Regular Board Meeting - Oct 14 2025 - 14 Oct 2025

001Um yeah, >> good evening. follow his directions. For those of you here, however, we uh do need to start the regular board meeting tonight on October 14th at 5:00. This is going to be a short little session before we go into close session. So, what we need to do first is to establish a quorum. So, I will go through the board members to confirm that everyone's here. Uh board member Knight, >> present. >> Board member Vincent, >> present. >> Good job, Dave. Uh board member Durnney >> present. Board member Williams >> here and board member Weller. We are all here. Excellent. So then this meeting is being webcast live and recorded. Thank you Eric and your team over there. Um the recording or webcast may capture images and sounds of those attending the meeting. Um

002item number three, identify closed session items. So let me scroll down to that. So, in close session, we're going to be discussing uh public employee discipline, dismissals, releases, transfers, appointments, assignments, uh non-renewals, re resignations under government code section 54957. We're going to be discussing conference with labor negotiators, agency negotiators John Peterson and Chiron Kapalani. Did I get it right, Chiron? How'd I do? Kapalani. Kerolani. Got to get that. Kerr. Okay. Thank you. uh also conference with staff regarding current or pending litigation and arbitration proceedings, government code section 54956.9. We're going to be discussing PE waiverss, case numbers 210 through 239, and graduation waivers, case numbers 7- 24. So, um unless there's any comments on close session items. All right, we are going to adjourn till 5:30 when we get to do the graduation. Pretty exciting.

003Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] We [Music] all the times we had together. And as our lives change from whatever, we will still be friends forever. So if we get the big jobs and we make the big money, when we look back now, will the jokes still be funny? And we still remember everything we learned in school. Still be trying to break every single road. Little baby stop. [Music] I keep thinking that it's not goodbye. [Music] Yeah, there you go. Nice. Okay. >> Take a minute later. All right. Good evening everyone. We're going to call to order the October 14th regular session of the Escanido Union High School Board meeting. It's awesome to see the room full again. It shows that you guys care. you want to see a difference. So,

004thank you so much for coming. We just had the um summer graduates graduate and it's always moving because they just worked extra hard to get it done this year and so it's always an honor to help them and give them their diplomas. So, we called uh for a quorum earlier by name. Um so, we still have enough people here for a quorum, but I do want to check in with David Vincent who's calling in remotely. David, can you hear me? David. >> Yes. Yes, I can. Thank you. >> Okay, great. I'm glad you're there. Great job, IT guys um for doing that. I'm going to introduce the interpreter. Uh there will be a Spanish interpreter for this meeting. Attendees who would like to listen to the Spanish interpretation of the proceedings, please pick up headphones

005from the table located in the back of this room. This announcements will now be shared in Spanish. Bye. Hold on one second. Your mic's not working. Is it working? Yes, >> you're good now. Thank you. We are um so then this meeting is being webcast live and recorded. The recording or webcasts may capture images and sounds of those attending the meeting. I'm going to extend the welcome to our student board members and uh they are going to read our mission and vision. So I want to um first introduce Henna Ibrahim and um also uh Nathan Bersamina and please whoever would like to do the mission and then the vision. >> Our mission here at EUHSD is empowering every student to graduate prepared for college, career and life through excellence and learning. And our vision we

006relentlessly pursue uh with optimism equitable support for all students to navigate a changing world by providing rigorous and relevant learning experiences that strengthen their capacity as open-minded invested collaborators, effective and thoughtful communicators, resourceful and creative problem solvers, curious and analytical critical thinkers, and informed and compassionate community members. >> Thank you. How's how's the start of the year going for you guys? Doing good. Too much going on. We'll we'll work on that. All right. We're now going to move on to the Pledge of Allegiance led by board member Durnney. All right. So, now we're going to do the inspirational student recognition by Mr. Jacob uh Jason Jacobs, principal of Escanido High School. Thank you. Hello. It is with great pleasure I'm here tonight to represent Escandido High School in tonight's inspirational student segment. I would like

007to thank the EUHSD school board and the EHSD cabinet for this opportunity tonight. I would also like to thank the staff, students, and community of Escandido for continuing to shine no matter the circumstances. Escandido High School is a unique place where everyone who enters its doors is considered family. The reason for this is our model of loyal, strong, and true, which resonates in the community from generation to generation. Being loyal, strong, and true helps to create a pathway for our students, staff, and families as they carry out their daily routines here at AHS. Loyal is committed to working well with others, strong is committed to the community, and true is having personal responsibility. The goal for every cougar who leaves EHS is to have these attributes when they go on to their next stage of

008life. I am excited to introduce Isabella Vorichek who embodies our commitment to these attributes. Isabella has displayed true grit and determination because she has persevered at a time when the odds were against her. She turned a life-changing event into a true positive when many would have dropped out of school. You will understand what I'm talking about when you hear Isabella speak tonight. Isabella's work ethic is inspiring and our community can take a look at her as an example of what can be done even if there's a huge mountain to climb. We are so very proud of her and can't wait to see what she accomplishes in the next stages of her life. I'll now turn it over to Miss Marbel Estban, her academic counselor, to say a few words about Isabella. I am here to

009present Isabella Vartekch to you. She has been a student on Mesville for the last four years at Escalo High School. And throughout this time, I have witnessed Isabella's remarkable dedication to her education and personal growth, making her an inspirational student. Isabella has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to meeting graduation and college admission requirements despite facing significant personal challenges. When confronted with the demanding responsibilities of parenting while pursuing her education, Isabella had to make several difficult but mature decisions. She's experience many things that we wish no one ever experienced, especially a young person. What makes Isabella truly inspirational is her resilience in overcoming obstacles that would discourage many students. Balancing the responsibilities of parenthood with rigorous academic coursework requires exceptional time management, maturity, and determination. Qualities that Isabella possesses. Her ability to maintain academic excellence while

010navigating these challenges and life-changing events speak volumes about her character and work ethic. In our independent study program, Isabella has thrived, demanding, excuse me, demonstrating remarkable self-discipline and motivation. Not only has Isabella caught up with her credits, but is working ahead now and is on track to meet A throughG requirements for admission to a 4-year university. Isabella's journey has shaped her into a mature, focused individual with clear vision for her future. Her experiences have helped her develop problems solving skills, emotional intelligence, and deep appreciation for education that will serve her well in college and beyond. Her ability to meet these challenges with a positive attitude demonstrate the kind of perseverance that will lead to continued success in her future endeavors. Isabella Vek Good evening everyone. I'd like to thank you all for being here tonight.

011My name is Isabella Vortekch and I'm a proud senior at Escandido High School. I'm truly honored and grateful for the opportunity to share my story, my journey of pain, strength, and transformation. I was born and raised in California. I've lived in Eskanoodle my whole life. I come from a close-knit family, two brothers, two dogs, and parents who have always done everything that could guide me and love me. Growing up, I was your typical teenage girl, full of dreams, energy, and curiosity for the new world. When I entered high school, I was excited for that high school experience. Freshman year, I joined cheer, made friends, fell on top of the world. Like many young teens, I started to lose my way. I began hanging out with the wrong crowd. My parents and my oldest brother, Edwin,

012who would always warn me to be careful about who I surrounded myself with. But the rebellious side of me thought they were just nagging. But I didn't truly listen. Soon, I was partying every weekend, neglecting my grades, breaking rules, and drifting away from the person I once was. And then the beginning of my sophomore year, my entire life changed. It was the first week of school when I first started feeling sick. Not just a little sick, but the kind that leaves you weak and unable to eat. I lost my weight, couldn't keep food down, stopped going to school for nearly two weeks. My parents grew worried and took me to the doctor after some blood work. They said I was just anemic. So I started taking pills. But that sickness did not stop. Every morning

013I was still throwing up. Eventually my doctor suggested a pregnancy test. A few days later, my dad picked me up from school and told me the doctor wanted to see us after hours. I'll never I'll never forget that moment. We sat in her office. She pulled me to the back room. She looked me in the eyes and said, "Zabella, you're pregnant. My heart dropped. My stomach turned. I couldn't breathe. Tears poured down my face as reality sat in. I was only 14, turning 15. And suddenly, my whole world felt like it was crashing down. My dad stayed calm, at least for a little while, but once we got in the car, his emotions began to show. He kept asking me, "What are you going to do, Isabella?" And all I could say was, "I'll just

014get an abortion." I didn't know what else to say. When we got home, I locked myself in my room, cried myself to sleep. My brother June came in. He wrapped his arms around me, and said softly, "It's going to be okay." Later that night, my parents came into my room. My dad asked me to tell my mom the truth. I could barely get the words out. I'm pregnant. I'm sorry, Mom. She didn't yell. She didn't cry. She just looked at me and said, "It's okay, but you're going to have to grow up now because you're a mother." That year became the hardest year of my life. Every morning was a battle physically, emotionally, and mentally. I argued with my dad almost every single day because I couldn't wake up or make it to school on

015time. I would cry in the car, but the moment I stepped onto the campus, I put a smile on my face. No one knew the truth behind that smile. Pain, the fear, exhaustion. To everyone else, I was just another student. But by my third trimester, my belly had grown and walking became difficult. I kept showing up. I still remember one morning when my feet were so swollen from walking across campus. I felt so sick that I had to run to the bathroom and throw up. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, "Am I going to do this? I can't do this anymore." I did. In March 2024, I went on maternity leave. And on April 10th, I gave birth to my beautiful baby girl. The moment I saw her, everything, all the pain,

016all the struggle suddenly made sense. She was my purpose. She was the reason I wanted to become better. But life didn't get easier overnight. A month later, I experienced domestic violence for my baby's father. He was arrested and I was feeling scared and broken, unsure how to do it all alone. I fell into depression. But slowly, I realized something powerful. I was doing it on my own. I was surviving. I was thriving. In time, I met someone who loves me and my daughter for who we are. And I learned that true love isn't about what you've been through, but how you rise from it. To my mom and dad, thank you for never giving up on me. And even when I was hard to love. To my brothers, thank you for being the best ones,

017the strongest father figures for my daughter could ever have. To my boyfriend who has shown me unexceptional love to my daughter and I. And to Calafe, thank you for helping me carry the weight I couldn't bear alone. Thank you for taking care of my baby girl. Thank you for carrying the weight I couldn't bear alone. Thank you for taking care of everything that was on my shoulders, for giving me the chance to continue my education and pursue my dreams. Today, when I look at my daughter, her smile, her curiosity, her innocence, I see how far we've both come. Everything had happened shaped me into the woman I am, the mother I am today. I truly believe everything happens for a reason. My journey wasn't easy. All those trials and tribulations I had gone through, it

018gave me strength, resilience, and purpose. I truly I truly am thankful for this journey. After high school, I plan to get my real estate license to become a real estate agent, not just to build my future, but for my daughter. Thank you for listening to my story, for allowing me to share my truth, and for reminding me that even the darkest beginnings can lead to the brightest futures. Thank you. All right, we have some certificates to give to you. Sabella, first let me say that that was probably the most moving speech that we've heard here. So, I won't talk about it too much because Christy knows I cry. So, thank you so much for that. Really inspirational and I'm so glad that you have a daughter. So, great job. Uh the first certificate um is

019from Dan White, the mayor of Escandido. So, when you need a favor, call that guy and uh he'll help you out. And the other one is the Escanido Union High School District Board of Education is honored to present the inspirational student award to Isabella Vorich. Did I get that right? Yes. >> Good job. In recognition of your outstanding accomplishments October 14th, 2025. Congratulations. Great job everybody involved and thank you Calafe. We're gonna have to get a presentation from Cal Safe, I think, at some point. That is an awesome story. All right, we're going to move to report of action taken in close session by board member Knight. >> Okay, thank you. Report of action taken in close session for Tuesday, October 14th, 2025. In close session, on motion of board member Knight, second by board

020member Durnney, the board of education voted to approve physical education waiver cases numbers 2010 through, excuse me, 210 through 239 for the 2024 25 school year by a five I zero nay, zero absent, zero abstain vote. And additionally on motion by board member Williams, second by board member Knight, the board of education voted to approve graduation waiverss cases numbers 7 through 24 for the 2425 school year by a five I zero nay zero absent zero abstain vote and that would conclude the report from close session. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um Dr. Kasus, if you don't mind, um, could you give a brief description on how and why we do graduation waiverss since we have such a large audience tonight. Maybe they're just something brief. >> Yes. Uh, the short answer is that it's California

021law and it's for specific student groups. One of them being migrant ed, another one being uh for students that have been through our um foster system, for example, or homeless youth. uh other ones that have been through juvenile court system schools as well. So they're basic their credits are basically uh reduced to the state minimum which is 180 not R230. >> Very good. Thank you so much for doing that. So the students have still had to work through uh all their credits and uh it's just I I asked that many times when I first got on the board. So thank you for uh updating the audience on that. All right. So then we're going to move to the approval of the board meeting minutes of September 9th uh 2025. And I need a motion to

022approve the minutes in a second, please. >> I move to approve the minutes. >> I'll second that. >> Tonight we do have to go through roll call vote because David Vincent is absent or not absent. Sorry, he's remote. So, we'll go through um and then do I need to do board student board members in this as well or Okay. >> Wasn't there an addendum? >> That's item G. >> Okay. Sorry. >> Yeah, you're good. I'm going to start this way and go this way to get the student board members uh kind of little idea what they're going to be saying yay or nay to. So, um board sorry for my voice tonight people. Uh, board member Weller votes I in favor of approving the minutes and board member Williams >> I. >> Board member Durnney

023>> I. >> Board member Vincent >> I. >> Board member Knight >> I. >> And then student board member Bersamina >> I. >> And student board member Ibrahim >> I. >> Very good. And that passes. So the minutes are approved. And then we need to approve the agenda. Additions, deletions, or corrections. I know that we have some changes, but I need a motion to approve tonight's agenda. >> I'll move to approve. Thank you. >> Second. >> All right. And do I need to read that in? I would like to draw your attention to one correction for item G8 on the addendum to initial proposal from ESTA to the high school district. There had been public content information that suggested we need to do a public hearing in November, but we do not. So, that uh

024paragraph has been eliminated from the agenda item. Okay, thank you very much. Uh, can So, we got a do we get a motion and a second on that? Okay, all in fa No, we got to do the roll call vote. So, thanks for being patient. So, board member Weller votes I. Me. Uh, board member Williams, >> I. >> Uh, board member Durnney, >> I. >> Board member Vincent, >> I. >> Board member Knight, >> I. >> Student board member Buramina. >> I, and student board member Ibrahim, >> I. Thank you all so much. That passes. So now we're going to also approve the consent calendar. All matters listed on the consent calendar are considered to be routine or sufficiently supported by prior or accompanying reference materials and information as not to require additional discussion. A

025motion will enact all consent items agenda items. There will be no separate discussion of these items prior to the time the board of trustees votes on the motion unless members of the board, staff, or public request specific items to be discussed or moved from the consent calendar for separate action. The district administration recommended approval of the following consent calendar items. Educational services item F1, human resources G1, G2, G3, and G4. And business services 1H 1 2 3 4 5 and six. And so then can I get a motion to approve? >> I'll make a motion to approve tonight's consent calendar. >> Thank you. >> I second. >> Thank you. Um we'll go down the I'll start with the student board members this time. So, uh, all in favor say I or nay. Uh, student board

026member Ibrahim, how do you vote? Very good. And Buramina, how do you vote? >> I. >> Thank you. Uh, for elected board members now, board member Knight, >> I. >> Board member Vincent, >> I. >> Board member Durnney, >> I. >> Board member Williams, >> I. >> And myself, I vote I. So, that uh passes for the consent calendar. So, then let's see here. you have. We're going to move on to section D, recognition and presentations. Student and staff recognition by Superintendent John Peterson. >> Good evening and thank you. Uh first I'll start with recognition of students uh from all of our school sites. Congratulations to the October rising stars who will be formally recognized by the Greater Escandido Chamber of Commerce at the Rising Stars breakfast tomorrow morning. The five exceptional students will share

027their stories, plans for the future, and will have an opportunity to apply for a scholarship. Congratulations to Herardo Valencia de Ramon from Delagua Academy, Gabriella Medina Baragan from Eskanito High School, Addison Bruy from Orange Glenn High School, Gualalupe Aguar from Sasqua High School, and Isabella Bryce from Valley High School. At Escanido High School, freshman student Ashton Cox competed at the 2025 Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show in Oklahoma City last week. Young riders qualified to attend this prestigious show by successfully training and exhibiting their horses against hundreds of competitors at the local, state, and regional level from the US, Canada, and abroad. Each year, only a select group of riders qualify to participate. This is a wonderful competition and learning experience. What an honor for Ashton Cox. At Orange Glenn High School, 11th

028grade student Noamie Meltchure was recently selected as a winner in the Wallworth Publishing Photography Contest for San Diego and Imperial Counties. No's image depicted yearbook life. At Sasqua High School, senior Nina Dutton was named a commended student in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. commended students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2026 competition by taking the 2024 preliminary SAT national merit scholarship qualifying test. Congratulations, Nenah. Now for staff recognitions at Escandido High School. Congratulations to Eric Freud, EHS math teacher, and his wife Kristen, who is an EHS alum, class of 1993, for being recognized as inspirational community champion by the Escanido chapter of the Salvation Army, for their nonprofit organization, Hope on the Hard Road. We are proud of you. And from throughout the district, congratulations to our 2025 Lighthouse Award recipients.

