May 13, 2025 - 11am Regular Board Meeting

001for all of our students in pretty much vosas or LA Unified and below the line careers where it be grip gaffing ADR you know musical scoring and mixing and all kind of great stuff. I'm aspiring to do animation to be doing arts to be doing everything of that like and I've just really been able to learn so much. such an amazing opportunity for our students to learn and capture that film and production skills that they will be learning throughout their school [Applause] [Music] years. Today we're kicking off Spring Academy, which is an educational experience available to students across 90 schools during spring break. We hope to serve in excess of 12,000 students. And today we're here at Edison Middle, who has over 500 students enrolled to participate in this program. It's reading, mathematics, enrichment, a

002little bit of fun, but also opportunities to catch up on on school work. So, Spring Academy is important because it provides students with uh extra support in math, science, English. We have our esports that are preparing for some competitions, our robotics program, we have the music program getting ready for the steam gala, the celebrity math courses coming in to get some extra work and really prepping for our upcoming state exams. Spring Academy is a great way for students to catch up. Like the kids that I'm working with, they are very smart, accelerated kids. They are very motivated kids. They want to come and you can see how many they are in big numbers. What an opportunity to come to school to have breakfast, to meet with our friends. So, we get that social component. We

003get that academic component. Here at Ascot Elementary, the parents were very excited to have this. They want the best for their kids. They want them to be able to compete at the college level and take advantage of their gifts and talents. So, we have a variety of learners. We have those exceeding performance category as well as those that needed a little more intensive instruction, a little more one-to-one correspondence. Their skeleton is made up of, can you say, cartilage? It gives the students that extra support that they might not get after school or even if they're both. Let's use that adjective. Whether we're talking about the winter break, spring break or summer, we provide supplement support for kids who absolutely need it. Take advantage, go online, look what's available and then enroll your kid. It's free

004for everyone and trust me, there's the best experience for the kids of our community. You know, education is 247 endeavor and why not have exciting, fun educational opportunities during the weekend? That is why this region, region west, decided to have the steam uh fest expo bringing together the power of science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. The steam uh gayla at a school site is so important because it gives opportunity for many of our families to come out to actually visit and see practically what our students are learning in the classroom. This year has been wonderful. Uh just seeing all the students and families um engaging in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math is just wonderful to see. And uh many of the things that the kids are learning in class, this gives them the

005opportunity to see it in real life. One of my favorite things at the Steamfest is probably the artwork because I like seeing what the students from from all these different schools of like what artwork they do. Today we are here at the young men's leadership conference. It's actually something that is supposed to inspire everybody and I think it really did inspire us and I feel really motivated. I need you walking out of here today believing that you are a future leader of the world believing that if you commit yourself to exploring, becoming and discovering that you will be able to accomplish all of your dreams. So, I want to just congratulate you for being here. Congratulate you for having the open-mindedness and the dare mind of things and think beyond the day-to-day challenges that you

006face. Today was full of opportunities. It's very amazing to surround myself with like-minded people. It really influences me, right, to just understand and know that we can create change within society throughout us just getting together and and just empowering each other. It's It's amazing. Is a remarkable modernization project valued at $274 million. And this building is the first delivery of many. We were able to remove portables and build a state-of-the-art 21st century classroom building that includes laboratories, science rooms, collaborative spaces, really preparing Kennedy for the 21st century. the most modern classrooms, the most modern equipment. All of our kids will benefit now and in the future for all these advancements in our building. The improvements we see today are the results of the hard work and dedication of many individuals. And I want to extend

007my deepest gratitude to each of them for their tireless efforts and commitment to making this vision a reality. Men that you see here inside the classrooms obviously will be here for many, many decades to come. that will serve many generations of students at LA USD. [Music] Well, today is a very, very special day. Today is our prom day program where we are creating a magical day for 162 LASD students, providing them with dresses and shoes and all the accessories to help them participate in what we all see as a right of passage. A lot of our students are facing challenges. example, unstable housing. So, being able to provide this event, you can see that they just brightened up. I really hope I find a pretty green dress cuz that's my favorite color. My stylist, she

008helped me find the jewelry for my dress, my purse. It was so fun. This is just the community saying that we're behind you and that we love you, we're rooting for you, and that you're destined for more greatness. I actually benefited from a scholarship that allowed me to have a very similar experience. The fact that we can do it for 162 girls, it's amazing. Today we're here at the Discovery Cube Los Angeles for the second annual Region North Steam Fest. We got 65 schools, 4,500 people here. hands on, minds on. There's a Barbie exhibit. There's an exhibit on the Santa Ana wind. There is a brand new solar powered carousel. It's just incredible. We've been really focusing on global warming and its impacts to our planet. Today, we'll be showing you and explaining the energy

009concept map. Robotics offers great opportunities for kids who want to work in the fields of computer science. Over the horizon, that's where the next technology is. It's so important to have that hands-on experience, the learning, the failures, the learning from the failures, and to keep trying and not give up, right? We sing and we dance. Music is a way to express yourself. It's a way to show who you truly are. These are the kind of kids that are willing to fail and keep trying and trying and trying. So, it's really important to um go do home visits because we really get to see where the family is. We find out any biological, psychological, social barriers to their attendance. Um, and we help connect them with resources. So, we connect them with resources in LUSD, which

010is like family source and youth source. And then at school, we connect them with um our school support staff like our PSW, um, our A throughG counselor who helps them with credits, um, and our SSS counselor who helps them um, with students who are part of the specialized populations. So today is our monthly I attend event and we are here doing a home visit with one of our Pinewood families and we do this outreach event every month uh in an effort to reconnect with our families and to discuss the attendance barriers that they might be experiencing and to see if there's any support that we can help offer. Well, our visit today is is just to check uh check on them and see how we can support you. Pinewood has been great great support for

011my autistic grandson. So, we appreciate that and we appreciate the support for for our cause. This $460 million investment and project represents a historic move towards preserving not only the greatness but also building for the future. This investment will guarantee the viability of this school for the next century. Los Angeles chose to invest not only in buildings but in the future. And this school was actually designed by the same architect who worked on the LA city hall and the Greek Observatory. And it stands as a reminder that public spaces can be beautiful, lasting, and meaningful. And so it is with an honor today to be here to be able to celebrate this monumental time um where a venue like such will bring so many together. And as mentioned before by Christina that this is for

012a century from now nationally and locally, historically and currently. We have a culture. [Music] Okay, [Music] Number eight. [Music] Welcome. The time is now 11:00 a.m. and we are going to begin this May 13th, 2025 11:00 a.m. meeting of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. I'm going to take role. Uh, Miss Newell. Dr. Rivas, present. Mr. Meline here. Miss Grigo here. Here. Miss Gonz Ortiz Franklin present. Board President Schmelson present. And I'll note that Miss Cortez Lopez uh our student board member is very busy today taking AP exams. So she won't be joining us but she will be doing very well on her AP exams today. She will. Okay. Now we jump right into the pledge of allegiance and which will be led by BD2 Dr. Rosia Rivas for the pledge of

013allegiance. Please stand. I feel like selfish here. Put your right hand over your heart. Ready? Begin. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands nation indivisibley andice for all. Thank you. You may be seated. There you go. I have my little statement. Thank you very much. And now the meeting is yours, Mr. Board President. Before we start, I just want to read a brief statement for everyone. And so before I begin, I I just want to address something that occurred last month and our assurance to our LAUSD community. On April 7th, 2025, it was reported that agents from the Department of Homeland Security tried to enter two LA USD schools, Russell Elementary and Lillian Street Elementary. First, I'd like to commend commend the on-site

014staff who dealt with this situation swiftly and professionally. Yeah, those are our classified people in the main office. Don't forget them. Okay. First first uh everybody was prepared for an entrance to the school of any uh federal officials. We were all ready. We were ready to go and well trained. And I'm really happy that. Thank you for doing that. I appreciate that. So, because we were able to react and follow LUSD protocol, they preserved the safety and security of our students. And I want to be clear, LA USD is a district where every student has the opportunity and the right to an education. Public education is a fundamental human right. And this right was briefly threatened last April. and district staff, students, and parents raised concerns after this incident was made public. And while I

015do understand what has been reported has provoked fear, I would like to publicly restate this district's commitment to students, staff, and families. Los Angeles Unified will be a safe place for all. Protecting our students rights and access to a free education is not only morally right but constitutionally justified. And the 1982 Supreme Court ruling in Plyier versus Doe assured that all students, citizens or otherwise, have the right to an education. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. The federal government's actions last month were a scare tactic trying to instill fear in our community. While feeling fear is normal, what these actions have done to this board and our staff has only multiplied our determination to protect our LAUSD neighborhoods. So, we're not here to play politics or cause drama between ourselves and organizations or entities. Our focus

016is on the well-being and education of our students and we remain committed to this goal. We are educators and our primary concern is for our students to have a brighter future. And thank you so much [Applause] Okay, I guess we're ready for our labor partners. Do we have labor partners to speak? We we were told we would have some labor partners, but then the names changed. Do we have a speaker here on on behalf of UTLA? Come on up. Please announce the group you're with and we will keep you to a fiveminut time limit, please. Hi there. Um, good morning board members and superintendent Carvalo. Um, my name is Henry. I'm a teacher at Southeast High School. Last month I stood here and told you that I received a biased non-reelection from my principal. Um,

017I even stood in silence for two minutes hoping you would feel the weight I've had to carry. Um, it reflected how we were being silenced while the district here shields people in positions of power and fails to protect our queer youth and educators. Today, I'm not going to be silent. Um, I already told you that I was repeatedly misgendered by my principal even after being out at work for three years. When he read the official non-reelect letter, I asked him to pause. He didn't. He instead raised his voice and read over me twice using my dead name with another admin in the room present. I was upset. I was humiliated. I was completely overwhelmed. We know that the the district has clear guidelines like bulletin 141509 which is meant to protect trans and gender expansive

018educators and employee employees, excuse me. But my principal ignored that ignorance is not an excuse. Ignorance allied with power is the most ferocious enemy justice can have. That's James Baldwin. I learned the names, pronouns, and names of about 200 students in two months. If teachers can do that, then a principal who can't be bothered to learn how to support his queer staff isn't just negligent at that point. He's complicit. He ignored the conversations the bulletin requires. How to share my name, how to handle misgendering. Instead, he hid behind the system, treating these protections as optional. His title of principal lets him mask this bias, this favoritism, uh this desperate treatment, and it's become systemic. Meanwhile, I keep showing up for my students for a GSA and trying to shield them from the same harm that

019I'm living through. This kind of discrimination does not leave a paper trail, but it does leave marks that are going to take a long, long time to heal. It's taken a real toll on me on my sense of safety, my energy, and my hope. It's exhausting to keep doing the work for our core students while carrying the fear that I'm being pushed out for who who I am. And I still show up. I just submitted my CalTPA cycle to last night, not even knowing if I'll get my credential. I'm taking my last two classes with IAP, not knowing if they'll be worth anything in the end. You know, teachers, we're always planning for the future. My little book of ideas, this journal that I have on my bedside table has not been written in since

020January 16th when I got the notice because what's the point? Is there going to be a next year for me? And I'm also single-handedly organizing our school's second annual PrideFest. You're all invited to it. An event that is going to ironically bring joy, visibility, and safety to queer students and families. It's scheduled for just 25 days before I am forced to leave this district. There's a myriad of queer educators questioning whether the district's policies actually mean anything. There's thousands of emails in your inbox. They aren't just speaking for my job. They're demanding that the district respects us for who we are as human beings. You say that you support queer students and educators. You passed a resolution a few years ago to say publicly. Actually, Mr. Schmirson, you just said right now LA Unified will

021be a safe space for all. But if you can't act when the system fails one of us, what was the point of passing that or saying that at all? Right? If you're not willing to intervene here, what hope do my students have when their safety and visibility is on the line? So, you have the power to change that by reversing the non-reelect and by holding the principal accountable for the harm caused by his bias and inaction. And you have the power to enforce the protections that your own policies say exist at LUSD. Because right now, the silence from this board here is saying more than your resolutions could. Look at me. I'm still here. And this time I did not stand in silence. Good morning everyone. My name is Ivana Nolasco. I am the UTLA

022chapter chair and the instructional coach at Northridge Middle School which is a community school in board district 3 represented by Mr. Scotch Merlson. I'm here to today to ask the LUSD school board to support Carla Grigo's resolution aligning sitebased professional development, collaboration, and decision-making in the community school and pilot model. As educators, we all know the challenges and rewards of working in the classroom. We witness firsthand how students lives are shaped by the lessons we teach, the relationships that we build, and the environments we create. But we also understand that teaching is an evolving profession, one that requires us to continually adapt, learn, and grow. And this is where professional development becomes not just beneficial, but essential. The importance of professional development can never be overstated. It is not just a buzz word or a

023box to check. It is the key to unlocking both our potential as educators and the potential of our students. For professional development to be effective, it must be relevant, meaningful, and tailored to the unique needs of both the teachers and the school community. For professional development to truly resonate with us, it must be relevant. Too often we attend PD that is generic, disconnected from the realities of our classrooms and fail to address the specific challenges that we face dayto-day. The best professional development is isn't a one-sizefits-all approach. It's something that speaks directly to our unique context and the needs of the students that we serve. At Northridge Middle School, we focus uh at Northridge Middle School, we have found that in order for us to uplift our own school community, we must absolutely focus on

024school safety and building a strong and positive behavior plan, one that fosters growth and student learning. Our professional development should be aligned with these goals, but it seldom is. Our PD time is filled with us hearing about one-sizefitits approaches to teaching and to learning and disregard even the most basic unique needs of our school. And just like any community, our school thrives when we work together toward a common purpose. A school is a place where students spend the majority of their days. But we seldom have opportunities to work together to address their specific needs and their unique needs. It is time for us to honor and prioritize the work that we're doing at community schools. I urge you to vote yes on this resolution. Thank you for your time. Good morning. My name is Lordes

025Cavo and I am uh I work at Monroe High School. I'm in board district 6 with represented by Miss Gonz. Uh I serve as a UTLA chapter chair and I'm also a proud science teacher. Um, I'm here today like my comrade here to ask the LA USD school board to support Carla Grego's resolution aligning sitebased professional development collaboration and decision-making in the community school and pilot model. As many of you know, this school year, LUSD revised it stance on community schools professional development autonomy. In previous years, the district honored the contract by allowing local school leadership council at community schools to make decisions regarding all of their PDs. However, this year we've seen school PD plans rejected and have been instructed instead to follow the district-wide PD plan. This shift directly undermines what community schools

026is designed to be. To understand the uniqueness, the uniqueness of our community school PD plan, I'd like to take you through our plan from 2023 2024 to understand what is possible when you provide schools the purview over PDs. During the buyback days in the month of August, we worked on setting the tone for the year. We presented and explained what the Viking way was and how that would guide us as a school through the school year. Uh as a school, we selected from a variety of options to focus on. And we decided to focus on four things which we call the Viking way because our mascot is the Vikings. Increasing active family and community engagement was one of those goals. amplifying student voice and engagement, shared leadership and collaboration, rigorous and meaningful assignments and projects.

027After meeting as a school to explain our focus, we spent the next two PD meetings in our specialized programs and department so we could have conversations about how we would implement the Viking way and all the things we do across our programs and courses. Monroe has three public service magnet programs, an engineering and design academy, and a thriving CTE program, which includes culinary arts, woodwork, and video production. We recently established an international leadership academy and a dual language program to support our growing population of English learners and newcomers. So, as you can see by the diversity of our programs, we have a variety of needs on our campus that cannot all be met with the same PD. These meetings provided us time to work on schoolwide restorative practice, interdisiplinary projects, intervention and prevention opportunities and

028more. Throughout the year, we were able to offer menu days where a particular topic of importance was related to the Viking way or by teacher request and it was presented through differentiation based on teachers expertise. New teachers could be introduced to a topic, let's say for example, technology. uh they can go to a training where they learn about schooly and all the different ways to implement it in their classroom. Whereas veteran teachers could learn new programs or dive deeper into programs they've already were familiar with. This is not possible with districtmandated PDs. Each month time was allotted for collaboration. So teachers could either work on things they had learned at a previous PD, pair up or team up with others to create rigorous and meaningful assignments and projects, modify current lessons to amplify student voice

029and engagement, or to work on the planning of events that would increase family and community engagement. We also dedicated a few PDs to focus on building community within. We realized we couldn't claim to be a community school if our staff did not feel connected with one another. We have over a 100 teachers and additional out of classroom staff. So, it's hard to meet and get to know everyone on our school site. So, we embedded time for staff team meeting and making connections. None of these things could have been possible had we been told to implement district PDs on 50% of our Tuesdays. This year, such trainings have been absent and greatly missed by staff. As you can see by the statements that were placed in your folder, you can see statements from actual teachers at

030my school and how they feel about the PDEs that we used to offer. We would love to continue building and growing personalized PDS based on our community school goals. I urge you to vote yes on this resolution. Thank you. Thank you very much. So, just a reminder to everyone, we had three important speakers, but the time limit is supposed to be five minutes total, but I didn't have the heart to interrupt any one of them. So let's just kind of remember five minutes for labor partners if you would and I thank you very much other labor partners present I'll also note quickly that um board members new bill and Gona has joined us short just shortly after the 11 o'clock hour time for committee chair reports for the committee of the whole. Dr. Rivas, do

031you have a report for us? Okay. Yes, I do. Thank you, board president. Uh, committee of the whole, the committee of the whole met on April 22nd, 2025. The meeting included the following key presentations and discussions. Measure us. Uh, we were provided with an overview and prioritization of the funds presented by Kareem Christina Tes, uh, the chief facilities executive. This presentation focused on prioritizing measure US for school facilities upgrades and the necessary steps to ensure efficient execution of the projects that impact student learning environments. We also had a uh the second presentation uh supporting academic achievement through parent and family engagement. The presenters were Dr. um Francis Bayz, chief academic officer alongside Mr. Anthony Aguilar, chief of special education and specialized programs. Uh they discussed the importance of engaging parents and families in the educational

032processes to support student success particularly for students with disabilities and those in specialized programs. The next committee of the whole meeting will be on Tuesday May 20 20th. Uh public participation is always encouraged at the meeting which will can be viewed online or here in person. So thank you and thank you for your report Dr. Rivas. Next we have facilities and procurement committee. Mr. Meloinne, anything to report? Yes. Um, we had a meaty final meeting. Uh, thank you, Mr. Nelson. On April 22nd, the facilities and procurement committee met for the final time this year. We heard a much anticipated report um from folks at MGT who have been reviewing district construction projects to find ways in which the district is similar and in which it is different from other jurisdictions. They're still finalizing that written

033report for the board and the public, but they shared some of their 25 preliminary findings with the committee, including implementing changes to streamline our project management process, identifying changes to internal accountability systems, making changes to the abatement assessment process to minimize expensive change orders, creating strategies to increase the pool of contractors and subcontractors who are willing and interested in working on district projects. So, in the fall, we expect to hear an update from the district facilities and procurement teams on steps that the district will be taking to incorporate this external feedback. We then heard an update on our district's housing initiative and shared some of the cost considerations and challenges that we might face in our next phase of development um in identifying projects and we looked at two examples on the existing list of

034nine potential sites for further employee housing. Um the board approved the contract for consultant to design RFPs to get these housing projects moving forward and we look more uh look forward to hearing more about that work in the fall. We then received a complimentary pair of updates from the facilities team regarding painting in the district. We learned that there is no longer a dedicated funding stream to paint our schools um but that most painting is either school requested including in larger new construction projects or to make repairs. Um, and we discussed the need we hear and the the desire we hear from a lot of our schools and constituents to ensure our schools look modern and looking at some new strategies like spray painting, not like graffiti, but spray as opposed to roller painting to

035save time and money. Um, we then learned a bit how things like painting and other maintenance requests are being used for job costing, which is a complicated process. we explored on how the district estimates time for projects and then amvertises everything from salary and benefits to the cost of a ladder to calculate how much the job should cost. Um so we'll continue digging in to make sure that it's cheaper for schools and district um stakeholders to get these things done. Um I've passed out the committee's prior recommendations to the board uh in the past um and uh we're continuing uh this inquiry. So, uh, stay tuned for the committee structure and meeting dates for next year, um, where we'll have updates on housing, on the fire rebuild, and some other topics of interest to the

036committee. So, thanks for giving us the space for an update. And thank you, Mr. Melvinne. Next, we have children and families and early education committee, Miss Gomez. Thank you, Mr. Schmelson. Um, earlier this month, just last week, in fact, we held our meeting of the children and families and early education committee. We learned about early numeracy and had the chance to hear directly from a wonderful EEC principal and teacher on what numeracy instruction looked like at their school site, including the implementation of CGI or cognitively guided instruction, how numeracy can be developmentally appropriate and play-based to ensure our littlest learners um see themselves as mathematicians and can engage in the content and multiple different strategies we use to engage and support our families around early numeracy. Um, we also learned about our specialized tree program,

037the trauma and resiliency informed um, early education program, which is a trauma-informed mental health prevention program for our early education centers. TRI is focused on building adult capacity to increase protective factors and reduce risk factors for children, staff, and families. It's an example of an amazing specialized program that we offer where we can help support our youngest learners. Um, we also lifted up the current federal attacks on early education, specifically an effort to shut down federal head start programs, um, which will devastate some of our highest needs families across this country and their three and four-year-olds and take away care from families who really need it. So, we as an early education committee encourage all of us to reach out to our House representatives to ensure that this important program is protected. Um, and as

038always, we appreciate our wonderful early education team for supporting us, our teachers and principles who joined our meetings just for offering such invaluable experience and perspective. Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, May 29th, and we hope that you will join us here in the boardroom or tune in online. Thank you. And thank you, Miss Gomez. And our last report will be the special education committee by Miss Grigo. Hi. Thank you, um, Scott. On May 7th, we held our last uh special education committee meeting of the school year. We had a presentation from the division on the listen and learn campaign outcomes and next steps. The division held 31 focus sessions across district where they engaged over,200 survey participants. The division summarized the key themes that came out of the survey responses as well

039as shared what actions will be taken to address them. The division will soon make accessible the listen and learn campaign booklet in both print and digital formats. Thank you to Dr. Jose Sto, Alicia Hos, Kristen Lambert, and the district staff for their work on this campaign. Additionally, my office will be putting together a year in review in collaboration with President Schmurson's office where we will elevate the committee's recommendations from all the special ed committee meetings this year. I hope to share that review with all of our offices. Um, I'm also happy to share that at that committee meeting, we had a student who came and spoke about his conditions at his school. My dream is that next year we have a boardroom full of parents and students and community members at at our special ed

040committee meetings and that they will be able to give us insight and input into how we should be doing things in special education. I'm going to work hard to make that happen. Um, I also want to thank everybody, Scott, for your support, the office for supporting us in this transition, and I look forward to next year. Thanks. Thank you, Miss Grigo. I appreciate that very much. Our student board member, remember, is studying for her exams or taking exams and so we will not have a report from her. But we will go on now to the superintendent reports. Thank you very much uh Mr. President, members of the board. Good morning everyone. Um probably anytime is a good time for us to recognize a greatness in our school system. And greatness is reflected through the dedication,

041the perseverance, the courage, the professionalism of our workforce and those that support public education in Los Angeles. And that applies equally to both certificate as well as classified employees. Are we perfect? No, we're not. But the work we do seeks perfection, particularly for those who we uh inspire and educate every single day. Today uh we will be recognizing uh and it is appropriate because each May we have the privilege of celebrating the important contributions of classified employees. So, uh, it is an appropriate time for us to recognize those individuals who do so much for so many in our community. For our Bodri based classified employees, district leadership once again will be offering you LUSD famous coffee cake next Monday morning on the Yeah. Like you've never tasted it before on the A level. And next

042Wednesday, all of our classified employees of the year and everyday heroes will be celebrated at a lunchon. I do believe that we work hard and we should recognize uh those who do the work across this district at the appropriate time celebrating their contributions. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to you to the more than 30,000 30,000 classified colleagues who contribute to the well-being of our students and our school communities. Your unwavering commitment to our students, our schools, our employees, and school communities help cultivate a safe, clean, inclusive, inclusive, and welcoming learning environment for all in Los Angeles. So, thank you. You are essential to what we do every single day. With this being classified employee month, I wanted to take an opportunity as part of my report today to actually recognize and

043put a face and a name to our everyday heroes who every day contribute and do so much in our district. These outstanding individuals embody the spirit of excellence and service among our classified staff. I'm told by David Greco and his team uh we were able to arrange for all nine of them to be with us today. So I really thank you for that. I'd like to invite Mr. David Greco and Kristen Murphy, our nine classified employees of the year and any of our classified labor partners up to the podium. For our classified employees of the year, when I say your name, please come to the front of the group. I will then share a little bit about the magn magnific magnificent work and contributions you do every single day and thus your recognition as a

044classified employee of the year. So first up, Carla Beerus. Carla is a special education assistant represented by SEIU unit B at Carlson Home Hospital within board district 6 region [Applause] North Carla served our district for 12 years. She's a role model to Carlson's newest pair of professionals and in the community. I have been to Carlson. can tell you the most touching work done in our district is in environments like the one at Carlson. She trains, she mentors the new special education pair of professionals assigned to the school. She's also helped many students with medical needs, graduate on time, and receive their high school diplomas. Previously, she served for many years on the Carlson Schoolite Council, serving in leadership positions as needed. Congratulations, [Applause] Carla. Next up, we have Myra Incarnation, senior office technician, represented by

045CSCA Unit D at Olive Vista Middle School, board district 6, once again, region North. Uh Myra has been with us for 17 years. Myra is knowledgeable. She's hardworking. She's a team player. She mentors office staff, support substitutes when office staff is out, and ensures office systems are efficient and effective, always willing to land support in all areas. Congratulations, Maida. Next up, Jorge Rimenez, school office computer coordinator represented by CSCA unit at Venice Skill Center Board District 4 Region West. Jorge has worked with us for 10 years, consistently going above and beyond to assist students, teachers, and staff, ensuring they receive the the support they need. ex exceptional commitment to customer service, approaches every task in a professional and positive way. He is a problem solver. His skills, his attention to detail certainly set a high

046standard for excellence. Thank you so much, Jorge. Congratulations. Next, Brian Leon. Brian is a school supervision aid represented by SEIU unit G at Mount Gleason Middle School Board District 6 again region north. There's something in there's something in the water in board district 6 this time around. Uh Brian's been with us for nine years. Always at his post on time. continuously circulates uh the campus logging over 20,000 steps a day. So for those of you who cannot get to the 10,000, shame on you. He encourages all students to be the best version of themselves and to lead by example. Congratulations, Brian. Next up, Douglas Lindsay, senior musical instrument technician, represented by SEIU Unit C M Central Shop Special Services. You know who these folks are? They are the last repair shop. This is the the

047Oscar winning division of our school system. Uh Douglas has been with us for five years. is a talented technician and a true team player. Brings invaluable expertise in instrument repair, computers, and communication. I am told that everyone in the musical instrument repair shop knows that if they have any questions or need any assistance with repairs on just about anything, Douglas is the go-to guy. Congratulations, Douglas. Next up, Benjamin Barayon. Benjamin is a licensed vocational nurse represented by CSCA unit D. Works at Manhattan Place Elementary School within BD1 Region South. Benjamin has been with us for 19 years. He is flexible. He takes initiative when there is an area of need that impacts students or his own colleagues. He will speak out to ensure that there is a response to those in need. He is always

048there. Congratulations, Benjamin. Next up, OA Omid Omidi. Omidi, food service manager represented by teamsters unit s at an street elementary school board district board district 2 region east seven years of service with Los Angeles Unified um works tirelessly to ensure that every student receives a nutritious meal while creating an environment that is warm and welcoming for all. great spirit, proactive, always consistent uh in her work. Congratulations, [Applause] Ova. Next up, Rosa Kintterero. Rosa is a light bus driver represented by SEIU unit C. Bay school is Marlton School within BD1 region South. uh 14 years of service with LUSD. She's also LEO's classified employee of the year in a transportation services [Applause] category. Not only does she do great work every single day, she also volunteers at her school coordinating special events. Whether is getting you

049there or keeping you happy while you're there, Rosa is the person. [Applause] Congratulations. Now, Isaac Romero. Isaac has been a building and groundworker represented by SEIU unit C at Altaloma Elementary School, BD1 Region West. Isaac has been with us for five years, works with incredible efficiency, and gets the job done quickly without sacrificing quality. He always demonstrates excellence in school and community involvement through his active participation in the school's community's events. Congratulations, Isaac. Please, let's give all of these recipients a round of applause. We're going to wait a little bit for uh pictures. So, what we'll do is we're going to recognize the additional the other employees and then we'll go up we'll go down uh to take pictures with both group uh groups of uh of uh awardee recipients, award recipients. So, congratulations to

