001This is the Oh, >> there we go. >> This is the time at which we elect um our new president and vice president of the board. And that's why I begin presiding over the meeting until the election of a new president. So, we are going to begin with the pledge of allegiance led by student board representative Christy Gatichu. And I'm going to ask you all to remain standing after the pledge so that we can have our moment of silence. >> Please stand. >> Put your right hand over your heart. Ready? Begin. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We are saddened to hear of the passing of Walton Intermediate Teacher, Shaun
002Steinley. Sean Steinley began his work with the district in 1991 as a substitute teacher before officially joining the GGUSD family as a PE teacher at Jordan Intermediate in 1996. In 2018, he brought his passion for physical education and wellness to Walton Intermediate, where he remained until his passing. Throughout his career, Shawn dedicated himself to helping young people discover confidence, joy, and belonging through physical activity. In addition to his work in the classroom, he coached cross country, swimming, and water polo at Bulsa Grande High School. Before entering the teaching profession, Shawn served as a lifeguard on our local beaches, a reflection of his lifelong connection to movement, health, and service. Outside of work, he was an avid 49ers fan and enjoyed traveling to barbecue competitions where he proudly served as a judge. We extend our deepest
003condolences to the family and friends of Sean Steinley. Thank you. Please be seated. I see we have some students here and students who are here for their civics class. We will have you get Yes, they're waving uh your signatures at the end of the meeting. So, we will begin our organizational meeting before I have to hand over the gavvel. I'm a little power hungry. I just get to do it once a year. Um, and we will start. I will ask the board for um nominations for the role of president of the board. >> Yes. Uh, trustee Walter like to nominate trustee Bob Harden for the role of presidency. >> I have Scott. Second it. >> Are there any other nominations? No. Hearing none, I will ask Miss Nishikawa to call for the vote. >> Student
004Representative Christy Getu. >> Abstain. >> Trusty Dina Win. >> Yes. >> Trusty Walter Munyone. >> Hi. >> Trusty Terry Roco. >> Hi. >> Trusty Bob Harden. >> Okay. [laughter] >> Trusty Lenwin. >> Hi. >> Thank you. Now, in order to um facilitate um we are going to be moving u Mr. Harden into his place and um we also will have Mr. Harden to um nominate for the vice president for so for now we will just have a a temporary switch until we see if we have to switch anymore. Now I have to hand over the cap. [snorts] Hey So, thank you to my fellow board members. Next up is nominations for the vice president. Do I hear any nominations? >> Like to nominate trustee London Win for position of vice president. >> Second the motion.
005>> Any other motion? Any other nominations? >> Call the vote. >> Student Representative Christy get >> abstain. Trusty Dina Win. >> Yes. >> Trusty Walter Mun. >> Hi. >> Trusty Terry Roco. >> Hi. >> Trusty Lenwin. >> Yes. >> Chairperson Bob Hartin. >> Next is approval of a committee assignment in accordance with ED code section 35023. Each governing board must select a representative for the purpose of nominating members to the county committee on school district organization. Elections are held annually. have any volunteers? >> Um, I had it this year, but um, if anybody else wants it, you can have it, but if not, I'll be happy to carry on another year. >> Make a motion to nominate Terry to remain on the board. >> I'll second that. I don't hear any other nominations. Let's call
006>> student representative Christy Gichu >> abstain. >> Trusty Dina win. >> Yes. >> Trusty Walter Mun. >> Hi. >> Terry Roco. >> Hi. >> Trusty Lenwin. >> Yes. >> Chairperson Bob Hartin. >> Hi. >> Okay. Next up is the establishment of date, time, and place of regular meetings. Um, our meetings are already scheduled through June of 2026. Uh, and in the agenda, we have a list of of suggested dates for the 2627 school year. Um, do I have a motion to approve these dates? >> I have a uh a question before the motion if that's okay. >> Okay. uh for the um board meeting in the month of November 2026. Um can you let me know what date that would be? >> Okay. >> It won't interfere. We made a note moving forward that we
007won't um hold the board meeting on election night. It's challenging, >> right? >> Okay. And we have a list of dates and I'm not going to read them all, but the meetings are at the general meeting is at are at 7 PM here in the boardroom and we often hold close session or steady sessions next door beginning as early as 5:00. Do I have a motion to approve schedule? >> A motion. Seconded. >> Student representative Christ abstain. >> Trusty Dina win. >> Yes. Trusty Walter Mun. >> Hi. >> Trusty Terry Roco. >> Hi. >> Trusty Lenwin. >> Hi. >> Chairperson Bob Hart. >> Hi. >> Next up is delegate assembly appointment. California School Boards Association bylaws state the districts with more than 35,000 ADA shall be provided two delegate seats on the CSBA delegate assembly.
