1.13.26 Board Meeting

001Good evening. This is the January 13th meeting of the Board of Education of the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. Our meetings are broadcast over Zoom to provide the opportunity for our community to observe in real time. The Board of Education of the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District is now reconvening to open session and it is 6.08 PM. Please be advised that our board meetings are televised on local channel 28 on Wednesday and Saturday evenings and on Monday, Friday, and Saturday mornings. All actions approved in closed session must be reported out in open session. So, Trustee Purcell, can you? Yes, thank you. The board voted five zero in favor of the superintendent's recommendation to reject claim number 666-069. Thank you. We'll now move on to the Pledge of Allegiance. I'll ask Trustee Bueno. Oh,

002and do you wanna do your fire thing? Or should I? Trustee Bueno asked, no, you ask me, I'll do it. Trustee Bueno, a former fire chief, asked me to remind people that there are exits there. Everybody point to that exit there, okay? There are exits there, okay? And there are exits there and in the far back by Ms. Thompson, okay? So, in the event of emergency, please calmly exit the building, is that okay? Thank you, President. Please lead us. Please begin. We are on our way to 7.0, deletions or corrections to the agenda. Superintendent Gibson, are there any changes to the agenda? I do not believe so. Thank you. Then we're on to 8.0, recognitions. I'm gonna say it wrong. I think it's Tapia. No, is it Tapia or Tapia? It's Tapia, thank you, thank

003you. Principal of Altamont Creek Elementary will recognize the Altamont Creek Resource Learning Center team. Can we give them a round of applause? Good evening, Board President Druin, members of the board, Superintendent Gibson, cabinet and community. My name is Andrea Tapia. I'm the proud principal of Altamont Creek Elementary. Tonight, I would like to acknowledge our Resource Learning Center team. Let me introduce our resource teacher, Heather Kitt, there she is, and our dedicated paraeducators, Suzanne Kleinfelter, Radha Padala, and Sonia Laguna. This team exemplifies what it means to be student-centered, collaborative, and deeply committed to the success of every learner. Our Resource Learning Center is often where students with diverse learning needs to begin to develop confidence, skills, and a strong sense of belonging. Heather leads this work with expertise, compassion, and a strong belief in her students'

004potential. She thoughtfully designs lessons that meet students where they are while maintaining high expectations and celebrating growth, both big and small. Suzanne, Radha, and Sonia are an integral part of the success. They build strong relationships with students, provide consistent and thorough support, and ensure that each student feels safe, seen, and valued. Their patience, flexibility, and dedication allow students to access learning in meaningful ways and to make progress academically, socially, and emotionally. What makes this team especially remarkable is how seamlessly they work together. They communicate openly, problem-solve creatively, and always place students' needs at the center of their decisions. They partner closely with general education teachers, specialists, and families, ensuring that students receive consistent support across all settings. On behalf of Altamont Creek Elementary, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to Heather, Suzanne, Radha, and

005Sonia. Your dedication, professionalism, and heart make a lasting impression on our students and our school community. Thank you for your tireless commitment and for the difference you make every single day. We are incredibly fortunate to have you as a part of our Wildcat family. Thank you. Up next, A2, we have Mrs. Dana Taylor, principal of Rancho Las Pacitas Elementary School. We'll recognize the transitional kindergarten team. Good evening, President Druin, trustees, Superintendent Gibson, and members of the community. I am Dana Taylor, proud principal of Rancho Las Pacitas Elementary School. And in tonight, it is my honor to recognize April Avila Ford, Dawn Stevens, and Monica Craighead, our transitional kindergarten team. Three, yeah, they deserve it, they deserve it. There are three exceptional educators whose work represents the very best of our district's core values, which are

006collaboration, integrity, innovation, and inclusion. This year, our TK team has truly set the standard for what it means to collaborate. They came together as a unified grade-level team. Remember, we've never had a grade-level team of TKs, so now we have three. And they came together, building a shared vision for our youngest learners. They researched best practices. They analyzed developmental needs and worked as one to design a play-based curriculum that is purposeful and joyful and aligned with the early learning standards. Their teamwork has strengthened not just TK, but our entire early learning team. But their integrity shows, even with every thoughtful decision they make, whether it's documenting student growth, communicating with our families, or advocating just for what children need, they do it with honesty and with professionalism and a deep commitment to do it right.

007Our TK teachers are also innovators. They have redesigned their classrooms and learning environment and outdoors to create rich environments where play and exploration drive the academic and social-emotional growth. You will see them integrating hands-on literacy, math stations, outdoor learning extensions, and sensory opportunities, and language-rich routines that build confidence and curiosity. And above all, they embody inclusion. Transitional kindergarten is a place where every child, regardless of their background or their readiness or their need, finds belonging. These teachers intentionally build routines that honor every learner and support every developmental need and level, sorry. They ensure each child experiences success. And TK teachers do a lot of things, but they teach foundational social-emotional skills, sharing, independence, problem-solving, and self-regulation. They nurture emergent literacy and numeracy through meaningful play, and they partner with our families to guide them through

008their child's very first formal school experience. And most importantly, they create safe and loving places, learning spaces for our children to feel seen and valued and eager to learn and enjoy school. So tonight, it's a privilege to honor these three remarkable women. Their passion, their professionalism, and their heart and the big hearts they have are shaping the very beginning of our students' educational journey at Rancho and for our district. And we will see those benefits for years to come. So please join me in celebrating them. Up next, we have Jackson Avenue Elementary's own, Mr. Tom Jones, who will recognize one staff member. Good evening, Board President Drouin, members of the board, Superintendent Gibson, and cabinet, community as well. My name is Tom Jones, and I am the proud principal of Jackson Avenue Elementary. Tonight, it's

009an honor to recognize one of our incredible staff members, Erica Dittmore, as one of two district social workers. Erica plays a crucial role in supporting our students and their families. Her collaboration with both staff and families is nothing short of impressive, showcasing her kind heart and exceptional work ethic. Erica goes above and beyond in her outreach to parents, connecting them to vital community resources and acting as a reliable conduit for meeting basic human needs. One remarkable example of her dedication is the joy that she brought to our students and their families through the coordination of Jackson's Giving Tree, working closely with our parent teacher organization and staff to coordinate anonymous gift donations from Jackson families to Jackson families in need. The happiness that she brought to kids during that special time speaks volumes about her

010commitment to our community. And this is just a glimpse of the countless hours of behind the scenes work that she puts into supporting those in need. Beyond her outreach efforts, Erica fosters meaningful relationships with our students, families, and staff. She understands that a strong support system is essential for the growth and wellbeing of our children. She actively builds these connections, ensuring that our students feel seen, valued, and heard. Whether she's helping families navigate challenges, facilitating important conversations, or simply checking in on a student's emotional wellbeing, Erica exemplifies what it means to create a nurturing and supportive environment for kids. And she does it with a smile. Her ability to connect with others greatly enhances the sense of community in our school, allowing our students to thrive both academically and emotionally. Her unwavering commitment to strengthening

011these connections is a testament to our district's belief that collaboration and support are key to success. So for all that you do, Erica, and for the positive impact you have on students and families, this recognition is well deserved. Thank you for your unwavering dedication and for making a difference every day in our school community and throughout Livermore. Thank you. For those of you that are new, next we get to hear from our student board members. So they'll tell us about what's going on in schools. So up first is Robin Deepak from Livermore High School. Robin, I'm sorry, Trustee Deepak, there we go. December was an exciting and unique month for Livermore High School Cowboys. Winter sports are off to a great start with the varsity men's basketball team ranking 75th in the state of California

012at the time, with an amazing record of 13 and three. Come to the home game against Dougherty Valley this Friday at 7.30 to support your Cowboys. In addition to this, varsity boys soccer is seven and three with a game against SRV at home at 6.30 p.m. Over the break, we are excited to share great Cowboy football news, receiving coverage from the San Francisco Chronicle, the Independent, West Coast Preps, and Get Sports Focus. Coach Wade was named first team All-Metro Coach. QB Matteo Lorti was named first team with 37 touchdowns and 3,000 yards in a historic season. And AJ Carey was named to a second team with 11 touchdown catches, four interceptions, and 15,000 AP yards. In addition to this, wide receiver CT Harper, Oline Griffin-Lee, and kicker Elijah Delgado were also named as honorable mentions

013for the Contra Costa Tri-Valley regions. This has been a historic year for Cowboy sports. Livermore High School has also made plenty of other updates to CAB sessions, making both Wednesdays and Thursdays open flex, allowing students to move freely, move to any teacher sessions to do work as they please. Also, course registration will open from January 12th and students will have the opportunity to register during CAB on the 14th. The LHS Course Expo will be held on January 14th from 6 to 7 p.m. to provide more information on courses for upcoming freshmen and returning students. It will be held in the LHS Athletic Complex where you can ask your teachers and sports coaches questions, as well as get an in-depth look at classes for the upcoming year. And more information is listed on the website for

014who is coming. Looking ahead, there are plenty of important dates like Disneyland Grad Night, for which payments are due soon, and Senior Safe and Sober Grad Night on May 29th. We're also looking forward to many upcoming dances and special events. City Hawkins is taking place on Friday, Feb 13th, which is held in the LHS Gym, with ticket sales from the 26th to Feb 9th. In addition, Junior Palm this year is themed A Night in Rio this year and will be held on April 18th, located at Casa Bella in Senol, with tickets from March 9th to March 20th. To end the year, Senior Ball will take place on May 2nd at the Palm Event Center in Pleasanton, with tickets on sale from the 23rd to April 4th, or April 3rd, and guest passes due April 1st.

015Make sure to buy your yearbooks before the price increases so you can have an amazing school year to look back upon. We're also proud to recognize our outstanding staff members and congratulate Megan Raczarski, our December Teacher of the Month, and Dorothy Morales, our January Teacher of the Month. Thank you both very much for your dedication to our students and school community. The Class of 2027 is hosting a parent line dancing fundraiser on January 18th, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Upstairs Gym. A $10 entrance fee allows the guests to enjoy beginner-friendly line dancing lessons with free mocktails and snacks available for purchase. January has been an exciting start to the year for the Cowboys, and we are excited to see how the rest of the school year will pan out. Remember, Cowboys, it's a

016great day to be a Cowboy. Thank you, Trustee Deepak. Next, from Granada High School, we have Trustee Gruss. Granada kicked off the new semester with strong momentum highlighted by athletic success, academic achievement, and exciting preparations for upcoming school events. Our winter sports season continues to thrive, with several teams making notable achievements. Girls' soccer earned a hard-fought two-to-one victory over Montevista, who won E-ball last year, while boys' soccer is having an impressive season as well. Boys' basketball continues to perform well and is set to compete against Amador tonight. Wrestling is also off to a great start with multiple Granada athletes currently ranked high in the state. We are proud to recognize our December Student of the Month, Daniel Booth, who's actually here today, for his outstanding contributions to our campus community. He's a committed student in

017all parts of school with being an IB student, having an active part in both jazz band and track and field. Thank you, Dan. Academically, students finished semester one on a high note with the completion of finals, and we have started semester two off strong. We are also preparing for upcoming academic events, including Granada Expo, which many of our high school seniors are working hard to set up to encourage freshmen to enroll in certain courses. Registration for the upcoming school year will be starting soon, and we encourage families to stay informed as those details are released. Granada continues to support future Matadors as well. We've recently hosted a Livermore Learns event for upcoming freshmen, led by our principal, Mr. Conover, providing families with valuable information and a welcoming introduction to our campus. Looking ahead, we're excited

018for Winter Ball later this month on January 30th, a highly anticipated event that brings our school community together. This event is held by sophomores, and we are excited to see what games and activities they come up with for the night. Finally, we're proud to highlight an exceptional academic achievement by Brianna Mutinu, who had an article published in the Journal of High School Science, an impressive accomplishment that reflects Granada's commitment to academic excellence. Overall, this year has been, this month has been a strong start to this new semester, and we look forward to continuing to support our students in their academic, athletic, and extracurricular pursuits. Go Mats, thank you. Moving on to 10.0, Employee Association Reports. These are an opportunity for us to hear from our bargaining units. And I saw, up first we have, she

019is making her way to the podium, LEA President Amy Thompson. And while she is making her way up, I'll recognize Tara Luntz, the Vice President. Good evening, Board President Drew and members of the Board, Superintendent Gibson and Cabinet. I'm Amy Thompson, President of the Livermore Education Association. I'm here to represent the dedicated educators, nurses, counselors, psychologists, speech pathologists, social workers, and teachers on special assignment, who are the backbone of our students' daily success. I wanna begin by acknowledging the unique role of this board. Serving as trustee is an act of civic altruism. For a modest stipend, you dedicate countless hours to reading, listening, and deliberating on behalf of our community. We recognize that this is not a career, but a service to the public good, and we thank you for that commitment. Ideally, we would

020be standing here tonight, celebrating the tentative agreements reached between the district and LEA, a testament to our shared goals. Instead, that progress has been overshadowed by a sudden and severe pivot toward budget reductions. It is often expected in these moments that LEA will advocate for one program at the expense of another, further dividing our educational community. We decline to do that. We refuse to participate in a false dichotomy for two primary reasons, data integrity and unexplored alternatives. Regarding data integrity, we have identified concerning discrepancies. For example, the agenda's cost analysis for compensation increases lists the Me Too clause for management at a cost of $1.4 million. However, the proposed budget reduction list cites a savings of only $1 million if that same clause is frozen. A $400,000 discrepancy is not a minor rounding error. It's

