001Good. Okay. Um, it is 6 o'clock p.m. We will reconvene the February 3rd, 2026 Lame Mesa Spring Valley School Board meeting. Um, I have some announcements. Please be advised that this meeting is being recorded. If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the pink card on the back table and give it to uh the superintendent or to Miss Cathy. and participants on Zoom who would like to make a public comment must submit the public comment form by 6:10 p.m. We will now have the pledge of allegiance led by students from Fletcher Hills Elementary School. Begin. I pledge aliance 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. You may be seated. >> Good
002job, you guys. >> Great job, you guys. All right, that brings us into the approval of the minutes of the previous meeting. >> I'll move to approve the minutes for our previous meeting. >> I'll second. >> Any questions or discussion regarding those minutes? All in favor say I. >> I opposed. >> Okay, which brings us to the approval of tonight's board agenda. >> Move to approve tonight's board agenda. >> I'll second. >> Any questions or discussion regarding this agenda? All in favor say I. >> I. Excellent. And that brings us to our spotlight on Fletcher Hills Elementary. >> All right. So, we have a video that we're going to play first to celebrate the school, but I am going to ask um Principal Angelo Benedto to come forward and um and then he'll share some
003great things about Fletcher Hills. is a very good country because it's because everybody works together. Everybody in this country knows that we are so talented. Most of us know as Mr. Rogers spent his life helping kids and families. In this book, You Are Special, Neighborly Words and Wisdom of Mr. Rogers, he wrote, "Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from a serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really a work of childhood." Mr. Rogers knew that when kids feel safe to play and be themselves, learning just feels natural. Here at Fletcher Hills Elementary, we see that every day. Our teachers make learning fun. >> School is here is never boring. >> Our attendance is amazing. We make this school so fun. We do these amazing art projects.
004We have amazing teachers. You could really be yourself at this school. Even though this is the only school I've been to, I know how amazing this place is. >> I came to Fletcher Hills in second grade. And just remember it always being fun and learning has always been fun here. When kids are having fun learning, they want to come to school. They engage in the conversations. They challenge each other to learn more and they look for new ways to learn things. I feel like our community and especially the teachers here make learning fun for everyone and makes the kids here want to come to school. Our principal school is also very kind. >> When you walk into a classroom at Fletcher Hills, you see 100% student engagement. Smiles on. Teachers and staff work tirelessly before,
005during, and after school planning lesson plans that really engage student interests and that engages students in learning and makes it fun for them. That is what drives the culture here at Fletcher. >> We make learning fun and that's why the students want to be here. >> Some of my other friends who are in different schools, they I tell them a lot about the school and they also want to come here too. to really fun stuff. >> Kids want to be here because there's fun kids, nice people, and great teachers. >> When you make school fun, kids want to go to school more here >> because there's a lot of fun teachers, and the playground is really nice. >> You kind of just have to learn, but like it's a lot more fun when you get
006to learn. >> This is a very loving school, and I love Fletcher Hills. If we love learning now, we're going to love learning for the rest of our lives. >> So, I guess Mr. Rogers was on to something. If learning feels fun, we want to show up. We want to try. We want to go. This is Sweeter Hills Elementary, a place where teachers care, where families are involved, where we feel safe being ourselves. And it's a place where play, learning, and kids belong. In case you're wondering, we are still really talented here at Fletcher Hills. I'm Angelo Benadetto, the principal at Fletcher Hills, and I did not come alone tonight. I brought with me two fabulous Falcons who led us in the pledge of allegiance. I want to start by introducing them. They are the
007stars of the show. We have Brooklyn Har who is our ASB president. We also have Sawyer Devonberg who is our ASB vice president. And we have a few other falcons that made the video. You may see some of those cute smiles from the video. Ladies, wave to the school board. >> Yes. >> So, the video that we just showed highlights some of the things that make Fletcher Hills a great school community. And if you look at what they the kids gloated about, they talked about how they have fun. And yes, pair that with a lot of hard work in the classrooms. We're still learning, but we're making the environment fun. And it's all about the student experience at Fletcher Hills. That doesn't happen by chance, though. It happens through collective commitment. And when I think
008about the collective commitment of the folks in the Fletcher Hill School community, I think not only about our amazing students who have high expectations of themselves, but I also think about our exceptional teachers and staff who show up each and every day. they find out where they need to meet kids to help them achieve and we're moving the needle, folks. So, I'm excited about that. And then finally, our parents. We have very active, involved parents. And when parents share the same high expectations that our teachers and staff do, again, that leads to student achievement and happy students. So, I want to thank uh our PTA, very involved PTA. They are sort of the glue for our school community and the again those exceptional activities. That's what keeps kids coming to school and that is why
009we what do we strive for in terms of attendance. What's that magic number? >> 90 96.5 attendance each month. We drive for that with all that fun stuff. So, thank you for having us here this evening. Can we It would be great if um uh uh Angelo, if you could come forward and um the kids that were in the video and your um and you guys rocked the pledge of allegiance. You did such a great job. We want to take a picture with you and we have a couple of um gift certificates. >> It's not >> I'm sorry. >> Certificates. Uh the cardinal >> right here. I'll show you. are really >> okay. I said I had gift certificates for you. Those are clearly not gift certificates. But because I made that mistake, I will
010send you gift certificates. I promise. So, I'm not sure for where yet. Maybe like Target or something. Um, but I promise you the gift certificates are in the mail and you guys will get them. Okay. >> Yes. >> Um, at this time, we will take a slight pause. Anybody from Fletcher, you are welcome to stay for the rest of our meeting, but if you would like to do something else with your evening, um like eat dinner or something, we'll take a short pause for you guys to go and then we will continue on with our meeting. who it was. Oh, really? Oh my gosh, that's awesome. I know that um uh Tracy Beach was next and then also I think worked for her at one point at one of the school. Yeah. What's that? >>
011Yeah. But that Yeah, I know. I'm impressed that people are moving forward. That was fun. >> Okay, >> that brings us to our other staff communications and information, which it looks like we have the midyear update to the local control and accountability plan. >> That's right. >> Um, and that brings us next to our report of action taken in close session. Great. And in close session, the board voted unanimously to approve settlement agreement CRD case number 20241026886631. Um, and also to release temporary teachers as presented. >> Okay, bringing us to public comment. Um, during this time, individual comments are limited to three minutes per person. Please refer to the timer displayed on the screen. While board members are not permitted to engage in dialogue or respond to questions during public comment, please know that we
012value and appreciate your input. Questions or comments requiring a response will be referred to the appropriate staff member for follow-up after the board meeting. If you would like a response, please be sure to provide your contact information on the public comment card. Um I my first public comment I have Megan Wentz, please. >> Hi there. Um thank you so much for allowing me to to uh speak in regards to uh my concerns about um the new lottery based enrollment policy for the ES for ESS for the after school program. My name is Megan Winters and I am a parent of a child who goes to Murdoch Elementary. For years, the program operated on a first come, first- serve basis with priority criteria. That system allowed working families like mine to plan responsibly. If I was
