001Welcome to the organizational meeting of the board of education of the Chula Vista Elementary School District. The meeting is now in order. All board members present except for Vice President Tamayo and trustee Ramirez Dominguez. We will now approve the agenda. Is there a motion? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Recording secretary, please call the vote. >> Tolston, >> I. Dominguez Arvantes >> I. >> Ugarte. >> I. Motion carries. 32 absent. Oral communications for close session items. The oral communication section provides the public the with an opportunity to address the board on close session items only. Persons wishing to be heard may attend in person and should complete a request to be heard card and submit it to the recording secretary before the start of the meeting. Speakers are requested to limit their remarks to
002three minutes and speak in a respectful and professional manner. The board shall limit the total time for public input on each topic to 20 minutes. With board consent, the president may increase or decrease the time allowed for public comments depending on the number of persons wishing to be heard. No board action can be taken. The board of trustees cannot legally take action or respond to matters not posted on the public agenda due to government code, but will refer the matter to the superintendent for review and report. There are no speakers. We will now adjourn to close session in accordance with the following. Government code section 354 9.1D and 54957.6 Six, Collective Bargaining Employee Negotiations LLP, Adam Silva, and McNal LLP. Employee organizations, Chula Vista, Classified Employees Organization, Chula Vista Educators, Non-represented Employees, and Administrators Association,
003Chula Vista, Government Code Section 54957B1, Public Employee Discipline Dismissal Release, Conference with Legal Counsel, Existing Litigation Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9D1, one case San Diego Superior Court. Case number 25 CU 023739C. Education Code section 35146. Consider waiver of student expulsion hearing and stipulated suspended expulsion agreement. Student number 732703. Government code section 54 956.9D1. Conference with legal counsel. Existing litigation in the office of administrative hearings case number 2025 government code section 54956.9D1 conference with legal counsel existing litigation in the office of administrative hearings case number 2025 and government code section 54956.91 conference with legal counsel existing litigation in San Diego Juvenile Court. Case number H9061. We now reconvene to open session with all board members present. Please let the minutes note that Trustee Ramirez uh Dominguez arrived at 4:10 and Trustee Tomo at 4:33. Close
004session items will now be made by the clerk. report out on the following government code section 54957B1 public employee discipline dismissal release. This report out relates to item 4C on the close session agenda. In close session by a vote of five to zero, the board approved a settlement agreement and general release with a certificated administrator. Employee ID number 2011 625809. The terms of the settlement include the employees resignation, a severance payment and benefits continuation for a set period of time and a full waiver and release of all potential claims. On motion by member Lucio Garte, second by Francisco Tamayo. The A's were five, no zero. Abstension zero, absent zero. On education code section 35146, consider waiver of student expulsion hearing and stipulated suspended expulsion agreement student number 732703. On motion by member Dominguez Cvantes, second
005by member Tolston. The board approved the settlement agreement by the following vote. The A's were three zero nos, two absent [clears throat] on government code section 54956.9D1. Conference with legal counsel existing litigation in office of administrative hearings. Case number 2025071156 on motion by member Dominguez Cvantes, second by member Tolston. The board approved the settlement agreement by the following vote. The A's were three, nos were zero, two were absent. On government code section 54956.9D1, conference with legal counsel, existing litigation in office of administrative hearings, case number 2025 080027. On motion by member Domingo Cvantes, second by member Tolston, the uh the board approved the settlement agreement by the following vote. Fours were zero, nos were, excuse me, the A's were four, nos were zero, one absent. That's all, Madam President. >> Thank you. Open session of
006the regular meeting of the Chula Vista Elementary School District Board of Education is now in order. Welcome everyone. All board members are present. Sorry. Trustee um Deayo, can you lead us in the pledge, please? Everybody please stand of to the republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisibley and justice for all. We will now approve the agenda with flexibility requesting to move administrative action items 12A 12B and board policy item 13F immediately following item 7A. Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Moved by trustee, seconded by trustee um Dominguez CVantes. Recording secretary, please call the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez. I >> Tolston. >> Hi, >> Dominguez Cvantes. I >> Tamayo. >> I >> Motion carries 5-0. >> We will now conduct the annual organization business of the Chula Vista Elementary
007School District Board of Education, elect officers, appoint superintendent as secretary, and adopt dates, time, and place for the regular board meetings in 2026. Dr. Reyes. Okay. So, every year uh this time of year the board has to uh appoint uh presidents, vice presidents and uh clerk and secretary for the following year. So uh at this time this is called the yearly organizational meeting. So at this time I give back to you uh president. >> Okay with that um I will propose a slate of officers president trustee vice president trustee Tomo and clerk uh trustee Ramirez Dominguez. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Trustee Ramirez Dominguez. Do you accept? No, >> that being said, I revise my motion for President Trustee Ugarte, Vice President Trustee Tamayo, and for clerk trustee Tolston. Do I have
008a second? >> Second. >> There's a second. Recording secretary. There's a motion. Please call the vote. >> Dominguez. May >> Tolston >> I >> Dominguezantes >> I would like to submit an alternate >> We're in the middle of a vote. We can't >> Okay. So at what point do I have that chance to do that? >> Yep. If this fails, >> but I thought there was a discussion after a second and any other vote. We have a discussion after a second. >> Second motion for a friendly amendment. >> A friendly amendment. >> Yes. The discussion is for the vote for the actual motion. So the motion has to fail in order for you to make a supplement or a friendly amendment. >> But I thought there's a discussion after a second. So I'd like to
009offer a friendly amendment. >> What's your amendment? that I be the president, Tomo be the vice president [cheering and applause] and that Kaden Dominguez be the clerk. >> Does the maker of the motion agree to that friendly amendment? >> It's not a friendly amendment. >> Okay. >> Continue with the vote, please. >> Dominguez CVantes. >> Nay. >> Tamayo >> I. >> Ug. >> I. Motion carries 32. May I Is there a moment to discuss or not? >> No, we don't. It's It's It has to be during before I had called for the second. We're done. Yeah, we're It passed. We're done. Um, we need to >> We weren't given the opportunity to give their options. >> We paused and no one >> You didn't pause immediately after the first one failed. You went to >>
010for secretary. A board member must motion to appoint the superintendent as secretary. Do I have a motion to appoint the superintendent as secretary? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Recording secretary. >> Ramirez Dominguez. >> Hi. >> Tolston. >> Hi. >> Dominguez. >> If we didn't vote him in, we wouldn't have a superintendent, right? >> You're in. >> Yes. >> Tamayo. >> I. >> Ug. >> I. Motion carries. 5-0. The adoption of dates, times, and place for the meetings in 2026. A board member mo must motion to adopt the meetings of the calendar. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Recording secretary, please call the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez, >> I. >> Tolston, >> I do. I don't have the calendar in front of me right now, but there was a date
011that was is it in March, the March date, >> March 4th, >> where it's like almost immediate. It's like what two weeks or two and a half weeks after the February. >> Correct. So, the reason for that is because of the March 15 notices. We need to have enough time uh they have to be before March March 15 and we need to have enough time after the board votes to be able to notice the the staff. Thank you for the clarification. >> Dominguez. >> A tamayo. >> Igarte. >> I motion carries. 5-0. >> All right. Special recognition, awards, and honors. Presentation of district winners of the holiday greeting card uh competition. Dr. Reyes. So, it's very exciting to have uh today uh presenting the award winners for our holiday uh card competition. We have uh
012three winners and u >> I don't have the list. It should be >> on there right now. >> Yeah, it's on here. They're right here. So, do you want them in third? >> Yeah. So, >> okay. if we'll call you up. Everybody come up. >> Yes. So, I want to say the names first and then we'll call them out. [snorts] >> So, uh our third third place winner, uh we have Gabriella Karako and then we're going to we're going to say the names and then we'll call you one by one to the front. Gabriella Karako >> from Olympic View. [applause] Our second place winner, we have Mara Alonso. [applause] >> And our first place winner, which uh the holiday card is going to be the official holiday card for CVSD and uh she's also going
013to be getting a check. Uh, it goes to Savannah Era from Olympic View. [applause] >> And if you want to distribute this to the board, >> this is for the students. >> They're for the students. Yeah. >> All right. We'll start with third place. Garela Karako [applause] One more. Perfect. >> [applause] >> You can't log in. >> [applause] >> She's a good [applause] >> [applause] >> our first place. The cards are already on their way out. Savannah [applause] Everyone find perfect. [applause] >> [applause] [sighs] >> Oh Jesus. [cough] >> All right. Item 13F. Just Okay. Ready? All right. Item 13F is board policy um regarding safe campus. Dr. Reyes. >> Thank you, President Regarde. So, uh before we go into the board policy, uh I do want to make a a statement share out with
014the with with the board, but also the the community, all the parents and staff. So, uh last month this board policy was approved by the board. Uh however the board policy the the purpose of the board policy is to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Now the district uh I I want to make sure that it is very clear that the district remains committed to continue its strong partnership with parents. After our last board meeting, President Duggar spoke with parents and community members who had concerns regarding the implementation of the policy. She went ahead and asked me to bring back the policy with language that clarifies the original intent. I met >> check there. >> I >> No, >> I I met with the board policy committee. >> We are following the Robert's
015rules of order. Thank you very much. Continue, Dr. Reyes. >> So, so I met with the board policy committee composed of President Tamayo and President Nugarte. uh and they are proposing because they they're part of the board policy committee. So before policy goes forward we uh they have to look at it and they're proposing language to the existing policy that clarifies the original intent. Uh I also want to acknowledge the work that our principles have done to engage their communities and put plans in place to ensure the safety of our students. And so >> okay so so again I do want to uh express that what they're proposing the proposing language to the existing policy clarifies originally intent >> and Dr. Reyes I'll read the new the new the language that was added was to
016clarify as Dr. Rehea said the intent of the original policy parents and the new language that's in the the policy as it is today. Parents and guardians may check in through the district's RA uh visitor management system Raptor for the purpose of accompanying their child to the designated morning dropoff line or walking them to the classroom. Parents and guardians shall proceed directly to and from the designated areas and exit the campus by the first bell. All parents and guardians must follow sight specific safety procedures and comply with staff directions while on campus. And I would like to ask um uh our security uh and safet uh Wiggins to come up and explain how um streamlined the raptor system can be. you know that there's concern that >> yeah we do have a concern about it
017would take a long time but we do have a way of uh making sure that it is much faster than having to sign in every day. So Mr. Wiggins >> can you hear me now? Yes. >> All right. When you go into the Raptor system, as it currently currently sits with the with the iPad, you kind of have to put in all your information. To get around from all that, you would download the Raptor Safe app. You would input your information and what'll happen from that point is you will get a QR code. And once you get the QR code, I'm going to pull this up on my on my own phone so I can show you. Once you get the QR code, all you have to do is just scan the QR code and
018you're off to wherever you need to go. Um, it's it it's it's fairly simple uh and easy to use. >> Okay. Okay, sir. I I understand that nothing is perfection. Um, and what >> uh doc Mr. Wiggins, please address the board. So what so when they when they when they pull the QR code, the QR code is scanned and and what should happen is their picture should come up on the screen and they should be able to go be allowed to go where where it is that they're supposed to go. >> As it pertains to an event, a major event, the the school can send out an event notification prior to the event. The family members can log into that event, which already scans them for the for that specific event. they can print out
019a a list uh for that event and once they come in they should be able to either do the QR code or be checked off the list from the secretary or the staff that's manning that particular event and that's how that should go. >> Thank you. Um before we take public comment board um comments or questions? >> Yes. um reading the new rewritten board policy and knowing that we must be as explicit because we don't want to leave any room for gray area. I want to know and a lot of parents also commented to me what's going to happen to parents who want to come in and stay for breakfast with their children are can they do that because the board policy says drop off immediately and walk away. So I just want to make
020sure >> it's not stated. So maybe we should change it to stated. >> So we should I would recommend that we add that portion. >> So the idea is that we want to maintain order in the school side as much possible and we understand that there's there's a need. So, so the idea is that they would come in and once the bell rings all parents must exit the the >> breakfast is usually breakfast earlier. >> You usually >> teachers need to be prepared to accept >> usually um when the the parents come in there's time for them to have breakfast right before the bell rings. So that's what's stated on the on the board policy that by the by the board by the first bell >> means that once the bell rings then all parents
021go out that they already had time to take the student to the classroom if they wanted to uh they w they were they're going to have time to walk him to the line or have breakfast if they choose to. But if it's not happening well if we amend it amend it to include that portion to make sure >> please understand this was this is an amendment now right now what was being implemented what was understood by the sites at from the last month we haven't put this into >> last month we asked who was going to be how were these going to plans going to be developed and we were told that it was going to be a community development of a plan which did not happen Right. Right. Well, and and >> and that's
022what I'm saying. If we don't want to leave room for interpretation, we might need to write this down. >> Go ahead. >> Can I speak? Okay. >> I just want to share a few pieces here. So, it wasn't just uh Trusty Ugarte that got the many calls. >> Yes, >> we all did. Yes. >> And some of us went [applause] >> some of us went to the sites also so we could hear from the parents. So, I want to read my notes. intended consequences of this policy. The way the policy was rolled out in some school sites, it isolated parent input. Important that all stakeholders participate in the development of each school site plan. That includes parents, staff, and administration. The end goal is a safe campus, which no one is disputing. In all the
023numerous contacts that have reached out to us, no one is disputing that. We heard from parents being deprived of knowing they they had handed off their child to their teacher, especially the little ones. Also heard of and we've got emails to that, so if anyone wants to P it, it's there. Also heard of situations of anxiety, bullying, and the lack of supervision, the loss of community amongst parents with their teachers. I heard from some staff also that it's the first time in a long time that they have felt safe. So I'm hearing from the different stakeholders. I also heard from others why the fix why fix what is not broken. I'm sharing with you the different input so you get an idea of what we're hearing. I heard from some administrators that have had to
024deal with a multitude of reactions from the school community. Their ultimate goal is to keep the campus safe, the parents, the students. There we heard about the scanning scanning the QR in and there's um other ideas and we spoke about it earlier like what what does um Costco do? They're qring in >> and uh there's some churches that do that when they drop off their students. >> But if it doesn't work, it doesn't resolve the issue. The communication was lacking. I would like to recommend that if this board would consider I would like to entertain a motion that this policy be rolled out in five to seven volunteer schools. There's some schools that have close to implementing this or have already implemented. I haven't heard from some schools. So maybe it was working there. But
025but that that's the that's the point that's the point of allowing for things to roll out. It's we've got 50 schools, you know, and yes, putting stool students safe safety first, putting and and yes, the the there's a definition, but there is but if you have children, you know that when you have the Yes. >> Exactly. That that's my point. That that's my point. I I want to drop off my child. hand them off to a responsible person. Trustee, you need to have trustee, you need to have the conversation with us, please. >> So, I would I would >> I would ask the president to move for along and let's hear from the public public the comments. >> For the comments? >> Yes. >> Okay. Ready for notes? All right. >> I haven't finished. Am
026I timed out? >> Well, you were talking to the public and you have to talk to us. >> Okay. Well, I'll talk to you. The caveat is that parents have to be allowed if they choose to to drop off and pick up their child. How that is done, [cheering and applause] how that is done should not jeopardize the safety of the teachers or the students and principles have to be able to do their job which is theirs is to ultimately keep this campus safe and their staff. So I think the the key here is that all players had to be considered and they were not. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Are you okay [applause] with public comment? >> Pardon? >> Are you okay with public comment? >> Mhm. >> Okay. >> Uh the first
027three speakers, Jose Miranda, Mario Valdinos, and then Norma Toothman. Good evening, president, board members, and superintendent. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name [clears throat] is Jose Miranda. I am a retired United States Marine. Having served this country for 21 years. During my service, I accepted long separations from my family as part of my job. I missed many moments I can never get back. Now in retirement, I am simply asking to be pres um present for my daughter in a small but meaningful way. I am here tonight to respectfully ask a yes vote on allowing raptor enrollment at drop off or any other reasonal option that would permit parents to remain with their children until they are escorted to class. This is not about special treatment. This is about safe supervised parental um
028supported access. The Raptor system already exists to verify, identify, and protect campuses, allowing parents who pass that check to remain briefly on campuses, providing re reassurances for children while maintaining security for schools. We talk often about parent involvement and students well-being for younger students, especially those minutes before the bell matter. They reduce anxiety, build trust, and help children start the day feeling secure. When parents are willing to follow the rules, register properly, and comply with safety protocols, that invol involvement [clears throat and cough] should be encouraged, not blocked. I appreciate that this policy has already been amended to allow for raptor check-in at drop off. Tonight, I am asking the board to take the final step and approve it or approve an equivalent alternative that achieves the same goal. [clears throat] Safe access, verified adults,
029supported students. I spent over two decades protecting communities. Today, I am simply asking to stand with my daughter until her school's um school day begins. Please vote yes for a solution that balance balance safety with family involvement. Thank you for your time and consideration. [applause and cheering] Mario Baldinos. >> Baldinos. Mario. >> He got called away. >> Norma Toothman. Good evening. I'm here tonight as a concerned grandparent. Three of my five grandchildren who are school age have been assaulted in their respective schools in this district. My first grandson was bullied by a teacher and physically attacked by another student at Palomar. My second grandson was sexually assaulted by another student at Allen. My granddaughter was bullied and physically attacked at Hilltop. In each of these incidents, my grandchildren were not given a voice to express
030their fear or their confusion about what was happening to them. Our attempts to address these issues were met with bureaucracy and ambiguous narratives. These incidents were intentionally dismissed as typical peer-to-peer occurrences. So, you can see why I'm passionate about being here tonight. close campuses. Oh, I'm sorry. Let me let me add that the only reason we found out about these incidents was because other parents who were at the school witnessed it and brought it to our attention and when we went to the school then that that's when the bureaucracy began and we were given this narrative. Close campus policies exclude parents from being engaged in their children's safety and well-being and creates mistrust in our school system. Silence protects systems. Speaking out protects our children. And we're all here tonight giving our children a voice.
031We're here to publicly speak out for our students and parents psychological safety, for students transparency. I'm sorry. For student safety, transparency, and most importantly, accountability. >> Why were the schools not notifying my daughters about the incidents that occurred? >> When my child was young, she broke her arm, passed out at the at at the school. I wasn't told about it. She was sent home with a broken arm. Monday when I went to go dress her for school, her arm had already began with the atrophy. The school when I called the school, the nurse told me, "Oh yeah, she fell. She passed out. Why wasn't I notified?" These things are happening and just want to thank you for the opportunity to speak up and give our children a voice. And we hope you reconsider. [applause] Thank
032you. The next three speakers are Karen de la Cruz, Teresa Corona, and Dale. Hello everyone. My name is Karen Dela Cruz and I didn't prepare anything so this really is coming straight from my heart. Um, I totally understand that we're all here for our children's safety, but I would like everyone that matters. I mean, we all matter, but the person who can make these decisions or help is that safety means mentally, emotionally, not just physically. And I feel like that is not taken into consideration. Parents are a safe place for our children. And I understand you want to protect the children from the outside world, but we're from the inside and we should be considered as part of the community as what everyone is here talking about that this is a community um you know
033place and I I we just don't feel that way. And for example, one of the things we went to an award today. My daughter received two awards at that. Um, you know, one of the things that I noticed is that safety starts in the front of the school. I feel like everything is chaotic. Everything is a trial where our kids are not to be triled and tested like guinea pigs. I feel like if you want to implement something, you have to know like concrete, right? is how it's going to be. I love um Natalia and Barbara at the front desk at Allen, but they are not equipped. What happens if there is there happens to be a shooter, you know, you knock on the door, she opens the door and they are to be let
034in. The shooter can actually have just a gun and be able to come in. Like I don't understand the implementation of the safety when I can literally climb the gate. You can close the gate all you want, but if I really intended to climb and cross and get to our kids, I could just cross and climb the gates. So, I just feel like we would be behind this if it's not like a trial. And that's all I have really have to say. >> Thank you, >> Teresa Corona. [applause] Thank you, board. When you uh passed board policy 3515.1 last month, you voted to align our district practices with modern current safety practices that are being implemented across the state and across the nation. With that vote last month that you voted for unanimously, you put
035students first. You put safety first. Revisiting this policy to allow open campuses where parents or others may access school grounds simply by signing into Raptor means that as a board you are accepting conditions that make our schools less safe. Raptor is a screening tool. It identifies registered sex offenders. It does not prevent the myriad of unsafe incidents that have occurred on open campuses. You all are made aware of them as board members. I believe it happens in our schools right here in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. Raptor does not manage conflicts. It does not provide safety and supervision. And it does not protect our campuses from anything other than registered offenders. Raptor does not protect student privacy privacy. It does not prevent misuse of identity and it does not eliminate risk simply because a
036QR code has been scanned. Screening is not the same as safety and registered access does not equal a safe secure campus. When access is open, liability is open too. When I reviewed the district family engagement policies, I did not see dropping off children at morning lineup and walking them to classrooms identified as a form of family engagement. Closed campuses are not about excluding families. They are about establishing a clear handoff of responsibility so that every child is supervised, accounted for and welcomed and released safely through a defined process. Let this policy be implemented and if the board believes adjustments are needed, let's work together to make those adjustments. >> Let's put students first. Let's put safety first. I will stop the meeting if you can't keep your comments to yourself while PE speakers are speaking.