021a significant figure that calls into question the accuracy of the entire reduction plan. Furthermore, we believe the narrative that these cuts are the only way forward is flawed. During previous sessions, LEA presented a comprehensive list of fiscal alternatives to afford compensation increases. To our knowledge, these options have not been fully vetted or exhausted. Finally, I wanna address the weight of this responsibility. It's been suggested that the board is taking sole responsibility for these reductions. As an elected oversight body, your role is to ensure that the district is managed effectively, but you rely on the administration for the integrity of the data you use to vote. When this board votes, it is a vote of confidence in the superintendent's recommendations. I urge you to ensure that you have been provided with every available alternative and the

022most accurate data possible. We hope this board is being led toward a sustainable solution for our schools rather than being asked to bear the political burden of a path that hasn't been fully explored. Thank you. Thank you. Up next is CSEA President Mamie Christovich. Is Mamie here? Yes, okay. While she is coming up, I would like to recognize Victoria Storti, the vice president. Good evening, President Druin, members of the board, Superintendent Gibson and cabinet. I am Mamie Christovich, president of the Livermore chapter of CSEA, the California School Employees Association. I would like to wish everyone a happy new year, but I'm not sure I can actually say that without grimacing. In the afternoon on New Year's Eve, I opened my email to find a recommended reductions list that would have anyone reeling. After my initial

023shock and grief, I totaled the reductions for CSEA, and it came to 74.4875 FTE, which likely amounts to a number close to 100 CSEA classified employees. That represents nearly 20% of our bargaining unit, or to put it in perspective, one in five CSEA classified employees. In what universe is this something that any reasonable human would find remotely doable? The question I have for the board, and I have many, but I will start with one. Why are we doing this? Less than one year ago, I spoke before you regarding the district's recommended layoff of 11.2 FTE, or 15 employees in my unit. While there were other reductions here and there, CSEA took the biggest hit. LMA was given furlough days that they never had to take, because funds magically surface like they always do, but CSEA

024never regained any lost positions. Why are classified staff, who are the lowest paid employees in the district, always at the top of the cut list, and the last to receive any reprieve? Yet we are still here toiling away every day and going above and beyond, because we care deeply about students, and we have integrity and amazing work ethics. Fast forward to this school year, and here we are again. The district claims that we must cut 16.1 million, yet the cost of the two-year agreement that the district offered LEA has a price tag of 13.1 million. The cuts that the district has stated are needed exceed the cost of the agreement with LEA by 3 million. You see why CSEA does not trust those numbers. To be clear, these are permanent ongoing cuts. CSEA classified employees

025are being cut to solve an accounting gap that is larger than the cost it claims to offset. Moreover, the reality is that California is investing in public education at historic levels. According to Governor Newsom's recent budget proposal for 2026-27, Prop 98 funding would be at an all-time high at 125.5 billion, increasing per pupil funding to 20,427 and 27,418 when accounting for all funding sources. The LCFF COLA is at 2.41%, an increase of approximately $2 billion statewide in discretionary funds. There's 2.8 billion in one-time discretionary block grant, 757.3 million for the learning recovery block grant, 509 million ongoing increase for special education, 1.9 billion ongoing to support TK staffing ratios, 1.8 billion ongoing for universal school meals, and 4.1 billion in the Prop 98 Rainy Day Fund. State leaders are using phased repayments and reserves to

026promote and support education, and these programs require the work of classified staff that the district is proposing to reduce. How would we achieve student success if we do not have the staff to make it happen? Cutting classified staff undermines the very services that the state is funding. In looking at the recommended reductions list, it is obvious that the district does not understand that CSEA classified employees are the operational backbone of the district. Our work makes schools and the district function day-to-day. CSEA classified employees at our school sites provide direct services to students that include instruction, intervention, attendance support, social-emotional learning, health, library services, and special education support, and that is just a partial list. In our school offices, they are the ones who keep the school running efficiently and are routinely considered to be the

027heart of the school. Our classified employees are highly skilled and highly trained professionals who ensure students are safe at school, that they are healthy and supported in all aspects of their school day, and that they are learning in functional classrooms, environments, managing resources responsibly. Without them, learning stalls, safety is at risk, and the framework that keeps our schools running is severely compromised. Cutting these positions is not just a budget decision. It is a threat to the very foundation of student success. The essential work that is on the recommended reductions list is endless, and I know CSEA members have written to you with details about the work that they perform to provide services to students, families, and those who are at risk. Some of you even spent some time in our school offices last week, and

028I know that was an eye-opener for you. The board speaks of cuts being made as far from students as possible. I understand that sentiment, but please remember that the CSEA classified staff who work in the district office also provide services to students and ensure the smooth running of our entire district. Our schools cannot operate without the classified staff who work in the various departments on the recommended reductions list. Student services, information technology, fiscal services, payroll, human resources, and a maintenance office. Without adequate classified employee staffing, schools in the district cannot operate safely, legally, or effectively. So what do we do, and how are you, our elected board members, supposed to make these difficult decisions? CSEA suggests that you pause CSEA layoffs and reductions, require an operational impact analysis before any classified cuts, separate reserve policy

029choices from staffing decisions, and use phased or temporary fiscal strategies instead of permanent reductions. The district is prematurely recommending cuts that will cripple our schools and our district. I urge you to not let that happen. However, if you feel that you need to approve some of the reductions until more information materializes at the state level, then CSEA suggests reducing the number of assistant superintendents immediately. We historically had two and a CBO, and now we have four. Placing a hold on all additional compensation for the senior cabinet, assiding considerably more furlough days for the senior cabinet. Approving the non-human cuts on the list, such as reducing software subscriptions, eliminating all district cell phones, and pausing professional development, conferences, and food for meetings, and pausing all unnecessary spending. Stop with the consultants and unnecessary audits and attorneys.

030Finally, I urge the board to put a hiring freeze in place. Last week, the district held a new employee orientation for eight new CSEA classified employees. It is impossible to live in Livermore and not know that the district is recommending layoffs. So they asked, how do we tell these eight individuals that we welcome them to LVJUSD that this is a great place to work, but their services will no longer be needed when they receive layoff notices in two months? That is unconscionable and simply lacking in common decency. This is a lot. I think you, the board, has been duped into believing that this is the only way out of our deficit, a deficit that is partly caused by the mismanagement of our funds by this administration. I urge you to pause for a moment and

031consider the ramifications of eliminating 100 CSEA classified positions, and that isn't even counting the additional positions represented by our other bargaining units. What do you envision that would look like at our schools and at our district office? And what would that do to our students, families, and all the functions that are needed to support our mission? What happens to the students struggling at school because they have difficulty learning in large group settings? Our highly trained intervention specialists would not be there to assess their needs and provide targeted instruction for students reading below benchmark. Students who are struggling to fit in would not have our amazing kid connection program that enables them to blossom. We need our tenacious CWA specialist to work with our neediest and most vulnerable student populations and help remove barriers that keep

032students out of school. The list is endless, and it is impossible to cover everything with the time that I have. I urge you to reconsider eliminating and or reducing our lowest paid CSEA classified employees who work closest to students while we have four assistant superintendents and a superintendent who sit in the district office away from students. They are compensated at very high levels. If any layoffs are approved, do we really need that many in top management who work furthest away from students? Before I close, I would like to remind the board that all CSEA layoffs and reductions must be negotiated. I shared in the last school year, and I will share again. First, duties currently performed by CSEA members may not be reassigned to classified managers and confidentials, directors, substitutes, contractors, or employees in other

033bargaining units. Second, duties currently performed by CSEA members in one classification may not be reassigned to other classifications without negotiating with CSEA. Third, duties currently performed by CSEA members must not be reassigned to the few remaining employees in the department with the expectation that the same amount of work will be completed. That means that the district will be required to extensively eliminate job functions if positions are reduced. My position is a perfect example. I am one of two accounting analysts in the fiscal services department. We each perform work that is critical and necessary for the functioning of our district. Do we simply eliminate ADA, Medi-Cal, and other grant reporting? Do we place our district at risk because we won't be checking for insurance from service providers? Or how about doing away with ASB and position

034control? Eliminate one of us, and you will need to eliminate their work because there is no one else to redistribute to. As you make these difficult decisions, please remember that classified employees are administrative and clerical staff, paraprofessionals, and all support personnel. They are not just an FTE or line items on a budget report. They are people with families, bills, and lives that they have dedicated to supporting our students, every single day. Behind every student who is cared for, kept safe, and receives the help they need, there is a real person who cares deeply about them and this community. Please honor their humanity and offer them the respect they have earned as you make choices that affect their lives and the lives of our students. Thank you. Thank you. Up next, up next is SEIU, President

035Kirstie Govner, is she here? Okay. The next is CMC Representative Sarah DeGroote, is she here? Okay. And then lastly, we have the Livermore Management Association, Jeremy Wilkins as representative, is he here? Good evening, Board President Stephen Druin, Board Trustees, Superintendent Dr. Tori Gibson, cabinet and community. My name is Jeremy Wilkins and I served as the vice principal at Junction Avenue TK through 8th School. I'm also the president of the Livermore Management Association. We call it LMA, and that represents the management professionals of LVJUSD, which includes principals, vice principals, directors, coordinators, who collectively support the daily operations and long-term vision of our district. The purpose of our association is to uplift and recognize the work of our colleagues, support our staff, and give back to our students and community, including through scholarships and professional advocacy. Tonight,

036the board is being asked to consider the ratification of LEA's agreement, which includes an income increase and corresponding adjustments for other collective bargaining units. And we understand that this decision carries significant implications. While it represents progress in one area, it also leads to additional decisions, decisions that will shape our schools and have a direct impact on our students, particularly those who are most vulnerable. I wanna be very clear. I strongly believe all of our employees deserve to be financially supported. They nurture, advocate, and care deeply for our students, and they deserve to be fairly compensated for that dedication. But at the same time, we must acknowledge the difficult reality facing our district. With approximately $18 million in potential reductions, many of the proposed cuts involve positions, real people with real families. These are employees who

037are understandably anxious about their futures, whether they will have jobs next year, how they will pay their bills, and how they will continue to support their families. It appears there is a slight flexibility in the scale of reductions for the coming year. Between approximately $14.8 million and $16.2 million, the $1.5 million difference represents more than numbers on a spreadsheet. It represents jobs preserved, services maintained, and students who continue to receive the support they need. Choosing the least harmful path forward allows us to preserve livelihoods and protect families from having to make impossible choices. I also wanna speak briefly on behalf of LMA members. As a non-collective bargaining unit, our members do not have a contract. Many have already experienced financial loss and may face additional impacts moving forward. Under the proposed changes, LMA members would

038also see significant increase in workload and responsibility. Providing me to increases would acknowledge that added responsibility and help maintain equity and morale across employee groups without such consideration, there is a real risk of division, of creating perceptions of unfairness that can erode trust and collaboration within our district. At the very least, our hope is to made whole again. That said, the greatest concern is not about compensation, it's about the students. Every day we come to work because of our students. We are here to support those who struggle academically, socially or emotionally. We are here to ensure our schools are safe, welcoming and supportive. Places for all children, our community entrust us with their children and we take that responsibility seriously. As you consider proposed reductions, I respectfully ask that you carefully weigh their impact. Many

039of the roles identified for reduction are critical supports for students and families who need us most. These positions are not expendable. They are essential to ensuring equity, access and opportunity for our most vulnerable learners. Thank you for your time, your leadership and your commitment to our students and community. Thank you. We move on to 12.0, public comment on non-agenda items. If you'd like to address a topic that is not on this evening's agenda, now is the time to do so. If you have not already submitted your TAN card, please do so now per protocol. Sorry, back to 11. Oh, go back to, oh, it's missing from my list. No, it's not on here. But we do get formal board correspondence, communication from, no, it comes after 13.0, yeah. Yeah, it's 13.0, we'll get to it.

040We'll get to it later. It's 11 on the comeback. Okay, on mine it's, yeah, that's fine. So formal written correspondence to the Board of Education shall be acknowledged if received by the board or in the superintendent's office by 4 p.m. the day before the meeting. Formal written correspondence received after the cutoff time will generally be acknowledged at the following meeting. Please note our board electronic communications received via the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District's website by accessing the formal written correspondence to the Board of Education link with all fields completed and verified shall be treated as formal written correspondence. Clerk, I know there is correspondence. So can you summarize it for us, please? Yeah, to summarize, several people expressed concern about the board meeting schedule. Then we had a number, a large number of teachers,

041staff, students, and community members offering their perspective on the proposed budget reductions. And a number of community members requested the board pass a resolution in support of Title IX. Thank you. Moving on to public comments of non-agenda items, right? Correct, non-agenda items, yeah. So if you'd like to address the topic that is not on this evening's agenda, now is the time to do so. If you've not already submitted your TAN card, please do so now per protocol. No additional speakers will be accepted once public comment begins. We ask that you limit your comments to three minutes. I have three. And I believe many here tonight to speak to the item on the agenda pertaining to the 2026-2027 budget prioritization. If that is the case, then you should select a blue card to speak at the

042appropriate time for that agenda item. And as a reminder, this is a meeting of the board, not a public meeting, but rather a board meeting held in public for the purpose of conducting board business. Appropriate decorum is expected, as you have done so far, and if behavior becomes disruptive or out of hand, I will take action up to and including clearing the rooms so the board may continue to work. I don't think that's gonna be needed. To ensure everyone has a chance to be heard, we maintain a respectful environment. Please refrain from clapping or other reactions. If you agree with the speaker, simply raise a hand or one of those signs that you have. You wanna raise them now? As a reminder, we as a board members may not engage in discussion, take action, or

043give opinion on items not on the agenda. However, the board may briefly respond, ask clarifying questions of staff and or refer matters to staff for follow-up. I think that's it. So up first, we have Wayne Hamkin followed by Debbie Gibson. Good evening, board. It's good to be here again. I've come here a number of times and you've heard me and I'd like to come again. I like to read this. It happened in 1969 or 1970 while I was attending the University of New Hampshire. A young man believed he could fly. He believed it so strongly that he went to the roof of his dormitory, walked to the edge, flapped his hands and pushed off. The judgment of gravity was swift and it was final. He fell to his death. Gravity did not care what choice

044of species he believed himself to be. The laws of nature do not change because of a feeling nor do they change because of the belief. The laws of nature and nature's God, and these are the words in our constitution, do not change on whim nor to social trends. They are created with absolute precision. In like manner, there is a God that created a moral order to life that all humankind is bound to follow. Throughout all life is the pair system seen as man and woman, male and female in the animal world, stamen and pistol in the plant world, plus and minus in the atomic world. Violations of laws of heaven are not immediate as they are in the natural world. They are corrosive and over time, the results will be seen and cannot be ignored.