013organized and I applied, you know, within the first 10 minutes is, which is what I did, I could rely on securing after school care under the new policy, that reliability is no longer exists. Families must now enter a lottery every single year. While I fully support prioritization for certain families, the annual lottery introduces instability for children who are already thriving in the program. The timing compounds this problem. For example, for summer, enrollment begins March 23rd and families are notified um aren't notified until May 1st um on whether they have care or not. And in San Diego, that already is too late to apply for u most summer camps or alternative child care programs, which often fill months in advance. Families are left in limbo, unable to plan summer care and uncertain about the school year
014ahead. Like many working families, we have some flexibility, of course, but not enough to manage year-to-year uncertainty around essential child care. After school is not optional for us. It is necessary part of maintaining employment and family stability. This policy doesn't just impact children or impact parents. Most importantly, it impacts children. Stability, routine, and continuity, they matter. And subjecting a child's afterchool care to a yearly lottery undermines that foundation. I can't I can't plan my family's finances around the hope of winning the lottery. And I can't plan my child's my child's child care that way either. in if this policy remains unchanged, families like mine may be forced to leave the program entirely, and that's not by choice because my son loves it, but because uncertainty is not a viable child care plan. I respectfully urge
015the board to re-evaluate this policy because stability should not be left to a lottery. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. And my next I have Joe Lewis. Good evening. I'm Commander Joe Lewis and I appreciate you taking the time. And I use my title very specifically as it relates to the ESS program and the prioritization. It seems like when I look at the prioritization, it makes a lot of sense and it's about, you know, helping provide stability when it's not always available in the home. And as an active duty service member, and my wife is also an active duty service member, we're frequently out, gone, and unavailable. And previously prioritization was available for active duty service members and that went away at some point in the not too distant past. And that's problematic and
016it creates a challenge for me when I'm looking down the barrel of a 9-month deployment potential active combat operations and an increasingly d, you know, problematic home care environment between my wife and I both. And we do everything we can professionally to minimize that. It's not gone at all. and that affects everybody who's active duty military and I would ask you to please reconsider your prioritization standards and reinclude active duty military in that. >> Thank you. And did you have an additional card? >> Thank you. And that is Anna Stone. >> Good evening members of the board. My name is Anna Stone. I'm a parent at Murdoch Elementary. I also have the privilege of serving as our PTA president. Um, and actually I was an ESS leader as one of my first jobs. Um, thank
017you for the opportunity to speak. I'm here to also share concerns about the recent changes to the extended school services enrollment process for the 25 26 or I'm sorry 2627 school year and summer 2026. ESS is not optional care for many families. It's essential. The program's hours allow parents and guardians to maintain employment and provide stability for the children. Because of that, changes to how enrollment has handled have very real impacts to famil family's ability to plan and function. The move from a first come first- serve system that considered prior enrollment to a lotterybased system feels concerning from an equity standpoint. Families who have relied on ESS year after year have built their work schedules and child care plans around continued access to the program. Removing that continuity through a lottery introduces uncertainty and feels
018inequitable for families who have demonstrated long-term need and participation. I'm also concerned about the timing of enrollment notifications. Families won't be notified until April 3rd for the school year and May 1st for summer programs. By that point, many alternative child care options, you've heard, are already full. This doesn't give families adequate time to serve uh secure feasible alternatives which can put families in a very difficult position. I respectfully ask the board to reconsider aspects of this process specifically whether prior enrollment can be weighted more heavily and whether notification timelines can be moved earlier to allow families to plan responsibly. As a mother who also has a son going into TK, both of my children not knowing their plans means for me a very uncertain place that I don't know how I can overcome. and for
019the hours that I spend at my school pretty consistently, this means a lot because I've given my flexibility to give back to my school specifically in that time. Thank you for listening and thank you for your continued work to support students and families in our district. >> Thank you. Do we have any um public comments on Zoom? >> Uh there are no public comments on Zoom this evening. >> Okay. Thank you. And that brings us to item 5A, which is our report on curriculum adoption. Um, thank you. I'd like to invite Dr. Lydia Borcus to the podium and um, Dr. Burus is going to present on our um, math adoption process. We're really excited to get to talk to you about this process because it's as she will share a different process than we've used
020before. We were fortunate to receive a grant and I will say receive but because of the work that Dr. progressed writing the grant um through the Gates Foundation and the Factors Forum that helped fund us being able to do this differently. And so we have members in our audience today who are part of this um math implementation team and have been working really hard on this um adoption process and are um here to share their work with you today. Good evening board members and cabinet members. As Deian mentioned, we have several members here and I want to start by recognizing them. So, if we have any members of the math implementation and leadership team, I would ask that they please stand, especially because I want you to notice that they're wearing math socks today. >>
021That's why we that's why it looks so ridiculous. >> Awesome. >> And so, that that shows you a little bit of the fun that we had during our meetings and and this process. So, thank you very much. I want to recognize them for their hard work, their collaboration, and their intentional planning and ensuring that our students received sensational math instruction and for improving student outcomes in our district. In fact, you can see here the impact that they've made in our district in 12 schools, 28 teachers, and 739 students. So, you could see the impact that they had in our district. Thank you. All right. So an overview of our presentation today. I will share a little bit about the rationale for adoption, the pilot process, evaluation for our recommendation, then our recommendation findings and next
022steps. So what is the rationale for adoption? What is the reason why we started this process? In 2023, California adopted a new mathematics framework. In that mathematics framework, it outlined major shifts in the way we teach mathematics. It's important that I mention that the California standards did not change. What changed is how we teach mathematics from now in the future to ensure equitable outcomes for our students. The big shifts in the California math framework are these outlined here. It is um organizing instruction around big ideas, ensuring that we provide inquiry based instruction, that we focus on deep conceptual understanding around math, that we keep in mind when planning equity, engagement, and access for all of our students, that we support our multilingual learners, that our lessons and our progressions are coherent and you can see
