and and to Raiden's family. We are we are we are with you. Okay. Um, I also wanted to call out in addition to bees PTA which by the way according to the newsletter I think their jogathon I know Miss Hortney is going to want to brag about this next next month but I think it was about $80,000 which is just shocking. Another amazing partnership is our North County Fire PD. you know that in addition to responding

009to every crisis we have and the community has promptly and effectively they also uh give fire safety assemblies for our kiddos and it's absolutely just wonderful the ways that they partner with us and we are super grateful for all they do. So I wanted to make sure that we started with that kind of remembrance and um and gratitude for the partners and the support that we do have. Now, as I've said before, we do need an entire community working together, especially if we want to really focus on our vision and our mission long term in BUSD. Isa, do you mind turning on your mic? Would you please read for everybody? Under our framework for the future, what is the BUSD vision? Our Bonsel Unified School District vision is that all students in Bonsil Unified School

010District engage in rigorous and relevant learning experiences that inspire them to be productive community members and future ready lifelong learners. >> Thank you. Now, how about our mission? Our mission is that we empower every student to thrive in a positive, safe, and supportive environment through high quality education focused on the whole learner. >> Thank you. And you know, our values are service, innovation, collaboration, and integrity. And it's important that we constantly remind ourselves of this. I know you guys are doing a good job in the classes of reminding everyone of that. But it's important to remind um all of us that this is what is guiding the work that we do. Also in Bonsel Unified we have our theme that's aligned to our framework which is belong, believe, achieve. So I do want to take

011a moment to just share some of the highlights of some of the work that we're doing that's aligned to the framework for the future and that is supporting our theme. Just to give you a little bit more context and you know I like to shout out things that are happening. I do want to share a leadership book study that we've been engaging in with our leadership team this year. It's actually a paired book study. One book is called Hidden Potential. It's the science of achieving greater things by Adam Grant. And it really does challenge someone to think about how growth and achievement actually happen not just for students but also for ourselves as leaders. And a second text that we're looking at is called powerful task design which is challenging us to think about how

012do we create learning experiences that help unlock that potential. Discussion with leadership is focused on how do we view students beyond fixed notions of mindset. The importance of designing systems of data that inform growth and the ways in which highquality tasks can deepen student engagement and thinking. And the intent is that we study these and principles can bring back to their school sites. Uh it just information to spark staff conversations and and collaboration. So I wanted to call that out. I also want to share that this past month, um thank you to our principles. They've each taken a turn at visiting our Bonszel Rotary Club and sharing a little bit about who they are as leaders and also what's happening at their school site because as I just stated the power of our community is

013the smallalness of our community and our ability to make really incredible connections and it's wonderful to see Rotary get to see what's happening. For example, here principal James brought Greg Henchliff and Aaron Barker to talk about the BHSmies and already you could see the light bulbs going off of how our community partners and business organizations can partner with themies. Just this morning, Principal Calibies came and talked about Vivian Banks and Bonsel Virtual Academy and it's just wonderful to that for them. I I hear a lot of praise. They they tell us how fortunate we are to have such wonderful leaders in our in our community and in our schools. So, I thank them for doing that. I also wanted to call out something else that just happened this past month. On September 24th, we we

014had a collaboration between BUSD and San Diego County Office of Education asked to coordinate a visit to BHS, invited other districts, Valley Center, Palma and also Mountain Empire, some other districts that also serve American Indian populations and we had an opportunity for collaboration and I want to highlight that we had uh first are our we had our principal James Greg Henlift, Domuaniano, Star Green guy talk about our journey with tribal responsive practices. We also had our students who got up in front of the entire group on a student panel and shared a lot about their journey and our guests were very impressed with them. And we had a community and tribal panel. Thank you to Trusty Ortega for coming out to that uh panel and sharing more about along with other um tribal leaders. Yes.

015um but sharing more about uh how we can authentically partner with local tribes and ensure that we're incorporating culturally responsive education and practices. After the panel, then we had classroom walkthroughs. We had a little talk from Dr. Eric Typiconic who performed who he worked on the mural up there and we had a lot of time for collaboration among the districts and it was a wonderful visit. It was also nice to showcase some of the work that we're doing and it just made us very proud to see what what's happening in um in our schools. And I also want to call out that you saw a picture there of Evan Pepper and Greg Hinchliffe. We were able to share that Greg Hinchliffe and Evan Pepper were invited by Stacy Block from the San Diego County Office

016of Education to travel up to Sacramento. They've been really supportive and helpful with the Native American Studies model curriculum and they were able to present in Sacramento in front of the California State Board of Education about that work and we're just really proud of the way that they represent us here in BUSD. I want to thank our board members. We've had a few so far and I know we have many others scheduled but I really do find that getting the opportunity to walk the campuses, go into the classrooms, talk with the teachers, talk with administration, we have a chance to sit down, talk with the leaders and board member. Um it it's just a really nice opportunity for you to see firsthand what our what our teachers and our staff are doing and what our

017students are doing in the classrooms. I hope you've been hope you've enjoyed those so far. Remember I've shared the schedule with you. I've scheduled all of you at different uh site visits throughout the year and we also have executive cabinet going to the school sites and working with the administration there so that we can really work individually with them to see what is it that their needs are and how can we support another exciting event recently you know that we're very proud of our Bonsel High School early college program and we're very grateful for our partnership with Palomar College last week Alan Williams Nice job with signing the beam there, Alan. Alan Williams and I were honored to attend the Palomar College beam signing and topping off ceremony. It was really exciting to see student

018trustee Ariel Freriedman who is a Bonsel West alumnist. She was making us very very proud. She shared some words with with the event and she also talked about the impact that this new student learning center is going to have on Palomar. And after the ceremon ceremonial signing of the beam, we heard from board president and superintendent star uh Lacy. We heard from their center director among others and we got to see the placement and the topping off of the beam. So, we're really happy for our partners at Palomar and we're thrilled that you've seen it, right? It's pretty cool. Um we're thrilled that our students will benefit from this wonderful resource and this beautiful facility. So really neat event that we got to attend and we signed the beam. Now um as I've stated each

019time we are working on strategic focus areas and identified needs that are guiding the work that we're doing this year and you can see them here. The department updates from our executive cabinet that you see attached to the board agenda give a little bit more information more comprehensive details about some of these efforts that we are making some of the work that we've been doing. And of course, I want to highlight just a few things as well. Under the large priority area of modernizing and expanding facilities, I want to thank the continuing work of focus groups. It's not easy and there's a lot that we've tasked them to look at as we explore recommendations. I appreciate the fact that they have been very very um transparent. They've been very collaborative and they're sharing a lot

020of good information. So we have been reconvening the leads of those focus groups so that we can refine the kind of information we're asking from them, the kind of deliverables that we're looking for and that's guiding our next steps. So I appreciate the work that they are putting in. And tonight you're going to hear a facilities update from Caroline Brown where she will go into more detail of that. Just as a reminder, as the focus groups are meeting and in the listening sessions and forums that we've held at the sites and one community forum so far, but a couple more to come, obviously, we're reminding everybody of the variety of challenges that we are faced with and constantly reminding everyone that a solution might not be preferable. We understand that we have to come up

021with some solution to these these issues that we are facing and we need to do that in collaboration with input and we need to do it in a way that is going to help us in the long term to correct some of these things that we're dealing with. I know I've mentioned them before and you'll hear more from Miss Brown tonight. Okay. But as we explore solutions, we just remind ourselves that each one of those impacts our students educational experiences. Okay. Now, I have something else that I wanted to highlight. Another priority areas is in promoting high expectations and equitable achievement. And I want to highlight what Isa read earlier that Bonso Unified. You know that we are committed to preparing students to be future ready lifelong learners. And we recognize that this involves helping

022students engage thoughtfully, ethically, and respectfully in digital spaces. I know Trusty Lauri, you've brought up before the need for us to really hone in on AI use, on just a lot of that kind of digital citizenship. It's something that we're really getting after this year. It's evident in our learner profile outcomes. We want to foster critical thinkers, engaged community members, empathetic collaborators. So to this end we have formed a digital responsibility council and what they're working on is developing policy for AI for cell phone use and for social media policy and they also are going we we've also started digital citizenship lessons and um I wanted to just call out that these digital citizenship lessons that we're implementing through grade levels through the use of resources such as common sense media and the high school

023through their symposium classes and advis advisory. We're really trying to look at how can we equip young people for civic life. This is a conversation you're hearing a lot in our communities and I think it's really important where discourse really happens online quite often. So, we have to be teaching digital citizenship as the foundation of modern civic education. Students need the skills to think critically, communicate responsibly, and engage empathetically in digital spaces. I've been reading some articles recently and I wanted to just share a couple of these quotations because it really is very important and if you read through those you'll see it's more about than just keeping kids safe online it's about empowering them how to use technology to see to solve real world problems how to balance their time between online and offline

024how to be curious learners use digital tools to deepen their relationships with family and friends I thought that was really important there is a lot of um discussion of whether or not the use of AI in schools will come with as it says in that article big downsides for students. It is interesting that we are seeing such a um a concern being raised about that and we are getting after it. As a matter of fact in this article that was rising use of AI in schools comes with big downsides for students. This was pub p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p published yesterday

025in ed week and they stated two ways to address the potentially negative effects are for schools to develop AI training and craft policies that put meaningful guard rails around its use. So I just wanted to share with the board that those are two things that we're working on with our AI in education um work smarter, teach smarter, lead smarter, we are focusing on professional learning at the request of our staff, which is wonderful. Um, but we're focusing with the San Diego County Office of Education. It's a year-long professional learning series titled, as you see right there, AI and Education. And the partnership is intended to empower educators and administrators to use artificial intelligence, to enhance efficiency, to improve instruction, and to model ethical, responsible AI use as part of our broader commitment in digital citizenship

026and equitable learning. So, we are focusing on that. you approved it earlier in the year and we've started the training series. We have training for admin. We have training for our elementary staff, for our secondary staff and we have sent out our first survey after the first PD PD that the that they had and some of those same concerns that you saw here about um the risks were echoed in some of the comments from our teachers. And so I'm happy that we are engaging in this conversation. And they also were asking for they said we want now policy around this and we want to know what are the approved uses that we have what are the what are the platforms that we as a district are in support of. So those really are aligned and