045I bring this up because when we pledge allegiance to the flag, we pledge allegiance to the God of these natural laws. And the natural laws are very clear. If we violate them, I believe as an individual or as a family or as a community, there's a price to pay. And it's also true on the city level, the community level, the national level. Hearing about the budget problems that we have here in Livermore, God has a dream. And that dream is one family under God. It is yet to be realized. But here in Livermore, are we not one family? But we are separate in so many ways, divided in so many ways. The problems of money could be solved easily, I believe. If everybody in the community really believe that the future of our city, of

046our country, is with the young people and use our enormous creativity to be able to find solutions with money and with management. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Up next, Debbie Gibson followed by, there's not a name. Good evening. Last August, I requested to have a resolution placed on the agenda to give female athletes the Title IX protections they deserve and to prevent them from competing against biological males and sharing private spaces with them. I was told that it would be on the agenda. However, two days later, I was told that it would not. I'd like to know who made the decision not to put it on the agenda. In the interest of transparency, President Druin, I'd like the board to vote on whether or not they will protect female athletes. Interestingly, one month after

047my request, Superintendent Gibson received a letter from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights regarding this issue. Your unwillingness to vote to support Title IX protections is directly affecting millions of dollars. Yes, millions of dollars in magnet grants from the federal government. Those grants have not been secured. Junction and Maryland schools are directly affected by these unsecured grants. The last agenda item tonight is in reference to magnet grants and sending five staff members to Virginia in July of 2026. How can $9,500 be funded by a grant we have not even secured? Why is this trip necessary? Title IX needs to be addressed now. We need these funds. Thank you. There's a final public comment. Hello, board. My name is Lance Voorhees, and I'm speaking on about Title IX. And it was an amendment

048to the 1965 Education Act. And every Democrat president and Republican president up until Obama interpreted it the same way. Under Obama and Joe Biden, they have a different interpretation, which some people agree with and some people don't. But the lady that spoke earlier said she would like to see a vote, a public vote on this particular issue on whether to support Title IX as the Trump administration interprets it or to not. And Tom Wong wrote an excellent, excellent article in, I forget what it was called, the town hall. And he said that there's $2.6 million in annual funding at stake. And so some of you are gonna stand by your principles and let that 2.6 million possibly go. Others are gonna stand for it. But what's important is what do your constituents think? Have you

049polled your constituents? If your constituents feel differently about something that you do, why not go with what the constituents want? So I would like to see published on the Livermore Joint Unified School District website where each of you stand and why you stand because according to Tom Wong's article, four people didn't vote. They abstained from voting on this some time back. I don't know the details. Tom Wong would know that. And we'd like to know, what do you believe? Why do you believe what you believe? Why do you believe that girls and boys should be able to participate in sports designed for them? Others of you think that, hey, let's be peaceful. Let's be fair. Let's be equal. If a boy wants to play in girl sports, great. So there are heterosexual boys that like

050to dress like girls. And so should they belong in a girl's locker room? I don't think so. But maybe you have a different opinion. And I really appreciate Dr. Dina Keplanis because she put forward, I forget exactly what it was, but she put an item on the agenda, I believe, calling for support of Title IX as the Trump administration interprets it. Whether you like Trump or not, shouldn't be the issue. It's what is fair. And if you would just explain yourselves where you're coming from on the school district's website, that would be awesome. And we would all appreciate it, I think. Thank you. Thank you. So next let's move to discussion action items 13-0. So first 13-1, formal acceptance of the 2024-2025 fiscal year annual district audit. I'll turn the time over to Ms. Kayla

051Lawsley. Yes, we actually have Peter Glenn from NIGRO and NIGRO that will be going over the highlights of our 24-25 audit report. I believe he's on and ready to go. Good evening to the board and to the cabinet. Sorry for the delay there. It was me switching on my audio and video and anyone in the audience. First, I'd like to say thank you for allowing me to present virtually. Much appreciated. So the purpose for my discourse this evening is to talk about the 2025 district audit report. And the audit involves a financial piece and it also involves a compliance aspect. I'm sure many of you have been through this before. So I will proceed with really the general gist of what an audit does. An audit is an independent external function where an audit firm

052is hired as required. And we, in essence, give an opinion on the financial statements. That's really number one. The financial statements are the responsibility of the district. And so an auditor's job is through testing and through professional judgment to look at the amounts that are reported in the financial statements and to render an opinion on whether those are fairly stated. And so that is what we were able to do in this year's audit. Also, along with that opinion on the financial statements, which involves a process, we look at the controls that exist over those financial statements, those controls over those functions. So we go through testing to ensure that there are no deficiencies when it comes to putting those financial statements together. The financial statements have to be presented in a certain way. Those are

053referred to as generally accepted accounting principles or GAP, which you've probably heard of a term. And so that was also accomplished in the audit to make sure that the financial statements were presented in accordance with GAP. And any new GASB pronouncements were adopted by the district. And of course, there was a new pronouncement this year that was adopted by the district. And the report goes into that in some of the notes. So as I mentioned, there's the financial piece, there's the internal controls over the financial pieces, and then the compliance aspect, which is an area usually of great interest from the district and also the community to make sure that any of the state compliance areas, which the state comes out with an annual guide referred to as the K through 12 audit guide, and

054also the federal piece, which is referred to as the OMB uniform compliance supplement. So again, those are annual documents that come out that we use as auditors to ensure that federal funds are spent in accordance with those guidelines that are set forth by those particular agencies, those federal agencies. So, and then the state compliance areas, as I mentioned, those come out annually. In particular, in the audit report on pages 74 and 75, you'll note the different state areas that we looked at. And again, those are required, that we looked at those some approximately 20 areas of the state that come from the education code that the state wants us to look at annually. So we don't look at every single thing, but we do look at these particular areas. For example, the ELOP program, and

055that's a big one that's been the recent, of recent vintage, you might say, in the last couple of years. So again, those are the areas we look at. As we mentioned, the financial statements, we rendered a clean opinion on those. And really happy to say that on the state and federal side, we did not identify any findings, which is certainly commendable on the district's part, that we didn't identify any findings in either the state or the federal compliance areas. So that is a really brief overview of the financial and compliance audit that we provided for the district. Would there be any questions at this time? There's no blue cards, so I'll open it to the board for questions. Trustee Prusso? Yeah, first of all, thank you for being here. And I wanted to acknowledge the

056clean audit and thank the staff, you, Niagara and Niagara, and our staff as well, for the work that went into it. And then I did have just sort of a question comment. I don't know how well you can answer this, but given how much public attention there is on our finances this year, is there anything in this audit that you think would be helpful to highlight, to explain more clearly to the community on what you discovered? Well, let me first say that audits tend to be backwards focused, if you will. We're looking at the dollars that have been expended and not so much on future. It sounds like a lot of what's happening now is focusing on what's next. But I will say this, I will say that when you're looking at the budget, you

057know that the starting point that the district had for the unaudited actuals back in September and then your first interim report, you know that that beginning balance, those have been independently verified. So I would say that that has value for you looking forward. Thank you. No, the only comment I have is that having gone through, with a smaller organization going through audits and stuff, it's so much work on your staff. So thank you for providing all the necessary documentation for this to get us to where we are. And it also gives us great confidence going forward, knowing that the way that you run that area of our district is done well. So thank you. Thank you. And I really just want to acknowledge the staff at a certain time and all of the work that

058it goes into the audit. Trustee Capuanes. I also wanted to thank you guys for all the work that went into completing this audit. I just have a quick question. Has it been considered to rotate or explore other auditing firms? How long have we been using this particular firm? Niagara and Niagara we've been with for approximately 20 plus years. That was as far back as I could find for how long we've been, but every five years we've historically done an RFP. So an RFP is where we, it's a request for proposal and we go out and request proposals from different audit firms and then pick the one that best aligns with the district needs and their qualifications and references. And there's criteria factors. And so we've historically done that every five years. So that will be

059up soon for us to do that process again. And then for auditors, you have to change your primary partner that is assigned to your audit. And so they are the primary ones that are reviewing it, double checking. And so that changes every six years. So this is actually Peter's first year as our partner from Niagara and Niagara. So we previously had Jeff Nigro. So he was a fresh set of eyes on the district finances as well. And so that just kind of keeps it. So it's a fresh set of eyes in rotation. Okay, so just for clarification, it hasn't been a change in the firm, just a change in the auditor. Yes, and the partner that is assigned to our firm. Okay, thank you for that. Any other questions? If not, I would entertain a

060motion. I move to approve the superintendent's recommendation. Sorry, I move to support the superintendent's recommendation to approve the 24-25 annual district audit. Second. I have a motion from trustee Perso and a second from trustee Bueno. Any discussion on the motion? If not, I would ask the clerk to call roll. Trustee Bueno, trustee Perso? Aye. Myself, aye. Trustee Caplanes? Aye. President Druane? Aye. Do I also include the board, the student board members in this vote? Trustee Deepak? Aye. And we do not have trustee Coors with us any longer. So that motion carries 5-0 with one vote support from our student trustees and one student trustee missing. Moving on to 13-2, formal acceptance of the 2024-2025 fiscal year annual measure J bond audit. We'll turn the time over to Ms. Cava-Wasley. Yes, I will be turning the

061time over back over to Peter Glenn to present the highlights from our measure J bond audit. Good evening once again. So this next piece has to do specifically with the bond audit measure J, as was mentioned. So in a similar vein, the auditor's job here is to render an opinion but specifically on measure J. So we look at the building fund, fund 21 and the sub fund in which measure J is contained. And we're looking specifically at those funds to ensure that the financial statements are fairly stated, again, presented in accordance with cap. And so if you look through your measure J audit report, you'll notice the financial statements that look a little more conventional balance sheet and then a statement of revenues expenditures changes in fund balance that look more like a fund than

062maybe the larger audit report that I just presented there that looked at it in multiple ways. So again, this just focuses on those funds and how those funds were spent during the year and ensure that those funds were spent in accordance with the ballot measure for measure J. So we give an opinion on that. And then we also look at the compliance aspect of it which again is where those funds spent in accordance with measure J. And so we tested about 61% of the expenditures. So one of the things that maybe I neglected to say in my first presentation was that an audit does not provide absolute assurance but it does provide a reasonable assurance. So it's a level of assurance that is not a hundred percent, no question, no doubt, right? And so in

063our tests, we test a relative sample so that we picked about 61% of bond invoices paid and we found that all of those invoices that we tested were in line with the bond measure, measure J. We also visited a couple of construction sites. We went to Livermore High School and Maryland Avenue Elementary School to make sure that we could identify some of those expenditures at the actual site. So while that's not required, that is something that we do just as a service really to the district to add a little bit of value just to add that little extra bit of assurance. And so the procedures performed are all enumerated on page 13 there and those are required as part of the appendix of the state audit guide for Prop 39 funds. So with that, I

064would just like to close and see if there are any questions when it comes to this part of my presentation. Mr. Bueno. Well, thank you, sir. Again, for Niagara and Niagara's, what's that? Oh, they're auditing. And thank you for coming into the district. I know this is your first year doing it. The other person I'd like to thank on this is this is really a difficult expenditure of funds. The measure J for those in the audience or those listening that may not know is the public-sponsored facilities bond. It was about $245 million and then expended over a period of time. The director of that program is Ms. McNeely and the work that she's done on that, one of the things the public expressed when we polled for that was, is the money gonna get spent

065on what it's supposed to? So we have an oversight committee that watches that and then we have an auditing firm that comes in and double checks as you can tell by the gentlemen, they even go out to the site to make sure. So we've largely expended that money and to Ms. McNeely who directs that effort, most projects, these are large projects, came in on or under budget and on or ahead of schedule, which is an extraordinary accomplishment when you're talking about very difficult financial times and that goes to public trust. So I continually will thank, these were transformational projects, enormous projects. One of the single biggest public works projects in the city of Livermore with the athletic complex at Livermore High, the aquatic centers at both high schools, East Avenue, Joe Mitchell. These were very,

066very big transformational projects for the district. We're not quite done and we hope that at some point we can pass another bond to continue this good work, but it's dependent upon the public's trust. And so this audit, I'm especially thankful to Nigro and Nigro as well as Ms. Kim McNeely for overseeing that and the committee that oversees this to make sure that we meet all legal requirements. And that is a committee that's made up of specific people, specific positions, taxpayer advocates, things from within the community. And so it's a very big effort and it's a very big lift and we're coming to a close on that. So thank you, sir. Trustee Vanden Heuvel. Yeah, I have a question about a line that I read on page nine of the report. The very bottom of the

067page, it says that the citizen oversight committee currently has no one representing a business organization as well as expired terms for senior citizens, organization member and taxpayer organization member. I'm sure on the lookout for some people, but would that cause us to land in some trouble water or how does that work? That is a provision in the Prop 39 language that the district have a oversight committee. And I think it's pretty well spelled out there in the ed code that it has to consist of seven members and it has to have those different positions. So it is something that we wanted to bring to the district's attention. I wouldn't say it's uncommon right now. It seems to be more difficult for districts to get individuals that have all of these different kind of skillset. So

068while I wouldn't call it a finding, but it is an ed code. So it is something that we wanted to bring to the district's attention. And I'm sure that, and Kayla can probably comment on this, that the district's been trying to identify somebody and is already aware of the situation. Yes, we advertise several times throughout the year to try to find a new member that fits in both our senior citizens organization and our taxpayer organization, and just have not had luck in finding members from those two groups. And so we've elected to keep our members that do meet the criteria on, even though their terms have expired. But we do try to advertise and try to solicit. We're not grossly out of compliance or anything. Okay. That's correct. Thank you so much for your help.