008Terry and L are currently serving in those two positions uh with Trustee Lenwin's term of office expiring on March 31st of 2026. So, we need to send a letter to CSBA prior to the 15th of March designating who will represent the district in this position during the 2026 through 28 term of office. No one volunteer. I like to continue to serve on a delegate assembly on behalf of the district. a motion for uh trustee Terry Roco and vice president Linda Win to continue to serve in that role. >> Yeah, I have another year. So, >> okay, perfect. >> I'll second the motion. >> Okay, it's been moved and seconded. Can we please call >> student representative Christy Gatichu >> abstain? Trusty Dina win. >> Yes. Trusty Walter Wington. Hi. >> Trusty Terry Roco. Hi. >>
009Trusty Len W. Hi. Chairperson Bob Harden. Hi. So that takes care of the organizational meeting. Okay. So at this point, I'd like to call forward uh Jason Bvakqua, this assistant superintendent of personnel services for our December employees of the month. >> Thank you. Uh good evening board president Bob Harden, uh board of education trustees, Dr. Mafi, staff and community. Uh I am pleased to recognize our December employees of the month. As you know, our district is filled with amazing employees, but these three definitely stand out. Uh we typically only have two, so this is great that we have three. Uh GGSD's employee of the month program is designed to recognize employees who put others first, go above and beyond to make a difference in their role, carry out each day with a positive attitude, strong
010work ethic, and demonstrate innovation, leadership, and passion for their job. >> [clears throat and cough] >> I'm excited to announce that our classified employee of the month is Anna Monica Mendoza. She's the guidance counselor at RSON. So, congratulations, Santa. [applause] Yes, she joined the district in 2022 serving as a school office clerk one at Rston Intermediate. She was nominated for this recognition by staff who have seen the tremendous impact she has made in supporting students, staff, and families. She is described as extremely bright, hardworking, and a leader who takes initiative wherever is needed. Anna is uh valued by both students and staff for the way she fosters a warm and welcome environment, making all students and families feel cared for. She provides tremendous support to the school counselor and is always looking for ways to
011streamline task and provide greater support to the Rson community. Anna provides outstanding customer service and carries out the Garden Grove way each and every day. Congratulations. [applause] Now on to our certificated employees of the month. This time we have Karen Copelan and Susie Sakura from uh both teachers at Northcut. Yes. [applause] >> [applause] >> And I'm sure you'll get the theme, but they uh are definitely a dynamic duo. Uh sixth grade Northcut elementary teachers. Um uh Karen uh joined the district in 20 2000 and Susie in 1996 and they both began at Northcut and have taught nearly every grade level. Both always compliment uh are committed to help encourage and support their students in their funny and loving way. >> [snorts] >> Um, she has not only changed uh, one statement was, "She's not only
012changed my life, but plenty of others by combining education and fun in her classroom." Another student expressed his gratitude, recalling how he didn't meet his accelerated reading goal, and Mrs. Copeland introduced him to Books to Read to eventually meet his goal. In Miss Sakura's nomination, a student said, "I nominated Miss Sakura because she's one of the nicest teachers. She's is very understanding and always encourages us to do our best." Another student shared that during the pandemic, Miss Sakura delivered sixth grade graduation reports to each student's house on her own time, showing her dedication and commitment to caring for students. Congratulations to um Anna, Karen, Susie who have joined who are joined by family and friends and their colleagues from their respective schools. We'll now uh watch a quick video to spotlight all the great things
013these exemplary employees do in action. After the video, we'll we'll take some pictures with the board. It's a great honor to have been named [music] December's employee of the month. I am truly grateful for this recognition. I also want to thank those [music] who nominated me. I feel extremely fortunate to have worked with such a great team here at Rosson as their [music] guidance clerk for the past three years. We all work together to help our students succeed and I am thankful to be part of that [music] mission. One of my favorite parts of my job is helping students and their [music] families. This job is incredibly fulfilling and I am happy to be able to give back to our [music] families every day. Anna is an amazing employee at Rston. She is calm, [music]
014she's friendly, and she is welcoming to everyone on campus. She's very approachable. She's also [music] hardworking and understands what teamwork is. Miss Monaco is amazing. I get to work alongside her since [music] I'm the office TA. Back in my elementary school, it was kind of scary to go into the office, but it wasn't like that when I came to Rston. Miss Monaco, she isn't just an office lady. [music] She's also an inspiring soul. Every morning when I enter the office, I'm welcomed with her [music] friendly smile. She's an adult who truly cares. Always asking me how my day is and making sure I feel [music] welcome in the office. I witness her kindness and action as she helps Spanish speaking parents by translating for them. She even decorates [music] the office, keeps it up to
015date, makes sure that it's a calm and welcoming space for our Rston [music] scholars. Our school is lucky to have her in the Rston family. From the moment Anna became a part of our Rston team, she has been such an asset. She's creative, confident, [music] task oriented, takes initiative, and is always looking for ways to streamline things. Anna has become [music] quite the expert in her guidance clerk role here at Rston, which provides great support to the school counselor. In addition, her calm [music] approach to interactions with parents, students, and staff is more than welcoming. Anna is more than deserving of this honor of GUSD classified [music] employee of the month. We are more than happy for her. Way to go, Anna. >> Thank you, GGSD, for the team recognition. Well, growing up in the
016Midwest, [music] I loved um school. I loved going to school. Uh my and I knew my teachers loved teaching. I would ride the bus to school. [music] I would enjoy uh homework and all my friends and [music] and my teachers would teach till they were almost 80, it seemed as a kid. So I know that school was important to them [music] and they inspired me to be a teacher. However, I spent a year in Vette and I knew that wasn't for me because uh it was a path I didn't want [music] to go down. So I chose to quit that and aspire to be a teacher. Came out here to California and this is where [music] I landed. And I love teaching. These kids are amazing. I've been doing it for 25 years [music] and
017they really inspire me to be a better person. [music] I think that they really need us. We're their parents six hours out of the day. I mean, I think that we um they look up to us. Well, with that, I'm super happy and very honored and humbled [music] to be chosen for this uh this award and never expected it, but we'll take it with [music] gratitude and appreciate the the nomination and the uh the award. So, thank [music] you very much. Thank you so much. I'm deeply honored to receive this recognition. As a proud product of this district, I feel like a dream come true to give [music] back to the same community that has given me so much. I feel fortunate to be among the most dedicated educators in such an outstanding district. [music]
