001going to go ahead and call the regular meeting of the board of education for Martinez Unified School District to order. It is January 26th, 2026 and it is 5:00 p.m. Do we have any public comments for close session? >> No public comments for close session. >> Then we will adjourn to close session. Hello. We're calling the meeting back to order at 6:33. I have nothing to report out from the um closed session. Will you please join me in the pledge of allegiance? Pledge 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. >> Okay. Do we have any changes to the agenda? Yes, we do. We are going to move the presentation, the information item on the
002social media to right before cons the consent items. >> What number was that? >> 14.1. Okay, just >> you got it. >> All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Do I have a motion? I move that um we bring uh policy. What is it for policy? >> No, we're doing the agenda right now. That's in consent. >> This is the agenda. That's consent. >> Want me to do it? Okay. Um I move to approve the agenda as amended. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I. So moved. >> Next we have highlights and recognition. First we have the um Slam Alhamra High School. Do you want to go ahead and introduce them? Dr. Patrick. >> Yes. Thank you, Madame President. At this time, we want to welcome Slam who is here. And is
003that everyone? Okay. Well, the floor is all yours. Thank you for coming. My name is Melissa Gilberg. I'm the MTSS counselor at Alhhamra. I've also been the SLAM adviser for the past three years. Um I'm so proud of the work that our students have have been engaged in. Adam Peterson got involved with SLAM as a sophomore and this year as a senior has taken on a really great leadership role and I'll let him kind of talk about what's been going on and where we're headed. >> Thank you. My name is Adam Peterson. I'm a senior at Alhamra. uh some of the basics of our club. I guess we meet about every five weeks during our access period. Uh we have Missy, Mr. Hussy, and Miss Kaiser helping us run the club. We have about 35
004members. I'd say on average, we have about 8 to 12 members show up per week. Um we've been facing some challenges this year with past seniors having left, which were running the club last year. So, it's been hard to take up the leadership role and continue like running out events and getting people to join. Um so, we've kind of had to focus on like rebuilding the club. But our last meeting, uh, we planned out some events that we hope will like introduce slam to the school more. Things like weekly announcements during fourth period where we can go on the loudspeaker and share things about what we're doing or historical events, things like that. Having a cultural potluck or bake sale because a lot of the kids at Alhamra love to eat food and that's a
005big motivator. Um, uh, having a table at the quad during lunch with like slammed activities like different trivia or something like that. Also partnering with the BSU, our Black Student Union for events like getting together with other clubs and creating a sense of community. Uh running a slam Instagram where we can like post reels and stuff, have some fun, show like people all over what we're doing. Also host kickbacks, casual events in the PAB, show movies, just hang out, have people come together. We haven't been able to execute any of these yet. We've been focusing on having um meetings with Dr. Watson, who I believe was part of the grant. So, we've been doing those, but hopefully once those meetings are over, we're able to roll out more activities and become a bigger part of
006the community and hopefully have more freshmen join and sophomores and people coming into the high school because right now we have mostly seniors and juniors. So, having us leave in the coming years will be a challenge for the club again. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. I have one question. Go back. Thank you. Um, no, thank you. That's exciting to see that you guys are still focusing on that. Um, do you guys have any more presentations from Dr. Watson or >> I believe there are about two or three more. I think we continue through the rest of the year, I believe. >> Okay. So, um, how are you and you said you're trying to get the freshmen involved. How are you trying to do that besides the clubs and getting together? >> There are
007other club fairs where we can where we have gotten most of our like people to join, but most of it's like our friends, the other people in the club like, "Hey, friends come join the club." But it's hard for like junior and seniors to have those freshman friends that like to come join the club, >> right? Okay. >> Awesome. Well, thank you very much for doing that. I think it's wonderful that you're doing that and thank you for coming and making a presentation. Did you guys have any questions, board members? >> Well, thank you very much. I appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> Next, we have the PALS program from John Sweat Elementary. OKAY, good evening. My name is Sarra Batsky. I am the TK in kindergarten PAL teacher at John Sweat Elementary. Um, joining
008me tonight is Nancy O'Brien. Oh, perfect. Thank you. um our third through fifth grade PAL teacher and together we'll be sharing an overview of the PALS program which serves students with higher support needs from preschool through 8th grade. Um while I teach the TK kindergarten level and Nancy supports three through five, PALS is a district-wide program with five teachers serving students across multiple grade levels. Um it's a program that's truly near and dear to my heart. I first subbed in our only PAL's class nine years ago and that's where I met Nancy who was a onetoone paraprofessional and then in 2018 we both went on to become PAL's teachers. So I'll hand that over to you. >> Oh, what do we do? There we go. So what is PALS? PALS stands for the program for
009academic language and social development. It is a self-contained class designed for students with higher support needs who benefit from intensive individualized instruction and support throughout the entire school day. Students may require support with communication, sensory processing, regulation, and accessing all academics. Instruction that we deliver is delivered and within a structured and predictable environment that promotes growth, independence, and meaningful participation. Sorry. Oh, skip one more. >> So, routines and academics in in PAL's routines aren't just about structure. They're what make our learning possible. Um, many of our students rely on the predictability to feel safe, regulated, and ready to engage in learning. Throughout the day, we used evidence-based instructional practices. One example is teachbased structured teaching which emphasizes visual organization, clear expectations and independent work systems. Um, this approach helps students understand what to do, how
010much to do, and when they are finished, building both independence and confidence. Um, hands-on learning is embedded throughout the school day through much of the activities. Um, while the instruction is highly individualized, it remains aligned with grade level standards or appropriate developmental benchmarks. We maintain high expectations while meeting students where they're at and supporting meaningful progress. So, every PAL's classroom is intentionally designed to support student regulation. Each classroom includes designed designated break spaces, sensory supports, and calming tools to help students manage their sensory and emotional needs throughout the school day. In addition, each PAL site is has access to a dedicated sensory room which provides students with larger scale sensory needs and sensory input and movement opportunities when needed. These thoughtfully designed environments allow students to regulate proactively supporting their ability to return to learning
011successfully and remain engaged. Thank you. So, communication and PALS students use a range of AAC, which is a tongue twister. It's augmentative and alternative communication. I practice that one a few times even though I say it all the time. Um, from low tech pictures to high-tech devices, um, it depends on our students individual needs. We collaborate closely with our speech language pathologists, our AAC specialists through the SULPA to ensure each student's communication system is thoughtfully selected, consistently implemented, and able to grow with them over time. Um, AAC is embedded throughout the school day. It empowers our students to express their needs, their thoughts, show off their humor and personalities. Um, it's not just during their therapy sessions, but in every single learning environment. >> I did it. Um so related services and team support. Um
012PALS is supported by a multi-isip disciplinary team including our school psychologists, speech and language pathologists, HAC specialists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, behavior analysis and adapted physical education teachers, classroom teachers and pair professionals work collaboratively with all service providers to ensure that strategies and supports are implemented consistently throughout the school day. This team-based approach allows instruction, therapy, and regulation supports to be integrated seamlessly, ensuring that students are supported across environments, not only during isolated service times. Our paraprofessionals, shout out to our paraprofessionals, they're the heartbeat of the PAL program and without them, we couldn't do what we do. They support every aspect of our school day from academics to life skills, communication, behavior regulation, social emotional care. Um they're there for classroom instruction, recess therapy sessions, inclusion opportunities, and during moments that may require regulation, support,
013and even in the event of a crisis response, our paras are the ones who are there. They build deep trusting relationships with our students and our families. And I can confidently say that our pair of professionals in Martinez are among the most highly skilled and dedicated staff I have ever worked with. And the success, safety, and growth of the PAL program is directly tied to their consistent presence and expertise. Okay. Inclusion and lasting friendships. Inclusion is an important part, an intentional part of our PALS program. Our goal is to continue expanding meaningful inclusion opportunities based on each student's readiness, strengths, and individual needs. Students participate in exclusion inclusion experiences that foster social connection, communication, and a sense of belonging. We also hear from families and staff that friendships formed in our elementary program inclusion often
014carries over into middle school, continuing to grow and strengthen over time. These lasting relationships highlight the long-term impact of intentional and wellsupported inclusion. And we also wanted to highlight um the inclusive school culture that John Sweat has worked to intentionally build over the years um including our autism acceptance month. One of my favorite moments was let's see if I can There we go. Uh seeing staff wear the infinity pins. Um, Miss Le has one on right now. That was awesome to see. Um, we passed these out to all of our staff members. They wore them on their lanyards during the month of April. Um, general education teachers at our site welcomed us into our their classrooms where we read books about neurodiversity. We created whole class communication boards and um, engaged students in meaningful conversations
015about the many different ways people communicate. And students also colored and cut out infinity symbols which we assembled into a giant infinity symbol along the hallway. That was really cool to see. So our students at the heart of PALS are our extraordinary students. They are among the hardest working children you will ever meet. Showing up every day ready to begin and try again both in school and often through additional therapies outside of the school day. They are smart, funny, creative, and full of personality, and they make meaningful growth across all domains of their learning. People fall in love with PALS because of our students, their perseverance, their humor, and genuine connections that they build with everyone around them. And PAL's connection does not require a spoken language. And in closing, um PALS is not just
016a placement. It's a place where students are seen, they're understood, and they're supported in meaningful and lasting ways. Through the dedication of our staff and the perseverance of our students, PALS creates opportunities for growth, belonging, and long-term independence. Um, thank you for your continued support of this work and most importantly, the students at the heart of it. Thank you very much. Um I've heard lots of positive things about PALS and I've seen the rooms. I've kind of toward you guys' um John school and so um yeah, congratulations on doing such an awesome job. Keep up the good work. >> I just want to say that I was so excited when I found out that PALS was presenting tonight because your program is intentional. It is extraordinary the work that the teachers and the pair of
017professionals do and that you have such a great principal to help you um is is incredible. Um, and just the inclusivity that you built when I was there reading stories to kids, talking to every classroom um, on the campus was it's just so inspiring and I I I just feel so happy that you came and you you showed us how special what you do is and and how you're serving our kids in this community. Thank you so very much. Any other comments? >> Well, I'll just echo everything that Brenda just said and also I'm so glad you came on a night where you have this huge audience so everyone can see this amazing work that's happening because this really is the heart and soul of our district programs like this and dedication of staff who
018are making this possible for our kids. So, thank you. Okay. Our student representative is not here today. So, Dr. Patrick will read um his report. >> Yes. Okay. Thank you, Trusty President. Um so, this is the report for January 2026. And we'll start with Los Huntus. Uh the three highlights for Los Hunas are as follows. Our second grade semester student leadership elections were held last Tuesday. We are so proud of our bull pups who ran for positions. Our fifth graders are currently learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in class while preparing for the MLK musical next month. Thank you to the awesome PTA for showering our staff with goodies and treats the week before the holidays. We greatly appreciate the support. And our upcoming events are um our ELAC meeting which will be held
019on January 27th. Our next PTA meeting is Tuesday, February 3rd. And our Valentine's dance will be on Friday, February 6th. For John Mir, fourth grade went on a field trip to John to the John Mir house. Leading up to their field trip, students wrote biography reports about John Mir and other Victorian heroes. Students in fourth grade were also given free passes to the national parks good until August 31st, 2026. During our New Leaf Science lesson, third graders learned about forces and motion. They used many types of materials to make magnetic sleds for for their penguins. Fun and learning were had by all. Thank you, New Leaf. JME also participated in their first family event on Friday. They were able to cozy up, eat popcorn, and enjoy a movie with family and friends. And their next
020upcoming events are the friendship dance on Friday, February 20th, the PTA meeting, which is February 24th, and the school site council meeting, which will be held on Thursday, February 5th. And this concludes the report. Thank you. >> Thank you. Okay. Do we have next we have employee organizational reports? Do we have anyone from MEA? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Good evening. My name is Mary Writtenhouse and I am co-president of the Martinez Education Association. MEA would like to express concerns regarding the proposed budget reductions and how they align with the stated goal of minimizing the impact on students and classrooms. According to the district's proposals, 1,990 thou,000 in reductions are assigned to positions that work directly on school sites, while 35,000 is proposed in reductions to administration. From a union perspective, this represents a significant
021imbalance in how reductions are being distributed across the district. In Martinez Unified, site sitebased staff include the employees who directly support instruction, supervise students, provide academic and behavioral interventions, and maintain safe and functional school environments. Reductions at this level have a direct and immediate impact on classroom conditions. student access to services and staff workload. When sitebased positions are reduced, the effects are predictable. Increased class sizes, reduced student supports, fewer intervention services, and additional responsibilities shifted onto the remaining staff. While these impacts may not always be labeled as classroom cuts, they are experienced by students and teachers in classrooms every day. At the same time, the proposed administrative reductions are minimal by comparison. This raises concerns about whether the current proposals reflect shared responsibility across all levels of MUSD. If the district's stated priority is to
022protect students and classrooms, then reductions should be more equitably distributed, including at the administrative level. Martinez Unified is a small district with limited staffing at school sites. There is little redundancy and cuts to sitebased positions are not easily absorbed without affecting educational programs and student services. MEA is asking the board to carefully reconsider the distribution of these reductions with the goal of reducing the disproportionate impact on school sites and ensuring that the budget decisions align with the district's stated priorities. Thank you. >> CSEA next. Members of the board, my name is Stephanie Wentz and I'm speaking to you tonight as the president of CSEA Chapter 99, the union that represents classified employees in the district. In other words, the people who keep the district running every single day. Let me be clear from the start.
