001Mhm. >> Mhm. >> To go ahead and call the regular meeting of the Board of Education for Martinez Unified School District to order uh for April 27th, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Do we have any public comments regarding the closed session? Oh, it looks like I have two public comments regarding closed session. Uh Linda Olivera. It never happens in the regular meetings. Okay. Um Good afternoon. My name's Linda Olivera. Some of you already know me. Um No, I think all of you know me. And um Let's see. I am a Martinez resident. And I have been involved in different issues here with the school board. Past 5 years I've been here in Martinez 6 years now. Come from Oakland, where I lived for 50 years. Anyway, I know I have what? 2 minutes? Let me just
002read what all of you may have gotten already that I emailed to all of you. Um thanks, Janelle Boyer, for doing that for me. Where is There you are. Okay. Um So, my presence here is in regards to the board's decision to put Superintendent Patrick on administrative leave. The community parents, and students of Martinez deserve to know the reason for this. Without this knowledge, how can we as a community participate on and comment on this action? No offense to the school board members. The Martinez community has not been given the reason for this action. An insensitive lack of transparency. As a minority resident in the city of Martinez and addressing many times the issue of racism and discrimination with the school district, I am very concerned about your decision to put Dr. Patrick, an African-American,
003on administrative leave. I am therefore requesting a reason for your disciplinary action concerning Dr. Patrick. You should never leave your community hanging like this. Especially those of us who are minority residents in the Martinez community. Without an explanation and with an all-white school board, we minorities are left to believe that racism may have been a factor. Thank you. Next up, we have Greg Young. Good afternoon. Um, Greg Young, uh, Martinez City Council member, District 2, but I am here today as a 25-year resident of Martinez. And I too am deeply disturbed, disappointed, frustrated, and angry that this body would put Dr. Patrick on administrative leave without any explanation to the residents, the students, and the community here. I think it was irresponsible of this body and I'm disappointed. Extremely disappointed. We're better than this. And
004it just doesn't feel right. And ultimately, it's the children, the majority of which don't look like that body that's before me, ultimately suffer. We're in a deficit. We've got challenges. And this is not the time to disrupt leadership. So, I would ask each and every one of you to really think about really think about the impact if you don't provide full transparency to the residents here. I'm disappointed more than anything. Extremely disappointed in this body on the decision that you made. I have one more public comment from Todd Navarro. Good afternoon, board. Last spring, I stood in this room and spoke a lot about taking accountability while also hoping we'd have a year of a have a less contentious spring of board meetings. Well, here we are within less than 30 days to go in
005the academic school year and unfortunately we're faced with another challenging situation in our community. Last Monday during a special meeting of the Board of Trustees, this board voted 3 to 2 to place Superintendent Dr. Patrick on administrative leave for unspecified reasons. An action which they are entitled to do. Why is this such a divisive issue if 60% a majority of the Board of Trustees is seeing or experiencing something that needs to be addressed? It's entire board's responsibility and duty to ensure that the students, parents, and staff of Martinez Unified School District are the priority. No questions asked. Of greater concerns are the comments made by the two dissenting trustees that which could be construed as being less about our students and MUSD community and more about either themselves or some other agenda. From July 1st,
0062025 to April 13th, 2026, there have been 16 regular board meetings of the Board of Trustees of which 15 included a closed session agenda item public employee performance evaluation for the superintendent. Assuming that these discussions did indeed occur as agendized, given that in many instances this was the only agendized session agendized closed session item, what process wasn't utilized, transparent, or fair? What causes the inability inability for a good night's sleep or passing a litmus test if you regularly attended those sessions, actively participated in them, and heard the discussion of your fellow board members? The community puts faith in this board that you are actively progressing the necessary business of this district and managing your sole singular employee. It's in that faith we have nothing to do but lean in as we are not privy to
007the discussions that occurred during closed session. So I ask, where's the gap? What's the real problem? Regardless of whether or not you fully agree with the decision that the majority vote makes, be the adults in the room. Refrain from making public comments that have no other intention but to cast out on the executed duties of this board if for no other reason to continue the discourse that it's likely to ensue from that decision. Many staff members, certificated, classified, and sometimes even administrators are released every year without cause and it's an agreement that's understood and equally entered into by both parties and no reason is required to be provided in order to release them from their contract. It's never supposed to feel great to release an employee from their job. However, it's always meant to be
008in the best interest of the employer and that business and our business is our children. Except that it's possible that maybe the correct decision wasn't made last spring in the best interest of our students and move forward for the betterment of the district. Be part of the solution, not the problem. Take some accountability. I Dr. Tracy Edwards and I'm sorry I can't read the last name. Jenkins. Jenkins. Okay, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you board. Good afternoon everyone. I'm standing as a long-time Martinez resident over 25 years here with uh young people uh who have come through the Martinez Unified School District to great success. I love this community and I've been part of it in many different ways. And so I'm here today to ask you all to uh share with us
009uh what's going on with the superintendent. Um you've heard other comments so I won't rehash what's been said, but there doesn't appear to be enough visibility to the community uh to know what's going on. Parents don't know. I am still Alhambra booster and very involved in the background while I have a graduate of the high school as well as the junior high. I've been a scout leader here involved in the site Council. My daughter was a representative from the high school for this body and so we don't know enough. And so we're just asking you to shed some light and whatever you can say about what's going on we want to hear about it. Again with our concern that our school may potentially appears to be without leadership. So how can we help is more