069Any other questions from the board? No, I'd entertain a motion. I move to accept the superintendent's recommendation on this item. I'll second. I have a motion from trustee Bueno and a second from trustee Pruso. Any discussion on the motion? Clerk, can you call roll? Do I include the students, student trustees today? Trustee Pruso? Aye. Trustee Kaplanis? Aye. Trustee Bueno? Aye. Myself, aye. President Druane? Aye. Trustee Diepke? Aye. Motion carries five oh, with the student trustee voting in favor. Moving on to 13-3, approval of a revised board calendar. So I have, I've written something to place context, and then perhaps Dr. Gibson, if you have other things that you'd like to add. Okay. So three options for the board calendar are before us, the board. For context, last June, the board moved to adopt a board

070calendar that had one evening board meeting and one morning meeting, most months. It was decided to revisit the success of that initiative in December. In the December board meeting, it was decided that more and different options should be provided. I provided three options for the board's consideration. To kind of summarize, option one reflects the status quo for the remainder of the school year, one evening board meeting, and one morning board meeting with minor exceptions. Option two was designed to remove morning board meetings, opting instead for mornings to be workshops where no action or voting would take place. However, the board would still be able to meet, to hear school presentations. Option number three reflects a return to the mostly two evening meeting schedule, workshops and special board meetings can be added if needed. And at

071least one special board meeting will need to be scheduled for the superintendent's evaluation. So I would, there's no blue cards on this item, so I would entertain questions or discussion from the board about adopting a revised calendar. Can I go? Let me go trustee Bueno and then trustee Prusso. Oh, sorry. Go ahead. I appreciate the revision on this item. I appreciate the revision on this item. I questioned when we moved on the thing and accepted the rationale, but the limiting the public discourse, I think that in our ability to do business, I think we found a couple of examples, most notably on a few issues where we kind of run out of time. And I think that going with something more along the line of option three is in my preference, where we implement some

072evening meetings. And within the option three, the only thing that I would say maybe to, if it was to be altered, would be to potentially in January to add a second evening meeting, because sometimes we get the governor's, well, we always get the governor's budget and then you get the May revise. I like the way that the June meetings are later because that also gives us some time to meet the compliance. And so, as I've said in the past, I'm not a big meeting person. I like to come away from a meeting with something, but in this case, just conducting the business of the board, I think it would be better held in the evenings when people kind of get here. And again, I will reiterate that I was incorrect by moving these earlier. My

073assumption was in the beginning, moving them from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. would be a bad thing, but that seems to have been well received. So the start time is not an issue with me. I was wrong on that, but I am going to continue to advocate for the evening meetings and reading ourself of the morning meetings where people can attend. And I do support the workshops and supported them then. I think just a point regarding January, I think this is just gonna get us through the end of the year. And I think when we adopt, my assumption with this was just to finish out the calendar year and then we adopt next year's calendar. Okay, yeah, I'm just looking at the actual attachment. And I saw just one meeting in January, which was tonight.

074Oh, okay. So I didn't know if this was, cause it says 25, 26 at the top. So I'm assuming that it was for next go around. Like 25, I didn't know if this was like going onward or do we revisit this or would we just carry this forward? Oh, I think when we look at next year's calendar, we need to look at it and come at it with fresh eyes. I don't think we will, I'd rather not do that now. Let's worry about next year later. So materially on this, we're looking at February, March, April major. Correct. Okay. Trustee Prusso. Thank you, thanks Stephen for putting this together. My preference is the second one for the rest of this year, just because I work at night and I already have my schedule. So it would

075be challenging for me to get additional time off. But other than that, if you guys choose to do the third one, then I'll do my best to get here. But I had it set my schedule based on the calendar that we already approved. So that's just my, I do appreciate moving the Thursday morning ones are now workshops and make sure that that's, I approve of that as well. Trustee Vanden Heuvel. I also don't mind going to all evening meetings because I think it's important that we're super transparent. The workshops are, the morning meetings that were labeled as workshops, if we were to go with the second option, what are some of the possible dangers where we go into discussions that the public will wanna have comments? You know what I mean? Like it's just, is

076it, in your, just historically, have those been just, just reports and just informational things too? And there really wasn't any desire for the public to come with comments and to weigh in on that or, and how were you able to keep more, I don't wanna say controversial, but items that that public really wanted to speak into away from those morning meetings? I think just kind of the mindset that I had in creating this was mostly what we have tried to do in the morning sessions is to hear from school sites and the school site presentations. So my vision for what those workshops would be would be to continue that, that the primary purpose of those would be to hear from the school sites, to ask questions and interact with principals. In any of these options,

077I think that we need to have, I think we should have a discussion about what those school site presentations look like. If it doesn't, if we don't continue with the status quo or if we go effectively, if we go with option three, I think that we need to have a conversation about where and how those school presentations look like. Thank you. Yeah, I want you to be there, trustee Prusso, but I also think that at this particular junction, junction for our community, transparency is paramount. So. Trustee Caplanes. I do agree about the transparency, but I do feel that having the one meeting a month allows for more people, which we've been seeing coming out to the one meeting a month and then keeping the workshops have like we've been doing for just presentation, no action

078or consent items. People could still come or write in if they want to share their public comments, but it would be important to not agendize anything that would be concerning in all due respect for transparency to the public. I feel that the one evening a month and the workshops could work so that we still get the essential work done that needs to be done in this district and for us as the board. I just feel like for the extended community beyond staff, but also the families and the students that have been showing up, that they would be able to make more meetings if we keep it to once a month, they play sports, they have extracurricular activities. I think we need to be mindful of that as well and encourage the turnout. I would just

079circle back with that if that's possible to say that there's a trust issue. And so when you have a meeting on a Thursday morning where there is a possibility that we put something on the agenda that really that the public wants to know about then that can be done. We're saying here, we're not gonna do that. But since there's a trust issue, I think it would just to get ahead of that to say, we're only having evening meetings for now. Yes, I would agree, but that's why I'm asking that no action or consent items for the trust issue would not be agendized on the morning workshop meetings. Trustee Bueno. I understand there's some of the dialogue. It is hard midstream to change your calendar. It's hard for everyone. So I take that into consideration for

080Trustee Prusso. On the matter of being able to attend is my 12th year on the board and we've gone through, while it might be somewhat new here, we have some recent issues relative to negotiations and things like that in past that have caused our boardroom to become at capacity. In the past, we had the same type of capacity issues during COVID, during masking, during the charter school, there was quite a few that went on for a few years. And I will say that while we met regularly outside of maybe three meetings, I think it was April, August, where we had one meeting, July, we had maybe one or none. Sometimes it was something I carry over, but we had more of what I would call the coming up to that point traditional. It wasn't a

081problem, it might be a burden, but the agendas seem to vary. We weren't dealing with the same issue. So it wasn't the same folks showing up. So it didn't present the same burden on people to try to show up. So they were different issues outside of a couple of those big issues. And then I'm kind of glad that we did have the big room just because we were able to kind of address some of the concerns from the public. I share with Trustee Vanden Heuvel and I appreciate Trustee or President Druhan putting this together. I know that when we went to these morning meetings, the perception was lack of access. And I think as someone who's been in public service now for 41 years, public access to public institutions is essential. And so it wasn't

082squelched and Dr. Gibson has kept to on the afternoon or what do you wanna call morning meetings. I don't think that there's anything that's been substantive. I could be wrong, I might've missed something, but most of those have been substantive in the sense that they were important, but they weren't necessarily votes of the board. They were presentations on school site plans, things like that. So there's been question and inquiry, hey, we need some extra time, which was the basis of me making the request to alter the schedule because we've run out of time and run out of room to conduct the business of the board. So it's with that, whether it's the transparency, but most importantly to me, or equally as important is our ability to conduct the board's business and not be overwhelmed in

083a single meeting and kind of a self-imposed deadline that we cannot meet or we struggle to meet because we don't have the necessary bandwidth in meeting times. So it's for those couple of reasons that I would support option three for the remainder of this year. And then we would look at an altered calendar for the full calendar for next year. Let's see, Juan. Can you just explain to me how if we extend to extra meetings in the evenings for the people's salaries, does that affect their pay at all that we have them here for additional hours in the evening? That's a good question. Most of the folks that attend are director above in their salary. Thank you for that clarification. So my perspective is this, at least in part. I think functionally the difference between

084the options is two meetings, February and March, February 24th and March 24th at this point. So two things are guiding me towards option three. First is that I think that there's a, we read part of this is that this is the board's meeting held in public, but I think that there's optics related to where and how we are conducting our business. And I think in the past several months, we have trust issues with the community. And I think the addition of two evening meetings is worth a step towards building that trust. I hear, I hear trustee Pruso, I almost called you president Pruso about the work conflicts and, but another dimension to this that hasn't been brought up is the board worked to go through and do a policy evaluation or to revamp our policies.

085And we haven't even begun the process of that. And that's gonna take work and that's gonna take time. And I think the community is gonna wanna be present for that. So I think even if we went with another option, we may need to schedule additional evening meetings to meet those demands. So, but that's my perspective. So I would entertain a motion for the support of one of the options. If there is a motion for that a second, and then they'll be voting for that. And if it doesn't succeed, then perhaps there's another motion for another option. I move in support of option three. I second that. So I have a motion from trustee Bueno, seconded from trustee Vanden Heuvel. Is there any discussion on the motion? Clerk, can you call roll? Trustee Capilouto. No. Trustee

086Bueno. Aye. Trustee Pruso. Aye. Myself, aye. President Dugan. Aye. That motion carries four one. Just one point of personal privilege. I just want it to be acknowledged. Sometimes it doesn't work out in the sense here. I know that it puts a burden on you, Trustee Pruso. And your support on the motion, given the public's thing on this, it's admirable and I appreciate it. I will move to 13.4 approval. Approval of resolution number 12-25 slash 26, identifying the amount of budget reductions and or revenue enhancements required for fiscal years, 2026, 2027, and 2027-2028. Turn the time over to Ms. Kayla Wosley. Good evening. The attached resolution 012-2526 is being presented after consultation with our County Office of Education. Due to the cost of the tentative agreement, with all of the Me Too's included, we will require

087budget reductions or revenue enhancements in order to meet our minimum reserve requirement and not have a negative ending fund balance. And so the County requested board assurance that they will make the necessary corollary offsets to afford the settlement. And so that is why this resolution is being put before you. There are no blue cards in this item. Are there any questions from the board? Trustee Pruso? I have a comment. While I appreciate the intent behind this resolution, particularly the desire for clarity and transparency during a very challenging budget cycle, I do have some reservations. This is not something that our district has historically adopted, and from what I could tell is not a legal requirement. And as far as I know as well, it is not required by the County Office. I also spoke with

088colleagues from Pleasanton and Dublin, and they shared that this is not a practice that their district's currently used. My concern is less about the substance and more about the process. We already fulfill our responsibility through adopting a balanced budget, holding a public hearing, and ensuring that reductions and revenue assumptions are clearly documented and publicly accessible. I want to be thoughtful about how we maintain clarity for the community while also preserving our shared governance model. I believe that our strongest work happens when the board and administration are aligned and operating as a team. And the superintendent and staff bring their professional expertise to developing and supporting these recommendations, and the board provides oversight and approval through the budget adoption process. I want to be clear that I understand the necessity of difficult reductions, and I support

089the tentative agreement, but I am committed to doing what is necessary and that I'm committed to protect the district's fiscal health. And I appreciate all the work that staff has done to bring these recommendations forward, but my hope is simply that we can consider whether a separate resolution is the tool that we need to achieve our shared goals of transparency, accountability, and trust. Sorry, I had to write that down. That's my comment. Any other questions or comments from the board? Is there a motion? There's no motion, so we'll move on to 13.5, approval of the tentative agreement with the Livermore Education Association. I will turn the time over to Dr. Jessica Bonduras. Great, thank you. On December 12th, 2025, LEA and LBJUSD reached a tentative agreement to resolve negotiations for the 25-26 school year and