023The proposed reductions before you tonight are unacceptable. We were originally told the district needed to cut $2 million. Then, without a clear or compelling explanation, the superintendent increased that number to 2.5 million and now another $400,000 in recommended reductions. So, I have to ask, why are we cutting nearly $900,000 more than originally required? While teachers, PAR educators, library media assistants, and other classified and certificated staff who work directly with students every day are facing layoffs or reductions so severe they can no longer earn a living wage. The people who do not work with the students day in and day out are being insulated from sacrifice. This is not shared sacrifice. That is not shared sacrifice. That is sacrifice imposed on those with the least power. And let's be very clear about who is and is
024not being asked to contribute. Management salaries make up 11.16% of the district's total budget and they yet they account for only 1.2% 2% of the proposed cuts. That is nowhere near their fair share. If this were truly about fiscal responsibility, those numbers would look very different. Instead, nearly 2 million in reductions are being absorbed by classified and certificated staff. The people who directly teach, support, supervise, and care for students every single day. And let's talk about the claim that these cuts are unavoidable because of a budget deficit. because the simply because the numbers simply do not support the narrative. In addition to the legally mandated 3% reserve, the district currently has 2.2 million in unassigned unappropriated funds sitting in the budget. That amount alone is more than the 2 million the CBO originally said needed
025to be cut. So why the aggressive 2.9 million in reductions? and the process that produced these recommendations. Frankly, it's so flawed it borders on ridiculous. The district formed a committee of 15 community members and staff. Many with little to no firsthand knowledge of what the positions targeted for reduction actually do and asked them to rank these positions based on their value to students. Eight members refused to participate, leaving seven non-experts making decisions about jobs they did not understand. Decisions that are now being presented to you as a serious data-driven proposal. To make matters worse, the numbers underlying this proposal are highly suspect. Just last year, this board was told we had a budget deficit and needed to cut jobs. As a result, eight classified positions, real people, many with years of dedicated service to this
026district, were eliminated or reduced. Then just a couple of months later, we learned the truth. The district actually had a million surplus. Did those jobs come back? Did those hours get restored? No. They're still gone. So, forgive us for asking, if the district's forecast was wrong then, why should we believe it's right now? And let's talk about what is noticeably absent from these proposed reductions. There are no meaningful cuts at the top. While classified and certificated staff are absorbing two nearly 2 million in reductions, not one cent comes from the superintendent or the upper administration at the district office. In fact, those administrators are poised to give themselves a 2% raise. If reductions are truly necessary, then administrators should take a fair share. A salary freeze or furlow days would allow management to contribute to
027the solution without permanently eliminating positions. When cutting travel and conference expenses was suggested, a standard responsible step when districts are tightening budgets, the idea was shot down. That tells us everything we need to know about what priorities are being protected. Before you make decisions that will permanently affect students and staff, I want to extend an invitation to each of you. Come visit our sites. Spend time with our classified employees. See firsthand the essential work they do every day to keep students safe, supported, and ready to learn. These positions are not abstract line items. They are real people doing real work that matters to our students. This board has a choice to make. You could rubber stamp a proposal built on inflated targets, flawed processes, questionable numbers, and a deficit that does not actually exist. Or
028you can stand up for the people who educate, feed, support, and care for students every day. You have the authority and the responsibility to do better. If sacrifice is truly necessary, then it must be shared by all starting at the top. Our students deserve better. Our staff deserves better. And this community expects better from its leadership. Thank you. Do we have any comments from the PTA? Nope. Okay. Uh, next we have public comments. The public may address the board regarding any item within the jurisdiction of the board of education of Martinez Unified. 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 three minutes each. 20 minutes have been
029allocated 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, the board may listen to comments from speakers, but can neither discuss nor take action 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. I have looks like five public comments for non-aggenda items. First one is Kyle. >> Thank you. Timer ready? Should I go? Okay. All right. Hello. My name is Kyle Bonder. I'm here today as a teacher who cares deeply about our students education and as a parent who cares deeply about my children's education. I'm here today to speak about the proposal to delay
030the adoption of new math curriculum and the resulting delay in new ELA curriculum as a cost-saving measure. Uh my wife is currently a member of the math pilot committee. MUSD adopted the Bridges math curriculum for K5 more than 10 years ago. Uh the Bridges math curriculum does not meet the needs of any of our math learners. This is evident in declining math scores across the district. Over time, many teachers at MUSD have looked to supplemental materials because they are aware that our students need more. Individual teachers are going above and beyond to attend training, gather resources, and design new lessons that may or may not fit the design of the Bridg's curriculum. No teacher in Martinez should have to feel that they need to design new lessons every day in order to best serve their
031students. We have the resources to do better. The patchwork job that our K8 teachers are having to do to support our learners is neither enough nor fair to our educators or students. Martinez is ready for a fresh new curriculum, and our students are ready, too. While we had intended to adopt new curriculum by now, the state adoption of the new math framework delayed the pilot. We were forced to delay our adoption and we cannot put it off any longer. Our students deserve to have highquality curriculum that is up to date and in line with the California Department of Education mathematics framework. They also deserve to have a math education that flows well from elementary to middle schools and fits the district's vision for math. Piloting and adopting a curriculum that spans K through 8 will
032be enormously helpful to our most struggling learners. If we phase in an adoption, there is a very low chance that both elementary and middle school will choose the same curriculum. The district has chosen to focus uh math as a focus area by directive of the board. I would expect to see more investment in this area as a result. Putting off math adoption will not only delay the math learning of our students, it will also impact our students ELA progress, especially our multi- language learners. MUSD adopted Readers and Writers Workshop more than 10 years ago. This curriculum is now widely known for having key components missing. Given that we are legally out of compliance, I would also expect that this situation puts the district at risk for litigation. If we are interested in a cost-saving cost-saving
033measure in the long term, we should be taking this into account as well. It is projected that choosing a phased adoption model for math could mean the delay of adopting new ELA curriculum uh for 3 to six years. My first grade twins would continue to be receiving reading instruction that is not on the list of approved curriculums by the state of California for six more years. This means my young readers could be in seventh grade by the time they receive science-based reading instruction for the first time in their education. I hope that sentence gives you pause. It gives me chills. This is a case where simply doing nothing is a grievous disservice to our students. I beg you to push back on the proposal that we delay the adoption of new curriculum with all your
034power you are given for the children who rely on us, the parents who trust us, and the teachers that show up each day for this community. Ron McCauley, you're next. Hello, my name is Ron McCaulay. In the past two months, many people have asked me questions that boil down to a how did you get here here? As in I have been accepted into my dream college with a full ride, Harvard University. All the way along in my education, there have been many people who have advocated for me in this district that have led to this success. Without them and the actions that they allowed, I would not be here. Starting in elementary school, one of the first steps that got me here was taking an advanced math placement test that led me to be able
035to take advanced math courses in middle school going into sixth grade, which we no longer offer in this district. I would because of this I was allowed to take many AP math classes in high school while allowing me to take other classes that I actually was interested in as well. When I entered high school I was certain in my dream of going to Harvard one day. Many people encouraged me in many ways. Whether it was advocating for me to be allowed to take AP classes without taking certain pre prerequisites or taking many APs in of in and of itself, as well as switching class pathways to fit the classes I was truly interested in into my four-year plan. The thing that these people had in common and is the main point of my talk was
036that though my dream was difficult, these people helped me and supported me. I've been told by many people in more ways than one that my dream was impossible and that I should settle for something less instead of striving for something more only to fail and be disappointed. It is not true. It is not impossible for our kids. There are many been pe but thanks to the people who didn't believe this that I am here and I hope that it is the mindset that this district will carry forward as we make many of these decisions is that we place the children's education first and foremost placing these students within our district at the front of our minds offering them support to reach for higher education and to support them in their dreams. Encouragement and support for
037one's education doesn't start with money. It starts with a mindset. Once we have that, we'll have the rest of our decisions. Thank you. Next up is Brian Lim. Good evening, members of the board. Uh my name is Brian Lim. I'm a parent of three children in this district. I'm also a former special education teacher at Alheimra High. I'm here today to speak about the pros budget cut specifically from the lens of a special educator and for kids with IEPs. First, I need y'all to understand why I am a former teacher of the district. I didn't leave because I stopped loving the students. I didn't leave because I didn't enjoy my job. I didn't leave because my co-workers, many of them who are in the room, what's good, y'all. Uh I left because of what this
038district was willing to call acceptable for students with IEPs. I left with burnout due to lack of humanity and specifically financial mistreatment. Uh, I suffered a stroke, but I survived. Uh, I returned to my classroom with my cane. Doing many answers of PT, I was excited to get back to the classroom, but instead of support, I was met with a payroll error from HR. The district forced me to pay back money due to their mistake. There was days I was paid as little as $5 for a day's work. I share this not for sympathy or center myself, but as a warning, if this is how the district treated me, how can you expect the remaining teachers to survive when you continue to strip away their support? For perspective, this district previously in the high school
039has already eliminated math and science SDC classrooms, our special day classroom for students who need more individualized support, smaller class sizes, and scaffolded curriculum. The district will continue to push these kids into the gened classes and throw out the words inclusivity and least restrictive settings as buzzwords to cover the fact that you are failing our students. I may be overgeneralizing here, but in my experience, when kids are placed in situations that don't support their needs, they can fall into two camps. Internalizers and externalizers. internalizers. Our students with high depression anxiety and turn their pain inside will withdraw even further in these situations. Without the teachers and parents to engage them, they will disappear into the background and disappear. For students who are externalizers who show their outward behaviors such as talking back, loud outbursts, physical
040aggression, gender teachers are now expected to not only teach grade level curriculum, they'll now be having to manage the extra behaviors that will result from once again placing a student in an environment that does not meet their needs. Cutting two sped teachers and four pairs the high school is not just a line item. It's a safety issue. This guarantees that our most vulnerable students will be slipping through the cracks. It guarantees the remaining staff who are trying their best but already drowning will break. Our students deserve better. So I ask the board members to do better. Once again for our staff, for our students, for these kids, do better. Thank you. We have Conrad Dandridge next and after that we have Dennis Franco. Good evening, board teachers, members of the community. The first thing I'm
041going to say is déja vu. 47 years ago, I spoke out about budget cuts to 10,000 teachers at the Oakland Coliseum, and I've been speaking on all kinds of things since. Last year, I came to this board to talk to you about Black History Month. I'm here again. I hear a lot of talk, I see no action. I will again be making presentations at Alhamra High School on February 20th. Booker T. Washington stated, "If one cannot read, it will be hard to realize dreams." Arturo Sberg wrote, "History must restore what slavery took away, for it is the social damage of slavery that the present generations must repair and offset." I have been speaking out about public education since I was 13 years old. My late parents were educators, and I have put my mouth where
042it counts. You guys have a hard choice to do, but public education solves all problems. But one must have the facts. Black history is American history. If we don't understand our history, we won't be able to move forward. There's a lot of people here concerned about cuts. In preparation for black history, I studied Civil War, Civil War medicine. The wounds were so egregious, the training was no so poor that all they did was amputate legs and arms. Budget cuts in my 35 years of being a public servant is amputation. I've worked at all levels of government, school districts, the county, the state, and spent most of my career as a federal government employee. Not a worker be, but a manager, a boss. It is hard to make savings a top priority. It's easy to amputate.
043It doesn't take a lot of skill to amputate. And that's coming from someone who's an expert. I'm an expert. It also takes a lot of toughness, bravery to stand up to what you know is right against what everybody else says is wrong. The last six years I've been unemployed. Why? Because I worked for Customs and Border Protection in 2019. And I was ordered by the Trump administration to do something that I said I'm not going to do. And I was fired. No one in this room can say that. I'm living on 25% of my salary that I was making six years ago. But tomorrow morning, my attorneys in San Francisco will be filing suit against the Trump administration to get my job back because it's the right thing to do. Black history teaches us about
044American history and the right things to do. Good evening. My name is Dennis Franco. Um, I am the dean of math and engineering at Diablo Valley College, but more importantly, I'm here as a father to two kids in this district. One is currently uh a junior at Alhamra High School. The other is an eighth grader at Martinez Junior High School. I'm here to support retaining dedicated mental health counselors at all the schools as their specialized roles are essential for student well-being, helping young people manage stress, build resilience, and stay emotionally supported amid academic and personal challenges. all which absolutely impact the classroom. In particular, I strongly support retaining Janice Collins as college and career counselor at Alhhamra High School. Being successful in high school and beyond starts with strong guidance, and Janice has been a
045cornerstone of that success for our students, providing not only academic and career support, but motivation to keep moving forward. Janice has excelled in expanding dual enrollment opportunities, partnering with colleges to let students earn transferable credits for free while in high school. This reduces college costs, accelerates their progress, and makes higher education more accessible, especially for first generation and underserved students. Running dual enrollment effectively requires an enormous amount of ongoing work. Building and maintaining college partnerships, coordinating schedules, advising students on course selection and prerequisites, handling enrollment paperwork, and a variety of other duties which will be extremely difficult to pass on to someone else. Students who complete as few as six units through these programs see significant boosts in college success, including higher rates of immediate college enrollment, persistence through college, and degree completion. Replacing Janice
046would create major difficulties for maintaining and growing this program which we know helps our students success. She also inspires students to see themselves as future college students through personalized guidance workshops and motivational events. Her efforts build confidence for our students, foster a collegegoing culture, and lead to higher acceptance rates, more scholarships, and better overall uh outcomes. Janice Collins is an invaluable advocate for our students, and I know my daughter loves her. losing her would harm their futures. So, please keep that in mind and when you're making these decisions. And as an administrator, I'll just end by saying I don't envy your roles. I don't envy your job. I know it's going to be difficult, but please consider what these folks are saying tonight. Thank you. Per the agenda change, we're going to do um discussion
047item 14.1, district social media policy and guidelines um BP board policy 1114. Um Joe Uh good evening board trustees. Superintendent Patrick uh was asked to just provide a brief presentation on the board policy that's before you for your second read and uh hopeful approval of these adjustments to the board policy. This uh presentation will also just give a gener generic overview of the policy itself. Uh just to kind of go over u what has been the policy prior to today as well. So uh just a brief overview of social media is we're just defining what it is. There's a lot of things out there now. Uh platforms are being you know started every single day. Um and we're really talking about a lot of the mainstream platforms that most businesses and schools are using. Uh
048so that could be Facebook um X for or formerly known as Twitter um you LinkedIn etc. Um what this policy is really governing is what's considered uh an official account uh one that's actually sanctioned by the district and approved uh to provide information to the community. Um and unofficial accounts which uh are folks just you know creating other accounts for their specific needs uh that are important to the district but are not uh necessarily part of the district in in sense of a direct uh relationship. So that can be you know PTAs, uh booster clubs, um all providing essential services uh through their uh own means and we would consider those uh unofficial accounts for social media. Um what we want the policy kind of goes over some authorization and accountability. Uh there is there
049has to be an approval process if someone would like to launch an official account. Um and uh the oversight must occur from the staff. Uh we have to make sure that no copyright uh laws are being violated. Uh especially you know using uh you having videos being posted that are copyright material or um anything that's uh you copyrighted from reading and or books etc. Uh we have to put a clear uh information about who to contact if there's a violation on the account. Um and then we want to make sure that each count is providing useful information. Uh as far as conduct, this policy also defines how the public uh can interact with these accounts and and what actions we would take if uh you know any use policies are being violated both from uh
050the provider of the social media. They have their own use and appropriate behavior policies as well as what's coming from the district. Um we want to obviously make sure we're uh staying away from any mentions of commercial products and services. And that's just uh there's two prongs to that. Um, one is, uh, providing that information on social media does imply that the district or the entity of the official account supports that material. Um, and that, you know, kind of gets us in a sticky area of of, you know, political stance with a district that should remain neutral in the political area. Um, and we don't want to also show favoritism to fa different vendors. We want to make sure that we're being consistent and equitable. Um, you know, any violations can be reported. the information
051that we provide on our social accounts uh provide information for the public to report if there's any issues. Um and then we provide a suspension policy there just in case someone continues to violate that. Uh it also talks about professional standards um you know we have many board policies governing employees um and uh of all disciplines about how they should work professionally with others as well as the community. Um and these extend into this arena and this just further supports that. Uh we talk about um having a prof a personal professional voice when we're speaking as a district or as a school. We must maintain the certain voice that the community relies on that for trust um and that we're providing information that's valid and for them. Um we ask people to identify themselves by
052name and title so people can reference that. Um and then uh we we provide uh we will and again continue to provide a training to staff that are managing these accounts so we can give them the best tools to uh work with it. Uh we provide some guidance uh to schools as well or our school sites is keeping social media presence limited. We don't want to inundate uh people with all sorts of accounts that are passing on information. We want to keep the information very contained and succinct. Um, a lot of these accounts can be used to convey emergency notifications or important information to the school and we don't want people having to go everywhere to find this information. Um, we have a formalized process for submitting media and copy uh, which is, you know,
053the text that's you're seeing on those posts, uh, to make sure that they're appropriate and informative. Um, schools are able to designate a staff member, um, you know, because that's a lot of work to manage that. Another reason why we want to minimize those accounts because each account is work that you have to do to keep everything consistent and posted. Uh most importantly, we want to make sure that if uh students are in these images that they're they're able to be placed on there. We have laws governing that and if students have opted out, we can't post those and we want to stay away from that. Um we also recommend just sending the content to us at the district office. We do have in theory the biggest following of all the major school sites. Um,
054and that should be maintained and that can be, you know, most things that are going on at the school sites are relevant to all of our schools and promoting what's going on in the district. Um, and then we're going to start really focusing on parent square as the primary communication tool as that has all of our parents and student information to provide messaging to them. And at the end of the day, our biggest uh audience is our community of within our schools. Um, so we want to make sure that um all of those social media accounts are really forwarding towards parent square. So there is a a single source of information. Um so something we've been doing uh in the last uh few months and weeks or years really is just uh identifying all the
055accounts that are being posted uh by staff or students and seeing how we can work with them to adjust those accounts and if there is a need for them to be there. um having technology maintain those usernames and passwords really just to make sure that if we have transitions with employees that we can uh adequately transition that account to someone else uh to make sure that um you know it's in in the right hands of management. Um, and then we also have language in each profile that's showing, you know, what's a official account and and we have links to our page and we do have our page link there um on our main website and that shows each school and the official accounts there so the public is aware that these are the areas that
056are the accounts that are linked to the school and are official. It also clearly demonstrates that anything that's not on there is not an official account as different to different standards or subject to different standards. Um, and then we also have our social media policy on that page so that the public is aware. So again, some benefits. We're trying to again minimize these accounts down to, you know, a handful of accounts. And again, it's limiting and accurate information being shared to the community. We want to make sure that there's a place for people to go to get the correct information, especially in an event of emergency. Um, it minimizes administrative oversight. So instead of managing lots of accounts, there's just uh less accounts to be reviewing. Um, we again want to make sure that all
057of our social media accounts are linked to parent square. So, we're able to post a message once and we check some boxes and that posts to a school website and the social media accounts for those schools that we've linked. And then again, making sure the community is aware of what's going on uh and getting accurate information at all times from us. Is there any questions for the board on the policy? >> Do we have any public comment on this topic? By the way, I think they're all not for this. Okay. um questions, Brenda? No, >> I appreciate you're unpacking that um policy so that we have a good idea of what we're voting on today. Thank you. >> Thank you, Joe. Okay, so next we have um do we have any changes to the consent
058calendar? Um, I'd like to pull a few board policy items from the consent calendar for clarification and further board discussion. Um, BP4000, which I think we're going to do some more um, we're going to do some more investigation on. Sorry, I have it all on my computer, but it won't scroll. uh board policy 9310 um for clarification and discussion and board policy 9321 um for additional discussion. >> Okay, thank you. Um so do I have a motion? How about I make a motion to approve the consent calendar as amended? >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I so moved. So, let's talk about board policy 4000. What questions did you have? >> Okay. Um, so on page 47, the third paragraph from the bottom removes language regarding board adoption of negotiated collective bargaining agreements.
059And since the board president signs these agreements on behalf of the board, I'd like to discuss whether the board should continue to formally adopt them to ensure transparency and consistency within our governance role. So I think that was a great catch. I think we should continue to have that on there, right? Because anything that's has to do with negotiations, we we vote on it, right? Yes. And trustee president, um when we looked at the language that was a recommendation from CSBA and so um you are correct, both you and Trusty Leel. We know that that is a function of the board. So, um what we're proposing is that we just simply make that edit and then bring it back next time for approval. So, we can just it can stay out and we'll make the
060adjustments to it and then we can entertain what other questions Trustee Leo has for the other board policies because we may do the same for those as well. >> So, you're saying just hold off on it until we vote on until we talk about the other two? >> Yeah, we would just bring it back next time. We wouldn't vote on it tonight. >> Okay. All right. So, we'll go to the next one. Um, board policy 9310. >> Uh, yes. On page 179, like if you're looking at it, um, it has a 179 at the bottom. It's not actually page 179, but where it's attached, that's what it says. There's a handwritten note no at the bottom of the page. And again on page 180 next to item number four. And um I just wanted to
061clarify whether this was an intentional change and specifically um whether or not we're no longer to planning to agendaize board policy twice. And maybe I'm just misreading that, but it looks like that's being taken out. Uh, Trusty Leo, I think this was one of the policies that I worked on directly and I don't have my notes with me. So, can we just pull it now and then bring it back? >> Absolutely. >> Okay. Thank you. >> I'm assuming that's going to happen with the next one, too. I mean, Brenda, go ahead. >> Um, well, I'd like to say >> what I saw and you guys can >> like let me know if I was incorrect. Um, so board policy 9321 addresses closed session procedures and on page 186 under attendance in closed session, the policy
062now seems to state that minutes will be taken by the secretary. And I think it would be helpful for the board to discuss the parameters of those minutes, including approval of them, access, confidentiality, and how they will be maintained to ensure that we're aligned and compliant. I don't believe that currently we take minutes during close session, and maybe I'm just misreading that. >> No, you are correct, but I do believe it's a mandate now. So, but because again, I don't have my notes, I'd like to go back and look. I don't think we have a choice. and we would have to put a process in place to ensure that we're meeting all the compliance. I think that's why we accepted that language because we didn't have a choice. But let let me go back and
063look just to make sure. But I'm pretty sure that's because I noted that change too because right now we do not take minutes in close session. >> Yeah, it it sent alarm bells off because I think that it's going to open up other um procedural things that we have to take care of. >> Yes, absolutely. Okay. >> So, I'd like to revisit that and then we'll bring it back next time if that's okay with you. >> Great. Thank you. >> Okay. So, next time we're going to bring back on the agenda board policy 4000, board policy um 9310 and board policy 9321. >> That is correct. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Next we have um our presentation budget reduction proposals >> have >> to vote on the consent calendar. >> Oh, I'm
064sorry. We did. >> Oh, did we vote? >> We did as amended. Yes. And we're going to push these to next time. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Andy Cannon. >> Uh good evening board. U before you this evening is the reduction proposal for the 202627 fiscal year. Um the next slide is something that's been put in the last few presentations including the budget advisory committee and also the budget workshop and it gives just a quick um overview of what conditions are impacting our budget. U beginning with declining enrollment. This is a topic that's been ongoing and something that has affected this district for several years now. We continue to see that that declining enrollment is going to have an impact on our overall budget. We also notice with our LCFF funding, which is our major
065form of funding, our COLA and increases in future years, as we just see and what's been presented in the governor's proposal, um are down. So, this year 2.3% COLA. Next year was supposed to be in the neighborhood of 3%, it's now clocking at 2.4 and then the third year 3.06 and it was about.36 higher. So, it was about 2 point or 3.52. We also know from our budget we've seen increase in special education costs especially in our non-public schools and our non-public agencies to the tune of a little over a million dollars this year. We are as we prepare for second interim seeing some savings in that as kids kind of come and go sometimes within a district. So we've had some kids going to NPS's that have left the district and so we'll see
066some savings as we get to second interim but it is still something that is weighing on the budget. Um, additionally, and this has again been talked about many times, the state has given us um funds in the in the way of one-time funding that's restricted. As those funds are expiring, we have to make reductions to any staff that are in those positions that are funded by these one-time funds. When we look at reductions, um, this has been a guiding principle by the board for several years. Um we look at trying to minimize the impact of what happens in the classroom but at the same time making sure that we are fiscally solvent. U we know that every reduction has an impact on students and so no matter what we do even if we try to
067keep it away from classrooms it will have an impact on student learning. Um the board understands that these are not desired. So does district staff. Um nobody wants to see programs eliminated. We'd like to keep our current programs. In fact we'd like to see them grow. But we have to balance that with fiscal health. Um any of the items that you're going to see on the list has nothing to do about the individual or the program. It's a matter of looking at um all of the programs base and supplemental and then making decisions on how to move forward with our budget realities. Um and then lastly, we know that if we do not make these reductions, we will not be able to make our minimum reserve requirements by the state in the outy years. So
068not this year particularly but within the next two years which is what we're required to do. Um as a summary slide for what we're proposing for reductions um you have the table on the left and you have the chart expressing percentage. So starting with the table on the left non-staff reductions of nearly a million the administrative staff $35,000 our classified staff $511,000 certificated staff at almost 1.4. So this combined total is about $2.9 million and the pie chart will show those percentages. Um first starting with our non-staff reductions um through different conversations, means and evaluation, our PBIS contracts with the high school and the junior high which total $25,000 are on the list. School budgets of a $21,000 saving is from the lottery funds that we give to school sites as discretionary spending. That's about
069a 17% reduction in that account for them. Our non-public school contracts, again, we found savings because of either students coming back to other programs or leaving the district um just as a kind of a general process of moving and taking on um schools in different regions. We're saving about 370,000. Um we've had ample discussion on how to use our OPED special reserve fund. This proposal has half of our value at about $400,000 as a one-time infusion of cash. Um, we had board special election recently. Um, that was actually done in the previous year, but the cost of it was charged to this year because of how the county bills us. So, that is there. So, that is not something that's ongoing, but it was significant when we're looking at the budget. So, I wanted to
070mention it here as a cost that we would not see in the future. Um the antibbias grant, this was a large amount and so I wanted to highlight it here. The antibbias grant is um expiring. So we will use all those funds in this year. So it's not that the program is no longer existing for any other reason other than the budget is now um going to be used up for that purpose. As we move into the administration staff reductions table, you'll notice that the proposal here is that there are several administrators positions that we would change the amount of days. This is in alignment with what neighboring districts do for the same level of positions. Um we reviewed several of those districts and so the proposal brings in uh the total number of days
071changed per position that you see in the rightmost column of this table. As we move into the certificated staff reductions, we have two tables here. One is to separate um positions and the other one is to separate reductions to current staff. So not elimination of positions but a change in the work days. Um so on the left you'll see several positions. I want to call your attention to the pareducator C for positions. The number for FTE listed there is 3.26. It's actually 2.475 as a recommendation. So that is an error in math there. Um here we are looking um to reduce again $511,000 in these positions. Our next slide shows our certificated proposal. Um you see elementary teacher three and this is through attrition. So looking at our attendance and our projected enrollment um these
072are positions that we don't believe that we have students um for next year especially looking at where we are trending right now with our TK and K early enrollment. Um, so we're putting um we started with possibly two, but we upped it to three just because we're getting such less um enrollment amounts. This could change as we get closer to the summertime. If we see that our enrollment upticks, then we can make an adjustment there. Um, MTSS council positions, three positions, our TOSAs, um, and the rest there leading to a 9.3 FTE reduction of nearly $1.4 million. We recently um and when I say we um two board members uh the superintendent, myself um the assistant superintendent of HR um and our union partners went to the governor's budget um in Sacramento on the 20th.
