001I'd >> like to call to order the regularly scheduled meeting on October 14th, 2025 for the board of education. Can I have a motion and a second to approve the agenda, please? >> Second. >> All those in favor? I. Any nos or abstensions? Motion passes. We have several closed items tonight. Members of the audience may address the board on any listed close session items. Persons wishing to address the board regarding an item scheduled for close session are asked to submit a request to address the board prior to the start of close session. Comments from visitors shall not exceed three minutes unless the time limit is by the majority of the board. The board shall limit the total time for public input on each time to 20 minutes. With board consent, the president may increase or
002decrease the time allowed for public presentation depending on the topic and the number of persons wishing to be heard. We have item 3.3 public employee discipline dismissal release. 3.4 Four, public employee appointment certificated title executive director of special education. 3.5 Conference with labor negotiations conference with district no labor negotiators. 3.6 Conference with real property negotiators. 3.7 Conference with legal counsel existing litigation AB 218 case. Would any members of the audience like to speak to any of these close session items? Do we have any advanced written requests? Then is there a motion and a second to recess to close session, please? >> Second. >> All right, we'll be back to you in about a half hour. All right, we are now reconvened at 5:30 p.m. exactly on time. Leading us in the pledge of allegiance tonight
003will be Rmmer Flynn, board clerk. Thank you. In close session tonight on item 3.3, the board received information and gave direction to staff. 3.4, I have something to read. I'm very pleased to share that during tonight's closed session, the board of education unanimously approved the appointment of Melissa Coughlin as executive director of special education. [Applause] Miss Coughlin most recently served as director 1 in the same department, a position she assumed in July. Miss Coughlin earned her bachelor's degree in health science and special education from James Madison University, followed by a mers in early childhood special education. She went on to complete a second master's degree in special education at George Mason University to earn her K12 cred credential. With more than 28 years of experience in special education, including 13 years as a teacher and
00415 years as a program specialist, Miss Coughlin brings extensive expertise and a deep commitment to student success. She has served as program specialist in RBSD for eight years and previously held the same role for seven years in both Weisburn and Torrance Unified School Districts. Miss Coughlin is well known for her collaborative approach, particularly in building strong partnerships with families to support students with special needs. The board looks forward to her continued leadership and the positive impact she will have in this expanded role. Miss Coughlin's effective start date in this new role is Monday, October 20th. [Applause] On item 3.5, the board received information and gave direction to staff. On 3.6, 6 the board received information and 3.7 the board received information. Do I have a motion and a second to approve the minutes of the
005September 30th, 2025 regular board of education meeting? >> Student advisory vote. >> All those in favor? >> I. Any nos or abstensions? Motion passes. >> Well said. It's unanimous. Uh, up next, reports to the board by the Roondo Beach Educational Foundation. Presentation by Gloria Mackey, RBF executive director. >> Um, good evening everyone. Um, so my name is Gloria McCree. Um, and I'm the executive director of the Red Beach Educational Foundation. Um, and while RBF serving our community since 1991. I know we have new families in the district every year. So that's why it is with privilege that I am talking about our BF every year, what we do and our impact. Um so this is why I am here uh tonight. Um so this is a slide that presents RBF in a nutshell. Those are
006all the programs that we fund. Um I know the fund is kind of small on that slide, but we will put this presentation on our side. Oh, thank you. Much better. Um and we will talk about these programs uh in just a little bit. Um one of the questions that we we get frequently is how does RBF raise money? So through various sources. One is investor drive and you probably have all heard about the investor drive blitz that has just ended um midepptember. Uh but that is just a blitz campaign investor drive goes year round. Um our goal is 725 for this school year and we're getting there. We're at around 520 right now. So, we're we're getting there. Um then Sketchers Walk is another component. Um Sketchers Walk is coming up this October 19th.