037Continue. Just >> put safety first. Put students first. Put our school campuses into a safe place that is in line with how schools are operating. Many of our military families that come to Chula Vista Elementary School District Schools are surprised at how open our campuses are compared to other places they have been stationed. give our district leaders the clarity and authority required to keep our schools and most especially our students safe. I urge you to keep the current policy. Let us have safe campuses. Put students first. Put safety first. Thank you. >> Thank you, [cheering] >> Dale. Dale. >> Hi, I'm Dale. I a parent um of a kid from Stoayor. Um I I have one question. Why are some of the teacher are so afraid of the raptor um sign in? >> Um exactly.
038>> What's what's the concern with the >> Please address the board. >> I will address um good evening. I'm Dale. um apparent in CBS CBS ESD. I'm asking you to support the 13 app and vote. Yes. Um because um parents are not asking for an open campus. We're asking for um raptor screening, visitor badge with clear limits straight to the drop off classroom area and straight out inconsistent sight by sight rules, create confusion and gate crowding uh and not safety. And please all of you remember um incidents like Matthew Hunter remind us that major risk can be internal not coming from the parents. Um thank you. >> Thank you. The next three Andrew I think it's Gleki Caitlyn Cornell and then Jake Hill. Andrew Good evening. I'm here to oppose the unreasonable closed campus policy
039change at the LB Allen Elementary School. I'd like to know the circumstances. It seems like a lot of uh what may have happened at other schools or at other districts uh we've been in the dark about. So, it'd be interesting to find out what actually has gone on to implement this change. Um but at the same time it also seems that uh many of the board members were also kind of blindsided by what was actually proposed and uh enacted at some schools that was supposed to start on January 13th. And then the other point that I'd like to make is that last year was our first year at elementary elementary school. And as kindergarten parents, you're required and also trained to go with your children into the campus and monitor them, watch them while you
040drop them off and pretty much do a hand-tohand drop off especially for the first half of the school. So learning that that is going to change and then but that also brings the light in that you see what is out there and you see that there's a drastic difference. uh there's a big difference between a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old and they're all on the same blacktop playing around doing things, you know, running around and pushing each other and then there's also not enough uh eyes and staff faculty members out there to monitor that as well as I mean I'm not aware of any excess funding or anything that any schools are getting now. So I think that it's better to have that adult supervision and the personal parent there to monitor and other than that
041I hopefully they don't see the parents as the vict or the uh >> dangerous. >> Yeah, exactly. So they're part of solution and not part of the problem. We should use their eyes as something to take care of our own children with. Thank you, Caitlyn Cornell. [applause] Hi, my name is Caitlyn Cornell. My child attends Lab Allen Elementary School. I'm here to request the board support and amending the currently proposed closed campus policy to now accommodate safe parental access through the Raptor app for onampus school drop off and pickup. I am a healthcare provider. I have worked with our San Diego pediatric population for the last 10 years. I have seen firsthand the exponential increase in pediatric diagnoses of anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. I have also witnessed the alarming increase in reports
042of bullying in our pediatric population, including physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual abuses. Recent data from California Healthy Kid survey states that roughly 20 to 33% of children in California have been victims of bullying. It is no surprise that bullied children are at increased risk for psychosocial problems. Numerous peer-reviewed studies suggest that high levels of adult social support protect against serious psychological distress in children. The current closed campus policy is harmful to our children as it creates a barrier to providing social support for our children. It also limits the ability of parents to create a safe and supportive community through the building of relationships with other parents, other students, school faculty, and administrators. This lack of community could lead to parental disengagement, which has the potential to impact student growth and development. Additionally, the current closed
043campus policy is harmful as it limits the number of adults present that helps supervise the safety of children in the morning prior to the start of class. Current proposals at my child's school include roughly five staff members supervising roughly 300 children of varying age levels, first through sixth grade. It is unreasonable to expect sufficient supervision with a 1:6 ratio in a large playground. Please amend the district policy to include safe parental access via the Raptor app for onampus drop off and pickup. Parents want safe schools and we want a safe campus to access and build school partnership. Thank you. >> Thank you, Jake Hill. [applause] Give me a second to get my glasses. >> Thank you for listening. Uh my name is Jay Hill. I have two children in a district. I'm going to read
044some headlines involving the Chula Vista Elementary School District from the last eight months. April 1st, Chula Vista School District and former COO trade corruption allegations. April 3rd, Chula Vista superintendent allegedly pushed for work for a builder who donated to his campaign. [clears throat] April 10th, how the teachers union and a board member trans transformed Chula Vista Elementary School District. April 17th, Chula Vista School District will investigate corruption allegations. April 20th, why a Chula Vista board member ran for a seat he already held. May 20th, substitute teacher removed after students report inappropriate behavior at Chula Vista School. August 26th, Chula Vista schools cut music education while sitting on millions in funding. November 14th, district delayed investigating reporting teacher accused of misconduct. October 23rd, South County report, auditors find sloppy recordkeeping and poor management at school district.
045October 15th, he was a Chula Vista school resource officer. He also solicited videos of an underage girl. November 17th, Chula Vista Elementary School District dual immersion program struggles. My comment, it appears you're losing the public trust at a time that you're locking parents out of the school at drop off and pickup and then asking us to trust you to provide proper supervision among staffing shortages and budget shortfalls. Thank you. >> Thank you. The ne [cheering] the next three speakers, Clarissa Alcasar, Audrey Day, and Ivon Wright. Clarissa. [clears throat] >> Good evening. My name is Clarissa Alcazar and I am a parent at Allen Elementary. I'm here because a closed campus policy approved last month will fundamentally change how families interact with our schools. Let me be very clear. Parents support safety. We support locked doors
046during the school day, secure campuses, and raptor signin for anyone on campus. What parents do not support is being removed from our children's daily school experience in the name of safety. Since the vote, district letters and school meetings have confirmed what parents feared. No parents on campus at drop off or pickup. This means no walking our children to their lines, no helping our children navigate their mornings, no brief check-ins with teachers, and no longer being part of our children's start to their day. That is not a small change. That is a cultural shift. Daily presence matters more than we realize. Over the past two school years, it was short, informal conversations with my son's teachers that helped me recognize he needed additional support. Those moments led me to pursue a diagnosis that changed his experience
047at school. That didn't come from a meeting or an email. It came from simple human connection and engagement. Parents are not the threat. Parents are partners. Removing parents does not increase safety. It removes connection, trust, and the everyday collaboration that schools and our children depend on. This vague policy allowed for inconsistent implementation across schools, leaving families upset, confused, and excluded. Parents have asked for a reasonable compromise, raptor sign in for morning drop off, and have been told no by our principles who have cited this policy. That is not collaboration. That is exclusion. This board often states that parent engagement is essential to student success. That belief must be reflected in policy, not just words. We don't build community at school events. We build it every single morning. For many of us, school isn't just a
048place our children go. It's a community we are a part of. Parents want safe schools. We also want partnership. I urge the board to please vote yes on the amendment to this policy. >> Thank you. Audrey Day. [applause and cheering] >> Good evening board members and the public. My name is Audrey Day. I'm a mommy to two amazing kiddos, fifth and second graders at Allen. As a former classroom teacher with a master's degree in instruction and curriculum and an attorney, I come to the table with a unique perspective. I understand the daily challenges our schools face. I lived them. I also understand the concerns and wishes of families, having served them myself and now being the head of a beautiful little one myself. When a policy is promulgated without the input of the people it
049directly affects, you should expect this, a frustrated, if not aggreg aggravated, even enraged response. You should expect that your school site leaders will be inundated with families who feel shut out, isolated, and abandoned by a policy created in a vacuum without the input and considerations of the families they serve. What you hear see here tonight is a collective of families directly impacted by this board's vague policy. Not a single one of us is opposed to the notion of safer safer campuses or to policies that promote the best use of the minutes in the school day. What we are opposed to is a policy draconian in its prohibition of parent presence on campus during the critical moments at the beginning of a school day. The 20 to 30 minutes parents spend together on campus each morning
050is where the magic happens that make makes Allen Allen Elementary. It's a unique opportunity for parents to participate with their kiddos in their environment. It's where parents convene and commune to build friendships that turn into the backbone of support for our children. It's where our kiddos get to see firsthand that their friends are our friends, too. It's where playdates and parties gets pl get planned. It's the last opportunity parents have each day to send their babies off. Take that unique opportunity away and you take away the heart of a school community, not just at Allen. The board has it has before a modification to a policy originally created without the wisdom in this room. These are reasonable and sensible modifications that meet the objective of improved security and accountability on campus while preserving the heart
051of a unique school community. I have yet to hear a drawback to these modifications that outweighs the tremendous benefit of preserving parent access. I implore this vote this board to vote to approve the modifications proposed by board member Tamayo with the promise that this board will authorize the necessary resources and expenditures to make those modifications and poly policy implementations feasible such that these are not just modifications in name only. That should include at very least multiple raptor check-in points such that a bottleneck effect does not discourage parent presence. Sufficient staff or supervision on campus and around the exterior of the campus. procedures for knowing which students are on campus prior to attendance being taken in the classroom in the event of an emergency. Meaningful opportunities for parent teacher engagement that's aligned with teachers contractual obligations.
052I further implore this board to meaningfully familiarize itself with the Allen community and the communities and needs of each of the schools you serve before undertaking the design of future policies without our voice. Thank you. >> Thank you, [applause and cheering] >> Ivon. Wright. Good evening. I am a parent of an SDC student at Jeffers Elementary and tonight I am asking that you consider voting in favor of adopting the revised board policy uh for campus safety and access. I don't think any parent would disagree with the spirit of wanting safe campuses, but we also value the ability to participate in the morning routines of our children. Like myself, many families have children with special needs, are military families dealing with deployment schedules, or are overcoming various hurdles where the extra 15 minutes would mean so
053much to both the parents and the children. These are circumstances that are reasonable with the campus access of signing into the Raptor. Further, since the district is considering some strong budget cuts, I'd ask you to please consider the implications of having fewer parents on campus, especially when students would be facing the loss of support staff such as counselors and behavioral assistants. Thank you for your willingness to collaborate with parents. But >> thank you. [applause] >> The next three, Alessandro KTO, Caroline Johnson, and then Claudia Perischica. Hi, good evening. My name is Caroline Johnson and I am here representing my family, my second and third grader in this district. Um, honestly, this is my first time attending a district meeting, let alone speaking at one. Um, but I am here to express my concerns regarding the
054closed campus policy. For me personally, I found it very concerning that these policy changes appeared to happen almost overnight. Like one day I was walking my kids to their class, the next day I'm being told I can't. And um I had no warning, no clear communication about any specific safety concerns that prompted this movement. And so I feel as a result um a blanket policy intended to address whatever the safety concerns are has unintentionally created additional safety and logistical concerns. Um as I said over the past few weeks we are being told that parents are not able to check in or be on campus at all for drop off. And now I'm hearing that there's a possibility of being able to walk my children to their lines and even sit with them and have breakfast
055like we do every morning. So for me this feels like a necessary and positive course correction. Um and also I was genuinely confused by the policy of a closed campus statement. And then I'm also hearing that the district is emphasizing the importance of parent engagement. We have a parent ambassador that is telling us we want parents to be engaged. And it's very confusing because those two messages don't align. And so the first 30 minutes before school begins are incredibly meaningful to many families. We're all here. It's meaningful to mine. That allows us time to connect with our children. Give them hugs and reassurance. Wish them well for their day so that they feel supported and loved and confident. And so I really do appreciate the district taking the time to revisit and revise this policy.
056And I hope that we can continue moving in a direction that balances safety with family connection and engagement by voting to amend this closed campus because parents are not the problem. We are not the safety issue. And so I just I really appreciate your time and letting us share our concerns and our voice. So thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Caroline Johnson. >> Sorry, that was me. >> Okay, so then Alessandro, >> good evening. My name is Alessandro KTO. I come to you as a parent from uh TK and a kinder from LBL Elementary. I come to you tonight as a husband, a father, a youth baseball coach, and a football coach. As a father of five, you can understand that anything that has me stepping away from my family will not be taken
057lightly. I have coached youth sports for close to 10 years. And never would I ever ask my parents to leave the park when practice starts. Never would I say, "This hour and a half is mine. Please go sit in your car." Implementing a closed campus policy that restricts access solely to teachers and administrators might seem like a straightforward measure, but it oversimplifies the complex realities of a school of school safety and could create new hazards without addressing the root cause of the violence. While some, not all, proponents argue the closed campus should keep our students safer, recent incidents have shown that sexual assault can and will occur on restricted grounds. where these rigid access policies do little to protect our students who are the most vulnerable. For example, the sexual assault incident that happened just
05810 minutes south of here in the Santo school district. It occurred in January of this year and was not reported to this parents of the district till October. I would not like to be left in the dark like that. I don't know how you would. When the school board was prompted about it, they referred to it simply as a safety incident. And further digging into that school board and incidents like that, things were also swept under the rug. Our children's safety isn't determined by who is allowed inside the school by physical boundaries. It also depends on the staff's effective threat assessment, community engagement with us like this, the feedback that's required that's necessary, the reporting systems, this raptor, this raptor app that I don't know how many of you failed this morning trying to get
059into the address board. Thank you. >> Like you saw the example was set. There was problems trying to log in. Could you imagine that for 300, 500 parents trying to get their kids to school on time? Oh, you know what? My service isn't working. Or, you know what, your system isn't working. Furthermore, we see that this school security measure is not going to make anyone feel safer. It just creates an extra barrier for the parents. With all due respect to the staff, the children are the most vulnerable. They are the ones without a voice. Rather than closing these campuses, maybe we should pursue other problem solving strategies. If it's the staff that feels unsafe, maybe that should be addressed. [snorts] I'll leave you with this. Jack Reynolds, a serial pedophile with over 300 victims, would
060choose his victims strictly on how his family, how he would assess the family situation. Is a father involved? Do they come from a marginalized part of the community? Is a mother in dire financial stress? These are all things that can be exploited with a closed campus because our children are not don't have the social awareness to queue in on what why they're being probed. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you, [applause] Claudia Pischica. >> Good morning, board members and superintendent. I want to speak about the new safe campus policy and raise several implementation concerns that should be addressed with new wording. First, the policy requires check-in but does not require checkout. That might seem minor on paper, but in practice, it creates safety gaps. Schools need a complete picture of who is on campus
061at all times, not just who arrived. Second, the policy wording does not account for the operational burden placed on our school secretaries. School secretaries will now be expected to check in every parent. Check if the QR code matches the parent who has that QR code. Manage inevitable lines. Identify substitute teachers who need to check in. Agency substitutes who need to check in and substitute classified staff that also need to stand in line. And then after the bell rings, while students are arriving tardy and parents are simultaneously requesting checkouts, the congestion that is occurring in the office is only going to make an unschool safe I'm sorry, an unsafe school. That is not a small adjustment. That is a major workload shift on these secretaries with no additional office staff and no infrastructure changes. Third, I
062need to be very clear. Asking student attendants to check in parents is outside their do job descriptions. Their work is not clerical. It's not administrative and it's definitely not security. And these new job duties are not aligned with their training or classification. This is concerning because the policy appears to rely on student attendance to help enforce CA safe campus procedures. These positions are funded by special education dollars. The board should not support any policy that further short changes our special education programs. By diverting these specialized staff away from their core responsibilities when student attendants are pulled to supervise before school or managed campus access, our special needs classrooms lose critical human resources. time needed to prepare classrooms, to meet with teachers, to s help sanitize and prepare the day for our special needs students. Excuse
063me. These students deserve us to help support and maintain the health and safety standards of our classrooms. Safe campus should not come at the cost of weakening our special education programs. I urge the board to reconsider the wording and the implementation of this policy though so that it protects campus safety without overloading our clerical staff or redirecting special education personnel away from the students that they are funded to serve. A policy can be well intentional well-intentioned and still harmful in execution. This is the moment to adjust it before those harms become permanent. I will work to support my school, but we need clear guidance from this board and policies that reflect the needs of each communica each community. Thank you for your time and your consideration. Thank you. The next three are Tim Abbott, Paresa
064Hill, and Sasha Sablon. Tim Abbott. >> My name is Tim Abbott. Um, I'm a father of a six-year-old at Allen Elementary and I'm here to speak about the closed campus policy that's being u propositioned. I'm all for keeping the children safe and I am always willing to take extra steps to ensure that. I also know that I can only speak for my own child and I'm only responsible for her. However, taking parent interaction away from daily school activity, it the way that it was being presented, especially by the principal at Allen, to me, it raises a red flag of trying to dodge accountability. They don't want the parents to see what is going on behind those closed doors. That is the impression that I received from that principal. Now I understand programs like Raptor and
065everything it may have drawbacks with, you know, overcrowding or anything on the way in there and however we can, you know, mitigate that and make it work. I mean, I work in locksmithing industry. I'm well aware of access control and everything like that. And I do know that a locked door is only going to get you so far. My job is literally to bypass locked doors. Safety comes from the community. Allowing us that time each morning for us to communicate and be with our children and other children, their friends. We're learning about them, how they interact with other kids, as well as we're interacting with other parents. That is what strengthens security. Alienating the parents is only going to make it worse. I urge you to please revisit the wording and how it's presented to
066the principles in general. [snorts] Don't leave it to them to dictate how those schools are run because it really seems like they're going to take advantage of it. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you, Teresa Hill. [applause] >> Hi, my name is Teresa Hill. I'm a parent at uh Allen Elementary. I'm a community advocate and I'm a member of school site council and the founder of Bonita Mamas. I attended last month's meeting to support our teachers regarding the proposed class size increase. Teachers have one of the hardest jobs in the world and I support them wholeheartedly. I have done and I have done so as being a back-to-back room parent and through that experience I've seen the impact of strong family involvement. Our first TK experience with Miss Anne Stencil was nothing short of
067amazing. The district students families are incredibly fortunate to have her. When my family arrived at Allen, I was surprised to learn that kindergarten volunteers are not allowed. I was also informed that there would be no kindergarten room parents this year and the parent shop rooms for a walking field trip to the Bonita Museum was recently eliminated. These changes significantly limit parent involvement at a time when partnership between families and schools is critical. After leaving last month's board meeting to put my kids to bed, I later heard the discussion regarding the closed campus policy. Before the unanimous vote, I remember Dr. Reyes saying, "We welcome parents to be involved and volunteer." Unfortunately, that is not the reality for our school and the current policy does not foster parent involvement. It closes parents out of the only
068opportunities we have in the morning to walk our children to their line, help them with their breakfast, connect with a teacher as I did this morning, and build community. I want to thank Mr. Tomio and Mr. Miss Cvantes for attending our closed campus meeting and for taking the time to listen to parent concerns. I strongly encourage the board to vote yes on allowing parents to raptor in for morning drop off. This small but important change would support family engagement, strengthen our school community, and align policy with the district's stated commitment to welcome welcoming parent involvement. Thank you. >> Thank you, Sasha Sablon. [applause] >> Good evening, trustees and superintendent Reyes. Thank you for your work in keeping campuses safe. Um, first I just want to acknowledge that as a parent and as a special needs
069parent, safety is my number one priority. It always has been and always will be. Unfortunately, my daughter has been injured numerous times on campus and this is the reason why it's so important. We understand why the policy exists and we appreciate the district's willingness to revise it. I'm here to speak on the necessity of parents on campus and the revised policy that allows structured monitor in check-in by parents. At Rogers Elementary School, my daughter's school, 47% of the students are mild, moderate, or ESN learners. For many of these students, morning transition is the most critical and vulnerable part of the day. Parent support during that time is not about convenience. It's about safety, regulation, and access to learning. Parents on our campus regularly Parents on our campus regularly assist with safety transitions for students with
070mobility needs, communication needs, alopement prevention, feeding support, task avoidance behaviors, and emotional dysregulation. And these are just very few reasons. These supports help stabilize students and directly reduce strain on staff, especially at a time when the district is facing staffing shortages and possible cuts to behavior support uh roles. As a parent volunteer that's gone through the necessary background checks, I have seen firsthand how morning parent involvement affects the entire day of learning. Not only does it set the students up for academic success, but also creates an additional layer of safety for students and staff. This directly affects our most vulnerable community of students, the ones that often cannot speak for themselves. These are the amazing students that I have had the privilege to work with and grown to know. I understand that the staff have
071concerns and those matter, but removing parents during key transition times will affect safety to the students and overextend staff. If the revised policy is not adopted, there may be additional and intended consequences for both staffing stability and family retention. The restricting structure parents restricting structured parents access during critical transition times would likely accelerate staff burnout as teachers and aids absorb responsibilities current currently supported by the parents. Increased burnout often leads to higher absenteeism turnover rate which would further exacerbate existing understaffing challenges. The revised policy maintains locked campuses while allowing limited purposeful parent access. That balance supports the student success, the staff capacity and campus safety. I respectfully urge the board to adopt the revised policy and continue working collaboratively with families, especially at these high need schools. Thank you for your time and leadership. >>
072Thank you. [applause] Anthony Fabian and then Jared Love. Hold this one up. Stand over here. Okay, got it. Good evening. My name is Anthony Fabian and I'm a father of four girls. Two are currently in the Chula Vista Elementary School District with two more who will eventually been entering the district as well. So, the decisions made here just don't affect me today. They affect my family for the next decade. I'm here because the new closed campus policy has already had serious emotional impacts on my two oldest daughters. My kindergartenner, who used to walk onto campus happy and confident, has now cried multiple times because she doesn't understand why her mom and dad suddenly can't walk her to her classroom. To her, it feels like she's being dropped into chaos. My second grader, who is normally
073independent, is now too nervous to walk all the way to the back of the school to line up with second through sixth graders. She is over overwhelmed and she starts the day anxious. As a parent, it's hard to watch your kids lose confidence because of a policy that doesn't consider how younger children actually function. But this isn't just about morning drop offs. This is about trust or the lack of it. Recently, there were safety issues during kindergarten lunch recess at our school. real issues that affect real kids. And those concerns were brought up to the principal and ignored for weeks. We weren't taken seriously until it escalated. When leadership doesn't respond to legitimate safety concerns, it makes it very difficult to trust that a policy like this will be implemented fairly, transparently, or with children's
074best interests at heart. If safety issues were ignored, then how do we know know more won't be ignored? How do we know things won't be hidden now? That parents have less visibility into what actually happens on campus? This is why so many of us feel so uneasy. And honestly, what makes all of this even more frustrating is the double standard. Parents are being told we can't walk our children to class because of safety. Yet, we're invited onto campus for family read, assemblies, and other special events. If people on campus are such a safety risk, then why are these events allowed? The inconsistency makes this policy feel like less like safety and more like control. On top of that, the way this was rolled out with no real communication, no parent input, and no transparency has
075created even more distrust. You can't fundamentally change the daily routines of hundreds of children and then act like families don't deserve an explanation. I'm not standing here because we don't care about safety. I'm a dad. Safety is what will always be my number one priority. But true safety includes emotional safety, not just locked gates. Right now, it feels more like the district forgot that parents are your teammates. And as someone who coaches sports, I know what happens to a team when leadership stops communicating and starts making decisions in a vacuum. The team falls apart. Players lose trust. The mission gets lost. And that's exactly what's happening here. We want to work with you. We want to be part of the solution. But this policy, the roll out, the double standards, lack of transparency has created
076a divide that does not need to exist. I'm asking you to find a middle ground. Allow parents to walk their kids to class in the mornings, especially the youngest students and any children who need support. Create a process that is safe and developmentally appropriate. Don't shut out the very people who care most about these kids, us, their parents. We're on the same team, and right now it doesn't feel like we are. Doesn't have to be that way. Thank you. Thank you [cheering and applause] Jared Love. >> Uh good even good evening members of the board and everyone here. My name is Jared Love and I'm here today as a concerned parent and active member of the Sono Sonia Sotomar Elementary School safety committee. I'm here to address a critical non-negotiable security issue regarding our campus
077our campus's security cameras. Uh just walking in here initially, I see more cameras than inside of the school districts or inside of our schools. Uh my professional background gives me a unique perspective on this matter. I served 11 years in in the United States Army and have over 10 years currently in law enforcement. The last four years of my career have been dedicated exclusively to physical security, managing the safety and security of thousands of personnel, excuse me, [clears throat] thousands of personnel across San Diego County and optimizing surveillance systems, the various systems I am here to discuss tonight. We recently saw a serious weapons incident just down the street at San Diego Sanro High School. The suspect was successfully located and taken into custody without incident because of their their camera systems. The footage allowed
078law enforcement to locate the threat in under an hour. But regardless of grade, age, or schools in our district, [clears throat] our cameras must offer the same level of capability. We cannot rely on mere luck when we have the aid of technology. Our cameras at uh at least my school my school are considered high quality. However, they have known critical blind spots and limited range. If an event occurs outside of their view, we have a no footage liability. This is unacceptable. We must close these gaps to ensure staff and student safety and provide our police partners with the necessary tools for effective response. Given the budget and union constraints, we cannot wait two to three years. We must pursue pursue a strategic and targeted targeted expansion. Excuse me. I recommend we allocate a small emergency
079budget for cameras covering the top high risk blind spots and high traffic high trafficed areas if that's a word. Uh not only for Sodomor but for all schools in our district immediately. This is not about surveillance. It's about providing objective protection for everyone on campus. So, let's initiate a strategic security review. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Sonia Brown. And then Amanda Droge. Good evening. Trustees and superintendent, I want to ground my comments tonight in something this board has already committed to the 2025 26 LCAP. Our LCAP sets clear goals, student well-being, safe and inclusive environments and cultivating engagement among educational partners so that families and schools share responsibility for student success. Those are not just aspirations. Those are promises. Allowing parents who wish to walk their children to school and pick them up is
080a step in the right direction. And tonight, you have an opportunity to honor that step. But I need to ask this plainly. How does limiting parent connection move us closer to our LCAP goals? This policy affects my son Wesley and many students like him. Students with IEPs, 504s, students who struggle with transitions, students who rely on predictability, communication, and adults walking working working together. For children like Wesley, those brief morning and afternoon check-ins aren't small moments. They are regulation. They are prevention. And they are support. When families are pushed back, the very students the LCAP says we are prioritizing feel it first. The LCAP calls for family engagement and shared responsibility between home and school. Engagement doesn't happen at a distance. It calls for safe and inclusive environments where students feel a sense of belonging.