018Every day, it is a blessing to open my classroom door to what I call my students second home. The Northcut Bulldog community has been my home for over 29 [music] years, and it is truly a special place. From our incredibly hardworking staff and supportive families [music] to our star students, I count you all among my blessings. What I enjoy most about teaching is the [music] opportunity to foster a love for learning. I tell my students that the most powerful tool I can give them is an education. No one can take that away. Teaching sixth grade is amazing. It's truly a hidden gem. The opportunity to work with my fabulous teaching partner Karen [music] to prepare our students for intermediate school using AVID strategies and to support our CCMP mentors is truly all [music] inspiring. Thanks
019again GGSD and my incredible colleagues past and present for your friendship inspiration. I want to take a [music] moment to thank my dad for teaching me the value of hard work and my mom, I know you're listening, for instilling in me the importance of loving what I do and doing it with love. It is my [music] honor and privilege to be able to speak about Mrs. Copeland. Everything she does, she does with passion and dedication for [music] the students. She fosters student leadership through student council. She plans [music] schoolwide events to enhance our community at Northcut. and she works tirelessly on the yearbook for many hours [music] just to have a beautiful product for the students to keep so they can [music] cherish their memories for years to come. I've seen her pause her personal
020life [music] to meet with students and families in crisis. She truly goes above and beyond and I [music] am so happy that she has a chance to get this recognition that she deserves so well. I have been so fortunate to have Susie as my teaching partner in many grade levels. I've worked with her in second grade, [music] third grade, and sixth grade. I'm blessed to have had her as a co-orker. Not only does she create engaging lessons and projects, she goes above and beyond in making each child feel special and to ensure that they learn. One of my favorite things about Susie is the way she is able to create bonds with her students and their families that last well beyond their elementary school years. [music] She truly cares about all the families that she
021works with and it shows. Congrats again, Susie. I couldn't think of anyone who is more deserving of this honor. Garden [music] Grove students, staff, and families are all so lucky to have you. I'm so [music] proud of you. I'm a former student of Miss Aora. Um, I also had the pleasure of working with her for three years during the CCMP [music] program. It was because of her I found the courage to join CMP to be student body president when I was sixth grade and even to make [music] friends in second and third grade. Um she actually showed me that I could read. I was [music] smart cuz I came from outside of the school district and I'm always so grateful to have had her in my life and to continue to guide me. Um, I
022never would have thought that [music] I would go into teaching, but after the past three years and now actually into my fourth year of doing [music] CCMP, I have found such like a deep love for teaching that I'm working on becoming a future teacher here at GTUSD. [applause] >> We're going to take a few pictures. More space. Is that good? One, two, [applause] >> [laughter] >> I'm supposed to get Come together. One at a time. You can push the chairs back. >> Oh, she said you can push the chairs back. >> Do you want to push the chair back? Sure. >> We got >> I'm right behind. >> Can you see? >> There's the Hi guys. >> Are we good? >> She's on her tippy toes. >> [laughter] >> Is that [applause] right? A lot
023of people at the right time. This is me. I think we lost them. You don't like lemon. I know. Okay. >> All right. >> If we could go ahead and and get folks seated. We may need to close the door in the back and open the one in front. >> Students, go ahead and have a seat anywhere. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Cabinet's coming in. Okay. >> [laughter] >> All right. All right. Let's go ahead and uh get back to business here. Um, the next item on our agenda is public comments. And and I want to start tonight by acknowledging the fact that we have a very special guest in the room, uh, State Assembly Member Tree. And, assemblyman, we'd like to call you come forward at this time. >> [applause] >> Good afternoon, uh, President
024Harden and all and all the board members. I'm so honored to be here. On behalf of myself and Senator Tony Strickland, uh, we here, uh, and we also have the resolution to honor and recognize uh, the Garden Road School District for 60 years anniversary. And I want to uh extend my gratitude uh to recognize all the board member for uh for the leadership and want to thanks uh our superintendent for for her excellent excellent dedication. My office have an honor to uh work with uh the school district for for the last few years and I really enjoy the partnership. I want to thanks all the teacher of the district for for their dedication. Uh I'm so happy with the achievement of the district. The district received award from the federal and from the state that
025make a real difference for our community. So on behalf of uh California State Assembly, on behalf myself and Senator Tony Strickland, I have the resolution from the state uh to extend our appreciation to your leadership and to the district for 60 years anniversary. Thank you. [applause] Thank you. Thank you so much for obviously we will be celebrating through over the next several months um this achievement our 60th anniversary and want to thank you um for your support. Also want you to please pass on to Senator Strickland our thanks for his support and your help in getting the celebrations jump started. >> Thank you. How are you? >> [laughter] >> Yeah, just some last words. U my name is Zachariah here on behalf of State Senator Tony Strickland. Um I know this was a great honor
026for both of our bosses. Um you know, Assembly Member Treat and my boss as well to jo to join in on the 60th uh anniversary recognition for Garden Grove Unified. It seems as though every single time that you know the state or the federal government or even the county comes out with their top schools, top school districts, Garden Grove is always at the top. So, you guys are outstanding and we know that anytime that we can uh rely on our school districts, we definitely can rely on Garden Grove. That's for sure. You guys have an incredible superintendent, an incredible board, an incredible PIO that I know that I can reach out at any time. Um, and all that good stuff. So, you guys are creating students of our future. Um, they are our future and
027you guys are investing in them well. So, we just want to thank you on behalf of Senator Tony Strickland. Um, yeah, and the resolution was already given. So, there's that. >> All right. [applause] We have three additional members of the public who would like to address the board tonight. Uh, you have three minutes. And the first person I'd like to call forward is Char Charlene Quayar. Oh, let me open my notes. Thank you. Good evening, President Harden, right? [laughter] uh Superintendent MafI and trustees and my community and the civics class from Pacifica High School. Welcome. My name is Charlene Quayar and I am the immediate past president of our Garden Grove Unified Council of PTAs and I am the current legislative advocacy chair for the Garden Grove Unified Council of PTAs. And after four years,