023connections within grade levels, that we focus on mathematical practices, that we use data literacy in real world contexts and that we focus on professional learning and teacher support in in order to ensure that our students are learning math at deep levels. And in short, the key shifts work in in these three I guess bigger ideas which is focus and ensuring that our standards or that our lessons go deeper instead of trying to teach so much content in a short amount of time. really digging in deep deeper by making sure we're making connections between concepts. With that also goes coherence that we're linking topics not only within domains in mathematics but from grade level to grade level and most importantly that the rigor around math is really focused on conceptual understanding and that our students are
024able to apply concepts and skills in different domains and different concepts in mathematics. ensure that our students are able to apply what they learn in real life context. And so our math framework really focused on making sure that this drives instruction. And you'll notice here that drivers of investigation, content connections, and standards for mathematical practice are the framework for teaching math. And you'll see that the burgundy there is the why of math. They're the drivers of investigation. The darker kind of teal color is the how we teach mathematics which are the standards for mathematical practice and the what are the content connections. So every unit and every lesson outlined in the math framework connected to common core standards ask that we focus on how what and why we teach mathematics. And so the drivers of
025investigation are the why. And everything is connected to ensuring that our students never ever again ask when are we going to use this because we're more intentional or as teachers we're being very intentional in ensuring that we're connecting it to real real world context and that we're using investigation constantly and that we're predicting and talking about the impact on the future. Our standards for mathematical practice are the habits of mind that all of our students K12 should have as mathematicians. And the what is the content connections. This is especially important as we plan mathematics long term. So you'll notice that or the old way of teaching mathematics was we taught decimals, we ended that unit, then we started fractions, ended that unit, then we started the next unit. Content connections ensure that we're making connections
026between units. So for example, we teach fractions, decimals, percentages, and ratios all together. And we point out that those are proportional relationships that they're not disconnected. They're not different concepts. They're all one different ways of representing numbers. And so here is an anam a fifth grade example of what that could look like. So the why would be empowering decision-making. We want to convince our principal that we or we want to change the menu or the lunch menu on Fridays, but we can't just say we don't like it. That's not enough. Our principal will not go for that. And so the what is the content is fraction operations. Our students are going to have to look at how much milk is wasted, how much salad is wasted on Fridays, do the math and calculations so that
027we can use that data to convince our principal to change the menu for Fridays. And so our students will use those operations to figure out how much food is being wasted so that we can come back and construct viable arguments with our principal and convince them or convince him or her to change um the lunch menu for Fridays. And so they'll have those collaborative conversations around mathematics. They're still learning how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions, but now there's a purpose and an intention for that work. And so what was our pilot process? As you see here, our pilot process is almost a two-year process where in the past our pilot process was a maybe two trimester process because of the grant that we applied for through the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation, we
028were re we received $38,000 which allowed us to bring teachers together eight times to go through the process of evaluating curriculum. And so you'll see here we are currently in trimester 2 of the second year and we are bringing this to the board for recommendation with the hopes of onboarding our teachers in trimester 3 for professional learning um in April and and I'll share a little bit more around that during the next steps um slide. And so the team selection was also a lengthy process. Our team, our math implementation and leadership team had to apply to be on this team. They had to apply to be a part of this process. And as you could see here through the questions, it was around interest in math and interest in improving outcomes for our students in
029mathematics. We looked at state data to make decisions and have conversations around the needs for our district. We looked at school data and we looked at district data. So all decisions were made based on data on evidence. We also looked at ED reports which is a nonprofit organization that evaluates curriculum and gives its scores based on three different gateways. The gateways being focus and coherence, rigor and mathematical practices, teacher and student supports. And we looked at the curriculum that had the highest scores on ed reports. And that's what we brought to the math implementation and leadership team. Through that process we brought forth four different curriculum. We brought amplify math envision by Savas. We brought California mathematics California by curriculum associates and illustrative mathematics to the team. We analyzed that and we also provided a
030lot of training so that we would have the same background knowledge and understanding as to what we were looking for in a math program to improve student outcomes in Lamea Spring Valley. So, our team did a deep dive around the California math framework, deeper than what all of our K5 teachers received coming back in April of last year. We did uh some sessions on data analysis and we looked at trends and patterns so that we can determine what our students really need to be successful around mathematics. We had training around mathematical practices, math discourse, and we even brought a trainer from the National Council of Teachers of Math to provide training around productive struggle and eliciting and using student thinking so that we could use that learning to make decisions about what our students need
031and what is going to provide those student thinking opportunities and productive struggle opportunities for our students. And we also learned about the hexagon tool. And I'll share a little bit more around the hexagon tool when I talk about how we evaluated our curricula. Through that process, we selected two curricula to bring back for um or to use for our pilot process, which is California Mathematics or Classroom Mathematics California and Envision Math California. Both of those programs received 100% on ed reports on all gateways for all grade levels. So you could see there were highquality math programs. Our teachers also received time to do curriculum mapping and planning around the two programs so that they they could have conversations about what math will look like for the rest of the year. And then we jumped into
032the pilot and evaluation process. And so I mentioned the hexagon tool a little earlier. The hexagon tool has six domains. And you see there that is a tool that was adopted and created by the n the national implementation research network. So it is a research tool for looking at curriculum or looking at programs to implement at school sites. And that the six domains there are capacity. Are we ready and resourced to internally implement successfully? Fit. How well does the curriculum align with our district's values, teaching, and initiatives? Need. Does this curriculum address the academic, cultural, and equity needs of our students and district? So, these are questions that we discussed in order to decide what we were going to pilot, which is which are also the six domains that we looked at to decide what
033we are going to recommend to you all tonight. With that was also evidence. What does research or prior use of the curriculum tell usability? Are we ready and resourced internally to implement successfully and supports? Does the provider in this case and um envision and I ready offer strong support for rollout and capacity building? And so this is what we used to evaluate our pilot and the two programs. We also created a California math framework checklist to ensure that the programs aligned to the California math framework. And so we made sure that whatever we were piloting and recommending tonight had access to grade level content for all students, including multilingual learners and students that have an IEP. That it promotes student reasoning and discourse. So opportunities for collaboration and exchanging of ideas and conducting viable arguments.