081Belonging isn't built when families are treated like outsiders. It commits to student well-being, especially for those with the greatest needs. Well-being does not improve when communication breaks down. As a parent, I need to say this clearly. This feels like moving backwards. At a time when students need more connection, not less. More alignment, not fewer voices. More trust, not more distance. If the LCAP is truly our road map, then our policies must align with it in practice. not contradicted in reality. So tonight, I urge you to vote yes. Yes to connection. Yes to partnership. Yes to honoring the goals you have already promised our families. Safety is not strengthened by exclusion. It is strengthened by connection, communication, and shared responsibility. You don't meet LCAP goals by building walls. You meet them by building bridges. Thank you.
082>> Thank you. Amanda Droge. [applause] >> Hi, my name is Amanda Droge. I um have five young children, three of whom are with CVESD, one who has graduated and one coming up. Um I was at last month's meeting. Oh, first I'm sorry, let me say I do appreciate the board's willingness to consider an uh amendment to the policy. Um I just would ask that we do include more parent um involvement in that. Speak to the parents. We are the ones who are on campus every day. Um we are the ones with our children. Um having been a child of a teacher, I am all about keeping the teachers safe as well. Um but it it needs to be something that keeps the teacher safe but also allows the parents to still communicate. I know there
083have been incidences at the school where teachers felt threatened or I don't want to put words in their mouth but I happened to be witnessed to one of the events. I was in a room with the teacher where a parent went off and it was very disheartening. Um what hurt me more was that seeing that teacher who I know is an amazing teacher who as I know from my father puts in so much time beyond just what she is at work. Um, but I know afterwards when I spoke to her and tried to tell her, you know, I'm so sorry because I personally froze in the moment and I felt bad and I felt like I should have said something and she said she was okay. And the support that she got from all the
084other parents to tell her how great she was allowed her to keep going and you can't have that support without getting to know those parents. I understand that there are unfortunate circumstances and we can't predict them. We can't stop all of them. We can't keep living our lives in fear. We punish the people who commit those crimes or or those a green I'm sorry my vocab vocabulary is not that great. But you punish that person, not the whole. Because for every bad incident, there's got to be 20 good ones. How many teachers have gotten students past things that they were struggling with because they communicated with the parents? Because they spoke to those parents every day to say, "Okay, they did this. Oh, today we made a lot of improvement. Today was a good day.
085You can't have that when you're dropping kids off at a gate. You don't have time to talk. There's also no privacy because sometimes you want to talk to your teacher and you don't want everybody to know your business. Um, when the policy was put into place, the biggest thing I asked people was, "How does this keep our children safe?" I wanted specifics. I wanted it explained to me like I was a 5-year-old. And nobody could really give me that answer. Safety isn't a security blanket you throw over something and say, "Oh, look, you can't see me." True safety comes from working together as a community, as everybody helping one another. Um, having parents on campus is it's a safety because children not only know their parent, they get to know other people's parents. I know
086I've been on campus when another parent wasn't there and some kid has seen me and I was able to step in and help. And that comes from getting to know each other and the kids getting to know and realize that the world can be a safe place. >> Thank you [applause] Myra Torres. And then Christy Kedo. Hi, my name is Myra Torres and I have three students in the Chulivist Elementary School District. I have a fi a fi a fifth grader, a second grader, and a kindergartener. And I would really appreciate if I would be able to walk my kindergartner as I did to my fifth grader because my fifth grader got to he he got to experience that. And the way I saw him grow through that and grow through difficulties when I had
087to drop him off is the same experience that I want my kindergartenner to have. Um, my kindergartenner this year uh was put in a big playground because our school decided to have uh two te classes. So our kinder playground was no longer allowed for the kinder. Um, they were put at the big playground and there was a bunch of kids, one supervisor for all three classes. And the only reason why I knew was because I went to go help. And after we helped and we voiced our concerns, we were no longer allowed to help during lunch. Why was that? No transparency. Let's not see what's going on. This is what I feel is being is being this is being pushed for a hidden agenda is for us to not have input when we see things
088that are not happening correctly. And we wouldn't have known if it wasn't for the fact that couple parents helped and now we're not allowed to. So with that, I want to be very clear that I support student safety and I understand the intention behind a closed campus policy and I appreciate the board's desire to protect our children. However, I strongly oppose a full closed campus policy as is currently written and applied across the schools. A one-sizefitit all approach does not account for the staffing, the layout, and the age groups. Concentrating hundreds of children into one area raises serious concerns about supervision, crowding, and emergency responses. Safety is not just about keeping gates closed and parents out. It's about adequate supervision. I feel this is creating new risk rather than reducing them. I feel this is
089being labeled as a safety but there is a hidden agenda to limit transparency and hide unacceptable situations. Overcrowding spaces limits visibility and stretch staff make it harder not easier to keep students safe. I am asking the board to pause and reconsider a full closed campus mandate. Consider flexibility flexible alternatives such as partially closed and schoolbyschool implementations based on capacity and staffing. most importantly involves parents and school staff in in this conversation before fi finalizing decisions that affect our children every single day. We all want safe schools, but true safety requires thoughtful planning, realistic resources, and policies that work in real conditions. Thank you for your time and listening. >> Thank you, Christie Canedo. [applause] >> Good evening. I want to talk about safety in practical terms because right now the message and actions do not
090align. Parents are being told that their presence on campus before and after school presents potential safety concerns and that premise is being used to justify restricting restricting access. If parent presence is being restricted for safety reasons, then we should expect the underlying safety conditions to be strengthened. That would begin with physical security. Many campuses have low fencing along major roads that can be easily crossed. Anyone can enter or exit, including students. That condition exists whether parents are inside the gate or outside of it. That vulnerability has not changed. At the same time, the board has voted to reduce, [clears throat] excuse me, student resource officers. I am not raising this to debate that decision. I am raising it to note that unchanged physical vulnerabilities combined with fewer trained safety personnel makes it difficult to understand
091how parent exclusion alone improves safety. This is where parents are asking for clarity. Is the concern truly about safety risk or is it about managing access in the absence of a broader plan? I agree that parents should sign in. That is reasonable. But signing in only works if there is a reliable practical system in place. Right now, many schools rely on a single device that functions inconsistently. That is not a system. It assumes everything is working perfectly. If safety procedures are going to be enforced district-wide, then the system supporting them must also be funded and implemented at the district level. Schools should not be left to manage this based on what they can afford or improvise on their own. Consistency matters. Reliability matters. Planning matters. Parents are more likely to follow when expectations are clear,
092reasonable, and supported by functional systems. Please do not rush implementation without a clear, funded, and functional safety plan in place. Thank you. >> Thank you. [applause] >> There are no there are no more speakers. >> Madame President, if I may. >> Yes. I I want to t thank everybody that come came to tonight to speak about this issue. Um I see the principles uh principles have a hard time uh a hard job. They have to manage a lot of things in in the school and one of those things is is campus security. But we also realize as a board that nobody here in this room is against safety. Nobody here is going to say we don't want safety for our kids. And I say our kids because I'm a parent too of of one student
093in in our district. And what I what I realized when having those conversations with with the community attending the the events in the schools is they're willing to do the raptor checkin and they're willing to compromise on the access to be in the morning. So, I think this is a a great compromise where we can work with the community to make sure that we're still providing that access, but we're we know who is in that school at any time, right? Because at the end of the day, that's what we wanted. We wanted to make sure that we know who's at in in campus. Uh we wanted to know if anyone shouldn't be on campus uh and the raptor system should be able to filter that. Um the raptor system can also uh have a a
094custom list of people that shouldn't have access to the campus. So that is something that we can also do with with Raptor. With that said, and that's what we took into account in developing the the language for the amendment. I think that at at this time uh it would behoove the board to approve this board item as is and and have it implemented uh at the direction of the superintendent. Um and let's make sure that there's uh the necessary funding to for Raptor to work at every single school. With that, I move to approve. >> I want direction on when I could speak. >> You spoke to the item. >> Well, I'm going to speak again. We're making a motion. I'm not Are you saying I can't speak anymore on this item? >> Second and
095then you can >> I want to second so I can speak. >> I would also like to comment, too. >> Okay. And like I said earlier, it's one of the biggest things is to allow parent access of drop off and pickup. That does not mean we want to jeopardize or not recognize that there are other factors in place the safety for teachers and I'll put it out here right now. I know teachers who have been accosted and that's not right. Okay. But but listen up and I know that principles I know that principles have a huge huge responsibility. But we also know as been said here in front of us that there are also occasions where some staff do not act appropriately either. That did and that does not mean that we fired all our
096staff. That does not mean we fired all of our staff because staff >> I still see that staff there. >> So that so that we didn't get rid of all staff because there was certain instances. By the same token, I don't want to fire all our parents and not have them have access to school to take to drop off their children and pick them up because there are some parents that act inappropriate. Because of that, I want to support Tamayo's motion with some caveats that certain parameters and some things are happening in some schools that are working that don't necessarily work in others. Although some of these um uh some of the schools have I've heard have some instances where they've contacted all the parents. That's amazing. That does did not happen to all the
097schools. Some principles have taken it upon themselves to contact the parents so that there's communication and understanding. That's the first buy in. Now you've got a partner. They've been given the courtesy of an exchange where there's a partnership because some of the the the policy that's being written sometimes it doesn't have the minutia of all the details that can happen. there's the overall broader goal which is to keep the campus safe and the people inside of it that's supposed to be safe. So, having said all that, we ask our administration and our uh um teachers to include my own daughters, mind you, they're out there, too. And same with my own family members. They're students. They're little people, too. And friends, I want safety for all. There's not I don't think there's anyone here that
098disagree with that. I know that. But how we do it is what's causing the divide. And so I would encourage our principles not to be disheartened. Well, you know, the have those conversations with your your parents, all your parents, not one or two or three or four or five. Have a conversation with your parents so that you can make the best of it. If you're going to find some schools are more successful than others, you're going to find there's no way around it. We How can you expect a parent not to be able to drop off their child to make sure that they've handed their child off to a responsible person? Who does that? >> The little ones. The little ones need that more than And there's going to be some that are older that
099might need that too and some that have IEPs that require that. But you you can't parents here just spoke to their own eye being eyewitness to certain situations that had they not been there or had a parent not been there to tell them had occurred. Teachers, staff can't be everywhere. So the parents are the partner. So we encourage everyone. Yes, you can't please everyone. Everyone would just love to snap their fingers and it all just happens. It doesn't work like that. We're a bunch of humans with different opinions and different perspectives and they all have to be accounted for. They all have to be considered. And yes, the principal is just one person. That's a lot of work for your principal. So encourage the parents to work with your principal. The encourage the pre the
100principal to reach out. If you want me to go take donuts, serve coffee, you ask anybody. I'll go do it. I'll help you. I'll help you do whatever you need to do. Whatever you need to do, I will be there and I would probably almost volunteer the rest of our board to go help you. >> Your par I will I'll do that, you know. But my point being here is it it was an error on our part on not having given enough instruction to encourage communication on the front end and not try to handle it on the back end. So I take responsibility for that. [applause and cheering] >> Thank you. But be kind. Be kind. Your teachers work very, very hard. Your uh instructional aids work very, very hard. So, be kind to them.
101They're managing different things. They're managing the parents and they're imagining them. I'm getting there. I'm getting there. I'm not going to get let you I know what you do. My sister was a principal, too. I tell you, I've got everything in my family. Okay. I get it. All your instructional aids, your lunch duty, your uh student aid, everything. And yes, your principles are ultimately responsible for everything that goes on in there. Whether you like him or her or not, she's still responsible. So work with them. You know, leave whatever disagreements you've had behind and start a new page. Start a new chapter. So my my and this is not a motion but I did mention it before would have been that this is rolled out in increments like five seven uh schools so that some
102of these things can get ironed out. Nobody's volunteered to give me a second on that one, but that would have been my idea so that teachers and parents and staff could have ironed out some of these things. And then would have given a principal a chance to go, "Oh, let me check out veterans. Let me go check out Vista Square. Let me go check out McMillan. Let me go check out see what they're doing." And then you'd have, "Oh, yeah, this worked. This didn't work." But it might work in another school just because geographically how that school is built. Like another parent just said, anybody can jump over. So big big to-do, you know, we didn't let anybody in legally, but now they're going to jump in, you know, and you don't know who the
103heck is coming into your school. So I am going to make the mo I am like I second the motion but I want all the uh these other things and I would u encourage our superintendent to have these discussions with our um principles giving them though the same kind of I'll call it wiggle room to be able to handle their school possibly different than maybe another school because they have the makeup's different. Uh you have Montgomery, look at there's no parking. So what are you going to do with, you know, all the staff, all the different schools, there's no parking. You have other schools that that don't have enough um drop off areas. So what's going to happen there? The logistically there's going to be different things happening in different schools just because of when
104and how they're being built. But um yes, we do we we missed we we missed an opportunity. We didn't anticipate this. Uh I I understood things from the very beginning that parents would at all times be able to still do a drop off and and uh and pickup, but I do some of the parents called out that how do we know what parents or what adults have left the school after they've raptured in? I don't know how that works. >> So we need to be able to monitor that as well and maybe that's part of the logistics that need to happen prior to its full implementation. But I do recognize that I understand there there's a I don't know is there one school, two schools, three schools. I don't know how many have already implemented
105something that might that needs to adjust that other component, the parent being able to drop off their child and then hold parents accountable to leave when you're supposed to leave and not hang out outside that classroom disturbing the class and the students. You need to leave. Okay, thank you. >> Um, I was going to a lot of the things that you just said I wholeheartedly agree with. Um, I I would also hope that this is phased out in a way that there's clear direction for everybody and from everybody. And again to support our administrators and our teachers because I have never maybe I've been lucky and but I have never had any issues with leaving my child at a school with his administrators and his teachers. So I hope that this comes out completely clearly
106that it supports everybody and that again that our parents can check in. I hope this is constantly evaluated, re-evaluated so everybody can continue having input on what is and what is not working at each single school. Especially with our younger children, our lower grades, they're the ones that need the most support. I understand that. But our I think our administrators and our teachers absolutely do also. And as Mr. said parents if they could help out with hey first bell let's go you know or anything because obviously that is why they're here um I hope that everybody can start working together with with implementing this um and u Mr. Wiggins, we do clear clear directions on Raptor, please. I know he did mention the checkout and that's something that needs to be completely discussed cuz teacher
107parents need to know that they need to check out too. So, thank you. >> I just wanted to add first of all, thank you to all the parents that are here that took the time to come and express and show what was happening. Um, so thank you everybody. Also, the people that emailed and called and did all the things. Um I'm a parent of this district and I advocate for I want to always advocate for our children. Um my I also agree with everybody in this table. I would recommend that we have like a follow-up like where you know like I don't know if you want to do like a report or something like how is this been implemented just so we're not like this is the one meeting we voted yes or whatever and
108then nobody ever heard about it again. So we just need to have that followup to [applause] make sure that those to make sure that those kinks and issues that we have heard that are happening are being actually addressed. Um and again uh as a parent of the district I know that I can follow direction as well and that we'll be doing everything that we can to have safety for our students. So thank you everybody. >> Thank you. Um I just want to say um safety is very important to me and the community and the feedback that I got was important to me. I want you to understand that in Dr. Reyes's explanation is that when a board policy is voted on five to zero as it was last month, there's very special circumstances in which
109it can be brought forward. And so that's why he was saying I asked that it be brought forward because I am the only one that can ask that when it's been passed unanimously. Um so it's not a matter of a first or a second. Um there's very special parameters. You have to be on the prevailing side. So it has to be someone who voted for the actual policy. And after getting the feedback from the very first day was when we reached out and asked him to do that. And then Trusty Tamayo and I met with him and the language was created to come to a happy medium and and not everyone is going to be happy as trustee Dominguez Cervantes said. Um I also want to point out that tonight I did not cut anyone
110off although there is a legally a 20 minute limit which can be extended. I did not ask for that because I truly wanted to hear from every parent and I have my notes on your slips. I want to make sure that um you also understand that when we do this um it is with the best intent possible for our students. I will never look a parent in a face in their face and say I did not know who was on the campus that hurt your child. That's what this is about. It's not about keeping you out. It's about making sure we know who's in our house and our schools are our houses. With that, >> I call for the question. Thank you. Recording secretary, please take the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez, >> I. >> Tolston,
111>> I Dominguez >> I. And I did request a bigger room and we didn't get one. >> A symbol I >> motion carries 5-0. [applause and cheering] >> Board members, we have a lot of agenda to get through. >> Um, Superintendent [applause] one one request. Uh can you send a letter out to the community uh letting them know that uh the board policy has been amended? >> Yes. Uh I I'll send a letter to all the community uh staff and parents and also we'll send uh information reg also we'll send information regarding the raptor how they can sign in so it make it easy easier and faster for them. >> Thank you. >> Follow up on the problem. >> Yeah. and then and then we'll we'll check in to make sure that the raptor is
112working at all sites. >> All right, board. We have uh quite a few agenda items to get through. We we aren't even to the agenda and we have a lot of speakers. So, but I know that we need to take a break. So, five minutes and then we'll start again. Thank you. All right. Administrative action item number 12A. Approve the positive certification for the 2526 first interim financial report as of October 31st, 2025. and adopt resolution to identify the amount of budget reductions. And is that date correct, Mr. Pong, the 31st of October? >> That's what the interim report is through. >> Okay. Through then. Okay. Thank you. Adopt the resolution to identify the amount of budget reductions needed for 2627 and 2728. Mr. Pong. >> Thank you, President Ugarte. Uh members of the board
113and public, tonight I have for your review and approval the district's first interim budget report. This is a report that uh we adjust our budget with knowledge of expenditures through October 31st. When we look at our adopted budget from back in June, we had revenues of 400 million. We have budget adjustments and revenues of just under 32 million. um bringing us up to 432 million um at first interim. On our expenditure side, we have 451 million in expenditures at adopted, about 15 million in uh budget adjustments, bringing us up to 466 million in expenditures. At our adopted budget, we were looking at a deficit of 50.5 [clears throat] million. Um we have since had budget adjustments that have uh lowered that deficit by 16.8 million um bring us to a total deficit of 33.6 million.
