001and also just letting them know that we really do have a sincere interest in helping their children succeed. >> As a result of these efforts, we saw average daily attendance returning back and actually exceeding the 2017 2018 level. We currently have the largest electric bus fleet of any school system in America. Every one of our buses is outfitted with next generation GPS technology. There is Wi-Fi now in every school bus. So, this is a remarkably important element of our workforce that guarantees safe, timely transportation for up to 36,000 students every single year. >> We're continuously trying to do more for our families. We want to get each and every student to their school of choice so they can grow and expand and learn and also do their part in changing our world for the better.
002>> L USD is improving doing whatever it can to make sure that students are comfortable and are ready to succeed in school. >> When you're waiting for the bus right after school, you see this fleet of like 10 buses in a row that are lined up. You see all the bus drivers coordinating together to try and like get everybody home. And it it really does feel like everyone is looking after you and that it's a really supportive community. Today we come together for what has now become a ritual that we like to repeat to allow our own students to make decisions about what they want at the table in the cafeteria. These are dishes that we had been developing for the last 3 4 months. We have all our fresh fruits and vegetables directly from
003farms. This is our opportunity to kind of showcase them with the students. So they basically tell us yay or nay. But if you add flavor to it, fresher product to it, it just sweetens the deal. >> For breakfast is our steak, egg, and cheese kalachi and our apple and guava pastalito. I really like the guava pastry because it was sweet, but not too sweet. And it was nice. >> We've got four different items for lunch. Our crispy chicken slider. >> Just delicious. You're only supposed to eat a little bit, but I'm eating the whole thing. I don't care. >> We have our mac and cheese. I give her a thumbs up. How about you? The mac and cheese. Thumbs up. >> Our third item is our beef birya burrito. And then the last item that
004we have, our winning team who helped create this dish for our celebrity chef and student competition. The dish we created was the Korean beef bin baffle. I'm glad that me and all my friends were able to have this opportunity giving out more culture, giving out more like exciting meals to the LA USD menu. And it's just cool because we're actually excited to eat and try different dishes. >> Baby to baby is one Good morning all. We're going to start very shortly here. Thank you. Okay. Good morning. The date is August 26, 2025. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. Our first meeting of the school year. Uh I'm going to take role. Miss Newell >> present. >> Dr. Ivas. Mr. Meline >> here. >> Miss Grigo >>
005here. >> Miss Gomez >> present. >> Uh Miss Ortiz Franklin I believe is joining us remotely. >> I am remote for child care. Thank you very much. Uh, board presidentson >> present. >> Okay, we have a quorum. I failed to mention we started the meeting at 10:02 a.m. Okay, we'll move right into the uh pledge of allegiance. I believe we have uh some students who are ready to join us remotely for the pledge and a first ever for a remote Zoom pledge. So, please follow along with our lovely students >> from 135th Street in Board District 7. Thank you for joining us. >> Thank you. We're ready to go. Chelsea, let's go. I pledge to the flag of the United States of America and to the world which stands one nation under God indivisible with
006liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you, Chelsea. Thank you, Miss Gdoy. Thank you. Good job, ladies. All right. And now we are going to play the land acknowledgement. It just might take one second to queue up. So I appreciate your patience. >> We acknowledge that the Los Angeles Unified School District operates on land originally and still inhabited and cared for by the Gavaleno and Fernando Tatavian 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 Gabeno people as the original stewards of the Los Angeles basin and the nearby coastal lands and the Fernando Tavium as protectors of the northern valleys. These lands have and continue to hold deep cultural and spiritual significance to their people and have shaped
007the community we live in today. We pay our respects to the hanuketam ancestors aihon elders and aohhinken our relatives and 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. >> Thank you. Uh now we have a very special moment in the program for swearing in of the brand new student board members. So I'll set up these mics. Thank you very much. While we're setting up, I just want to announce that uh the superintendent will swear in Jerry Lang Jerry Yang as a student board
008member. And in the audience, I see his mom and his dad and his sister. Very happy to have you here. And his principal, Mr. Rosales from North Hollywood High School. And his assistant principal, Mr. Chavez from North Hollywood High School. So Jerry, you're well represented with family members and school family members. So we're very very happy to have you. [Music] Well, good morning everyone. It's uh it's truly an honor and a pleasure to uh swear in Jerry Yang as the newest uh school board member, student school board member who so aly will represent uh the student body of Los Angeles Unifi, the second largest and the most improved district America. Are you ready, Jerry? >> Yes. Okay. So, repeat after me. I >> I >> state your name. >> Jerry Yang. >> Do solemnly swear
009>> that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States >> that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of California >> and the Constitution of the State of California >> against all enemies, foreign and domestic. >> against all enemies, foreign and domestic. that I will bear true faith and allegiance >> that I will bear true faith and allegiance >> to the Constitution of the United States >> the Constitution of the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of California >> and the Constitution of the State of California >> that I take this obligation freely >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion >> and that I will faithfully discharge
010the duties >> and that I will faithully Y discharged the duties >> upon which I am about to enter. >> You are now a student school board member. Congratulations. [Applause] And now Jerry's going to take his official seat as student board member. And Jerry, if you'd like to say a few words, this is your time. And make sure you push the button. That's it. Okay. >> Grab it. Let's see. Okay. I have to lean over a little bit. Uh um hello board members, superintendent, students, teachers, and parents. I'm Jerry Yang. No, not like the one who founded Yahoo, although I did Yahoo when I found out I was elected student board member. But on a more serious note, I'm honored to have been elected into this position and would like to thank all the students
011of LA USD for trusting me to represent your voices and interests on the board of education. But I would be remiss to gloss over all those who have helped me become who I am today. I would first like to thank my principal, Mr. Rosales, and the North Hollywood High School administration for creating countless opportunities to lead and drive change within the local community. To my teachers, Miss Deutsch, Miss Underwood, and Miss Garcia, thank you for believing in me, developing my leadership, and supporting me every step of the way throughout high school. I wouldn't be here today without your support planning field trips, editing speeches, performing musical numbers, and organizing school events. To the LA City Youth Development Department, where I found my voice, my passion, and my dedication to helping underserved communities rise up, thank
012you for providing me with an unforgettable experience impacting citywide priorities. To the Student Empowerment Unit, and to Dr. Franco, thank you for providing dozens of opportunities to students across the district to engage with officials and influence district policy. The opportunities they have provided gave me the knowledge and the pathway to perform my duties in this position to the best of my ability and the capacity to record lots of engaging and silly videos that will be released starting today on Instagram at student.empowerment.unit. And finally, thank you to my family for helping me come up with the opening joke and for supporting me day in and day out, driving me all across LA, and for driving me to be a better, more empathetic, and more optimistic person. Joining this extension of the family that LUSD fosters, embarking
013on this new journey, I will strive to represent all students fairly to the fullest extent. I know right now can be a trying time, but I stand in solidarity with all the students and the school district when I say that our schools are a safe place for everyone. And I'm proud of LUSD for keeping our schools and students safe and secure. And to the students out there, if you ever have any questions, comments, or ideas, don't hesitate to reach out to student board member lausd.net where I can promise you'll be heard. Thank you. Beautiful. [Applause] Wow, what an honor, not only for Jerry, but for his family, too, right? This is a beautiful day for you. I know that, too. In case you didn't know, this is our first board meeting of the new school
014year. And I want to just say good morning to all of our staff, all of our students, and our community members. And for those who do not know, I'm Scott Schmarlson. I am the board president and I also represent board district 3. Jerry's home is in board district 3. I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the start of the 2025 2026 school year. A lot of events have transpired this summer and some of them posted significant challenges. These challenges range from social to fiscal, environmental, and many more. However, it did not deter this district or our staff from the building and grounds crews, the teachers, the administrators, and many others from fulfilling their roles. We have all spent this past summer preparing for the new school year, planning for obstacles that may
015come our way. The board and I trust in our staff to ensure that this year our students are safe from any potential issues that may arise. However, I understand that it means nothing if the community, if the parents, and if the students do not feel this way. That being said, I am happy to read reports that LUSD had higher than anticipated attendance during its first week of school to kick off the new school year. With everything that is going on around us, many parents might be wondering about the safety of their children. At LUSD, we believe that student safety is the top priority. Yes, even even more important than academic achievement, student safety is the top priority. Students can only learn if they're in a safe environment surrounded by people who care about them. And
016the attendance report from the past week shows that parents still trust us to take their children and help them achieve high academic standards. But more importantly, provide a safe environment. To our LUSD parents and caregivers, we thank you for trusting you with our ch trusting you with our ch trusting us with your children and all in the district will continue to rise to the occasion. Our goal for this year is not simply to remain stagnant. We want to exceed last year's accomplishments and continuously improve. There were challenges last year and there will be more this year. But to reiterate, I and this board have the utmost confidence in our staff to remain committed to the well-being of all of our students. So, welcome back, Los Angeles Unified family. It's good to see you all again.
017Thank you very much, Mr. Superintendent. Thank you very much. Uh, Mr. President, I want to just take a moment after Jerry uh has been sworn in to welcome him formally now as a student school board member. I too am thrilled to have met u your family. Um seems like you're going a different direction. They all told me that they're stems team inclined engineers, but uh who knows maybe we have a politician in the making here. We certainly need your talent, your determination, and your representation. Secondly, I'd like to echo the the sentiments of our board president regarding uh the first days of this school year, the way we closed out last school year and all the anticipation and good wishes going out to our teachers, our principles, our support staff, certainly our students, and our
018families. We cannot promise that this incoming school year will be one without challenge. We've already seen it. Whether we're talking about immigration raids, uh, increased levels of poverty, ongoing homelessness with available beds for families, practically non-existent at this point in our community, pain and suffering, anguish, uh, anxiety, depression felt by many. We remain steadfast in support of our families, our students, and certainly our workforce. We are that one district that has not done what other districts have done. I want to just reemphasize one more time, lest it be forgotten by some. We did not riff anyone this year and we find ourselves in an exclusive club in not doing so. We did not fire terminate anyone. Secondly, we were able to post the highest level, record levels of academic achievement with the impossible actually having
019been realized with all grade levels, all disciplines, all subgroups moving in a positive direction. In fact, not only meeting but exceeding significantly prepandemic achievement levels. That is a testament to the determination, the expertise, and the compassion of those who teach in our classrooms every single day, those who support our students. It's also a testament to the vision of this board with an exceedingly difficult strategic plan that elevates goals that are tough to achieve, but necessary to provide the energy our district needs to do right by the children of our community. During the very first days of school, we've seen, as our president said, very high attendance levels, but we are concerned about enrollment levels, particularly enrollment levels specific to some of the most fragile communities of students amongst us, international newcomers, and others. We will
020not cease our efforts in attempting to connect with every family, every student in our school district. We began doing so about two weeks before the school year began with about 12,000 calls made and over 1,000 homes visited. And we heard firsthand the challenges, the fears, the anxiety, the stress that many families are experiencing. We did not stop there. We have been communicating to entities at all levels across the country about the need to create exclusion zones guaranteeing safe passage for kids, particularly sometime before the school day begins and sometime after the school day ends within a reasonable distance from schools to ensure if nothing else recognizing the fact that there are no sidewalks for immigrant children and sidewalks for everyone else. Everybody walks the same sidewalk to spare at the very least the trauma that
021would be impact imparting on our children's minds should they witness something that is confusing and alarming to most adults. We will continue our efforts to ensure that what we have done as a district over the past two years continues. elevating academic performance, elevating attendance, reversing enrollment declines through no fault of this district, and ensuring that every student, every student is respected from who they are and nothing else. This is a great school district, and it is, Mr. President, and members of the board, my honor, my team's honor to serve this district. We may not necessarily agree on everything, but we agree on the fundamental issues and I'm speaking on behalf of our team, but I know we are aligned with many in our community, whether they are advocacy agencies, labor partners in ensuring that our
022students are safe, our workforce is protected, everyone's rights are observed, and everyone works and lives with the dignity, the humanity that they deserve. So, thank you very much. and I can guarantee to you we will have a fantastic 2025 2026 school year. Thank you. >> Thank you very Thank you very much, Mr. Carvayo. And I I assure you that's how all your board members feel the same way. So, thank you so much. It's time for labor partners. Do we have any labor partners in the audience right now? UTLA, come on up, please. Good morning. Just over two months ago, this board voted unanimously in support of a resolution reaffirming its commitment to community schools. I didn't say who I was. My name is Cesley Meyer Cruz. I'm the president of United Teachers Los Angeles. This
023resolution committed to funding and expanding the program. It also committed to collaboration between this district and the community schools steering committee to bring recommendations to this board on future community schools sites, infrastructure, and funding needs by the end of the 2526 school year. And lastly, it resolved that the district shall not reconfigure the community schools infrastructure or staffing without this board approval. Rather than engage and collaborate as directed by this board, the district came to the UTLA bargaining table of 140 educators last week and presented a proposal to cut funding for community schools after this current school year. We are deeply concerned by a proposal that not only harms school communities but directly undermines this board. Meanwhile, in the middle of a traumatic and unprecedented attacks by federal law enforcement in our communities, UTLA members
024across the district are hearing from administrators that schools are unable to use existing school site budgets for much needed health and human services staff, including psychiatric social workers and pupil service counselors. because unfilled positions are being eliminated. How is this district living up to the promises it makes so easily in the media? Promises to support students and protect students and families who are under attack. We just heard from the superintendent. by reducing the number of staff who are trained in traumainformed responses and social emotional support. There are 51 fewer psychiatric social worker positions budgeted and 32 fewer staff compared to last year at this time. Meanwhile, students needs are greater than ever. Our babies are witnessing and hearing about kidnappings and raids in their communities every single day. Fewer social workers compared to last year
025is unacceptable. Again, this board has stood on the right side of history on many issues facing our school communities, but the administration time and time again is at best failing to follow the board's lead and at worst intentionally undermining it to test its labor partners. When it comes to the expense of our students, we will not stand for this. Last Tuesday, Union Delario along with UTLA held a press conference on the steps outside bringing to light Rita High School senior Benhame Marcelo Guerrero Cruz as well as Nori from Miguel Contraras Learning Complex. Has anyone here been in contact with those families? Has anyone been to Adilanto to visit Ben Hamin? His teacher has. And what she recounted was inhumane, degradation, and a mother's worst fears. I am a single mom of a son in this
026district and I cannot imagine this type of pain. We have a duty of care to advocate and stand in the gap for our students and the time is now to act. We cannot be on press conferences saying that we do this this this this this for immigration and not have real teeth in what we are doing. We are calling on this district and the superintendent to be on the right side of history. Somebody here has a driver. Y'all can go to Adalanto and visit Ben Hamin. Make that happen right right now. We are calling on this district with formal demands that any students who have been kidnapped from state sanctioned violence that they are returned home and provided amnesty. We call on this district to be a leader in providing legal support for all those
027affected by the immigration raids, including joint litigation for families and educators that have been impacted and provide legal representation. There are more. There are other things. Creating real safety plans at school sites when these folks come to our campus. These are our communities. Last uh two days ago down in the harbor at Terminal Island, our community patrols watched and videotaped ICE agents saying a kidnapping we will go. That is happening in our communities and we must do something about it. These are our communities. These are our schools. These are our babies and the time is now to act. I am urging this board and the superintendent to do something other than have a press conference. Press conferences are great. Where is the real legs on the ground? I am urging you guys to do what
028is right. >> Thank you very much. Any other labor partners who wish to speak? Okay, come on down. See Mr. Gomez, school police. Good morning. My name is Gil Gomez. I'm the president of the LA School Police Officers Association. Um, when you guys are trying to figure out your budget, don't forget us. Don't forget school police. Don't forget that the school police officers work with the the the Met clinicians. It's a combination. If you have mental health concerns at your school, call the Met team. I'd like to expand the MET team. I think that um it's noble for for individuals that don't have the skill set to deal with federal officers to try to get a a plan together and that that is noble, but you actually have professional um a professional police department, a
029professional police department that works with a mental health crisis team. So, don't hesitate to call them. Um, I I think that it's it's it's very important to shed light on individuals and I and I'm I am no fan of police officers wearing masks and running around the city of Los Angeles um conducting work. Police officers for LAPD, school police, LA County Sheriffs do not I understand the term doxing and all kinds of other issues. I'm that's not a problem that that we have with our department. Um but I I'm I'm not a fan of this. Having said that, you have a school police department, expand the school police department, put more clinicians in the in the vehicles with police department so they could serve the school districts that they were paid to serve. Um, changing
030gears. I I I read a a Howard Bloom article that's talking about CTE, career and technical education. This is beautiful. This is about time. I know we we've had it. I went I went to um last year a a a huge um I don't know what you would call it display um putting the CT credentials out for everybody to see. I waited in line for like 30 minutes and it is career changing. I have a family member that's actually getting their cyber security certification very soon because of this long overdue. Um, I've know we've had these these these um educational components, but they've been in the shadows. It's it's great to see them at the forefront. I hope that CTE expands. I think that it it's getting giving young people a chip in the game.
031One of the flyer that came out that they were talking about CTE classes to to get your phabbotomy license certificate. That's a $30 an hour job. That's a $65,000 a year job that somebody can get while they go while they go to college. um so somebody could get so they could support their family. So I don't think that lately the district, the board and the superintendent have been getting the credit they deserve. Um so you got to give credit where credit is due. So um good job on that. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Thank you, Gil. Anyone else labor partners? If not, we will go to our superintendence reports. >> Thank you very much, Mr. President. Uh the first report was the first week of school, the opening of 2526 school year. I
032already provided details on that. We remain committed uh to every single pronouncement via policy as adopted by this board. And I anticipate that this school year will be no different. uh we will follow the guidance uh do what is right by our community, our students and certainly our workforce despite the many challenges that abound um in our state and certainly around our district. Despite financial conditions, uh we make commitments that we are certainly more than honored and able to uh respect and follow. That includes the job protection as I spoke about earlier. That includes doing what's right by our kids, protecting their rights, not just in words, but through welldocumented actions. We will do all that we can, inclusive of legal protection at no cost to children, every child in our district, and the necessary
033protections for members of our workforce who may be DACA or TPS recipients. We are well on our way in terms of doing that. No child shall be forgotten by this district as no child has been forgotten by this district. This is a personal, professional and a moral commitment that we all embrace in a very significant manner. Uh shifting gears for a bit. Uh today we have some individuals wearing white coats. They're not lab coats. They are uh the uniforms of our chefs in our kitchens across Los Angeles unified. I'm very excited to share my my second report of the day, the student and chef culinary showdown which was ho was hosted by the food services division in collaboration with the division of instruction and career and technical education team. This is a true example of
034Los Angeles Unifi's commitment to preparing students for high demand, high-paying careers and ensuring that every student, every student is ready for the world upon graduation, whether it is with a technical certificate, a two-year college program, or certainly a university um program. This event which was witnessed uh and and uh and participated by some of you as board members and members of our community provided our students with the opportunity to partner with well-known successful chefs who are stars in their own rights. Very competitive arena. The students and the chefs used nothing but fresh local ingredients while meeting the highest level of USDA regulations and requirements. The five culinary teams came from Banning, Huntington Park, Polytenic, Stoayor, and San Franando high schools, and they competed in the culinary showdown where each team was supported and coached by
035their chef instructor as well as the celebrity chefs. The winning team's recipe was in fact recently selected to be featured on our district's school menus this year. The team also received an all expense paid trip to the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley and a tour of the world famous French Laundry Restaurant and Associated Farm. Our five celebrity chefs are Jet Tila, uh, three-time daytime Emmy and James Beard nominee. He's a restaurant owner, a best-selling author, and a well-known feature in the Food Network. Michael Reid, the classically trained chef and and co-owner of Poppy and Rose right here in downtown LA and the root of all food uh catering. We had Jasse Sanchez, uh a famous and tenure faculty culinary arts chief instructure instructor at Mission College with over three decades of experience. Dr.