029We're proud to recognize the following outstanding individuals who embody the spirit of leadership, dedication, and service that lights the way for our students and EUHSD family every day. School Counselor Lauren Dobs from Delago Academy, Administrative Assistant Joanna Sanchez from the District Service Center, Clerk Herardo Ooa Artiaga from Escanido Adult School, educator Jess McCutchen and principal Jason Jacobs from Escanido High School, school counselor Rita Gera from Orange Glenn High School, educators Jennifer Frainey and Tracy Greer from Sasqual High School, and educator Travis Ratliff from Valley High School. Congratulations to all of our 2025 Lighthouse Award recipients. Thank you. Thank you, Superintendent. Now is a fun time. We get to hear about all the details of what's going on in campus. So, we'll start with uh Hannah and student board member Hannah Ibrahim. If you could start

030first, please. Of >> course. Good evening to members of the board and all of you here today. I'm excited to share the latest updates from Academy, Orange Glenn High School, and Valley High School. At Academy, student students had fun and a busy month. Seniors painted their parking spots on September 11th and September 12th. Club Rush on the 17th, which had great participation, and homecoming is in full swing. The theme was revealed on October 3rd with the pep rally on the 22nd, the game on the 24th, and the dance on the 25th. DA is also voting for their 9th grade class representatives. At Orange Glenn High School, September is full of school spirit. Brush took place on the 12th, spirit week on the 15th and 18th, ending with a parade in a flag football game against

031Sampa Squall. On October 2nd and 3rd, counselors hosted a college blastoff, which helps seniors with college applications. Definitely a help. Even inviting counselors from other schools to come help orange gun students. We also celebrate our athletes of the week, Himea Gutierrez Areola, and Kevin Vega, who had been placing at the top 20 for cross country meets. The PSAT for sophomores and juniors will be held on October 18th and students are gearing up for homecoming rally on the 17th and the dance on the 25th. To close out the month, OG is planning a Halloween costume contest, senior night, and a trunk or treat sub celebration. At Valley High School, September is filled with community and school events. Students attended job shadow day orientation, the San Diego food pantry visit, and a back to school night. The

032Grizzly soccer team won 3 to1 against Alta Vista on October 1st. Yay. And students also took field trips to a Padres's game and to the manufacturing careers expo. The school also hosted an ELAC and an FIT meetings. So, ELAC are being the English learner advisory committee for students of English learners and FIT or student uh intervention team where students can talk about challenges they're facing. And ending the month, they had a movie night and a pairing night and a parent night to help seniors prepare for graduation and financial aid. And that's my month report. Thank you. >> Thank you so much, >> Nathan. Hello board of EUHSD. Thank you for showing up tonight. Once again, it is my pleasure to present you the recent events of the previous month. Tonight, I am here to report

033on the Escanido High School, San Pascal High School, and Escandido adult school sites. At Escandido High School, our homecoming first 50 flash sale tradition began on September 12th with a successful turnout and an increasing buying rate from there on. The following Saturday, we held a senior parking session for around nine hours during which seniors who had purchased a parking spot were allowed to paint it. We also held a teacher appreciation night at our football game versus Tory Pines on September 19th. And we won second place with a score of 38 to7. Also on the 19th, we held our student Sunrise that morning, which included a photo booth for our senior students. On the 24th, we celebrated our graduating class of 2026 by providing them with an extended lunch and activities to participate in on our

034football field, including a film photo booth, cup pong, cornhole, and other games. Last Friday, we yet again won second place in both our JV and varsity football games against Westview High, score of 16 to 17 for varsity. Some future activities include our senior night football game on the 17th of this month, as well as our homecoming spirit week from the 20th to the 24th, which will kick off our football game versus Ramona High School. We will also hold our second pep rally of the year, which will be themed after Coraline, along with our football game, student section, and our homecoming on Saturday, October 25th, which will be held at the Escandido Center for the Arts. We will also have a traditional Halloween costume contest on the 31st during lunch for students to compete for a

035prize. Over at San Pasqua High School, a variety of sports such as volleyball, flag football, tennis, water polo, and football were all shown support by students who showed up for their sports nests. Since most of these sports don't usually have a large student section, each team was very appreciative of their ASP committee for coming and cheering them on. Their senior sunrise was hosted on September 12th with more than half the senior class coming to celebrate their graduating year. San Pasqual also had two spirit weeks from September 2nd to the 5th as well as September 29th to October 3rd. Their club rush was also hosted on September 26th, showcasing all extracurricular programs for their students to get involved in, the first that they've had in recent years. Their homecoming pep rally was performed on October 3rd

036with their actual homecoming on the following day of October 4th. Um at Escanido Adult School, they hosted their own back to school events on October 8th. This included a variety of activities such as students being able to meet teachers and staff, being taken on tours of the campus, winning prizes for games, and being provided with light refreshments and information about classes and programs offered at the adult school. This concludes my second report on Escanido High, San Pasco High, and Escandido Adult School. It's always a pleasure to report updates and insights from our campuses, and I'm looking forward to giving you my next report. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. How much does a parking space go for? >> Roughly bought mine for about $30, $40. Oh, >> that's a deal, man. >> Yeah, but

037then you get the paint and that adds up. All right. Um, so now, uh, we are going to pass this to, uh, Dr. Cases for the preliminary student achievement results. And this preliminary student achievement results pres presentation will review and highlight EUHSD's preliminary student achievement results for the 2425 school year. Official results will become available upon publication of the California dashboard. Dr. Casus All right. Thank you, President Weller. Okay. First time presenting from this one. It's kind of nice. All right. So, before I begin, I want to draw your attention to the word preliminary there. Um the CASP results you will see you will see and that will be shared did become official October 9th but we still use the word preliminary because the other results that will be shared are still preliminary until the

038publication of the California dashboard which happens in mid to late November. Uh so CASP is official but the other measures that will be shared are still preliminary in nature. That's why the title is still preliminary. Recall that CASP is just one out of 12 measures in the California dashboard. Okay. So, just want to give brief context for that. Our current seniors are the students that took the CASP last year. So, u just to remind the board, the juniors in our school district are the only ones that take the CASP. 9th graders don't take at 10th, nor does 12th. However, uh two years ago, we did implement um formative assessments in our school district for students to have some sort of CASP practice environment at least three times a year. So, when this current senior class

039was in 9th grade, there was no district formative assessment. They started that process in 10th grade and then they had three CASP practice tests before their actual CASP last year. So, that's what this table shows. and they're currently seniors. Brief reminder that in 1920 there was no test. Schools were shut down. In 2021, uh not applicable or it was a hold harmless year because the assessment was voluntary and so was school attendance if you recall. Okay. And in 2122 though, you'll see our results culminating with 2425. We're at 55.4% ELA and 20.6 68 for math. Uh when you compare our results from 2425 to 2122 in ELA, there's been a 12% increase. And when you compare our math scores from 2425 to 2122, there's been a 6 1/2% increase. Keep in mind this is districtwide.

040And I will share the school breakdown and show their progress as well. You do have a print out in front of you that shows the three-year difference by school site. and we'll get to that in a second. And if we could project the uh document there. I'll review some highlights. We can maybe zoom in a little bit. Be great. Start with Escanido High School. And again, each school site, just like we did last year, we'll be sharing a little bit uh more detail and disagregated data. Okay. in a monthly basis. So, Escanido High School when you compare their 2425 ELA scores to 2122 has had a 14% increase. And when you compare their 2425 math scores to their 21-22 has had a 6% increase. You look at San Pasqua High School and you compare their

041ELA scores from 3 years ago, they've had a 14.6 increase in ELA and in math, a 6.4% increase. The Lago High School when the Lago Academy when you compare their 2425 ELA they've increased by 3.3 and when you compare their 2425 through 2122 math they've had a 5.6% increase. Orange High School when you compare last year's scores to 2122 in ELA has had a 19.7 increase and in mathematics 10.2%. Um, I'll share some other highlights here. If we could scroll down to the table that shows the 2425 scores for the state of California and counting averages, please. Yeah, right. That one. Very good. Okay. I'm just going to share some highlights here. Um, all comprehensive sites with the exception of Orange Gun High School exceed the San Diego and California average in ELA. So you'll

042notice that uh Delago Academyy's ELA score was 73.1 compared to the California average of 56 in San Diego 50% 65% for San Pasqua exceeds California and San Diego average and Escanido High School meets the San Diego average and exceeds the California average. So, all of our high schools with the exception of Orange Glenn are above the local and the state average in ELA. Let me share that. Um, please note that Delago Academy now exceeds the state average in math for 11th graders and Orange Glenn doubled its performance in math and is almost equal to Eskanito High School. And then the math pass rate is now equal to prepandemic levels of 20%. So, if you can scroll up the table there, it shows EOHSD. The last time we had prepandemic scores there, you'll see our math

043met or exceeded was 20% in 1819. We are now at that level as well. Okay, by no means where we want to be, but progressing. Uh, another point that I'll share, and this is uh probably a big point. UHSD students who were enrolled in a enrolled in a grade level math class their junior year during their testing year had a pass rate of met or exceeded standards of 39%. Okay, which exceeds all local and state averages. I want you to note that only 68% of EOHSD juniors were enrolled in a grade level math class last year. So 32% were not and they took the CASP without being in a math class. We expect this to change due to the board's amendment of the EHSD grad requirements to include three years of math. And to sell

044the point even more, if you could scroll down to the table where it shows 2425. Elago Academy has a single pathway. All of their juniors, 100% of their juniors were in math 3 last year. And look at their math achievement, 34%. Which is higher than the California average and right at the San Diego average. So needless to say, we do expect a big jump when all of our 100% of our students are in uh third year of math. Needless to say, we're still progressing. >> I'll go back to the slide deck and show the other measures. That's just CASP. >> Can I ask a quick question about CASP? Um Valley High School 11th grade students take the CASP. >> They do. depending on when they left Valley, they might be counted to the comps site.

045And that's why it's complicated to share that uh California law changed I think in 1718 because there was some malpractice happening that schools were getting rid of kids before the CASP to not count. >> Right. And so that's why most of the scores are included whatever comp site they attended to. Okay. >> Moving on. >> Dr. Cass, can I go back here? One second. Uh yes, Dr. Vincent, go ahead. >> Yes. I just got a quick question. Uh what do you contribute that uh those great numbers to? What what what do you see that's happening um to our students and teachers? Uh what has transformed those numbers into where we're at today? >> I think first and foremost, you got to attribute it to the teachers in the classroom. They're the ones that see the

046kids every single day more than anyone else. But it is a collective effort. Uh, everyone has an impact from the person greeting the students in the front with a security guard or a staff member uh to our classified staff to make sure our kids are fed. Uh, there's no single bullet in education that you can say it's because of this. It's truly a collective effort that begins with improving teaching and and learning. But everything has an impact from our co-curriculars to our extracurriculars uh to our counselors to our administrators. So, I'd like to say that there's one thing, but no. And then I'll give a shout out to our ED services team and professional learning. We'd like to say that maybe that was a little part of it as well, but we um we did

047a significant shift in outsourcing our professional learning. We said, who's who can we better learn from than our own talent and our own teachers? And so, our studio model and our octive learning, I think, has had a nice profound effect on that as well. Um, but like I said, it's a collective effort >> based on Sounds like >> it sounds like a it's a great team effort and you guys are doing a phenomenal job. Thank you so much for sharing that. >> Can I ask one more point of clarification because you did point out that DLA students are all on the same track and every junior is in a math class. >> Correct. >> Can I also clarify DLA has a different school schedule than the other schools? Could you comment on that? >> They

048do. They have a modified 4x4 which allows um them to take by the time they're done a total of more more classes than our regular comp sites that have semester schedules. >> Okay. So that um just for a point of clarification, I've been reading research as yeah um districts are looking at a 4x4 model that can improve math scores as well as allow for more classes to be taken during their years in high school. Thank you. Mhm. >> And to summarize on 4x4, they're going to be in math more days a week than they're currently. >> Uh it depends on which model, but most of the models of 4x4 allow students to be in more math during a certain time of the quarter or of the term depending on which model you look at. Yeah.

049>> And one quick shout out, you know, getting the parents involved. The number one success rate relates to parents. And so I just want to let the parents at home watching or that are here that you guys make the biggest difference on your students performance. >> Yes, >> Dr. Cauus, just to kind of uh dig just a little bit deeper into the numbers here, as you would probably expect from me, of course. >> Uh you know, obviously the the bulk of the growth that we've seen came from Orange Glenn and DA, right? So we see drops year-over-year for Escanido High and Sasqual. Um but significant growth for the other ones. I know for for Delago there's been we'll say some transition with the with the teachers and I think they they got some consistency which

050is would which is what would you say that that was probably major help there? >> I think there's two things uh comparatively with the demographics that we have continues to be one of the highest achieving not just in the county but in the state. Um but also there's an argument to say when you're performing well it's kind of hard to stay up there. uh and they've been consistent and they finally last year had some growth but they've kind of like been stagnant for the past three or four years with some growth last year. They did have a lot of turnover for family reasons for um for work reasons of spouses that they had like I think 34 of their math department moved uh from the site. Uh so that could be uh a reason why

051but generally they're still doing well and we're happy with their growth last year. >> And so after Sorry. Go ahead. Sorry. I >> I would say after after you've received these numbers, what what do you think of them? Right. And I know uh you're proud of them as you should be, right? But but what do you look to next? >> Um we're going to get that into a slide for the improvement plan if I could get to that. >> I think Yeah. >> Any other questions? >> Yeah. I I just have one question in that. Yes. Do you find it very difficult to recruit math uh teachers? Are are they a specialty um when it comes to hiring math teachers? >> It should or rarity should I say >> it varies yearbyear. Sometimes there's a

052deep pool, sometimes there isn't. Uh but generally math teachers have their choice of what district to go because they're in high demand. Uh, but I think HR and our school principles have done a pretty nice job lately of hiring some good ones. >> Good job. Thank you. >> Yep. Okay. Uh, AP pass rate. We're pretty proud of this. You'll notice here in 2425 it's 54%. It's the highest it's ever been for our district. And you might say, well, maybe that's because less kids took it. Nope. In 2223, uh, this board took action and paid for every single kid's AP exam, which is a pretty unique thing. Uh I think the other district that does is at Lynwood uh in the LA area. So with more kids even taking the AP exam uh we've had a

053higher pass rate and so we should be really proud of that 54%. Move on states of by literacy. You'll notice also we had a good increase here to 19.1%. And they have to show proficiency in English and in another world language by passing an AP exam in that world language or four years of that world language or 600 or better in the SAT2 or a passing grade in the IB exam which we don't have. So it'd be one of those other three. Okay. Our dropout rate decreased from 10.1 to 7.5. So we're proud of that as well, retaining more students. Then our graduation rate went up by a little bit by 6%. But I'll tell you why we're really proud of that. It's the first year since uh 2122 that we did not have the

054pre the pandemic waiverss if you recall which lowered the u credit attainment from 230 to 180. So we did away with the waivers and we still increased our graduation rate. So we're pretty proud of that. And this one's a big one. Our A throughG rate is now at 52.39% which is again the highest it's ever been in our district even before prepandemic levels. And as a reminder, this is meeting the minimum admission requirements for the Cal State University program and or the UC program. So this is a big win for us as well and our students in our community. So we should be proud of that as well. As we advance CTE in the district, it'll be interesting to have a separate metric seeing how many went on in a CTA uh CTE um effort

