001Mhm. >> Mhm. >> It's working, so. Yeah. It's okay. Leave it on. Yeah. Check, check. Mike. Yeah. Leave it on. >> Mhm. >> Welcome. The time is now 10:02 a.m. on April 21st, 2026. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. I'm going to take roll, Ms. Newbill. Present. Dr. Rivas. Present. Mr. Melvoin. >> Here. Ms. Crieger. Uh Ms. Gomez. Uh Ms. Ortiz Franklin. Present. Board President Schmerelson. Present. >> Student Board Member Yang. Here. All right, we have a quorum. And now, let's uh please pull up the Pledge of Allegiance. Today, Mr. Marion and Ms. Sabra Homians' classes from Mountain View Elementary School will be reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic
002for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay, please prepare for the land acknowledgement. We acknowledge that the Los Angeles Unified School District operates on land originally and still inhabited and cared for by the Gabrielino and Fernandeño Tataviam peoples, who have stewarded this land for generations. We recognize these indigenous communities' ongoing presence and contributions and honor their connection to this region. We recognize Gabrielino people as the original stewards of the Los Angeles Basin and the nearby coastal lands and the Fernandeño Tataviam as protectors of the northern valleys. These lands have and continue to hold deep cultural and spiritual significance to their people and have shaped the community we live in today. We pay our respects to the Hanuukvitam ancestors a hi hetom elders and eyo hiinken our relatives
003and relations, past, present, and emerging and commit to supporting indigenous communities through education, ensuring their voices are heard, and their legacies are respected. We commit to deepening our understanding of the histories and cultures of the native peoples of this land. This acknowledgement demonstrates our ongoing efforts to build and sustain relationships with indigenous communities and contribute to healing and reconciliation. Okay, good morning, everyone. And that was a beautiful pledge of allegiance from Mountain View Elementary School. And believe it or not, Mountain View is in Kelly's district, Board District 6. But that school is so far away and so hard to find because I once got a package delivered at Mount Vernon Middle School where I was principal and it was meant for a Mountain View. So I told the driver, "Oh, I live in the valley.
004Don't worry, I'll take it there." It took me more time to find that school than to ride down to Bodry, but it's a great school. So I You know, right? Thank you so much. Well, everybody, um I would like you to know, and it's my honor to let you know that uh uh today, or rather this month, wait a minute, is library National Library Week. And as you have known, heard a million times from me, I'm a big supporter of libraries, libraries, public libraries, and libraries at schools, middle schools, high schools, teacher librarians, and library techs in the elementary school. So, before we get started, I'd like to say, "Happy National Library Week to all LAUSD students, staff, and community." National Library Week is being celebrated this year from April 19th to April 25th. Given
005the times we were living in, we're seeing more and more people, especially elected officials, direct their anger at libraries for carrying books about diverse lives and diverse experiences. These institutions play an important role in society because when used properly, they can help expand our minds. It allows us to see certain situations through the eyes of its characters, which help us build empathy, understanding, and a connection to the characters of authors. Librarians and library technicians also provide valuable services, helping students with research, homework, and book recommendations, and preparing activities to stimulate students' minds. So, I hope everyone can join me in celebrating National Library Week, thanking our librarians and library technicians for their hard work, and valuing the library as it should be. Thank you. Okay. So, we're going with our meeting. Our next uh group
006is labor partners and I know we saw CSEA out there, right, Mr. McLean? Would you like to come up, CSEA? Thank you. Welcome. Good morning. Greetings, board members, superintendent, labor partners, and esteemed guests. My name is Marsha Scott and I am a member of the negotiations team with CSEA here on behalf of our members. I have had the honor to serve on the Board of Education Special Ed Special Education Committee since fall of 2024 as a CSEA representative. Therefore, I understand the scrutiny that comes with serving on a body designed to make student-centered decisions based on information and data. In that regard, I am here to share some data points with you and advocate for CSEA members. While CSEA does not have 30,000 members and a significant number of our members are not school-based employees,
007we are a unit of 4,000 members with responsibilities to core business functions within the district. Our members include a long list of technical professionals who who support all schools and offices. I appreciate the difficult position making decisions regarding staffing creates and would like to help guide the conversation with data and with facts. For your reference, I would like you to review the full list of CSEA representative positions that are all critical to district operations and whose core functions are to support teachers, school site staff, and all other LAUSD employees as it is impossible to list them all in the time allotted to speak today. From the riff list you received in February, approximately 39 members were CSEA 39% were CSEA members. Now, with the rescission of 220 SEIU represented IT staff, that is increased to
008approximately 59%. In my department alone, there will be 50% less assignment technicians, 30% less credentials and contract specialists, less salary credit assistants to evaluate transcripts and ensure our certificated staff is paid correctly, and less clerical staff to greet our teachers who come to our office to receive help. To add to insult to injury, CSEA leadership has been made aware that some departments are rehiring retired administrators to complete work that CSEA employees perform. These prof experts are doing so working from home and getting paid from $40 to $100 an hour, far more than the members whose work they are supplanting earn to do the same work for which we are not even afforded the dignity of a conversation regarding telework. There are often unintended consequences to trying to do the right thing, so let's not repeat
009the unintended consequences of not considering how these riffs impact CSEA members who support the entire district. Schools will have hard choices to make regarding staffing due to increases in federal fund I'm sorry, decreases in federal funding and increased costs of salaries and benefit contributions. As I celebrate the victories of our labor partners, I am concerned that the $1.2 billion increase to the budget based on agreements with three labor partners will leave CSEA employees left out of the dignity their members earned to receive wages that will allow them to afford to live in the communities they serve. We learned from the last increase to the district minimum wage that all class of em- classified employees that were already above 22.52 received raises that did not keep pace with the 30 to 36% cost of living adjustment
010for employees above the minimum wage. I would be remiss in not requesting that all classified employees receive cost of living adjustments to improve affordability for them since it is unlikely that adjusting everyone to keep pace with the cost of living is affordable nor sustainable for the district. Removing promotional pathways is one of the unintended consequences of the compression on the salary table that came when the minimum wage was adjusted before. And because those promotional pathways were removed, it is going to be difficult to reach a chat to retain and recruit new members to replace members such as our salary credits assistants who no longer are promotion from previous career pathways. Uh we are not asking for equity just that nor equality. We just understand that we some of us make less and so we need
011to be uplifted up more, but all of us need to be able to afford to live in the communities that we serve as well. And we are asking to have the board consider that all classified employees who were above the previous minimum wage that became compressed on the salary table, we would like to make sure that that doesn't happen again and that that we look at ways to adjust that to make things equitable and maintain maintain the promotional pathways that existed before. Thank you. And thank you. And in honor of National Library Week, our library technicians are represented by CSEA. So thank you very much. Thank you. Okay. Any other labor partners in the audience? No? Okay. We'll go on to our uh committee chair reports and charter school committee is up first. Thank you.
012Uh the charter school committee convened on March 12th to review updates on charter oversight, facilities planning, and legislative developments impacting charter schools. The committee first heard from the charter schools division on the 26th, 27th proposition 39 co-location process, including timelines, alternative agreements, and challenges related to multi-site placements and communication between host schools and charter operators. Discussion focused on ensuring transparency, consistency, and minimizing operational impacts on district campuses. The committee also received a charter school spotlight from Isana Academies, highlighting strategies to support high-need student populations, including integrated special education services, co-teaching models for English learners, and balancing academic growth with increased proficiency. The final presentation from the government relations um provided a legislative update on proposed changes on charter oversight, including audit requirements, extensions for verified data, and renewed authorization of non-classroom based charters, with discussion
013on implementation timelines and implications for the district's authorizing role. The next and final charter school committee for the 20 25-26 meeting will be held on May 14th. Thank you, Dr. Evens, and while you're on a roll, let's do committee of the whole. Okay, I'm on a roll. The committee of the whole convened on March 17th to discuss student-centered programs focused on college and career readiness, special education pathways, and operational investments impacting student experience. The committee first heard a presentation on project reconnect at Beres Career Transition Center um in Board District 2, highlighting hands-on learning opportunities for students with disabilities, and including device repair, internships, and workforce preparation. The committee then received an update on Dream It, Achieve It, highlighting strong progress in expanding dual enrollment, college and career pathways, and multilingual outreach to students and
014families. The program reflects a growing coordinated effort to connect students to real opportunities with increasing participation and momentum across schools and regions. The final presentation focused on the central manufacturing kitchen plan, a major facilities investment aimed at modernizing food services, improving efficiency, and reducing reliance on contracted external vendors. Board members discussed the project timeline, board oversight, integration with work workforce pathways, and long-term costs considerations, including rising construction costs and sustainable opportunities. The next meeting for the Committee of the Whole will be on April 28th. Thank you very much, and our next committee report is on special education committee. All right, thank you. During our last committee meeting on March 18th, we recognized the essential contributions of the Eric PSWs, our psychiatric social workers, as part of National Social Worker Month. These PSWs provide vital support
015to our special education students, helping our students learn and stay in the least restrictive environment, while also empowering students and their families through the IEP process. The special education division presented on student voices in the IEP process. As part of the Listen and Learn campaign, one of the division's measures of success is to increase student participation in the IEP process by 20% by 2027. The committee heard about successful strategies for encouraging student involvement in the IEP process from Anatola Elementary, Sotomayor Arts and Sciences Magnet, and City Terrace Elementary. Special thanks to Sotomayor student Alexa Carillo from Sotomayor for providing us insight into the student perspective in the IEP process. Please join us for our next meeting taking place on May 6th at 3:30 p.m. Thank you, Ms. Griego. Our next report is from the Greening
016and Climate Resilience Committee. Okay. So, the Greening Schools and Climate Resilience Committee convened on March 25th to review progress on district-wide sustainability efforts and barriers to scaling greening initiatives across LAUSD campuses. The committee first heard from the Eco Sustainability Office, which provided updates on energy, water conservation, transportation electrification, climate literacy, and wildfire resilience, including partnerships with LA LADWP, and expansion of recycled water projects. It was a great, really great meeting. And a lot of information there. Um, discussion highlighted ongoing challenges with site conditions such as soil contamination and remediation, as well as a need for stronger coordination and internal systems to move projects forward. The second presentation led by Green Schoolyards America and CalFire focused on barriers on schoolyard greening, including complex approval processes, design standards, and limited authority within the Eco Sustainability Office. Presenters
017emphasized risks of delays, including lost funding and reduced grant competitive- competitiveness, and recommended streamlining processes, updating standards, and clarifying decision-making authority. The next meeting of the Greening Schools and Climate Resilience Committee will be held on April 29th. Thank you, Dr. Rivas. You've been very busy with three committees so far. Thank you so much. Your next one is Safety and School Climate Committee. Just an update, we postponed our meeting to this coming Thursday, so hope to see you right here at 1:00 on Thursday for the next meeting. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next is our Curriculum and Instruction Committee. The Curriculum and Instruction Committee met on April 8th to discuss and understand better how professional development and bank time Tuesdays can be part of building school cultures that honor and support students whole selves. We
018heard from Lucille Roybal Allard Elementary School about their efforts. They are a community school and a meaningful teaching and learning school. This means that they are able to doubly personalize professional development to the needs of their students and their self-designed academic and social-emotional programs. We also heard from the Division of Instruction about the new plan for bank time Tuesdays for the 2026-2027 school year as well as social-emotional learning offerings. The Division of Instruction is building a proposal that will allow all schools, including priority schools, more flexibility and choice about their professional development as well as the ability to tailor each professional development to their school. The committee discussed the challenges with professional development as a one-size-fits-all model, especially for priority schools, and the need for time and more dedicated personnel to actually do the personalization
019needed and the follow-up that is required. We have one more meeting in the school year, May 20th, and we will be releasing a second set of recommendations from the committee. Thank you. Thank you very much, Ms. Griego, and now we'll turn it over to our superintendent for superintendent reports. Good morning, Board President Schmelson. Good morning, Board. Uh good morning, folks that are with us. Actually, uh we do have a 10:30 time certain. We're a couple minutes ahead of time, but if that's okay board member Ortiz Franklin, I'll turn it over to you and I'll come back with my reports in a bit. I really appreciate that because we are so excited. We have students here today to celebrate commitment in college signing day which is coming up May 1st. So we're going to gear up
020a video and I'll invite the students to come and get ready to practice what we hope people will be doing all across the entire district. This video will show you just a brief history of what commitment college signing day has looked like in board district 7 and we invite you all this is a part of tab 23. I should be moving it. We invite you to to participate in the these activities. So let me move tab 23 and if I could get a second. Second. And here's a bit of the history of it. District 7 family hello LA Unified family. We are so grateful to kick off our first annual college signing day. We plan to make this event bigger and bigger every year because we care about all of our kids being fully prepared
021to choose college to thrive in CAREER AND LIFE. ALL RIGHT. YEAH. YEAH. COLLEGE IS FOR EVERYONE AND WE GOT TO START TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT college is something that everyone knows about everyone can access. About hundreds of seniors all across board district 7 telling us where they're going to college next year and dozens of families and little kids here to grow their college knowledge and celebrate college going culture. We've got colleges recruiting here. We've got community partners and we've got a ton of fun activities for kids to celebrate going to college. First Lady Michelle Obama started this a couple years ago and now we're going to continue the tradition of letting everyone know where our kids are going to college. I'm going to Cal State Long Beach. I'm going
022to UCLA. I'm going to Boise State University. I'm going to UC San Diego. I'm going to CSU Fullerton. I went to Narbonne High School and I'm going to Cal State Dominguez Hills. There's so many different resources here for high school students. We have different colleges here showing them what's available. We have also different uh employment opportunities here coming out and showing the students what they can do and what they can pursue in their future. How's it going y'all? How can I help you? Any any questions for me? Events like this are important to all students because students are able to gain a sense of community and all of the schools in LAUSD get to come together and announce our college signing day. I go to Crenshaw High School and I'm going to UC San Diego.
023My name is Sophie Baye. I go to San Pedro High School and I'm GOING TO USC. I'M GOING TO CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ. I'M GOING TO CAL State Long Beach. I'm going to Dickinson College. I'm going to University of Toronto. I'm going to Cal State Northridge. >> I'm going to Kalamazoo College. >> going to Yale University in the fall. pumped up for May 1st. We're going to invite our scholars to practice what a commitment day looks like here and so they're all going to come up just like you saw the students and say, "My name is Tanya Ortiz Franklin. I go to Narbonne High School and I'm going to Columbia. And then we're all going to cheer really loud for them. So, all of our students, here we go. Hi, my name is Michael Tovar. I'm
024a student at VHSPA, and I will be attending Cal State Dominguez Hills this fall. Abel Yabu. Um, I will I'm a student at HTPA, and I will be attending Kalamazoo College as a Posse Scholar this fall. Hi, my name is Lexi Satina. I'm a student at HTPA, and I'll be attending USC this fall. ANAYA HARRIS, AND I'M A STUDENT AT HTPA, and I'll be attending Spellman College this fall. Hello, my name is Sherly Maguisla. I'm a student at VHSPA, and I'll be attending Cal State Long Beach this fall. My name is Maricruz Hernandez. I'm a student at Roybal Learning Center, and this fall I will be attending USC. My name is Carlos Joaquin, and I'm a student at Roybal Learning Center, and in the fall I'm going to be attending USC. Hi, my name is
025Jorge Lopez. I'm a student at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, and I'm attending Santa Clara University with a full ride this fall. MY NAME IS JERRY YANG. I GO TO NORTH HOLLYWOOD High School, and I'll be going to Harvard OR STANFORD. SO. JERRY'S GOT A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO DECIDE, because May 1st is commitment day. I'm going to ask the scholars to hang out for a few minutes, cuz we'll do public comment board discussion, but after the vote, I'd love to take a big photo with our scholars and the board, everyone wearing college gear today. Oh my gosh, we've got one more student. All right, come on up. Come on up. We love celebrating. And at schools, we also invite folks to say if they're going straight into a career, military service, whatever your commitment is.
026But let's have our last scholar. Oh yeah, say your name, your what school you go to, and where you're going to college next year. Come on up to the mic up here. Come on up. All right. Everyone, my name is Ashley, and I go to City of Angels High School, and I'm part of Dr. Rivas' Student Advisory Council, and I'm currently deciding between UCLA and UC Berkeley. >> OKAY, GOOD CHOICES. AWESOME. SCHOLARS, HANG out for a few minutes. Board, I'll invite some discussion right after public comment if we have any, right, Mr. McLean? But hoping to celebrate this with a lot of enthusiasm as we're already feeling today for our scholars' commitments to career and college. Outstanding. We have five folks signed up for public comment. Alberta Moore, are you here? Alberta Moore? All right,
027Madeline, are you here? Madeline? Uh Mao Trejo, I do not see Mao. Uh Latonya Jackson, and let's see, Karina. Okay, that concludes public comment. Yes. Whoop, I don't on tab 23? It's all good. We'll come back to you. We'll we'll get this this tab 23. Thank you though, I appreciate it. And maybe I'll invite Dr. Rivas. We did invite you to bring some of your students, so thank you. I'm not sure if that's an official co-sponsorship, but I welcome it if it is. Yes, please put me out of co-sponsoring. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Rivas. And any colleagues who want to add any comments or co-sponsorships, I invite them. >> Co-sponsor, please. Co-sponsorship. It's It's unanimous co-sponsorship. We all love a good commitment day celebration. Awesome. I don't know if there's any further discussion, otherwise
028we can just keep the celebration going with a I guess vote. I might just use my time to try to publicly convince Jerry that there's only one right answer to his No, I'm just kidding. Congratulations to all of our students and schools for celebrating these exciting milestones and proud to co-sponsor. And you should go to Harvard. So, if any students are unsure about their options after high school, it's mostly due to a lack of exposure to what's available to them. And it's not enough to prepare our students to pass the test they take in the classroom today. We want our students to prepare to fulfill the space that they want to occupy after high school graduation. And for some students this looks like a traditional college experience, and for others it means entering a technical
029program so they can contribute to the workforce sooner. However, the one thing we should never allow our students to do is not prepare for their futures after high school. All of our students have talents and experiences that they can help their respective communities. But as it important it is very important for LAUSD to continue establishing a culture of excellence and choice. And when this culture is ingrained in the minds of students and staff, our students cannot fail. They won't be lost, they won't be confused about what to do after high school. This responsibility starts with the board. And we won the privilege of representing our communities, we took the responsibility of setting the direction of the district, and something that I asked myself is how have I helped advance the culture of achievement in board
030district three. And one of the proudest decisions I have made as a board member was initiating my student advisory council. Last Wednesday we hosted our final student advisory council and it was the last meeting of the 25-26 school year. We had 12 seniors this past year. All 12 will be going to college after high school graduation. Of those 12, eight of them are young women. This is a culture of excellence, but I want to make it clear that this was not established by me. The students established it and all the board district three team did was show them the options. So, we talked about college. We also invited staff from our CTE division to speak with students about their options. So, please again, as I said, add me as a co-sponsor to this resolution and
031thank you board member Artise Franklin for bringing this to the board. Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Conyers and Mr. Young. Um well, I will also thank board member Artise Franklin for bringing us the celebration of our amazing students this morning, but also for bringing this resolution to the board. Um I feel like college signing days are some of the most joyful and fulfilling opportunities just to to celebrate the incredible work of our students and their families. I also want to highlight increased college going rates as a result of hard hard work on and support on the part of our staff, our teachers, our counselors, our principals. So, I also want to recognize the village around each and every one of our students that enables them to open up their pathways to their dreams. Um so,
032thank you so much. I'm excited to co-sponsor and I look forward to celebrating the future class of 2026. Thank you. Yes, first I wanted to congratulate all the students who are here today and have committed, you know, it's a very big decision. Um and all of you are going to really really amazing schools. Uh commitment day is also just such an important day because it's a manifestation of all the hard work that you guys have have been doing for the past, you know, 12, 13, 14, I guess technically eight, 17, or 18 years, like your entire life and it's a big decision and it's a very pivotal pivotal moment in life and I know that a lot of the work in the district that we do is helping you make sure that you're you're college
033and career ready. And and something that I've tried to do as a student board member as well is is promote different opportunities and different pathways, I guess. Like like board president Schmelson mentioned earlier and I think there's sort of a stigma that I hear from students sometimes around going to community college or trade techs and it's sometimes it's looked down upon but I love to see that that stigma is being broken with this group of students and with what the district is doing in partnerships with LACCD and and and all these great organizations that really give a tremendous amount of opportunities to students that they would you know otherwise not consider because you know they they want to go to name schools or or or whatever. So and and finally, you know, I just want
034to thank board member Ortiz Franklin for bringing this resolution. I would love to be added as a co-sponsor and I hope to see us all celebration just like this in board district 3. So, yeah, thank you. Thank you for mentioning that Jerry about you know, no matter what pathway you take, it's your pathway and it's your unique way your journey so your unique journey. So thank you for mentioning that. So yeah, I do want to say a few words. I'm glad to be added as a co-sponsor and thank you board member Ortiz Franklin for bringing this forward. I appreciate the focus on building a stronger college and career center culture across the district creating space to celebrate students next steps whether it is college, career or not any pathway that they choose helps helps make
035those opportunities more visible, more tangible and more attainable. This is special because for students who may be in their be the first in their families to pursue higher education or who have not always seen these pathways reflected around them. Moments like this can play a powerful role in shifting expectations and building a sense of possibility and belonging. I also appreciate the emphasis on starting earlier and engaging families in this process when students and families have clear information and support, they are better positioned to make informed decisions about their futures. And as board member Ganas mentioned, this would not be a possibility without every single individual in their school communities who made this made this possible for them and believing in them, providing all the experience and opportunities that they deserve to persevere and make this
036dream come true for them. And also congratulations to all the students, in particular board district two, Ashley Lattes, Mighty Cruz Hernandez, Carlos Joaquin Nicolas, and Jorge Lopez. Congratulations to all of you and all the all of our seniors who are moving forward and their own unique pathway. Oh, district two. Mine's quick. I just want to congratulate the students. It's an amazing and incredible achievement. I know that we talk about it all the time, but I want you to remember that this is yours and only yours cuz you're the one who did all that work. Granted, there were lots of people behind you supporting you, teachers, family members, friends, and neighbors. Your support system was there for you, but I also want you to own that victory, that glory, because you're the one who did that
037work. you to carry that with you when you go on to college. And then also remember your roots and where you came from. Always lean on that because there's going to be moments when it's going to be tough. It's hard going to college. It's hard going away. It's hard when you're first generation and it's hard when you're a person of color. So, lean on all of your ancestors, your roots, all those folks who helped you get here. Because they did it for you, and you have that in you. So, always hold on to that. All right. Congratulations to them. Congratulations to all of our students throughout LAUSD who are either going to college or making a career choice. We are proud of you for making it through high school. That in itself is an incredible
038achievement. So, congratulations to all of you. I can't be left out, right? Okay. So, obviously a great achievement, and as, you know, first gen going to college. And I know many of you guys are setting the examples for siblings in your family as well. And so, I want to say congratulations. Uh as mentioned on this board, you're doing something that many only dream of. And so, as education is the the light to many future, you are doing just that. And so, I want to say congratulations to you. Congratulations, and to remember to come back and tell us your stories because we definitely need that, and those that are coming beyond behind you want to hear that, too. And so, thank you so much for sharing with us today. I I I'm really just going to
039echo what a lot of folks have already said, but I want to focus on one word I think board member Gallegos touched on in her remarks as well. And that word is perseverance. The reason that you are here, the reason that you've made it to this point in your academic career is because of your perseverance. You're going to need it for the next four or five years, and obviously longer. Many of you are going from schools where probably you know every single teacher by name, every single student by name. Some of you are now going to go to schools or you're going to have a class with 200, 300 classmates. And you're going to have fo- folks that care, folks that check in on you, but a lot of it is also going to be
040left to you to persevere, to endure. So, whatever has gotten you this far, keep it inside you, keep it going. You're going to need it, and I have no doubt that you all will do amazing things. Congratulations. Well, thanks everyone. My hope is that everybody can experience this on their high school campus. Potentially, early ed through middle schools can come to the high school campuses and see their older siblings and friends announcing what schools and careers they're pursuing. So, there's really growing this whole vision of commitment college signing day. So, with that, I'll invite the vote and then a photo right afterwards. We do have one late caller. So, we'll take that one piece of public comment before we before we get to the vote. Alberta Morris, you're on the line and please press star
041six to unmute yourself and you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Alberta Morris, you were listed as speaking in person. >> First of all, I want to vote the young scholars. And I want to congratulate the board on the work that you are doing and the, you know, Kennedy of agreement because, you know, kids cannot learn, kids cannot get to the point of going to college without teachers and administrators being in place. So, I want to congratulate you on that. I'm a parent, I'm a mentor with Reclaim Our Schools Community Responsive to the South Los Angeles Special Education Regional Center as a parent of a sped student that lived a dream of being able to go to college. He's third year LA from LAUSD at Loyola Marymount, and I'm proud of the work
042that we've done. But we have to keep doing it. We have to support black students. We have to support all students and know that there's a place for all students at LAUSD to not only learn but to thrive and to move in the future. So once again, Alberta Board giving a shout-out for all the work that you do. Ms. Marston, you know I love you. I was on your special education committee. So thank you and continue to keep students first, students the priority and know that every student has the opportunity to go to college and thrive. Okay, that concludes public comment. Now it's time for the vote. Having been moved by Ms. Ortiz Franklin, seconded by Ms. Gonez, Ms. Newbill. Yes. Dr. Rivas. >> Yes. >> Mr. Melvoin. >> Yes. >> Ms. Crieger. Yes. >>
043Ms. Gonez. Ms. Ortiz Franklin. >> Yes. Board President Schmerelson. >> Yes. >> Student Board Member Yang. Yes. >> All right. That's a yes from Ms. Gonez. All right, unanimous. Awesome. I invite everybody who's wearing college gear to come on up and take a photo. Some can be up here, some can be down below, but we got a lot of good flags. So don't block all the flags. Congratulations. Thank you everyone for Commitment College. All right, so there's going to be a quick photo op and then after that will be Superintendent's report. So let's get this beautiful photo going. Wait, where's your phone? >> Okay, as folks are making their way out, we're going to queue up the superintendent's reports. You need a >> Okay folks, we're going to get back to the regularly scheduled order
044of business. We'll now continue with the superintendent's reports. Thank you board president. Good morning again everyone and thank you again for allowing us to be part of that that amazing celebration. Um as far as superintendent reports, I have two items today. We're going to T1 up now and the other one is going to come a little bit later in our day just be mindful of our impacted calendar. Our first item is a very exciting one and it's highlighting our summer of learning 2026 and the amazing offerings that will be available for our students, families and communities this summer. As usual, we will offer programming for TK through 12 students including literacy and numeracy support in the elementary grades, credit recovery and transition support for rising ninth graders in secondary schools and specialized enrichment opportunities such
045as beyond swim ready programs at eight of our school sites. We're also working to make participation in these programs as open as possible via transportation services because we know that that can be a challenge for some of our families. We know that these efforts reflect our continued focus on keeping students engaged, accelerating learning and preparing them for success in the upcoming school year. At this time, I'd like to invite Dr. Francis Baez, our chief academic officer, to present additional details about this year's program. Dr. Baez, take it away. Is the microphone on? There you go. Good morning everyone. Good morning acting superintendent Shade. It's a pleasure to be with all of you, board president, board members, and also it's great to follow the commitment signing day celebration. I hope you're able to see that I'm
046wearing a UCLA shirt. That is my alma mater. So, I went to Cal State LA to get my teaching credential and my BA at UCLA and then my PhD at Claremont Graduate University. So, really hoping that our students really enjoy school. I also want to thank Brenda Pensamiento and Carol Alexander who are the ones leading the large initiatives that help our students reach college access and of course um many, many team members that support that as well. I'm here to share information about um summer school. And so, we're going to kick it off first with a video uh regarding summer school. So, take a few minutes to see this. Summer isn't just a break, it's an opportunity. This year, Los Angeles Unified invites students to join our summer of learning with a theme, learning with
047purpose, reaching your goals. Programs will take place at select school sites from June 22nd through July 20th. Our TK through seventh programs help students build strong reading and math skills with engaging lessons, small group support, and hands-on STEAM experiences. Specialized programs are also available to support diverse learners. High school students can take credit recovery courses or engage in enrichment opportunities to stay on track for graduation. Through our dual enrollment program, students can even earn college credit in partnership with the Los Angeles Community College District with courses in health, ethnic studies, languages, math, and much more. Incoming ninth graders can get a head start through our rising freshman success program, designed to prepare them for high school. And for the first time, advanced learning opportunities will be available for fourth, sixth, and seventh grade students who
048meet one of the LAUSD gifted criteria featuring projects, career exploration, and play that spark curiosity, creativity, and teamwork. Students will also enjoy after school programs, meals, and transportation for eligible participants. But Summer of Learning is about more than academics. Whether you're catching up, getting ahead, or discovering something new, every experience helps you move closer to your goals. Make this summer a time of growth, exploration, and fun. Sign up today and learn more at lausd.org/summeroflearning. Right, so that's an overview of our summer school offering. We will offer summer school programming for all students from grades TK through 12th grade. And here you see the various offerings, and in the next few slides I will describe each program in much more detail. This is the schedule of summer programming in grades TK through 8, the hours are
0498:30 to 12:00 p.m. In grades 9 through 12, period 1 will be 8:30 to 11:00 a.m., and period 2 will be 11:30 to 2:00 p.m. And periods 3 and 4 is for via virtual ingenuity classes for students who need to complete additional coursework. So, two periods are face-to-face, and then the remaining periods are for virtual learning. Beyond the Bell services will be offered from 12:20 to 6:00 p.m. at TK through seven summer school sites. I would like to expand on the Beyond the Bell schedule. Beyond the Bell will offer a program from June 15th to July 24th. And the reason why I'm expanding on this one is because it's offering more days, and it's filling in some gaps in between vacation time. Their hours are also different than what our summer program led by teachers
050consists of. So, I want to really make sure that people pay close attention to the dates and to the hours. So, we're broken down into three different periods. Beyond the Bell will offer services from June 15th through the 18th from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. except on June 19th, which is a holiday. And then the second period is uh operating a full-day and after-school summer program. For example, in a TK-7 site, we'll offer summer school 8:30 to 12:20, and then Beyond the Bell will provide extended learning from 12:20 to 6:00 p.m. And at sites where summer school is not operating, the program hours will be 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Lastly, from July 21st to the 24th, when summer school ends, Beyond the Bell sites will remain open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. I
051also want to note that this is uh also um being staffed with our contracted service providers. We have approximately 25 providers that are also helping us with keeping these sites open before and after school. And I will present uh the program details. This is another important deadline I really want to make sure that everyone pays close attention to. May 15th is a deadline for parents to apply for transportation. Uh so, for students whose IEP include transportation services, that will be they will be provided transportation because it's in their IEP. For students without an IEP in TK through 5, students who live outside of 1-mile radius from the summer school site, or for grade 6 through 12 outside a 2-mile radius from the summer site, are eligible for transportation. Again, I want to emphasize the May
05215th deadline in order to abide with the labor agreement and properly route students. Now, if some parents apply after May 15th, we'll check to see which routes are already scheduled where we can add those families who are applying after May 15th. In the past year, students who applied by the deadline received the bus bus route, so I'm hopeful that we'll be able to accommodate all. Breakfast and lunch will be provided as well as supper for the students in Beyond the Bell. To expand on the TK-7 summer program, students will receive language arts, math, science instruction, hands-on exploration, problem-solving, enrichment, and collaboration. So, we really focused on the standards that students needed more support with and uh tailored a curriculum that's internally developed and supported to support students in closing those gaps. And this will also
053help with acceleration. We will also be providing acceleration opportunities for our students. Students will develop models will develop models to apply the next generation science standards uh during the science time. And we will be focusing on reading comprehension, vocabulary, we'll be accelerating math concepts, and offering students an opportunity to take algebra um earlier with the right supports. In grade eight, we were we will be offering a rising freshman success program. Uh one is called the Compass Experience. So, this is for incoming ninth graders who will participate in these any one of these two programs. So, in the Compass Experience, students participate in an orientation to support a successful transition to high school, including reading informational texts and learning about graduation requirements and available school programs. In the math mindset course, the students take foundational numeracy
054to set them up for success. And students receive a G elective credit. This course is offered at the neighborhood high school, and students are registered through the middle school counselor. So, this is one of um we continue to perfect this particular program for our students who are entering high school and it's um something an opportunity that we encourage our students to take because they'll enter high school with with credits. Now, in grades 9 through 12, we will offer credit recovery in periods 1 and 2 and this will be face-to-face. This is in person. So, periods 1 and 2 is in person and then 3 and 4 is through Edgenuity and that's virtual and it's asynchronous. In terms of the specialized programs, it will consist of migrant education for students, extended school year, those are that's
055for the students who have an IEP and this is for ages grades 3 through 22 and then our international newcomer programs for grades 9 through 12 for students who recently arrived to our country. In the area of enrichment, as we continue for the first time we will offer gifted and talented programs in fourth, sixth, and and seventh grade. So, for fourth graders, they'll participate in a play-based problem-solving which combines project-based learning and real-world problems. In sixth and seventh grade, students will participate in career exploration lab where they will engage in collaborative hands-on projects to explore real-world careers. Students can enroll through the GATE coordinator at their school site and then the summer school website as well. To continue in the area of enrichment, we're offering math acceleration for students in grades 6, 7, 8, and
0569 and the goal is to help students reach algebra 1 or beyond. And so, this spring what we've done is provided the schools with information about which students meet the criteria to accelerate in math. So, students who are attending some summer school can accelerate in their math coursework as they enter the new new year. Senior high school enrichment opportunities include locally designed courses such as art, theater, social science, CTE, English, and math. The UC CSU college essay course gives 11th grade students a head start on their college essays through small group instruction and personalized support. And then our third high school enrichment program is dual enrollment. And this is an opportunity for students to take college-level courses taught by an LACCD instructor in language other than English, math, ethnic studies, and health. So those are
057the courses where we encourage our students to participate in dual language. So these three offerings are for our senior high students. This summer is another opportunity to deepen enrichment experiences for students through regional enrichment camps. We will offer two in elementary and two in middle school. In elementary, we'll offer a various arts disciplines and also STEAM. And then in middle school, again, the arts disciplines and e-sports and board games. And we also encourage our students to look at the summeroflearning.lausd.org website where they can see all of the enrichment programs. We've also embedded a college field trip which we are calling Goal Quest College Trip. Uh and and this is for grades in 9th uh through 11th uh and this is June 16th, 2026 from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. where students will have an opportunity
058to visit both UC Santa Barbara and CSU Channel Islands. Registration is on the website enrichment.lausd.net. And we uh we anticipate taking about 120 students on this trip. And here you see the number of sites by board district and region that are offering summer school sites, and then the Beyond the Bands Beyond the Bell Standalones. Now, Beyond the Beyond the Bell Standalone sites are sites where the daytime summer program is not taking place or led by teachers. And then also our specialized programs. I encourage everyone to visit our our website at lausd.org/summeroflearning for additional information on summer school. Thank you for your attention, and now we're happy to take questions. Board District 1, Ms. Newbill. Yes, thank you. Thank you for the information, and um just grateful that our district is providing this the summer. Um
059question on the when you say TK to 7, is that students that are in TK to 7 school year 24-25, 25-26? How does that work? That that is for our current students that are in that grade level. So, if they're going to the 8th grade, they would go into a different program. If they're rising the 8th graders would be the rising freshman. So, those are the students who are going to go to that 9th grade course where they are going to be participating in the high school orientation. Right, but if you are going to the 8th grade, you're still considered TK to 7? Yes. So, you would be in that program. >> That's correct. And then in the enrichment programs, it says middle school. So, again, those students that are TK to 7 today Yes.