007So, we invite all families to join their school's uh team. It's only $30. Um then we have our golf tournament uh that takes place as Lots Verde that's also coming up November 3rd. The RBF gala there's some lovely pictures there from the gala. It's a very fun event that usually takes pa place in May. Um and then we have Hoffman Murphy Art Sign Campaign. We are a philanthropic partner of Beach Life and then we also apply for lots of um grants. So this is the slide that has all the lovely images but for the data loving people we also have uh this uh kind of a diagram. So as you can see I mean yeah that those are all streams of revenue feeding into a DRBF budget. Um, but what I wanted to point out
008is that Investor Drive, the one in the green up there, and Sketchers Walk have a lot of impact on our budget. So those are the two most important uh sources of um of revenue. Okay. Um so contrary to what some may think uh RBF is not a mega corporation to do all those things that we do we are at 2.5 uh staff members and seven amazing and um seven of amazing board members and about 20 uh super amazing uh volunteers. Um so this is why I wanted to take this moment to thank everyone who helps us do everything that we do with such limited resources. So, first of all, all our BUSD families and students for your help. Whenever we we ask for your help, you you're there to support us. Um then obviously our
009BUSD principles and administrators and um teachers and staff, everyone is there, especially with Sketchers Walk. I'm sure you've received uh and you've seen some fun challenges that everyone is involved with right now. Uh so, thank you. Then we have our amazing volunteers. Um obviously, we have a great partnership with the PTA. we cannot do anything without you know their support in the schools and the council PTA. Um and then we also have local businesses which are supporting every time we ask um corporate partners and local foundations. Um so now let's talk a little bit about the impact. So this year uh this is a picture from last year but this year we will repeat that picture in just two weeks and we will be granting again um over $1.1 million to the school district um
010to fund all these important programs that we fund. Um at elementary we fund PE, we found MU find fund music, robotics. Then at middle school we fund intramural sports, trips to museum of tolerance, um science camp transportation. And then high school we fund robotics, we fund project echo, PSAT, senior scholarships and athletics. Um one of the questions that we frequently get is why don't you why do you fund this and not something else? Well, it's easy because we only fund the things that we're asked to fund. you, the district, you're the experts when it comes to education. So, you come to us with a list of priorities and we just make that work. That's how it works. So, yeah, that's uh kind of um an important thing. And then when it comes to measuring impact,
011we only have one measure. We want to see that all students thrive. We want to see that they're taking advantage of all these opportunities that are being offered to them and mainly to see that they're college and career ready. So um here with me um I wanted to I I brought three students that want to share their stories. Uh these are a few programs but tonight we're going to feature robotics and we're going to feature campali and then um we're also going to feature the trip to museum of tolerance. So um the first student is Amaly who's going to talk about robotics. [Applause] >> Hi my name is Amaly. Um, I really enjoyed the robotics program at Jefferson last year. Uh, it was a great program as I got to use my creativity to solve
012problems such as addressing the issue of ocean waste. Um, and learning new things alongside my friends made the experience even better. >> All right. Thank you. >> All right. And um, next we have Olivia who's going to talk about science camp transportation, specifically Campali. >> Good. Good evening everyone. My name is Olivia and I am in sixth grade at Paris Middle School. I am here today to tell you about how much I enjoyed Camp Alley in fifth grade. First of all, I was so excited to go that this was all me and my friends were talking about for months before the trip. I even made a pizza that said Camp Alley. One really cool thing was going on the buses. My friends and I had lots of fun. We ate candy and laughed all the
013way to Pali. Then at camp, the real fun began. We got to do rope climbing and even dissect a squid. It was really gross, but so fun. This was my first time sleeping away from home. Going on this trip made me feel strong and independent. It was nice to go for 3 days without hearing Olivia, clean up your room. Thank you RBEF for this cool opportunity. I am already looking forward to going to Camp Alley, Camp Sei, and Camp Astro in middle school. >> Thank you. >> All right. And next we have Mason who's going to talk about the Museum of Tolerance field trip. Mason. >> Good evening. My name is Mason Schwarz and I took a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance in the eighth grade. From interesting experiences to less fortunate events,
014this journey had everything covered. To start, we went through the full sequence of events of what it would be like trying to keep stability during this hard time. While walking through, we can hear fighter planes overhead and other warfare sounds just as if we were in this era. Then we went through what it was like to be a World War II firsthand author and diarist Anne Frank. As she hid away in the Stowaway annex, we got to see many examples of what it would be like in the position, such as cramped spaces based off their living conditions and examples of others like the wall of shirts based on people who passed during the time. Overall, this trip was very interesting to me because of the many facts we got to learn and the experiences we
015learned about. And I would like to thank RBEF for sponsoring this amazing experience. Thank you. All right. So, thank you all and don't forget about the Sketchers Walk. There's still time time to sign up. Um, and I'm here if you have any questions for me or for the little friends of RBF. [Applause] [Music] >> Thank you so much. We are so grateful to RBEF and everyone who donates and supports RBF because it does give our students so many opportunities they wouldn't have otherwise. Uh it makes a tremendous difference. So thank you and everyone involved and thank you for our students for coming out and speaking about your experiences. It's wonderful to hear the impact it has. >> Any other questions? >> Thank you. >> Up next, student board member report by key. Good evening everyone.
016Rodondo started their homecoming spirit week yesterday and the theme is spirit in the city, a New York vibe with dressup days for every day this week. Following that, the Rodondo fall spirit rally will be on Friday along with homecoming football game and halftime. Our halftime show will include cars from for our homecoming royalty court donated by South Bay Ford and a fireworks show. Students are so excited for homecoming this year with a photo booth, games, churros, fun drinks, a DJ, and so much more. We have already sold over 1,500 tickets. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Sabore Salsa is performing on October 10th, and a Latin band is performing on October 14th, and their RUHS quad at lunch. RHS PTSA held the RU Classic car show last Saturday. This was its eighth annual year hosting
017this event. They had food trucks, pizza, ice cream, live music, and a DJ. So, thank you to everyone who attended. The United Against Hate Week kicks off next Monday. The young leaders have been working so hard to make posters and get the word out about it. So, we can't see can't wait to see how amazing it is. And finally, the young leaders report that they love their supportive teachers, student council, the staff members, hands-on art, and the invention convention. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. And up next, Superintendent Report with Dr. Nicole Wesley. >> Yes. Um, actually, I want to thank Keely for planning the United Against Hate Week with our young leaders at all the schools. You know, we just a reminder to the board, we are part of the South Bay Coalition
018Against Hate. Mr. Curtinbach is our representative and he's been working with Key, so she's taken the lead. So, thank you so much for getting our stu young leaders together and planning that week. And so, we're excited to celebrate kindness and anti-hate and Ronaldo US RBD. Okay, I'm going to highlight everybody in the room, our uh PD day. Um, and I'm gonna also highlight the district. I just wanted to, if you've read the October newsletter, we're really excited. We are a member of the League of Innovative Schools. Um, kudos to the IT department and our CTO, Susanna Garcia, who's always pushing the envelope. Um, but we did submit an application and is not easy to get into. There's about 200 districts in the nation that are part of this and so we get to learn from
019other districts um innovative ways to educate and our students. Also um kudos to everybody. Every single employee in the Roondo Beach deserves a big kudos for helping RBSD be ranked again in the nation and you can see that here. We're very proud of that accomplishment. Um also we've got our niche ratings as well. Uh we're still top 10 in the in California. So um just so as a reminder, niche ratings are based on um people submitting um commons, but also on our actual data. So it's a mix of both. So we're proud of those accomplishments and again thanks to everybody, all employees. We have a little bit under a thousand for making this happen. um highlighting uh goal number four, building human capacity of our district personnel and specifically our PD day on October 3rd.