028I could say it the whole way now. I know how to say it. PTA started with me for me um when my our kindergarten or our kindergarten's teacher, Mrs. Larkin, asked if I could help with the school's PTA. And I said yes. And my daughter is now in fifth grade. And so am I. I'm in the fifth grade of PTA. And this is my fifth year. And the time I've been um volunteering and serving our community in public service in this way has been such an incredible honor to work with all of you. And I want to say thank you to Dr. Mafy and to all of our esteemed trustees and even Tanishi for and and everyone here who has welcomed me in their schools and in their meetings and um it's just been a
029real honor and pleasure to work alongside you. Um, for me, my passion is with parents and in leadership and that will continue always. I'll always support independent leaders. And if you're not already a member of PTA, what are you waiting for? You can December, become a member. [laughter] Um, my passion for supporting parent leadership and strengthening family engagement, uh, really extends into all of the things and initiatives that I am bringing forward to the advocacy committee. And those things reach out throughout Garden Grove Council and units and an act in an attempt to unify all 28 of our units and beyond. We have PTAs at all of our trustee areas along with our um working together. And our goal in these initiatives are to strengthen our community bonds and to also highlight the great resources
030we have already going on with our district and the senator's um representative is correct. It is the best district and I'm so happy to be a part of it and congratulations on all of your awards in 60 years. So, um, and I also want to be on the memo next time when I need to know that to wear red, please, because I love to match and theme. And thank you all so much. Happy holidays. And it's going to be a fantastic year with legislative advocacy for PTA. And I'll be going to Sacramento in February. Go PTA and go Argos. [laughter] Thank you. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Next up is Lori Simpson. Good evening. Uh my name is Lori Simpson. I am Homegrown Garden Grove Enders Bell and Pacifica. I currently teach culinary arts
031at Los Nikos High School and baking. Um I started at Rancho. I spent 10 years at Rancho and then made the decision to transfer to Los Amigos, which has turned out to be the best thing I ever did. Um, I'm able to commute on my bike every day. So, it's it's just fabulous. Um, I brought a student here this evening. His name is Albert. He started his culinary career at Santana High School. Um, he transferred to my school and his counselor called me in and said, "I have this kid. He really loves culinary. He really that's his passion, what he wants to do. So I immediately took him under my wing. Um I had him last year for baking. This year he is my TA in my first period. So he helps me every single
032day um mentor my other students. Um I had the pleasure of helping Albert get into our summer internship program. He had gotten the letter, but he didn't quite know what it was or what it entailed. I had taught summer internship for about 13 years. So I knew very well what it was. Um I had had students at Bracken's kitchen. So I specifically asked can you guys get Albert in Bracken's kitchen which he did. Um he is now forgot the name of the program. He's in um where he gets a job. They help him get a job. The workability I believe it's called. She was in my classroom helping other students and I said hey what about Albert? Um so we got Albert into Brackens. I asked her, "Please, can you go reach out to Bracken's
033Kitchen? Get Albert in Bracken's kitchen." So, he's doing that right now. But what's really fantastic, I did um a student study abroad last summer for three weeks. I got to go to Spain. And when I came back, I said, "You know what, Albert? Um I had an experience I think would be really great for you." So, I went home, asked his mom. She said, "No." And he said, "I'm going to ask her again." Came back the next day. He said, "Um, my mom's on board. I want to go to Japan. So, we have been fundraising. My family was able to give him his initial down payment of $1,000. I also took him to my Huntington Beach Elks Lodge where they gifted him $2,000. And Albert and I have been fundraising every day. And my son
034also owns a pizza shop. So, we had our non- studentent day the other day. My son donated pizza that the staff gave donations. We were able to come up with another $400 for Albert. So, he's just um been such a model student in my CTE program and has really utilized his resources and um just following his dream to be a chef. >> Okay. Thank you. [applause] >> And next up, we're gonna hear from Albert. Albert Aidia Lopez. Good evening. Hi, my name is Albert Ailio Lopez. I'm currently a senior at Los Migos High School. I started at my CC Cte path at Santa Ana High School as a freshman in culinary arts class. I I later transferred to Los Amigos where I entered Miss Simpson's professional baking class and I Sorry, I'm very nervous today.
035Uh, Mrs. noticed my passion in culinary arts and she saw my potential and and for my future career as a chef. At at the end of my junior year, she encouraged me to enroll in GGSD's summer internship program. She was an instruing me a summer intern position at Brackens Kitchen Garden Grove. And my time at Brackens's Kitchen taught me a lot of skills needed to be successful in professional kitchen. And this year as a senior I am Miss Simpson's aid in culinary class which allows me among my peers and continue my involved in the kitchen which I continue to thrive and most recently Miss Simpson introduced me another amazing opportunity offered by GGUSD the transition partnership program where she again was instrumental in making the connection with Brackens's kitchen where I currently working under this
036program with the guidance of Denise Ruse the program internator which Miss Simpson also mentored me into following my dreams and applying for a three-week summer arts and culture in Japan um in this upcoming summer. She walked me through this entire application progress and secure my spot for a generous donation from her husband and her herself. And she continued to assist me in fundraising all the needed help for my dream to become a chef. And and this program is going to go towards to my summer program in Japan. and my inspiration in the kitchen. Started off I was 10 years old and starting to get into because of my mom and starting to ask her and want to help out in the kitchen and special occasions she would take me to her job and show me
037around the kitchen in which start off building my encouragement for culinary arts. Thank you. [applause] Okay, that concludes on that uplifting note. Um, I would say we conclude the public comments for this evening. >> Um, no, I'm I'm sorry. Thank you. Um, next up is minutes from our last board meeting. The approval of the minutes. Minutes have been distributed to the board members. Any questions or comments? Let's call a vote. >> Student Representative Christy Gatichu. >> Yes. >> Trusty Dina Lynn. >> Yes. >> Trustee Walter Mun. >> Hi. Trusty Terry Roco. >> Hi. >> Trusty Lenwin. >> Hi. >> Chairperson Bob Hartin. >> Hi. >> Next up is public hearings. We have a public hearing scheduled to discuss uh the contract proposal from GGUSD uh to the supervisory unit. Uh, I'll call that public hearing
038to order. Is there anyone that's asked to address the board on that item? None. Then let's close it. Next up is presentations. And I believe it's Dr. Sanchez. >> Okay. Come on forward. Do you have sound? Okay, we're going to get started. Thank you for allowing us to have that second there. Good evening, board uh President Bob Harden. I had to change my notes on that one. Uh school [laughter] and school board trustee, Superintendent MafI, community and guests. We are excited to bring you an update on the progress of our community schools and next cohort of site recipients. As you know, we start everything with our district goals and all community school initiatives align to the GGSD strategic plan which reflects our three goals. Goal number one, the academic skills. Goal number two, personal skills.