036Claudia Cerato, LA based culinary anthropologist, a chef, and a scholar. Uh, Naisha Arrington, co-star of the hit culinary competition, Next Level Chef, and currently the the owner of Native by Naisha, located at the Terminal 3 of LAX. And um for more on what uh really took place at this incredible event, we're going to bring up uh Manish Singh, the director of food services division, and our various student and chef culinary showdown participants to the podium. Uh you will see chef Naisha Arrington, chef instructor Monica Garcia, uh Brandon Espinosa, a Polyh High School student, and by the way, Polyh High was the winning team once again. and and their dish their dish is now being served across Los Angeles Unified. I believe it is a um a beef Korean beef uh dish um that really mesmerized
037our board president. It was a tasting event, but he didn't taste he just ate >> the whole thing. Uh so we have Brandon Espinosa, Samantha Viegas, also from Poly High, Julisa Para, Polyh High graduate, by the way, uh Samantha and Julisa have already graduated but came back. Uh and Manisha's food services team, Jamie Ginsburg, Florence Simpson, and Javier Gutierrez. But before that, let's just uh watch uh a little promo video uh that is 2 minutes long that really speaks elegantly to what took place recently. >> It's our student and celebrity chef culinary showdown. >> You guys ready? So, you guys ready to cook? We bring our culinary students and pair them with a celebrity chef who's been advising them for about 6 to 8 months. Working together to create a dish that uses some of
038our farm to school produce and to transform that dish into something that all of our students can enjoy. >> All right, that's it. Official start. 45 minutes. >> Ready? Go. >> There are five culinary schools. The winning recipe of today, it will be in our menu next year. We have invited judges here today, celebrity chef >> guys. Susan Vener, this is one of your judges, world famous >> and a board member as well as our students because this is the food that ultimately they're eating every day. >> The winning dish that's going to go on the LA USB menu has to meet the nutritional guidelines, but really for me it's about the flavor of the food, the presentation, and I think does it make sense for the menu for the kids? from the plating, the
039display of the ingredients. Very alluring, very very exciting. >> We have poly tech. >> I think students will enjoy the different textures of our dish. >> So mayor, >> we've been working after school, practicing, testing, >> I think this competition is a good way to just have fun cooking. >> Huntington Park. >> We are going to win today because our team is very powerful. San Fernando. >> We're going to win because we're really confident. We want this. >> Oh, no. We're definitely >> Oh. Oh, that's okay. What he says? Yeah. >> For a lot of kids like myself who might never have that opportunity, cooking is a bridge to a bigger life. >> I'm really excited to see which team's dish makes it on the school menu. >> Oh my god, this is so exciting.
040You have no idea. [Applause] Good morning, board president Schmemellen, board members, Superintendent Carvalo. Um, thank you for showcasing some of the stuff which my team does. >> I don't want to interrupt you. I'm so sorry. But we have some members also participating remotely. Yes, I believe uh Chef Jesse is also remote and so is Chef Jet. >> Um and I believe also >> Chef Reed and Jet Tilly. Yes, there he is. >> And Michael Reed should be there, too. >> Someone's going to click a button and then he will he will appear on the screen momentarily. I see Chef Reed. There we are. >> All right. >> Oh, there he is. Okay. Alrighty. And of course, we have Chef Naisha Arrington here. and um she was supporting the winning team. Jerry was there also as
041a judge at this event. Uh and of course we had um board member Gonz there as well. So it was well attended. It was a great event. Really fun. I'd like to introduce my team at this point of time. Chef Jamie Ginsburg who's our resident chef. Uh she is a CIA graduate. Has done wonderful things for our uh division. uh Florence Simpson, she is our deputy director. Florence oversees procurement, the central kitchen as well as all the menu development, etc. And then Javier Gutierrez is our regional manager and he oversees the Newman Center, the food truck. Anytime you need a food truck, he's the man. All right. So, and then of course we have Esther. Without Esther, we couldn't have done this. You know, Esther and Sema were really big supports for us. and Haimey
042is being shy. Uh but this video creation was his creation. Uh so as you can see within our own LG network is such a collaboration and that's how teamwork works. And to the winning team and to Monica, thank you so much for everything. Um you know really appreciate what you did and of course it's going to be on the menu and then more things are going to follow. So, so we have some >> before the uh before the the proclamation, let's let's uh have our two remarkable chefs, Chef Reed and Chef Tilla uh provide us with some some comments and and maybe some food. uh to the president, the board, um superintendent, the team. Um I just want you all to know what an honor it was to be a part of this as a
043native Angelino and as a uh you know, a person who grew up all over this city. I was it was such an honor to be such um a part of this and um congratulations to the winners. Uh, and like I said in the video, food was my bridge to a brighter future um, in this amazing city and I hope it is for you and I hope I get a chance for a rematch for the next set of students in San Fernando. Um, but congratulations to you all and uh, my family, myself, my team will always be here to support um, LA USD, this great city and uh, thank you for letting us be a part of this. Jeffrey. >> Yes. Um Jed said it so beautifully, you know, like honestly, thank you guys for the
044board members, to all the students that let us participate in this. It was my first time doing it this year and it was just a remarkable to see these young kids with so much talent pour out so much energy and love into their food. Um, and giving them that opportunity that really sparks their curiosity and interest and wants them to go to school is a very important thing to me. Um, and just teaching them how to cook in general. So, what you guys put on was just absolutely amazing. I would love to be a part of it again for next year's challenge and go for that ground. Are you sure? Michael, uh, would you see if Chef Jesse Sanchez is on? super honored to be a part of these amazing humans who put everything they
045had into the ideation and the process and the execution. It's really inspiring as a chef, myself as well as Jack coming up in Los Angeles and being a part of this ecosystem. Um, being able to go to the garden and get inspired by the ingredients and then be able to fuel the young beautiful minds of LA is uh truly truly an honor. So, I'm really proud this guy's did it all the way. And coach, I mean, it's amazing. Congrats. >> Do you want to describe what make us hungry? What the the winning dish? Wasn't it the the Korean beef pimbab bowl, right? Um the students were giving ingredients that are used on at the daily cafeteria menu. Uh we use uh whole grain rice um beef crumble uh vegetables that we use from local farms.
046and the students had to come up with uh something new that will bring in the students to want to come and eat the daily school lunch menu. So, they created a Korean inspired BBOP bowl uh with some spiciness, something that wasn't really on the daily usual burger sandwich that they would normally get every day, something so they wanted something refreshed. So, the students came up with the idea. We tested it in the kitchen. Uh we I teach in the CTE department. I teach uh in the hospitality and food services. So we started testing since November, December of last year. And we were making batches and we just started testing it out within our small group of students and then we were just giving it out to the class and the students were liking it. So
047we just had to finish up some final touches and we just went for it. So as a teacher it is uh really nice to see how they come in the classroom not knowing that maybe this is what they want to do as a career and to just come in and you can spark that little light into someone and decide that they want to go to culinary school. It's a big honor as a teacher. That's what you want to do. So if you can do that to one student and impact the life of a student like that, you've already had it done. So as a teacher, I feel like a great honor to have been impact have been an impact into these students life. So as of as of now, I am winning in life. So
048thank you. >> I see that chef Shan Sanchez has joined us uh remotely. Thank you very much, Chef Monica. Thank you. What a fantastic uh words you shared. And uh I just want to thank the board and all of the teachers who actually put a lot of work and time into this. Uh you guys did a fantastic work. I do I'm a I'm a professor at Los Angeles Mission College. We love teaching young minds the skills of cooking. As Chef Stila stated, it's a life skill for them for them. And we really really appreciate all of those of you guys who are in the trenches teaching. Chef Monica, you are just fantastic on uh guiding your team. And Chef Tila, keep co keep coaching. Right. And we're at Mission College. We are looking forward to
049see many of you guys from high school. Come join us. Uh we have a wonderful facilities um where we love to share our knowledge uh and to share the ideas that you might create. So this is you are the new chefs, the uh the new uh people serving great food and LA USD. As a father of two on LUSD, we really love to have fresh food. Uh love to see all of these new ingredients and and again thanks to the board, thanks to all of you who supported this program and Los Angeles Mission College is open for you for the following year. Uh let's plan on and uh let's let's get this party started. We'll bring some food to you. Seenor Cavalo. Um, next time around, thank you very much for all your hard work.
050>> Thank you, Jet, Michael, Jesse, Aisha, and of course, uh, Dr. Claudia Sarata wasn't able to join us. She was teaching. Uh, but you know, we have conveyed our thanks to her for all that she did for us. So sir, >> Manisha, I'd like to give an opportunity to the board members to comment if because this is such an important event. I I'll start with myself and I just want to tell you when I was principal, all the kids wanted was hamburger or pizza. And if there wasn't hamburger or pizza that day, they weren't interested. Now, now they're willing to try everything. And that's really, really important. Healthy, healthy foods. And Manish, one thing that you never mentioned that is so important is there is nothing fried in the cafeteria. I would swear that some
051of that stuff is fried, but it's not. It's baked, but so well that it seems like it's fried. So just compliments. Kelly, anything? >> Oh, it was just such a privilege to be there um to witness such magic in the kitchen. I feel like this event really highlighted the best of LA USD, our food program where we're feeding three meals a day to so many students. And I feel like there's this um mythos around cafeteria food and around kids being stigmatized for relying on free meals. But I think in this district um that's a point of pride that we provide that food for our students. And we also believe it should taste good. Our kids deserve to have pleasure and joy when they eat the food that we provide for them. Um, so it highlights
052the best of our program, the fresh food that we're bringing in, the produce locally, um, and then just the incredible talent of our students and our wonderful instructors. Um, they are truly brilliant. It was just a gift to me to be able to enjoy, um, the culinary treasures that they put together. And I can't wait for next year. Um, I know that board district 6 will continue to be on top. We've got amazing students. >> Thank you. Thank you, Carla. >> Um, yes. Um, congratulations. One of my schools actually participated, Huntington Park High School. I went to visit them last week and they had breakfast for us and it was amazing. I just so impressed with the talent. Um but I want to commend you teacher because um what you have done in your profession
053right now is helped these young people find their passion. And we all know that as we are growing up and especially in our teen years, we want to find that one thing that can help us get through so many difficult moments that we have just in general as teenagers. And you have this that you have a beautiful talent that who does not like to eat, right? Everybody loves to eat. And so you can share this beautiful talent with so many people and you know you can know that you will bring joy when you do this. So thank you. I'm grateful that we are able as a district to offer this because like the the culinary, like music, like art, these are the things that um that really bring us joy and um and and the
054things that we that are not measured on the ESPA, right? But they are certainly measures of just how you feel in general and the kind of human being that you will be as you go on into into the world. So, congratulations to you. I hope that I can taste your food one day. It seems very popular. So, maybe I'll stop by Polly one time and taste it. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Carla Nick. >> Thank you. So, I thought it was cool a few months ago when I just went to the Newman Nutrition Center and saw Jamie and her team. And no offense to Jamie, there were no celebrities there, but it was still amazing to see it. Um, and uh just what a production that you all have there. And you know, thank
055you to our celebrity chefs, not only for participating and showing career paths for our incredibly talented students, but also for helping get the word out about what, as my colleagues allude to what we're doing here. Um, it's been incredible over the last few years under under Minish's leadership and superintendent and this board. The innovation we're seeing from three meals a day to the largest food relief effort in school American history during COVID to the student taste tests to the Comey ovens to um seeing uh to the food truck to seeing even what Jamie was doing um looking at new uh ingredients. When I was there a few months ago, mac and cheese was something we were looking at, not just the kind of, you know, out of a box, but actually um fresh milk and
056figuring out kind of the food science and the chemistry of how to get the nutritional elements that are required by the federal government. Um, and also having that taste test and then seeing what's happening at our school campuses. I um my youth advisory council, we actually had our final session of the year at SOS, Surino Center for Enriched Studies. It has a state-of-the-art kitchen and those students cooked a gourmet meal that actually had won competitions. Um, and when folks understand what's going on there, uh, you know, it it is remarkable. And then you say that we're doing that at like a$127 per meal or something and it really blows people's minds. So, thank you for to the celebrity chefs for helping us um, tell this story. I think that, you know, that's a cooking show
057I would watch. So, we should think about I know it's it's precarious times for public television, but to the extent that we can use KLCS and others to promote what you're doing, but the amazing work that you're doing and I look forward to just like your celebrity chef mentors going to your restaurants um in LA in years to come um and coming to schools before then. But thank you uh Manish and Jamie and your team and all the incredible work that we uh see. you know, it's the the production um just getting the food out to the c to a thousand school campuses is a huge production. And now so now to think about using fresh produce and the farm-to-table stuff that we're doing at a time when um our our partners in in Washington
058and Sacramento to to that extent should be supporting it and instead they're making it harder and we're still finding a way to do everything from supporting our students to supporting local farmers to supporting the incredible workforce at LA Unified. So, thanks for this opportunity to showcase it and and really excited to continue to do it. And I will say we've had it as a board, but when I'm at schools, too, we're we're eating those school meals. I'm excited for the bimabot bowl, but even the teriyak and the chalupas and that mac and cheese, Jamie, I'm really excited to to try soon. So, thank you all. >> Thank you, Nick. Jerry. >> Yes. Like Mr. Sing said, "I was at the chef showdown as well as the student judge and and wow, I'm just really proud
059of the district to see, you know, students being incorporated in all these different decisions, even with school food. You know, something that's always been a a point of note for for students when talking to me. Um, but also seeing the students being able to shape their own dishes and really represent the diverse and unique cultures that can be found across all LA USD schools. So, thank you to all the students and staff who participated, organized, and made this happen. It it made me feel like I was a judge for Master Chef or something. So that was really cool. Um, and thank you especially to the students who participated uh and continued to learn in these culinary pathways as well without you showing up and showing out. There wouldn't be these opportunities. So thank you for
060being an example of, you know, what an amazing engaged and dedicated student looks like. And one last note, I just wanted to say that the food that Polyh High made was truly amazing. It was like restaurant grade, you know, chef's kiss. Thank you. >> Thank you, Jerry Rosio. Um definitely um the food being served here in our district has definitely changed since I was a student um at LUSD. Um for me, my favorites were the burritos and they still are. But um I'm just glad to know that our students now are able to um enjoy culinary um culinaries from different parts of the of of our you know nation of our country. You know it represents the multi- um diversity here in the district and for a student to be eating something that you know
061that they know of that they can you know feel connected to and that's what it's about. We connect through food, right? That is some where breaking bread with someone or sharing something that is close to your culture or where you grew up um is tremendous. I grew up in Korea Town, so for me, Korean food and also Japanese food, eating sushi was just like for a little Mexican girl like myself was like, "What is this? I want more of it." And now knowing that our students and our our children like my son um who's in high school is able to to enjoy this and connect with it is tremendous. And to know that um you know our students like yourselves are going to be leaving our district knowing exactly what you want to do. You've
062in you know you've connected to your passion and what better way to connect with food. Um, for me, I I feel very close to being to chefs and and kitchens. Um, my father is a chef. Uh, well, he's retired, uh, Chef Tino, and I grew up with him in the kitchen, you know, doing everything. And I was just amazed at at what he could create with, you know, just some ingredients and creating art because this is what it is. It's an art. It's gast gastronomy, right? It's an art um of a form of art where you're creating something beautiful and then you're sharing it with others, right? So my um um my um sincere you know um wishes for all of you and for all of our students to connect with um this wonderful art
063of culinary culinary arts and um and I know that um in this great city where you know it's just we're foodies all over this city and we have great restaurants that one day I'll be we'll be going to a restaurant and I'll be an LUSD alum who is a chef who owns a restaurant who is featured like these wonderful um you know chefs um and that have been there for you to show you their skills as well and that for me will be just the top of of you know the icing on the cake I guess you could say and um so I look forward to that and I look forward to every single student who's going to be able to connect uh with culinary arts with our wonderful CTE programs and um so yeah,
064thank you. >> Thank you, Rosio Charlotte. >> Yes. Well, congratulations. Yeah, clap it up. Clap it up. Um this is amazing. Amazing. Um as we were watching, I was like I was waiting to binge. I wanted to watch some more. Like you want to see the next episode. uh and you waiting for the plates to come through and give us all a sample up here on the deis. So, but it was exciting just to see the passion that you guys put into it and that we're able to do that in our schools. We're able to do that and I appreciate just the time of the chef that you have given to our students uh to inspire them to give them vision for what they want to see. uh and appreciate the teachers, the coaches of
065CTE that continue this throughout our district and opening more doors, I'm hoping. And uh board six, watch out, board one is coming. Um we're getting prepared um as uh as we speak. Actually, my son is now taking a culinary class, so he's excited um to be able to do this because he likes to eat. So, you need to know how to cook. Uh so, it's not always on mom or dad. So that's always a a plus when you're able to, you know, fend for yourself. Uh but wanted to just say thank you for the work put in. Thank you for all the teams that showed up and um just the opportunity to be able to do as mentioned farmtotable is is amazing. And to have a passion to have something that you look forward to
066uh putting together science and um art together, it's amazing to be able to see it displayed. the the effort put into it, the talent, the the appreciation for healthy food and then contributing to our district in such a way and the legacy of what you provide I think is amazing because what you're doing now is going to be here for many many years to come and so we appreciate what you've done and you guys are you know now on the menu so you got some boasting rights now which is amazing you can walk around and say yeah I I did that so for that. So, wanted to say thank you. And as I was coming here, so many things have changed. I saw the food truck going on the tin as I was coming this
067way. So, we are doing amazing things in LA Unified. And so, I want to say thank you again and just appreciate your work and appreciate what you're doing and thank you to all the chefs for being here and Manish and your team for continuing this effort as we continue to change the lives in LA USD. So, thank you so much and congrats again. >> Thank you, Charlotte. And final words for Mr. Melvin. >> Just wanted to add one thing. Um because in opportunities like this, I want to thank the community and the voters and mention that one of the things that we put in the bond that was passed last November was around $300 million for a central kitchen um to do more um directly well farmtot like cooked food as opposed to uh frozen
068and reheated food. And we know a lot of our school campuses only have the opportunity to reheat foods. Um, and so one actually as I'm thinking about it would be great at an upcoming board meeting or committee of the whole to have an update. I know that it's still only well I guess we're coming up to a year on the bond, but think about that. Um, but also just want to plug that that was a real priority of mine and I know this board and making sure that in addition to the upgrades we're doing to schools, this would be a new facility. Um, $300 million to do more of take your creations, cook them daily, and bring them directly to students and so they have that fresh food. So, just wanted to thank voters for
069supporting that and make a plug and and maybe we'll get an update on that soon. >> Thank you, Nick. Mr. McClean, a last word. >> A very rare word for me. I also have been working with Jamie and Javier and the board members who work through lunch on board meeting days will also be eating the exact same foods that are prepared by the kitchen so that the people who are making the decisions are eating the food. >> Thank you so much. So we are so honored that we would like to come down to you all of you when you are get given your proclamation and take a picture with all of you. We are really truly honored. Thank you. [Applause] Congrats. Congratulations. Congratulations. Thank you for >> Oh, you have inspired some of your beautiful
070I have a son who loves to cook and he makes me so happy. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Pleasure. A pleasure, teacher. Rachel was there. >> Hi. >> Oh, thank you. It was important for us to push it. Initially, we were told, "Oh, you can't do that on a school facility." And I was like, >> I kind of out. I was like, we're going to do it. >> Hey, congratulations. Thank you. Congrats. Good. How are you? >> Congratulations to you. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Come back. I know. >> All right. very good for this proclamation to give him. >> Congratulations. >> We'll see you again, right? Definitely. >> It's a grind. >> Monica on top. [Music] >> Yeah, we have >> the winning team, right? >> Yes, we have Samantha. acknledge.
071>> Okay. [Music] Good job. And now you get restaurant. Was it no water? >> Yeah. credits to you. He's been here a long time and he's weathered a lot of storms. >> She's north. I know I remember when I retired, but I don't know. I may run for school. I remember that day very well. certificion. >> We have ever since he was a principal. >> Oh my god. He can't support that, you know, showcasing And I think it's showing more Okay, board members, we have another recognition coming up. >> All right. Thank you. You, too, Jerry. Come on back. Okay. Okay, all our board members are back. The fun continues with our next presentation from our superintendent. >> Uh, thank you very much. This is a bittersweet recognition uh because it touches so many of
072us including myself. All of you have known uh Manny for far longer than I've known Manny. Um after all, he's been with Los Angeles Unified for 34 years. He started out in back in 1991 as a light bus driver and within six months he was promoted to a a heavy bus driver and today he's still heavy on a pedal. Not much has changed. He was rotating between a light bus driver and heavy bus driver until 2001 when he became the sergeant of arms in the office of the superintendent. Manny is many things to many people. Uh to me he's like the human version of ways, the human version of Google maps and the old Thomas Guide allin one. Manny knows the city. I mean, he does not need Google Maps. He beats ways every day.