055as opposed to a >> and when the dashboard's published, we'll have that as well. That's one of the measures that is looked at as well. >> Uh improvement plan for ELA. We have a short-term one. We've talked about it that we implemented two years ago, the starting of just simply practicing in a CASP-like environment. Uh we've used Renaissance for ELA. We're shifting to something different in math uh this year, but I'll get to that when we get to the math portion of it. So we think just simply practicing in a castlike environment three times a year has a significant progress. You wouldn't send out uh you know your your thespian group without rehearsal, right? And so we just view that sort of as rehearsal. and can we get students accustomed to that testing environment three

056times a year every year by the time they're juniors. Number two, adaptive PE plc goals. That's professional learning communities. Those are um teams of teachers that get together weekly to discuss student learning and student achievement and instructional practice um to adjust to the areas where students need growth in. Number three, continue our studio work, professional learning in the arc of learning and progress monitoring of change ideas. Number four, the calibration of the MTSS model that stands for multi-tered systems of support or intervention practices. We have a lot of great intervention toas at the site level. We've been working with our site principles and assistant principles to make sure we're calibrating those practices and learning from each other. Historically, those practices of those great intervention tosses have been sort of fragmented and not shared. And so,

057we're trying to really calibrate those practices together. Uh, the long-term plan is explore common approaches to literacy and writing across all content areas. You might hear CER claim evidence reasoning as an approach to writing pros and essays or to evaluating evidence. uh that has been used commonly at our sites, but it's not like officially district uh adopted approach, if you will. So, we we'll work that in the long term. Uh number two, increase the number of students enrolled in AP English literature, AP English language, and or dual enrollment, junior college courses. Just the more rigor that pro that we're promoting, the better our students will do. I'll shift over to math. Our math improvement plan is very similar to our ELA one with the exception of the short-term number five. There you'll see regularly refine

058and improve the math improvement plan with the board subcommittee. We just had our first meeting and we'll have another one in December where we look forward to inviting the elementary district to help us with that as well. Um and in the long term here, explore ways to increase uh student acceleration in higher math courses, exploring of different schedules perhaps. Of course, that would have to be bargained with our labor partners if we did that. And number two, increase the number of students enrolled in math 4, data science, AP stats, and AP calculus. Number three, provide supports for the class of 2028 to meet the third-year math requirement. We just don't want to throw everyone in math 3 without any sort of support. And number four, establish a collaborative working relationship with the elementary district to

059improve 9th grade entry level achievement. Thank you for adding number four for sure. And for those at the elementary district that are watching online, we're looking forward to working closely with you. Yes. And finally, here we have uh just a reminder that the dashboard release date is set for late November and usually we bring those results to the board in January with our LCAP midyear uh progress report. >> Any other questions? >> I have a quick one. Yeah. >> Why does it take the state so long to get through this since everything's digitized? Serious. I'm like, it's >> um Yeah, I I think you know, if you ask the data management folks at every site or at every school district, uh there's cleanup to do with the data because as I mentioned to board member

060Christy Knight, uh sometimes students and families move throughout the year and accounting for whose score that should count with is sometimes a little more complicated than we would think. Uh, so they want to make sure that data is super clean before they say these are the results generally speaking and I think that's maybe a simple answer but maybe it's more complicated than that. Yeah. >> Thank you Dr. Casses again another great presentation appreciate your sharing the the positive news to us. >> Thank you. >> Very good. Thank you Dr. Kasus. No, David, I feel like we should have a curtain here. You sound like the voice of the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. All right, so now we come to the public comments section and I'm going to first uh on the agenda here

061is the report from the California School Employees Association, Escandido, chapter number 219. Do we have anybody um that's looking to speak from them on this non-aggendaized topic? All right. I just want to make sure you're not asleep on the wall back there, Mike, because I know you're here to talk. Um we also have a report from the Escandido Secondary Teachers Association. Is there anybody here for that? Oh, there's Joe. Either one. You can sit there or stand at the podium. >> Thank you very much. >> All right. My name is Joe Jermani. I am the Escanido Secondary Teachers Association's negotiations chair and have been since 2015. Uh currently our this is on wheels. Our unit is without a contract and how we go through this yearly um for well for various reasons but we go

062through being without a contract yearly and I'm here to discuss negotiations this year. I did create quite a nifty PowerPoint but I'm told public comment isn't allowed to use them. I did email it to you folks. You should have copies of my PowerPoint presentation. I'm sorry I wasn't able to make them for an extra 150 people. um not being aware you'd be here. Uh and the district doesn't like me to run up the copies that much. Um I it is a pleasure to see so many citizens of Escandido and find students here. Having raised my two kids here and having had them go through Escanido High School and graduate, I'm proud to see that. Um, it also reminds me to never never take district claims of of declining enrollment seriously because look at all these

063fine students and parents and community members right here going to school at districtf funed schools. Pretty impressive. Um, let's see. So, if you do have the uh PowerPoint presentation, at least the slides that I copied for you, you can follow along. my my speech kind of goes along with them, but I'm here to discuss what a school district's budget is, exactly what it means to a community such as this, and uh what our district's budget is like. A school district's budget is more than numbers. It's a record of a district's past decisions and a spending plans for its future. It shows a district's priorities. A school district's budget is important because it acts as a roadmap for how the district will allocate its funds to achieve its educational goals. Essentially translating its mission and priorities

064into tangible programs and funding such as Dr. Kasus was just reviewing with us. Most importantly, the district's budget provides transparency to the community about where the their tax dollars are being spent by outlining spending plans. The budget provides a clear picture of how funds are being used and allows community and members and stakeholders to hold the district accountable for its financial decisions. In the Eskanito Union High School District, the process of budget preparation and implementation is traditionally designed to pad already bloated district reserves at the expense of this community students, families, and the teachers that serve them. Thus, the Escanido Union High School District budget nail continually fall far short of stakeholder determined goals and this district's promises to this community. The Eskanito Union High School District's budgetary practices for decades, and this is my

065third decade in this school district, have been purposefully and strategically inflate proposed spending on budgetary items. Secondly, present the inflated budget complete with promises of enhanced programs and resources in order to gain stakeholder approval. Third, proceed to implement practices designed to spend decidedly less on said programs, resources, and budgetary items. Due to this deceptive practice, the community served by Escanido Union High School District as well as the teachers employed by the EUHSD have been shortchanged for decades and will continue to be until the district is forced to spend down its reserves, budget in an honest fashion, and follow through on its promises to the community by spending money as stated. Next in the presentation is a map to show you our bordering school districts. if you were looking at it. And uh to our north,

066well, first of all, the Escanido Union High School District has under $7,000 students. Again, we're constantly told our our our enrollment is declining. There are six schools in the district and we have $48 million in reserves. $48 million in reserves. Let's compare that to two neighboring school districts, both of whom are unified school districts and much larger than ours. Or bordering on our northwest is the San Marcus Unified High School District. It has 20,000 students, three times the amount we do, 19 schools and 35 million in reserves, 13 million less than us. The Powe Unified School District bordering on our southeast has 35,000 students, 41 schools, and has the equal amount of reserves, 48 million, as this six school district. Absurd. Why? In the Powe and San Marcus Unified School Districts, the budgets are heavily

067scrutinized by multitudes of stakeholders as as is district spending. School board members in these are neighboring districts are held accountable by the stakeholders, their constituents, and expected to spend the district revenues, their tax dollars, as they promised they would in their LCAP reports. These schoolboard members often cite fiduciary responsibility as a key factor in schoolboard decisionmaking. In the Eskanito Union High School District during this decade alone, the district has annually projected the unrestricted ending balance of our funds at an average of 6 and a4 million under each year's actual unrestricted ending balance. In other words, in 2122, our district projected the ending balance to be over 22 million. Actually, it was over 28 million after all the programs they promised were not paid for and that money was swept into reserves. The following year, the

068district projected $27 million approximately and the actual ending budget was $35 million. Same practices. I've been negotiating that for 10 years with them. Same practices in 2324 projected budget 40 million. 40 million. Gosh, in 2122 it was 22 million reserves. 2 years later it's up to 40 and the actual budget was actually 43 million. And then in 2425 we were projected at a $36 million budget and again at 43 million. Putting that in a nutshell, the Eskanito Union High School District's reserves have increased by $15 million since the 2122 school year. Since I've been bargain chair, bargaining chair, ESA's negotiations team has proven to be terrible poker players. I show my cards the district yearly and I'm doing so now. Why? ESA believes in presenting a reasonable offer. We never want to be seen as

069irrational. If you actually look at our proposals over the years, ESA traditionally expects COLA, the cost of living adjustment and the increased cost of insurance and ongoing money. This year, that equates to 3.5% in ongoing money. 2.3 for COLA, 1.2 for the increase in the cost of our spiraling benefits, spiraling upwards. ESA also would like a raise. We never asked for anything but a fair amount this year. And I heard the phrase recruit and retain mentioned. Check article eight which is salaries D which says recruit and retain in the ESTA proposal that the district has now completely struck out twice. Hasn't even responded to refuses to. We are asking for payment from the EUHSD reserves pot that is currently and continually overflowing in the form of one-time money. Our ask carefully calculated would cost a

070district the least and do the most good for the most people. As St. Stevens said, one person gains gathers what another person spills. We'll take that spillage. Based on the district numbers, the projected cost of the salary schedule compression for this year would be a little over a million dollars. 652,000 almost 653 of which was already dedicated for step increase for this year. So, it's already money. It's already paid for. It's already there. It's already budgeted. That would leave $491,000, which is less than the EUHSD calculation of 1% and could be paid for by the bloated $48 million reserves. When analyzing San Diego County as a whole, ES's teachers should be treated equally by the Escandido Union High School District when compared to the two other units in the EUHSD workforce. administrators and classified employees.

071The chart next shows that the certificated bargaining unit salaries here, that's teachers. The percent of the total outgo is a little under 33% which sets us our certificated staff are about third in comparable San Diego County high school districts. Not bad except when compared to our administrators who are number one compared to other districts in the county that are comparable to the high school districts and to our classified staff who is also number one when compared to those same comparable districts. These are not ESA's numbers. These are not CTA's numbers. These are the district's numbers that I've simply put in this form and fed back to you. Regardless of how or to whom we compare, EUHSD's reserves are a glaring representation of this school board's compact with the community of Escandido and all stakeholders involved.

072Truth be told, ESSA has very little control over the bargaining process. It's up to the district and this school board to determine how long these negotiations will take. Make no mistake, we can be bought. Our price has been openly discussed during this presentation. Thank you. All right, we're going to move on to public comment. Section E, item number three, comments from the public on a non-aggendaized topic that lies within the subject matter jurisdiction of the board. General public comment on any school related topic not on the agenda may be heard at this time. If you have public comment on an item listed on tonight's agenda, there will be an opportunity for you to share your comments at that time. The item comes up for discussion by the board. Pursuant to board policy, the board will

073limit individual comments for the general public to no more than 3 minutes. However, I'm a softy and you can go over um the individual top and individual topics to 20 minutes. To comply with the Brown Act, California's open public meeting law, board discussion is limited to items on the agenda. Therefore, when receiving public comment for items not on the agenda, the board's role is limited to receiving such comments, and the board may not engage in dialogue with the public. The board thanks the public for its participation in public comment and understanding of the board's responsibilities. It is recommended that you begin your comments by stating your name. Okay. Um so uh we've got um speaker cards. If you have not filled out a speaker card and or excuse me, you do want to speak, please

074fill out a speaker card so we have a record. Uh the first speaker we're going to call is Dr. Joe Muga. >> Get that wrong again, Bella. It's muga. >> Muga. >> Muga. Like a cow. Mooga. >> Okay. I may have to remember that. Thank you. >> I have some prepared remarks this time. Uh, my name is Dr. Joe Mugga. I have been a resident of the Escanido community for 26 years. My wife graduated from Escanido High School, class of a long time ago. My daughter graduated from Academy, class of 2021. I am here tonight to make public comment on proposed changes to the organization of the school board. I have personal knowledge of this topic having been a past member of the Escanido Union School District. >> Can you hold one quick second? Why?

075Why does What? >> Because I was asked to do that to be here to do it now. >> Oh, I thought we had to speak when it's on an agenda item. >> Oh, right. >> There you go. Thank you for just wanting to keep order. >> Okay, now I got to start all over again, Bob. >> That's okay. You get three minutes. Let me see where I was at. Okay. I have personal knowledge of this topic having been a past member of the Escanido Union School District School Board. I served as a member at large, the clerk of the board, and also as a president of the board. At that time, board policy of the elementary school district was for board members to elect board officers on an annual basis. The high school board has

076the has had the policy to rotate officer positions rather than elect the officers. My experience is that the rotation policy benefits the district, students, and community better than the elected policy. I do believe that a new member of the board should not be president until after completed a full year of service in order just to learn the ropes. However, after that one-year period, any member of the board would have the skills to serve as president of the board. There are many variables which come into play with the electing policy. Most of the variables are personal, subjective, and inappropriate in nature. If all board members are given an equal opportunity to serve as president with the rotational policy, these personal, subjective, and otherwise inappropriate variables are taken out of the equation. The argument that who the

077president of the board is doesn't matter because at the board meetings all members have the same power that one vote is blatantly false. The board president is privy to much more information in all district matters and has a much closer relationship with the superintendent regarding district matters. The president of the board also has more say on developing the board agenda and prior knowledge of the agenda before other board members. The control of the board meetings are also in control of the president. In conclusion, the rotation of board officers is a far superior policy because it is more objective and fair. A high school board has had the policy, the the current policy for many years. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Thank you so much for listening. >> Thank you very much. All right,

078the next speaker will be Janice Warner. And thank you all for being uh kind and respectful in your comments and your tone. Uh we definitely want to make sure we continue with that as we saw in months prior. actually here to follow up on some comments I let I made last month that I just wanted to expand on. So, and I've written it down this time so I can um get everything said. If an unhappy woman goes to a plastic surgeon and has a procedure done that has an excellent result, in a few weeks or a few months, you will still be an unhappy woman. External changes do not bring internal peace. Internal peace comes when we have peace with God. God gave us the Ten Commandments to point out to us that we need

079him. And if we understand what the commandments commandments, the ten commandments require and we're honest, we realize that we can't keep them. What are sins? Not living up to the standards that most people agree are good things. What is to be done to make amends, to make things right, to address guilt, to bring justice? The solution for humanity came when God, our creator, sent his son to earth to pay for our sins. This is what Jesus did on the cross. He gave his life. No one took it from him. His time on earth was his mission to provide us with the way to everlasting life. How does one accept the gift of life that Jesus paid for? God says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." For example, if you

080are on a plane that is going down, call on Jesus. To expand on this, God says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." In other words, you acknowledging that Jesus is not dead. You're acknowledging that he's alive, that he's God, and he can save you. When you accept Jesus as your savior, your name is written in the lamb's book of life. And this entitles you to go to heaven. To have an abundant life while you are alive on earth and the qualities you're craving requires developing a relationship with God. To do this, you must read his words found in the Old and New Testaments, talk with God by prayer, and have friendships with people who are

081also who have also found the way. The New Testament was written by people who knew Jesus before he died and were with him after he was resurrected. These holy documents, inspired by God, provide guidance in all things. As we walk with Jesus, he helps us live full lives and he gradually changes us into a better version of ourselves. Not perfect, but experiencing love, joy, peace, self-control, goodness, the things we really want and need to be whole. >> Thank you, Janice. Uh, >> next speaker is Jessica Young. A good teacher never takes the mouse. That's the mantra that was instilled in me by my high school journalism teacher. When Mrs. Bartlett could tell that our experienced staffers were reaching the ends of our patients with our cub reporters and were ready to snatch the mouse out

082of their hands and just do things for them. Place a headline, fix a caption, crop a photo. She'd remind us that a good teacher isn't the one who does everything. A good teacher sets an example. A good leader or a good leader sets an example. A good leader supports. And a good leader guides. I learned many things in Mrs. Bartlett's classroom. I learned about leads and headlines and decks, but most importantly, I learned that leadership isn't about control. I learned that leadership means taking a step back and letting others learn how to lead. I learned that being a leader means making sure that all the voices in the room are heard and respected. And tonight, I want to remind each of you board members of the enormous responsibility that you bear. You've been elected into