039And goal number three, lifelong success. And just like we have three goals, community schools also have priority areas. So everything is aligned. All all community schools created goals that support priority one, integrated supports for learning and school and social emotional well-being. Priority two, which is schoolbased health and wellness. And priority three, family support and community resources. And as you can see from the slide, they're highlight they're colorcoded that and align to our district goals. So um we have a video for you. We want to share something really quick before Tanya uh our English learner director continues our presentation. And so enjoy >> community school and GGUSD is a place where everyone is treated fairly and everyone matters. It helps students express themselves. >> In partnership with the San Police Department helped bridge the gap in
040the community >> has given a voice for our students and parents in the community. Community schools in GGUSD has further allowed us to support our students and to ensure that they're having an amazing time in our program >> means kinship and a holistic approach to solve difficult problems together. >> Means we are dedicated to connecting students and families with the resources they need to thrive >> has given Russell Elementary the opportunity to strengthen the connections between families, schools, and the community to support students lifelong success. >> Since becoming a community school, I've noticed real changes on campus. We have more resources and we have focused on making sure students and families are aware of those resources. I personally have enjoyed the wellness room which has been a great place for me to relax during stressful
041times like AP testing. Through community schools meetings, I've become more aware of what's happening around campus from cap time to attendance and how we can improve. What really stands out is the collaboration. Hearing from teachers, admin, and even students from other schools helps us realize we're all facing similar challenges and we can solve them together. It's been amazing serving as a community schools coach. I see myself as a connector bringing families, staff, students, and community partners together to listen, plan, and act as one. We are receiving such valuable input about how our school can best serve our students and families. One of the most powerful shifts we've seen is how engaged our parents have become. Not just attending events, but stepping into partnership, helping to shape the school. It's about aligning all of our efforts
042across all groups toward the same goals. Things like improving attendance, helping students build friendships rooted in kindness and supporting the whole child. Community schools is about expanding that traditional view of school where children come to receive academic instruction and leave. We are looking at all of the components of what a child needs to be successful and embedding practices into our system that will help our students and our families thrive. As a student, I think it's really important to feel safe, comfortable, and happy at school. Not just in class, but in everything we do. When students actually have a say in what happens in school, we feel more connected and informed. That's why I love being a part of community schools. I get to share ideas directly with teachers and administrators. And that's a big deal
043because if we don't speak up, our needs might not be heard. We've talked about things like how to get information to parents, improving school spirit, and even transportation because not everybody can stay after school if they don't have a ride. We focused on mental health and making sure school feels welcoming to everybody. And honestly, I'm already seeing change. More families are showing up to events like culture night. And we even had a prom just donation and that helped a lot of students. It feels like we're really working together to make school better for everyone. What I love most is how this work humanizes everyone. Students, teachers, families, and staff. We all bring our stories and when we take the time to listen, we build bridges instead of barriers. Community schools isn't just about services. It's
044about connection. It's about asking what do our students and families really need and then showing up together to meet those needs in a meaningful way. I think they tell the whole story. Um, the California Community Schools Partnership Program is a statewide investment designed to transform schools into hubs of support for students and families. The program requirements include the student population meet 80% or higher free and reduced lunch. And Garden Grove, as you saw in the first cohort right there highlighted, received the implementation grant in two cohorts. The first cohort included eight schools originally funded through the planning grants, now in full implementation mode until 2029. Cohort 2, who's just recently announced, includes 14 additional schools that met the criteria of school interest and high and free and reduced lunch rate, now funded through 2030. Together,
045there are 22 schools across all trustee areas who are progressing through the community schools implementation process. This makes Garden Grove Unified School District with the most schools in Orange County to receive the grant from the state. Funding supports a structured planning process and implementation plan, including needs and assessments, staff collaboration time, and expanded partnerships that meet the local needs. With the funding, each school site hired a full-time community schools teacher coach designed to help with the data collection on needs as well as the implementation of the site programming. Oh yes, thank you for the let me rephrase the slide. Thank you. All right. Is that better? Thank you. You may recall two years ago that we came to the school board about sharing about the community schools planning grant that was introduced to the board
046in May of 2022. The planning grant concluded in 2024 for those first eight school sites who received the grant. In summer of 2024, we had the next set of 14 schools based on interest excited to apply and meeting with their community school site design teams. They applied for the grant for an award in spring of 2025. As we shared last year at our first cohort of community schools, they included eight schools. Here below are the 14 schools that exist within the trustee areas. As you'll know, notice Garden Grove was notified that only 13 of the 14 received the grant. And then during the summer, the state announced a few more sites and our 14th application was accepted. That was Lintita High School. Totaling the 14 applicants that applied received the grant. Our work is grounded
047in the state's community schools essential framework. This is what guides our schools to build strong partnerships, expand the learning opportunities, and strengthen students supports. This framework structures our planning, our data collection, and our sitebased design work. These partnerships provide an integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement. In order to provide a centralized approach to community schools, Garden Grove has partnered with our consultant, the community schools learning exchange. This partnership has strong community schools knowledge and research that helps our schools create plans centered on supporting youth, family, teachers, and the staff voice and experience. This collaborative partnership includes meeting across all stakeholders as you can see on the slide and they begin starting with our district leadership. This system ensures alignment, shared learning, and consistent progress monitoring across
048all schools. Gardenrove has been named a model infrastructure for other districts to replicate its success. In addition, this grant comes with many reporting requirements. Each school must prepare a needs and asset report, which requires data collection from various stakeholders to identify what are the strengths and needs of the school community. This report is what guides the development of action plans and the site teams to implement the plans and activities in alignment with our district goals. This informs how each site will use grant funding. At the end of every school year, all community schools will submit an annual performance report, including their site implementation plans, which will be published on our district web page. This year, our TOSA team and teacher coaches are leading the work through that needs and asset cycle since they are in
049the beginning of the process. On the side, you will see the schedule that they've been meeting. The coaches gather qualitative and quantitative data. They engage the staff, the teachers, the students, and the families. And they help each site turn that data into actionable plans. This ensures that the design decisions are grounded in authentic school community needs. And just to highlight some of the celebrations, our feeder schools meet together. Um some examples include like Bryant and Alamos, um our Stanley and Rston. We're really working on feeder alignment. Um, most recently, Los Amigos High School included all of their feeder elementary schools and intermediate schools at a resource fair in the fall for back- to-school resource support and it was a success. In addition, I want to share also some more community engagement. Some of our community
050design teams engaged in the process of asset mapping and that is determining the strengths of the current practices that are already existing in the school community and traditions that really help meet the needs of our goals. as well as identifying areas to increase awareness. All these initiatives align with our district goals and collectively work together to build a stronger community. And now I'm going to turn over to Lina. >> Thank you, Tanya. So, as you could see, none of these things just magically happen. It's very strategic. uh our cohort one and two community school teams continue to collaborate and align uh best practices and look forward to building more connections across school levels. So they branch out elementary all the way to high school and and in their feeder patterns. And this is also that
051the parents feel welcome during each transition of their children's education. And in my closing notes, thank you for your continued support of GGUSD's community school work. We look forward to updating you as the next phase of implementation continues and as we build sustainable communitydriven systems across schools to support student success. You had questions last time, so I'm going to stay here to see if you have any more questions. >> Questions? I have question. Do you have any plan to expand a program but apply for more grants so that more school can have opportunity to join in the program? >> The state of California has closed um they're not accepting any more applications. So they had those years of funding and as of now they have not announced any new funding cycles but we'll be prepared.