050our remarkable classified staff. Now, I'd like to uh move on to the second recognition. We would like to recognize um Los Angeles Unifi's 2024 Above and Beyond Teachings Carlton Carlton Outstanding Teacher of America Honory. That's a long recognition. Oh, this person's not here yet. We're going to wait for this person to arrive. I think we owe it to that person. So that's it for the recognitions. So should we take the picture now of the ones that are here? May I just say one thing before you know classified people not only award winners but all of our classified people not only do you do an excellent job but you are our eyes and our ears if you're a school employee. You're the ones who tell us, "Hey, I saw this girl in the cafeteria line and

051she's always so happy. Today she's very sad." The main office, someone who's absent a lot and all of a sudden they're coming back and then they're absent again. They always come and tell us. So, you are our eyes and our ears for the kids. So, you are teachers, too. Just wanted you to know that. Thank you. So, we're going to keep going with uh my report and then when our last uh individual shows up, we will take the picture if you don't mind. It is worth the wait to ensure that every one of us gets recognized. After all, we are one at Los Angeles Unified. Well, after this uh this great set of recognitions and uh an opportunity to identify the best amongst us, unfortunately, the second report is not so so pleasant. Elections have

052consequences. Decisions at the federal level have consequences, particularly as they impact the viability of services within our community. I'd like the board and the community to be aware of what some of those consequences and possible threats to funding and the consequential programmatic impact are at this point. The first set of consequences are consequences that have already been announced unfortunately. The second set of consequences are consequences that may occur based on congressional vote, which we expect uh will take place soon as Congress debates and eventually will approve uh its uh budget. These are confirmed cuts, some of which are pending the outcomes of lawsuits filed by a number of entities, including our very own California Attorney General, Mr. Bont, as well as other states. We value mental health care in our community. And fortunately, the US

053Department of Education recently notified Los Angeles Unified of its intent to discontinue a five-year close to $6 million grant intended to strengthen mental health career opportunities by dismantling the mental health career pathway grant. We were in the third year of implementation of this grant which funds full-time personnel. The loss of this funding is immoral. It is immoral and happens midstream through the implementation of this grant which means it's not fair or just. The second grant is one that it is difficult to explain because if you compromise mental health services and then you go after what our kids need and eat in our schools, you're contributing to childhood hunger, which is something that should not exist in the richest country in the history of the world. The local food for schools program was a program under

054the US Department of Agriculture ended this year. This seizes uh the federally funded and supported opportunity for our district to acquire locally produced fruits and vegetables which by the way stimulates the local economy for our local farmers. At any level this does not make sense. It is cruel. It is punitive. It is irresponsible and it is immoral. This is a loss of up to10 million dollars annually for Los Angeles Unified. After curtailing mental health support and food, what could be next and worse? Well, curtailing support for teachers. We recently learned that the teacher training grants grants administered by the United States Department of Education terminated this year. This means in excess of $600 million allocated annually, including 15 million earmarked for teacher stipens for programs at UCLA and Cal State LA. The impact of Los

055Angeles Unified will be felt in our ability to hire the teachers that these grants have provided. This too is irresponsible, punitive, and immoral. And last but not least, COVID 19 relief education funds. CO 19 is behind this, but its impact is not. The United States Department of Education rescended the liquidation period extension it had granted for COVID 19 relief funds, including the one-time funds allocated to LUSD for early education. LUSD had been using the funds for early childhood education centers, staffing of positions in these centers, and had a remaining balance of about $4 million. This too is irresponsible and immoral. My friends, these announcements were made not in consultation with anyone. They were made in a nick of time and announced without any opportunity for the nation to prepare, to react, to seek alternative solutions

056for these programs. In addition to these five specific grants, we have deep concerns about entitlement programs moving forward. You know what I'm talking about. Title one programs for the poor amongst us. IDA funding for students with disabilities. Just in title one alone, we receive around $460 million. Even a small reduction or flat funding considering inflation and increased cost of living is tantamount to a reduction. Can we simultaneously compromise the health and well-being of our students while reducing the services that poor kids would receive in our community? That is heartless, irrational, and immoral. Individuals with disabilities. Our district receives around $177 million per year. Any reduction to these programs will compromise the delivery of services for some of the most fragile kids in our community. That cannot be the reality in this new America. Title 4,

057we receive close to $ 48 million per year. Title 4 supports in schoolbased health professionals such as counselors, psychologists, psychiatric social workers. This cannot be a way of reducing federal spending, targeting our children, what they eat, the services they get, or those who provide those services in our schools. Title three, supporting English language learners, a $40.4 million investment from the federal government annually into our school system, benefiting those in our district who are pursuing fluency in English. Any reduction to this program, which is insufficient to begin with, particularly considering the diverse nature of our demographic profile of students in our district, would be immoral and unfair. Title two, a $40 million investment per year supporting teacher pathways, professional development investments. That's of course not even talking about the Medicaid support that our kids get. A

058$50 million annual investment into our public school system providing for the medically needy who happen to be also poor. I don't know about you, but when we read this list of possible reductions, there's one thing in common. It targets it targets the neediest amongst us, the poorest amongst us, the most fragile amongst us, the sickest amongst us. Where is the morality, the justice or the fairness in that? Are there no better ways of reducing federal spending than by starting with the neediest amongst us? Unfortunately, this is the reality we are facing today. But we are one at Los Angeles Unified. We will do our very best to protect our programs, to protect our workforce, to protect our students. In fact, this board recently agreed regardless of these impacts, we commit to no reductions in force

059this year or next year. We are amongst one of very few districts that can actually commit to that promise. It is the right thing at the right time considering the challenges and the attacks we are under. So members of the board, I apologize for being the bearer of bad news, but this is a set of circumstances that public education in our community and across the country currently face in light of the federal decisions currently being made in Washington DC. With that said, Mr. McClean is our last award recipient here. Not yet. Not yet. All right. So, I think it's time to um maybe uh go down and take a picture with uh our remarkable classified uh employees. Uh please come forward once again. And let's ask the board members to join us downstairs for a

060picture for We're going to get started back up shortly for the next award recipient. Okay. Hey. Uh here here we go. All right. Our last recognition uh now that I think everyone is here um is a recognition of uh Los Angeles Unifi's 2024 Above and Beyond Teachings uh and um Carlston Outstanding Teacher of America Honory. long title. Um, this recognition is from Above and Beyond Teaching. Each year, Above and Beyond Teaching recognizes outstanding California public high school teachers who teach in disadvantaged urban and rural communities and who consistently help their students exceed academically and prepare them for college and careers. Above and Beyond Teaching recognized one of our very own with its 2024 Carlston Outstanding Teachers of America Award. Noah Klene, a teacher at Dorsy High School. was one of four outstanding teachers recognized with

061this prestigious award. What makes this uh extra special is that he was nominated uh by one of his former students, a current and first generation college student at Williams College majoring in chemistry and a Dorsy High School class of 2022 graduate. I'd now like to invite Miss Beverly Young, executive director with Above and Beyond Teaching, and Mr. Noah Klene of Dorsy High School to the podium. You're already there. So, Miss Young may present Noah with this prestigious recognition. Thank you so very much. We're It's an honor to be here, especially to um honor Noah here. As you said, above and beyond. It's a it's a nonprofit organization that's been around for about 25 years. You may remember I was here last year with um another winner from LA Unified. Um our mission is to recognize

062and reward outstanding California public high school teachers who make a difference in the lives of their students. Um, as you said, Noah was nominated by a former student, but I actually talked to almost a dozen of Noah's former students from across different years who told me of various ways that Noah has changed their life. Um, Noah received the award. He was notified about the award last May. He didn't know until November who the student was that initiated their award because at our big banquet where we have our all of our past winners and our current winners come um the we also bring the student and it's a surprise to the teacher. The student makes the speech telling how this teacher changed their life. So it's quite inspirational. Noah for the first time today. I'm going

063to give him a copy of the file that tells the stories of all of these different students and they tell about how Noah changed their lives. And believe me, that evening when we hear from these students, there's never a dry eye in the house because teachers like Noah who not only enrich students lives academically, but change the trajectory of their lives, often in super dramatic ways, are just such special people. And it's one of the great things that I get to do is be part of honoring such people. So, as part of his award, Noah got this big ostentatious thing that we hope he hangs in his classroom. Uh he also got a check from us for [Applause] $10,000. And I'm also giving him today an additional check for $2,000 for him to spend at

064his school. And I always like to remind the boards and the principles that Noah gets to decide the need at his school to spend this $2,000. Something teachers often don't get to do. Um, and I'm going to give Noah a copy of his file. I brought along with me copies of our program from our November banquet. So, you can see the write up about Noah and his student and the other teachers who won this award. So, I'll leave these with you and then I'll let Noah say a few words. [Applause] Yeah, good afternoon. I wasn't planning to say anything, but just um I've been a teacher at Dorsy High School for for 26 years. Been a colleague with Charlotte for for that whole time. Um such an honor to be uh to have someone like

065Charlotte on the school board now. Um as as we've been colleagues for so long. And um yeah, just to see um my former student nominate me, uh Cada uh Kadada Shafi, who's about to graduate from Williams College, was a real beautiful honor. And um yeah, we do this as teachers. We do this because we care about young people so very much. We care about their their future. We care about their conditions that they experience in schools. Um, and I've been trying to support young people to um exercise their voice um over these 26 years to to to advocate on behalf of students of color, undocumented youth, LGBTQ youth, black youth, and Cadia is just one of many who have um put that into action um in her life and and in the movement and and

066at Dorsy. And uh it's a privilege to get to uh work with young people like her. And also just I'm so appreciative of the Above and Beyond organization and Dr. Young for honoring me. Uh I'm just one of many incredible incredible teachers across the whole state. Um and it's real humbling to be to receive this award. Thank you so much. And Noah, I believe that board member Grigo has something to say. Thank you. So, congratulations, Noah Lippy Klein. So, so excited and so proud of this moment. I've known Noah. I've had the privilege of knowing Noah for several years. Um, and Noah is an example of what of the power of being a teacher organizer. Uh not only has he been doing amazing work in the classroom, but he's also be do been doing the

067work outside to transform our schools to more just schools for our students, but especially for our most vulnerable students. Noah is a leader in UTLA and that's where we cross paths. He was a board of director on the bargaining team, my former union colleague and partner and friend. and um he was also a leader in the coalition for educational justice which is now students deserve. Noah shows that a leader builds leaders that it's not about themselves. It's about building others and that's what you've been doing with our students, helping them use their voice, find their voice to advocate and fight for what they deserve. And um you are a model not just for educators across California but across the US and for me personally. You have helped my own daughter through her college application process

068offering time like you do for so many students at Dorsy and so many new students across the the district helping them with their college applications and their essays. And so personally I thank you for that. But I'm so so happy that you are being recognized. You represent so many educators that are doing this beautiful work of not only doing the work inside our classrooms, but also taking the extra hours to organize and fight for what our students deserve. Thank you, Noah, and congratulations. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you all. Thank you, Noah. Thank you. I think uh a photo is going is appropriate. Another is so awesome. Congratulations. That's what you should be most proud about. I love this. one of those, you know, platinum, you know, That's good. Good. Good.

069Really? Oh my gosh. I was just thinking I was just like picturing like what I didn't share is when we made that That's where Are we ready for anyone? I need you guys to squeeze in a little bit more. That's good. That's good. Okay folks, as soon as the uh board members are back, we will continue with the uh consent calendar. The time is now 12:09. I'm good. Okay, welcome back. Time is now 12:11 and I believe we're going to do the consent calendar. Okay, so items that are on the consent calendar um will go directly onto one vote for each item. If there is discussion or comment or questions on an item, it will go on the regular calendar for action. We have a number of public hearings which themselves can go on the

070consent calendar. We will just need to hear uh from the public speakers for each item that goes on the consent calendar prior to taking it. And I'd like to start a new practice of moving the consent calendar before we actually take it. So, can I have a motion to take the consent calendar? Move it. Second. Okay. Moved by Miss Gomez, seconded by board president Merlson. All right. Tab one, adoption of reading difficulties risk assessment instrument discussion. Uh tab two, approval of adult education career technical education advisory committee. Consent. Consent. Consent. Tab three, define and approve three early education center outdoor classroom projects. Consent. Consent. Tab four. Define and approve 86 projects to provide critical replacements and upgrades of school building site systems. Consent. Consent. Tab five. Define and approve two projects to provide adult and

071career education facilities upgrades. Consent. Consent. Tab. Six. Define and approve six sustainable environment environment enhancement developments for schools. Consent. Tab. Seven. Define and approve 17 board district priority and region priority projects. Consent. Consent. Tab eight. Define and approve the 2025 2026 education code section 47614 Prop 39 facilities renovation effort and amend the facilities services division strategic execution plan to incorporate therein consent. Tab nine approval of procurement actions question. So we'll put that on discussion. Okay, great. Approval of facilities contract actions. Question. Some questions. Okay, I have questions. Okay, no gotcha. Oh, so so number eight is going to come off consent and go on to discussion. Um, and so for number nine, who had uh questions or comments? Was it uh Dr. Rivas? Dr. Rivas. And for 10. And for 10 as well, Dr. Rivas.

072Okay. Tab 11, which is a public hearing approval of renewal petition for Alfred B. Nobel Jr. Charter. I'm sorry. No, Nobel Charter Middle consent. Approval of renewal petition for a Dearborn Elementary Charter. Consent. Consent. Tab. 13. Approval of renewal petition for Elro Way Charter for Enriched Studies. Consent. Consent. 14. Approval of renewal petition for Enino Charter Elementary. Consent. Tab. 15. Approval of the renewal petition for Hamlin Charter Academy. Consent. Tab 16. Approval of the renewal petition for Louisie Armstrong Middle. Consent. Tab. 17. Approval of the renewal petition for Superior Street Elementary. Consent. Consent. Tab. 18. Approval of the renewal petition for Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies. Consent. Consent. Tab. 19. Approval of the renewal petition for Wilbur Charter for Enriched Academics. Consent. Tab. 20. Approval of the renewal petition for Woodlake Elementary Community Charter.

073Consent. Consent. Uh, Tab. 21. Approval of the renewal petition for Woodland Hills Elementary Charter for enriched studies. Sent and TB 22 approval of the proposed material revision for Collegiate Charter High School of Los Angeles. Question. Okay, questions. So that will go on discussion and we've got uh Miss Newil, Miss Gomez. No question too. Dr. Rivas and the only reason I ask for the names is just to for the order. I mean anyone can always jump in at any time if they have questions. This isn't a definitive list. Number one. That's correct. Okay. Uh tab 23 delegation of authority to negotiate and execute master contracts. Consent. Consent. Question. Question from Miss Gomez. Uh 24. for approval of routine personnel actions. Consent. Uh, tab 25, provisional internship permits. Consent. Consent. There was 24 is also on consent.

074If I didn't say that out loud. Tab 26, donations of money to the district. Consent. Tab 27, impact fee policy update. Question. Discussion. Discussion from Dr. Rivas. Uh, tab 28, report of cash dispers dispersements, request to reissue expired warrants, consent. Uh, tab 29, we have a time certain and tab 30, I have a time certain. In the past, we've put them on consent, and I think that that causes some confusion. They can all be voted on at once, but since these are time certain, it's we'd like to focus on them more. So, it seems more appropriate to put it on discussion and taken at that time and voted specifically. Is that okay? All right. So, I'll do that for tabs 29 and tabs 30. Um, tab 31, motion declaring salaries indefinite to comply with law

075and allow for implementation of labor agreements. Consent. Consent. Uh, tab 32, report of correspondence including Williams uniform complaint quarterly report summary. Also a public hearing. Consent. Consent. Uh, tab 33, minutes for board approval. Discussion. Discussion. 33. Tab 33 minutes reported. I was gonna say you had me nervous. 34. Yeah. Okay. So, so tab 33 is minutes going on consent. I will note out loud and clearly. Excited for that. Uh tab tab 34 adoption of the 2526 board meeting schedule. Discussion. Discussion. Just Yeah. And I'll note that I have a minor change that I'd like to run by the board on this item as well. Um tab 35 uh recognizing May's mental health awareness month and focusing on student mental health. This is just Oh yes, this is with also with the rule 72 waiver consent.

076And tab 36 recognizing May 2025 is National Foster Care Youth Awareness Month. Also with the waiver board rule 72 consent. Consent. Okay, I'm going to read through the list. I know it's laborious, but we'll just make sure that I got everything right. Um number one is tab one is discussion. Tab two, three, four, five, six, seven are on consent. Tabs eight, nine, and 10 are in discussion. Tabs 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 are consent. Tab 22, discussion. Tab 23, discussion. Tab 24, 25, and 26 are consent. Tab 27 is for discussion. Tab 28, consent. Tabs 29 and 30 time certain for discussion. and tab 31 is on consent. Uh tabs 32 and 33 are on consent. Tab 34 is for discussion and tab 35 and 36 are on consent.

077So we have um generally we take the public comment that's associated with the items that are on the consent calendar and we have a time certain of 12:30. Should we take about 10 minutes of public comment on consent calendar items? Okay. So on tab two we have uh one public comment for the approval of adult education career technical education advisory committee that's Mr. Juan Mandi are you here Mr. Mandi I may I may have seen you Mr. Mandi is not here check online for Mr. Mandi, I do not have Mr. Mandi online. Okay. So, for tab three, which is also on consent, we have one speaker, Joel Block. Are you here? Joel Block. Okay, great. Um, may I have a moment to set up a more appropriate microphone for you or I'm gonna stand. I'm

078gonna stand. Okay. Thank you, sir. The floor is yours. You have two minutes. Two minutes once you begin. Time hasn't started yet. Thanks. My name is Joel Block. As you can see, I'm disabled. It say this month is stroke awareness month as well. So, I tried to register in the general public speaking because I have two items, but because of my I could only hunt by the time I hunt the info, it was too late. So that's why I'm I'm an active attorney, State Barn number 96379. Besides my jurist doctor degree, I have an LLM in labor unemployment law from NYU Law School. During the years 1970 to 19797 as a union leader and attorney, I represented unions and employees including LUSD employees and other education employees in three states. For 12 years, I served

079the CSU chancellor as CSU chief negotiator and CSU representative in arbitrations, administrative procedures, and testimony before California legislative committees. The USD is in danger of violating applicable law in at least two pending matters. One is this board item number three concerning 16.8 million funding of three preK outdoor classrooms. More on this later. The second is the ongoing closure and consolidation of options program school sites serving vulnerable students. Central High TRIC is adversely impacted, especially the closing potential closing of Angel's Flight TRC, which services homeless school children. Please read the emails and petitions sent to you by students, parents, teachers, and advocates. Now, there's guidelines that the AG and the California Department of Ed have given to school districts in the last few years when they're doing closures and re rec uh mo movements of students.

080Sorry. So, the item three I'll I'll answer questions about the item three issue to anybody in the board afterwards. Save your time. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for your time, sir. We appreciate it. We're going to move down the list to let's see tab 11. Do we have till this is tab 11 approval of the petition for Alfred B. Nobel Charter Middle. I'm going to go ahead and read the public statement associated with tabs 11 through 22. Approval of charter renewal petitions before action is taken on any of the following board reports. A public hearing on each must be held. This constitutes a public hearing on each of the following. Approval of the renewal petition for Alfred B. Nobel Jun Nobel Charter Middle. Approval of the renewal petition for Dearborn Elementary Charter

081Academy. Uh, Eloro Wayi Charter for Enriched Studies, Enino Charter Academy, Hamlin Charter Academy, Louisie Armstrong Middle, Superior Street Elementary, Topekica Charter School for Advanced Studies, Wilbur Charter for Enriched Academics, Woodlake Elementary Community Charter, and Woodland Hills Elementary Charter for Enriched Studies. A maximum of 15 individuals who wish to address the board on each of these items uh shall be heard. Um, there are 15 speaker slots open for each of these items discreetly. Those who wish to speak should sign up online. Speakers will be called by name. Uh we have uh one speaker for this. That's Mr. David Tokovski. Please press star six to unmute yourself and you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. David Tokovski. Good afternoon, members of the public, board of admin superintendent. Uh, I'm speaking in favor of the renewal

082of a district authorized affiliated, formerly known as a dependent charter in its successes over the years. But I marvel at the fact that the board of ed and those who want to grow enrollment in the school district, increase enrollment, don't look at these affiliated charters as a model of indist reform where you have schools that are near other neighborhoods, other school districts such as Westchester High, such as schools in Torrance, which are uh part of LA Unified that you don't find ways especially with the increasing staff in the strategic planning and visioning office to do anything about increasing affiliated charters like the ones that you're about to approve. There's the opportunity to grow enrollment, which would be a goal not only of the board, but when the superintendent came to the district, there was a

083pledge about growing enrollment, not just improving attendance, but growing enrollment. And these affiliated charter schools, which are democratically run by the faculty at the school, have the opportunity to shine. It is an opportunity of significance that continues to be neglected and it's blatantly uh revealing that there is not a concerted effort to grow the enrollment. The amount of money that would come in would outpace any of the initial five grant mentioned earlier in the meeting of millions if not tens of billions of dollars to the school district. Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak on your opportunity to do something about growing enrollment and use of affiliated charters. Thank you, Mr. Tokoski. Please stay on the line. I'm just going to explain one part of our board rules here. Mr. Tokoski is also

084speaking on each of the subsequent uh public hearings. Um our board rules here at the district state that a member of the public is allowed to speak to the board uh total of one times. That's either uh item specific comment or in general public comment. However, when it comes to public hearings and under state law, members of the public can speak to each public hearing item on that specific public hearing topic. So, here we have public hearings on tabs 11 through 22 and any member of the public can sign up to speak on as many on each one uh more than one if they want. So, here we have Mr. Tokosski still with us. for tab 12. Please go ahead, Mr. Tokowski. You'll have two minutes once you begin. And thank you for the opportunity

085to continue. I support this particular affiliated charter and you will see the significant enrollment in this uh set of schools. Mr. Schmolson should be very proud of the affiliated charters. oversees the largest charter management organization in the state. Bigger than Green Dot Charters, bigger than the Alliance Charters. These are all union schools. They are all schools that have not an enrollment of 120 or 150 kids. Somebody should be looking at the opportunity in the small declining enrollment areas that border other school districts. Lynwood, Parammont, Englewood, Hawthorne, Torrance, Rancho Palazeries where we do have schools in those cities and are performing based upon data digs better than the schools in large part in those other districts. If one were to believe in the opportunity of parent choice, parent opportunities to send their kids to schools in

086LA Unified that in many cases are performing better than their home schools. These affiliated charters offer the opportunity for families with significant choice. To not do anything is to evaluate the board and the superintendent for not seeing the gym or one of the many gyms in the school district. In fact, some of these uh uh schools that are affiliated charters that are not before you today are also magnet schools. They are both magnet and charter and they are doing fairly well not just based on socioeconomic status but also doing well by parental uh demand and choice. So I offered the opportunity to make a few comments at length today um as you uh approach these renewals today. and to ask why no action. Thank you very much, Mr. Tarovski. We're going to go to our

087time certain now and then we'll come back to you for uh tab 13. Thank you for your for your patience. Okay, so now we are on to time certain uh tab 30. Can I move it? Yes. Moved by Miss Ortiz Franklin, seconded by Miss Gonz. Awesome. Well, thank you so much. I just briefly want to make some remarks before we turn to a video and public comment. Um, you know, I started on the board in 2020 and met an incredible group of moms who were advocating for child care during the pandemic. They got stipens from this district and it helped both their children and the students of LA Unified. Since then, I've had my own two births of children, one of whom is an LUSD student, and I've met countless educators, school staff members, who

088have had challenges with the whole parental package, with health care, with child care, with parental leave. And so this really this resolution really bore out of those stories and the opportunities to change LA Unifi to be that employer of choice for parents so that employees can be retained and sustained in a district that serves children who need them to be here serving them. So we'll turn to about a seven minute video to hear some of those stories, some of our colleagues in the audience who will share some public comment. Then I'll invite my colleagues uh to potentially co-sponsor. And thank you to my two two co-sponsors already, Miss Gomez and Miss Grigo. Um, for this parental package, LUSD is an equitable employer of choice for thriving families. Video, please. Nationally and locally, historically and currently,

089we have a cultural and practical problem when it comes to supporting employees to become parents and thrive in both their workplace and in their home. Health care plans still don't go far enough to help people conceive, deliver, and care for babies. Pregnancy, family, and sick leave still don't stretch far enough to give parents the time truly needed to set up their families for success. And child care is still too expensive and inaccessible. This parental package resolution aims to cultivate LUSD as an employer of choice for thriving families. Supporting our 70,000 employees today and the thousands to come in the future with improvements to health care, family leave, and child care in turns sustains our employees to ensure our students are ready for the world. As a former educator of over 20 years, I fully support

090the parent package resolution because I have personally experienced becoming a new mom while being employed as a teacher in Los Angeles Unified. As a new mom, I experienced firsthand the many gaps in supports and resources for employee parents. Our employees deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. And as a district, we need to lead the way in making a career in education a sustainable one for those looking to build a family. That is why I am co-sponsoring this resolution which will help create a datadriven plan to implement a more equitable support system for employee parents across the district. I distinctly remember going from one to two children near the start of the pandemic when there was limited child care and I couldn't get support from my family trying to participate in our remote board

091meetings um while I rocked and nursed my newborn son and feeling like wow this system was not built for me. That's what I'm so excited for. this much needed resolution that we are changing and reshaping the system so that it truly centers and supports moms and their families. Um I recently had a baby last year in May. Um and something that was very difficult for me was that um we don't pay into unemployment. So, um I wasn't able to like collect money. Um money was very much a stressor during my pregnancy and postpartum period. Um because I was only getting paid under half of my full paycheck at one point. um it became very difficult for me and that is one of the reasons that I did not take the full 12 weeks of parent

092bonding um because I didn't have any more money um I didn't have any more um fulltime sick days. I only had half pay sick days um and I have a family. Becoming a parent is one of the most lifealtering experiences that many of us will have. And when I became a parent about three years ago and even before that during my pregnancy, I had so many questions about the different types of leaves and all of the paperwork that was required to access those leaves. This resolution will really help members of the LUSD community access their in full entitled leave so that they can really maximize time with their newborn baby. And someone who believes deeply in what this district says that it stands for equity, family, and thriving communities. But let me be clear, right

093now LUSD is falling short for its working parents. Even as a teacher with strong community support, I have struggled to have and raise children as an LUSD educator. I've scrambled each year to find affordable child care, to balance my sick days with the needs of my children, and to navigate the guilt between feeling like I constantly have to choose between being a good mother or a good employee. This resolution is not a favor. It is a necessary and overdue investment. paid parental leave, real support for reproductive health, and accessible early childhood care. These are basic human needs in our society. If LUSD wants to be an employer of choice, it has to act like it values families, not just say it does. We show our children what we value by how we treat their parents.

094Please pass this resolution and make this district a place where families and futures can truly thrive. Uh, my experience was great. Uh, finding out that we were expecting. Uh, but I believe that turned to tension real quick when uh, I knew my position was going to be safe, but compensation during this time off uh, was not in the cards. Um, I really hope that this resolution gives peace of mind uh, for everyone that when you're expecting, enjoy it. As both a parent and a teacher, I fully support maternal leave and parental leave and all supports for parents who are juggling teaching and supporting the children of others with their own families. As a parent, it was very difficult to have to save money and manage my time in order to be able to support my

095children in the way that we wish all of our children could be supported. I hope that this measure passes and that all future parents are awarded the support that they deserve. As a new parent, you are in your most magical period of life, which I know right now with a 4-week old uh and also your most vulnerable and most challenging. Now currently recovering from my second C-section, I have felt physical pain, exhaustion, real baby blues, and the challenge of breastfeeding and and feeding my child. I have also seen my child smile for the first time. My 2-year-old play with my newborn. The ability to be fully present for my family while I'm home on leave allows me to fully recover and establish a healthy foundation for my little one. But I do so knowing that

096I will return with a fully depleted full-time pay, no vacation, and the majority of my leave at halftime pay. As an educational institution, we know the importance of these supports for our parents and for their children. This resolution is so meaningful not just to me and my family, um, but it just makes me really feel seen by LUSD. And um I really think at this time as we're still fighting for paid pregnancy leave and still trying to take care of our little ones and also show up for our students, it's just really important that we actually uplift how we're whole human beings as educators and these supports are really important for us as well. Thank you. Thank you. And with that, we'd love to hear from speakers and then we'll turn it to our colleagues.