073He knows the best way, every way, the fastest way to get to every LUSD school and property. We cannot say he follows the rules of the road all the time, but he is always safe, honorable, respectful, kind to everyone. He's been a a pillar in the office of the superintendent, well known to you for 24 years. Honestly, he has driven, I'm told, 10 different superintendents. He has outstayed all previous superintendents but one. He is the real deal. Manny, thank you. Thank you for being a friend. Thank you for being a solid voice every single day. Thank you for keeping secrets, my own and everybody else's. Manny says he's got a book to write, but he won't. Thank you for teaching me about LA, for showing me the shortcuts, the places to visit, the streets to
074avoid, the best tacos to eat, for getting me to meetings safely and on time, for always listening, and honestly, for your true friendship. this district, the office will not be the same without you. We say that, you know, people come and go. Manny is not the kind of person that will be easily or ever forgotten. A couple of things that you need to know. He certainly has deserved and earned this retirement. I predict that Gloria, his beloved wife of many years, six months from today, we'll send him back. Uh or his beloved son Michael will tell him one time to Manny that he wants to go to the steakhouse, his favorite steakhouse. Not the one close to the house, but his favorite one. On weekends, Manny will continue to play soccer and then complain about
075the pain in his body on Monday morning and then go back at it again on the weekend. Manny will be enjoying his soigning blanc for he does not drink red and only one glass on a good weekend. Manny, you are the real deal. Thank you, my friend. Thank you for representing all that do what you do in such an honorable and professional way. This community, this district loves you, appreciates you, and respects you. Thank you, Superintendent. Thank you. Say it's very sweet my wife. I want to thank my wife. I think she's watching and my son Michael allow me to be with with you 24 25 years. And yes, 10 of you. And we tried to count all the board members that probably passed 30. Sam, Janita Hayes, Tekki, Miss Castro, Mike Lansing, Monica Garcia,
076Miss Or I mean Miss Corinstein, Miss Lamont, Steve Zeamer, Blarbe, McKenna, Tamar Allen, you name it. A lot of them. I forgot some probably. My co-workers, I can name most of them. Amalia, Raquel, Monica, Zuniga, Lisa. I mean, I can go over on and off for 25 years. I will be the last man standing, but the last man standing has to keep on going. You did your homework, superintendent. Thank you. Thank you. And uh again, bey street because I got to go and move on and and you know and move on through the like I tell people through the big the front door you know where we still enjoy what we doing to the last minute and I think and I tell people wherever you end up board member office superintendent uh anywhere make the
077best out of it. That's that's that's what I always said it to my colleagues, my people. Make the best out of it. And that's what I did for 25 34 years. Nine with the kids and 25 with the big one big kid. But we're going to count with Governor Romer, uh, Admiral Brewer, Mr. Cortinez, John Daisy, Mr. Cortinez, Michelle King, Vivian, Austin Bunnner. Yes. Um that uh I can think of Miss Riley, Megan, and then they will call on the the Italian mafia guy when we'll stop and get coffee. Carvalo, thank you for everything. Okay. And I love you all and keep doing the same thing. And I'm staying in town, so you probably see me around and I'll say hi and bye. Thanks for everything. We have a obviously a proclamation and um this
078is cool. You get to take it home with you. [Laughter] >> Yeah. That's what you're going to get back from. >> Congratulations. I vote for you getting the real car. >> I hope for you coming back. You're the best. You're the best. You're the best. You're the best. >> Sorry. >> I want to read this book. I want to see the book. I'll go on this side. I'll go on this side. Sure. I don't want to knock it over. Okay. the nicest guy you'll ever ever meet. And that's the truth. And that's >> Thank you all. Thank you all. >> Ring [Music] to make noise. two things. >> Then h the [Applause] >> stuffies get in the car. They think you're a traveler. to do Okay, the time is now 11:22. Um, we will wait
079a few more moments and then we will set the consent calendar. The consent calendar is a procedural mechanism that the board uses in order to take multiple items at once. And so I read the name of the item and if the board um agrees more or less out loud, put it on consent, the item will be voted in a in a group or a batch of of reports. Looks like we are. Want to make sure that we have everyone online and that uh let's see, Miss Gomez will be joining us shortly. So, I'll read through the consent items and we'll begin. Uh tab one, ratification of California Department of Health Access and Information Certified Wellness Coach Grant. >> Discussion. Yeah. >> Discussion. >> Uh, tab two, ratification of incentive grant awards to LA USD. >>
080Discussion. Uh, tab three, authorization to execute a joint powers agreement with the city of Los Angeles for the community school parks program. >> Discussion. >> You two. >> Yes, it's uh Miss Grego and Miss Gomez. >> Uh, tab four, donations of money to the district. Consent. >> All right. Consent. Uh tab five. Define and approve seven projects. >> Did have a question though just on that >> or tab five? >> Four. Four. >> Oh, four. Oh, so four will go on to discussion. So that miss new bill. >> All right. So tab five. Define and approve seven projects to provide critical replacements and upgrades of school buildings. >> Discussion. >> Question. >> All right. So we'll just put that on to discussion. Multiple. Actually, I'll I'll write it down. Who has it? Miss Gomez, Miss
081CGO. >> Yep. >> For what number? >> I do. >> Um for tab five. >> Mr. Smurlson. >> Dr. Revas. >> Dr. Rivas. >> Barry. School. >> Barry. Love it. Okay. Tab six, define and approve two early education center outdoor classroom projects. >> Consent. >> Tab seven. Define and approve 27 board district priority and region priority projects. >> Consent. consent. Uh, tab eight, approval of facilities, contracts, actions, >> discussion by Miss Ggo. Any others? Okay. Uh, tab nine, uh, item A has been, uh, withdrawn. So, tab nine, item A is withdrawn. So, if it goes on consent, this item is not being considered. >> Um, I have discussion on other items. >> Okay. So, discussion. So, Miss Grigo >> and me. I do too. >> Smurlson Gonz. Okay. >> And Jerry. All right. Okay. Tab
08210. Authorization to execute an agreement with Palmer Third Street Properties. >> Consent. Tab 11. Authorization to execute a 39-month lease extension with uh B9 VN Rosco Owner LLC. >> Consent. Tab 12. Consideration of a business improvement district petition for Chinatown B. >> Consent. Tab 13. Consideration of street lighting maintenance assessment for the Gratz Early Education Center lighting district. >> Consent. Tab 14. Consideration of street lighting maintenance assessment for the 10th Street Elementary School lighting district. >> Consent. Tab 15. Certification of unhoused pupils for charter school facilities program applications. >> Discussion. So we have Miss Grigo, Mr. Schmurlson, uh, Miss Gonz. No. Okay. All right. So tab 16, report of cash dispersements. >> Consent. Tab 17, approval of routine personnel actions. >> Consent. >> All right. Tab 18, provisional internship permits. >> Consent. So tabs 19,
08320, 21, 22, and 23 are resolutions for initial announcement. We put these on the agenda today and the public has the time from today until the next board meeting to review them. At the next meeting, they will be voted on. Uh so tab 24, reappointment of member of the school construction bond oversight committee. >> And tab 25, report of correspondence >> consent. >> Okay. So I'm going to read through uh the calendar and then we will take public comment on the consent items and then uh take the vote on the consent items. So tabs one, two, three, four and five are discussion. Tab six and seven consent. Tab eight and nine discussion. Tabs 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 are consent. Tab 15 discussion. Tabs 16, 17, 18, 24, and 25 are all consent. Okay. So
084we'll move to the public comment on items that are on the consent calendar. So, we have four folks to speak to tab 17. See if they're with us. Tab 17. Okay. Uh, let's see. Belinda Ma. Belinda Ma, I see you're online with us. Please press star six to unmute yourself. Belinda Ma. Miss M, you're online with us. Please press star six to unmute yourself and you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Miss Ma. >> Okay. Hi, I'm on. Thank you. My name is Belinda Ma and I am a parent. Oh, good afternoon schoolboard members and Superintendent Caralio. My name is Belinda Ma. I'm an um parent at Broadway Elementary, a third grade parent. Represent a large majority of the stalwart parents and teachers at our school. This is my third year on Broadway's
085parent booster clubs elected board. We're all extremely busy working parents, but we came to you many times before the spring break to implore you to look carefully at the failures of District Westby first before allowing them to imply apply simplistic and ineffective solutions to the myriad troubling patterns in our school. Not only were our warnings not heated, but you have allowed the very perpetrators of the continued mishandling of the worst problems at our school to remain in control, to cover up their bumbling leadership, and remain a serious threat to the future of our school. I would like to share what has transpired at Broadway over the summer. Broadway remains the elementary school in District West with the absolute lowest per student spending out of any elementary school in the entirety of District West. So, we
086ask you board members why this could possibly happen. LA Unified receives the same federal and state funding per student as all other schools in District West. But Broadway is also a dual language immersion program uh with amazing teachers and hardworking staff attempting to do the impossible. teach children literacy in two languages simultaneously. And yet, we remain handstrong with less funding per student than all other elementary schools in District West. Broadway has also achieved the dubious honor of being the elementary school in District West with the worst student to staff ratio of any elementary school in the entire region of District West. The worst ratio in all of District West. Despite having an active parent booster club that raises hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to hire more staff to improve this embarrassing ratio, the
087parents are extremely discouraged and it is affecting our community in devastating ways. District West is failing Broadway Elementary in a spectacular fashion. These are the cold, hard, indisputable facts. And add to these the long list of broken promises from District West. We still don't have any district supplied Mandarin curriculum after 15 years of incessant requests. No standardized Mandarin testing in place. Still zero Mandarin library books permitted on any shelves in our school library. No scholarship pipeline for teaching assistance in our target language. No TK classes. And the list just keeps going on. A long trail of broken promises. >> Thank you very much for your time. We appreciate your time. Matt Reley, are you on the line? Matt Brethley, I see you're signed up to speak remotely. I don't have you signed in. Uh do
088you happen to be in the room? Matt Reley? Okay, we can come back to you. Uh Cynthia uh K. Cynthia K, I see you're on the line. Actually, you are not on the line. Bridget Stewart, I see you're on the line. Bridget Stewart, please press star six to unmute yourself and you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Bridget Stewart. >> Hello. Good morning, board members, Superintendent Carvalo. My name is Bridget Stewart and I'm the parent of a third grader in the Mandarin immersion program at Broadway Elementary. Despite roadblocks, Broadway's Mandarin program has steadily grown since its launch in 2010, literally saving the school from closure. Last year, it reached the highest enrollment of any dual language elementary school in LA USD. At a time when enrollment elsewhere is declining, families even come from
089outside the district to join this program. Instead of supporting the success, local district west leadership under Denise Collier and Agnes Camau has undermined it. They removed our principle without warning. So in chaos, our mandering curriculum has not been updated in 15 years. We still lack standardized testing support to measure literacy. Worst of all, they killed a groundbreaking LMU partnership that would have brought resources to Broadway and the wider district. This isn't just mismanagement. It's educational malpractice against the program that saved the school and became one of LA USD's most soughtafter models. I urge this board to investigate local district west mismanagement, remove the barriers hurting our children, and give Broadway's Mandarin immersion program the recognition and support it deserves. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. That concludes comment on tab 17. Let me
090see if there are any other callers to any other items that are on consent. Okay, there are no other folks to speak on consent. Oh, there's one signed up. Okay, so tab 10 is on consent. This is authorization to exitute an agreement with Palmer Third Street. Um, Jose Sanchez. Jose Sanchez on tab 10. Are you with not signed in right now? Mr. Sanchez on tab 10. Are you in the room? Mr. Sanchez is not here, Mr. Tokovski, are you waiting to speak on a consent item? >> Okay, come on up. You have two minutes to speak once you begin, sir. Thank you, >> board members. Thank you for the opportunity to support item six on early education. I want to make it clear that you're spending money on early ed sites where there's only three
091and four classrooms that are greening. Whereas there's elementary schools of 8, n,000 kids that have about 12 classrooms that are TK and early ed. Those need to be green. More kids green. Okay. supporting item six, item one, the uh the year a year and a half late item on CYBHI $8 million. Take a look at this item closely. I'm glad you put it on regular calendar. Uh it connects to community schools. See the med medical and community schools are connected. Somehow it's been disconnected here. Item of uh two, find out how many of the teachers are actually coming in the pipeline from classified. Item three, your city parks measure. You have a billion dollars of green in the bond. You have money to do this. Not to do five or six little spotty sites, but
092to reinvision LA Unified with parks, with housing, there's the land and the vision. You need a plan. Item five, Fairfax High School plastic field. The bond oversight committee said, "I thought this board wants greening and here they come with plastic fields." $10 million for a field and another $130 million at Fairfax, but no coordination in all of that. Item number eight, uh, Palisades High $20 million of architectural fees. Hopefully, you have commitment that this $20 million is going to be reimbursed by insurance or by FEMA. Otherwise, you're spending 20 million just on architecture for three schools. And finally, uh, your look at I hopefully at the 6,000 kids online prison. Okay, 6,000 kids are online. The test scores are abysmal. There are about 15 points in math and English language and science below everything else.
093We've got to do something for these kids, if not sue the president for causing more kids to lose their equal opportunity in education. That's a federal crime. If he's doing that, if that is driving kids into online and getting that horrible education, you need to talk to general counsel and move on it. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. Uh, now for tab 25. Anne Hutton, are you here? Ann H. And Hutton, come on up. You have two minutes to speak. Once you begin, >> this is to the report of correspondence. Hello, I'm Anne Hutton, a parent of a child at Summit View West, a non-public school. I filed a Williams complaint and received two responses with limited information despite following the policy bulletin. I've been referred to the state department of education who's
094referred me back to the board to speak to file an appeal. I then received a second response from the district advising me to go back to my child's IEP team. I'm looking for a response today for someone to speak with as the policy outlines from LUSD related to teacher misassignment and vacancy. >> Thank you. I believe a representatives can come down and speak with you. Thank you for your time. Okay, that concludes uh public comment items on the consent calendar. Um may I please have a someone move the consent calendar for vote? >> Move it. >> Moved by Miss Gone. Second by Dr. Rivas. Uh Miss Newell. >> Yes. >> Dr. Rivas, >> yes. >> Mr. Meline, >> yes. >> Miss Grigo, >> yes. >> Miss Gomez, >> yes. Miss Ortiz Franklin. Uh, board presidentson.
095>> Yes. >> And for the first advisory vote from student board member Yang, how do you vote? >> Yes. >> Outstanding. Thank you, sir. >> Okay. So, now that we've dispatched with the consent calendar, we move on to items for discussion. So, tab one, ratification of California Department of Healthcare access and information. Um, we do not have any public comment in that item, but Miss Ggo, I believe you had a question. >> Hi. Um, yeah, my questions were about the positions that this grant covers. Are these classified positions or certificated? >> Yes. Uh, Joel Cisneros, executive director with Student Mental Health and Wellness Services. Yes, there for classified positions. >> What are the titles for these positions? >> They are the student and family resource navigators. >> Okay. Is that the same as the healthy
096navigators or is is am I using the same? >> Yes, you're using the same. So the PC code is Yeah. >> Got it. And they belong to which bargaining unit? >> SCEU. >> SEU I believe. >> CSA. >> CSEA. Sorry. >> Oh, CSEA. Okay. Um and then I'm just wondering um because this has already been implemented, right? This for a year it's been implemented. So why aren't we ratifying it now and not >> it was an oversight uh on our administrative team that we should have brought this a year ago. So it's an oversight that >> so generally we would see it before. >> Yes. >> Okay. Um and how are we going to assess the impact that this program is uh fulfilling? One of the deliverables is the number of staff that have been
097certified as a wellness coach as outlined in the grant. Uh our target was 86 and we've exceeded that. So that's one way we're we're monitoring that. >> Okay. So we're not assessing student uh how student needs are being fulfilled by this position. Well, the grant deliverable was very clear on certifying staff to become wellness coaches and that was one of the drivers for the grant and what we wrote in is a target and the target we've hit and exceeded. >> And then I'm just wondering how long is this grant for again? >> Uh it ends June uh 2026. And so how will we determine if this is something that we want to continue and what are the ways that we might be able to continue this if it's if it's a good program? Um >>
098yeah that's an excellent question. We would love to this is grant dollars being offered through the state. Uh we are monitoring actively if there are any additional RFPs coming forward in the future. Uh we haven't seen any at this point. So we will continue to monitor. >> So we're uh hoping that the grant we're relying on the grant. So, is there a plan for it to continue if there is no grant funding >> to to continue >> This program. So, those we're using these funds to help pay for student family resource navigator positions. And so, that's part of the process that we'll be engaging and as part of budget development to look at how do we continue to fund some of those positions. >> Okay. So, we will be having that conversation probably later on
099this year, right? As we're also assessing how these programs are supporting our students and if there is no grant money, but it's supporting our students and it's fulfilling a need that we have, we will have that conversation about how we can use other funds to continue this program. All right. >> I'll just add context here. Um, you know, the family and resource navigators were funded through ESSER funds and established with the ESSER program. And as we, you know, phased out positions that were funded through ESSER, um, we either had to find alternative resources. You might remember we migrated positions to title one to other programs. the navigators actually we identified this grant opportunity and were a were able to apply and we were successful and so we've been able to fund and build the bridge
100over the last two years. But to your question about the ongoing sustainability that is part of the FSP and the ongoing kind of budget discussions because these are essentially the unfunded positions that we've been talking about. >> Okay. So I just want us to keep that in mind as we continue to progress through the year, right? because there are going to be some positions that perhaps are not funded um long term and yet they meet a need that our population has. So we need to continuously be thinking about how are we going to be able to sustain this and what is the funding that is out there that we can use to sustain this. >> Thank you so much. I didn't see you. Miss Newell >> clarifying. I know in the grant it spoke about
101interns. Are interns included in this? >> I'd have to look, but I no. We we we primarily use these funds to help again pay for re student family resource navigator positions. And then the is there a direct population or center or how do we know where exactly the 86 personnel reside? >> So the 86 it was a target and I apologize for the confusion. The 86 was a target deliverable by the grant where we said we would provide 86 certify at least 86 staff members to become wellness coaches. we've actually been able to exceed that number and so we actually have more than 86 wellness coaches throughout our entire ecosystem. So, so we have um we did provide a list of the of the number of schools where we have student family resource navigators. Uh
102we could provide is a even more detailed list of where we have the wellness coaches out of that list where where we have those. uh we continue to move along and expand the number of certificated student and family resource navigators to become wellness coaches. >> That'd be great. I have that list. Thanks. >> Anyone else? Okay, Mr. McClean, >> may I have a motion to take the take the vote? >> Move it. >> Moved by Miss Gonz. >> Seconded by board presidentson. Uh Miss Newell. >> Yes. >> Dr. Rivas. Yes, >> Mr. Melvinne. >> Yes, >> Miss Grigo. >> Yes, >> Miss Gonz. >> Yes, >> Miss Ortiz Franklin. >> Mr. Smurlson. >> Yes. >> And Mr. Yang. >> Yes. >> Okay, I will come back for vote. That brings us to tab two. There
103is one public comment on it. So, this is tab two, ratification of incentive grant awards. Um, Alana Hassan, Alana H, are you here? Alana Hassan. I'm going to see if Miss Hassan is online with us. She is not. So, we have discussion associated with tab 2. Uh, Miss Grigo. >> Yes. Who am I asking the question to? >> Okay. come on up if you're responsible for this tab and uh introduce yourself so Miss Greg knows who she's talking to and then uh you can hand it off to whoever knows best once her question is made. >> Hi, >> good morning. Jacob Guthrie, director HR. >> Good morning. Mark Onava, administrator in human resources. >> Miguel Garza, director, certificated employment region north. Patricia Pernan, director of IAP. >> All right. Wonderful. Thank you. My question is
104regarding um this program. Um what is the difference between this and the district intern program? >> Are you referring to our career letter program or the Okay. >> Yeah. I'm trying to understand the the is it uh it it's classified staff who want to go into teaching, right? But are they already do they already have their BA and are they continuing their classified position while pursuing their teaching credential or so can you describe it to me what >> Yes ma'am. Um so this particular item refers to grant funding that we receive from the state as a part of our career ladder program. Our career ladder program seeks to support classified employees in earning their undergraduate degrees and then either uh entering the certificated workforce as a teacher or a school nurse. And this particular grant
105supports classified employees who are interested in becoming teachers. They have to have a minimum of 60 semester units of coursework or an associates degree. And then they have choice in terms of what teacher preparation program that they would like to enter. The vast majority of the participants do choose to enter our IAP uh district intern program. Uh however, there are some that will choose a university pathway depending on their credential that they're pursuing. >> And are they still employed by the district while pursuing the program? The >> Yes, program. >> They remain as classified employees or as substitute teachers while they're pursuing their certification. >> I see. Um, and so it it's the IAP is the same as the district what is used to be called the district intern program. Okay. Um, and then I'm
106just wondering what kind of outreach we're making to our labor partners um, UTLA, SEIU, CSCA in order to support this pipeline to motivate and inspire people to do to get into this program. So we do conduct quite a bit of outreach to make sure that we are reaching uh classified employees who might benefit from the program. One of the biggest things that we do is every spring we have a career ladder forum. We send a direct invitation to every classified employee to let them know that they can come for a day of professional learning that will support them in their current role and also to attend an information session where they can learn more about the requirements to apply to be in the career ladder. uh and also about what supports we offer in terms
107of financial support and mentorship. >> So it's the the recruitment is directly with the classified employees not necessarily through labor partners as one of the avenues to recruit. >> Yeah, >> that is one of the strategies and then you know we also lean heavily on our principles. We will go to regional principles meetings so that principles might tap somebody on the shoulder if they have the disposition and skills to be an effective educator. um so that way they can get in touch with our staff members and then be offered that individualized advisement. >> Okay. I was looking at the data and it seems like the retention is 50%. Is that um am I correct in that I it said something like of the number of people who enter the program 50% stay in the teaching
108profession or continue to pursue teaching as part of this >> before we forward Um, district not yet in a classroom working as the teacher. They may be working as an aid. They may be working elsewhere as a C as a classified employee. But there is a a little bit of a difference between the DI program where I come in with a bachelor's degree and start teaching on my first day while earning my credential through the district or the the career ladder program which takes folks who are not in that same place yet and moves them maybe even toward the DI program. Is that >> Yeah, I that's that was my original question actually. I think I wanted to see if it was the difference between this and the DI program. Uh but I saw something
109where uh let me look at the um to make sure that I'm reading this correctly somewhere that um 316 participants in boost. Yeah. And then 150 have been teaching in our classrooms. So we get 316 folks who participated but only 150 made it to the classroom. Is that correct? >> So 316 folks have been participated by this grant. This is the fourth round of funding that we've received from the state. And over the lifetime of the grant 316 classified staff members have received funding total. The number that you're referring to the 134 are the individuals who have metriculated as classroom teachers. We still have active members who are serving as special education assistants, as SAAS, office technicians, TAs who may not have received their bachelor's degree or are still working on meeting the qualifications to
110become a teacher and we are continuing to support them. I think that specific to the question you asked which I think was related to retention and based on the data that that's been made available to us out of the 134 who've actually been hired as teachers 86% remain active as teachers as part of that cohort. >> Okay. >> All right. So then the balance between a 316 and 134 they're still working toward that. Yes. >> That's what you're saying. Okay. All right. Thank you so much. Other questions, Miss Gonz. >> Uh, thank you. I also had a couple of those questions, so appreciate you asking those. Board member Grigo, um, I'm excited about this, uh, opportunity to invest in the growth and learning of our employees. Um, one thing I was wondering about is just
111is there an opportunity to intentionally invest in staff at our highest need schools so we can both promote their growth, greater retention at our highest need schools, and also ensure improved student achievement. Um, so I was curious about if that's an approach you all have considered throughout the life of these grants and if that's something that we could undertake in this upcoming grant cycle. >> I definitely think that's something that we can continue to work on in uh collaboration between HR and ETO and making sure that we are reaching out to our staff members at those schools. >> Yeah, I think an intentional prioritization um would help us reach our strategic plan goals and and would be a good use of these dollars. So appreciate you all taking that into account. Thank you. Anyone else?