010of my plea to you all is let us know what's going on so that we can be a productive in whatever the dialogue is whatever the discourse is in that whoever should be leading is doing a great job for our school and our community. We're a small community you know that. One high school one junior high and so we look to see all of you all everywhere and I know you can't be everywhere and it's an unrealistic expectation to ask you to be everywhere but we do expect some visibility and we do want to know. So we look forward to hearing more from you all tonight and from this body. Thank you so much for the hard work that you do for our community. I don't see any other public comments. So at this time
011we will adjourn to closed session. I will adjourn. Good afternoon. Thank you, Courtney. My name is Joey Smith and um to the chair and rest of the board. I wear many hats around this county and uh today I'm coming as the current president of the Richmond Contra Costa County chapter of BWOPA. This information got to me very uh late and I'm very very confused and concerned about the very unexpected and very unexplained reason for superintendent to be removed in the way that it has happened. I definitely echo your sentiments. We appreciate the efforts that you do in your positions. But we need more transparency on something like this because it doesn't it seems to be unprecedented. And we want to be able to trust you as much as we trust our superintendent. So please do
012remain as transparent as you can be legally and communicate with us as best need. If there is somewhere that I can provide my email just so I get in the loop cuz it's um it's an important thing regardless of where we live in this county. Thank you for the time. No more public comments. Is it? Make sure. Okay. Um in that case, we will adjourn to close session. >> Mhm. >> Okay, we're going to go ahead and reconvene back to the regular meeting of the Board of Education. I have two items to report out from closed session. The first one, the board took action in closed session by a 3-2 vote where members Courtney Masala O'Brien and member um Annie Horik Martin dissenting to terminate the superintendent immediately without cause pursuant to the terms of
013the superintendent's employment agreement. On behalf of the entire board, just wanted to be clear all personnel matters are strictly confidential and cannot be discussed. Our focus remains firmly on what best supports student success, staff effectiveness, and community trust. We are confident in the leadership of our interim superintendent who brings the experience, stability, and qualifications necessary to guide the district forward during this transition. The board will continue to work diligently to ensure continuity, maintain high standards, and prioritize the needs of our students and staff. We appreciate the community's engagement and will continue to listen as we move ahead together. The second item uh the board in closed session has unanimously approved interim superintendent of Janelle Ayres and we will consider the ratification of an interim superintendent employment agreement in the next regularly scheduled meeting on May
0144th, and Janelle is effective April 20th 2026 as the interim. Um Matthew, will you join us or lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, please? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Do we have any changes to the agenda? There are no changes. Do you have a motion? I move to approve the agenda. Second. Student rep? I. All in favor? I. >> I. So moved. Next we have highlights and recognitions and educator of the year recognition, Janelle Ayet. Good evening, President Bruggar and trustees. Tonight it's my pleasure to recognize our educators of the year. Our certificated staff are those who provide the instruction, counseling, and social emotional support our students need
015to be successful in school and after graduation. Each year every school site nominates one educator to be recognized for their commitment to students and families. The Martinez Unified School District selects one educator to be recognized at the county level for their outstanding contributions to the school and community. And I'm going to move to uh the other microphone to announce our individual Okay. First um from John Muir Elementary, Lisa Kirker. YEAH! YES. SO UM FOR EACH NOMINEE I will invite um each educator to come forward um for their recognition and will read a little something that each of their principals wrote about them. Um Ms. Kirker is a highly motivated, dedicated, and collaborative educator. She goes above and beyond her job description. She truly works hard to improve systems, instruction, and student outcomes. Lisa has designed
016and shared intervention strategies with general ed teachers. She has created tools and templates for staff use. Lisa is a teacher leader for our special education team as an and is an excellent advocate for student supports. She works collaboratively with colleagues to continue to build on a program that meets the needs of students. Lisa always focuses on student strengths and celebrates their achievements. She has worked diligently to bridge special education and general education practices. She's a team player who supports the greater good of the school. She steps up when needed and volunteers to take on tasks that benefit the daily operation of the school. At the core of her work, she helps family access and understand support systems. She is a well-rounded educator who thinks critically, communicates effectively, collaborates with others, shows empathy, adapts to challenges,
017and applies learning in meaningful ways inside and outside the classroom. Congratulations, Lisa. And from John Swett Elementary, Cindy Fontana. Congratulations. Cindy pours her whole heart into making sure her students don't just learn, but truly thrive. She excels at preparing them with all the academic skills they'll need for middle school, as well as the confidence and resilience to navigate new challenges in sixth grade and beyond. She has brought bread making to fifth grade, the brain study, and implemented community helpers throughout John Swett. Cindy analyzes the curriculum, breaks it down for our students, and tries to provide them real-world experiences. She is a team player and always willing to support her teammates in any way she can, whether it's sharing a favorite recipe or just being a supportive friend after a challenging day. Cindy's level of dedication