097Okay. Is Tanya Ryz here? Tanya Ryz, come on up. You love Reyes Reyes. I'm getting there. Hi, I'm Tanya Reyes. I'm a 20-year veteran teacher. I'm a national board certified teacher, a proud UTLA UTLA member, and a chapter chair. I'm also an Eaten Canyon fire survivor, a certified lactation educator, and a postpartum doula. But above all, I am a mother. In 2018, after the birth of my first daughter, I returned to the classroom, happily excited. I nursed my baby during my unpaid lunch break. That was fine until it wasn't. After a dis disagreement with my administrator, I was told my daughter was a liability. My pay was docked not once, not twice, but three times. I was timed as I pumped. I was harassed. My administrator waited outside my door. I was punished. And I

098was displaced. So, I organized. I organized nursing teachers. I organized mothers. I started a UTLA support group with other UTLA moms to help others navigate a system that fails us. Because HR doesn't know how to help us. Because HR gives us a different answer every time. Because the system is designed to only protect itself. Because mothers are not supported. Let me be clear. Mothers need paid leave, not sick time, not borrowed time. Paid leave. Families need paid leave. Mothers need safe, private spaces to express milk. Families need policies that protect us, and those policies must be enforced. Later in my career, I began working with pregnant and parenting teens, and I saw the same thing. Young mothers ignored, dismissed, and unsupported. We need change. We need support for families. We need support for mothers and

099parenting folks. We need it now. This resolution is a step forward towards change. Thank you very much. Thank you for your time. Maya Suzuki Daniels, are you here? Come on up. very hard to follow Tanya Reyes. She's known as a warrior for LUSD moms. Hello, my name is Maya Suzuki Daniels and I'm here as a mother, an educator, and someone who deeply believes in equity, family, and thriving communities. Right now, LUSD is falling short for its working parents. I pay $1,600 a month for child care. My friend on the west side pays 2,800 for one infant. That is almost 50% of a starting teacher's monthly salary. New teachers cannot afford to be parents at LA Unified School District. Even as someone with resources and strong community support, I've had a hard time having and raising

100children as an LUSD teacher. I've scrambled every year to find affordable child care, to balance my sick days with the needs of my children, and a whole lot of deep breathing through the guilt of trying to be either a good parent or a good teacher. As an advocate, I have sat with many parents who stare at me in shock as I explain the impact to their paycheck, illness time, and retirement prospects once they are pregnant or give birth. I have seen numerous people quit this profession not because they did not love their students or were not a valuable and beloved part of their school communities but because this system forced them to choose between their passions and their families. To be clear, this resolution LUSD as an equitable employer of choice for thriving families is

101not a favor. It is a necessary and overdue investment in our communities. Paid parental leave, policies which support reproductive health, and accessible early childhood education are basic and human needs. I know that my child learns as much about the world from the challenges he sees me navigate as he does in his LUSD classroom. We show our children what we value by how we treat their parents. Please pass this resolution and make this district a place where families and futures can truly thrive. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Danna Lee Quintania, are you here? Danna Lee Quintania Quintania, come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. And then is uh Maria Daisy Ortiz. Good afternoon. Um I initially wanted public comment. I had selected number 29 but got asked to move

102to number 30. My name is Dina Lee Gintania and I am the parent of 11-year-old fifth grader at Eagle Rock Elementary. Our family has been a proud and active part of Eagle Rock Elementary community for nearly six years and 30 years prior. What should be a joyful and memorable final year coming up for my daughter is now at risk of being cutting short due to ongoing and severe bullying. On April 17th, during a therapy session, my daughter disclosed to her therapist that she had formulated a plan to end her life. As a parent, there are no words to adequately describe the devastation and heartbreak of hearing that your child no longer feels safe or valued in a place where they should be nurtured, supported, and encouraged to thrive. I'm here today speaking on behalf of

103my daughter who is afraid to speak for herself due fear due to fear of retaliation. I am also speaking on behalf of the many other children, especially those facing bullying rooted in homophobia, racism, and other forms of discrimination. Those whose voices have been marginalized or ignored. No child should have to choose between their education and their mental health. No parent should have to decide whether to remove their child from a school they once loved to protect their safety and well-being. And no community should remain silent when its most vulnerable members are suffering. The emotional toll this has taken on my daughter and our family is immeasurable. What was once a vibrant, curious, and confident child is now a young girl struggling to feel safe and accepted. This is not just about one incident or one

104child. This is about a systematic issue that requires immediate, compassionate, and sustained attention from school leadership and the broader community. I urge all decision makers involved to treat this issue with seriousness. It deserves. We must do better for my daughter, your children, and for every student who walks through the doors of Eagle Rock Elementary. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Okay. Maria Daisy Ortiz. Miss Ortiz is going to speak in Spanish. So, if you'd like to hear what she's saying in English, please put your hands up and we'll get you these translation headsets. So, keep your hands up and we'll get you translation headsets before she begins. And then after uh Miss Ortiz is Christy White. [Music] Okay. Gracias. Good afternoon to everybody. My name is Maria Daisy Ortiz. And really, it's not that

105I'm against the resolution. No, because yes, it's true. The employees, they need to have all the benefits that an employee receives, but I see the inequality that there is because the parents, we're volunteers. And regardless, this system here and also the districts has failed. Those funds that are brought to this district, the ones that bring them are our children. And for the parents, the that are volunteers, the authentic, the actual parents because an employee, even though they're a parent, they cannot function as a parent because it's a conflict of interest because it's their faithfulness as to who pays them. But us, we are volunteers. And like you said in the video, Miss Ortiz, that you deserve respect, right? that the employees and what do you think the parents do not when we are volunteers the

106way of which the parents are being treated right here in the district it's deplorable because the board members to the parents they don't even they don't not even making a resolution to try to value what they provide and also the involvement of the parents effective now I have not seen a resolution on your part for us in fact the board members I was at the office with Miss Carla Grigo and she told me, "You're a parent. I'm a member of the community. I pay taxes. And as a member of the community, I have the same rights because that's where the funds come from because they are public funds. And now you don't answer me. You don't want to give me an appointment. Same with Mr. Escott. Same with Miss Rosarivas. So please stop this inequality

107with parents that are the really associates and there are volunteers because the parents because they give them to the three months and they also pie 525 an hour to take care of their children. That's what you call them respect to the parents. No don't laugh at us. Don't mock us. Don't insult our intelligent. And yes, we do need to make a change, but we need to make effective changes in which the parents we are also included. Thank you. Uh Christy White, are you here? Christie, come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. And then after Miss White Horse is Nadia Razie. Good afternoon. This was also the slot available to me. My name is Christy White. I'm the mother of two daughters, one at Eagle Rock Elementary School, the other at

108the Eagle Rock Junior Senior High School. I recently learned that we have a program at the elementary school called Kids Hope. It's a mentorship program for kids which conceptually wonderful. However, this organization is religious in nature and specifically works to pair Christian churches with public schools. I find this deeply troubling as this isn't an issue of students initiating or wanting to express their religious beliefs. As its website states, Kids Hope's founding principle is based on how churches can have the greatest impact on children, which the neighbor, which they determined was with ne partnering them, connecting them with neighborhood elementary and middle schools. As an LGBTQ plus family in this current political climate, welcoming a Christian, an evangelical Christian organization on campus to mentor our youngest children feels ill- advised at best and downright threatening at

109worst. I strongly believe that a program founded on essentially prosthetitizing in schools to our most vulnerable community members, somehow identified by our principal and Kids Hope staff is deeply inappropriate and contrary to LUSD's own policy against endorsing or promoting any religion. My wife and I have been committed supporters of public education since our children reached school age. As educated Latinas in a queer family raising $2 in Nila, we felt we have a lot to offer our community. I volunteered to teach a yoga and mindfulness course to TK through sixth grade. TK guys, we volunteer. My wife volunteered as the coach of our science Olympiad, which came into third place. I met board member Grigo's daughter on a field trip two weeks ago and learned she's going to be attending my alma mater in the fall.

110And I feel like I can speak openly and without fear of retaliation because despite our commitment to public education, we are taking our kids to private school. I cannot imagine a situation where substantiated complaints over wage and hour law violations, devastating parental concerns over bullying and an atmosphere of racism and homophobia would continue while seemingly being ignored by this district but for the fact that our principal is married to this district's chief academic officer. And that is a shame. Thank you for your time. Nadia Razi, come on up. Nadia. Good afternoon, school board members and superintendent Carvalo. My name is Nadia Razzi, director of research and policy at the partnership for Los Angeles schools. The partnership supports board members Ortiz Franklin Gonz and Ggo's parental package resolution, a critical strategy in successfully recruiting and retaining

111educators to serve in our schools. At the partnership, we collaborate with the district to serve 20 schools in some of the highest needs areas in LUSD, Boil Heights, South LA, and Watts, where we strive to uplift and equitably support our educators and staff to maintain a stable and healthy workforce. A few years ago, UCLA and CTA surveyed thousands of teachers and one in five of them reported that they would likely leave the profession in the next three years. I responded to this survey as a teacher at Foothill High School in Pleasanton, California, just months before I made the difficult decision to leave teaching after 10 years. I made this choice fueled by my desire to start a family and the realization that my district's parental belief policy would cause financial strain on my family and

112put me back in the classroom before I was ready. I knew it would be impossible to continue teaching the way I had been with my whole heart, 60 hours per week and exhausted when I got home each day. I loved teaching, but I knew that I could not be the best teacher and the best mother to a child. At the partnership, many of our educators are parents and we see a strong connection between their well-being, satisfaction, retention, and student success. Many of our educators return to work with postpartum depression or other health concerns and need more time to care for themselves and their children. Foster or adoptive parents may need additional time off for bonding or ac or to accommodate the abrupt changes and transitions that children face. We appreciate the consideration of data collection

113to identify needs of LUSD employees parent employee parents lactation rooms at every school site and statewide ad advocacy to grow the capacity of long-term subs. We respectfully encourage the board to approve the parental package resolution and commit to inviting our educators to this conversation to provide input on barriers and solutions. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you for your time. And now we go to our folks who are calling in remotely. Alm Hussein. Alm Hussein, please press star six to unmute yourself and you have two minutes to speak once you begin. Am Hussein, I see you're with us. Please press star six to unmute yourself and you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Hi, thank you. Um, I want to um applaud the board for, you know, supporting this resolution. And I think

114our country as a whole needs to do better for working parents. But I'm here to tell you that I think LA has another very big problem when it comes to supporting and retaining staff. I lived in Eagle Rock. One of my kids attends Eagle Rock Elementary, a school you've been hearing all about this this uh session. In the middle of this year, we had three of our staff members, the kind of people we're trying to retain, quit suddenly, alleging a toxic workplace and wage theft under Principal Renee Bayas. One of them even published an open resignation letter to William Downing calling this all out. We're now told there is an investigation into these wage theft claims, but that only happened because a whole bunch of parents made a lot of noise. These employees were raising

115alarms and no one listened to them. Why? And there are major issues that are not being addressed. A number of parents and employees has stated specifically they are worried about retaliation for speaking up. In that open letter, our parent liaison, who is also a working mom who was a kid at the school, alleged that our principal retaliated against another staff member during an exit interview and said that she was scared that her own kid might be targeted because she was speaking out. And then our PTA president and other parents had their campus access and their ability to communicate curtailed or eliminated by Principal Bayz after they raised concerns involving him. Now these are all only allegations but they are numerous and they are well documented and they are absolutely magnified by the concern that this

116particular principle might might be especially protected because he is married to Francis B as the chief academic officer at L USD. I am not saying everything alleged is true but no one in the district seems to be getting to the bottom of these concerns that a principal might be retaliating against his critics. This is beyond the apparent scope of the employee investigation. So we need your help now. By all means, please approve this resolution to help and hire retain staff in the future, but please take an active role in this current situation at Eagle Rock Elementary. Help us demand answers and protect us. Protect staff, protect parents and students at Eagle Rock Elementary. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Let's see. We have Oelia Ryan. Please press star six to unmute yourself. Oilia Ryan.

117Pillar five emphasizes staff empowerment and wellness. Yet a growing sentiment among PSA suggest a significant discontent between these goals and the reality of their experiences. There is a systematic disregard of seniority and an offer denial of transfer requests. Student support program director Denise Miranda told us again there are no transfers allowed. Why not? All PSAs have the exact same qualifications to perform school-based PSA, student support programs, or visa duties. The denial of transfer opportunities fuels a perception of inequity, and many wonder if a is taking place. We don't understand why hiring new college grads instead of allowing seasoned TSAs to transfer first. We are not poets, property, or robots, and we should be treated as professionals. teachers use a seniority based system and we have the right to implement it too across the board without

118exceptions. We all have the same qualifications. We appeal to the SSP administrators as well as the PSA administrator. Follow the required steps and we are now considering filing complaints with the public employment relation board, the department on labor and the EEOC. L USD should look into these allegations to bridge the gap between policy and practice. Restore our faith in L USD's commitment to emphasize that you respect employers and reaffirm the importance of an equitable workplace for all. Our seniority must be respected and we must be allowed to transfer. Lastly, remember discrimination is illegal and I should not get freeway therapy, a placement far from home, a bad evaluation or face more discrimination for speaking before the board today. We would like to have the basic right to know before we leave for the summer what

119our next year assignment is too basic decency. Please help us. We need to be treated with equity and respect. Thank you for your time. I am Oelia Sophia Ryan, PSA counselor. Thank you for your time. We have one last speaker signed up. That is Nicholas Pisano. Are you in the room? Nicholas P. I don't have you online at this time. So that concludes public comment on tab 30. Thank you. Um thanks so much to our speakers both on video and in person to my co-sponsors. I'd like to invite um my colleagues to share thoughts. And I believe there's a particular thought that might like to be shared before we get too deep into this. If if that's okay, I'll turn it to Dr. Rivas. Okay. Um Okay. So, I have a few wonderful comments and

120grateful for this resolution. So, thank you board member uh Ortiz Franklin for bringing this forward. I support this resolution wholeheartedly and will be happy to be added as a co-sponsor. So, I just have a few words um to say and I also submitted um some friendly amendments. Um so, balancing work and family and personal responsibilities is challenging uh for any parent and is crucial that our district's policies reflect the diverse needs of all families, particularly those of our um employees. I am fully committed and ensuring that we provide necessary supports for parent employees who are juggling these responsibilities especially when it comes to ensuring fair accommodations for employees who are new parents or caregivers of children with disabilities. The parent um package resolution is a vital step forward um making LUSD not just a school

121district but a model public employer. This is not just about paid leave. This is about people, about retaining great educators, about respecting our workforce, and about building a system that works for families, not against them. And most critically, it advances equity because the reality is not all employees have access to leave. Not all employees can afford to take it. And that burden falls hardest on women, on single parents, on low low wage workers, and those from historically marginalized communities. This resolution does more than offer leave. It builds a support ecosystem, child care access, and affordability. It creates lactation accommodations, help navigating benefits, and a backup backup care options for the inevitable emergencies of life. It's also cost-effective in the long run. Investing in families now reduces absenteeism, turnover, special education referrals, and health care costs

122later. As parents, we want to give our children the best opportunities to succeed. And to do so, we need systems that understand and accommodate our unique circumstances. The ability to work while managing the needs of a child, particularly with disabilities, should not be a barrier to success for our employees, nor should it be a source of added stress. With this in mind, I'm I've submitted friendly amendments that specially address the needs of parents and caregivers of children with disabilities. Thank you, board member Ortiz Franklin, for accepting these amendments. These amendments are designed to make sure that our policies and supports are inclusive, equitable, and truly reflect of the diverse needs of our community. Um, I know we have copies of of the amendments. I hope so. Yeah, we do. Okay, great. Um, so just to

123um say what what these what these amendments are specifically. Um to add to the third resolve, it adds a disagregation of to add the disagregation of data where legally permissible to identify employees who are parents or caregivers of children with disabilities to assess whether they face disproportionate barriers or unmet needs related to leave benefits or child care access. And we're also adding to the last resolve um for a focused needs assessment and corresponding supports for employee parents and caregivers of children with disabilities. And it has like other um bullet points on that. So I'm not going to read all of them u but there'll be some copies. I'm confident that these amendments will significantly enhance the impact of this resolution, ensuring that all employees, especially those with children who have disabilities, are supported, empowered, and

124able to thrive both at work and at home. This is an opportunity for us to lead with empathy, equity, and real solutions. And I'll be more than proud to be part of this effort that once again, this is not this is not just the right thing to do. It's a smart thing to do for our staff, our students, and the future. Thank you. Thank you, board member. You Dr. Rivas, for the additions. Um, and just to clarify for the team looking at uh the versions. So, last week was posted version two with the red underline um edits and this morning we passed around a version three with a couple of green edits and then Dr. Rivas is passing around the blue edits. So, our team will make sure to to uh include them all. Um

125but just what was different from April to today were a couple whereases on um the surgeon general's uh advisory about the mental health and well-being of parents uh stressing the urgency of employers to make accommodations in a variety of ways that this resolution does. Um a a bit more on uh assisted reproductive technology and the cost of replacing uh teachers um as well as um some improved practices. Um let's see related to enrolling employees children into our schools not just in the early education centers but into K12 because we do believe that this resolution will also help employees uh when their children are old enough to to stay with our entire system. And then the green resolution the green edits sorry were very tiny. um one about adding um surrogacy to the conceptualization of family

126planning and a request to shift the timeline for November 25 to February 26 to account for the January uh governor's budget coming out next year. So these will all be combined. Um but I would ask our colleagues to consider version three with Dr. Rivas's uh friendly amendment added. And I invite other comments from my colleagues, Mr. Yes, I appreciate the comments from people in the audience. It it really means something. It's impactful when I hear from you personally like this. So, I will co-sponsor. Thank you, Mr. Charlesson. I appreciate that. Sure. I'll I'll echo uh my colleagues. I'll join as a co-sponsor as well. I appreciate this. Um and a belated happy Mother's Day to the mothers on this board and also in the audience. Um yeah and I think you know as part of

127this plan and the um the research that goes into it I think there are things at the state level you know my understanding is that teachers at the district don't pay into state disability that could help cover it. I mean this is one where um uh as as we've navigated both seeing colleagues who are teachers but also seeing um colleagues on my team who have to navigate maternity leave is more complicated than it needs to be and we want to be a district of choice for not just students but employees. And so I really appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into this. I was eating lunch but watching the video. It was an incredibly compelling testimony to hear from colleagues on the board and also um colleagues and folks I know through through the work of

128this district. So look forward to seeing where we can go to from here and then advocating at the state and federal level. I think state will be more successful than federal right now. Um but to get the requisite resources to do this and support our staff. So thanks for bringing it forward and um excited to support. Thanks for your co-sponsorship. I'm good. Good. Um I don't have any edits. Uh just want to say thank you for bringing this forward. Obviously, as we sit on this board as mothers and have gone through this process and know that it's not easy um to navigate and needing some some guidance. Um this is definitely starting that conversation to that guidance and putting some actual um markers and parameters in in place. And so I appreciate that and to

129my colleagueu's point that we can get some support from our state as well to help make sure that this um is stable and sustainable. So um I too would like to co-sponsor. Well, I love all the co-sponsorship. Thank you so much. And I'll see if my co-sponsors would like to add any words. Miss Grego. Yes, thank you. Um, I was very glad to co-author this with Tanya and Kelly and um, it brought me back to when I had my when I started teaching and when I was pregnant with my first child, which was in 2001 and I was so scared of telling the district that I was pregnant. I was three months pregnant. And I battled figuring out how I was going to get my TB X-ray done because I was pregnant and I couldn't

130get an X-ray. And I just remember it was so hard and finally I just told the district doctor I'm pregnant so I can't take the the TB and I was able to get previous medical records. But that stress of trying to to navigate the system while you're doing something that we all should be enjoying and and and we all have a right to if if we want to have children. Uh but it was very stressful. And then I taught for two years and my kids were getting sick all the time like all children and toddlers get sick. So I was using up my sick time every year. And then when my son was in the hospital after having a febel seizure at 6:00 a.m. I called my AP and I told him I can't come

131in. My son is in the hospital in the ER. And he just gave the biggest sigh. fine. And that was it. And I thought, you know, I can't do this. I can't I can't take care of my kids and work. And so I was I walked away from from teaching for three years. And that set me back career-wise. I lost seniority. I went I wasn't able to to take courses to move up the salary schedule. It was hard. So, um, that's why I'm glad that finally, like some of you guys have said here, that this has been a long time coming and that it's not a favor. It is what we all deserve and especially like Rosio said, this falls on women. Let's be real. I know that this uh covers all uh family members,

132but let's be real that this is falling on women and um and we have to set our careers back. We're the ones who have to call in sick. We're the ones who have to stay up late um with our children. Um and and it's hard. And I was moved by hearing Kelly describe what it was like to be nursing and trying to be on a board meeting and trying Yeah, I get it. I know. I used to drive home for five minutes. I don't know how I made it. in 30 minutes to nurse my baby and come back. Then I saw this as a teacher with our pregnant and parenting teens. How our schools are not providing uh appropriate spaces for them to pump. how we are not providing the mental health support that they

133need to this very specific population when we know that postpartum depression is a real thing and especially when you're a young woman and we are still not able to to do that for all of our students. So this resolution is very personal to me. It is as a mom, as a woman, and as a teacher, and as an educator of young women who are pregnant in parenting. I'm very grateful to you for starting this process, Tanya. I'm very grateful to you, Kelly, for bringing me in because this is something that we need and I'm very proud to be co-sponsoring this. Thank you. I'm sad to have to follow you, board member Grigo. That was so eloquent. Um well I'm I'm really grateful to um to board member Franklin for her leadership. This is something we've

134been talking about for close to two years now. So um I'm I'm really really glad that we're ch finally taking this step. Um it's incredibly important. Similarly, it is it is very personal to me. I did not have children when I was in the classroom. All of my babies have been while I've been on the board and even as board members, you know, being told uh that uh we don't have access to to leave because like we simply do not qualify. um and all of the times that my young kids have been sick taking meetings from home. I mean that's a flexibility that's offered to me as a board member, we know that that doesn't exist for our employees at our school sites and that unfortunately we live in a country where um while certain

135folks want to encourage more childbearing, they don't want to support families. Um they don't want to support women when they have kids or the children. Um, and though this district uh has taken positive steps, you know, offering health benefits that cover our children, which I value so, so much, um, that doesn't mean that we've done enough. Um, I think there's so much more to do to ensure that we're investing in the women in our system because we know that teaching is dominated by women. We are a women dominated profession and yet the the system is not built for the needs of moms. Um, and supporting families is what we exist to do as an institution is to support our families. And investing in our employees, making our district a place that families want to choose

136um, is a benefit not just to those families, but to all of us in the district. We know that working in schools requires more than just showing up and clocking in. It takes your whole heart to work with kids um, and to support their needs. and we need to take care of our our employees for them to be able to do that effectively and for our kids and families to feel that support. And so I know that this resolution is going to do so much to uplift the needs of all of our employee parents. Um I'm really excited about the next steps and I appreciate um Dr. Rivas's um additions to make sure that our parents of kids with disabilities or special medical needs are included because of course that's an additional consideration that our

137our parents need to advocate. But um thank you so much again board member or Franklin. Thank you to the many folks who've been advocating in the field for so many years because you have helped make this happen in such a big way. Um, and I'm excited for this to pass. Thank you. Well, thank you everyone. Thanks for the movement. I'm excited to see it pass. It sounds like it's going to um and really to implement the changes. We have a big vision in this district for our kids to achieve at really high levels and we know that our staff needs to be well to be able to do that and this is going to support them in their journey to support our kids in in their individual journey. So I see the superintendent also wants

138to weigh in. So I'll invite your thoughts. Thank you very much. Just very briefly good organizations develop and support and enhance protective policies for their workforce and the endusers of whatever it is they do. uh we are not in the business of but in a vocation of protecting students and there are no students without mothers whether they are uh our own workforce or others. So I believe that this staff, this team certainly welcomes the opportunity to bring back at the appropriate time and thank you for the flexibility uh the data, the report and recommendations that advance uh reproductive health protections. Certainly uh parenting additional parenting support and uh the mental uh health support for uh for mothers in our school district. Thank you very much. Thank you. And with that, Mr. McClean, I'd love to

139hear how this board will vote. Here we go. Uh, Miss Newell, yes. Dr. Rivas, yes. Mr. Melvin, yes. Miss Grigo, yes. Miss Gomez, yes. Miss Ortiz Franklin, yes. Board President, yes. Unanimous. Unanimous. Thank you. We have a time certain of 1:30. That gives us 15 minutes to proceed with the public comment items relative to tabs 13 through 21. So we'll we'll go to tab 13 and see who we have for public comment there. So again, this is tab 13, approval of the renewal petition for Dearborn Elementary Charter. Looks like Mr. David Tokosski is on the line. Mr. Tokoski, please press star six to unmute yourself. You have two minutes to speak to tab 13. Congratulations uh to the board on the previous motion um with nearly $9 billion. Well, first of all, I am supportive

140again if you haven't figured out on the growth and support uh the very little central office support to affiliated charters. Um but um the motion that just passed is is very helpful and with $9 billion of facilities money. uh mentioned before at board meetings that um the number of schools in the LA County have already set up uh lactation stations at schools and unfortunately two of our board members had to crawl into back rooms in the main building in order to have the privacy uh requisite. So, uh, one would hope with leadership in at the very top of this district from the chief of staff, uh, to, um, the heads of facility that the lactation stations based upon the superintendent's instructions could happen right away to embody the the motion. Uh, today there are 10

141million people in the county of LA and I am the lone person speaking. Um that is uh unfortunate that we do not advertise our public hearings and that we also um tell the schools that are going to be consent calendar that they don't even need to show up as if they have nothing important like the families from Eagle Rock have to tell us about their schools for worse or for better. Uh to listen to the public is what Mr. Schmurson said we need to do. And so when we have public hearings, just like there are public hearings for alcohol licenses and public hearing for construction in cities and counties, we should put out greater announcements of public hearings so that the democracies of our communities can participate and give us some feedback. And the feedback

142we have in this particular charter and other affiliated is that it is popular and uh could be spread to other districts if there were some leadership about affiliated time. Mr. Tokovski, we're going to have to um so that concluded your tab 13 comment. We're going to have to pause for a moment as we lack quorum. We have two board members here at the DES and I think five outside along with the superintendent taking a photo. So, we're going to um wait until they're back. Perhaps I could give a lesson on what quorum is while we're all waiting. And if we don't if we want to not have dead air uh uh a majority of the board has to be present to take the information in from the public and to give information out and vote.