073Uh what we all noticed is that there are good signs coming out of the budget, but there's also caution at the same time. Um, so what didn't come out of the budget was actual hard numbers on what school sites were going to receive in per pupil allocation or even the means in which that funding was to take place. Meaning, we don't know if we're going to receive one-time funding or ongoing funding by the perceived increases to the governor's budget. Um, so at this time, this projection on reductions does not include include any new or additional funding from the state. Um, and we're going to take a cautious approach, which means that we're going to wait as we get closer to the May revise when there's actual dollars from the state being told to us. And
074at that time, we can choose um, how we are going to start looking at using those funds if they materialize in the way in which um, they've been expressed. Um, in all of this proposal, we still see that deficit spending will continue over the next three years, but it will dramatically decrease. So, we will not be deficit spending as much as we were previously. Um, with labor agreements, we have a tenative agreement that at this time not any party has formally agreed to, but we'll probably be coming back, I believe, the second meeting in February. Um, if all the processes for each bargaining unit and the district are in alignment, we may be able to bring that to the board at the end of February and then we will have um agreed to that tenative
075agreement. U, so there's a lot of things that are outstanding here. Um but what we know is that in order to move forward with the reductions, we have a timeline. Um and this is not the full timeline that we started back in September, but it is the timeline where we are starting today and then heading into any possible layoffs. Um so the proposal is tonight. Um the board will be asked to approve the budget reduction on February 9th and then it'll lead into the resolution for certificated and classified layoffs on the 23rd. And lastly, I want to leave you with how we would um secure the Martinez Unified School District's fiscal future. And that is with our primary objective of making sure that we maintain our fiscal solveny and health. Um which requires us to
076have the 3% reserve this year, next year, and in the third year. Um we're doing so by minimizing impact on students and classrooms as much as possible. And this proposal includes $29 million in cuts for your review. and I'm open to any questions from the board. >> Thank you, Andy. Um I'm going to read a statement that um is a message on behalf of the entire board. Um so we have all received many emails um and we are reading all of them. We're not necessarily responding to all of them because we were inundated with many emails um even up through today. Um many of you have reached out with concerns regarding the proposed budget reductions. Unfortunately, these challenges are a consequence of the broader public school funding landscape. As we work through these decisions, we
077respectfully ask that you keep the following in mind. There are no reductions to base programs. Most certif certificated reductions stem from natural attrition, fewer students requiring services, or the conclusion of one-time funding sources. Our commitment to academic excellence, competitive salaries, and long-term fiscal stability remains paramount. We also want to emphasize the board and district leadership deeply value the work of our mental health staff. Their contributions to students, staff, and the district as a whole are recognized, appreciated, and essential to our mission. Um, with that, we're going to go into public comments uh regarding this agenda item. I have I'm going to say 30, if not 35. So, we are going to So, we're going to um listen to all of them, but we're going to change the time to two minutes just in order because
078we've got so many to go through. Um >> so, first off, we're going to have Julia Marcel and then after that we have Melissa Gilborg. Hello, my name is Julia Martial and I'm a firstear employee in the Martinez Unified School District. Hired as an academic counselor, I am sincerely nervous standing here today, but my nerves are outweighed by my need to advocate for the MTSS counselor position in our students best interests. To better understand the importance of this position, consider the current realities at Alhamra High School to supporting the whole student. Our counseling team includes the MTSS mental health counselor, two academic counselors, and a college and career specialist and a registar, all who claim essential roles in helping students. I serve a case load of over 500 students, a number that far exceeds the
079American School Counseling Association's recommended case load of 250 students per counselor. Though I am trained and dedicated to providing academic, social, emotional, and college and career readiness services to my students, the proposed cuts will not allow us to do our jobs effectively, whether we hold the titles of academic or school counselors. This overload makes it challenging to provide the personalized, impactful supports each student deserves. It also forces counselors to rely on these positions to stay afloat amid case loads that exceed our capacity. The MTSS counselor plays a vital role that goes beyond merely assisting with or duplicating the services we offer. They take on the responsibility for addressing our students unique social, emotional, and mental health needs. With such large student case loads, we simply don't have the bandwidth to support these areas as effectively
080as we'd like. At Alhambor High School, we as academic counselors have managed to keep up with the workload thanks to the dedicated support of an MTSS counselor, which enabled us to function structurally and contribute to our school success. Every day, our counseling office is busy with students seeking help. Whether it's about their academics, post-secary plans, personal and social emotional challenges. Without our dedicated MTSS counselor, the tiered support system we rely on would collapse. our most vulnerable students, those struggling with emotional distress, anxiety, depression, or even family issues, would well, if I had one more minute, you'd get more out of me. Okay. My name is Melissa Gilberg. I'm the MTSS mental health counselor and the counseling department chair at um Alhhamra High School. The role of the MT MTSS counselor is multi-tered and multifaceted. I've
081already sent a letter, but today I thought I would write share two days of my of my last week at work. I might only get through one day, but um here I go. Wednesday and even block day. I arrived at 8:15 and spent my first 15 minutes with a student I see multiple times a day. He went off to class and I was immediately needed by a student who had a conflict at home and rushed out of the house in a tank top. It was incredibly cold that morning. I found her a sweatshirt and helped her regulate her emotions. She went to second period and made it through the rest of the day. There was already another student waiting for me. This student was dealing with ongoing peer conflict that admin are aware of and
082that restorative practices weren't helping yet and he was trying to avoid a fight. We came up with a plan for long passing that he felt safe with and he was able to get to class. During second period, I also sent a pass for two students whom I've been working with for the past four weeks around academic stress and overwhelm and executive functioning and time management. During long passing, a student I meet with daily met at my office and came outside with me while I enacted the plan to avoid a physical fight with a student I met with earlier. I was able to head off the student he had conf conflict with and avoid what could have been a physical fight. I followed up with admin about it later that day. I walked a student who
083struggles with depression and anxiety to class and practice mindfulness with them on the way. During fourth period, I sent three passes for students I've been working with. I met with two of them for about 25 minutes each. I had re had to reschedule the third student because a student came in crying and visibly was visibly upset. This student was struggling with interactions and feeling uncomfortable in their classroom. We worked it through it and came up with a plan. She was able to finish fourth period and get to her second her sixth period class feeling better. During access period, I caught up on some Aries notes and made two phone calls to parents and a phone call to a DCF work to a CPS worker. During sixth period, I had a meeting with Patty, Yadira, and
084Matthew to develop a plan for a student who had been out of school for over two months for multiple reasons. The student attempted to come back, but found it nearly impossible to stay the whole day and spend a significant amount of time. Sorry. >> Next, I have a Kai and then after that, Marabel. Hello, my name is Kai Susim and I and I'm a sophomore at Alhhamra High School. I am here today to speak on the removal of of the mental health and wellness counselor at my school, Missy. I've already sent emails to the school board, but I feel it is necess necessary for me to speak with all of you face to face since this is a very important issue. Removing Missy as the mental health counselor of our school will have catastrophic effects
085on Alhhamra High as a whole. Hundreds of students enter her room every day for help with their personal issues. And when personal issues are resolved, we can then put more focus and energy into our academics. Missy works incredibly hard to handle the issues of of us students and is a big help in the counselor's office on busy days. If students do not have aid with their mental health with their mental and emotional health, the quality of their academic performance will drastically drop. You may say they could talk to the academic counselors, but academics are not the only issue to a student may have. Regardless of how hardworking they are, without an adequate support system for their social, parental, and personal issues, students and their grades will suffer. If you care about the students of Alahham
086High School, beyond a number on a page, you'll continue to fund their mental health counseling. Missy is not just a counselor. She is an uplifting light in the life of those that need her. Missy is for the abused student who is afraid to speak out. Missy is for the the poor student who cannot afford to afford a mental health counselor. Missy is for the suicidal student who is scared to reach out for help. Missy is for the bullied student, the struggling student, the sad student, and the love and support she brings to our school is irreplaceable. I can speak from experience since I have been dealing with severe mental health issues since middle school. It wasn't until I met Missy that my life started looking up for the better, and I thank her deeply for
087that. She is the reason I'm still here today speaking with all of you and thus implore you to reconsider your choice to defund her position. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Marbel Gavara and I previously served as an academic counselor at Alhhamra 20 from 2022 to 2025. One thing I appreciated about Martinez was how the community always came together to support our students. That is why I was surprised and concerned to hear that the mental health counselor position is being cut at Alhhamra. During my time as an academic counselor and being told multiple times that that that was the role I was hired for was academic counseling, I navigated a wide range of responsibilities including addressing student academic concerns, academic planning, classroom and schoolwride presentations, coordinating and leading all 504 meetings and SSC meetings,
088addressing parent and staff concerns, participating in IEP meetings, and other responsibilities that support the overall counseling program. Miss Missy was a primary support for students mental health need which made her role es essentially important. As the scope of responsibilities continued to expand, it became difficult to sustainably meet the growing needs which led me to my decision to transition earlier into a different role. Alhhamra has significant mental health needs and having a dedicated mental health counselor is essential. Missy was constantly available to students during times when academic counselors were navigating other responsibilities and were not immediately available. Whether a student needed to check in about emotional concerns, peer conflicts, or anything else that they were carrying, Missy was fully present and ready to support them. Students knew that they that they always had a safe place
089to go. She was also a trusted support to me support person to me as an academic counselor when I needed additional guidance or caliber collaboration to best support a student. I now work full-time in the mental health field and from that perspective I can say that removing a full-time mental health counselor places an unrealistic burden on academic counselors who are also balancing multiple uh roles. More importantly, it limits students access to timely mental health support. I respectfully ask the board to consider the needs of Alhamra High School students. Next we have Mary Hardesty and after that Jerry Tomatania. Hi, I'm Mary Hardesty. I teach third grade at John Mure and I am co-president of the Martinez Education Association. I know you have a hard job and I know making budget cuts is not easy. I
090know the elementary school counselors were funded by money from COVID and that money is not is going away, but I think our district needs to find another way to fund this program. Um, I've been a teacher in Martinez for more than 30 years. Each year in my third grade class, there is one or two or three students who have a lot of trouble regulating their emotions. These students take a tremendous amount of my time and teachers like me have to set up our classroom schedule and environment with those students in mind. No student can learn anything unless they feel safe in their classroom. These students need a lot of support in order to feel safe and to learn. They sometimes make the other students in the class feel unsafe. So no one is learning anything.