018speaks volumes about her character and her commitment to teaching as she truly is a an amazing teacher. Congratulations. Um from Las Juntas Elementary, Laura Miller. Okay. Oftentimes actions speak louder than words. Ms. Miller's dedication to do what is best for her students is expressed through her actions. Ms. Miller willingly chose to loop with her fourth graders from last year, following them into fifth grade. This required Miss Miller learn the curriculum and expectations for fifth grade. Although this shift required Miss Miller to dedicate her summer to planning and aligning with a new grade level, she knew there would be a payoff that would require patience to to appreciate. Miss Miller has patiently worked with her fifth graders this year, pushing them to think critically about an author's intent when in developing their essays to learning about
019the solar system and creating models that were on display for all Los to students to visit and see. Miss Miller's growth mindset about her own abilities is a skill that her students have also developed this year. She continues to model that we all have the capacity to grow through our learning. Miss Miller's commitment to Los students at Los Juntas is contagious. Miss Miller establishes a positive classroom environment where students know they are able to take leaps in their learning, but they will be supported through a failure, which they have learned is just another opportunity to learn. Her positive encouragement and support of our students is the glue that helps her students trek through difficult content and come out successful on the other end. She has spent the last 2 years working with her current students
020while patiently watching all of the work she does behind the scenes manifest itself into concrete examples of brilliance in her classroom. Congratulations. Um Morello Park Elementary, AMANDA ZOTAWAY. CONGRATULATIONS. AMANDA IS A profoundly dedicated educator whose constructive voice and leadership are invaluable to Morello Park's daily operations. Whether she's stepping up as one of one of the first to volunteer for our site council, serving on the district's literacy committee, or helping pilot our new math curriculum, she consistently provides a highly respected perspective on critical decisions. Beyond her broader campus contributions, Amanda is truly phenomenal in front of her students, anchoring her practice in the science of learning to deliver highly effective, evidence-aligned instruction. She works seamlessly with her grade level team to design and implement targeted interventions that support every learner. Amanda is the ultimate team player,
021and her students absolutely thrive thanks to her relentless focus on the most impactful teaching methods. Congratulations. And from Martinez Junior High School, KATIE COLLINS. CONGRATULATIONS. KATIE Collins embodies all the amazing attributes of a Bullpup. Ms. Collins is excited about student learning and growth, is committed to helping students expand their knowledge and skills, and is dedicated to providing and supporting the Bullpup experience. As an elective teacher, Ms. Collins has built a program that teaches students techniques and the confidence to engage with hands-on skills that not only produce amazing pieces of art, but highlight the many talents of our students. Ms. Collins develops creative lessons to engage and help students find success, no matter their skills. She's a dynamic collaborate collaborator and has worked with administration and her colleagues to help develop our introductory course, Bullpup 101,
022to help sixth graders in the transition to middle school and beyond that has been a remarkable success. We are beyond grateful to work with such an amazing person and committed educator. Congratulations. And Alhambra High School, Mr. Benbar Wilson. CONGRATULATIONS. AS THE science department chair, uh Ben doesn't just manage a department. He serves as a fierce advocate for both his colleagues and every student who walks through his doors. Whether he is guiding this computer science club, supporting the robotics team through the intensity of competition, or organizing transformative career excursions like the recent visit to the Martinez Refinery, Ben is constantly building bridges between the classroom and the professional world. In his physics and AP computer science courses, he creates a student-driven environment where curiosity is the primary engine of learning. His hands-on approach transforms abstract theories
023into tangible discoveries, bringing a joy to the learning process that is truly infectious. Beyond his technical expertise, Ben is a leading voice on campus for raising our academic standards. However, he balances this rigor with a genuine heart for equity, ensuring he is always there to catch those students who might otherwise fall through the through the cracks. He's built a classroom that is above all a safe and supportive place. By fostering a thoughtful, open, and collaborative atmosphere, Ben empowers students to take risk and to learn from their mistakes. Congratulations. Thank you. And for Martinez Early Intervention Preschool Program, Mary Ann Body. Congratulations. Um Mary Ann is a speech pathologist at our preschool program, and she has been a cornerstone of the Martinez Early Intervention Preschool Program for many years, consistently demonstrating exceptional dedication to students, families,
024and staff. As a skilled SLP, she conducts thorough and thoughtful assessments that help ensure students' needs are accurately identified and understood. She collaborates seamlessly with IEP teams, providing valuable insight to develop appropriate goals and services that support meaningful student progress. Mary Ann is highly dependable, always willing to step in where needed, and supports both professionalism and compassion to her work. And brings both professionalism and compassion to her work. She is truly the glue that holds the program together and an invaluable part of its continued success. Thank you. And the nominee from the Santee Barone's is Amy Burner, but she's not able to be here tonight. So, we will recognize her though. And then from adult education, Marge McLean. Congratulations. Marge has taught ESL classes at adult ed for 30 years and has also taught US
025citizenship preparation classes for much of that time. Throughout her career, Marge has been well-liked and respected by both her colleagues and students. She is a very giving person who is warm and friendly personality along with her common patient demeanor makes her highly approachable to those students and staff. These qualities create a welcoming and supportive learning environment where students feel comfortable and encouraged to succeed. Marge has consistently shown her commitment to her students and their success. Congratulations and thank you very much. And our uh district nominee for County Office of Education Teacher of the Year is Ms. Katie Collins. And then I'd like to invite Congratulations. All All the teachers back up for one photo if we could. >> Before you guys run out, I just also wanted to say congratulations again um for your dedication.