090the 26-27 school years with limited reopeners for the 26-27 school year. The tentative agreement includes articles, the following articles, Article 1, agreement, Article 9, workday, Article 21, wages, Article 22, health benefits, and Article 26, leaves. On January 8th, LEA leadership confirmed that 95% of LEA members voted to ratify the tentative agreement. In your packet are supporting documents, the compensation agreement and articles, cost of the tentative agreement, the public disclosure, verification of results, and the executive summary. It's the superintendent's recommendation to approve the tentative agreement. I have no blue cards on this item. Questions or comments from the board? I have a comment. Yes, Trustee Caplanes. I feel like in all transparency and integrity, I know there's some grayness and laws about this, but just for the opportunity for two board members that have the spouses

091on one particular union, and it would directly benefit their households with this pay increase, I don't want it to look like we are having a conflict of interest in pinning one union against another. So I'd ask for you just to consider in all integrity for you to recuse yourself of approving this TA. Dr. Gibson, can you clarify the legalness related to conflicts of interest? Dulcinea. Sure. My name is Dulcinea Grantham. I am the legal counsel for the school district. Can you speak a little bit closer? Thank you. Sorry. My name is Dulcinea Grantham. I am legal counsel for the school district. So on this specific issue, I can share what the law says in terms of the potential conflict of interest. So the law recognizes that there may be circumstances where board members have family

092members or financial dependents who are employed in the school district. And so generally we look to government code section 1090, which is a section that talks about conflict of interest for governing board members. And so with California being a community property state, that means the spouses do have a financial interest in the other spouse's income. This is generally something that would prohibit a spouse board member from voting on something that financially impacts their spouse. However, there's an exception under government code section 1090 that exists in the circumstance when a spouse of a board member was employed in their position for one year or more prior to that board member becoming a member of the board. If the spouse has been employed by the district for more than one year, that financial interest is deemed to

093not exist under the law. So in situations, again, when you have a board member who had a spouse that works in the district and that spouse has been employed for more than one year prior to the board member assuming the role of the board member under government code section 1090, that is not a conflict of interest that precludes that board member from voting on an issue. Just a moment. I'm checking to make sure there were no blue cards on this item. I did have a blue card. Just a moment. We do have a blue card on this item. So I will call up Keith Pickering-Walters for three minutes. My apologies. That's okay, I understand. Thank you, board president Stephen Druin. And the rest of the board and superintendent and cabinet. I just wanted to mention

094that this is a huge process. I understand that negotiations and the teams involved on both sides of it, as well as everybody in the background, there's a ton of work that's involved in this. And I would just wanna thank each and every person that's been involved with this, especially LEA's team, but no offense, but also everyone that's been involved in this. So thank you very, very much for all of your time and effort in this. Thanks. Trustee Vanden Heuvel. Yeah, I also wanted to bring that up. Thank you so much, Trustee Kaplan, for bringing that up because it is, you know, when I found out that I was also expected or allowed to vote on this, I had to double check the law, double check that that is exactly what I was allowed to do.

095And then I had to check my ethics. Like, is this something that I could vote on? Or is this something I had to recuse myself of? And I check with people around me and people who know me and my reputation, and I know that I can vote for something like this, even though it affects what comes into our household without being swayed one way or another. So, but I appreciate the comment. Any other? Trustee Crisio. Yeah, I just wanted to make a comment before. Over the past several months, we as a board have received a significant amount of input through emails, public comments at our meetings, like tonight, and direct conversations with employees and community members. Across those many voices, one message has been clear and consistent. The community wants us to prioritize compensation. This

096tentative agreement does exactly that, and it reflects the priorities that were most strongly and passionately communicated to us. I don't want to minimize the reality that approving this agreement comes with some hard realities, and we are all aware of the reduction in adjustments that we will need to make to remain fiscally solvent, and that those can be painful decisions that weigh heavily on all of us. At the same time, as a board member, I cannot ignore the collective advocacy of our employees and our community, and this agreement represents a direct response to what we were asked to prioritize. And with that understanding and with full awareness of the challenges ahead, I will be supporting a tentative agreement. Trustee Bueno. Seeing us move into a tentative agreement was very satisfying. I'm not quite maybe on the

097same page as some in terms of what the ramifications of that agreement are, but it has been and it will continue to be as long as I don't change on anything. I believe that maintaining a relationship with the people who work here, I see the professionals of this organization, second largest employer in this city, as some of the most trusted people in the public light. And I tell people all the time, and I came from a trusted profession, that there's not many things you do. You drop your car off at a body shop and you worry that it might get scratched. Here we drop off a five-year-old and we leave him with someone that we might've known for 15 minutes, because there's an inherent trust in teachers and the professionals. And it's kind of an

098umbrella term when we say teachers, and that's not to shed a shadow on the janitors and the secretaries. It's a concerted effort. It's everyone. I come from one of those professions. It's singular in the term, but it's inclusive in all the people that work in that educational component. I truly appreciate, and there's no but in my sentence, I appreciate the work and the dedication of the people that come into this profession. It's extremely convoluted. So it was the one going into nursing. Those are very convoluted paths that are difficult to achieve. Everyone in this place has a bachelor's degree. There's very few places you're gonna go. Now, that's a measure of much other than a lot of dedication, credentialing, certifications. This is a very difficult place to get to, and it requires a deep passion

099for what you do. The only reason I'm on this board is because upon my retirement, I looked at it as an opportunity to do what I wanna do as I have days to do it, and that is to service, to work in the service of children. And this district, and many like it, do that with a free and equitable education. And so I support our teachers inclusively. In the fall, the board heard from students, staff, and community members about the dire situations that teachers face. We heard that teachers ranked nine out of 11 for compensation compared with neighboring districts. We heard about the rising costs of healthcare and the steep decline in morale. In light of these, I heard the community wanted us to prioritize teachers and those closest to students. So I'll be voting

100in support of the TA agreement. There are no other questions or comments. I would entertain a motion. I'll move to support the superintendent's recommendation to approve their tentative agreement with LEA, as in the Livermore Education Association, not the local. I have a comment real quick. I was just gonna say that I agree that the teachers need fair pay, especially during times of inflation. And I appreciate the work on the TA and the strong LEA ratification. However, given the significant ongoing cost of 13 million and the need for 16 million of reductions, I will abstain from voting on the TA until the February reduction plan is approved and can access the complete fiscal picture, including FAPE compliance and equity impacts. This ensures we vote on the full implementations. Thank you, Trustee Capuonis. My apologies. So there

101was, is any other discussion before? Okay, there was a motion from Trustee Vanden Heuvel. Is there a second? Second. I have a motion from Trustee Vanden Heuvel and a second from Trustee Bueno. Is there any discussion on the motion? Clerk, if you could call the roll. Trustee Preso. Aye. Myself, aye. Trustee Bueno. Aye. Trustee Capuonis abstains. Abstain. Trustee, President Druitt. Aye. That motion carries four with one abstention. So onto 13-6, the 2026-2027 budget prioritization and discussion. So before we move to public comments, I would like those of you that are here to know that I, as president of this board, I'm going to move to table this item to a special meeting so that we, as a board, can discuss and create a plan for how we, as an oversight board, will proceed and clarify

102what direction we want to give to Superintendent Gibson. That being said, we'll move into public comment. There are 33 cards. Yes. Oh, should we? Oh, yeah, well, I'll open it. No, go to them first. We'll do them first, yes. Procedurally, you are correct. You, President Druin. Yes. Yes. If you're moving to table it, I believe that the board has to vote to table that. Okay. Just so you know. Well, then we'll wait to. Correct, you can hear a couple of the cards. There are, per our policy, if there are more than 30 cards, then comment is limited to one minute. So I'll work my way through, and we'd love to hear from you. Many of you are communicating using non-verbal representation with your signs. I would encourage you to do that. It's only one minute,

103so I know that people probably prepared more for that. Once you've reached your time, I'm gonna thank you for your time, and then we'll move on to the next person. Yeah, so if you are making a motion to, sorry, if you are making a motion to table the item, that motion is on the table, and the board should consider the motion before you consider the public comment on the item, because if you're going to table the item, the item's not being considered at all tonight. Can I? I don't think I heard a motion. I think he signals his intent to later move. That's what I wanna clarify. Yes. If you are not formally making a motion yet, that's fine. No, I'm trying to communicate to the public my intent. You're all here, we'd like to

104hear from you, but after that, I would like to, I'm going to move to table this item. Okay, thank you. Thank you. So up first, we have Dan Booth, followed by Janelle Harris. Good evening, board. Later tonight, you will hear from many of my peers, students, teachers. We are here tonight because we care. Many of the students who you will hear from are graduating seniors. We have no horse in this race. We are simply here because we care immensely about the IB program, and we strongly believe that it should not be cut from Granada High School. We know this is not an easy decision, but when you hear from my peers, you will know we believe that IB is worth it. We came here three years ago and told you it was worth it. We

105are still here, we are here again because IB is still worth it. And I know that all of my peers and the teachers who teach IB will agree with that. I understand that you will have to make cuts somewhere, but that place absolutely cannot be at the expense of the students that you were elected to serve. Thank you. Up next is Janelle Harris, followed by Suzanne Cook. Hello, I'm Janelle Harris. I'm a parent here. I am relieved by the statements that were made. I think a lot of the community understands that there are difficult decisions to be made, but the way that this has been handled so far is not the way to make them. To announce that there would be school closures on a PDF attached to a board agenda item that very few

106of the community read, with one month to make a decision, a February 13th timeline and just this comment period, is completely inappropriate. I was at the strategic planning process a year ago. There was no discussion of this. This is not something you make overnight. And I think, you know, if you look at our superintendent's past history, she should know that this sort of issue can cause tremendous damage to a community. And so to drop it this way, on top of cuts that the community was already gravely concerned about, it is frankly insulting and an abuse of trust to the community. So I hope you will do better and employ an appropriate process for decisions of this gravity. Thank you. Thank you. Up next is Suzanne Cook, followed by Denise Kure. And if I mispronounced your

107name, I apologize. You did fine. Oh, hold on, sorry. You're good. Good evening board members and Superintendent Gibson. I'm here to urge you clearly and respectfully to not close Lawrence Livermore or any other schools as a part of your budget solution. Closing a school is not just a financial decision. It permanently impacts students, teachers, families and entire communities. Closing even one school does not reduce enrollment. It redistributes students leading to larger class sizes, higher student teacher ratios across the district. Livermore is growing, housing continues to be built and young families continue to move here. Closing schools now is a short-sighted response to a temporary challenge. What makes this especially concerning is which school is being considered. Lawrence Elementary is one of the district's highest performing schools. Just last year, you earned the Lighthouse Leadership School

108Award and the California Distinguished School Award. Closing a top performing school is not strategic, not logical and not responsible. If budget cuts must be made, they should be refocused elsewhere without harming student learning. Thank you. It's Denise's last name that I was, Denise, welcome. Up next is, I think it's Bob Herney, Denise. Good evening, President Duren, board members, Superintendent Gibson. I'm here representing Vineyard High School and middle school. That is proposed cuts of three more positions. So instead of taking the time to talk about Vineyard, I thought I would read something that I received from a student, an eighth grade graduate. Dear Ms. Cure, thank you for all that you have done for me as a teacher. These past three years, you have motivated me to go above and beyond in my schoolwork by teaching

109me crucial analysis and critical thinking skills, setting challenging yet realistic expectations and above all, showing me just how much I am capable of doing when I set my mind to it. At the same time, you've taught me how to better understand my own brain, then give myself a break and most importantly, had to go beyond the bounds of normal academics. Thank you. Up next is Bob Herney, followed by, I think it's Ronnie Andrews. So Bob's up, I think it's Bob. It might be Rob, H-E-A-R-E-R-Y, going once. All right, then we'll move on to Ronnie Andrews, followed by Keith Pickering-Walters. Hello all. I am a student with Vineyard Alternative Education and I've been a student there since the eighth grade. I'm a senior now and the idea that my school could even be shut down is

110extremely disheartening, especially as a student who came to this school as somebody who couldn't even really function in crowds. I was diagnosed with social anxiety following the COVID-19 pandemic and it was extremely hard to function at all. And to be in this position now where I can speak to not only a board, but an entire crowd of people, I think proves just how great it is to have an alternative education, to have that opportunity and to think about all of the other students who could not have this opportunity, it's, for a better lack of words, ridiculous. And I do hope that the board thinks about their decisions and who it might affect. Thank you very much. Up next is Keith Pickering-Walters, followed by Kim Adams. Thank you all again. I would like to respectfully ask

111the board to reevaluate their hiring practices for cabinet level managers. Cabinet level management is not subject to layoff procedures. All of our cabinet level management have multi-year contracts, meaning that the district is obligated to a $1.8 million expense annually, even with declining enrollment, budget reprioritization or any potential future budget crisis. Every other position in the district is subject to layoff procedures for particular kinds of services. You have signed contracts with cabinet level administrators that would require you to buy them out. I would also like to encourage you to keep cabinet level managers with a director's title. While we've had a shortage of teaching staff in open positions, I've never seen an empty administration position at the district office beyond the regular hiring deadlines. Thank you so much. Thank you. Up next is Kim Adams, followed