091Um, these students need the adults in their life to be consistent and caring. Our counselor, Miss Wendy, is one of the people on campus that makes these kids feel safe. She comes into our classrooms. She teaches the students lessons about mindfulness, empathy, and conflict resolution. She's on the playground, and students know they can talk to her if they need to. She leads mindfulness coloring sessions during lunch recess in the library. One of my colleagues today said that Miss Wendy is like the lifeboat for students who are in crisis. I know if her position is cut, all of our students will suffer. These kids need more adults in their life who are consistent and present for them. And cutting this position means there will be one less. I'm asking you, the members of the school board,
092to find a way to cut something else so we can keep our mental health counselors. If your goal is really to keep the cuts as far away from the students as possible, these counselors should be the last thing you are thinking of cutting. Thank you for your time. Hi there. Have my daughter Quasia with me. She's a senior at Alhhamra High School and the president of BSU at Alhhamra. Um, the district stated that its core focus is to minimize the impact on students in classrooms. It appears that the district and the parents of MUSD students have vastly different interpretations of what cuts would directly affect students in impact classrooms. Last year, dozens of people sat in this very room fighting on behalf of the exact positions that you once again have put on the chopping
093block. I had the impression given the overwhelming response of the Martinez community that showed up to make our voices heard that the board understood that positions such as the college and career counselor at the high school are indispensable for our kids. In the current climate of our world right now, mental health counselors for our kids should not be considered optional. Elementary teachers who often make or break our kids' love for school and success in their future education should not be so easily dismissed. I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to address the elephant in the room, which is that marti the Martinez community has observed time and time again how the district seemingly always seeks to eliminate our most imperative staffing positions rather than considering what reductions and cutbacks can be made
094at the administrative level. If I'm being honest, my children could not articulate what the highest earning administrative positions within this district do, let alone how those positions have impacted them in tangible and personal ways. My children could, however, tell you how their fourth grade teacher brought life back into their love for school. They could tell you how a teacher made them feel seen and showed empathy when they experienced racism. and my daughter with me today could tell you the inexplicable impact the college and career counselor has had in her life for the past four years. She has rallied behind my daughter and shown up for her in ways that no other staff member has. Respectfully, it feels entirely disingenuous to claim that the core focus of the board with respect to these staffing cuts is
095to minimize the impact on students in classrooms when it is the very staff that directly interact with our students face to face day after day who are always the first ones to be cut. As a member of the Martinez community and a mother of the school children, I vement vehemently I'm sorry to the cuts discussed. Next up we have Janice Collins and after her we have Ryan Temple. Good evening board members and superintendent. I speak tonight not only as a district employee but as a parent of two children in our public schools and as a member of this community we deeply believes in our children and the people who serve them. I want to be clear from the start. This is not a request to preserve one individual position. It is a call to protect
096studentf facing services and the systems that support students every day. I'm one of the staff whose position is again being considered for reduction. I share that not for sympathy but because it gives me a responsibility to speak carefully about the border impact of this decisions. My role was built from the ground up to to bridge institutional gaps, working in close partnership with our counseling team to support career exploration, connect high school programs with our community college partners, and help students transition into a new academic environment, especially the first generation students. Over the past year, the Korean College Center served more than 1100 student visits, nearly doubling from the previous year. Their growth reflects both demand and trust from students and families. This work directly supports district priorities. Students who feel supported attend school more consistently,
097and families who see strong systems of care are more likely to choose and remain in this district. I understand difficult budget decisions are required but when the reduction repeatedly fall on school sites and studentf facing services it creates real disruption for students families staff and raises concern about long-term planning. I urge the district to pursue real permanent solutions including an equitable unbiased review of all expenses. Thank you. Uh, good evening. I have a first grader and a fifth grader at Los Hunus and I am here to ask you the board to exercise your oversight role and ask these two questions of the district. First, the proposed staffing cuts place a significant burden on the schools and almost none at the district office. And I would love for you to ask why that burden isn't being
098shared. The proposal says that the goal is to minimize impact. Yet, the district office seems only to be losing two total months of admin support. By contrast, our schools are set to lose three mental health counselors. That doesn't speak to a minimal impact. The typest clerk position getting cut is actually the position that allows our school's office manager to take a lunch break in lie of someone to relieve her. The district has recommended we close the office during certain school hours, which is neither a minimal impact nor a safe one. Uh, as Kyle Bonder said earlier, buried in the other cuts is a delay to a new district-wide math and ELA curriculum rollout needed because our current curriculara are outdated and data poor, not a minimal impact. And we're set to lose three elementary teachers,
099which is curious given that enrollment is projected to decline by only 34 students next year. What that means is that the district is once again planning to shuffle kids between elementary campuses to consolidate classrooms and raise class sizes. Something that happened to Los Hunas this year. And let me tell you the enormous lasting negative social emotional impact that decision has had on both the kids who were sent away and the kids who were left behind. I would love for you to ask the district why they consider the loss of these positions to be of minimal impact while the proposed budget seems to impact the district office the least. Second, I would love for you to ask why additional revenue streams aren't being considered in this proposal. Perhaps by raising the cost for outside groups to
100rent MUSD facilities or by seeking outside grants. As a grant writer, I know that there are millions of dollars available only to LEAs that could augment the district's revenue, allowing them to deploy resources year-toear strategically based on what grants are awarded. It takes imagination, but it can be done. Burden sharing, new revenue. These are the two lines of questions I hope you ask the district office. Thank you. Next up we have Bronty Redell and then Ashley Lutz. >> No, you're fine. Members of the board and district admin, our school b schoolboard website states, "Together we will ensure diverse paths to support all students to be college and career ready. And we are a sanctuary district committed to the safety and well-being of our students." These proposed cuts directly oppose your mission. It cannot be said
101in the same breath that your core core focus in regard to these cuts is minimizing impact on students while cutting 66% from student direct point of contact. I've developed this chart for you um in an effort to show uh direct points of contact in to address a note that I read on the proposal presentation. It stated every reduction has an impact on students since every person and program in MUSD supports student learning. And while I agree with this sentiment, there are some people who support student learning directly versus indirectly. As you can see, the blue group, daily contact, are made up of the majority of your 66% cuts. These people have direct contact with the students having the most impact. By making these suggested cuts, you are stating that you are willing to sacrifice the
102safety, well-being, and educational success of the students that you were hired to represent. Students do not approach me uh asking for help on their math worksheet from Mr. Cannon or for help with recess drama from Superintendent Patrick. I see them asking for their teachers, counselors, paras, office managers, and yard duties. All direct points of contact. These cuts maximize the impact on students while there are other alternatives that could be less direct. This pink group here, uh rare contact with students, receives no cuts whatsoever. I'm appalled by this. There are ways for admin to take cuts as well, like denying your 2% raise. Furthermore, it's disturbing that there are no longer purported cuts to the conference and travel budget. In my personal opinion, that is a luxury that we cannot afford. And by prioritizing the stay
103of this money, you are suggesting that you care more about yourselves than the students that you are responsible for leading. Just because we have a new superintendent doesn't mean we shoulder the burden of seeing them trained. With these cuts, you're asking us to do more with less while you stay unaffected even though you have the least amount of contact with students. I don't say this to negate your work. I say this as an effort to help you understand the true logistics of what you are proposing here. There is no fairness in asking students to suffer the most cuts to their success. We would not be here if they were not here. >> I believe it's Board members, I'd like you to reconsider the budget cuts happening in our district. It has been said that the
104intention is to keep cuts as far away from the classroom as possible. However, with over 48% of cuts being directed at the people who work with students daily is doing the very opposite. It is unfathomable that only 1.2% 2% of the proposed cuts are directed at administration, many of who do not even work with students. Even more inexplicable, some admin are taking zero cuts at all. If you truly want to keep budget cuts away from students, then there you go. Admins should be taking more of a cut. This proposal reminds me of another corrupt administration we know where the rich get richer while taking away from the people who need support the most. And it is our case, it is our students. It has also come to my our attention that within this proposal, you
105are cutting 02 of music from your most socio-economically disadvantaged school and delegating that music must be paid for with title one funding. It is incomprehensible that you would make cuts to the to music at your most socio-economically disadvantaged school when every other school has music fully paid for through the district budget. Taking away these funds from title one funding is again taking away from the least advantage to better your agenda and it's wrong. Furthermore, every day our office is flooded with students who are sick needing support from the counselor and oftentimes needing a behavior reset before going back to class. Cutting our counselor and our typist clerk and closing the office so our amazing and hardworking office manager can have a lunch is not a workable solution to these budget cuts. My phone rings multiple
106times a day during these this time period for the needs of a student. Lastly, proposing that we roll out a new math curriculum over the next few years is extremely inequitable to all Martinez students. We know we need a new curriculum, hence the pilot team you have assembled. I encourage you to make a choice that has student success at the forefront and allow all students access to new curriculum at the same time. In closing, if you truly want to hold to your word that you want to minimize impact on students in classroom, then things from this proposal require change. Put students first because Martinez students deserve the best. Thank you. Ryan Hussie and then Nicole Angel. Uh, thank you. I'm Ryan Hussy. I'm a social studies teacher at Alhammer High School. also have a son
107uh in the district, a son that graduated in the district, a wife that works in the district, and also a taxpayer and voter in the district. Uh I I like the uh you know, I like this the uh representatives here, trustees representing the people, you're hearing the people's voices, you make the decisions, and it is a really difficult decision. Uh as I speak to my students, I always like them to gather as they gather information, check multiple sources and check the bias of sources. So you hear information from certain places. Um, I think you should make sure that you get them from as close to the source as you can. So, today I'm speaking for the MTSS mental health counselors. Um, I think they're intricate ro role in our school in our um the the
108classroom and school environment. Um, I encourage you to reach out and speak to them. It's one of these real difficult issues to to quantify what they do. Uh, for professional reasons, they cannot keep the information of what they do daily. Us as teachers, we only see very little of it. um but to their students and you know earlier um students speaking it's it's really impressive. So because of the stigma associated with it I'm impressed that students have come up to speak about it. I'm sure you've gotten some messages but as this goes through um I encourage you to reach out to them talk to them see what they do see what their day looks like. Uh and as we're making decisions uh a few people will mention it over and over again but we are
109cutting and cutting and cutting. It would be interesting to look at where we can gain uh revenue and where we can get these fun these positions funded. Thank you. HELLO. OKAY. I'm Nicole Angel. I teach seventh and eighth grade science at the middle school and I am a mother of a fourth grader, eighth grader, and an 11th grader. Um, my daughter wrote something that I'm going to read for you. I just want to start off by saying as a student who is in eighth grade, there are so many struggles and different emotions uh we feel during these years. One thing that's been helpful is having a mental health and academic counselor. Throughout my years of middle school, I've mostly maintained good grades, but I know so many of my peers and friends that really have
110a hard time at school. Whether they act up because of their home life or keep quiet, hiding their emotions, I know teachers notice these things, but a lot of times teachers don't have time in class to talk to these kids with how many other students they have to worry about as well. The teachers aren't always able to connect with the students on a friendship level like counselors can because teachers have to discipline students and make sure they do their schoolwork. For example, I know one of my friends was really struggling with their mental health and it started to affect their performance in school. They were posting things on TikTok about it. So, I told a teacher and she immediately told the mental health counselor and my friend got help and has been performing a lot
111better. The thing is without these counselors, how are students going to get help? People are too scared to ask, especially in a class with 34 or more peers around them. If the counselors get cut, students aren't going to have these resources anymore, and lots of students struggling are going to struggle even more. Personally, with so much drama during middle school, I have gone to the counselors and talked about my emotions, got so much great advice and helpful coping mechanisms. Another very important thing is the college and career counselor. The whole reason for school is to get educated and be able to be successful whether you go to college or get a job after high school. So why are you trying to cut one of the main people helping kids achieve that goal? The pressure of
112college is so hard even in middle school. Lots of kids don't have the resources to find what they're passionate about and don't know about a lot of jobs or colleges. How are some kids going to figure out how to get to college or find a job without this support? Overall, cutting these counselors will be a huge mistake and is taking such useful resources from these students. Thank you. >> Next, we have Wendy Muro and after that we have Sammy FSBO. Good evening. My name is Wendy. I'm one of the three MTSS counselors, three that support six of your sites at this district. We do a lot of work. Believe it or not, MTS counselors are not a response to a single isolated incident. I've been here six years before the pandemic. Been doing this work
113longer than many of you have been here. Rather, we are here at school as a schoolwide support shaped by the increasing needs of today's students. Nationally, about 20% of children ages 3 to 17 experience a diagnosible mental health, behavioral, or developmental concern. Yet, many do not receive timely support. In our schools, MTSS counselors work to identify risk factors and intervene before challenges escalate and attendance and academic concerns, discipline referrals, or crisis. and ne and know our students needs and stories are not always quantifiable in Aries. As the MTS counselor, my role is to coordinate schoolwide systems, build alliances with teachers and families and implement interventions and assist students at all levels. This includes classroom lessons, um community building events, small groups, and individualized supports such as safety planning. And no, we don't diagnose. We ethically
114refer out when there is major mental health concerns like eating disorders. Removing MTSS positions doesn't reduce student needs. It merely shifts them elsewhere. Research shows that school often experience more disciplinary referrals, higher staff burnout, and increased reliance on special education and crisis response services. Look at the research. I'm not lying. Also, look at my job description. We do a lot to support our school. Thank you, Missy. My hope is that leadership will reflect on the long-term effects of staffing reductions. I invite you all to engage with their community and see for yourself. Strong leadership respects and values the people behind the work, not just how much money they can save by eliminating them. I'm aware that this process is not easy. So, I respectfully ask that the budget cuts be approached with transparency with without
115misrepresenting roles or devaluing staff contributions. Suggesting that others can do my job better or Thank you. Good evening all. My name is Sammy Flandbomb. I'm the band and orchestra director at Martinez Junior High School. I come to talk to you today not about music but about mental health and the importance of having MTSS counselors and PBIS programs in our school. I understand the aim of making the cuts is to keep it as far away from the classroom as possible. Cutting mental health counselors is as direct as a cut to students as any other classroom cuts. We did not have a mental health counselor last year at MJHS and it made it one of the most stressful teaching years me and my students have ever experienced. Last year, six of my students were 5150, meaning they
116were hospitalized because they were considered a harm to themselves or others. Several other of my students were in need of wellness checks, risk assessments, and or struggled with ongoing mental health issues. The first student I had who was hospitalized, the most traumatic. I was bombarded with calls and texts on a Sunday night from multiple students and their parents saying, "What do I do? Blank says he's going to kill himself tonight." 20 of the kids in my class the next morning knew that their classmates had made these threats to their life. They were traumatized, scared, and full of questions. But there was no specific person who could they could check in with at the school. Three of the other 5150 students that I had were in just one of my classes and all happened within three
117months of each other. The kids were all close. They knew each other well and they really struggled navigating their feelings and relationships. There was no specific individual I could send to when the kids were struggling. Of course, we had our amazing counselor psych admin team that were available for support. They came and talked to my classes, offered support and feedback and tried to make themselves as available as possible. They worked tirelessly tirelessly to meet the needs of our students. They did the absolute best that they could, but I would not say that they made it work. They helped when they could, but they are not providing services that our students needed because they were so overrun. A mental health counselor is someone who develops an ongoing relationship with our students they feel safe and comfortable
118sharing. Our admin counselor team offered to check in with students, but they did not have that safe state established. Please keep our counselors next year. Next we have Ashley Berser and after that we have Carolyn Armstrong Dandridge. >> Hi, I'm Ashley Mercy. I'm the parent of an AHS freshman and an MJHS sixth grader. My Humbra High School student has received special education services in this district since second grade thanks in no small part to John Sweat Elementary School. Um so I'm speaking specifically tonight about the proposed cuts to secondary special education staffing. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA, districts are legally required to provide students with disabilities a free appropriate public education. That means delivering all IEP services as written, meeting evaluation and transition timelines and staffing programs adequately to do so. Special
119education staffing is not discretionary. It is a legal requirement. The district's own budget presentation identifies increased special education costs as a major driver of the shortfall, citing rising non-public school and agency costs and a $1 million increase in the district special education contribution from last year. That clearly indicates that student needs are increasing. Yet, at the same time, this proposal eliminates two full-time secondary special education teachers. That contradiction is alarming. Our family has already experienced how overextended special education staff are. The stark difference between our son's IEP support from elementary school to MJHS was eyeopening with delays in communication and gaps in support, not because the staff didn't care, but because they were stretched thin. Reducing secondary special education staffing will make these transition failures more frequent and more severe, especially at the middle and
120high school level. When case loads increase, districts see miss minutes, delayed evaluations, and failures in transition planning. All of which constitute FAPE violations and expose the district to compensatory education and due process claims. So my question to you, Mr. Cannon, Dr. Patrick, and trustees is simple. How does the district still plan to meet its IDEA and FAPE obligations when two secondary special educations FTEEs are eliminated? >> Thank you. Your time. Thank you. WAS that Carol? >> Okay. Oh, I'm sorry. The person didn't hear me. Okay. Carolyn Armstrong Dandridge was next. Oh, there she is. Okay. >> Kayn. >> Hi, board. My name is Kayyn Armstrong Dandridge. You saw my dad talk, but this is now my time. I am here to talk now about the removal of the mental health counseling as along with the
121college and career specialist counseling. But now since I only have two minutes, I will only be talking about the mental health throughout my whole year at through my whole school year using with this district. I've been at Los Hunes Martinez Unified School District and Alhamra High School. I will not be I would not be here talking to you guys without the support of the mental health counseling support not only at Los Hundes Martinez Junior High School and Alhamra High School. I as you heard from my dad he lost his job for six years and has been going through that. I dealt with that without the mental health counseling at La Hunes. I would not be able to talk to you guys because it was a messed up situation that I am still going through. You
122guys taking away this counseling to all the district will not only affect students now but forever. You can you see how your enrollment is already going down. What do you think is going to happen now? You do that you think everyone's going to come here because now it's a great district because nobody there's no mental health because of course that doesn't matter. Now if you look outside at the world that's going on and think wow I don't think mental health counseling is actually going to affect us. That doesn't make any sense. Why are you doing this? This is the second time I've had to sign a position so you don't take something away that will actually help me succeed. Why are you doing this again and again? If you care so much, why can't you
123learn? >> I do not mean to criticize you or your personalities at all. I do not really care. I am here so people like me can get the help that they deserve. So people like me can succeed. Why, if you care so much about students, can you just let them succeed and stop taking things away that will actively hurt them Todd Navaro. >> Good evening board. Uh, my name is Todd Navaro. I'm a parent of a sophomore at Alhhambor High School and I also serve as Alhhambor High School's PTSA president. I served on the budget advisory committee in an advisory role as president of PTSA for the secondary schools. Um, throughout those meetings and those discussions, we were s we were shared with several different options for what these cuts could look like. I don't
124envy any one of the five of you or the executive board um for the school district. Um, I'm not here to advocate for any particular position because it's near to impossible because walking into this room tonight is like walking through and stepping through my children's academic careers in the Martinez Unified School District with how many of these individuals behind me I know the one thing that concerns me greatly is two options were shared with us during those budget advisory committees. One was the district's budget for travel and conferences and the other was potential for furlow days across the executive cabinet. It I'm struggling with these cuts as a whole. They are what they are and they stink. But from the private sector position where I come from, when times are difficult, the first thing we
125have to give up is travel. It's not a difficult and I understand the position for why it's wanted to be wants to be kept. I've wanted to keep it too in my previous roles so I could connect for learning, connect with my employees, but when times are tough, it's got to go. It's not fair to the staff that we are taking only $35,000 in administrative cuts and none of those are being taken from here. I shared very candidly with Andy and Janelle during those meetings and during the special meeting on January 8th that it was important for those cuts to also be taken from this office as well. And I hope you'll reconsider. Thank you. We have Courtney Jensen and then Betsy Hannah. My name is Courtney Jensen. I'm a mother to students at John
126Sweat and Martinez Junior High. I've been a valued substitute teacher and I donate a heck of a lot of my time to our PTA. You could say that I'm invested. I feel like every year around this time, this is where I'm at. a board meeting wondering again, did I make a mistake eight years ago putting a down payment on a house that's in the Martinez Unified School District. These people, I know so many of them and they tell me that I did not make a mistake. I've watched their work and I know it wasn't. But there are so many parents in this district that do not know them the way that I do and they are wondering where should I go. If these keep happening every single year, where should I go? This is exhausting