114We'll see on the next slide when we look at our deficit, we really need to look at our unrestricted versus our restricted expenditures um uh sorry the deficit on the unrestricted versus restricted and we will see um that a majority of the changes happened on the restricted side. So when [clears throat] we look at our unrestricted budget, currently we have a a decrease in the fund balance. So a deficit of 21 million. Um and our unrestricted program we have a decrease of 12.6 million which brings us to the 33.6 million. Um on our ending fund balance on the unrestricted side we have um 39 million in commitments which we'll see what we have those commitments for and then our reserve for economic uncertainty is at 5%. When we look at the changes in our general
115fund revenues, uh we have four major categories of revenue that we're looking at. Um in our local control funding formula, which is where we receive a majority of our revenue um from the state, we had an increase and this was mainly due to the adjustment. We had an adjustment to our transitional kindergarten funding at the full imple implementation which was the this year. Um the state adjusted the ratio um from a 12:1 ratio down to a 10 to1 ratio. So they provided additional funding to assist districts in meeting that um decrease ratio on the federal revenue. We um when we have unspent funds from the prior year, we carry them over and reflect them at first interim. So we have some carryover and we also receive funds from a department of um education grant and
116the state. This is where we're recognizing the largest revenue change and this has to do with our 45day budget revision that we had presented back in August. uh we had about $23 million in budget um 45day budget revisions from what we knew at the May revision versus what was actually adopted by this uh at the state level. So in this revision back in August, we brought um 15 million from the expanded learning opportunity block grant which um had increased because they lowered the threshold for the unduplicated percentage for the higher funding. We received one-time funds and additional learning recovery block grant money. In the other state revenue, we also um received a couple of literacy grants. So, um, four of our schools received literacy grants. Um, and we have some also early education grants. And
117then finally, in the local revenue, the 2 million is a reflection of our cowshape grant, which is helping us um u evaluate our HVAC units. Um, and this was a carryover from the previous year. So, in total um 31.8 million in revenue increase. On the expenditure side, uh we are looking at our salary and benefits. Um this is adjusted to reflect what we're projecting um through the end of the school year with adjustments through first interim. We um at adoption we have a certain um projected staff and as we bring those to actuals uh we have adjusted those. We also adjusted for some staff for some hard to fill positions where we've been using agency staff. Um so we will see that adjustment as part of the services and other operating expenditures on the books
118and supplies. We um last year we had budgeted for our English language arts refresh and the books didn't come until the July and so we just are matching the expenditure to match the delivery date. Um so that was an increase and also our dual immersion curriculum that we also um recently ordered. Um and we also have some carryover from the prior year in our services and operating. This is where we're noticing the largest increase and again it's similar to the revenue side where we received additional expanded learning opportunities money. So with that money, we're uh recognizing an increase in services that we're providing to our families and students. Uh we also are recognizing an increase for the special education services that um we're having to outsource to agencies. And we also have some um adjustments
119for our community schools that Calshape program where we had the revenue for and our medical program and the other expenditures. there's a small adjustment for some of our capital expenditures um vehicles and those kind of items. When we look at those commitments that I had mentioned earlier, we have about 39 million in commitments. So we have about 1.5 million in safety and security measures. Um these are items like our Raptor software, our school resource officers, um our ASERTT and safety staff. So this is um being able to continue with that. We still have a need to replace our vehicle and equipment um that are over 20 years old. We are looking at a textbook adoption and replacement. Um so we are looking at a history social science and mathematics adoption um over the next two
120years. And then finally, the remaining 22 million we will see in our multi-year projection that it's being utilized to stabilize the budget. When we look at our multi-year projection, we have our cost of living adjustment which is determined um by the state and that's um the adjustment to the revenue that we would receive. We are recognizing a slight decline in our average daily attendance over the three years as we notice a slight decline in our enrollment. And we've also um had to increase our workers compensation um from one and a half percent up to two and a half percent. Um but we're working with Corbell that um the contractor that was just approved last month um to really implement uh an improved return to work program. So that way uh staff are returning to work
121uh quicker after a worker's comp um injury. When we look at our unduplicated students, we're averaging about 58.1% and we have about 34 million in supplemental and concentration grant funds which is reflected in our LCAP. So when we look at our multi-year projection, uh we are noticing again that 21 u million decrease. Um in the current year there's a slight decrease um of about 7 million from 2526 over to 2627 because we had intentionally committed uh to some device refreshments or device refresh at the student and staff levels. Um and then we can see um an increase in the deficit up to 22 million up to 32 million decrease in 2829. Um and we can see on the commitments that third row where we're pulling from our commitments and uh uh reserve for economic uncertainty
122and able to um fund that deficit. So we can see on the graph that we meet our 3% requirement which is a state minimum reserve um in the 2728 school year but we fall below that um in the uh 2829 school year. So, this shows that we still need to continue with our budget solution plan, which we have identified about $5 million in budget solutions, which include um revenue from attendance recovery and also expenditure reductions. Um we're looking first uh furthest away from the classroom um at items such as um the district office and other administration um as part of our solutions. Um, and if we look at this $5 million budget solution incorporated into our our multi-year projection, you can see that we still meet our 3% um in the 2728 school year, but
123in 2829, we are still below the 3% minimum state reserve requirement and we would still have to reduce about 5.6 million in order to meet that 3%. And again, this is funded, this is all based on the current information that we have. Um, so the cola from the adopted budget, we have some um preliminary estimates on what the cola is projected to be next year, which um it's projected to be lower, but we're waiting additional information since we're uh with the federal shutdown, the state was missing some key federal um data points that they're still calculating. So, as we look ahead, uh the governor will be releasing his governor's budget proposal in the middle of January. We continue to look at attendance recovery as a source of revenue, additional revenue through our independent study programs
124um and our expanded learning opportunities program. So, we've been piloting um at many of our schools those expanded learning programs that align with um our curriculum and we can uh offer attendance credit for that and we'll be aggressively pushing that out in January um as we roll that out at all school sites. Uh we will be bringing to the board our February reduction resolution. Um, and then finally, we have already begun planning for the 26 27th school year, and we've been working uh with principles and staff on planning for that. We do have um all of our other funds and just want to highlight um the the one with the largest change is the building fund and that's because we are um continuing with our our geo bond projects. So, as we issue the debt,
125we're spending down the revenue that we received for those projects. So, that was uh one of the big changes. And with that, I will open it up for questions or comments. And >> board questions or comments? >> Trustee um Ramirez Dominguez. >> Um I had a question over the charter the other fund summary. Um the charters we have 96 million in revenue and 99 in expenditure. Um how does sorry so how does that come to be? So similar to we've been working with the charters um each one of them uh we have a charter accountant that works with the charters and so they have a separate fund so they receive funding separate from the district and we pass through some of the funds to them also but similar to um the district uh there are
126budget challenges and so we've been working with each one and some of it's also because of the restricted revenue similar to how we get money upfront they're spending it down over multiple years. Um so it's not all um necessarily like um a deficit on the unrestricted side >> and it's obviously just certain charters or these are our dependent charters. >> Correct. These are our dependent charters, the five dependent charters. >> Okay. Thank you, Trusty Domingo Svantes. >> Yes. back in it's probably the fourth screen you had general fund revenue changes. Uh you mentioned something about uh the how some schools receive some literacy grants. Doesn't it go straight to those schools? So there are specific uh requirements under the grants and specific expenditures that they have to spend it on but the district overall houses
127the money and then yes we work with those schools to spend those funds. >> Right. So it's not like the district has access to them for something else. It belongs to those schools. Correct. They applied for it. >> Thank you. >> No after the speaker. >> Okay. Um, we have six speakers. The first two, Christy Kedo and then Jade Bautista. Good evening. I'm speaking on this item because as the district certifies its budget and plans for future reductions, we need clarity on which LCAP commitments will be protected so recent progress at high need schools, um, Rogers specifically, um, is not reversed. Um this month last year I stood before the board and cabinet um thanking Miss Shar and Casey, Dr. Reyes, Trustee um Dominguez Cervantes and Trusty Tamayo for visiting Rogers and responding to what
128you observed on our campus. At that time, the district made targeting targeted [clears throat] staffing decisions, including the addition of a full-time school counselor that directly aligned with Roger's identification as a highnee school under LCAP. I'm here tonight because the conditions that led to those decisions have not changed. According to district data, [clears throat] excuse me, Rogers is identified in the LCAP as having the highest suspension rate in the district. This year, we are currently at zero suspensions. That outcome should be understood correctly. It is not evidence that the need has resolved. It is evidence that the intervention worked. Those results were achieved because counseling and behavioral supports were fully funded and operating together. As effective as our principal and assistant principal are, outcomes of this magnitude cannot be sustained through leadership alone. They depend
129on coordinated, adequately resourced systems of support. Yesterday, our school site council was placed in the position of choosing between maintaining a school counselor or a behavioral support assistant due to the absence of district funded staffing. When LCAP identified schools are required to self-fund core concepts, improvement becomes fragile and success becomes temporary. This raises a broader concern. LCAP is designed as a continuous improvement framework, not a short-term compliance measure. Removing or destabilizing supports once data improves risk regression and undermines the very goals that LCAP is intended to achieve. My request to the board is this. I am asking for clarity on how the district ensures that the schools identified in LCAP as high need receives sustained direct funded staffing aligned to those goals rather than being dependent on site level budgets to maintain essential services. Equity
130requires more than access to funds. It requires guarantees that effective supports remain in place for the students who need them most. Thank you. >> Thank you, Jade Bautista. Good evening board members, Superintendent Reyes, and cabinet. I am first and foremost the mom of a wonderful second grader at Rogers Elementary School. I also serve as a school site council member on the PTO, a parent ambassador, South Kus, South County Southwest CAC member, and an ICO member representing the taxpayers association. So, I am an engaged parent for this district. And across every committee I sit on, one question is always front and center. How do we prioritize student safety, fiscal responsibility, and how can parents meaning be meaningful partners in that work? For that reason, as we face a $5 million budget deficit or reduction, potentially cutting
131district funding for counselors and behavior support assistance would be a step backwards. These positions are not nice to have. They are essential to student success and campus safety. Tonight, much of the discussion has focused on before school and after school safety, but I asked you to consider safety during the school day. Decisions not to fund these positions directly impact safety inside our classrooms, our hallways, and our playgrounds, such as incidents helping to prevent or mitigate bullying, physical violence, self harm, unadressed trauma, emotional distress that often leads to safety risks experienced in today's climate. Rogers Elementary serves 365 students. Nearly 180 of those have IEPs with close to 700 IEP meetings each year. These numbers matter. They tell us that Rogers is a high needs campus that relies on strong systems for mental health support, behavioral
132intervention, and consistent supervision during the day. With the upcoming budget reductions combined with decreased site controlled funding in title one, our site council faced a gut-wrenching decision to fund a to either fund a a partial counselor, a behavior support assistant, or maintain our existing noon duty supervision. These are not enrichment programs or optional supports. These are preventative measures that support our mental our students mental health needs and reduce behavioral incidents, lower suspension rates, combat chronic absenteeism. Without basic safety infrastructure, learning cannot happen. I understand that the district is not immune to the realities facing public education funding, but I respect and ask that any necessary cuts be made as far from the classroom and student support services as possible. Thank you for funding these positions this school year through one-time funding because the results speak
133for themselves. We are on a positive trajectory as a school site, but these our admin team and staff are supported by these critical roles. Please do not limit the supports we need to ensure students feel safe and supported and ready to learn. While not every school site has the same needs, I urge the district to apply an equity based needs assessment when making funding decisions, ones that consider student population, IEP rates, and behavioral and mental health needs. I remain hopeful that the district can explore alternative funding sources and solutions to preserve these essential supports. Our students safety, well-being, and ability to learn depend on it. Thank you. >> Thank you. Noel Craravens and then Claudia Perischica. >> Good evening. Um, mine is short and sweet. Uh, I was just requesting that the specific details regarding
134the budget cuts be made public. Thank you. Good evening board members and superintendent. My name is Claudia Peschica and I am the behavior support assistant at Rogers Elementary School. I want to speak about a survey that many staff and community were asked to complete this month because of de devastating budget cuts. It was one that required us to rank the importance of mental health, behavior support, academic support, and supervision. That question is impossible. Those aren't competing priorities. These are pillars. Remove one and the whole structure collapses. You cannot teach academics without regulation. You cannot supervise safely without behavior support. And you cannot address mental health without properly trained staff present in real time. Asking educators, support staff, and the community to rank these needs forces us to into a false choice that doesn't exist in
135real schools. This year, a one-time district grant supported behavior support assistance. the district-wide behavior team of RBTs and counselors. All three of these are being taken away and stripped from our schools. Those supports mattered. They absorbed pressure before it became a crisis. They kept classrooms functioning and students safe. And I'm here tonight to advocate specifically for Rogers Elementary. Rogers has been unofficially designated a special school. We take that responsibility seriously. We aim to meet those students expectations every single day. But we cannot accept the designation of special school without the resources to match it. Last year alone, Rogers held at least 720 IEP meetings. That averages four IEP meetings every single school day. That's four four IEPs a day. This is four times a day that principles, psychologists, general education teachers, and special education teachers
136are pulled away from our classrooms, our students, from supervision and behavior response. And those gaps just didn't disappear. They landed on they landed on the counselor and myself, the behavior support assistant to stabilize students and systems. That work is not optional. It's essential. There is funding in this district to adequately support the special school that you have in create that you have created and entrusted to us. All I ask on behalf of our students, our staff and families is that you prioritize the special school because this stewardship without support is not leadership. Thank you very much. Thank you Amanda Droge and then Cara Good evening again. Um I wanted to come up and speak about um the cut we are making to school counselors across the campus across the district. Um I had a specific
137story I wanted to share. My son is a currently a fifth grader. He is on the autistic spectrum though very high functioning. Uh though his issues were um identified as being social behavioral. So cognitively he was always very smart but unfortunately because of that um services always um were limited to us because everything would everyone would tell us oh well cognitively he can do this and it didn't help though with the social behavioral. um the second half of his third grade year and going into his fourth grade year, he started having a lot of e emotional dysregulation issues. Um and the way that he would work is when he would get upset, he shuts down. He becomes completely incommunive. Um there is no speaking to him. Um this is something that since he was a
138child, even if he got hurt, he was not someone who reached out for help. He would internalize it and shut down. And that unfortunately is not very conducive to a uh mainstream classroom or a transitioning because a lot of times this would happen outside during recess and then he would refuse to come in. Um these shutdowns could last him 45 minutes up to an hour and a half um when they were getting really bad. Um we did not qualify for additional services though I did push for the testing. Um what helped him was our school counselor. Um, unfortunately, our school only had a part-time school counselor. So, she was there Monday, Wednesday, and every other Friday. So, basically, he had a one of those incidents on another day. He was so, which was very frustrating.