112by Jessica Mendiola. Good evening. My name is Kim Adams, and I'm one of the three health techs here in our district. Our primary responsibility is ensuring immunization compliance. California law requires that all students be fully vaccinated to attend in-person instruction. Non-compliance triggers audits from the state or from the public health or Alameda County health. It can also cause a loss of ADA if students are excluded. We're responsible to report all of the different reports we have to do, particularly immunizations. We do support the needs of the students every day, calling parents, ice packs, et cetera. But the state mandated hearing vision is one of our biggest. We are coordinating that with all of our nurses and the optometrists. We're a small group, and we're easily overlooked. There were only 2.7 FTE, and results in each

113one of us having seven schools that we have to oversee all of those immunizations. Alone, just kindergarten the last year, 1,500 students we had to integrate. That's your time, I'm sorry. Thank you. Jessica Mendiola is up next, followed by Nishal. Members of the board and the superintendent, I recognize that cuts being made across the district and special education is not the only area impacted. However, where those cuts are made matters. By cutting paraeducators and special education teachers, you are removing direct support from the students who need it the most, and placing unrealistic expectations on teachers to manage classrooms with complex needs alone. That is not sustainable, and it is not fair to our children or our teachers. This decision was made only about a year ago, or a year and a half ago. Since then,

114teachers have spent the entire 2024-2025 school year addressing the consequences of an avoidable problem they clearly warned this board and the superintendent about. Those warnings were not acted on, and as a result, the students have suffered. Teachers followed the directives they were given and did their best, what they could in good faith. And it didn't work. I'm the mother of a child with significant needs, and I will not stay silent on all decisions. Nishal will be followed by Peter Shenness. Thank you. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Nishal, and this is the first time you're seeing me. Because over half a year ago, I moved to Livermore from India. And if it were not for the IB Baccalaureate Program, I would not have come to this beautiful city. When you move as

115a teenager, everything around you changes. And IB was the familiarity that helped me stay focused during this transition. But it's not just about how it feels. It's about what IB does. About 85% of IB diploma graduates enroll in college six years after admission. And in Granada, too, the district emphasizes on IB's philosophies of preparing students for four-year college acceptances and developing their intellectual, personal, and emotional social skills for the global world. At a time when leaders of tomorrow must navigate global conflicts, uncertainty, and cultural division, removing IB would mean taking away one of the few programs to deliberately prepare students to think, lead, and act on a global stage. On behalf of the students who came for Granada for IB, those who are counting on it for their futures I respectfully ask you. Thank you.

116Please do not remove the program. Granada, thank you. Peter will be followed by Rebecca Hanley. Should I start? Yeah. Oh, for students seeking academic challenge, IB is not a choice. It's a necessity. As an IB diploma student, I've been blessed with a structured, challenging, and globally-minded curriculum program. IB allows all motivated students to pursue high-level education while also collaborating extensively with peers in the school community, something unobtainable in other classes. Stanford physicist Kevin Zao argues that when educational decisions are made, they are focused on general statistics like national rankings. They are not worrying for a moment about how it affects bright students who contribute negligibly to statistics. IB fills this gap and guarantees that students who seek academic challenges are not overlooked. This is reflected at Granada because nearly all recent valedictorians have been IB

117students, demonstrating IB's fostered academic development, eliminating IB harms LBJUSD because it lowers the amount of students completing college courses, lessens critical skills in student development, and eliminates interdisciplinary learning. IB's brilliance is seen by its growth. With the IB diploma program doubling in size in the past three years and new classes like IB Business being introduced with two sections, there is no wall. Students will forever rise when given the tools to succeed, the tools of IB. Thank you. Rebecca Hanley will be followed by Ava Taylor. Hello, and thank you for this opportunity to speak. I'm Rebecca Hanley, and I am the library media specialist at Altamont Creek Elementary. The superintendent is proposing a reduction of one to two hours per day for library media specialists at each school. And while that may not sound like much,

118the loss of those 10 hours a week amounts to a loss of one third of library access. Even a five hour reduction would push many libraries to a four day schedule. Class visits will be shorter with less time to browse, select, and borrow books. Weekly schedules will be less flexible and libraries may no longer be open before and after school. Reduced staffing hours will impact funding as libraries rely on fundraisers to maintain their collections, ultimately impacting the quality of materials available to our students. As you consider these budget decisions, I ask only that you keep the students at the center of your discussions. After all, they are why we're all here. Thank you. Ava Taylor will be followed by Elisa Lopez. Good evening, board members. My name is Ava Taylor, and I'm a senior in

119the IB diploma program. As an IB student, I've had lots of unique opportunities, but nothing is quite as unique as the opportunity LBJOSD is presenting me with right now. And that is the opportunity to defend my education. I never thought at 14 that I would be sitting before you, telling you why I deserve to learn in the program of my choosing. And I certainly didn't expect to be here again in my senior year of high school. If there's one thing you should know about the IB community, it's that we will always show up when this program is threatened. As students, we will use the skills built in class to prepare these arguments as many times as it takes for you to give IB the security and respect it deserves. Isn't this exactly what you want

120your students to be? What other academic program builds students that will show up at a school board meeting to defend it? Dissolving this program would show that these are not the values LBJOSD wants to prioritize, but I'm sure that's not the case. I trust that you'll all do the right thing and choose to protect this valuable program. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Elisa or Alyssa Lopez will be followed by Sean Mako-Fryen. Good evening, my name is Alyssa Lopez and I'm here tonight on behalf of TV Tip and the 52 new teachers we currently support along with the thousands of students they serve. TV Tip is our state approved induction program for teachers in their first two years. In California, induction is required for teachers to earn their clear credential. Additionally, we are part

121of a three district consortium with a shared MOU that we have a responsibility to uphold. Teacher quality is the most important in-school factor impacting student success and teacher practice improves most rapidly in the first three to five years. Induction is designed for this critical window. It's teacher centered and therefore student centered. It is a student achievement and powerful teacher retention strategy. This program sends a clear message that new teachers are welcome, supported and valued here. I'm deeply concerned for our new teachers. These are educators who want to do right by kids but often feel overwhelmed early on. Induction is where they find support and the reassurance they aren't alone. For the 27 teachers currently in year one, eliminating TV Tip would leave them without a pathway to complete their credential unless they pay thousands of

122dollars out of pocket. My ask tonight is this, preserve funding for TV Tip. Sean will be followed by Vanessa Castro. Hi, my name is Sean Medoffner the second and I am a fifth grader at the Amazing Junction Avenue. I am here again because I am worried about the plan to cut the hours of our support staff. When people talk about school, they usually only talk about teachers but the support staff are just as important. The power educators work with students who need extra support on a daily basis. They help my classmates be better learners, peers and give them confidence in the classroom. My librarian, Ms. Corsucci takes her time to memorize each of our reading levels and my school is a TK through it. So her memory is goaded. When these staff members have their

123hours cut, it's us students who feel it. I think it's fitting to leave you with my mommy's favorite MLK junior quote. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in the moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Thank you. The essay will be followed by Veronica Torres. I think that's correct. I wear many hats in my life. I'm a mother, a wife, a coworker, a coach among other roles but tonight I'm speaking to you in two of those capacities. I'm an employee and I'm a mother. Eight years ago, I experienced the worst day of my life. My son Damien passed away. He was nine years old. Damien attended school here at Altamont Creek in Sunset. He was special education student. He was surrounded by

124incredible people, teachers, aides, psychologists, people who shut for every single day with patience and compassion. When Damien passed away, it felt as though everyone knew who he was and who I was. People reached out to me whom I had never known or met yet they cared for my son in ways I will never forget. Those individuals were there for him daily and in my darkest moments. Today, many of those same peoples are being reduced to numbers on a list. A list created to determine jobs cut first. I want to be very clear about this. Those people, we cannot afford to lose those people in our schools. They're the attendance clerks, the office specialists, they're the yard duties, everyone. They're staff members in the front office who remember students' name. These employees are not expendable. When

125you eliminate these positions, you're not just cutting jobs, you're cutting hope. Maybe start at the top. Up next is Veronica Torres, followed by Herb Goudry. Sorry. Good evening, President Joe and board members, Superintendent Gibson and cabinet. First of all, I want to start by saying to those board members that we had a chance to invite to come stand in our shoes this last couple of days. Thank you for taking that time. As support staff in the office, appreciate all of you on the board. And I wish I could have gotten every one of you in there to see us. What I really want to speak to today is that our classified members, we are there to turn on the lights before many people walk into their main offices and we are there to shut off

126the lights. Usually the last people walking off that campus. We see our students, we create the data, we support the mandates, we are the people who are the backbones to this district. In my 30 years, I have never experienced the fear. I'm sorry. The fear, the morale, the worries that I have seen in the last three weeks in this district. As a parent and as a grandparent, now I'm worried about the future of our students and the cuts that you guys are looking over. So please take them seriously. Thank you. After this will be Virginia Holonga. Good evening, everyone. My name is Herb Guidry. I am the current operations manager for the district. One of the many tasks that I do is oversee the custodians, the grounds department and the pools. The maintenance manager that

127also works with me has to also oversee another 10 to 15 employees, putting us at monitoring about 80 plus employees to make sure that your schools are clean, make sure your schools are safe, make sure that all your playing services, your swimming pools are perfectly clean. Prime example of one of the big things that I have to do every day is take care of two swimming pools. One is a $10 million facility. One is a $9 million facility. For an example, LARPD also has two swimming pools. They also have a director. They have two maintenance staff. They have pool managers and other support staff. I am expected to do this all on my own. If you just take my position and combine it in with the maintenance manager, there's no way that these pools are

128gonna be maintained the way that they need to be. There's no way that your facility is gonna be maintained and people are gonna have to step up and clean their stuff themselves. Thank you. After Virginia will be Daniel Nanny. Okay, guys. Hello and thank you for listening. My name is Virginia Halonga and I'm representing the nine district reading interventionists. We provide effective reading intervention in study after study has proven to increase academic success in all subject areas. And we do this with the district's most at risk vulnerable students. We are an essential critical support for students, teachers and the district cannot do without. We hope you have read the letters that explain what a critical role we play in the district's MTS literacy plan success witnessed over the past few years. Our teachers do an

129incredibly great job, but our teachers will not be able to implement the three tier plan alone. They need us. Governor Newsom recently announced that 26, 27 school year prop state prop 98 per student spending will increase about $1,509. Just a small portion of this increase could fund our salaries. Intervention specialists are an essential critical support that students, teachers and the districts need to promote our culture of success. Thank you. Thank you. Daniel will be followed by Renee Andress. Hello, my name is Daniel Nenny. I'm against school closures. I came here to deliver more in 2008 and never left. I formally served as the student trustee for Chabot Las Positas Community College District and as vice president and president of the Associated Students at the college. But I'm here today because I am a school volunteer,

130field trip driver, proud uncle of a kindergartner, and most of all, an angry parent of a second grade Lawrence lab. I want to say how proud I am to be a Lawrence parent, how grateful I am of the amazing teachers behind me, the staff on site every day, but also how incredibly disappointed I am that the district has resorted to what can only be considered bullying and scare tactics with this budget cut. I currently sit on multiple committees and experiencing similar budget shortfalls that can only be described as predictable after the federal administrative change. And as we say in emergency services, if it's predictable, it's preventable. You had the option to delay the hiring of new superintendent and point an interim. And we could have saved well over $500,000 the first year on salary and

131compensation from that and the hiring. With 144 vacancies being advertised just last night by the district and no hiring freeze, I can't fathom why we're threatening the educational stability and most of security of our youngest students. I'll leave you with this. Thank you. Do the right thing. Next is Renee, followed by Becca Casperson. There you go. So good evening, President Drouin and board trustees, Superintendent Gibson, community and cabinet. I'm Renee Andrus. I am a key connection specialist at Junction Avenue. So when I started this, thank you. I'm representing all eight of our kid connection specialists. Thank you, first of all, for taking time to read our letters, truly, and the letters of members of the community. We are addressing you today on behalf of the well more than 500 students who rely on the Kid

132Connections support each year. Kid Connections is designed as an early intervention, preventative by nature, addressing needs when they first appear and before they escalate. Without these services, many concerns are simply deferred until later when they are more entrenched, more disruptive to learning, and more difficult and costly to address. The value of Kid Connection extends well beyond the individual student who receives services. Thank you. Becca will be followed by Miles Silva. Good evening, members of the board and our esteemed, everybody here. You guys, I know this is a hard job, and I'm not here to say that it isn't. I think we've all lost a lot of sleep over identifying all these delicate budget reductions, but I'm here to tell you that that January 9th budget reproposal that came out set off a bomb in my

133community. I'm talking about Lawrence Elementary, and I want to tell you that items A5 and A6 on that line said school closure savings $850,000, and that we all felt like we were a line item worth a small amount of money. Now, the history of our school site says we used to be Portola Elementary, and that site got closed. It was super costly to reopen, and I want to advocate to just keep cuts away from kids, support our teachers, support our classified staff, and keep our schools open. Thank you. Miles Silva is up next, followed by Odessa Silva. Talk to her. My name is Miles, and I'm a fourth grader at Leo Croce. I'm here because I am here because I care about my school and the people who help me every day. Teachers and staff

134help us learn, feel safe, and believe in ourselves. At Croce, we are very lucky to have Ms. Ryan help kids read better. Reading is very important because it helps us in every subject and helps us feel confident. When the staff positions are cut, students feel it. We have fewer adults to help us learn, to help us, and learning becomes harder. Please keep staff and positions, I think. Positions help students every day. They make a big difference in our lives. Please put the students in the district first. Thank you for listening. Odessa will be followed by Jennifer Wong. Hello, board, superintendent, cabinet. Speak closer to the mic. There you go. I want to tell you what these jars represent. In Livermore, we have about 13,000 students, and our superintendent is paid base $350,000 a year. In