027I thought it was important that you understand that next month when Dr. Pendleton comes and shares more about um our fall data and ed services initiatives um we'll probably go into a little bit more detail with that. And one more thing that I wanted to highlight, as you know, one of the priorities as well is that we are aligning all of the work that we were doing underneath a strategic plan. Next Tuesday on October 14th, we have a a large group of um of people from around our district who are coming to help us with that. and we'll be coming together to look at our priorities and big moves aligned to our framework that are going to guide the next 3 to 5 years. We'll also be focusing on success metrics to measure our progress

028so we can be really clear about what we're elevating as the metrics and we're going to collaborate in those teams to shape and refine the true north 2030 plan. So, um we we're excited to kick that off. It's really the next level of the framework for the future work that we have developed because now what we need to do is align all of our initiatives underneath that larger vision and mission so that we're all pulling in the same direction. So I'm excited about that. Okay, at this point I get to turn it over to some of my fantastic team members for some recognitions that are really welld deserved. So I'm going to call up Laura Castro. Thank you, Dr. Gully. Good evening, board of trustees. I'm very pleased to present this out outstanding group of

029employees who work diligently behind the scenes to ensure that our district's operations run smoothly. I'm referring, of course, to our fiscal services department. This department oversees a wide range of essential functions from managing bidding process and districtwide purchases purchases to coordinating deliveries that ensure our students and staff have the supplies and services they need, not to mention processing payroll, ensuring every employee is compensated accurately and on time man timely manner. In addition, the team manages accounts payables and accounts receivables, making sure payments to vendors are processed promptly to maintain a strong relationships and ensure continuity of services. They also provide critical support for categorical or restrictive programs including budgeting, monitoring, reporting, and ensuring compliance with state and federal requirements as well as assisting with the annual audit and financial reporting processes. Furthermore, the department oversees

030the management of work orders, ensuring that our sites are properly maintained and operational at all times. This group truly exemplifies teamwork and dedication. They support one another and work collaboratively to ensure that our sites, students, staff receive the assistance they need for the district's day-to-day operations to run efficiently. Tonight, we're proud to recognize their efforts, commitment, and hard work through their tenure with the district. Now I would like to name the members of the fiscal services department. And if you heard your name, please join me at the podium there. Patricia Cuts, payroll and benefits specialist. [Applause] Elis Marx, accountant. [Applause] Emmy Dent, administrative secretary. [Applause] Carol Matias, accounting specialist, [Applause] Joseph Netti, accounting specialist, and Alexis Chapman, director of purchasing and risk. management. [Applause] >> We're going to join for the picture. Thank you. [Applause]

031Thank you, Mrs. Castro. We are so so very very proud of the work they do. Thank you. And next, I'm going to call up Let's see. Dr. Pendleton. >> Good evening, board of trustees. Um, it is my pleasure tonight to uh call up Mr. Kamacho. Please come on up and Mr. Guzman and all of his students. Why don't you all come up here to the and think it's important then be they be up here when we talk about and highlight the wonderful things that they've done. Come on up. So tonight it is my pleasure to be able to speak about Bonsel West leadership team. Mr. Gooseman, come join your class. A strong student leadership program is so critical to creating a positive school culture. When students are empowered to lead, they not only strengthen their

032own confidence and communication skills, but they also help shape the values, the traditions, and the sense of belonging that defines the campus. So through the leadership opportunities, students learn responsibility, empathy, and collaborations. These skills that extend beyond the classroom. So tonight, we wanted to recognize Mr. Serio Guzman and the student leaders from Bonsel West Elementary's ASB. Under Mr. Gooseman's guidance, these students have worked towards achieving a safe and positive and spirited atmosphere that makes students proud to be Colts. [Applause] So, just to highlight some of the the activities these students have been actively involved in since the beginning of the school year, they've worked to paint tick painted uh tick ticktac toe grids on their black top. They've met with their principal to purchase soccer goals and convinced them to go ahead and purchase them.

033They started a weekly book club for third through sixth grade thanks to Miss Marx for for advising. They've they were planning activities for Friday afternoons which recently included a student karaoke platform. They they were planning and organizing schoolwide Halloween dance called the Boo Bash. Um they're preparing their school to celebrate the Red Ribbon Week here in October. and they put on a weekly news broadcast with upcoming events. This ASB group is also partnering up with community members to launch a baby necessity drive supporting marine families at Camp Pendleton. They're really active, really involved in their community. These donations will include clothing, diapers, wipes, and toys. So tonight, we want to thank our student leaders for their dedication, their enthusiasm, and their commitment to making their school a place where everyone feels valued, supported, and inspired

034to lead. So thank you. [Applause] I love seeing our young leaders. Thank you so much, Bonsel West ASB. Awesome. [Applause] And we have one more special recognition tonight. And I'm going to call up Mr. Williams for a community partner recognition. Thank you, Dr. for giving me an opportunity to uh recognize one of our fantastic community partners. I'd like uh Sally Hunt to join me at the podium, please. If you can come on up. [Applause] Uh many of us have fond memories as a child of getting a new pair of tennis shoes. For me, it was always a wonderful occasion. You just knew that you could run faster and jump higher uh with those new pair of shoes and your your confidence just skyrocketed. So, we all know know that feeling. A few months ago, I

035watched my own grandson recognize that he got a new pair of tennis shoes and it was just a joyous event for him and so fun to watch. Well, Sally Hunt uh wants to make sure that she could help as many kids as possible experience that same kind of boost with a new pair of shoes and also never be left to feel embarrassed about their footwear. It's quite a mission. We are so proud to have the opportunity to partner with her and the foundation that she leads. I love the simplicity of the mission of the foundation. As you can see on the screen, it reads, "We buy shoes for kids." The Sally A. Hunt Foundation started buying shoes for kids in schools all over North County in 2018. Since then, hundreds and I think probably now

036thousands of students have received brand new shoes. The goal was to keep kids coming to school. No one should stay home because of poor shoes. I love that simplistic message. It's so well said. Alongside the extensive work Sally does and other school districts in North County for our own Bonszel students this year, the Sally Hunt Foundation so far has provided 105 pairs of shoes to our students. That's worth an applause. >> 105 >> only 30 for your students. Oh, >> okay. All right. Okay. So, sorry for that. Last year, the foundation provided over 300 pairs of shoes um in North County, which total to totals to about $10,000 worth of donations. I've had the personal opportunity to see kids receive shoes in our district welcome center, and it is definitely one of those moments that

037make you very proud of the community partners we get to work with that help our kids and families. Thank you. As the Sally Hunt Foundation has seen greater need, they have provided other essentials to families including food, hygiene products for families facing temporary challenges in order in order for them to continue to thrive. Sometimes this has involve partnering with other agencies to provide uh critical housing needs as well. Sally uh would like to receive we'd like you to receive the small token of our gratitude for the work that you do in our community. It reads, "If I could just share this with the board, in recognition of your outstanding partnership with the Bonso Unified School District and your generous donation of shoes for our students, your commitment and support have made a meaningful difference in

038their lives, fostering confidence, comfort, and a strong sense of well-being. Congratulations get a photo of you right over here. >> Oh my gosh. >> And I brought you a present. >> Oh, thank you. >> This is so great. >> Are we okay to take the photo? Scoot right over here. [Music] Amazing. [Music] >> Simple. She said, "When you need more, have Leonor call." Oh my goodness. One more round of applause. Thank you for Sally Ah Hunt. It's example after example of the um the community support that we have and and I really really am appreciative. Thank you. Couple more things that I just want to highlight before I turn over the mic to our board reports. Um I know I think we're going to hear from perhaps a little bit more uh one of our

039students who is helping to organize this event. But tomorrow if you're available 8:30 to 2:30 Bonsel High School MPR is hosting a blood drive. So, you'll get another reminder of that, I believe, a little later, but please, if you've got time, 8:30 to 2:30, give blood and save lives. Couple other things that I wanted to highlight. The huge awesome Monster Mash at Bees is next Saturday, October 18th. And I know I saw emails from the bees PTA about how important it is to get those wristbands early. $10 online early bird price and the day of it'll be $20 and I think adults are free but it's a lot of fun. So many different events. It's a great familyfriendly fundraiser. Highly suggest you to go and check that out. And you can um dunk a staff

040member which I think is probably one of the highlights. super fun. Um, so please save the date there. Another save the date the following weekend, October 25th, also at Bees, Bonsel High School is hosting its fourth annual trunk or treat car show. It starts at 10:00 a.m. There will be food, vendors, there will be a costume contest, I believe, student performances, raffles, really awesome, fun cars to see. And it's a free event, but you can register your car if you've got one of those really cool cars that you want to show off. But please uh save the date for that as well. It'll be wonderful. And another really important save the date. This is a communitywide great collaboration between Bonsel Chamber of Commerce and Bonsel Women's Club and Bonsel Unified School District and a lot

041of community partners. You can see a lot of the um sponsors there on this particular flyer. But November 8th from 10:00 a.m. to 2 pm. We should start seeing this tomorrow in our newsletters that go out from all of the sites. But there is a a 5K fun run and I highly suggest that you sign up for that. The information is going home to our families about how to sign up, but you can also find it on Bonsel Chamber of Commerce website. The registration form is there. And we're really excited that as part of this event and you will the the start of the 5K fun run is going to be on the other side of the old historic Bonsel Bridge and people will go across the Bonsel Bridge around the back roads through Gopher

042Canyon and end up at Bonsel Elementary School and there will be fun activities for the kids, food, entertainment and art exhibit and this is where our students really come in. Also, there's going to be an opportunity calling all student artists. Art can be 2D or or 3D, but our students are participating in a local history lesson and then have an opportunity to submit artwork um that is around the theme. It says, "Let's create art that tells the story of where we live. Show local landmarks, schools, natural surrounds like parks, orchard farms, or the San Louis Ray River, or honor traditional and indigenous stories." lots of um opportunity for them to approach that however they want. But uh their teachers will be telling them about that opportunity also, but we're going to get that information out

043to families. So, you can encourage your students to participate and also sign up for that 5K fun run. All the information is right there at that website. So, some great community activities, lots of of things going on to celebrate. I want to thank my leadership for all of the incredible work they do. And uh now I will turn it over to our board reports. Thank you. [Applause] get the microphone. So before board reports, just double checking. Uh we don't have anybody here from any of our parent organizations. PTA ping PTO. Okay. >> Um and then that brings us to our labor reports. I do see that we have Miss Ariado uh from the Bonsel Teachers Association. Come on up. >> Fantastic. [Applause] You know, Bonsel is a very special place when the board applauds the