139But the time that she was there, um, he joined the group therapy that she offered. And one of those group therapies was learning how to handle these emotions. And when these issues came up, um, how to handle them in the way where even if he didn't want to talk, he could at least communicate that he needed his space, he needed time. Um it continued from like I said end of third into fourth. Um and then all of a sudden I started to see a growth and the biggest change I saw was this year at the beginning of the school year. Um he had a substitute and she had made a comment to him that got him upset and after school he came to me saying can you talk to her? This is what happened. I
140didn't like it. So I said okay yes I'll get to it. You know I'm a mom of five kids. I said I will reach out to her. I I happen to know this substitute. Well, the next day at the end of the school day, the substitute came up to talk to me and said, "I wanted to let you know what Matt came up to me and said." Mac on his own had come up to the teacher once he had come down to say to her, "Um, miss so and so, I'd like, would you like to know why I was upset the other day?" And she goes, "Yeah." And he goes, "Well, when you said this to me, it really hurt me. It didn't it made it insulted me and I didn't appreciate it." And the
141sub who was wonderful said to him, she goes, "Well, thank you, Mac. I appreciate you giving me that feedback. a half a year ago, he would have never been able to do that because even those shutdowns once we would get him out of it, sometimes it would take him hours at home before he even communicated to me and my husband. The school counselor is what helped him get through that. If she hadn't have been there, I don't know if he would be making the progress that he has made this school year. So, school counselors are a necessity. This is not something that should be considered an optional position. Every school should have a counselor, a full-time counselor because it you don't have to be a special needs children to need therapy. We as adults need
142therapy. Children need therapy. It is a major important thing to embrace mental health. If we really want to stand out as a district, that's where our priority priority should be is showing the rest of the school districts in the country that we are going to take mental health serious and we are going to do something about it. >> So, thank you Cara. Good. >> [applause] >> I have a long speech, but that's kind of why I signed up for two. So, I'll read the first part right now. Superintendent Reyes, board members and cabinet, my name is Cara Good. I have two students attending school in CBSD. I've appeared before the board many times speaking on safety, class size, combo classes, graduation location, campout cancellation. I am here tonight to speak on behalf of our teachers
143and children. In a school site council meeting I attended at my daughter's school last month, I discovered that behavioral assistants, counselors, and PE teachers were being cut or drastically reduced next year. The district added the behavioral support assistant position this year. In the Edgejoin description, it states that the behavioral assistants support students with behavioral and emotional challenges by assisting school teams in implementing instructional activities and behavior management strategies. A counselor meets with small groups on different topics that students are struggling with and collaborates with the teachers. A PE teacher introduces our children to new sports and integrates fitness and wellness. As you know, mental health is an epidemic in our country. Common diagnosis among students aged 3 to 17 are ADHD, anxiety, behavioral problems, and depression. 58% of public schools saw more students seeking services
144in 2425. And about 50% of youth with a mental health condition don't receive needed treatment. counselors, behavioral assistants, and PE teachers provide muchneeded services and support to our children that they may not get outside of school. Also, California Ed Code requires 200 minutes of PE instruction every 10 school days for grades 1 through six, excluding recesses and lunch. How do you expect to meet the needs of our students and the ed code requirements if you, the district, make these cuts? Needless to say, many school employees across the district will lose their jobs, or teachers will leave because they're overwhelmed. Teachers are already required to teach combo classes, learn new curriculum every couple years, have as many as 31 students in their class, teach a class of students with IEPs and 504s without support, and be
145subjected to rising health care cost. Now you are asking them to manage the behaviors of their students, counsel their students, and find time in their schedules to get the children more exercise. Why would anyone want to teach in this district or send their school or send their kids to school in this district? The district changes policies and makes reactive decisions without ever informing the CVESD families why these changes are being made. We are important stakeholders and feel as if our concerns are not heard. Enrollment has declined over the last several years and will continue to decline if our concerns are not heard. >> Thank you. There are no more speakers. This is an action item. >> Before we take any action, I would like to [clears throat] address this uh item. >> This gave you
146a >> there's public comment and then there's these are the only slips I have for item 12A. We haven't had public comment tonight. >> All right. So, as you know, board um this is not an issue isolated to Chula Vista. It's an issue that the vast majority of the districts across California is facing where the budgets are reducing. Uh they have to make budget cuts. And we're not alone. And as you saw in the presentation from Mr. Pong, this is not the only year that we're going to face cuts. It's cuts this year, next year, and the year after that. Um, and there's many, many reasons why those cuts have to happen. Uh, one of the biggest ones is that special education continues to be one of those expenses that we have to pay from
147the general fund when the federal government is supposed to kick in a lot of money to pay for that, which they're not. and we cannot leave those kids without the services. So we have to pay from from the general fund which takes away from the other kids. Um and it's not fault of the kids, it's fault of the system. Now the pie is only so big and we can divide it, we can cut it as we want and I can tell you that every single position that we have here is important. But the fact is is that we need to make cuts. uh counselors came about uh for those of you that were not here when the when we brought him up um through a one-time money that was granted to the to the district
148during the co time that was to extend and improve our um services for kids and that's what we did and they were intended to uh sunset a year ago. the district worked their their uh budget and allowed it to stay one more year. But at a certain point, we have to make that cut or a cut. Um as you saw the presentation from from Mr. Pong, um it's a significant cut that we need to make. um with discussion in the with the board right now that the district was proposing $5 million, but I really believe that we need to take a a greater action tonight because one of the one of our biggest roles as the board is to make sure that the district is financially sound. And if we continue this path, we're going
149to just delay the the herd because we're going to have to make this cut this year or next year. There's no other way unless the governor sends us a lot of more money. That's not going to happen. Enrollment is going down. So, we we need to make a cut. So, I'm proposing to amend the resolution that the district proposed of cutting $5 million to cutting $6 million. >> I'm going to make the second for the discussion purposes. Yes. And to clarify, I did a little research on this funding. The Legislative Analyst Office, the LAO, attributes California's education funding deficit to a significant revenue shortfall with personal income tax collections down 25% from previous forecasts, leading to an $18 billion budget deficit for 2026 27. This shortfall impacts the Proposition 98 guarantee which mandates a minimum
150funding level for K12 schools and community colleges resulting in the projected 7.7 billion decrease in education funding over the next two fiscal years. The LAO suggests that the state's spending commitments, including education funding, are outpacing actual revenue, contributing to the growing budget deficit. And yes, the LAO generally links special education funding pressures to the broader state revenue shortfall because Proposition 98 ties the K12, including special education resources, to the general fund revenue. A dropped in state income tax and other revenues reduces the minimal funding guarantee. This creates or worsens budget deficits for programs like special education as the state must either backfill from reserves, defer payments or cut other excuse me or cut other areas to sustain current service levels. So we cut now we cut a lot later. If we don't cut now, some
151of the discussions we're having, that's a potential in losing staff and we're trying to stay away from the classroom. So, we have to make the sacrifices now because we just don't have that funding. It's not coming in. Thank you, Trusty Dominguez Serantes and Trusty Tamayo. Four years ago, we sat here as a board, Trusty Tamayo and I, and we're very excited about one-time funding and being able to staff counselors and those positions that we did not have. But we knew in that moment, and I even spoke to it at that moment, that in four years, we're going to be in a place if if we don't have money that is ongoing, which is what Trustee Dominguez Cvantes talked about, taxes and ongoing money, that that money is going to run out and we're going to
152have to make some tough decisions. We have talked about staying away from the classroom as much as possible. We have looked at attrition which means not filling positions when someone leaves. So that we are staying away from people but reductions sometimes mean positions and when you have a budget any school budget 80 to 90% of that budget is staff and that means positions. And so while we don't want to make these cuts, the number one priority of a board member when you sign your little document says fiscal responsibility of the district. And if we aren't in a in compliance with that, then we aren't doing our jobs. We are up here to make those tough decisions. And we understand that they are painful. They're not fun. And in the case of one-time funding, this is
153where we are. Fast forward four years ago. And so I do appreciate that my colleagues spoke to ongoing funding and spoke about those decisions that we talked about um and the motion to either make cuts now a little bit every year or having to wait until that last year and it could be even more devastating and catastrophic. So any other board comments? We do have a first and a second. would you like to say something? >> Yeah. Um, [clears throat] I'm a newborn member as you all know. Um, and it hurts a lot to consider cuts. Um, and again, I wasn't here when the one time money happened. Um, and honestly, I think that the decision is difficult. Uh but at the same time, I would recommend that we continue to find creative ways um
154and continue to work um because of what Mr. Tomayo said of increasing one more million dollars, I would recommend that we we start looking, you know, everywhere except the classroom. Um, and I know that that is the intent, but I would like to um just, you know, have our input and what other things we can do to cut be considered and not only bring us what, you know, just have that open conversation to where else we could have great ideas or some ideas. Um, but just to be able to have that continued open conversation because $1 million means, you know, $1 million. Um, but yes, it is painful and as a previous employee of this district, I, you know, I know that this is jobs. This is someone's job that we're taking and that is
155very painful. Um, I think that one of the things that I'm actually enjoying right now is being able to explain why some decisions have to be made. I think that's why some of these parents are here because they want to hear the reason and behind the decisions that need to be made. Um, as Trusty Ramirez says, I think we all know how difficult these decisions are. Um, if anybody has benefited by school counselors, it's me and my son. So, I know that these decisions are not popular. They're so difficult. And I would agree that we keep looking elsewhere as much as we can before we have to make these difficult decisions. But I think that one thing that's very important is for us to be dialoguing like this in front of everybody else. >> Thank
156you. >> Call for the question. >> Recording. Secretary, please call the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez. Painful I >> Tolston >> I >> Domingantes. >> Just as painful I >> I motion carries 50. All right. Item 12B, the approval of Violindo Elementary School modernization and relocation options. Mr. Pong. >> Thank you, President Ugarte. Uh members of the board, Superintendent Dr. Reyes. Um tonight we have for your review and approval um some an update on the M violindo [clears throat] elementary modernization rebuild and relocation options. Um you'll notice that we we have a slashrebuild um because we'll see as we move forward with the project some of the scope changed and we wanted to update the board on that. So when we look at the agenda tonight, we have modernization and rebuild design, what our timeline is
157for the for the um project, uh why we need to relocate via Lindo, what our relocation options are, feedback from the Violindo community, and school supports that we plan on having in place. And this was just a preliminary brainstorming. a lot of the other supports that we plan on putting in place happen um after we decide the schools and then we'll um collaborate more with the schools. I apologize this isn't the easiest picture to see but um we can see the current configuration of Vindo right now. Um the main campus is this circular building the 200 and 300 building which they often refer to as the Millennium Falcon. Um, part of it, uh, part of the issues when we spoke with the staff were just the shape of the rooms. They're they're not conducive to
158instruction. They're like these word pie shapes. Um, the acoustics in the room. Um, it being so close to the NPR. There's often um, noise feedback from the NPR. There's a lack of lighting, outdoor lighting. Um so through this process and working with our architects on um the structural um integrity of the building um it was determined that actually in order to bring these this building and the kindergarten building just to the left of that up to code, it would require a major seismic um seismic uh revamp. And the cost effectiveness of that seismic um code rebuild or improvement versus an actual rebuild of a building. Um it didn't make sense to u modernize that building. So you'll see in the next slide where we'll be replacing that kindergarten structure and that um center campus also
159with a new structure. Um the other items that we learned throughout this process was that the lower playground field on the left side that is a FEMA FEMA flood zone. So, we heard from the school that it's often damp. Um, and so we'll be working mitigation measures into that as part of the modernization process. And if you look at the bottom of the screen right now for the parking and the drop off, we currently have one one way in and out of the school for both drop off and buses. And we'll see some improvements on that on the next slide. So, we did have um meetings with the Violindo staff to receive their input. Um at the February 28th meeting, we really listened to them on what some of their needs were um in in
160the classrooms and on campus. At the August 22nd meeting, we brought back kind of an initial concept based on the feedback that we received from the staff. And then um based on additional feedback from that meeting, we brought um last week uh the design that we're this preliminary design that we're looking at tonight. So as part of this preliminary design, you will see um a majority of the campus is going to be rebuilt. The only part that is remaining previously was that left um column building. Um so at the bottom we can also see um we will be having a separate bus drop off from a parent drop off and pickup. Um at the bottom we are looking at um an early ed center. So this would really house our TK and SEC um kindergarten
161through second program. Um and they would have their own dedicated playground space. On the right lower part we can see the administration building also. So, um, this would house our our cafeteria. And then on the top of the map, you'll see, um, the new building, which would be for our upper grades. When we take a deeper look at this, uh, we can see that in between the classrooms, there's a corridor space, which we plan on utilizing for more, um, small groupoup instruction and collaboration space. We also have an innovation center. It's kind of that sorry on here it's kind of white. Um an innovation center there um which will also be part of our library. And then over on the far right we have our multi-purpose room which would also provide an open collaboration space
162when it's not being used um in a schoolwide capacity assembly. Um so really in this design you'll see here uh we have flexible furnishings where we're really um utilizing furniture create to create like smaller learning um areas in the classroom. Really utilizing the indoor and outdoor learning environments and taking advantage of that natural lighting um to improve the learning environment. As far as our rebuild timeline, we're looking at January, sorry, July 2026 through July 2028. In order to meet these timelines, we will be submitting in two separate division of state architect approvals. So, our first submission will be for the demolition um and then we will look at bidding out project and then um simultaneously we're also submitting for our design. Um and then we can um we can start with the demo after that's
163approved u move into construction and complete the project before the start of the school year July 2028. When we look at the relocation of via Lindo um we really looked at um these reasons as to why we need to relocate the the students and staff um from the campus. So uh it as you can see it has morphed into a rebuild project. So the ingress and egress of all the traffic and all the construction really is creating a larger construction zone than we had initially um intended. Uh we want to maximize student learning and having students with all that noise um going on on a construction site is not really maximizing student learning. It's not the most conducive to the learning environment. When we look at cost, we were looking at about $6 to7 million
164in added expenditures if we were to phase the project. So, we had the option of putting portables on half the campus and um remodeling the other half and then swapping after. But in order to do this, there was this added cost and it would have required an additional year of construction. Uh we also want to maintain the school culture and maintain funding and educational data. So, another option was to um we could have had students go to other school sites and those be absorbed into other classrooms, but we really want to maintain the culture of Violindo because we know that each of our campuses have their own unique culture. And in order to maintain all their demographics, all the progress that they've been making, um, we really need to keep those students in their own
165school code in order to track all that data. When we look at the relocation, we're looking at 17 classroom spaces. We have our visual and performing arts program that we know also need spaces. um our student support services. So like our psychologist, occupational therapy counselor, um speech, those services and then we have our administrative offices. So the first option that we have is to relocate to Roar Elementary. So with Roar Elementary, we know that um they are on a decre uh declining enrollment and there's space available at that school site. But what we would need to add is an additional 11 to 13 portables. This would cost about $6 million. We're projecting. Some of the pros of this option are that um the school would be all on one campus. The proximity to Violindo. It's
166also Roar Elementary is also a community school which Vindo is also a community school. So there's um resources that they can utilize together. Um some of the cons are with all those uh portable buildings, we would lose playground space. Um there's limited parking at the school site. Uh we'll see um and another option, this option has a longer division of state architect approval for the portables. Um and it reduces the violino and future project costs. So with these added costs, we only have so much money in the bond and it has to go to service all of our schools. So as we increase costs in one area, we would have to reduce in other areas. When we look at the relocation or option number two, we would relocate to Roar and Lab Verde. So roar
167would have nine classrooms um split and then LMA verde would receive about eight classrooms um and then the other programs would become itinerant between both campuses. We would need about three to four portables in this option. The cost is about 1.9 million. The pros are um LMO is also a dual measuring school. So there can be um additional collaboration between uh violindo and lomab. The proximity of the campus to both of these schools um again roar and actually lamde is also a community school. So um you know additional resources there. There would be more playground space. Um there would be a significant cost savings and an abbreviated GSA timeline. So with the in speaking with our architects um when we have four uh more than four portables on the school site then we have to
168go through a full GSA approval versus an abbreviated one if there's four or less. Um and the con is that it would be split between two schools. When we look at our third option the relocation of would be to ROAR and Los Altos. Um so the main changes uh between Loma Verde and Los Altos um Los Altos also has a dual immersion program. Um and we would also need three to four portables. So similar cost to the option to um Los Altos is also a community school. Uh we would have the more playground space, the cost savings and the abbreviated timeline. The con is really um compared to option number two, the longer bus ride if students um elect transportation and the proximity. It's not as close to Violindo as Lama Verde. >> All right,
169that's on um when we uh look at school supports. >> Oh yeah, the middle school. they also will um Lama bear um and roar feed to the same Castle Park Middle School. So when we look at our school supports, we want to ensure that we're um increasing communication and making all efforts to maintain communication between um for the Bindo community with the staff and families. When we look at transportation, we're estimating about um two buses um being needed for that. Um we would provide additional staff support. So with more students on campus, you know, we would have a higher need for supervision. And if the campus was split between two, then um we would provide additional administrative support. Um there's opportunities for collaboration between the schools. uh we're ensuring that funding follows the students. So
170Violinda would maintain their funding and for those families where this uh one of these option the options selected tonight doesn't work for them then we will be providing the opportunity for temporary zone transfers um so that they can make a decision that um better aligns with their needs. So when we met with the Violindo community, some of the staff and parent feedback that we heard from them about the relocation was to um ensuring that there's still a before and after school program, which we do have the lead program um and ELOP funds that are specific to Bindo that will be maintained. Um making sure to look at the drop off and pickup times because it can um get congested. um the logistics of zone transfers and making sure that we have supports for staff that
171have children at Violindo as there'll be some special circumstances um for some of them. So in all of this we do have a recommendation which is option number two um to relocate to Aurora Elementary and Lama Verde. Um this really prioritizes our the safety of our students and maximizes student learning. Uh we know that we can um our upper grade students can develop stronger relationships with the students at those schools since they will be transitioning to middle school together at Castle Park. Um the portable building logistics with the abbreviated timeline um will give us more time for the planning, the proximity of the schools to Violindo, those two um one is only 08 miles and one is 1.4 miles. So families still want to walk. there's still that ability and it really max sorry maximizes
172district resources in this option. So with that I will open it for board discussion or approval of the recommendation. >> Board questions or comments? Trusty Ramides Dominguez. >> Yes. Um so when we are thinking of dividing into two different schools um how is the selection process happening like are the parents going to choose I want to go here I want to go there or how does it work? So, we were looking at um dividing the program up by um the English only program and the dual dual immersion program and working with the principal. Um the feedback was that majority of families have siblings that are in similar programs. So, um we would offer that and then if a family for some reason had one in another program, then there's opportunity to have a zone transfer
173so that way they're at the same school. >> Okay. Yeah. because I was concerned of having siblings at different schools. I think that would have been really detrimental. Um, also is I'm not 100% sure. Are we providing transportation for these students? >> Yes, we would offer that as a support. >> As a support Okay. Um, hold. I have one more. Um, and you mentioned that for family members who don't want to go to either of these schools, they will have the opportunity to zone transfer to a different school. >> Correct. So, if either option doesn't work for them, then uh we would offer zone transfers >> to any school in the district. >> Temporary zone transfers to a school obviously that has the capacity that that's that's not full. >> Not Wolf Kenya. [laughter] >>
174Okay. Thank you. Uh, no questions. You answered them. Thank you. >> Questions answered. >> Just one question that I forgot to ask during my one-on-one. Um, the reos that we're we're buying. Uh, are we buying them or are we renting them? >> Buying. >> We're buying. Yes. >> So, they're going to stay there at the school site after renovation. Uh well, they could either stay there if there's they're needed or there's possibility also to move them to a different site if another site needs them. >> Okay. All right. Thank you. >> And future modernization. >> Correct. For for to be at a site that has the need for uh portables or as we modernize other schools, we might need them to be somewhere else. >> Now, you also mentioned uh two buses. Are those additional
175buses or just uh the cost for additional routes? rerouting and additional routes. >> So, just additional routes. >> No more buses, >> brand new buses. >> No, we're we could use existing buses. >> Okay. >> All right. >> My first um my first item is a question. Um it has to do with administration with regard to principles and APs. How does that management work out when they're the students are at different sites? So uh obviously the principal is the principal for Valindo. We would uh hire uh an additional assistant associate principal to support the other school. That way there's always administrative coverage >> and that's part of the cost that we >> that's part of the cost. That way the the principal the principal is going to be managing both but that way there's always
176100% of the time there's going to be an administrator covering at both sides. And my other point that I would like to make um because we hear a lot about transparency from our our um constituents, I just want to make it and put it on the record that this is a if I am not mistaken, this is an agenda item I asked Dr. Reyes to bring forward because it it's a decision that we don't necessarily have to make. It can be made administratively without the input from the board. But I thought it was important that we bring it to the public and they'll be speaking in just a few minutes because I have some speakers so that they can give us their input and feedback and then we can make the decision as the board
177based on the recommendation. But normally school districts don't have to do this. Correct. >> Correct. So in fact we've done many modernization projects and uh we've relocated schools as they're modernized and it the decision has never been taken to the board. >> Thank you. All right. With that, if any any other board questions, I'm going to call our speakers. Um, the first two, Colleen Smith and then Nadia Bergado. All right. Okay. All right. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Colleen Smith. I am a Violindo parent of 10 years, PTO board member, parent volunteer, parent ambassador, substitute teacher. I have a fifth grader there. I have two additional kids who have graduated there. My husband went there as for elementary. >> Um, so over the past decade, I've had the privilege of working
178with nearly every child at Vi Lindo from preschool to sixth grade. I've watched these students grow up together, siblings, classmates, friends, forming an amazing school community. As our school faces modernization and displacement, I respectfully ask that before any final decisions are made, the district commit to keeping Bindo community together at one site during construction. Many ViOo families have children in different grades or programs, English only, dual immersion, special education. Splitting the school would require families to have to navigate multiple campuses, face transportation challenges, conflicting schedules. This places an added burden on families that will inevitably impact attendance and student stability. From a student perspective, friendships and trusted adults, teachers, counselors, resource specialists, and our community school coordinator are what create a sense of safety during uncertainty. Separating students into two sites risks isolating students from
179their friends or siblings during an already difficult and emotional transition. Uh I also want to respectfully raise a concern about communication. This was the first mention to Vindo families about modernization was at um two meetings held last week during traditional working hours. Um, so a discussion of modernization was advertised, but without any additional context, many families did not understand that this included potential demolition, long-term displacement, and relocation decisions. As a result, participation was very limited. Approximately 20 families attended the meeting in person, 17 online out of a student body of around 400 or so. So just before irreversible decisions are made, families deserve clear communication, meaningful input, and time to understand their options, particularly when those decisions will affect children's daily lives for two to three years. I'm not here to oppose modernization. These kids
180truly deserve a new school. My son, as a fifth grader, will not get to enjoy the benefits I've had. I've been there 12 years, and my kids won't get this new school, but I want it so desperately for them. They deserve it. Um, so we we do look forward to it, but I asked you guys to prioritize the option that preserves our school community to expand outreach to families before finalizing this relocation plan and explore maybe additional options. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> Thank you, Nadia Bergato. [applause] Good evening, board members and superintendent Reyes. My name is Nadia Bato. I am the primary special day class teacher at Violindo Elementary. Beyond that, I am the vice president of our PTO and the co-chair of our community school steering committee. Most importantly though,
181I am the parent of a second grade dual immersion student who attends Violindo. I am here today to address the modernization and relocation of our school site. Upon learning about the modernization of our site, many teachers were very excited that our students would finally have the learning environment that they deserve. However, within the last few weeks, we have learned the school district is looking at splitting up our site by sending dual immersion teachers and their students to one site and Englishonly teachers and their students to another. To say that our teachers, parents, and students are overwhelmed and deeply saddened by this decision is an understatement. Biolindo is a small school, meaning that in almost all grade levels, there is only one English class and one dual immersion class. By splitting grade levels by language, this
182means students would be separated from their peers and teachers would be separated from their colleagues. This is not what is best for our site. This is not what is best for our students. Teachers be would be without their grade level partners making collaboration complicated and coordination of grade level activities such as field trips, picnics or field days near impossible. Violinda was recently designated a community school. In the last year, we have noticed an incredibly positive impact on our school community. The students at our site depend on the resources provided to them. The option of splitting our school into two does not factor in the inequitable division of resources and how this impacts our students with the highest needs. With our school site projected to only have a counselor available next year for part-time, will that
183mean that our part-time counselor will be split amongst two sites? I ask you to consider what happens to students that are having a crisis and need attention and support in that moment. Will they need to wait until the following day when the counselor is available to see them? This is not a realistic situation for students in crisis. How are teachers supposed to appropriately support students when we are limiting or asking them to share the very resources put in place intended to help them across two sites? We do not have enough resources to split amongst two sites. I also ask you to consider what happens to our families with students with children in both Englishonly programs and dual immersion programs such as some of the students in my special day class with siblings in dual immersion.