052There is a requirement that the school reach the 80% free and reduced lunch um percentage um overall and so that means some of our schools are ineligible off bat. Just have a thought. What you're doing with community schools, could this be something that we could later look at implementing in our schools someday? >> That's the plan and that's part back from when I wrote the planning grant back in 2022. knew that was always part of the planning. So as we do in Garden Grove, we always start piloting. Now what's nice about the community schools program is that it comes with extra funding from the state. But now that we have the two and a half teachers on special assignment um under the opaces of K12 education um Dr. Sanchez and Miss Savina that are helping
053us support. The idea is to expand and we actually have had a number of schools that have participated in the training with community schools learning exchange that are implementing some of the practices. They just might not have the funding. And so the plan is always to spread. We pilot small, we expand, and then we'll continue to spread. And the state of California requires as part of the grant that we have not only matching funds, but we have a plan for sustainability of this program when the funding ends. which since we have to be we have they have to be able to sustain that without the grant. It's beautiful that our district already has those goals in in place where the the the format will exist for everyone. >> Yep. Okay. >> Thank you. >> Next
054up, item five, programs and instruction. I need a motion for item 5 A. I'll move item 5 A. >> Second it. >> Okay. Item 5A is an out of district event. Uh 82 science students from Alamus inter intermediate school attending an overnight science camp at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, questions or comments. Call the vote. >> Trusty Christy Gatichu. >> Yes. >> Trusty Dina W. >> Yes. >> Trusty Walter Money. >> Hi. >> Trusty Terry Roco. Hi, >> Trusty Lenwin. >> Yes. >> Chairperson Bob Harden. >> Hi. >> Item six, business. I get a motion for 6 A through L. Please. I move 6 A through L and I put a note to wave the reading of >> a second motion. So 6A is a recommendation from staff that the board accept uh the
055first interim financial report and certify a district will be able to meet its financial obligations for the 202526 fiscal year and for two subsequent fiscal years. 6B and C are resolutions uh related to appropriation of income. I don't know I'm not why the this happens every year, but the business office doesn't get it to the penny. Um, when they estimate the income, the hundreds of millions of dollars of income and expenditures, and the state requires us on about a quarterly basis to uh make adjustments uh and pass resolutions uh adjusting the amounts that were in the originally approved budget. So, so 6B is resolution 13 that a authorizes increases to reflect the additional income received and expended for this school year. And resolution 14 authorizes budget transfers between expenditure classifications in court in accordance with
056the ED code to balance the books. 6D uh is a fencing project and it's recommended that the board accept the bid for fencing project number 13 at Stanley and Wakeham Elementary Schools, Jordan ATP and Skylark Preschool from Wolverine Fence Company. Uh bid amount is 40498,000 with a district allowance contingency of 50,000 for a total not to exceed $548,000 as the low qualifying bid meeting the spec specification terms and conditions of the bid 6E is a recommendation that the board authorize participation in the California multiple award schedule. Um, one of the things that school districts and public entities in general do is um, share in purchasing the purchasing process. So rather than going out with purchase order for or a whole request for bids uh for everything we need to buy, um we do it for
057some items, other districts, other government entities do it for for various items and then we piggyback onto their bids from time to time uh because the the bid process is a costly one to administer. Saves us a lot of money over time to to piggyback on the bids of other government entities. So, in this case, we're going to uh participate in the California Multiple Award schedule um with AVI SPL LLC uh to purchase hardware, software, surveillance systems, and professional audio video products. That's valid from March 26th to 24th through March 5th of 2027. Um staff under 6F staff is recommending that the board off extend authorization to participate again in the California multiple award schedule um with Dave Bang Associates Inc. of California um to purchase outdoor furniture and playground equipment um that contract is
058valid through November 16th, 2026. Under 6G, we have completion of four small projects uh at Mitchell and Jordan ATP. Uh it's recommended the board approve the acceptance of the completion uh of these bids and the work on those bids. 6H is -ate telecommunication internet access funding. The district is eligible for the FCC Federal Communication Commission's -ate telecommunications program. provides discounts and funding to install or enhance network and internet access at at eligible schools. The district's been participating in this program continuously since its inception in 1996. Um we've saved a stack of cash by participating in this program and it's recommended the board authorize the application and acceptance of funding for federal funding to continue uh through 2030. uh 6 I in anticipation of future projects we are um authorizing are creating a list of authorized
059vendors for lease lease back contracts. Uh and it's recommended that the board approve 2H construction inc Balffor Batty Black Construction Company construction one Corp GB Construction Inc. JL Cobb Inc. Miller Construction, Nef Construction, Inc., PCM3, Inc., and Swintton Builders as qualified contractors to be placed in the district's pool of qualified lease lease back contractors valid from uh today through December 8th of 2027. 6J. It's recommended that the board approve a list of of small projects with JL Cobb, SCS Flooring, Wolverine Fence Company, uh Econo Fence, Inc., and Circle City Electric. These are all projects that fall well under the 220,000 um maximum that can be awarded without going out for a formal bid. And 6K is it's recommended the board accept with thanks the a list of gifts that are listed uh in the attach
060board report gifts from various members of the community. 6L is purchase orders and checks totaling 63,546,559. Questions or comments on any of these items from the board? Going twice. >> Student trustee Christy Gichu. >> Yes. >> Trusty Dina Win. >> Yes. >> Trusty Walter Munyone. >> Hi. >> Trusty Terry Roco. >> Hi. >> Trusty Lenwin. >> Hi. >> Chairperson Bob Harden. >> Hi. >> Item seven. Um, item 7 C. We had a closed session earlier this evening to discuss an employee discipline matter with superintendent and Jason Bvakqua, the assistant superintendent of personnel services and no action to report. So I need a motion for items 7 A and B. I move we approve items 7 A and B. >> Seconded. >> 7 A is a certificate of personnel report. 7B is a classified personnel report.