143So what is your change? So we're just as they make their way back um we have to pause because no action or business can take place while we don't have a majority of the board. And now we have one two three and four are here which constitutes a majority. Looks like tab 14. Mr. Tokovski, you are back on deck. Sir, please press star six to unmute yourself and you'll have two minutes. Yeah. To speak on tab 14 petition for Enino Charter Elementary. Thank you again. I'm very supportive of these highly enrolled uh affiliated charters. Board members could also ask for a list if there are weight lists to these schools uh and figure out a through collective bargaining a procedure to expand the successes and replicate the successes of these schools in other parts of

144the district along the borders um and to use these affiliated charters to experiment the motion that came before you uh just now which is wonderful in its intent and I'm glad that five women stepped outside um with the superintendent. But why not alter the child early ed uh requirements in this district? Um that is to say there are people who enroll their kids in early ed who do not meet the economic requirements. It's sort of a cheating to get in and there are others who would love to participate in the early ed but we have no sliding scale. It's been discussed I know by Mr. Melvinne and others. Why not figure out as one of the most important things to grow enrollment? I know that's a goal of some board members and the superintendent to

145start with a greater growth in how many families can participate in the uh age four, three, and two, particularly special needs kids, which was part of the superintendent's uh concerns at the beginning of the board meeting. So, I thank you uh for the opportunity to speak on affiliated charters, and I have just a couple more comments. Okay, so that concludes comment for tab 14. So tab 15, it looks like we also have you, Mr. Tokovski. I would most respectfully request that you stick to the topic at hand as you've been doing a great job so far of and that's tab 15, approval of the renewal petitioner for Hamlin Charter Academy. The time is set aside specifically for that item. Thank you. U Mr. Tokoski, we're all waiting on you for tab 15 to speak specifically

146about the approval of the renewal petition for Hamlin Charter Academy. I was um responding to the request. This one again uh I'm the only one out of 10 million people in the county who seems to be concerned about growing enrollment and affiliated charters. There's an empty school. I support this uh motion from the superintendent's team. I'm not sure who is in charge of affiliated charters and will speak to these 10 charters uh on behalf of the district and the district's success here. But across the street from the district headquarters, there's a spray painted uh uh charter school uh that could be used called Myiramar or Garcia uh charters. It's right across the street from LA Unified. It seats 500 kids. Uh it it could be uh and today you receive in your correspondence a mandate

147from the attorney general of California in the correspondence to do something with that school. I know it was tried to do an affiliated charter in there. Finally, the only effort I've seen, but that could be a combo independent charter and affiliated in the same building rather than spend uh 1 to2 million dollars plus paying the state back and having no use of the opportunity of an combo affiliated independent charter right next to the headquarters of the school district. And uh one other issue I want to bring up under the affiliated, you could really use all of these affiliateds to work on your children youth behavioral health initiative which would be the monies necessary uh to uh keep your social workers, your PSAs, nurses and other um mental health u employees in this district. This was

148eligible to the districts at September and you could initiate an experiment with your affiliated charters to move faster. Tomorrow morning, the governor will speak. Thank you, Mr. Tokowski. That was tab 15. Now is tab 16. Approval of the renewal petition for Louisie Armstrong Middle. You'll have two minutes to speak. Once you begin fine, sure can. Can you hear? Sounds like you're cutting in and out, Mr. Chowovski. Here we go. Thank you. This is the only one of the affiliated that does have some questions about its performance in various subcategories. Um there's apparently nobody else going to speak on it, but there there are some concerns about this particular one. And I was beginning uh to say um that um that tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. and I'm hopefully the board today and the superintendent before

149the end of the meeting can give some in in in uh um in advance of the uh benefits of Governor Nuomoe's May revision. We heard at the beginning of the meeting uh the obvious concerns uh that are happening from Washington DC, but there is uh some uh words of good news from uh Sacramento that hopefully um will be analyzed by the staff and given to the public and the constituencies of LA Unifi so that from affiliated charters to independent charters to everyone concerned about public education from now till the budget approval that we can all be rowing in the same direction uh and to get some of the held back money from the state 1.6 six billion, but there will be a cola that is a full cola at 2.3%. Um and hopefully many of

150the signature uh ELOP and school meals that are making up for the federal attack on school meals and TK and early ed will still be maintained by this governor commitment under Prop 98 to fund public education at the state level where most of the money most of the money nearly all of the money comes from Sacramento uh not from Washington DC. Thank you. Okay. Okay. And now tab 17, approval of the renewal petition for Superior Street Elementary. Looks like we have Mr. Tokovsky on the line. Uh thank you very much. Um again, the board uh should make some action to have a strategic growth and support a charter school like this one and others in areas where enrollment is declining and is close to uh other school districts. it may upset another school district uh

151to open up the flexibility which exists in large part but it's not advertised and in some cases like continuation schools which the deputy superintendent is quite familiar with students from other districts come into our continuation schools because we have more opportunities in LA Unified using the affiliated model and in some districts in Northern California bold superintendents have stepped forward and turned their smaller districts into entire affiliated charter which gives the opportunity of students from other districts in the 80 plus districts in LA County and charter schools to have a hassle-free way of enrolling in the good schools uh the improving schools of LA Unified. So again, uh I thank you for the opportunity as uh one voice uh of significance to the issue of the growth of enrollment and also to the great governor's announcement

152under Proposition 98 uh that is much more upbeat than the dire uh information presented at the at the beginning of the board meeting. the ELO money um $500 million plus this school district each and every year far outpaces uh the one two and five uh million on the grants that the that the parsimmonious uh president is uh pursuing and instead focus on spending our money wisely here at LA Unifi and to affect student achievement and the growth of the district's enrollment. Thank you, Mr. president for emphasizing uh enrollment growth and student achievement. These are important topics and affiliated school 17. Uh Mr. Tokovski, you have two minutes to speak on tab 18, the renewal petition for Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies. This is on Thank you. Topa Charter. Topeka um Brown vers Board of

153Ed. No, this is another affiliated charter. Again, most of these schools were going to be independent charters and break away from the school district during Mr. Schmolson's predecessor's time. uh superintendent then and board worked to um entice stu the families to stay with the um affiliated model um with over a 100,000 uh students still in independent uh charters many of whom have economic and instructional challenges putting forward the opportunity for those who have been independent charters to become like these and become affiliated charters with district support has not happened. There is no RFP to figure out why independent charters will not become affiliated and what we can do under the new leadership of the chief of staff and this superintendent to do something to move over 100,000 students that are in independent charters to become

154part of the district. In many cases, uh, the, uh, charters in the district that are affiliated are entirely union from every employee, whereas the independent charters occasionally have a teachers union, but very often do not have classified unions that we were celebrating today for the great employees in LA Unified that are classified. That does not exist in independent charters in large part. And finally, an emphasis on the building right next to the school district. There is an opportunity to do something creative and I hope that the board and the superintendent will endeavor to do something thoughtful as the attorney general has sent you a writ of mandate in your correspondence today. Okay, that sounds like the conclusion of tab 18. Tab 19. Mr. Tokowski, you are the only speaker. Please go ahead. You have two

155minutes to speak to begin. I'll pass. Thank you very much. Okay, Mr. Tokovski has declined to speak. All right. What about for tab 20? It looks like we have one speaker of Mr. uh Tokovski for uh Woodlake Elementary Community Charter. Thank you. I I'll pass. Okay. Mr. Tokovski has declined to speak on tab 20. That brings us to tab 21. Let's see who signed up. It's Mr. Tokovski. That's fantastic. Thank you. Um again, I appreciate the opportunity to be one of 10 million. you know, when a local um business is expanding or changing its liquor license or a local p uh city is building something in the neighborhood, we put out uh announcements when we were building schools in LA Unified uh over 100 schools we announced in the circumference of an area. There is

156something wrong with both the Williams case where we do not post uh public hearings uh and we do not post a Williams uh opportunities for parents and employees and students to announce things. The the public hearing process is broken and hopefully that will be taken up uh in the executive session the evaluation how we can improve that under the guidance of Mr. McQueen reaching out to a greater audience for public hearings. Thank you very much. Thank you for your time. That concludes public comment on tab 21. And we do have a time certain of 1:30 p.m. for tab 29. For those wondering what a time certain is, a board office reaches out specifically to have their item heard at a specific time to facilitate speakers or other administrative business. So um tab 29. Can I

157have a motion to hear it? I move uh tab 29. Moved by board member Grigo, seconded by board member Gonz. All right. Well, thank you so much uh for this uh moment and this time. I'm very excited to bring forth this uh motion, this resolution to you all on aligning professional development uh at our community schools and pilot schools. Um I don't know if everybody knows what a community school is and usually there's a lot of confusion about what they are. Um but community schools have been around for a long time and uh their goals especially here in LA USD it focuses on creating communitydriven shared decisionmaking uh process to address the needs of the whole child including mental and behavioral health. This approach aims to strengthen the family and community foundations, ensuring students, families,

158and community members are full partners in decision-making. Here in LUSD, we emphasize collaboration, equity, and excellence in all aspects of the school. Becoming a community school is intentional. Teachers, administrators, parents make a choice to become a community school. They have to apply. They have to collaborate. They have to get 100% support from the community. And once they become a community school, they engage in a very deep and broad process of engaging the community to assess what the needs are and what the assets are. They don't just do surveys, paper surveys. They do focus groups. They do empathy interviews. They do one- on-one interviews and they gather this information and create a report and this guides what they will be doing. This guides the programs are bringing, the services they're bringing, the professional development that their

159staff feels they need and want, where they desire to grow, and how it meets their mission and their goals. I was I've been lucky that in my career I was both at a pilot school and a community school coordinator. I was part of the team that uh wrote the community schools plan. And so I've been blessed to be able to experience what the community school office to our educators. And I'm going to tell you, I learned more in those PDs than in any other PD in my career. And the reason why is because you have a coach who is assigned to you, who supports you one-on-one. You meet as a cohort to get even more support in the things that you need. And then every I think it's every month you get a PD that

160is specific about the work that you're doing, so meaningful, and so relevant. So the only thing that's been missing this past year has been that flexibility for our educators to now apply all that learning, all the things that they've been growing in and to learn more because they haven't had the opportunity to plan their PDS or to select the PDS that they want. And so this resolution comes from a place where educators are asking for this. This resolution is not a mandate for all community schools to do their own PDs. It is an option for those who want it. And as an educator, I know how hard it is to plan a PD. You get paid two hours, but you work 10. And it's not a joke. and people who do it take it seriously.

161And like I said earlier, we have some schools that are pilot and community schools. So they have been doing this work for a long time, but these past few years, they've been held back and they want that to change. And I think that as a district when we see innovative uh initiatives, when we see that people are driven to do this, we should support it. And that's what this resolution is doing. It is supporting that work that some of our teachers, some of our school teams want to do. And we want to continue supporting that. Um, I'm going to pause right here because um, I want to give space for the folks who are here who want to share their personal story. I want you to share with all of our board members the work

162that you've been doing at your school sites and what more you could do if you were able to have this flexibility. And for our um priority schools, I want to emphasize that they will continue getting their support from ETO, which is the unique part of being a priority school, right? Is you get this support, they will continue doing that. They will not lose that. So I also want to say that this resolution is supported by administrators. Allah's president sent us a letter of support. How many times have we seen that teachers? This is important to everyone at a school site, at a community school. Um, so with no further ado, I'd like to invite our first speaker. Okay, we have uh Emily Grihalva. Are you here, Emily? [Applause] Right. Um, hello. My name is Emily

163Grialva and I am the proud community school coordinator of Mendes High School. I'm here to ask the board to please support this resolution. We all know that as Miss Ggo mentioned that part of the community school is that comprehensive needs and asset assessment which we monitor throughout the year. This assessment truly reflects the needs of our students, family, staff and community. We talk a lot about a whole child approach, but one area of growth in our district is implementing a whole educator framework. Our educators are talented, award-winning, and dedicated professionals. They model what it means to be lifelong learners. When asked what PDS Mendes High School staff would want but currently cannot, they said collaborative planning, culturally responsive teaching strategies, traumainformed practices, literacy and math interventions tailored to our specific student populations, project-based learning, navigating

164AI, and the everinccreasing technology our students have access to. The lack of meaningful PD is forcing our educators into generic trainings that does not reflect our students needs, our school's goals, and our community's dreams. Our educators are becoming frustrated. They are unable to collaborate with one another in ways that could truly support and inspire our students. LUSD invests and promotes programs such as CTE and linked learning, full inclusion for our students with special needs. But in order for these programs to be implemented and successful, our educators need time to plan and develop that type of programming. It is proven by research and exemplar models that community schools work when they are grounded in local voice, shared leadership, and sitebased decisionmaking. This resolution restores those values and ensures our PD supports the success of our students

165and school community. I urge you to vote yes. Thank you. Thank you, Emily. Maria [Applause] Alcaras and if you can also state your school and board district if you know it. Hi, my name is Marielle Karas and I work and I'm a proud parent of a first grader at Lucio Royal Allard Elementary School, a pilot and community school in board district 5. I serve as the intervention prevention support coordinator. I'm here today to ask the LUSD school board to support Carla Grigo's resolution aligning sitebased professional development, collaboration, and decision-making in the community school and pilot model. As the intervention coordinator at Lucio Roybo Allard, I work closely with teachers both inside and outside of their classrooms. I hear their concerns firsthand, and one of the most consistent needs they voice is a lack of time

166and structure for high quality, meaningful professional development. Currently, we are unable to schedule critical PD sessions that would directly impact teaching and learning. These include sessions led by our PBL champ, climate literacy champion, our two CKLA ambassadors, and data champion to name a few. We also need time for PD from our community school partners, as well as sessions focused on integrating computer science into the curriculum as we are on track to meet the 20 hours of computer science instruction. Most recently, we were awarded the MTL grant, which brings exciting opportunities for community- based learning, but also requires time for staff to learn, teach, analyze, and reflect. As a leader in ME school, we also struggle to find the time to embed PD on the seven habits, which is foundational to our school culture. Our attempts

167at self- selected PDSA cycles have stalled because revisiting our wildly important goals has become virtually impossible without this dedicated time. Despite those barriers, our teachers are deeply committed. Many invest their personal time to attend PDS in EGI, UFly, UFFL 2.0, Joyful Disruption, Defined Learning, and the LA USD's writing cadre. Some even trained with Amazon, Engineer, Budap, and recently participated in 3D printer workshops. Yet, all of these all of this knowledge remains in silos because we lack the structure time to share, reflect, and implement collaboratively. We know in the classroom that one-sizefits-all approach does not work, and the same holds true for our PDs. Our teachers are eager to learn and to lead, but without time and support, we are unable to align our efforts and our school's vision or meet our students need effectively. For

168the sake of our educators, our programs, and most importantly, our students, I urge you to vote yes on this resolution. Thank you. Thank you, Martha Gonzalez. Hello, I am Martha Gonzalez. I'm the community school coordinator at Lucille Roy Balard. Um, my colleague Maria just spoke. We are a community and pilot school in local board district 5 with Carl Grigo as our fearless leader now. and we're here to support the resolution for some flexibility in our PDS. Um, as a community school, we wrote when we originally opened the school in 2012, we wrote it with the intent to be a community school before that was even offered. Then we became a pilot school because we wanted the autonomies to really transform and accomplish all the things we wanted. It goes beyond the whole child. that goes

169to the whole family and providing those supports, overcoming barriers and also enriching and adding to their lives, producing these young leaders that that's our mantra, the creating outstanding world leaders because we want to prepare them not just for here but for beyond. So we have multiple programs at Lucille Roy Balard, a dreams magnet, a dual language, and we just changed the name of our resident school um or the vision to the community leadership academy because we really are striving to build these leaders. We've looked at the strate strategic plan. We've analyzed it. We looked at the benchmarks. We've taken the best practices from all over. and we really want to be able to do our own thing. And it's been difficult with the PDS that were given. As Superintendent Carvalo was saying earlier, we're going

170we're headed into some difficult times of the budget cuts. We're worried about what's going to happen with Title Three, with our English language learners, with our special ed students. Even more so now than ever, we need the flexibility to be able to give our students what they need, not a cookie cutter approach. So, we urge you to please vote yes on this resolution. Thank you. Thank you, Esther Martinez. On up. You have two minutes to speak. Good afternoon. We are a collaborative team. So Christy Carrick and Esther Martinez will speak. So can we have four minutes? Two and two. You get two and two. Yes. Good afternoon board members. Hi, my name is Christy Carrick, the community school coordinator. And I'm Mr. Martinez, the chapter chair and second grade teacher. We work at Town Avenue

171Elementary School, one of eight community schools in local board district 7, Tanya Ortiz Franklin's board district. We are here today to ask LA USD school board to support Carla Grigo's resolution aligning sitebased professional development collaboration and decisionmaking in the community school and pilot model. Professional development at community schools like town along with the flexibility to shape it is a continuous commitment. So here's a little bit about our journey at town. to truly function as a community. We developed a comprehensive plan and conducted the surveys with all the key stakeholders like Miss Grigo was talking about, our community school implementation team and local school leadership council. And we reviewed our stakeholder input alongside of school-based data to collaboratively create a PD plan aligned to the specific needs of Town Avenue. In previous years, the district honored

172the contract by allowing local school leadership at community schools to make decisions regarding the all of their PD. However, this year, we've seen school PD plans rejected and have been instructed instead to follow the school district PD bulletin. This shift directly undermines what community schools are designed to be. The goal of our community school is to create a school environment where students, families, educators, and the community partners work collaboratively to support the whole child academically, socially, and emotionally while responding to the unique needs of our school community. Passionate teachers at Town Avenue are currently working with key stakeholders to deliver much neededed professional development in areas such as the project-based learning, social emotional learning, data analysis, and lingu English language arts and math foundational skills and identifying schoolwide trends that require collective attention. So what

173happened is this year unfortunately we are just now getting to some of those PDs that we needed that were originally planned at the beginning of the school year now in month 10. So this delay underscores the challenge of balancing the district mandated PD requirements with the need for long-term sightspecific instructional planning. So, as a team, we're making a conscious effort to shift from being reactive to pro a proactive approach, ensuring that future PDs are scheduled with intentionality, aligned to the data, and delivered in a timely way that supports continuous growth both for staff and students. So right right now for the 2526 school year, Town Avenue has developed a structured professional development plan and created a collaborative planning schedule that gives teachers additional time thanks to the community school model to meet regularly by grade

174level. This built-in time allows teams to follow up on PD topics and address areas of need in a more meaningful and sustained way. A key focus moving towards is into integrating our SEAL and project-based learning into core content areas which requires intentional planning time and a supportive structure to implement it effectively. So we recognize that doing this well means moving beyond the drive by trainings and instead fostering ongoing cycles of learning collaboration and classroom application that truly benefits our students. We are looking to establish continuity and a structured professional development plan that is responsive to the unique needs of our community school site. Our goal is to provide teachers with the consistent opportunities to reflect on their practice, collaborate meaningfully, and refine instructional approaches over time. The lack of flexibility in professional development at town

175negatively impacts our school by forcing educators into one-sizefits-all trainings that don't align with our students needs, our school's unique programs, and our community's goals. It diminishes educator and community voice, slows down the progress we've worked so hard to achieve, and creates growing frustration among staff, many of whom clearly already understand what their students need, but are now restricted from accessing the tools, training, and time required to meet those needs. Community schools work when they're grounded in local voice, shared leadership, and sightbased decision-making. This resolution restores those values and ensures our PD supports the success of our students. We urge you to vote yes on this resolution. Thank you. That uh that concludes the uh the speakers who were guests of of BD5. And um now I guess the resolution's open for discussion. Yes. So I

176want to thank my co-sponsors, Dr. Rosio Rivas and Kelly Gonz. And I'd like to open up space for you all to share your thoughts and then we can move on to our board members uh who have any questions or comments. Dr. Reus. So, um, I want to express to you all why I strongly and passionately support this resolution, one that is not only timely, but vital to the success of our students, the empowerment of our educators, and the well-being of our communities. This resolution is not merely a policy shift. It's a reaffirmation of our deepest values that education is more effective when it's rooted in local wisdom, driven by collaborative expertise, and tailored to the unique strengths and needs of our students. Community schools, when structured with fidelity to the four essential pillars, are environments

177of care, learning, and empowerment. Community schools are common good public institutions powered by the people who know our students best, their teachers, their families, their school leaders, and community partners. This model recognizes that the path to academic achievement begins not only with rigorous instruction, but with the trust, relevance, and respons and responsive support systems. The mission of our community schools initiative is bold to educate the whole child academically, cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally. To do this effectively, we must do more than acknowledge complexity. We must create the structural space for local communities to lead with clarity and purpose. This resolution ensures that community school local leadership councils and pilot schools are equipped with the authority to they need over sightbased professional development. Why is this important? Because professional development is locally designed and contextually relevant.

178This leads to better instructional practices, stronger school climates, and ultimately improved student outcomes. Let's be clear, this is not about decentralizing for the sake of it. It's about being smart. It's about aligning professional development with the data we all community schools already have from assets and needs assessments to school climate surveys. It's about engaging the wisdom of our educators, their experience, and their expertise. They live these realities in their classrooms every day with their students. By formally establishing a professional development subcommittee under the community school steering committee, this resolution builds the infrastructure for intentional collaboration between LA USD and our teachers through UTLA. It provides a forum for meaningful input on district-wide priorities while maintaining the flexibility and autonomy that local school communities need. Let us also remember that autonomy without support is insufficient. That's

179why this resolution ensures differentiated assistance for priority schools, those who need it the most. This is equity and action. Board members, esteemed board members, when you vote yes, and I hope you all vote yes on this resolution, you are voting for more than policy. You are voting for a philosophy of education that trusts our professionals, honors our communities, and puts students success at the very center. Let us not miss this opport this moment to lead with courage and integrity. Let us say to our teachers, we see you, we trust you, and we believe in your power to shape a better future in your communities. I urge you all to please vote yes on this resolution. Thank you. And I I believe we have a full vote of uh public comment also that we need to

180get to. We we we didn't It's up to you. Okay. So, we'll finish the public comment and return to to board to board comments. Uh, Maria T. Valdez, are you here? Please come on up. And then after Maria is uh Carmemell Levit Leviton. So come on up, Miss Valdez. Good afternoon. My name is Maria Teresa Valdes and I am a kindergarten dual language teacher at Fort Street Primary Center, a secondyear community school in board district 2 on the east side. Thank you Dr. Divas for your representation and your support. It's an honor for me to be able to speak today on behalf of a very important resolution. I am asking the LUSD school board to support Garla Grigo's professional development solution. The goal of a community school is to create a school environment where students,

181families, educators, and community partners work collaboratively to support the whole child academically, socially, and emotionally while responding to the unique needs of our school community. This implementation plan, which I helped to write, lays out what we have accomplished as a school community. At Fort Street Primary Center, we have a dual language program in Spanish, a computer science for good student club, Penguin Student Ambassadors Leadership Group, a symphonic jazz music program, positive behavior intervention support, and the STAR afterchool program. These programs have been brought about because they reflect the voices and the needs of our students, their families, and our community. Time is needed to maintain and improve them. What's next in our implementation plan? Well, we want to be trained in project-based learning and equitable grading and instruction. We also want to add restorative part

182to our positive behavior intervention support. All interest holders would receive the training. But in order to implement these programs, time is of essence. It doesn't make sense to force educators in community schools to participate in professional developments that do not align to their school's implementation plan. Frankly, it would be a waste of everyone's time and energy. And that is why my colleagues and I are here today. give community schools the gift of time so that we can move forward. I urge you to vote yes on this resolution. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Carmel, come on up. You have two minutes to speak. And then after Carmel is Lee Fuoto. Hello. I'm the parent of the child at Eagle Rock Elementary. I've been with the school through five principles, two strikes, and everything that

183the global pandemic entailed. I've been an active and involved member of our school community, including last year I served on our local school leadership council. I'm here today because I've been having a really hard time with parent engagement around the issues directly impacting the Eagle Rock Elementary community, some of which you've heard about today. At the school level, there's been stonewalling and evasiveness. I've been reaching out to my board members office and to our community of schools and region east to try to get help. I found Fidencio and Carla's office to be a great listener and I really do feel heard by him, but ultimately he can't move mountains. I've been waiting weeks for a community meeting to be organized with region east that has been coming soon. I had my own first one-on-one meeting

184yesterday with someone from our community of schools where I also did feel heard, but I didn't get offered that meeting until I filed a formal complaint which I felt compelled to file due to our situation festering for weeks without positive intervention or even any direct acknowledgement from our community of schools or region east. I didn't want to file a formal complaint. What I really want is for the district to take a proactive, restorative approach to building relationships and listening to all members of our community, including students, families, teachers, and staff when they raise concerns so we can do better. I believe next week is um appreciation week for our classified employees. As mentioned earlier, we lost three of them and they won't be here to celebrate next week and I'm really really sad about that.

185I hope you are too. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Lee Furamoto. Lee Furamoto, are you here? Lee F. Uh, William Chavez, come on up, Mr. William Chavez. And then after William Chavez is Michael Gray and then Shria Venates. Michael and then Shria. After William, come on up. You have two minutes to speak. Why don't you begin? Good afternoon. My name is Will Chavez, social studies teacher and utilate chapter chair at Wilson High School, a community school represented by uh Dr. Rosia Rivas in board district 2. I'm here today to speak on well, I'm sure you can guess right on on Carla Grego's uh resolution in support of it and and in speaking on behalf of our staff. As educators, we know our students best. We work with them every day. We see the

186gifts they bring on our campus into our classrooms. We know what they need. We understand the challenges and potential they bring into our classrooms every day. At Wilson, we are a proud international balorate school. We are the district's only avid national g demonstration high school. We have three magnets, three California partnershipmies and two CTE pathways. How are we expected to meet the needs of these programs and also support our undocumented students and families, our English learners, our special education population, the black student achievement plan, and strengthen our restorative practices when half of our professional development is not given to us. The truth is that the districtmandated PDs are too often generic and disconnected from our realities. It sent a message that we're not trusted and over time this leads to a loss of the very

187community that we are trying to build. But our educators at Wilson are strong, are powerful, are the experts, right? They're experts at designing powerful and relevant PDs that are engaging and centered around our students and educators experiences. If we're going to live up to the vision of a community school, then we must be trusted to guide our own professional growth because this is at the core of who we are. Thank you for your time and for standing with us in support of meaningful community rooted education. Thank you for your time. Uh Michael Gray, come on up. Michael Gray. Then Sharia, you have two minutes to speak once you begin. Hello, my name is Michael Gray. Uh, and I work at Thomas Jefferson High School, a community school and priority school in board district 5. I

188serve as the chapter chair and music teacher wrapping up eight great years. Today, I'm asking you to support Kylie Grio's resolution aligning sitebased professional development. This school year, the PD plan demanded by LOSD did not fully address our students or our teachers needs. The format and delivery are ineffective in transforming our community. The one-sizefits-all checklist topics, rotating out of classroom presenters, and PDSA worksheets are not meaningful and frustrate teachers. This mandated PD series undermines what community schools are designed to be, collaborative. Our community school implementation team has conducted countless empathy interviews and our team has a deep understanding of the needs of our community. The goal of our community school is to provide highquality instruction for all students and increase parent engagement. We already have amazing wraparound community school programs. It's the PDS we need

189to schedule but currently can't. They include equity grading and instruction, trauma-informed pedigogy, social emotional learning. It's our students have many struggles and often their basic needs are not being met. EL strategies for our school. We have both newcomers and long-term English learners. More department time to collaborate and share best practices with colleagues. Our teachers regularly plan collaboratively after school. And thanks to the community school grant, our teachers have utilized $75,000 of collaborative teacher X time outside of PD time. Our teachers want a plan so long as we are given the trust that we know our students and community best. I love this shirt. Jefferson teachers change the world. That's how we all feel. Thank you so much, Michael Gray, Thomas Jefferson High School. Thank you for your time. Bria Sharia, come on up. You'll have

190two minutes to speak once you begin. Hello, my name is Shria Venitates. I am the community school coordinator and UTLA chapter chair at Horus Man UCLA Community School in Board District 1. I am here today to ask the LUSD school board to support Carla Grigo's resolution. Our centennial is next year, so there will be a lot of eyes on us. And although Horseman is well known in South LA, we haven't always had the best reputation. When we partnered with UCLA and embarked on community schooling in 2017, that started to change for the better because we worked together as a school community during paid PD time to improve our campus climate. Students, parents, and staff remarked on the difference in our students and faculty's experience at man. However, even though we are now a member of

191LUSD's community school initiative and we're supposed to be able to align all of our PD to our school's needs, we have less purview. We need focused PD time to support student, family, and staff wellness, but required district PDs have left little room for these urgent needs. Despite the efforts of our positive behavior team and of our faculty, we have not been able to make meaningful progress on social emotional wellness because we are not coordinated. The lack of collaboration time is preventing us from building culturally responsive, restorative schoolwide systems with all stakeholders involved to support a happier, healthier man. We would love to show off our incredible students, families, faculty, and staff at our centennial, but to truly lift up the strengths of our community. We need and deserve the PD time to work on our

192school's most urgent priorities. So, I urge our bird members to vote in support of this resolution. Thank you again for your time. Shria Venites, man, UCLA Community School. Thank you for your time. All right, the next two insperson speakers would Nancy Lopez please come on up. Nancy Lopez and then after Nancy Lopez is Ian Kirsy. Hi, my name is Nancy Lopez. I am a parent of two students from Eagle Rock Elementary. As a parent, I am deeply involved in my school community. I have been a part of the community for over two decades. Um, I have had several of my family members attend that school and now my kids. I was very proud to be a a member of Eagle Rock Elementary. I still am very proud to be a member of Eagle Rock Elementary.