026It goes beyond the classroom walls. You inspire curiosity, nurture confidence, and help shape the future of every student who walks through your doors. Tonight's honorees represent the very best, but they also reflect the collective excellence of the educators across our districts. We are deeply grateful for your passion, your resilience, and your unwavering belief in your students. Congratulations and thank you for all you do each and every day. Did any other board members want to make comments? No, okay. Okay, and next up we have comments from our student representative. Okay. There we go. At Las Hontas Elementary, fourth and fifth graders performed their Go West music show on Friday, April 17th to a full house. Thank you to all of the families who were who were able to attend. On Friday, April 24th, Las Hontas TK
027students took a trip to the Martinez Library where they were also able to sign up for their own library cards, opening the world of reading for our littles. Thank you to Las Hontas Elementary's PTA and to all of the parents and students for making staff appreciation week at Las Hontas a beautiful week where teachers felt seen, appreciated, and loved. Las Hontas Elementary's book fair starts this Tuesday, April 28th and ends Friday, May 1st. The first and second grade music show will be held on Friday, May 8th at 8:30 a.m. and Las Hontas's annual carnival will be held on Friday, May 15th and doors open at 5:30. John Muir Elementary's SDC TK through fifth grades explored the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and Mr. Patzold's recorder and ukulele club, which we've seen before, um, performed
028at the Multicultural Fair. At John Swett Elementary, Powell's classes have been exploring the wonders of doing hands-on science with wind machines and other hands-on activities they have loved. Fifth graders last week visited the local Martinez waterfront with a guide and the DVC Planetarium. Second graders have started looking at the real process of butterflies in their classrooms. CASP testing is all this week and and John Swett Elementary Teacher Appreciation Week starts May 4th. Morello Park Elementary held its STEM Fair on Wednesday, April 22nd. 44 students participated with science projects and dozens of vendors participating, including the Mount Diablo Astronomical Society, Mount Diablo Beekeepers, the Berkeley Chemistry Club, Chevron Refinery, Mathnasium, and more. There was an extremely high attendance and it was a fun night all around. Fifth graders visited the Balman water treatment plant and learned
029all about what happens to our water when it goes down the drain. Fourth and fifth graders are working hard on learning their lines for the upcoming class play. CASP testing in the third, fourth, and fifth grade for the is for the next two weeks. Uh, special thanks to the future to Future Ford of Concord for arranging to replace all of the windshield wipers on teacher and staff cars for free on May 6th. And finally, the Morello Park Talent Show is on May 1st. Okay. Now, just a few personal comments. There are only six weeks and three meetings left in the school year, but funnily enough, that still looks very daunting to me as we continued our as we continue our march forward. We've still got AP testing, Mr. Alhambra, which I'll be participating in, the
030Disney trip, senior sunset, and more. I'm trying to take in everything as I go. College Commitment Day is this Friday and all us seniors will will wearing our merch for our colleges of choice. And I wanted to end this by saying congratulations to the educators of the year for our district. Thank you. Thank you. Do we have any um employee organization reports from MEA? Do we have any from CSEA? Do not I think so. Okay. Um comments from the PTA? Good evening. So, um on behalf of the PTAs, um we are actually wrapping up our auction season, but as Matthew reported, there's still a lot of activities going on at our schools. Um we've got field days coming up, etc. Sorry, don't mean to take any part of your report. Um and just a lot
031going on in the next 29 days. Somebody keep me honest. Um the other thing I also want to do um is as a member of the PTSA um for several years now, we've now are embarking on a significant amount of change once again within our district. So, on behalf of PTSAs, we'd really want to make a call out to our community, particularly our parents or family members, etc. that are members. It's get involved, right? That's our mantra, get involved. If you don't know who your local board trustee rep is, go on to the school district website and figure that out. Reach out to them. Check and see where your ideals may align with their ideals, where you may have differences, and where you may come to some common ground on those differences and understand this
032five-member board is going to be responsible for placing our next superintendent, and this time we want to get it right. So, it's important. Be part of the process and get involved. Thank you. Okay, next we have public comments. The public may address the board regarding any item within the jurisdiction of the Board of Education of the Martinez Unified School District. For items on the agenda, the public may comment at the time the board considers the agenda item. For items not on the agenda, the public may comment under public comment. These comments are limited to 3 minutes each. 20 minutes have been allocated for this portion of the agenda. Additional time is allowed at the end of the meeting if there was not enough time to speak during public comments. To comply with the Brown Act,
033the board may listen to comments from speakers, but can neither discuss nor take action on items on issues presented. Members of the board are very limited in their response to statements or questions by persons commenting on items not on the agenda. So, I have a num- a couple of comment cards here. First up, we have J. Ricardo Rodriguez. Good afternoon. Good evening. I hope the administrative paid leave of Dr. Gigi Patrick is not a question of implicit bias. I have lived here on Main Street for 13 years. I saw what our small town went through during the Black Lives Matter movement. I recently saw what was done to Brittany Ayala. And only 22% of eligible voters voters ousted her in a special election. It cost our scholars, my scholars, thousands of needed dollars. When Ms.