184Will these families be forced to pick between remaining a part of our community and splitting up their children or leaving our community to keep their children together? Modernization should not equate separation. Opt options such as remaining together at one site through means such as portables that may be reused in the future by other sites are family first solutions. The future and well-being of Violindo community heavily depends on the decisions made here tonight. I ask that when voting on the relocation of our site that you consider the families, the teachers, and most importantly the children that this decision will impact. Splitting via Lindo across two sites will destroy our school community. Please vote to keep our community together by allowing us to relocate at one site. Thank you. Thank you, [applause] Carrie. Carrie Salsman and then
185Sean Ayer. Hi, good evening. My name is Carrie Salsman. I'm a teacher at Violindo. I have three kids that have gone there, two that are there now. I live in the neighborhood. I am a founding member of our PTO. I've been on the school site council for five years, and I'm on our community school steering committee. Um, I deeply care about this community. So, two things I want to ask you to consider today is the importance of keeping Vi Lindo together during this two to three modernization process. It's probably going to take two to three years if we're realistic. and the idea of slowing down the process of this transition to do it right and make it smooth for our families. Not slow down the construction, but slow down maybe this decision. Every day I
186see how deeply our students depend on the stability and the relationships our school provide. Many of our students, English and dual immersion, come from lowincome households. And for many, school is more than a place of learning. It's a place of safety, consistency, and belonging. Violindo is a close-knit family, and separating our school for possibly up to three years will tear it apart. When we finally have a new building, we will have to build our culture back from scratch. Splitting our school would mean splitting families. It would be siblings and cousins attending different schools, parents juggling impossible schedules, and children losing the comfort of familiar teachers, counselors, and friends. For families already facing challenges, this added stress, it does matter. As a community, we provide counseling service, before and after school care, a myriad of clubs
187and teams. Dividing the school will not provide equal access to these programs. I ask you to slow down this decision. provide more time to create a plan that is thoughtful and with input from the families. No one wants to spend a crazy amount of money. We don't either. But have all options really been considered thoroughly and thoughtfully? For example, so toayor 9 minutes from our school has a capacity of a thousand. There are about 500 students there. We have about 350 students. Could we not all go to a school like that together? Um could we not get portables, reuse those portables at another time? Um, this decision is made made so fast that the majority of our families have no idea. They literally think that our school is closing for the summer to come back
188the next summer. They think we're going to have a long summer. They do not know that they're going to be asked to split their families up to two different locations. I urge you to slow this down and get input and buyin from stakeholders. Keeping our school community together is not a decision just about money. This decision impacts the well-being of so many families and they rely on the school every day. I respectfully ask the board to give this decision more time and find a way to make our school families stay together during this disruptive time. Thank you. >> Thank you Sean er and then Robin Alcoa. Uh good morning board members, teachers, and parents. I'm a fourth grade teacher, a dual emerging teacher at Violindo. Um I'm here to address the issue of remodelization of
189our school and the sub subsequent displacement of our community for the next two years. Um at Bilindo, we believe bilingualism is as an inclusive model. Um and we unite to we're united by our school by our bilingual program and our English program. Currently, we are told that our dual language and our English classes will be divided between two different sites. Um, some parents will be split because they have children in both dual language and English classes. Also, teachers would be will be divided from planning and schoolwide events. We'd like to keep our students, staff, and parents together to ensure a strong community. We are grateful for the remodization and the positive impact it will have on the kids and the community to finally have a a beautiful campus that we can take pride in. We
190know and accept that we will be growing. There will be growing pains. We know that there's going to be difficulties that we can adjust as a community to that. Um but we ask the board to keep us together in all possible in order to keep our community united during this time of growth and renewal. Thank you. >> Thank you, Robin Alcoa. Good evening members of the board. My name is Robin Alcoba and I'm a parent to three kids in the district and I'm also a PTO board member for Violindo. Violindo is listed as one of the district's official community schools. Your own mission statement says community schools bring students, families, and staff and the community together in partnership. It commits to putting students and families first, strengthening engagement, and sharing decision-making with the entire community.
191The proposal to split Viendo into two separate school sites goes against every part of that mission. A vote to divide the school [clears throat] will break apart the relationships that help our children feel safe. It will separate peers, friends, and classmates. It will place siblings in different campuses and remove students from the teachers and support systems that they rely on every day. This is deeply personal for my family. My son Elliot endured bullying at his previous school and he felt alone and unsupported until he came to Violindo. His special day class and teachers and especially Miss Bgato welcomed him with open and loving arms. [clears throat] This is where he finally feels safe. It's where he found friends, support, and belonging. Violindo is his home. It was mentioned earlier that it was mentioned earlier this
192evening that our schools are our houses. So, please don't take that home away from him. Voting to divide the school into two different sites will also break apart families in a very real way. Many violo teachers have their own children attending the school because they believe in this community. [clears throat] They believe in the community and splitting the schools forces these families to choose between where they teach and where their children learn. That directly contradicts what a community school is supposed to be. How can the district claim to put students and families first while splitting families into two different locations? How does [clears throat] dividing our school align with the promise of unity, connection, and equal access? We support modernization. We want a safer and updated campus, but not at the cost of the heart
193of our school. Please do right by our kids. This is why you are here in the first place. They're our priority, not what is cheapest or what is most convenient. Keeping all students together is the only plan that truly honors your mission, your words, and your values. And what you say guide this district, keep our kids together, and keep our community whole. Please stand by the commitment that you published. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Pong. Um it I thought of another question um with regard to the comments. Um do we have a schedule of meetings that occurred um with the Violindo community and and parents that that we can know when those those started? And my other question is in regard to the impacted schools like if if we were to go to one
194and I saw a lot more cons on there especially with regard to playground. Um what what would that do to those populations? um like the increase for each each of those different like so how we're talking how many students at um Bindo 400 that I'm hearing 30 300 and then how many are at this the if it was a one one site how many are we're talking another site taking on 450 students right and then we saw the playground so yeah >> so I want to sure that the board understands that we have been uh looking at many different scenarios for quite a bit of time now. One of the things that um I heard is delaying the votes. So the reason why we need to take action now is because uh to start a
195project there's a lot of planning and and we're talking about you know the reality is that this is a wonderful thing you know and we haven't done this actually I don't know how many how long has has it been in fact I don't know if we've done it before where we've actually are demolishing a building and rebuilding you know we we usually when we talk about modernize is maybe windows or doors, flooring, floor flooring, etc. So, right now we're demolishing, redesigning, and having a literally a brand new school. So, so it's so it's a great problem to have, right? Uh and the outcome is going to be a beautiful new school now. And that's why it takes about two years, close to two years. um because it includes the demolishing and the the demoing and
196the construction. Uh we looked at many different scenarios and we took into consideration absolutely the needs of the sending school which is Vindo but also we got to consider the receiving school. Uh so for example in this particular case we looked at the one that has the least amount of students which is ROAR and it has space. uh however it doesn't have space enough to house all the students. We would have to have uh about 14 16 uh portables. So which means a couple of things. So to have portables installed if you have four or less you the DSA approval takes half the time. If it's over four, then it takes twice as long, which then would get us very close to July and maybe not even make it uh you know on time for
197July. The other one because of the DSA approval. The other component is the space that we would be taking at a school. So, uh you put all these portables, there are all these DSA requirements, not just put them in back toback. requirements. Uh, and so it would take quite a bit of the playground and the and the fields of of uh, ROAR. So then the receiving school would be saying, "Wait a minute, so we're happy to have you, but now you're taking away playground from our students to be able to do sports and activities, etc." Uh, the the other part which also is very crucial component is the cost. So the added cost is 6 million added cost. This project is over 30 million because we're demoing and rebuilding. So that that means that that
198$6 million has to come from somewhere and it would have to come at a reduction of the project of Violindo because we can't we can't say to the to the project of another school, well we're going to be impacting another school and reducing that project by six million. it would have to be the reduction of Bolinda's construction. Uh, and so $6 million of construction is quite a bit. So the the impact of the construction would be significant. So I just want to make sure that the the board is aware of all the different factors that that we considered. Uh, I know that that it was mentioned services. Uh, and um, Mr. Pong explained that we would be providing additional services because if we split schools then they need to have the services that they're having
199now at both schools and that the funding follows the students meaning that we wouldn't be taking money away from the receiving school we would be adding and plus the district would be adding additional resources. >> Question so there was a mention one of our speakers mentioned stoayayor. Y >> did we look at that? >> So we did look at stomayor Mr. Pong. Uh and a aside from the distance that I know that uh for for some parents would would be inconvenient. Would you want to share Mr. Pong? >> But we're providing busing though, right? >> But so there there are different factors. Uh one is the the the um the feeder school. There are different feeder schools. The other is actually longer. It's longer than than uh than uh L and or Go ahead M.
200>> Yeah, when we looked at the schools, we really looked at rooms that didn't have rosters and a lot of the available space [clears throat] even though it was mentioned that it is a school with a capacity of a thousand. um those classrooms are being utilized currently by um our as some of our specialized programs. Um so we would have to relocate that those entire programs to be able to >> when I toured uh Stoayor I I did see that but it's like one teacher in this whole classroom a lot of room. So I'm I'm just wondering if that were our only option. I'm not saying it is. If that were our only option, could it we could we make it work? >> We would still have so we wouldn't have the less impact to
201the receiving school. >> Uh so we wouldn't want to be relocating current classrooms or current programs of the receiving school. We wouldn't want to be relocating those those kids because then you know the parents and the students will be saying well why is my kid being relocated? Uh and the other part is that we will still need to have portables uh at a cost because there are not enough classrooms based on the rosters that we looked at. >> This is an act I have a comment. Oh, finish finish. >> What is the sentiment of the principal of the school and her administration? What does she what has she said? um in speaking with Lama Verde, they're very excited about it. Um is she here? >> She's here tonight. Um you know, she's >> the administrators,
202what have they said? >> Um [clears throat] so LMA Berley's, you know, >> accepting of of the of the relocation. Um at Roar, they're also accepting of the relocation. They just want to iron out the logistics more, which you know, we will have more after this. Um and then um at Viindo the sentiment is also to keep the campus together. But um as you saw >> now if what would happen I know that we want to vote on this soon because this project needs to start moving but what if we put it out for maybe one more month where we could have more options and have a presentation saying this is not it's not working just more more options for them to see that. >> Okay Mr. So, so I would strongly suggest that we
203move on this >> because we I mean we're talking about the whole planning of of construction. So, Mr. Wong. >> Yes. So, um you know after this we plan on moving forward with communication with all schools and that's where a lot of the work is going to happen because you know we have to start to meet with the staff with the communities and start to plan for the next school year. So um delaying this would really stifle a lot of that that needs to happen. >> Uh you you also got to remember that uh whether we do one side, two sides or >> whatever, we got to look at not just cost but also DSA and so we have to have portables. So we have to go through DSA and we have to have the
204portables in place by July. >> Um so the parents didn't know. >> Yeah. But okay. So, okay. >> So, >> we already had public comment. Thank you. Um, Mr. Pong. It's my understanding again that this could have been a decision that was made behind closed doors by administration and the facilities department without the input of the board and without bringing it to light. Correct. Okay. I just want to make I just want to make sure. So it could have been imposed without any of us having any input at all. >> I think that um having the input of the public that's going to be affected is very important. Um also >> that and and just I that's did you look up the dates that you informed >> oh and if I can continue um the
205other reason why I feel it was very beneficial for us to because we obviously need to know um is that we have we had an idea from the public that um I checked and stomayor is only eight minutes away where LMA verde is six minutes away so it's only two-minute difference and I worked at Stoayor and I know that they have a lot of combo classes because they don't have the students. Um, so I think that like obviously there's always great to gain when we have more in when we have a lot of input when we have input especially of the people that are going to be affected. Um, so I would actually recommend that we look to see of the possibility of allowing the students to go to Stoayor. It's a great brand new
206campus. Um I think could that happen? >> So one of the things that's important for the board to remember is that we can't mix the students. >> So we cannot mix students from two different schools. >> Uh they're >> you're doing the same classroom >> in classrooms. So for example >> Okay. >> So a school has its own funding its own school code. >> Mh. uh when they go to [snorts] another site, they're that school separate from this school. They don't mix. They don't become one school. >> They stay separate. >> So, they can't play together. >> They can, but they can't. >> So, I'm talking about I'm talking about classes. >> You want to have you want to have um what you're saying is that they need the students need to be in one
207classroom on their own. Like the biolindo need to have within the owner classroom. >> Correct. Because the funding is different. the the the code is different. >> Okay. >> Right. Uh if we were to mix then they would become the students need to be either at this school or that school. >> So so you can't mix them. >> If you mix them then they have to the students have to be enrolled at one particular school. And so and so um one of the things we did look at sorayor and that's what Mr. Pong was saying. We did look at sorayor. We did look at the the the staffing and the room allocation of of uh the schools that have lower enrollments. Stoayor was one of them. Not that they have lower enrollment but lower lower
208enrollment based on their capacity. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Yeah. So they're halfway. So, so based on that, uh the the the room allocation uh was the the the issue was very similar as the other schools in regards to needing additional portables which would again raise the cost which would again have an impact on the construction of >> we're getting portables for both LMA and ROAR and on the other options. So if we're already paying for portables, how many portables? And that was my question, like how many more portables will we need if we move to Stoayor instead of moving to >> Roar Roar? So, so as we saw in the presentation, uh uh the if if moving at uh another school, one site only, which would be a very similar case at Smayor, it
209would be about $6 million upwards of $6 million versus 1.9 >> or 1.8 1.9 million. So, the difference is $4 million. >> Those $4 million have to come from the construction. >> Yeah, I understand. So what you're saying is that you guys did the math and you guys considered Stoayor and already planned as if it was were to happen and you're saying that in order to go to Stoayor, we're going to need 11 to 13 more portables. >> Correct. >> At Stoayor? >> No. >> Well, at Roar, but it's very similar at Stoayor. Correct. >> The same number of empty rooms in Roar and in Stoayor. >> Mr. >> Right. because we have to remember that um we have programs in those classrooms and if we were to have to relocate those then we would
210be affecting even more schools having to relocate those programs to other schools also. Um, so >> special day classes are >> there special day classes there at six >> six of them >> at Stoayor. >> All right, I think there's been enough discussion. Um, I think we we know that we would like to uh keep everyone in one school, but that's a $4 million question that I'm not going to reduce the construction of a Lindo by $4 million. So, it it affects the construction directly. Um, so I'm going to move to approve with the split of the two locations with the recommendation of the district. >> I'll second [clears throat] >> recording secretary. >> Ramirez Dominguez. >> Nay. >> Tolston. >> I will. Yes. But with all of the possible accommodations that we've always talked
211about and communication with our parents and everybody who's going to be involved, I know that you will. Um, but please just transparency for everybody. >> Dominguez. >> Nay. >> Tamayo. >> I motion carries 32. >> It's just a >> All right. Our items that we move to the front of the agenda have been addressed. Communication to the board of education, Chula Vista classified employees organization. Ruby Williams, >> excuse me. When are you taking public? >> It's not our fault. >> Okay. Hello. Yes. Go ahead. Thank you. >> Good evening. My name is Ruby Williams and I want you to imagine this. A group of students, teachers, and administrators are getting ready for school. The day starts out great. They arrive at their campus ready to teach, ready to learn, ready to make a difference. But
212then they find out they won't be in the class or even the school that they were assigned to. And this isn't just a one-time inconvenience for some. It happens again the next day, the next week, the next month, and sometimes even the next quarter. This is the reality for many of our instructional assistants and attendance. It's a morale killer. It undermines the ability to build rapport with staff, students, and administrators. It heightens anxiety and stress. Ask yourself, is this an ideal frame of mind to go through in your day? From their perspective, it feels random. They're pulled out of their class to cover classes for IEPs, unfilled substitute positions, projects, and other creative ventures. This is not keeping with the agreement and not in accordance with education code. Now, don't get me wrong. It's nice
213to hear verbal recognition. We're told we're hardworking, valued, and important. But actions speak louder than words. And right now, the actions show something different. Just yesterday, I received an email from an employee who noticed an improvement with a simple change. Eliminating annual school switches. His words were powerful. With the elimination of annual school switches, fostering accountability and pride in sight upkeep dramatically improved ownership and results. One simple solution and there were great positive results for individuals and for the schools. If students, teachers, and administrators removed a fraction of what IAS and SAS are, the community would be in an uproar. Now let's talk about safe schools and its impact on classified. To accommodate this new adoption, some schools are staggering staff schedules. Who does this affect again? Attendance, office staff, and some IAS. They're they're
214being assigned duties that are outside of any reasonable interpretation of the posted job description. Some are questioning, are we now security? because they're manning the exits and entrances. Some are in charge of keys to open and close gates, securing assigned areas and designated areas. Some schools aren't just changing the total hours. They're not changing the hours worked in a week, but some are changing daily work hours and that creates challenges for us. Some of our classified staff are paid significantly less than certificated and administrative and so they're working second and third jobs. Others are attending college to improve their chances of making better wages. They're also caring for children, parents or managing health issues. So the constant schedule changes at some school sites are more than inconvenient. They're aggravating, especially when we're juggling other aspects
215of our lives. Office staff have shared concerns, too. In just a 20 minute span, they're going to be handling or will be handling increased staff, family, and student traffic, checking tardies, answering parent questions, and managing communications. They're worried about potential conflicts with parents who disagree with the logistics of the safe campus. Understandably, many of us are parents as well. So, here's the question. Is this sustainable? Is it fair? We need to recognize that while policies and plans are important, the people who help make them work, a lot of the classified uh attendants and office staff are essential. They deserve stability, respect, and consideration in every decision made that involve them in implementing all these adopted policies. Thank you. Thank you, Chila Vista Educators. Miss Rosie Martinez. Good evening. Bear with me. I'm I'm used to
216speaking at the beginning of the board meeting. Um, tonight you're going to be hearing reports about CASP and the dashboard. And I want to remind you as you look at the data to think beyond just numbers and acknowledge that behind them is all the hard work that our teachers do every day for their students, often at the sacrifice of time with their own families. These past few years have been some of the toughest that they have faced and as they've been dealing with the tremendous behavior challenges as well as growing academic needs. and yet they continue to show up and adapt to changes and new expectations that are placed before them. I'm always humbled when I visit sites to see the dedication and care that goes into everything they do. You're also going to get
217a report updating you on the rigorous learning for all. Within the report, you're going to see how CVE has continued to work with the ISS department to ensure that our dual immersion teachers have all the tools and training that they need to continue to deliver a high quality program for our students. During this collaboration, we have expanded our biiteracy consultation committee and are committed to uplifting the voice of our experts in the classroom to guide this work. We will be having full day planning sessions to provide opportunities to share ideas and plan for next steps for quarters three and four as well as for next year. We recognize that you are also faced with some tough decisions when it comes to budget reductions. We ask again that you keep the cuts as far away from
218students as possible. At a time when mental health is so highly impacted, our staff who support students in this area are crucial to keeping our students functioning. We must all continue to reach out to our legislators to advocate for adequate funding for our schools in order to continue to provide these muchneeded resources. Community schools are an evidence-based strategy rooted in part partnerships between schools and local agencies that aim to support the well-being of students, families, and communities, as well as strengthening the learning conditions through four core pillars of integrated student supports, expanded learning opportunities, collaborative leadership, and family engagement. Tomorrow, CVE will meet again with the district at the table to negotiate. Our community schoolsou expires in June of 2026. Chula Vista is looked at as an example of good practice in the implementation of
219community schools. This is not a temporary program, but rather a transformative strategy that when implemented appropriately has proven to be highly effective. We ask that the district show its commitment to this work beyond the initial grant and put language in place that will ensure sustainability of the pillars of community schools for the benefit of our Chuliv Vista students and community. We also ask that you recognize the needs of our staff being able to provide for their well-being of their own families. Health benefits cost have increased at such a high rate that for many bless you. It has been like taking a pay cut to provide coverage for their families. This is making some of them look at other districts that provide better benefits. It's simply not sustainable. And lastly, I want to thank the policy
220committee for rewarding the closed campus policy. Although the changes are only in semantics, we know that words matter. Last month, I gave you just a couple of examples that I, as a teacher, have experienced at school sites in this district when we only had bell-to-bell. It left our campuses completely vulnerable outside of the instructional time. Calling it a safe campus rather than a closed campus speaks to the spirit of the district, which is not to exclude the community, but rather to maintain the students and staff safe by knowing who's on campus at all times. On behalf of all staff and students, I thank you for prioritizing safety. I wish everyone a peaceful holiday season and look forward to a productive 2026. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Administrators Association Chula Vista, Miss Terresa Corona. >>
221Thank you, President Ugarte, trustees and superintendent Reyes. I was able to uh consult with my board this evening and I'm speaking on behalf of administrators association chiliva Vista uh with the consent of my board to formally express our deep disappointment with the board's decision to revise the closed campus policy tonight. Last month the board took a unanimous action to adopt a closed campus. That vote mattered. It sent a clear message to school leaders that student safety, supervision, clarity, and operational consistency were priorities. Principles across the district took that vote seriously. We acted on it immediately and in good faith. It's what we do. In the weeks following that unanimous decision, principles engaged in significant implementation work. I know you heard community comment on what principles didn't do, but I question that if we hadn't met
222with our communities, how would they know about implementation of the board policy? Our members surveyed families and community members, collaborated with stakeholders, redesigned supervision plans, reallocated staff, communicated expectations, and managed community concerns, often under intense pressure this last month. This was not abstract planning. It was real timeconsuming operational work carried out to honor the board's decision. Again, it's what we do. We carry out your policies. Reversing course so quickly has been deeply discouraging to our members. This decision undermines confidence in the governance process and places principles in an untenable position. Administrators are held legally and professionally accountable for students safety, supervision, and campus operations. Yet, the authority and clarity needed to meet those expectations was weakened. When policies shift after implementation plans have already begun, principles are left to absorb the confusion, frustration, and risk
223at the site level. AACV is particularly disappointed that the decision moves the district away from practices that align with modern safety standards. Closed or secure access campuses during arrival and dismissal are not an anomaly. They happen in our neighboring districts, including the district where most of our students feed into into the Sweetwater Union High School District. These campus closures and secure access are common across California because districts have learned often the hard way that open access during these high-risk windows increases uh incidents supervision gaps and liability exposure. allowing access through screening tools such as Raptor does not resolve all these concerns. I want to say that this decision also sends a troubling message to site leaders about follow through. Principles rely on board policy to set stable expectations so that systems can be built, staff