034that it was culturally responsible responsible responsive and it had examples and that our students could see themselves in the curriculum that it had multiple re representations and models so that there was hands-on activities and real world um activities that the students could participate in that it emphasized conceptual understanding and moved away from calculation only so problem solving critical thinking that it integrated mathematical practice ices that there was coherence and progression across grade levels so that when we look at kinder and we look at first we could see connections and progression and increase in rigor and that it had high quality assessments so that it could inform instruction along the way. So you'll see here the dates for our pilot periods. We started in September and ended about two weeks ago. And so we first piloted
035Classroom Mathematics California went to right before Thanksgiving and then when we came back from Thanksgiving break, we jumped into piloting Sava's Envision Math. On January 22nd, we came together as a team to start having conversations about which curriculum best meth met the needs of our district. And so on January 22nd, we went through these 11 steps. Our team members will let you know that it was a very hefty day. Um it was a long process but it ensured that we all left the room comfortable with our decision for a recommendation. So we started off the morning with individually scoring the two pilot programs using the hexagon tool. And so that forced us to really look at evidence and experience while evaluating the two curriculum. Then table teams that were organized in grade levels shared their
036scoring, shared evidence, and had conversations around the domains of the hexagon tool. They shared, as I mentioned, evidence with no opinions yet. We were walking around and we were reminding each other and ourselves, wait, we're not talking about opinions yet. We're only focused on evidence and we're having conversations about the six domains. Then we identified the highlights and two concerns for each of the programs so that we can have conversations about that and how those could be addressed. We also provided the two vendors um Envision Math and I Ready to come in and answer any last questions we might have just in case we had any misconceptions or any components that we thought were missing. We just didn't find them and then they could clarify those misconceptions for us. Then we had we continued to
037have grade level discussion, completed a a recording tool. Then we mixed groups by grade levels um so that for example the kindergarten team could have a conversation with members of different grade levels so that they could hear their experience and question their experience and then came back as grade levels shared new evidence and findings and then we finally towards the end of the day came to a vote had a group discussion and had a conversation around considerations for implementation and so that was our day on January 22nd And so based on that conversation and that vote and the careful consideration of our team, our recommendation to the board is Classroom Mathematics um California by I Ready, which is um provide or developed by curriculum associates. You might be asking why why I Ready? Um we
038came to the conclusion based on evidence that I ready has learning trajectories that are connected to big ideas. So those big ideas that we talked about that are connected to all the learning and coherence and ensuring that there are connections between different units we saw evidence of that in Ire. The standards for mathematical practice were woven in every lesson in Ire. We also um can say with all confidence that it is an equity centered design, meaning it has it has supports for our multilingual learners and supports for students that need different supports at different levels who might need prerequisite skills, lessons, prerequisite supports and scaffolding that is available for our students as well. And it supported every learner. um provides supports for our multilingual learners by ensuring there are visual models, the use of manipulatives,
039that there's vocabulary, hands-on learning, and lots of opportunities for discourse so that they could use academic vocabulary throughout um mathematical learning. Our teachers especially especially um appreciated that I Ready Math or California mathematics has a supportive math classroom framework meaning it teaches students thinking routines that progress from kindergarten all the way to fifth grade. So our students are practicing different ways of talking and thinking and they get more complicated as grade levels go up. For example, the try, discuss, connect framework is something that that is a is a thinking routine that our students practice from kindergarten all the way up. And those thinking routines ensure that our students take ownership of their learning, that they recognize different ways to solve problems. They build mathematical confidence and they deepen and extend their conceptual understanding, which is
040something that we were really looking for. And we also found that that program aligned with our district's instructional focus and powerful practices. The lessons follow the gradual release of responsibil responsibility framework which is something that we've been learning about this year. It has deep implementation of vocabulary development and collaborative conversation opportunities where students must use academic vocabulary. There's opportunities for close reading and math. And as I mentioned, collaborative conversations, short constricted response items through performance tasks after each unit, explicit supports for different student groups, and increased le um rigor throughout grade levels. Other strengths were opportunities for differentiation. Those lessons are created for students that need enrichment or need supportive prerequisite skills. There's explicit thinking routines. As mentioned earlier, our dual language teachers really like that you could easily toggle between English and Spanish and
041that there are supports and um in both languages. It's the Spanish version of of the program is not watered down in any way that it offers a balanced math opportunity that um there is conceptual understanding, problem solving and fluency embedded throughout the program. easy digital and resource navigation and alignment with the mathematical practices. And so to support what I just shared as our findings, you could see here that it provides hands-on activities to retach if students are if students are having misconceptions around a math concept or differentiation for multilingual learners at different levels depending on where they are struggling with. There's, as I mentioned, opportunities for close reading by using a three reads protocol, opportunities for collaborative conversations by providing questions for teachers that they can use so they can turn and talk to a