061Questions or comments? >> Student trustee Christy Getu >> abstain. Trusty Dina win. >> Yes. >> Trusty Walter Money. Hi. >> Trusty Terry Roco. Hi. >> Trusty Lenwin. >> Yes. Chair >> person Bob Harton. Hi. Item eight is closing comments. We'll start with student board reprissu. Wrapping this meeting up, I want to take a moment to reflect on everything our district has accomplished this season. We've enjoyed amazing successful events such as winter formals and memorable performance nights that showcase the energy, talent, and dedication of our students and staff at the elementary, intermediate, and high school levels. Now, as we shift our focus towards the end of 2025, which includes the end of the semester, one next week, studying for finals and preparing for upcoming benchmarks, we're hoping to set the stage for a strong transition into
062the next semester in 2026. Thank you for all your continued commitment, support, and collaboration. And I hope all members part of the Garden Grove Unified School District have an amazing break and happy holidays. >> Yes, good evening. I want to congratulate staff for doing a good job. We're halfway there. And I look at the um budget today. Um the budget report uh looks very stable and I think that's a lot of work for everyone uh especially our superintendent. I wish everyone a merry Christmas, happy holidays and I'll see you next year. >> Thank you, President Harden. Um looks like we might get out early uh today. It's been a while, so let's get it going. Uh congrats to the employees of the month. Like I always say and we all always say uh their representation
063of the larger group of employees that we have here in the district. So kudos to them and their families and loved ones. Um had a a calendar full of holiday events. Too many to name, but had a great time and attending all those. Uh kudos uh to our board secretary for helping me get my calendar in order and making sure I, you know, make all those events. So, thank you so much. Um, I had a a really great time. Um, I won't take too much of the thunder from from Bob, but he'll explain some of the difficult duties that we had to do at Monroe uh Elementary, uh, being judges of of some sort. I don't know. We we'll wait and hear what Bob has to say. Um, last week, uh, some of my colleagues
064and myself, a superintendent attended the CSBA conference out in Sacramento, uh, NorCal. was really great to be able to attend several of the breakout sessions, uh, learn more, perfect our craft, and bring it back to Garden Grove. Uh, but my favorite, um, time at the conference, uh, aside from being able to break bread with my colleagues and and get to enjoy some dinners was attending the uh, candidate forums for governor and for superintendent of schools. And you know, there's no secret here that many of us on this dis on different sides of the political aisle, but I think we can all agree that some of the folks that are running for these seats are going to cause a lot of concern and fear into our community. Both the left and the right need to get
065their act together because Sacramento needs to change and it's not looking like it's going to change with those candidates. I'm hoping that they bring some good stuff to the table when it comes to educating our kids. these are the folks that are setting the parameters for us to work with and they're there's just a lot of red tape. So, um yeah, that that was definitely good to see and and but also concerning at the same time. Very strange situation. Um, I want to uh highlight um you know uh President Harden um you know when it became uh nominating uh our our officers uh for this time around um you know I'm not sure uh if it's just the word on the street but I I definitely want to ensure that um President Harden becomes president
066this term. Uh I I I wish that you can stay on this board for as long as you can, but if you choose not to, I want to make sure that you leave uh this board with a high uh regards. You know, I I've had the pleasure of working with you with now for about nine or 10 years. Um and although we may disagree at certain times, at the end of the day, we both know what's best for this district. Um and and I applaud your leadership. Uh, and and I'm looking forward to uh uh you being on on the presidency this this year, Bob. So, looking forward to that. And then, uh, Vice President Nwin, um, as always, uh, been a pleasure to work with you. Always excited to see you as as president.
067Um, thank you for always taking me under your wing and I'm looking forward to, uh, having a good time tomorrow over at Crosby for our Pokemon event. We're going to uh make uh Vice President Nwin into a Pokemon trainer honorary tomorrow. So, it should be great. I'll end with happy holidays, uh happy Hanukkah, whatever religion you choose to uh worship. May you be blessed and you have a good time with your family and loved ones. Thank you, >> Walter. Thank you for the kind words and checks in the mail, [laughter] >> Miss Roco. >> Yes. Uh first of all, I want to say congratulations to our outstanding employees of the month. Um and just an appreciation for their unwavering support of our kids, the families, and their dedication to their profession, and just going above
068and beyond the call of duty. But it's just exciting to know that they're representing so many other employees who are doing the same thing. Um, so, uh, congratulations to them. I attended a community event at the at Santa Ana College that celebrated Native American Day um or month rather. So where we uh Dr. Sanchez and I went to represent our district to show appreciation for um the dancers were actually former students um of ours and they danced. They showcased the beauty of the culture. We had a nice lunch, Native American lunch and so it was a great to attend. And as well, I had the privilege of attending the Thanksgiving feast at Bell Intermediate, um, which is always hosted by Miss Twe and her specialed uh, students as well as the Bell staff and students
069who all come together, um, to prepare such an amazing meal. And the decorations, the entertainment is always the highlight, I think, of this Thanksgiving season for us. Uh, as Walter said, we were in Sacramento. Actually, Len and I were there all week. Uh, we are your delegate assembly representatives. Uh, so we go ahead of time for a couple of days to sit with other representatives from all over California, from different regions. Uh, to sit and talk about um what's happening in education statewide, but also we network with other districts who are so different from ours. Some are very rural who have maybe four schools in the entire district. So their their needs are very different. But I think we all come together to know that we want our kids to succeed. So no matter the
070district, how big it is, how small it is, where it is, we all want the same thing. So our big focus this year has been closing the achievement gap and will continue to be. And so CSBA will be advocating in Sacramento for that. And um Then uh we had three days of our conference where we went to different breakout sessions and uh learned from um wonderful speakers and presenters uh best practices. Weworked again with with uh other board members and had the opportunity to sit together to to even talk about what are some of the things that we we came away with. Um and I think um very proud to say I know my fellow board members and Dr. Moffy would agree that um people know where Garden Grove is. They know our district. They
071uh we got honorable mention at the conference on the last day. Dr. Moffy was able to to catch that um uh that we're like one of the top three that they're looking at for the our practices and for what we do for our kids uh all our kids. So, I'm very proud to be part of a board that is so unified and uh we would do a better job I think up there on the stage. Um because regardless of our backgrounds, our political affiliations, our differences, and because we don't always agree, but we do agree on one thing and that's focusing on our kids. And so, at the end of the day, we come together to do what's best for our kids. So, I'm really very proud to be part of the board and I
072wish everybody uh Happy holidays and a nice little bit of rest for you as well as the festivities. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Uh first of all, I want to congratulate uh President Pardon for your election to as president to the board. Uh having worked with you for some 20 something years now, I realize that your leadership is has your own style. So uh I look forward to of course working with you and then then uh thank you for taking that step and then I I will support you as you always supported us all along then that um and then you will represent and speak for us at the board and uh we all can can support you as as we go. Um and also um I have come back from um attending