060is a part of the middle school program. >> Elementary, the same thing is students that are TK to 5th grade are in the elementary program. >> That's correct. Okay. So, if they're going to sixth grade middle school, they are not going to the middle school program. >> That's correct. Got it. Okay. And what are the dates for the enrichment camp? The dates for the enrichment camp are They should be on the website if I don't have that handy here unless I have a team member close by that can provide that response about the dates for our enrichment. Cuz we do have enrichment before and after. We have two periods where we have our enrichment. Why was that? Cuz enrichment camp is separate from summer school schedule. Is that correct? >> 15th. So, board member, it
061depends on the type of enrichment camp, but it looks like June 15th through the 18th. Elementary, middle school, June 15th through the 18th. Um >> Oh, yes. Sorry. It's the middle school. >> depending on the region, but it looks like across the board mostly June 18th June 15th through the 18th. And then there are other like science opportunities and e-sports opportunities that start July 21st through the 24th. But if you go to the website, those dates and ranges are there. Okay. So, in region enrichment camp is 4 days, June 15th to the 18th. Yes. So, it depends. So, right now we have elementary region art enrichment camp, middle school region art enrichment camp that are both June 15th through the 18th. >> Okay. >> at certain schools. Yes. >> at certain schools. And then, so
062that's the only enrichment camp is those 4 days. >> Mhm. Mhm. Uh no. And then we have Well, we have a science center, which is June 15th through the 18th in region east and region north. And then in the south and west is July 21st through the 24th. But it's mostly our camps are happening June 15th through the 18th or July 21st through the 24th. July 21st through the 24th. You can see it on this slide, slide 19. It's the right below where the student is writing on the on the whiteboard. Enrichment camp option one, June 15th through the 18th and option two, July 21st through the 24th. Got it. Okay. Um and then Beyond the Bell. So Beyond the Bell is separate from our summer school, right? We have a combination. So there's three
063different programs schedules for BTB. Okay. >> June 15th through the 18th is at all the sites. All sites meaning the standalones without the K7 the TK7 program in addition to the TK7 program. So the standalones are where we don't have those TK7. So it's all sites. And then June 22nd through July 20th is the full-day program in addition to the afterschool sites. And then July 21st through the 24th, again all sites is where we will have the BTB programming. All right. Now the afterschool sites, is that only if you're part of the full-day program or can you do afterschool site independent of any other thing? >> You can do independent of the other day as well. They would have to enroll in Beyond the Bell though. That's one of the the important criteria here is
064that everyone will need to have an application on file to ensure that we we are prepared for them the first day. First day anytime they they come on campus, if they don't have an application, they can fill out an application and be part of our BTB program. And the afterschool sites are set sites. That's different from all sites. The all sites combine two, the standalone where there is not a TK7 and the TK7. That means that's what constitutes all sites. Standalone plus TK seven. And then after school sites is different from all sites. When it's a standalone yes. I wonder if it's becoming confusing here. Let's see how can I explain >> that I'm reading this is that the May you go back, please, Dr. Bias to that same slide? Right. So the after school
065program is meant to essentially supplement at schools where there is an academic summer school program, right? So in theory, it's kind of like regular school. So the the student would go to summer school in the morning and then they could stay on campus from 12:20 to 6:00 in Beyond the Bell. Again, very similar to the regular experience. The full day sites are campuses where we're not offering academic summer school, but if students still need care, mom and dad, uh, guardian can bring the students there and have them there from 8:00 to 6:00. Is that correct, Dr. Bias? The full day program include the academic program. It The full day program is academic plus the after school. But it's not the ones that are led by teachers. They are. >> Can I have a Beyond the
066Bell, Adriana? Maybe we can explain it a little bit more clearly. I'm that parent that's like on the phone right now, confused, and I'm like, I don't know, but I know I need help. That's That's me right now. Oh, good afternoon. Uh, Superintendent Shake, it's correct that there are these programs. Like the little thing that makes it confusing is June 15th to the 18th when their summer school program does not begin. But once the summer school program begins, there'll be programs taught by teachers from 8:00 to 12:20 and then you'll have Beyond the Bell programs from 12:20 till 6:00. Independent of those sites, there'll be also sites that run from 8 to 6 without that teacher-led intervention program from June 15th all the way to July 24th. So, if your child needs that instructional program,
067they're available to attend it from 8 to 12:20 and then be involved with the Beyond the Bell program. And let's say your child does not need that instructional uh intervention, then they can go to our other programs from 8 to 6. If you had some numbers that might make it easier for you, so we have 167 sites that will be supporting that TK to uh 7 summer school program, and then we have 185 that will run from 8 to 6 without having that TK to 7 instructional program. Okay. So, the full-day program sites, that number is 167? Uh the I would say the full-day Beyond the Bell only is 185. And then the ones where we have the instructional program first is the 167. And can I just ask, those are distinct sites? Correct. They're
068unique sites, not on the same campus. Not the same. Not the same, correct. Okay. So, cuz I think I'm still confused. >> yeah. I'm happy to clarify for you. >> and the parent that is on their cell phone right now is totally confused. So, when we go cuz I I was trying to do that too. I was like, let me just look it up. Let me see. I'm a I'm a be that parent cuz I am that parent cuz I am looking for the seventh grader, and I am looking for the fifth grader right now. So, summer school schedule is very different from Beyond the Bell schedule, correct? Yes and no. Which one is Which one bleeds into the next one? So, summer school schedule, let's say your seventh grader goes from 8 to 12:20
069to summer school program. And then after that 12:20 program is over, he or she can attend the Beyond the Bell program from 12:20 until 6. So, it kind of depends on what school that they they go to, but they'll have an option every student will have an option from 8:00 to 6:00 p.m. at any LAUSD school. Okay. But, if I just needed the after school site, which is the 12:20 to 6:00 p.m. that would be at a different site. >> No, it could still be at that site that that child goes to. Okay. Okay. Um um So, they could not go to the summer school from 8:00 to 12:20 and attend the beyond the bell program from 12:20 to 6:00, but they could also go down the street and attend a beyond the bell program
070from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. as well without that instructional component included. Got it. Okay. And then the June 15th to 18th, that is all sites, but that is totally separate from summer school, that is strictly beyond the bell, correct? Correct. Got it. And the same is those those sites are the same in the July 21st, yes. Cuz summer school will not begin until the 22nd, and it will also end on the 20th. But, in order to be open for 9 hours, that's why we have those programs open from June 15th all the way to July 24th for 8:00 to 6:00. Got it. I'm not going to confuse y'all anymore. I'm going to let Kelly go ahead and say something, and I'm going to look up some stuff. Similar confusion. Um no, well, to start
071on a really positive note, I think that you know, it's it's been an evolving conversation around our summer offerings. I think one we want to ensure the provision of child care and supervision because we know many of our families work throughout the year, not just during the standard school year. So, obviously that is both our summer school and our beyond the bell offering. So, I appreciate just the expansive options that we are making available, that there's a focus on academics and rigor, but as has been my drumbeat for numerous years is like, where is the joy? Where is the fun? Because our students deserve to have joyful experiences in the summer just like their more affluent peers may have. Um so I I just want to note and appreciate I think the the Compass experience,
072the uh the Bridge Was it Bridge Quest college tour? Um so uh some of the different areas that we are that we are adding and growing. Um I wanted to also share So um I know we'll be talking about early education later today. In terms of distinguishing which different program sites are where, um they have a really nice like color-coded map around the different types of early education centers we offer. I might just offer that we might for our visual learners, um we might want to include a color-coded map, you know, like Beyond the Bell is only is one color and enrichment camps is another color and our TK through 7 is one So um That's good to just might be make it a little bit more user-friendly um so that our families can easily
073navigate and get to the programs that are most relevant for their child. Thank you. That's good feedback. >> Okay. Of course. Um and then also on a positive note, I wanted to uplift the swimming program. I wonder if anyone could share about the swimming program because I think this is a huge asset to our communities, especially at a time when LA City's pools, there are fees associated with them, their hours are more limited. Um so if either of you could could speak about that, I think that'd be great to know. We will we will be offering a summer program at schools that have um swimming pools that are um that are able to they're usable. So um John can speak more to that. Yes, so I'll I'll speak briefly about that. So there are eight
074high schools that will be utilizing the swimming pools there. Uh students from LAUSD will be eligible to attend that program and I believe it's a swim ready program. So it is teaching students the basics of swimming and this is taught by certified lifeguards and so this will be open to all students in grades TK through 12. Yeah, which is we know that swimming skills is like a life a life-saving skill for for students um but that the program is free, right? And it's open to all um, elementary and middle school students TK through eight. So, um, I think we should we should spread the word, uh, um, near and far on that one because I think it it is a really important service to our communities. Um, and then on the enrichment camps, I'm excited
075to see a growth in the enrichment camps in that we are bringing them back, that there's now the gifted programs. I just want to uplift that we should be mindful, thoughtful, and strategic about where those programs are located. So, I'll just because I am located in Region North, I will just, uh, focus on the Region North location. The Region North location is at Nobel Middle School. Um, there there are not enrichment programs in the East San Fernando Valley. That is where the need is located and that is where the need is the greatest. So, I would advocate it it may not be possible to change for this year, but that maybe we want to strive for one in every board district so that every community has access to an enrichment program. And ideally, we would
076go even farther, um, so that all of our communities have have the true ability to be able to enroll in the types of programs that kids are excited about and that are engaging and fun. Um, so just wanted to offer that feedback. Thank you. We always look towards, um, expanding the programs for there's where there's greater access. Thank you. I'll do Go ahead. Great. Thank you. Um, thanks to Ms. Gonzalez for mentioning the swimming program, which is great. I'll note, too, just for those folks who are listening, we are always in need of lifeguards. Um, during the school year, we have some pools that are closed, um, to student use because we are not able to hire lifeguards and I appreciate, you thanks Sorato and the team who have been doing more to promote that.
077Um, maybe with recent, um, wage increases, we'll also see some success there, but, uh, just note, I don't know if it's true for the summer school, but I know for swimming programs throughout the year, um, that we have some concerns because of lifeguards. Um, and yeah, and I'll just kind of quickly echo my colleagues. I think substantively, this is amazing. The expansion of summer opportunities in the last few years for for all students, the different types, the different the availability. I think on the communication front, we still have a lot of work to do. One, and I'm a broken record on this, I think we need to start getting this out earlier. By the time, I know I hear from a lot of my constituents, by the time that we've promoted our programs or the
078website is up, private camps, summer schools, programs have already filled up their enrollment and a lot of parents have put in, you know, deposits, some of them non-refundable. And so I think we're leaving a lot of opportunity on the table for families just because these are out too late. So I'd really encourage us for next summer um to start thinking about doing that as soon as uh kind of school returns in the in the new year in the calendar year. I'll also note too, just while I'm on it, that I think it's also I'm hearing from some families on the district's website the academic calendar for the fall still does say tentative. I know that's because of nuances around labor and it does mention that it's board approved, but we've heard some constituents who have
079said, "If you go to the website, the calendar just still still say the fall calendar for the school year does say that it's tentative." I just the more that we can communicate why and and how we do believe that school is starting on a certain day. But um so on this uh yeah, I think even just the conversation that Ms. Sandy Newbill was having, the cancellation of terms a little bit and you know, Beyond the Bell is a is a district program. It also makes sense during the school year when it is literally Beyond the Bell, but summer when it's a 9:00 to 5:00 program, it's not really Beyond the Bell and so we want to call it enrichment, but enrichment is something else distinct. We also have camps, but what I when I'm talking
080to parents, those Beyond the Bell sites are camp basically. They're non-academic uh programming. And to Kelly's point about um you know, creating joy and opportunity for uh um for all students, that's really what those are, but I think when you see enrichment, no, that's not it. Camp, that's not it. Beyond the Bell, you're unclear. And I will say, you know, when you Google just LA Unified Summer School, it does take you to our Summer of Learning, but even the the heading, it's like elementary school programs, middle school programs, senior programs, enrichment camp, Beyond the Bell. It would be really nice if we And this is something that I think we should be able to turn around in a week or two, like, you know, even having some interactive, like, what grade is your child in?
081Third grade. Great. Where do you live? Great. Here are your What are you looking for? 9:00 to 5:00 or 9:00 to 12:00? Great. Um cuz also even some of the frequently asked questions are a bit confusing. Is there an eligibility requirement? Yes. Will everyone who applies be accepted? Yes. Those seem to be contradictory. Um can students attend more than one program? No, but then they may apply to and participate in enrichment camps where available. So, I would just, you know, again, I I think you're hearing the same thing, but we really want to utilize increase utilization of these programs because there are so many great opportunities, and I would hate when we're back in the fall to to look at capacity and enrollment and be way below because of this. So, to the extent that
082And I know board offices would be helpful or would be happy to to focus groups or kind of get some of our parents involved, but the more that we can market and be really clear, like, this is what's happening if you're looking for a full day, if you're looking for just fun programs, if you're looking for academic programs. Um I think that's just a key key continued feedback. But substantively, again, Frances and team, it's really amazing what we're offering. We just want to make sure families are aware. Okay. Thank you for your feedback. Questions, Carla. Yeah, I don't Well, maybe it's a question, but um regarding the program for the gifted and talented, um the play-based problem-solving and career exploration, I think we should expand that to all students. Like, I I think all students
083could benefit from that kind of learning. I think sometimes we look at students who are um who are below grade level or need to catch up, and we do the more stricter rude you know, um, wrote yeah, boring education that feels like work in the summer. And I think all kids can learn play bait in the in a play base setting. So, um, I would like that to be an option for all of our students, and particularly our students in the who we know have disabilities, who learn in many different ways, and um, yeah. So, that's what I would like to see more of. I I agree with that, and I want to draw your attention to what all students will be receiving. Although you see literacy and numeracy, it's not as teacher directed as
084you're describing. It is student-centered and engaging, and students will be creating hands-on projects. So, there will be that component in our summer programming. So, um, I do invite you to come out. I know you've been in our to our summer programs. I do invite you to come out, and to support with um, to see what what ways we can improve um, our programming, but there will be a lot more hands-on activities that you'll see. The students should be walking away from summer school with a project that they created in science. Yeah, because then it makes it more meaningful, right? I mean, that's why we do it for our students who are gifted and talented, we give them work that is more meaningful, more creative, really expands their um, their uh, knowledge, and and I feel
085like all kids deserve that. So, that's and I I appreciate that you're saying that you're adding some of those into the literacy and numeracy, and I will go visit in the summer, um, but I just want to note that that I I feel sometimes in education, we tend to think that the kids who are struggling need the more rigorous, what we call rigorous, and you know, more um, textbook based, or more uh, you know, teacher um, driven kind of learning and yeah, and I I think that makes it harder. I just want to provide an example of what we offered last summer. So for our students who weren't passing algebra, we provided them a program where they had virtual reality goggles and the virtual reality goggles help students understand how to use certain math problems
086to solve a a real world problem because they had the VRs. So it was for example, how to land a plane, how to fly a plane. They had certain experiences and and problems that they had to solve but solve with math. And students felt that that was much more engaging than the math they had throughout the year. So we want to expand those kinds of opportunities, but I we hear you loud and clear. We don't want the same the same thing that they've been getting all year long in the summer. So for in kindergarten, we're going to be engineering sun hats and then bubble wands in first grade, in second grade bandages, in third grade uncycle upcycled toy vehicles, rescue shuttles, parachutes. So we have a grade level specific project that students will be working
087on to get away from what you just described. We're on our way. Dr. Rivas? Uh thank you, Dr. Francis, for just providing us with the all of the information that is out there. This is a lot of work, a lot of planning. Um so I do, you know, echo that um comments from my colleagues about, you know, this is this is great. Um and also I echo the same as I you know, um it's a lot and um we just wanted to to be more parent friendly, you know, so for instance, I'm a mom of a high schooler and um so I was looking at the local locally designed courses and I'm looking here on the website. It's not really um And I I don't It says here to register for the local design enrichment,
088please contact your child's teacher or counselor. So, say I go there and they said, "No, we don't have this program here." So, it would it just seems like, you know, um it's not very helpful in terms of you know, does my school have it or not? And then so I think it should be clearly listed here more of a bit more information. So, I think it that it would be great if the website could be a little bit more interactive. Um but, you know, just navigating through it, it's like, "Okay, what, you know, um there's a lot of options, so what is the best one for my child, right?" So, just something a little bit more friendly, um easier to navigate. And then also for Beyond the Bell, um when I click here on programs,
089uh Beyond the Beyond the Bell Summer Enrichment Program sites, and then I click on the school, it's just a long list of all of the schools. It would be great if it could be broken down through by early ed, elementary, middle school, and high school cuz I have to go through, you know, this long list to look for my school. It's so it's just, you know, for some parents it'll be a a little sort of it would be a overwhelming to be like, "Where's my school? I don't know." A lot of questions and then they end up calling the school. So, the more it's easier to navigate here on the website, I think it would be, um just helpful in in determining uh Beyond the Bell and then also, um you know, which program is
090best do I want my child in. So, it's it's a lot of great info and a a lot of wonderful programs. It's just, um it's just you have to read through everything and then after at after the end of it, I can see myself being like, "Okay, what which one's the best?" You know, obviously I want to talk to my child and be like, "I don't know. I don't know." Um not that he would say that, but I mean I'm assuming Some other kids would. Um so, no. I I think, you know, this is great, but yeah, it if it could be a little bit more um user-friendly, it would be wonderful. And then, I did have a a just a question apart from, you know, um how to register um and looking for the
091right program. One second here. So, it's so given the range of all the offerings from early literacy and numeracy to high school credit recovery and dual enrollment, which it's just great across both in-person and virtual models. How um are you ensuring that the coherence between the summer instruction and the regular school year, uh so students don't experience fragmentation, but instead see real lasting academic progress? So, when they start the new academic year, you know, they've gained those those skills or that knowledge or that experience Yeah. Um to get them ready for the new academic year. Absolutely. So, the first part is thank you for your feedback on the website, and we'll definitely work with the website engineers to make that happen. Um all the feedback that's been provi- been provided here. In terms of the
092coherence and the continuity of learning from what they get in the academic school year to the summer, um an example of that would be uh the accelerated math pathway. So, our goal our ultimate systemically, our goal in LAUSD is for students to get access to algebra one sooner because we know that algebra is a gatekeeper to college and to other opportunities in life. And so, the acceleration we're offering students is accelerating sixth grade math, seventh grade math, algebra, and even get to geometry, but we use summer to help leverage that for students, but only if they meet certain criteria because we don't want to accelerate without them without ensuring that they're going to be successful and giving them the right supports. Another way is the curriculum that we've developed has is related to the standards
093that students need more support with. So, kinder through second will be foundational reading, so ensuring that students are fluent readers. And then um continuing on with vocabulary and comprehension. And any of the standards in math that lead up to algebra proficiency are the standards we focus on, which are the standards we see students need a little bit more help with. We also look at progress monitoring data to see what grade level is needing more support. We've seen historically sixth grade has been an area where we need to help support with that transition to middle school uh to to really deepen their learning. So, uh we are really tailoring um the opportunities and experiences students are getting to the grade level, so it's grade level specific. And also addresses the standards, cuz there's a continuum of
094learning in language arts and math and standards that build upon one another. So, we're basing our lessons on the most high-leverage standard that the student will really um really maximize. Like, this is the main one that's going to help them throughout until you get to the next grade. So, that's how we're creating that coherence. Wonderful. Now, that's that's that's great to know. Um last two questions. So, at the school site, who is able to Is it the teacher or the counselor that is guiding the student or the parent saying, "Hey, they have these great offerings. You should really take this." Or this this will be, you know, like encouraging them and also guiding them. So, who at the school site will be able to guide parents and and students? So, we have provided our principals
095with a communication toolkit and and also providing them with information for them to hold a coffee with the principals. Of course, it started at the region level with the region superintendents providing that information, and then at the school site level for the principals to provide that information. And more um support is provided through our counselors. So, in some of these instances, the counselors are the ones who are enrolling the students or the gifted coordinator, the coordinators, the coaches. They're the ones supporting the students with enrolling in particular programs that they're interested in. And with Beyond the Bell, there's always an after-school provider there, someone who can enroll the students in those programs as well and guide them as to what school will be open to to leverage those those programs at those school sites. So
096maybe for the local design enrichment instead of saying please contact your Oh, it does say your counselor. Um your teach your child's teacher or counselor. So for registration information. Um So I'm assuming not at every school would the local design enrichment be offered at for for high school students? For high school students it's it's mostly all but in some cases actually it's all high school all high schools will have the opportunity to offer the the periods 1 and 2 and then 3 and 4. So they should reach out to their high school counselor to ensure that they're enrolled in those programs so they could be programmed for the summer. And then lastly the the for enrichment for our senior high preparation for UC CSU college essays. Where can I find that information? I was looking
097for it here on the website and I couldn't find information as how my child can get support on that. Well, I'll let one of my team members to come in respond. Good morning. So that information is available on the enrichment website. So enrichment.lausd.net and that's where families or students would register. But it's not in the summer learning website. No, it is not because it is not part of the credit recovery program. Oh, okay. >> Yeah, it's on the summer learning sorry. The summer learning website has that information under enrichment. >> On enrichment camps? Yes. Got you. Got you. Got you. So it's one of the programs I am hands-on science e-sports goal quest. No, I don't see it. Okay. I we're happy to meet with you separately to to walk you through it but I
098we we get the the feedback from all of you is we have to improve communication, improve our website and we will work on that. Okay, thank you so much. >> Other questions, board members? Go ahead, Tanya. Super fast. Appreciate the willingness to adjust the website. Um, is the accelerated math the same thing as the Escalante program, or are those separate? Those are separate programs. Uh, can we also add the Escalante program cuz I think that attracts a lot of families, even though we don't necessarily run it, and I know that's complicated. And then, if I am a fifth If I just am finishing fifth grade this June, and I want to go to my sixth-grade for like a bridge program. I know that was something we were exploring for a while. Is that possible this
099year, or can we revisit for next year? We can revisit it next year. We are offering We've provided guidance to schools in how to offer that. It would be funded through the school site to continue that program. Okay, thanks. Anyone else? I have a question. Trans- Thank you for all this. I mean, uh, what a giant puzzle to put together. I appreciate it very much. Transportation, that's kind of important to me because if we don't start off smoothly on the very first day, everybody gets very upset, and I want to make sure that everyone doesn't get upset. So, for example, I see that you must request by May 15th, 2026. Correct. And I believe that you will be picked up at 6:00 if you are I believe you'll be picked up at 6:00 if you're
100part of the program that stays to 6:00. So, that's something I want to check and make sure that happens. That's really important. And, uh, uh, we should have plenty of buses, I would hope, this summer. I hope we can use LAUSD buses and LAUSD drivers this summer because there shouldn't be a problem with, uh, too many people being picked up in shifts. So, I hope that happens. And, uh, we just want to make sure the transportation is nice and smooth. I guess they'll receive something in the mail like when you're, uh, with permits with transportation or something that tells you what bus stop you'll be at. And, of course, you'll have people say, "No, that's too far from my house and all this stuff. So, the sooner we get this uh set, the better it
101is for good first day opening. If you start off fine, the whole summer will be fine. That's correct. Okay. All right, you got it. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Bias and team for the presentation. And definitely, board, we hear you on the feedback. The team will work on some refinements to the messaging to make it a little bit more user-friendly. And of course, with the website as well. The The offerings themselves, I think, are incredibly expansive. There really is something for everyone. It's just a matter of accessibility and making sure that our families know how to get the services that their children may require. So, thank you for the feedback. Uh my second report uh this morning uh is going back to uh and it's Excuse me, it's an interim progress update on implementation of
102the board's resilient schools extreme heat mitigation and disaster preparedness resolution, which directed staff to strengthen disaster preparedness planning, accelerate campus heat mitigation investments, and conduct a comprehensive study to inform future policy regarding synthetic turf fields. Protecting students from extreme heat, frankly, is no longer a seasonal issue. It's something that we used to talk about from maybe August, September, early October. Uh the reality is that it's it's now something that we have to be mindful of uh year-round. Our responsibility is not only to respond to heat events as they occur, but to prepare our schools so students can continue learning safely before, during, and after heat events. Heat resilience, frankly, is not only an operational or a facilities issue. It's essential to protecting instructional time, supporting summer programming, and maintaining safe outdoor activity opportunities for students.