042partner. They provide sentence frames and sentence starters for students to use during collaborative conversations at different levels for alpac level students one all the way to students that are more proficient with language acquisition and lots of opportunities for vocabulary development which is one of our powerful practices. Along with that it provides support for all stakeholders. There are parent letters and videos and activities to take home for every lesson and for every unit. Our teacher um tools for teachers provides resources for all students and all grade levels. And you could see there there's planning and teaching lessons as well as assessments, retaching opportunities, reinforcement, and extension activities for every grade level, for every lesson, for every concept. There are also um outlined in every lesson objectives, so our teachers don't have to make those up. they're
043already provided for us as well as the standards and the ELD standards are outlined as well and the vocabulary that students will need to learn in order to be able to have academic conversations around the topic at hand. And then there's also supports for our instructional leaders. So there's reports that they can um print and look at to ensure that implementation is taking place at the site. They can look at diagnostic reports. They can look at instructional groupings. They can have conversation with parents about how their students are doing. They can look they can have data meetings with teachers and look how our students are progressing within each grade level and each classroom. So all of our stakeholders are covered. Um when we looked at supports for everyone. And so we jump into what are
044our next steps. Today we recommend as I mentioned classroom mathematics California by Ire. and we are taking the next 30 days to receive community input and I ready curriculum for K5 is already on display in our atrium near the rock garden. I don't know what to call it. Um but it'll be it'll be displayed there for any community member who wants to come and evaluate. There's also QR codes in case anyone wants to give any feedback and that feedback will be shared with you all before we bring it back to you for approval. We are in the midst of implementation planning with curriculum associates so that we know what roll out on boarding and continual training will look like the next year and a half and beyond. We will be asking for board approval on
045March 3rd. And if that goes as planned, we will order materials in March so that we can onboard all of our K5 teachers on April 13th and receive all of that over the summer so that we can have full implementation the next academic school year. What questions can I answer for you? That was a lot of information going from process to, you know, recommendation to what it has. So I'll try to collect my thoughts and you try to go in order. I'll just start from the back end instead of the front. I had questions in the beginning. What >> So you obviously showed what the the the one you're recommending what it has and what it offers. Is there a comparative analysis that shows which ones mean comparing the two that you looked at or
046even the four that you looked at and which >> which the other options what what features that they have and what makes this one distinguishes it the better option because I think I think seeing everything it has I mean if 99% is is also on the other option and then that doesn't mean too much but I understand this is about the recommendation not necessarily about the analysis behind it that was my first question I have a couple But I'll let you answer that one. >> Okay. You are absolutely correct in that about 99% of it was pretty much the same. What um I don't want to say forced us, but we're really pushed I Ready ahead in in this comparison is that it aligned with our instructional focus and powerful practice, especially around gradual release
047of responsibility. In Ire, we were able to look at the components of the lesson and really pull out and look at how it could easily fit into that teaching framework. Whereas Envision had all the components around or the connections to the California math framework, but it would have been a little bit more it would have been a little harder to align to the to the gradual release of responsibility framework. So, this this slide here really outlines what made it stand out for us. >> Sorry for my ignorance. Can you explain that's you're highlighting the gradual release of maybe more layman terms uh that's not a phrase I've ever heard before. Of course. Yes. So, gradual release of responsibility is a teaching framework >> that was designed to release >> I don't want to sound redundant
048but to >> take they go >> to shift yes to shift the responsibility or the mental load or the cognitive load of learning on the student instead of the teacher. >> Got it. And so it starts off with a focus instruction, guided instruction, collaborative learning so that we could set students up for success and ensure that they can do work independently at their grade level at high levels. Okay. And so those four components or parts of gradual release focus instruction, guided instruction, uh indep collaborative work and independent work are clearly outlined in I Ready, which is something that as a district we're working on this year. And so it makes that easy transition into teaching math because it's outlined in the way that we're looking at lessons already. >> Okay. And then is is the
049was there any weight to the fact that we use I ready in our classrooms being that we're using selected the I Ready curriculum? >> Absolutely not. Okay. >> And I'll tell you why. >> Sure. Go for it. >> When when if you remember I said we had the vendors come back on January 22nd and they did a question and answer session with us. >> Envision math shared with us that they have a partnership with I Ready. So the diagnostic would have still informed instruction through in envision just like it does with with classroom mathematics. So it the the what that connection that classroom mathematics has with the diagnostic would have existed even with envision >> and it looks like it's going up to fifth grade and is is is there any change in curriculum for
050beyond fifth grade? No, our we still have we have an adoption for case uh for a sixth through eth that we that is still not up for renewal >> and CPM which we used in six seven which we use in six 7th and 8 aligns with what we're adopting because CPM really focuses on conceptual understanding problem solving hands-on math and making connections to real world instruction or real world um connections. I'll try to sum up my last three questions real quick. So other people can ask about for kids who are like for example who are ahead in fifth grade. So I mean this material beyond this material would they just be continuing to do I ready for those classes that you know kind of allows them to continue on past uh their current grade level?