044union president. Okay. Um, but that just speaks to how collaboratively we work together because our union is dedicated to putting the students first. That is our guiding mission statement. What's best for the students is best for us. And I just wanted to say um that about this facilities thing. Um as you know I'm a longtime Bonsel resident and a proud parent of a Bonsel high school student, Bonsel Elementary student. And there's something happening in our community right now. It's different different than I've ever experienced it before. And I just wanted to thank the board for empowering Dr. and the resources to take the time to do all the exploration that we need to do because it's really uncovering some very interesting things. um my educators um are getting more and more involved in um understanding

045how that it's a difficult path. You can't just wish something no matter how much you want it, you can't wish it to be true and there's always ramifications and it's a balancing act and it's an act of prioritizing. And I'm hearing the same thing from community members. Um again and again I hear, "Well, if we had known all this, we would have voted for the bond." Wow. Great. So, um, I just want to thank you guys for staying patient with us and helping us explore what the priorities are to keep Bonszel a great small town district and create a path that doesn't have us move backwards, doesn't have us waste money that we don't have, but just has the students needs focused at the center and we'll just take our time to get there. But

046there is a ground swell happening. I just want you guys to know I think it's going to be different this time. So, thank you very much. Thank you, Miss Ariano. And I hear there's Miss Struckweather. So, we can have CSCA uh with the report today. Thank you for being here. Good evening board members, superintendent and Miss Gina. I want to speak honestly about where we are with the district. And it's not easy to say. We have lost trust. Our members have lost faith in the district's willingness to listen, collaborate, and honor agreements. But I will stop and say thank you, Mr. Gatis, for replying to an email that someone sent you. Of all the people on that email, you're the only one that replied. We do appreciate you caring about the classified. Here's one example

047of the district. Here's one example. The district calendar. There's a calendar committee between between BTA CSA and the district. We all come together. We discuss the days and everyone gives their input. I say clearly that we need to take this calendar back to our members for ratification because that's how the process works. Our members did not ratify it the first time. We went back again and we tried. They did not pass it. We informed the district that this meant we needed to renegotiate the calendar and yet nothing was done. Now here we are with the days like October 13th, November 10th, and April 6th, locked into a calendar. I want to be very clear. On April 6th, there's a real possibility there will be a day without CSCA members. This isn't about being difficult. It's

048about respect and fairness and the process. When we take the time to collaborate, to share input, and to follow procedures, but the district moves forward anyway, as if our voices don't matter, it sends a message that our members and our input and even our contract doesn't matter. And to make matters worse, items like the calendar are being presented to the board before members have had a time to ratify and talk about this. This needs to stop. This undermines the entire process and further erodess the trust that has already been damaged. At this point, it feels like administrators and the district leadership do what, when, and how they want to with little regard for agreements, commitments that are supposed to guide us all. This that's why our members are losing faith. And that's why we're now

049seriously considering pulling away from negotiations until we see a genuine effort to rebuild trust. We don't want to be difficult. We want accountability, communication, and mutual respect. Our members show up every day for students and staff and for the district. It's time for the district to show up for them, too. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Starkweather. [Applause] >> That brings us to our management reports. I understand we have uh what is the order for our uh principal reports? >> We have Bonsel West. >> Bonsil West. >> Mr. Kamacho. >> Good evening. Good evening, Board President Anderson, board of trustees, Miss Gina, Dr. Um, I'm honored to share some exciting updates from our school as we continue to build a strong foundation for student success. And I just want to say I'm extremely proud of

050our student leadership. They're they are leading the way and there's a lot of other kids that could have been up here because they're following that lead. So, I just wanted to make that really quick comment. All right. So in August uh we held our back to school night where I challenged our parents and community to be authentically and actively engaged in their child's education. Families are crucial piece in the success of their children and they continue to be as they grow older. I'm proud to say that our families continue to show up each and every day for each and every event. Well, we know from research and experience that when students and families are engaged, it positively impacts attendance and academic achievement. This year, our attendance rate is at 97.59%, up from 96% at this

051time last year. A clear reflection of that engagement. Our ASB elections in August brought forward a dynamic group of young leaders who have been actively mentoring and buddying up with our lower grades to support reading and foster a strong sense of community. These students have also set up a suggestion box in the lunch court which they take seriously to ensure student voices are heard. Beyond this, ASB has organized popular events and activities like they shared this this evening that showcase karaoke and they are very talented by the way. So if you get a chance to stop by um they are engaging and uniting all students. We have uh third and sixth eat lunch together, fifth and fourth eat lunch together and obviously our our different lunch route. So it's it's really cool to see the

052younger ones pick up the mic. And if you follow the s'more, you'll see some of the kindergarteners up there singing. In addition to these efforts, ASB has helped, like they said, launch our continue to launch our Bonso West news station. They are getting so creative what they do. And if you've had the opportunity to watch one of the broadcasts, they have the um the best Kamacho impersonation where they finish out with Ride with Pride, the Yeeha, and the Gold Coat. So, they are giving me a run for the money. These are the same students that come and do the morning announcements and they and I think they're I'm they're going to take my job. That's what I'm going to say. They're going to take my job someday. Um and like I said, um these feature

053uh student beat writers, news broadcasters. They produce this monthly or weekly segment. We air them on Mondays. We do have special editions that they do throughout the year such as the 9/11. Um and we share those in our weekly s'more, the Colt Express. This platform has been a wonderful opportunity for students to develop communication skills and stay informed. So, we we were very proud. I was probably in tears over here if you didn't notice um that they were recognized for their efforts along with Mr. Guzman. Welld deserved. Now, on September 11th, our entire school came together to honor first responders during a moving schoolwide ceremony. Our very own Dr. delivered a heartfelt keynote sharing how that day personally impacted her family and underscoring the importance of remembrance. Thank you, Dr. for that. And thank you,

054Miss Anderson, for showing up. Recreational programs continue to thrive thanks to Mr. Guzman, who ran a successful lunchtime football league for grades third through sixth. Um, and is now starting a soccer league. Our enrichment classes led by Mrs. Gutierrez in music and Mrs. JD in movement and dance continue to inspire, engage our students. As you can see, well, it's the next slide, I think. But we also I wanted to highlight our ABC boot camp. If you had the opportunity to come out, I know we got a lot of pictures. Um, wow. What a what a great event. The parents had an assignment and they followed through. We have some amazing TK and kinder teachers that are um inspiring these kids to read. 26 days of intensive ABC boot camp. They were so proud to walk

055through the halls and have everybody cheer them on. So, thank you guys for showing up for that. Whoops. And going back to the to the enrichment, if you see in the morning on every Friday, we do the Colt raffle. These are for students who get caught doing things without being asked. Um, living up to the core values of our school and our district. Um, but every morning that the music's out there, we have our DJ, Mr. Guzman. The kids are doing their dance moves that they learn in movement and dance. So, it's really cool to see. It usually starts out with one little TK or Kinder and then all of a sudden it becomes what you see there on the right. Um, almost everybody and in fact, I think Mr. Guzman got in trouble a

056couple times. It's time to line up. So, all right, let's see. Click next one. All right. Our crossgrade level buddy program is flourishing. Pairing students for reading projects and crafts, combining mentorship and leadership development. And here we have intervention efforts led by Mrs. Bonwell are making a real difference. She continues to run focused intervention groups providing encouragement and support. Her impact last year was evident with many students no longer requiring intervention and we are confident she will continue moving students forward. And part of that MTSS is our counselor, Miss Andy, shown there going through the leader ME lessons and really getting the kids to speak the language and follow through. Whoops. Back back. There we go. All right. We also held our first monthly awards assembly in our popular lunch on the lawn right there.

057What's going on? All right. All right. As we all know, student and parent engagement drives attendance, which in turns drives achievement. I'm proud to share that here in Colt country, 83% of our students are at or above grade level in math and 86 in ELA according to our most recent I Ready assessments. We look forward to watching our scholars continue to grow throughout the year. So what you see here is our ELA from the beginning of last year and you can see the the we were at about 50 almost 50% at or above grade level and then at the end of the year we're at 75%. So, we're really moving these kids out and we really are focusing on early intervention and so the work of Miss Bonwell and the and the staff, our TK

058teachers and their aids last year who are putting in the work. Um, so we're really seeing the benefits of that. Moving on to um oops, there's sorry I missed the slide. There's your there's your math score. So about 30 almost 29% and then you end the year with 64 68%. So, we're moving. And then our preliminary CAST scores have been released. And while we celebrate our progress, we are also committed to supporting students who did not meet or exceed grade level standards this year. So, in ELA, we saw uh we saw positive gains uh 5% positive gains from third grade to fourth grade, 11% positive gains from fourth to fifth grade, and 7% from fifth to sixth grade. And in math, um, and we're talking cohort out of here. There were some declines of math

059and we are aware of that and we're going to target that. We have a negative 11% from third to fourth and a negative 1% from fourth to fifth, but a strong increase from uh 13% from fifth to sixth grade. In science, fifth grade assessment, we have 44% of students meeting or exceeding standards. Uh, we are already planning uh targeted interventions and supports to continue improving these outcomes. And this is the slide I wanted to leave you with. Um, this is one of our ESN TK2 classes where it is was STEM day. And this is a great example of our mission statement. We mean all students can thrive in a positive, safe and supportive environment through highly quality highquality education focused on the whole learner. And ESN is extra supports needs um formerly known as mod

060severe. And these kids are thriving and the smiles say it all. Um, this is my uh another one of my happy places. So, if you're on campus, I'll walk you through. There's some really great things going on. We made some fantastic hires uh this this last round and I'm excited to see where they take us. And these are our upcoming events and I leave you with that and I want to thank you for your continued support and partnership. Together, we are fostering a thriving community where our students can excel. Go Colts. [Applause] Thank you, Mr. Kamacho. Now we have Miss Calibri with uh reports from uh Vivian Banks as well as our Bonso virtual academy. >> Thank you so much. Good evening. Thank you for letting me speak today. Um President Anderson as well as