103To be really candid, it it impacts the ability of students to learn if they are hot. It's as simple as that. So, we have to make a concerted effort as a district to provide a learning environment that is comfortable and cool so that our students can engage in learning. Today's update reflects early progress towards translating board direction into practical improvements at school sites across the district. Since adoption of the resolution, the district has advanced work to strengthen heat illness prevention protocols, expand site-level preparedness guidance, and continue investments in tree canopy expansion, shade structures, ventilation verification, and HVAC modernization to improve learning conditions, particularly during extreme heat events. Staff are also continuing stakeholder engagement and technical analysis as part of the synthetic turf study directed by the board, and findings and policy recommendations are anticipated to
104be presented to the board later this summer. With that, I would like to invite up Dr. Debra Bryant, Acting Chief of School Operations, and Ms. Christina Toks, Chief Facilities Executive, to provide additional details on our progress and next steps. Dr. Bryant. Good morning. Thank you so much, Acting Superintendent Chat and Board. Um so, this morning, we're going to provide an interim update on the implementation of the Resilient Schools Resolution. And so, what we're focused on, the resolution is going to focus on three areas: preparedness, infrastructure, and turf policy. We're making progress on heat response and facilities, and the key milestone is turf policy recommendations this summer. So, here's a quick agenda. So, I will be covering the disaster preparedness, and facilities will be covering infrastructure investments, turf policy work, and next steps. So, we follow
105a comprehensive framework that establishes district-wide approach and to prevent and to respond to climate-driven hazards aligned with LAUSD emergency emergency services and also our office of environmental health and safety. Along with that guidance, we also worked with Dr. Malhotra's team where we followed the guidelines for preventing uh heat stress, which is bulletin 963.3. And in that bulletin, it provides clear guidance for prevention, monitoring, and defines roles and responsibilities for our staff and for our members of the district. We also have ongoing training, staff training, and communication. As you know, you've seen OEHS, our office of environmental health and safety, does send out our heated advisories, wind advisories, etc. to ensure readiness and to protect students and staff uh and ensure they're safe. So, additional guidelines that we have, as I stated, we have our preventing
106heat stress bulletin, and recently we we prepared our enhanced emergency preparedness protocols, which focuses on all different types of uh different um emergencies. So, in the event of a fire, uh schools are know what to do before, after, and during a fire. Again, we continue to work with our office of environmental health and safety. We follow our uh emergency protocols, and we continue to work with our communities with community engagement. Thus far, we've had a parent meeting on March 10th. On March 26th, we've met with principals, new and former, and um we also met with teachers on April 8th. So, I still have students to meet with, and that will occur between uh this month and May, labor partners, and in May we'll uh finish out with our community organizations. Now, I would like to
107introduce Christina Toks and she will continue the presentations and provide an update on what facilities have been doing. Thank you. Good morning, board members and staff. I'm Christina Toks, the chief facilities executive. As outlined in the resolution, facilities is responsible for advancing the infrastructure investments needed to mitigate extreme heat. So, that includes HVAC, shade, and campus greening, and I'll walk you through our progress in those areas. So, we know that we're taking a multi-pronged approach to reduce heat exposure across campuses. First, we're expanding our tree canopy. Over 2,000 trees have already been planted since 2023 and we're adding nearly 3,000 more in projects currently underway. On asphalt um conversion, which reduces heat retention and improves stormwater management, uh we have 18 acres that have been converted, another 28. That's about 35 football fields worth of
108asphalt that is being converted into permeable surfaces. We're also investing in shade through individual projects as well as the larger shade over play program, which is investing 40 million. And then we've also had cooling strategies at school sites, misting fans provided to all elementary schools in 2024. Those units are available for schools to purchase and we have a water bottle filling station that was installed at all of our early ed primary and special ed and elementary school sites and we are currently expanding those to middle schools and high schools. Um let me talk a little bit about our um progress with um, HVAC. So, when we look at our HVAC projects, we're making steady progress both in stand-alone projects and projects that are part of major mods or comp mods, and we're improving the systems
109that we're installing. So, all of our new systems are fully electric where feasible. They use heat pump technology and they include MERV 13 filtration to support air quality. And we're also having a verifying the ventilation performance at 53 schools through a grant-funded effort. That completion is targeted for October. And we're refining how we prioritize future projects, making sure that these investments are guided by system condition and need. And then we continue to staff positions. We have 135 HVAC fitters. We have about a 12% vacancy rate and that recruitment is always ongoing. So, when we look at the use of synthetic turf, that has been kind of an evolution since synthetic turf first came about. So, the first time the district started to use synthetic turf was in the early 2000s. Um, and then we ramped
110up really a pro- about the um, new school construction program where we included synthetic turfs in many of the new schools that we were building. In 2017, um, there was a staff bulletin governing the selection, the use, and maintenance of synthetic fields that essentially said where there is a existing synthetic turf that required to be replaced in a high-use field, that we would replace it in kind. And then in 2025, obviously the board adopted this resolution, which prohibited the use of synthetic turf at primary centers, elementary schools, and middle schools, and placed a pause on high school athletic fields where there is high use, Pending this study being completed and the board providing direction. So when we look at the turf kind of inventory that we have across the district, of all the turf we
111have, so that's looking at all grass and all synthetic turf, 92% of the total turf is natural grass. But once we start to get into play fields is where we start to see a difference. So when we look at all play fields at high schools, we have about 80% are natural grass, 20% are synthetic turf. But when we look more specifically at football soccer fields is where we start to see about a 60% natural grass and 40% synthetic turf, and that is not on this chart. And that's really because those are our heavily used fields the most. They're used by multiple sports, and almost every high school does have football soccer. Some schools do not have baseball and softball. And also the type of shoes you use for baseball and softball. So very quickly, what's
112the difference between natural turf and synthetic turf? One, though we all just think it's what is at the top of it, your natural turf, obviously it's a living surface. It does require irrigation, routine maintenance. It provides natural cooling, permeability, subject to wear and weather. Synthetic turf, synthetic type fibers over a substructure that includes a shock pad, a leveling layer, and a drainage system. It is retains heat, has less permeability, but has greater wearability. So we've brought in two experts to help us with our turf study. We have Core America who we've augmented a contract that we had with to look at the assessment of our grounds that maintenance and operations does. There's so they're looking at what does it require, what do we currently use to maintain our turf and synthetic turf fields. And then,
113LPA is doing a comparative study of natural and synthetic turf looking at more of the environmental, safety, um costs, and also helping us with the community engagement process, which I'll talk about in a little bit. All of this will wrap up into uh hopefully a policy update followed um following the completion of the study and stakeholder input. The study is going to focus on four key areas: playability, health and safety, environmental impact and sustainability, and costs and maintenance. To evaluate those, we're using multiple inputs. We have district data, academic research, industry standards, and then we're also going to incorporate the stakeholder input to make sure that we're using also real-world experience, and this will come together to form our final study. So, in terms of a timeline, you'll see where we're at now in the
114second box, April and May, doing the stakeholder and public engagement. There is research and data collection. Um after this resolution passed, we'll be compiling and finalizing that study in June to present it to the board, as well as the district adopting a synthetic turf policy. Oops. In regards to the engagement, um we have four regional community meetings to ensure geographic coverage across the district. Those are hybrid and in person. So, if you'd like to attend in Zoom cuz it's hard to get around, um we'll be participating and conducting those both in person and on Zoom. Uh North Region, South Region, West Region, and East Region. The last one is on May 12th. We're also holding a stakeholder industry workshop to get the perspectives of those with technical or professional perspectives. Again, all are welcome at
115all of these. That's as well in person and hybrid. And then there is a online district-wide survey. Hopefully, you all received that email. That is also being sent um so that we can get comprehensive input across the district. So, just a little more um about the outreach plan. The community meetings, we're targeting students, parents, guardians, district staff, community members, alumni. Um that's going out with emails, text notifications. The stakeholder industry partner workshop, we're targeting environmental organizations, industry groups, sports organizations, public agencies, labor organizations. We're also sending that out via email. Um all of these groups are getting the survey. So, with that, let me just wrap up our next steps. We're completing the stakeholder engagement. And by mid-May, we'll be finalizing the turf study report. Um we anticipate by June, end of June, we want
116to present the findings um with recommendations to the board. Summer of 2026, we'll be ready to do that so that the board then can adopt an updated policy for the use of the synthetic turf fields. With that, Dr. Bryant and I are available for any questions. I'm sure you'll have plenty. Board members, go ahead, Ms. Gones. Yes. Well, thank you so much um Dr. Bryant and Ms. Stokes for this presentation. Um as you know, I authored this resolution and um represent one of the communities most impacted by extreme heat. So, I am really excited to see about the work that has happened so far. I do have some questions. Um so, one piece is the resolution called for an interim heat mitigation plan for vulnerable schools. Um because we know that for the infrastructure investments,
117whether it's HVAC replacement projects or even just the planting of trees and greening projects can take years. Um and we want to ensure that our schools are not waiting for supports and resources to protect staff and students during that time. So, can you speak to um both like cooling in general, um shade, what types of interim mitigation measures are available and and what does that plan look like for for schools as we are waiting these investments? Sure, I'll speak um to the aspects that um touch on facilities and maintenance and operations. So, we have a coordinated plan whenever there is a heat event. Um we make sure that all of our schools have portable AC units. Um if we do have AC units that are uh below what the cooling is that we'd like to
118get at school sites, we can kind of boost up the cooling by putting the AC units in. Our last resort is if we need to move out classrooms because we can't get to the temperature we want, we will redirect uh classrooms to other spaces in air-conditioned buildings while we work to um make the repairs necessary. We do have a series of contracts with rental companies. If it's a energy, sometimes there's rolling blackouts or brownouts because so it's not an air-conditioning issue, it's just an energy issue. Um and we do have contracts to bring in uh backup generators so that we can quickly get those heated up to restore the air-conditioning as well. We also will make available for schools to purchase the um misters, which though isn't directly impactful, certainly has um a benefit especially
119to our elementary schools if they're lining up to get food or they're at at the playground. Schools have really enjoyed those. And then in terms of shade, um there has been um, you know, a huge doubling down on planting trees, on increasing shade. Um, and there's also the operational let Dr. Brian talk about on what schools can do operationally, um, when there's not a facilities fix. Good morning again. So, um, interesting that you asked that question. So, when we uh, met with the teachers, one of the points that they made was that they would like training earlier just to understand, you know, what to do. So, August and September they would like training with regarding heat mitigation strategies. And I was as I was standing there, I said we would, you know, generate an IOC
120a reference guide that just breaks that, you know, digs deeper into what schools can do, what teachers can do, and how they can address. And another point they pointed out is that they can identify heat stress um, indicators when they see kids with headaches and fatigue. So, we're going to add all of that in in addition to working with Dr. Malhotra's team to make sure that we have um, not only the heat stress mitigation, but also steps that our staff can take to address um, any issues when it comes to hot days and what to do and how to identify heat stress. That's really helpful um, and I appreciate comprehensive updates. I guess I would say um, it sounds like there's a lot of resources and I think what the resolution is seeking is kind
121of clear expectations in terms of protocols and not necessarily just like here's what what's available, but given a variety of factors, it is X degrees in X community, this is the status of their shade and their HVAC. Therefore, we will always, you know, deploy these portable coolers. We will provide is it easy ups, access to bottled water, etc. So, will do you anticipate that like that level of detail will be laid out when when this is all finalized? >> and that is something I don't want to overstep with Christina, but that is something when our schools reach out and they state that, you know, our HVAC system has gone down, we immediately contact the CPM and we also we send out the portables to the classroom, we identify cooling rooms, um if we have to
122uh supply additional water to the school cuz if they don't have the water filling station. So, we do have a plan in place to address that when schools contact us or principals say, you know, our HVAC system has gone down and we're in need of um additional uh portable ACs, we're in need of additional water, we do work with our CPMs and our plant managers to distribute that and get it to the school immediately. So, yeah. >> That's great and I think that level of detail is just what our stakeholders seek when when we have heat events as we have had. Like those are the questions I get from parents around like what is being provided at my school site when it is this this temperature outside. Um so, I look forward to more specific
123details on that moving forward. Um and then on the water bottle fillers, um Ms. Stokes, I wanted to ask just in terms of the secondary schools, um do we have funds identified to be able to uh to install those bottle filling stations? What's the timeline on that and is there a particular ratio of students to bottle fillers that we're we're aiming to achieve? We do. It is a bond-funded program um and it is currently underway. I can provide more details. I think what we're doing is we're focusing on the elementary schools. We installed bottle filling stations, but we also removed um um drinking fountains that were no longer needed that the bottle filling stations replaced. Um you may see at some of your school sites drinking fountains that have tape around them. We want to
124make sure that's not something that we're leaving at our schools, so we need to complete that work, remove it, and then move the teams over to the middle schools and high schools. So, I will follow up with you Uh um with what that schedule is. Okay, great. Um and on the um the ventilation verification, is the intention to perform ventilation verification district wide as laid out in the resolution? I know that the update speaks to a grant-funded effort for a select number of schools, but if you can speak to, you know, scaling that. We Yes, we wanted to complete this pilot. Right now, there isn't funding identified to do it district wide um and we know that the funding um would be a serious commitment. So, we're hoping that we might be able to identify
125future grants to continue to extend that verification to other school sites as well. Great. And then, uh speaking of funding, the resolution also spoke spoke about um state bonds two and four propositions two and four in seeking funding to to help support these efforts. Has that been an effort that we've already started to pursue um or are we still exploring what those opportunities might be? Let me get back to you on that. >> Okay. I have more, but I'll let other people jump in. Who'd like to go next? Go ahead, Rocío. Uh so, thank you for the update. Appreciate it. Um I I appreciate the timeline and uh that you brought in um the two experts to help you um if anything, gather all of the research cuz it's a lot of research, right? On
126both sides, right? On the ones that say that, you know, you can have um artificial turf that is not harmful, that it's environmentally safe, etc., etc. And then, we have the other side that's like, "No, it's bad and it's causes cancer." And so, there's a a plethora of research and um myself and my staff trying to like sort through all of it, you know, it is overwhelming. So, I'm glad that you're getting some support there and that we'll get all of your information to help us um guide us in in in the policy moving forward or um So, my question I do have a question for Dr. Bryant. Have you heard Dr. Bryant? So, I gather that the community engagement with parents, principals, teachers, students, labor partners, and community organizations. So, I'm assuming as based
127on your um what you said with what you heard from teachers is that you're gathering input and feedback, and that input and feedback is going to help you um um revise the the bulletins that you mentioned earlier. Is that right? Cuz there's a lot of bulletins, so understandably there are some protocols, but the purpose is to um revise them and to make them, you know, provide more information and and steps that are needed to be taken. Is that am I correct? >> Yeah, so the bulletin It was just updated regarding the guidelines to address heat uh stress. So, there's already information in there that outlines prevention and monitoring, but I uh the information that was shared from our parents and our principals and our teachers thus far, they brought up things like shade structure, update
128and improving a lot, you know, HVAC. So, they have similar concerns like replacing HVAC, uh frequent water breaks, things like that. So, most of that is already in the bulletin, but of course we can also, you know, enhance and take this information to enhance the bulletin. Yes, of course. >> think that would be um important and essential, particularly learning from the fires, right, in January? What did we learn from that? How do we revise that so we don't repeat the same sort of challenges that that were encountered and that the that were more responsive to our families and our schools and that there's a process, you know, uh for instance, we have to you know, this there's something happening, right? And so we have to release the students to the parents. So what is the
129process that makes it, you know, smoother with you know, cuz you know, a lot of stuff is happening. The parents are like, especially when they're on their phone, they're like, "Where are you? Come over here." But there's a process, right? So guiding our schools on that process as well. So those are sort of the emergency disasters sort of situations. >> it's great that you bring up that point because in the enhanced emergency preparedness protocols, we have all of that listed. What to do before, during, after, and like you said, the points that you brought up like how do I get a hold of my child? How do we evacuate? What to do? Who to call? So that's all outlined and broken down in the enhanced emergency preparedness bulletin as far as fires. What to do
130before, during, after, who to call. There's also a checklist that schools can go through when they're before they return back to campus. So we made sure to put all of that in that bulletin, bulletin 101, 977. And is there are these bulletins accessible to the public, to parents? Is it on your website? It's on our website. It's in it's in the principal's portal. So yes, yes, they are. And is there like a friendly parent guide on all of this? You know, having to download the you know, having something that this is what me as a parent want to know. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And I know it's in the handbook that is sent out to parents, but on the website or something that parents can easily access. So yeah, so we broke like I
131said, we broke it down and put it in like teacher and parent friendly so that they know what to do in case of a fire in that bulletin in the enhanced emergency protocol bulletin. And where can you find that? It's also it's on the we can go to you can go to the principal's portal. You can go online. Well, I can't go on the principal's Oh, yeah, sorry. I'm sorry. You can go online. I can't As a parent you can, but as yourself yes you go online. I think that that is actually good feedback because you know as much as we've we have outlined what to do in a fire, wind related incident, any type of emergency we've we've done case by case scenarios, but we can definitely develop something that is consumable by parents,
132you know that one to four page you know document that kind of it makes it more simpler and understood as to what are the expectations from a district perspective. I'll just say with the broader just heat mitigation guidance. I think the team was very purposeful on acknowledging that you know we serve a large geography and I think board member Gonas talked about you know the northern portion of the district when we're talking about I would say heat related days and incident days tends to highly impact the north. And so we we've actually reclassified within the guidance, you know, particular regions as category one region north category two which requires a different set of strategies acknowledging that you know activities have to be modified slightly especially with wet bulb conditions and when it comes to outdoor
133activities and so I would say we're continuing to get feedback but much of the feedback that we've heard has been incorporated as part of the bulletin. But I I I think there's there's definitely an opportunity to educate and put out documents that are clear to the community that you know we've thought things through. We're continuing to get feedback but these are the expectations and what you would expect to see at within your school community on I would say hot days. And I'm assuming during the principals meetings you're there's a section to review all of this and to provide to provide you know, information to them and how to convey this information to to parents. I copy the principals. It would also be great to bring in our parent reps because, you know, they can also
134offer or be of assistance in providing information to parents as well. So, making sure that the entire and I'm sure that's part of the protocol, you know, making sure everybody in the school knows exactly what to do. Not only in an emergency, but also during heat, you know, make sure making sure like our food service workers, right? They're seeing a student, they they know the indicators or the symptoms when they see a child that is suffering through heatstroke or something's going on, right? So, training everyone in the school site is also essential for any sort of type of situation, particularly with in this case with heat sort of Yes. Yeah, we have put together protocols for our principals in different scenarios to share with their team in their school sites. And you know what? Your
135request has been granted. We have a two-page report that we have for parents that was distributed to parents before I arrived here at Bouldry. So, we do have something we're going to redistribute it that tells them what to do. So, thank you for that input. >> And then the other thing that, you know how there was that situation at Garfield and we had to move all the students and now you said you have mobiles that, you know, have all of the all of the supplies. I think equally so would have, you know, in case you know, in case of a high heat day, a day that's super super hot. Like just be ready, right? And you have a mobile and you put the water and you put like the mist, the fans with the mist
136and all, you know, everything that's needed. I think that's also, you know, I'm sure you thought of it, but it it brought to my mind that oh, having mobiles where do you have all of these supplies ready just ready to go to to assist, particularly, you know, the schools in the valley or anywhere. I think it it gets it gets hot every part of the city. Um more so in some areas than others, but um I just thought about the mobiles. Yeah, the Ready and Resilient van does have water stocked. Um I'm not sure if a fan will fit in there, but we can think about it though. I always, you know, I don't know the size of the fans, but I can imagine. Okay, well, thank you so much. Appreciate it. >> Thank you.
137Are there comments? Mr. Melvoin. Thank you. Um and a lot of appreciation for the work that's gone into this and um thank you Ms. Stokes and Dr. Bryant who in your previous life just a few months ago was in charge of the Palisades fire recovery and so you know the the um consequences of uh climate um the climate emergency more than most in the district. So So, thank you for this. This is helpful. Um I guess on the shade and trees, I'll just acknowledge the work that's been done, but also the work that we still have to do. Um I know we've had outreach from certain partners who have expressed frustration with the district on the greening front and I thank you the thank you the superintendent and team um for for working through those
138concerns to make sure that whether it's the Cal Fire grants or others we're getting those deployed. And then also um and kind of a dog with a bone when it comes to this on our committee, but the shade structures, the fact that we're still talking at north of $200,000 to cover an elementary school playground is just not acceptable, but we are working um with Ms. Stokes and the superintendent and Ms. Alvarez on some uh next wave of packages for our partners in Sacramento. We had a bill run a few years ago that reduced the cost to some extent, but there's still more work to do. And so grateful for some of that work. We have a bill being carried by Senator Henry Stern right now that we're working on and some others to figure out
139how to streamline these projects because it should not cost nearly that much um to put shade on our campuses that are in such desperate need of it. Um on the the turf study, a few questions and I'll I'll discuss a bit cuz I have I an unconventional resolution coming today to discuss with my colleagues on the board about one school in particular that that went out of commission after the board unanimously passed this resolution. And I think there are now five high schools that have no athletic fields because of the the current fields being out of commission for health and safety reasons and because of the limbo in this in this process. So, just a few questions on that. One, I guess for the stakeholder engagement, Ms. Stokes, are we also I know that parents
140and community members were just contacted this week cuz folks are getting emails about like share your opinions. Are we also talking or have we with our internal Department of Athletics and then also externally partners? I mean, I know for at least Uni High, which is the school I want to talk about later, they they generate revenue from renting out that field. So, as part of this, in addition to the experts, are can you talk about any conversations with our athletic department and then also with HAYSO and other folks who use these fields just to make sure they're included in the conversation. Sure, great question. Yes, we are working very closely with our Athletics Department. We are seeking their input as part of the engagement, making sure that the survey is distributed to all of the
141coaching staff, and then we're also targeting on the third-party civic center leasing side, our biggest users of our Athletics, and also asking for their responses and including them in our community engagement strategy. Got it. Got it. And I know we've heard from some labor partners, the Painters Union and others who do the turf work who wanted to be included, so I'm grateful. And I know that the City of LA is undertaking a similar process. I guess the the frustration I have with the timeline, unsurprisingly, is that the board passed the resolution in November. If it's coming back for discussion in June, we take a hiatus It's in July, so the board would not adopt a new policy till the fall. And so, for these five schools, including Uni, which which went into commission or went
142out of commission after the resolution, what's the soonest, like with things going as planned, that those schools would have access to their fields again? It would depend on what the board's policy is. Um so, once the board uh determines how these fields should be um replaced with, if it's synthetic or natural grass, uh district staff would then bring a project to the BOC and to the board to use essentially bond funds to do that replacement. Obviously, we need to know what kind of turf we're replacing it with cuz that will have impacts to the project scope, schedule, and budget. So, once the board policy is in place, we would begin to pull those budgets for um the schools that are currently on hold. Um and then, depending on what type of turf it is, um
143synthetic turf takes a little longer than natural grass, the schedules would vary by 1 year to 2 years. Potentially closer. Closer? A Potentially sooner, depending on the extent of the project. >> And am I right that like the timeline just for a like like replacement of turf is 2 and 1/2 years? It really depends on the extent of the replacement. So, we've had everything from just replacing what I call the carpet on the top. Um if we're just replacing that, we've done those in, I think, under a year, 9 months. If it's replacing that whole substructure that I spoke about, um including the irrigation and there's ADA upgrades, that can take up to 2 years. It really depends on, once we do the due diligence of what's required to be replaced, what is the scope
144of that project. Because well, that's the the 9-month timeline is more in line with what and this is something we might consider at the facilities and procurement committee, but I know that Beverly Hills Unified just did a turf kind of like like replacement that took about 6 months from board approval to completion, which struck me as a relatively reasonable timeline and maybe it was just cuz it was that top layer. When I had heard internally from district staff here the 2 and 1/2 year timeline, it really gave me concern because we have seven fields that are on pause, but at least two of them um are still in use. Five now are completely out of use. So, when we think about the board not even approving new projects till let's say October, November with a
1452 and 1/2 year timeline, you're talking about freshmen who for three or four years of high school will not have access to their fields. Um and I appreciate the work the district's doing to bus kids around and because of the challenge we have with county parks and city parks right now, I know that some schools are traveling an hour to go and practice. So, we can talk more about it in the uni context. I'll acknowledge to my colleagues it's a bit of an unconventional resolution, but this was one where the fields went out of commission after and now they're in limbo and I just feel like for the community we have to make some progress. So, um more on that later, but but it's nice to know that potentially it could be a 9-month time
146frame. Um which is better than 2 and 1/2 years. But but again, the that's a challenging uh prospect for schools. The last thing I'll just mention here um because it has come up at some of our grass fields that are out of commission. So, as we're contemplating this study, um I hope we can consider um as silly as it sounds, gopher mitigation. Like Westchester High School, their field has been out of commission for, you know, like weeks, sometimes months on end because of gopher holes and student injuries as a result. And because of our policy not to use pesticides, it seems very difficult to figure out what to do with it. And I'm telling you, I mean, every few weeks we're hearing about the gophers. And so, when it comes to um Um, the grass
147fields, I just want to make sure that as part of the plan, we have a sense of what that policy is and how we're going to like look at go for another rodent challenges because of the injuries to students. So, I just want to make sure that is part of the the study and plan. Thank you. Yeah, we're going to pause, give you a rest, and we're going to go to a time certain and we'll come back to this. Ms. Gones. Uh, thank you so much. Sorry to interrupt the presentation, but since we have a a noon time certain for our learning begins at birth resolution tab 22, I want to go ahead and move um, version three, which is which has circulated around the dais and has been emailed. Does anyone want to second?
148>> Tab 22 moves. I think I heard a silent second over here without the mic. Okay, so Ms. Dubel second and Ms. Gones is And um, and I see there's a I think there's someone who wants to speak in the audience. So, we can we can turn to speakers first and then I can I can introduce afterwards. >> Outstanding. So, just so I'm on the right page, tab 22, correct? Thank you. Okay, let me pull up the speakers list. Thank you everyone for being so patient. All right, we have in-person speakers. Carolyn Corlett, are you here? For tab 22? Caroline Corlett? Okay, great. There you are. Thank you. You please school me on the pronunciation. Yes, Carolyn Corlett, director of policy with Early Edge California. Good afternoon, everyone. First off, I'd like to thank board
149member Gones for her leadership in this space as well as co-sponsors Giego and Melvoin. Thank you for bringing this important resolution to the board. Families with infants and toddlers in Los Angeles are struggling with access to affordable high quality child care. Additionally, families who qualify for subsidized programs are often unable to access such programs due to long wait lists and lack of availability. And when affordable child care is out of reach, parents, especially mothers, are forced out of the workforce entirely. So, expanding access gives working families the ability to enroll their child in a high quality program where young children can thrive and experience lifelong benefits. Similarly, there is a dire need to expand greater access to multilingual programs starting at birth. We know that in California, nearly 60% of children are multilingual learners, and
150the first 3 years of life are critical for brain and language development. And we know that young children um they benefit tremendously throughout their lives when they have access to bilingual programs and their home language is celebrated and supported. We also support the commitment to building workforce pathways for both infant and toddler care and dual language programs. As without a strong workforce, this expansion cannot be successful. Thank you once again for your leadership, and we urge you to vote in support of this important resolution. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Asucena Hernandez, Asucena Hernandez. Come on up. You have 2 minutes to speak when you begin. Good afternoon, LAUSD board members. My name is Asucena Hernandez. I am the Executive Vice President of Families in Schools, a 25-year legacy organization committed to advancing educational
151equity through family engagement, early literacy, and strong partnerships. I am here in strong support of the resolution which strengthens coordination with cross-sector partners and family child care providers. Recognizing that expanding access requires real partnership and alignment with the families and systems already doing the work. It acknowledges that many infants and toddlers are also cared for at home or in home-based settings, and that improving outcomes means directly supporting those parents and caregivers. Expanding early learning sites, including infant centers and dual language programs in high-need communities, is a critical step to close literacy and numeracy gaps and strengthen long-term outcomes for students. As an LAUSD alumna, I experienced our system firsthand as a student. And now as a parent of a 4-year-old, I know how critical it is that families have access to strong early supports from
152the very beginning. Especially through a family-centered approach that connects them with schools, health care, and trusted community-based resources. The proposed early childhood education expansion plan would allow us to increase access, better align with community needs, and build a more coordinated system to support our families. I urge you to support. Thank you. Thank you for your time. The next speaker is Ilda Avila. Avila? Ilda Avila? Okay, momento por favor. Miss Miss Avila is going to speak in Spanish, so if you'd like to hear what she's saying in English, please put up your hands and we will get you these translation headsets. I think we need just one more up front, a couple up front. Any others? Okay, listos. Gracias. Good morning. I am Ilda Avila. I am a mother from LAUSD as as well as a
153promoter for schools. Today I'm here to support early education. This resolution recognizes that learning is essential for our students' well-being, especially for our families that are Latinos, African American, and immigrants. This program represents the first connection with the school system and the space where students start working on their language and confidence. It is fundamental for them to access opportunities and learning early in order to have the need where communities needed. This includes care for small children, babies, and strategies that help fortify academic as well as cultural identity. This is very important because as a mother I ask you to advance with this resolution with urgency and make sure that families form part of this implementation that is in integrated and making sure that early education will start with our children and fortify our communities. The
154objective of education should be to activate natural learning because this is the most powerful tool to make the changes. Today I invite you to leave a legacy with roots and giving the wings to the children. Thank you for your attention. Thank you for your time. Can I ask Laura Baz, Laura Baz? Laura? Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here again. I deal members of the Board of Education. My name is Laura Baz and for 23 years I was a volunteer in the LA Unified in the different central groups. Now I am a proud mother and ambassador for literacy in family to school. I want to express my solid support in Miss Kelly Gones who is from the zone that I belong to by pre for presenting it. What I value the most is
155that this resolution goes further than expand programs and to propose a strategic focus equitable and qualitative focused on family for the education in early education. Recognizing that families need greater access to problems that are accessible and high quality, including families dual language programs, and that the district needs to work together with providers so that it can get to the families where it is needed, where they need great support in the same way. And importantly, this resolution affirms that the parent and uh caregivers are the first teachers of the students, and this means that the expansion not only needs to improve the programs, but also uh fortify support for families by with culturals and linguistic resources and partnerships of trust. As a parent, we also want to see an implementation that is solid with clear timelines,
156transparency, and continuous parent engagement. We are ready to collaborate with you as advo- advocates and leaders because when families are included in a significant manner, this investment can have a lasting uh effect for our students in LA Unified and also so that they can be taken to academic success, but also academic also lifelong success. >> for your time. Uh Martha Bernard, come on up. Martha Bernard. Last call for Martha. All right, Kiana, are you here? Kiana. Come on up. You have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. Then after Kiana is Messiah, and then we'll come back to uh Martha Bernard if she's here. Please go ahead. The 2 minutes will begin once you begin. Thank you. Good afternoon again, board members. My name is Kiana. I'm the mother of three high-achieving gifted children, Sela,
157Messiah, and Niame, who are here with me today. We just left court regarding bullying and discrimination that LAUSD failed to prevent despite repeated notice at every level. I sent my outgoing, exuberant, and spunky daughter Messiah to Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. Under Principal Chanel Thomas, she was physically assaulted and repeatedly subjected to racist and sexist slurs. Before April 19th, she had already been punched, an incident witnessed by her younger sister. On April 19th, 2024, I formally reported the bullying. Instead of addressing the student responsible, Principal Thomas deflected, victim-blamed, and refused to act. That same day, the student sent my daughter a video repeating racist slurs. He continued to escalate. When I reported again on May 6th, I was asked by Chanel Thomas, "So you think she's better than everyone?" At 10 years old, she
158was stripped of her graduation accolades, her role as moderator and keynote speaker. And that role was given to her bully as punishment for reporting the abuse. I was banned from campus. That ban was announced to her entire class, signaling loss of parental advocacy. And that's when everything changed. A pack mentality took over. Students she had grown up with since kindergarten, children who had been in our home celebrating milestones with her, turned on her. She was physically assaulted even next to a teacher's desk. The same student escalated by throwing food at her in the cafeteria. Despite repeated notice to the district, no protection came. We transferred schools more than once. The harassment continued. Former classmates targeted her online, including through LAUSD accounts and even my own social media. Today, my daughter has been removed from traditional
159school as a medical necessity. She's in therapy. She's lost her connection to education. She was forced to walk away from a scholarship pathway just to feel safe. I sent a high-achieving child to school and she walked away with the loss of interest in everything, especially school. Separately, I need to address an issue of accountability at 42nd Street Elementary under Principal Jeremy McDavid. I attend a closed-door meeting regarding my son. In his police report, Principal McDavid described this as brief and soothing contact, but in that closed-door meeting without witnesses, in front of my 7-year-old son, I was grabbed by both arms and physically restrained. LAUSD's own police department adopted Principal McDavid's narrative, minim- minimizing what occurred. This was reported to this board on December 17th, 2025. Thank you for your time. >> And this incident has
160been So, I SO, I CARE ABOUT RESPECTABILITY. LOOK AT WHERE YOU SIT IN YOUR CARING AND compassionate rooms. I'm trying to make sure that my daughter stays alive. I can't give these children to LAUSD. So, please forgive me for being a real mother here. Thank you for your time. >> FOR YOUR STAKEHOLDERS. And before the state and before the water family is our children's safety. My daughter is also in there. We have two children in therapy and one child being evaluated. I sent my best Ma'am, I I don't mean to cut you off, but I'm going to come down and you and I will talk. Okay? Thank you. >> I'm wondering why none of you have had the backbone >> Thank you for your time. Staff will meet with you immediately. All right, Messiah, you're
161on call. Messiah. Thank you for your Thank you. All right, Martha Bernard, are you back in the room? Martha Bernard, not here. Araceli Sandoval, I see you're online. Please press star six to unmute yourself and you will have two minutes to speak once you begin. Araceli Sandoval. Uh Good uh good afternoon, uh honorable board board members. My name is Araceli Sandoval. I am a project consultant for the Low Income Investment Fund. Uh first I want to thank the board for prioritizing facilities in the early childhood education expansion resolution and for your leadership in advancing equitable access for LA families. The board's commitment to reopening and upgrading early education centers, expanding infant and dual language programs, and intentionally leveraging underutilized district spaces align with LIIF's mission to advance opportunity and equity. The Low Income Investment Fund
162stands to partner with LAUSD to implement this bold vision. Our experience in early childhood facility development can support the district in achieving the plan the district plans uh including expanding access to affordable, high-quality early learning opportunities, and supporting partnerships with community-based providers. Um LAUSD's inventory of underutilized classrooms and sites, especially in high-need communities, offer an immediate opportunity to expand access. With coordinated planning, these spaces can be transformed into infant centers and early learning hubs in direct alignment with the board's call for expansion in the areas of greatest need. The Low Income Investment Fund is available to partner and bring deep expertise in child care facilities, supporting in development, financing, and technical assistance, including navigating the complex licensing and development requirements with the state of California. Uh third, um we're very pleased that our bond investments
163you know we know represent the largest opportunity to scale facilities. Bond and other funding sources should continue to be leveraged to upgrade and modernize existing classrooms, ensuring they are developmentally appropriate for infants and toddlers. We should also assess the full facilities cost needed to increase the district's capacity to serve infants and toddlers, and inform the timeline for future bond measures. With this express, the Low Income Investment Fund strongly supports this resolution and is ready to partner to support the rapid effective implementation and expand your goals. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for your time. Next speaker is Gina Rodriguez. Gina, please press star six to unmute yourself, and you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Gina Rodriguez. Gina Rodriguez, please press star six to unmute yourself, and you have two
164minutes to speak once you begin. Good afternoon. My name is Gina Rodriguez. I'm a program officer at First 5 LA, a leading children's advocacy organization in LA County and in California. The expansion of public education to include universal transitional kindergarten, along with the state's commitment to advancing multilingual learning, presents a timely opportunity for LAUSD to continue prioritizing and growing its early learning programs. A goal in First 5 LA's strategic plan is to ensure all children prenatal to age 5 have a solid foundation for well-being, lifelong learning and success, and this resolution does that. First 5 LA stands ready to partner with LAUSD to strengthen curriculum, instructional practices, and family engagement approaches in ways that reflect and affirm the cultural and linguistic identities of young children. We support the efforts uh that expand dual language early
165education programs at early education centers, transitional kindergarten, California State Preschool programs at elementary schools with consideration to teacher recruitment, training, credentialing, and strategies for program sustainability and expansion. First 5 LA also encourages the district to increase and coordinate partnerships with family home providers, including shared professional development opportunities, increased communication, articulation agreements, intersession, and before-and-after school care for TK and CSPP students. Aligning with LAUSD early education strategic plan goals and First 5 LA's commitment to uplift and support home-based early educators as they are a vital part of the mixed delivery system. For these reasons, First 5 LA First 5 LA commends the board and supports the learning begins at birth growing LAUSD early learning programs resolution. Thank you so much. Thank you for your time. And I see Martha Bernard is with us online. Uh Ms.