127for me. I know it's exhausting for you guys. It has to be online and in person. I have heard this board talk about how crucial mental health is. Most of you are raising kids or have proximity to kids who are growing up right now. You know that mental health support is needed now more than ever. And while our teachers are absolute rock stars, if you expect them to deal with mental health crises, a 2% raise isn't enough for them to pay for the training that they would need to get to handle them. At least at the last meeting we just saw, a really hopeful presentation about college and career readiness changes that are happening in our district. But now there is a threat for the college and career specialists at the high school to be
128cut. How many times are we going to jerk around our incredible librarians, making them wonder if they will have a job each year? Are you seriously considering cutting special education teachers when you just presented last week an approval to settle a lawsuit because our district with its incredible instructors cannot keep up with the needs of the community? I have worked with students learning a second language. You're talking about cutting the bilingual parah Logan. When you came to my doorstep, you told me that you had the ability to write grants and find money. This is what we voted for. Please do it. Hi, my name is Betsy Hannah and I'm here tonight representing several roles. One as a mother of an eighth grade student at Martinez Junior High and one as a psychologist and a program
129manager of um one of Contraosta County's mental health clinics for children and adolesccents. Uh we serve kids with the highest needs that you can imagine. Many of that have been described here tonight and the brave kids that came up here and spoke. Um and I want to share first as a mom when we received the orientation video to Alhhamra High School. The one person's name that I specifically wrote down thinking I'm definitely going to need this later was Janice Collins, the AHS college and career specialist. It was such a relief knowing this role existed at the high school. Individualized support, guidance around future planning, whether it be applying for college or developing a resume and reducing parental and teenx anxiety about next steps are incredibly valuable. As mental health providers with the county, we often
130go to schools in the area to provide services. And the relief we feel when we know there is additional support for students on site is immense because we know that we have more eyes and further reach to support youth who may be struggling. Beyond that, the importance of having mental health counseling available for students is often the bridge that they need to feel heard, validated, and cared for so that they can continue to focus on their academics and socio emotional growth. Finally, I do want to advocate for the PAR educators who create important relationships with the kids they support and allow the teachers to fully focus on the whole class, allowing all the kids in an inclusive academic setting to thrive. Having a bilingual pareducator is particularly beneficial for all the ESL youth. I understand
131that you have difficult budget decisions and I hope that you will strongly consider the importance of keeping as many positions as possible and especially the college and career specialists, mental health counselors and pair educators. Thank you. Next up is Megan Nicola. To quote Martin Luther King Jr., "Our lives begin to end the day that we become silent about the things that matter." And it's exciting to hear all of the noise tonight. The heart of my why involves that light bulb moment, that instant where my skill set and efforts created a connection in a 13-year-old brain built out of curiosity and grit. It sparks joy for so many academic reasons. But in reality, the gratification and sense of fulfillment comes from the moment that it happened because two people worked together, engaged in academic discourse, and
132both are better for it because of the teamwork. Clearly, you guys are hearing the burdens. And they're only becoming greater in each classroom because leaders are not making decisions for the greater of the good, but for the good of their own individual situations. Academic performances will start to decline. Cracks become too great and the supports that are needed are too much for those who remain. It is not realistic to expect the Sykes, academics and MMS counselors, admin, teachers and those who remain paras to pick up the pieces and still accomplish our jobs every day. Every removal of a campus position creates longer wait times of help and guidance for students, families, and staff alike. And if students aren't getting these basic needs and safety security met, how can we expect them to reach and obtain
133those joysparking light bulb moments? Parents, staff, community members, trustees, please read between the lines as to where the cuts are not happening. How are these positions making changes in your students lives on a daily basis? What inspiration and outside of the box thinking are they bringing to encourage more light bulbs to glow? What is the district and our students gaining from the collective millions dollars in salaries and benefits being paid to the highest admins jobs in the district? If the positions were included in the furlow cuts, this the reductions needed would balance differently. The thousands of dollars being paid in accommodations and mileage for conferences would also keep more funds student focused. This information is out there. We must work as a community together to share the transparent information. We cannot be silent or allow
134the convoluted information to silence us. Next we have Colin Bernard and then Val Valera Gonzalez. >> My name is Colin Barard. My wife and I have uh been taxpayers in the Martinez Unified School District for the last 21 years. Um, all three of our children have gone to every level of school here at in uh in the district. Uh, we have a ninth grader uh still over at AHS. Um, I uh sent you all a thoughtful email and I'd appreciate it if you'd give it a read. It's long, just fair warning. Um, counseling and mental health supports are not extras. They are what keep many students in school learning, on track to graduate, and in some cases alive. When a student hits a crisis moment at 10:00 a.m. or after lunch, someone needs to be
135there now, not weeks later, to make sure that student makes it through the day, the semester, and high school. Additionally, cutting the college and career counselor at AHS sends the wrong message. At a time when the future of work is changing faster than ever, students need strong guidance to navigate new paths in college, training, and careers. Like it or not, budgets are moral documents. The way we choose to save says as much about our values as the way we choose to spend. Thank you. >> Good evening members of the school board and superintendent. My name is Valyriia Gonzalez and I am a sophomore at Alahhamra High School. I participated on the budget advisory committee with Mr. Andy Cannon where I immediately expressed my concern for counseling at Alahhamra and as immediately as I brought it
136up it was immediately shut down. I am here to advocate for the cuts to mental health support the college and career specialist and bilingual paras. Second grade a time in your life when your only concern should be multiplication tables and what time recess should start. In second grade, I was tasked with helping a girl who came freshly from Guatemala to translate her homework and translate what the teacher was saying. I was eight years old. This experience has stuck with me for eight years. I am 16 years old. To reduce bilingual paras would be to alienate bilingual students and students whose primary language is not English. They deserve a human who understands them, not Google Translate or AI generated slop. Support is a crucial thing that students need. As we prepare to go into the real
137world, our college and career specialist and mental health counselor are both extremely necessary resources on campus. Our college and career specialist has already spoken to me about a plan I should take as a firstgen lowincome student on how I can reach for a 4-year university. Without her plan, I would be lost and so would many others. Mental health support is something that is not talked about enough. I myself struggle with anxiety and excoriation which is which is a skin-picking disorder that causes me to pick up my skin. Miss Missy noticed it and I was called into her office. She expressed her concern with me immediately and we worked through a way. Thank you. I love you. Um to undermine these positions at Alahhamra would be to undermine the potential students at Alahhamra can reach. So
138I respectfully ask you to reconsider the cuts you are making. Thank you. Okay, I can't read this writing. Um, Elma Ma Loop. >> Okay, sorry. Apologies. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Luffy Ma and I'm a junior at Alhamra High School. I'm sure many of you remember us and we've sent you another petition. Let's not make this an annual tradition. I understand that budget cuts are an easier way out, but it is a temporary solution to a persistent problem. We stood in this very room to speak on this issue. Yet here we are again. The proposed budget cuts to teachers, PAR educators, counselors, and the college and career specialist. What does it mean for me? What does it mean for my little sister Kelly who is about to enter high school? What
139does it mean for my peers who rely on the expertise of the staff who are currently on the chopping block? What does it mean for the constituents you represent whom you and I may not even know yet who will still be directly affected by the decisions you will make and the priorities that you set. My family moved to this district when I was 4 months old in large part due to the excellent reputation of Alhamra High School. Unlike our family friends who have since moved to conquered high campo, College Park, Amidor Valley, Dhy Valley, Dublin High School, Monav Vista, we have stayed. Give us a reason to. If you can't comprehend the weight of the decisions that lie ahead, at the very least, give us hope. show us that this district will improve so that
140it may one day draw families here as it did to mine 16 years ago. We eagerly we eagerly await your response. Thank you for your time, attention, and deliberation. Good night. Next we have Ben Collins and then we have Luciano Dulio. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Benjamin Collins. I'm a junior at Alhhamra High School and I'm speaking to you all tonight regarding the proposed budget reductions specifically concerning the college and career specialists. Now, budget cuts are undeniably difficult for everyone involved. However, it is crucial to keep in mind the core guiding principle when regarding reductions to minimize the impact on students and classrooms. The college and career position as reinforced by hundreds of students last year has had and is still having a monumental impact on Alhamra student body. This position provides invaluable
141resources and support for students tackling arguably the biggest change of their lives. If a school's purpose is to prepare students for their future, I hope you know that this proposal seeks to eliminate the single position whose sole burden it is to ensure this purpose is met. The Board of Education's own commitment displayed at the top of every meeting listing on their website states, quote, "Together we will ensure diverse paths to support all students to be college and career ready equipped to compete and contribute in a global society." My question to you is, how are we planning on accomplishing this? How does the removal of the college and career specialists support quote all students to be college and career ready? By committing to the collapse of the college and career position, the district is committing to
142a forfeit of its pursuit towards college and career readiness, a metric which will affect the school's rating, enrollment, and the future of Alhhamra as a whole. Thank you. Good evening everyone. Uh my name is Luchiano Dulio. I'm in ninth grade. My dad is a teacher at Al Hambor High School and my mom is a former teacher and I served on the budget advisory committee as a representative of the Alhhamra student body. Tonight I will be speaking about the college and career specialist and the MTSS counselors. In the budget advisory committee, we use two terms when evaluating a position. Base versus supplemental. To put it simply, base roles are needed for schools and supplemental roles are not. As I previously advocated on our meetings, the college and career specialist is a base position. The CC specialist
143role brings irreplaceable impact and opportunities to the Alhhamra student body. At Alhhamra, their work never stops. A monthly newsletter loaded with valuable information for students. Lunch and learns with career professionals creating unparalleled time for students to explore their future with experienced people face to face. College and career fairs on campus providing once more opportunities for people to explore their future. Constant work with DVC providing dual enrollment college level dual enrollment and summer classes. in-depth info nights teaching financial aid to students seeking a way to go to college affordably. On a personal level, the CC specialist meets with hundreds of students one-on-one. In fact, they've personally emailed me about opportunities specifically for my interests. A freshman students will not receive the needed amount of help and opportunity to build their future if the CC specialist is
144cut. Additionally, a generalized school counselor would not would not fulfill this duty. How can you create a genuine college and career counselor quality level general counselor when they are working for the mental health, the academics and the duties of multiple people. The mental health counselors are also equally important. They are base roles. And I would love to talk more about this, but I am being limited by my two minutes. THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE Jason Hansit Schlit. I apologize for butchering your name. Good evening members of the board. My name is Jason Hashel. I'm a junior at Alhamra High School and I'm here to speak on the topic of the proposed budget cuts for our staff members. As a brother, I worry for my sister who is a kindergartener enrolled at Marila Elementary. What can
145I expect for the future of her education? What can the parents of our community expect for the future of the education? Sorry. What can the parents of our community expect that future to look like when the foundational pillars of education and support are being ripped from beneath our children's feet? Three teachers. That's the number of elementary school teachers that these cuts would remove from our schools. Are we the members of this community, students, siblings of students, and parents of students, expected to remain complacent while the district is snatching from the hands of elementary school children, those invaluable teachers who are guiding them through the most fundamental years to their development. And what assurance is there that three teachers is where the limit is drawn? Our school system is slowly being undermined. I worry for the
146ability of Martinez students to thrive in their own school district. I'm afraid that our f future generations of students will be forced to survive off of what little of our education structure will remain in the smoldering pile of dismantled facilities which is already beginning with the erosion of the college and career center, elementary teachers, special education, mental health services, and many more. It is no surprise that teachers and counselors are leaving and it's no surprise that the enrollment and attendance continue to drop, reinforcing the negative feedback loop which is causing the decrease in funding. I implore you to reconsider the effects of cutting these facilities. Thank you. Next we have Matthew Blackford and then Janessa Oh. Good evening. My name is Matthew Blackford. Our schoolboard representative, Matthew Schik, is sick today and I will be
147sharing his comments on his behalf. Hello everyone. I'm sorry I can't be here today as I've come down with a pretty serious fever. I want to say a few words about how Miss Collins, our career and college counselor, has helped me throughout my time at AHS. Beginning in my freshman year, Miss Collins helped me through register for dual enrollment classes. Classes that helped me achieve rank two out of more than 200 students in my class. Even as students who usually is wellprepared even as a student who is usually wellprepared, Miss Collins's help has been invaluable in preparing me for life after high school. She helped me and many other students fill out college applications through several workshops along with submitting my mid-year report and a letter of recommendation to the many colleges I applied to.
148She'd been such a great support system for me and her room is always open which I needed frequently during the intense stress of college applications. The board heard at the last meeting that the percentage of students graduating with fulfilled A throughG requirements had dramatically increased. Why would we get rid of the wonderful resource that has helped cause that shift? I understand that the board needs to cut money from somewhere, but completely eliminating the career and college position makes no sense for future student success. I would be extremely sad to see someone who has been an invaluable resource for me and hundreds of others not to be available for the next generation of Alhammer students. Thank you. >> Hello, my name is Janessa Oriel and I'm speaking here in my personal capacity as a parent of
149two children at Alhhamra High School. My oldest is a senior and I'm grateful that she's had the sports that she has throughout her uh the 13 years since we've enrolled her in Martinez Unified School District. And we purchased our home in order to make sure that our kids went to um the incredible Alhambor High School, but also wanted to make sure that they were in a small district with resources and um a board that cared about the students. That said, I acknowledge that I'm I've engaged with many of you um throughout those 13 years and many of the individuals behind me um over the course of 13 years because my kids have been fun. Um and I say that they're great kids. But um I want to highlight the curriculum that was addressed earlier, science-based
150learning, not necessarily in math. I don't have experience there, but I do have um experience in regards to science-based reading curriculum. Um, I say that because I needed to pull my one of my daughters out of out of Martinez for a few years in order to uh I think it was addressed as NPS, nonpublic school. I need to I needed to remove her from Martinez Unified School District for three years in order to get the services that she needed because the curriculum curriculum did not adequately prepare her to allow her to learn to read in a way that would be valuable. We did bring her back into Martinez Unified and I was grateful for that and I've been grateful since. Um, however, she's currently a freshman and she has three years to go and my
151senior took three years to meet with Miss Collins. Miss Collins, I presume you're still here. Uh, despite me encouraging her and trying to tell her, hey, she's there to help you figure out what you needed. She's not taking a traditional college uh she's not taking the traditional college um path that many students that are here speaking tonight are. Um she's sort of the other end of the spectrum where she's going into a um role that Miss Collins actually took time out of her day to research so that way my daughter knows where to go um as her next steps after high school. And so thank you. Please please consider it. And I know it's hard Cheyan Singh and then Jeffrey House Shield. >> Good evening members of the board. My name is Cheyenne Singh and
152I am a junior here at Alhamra High School. I'm here to speak about the proposed staff reductions and the significant impact it would have on students. I would like to begin with her college and career specialist Janice Collins. To students, she's the person who helps us thoughtfully plan for our futures. By meeting with students individually, she takes the time to understand her goals. Even doing her own research, as you've heard, to find opportunities that really fit with students interest, whether it's college programs, scholarships, dual enrollment, or planning for the right classes through events such as lunch and learns and AAPI meetings. She also creates a warm and supportive environment where students such as myself feel more involved and more included. This is the type of guidance that students genuinely depend on. However, this issue reaches
153much further than just one single position. Our mental health c counselor Missy Gilberg, PAR educators, special education teachers, as well as many more vital staff members provide much neededed daily support to students needing at additional academic assistance, emotional support, and individualized attention in order to succeed in the classroom. These staff members play such an important role in making sure that every student feels supported academically and personally as they are vital resources that students are needing in order for us to succeed. I would also like to address the issue of representation. Out of the entire staff members at our school, there are only two members that have Asian ethnic backgrounds despite many students sharing similar identities. Having staff members who understand students cultural backgrounds and experiences has a meaningful impact on why their students feel seen,
154understood, and comfortable when seeking for help. Reducing positions like these further limits the sense of representation and belonging for many students. If these positions are reduced, students won't just notice, they will feel these effects in their classrooms, in the amount of support we are able to access, and in how prepared we feel for our futures. I ask that you consider these roles as not just extras, but instead necessities to the student body in order to maintain a supportive environment dedicated to excellence. Thank you. >> Hello, my name is Jeffrey House. Um, I'm the father of Jason and I want to say I'm very proud of these students who have stepped up here. I'm not I'm just a parent. I'm just a carpenter. I wake up, I go to work, I pay taxes. I don't even
155really know what's going on until my my son came home just upset. Um, I know that Miss Collins, he's been in school for eight years here in this district and she's the only person I know by like name because I just see her emails coming across all the time. my son is in communication with her like almost every day. And it just from what I've heard tonight, it's appalling to think that um that y'all that that the district can just so easily want to cut these people who are so implemental into these students lives and to the students um career in school. Like he said, he's got a little sister who just started kindergarten. She's only been going to school for what, six months now. So, she's got years to go. And we came to
156this town because like another parent said, because of the the, you know, Zillow said that they all had decent schools. And we're like, okay, conquered or Martinez. And we chose Martinez. And we hope we made a right choice because we want to stay. We like the little town. We like the stu the the education that my son is getting, the friends that he's met. And we hope that, you know, I'm pretty pessimistic because I I I've been watching the news and I'm really enraged and I hope a lot of other people who are watching the news right now are enraged, too, because if you're not, then you're looking at something else. And I just hope that my little town isn't going to bring this ignorance to my children and to everybody else's children. And it's
157just because of the lack of education that our country is at such a disarray right now. Thank you. Not even going to try to pronounce the last name, but the first name is Donica >> Katanaki. Okay. >> Hello. Well, my name is Donica Kadanigi and I'm a teacher in the district as well as a parent of a ninth grader and a seventh grader in the district. I also was a student in this district and so was my husband. So, we're generational within Martinez and we chose to live here because of the great schools and the great community. Um, I'm speaking to urge the school board to take a hard look at these proposed budget cuts. The purpose of a school district is to serve serve the students and provide them with a high quality education.
158Budget cuts in a school district should focus on causing the least amount of effect impact on the students. But 65.9% of the pro proposed budget comes cuts come directly from the people who are supporting the students every day. These cuts include teachers, paras, librarians, yard duties, office managers, counselors, and our career and count um college counselor. My daughter just started at the high school this year and I've already gotten a glimpse into the amazing human that Janice is. Miss Collins or Alhamra talks about making students college and career ready, but they're not always able to provide the need for uh for our students in need. For example, according to the course catalog for the 2526 school year, Spanish 3 was not offered. Our students are being told that a third year of Spanish or of
159language is a highly recommended for college and a third year of language is included in the suggested four-year plan for college. The college and career counselor has been working to fill these educational gaps in our school district. She works with DVC to bring to dual enrollment classes that can bridge the gap and help make them college ready and competitive in their applications. Miss Collins Miss Collins even holds lunch and learns on campus and invites people to come out and share their professions to students so they can learn about the options after high school. She's working to give our students a way to dream big and achieve those dreams and listen to our students. And if their uh their petition says anything, you have almost 200 kids who already have signed. This is just an example
160of how these proposed cuts will affect our students. According to the presentation, the core focus is minimizing the impact on students, but the proposed cuts are the people who work directly with those students. I urge the school board to find creative ways to handle the looming budget difficulties. Thank you. Next, we have Katherine Hearn and then James Wilson. Good evening board members, district staff. Uh my name is Katherine Hearn. I am a um mother of a teacher, a wife of a teacher, a mother of two Alhhamra graduates and a current attendee of the junior high school and I myself am a PE teacher at Alhhamra teaching 225 students thanks to those um low impact natural attritions that have taken place in our departments. Uh here we are again. I I this has become a script,
161right? Um as someone else said before, we're here just seems like about every time this year talking about the same thing. Um what I just really don't and and to the point where we're just taking it for granted that we have to make cuts. And that's really the part that I can't get past. One of the slides uh said that this the the deficit spending will decrease significantly with these cuts. So I and I stopped at that. I'm like, does that mean without cuts we have deficit spending? Well, we've proposed at least $2 million worth of cuts for the last I don't know how many years. And for the last, I don't know how many years, we've been talking about declining enrollment and increasing special ed costs. And boy, that darn cola just keeps popping
162up that we can't seem to to agree on. I really hope that continues. So, we keep quoting these conditions that put us in these financial situations, but they're perpetual, indefinite situations. So, are we looking at a perpetual indefinite 2 million minimum projected cuts every single year? Does that make any sense at all? That I just I'm not getting past that concept. So, we need to change the script. We need to change the discussion. We need to talk about different things like what are we doing with our reserves? What are we doing with finding revenue? Change the discussion. Change the script. Great. Thank you. Uh, evening board, evening superintendent. Um, I'm coming as a proud Ron Rudder, bullpup, and bulldog. Um, back in the day, I'll date myself. We didn't have any of these counselor positions.