083these positions of leadership by your community. Your role is to set an example for our students. Your role is to show our students what leadership should look like. Board members, how have you modeled leadership for our students? President Weller, last month you tried to tell us that this was your meeting and that we should be grateful to be included. That's not leadership. That's tyranny. You're here to serve this community, not the other way around. Your actions during your tenure have demonstrated your disregard for the importance of your position, trying to remove books from our libraries, prevent diverse curriculum from reaching our students, and attempting to silence members of our community that you disagree with. In my classroom, we call that bullying, and it's not allowed. Miss Durnney, like many of many of us have acknowledged,

084we've not always seen eye to eye when it comes to our politics or the negotiations process. I will commend you for your bravery and the example you are setting for our students. That being your true authentic self is the most important thing at the end of the day, no matter what the people around you think. And as your time on this board continues, I want to encourage you to think about who showed up for you and who advocated for you when those who stood alongside you stayed silent. Mr. Vincent, the nebulous person in the room, two months ago, you championed a model for our schools that would establish what you called trade schools. Last month, as you pontificated on this vision, you essentially described exactly what is already happening in our classrooms. We already provide

085pathways and avenues for our students to gain certificates and valuable work-based learning in our CTE programs. Yet, this board has also been party in undermining these very programs and allowing school sites to dismantle them. The outspoken students from the A department at San Pascal who spoke last month are proof enough of this. Miss Knight, last month you told us not to mistake your silence for compliance. You wanted to remind us that as board members, you have to sit and get during these periods of public comment and that you can't react. But I will remind you, Miss Knight, that you have the opportunity to address the things that occur during this meeting at its conclusion or in subsequent meetings. You've had every opportunity to stop being silent and stand up for what is right. But you

086haven't. You've just given us excuses. >> Jessica, are you going to whine this cuz you're at three and a half minutes. You may not. >> Yes, but you said you were going to be generous. I'm I'm softy, but you're also three and a half and we have about 20 other speakers. So, how much longer do you think you have? >> 45 seconds. >> Okay, I'll give you 20. >> Student board members Hannah and Nathan, you've demonstrated the kinds of leadership that your peers should model themselves after. Last month's meeting was one hell of an introduction to your new roles. But I think I speak for all of the adults who were here that night that we were impressed with your maturity, your composition, your composure, and your strength. I want to be like you when

087I grow up. I want to remind each of you that the leadership you have isn't about the title you hold. Leadership isn't about the goals that you score, the policies you enact, or the photo ops or handshakes. Leadership isn't really about you at all. It's about those around you and the choices that you make that impact them. If you constantly try and control the mouse, you'll never effectively show those around you how to lead. Your job is to show students what leadership looks like with mutual respect, understanding, and support. Your job is to show this community that you see them for who they are and as they are, not who you think they should be. Your job is not to control those around you, but to celebrate them, support them, and let them be seen.

088I'll remind you, a good leader never takes the mouse. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm. Uh, Jenner VTEC V. It's still VH. Okay, got it. Um, hello board members and members of the community. Um, I spoke last month about an issue that we all talked about last month, and my opinion is that I don't want to get into it again, but I did do my homework. So, I wanted to let Mr. Weller know I did my homework. Um, last month, you guys talked about the Brown Act, and I had no idea what you all were talking about. So, I have done um research and I have a conclusion and a suggestion that I hope that you will um take to heart. Um first of all regarding public speaking uh at a board meeting we

089uh first have to look at the first amendment which guarantees free speech. Absolutely support that. Check. Um the California Brown Act uh is basically about open meeting laws and about how the board cannot do things in secret and have private little conversations and that we have the right to speak. Check check. Um but it has no explicit verbiage about harassment or bullying in public comments. However, uh legislative bodies have the authority to enforce decorum. Um agencies such as yourselves can create rules and policies to manage behavior during public comments to ensure a respectful atmosphere and they can warn speakers about inappropriate behavior. So, um before we spoke today, you mentioned that you're not allowed to speak and I understand that you can't have a dialogue, but that you do have the right to say, you

090know, that's inappropriate. we're going to cut this off right now. And you also have the right to say to someone who's being disruptive that they need to leave. Um, and I feel like what happened in August kind of bowled us all over uh with what happened. But I'm going to suggest that going forward, you might want to follow what we do at the schools. At the schools, when we meet, we create norms for every meeting. every meeting that we go to, we have to talk about how we're going to treat each other with respect and kindness. And you had mentioned just a second ago about a kind and respectful uh tone, which was great, but I can't tell you terrible things in a kind and respectful tone and still be kind and respectful. So, our

091norms are things such as we will listen with the intent to um learn and work together rather than be divisive. Um, we also have things about the words that we're allowed to use and what we're allowed to say to one another. Um, so I would like to suggest that per perhaps we have norms. So I looked at the board policy and the board policy does have very small amounts of information. It says that um any persistent disruption by an individual or group or any conduct or statements that threaten the safety of any persons at the meeting shall be grounds for the president to terminate the privilege of addressing the board. When you have people one after another after another after another making character assassinations, I consider that unsafe because that is mentally and emotionally unsafe,

092even if it is not physically unsafe. And that's the board policy bylaw 9323 um meeting conduct. And then the other one that we found was about um can I finish? I'm so close. Okay. Was about employees of the district. And I'm a little unclear about how that affects you guys um because you are the board so you are an employee but you don't have to follow the same rules as the schools. But it does say that if somebody is um blah blah blah blah blah um feeling intimidated, hostile or having an offensive work environment that you can step in and uh fix that. So this is my suggestion that we come up with a list of norms about how you would like people to behave. And when people do not behave that way, you say,

093"I'm sorry, that's inappropriate." And then we move forward together all together, keeping everybody on track. And last but not least, I also want to be Nathan when I grow up. None of us had to speak last month. We could have just had you come up and talk for us. So, I really, really appreciate you. When I work with kids every day, they know how to treat each other with kindness, even when they disagree. And I think we should follow their example. Thank you, Jenna Vich. I worked on your last name there. All right, we're going to go with Curtis Fitzgerald. I think I got that one right. Too easy a name. It's almost unfair. Good evening. Thank you for giving me time to speak. My name is Curtis Fitzgerald. My pronouns are she, they have

094lived in Escanido for 25 years. It's good to see Carol's name on the stand here and on the website. I hope moving forward she's going to be treated with dignity and respect. And the previous speaker stole some of my thunder because these meetings I believe should follow the non-discrimination policy. Children need a school system that values all people including transgender people. Um this is a workplace literally in a working meeting should should conform to workplace standards and workplace standards haven't been that here in recent months. Daryl, it's good to see you're still on the board. Thank you for standing up for yourself and the community. Thank you for your service. I admire your courage and integrity. Thank you, Curtis. Next speaker is Paul. Greetings, honorable board members. And um I was very encouraged by Dr.

095Kasa's uh report on the state of affairs with the scores in the school district and I think this board is doing a fine job. I just want to commend you and the great work you're doing for the families here. But in general, public schools are in desperate need of reform to get back to the basic mission of helping young people achieve the good life as adults, especially in the area of character development. Today is Charlie Kirk's birthday, who would have been 32. I want to recognize his positive contributions to our educational system. The Antifa assassin of Charlie Kirk came from a normal family, but was indoctrinated in college into supporting dangerous and violent transgender ideology. Charlie Kirk represented the best traditions in America, dialogue, and reasoning with those who disagree with him. And I would

096urge the board to also encourage civil debate and discussion, not only here, but in the classroom. When people stop talking, that's when bad things happen. Divorce or violence. Leftist violence needs to be addressed. A shocking number of young leftists support violence to advance their agenda. In a Yuggov poll, 42% of young liberals approve of political violence versus 6% of conservative youth. 44% of Gen Z say violence against political officials is never acceptable versus 90% of older boomer generation. Sadly, our neo-Marxist educational system indoctrinates this type of anger and class warfare into impressionable young minds. This needs to stop. Charlie encouraged class cooperation rather than class conflict. The state recently, on another note, has passed a unconstitutional law that violates parents' rights by allowing strangers to kidnap them, AB495. I would encourage the board's review of

097this law and how to protect parents rights who don't enable their child's gender confusion. Leftists offer a s a soft form of bigotry that enables self-destructive behavior and lying and affirming delusion with toxic empathy by validating the lie. Adults in Escanido need to truly love their neighbors by insisting that our district focus on educating our kids and putting families first rather than the radical left agenda. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. And our last speaker on non-aggendaized topics is Scott Herman. >> We'll give you more time. Okay. Uh good evening again. My name is Scott Herman. Um, I'd like to address uh board member Durnney. Um, I uh I don't know you personally. Uh, I'm I suspect you are a very kind man and um probably have been I don't know how long

098you've been in Escanido, but I'm sure you've served this community well. Um, but uh people can be good people. Uh you there's a saying you can be sincere but sincerely wrong. Uh error in judgment. Uh but uh um Jesus said um all the law and prophets. So basically that's speaking of the whole Old Testament. He summarized them in two commandments. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. That's the vertical. And love your neighbor as yourself. Um, now I believe you built um, board member Durnney, you believe you're loving your neighbor as yourself. Um, and on a on a horizontal level, um, again, I suspect you're a good, kind, and gentle person. But uh from the love chapter in uh 1 Corinthians chapter 13 um it's it's it says uh

099love does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. So to define what to to to say this is hate speech because we are criticizing you is um well every parent knows that you uh there used to be the old saying when you were spanking your child um this is going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt you. But we know we have to do that sometimes. That's that's true love. uh not not passing over things that will be destructive to the child. So to have to to set as a role model on the school board you this is a destructive influence and I will tell you the main reason is because to transition at your age is one thing. You had a chance to have children. you you're doing this at

100at uh about my age, but what about these children who transition with surgery or chemicals? They can't go back. What if they change their minds when they when they uh I mean, I remember this time period uh junior high, late elementary, junior high, high school. It's such a difficult time for children. They're so they're they're they're uh their hormones are raging. They're um they're so they're trying to I mean there just so many issues that you have to deal with when you're that age. >> Hey Scott, we're at a minute and a half. You pretty much done almost. >> Yeah. No, I'm I'm done. I um Yeah. Okay. Well, thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. All right. Thank you for everybody who spoke. Um, any new cards came in? I guess not. All right, so

101the public comments section is over. Thank you for all that spoke. I personally thought everybody was polite and um, kind. So, thank you for doing that. I appreciate that a lot. Um, I'm sure the rest of the board does as well. So, we're going to move on to section F, Educational Services Division, and F1 was uh, approved on consent. So the field trips were already approved. Um item number two is adopt adopt resolution R 20252026 in support of the red ribbon campaign. The Escanido Union High School District is committed in its efforts to provide an environment that is safe, drug-free, and conductive to learning. We believe that advocating and promoting a drug drug-free lifestyle is the a responsibility of everyone. The Red Ribbon Week campaign began in 1985 when drug traffickers in Mexico murdered drug

102enforcement agent Enrique Kiki Camar um Camera. Californians for Drug for Youth, Inc. organized the first week-long statewide red ribbon campaign in 1986 to com commemorate Enrique's death. The first national red ribbon campaign began in 1988 with President and Mrs. Reagan serving as honorary chairpersons. We joined together with our community and those across the country in celebrating this re week to raise awareness in the problems of substance abuse and prevention strategies. This week is seen as a springboard for implementing year-round prevention efforts. Each school site has the active chapter of SAD, students against destructive decisions or safe school ambassadors led by certificated staff member. The adviserss at each campus have committed to launching their red ribbon activities on October 23rd, 2025. In addition, each school will be distributing red wristbands for students to wear as public

103display for their commitment to the drug free to be drug-free. These clubs will be sponsoring schoolwide activities and will be guided by the suggested SAD calendar for fall activities which include activities related to binge drinking and a focus in November on tobacco abstinence highlighted by the great American smokeout. I look forward to hearing the uh student board members uh comments next month on what happened at campuses. As part of the activities, interventions, policies, and procedures that help establish a drug-free atmosphere, we ask the school board of the educ uh we ask this the school board of education to join us in endorsing the red red ribbon week campaign October 23-31, 2025 through its approval of the attached resolution. So, the attached resolution because my voice is shot. Um would um Vice President Ryan, would you

104like to uh read that? >> Yeah, this is the uh this is the PDF, right? >> Uh yeah. Mhm. That's it. Thank you for helping me out here. >> Okay. Whereas alcohol and other drug abuse has reached epidemic stages in the United States and whereas it is imperative that community members launch visible substance abuse prevention education efforts to reduce the demand for drugs. And whereas Californians for drug-free youth incorporated is is coordinating the California Red Ribbon Campaign in cooperation with the National Red Ribbon Campaign to offer our citizens the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to drug-free and alcohol abuse-free lifestyles. And whereas the Red Ribbon Campaign will be celebrated in every community in America during Red Ribbon Week. That's hard to say three times fast. uh October 23rd to 31st, 2025. And whereas business, government,

105law enforcement, schools, religious institutions, service organizations, youth, medical, senior citizens, military, sports teams, and individuals will demonstrate their commitment to drug-free and alcohol abuse-free healthy lifestyles by wearing and displaying red ribbons during this week-long campaign. And whereas the the Escandido Union High School District further commits its resources to ensure the success of the Red Ribbon campaign. And now therefore be it resolved that the Escandido Union High School District of the city of Escanido does hereby support October 23rd to 31st, 2025 as Red Ribbon Week and encourages its students, teachers, and staff to participate in drugrevention education activities, making a visible statement that we are firmly committed to a drug-free and alcohol abuse-free community. Be it further resolved that the Escanido Union High School District of the city of Escanido encourages all students and teachers to

106pledge no use of illegal drugs and no illegal use of legal drugs. >> Thank you, Vice President. Um, so we need a motion to adopt this resolution, please. >> I'll move to approve since I read the whole thing. >> Okay. And a and a second, please. >> I I second. >> Okay. Very good. And so back to a roll call vote. So, um, student board member, uh, Ibrahim, >> I, >> and student board member Buramina, >> hi. >> Thank you. And, uh, board member Knight, >> I. >> Board member Vincent, >> I. >> Board member Durnney, >> I. I. >> Board member Williams, >> I. >> And board member Weller says I. So, the motion to adopt that um program, Red Ribbon Week, is to say >> is approved. Got to move your tongue in

107the right position there. All right. So, thank you all for doing that. You know, it's interesting. I have not heard of any um alcohol or drugrelated uh crashes in Escanido that resulted in death recently. So, it seems like the program is working. So, we're thankful for all who are involved with that. All right. I'm going to ask for a board um question here because we have um a presentation and then a public hearing for the charter petition renewal for Alta Altus >> Altus, thank you. Schools of North County. So, normally we take our break at 8. The thing is is that because they have 15 speakers. Yeah, with 15 speakers I didn't want to interrupt it all. So, would the board be okay if we took a fivem minute break or a seven minute break

108right now? All right. So, we'll take about a 7 minute break. Uh, we'll see you back here in seven minutes. Thank you. Yeah. Yes. like something Got it. >> All right, welcome back. We're now going to begin with item number three, a presentation from Alta Schools North County, which is a charter school. and then that will be followed by speakers during the public hearing on the petition for the renewal. So, we welcome Altus and uh introduce yourself. Let's make sure those mics are working over there. So, >> sure. I'll see how uh close I have to bet this. Is that too loud? >> No, you're great. >> All right. Well, good evening, Superintendent Peterson, uh board president Weller. My name is Wade Ashbrrener. I have Allison Fleck who is the administrator of instructional services for

109Alta Schools North County. Um, tonight's presentation is designed to give the board an overview of who we are, the students we serve, and the measurable outcomes we've been achieving. Alta Schools North County has been authorized by the Escandido Union High School District since December 12th of 2017. It was unanimously approved on that evening and we currently serve grades 6 through 12 uh specializing in supporting at promise students who are credit deficient, socioeconomically disadvantaged or in need of a flexible and individualized educational program. Our instructional program is designed is is designed and built entire entirely around personalization. We combine one-on-one and small groupoup instruction with a hybrid program that blends in-person and independent study learning. Each student works on one course per month, ensuring that students get to focus in the support they need. This model

110allows the students to enroll and graduate year round, maintaining momentum and preventing the loss of academic progress. Whether a student needs textbook-based instruction, online coursework, or a blended environment, we meet them where they are academically and help them move forward with purpose. Just like the district, at the heart of our school is our teachers in everything they do. They come to Alta Schools with a deep passion for helping students succeed, especially those students who have struggled in a traditional environment. Over the past four years, 98% of our students and parents have said that our teachers are highly trained and effective at what they do. Our teachers work on a 12-month contract, giving students continuous access to support throughout the year. We also invest heavily in professional development through programs like San Diego County Office of