061esteemed board Dr. and wonderful audience. Uh my name is Tina Calibri obviously proud principal of Evie Banks Charter School and thank you so much for this opportunity to share the exciting things. Um, I'm gonna read some notes because there's been a lot that has happened since I last spoke. Um, so forgive me for reading, but I hope you'll enjoy the slideshow. Um, I'd love to take credit for the change in my slideshow presentation, but I'm sure you remember from my other presentations are a little bit more dry and Miss Nancy, my amazing office lead, helped me to it up. So, big shout out to Miss Nancy. Um, campus renewal. Over the ca the summer, our staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to refresh our school. The office, the lounge, the classrooms, the cafeteria, and the exterior

062all received a deep clean and a new look. A giant mural, as you can see up there in the bottom lefthand corner, is currently being painted. There's eagle decorations now, so you now know that we have a mascot. And they are in the entrance in the office. And there Vivian Banks historic wall is growing. So Vivian Banks, long-term board member, 40 years on that same side that you're all sitting on. Amazing person in the Paula community along with her husband Jim Bank. So very influential. So we wanted to make sure we highlighted that. Viven up on the lefthand corner there. Used to be a little snapshot photo as you walked out the door and it was hard to tell who she was. And now we've got a really vibrant wall with a lot of extra

063pictures up there as well as her obituary that it really details her life. There's even a picture of uh Mr. Ortega up there on that wall. I'm sure he can see himself in that bottom right hand corner of when he was a student at the school. This school means a lot to the community and we wanted to make sure we really highlighted that when people walked in. Behind the scenes, we built strong collaborations with tribal agencies, the San Diego County Office of Ed, and local community members. Every single family was welcome with homemade brownies to start the year. All students received a Vivian Banks water bottle on their first day and teachers were celebrated with superhero capes, chocolates, and personalized agendas. We've had a focus on trauma-informed teaching. Our teachers are deeply engaging with trauma-informed

064practices and this began with a professional development session from San Diego County Office of Ed presenter Gina Kubak. And it continues with a staffwide book study. Our goal is to better understand our students and ensure they have the resources and support they need. Thank you so much. There we go. Thanks to Paula Social Services, we now have the Eagle's Nest in room 17, a safe space for students who need more than the calming corners available in every classroom. Alongside that, we've also launched circle of courage program, which is a behavior program from Star Commonwealth rooted in Native American values for belonging, showing kindness and respect, mastery, showing effort and perseverance, independence, showing leadership and generosity, giving from your heart. Our students earn recognition cards for demonstrating these traits, which they then exchange for eagle dollars

065at our monthly store. The names are announced daily during daily pled during daily announcements. Families receive positive phone calls from me and students proudly see their recognition in our weekly newsletter. This positive behavior system has already shifted the tone of daily life on the campus. And I want to kind of highlight this slide. So top leftand corner that uh shows on the very first day of school um we had a blessing with uh our local elders came and did a traditional blessing in Capeno. There was also uh some singing and dancing that occurred as well as blessing with sage. We have Miss Lenor in that middle corner where she had her first Elac meeting. We've got Paula Fire over in the right hand corner. They've helped us with hot dog cooking and all of our

066events so far. Bud Machado in the bottom right hand corner. He's with Koopa Cultural Center. That was a table he set up. We have Bud in the center down below Lenor. That was a game of shinny, which I'm going to be talking about in just a second. Down below that was for Native American Day. The students painting gourds that were donated, by the way, by Darretta Music of the Learning Center. We had a hundred gourds donated along with paint pens so our students could paint. The little snapshot photos that are over there in the bottom is our back to school night where we had a takes a village approach and we had social services as well as the learning center speak to our parents about what um types of things that were available to all

067of our families and we had a major turnout at our back to school night. Let's see. I've already kind of explained that all of our families enjoyed that nice free breakfast on that kickoff and welcome back and our back to school breakfast. I kid you not, when I thought the qualifier was going to cook hot dogs, I thought maybe two firemen would show up with a tiny little grill. It was a jumbo grill and there was 20 firemen that came to grill our hot dogs. It was pretty incredible. Um, our grandparents day drew a record number of turnout for shared breakfast and reading with grandchildren. Our September 11th ceremony honored our first responders. There were 20 first responders. I've done our 911 ceremony at Bonsa West and that was even more than Bonsa West ever

068had show up. So, it was pretty phenomenal for such a small little school. Um, we even had a fire truck that came for our 911 ceremony which was pretty cool for a photo opportunity. September carnival happened um for our students and we had 10 studentfriendly game booths that were staffed by local firefighters as well as 19 high school volunteers. It drew tremendous response from families, even local community members that came. Other recent highlights, there was a schoolwide field trip to the Paula Fire Station, traveling tidepool assembly, which was sponsored by the Paula EPA, and our ongoing companion language instruction and cultural activities such as gourd gourd painting, shinny, and elder readings. For California Native American Day, that's our grandparents day over there in the corner. And then obviously our 911 day. So here are some

069of our different events. You can see some of the gourds that were painted in that corner. We've got the carnival and then that's our circle of courage that has our different uh traits that I had mentioned. I'll talk about this one in just a second. For our Native American Day, we celebrated with a lunch on the lawn. This was just last Friday. Um we had again a record turnout of families. We created the art and gourd necklaces. We had the stations for native games, plants, and stories. And we had about 20 bird singers and dancers that came. And uh we had the families from the Robago family, Zuniga, Garcia, Pepper, and Trillo family that supported the singing and the dancing. A highlight was the Indian Taco Station. You definitely have to get an Indian taco

070if you've never had one. Um this was made possible. They were all free u based on the $180 that were raised from the Koopa Cultural Center and cooked lovingly by the Turko family. We had uh an event raffle of popcorn popper and specially designed cakes which helped raise funds for our future programs. We made $543 on our raffle. We made $80 on our student store. Even though the students are using their Vivian Banks bucks, parents could also use their dollars. And um we also had $132 just donated to us in food and 275 on the carnival. So not quite 80,000, but we're talking about a pretty small community. Um All right, I'm going to go back to the data. My data is not as impressive miss as Mr. Kamachos's. This is our data from last

071year. You see on the top part is the um overall placement for our students at the beginning of the year, but we did show growth. So, the little tiny green part that's at the top part did increase on the bottom slide. That was our beginning uh to end of the year for 2425. This is definitely going to get better this year, I promise. And then this was our math start of the year and then end of the year. So, while it's not making gigantic uh leaps and bounds, I'm more focused right now on really getting our students in a positive place and bringing up the behaviors and making sure we have a very safe school. All right, looking ahead, upcoming events coming tomorrow. We're going to have our Hispanic Heritage Lunch on the lawn and

072we have a full-size basketball hoop that was donated. Anybody here want to buy a ticket? They're only $10. We're selling a minimum of 30 in order to get to the full size price of the basketball hoop as well as piñatas that'll be filled with candy. Those are $3 a raffle ticket. And the heritage lunch on the lawn tomorrow will feature ballet for Florida dancers from actually Bonso West. They're going to be transported over there. We just found out this afternoon that we got a bus. Um was tricky because of early dismissal. And we will also have uh homemade tacos, homemade elote and harata that'll be available for free for our families as well as student art that's going to be created. Uh looking ahead, we have our movie night next week. that is a free

073event for all families and community members. We will have a hoverboard raffle if anybody wants to buy a ticket for that. Getting a lot of donations, making a lot of friends. Um and we also have our 30 for30 campaign which has already raised over $7,000 including a single generous $5,000 donation that just walked in the door this week. So that deserves a round of applause. [Applause] At the end of the month, we'll be hosting a school book fair and we're building a e-wallet fund so every student can select a book regardless of the cost. In closing, Vivian Banks Charter School is not only renewing its campus and strengthening its academics, but also honoring its cultural roots and booting building meaningful relationships. Our focus remains on belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity for our students, our families,

074and of course, the broader community. Thank you so much for letting me share the story of our school as it begins to soar higher and take flight. [Applause] And you can see I kind of ran out of space here. There are so many things going on on the daily and on the weekly at our school site. And it's just tremendous to see how excited our students are. I want to explain that picture with the capes. Um those are our Lexia stars. Whenever the students pass Alexia level, they get to got get a cape and they get to have their mask. And I will say that our running club is so successful. Tomorrow we're going to be honoring students that have already run 18 miles um since the start of the year doing running club for

075about 10 minutes a day. So it's something that we brought back this year. We wanted to be competitive at Tomlinson games um and not have any tears. All right, transitioning. Let me change my hat. All right, moving on to Bonso Virtual Academy. Good evening, esteemed board members. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. The school year began with a big kickoff for all community center employees. All staff received a BUSD community center personalized bag and Starbucks gift card to warmly welcome them back along with homemade brownies and breakfast. We also began with an in-person welcome back breakfast on the first day of school. Our families joined our K12 teacher, Miss Bruner, and enjoyed. Yes, I baked for them, too. Everybody got their fresh baked brownies as well. I'm baking a lot of brownies.

076I can't even tell you how many. It's constant. My husband and my family are like, "Are those for us?" Nope. Um they're getting very sad. Um but and keeping Costco in business, so that's a good thing. Um it was a warm way to launch the school year and bring our community together. The year following the retirement of Miss Preswood, our staff has shifted from 1.6 to one full-time teacher and current enrollment is now at 24 students. We are generating a wait list due to the growing interest in our program. At breakfast, you can kind of see we've got some students here at the welcome back breakfast with Miss Pringer. She explained the outline to the BBA's instructional structure. We're now offering a 100% virtual learning experience. At the high school level, students are now enrolled

077in three courses per quarter, completing six courses each semester. To maintain that academic integrity and accountability, students must clear expectations for coursework completion. Those not meeting expectations are returned to in-person learning. Already this year, we've had two students that were transitioned back. Final exams are proctored either in person or through monitored online sessions. We're very grateful to Miss Bruninger for her dedication in guiding all of our BBA students. This year, we have had um some career exploration opportunities for our high schoolers. On October 2nd, we had our first career day. Students heard from Kirsten or her own director of child nutrition services. She shared the pathway to leadership as well as an internship opportunity for our students and our grounds and maintenance crew who presented career pathways and also introduced an internship program. These experiences

078as you know helped to build that bridge between students and real world opportunities. I wanted to transition to our ATP program. This is one of my joys as well is to lead this program. This is our adult transition program and our adult transition program students have been actively engaged in the community through workability programs and you can see them here working over at uh Bons Elementary as well as working with custodial duties. Our amazing staff has been helping to build valuable skills for the students and for careers in hospitality, custodial services and beyond. A huge special thank you to our amazing team, Cararissa, Kevin, Gilda, and Natalia for their guidance and support of our ATP students. And here they are. They're so cute. Um, I wanted to highlight a couple of the students. So, Mr.