193Uh my concerns are that I have two children that come to me as I was employed there before and said various things. Um I'm sorry. I'm a little nervous because of the fact that I feel like I might get um uh taken away my opportunity to continue volunteering at my school. So I am a little nervous because of it. So I apologize. Um my involvement in Eagorok Elementary extended beyond just simply volunteering at the school. Um I volunteered twice to three times a week. Um because of that I got offered an employment there. I started working there. I devoted time and effort even beyond my time there that I would get paid. Um I added a lot to my community. I gave a lot to PTA to the school because I love the students and

194I love the staff while maintaining an open and honest community with communication with my children. Um they have come to me with various and disturbing accounts around the school. Harassment, fat shaming, um Nazi salutes, the fact that my child came up to me after school telling me that because of what the president has said about illegal immigrants, my son now his um peers have told him that does he fear his dad getting deported? My husband is not an illegal, but yet because of how he looks, they think he is. So, sorry. Um, can I get a few more minutes? I'm so sorry. Uh, just just a few. I'm so sorry. Uh, minutes would be excessive. So, but if if you wrap up your thought, we know it's important. As a result of this, I have

195left my employment because of harassments. not just because of the students but because of harassments with the principal as well. two three of my other um colleagues have also resigned because due to this um and because of retaliation we fear coming forward and because it has been said um I am here because I want to continue modeling um standing up for what you believe and for what you stand for and I feel like they have shut us down many times and I refuse to sit down and it look pretty. I refuse to give that modeling to my children. So I am here talking not just for my children but for myself and for my colleagues that we shouldn't be treated this way that we should be respected and we should be heard and we should

196lead by example. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Ian Kirsy, come on down. You'll have two minutes to speak. Why don't you begin? Hi. Thank you. I'm going to yield my time to Amir Casemir over here. Hello. Good afternoon everybody. Um I want to acknowledge the importance of this resolution. Um and appreciate the board members Carly Ggo for introducing this and uh Dr. Rivas and Koness for co-sponsoring it. It's very important resolution that I've heard a lot from educators, not only as a student um who used to go to a community school and a pilot school, but also as a community organizer now that I'm more directly working and involved with teachers, right? When I was a student at LUSD, I remember not really understanding what the intention behind PD time was. I was

197like, "All right, cool little Tuesday a little bit early, you know, go do whatever I need to do." Um but I see now the intent why I felt like that as a stu as a student right a lot of teachers feel that way a lot of teachers feel like this time isn't uh well utilized right and I've repeatedly heard teachers especially at community schools calling for more relevant PD courses things that will affect and relate more closely to the issues that they're facing at their schools things like courses to talk about how to deal with these issues of racial uh discrimination profiling students having these uh being attacked, right, and being targeted for their background. And it's very important that teachers have these uh courses because these new and unique issues that community schools seek

198to address are going to require new and unique solutions, right? It's not going to just look like suspending students. It's not going to look like taking people directly out of schools because that's antithetical to the model that we're trying to build. We're trying to bring students into into class from these communities and not take them out, right? And these lessons are going to be taught by the teachers that are teaching us to even acknowledge these things. Right? It's very important that we take our take our teachers very seriously. We know that they understand what what we need to learn, right? A lot of the our board members, our teachers, and very well understand how that leads into being more uh introspective about what we need in our classrooms. But we also have to make sure

199that we take the lead on knowing what we need. Just the same way that students understand that what they need and we have student board and student advisory, we need to do the same for teachers and make sure that they're able to dictate their pet what courses of development they need to build the schools that students deserve and that we all know that we can build in LA USD. So I urge you guys to vote yes on this resolution. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Okay, we have two folks listed as speaking remotely. Is Brian Smiley here or Brian Similey? Brian Simile, come on up. you're here in person. You have two minutes to speak. Why don't you begin? Good afternoon. My name is Brian Similey and I am a social studies teacher and

200the chapter chair of Woodland Hills Academy, a proud community school in board district 4 represented by Nick Melvoyne. I am here today to urge the LAUSD school board to support Carla Gergo's resolution aligning sitebased professional development, collaboration, and decision-making in the community school and pilot model. At Woodland Hills Academy, we are committed to upholding the four pillars of the community schools model. Expanded and enriched learning tied to real world applications, integrated student supports, active family and community engagement, and collaborative leadership. To fulfill this mission, we need time for interest holder collaboration and PD tailored to the unique needs of our school community. Our team has worked hard to align our PD efforts with our school's vision, which includes culturally responsive pedigogy, trauma-informed teaching, equitable grading, project-based learning centered on real world issues, PBIS to support

201school climate, meaningful data analysis, and authentic family and community engagement. Unfortunately, the districtmandated PD schedule has prevented us from addressing many of these priorities while also limiting the depth of learning on the topics we have been able to pursue. This has been very discouraging. Last week though, I told members of our ILT about this week's resolution and feeling optimistic and feeling very excited, we met and we created a tenative cal for PDS for the next school year based around the needs of our community school. So, we're hopeful that this resolution passes today. Community schools thrive when rooted in local voice, shared leadership, and sightbased decision-making. This resolution reaffirms those values and ensures our professional development truly supports student success. I respectfully ask that you vote yes on this resolution. Thank you. Thank you for your

202time. And ahead, the last speaker is Rachel Wallace. Are you here in the room, Rachel Wallace? I don't see you online. Okay, that concludes public comment. And now back to board member comments, I believe. Um well, I'm glad that we had a chance to hear from the voices from the field. Um I feel like it's super important that we lift up um our educators voices. Every day we're working as a district towards our big board goals, our district goals, and that's accelerating student learning and making sure we're taking care of our students holistically, their socioeotional well-being as well as their academic development. And I think that our professional developments have been working towards that effort, but it's clear that uh the approach is not working for everyone. I was spending some time reading through um

203the letters and feedback that we got specifically from the Monroe High School staff and I wanted to just lift up a couple of quotes that I found. One is, you know, our teachers are expected to differentiate content for our students and yet our current professional development approach does not differentiate for our teachers. Um, another that talks about the lack of collaboration time and how um despite the intended efforts of professional development, it's actually leading to less effectiveness in the classroom because teachers don't have the time to get together and work on the initiatives that are important for their schools. Um, I think board member Grigo really walked through all the steps that it takes to become a community school. Um, what struck me in engaging with my board district six schools is the teachers that

204I was hearing from. These are leaders on their campus. They are working so hard um to help uplift not just their classroom but the entire school community. You heard from Miss Cabo earlier who shared with me a very extensive professional development plan. And so they're putting in the work and they have a vision that they're trying to accomplish on behalf of their students and school communities. And our supports as a district should uplift and enable them to accomplish that vision, not undermine and detract from it. We know that as educators, uh, time is the most limited resource. And so having the time and the ability to decide what is most impactful for you, how can you best respond to the emergent student needs um on your campus in your classrooms? Uh that's a right that

205our our community schools need uh for our pilot schools. This is an autonomy that they have that should already be respected. And so I think this resolution is super important. It's about uplifting the local school decision-making, uplifting our teachers as professionals who know their students best um and ensuring that the professional development that they receive is relevant, responsive, it's meaningful. You know, research shows that it's not just about professional development. It's what is the content of the professional development? When it's delivered by a peer, when it's a topic that's relevant, that's going to be meaningful and make change. That's not the case for something that's simply put pulled off the shelf. Um, so I just really want to appreciate the the folks from school communities who have lifted up their voices and called for this

206resolution. Um, and board member GGO for her leadership and for the opportunity to collaborate and work with you. And I look forward to the resolution passing and all the great work that will happen at our school sites because of this. Thank you. [Applause] So before she was elected to the school board, I didn't even know who Carla Grigo was. But I learned a lot from her since she's been on the school board. She has been talking about community schools from the minute she got on the No, before she got on the school board, talking about community schools and how important they are. And I know that she knows she's done it. She's an honest person. She's trustworthy. and I support this and I will co-sponsor Carla. Thank you. Thank [Applause] you. Yes. And uh I

207want to say just thank you for bringing this um from coming from a community school and the work that goes into it. I know um it's very important and I think it's just important as mentioned by one of the speakers about educators and being able to to design and being able to be hands-on and as a former physical educator I knew it was always interesting for PDs because we were always tossed in with the electives and it was like hey just figure it out foreign language figure it out I was like well foreign language physical education um we're not talking the same language So definitely understand that the cookie cutter model doesn't work and for our community schools that are piloting the way along with our pilot schools to make a difference and just to

208see the impact that will happen on those campuses and to see the work because as we in this district as we are one but we are also one that identifies and knows the needs in each community is different. And so just want to appreciate that and appreciate the voices that came to speak today to elevate that so that we all can recognize and appreciate those that have brought this resolution to the board and for us to continue to champion that and we look forward to seeing the work done on those campuses. Thank you. Sure. I'll just briefly I want to give a shout out to Brian uh board district 4 teacher who's also on my teacher advisory group and thank you Brian for your compelling testimony but also for the input you give um and

209your leadership of your school. I was thrilled to meet um with some teachers and organizers at Woodland Hills um academy just a few weeks ago and appreciated uh the thoughtfulness that went into this resolution and also the testimony from educators. I think more broadly um and I've been consistent in this uh for my time on the board. We need to better calibrate kind of what is school site school site design what is central and that uh kind of having a um accountability system and a metric that honors the ingenuity and creativity of educators and actually makes decisions that are closest to our students and our teachers while also making sure we're driving the work forward. I know the superintendent and his team are working towards that. I also know that this was something that was

210has been discussed previously um with our labor negotiations um and particularly around community schools and and the pilot schools have been fighting for their own autonomy for a while. So I'm I will be supporting this today. Um I also would like to see the broader conversation about kind of finding that right mix um and understanding how when our north star is achievement and accountability for our schools. we know when is it appropriate as I think it is in cases like this one for for teachers and for educators to create the their destiny at their own school and when we might need some support and what guard royals were putting in and so that's what I just hope and and in my conversations with um the educators at Woodland Hills just as one example it was

211clear that there's a really healthy culture there between the school site leadership the principal the teachers the students about what's needed um and uh you know I think they know um they know their school community the best. So, I hope that can be a model and I know that this will be an iterative process. So, uh appreciate the work that went into this and I'm proud to [Applause] support. So, thank you everyone for supporting this. Um, I just want to read I'm very excited about the collaboration that has come through in in this resolution and I'm very excited that we have the support of principles. Um, um, um, Tanya, is she up there? Where is she? Oh, there she is. Okay. Hi. Let's give her Why don't you go ahead, Tanya? if you're say um

212thanks for bringing this and for lifting up the voices of our leaders at school sites. I think a lot has been said about the importance of um decision-m being closest to those who are impacted by those decisions. So just much appreciation uh particularly for Town Avenue coming up earlier and speaking and showing me the great things happening on your campus. Uh looking forward to seeing what comes from this. So thanks Miss Grigo and team. Thank you. So I just wanted to read a few lines from this letter that one of our principles uh sent to us from Lucille Royal and she wrote, "Auttony over professional development and assessment is a key strength of a community school and pilot school models. When schools have the flexibility to design and implement site-based professional learning, they are better

213positioned to connect initiatives to research-based best practices, align efforts with schoolwide goals, and directly respond to the specific needs of their student, staff, and community. These practices align with authentic PDSA plan do study act cycles that are grounded in the school's clearly defined opportunity of practice and theory theory of action. This structure allows communities of teachers and learners to engage in deep inquiry, reflect meaningfully on student data and take collective action to raise the level of understanding and instructional effectiveness across the campus. It reinforces a culture of continuous improvement that is both intentional and responsive. I am really looking forward to seeing what wonderful things come out of this work because we want to to showcase all these models like Nick was saying that are the things that are working. So I'm looking forward to

214celebrating and seeing the beautiful work that you all are going to be doing. So, thank you to my colleagues uh for sharing your thoughts. Thank you to all the educators who came out and shared your uh your work. You're doing amazing work. I know you are. And so, thank you for doing that. Okay. Now, it's time for vote on tab 29. That was moved by Miss Grigo and seconded by Miss Gonz. Uh Miss Newell. Yes. Miss Newell has a yes from on the way in. Dr. Mr. Rivas, yes. Uh, Mr. Melvin, yes. Uh, Miss Grigo, yes. Miss Gomez, yes. Miss Ortiz Franklin, yes. Uh, Mr. Smurrosen, yes. And that's seven I's. [Music] Okay. And we're going to continue to make our way through the consent calendar. Public comment. This brings us to tab 24, approval

215of routine personnel actions. We have three speakers. Um Henry Zahed, are you here? And then after Henry, we have Aif Zahed and Nadia Zahed. You just hold on for a sec. Okay. So though it appears we don't have quorum here, we have one other uh board member who is joining us remotely from the uh address listed on the agenda. So you can please go ahead. Sounds good. Thank you. Um hi. Um hello again. I'm going to go ahead and read from a letter that was sent from um this is in relation to a non-reelection, which is how it relates to the agenda item. Um, I'm going to go ahead and read a piece from a letter that our teachers wrote two years ago to our KOSA and I think it ties into the circumstances with

216me today. Um, I'll also send in copy of this later. Um, our principal has a reputation for treating males and females on campus desperately. He believes it is okay to reprimand women for using profanity, not in front of students. Yet he does nothing when a male announces over Zoom that his wife is kinky. It is clear that he feels superior to women because of the way he interacts with them. Uh he has even made condescending comments in regards to why a female teacher doesn't cook. He is not able to differentiate his personal beliefs although antiquated from his professional role. He has even gone as far as threatening a female administrator in front of students, parents, and staff. This administrator did file a complaint. Yet apparently verbal threats are not justifiable for movement. The situation sent

217sent the message to staff that his behavior must be deemed acceptable by those who were made aware of the complaint and it is okay for him to treat staff members in this manner. Um this was a letter written in 2022 sent to Arosa. Thank you. Thank you for your time. A Zahed come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Good afternoon. I'm speaking in support of my sibling, teacher Henry Zahed, who addressed you just now as well as the be at the beginning of the board meeting. As a fellow queer educator, I am deeply disappointed by the bias displayed by Southeast High School's principal who recommended Henry's non-reelection not as a result of Henry's competence in the classroom, but because of the principal's own ineffective management. Henry was not provided timely

218and effective feedback or support by his admin before his non-reelection was revealed. So, this seems at best to be a result of poor management by the principal. At worst, it is a result of the blatant discrimination that is already evident in the principal's constant misgendering and dead naming of my sibling. If a queer staff member is not safe at their school site, what message does this send to the queer students at that school? I urge the LA USD board to do the right thing and reverse the decision to not reelect Henry Zy for the next school year. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your time. Nadia Zahed, come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Good afternoon, respected superintendent and board members. My name is Nadia Zahed and I'm

219teacher Henry's mom. I've been an educator for more than 30 years and was proud when my child chose to become a teacher to make a difference in the lives of the children in our community. In the past three years, I've seen them pour their heart and soul in working towards their teaching credentials. There were numerous occasions when they missed the family gatherings in order to complete their assignments or plan engaging lessons for their students. I would like to urge you to think about how much effort a young teacher puts into getting their teaching credentials. There's also a great deal of investment on the part of the school district in preparing and extensively training a teacher. Considering this, it doesn't make an iota of sense to let go of a dedicated teacher prepared and trained by

220the district just because of the principal's own inefficiency and negligence as an administrator. The principal's decision to remove a young and passionate teacher from their position and not recommend them for the professional teaching credentials they worked so hard for is unfair, inconsiderate and biased. As educators, we are always encouraging and facilitating our students. So members of the board, is it not your duty to encourage and facilitate the teachers who join this profession and stay in it despite the challenges with a sole purpose to make a difference? I'd like to request you to do the right thing and reelect teacher Henry so they can receive their teaching credentials and continue supporting and imparting education to the students of LA USD who need empathetic and positive role models in their lives. Thank you. Thank you for your

221time. [Applause] Okay, that was tab 24. So we have comment next on tab 31. Motion declaring salaries indefinite to comply with law. Uh we have Romy, are you here? Uh Dominic G, Heidi, Indira, Allison, Brian, Tanaya. None of these folks are here and they are not online either. That takes us to tab 32 uh report of correspondence which is also a public hearing. Uh here's a statement to be read on tab 32. Before action is taken on the report of correspondence including the Williams uniform complaint quarterly report summary. A public hearing must be held. This constitutes a public hearing on the report and a maximum of 15 individuals who wish to address the board on this item will be heard. Those who wish to speak and have not already signed up should sign up online.

222speakers will be called by name. It looks like we have five speakers, all of whom are listed as remote. Um, I will call first on Erinda Morita. Erinda Morita, please press star six to unmute yourself and you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Erinda Morita Morita in 2023 my I signed up my son at downtown magnet in the beginning he entered the ninth grade in engineering class in this class they had different people taking care of them monthly while they were taking the class in line the person in charge couldn't help with any question that they were asking then they placed a substitute teacher that had no guidance within the teaching In 2024, my son wanted to take the AP physics class and it was impossible. We had no they had no personnel

223to come through with the class. I removed him from this class. I moved him to downtown business magnet. On August of this year, my son wanted to take AP physics again or university physics, but it seems like they have no personnel with a structure guide. And this problem has been happening for 2 years. Therefore, it's getting worse every time. And the classes that he wants to take, he can't take them because they don't have a person that has credential to teach them class. Take action and we need your help. Thank you. Gonzalez, please press star six to unmute yourself and you have two minutes to speak once you begin. Isabelle Gonzalez Williams complaint. You know what? This point is very interesting, but I had to be I had to act like a canine. dig and

224dig until I was able to find what it was about or what this topic referred to. Even though I'm involved in this school, I'm a member of English learners from SSC as well, no one has told me what this law is about. I been to meetings with the principal. I've been to LPAC meetings and no one talks about this very important topic as parents from district students. What's happening? Why are you hiding this? Why don't you want parents to know about this? I ask just like you're involved in immigration topic, talk about the Williams laws, especially at the schools. I ask that you talk about this in every school. Parents have the right to know. We have the right to know and make sure that the schools maintain an educational environment requirements for learning and

225the law requires that schools give installations and light that are working adequately. This is you need to focus on the qualification of every school and for it to be in disposition of the public. Where can we see or can we see someone informing the education of the schools? How can we make this complaint? Nothing. Why? Because it is not convenient for you. We demand that you approve solutions. Audio is breaking. Audio is breaking. Very much for your time. Thank you for your time. Maria Daisy Ortiz, I see you're on the line. Maria Daisy Ortiz, please press star six to unmute yourself and you'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Maria Daisy Ortiz. Good afternoon to all. My name is Maria De Ortis. Just as my colleague mentioned previously, this is something that we've

226asked from you and you should be reporting how many schools have had complaints and how have you handled them. Parents should receive training. What are the areas that apply to Williams complaint? And of course, I would love to know when will you give the results of the three areas that the district is not in compliance with according to the audit that was made. And one of the areas is teachers. Teachers and this happens uh there are teachers that just do physical education and they're teaching math at a high school level. Now also we also have several par parent parent centers like Franklin High School. They don't have a sink to wash your hands. And I made a Williams complaint and as of now I haven't heard anything from anyone. And lastly Royo Secco school. This

227is a school that is in an area well it shouldn't function as a school. This is a area where this is a kinder through 8th grade and there aren't enough bathrooms at the schools. I'm not sure how you manage this, how you manage the Williams complaints, but yes, it is true. You have this very reserved. You never give information about this. You never give information of the areas and what results they have from Williams complaint. There should be a report. How many Williams complaints you have a month and the sol the solution honestly to fill out the paperwork is what you love to do the most and you just do paperwork and you don't do a followup. Therefore, this Williams complaint is not working because you're not working in a transparent way with parents. Thank

228you very much for your time. Uh Mr. David Tokovski is listed on this public hearing but I do not see you online. Mr. Tokovski, are you in the room? Mr. Tokovski. No, he is not in the room. And then we have uh let's see, Norma Gonzalez, are you on the line? Norma Gonzalez. Norma is not on the line. That concludes public comment for tab 32. We will now go to we have tabs 35 and 36 that have comment are the remaining two from the consent calendar. Um, Maravius Moore, Cheryl Kono, Khalil Smith, Lel White, Amir Casemir, Channing Martinez, Jasmine Kono Song, Elena Harbin, Daniel Sierra, Idalgo. None of the folks are online either. Um, Okay, now looking at tab 36, a public comment. Mackie Draper, Braxton Jordan, Camila Leo or Leo, Joseph Williams, Patricia Samara,

229Allison Montgomery, Henry Gavara, Sky or Xavier Gilroy. These are all folks listed as speaking in person and do not appear to be online either. So that concludes the public comment on the consent calendar. Um it would now be appropriate to vote on the consent calendar. Uh it was moved by Miss Gomez and seconded by Mr. Schmurson. We've got one, two, three board members in person and one remote. and I will call the con call the consent calendar. Okay. Uh Miss Newell, yes. Dr. Rivas, Mr. Meline, yes. Uh Miss Grigo, uh Miss Gomez, uh Miss Ortiz Franklin, yes. And board president, yes. Okay, the consent calendar passes. And now we'll move on to um items that were listed as discussion. Um, we've got item number one, adoption of reading difficulties uh risk screening instrument. Had a

230question on this. Although new Miss Nil, was that you? Okay. So, let's uh let's move it and second it and get to and get to work on it. So, can I have a um a motion to hear it? Moved by uh Mr. Schmurson. Second. Seconded by Miss Newell. Pay attention sometimes. So, I did have a few questions. I know um with the adoption of the uh it's recommended for us to adopt Dibbles. I know that they were offered two other options and wanted to know um the projected cost one for if we select dibbles. What is the projected cost for PD after the first year? Okay. Um, so you wanted to know about the projected cost for PD after the first year would be approximately uh approximately 30 to $50,000 because a lot of our

231teachers are already trained in the use of dibbles. So this would be for new teachers um that would need the training. Got it. And then with the comparison between the three that was offered, was there the selection process? Was there a presentation given for each of the options? So, the stakeholders or or the interest holders that participated in all of our meetings did receive information about the three different options. Uh and so uh we receive an overwhelming uh request from teachers, from principles, from parents, from the dyslexia working group that dibbles was the preferred method of screening because of the experience from teachers uh in this area. So that's that's that was predominantly the the um interest of of uh all of the people that we met with. So it was because of their prior

232use of the assessment, not that it compared to the other two. We shared the information from of each of the vendors or each of the uh uh screeners with our um at the meetings and so we were able to share with them what was available and but nevertheless they still uh chose this uh dibbles even though there's a cost attached to dibbles and there may not be a cost attached to the others. So the one that was didn't have an associated cost there, they have done some um pilot studies but with a very small sample size. Uh and despite it being a viable option, it doesn't have the scalability. Um but however, even though it we are presenting this as an option for uh for your approval, we're always going to be examining our screeners

233and ensuring that they're effective and if something's not working, then we pivot. We continue to do our plan, do, study, act model. Um so that that is this is where we are. We want to make sure that whatever uh provider we bring on board or screening that it has the scalability for the district this large, right? And so with Dibbles because we've used it before obviously that was a choice and I guess the dollar amount that goes along with it is a cost savings was not part of Oh, we discussed the associated costs with with our with everyone that we met with as well with everyone that we met with. Okay. And so then the last thing is with the research ongoing, is Dibbles going to provide ongoing research? Because I know the others were

234attached to some universities that may do research in this area. So with regards to whatever Dibble's uh researches, they're they're they are from the University of Oregon. So they're continuously also conducting research on the work that they're doing. So it's um they're always updating their practices and and calibrating in terms of what their what their product is. Got it. And I know they're with University of Oregon, but then they also have a vendor with another organization which now I think I don't know if that's um that drives them as the vendor uh along with Oregon Amplify. Yeah. Yes. Okay. And I guess that's that's it that I have. Thanks. Okay. And I believe you were the only question for one more. Kelly, go ahead. Hi, and sorry I might have missed if I repeat any

235questions I apologize. I might have missed it in transit. Um I was wondering what would be substantively different with regard to our reading and English language arts assessments with this action that we're taking today. So with this action um the the dibbles is has always been a screener in our system and it uh and it determines the students ability to decode and especially with the nonsense word fluency that helps us understand what students are able to what letters are able to identify. In addition to that though we're going to be adding a spelling component. And the reason why the spelling component is important is because then the teachers are going to look at how the students spell the word and see whether there are any risks of uh reading difficulties based on their analysis of

236the spelling. uh and of course the professional development that's going to come with this and also that the students who will have that if they are at risk and difficulties reading difficulties then we'll need to provide a plan and uh ensure that there's a plan in place for intervention for support and ongoing progress monitoring and supports as well to our parents and our families. So it's a lot about the um the intervention and support that's going to be associated with this screener. So instead of having to provide professional development on the use of the screener, we've got that. We're going to add the spelling, but then add deeper professional development for for teachers to understand how to identify those reading difficulties now that that had never been as present before, but using their strong foundation

237that they've had in um teaching reading. This is going to take us now to the next level. Got it. So we we already have the familiarity with the assessment tool. So because of that, this will enable us to focus on the intervention and support. That's correct. of the work. That's correct. Um, and the spelling component is new. We haven't previously utilized that as part of our assessment. No, it's not been part of the screening of the battery of screeners that we've been using. No. Got it. Okay. Um, and will anything change with regard to our overall assessment of reading for K through2 students since we're adopting we are considering adopting this as the screener? Sure. So uh because uh the screener cannot be a high cannot be used for any high stakes assessment uh reclassification

238is considered high stakes and so we had to change the reclassification tool. So it would no longer be dibbles. Uh but we know that over 40 47% of our kinder through 2 grade students are currently taking using the um the IR assessment. So I assessment would be the reclassification instrument. So, it's in state law that it can't be utilized as both the screener and the high stakes. That's correct. Um, got it. Well, I think um I mean that that makes sense and I appreciate the stakeholder input that you all got. I guess I would my feedback for our state legislators is you know what might result from that then is more testing for some of our youngest more time testing for some of our youngest students. And um I would say that generally that's not

239ideal. Something to consider is that parents can opt out of the screener. Uh, and it's only done once, only done once every year annually. And so parents can opt out of of having their child take the screener. Yeah, that's helpful to know. I think it just speaks to, you know, sometimes the local context is important. And if there was greater flexibility in how we could implement it, it might allow us to do so in a cost effective a more cost-effective way and also in a way that doesn't enhance uh testing time for our our primary age students. I miss Gonas, can can Dr. Estrada respond? It's okay. I just also wanted this was a concern for us as well. Uh so one of the things that the team did along with the med folks was

240just intentionally look at testing across the year and see like how do we schedule this in a way where things are not overlapping so then students are not feeling like they're testing constantly. And so they really were intentional about making sure that we had a stagnant schedule around these assessments. So, I think it's also important to point out that we have the same concern and that's the reason why that we made sure that the med team and the division of instruction built out a schedule that allowed that ability to see when students were actually being tested when they were not and that we didn't see something happening so closely together. So, I just wanted to point that out as well. That's helpful and I I appreciate the efforts of staff. I would say that perhaps

241an example of the state law being imperfect and us just operating within that that context. Um, two other quick questions for you, Dr. bias. One is just I know the kind of startup costs are discussed in the board item. What are the ongoing annual costs? So that would be for the licenses. So that would be 784,000 approximately. Okay. Annually. Mhm. Okay. Yes. Um and then finally uh the item speaks to alternative protocols being established for students um who speak whose primary language there does not exist a screener tool which is in English and in Spanish. Can you speak to those alternative protocols? Sure. So um the policy has a reading difficulty risk screener tool selection flowchart uh for other uh other languages. So the teacher checklist and home language survey or interviews would be uh

242would support teachers in making informed instructional decisions. Okay. And those are um we will in the same way that we're providing that intervention and um support training to our educators, I assume we'll provide some additional support for our teachers of MLS who speak languages other than Spanish. That's correct. And also to our families. Okay, great. Thank you, Miss Grigo. Yes. Um, so I I don't know if you answered this question when I was out, but uh, regarding paying for the test for the licenses, if we were already using it, why are we having to pay or is it a different is it a different test that we're taking or is it something that we pay every year? Well, since has been part of our um toolkit, it's we we're going to just continue to pay

243based on the funding that we've been we've been using. Okay. So, it's not new that we're paying for this. Okay. Got it. And then regarding um monitoring students, how often is uh are they is the recommendation to monitor them? It's always recommended that we monitor every two weeks to see how students are progressing in that particular category. So they wouldn't take us an entire battery of subtests. It's just in the area that the child demonstrated some need. That's what we would just assess um or screen uh or progress monitor every two weeks. And we'll be using doubles again to do that. And um how long would that take for a student to generally do a Yeah. So depending on the grade level uh so when we have the each one of the subtests it's approximately

244about a minute. Um so let me just get my little chart so I could give you the correct. So each one is a minute. So in kindergarten it's up to four minutes. Uh for grade one it's up to 5 minutes. And for grade two, it's up to uh it's up to uh three minutes. Um that's so there's one minute for each of the subtests. I got it. So if the child say did well on one or two out of uh I'm sorry, one out of the three, then they would only need to take the ones that they didn't do well in. Okay. And we will continue doing I Ready for these children for K to K2. That's so they've already been taking the I Ready math. That's already been an established practice. What we're doing

245is adding the um the reading I Ready component because we can't use um the uh the uh reading difficulty screener as a um high stakes assessment and because we need it for reclassification. That's why I Ready is the is the tool that's been identified as the I Ready as the uh reclassification tool. Um and we know that about 47% of our students are already taking it even though it's not mandated. And the reason for that is because of the comprehension and vocabulary that it provides that Dibbles does. And Dibbles is the foundational reading. It's a it's a screener for understanding their ability to decode. Yeah, I understand that. And and yet I'm worried too because even though these little progress monitorings are 3 to 5 minutes or 1 to 5 minutes, a child knows when

246they're being tested again even though it's very small. So now our kids are going to be doing the monitoring for some of them. they'll be doing monitoring plus the I Ready three times a year. So, it does add more testing. Um, I understand that we're doing this, but I just I just want to uplift that that it really is adding another assessment to our students. And then in particularly um for our students with disabilities and our students who are English language learners, as you know, um they get overested. So um you know but I understand we have to do this and but that's the reality. Uh the other thing is you mentioned um opting out. What is the process for parents to opt out? So uh we would inform the families right before the assessment's

247going to take place that there's an opt out option and we provide them with the letter template. uh we inform them that the assessment is going to take place sort of like the way we do with a standardized assessment like the smarter balance is going to be administered during this period of time. This is when it's going to be administered this is the time that you have to opt out. We would follow a similar process. Okay. And then lastly on the spelling is that recommended by the company to to test students for spelling? That is one of the Yeah, that is one of the recommended battery of assessments. Okay. Thank you. Just one followup which you mentioned about the spelling component and the uh ongoing monitoring when they opt out. Are they opting out of

248they have options of what to opt out of as a parent? What is their options? What would be given their options considering the spelling component is new and then obviously the the past what we've been doing with dibbles. What would be the opt out option? They would be opting out of the reading difficulties risk screener. So the entire thing which is a total of four minutes for one grade, five minutes for another, three minutes for another, and then the spelling in the whole group is about 15 minutes. Did it say the last part? The spelling component lasts 15 minutes as a whole group. Got it. Okay. Thank you. Any other comment? Um, just a two two um two follow-ups or I guess maybe three follow-ups. Can based on uh Miss Grigo's question about opt out,