224can be trained and families can understand consistent boundaries. That instability has real consequences. It affects staff morale. It erodess trust. AACV also wants to be clear that this disappointment does not stem from a lack of commitment to family engagement. Principles of course value family partnership deeply, but family engagement has never required unrestricted access to a campus. Signing on to Raptor is still fairly unrestricted access. As I said before, it's a system developed to identify sexual predators. Finally, we are concerned about the cumulative impact of decisions like this on working conditions. Arrival and dismissal are already the most demanding times of the school day. AACV respectfully believes that this was a missed opportunity. It was a missed opportunity that we could have kept our schools safety focused and we we ask the board to reflect on
225the message this decision sends to the administrators charged with keeping schools safe every day. President Ugarte, may I have more time? >> Yes. AACV AACV remains committed to working collaboratively with the district and the board, but we also have an obligation to clearly state when decisions negatively impact our members ability to lead safely and effectively. Tonight, we want it on record. AACV is disappointed and we urge the board to consider how future decisions can better honor implementation realities, principal accountability, and the trust of those charged with carrying out board policies. Thank you. And thank you for the extra time. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Oral communications. The oral communication section provides the public with an opportunity to address the board on non-aggenda items. Persons wishing to be heard may attend in person and should
226complete a request to be heard card and submit it to the recording secretary before the start of the meeting. Speakers are requested to limit their remarks to three minutes and to speak in a respectful and professional manner. The board shall limit the total time for public input on each topic to 20 minutes. With board consent, the president may increase or decrease the time allowed for public comments depending on the number of persons wishing to be heard. The board of trustees cannot legally take action or respond to matters not posted on the public agenda due to government code, but will refer the matter to the superintendent for review and report. The first two speakers are Ebony Tyrie and Wendy Seda. Are they here? Okay. Good evening. My name is Wendy Serta. I am a parent of
227a Royo, a dependent charter of CVESD. This means ultimately CBESD is responsible for the health and safety of our students. I speak on behalf of parents unable to attend tonight but share our same the same concerns. For six days, multiple bathrooms on campus were without toilet paper. Completely unacceptable, especially in school in a school with over 900 students. This situation should have never happened, much less continued over one day. Miss Landers could have easily borrowed toilet paper from another school. She could have asked PTA for support providing that toilet paper. She could have gone to Costco business center and bought it herself. Or she could have reached out to families of Aoyo for help. We would have I'm sure we would have gladly provided. But none of those steps were taken. I want you to
228consider the impact on the children. Would you be okay with your child coming home with a rash because they were not able to wipe? With your child developing a UTI from holding it for days because they couldn't use the restroom for lack of toilet paper? >> Being stuck on the toilet trying to figure out what to do because there was no toilet paper. >> What about our young girls who are on their periods and have nothing to wipe with and nothing to clean themselves with? These are not hypotheticals. These are these is what our kids were facing and these are things that actually happened because our campus is closed and the parent involvement is very limited. We were unaware of the situations sooner. This raises a serious concern. How long would this have happened if
229somebody wouldn't have called the district to inform the district that we had gone six days without toilet paper? If no one had spoken up, who knows how long it would have gone. We were told health and safety was a top priority by Miss Landers, but I and that it was quickly the matter was quickly corrected. I don't believe this is true. Quickly fixed would have been one day without toilet paper, not six days, and only only correcting it after she was exposed. This situation was negligent and illegal. I encourage you to go six days at work going to the restroom and not using toilet paper and see how that feels. Our kids deserve better. I will remind you that California Ed Code 35292.5 states it mandates every public and private school must keep bathrooms fully
230stocked. If a student enters a rent a restroom and it's unstocked, it is against the law. There were many codes that were broken and I highly encourage you to look into this. >> Thank you for your time. Thank you. Jennifer Dulquist Ramirez. [applause] Jennifer Dulquist Ramirez. Good evening, president, trustees, superintendent, district leadership, and community members. My name is Jennifer Dulquist Ramirez. I'm an educator with over three years, three decades of experience across public education. I'm a parent with four children ranging in age from 31 to 10. and I'm the founder and CEO of GenEd, an education support and systems improvement organization working alongside families, educators, and districts across California and beyond. I've worked across classrooms, campuses, and communities across the full continuum of education from general education to special education, from mild and moderate needs
231to high support and specialized placements. I've worked where decisions made at the district level directly affect whether students receive meaningful support or fall through gaps. I'm here tonight to urge transparency before any budget decisions or cuts are finalized. Specifically, the community deserves clarity around attendance recovery, ELP funding, and related data and intervention systems, including the roles of Breeze Labs and Ed Link, and how public funds, contracts, and decision making intersected with those systems might be problematic. This is the part that matters for public trust. When district administrators are involved in creating or advancing a private company whose services overlap with district priorities like attendance recovery and extended learning, one minute and 10 seconds. Um, the public deserves to understand how boundaries were drawn, who approved what, how conflicts were disclosed or not, and whether public
232influence or public recourse were used in ways consistent with ethical governance. This isn't innovation. When a public school administrator creates a private company to help support your attendance recovery. >> A now now we're talking. This isn't about innovation. It's about transparency. Families, especially families navigating special ed, rely on attendance, recovery, and ELOP access to be fair, ethical, and student centered. When funding streams, vendors, and leadership roles overlap without clear public explanation, it's wrong. Before cutting programs or services, the board should ensure the full picture has been examined, the funding, the contracts, the vendors, and the relationship between public leadership and private business. I do want to acknowledge that watching this community engage and watching the board take accountab account accountability seriously matters. May I finish my comment? >> Yes. Transparency builds trust. Process integrity protects
233students. I look forward to future collaborations. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um, the next two people, Ivonne Wright and then Vanessa St. John. Sorry. [laughter] Um, so in October of 2024, I came to my first board meeting um with my concerns regarding the mild to moderate uh special day class program at Wolf Canyon, and I wanted to bring those concerns to the board's attention. I hate public speaking, but there's nothing I won't do for my sweet child. Um, so being the squeaky wheel was the least I could do because I felt it was important that the board know when things were not going even remotely well. And in that vein, I feel it's equally important for the board to know when things are going very well. At the beginning of 2025, we re we transferred
234my son from Wolf Canyon to Jeffers Elementary, and he was met with a teacher, classroom support staff, school psychologist, and a speech therapist ready, willing, and and willing to meet him where he was and support him as he needed. But it's not just in his classroom. The entire school environment is supportive and accepting of each child that attends that school. I can personally speak to the fact that this environment starts with a principal who stands outside the school every practically every morning and knows the names of over 500 children by name. That continues to Mell at the front desk and Carl in the attendance office and the morning janitorial staff named Elmer and then every staff member at that school and they make an effort to know and include each and every child. The ease
235that parents were able to discuss the closed campus with Mr. Celich to ask questions, concerns. He held three coffees with the principal, sent out a school survey and spoke with parents as they were entering and exiting the school when they had these questions concerning these issues was invaluable to making sure that the parents felt supported. When I met with Mr. Perez Chica at the boardun IEP education session in November, that was the one thing I mentioned was the way Jeffers runs their team should be the way every school runs their team, including the parents as part of a team. so we're accluded and informed and not treated as an annoyance that just needs to be managed. Also, as an aside, the IEP session that the board held at Rogers in November was highly attended. And
236in my [snorts] opinion, parents were eager to attend events like that that enable them to come after work, have child care and food. So, I really hope the board continues that. Otherwise, happy holidays. >> Thank you, Vanessa St. John. >> Good evening. I'm I'm sure you guys are familiar with who I am, but in addition to that role, I'm also co-chair of my community school committee and also on the school site committee as well. The California dashboard scores came out already that for 220 for 2025 and I find it very relaxing and enjoying to research and I'm very detail- oriented. I was going through that and within that I found out that um we're going to go over it under under 10B the oral presentations and reports but if you look at the students with
237disabilities for Vista Square which includes the students with IEPs the RSP SDC and also those with speech services sorry we actually at Vista Square we went up in English language arts by 13.1 points and then And in math we also increased our scores by 10.3 points. So [applause] so this growth is directly a result of the hard work of our students of the teachers the SDC teachers the service providers and our school counselors. Now I do understand especially hearing everything. I know we're in a deficit and I get it and I know you guys have a lot of difficult decisions to make, but again, that whole group of individuals that worked really hard to help this population move forward, it works. So again, you have a really hard decisions to make. I'm super glad I'm
238not in your position because I wouldn't know what to do. But I'm really hoping that the staff, the supports, and the services that you guys have given Vista Square that as much as possible, to the best extent possible, as we used to quote in COVID amendments, to the best extent possible, if you can try to keep them the same, if you can remain, if those conditions can remain the same, you're more apt to get the same type of increasing growth from not just our population, the students with disabilities, but the whole school as as well. Now, um, let me see. I had something else kind of written out, but then everything I was hearing everybody speak just but I still wanted to make sure I said thank you. But yes, it is very overwhelming. You
239guys have the deficits and all the other issues. And I really hope you guys can continue to support Vista Square with the same type of support and level of support you guys have given us. And I really hope that you guys can continue to provide the support to our Vistas court leader because she has really made the school into a very family oriented school site. Um and because we have that we have the our family business family includes the students, the teachers and the families. So if we can continue to if you can continue to allow us to function as we have been it would be really nice, greatly appreciate it. I know we're a small population, the students with disabilities, but if you look at it as small population, if you help a small
240amount, we can help you get to your goal. >> Thank you, [applause] Katrina Gerky. And then Cara Good. Hello. Um, first and foremost, I'd like to thank you for your time. It's been a super long night and kind of crazy, so I appreciate you staying up and listening to what I have to say. Um, my name is [clears throat] Katrina Gerky. I'm the parent of a student at a Royo Vista Charter Elementary. On the final day before Thanksgiving break, I was informed that students had been without toilet paper for multiple days. When I raised this concern with the assistant principal, I was told it was untrue. However, upon returning from break, I learned that the issue had occurred again. To my knowledge, this was not an isolated incident, but a recurring problem spanning multiple days
241over multiple weeks. I was also informed that the school's principal, Principal Landers, reportedly stated that she was quote trying to prove something to the district. If accurate, this suggests an abuse of authority and a deliberate decision that compromised the students basic needs. This is a this is a matter that warrants an investigation. Failing to provide toilet paper to elementary school age children is a serious lapse in responsibility. It rais raises hygiene, health and dignity concerns, particularly for those menrating students and for young children who may be unable to properly care for themselves. Allowing students to remain in unsanitary conditions is unacceptable and in my view deeply troubling. The situation is especially concerning given the availability of nearby resources including local stores and neighboring schools. A responsible leader would have resolved this immediately and sought assistance.
242The delay is a the delay and massive account of lack of lack excuse me I'm sorry the massive lack of accountability demonstrates a failure of leadership. I am here tonight to ensure that this concern is formally documented and I respectfully request a professional investigation and appropriate reprimand. The failure is absolutely unacceptable. I will also like to add I am going to file a formal complaint about this issue. So that will come across soon. But I really really appreciate your time. Thank you guys. >> Thank you [applause] Cara. Good. Thanks for letting me speak again. Superintendent Reyes, board members and cabinet. I'm going to be the voice of our teachers, our school counselors, and our VAPA teachers. As I read what I have to say, these are in the their words. We've been talking about budget
243cuts all night, so I'll just kind of go in order. This is what I heard from teachers. Teachers told me that there would be decreased student outcomes. More students would fall through the cracks. Teacher turn turnover will increase. Instructional time will decrease because the additional administrative work and documentation required and the increase in emotional support. Behavior problems will increase, collaboration time will decrease, and there will be less time to communicate with parents. If these cuts are made, school counselors told me that they are often the first person kids come to if they are struggling emotionally, mentally, socially, or academically. They are available to do classroom seal lessons, provide advice and consultations to teachers and parents, and teach students how to be successful at school and at home. School counselors provide social emotional support through smallroup
244counseling. They provide support in anxiety and stress management, emotion, emotion management, coping skills, worry, self-regulation, healthy friendships, grief, divorce, and conflict resolution. And school counselors provide individual counseling support to students. This short-term individual counseling allows students to receive free support in the school environment and they can make outside referrals for families seeking more support. This will not exist anymore if counselors are cut from our schools. Finally, if these cuts are made, Vapid teachers told me that after the 2526 school year, PE will no longer be funded by the district. Sites can still fund it, but the district will no longer fund as they start to convert to Prop 28 funding, which can only fund visual and performing arts. Then during the 2627 school year, only VAPA will be funded partially through Prop 28 and partially
245through the district. Starting in the 2728 school year, the district will contribute no funding to VAPA. All funding for VAPA will come from Prop 28. Most likely over half of the VAPA teachers will be displaced back to the gen ed classroom or let go. This also means the VAPA structure at each school site will look vastly different with scoot students receiving less VAPA than they are getting now and this will affect whether or not general education teachers receive collaboration and prep. Afterchool programs will be affected. School musicals will no longer exist due to not having at least one full-time staff member to run it. Prop 28 was designed to Can I have a little more time? was designed to supplement the arts in California, not supplant existing funding. It feels like we should be building
246and adding to our VAPA program in our district instead of the district funding zero eventually and cutting down the program as a whole to the point where the vast majority of programs built over the LA last 11 years won't be able to exist anymore. In conclusion, the board had asked for a plan a few months ago of how the Prop 28 funding that was approved in 2223 was going to be used since the district has been holding on to it for the last couple years. Has this plan been presented to the board? VAPA plays a huge role in our students lives. It increases the mental and physical health. It allows them to express themselves outside of the classroom and discover new things about themselves. It is scientifically proven that the arts and exercise increase a
247person's mental health. And our counselors and behavioral assistants provide essential support to our teachers, students, and families navigating all the issues our children are facing today. I'm asking you to find the funding, restructure how funds are distributed, and involve all your stakeholder before making these cuts. Thank you for listening. Merry Christmas. >> Thank you, >> Amanda Droge. Okay. Um, Herardo Lopez. Good evening everyone. Uh, apologize for the etiquets, but it's my first time. Um, appreciate the time. Uh, my name is Harold Lopez and I'm a parent of two students in uh, a Royal Vista. um a 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl and I was recently uh informed that as you heard there was toilet paper missing um in the school. Now the toilet paper missing is not the issue right if this would have
248been solved adequately fast. Um I later learned that it happened over a course of days and multiple occasions. Um, so I just wonder what why why would someone do that or why would the school leadership allow that to happen? And so I want to ask the board, what are what are you going to do about this? I want to know the consequence of this so it does not happen again. Um, second thing is brings me to uh a couple of months ago when I was forward deployed overseas, I emailed our principal and I asked to be part of the uh council team. Um, and the the reason I bring this up is because the these programs are in place to make sure that we help our schools out, right? And so an issue if I
249I have not heard back from being able to participate in the in the council in the team council and that's not not necessarily that I need to be part of the council. Neither have other parents who who had wanted to be part of the um the team council have not had the opportunity to be part of it. Um no meetings have been uh uh held and if meetings are held they're not adequately held. Um, so I bring that up because those programs are meant to make sure that this type of thing doesn't happen and the parents can sit there and help. Um, so I want to know what can we do to make sure that that c that team council moves forward. Parents are allotted the ability to apply or be part of the program
250so that we can make sure that things like this don't happen. Lastly is if a issue of a toilet paper is being overlooked, right? I understand a day things happen, but for it to for our leaders at the school to allow this to continue um what what else is being uh what what else is being not administrated correctly in that school? So the little things lead to big things, right? Um and right now I am kind of concerned about my kids attending uh the school if if this is going to continue. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. [applause] >> That concludes um public comments and I will it's been about two hours sitting here so five minute break and we'll return. I'm ready. Okay. In the interest of time and business and because
251we do have speakers and we approve the agenda with flexibility, I would like to go to the consent calendar because there are speakers for that. Okay. So, let me read that item. The following items listed under the consent calendar are considered by the board in one action. There will be no discussion on these items prior to the time the board votes on the motion unless members of the board, staff or public request specific items to be discussed and or removed from the consent calendar. And I will let you I'm going to do my chart here. The the public has pulled item 11 C. K. Uhhuh. 11 F as in Frank. and they've pulled 11H and then I'll go through the trustees and ask if for your polls. Trustee Ramides Dominguez >> 11 CK. >> Okay.
252>> Mhm. >> Okay. >> Thank you, Trustee Tolson. >> Thank you, Trusty. Um, Domantz >> 11 C subsection 11 CC >> Mhm. >> 11 CF >> M >> 11 C K and their short comments and 11 E >> Uhhuh. >> 11 G 11 I 11 M and 11 O. >> Trustee Tamayo. >> Nothing. >> Thank you. Okay. Do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> So moved >> with these pools. >> With the pools. Second >> motion by trustee, seconded by trustee Ramirez Dominguez. Recording secretary, please call the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez. >> Hi, Tolston. >> I Dominguez I >> Motion carries 5-0. All right, so in going in alphabetical order, and you guys are going to have to keep me honest here. 11CC is first. >> Yes. >> I don't know
253if someone else did. >> No, just you. >> Okay, I did. Oh, sorry. >> Yes. Okay. 11 CC arts integration teacher. I wanted if you were going to find out from us uh Dr. Reyes if this was a shared position. >> Correct. Um Miss Casey, can you can you share with the board uh about this particular position how it's going to be impacting school and they're saying if it's just one teacher or if it's for one school or how that's going to be working? >> Sure. So we have prop P proposition 28 funds for our preschool programs to and have their VAPA programs. So we're taking one preschool teacher to support VAPA across our preschool programs, our our classrooms. >> Thank you. >> Sure. >> That's it on that one. >> Oh yeah. See? Okay.
254And then item CF trustee Dominguez Cvantes >> resignation. Resignations page six of 20. have we've been requesting for long time over a long time what is the status of the exit interview I know there's been some changes and moves and I'm just wondering if we've caught up with that the idea is to determine how we can do better to improve for retention >> so Dr. Rosel. >> Yes. >> Can you share can you share with the board two things? One is about the exiting interviews where we are with that. I know that you were starting the the state interviews as well. >> Correct. >> Uh can you share both please? >> Yes. The exit interviews continue as as employees resign from the district. We have a survey that um goes out to them or an
255exit interview that goes out to them. um in the email communication, it's more explicit and more obvious for them to access. The state interviews will be launched when we return from our winter break January 2026 >> so that we can get a summary as to what >> what's causing the exits. >> Correct. Correct. >> And what we can do correct to prevent. Thank you. >> Okay. Item 11 CK. We have one speaker, Noel Craravens. Good evening again. Um, I was just wondering if an explanation can be provided for the substantial discrepancy between initial construction bids and the final amended costs. Um I would like to understand the root causes of these overruns and what is being done to improve the accuracy of initial estimates. Examples are company Ningo and more um requesting an amendment for
256$39,350 Ober architecture uh amendment of additional $109,000. uh Runa Clark Architects an additional $123,000 and500 $123,542 and Stapled Enterprises $22,000. Thank you. >> Uh actually, >> yeah. Yeah, go ahead. It's an agenda item. You can answer an agenda item. >> Well, no, no. Uh if if you can repeat, do you mind repeating which ones? Because we have Yeah, we have Mr. We have several items with the same companies like maybe give us the page or >> Oh yeah. Um the name of the companies. >> Well, we have the same company in different items. So So what page? >> Is that the one that you were talking about? >> Yes. Yeah. >> Okay. So Mr. Pong, can you see that one? Number 10. Uh was that the only item or did you mention other items? Uh
257there's three other companies. >> Okay. The others >> Ober architecture >> web page >> still 10 of 20 >> at the bottom. >> The other and then Runo Clark architects >> 11 of 20 at the bottom. >> Thank you. And Stapleton Enterprises >> that one I can't find. >> Staple. It should be below the the >> Runan Clark architects. >> Mr. Did you get them? >> All of them. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. So the first one for Nino and Moore and Stapleton, those two are related to the um playground uh projects that we had to have additional GSA um approval for those. And so it affected those two contracts. The OBR one, we added a topography survey. Um we could have done it on our own but due to the the priority
258and the timeline that we needed it we went through the architect um to procure those services and then uh RA Clark uh based upon the bids their um their contract is a percentage of the construction costs and the final bids came in a little bit higher than expected so that was an increase to their contract. >> Thank you Trustee um Ramdes Dominguez. You also had CK. >> Yes, I have page 9 out of 23. Um, and Laista National will provide programs for and student enrollment for district services. Can I get more information, Dr. Reyes? >> Yes. So, >> so we had um we've been contracting with uh Tel Aisa for several years and uh so this time around we didn't renew the the contract and uh but we we still want to make sure that
259we continue uh showcasing our district and especially in the Latino community. We do it in different communities, but this one particular is Latino community. And so we want to make sure that we uh continue uh that we are able to showcase what we do and also promote uh enrollment and attendance. And so um they ca they came to us uh it's uh 4,000 for the entire year. And so we we are are proposing that we try it just to to see how that goes. Uh it's uh you know I had a chance to see to look at the the it's not a magazine. It's like a like it's it was like a hard copy magazine. >> Um and so that's why we brought it forward. >> So that was my next question. Would it only
260be advertising in the magazine or are they providing more like >> I don't know commercials or you know. >> Yeah. So so so they have well they have the magazines but they only they also have a very strong online presence. So, so the physical magazine but also the online presence and that is uh the neat thing about that is that they um they partner with many many different uh organizations. So, and they can update the online uh presence uh very often or as often as as we need to. So, as things come up, for example, if we have an event, let's say the expo, uh we can promote the expo for families to attend as well as promoting things that already occurred. >> Okay. Yeah. Because I was like, people know we exist. I don't
261think that's what we're doing, but now you mentioned like the expo and events. >> Um, do we know like there is this is the the media presence like social media? Is that what you said? Well, both social media and they have so social media but but also their own uh their own uh media outlets that they partner with many many different organizations. So all the organizations get their information. >> Okay. >> And and it's local. >> Yeah. Um that was my other question. So do you know like the reach would only be like Ch Vista or how far do they >> So so they actually have a huge reach but they would only do it uh regionally. >> So for example we wouldn't be in LA. >> We would just be >> Yeah. Obviously >>
262regional. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Trusty Dominguez Alvantes you also had 11 CK. lead right on page nine of 20. No. Um, Dr. Rey has shared with us briefly, President Regarte, the the need um well, I shared that I would like to see these parent literacy innovative approaches uh to get out there more amongst our our uh other schools. So I think it's exciting this school is doing it to increase their literacy and academic achievement and engaging with the parents and um I wanted that to stay on the radar how we can get the uh ambassadors involved or how it is you were going to take advantage of some of these innovative programs that we need to increase the academics. And I shared with you in um some of the events that I've been going
263to how I've I mean it's not something that I should be shocked, but I am. We have so many students that are in the upper grades. They can't read and that's really scary. We're moving these children over. Like I've said before, the word held back or flunked doesn't exist anymore, but we're doing the children a disservice by promoting them to the next grade. They can't read. They're nowhere's near being it's not even like they're a year behind or two years behind. They're few years behind. So, I I was excited to see this and see how we can maximize it. And um I wanted to stay on the radar, >> of course. >> Thank you. That's sit on that. Okay. >> Move to approve 11 C. >> Second. >> Move by Trustee Tamayo. Seconded by trustee
264Ramirez Dominguez. Recording secretary. Please call the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez. >> Hi. >> Tolston. >> Hi. >> Dominguez Arvantes. >> Hi. >> I. Motion carries. 5-0. >> And we are at >> How many speakers do we still have? >> Two. Let's get through those two. >> Can you make a motion to finish consent? >> I'll make a motion to extend the meeting to finish consent calendar. >> Second. >> What's What's your motion? >> To finish consent to extend the meeting to finish the consent calendar. >> Extend the meeting. Yes. So that means after consent calendar, the meeting is over. Okay. >> Um there's a motion and a second. Recording secretary, please um call for the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez. >> Hi. >> Tolston. >> Hi. >> Dominguez. >> Hi. I >> I motion carries 5-0.