166Bernard, please press star six to unmute yourself, and you'll have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. Martha Bernard. Good afternoon. My name is Martha Bernard, and I have two children in LAUSD. One is a three-year-old daughter at an LAUSD early education center. We absolutely love our daughter's preschool. All of the staff and teachers are wonderful and take such excellent care of the children who are happy, bright, and learning so much every day. The demographics of the school reflects the demographics of my neighborhood, making it an integrated school, which is exceedingly rare in our district. Recently, our school received gigantic flat screen Promethean smart boards for every classroom, which in a grade school setting can be used as a whiteboard or for interactive learning. In a preschool setting, these boards completely dwarf the classroom rug
167area, where previously the children would start the day with circle time and songs. Now, when I drop my daughter off in the morning, they are watching YouTube brain break or movement videos such as Danny Go or even sometimes AI-generated movement videos complete with advertisements. To quote from this resolution, "The earliest years of life represent a critical period of brain development, during which the foundation for language, literacy, and social-emotional development is established." End quote. Experts caution low-quality, fast-paced content, and AI-generated videos on YouTube often feature conflicting information, lack plot structure, and can be cognitively overwhelming, have been found to be associated with greater hyperactivity symptoms among preschool boys. And low-income children may be more likely to be exposed to lower-quality content. I doubt that the vast majority of private preschools in Los Angeles have Promethean boards
168or show YouTube videos with advertisements to their students. Later today, you will vote on a resolution that if passed will prohibit student-led use of YouTube. As you expand early childhood centers, I implore you to consider prohibiting any use of YouTube, even if teacher-led, for our youngest and most vulnerable students, and removing these giant screens from preschool classrooms. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for your time. That concludes public comment on temp 22. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate all of our public comment speakers and our partners in this work for lifting up our learning begins at birth resolution. This resolution affirms that birth through age 3 in particular the earliest years are such a critical time for our young children and their families and supporting parents and caregivers and expanding our
169programs will help to ensure that our families have access to the high quality affordable care that they deserve from the very beginning. Today, too many families, especially in working class communities, can't access early care and education when they need it, whether due to enormous costs or to long waiting lists. This is a critical quality of life issue that impacts thousands of families across Los Angeles, particularly those in our highest needs communities. And today represents an opportunity to take action to uplift our youngest children, our babies, their families, and our communities as a whole. The resolution directs LAUSD to create a strategic equity-driven plan that would reopen shuttered centers and expand programs where the need is highest and currently unmet. Would double our infant and toddler programs, build dual language pathways in the earliest years, expand
170workforce pathways for adult students and high school students through CCE programs, strengthen partnerships with community providers and family home providers, center and directly support families in the earliest years of parenthood, and provide for feedback from community partners, labor partners, and families as we are creating this expansion plan. It also ensures that we are planning strategically. We're mapping demand, identifying sites, funding, and staffing, and timelines so that we have an appropriate timeline for qualified early educators, and we are meeting the demands that exist today and slots that are not currently being provided. This is both about supporting families earlier, but also about strengthening outcomes in the long term, both for children and for their families. In the East San Fernando Valley and other areas of the school district, access to infant and toddler care is still
171out of reach for too many families. And we need to ensure that as a district, we are looking at every tool possible to broaden support for our families and for our youngest children. I want to take this opportunity to thank my co-sponsors, Mr. Melvoin and Board Member Griego, as well as our partners at Early Edge, Families in Schools, First 5 LA, and everyone who has joined us in a thoughtful conversation, including the members of the Children and Families in Early Education Committee, who I know are strongly supportive of this resolution. Um, I ask that you help me, help us support the babies, toddlers, young children, and families of Los Angeles by supporting this resolution. And now I'll see if my co-sponsors would like to speak as well. Go. Uh, thank you, Board Member Gonez, for
172bringing this uh, to the table here today. Um, early ed is a big need in our most vulnerable communities and a true opportunity for the district to boost enrollment. That makes me very excited. As a working mom of three, I experienced the challenges with finding affordable early ed care for my kids, and I also heard the challenges from many of my fellow teacher colleagues. So, I'm happy that this resolution is proactive and already calling for a plan that will consider the use of some of our vacant early ed centers and elementary schools, convert them into early ed infant centers, and making them available to uh, external providers. I also appreciate the call for community engagement and coordination with labor partners as the plan is developed. And I've been hearing from many educators, younger educators that
173are ready to start having babies, as they have now won parental leave, and now with the potential of infant early ed centers, um, having children certainly makes it more supportive. As a teacher at McAlister High School of pregnant and parenting youth, I as a I experienced the the challenges of supporting my students in finding child care for their babies. And in fact, it made it a barrier for their school attendance. So, this expansion and this opportunity that um it brings to many of our working families, but also it supports our students who are uh parents um in our district. And it'll make it easier for them to be able to uh attend school. Um that um I'm hoping that we can have some of these early ed centers or infant centers in at locations where
174um we have these schools for our young um mothers. Um so, I'm also excited uh to see how the district can begin to develop a pathway for our students to enter into these credential positions and work in LAUSD's early ed centers. When I worked with high school students, particularly at McAlister, uh when we asked the students what kind of careers they wanted, they always talked about working with young children. So, I know that there is a desire and an interest among our our young people to enter this career pathway. And what a great opportunity for our district to be able to bring in some of our own students into the workforce. So, thank you again, um Ms. Gones, for bringing this um resolution forward. Thank you, Ms. Melvoin. >> Co-sponsor, Ms. Melvoin. >> Yes, thank
175you. Uh thank you, Ms. Gones, for bringing this resolution, for having us as co-sponsors, for your leadership in this space, and also for chairing our early ed committee. It's great to see some of our committee members here and in their public comments. Um incredibly supportive of the resolution. I was asked by a reporter this week why I'm co-sponsoring, and I said, "Well, I now have a 9-month-old, and I'm not sure what you're supposed to do until they turn four." Um which was a bit facetious, but also have a new appreciation for the challenge of the space. Um, and uh, you know, I as I've said many times, I do look forward to a day when we talk about preschool, free, high-quality, full-day preschool the way we now do about K-12, which is like, of course,
176it's an it's an opportunity for all. Um, but we know it's so critical not only from a child care perspective, as my colleagues discussed, but also when it comes to early literacy, the fact that kindergarten is still not mandatory in this state, and so we have kids who come in first grade, and then we know that the research shows if you're not reading by third grade, it's incredibly hard to catch kids up. Um, but also just from a joy, uh, play-based early childhood and the mental health and physical effects of that. So, um, I appreciate that this this resolution by Ms. Gomez and the plan, um, kind of, uh, brings some cohesion and coherence to things that the board members have been doing discreetly in our board district. We've reopened in my board district two
177shuttered early ed sites, Kentwood, that is now completely full, and West Valley Occupational Center, which is particularly exciting because it's attached to a, uh, an adult school and occupational center, and so it's not only great child care for those, uh, students who are there, but also we can create pathways for early educators in that program. I welcome my colleagues to come and check that one out, which just reopened. We also have our sliding scale fee-based program, and we are seeing in my district increase enrollment in a lot of our early ed centers. Um, and I know that it's also important to work with our partners, given that this is an ecosystem with so many, uh, different providers, and figuring out how we can work in partnership, support one another, and so make it easier for
178families to understand that, you know, now in TK to 12, we have our unified enrollment system, um, for LA Unified, but it's still very complicated at the, uh, the younger space, not unlike the conversation the board was having a few minutes ago around the summer school program. So, working to streamline, uh, the options and make it easier for families. Um, so thanks to the team. I see the folks from LA Unified in the back here for all the work you're doing. And I will the last thing I'll say, I'm I'm going to adjourn. I have an adjournment at the end of this meeting, but I do just in in supporting this resolution do want to have my co-sponsorship and vote in honor of the the former principal of Vine Street Early Education Center in my
179district who just passed away a few months ago, Anita Prosser. Been a a teacher for so many years and finally got her dream becoming a principal and was an incredible leader at Vine Street as we started increasing enrollment at that early ed center in Hollywood and tragically passed away just a few months ago. And so in addition to that adjournment just want to make my vote on this resolution which will come in her honor and thanks Ms. Gonez for your leadership on this. Other board members? Go ahead, Dr. Rivas. Um yes, thank you Ms. Gonez for bringing this resolution forward. It is something that I have seen first hand in my board district with the infant centers and just all the all that it brings not only to the families but also to our employees
180and also to some of our students who continue on in in that career particularly our CTC in our special education programs. It it offers a great opportunity for them to also um feel that they you know they're they're doing something particularly for our our babies. So it's wonderful to have that. So I just want to say that this resolution reflects the importance of investing in early and in early and intentionally and our students, our families and our school communities. Expanding access to early learning including infant centers, preschool programs and dual language opportunities is one of the most impactful ways we can improve long-term outcomes. I also appreciate the focus on child care centers and the need to work in partnership with community-based providers. Strengthening coordination with existing providers will be critical to building a system
181that is accessible, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of of working families and also of our students. I support moving forward with a plan that prioritizes high-need communities and build these partnerships thoughtfully. So, thank you and please add me as a co-sponsor. Well, again, thank you again for bringing this forward and as we know as we visit our schools, we know I just left a school yesterday with a waiting list of 22 students. So, we know that the need is definitely there and as early education centers and as early special education programs are the introduction to many of our LAUSD families, it is a chance for our schools to welcome families into a community that supports our little babies through play, healthy eating habits, and an introduction to support as well as another line to
182our classrooms. Early education programs is frequently a family's first interaction with LA Unified and introducing our families to the school district. And so, serving as a powerful tool for building trust and strengthening our enrollment pipelines which promotes our school readiness. And so, I'm excited that we are offering the increased options for our four-year-olds and that we need these offerings because all of our areas through K through 12 enrollment is declining and I see it definitely in BD1 and I had conversations with some of my former students and I said, "Where are your children?" And now you can bring them here. And so, as we know, enrollment is declining, but we know that our early education program is one of the areas that is actually growing. As I mentioned, I saw wait list of many of
183my schools. So, thank you for bringing this and love to be a co-sponsor. So, RT Franklin. Yes, thank you for bringing this and I just want to remind us um the board and also our team of our parental package resolution that this board unanimously passed almost a year ago which called for a report now 6 weeks past due. Um and and in it it has some of the highlights that are focused on here which is why I wanted to bring it back up. Love the idea of at least one early ed in every board district. I might add one additional early ed in every board district because there are waiting lists and and um sorry, not early ed uh infant center. Thank you. Infant center. Um I took my 3 and 1/2 year old to
184early ed this morning and she said, you know, where is baby sister? She's 17 months. Well, I would love for her to be right next to her at the exact same school. Um so, not for me but for the future families. Um we also in that report we're asking for some of that legislative advocacy around additional infant slots. So, would love to get an update from the team when possible. Um you know, what barriers there are to develop to growing these zero to two-year-old programs. Um and then on the uh family home providers, one of the relationships we called for in that resolution was also for employee backup care and stronger relationships between our family providers. So, yes for our families and students but also for our employees. So, you know, not to change your
185resolution but just to um remind us that we have um yes, some some synergy and and some alignment um and to encourage the team and our you know, acting and deputy superintendents to make sure that we're following through on the resolutions that this board passes. Um and I did just want to maybe highlight and encourage the team. Love the CTE idea for our high school students. I have one of the adult um programs at Maxine Waters that does the childhood next door at Bradley Early Ed Center. Um but I know there's more interest in high school as well and so I know we have some of this but growing at to your points of you know, where there is is interest in helping us solve this long-term problem here. Um so, please please add me
186as a co-sponsor and I would love to work together to make sure we're implementing all of these visions together. It looks like Dr. Schrader wants to say something. >> It's exactly what uh Pia said at what month Renee did update uh myself and the acting superintendent on the advocacy that they're doing uh in collaboration with Marta Alvarez for more of those infant toddler slots. And then also the opportunities you know we opened up an early education center West Valley Occupational Center. So we're trying to really be strategic and so Pia has great plans of thinking about how do we continue to build this wonderful pathway including if they're at our high schools how our students could then participate. I know I'm reading you guys tonight. So yes, all those things uh but that's part of
187what they're designing. As you know, we've been very focused on increasing enrollment, building awareness about our programs and so now it's expanding those opportunities through this resolution. Absolutely. And I'll just give a shout out for reopening San Pedro Early Ed which is another additional 80 slots for students. So we've got 20 slots left. So if you want to come all the way down to San Pedro. Um, but yes, thank you team and looking forward to the work growing. Thank you. Uh, I'll be last. Just wanted to let you know that there is nothing more enjoyable than visiting an early ed center. When I see that on my calendar I run because it is the most wonderful sight you can ever see. These little kids they are so brilliant. I don't know what the what what's
188going to happen in kindergarten. They are so smart already in early ed. And I am lucky enough to have um an infant center at Cleveland High School. I don't know about your infant centers but when I go to that one she makes me take off my shoes. They do the same? Yeah. Yeah. No shoes. No shoes allowed in the infant center. I mean they it's like a hospital. It's really great. It's really great. I too would like to be a co-sponsor. Please accept. Thank you very much. And that's our last speaker. But I will take you everyone for your support and I'm really excited about the opportunities that this will lead to for current students who are interested in in becoming um child development or early childhood educators, for our families, and obviously for for
189for the little ones who we all love to see. Let's vote. Okay, having been moved by Ms. Gones and seconded by Ms. Newbill, here is the vote on tab 22. Ms. Newbill. Yes. Dr. Rivas. Yes. Mr. Melvoin. Yes. Ms. Griego. Yes. Ms. Gones. Yes. Ms. Ortiz Franklin. Yes. Board President Schmerelson. Yes. Student Board Member Yang. All right, we'll come back to Okay, that concludes tab 22. I believe that we are going to unpause the heat presentation. We last left off at gophers. So um the board member who made the inquiry, Ms. Stokes, has left the room briefly, but we do have another board member with another inquiry. If my friends in ITS could pop that presentation just in case we need to refer back to the slide deck. Go ahead, Ms. Ortiz Franklin. Thanks and
190thanks to the team. I just have two quick questions on the heat mitigation. Um one is that we heard from some uh labor partners that the city of LA also did a task force on turf, and so I was just curious if the team knew about the the of LA's work and has connected with them or is that in the in the works? They're still here. For Mike. I sleep at the wheel. Please go ahead. I'm Christina Chokes, chief facilities executive. Yes, we have been working with Parks and Recs. They have a similar assessment underway as well. Theirs I think has a longer time frame, so they are currently under development. I think their recommendation is supposed to come out by the following the end of this year. Okay, so ours will be first. >>
191Yes. It would be helpful to hear what they're learning as well and where there are some similarities or differences. I can imagine both. So would love to you know just be updated on that when our team has some information. And then secondly, Mr. Melvoin raised this earlier but the advocacy around the tree people projects and other similar greening partners. There are six schools in my district that have projects currently on pause because of additional mitigation and cost questions. So he mentioned that the team was working on it but I was just curious if there was anything we could say publicly about where those projects are. Like I said there are six in my district. I know there are many others but are we you know moving forward? Are schools ready to receive those projects or
192we still trying to figure out a solution for who's going to pay for the upcoming challenges? I will speak to that because the acting superintendent has asked me to kind of step in and and work with the team to come up with potential solutions to I would say every project is unique and I think what we're working through is ensuring that you know we try to reduce as many barriers from a district perspective to execute the promise and commitment around the Cal Fire grants. The key question will be there are particular projects that have been scoped that didn't contemplate particular mitigation strategies that will incur some additional costs and I think that's where we're working collectively to identify an appropriate fund source to attempt to offset the impact of those additional needs at the end
193within these projects. And so, we'll be bringing that forward. You know, we'll be bringing recommendations to the superintendent for his consideration. But ultimately, you know, we want to be good stewards and partners in making sure that we execute on a promise to the school communities. And I think the team has a number of pathways to getting there. That's promising and maybe I would just request a follow-up for my schools and the timelines that that I can expect. So, thank you for that. That's it. Charlette. I just had a few questions. Some were kind of already answered, but to the disaster preparedness um district guidance, what is the routine and drill? Because often we have these bulletins, how do we check and balance that they're actually being practiced? Because that's often the concern is that you
194can read the bulletin and when it's time to actually go, it's chaos. So, each school has to each month they have to do fire drills, earthquake drills, and um shelter-in-place drills, and lockdown drills. And that's in the integrated safe school plan. And they also have to certify that they have conducted those drills. In addition, after the fires in Palisades, we identified several schools that are located in a high fire area. And so, working alongside our OEM, our Office of Emergency Management team, we were able to go out to practice different scenarios where we brought in the buses. We said like, "How long would it take to evacuate all the students? You know, how far, how long, how many buses do you need to get the students out?" So, we did a more intense drill with
195those schools that are located in the high fire area. but the schools have to do their drills, document it also in their integrated safe school plan, and then there is a certification page on our principal's portal. So, they have to have a certain amount of drills completed before the end of the school year. How many drills did you say? I can't tell you exactly. I can get back to you on that. But there's different drills. >> drills. There's fire drills. There's lockdown drills. There is shelter in place drills. There's earthquake drills. So, those are the some of the But throughout the school year. >> Yes. Okay. And then on the um the community engagement, how many have been in the were were in the March 10th parent meeting? How many did we engage? >> I
196can get back to you, but it was over 200-plus parents. It could have been more, but I'll get back to you on that number. >> And I was going to ask, you know, obviously the same for the teacher meeting only because, you know, wanting to make sure we're targeting folks from all over. This is a large district, and so this is always a concern, the feedback that we get from our engagement. You know, kind of dictates where we go with the work. And so, if we only survey a small portion, we only get a small glimpse of what's real. Yeah, so for the parent meeting, I worked with SFACE, our parent community engagement group. The principal's meeting, they have a new principal's meeting along with their mentors. So, there was approximately 160-plus principals district-wide that
197were there. So, I got input from new principals as well as veteran principals as well as mentor principals. And the teacher meeting, it was we had about a dozen or more, but they were from each region. So, we made sure that we tapped into region, you know, north, south, east, and west. And the students as as well. I'll make sure that and the students will be from region all the different regions. We'll tap into all of the different regions as well. Got it. And so you're saying the teachers meeting there was about a dozen teachers that Okay. >> Yeah, if we can increase the engagement and I don't know if that means putting it out, you know, different ways, but definitely we'd want more input on that. Um and then I think I'm moving on
198to the campus infrastructure. Uh similar question with our target group and I know uh Nick mentioned expanding and making sure athletics was involved. Is it possible for our survey to go out to CIF considering this is California and those fields that are used in California if possible through our CIF organization. Sure. We can Are you talking about um our our staff that is um on athletics or extended to the broader Extended into the broader CIF. >> Right. Um yeah, we can definitely do that. Um include them in either the community or stakeholder meetings and in all the surveys. It does identify, you know, are you district staff, a district coach, or another stakeholder and they could put that in as well. So we can reach out um for that contact information either from our athletics
199or we can reach out to you to find out how to best do that. Got it. And then you mentioned the shade over play these grants and I know we trying to figure out how to partner with folks. These shade over play are these grants that are already uh distributed or are there ways to be able to apply for shade over play grants? The shade over play uh fortunately is entirely bond funded, so we're not reliant on grants. Obviously, if there are any grants um that we're able to apply for, but we're the 40 million that's quoted in the uh presentation is local district bond funds. Got it. And let's see if this is okay. I think that was it. And oh, Parks and Rec. So to the point was made earlier about the information
200that we receive from them because many of our schools use Parks and Recs as a joint use situation. So if it's possible to make sure that that report is I guess merged with ours. So that was it. We're including as part of the report what other school districts are doing not only and Parks and Recreations are doing not only um in the city but in the state of California and also throughout the country. Yes, we'll have those touch points. That's appreciated. Thank you. Ms. Gonaz. Thank you. Um thank you for this report. I have a couple of questions regarding what happens to the schools that can no longer use their field. So what do we do for them? How do we support them? So it varies by school. We have right now currently five schools
201where their football soccer fields are closed. So for example at Uni High School, they are using their baseball and softball fields which are natural grass for all of their sports for football and soccer as well as baseball and softball. Um and then at um let's see if I have the list for the other schools. Um four other ones are either Oh. That's a fire alarm, so we'll pause the meeting to observe all of the rules in place when a fire alarm takes. May I have your attention, please? A fire alarm has been May I have your attention, please? A fire You must be May I have your attention? >> Okay, we have four board members. The time is now 1:09. The meeting was briefly recessed due to a due to a fire alarm about 8
202minutes ago. So, Miss Grego had the floor and Miss Tokes is still with us. Thank you. All right. So, you answered the question about what happens when the um the the fields are no longer able to be used at a high school, what are their options? And you mentioned that at Uni High School, they will be using their other grass field for all of their sports. So, they do have access to Correct. And that's actually the case with all of the schools with closed fields is that they use existing fields, typically baseball, softball, which are natural grass. But all of their games, home games are played away. So, practice is done at the campus, but home games are played away. And who covers the cost of transportation for the for those games? I don't know
203if it's central or the school sites that do that. Once there's a bond project to fix the school, then the bond project can pay I see. >> because there's a project there where we're actively under construction. But if it is just out of use It's generally covered through our athletics program and we sequence, you know, the the schedule and we incorporate that as part of our athletics program. All right. And then, what is the current policy right now for replacing turfs? turf fields So, if it is at an elementary or a school or a primary center and EEC, then we would replace it with natural grass. So, I think um just at the last board meeting, there was a artificial turf field at Virgil Middle School, which was done when we constructed a new school
204adjacent and had to reconfigure that campus. That field is now past its useful life, deteriorated, and we brought a project to replace it with natural grass. Um where there are projects on hold until a policy is formalized are at high schools, at um high-use fields. So, this isn't just a multi-purpose grass fields or it is a high-use field like our football soccer fields. So, they're currently um I believe it's 1 2 3 4 5 6 seven schools um that have fields that um need to be replaced that are synthetic and are deteriorated. But in general, if it's a turf field, you don't do any community engagement on whether, you know, they want turf or grass. It's just our policy is to replace it with the same. Exactly. >> Okay. All right. >> It's in kind.
205Yes. >> Okay. And then um for grass fields, um what is how do you repair those? So, grass fields, once it is a um once it is a grass field, um then we are reliant on our maintenance and operations budgets for essentially grooming and maintaining that field. So, that could be, you know, everything including just mowing the fields, reseeding the fields, and then uh redoing the sod at those fields. But that is all funded through general fund restricted maintenance and operations dollars um because bond funds cannot be used when it comes to just replacing grass. There needs to be what's a capital investment made. All right. And then, thank you, Christina, for this. And then I have some questions about the air conditioning. I'm wondering, what is the usual turnaround time to repair our conditioners?
206So, I can I can speak to that one. >> Okay. Uh it really depends on what needs to be repaired. So, it could run the gamut from there's a part that needs to be repaired, there's a part that needs to be replaced, then there's a unit that needs to be repaired, there's a unit that needs to be replaced, all the way to the whole system now, whole air conditioning system throughout the building is really needs to be replaced, and that's when we bring a bond-funded project to replace the entire system. When it's just parts and components, that's done by M&O and their HVAC team. When it's a whole building system replacement, that then we do a bond project to replace that whole system, and that's typically a much more costly project, and we hire contractors
207to do that work. So, for the really big projects, we have to contract out, but for like the small repairs, parts, things like that, we do it in-house? Exactly. So, that's I think I had a slide that showed our current staffing is we have 135 HVAC fitter positions. We are at about a 12% vacancy rate, which is just, you know, an ongoing recruitment as people leave the district, we're always recruiting. We're a little below what the kind of standard industry standard would be for the number of HVAC units that we have district-wide. We want to be closer up to about 180, but we are funded for about 135. Just to put it into context when you think of district-wide, the large number of inventory, 135 people are taking care of. And um so, if we
208we would like to have 185, does that mean that we can budget up to that much or do we have budgeted that much? >> Oh, okay. Um, I know that that is a very high need area. Yeah. Right? Um, because that's part of the reason why I I understood there were delays is that we don't have enough folks working on that. We do, I should add um, when there are heat events, we do have the ability to um, go to contractors in those specific events when we have an all hands on deck. We've had that, you know, over the past several heat events where they just last three, five, seven days. Our equipment starts to go into failure mode. We have all resources district deployed and then we can use uh, backup contractors to come
209in just for those days to help our crews um, so we're not triaging. Um, are the challenges in staffing um, in hiring for these positions? Is it that we are not or what are some of the challenges that we have in in recruiting folks for these positions? Or we don't have any challenges, we just don't have the budget for it. Uh, we just don't currently have the we don't have the budget to be staffed at the levels we need. I think that's something, you know, probably across the district where we're just constrained by um, the realities of our budget. Um, in terms of our vacancies, uh, we this is really dealing with um, we have a high number of retirees. Sometimes we get turnover by people who are looking to do work in other public
210agencies or find work closer to home. Um, we know it's harder to find positions in certain parts of the district than others, so we see a higher turnover in those areas. Um, but those are, you know, kind of standard recruitment issues. All right, thank you. Sure. Kelly, were you waiting? Yes, um, trying to reorient what my questions were. One on I'm excited about the tree canopy extension. I think that that's one lower cost way to help ensure cooler campuses beyond the amount that we have planned. I would be hopeful that that like filling all of our empty tree wells for example might be something that we can set a goal around for the next several years I'm just recognizing that the trees take time to mature but that might be one quick way to help
211address the need for interim shade while we wait on very expensive and too expensive shade shelters on many of our campuses. I also wanted to confirm on the cooling strategies that the misters were also provided to early education centers. It says all elementary schools. So I believe that early education centers also received but wanted to >> They did. Yes, they received it. Okay. Great. And then on the topic of the HVAC projects just so it says I believe that we have 21 projects currently including all the kind of the more expensive projects as well as the stand-alones. What will it take and maybe it's related to the staffing conversation to get to the 25 active projects at a time as laid out in the resolution. So we do have 21 that are not stand-alone HVAC.
212They're through classroom replacements or major modernizations. We have another 17 that are stand-alone. So we have a total of 38. >> Okay. Great. Okay. Met met the goal. That's fantastic. And then I certainly I have more to say on the artificial turf piece but I I appreciate you kind of laying out the issues for us and I look forward to the study and ongoing conversations with stakeholders. Certainly we we can talk more about the the existing issues when we talk about the resolution. And then just one last piece for Dr. Bryant. I believe board member Hedy Nubi addressed this somewhat but I'm interested in our engagement specifically with communities in the highest risk areas for climate related issues especially wildfires. I know some of my stakeholders in the Sunland-Tujunga area, which is often impacted by
213wildfires, are interested in specific engagement around protocols for their schools, evacuation routes, etc. So, I just wonder what's the capacity to engage with those, you know, extremely impacted communities in a more focused way. So, during the parent meeting as Faith had, it was their regular meeting, so they had parents from all over. It was held on March 10th. But, that is something that we can do. I can work with your team to identify the targeted populations that you wish for us to meet with, and we'll be happy to meet with them. >> Okay, great. Yes, they they would love to be involved, and we're happy to follow up on that. Thank you so much. >> You're welcome. Okay, for Ms. Stokes, I noticed on slide 17, which is this community engagement page, and I was
214curious if um are we using our own people to uh to do this community engagement? I'll tell you why I'm asking. Because we're having an event at North Hollywood coming up. And I noticed a company that I never heard of before who was doing community engagement. And I'm before you even answer, I'm kind of hoping that we're not outsourcing any work because that's a bad word in LAUSD, the outsourcing. I hope we're not outsourcing any work that we have people here who have been doing it and doing a great job for years and years and years and years. Now, you may answer. Sure. So, I'm not aware of any company that we're using on North Hollywood High School. It could be for like rental of things or audio equipment or anything like that, but our
215community engagement team is running the ribbon-cutting event. If that's the event that you're talking about. Just like they do all of our other events. And yes, they are leading the community engagement, but we do have LPA, which is providing kind of strategic support because this is a pretty big lift, and they have a one-time pretty big lift for just four meetings, and they have pretty much their docket full. So, they are doing some of the help with the like survey work, aggregating the survey data. There's some survey work that's going to go on in the workshops, aggregating that data. But, all of the emails, the reminders, all of that is being done by our engagement team, and they're overseeing that work. >> That's good cuz they've done the preps and the It's just wonderful. Okay,
216thank you. Glad to hear. Thank you. Anyone else? And I I did have the information Miss Gonas that you had requested about prop two and prop four. So, proposition two, we have made applications. We have received 135.4 million from eight applications. We have 625 million in process. So, 163 applications that are underway. So, that total anticipated revenue that we would receive from prop two is 760 million. We've also applied, but that proposition two is essentially oversubscribed. We've applied for another 96 million, but we think that the state overall is oversubscribed in the amount of applications they've received. And then, prop four, at this point in time, we have not been eligible. Our understanding is they've started with different areas that LAUSD is not eligible for, but we're waiting for our window to open, and then
217we do think that there'll be a high likelihood we'll be able to make applications and be eligible. Thank you so much. I hate to ask follow-up questions on something I had earlier, but in terms of the Prop 2 money, do we know if any of those projects are related to, you know, the issues of climate resilience or extreme heat? Um I think they are in that we've applied for major modernizations. We've applied All of those have state-of-the-art kind of sustainability measures, right? So, that would include new air conditioning that's all electric. Typically, those involve some type of um shading or greening component. It's just not a specific project because a classroom addition or removing portable or seismic is what's eligible, but there are a lot of components within those projects that we deem as sustainable.
218Got it. That's helpful. And then on the Prop 4, uh is there anything we can do in terms of advocacy to help ensure that those windows get opened sooner? I don't know what the entity, if it's the legislature or the You know, we'll check and look into that. Okay. Cuz we want to California can't reach its climate goals without schools. So, would love to be helpful on that front. No further questions. Um there's a significant amount of business to to get through, so um let's run through the consent calendar. Do any board members having lunch and want to come in and chime in on the consent calendar, now would be a good moment to come back in. The consent calendar is a procedural device that the board uses to get to multiple items in a
219single vote. I read through the items that are susceptible to consent, and then the board says out loud whether or not it should be on consent or if they have a question, comment, or would like to discuss it. And then it comes off the consent calendar and is voted upon individually. All All tab one has been withdrawn. Uh tab two, donations of money to the district. Consent. Consent. Tab three, report of cash disbursements. Consent. Consent. Consent. Tab four, approval of routine personnel actions. Consent. Consent. Consent. Tab five, approval of non-routine personnel actions. Consent. Consent. Consent. Tab six, provisional internship permits. Consent. Uh tab seven cannot be on consent. Tab eight, ratification of incentive grant awards to LAUSD. Consent. Consent. Tab nine uh has been amended. Adoption of textbooks for Mandarin dual language education. I have
220a question. I had a question as well. Throw that on question. Is that consent with a question? I don't think we do that. That's Nima Juan and >> and Ms. Newbell. >> did that. Okay. And do we know the amended version? Do we know where the amended version is? Yes. At the packet today? It was distributed tab nine a copy either yesterday or the day before and has been updated online. Said no but All right, so tab nine is questions from a couple of board members. Tab 10, approval of procurement actions. Consent. Tab 11, approval of facility contracts actions. Tab 12 has been withdrawn. Tab 13, update to delegation of authority to negotiate and execute. Okay, questions. Board member. That was 13. Questions. Uh 14, adoption of the negative declaration for the 32nd Street USC
221magnets major mod project. Consent. Tab 15, approval for the 32nd Street School USC Magnet Major Mod project. Consent. Tab 16 consideration of business improvement district renewal and form formation petitions. Consent. Tab 17 renaming of San Fernando Middle School. Consent to renaming of Charles Maclay Middle School. Tab 19 is a public hearing. Approval of the renewal petition for Chatsworth Charter High. Consent. Tab 20 commemorating May as Jewish-American Heritage Month. All right. So, you're requesting to Oh, sorry. I was just saying it's consent, but I if I could just say it. That sounds great. >> Okay, great. We'll do it. All right. Tab 21 is a time certain. It's my preference to not put that stuff on consent, so it's clear for everyone. All right. Going down to Tab 24, which also includes a waiver of board
222rule 72. Consent. I'll note that it is a version three. Tab 25. California Adult Education Week. Resolution. I'll note that they're resolutions, I'm sorry. It's a resolution also requiring waiver of board rule 72. Tab 26 immediate repair and restoration of the Uni High School Charter Field. Discussion. All right. Tab 27 resolution recognizing missing and murdered indigenous women and relatives awareness day. Consent. Consent. Tab 28, celebrating Earth Day and recognizing April as Earth awareness month. Consent. Consent. Tabs 29, 30, and 31 are for initial announcement and are published for the public to review in anticipation of the resolution next month. And uh board member Griego said she has a question on tab eight. So, for your notes, I'm going to remove that from the consent calendar and turn that C into a Q. Okay, noted. For
223eight? All right, tab 32, um consent. Tab 33, report of correspondence. Tab 34, note there's no action on it. It's a public hearing and um when we take the comments for that, um I will read the public hearing statement. So, let me review. Please note any correct uh mistakes I have made. Uh let's see, tabs two, three, four, five, six uh consent. Tab seven is not on consent. Tab eight is a question. Tab nine is a question. Tabs 10 and 11 are consent. Tab 12 is withdrawn. Tab 13 is a question. Tabs 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 are and 20 are consent. 21 is a time certain. Uh 24 and 25 are consent. 26 is discussion. 27 and 28 are consent. Tabs 29, 30, and 31 are not for action. Tab 32 is consent.