020And so just wanted to share um a highlight of that because we know that it's a a a student day off, but um staff members are here um learning and engaging and collaborating. So I'll go quickly um just highlighting some of the day and you the day and we actually did put quotes in from the survey. So you can read those if you'd like. Um so we have middle school educators are deep in collaboration here sharing insights and strategies to bring wit and wisdom to life in their classrooms. As you know we adopted a new ELA curriculum and here they are um working and planning on that. Um just more examples again and just want to shout out to Leslie Spain here who really uh was helping lead this initiative. And now on to our
021math. Um we also have our our middle school teachers here collaborating and share. Oh sorry this is not the math but again more of our middle school collaborating and sharing learning from each other in the different sessions. Um we had something for everyone even our PE teachers participated in in sessions um regarding PE program and standards. Um we're implementing PBIS in our schools in partnership with LEO. And so we have Eileen Lechenby here with Dr. Resnik from um LEO who's helping work with our schools to implement PBIS. So um he came and helped enga with engaging sessions focusing on building community and fostering positive student behaviors and our educators gained valuable strategies to support a thriving school climate. So it'll take some time to be fully implemented, but we've started that work. Um, we want
022to give a shout out to a teacher leader, Key PMPA from RUHS, ELA teacher. Um, she, um, is in this picture. She's leading strategies on breath breathing strategies, something we can all benefit from um as we go throughout our day and offer practical tools to help support the whole child and ourselves. As a part of our commitment to STEM, engaging STEM um and ensuring high quality rigorous science instruction, we revisited Amplify Science. So, we had sessions on that for our elementary um educators. And here's some more uh highlights of the amplify instruction with a quote. And then now onto our CTE teachers. They got together and worked on um outline aligning their course pathways with the new CTE model curriculum standards. So they were had an opportunity to work together and collaborate and update their
023um their course pathways. More pictures of our high skill ELA and world languages um in this photo. Um in case you were wondering, AI sessions were among the most sought after a during the PD reflecting on a strong interest from educators in exploring meaningful ethical applications of AI. So, we're excited to continue offering opportunities for our teachers to deepen their understanding and confidently integrate AI into their practices for themselves and for their students because we do um allow students to access AI in our district. So, again, it's a work in progress. Thank you to the IT team for and the task force for creating uh a guide book which is on our website and we're moving forward in that direction. Here's just uh more highlights of that. um teachers learning how to effectively use AI.
024And the next one is a um our IT department, our TOSAs there, Sam and Jesse and the whole department there helping out with the day. Here's our secondary math teachers um engaging in thoughtful exploration of curriculum options. As you know, we're going to be doing a curriculum adoption this year, and I believe there's nine options at that we looked at, right, Dr. Garland? Um and so our math secondary math teachers had a chance to actually go and look at them and you know they're going to help their voices are going to help us decide how we're going to narrow this down um so that we can pilot that and pilot them in the spring. So thank you to our secondary math teachers for coming in and and reviewing and then sharing their thoughts and our
025sped teachers. So kudos to uh Danielle Duncan and the sped team 100% compliance. um she's been doing her road show sharing state mandates and you know it's it's it's becoming a little more difficult but we're we are there. So they had a ice cream treat for our our special education teachers and support and so here's just some highlights of that of that moment. Again thanks to all of our sped teachers, learning center teachers, SDC teachers, psyches counselors. It takes a team to get that 100%. Um it and it's not easy work. So, thank you. Uh, Jin teachers, it is a team effort as everybody knows. Okay. Um, many appreciated the movement, hands-on activities, and collaboration time with grade level colleagues, noting how the strategies aligned well with TK and kindergarten student needs and could be
026easily implemented. This is the ABA visualized session, and um, again, we're focusing on behavior strategies for our younger students, which is where we know there is a need for PD. Overall, the session was seen as useful and energizing and a meaningful step towards supporting supporting positive student behavior. One teacher commented that this PD series was the best she had received in her career and probably timely as well. Um there was a session on universal learning, universal design learning. And here are visual and performing art teachers working together in a session called assessment in the arts. And we're grateful for all they do to enrich the lives of our students every day, nurturing creativity, expression, and connection. So thank you to our visual and performing arts. Special thanks to our ED services team. Um, as you
027know, the PD day was a month earlier, so they really put all that together um, relatively quickly and and on to all of our staff members who participated and presented and it was just a great day. So, that's my report. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Up next is our hearing section. And I do have to read all this. I apologize. Members of the audience may address the board on any topic regardless of whether it is listed on the agenda. However, due to Brown Act regulations, the board cannot engage in public discussion on items not on the agenda. Topics not on the agenda, which are brought to the board's attention, may be investigated by the administration and a report made to the board either publicly or privately at a future meeting. Comments from visitors shall