135Los Angeles Unified School District, there are over 400,000 students, right here. And the superintendent earns $440,000. The LA superintendent is responsible for more than 30 times the students, yet earns just $1.26 more than ours. That is not a coincidence. It's a statement of values. These students represent 13,000 lives affected by your decisions. How do you explain to these students that protecting executive pay is more important than protecting the adults who teach them, support them, and keep their schools functioning? How do you explain one administrator is worth $350,000 while their classrooms lose staff and services disappear? Thank you. Thank you. Jennifer will be followed by Skye McCloud. Good evening, trustees, superintendent, district staff. Excuse me, we represent the Granada Educational Empowerment Foundation, here in response to budget proposals that would affect Granada. Specifically, item H9, IB

136phase out, estimated at $60,000. Our handout going around highlights key information about IB and our role in supporting it. We'll follow up with a more detailed letter to the board. Some of you know us when we spoke out to Protect IB in May of 2023. Since then, we've become a 501c3 nonprofit, specifically supporting academics at Granada. We want to highlight one very critical point this evening. 2%, or approximately 10 of our 500 IB students at Granada, attend on inter-district transfers. Those students bring local control funding with them. If you use the state average number of $12,000 per student, that would amount to a $120,000 ADA revenue from just those transfer students. Thank you. Skye McCloud will be followed by Zachary Nalek. Good evening. This comment is a continuation of the previous one. When you consider

137the impact of IB, it's important to understand the following. IB isn't just the diploma cohort. About a quarter of Granada students take at least one IB class and is growing every year. The diploma is just one option. 20% of IB students have an IEP, or a 504 plan, represented in our SPED community. IB students include English learners, foster youth, and students from economically disadvantaged households. Their academic success is critical to reaching our LCAP goals. IB teaches critical thinking, bringing division, bridging division to our modern world. We repeat, phasing out IB will lose $120,000 in ADA revenue for the district that we bring in. There's so much more that we can share with you about the value of this program, and we encourage you to visit and experience an IB class firsthand. We respectfully request that

138you continue funding IB. Thank you. Thank you. Zachary Nalek will be followed by Allison Baroti-Sambarira. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Zach Nalek. I'm an IB student and a senior at Granada High School. I am not here to explain the benefits of the IB diploma. You already know them. We told you them three years ago right here. But I am here to ask why the clearly expressed will of students and families continues to be ignored. When previously threatened, the IB diploma did not go undefended. The entire cohort stood up to show our support for this program. Students, teachers, and families spoke, and yet here we are again. So I asked, what changed? The students are still here. The families are still invested. The demand for IB has only grown at Granada. The

139only thing that seems to have changed is the district's willingness to honor what it previously heard. Public education depends on trust, but trust is eroded when students are encouraged to advocate, organize, and participate, only to discover that their voices are temporary obstacles rather than guiding principles. Bringing this issue back signals that student input is something to be managed, not respected. I acknowledge the issues with budgeting, but a financial strain cannot become a justification for repeatedly placing the same program under threat, especially one that has demonstrated consistent student demand and overwhelming community support. Thank you so much. Allison will be followed by Lily Grace Manny. Good evening. My name is Allison Buruti-Sarbararia. I'm a mother of three kids in the Livermore schools, as well as a social scientist. I come here on behalf of my children

140and just in gratitude for all the people who touch their lives through the Livermore schools, whether that's through Kid Connection, the PARAs, the librarian, their wonderful teachers, resource. These people make my kids' days. They come home and tell me about who said hi to them and who smiled at them, who gave them a high five. These people are important. No one goes into education because they wanna get rich. People go into education because they love and care about kids. Cutting programs that help kids learn things like social-emotional learning skills. There is research that supports that these skills are crucial for later academic success. Investing now saves money later. Thank you and have a good evening. Thank you. Lily will be followed by Inderpreet Mati. Hello board members. My name is Lily Grace. I am in

141fifth grade. Thank you for letting me speak here today. I'm here on behalf on my school, Lawrence Elementary and my amazing teachers. I love my school. It helps me grow over the years by helping me with public speaking and sometimes my anxiety and stress. It also helps me in my academic struggles. Throughout my years, Lawrence Elementary has become a home for our community and we wanna see it stay for many, many more years. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Inderpreet Mati will be followed by Tara Boyce. Hello. Thank you for taking the time to meet with all of us, trustees and superintendents. I am here on behalf of being a parent of two children at Lawrence Elementary, but not just at Lawrence. I think we need to also think about other schools

142that you're considering to close. These schools need to be remained open. Not only they need to be remained open, like these schools are very community driven. I've had children in a private school. It's vastly different than being in a public school. Public school arena is, I'm so grateful that my kids are here and not in a private school. You guys offer a lot more to our children. You guys do a lot. You guys are helping my children become better students. They have developed great friendships here and great supports from the staff and everybody. Closing a school is very sad and it will affect the community. And we got to think about the outcomes from that. Thank you. Thank you. Tara Boyce will be followed by Sarah Lindsay. Good evening. So my name is Tara Boyce.

143I'm a parent of two kiddos at Junction and we are thrilled to see that this item is going to be tabled hopefully for future consideration. In this past school year, we have formally created two budget advisory committees and I sit on the community version. And then there is an internal teacher, staff, et cetera version. I am imploring the board to direct the superintendent to formally recognize these boards as, or these committees as having part of this conversation. It's been a lot of presentation, socializing ideas, et cetera, but the time has come that the humans invested in this conversation have a seat at the table. So representatives from the community budget advisory committee and representatives from the internal staff, teacher, union budget committee are also invited to any meetings considering the reductions. Thank you. Sarah will

144be followed by Amber Delotti. Hello, my name is Sarah Lindsay and I am a TK instructional assistant at Arroyo Seco Elementary School. I am also a member of CSEA. I am currently in college to earn my teaching credential and hope to work with LVJUSD one day as an elementary school teacher. This is my first year as a district employee Working with the TK grade level team at Arroyo Seco, I've been able to work closely with many experienced fellow instructional assistants, paraprofessionals and other support faculty who provide caring, dedicated and essential care for the children in our community. Without the important work of these professionals, our schools would not be able to run in a manner that would provide all students with the attention and care they deserve. Without these professionals, teachers would lack the necessary

145support to educate all students and ensure every child receives the guidance they need to succeed. The work we do every day may not be flashy or headline worthy, but without that strong foundation, support staff. Thank you. Amber Delotti will be followed by Jen Valley. It's Amber Dequite. Thank you. Hey, thanks for having me guys. So I am a paraeducator for middle school here in Livermore School District. And in reading over the line item for the para cuts, I take concern with the sentence that says, these changes are not position cuts and will likely occur through attrition. That leads me to believe you have no clear plan with how to, I don't know, shift the loss of paras because there are so many different types of paras across the district and a very high turnover rate

146for extensive support needs, which will put other students in direct danger. I don't know if you've ever been punched in the face at work for a very small wage, but I can assure you more people will be getting hit in the face. Thank you. Next will be Jen Valley. Sorry. I'm so sorry. I really did too. That's really terrible. Okay. Good evening board members and superintendent. My name is Jen Valley. I'm a parent in this district, a business owner in this city and the PTA President Junction, one of the two Title I schools in the district. Livermore families show up. We volunteer, we fundraise, we attend meetings, we support our school sites and we advocate because our children's education matters to us at every level. I'm speaking tonight, not just as a leader, but as

147a member of our school community that is scared and confused. Families are hearing about budget cuts, job losses, and possible school closures through emails that are difficult to understand unless you already speak the language of budgets. For many families, even more so in Title I communities, that lack of clarity creates fear instead of understanding. It causes divisiveness and allows people to create their own narratives. When communication isn't clear, rumors fill the gaps. Neighbors turn on each other, staff feels disposable, parents worry in silence. Our families want to be partners, not bystanders. We deserve communication that is honest, plain spoken and transparent. Communication that clearly explains what is happening, what is still undecided, and how our voices matter in the process. Strong schools are built on trust and trust starts with clear communication. Thank you. Those

148are all the blue cards. So I would entertain discussion from the board or comment. I just wanted to thank all the concerned employees, students, parents, and tax paying citizens who spoke tonight and shared your concerns. I really appreciate all the emails that came in and all the public comments that were not just spoken here tonight, but also written in. I do take everything that you said very seriously. And I am listening. And I just appreciate you guys coming out tonight. Trustee Bueno. First off, I want to apologize to those who, and there was many, dozens and dozens of emails. I know we did a really brief summary, but there are dozens. I'm not quite sure how many, I didn't count them. But I did read them. And my apology is that I didn't reply to

149all of them. The bandwidth is, if those who don't know, I mean, we're on this board like singularly. So you're reading these at your kitchen table or something. We don't have an office here. So we're having to go through them and there's a lot. And some of them are very extensive. But you go through them, you read them, you take it into consideration. You try to understand like kid connection is a very passionate area. I've received a lot of those. TV Tip, Coach Herb, Health Techs, IB. There's a lot of them and school closures. One of the things that's difficult is when a narrative gets pushed out and you find yourself in a position to counter a narrative that you didn't start. So some of those things are difficult and we've done that tonight. When

150you put it into the vernacular school closures, those are lightning rod issues that I think the community has better served not to have to deal with unless it is an actual issue. When things are options, I think you need to kind of consolidate that down. And it's for those reasons that I would be in support of tabling this measure so we can give greater consideration to it and that we're not making this a thing of where we gave compensation to people and so now we're going to close your school. That's how I kind of read the community's reaction and I think it's grossly unfair. Trustee Vanden Heuvel. Well, the list that we are working off of right now touches nearly every aspect of the district. It includes some higher cost administrative positions as well as

151large numbers of lower cost support, or roles programs. And given the size of the deficits currently, I don't see a path forward that avoids broad cuts across LVJUSD. And I think, and I've mentioned this to the superintendent and to the rest of the board that I think these reductions will force us to kind of rethink all aspects of how we do school and how we serve students in this school district. I feel great frustration, great concern, some fear even that some of these reductions may undo the progress that has helped students thrive in recent years, but the fiscal gap leaves us with limited options. The question before is it no longer whether we reduce, but how we reduce in a way that protects students, honors our commitment, and then preserves the long-term health of our

152district. Both ends of the system matter. It is impossible to imagine a district without strong staffing on the front lines, of course, particularly for students who rely on support, intervention, specialized services. When at the same time, without sufficient leadership capacity, we lose the people who clear obstacles, maintain coherence, a plan, and support educators in their work. So we need both for student success. And the side presentation we've seen this year show that these strategies have worked. They are working and student performance indicators are trending upward, up and to the right. But I expect that in future years, we may see slower improvements as the system absorbs these reductions. And my hope is that we remain strategic enough to avoid losing grounds, especially for students on the margins. But looking ahead, I wanna be clear about

153how I see the board's role and my role as we continue this process. I believe that my responsibility is to set values, priorities, and guardrails, and getting us to a balanced budget rather than selecting or ranking specific cuts. When the time comes, I will communicate with our superintendent what I feel is the best way forward in our district. So we know whether it's keeping a kid connection, TV tip, health techs, reading intervention specialists, counselors, CWA, spare educators, SPED teachers, library specialists, office staff, and many, we've received literally hundreds of emails, many of which I was able to respond to and many of them I was not, but we hear you. My contribution is to communicate what I hope we can protect and what principles, that's why I was elected, because of the principles that I

154hold that should guide the decisions. And then the superintendent's role is to determine the operational reductions that align with those parameters to achieve that balanced budget. Every conversation that I had with the superintendent last few weeks, or it's only been like 10 days, but it really has helped me better understand the interconnectedness of this system. When I look at just individual line items, I cannot easily see which one or any of those line items are like load-bearing walls. You take down something that you don't even know anything about and the whole structure comes tumbling down. And which ones are kind of nice to have and impossible to keep for a district who finds itself in this particular fiscal situation. Prioritizing one reduction often cascades into all these unintended consequences for students, for staff, for operations,

155that complexity underscores why I have the opinion that it is not the board's role to make micro-level operation decisions, but instead provide macro-level kind of 30,000 foot values and guidelines to say things like this is what I value, this is what I am willing to consider reducing. For that reason, I will not be ranking or prioritizing this list of reductions tonight or any night and leave that job to the superintendent and her team while continually communicating my values and ways that I think we should move forward while prioritizing students. Because based on my understanding of my role as a superintendent, I help set direction and policy, hire and support and evaluate the superintendent, adopt and oversee the budget, ensure accountability for results and represent the public. That's you and provide community leadership. So, I hope

156and believe and move forward today with the opinion that our superintendent and staff are capable of making some difficult decisions. And I will be supporting her in her decisions. Listen, we'll be supporting her in her decisions and disagree loudly when I feel that she may be making a mistake, all while trusting that this is a leader currently that's gonna help us get through this difficult season. Thank you very much. Trustee Prusso. First of all, I wanna thank everyone who came tonight. I know it's not easy to speak in public and I appreciate you coming. I also want to acknowledge the volume and the tone of the correspondence that I have received. I have received hundreds of emails from community members, classified staff, SEIU members, and without exception, those messages have been respectful, thoughtful, and professional.