112Mr. McLean. Okay. May I have a move to take the vote? >> Move it. >> Second was Dr. Rivas. You guys move real fast for me. >> Dr. Rivas. The second. Uh, Miss Newell. >> Yes. >> Dr. Rivas. >> Yes. >> Mr. Melvin. >> Yes. >> Miss Grigo. >> Yes. >> Miss Gomez. >> Yes. >> Miss Ortiz Franklin. Board President Schmeurlson. >> Yes. >> And student board member Yang. >> Yes. >> Okay, that brings us >> Sorry, can I go back, Mr. McClean? >> Oh, yes, please. Uh, so for tab two, how do you vote? >> Yes. >> And for um tab one, how do you vote? >> Also yes. >> And for the consent calendar, how do you vote? >> Al, also yes. Thanks so much. >> Appreciate it. Thank you. This brings us
113to tab three, authorization to execute a joint powers agreement with the city of Los Angeles for the community school parks program. We have uh nine folks signed up for public comment. Um I will take the folks who are listed as speaking in person and then we will move on to those listed as speaking remotely. So Ma Valencia, right here, Ma. And then after Miss Valencia's uh Francesca Dear Rosa and then James Lopez. Make sure your mic is on please. >> Good morning board members. My name is Mida Valencia and I am here on behalf of LA Neighborhood Land Trust, a park equity nonprofit and a founding member of the LA Living Schoolyards Coalition. As an organization devoted to increasing access to parks in communities that need them most, we are here today to voice our
114strong support for the joint powers agreement at hand. We believe community school parks are a critical piece in ensuring everyone in LA lives within a 10-minute walk to a park. We know all too well that vacant land is hard to come by in LA, and when it is available, it comes with a steep price tag. Thus, school schoolyards may be the only large centrallylo place immediately available to meet pressing community needs. They provide safe places to play and exercise, shade to escape extreme heat, and space to foster social connection. Although we still need funding to sustain this program, this JPA lays a central groundwork for scaling this program equitably and efficiently across LA. As we collectively respond to urgent climate, health, and equity challenges here in LA, scalable and collaborative solutions like the CSP program
115are more important than ever. Thank you to everyone who helped get us here today. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. Uh Mr. Del Rosa, you have two minutes to speak. Once you begin, thank you. >> Good morning, everybody. Um, my name is Franchesca Delar Rosa. I serve as the Green Schoolyards campaign director for the Trust for Public Land, and I'm here on behalf of TPL and the Los Angeles Living Schoolyards Coalition. We wholeheartedly support and thank all of you uh for your efforts to move this partnership forward with RAP and our city partners. Um, and we thank our city partners who are here today. TPL is currently greening three schools in Boille Heights and two in South LA. And like all our partners in the living schoolyards coalition, we we continue to appreciate
116the efforts to work with all of you to expand and provide comprehensive greening and shade infrastructure in shade infrastructure to school playgrounds. But we believe greening goes handinand with unlocking gates on all school campuses. That said, we also know that future expansion of the community school parks program will depend on securing additional funding for RAP. TPL, the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, and other community partners are going to be working on this um in the coming year and the years to come to expand this program. And we hope to be able to work with you uh to support this effort to secure funding for this program. Um but today we thank you for your actions today, your leadership and for moving this program forward. Um we've been waiting for this for a long time and
117again thank you. Um and uh we'll see you soon. Thank you very much. >> Thank you for your time. James Lopez. >> Hello board members. Nice to see you. My name is James Lopez. I represent uh the play equity fund. I'm the director of advocacy for the play equity fund and also the organizer of the LA play equity coalition. Uh we would like to speak in support of the new joint powers agreement uh between the city of LA for the community schools park program. We commend this board of education and the facility services division for finding solutions to streamlining this partnership with the city. Our communities need more play spaces and the CSP program is an efficient and impactful way to create more play sports and just general physical activity for our community members across
118the region. Um, according to the 2024 play equity report, two out of three kids in Los Angeles are not getting the CDC recommended, uh, amount of physical activity every day. And so, um, by advancing and expanding the CSP program, we can begin to see more kids have access to play and physical activity in walking distance to their, uh, in their homes. We look forward to collaborating with the district and the city to help expand the program and help provide uh support and more opportunities to play for youth and families across all CSP locations. And um I'd like to thank this board for always continuing to lift up the issue of play equity, continuing to elevate the conversation around the importance of of play and and sport and physical activity and movement. Um as you all
119supported the National Day of Play back in June as well. Um, everyone deserves the opportunity to play in their neighborhood without traveling long distances or paying for very expensive programs that become an economic burden to families. And uh, we think the CSP program is a step in the right direction. And we thank the board and their leadership for helping create more access to sport, play, and physical activity. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next, we have up Luciano Mandolo from Playworks. Morning boards, board members and all. My name is Luciano Mandelo. I am associate director of program operation program and operations at Playworks. I represent Playworks today, Playwork Southern California, and we are proud members of Los Angeles Play Equity, and I'm here to support uh the Joint Powers Agreement for Community Schools program. I do
120have a personal connection here as a father of three boys and one that has raised them at the Wilmington Park Elementary Community. Um I feel connected to this uh program. Uh my mother-in-law still lives there and we still visit the Green Belt Park. We love playing and practicing our soccer skills there. Unfortunately, safety and access is a big concern for me. Uh there is poor lighting and uh it's a beautiful um soccer field that we have uh no access to. My kids always ask me, "Why can't we get there?" And I said, "I don't know, but we're not jumping over the fence." Um this agreement creates a pathway for LUSD and recreational parks to open schoolyards and nearby parks safely. It's not just about parks or not just about more parks. Um it's about safe,
121accessible spaces for kids and families like ours and mine. And um just a little connection to the healthier lifestyle piece. Um I learned today and this week um I mean uh that two out of three kids in LA County aren't giving enough uh daily activities at schools or within the community. Um so this program I see that connection helping them close that gap by making play more accessible. Uh we are excited to be working with LA USD and the city to make sure families have safe and welcoming spaces. Every kid deserves this opport opportunity and I thank you all for your leadership. Thank you for your time. All right. Natalie Gutierrez, are you here? Natalie G. Natalie Gutierrez, are you here? No. Uh Danny Salas, come on up. Mr. Salas, >> you have two minutes
122to speak. Once you begin, >> wastard, board members, uh, Superintendent Carvalo. Uh, my name is Danny Salas and I am the chief program officer at Woodcraft Rangers. We serve in the expanded learning programs. We've been partners with LA USD for over 40 years and very proud of it. Uh we are proud members of the Los Angeles Play Equity Coalition and I'm here today to express our strong support for the new joint powers agreement between LAUSD and the city of Los Angeles department of parks and wreck. I want to commend the board of education and the facility service division for your leadership and streamlining this partnership. By reducing barriers, you're not only creating more opportunities for children and families across our city to safe access welcoming spaces. You're also empowering entire communities to come together, connect,
123and thrive. At Woodcraft Rangers, the mission deeply resonates. For over 40 years, we have partnered with LUSD to serve students and families across Los Angeles. Our work has always centered on expanding access, meeting the communities with the highest needs where they are, creating safe, enriching spaces for young people, and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow through play, learning, and community connection. The need could not be greater. According to the 2024 play equity report, two out of three children in Los Angeles are not meeting the CDC guidelines for daily physical activity. Expanding access to community school parks is a powerful step forward changing that reality. We know from experience that play strengthens uh not just individual health but the fabric of entire neighborhoods. When families have safe place to gather, children are more
124active, parents are more engaged, and communities are more resilient. By working together, we are not just opening playgrounds. We are opening doors to empowerment, belonging, and opportunity. We look forward to collaborating with the district, the city, and our coalition partners to expand this program and provide highquality sport and play opportunities for community school park sites. Everyone deserves the opportunity to play, grow, feel, and be uh proud of their neighborhood. And on behalf of Woodcraft Rangers and the Los Angeles Play Equity Coalition, I want to thank you for your vision and commitment to creating a healthier and more empowering Los Angeles Unified. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. Uh let's see. Uh Miss Gutierrez is joining us online, so we'll get to her after we're done with the folks who are in person. Uh
125Jacqueline Hamilton or Jacqueline Hamilton, come on up. Thank you for your time. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. >> Uh good afternoon. My name is Jquelyn Hamilton. I'm deputy mayor for neighborhood services under Mayor Karen Bass. I'm very pleased to be here in support of the joint powers agreement. I oversee six departments for the mayor, one of which is recreation and parks. And uh I'm joining you today to thank you and thank the administration for the work that went into this and finally getting it across the finish line. We are very excited to take it to the next step. uh community school parks are uh common in other parts of the country even in some other parts of the state becoming more common in San Diego, San Francisco. So I really look
126forward to following that path. Um I go back to 2001 on this issue when I was running the Los Angeles environmental justice project office for environmental defense fund and we were working on access to green space. I then ran an education nonprofit that also worked on community school parks. So, I've been watching this for a long time and 25 years later, we have 10. So, I I think it's important to note that this JPA doesn't create one single additional square foot of recreation space, but what it does do is allow us not to start over each time. It gives us a framework so that hopefully we can speed up creation of new community school parks. And I do want to tell you, we mean to go fast. We have already begun trying to figure out
127what might be likely sites. We've started working with LA USD staff and we are hoping that we might be able to get another two open, one or two possibly by the end of this calendar year. Um, we think we have some likely candidates and now that we know that we have the support of both the board and the administration, we're really looking forward to being able to do that. As a former LUSD parent, I've seen with some alarm the shift away from the district schools. And I'd like to say that community school parks, I think, hold a great opportunity for the district to make their spaces welcoming and familiar in a way that when it comes time for parents to select where they're going to send their children, they're going to say, "Oh, yeah, I
128know that school. That's great. I'm I'm really looking forward to going. Um, thank you very much. >> Thank you for your time." Uh, Juan Sto, come on down. You have two minutes to speak once you begin. Hi, good afternoon board members. My name is Juan Sto. I'm here on behalf of the city of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. I'm the uh principal recreation supervisor that oversees the day-to-day operations for the community school parks. Thanks for having me. I I'm also a proud LA USD alumni. Thank you. I want to express our strong support for the joint powers agreement between the city of Los Angeles and LUSD that makes community schools parks uh the program possible. The partnership is a powerful example of how two public agencies can come together to maximize the resources
129for the benefits of students, families, and entire neighborhoods. By opening schoolyards to the community during non-school hours and activating them with safe, inclusive programming, we are creating more access to green space, recreation, and learning opportunities, especially in areas most needed. What we see on the ground is that these community school parks quickly become the heartbeat of the neighborhoods and communities. Parents and grandparents feel safe, bringing their children out to play, uh having welcoming spaces to gather together. families connect with one another in ways that strengthen the community. For many families, these schoolyards are the only nearby open spaces available and transforming them into vibrant community parks has impacted and and cannot be overstated. We are excited to continue to work alongside LUSD to expand this program. We thank you for your leadership in supporting equitable
130access to parks and recreations for all Angelinos. Thank you to the LA USD board, the LA USD staff, Mayor Bass, and the city of Los Angeles for everybody's continued support, and thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your time. All right, Natalie Gutierrez, I see you're online with us. Please press star six to unmute yourself, and you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Natalie G. >> Uh, hello. Hi, board members. My name is Natalie Gutierrez. I represent CHJS, the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport, and we are proud members of the Los Angeles Play Equity Coalition. We would like to speak in support of the new joint powers agreement with the city of Los Angeles for the Community School Parks program. At CHS, we believe in the healing power of
131sport and movement. And currently, there is an overwhelming amount of trauma and stress harming the health of our young people and families. The good news is that the brain can heal from trauma. What we need are practical and accessible solutions. Sport and movement leverages pattern, repetitive, and rhythmic activities that inherently regulates our brains and conditions of regulated stress response. When you combine that knowledge with the knowledge that there are over 600 public schools across the city with playgrounds, green space, and sports infrastructure, opening these sites for community use after school hours and on weekends would create a park space that is within 10-minute walk from from home for 1 million Angelino. We just really believe that the increasing park access to the community schools parks program is a step in the right direction towards increasing
132the overall health of our community. And again, everyone deserves the opportunity to play in their neighborhood. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. Uh, it's now time for a vote on tab three. You may have a move to vote. >> Move it. >> I have questions. >> Discussion. >> Moving too quickly. But you know what we should do procedurally before it's discussed? We should move and second it. >> I'll move the item. So moved by Miss seconded by >> Dr. Rivas >> board member. >> I don't think the student member can do an but we can do a spiritual second. >> Okay. >> So Dr. Rivas. Okay. And now it's open for discussion. Thank you >> Miss Gonz. >> Thank you so much. Um well I want to thank the superintendent and staff for
133working in collaboration with our city partners to finalize this joint powers agreement for our community school parks program. This has long been a priority of the board and I think it's really about equity and expanding access to green space for our families who might not otherwise have access to parks nearby or to safe spaces nearby. It's really about uh this board's shared commitment that our school facilities are not just spaces for daytime use by students, but they're community anchors that provide very meaningful benefits for our families outside of the regular school day. Um with that in mind, I do have several questions for the team. Um so I will Hi, Miss Toes. Um, I'm just going to go ahead and dive in. Um, and they're really about creating equity in community school parks as compared
134to the uh standard LA city parks. Um, both in programming the types of spaces that we can access. Um, and how can we continue to strengthen this program so that more students and families will access our community school parks. Um, so first, the JPA speaks to outdoor activities consistent with a civic center permit and specifically states there will be no access to indoor facilities with the exception of restrooms. Um, there are a lot of park- based activities that are conducted indoors, um, dance and arts and crafts, martial arts, etc. And in looking at the photos that are included um in the JPA, you can see that a number of the existing CSPs um are primarily composed of asphalt playgrounds, especially in communities like the valley where um we know it is extremely hot. Um these
135the intention is the community school parks will be open throughout the year, including during the summer break when temperatures on asphalt can exceed 140 degrees. Um, so I'm curious about is there a pathway to include out indoor spaces as well as outdoor spaces so that there can be habitable and appealing spaces for families to take their kids to if they come to the community school parks. >> Yes, Christina Toes, chief facilities executive. So absolutely the way that the JPA is written is that should the city want to use indoor spaces, we would be very um quickly able to do an amendment for that particular school site. um determining what that indoor space is, whether it's a gym or an auditorium, come to the terms of what are the additional parameters around the use of that
136space in regards to maintenance or access and then fold that in without having to come back to the board or um the city have to come back to their uh wreck and parks. So, understanding that every school is different. Right now, the city has said we want to primarily use that for indoor, I mean outdoor play, but should they want to use indoor, we can easily do that with an amendment. >> Okay. It's good to know that that flexibility exists. The language itself seemed a little bit more prohibitory. Um so, uh perhaps we could proactively approach them and ask that that's an if that's an area of interest, particularly in communities impacted by extreme heat like the site in my district. >> Yes, we have. >> Okay, happy to hear that. Um, and then secondly,
137section 5B of the JPA appears to prohibit athletic compet competitions broadly. Um, obviously that's a core part of youth recreational activities and um, I think the city does a great job at offering these at low cost. They're very appealing to families. Um, why is that the posture that's taken by the JPA and is there an ability to potentially open this up to athletic competitions? >> Absolutely. So that was a discussion point that we worked with the city on. Um when community park school parks were originally conceived, it was essentially for passive play to open our schools in parkour areas so that folks would have access to recreation but not necessarily to run leagues. Once we start looking at leagues, there's a different parameters and liability that comes with those leagues. Are they adult leagues? Are
138they youth leagues? How many spectators are coming in? what other safety considerations are there? So, our intent is to have um informal play, informal leagues, but should they want to do leagues, again, we can do that with an amendment on a case-byase basis. And if our risk management needs to review that for liability considerations or if there's maintenance considerations, we would look at adding that language as well. >> Okay. Um that is a helpful clarification. Um, and then I am curious about the prospects for future CSPs and the future hopeful expansion of CSPs. I recognize that that is dependent on the city's budget. Um, but kind of what is what role is the district playing in advocating for the expansion of community school parks, especially in our communities that could most benefit from it. So
139I think this step is wonderful by having a template agreement that at any time should the city identify funding um we don't need to come back to our respective boards it can be easily added um we continue to work very closely with the city as soon as funding is identified we would work quickly with the principles and school sites to make that access work. I think just last week the city was looking at three sites potentially um should they identify funding. So we were already out there proactively walking those sites with them. >> Great. Um and then just as we look to the the expansion in the future hopefully um one question I have is just around the park-like environment. I I know that that is the goal of uh our community school parks, but
140we know that most of our schools lack a park-like environment. Um, so the site in my district, Chamellia Avenue Elementary, the principal specifically mentioned like gesturing to the asphalt playground, this is the area the kids have to play in and it limits the activity. It limits whether families want to come depending on the temperature that day. Um, what are the opportunities to align this with our greeting efforts to potentially seek joint funding to create more of a park-like environment at our current community school parks? Are are those conversations occurring for the future? >> They are. So, um, the district is making tremendous strides, um, compared to where we were probably several years ago on greening. Um, we know that we're following the direction of the board resolution of targeting schools with less than 10% green
141space. So far, we have projects at 50% of those schools um, where we will be significantly adding green space. We do coordinate um, where there are projects. There's kind of a two-step process. So, one of those schools, for example, that is one of the three schools that they were looking at does have a greening project that's currently um in under development. So, we would work closely with the city to ensure that they can open it, but once it's under construction, they would probably hit pause and then once the construction was over, it would reopen. So, it's a uh dynamic process that allows us to pursue both at the same time. mindful that we're expanding greening at many of our campuses. So many um potential community school parks might have greening projects um now or in
142the future. >> And we're super excited about that progress and the continued acceleration of it. Just on the question of joint like revenue potentially that we could utilize to invest. Is that a discussion that we're having around whether are there park infrastructure dollars, bond monies, etc. that we might be able to utilize to invest at these sites? So we know there's always um more opportunities at the capital side in regards to funding than there are on the operational side and the maintenance side. So we have significant investments of our bond dollars probably um close to 3/4 of a billion dollars of greening projects underway and approximately 1.2 billion in measure US um that we'll be bringing forward. I think the challenge for both the city and the district has been finding the general fund operational
143dollars to keep the staff and the maintenance ongoing. We continue to look for every opportunity where we can bring other external resources that could help both the city and the district um continue to grow this program. >> Okay, thank you >> Nick. Then Carla, thank you and thank you Miss Gonz. I had similar questions and uh appreciate you asking them. a lot of gratitude and excitement and then also the acknowledgement as we heard from our advocates that we have a ways to go um on this program. So, you know, I'll start with the with the gratitude. Thanks one to our advocates who have been pushing forward at least as long as I've been on the board and and uh asking the district and the city and the county to all work collaboratively on behalf of
144our constituents. So, thank you for your continued advocacy. Thanks to the city, to RAP, uh to Jimmy Kim, to Juan Sto who's been a real all-star and your team who've worked at the existing ones and have just been so great to work with, to Jacqueline and the mayor's team and the city council, particularly council members uh Raman and here at Slothsky who we've been working with on this issue. Um so, and to the district staff of course um to whether it's Martha Alvarez, to Christina, to the Soups team. Um this is this has been a team effort. Um, so I really appreciate us getting over the finish line and it's definitely worth celebrating. At the same time, you know, it's an accident of history that the district, the city, the count, the county for that
145matter are different entities. Um, and from a constituent standpoint, um, when you are a parent or when you are a child trying to walk to your local green space or your local playground, it does not matter that one is the city, one is the district, one is the county. Um, it's also kind of an accident or not really an accident, but it is circumstantial that we have gates around our schools. You go to a lot of places in this country and elementary schools are ungated and every weekend every school in that community is used by by kids um and the community. And I know that that's my vision and I think it's shared by my colleagues on the board that that schools will be open and they're they're gated because we have to worry about