079Willie there in the middle corner right there, um, wearing the red shirt. He is doing so well with his gate training. And Brianna has, um, also taken steps without her gate trainer. So, it's huge big um steps for our students as well as some of our friends who really struggled with eye contact and helping to sell at the store are now maintaining eye contact. So, it's pretty exciting to see that. There's our career day, our BVA enrollment. This kind of highlights a little bit about how many students are enrolled in each of the program, how many courses are offered, and where our students percent is. um that kind of gives you an idea of where they were um as far as being uh close to on track as well and some of our upcoming events

080and dates. So, in closing, Bonsa Virtual Academy continues to provide that flexible, rigorous, and supportive environment for learning for our students. And with that strong family engagement, the dedicated staff that we have, and innovative opportunities, we're proud of our strides and the students that they're making this year. Thank you so much for your continued support of our programs. >> Thank you, Principal Keller Breeze. Uh that brings us to our board member reports. And if we can start with our student board member, please. >> Good evening, everyone. So, first off, I I was very saddened to hear about the loss of our elementary school student and I give my condolences to his family and his friends. Um and then like Dr. Dr. Glly mentioned there has been a lot of teaching going on regarding Native American

081culture and it's great to see our students being involved in that. Um I was also um glad to hear that educators are looking into how to model AI use to be ad advantageous to the students because it can be taken too much advantage of. And then as part of ASB at the high school, it really excites me to see the students at Bonsel West um starting to be involved from a young age. Um, I was also able to help out at the Vivian Banks Fall Festival and just playing games with the kids was super fun. Um, then at the high school last month we had our pep rally with the theme of carnival of stars where we honored our star athletes whether they played cross country or girls volleyball. Um, we got a lot of

082increased participation in some of our activities compared to past pep rallies and a lot of positive feedback from our students as well. They really enjoyed it. Um, additionally, we've implemented a new one minute bell. This is a great reminder um to telling students that they have one minute to to get to class and if they keep um being marked as tardy then they get lunch detentions. So we're really focusing on decreasing tardies so that students are in class on time and ready when it starts. And then um our speech and language pathologist at the high school is starting um something called Bonsel Buddies. This is for students with special needs to be able to connect with the student body. So right now we have a number of ASB students getting involved where they will be

083playing games and hanging out with students who have IEPs or are in special education. And I think this is a great step um to fostering a more inclusive environment at the school because this was um part of a concern that was brought up last month during public comment. Um then we have so many upcoming events like um homecoming which is this Saturday with a theme of moonlight magic where students will be able to dance and enjoy lots of fun photo ops and food options. Um and then future readiness night on the 15th where we're hoping to increase attendance by giving student the students who attend an ice cream party. Um and then similar to that, the symposiums with the highest ping signups get a popsicle party. So we're really taking advantage of all the incentives

084we can get. Um, and then the debate debate has a tournament tournament on the 18th. So, we're gonna, you know, we're wishing them luck and giving them our support with that. Um, of course, our car show is on the 25th, and I think that'll be a really big event. Additionally, we are having a new event this year called Fall Fest on the 30th where we'll have a professional haunted house. And so, there's a lot going on and we're really excited to see how everything goes and be able to reflect on it for next month. Thank you. All right. Good luck to all the other trustees following on our student board representatives footsteps. Mr. Ortega, you're up. >> Hi. Um yeah, I'd also like to express my condolences to the family that lost one. Uh there's

085actually um several losses. One in my community out there as well. Uh one of the parents um was lost to some of the students in our district. So uh you know that's um hard for a lot of people. And uh I know the students, you know, still going to persevere, go on with school and stuff, but it's difficult when you have a missing parent at home that just out, you know, happens very quickly and abruptly like that. Um so my condolences to all those that have suffered those losses. Um and um I can't I can't even really talk about I mean I I apologize for not being able to make it to the event. I've had uh normally my work allows me a lot of flexibility. They're doing some installations at my job. Not really

086making excuses, but work has gotten in the way of doing things. Uh they're doing some installations there and my schedule has become a lot more rigid recently. So, uh I don't know exactly how long that's going to last, but uh um I am missing out on some things where normally my boss allows me a lot of flexibility, but I haven't had that because of just uh construction going on. Uh but I did I did was saying that I was able to miss that. I was only like a, you know, quarter mile away and I could just wish I was there but I couldn't be there. Um and uh along with that, you know, congratulations to everything that uh that's going on in the community, but I did have one one thing I wanted to bring

087up and I um I've I've done research on family his family history and stuff. And I talked before about my grandfather going to uh being sent to Carile, which uh if some of you know that's in Pennsylvania, which is like just about as far from here as you can get. and still be in the United States. Um he was sent there in and he uh went to school there. He got out in 1898 to join the military. He enlisted in the military. He hadn't graduated yet, but he enlisted in the military. Uh he fought in the um in the served in the Philippines and then after he got out of the military, he went back to Carile in 1903 and then actually graduated from Carile 1905. Okay. Uh, and the reason I bring that up

088is because I was doing some research and I went through the archives and I found records of his graduation and and um service in the military. But I also found was letters that were sent out by the school to all all alumni students. They were started sent they started getting sent out five years after he graduated and they basically asked him just how's he doing? So, some of the questions they asked and and the reason I'm bringing this up is I'm kind of wondering if this might be cool for some of our our um our high school to do for our students because uh right now I think we had a discussion about it. U I think we're graduating our seventh class now. Is it eighth class? I've been there through all of them, but

089I can't count them that I can't count that slow. Um, and you know, I think it's time that we start looking at our our alumni and start asking them questions on how they're doing. Uh, the questions that he was asked in 1913 was, "Are you married? What is your address? Did you attend school after?" Well, in this case, it would be after Bonsil, but then that thing it said after Carile. Uh, what's your present occupation? some thoughts on your present home and what other jobs have you had? And I think those would be kind of cool to if anything just see how our students are doing, see if there's anything we could do to address the needs of our present day students. Uh as a matter of fact, he was actually pretty successful in some

090of the things he was actually actually asked to come back and speak to the students there after he graduated, which um they actually paid for him to get back to Carile, which at that time was probably why I trained. I mean, um, they didn't have cars that would do that, I don't think, at that time. Um, so, um, anyway, it was something I was going to ask like, uh, if our our board would support that and our school would support that and if, uh, everybody thought that was a good idea. Now, the questions of course I presented were, you know, generic questions, they could be fixed up, but nothing like no, you know, 20 minute survey or anything like that, just something simple like that and just kind of see how our students are doing.

091We're at that stage now where that we actually have quite a few alumni and it's uh it'd be nice to see, you know, how they how they're doing and how we've equipped them for life and if there's something that we could do to help, you know, our present day students and future students to be equipped for life. So, uh that's pretty much all I had right now. Thank you, [Applause] >> Mr. Laari. >> Hello everyone. Uh condolences to everybody impacted by family event troubles uh accidents. It happens all the time. Uh sadly uh that's life. Uh I want to comment on on the efforts around AI. uh AI will take the job of the people who don't know how to use AI. And so that's why it's so important for our kids to learn that

092trade so that way they can use it as a tool as a performance multiplier and not as a as a brain replacement. And finally, in light of all the stressors that we go through right now, uh with life events, news, politics, you name it, uh well-being and mental health is really important. And one of one of the things that our society is really bad of is to appreciate the the outreach and the need for help. uh we still in a society that prizes self-reliance and being strong and things like that and uh it makes asking for help uh an admission of failure uh something shameful uh asking for help is actually brave it's courageous and is the first step towards self-being. So if you are struggling with burnout, uh multiple stressors, uh making ends meet,

093uh dealing with kids, uh asking for help is not a failure. Asking for help is a step forward, better times. So, uh, I encourage everybody to go beyond the stigma and the the fear and the the the shame that's often associated to asking for help uh, by reaching out. Thank you, >> Mr. Merch. >> I would like to thank uh, Principal James and Dr. scholarly for taking the time to to hosting me at Sullivan Middle School and Laurel Castro for going through all our bond payments and cold dates and being very patient with me. So, I know that you're going to be getting more information for me and I appreciate that and and my heart goes out to the Sorano family and the other family that uh Mr. Ortega mentioned Michael >> Mr. got us.

094>> I think like everyone else when I you know the loss of a child is something that is just it's unimaginable. I I remember when I first heard what happened to Raiden. I was I was in my house and I just I literally sat in my chair and I just I'd never met Raiden. I didn't know him but I felt like I did. And I just sat there and I was looking out the window and I just trying to make sense of how something like that could happen. And and and sometimes you can't because it doesn't make sense. And I don't know, it's just seeing his picture up there today just kind of again it felt I had that same feeling, you know, I just you want to shake your head and you sometimes you

095just want to sit, you know, everyone's out there stressing about all the things they think are important in life and then we get a reminder of what really is important and it kind of brings us back, you know, and puts us in perspective. So, you know, my condolences go out to his family and uh and to the to the kids because, you know, uh there was I remember when I was in grade school, there was a uh a child died. I think it was is in third grade. It wasn't in my class, it was in another class, but I remember they it left his desk there for a while and I remember the first time they had a new student came in and he sat at that desk and it really upset all the kids.