249can parents opt out of I Ready if kids aren't English learners? You know, I'd have to get back to you on that one. Uh, regarding the I Ready, I'm prepared to respond to questions about the reading difficulties risk screener, but I'll come back with that one. Um, and can we get a copy of that the assessment calendar? Absolutely. Once once you adopt it, then we will be able to provide you the the calendar, but we know that November and December is when we're um looking to administer the screener. Yeah. Because I think too, I mean, that's help a lot of these things are created in isolation. either some are school specific, some are a lot of district specific, some are state specific, then we have like for some schools who are in NAPE and so

250I think rare, you know, and they're happening maybe in in silos or vacuums that make sense, but when you layer it on, it's a lot of assessments for kids kids and figuring out which ones you can opt out of and which ones are helpful. So, I think that would be helpful. And then also, I just want to clarify because there were some questions. Um, I Ready English is new this year. the I Ready reading and math have been in in in effect since we've adopted it in our district. Uh and so math has been an um an assessment that kinder through second has been taking since we adopted. The reading has also 47% of our kinder through second grade students have been taking the reading even though they were not required to. It will be

251a requirement moving forward if the reading difficulties risk screener uh is dibbles because we can't use that one as a high stakes assessment. Right? So if this is adopted then for K2 it becomes a require already I already read already becomes a requirement for correct which will be new correct. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. District. Yeah. Any other discussion? Let's vote. Okay, this is tab uh tab one adoption of reading difficulties risk screening instrument. Miss Nubil, no. Dr. Rivas, yes. Mr. Melvin, yes. Miss Grigo, yes. Uh, Miss Gomez, no. Miss Ortiz Franklin, yes. And board president, yes. That is two nos and five eyes. So, it passes. Okay. And I'll note that the public commenter for that item uh never showed up. Moving along to we have tab eight. Define and approve the 2025 2026 education

252code section 47614 Prop 39 facilities renovation effort. And um we have one public comment on that and then um Miss Grigo I believe had some questions. Uh let's see Mr. Tokovski is the one public commenter. Are you in the room Mr. Tokovski? And he is also not online. So that's the public comment for that is over. Um and Miss Grigo you had you had questions. Yes. Um my question was around the scope of work at Sonia at Stoayayor um the facility renovation project. Okay. Hello So uh Soto Moyor I believe is um a new charter collocation at the site and so when we uh are doing the scope of work for a new charter collocation that type of work can include uh new furniture as needed reconfiguration of the um bell and speaker systems as

253well as potential new uh buzzer and secure entryway if they have their own secure entryways. So this amount is an estimate of what will cost well if any of these things correct are needed. Okay. And if if we find out that there aren't things that are needed that estimate can be lowered and we turn that amount back to the charter bucket. Got it. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Sure. Hi. Um just to share that the charter schools requested an alternative agreement whereby they would not actually be going to Sodtoayor. Um, this is a multi-sight offer, so we're not anticipating that um, happening at this time. And your name? Your name? I'm Janette Bordon, charter schools operations manager. Thank you for that. Okay, no further questions on that, it looks like. So, this is going

254to be the vote on tab eight. And I never got a move and a second on that. Move it. Move. Moved by board president Schmurson, seconded by Vice President Dr. Revas. Uh, Miss Newell. Yes. Dr. Rivas, yes. Mr. Melvin, yes. Miss Grigo, yes. Miss Gomez, yes. Uh, Miss Ortiz Franklin. Uh, board president. Yes. Okay, that's six eyes. Sorry, we can make it seven. All right, seven eyes, unanimous. And if I could please record uh a couple of missing votes for the consent calendar. Uh, Dr. Mr. Rias. Yes. Miss Grigo. Yes. And Miss Gomez. Yes. And if it's not too late to be a co-sponsor on tabs 35 and 36. Um board member Handy New Bill's resolution. Miss D myself as well. But both. So could let me let me just go super slow because I'm

255a slow guy. So we're going to go back to tabs 35 and 36. Uh Miss New Bill's resolutions and add co-sponsors. Um may I hear about co-sponsors for tab 35? Yes. So I I'm I'm Okay. Everybody. Okay. Okay. And now for tab uh 36. Yes. That looks like everyone. Okay. Thank you. Okay. So, we're going to move on to let's say we have discussion for tabs nine and 10. I do not have any public commenters. Dr. Yes, we have Dr. Rebas and Miss Ggo on tab nine and 10. One second while I get my Okay, so I had a question for item L and also item Q, whoever. So you can get ready for item Q. Um, so item L, um, Continuum Cloud LLC. My question is around um budget. So I let me get

256to my question. Sorry. Item L. There it is. Um so want to know what the what are the contingency plans um if to anticipate if the children and youth and behavioral health initiative grant is not secured for the $2 million. Um how will the district ensure that continuity and expansion of the EHR system without this funding in case do we have an alternative for that? Uh good afternoon board. uh Joel Cisneros, executive director for student mental health and wellness services. Uh we will work internally with our budget team and we will work within our division to identify those funds. So that is the contingency plan that we have in place. Yeah, it's always good to um have a plan in case before you know coming here just plan A and plan B and sometimes plan

257C is always good. We want to make sure that you know once we vote on it that the funds are there. So, just wanted to make sure that we're um the district is actively, you know, focused on um plan A and also of obviously plan B. So, wanted to just check on that. So, you're working with the budget. Yeah. And we have those funds. Yeah. So, thank you. Yeah. Okay. Miss Grigo, I I have a question on item N. I have one more question, but Oh, I'm sorry. I No, no, it's okay. It's okay. Go ahead. Item Q. Come back. QQ. Okay. Mr. Freeman. Um, I just wanted to say that we, you know, we continue to hear concerns from labor partners regarding the use of Amazon and other outsourcing practices, particularly in relation to

258the impact on local job opportunities, uh, the reliance on external vendors, and the lack of union support for Amazon workers. Can you speak to on how the district is addressing these concerns and what steps are being taken to utilize internal resources such as our warehouse operations where possible? These contracts here are master contracts that allow for anybody uh schools or offices to purchase from. Um we in procurement don't dictate or tell schools and offices how to use those funds and and purchase from where. uh we we basically are our job is to be able to provide access to that based on the needs or the wants of schools and offices to that. There's still a district warehouse that operates um very well uh and uh continues to operate in in a fashion to support schools

259and offices. So there's the ability to have both. Well, it's always good to provide different options, right? Um I know that these are Amazon is one but it's always good to think if you've heard comments about using you know these companies you know it's wonderful to just amplify the selections for students and are we do the stu are schools being informed that they should prioritize the warehouse and then these are in case the warehouse doesn't have whatever particular materials or instructional um materials that they need that they can have other options and have you also received feedback from our schools regarding these vendors or how to uh add other vendors that they prefer? Yep. So, we actually use data. So, uh historical purchasing to be able to dictate or or tell us where we should

260go and get master contracts. Um so, again, it's it's schools and offices basically telling us what they want and we go out and source it with best best pricing master contracts to support that. And if schools have their own preferred vendor, can they al can they use that if it's not part of a bench? Can they use that external vendor? Yes. Okay. So there's nothing that sort of is a barrier or challenge for them to get an approval for a vendor that's not part of of this bench. Just procurement code around purchasing thresholds and things like that. But we can support in being able to to to get what they need. Okay. Thank you. So Dr. Grievous. Many years ago, there were items you had to buy from the catalog. You had no choice. You

261had to buy from the catalog and they would tell you, you know, there's no tax and there's free delivery. No tax to us and free delivery. So, you had to buy through them. And I don't know if we do that anymore. Uh there's still the ability to purchase from the district warehouse. Uh if if you go through our procurement Ariba website, um access to the district warehouse and purchasing through there. But again, we we don't dictate what schools and offices want. We we used to dictate what you can buy and you had to buy it from the district warehouse. That's how it was before. If anybody was a teacher a long time ago, yes, that's how we did it. Okay. Thank you. Go ahead, Charlotte. Just to that point with the warehouse, is through the

262data, is there an impact on our warehouse? Are we seeing a decline or items being stored over time extended? what is the impact on your data for our warehouse? So, current currently this year, there's a slight decline in sales. Uh, but from a an overall perspective, there's some items that we've um not focused on. So, we're focusing on kind of the high turn things that are actually being sold. Um, so in conjunction with the data and what we have, we're trying to support schools and offices as best we can. And are we seeing duplicate items saying that the warehouse does carry it, but they're purchasing it from our master contracts? So, there's limitations. Um, if you talk about specific to Amazon, there's limitations in what can be purchased from them. Uh, so competitive items that

263are in the warehouse versus Amazon. Correct. U, but there's always a likelihood that there's purchasing of items from an Amazon, from an Office Depot, from a Staples, from a um, you name whatever that that retailer is. there's a likelihood that there will be items that they're duplicates. Got it. Yeah. And Charlette, I'm willing to bet when there's a drop in buying from the warehouse is a drop in the number of jobs that LUSD offers uh people. So, go ahead. Um Dr. Yeah. And then we I see you, Miss uh Tanya, you're going to after her. Yeah. Go ahead. You were first. Okay. You were first. Um I have a question on item N. I don't know the city of LA department of re recreation and parks and it's a contract to provide low-income children with

264LA within LAUSD communities with one lunch meal per day during the months when the school is closed for summer recess. My district includes non LA cities. The southeast cities are independent. So, I'm wondering, do we have something with those cities as well? That might be a better question for Manish um and and our foods team to be able to support. Um in in speaking and and listening to some of the conversation last week, it sounds like those conversations haven't taken place with other cities, but obviously it's something that can be looked at. Yes, I would. Yeah, we can provide an update on that end. Um because I think it's a good question given that they do also have parks and wreck programs happening over the summer. Um, so we can provide that information. All right.

265Thank you. And I would add also for East LA, I'm sorry, for East LA unincorporated. We'd like to know. We'll do. Okay. Tanya, let's add the harbor area for that too. Carson Guardian Alama. Um, thank you. Actually, mine was back on item Q on the Amazon question. I asked it in briefing and it wasn't included in the follow-ups we received um from the soups team. So, we got the number of how much we spent on Amazon last year, but can we also get this year's to date? Um, and the conversation about the warehouse is is making me think of um a comparison would actually be helpful like items for like items. Uh, I'll follow up in writing if it would be helpful. Um, but just to flag that we had requested in the briefing to

266get uh this year-todate spend on it as well. So, um I'll I'll look for that as a follow-up. Yep. Thank you. Thank you. So I that was tab nine. We're ready for tab 10, approval of facilities actions. And we have Dr. Rivas and Miss Grigo for questions. Can we uh vote on tab nine? We can. Let's do that. All right. Can I have a move for tab 9? I move it. Move second. Seconded by by Vice President Reebos. Uh Miss Newell. Yes. This is on tab nine. Thank you. Dr. Rivas, yes. Mr. Melvin, yes. Miss Grigo, yes. Miss Gomez. Miss Ortiz Franklin. Yes. And board president Schmelson. Yes. Okay, that's six eyes. And can I have someone move tab 10? Move. Moved by Vice President Dr. Vivas, seconded by Miss Newell. Okay. So there were

267um discussion on tab 10. I have Dr. Revas and Miss Grigo. I have a question on item S the air inc. Hello Miss Hooks. Um, can you provide a detailed breakdown of which schools specifically receive services from Air um from Air Inc. um as part of the emergency contract and what specific services were requested for and which were the schools that requested services? Sure. So, the one that you're seeing in item S is specifically for Palisades High School. Um, we will probably be seeing um in next month's board report for ratification, same error, Inc. will be doing the same work at Marquez and Palisades Elementary School. Um they're performing the hazardous materials removal at all three of these sites. Um so that includes the removal of lead and asbestous from any of the remaining buildings

268on the campuses, the removal of any contaminated um materials, soft materials that were absorbent, and the um hepailtering and wipe down of any hard surface materials. So OEHS was conducting the testing and Air Inc. is actually removing it. Correct. Um just a nuance OENS um used a consultant who did the testing and then Air Inc. is the contractor that is doing the abatement and hazardous material removal. So given the concerns raised by media um by experts about the dangers of cleanup post cleanup of post fires especially in areas affected by hazardous materials, how do the services provided by this contract take into account proper hazardous cleanup processes and the potential of long long-term impact in the community? So this specific contract is related to um hazardous materials on our school sites. Um, we work very

269closely with OEHS to make sure that we're following all the regulatory requirements, and there are many. And then there's supplemental testing done afterwards to make sure that the cleanup was properly done. Um, and all of that is shared and made publicly available by OHS for um the members of the public school community as well. Um and then we're working very closely with our other agency counterparts um to look at the impacts of the surrounding areas to our school sites. We are doing both soils testing that will be ongoing as well as air monitoring around the perimeter of our school sites to make sure that there are no health impacts so that when students and staff return it is safe and meets any regulatory requirements. Are there air testing qu um you know sort of metrics

270that are being used before and after to to make sure that the contaminants are not being spread or what are some of the instruments that they're using just to Sure. So I'm getting a little out of my level of expertise because this work is done by OEHNS but I will let you know that there is air testing that they um monitor around the perimeter of our school sites. they know what kind of a baseline is depending on what they're testing for and they're going to make um ensure that there is the quality of what they're testing for meets whatever requirements are to ensure that the air is safe. So that's done that was done both prior at um one or two of those sites. We had that beforehand. We're now going to ensure that that

271testing is done at all three sites. You mentioned that OES um provides a report of that. Is that on their website? So not just you know Pacific Palisades community but all of us can be able to to access that information. It is so it was um already made public for the sites um that had been closed and have since reopened. Um while these reports are being completed they will be made public for these three sites as well. And last question, are there additional plans in place for ongoing testing at Palates High School, Marquez Elementary and Palates Elementary, or other schools that were impacted by the fire and and windstorms? Yes. So, there will be a series of um continuing monitoring of these sites when they're reopened, not only in regards to air, but any other

272protocols deemed necessary to ensure that these sites are safe because we know that there's going to be cleanup um in the larger area as well, as well as construction efforts for years to come. Thank you so much. Thank you. That's all. Go ahead. Before Miss Toes leave, I I just want to say that um not a question, just a kudos. You you might be an expert at this point on this now because of all the town halls and work you've done. So, I just want to credit your team and Carlos, Jennifer, and OS because um this district has gone above what the city's doing, what the county is doing, what the state's doing, what FEMA's doing, what the Army Corps is doing when it comes to the testing. They're doing it within the Burn Scar

273and in the surrounding areas for schools that have requested it. and the transparency with which you're working to do these town halls. I think we're well over a dozen at this point. Put it on the website to Dr. Rivas's point um and really build community support and buyin is is not only really reassuring for my constituents but I think a model for the you know a national model. Um, so thank you and again to OHS and I also just want to acknowledge a milestone in the recovery for the Palisades is that this week uh Christina and the district are dropping portable classrooms at Pali High and at Marquez Elementary uh for a potential repopulation in the fall or early 2026. So really incredible work and I just want to thank facilities in OHS. Okay, Miss

274Grigo. Oh no, no questions. Okay. Okay, no more questions. Let's vote. Uh, Miss Newil, this is on tab 10, I'm sorry. Tab 10. Miss Newell, yes. Dr. Rivas, yes. Mr. Melvinne, yes. Miss Grigo, yes. Miss Gonz, Miss Ortiz Franklin, yes. And board president Shimosa? Yes. Okay, it's six eyes. Okay, so that's tab 10. Let's pull. All right, now we move to tab 22. So tab 22 I believe we have a one a uh the short presentation and comments from the school. So uh we'll cue that we'll cue that presentation. There's a little clicker with arrows there for little directional arrows. you want to there you go just so you know how it operates. Okay, the uh the two minutes is short but it's it's yours and then we'll hear the public comment from from the

275audience. So please please go ahead. Thank you for coming. Okay. For years our schools have been working toward a common goal to ensure that every student has access to strong, stable and continuous path to college success. Today, we're proposing a merger that unites two communities, two histories with one mission to provide students a seamless educational experience. Good afternoon, board members. I'm Ted Morris, the executive director of Collegiia Charter High School of Los Angeles. And I'm Sophia Rhoditi, the chief executive officer at Equitas Academy. Okay. Can you go to the next slide? Uh we're here to uh respectfully request a material revision to Collegiate's charter to integrate Collegiate into the Equitas network and to relocate to a permanent facility, ending our reliance on Prop 39 space. This ensures long-term stability through a permanent home and supports

276sustainable growth. With his growth, students will gain access to more course offerings and extracurricular opportunities. With access to Equitas's team of academic specialists, operational support, and leadership coaching will deliver an even more rigorous high school experience. For Equitas, this material revision meets years of family demand for a high school aligned with our vision and our instructional approach and builds on collegiate success for college acceptance. Both communities are united in preparing students to thrive in college, lead in their communities, and advocate for justice. This also benefits Stevenson Middle School, which will have the opportunity to reimagine the use of the current space the collegiate is occupying, a move supported by Stevenson's leadership and the partnership for Los Angeles schools. This proposal is rooted in years of community input and collaboration. This year alone, families, staff, and

277students have spoken at public meetings, submitted letters, and led tours united in their belief that students deserve a strong continuous education. We respectfully request your approval. Thank you so much. Okay, thank you for your time. And now we have uh looks like 10 folks who are in person here to give comment on this item. I did read the public statement earlier that this is a public hearing. um school has made the presentation so we'll take the public comment and the board will discuss. Justeli Chavaria, are you here? And then Adelide Gonzalez and then Jonathan Lima, come on up. You'll have two minutes once you begin. Um good afternoon. I wanted to yield my time to Leah Driscoll Garcia of the Partnership for LA school. So that's fine. Okay, sure. Go ahead. Please come on up.

278You'll have about 1 minute 50 seconds. Thank you so much. Good afternoon, school board members and superintendent Carvayo. My name is Leo Drisco Garcia, senior director of advocacy campaigns at the Partnership for Los Angeles schools. The Partnership for Los Angeles schools is an independent nonprofit that serves 20 LD schools in Boille Heights, South Los Angeles, and Watts, and we provide direct management support and advocate for policies that strengthen educational opportunities for our highest need communities. The partnership supports Collegiate Charter High School of Los Angeles and Equitas Charter Academy in their joint proposals for material revisions to their charters. These material revisions present a valuable opportunity to better serve students and families at Stevenson College and Career Prep, one of the schools in the partnerships network. Collegiate has been colllocated at Stevenson for the past 5

279years. And while we take great pride in our shared commitment to educational excellence, we recognize the significant benefits for Stevenson students, families, and staff. If Collegia transitions to its own dedicated campus at the end of the school year, we'd have a unique opportunity to collaborate with students, families, and the district to reimagine that physical space and enhance the educational experiences for Stevenson students. This transition will strengthen Stevenson's learning environment while also allowing collegiate and Equitas the opportunity to provide a high school option for students in Pico Union and MacArthur Park communities. We understand this will largely affect current students at Equitas and Collegiate and would have minimal impact on nearby LUSD high schools. We respectfully encourage the board to approve these material revision requests to ensure the best possible outcomes for collegiate equitas and Stevenson

280communities and we are eager to collaborate with the board and district leadership to ensure a seamless transition that prioritizes students and families needs. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you for your time. Adal Gonzalez, come on up. Aali, you have two minutes to speak once you begin and then after Miss Gonzalez is Jonathan Lima. Please go ahead. Gonzalez, Violet, Violet, and Catherine. I'm talking to you respectfully to ask for your approval for Ekitas High School. Provitas, a school that will have a big profound impact on all of our students in our community. My children have assisted Echitas Academy since kindergarten up until 8th grade. I've seen firsthand how the school provides a high quality instructional education with compassion and support for each student. My son, who has a degenerative disability, has been assisted and helped

281with so much dignity and respect, and the staff has made sure that it's been an accessible and safe environment. I feel very secure sending my children there. My daughters have taken advantage of all the educational opportunities and they've been leaders and they've been guided very well and I'm so grateful. I I am very confident that Kitas will continue to serve our community with excellence and they deserve our our community deserves a school that is that is here to serve our students. Thank you for your consideration. Jonathan Lima. Hello. Uh we're going to share our speech. So, good evening. I'm Jonathan Lima and my name is Justi Chavaria and we're both juniors at Kalia Charter High School and I am here to ask you for approval for Collegiia's request to revise his charter so our school

282could join the Equitas network as I believe this merger will be beneficial to students like us. Collegiate is a special space best described in two words, community and support. The community and support here are unlike anything I've ever experienced other schools. When I come to school, I don't feel like I'm just attending school. I feel safe and I feel accepted. The support from each staff member is amazing. And thanks to support from collegiate staff. I have earned a $3,000 scholarship to young to a young man's summer program called Reach Academy, and I have been accepted to um to College Match of LA, a college readiness program for lowincome students. Um without K collegiate staff I wouldn't have even known about these programs let alone had the support in the application progress and collegiate also supports

283us academically and emotionally as this time for the fifth time in seven years 100% of our seniors have been accepted to four year to to a four into four-year colleges and universities. And I'm here because I want to graduate from the school that's truly supported me. Funny enough, during my freshman year, I actually transferred to a larger high school from the second semester, but that move opened my eyes. At the other school, I didn't feel the same support because there were so many students that it was easy to get lost. In fact, I didn't even know the principal's name. While at Collegiant, it's different. And since I want to go to Stanford one day, I know that the level of guidance I get here is giving me the best chance to reach that goal. Since

284coming back, I've been working hard in every class, and the support from teachers and staff has never stopped. Which is why the merger with Equitas would be so beneficial. The exposure that would come with this merger would help so many students have a good chance at a better life. Just like it has had it has has helped me so far. I still I know I still have like a year left, but so far my time with Collegiate has been nothing but great. Hopefully with this merger, so many students get that. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your time. and thank you for your time. Uh Roxanna Pina, come on up. Miss Pina. Okay. How about Oh, come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. I yield my time. Okay.

285All right. We've got uh how about Diego Media? Come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak once you begin. Good afternoon board members. My name is Diego Medina and I'm Dula Hernandez. We are alumni from the founding class of Collegiia Charter High School. Collegiia was able to connect me with the Posi Foundation where I received a full ride scholarship to Hobart Willis Smith College in New York becoming Collegiate's first but not only Posi scholar. There I was able to study major in environmental studies that which allowed me to study abroad in Australia and the Bahamas. Inspired to help others from my community, I decided to return to Collegiate to work in special education and help our most vulnerable students achieve their dreams. For me, I knew I wanted to attend a 4-year institution, but

286as an undocumented student, there were moments where I was uncertain if I would be able to overcome the obstacles before me. I was fortunate to attend Collegiate, where the faculty saw my potential and advocated for my future. CCHS gave me opportunities that sparked a passion for science and continues to this day. With the help of all the CCHS staff, I was able to attend Whitman College in Washington, where I obtained a degree in astronomy and physics and became the first in my family to graduate from a four-year college. Now, as a Latina in STEM, I carry a responsibility to be a role model for students who, like me, do not always see themselves reflected in these spaces. I have returned to Collegia as a physics teacher through the Teach for America program to help uplift

287students who face the same questions and challenges I once did. CCHS and Equitas merger would allow more students to access the support resource and opportunities that we were fortunate to have. It would strengthen the school's mission to provide a student- centered education that emer that empowers the students and their communities. We are proud to be part of the CCHS family and want to continue to support students with the same passion and dedication that we once received. We know firsthand the impact that this school has on the student life and we hope that you vote to continue and broaden our impact. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for your time. Uh Natalie Mahia and then Brenda Compost and then Kaylee Carney. So Natalie Mahia, Brenda Compost and then Kaylee Carney. I yield my time. Is this Natalie?

288Yes. Thank you. Appreciate it. Okay. So, I'm just going to read the names in case someone's here under a different umbrella. So, Brenda Compos, can you let me know if you're going to decline, Brenda? Okay. Kaylee Carney, also going to decline. Okay. Blanca knowing that I'm a mother of a 12th grade student that will attend the University, Northridge University, and and I also have two students that will attend next year. Collegian is not just a a school. It's a family. This is how I feel and I'm sure that other parents feel the same. Collegiate personnel has supported me unconditionally when I've needed them. My son has an IEP and he had many difficulties during his years. In the first in elementary school and middle school, the challenges involved a parent that had to do with

289another parent. There was bullying and I was obligated to find a high school that was safe and accommodating to my child. When we heard about Collegian, my son said, "I want to go to Collegian." Honestly, this high school will and has always been the best decision I've ever made. Now, I speak with other mothers and I tell them about my stories and how my son has had success in this school after so many challenges that he had at others. And I ask that you approve what we're asking for so that my nieces can have a permanent installation and they can also benefit from this com school community. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Uh Janelli Mahia. Okay, Janelli is indicating that she's going to decline. That concludes public comment on tab 22. And now

290I believe we have uh Miss Newil, uh Miss Gomez, and Dr. Reebus who had comments or questions on on tab 22. Good afternoon. I did have a few questions. Um, uh, because as it appears the material revision for collegiic charter, correct? Now, they'll be going under like a new management and then they'll have like a new governance. It would be the equitas governance and a new location. Correct. That's the plan. And will it be a new community per district policy? Yes. While it's all in board district 2 region east, it's about a 5.5, you know, uh, distance from their current location at Stevenson, a district site to the Equitas site that they would uh occupy should this be approved. And then what schools does it impact moving into that site? We can pull that that

291list here. Where's the page? Let us find that page number. Is there another question we can Okay. Answer for you, please. And so then I have a new name. At this time, it's the it's still the collegiate. may be something down the line if they wish to uh to update. Okay. And so in the report that you presented um collegiic and equitas academy data it's just a little confusing for me since Equitas is not presenting a material vision only serving K through 8 and we are projected that the data and the information from Equitas will be good for the students 9 through 12. Is that correct? So a couple things great question. First, the the material provides the data for collegiate as well as Equitas. We want to provide the board and the public the

292full analysis related to the um current academic uh achievement of both organizations. Now, regarding Equitas, we shared that information because while they do not have current existing high schools, we looked at their capacity and had a capacity interview with both organizations to assess their staffing, their experience, and the like. And they do have staff at the leadership level that to that have supported high schools one. Secondly, the collegiate team all the staff members they've said who wish to continue will be able to continue. So that staff will continue as well with their experience. They want to benefit from the additional supports at the central office the home office that Equitas has. Now in full transparency as we laced in the materials collegiate still has room for growth. While they showed some strength in math, they

293have room for growth in ELA and other areas. Equitas, you see in their record, while they have strengths, uh they also have some room for growth. But we looked at holistically their results as well as the staff capacity organizationally. Got it. Go ahead, Mar. Um we can answer that other question about the schools that impact. Yeah. So there looks like there's 31 schools within the community that serve uh similar grade levels. They range from K through 12 through 9 through 12. Um they're a mix of charters and district high schools. Yes, some district. Um so for example, Belmont High is one of them. Academic leadership academy. Uh Cortina School and Contrera School of Business and Tourism. Uh let's see, Los Angeles High. So it was quite a few. Let's see. Santi also a West Hadam

294Prep High. Got it. In the report since you said that we're looking at Holy Equitas as it doesn't have a 9 through 12 program in their community of schools currently right now and therefore there's no educational plan that they included in for the students at collegiic. So they would be adopting what collegiic has. Is that the model that they Yes. At this point, the collegiate program would continue and then with additional supports. Got it. Um, and then how does uh this kind of demonstrate that it serves the interests of the entire community. Yeah, that's a full that's a big question that the materials try to get at. Let me briefly address that. First, as part of the law, we need to district policy actually for a move outside the community. there's a community impact analysis

295that's completed and we cite that in the materials and so in short to to boil it down we look at everything from academic achievement facilities plan their community engagement etc okay and there are some areas for example community engagement they follow the district's policy met that bar the facilities plan is net positive in terms of a private site that's already would be prepared for the students they're working with the city but we're not seeing any concern concerns at this time. Uh and then also would be exiting a Prop 39 collocation. So in a sense there's a these are unique because it's not an ex it's not a new school. It's an existing school that would otherwise still exist. If this weren't approved, they would remain a school that's in operation at Stevenson. They've already accepted

296their Prop 39 for next year pending this and then there would be an alternative agreement to exit. So looking at that whole picture we see yes there could be some there will be some impact on the new community as the as the material show right it's an underenrolled area right you while this while they have students who will metriculate and they say they're going to continue with the school so they'll continue that may mitigate the impacts there could still be some impacts and then we looked at um the the the lack of impact now in the in the current community with the prop 39 there will be in a sense an absence of that and some of it will transfer to the community, right? And now is there evidence of the documents that were done

297with the community as far as gathering like Yes, that's part of the materials we have. I I think there's a link the attachments to their community to the community impact uh assessment that they did uh etc. And then with collegiic right now, are they owing our district some funding for Prop 39 for overallocation for some space? Per the per the materials, they are in a payment plan with the district for prior overallocation that was executed by the district and the charter school and our team always connects with the appropriate offices to ensure that they're current on that payment plan. And per the accounting office, they are current and have been current. And then collegiic's graduation rate was that included in the report. Yes, it should be in the data set. So let us go to