051Would would that be would there be there wouldn't be any other curriculum for them to like really kind of supplement the I Ready that already currently exists. It would just be it would be capped out at fifth grade for their for their classroom. >> No. No. >> So, if you look at this um I Ready screenshot right here, the one with the turquoise on top, >> you'll notice the grade levels. It goes all the way to eighth grade. We're not adopting for sixth, seventh, eighth, we do have the curriculum all the way to eighth grade. So, if we're in a situation where a student is already proficient in fifth grade and needs enrichment activities, not only does the program provide extension activities, we look at that last column on the teacher on the tool on
052the teacher toolbox, but it also provides activities or lessons already. >> Okay, last two questions real quick. Um, uh, when it comes to the parent material, was was that actually released to parents and got did you get input from parents? because I know me as you know I can you know I can help my son still in math to this day but I cannot teach the way they're teaching in class right we were taught a very simple fast way of doing it so I can get to the answer but like I'm not going to be able to do the four different types of way to to solve a problem how was the the letters and the supplemental information that the teacher parents get did they get to receive it and what was the impact was
053there a preference to this one or was it pretty even between the two >> this one has so this the parent letter and the parent resources provide a QR code where you just take a picture and you can watch somebody teach the lesson. So what students saw in the classroom, the parent would be able to see at home so that you could have so that you can answer those questions or you could see the four different ways that it that a problem could be solved. Um and there's also um parent resources and you don't have to have a portal. You're not going to have to log in to access any of those resources. When you when you look at when you take a picture of the QR code, it takes you directly to the video
054and it takes you directly to the resources. So, it's a really easy process for parents. >> Okay. And then last question. I know you highlighted that this curriculum will build off, you know, it won't be unit by unit, but I think in your process it was only look at a unit for one for one uh example. Did you did you actually look at two two units seeing how it built off each other and see if if there was a pre preference or maybe more effective material between the two because I think in the your timeline description as you said study a curriculum you know a unit from this curriculum study from the other one didn't seem like it was multiple >> it it depended on the unit some units are shorter than others so some
055of our grade level teachers taught two units within that curriculum and and two in the other curriculum whereas in upper grades the units are a little bit longer so they taught one unit in one and one unit in the other. >> Thank you for your answers and all my questions. I appreciate it. I'm going to be quiet now. >> You're welcome. Yes. Any other questions that I can answer? >> Yeah, I have a couple of questions as well. Um, so at the end, I know that one of the biggest pieces of curriculum adoption is the community feedback and parents being able to look at the curriculum. You already mentioned that it's out in the lobby for them. Um, what kind of outreach does the district do to inform parents? Hey, this is being is it
056just that they needed to happen to be at this meeting? We're paying attention to this meeting or what is there additional outreach going out to our schools? We sent out an email yesterday to all of our community members. Um, so anyone who has an email recorded with our district got an email saying we're this to, you know, starting today there's a 30 window for you to provide feedback on our curriculum. We also plan on sharing that information. they haven't received it. We'll be intentional about ensuring that our principles also share it either on their bulletins or on their website or on their blogs so that it spreads in case they're not looking at at our parent square district um emails, but making sure that it's also coming we know parents pay more attention to messages
057that are coming from their principles or from their school sites. So, we'll disseminate that way as well. And with the curriculum that's available for review, are some of those parent um you know some of the additional resources available for review or is it just the kind of what's going to be used in the classroom on a dayto-day? >> The it's the the teachers editions are there, the students editions are there and then um if there are any parents who would like more information to look at the digital resources, we can provide that. But the digital everything that is on the teacher toolbox are in the books as well. Um the only parts that would not be open for viewing would be our um standards mastery assessments because those are are um secure materials. >> Um
058is there any thought you know there's some parents that might not be able might be interested in reviewing their curriculum but might not be able to make it down to the you know district office. Is there an idea of doing, you know, having another copy to do a road show with or, you know, have available at different school sites so parents could go at their school site to view the material? >> Not yet, but that's a great idea. We'll definitely discuss it. I think that's a wonderful idea. Thank you. >> Wouldn't the pilot teachers at each school have it already? >> Oh, okay. Sorry. >> They just have the grade level that they piloted. Yes. Part of it is about what's available from the publishers to us to be able to make that and and
059if somebody made a request, we could make an accommodation for that. Certainly, we also I was just going to let you know, we already had several parents in today >> um reviewing the materials and and we've had a couple of parents who emailed me who couldn't come during the times that the district is open and we've made arrangements to meet with them so that we can stay open a little bit longer or meet them a little earlier so that they can do they can review the material. So, we're make we're accommodating for parents who can't fit it in during the workday. >> Fantastic. Yeah, I know that's a big um parents, you know, that's a huge right for the parents to be able to have that feedback and input. Um I think you already answered
060my question about if this um if this incorporates into I Ready already. Um which is good that the other option also did. So that didn't play into um I I think one of the other questions I had was about and it sounds like they were really really close likely, but when you guys were implementing them or piloting um the curriculums was and came back together, was it that there was a clear this was the clear, you know, yep, this one was, you know, definitely better because of um you know, the the alignment with kind of our um the gradual release of standard or of responsibility. and all of those things you laid out on that slide or was it still there was like it was a really close >> It was pretty close. Um what's
061interest what was interesting about the process is and and um my team our team members can can attest to this is everyone came in with like an idea of what their preference was. But once we jumped into the conversation around the hexagon tool, people are like, "Oh yeah, I didn't think about that." Like once we started having conversations around evidence and the pieces of the hexagon tool that it it then that's when it got a little bit messy and it forced us to like jump into the curriculum again and look for that evidence and the pieces that we were looking for because not all of us used all the pieces depending on the unit that we were doing. So did it. It there were really rich discussions and I'm proud to say that they were
062based on evidence based on the tool that we used and so no it wasn't an easy process. There was a lot of discussion and yes it was very close and at the end of the day it was a hard decision but the reason we we chose the program that we chose was because of how how aligned it was with our La Mesa Spring Valley initiatives. And then I wanted to ask about the team selection. Um >> the was everyone that applied that wanted to be part of the selection team. Was everyone able to be part you know participate or was there an you know was it was the application a true application where you had to whittle it down? >> For the most part everyone that applied ended up being on the team. there was
063like two or three applications where the where they didn't answer the question or or it was literally I want to be on the team because I've always been on this team and then we're like you know but if there was real interest in wanting to make the decision that one of the questions was around wanting to improve student outcomes if they were answered they were selected to be on the team. Yeah. It wasn't it wasn't like oh no we don't like this. It wasn't that process at all. It was we just wanted to make sure that there was going to be in like they were vested in the process and they cared about student outcomes in our district. Not that there's teachers who don't, but that it was really clear that math is their passion.