224Tab 33 is consent, and tab 34 is a public hearing only. Do I have that right? >> Yeah. Okay. So, now we will take public comment on all those items marked as consent. You want someone to move the consent calendar? >> That'd be great. >> I'll move the consent calendar. Thank you. Do I have a second on the outstanding? So, the um mover is Esquinez, the second was board president Schmarlson. All right. We're going to public comment on consent items. Okay, so for tab two, we have three speakers, all in person. This is two donations of money to the district. Uh Mr. David Tokovsky, are you here? I do not see Mr. Tokovsky. I do not see him online. Mr. Juan Magandi, are you here? I do not see either of you here. All right.
225We will go to tab 18 has public comment on it. One individual, Alex Reza, are you here? Alex >> Yes. Reza, I thought I Please come on up, sir. Take your time, there's no rush. This is for tab 18. I will activate the microphone on your way. Thank you very much. Congratulations on avoiding a strike. I think that was a definite step forward, and I'm glad that the beginning salary for teachers will approach 80,000. Although, if you go into police uh LAPD, the beginning salary is like 110,000. And I also like to uh express my appreciation for board member Gonez for introducing that resolution and what I considered a very, very key to making our education system stronger and more effective, and that is early childhood. Thank you, board member Gonez. I'm Alex Alex I
226taught at San Fernando High School for 34 years. Uh I left the school. I don't like the word retired, but I left the school and in 2002, but I'm 86 years old. When I told people I was going to do this, a few people tell me, "At your age, there's no point in you doing this." And I say, "I believe that I have something to contribute. I have no magic bullet. I know the problems are overwhelming, and a lot of it is beyond the control of the seven board members here. On the other hand, I do believe that in many ways we can do better. And that you can do better. And I'm going to challenge you today to be think as as a leader who's one of your main responsibilities is to call out
227when a mistake was made. And that is what is driving me about the change of name at McClay. I view myself as a whistleblower. You might know a whistleblower is someone who dwells into an issue and then finds something that general public and and decision-makers did not become aware of. And that's what I that's the way I I view what I'm going to get into. Originally, Dolores Huerta was one of the persons that was being considered. Thank Thank you, sir. Maybe uh wrap up the thought, pretty please. Very much respect >> I think that bothers me today. This board spent about 20 minutes talking about synthetic uh That's an important issue. There's other issues that deserve more of attention, including what I am bringing up, instead of the synthetic surfaces at our schools. If you're
228telling me I have to stop, I'll stop. But, I don't think that the priority, when you give every topic 2 minutes, regardless of what the impact is on your students and parents of this district. I resent that. Do I have any 30 seconds more? 30 seconds. Yes, please. Thank you, sir. >> Okay. Well, I have discovered with conversations at the school, and I know the principal is here, and I know representatives of North Region, and I am very disappointed in the leadership at the school. And I know the problems are overwhelming. And I had about a 2-hour meeting with Dr. Baca and his staff. And if that is the type of leadership that we provide for 250 schools in the San Fernando Valley, I am very, very disappointed. And part of the problem is that
229all large organizations depend on the bureaucracy. And in this case, the bureaucracy got it wrong. Thank you, sir. Thank you so much for your time. >> And I I have one more comment. 10 seconds. A lot of things have When when when we had the doctor back in meeting, the common response was we well we we followed the process. We followed the process. We followed the process. I don't know most of you are younger. Some of you might remember 187. Some of you might remember uh Proposition 8. The process was followed. Fortunately, we have a system where people beyond the immediate issue review and find that something was wrong. Thank you so much, Mr. Rosenthal. >> 187 was a racist proposition. 180 uh two uh Proposition 8 stated that the uh state of California would
230not recognize same-gender uh marriages. They both passed the the electorate. Fortunately, a higher body reviewed and said, "No. This is your responsibility to say no to something that was done improperly." Thank you. Thank you for your time. That concludes public comment for 18. We'll go on to 19. Mr. David Tokofsky, also also not here. All right, we have public comment also on tab 20. Looks like it's all calling folks on tab 20. Let's see. I have Danielle Ames on tab 20. Or Misty Mabon, you wanted to This is the Introduce. You wanted to introduce it and then we'll take the public comment. Yes, thank you. I'll just be brief and thanks for the flexibility to just say a few words. But I just wanted to one thank my co-sponsors board president Jackie Goldberg and board
231member Andy Newbell and say that I'm proud to bring forward this resolution recognizing May as Jewish American Heritage Month. This is an opportunity to celebrate the rich history and lasting contributions of Jewish Americans across our country from the arts and sciences to civil rights and public service. It's also an important moment for education. By encouraging our schools to engage in meaningful cultural and historical learning, we help ensure that students better understand the diversity that shapes our communities and our nation. We're fortunate that there are so many great resources like 18.education available to our school communities and other great free curricular resources to make sure that we're not just checking a box, but we're educating the next generation. Which is why this resolution calls for more of these resources to be made available not just in
232the month of May, but year-round. And at the same time, this resolution reaffirms our commitment to fostering safe, inclusive, and welcoming environments for all of our students. As we continue to see concerning instances of anti-Semitism, we must be clear. There is no place for hate in our schools. We have a responsibility to ensure that Jewish students, staff, and families feel safe, respected, seen, and supported. Honoring Jewish American Heritage Month is not just about recognition, it's about education, inclusion, and standing firmly against anti-Semitism in all its forms. I hope my colleagues will join me in marking Jewish American Heritage Month month this coming May. Thank you. All right, we've got Danielle Ames on the line. Danielle Ames, please press star six to unmute yourself. And you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Danielle Ames.
233Comment after them. >> Uh Daniel Ames, I see you're on the line. Please press star six to unmute yourself. Thank you, Superintendent Cheite, President Schmerelson, and board members. My name is Danielle Ames, and on behalf of 18 education, I want to thank board member Nick Melvoin for his support in making this historic Jewish-American Heritage Month resolution possible. And of course, the co-sponsors, Mr. Schmerelson and Ms. Newbill. Our organization's mission is to fight anti-Semitism and inspire Jewish pride, and there's no better way to do that than through education during Jewish-American Heritage Month right here in LAUSD, where 15% of the student population are Jewish or have Jewish family. Jewish hatred, globally, nationally, and locally, has risen to unprecedented levels, and we must not allow this to be normalized or accepted as a reality, and that begins
234in K-12 education. 18 education has created free videos and curriculum that meets state standards that can be used by all teachers in every grade and classroom. Again, it's free and will be available beginning May 1st for teachers to use to educate their students about who the Jewish people are, written by Jewish-Americans about Jewish-Americans. Thank you again, Mr. Melvoin, for spearheading this, and I hope that Jewish-American Heritage Month becomes a regularly celebrated and recognized month in LAUSD. Thank you. Thank you for your time. I have a number of other people who are listed as speaking online, but I don't have them signed in, but I will read their names nevertheless. Roxana Garcia, are you in the room? You are not online. Lily Yadegar, Lily Y, also not online. Lucas Shane, are you in the room? Lucas
235Shane, no. All right. Leah Farzam, Leah Farzam, not in the room. Shaya Soleimani, Shaya, not in the room, not online. Aliya Khusrav Khusravi, Aliya, not in the room. Katie Risen, Katie Risen, also not online. Lindsey Hanan, are you in the room? You signed up to speak remotely, but I do not have you signed in. And lastly, Tamar, Tamar, are you here? Okay, that's public comment on tab 20. Going to tab 24, there are 10 folks in person to speak on tab 24. That is protecting Proposition 98 funding and the constitutional minimum guarantee for public education. Please note this requires waiver of rule 72, which will also be taken since it's on consent with the underlying resolution. There are 10 public commenters and it's a version three from Dr. Ribas. Dr. Ribas, did you want to
236mention quickly what the change in version is? There were just some minor updates and and um Uh let's see here. Um it was just some some edits, nothing really substantial that changed. Um just added at the last resolve. Um, specified funding for 2026-2027 and in the May revision and in the final 2026-2027 state budget adoption. So, it was just some clarification and some edits, but nothing really substantial that changed the the resolution. I do have some comments to make or do you want to do public comment first? Public Okay. All right, let's go to the public comment. Uh, Dania Ward, are you here? Denia Ward? I may have mispronounced that. Are you in the room? No. Uh, Leo Cedron? Not here. Cleo Claxton? Alia Regalado, are you here? No. Joyce Jennings? Not here. Mariana C?
237Not here. Nola? Are you here? Not here. Elena Price? Kenzie? Candace Smith? None of those folks are here. Let me check online to see if they're here to speak on this tab. And we have no one online to speak to the tab, so I guess that opens up some time for you, uh, board member, to make your comments. Thank you. Here we go. Um, so I want to start by thanking my colleagues, um, Ms. Bregoin and Ms. Gones for co-sponsoring this resolution and for the partnership on this issue. I also want to thank, um, Ms. Martha Alvarez and our government relations team for their strong advocacy in Sacramento and for continuing to push on behalf of our students and workforce. Um, also proud to bring this forward because this is about drawing a clear line.
238Proposition 98 is not optional. It is a constitutional commitment to our students and when those funds are delayed or withheld, it creates real consequences for school districts for all school districts particularly like ours. For LAUSD, this means difficult decisions that directly impact our responsibility to students and to the workers who make our schools run every day. It affects whether we can maintain stable well-supported staffing, protect jobs, and ensure that educators, classified staff, and school employees have the resources they need to do their work and to provide for our students. Our workforce should not be asked to carry the burden of uncertainty created by state-level budget funding delays, um and especially not our students. When funding is unstable, it disrupts classrooms, strains work strains working with conditions, and undermines the ability of our school communities to
239provide consistent high-quality education and support to students. These impacts are not felt equally and fall hardest on schools serving the highest-need communities. This resolution makes clear that public education must be fully funded and I'm calling on the governor through the May revise and the legislature to do the right thing and to fully deliver for our students, our workers, and our communities. Thank you. And I'll open it for Ms. Gonez or Ms. um Carla Grego, which it goes back. Yeah. Well, I appreciate Dr. Rivas's leadership in bringing this uh motion forward. It's essential that we protect and ensure that we receive the Prop 98 funds that are constitutionally required for our our public schools um as well as for community colleges. We know that these funds at this particular time are especially important and that any
240effort to to delay those funds or to withhold those funds is taking away from our students directly and we cannot let that stand. And so, I think it's an important moment to stand up for the protection of these public school resources and for us all to fight collectively and to advocate in Sacramento to ensure that our students get the resources that they deserve. So, I would like to co-sponsor, if I may, and my only comment is where are our $5.6 billion? That's my only comment. Thank you. Yes, and I also want to specify, yeah, thank you for including community colleges. We changed the title to include TK to 14 cuz that includes community college. Miss Miss Or, Dr. Franklin. I too would love to be added as a co-sponsor. I think it's powerful when this
241board is unified in calling on our state leaders to make decisions on behalf of students. And so, thank you for bringing this and I'll invite the team to look at a resolution coming next month to also grow additional revenue for our public education system. So, thank you. I'll add myself as a co-sponsor as well. All right, moving on to tab 27. We have two speakers, one call-in and one in person. Alex Hill, are you here to speak to tab 27? Alex Hill? All right, that is That is Alex Hill coming down. Come on up, you'll have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. Hi, good afternoon. My name is Alex Hill, nice standing before you today as a proud member of the Onondaga Nation, deer clan of the Hodenosaunee Confederacy. I am here to urge
242this board to formally recognize May 5th as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives MMIWR Awareness Day within LAUSD. For many, this is a headline, but for me, it is personal. In our culture, the women are the life givers and the center of our nations, yet across this country, Indigenous women face a murder rate 10 times more than national average. This is a crisis fueled by silence and a lack of systemic protection. As the second largest school district in the nation, sitting on the ancestral lands of the Tongva and Tataviam people, LAUSD has a moral obligation to ensure its indigenous students are seen and protected. Um, advocacy starts in the classroom. When our history is erased from the curriculum, our lives are devalued in society. By recognizing MMIW R Day, you aren't just passing a
243resolution, you are taking a step forward toward justice and safety. Thank you and Yawa for your time. Thank you for your time. And we also have um, Mona. Please press star six to unmute yourself and you have two minutes to speak once you begin, Mona. I see you're with us. >> Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Are you able to hear me? We sure can. Please go ahead. Okay, great. Thank you. Mija, my name is Mona Morales Recalde and I'm speaking on behalf of the Gabrieleno San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians. We are the first people of the greater Los Angeles Basin and I would like to say thank you to the board and superintendent for allowing us to have this time and space and have this conversation. We're really here to express our deep appreciation for
244our tribe's growing relationship with LAUSD through the land acknowledgement that was adopted to working at Cota Vonunga, the district has shown a true commitment to the first people of this land and to making things visible, making us visible. And so by introducing this resolution, you're taking a step further in addressing a crisis that has long been ignored and felt by our community for centuries across Turtle Island. The first people, women, and relatives are deep disproportionately affected by violence and disappearance, and it has a lack of accountability. The statistics are devastating, and they demand immediate action. These are not just numbers. They are our daughters, sisters, and mothers. And for too long, these cases have been mishandled, not documented well, and really impacted by jurisdictional gaps. This resolution is a vital step to ensure that students
245and families of Native American women are seen, protected, and valued. I want to thank you guys so much for having us for proposing this resolution. Thank you to Dr. Reavis and the entire board. It is the first time such a statement has been made in a space that reinforces what we often say, which is equa shem, we are here. So, with that, I would like to say thank you, and um that we appreciate the opportunity to continue to work and educate all students, faculty, uh professional development teachers about the true history of this land and the injustices that happened to our people. Owa shkon ohe, thank you. Thank you for your time. Uh that concludes tab 27. So, now we have three speak Oh, sorry. Please go ahead. Um yeah, I just want to take
246an opportunity just to um affirm exactly what we heard right now from our two um public speakers. So, I'm proud to bring this resolution forward recognizing missing and murdered indigenous women and relatives is about confronting a crisis that has been ignored for far too long. Indigenous women and relatives experience disproportionate levels of violence, and for too many families, there has been a lack of urgency, visibility, and accountability, and that cannot continue. As a public school system, we have a responsibility to tell the truth and to educate our students about the realities facing indigenous communities. This is about making sure our curriculum reflects those histories and present-day conditions with accuracy and respect, and that indigenous students see themselves recognized, valued, and protected in our schools. This is about safety and trust. When harm goes unacknowledged, it
247erodes trust in institutions, including schools. We cannot ask students to fully engage if they do not feel seen or safe. Naming this issue and creating space for awareness is a necessary step forward toward building and that trust and ensuring our school communities are grounded in care and accountability. Through this resolution, we are committing to more than awareness. We are committing to action, to uplifting native voices, strengthening partnerships with native-led organizations, and advocating for strong systems of data collection, prevention, and accountability at the state level. I'm grateful to the community members and advocates who have pushed this conversation forward. This resolution is one step, but it is an important one, and I look forward to continuing this work with urgency with the urgency it deserves. At this time, I would like to thank our public speaker,
248Mona Morales Yacalt who just heard, and also others like Sam Lopez from the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, Gabrielino and Tongva, uh led by the Tong- Gabrielino Tongva Tribal Council, um for their work and their also their inspiration in moving this resolution forward. Thank you. Rocio, I'd like to be added as a co-sponsor if I may, please. Thank you. Me, too. Me, three. Four. All right, so that's unanimous then on that. Okay. Seven. All right, moving to tab 28, we have three speakers signed up to speak. Um Itzel Gomez Cruz, are you here? Itzel? Come on down. Uh after Itzel is after Itzel is Giovanna Flores. And then we have one remote caller. So, come on down. You'll have a 2 minutes to speak once you begin to tab 28. Celebrating Earth Day and
249recognizing April as Earth Awareness Month. Good afternoon, board members. Um I appreciate the recognition of Earth Day and would like to focus on the inequities of green space um throughout the various schools. Um not all campuses have the same access to green spaces. Some students spend their days on asphalt with extreme heat and very little tree cover, which directly affects health, focus, and learning outcomes. Um so, for Earth Awareness Month, I want to highlight the need to prioritize the schools in underserved communities first, um especially those facing higher heat and and pollution. Um as a former LAUSD student and current USC social work graduate student, I understand the ties between our environmental stressors and our physical and mental health. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Uh Giovanna Flores, are you here? Giovanna? All right.
250Oh, there you are. Okay. You have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Giovanna Flores, and I'm a graduate student at USC studying social work. I'm also someone who spends a lot of time in this community walking through Exposition Park, commuting through neighborhoods, and working with people who are directly impacted by the environments that they grew up in. When we talk about Earth Day and Earth Awareness Month, I want to emphasize that this isn't just about recycling or planting trees. It's about equity, access, and health. As a social work student, I've learned that environmental conditions are deeply tied to mental health, physical health, and educational outcomes. The students in the LAUSD schools, especially in South LA, are more likely to be exposed to pollution, lack of green space,
251and environmental stressors. These are daily realities that impact concentration in classrooms, stress levels, and overall well-being. At USC, I've had the privilege of learning in spaces that are well-resourced and supported. But, just a few blocks away, there are schools where students don't have the same access to clean, safe, and calming environments. The gap matters. Earth Awareness Month is an opportunity for LAUSD to not just celebrate, but to educate and empower students. When students understand how their environments impact them, they can also begin to understand their voice and agency in creating change. Thank you. Thank you for your time. And we have a remote caller, Sandra Rowe. Are you on the line? I do not have you signed in. Are you in the room, Sandra Rowe? Okay, no. That concludes It looks like all the public
252comment we have on the consent calendar. Thanks. Um as um we focus on Earth Day, and I appreciate those that have come out to speak on behalf of the resolution and its awareness for April. We want to recognize that our students are the leaders of the green movement. We are taking action by investing in green job education and turning our campuses into green shaded hubs for learning. We are turning the green new deal into a reality by ensuring that every student has a clean, cool, and sustainable place to thrive. Campers greening and shade, as we continue efforts to replace our asphalt with trees and green space to mitigate extreme heat and provide safe and comfortable spaces for our learning. As we continue to focus on student-led actions supporting our student initiatives such as Earth Day
253fairs, projects focusing on recycling, waste reduction, and environmental stewardship. And as we continue to make pathways for green jobs, we are promoting career technical education and partnership such as those with LA CleanTech Incubator to prepare our students for the green economy. As well as investing in healthy learning environments, as mentioned, including our water bottle filling station, cleaner air initiatives, and sustainable energy efficient buildings, which combats our climate risk, and particularly for those vulnerable communities that we serve. And finally, I want to just reaffirm what the commitment that this board had in its resolution of 22 to green 30% of every campus by 2035 and ensuring that equity in our school climate is resilient. Thank you. I'd like to be added as a co-sponsor, please. Okay, give me one moment to write this down, please. All
254right, so Dr. Rivas, Mr. Schmerelson. >> Yes. All right, I can That's a lot shorter if I just write the word unanimous. >> Okay. So, with that, public comment on the consent calendar is complete. It is now appropriate to take a vote after it was moved by Ms. Gonez and seconded by Board President Schmerelson. Ms. Newbill. Yes. Dr. Rivas. Yes. Mr. Melvoin. Yes. >> Ms. Griego. Yes. >> Ms. Gonez. Yes. Ms. Ortiz Franklin. >> Yes. Uh we're President Schmerelson. Yes. Student member Yang. Yes. And I believe I need to collect your advisory vote on the one of the resolutions, Mr. Yang. Um Tab 22, learning begins at birth. Yes. Outstanding. Okay. It is 2:01. We have a full hour to get two items that are on the discussion list. Um The first one of those
255being Tab eight, ratification of incentive grant awards to LAUSD. I believe Dr. Rivas. Oh, my apologies. Yeah, there is also public comment on seven. All right. Let me see if Tab seven is online with us. He They are not there. Frankie Darling, are you online? Frankie Oh, there you are. But you're for Tab 34 also. So, give me a moment to see if All right. So, it is a So, for Tab 34 is a public hearing. So, Mr. Darling, please press star six to unmute yourself and you'll have 2 minutes to speak when you begin. Mr. Darling left. Tab 34, Mr. Darling, are you there? Okay. I'm going to move in a second for a Tab seven. Move it. Moved by Second. >> for President Schmerelson, seconded by Ms. Newbill. Cannot be on consent, but
256does not require discussion. Is there any discussion to this item? No. Uh seeing none, um shall I take the vote? Yes. All right, let's take the vote. Miss Newbill. Yes. Dr. Rivas. Mr. Melvoin. >> Yes. Ms. Griego. Yes. Ms. Gonez. Ms. Ortiz Franklin. Yes. Board President Schmerelson. Yes. Student Board Member Yang. Yes. Okay, we return to tab seven for votes. And if I've got the numerical order, that brings us to tab eight. Have a move and a second for tab eight. Move it. Moved by Board President Schmerelson. I'll second that. Seconded by Ms. Griego. So, there are questions to this tab. I believe Ms. Griego, you had some and um Dr. Rivas, I'm sure we'll join us shortly. Yeah, I have a just a question about the types of shortage areas that this grant will
257support. Good afternoon, board members, Mr. Superintendent. I know. Yes, sir. Um Ms. Griego, are are are you referring to the classified grant? They um sorry, the incentive grant awards. Um 8D. I think it's the it I don't think it's classified. I think it's certificated, isn't it? Yeah. Okay. Well, good afternoon, Jacob Guthrie, Director of HR, BSAP. And I'm here with Miguel Garza, certificated um employment region north director. And so, the shortage areas that we are currently targeting for this grant to support classified employees who are seeking to become teachers are within science, math, and the arts along with special education in alignment with our current hiring needs. Um is this also the one that um is seeking to fill PE positions as well or no? We have a few members who are pursuing a physical
258education certification as in previous years when we came for previous rounds of the grant that was an area of demonstrated need as well and so we continue to support those members although it's not a current target in terms of new members that we are admitting. Oh, okay. All right. Okay, that's it. That's all I really had. And then um Dr. Rivas I have a question. Tab eight. >> Oh, tab eight. I'm sorry. I missed tab seven. Okay, tab eight. Here we go. Um, so hello. Really quick question. So looking at the 24-25 data for the classified school employee teacher credentialing grant um, LAUSD was awarded 480. But from what we saw it only extended about 57 It was only expended about 57,000. Um, despite enrolling 89 out of 100 participant slots. Um, when we look
259across other LEAs in 24-25, many spent a much higher share of their allocations even with similar or lower enrollment levels. So the question is, can you explain why expenditures are so low relative to both the award and the enrollment? And are are we on track to spend the available funding for this year? Thank you for the question, Dr. Rivas. We did make a change as a result of our low expenditures where we transitioned from a reimbursement model where members would submit an itemized list of items that they could be reimbursed for that they had to pay for first to a living stipend model where we are dispersing a living stipend in reflection of the fact that we understand that folks are working and going to school at the same time and this would give them
260access to more financial support and that will also allow us to spend down the dollars associated with this grant so that we're not leaving any money on the table. Okay, great. Good to know that we're using all of the every single cent. And what happens to any classified grant dollars that LAUSD does not spend, although you did mention you're spending it, and how much is currently at risk of being reallocated or none based because you made those adjustments, basically? We are not at risk of having to send any of the money back. The liquidation period for the grant goes through June 30th of 2028 and so we have up until that time to expend all of the funds that we have. Great, thank you. And the last question, we currently have 250 classified employees on
261the boost boost program. I think it was mentioned in the board report. But since 2018 only 136 have secured full-time teaching positions. Um, are there what are the primary barriers or challenges preventing more participants from transitioning into full-time roles? Yeah, every member has a little bit of a different journey. This grant does require us to admit folks with a minimum of 60 semester units of college credit so we take folks for anywhere from being current substitute teachers who may already be in a preparation program and they tend to matriculate into certificated service very quickly while some other folks take a bit longer and they have to meet the prerequisites to get into their teacher credentialing program. So we seek to meet them where they're at, provide them with the supports necessary to meet the program
262requirements and then see them through to getting on an eligibility list so they can be referred to principals. These are for all even those that are taking a little, you know, their journey's taking a little longer, you continue to work with them so that they're able to get to that finish line, right? Yes, ma'am. Annually, every member has an individualized mentoring plan with a career ladder specialist and they're also invited to our annual career ladder forum to get additional support. Great. Wonderful. Thank you. Thank you so much for the work that you do. Sounds like that's all the questions for tab eight, but while we are here, um, Dr. Rivas, may I collect your vote on tab seven? I mean, but you can ask the question. Um, it's okay. I'll I'll I'll just send it
263over to staff to answer the question and I'll vote yes. Okay. Thank you. All right, that brings us to tab nine, adoption of textbooks for Mandarin. Okay. All right, so the vote on tab eight moved by board president Schmelson, seconded by Ms. Griego, Ms. Nubel. Dr. Rivas. Yes. Mr. Melvoin. Yes. Ms. Griego. Yes. Ms. Conchas. Uh, Ms. Ortiz Franklin. >> Yes. Board president Schmelson. Yes. Student board member Yang. Yes. Thank you. Okay, moving on to tab nine. May I have a move and a second? Move it. Move by board president Schmelson. Second. Seconded by Dr. Rivas. All right, there were questions on tab nine from, um, Mr. Melvoin and Ms. Nubel, I believe. I'll start. Yes, thank you. Um, it's very exciting. I know that we've been working with the schools. I have two Broadway
264and Braddock in Board District 4 that have dual language Mandarin programs. Um and we've been working with the school communities and parents for a while to get this approved curriculum. So excited to support. The one question I have is around TK. I appreciate the amended amended item um addresses that and discusses that TK will use the creative curriculum, but my understanding is that that is only in English and Spanish. And so I am curious what instructionally we have planned for Mandarin TK program at schools throughout the district. Good afternoon. My name is Kimberly Balala, administrative coordinator for library and textbook support. And while yes, creative curriculum is in English and Spanish, creative curriculum is a teacher-facing program. So and um it's aligned to the California learning preschool and transitional kinder learning foundations. And the materials
265are designed for classroom instruction and incorporate very much hands-on learning experiences across topics as buildings and exercise and trees and water and recycling. Um creative curriculum bridges that gap between the preschool and kinder through play-based developmentally appropriate approach that nurtures their children's curiosity and supports growth across all areas. As such, creative curriculum student-facing materials are not language specific. All classrooms are equipped with the same hands-on materials regardless of the language of instruction. Um however, to further support TK um teachers, Mandarin Dual Language Education offers PD and collaboration opportunities focused on lesson planning and supplemental classroom library books including wordless picture books and read-alouds to bridge that gap. That's helpful for the context. I guess do our teachers is the expectation that for TK teachers will have to translate material themselves or I mean I know
266there are wordless picture books you mentioned, but are there Mandarin, are there approved resources in Mandarin for our TK students as they're getting exposed to the language? Well, at this time we know that Creative Curriculum is the adopted program for our TK programs, and we are working collaboratively with all our TK teachers to ensure that they have the appropriate books, materials, read alouds to support that curriculum that has been adopted. Right, but given that that's in English and Spanish, and I know that this is the first year of the TK rollout for Mandarin, but I'm just curious and from the instructional materials perspective for students in Mandarin, what are teachers So, Anne, if you could explain more about how you work with teachers to help them create based on the target language, how do you
267help them create materials so that way they can be able to supplement the curriculum based on that target language? Cuz we're developing so many wonderful early childhood programs with different languages, so I think that's what they're trying to hear. How do we do support? >> give the we offer opportunities for teachers to come together to collaborate and do some lesson planning around their models and their languages to develop those lessons that correlate to their program. So, for example, you mentioned that right now Creative Curriculum is only in English and Spanish, so we bring our Mandarin teachers to support that development of those lessons in collaboration with our med staff to ensure that they have a comparable lesson to go back and deliver with our Mandarin TK students. That's helpful. I will say I do appreciate
268the the the push towards or the acknowledgement around play-based TK, too. And so, I'm not suggesting that we're giving all these kids more books and and reading material, but just making it as easy for teachers as possible given the challenge that's already inherent in being a dual language teacher. So, >> surfacing a need as you see in certain languages. Look at what it's taken just for us to be able to identify a good curriculum. That wasn't an option years ago. And so this continues to be an important space for us to continue to identify instructional materials in different languages uh that are linked to standards on and so forth. So this is why the dual language department works with the teachers so closely so they can share those wonderful resources based on the curriculum and
269not have to create everything from scratch as you can imagine. Great. Thank you. Your name, please? Oh, sorry. Anna Guzman, uh administrator of elementary with the multilingual multicultural education department. >> Thank you. No question. Okay, I'm asking it. Um so this is um just um first of all, thank you for bringing this forward. I have several of my schools Castelar, uh Nightingale, Wilson, Gemas. City Terrace? City Terrace. Sorry. Um I'm sorry. And Lincoln. Yes, Lincoln Elementary. I have so many uh that have Mandarin and it's uh it's a very sought-after um you know, um course of study and it's it's wonderful. I I love hearing our students, you know, be able to just or to you know, speak in in Mandarin and and carry on. I'm I'm really um amazed by by this wonderful um
270opportunity for our students. So my question is um as we move forward adopting standardized instructional materials in Mandarin, how is the district assessing and supporting demand for other world languages uh such as Arabic or possibly Korean? Not sure, you know, what the availability for textbooks are there, particularly communities where they uh may have unmet needs. So what other you know, plans do we have for those other languages? Uh Yes, it's really exciting um this Mandarin program for our students. And um as I we work I work closely with MED and to see if those programs are available. And if they're available, then we we start the process. But now that I think um, other companies will see and other education places will see that there is a need for it here in LA Unified, I
271can see that happening with other languages for sure. Yes, please let them know that we have particularly in Arabic and you know, other languages that really do need that um, the textbooks and and guidance for for our teachers so they don't have to I mean, which I'm they're very professionally able to do that and we want them to do that, but it shouldn't land on them to have >> Right. No, create the curriculum. It doesn't. Um, we do with the work of MED, there are um, materials that are William sufficient that cover that language arts piece for our students. So they are definitely um, given the materials they need. Yes, no, we love all the work in MED and every what everyone's doing to support our dual language programs and there's but there's always so
272much more that we need to do. So thank you for your all of your work and your efforts. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. And And I would you like to share how the dual language teachers, the bi-teacher, four-teacher process that you uh, pay teachers to be able to come together and work on things together as well, if you wouldn't mind cuz I think it's this is how we've been addressing that gap uh, because we have highly experienced teachers who are leveraging their talents. >> sure. Absolutely and we always give our teachers the opportunity to participate in teachers helping teachers, which is a mentoring mentor-mentee program that allows our teachers to build the capacity of our new teachers, zero from three three years uh, uh, in the profession and they get to work together to
273build lessons, to um, be able to go out and try out the lessons, adjust the lessons. So they're building the capacity of each other and they're learning from each other. So that is a year-long uh, process that we allow our teachers to mentor each other. This This year in March ended our fourth year of teachers helping teachers and building capacities. We have our mentors that have participated for 4 years, but we also have new mentors coming in and allowing to build that capacity with our new teachers at all seven languages. So that's beautiful. And they develop these lessons that is a bank of lessons that other teachers can also take advantage of and to be able to utilize and see those exemplar lessons. And that's so important particularly as we want to grow our dual
274language programs to have those systems in place when they're necessary as you know, as we're trying to get you know, books and supplies in the curriculum to them, but that's a really wonderful support and also the mentoring is so so important. So I'm glad we're developing that. Thanks. Thank you. Any further questions? First of all, I want to say I'm glad to see more language programs popping up. I'm fluent in Mandarin and I know how difficult the language is and also how rewarding it can be to know it. So it's super exciting for me to have more people learn a language that I know, especially a language that you know, something billion people know across the world. So I was wondering how these schools are chosen for these Mandarin dual enrollment dual language program. Sorry.