034Hasmin Ayala left this same board as a Latina, she was questioned for leaving. And it hadn't been done before. When Ms. Ayala left, it continued. Unfortunately, Ms. Brenda Ayala's team told me personally that both Ayala and Ayala believed in school-to-prison platforms. Yet, from my own community work, I know that both of them have volunteered at the detention center here in Martinez delivering Christmas gifts every year. I have been an educator for 22 years. I have taught at De La Salle for five. I taught at St. Catherine of Siena for 3 years. As an educator and a community member and a parishioner of St. Catherine Parish, I have heard and I have witnessed the racism that many of my scholars have gone through. Students of color and all students finally had a role model to look
035up here in Martinez. Educators of all colors were excited. I thought MUSD was finally on a positive journey led by Dr. Patrick. Not sure what she did. I was at Casa 2 weeks ago. Boy, is she loved and valued by people of color. I truly truly hope for the benefit of this community and the scholars that we have less than 4,000 and some of the lies that were mentioned to me in that special election. And no one knew that I knew these two ladies from my service at the juvenile delinquency center. They thought I would support Ms. Leah. I truly truly hope that the removal of Dr. Gigi Patrick has nothing to do with implicit biases that I've seen living on Richardson and Main Street for 13 years. Have a good evening and thank you
036for what YOU GUYS DO. NEXT PUBLIC COMMENT IS CRAIG LAZARETTI. I ALSO WANT TO start off with by congratulating our educators of the year. As we saw in the photo in front of us that will go out I'm sure on our social district social media tomorrow. They do represent the best of MUSD. But equally clear that we all see in that photo tomorrow on social media, they do not reflect the diversity of MUSD. Not by a long shot. Now, I'm not arrogant enough to say who was right or who was wrong in this divided vote to fire our first black superintendent in this district. I don't know the facts. We probably will never know the facts. I will say this, however, what happened should be looked at in a broader context of what's happened in
037this district in the toxic white privileged, white dominated culture that has dominated this district for far too long even as this district has become more and more diverse. Let's take a little history lesson, shall we? Let's go back to the summer of 2020. The Black Lives Matter movement. When it became known that Alhambra High staff sanctioned racist sports team dress-up days for years and years on campus. Rapper day. Chola day. Never a public reckoning. Never. Of what that what happened. 2020 election time. Two black candidates run for school board. Neither of them receive any major endorsements from the powers that be in the school district. One of those black candidates is not even interviewed by the MEA. 2022. The powers that be that loved their status quo and their white privilege above all else would
038rather see a MAGA supporter on our school board and MAGA values on our school board knowing what those represent marginalized students than a Latina woman who might rock the boat a little bit. And let's just be clear, MAGA is not about policy differences. Anyone who thinks that is living in their white privileged bubble. MAGA is about cruelty. We saw implicit bias on full display here in this boardroom last year. When an appointee to the school board was had her position terminated for the first time in 50 years, an appointee to a school board position was terminated and had her qualifications as a district parent and as an educator questioned in ways that no white appointee ever was questioned. The Latina school board member who resigned for higher office had her qualif- her commitment to this
039district questioned in ways that no other white sup- school board member who resigned was ever questioned. >> I'm sorry. This is a disgrace. Craig, you're out of time, please. People of color, you have power. You can bankrupt this school district. They will not represent you. Linda Olivera, you're up. Uh-oh. Okay. Linda Olivera, uh Martinez resident and also affiliated with a number of Latino and immigrant advocacy organizations in Contra Costa County. I've been at these school board meetings. I've been right next to Craig through all of the crap that he's described. And I wanted to start out my 3-minute presentation with spots on a nepper on a leper never change. Martinez Unified School District continues to alienate us in the community. Not just minorities, but the community the community as well. As a minority, I was
040working well with former Superintendent Senard. And boom, all of a sudden she's gone. No one except the few of you knew why. Not the community. Oh. Oh, excuse me. You're just following the law. Confidentiality. Personnel confidentiality. Well, hooray for you. To hell with so-called engaged community engagement. Frank Beatty. All right. Uh good evening everyone. Uh thank you for having me and be able to speak. Uh Ms. Malki and Ms. Stafford had hoped to come tonight, but they are deep in the middle of getting ready uh for the musical which starts on Thursday. And so they wanted me to pass along uh to the board and to everyone uh some information, so I'm going to do that. Uh so, uh 35 actors, 19 musicians, 12 technicians, one producer director, one musical tech director, one choreographer, one
041costume drama mama, and two stagecraft classes full of artistic kids equals four shows of absolute magic. Once Upon a Mattress, this week only, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. with an additional matinee on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Um excuse me, Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Uh get your tickets on GoFan and don't miss out. Uh I will be there on Thursday night and I hope to see everyone if they can make it. Uh the kids and everybody involved are working very hard uh and it's going to be a great show. So, thank you very much. Thank you for the information. Um the last public comment I have here is Dr. Lamont Francis. Good evening, uh trustees. My name is Dr. Lamont Francis and I am a long-time educator and member of Council of California African-American
042Association of Superintendents and Administrators. And I stand here tonight um in deep concern, deep concern about the release of uh Dr. uh Patrick. Uh it was a decision from my knowledge that was done behind closed doors. It was a process that lacked transparency, clarity, and accountability. And these actions erode the trust of the community and a trust that is should be the foundation of any strong school district. Dr. Patrick is a woman with over 30 years of professional excellence in education. She is a woman of faith and integrity. Uh she was placed on leave without public justification and she was escorted out of the district office in a manner that was deeply disrespectful and dehumanizing. We cannot ignore the context. She is the only African-American working in this office in 2026. That is a shame.