163I was lucky to have the privilege where my parents sought outside care for my needs. And I think about all the stories told tonight, and I worry about for those to which might be lacking. And I think about a little bit of succession planning. Um, we call these cuts as if they're redundancies, but I think about a cut for those kids that need to show up in school in a month and what's going to happen. The plan that was put forward, it's just words, a plan right now. And I think about what that transition is going to look like for all those kids looking and being handed a pamphlet to find additional resources with either the county or somewhere else. Um, I also like to think about where the money is being left on the
164table. Um the district right now I think believe um owns 666 acres out in Alhambor Valley that was part of an old schoolhouse that was around when the time of Brion's reservoir was there. It's now sitting vacant. I think the Martinez adult school at about 7.5 acres that hasn't been redeveloped. Um you can easily put highdensity housing. San Francisco uh Unified School District has done this on 1 um 34 acres and brought in um 134 residential units. I know that's high density, but you think about only 34 students are being cut or dropping out. How many more families can be added to that property right now? I know that's measure O funds, but you know, a little bit of foresight and thinking about ways that we can think about that income. Dutch Bros is doing
165pretty good. Everybody sees the line. That's some income right there. Imagine what you can do with the rest of the um Martinez Adult School. So, thank you for the time. >> That is it for public comments. I would like to make a motion for a 10-minute. >> Sorry, because I was stuck in the back and I didn't know how to do the thing. I apologize. >> Go ahead and then fill out a form afterwards if you don't mind. >> Sure. Sure. Um, I'd also like to respectfully suggest that we give students three minutes any any board meeting there ever is, even if there's a thousand of us, because their voices are the most important. Um, I'm speaking on behalf of somebody who works in the public sector in the district office. So, I am fully
166understanding how important district jobs are, but I'm also fully understanding how much us adults sitting in an office building can do more with less. We can do more with less. When we cut the people at the schools, our children are suffering. Us, it's just a bunch of adults in a room maybe emailing phone like it's just me. It's like a little network of adults who will suffer if there's job cuts at the district office. It's also I'm like similar to another dad who kind of got plopped in. I'm very new to academia. I'm an IT. I came into into this job. I'm new to the district. This is my first year. I'm talking to everybody how much an amazing school we are because Miss Macy, Miss Collins, because I've interacted. I've those names have helped
167my family or the students that I work with in my job. I'm It's very bizarre to me that we've become so conditioned that it's okay to look at an a list of jobs at a school and just chop them up. I can't find an org chart for the district. I have been going through this website for the past hour and a half trying to find jobs. Like who who are these jobs? Like what are these jobs? My job is district applications project manager. I can be cut. If the state of California community college district funding, if our district in Contraosta County is low on funds, which we might be very soon, cut me because my job is to the children of this country of this of this county. I don't understand why we don't have
168it's because we're not the corporate mindset is not normal to like have a job up there like a to depersonalize, dehumanize. Oh, you know, HR analyst 2, she, you know, she could really, maybe we don't need her anymore. HR analyst one could do the job. We don't do that. Why are we doing that with custodian 2? Like it's no big deal. So that is it for public comment, I believe. Okay. I would like to make a motion for a 10-minute recess. Do I have a second? Do we also have to move to extend the meeting time or is that not till 9? >> We can do that when we get back, I guess. But we can do it now. Sure. >> Okay. >> We do have to do that eventually. Yes. >> Well, I'll second
169your motion to take a five. Are we doing five minute or 10 minute? >> Five. Five. Five. Fine. >> Yep. That's fine. I'll second. >> All in favor? I So moved. Okay, we're ready to resume our meeting. Um, and we do need to make a motion to extend the meeting. I think >> I I move to extend to 10:30. >> I second. All in favor? >> I I so moved. Okay. So, who who wants to start discussing? >> Well, I have lots of questions. I guess I could start with start with questions. >> Can I interrupt you just for a second and say because I do as well that we go slide by slide perhaps in order to organize the questions instead of going back and forth. Are your questions on the presentation, Annie? >>
170They are and they're pretty much on two slides >> and mine are too actually. >> Yeah. >> So, we'll go slide by slide. That's a great idea. >> Okay. But yeah, we could start with um whatever the f the non non salar non um >> the non-staff reductions. >> Staff reductions. Yeah. >> Okay. So, what did I have on this? I just and I think you actually did a good job uh Andy about explaining some of these, but I just wanted a little bit of clarification on the the board special election, why that's still listed. um and the antibbias grant which I think are kind of same category, same idea there. >> Yeah. The idea behind the board special election is it's currently an expenditure that we have on the books for this year and
171it's expenditure that will no longer be necessary next year. So what it is, it's kind of a um an upfront view of how we go through the process, especially at second interim to start looking at what are some of those costs and reducing them as we look at the multi-year projection. It doesn't necessarily change the budget reality for today, but it does give us a way to say can we afford certain things. So can we possibly reduce less? Can we afford salary increases? Can we look at other programming? Um, so it's just an idea of looking at all those things and these are more larger dollar amounts. Sometimes we'll have, you know, multiple 5,000s, 10,000s and we don't put that on the presentation because of the value of that. But I want everyone to understand
172that we still look at every value and that goes into um adjusting second interim and leads to the next year's budget. With the um the other one was the antibbias grant. Yeah, the antibbias grant. That grant was a $200,000 grant that was received written um by district staff was um awarded to the district for $200,000 and this is the remaining $90,000 um that we're using and once that expires it will come off as an expenditure. Uh so these are and that's why I titled this slide particularly not just reductions but reductions and adjustments to account for those differences. >> Okay. Okay. And then the only one other one I have on this is the school budgets. Remind me, you said this represents a not an elimination, but a reduction, >> right? It's approximately 17% reduction
173for the school sites. Um it's $5 per kid at each of the grade levels of a reduction. So I believe the high school we're proposing $40 down to 35 and the elementary and middle schools 30 down to 25 per kid. >> Okay. And can you give us a little bit of an idea of what those site budgets are used for? U they're used for a lot of materials and supplies. Um so you would you know do the standard dry erase markers um erase boards uh paper a lot of paper colored paper regular paper um and those materials that go into the classroom environment to help you know kids through the learning environment. >> Thank you. That's I think that's it for me on this one. I have some um questions as well, Andy. Um first
174of all, that $5 per kid, is that per year? >> Yes. >> Because I can remember as a teacher having a dollar per month per child. So I add $10 a year. So that's a pretty substantial that's cutting um that's cutting the classrooms in half of what they have depending on the school and how they manage that money. So instead of having a dollar per month per child, I would have 50 cents to buy pencils and paper and supplies and things like that. So I know it seems like a small amount, but um it's really it it's a lot when you consider how little we're we're giving towards those things that kids need in order to um learn. um would you talk a little bit about um ongoing savings or or one-time money in terms
175of this slide? So, as we're looking at it, I I'm finding it hard. Is that 956 going to be just like a one-time thing or is it going to go on? Are we making reductions or adjustments that are going to be good for more than one year? >> Well, so they this is kind of the thing that gets confusing, right? We are purchasing right now in one year. But the assumption is that if we didn't reduce it now, we would be continuing it every year. So in the example of the PBIS contract, if we were to fund it, which we do this year, if we keep going next year, next year, that may be $75,000 worth of spending over three years. But if you reduce it now, that means that you're not doing that. So,
176when we look at the three-year window of budgeting, we're saying that we're saving $75,000 of ongoing. Um, and then we kind of just perpetuate it out as far as we can go, but the hard part is that we don't we don't look past three years. So, we're always just kind of looking in that landscape. And so, I would say that all of these cuts except for the fund 20 OPEB would be ongoing cuts when we look at our multi-year projection. Whereas the the OPED transfer would be a one-time infusion of cash of $400,000 that doesn't impact future years expenditures. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, one more question. Are there any contractual obligations that we should know about in terms of the PBIS and the antibbias grant or can we just stop doing that or are
177have we committed to something contractually because I don't remember seeing those contracts. I think that happened before my time. Yeah, we are not under obligation to continue those next year. >> Yeah, I think the antibbias grant was um 270,000 and they divided it up for a three-year program. So, this is the last year for that. Um I had a question actually on the um slide right before the proposed reductions and adjustments. Um when we originally started talking about the budget, we talked about 2.3 and then we went up to 2.5. And I'm guessing that the 2.9 is because you think we're going to add some things back, but I would like to know what the real number is that you think we have to really cut because I don't want to cut more than we
178have to. Um, as you said, you know, um, we went to the uh, governor's his workshop and it looks like ultimately we are owed about $3 million, right? ultimately that they have to pay us back and also um there's going to be some one-time grants and funding for one-time just like we did just like we had the MTS counselors after COVID things like that. So, it looks like we probably will get something and I know we're trying to be conservative. We don't want to plan on that. So that's why I really want to get an accurate figure and you know if it really is 2.3 is it 2.5 what what is the true number because I don't believe that 2 I think that 2.9 is being overly conservative. So can you give me a little
179clarity on that please? >> Um so when we created the budget we had already looked at the budget time which is June that we needed to cut nearly $2 million just to maintain our 3% reserve. As we got to first interim, that number essentially stayed the same, $2 million that we needed to reduce. As we started looking at our bargaining group and what their proposal was, we knew that in order to afford a raise, we had to change what our reductions are going to be. As we got closer and closer to a tentative agreement, that number ticked up because of what the offer was that we were offering there. So, in order to be able to meet all of our proposed fiscal needs plus our ones that we knew when we did the budget in
180first interim, that's why that number ticked up. So, we are looking at approximately 2.5 in ongoing cuts. The 400,000 in OPE is a one-time infusion of cash that can be used in multitude of different ways, but we know it's one time. So the number is ticked up to about 2.5 million ongoing to be able to afford all of our expenditures and packages. It could be very well that we don't need all 2.5 as we get to second interim. Um for everyone to know second interim is the fiscal period that ends at the end of this month and it takes us a good month to be able to calculate things, go through and scrub those budgets and see what goes on. to your statement about the governor's budget. It is true they from what we were
181presented, they didn't tell us how much per kid, but we on our own kind of calculated it and I think everybody in the room was interested in calculating what those numbers are going to be. Things like an increase to the per pupil um allocation for special education students. Great number. I've heard nobody even at the SUPA talking about it. I even reached out to him and said, "What do you know about this?" Because that caught me by surprise. So that is a perspective increase and looks really great. The $22 billion increase that the governor said that the revenue was going on and most people uh attributed that to our AI boom. People are worried that that's going to drop. So the governor gave two seemingly contradictory points of view in his proposal. One is we've
182got great revenue increasing of$22 billion. Most of that is going to pay off outstanding debts from underfunding 2324's LCFF revenue and also underfunding 2425. And at the same token, 5.6 billion of those dollars are going to be a set aside for economic uncertainty. So you have a economic boom of 22 billion more than you anticipated, but you're holding back 5.6 billion, not of additional money, of money that's required and owed to school districts because of Prop 98. So, how do we kind of pull all of those things together into this budget reduction proposal, the idea that more money may be coming? Well, we're in a very tenuous position. We could or the board could choose to change what this proposal does knowing that we're up to that 2.5 million ongoing mark, but at this time,
183we don't know what that dollar amount is. We only have supposition. We have leaders who are saying, "We think it's going to be 500 more per kid here. We think it's going to be 80 more for special education and we think on our terms we may get an extra $3 million of one-time funds. Nothing has materialized. I can't at this point put those dollars in the budget without having more information. So what we are is we're kind of beholden to the time frame in which we are about how to do reductions and potential layoffs knowing that we could see those dollars next year with the ultimate hope that those one-time dollars will be converted into ongoing Prop 98 dollars that we won't have to deal with some of these situations in future years so that
184we see that deficit spending truly ends. We see that our reserve level goes up and then we have a great problem is how do we allocate those additional funds to do the programs that many people tonight expressed are important to the school system. How do we maintain high compensation for our staff so that we have the best employees that feel that they could make a livable wage, live in the community and to be productive in this society. So we are hopeful of what may be. We just aren't quite at a place where we can calculate it and put it in that budget and present something different tonight. >> Okay. Because I at one point a board member I think had suggested that we'd rather do more reductions so we have to cut ne less next
185year. And I just want to make sure that's not what this is. This is what you are telling me you think we need to cut to have a 3% out in in three years when we do our um to the county. Right. Can I just I think I I hear what trustee president is just asking. That amount is the total proposed options for the board is $2.9 million. What we need in light of our current fiscal situation with our a pending agreements is $2.5 million. That's what I wanted to know. Okay. Thank you very much. So, yeah. So, if we add some things back in and we get to 2.5, we're still okay. And then, so as far as I'm concerned, and I know that um we may or I had different opinions before, but
186the um OP funds, we have 780,000 in there, and I know it's one-time funds, but you can also use that to offset a position or two if we decide to. So we could theoretically that 2.5 minus 370,000 gets you to 2.13 to cut, right? >> But that would only save a position for one year. >> Correct. Correct. No, no, I know it would save the position for one year. But at the same time um I think we have heard that and we we all believe that mental health is important but as far as and I have made this opinion known before that I thought the career counseling person um position is very critical. Um and I think we heard a lot of students today too. So I would be h I'd be willing to say
187let us use that 370,000 to cover that position and possibly an MTSS. I would agree with that as well and I understand Annie it and I know it's difficult but even if it's just one more year which gives us more time whether it's a grant or funding from some other source it just buys us some more some time and it when I think it's really important even if it's just for another year but I had one question I thought I was a little surprised and I must have missed this earlier when I was reviewing the packet I thought we had agreed to reduce some of the travel and uh conference costs. >> Yeah, I was a little surprised to not see that as well. I in the budget workshop I had advocated for that as
188a potential cut. So, I mean I would like to hear what the rest of the board says, but I would like to see that come back. It was something it sounded like there was interest in it at least reducing it. C >> can I can I can I suggest something? Um because I have a lot of thoughts and I agree with what a lot of things have been said so far and I also agreed with a lot of what the public comment said. Um but can we just go through and ask our questions first and then have the discussion because think that will be a lot more efficient. >> It will be I was trying to get that's why I had to the first one because I was >> I had that question too. So
189I'm glad you asked it. >> So yeah. So let's go to if there not any more questions on that then let's move on. >> Sorry. Um, so with the with the unodudited actuals, we saw that we had a million dollars more than we had projected. Um, and I'm just wondering where that is in all of this financial data. Has it been spent somewhere or allocated somewhere or how is that impacting what we're seeing? because at the beginning of the year I thought we knew that we were going to have to reduce but$ 1.9 I think it was then but then we saw that we had an additional million dollars um that we ended up with and so um I'm I'm trying to wrap my head around where that money is. >> Well, let me first
190start and and I know that it it can be really hard to follow the es and flows of what the budget does. So when we looked at last year the million dollars dropping and I think the board remembers that presentation about $350,000 $330,000 that was interest income that was unexpected. U the other amount was restricted dollars from our ELOP funding because uh the state gave us more money but didn't do so until the very end. And then there were savings from a few things like special education which is a general drop down that we see at unudited actuals. And for everybody who's listening, on audited actuals is when you close the books in June. You spend the next couple of months fully paying off all those things and expenditures that happen in June. And this
191is the amount that we say that we actually spent for that year before our auditors review it and give us feedback. So at that time, that million dollars that came down goes to the unassigned balance. So that unassigned balance, it doesn't go in a different account. It doesn't go anywhere else. It stays in the general fund, fund 01. Those dollars help us to be able to support the rest of the year program plus the next two in our multi-year projection. So having a million dollars come down doesn't account for any of the increased spending that goes in. So when we talk about special education cost increase um that we started going through in the falls um sub rates, our PG Gen and utility costs that go up, our insurance cost that goes up. So so
192many different expenditures that go through and increase throughout the year. to be able to in in this form give you a ledger of each of those line items. It'd be very long and that's essentially what we do when we do the um the warrant report to show all those expenditures that go through and it's very lengthy. So the short version of it is is that that million dollars went to our unassigned funds. The unassigned funds go throughout the year to be able to pay for all the expenditures and programs we do. And then each of those budget snapshots, first interim, second interim, we review the budget. we scrub it as much as we can to determine how much money we have available to do things like offer salary raises or to look at other programs
193or to leave it in the unassigned so that we have a a healthy reserve in the outy years. Uh so it's a very summary answer to your question. I can if you have specific things you want to know what gets spent on or how it goes, I can give that better than to kind of do the ups and downs throughout the year if that's >> just really trying to figure out exactly how much we have to cut and if there's money anywhere else that that helps. I do have some ideas as we go through and discuss that. But um I just think that every bit of money helps like what you all have brought up about um conferences and I think there was a PD contract or something um that that was $30,000. I mean
194that's $80,000. What can we do with $80,000, right? And there's some other areas I want to ask you about, but I'll wait until we get until we get there. Which one are we on? We're on Yeah. number six. Slide six. Is that where we are? >> Okay. Any questions on this? >> Yes. Um, okay. I want to acknowledge I like I said I agree with a lot of what was said. Um I do want to say that um yeah we have been we have been the last I think at least the last three Januaries we've been here talking about cutting millions. Um but this is not the only time that this group talks about the budget. We talk about it pretty much weekly. Um, and those things do include we have made we have cut
195positions at the district office. We have combined positions at the district office. We've tried to make um that as bare bones as possible and still meet all of our legal obligations which are long. Um, and we've also talked extensively in this room and um, in other meetings about how to increase revenue, which is going to, you know, not it's not a one-time conversation. It's an ongoing, you know, multiple times a year conversation. So, I just I just want to put that out there. With that being said, I would like to know um and and I think correct me if I'm wrong. I think we have eight total principles in this district. Um three vice principles. Is that right? Or is it two vice principles? >> Four. >> Janelle, you want to respond? >> We have
196two vice principles and two assistant principles. >> Got it. Okay. Four. Um Okay. And then I think the total district office staff is is like something like 25 people or two dozen people, right? >> Including classified members. Yes. >> Like to Okay. >> So, um so our our admin my point is our administrative staff is not very big. Um and we're a small district. So, I I guess what I would like to know is the positions that are on this list to um cut work year days. Are there other administrative positions that are not on the list? And why? Um could we add every could we add every administrative position on this list and maybe change the work year by one or two days for everybody? What would that savings be? Could we look at
197maybe a furlow day for everybody? Those th that's the kind of things that I'd like to discuss. Well, and also on all the slides you have dollar amounts except on this slide here. And can you give us the dollar amounts associated with it? Because um I'm trying to I'm doing the math. I've got my calculator. I >> That was the 35,000, right? >> That is the 35,000. >> That's correct. All right. It's on the summary slide. >> Okay. I just wasn't sure because everybody else she put it right there next to them. So, I thought so, but I want to double check. Okay. >> And thank you for asking that uh question, Courtney. I think a few of us had that. >> I have a question because I'm looking at um for example, principal elementary
198and it looks like a threeday um change in work year, but wouldn't that be multiplied by four? Wouldn't that be a total of 12 days if you're are you talking three days per principal and that would be 12 days? So, it's hard to get a get a grasp on the dollar amount. Um I know that it was in another slide, but it wasn't broken out the same. So, it made it more difficult to understand this um slide. Um and yeah, I I have the same questions as you do um Courtney. Andy, can you um give clarity to that just to make sure that the board understands that they're looking at that particular number the right way? Is is Trusty Leel seeing it the way that she just described? Is that correct? >> So each elementary
199principal, which would have three less days. Um so this is by the position, not by the person. 35,000. >> That would be a total of 12 days >> for that one specific >> That's correct. >> position. Okay. >> And the total of all of these is 35,000 is what he said. >> That's correct. >> All these changes are 35,000 >> and it includes every administrative position. >> No, it doesn't. It doesn't look like it's on here. It looks like there's only two administrators on here. Maybe three. No, but I think she's talking about admin staff. >> But are you are you attempting to make the distinction between certificated and classified management or or is there something else? >> I think that's the distinction. Yeah, because I think um we we've heard some people talk about
200a one furlow day and so it looks like you've got like director information education technology. I'm assuming that's classified. Um so >> but that's just a correction from a mistake that was made. >> No, that's not a mistake. That's just a reduction in a year. So I think the question is were you going to put because I thought at one point we had said someone had said we were talking about budget and it might have been when we were talking about negotiations before and stuff but of having a furlow day for everyone in the district. So, if I could just jump in and I think I think last year trustee president and I wasn't here but if I'm not mistaken I think classified managers remember there was a an issue with 261 versus 260 work
201days and that most classified um went to the 260 workday. So what you see listed are those managers that or supervisors that did not last year. So that's a correction because it should have happened last year. So that's what Logan was referencing. Um with regards to the furlow days, um district staff did look at that um as a viable option. Um but I think we misunderstood the direction. I thought the direction was to have us correct those days where we are way over. Um, so the administrative positions where you see the days being reduced are in alignment with other school districts in Contraosta County. So we realized that we had our administrators working additional days. So we wanted more par and alignment with other districts which is why that was adjusted. Um if the board