028not exceed three minutes unless the time limit is waved by majority of the board. The board shall limit the total time for public input on each item to 20 minutes. With board consent, the president may increase or decrease the time allowed for public presentation depending on the topic and the number of persons wishing to be heard. So, we'll start with advanced written requests here. Uh, first up, we have Gretchen Bizub, followed by Ardan Hadley. [Applause] Good evening, members of the board, superintendent, cabinet, and community. My name is Gretchen Bizbub and I'm a third grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School. I've been teaching in the Roondo Beach School District for 24 years and I am incredibly proud to call this district and this city my home. I live right here in Roondo Beach and I'm also
029a proud mom of two students, one at Adams Middle School and another at Roondo Union High School. So when I speak tonight, I do so not only as a teacher, but as a parent and a community member who cares deeply about our schools and our city. I went into teaching because I love working with kids. Every day I get to help them grow, discover their potential, and learn to believe in themselves. There's no greater feeling than knowing I might make even the tiniest difference in a child's life. That's why I've stayed in this profession for so long, because it matters. Living in such a beautiful city comes with so many perks. The sense of community, the ocean, the amazing families we serve, but it also is no secret that it's very expensive to live here.
030I did not go into teaching expecting to live a lavish lifestyle. But I did hope to be able to make ends meet while doing the job I truly love. Over the years, the cost of living has steadily steadily increased from housing and groceries to gas and healthcare. Health co care costs have increased dramatically, making it difficult to afford a plan that truly meets my family's needs. The coverage I currently have restricts our choice of doctors and limits access to the quality care our specific medical situations require. And while I continue to give my all to my students every day, it's becoming increasingly difficult to manage financially. I am here tonight to ask the district to please consider a raise that reflects the realities of living in our community. A fair increase would help teachers like
031me absorb the rising cost, build a little savings, and continue to doing what we love, serving the students and families of Verdono Beach. Thank you for your time and for listening to the voices of your teachers. We love our students. We love our district and we want to keep calling Roondo Beach our home. Thank you. Thank you. Up next, Ardan Hadley. Uh, followed by Tracy Proudfoot. >> Good evening, members of the board, superintendent, community members. My name is Ardan Hadley and I've been a seventh grade English language arts teacher at Paris Middle School for 12 years and a teacher for 21 years. Teaching isn't just my career, it's part of who I am. Both my parents were teachers and my brother and I grew up watching them in work incredibly hard and still struggled to
032make ends meet. Yet, we both still answered the call and became teachers ourselves, knowing that this profession, while deeply rewarding, would never make us wealthy. Teachers choose it because we believe in the power of education and the difference a dedicated teacher can make in a child's life. Teaching is one of the most demanding jobs there is. Every day teachers step into classrooms where there are where they are part educator, counselor, problem solver, and caregiver all at once. We make hundreds of decisions an hour, adapt lessons for every learner, manage behavior, deal with difficult parents, and support students emotionally, all while grading and planning and standing on our feet for hours. The work is constant and deeply personal. We carry our students successes and struggles home with us every day. I invite each school board member
033to spend just one full day in a classroom to truly see what it takes to teach, engage, and support students. Perhaps my first period class, where 68% of my students have specific learning accommodations. Only then can you understand the energy and physical demands, focus, and heart this job requires, and why teachers deserve fair pay, real support, and lasting respect. The cost of living in this area has skyrocketed, and teachers salaries have not kept pace. Add to that the increase in health care premiums and every year it feels like our paychecks stretch less and less. Most teachers in this district will never be able to live in Roondo Beach. Many of us commute from other cities. Luma, Torrance, Long Beach, Carson, and even farther just to be here. Those long commutes take time away from our
034families, from our own children, and from the rest we need to bring our from the rest we need to bring to our best selves to the classroom. And still, we give everything we have to our students. We show up early, stay late, stay up late making sub plans, and spend our own money on classroom supplies, books, snacks, and decorations. Things that make school feel welcoming and engaging for our students. We do it because we care. But caring shouldn't mean sacrificing our financial security, our famil family's well-beings. I love my job. I love my students, and I love this district. But love doesn't pay the mort mortgage. Dedication doesn't cover gas or groceries. passion doesn't offset the rising cost of living. We're not asking for luxury. We're asking for fairness. We're asking for a raise that
035reflects the reality of living and working in this area. One that allows teachers to remain in the profession they love without feeling like they have to choose between their students and their own stability. When teachers are supported, students benefit. When teachers can afford to live and work with dignity, our whole community thrives. Please make teacher compensation and benefits a true priority. Investing in your teachers in is investing directly in the success, heart, and future of Roondo Beach schools. Thank you for your time and for listening to those of us who give our all every single day. >> Thank you. Uh up next, Tracy Proudfoot followed by Casey Wedell. Good evening board members, superintendent, fellow educators, parents, and community guests. My name is Tracy Proudfoot. I've proudly served as a teacher in the Roondo Beach Unified