064That's what we were looking for. >> And there's a good um the team was made up of a good variety of like all grade levels and all you know. >> We had K K all the way to five, DLI, SAI, SDC were represented. um all four areas there was rep representation for the whole district. Yes. >> Fantastic. >> I'm looking forward to taking a look at the curriculum. I know that the hands-on aspect is really important. You know, for me personally, I remember I loved math and as a kid and um I remember the the things that I remember, you know, specific classes that I remember in um you know, it was particular six through eight were hands-on things. So like learning about baseball statistics and that's like I still to this day love baseball
065statistics because we you know got baseball cards and made a fantasy baseball team essentially and those types of um you know handson pieces that's what sticks with kids and that's what um helps them really engage with the material. So I'm looking forward to seeing what this um curriculum has like that. So >> excellent. I'll challenge you to look at the characters that are in the book so that you could see you'll notice a progression from K5. So I'll challenge you to look at the students that are in the curriculum and how um equitable it is and then you'll you'll notice something about the character. So I'll be interested to hear your noticings. >> I have a question about the hexagon tool. Uh was that where where did where did you get that? >> That was
066uh part of the grant that we applied for through the Melinda um and Bill Gates Foundation. When we were awarded the um grant, we were asked to attend a training and there was a training around um implementation science and um successful math programs. And so that was something that we took away from that meeting. So there was several tools that were shared. the one that I felt was really going to make sure that we were having evidence-based discussions and making decisions based on what our our students need. >> Okay. And then my next question is is regarding the curriculum that was chosen. Um is this like a new version or a new like how long has this curriculum been in play or what version are they on? >> This is the newest version that was
067created just for California in the California math framework and it was um adopted this year. >> Thank you. So, it's the new brand spanking new. >> Okay. Yes. Thank you. >> I have a quick followup question. Um, obviously looking at the the span of age of the little bit, you know, kindergarten through fifth, obviously kindergarten first, you know, fairly new to school. So, adopting a new program, um, I think it's maybe a little easier for them. For those who are on the on the older spectrum, did they have any challenges with the new material? they or did the teacher see like a you know kind of like a better response to it or maybe ease of understanding with their you know what was the experience about for those who are on the later spectrum of
068the of the elementary school. >> Do you mind if I defer to one of our teachers? >> Yeah, of course. >> Any of our upper grade teachers that would like to share? >> Perfect. Um, so yeah, I'm um an ELITSA. It was an IDS teacher, so I really am in K through five classrooms. Um, I did the pilot with a third grade classroom. It was a new third grade teacher, so we came in team taught. I wanted something in the middle. We had a lot of discussion. the um kindergarten first grade is is manipulatives and more manipulatives and hands-on and fun and games and it's a little bit of a shift and it's tricky with combo classes. So, those were some of our challenges, but you get into the upper grades and especially what I
069heard from our fifth grade teachers. It it's it's a shift in math in a good way where you are starting off and you're teaching kids how to engage and how to think and you're taking that rigorous material but you're not just having them copy a teacher and then saying go, you know, what's what's the answer? I mean, it's like you really are getting them to engage and work together. Every unit starts off with prerequisites and what skills are needed before we even get going. So that and that comes from our I Ready um our our I Ready reports. Um as a teacher, the screen it's all on the same screen. I don't have to learn a new program which just kind kind of like one less thing sometimes honestly. Um so that was really helpful.
070But the program itself I just don't want the narrative to go out like oh we chose I Ready so kids are going to sit in front of a screen. it like they cannot be more different. Um it is it is engaging. Kids are talking. Kids are thinking and by the time we get to that independent piece. There is an opportunity for students who still need that guided instruction, who still need that help. And those that are ready to go can go. So um I think that was the two curriculums. Honestly, they were great. And it was a lot of us walked in going, you know, I like this about this one. But the more we talked about it, the more we realized that the shift that this program had really was the shift we need
071in La Mesa Spring Valley. We are not teaching math well. We're at 30 40%. I mean reality. And this really where the other program we felt like they had a lot of great things but it would have been really easy to go back to what we know if that makes sense. >> Thank you, Miss Bachman. Did that answer your question? Perfect. I just wanted to say thank you again to the teachers because it is not easy to switch curriculums in the middle of the year. It's not just like you start on page 50 in one book and then you jump to 51 in the next one. Like there's so much they have to plan and so thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Um and I'm excited about this curriculum too. I So my daughter's in
072Miss Bowlerjack's class and I was in a math training and there was a concept of how to teach math and I came. I'm like, "Oh my gosh, Miss Bowlerjack, this is so cool. You should use this in your classroom." And she's like, "That's what our new curriculum is doing." And I was like, "Yes." So anyway, thank you. Thank you so much you guys for your time and really picking a curriculum that works with our school and um yeah, my daughter loves math and thinks she can be good at math which is great. So thank you. >> Yes. And as you mentioned that was difficult for them because they started with expressions and jumped into I already jumped to Envision and now are back to I already because they're we're being allowed to use it for
073the rest of the year um for our pilot schools. And so they really did that switch several times which is why I started today by thanking them because they did they did the hard work. Yeah. >> And I'm only speaking for my daughter's class but it felt very fluid like the kids didn't seem confused and I'm sure that you guys all did that. So well done. Yeah. Well done. >> Yes. Can we give them a round of applause? >> Yeah please. >> And I also just want to say I'm impressed with the idea that you felt like the other curriculum would have been easy to go back to the way that we were. And that is really easy to do and I'm glad that you guys were like, you know what, that's not for us.