157Many have taken the time to carefully explain the details of their work and how it supports students. And I believe that that effort deserves to be recognized. I personally tried to respond to every single email that I got. And as of last night, I think there were some that came today I haven't touched yet because I knew how important it was for you. And I just want you to know that I recognize and acknowledge that. As a board member, I fully understand my responsibility to ensure the long-term fiscal health of this district. And I recognize that this responsibility sometimes requires making very difficult decisions and cuts. And I am willing to do that work and I will not shy away from that obligation. At the same time, I wanna be clear about the role of

158the board, determining how many child welfare attendants, health technicians, or office specialists to reduce, or whether positions can be combined, or which specific programs or software can be eliminated is not my area of expertise. That work belongs to the professionals in this room who have the operational knowledge and experience to evaluate these decisions thoughtfully and responsibly and to bring forward their recommendations. I would also like to hear from our budget committees if we have that opportunity as well, I know that this is work that they've been doing since the beginning of the school year. Once again, I am prepared to make difficult decisions and that what I'm asking for is a process that allows me to make these decisions based on professional and well-developed recommendations. I also believe that there is value in continued dialogue,

159even with the very real-time constraints that we are facing. And while we may not be able to incorporate every perspective at this stage, however, these options are developed and the communication matters. And I do appreciate those of you who have communicated to me either directly via email or here in the board meetings. And I appreciate that. So I've reflected on the process of how we got to where we are. I returned to the directions that were given to Superintendent Gibson after completion of negotiations. And it was threefold. Use this moment as an opportunity to repair relationships. Two, meaningfully collaborate with stakeholders. And three, use this as an opportunity to help reimagine Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. In good faith, I do not believe that those directives have been followed to this point. I believe

160that this list was largely created by two people with minimal and reluctant input from others. I have concerns about the messaging. I have concerns about the process. And if more concerns about the lack of consultation with groups such as LCAP and the Budget Advisory Committee. The end result is that this feels like a rush job to get done and move on with. I was not elected to do that. I was elected to carefully deliberate, to collaborate, and try to make the best decision for students. At least speaking for myself, the primary direction that I've always given is this. Number one, provide a high quality education for all students. Number two, if budget cuts are necessary, keep them as far away from students as possible. Number three, while maintaining a functioning school, while maintaining a functioning

161school system. Number four, that meets its financial obligations. I think that part of the process of getting to where we are today is, I think that we need to pause. And I think that the board needs to meet soon to give clear direction about the path forward. That's our job, is to give direction. And I think that it sounds like we need to give more clear direction about the steps forward. I think part of my role as president is also to communicate with the public. And so I'm hoping that the board can reconvene soon. We can talk about how we move forward from here, create a plan and communicate that with the public so that we can get meaningfully inputs within the short period of time that we have. So with that being said, I

162move that we table this item. I second the motion. We have a motion from me with a second from trustee Bueno. Is there any discussion on this motion? I have one more comment. I just wanna share. This has been like really weighing on my heart and I hope this is the appropriate time to share this, but I just wanna speak plainly and factually about the financial reality facing our district. We'll hopefully answering some of the questions from our community. Livermore Valley Joint Unified is currently confronted with a $16 million budget deficit. At the same time, the districts has left approximately 15 million in federal funding unclaimed or at risk, including roughly 10 million tied to a federal magnet grant. Access to that funding required the district to meet certain Title IX compliance conditions. Title IX

163is a longstanding federal civil rights law designed to protect women's rights, gender equality and student privacy. One of the required elements was a clear definition of sex-based spaces, including women's bathrooms and locker rooms. The board has not taken any action on that definition and as a result, it has not been confirmed that the district will meet the conditions required to secure that grant funding. This is not about blame, intent or ideology. It's about process, compliance and consequences. The practical outcome is that while facing a $16 million shortfall, the district did not access the funding that could have offset some cuts, stabilized programs and reduced harm to students and staff. $10 million would have made a meaningful difference. I believe the public deserves transparency about this decision and its fiscal impact. In times of financial constraint,

164every available dollar matters. I repeat that, every available dollar matters. Governance decisions, especially those tied to compliance have real budgetary consequences and it's important that our community understands that and has a part of this conversation. Thank you. So, is there any discussion on the motion? Clerk, can you call the roll? Myself, aye. Trustee Caplanes? Aye. Trustee Prusso? Aye. Trustee Bueno? Aye. President Druhan? Aye. That motion carries 5-0. We'll move on to consent items, I'm sorry. We have a request for a break, so we'll recess for five to 10 minutes. Thank you. Oh God. So this is the board returning to open session at 9.08 p.m. So let's move on to our consent items. We have 18 consent items, but I think that there's some that want to be removed. Is that correct? I would request

165just procedurally that December 9th, the minutes be separated because I know I left during that meeting just so we could vote on it separately. Okay. Are there any other consent items that wish to be removed? Yes, please. I have a request to pull 13.3 G to discuss separately. 13, 14, 3 G. Yes, 14, 3 G. Thank you. So the approval of out-of-state conferences. Okay. Don't have any blue cards. Are there any questions from the board? Can I say, Dana, why don't you talk about what you wanted to pull and then we can just go after that? Should we do that or do you want to? We can entertain a motion or we could discuss and we could do a motion for all of them and then grapple with G. Okay. I'll try. I'll make a

166motion to approve consent items minus the approval of the December 9th minutes and minus something 3 G. What is it? 14, thank you. 14, 3 G in their entirety. Does that work? I think so. Okay. Is there a second? A second. So I have a motion from trustee Peruzzo, a second from trustee Caplanes. Any discussion on the motion? Clerk, can you call and roll? Trustee Caplanes. Aye. Myself, aye. Trustee Peruzzo. Aye. Trustee Bueno. Aye. President Druhan. Aye. That motion carries 5-0. Let's go with 15-1-A then. Is there a motion to approve? Sorry, mine says 15-14-1-A. I'll make a motion to approve the minutes of December 9th, 2025. And I'll second. So motion from trustee Vanden Heuvel, seconded from trustee Peruzzo. Any discussion on the motion? Clerk, can you call and roll? Yes. Trustee Peruzzo. Aye.

167Trustee Caplanes. I think I have to recuse myself of this because- Oh, that's the one you- I abstain. I abstain. All right. Myself, aye. Trustee Bueno. Abstain due to partial abstinence. President Druhan. Aye. Motion carries three with two abstentions. So on to, I believe it's 14-3-G. Questions or clarification? If not, I would entertain a motion. For 14-3, no. Yeah, 14-3-G. I have just a concern about this because one of the proposed reductions was the conference travel and that associated. So this is asking also for more travel, which is gonna take place in July. I don't understand why we have to prove this now for January. I also have a concern that we shouldn't ignore the public's request to get this agendized for full discussion. I don't think it's in good faith that we approve this

168until we have a full board discussion regarding the Magna Grant, especially when it involves our most vulnerable students at Junction in Maryland. Is there a timeline for this? For the approval, I guess? Well, so this was originally scheduled in November, but because of the government shutdown, this conference was moved to July. So they just came out with the new dates. And so when they gave us the new dates, then we put it, re-put it on the calendar, or excuse me, on the board packet for approval. Is it just need to be approved any time before that? It can be approved any time before. I believe there is a timeline for out-of-state field trips being approved. Is it 90 days, Ms. Wosley? Yes, I believe so. Yeah, I think it's 90 days. And this is paid

169for with Magna Grant funding. And what exactly is the conference for? Is this going to meet with them to talk about the Magna Grant itself? This is part of our Magna Grant, is that we send five individuals to this conference every year. We have since inception. We did receive the grant award notification back in the late fall, early winter. So we do know that we have the continuation of funds for the Magna Grant. And this is part of the- So this is required. It is. Okay, that was the question. That was kind of what I was getting at. Yeah, I mean. So just to clarify, we do have confirmation that we received our Magna Grant, a continuation of our Magna Grant funds. We received the grant award notification, yes. Oh, when did we receive that?

170I'd have to give you the exact date. It was November or I think it was November or December. No, we received the grant award notification. Just through the school year only. Nothing past that. So we have not had any communication from the federal government since our response in October. We received that every year. So we have the continuation of this year. That's why this field trip is on there. Because we have the funding this year, which we receive a grant award notification every year. And we received it for this year. So when you go to this conference, are you going to be able to lobby to keep our Magna Grant for a continuation into next year? That's part of what we do at the directors meeting. I mean, to me, if it's required for the

171grant, I feel like I would approve it. I do recall this from years past, as you said that. Okay. So I mean, if there are no other discussions, I could make a motion. Any other discussion? Okay, I'd initiate a motion if there is one. I move to support the superintendent's recommendation to approve the out-of-state conference for five staff members to attend the Making Connections project directors meeting magnet conference in Virginia with legislators regarding the magnet grant funding in July, 2026. I'll second that. I have a motion from trustee Prusso, seconded by trustee Vanden Heuvel. Any discussion on the motion? Just simply a clarification from my perspective on the motion is that it's a requirement of existing money and I wouldn't want to bite off our nose to spite our face. And so I understand that

172it's not mixed with the same principle of going to training and things like that that we're looking to phrase. So with that. I think that's important. Correct. That's my clarification. Yes, thank you for that clarification. Clerk, can you call the roll? Myself, aye. Trustee Prusso? Aye. Trustee Caplales. I will approve of this with that clarification that this is required. However, I still want to request that we get this agendized for a full discussion. Trustee Bueno. Aye. President Druid. Aye. That motion carries five oh. So we will move on to reports and requests. Trustee Bueno. I want to thank the public for the input that we've received and as the longest serving member on this board, only surpassing trustee Prusso who's been on the board for a number of years. I know it's difficult to address

173the large volume of emails and public concerns. I think all of us are embracing the responsibility. I would hope that we can not have to counter a public narrative and that we can move forward in unison. I know it's difficult and I know we're just getting through the holidays, but we also have the start of a new year and with that start of the new year, I just hope that we can be as fresh as possible. That's it. Thank you. Trustee Caplanes. I too want to thank everybody that has shared their input into all the difficult conversations going on at this time regarding our budget reductions and school closures and all that conversation. I know it's very difficult. I want to thank the people that are still hanging out too. In the last few days,

174I feel like I have talking to every single person in Livermore and I'm exhausted. So with that, I'm ready to go home and go to bed. Thank you. Trustee Vanden Heuvel. I'm not a little out of words as well. Who would have thought? I want to thank all the people that invited me to come look at their site and look at their job and look at their position, have a chance to see what they do and see how it affects all the students. And I learned a lot and I'm also super glad that we're taking the foot off the gas as a board to try to get more input from more people so we can fully get behind where we find ourselves. And let's be clear, it's this fundamental funding, a lack of funding that

175we get from the state of California is the reason why we're in this position. Our expenses keep going up and we get compensated for that at a lower rate, it seems like. So we have to fundamentally do something different and I think we together, as everybody here at the table, I feel we're gonna get there. In unison, we're gonna get through this very difficult period, not without any cuts at all, because obviously we would rather not cut anything, but there's some changes needed and I think we're gonna be better for it and build back better in the future. Thank you. Trustee Peruzza. I don't have a lot of words left. I think I've said my words today, but I just wanted to again, thank people for reaching out and talking about what they do in

176this district and to just acknowledge my fellow board members and the superintendent and staff here that I know that what we're doing is not easy and there's a lot of challenges out of our control that are working against us and I just wanted to acknowledge the work that everyone up here has been doing and yeah, I know it's difficult and I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who are sitting up here and I already thank people in the audience, but I appreciate them coming, supporting us as well. I didn't write anything to say for this point, so this is me from the hip. I think that it's unique in our society that we place as much power as we do in local citizens to have control over education. It's not the

177case in a lot of countries and as a social studies teacher, I talked very glowingly about democracy and I still believe in democracy, but my perspective about democracy and how it functions and how it works has shifted, not in a bad way, just that the conversations that we're having and the passion that people are sharing are all real, but it's all part of the architecture and the framework of we as a local community are charged with making big choices about education and at face value, if you'd asked me five years ago, I'd say that sounds cool, let's do that. Sitting in the seats as board president to try to steer the ship towards that goal is really challenging. This is my second meeting, but there's also something, I was at the library and there was

178the giant mandala in the center of it, it says the enlightenment. Part of the enlightenment was the idea that all humans have the capacity to think and change and democracy kind of stemmed from that idea that five people can make big choices, five people can listen and give direction and struggle and lose lots of sleep and read lots of email, but to struggle to try to do what's best. And I think of all that I've done in my life to bring me to this moment. And I've been thinking, it's pretty remarkable because three or 400 years ago, that wouldn't be the case, five people from the community to make these big choices. I'm not sure fully about the direction that we're going, but I stand by the four directions that we've given to create a

179system that is high quality education system for all students, that keeps cuts as far away from students while maintaining a functioning system and a balanced budget. I think that we can do those things. And I think that usually, no, I won't go down that road. As a leader, I think it's important to pause and reflect. And I think that this is an opportunity for us to pause, reflect and plan about how we're gonna get to where we need to be. And I feel governmentally clumsy in that process, but I'm committed to those values and trying to create, try to get us to there because at the end of the day, I was elected by a lot of people to try to do what's best for students. And I'm just trying to do that to the

180best that I can. Thank you, Dr. Gibson. Then the board meeting will be held Tuesday, February 10th, 2026. Open session will begin at 6 p.m. This meeting is now adjourned at 9.25 p.m.