298that. It looks like uh based on the um Oh, thank you. Based on the dashboard for uh 23, collegiate's graduation rate was 81.1%. Cuz it's slightly lower than the state. Correct. It is slightly lower than the state. Yeah, the state was 86.4. So if I understand the board report, this is more like a merger of everything from their legal, their financials. They'll be merging everything and just a change of ownership essentially and and legal council did review this as well. Got it. So I guess in in essence the schools that you mentioned our Belmont Cortinez was that considered in the impact as well the community impact all of the uh per per board policy all of the public schools in a community district and charter are factored in. So we would look at the enrollment

299of all of those schools the performance of all of those schools etc. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Um, so the question was asked about the overallocation fees that are owed, which are 76,000. So I know Collegian is under a payment plan but with this merger does now that debt fall under Equitas since they're going to be SATAS is going to sort of absorb that that would still that'll be part of their obligations ongoing and um you will have further conversations with them about meeting making sure that they meet the payment plan and now that they're going to pay the 76,000. We have a systemic approach ongoing monitoring that inform our uh about our quarterly updates to the board and I want to thank our accounting team who who does that ongoing monitoring in real estate

300and so we're thankful to report that to date over several months charter schools that are on those payment plans have been current and so we will continue to monitor this as well. Right. Well, I mean this is a specific case. This is a merger so it's different from you know from pre from the other schools that also have overaggation fees and so um just so I understand so it was mentioned in in your report that possibly collegiate might change its name to equitas high school possibly right after this merger so I want to understand the renewal process that doesn't change so um collegian or or equitas they would come in 2028 and then they would be what would be the measure measurement that you will just thinking ahead I'm sure you haven't worked on the

301report right but uh since this is a unique case will you be looking at the data from the month from before when they're right now at the location right before the merger so how do you think that would impact the renewal thank you for that question the the school the data for the school will continue to follow it while it's it would change governance should this be approved so that record will be looked that in accordance with applicable law at that time and district policy. So uh whatever the data are would follow the school and then they would be assessed accordingly. So since this is a new merger uh right this is unique it's a case by case right so this is a new change um so now with this with the will you are

302you having or is your team um have plans in place to make sure that the merger is going well or subsequent sort of visits and all of that so is that something that you're already planning on doing? Absolutely. There's been a lot of due diligence done to get to this point and to make recommend to the superintendent an approval recommendation and that due diligence will continue including the the commitments the organizations made in the transition uh to their staff to their communities etc. So we will we will be very closely watching uh their transitions um to make sure that that is fulfilled in accordance with however the board acts today. So I just have some comments. So, thank you for answering my questions. I just wanted to clarify those points. Um, so I just want

303to say I appreciate your staff for providing a very thorough analysis and recommendation to approve the material revisions for Collegian Charter. It was very thorough and I appreciate it as I went through everything. Um, this revision involves a a move into a charter school that currently resides in the district that I represent, which is why I paid close attention to the staff analysis and which is why I also paid a visit um to Equitas and I met um with both schools and both stakeholders. So I wanted to hear from them and I was um had an opportunity to also hear from students alumni and current students and also parents and equitas and um from that instance from that um visit I um I did feel I do feel that you know there this is a

304move that you know is you know very anticipated very um they're happy about this. So I understand all of that and I understand that Equitus um has and collegiate have been you know having conversations about this and that they thoroughly uh spoke to all stakeholders their teachers their parents and their students so it's a very thorough process um but for me the reason that I um a apart from all of that for me is um it's a reduction of a collocation as you all know um I'm not a fan of collocations and neither are our schools but the move to Transfer operations and management to Equitus Academy reduces the complexity and logistical challenges associated with collocations, ensuring that both schools can operate more efficiently and focus on their respective communities without overlap or competition for

305resources. It opens the door to one less collocation which we can all uh greatly appreciate. And I know that students from collegiate also um expressed the challenges that they faced as well at um and you know colllocating at um Stevenson Middle School. So I heard that and you know I I appreciated them being very um honest about their experience. So making these decisions is always challenging and I do appreciate the comment from my colleague and you know few other comments from other colleagues here. Um, so I just wanted to say that I do appreciate your analysis. I do appreciate visiting with uh the community, Equitus and and Collegiant and um and we will be um looking to see how this merger works and I hope it works out for well for everyone. Thank you. Thank

306you. Okay, Miss Gonz, thank you. um definitely agree on the facility standpoint that there's benefits from that and I I heard from the speakers about how families feel it'll be positively impactful. Um I do have a few questions about the fiscal challenges that Equitas has faced over the past few years. Yes, ma'am. I think those are let's see pages 557 through about 55 559 of the um materials. Um so I was just wondering if you could maybe summarize uh those fiscal issues that Equitas has experienced and whether um in the team's assessment those issues have been sufficiently addressed by the operator. Thank you for that question. That certainly was one of the key areas that we also uh considered in our due diligence. So first is context to your question. uh Equitas, even as recently

307as this fall with one of their renewals, had benchmarks because as part of our oversight, our team observed two years of repeat findings in prior audits. And so those were concerns. Anytime we see repeat findings, those raised concerns for us. Uh and we we engaged in our tiered intervention, including a notice to cure, and assessed the benchmark for their one of their renewals in the fall. because of that. Since that time, their most recent audit for the 24-year fiscal year did not have such findings. So, that was a positive marker. Secondly, while the benchmarks for the renewal begin July 1 officially because of the term, they have already started many of those efforts and have reported to our team some of their positive projections, including their plan to uh repay some of the um funds

308from some of their schools back about two years early. That's their projected plan. We'll let that materialize. Uh all of their schools are in the black. their home office has about a $14.5 million net asset position. Um so considering all of those factors and the projections moving forward um and the rigorous oversight our team has done that gave us a sense that they did have the capacity to to proceed here. We also look closely at collegiate financials and while they're in the black have had declining enrollment their projections have a little bit of a of a bump. uh they still are meeting the ratios that we have set for schools and our oversight. So, we'll have to continue to watch carefully. But had that not been the case, I can tell you in terms of

309some of those areas of progress on the financials and the clean audit, we could be having a different conversation here. But because of those pieces, as we assessed it, um it fell more on the positive in terms of capacity. Got it. It makes sense. You know, those recent actions demonstrate positive steps in the right direction. Um, I think you answered my question, but but given all that, we feel confident that Equitas has the capacity to ensure collegiate's continued operation and its fiscal sustainability, including the overallocation payment. Yes. That they're demonstrabably likely to do that. Yes. Okay. Great. Thank you so much. Thank you. Okay. Can I have a move and a second for tab 22? Moved by Mr. Schmurson. Second. Seconded by Dr. Rivas. So, tab two, approval of the proposed material or vision. Um,

310Miss Newell. No. No. Dr. Rivas, yes. Yes. Mr. Melvin, yes. Miss Grigo, yes. Miss Gonz, yes. Uh, Miss Ortiz Franklin. Uh, board presidentson. Yes. So, that's one, two, three, four, five eyes, one no and one absent. Item passes. [Applause] Let's see. We have item 23 with no no um no public comment but a question from Miss Gonz. Yes. And actually, um, well, my my concern was, you know, continued board member oversight over, um, a significant funding amount, $255 million, and an area of special education where, um, some non-public schools. They're servicing really high needs students, and there have been in the past issues of abuse in some of these uh, facilities in this industry overall. Um, so just wanting to ensure that there was appropriate oversight to ensure that our students are um being treated

311appropriately and getting the services that they need. But I've gotten uh additional information from staff. So I feel that those concerns will be addressed. And so you don't need to come up to the podium. We're we're all good. Thank you. I also have a question. And I would like to request that the board receive a quarterly update about what's happening with these schools, especially the out ofstate schools. Good afternoon, board and superintendent. Yes, you'll see a quarterly update. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Can I have a move and a second for tab 23? Move it. Moved by uh board presidentson. Second. Seconded by Vice President Dr. Rivas. Uh, so this is for tab 23. Miss Newell, yes. Dr. Rivas, yes. Mr. Melo, yes. Miss Grigo, yes. Miss Gomez, yes. Miss Ortiz Franklin, Mr. Smelson,

312yes. Okay, that's six eyes, one absent. That was tab 23. Uh, tab 27, there's no public comment. And it looks like we have a question from Dr. Rivas. get my questions here. Let's do a move in a second while we're waiting. Moved by Miss Gomez, seconded by board presidentson. So, this is uh the impact fee policy update. So, hi. Hello, Miss Nick. Um I wanted to know what prompted this um this update to the policy um for the exemption. What prompted this? Okay. Um Tim Rosnick. I'm the director of capital planning and budgeting. Um we became aware of a a project that was being done for the students benefit near one of our campuses. And so there was a desire to um not put another hurdle in in the way of that development by way

313of offering an exemption. Um so this policy was written for that type of project but not necessarily tailored to that project. And can you be specific on what the um project is or where? my information. The project I'm aware of is a project known as Lulu's Place, which I believe is in um Plaid Plaid Vista. Um and it's just because it's in my district, it's in it's right adjacent to Westchester High School in in the greater Westchester Play area. Um and it's a the development as I understand it is to put in a number of athletic fields um soccer fields and multi-use fields volleyball courts tennis courts um as well as a few structures um that that support um the the student activities that will occur there. And um if this is approved, would you

314have to go back to analyze other projects that may also qualify for this exemption or is this just moving forward or are you going to have to look at other projects that also had these facilities for students? Um I would consult with OGC to get a final decision on this, but generally an an exemption or a refund must be requested in 90 days of the payment of that. So, we would not go back more than 90 days um in any case um unless I was told otherwise, but that's my understanding of the law. Okay, that's good to know because otherwise we would lose the money that we already spent. Um other questions, how will the district ensure that the exemption or reduced rates for nonprofits are applied fairly and consistently across all move all eligible

315projects moving forward? like do you have specific metrics that would measure for instance what if there is um a building that half of it is for administrative purposes or offices and the other half is for student activity. So how would you sort of quantify that space into fees or exemptions? Yeah, I mean at a high level this particular exemption the way it's stated um we would look at the population served and the percent of the population that qualifies the the LA unified oriented student population versus the total population as well as the percent of time that those populations are using it versus the total percent that the facility is used in general to try to be very mathematical about what that answer is. So if we had two projects, why did this one get 80%,

316why did that one get 90%. That we could demonstrate numerically how we got that answer. And what measures are in place to evaluate the success and impact of the youthbased public benefit spaces um that would essentially benefit for this exemption? Generally, when we offer exemptions like this, whether it's a private school exemption or a senior housing exemption, um the the refund or the exemption is given on the condition that that is how the facility is operated. If there will be to be a material deviation from that facil in the way that facility was used, for example, maybe we gave it to a swimming pool that would be used for low-income kids and it becomes a country club instead. The fee would become due at that time. in terms of the efficacy of the program and

317are the students getting much out of that program that isn't something our developer fee office is oriented towards and really wouldn't be qualified to determine the level of benefit the kids are getting. If the board desires that I think a diff you know more student development related department should review that. If I may, I appreciate the questions. Obviously, uh when these types of exemptions are granted, we have a vested interest as a district in ensuring as these projects are completed and the functions uh conducted by these entities began that in fact they are aligned with what was declared was the reason for the exemption. In this case and other cases uh obviously there would have to be a benefit to our students to our workforce to our district in general. Secondly, considering uh the sort

318of still the novelty aspect of this type of transaction exemption, I think it would be prudent to on a routine basis spot check and actually audit uh not only this one but other prospective types of exemptions. Thank you for that. Um two more questions. How will the policy impact the district's overall revenue from developer fees? Do do we anticipate or have you done like any um analysis of if we would lose money or like how what would be the impact for this? I went back and looked at projects that had paid developer fees in the city of LA over the last year and I really didn't identify any similar projects um that I thought would qualify for this exemption. So based on that, I'm going to say I believe the impact will not be material

319to the developer fee program or the impact fee program as a whole. Um, but it is hard to determine because we haven't had people saying, you know, I want this exemption because it hasn't been offered before. So, with that caveat, I have to say I don't know the answer, but I don't believe it'll be material. I think it would be good to prepare for any unintended consequences or any loopholes and any developers may want to take advantage over this exemption. So that's sort of my apprehension um is we provide this exemption and what are sort of the metrics and also the oversight to monitor that these spaces um are being used for students for student purposes and anything moving forward. So just wanted to just make sure that you know we're we're looking ahead um

320and also you know making sure that no one's going to take any developers are going to take advantage of this so that so that we the district is receiving the fees that our students and our communities rightly deserve. I agree. Okay. Thank you. That's all. Just a quick follow-up question. Um I Dr. Dr. Rivas's questions were some of the same that I had, but just to clarify in the in the new language, it speaks to that they may receive an exemption, credit reduced rate, and or refund in part or in full. Um, can you share like how it will be ter determined which of those options a particular project would would receive? Well, I think in terms of refund or credit, um, it's really do they want to come to us in advance and we'll

321do the work and determine what that exemption will be or do they want to pay the fee and then come back and ask for the refund and we'll process the refund and that's often kind of a measure of the urgency of the project. So you know we offer this have offered it for senior housing for instance and in most cases they will pay the fee and then get the refund later um rather than hold up the project for us to make that determination. Um in terms of whether it's in whole or in part again would determine how the facility is used. If it's if the only beneficiaries of that project are school age kids from the district it might be pretty easy to say that's a full refund. On the other hand, if it's some

322kids will be outside the district boundaries and sometimes adults will use it and I mean at that point it's going to be trying again determining that percentage to determine what's appropriate. Might you be able to follow up with more details? I mean I just think for example whether all students are from within all the school age children are from within the district boundaries seems somewhat difficult to fully ensure. I mean it sounds like this particular facility is like a regional sports facility. So I might imagine that some kids might travel to participate in something there. Um so more details just on how this will be implemented would be helpful. Yeah. Um a lot of the analysis will be done based on representations of the developers. Um I don't we don't plan on having people at

323the gate, you know, where are you from? Um we wouldn't want that. I mean that that would be intimidating. So, so most of it is based on representations and it's not um historically we've not audited it, you know, gone back and said you said it was 80% and it's only 75.4 or whatever. We haven't been that exacting in the past. Um but it is something I think as we implement the policy that potentially uh we might do follow-ups, you know, you know, the a year in ask them if they can actually document the what they've actually experienced. Okay. And more information not in this meeting is okay too. Okay. Thank you. Okay. No more no more questions. Shall we vote? All right. This is on tab 27. Miss Newil. Uh Dr. Rivas abstain. Mr. Melvinne.

324Yes. Miss Grigo. Yes. Miss Gonomez. Yes. Miss Ortiz Franklin. Yes. Uh, board presidentson. Yes. And we will come back to Miss Newell. That's five eyes, one abstension. We'll come back to Miss Newell. Um, for our folks who are here for public comment, we're doing one more piece of business before we get to general public comment. And before we get there, Miss Gonz, may I record your vote on tab nine? Um I am a no on item Q the Amazon contract but you can report me as a yes on the balance of the item. Okay. So for uh Miss Gonz tab 9 board report 272 no on item Q specifically and yes as to the remaining items. Yes. Okay. And tab 10? Yes. As a yes. Okay. And also sorry since can I also change my

325vote on Miss Gonz and vote no on Q. So you want yes to everything except except Q. Yeah. All right. Yeah. So that item Q still passes um with five aortioned votes. And then Miss uh Ortiz Franklin, I believe we have you. I'm looking to record your votes for tabs 22 and 23. a yes on both. Thank you very much. And then this takes us to um tab 34, adoption of the 2526 board meeting schedule. And following this, we will get to um the public comment. I appreciate your your patience. Yes. I'd like to follow up with uh board members present today that I will propose a schedule that starts at 10:00 a.m. for the open session and 10:00 a.m. also for the close session. What people think about that 10:00 for both sessions. I'm

326so sorry. I I was helping Miss Grigo here. Can we have a move in a second? Move move it. It's moved. Thank you. Moved by Miss Gonz, seconded by Dr. Revas, and you were suggesting something about revised times. I was s suggesting a revised time for our open session meetings uh on Tuesdays like today and our close session on Wednesday, like tomorrow. I'd like them both to be at 10:00 a.m. So, we have consistency if that's okay with board members. 10:00 a.m. for both. Okay, great. It's listed as 10 a.m. currently on the on the proposed on the proposed schedule. We have two folks who are going to give public comment on it and then Okay. And then uh so Laquan Muhammad are you here? Laquan to speak on uh the board schedule. Okay. So,

327this is item number 34. Board meeting schedule for 2025 2026. You have two minutes to speak once you begin. Sorry. Sorry. Um um hello. How y'all doing? My name is Lee Kuan Muhammad. Uh I'm an organizer with the Brother Son Sales Coalition. Uh it's the nostalgic to be back in this building. Um but that nostalgia comes at a cost. the cost of black students and other marginalized youth being systematically underserved despite resources being right there. The reality is LUSD has a history of disregarding the success of black students, not because of lack of funding, but because of lack of will. Um, when I was in high school, I had access to programs, but nothing as intentional, as transformative as a BSAP. Um, and that's why I'm here today, uh, to demand that, um, the board

328give 30 million in favor of BAP. Um, and reinstating BAP in its full form. You cannot claim support. You cannot claim to support black students while stripping away one of the few programs designed specifically to uplift them. I was fortunate enough to be a part of a black male youth academy, a space that was crucial to my success as a student. Um, but I know firsthand that that support within school walls is not enough. Imagine if LA USD had invested in my success beyond the classroom. If my immediate community had the same resources and reinforcements, who knows where I'd be and so many others could be today. That's the type of future BAP was building. Um, yet instead of expanding these necessary supports, LUSD has chosen to roll back uh progress and denies black students

329uh what they are owed. For decades, the district has enacted antilack policies that have denied black students an equal education. It's time to apologize for the harm that's been done and more importantly to correct it. Uh reinstating BAP in its full capacity is not a request, it's a demand. Um showing us that you're committed to protecting and uplifting black students. Show us that you learn from the past. Put the black back in BAP. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Okay, I have Amy Lesserman. Amy Leserman is not here. All right. So, that concludes public comment on item 34. So, this is the the board calendar. I have a couple of things I wanted to note for the board. Um, after looking at the schedule, this is the proposed schedule that my office sends out

330to you to then approve and discuss. Um there is a by way of explanation there's an uh an 8525 close session that's statutoily required at that time because we don't we need time to report to the county student discipline matters and we have no July meetings and so the reason that meeting is on 85 is so that we can adhere to that that statutory deadline and um I do not think it is necessary then to have an 812 meeting so close to the 85 meeting if we have the 85 meeting Um, and if there's any input from OGC, I'd love that. I'm getting a that's okay from OGC. So, um, it would be revising what was suggested you to omit the 812 meeting. Um, and since we're already meeting on 85, I would recommend meeting

331on 86 for the um the regular meeting that is on the schedule at 8:19 instead of breaking it up those three weeks. If we're all here on the 5th, I was sort of thinking it would make sense to have the meeting on the 6th also, but that's these are my suggestions. It's not an order in any way. It's just it's up for it's up for discussion. So, I'm suggesting omitting the 812 meeting entirely and moving the 8:19 meeting to 86. Mr. I'll just say that would be great for me. The reason I pulled this is because my one conflict um is on the 19th. So, if that works with the 8586 back toback, that would actually be ideal for me. Anyone else? Can you remind us the first day of school? It's the 14th, the

332Thursday, right, of the following week. So, if we did 8586, we'd meet the week before school starts versus the Tuesday after. And um there's also an error on there. If you go down to December 16th, 2025, the annual meeting would start at 10 a.m. and the regular meeting would start at 10:30. So that's all I have to add. If there's discussion or input, now is the time. Sorry, the annual meeting would start at 10 and the regular meeting would start at 10:30 on December 16th. That's correct. Okay. I have a question. Oh yeah, sorry I didn't see you. I know we had talked and had uh in the past had additional meetings for charters. Um not a committee meeting but a full board meeting given the number of renewals. Is that contemplated in this schedule

333or is there a need for additional meetings for the large number of charter renewals this year? It's it's contemplated in this schedule in the sense that looking back historically we used to have more charter meetings and in an effort to create more schedule more time in the scheduling month those meetings can be added as needed once identified um in conjunction with charter school division. So yes, short answer yes contemplated but not listed because we don't know the exact flow yet. Okay. So what I'm hearing from you is we might add additional meetings to address those. That's correct. Okay. Okay. And I just know how hard it is to add things late. If there are any retreats that we need or um you know, deep dives that we sometimes do, I imagine those are not yet

334on here. Um so, you know, the sooner we can schedule those for the full year, I think the better for us. And I don't know if we need to have all those on the calendar at this point. Just raising that it often um comes up throughout the year and and can be a challenge. Just on the the August switch to make sure I understand. So the close session needs to happen on the 5th. That's correct. I've checked. So there's no way we could like do a switcheroo of the closed and the regular one on the 5th and one on the so that it's consistent with the the existing schedule on every other week where it's Tuesday for open and Wednesday for closed. I I considered that, but I checked in with the student um student

335discipline department and they said 85 is the meeting we I proposed to them both 85 and 812 and they said that 85 is the is the date we'd have to do in order to not be in non-compliance with reporting requirements to the county. Sorry. And what I was suggesting was doing it on the 6th, not on the Oh, I'm sorry. So that we are cons because usually we're doing our regular meetings, our open meetings on Tuesdays and our close sessions on Wednesdays. So it was just a suggestion that maybe we want to be consistent so it's not confusing. You have a question. Not that important to me. No, that that's what I was going to clarify if if we were told that it was the 12th was too late or if fifth was the if

336the sixth works I like that Tuesday, Wednesday. I believe the sixth works, but I have not checked in specifically on that date. So if they're here, anyone from student discipline want to call down? And then the other thing I was just going to add is to Miss Ortiz Franklin's point, might we maybe in June, Mr. Smelson, schedule that if there's an additional charter meeting or two, just given how difficult it's been to schedule various retreats, maybe we can schedule those next month, just get them the calendar as well. Agree. I agree. Did you mention 10:30 for one of the times? I did. So once we have an annual meeting uh on the same day as a regular meeting and that annual meeting happens in December in a non-election year those meetings are very very short.

337It's just it's just the board deciding who's going to fill particular positions that are not on the board. That meeting goes by very quickly. So that meeting would be at 10:00 a.m. and it's separate and distinct uh from the regular meeting. So that regular meeting would start at 10:30 a.m. I'm going to move that we adopt an amended version of this that includes a regular meeting on 85, a close session meeting on Wednesday 86 and changes the time of the 12:16 meetings to 10 a.m. for the annual meeting and 10:30 a.m. for the regular meeting. I will second. What about the possibility of a June meeting to work on charter school requests? I I think what Mr. Mevoin was suggesting that at one of our upcoming June meetings, I bring to the board a presentation

338of um possible dates for charter meetings based on this. Okay. So, we have a motion and a second. Everyone understands the motion in the second. Um and now we would vote on that. So, um, Miss Newell. Dr. Rivas, yes. Mr. Melvin, yes. Miss Grigo, yes. Miss Gomez, yes. Miss Ortiz Franklin, yes. Board President, yes. Okay, that's six eyes. Um, and that brings us directly to general public comment. Thank you for your patience. I appreciate it. [Music] Um, looks like almost all in person. So, I'm going to call four names. If the first person could come to the podium and then the following three, please be ready uh to come on up. So, the first speaker will be Maria Luis Palma. Come on up. Maria Louisa Palma, then Mao Tjo, and then Mai Amidu and then

339David Pierce. Real Lisa Palma. floor is yours. Who is it that all of you work for? Well, you work for us, the taxpayers. We are the ones who pay all of your salaries, everyone's salaries in this building. But here, you take hours and hours on passing out awards, symbolic resolutions, taking photos, and yet somehow you never quite get to really discussing the 18 plus billion dollar budget. You don't have a finance committee. You have scant public discussion on any financial issues at all whatsoever. The financial statement audit, you had absolutely no discussion of the actual financial statements. That's one of the big elephants in the room here. Despite the last two years of increased revenues more than expenses, which means you were not in a deficit position, you still have an unrestricted net position of

340negative 11.8 billion. Do you understand what that means? When UTLA goes around saying the district has a trust fund, no, no, no. We are in the hole. We have an unfunded pension liability of $7 billion. Unfunded other post-employment benefit liability of $9 billion. And no one here has discussed that. Why not? I've never once here heard you all discuss anything about the LCAP. The midyear update. You you skipped right over it. We've asked you all at the parent committees for the I Ready exam data. the parent committee has been denied that information. The strategic plan goals that you've set yourselves, now you're going to move the goalpost because you're not going to hit those items. There are hundreds of data points in the LCAP that could be discussed to decide and figure out have the

341use of funds been effective or ineffective. So, you all work for us, yet we have hidden data, hidden money, and my name is Bedisa Palma. Apparently, I'm the only one here out of the entire city of LA. Millions and millions of people are talking about the money because we have no accountability yet we pay your salaries. Show us the data. Show us the money. Show us you understand whose pockets the money is ending up with and who what it is that they accomplish. Are you willing to make that public? That's what we want to know. Show us the money. Show us the data. Thank you for your time. Tjoin. Uh Mr. Treyo is yielding his time to Dom and Elena it sounds like. So please go ahead. You'll have two minutes to speak. Hello my

342name is Dominic Gera an 11th grader from MCLC and au leader as students deserve. I came here to address the urgent need for the school board to commit to protecting black undocumented and LGBTQ students. We ask you the school board to do honestly the bare minimum while these very communities are under attack. As humans it is our moral responsibility to stand up to our oppressors and protect the oppressed. We need you to commit to not turning a blind eye to these injustices because if no one stands for our communities, who will? Schools should be safe spaces where our communities are empowered and uplifted. So we ask you to not hesitate to protect the foundation of our communities. Education is meant to be an equal opportunity for all. And in most dire need of support, we

343need more than words. We need your full commitment to protect black, undocument, and LGBTQ students. Not just statements. Action needs to follow. So, you need to fully commit into protecting BSAP, funding dream centers, and LGBTQ curriculums. Now, thank you for your time. Good afternoon. My name is Elena. I'm in the ninth grade and I attend Narbon High School. By signing this petition, I agree that LUD needs to increase and expand psychiatric social workers positions and programs in order to meet the high demand for school mental health and school social work services in LUD schools. Based upon current high rates of mental health and crisis report data, the need for school mental health services has reached a critical level. Every day, more students and families are seeking assistance to cope with trauma and social emotional mental

344health challenges. Yet the resources available in school are stretched too thin or non-existent. Currently the distribution of PSWs does not meet the high demands with many schools having insufficient or lack of services. Research studies have shown that without without mental health services. Students struggle struggling with mental health issues have difficulties concentrating engaging in school relating to others regulating their emotions socially isolating addressing bullying and discriminate discrimination. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Okay. Mai Amidu, this is our petition with 18 818 signs. Thank you. Thank you. If you leave it there, I'll collect it. I appreciate it. Thank you. My name is Mai. I'm 15 years old and a proud black student from South LA and I attend Man UCLA. I'm here today as a leader in the brother son cells coalition with community

345coalition and I've been a part of black student achievement plan at my school. I've seen how black BAP can support students like me. We receive resources, recognition and a space where black students feel seen. But I believe this program could go further. Black students, especially me, black boys are the lowest performing subgroup in LD. That's not because we aren't capable. It's because we haven't been given the same level of targeted support as other groups. So I ask, why doesn't LUSD believe that black boys deserve real focused investment? VSAP funds should be used to help and help us succeed not just with awards, but with tutoring, mental health services, black mentors, and programs that reflect our culture and experiences. We need safe spaces to grow, to heal, and to lead. And to Miss Newville, you are

346the only black school board member. You represent black pe black students like me in your district. As a black educator, community leader, and parent, we urge you to lead boldly in protecting and expanding BAP for the future of black youth across LSD. If this district is serious about equity, then it has to start with us. We're not invisible. We matter and we deserve full support of the system. Protect and expand BAP. Thank you. Thank you for your time. David Pierce. David Pierce, come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak. Why don't you begin, Mr. Pierce? My name is David Pierce. I'm a recently retired K through5 theater teacher and I'm here today to speak about the serious shortcomings in LA USD's public records act response process and teacher investigations. On January 27th, I submitted

347a P request seeking data on how many teacher investigations occurred after the district revised its investigative protocols. I also wanted to confirm whether the district is still conducting the five-day preliminary inquiry process, a key safeguard that was bypassed during my own investigation. In my case, had that inquiry been conducted, it would have quickly revealed from the classroom teacher who was present at all times that the allegations against me were untrue. But instead, the district instantly launched a full investigation. When I asked why, I was told all serious allegations trigger lengthy investigations to ensure student safety. Their explanation was not district policy. After submitting my P request, I received a response promising an an estimated release date by February 20th. That date came and went and no estimate ever arrived. Since then, I've spoken with numerous