096Um, it was just a really emotional time. And so I think that's the other thing we just need to keep an eye on is I think some kids will act like it doesn't bother them at first, but death is something that is very very difficult for young minds to grasp. So I just recommend strongly that we keep an eye on, you know, his classmates and his friends and just kind of guide them along and and uh so that's my recommendation on that. Um, next I wanted to talk about um I'm when I was growing up I was a big uh big fan of of uh mythology, Greek mythology and in particular um there was uh in Tardus which is basically the the uh place that all the bad people get punished right there's a character

097named Sephus which you guys might have heard of right so Cisphus is punished by the gods and I won't get into why he's he's he's but for the sake of this he's punished by the gods in his What he has to do for eternity is he has to take a big boulder and he has to push it up a hill until he almost gets to the top and then as soon as he gets there the b the boulder rolls down and he has to go down and do it again and again and again and again. Albert Camu who's an existentialist wrote a wrote a famous uh uh you know little article about him called the myth of Seisphus and what he concentrated on was not the act of rolling up the the rock it was

098the mental state of Seisphus. What did Seephus think while he was while he was rolling that rock up knowing that it was going to come back down but he still did it anyway. I say that story because sometimes being a board member is like being sisphus. I think sometimes you try and you try and you bring that rock up there and you keep trying to push it over and it just keeps rolling back down and it's it's kind of absurd and sometimes, you know, just like Seephus is absurd because he's, you know, doing it despite never being able to do it. But then I thought, you know, it is possible to get that rock over the over the hill. But as a board, we can't do it alone. We need the community. We need the

099staff. We need everyone to help push that rock with us. Otherwise, we're just going to keep doing it. And I I mention that specifically because, for example, in the facilities issues that we have, you know, we we have to come up with a solution to to fix the problem. But I think it's important that we make sure that we engage everybody. And I think it's really important that we listen and that we make sure that that that we keep open minds and not just because there are times when you talk to people, right? And I've talked before about John Stewart Mill and John Stewart Mill is a very famous uh uh guy who believed in free speech and he said that every opinion mattered, right? It didn't matter if they were completely different. Every you

100get value out of every opinion. If if for example if you listen to somebody and you think they're completely wrong but it still gives you a chance in your brain to evaluate yourself to challenge yourself and say am I is he right or am I right? So even when you listen to someone you disagree with if you do it with an open mind you're it's still an opportunity to learn. And if you and if you're listening to them and they're you know maybe you you see a couple things in there oh yeah he's right about that. Well, it gives you a chance to modify your own belief. And then sometimes you might listen to somebody and you might say, you know what, they're right and I'm wrong. But if you do that and you keep

101doing it and you really listen to people, you you you can use it as an experience because I'll tell you something, what happens most of the time when people listen to others, they don't really pay attention to what the other person's saying. They're already formulating their response in their head about what they're going to say as soon as this person's done. So instead of really engaging with the person, they're already trying to, oh, I'm going to retaliate. They'll let the person quit, you know, it's talking and then boom, they'll get them. So I just encourage free speech, you know, listen, active engagement and listening. That's that's really important. Um, the other thing I wanted to mention too was the shoe lady. I thought that that was really neat because when I was young, I didn't

102have a lot of my family didn't have a lot of money and I remember I had a pair of tennis shoes and they had a cut on the bottom of it and I was so embarrassed to wear them to school, but I did anyway cuz I only got new shoes every now and then. So, when I finally got them, just like I was so proud to get them. I mean, it was so good to get rid of those other ones. But, so I didn't even know someone like her existed. So, it's kind of neat because that does exist. That is it is it is a big thing. Um, so I just think that um, well, I think that's all I got today. I'm rambling on, so that's all I got. Thank you, Mr. Gatis. Uh,

103and thank you to all the board members. Uh, you know, it's it's always a um it makes me both proud and humble to sit on on this dis with all of you month after month. you know, even though we get a stipend uh and whatnot, um we're here more for the labor of love that it is to be a board member and the service goes uh as Mr. Gatis pointedly said, um sometimes the service that is put in is not necessarily appreciated by those that we are trying to serve. So, thank you all for being here uh month after month and then all the behind the scenes to do what we do on you know all year round. So, I appreciate all of you. Uh as everyone has already mentioned and I will echo um

104the deep sadness, the profound sadness associated with losing a student. Um it is a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the resilience of life. Um I I uh deeply appreciate the Sorano family um you know providing organ donation to uh extend you know Raiden spirit you know physically you know with the recipients of of those of organs u deeply heroic um and certainly I'm sure appreciated by all those families of the uh the recipients for those organs. I know that when I was in um I lost uh students in my class when I was in eighth grade uh and 11th grade. Uh so it is it's something you don't get over um as a a peer when you have a tragic unexpected loss of someone who most people perceive having many many more

105years ahead of them. So uh I appreciate Dr. uh you mobilizing the resources that have been mobilized um to provide bereavement and uh you know the other services for not only the Sorano family but all of the students and staff um who've been impacted you know by these tragic events. Um so thank you for that. Uh thank you to everyone who's still in this room at 7:39. I have I have no great mythological mythological stories or uh philosoph uh philosopher quotes to to put out there today and and and in keeping with the fact that my computer battery is very low. Uh and I don't want to um not have my screen for all the agenda items. We're going to take a short break. Uh it's 7:39 right now. Uh we're going to reconvene at

1067:45. Uh and then we're going to go on with the uh consent agenda and information items. We do have a presentation on facilities. Uh I I think that Mr. Gatis hit the nail on the head as it related to, you know, those of us who've been around uh working on trying to address the facilities. uh what we need to do to try to get programming to be commensurate with what we would like to have for those students and community members here. It's it's been a a very significant uphill battle. Uh you I moved here in 2009 with my family and I remember uh this campus had just opened uh the you know the Camino Delray campus had opened and we were deciding whether we were going to buy a house. We had two offers in

107tandem play, one here in Bonsil and one in Carlsbad. And so I was kind of in the parking lot just paying attention to who goes to school, who would who would be friends of my students and who would be my mommy friends, my mommy group to, you know, hang with and grow with. And remember talking to Mr. Berswald in I didn't know he was a teacher. I thought maybe he was a parent and just kind of curling and he was like, who's this person asking me these questions? And um over and over I was hearing from everyone, oh by the time your children are in high school, we'll have a high school here. And sure enough, we do. We we did. Um it was, you know, due to many many efforts. Uh there were foundation

108members who were out petitioning getting thousands thousands of signatures in order to get BB to pass in uh in 2012. Um, and I have the dubious distinction of being the ground campaign manager of DD in 2016. Had that passed, we would be in a very very different situation. Uh, cost of construction is astronomically more expensive. Uh, the ability to do the programs that our community members deserve uh at the secondary level have been extremely challenging given our facilities constraints. So um and the reputation of the district has suffered with each bond attempt that has come on the ballot that has not passed. So, it has been a uphill battle and uh we talk about loss uh as as it relates to a student loss, but as it relates to a community, uh those b those

109ballot measures that have failed have have represented a significant loss to the Bonsel Unified School District in 2016, in 2018, in 2024. Uh but yet we also are showing significant resilience as a community. I think that the reports that we have seen here from the superintendent, from our, you know, principles and from our student groups and from the board members and our community partners, it is a testament to the fact that Bonsel is a very very special place and we continue to do great things because we have a studentfocused center and heart that we want to be able to make sure that we are serving our community to the best of our ability. So regardless of whether we are acknowledged and or applauded, I'm not in it personally for any sort of recognition. Um I

110just want to if I'm continue to live in this community, I want to be have sure to have a school district that I would be proud to send my grandchildren to should I be so blessed to be a grandparent. And that is my northstar and that is the only reason why I sit here doing the things I do day after day, year after year. So I know that that is the heart that I see in the people here in the room and I appreciate that heart that I see reflected back at me. And with that I just talked for about four more minutes than I expected to. So we are now going to convene at 7:48. Thank you. [Applause] Yes. Yeah, that's pretty neat. >> Okay. I know. 7:48 7:53. There's all sorts of interesting

111conversations happening out in the lobby. So, apologies for uh reconvening a little bit later than officially anticipated. Uh we do have one board member that's still in the lobby uh I'm sure will be joining us shortly uh is knows that we're re reconvening. Uh but we're at the uh consent agenda. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously. bringing us to our information items and uh we might want all trustees in for our facilities presentation. >> Yes. Thank you. >> Roger. She's talking to you. >> In his defense, he still had 20 seconds. >> Oh, >> Roger. Miss Caroline Brown, it is so nice to have you here today. >> Thank you. Would you like me to go

112or >> I think I I personally am going to fall asleep soon because this is my second board meeting in this room this week and >> I'm tired. >> So, um, as much as I'd like all of the board members to be present, there's okay, the ability to walk into the room at any time. >> Go forth and um and go over the, uh, facilities update for the month. >> Thank you. So, uh, we're going to go over a little bit of hot off the press enrollment numbers. Our our Seabeds, uh, counting day was on, uh, Wednesday. So, we have some preliminary enrollment numbers for you to, uh, look at. We have planning activities since, uh, the September meeting. So, I'll update you on all the activity that Dr. has been uh, busy doing and

113the rest of the groups. Um, the focus group planning goals. I I just have that as a repeat, so we'll skip over that real quickly. um the status of the focus group work. We've done a lot of work so far with um lots of good thinking in the room and then uh continued engagement and then we do want to set some of those um board study session dates. Um so this is the enrollment as of right now. So, um, as of Wednesday, I mean, so you're sitting at 21.81 for, uh, the current year, down about, um, 93 students from prior year, 17 of which were Vivian Banks, so 76 down from the, um, non-charter schools from last year. And then so we're sitting back around the 2021 22 23 uh uh years of enrollment. And

114then this is the school enrollment kind of up and down. You can see that uh Bonsel West, Bonsel L is at 9005, Bonsel West is at 401. And um the uh is down from last year. Uh Bonsel L is down from last year. Bonsel West is up. Some of that could be attributed to the 30 or so interd district transfers that were encouraged to um go over to Bonsel West because of space availability at Bonsel L. Um and we are forecasting we've sent the forecast file to Davis Demographics. They have this information. They're going to be running the forecast and um and then after that we'll be able to do a year-over-year by grade level uh trend. So that'll be um interesting things to look at for as we figure out what our projections are.