275There's different ways of approaching and opening up a dual language program. First and foremost school interest, community interest where the schools come together with the community to say, "Hey, we want to start a particular dual language program." We mentioned Arabic, Korean, Japanese. That's how they got started. That's the the first part. The second way is also Proposition 58, where parents come together and they um start signing up where the community and the parents are interested and then the school collaborates to ensure that we get started with this particular language that is of interest within the community. So, those are our two ways of starting a dual language program, school-based interest but also Proposition 58, which is parent-community-based interest. Okay. Uh yeah, cuz I noticed there were only two high schools that have the the Mandarin
276um dual language program. And I guess that that was what that question was for. I was just making sure that students have that option, you know, elementary, middle, and then high school. I guess throughout those three levels, do you see students going to I I guess I don't know how long how long the program has been around, so I don't know how much data there is around it. But, do you see students uh like go towards like the the middle schools or high schools with these programs so that they can continue the the language instruction? Yes, so we do have specific pathways that it starts from elementary, middle school to high school. So, we have those pathways, but Mandarin programs is also offered at many high schools uh starting with level one all the way
277to level four in some instances. In some high schools, we do have AP courses in Mandarin. So, uh officially, the dual language, you will see a couple of high high schools and some middle schools, but Mandarin it is pretty much across all high school levels given the different levels. And then, sorry, final question. Uh are are there immersive learning experiences provided to these students outside of the the textbook and the classroom learning, or is that more aligned towards like the the cultural arts passport sort of thing? >> It's it's aligned to the cultural language proficiency with your ELA reading and writing in English but also the target language is a comprehensive approach. Thank you and I had one brief question and if it's in this report and I missed it, please forgive me. Um Are
278No, it's talking about curriculum and textbooks. Wanted to know if any of the instructional material that's in Mandarin are in other subject areas like math or social studies or history. So right now we do have Eureka in Mandarin. Okay. So the math? Yes, for the math. >> Okay. Got it. Okay, and that was the only question that I had. Thank you. Anyone else? All right, voting on tab nine having been moved by Board President Schmerelson and seconded by Dr. Rivas taking the vote, Miss Newbill. Yes. Dr. Rivas. >> Yes. Mr. Melvoin. Yes. Ms. Greigo. Yes. Ms. Gonez. >> Yes. Ms. Ortiz Franklin. Yes. Board President Schmerelson. Yes. Student Board Member Yang. Yes. And if I could collect some votes while we are here on tab seven um who do I need? Need Ms. Gonez. Yes.
279Thank you. On tab eight, Ms. Gonez. Yes. And Ms. Newbill on tab eight. Yes. Thank you. That is everything I have to collect. I neglected to read the public hearing statement under tab 19 which was on the consent calendar. Um before action is taken on the following board report, a public hearing must be held. Uh this constitutes a public hearing on Chatsworth Charter High. A maximum of 15 individuals who wish to address the board on the item will be heard. Those who wish to speak should sign up online. The individual who I called on to speak was not here. Um is Deborah McIntyre Skierino? Did she take off? Okay, thank you. I just want to make sure I did not miss her opportunity to present, but she departed. Yes. Thank you. Okay, public statement read
280for that tab. Now coming to tab having completed tab nine. Uh tab 13. We had one question. Uh may I have a move and a second for tab 13? Move it. Move by board president Schmerelson. Second to bring it to the table. Seconded by Ms. Gones. Open for discussion. Okay, I'll go ahead and start. Um I I was curious if you all could explain a little bit more about why this contract is required, um why these amounts weren't previously anticipated when these items were brought to the board in the past. Yeah, thank you for asking that. Um I'm Dr. Smith-Amulotra, chief medical director. Um so on October 1st of 2025, a regulation was introduced and implemented by the California Respiratory Care Board without prior notification to school districts or even health care organizations. So consequently,
281the district was unable to plan for or anticipate the resulting increase in costs. This regulation requires only registered nurses or RNs to perform respiratory care services. And in our district, we have about 100 students who um and this varies with enrollment who have medical conditions that require specialized respiratory care services. So it's a very medically vulnerable population and these students require this person to be with them one-to-one the whole day and ride the bus with them to and from school. Previously our HCAs or health care assistants or our LVNs sometimes were performing these procedures and these procedures include airway suctioning, oxygen therapy and tracheostomy care. And they did all of this under the supervision of a licensed and credentialed school nurse. So as a result of this new regulation the district did consider our own
282LAUSD RNs to do this work. The issue is that our school nurses are school nurses. So as you can imagine they are taking care of all the needs of the school. It would be incredibly difficult for them to be able to be present one-to-one all day with one student and so after consulting with our director of school nursing it was agreed that this work would not be able to be done by our own school nurses. So it was out of necessity that the district has had to contract to our non-public agency RNs so that we can continue to take care of some of our most vulnerable students with medical needs. Now in January of this year SB 389 was introduced which allowed LVNs to do some basic respiratory tasks. The issue is that it did
283not give them authority to intervene in emergency care situations. As I and as you know that can result from taking care of these issues. So the safest route has been for us to continue using only registered nurses or RNs to do this work so that we can fully follow the law and continue to take care of our students. Um but going forward, we are working with Martha Alvarez and our government relations team to um get legislative options where we can maybe be exempt from this regulation so that we can go back to using our own district staff. So, I hope that's the summary. Yes, that's that's very helpful. I appreciate the thoroughness of your response. Um and then just with regard to the legislative fix, I think obviously there's a great deal of desire to
284ensure that our work is performed by district employees wherever and whenever possible, especially at this moment. Um so, it is it our commitment as a district that once a legislative fix is achieved that we will utilize district employees rather than contracting out for the service. Our goal is to >> Assuming that that's what the legislation would allow. >> Assuming that we Yes, that that we can work that out. Okay, and is there anything that the board or partners can do to be helpful in supporting this type of legislation? We're happy to have your advocacy. Yeah, you let us know who to reach out to. Thank you. And I I apologize before we get to too many more questions, we have a public comment. Do we want to take a one person after or before? Let
285Let's do it Okay. Uh Esther Wynn, are you here? I yield my time. Okay, yielded her time. So, please continue as if I had not interrupted. Hi. Um had a few questions. Um you did mention 100 students. Is that the total number of students that need the services? Yes, it varies depending on enrollment. So, it can be a little above 100, little below 100 every day. And then we know cuz of the report didn't have an aggregated number of expenditures. So, how many of the students are where? And then how often is the service needed? Um let me call our director of nursing. Good afternoon. So, say Pedroso and director of nursing. Can you please repeat the question? >> So, the question is how the number varies. Uh the number that was given was 100.
286And just asking where and how often is the services needed and then I guess the the next part of that is is what the cost per uh I guess incident or school or how does that work? Well, for in terms of where, they're spread out throughout the district. They could be at any elementary, middle, or high school. Some are in special education centers. Um and then in terms of um the cost uh for each RN that's an NPA agency RN, it's about 90,000 a year. Um and it it varies because if the student sometimes these students are very medically fragile, so they may be out for a prolonged period of time for illness or hospitalization. So, in those cases, if the NPA provider services are not needed and the child is not in school, then
287we don't have the nurse report. So, when they're not reporting, are we still compensating them for not reporting? How does that work? Do they at need basis? How how does that work? >> It's an at need basis. So, when they're not working, we are not compensating them. They're only paid when their uh student is at school. Is it possible to have a report of that of what we've been doing thus far so that we can compare it to moving forward? Obviously, with the increase based on the, you know, hopefully that we change in legislation, we don't need it, but can we get a report of, you know, what schools, where they're at, and how often they're being seen? Absolutely. Okay. Thank you. I had a question, but Ms. Gomez um asked it, so I appreciate
288it and it's good to know that, you know, um I know our government relations is really working on this. I was when we went to um to visit um Sacramento, I know that I forget her name. Is that Sasha? Mike. No, one of Martha's um Oh, that was with her. staff. She was educating I'm sorry. Anna. Anna, yes. Anna. I know she was educating the legislators, so that's what we need to do. There was an unintended consequence to the legislation that drives, you know, greatly impacted our schools and the work that our our nurses and our health care assistants were doing. And so, it's about educating the legislature to get this um this new, you know, bill to pass to address this consequence uh because we certainly don't want to take away from the work
289that our that our employees are doing and um and that we're working to remedy that. So, thank you for thank you for that. That's all. So, I I I've seen the uh health care assistants at work and I've seen the LVNs at work in my schools including Chandler, which has a couple. And uh they do an excellent job. And I can understand why our RNs do not want to take this job. They don't want to ride the bus. I mean, they're at school all day, then they have to ride the bus. That's a lot of extra work for our RNs. But, let me just ask you, what was the cause that that made this change happen? Did somebody pass away? Well, what I know is that it had nothing to do with anything that happened
290at schools. Um the respiratory care board was kind of directing this to acute care um health care facilities, but um the consequence I don't think they anticipated was that it affected all of us. Uh as Kelly mentioned, the consequences were outsourcing 100 nurses, which unfortunately is costing $90,000 a piece, which is a lot of money. It really is a lot of money. I know student safety is number one. I do not argue that, but I'm just telling you, and you know already, that the R the LVNs and the health care assistants were doing an excellent job. I never heard a problem in any one of my schools, cuz I get the eye stars about, you know, medication problem. Not never never a problem with them. So, very sad. Yes. Carla. Yeah, I wonder though, could
291we create a position for nurses that do this work, that are not necessarily school nurses the same way that we have them, but are nurses specifically for this group of folks, and that way we have a position in-house, and not have to contract out? That has definitely been something that we have talked about, and that we are actively exploring. Yes. All right, thank you. Let me just add, we we used to have I think we used to have something called protocol nurses, where they would come to a school when someone needed catheterization or something. We had protocol nurses, and I don't know if they still exist. That not to my knowledge, correct. That's the same position that you're talking about. >> it's Oh, those Yes, special education protocol nurses. >> When when necessary, right right.
292Okay. Thank you. All right. Having been moved by Board President Schmelson, seconded by Ms. Gones, the vote on tab 13, Ms. Newbill. Yes. Dr. Rivas. Yes. Yes. Mr. Melvoin. Yes. Ms. Griego. Yes. Ms. Gones. Yes. Ms. Ortiz-Franklin. Yes. Board President Schmelson. Yes. Student Board Member Yang. Yes. All right. >> That brings us to Tab 26. We have a time certain on Tab 21, so that gives Tab 26 24 minutes. It requires a rule 72 waiver. So, can I have a move in a second for this rule 72 waiver? >> Move it. Move by Ms. Gowan. I'll second. Okay. Seconded by Board President Schmarlson. >> No, I think Nick. Okay. All right. Declining the second, moving the second to Mr. Melvoin. Um yeah, so few comments and then maybe a a new path forward for the
293board because I appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with the turf res out. But um I'll note um I'll note that this is an unconventional resolution and that my intent is not to be frustrating or to frustrate the goals of a of a study that the board is undertaking. Um I and as we discussed during Ms. Toques and Dr. Brian's presentation earlier, um an effort that I supported um and am eager to see the results of what has happened since the passage of that resolution in November is that one of my high schools, University High, um lost the use of their uh football and soccer field. Um it's inoperable for health and safety reasons and and space field space on the west side has been in a premium because of the fires in the Pali
294um Pali High baseball field out of commission for a few years because it's housing bungalows. Hamilton High School's fields have been under construction and so have been limited. Westchester High School um both has gopher problems, which we discussed on their fields, and then also their baseball and softball fields are out of commission at different times. Um Uni High actually doesn't have a baseball field, they have a softball field, but that's been out of commission because of some uh flooding areas. And so the the idea was just try to try to expedite these processes so that we didn't have students waiting you know, as we heard earlier, potentially 3 years from now to have a field, especially when we think of the revenue generating opportunities for um for schools who lease out the fields. Um so,
295that was the the you know, this was a a differently situated school because it was not contemplated when we passed the resolution, but I understand the concerns of which I share many when it comes to this study. So, I I guess my question for the board was maybe if I either if I amend this resolution or maybe work with the superintendent, but my goal is just that the minute this study is completed and the board adopts a new policy that these fields, not just Uni, but Chavez and Miscona's as district, which is also one that has come out of commission in the last few months, and then these other um uh six schools five or six schools would be kind of on the agenda and on the docket right away so that we can start
296this process. Separately, I'd like to agendize in my committee the facilities and committee facilities and procurement committee kind of understanding the timeline. We heard from Ms. Stokes 9 months, 2 and 1/2 years. I mentioned Beverly Hills Unified, which based on their board agendas has 6-month timeline. So, I'd really like us to see how we can do this more quickly given that if you're talking 3 years, you're talking 3 quarters of a student's high school career. So, I guess I'm working on a little language um but maybe I'll open up to my colleagues to see if they're amenable that would just say we wait for the study to be complete, the board adopts a new policy, and then in the board meeting immediately following that, which likely would be sometime this coming fall, we would uh
297have these seven projects um facilitated so that we could start that project, and the determination on grass or turf would be based on the new policy. Yeah, I think that makes a lot of sense. Uh those of us on this side have the schools that were impacted and you know, two of my high schools have not had their fields for several seasons now, and so we're already in the situation that you've described about students who have, you know, gone two or three years of being an athlete mostly at somebody else's campus. Um and so I would welcome the superintendent's team being amenable to um prioritizing these schools that have been uh you know, sort of waiting for the results of this study to come out. I don't know that a resolution is necessary, and so
298maybe that's what I'll just, you know, turn to the superintendent's team to see, um because those of us who have the schools impacted would love to see it come quickly in the fall. I mean, succinctly, yes. So, as soon as we have the the policy in place, we'll prioritize getting these projects up and going as quickly as possible. Yeah, and I should say, and I appreciate working, you know, with with our acting superintendent a month or so ago when we discussed Uni, and I learned that it'd come out of commission, and that we had the space problem. We we worked up We had initially said, "Let's just wait. The study will be done, and then let's let's get this on the agenda." And then it was the delay in in the study um not coming
299till June, board not meeting in July, that made me bring this resolution just as a way to to support the Uni community. But if we have that assurance from your team that immediately after the study the board will adopt a new policy, and we'll put, you know, not just my school, but all the schools that are affected kind of on the queue. Um you know, I I'd I'd happily withdraw the reso if we have that commitment from the supe's team. You most certainly do, and I some good eye contact with Ms. Tokes just to affirm that we do have the commitment. Great. Let the record show. I affirm with eye contact. Um okay, great. Well, well, then I There are others who made this uh who want to chime in, but I do appreciate kind
300of the the the collegial spirit in what the board discussed this earlier, and the support for all of our school communities. So. Well. So, I'll go ahead. I think the idea of using a resolution to move something forward is absolutely outrageous. Absolutely outrageous, because I have schools I can make resolutions for adding buildings to schools that have been asking for 5 years, and uh it's absolutely outrageous. And I have a little statement I want to read, too. Okay? This board can only operate if we do so by established rules, parameters, and limitations. Last November, this board unanimously approved member Kelly Gonez's resolution extreme heat mitigation and disaster preparedness at LAUSD. I voted for it and I still support this resolution today. However, I do understand that it's caused some confusion amongst LAUSD students, staff, and
301community. I have received questions from some of my schools and my staff has as well about what this resolution means for their athletic fields. I have a school, Van Nuys High School, whose track is underwater every time it rains, just so you know. This resolution includes a section calling for a study to assess the health effects of artificial turf on our school communities. And I recommend that my board colleagues from District 4 wait until the study results are public before proceeding with any aspect of the resolution he has brought before us. And our conversation regarding facilities projects will continue in the summer and I invite all members of the board to speak their minds on that day. Especially now that our respective communities have been able to speak to us about it whether they're for
302or against it. And I strongly strongly urge all of my board members to please adhere to the rules, limitations, and decorum that we have established for ourselves. We cannot vote for a resolution and months later bring another resolution that contradicts the resolution we previously voted on. And whether we like it or not, whether we voted on it or not, if the resolution is adopted, it is now district policy and we must respect it. Furthermore, it is about respecting the voice of the board members who bring these resolutions to a vote. It takes time, it takes research, takes community input, and many other factors to bring resolutions together. In some cases, developing a resolution can take months. And bringing another revolution revolution, sorry, resolution that contradicts one previously approved may establish a bad precedent and culture.
303We value resolutions and show LAUSD staff, students, and community members that they matter. And the board must be the first to abide by them. For these reasons and more, I have to vote no on this resolution and urge patience until the study results are released. Even though there was an amendment, I still will vote no. Thank you. Wait, are you withdrawing it, Nick? Yes, to clarify, I'm withdrawing the the resolution. Yes. Yes. But you just wanted to make sure you all know how you felt. >> Uh I think it's I think it's ridiculous. So Yes. Uh small small point of procedure, I just like to note we're on the rule 72 discussion portion. The motion hasn't actually come before the board. Although I'll note the discussion is all useful because the rule 72 would require
304um the board discussing whether or not it can uh substantially conflicts and then vote on whether or not they would like to allow it despite or notwithstanding this substantial con- conflict. So, just for our >> Mr. Mr. Wurtzel, those are the same rules that require every resolution to go to committee. Am I right? >> That's exactly correct. >> Thank you. Thank you. Just to clarify, I'm withdrawing given the commitments from the superintendent and the helpful board discussion, withdrawing the resolution. But but still, people can dis- discuss a little more. Yeah, no, I just wanted to clarify that we're prioritizing all of those schools cuz I have one there, too, Roybal, who hasn't been able to use her soccer field. Okay, the entire group. Okay, just wanted to Yeah, I mean, I think I think resolutions
305are policy items. We don't always uh fully anticipate the implementation challenges they might run into when they get out into the real world. So, um, appreciate the superintendent's commitment. Um, obviously there's a board district six school on that list. So, we want to ensure that all of our students have access to the necessary play field, while also respecting that this is an important climate related policy for the health and safety of our students, and we want to ensure we see that work forward. So, thank you, Mr. Melvoin, for withdrawing, and thank you, Superintendent Shay, for helping us here. I am now left with the duty of calling the vote on the rule 72 because it was mo- moved and seconded to be before for the work it's all sort of moot at this point. >>
306And I withdraw my motion to on further board rule 72 waiver. Sure. There we go. All right, it's all it's all gone, just like that. Skip it. Okay, so, uh, tab 26 has been withdrawn. If it's not before the board taking public comment, unfortunately, that doesn't make sense unless there's a request of the, um, the board to do it, which I which I am not I'm not hearing, and I don't have the authority to make that that call. Do we inform any folks that are waiting to speak about it so they're not holding on? So, my friends, if you're online to speak for tab 26, that tab has been withdrawn, uh, from consideration, so there will be no action taken on it, and therefore no, uh, public comment necessary. All right, moving from tab 26,
307we have a time certain of 3:00 for tab 21. Um, one moment. Yeah, or also do we have tab 34? Don't we have a bunch of speakers? Okay. I think my preference would be to do that as opposed to going to the 3:00 early just cuz folks I know are coming from school. Standing, so 3:00 will come a little bit later. Is that okay? It's your resolution type 21 the vote? How later? How much later? Uh let me see how many speakers we have on it. We have 13 people signed up to speak for tab uh 34. So, that's 26 minutes um not including transition. So, uh I would I would assume 30 minutes. So, for clarity what the board is considering is, "Hey, do we take the time certain of 3:00 early or do
308we take the folks who have been waiting to speak for tab 34 right now and then start the time certain about 15 minutes later?" Okay. Tab 34? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, thank you. It's not for action and this is a public hearing. This constitutes a public hearing on today's Fresh Start Charter High School or Charter School, Reseda Charter High, Taft Charter High, uh University High School Charter, Open Charter Magnet and I'll note that Montclair Middle Academy for the Arts and Sciences has been withdrawn. That will be reflected in the minutes. Maximum of 15 individuals who wish to address the board on the item will be heard. Those who wish to speak should sign up online. I'll now begin on those folks who are signed up to speak in person to tab 34. Uh Martha Bernard You
309were on the line earlier. Uh but you're not here now. Uh Yasin Deau Come on up. Here. Liz Newman, are you here? Liz Newman All right. Javier Esquivel Javier Esquivel David Tokofsky. Also not in the room. Let's see. Fatin Famy, are you here? Come on down. You'll have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. And after Ms. Famy is Sarita Danley. And then after Ms. Danley is Ms. Filomena Okpala. So, come on down Ms. Fatin Famy. You'll have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. And then it will be Sarita and then Ms. Okpala if you are here. Please adjust the microphone to the right height and then um 2 minutes is yours. Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Fatin Famy and I have been teaching uh middle school at Today's Fresh Start Charter
310School for 12 and 1/2 years and before that 10 years with the Los Angeles Unified School District at a little school in Hollywood, Cheremoya Elementary School. So, there's no question in my mind. These small schools are not just small, they're dynamite. I'm going to speak about Today's Fresh Start today. The school has established a high quality and research-based practices to tailor and individualize instruction based on all students' needs. The school's vision and purpose are supported by the implementation of the school-wide learning outcomes, the SLOs, and achieving academic goals, standards, and objectives to support all of our students. The superintendent, Dr. Jeanette Parker, has made significant investments in the classroom, uh classroom resources, programs, and materials in order to further boost student performances. For example, the school has invested in a superior summer bridge program, which
311has offered engaging and high-quality learning opportunities. Uh some of the resources are, for example, uh investment in standards plus intervention uh notebooks uh to help supplement and to support students who are either uh have scored lower than their grade level or who need extra help. The summer bridge program had has also offered a chess class, dance class, music class, renting a water slide, field trips Redondo Beach, California or uh the science center. Moreover, Today's Fresh Start Charter School has invested in technology, resources, and professional development in order to prove to improve student performances. For example, uh Chromebooks were purchased for every student to take home and access Thank you for your time. >> their digital books. Thank you so much for your time. >> All right, Sarita, are you here? Please come on down. You'll
312have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. Sarita. I hear uh let's see, Ms. Filomena Okpala, are you here? Filomena? Yes. Please come on down. You'll have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. Good afternoon, everyone. Uh my name is Filomena Okpala. I'm a teacher uh special uh education resource teacher at Today's Fresh Start Charter School. This is my fourth year in the school. I just want to let you know that we have an outstanding school um started by two outstanding educators, Dr. Jeanette Parker and Dr. Clark Parker. Our school is one of the most dedicated has most dedicated staff, teachers, educators that really love the kids. And when Dr. Parker talks about our school, she let us know that this school, Today's Renaissance Charter School, must care about the kids, their future, and that
313teaching each child individuality to perfect scholarly achievement, academic, social, and emotional development are the key and we must raise the bar, closing the achievement gap, and striving to be the best school in United States. In our vision statement, she made it clear that as a team, we have we must educate the scholars. And we also must include our parents. So, she said the critical part of the Today's Renaissance Charter School vision is to achieve optimum parent involvement. That is parents That is parents who have their minor child in school on time every day participating parent conferences, school sponsored activities, and become a part of Today's Renaissance Charter School community through commitment, partnership, and participation. Is that time already? That's time. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. >> Thank you. All right, the next speaker
314is Eugene Lobachev. Eugene L, are you here? I do not have you online. Tiffany Pearson Are you here? Tiffany Pearson? I do not see any movement for Tiffany Pearson. And then I will call on the folks who listed themselves as speaking remotely. We've got Yenny Rivera Yenny, are you in the room? No. And you are not online. And Freaky Palacios Also not online. Signed up to speak remotely. That concludes the public hearing. The board will be taking action on these charter petitions at a subsequent meeting. So that concludes tab 34. And we have nevertheless arrived at tab 21 a few moments early. All right. Can I have a move and a second, please, for tab 21? I'll move it. Second. Moved by Mr. McElvain, seconded by Dr. Rivas. I believe we have some recusal language.
315All right. This is not on the consent calendar. Um I believe you you read this part. Out of abundance of caution and following the procedures of section of the California Code of Regulations, Board President Smurlson is publicly recusing himself from discussing or taking action on tab 21, resolution using technology with intention, a step establishing guidelines for student screen time due to his ownership in stock in both Google and Apple Incorporated. All right. So, the chair is now going to shift to Dr. Rivas. Yes, so Mr. Vlad Melvin, would you like to um introduce your resolution? Yes, thank you, Dr. Rivas. Um and to my colleagues and to all the parents and advocates who are here. I thought what I would do is spend a a a couple minutes just introducing this resolution, turning it over
316to my co-sponsors, Ms. Ortiz Franklin, Ms. Griego, and our student board member Yang, then turn it over to our public speakers who are in the room and some virtual, then to my other board colleagues for comments and discussions, and then the vote. Um but I'm really excited to bring this here today uh and grateful for the parent advocates, including Schools Beyond Screens, um and experts like Jonathan Haidt for their partnership. Yes. A round of applause for all of our parent advocates um for your partnership and support of this resolution. You know, 2 years ago I brought forward the resolution that banned cell phones during the school day. And now I'm asking for my colleagues' support for this new resolution, which examines our use of screens uh in our classrooms and develops an overarching policy to
317guide our instructional practices. Unlike smartphones and social media, uh the research on education screen time is not as clear-cut. Um it depends on age and context and uh how technology is used uh in the classroom. Um but while there are certainly benefits to the access to technology, devices should be used strategically to guide instruction and meet student needs. Tech can at times enhance learning when it's used thoughtfully, but excessive or passive use does not consistently lead to stronger academic outcomes. And inconsistencies may exist across classes, schools, and grades. Um we don't even know how much time is being spent on screens throughout the course of an individual students day and there's real concern about excessive screen use for children. Studies have linked excessive screen exposure to sleep disruption, tension challenges, increased symptoms of anxiety and
318depression. Research suggests that students often retain less when reading longer text on a screen instead of paper. Um and while the district has worked to ensure access to technology off campus, not every student has reliable internet at home and schools play an important role in providing digital tools, but real equity is not simply about putting a device in every child's hand. It means ensuring students have access to books and discussions and strong teachers and meaningful human interaction during lunch and recess. A child sitting in front of a screen for hours is not getting a better education simply because the content is online. And while the district currently has policies on responsive use and digital citizenship, AI and online safety, we don't yet have a clear um developmentally grounded policy on screen time and instructional technology.
319It's time to reset and recalibrate and ensure we have a guiding vision and policy with thoughtful guardrails by age and grade level. Uh this is why I'm bringing forward this resolution today to develop a screen time policy that is informed by research, best practices and input from the fields and our families. The policy should provide maximum daily and weekly screen time limits for students based on their grade level, eliminating the use of digital devices for early ed through first grade except for formative assessments and for students enrolled in our virtual academy or with disabilities. It also blocks students use of YouTube and other video streaming platforms while still allowing families to opt into the use of district issued devices at home. The policy will also provide greater transparency for families on our opt-out process and
320our responsible use policy and guidelines of use of AI will also be updated. The resolution stresses the importance of data collection so we can better understand how much time students are using on their devices. I look forward to reviewing this data to better understand with my colleagues how much use technology how we can use technology more intentionally in our classrooms. The board will review and approve the policy along with a comprehensive itemized report of tech related contracts both centrally purchased and school purchased in coming months. I believe that we have the opportunity to lead the nation to establish comprehensive developmentally grounded screen time limits that put students before screens and set a responsible use of technology in the class to prepare our students for the world beyond our walls. We know that tech is not
321going away and can be a powerful tool in the classroom. This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time and screen screen time in schools to ensure we are doing what actually helps students learn best. think this is really about recalibrating, resetting, and reassessing our relationship with screens over the last five or six years. I know that on March of 20 on March 13th of 2020, we sent every kid home with a device which was the need of a lifetime. A lifeline. It was the way to educate kids during the pandemic, but years later, it's time that we reset. I am grateful to our acting superintendent Shade, to our deputy superintendent Dr. Estrada and the team who has already been working on this collaboratively with parents, with teachers, with the board. And
322I'm grateful for the board's undertaking of this important policy today. So I'll now turn it over to my co-sponsors Ms. Ortiz Franklin, Ms. Griego, and then Mr. Yang before hearing from our parents and advocates and then having board discussion and a vote on this critical policy. So maybe Ms. Ortiz Franklin. Thank you. Thanks for bringing this and inviting our co-sponsorship. You know, it's funny my second resolution on the board back in 2021 was with you on closing the digital divide. And as you said during the pandemic, we really learned that kids needed access to devices to be able to learn. And I agree that this is not a pendulum swing backward. It is expanding our knowledge because when you know better, you do better. Then I also was not a parent myself. Now I am.
323I have two small children, three and under, and I have seen personally how distracting screens can be in our homes, our communities, and of course our schools. We want to be places of learning, not places of distraction. And so I appreciate the advocates who've been coming to us. You've really been speaking to our hearts. Those of us who have young children have been thinking about what are my decisions at home going to do to impact their learning lifelong. And then simultaneously, with our educator hat, we're thinking how do we mirror that in the schools, um, with the values that we really want in our young people. And so I am really appreciative of this resolution to task the experts with bringing to us, and experts I mean educators, families, and folks who've been looking in
324the, uh, technological world for a while now on what's best practice for limiting time. Because we do want to make sure that we're using the limited time we have available the best way that we possibly can. When I was a middle school teacher, we talked a lot about bell-to-bell instruction, using every minute wisely. And we want to make sure that we're doing so with the materials that support the best learning, um, that our kids truly do need. So, uh, grateful to be a co-sponsor here. Really excited to see what the staff comes up with in terms of parameters. And just personally, I'm really excited about the piece for our youngest learners, about the elimination of screen time for our early ed through our first graders. Um, I know that speaks to a lot of families
325out there as well. So, uh, thank you for bringing this. Looking forward to hearing the discussion today as well. Ms. Greig, um, Yes, thank you. I want to first thank the parents and the community members for really uplifting this and shedding the light on this issue. It was you who brought it forth. You are the reason why we are here today. So, I want to thank you. I think this is an example of democratic processes when communities who are experiencing the policies that are in place push back, call us out, and stop us, and tell us you need to do something else. And that's exactly what you did, and I want to appreciate that. I want to appreciate um our colleagues for being good listeners, uh for taking the time to really learn about these
326consequences. Personally, I said it from the very beginning when I heard you all speak. I have three kids and I pushed back on any cell phone use. As a teacher, I pushed back on having our students use technology in the classroom without any particular purpose. And so, that is my own personal philosophy, but I understand that our policies are were not matching that. And so, I want to thank again all the parents uh and community members who brought this to us. Uh thank you uh board member Melvoin for, of course, um you know, taking the the the first um um initiative in in putting this into a a policy and and of course, uh my colleague uh Tanya and uh for supporting it as well. And um I just want to point that it it
327does address a lot of the things that parents were concerned about uh in terms of screen time, privacy concerns, contracts with tech companies, and also the use of AI. And so, I'm glad also that we've included some language around equity. That was one of the things that I kept bringing up to parents. I wanted her to hear a variety of voices. And I know that some of you have tried. I held a meeting uh a community meeting online to bring folks from my district into this conversation. And I said at that meeting that this was only the beginning. We are only beginning this moment right now and I want to continue uh to open up the conversation to more communities and as well as bring in the voices of educators, people uh teachers, principals who
328are um experiencing this as well, as students. I think secondary student voices are very important. And with that, I want to thank um board member Gomez because she has submitted some um language that addresses these things as well and in particular I want to uplift something that she brought up. I know that we still have to accept her recommendations but I want to uplift that she has um asked that we also assess the use of i-Ready assessments including the benefit to learning, the impact on instructional time, financial cost, and the validity and reliability of that assessment tool. Again, this is something that you all have brought up as well as teachers have brought up and students. So, thank you again. I'm looking forward to continuing to do this work not only in collaboration with my
329colleagues but also in community with you all. Thank you. Yeah, first and foremost I want to thank board member Melvoin for being this resolution in front of us. I remember my first or second board meeting that was when I first heard from the parents about the concerns over screen time within the classrooms and as someone who went through school in the pandemic and now sees how technology has increased in usage in schools, I resonated and understood what the parents meant and like board member Grego said, this resolution just goes to show that advocacy and speaking up and sharing concerns really does pay off and really does lend itself to creating positive change. I think this this resolution builds upon our phone ban that's already in effect taking it a step further ensuring that our students
330are not only you know, prepared for the real world but also don't become over reliant on technology. As the world is ever evolving and more technologies are created, it's important that we take proactive steps like this to reduce the influence of technologies like AI and taking away the critical thinking skills of my peers and our students. I also want to note that you know, although we've always been touted as a as a data driven district, I think we also need to be a student and community driven district and have their best interests at heart. And that's why I appreciate the transparency that this resolution creates as well. By allowing our district families to see exactly where our money is going, and you know, the effectiveness of iReady and other standardized tests, we build trust with
331them, something that is so lacking in many of our other current governmental systems. Um, also, just a quick note, you know, some students have been complaining to me lately about how the LAUSD filters on Chromebooks and on Wi-Fi is getting increasingly stringent. Um, but the reality is, and and this is directed towards all the students, uh, this resolution will allow you to become more aware and actually improve quality of life. You know, you might not be able to play those those games on your computer, but you'll you'll learn more in class, and you'll be more engaged, and it will be beneficial in the end. Uh, so once again, I want to say, you know, thank you so much to Board Member Melvoin for introducing this, and I'm very very happy to be a co-sponsor. Just
332wanted to add a few words here. Uh, uh, first and foremost, and I'll and I'll echo what what Board Member Gudiel said, thank you to the parents for bringing this forward. Um, I I I think it's a good recursive process to, you know, we put systems out there, we put initiatives out there, and then for parents to come back to us, students, staff, and say, you know what, this is maybe what you intended to accomplish, but this is what's actually happening. So, I appreciate that, and I had some direct engagement with folks about 3 weeks ago now, which I thought was a very productive conversation. Uh, as part of that conversation, I shared this is a lived experience for me as a district parent. Um, I have gotten feedback at home from my kiddos about
333their feelings about, you know, what we're doing as a district. And so, I think what I got look back to is the word that, uh, Mr. Melvoin used, which is calibration, right? It it's it's never about we're we're not going to do any of this, or we're not going to do any of that. It's just, where is that in between that meets the needs of the moment, that arms our students with what they do need to know about technology, right? Because we're never going to going to go into a world where they're not going to have to interface with tech at some level or another. But how again, where is that calibration that is age-appropriate, right? I think it it's very sound that we're putting a lot of focus on our earliest learners and I
334say that as a former kindergarten teacher, right? I don't know that it's necessarily appropriate with some possible exceptions for a four, five, six-year-old to be interfacing with tech on a regular basis. So, I appreciate everyone's advocacy and I look forward to the work that we're going to do around this. I want to remind folks there is an amendment on the table. Yeah, so they got I appreciate the superintendent's words as well. I know we have board member Gonez who has some helpful amendments to the resolution and board member Hendy Newbell. We did also want of course hear public speakers. So, my suggestion well, I'll ask Ms. Gonez and and Ms. Hendy Newbell, would you like to speak now and submit amendments or hear from public speakers and then uh we can take them under advisement.