146the world we live in and and crime and um and wear and tear and it's hard because we're a school district and so we don't have a wrap um a wreck and parks budget. Um but I I think this is the first step in getting us to work more collaboratively on beha on behalf of our of our constituents. And so I really think we should think more urgently about how um how we open the gates um on all of our school campuses. And I think it is it's complicated and that you have different jurisdictions and liability, but we also over complicate it. And I've really been trying to encourage folks on all sides to to think about this more simply. When the district is acting acting in a city function, then we should have city-like
147liability and the city should fund the person to open the gates. Um it really you know it gets more complicated but it doesn't need to be more complicated. If we are saying that we are saving our partners at the city and county untold billions of dollars so we don't have to build more uh parks in a park poor region then let's just figure out how to adequately fund this and and support with joint liability and let's all be good partners not um if something happens but when it happens because it parks for those of us who have been to parks things happen kids fall people trip uh and that's if we hide behind that liability and the concerns and I say this as a lawyer with a lot of respect for the lawyers working on
148this um we won't do anything. So, we have to uh tolerate a little of that risk uh for what we're trying to do. I also think that 10 uh is great, but 20 is better and we really should have close to a thousand um when we think about the number of schools we have. Uh you know, any public space in my mind that is closed to the public is a tragedy. And so, the fact that the vast majority of our schools on weekends um are closed to the public. We know there's other activities and and we can talk about leasing and sports leagues and all that, but is really unfortunate. And so this is an exciting first step, but I would encourage us to think about how to do more more quickly. Um, one obviously
149that's a big a big part of that is funding and we're grateful for the city despite their budget challenges. We should also talk to the county. We should also talk to philanthropists and grants and folks who want to do that open space. I also think that we need to keep an eye on the cost. And as Jimmy and Juan and other people have heard me say for now years, we don't have to think about the Cadillac version of the community school park model. We can think of the ebike version right away. You know, yes, it would be great to have green space on every campus and athletic programs and four or five staff. Right now, we just need someone to unlock the gate. Um, and then the district needs to be compensated for the wear
150and tear that we know is going to happen when people are using the bathrooms and they're using the facilities. And we just we I want to start there and then build. And so I really do want to encourage us before we talk about active parks and all the programs like think about it. You know, one person opening a gate, then going to the elementary school a few miles away, opening that gate, circling around. I mean, there I just I encourage us to kind of get back to first principles here to do more of these. And I I'm exciting that we're thinking about um about two or three more in the near future, but I'd like us to think about 20 or 30. And I think besides working on the funding, we really need to look
151at the cost and and why are these costing so much when again at its core, this is about someone opening the gates and then the wear and tear. Um and yes, it would be great to have supervision, but if you look at a lot of city parks, there are no supervision on the weekends. They're just open spaces. Um, and so I I want us to again I just I want to um uh be a broken record about that, but to make sure that we're not over complicating this because uh 10 is great, but a thousand is where we need to get to. Um, so thank you again. I don't mean to be uh to I am very excited about this. This has been years in the making, but I also just as our advocates are
152reminding us don't want us to rest on our laurels on this one. This is the the basis and as Miss Tes was saying, this enables us to add other things like sports leagues or indoor spaces or just add two or three parks in the next few weeks and then maybe you know 20 by the end of the calendar year and and let's think big on this because uh it is so crucial for our kids to have open green space uh and just play space in their community. So thank you to everyone for making this happen. Excited to get this over the finish line. >> Thank you Nick Carla. >> Yes. Um, this is very exciting to me personally. Um, I grew up on Beverly and Normandy and my local school, Alexandria Elementary, um, was not
153open and frankly it was about over a mile to get to a park for me. And, uh, so it makes me very happy to have our schools uh, be that hub for the community. uh beyond that I think this is a beautiful example of how we should be functioning as a district. We should not be working in silo to serve our students, right? We should be working in community with other government entities as our students are not they don't just come to our schools on their own and that's it. They are a part of a community. And so we need to be working with city entities with county entities to be able to work together and serve the communities. And so this is an example of that. And so it makes me very happy. I
154remember our first conversation with Nick when he shared that this was in the in the pipeline and I told him how supportive I was of that because that is my dream. Our schools should be the hub of the community and we should be collaborating with everyone just like we are doing right now in trying to protect our students from um from being abducted and their families being abducted. So, um, but it also is a reminder that there are still, like you all were saying, there are still a lot of schools and in particular in my district where there is a big part of my district that is not part of the city of LA. And I'm just wondering um how are we now working with the southeast cities um who I know are very desirous
155of having this collaboration with us to open up our schools for parks for the community. So I would like um for our staff and for our superintendent to to work on how we can make this happen also in the southeast cities. And then just one last thing, you know, it's a reminder. We always say that play green space is not a luxury, but when we are not intentionally making these efforts to make it accessible, it does become a luxury. And so for us as leaders of civic leaders of as uh folks who work with communities, we have to be mindful of that that we have to constantly constantly be fighting for more and more. And like Nick was saying, not just five, but 20, right? We need to dream big because that's we cannot just
156stop at a little bit and be satisfied. We need to be willing to ask for more because our children deserve that and our communities deserve that. But nevertheless, I'm super happy about this and very happy to vote yes. Rosil. >> Uh well, I echo the same uh sentiments and thank you for the questions, Miss Gomez, from our uh the board members that have spoken. Um and yes, this is a moment to celebrate um this milestone and and getting this JPA um approved, finally finalized, and now finally approved. And yeah, I want to thank um our city u particular uh councilwoman Nitia Ramen and also uh Katie Yerroski who has been working um to make sure that this moves forward and also to um our parks and and uh uh RAP recreation and parks department and
157the LA Parks Foundation. This is a work that has, you know, um involved a lot of folks through a lot of years, but um so happy that we're finally able to uh to vote for this. And um you know, since 20 2008, this partnership has transformed school campuses and safe, free, and welcoming green spaces for families, especially in our black and brown communities that have been historically park poor. So today's vote reflects a shared commitment to equity, climate resilience and student well-being. Um this, you know, helps improve health and play, uh promotes park and equity with access, uh improves attendance and enrollment of, you know, for the district and also promotes collaboration throughout our city. With this joint powers agreement, we're not only continuing our investment in existing community school parks um including in my
158board district Leo Piti um elementary, but also laying the foundation for future expansion so more families can access safe outdoor spaces on weekends and holidays. Um, I also want to acknowledge the reality that funding is tight uh for both the district and the city. But my hope is that we can continue to work together creatively leveraging city resources and there is an opportunity for external nonprofits organizations to also partake in in in this endeavor um and through their efforts and and their programming can also help in funding these programs. So we have expand, we have LA84 and so many other uh nonprofits who have been serving the district and now there's an opportunity to extend that uh that programming for our students. So um thank you to our city partners and LUSD staff in making
159this possible. Um I know that um very quickly, let me get here. Um that just quick question. Are there fees, permit fees or any fees that we are um having to um permit? No. So there aren't any fees? >> No. With this one, um the city just pays for the cost of the district to do both opening the campuses and whatever maintenance is required of the space that theirs uses. So, it's at no cost to the district, but there are no additional fees that we put on the city for this use. >> So, no other additional fees that we are imposing on on this program. Oh, good to know. Um, and also this is only for elementary middle schools, right? >> Um, we're open to all of our schools. Um, the city first started with
160elementary schools. They're now looking at middle schools and high schools because they do have bigger play spaces. So, again, we're open to whatever best fits the needs of this program. Um, and I know that we need to have uh a marketing effort to let our communities are particularly those that are the nearing communities of our schools to let them know that school is open and promoting it and also have evaluating and getting some um feedback from uh our parents to say do you like it? What would you like? Is there anything else that we can do like opening indoor spaces when it gets really hot? So, there's so much more that we can do. Um and this is also extends the possibility of opening additional 10 or 20 schools or as many schools as we
161can but as mentioned funding is tight. Um but my hope that you know we can continue working towards this. So thank you so much. Thank you everyone. >> Charlotte. >> Yes. This is amazing right? This is good stuff. Um, I did have a few questions and I do appreciate all that has come to speak before us just to advocate and continue to advocate because schools and play spaces uh for me have always been synonymous because I grew up unlike some with the opportunity for parks and schools to kind of work together um because they thought they were one and the same when they weren't and they're like no that's the park now that's the school but they always thought it was the same and so it's to see that we have moved back to that
162model that was created back probably in the 1930s when that created for me at this school site. But wanting to say with this um is there a master list of schools that meet the eligibility criteria based on this half mile distance or greater from a city park? Um so the city has the lead in identifying where they want to open these programs based on criteria that they've developed of looking at park poor areas um impacts to heat and climate change um and other indicators. Then they provide us with the area that they are interested in opening and then we work with school sites to determine which ones would be the best fit um that have adequate playyard space that don't have let's say a construction program happening and then we meet with the principal and
163the uh city staff to walk through those sites. >> Got it. And then if there's, as mentioned before, when we find those partners that want to connect, will there be a process different or similar to what we've already been doing to kind of streamline to make these opportunities kind of move a little faster and to aid our 10% green space goal? >> So 30, >> this um this agreement definitely will allow us to work um faster with the city. We had been opening um or they had been operating community school parks under the civic center permit which has worked fine. Um however, it's something that needs to be reviewed constantly now that we have this agreement and this agreement is 10 years with two five-year options. Um we can kind of get rid of the
164paperwork part and just focus on the use of it. So yes, it will be able us to work faster. And as I was saying on regards to the 10% greening, um the district continues to invest in greening. That's a big commitment that we've made in Measure US, probably more than $1.2 billion. So we're going to see many projects not only at these schools, but throughout the district. >> Got it. And so as you mentioned, the city will bring forth. Would there be like first come first serve on communities? There's seven boards here. How would that operate for the district? >> Um, so the city basically is looking at where there's the greatest need for parks. That spans the entire city. Um, we work with them. Right now they're looking at areas in the East Valley
165as well as in the South LA area. Um, and as they open more, they will continue to kind of go down their line of addressing areas with the highest need. Got it. Um, as mentioned, as everyone said here, this is just amazing. Just play. I mean, that's as they say, that's my jam. Just ed, you know, sports and, uh, athletics and play and former and still I'm a physical educator to the heart. So, um, this is just amazing. And I do want to say thank you to the city and those that have come to represent and for the two schools that I have um Barack Obama and Pop Pico which I've seen to have enjoyed and appreciate this opportunity and to those council members and Maris Dawson and Heather Hut for their continued partnership in
166what they do. So thank you for bringing this forth and those that have been supportive. >> Thank you Charlotte Jerry. [Music] >> Yes. I I had questions, but they were all answered. So, I just have a comment. Um, in my experience within the city of LA and talking to students on the ground, I've grown to understand the importance of recreational spaces and third spaces to students, you know, where they feel safe, welcome, and can socialize. And I think that's exactly what this JPA continues. The community school parks program has long been one of the programs that I love working with and I've seen firsthand its ability to improve student well-being, keeping students out of harmful situations, and just creating a tighterknit community within a space that's already familiar to the students. On the weekends, these
167schools transform into places where teens can hang out, where families can have fun, and as employment opportunities for community members as well. Moreover, green space has been proven to increase attention, focus, and academic performance. So continuing to open up these schools and expanding this program will benefit the academic outcomes of students as well as their mental health. And it's great to hear that there are greening initiatives alongside this program to increase the green parks um that are open. My only recommendation to the board is is going kind of along the line of what board member Melvinne said is to consider the potential for these spaces to be funded by other sources like philanthropists um and potentially funding from both the city of Los Angeles and LUSD because at the end of the day we both
168serve the same interests which are the students. The importance of this program to students cannot be overstated and that's why it's all the more important to hopefully expand it even despite potential funding cuts um in the city of Los Angeles. and I supported this JP and its commitment to continue providing students with recreational space and I would love to continue being involved with this program that is so critical to students. Thank you. >> And thank you Jerry. I just have a couple of comments and I'll end with Mr. Carvayo's comments. So agree with everything support this but one thing makes me nervous maybe because I was a principal is that someone's going to come open the gates and leave. that makes me very nervous at a school that there's nobody there to supervise and I
169think about well suppose someone gets really badly hurt suppose there's a fight suppose the bathroom's overflowing I don't know I don't know what so the idea of just someone coming and going really really makes me feel very uncomfortable I will vote yes I will vote yes but I'm just letting you know that's making me feel very uncomfortable >> uh board presidentson I'd like to address that concern concern and just assure you and all principles out there listening that we never leave the site unattended. Um, LA USD opens the gates. A city and parks employee has to stay at that site for the duration that that site is open. If it's quite a large um playyard, then they might have more than one person. Um, they have to go through all the same security clearances and
170back checks as LA USD employees need to do. And then when the park um when that um hour is done then they leave our person comes in and shut the gates but at any time there needs to be eyes on the site and there are between us opening it and the city staff who will be um supervising it. >> Well you may be very happy. Thank you Christine superintendent. >> Thank you very much. Uh, I just want to number one acknowledge the efforts of uh, of the board, specifically the efforts of some of you board members who since I arrived here in LA have really elevated this as a critical priority considering, as many of you have stated, the lack of accessible park facilities, green areas in certain communities. So, um, the need is clear.
171Our strategic plan elevates joy as as a principal tenant that is crucial for the healthy development of children. Uh that joy is not achieved just in a classroom or in a schoolhouse. It's achieved also uh by via partnership with uh with entities that open the gates uh figuratively and literally speaking uh to the community itself. I want to thank the board for your vision uh your perseverance on this matter. Uh it's been many many years uh that attempts have been made at negotiating and bringing this GPA both to the city and the board and that day has arrived with the the city actually having approved it recently at its uh August 7th uh meeting. I want to thank also uh the city of Los Angeles, Mayor Bass, uh the staff, the advocates, the entities that
172provide services um across Los Angeles Unified for the benefit of our kids and certainly to our very very strong, very capable leader, Christina Toes, for shephering through this this process. Not an easy one, but an important one. Um, with that said, expect uh our team to bring back to the board even though it's not a requirement based on the comments that I've heard and the shared belief that we can do more than what's been accomplished thus far or the three additional uh potential um CSPs in the near future. We can do more. So, as part of the landscape analysis that we're conducting across the entire school district, we are including the availability of sites, willing sites. Secondly, the pursuit of philanthropic thirdparty funding which may include naming rights for activities that take place on these
173sites sponsored by thirdparty entities and philanthropic agencies. Uh in addition to that uh we will bring uh an update back to the board within 90 days that will spell out possible next steps of expansion. Today's uh today's JPA uh is not the ceiling is nothing but the floor of opportunity. uh we now have a framework work that uh that must work and be expanded in a swift and deliberate manner to the questions the comments that were made about how about uh other cities beyond Los Angeles. Those are actually being addressed through ongoing compacts. In fact, Martvarez has communicated with me that just today she had a meeting with uh the leadership of uh the city of Bell to within the framework of the negotiated compacts and we have now 11 or 12 compacts to find
174within those compacts joint use of facilities agreements. the same is being done uh for unincorporated areas within the county that don't have a city as leadership. So, we're having conversations also with with county uh supervisors and their leadership teams to realize these possibilities within those areas as well as well. So, much more to be discussed and brought to the board within 90 days that I think will accelerate and expand all of it through a lens of equity. Obviously, we will follow uh the powerful need that is observed in many of our communities specific to you know park deficiency conditions across the board. uh areas that have high need on the basis of population density, elevated uh temperatures, um lack of green space, uh overuse of asphalt and concrete uh which drive those indices that define
175and prioritize the projects that we'll be envisioning uh in the future. So um long awaited moment. I am thrilled that we were finally able to get it through the finish line, but the finish line is really, you know, the starting point or the starting line. So, congratulations to everyone and eternal gratitude for the board and your wisdom in pushing through this issue. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Superintendent. Before we get to Mr. McClean, Deputy Mayor Hamilton, I know we have spoken about this project many times when we see each other, and I know you must be a very happy person. Yeah, I know. Okay. >> And Mr. I just like to say after the vote, it would be great, Mr. Sodto, Miss Hamilton, and the advocates who are here, it would be great to
176take a picture to celebrate this. If we could do that in front as well. >> Sure. >> Thanks, >> Mr. McClean. >> Okay, we've already moved and seconded the item for discussion. Uh, Miss Newell, >> yes. >> Dr. Rivas, >> yes. >> Mr. Melvin, >> yes. >> Miss Grigo, >> yes. >> Miss Gomez, >> yes. >> Miss Ortiz Franklin, >> yes. >> Um, board president, >> yes. >> And student board member Yang, >> yes. >> Okay. Unanimous >> quick photo. Thank you for having us. We appreciate Sir, Okay, we are now on to tab four. I don't have any um public comment on this item. Can we move it and second it and then move into discussion? >> Move it. >> Second. >> Moved by Miss Gomez, seconded by board president Schmurson, and then um
177Miss New has questions. >> Charlotte, go ahead. >> I just had a question. Um >> donation >> on the donation. Some of them had really clear defined purposes. And then Kaiser Family Foundation, it just said funds that help families and wellness. And I was like, it wasn't real clear. So I'm like, what what does it do? How do we use it? >> The exact language that it's written here. >> Anthem. I think >> anthem was a little more clear. Oh, okay. >> Anthem said it fund the 5K health and wellness festival, wellness programs, the project, general supplies, Z time refreshments for staff, but Kaiser just said to fund staff and parent wellness, and I wasn't clear what that means. >> Um, I did reach back to the team. I believe that funding is used to
178support mental health services and someone from the mental health >> I I can speak to this one. >> Okay, go ahead. >> Um, so we've had a number of uh sponsorships and donations uh received from Kaiser. Uh many of them have gone to support a number of events that have occurred throughout the district and to support direct services. As you all know in some of the other line items, there's donations for our 5K and wellness programs here. It's also been for our uh collaborative um that we convened around uh bringing providers to kind of focus on mental well mental health and wellness efforts in the district. So it gets utilized for a number of different um efforts in the district. >> So when it says the parent wellness, how does it reach our parents? Exactly
179what are we doing to connect the parents? >> Yes. So, what we've done is when we've done our vision services, health and wellness fairs that we've uh held on Saturdays throughout the district, um we've been able to leverage those resources to support uh direct services to families. >> Okay. Thanks. >> Thank you. at five. >> Are there any further questions on four? Okay, let's vote. Um, Miss Newell, >> yes. >> Dr. Rivas, >> yes. >> Mr. Meline, >> yes. >> Miss Grigo, Miss Gonz, >> yes. >> Miss Ortiz Franklin. >> We'll come back to Miss Ortiz Franklin and Miss Grigo. Board President. Yes. >> And student board member Yang. >> Yes. >> Okay. That brings us to tab five. >> There are no folks signed up for public comment on tab five. Can I have
180a move and a second >> before we discuss? >> Move it. >> Moved by Miss Gonz. >> Seconded by board president Schmurson. And the floor is open. >> Okay. I had asked a question on five and uh Miss Toxes explained very very well to me about the difference between artificial turf and natural grass and she did explain that uh artificial turf is bonfundable and uh natural grass fields are not bonfundable unless it's an enormous project right Miss Tes with irrigation and everything. She did explain it very well. But nevertheless, although I did like your explanations, I am not a fan of artificial turf. And as a member of the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils, I can assure you that the Valley Alliance is against having artificial turf also when the possibility of natural grass is
181there. Personally, I think it's unsanitary. I think it's very dangerous when sliding on it. You have to water it, believe it or not. If it gets too hot, you have to water artificial turf. It's too hot to play on. So, um, so here's my real question. That was my statement. Here's my real question. So, Miss Tes has previously stated that artificial turf can create a heat island effect and can this offset any positive impacts from greening our schoolyards such as cooling from natural shade? And I do worry because in my district and in Miss Gonz's district, the San Fernando Valley, the temperature is among the highest in the LA metropolitan area. So, it's about the uh heat island effect. So, thank you um board presidentson. Christina Tes, chief facilities executive. We do know that one