036School District for 13 years. This is my 13th year. I'm also a parent. My child has special needs and our family has made the decision for one of us to stay home to provide the care and attention she requires. That experience has made me even more aware of the delicate balance so many families, including those of our teachers, are trying to maintain. I'm here tonight not because because of our teachers and by extension our students. We need your support through fair and meaningful compensation. In Roondo Beach, we're proud of our high standards, our sense of community, and our commitment to excellence. But even with that pride, the cost of living here has grown far beyond what a teacher salary can reasonably sustain. Housing, food, transportation, and healthcare continue to rise. Yet, our pay has not
037kept pace with that inflation or the growing demands of our profession. As a Spanish dual immersion teacher, those demands are even greater. Because IEP services are no longer provided in our t target language, Spanish, we as DI teachers must make adjustments to fill that gap. That often means creating normal materials, providing intervention ourselves frequently after school because there simply isn't enough time in the instructional day where we when we are teaching in two languages. Despite this additional workload and specialized skill set, our district does not currently provide a stipen for dual immersion teachers, while many surrounding districts do. This discrepancy sends a message that the extra expertise, time, and effort we invest to sustain the high-quality immersion program are not being fully recognized. Our students and families value this program deeply. It deserves teachers who
038can afford to stay and continue this important work. And side note, I am the only DI teacher currently still teaching in the DI program that remains who taught the inaugural class. A raise and equitable stipens are not just about salaries. They're about sustainability and respect. When teachers can stay and thrive, our students benefit. They gain consistency, mentorship, and the kind of long-term investment that make schools like ours exceptional. Please, let's make Roondo Beach a place where teachers can afford to teach and raise their own children. A place where those who nurture and inspire our students can also build their lives. Thank you for your time and your continued support. Thank you. Up next is Casey Wadell, followed by uh Levi Stufer. I apologize if I'm reading that wrong. >> All right. Good evening. My name
039is Casey Wadell. Um thank you for letting us do this tonight. I teach math at RUHS. This is my 13th year in the district and my 19th year teaching overall. And um I have been involved in a lot of different committees and I just am very invested in my students growth and potential especially in math. And so um I was awarded the teacher of the year for RBUSD a few years ago and it's the honor of a lifetime. And I have to say like working in this district is truly um I I just I get emotional about it because this district is so special and I've taught other places and it's just a very special place. So, uh, with that said, um, in my I'm here tonight to ask the board to consider not only
040an adjustment to our salary, but also an adjustment to the cost of our health benefits. In my situation, my insurance costs have almost doubled from last year to this year. I did not expect the cost to be so great, and because of the rise in our insurance costs, I'm now having to make hard decisions about the extracurriculars for our three children. The cost of living in general has went up, as many have said, significantly in the past few years. And my family is feeling it at the grocery store, gas stations, daycare costs, and after school cost especially. As a teacher, as all of us teachers in the room, we show up early. We stay late. I was driving home at 5:00. I saw a teacher friend leaving Paris at 5:00 today. Um, we also go
041to our students games after school. I got to show up and support Costa RDondo game today after school. It was a freshman tied game when I left, but hopefully go Red Roondo. We're going to take it home tonight. Um, but we do these things. We go to the incredible production this last weekend at Roondo. You're in town because we love our students and we love what we do. We do not do this um because we get paid to do all the extra. We love our jobs and we know how important it is to have adults show up in our students lives. When you invest in your teachers, it will pay dividends in the future to for our Rodondo Beach students and community. My ask to the board is to consider teacher families with both working
042parents, single mom and dads. Between the rising cost of living, insurance costs going up in my situation almost double. I ask that you not only consider a fair salary adjustment, but also an adjustment to the cost of health benefits so that we can continue to do the great work we are doing in RBUSD. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you. Up next, Levi. >> Uh, district and board members. Hello. Uh, my name is Levi Staer. Uh, and I'm speaking to you tonight in support of the teachers in their current negotiations with the district. I've had the opportunity to experience the district in almost every capacity. Um, as a proud alumni, a parent of two students, uh, one that had an IEP, uh, I'm a current SEPAC member, uh, and a spouse of a teacher in the best
043district in the South Bay. Uh, this has encompassed almost 35 years of my life. Uh teachers in this district commit to providing the best educational experience possible to the students and spend countless unpaid hours uh to ensure that the goal is achieved sometimes at the expense of their health which is what makes this negotiation over their healthcare expenses quite ironic. Based on information from transparentc california.com over the last 5 years the average teacher pay has increased only 20% while the medical insurance contributions rise. And in that same time, the average pay of the district office staff has increased roughly 31% with some as much as 40% at a cost of almost $2 million to date. I've also heard multiple occasions that the justification for this is that in order to recruit or retain superior talent,
044you must pay competitive salaries. I expect that your teacher teammates who work tirelessly each day to achieve RBUSD's RBUSD's stated goal of realizing passion and purpose, maximizing success and significance would be given the same consideration in these negotiations. So, in the spirit of continuing RBUSD's proud tradition of being the best district in the South Bay, I hope that you will remember your partnership with the teachers and your commitment to the students during your ongoing negotiations. Lastly, it should be noted that the Brown Act only prevents public discussion, but does not but does not prevent school boards from responding with a brief uh response to public comment if you'd like to at this time. Thank you. Thank you. >> That is all the advanced written requests we have. Would anyone else like to speak on any