335>> It might be helpful for the public conversation for for the community to be aware of the amendments that we're considering just as far as their their comments go. If that works for Chair Ribas, is that okay? Okay. Okay. Um I'll hop in here then. Um thank you so much to the authors for bringing this forward and of course to the advocates for lifting their voices and for demanding better for our students. This is an important and timely resolution about how we support student learning and well-being in a digital age. How we ensure we prepare our students for the rapidly evolving world they will graduate into and how we balance that with preserving their childhoods and the learning experiences that are uniquely human and connected with their peers, educators, and the world around them. As
336a parent of three young children myself, ages three, five, and seven, all LAUSD students, this is something I interacted deeply with on a regular basis and that I care a lot about. I know our families and educators are actively trying to navigate that balance between technology as a learning tool while avoiding excessive, poorly structured screen time that has real consequences for our children. I hope that with this new policy we're able to prioritize the uses of technology that have actual, real educational value like coding, robotics, video production, editing, and intervention for targeted students while deemphasizing road tasks like reading text on screens, unlimited video streaming, and other passive activities. Oh, thank you. Um I support the intent of this resolution, but I do have some amendments that I believe will further strengthen them. Um these
337amendments uh have been circulated to the board members. My amendments are intended to one, clarify that not all screen time is the same and we should prioritize technology use that has a unique educational benefit and cannot be replicated offline. Make sure that this work is guided by research, best practices, and input from educators, students, families, labor partners, and independent experts. Encourage off-screen homework assignments. Reaffirm student data Reaffirm student data protections, privacy requirements, and real accountability to ensure that those requirements are followed. Continue to develop Continue to develop guardrails around artificial intelligence by establishing a board committee specifically focused on AI, which would bring together families, educators, and independent experts to focus deeply on this specific issue. And finally, have us take a closer look at i-Ready including its instructional value, its impact on limited instructional
338time, cost, validity, and reliability as an assessment tool, and including the voices of our practitioners, our parents, and our students. Um as a parent myself, I as I mentioned, I think about this balance every single day and I really appreciate the board's uh the board stepping into this space to ensure that we strike that balance for our students um and that we hear the voices of our community. So, I bring forth these amendments for the board's consideration. Yes, thank you, Ms. Gones, and as if it's okay with my co-sponsors, we'll accept them as friendly. I mean, we don't have to vote on them separately. We'll incorporate them into the resolution. The one amendment to the amendment that I have, and I can pass out, is just there were two resolves, one about updating and annually
339reviewing the guidelines for the authorized use of AI. Ms. Gones' amendments around the board committee working with parents and teachers and stakeholders, so we've combined those two. We've combined those two clauses, so that we have a resolve around creating this committee working with parents to provide input and then review annually our use of AI. So, we can hand those out and and read those if there is interest, but we'll accept those as friendly, and thank you, Ms. Gones. Yes, well, thank you. And our amendment is more so on time frame. And wanted to just obviously start as a parent as well, knowing that I asked my children about devices and they don't have phones, and I said, "You're still alive, and you survived." Because, you know, it's often a conversation that comes up, you know,
340often. And they'll ask even when the resolution came about with the phone ban, and they were like, "So, what are your children doing?" Well, they didn't have a phone. So, they weren't banning a phone because they didn't have one. But, I don't think, you know, as much as we talk about the debate about technology, I mean, the question obviously is aligning our educational tools with how human learning actually works. And evidence indicates that indiscriminate digital expansion has weakened the learning environments, negatively affecting our students' social and emotional well-being and exposing our students to inappropriate and frequently fictitious information. And so this district's policy can restore the balance in creating evidence-based guidelines that protect children's developmental needs and ensuring that innovative serves learning rather than attention capture. Thank you. Um So this policy will consider these
341strategies in establishing clear guidelines for device usage during class, encourage the use of educational apps and uh resources to enhance our learning, and provide training for our teachers and integrating technology into their lessons, uh ensuring that reliable Wi-Fi access throughout the school for all of our devices, and promote digital citizenship and responsible online behavior among our students, regularly assessing the impact of devices of students' engagement and learning outcomes. And as you know, our responsibility to our students is to maximize the cognitive capacity and the long-term flourishing of the next generation. And so for me, I want to make sure as we go into creating this policy that we develop time, and I know I wanted to to publicly ask I know some work, as you mentioned earlier, has already been put into this. And I
342don't want us to to rush this because this means coming back in June, it's a couple of weeks to be able to do this. And I don't want us to rush and do anything in a couple of weeks where we turn around and say, "Uh-oh, we did something too fast and we're having to implement it." And so wanting to make sure that because this will become before the board in June, that our reports are really in development and approved for this to be adopted in June, and would have to be written, like I said, in a couple of weeks. Wanting to know, is that feasible? And to making sure that that is good policy making. And so that would be my concern of whether it could come back for the policy to be made in
343August. So, not knowing if that is possible, you can answer that. >> you, Ms. Handy Newbell. And I'll say to you because I know parent advocates have been working with board offices, just so folks are aware, per the Brown Act, one board member is only able to engage with two of our colleagues in putting policies together before a public board meeting. So, that's why we have helpful amendments from Ms. Ganas and questions from Ms. Handy Newbell that we're discussing now in public in this meeting as opposed to ahead of time. Um just for folks who are confused about the process. Um yes, to Ms. Handy Newbell's question, we were working and like I mentioned, collaboratively with the administration um on this iterative process. And in many cases, we were pushing against an open door when
344it came to acting Superintendent Shade and Deputy Superintendent Estrada. So, I'll let maybe Dr. Estrada talk about the timeline and the work that's already be uh has been undertaken. Yes. Right. So, this has been an ongoing process. It's been one in which as we've looked at data usage, looked at new research, a lot more has been coming out about guidance and direction. Our team has been talking to researchers, uh you know, different associations focused on this, been engaged with um many of our stakeholders, and have begun to draft the policy based on the information provided. Um I do think it's uh if we came to the COW to do the initial sharing of what we're finding, get some more guidance, and then being able to polish up a policy that then we could engage further
345through the summer, I think there is a real opportunity there. So, if folks are open to saying like, "We'll have a draft ready by June." but knowing that we're still going to need to engage more folks to understand, especially the um by grade level minutes, and then of course, any additional tools and guidance that we're finding. Also, if we're going to be assessing some of our digital tools, we want to make sure that we see some of the results, the end of year results, so then see year over year what we've seen as far as has it impacted what we thought it would impact or not. Uh and that obviously would not be pretty much ready until after June. So, I would appreciate a little more flexibility on the finalization of it versus coming to
346you with some good drafts because I do think we have a good information already, but we we would obviously want to smooth that out more especially with the new amendments that have come forward. I'm just going to pop in as a Dr. Estrada, you may have heard her say the word cow. That means committee of the whole. The board holds committees of the whole which constitute the entire board, but at which no action takes place. It's an opportunity for them to freely discuss things that end up on that agenda. So, she would What Dr. Estrada is suggesting is that the topic continues to be brought up in the in the cow or the committee of the whole. Yeah, I'll I'll turn it back over to Ms. Handy Newbo. My My suggestion or preference would be
347to keep the timeline as it is. Um I understand if there's an amendment to move it, we can discuss knowing that um it will be an iterative process. Some of the amendments like Ms. Gonzalez's suggestion and we'll make sure these are passed out to around the ad hoc board committee who'll be meeting throughout the summer, but I think some of these the things that we've been more prescriptive about like no devices under second grade uh really do need to be implemented by the fall and the school year which starts in August. So, I've appreciated like I said the kind of this iterative process and the collaboration with the super team. So, my my suggestion would be to keep it as is knowing that there'll be some of these pieces like around AI that will take
348longer to make sure we're really engaging parents uh on their feedback. Um so, that would be my suggestion knowing that the board may have um other ideas. And and definitely appreciate that. I just oh I like I said, I just want us to be cautious in how we handle this only because we've done things before where I think we've gone a little too fast and then we only to regret it. So, making sure that if the team is prepared to be able to produce what we're asking for in this resolution that we're able to do that production. And so, then also making sure that that the group in which we're surveying making sure that our parents, and I appreciate all the parents that are here today. Um, I would love to have a group within
349my board district also have opportunity to chime in on this because it is very important information. Everybody's home is not the same, and I know that education, as we sit here as a Board of Education, is critical when it comes to this information. And when we talk about opt-out, opt-in, being able to educate our families so they actually know what we're talking about because that is critical to when we implement that all of our families are clear and they understand. Because often, and I worked in in the inner city in the urban schools where students and families did not understand that. And I don't want to just slide it and gloss over it that we don't take into consideration all of our families to be able to have a good grasp of what we are
350presenting and providing for our students. And I understand trust and believe, when I spoke with my children, they understand and we've talked about the 2-hour limit. We've talked about that cuz that's what I do as a parent. But how many of our parents understand that? And how how are we going to make sure that our parents get that information as well as our educators to be able to give that to them and have that development, that professional development they need to be able to make this transition. Yeah, I I definitely appreciate that, and I think this the stakeholder engagement, like we've seen with the cell phone policy, is going to be iterative and ongoing. I think some of it, and again, I know not everyone has a copy of Ms. Gordon's amendments, but the the
351committee that will be convened, the ad hoc board committee that's looking at AI specifically, those recommendations would be due by the end of the the following school year, knowing that that's going to be a process where we need a lot of engagement. I do stand by the timeline in terms of what we need for this fall, knowing that if it's presented and approved in the summer, it gives the schools the opportunity to implement. Um I I I welcome a motion if there is one, but I I do believe, again, with the good faith that we've been working with the district administration on this, that we can get stuff done in a way that meaningfully changes engagement, uh particularly for our younger students, by by the fall. Um so that that So I I will keep
352this as is, but we'll see where the board is. Okay, thank you. Um I will go ahead and make my comments, if that's okay. I don't know. Oh, Scott's not here. So that's right. He excused himself. Okay. So I'm the last one, I guess. Um so well, first of all, I want to preface by saying that um as a mom, as well, of a high school student, and hearing all the parents that came forth from Schools Beyond Screens, um I did find myself very much um recognizing your frustration and what you wanted to address, because I myself I also did not allow my son, even when he was very young, to even have an iPad or a phone or Now, he didn't even play video games, cuz I just was just, you know, Not that
353I was a bad mom, I just was very cognizant of the impact of all of that technology at such a young age. Um and um I think now he the other day he said, "Thank you, Mom. I appreciate that and because we have these conversations." And um and he, you know, he, instead of being on his phone, he'd rather pick a book. And for me, that is um So I recognize myself a lot in all of you, and I thank you for for just, you know, speaking up, because you brought up a lot of conversations that not only our district leadership was having, but our own staff, as well. And my own staff, you know, when we have these conversations and listening to you all, we all knew that there was an urgency that needed
354to to be taken. And I thank uh board member Velvoyne and his staff to putting to being, you know, putting this forward, um because it's something that was definitely was concerning me and impacting me, particularly around i-Ready. And I want to thank board member Ganas for bringing those amendments because in terms of i-Ready, I have yet to hear a positive comment from the impact of i-Ready. When I go to my schools, I ask questions. So, parents, teachers, students, my own son, it's it's just not they they don't understand why they need to do i-Ready and they roll their eyes every time they have to do it. And it just seems like it's just um i-Ready has just taken over our classroom and it's taken over our teaching and learning. So, that was definitely a a
355big concern of mine. So, I'm I'm grateful for those amendments and and the work that is going to come after and the recommendations to set this right. So, with that said, I also want to be clear about this resolution, what it is and what it is not. This is not an anti-technology proposal resolution. It's a pro-learning, pro-child development, and pro-responsible use of technology policy grounded in what research research is now telling us with increasing urgency. Um we know that technology, when used well, can enhance learning through feedback, creativity, and access. But, we also know that more screen time does not equal better outcomes. When screen use is excessive, unstructured, or passive, it can undermine attention, weaken cognition, and negatively impact academic performance. And this is just not about academics. It's about brain development standpoint. Our
356students, especially our youngest learners, are still developing the systems responsible for focus, emotional regulation, and decision-making. Constant digital stimulation fragments attention and competes with deep sustained thinking that real learning requires. From a From a mental health perspective, higher levels of screen exposure are associated with increased anxiety, depressive symptoms, and lower self-esteem, particularly among adolescents navigating identity and social pressures. So, the question before us is not whether technology belongs in our classrooms. It does. The question is, are we using it with intention? Or are we allowing it to use our students? As as a district, we've made significant investments in technology, but we have not always had fully visibility into how these tools are being used and how much they are costing and how they are impacting students day-to-day. This is That is why one of
357the most important components of this resolution is a requirement to provide a comprehensive itemized report of contracts related to classroom technology, including devices, software, and digital tools. This This aligns directly with the board's recent action to strengthen transparency and accountability in procurement through a resolution that I introduced on leveraging district purchasing power approved unanimously last month by this board. As we've said before, public dollars should reflect public values, and that includes ensuring that the tools we invest in are effective, safe, appropriate, and aligned with student well-being. I also appreciate the focus on reviewing student data protections, tracking screen time usage, and giving families more meaningful consent options. These are critical steps in making sure we are not just expanding access, but also exercising responsible oversight. Ultimately, this resolution prioritizes quality over quantity, it aligns the
358technology technology with child development, empowers educators with clear guidance, and protect students while still preparing them for a digital future. We led on access, and now we must lead on balance. Thank you. So, sorry. So, uh so because I was Sorry, I was in the because our responsibility is not just to prepare students for the future, but to ensure that in doing so, we do not compromise our ability to think deeply, feel confidently, and thrive fully. I want to leave with this. If we believe technology should improve learning, then we also have a responsibility to ensure it does not do any harm. This resolution does exactly that, and aligns our classrooms with what research, neuroscience, and our own lived experience are telling us. Intention matters, balance matters, and our students' minds and well-being must come
359first. So, please add me as a co-sponsor again, and I'm glad to support. Yes, we'll gladly accept your co-sponsorship. Um and then with that, Dr. Mr. McLean, we can hear from the public, and then have board discussion and take the vote. Did we want to sort out the amendments very quickly, so we have your your fourth version? Um yes. So, uh Ms. Gonas' is amendments. I My amendment to that amendment is only consolidating the I guess is it's third and fourth from the bottom resolved to just kind of bring cohesion to the AI piece. Other and if if Ms. Gonas accepts that as friendly back, I guess, we'll just This will be the final version. Yes, that's fine. Great. And you can add me as a co-sponsor as well. Thank you. Gladly. Outstanding. All right,
360so we'll take public comment. All right, Anya Maxon, are you here? Anya Maxon, come on up. You have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. After Ms. Maxon is Katie Pace, and then Michael Bogio. You have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. The Deputy Director of Schools Beyond Screens, a coalition of over 2,000 parents and educators across more than 100 LAUSD schools. We are so heartened to hear all of your comments today, and we are so excited to hopefully see a unanimous vote in favor of the Using Technology with Intention Resolution. For over a year, our members have been advocating for a safe and science-backed approach to classroom technology in LAUSD. An approach that doesn't make kids spend needless hours of school time on devices that harm their physical, cognitive, and emotional health. An
361approach that says enough to Big Tech encroaching into our public schools, using our district money for profit, and using our children as guinea pigs while selling their data to third parties. If this resolution passes, it will signal a new era of responsible tech use in schools that will resonate nationally. It will mark the beginning of a recalibration, not only at LAUSD, but at school districts around the country. International experts on education and child development are calling for the passage of this historic resolution, including Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, who said, "If a product cannot demonstrate that it improves learning without harming attention, privacy, or well-being, it does not belong in classrooms." And LAUSD's new resolution on technology in schools would set a long-overdue expectation that children's brains are not testing grounds for unproven
362technologies. Schools Beyond Screens would like to thank board members Melvoin, Griego, Ortiz, Franklin, and Yang, and Rivas for co-sponsoring this resolution and working with us to strengthen its language. We also want to thank board member Gonez for her important amendments, and board member Kelly Newbill for her important comments. And finally, we want to thank Superintendent Shay for engaging with us so productively as we all look ahead to the drafting and implementation of a comprehensive new tech policy for LAUSD. Today, we are hopeful that our kids may yet have the kind of public education they deserve. Thank you so, so much. Thank you for your time, Katie Pace. Katie Pace, are you here? All right, here comes Ms. Pace. And then Michael B, and then following Michael B is uh Genevieve Chow. Good afternoon. My name
363is Katie Pace and I'm the parent of three LAUSD students. I'm not here today to talk about the stats associated with excessive screen use and the negative impact it has on children's brains. At this point, you already know that. Today, I just want to remind you of what our students are missing. Last year, I noticed that my 6-year-old was missing a teacher reading a book to her because every day her teacher put on a YouTube video to read to them instead. I noticed that my younger two students were missing the chance to cheer on their classmates at a talent show rehearsal because when I picked them up, every kid in the auditorium was staring at a Chromebook. I noticed that they don't know what Heads Up Seven Up is because on rainy days they just
364watch cartoons during PE. And every morning my teenager misses the chance to meet friends and horse around on a school bus like I used to because everyone is watching YouTube on their school-issued devices. When we give them these devices, we are robbing them of life experiences. We are taking away not just potential memories, but academic and social learning opportunities that can benefit them for their entire lives. And when we give teens a screen, one that provides them with a never-ending loop of quick dopamine hits, they quit going after the real life ones. I want our teenagers to get that natural high from successfully passing notes in class, from finishing a group project that was made with their hands, from playing in a band, or from eating lunch in the sun with friends. I want their
365school bus rides to be loud again and their classrooms to have handwritten essays and poetry stapled to the walls. I want their time with the computer to include learning where home row is and their algebra to have half-erased pencil marks all over it a paper instead of a screen that they draw on. I want them to learn from losing their homework because there is actually a piece of paper to lose. Today, as you consider passing this groundbreaking resolution, I'm begging you not to let these secondary students slip through these cracks. They too need quantifiable screen time minute restrictions, regulations that keep them working on paper, and realistic tech opt-out plans for their age group. I sincerely thank you for hearing our voices. I implore you to vote yes today, and I ask you to keep
366pushing to give every student the experiences they deserve. I hope today LAUSD becomes the district that lets go of giving kids screens and instead gives them back everything that they've been missing. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Michael B. Come on up, Michael B. And then after Michael is Genevieve Chao and then Elizabeth Wasserman. So, please be ready. Time is yours, sir. Thank you. My name is Mike Bojio. Dear board, you've got a lot on your plate. Campus safety, immigration, and budget disputes, but please thank you for not losing sight of the most insidious threat to the mental safety and security of our children, sensory isolation, which is screen time. Creating human disconnect shuts It shuts down our child's social learning, cuts off physical awareness, and deprives them of the best learning tool of
367all, creative play. Superintendent Carvalo was quoted saying, "Schools are not the reason for digital school tool addiction in America, not even close. Parental responsibility is very much a part of this equation, period." he said. As a parent of a kindergartner with no screen time at home, I'm outraged that our child gets all their screen time at school. How can parents protect children from under-regulated internet-accessible screens when it's forced on them 180 days per year? Not to mention having their data collected and vulnerable to new AI hacking tools. I-Ready is currently being sued for this. Also, parents refuse to sign the Google parental consent form, yet Google products are shown to our children every day without consent. The worst of which is YouTube with ads and self-promoting material. Please ban YouTube from schools. This is sad.
368It is sinister. And if you don't vote yes on this using technology with intent resolution, then God help you because state-sponsored sensory isolation in the classroom must end. A sincere thank you to Ms. Griego, Ms. Ortiz Franklin, Mr. Melvoin, Mr. Yang, and co-sponsors for listening to parents and sponsoring this baby step resolution. It's better than nothing, but it has no teeth. One, eliminate screens entirely through at least second grade, not first grade. Eliminate I ready assessment mandates. I ready is designed for underperforming kids and a waste of time for those at or above grade level. I know young children who press the wrong answer on purpose because they like the animation that it makes. Paper tests allow students to skip difficult questions and return to them later, something that I ready does not allow. Lastly,
369please eliminate any one-to-one device requirements. We as parents will never allow our child to bring home a district device at any age. It is our line in the sand. More parents are waking up and don't want their little kids turning into scrolling screen heads like the rest of us. Thank you for listening and please vote yes. Thank you for your time. Janice, are you here? Janice? Come on up. You have 2 minutes to speak once you begin and then it's Elizabeth Wasserman and then Christina Brown. The 2 minutes is yours. Thank you. Thank you, members of the board, um, for this resolution and for the opportunity to speak. I am a parent of two recent LAUSD grads and one current first grader. Um, I am a regular classroom volunteer. Um, I'm a community college professor.