073the school conference in Sacramento along with many of our college here and I I must report that they now all of a sudden they change focus to closing the achievement gap. It look like they abandon everything else they have been doing for so so many year and now they realize they wake up and they say let's let's work on uh close uh closing the achievement gap all along and I realize that this is what our district has been doing since the day I came here. Uh so that's what we have been doing but the state and everyone else they talk about Gap they comp they blaming everyone everything they can they they blaming the political hurdle the blame kind of the state barrier they blaming the inconsistent contradictive policy [snorts] they just keep blaming everything
074uh all day long and then to justify why they have such a uh a wide gap achievement but I'm thinking to myself was sitting there and said no our district we don't blame people we just take it as they given to us we do the best we can uh within the limit that we have here because of all those con unconventional way we doing it we close the gap and we have the money and the data to show forth I can reflect sitting here hearing what they talking about so I can see that we we have been doing a lot of very unconventional way that other educator do out there. We empower the our our parent. We do a lot of outreach into the community partnership with the community and we empower our student. We
075create the uh loss you need that very powerful way of not only engaging the student but empower them to make them think it is possible. It is you can do all those things if you set your mind to it. Not only that, we get the the parent involved with that. We create the whole system of of our district to empower our student. And I look at that we we look at the AG requirement. It doesn't happen uh by accident where we raise our agency requirement uh the the the rate from 25% when it first came here uh from 22 years ago to now 65 to outperforming uh state and and the county indicator because I saw early on I saw that we push the expectation my student to the high possible we change from from
076having a student to select the course they take and every year they what do you take what do you want to do? We change twist that to placing them to the class that that we think they can do and we had to train our counselor to to to placeing our student to the place that to the the class that they can take. So they stuck with it and they we we had to push them to their to their limit because we know that they can do that and that doesn't happen easily. It doesn't happen without complaint from parent from student from everyone. Even I heard complaint from teacher. Some teacher say they're not ready for that. They say let's see they will come out. They they the student will come out and they do well
077and we have achieved those thing. I can talk all day long about the very unconventional way of doing thing to close our achievement gap. But I'm just want to say that the only different we have is that we should take the student as they're given to us and we we function within the limit that we have with and we we have been doing the best we can uh to uh to provide the best service to our student and the data and achievement then the result show that in in our work and then that I mean I want to report back coming back from a school conference that the state um go on with their new campaign now closing achievement yet and I appreciate uh Mr. hard in common is that oh finally they figure out
078what they want to do [laughter] then thank you I realize oh yeah that's that that finally they they they figure out that they want to do now but then that that's all I want to say at this time and I'm very surprised that this is the last meeting uh up meeting now until next year but pretty sure I will see all of you in and out until the year end and I Wish everyone the best uh for the uh holiday are coming and probably get ready for the newest signing year too. Thank you. 30 years ago I walked into Ron Walters's office. Ron was the superintendent here at the time and asked him to explain how we get funding. He spent the next 10 minutes explaining to me the ADA funding process. My response at
079the end of that was, you know, that might be the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. Uh, and it's it's scary that smart people came up with that. Uh, and one of the few positive moments from the candidates forum for the superintendent of public instruction is every single candidate on that stage said the same thing I just said in some way or form. Every single one of those candidates uh, and actually one of CSBA's legislative priorities this year will be to try to get us moved away from ADA to enrollmentbased funing. If we have 38,000 kids enrolled in the schools, we have to staff for 38,000 kids, not the 37,000 that show up today. Um, and and so that was that was one of the positive. There weren't a lot of positives from that group
080of people, unfortunately. Um, I'm not sure what's in the water in Sacramento. Um, but I don't want to drink very much of it. Um, it's been it's been a really positive evening this evening. It was it was great to see Lorie Simpson. I've been in that in that kitchen over at Los Amigos a couple of times. They make some really good stuff in there. Um, but to see her bring a stu that student Albert Lopez um as a reminder that one size does not fit all. Um, and we uh highlight the fact that we're trying to provide lots of different pathways because we know that that's what the students in our district need. Uh and that was really cool to see tonight. Um it was really cool to hear Tanya say that Garden Grove is
081viewed as a model um for community schools. It was incredibly cool to hear the pres that the president of the California Schools Board Association got up on a stage and called out Garden Grove as the term was a positive outlier, right? Um for dealing with the achievement gap between lowincome and for lowincome students. Um in English that means you guys rock. Um, and that's based on some research from Stanford University that I think we're going to be seeing more of, um, as we enter into the new year. Um, you know, people see, and I'm speaking to you in this room and communicate this down the chain, people outside of this district see what is going on here and they want to emulate it. And I suspect we're going to get more more calls. I mean,
082went through a cycle like that a few years ago where everybody was calling us then CO got in the way. But I I think we're headed in that direction again where we're going to start getting more and more of those phone calls. Uh and and if we can help some of our uh colleagues around California catch up with what we're doing, that would be great. Um Walter happened to mention and we're all doing lots of events this time of year. My my calendar is looking pretty full the next couple of weeks and I don't know how I'm actually going to do everything that's on it. Um, but there's one highlight event every year and that's the Monroe Winter Festival. And one of the reasons it's a highlight is because Walter and I judge the tamalei
083contest. Um, and this year, this year there were more tamales and I tell you was restaurant quality. I mean, this was these were really good. Um, and we probably ate more than we should have. Uh, and then you know what? The pizzazzole is really good, too. Um, so I kind of rolled out of out of Monroe about 7:30, 8:00 Friday night. again, a great example of of what happens when a whole community gets engaged in what's going on at the school and and one that I hope we can get more of our schools to emulate. Um, just want to close by thanking everybody for your efforts in in 2025. I said 2025's it's the last time we're meeting this year. Um, we have another another week and a of classes and then we'll take off
084and take off on break. Our next board meeting will be January 20th. Uh we will be starting at 5:00 pm with a closed session and then we'll have a study session with our CSBA consultants. Um we may actually start a little earlier earlier than the five o'clock. Um, but that'll whatever we do will be posted on the website. And then on February 3rd, uh, on January 20th, the regular meeting will be in this room at 7 p.m. Um, February 3rd, um, we may have a a closed session at 5:00 PM on budget. We will be here in the boardroom that evening at 7 pm. Uh, and with that, I would like to go ahead and close this evening by wishing everybody merry Christmas and a happy new