045agenda or non-aggendaized item? All right. Uh, up next then is our communications section. This section provides an opportunity for the board of education to hear reports and communications from our employee associations and the community support organizations listed below. All reports are limited to five minutes. Members of the public may address the board of education concerning this section. We'll start with Ronda Beach Teachers Association. [Applause] Hi, good evening. I'm Sue Carlton and this is Tracy Kelly and we are RBTA's leadership. I will be reading Janelle's speech for tonight. She's not able to be here. Uh to my RBTA colleagues, first and foremost, thank you. Thank you for supporting your bargaining team. Thank you for showing up and advocating for yourself. Thank you for staying united. This statement always stuck with me. Let us not become weary
046in doing good. For at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. I can't tell you how many times I felt weary and exhausted when I was in the classroom as a student teacher. But I kept telling myself, don't give up. I'm glad I didn't give up on education because I found what I was meant to do. Our jobs can be exhausting. exhausting because we are pulled in so many different directions from being campus supervision on playgrounds and during recess, sitting through PDS, staff meetings, attending SSTs, 504s, and IEPs, all the while trying to lesson plan to actually teach lessons and have a direct impact on our students, which is why we went in to education. And even though we're tired and exhausted and at times might want to
047give up, we keep moving forward because what we do is good for the students we teach and the community we serve. So, I'm glad you all haven't given up because you all are the reason we are ranked number one in niche and number five in the state according to the district reports. Seeing the young leaders we all move forward into society, though we may not get to see the impact we may have on them in their lifetime, is inspiring and keeps us going in this profession. Every day we rise and lead. We don't ask for fanfare. We don't need award recognition, although it is appreciated and humbling when we are. Last month, I spoke about how hard our jobs are. And not everyone can do our jobs. To get up each and every day and
048give it our all for our students, to lead students, to be role models, to be examples. I know we don't take that lightly. We embrace that. We do all that every day. We come into work even though we may be exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, frustrated, or even stressed out based on what is going in our own lives. Being in front of kids with a smile and pushing our own stressors to the side is not an easy feat. But educators are professionals and we understand we rise and lead for our students. Some stressors many of us have faced is the increase in our rents, our health benefits, our grocery bills, and figuring out navigating those increases without an on salary sk onsched raise since 2023. We still rise and we lead in the face of
049our personal challenges. To the members who spoke up and advocated for yourself, thank you. I admire and respect each one of you. Amy brought up and informed our community that prop money is separate from salaries. Kim shared a heartfelt and heartbreaking reality of decisions some of our members had to make in regards to their benefits as she did. Ryan shared the the reality of daycare costs and some that some of our members face. Jackie pointed out how our raises cannot be considered raises as it's being swallowed up by the health care costs and the offset of one-time bonuses were well intended. It's just not enough. Barb sharing how we are deeply committed to our students, community, and public education. And this is backed up with her AP scores outpacing national progress by nearly double. Keith
050pointing out that educators knew our career choice was lucrative, but we didn't expect to lose or wasn't lucrative, but we didn't expect to lose ground financially every single year to struggle every single year. Sharing your thoughts and personal stories takes strength and courage. Not everyone can do it. To the members who showed up the past three board meetings, thank you. Everyone who came out not only stood up for yourself, but supported your colleagues. Again, this is what lifting each other up looks like. And I'm proud to be a member of RBTA, where we stay united. You all have my respect because I know you are making a sacrifice to be here. What we do matters and I thank our educators for what they do and what they give our students. Because of us in this
051room and those who came the last two meetings, our district is recognized as a top school destination. I want you to know that our exec board and bargaining team have heard you and understand that taking a pay cut can put additional unnecessary pressures on you financially. So, we thank you for showing up and advocating for yourself so our bargaining team can advocate for you at the table. So, let's keep doing good for our students, parents, and community. Let's keep investing in them. Let's keep investing in ourselves and our hope is we will receive an on-sc raise that we've earned and deserve that addresses our financial needs that we are that we are all here to advocate for and not take a cut in pay. Continue to lift up your voices because like we tell our
052students, their voices matter, your voices matter. We have a lion inside of our lungs. Let's continue to use it and advocate for ourselves. Thank you for showing up, speaking up, and lifting each other up. Thank you and good night. Thank you. And up next is the California School Employees Association. We have anyone from CSEA? All right. Uh, up next, American Federation of Teachers. Anyone from AFT? Ronda Beach Council Parent Teacher Association, Rondo Beach Educational Foundation. You got to go already, so fair. Uh, superintendent comment. Anything? Okay. Excellent. This brings us to the general consent calendar. Are there any items on the consent calendar any board member wishes to pull? If not, is there a motion to approve items 10.1 through 10.11? >> Second. >> Student advisory vote. All those in favor? I. Any nos or