043Representation matters. And when she is treated this way, it questions how our students are treated on our school campuses. And so this is what we call passive institutional racism. It is not above the surface. It's not an in word, but it is embedded in systems. It is not always loud or obvious, but it is embedded in a process that lacks transparency. So at this time, we can talk about equity or we can practice equity. Equity is a commitment to fairness, dignity, and accountability. And I hope that you remember this moment and reflect deeply. Because I just left a program in honor of the late great Willie Mims or this place would look like Wakanda. And I'm telling you right now, they are not happy with what's going on. And so I urge you I urge
044you right now to think about not only the message it sends to students in the community, but think about the path moving forward. Thank you so much. To be of another public comment? Catherine? Are you making a public comment or no? I saw you back there with a pen. Yes. Okay. Good evening, board members. Uh my name is Catherine Hearn. I'm an educator at Alhambra. Uh have been for 13 years and a mother of three who've come through either graduated or still currently in our system here in Martinez. I just um This is a very very difficult subject. Obviously, it's one that all of us in this room and beyond are are subject to, and you made a very difficult decision over the last week. And and ending in what it did tonight. And um
045I just there's really no easy way to say this other than I have faith that the concerns over this being about the the the termination of our superintendent being about implicit bias because that just creates a disconnect that if there were issues of discrimination or implicit bias, then I don't understand how we would have hired her in the first place. And I think the fact that we did hire her in the first place um with the effort to have representation and to address uh the needs to have a diverse uh staff and school board that um that the two just, you know, two plus two is not equaling four there. So, I just kind of want to throw that out there for whatever it's worth for those who have concerns about our district and the
046and the and the direction it's headed. Uh yes, we do have a very diverse population. I have 225 of those students. Uh and two and a half two others in my department have have the other 400 uh students at Alhambra. And upwards of 40% of those students are um and socio-socioeconomically and ethnic-ethnically diverse. And I can assure you that um well, I mean, you could just I invite anybody to come along any day and and visit our classroom and see how much they feel perfectly uh at home and comfortable in my classroom and many other classrooms. If there's ever any doubt about how much we care for our students of every single background. Uh I encourage you to come to any of our classrooms and to my classroom and to see them engaged with each
047other, to be engaged with me, to be engaged with all of our teachers. And you might find a very different picture than what some some people think is going on. Thank you. I think that's it for public comment. Okay. Um Are there any changes to the consent calendar? There's I believe one. Okay. Um I'd like to pull the minutes from uh the last regular meeting. Yeah, 13.1. So, do you want to talk about that after we approve the consent calendar? Yes, that's fine. Okay. Do you want to make a motion? Oh, yes. I um A motion to approve the consent calendar. >> I make a motion to approve the consent calendar as amended. >> as amended. Thank you. I'll second that. Student rep? Aye. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. So moved. Um okay. So,
048what do you want to talk about on that board meeting minutes agenda? Um Or on the minutes of that. >> So, under number 15 action items, we were talking about the board policies and um we pulled some of them, but um I think it says 9323, but we should have also had 9322 be removed before we voted on that and they both still have um a lot of a lot of changes within them that we need to look at again, I think. Um we we discussed the changes, but when we approved it, we didn't say as amended. Okay. So, can we approve this since we didn't say that and then bring those items back to the next meeting if you want to look at those policies again? Yes, I think that would that would be
049the best. Okay. So do we have to make a motion for that? So Brenda. I'll do it. Um so I would like to make a motion to approve the um minutes as written. However, I'd like to bring back um the board policies 9322 bylaws Yeah, 9322 was the one that was left out. Okay. So we'll bring that one Is that the only one we're bringing back? Well, there's a list of them on there, but they're they're already they've already been removed. So we will be seeing some of those again. >> So we'll go back to Okay. Do I get a second on that? I'll second it. Did we understand that? Okay. Uh so we're approving the minutes from the board meeting. However, we would like to bring, amend, and bring back the board policy. What's
050the number, Brenda? Uh 9322 with the other policies. All the 9000s? Okay, let's do that. I think I I just made a motion, right? So second, anybody want to second that? I'll second it. Student rep? Aye. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. So moved. Oh, before we move on, I we do have one retirement and I've been kind of making a habit of congratulating people. So we have Carol Sullivan from Alhambra High School. Um I worked alongside her in both sped and English department and I had the privilege of teaching one of her daughters. So wishing her a happy send-off into retirement. I'm going to echo that. I had meant to do that, too. Thank you, Annie, for bringing that up. Okay, next we've got um discussion information item, declaration of need for fully qualified
051educators for the 2026-2027 school year, Janelle Iyat. Um this item is being brought forward for information tonight. This is an item we bring annually in preparation for hiring for the next school year. Um this declaration of need needs to be reviewed and ultimately approved by the Board of Education each year um in order for CTC, our credentialing agency um with the state of California, to issue any waivers or limited assignment permits that might be needed for any candidates we hire for the upcoming school year. So, the document attached um outlines um what we anticipate we could need in terms of limited limited assignments for the 2026-2027 school year. And this item is being presented as information only and will be coming back next week for action. Great. Do you guys have any questions on that?