182of the disadvantages of using synthetic turf is a heat effect. Um it definitely does not have the temperatures of a natural turf field. Um that said, the district does use essentially water cannons to cool down the field, especially before play and during play so that it is safe um for students. We are looking at as part of our greening initiatives across the district as we remove asphalt and create green spaces um really looking at making our schools 30% green that we are holistically removing asphalt and essentially hotter surfaces from our campuses um while we replace it with permeable surfaces. Um and we have and I don't have the exact number but we have already moved a lot of square footage of asphalt and hot services. This particular one um we are following a policy that
183essentially says where there are high usage athletic fields meaning that there are multiple sports teams playing at them and they're available for community use as we just heard for either civic center permit or other joint use. Um the district's policy is to use synthetic turf because it is more resilient in terms of um usage and not wearing out as fast. >> So So Christina, does green me does green possibly mean artificial turf? >> It does not. >> Does not. Okay. I wanted to make sure. >> And I forgot to mention you, Nick. Woodland Hills is the hottest part of the valley, so I apologize. Yes. Okay. Okay. Thank you. >> Sure. Rosil. >> Well, um, yeah, I want to just briefly also, uh, make some comments on the synthetic turf because it's a a hot
184topic, particularly now environmentally, and with our climate resiliency efforts. Um, so we've, you know, hopefully we've seen the letter from bond oversight committee, um, and the and the concerns that they raised. While there is an agreement that both schools are in urgent need of field repairs, there remain um serious unresolved questions about replacing these fields with this synthetic turf. The committee raised concerns about the heat island effect which is brought up. The student safety and injury risks, uh microlastic pollution, life cycle costs, and whether natural grass alternatives might be al might better align with our climate and sustainability goals. Given the significant investment involved, $22 million bond funds, it's important that the board be fully informed um towards uh the use of synthetic turfs or the replacement of it. Um so just want to mention
185that this is uh this is an area that will be be further discussed um and studied in the green schools and climate resiliency committee. I know that OIG conducted a study in 2021 um and um you know there are other studies that are being that have been conducted on on the use of synthetic turf and we will um I will like to you know continue that study to see if you know if there's further you know uh implications or other areas that we want to look into in the synthetic turf. So, now that you're here and you've um answered some questions, I just, you know, can you walk us through how the uh district is is evaluating environmental and student safety issues? Uh what research currently shows uh on injuries and health impacts and whether
186natural grass or hybrid alternatives have been considered in the long-term planning for our athletic fields? >> Sure. Um so we obviously take the safety component um very seriously. We did engage in um having a consultant do a comprehensive study to see if there was um research that can conclude whether synthetic turf or natural turf were more safe. Um the results of that study um and they analyzed essentially 22 studies um concluded that there was little to no difference in overall injury incidences between synthetic and natural turf fields and that most injuries are due to playerto-player contact and not playertosurface contact. They also identified that there is a lot of contradictory evidence. So you can find one study um asserting one thing and another study asserting another. Um some studies show higher injury rates on synthetic
187turf. Um especially NFL data showing 28% higher non-cont lower extremity injuries. Other studies show lower injury rates on synthetic turf when it comes to knee injuries or pelvic and thigh injuries. And many studies show equivalent injury rates. Um the big takeaway was the report notes that um or emphasizes that proper maintenance is essential for safety regarding turf type. So I gave in the example of we could have a brand new natural um grass field that would be safer than a old worn out synthetic turf field that has like the carpet coming up and may have a tripping hazard. Likewise, we could have a newer synthetic turf field um that is not as unsafe as an older grass field that has gopher holes, that has uneven surfaces, and where the grass is so worn out that
188there's really a very hard impact for students to fall. So, there's very um uh very varied conditions making it hard to make one single determination. But if the district were to find out or there was new research that indicated that there was conclusive evidence that one material was more unsafe than another, obviously we would want to bring that recommendation to the board to consider that new research. Right now after our latest conclusion, we don't have any conclusive data. And as I mentioned the OIG report, they did make some recommendations which were um um followed by facilities um when they were made in 2021. But um how about any research in terms of the environmental impact with u you know contamination in in our water and also as was mentioned in the bond oversight committee um
189letter you know we are able to they the cooling of the synthetic turf can be done with water but then that sort of evaporates right and then that's continued usage of water so I think that you know it's you know wasting water on that so any environmental impact research um that you're aware of or that can address it. Okay. >> Yeah. So, I'll speak to um when we talk about safety concerns um and environmental issues, I'm going to first talk about directly to the users and then the broader uh environment for you know the city um our region and maybe the planet. So in terms of our student use of synthetic turf fields, all the products that are used in the makeup of that field, including the plastic of the grass, the infill materials, the
190shock absorber pad underneath, um all of that is very carefully reviewed by the office of environmental health and safety. um and to ensure that none of those products are unsafe for the students or community users of that. Um synthetic turf has progressed um a lot over the last 25 years when the district has started using it. I gave the example at some point in time um we thought it was or the industry thought that using recycled rubber materials was more sustainable. They found that there was trace metals on those because they came from recycled tires. We discontinued that use. We then went on to virgin rubber. We had some incidences of clumping with the virgin rubber. We're now using essentially um a material of groundup nutshells like walnut shells etc that are used for that
191in material. But at all times we're working very closely with OEHS to make sure that all those products are safe for students. However, we do know that just the use of plastics and their forever plastics um has large environmental impacts um is not easily recyclable like many of our building materials whether those are carpets or our lighting fixtures. We know that building in general has considerations on the environment by just the amount of materials that it uses. Many of which though we try to be sustainable are not easily recyclable >> and the um maintenance or the repairs or the of for synthetic turfs it's about how often eight every 8 to 10 years as they're deteriorating. >> So the district uses approximately 8 to 10 years on Fairfax um this synthetic turfield is a little
192over 10 years old on Huntington Park it's 15 years old. So, a lot of that can depend on the amount of wear and tear that it's seeing and how much use it has. If it doesn't have that weekend and nighttime use, it may last longer. If it's used 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, it's obviously going to wear out more. We have that same issue on our grass fields as well. The challenge there is you need to reed or resold it. That actually that also has a downtime and that's something that should be done annually. So the pros and cons are at synthetic turf field you're replacing that field maybe every 8 10 12 15 years on a grass field you'd want to recede or resade that on an annual basis. So both
193have factors of downtime. >> Are there additional um schools that are in in line for replacement of synthetic turfs? Yes, there are. We have um a few schools that we are monitoring and we believe will soon need to be replaced or else they will be um determined as most likely um unusable. Um so we are looking at those and determining what the next steps are on those. >> In terms of cost, which is more expensive, synthetic turf or the seating for for grass? Definitely the installation of a new synthetic turf field is more costly than a natural grass field. The complication comes into the color of money that we can use. Um when we repair replace a synthetic turf field, we can use bond funds to do that. If we are going to resod or
194recede a grass field that falls under a nonbond fund expense. So we have to use general funds to do that residing or receding. Um, and we just know as our general funds continue to face challenges and maintenance budgets decrease that we probably will not have as many opportunities to recede or resade if we're relying on general fund. >> And last question, do you happen to know when uh the synthetic turf is replaced, what where does that replacement go? Does it is it recycled for something else or what is the use after it's been um removed? So we um with our specifications try to um identify products that could be recyclable. What we heard from our contractors is oftentime challenge is finding a market where they can recycle it. And we know that's often a challenge
195with recyclables is yes the product may be recyclable but finding a market of someone who will acquire it and recycle it has been the challenge. And that is something we've heard from our contractors is they are challenged by finding places where they could go and take it to actually be recycled. >> Meaning there's a challenge that they don't recycle it. So it does it go in the landfield or >> it would if they're unable to recycle it, it would go in the landfill. >> Like that's where it ends up. Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. We have Carla followed by Kelly. >> Yeah, this is a tough one, right? because of all that you've shared, Christina, and um I know in particular for Huntington Park, they've been waiting for a long time for their field and
196the the the coaches, the teams, the people who use the field are feel that the turf is better just because of maintenance and it'll last longer. And I have also asked other coaches in my family and they agree that turf is better and yet we know it's not the best for the environment. And so um I and it it's tough for me because I'm thinking we have this greening initiative and how does this connect with that? Right? it seems to contradict. And so, um, when we are thinking about studies, I think that it would be great to study, um, more more of that environmental impact, right? Because I I hear all about the injuries and and all of that that there isn't it doesn't necessarily correlate to the field type. Um, however, we do know
197that it can definitely impact um our environment. And in fact, as I was preparing for this, um, there are community organizations in the southeast cities. One of them, um, ECART's Community for Environmental Justice, and we reached out to them and asked them their thoughts, and their concern was that sometimes these little rubber pellets when it rains, it goes into the sewage, and then of course it ends up in the ocean. And um, and so how do we mitigate that? And um so I know that for for this particular project the um the athletics uh department were asked right were surveyed. Um, I would like for the future for us to also include community because this is not even though it is our students who are playing on the field and it is our schools, but
198we do know that this has a great impact on the community. And so I would love for the next projects that we include community members to participate in um in in these hearings or these conversations about it that we look at all let's uh you know just look broadly and deeply at um the other avenues that we have um to alternatives to synthetic um fields and also funding because I do know that's Another question, right? So, what other funding I understand that measure R is can help with this? I don't know. Somebody mentioned that to me. So, what other funding is there from the state, from the county, from the city that can support maintenance of of grass fields? And because you're right, if they are not maintained, they're just as bad. And um so,
199and I want to acknowledge the concerns from the BOC and I understand their frustration, right? because they're like, "Wait, we're here to advise you, but then you go and vote, you know, in opposition to what we're advising." So, I want to acknowledge that um frustration and I want to um commit that we that I'm going to advocate for that kind of study and that we do broaden the group of people that we bring into the conversation before we recommend something. So, um and I know you're very good about community engagement, Christina. You always are thinking about that. So, um I know that you will you will do that. And um so yeah. So then just lastly, I also would like for us to investigate um support funding support for the maintenance of uh grass fields
200for uh something that is more environmentally uh prudent and wise and uh respectful. How do we make that happen? Thank you. >> Thank you, Carla Kelly. Um well, I'd echo um all of the points raised by board member Grigo and Dr. Rivas. Um I have similar concerns and questions. I definitely understand how from the athletics world there is a preference for synthetic turf, but I think the environmental concerns are significant and only growing as um as it becomes increasingly hot as we learn more about these forever chemicals and their impacts on our health, especially because we are a childerving organization. Um, and I am also concerned about the heat exposure, um, given that it is becoming ever more hot in Los Angeles, um, and that our athletes are exercising sometimes during hot days, um, on
201these on these turfs. Um, so I think that analysis that was spoken to would be helpful, um, looking at the the lifetime cost uh, of both turf, natural turf and synthetic turf, and how those compare um, to give us a real sense of uh, you know, how they stack up. um as well as any environmental um data we're able to gather. Um I also think looking at heat injuries, I know that you you mentioned the research in general doesn't show increased um injuries. Maybe that was looking at uh you know twisted ankles and scraped knees. Um but I'm I'm concerned about the heat exposure and the potential for heat illness among athletes and students utilizing these spaces. Um so if there's any more information we can get on that front, I think that would be
202helpful. Um, and just in general, I mean, I think the BOC didn't approve, but they didn't disapprove necessarily. I I think this raises a really important discussion that we as a district need to have. The policy that's in place was passed in 2017. We know that a lot has changed since then. There's been growing research um on this subject. Um, so I appreciate the opportunity for us to look at this more comprehensively. Thank you. >> Okay, go ahead, Jerry. Yes, I would like to agree with all the board members who have spoken before me. From what I've heard from the students, there are many many stories about artificial turf and and different concerns. The first one and the biggest one um like board member Gon has touched upon uh is the heat. Uh natural turf
203has immense benefits for mitigating the urban heat island effect uh by being several degrees cooler on any given day than concrete, asphalt, um and especially artificial turf. And it's been proven in many studies and the students tell me as well that artificial turf temperatures often climb significantly higher than that of natural turf and sometimes even higher than that of regular concrete. And it's simply unsustainable as temperatures continue to rise to have students playing on these fields, especially if we're going to open them up as community parks and things like that on the weekends in the summer. Like we can't expect students to play on those fields and and be able to get the fullest extent and the the play time out of it. Second, artificial turf also makes impacts much harder as well. I know
204you mentioned there there was some in inconclusive studies. Um, and there there didn't seem to be a huge difference, but when I talked to the football team at my school and and other sports teams um and their experiences with artificial turf, they noticed that impacts are harder, injuries are usually more severe. Uh, and often times when the artificial turf isn't monitored and cared for properly, it can clump up and become an extremely hard surface that is sometimes literally like concrete. So imagine like a student getting tackled and they're basically slamming into concrete. It's definitely not the experience that we want students to have. Um so with all this in mind, I would recommend that moving forward in the future, the board and the district look at alternatives to artificial turf. I understand that, you know,
205there's already been extensive design around these proposals and that artificial turf fields are bond fundable, but I would like to see other alternatives explored, especially when considering their impact on student well-being. >> Thank you, Jerry. Nick, any comments? No comments. Okay. Okay. Mr. McClean on the vote for tab five. Miss Newil. >> Dr. Ivas. >> Yes. >> Mr. Melvin. >> Yes. >> Miss Grigo. >> Yes. >> Miss Gomez. >> I'm going to abstain on projects five and six and vote yes on the balance. So abstaining on projects five and six and yes on one two three four and the rest. >> Thank you. >> Uh Miss Ortiz Franklin. >> Yes. >> Board President. >> I will vote yes as long as Miss Tes keeps in mind all the things that we discussed about artificial turf
206versus natural turf. But I will vote yes. >> That is a yes. And um student board member Yang. >> Um I'll abstain on on six and seven and vote yes. >> Abstaining on six and seven and yes on the balance. Okay, we'll come back for Miss New Bill's vote. The tab um tab we move on to tab eight. We have no no public comment on it. So let's move and second on tab eight. >> Move it. >> Bring it to the board. So that's Gonz moved and second by Mr. President Schmurson and the floor is yours. >> I believe Miss >> I have Yeah, I just have some questions on item D. Um who am I asking? Who's who's answering? So, I'm just wondering about the change orders. So, it says here these were ratified
207contracts that were below 250, right? And so, now I'm wondering are they have they gone over with the uh over 250? Am I on the right one? Okay. So, so >> I'm on >> It sounds like you're talking about maybe >> eight item D. >> Okay. Tab eight item D. >> I'm looking for it on in my book, but I can't see. >> Is there no item? >> Yes. So, so my understanding is you're you're speaking to the approval of change orders. >> Yes, correct. >> That's exactly it. >> It's uh under item D on the facilities procurement. >> And I'm sorry, could you ask that question again? >> So, okay. So these were these are awarded under delegated authority. So these um I'm wondering if they have already surpassed the threshold of 250k is
208this these are the ones that are supposed to be under right. >> So so specific to each of those items that are on their >> any of these none of those have uh gone over our delegated authority. >> Oh okay. even with the added amount. >> Um those added amounts would be uh in conjunction with a board approved action. So you know a bond um project or whatever it may be. >> Okay. So they're still within that scope. >> Correct. >> Okay. >> Y >> got it. Um and then I'm seeing here contracts. I'm I feel like I'm looking Oh, the professional contracts. Here it is. >> I think that's it because you just show here. That's all I have on item D. >> The others. >> Okay. So, the vote on tab eight. Miss
209Newell. >> Yes. >> Dr. Rivas, >> yes. >> Mr. Melvinne, >> yes. >> Miss Grigo, >> yes. Sorry, >> Miss Gonz. >> Yes. >> Miss Ortiz Franklin, >> yes. >> Uh, board president Schmen, >> yes. >> And student board member Yang? >> Yes. >> Mr. McClean, could uh could Miss Newell give her a vote? And also, you know, I know that you were a coach, so I don't know if you had anything to add for the last item. I know you weren't in here. >> Yeah. No, >> we did a good job. Okay. Okay. All right. So, would you like to vote? >> Okay. So, uh for tab four, Miss Newell, uh how do you how do you vote? That was donations to of money to the district. >> Oh, I'm sorry. No, we got
210that. >> We did that. >> It's uh >> Let me go back. >> My tab four might be missing. M. >> Yeah, that's correct. So, Miss Nub, I need you on tab five. >> Yes. >> Okay. And then Miss Ortiz Franklin, I need you on tab four. >> Yes. And Miss Grigo, I also needed your vote on tab four. >> Yes. Okay. Thank you. >> All right. This brings us to tab nine. So on tab nine, uh item A uh has been withdrawn. Um we do have a recusal for um the CSBA contract. >> Yes. >> Um yes. So I will be recusing myself from tab 9 item D but everything else I'm vote yes except >> perfect. So um do any board members plan to discuss that item? >> The CSBA. >> Okay. So
211the CSBA contract not item D. Okay. Um >> I have a question about Okay? Because if there was discussion, Miss U Dr. Revas would have to leave leave the room on that particular one. But if there's no discussion on the item, it's almost as if it's on the consent calendar because these items are broken out uh discreetly from the tab. Um so I do not believe you need to leave the room if there's no discussion on on the item. So we're we'll go ahead and take the public comments, >> ask any questions >> and then the discussion on the other items. >> Okay. So for tab nine, Amina Couture, are you here? Amina. Uh, Rebecca Husini, are you here? Let's see. Estee Chandler, are you here? Uh, John Krampner, are you here? John K. Alejandro
212Casillas, right here. Alejandro Casillas. Uh, Israel Belrron. Uh, Karina Espinosa, are you here? Karina Espinosa. And we do have some call-in folks. Dalia Taha, I see you're with us. Please press star six to unmute yourself. And you have two minutes to speak once you begin. Dalia T. >> Hello. >> Hi. >> Hello. Hi. Good afternoon. Uh, Superintendent President Schwin Schwinson and members of the board. My name is Dalia Taha. I was born and raised in Los Angeles. From Ivanha Elementary School to James Madison Middle School to Jean Marshall High School. I'm a proud product of LA USD. And today I'm speaking simply as a community member who cares deeply about this district and all of our students. As a student in LA USD, I remember searching for pieces of my identity and what we were
213taught. Too often those stories, the stories of my community as a Muslim American, so many others were missing. The absence stays with you. It sends a quiet message about who belongs and who doesn't, who's represented and who isn't. And that's why grants such as the California Ethnic Studies of UCLA Center X are so personal to me. As this per as this program helps change that. It gives teachers and students the training and support they need to bring all histories into the classroom. It makes spaces for students of color to feel seen. For every student to better their understand their neighbors and for our district to live up to its responsibility of preparing young people for diverse world they're growing into. I've heard that this grant is being questioned and even removed from the agenda because
214of UCLA's handling of the pro Palestinian encampments. And let's be honest, those encampments were an act of free speech assembly that are protected by the first amendment. Disagreeing with those protests should not be a reason to take resources away from LA USD teachers and all of our students. Our young people should never lose opportunities because of politics. And contrary to what some may believe, pulling this grant is a threat to ethnic studies. It undermines the very progress we have made in building inclusive classrooms and sends a chilling message about whose histories are valued. Bringing this grant back to the table and approving it is about much more about funding. It's about telling our students and our children that their voices and their stories matter. It's about giving them the tools to be proud of who
215they are and to respect the people around them. And as someone who grew up in this district and is a proud Cal Thank you for your time. Okay. Mued Taha, I see you signed up to speak remotely, but I do not have you on the line in front of me. Mufi and Fatma, are you on the line? Are you in the room with Fatma? I think there's some folks who who showed up. Can you put your hands up if you showed up for 10 night? No. What's your name? >> Rebecca Husini. >> Okay, Rebecca Husini, come on down. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Thank you so much. Thank you to board president and members of the board. My name is Rebecca Husini and I serve as the vice president of operations
216and administration at the Muslim Public Affairs Council. I am here today as a community leader and as somebody who believes deeply in LA USD's responsibility to ensure that every student, no matter their background, is empowered to learn, to thrive, and to be represented. Impact stands for all students. The California Ethnic Studies Grant with UCLA Center X is not just a program. It's a lifeline for teachers and students across Los Angeles. For over a decade, this partnership has provided professional development and curriculum support that closes opportunity gaps, affirms the voices of marginalized communities, and builds classrooms rooted in equity and inclusion. But there is more at stake here. This grant has come under fire because of political disagreements over student protest. Let's be clear, the UCLA encampments were an exercise of freedom of assembly and speech
217protected under the First Amendment. Disagreeing with students messages should never justify dismantling programs that serve our teachers and children. We also want to be clear on another point. Empact stands firmly against anti-semitism in all its forms. It is real. It is harmful and it must be confronted. But anti-semitism must not be conflated with criticism of Israeli government policies nor with anti-ionism. To do so undermines free expression and dangerously distorts the values of academic freedom and equity that ethnic studies was built to uphold. To block this grant now would roll back years of progress and send a chilling message that politics matter more than students. To approve it would reaffirm LUSD's leadership as a model for inclusive, constitutional and forwardlooking education. On behalf of EMPAC and the communities we represent, I strongly urge you to put