111Eds leading cert leading edge certification, which allows teachers to become proficient in online and hybrid instruction. We have our own California teacher commission approved teacher induction program so that we can provide further professional development and clear credentials inhouse. This commitment ensures that our teachers are always growing in their craft and always able to bring best practices into the classroom. We've been part of the North County community with a resource center at the North County Mall since 2009. And if you recall, uh, AB1505 changed the way authorization was done for non-classroombased charter schools, which is why we came to the district in 2017. Many of our students also participate in the work experience programs that uh allow them to apply the uh real world skills by having a site in the mall. We are proud to

112have been a consistent, reliable partner for both students and the broader community, helping young people re-engage with education and prepare for meaningful careers by having that mall site. Students who come to us have an academic record that sometimes reflects real challenges and many have fallen behind on earning high school credits. Serving such a po population allows the school to meet dashboard alternative school status or dos with the majority of altoschool north county students facing significant barriers in their academic record. Some other issues that our students face are safety concerns, social issues, and parenting responsibilities or simply they need a flexible schedule in order to pursue their high school graduation requirements. Meeting the uh threshold for DOSS criteria is important with the majority of our students uh being identified 85% of them are identified as uh

113DOSS students. On average the 84% of them arrive credit deficient on average they are two years behind on English language arts and three years behind in math proficiency. that despite this these challenges, our students make significant progress. The average length of enrollment is about 12 months, showing that once students enroll with us, they stay engaged and complete their educational goals. These numbers highlight both the need for our program within the greater Escanido community and the success we are having in re-engaging students who might otherwise leave the system entirely. Our accreditation and college readiness. Alta Schools North County holds a six-year clear accreditation term from Wasque, which is the highest level granted by Wasque. We are also on the UC UC A throughG list, the NCAA list, and the college board list, meaning our students coursework

114aligns with college admissions requirements and athletic eligibility. Additionally, our California Cadet Corps program has received a ser superior rating from the state uh cadet corps, demonstrating that we build both academic and character development within our instructional approach. Our curriculum is intentionally data-driven and aligned with each student's post high school pathway. Whether a student is pursuing college, career training, or military service, their learning plan integrates academics, social emotional learning, and career readiness. Teachers use ongoing data analysis to adjust instruction and provide interventions as needed. Every student's experience is tailored to their strengths and challenges, helping them build confidence and competence along their journey. An overview of our school. Currently, Altus Schools North County serves approximately 149 students with a dedicated team of five credentialed teachers and one educational specialist. This small studenttoteer ratio allows for deep

115relationships, consistent mentorship, and true individ individualization of attention. Our our educators know every student's academic plan, their personal goals, and and obstacles. And this close connection is what drives the strong outcomes we see in attendance, engagement, and graduation rates. A key point I want to emphasize is that Ulta schools strengthens, not competes, with the district by returning students to district schools. And I also want the board to understand that 45% of our students previously attended a school district outside of Escandido Union High School District. I know many of you drive the I-15 corridor and we have a large sign out there that advertises for Alta School. So, we were seen by schools within the North County. Many of those students were disengaged or at risk of dropping out of school entirely. By re-engaging these students

116and helping them complete their high school education, we proudly serve as a resource and partner in ensuring that every student in North County has a pathway to success. Next, I'll turn it over to Allison to discuss student outcomes. >> Thank you, Wade. Good evening, everyone. It's good to be here. I'm going to take us through Alto Schools North County progress me progress towards measurable pupil outcomes. Starting with our local assessment results. The NWA MAP assessments is our local diagnostic tool that measures students growth in reading, language arts, and math. Our students take the assessment in the fall, so they're actually taking it currently to get a baseline in these in these areas, and then they take it again in the spring to see if they've met their assigned growth target. Last year, 74% of students

117met their growth target in reading, 82% in language, and 75% in math. Our target with the district is 60% and the national norm is 50%. So these results demonstrate the strong impact on our personalized learning plan as well as our instructional supports. Now let's look at chronic absenteeism for Alto Schools North County. To the right you can see Alta Schools North County chronic absenteeism rate since 2020 shown by the blue bars compared to the San Diego County DOS average is the orange line and the state DOS average the purple line. For this indicator, lower percentages are better, showing fewer fewer chronically absent students. In 23 24, our chronic absenteeism rate was 0%. Compared with the nearly 25% countywide and 43% statewide DOS averages, we're projecting another 0% rate for the 2425 school year pending the

118dashboard release. To the left, you can see the factors and strategies to contribute to these strong results. We implement the MTSS process immediately when students show signs of disengagement which involves our teachers, counselors, and school leaders to to provide timed tiered timely interventions. And students are also engaged at the resource center regularly by providing weekly middle school small groupoup tutoring sessions, virtual math reality lessons, and character and leadership development sessions. Now let's look at our DOSS graduation rate. This rate is meaningful because it measures our success since about 85% of our students enroll credit sufficient. Often our students need extra time to get to the finish line whereas the four-year cohort graduation rate doesn't doesn't reflect that. To the right you can see Alta School's North County DOSs graduation rate year-over-year in the blue columns

119and again comparing those to the county DOS averages and the state DOS averages in 2324 our DOS graduation rate was nearly 95% compared to the 75% countywide and 72% statewide DOS average. Our rate has steadily increased as we're projecting a 100% DOS graduation rate for the 2425 school year pending the dashboard additional reports release. And to the left you can see the contributing factors to our success in this area. We provide grad counseling sessions, senior pathway workshops, PEP sessions where we do thorough roster reviews with each teacher and much more. all designed to ensure that our students stay on track to graduate. Now, moving into our ELA plan. This slide demonstrates our English language arts CASP outcomes. On the left, you can see a chart that shows the ELA distance from standard as reflected on

120the California dashboard, where a less negative number indicates a stronger performance. In 2324, our distance from standard was 57.9, which was 65 points higher than the San Diego County DOS average and 55% higher than the state DOS average. Again, meeting our agreed upon metric with the district. >> Can you go into a little more detail? I'm so sorry that I'm kind of lost on the negative aspect of it. Can you maybe rephrase that? >> Sure. So, um, this is considered distance from standard. So zero would be the standard and then above standard. So the further you go in the negative direction, the further you are going in the opposite direction of meeting the standard. >> Makes sense. Correct. >> So zero would be good. Minus 285 is really not good. >> Right. So -123. Yeah.

121-285 is um the worst score on that chart. >> Okay. Mhm. >> Little confused. Does anybody have any other questions on that one or it I'll let you guys go ahead and continue. >> Okay. And then on the right side on this one should be a little less confusing because it's proficiency rate. So um our proficiency rate in the 23 24 school year 29% of our students were proficient in ELA which that was 7% higher than the county and 9% higher than the state DOS rates. According to the recent CDE release our proficiency increased to 35.4% 4% in the 2425 school year that was just released last week and that has that shows a 6% release from the uh sorry a 6% increase from the previous year. Any other questions on that slide? Next, I'll

122share an overview of our English learner plan, which outlines a systematic approach that we're using to strengthen our English learner progress. This slide shows our English learner progress indicator, referred to as the LP, which reflects the ELPAC results as reported on the California school dashboard. In 2024, our LP reached 60%, meaning 60% of our students showed progress. That was 30% higher than the county DOS average and 28% higher than the state DOS average. And that year, that was a significant jump for us. We jumped 40% um from the prior year, which you can see here on the right side, which is the English language progress indicator on the California school dashboard. Since we do have a small school size, we weren't assigned a school color, but you can see the increase of 40% for that

123year. Speaking of school size, approximately how many students fall into the English learner matrix there, 60%. >> Last year we were just under I want to say around nine or 10. >> Just nine or 10. Okay. And do they have one teacher? >> Had a caller. We would need 30 and we were under 25. >> Okay. Under 25. Okay. Thank you. Mhm. So looking ahead, our projected LP for the 24-25 school year is 63.6% reflecting continued growth as a over 3% positive change. So now that we've reviewed the LPB data, I want to highlight a few key aspects of our English learner program that drives this growth. Students access EL curriculum and instruction. The students are a accessing daily asynchronous instruction through a platform called Summit K12. This is an online platform that aligns EL

124standards to students personalized learning plan based on their English language proficiency level. They also participate in weekly small groupoup ELD sessions in the resource center which gives them the opportunity to practice their listening and speaking around the language in a supportive environment. We also use the elevation platform which allows our instructional team to monitor progress and pull reports to guide instruction and interventions ensuring timely targeted support. Now moving on to our math plan and math outcomes. This slide highlights our math CASP outcomes for Alta Schools North County. On the left chart shows math distance from standard in 2324. Our distance from standard was 38 points higher than the San Diego County DOS average of -193 and 28 points higher than the state DOS average again meeting our agreed upon target with the district. On the

125right the chart shows proficiency rates in 10% of our students met the standard compared with 6.4% countywide DOS average and 5.2% 2% statewide DOSS average. To support growth, we implemented targeted initiatives such as the math literacy summit, which is a full day of professional learning. It actually happened last Friday. Professional learning amongst our instructional team and teachers. And it was collaborative in that we were identifying differentiated instructional strategies and applying them to the student populations we work with. And here again it's 11th graders, juniors that take this test. >> We have u middle school students also take the CASP 7th uh sixth, 7th, 8th and then our 11th graders. Correct. >> So the comparison schools just for the the board's context are schools that our students would otherwise probably attend if they did not come

126to an alta school. So those are the continuation programs at the surrounding districts in the north county. We've also implemented the math study group. It's a a group of um school leaders and administrators that meet regularly to prioritize key concepts and analyze student math data. And then the math reality program, which engages students in interactive real world math experiences. Now let's look at college and career readiness as reflected on the college and career indicator, the CCI. A key strategy um in increasing our CCI is our early college credit program which about a quarter of our students participate in. Through our CCAP agreement with Palomar College, students can earn dual enrollment credits and articulated courses. So students are earning free college credit while they're enrolled with us. Combined with the wraparound support services that we offer

127in collaboration with our college partners, we have a 94% pass rate for these college classes, about 10% higher than the state average for dual enrollment. And on the right, you can see the impact that that has had on our CCI. In 2024, 25% of our students were college and career prepared. That was a drastic increase from the year prior. 22.5% increase from the year prior, assigning us a yellow performance level. >> At some point, we'll have the state actually explain the colors. I still don't understand it. A separate presentation. Send us an invitation. Yeah, we'll come back. Now, let's touch on engagement and safety. For engagement, we encourage family participation through multiple platforms and events throughout the school year. We use parent square as our uh form of regular communication with our school community. We

128also host events like ELAC, English language advisory committee, openhouse and senior night events to involve parents and gather feedback. We also offer webinars through the family learning series. These are monthly webinars that our families can learn about the different programs and opportunities we offer at Altus. And for students, we hold monthly rise sessions. Each rise session focus on a different health and wellness topic. And for school climate, you can see on the left that parents report 100% safety satisfaction year-over-year as reported by the LCAP engagement survey. And we also had one a 0% suspension rate showing that our parents feel very safe with their students in our resource centers and in our program. We also measure students confidence after they've been enrolled with us. In the 23 24 school year, students reported a 26% increase

129in confidence to learn and succeed in school within 90 days of enrollment in our program. and that was reported on the Navian student confidence survey. In terms of overall satisfaction, 100% of parents and students have reported being satisfied with the Alta Schools North County over the past three years based on the ELCAP engagement survey. >> Thank you. As you can see by the data, we're one of the top performing DOS schools not only in the county but also in the state. Um, in addition to these strong academic outcomes, Alta Schools North County maintains the highest standards for fiscal responsibility and legal compliance. Our financial audits have consistently been clean with no findings. We remain fully compliant with our authorizers authorizers requirements as well as all state and federal educational reg regulations. The Escandido Union High

130School District leadership and board can be have full confidence that Alta Schools operates with integrity and in alignment with public education expectations. And in closing, I want to thank the board, the Escanido Union High School District leadership team for their continued collaboration and support of our school. Most of all, I want to thank our students and parents who are a testament to what is possible when we work together to provide a flexible, high-quality education to those who are in need the most. Alta Schools North County is proud to be part of the community and to serve as a bridge for some students who may need a second chance to achieve their success. We thank you for your time this evening and we'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. >> Thank you so

131much. your your efficiency was demonstrating the fact that you got through 30 slides in 15 minutes. So, >> I've got a I'm sorry. >> No, go ahead. >> Handful of questions here. So, um obviously the stats that you shared here are based on the the North County School, right? But I but there are other schools within the Altus, we'll say family, correct? >> Right. Um, how would you say that the uh the results that you have here compare to the rest of the Altus family school? >> I believe our data person is here, but I believe we're in the top seven if we take it. The only reason some schools are lower than top seven because of Alta schools would push them out of that number if you count the countywide. So, um, we're definitely

132in the top 10 across our family of schools for DOS schools. So, um, that's one of the things we pride ourselves with as far as the integration of our processes and systems across our family of schools is that no matter where you are in the county, um, we offer a program that matches uh, whatever here is in Escandido matches the program that we have uh, in the urban core of San Diego as far as support for students in need in personalized education. >> And um, in ter so the I I I liked a handful of the stats. So about 85% of the students arrive credit deficient. Right. >> Right. >> Uh and the average length of tenure shall we say is 12 months. >> Right. So how many uh students would you say complete the

133whole program? Let's say 6 through 12. Is that very common at all? >> Uh I don't have a percentage but we do have some. And Aaron if you know that it's happen because that you How about Yeah, I mean it's really the the the plan that we we consider it a successful transition to have a student come to us for 12 to 18 months and then return to their district school or their neighborhood school. We really uh provide a safety net so to speak so that uh students can stay engaged with their academic progress. And so that is part of the plan when we talk about their pathway. their pathway may be to come to us as a sophomore and and stay for 12 months and then go back uh having caught up on credits

134and become closer to their grade level. That's why we track that student growth within NWA progress of meeting student measurable outcomes. So, um it as many students has come to us as many pathways as they have. So, >> yeah. Thank you. And is it common for those who for some to find, hey, this uh this program is working for me and it's a 12-month program, so can I just crank away through school and graduate early? Is that a is that a >> That's an option also. So, we do have some some students who they want to accelerate for for a myriad of reasons. Maybe it's because they want to um get into college sooner or maybe they're uh some type of a extraordinary athlete or musician and they want to be done with their high

135school and move on. and and we live in a world now that allows you to access educational resources from anywhere on the planet anytime, day or night, seven days a week. So, um we don't want to hold anyone back. Uh also, >> and uh thank you. And my last question will be is the MUS who's who sets those is that part of our own charter here or is there somebody else? >> So, that's in collaboration with uh the district leadership. Um and we and that's one of the the the aspects of being a dashboard alternative school is that's part of the requirements by the state that you uh meet with your authorizer and develop those uh student measurable outcomes in conjunction with uh your authorizer. You >> I have a quick question. Um so you

136teach 6 through 12, >> correct? >> But and I don't know if anybody on the board here has this answer. So, are we also approving the charter for 678 as well as just ours? >> Okay. >> So, they don't need to go before the elementary district. Okay. All right. Just clarification. Thank you. >> And I if I could if I have a couple of questions. Um I'm a proud graduate of a DOSS school. I we don't use that term when we refer to Valley. So, I didn't know I came from a doss school, but I did. I'm a proud graduate of Valley High School. Um, as someone who did not know what Valley could do for me at that time of my life, I went to Valley reluctantly because I didn't want to I actually

137wanted to get out of school at noon every day. So, I was like, "Okay, this is my only path." There was no altus schools at the time, even though you say you were around since 1994. Um, you weren't here. So, we went, we didn't have any other alternative schools. Um, so I went to Valley reluctantly and fell in love with that school and it's an incredible school and what we offer to students at Valley. Um, I think cannot compare to what you're offering. So, I'm sorry to say that, but I would need to understand why a student would not go to Valley. What would cause a student to say, "No, thank you EUHSD for offering Valley and everything incredible that it can do for my life, but I'm not going to do that." So, I

138just need to understand when that would happen, why that would happen, what we're doing to make sure that kids are not afraid to go to Valley for any stigma reasons perhaps thinking Altus has a better reputation. You know what I mean? >> Just help me understand that maybe from both sides. >> Yeah. I think having visited Altus the program is different than what we offer at Valley in the sense that um is more personalized for the individual student and then the model is hybrid in nature which we don't offer at Valley. Now students do have the opportunity to do campus online at Valley and then through their transition of RTP there's a portion of independent study but not like what they have at Altus where they can come once a week or maybe not at

139all sometimes. So it's a little different program um and I'll let Altus jump in but I did visit it and it is significantly different than what we offer at Valley. >> Can I can I ask a quick question? Um what's the process for evaluating the students when they come into your um school? >> Is there a process that you >> I guess I guess maybe that could piggy back with like let's say a kid come from Valley. What might that conversation look like about a student's attempt to be successful, let's say, at Valley or one of these other DOS schools before? And I'm not saying you're going to turn someone away, but help me understand that. >> Yeah. So, um, we have an open enrollment pol um program where, um, students can come at any

140point in the school year and we do accept courses in progress. So, we work with our school counselor to decide um you know what what credits transfer over and and what their course plan might be while they enroll with us. And that will of course depend on how long they plan on staying with us and how credit deficient they might be. Um there's no assessments upon enrollment. The assessments that we give regularly are the NWA MAP assessments that I refer to in the in the fall and the spring. Um, and then we we do all the standardized um uh state assessments, the CASP and the ELPAC. Um, I'm not sure if that answered your question in terms of assessments. >> Yeah, I'm kind of trying to figure out is it typically parent driven? Um, maybe

141their kids uh need some support there and is that the reason why or what's the intent? to answer your question. I believe it's board member Vincent speaking to us. Um, yeah. Can you not hear me by the way? >> No, I can hear I I can hear you. I just want to make sure I was referring to the right person. >> I'm behind the c I'm the man behind the curtain according to Bob. >> So, so one thing that's fortunate about having the public hearing tonight, you'll get to hear from some of our families as to why they they did pick Alta Schools. Um, >> uh, they come to us for a myriad of reasons. It is probably parent driven but it's really a collaboration between what they feels the right environment for their student

142and uh valley uh I don't know the the actual academic program there some of it is that we have a flexible schedule some of it that's one course at a time uh some of it may just mean they need a break from their normal social group that they've gone to school with uh Escanido's a pretty stable community and people come here and put down roots and and attend K through 12 for a lot of families. And sometimes as kids grow and develop in as people, they need a break sometimes. And sometimes that's what just going to a different school setting provides for for families. And so, um, I'm looking forward to hearing from our families and students tonight because they will give you an insight to some of those reasons of why they chose us.