052Public comment? Okay. Uh first action item, we have approval of proposed Martinez Adult Education Teacher Salary Increases, Janelle Iyat. This item is being brought back um for action uh after being presented to the board previously for information. Um the Martinez Adult Education um is seeking a 2% salary increase for its teachers retroactive to July 1st, 2025. Um this increased in compensation would be paid by Adult Ed and would not impact the district's general fund. Great, thank you. And that's the same raise that the teachers in all the other bargaining units received. Any questions? Any um public comment? Do I have a motion? I make a motion to approve a 2% salary increase for Morena Adult Education teachers retroactive to July 1st, 2025. Student rep? I think you can vote on that cuz this is just
053or maybe not. Okay. Um all in favor? I. I. Review and adoption of resolution 2026-2025 approval of piggyback agreement. Yada yada yada Andy Cannon, I'm not going to read it all. Thank you uh thank you for that introduction. Um so continuing with our construction projects, we will have many of these smaller contracts because we are breaking up um larger projects into smaller task and the end design is to be able to have the most cost-efficient means of meeting our projection goals. So in that um mindset, we are having a piggyback bid in front of the board tonight for field turf. This is the green uh grass-like plastic surface that we have at the other elementary schools. And this will go in the new TK um expansion project at Morena Park Elementary. So we're asking for
054approval from the board this evening. And that's coming from our bond. Yes, ma'am. It is from our bond. Any questions? So this is like a piggyback of a piggyback? Right? Nope, just a regular old piggyback. Okay, I thought we had discussed a piggyback on the last one. Uh so it's always piggyback off the main contract. So everybody piggybacks. Okay. Thank you. Do we have any public comment? Okay, do I have a motion? I'll move that um we approve um the piggyback agreement. Thank you. Resolution I'm sorry. What do you pointing to? Adopt resolution 2026-2025 approval of piggyback agreement. Yes, you do it. I make a motion to approve resolution 2026-25 approval of the piggyback agreement with FieldTurf USA Inc. for Marella Park Elementary School TK playground project. I'll second. Student rep? >> I. All those
055in favor? I. So moved. Next, we have reviewing reviewing adoption of resolution 2026-26 approval of piggyback agreement with All County Flooring Inc. This time I'm going to read it all. Building J carpet replacement project at Alhambra High School Andy Cannon. Um we are continuing and we'll see many piggyback bids over the next um few board meetings. This one is for building J for new carpet surface, new tile surface, um and all with All County Flooring. So, again, we're using our Omnia agreement, which is a little bit different than we normally do. Sometimes we'll use Sourcewell or other consortiums. So, this is through Omnia with a price not to exceed $116,175.23. We're asking the board to approve this project and contract. Okay, thank you. Any questions? Public comment? Do we have a motion? I'll move Logan's
056making me do it again so I can practice. Um so, I move to uh adopt resolution 26 2026-26 the approval of the piggyback agreement with All County Flooring and building J carpet replacement. Second. Student rep? I. All those in favor? I. So moved. Next item, review and approval of the Cummings Group professional services work order for Alhambra High School building F replacement and various mods project Andy Cannon. Uh thank you. This will be my last item for action tonight. Um we are working with a construction management team and we've done so for many years. They've changed names, but um they have essentially stayed the same in staffing. Um so the projects that we're looking forward with our measure O dollars is on a per project basis. So the the industry standard is to use a
057sliding scale based on the total dollar amount for the project. So those details are included in this attachment. We are asking the board to approve the up to $345,750 of construction management cost for this company. Now what that would mean is that they submit to us invoices um monthly on what their hours are. Um they may be coming shorter than this, but they cannot exceed this amount for this project. So we will complete this larger project at the high school for um for $28.8 million um with this amount in mind. So we're asking for the board to approve the um the professional services contract with Cummings Group. Great. Any questions? Was this one we discussed in the last facilities meeting? Well, we don't we haven't discussed this specific aspect. It's kind of one of those
058things that we infer as we work with them to do all these projects. They're in the background and this is the cost that goes with it. Um so this is a larger one because we're doing a larger project. In the past for some of the smaller projects like the Marela Park TK, it's been included, but it's been a smaller dollar amount. So it doesn't always raise to the same level. When you see, you know, six digits, you start thinking, let's talk about this. And so that's why it's here in this format for you to look at and for the public to see in a in a greater version than just within the consent calendar. Thank you. Do you have any public comments? Do I have a motion? I make a motion to approve work order
059for the Alhambra High School building F replacement and various mod project or mods projects. I'll second. Student rep? I. All those in favor? I. So moved. Next up we have superintendent's report. Thank you. I would first like to say I'm honored by your confidence in appointing me as interim superintendent. And having served in this district for 14 years, I step into this role with a deep sense of responsibility and a strong commitment to the students, staff, and families we serve. During this transition, my focus is on maintaining stability, continuing the important work we already have underway, and partnering with the board to ensure alignment with our priorities so our schools continue to thrive. The strength of this district is our community and I look forward to continuing to partner with our dedicated staff, engaging with