218it back on the agenda and vote yes on the California Ethnic Studies Grant with UCLA Center X. Our students deserve nothing less. Thank you so much. >> Thank you for your time. And uh ma'am, you came in later. What's your name? >> Chandler. >> Come on up, Miss Chandler. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. >> Good morning. I'm SD Chandler, the founding organizer of Jewish Voice for Peace Los Angeles and board chair of JVP Action and former North Hollywood High student. As a Jewish community leader, I want to make crystal clear the importance of the California Ethnic Studies Grant to UCLA Center being renewed. This program matters because it trains teachers to teach truthfully and inclusively. It matters because it ensures that students from marginalized communities see their histories and communities contributions
219to our community reflected in classrooms. It matters because it prepares all LUSD students to lead responsibly, think critically, and thrive in a diverse democracy. Let's be honest, this grant isn't being questioned because of its impact. It's being targeted because of the pro Palestine encampments at UCLA. And as you all know well, those encampments were first amendment protected exercises of free speech and assembly. Students shouldn't be punished and teachers shouldn't lose resources because a minority of Angelinos disagree with lawful protest. Anti-semitism should of course be confronted, but criticism of the state of Israel and anti-Zionism are not anti-semitic. And conflating anti-sionism with anti-semitism is an ugly and dangerous weaponization of Jewish identity to silence dissent. It undermines free expression and distracts from fighting actual anti-semitism. Denying this grant will send the chilling message that politics matter
220more to this board than education, truth, and justice. Please stand with teachers, stand with students and the first amendment and affirm that LUSD will continue to lead with courage and equity. I urge you to protect free speech, protect our students, and protect ethnic studies by voting yes on continuing this grant. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Did you sign up and I I called your name already? >> Okay, come on up. Hello everyone. My name is Hadier Azab and I'm the policy coordinator at the Council on Americans Council on American Council on Islamic American Islamic Relations Greater Los Angeles chapter. The UCLA Center X program with the California Ethnic Studies grant is a crucial program that's been in effect for over a decade. The re v voting against the renewal of this grant would
221be a discriminatory decision that falsely conflates anti-ionism with anti-semitism. It individuals should be able to critique a particular point of view without putting an entire program at risk. Ethnic studies as we all know does not only cover ArabAmerican studies. It covers black, Latino, Asian-American studies and more. Free speech and protests against genocide are not related to an ethnic studies grant that encourages education around diversity. and silencing one minority would directly go against the mission of education and diversity. Being an Arab-American myself and having grown up in the LA County education system, I would hope that LUSD would continue to focus on ensuring that academic spaces allow for the history of minorities to be seen, heard, taught, and recognized. You can't boast about diversity and inclusivity while simultaneously allowing for politics to remove the very core
222of educational curriculum that empowers that. On behalf of KLA, we strongly urge that LUSD put this item back on the agenda and vote in favor for it in order to continue to uplift ethnic studies as a critical part of education in L USDC. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. That concludes public comment on the item. We have um a number of items on under tab 9 for for board members to speak to. Uh, Miss Grigo and Melson and Miss Gonomez and student board member Jerry have all um signaled that they'd like to speak to items on Tab 9. And while we're here, I can read uh the um recusal language um for Tab 9. Uh, in accordance with section 18707 of the California Code of Regulations, board member Rivas uh is and has
223publicly recused herself from discussing or taking action on uh item D within tab 9 uh due to a travel payment received from the California School Board Association. So that's a CSBA related um board report. Item D. Everything else is fair game for um for Dr. Reeba to take part in. So if there are questions >> I have for Jay if I may. Um it's the approval for procurement actions item J digital scepter corporation and my question is since we are on the topic of cyber security when we ratify a contract with a vendor do we usually ask them about how they protect their systems and if we don't ask them those questions why not since they have access to valuable district information and that that that that's for 3,364,986. >> Sorry, I was walking down
224the >> side. Sure, no problem. Since we're on the topic of cyber security, when we ratify a contract with a vendor, do we usually ask them about how they protect their systems? And if we don't ask them, why not? Since they have access to valuable district information. >> I'm so cattle, chief information officer. Um, as part of our uh procurement um boilerplate language, basic language, we require the vendor to submit the security plan and answer to all of the question that we outlined for the vendors. every contract uh by default have those material included especially services or any top part of the cloud um and when they provide those answers they need to meet our requirement which is industry standard um type of a security requirements and this case uh I believe it's used at
225boilerplate language uh yes it is included okay thank you thank you >> Carla. >> Yes, >> I have a question on item B. Um, regarding a consultant to assess, let me get to that. Assess the legal bench. Just wondering why we are hiring outside folks to assess our legal bench. Like why can't we do that ourselves? >> I don't know if that's the question for you. >> Denine Cox, deputy general counsel behind you speaking. Uh the current bench uh of legal firms is expiring at the end of this calendar year. uh the return on investment is being done by this particular uh outside vendor in order to uh assess how our different firms from the legal bench have uh conducted business on behalf of the district. The office of the general counsel is not uh
226conducting this assessment ourselves because it would seem a bit self-s serving. Uh so we're having an outside firm conduct that for us. I I don't understand how it would seem self-s serving. I think that I mean are you saying that we cannot be that it would not seem objective um if we were to do it ourselves to see I mean whether it's the office of general counsel or the finance office to look at our return on investments. I mean how do we assess other other benches that we have? Do we often seek um consultants to do that or other professional services to do that? I'll let procurement services speak on that behalf. >> So Matt Freriedman, chief procurement officer. Um typically uh those assessments are done internally. Um not to say that they aren't done
227externally. Uh but typically it's around data of the services, the effectiveness um and so so on. >> So okay, I have some concerns about that. um just because you know here we are in a time of of fiscal stability, right? We're trying to stabilize our budget and if we've never done this before, why are we doing it now? What is the the urgency to hire to spend general funds? It's 193,000 may not seem like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, every penny counts for our students. So, I'm just wondering how what is the the um the dire need to spend this money on an outside entity to do this assessment when we've never done it for our legal bench. So, why now? >> Board member Grigo, there isn't a dire need. This
228was just um intended to assist when we come back with the new bench um for questions that may come from uh the board or the superintendent. It just was an extra layer of information to provide on behalf of OGC. Okay. So, it was just let's just provide this extra layer right now. That's what we need. But there isn't a dire need for it. All right. Uh thank you. >> I think Jerry had a question. Did you not? Yes, I remember. >> Yes. I had a question for item M, the LA USD eco sustainability plan. Um, I was just wondering if this builds upon and uses current sustainability initiatives or if it's planning to create a whole set of new ones. >> Christoric, chief eco sustainability officer. Yes, actually is building on the existing initiatives and
229building on those as well and by defining um goals and objectives for all the divisions and departments that we have within LA Unified. >> And then I would just like to comment and say that um this is something that students have long thought is necessary um to have a specifically enumerated sustainability plan that sets forth concrete goals on how to move forward especially for for individual departments. and talking with students. Another point they've brought up um is that um maybe for the board to consider going forward a focus beyond just facilities and and um district departments, but also on uh sustainability and climate curriculum being taught to students. Um, I've heard from countless students that there's a need to shift climate curricula to focus more on local issues, to get students more involved in their
230communities, and also to make learning, especially in this field, more project-based to get students engaged in the community while also learning valuable skills and insight. Um, and I would also like to add that this transition to greener facilities that in this transition to greener facilities, I'd like to see more student involvement with the design and implementation of this plan wherever um and wherever whenever and wherever possible. Um, so that there are multiple diverse perspectives accounted for when considering improvements or changes. Um, and this student involvement will also have the added benefit of providing students with hands-on learning opportunities and being able to increase transparency by disseminating important information to their peers. >> Thank you, Jerry. Nick, any questions? No. Charlotte, any questions? I believe you have another one. >> I do. I have a question
231on item Thank you. on item F and it's regarding the professional services. Um it says here that the this total amount of professional services expenditures include are for both school and divisions approved budgets. So it's combining everything. Can you tell me what is schools and what is divisions? And then I think we've asked for a list of the different professional services that we that we spend money on and I don't think we received that. We asked for that last year. So um but can you tell me right now what if if not an amount what percentage is schools what percentage is is central >> so we we don't actually disagregate that data we certainly can >> okay >> but maybe what I will say is that the the spending here is offc contract purchase orders
232that's directly tied to school and office budgets. So looking at a a school's budget, you can see the allocation of funding. Um not specific to the spending, but in general. >> Yeah. And it would be great. And I would ask that if you could do that, that would be great because that is something that the public wants to know, right? How much is spent for schools, how much is spent centrally and without having to go into every school's budget. And um that would be very helpful to know how our schools are using their budgets to support student learning, student joy, and wellness at the school sites and what vendors are using. That would be great. Thank you. >> That's it for everyone. Okay, Mr. Ale, I want to make sure that um I think we
233had didn't Miss Gonz have a question on on something on tab 9. So, um, if we could wait a moment, I'll go check with her before we vote. >> Yes. Okay. Uh, hi. I have a question on item N on the mission um school bus transportation contract. Um, obviously I understand the desire to provide um off-site experiences for our students in our afterchool programs um athletic competitions as well as field trips um etc. uh curious about our capacity as a district to um in the future bring this in-house and utilize our own LUSD bus drivers to provide this service. Um I there are many of them. We are growing our bus drivers. Um so I I think it would be a great opportunity to invest in our own employees rather than contracting out these services.
234If you could share about whether and how we're exploring that for the future. Good afternoon board member Daniel Kang, director of transportation and yes um DOI beyond the bell does reach out to transportation services branch for the first opportunity to cover all these trips and requests. The main concern is capacity as transportation primarily prioritizes AIM and PM trips which support instruction. Um, some of the trip requests uh fall within the AM and PM time, such as the morning is between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. and the afternoon between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Where there is capacity available, we do take drivers off these routes to support these trips and then routes are then consolidated to be able to support the AMPm instruction. When demand goes up seasonally, uh say for instance, football season, uh playoffs, etc.,
235that's when we depend, excuse me, that's when we depend on the charter bus service list, which we as a district have about 25 private companies on that list. And the purpose of this contract with MST is to ensure a more stable price. Whenever the district utilizes this contract service list, we're at the whim of private sector and what we called on demand pricing, which is kind of similar to like Uber, Lyft in the private model. >> Um, we're using the ACS grant to to fund this transportation. Correct. It's it's a like a restricted grant rather than general funds that we're using. Hi, good afternoon. My name is Anna Estz. I'm the interim executive director of Beyond the Bell. And to respond to your question, ASUS is one of our grants that we receive to provide
236expanded learning programs. Okay. Yeah. I'm just curious again, as I said, I understand the need. Obviously, the priority is transporting students to and from school. Um, and that we might have capacity challenges in this area. Um, I just wonder if these, you know, revenue sources might be an area where we could, uh, provide additional hours to certain bus drivers, bring on additional bus drivers to provide this this type of service rather than going with an outside contracting entity. Um, so would just ask that the staff explore that possibility for future school years. And also, it's it's nice to meet you. Thank you. Most definitely. Thank you. Just one comment. Yes. From my understanding and I believe that uh executive director Kang uh attempted to explain this. It it is our position that we do not
237avail ourselves of these resources until such time as there is either a conflict that we cannot solve for or a lack of capacity. So obviously during peak times our bus drivers and our bus fleet are using both the manpower and and the equipment itself to transport kids to and from school. Those would be the only times is that if we have no buses and no drivers. Other than that we will always use uh as a measure of first resort right uh our equipment and our drivers. But we'll continue to explore additional opportunities. But that that's been very clear at least from from my office that that that's that's the only time that the utilization of those services would be contemplated. >> Okay, that's a helpful clarification and good to know. We will continue looking at
238how we can optimize our existing staff. Um and then I also had a question on item or a comment on item I the National Education Equity Lab. I'll let the team come down. secondary executive director. >> Hi. Um I I think this sounds like an amazing program and excited to hear that we're availing ourselves of it. Um to ensure our students have access to dual enrollment opportunities as at lots of different great institutions nationwide. Um, and looking at the list of schools that are currently participating. I know this is voluntary that schools participate, but there are no schools in my board district, board district 6, that currently participate in this program. Um, just wondering if you know you all might commit to making a concerted effort to ensure that our schools in the East San
239Frernando Valley can offer these courses to our students. >> Absolutely. So, I I had noticed that when I looked at the data as well. And one of the things that we'll be reaching out to is the um counseling coordinator, the administration of instruction to make sure that the information has gotten out to the schools to let them know the courses for this fall. And then again, there's another opportunity in the spring semester because there's a fall and spring. The courses aren't always the same. Um sometimes they shift. It just depends upon the student interest. But we'll definitely make that commitment. And >> however we can help get the word out among our principles, we're happy to do that. We want to ensure our students in board district 6 can benefit from these great opportunities. Thank
240you. >> What else? Mr. McClean. >> Okay. Can I have a move in a second on tab 9? >> Move it. >> Moved by for president Morrison. Seconded by Miss Gomez. Uh Miss Newell. >> Yes. >> Dr. Rivas. Uh Mr. Melvin. >> Yes. >> Miss Grigo. >> We're voting on all of them together. >> So this is all of them on tab nine. Uh understanding that item A was withdrawn. >> Okay. I have one that I'm going to vote. I'm going to abstain from B. >> Okay. >> So, for my notes >> and everything else, yes. >> For my notes, item B you have abstained from. >> Yes. >> And the rest are a yes. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Uh, Miss Gonz, >> I'll also abstain from B. And I'm a no on
241item N. And I'm a yes on the balance. >> Bear with me. That's an abstain and a no on >> on item N as in Nancy and a yes on the remainder. Thank you. Uh Miss Ortiz Franklin, >> yes. >> Board President Schmelson, >> yes. Student board member Yang also not here. So we will come back for Dr. Reebas and Mr. Yang. Uh the items pass. So, um, all right, that brings us to tab 15. Let's see if we have any public comment on it very quickly. At 15, we have uh one person, uh, Martin Farfan. Martin Farfan, come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Hello LA USD school board members, superintendent, and district staff. Thank you for the opportunity to address you all today. My name is Martin Farfan,
242and I am proud to serve as a staff member at Green Dot Public Schools. I'm here today in support of Animo Jackie Robinson Charter High School's title 2 application for funding under the charter school facilities program and to also share about the important role our school has played for families in Los Angeles since 2006. At Animo Jackie Robinson, our principal, teachers, and staff work closely with the Green Dot team to ensure that our 600 plus scholars have access to quality classrooms, strong instruction, and the support needed to succeed. Last year, the school reached a 97% graduation rate, exceeded the state in their college and career indicator rate, and exceeded one year of growth in English and math. As a California community school, our school is known for providing a safe, welcoming environment while preparing students
243for college through rigorous coursework and individualized support. We value the district's ongoing partnership through the Proposition 39 program and are eager to continue that collaboration with this application. Animo Jackie Robinson is more than just a school as it is a place where students are seen, supported, and challenged to rise. That commitment was recognized when we are named a California distinguished school in 2024. Families take pride in our community because they are included in decision-m and know they belong. A permanent facility near our current site will allow us to expand these offerings while honoring our promise to serve Los Angeles students for years to come. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. That concludes public comment on the item. Can I have a motion in a second for TAM 15? >> Move it. >> Move
244by Gonz. >> Hi for second. Uh Mr. Melvinne gets the second and we have some discussion on this item. >> Yes. >> I have a question. Okay. Well, the language in this material is very confusing. Very confusing. But after reading it a couple of times, I think I got it. Um, so just for clarity, can anybody explain what an unhoused student is in the context of this tab? I know what an unhoused student is, but in this tab, >> uh, good afternoon members of the board. Christina Toes, chief facilities executive. An unhoused pupil is a a very defined term used by the state. Um, and it is essentially students that the district cannot accommodate within its existing capacities. So, it has nothing to do with their housing status as the term you would think would
245be, but it's really a technical term um basically saying that the school district does not have the capacity to accommodate students. Um and just for background, when this district had um severe um enrollment increases about two or three decades ago in the past um and we had to implement yearround calendars and mandatory busing that was so that we would not have any unhoused pupils. And there was a time many years ago where the district worked um with charter schools to provide capacity for unhoused pupils. At this point in time, the district does not have any unhoused pupils. So the action that is being asked of the board today is not an action in support or um in opposition of charters making applications. It's purely an administrative requirement by the state that the board passes a
246resolution just certifying how many unhoused pupils the district has. We have zero unhoused pupils. So, it's passing a resolution stating that fact. >> That's a lot of words for a zero, but okay. Okay. But I do have this question for you. uh many concerns with the item from the language and the background information of what the money will potentially be used for, but the paperwork is turned in and it's a compliance with state law. So, I see no reason to vote no on this item, but it was one of the most confusing items I have read so far. But, thank you. Thank you. >> Anyone else? Carla. Yeah, I just wanted to acknowledge that because I did get a lot of calls about that. What do you mean there's no unhoused students in LA USD?
247And thank you for your explanation and what the vote means. >> So appreciate that. >> I do too. Thank you, Christina. >> McClean, your turn. >> Okay, so I'll call the vote. Uh, Miss Newil, >> yes. >> Dr. Rivas, Mr. Melvin, >> yes. Miss Grigo, >> yes. >> Miss Gonomez, >> yes. >> Miss Ortiz Franklin, >> yes. >> Board President Schmurson, >> yes. >> In student board member Yang. So, I'll have to come back for Dr. Rivas's vote. That was tab 15. Um, we have dispatched of all the other business. The time is now 153. We have general public comment at 3:30. So, uh, the meeting is going to have to recess until 3:20 p.m. >> Thank you, everyone. We'll be back here at 3:20 p.m. Good to see you. Okay. Good afternoon. Time is
248now a I mean the time is now 3:30. Uh the date is August 26, 2025. Welcome back to the regular meeting of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. We are back from recess and I will take role. Miss Newell >> present. >> Dr. Rivas. Uh, Mr. Meloyne is not here. Miss Grigo >> here. >> Um, Miss Gomez >> here. >> Miss Gonz is here from her field office. I I think we heard you here. Can you say that one more time? Miss Gonz, we didn't I didn't quite hear you. >> Sorry, I'm here. >> Okay, there you are. Thank you. Uh, Miss Ortiz Franklin and board presidentson >> present. >> All right, that's one, two, three, four. So, we have a quorum. Uh, Mr. Mr. Meloine is listening. Just so everyone knows,
249Mr. Meline is listening. Okay, we'll go ahead and take public comment. Uh we'll start with those who are listed as speaking in person and then we will go to those listed as speaking remotely. Is Cheryl Kono here. Cheryl Kono. Oh, it looks like she switched to online. We'll come back to you, Miss Kono. Um if you're online, I'm going to hear from the folks that are in person first. Uh, Birdie Lee, are you here? Birdie, come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. I'm Brady Lee, the organizer of Fo Free Ivanho and a member of Schools Beyond Screens. Last week, my son came home from school with the LUSD responsible use policy, which instructs my third grader to read an initial each section. The document begins by citing important legisl legislation
250to protect children online and then promptly proceeds to place all of the responsibility for a child's protection not on the adults in charge of providing safe classroom technology but instead on the child. Despite its clumsy logic, let's imagine a lawyer wrote this. I imagine a welleducated adult in a business suit sitting across the table from my eight-year-old son in his fleshy stained t-shirt with five missing teeth using words he's never heard before like pornographic and sexing. He asked him to sign his initials next to statements like I will not meet anyone in person that I have met only on the internet. Yes, apparently according to the LUSD responsible use policy, this scenario is possible on a schoolisssued device. And furthermore, it's the child's responsibility to what? Not be prayed upon by a criminal sexual predator
251while trying to get an education. I would like to offer an alternative vision of responsibility that's a lot less creepy. LUSD is the largest school district in California, a state famous for tech innovation. Instead of handing out handing an 8-year-old child a four-page single space document with over 40 dangerous and illegal threats to avoid on his school device, why don't the adults in charge of creating and distributing this technology to young students take some responsibility? Are we really supposed to believe that the the same big tech companies making self-driving cars, rockets, and artificial intelligence so powerful it will eliminate most jobs can't also create child-safe educational computers and software? It's time to hold them responsible and it's time for LUSD to be responsible with all of its economic leverage and demand better for its students.
252Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. I will also note that board member Ortiz Franklin arrived about one minute ago. So, thank you. Um Eugene Lobachev, are you here? Mr. Lobachev, come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. >> Good afternoon, board members. My name is Eugene Lobachef. I'm here on behalf of uh 43 uh families from Wonderland Elementary School. I want to speak about split classes. Um honestly, most parents don't like splits and uh I've spoken with some teachers, they don't like them either. But we all understand sometimes it's a necessary compromise and we accept that. But what we the parents really don't want is for some kids to be forced to be in split classes more than once while some never are. We want fairness and transparency when
253splits are formed. Uh here is an ongoing example from this year. A second grader, Alisa was assigned to a split class for the second time. And that means she's listening to first grade curriculum for the third time in a row. When the principal was asked for reassignment, two other students who to my knowledge uh had never been in a split were reassigned to a full second grade, but not Alisa. And the only explanation given was what it was an administrative decision. Some other families have had similar experiences in past years. This is bigger than one family. It's a system problem of transparency, fairness, and equity. We've already asked Region West uh to issue operational guidance, but we are asking the board to consider a district-wide policy. Our specific ask to um is a board resolution
254with a default to avoid repeat split placements in elementary schools. Children should be advancing not looping the same content because of because of a non-transparent placement practices. We respectfully ask uh board member to sponsor this item and request what it will be placed on the agenda for the next available regular meeting. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. I'll note that Dr. Revas is with us now as well. The next speaker is John Allen Wooden. Come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Hello, my name is John Allen Wooden. My child attends Walter Reed Middle School and I'm a member of Schools Beyond Screens. First, I'd like to thank the board for banning smartphones, Belltobell. Unfortunately, phones are just the tip of the digital distraction iceberg. Earlier this year, concerned
255by my son's constant complaints that his honors classes were too loud and chaotic for him to learn, I sat in on two full days of instruction. What I witnessed from the rear of class after class was that the vast majority of distraction came not from personal phones, but from the schoolisssued Chromebooks a top every desk on which almost no activity was academic. Kids goof around endlessly with Chromebook customization and webcams, chatting inside shared documents. And because the district has failed to block the open internet, students brazenly play web games, shop on Amazon, watch sports, and stream endless vacuous junk on YouTube. Meanwhile, teachers simply can't compete with the Chromebook's infinite, highly addictive temptations. All attempts to police device misuse restore classroom order for a minute at two or two at best. It's anarchy, a farcical
256black hole of learning. Our culture bought a simplistic narrative that because computers rule the world of work, kids must use them to learn. But there was never any data to support that. And it's not working. Scores keep dropping and our kids can't concentrate. That's because Chromebooks are not learning devices. their distraction devices and Google's colonizing our classrooms is providing as many cognitive benefits as a bowl of lead paint chips. The onetoone device policy is an abject failure. We must return to paper and real books and the analog teaching methods that served us brilliantly for centuries. Please purge all edtech from LA USDA schools. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. Uh, Ma Tjo, I see you're here. Ma Treyjo, come on up. You have two minutes to speak once you begin. Or Ma was
257here earlier. >> Okay, let's go to the next person. Ian Kirsy, there you are. Come on down. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin >> and then I'll be yielding my time to Ila here. >> Okay, come on up, Laya. You have two minutes to speak. Why don't you begin? Good afternoon. My name is Leila King. I came from Horseman Community School and I'm a leader in Students and Reserve and a part of Police Free L Coalition. I'm demanding for you guys to listen to my demands. Sometime last year, we had one of multiple multiple major events from L USD to support and protect black, undocumented, and queer students. But the current ICE raids is not enough. L should not allow ICE on any sites at all. Collaboration with ICE and LAPD should
258not be ignored. LD should take advantage of the resources by bringing Benjamin, a student from Aetta High School, and bring them home and all LUSD students who have been kidnapped by ICE to be brought back to their families immediately. In association with UTLA, we demand that undocumented students are provided legal support for students and their families who face deportation or criminalization, as well as mutual aid and mutual aid for support of their families left behind after loved ones have been kidnapped. and taking a step further to protect these childrens by expanding safe passage and community- based safety around schools without the help of police. And speaking of community, I would also like to speak about ending funding for community schools. Why are community schools treated as less? Community schools already struggled with funding for basic
259needs such as Chromebooks, desk, and hiring enough teachers and staff. And now facing possible losses schools completely. I believe education is important everywhere and if community school are the perfect environment for learning because classes are smaller students are able to to have better relationships with tutor teachers allowing everyone to get better support for their studies. I believe students benefit a lot when getting a going to a community school and I am one of I am one of one of those who go to a community school. I have been supported by my teachers and staff at my schools with my work and emotional distress in ways I haven't been supported in regular schools. >> Thank you for your time. >> Okay, Amamir Kazmir, are you here? Amir, I think I >> I'm leaving my time to
260Gilbert. Good afternoon everyone. My name is Gilbert Lopez. I'm from Venice High School. I'm here with students deserve and I stand here right now to demand justice for students of LUSD. Today in an age where students are suffering due to to events occurring throughout immigration, we've witnessed students we've witnessed students friends and families be deported, detained and in detained into handcuffs and even kidnapped. Students are extremely fearful both in and out of school. We haven't seen proper and representation. We haven't seen action. We haven't seen safety throughout LD schools. As of now, LSD has taken minimal action in regards of immigration enforcement. Superintendent Carvalo, you have stated into the public in a news report by CBS, quote, "The staff have been trained on how to respond if federal agents show up on school property trying
261to gain access. If this is true, how come we haven't seen any drills on this plan? How come we haven't had any sort of assemblies revolving about this plan? How come students are still out there in school with fear, not knowing like what's going to happen if we were to see this to happen in play? In addition, this isn't the first time we have spoken like about trying to receive assemblies, trying to receive awareness throughout the students. We have spoken on this topic multiple times demanding for assemblies about know your rights. Last time we came up here, the board, most of you guys also listened to us saying about this idea and have even agreed with us. As students, we demand of the following. We demand for drills of this plan that these staffs know
262to be in action. We need to know how to react when this happens. We need to know where we go. We demand for meetings, assemblies of know your rights to happen, not next semester, but now. Who knows what's could happen by next semester. We need these assemblies now for students to know on what to do if everything goes west and we demand for better resources supporting undocumented students and or students with undocumented parents. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. >> Uh Guadalupe Garcia. >> Good afternoon board members and superintendent. My name is Guadal Lupe and I am a freshman at Santi. I want to share how important communities and school of Los Angeles is to me and many of my peers across different schools. First, I want to say that it's not easy
263for students to have our voices heard in meetings like this. The structure of these board meetings often make it difficult for young people to make it onto the agenda, even though the decisions being made directly affect us. Today I am speaking not just for myself but also for students like Alejandro from Hamilton High School and Israel from Mendes High School who couldn't speak earlier today. For me, CISLA has been a guiding figure since before I even started high school. They helped me think about my future and gave me mentors and opportunities I wouldn't have had otherwise. CISLA is more than just an academic is more than academic support. It's a safe space where students feel celebrated, supported, and seen. My peers share similar experiences. Alejandro, a senior at Hamilton, wanted to wanted you to know
264that CISLA is deeply ingrained in his school's culture as he begins applying to universities. CISLA staff are helping him with recommendations, scholarships, and guidance through a stressful process. He cannot imagine losing that support during such an important time. Israel, a junior at Mendes, says CISLA feels like family. He first connected with them in middle school through summer bridges, summer bridge, and they've been by his side ever since, checking in, motivating him, and reminding him that he belongs. And it's not just Israel. Across many CISLA schools in Los Angeles Unified School District, students, parents, and staff have sent over 300 support letters to your offices as proof of how much this organization means to our communities. I also want to highlight that many that not every student is able to speak up in spaces like this,
265especially our undocumented peers. That's why programs like CISLA matter so much. They protect students and provide stability. If CISLA services were disrupted, over 900 students across LUSD would lose guidance and opportunities that shape who we are and who we will become. Their absence would create ripples that affect entire school communities. I urge you to make sure that there are no gaps in CISLA services and to move quickly so that all students continue to have the support we need to succeed. Thank you. >> Okay, now we have a remote caller. Cheryl Kono, I see you're on the line. Cheryl Kono, please press star six to unmute yourself and you have two minutes to speak once you begin. Cheryl Kono. >> Hello. Yes, this is Cheryl. Hello. This is Cheryl. >> Hi. Please go ahead. You have
266two minutes. >> Yeah. I'm actually right outside the door. Um but I can't get in, but I want to um defer my time over to Leila. So Leila should be in the audience. Is Laya coming up? I believe she is. Yeah. >> Okay. Excellent. I'm just coming in the door right now. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Thank you. >> Hello, my name is Laya and I'm a part of the student deserve group at Narbon High School. Um I'm speaking on PSWs yet again. And let me note that this is important to consider different ways a PSW can help us. They can provide support and guidance to students who need it and helping them to succeed in school and not just in school but in life. If
267our school doesn't have enough funding to pay for a PSW, this can cause a negative impact on our school community. We want the district to hire more PSWs because there are a lot of schools who have nobody, including many elementary and continuation schools. Finally, I want to encourage everyone to think about what we can do to make sure that our school has the resources it needs to provide the best possible support for all students. I would also like to add this is why I would want to become a student or a child social worker someday because I believe that every children has a voice. Every child has a voice and deserve a safe and supportive environment and I want to help make that a reality. In short, this just isn't a career for me. is
268a calling and I'm driven by empathy and a desire to create positive change and I'm ready to dedicate myself to helping vulnerable children build a brighter future. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. >> Um, can my operations folks uh confirm for me that there's no barrier to entry to the to the room? I appreciate it. I I don't think there is, but I saw Miss Kono come in, but I'd hate to think that anyone would think they couldn't get into the boardroom. Okay, Anya Mexen, I see you're on the line. Anya Mexen, please press star six to unmute yourself and you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Anya. >> Hi. Uh, my name is Ana Mexen and I'm a member of schools beyond screens. I'm going to read a resolution that
269was first adopted by the Burke County Board of Education in North Carolina and which is now being adopted by school boards across the country and the world. This resolution addresses how we we should be framing the use of digital and online products in the classroom. And I ask you to take this language into consideration when formulating a plan for the responsible use of edtech in LA USD. Whereas the Burke County Board of Education is committed to ensuring that all students receive a highquality education that promotes academic excellence, critical thinking, and long-term retention of knowledge. And whereas research consistently shows that handwriting and reading from paper materials enhance comprehension, memory retention, and cognitive engagement compared to reading or writing on digital screens. And whereas pen and paper instruction encourages focus, minimizes distractions often associated with electronic
270devices and fosters the development of fine motor skills and personal responsibility in note-taking and organization. And whereas excessive screen time has been linked to increased eye strain, reduced attention spans, sleep disturbances, and negative effects on mental health, particularly in children and adolescence. And whereas while digital tools have an appropriate place in modern education, their use must be balanced with proven traditional methods to best support student achievement and well-being. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Bert County Board of Education affirms its support for pen and paper instruction as the primary mode of learning in classrooms, particularly for note-taking, reading comprehension, writing, and assessments. And be it further resolved that the Burke County School District will prioritize investments in physical learning materials, including printed textbooks, notebooks, and writing supplies, and will provide professional development to educators
271on maximizing the effectiveness of traditional instruction methods. And it is further resolved that the board encourages the responsible and limited use of digital devices, reserving screen time for activities where technology offers clear evidence-based instructional advantages. Thank you for considering this language as L USD seeks a better path forward for the responsible use of edtech. >> Thank you for your time. Okay, the next person listed as calling in is Cammy Laia. Are you there, Cammy? Please press star six to unmute yourself and you have two minutes to speak once you begin. >> Good afternoon board members. My name is Tammy Lauria White. I am a PSW and I'm here to speak about the impact of the hiring freeze on school mental health positions. For the upcoming 202526 school year, schools have already allocated funding for psychiatric
272social workers. Yet, LUSD is not allowing school mental health to hire new, retired, or returning PSWs to fill these funded vacancies. In 2020, the district committed to providing central funding for one full-time PSW at every school site. While our department grew between 2020 and 2023, in 2324, a hiring freeze was imposed, halting new hires and preventing vacant positions from being filled. As psychiatric social workers, we can't understand why funded positions remain unfilled. This failure doesn't just leave students needs unmet, it damages the culture of our district. Schools begin to assume these roles are unavailable and remove them from staffing plans altogether, further reducing access to care. The impact is twofold. Students are left without critical support and our district shifts away from prioritizing wellness. Mental health is not optional. If we want students to learn,
273thrive, and feel safe, PSWs and counselors must be recognized as essential. Please protect and fill these positions for the well-being of our students and the future of our schools. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. Uh Harris Taran, I see you're listed as speaking remotely, but I do not have you signed in. Are you with us in the room? Harris Terran? No. Okay. Marcella Garcia, you're listed as speaking remotely. Are you in the room? No. Uh Karina Lopez, I see you're online with us. Please press star six to unmute yourself. And you have two minutes to speak once you begin. Karina Lopez. Oh, I'm sorry. Uh, Miss Lopez, give us a moment. Miss Lopez is going to speak in Spanish. So, if you'd like to hear what she's saying in English, please put your
274hands up and we'll get you these translation headsets. So, put your hands up, please, if you need a translation headset. Hello. >> Hello. >> Okay. Gracias. >> Yes. Miss Lopez, we lost you for >> Hello. Karina Lopez. >> Hola. >> Yes. Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Karina Lopez. Thank you. Okay. Okay. >> Karina Lopez, my name is Karina Lopez. I'm speaking uh here and thank you for the opportunity for that. the parent representation is just diminishing each time uh more so within the committees like ELAC and the school site council. It's very important that we retake this participation uh that is genuine on behalf of parents of families. uh each time we are somehow and being diminished with the power of our our word when it comes time to take action when it in
275committees. This activity is important and we should have more officials in the school sites since the safety has been a problem uh for our families. So please don't ignore what we're asking for. Thank you. Araeli Cabra, I see you're signed up to speak remotely, but I do not have you signed in. Are you in the room with us? That's a no. Um, go to Raquel Diaz. You're signed up to speak remotely, but I also do not have you signed in right now. Are you in the room, Miss Diaz? No. Uh, Hosna sayed, are you in the room? Huzzna also not online. Aaron Craig, I do see you online with us. Please press star six to unmute yourself. Aaron Craig, please press star six to unmute yourself and you'll have two minutes to speak once you
276begin. >> Can you hear me? >> I sure can. Please go ahead. >> All right. Hi there. My name is Aaron Craig and I'm with the schools beyond screens group. Uh some of our members have spoken in the general and I want to speak uh very in the specific about my daughter's situation. So on July 17th, I sent the district a request for some information about the devices that my daughter will be using and uh what kind of data is collected, why that data is collected, how that data is going to be used, who's going to have access to it, the security around that data in case it gets hacked, etc., etc. uh over a month later, I don't have any response and uh as such it uh it doesn't feel like the parents are
277looped into this at all. And when we're talking about sevenyear-olds, it's very important that the that the parents have an understanding of what their kids are going to be getting themselves into. She's not allowed to use a device at home without strict supervision and I don't know why she would be allowed to use one at school without under, you know, under any different conditions. Uh I also have asked for and haven't received studies, data, information regarding how the district came to the conclusion that giving every single child in the classroom a onetoone device is a good idea. Uh, I don't know if that data exists or those studies exist, but I'd sure love to assume that they do. But since it's been over a month and I haven't heard anything, then I'm and I've also
278sent this through the parent portal in writing, but I'm going to put it in the record here as well. I want to withdraw my daughter completely from 101 effective program altogether. I don't want her to have a solution device. I don't want her participating uh in the use of it until the district get back to me and gives me some information on uh as I requested. So that's the standing right now and uh I hope I hear back from you requested go as well. Appreciate your time. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. >> Okay, Margaret Fuentes, I see you're signed up to speak remotely. Please press star six to unmute yourself and you have two minutes to speak once you begin. >> Margaret. Hi. Please go ahead. >> Okay. Thank you. Good afternoon
279board members, superintendent and staff. My name is Margaret Fuentes, previous chair to the bond oversight committee and a volunteer to this district for more than 20 years. And listening in on today's board meeting, I am glad to hear conversations of concern that the bond oversight committee has raised in the decisions of making recommendations to this body. What I am not glad to hear is any conversation on the ongoing need to address anou revision with that bond oversight committee. I have had the privilege to work with a dedicated group of volunteer stakeholders and its staff that oversee the expenditures of LAUSD. And as a taxpayer, I find it rather concerning the lack of interest or knowledge with the work of the bond oversight committee and its importance. at its August 14th meeting. Again, thisou that is
280an understanding of an agreement between an independent oversight committee and the district to provide information needed to accomplish the work of how decisions are made in regards to infrastructure and the spending of bond dollars mentioned it had not been addressed by the superintendent's office and lacked any interest in the form of a response to the bond oversight from LA USD. This request is now being forwarded to the board members that serve in the interest of the public for results. I ask that you responsibly address this request to better serve the public with its public funding. And moving forward, I can hope that more people take an interest on how our tax dollars are being invested and see the importance of serving the communities most in need. I thank you for your attention, your work, and
281your time. >> Thank you for your time. Okay, that concludes the remote speakers. I believe we have Maria Daisy Ortiz. You are in the room. Please come on up. You have two minutes to speak once you begin. And after Miss Ortiz is uh Mao Tjo. And while we wait for Miss Ortiz to come on down, um Dr. Rivas, I need to record your vote for tab 15 if you recall. >> Yes. >> All right. Thank you. Uh, Miss Ortiz is going to speak in Spanish. So, if you'd like to hear what she's saying in English as she's speaking, please put your hands up and we'll get you these translation headsets. They're coming around right now. It'll just be one moment. >> Okay, Lisos, thank you. >> Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Maria Daisy Ortiz
282and we are here another year, right? Listening for these resolutions that are recyclable and the same practices because if you had made a change, you would put a committee in charge of these budgets and that would be transparency. there would be a subcommittee with parent involvement um because parent involvement I believe isn't the last uh level of priority for you all but more than anything I'm here because I don't like to my time to be played with my time is worth more because it is as a volunteer and this is because I've sent you sir Mr. Superintendent Alberto Calvalo a PowerPoint in which I asked for you to respond with your feedback, but it seems and I will give you the benefit of the doubt for your poor communication. I don't know if it's your
283personnel or your agenda that is too compact, but you cannot insult my intelligence or play with my time. I think that when I was meeting with you, I believed in you and I like working with people who we give each other the time to get to know each other and open a dialogue for a change. But what I had as a response were that your personnel sent this PowerPoint to Antonio Placencia. I didn't send it to him. I know his mailbox. I sent it to you. But your office and Carla Strada were so kind to say weren't even kind enough to say we received it. So that is how you treat parent involvement and those parents who want to work for an effective change to close the gap for our students and while the parents
284are not part of this decision making you are playing with our time because all the board members have not done anything. All right. And I want to tell you that I don't want your pity. We have interior. >> Thank you very much for your time. >> Strengths and we are resistant >> and that who takes those who take action will always be better for it. >> Thank you for your time. >> All right. Ma Tjo. I'm yielding my time to Priscilla. >> Come on up. You'll have two minutes total to speak. Thank you. >> Good afternoon. My name is Priscilla and I am a student from Roosevelt High School. What I'm here with students deserve. Um to start off to start off these ICE raids have deeply affected the LA communities and schools. Students and
285families are afraid to step outside and fear of being taken. Um worried worried about their children going to school. The parents parents are afraid to do their normal routines. Immigrants are not no one deserves to go through this experience. We all know they are treating We all know how they are treating those who are being detained. It's awful. Um, many elementary, middle, and high schoolers have had or have seen ICE standing outside of their school uh premises um to get into the campuses and try to detain those students. This is very wrong. um like the 15-year-old student in San Fernando Valley that was just detained last week. Our communities have come together to create ICE patrol teams to look out for unmarked vehicles as well as un uncover undercover agents around school grounds. We've been
286planning to send out posters to inform nearby residents. While we are here putting our effort in supporting the people in our city, we are here to remind you LUSD to continue your effort in protecting your students. Not just with the current situation going on, but also to continue funding for the promises you made to fight for undocumented, LGBTQ plus, and black students. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. That concludes general public comment. So unless there's any objection to adjournment, the meeting could be over. >> I'm getting a call. Yes. Hello. We have a late joiner to the calls. Um we have one more that's Marcela Garcia. Please press star six to unmute yourself and you have two minutes to speak. Why don't you begin? Marcela Garcia. >> Good afternoon. You hear me? >>
287Good afternoon, members of the board. I'm here once more to to to speak to you about the involvement of parents. us as parents we we need we want we want workshops educational workshops for parents we want to know what the I ready is we need to have instruction that we can understand and also to give us time to said not open house we want other instructional time for parents because open house everybody's in a rush everyone wants to go to the classrooms of the youngsters especially especially more so in the high school. So what we want is we want a good instruction to understand I ready we want to understand it as parents so that way our children can be prepared so that way we know what it's all about how we can help and
288how we can be involved as parents. Thank you very much because in Franklin High School yesterday they g with coffee with the principal they gave us interpretation which last year we did not have and we had never had it for the whole year. So I'm very grateful for the people that they sent and also I'm speaking about security of the youngsters that go walking after school and the programs that are about to start for sports. We want our youngsters to be taken care of, especially around school because as parents, we can take care of our youngsters, but we can't act when there is an accident or an attack. The police, the school police, they can act. And so, we need that type of security, please, because they are our future of this country. Our children
289are the future of this country. So we would like we would we want the best for them. We need for you to take care of them after school, after their sports. And also the district says that if they see something, if you see something, say something. That's what the district says. But we need >> security. >> Thank you very much for your time. Thank you for your time. That now concludes general public comment. The meeting can adjourn. >> I move we adjourn the meeting. Any objections? >> Okay, meeting is adjourned. The time is now 4:09. [Music]