143But again just you know um like all of you sitting at the dis uh had a different pathway to get to the dis uh this evening. Our students find a different way to get to us. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. And a couple of quick questions. Uh I see you've got a total of 148 students. That's uh grades 6 through 12. How many of those are high school? I think >> the majority of them um >> about 120. >> Okay, thank you. And about how many are from Escandido? >> About about 55% of our student populations currently >> could be distributed. >> And from what I'm seeing, I mean, basically, you do have some overlap with like our independent study and uh Valley High School, but the format and all seems to

144be a bit different and uh maybe catches the students. We can't. What I'm looking at is that a fair >> correct and and I think having the uh the ability to redirect back to the district when they when they see fit or if they see fit that is a tremendous opportunity. I think um you know for a lot of families it's a convenient location. Um Valley's in a beautiful setting but maybe not the most convenient location for some families uh as they commute to work. So, >> and I saw it's 30 plus students per year coming back to our district, too. So, I I see it as a give and take. So, thank you. That's all I've got. All right. Well, if there's uh no more questions, uh what we'll do now is we will

145um start the public hearing and have speakers come forward. So um per the guidelines here the public hearing opened at 8:29 and I will call speakers. Yes. Um because we have quite a few speakers uh we really are going to be like a you know a hard three minute stop. So uh either speak fast or speak short. All right. Uh the first speaker will be Cali Bella Carone. Good evening members of the board. My name is Cali Bella Carlo and I am a 10th grade student at Altus Schools North County. From fourth grade through my freshman year of high school, I dreaded attending school each day, constantly longing to return home rather than remain in the classroom environment. Today, I enter altist with a considerably greater con confidence and a genuine enthusiasm for learning and

146academic growth. That is not your I made I made the decision to enroll in altus due to the challenging circumstances I faced at my previous school where I encountered severe bullying that dramat that dramatically escalated my anxiety levels and negatively impacted my overall well-being. The transition from a small public school, sorry, the transition from a small public school to a charter school environment provided tremendous relief and and removed a ton of stress from my daily school life. The opportunity to work individually with the teacher has helped me complete assignments faster and understand what's being taught to me. I consider myself fortunate to be to have been paired with Miss Leblanc as my teacher. I firmly believe that she provides the ideal support and guidance that I require to succeed academically. At my former school, I

147was not receiving the appropriate accommodations for my learning needs, nor were school administrators taking proper action to en to address the persistent bullying situation that I endured. Educators at Altus demonstrate a genuine commitment into ensuring that I receive proper assistance with any academic challenges that I incur. This supporting learning environment has enabled me to concentrate on my studies with far greater focus and dedication. Previously, I struggled to pay attention in cl to pay attention during class sessions, face constant disruptions from other students, and as I mentioned, I was not provided with the necessary accommodations to support my learning style. The ability to progress through coursework at my own pace while receiving appropriate guidance when needed has been transformative for my educational experience. As a direct result of my enrollment at Altist, I my grades have

148improved from D's and Fs to A's and B's and I have experienced a significant increase in my overall happiness and well-being. This positive change has reinforced my belief that finding the right school environment is crucial for students success. I ask that you members of the board approve the renewal of Altus Schools North County. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right. What I'm going to do, hold on one second here. I'm going to call the next three speakers and um at the end if you guys don't mind like either just one clap cheer so we can get through this or shorter cheering. But the next three speakers are going to be Jaylin, Stephanie Gonzalez, and Valerie Mota in that order. So you guys I guess you're already in order. Excellent. All right. >> Okay. Um

149good evening board members. My name is Jaylen and I'm an 11th grade student at Altus Schools North County. I've been attending Ult since my freshman year and I've had an amazing experience that has shaped who I am today. One of the best parts of being an Ulta student is being part of the early college credit program. I've taken several dual enrollment classes and I'm about to begin my fourth college class, nutrition. I've always been interested in health and wellness and through taking college classes, I discovered that I want to become a dermatologist. What started as exploring different careers has turned into a clear goal for my future. Another reason I love Ultas is the flexible schedule. I'm a competitive boxer and I train several hours each day. The flexibility here allows me to stay on

150top of my school work and my training without feeling overwhelmed. I really appreciate how my teachers support me in balancing both. I also really value the structure of the program and the work experience program. Currently work at Shoe Palace in the same mall where my school's resource center is located. Because of this setup, I can go straight from school to work. My job helps me support myself and become more independent while also gaining real world skills and experiences that will also help me in the future. Alt Altus has given me so many opportunities to grow academically, personally, and professionally. Thank you for your time, and I hope you'll continue to renew our school so that students like me can keep learning, working, and preparing our futures. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. All right,

151Stephanie, you guys are organized, so this good job. >> Hello, board members. My name is Stephanie Gonzalez, and I'm a senior at Ulta Schools North County. I've been attending Ult for 2 years now and I'm so excited to be graduating this year. This evening, I'll be speaking about the ways my life has changed since attending Ult. Before I came here, I'll be honest, I wasn't very motivated by school. I was barely getting by and didn't feel like I was getting much help or support at my previous school. I decided to give Altus a try because a friend of mine attended and recommended it. And I'm so glad I did. At Ultas, everything changed. I get individual help from my teachers and that has made a huge difference. I can focus better here because I'm not

152lost in a big room. The teachers really know me and they care about how I'm doing. The flexible schedule has also been life-changing. I work at Old Navy which is in the same mall as our resource center. After work, I walk right down the hall hallway to attend class. This allows me to earn money, gain work experience, and stay on track with my school. I've also been taking college classes through the dual enrollment program. One of my English one of my college English classes really helped me improve my writing skills. In fact, it helped me score really high on the state English test. By the time I graduate, I'll have 15 college credits, which is a full semester of college already completed, saving me both time and money. I'm taking classes to prepare for my

153future career as an ultrasound technician and can't wait to graduate this May and continue working towards that goal. Thank you so much for your time and for supporting students like me. I hope you renew our school's charter so that more students can have the same opportunities and success I've had. Thank you so much. >> Thank you, >> Valerie Mota. Thank you. Good evening board members. My name is Valerie and I am a 12th grader at Altus North Schools North County. I chose to enroll at Altus at the beginning of 2024 after struggling with my mental health at my previous high school. I dealt with anxiety and depression which made it difficult to keep up with my grades and attendance. Since joining Altus, everything has changed for the better. Thanks to the flexible independent study schedule,

154I've been able to challenge myself academically without the pressure of being physically present every single day. That flexibility has helped me not only excel in my classes, but also take care of my mental health. When I come into the resource center, I feel comfortable and supported. My teacher truly cares about my success and always encourages me to do my best. Altus has provided so many opportunities and resources that have helped me grow both as a student and a person. Because of the flexible structure, I'm also able to balance a part-time job at the Brighton Collectible Store in the mall, which is conveniently close to our resource center. This allows me to gain work experience while staying on top of my studies. I've also taken advantage of many academic opportunities Altus offers like dual enrollment college

155classes including reading 100 and political science and also AP US history. This month I also joined the California cadet corps where I'm learning teamwork and even how to fly drones. I'm proud to say I'll be graduating in May and I couldn't have reached this point without the support and flexibility Altus offers. Thank you for your time and I respectfully ask you to approve the charter petition so students like me can continue to thrive and take advantage of all that altus has to offer. Thank you. >> Thank you. Yia, >> you can help me with your name since I'm so good with names. >> Good evening members of the board. My name is Ulysa Martinez and I'm in the ninth grade. I've been an Alta School's North County student since seventh grade. I'm here to tell

156you how much this school has helped my learning and my feelings. Before I came to Altus, going to a regular school was really hard for me because of things I do with my family during the week. It was tough to come to school every day at the regular time. I often missed classes which meant I felt behind and also the environment of a big school made me feel very anxious and stressed. I knew I needed a different way to learn. I chose Altus because it gave me the flexible schedule that I needed. Switching to independent study changed everything for me. Now I can work at my own speed in a setting that feels peaceful and calm. This has made me way less stressed, worried, and worried about school. I'm not missing lessons anymore. Instead, I

157am focused, learning, and doing well. The diff the difference at Altus is clear. I love the teachers we have here. They are so important to my success. Altus didn't just give me flexibility. It gave me a safe, supportive place where I can concentrate on learning without the anxiety that stopped me before. This school helps students like me keep learning and do great. Members of the board, please approve the renewal of Altus Schools North County. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Jamie, >> good evening board members. My name is Jame Moreno and I am a senior at Altis Schools North County. I decided to come to Alis, but I could really focus on my academics and also have more time to work with my dad. When I first enrolled, I was nervous and I didn't know

158what to expect. But from the moment I met my teacher, Miss Wang, she made me feel welcome right away. And that helped me feel comfortable and confident about being here. There are a lot of reasons why I like attending all the schools, but the biggest one is definitely the teachers. They're always supportive, helpful, and encouraging. They've introduced me to so many college classes, career and career pathway options I didn't even know about before. Another important skill I've learned about at this is time management. The flexible schedule allows me to plan my days, stay organized, and balance my school work with my job. That flexibility has been a big difference and helping helping me stay focused and succeed. I also appreciate the list offers offers college credit classes. Right now, I'm taking co counseling 110 at

159Palomar College, which is helping me give giving me a head start on my future education, helping me prepare for college level work. Altis has truly helped me grow, stay motivated, and stay on track to graduate this June. I'm proud of how far I've come and grateful for the support I've received here. Thank you for your time, and I'll ask you please to renew all the schools, North County, so students can continue to succeed and reach their goals. Thank you. Thank you, Alejandro. >> Good evening, board members. My name is Rudy Rodriguez. I'm here today to share a little about my amazing son, Luca, who is 12 years old and has truly thrived since our decision to enroll him at Alta Schools North County. Prior to joining Altus, Luca struggled with anxiety and self-doubt in a

160traditional school setting. It was it was heart-wrenching to see Luca's potential be impacted by the pressure of a one-sizefits-all approach. After much research, we chose Alta Schools North County because of their commitment and support to the students and their approach to education to meet unique student needs. From day one, we saw a significant change in Luca's demeanor. Luca's confidence has improved under uh the guidance of Mrs. Huner and Mrs. McKe, who have tailored their teaching methods specifically to meet Luca's unique learning style. The dedication of Mrs. Huner and Mrs. McKe not only made learning enjoyable for Luca, but also removed the anxiety Luca face each day in class. I remember a moment just a few months ago when Luca completed his first set of courses and Luca's self-worth was undeniable. It was more than just

161school work. This was a testament to Luca's new belief in himself. The personalized online and inerson tutoring sessions that Altus offers have been invaluable, allowing Luca to grasp the subjects at his own pace while receiving the support he needed. What sets Alta Schools North County apart from his previous school is the nurturing environment where every student's emotional and academic needs are prioritized. The modified education services ensures that every student is equipped with the tools to thrive. For our family, Alta Schools has been a beacon of hope and opportunity for Luca. Altus has empowered Luca to emerge from a place of uncertainty into one filled with confidence and joy in learning. Thank you, Alas Schools North County, for making such a profound difference in Luca's life. as your guidance has been the foundation for his success.

162I ask you to approve this charter petition. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you Glattus. >> Uh Glattus Medina and then after that uh Miriam Roshan. >> Good evening board me evening members of the board. My name is Glattis Medina and I'm the parent of an eighth and nth grader who attend Alta Schools North County. Both of my children were previously enrolled in traditional public schools during their early education years through middle school. During middle school, my ninth grader was diagnosed with ADHD. After informing her school and providing all necessary medical documentation, I expected she would she would receive the support she needed. Unfortunately, the school failed to provide adequate assistance and as a result, she began failing behind academically. This not only affected her grades, but also took a toll on her mental

163health and overall well-being. Everything changed when we found Alta Schools. Once I informed them of my daughter's diagnosis, they took immediate steps to support her. An IEP was created and she now receives the help she needs to succeed. She is thriving in an environment where she can work at her own pace and truly comprehend what she is learning. She comes home proud of her accomplishments, and I can see how much her confidence has grown. One of the things I appreciate most about Altus is the flexibility they offer. As a single parent with no outside support and a full-time job, getting my children to and from school can be a challenge. The structure at Altus helps makes that possible. In addition to flexibility, the school offers amazing programs and resources including tutoring in various subjects, small

164group workshops, and cadet court which my children attend regularly. Thanks to Altus, both my children are are not only staying on track, but truly succeeding in their education. I am confident that this is the right school for them and I'm so grateful for the support they receive. I ask you members of the board to appro approve the petition for Altis Schools North County. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miriam Roshan. And then Kenny Gonzalez. >> Good evening, board members. My name is Miriam Roshan and I'm here today to show my support for Altus North County. I wanted to share my experience over the past few months with Altus with my son Ali who's currently a sixth grader. As a parent, my goal has always been to provide Ali with a high uh quality educational experience, one

165that nurtures both his academic development as well as his wellbe his well-being. I was specifically looking for an environment that would minimize distractions often found in traditional schools, middle schools. while allowing him to focus deeply on learning. Ali is a kind, intelligent, and empathetic child who has a genuine love for learning. He's particularly passionate about animals, geography, science, and reading. I wanted a curriculum that would allow his autonomy in exploring these interests to help him grow both academically and personally. Mrs. Cruz has been an instrumental has been instrumental in this journey. Her consistent support and availability has made a significant difference in keeping Ellie engaged and on track. Her dedication has not gone unnoticed and we truly are grateful for her efforts. One of the aspects we deeply appreciate about Altus is that the program

166focuses solely on academics, allowing Ellie to pursue his many extracurricular and social activities outside of school. This separation has created a healthy balance that's been essential for his growth and was a key factor in our decision for Aluus. Recently, Ali was invited to join the CLLD program, a character building initiative that aligns perfectly with our values. We we are thankful for this opportunity and Ali has been enthusiastic about participating. Although we are still new to Altus community, our experience uh so far has been overwhelmingly positive and I ask you to please approve the petition for Altus North County. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Kenny Rodriguez. I'm in Gonzalez. >> Good evening. My name is Kenny Gonzalez. I've been a student at Otus for two years. I came to Ult in 9th grade because I