348other stakeholders, parents, educators, and administrators who've had similar experiences. Many say the only way to get information from the district is through legal action. Transparency isn't optional in a public institution. I urge the board to examine both the P response process and the integrity of the district's investigation protocols. And Scott Schmurlson, thank you so much for supporting me when I was reinstated. Thank you. I so appreciate that. Thank you for your time. Amora Jones, come on up. Amora Jones. Hi, my name is Amore Jones. I'm a senior at Manuel Arts High School and a youth leader community coalition. I'm here today to share my experience with BAP and its significance for it to be focused on black students. I think it's a little nonsensical to take the criteria of being black out of BAP and

349it's pretty clear that y'all did this out of fear of the Trump administration. But if black students are specifically being harmed by the school system, it only makes sense that there are specific resources to combat that harm. At my school, which has a lower demographic of black people, I often feel excluded and alone. And since I am a magnet student, I'm typically the only black person in many of my classes. Being a magnet has granted me lots of educational advantages like better classes and more attentive support. But unfortunately, not a lot of other black students at my school have access to magnet. BAP makes up for it by giving black students the extra level of needed support. At Mayor Arts, our BAP staff work tirelessly to make sure our needs are met, and they do

350their jobs very well. Although they do their best to make sure we have the support we need, they are understaffed and do not receive the support necessary to do their jobs. There also isn't enough funding to provide resources to a large number of black students, which makes it difficult for the even smaller number of students to fully benefit from BAP. Not prioritizing black students makes this problem worse. The crazy thing is at my school, the crazy thing is that my school is supposedly a model for BAP. But if being a model school for BAP means that we are consistently understaffed and consistently underfunded, then how does BAP look at schools that are intentional? I don't think you understand the importance of standing with us during this time of need. We as black and brown students

351are the ones who are going to be most affected by the budget cut threats that Trump is making. which is why it is clear that this expansion is necessary. BAP was created to be a reparative program to repair the harm that was historically done to black students, which is why I demand for black to be put back in BAP and for it to be expanded by $100 million annually. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Belton Whitlock. Belton, come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak. Why don't you begin? You got it. Good evening, everybody. My name is Belton Whitlock and I go to Man UCLA Community School. I am a youth leader at community coalition and brother sons themselves. I'm here today to talk about BAP. I would like to start my speech

352by saying I live around the Krenshaw area and I realize that BAP helps our black and brown communities. I have I have a BAP counselor named Miss Jackson and she always tell me about the upcoming events coming up for black and brown youth. She makes me feel safe and supports me. I also went on a BAP college tour and I went to go on uh go to Stanford, UC Berkeley and San Francisco University. It was a nice trip to go on. I learned about these nice colleges because I got to like Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Got it. You got it. Just up again. You got it. I learned about these nice colleges that helped me see that what's possible in my future. And it made me feel like BAP was really for black and

353brown students. They looked out for us. Having to come here knowing you are not working to protect BAP makes me feel sad and like make me feel like you are not for us. Your job is to protect black and brown students and invest in us. I'm here today to demand a change in your heart. I'm not uh you need to protect and invest in BAP. Invest in black students. BAP has helped me, but I need more uh expanding even more. I demand you guys raise BAP funding by 50 million to 100 million. You must protect and invest black in black students. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Emily Vasquez, come on up. Emily Vasquez. And after Emily is Michael Moidal. Hello, my name is Emily Vasquez. I'm a junior at Washington Preparatory High School

354and a youth leader at Coco. I stand before you today with three nonnegotiable demands to prevent the dismantling of the Black Student Achievement Program. A program that helps students. Let me be clear. Bes is not a want, it is a necessity. And if this district claims to value equity, you will fight for it, not balance budgets on the black on the backs of black students. Demand one. LUD must formal LEUD must uh issue a formal apology to black students and families for the systemic harm this district has inflicted. We are talking about generations of stolen opportunities, underfunded schools or police classrooms. And I may not be black, but I know when I know injustice when I seen it. I watch my black classmates suffer while our textbook crumbles in our hands. I sat in classroom

355with our only support offered is a cop at the door. An apology without action is just noise. And we are done listening to noise. demand to 50 to 100 million for BSOP. Next, this district will increase BAP's budget by 50 to 100 million. Not next year, not when funds are available. Now, we need more mental health professionals and academic supports and community safety resources because let's be real, LUSD. If you can find money for police, then you can find money for black students futures. Demand three, community based safety teams. Finally, we demand real safety. No up more cops. Every Bop school must have community based safety, mental health of professionals and restorative justice teachers, peaceuilders, people who care, not punished. Because if black zones don't because black students don't need more surveillance, they need more

356support. If LUD truly believes that black lives matter, prove it. Put 50 to 100 million. We are mission statements are turn community care from a buzzword into a reality. And remember, we are watching the students in the crumbling classrooms, watching the families fighting for their children's dignity. Watching your students and the board meetings right now watching. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your time. Come on up, Michael Mr. Michael. Follow that. Um, good afternoon board members. My name is Mick Mulfredel. I'm the president of the Downtown LA Soccer Club. We are a soccer club whose mission is to give mostly Hispanic youths from the underserved urban communities of Los Angeles such as Pico Union, Picard Park, East LA, and others the opportunity to train and play soccer in a competitive environment regardless of

357their famil family's economic situation. One of our prime objectives is the training and recruiting of Latina athletes who make up over 200 of our 500 rostered players. Over the years, we have sent a number of our Latina athletes to D1 and D2 college programs as well as to national teams in several South Central American countries. All of this was made possible by the California Department of Education Civic Center mandate, which states that California's public school facilities be made available at a direct cost rate to nonprofit community groups given they meet certain criteria. The downtown LA Soccer Club has for the last 10 years permitted the field at Ley Middle School under the civic center mandate during which it has become an intricate part of the community in which the school is located as well as

358having many students from the school enrolled in our club. That is until late last year when a new leadership group took over facilities with a seemingly primary objective of ignoring civic center permit applications and prioritizing leasing applications, which are three times as costly as a civic center application and giving them primarily to nationally franchised youth soccer organizations from distant affluent communities and leaving soccer programs who operate within the LAU West community such as ours without a place for our kids to train. We ask, therefore, that the board instruct facilities to prioritize allowing kids to have access to fields within their communities and not be left as the kids from the downtown LA Soccer Club are, almost all of whom are presently LAD students with no place to play. Thank you. Thank you very much for

359your time. Can I speak? I'm number 17. Can I speak on the same topic here? What's your name? Chamba Sanchez. Oh, yeah. Please go ahead. So you're listed as speaker 17. Yeah, I am a parent and I I'm here to testify here that this bank is providing tremendous opportunities to many Latina girls that will not have the opportunity otherwise. I am disappointed that this this individual who is running this bureaucracy here is trying to take this fuel away, you know, like using the words of the superintendent this morning that would be immoral to take away, you know, opportunity from poor kids, you know, and giving to affluent community. So I any anybody here follow the the the national soccer team? any Latina that you can mention? None. Zero. No Latina soccer player there. Why? Why

360is that? Because the opportunity to play soccer here in America is very expensive. This man is providing tremendous opportunities and we need to support that. Then the the entire goal of LUSD to provide opportunities to this kid here. Education and sports go hand to hand. I don't see why am I doing here today. You know, they should be common sense. Why do you want to take the the fuel away and give it to the wealthy communities in the west part of the city? Makes no sense to me whatsoever. So, please reconsider and look into this. And I've been leaving messages to the board member who is in charge of that. Never got a call back, man. So, please thank you very much for your time. Thank you for your time. Okay, Kala Williams. Kala Williams,

361come on up. You have two minutes to speak. Why don't you begin? Kala. There's also slash Joseph Williams. Okay, we can't hear that. Mr. Williams is yielding his time to these two folks. So, you'll you'll each have a you have a total of two minutes. So, why don't you start? The two minutes starts. Okay. Hello, Superintendent Carvalo and board members. Acknowledging mental health is one of the first steps into supporting students. My name is Air Thomas, a leader as students deserve and a student at Roball. Cavarlo, you said you would be a hypocrite if you didn't fight for those today who are facing conditions you faced 40 years ago as an undocumented migrant. But you are a hypocrite as a superintendent for one of the biggest school districts in the country. You have the power

362to actually fight for those students who are undocumented, but you rarely do anything to help. You along with your fellow board members should help by expanding BAP by hund00 million annually. Along with that, you and the board as well should dedicate $5 million to the dream centers in Los Angeles. Um, money should not be a problem when it comes to the safety of your kids and students. Apart from that, you guys have the money to help. Money should be the last thing to worry about. I remind you all that we the students are the reason you guys have jobs. So, please listen to our concerns and demands. Thank you. Hello, Superintendent Carvalo and board members. My name is Daniel and we meet again. To refresh your mind, I'm a student at Royal Learning Center right

363down the street and I am leader at Students Deserve. So, I came here to talk about today about acknowledging mental health and all of that and what she wish he continued on, but I'm running low on time, so I'll just make it quick. All of you here, including him and him, aren't listening to us. I want you guys to listen to us. We have concerns, real concerns, and real demands. We are here and we want those demands meant. We need $5 million to dream centers, please. And 100 and expand BAP by $100 million. Please, please, this is what we need. I've had it firsthand in Roy Ball. All of my teachers are like they're very inclusive. They they're very supportive and they're very kind. And that's all thanks to BAP. Thank you. Thank you for

364your time. Let's see. Mariah Williams. Mariah Williams, are you here? Come on up. You have two minutes to speak. My name is Emory. And my name is is Mariah. We are students at Girls Academic Leadership Academy and we are here to defend the lives of racial minority groups and draw more attention to the problems they are facing. Under the few under the first few months of the Trump administration, we witnessed some of the most unconstitutional treatment of immigrants with and without legal status. As of today, the Department of Homeland Security has greatly increased funding for ICE raids and is on track to run out of their yearly budget by July. Instead of protecting the lives of immigrant students, some of the most prestigious schools have instead adhered to the Trump administration's demands by allowing ICE

365to abduct their students and by letting the Trump administration control the curriculum they teach in exchange for millions of dollars in donations. In addition to Homeland Security targeting universities, they've also begun targeting LUSD elementary schools. Although they were refused entry, the targeting of schools with young kids is extremely hostile and poses a direct threat to students outside of school as well. Because of this, we demand that you invest $5 million towards dream centers, which would help students from immigrant families by providing them by providing them with resources, legal assistance, academic supports, and help students navigate through a time in which their safety is at risk. By investing money in Dream Centers, you would help protect the 58% of LUSD students who are from immigrant families and make them feel safe in the schools they are

366in, as well as ensure that their education is prioritized instead of allowing a corrupt administration to incentivize fear amongst minority groups in schools. We are also demanding that LUD puts the black back in BAP. And with our sticker campaign where we passed out 17,000 stickers, it shows that LUSD students are with us, too. It is your job as our board members and student and superintendent to listen to what so many think is a problem and fix it. Black girls and boys have been denied equal education for decades. And when you're given the chance to slowly start the change toward fixing that, you caved. So we are demanding the black criteria be put back in the BAP program, increase the BAP budget by 100 million and ap and an apology for the thousands of black students

367who you by changing this criteria are failing. As superintendent, we believe that it is important for you to focus on the demands of the students and focus on the problems that minority groups are facing in schools. Because of this, we want you to invest money in creating dream centers and putting the black back in BSAP again. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Archavius Moore, I'm yielding my time to Romy and Patricia. Okay, Mr. Moore has yield his time to Romy and Patricia. So, you both have two minutes total. Good afternoon. My name is Patricia Samura, a senior at Royal Learning Center, and I am a leader in students deserve. I'm here to advocate for the black, undocumented, LGBTQ students and better mental health programs. Since time and time again, LUSD has failed to do

368so. Acknowledging the mental health is only the first step towards supporting students. LUSD must go further by investing in the wellness and safety of black students, undocumented students, and queer youth through real programming and care centered um supports. As a black student under LUSD, I have faced numerous amounts of discrimination and issues with mental health that have placed me in unfair circumstances due to my color. Who are you and what are who who you are and what your color or circumstances are should not dictate the amount of opportunities and help that are available. LUSD has the resources to stop that. To give black, undocumented, and LGBTQ students the respect and necessary opportunities they deserve. I'm running out of time because I want her to speak, but fund BAP and let black students get the education

369they deserve. Make more room. Make more dream centers so undocumented students can get the help they deserve. Create programs so LGBTQ students have a place they can feel comfortable in and grow. Your students are depending on it. You all ran with the promise that you would protect the students of LUSD. And now when all students, but especially our most vulnerable, are under attack, you can't back down. You can't get elected by running on the platform of pro protecting black youth, but back down when they need you most. So follow follow through on the promises you made to youth when you all were elected. We are asking the board and Superintendent Carvalo to listen closely to the students who have been organizing and advocating for these demands. Our safety and success depends on the bold and

370immediate actions from you. The time is now for you to finally follow through on your promises and protect black, undocumented, and LGBTQ plus students. Thank you for your time. Aurelia Valdivia. Aurelia Valdivia, come on up. You have two minutes to speak once you begin. And then after Aurelia is Abigail Yosen. Okay, so that's a Aurelia is yielding her time, correct? Okay, please go ahead. Two minutes is yours. Hello board members and superintendent Carvalo. My name is Donali Mahia and I'm a 12th grader at Benjamin Franklin High School. I'm here today standing in solidarity with students across the district. We're demanding that you take real action to protect black, LGBTQ plus, undocumented, and immigrant students in LUSD. At my school, we've had the support of a dream center. It's been a safe place for me and

371my classmates to come together and get support, feel protected, especially during the time when our communities are under attack. It's been a safe haven for many of us during these scary and uncertain times. I was first introduced to the availability of a dream center in my school last year. Since then, I have had the opportunity of socializing more closely with my Latin American community. For example, the Dream Center provides support for the funding of La Flores Sasuchil for our annual Franklin of Elia de los Muertos. As you may know, all as you as you may all know, La Flores Sasuchil is the prehispanic flower many Latin Americans cherish for its value in the tradition of honoring and remembering our loved ones. I cannot imagine how many more things I could have accomplished during my high

372school career had I known about the Franklin's about Franklin's Dream Center sooner. My family and I immigrated from Mexico to the United States about 13 years ago. I was 5 years old. My experience settling at my new elementary school was challenging, but my older siblings had a much more difficult time adapting to their new high school. They had to stand hearing discriminatory comments to salante move forward in the land of opportunities. If my siblings would have had access to a dream center at Eager Oak High School, their learning and social experiences, I can guarantee would have been something different. They would have found a sense of community, a home away from home. It's honestly wild to me that I'm that in a district with over a thousand schools, there are only four dream centers. That's

373not enough. LA USD can and should do better. So, I'm here to ask, invest in protecting immigrant students. We need more than just statements. We need real resources behind these protections. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Okay, Abigail Yosen, please come on up. Good afternoon, board members. I'm here again to urge LUSD to take real action against the growing hatred and discrimination towards the Jewish community. Today, I'm speaking up for many Jewish students who couldn't be here because of exams or because they feel their concerns will be ignored. Across the country, anti-Semitic incidences in K through2 schools increased by 135% last year. This year, 71% of Jewish parents say their children have faced anti-semitism in the classroom. These are not just statistics. This is the lived experience of students right here in LUSD. Yesterday,

374California legislators announced AB715, a bill to address anti-semitism in schools. While that's an important step, LUSD should not wait for the state. We should be taking proactive action now. When UTLA demands the removal of Holocaust education, LA USD's response should be the exact opposite. We should be expanding education about the Jewish community and anti-semitism for students, teachers, and administrators alike. Our community deserves representation. We cannot be passive in the face of hate. Please act now. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your time. The Marsha Doss. Marsha Mare, are you here? Yes. Well, come on up. We have two minutes waiting for you to speak. And what? Well, take your time. Oh, no. Please. If you're yielding your time, do it from there. To whom? Okay. Allison and Tania, please come on up. And

375while they're coming, um, uh, board member new bill, can I record your vote on tab 27? That was the impact fee policy update. Yes. That's a yes. And then on tab, uh, 34, which was the adoption of the board calendar. Yes. Thank you. Please go ahead. Hi, my name is Allison Montgomery. I'm a senior at Dorsy High School and a leader in students deserve. I'm here today again to speak on behalf of my peers and my stu and myself, aka the students you're supposed to be protecting and supporting. So, let me be clear. LD has a responsibility to protect all students. Correct? But from time to time, we've seen that black and undocumented students are constantly left behind, ignored, and pushed aside. We are all tired of it. School is supposed to be a safe

376environment. Undocumented students face challenges almost endlessly. How can undocumented students focus on their education when they're too afraid to show up? Afraid afraid of being detained, targeted, and being seen. This fear should never walk through school doors with them. We need LUSD to implement a real safety plan for those for these students. No, not promises, not words, but actions. Undocumented students should feel protected, supported, and not invisible. significantly increase the number of dream centers and the amount of money going into dream centers. And when it comes to black students, how many more times do we need to say it? Put the black back in BAP. The black student achievement plan should only center and uplift black students, not lessen their needs in order to satisfy a larger group. We will not allow you to allow

377you to erase us because this was created for us to address the specific brutality, institutional racism, and educa educational in inequalities. We confront that that that being said increase the funding for BSA by 100 million. How many times are we going to have to show up? How many time how many speeches how many pro more protests and how many demands will until this school board listens. You don't you don't get to ignore us. Then call it equity. We're not going anywhere. You'll continue to see the same faces. You'll continue hear the same issues. And we will keep coming back louder, stronger, and more united until you do your job and fight for us like you're supposed to. Good afternoon. I am Tania Ray, a junior at Dorsy High School and a new leader in students

378deserve. I am black, a young woman, and a part of the LGBTQ plus community, making me a triple minority. And people like me deserve to feel safe, seen, and heard at schools, which as students is where we spend most of our time. But this isn't just about me. What about my undocumented friends? They also deserve to feel safe, seen, heard, and protected. And unfortunately, this is a time where our communities are under attack. The simple demands that we have for Superintendent Carvalo are to protect black, undocumented, and LGBTQ plus students because we are the future of your district and this country. And without simple protection and safety of the students, there isn't one. It is absolutely unacceptable that our schools are not doing much to protect and ensure that students that you work for are

379safe and successful. Thank you very much for your time. We appreciate your time. Thank you. Fakur Singh, are you here? Sakur Singh coming from upstairs. All right. And then after Mr. Singh is Cindy Nunes and then Vanessa. All right, come on up. You have two minutes to speak. Why don't you begin? Okay, good afternoon. I'm Thakur Singh. I'm a member of the Superintendent Student Advisory Council and a student from the Leadership and Public Service Virtual Academy. This year, over 300 virtual academy teachers were suddenly required to report to physical campuses to continue teaching 100% remotely. While I applaud LUT's commitments to sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint, it has moved remote teachers to in-person campuses, most of which are far away from their homes, which contradicts these goals. Instead of being placed on campuses near

380their homes, teachers have been placed indiscriminately. Many have been forced into extensive daily commutes as high as 4 hours in a single day, adding to traffic, pollution, and burnout. Why add more carbon into our atmosphere? The learning environment has also been affected due to this policy. Teachers at the virtualmies have been placed in shared rooms. As a student, I often hear other classes in the background. This also means a complex and limited space for teachers. How can my teachers be the best possible educators for students in such a disruptive, limited, and noisy environment? For students like me, virtual learning has been a life-changing option. My mom, a single parent, struggled to manage two kids in in a job without private transportation. Learning virtually gave me the support I needed and a space to thrive. It

381enabled me to become one of 10 finalists for student school board member this year as well as earn several awards including being one of 16 LD students to win the $20,000 Warren Christopher award in 2024. However, the issues with this policy make it much harder for students to attain this sort of success. If LUD is truly serious about climate action and student success, give remote teachers the choice between teaching from home or teaching on campus but at the closest location possible. With over a thousand schools within LUD, this is easily doable. Teachers should not have to spend unnecessary hours away from their families, hours which could also be invested in students like me through one-on-one support, something teachers were formerly able to offer easily on Zoom from home, but are now unable to due to

382extensive commutes. Furthermore, Alicia has ought to allow teachers to alternate which days they are on campus as to end the issue with shared spaces and disruptions and also reduce emissions. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your time. Uh Cindy Nunees. Cindy Nunes, come on up. You'll have two minutes to speak. Why don't you begin? And after Cindy is Vanessa and then Braxton. Please go ahead. The two minutes is yours. Good afternoon everyone. My name is Maria Arnandez and I'm a senior from Maywood Academy in Southeast LA. In January, we walked out of our schools to fight for our families, friends, and community. Students in Southeast LA are ready to fight against the attacks of the current administration. Just less than one month ago, ICE threatened our communities and the district has done nothing

383but give blank statements. LUSD must act now. You must meet our demands. Put the black back in BAP and fully fund Dream Centers at every school. As I prepare to walk the stage in June, I hope I can be proud knowing that LUSD took meaningful action to invest in our futures. Thank you. [Applause] Hello, my name is Sin Nunes and I'm a senior at Midwood Academy High School and leader with students deserve. Before I graduate, I want to speak on a critical issue affecting students like me across LUSD. The lack of meaningful support for Spanish- speaking students. Too often, they're expected to perform at the same academic level as our English speaking peers without being given the resources to succeed. That expectation is not just unrealistic, it's deeply unfair. The language barrier is one of

384the many systemic obstacles students are facing right now. And it's not just about Spanish speaking students. It's about the way LUSD is filling black, undocumented, and LGBTQ students, too. We are all navigating systems that were never designed for us to thrive in. That needs to change. That's why I stand with the demands that students across the district are organizing for. We need Liz to protect and expand BSAP funds, dream centers, and invest in LGBTQ students. We want to succeed, but we need the tools, the safety, and the support to make that possible. That includes language access, yes, but also racial justice, immigration, immigrant justice, and queer and trans justice in our schools. I'm demanding the school board and Superintendent Carvalo. Meet our demands, fund our futures, and make LA USD a place where every student,

385no matter their language, identity, or immigration status, has an equal opportunity to thrive. Thank you so much. Thank you for your time, Vanessa. And then it's Braxton. So Vanessa, come on up. And then Braxton Jordan. Hi, my name is Vanessa and I'm an 11th grader at Miguel Contura School of Social Justice. And I'm a proud leader with Student Deserve. I am here to demand that Superintendent Carvello and the L USD school board guarantees sanctuary protections for undocumented students. Right now, the school to prison to deportation pipeline is harming our communities. Undocumented students are being criminalized, pushed out of school, and treated like they don't belong. This is especially true in neighborhoods like mine, Westlake and Picle Union, where immigrant families are trying to survive and support their kids. I've led walkouts. I've seen how students

386are treated just for having strong voices or coming from the wrong background. Too often, we are judged by racist, unfair expectations instead of being supported as learners and leaders. That's why I'm demanding real sanctuary. Not just words, but action. L USD must stop criminalizing immigrant students and families and fully staff and fund dream centers at every school so students have access to legal help, mental health support, and space where they feel safe and valued. Hello and good afternoon. My name is Endura Partida, a senior at Dorsy High School and a leader in students deserve. I agree that all teachers deserve to be paid well, but I also stand here today to speak on the same issues that have consistently been brought to your attention and still have resulted in no change. I stand here today

387on behalf of the students who have been heavily impacted by our new president's administration and its policies and your silence. I stand here today demanding that the school board take action to pass a budget so that all schools in LUSD have not only a have not only queer affirming spaces and inclusive curriculum but triple the number of dream centers all across LUSD as well. As of today, most of LA USD campuses do not have a dream center, including my very own Dorsy High. Dorsy and the communities around Dorsy undocumented population is very high for us not to have one. I'm not even sure that there is a dream center in all of board district 1. Dream centers provide access to important information and resources for undocumented students and their families. And they provide a sense

388of community. These centers are crucial for ensuring that students feel safe and supported in both their school and their community. It's unfair for the It's unfair for these students to sit in a classroom with 30 plus kids, one teacher, and a language barrier. It makes their learning environment so much more difficult. I have seen this time and time again, especially in my school where a student's learning is limited because they don't have the proper resources like books and assignments in their native language and teachers who have to use Google Translate just to communicate with them. You have the power and the resources to change this. You have the power and the resources to change this. We um I'm sorry. You have the power and resources. It's the same thing for LGBTQ students by having queer

389affirming spaces and curriculum instead of trying to erase queer people completely from our history. We welcome these open [Applause] Thank you for your time. Braxton Jordan, come on up. Braxton Jordan. Good afternoon. My name is Braxton Jordan. I am a senior at Dorsey High School and a leader in students deserve. I'm here today to remind you all that I'm here today to remind you all school board members and superintendent Carvalo work for the students. Us students need you to do your jobs now more than ever by one expanding BAP by 100 million. And I know that sounds like a lot of money to some people, but um considering that your budget is $18 billion with a B, it's really the bare minimum. Two, applying real support for LGBTQ youth, meaning proper resources, clubs, and staff

390representation for these students. And last but not least, tripling the amount of dream centers, eight dream centers for the entire district is absolutely ridiculous, especially when Latino and and Hispanic students make up 69% of the schools of the students attending your schools. As a student of LUSD, I'm calling on the school board members and the superintendent Carvalo to pass a budget that protects while also expanding BSAP resources, LGBTQ support and repres representation along with Dream Center accessibility. We are all here today because we care. Like you just saw, we're tired of playing these games with y'all. We come here every month and tell y'all the same things. We will not wait any longer. This budget should reflect these demands and I want it done before we graduate as you just saw which is in June.

391So, you know, time is ticking. Um, this change to the budget will not only affect myself and my peers, but it will help build a safe place for future students attending schools in LA USD. I don't want my my siblings to go to a school that used to have BSAP or decides to aid the undocumented and the LGBTQ youth when it's trendy. These people exist and we feel these issues personally. It's important for you all to feel personal as well and take action. It's time for LUSD to take a bold students. Thank you for your time. That is all we have for The microphone's off. Thank you for your time. Uh we have one more speaker, Dian Guen. Is this Danna Guen? Are you here in person? Okay, she's not here, not online. That concludes

392general public comment and I believe um that concludes the business. We have some adjourning motions or an adjourning motion. I have an adjourn motion and um so my motion is in honor uh of Ruth Buglehole. I don't know if any here on the board know who she was, but um I'm going to let her daughters come down and and and sit here. So, I'm going to read um what they wrote. Um Ruth Buglehole was an incredible force for good in the world. Ruth died on April 21st, 2025. Ruth was an immigrant born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand to her parents Pam Pearl and Ernest Buglehole. Ruth studied what would become her life calling, early childhood education. In 1985, she worked as a parent educator with the Los Angeles Unified School District. As part of

393that position, she founded the teen parent and child care program at the Los Angeles Technology Center, where she created an innovative program to support the teens in their own development and help them learn how to support their children. Upon retirement from LUSD, Ruth founded the Center for Non-Violent Education and Parenting, which was light later renamed as Echo Parenting and Education. At the center, her work influenced countless educators, social workers, therapists, and service providers in Los Angeles County in the philosophy and practice of raising children with nonviolence. Ruth has devoted years of advocacy and attention to the neighborhoods of Echo Park and Silver Lake. In the last few years, she had a special relationship with Alleian Heights Elementary, teaching parenting classes and supporting the staff. Ruth drew from a deep well of love for and from

394her family. She had three children, David Goldberg, Rabbi Susan Goldberg, and Maxi Goldberg, with children-in-law Carla Alvarado Goldberg, Brian Joseph, and Monira Viri. Each of whom continues to follow her example of enthusiastically creating community and working for a better world. They are also a family devoted to the students and families of LUSD. David is a former elementary teacher at Merchesen Street Elementary School and is now president of CTA. Maxi is a teacher of death deaf students at Marlton School. Carla is a PSW at Marshall High School and Rabbi Susan serves on the LUSD faith advisory council. She is survived by eight grandchildren, Mayan, Griffin, Mina, Ravi, Matis, Lila, Rose, Rowan, and Mabel, who were continuous source of joy for her and for whom she was an incredible grandma. Ruth was devoted to her family and

395abundantly proud. At Ruth's funeral, her niece Helen Richie spoke for many when she said, "Ruth supported us, challenged us, stretched us, ignited us, and taught us. May her memory be for a blessing. I was Yes, I was blessed to have known Ruth for a few moments um as a parent who took her classes. My first child was two years old and he was a toddler with lots of energy and uh Carla Alvarado Goldberg told me about the center for non-violent education and I attended those circles. It was a series of classes and that was my first experience where she allowed parents to not only learn about their children's development and why the behaviors happened but also about our own selves and how that impacts how we raise our children. So, um I later saw her

396again a few months ago and uh picked her brain about how to support our students at Mallister High School and she was so excited about that work. So, I'm so proud and so blessed to be able to to present this motion. And we have a proclamation for the family, Rabbi Susan and Maxi. Thank you. Thank you. There's any objections? Uh, the meeting is adjourned. Any objections? No. No. Time is now 50:08. [Music]