115Um the new families that are coming into our developments, we're actually seeing the gen rate of what we said we would see, but there's declining enrollment in other areas. So we need to take a look at what's happening in the non-developed areas as to why we're seeing some enrollment reduction or decline. So then if we take a look at our enrollment right now and we say, "Oh, what are our um con uh configurations going to be?" I just did some math for us on the right hand side. So if we did two TK5s, the schools would be between 600 and 750 each. And if we did two TKs, that would be 600 to 925 each, depending on how we do the boundaries. And then if we did two TK8s, it would be 850 to a,000

116U students each. And then we've got your 68 and your 78 numbers there. And then the high school. >> And just as a point of clarity, this does not include Vivian Banks. >> Correct. Correct. Thank you. And then um the activities to date, we've um had all the listening sessions. Dr. was in a busy road show during the month of September. Had a couple listening sessions with the uh St. Louis Ray community as well as our first parent community meeting in September. And then of the focus groups, all of the groups have met two out of three of the scheduled meetings. And each group is reviewing the planning goals and they've held walking tours. And now they're going to have the third meeting. And what we've done is we've reconvened the chairs of the focus

117group to take the input that we've received so far from all of this community engagement that we've had and that will drive our conversation for meeting number three and as well as our uh bonsel advisory committee meeting that's scheduled for November 4th. This is a reminder of what those focus groups are doing. They have um the learning experiences for grades 7 to 12 at Old River, learning experiences for TK6 um at the uh West Lilac. I have that wrong on there. And then um the focus group three for the enrollment and capacity and balancing the u elementary schools so that we can use the facility that we have at Bonsel West and not highly impact Bonsel L uh with overcrowding. We may need to establish a fourth focus group to talk about the educational components

118and the grade level configurations to further deep dive into into that activity there. And then this is a reminder of our challenges. You've seen that already tonight. So, we'll move over to what's coming next. So, October 30th and January 12th, we have all Oh, it's October 31st. Sorry. Um, and January 12th, uh, all staff meetings. Uh, parent and community forums are scheduled for November 18th and the 21st of January. And then our advisory group is coming back to um, nove to reconvene on November 4th. They will then receive reports from the focus groups and and determine next steps for that group. So then a repeat of last time we talked a little bit about um uh state funding modernization eligibility, new construction eligibility and then the uh facility and hardship and financial hardship avenue grants

119that are available at the state. Um, I I left with the direction to um invite the OPSC and CDE staff to visit the sites. That's scheduled for October 28th. They are going to send two representatives from OPSC and one from CDE. Uh Dr. and I had a pre-conference with them earlier in the week um to talk a little bit more about the program and did a quite a bit of uh listening and learning there. And so we'll wait till they have that um meeting before we solicit uh RFPs for industry specialist reports that would help us if we want to go down the hardship route. And then we have the board study sessions. Um two dates seem to float to the top uh in January, January 7th and February 4th. Um but we really would

120like to schedule some dates in November December time frame so that we can meet as a board study session after the bonsel advisory committee meeting on November 4th and before um the we go off into the holidays. So I think Dr. sent an email out if we could get a response on dates that work for you. We'll we'll do um those topics uh sooner than later. I believe the funding and state and local and financing topic is probably of highest priority. Um and so I would propose that once we hit a date that we invite um potentially Ty Durwood to talk about land use. uh Adam uh Bower to talk about financing and Brian Leonard from DLR for the architect DSA implication as well as um Landon McQuestian and perhaps Michelle Reiner uh for estimating

121and cost of construction or maybe Gil Fallon for uh cost of construction as well just to get some specialists in the room that you can drive in your your your questions and get some uh real live answers for current events. Real quick question as it relates to that scheduling of an additional board study session before the holidays. Um I know we had those doodles or whatever they were called. Yeah, I I'd filled out the little radio buttons. It was really simple. But now, but now that we have the January and February dates at least proposed slashlocked in um maybe just send a list or a Google form or it might be easier just to you know maybe a different mechanism might be a little easier. >> Yeah, I think Dr. put it in an email.

122It's probably in your box right now. >> Awesome. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. Um and then uh just uh closing in on any discussion. Do you have um any additional items you'd like the focus group to dive into or the bonds advisory committee to con consider or are there any additional is there any additional data or information that you need from us in in your thinking about our challenges with facilities? >> Well, I have I have a a question. Um just today I've spoken to three I think three different parents today about facilities issues. Um, and I, you know, I think one thing that might be useful, I think if, you know, each each trustee here represents a different geographic area. And what I'm thinking is it would be possible for us to have like

123a town hall meeting with each one with the people that are in our area so that we can have more a more intimate type discussion with them because I'll be honest with you, some of the things that, you know, they were saying are things I had never, you know, they were obviously objections, but I had not heard before. And so, and some of them had they were very good points that make you kind of think. So, I I think if we're going to if we're going to have a community outreach, I think we need to make sure that that number one, we actually try to engage as much as possible. And I think that one of the things that one of them said was they didn't get a lot of notice about some of the

124meetings. And for whatever reason, I I think if we if we had that kind of community outreach and maybe if we got some of the more connected parents involved and said, "Hey, can you reach out to help people come make sure they come to this meeting?" I think we might have because for example, if Pascal can have one, it's hard for people to come from like Arowwood to here. But if maybe Pascel had his over at Bonso West and Eric could have it over at, you know, uh Vivian Banks and and Roger could probably have it here. I could have it here. um we we can have our people here and it would be I think it would just be a good thing to get them in here because you know I think the other

125one thing I wanted to mention besides that is is there a way we could keep a running list where if like we talked to parents and they had like a like let's say some a comment about maybe an objection to it. Is there a way we could keep a running list and say here's so we could all see it right so we could have pros and cons and like I could get in there and add okay this I heard learn this and learn this and then we could kind of keep going through it. Is there a way to do that? >> Yeah. What we've done is is created a Google sheet for every meeting where we log what people say. >> We've also um taken some of the information and I've started an FAQ where

126we could answer some questions that have come up at all these various meetings. So yeah, we can make that available. >> And do you think we could we could do a town hall like that? And >> I think that's a good idea. >> I would be I would be supportive of that. And uh I know out there like you say you mentioned Vivia Banks. Um, I'd like to have a kamal meeting at the lake branch of veh too as well. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> It makes really good sense for if these, you know, if we're doing these by trustee areas to actually have those uh town halls in the trust some somewhere in the area. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Well, we'll we'll work on getting those calendared >> and and we can create that

127list, right? because so I I don't lose track because I I've wrote down some today and um so we can just kind of I can say okay here's like three or four of them you know arguments that I've heard and we could put them on there and stuff like that. >> Yeah, let's do that. >> Okay, >> we'll have you guys have your own sheet. >> Okay, >> I have another question. Uh Miss Ariano mentioned uh a ground swell. Uh what's what what's the feedback that you've seen in those listening session? Is it just people coming to complain? Are they vindictive or or do you do you see do you see optimism? Do you see understanding that we're trying to do something for betterment? What what's the global feedback from not not from I mean

128mostly parents involved but do you get feedback from people that are not parents? You know just just curious about the the overall community >> about that log. Should we just put that together in in >> Yes. And we are getting um actionable feedback if if you will uh good ideas when I sat down with the neighborhood around this area for example and we do have a Google sheet where what we've done is for every listening session and the forums that we've had so far we have um the same kinds of questions so that they're easy to kind of disagate disag disagregate and then there's a lot of narrative in there because people have shared their concern their concerns they've shared ideas and it it really has been a lot of people sharing I will say

129opposition to a certain plan but recognition that we have to do something and I'm hearing more people that are coming forward and saying yes we recognize that's an issue but have you considered this which is good we need to have a lot of that dialogue so we've started that and we need to then take that and put in um the patterns the trends that we're seeing and also the feedback from the survey survey so far that I did send and we barely sent that out. That has not been communicated that broadly yet. What we plan to do is I'm going to just prepare a quick little intro video with a link to the survey and I'm going to try to just put it out on a bunch of social media because it is hard to

130get to people who are not in the community, not receiving the Bonsel Bridge, not receiving our school newsletters. And I'd like to put that out because I think people will share that. And in the survey, we also have a lot of analytics so far. I think I only have 134 responses to the more comprehensive survey that we just sent out. But in those responses, we're definitely seeing some patterns and trends that I think will give us some good information. So that's very good. And what we're doing now is we've met with the focus group leads. We've brought them back together and we said, "Here's what we're hearing so far." So it's changing some of the deliverables that we're asking for from them. And I think that's going to provide us with more information that we

131can get up in front of the staff and then get up in front of community forums and town halls and try to problem solve some of the um some of the options. So yes, >> I think Dr. Gali has a good point because um like even today during my discussions there were some people have raised some issues that I I mean some ideas that I had never thought of before you know and and it's one of those things where it's like it's kind of eye opening because it's you know we talk about it up here but getting fresh ideas with fresh eyes you know maybe even people who aren't so attached to it it's helpful it's helpful to be able to think outside the box a little bit to see if anything you know you

132know we can we can use any of the things we're hearing. So I do think the more engagement we get the better. That's my opinion. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> Thank you for keeping us posted. I know this is a very large um undertaking in terms of it's it's a it's an incredible puzzle. So for all those engineers in the room and those who you know have an analytical bend um but then also you know as Michael mentioned there's creative approaches. Um I know I personally take a lens of looking at what do I think um serves the district holistically ideally given what is in our inventory um and what does that look like say 10 years or 15 years from now and then how do you backstep it in terms of a strategic phased

133approach. So, you know, there's um there's creative ways that, you know, things can happen and, you know, there's a very large community with a lot of intellectual um you know, brain power to bring to the table. So, looking forward to, you know, seeing, you know, what unfolds. So, appreciate you. All right, that brings us to our second in information item today, which is a public hearing for title six. This is our Indian education policies and procedures. We don't have any sort of presentation on this, do we Dr. Pelton? So, uh, basically this is a public hearing required for all applicant types under the ESA section 6114 C3C. Uh, this public hearing is an opportunity for parents of Indian children, teachers, and representatives of Indian tribes to offer recommendations regarding title 6 Indian education program. The

134Title Six Indian Education grant provides approximately $42,169 annually to Bonso Unified School District to support the unique educational and culturally relevant academic needs of qualified native students. So, we're going to open this public hearing at 811. Is there any public comment, Miss McCannernney, as it relates to this topic? >> Okay. In which case, we will close the public hearing at 811. And that takes us to our action items for the day. First one is the two Oops, my cursor just moved. Sorry about that. Uh action item 10.1, the 202425 Proposition 28, Arts and Music in Schools annual report. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously. Bringing us to action item 10.2. This is regarding out ofstate travel for a conference uh the 2025 NJO conference. >>

135Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously bringing us to the renewal the annual renewal of a contract with informed K12. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously. Bringing us to action item 10.4. This is a ratification of the approval of the master contract between the Bonso Unified School District and Row Health and RCM Healthcare Services. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously bringing us to action item 10.5. This is the approval of the master contracts between the Bonsel Unified School District and the New Direction Solutions LLC doing business as ProAre and the Stepping Stones Group LLC for the 202526 school year. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All

136in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously. Bringing us to action item 10.6. the approval and ratification of change order to the public works contract with Zoran Construction for additional work completed at Sullivan Middle School Kitchen. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously bringing us to action item 10.7. This is the approval and ratification of a change order of the public works contract with Brian Cox Mechanical for the cleaning and disinfecting of the installed HVAC units at Sullivan Middle School. I a question on that. You you're we're putting in new units and I think the problem is that we bought the units, right? >> Got it. >> Okay. >> Right. when when we're dealing with um contractors, I know sometimes I I imagine there was a

137nice savings for us to purchase it versus them purchasing it, but do we have a bid, have them bid it where they supply it? Because I always like the contractor display it so that if materials go missing, you know, whatever they are that happens, it's their responsibility. That's my kind of thought process. I know that >> right for the purchase of this that this has happened long time ago. They were purchased um years ago. It was not like a over yesterday or last year. Those were already stored but we didn't have the opportunity to install them >> uh yet. Um >> because you do have to go for a quotes and >> for who is going to do the installation and all the services. >> Yeah. Uh and then when the situations happen that we

138are in the need of a replacement because the one is damaged, that's when we're re taking the opportunity to remove the old ones and put these ones that we have already purchased and stock. >> Okay. >> And these things are going to get dirtier on a regular basis. Are we have a is this going to be a contract that occurs more often or is it every time we have to get in clean we're going to have to pay this? Um we do have uh do maintenance to the to the edgeback units and right now with the calche program we have this company that is helping us doing the assessments and also changing the filters and reviewing every single unit uh to see what is the need on on the to to keep the maintenance going.