053abstensions? Consent calendar passes. We have no separate consent items. This brings us to our action items. Starting with item 12.1, approve change order request for Jefferson Elementary School fencing project from Red Hawk Fence. Motion a second to begin discussion, please. >> Second, >> Dr. Albert. >> Yes. Um, hi, thank you. Uh this change order request emanates from a discrepancy between um our job walk that we did um to build our plans and then the final um proposal that was funded. So, there was a portion on the back in the parking lot at there is a portion of the parking lot, the staff parking lot at Jefferson that's chain link fenced that in our job walk and in our discussions and the principal's understanding was going to be um with the with the more uh the
054steel fencing. Um, and so this is a change order which now reflects the steel fencing as opposed to the chain link fencing. Um, so it's a significant amount of money. It's over $100,000 and so therefore requires um a separate board approval rather than just a traditional change order. >> You any questions or comments? Student advisory vote. All those in favor? I. Any nos or abstensions? Motion passes. And I apologize. Under communications, we actually do have a Roondo Beach Council here, PTA. Uh, do we need a motion to Okay, all you thanks for hanging out. >> Thanks. Sorry we were late. Um, the council has no formal report this evening, but we do have Christina Hall, who's our PTA president, LLA Vista, and some of her team members with with us tonight. >> Hi everyone. Good
055evening. My name is Christina Hall and I have the privilege of serving as Alta Vista's PTA president this year. First, I'd like to thank the board for inviting us to share a little bit about what makes our school such a special place. Altivist is known for many things. Our over-the-top events, our very often goofy social media presence, and for better or worse, sending too many emails. But I'd love for us to be recognized for something even deeper. our strong and growing commitment to wellness. Over the past three years, our wellness program led by the incredible Mala Sierre has blossomed into one of the most impactful parts of our school. It's built around four pillars: physical well-being, mental health, nutrition, and conservation. And it continues to expand in exciting ways. Alongside our beloved traditions such as
056run club and field day, we've introduced new opportunities to help students and staff recharge and care for themselves. Things like yoga, sound baths, guided meditation, and mindful moments woven into the school day. This year, we're especially proud to be partnering with Ready Ready Set Gold to bring inspiring Olympians to our campus, connecting our kids with real life examples of perseverance and healthy living. But wellness at Alta Vista isn't just about our students. It's about our whole community. We've supported our incredible teachers and staff with healthy snacks, massage chairs, and words of affirmation during student uh teacher appreciation week. We've invited families to join us in beach cleanups, hear engaging speakers at our association meetings, and take part in community events like last week's walk and roll, where hundreds of our Alta Vista families came together
057to celebrate movement, safety, and connection. What makes me most proud is how wellness has become part of our school culture. It's not just a program. It's a mindset that reminds us all to take care of ourselves and also each other. We're excited to keep building on this work and to share what we've learned with the other schools in Rodondo Beach because when our students, staff, and family thrive, our entire community thrives with them. Thank you so much. Also, I was told I couldn't dazzle you with a PowerPoint presentation, so instead I've inspired you with this board that my Vanna White, Christristen Suentes, my best EVP in the world, is holding for us. So, thank you everybody. >> Thank you. It is quite dazzling. >> Up next, 12.2. Approve the initial proposal of the Early Childhood
058Federation AFT Local 1475 to the Rona Beach Unified School District. Motion in a second to be in discussion, please. >> Second, >> Dr. Stephanie. >> All right. The next two items, 12.2 2 and 12.3 are the um sunshine letters to open negotiations with AFT which represents our child development center teachers. Um if the board votes to approve these letters, we'll get started with negotiations with AFT in early November. >> Thank you. Any questions or comments? Student advisory vote. >> All those in favor? >> I. Any nos or abstensions? Motion passes. Item 12.3. approve the initial proposal from the Ronda Beach Unified School District to the Early Childhood Federation AFT local 1475. Motion a second to begin discussion. >> So moved second. >> Dr. Stephanie, anything else to add? >> Nothing else. >> Excellent. Any questions
059or comments? >> Student advisory vote. >> All those in favor? I. Any extensions? Motion passes. We have no information items or discussion items tonight. So we'll move on to board members reports starting with board member Archer. short report. Um, I got to do the walk with the Wildcats, uh, the walk to school. So much fun. Um, the community out there. So, thank you. Thank you. And, um, I know we are in negotiations. So, I do want to say thank you. Um, we we do understand that it's been very collaborative and that's where we get good results. So, I really want to appreciate and I do appreciate the teachers coming and supporting each other. That's a good thing. That's all I have. >> Thank you. Uh up next, uh board member Silverwoman Neimoth. >> Um I
060also have a very short report. Um I'm looking forward to homecoming this Friday. Um it's become quite a tradition for us as well and we look forward to joining Keley and and doing that. So um and we have our upcoming school site visits. So for the teachers that were here, we all look forward to coming and visiting and getting to see the classrooms. >> Thank you. Uh board clerk Flynn. >> Yeah, I just want to share that um and since our last board meeting, the Roondo Beach City Youth Commission had their first meeting. They meet on the first Thursday of every month and they um I'm the liaison to the school board. got to address the students there who um and explain that if they have issues with that are school district related, they can
061always come to speak at a schoolboard meeting or to their schoolboard members. It's really exciting to see this group of kids even beginning as young as middle school going all the way up to seniors being part of this youth commission. There were more applicants than we had spots for the first time on this commission. They're going to put together subcommittees. They're working on the teen center programming that just opened at Perry Park and are even um you know making considerations about the safety of Diamond Street, trying to be collaborative in that response. So um that meeting happens once a month and I hope that we'll hear from them uh as they have updates. >> Thank you. Uh Vice President Cho, >> thank you. Um, I was taught to acknowledge the mistake that I made. Once