167had friends who recommended this school since middle school. I'm glad I chose to enroll at Ult because I struggled to learn in traditional school. Teachers here are very supportive and helpful. They help me understand my homework clearly and they are a huge reason why I love my school and try hard to reach my goals. My teacher is very patient with me, communicates with me, and supports me in reaching personal goals like getting a part-time job and academic goals like concurrent enrollment and graduating on time. This school is reliable and in the area where I live. Overall, I enjoy being a student here and would recommend this school to many of my friends who struggle and need more support with their learning. For these reasons, For these reasons, please consider Old School in North County for

168renewal. Thank you, Winnie Tucker. And then Naomi Valverde and then the last speaker will be Rudy Rodriguez. >> Members of the board, my name is Winnie Tucker and I am the parent of Lucas Tucker, a wonderful student here at Alta Schools North County. When Lucas transitioned to middle school in Escanido, the experience was incredibly challenging. A high studenttoteer ratio and chaotic environment of a traditional schedule became a huge burden because Lucas, who needed more personalized support with his IEP, simply wasn't receiving the attentiveness he truly needed. Thankfully, our former coun former counselor recognized the issue and highly recommended Altus, having seen other students thrive after making the same transition. Choosing Altis was the best decision we have ever made for him. The difference here is profound. The teachers and staff are not overwhelmed by an

169unbalanced ratio. This has provided a calmer, safer environment where they can get to know Lucas on an individual level. They show a natural instinct in supporting students like our my son. Because of this personalized approach, Lucas now has the confidence and peace of mind to keep on track. This is a place where he continues to build bridges and stride forward. This supportive, focused approach is why I I offer my strongest support for this school. Members of the board, please approve the renewal of Alta Schools North County. Thank you. >> Thank you, Naomi Valverde. Good evening. My name is Alejandro Padia. I'm the father of Nicholas Padya. I just want to start by thanking the board for allowing me to speak today. I also want to thank Nikico's teachers and counselors. Nikico was in traditional middle

170school and was not doing well. Needed extra help in many areas. Now that he's been attending Altus, he has shown a lot of success and been working very hard to complete his work. He has changed so much and I'm so proud of him. Before we wouldn't talk much about his school and now every day I pick him up, he has something to say and how much he loves it. I thank the Lord and Altus for allowing my son to attend his school and I appreciate your time this evening. Please consider Alas school for renewal. Thank you. >> All right, looks like we've concluded all the speakers. Thank you so much. Um, so that uh there was a Na Naomi and a Rudy. Anybody else looking to speak? We're good. Okay, great. Um, all right. So,

171during this public hearing, uh, I've been told that we don't vote on it this month, that we vote on it next month, and I was super impressed with the presentation and all the speakers. We got about 9% of everybody involved in the schools speak tonight. Um, before I close the hearing out, is there any questions from the board or any other comments from the board, I should say? >> I Sorry. Go ahead. >> Go ahead, Dr. Vincent. Go ahead. >> No problem. I really appreciate it when I see parents come up there and present at the podium. They shows their compassion for their kids. And I really, my hat goes off to them. And I could tell the teachers have the same passion for their students as well as the students speaking. So thank you

172very much. You represented your school very well. Thank you. >> Thank I just wanted to reiterate you answered my questions. I can clearly see there is a difference and a need for this type of model for students. Um Valley is very different. Um, so thank you for helping me uh families and school to understand the differences and the need for so many different types of programs, educational models for for kids in our community. Um, definitely one size does not fit all. Um, and we've learned that more and more over the years. Um, while I'm proud of all of our schools and what we do and especially proud of Valley, I definitely see a need for what you're doing. So, um, thank you and you have my support >> and I I just want to say

173thank you for the presentation again and yeah, obviously there you guys fill a need that can't be filled by us. So, uh, thank you for being there. I just want to add I hope all the students got some extra credit for today. Yeah, public speaking, right? I think it's a it's it's a great thing and and a powerful thing for you to do that. Not only just to present in front of a group such as this, right, but also to see how you can make a difference. So, again, thank you for for all that you do as students and learning and growing within the city of Escanido, however way that you do that. And um and well done. >> All right. Well, thank you all so much for coming. It's 8:53 and we're going to

174close the public hearing now and uh you definitely take a minute here to you can take off. We have quite a bit of school board left to do. So uh thank you for coming. I'll give them a minute and then we'll move on to human resources. All right. So then section G, human resources division, Chiron Kellani. Um, under this section here, we've got items one, two, three. Hold on, I'm scrolling down. four were all approved by consent. So then we're now going to go to item number five and it's approve a memorandum of understanding between the Escandido Union High School District and the California School Employees Association chapter 219 regarding the implementation of Cintenex thank you crisis alert system for classified employees. You know, it's interesting. I uh did not learn phonics in LA Unified

175when I went there and it really So, I always say it would help if we made sure kids understood that. So, with that said, um there is a memorandum of understanding and I will hand it off to Mr. Kerolani. >> Uh thank you, President Waller. Uh yes, we're pleased to bring those forward tonight. Uh it is a memorandum of understanding that we uh collaborated with CSCA on on the implementation of the Centiggus alert system. The system will allow staff through a wearable mobile panic button to discreetly alert designated responders in the event of an emergency providing real-time location data upon activation. I'd like to thank Rachel MSAS, our CSEA president, Juan Vargas, who's the CSEA vice president, Vicky Kim, director of HR, and Amanda Phillips uh for working collaborative on collaboratively on this opportunity. >>

176Thank you. And uh we vote on this. >> Yes. >> Okay. So, um can I get a motion before we discuss? >> So moved. >> I'll second. >> All right. And any discussion on this? I will take it that there is no discussion. So, we're going to do a roll call vote again. I will put the student board members on the spot and I'll start with you. So, uh Nathan Bersamina, how do you vote? >> I. >> And Henna Ibrahim, >> I. >> Thank you. And then board member Knight. >> I. >> Board member Vincent. >> We'll come back to David. Board member. >> Hi. Hey guys, it's 1:30 here in the morning, so >> wake up. >> Board member Williams, >> I'm slow on the mic. >> Board member Williams, >> that's an I.

177>> And board member Weller is an I. Thank you all. That passes. And so now working with my new our new software here, bear with me. We move to item six. Uh approve memorandum of understanding between the Escandido Union High School District and Escandido Secondary Teachers Association regarding the implementation. Let's see. We just did that. Is that on here twice? >> ESTA. >> Okay, once with ESTA. Okay, great. All right, back to you. >> Uh thank you, President Wally. You are correct. This is similar to the previous item. Again, we're pleased to bring this forward. We've worked collaboratively with ESTA on a memorandum of understanding regarding the implementation of the Centia crisis alert system. As I described previously, this is a wearable mobile wearable mobile panic button uh in which staff will be enabled to

178discreetly alert designated responders in the event of an emergency providing real-time location data upon activation. like to thank Anna Katy, the ESTA president, Mike Silva, EST grievance chair, and Joe Gellerini, ESTA bargaining chair, and Amanda Phillips again for working collaboratively on this opportunity. >> Thank you. Um, can we get a motion to >> move to approve? >> Second. >> And, um, I would like to say that one thing I did notice in this one is that, you know, teachers will not be evaluated with or without the use of that. So, I I thought that was kind of good. you know, separate the two so that there's no stress on that. So, I also appreciate the district though finding uh like an emergency warning device. So, thank you guys for doing the research and finding that

179very much. All right. So, any other discussion? Okay. Again, roll call vote starting with Nathan Nathan Buramina. How do you vote? >> I. >> And Hannah Ibrahim, how do you vote? >> I. >> Board member Knight. >> I. Board member Vincent >> I. >> Board member Durnney >> I. >> Board member Williams >> I. >> And Bob Weller. Board member Weller votes I. So that also passes. So thank you for your guys work on that. As I go back to the um scrolling here. Bear with me. So item number seven, adopt resolution R20252026007 adoption of the PARS supplementary retirement plan and associated PARS agreement for the administrative services. Since the board is familiar with this, I'm not going to read all of that. People can read it online if they want. So I am going

180to hand it off again to Mr. Kurpalani. >> Uh thank you. Um, again, this is a resolution that we're asking the board to adopt tonight. Um, as you've shared, this is something that we're familiar with. This is us working with PARS, which is the public agency retirement services to design a supplementary uh retirement plan, which is a retirement incentive offer that may encourage eligible retirees to or eligible employees to retire or separate from service. The goal of the program uh is to generate savings by increasing the number of retirements in the 2526 school year. Uh the SER or the supplementary retirement plan as proposed would provide participating employees with a monthly benefit provided by 85% of their final year salary paid into the plan over a 5-year period. Uh the program will allow the district

181to offer the plan to each employee group, conduct enrollments, analyze the participation, and elect to move forward or cancel the program depending on the participation and overall projected savings or cost of the program. >> Uh very good. Um can I get a motion? >> I'll move to approve. >> Second. >> Any discussion? All right. Um back to uh Henna Ibrahim. How do you vote? >> I. Nathan Bersamino. >> Hi. >> Board member Knight. >> I. >> Board member Vincent. >> I. >> Board member Durnney. >> Hi. >> Board member Williams. >> I. >> And board member Weller. I. So that also passes. So then we move down to item number eight. Addendum to initial proposal from the Escandido Secondary Teachers Association to Escanido Union High School District for successor agreement 2025 20226. Back to you,

182Mr. Kurpalani. >> Thank you. Uh this is anformational item. This is an addendum to the Escandido Secondary Teachers Association June 17, 2025 initial proposal for successor negotiations for 2526. So just information only, no voting. Okay, that is correct. Anybody wants to discuss it or have more information, there's a link there to click on. >> Uh with that said, moving on to number nine. Receive the Williams report for first quarter 2526 July through September 2025. Um here again it's just to make sure that the district is fully um has all the um help me my voice and my mind are gone just all the like the hardware books and things like that that we need to run the district correctly. Correct. >> Uh yeah so thank you. Yes on a quarterly basis we are required to

183submit a Williams report to the San Diego County Office of Education and to our board. Um, as you were discussing or saying, uh, it's designed to identify any complaints under the Williams settlement regarding instructional materials, facilities, teacher vacancy, and misassignment. I'm happy to report we did not receive any complaints. >> Great. And we're voting on this >> information only. Very good. We'll move into section H, business services division. Item number one was approved on consent. Item two was on consent. three, four, five, and six were all on consent. So, I guess uh currently for um Amanda, we don't have anything. Um while we are on that topic, though, there was I did receive a phone call and maybe you could check into this for me. I guess there's a um theater group that meets at

184Kit Carson Park and that theater group is being booted out by the city. I'm not sure why. And they're looking for a space for the theater group to meet. And so what like who would be the best contact at the district here to reach out to by that district to see if we have any extra space or time? >> They actually don't need to reach out to anybody. They can go on um our website facilitron and they can look at all the theaters for all the schools and find whichever one um meets their needs and what available dates. But if they really do want a person, um, Jose in our risk management, he's overseas facilities. So, but again, our website under risk management, facility use is where they would go. >> uhd.org, >> Risk management.

185Facilitron. >> Use. Yeah. And they'll find facilitron there. >> Okay. Facility use. Facilitron. Great. All right. Well, good. One more thing. People are being replaced by. All right. So then we're going to move on to um I district operations and we're going to be um by student board members. Thank you so much for coming. Appreciate all your time. And uh so the first one is adopt recommended revisions in board bylaw 19 I'm sorry 9100. Um and board bylaw revisions are being recommended as requested by the board of education prior to the board meeting. uh BB 9100 is a before I ask for the motion to Okay, thank you very much. All right, so then the first speaker will be Liz and Sherlock. There we go. Welcome back. >> Thank you. Good to be here. Right.

186Good evening, board president Waller, uh, Superintendent Peterson, members of of the board and cabinet. Uh, my name is Liz Shulock. I come to speak in support of the order rotation policy um, that's been in use since 1994. I've lived in Escanido for 20 years. I've had at least one kid at Delago Academy since 2021 and will continue to have at least one there till 2030. Uh, EU USD, the elementary district, also uses a rotation policy. Uh, so I only learned two years ago that that wasn't the norm in other school boards. So for a board made of nonpartisan positions, I think the rotation makes sense. I think it's fair giving everyone a chance to serve as board president and acquire the experience that comes from that role. I think it creates a stronger and more

187cohesive team when everyone takes a turn in each position. I think voting on each other's roles each year will create a division in the board that you've avoided by having a level playing field. As a voter in the district, since we've moved away from at large voting, I only get to vote for a single representative on the board. And I believe that my representative should have an equal chance at serving as board president as everybody else's representative. The only reason I can see to change how board officers are chosen is to prevent some members from serving as board president. I think that's unfair to the voters who have chosen the representative. If there's some level of tenets that you think is required to serve as board president, please write it into your bylaws. I think

188those concerns are valid, but I urge you to please keep the rotation policy in place and continue to allow each board member to serve in all roles on the board. Thank you. >> Thank you. And then TJ Muer. Oh, yes, I got it right. Mer. >> Sorry, it's TJ Muser actually. >> Okay, >> we're close, but >> we're I'll get there. >> Uh, good evening, trustees. I'm TJ Muser and the current bylaw 9100 on organization with its rotation policy in my view is actually one of the fairest and most transparent government's models in the region as far as school boards are concerned. Uh it ensures that every trustee regardless of political alignment or popularity has the opportunity to serve as either president or an officer in turn. The system prevents factional infighting and power concentration

189and it keeps the focus where it belongs on the students and not on internal board politics. It helps promote teamwork, equity, and stability. And every trustee knows that their time will come. No one ends up having to campaign or curry favor for a title. The proposed revision would replace this proven system with an open election model and that invites favoritism, backroom deals, and instability. Instead of unity, it'll create incentive for division. And instead of fairness, it will create winners and losers. And instead of predictability, it creates confusion because the new language, if you actually take a closer look at it, is pretty vague, incomplete, and it lacks the clarity of the current policy. This is more of a roll back than anything else. It removes details without replacing them and it leaves key questions unanswered.