139So, so when we we have some of these same units in stock then so if we have some others go out is there a way to clean them prior to installing them is because I'm assuming it's much more expensive to clean it once it's installed. Definitely we can uh now that we know the situation because it was not just the cleaning portion but also it was an infestation on on that particular so we had to go through that process because we cannot install something that is not properly adequate for the for the facility that we're going to put in there. But definitely now and on before for those units that if we have any left, we're going to do the cleaning and the inspection prior to commit to anything um before the installation. So we

140avoid any um change order like this. >> Perfect. >> Thank you. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously. Bring us to our last action item of the day. Uh action item 10.8. This is for the mileage travel stipen for principals, directors, and executive directors. I do want to call attention that there has been an amendment to the financial impact. Uh for the financial impact section, there is a uh the language should be amended to read $5,000 annual cost, which is $500 annual stipen for four principles, four cabinet members, and two directors. So, it's a difference from 4,000 that was on the posted agenda to $5,000. Motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously bringing us to our public comment

141portion of the meeting. >> Okay. Public comment. The Bonsel Unified uh district board of trustees welcomes participation at the district's school board meetings. If you wish to address an item on the agenda, you must complete the form and deliver it to the executive assistant prior to the board considering the item. If you wish to address the board considering matters within the board's subject matter jurisdiction that are not on the agenda, you must complete this form and deliver it to the executive assistant prior to the public comment section of the agenda. Individuals shall be allowed three minutes to address the board on each agenda or non-aggenda item. The board shall limit the total time for public input on each item to 20 minutes. With board consent, the president may increase or decrease the time allowed for

142public presentation depending on the topic and the number of persons wishing to be heard. The president may take a poll of speakers for or against a particular issue and may ask that additional speakers speak only if they have something new to add. It is requested that speakers address the board from the podium when addressing the board. Our first speaker is uh Lindseay Jones. Good evening, esteemed members of the Bonsel District Unified School Board. Um staff and community members. My name is Lindseay Jones and I'm here to address the proposed relocation of Bonsel Elementary to the Bonsel High School campus at uh Sullivan. I am as a former employee at Guomi Park Academy. I'm familiar with innovative schools like High-Tech High, Guomi Park, Vista Magnet. I recall the small schools that they were with humble beginnings

143that birthed to healthy schools from an office or trailer at an antique train museum to the big schools that they are now. I urge the board to reconsider this move due to financial look at logistical traffic and enrollment concerns. I know it's not a decision that you've made. I know you're in the decision-making process. The 2526 budget, which I had Grock analyze by the way, yay AI. It has a lot of good features. um shows the general fund reserves at a 2.1 million, a slim 5.24 of expenditures with projected declines due to deficit spending driven by rising sped costs and transfers out. Renovating Sullivan to accommodate the elementary school students could cost 1.35 to 3.4 million for age appropriate classroom safety compliance infrastructure. In my opinion, this risk depleting reserves, leaving the district vulnerable to

144economic uncertainties. Logistically, reorganizing elementary and high school students requires distinct spaces and schedules, potentially disrupting high school operations and increasing staffing costs. Traffic at Sullivan is already congested during peak drop off and pickup times. Adding younger students would exasper exasperate, sorry, exacerbate gridlock. Thank you. compromising safety and necess necessitating costly traffic management solutions. My deepest concern is the district's failure to address declining enrollment trends. Since Bonso High School opened 2014, families are increasingly leaving public education as seen in simply Fabric Brook High School's enrollment drops. Innovative schools like High-Tech High grew from small spaces because their programs were enticing. Ignoring this shift risks risks further enrollment declines which this relocation does not solve. Without substantial external funding such as grants, this move jeopardizes our students education and district stability as well as forgoing the significant

145reason that many significant reason that many families come to Bonsel, the crown jewel, the elementary. I urge the board to explore alternatives like modernizing programs to attract families, optimizing existing facilities facilities, or once again considering leasing a third of the GIRD property and getting some sort of an income looking at relocation. Thank you for your dedication to our students. I appreciate you. Have a great evening. I'm going to go take care of my type 1 diabetes child. >> Our next speaker is Is it? >> It's okay. >> I always >> No, I appreciate that. I always tell people unless you're like my dear friend, um, as long as it's a nice name, I'll answer. Um, anyways, uh, thank you. I, my son's older now and, um, it's a lot more work than when I saw

146you guys last, so so my thoughts aren't as well organized. Um but good evening Bonsel School Board and community members. Uh some of you I recognize your faces and you may or may not remember me and some of you are new. So thank you. Um I will first want to address I'm really sorry about the young little boy um and the loss and can relate to losing friends very young when I was uh in school. And uh anyways, it just reminds us to be sure when you go home to hug your loved ones a little tighter because uh everyday is a gift, right? Um anyways, and along with that, a lot of what you guys have said and and and uh that topic relates to what I came here to talk to you guys about.

147Um, and in light of recent events, uh, outside of the school, uh, like the assassination of Charlie Kirk, um, AG in Virginia running for governor, texting about shooting an opposing candidate and his kids, mass ch and school attacks, c uh, college campuses, you know, being uh, in what's the word I'm looking for? Taken over um, and property being destroyed. uh you know, presidents uh you know, for decades now being shot at, a few of them, not all, thank goodness. Um uh and cities being occupied and some being burned down along with businesses. I wanted to speak to the school board about the rise of violence um in general, but also in towards groups of faith um and just people who have different opinions. Um, I very much uh Whoops. Um, I very much appreciate what

148Mr. Gatis had to say about uh learning, listening to each other. I feel like I feel like I've been living in the last five years, this has gotten a little better, but for a while there a world that I don't recognize as a child. I I was brought up and I think many of us were that um uh that you listen to each other like Mr. Gata said, and you may not walk away agreeing, but hopefully you take a little nugget and learn and you try to find um a compromise or cooperate in a way where there is a win-win for everybody. And something's going on in our culture where uh we're not our our children from the generations prior, you guys weren't on the board back then, but something's going on where the generations

149that have graduated uh don't seem to have that same value system. And I don't know if they're learning it from social media or when they go off to higher education higher than Bonsel. Um, but uh that's why I'm here to talk to you because um as a school system, it's obviously our priority and most important for us to teach our kids to read, write, arithmetic, and all the basics. But it does little good if they don't value human life and they don't know how to um uh disagree uh and in a respectful manner and have important serious conversations um and still walk away being able to be friends or at least be cordial, you know. Um, and I hear this terminology and and some of you may disagree with me, you know, but speech is

150violence. That was something I I again I'm probably dating myself but uh I grew up believing speech okay is uh it speech even if you don't agree with it even if you think it's hateful is um it's important that we protect those even that we disagree with. Um, and so anyways, the reason I came to you basically uh was to ask in light of all of these events, are you guys intentionally thinking about what you can do for our kids? I know social emotional learning is a big thing, but I'm not so sure that it intentionally focuses on teaching our kids to um have have conversations and how to have them agreeably or disagree agreeably. And I know there's debate clubs, but not all kids um you know compete in that. And so I just

151I don't I hope that's not a an antiquated value system, but it just seems in light of what's going on in the world, it might be something we need to intentionally focus on teaching the next generation so that they can, you know, have discussions about important topics that um may seem controversial and people have, you know, are on different ends of the spectrum, but we can still value life. We can value life. very much. >> So, thank you. >> Sorry, I got a little nervous. [Applause] >> Next up is that Mr. Ariana. >> Mr. Ariana, I'm telling you, hi is what you need to be doing. Humorous interpretive. That's what you need to do that. And you need to do oratory just for the record before you start speaking. You need to try some of

152those out for me. Okay, >> I will. I will. >> You promise? >> Yes. >> Cuz you're in front of your mom. You're you're saying that? Yes. Let's go. >> I was in the speech and debates club, so she might be able to hold me to that. Um, good evening board, Bonsel staff, community members. Uh, I just wanted to give you guys a quick update and some information about the Bonsel High School Red Cross Club. Uh tomorrow from 8:30 to 2:30 p.m. we are hosting a blood drive at the high school in the MPR. This is a great way to impact your local and statewide community. Um through a single donation you're able to save up to three lives and these are small children to our elderly. And this is a again great way to

153impact your community. Um I strongly advise and urge the remaining people that are here for the meeting um to donate tomorrow. Um I've got a QR code and form if you'd like to scan it. Um and I just >> Yeah. And you can also just show up. Um I should be able to get you through What time is it at again? >> Again, it's at 8:30 to 2 2:30 p.m. at the Bonsil High School MPR. Um, sorry, I'm a little tired here. I think all of us are. I'll wrap this up in a second. >> Um, but I just wanted to let you guys know that we're here. We're trying to host events and really make a positive impact in our community. So, I'd love to see you guys at the blood drive tomorrow. Thank

154you. >> Thank you very much. Thank you and thank you for for for being here. Um, this takes us to future planning. Our next regularly scheduled meeting is in November on November 13th. That's our typical second Thursday. It will be 4:30 close session, 6 p.m. open session here at the Bonsel Community Center unless otherwise noticed. Um, and with that, we shall adjourn at 8:30 p.m. Thank you all. Good job, buddy.