062I do make uh recognize it, I say I'm supposed to say I'm sorry and we'll quickly fix it. There was an item that I was supposed to I planned on highlighting and I did not get to. Um, and I'd like to bring up the resolution that one of the resolutions that we uh adopted last board meeting. It's resolution R25-2610. It's the uh week of the school administrator which is this week. I would like to read a couple paragraphs there I believe because I believe it is a very important part that we also celebrate this group of um leaders um run this school district. The title school administrator is a broad term used to define many education leadership posts. superintendents, assistant superintendents, directors, principles, assistant principles, special education and adult education leaders, curriculum and assessment leaders,
063school business officials, classified educational leaders, and other district employees. And it goes to also say most school administrators began their careers as teachers and have served public education more than a decade. And most superintendents have served public education more than 20 years. That's two decades. This experience is most beneficial in effectively and efficiently leading public education toward its primary goal of improving students achievement. And public schools operate with lean management systems employing fewer managers and supervisors than most public and private sector industries. I can attest to that as a leader in private sector and research shows that great schools are led by great principles, great districts are led by great superintendent and the state of California has declared the week of this week of this year as the week of school administrators. I want to
064assure our leaders that I appreciate you personally and I would like to make sure that you know that district and community appreciate you and we would like you to work harder so we become even better for the benefit of all of our 9500 students and serving our hardworking teachers and staff. That concludes my report. Thank you. >> Thank you. I echo all those sentiments. Um, on top of that, just wanted to share it's the start of our school site visit. So, this week I got to go to Toledita. Um, that was fun. It's always great being in the classroom and seeing all the amazing things that are going on, all the hard work our teachers and staff are putting in and also some of the challenges they face. Um, it's not easy and so that's
065why that work is so appreciated and so impactful and I know you don't always see it dayto day. Uh, but over the years the what it does for our students is absolutely incredible. So, you are so appreciated. Thank you to all for everything you're doing. Um, also wanted to highlight we've got inter middle school sports. Today was the Adams vs. Paris game. Uh, so there's lots of fun things like that. Again, Sketchers peerto-peer was mentioned coming up this Sunday. Excited to see which school comes in first. See if I get stuck in a mascot costume or what the leading principal chooses as the punishment. On the legislative side, there's a lot happening right now. Um, so there's reports that the entire uh special education office of the department of education has been fired essentially. We
066don't know what that means for IDEIDA or for others. Um, but there's a lot of uh a lot of change happening as the education department seems to continue to be wound down. We just don't know what those impacts will be yet. Uh, at the state side, there have been quite a few laws signed in the law, including AB1454, the science of reading, uh, revolving around the science of reading. uh AB1264 which will phase out ultrarocessed foods in schools, SB98, which will uh have notifications for ICE activity at school sites, and SB9, which makes it a crime to threaten to commit violent act at a school, daycare, university, workplace, house of worship, or medical facility on the internet or by any other means. And the law states that it does not matter if there was no
067intention to carry out the threat if it caused people to for their safety. So, um there's there's a lot of things going on now. We don't know quite what those impacts will be. I'm sure CSBA will have guidance for us, but uh a lot of changes coming. Um and then on the advocacy side, uh I know working with Almiritsuchi, Assembly Member Mirsuchi, um Dr. Wesley's been advocating as well for the higher LCFF base to increase our school funding. Um AB218 continues to be an area of concern. Those lawsuits are quite expensive. Uh we just heard reports that um LA County's $4 billion settlement, there may have been a lot of fraud involved in it. Uh so there's there's just you know horrible things really happening around this well-intentioned law that's being very costly and having
068significant impacts for districts and government organizations. So um a lot happening on the legislative side, some of it good, some of it bad, some of it helps us, some of it hurts us, but uh the dust is still settling. So we just need to to keep an eye on it. Um other than that though, u thank you for everyone for coming out tonight. And >> Mr. Elder, I made another mistake. Sorry, I'm going to fix it. Um I failed to mention um I have also attended along among um some of us in this room um the latest production by red union high school production of you're in town. Um I was blown again yet again um the talent um and the commitment that students put in and also all the grown-ups that have been around
069to make sure that it production comes out just like any other you production you will see in Broadway. just want to um thank um Miss Dab and all the staff um Mr. Bob and all the students um just just just amazing production. Um if you didn't get to go, you missed it. Thank you. No, great highlight. Uh up next, our calendar of events. On October 24th, quarter 1 ends for Middle and High School. On October 28th, we will have a regular board of education meeting right here at 5:30 p.m. That brings us to adjournment, which is great because we've got a Coaster Rodondo game going on. Uh motion and a second to adjurnn. >> Second. >> Student advisory vote. >> All those in favor? I. We are adjourned at >> 628. Thanks all.