060our families, and listening to our community as we move forward. It is an honor to serve in this capacity and I look forward to working together to support our district. And then I also have a few other things to report on. This week the construction team joined the Morello Park staff meeting to share an update on the TK construction project. Construction on the new TK buildings and playground modernization will begin right at the end of the school year. We anticipate the playground renovations will be complete for the start of the new year and the new building will be ready for the 2027-28 school year. Members of our staff attended the California Distinguished School Recognition Ceremony on Friday, April 24th. Martinez Junior High School was recognized as a 2026 California Distinguished School based on meeting the
061criteria for exemplary high achievers and achievement gap closers. The ceremony was a special day to recognize our school's outstanding achievements. Martinez Junior High School will hold the Distinguished School title for 2 years. School Principals Day is on May 1st. I would like to recognize the crucial leadership, dedication, and commitment of our principals in shaping school culture and student success. The district calendar committee has completed its process of reviewing draft calendars for the 2027-28 2028-29 and 2029-30 school years. The committee recommendation for the instructional calendars will be presented to the board for information at our next meeting on May 4th. Thank you very much and congratulations. Um Courtney, do you want to start us off with board reports? Sure. Um I attended the City Council meeting on when was that? 2 weeks ago. Uh and they
062honored our um one of our AHS students and our uh custodial staff with sustai- sustainability awards. So, that was really great. So, congratulations to all of those people and thank you for this to the city for doing that. And I'm looking forward to attending the uh Once Upon a Mattress production later this week. Okay, Brenda. Um thank you. I also attended the City Council meeting and it was wonderful to see our classified staff uh recognized um for all the extra hard work that they do. Um I was able to also uh attend the Multicultural Fair at John Muir and it was I thought very well attended for uh the first time that that it happened. Um and in addition, I was at the John Muir auction um and with uh Logan and he was incredibly
063generous. So, I'm going to let him say more about that. Thank you. Uh so, they already talked about the City Council meeting. Courtney was there. The photos that were taken and posted, she just happened to be blocked in both. >> I'm going to wear heels. Yeah. So, if you're wondering, I didn't see you in those photos. Look in the far back left corner. She's there. Um uh I got to work. If you guys have ever parked across the street, uh New Leaf Collaborative has the community garden over there. I got to pull some weeds and plant some plants. Um I want to thank uh Helpy Martinez and uh MRC for coming out and volunteering there. Um and I think they're going to get some of the classes out there on Friday. So, uh hopefully we
064did enough work to impress them. Um I also had the pleasure of attending the John Muir Elementary and John Swett Elementary uh PTA fundraisers over the weekend. Um with Trustee Lyell at the John Muir Elementary one. Uh got to spend some money. Uh and I want to thank MRC. I I didn't know this until I attended the event. Uh but for the John Muir Elementary, they provided the clubhouse, food, and the wine. Which I'm sure which was popular. And the food was delicious. I didn't try the wine though. Um so, I just want to thank all the volunteers and all the parents that came out and put that together. I'm not sure how much they raised, but I mean, it's a fun time. So, even if you don't have any kids at those uh schools,
065next year get a ticket. You'll enjoy yourself. Everyone gets to get dressed up, good food, and uh have some really fun times spending some money on artwork from the kids. Uh and then other than that, um one of the future board items I'd like to discuss uh at some point is around um staff uh and I'm I'm not sure if I'm going to word this properly, but around staff and their kids and uh assignments at uh different sites. I'm not sure. I should have looked up which what the school board policy was related to that. I think you're talking about enrollment priority. >> Yes, thank you. So, if we I'm not sure, but if we can have that as a future agenda topic, I'd like to look at that. Again, thanks. All right. Um on
066Saturday, I'm going to attend the Cornhole for a Cause, which is um put on by Ocel Mendoza, who's an Alhambra alum who was diagnosed with ALS, and this is a really, really fun event. This is the fifth year. Um it's happening at the Martinez Yacht Club, and you buy in and you play cornhole. For me, I am on a team with my husband. He will be sorely disappointed. I assume we will be eliminated after the double elimination happens, and then I will be down um down there just socializing and eating lunch and enjoying my day. Um but I'm supremely terrible, but it is a really fun event, and the um the money raised goes for uh scholarships for our graduating seniors um across the district. So, uh both Vicente Briones and Alhambra. And and they
067I really love the criteria that they use for um selecting the scholarship winners have to do with um character. And so, it's just it's a really it's a really, really nice event. All community. It's wonderful if you can just come stop by. They also um I'm not seeing a website on here, but if you just Google Cornhole for a Cause, I'm sure you'll find it. But they are also doing if you don't want to play, you can just buy a ticket to have to come and watch and have lunch, which is um it has been Kinder's. I think that's what it's going to be. So, come on down and have a good time and support our our local um alumni and students. Okay. Um for my board report, um I did attend the ACSA Region
0686 Administrators of the Year Awards last Thursday. Um Janelle was there as well as uh Brenda and um, congratulations to the winners. It was a very nice evening. Um, and then I'm looking forward to the play on Friday. I'm going to go on Fridays and um, again um, congratulations to Janelle and in the short time she's been that she was acting um, I've been very impressed with everything um, she's done. She's been on top of of everything so thank you very much for diving in so quickly to that. Um, and we don't need additional we don't have additional comments from the public and we don't need to go to close session so we are adjourning at 7:27 p.m.