370I run a DEI training program about equitable teaching strategies at my college and I am a doctoral candidate, uh, in educational leadership and innovation at ASU. And all of these are reasons why I am a member of Schools Beyond Screens. Um I'm here today to thank you for this resolution and specifically to address technology use and equity because of the common misconception a lot of my colleagues in our schools have that more education with tech equals more equity and that more access to tech equals more equity. And the question of access to tech is no longer the most important one when it comes to student learning outcomes. We have access across student populations. What we don't have is equity of resource to protect students from the harms of excessive or passive screen time. Um in
371our schools today screens can be a barrier to instruction. You're all familiar with the data and with the learning loss that students experienced during the pandemic year at home on devices. Um the research makes it clear that the problem is not only isolation or the loss of classroom communities, but also the fact that devices were and are an imperfect and untried means of learning. Um which we can see most clearly with our youngest students, but which is key at all ages. As you have noted, the pandemic is a frame for this conversation because of that pivot to screens while entirely reasonable in the context of the pandemic is entirely unwarranted in our current context where we have an opportunity to give students robust immersive learning in community with their teachers and peers. I want to
372highlight that the students who lose the most from spending classroom time on screens are exactly those students who are already experiencing equity gaps due to other systemic factors. Students with working parents who do not have the ability to monitor their homework, students experiencing economic or housing insecurity who do not have the opportunity to um take advantage of in-person tutoring or after-school resources, students from immigrant communities, students who turn to chat GPT >> much for your time. Thank you. All right, Elizabeth Wasserman, Elizabeth W, coming up. You have 2 minutes to speak when you begin. Thank you. Hi, I'm Elizabeth >> Can I just ask you to adjust the mic so we can Yeah. Thank you. Um I'm Liz Wasserman and in my last role I led over 80 global creatives. In that role I also
373assessed emerging AI technology and I was a champion of my team integrating AI into their creative practice. I'm an optimist. The future I like to imagine with AI is one where human potential is equitably freed from rote work to make a better, more sustainable future for everyone. But that might not be the future that we get. My fifth grader, Eli, is a great kid, smart cookie, and he wants to be a movie director when he grows up. In his classroom he uses Google Gemini to research versus exploring on his own. He has to do his presentations on Canva, which designs for you. He generates polished pictures instead of drawing. An optimist might say, with AI, kids are only limited by their imagination. But as an optimist, I believe imaginations are broadened with human experience. I
374strongly disagree with kids having unexamined and unlimited AI in classrooms. I felt confident encouraging my creative team to use AI because they'd use it as a tool. Guided by their years, if not decades, of experience. Those years were shaped by research, mistakes, soaking up culture, being curious, going down rabbit holes, and learning the rules so they could break them. Adults, at least most of them, know how to use AI as a tool. We don't know what the future holds for these kids, but it would be foolish to think that giving Eli and his friends access to Gemini or Canva or other simple AI tools will set them up for future success. Without giving the opportunity for kids to learn from poorly written papers, messy presentations, and awkward drawings, we can script them to a life
375of less potential. We make them a cog in the AI tool versus the director of their own futures. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Christina Brown, come on down. Christina Brown. Hi, um Christina Brown graciously gave me her time. >> Is that Christina over there? Outstanding. Thank you. >> Okay. Um hi, my name is India. Um I'm not an LAUSD parent. My daughter is 4 years old and she's currently in preschool and I'm so relieved that this resolution is being introduced today because for the past 6 months I've been trying to find a school public school for my child that does not have too much screen use and I have found it impossible and I've been told by numerous people that my only options are private school or home school. These are not options
376for me. Um and so before this resolution I really felt forced to not consider LAUSD and look at independent charters that are screen free or mostly screen free. Um I saw on my school tour um of my neighborhood school every single classroom had four or five-year-olds hovered over iPads um enormous uh Promethean boards uh playing YouTube videos and that was on the tour. There was just unashamedly a screen-focused classroom. Um I think I had a lot of points to make about you know all the research and the science. I am so happy to hear that you guys seem to be aware of it. So I'm just going to add a few things. Um I'm so grateful for this resolution resolution but the I would really love to see you uh take it past first grade,
377second grade and above. Um reconsider smart boards in the classroom, especially for brain breaks. Um screen time should not be used as a reward for good behavior. And I I still to this day, even in the resolution, it says consider banning Fortnite and Roblox. I don't understand why kids are playing video games at school. But thank you. Thank you for your time. Alicia Murnik, are you here? Alicia? Come on down. You have 2 minutes to speak and then Eli Gold. Oh my gosh. All right. Hi, my name is Alicia Murnik. I've been an educator for about 15 years and I currently teach education theory um at a couple different colleges I don't want to name in case I get in trouble. Um my daughter is also a first-grader in LAUSD. And 4 months ago, I
378stood before you to raise concerns about the lack of quality independent research for i-Ready and to share the 143 opt-out requests from families at our elementary school. We have since then successfully opted out and I am thrilled to share that I'm reclaiming this time for hands-on learning. My daughter just finished her first chapter book, Dragon Girls. She is like ecstatic. Um and yeah, like Um so while all of her peers are stuck on screens, she gets to read. The silent sustained reading that as educators we all know the benefits of. Today I'm here to celebrate this resolution, which truly represents something way bigger than screen time. For years, tech policy in public schools has often been shaped by large corporations, vendors, and outside interests. Moving faster than independent research, faster than classroom realities, and often
379and meaningful community input. Devices are often purchased at scale, platforms are adopted district-wide without pilot programs, and communities are just expected to adapt. But, something different happened this year. Families across LA began asking questions. We asked about mandates, research, developmental appropriateness, and when the answers we got were unclear, we organized. We showed up to listening sessions and school board meetings, wrote letters, talked to our neighbors. We built coalitions, we cited our sources, stayed respectful, and we stayed solution-oriented. This resolution is proof that public institutions can still respond to the people they serve, and that corporate influence will never override community voice. Because public schools shouldn't function as pipelines for future consumers, they should function as places of human development, dialogue, and community. Thank you. Thank you for your time. All right, Eli Gold, are you
380here? Eli Gold? Eli G? Eli? No, Eli. All right, Mitsu Chavda, you signed up to speak remotely, but I don't have you signed in. Are you with us, Mitsu? In the room, maybe? That's a no. And Ankur Patel? Are you in the room? You signed up to speak remotely, but I don't have you signed in. All right, that concludes public comment on the item. You're free to discuss or vote or whatever you want. Um I just again want to thank the Schools Beyond Screens Coalition and all the parents for your support. And as was so articulately stated, so I want to let you have the last word. But, your your um the intent with which you brought this and the conversations and the collaborative spirit and expecting better from your elected officials, and also expecting
381that it's going to be collaborative iterative conversation. Um and this is the first I would I like to think of myself on men as the first step. This is the second step, but we know there are more steps to go, and we look forward to your continued feedback. I would suggest that we vote. I also just want to thank my team, um Avery in particular, who did so much work in landing this policy and worked with I know a lot of folks in this room, um taking feedback and and working with experts around the country and really around the world to figure out how we can lead uh with this resolution. So, thank you to Avery and my entire team. Um and unless there are further comments, I'd I'd call the vote. All right. Having
382been moved by Mr. Melvoin and seconded by Dr. Rivas, taking the roll, Ms. Nubel. Yes. Dr. Rivas. Yes. Mr. Melvoin. Yes. Ms. Griego. Yes. Ms. Gomez. Yes. Ms. Ortiz-Franklin. Yes. I say yes. All right. And then Board President Schmelson has been recused, and then uh student board member Yang already registered his advisory vote of yes with me, SO THAT'S UH UNANIMOUS. ALL RIGHT. UM THAT concludes the main business, and now we go to general public comment. The time is now 3:50. Thank you for your patience in getting here. We said the time we'll hear it is approximately 3:30. I think 20 minutes qualifies as approximate, and I appreciate your patience. Um All right. I'll call on the first three folks who are listed as being here in person, and then I'll call on the folks
383who listed themselves as being remote. Uh Emily Ramos, Emily Ramos, are you here? Did I hear Emily's not here or she's coming? Emily is here. She might be in She's coming. Lovely, thank you so much. And then after Emily is Bridie Lee. And after Bridie Lee is Valerie Manzo. Come on up, Emily. The 2 minutes is yours. When you begin. Hi, my name is Emily Ramos. I am a 10th grader at Maywood High School. I am a youth leader with Community Coalition. Policing ice violence is an ongoing issue in our communities and we demand that LAUSD build real protection for LAUSD students. On a daily basis, wherever I go, I hear the acronym ICE and fear in the same sentence. I specifically hear this at school. As students, we should not be scared of an
384environment that's supposed to be our safe space. Students should be just School should be just that. A welcoming safe space where there are tools and resources for our needs. Our staff need more resources for keeping students safe on campus and administrators need support to help keep ICE out. Police continue to be funded but do not keep students safe. Undocumented families are still scared of encountering ICE at schools. So I ask, what is LAUSD doing to keep students safe that does not include having police on campus? In the past, we've seen time and time again how school police have failed at providing safety for students. I've seen how my peers have been impacted by this and we must do something about it. So I urge you, interim superintendent and school board, to provide these resources because
385without your support, our education system suffers. Instead of funding school police, that money can go toward legal support and mental health services to support undocumented students and families. We We could use that money to protect supportive programs like BSAP. That should be the main focus. Put a stop to undocumented families having to worry about their safety to receive an education. We urge you to fully defund school police and to protect programs like B-SEP and resources that support undocumented students and families. Thank you for your time. Bridie Lee, Bridie Lee, come on up. And after Ms. Lee, it is Valerie Manzo. Nine months ago, four members of a small, recently formed group, Schools Beyond Screens, decided to try speaking at an upcoming board meeting at the suggestion of founder Lila Biyak. I was the only speaker
386here in person, and it was a particularly quiet day. This room was mostly empty, and I wondered if my message about blocking YouTube on student devices would be heard. This feeling of being alone and unsure, yet also driven by our instincts as parents, and the growing evidence of big tech's harms to children, is familiar to many of us. Leading edtech expert Emily Turken writes, "When a school of fish is swimming and wants to change direction, what sparks that shift? It takes a first fish to pull away from the group to initiate the change. Being a first fish can feel scary and lonely. We really need our second and third fish to join us." There are many first fishes here today, but what I find endlessly inspiring is that there are thousands of brilliant and courageous
387parents and educators that stand with us now. It is especially encouraging to have the support of our board members in addressing so many of the issues that we have been advocating for in today's resolution. Thank you. Thank you for your time. This is Oh, oh, that was my thank you to the board members. This is a full circle moment. As such, I'm joined today by my biggest inspiration by far, my son, who has written his first public comment. Going to move on. I think it's good for kids to not use apps like YouTube to learn inappropriate things and distract them from reading and arithmetic. Not to mention that teachers are better at teaching than I-Ready. Also, there's going to be screen time limits so students can learn more. Thank you for listening. Thank you for
388your time. Valerie Manzo. Valerie. Valerie, are you here? That's a Yes, that's Valerie. Is Valerie Manzo coming up? Yeah, yeah, please come on up. And then after Ms. Manzo is Michelle Rivas. And then Kalila Williams. Come on up. You'll have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. Hi, my name is Valerie Manzo and I'm a junior at Manual Arts and Technology Community School. Hi, my name is Iliana Ferris and I'm a junior at Washington Prep. Hi, my name is Anaya and I'm a sophomore at Manual Arts. We're all youth leaders with Community Coalition. South Central schools are the highest need schools on the CINI index, yet our budgets are still being cut. I feel like this is very disrespectful because our principals are stretching every dollar and still can't meet our needs. When you look
389at these pictures from 1997 and now, you can see that not much has changed, and that's frustrating. Manual Cيني budget is getting cut by over $862,000, and we're losing important staff that make us feel safe and valued. Our school still looks like this, and our budget is still being cut, which is why we're giving LAUSD an F in supporting us. Okay. Washington Cيني budget is getting cut by 1.4 million, and our school's bathrooms are contaminated with asbestos, a cancer-causing mineral, and because of this, there are only eight bathroom stalls for over 700 students. There's $70 million in the LAUSD school police budget, and yet our schools look like this, and our budget is still getting cut, which is why we're giving LAUSD an F in supporting us. Mann Cيني budget is getting cut. Mann Cيني
390budget is getting cut by 250,000. My school is going to be heavily impacted by this cut, and my school's facilities are already in terrible condition. Our restrooms have holes in the walls. We have no menstrual products in them. Sinks aren't working. Um our school looks like this, and our budget is still getting cut, which is why we're giving LAUSD an F in supporting us. Our demands as South Central students are better facilities, more staff dedicated to connection, more sports and career-focused programs, and opportunities for students. Protect Cيني and BSEP, and no school police. We used to have resources when the community was predominantly white, but now our schools look the way they do because we look the way we do. Thank you for your time. All right, Michelle Rivas. Michelle R, Michelle Rivas. Can I
391hand you guys some documents that I have? Yeah, if you if you have documents, just set them on that thing right well, on the banister, I'd call it, and then I'll come collect them. >> My name is Michelle Rivas. I stand here on behalf of all the parents, staff, and students of Theodora Alexander Science Center. Our school is currently plagued by severe health and safety hazards. We have reached a breaking point where our principal, Mr. Sanchez, had to form a grassroots safety team because his formal concerns have been ignored far too long by LAUSD and the California Science Center. We have constantly told that because our school operates under a lease agreement with the California Science Center, repairs and safety standards are complicated. Let me be clear. A lease agreement is not a license to
392endanger children. Recently, we fought for a walk-through. The results were devastating. In the first month, Antonio Ruiz with LAUSD, his team shut down our cafeteria area, which is outdoors. In the second month, they shut down the kindergarten area to do testing due to severe chipped paint. Most alarming of all, our school has tested positive for lead. While Abigail Mancheca from the California Science Center refuses to cooperate with our safety team because it consists of parents, the same parents that found these severe safety concerns in LAUSD, our children are the ones breathing the air, eating these paint chips that fell into their lunches while they ate, and drinking the water in in a business deal gone wrong. I have to ask, do you want what's happening at your Chatsworth school to happen here? At Chatsworth Park
393Elementary, families are suffering because issues were ignored until children got sick. We're seeing the same pattern of preliminary reports and stalled action. We will not wait for our children to develop permanent health issues before you decide that a lease agreement isn't as important as a human life. We are seeing the same pattern over and over. Your safe school slogan is a hollow promise to the families at Theodore Alexander Science Center. We demand full lead testing accessibility for every student, staff member, and volunteer who has stepped foot on that campus. Immediate and unhindered access to every safety report and environmental study conducted on the property. We need LAUSD to stop hiding behind the lease and start holding California Science Center accountable. We need you guys to help us. Thank you. Thank you for your time. All
394right. Kalila Williams, are you here? Kalila and then Malaya Tavares. Come on up. You have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. Hi, I'm Kalila Williams. I yield my time to Ezekiel. All right. Come on up. You have 2 minutes to speak. Good evening. My name is Ezekiel Getachew. I'm a junior at King Drew Magnet High School and a leader through Students Deserve. I want to begin today by acknowledging the recent agreement made by the unions and the school board. This agreement is an important step forward and it reflects the power of collective action, resilience, and the voices of our workers and students coming together. This is important progress. But we also know the truth, that our fight is never over, and as long as there is injustice in our school system, and as long
395as our students and our workers are not fully protected and supported, the people like myself and the others here today will continue to speak out and organize. Today and this year marks the 5-year anniversary of a whole historic movement. The divestment from school police and the creation of the Black Student Achievement Plan, or BSAP. A victory that showed what's possible when students, educators, and communities demand change. But now, it is our responsibility to protect and strengthen that change. We've said it so many times, and yet we will continue to speak out to ensure our voices and demands are heard. Let it be heard that the district must protect the Black Student Achievement Plan. Let it be heard that the district must fully divest from funding for policing students and instead invest that money towards their
396growth. Let it be heard that the district must continue to uplift and meet the needs of its black and brown students. These programs and systems that we mentioned are not to give black and brown students an unfair leg up on the other students. Instead, they are reparational additions which address long-standing inequities or minorities to minority students in their education. The district must also ensure that there are no cuts to staff positions in these programs, including positions like those at the B SEP staff of Western Avenue. Cutting these roles would be a negligent, careless step backwards. Myself and the people of Los Angeles call on the superintendent and the school board to take action by passing a B SEP implementation resolution this spring, one that ensures the program is fully realized and truly meets the needs
397of black students across the district. I want to remind you, students are paying attention. We are here, we are organized, and we are not going anywhere. With that, I ask you to work with us to implement these demands for our program. Thank you very much. Thank you. Melaya Tavares, come on up. Melaya Tavares. Followed by Eloisa Galindo. Go ahead. Yes. Hi, my name is Melaya Tavares. I'm a 11th grader at George Washington Preparatory High School and a youth leader with Community Coalition. As we celebrate the fifth year anniversary of B SEP, I demand that LAUSD protect B SEP funding and continue to ensure its full implementation. It is important that the district protects B SEP and the resources it brings to our schools and make sure that there is no B SEP staff positions are
398cut. I just transferred to Washington this semester and I didn't have B SEP at my old school. I believe that if with more funding, more students like me will be aware of B SEP and be able to benefit from the support it provide. B SEP is supposed to offer valuable opportunities both academically and personally, provide support as we navigate challenges, and sometimes students just need someone who understands them. And there's more to listen. Programs like BSAP create safe spaces for students like me. For me, I have a IEP and having a strong relationship with staff is really important. It helps me feel supported and understood, especially when I need extra help and support with my learning. Programs like BSAP made a make a difference because they create a space where students like me can build
399relationships and trust with staff who actually care. That is why it is important that the district continues to invest in BSAP and protect the resources we rely on. Investing in BSAP is an investment in our future, our success, and our well-being. Thank you. Woo! Yeah! Thank you for your time. All right, Eloisa Galindo, come on up. I think she speaks in Yes, so Ms. Galindo's going to speak in Spanish. So, if you'd like to hear what she's saying in English, please put your hands up and we'll get you translation headsets so that you can experience simultaneous translation. Okay, listo. Gracias. Buenas tardes. Good afternoon to all the members of the Board of Education. My name is Eloisa Gaiza well, Eloisa Gaiza. I'm member of ACE, Reclaiming Our School, and Parents Against Privatization. Today I am
400here because it's been years that I've been working together with different leaders, students and leaders, and teachers who have fought for public education. And it cannot be that I A I replaces a teacher. That cannot be. I think that it's the greatest problem for education is the privatization of public education. The millionaires that are coming to our schools to invest in things that they don't need to replace teachers. They're listening You're listening to to students. They need the necessary resources with their teachers and to have training. Now that we are living the ice rate, now that we're living COVID, that we left COVID, many students have consequences from COVID. I think that it's time for you to listen to parents, students. The teachers were up were going to go on strike and they came to
401an agreement. Give the resources to all of the teachers. I believe firmly in the work of all teachers, but I also have seen the charter association, how they have meddled in the second largest district that is LAUSD. I have seen parents who are together that they're saying that there's drugs in schools, that this and that about schools. There parents that I have seen them do that. With the organization for charter associations, and it's not fair that we are dividing ourselves as parents. On the contrary, we should come together and to be with the unions to pressure the unions and the pol- politicians to work for our students because there's still a lot of resources missing. Listen to the teachers and the students. Thank you. Okay, Ian Kirksey, are you here? Ian K? I think I
402saw Mr. Kirksey earlier. Come on down. And it looks like he's going to seat this time. All right. Hello, LAUSD board members. My name is Karina Reynoso and I am a student of Boyle Heights Learning Center, also a proud leader with Students Deserve. LAUSD said there is no money, but we have seen allegations of fraud left and right. So, when LAUSD said there is no money, that is a lie. I come here to give simple demands for the district. They are more funds for BSAP, Dream Centers, LGBTQ support, and more for the next year. Use school police money for these student resources improvements and abolish school police. School police doesn't work. It is systematically racist, racist, and abusive. It is used to put us down instead of uplifting us. This is proven by the physical
403and unnecessary act of police officer Leonardo Boyn. During a student-led sit-in here at LAUSD headquarters, he physically assaulted another student beyond another He assaulted another Boyle Heights student. Boyn grabbed Michaela and threw her away from the doors. Michaela is a high school freshman. To no offense to her, she is small and skinny. She wouldn't be able to fight back against the police officer. He knew this and decided she was a right target. We anyways continue to be peaceful. Let me repeat myself. We demand that LAUSD abolishes school police. LAUSD school police makes around 83 to 129,000 per year. This salary of 83,000 is higher than any LAUSD any LAUSD teacher starting salary. I wonder how many of these school police officers have a bachelor's or master's degree to get paid as much as an educator.
404Instead, invest in school in Instead, invest in student resources. B SEP is one of many resources students constantly push for. And if it wasn't for UTLA, we probably would not have won improvements for it. But the struggle is never over. Frederick Douglass once said, "If there is no struggle, there is no progress." Thank you. Thank you for your time. Tiffany Thompson. Tiffany Thompson, are you coming? Okay, come on down, Ms. Thompson. You have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. And after Tim Tim I'm sorry, Tiffany, it's Emily Vasquez. Okay. Good afternoon. My name is Tiffany Thompson, and I am a parent at Dr. Theodore T. Alexander, Jr. Science Center School. I'm here to address the gap between what this school is presented to be and what families are actually experiencing. This school is named
405after Dr. Theodore T. Alexander, Jr., a leader who played a critical role in desegregating LAUSD. Yet today, students and families are not being meaningfully taught who he was and his legacy is not actively reflected on account on our campus. A school carrying his name should represent that history, but not right now. Secondly, this school is presented as a flagship partnership between the Los Angeles Unified School District and the California Science Center design to provide enriched real-world learning through strong community partnerships. However, what is presented publicly does not match what is happening in practice. Numerous partnerships are listed, but they are not being meaningfully activated or consistently visible in the student experience. Families have not received clear communication explaining why these opportunities are not being delivered. Many families chose this school based on these promises. Over
406time, those promises are becoming less visible and less relevant. This raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability. At what point does this gap between representation and reality The parents are asking for clear communication on the status of these partnerships. Accountability from the Science Center regarding its role and commitments, a concrete plan with timelines to ensure students receive the opportunities that were promised. Our students deserve the full experience this school was built on, not a reduced version of it. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Emily Vasquez Emily V And then after Emily is Mark Gravious Moore. Hello, my name is Emily Vasquez. I'm a senior at George Washington Prep High School and I'm a youth leader with Community Coalition. I would like to talk about something essential that plagues everyone's daily lives, especially students' daily
407lives and it shows how much LAUSD treats their students. The bathrooms at my school, they are literally disgusting, not dirty, disgusting. Our classrooms have been infested with rats and cockroaches. One of our teachers has two rats living in his room. How are we supposed to focus on our studies and engage fully when our environment is falling apart and no one is there to fix it. My school is barely getting by through with the resources we have and that will only get so much worse with the new budget cuts to Sunny. Washington Prep Sunny budget is being cut by over 1.4 million. Meanwhile, we only have eight bathrooms eight bathroom stalls for over 700 students. Do the math. That's almost 90 students per stall. What really gets me is that according to a 2023 study from
408USC Sol Price for Social Innovation and USC Rossier School for Education, only two out of 10 low-income black and Latino students in LA County that are enrolled in LAUSD are enrolled in a fully funded high-quality school. Over 80% of the LAUSD population only only 88% of the LAUSD population is identified as students of color, which means for every 10 students, eight are attending underfunded and under-resourced schools and eight of those students are majority black and Latino students. LAUSD is not just failing us. You are upholding broken promises and systematic racism. You cut our budgets, leave our bathrooms disgusting, let rats run wild in our classrooms like nothing is wrong and expect us to form well on test scores like nothing is wrong. I'm not here to complain. I'm here to demand our schools get cleaned
409daily, restore the Sunny budget for our underfunded and under-resourced schools and stop pretending that underfunding black and Latino students is anything but a choice. Thank you for YOUR TIME TODAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. MARK Wavious Moore. Then after Mr. Moore is Deanna Ikenstine and then Amir Kazemi. I'll be yielding my time to Aleia. Hello, my name is Aleia Galetto and I am a freshman at Leases here as a youth leader with Students Deserve and the Youth Justice Social Social Justice Learning Institute. I have come here today because as one of many minority students in LAUSD we are under attack and every day I see a new example of how. Because what do you mean the FBI is searching the district? What do you mean LAUSD is firing more and more mental health staff? What
410do you mean we LAUSD is spending millions of dollars on so-called private contractors and leaving us in severe debt instead of paying our teachers fair wages? This does not make any sense. It seems that the school district is too focused on making money rather than the students which isn't a good look considering that schools are nothing without the students and should be the first priority. And with ICE raids happening outside of our campuses and students dropping out because of fear, LAUSD needs to prioritize this right now. We fought to implement and fund programs like BSAP and Dream Centers and PSWs and they have proven to work with these resources. Student achievement With these resources, student achievement has spiked. With these resources, school communities are so much stronger. And taking away these hard-earned funds for those
411resources threatens to destroy that school community. Students don't need over-testing or AI investments and they certainly don't need $70 million for school police. That money should be going into BSAP, Dream Centers, and mental health resources. LAUSD should be using those millions of dollars to protect students, not police them. And I speak for hundreds of students when I say I don't feel safe at school until we implement proper safe passage against ICE and more community-based safety so we students can learn in peace. So put the students first when considering where that funding goes. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your time. Diana Ikenstein. Why not? You have 2 minutes to speak when you begin. Hi, my name is Dr. Deena Ikensteen and I'm a member of Schools Beyond Screens. I'd like to echo Dr.
412Rivas's comments that we are not anti-technology. We are pro-learning. So, to those who say technology is here to stay, we say if the status quo is harming children, we challenge the status quo. I want to briefly talk about what it means to use technology with intention. Banning YouTube on children's devices is a necessary first step as YouTube was found liable for being an addictive platform and causing harm to children. Now, since LAUSD has joined a lawsuit against YouTube, why are teachers all over the district showing kids as young as four YouTube videos and calling them brain breaks? As a child psychologist, I can tell you that a brain break is a misnomer for the overstimulating dopamine blast that is Danny Go. When I personally met with admin at my child's school, their response was that
413YouTube videos are such a small part of the day. To which I say that time spent is not the defining feature of its impact. For example, it probably takes my kids the same amount of time to eat a plate of broccoli as it does to eat an ice cream cone. Would we measure the outcome of eating broccoli versus ice cream on how long it took them to eat it? Or would we assess based on nutrients consumed? Using technology with intention should be based on quality in addition to time. Why is a screen being used for a movement break? Why are kids watching videos of people reading books? LAUSD needs to clarify its use of teacher-led technology to be educational at a minimum and certainly not exposing them to a platform that you are suing for
414its harms to children. Thank you so much. Woo! Thank you for your time. Amir Cassimir. Amir? Amir Cassimir is not here. All right. Anabel Alvarado. After Ms. Alvarado is Nicole Moreno. Then Marsha Doss and Mariah Blakey. Hi, my name is Anabel Alvarado. I attend John Muir Middle School. I am a youth leader with Community Coalition. At John Muir, I feel like staff does not do enough to support students. I feel like there is more focus on being strict and being judging students based on their past. I believe school should be a safe space where students feel supported and where staff actually build relationship with students, not making us fear them. One time a teacher writing my face aggressively pointed her fingers at me, told me to move seats. I was already getting ready to move,
415but then she had told me to get out the class. When I had tried to explain what happened to another sub, they went to the teacher to another staff. They went to the teacher, came back saying that they didn't want to hear my side because I have a history of crashing out. It's moments like that that make me feel unheard and judged instead of supported. I can also see that teachers themselves suffer dealing with a lot. They do They shouldn't have to worry about buying supplies like Expo markers. They shouldn't have to worry about ceilings falling apart, leaking classrooms, the AC not working. Students Students shouldn't have to worry about having a chair and desk to sit on in class. The bathroom stalls should be able to lock and not falling apart. Our schools are
416not getting what they need. That's why sending funding is important. Sending can help us fix our schools, support teachers, and make students feel safe, respected, and able to learn. If you want students to succeed, we need to invest in them. Restore Sydney to to $7 million, and do not cut from high and high-need schools. Thank you. Thank you for your time. All right, Nicole Moreno. Then Marsha Doss, and then Ariya Blakey. So, start with another thank you for your important decision today on screen use and tech. This is a big step, but many more are clearly needed. Um, because it's not just a K-2 question, and it's not just about banning this site or that site. It's about putting our kids learning and development first, which I'm grateful it's clear you all are committed to.
417Um, I'm a born and raised Angelino from the Eastside, as is my husband. Both with parents who immigrated from Latin American countries. The community and culture that we surround our children with is extremely important to us. And it's largely why we've chosen a dual language school in our neighborhood for our oldest child who's in kindergarten at Aldama Elementary. This is our first experience in LAUSD this year. Aldama is a Title 1 school with one of the first dual language programs in LA. That Title 1 designation, as you know, means our students are already at greater risk of falling below falling below grade standards, already coming in with systemic barriers. And now the outsourcing of their education to Big Tech is only widening that achievement gap and presenting further barriers. As test scores and learning experiences
418are plummeting across the country for everyone, the numbers for our Title 1 students are even lower. Therefore, it's only more urgent for our school to change course immediately, not wait. Thus, we are mobilizing at Aldama alongside other schools Beyond Screens chapters. I taught first and second grade for several years. My husband is currently an elementary teacher. We know how challenging it is to keep kids engaged and motivated in class without all the tech distractions, but we also know it's doable with the right supports and tools. We also know how magical it is when students how magical it is to experience their learning with them, alongside them. The aha moment when a student hits success with a new concept or skill, that spark keeps teachers motivated and engaged with their work. And it keeps students excited
419about their learning. It's being replaced with ineffective, costly, unproven tech school tech tools. Teachers lose their spark and kids do, too. I hope we go completely back to the drawing board for all grades and focus on everything teachers need, funding, training, the right tools to truly support our kids. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Chey, thoughts? I yield my time to Candace. All right, 2 minutes is yours. Good afternoon board members and Superintendent Chey. My name is Candace Smith. I'm a parent with students, twins at Marina Middle School. Can I I'm sorry to interrupt you. Could if you bring the mic a little closer and then I'll turn it up. Let me just restart the time and we'll we'll go one more. >> Good afternoon board members and Superintendent Chey. I'm a parent
420with students at twins at Marina Middle School and I have a student at Crenshaw Magnet High School. While I while we just had a lot of great wins, we do still need to implement BSAP permanently and fully staff our school sites. B has BSAP has played an important role in schools. My students personally have benefited from BSAP programs and support staff. For for instance, the mental health on school sites really did change the game for my daughter specifically. Um and then she changed schools and they didn't even have it fully fund Be Safe and implement more mental health services in our schools. I care about this because it's important that it's a lot of importance in these programs. I've seen the research and I've also seen these programs work in real time. One of the
421One of the things that I witnessed was a restorative justice circle at my daughter's school. Some girls were bullying her and they brought the girls together and it impacted them in a great way. It impacted my student personally, her attitude, it built her confidence, and it also taught her conflict resolution in a healthy way. We need the schools need it, students need it. Fully fund Be Safe. If you're trying to find cuts, cut the papa. ALL RIGHT, YOU GOT A BALANCE OF 30 SECONDS IF YOU want to go for it. Um My name is Elena and I have two kids at MOK and I'm also a member of Reclaim Our Schools LA and I'm here in support of you guys keeping Be Safe funded and it's like really supportive and beneficial for like our students.
422So, yeah. Thank you for your time. Araya Blakeley Hi, I'm My name is Araya Blakeley. Um I defer my time to Donya Ward calling in. I can't necessarily I don't have any way of identifying Ms. Ward. Can I give you the last four of the number? Sure. 4 5 8 7 Please go ahead, Ms. Ward. You'll have 2 minutes to speak once you begin. Is this Ms. Ward? Yes, you made it! Is that Ms. Ward? Yes. >> OH MY GOSH. I RAN. COME on in and you'll have 2 minutes to speak once you once you begin. Take your time. Take your time. And I left my water just so that I could literally make it up here. Okay, sorry. Can I hand these to you? That's all the signs. Thank you. Okay. Um I have
423some documentation for you guys. Um Good afternoon. My name is Donya Ward. I'm the BSAP counselor at Western Avenue Tech Magnet. I've been at the school since inception of BSAP. I came in January 2022. And I've really grown to love the students at the school. I really decided to come to LAUSD because I had worked in previous districts that did not service very many black students. It was noticeably noticeable to me and I really wanted to serve black students. So when I saw this job description, I was really excited and thought, "Oh my gosh, this is great. I'll be able to service black students and advocate for them, you know, exactly as I've been wanting to do." So I've been the one that created the BSAP room safe space for our students. All students are
424welcome, but I really wanted our black students to be identified. If you saw pictures of my room, you would see a lot of black culture, HBCU college information, you know, just all the resources we want to see our students have. Um I facilitate our BSU. So those students are the ones that actually arrange and coordinate all the activities that we do at schools like dances and fun um games that we do like right after school. Um and I've noticed over the last couple years that there was a lot of um miss like not really implementing BSEP the way that we would idealize it to be um implemented and I reported a lot of concerns to um our director, to Dr. Brandy, Dr. Whitman, just hoping to get their support in getting my principal to really
425implement BSEP the way that it was designed, you know, really encouraging us as a team to work together instead of keeping us divided and telling us to stay on our own lane and not support each other. Like I couldn't go with our PSA on home visits cuz he just didn't want me working together. I tried to put together a student sur- a parent survey and gave it to our parent rep and they literally took the survey from the parent rep and was like, "Do not assist. Do not let Ms. Word assist you with it." So, I'm really calling on you guys now they're cutting my position and I'm calling on you guys to not allow them to cut my position because I believe that they're only cutting it because I've been making all these complaints
426and trying to get their assistance to really support and implement BSEP effectively. Thank you for your time. >> maintaining BSEP MEANS MAINTAINING ME. OKAY, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF REMOTE CALLERS. Cheryl Cono, I see you're on the line. Cheryl Cono, please press star six to unmute yourself, Ms. Cono, and you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Okay, yes, this is Cheryl Cono. Can you hear me? We can. Please speak up a bit and I will also turn up the volume. >> Excellent. Okay, great. Okay, good afternoon. My name is Cheryl Cono and I'm a current psychiatric social worker, a former parent, and a former student. I'm looking forward to the LAUSD board presenting a resolution on behalf of PSWs for the upcoming Mental Health Awareness Month from May 2026. PSWs should be able
427to provide mental health and psychiatric social work services for all LAUSD students and their families at schools and programs. Here are some of these um comments that my students shared when I asked them why their PSW was so important to them. PSWs listen to what you have to say. They also give suggestions on how to better your situation. My PSW is important to me because she has a positive mindset, which gives me a positive mindset as well. She also listens and doesn't judge. They help people get through very hard times. They're important because they provide a safe space for students. They help when they are short you're struggling at home or if you have any problems, they can help students out with anything that they might need help with. And they're always here for us.
428They give us support and help with whether it's about mental health, academics, or many other issues. My kid PSW colleague, Cheyenne, shared, "While many students and staff are preparing for graduation and summer break, mental health struggles continue. Depression doesn't know that we're getting closer to summer and anxiety doesn't care that you're focused on preparing for finals and state testing." According to the CDC, nearly one in five children ages 3 to 17, 21%, have been diagnosed with a mental, emotional, or behavioral health condition. We would like the LAUSD Board to publicly acknowledge the growing mental health crisis and support advocacy and funding for PSWs for all students at all schools and all programs by celebrating mental health awareness month this May. It's crucial that all students have access to mental health and PSW services. Thank you
429and look forward to seeing you in the month of May. Thank you for your time. All right, Ella Green, please press star six to unmute yourself and you have two minutes to speak when you begin. Ella Green. Ella Green, I see you're online with us. Please press star six to unmute yourself and you'll have two minutes to speak when you begin. Ella Green. Hello. Hi, please go ahead. Hello. Hi, my name is Ella Green. I am a 10th grader at North Hollywood High School and I'm currently a new member of Student Deserves and Resilient and Intro Group for All Girls Education Club. We club helps me speak up and work with others and prepare myself to be a better person for my future and make a difference. I am truly grateful to be around other
430students and staff that share the same interest with me and opportunities my school provides through high through my high school education. Reasons I feel like um pediatric social workers are important people to have in school because they bring support for students facing academic and emotional challenges. I'm really stressed through students' high school experience with essays, exams, family issues, and mental struggles and life challenges. Social workers provide resources and community programs that help stable and move students' life forward. It is common that most students stay silent and silence can affect motivation, grades, and future opportunities. Social workers help remove those barriers. Not all schools have programs like this where social workers connect and support students. I know that I want to be a part of something bigger than just in my school, but help make my
431community more fair and supportive for everyone. Thank you so much. Thank you for your time. Amir Casmere, I see you are here. Amir Casmere, are you going to use your time? Okay. Maria Daisy Ortiz, I see you're on the line. Please press star six to unmute yourself and you have two minutes to speak once you begin. Ms. Ortiz is going to speak in Spanish, so if you'd like to hear what she's saying in English, please put your hands up and we'll get you these translation headsets. Okay. Maria Daisy Ortiz, please go ahead. Can you hear me? Good afternoon, everyone. I am Maria Daisy Ortiz and I am a parent that is for a quality public education through experience that we know that charter is a business for big corporations, but parents due to negligence and
432ignorance because of the district many times they go to charter schools. And and it very obsessing with the three members that are sitting there, Mr. Melvoin, Ms. Tanya Ortiz, and Ms. Kelly Gonez because they are hypocrites. Their agendas are for charter schools, but same Ms. Carla Grego, Ms. Rivas, and Newbell by doing nothing to better education, they are accomplices. Because what did they just negotiate with the different syndicates, right? Is it more results or just an increase? Because the education that you are giving, you're abusing for my children using education for your personal interest. And their positions and it is a disgrace, honestly. So, in reality the parents what we want is better education, quality education, equity, and making sure everything is fair because with those summer programs for our English learners, English language arts
433does not function. You should be giving summer school for those English learners. You should be stop recording or stop giving rem- remediated things for our children, anything that is above eighth grade. That takes the dreams away from my children, so please stop using education for your personal benefit. Thank you and have a great evening. Okay, let me activate that mic. Please go ahead. Good evening, everyone. My name is Mariana Calderon, and I am a student at San Pedro High School. I stand here before you today because I care deeply about our future, the future of our schools, our city, and our planet. LA is a place of innovation and opportunity, but when it comes to sustainability, we're falling behind. Last time I spoke here, I addressed the single the issue of single-use plastic in our
434schools. LAUSD distributes millions of plastic items every year, and I will keep coming here until our schools minimize the distribution and use of these deadly pollutants. Plastic doesn't decompose into fragments fragments. Um some kinds taking over 1,000 years to break down into microplastics, which then make it back into our bodies. Not to mention the insane amount of water and energy it takes to actually make it, and it's not even recyclable. Fully recyclable materials include cardboard, paper, metal, glass, and aluminum, and I understand the hazards of providing some of these materials, but some can be given in place of plastic. For example, why are we Why are the vending machines stocked with plastic bottles instead of canned drinks? It's a simple switch with a big impact. I am and I am willing to bet most people
435don't know this because not enough awareness is being spread. Why not make webinars to communicate the message and urgency of properly disposing of plastic waste and other materials? You know, like the ones that warn us about drugs and bullying. None of this will matter, however, um if our recycled materials continue to be mixed with the actual trash. The solution I propose to this problem is set up a proper sanitation system. Allow custodial workers to properly dispose of the garbage we toss. It is unfair and irresponsible to handle trash the way we do when our streets, our schools look like the city right outside these doors. Now, let's talk about AI. For-profit AI platforms are everywhere, used by students, teachers, and even administrators. You pay for these services without realizing the hidden costs, the massive amount
436of water and energy they consume. A single AI-generated image uses the same amount of water as a 16-oz bottle of water. Imagine going outside and pouring that water into hot pavement. You wouldn't do it. So, why are you letting AI platforms do the equivalent of it every day? Help me raise awareness in our schools, please. I don't think I'm asking for much. It's basic human decency. We deserve to go to schools in a clean and sustainable environment. If you don't think this doesn't affect you, just think about your kids, future generations. They deserve to experience the same beauty of nature you grew up in, the the world the same world our parents grew up in. This is our home. It doesn't have the name of only one person stamped on it. There is no planet
437B, and once you once it is destroyed, it is the end for us, too. Please be a part of the change. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. This concludes public comment portion. I believe there are two adjourning motions. Yes, thank you. I do have two adjourning motions. I'd like to adjourn today's meeting in memory of Anita Prosser, the late principal of Vine Street Early Education Center. Ms. Prosser began her tenure with the district in 1984, serving as a playground supervisor, teacher, assistant early education aide, early education substitute teacher, early education teacher, before fulfilling her dream of becoming an early education principal at Vine Street in October 2025. She had big plans for the school, and I have no doubt that she would have brought them to fruition. In fact, I just saw her
438on a recent visit with some prospective parents, myself included, and she was such a passionate and enthusiastic leader that one of the parents enrolled her child right there on the spot. We send our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and the whole Vine EEC community. I'd like to adjourn today's meeting also in memory of Angelo Gascoyne, a proud Venice High graduate and beloved varsity football coach who dedicated over five decades to both the game and to supporting generations of students. As a special education teacher and 26-year head coach, he combined toughness with deep compassion, leading Venice to 12 straight straight league titles and a city championship while shaping countless lives on and off the field. His legacy lives on in his players, his colleagues, and community. He was a true Gondo, and we send our
439deepest condolences to his family, friends, and the whole Venice High community. May both their memories be for a blessing. Thank you. Is there any objection to adjournment? No objection. Okay, the time is now 4:40 p.m. on April 21st, 2026. The meeting is adjourned. Thank you.