202wants us to entertain furlow we would we definitely could do that with the other managers but it probably would make more sense to not include these positions because they're already being adjusted due to alignment with other school districts. >> I 100% agree with you on that. I wouldn't want to impact these. I was thinking if there was something else. So you're thinking like so who the the position that's not on there is high school principal. Um and then maybe looking at other district um director positions or other um leadership positions at the district office because I think that's the only position that's not there. >> Right. So I know that and and I would say it's only for one year, right? I would say if you took a if everyone took a one day furlow
203and I I'm not saying that everyone's not worth it because you guys work hard and I understand all that but um I think that's what Courtney also alluded to. >> Okay. So, just >> I hadn't fully thought through like um you know, district office versus administrators at school sites, but just kind of putting out there the idea of um because I hear what folks are saying about direct contact with students. Although, again, I'm going to say all our our district is small. Every role will any cut to any single role is going to affect students. Um, but I also hear what folks are saying, so I'm trying to find a creative solution. >> Okay, we'll definitely go back and take a look at that and have some updates for you. >> Thank you. >> Could
204you when you do that, um, Andy, could you tell us like what it would be for a one-day furlow so that we could extrapolate that out to say if we decided a two or a three just so we have options? So what what would the total amount be for all of those positions one day so that we can do some easy math and figuring out what that would >> I'll provide that information you in the weekly update. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> And have we looked at restructuring options at all at the district administrative level? Have we explored anything that we can possibly do um to maybe reassign duties and things like that at the district office level? >> I I think I'd give that to the superintendent. That that would not
205be my role. >> Um as I'm learning and you know just learning the how we do things. We haven't looked at that because at at this point it really feels that we're so tight. I mean, we're really we can definitely look at it, but I I haven't looked at it yet. Trusty Leo, to be very transparent, no, I have not considered that just, you know, out of the I mean, it's we're we don't have very many we don't have very many folks here and we all are already pretty overextended. So, but if if if the board wants me to look at that, I mean, I certainly can. just it wasn't because we were just trying to protect people. It's just it really smelt like felt like we were already extremely small. >> Well, I don't
206know that you're going to have time to do that before we vote on this budget either. >> Well, I I do want to speak to that actually because Courtney and I've been on this board for five years. And in that time, I think especially Dr. Patrick's predecessor, she looked at that every year and I would say truly we are already bare bones. The people in this room, the people sitting here on cabinet, they are boots on the ground people. Like literally, we have interviews. When we interviewed Dr. Patrick, we said, "You better come with your running shoes because this is a district where you are doing multiple jobs. We do not have none of the people at this table have a large support staff to make sure that they're in compliance with the things that
207we are legally obligated to do and the services we are required to provide our students and that we happily provide to our students. And so I I think we have really done that work. And I know on this that it's really hard when we look at percentages and we see one bargaining unit is very disproportionately this year having proposed cuts and I think that is due to the fact that we have consistently done the work of reorganization. There's not really excuse me there's not really much more at the district office to cut. We're not talking about people who have two and three assistants and we have neighboring districts where that is the case and we do not have that. We have people who are in the work every day and um I think that's why
208we're not seeing that just in my experience over the past five years and I agree. >> Well, and I think there's some long-term things that we can do that will help us in future years. um which I wouldn't impact here right now but um and I hate to say I I don't want to put more work on any one person but I think we were talking about um crossing guards for example that um because I've been looking at trying to find some grants and one of the questions is when they say how much you associate with a crossing guard because I think there we can get some grants that might alleviate that they said well how come it's so expensive and I think neighboring ing districts have them on staff and so they you know
209if they're $25 an hour I think we our budget is 160 because we've got a company that you know we haven't filled those positions in the past but that could be something that we go towards and possibly if we can't do the training for for a crossing guard I don't know how extensive it would be neighboring districts have them and that's an option too so I'm I think we will find and that's not going to help us right now but I think during during this next, you know, maybe the next couple of months, we can look at some of those type of things. And I don't know when that contract is over, if it's a yearly contract or not. You'd have to look at all that stuff. But, um, I think there's some ways to,
210um, get some some more income so that we wouldn't be we wouldn't have to cut as much next year and hopefully not if, you know, if we get a new governor and he's favorable to schools. Um, >> so can we move to the travel expense part or do we settle that? >> Oh, sorry. >> So, I I think you should add that, Logan, while you were while we were discussing that >> the non staff. Yeah, because I had one I wanted to add on there as well. >> Okay. Well, let's go back to that one. >> So, of course, I understand there's going to be some travel whether it be for uh cabinet, the superintendent. Uh I know a large part of it so we can go to the um the CSBA conference. I personally
211I'm very grateful I got to go for the first two years. I'm not going to go next year. And if there is a need for me to go, I'm happy to use my stipen for it. So, I can't speak for the other board members, but if that's part of it, and I know we need some, but I think we can cut at least in half, but I'll let the rest of them speak. >> Well, and I think the CSBA conferences, they rotate. So, next year it'll be or the end of this year. Um, it'll be in Southern California. So, that's a good one to pass because you don't have to worry about the airfare and all that. So, you know, since most of us have been on the board, um, we maybe don't have to
212go to that one. Brenda might want to go. I don't know. >> Um, but >> I I cannot justify conference expenses when we're talking about mental health and college and career and all of these other things. There's no justification for it. And I'm sorry. And maybe what's gonna happen is that, you know, come June, we're going to get this finalized budget possibly from from the governor, right? And hopefully the pressure that CSBA is putting on them and the pressure that CTA is putting on them to give us the deferrals back >> will will come to fruition and maybe we can re-evaluate it at that time. But for right now, there's no justification for that. >> Wait. So I think we what we're saying is we would like to see something put on on the table
213again for conferences. I think the original one and I wasn't at that workshop but that you went to with the public it was 50,000 that was the total budget >> 60. >> No it was I believe it was 50,000. It's on this um >> it was 60,000 >> here. >> I don't have in front of me. >> Um I believe it was 50,000 C travel and conference right there. And then it's $30,000 was for the PD contract, which again, we have a lot of intellectual properties um in our district. I I was so impressed by everybody that spoke and the the supreme intelligence of our staff and our students that I just think we could do it ourselves. And and yes, again, if we get that money, maybe we bring it back, but for right
214now, I think it has to be cut. and online supplemental curriculum uh was given a fairly low score at the at the back committee. Do you say back or BAC? I'm not sure. It's kind of like Verbbo VBO. I don't know which one's cool. Um but the cost of that was $160,000. And I know we want to keep our credit recovery uh for students so that we don't impact our graduation rates. But is there anything there that we can cut? because every time if if we could take 60,000 or h 100,000 but it is $160,000 line item. I think that trustee Leo that would be that would be something that I would think we would would directly impact students and I would strongly recommend that we not we look at some other things other positions
215>> what's in that 160,000 like I don't know what that I know that is in there and a couple of other things but >> you know how do you balance out what we're going to cut because we have to cut we have to cut That's the reality. And is that program more important than other things that we're going to cut? I don't know. But I do know that I and I realize that nothing is really on the budget advisory committee. Billy had seven people that answered that, which I understand. >> So, it's not really valid, >> but it was given a very low score >> by that committee. And there were kids on that committee. So, I don't know. and maybe we need teacher feedback as well as how it's being used, but that that
216equals one FTE in terms of um an educator and more than that if we're looking at um CSEA employees. So, when I was doing the math here, um we were saying that we really need to cut 2.5 and if we add that 370,000 in from the OPEB, I'm going to say it out. I'm not going to say it. um that's 2,130,000. So that you can add back quite a few positions for that to still to not so some of these cuts that we're talking about um we can still add back. So, why don't we go through the rest of these classified and see if there's something that you really want to keep and then we can kind of go back and see if we get to that 2,130,000 if that's going to >> Well, I
217I want to speak to that though because I think that the board at the and and it is a a number that we can change, but that OPED account um I thought that 400,000 my understanding was that was what the board collectively was comfortable with. So, if we're changing that, that's a conversation. But I also want to point out because this was said a lot in the in public comments and I I really I hear it when people say we're here every year doing this and we are here every year doing that this and that is because as a board we have prioritized mental health. We continue to prioritize mental health health and the state does not the state is no longer giving us money for this. So every year that we do this and
218I'm not saying it's not worth doing. We see how much the impact is to our kids. But draining that account for one year puts us back here next year having the same conversation, having the public say, but I thought you said you prioritized it. I just want to be really clear about what that money does and doesn't do. It is a one-time infusion. And I'm and and I want to hear from the board. I'm not saying I'm not flexible on that, but I thought that the number the 400,000 was because collectively we landed on that. Um, and so I'm certainly not proposing that we make any more cuts than what is necessary here, the 2.5, but it does sound like we're already coming up with some solutions, and there are 2.9 in this. So, there's
219already things that we can do to be flexible. I just yeah I I just want to be really really clear that we aren't actually solving the problem because we're prioritizing things as a district that the state has decided we don't think they're bonus but the state does and so we will continue to be here and we will continue to deficit spend if we do that. I just >> So, >> yeah. >> So, and I appreciate that. I I think and I could be wrong, maybe somebody could um fill in, but I thought the 400,000 was not that's being transferred wasn't going to be used for mental health or another position. It was going to be used for >> raises. >> So, right. >> So, I understand that. So if we're using that 400,000 to supplement
220um yeah retro then really the rest of that it's not like we're using the 400,000 specifically for saving positions >> right but if we increased and drained the entire account that's what we would be doing is what I was but yes you're >> and and you're right we did agree to 400,000 I think some people were higher and I was like oh no let's do lower but I think looking at it now and hearing ing from the public that I think it is important that we have and again we I think there's some grants out there that we can apply for and I know that I have been actually talking to people and actually getting ready to apply for some grants so with some help because I'm not a grant writer. Um so someone is
221going to help me. Um, but I so I think and I I like I said, I think talk listening to the budget, the governor's workshop, I think we are going to be getting some one-time funds and some other funds in there. And I think part of that may be mental health. So, I I agree with you. I don't want to push it down every year. We do do this every year. This is my fourth year hearing this. And it it is hard. And we're lucky that we got negotiations out of the way so we have one less stress. But, um, now we've got to, you know, balance that budget. And so, um, I think it's a I it is a gamble, but I think it's a positive gamble, one that we can we'll it'll work
222out in our favor. So, that's all I'm saying. >> It does feel a little bit like betting on the Super Bowl, but um, after attending uh, the budget workshop, I am very hopeful. Um, and I think that the cuts are draconian in my estimation. Um, I don't think that mental health um is optional and um hearing from our students and our educators um certainly our high schoolers and and junior high. I mean, we we're hearing from from them and they're they're telling us what's going on and the support that they need. And I want to go back to our counselors at the high school, our academic counselors, which I I'm not sure whether we call them counselors now or academic, but >> they're called school counselors. >> Okay. School counselors. Um there's over a thousand
223kids there. And um if you divide that by two counselors, now you have 500 plus kids for each counselor. Um I don't believe that they are going to have time to do the kind of mental health counseling that our kids um seem to be. I I I have to say I heard it on the back committee. I have heard it through email. I have heard it tonight um over and over again that they're crying out for that support. and um we need to hear them. They took the time to come. Many of them were speaking to us and you could tell it was from the heart and um we have to help our kids. So, it may be that we have to realign our our priorities, but um I I think there's a lot to
224look at and then when we get to classified staff as well, I mean, there's a lot we need um to look at there as well with the implications of the cuts. But I do think there's other things that can be cut that were suggested to be cut that aren't on this list. And we're not saying 100% that we're going to keep all of the MTSS counselors, although we would like to. I think we're we're saying we want to keep some >> at the minimum that high school. >> That's what I was thinking. And in conjunction with that, I think the career counseling >> I'm going to pull us back and try to go back to Yeah. Go ahead. >> Let's go back to I think we're on slide number eight now. >> Lost. Yes. >>
225No, we didn't do classified staff. I'm sorry. >> Yep. >> Okay. >> Slide number seven. >> And I think some of these Can you remind me which one of these were due to attrition? >> None of these. I don't think >> the PAR educators are due to attrition. And I I just want to remind everyone that um because we had a lot of comments about reduction of you know three teachers. we we don't have students for those teachers. Um and so and also we had a situation where we may have had one or two teachers more this year. And so we're we know if we're looking at our projections that our our numbers we didn't we we were overstaffed. So we really need to address that as well. So it's not that we're taking teachers
226away from kids. No one would do that because we need teachers for you know to teach students but the what we're proposing are reducing because our projections and our current situation doesn't support us keeping those positions. >> So when we say attrition it's it's because we don't we don't have students for those classes. >> But will that cause us to have to move kids around between schools as a result? >> I I don't believe so. We we don't have we don't have we won't have students and if we do have students then we'll hire a teacher but we we can't have more teachers than what we need because we can't be overstaffed because that does significantly impact the budget. So is that also true um for the the the um par educator positions on here
227that it's not that ex existing students are going to lose the support of a parah it's that there will be less students that need because remember paras are assigned to classrooms and so if the classrooms go away then we don't need those parah positions unless we have a vacancy somewhere else and we would offer an employee if someone was affected if we had another position somewhere we would offer offered to them if they had seniority rights. >> So on the classified staff reductions, the fourth and fifth one, the parah educator bilingual 35,000 and the parah educator for for2,000 those are both attrition. Those are all attrition. >> We would yeah we would not reduce with if we needed them. We we don't have we won't have a need for them because those classrooms are going
228away. >> Okay. So, I have some comments um on the positions um as I'm looking at them. >> Um so, as I'm looking at noon duty um four, is that going to reduce the that that there's not going to be any noon duty supervisors at re at lunchtime or are there eight and so you're reducing them in half? Janelle, can you um speak to the noon duty situation? Yeah, Andy and I. Yeah. So, it's four total noon duties and it is at um one position at the junior high school and then um three at the at three of our elementary schools. Correct, Andy? And it's um the schools with the uh smaller number of enrollment. >> So, who's doing that duty? There's no noon duty there. >> We have multiple noon duties at every site.
229Okay, thank you. And um the library media assistant, I have to say that um as a teacher, I was able to get my kids into the library maybe once a month even though we should have had two times a month because it was either we had Monday. I got Monday. Don't ever get Monday because there's all these holidays on Monday and then you know if somebody's sick then you miss that one. And I literally probably was able to get my kids in once a month, which is simply not enough. Um, I actually took my kids on field trips, got them library cards, but they didn't go to the library um like the public library. They did just didn't do that. And the current uh language arts program that we have um really um depends upon
230kids having books that they have chosen. So, I'm not sure whether or not that's going to be backfilled by MEF or um what's going to happen with that. >> I mean, the plan is to backfill it with the readathon funds, which readathon happens in March. So, anyone listening, that's exactly what your money will do. It's what it's done the last two years. These cuts have been made the last two years and MEF has backfilled them with >> So, they've kind of not affirmed that, but they have made a commitment. We can't guarantee because there's it's based on the funds coming in from readathon, but it has been possible the last two years and it is the plan for any dollars that get spent is to backfill that cut. >> Okay. And then looking at the
231right side, when I look at um the amount that the office managers are being reduced, so there's four of them. So, they're each taking a what, over a $5,000 cut approximately because I know they're all on different schedules, but a $5,000 cut to each of them, which is a lot. That's like 500 bucks a month out of your And I'm wondering, have we looked at the ripple effects? Because I see that on the administrative secretaries, there's two. So, that would be somewhere around $8,500 a year. I mean, those are they look like minuscule amounts here as we're looking at them, but when you look at the FTEEs that are sharing those um it's a lot of money and I'm wondering if the ripple effect is going to be that we lose those people to other
232uh employment opportunities and because they literally are they are the people that hold all of the knowledge and and they make the schools work. >> Who's an administrative secretary? Can you tell me is that elementary, middle school, I mean high, junior high, or is that high school? Those admin secretary >> district office. >> That's what Okay, it's here. Okay, that's district office. Okay, thank you. And student sorry say that my computer um and the student services technician um they're currently 12 months, >> correct? And that's the person that when kid when like when you come back from summer if the kids turn in their computers and they don't work who can you explain what that position is? >> No, it's a district office position and this position supports student services and special education. Um she
233supports um enrollment processing contracts for special ed um th those kinds of duties. >> Thank you. Okay. So we do have some district office stuff on so there. Okay. I just want to check about that. Thank you. >> Can we talk about the college career specialist? >> Yeah, we should. >> So, of that what I'd like to see the additional oped money. That would be definitely one of them. And I know we talked about this last year. This is my second year doing this. I just I understand you have to look at everywhere and I don't envy anybody that has to do that or have to pick and choose and but yeah I I just can't support that here or in the future. So if I'm not sure if there's a particular grant that helps
234fund that or if it just has to come from somewhere in the budget but for this year I think that'd be a good spent. I definitely as far as I'm concerned I think that's a critical position. Um, and you heard some of the students speak today, but when someone needs like a language for college, they she's the one that gets them. She helps them enroll, whether it's DVC, um, whether she you have to go to Deansza, she helps them get there. And we have had some people fall through the cracks. And she's the fix. and even if they have to do it in their senior year, she has really um I've seen it firsthand and I've heard from students um I think even our student rep Matthew who was not here but he said it
235before and he had that person come and speak for him. I think he also I think that's a critical position and I think um and I think she said it herself when she was here. Um she kind of made that position. she has the connections and she helps the kids get um you know if even if it's on a four-year college she gets them in the right direction. So I think that's a I mean for me when I'm looking at and I know we were going side by side but now we're on the side um I think that position needs to stay in in my opinion not >> last year I recall that this position the college and career specialist was actually on this list but as a reduction not as an elimination. Am I
236right about that? >> Yeah that's correct. Last year we had a proposal that was one FTE down to 75. So it' be a smaller reduction. >> So I'm just looking at all of these and I know I understand that that is not ideal for the person doing that job. I really really really do >> and in terms of keeping as many services as possible for students. I'm wondering if we look at some of these as a reduction if we are able to sustain them for longer into the future. Um, again, I totally get that that's not a perfect solution, and I know it's a lot of work for the person doing it, but in getting creative and thinking about being sustainable, I'm wondering if that's something we could discuss. And then I also think that
237not knowing the budget situation and being hopeful, it sounds like we have some reason to be hopeful. If we can also say okay our proposal and what we are going to do so that we can meet our layoff requirements we're going to do these reductions with the understanding that the board is prioritizing certain things to come back first should we find the money for them. It's a little bit less of a gamble that way. So >> yeah. No, I agree. I you know this is a position that this board created I think in the 2122 school year. Maybe it was the 2021 school year, but it was um because the state all of a sudden decided that education was a priority, which should always be the case, but it wasn't. Um and gave us a
238bunch of extra money that we had to decide how to spend. And that was one of the positions that we created and said, "We think this is important." And it it obviously is. It has a big impact on the students. Um and yeah, I I I would hate to see it go away. Um, but I'm just giving that context for why it's on the list every year. Um, because it's not something that's funded by the state any any longer. Um, I would I I I've sort of done a lot of math and played with a lot of this. Um, which anytime you ask me to have to do math, but I did it. Um, it's not my favorite thing, but um, I think we can keep that position, but I also agree with what you're
239saying, trying to make it sustainable if it's only keeping it 75, but then making that a top priority to reinstate when our hopeful budget predictions become a a fruition. I would support that also. Um, but that's definitely and and when we get to slide number eight, I was going to talk more about um the the math that I've done, but that I've I've factored that into because I would also like to keep that, you know, I mean um we say I would like to I I want to keep that position. I I um none I don't want to get rid of any of these. So, it it's it seems weird to say it that way, but that's one of my priorities. And I will just one more time say that I have seen her email
240her not emails their parent squares. Um she does as you've heard the students say she does lunchtime lunch and learns. She had takes >> was a guest speaker at one last year and yeah >> yeah it's really a good service. >> She does I I would be shocked if she didn't work 50 hours at minimum. Now I'm not saying teachers or anyone else doesn't do that. don't get me wrong, but um I think she spends an awful lot of time and she really does she has the relationships with kids and she's almost like an MTSS in some ex, you know, because she they go talk to her and she alleviates the stress of having to find college and things like that. So, she is giving them peace of mind. So, I I do think that
241particular position is real important. I'm wondering if part of that position could be shared with the adult school. Um if there's any funds that because when we went Logan and I went to the adult school fair and a lot of that was college and career oriented. Um they they had all the trades there. They had all the different um it seemed like it dovetailed perfectly um with with college and career. So, I'm wondering, can part of her position um come from the adult school? Do they have the funds? And would they be willing to do that? We'll have to look into it to see. We'll just have to do further examination um to see if if that could if that's a possibility. I'm not opposed to it. It's just the first time it's being introduced.