265Okay. 11E. I'm going alphabetical. So, trustees Dominguez, I'm trying to get it right. I have >> Yeah, they're fine. Uh, approve new salary schedule for classified substitutes effective January 2026. I know Dr. Reyes, you clarified to me that it's due to the minimum wage being increased, but I wanted to uh keep that also on the radar when we do have some of these changes, salary changes. I'd like to also include the previous one, you know, like we've had, >> right? I I I want to see what it was because to begin with, I think this pay is pitiful, but that's what we're talking about. How do we expect to have a decent pool of substitutes with this? That's my personal opinion. >> So, you mean the two uh from to >> Yes, please. >> Yes.
266>> That's it. >> Move to approve. >> Second. Moved by trustee Tamayo, seconded by trustee Tolston. Recording secretary, please call the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez. >> Tolston. >> Dominguez I. >> Tamayo >> I. Motion carries. 5-0 11F. Pulled by the public. Noel Craravens, >> safety plans. >> Not paying attention. Um, all right. I just kind of want to mention regarding the safety campus discussion. Um the board's approval of a closed campus last meeting um from my understanding did not specify that parents or families cannot check in through Raptor safe. Um the principles were given the autonomy to manage their own visitor plans. Uh and some principles chose to allow parents and families to check in through Raptor safe. Um, and also on another topic, in light of the recent article published by Voice of San
267Diego concerning a former CVESC teacher and a student, um, have there been updated protocols or new training requirements regarding child abuse reporting? Has there will there be administrative accountability? >> Thank you, >> Trusty. Um, excuse me, Superintendent Reyes. >> Dr. Reyes. Correct. So, in regards to the CPA reporting, that's uh you know, that's an ongoing thing that that uh uh HR uh not not just does once a year, but it's a continuous thing. Uh in regards to the accountability uh we you know obviously we can't discuss personal matters but we do uh follow through with uh with uh personnel action as uh whenever things happen uh things are investigated and if there's a need then there is personal action. We were not in we were not out of compliance with the CPS reporting, right? We've
268done all it was out of it was the CT >> with the C with C CPS. We were not out of compliance. >> Okay. >> CPS was filed. >> Thank you. This is Huh. >> She was It was the public pulled it. >> I'm sorry. We were in one or both >> with CPS. >> We were in compliance with CPS. >> The the CTC was not was not following time. >> Do I have a second? >> Question. >> No, sorry. >> Uh do I have a second? Second >> the um uh moved by Trusty Tamayo, seconded by Trusty Tolston. Recording secretary, please call the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez. >> Hi. >> Tolston. >> Hi. >> Dominguez. >> Tamayo. >> Hi. >> Ug. >> I. Motion carries. 50 11G. Trustee Dominguez. >> Yes. And I know
269we were in our oneonone with Dr. Reyes and I brought this up. uh approve amendment agreement with amplify mclass dibbles and lectura and uh I shared the following with Dr. Reyes and trustee um president Ugarte and you were going to let some of the staff know so we could get some answers. So this was a state requirement effective with the beginning of this school year. So my concern was but we're now asking for additional funds to support implementation which in itself implies that it was not fully implemented. So I have questions about that. But additionally uh when are these testing cycles supposed to occur? What is done with the test results? Will you be reporting the results out to the parents and or the board and when? But I even answered one my own question
270last night. I saw there was a CBSD uh Facebook about amplify assessments and a home connect letter was going to go out. Forgot the name of our employee that was on there. She's talking about reading difficulty screen uh risk screeners and but she's telling the parents if they have any questions to ask their teachers. But if this isn't fully implemented, how can the teachers respond to that? But but this is an agenda item requesting money for implementation. And so, uh, the parents will, if a letter is going to go out, like she said in that Facebook last night, parents have a right to understand what it is we send them. But we're telling them to ask the teachers, but then our teachers are going to be at a disadvantage if they don't have full understanding
271of it because I'm understanding they didn't get full training. They're going to be bombarded again by parents. And we were just talking about safety. We were just talking about closed campus and safe campus and now we're going to have them all angry again. Rightfully so because we sending mixed messages. We're telling the parents go talk to your teacher and your teacher is like I don't know anything, you know. So what are we going to do about that? >> Okay. So So yeah, I'm going to have uh Miss Montgomery clarify the the misunderstanding. >> Okay. I'm going to try to get to all of the questions and be very thorough but quick. Um so we began um working on this last year in collaboration with CVE and our assessment committee um which has both um CVE
272and AACV on the committee and it's got teachers from across the district. Um we looked at um the requirements of the state. We looked at the four um assessments that are approved by the state and then we came to the board at the end of the last of last year to approve one. Right. and we chose Amplify. So what we did is we organized and we implemented the training for all of the classroom teachers at the beginning of the year right before school started. Um we ran sessions, AM sessions, PM sessions. Our principles joined us. Um and >> have you pause there for a second? Do you have a signin sheet that all of them attended? >> Yes, we do. Uh we have a signin sheet >> because I've gotten some input from teachers that
273they have not. So go ahead. >> So we can put out more messaging. um to find out if there's somebody that we missed, but we did take sign-in sheets as well as provide some makeup sessions. And so um because we wanted to make sure that we gave everyone that opportunity. Um what the requirement for the training is it's a little different for K2 because that is the grade level span that has the universal screener component and that's the requirement by the state and that's the one that will get the specific letter that you saw in the video yesterday. Okay. But we are implementing this assessment all the way through sixth grade. Teachers have been fully trained on how to administer the assessment. We had our first administration at the beginning of the year and we
274took our time not only with the training but also with the messaging that that was just our first time administering. We were going to be patient with one another about learning how to administer because this administration that we're doing right now in the middle of the year is the second administration and for K2 this is going to count as a universal screener. the teachers all have the information that they need. We created a really great toolkit for principles and teachers to be able to follow and have all the information. Melissa Noble also created a screencast to explain everything to teachers so that they have access to that. Um, we also provided additional training to be able to understand the score reports for teachers and our principles engaged in a data information meeting and collaboration with
275other principles. um after the first administration. So that's all to understand what is the information telling us. The information is to tell us what's happening in our classrooms with our students and what do we need to focus on in our instruction. That's the purpose of the assessment in general. this administration for K2 only is the universal screener. And this is to let us know what are the what are the the items that we need to look at for some of our students who may have a risk for a reading difficulty. So it's not diagnosing. It's saying go ahead and these are the students that we want to provide additional supports usually in tier one universal instruction but it can also be in small group and then provide that support and monitor their progress. Okay. So
276um the other thing I think I think I just make sure I got all the questions. So, with the parent letters and notifications, what we did over the last couple days is we sent reminders to all of the teachers and also the principles with all of those resources that we had created. And then we followed up today to send another um another bit of information for them because some of our teachers, especially teachers who may be in dual immersion programs, um needed a little bit more time. So some teachers will do the second administration of another language, the second language when they come back in January. >> And Montgomery, and can you just follow up uh by other was uh just make it clear for the for uh the board and the public uh are
277we in compliance? >> Yes, we're in in compliance. The universal screener portion, which is the piece that is required by the state, says that we must provide um the administration of a universal screener approved by the state once in the school year for K2 students. >> 36 what? >> 36. We do not have that requirement by the state for universal screener. We are administering this assessment three times a year to all students for all grades >> for our internal >> yes for our internal purposes to inform instruction so that then we can also help monitor progress and these are really the foundational skills you know when you think about um the foundational skills versus say comprehension and right looking at both of those >> here's our dilemma this is a new to begin with some
278of the report cards and you guys have all been present. How I say we don't have the legend for them to even read what they're giving now. And so now we're adding another letter and another report that teachers will be giving to uh the parent and um you can imagine the newness of it alone >> is going to generate a lot of questions and a lot of inquiries and um I just think we don't haven't given our teachers the resources. Do do you want them to call you guys? >> They do and they email us and we do and we also provide >> they call you guys. >> We do sometimes field parent questions. We do want them to go to the teacher because the teacher is the one who is sitting alongside the child
279and really learning about what the student knows and is able to do >> and that understand I'm speaking about the actual report how to read and translate that report to that parent. >> Sure. And what I can do is provide a sample report for you so that you can see it's very simple. Um it really only makes the statement about where the student performs. What happens next is if a student performs well below then the teacher provides the letter that was mentioned in that video and in that letter the teacher will state what supports the teacher will be providing in instruction for the student. So that'll make it clear. The video said that the district is sending it out to the parents, a letter, and that if they don't get the report from the uh
280teacher to go ask the teacher for it. >> So, the initial letter that lets parents know that we're doing this assessment, we sent out at the beginning of the year and then we sent out a second time to give the exact dates of the window. And then the video, what it explains is that after the administration of the assessment, there will be a letter that goes in into the envelope with the report card to go home before break. And so that's how that will be distributed. We will not be distributing the reports for the testing from the district office. It will come from the teacher and it will accompany the progress report. >> I understood that part. I'm saying the the It says the the Facebook uh video says that the district was sending them
281out a letter the parents a letter and and not telling them that um they're going to get a report from the teacher and if they don't get the report from the teacher to ask them. My concern was more that uh how the that's another thing the teacher has to do you know and we don't have one child they have 28 kids, right? >> And so that's how many parents they're going to dealing with. And sometimes it's more than one parent that they're dealing with for that same one child. >> Certainly. >> So I just wanted us to be aware that um that we should have uh I maybe you need to ask the teachers. >> What else do you need? >> What I'm hearing is is thinking about what other supports can we provide for
282parents? And so I'll take that back to the team and we'll think about what other support beside that video which is really justformational about the process and then we'll think about what comes next. >> Maybe there's a video that can be sent to the parents. >> Yeah. And this is how you read this. >> And Miss Montgomery, do you do you uh do you and your team have you been collaborating with CVE regarding this? Yes, we have been collaborating with CVE and AACV since the very beginning last year when we went through the entire process of selecting the screener and the assessments and then also with the implementation throughout the implementation. This is a topic of conversation and how we came to support with the screencast with the toolkit um with this video that we
283also put out through communication. All that was done in collaboration with our teachers and with our administrators. >> All right. >> I'm sure Dr. Reyes will forward some emails to you. >> Move to approve 11G. >> Second. >> Moved by Trusty Tamayo, seconded by Trusty Tolston. Um, recording secretary, please call the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez. >> Tolston. >> Hi. >> Domingantes. >> I have reservations. Yes. >> Tamayo. >> Yes. >> I. Motion carries 5-0 11H pulled by the public Noel Cravens. I got you. I would just like to thank the board and the superintendent Reyes for um for where was that? For immediately approving the benchmark adilante for DLI third to sixth graders. I most especially would like to thank the dual language immersion teachers who also advocated for their students. Thank you again. >>
284Thank you. Trustee Ramirez Dominguez, you also pulled this. >> Yes, I would would like to have an explanation. I I assumed it was um the DLI, you know, all the things that happened. But I would like to formally like the explanation of >> 11H. It's Miss Morandes. Miss Baras, can you speak to it? >> Can you ask Can you say the question one more time? Is it about the actual contract? >> So, I wanted to know why we had this increase of $500,000. >> Okay. Uh those are the third through sixth grade adalante kits that we purchased. And are these the ones that we purchased after? Are these the ones that were missing or they're different ones? >> Yes, these were the kits that we didn't provide in the beginning to the non-cohort to the
285non-cohort one teachers. Okay. >> Um and so what we did is based upon feedback and we had a presentation on it tonight, we were able to get all of the resources and put them in the hands and they're all delivered at our schools and checked out to teachers. >> Okay. Okay. Yeah, that was my next question. Are they all dispersed? >> Yes, they are all dispersed. Um, I will I will share with you that we have some teachers who do not want to have these materials. >> Oh my. >> Um, and so we're trying to find a location at our school sites to be able to store them because as we know when we accept curriculum, there's a lot of boxes and things like that. But, uh, what our language department, uh, team did is
286they actually had a signin sheet for all of those materials at our school sites. And now we just kind of work on the little kinks of like we need maybe two more here or something like that in terms of consumables with new students and stuff like that. But we are happy to say that they're there. >> Sounds good. >> Do we have a number of how many teachers are rejecting the >> I don't our our principles would know that but uh one of the questions we got originally was whether or not they could send those resources back to the warehouse. But we do believe that if we have this decision, it's going to be on our school site. We want to make sure those materials are on our school site because it will allow the
287teachers to engage with them over time. And so we're not accepting them back here at the warehouse. And so there's just um some storage issues at our school sites, but um you know there's kind of a mix. >> It would be important to just have the number that way we can account for that amount of money that's just sitting collecting that. And just so you know, um, none of the principles are if they're rejecting to take the the materials. We we had them signed. You know, I I do not want to reject the materials. >> And if they don't want them, is there a possibility then to offer it to the other teachers that did want them? >> They all they all have it. >> They all have it. >> They can use it for
288the >> Yeah. My question Yeah. My question. Can those materials be used for like next year so we don't have to order as many? >> Yeah. We only replace the consumable portion of it. The kits are ongoing for the five-year adoption. >> Okay. So, it would eventually be be used. >> Yes, I hope so. >> Yeah. We don't want to be wasting money. >> Move to approve 11H. >> Second. >> Move by Trustee, seconded by Trustee Ramirez Dominguez. Um, recording secretary, please call the vote. >> Dominguez. >> Hi, >> Tolston. I Dominguez. >> Hi, Tamayo. >> I motion carries. 50 11 I first trustee Ramirez Dominguez and then trustee Dominguez. >> Yes. Uh 11 I um I just want to have a little bit more input um as to why this is back. >> I'm
289sorry. Why this is back? >> Yeah. Well, I was given a huge box with 50 um sipsas and as I compared them to the previous ones, they weren't really different. So, that's why I'm asking. >> Okay. So, Miss Pettis, >> hi there. Thank you for >> Yeah. Could you share with the board um why we bring him back um at certain points uh during the year? >> Absolutely. So these Sips are the 2526 SIPAs that you approved in June, but this is a revision because now it includes title one and LCAP carryover money. And what is required is that whenever there is a material difference, which the material difference is the title one and LCAP carryover that the the school site councils must work together to designate um those carryover funds in their SIPs and
290they must go back for board approval. So they're almost exactly the same, right? Uh the only difference is updated goals based on data and title one carryover and LCAP co carryover. >> Okay. Um and is when we do that carryover do we are we ensuring that they're using all the money that they have available? >> Yes. And so all SIPAs, the school site councils must fully dedicate their entire allocation including title one and LCAP. And all of our principles meet with their accountants. They are assigned accountants through um the fiscal department that meet with them on a monthly basis to ensure that um they know the status of their budget, what has been expended and to support them in letting them know, you know, how much time is left in the year. But they are
291fully dedicated um monies. Thank you. >> Yeah. One more question. Um when will the SIPs include the latest uh CASP um results? Because I I I've seen that they're only 23 24 the latest ones. So the goals that the so so the SIPAs actually have prepopulated data that is already placed in there through our document tracking system that is pulled from the California Department of Education. So the SIPs that are in there have the most recent data. So uh those are the 23 24. However, the goals that the principles and the school site councils made are based on the most recent data. Okay. Now, in the spring, the Sips will be updated with the latest CASP data. And again, that is prepopulated by document tracking system. So, all of those charts that are in there,
292our district and our principles don't put that in. Those are autopop populated. So, you'll see uh that new data for the spring approval. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. Ready to go. Okay. >> Move to approve 11i. >> Who moved? Okay. Who moved it? Was it trusty? >> Trusty Tol. Moved by Trusty Tolston. Seconded by Trusty Tamayo. Recording secretary, please call the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez. >> I Tolston. >> Hi. >> Dominguez. Tamayo. >> I. Motion carries. 5-0. Trustee Dominguez. 11 M. M. Real quick. Skylight. Skylights for Tiffany. Yay. Thank you. That's all I wanted to say. >> Move to approve. 11m >> seconds. >> Moved by Trusty Tamo. Seconded by Trustee Dominguez Cvantes. Um, recording secretary, please call the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez. Hi. >> Tolston. Hi. >> Dominguez. Hi. >> Tamayo.
293>> Hi. >> Ug. >> I. Motion carries. 5-0. Trustee Dominguez CVantes 11N. >> Oh, I thought you had NN. >> Move to approve 11N. >> Okay. Move. Second. >> Recording secretary. Please call the vote. Ramirez Dominguez Tolston Dominguez. Yes. Hi. >> I motion carries 501. Trustee Dominguez card. I just want to get some examples of how this is or will be used. >> Yeah. So, can you share with the with the board how we have been using it for many years for like for what purposes? >> Correct. So, it's mainly used for travel. So all of our administrators um well not all sorry um certain ones at the district office and all the principles all have a cal card that they use for travel. Um and then we also use it for when a vendor
294might not uh take a purchase order or there's some kind of emergency need which there's been rarely an emergency need. I think during the fires, you know, we utilize >> when you use for travel, they're supporting documentation like receipts and that. >> So, hotel receipts, mail receipts, everything >> to approve. >> Second. >> Moved by trustee Dominguez CVantes, seconded by trustee Tomo. Recording secretary, please call the vote. >> Ramirez Dominguez Tolston Dominguez. >> I almost said my first name. Motion carries 5-0. [laughter] All right. With that, the next regular meeting of the board of education of the Chula Vista Elementary School District will be held on January 26, 2026 at 4 p.m. for close session and 6 p.m. >> I have P and you also >> I don't have P. I had M N and
295O. >> Yeah. No. Okay. I needed clarification on that inservice travel. Remember we talked about it. >> Can Dr. Reyes answer because we did approve it. Um, so the >> me >> Yeah. >> Okay. Can motion do I have a motion to adjurnn? >> Motion to adjurnn. >> Sorry, you said the next meeting is the 26th. I have the 21st. >> January I have here. Is it January 21st or January 2? >> Oh, it's the 21st, but here it says the 26th. So, it's January 21st. >> Okay. Just making sure. >> Correcting that. It was a typo here. >> I know it's >> okay. A motion to adjourn was made by Tolston, seconded by Tamayo. >> Recording secretary, please call the vote. Ramirez Dominguez Tolstones I. Motion carries 5-0. We are adjourned.