190These are rhetorical for you, but such as what's the process for nominations? What happens in the event of a tie and who presides over the vote if the current president is a candidate? How will equity and rotation be ensured going forward is another one. The current model where each member moves through the offices in turn is a model that should actually be uplifted across the state. In my view, it reflects fairness, collaboration, and respect for democratic governance and the very values that public education depends on. I'm here to ask you to not adopt this change and to keep the rotational leadership structure in place. It's a system that works and one that other school districts should aspire to. Thank you. >> Thank you. And the final speaker will be the esteemed Mr. Sova Cole. After

191two and a half years, I think I got it. Sova Cole. >> All right. I'm going to start with the question I asked last month that I don't think was answered. What problem are we attempting to solve with this change? And that's a question I ask the district at the bargaining table when they pass across things that I wonder why are they proposing this and I ask them and you can ask them that to check what problem are we attempting to solve? Because if we're affecting change without attempting to solve a problem, there's a good chance that in the disguise of solving problems, we're creating problems. And anyone who's watched the last couple board meetings and who's now listening now and looking at the board and looking at them wanting to change how they elect

192their president might think that there's some reasons that aren't valid to the public for why we might want this change. And so at least Mr. Vincent, wherever you're at, if you're still there, the man behind the curtain, Wizard of Oz, you represent me on this board in TA5. And so I'm asking you humbly, kindly, please vote no on this change because no one has brought any evidence to the public that there's a problem that we need to fix with this new board policy or revision to the bylaw. So please, all of you, especially Mr. Vincent, since you represent me, m Miss Knight, Miss Durnney, Mr. Williams, Mr. Weller, although I think I know how you're going to vote, please vote no on this change. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mike, very much. All right. So,

193uh, from here, I need a motion so we can discuss it. Please. >> Um, I'll make a motion to approve >> and a second. I'll second it. And now we can discuss the uh the bylaw change. Um David, just want to make sure you're still there, correct? >> Yeah, it's like uh 1:45 here. >> Okay. Well, you're we're here till 2, so >> that's fine. I I I have a lot to say about this, so let's >> Would you like to start? Why don't you start then? >> No, no, I'm not going to start. We follow the sequence. >> Okay. Um, board member night, if you would like or whoever, >> sure, >> I'll begin the sequence. Um, last month I did express some comments. Um, and I don't need to reiterate them. I will

194be supporting this item. I absolutely respect your comments and your your um position on this um all three of you. And for anyone else that may disagree with my vote today, I apologize if I've let you down in any way, but I feel very strongly about this vote and I will be supporting this change. I would um like to see um no board member serve more than two consecutive years in the same office. So, I would like to see that number added in as no board member shall serve more than two consecutive years in in the same office. What? Unless it's member, of course, because you know, but I'm assuming those positions are considered president, vice president >> as far as the two-year >> clerk >> and clerk. Okay. >> As the maker of the

195motion, you want to uh >> Yes. As the maker of the motion, I would I would um >> amend it. Amend the policy at I would like to see the policy adopted as written to include no board member shall serve more than two consecutive years in the same office. >> Very good. >> As the seconder, I think you do need to >> second. Yep. >> All right. Trusty Durnney. >> What about Trusty Vincent? He's next. Uh okay. Trusty Vincent. Is there is there does there have to be a rotation? >> No. >> In terms of how we talk about it. >> You can you can go next. >> Well, I I I think you all know how I feel about this. I believe that I've I've always admired the policy that we do have because

196as we've already heard, it creates an element of fairness. I don't think we need any additional um factions created, backroom deals, potential of favors, as uh Mr. Muser explained to us. I believe all of those changing the policy to to have each other vote on ourselves and our leadership just creates that additional element of potential distrust within the team. I don't I don't like the need to add any additional reasons for distrust because there's no need for it. And I believe while we are all elected to support our own um specific districts and and areas, I believe that we are a team, right? Whether it's the five of us and the the rest of the cabinet to go with it. And so I believe supporting the team is extremely important and developing each other and

197giving everybody the opportunity to serve. Like I said last month, makes each of us think differently about the role that we serve. As I mentioned, I kind of went down the list. Bob, I believe you think differently about your role having sat in that seat. And Christie, having sat in it twice, right? I believe you probably think differently as well. And and the same here for for Carol, too. So I believe as a team and as an organization everybody should have that opportunity to uh to make themselves a better board member and to help lift the board itself. So those are uh those are my reasons. They haven't they haven't changed necessarily and I I do agree with all the the comments that have been shared whether it's uh today or um throughout the other

198throughout the last month in various ways. So those are my thoughts and thank you >> and what I was going to say I mean I would you know just two years ago we sat here as a group the four of us here we all agreed that this was the best policy two years ago Christie you agreed same with you Bob now all of a sudden I'm I'm concerned that you know if we switch to a different way of doing it you know maybe someone with an agenda or maybe an ego who wants to be president and wants to have control. Now all of a sudden now all of a sudden we're going to have a different board than what we've been doing in the past where things have been fair and we all sp share

199the responsibilities. So I'd hate to see someone take over the board. And even they'll let you do a two-year time limit. Hey, if you've got three board members who vote together, those two board members can be vice president and president for the next five or 10 years. you know, as long as they're here. That is not fair at all. What we've had has been working well for 30 years. It's been called the gold standard by many people. And there's a damn good reason for that. It works. And you know, people, it it it's fair and it gets rid of the politics out of this. And we are not supposed to be dealing with politics. We're dealing with education. We're dealing with students. Uh so yeah, I'm sticking with the old policy. That's so you all

200know where I'm at on that obviously. >> Thank you. Uh Trusty Vincent. >> Yeah, I I just want to start by saying there are two people on this board that are my mentor. Uh Trusty Gurnie and Knight. Trusty Gurnie, you are one of the main reasons I ran for this position because during one of the board meetings I attended. You were president at the time and somebody called you a racial slur WS word which I was floored to hear. However, you handled it that insult very professionally and I respect you for that. Trusty Knight, you were very knowledgeable and experienced. you always bring the receipts. Both of you are very experienced and I I'm always learning from both of you. You guys uh are my mentors as I mentioned and I appreciate everything that you

201do. I wanted I want to address the decision on whether to continue rotation from the board vice president and and clerk or move to a direct election. Well, first I have to say I'm generally still on the fence about this. My initial thoughts were to give the current board members an opportunity under the existing OP rotation. However, after reading a most recent article, I need to be clear. I will not allow narratives or political spins to influence my vote. The suggestion that pol politics or policy and discussions is preventing a particular member from serving is simply not true. I was on this I was on board dur I was not on this board during the 2023 voting to maintain the rotation process. One minute I was there, the next minute I wasn't. I was So,

202we all know that history. Uh, over the past year, this board has been systematically reviewing and updating our bylaws, many of which were written in the 1980s and the 1990s. That effort was uh been broad and thorough, covering dozens of policy. And yet, it's interesting that others are making this out of something else. It's important to our community to understand and discuss this isn't about personalities or identity. It's part of our ongoing work of aligning our policies with the best practice used by other districts across this country and state. Because of that, I will be voting in favor of holding an election of these leadership positions. And this is how democracy works. This decision about good governance and transparency and what's best for our students and our communities is not politics, not ideology, and certainly

203not media narratives. Finally, I want to make something else clear. I didn't run for this position position to seek a title. I served on this board as a parent, an educator, and a public health professional committed to doing what's right for students and the families across Escandido. My decisions and this is very clear why I want to do this. Okay? My decisions are guided by principles, not by pressure. And that's how I've always led and that's how I always want to lead. Regardless of tonight's outcome, I want to reconfirm my commitment to work in collaborative with every member of this board, our students and every member of the our students and community deserve a team that leads with respects, integrity, and unity of purpose. And that's all I have to say on that. >> Thank

204you, Member Vincent. I just want to clarify one thing and and possibly throw out a correction here in that this item was not brought about by a regular update to bring things up to code. Um we have been doing quite a bit of that, but that was not why 9100 was brought up. >> That's correct. This was actually a request by the board president to make the change, not a routine change. Correct. Plus, the changes we've been making have been to make corrections to and bring things in line with things. The current method we have is one of the two that CSBA says is acceptable. So, this is not changing and bringing it into line. This is making a change for a personal reason in my opinion because I've got a person who was here

205two years ago and said this is fine and now two years later says I want to be in charge again. >> Sounds good. I'm going to call uh the role for the vote. If you're in favor of the change, say I. And if you're opposed, say nay. Uh board member Knight >> I. >> Board member Vincent >> I. Board member Durnney, >> nay. >> Board member Williams, >> nay. >> And board member Weller is I uh that bo that uh uh passes. And so we'll now move on to the next um bylaw uh board adoption here. Item number two, adopt recommended revisions in board bylaws 9140. And this is recommended on changes in state law and recommendation from the California Boards Association Board Representatives. Um, superintendent, do you want to kind of give a little

206bit of a >> Yes. This particular bylaw was adopted by the board on March 15th, 1994 and hasn't been reviewed since then. Um, I frankly don't understand the existing language. it seems to have nothing to do with board representatives in the sense that every other district in the county has for this particular item. Um so uh what I put in is the CSBA recommended language which is in line with the rest of the school districts in the county. Um, and it primarily covers how we appoint board members to serve on other types of committees like the the city council uh education subcommittee for instance. Um, this would kind of govern how we select board members to serve on that a board representatives. >> All right. Thank you. Can I get a motion so we can

207discuss this please? >> So moved. >> Second. Thank you. Any comments? >> Um, I could give just a general example of another instance where this may come into play. Um, I currently serve on the board for Escanido Education Compact. I love serving on that board. Um, however, if one of you ever wanted to serve on the board on that board, you could you could imply, you know, apply this bylaw 9140 to then appoint an individual, let's say, to serve um as a member of the Eskanito Education Compact Board. That's really the only one that I am aware of um where we have like a seat on a board as as a school board. So that's the one example I can think of. >> Very good. >> Uh we do uh we do have a me

208it's not a school board member though. Actually forget it. >> No >> I was going to say something else but different subject. >> Okay. >> Any other comments? All right. Going to call the roll vote. And here again I to approve and nay to uh not approve. So board member Knight >> I. Board member Vincent >> I. >> Board member Durnney >> I. >> Board member Williams >> I. >> And Weller is an I. Moving to item number three. Adopt recommended revisions in board bylaw 9222. Superintendent board bylaw revisions. Let's see. This one relates to resignation. Would you like to summarize? >> Board last reviewed this one in 2019. Uh so we are just bringing forward suggested changes in the wording and language um suggestions by the California School Boards Association. >> Very good. Uh

209a motion so we can discuss please. >> So moved. >> A second. >> I'll second. All right. Any discussion on this? I guess I should read it closely because I'm sure there's many people that want me to resign. However, I'm in favor of amending this. So, unless there's any further discussion, I'll call the vote. And if you're in favor of this, you are I. And if you're opposed, you're nay. So, uh, board member Knight >> I. >> Board member Vincent >> I. >> Board member Durnney >> I. >> Board member Williams. >> Hi. >> And board member Weller is an I. So, that passes. And let's see here. Moving down to number four, adopt recommended revisions in board bylaw 9223. And here again, filling vacancies. Yes, this board bylaw was last reviewed um adopted and

210reviewed by the board in 2010. And since the since that time, there have been numerous changes in the law, the government code and the ed code regarding what constitutes a vacancy on a school board. And uh there's also been numerous changes with regard to the methodologies by which a board can go about filling a vacancy. Um so this uh this is updating the policy simply to be in line with the law. Very good. Uh can I get a motion to approve? >> So moved. >> Yeah. >> Second. >> Thank you. Uh any discussion? No discussion. I'll call the role. Uh all in or sorry uh board member Knight >> I. >> Thank you. Uh board member Vincent >> I. >> Board member Durnney >> I. >> Board member Williams >> I. >> And board member

211Weller is an I. So that passes. Thank you for doing that superintendent. And then number five adopt recommended revisions in board bylaw 9324 and regarding minutes and recordings. Superintendent. >> Yes. This bylaw was originally adopted on in 2009 and has not been reviewed since then. Uh the way we record minutes has changed over the time, especially with audio and video and everything else. And there's also been some changes in the the law and changes in CSBA's recommendations for how we go about maintaining the minutes and recordings of our meetings. Mhm. So, >> this is just bringing us up to date with the law and CSBA recommendations. >> Okay. Thank you. Can I get a motion, please? >> I'll move to approve. >> Second. >> Any discussion? All right. Uh, board member Knight, how do you

212vote? >> I. >> Vincent >> I. >> Ernie. >> I. >> Williams. >> Hi. >> And then Weller is an I. That also is approved and carries. And it looks like we come to board member reports and comments. >> We have a first reading. Uh number six, >> sorry, I missed that one. Thank you. >> Uh first reading of recommended revisions and administrative regulation 5131.6 education services. Superintendent is that you or >> I can take that one. >> Okay. Dr. C. The first read to coincide with red ribbon week resolution reflects recommended changes from CSBA to drug and alcohol prevention and intervention measures taken by the district. Also updates that code. >> Thank you so much. So it is a first read so there is no vote. Uh any discussion anybody would like to have

213on this? >> Bless you. >> Dr. Kasus, can you can you uh repeat what you said about the the red ribbon ribbon? >> It's so hard to say. >> Red burbon. >> Say that three times real fast. >> Is there any relation to that or is it >> No, it's just a coincidence. Just a coincidence, that's all. >> That's what That's what I just wanted to clarify. >> It's thematically consistent. Good time to bring it. >> So, it looks like it's tied to safety code 11032. That's a uh health and safety code. That's um is that a department of education or a state? >> There's several things. One of the main components is that it requires that drug, alcohol, and other um illegal narcotics and the dangers of those are formally covered in the health

214curriculum, which we already do in our curriculum. >> Okay, great. Thank you. Any other comments? All right, with that said, we are now down to board member reports. Uh, David, since it's late, do you want to go first or should I have board member Knight go first? >> No, I'll go first. Uh, I just want to make a couple of, >> you know, I I typically read it quite frequently um on our district and how well we perform in that. And I am proud to share that Escandido Union High School District has ranked among the top 10 school districts in San Diego in the NICH 2026 best schools and district report. This honor reflects incredible work by our teachers, staff, cabinets, and students and support of our community. Uh we're proud of this milestone and

215we're not going to stop there. We're going to continue with the board to push Escandido High to number one. So I'm very proud of that. Secondly, I want to just say that I I just when I ran for this position, I had no intention whatsoever of titles. That's not important to me. I want to make that perfectly clear. Uh titles to me doesn't mean anything. What important to me is that we do the best we possibly can as board members to ensure and enhance our educational system, support our teachers, support our students, and support our community. That's all is important to me. So any of these titles I do not care about. It doesn't matter to me. It's not important to me. That's what I'm going to say. and thank you so much. >> Uh,

216>> and good night. I'm going to fall asleep. >> Hey, night David. Um, board member night. >> Um, I know it's late, so I'll keep it short, but thank you to those that are still in attendance as always and those listening online. Um, it was a good we had a large turnout this evening. Um, I was pleased to see Alta Schools uh, and hearing from the students. um having approved that charter many years ago and not having them come back before us until now. Um and you you know it's leaves you with a lot of questions but I am really pleased with their their work. Um other than that really enjoy having a high school student. It's been fun to actually be on our campuses a little bit more and attend some of the sports

217thing events and all of that. So, I just look forward to being an involved parent. So, with that, um, thank you and see you all next month. >> Thank you, uh, board member Durnney. >> Sure. Uh, well, we're all back to school now. Uh, and I'm happy to be back on campuses. Uh, we were I visited Orange Glenn for the Patriot Cafe this month and, uh, we went to back to school nights. Uh, I was at Orange Glenn Valley, uh, San Pasqual, Delago, Escandido Adult School. The only one I missed was Escandido High. So, sorry guys. I'll be there next year. Uh, and then I just want to tell everyone, which I know John's going to tell us, but Pumpkin Fest is this weekend. >> Yes, >> that's my report. >> I'd say I'd say

218on uh on my side again, just another congrats to all the the alt students who got up and gave their presentations. really appreciate all the the hard work that they did in prepping for that and and again as I said before the the uh the memory and the learning from from actually learn coming and making a difference similar to this to the students who uh came I believe it was last month about the the act program for San Pasqual. So I really appreciate seeing the great things that our students can do and are able to achieve because they can do those great things and I love being able to be a small part of of watching them do that. So, with that, it's late and I will uh I will pass it on. >> Uh

219thank you. Uh just want to thank the um boarding cabinet for all your guys hard work. You know, I really do see the ship turning in the last couple years. I've noticed that, you know, everybody has come out of like the COVID hangover which was devastating to all of us and our kids. And I see kids healing uh mentally and just performing better in school. And Dr. Kasus, you had the um very difficult uh situation of getting in that position and co hit and you know schools were effectively closed in California for two years and you know it was very difficult. So thank you for sticking with it and making the turn. I I do see good things going forward. The only thing I would leave it with is it looks like our one little

220deis didn't make it. No one wanted to use well the presentation did. So, we'll see if we bring it back uh next month. But outside of that, it's an honor to serve as your president. All right. To you, Mr. Superintendent. Thank you. Uh last month, I had the privilege of participating in the Grape Day 5K alongside team EUHSD. Was inspiring to see so many of our students, staff, and board members come together for this community event. The enthusiasm and teamwork on display truly reflected the strong spirit of unity that defines our district. As of last week, as U member Durnney mentioned, all of our school sites successfully hosted their back- tochool night events. Each one was well attended and provided families with valuable opportunities to connect with teachers and staff as we embarked on a

221new academic year. I want to extend my sincere appreciation to our board members and cabinet who joined me in visiting campuses and engaging with families during these important evenings. As we move further into the fall, I encourage everyone to keep an eye out for the many annual school and community events happening across the district, such as the pumpkin fest this Saturday at Eskano High School. These gatherings provide wonderful opportunities to celebrate student achievement, nurture school pride, and strengthen our partnerships with the broader Escandido community. This week, we recognize the week of the school administrator. want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of our administrators for their leadership, dedication, and unwavering commitment to supporting our students, staff, and families each and every day. Your work truly makes a lasting impact. And

222finally, I want to offer my congratulations once again to our summer graduates being honored this evening. We are immensely proud of their accomplishments and wish them continued success and all that lies ahead. Thank you. All right. So then, all right. Dates to remember November 7th, end of the grading period. Um, also on November 11th, Val or Veterans Day, all school and DSC is closed. November 18th, 2025, regular board meeting of the board of education. Close session starts at 5, open at 6, and we'll be right back here. And I don't know if there's any remaining public comments. There are none. However, we do need to return to close session. So, after close session, we will report back out here. But the audience, you're free to go. And thanks for attending tonight.