242So we have to meet and confer and look at everything and see and then Yeah. and then get back to you. >> Are we ready to go to the next slide? >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> So certificated staff reductions you're So just to clarify so I'm hearing correctly the elementary teachers the 3ft that's because of attrition right >> that is correct. Okay. Um, elementary music, elementary teacher music. Is that also attrition because they have music every third day in can you clarify that one for me too please? So when we look at the total enrollment at Los Hunus, they have somewhere in the neighborhood almost 200 kids less than the largest elementary school, which means they have several less classrooms that need to be serviced by music or PE or any of those other courses.
243So what we were trying to do is find a way to not so this sounds counterintuitive, but I'll explain why. how not to reduce services at Los Hunis by taking advantage of our title one funds. So the way it works is we can't supplant. We can't just move a person who is paid out of general funds and move them into title one funds because that would say that you're supplanting. In order for us to maintain that same level of services, what we are saying is that we don't need those services at the 1.0. We need it at a 0.8. So when we do that layoff, we're saying that our base for that is 0.8. Now that means that we can technically use our title funds if we want to extend and add more services. So
244you're even though you're bringing back the same amount, you're going through the technical process of saying we only need so much now we can add it back as an extra supplemental service instead of a supplanted service. So it it gets a little bit into the the weeds of the technical jargon around title one and the programming it but this is the way we try to keep that whole because it would cause lots of problems to start reducing at a 0 2 rate because how how do you how do you do those services at the school? So this is our attempt to do that and we can take feedback from you on on what you think about that. >> So the position so the the actual teacher technically is not going to be reduced. It's it's
245almost like a simultaneous swap, >> right? >> Okay. So, it will technically be reduced and then we can offer the full position of a point. So, the position would be a 08 funded one way and a 0 2 funded a different way. So, we would reauthorize the position with different funding and make that offer. So, it's not a there's not a big gap there, but we are required to do it this way. Otherwise, we would be supplanting funds. So that 31,000 that you've got to sign there is really not coming out because you're just finding the money someplace else. >> Correct. >> It's coming out of a different Right. Right. Okay. >> So yeah, which is a little confusing to me to for the math to >> work just to speak of and and I
246I just want to be very clear because this is a projection based on averages and a lot of informations. Do not equate this to the the pennies, right? getting down to the accounting level because we have to be able to adjust to move things around. Even when you talk about OPED using it for one purpose or another purpose that goes into the general fund and that goes into our cash balance. So it it loses its identity as being OP at that point in time and then we make the best decision on using funds. Sometimes we'll move things from a general funded perspective into restricted and then from restricted back to unrestricted just because of how the total kind of budgetary picture comes in and what we want to do with those funds and then how
247we represent them. So there's a lot of movement here. What's really helpful for us to hear is your priorities if you were to bring a position back. Understanding those priorities help us to be able to make those adjustments, not necessarily the actual dollar amounts. Um, and because what we can do is if you were to say, you know, we value this many positions and these are the ones we do, we can come back and move things around. If you say we don't we want to lower the value on conferences, on travel or PD or anything else, we go back into kind of our our cabinet group, look at that, and then bring back uh a changed proposal by February 9th. >> Okay. And then I had one other question on this. I'm sure people have
248questions too, but the secondary school counselor.5. That's what you used to call an academic counselor. >> Well, I I want to correct the record, right? And um Janelle can add in on this is our job description. We colloally use academic counselor and MTSS. That is not the correct distinction. And I have perpetuated that unknowingly. The actual job description is school counselor. And so that we want to be very specific and we try to correct ourselves but we all fall into those habits. >> So you do still have MTSS mental health and you also have secondary school counselor. So how much would you really be cutting at the junior high or secondary counselor? Is that for the high school? >> That would be for Vicente. >> Oh Vicente. Okay. Thank you very much. I thought that
249was funded through a different >> the MTSS counselor at Vicente is funded through the PEI grant. >> So there's two counselors there. >> There's an MTSS counselor and there's a secondary school counselor. So there's a one FTE MTSS counselor and there's currently a.5 school counselor there for a total of 1.5. >> Okay. Well, how many kids are there? >> 30. >> Right about 50. All right. Okay. That's my thought. >> So, how are they going to get the counseling that that person provides, the secondary school counselor provides? And I realize it's only 50. Is there a plan for how those kids will still have access to making sure that they're getting whatever requirements done that they need to do or is that going to go to the MTSS? as as a part of my um
250presentation. Trustee, I am I have a final slide that says we are working on a plan as right now to identify if the board decides to eliminate any of the counseling positions, we would have a plan in place to demonstrate how students will still receive services when needed. So, we don't have that answer right this minute, but but that is something that we're currently working on. I have two more um questions. The TOSA compliance, Andy, I'm wondering if that's a typo. It says 106,000, but on the um stuff that you gave to Mine says 170. So on the back committee stuff, it said 170 per um TOSA and this one is 106. And I'm wondering if is that a typo or is that only partially reduced? >> I'll double check that figure and get back
251to you on it. >> I'm not loud enough. I used to be the loudest teacher in the school. People could hear me from down the hall. You should hear me sing Annie. Um sorry about that. Um just let me know if you can't hear. Um the other question I have is Bionis. um is a 6 reduction for savings of 45,000 but my understanding is that there's 37 kids at Bionis and the limit I think per Brion's teacher is at 25 or I I can't remember whether there's 25 or 30 but um are we going to lose those students they're not going to come to school maybe they'll go somewhere else because the total of let's say nine or 10 students let's just call it a hundred grand if they went somewhere else. It's probably more
252than that that we'd lose an ADA, which the 45,000 would then be overshadowed by the amount of kids that had to do something else. >> Right now, the number of seniors that we have in that program would be really close as they move on would be close to what that reduction is in terms of um number of students per FTE. So, we would still have a 1.0 FTE left in that program. So, we'll be able to serve all of the kids that that are >> you currently have. >> Yeah. But and for next year as well because I know that it really it it feeds into our great graduation rate. I mean, our graduation rate is much higher um than a lot of areas. And so, I would hate to I I just want to
253make sure that kids are going to graduate, that they're going to have this program, that we're not going to lose kids to other districts. I I can't speak to what we may lose in that sense. Um I can just tell you that our our total enrollment right now when we look at the seniors moving out, we would be able to withstand this cut and not have to move anybody out necessarily from the program. But that program, you know, grows and and slows just depending on the needs of the students. So it doesn't mean that we wouldn't have more demand for it, but we would just like we did last year um have to look at who's signing up for it, what kind of u program we run to determine what kids get into the program
254because it's not a program that's designed for every single student. Uh so there would be a whole process to look at what are the eligibility requirements and that's already a lot of that work's already been done. So I wanted to go back to something uh uh Brenda asked which was with the to set is it 106 is it 170 or is it >> it's closer to 170. So that is a type >> for one of them. So and I I'd like to hear what the other board members think. I know there is a second TOSA that was on I think it was on the BAC list. It's not on here. Thank you so much. Uh, so I understand the importance of having the second one, but with looking at everything else that we're having to
255make cuts to or adjustments, I I don't know. I I don't know if that is more valuable or not to look at that that second one as an option or to keep it. But >> can I jump in? >> Yeah. Yeah. So that that second position um is going to be title funded out of title one. >> So >> yes, because that a savings that we can now factor in here that we haven't looked at before. >> No, because we're we're funding them this year and we will fund them next year. So there's no savings. >> Wouldn't it be funded through title one though? I mean that wouldn't come out of general fund, would it? Right. Currently, that is a coming out of a restricted resource that's expiring. So, you're we're moving the position from
256a restricted expiring resource to an ongoing restricted resource. >> So, essentially what this is is doing is it's keeping a Tulsa teacher for some of our our mo most um high need students because that that per that position will be assigned to Losentus >> and it's paid for out of title one. >> That is correct. I I'm sure you all have already looked at this, but none of the MT none of the counseling positions can be paid for out of title one. >> Is that something we've looked at? >> So, we presented a title one plan um that adjusts the way in which we're doing funding and we're still working through the details of that. The amount of money that we receive for title one is not enough to sustain the MTSS program. And then
257second to that, not all of our schools are eligible for title one, right? So what we get into a situation is that you again to the supplement versus supplant. We cannot provide two days at basis with MTSS and then two days at Mela Park use title one for one and general fund because that would be supplanting. So we start getting into difficulty there. We were able to use that funding this last couple of years to really maximize it and that's where we had some elementary schools had more days than other elementary schools taking in account that title one going forward we're looking at prioritizing loss hunis program because there's need there academically and so the reference point is to take the TOSA for educational services and focus the work specifically at Los Hunus to help
258be able to drive up some of those academic gains that we want to see there. And so we are we're looking at redesigning the title one program to primarily focus on Mosunis to give them the additional resources and support they need because we see um you know lack of enrollment and we see academic gains that are needed there. >> Okay. So just to finish on that 106 versus 170 does that mean that we don't need to cut well the 2.5 number is lower or does it mean it's higher? That means that a reduction amount is lower than what it actually is. Okay? So, we would raise that up. So, essentially, you would add another $65,000 60 something $1,000 to that. >> So, I just want to chime in here real quick. Um, we extended the
259meeting to 10:30 and our board policy states we can only extend it one time. I think we've been doing it incorrectly. So, we have still an action item. Do you guys want to Are we thinking of doing Are we going to need to do another meeting to talk about this before the next one or >> I'm fine with that. I mean, but what else? >> Just >> I I mean, I'll just speak for myself. I'm I I feel like I have a pretty good sense of what my priorities are. I don't know if that's like helpful for each of us to take >> a minute and say based on all of this information. >> I do. Um can I just just really quickly the the two special um the two secondary special ed again attrition,
260right? there aren't students. So, that's not students that are losing a special ed teacher. >> Yes, that's correct. >> Okay. Okay. Yeah. I mean, I I touched on it a little bit already. For me, I I I think um if we got to 2.5 million, um we can still keep I did the math. Um and I think we can keep at least one and a half MTSS. I think maybe even two if we talk if we do some of the things we talked about. um changing up the the proposal about and the college and career center. So that would be my priority. >> At least one and a half to two MTSS counselors and the college and career counselor. >> I agree with that. >> I I do too. I think maintaining the emotional infrastructure
261of our district is extremely important. We've heard um a lot of speakers on that. Um I'm I'm back to the the TOSA because when we did the back committee um was that was that put in I I'm trying to figure out where that was paid for this year. You're saying that was paid for out of title one or is it going to be paid for out of title one next year because that would affect the totals as well. The TOSA position is currently paid out of the educator effectives block grant which is expired and also the learning recovery emergency school block grant at an 80% 20% ratio. So the proposal for next year would be moving the person to 80% title one and 2% general fund and the 2% general fund would be to be
262able to allow there still to be some level of work with other districts um but primarily focusing on law elementary. So it does that impact the totals then because now we're taking it and we're funding it a different way. Is that going to give us more money so that we can make less cuts? >> No, it does not. >> Okay. That's that's what I was trying to get at. Um it just allows us to keep um a position for our students at Los Huntus to have the additional academic support that we think can really help move the needle in working with our teachers. So that's the the benefit is we've identified that this is a position that we really want to try to help work and develop and support teachers at least. So I realize
263we only have five minutes left and we do need to finish. We I think we have to approve um something um in terms of lottery or um determining layoff and I think that's important. I'm willing to meet again if we need to. Um, but I would like I would like to see new numbers like with what we've discussed and adding in some of the things that um that at the back committee were suggested that um be cut that are not staff related. Um I'd like to see those numbers >> including the furlow day. >> Um I I would like to see those numbers as well. Um, I'd like to see, um, you know, the conferences, the PD taken out, the there's an additional $67,000 with TOSA. I mean, I'm starting to add this up in
264my mind and I'm like, what can I buy with this money? You know, I've got my piggy bank out here, >> but I need to know I need to know the actual numbers um in order in order to understand what we can buy back, if you will. So, the math I did, I I agree. I think we can definitely keep the career um counseling position and we probably can get two of the MTSS. I would also like to add in if we're going to cut the conferences and the um the PD. I think we might as well, it's a small amount, give back the 21,000 to the school budgets um because I don't think that's a huge dollar amount per person. And I think you're still going to be um within maybe not even having
265to use the 370 if you have to, you know, from the OPEB. You'd have to crunch the numbers and see. >> Yeah, I agree. Um I would like to see the furlow day options, travel expenses, the PD, and then again um I think that if we are able to keep as many of these, I of course I am prioritizing MTSS. I would say that's my MTSS followed by college and career specialist and I'm interested in if we need to make reductions to those positions to make that happen. I still think providing some of the service to students is better than none and I disagree with that but we could talk about that later because we'll see what the numbers come up with. Um, so are we done talking about this? And then let's move on
266to action item, review and adoption of resolution number 2026-11. This is Janelle. >> Good evening. Switching gears. Um, tonight I'm asking you to consider and adopt resolution 2026-11. This is a resolution the board considers every year at this time because um once you make the decision on reductions, it has implications for staffing and we need to meet our timelines for um layoff. As we consider um the staff who are going to be impacted by the reductions, we um do that by seniority and there are times when um some employees may have the same seniority date and we need to establish tiebreaker criteria. This resolution establishes that criteria that would be applied in the in the situation in which um employees certificated employees have the same seniority >> and you do the same criteria every year,
267right? Pretty much. Yeah, that's what I thought. Okay. Um do we have any public comment on this? >> No. Okay. Questions? Do we have a motion? >> I make a motion to approve resolution 20126-11. >> Seconded. All in favor? I >> I so moved. >> Uh superintendent report. >> Um actually I had a PowerPoint presentation. So >> do you It's I'm looking at the time. >> Yeah. I apologize. >> It's about the counselors. I could bring it back at the next meeting if that's what the board if that's the board. Can I just make a quick announcement? >> Absolutely. Absolutely. >> All right. I do apologize. I missed um the report for Marillo Park and for um John Sweat. So, I just wanted to report out for the record that for upcoming events at John
268Sweat, the 100th day of school is on January 28th and the Masula Play is on February 7th. And then at Marillo Park, career day will be held on Monday, February 2nd. And then Buddy Day is Valentine's for vets, which is on Friday, February 6th. And then the first grade trip to Blackhawk Museum is on Thursday, February 12th. >> Courtney, do you want to start us with >> Yeah, I did have something I wanted to say and I'll try to do it really fast. I thought about keeping it for next time, but I think it's really timely and needs to be said. Um, I attended a uh a dinner in Oakland last week. Uh the the speaker was um uh the dean of the Berkeley um univers University, Cal Berkeley uh law, Dean Chimarinsky, who's a
269nationally recognized constitutional law scholar, and he talked about how our democracy is now more more under threat than it ever has been. Um, and last week I think about 300 students at Alhhamra exercised their first amendment right. Um, which is very much under attack right now in this nation. And um, so I wanted to applaud them for that. And I also um attended last night a vigil downtown Martinez. Um and uh one of our students spoke at that as well. And I'm always constantly impressed and amazed by our students and I just wanted to say to them um I see you. I'm proud of you. I stand with you and thank you for using your voices. Brenda >> just want to say how eloquent you said that and I agree with you 100%. Um I
270also want to acknowledge all the people that um have written to us and spoke tonight and how important that was and these decisions are very very difficult and they're painful and um I don't think anyone is taking them lightly and the impact is on our students. there's no there's no nice language around that. The impact is to our students. Um so I also want to say that I'm really grateful to our staff for their professionalism and dedication that they are maintaining during this time even though we are talking about very um deep cuts. So thank you staff for continuing um to hang in there. I know that it was a very difficult meeting tonight and um all of our staff is continues to be the most professional, wonderful staff and that's what makes Martinez great.
271So, thank you. >> I'll echo what Brenda said. Thank you. >> Yeah, I think Courtney and Brenda said all the perfect things. So, thanks for that. >> I agree. Um Courtney and Brenda said it perfectly. Um I also want to just again say the students that spoke tonight spoke very well and I was very impressed with all of them. Um, and thank you everyone for coming to the board meeting and um, we did attend the budget workshop which um, Brenda and I attended that and so I think we got some good information so we were able to give Andy a hard time. Sorry Andy. Um but I think this was a productive meeting and um with that the meeting is adjourned at 10:32.