074We do want to move forward and so thanks for making that difficult decision. >> Thank you. >> Any last questions? >> All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So, that brings us to item 6A, um, our board policy updates, which is just one. >> Um, I'll move to approve this. And I have a couple of comments. Um, I will say that I told David this yesterday when I was were meeting that uh my first glance at this gave me a little bit of a heart attack because I saw the delete in red big red and did not see the big red new I just saw red and was like why are we deleting this policy? Um, and seeing that it's being moved to a different portion of the board policies and that we
075are encompassing not just our students that need to be feel safe at school, but protections for our staff and um, kind of all of everyone in our community feeling safe at our schools. Um, I think that this is this is a good move and you know, obviously this is because of there was a state law change. Um, and I, you know, yeah, there's a lot going on in the world right now and in our country around immigration enforcement, and I really appreciate that our district is making sure that, um, doing what we can to make sure our kids feel safe. >> I'll say again, >> any I just have one question. Um on the number one where it says the superintendent or the designate is required to report to the governing board any request by
076an officer or employee of the agency conducting certain immigration enforcement actions. Will we be notified as it's happening or are we going to be notified after the fact? >> Um it would totally depend on the circumstance. >> Okay. So, if it's something where somebody comes with a warrant and they provide all the necessary documentation, you know, it you'd be notified after the fact. If there was something where they weren't provided access, but requested access, um, well, I suppose you'd be notified after the fact in that case also. So, yeah, >> we request to be notified when it happens. >> I mean, we can certainly let you notify you as soon as things happen. We can't have things pending. board member response um just because of the time that it might take to do that. But
077yeah, >> I would also appreciate yeah us being alerted of when things are happening. Obviously, we don't have um in the moment. It's not a like >> board, can we do this? Um but I I think that being aware of us being aware of incidents that may occur on our school sites is important. >> Yeah. From my experience on the board, David, I think you do a great job of informing us. I I operationally you guys are responsible and I fully trust that you will do the right thing for all involved, kids, staff, families. So, uh, yeah, I continue doing what you do and we're great. >> All right. We've had a motion in a second. All right. Any other questions, comments? All in favor say I. I. I. Opposed. All right. Which brings us
078to our business services uh business consent items. I move to approve item 7A. >> All second. >> Any questions or discussions regarding this item? All in favor say I. >> I. Um, which brings us to 7B, which is our uh the annual comprehensive school safety plans. >> I'll move to approve item 7B. >> I'll second with a quick question. So, I know that we just approved a board policy that may change some of the information in these um safety plans. Um, but is that something that will get kind of incorporated in without, you know, needing to come back before us as an addendum or come back before us as an addendum before we approve these next next year or will that just get wrapped in to next year's? >> Yeah, we'll wrap it in. Obviously,
079we didn't want to update the um the uh safety plan yet until the board approved the policy, but now that the board has approved it, then we'll go back and update it. We won't bring it back. We'll bring it back annually. There are some times where new policies get implemented or they require us to add new things into the safety plan by a certain date, and we do that, but rather than bring it back every time that happens, we just wait till the annual cycle. >> Thank you. >> Um did we have a motion in a second? I definitely motioned. >> I definitely second. >> There we go. >> Any other questions, discussion? All in favor say I. I. >> I. Opposed. All right. And this is 7C. The author authorization to execute file notice
080of exemption for a solar project for La Mesa Dale Elementary. >> I'll move to approve this item. >> I'll second. >> Any discussion or questions regarding this item? All in favor say I. >> I. Opposed. All right, that brings us to item 8A, our human resources consent items. >> I move to approve item 8A. >> I'll second this. Um, I'll also thank the CSEA bargaining team and district's bargaining team for putting together all of these um,US regarding classification updates and whatnot. Um, I think that these will be um, good for for all Any other questions, discussion? All in favor say I. >> I. Opposed. Okay. Which is 8B. Um the resolution to decrease the number of certificated and management employees. >> Yeah. I'll move to approve item 8B. >> I'll second. >> Any questions, discussion
081regarding this item? >> I I have a couple of comments. Um, I think that this is this has been this is the big ticket item today, right? This is the item that's on our board agenda that everyone's been holding their breath about. Um, there has been a lot of talk in the news about, you know, what exactly our district was going to have to do in terms of budget cuts and we've our board, you know, here has heard about the budget and where things are. Um I would like to thank everyone that was part of these discussions. Um I think that there was a lot of I think three when you look at three teachers that being the number that we ended up with. I definitely thought it was going to be so many more
082and that, you know, we don't want to be laying anyone off, but that is I think that we did as much as we possibly could as a district and I want to thank Megan and her team and um Tina and and her team and all of you um anyone that was part of these discussions. Um it's it's hard, but also seeing the um social workers and all of these supports for mental health mental health in our students is so important. But seeing, you know, we just approved a um you know, the the new mental health provider job description and hearing, okay, how can we still fund some things partially? um has been so important and it's been um I I'm I'm proud of the work that has been done to minimize any you know all
083of this and see where things can can make the best of a a bad situation. just really shows the human like connections that our staff are not just numbers like that they're actual people and um and that's been something really meaningful to me as being part of this board is to see um just that community and uh really like love and um value for each each person that contributes to the district that this is. Yeah, I definitely want to also thank um Me and Tina for all the work and Deian for all the work and David that you guys did. I know this was a difficult um I know we've been talking about it for a while now that it was coming and um and it's like Brianna said like I was like oh my
08440 50 teachers and then three. Okay. It's still three, but it's it's something that we could work with and hopefully um they land in good places, too. And but we appreciate all the work that you guys did. We're not um exempt like other districts. Everybody's all the districts are going through what we're going through. Um but it seems like we're handling it a little bit better. >> Yeah, I'll just add one. I mean after my discussion with David um union leadership back there also was very much in involved but on top of that the creativity and you know flexibility of the principles uh to try to find opportunities to keep people uh moving to new positions move them those with multi-ubject down to elementary schools obviously it's not a it's not a lame spring valley
085school district issue it's a California issue with funding um and last year I think we had one layoff this year having only three obviously doing everyone's doing their best to three staff member uh teachers and additional social workers and whatnot but obviously uh I think the leadership here very much cares about all students and staff and they they do that it shows in every action they do so I think having as minimizing as much as possible is um although it's tough for those families impacted I myself impacted in in the past with you know the kind of you know instability in work and our hearts go out to All hearts go out to them. So, thank you very much for all your hard work. >> Appreciate it. >> I believe we had a motion and
086a second. Okay. All in favor say I. >> I. Opposed. >> Okay. Which brings us to item 8 C which is the criteria to determine the order of layoff as between certificated employees. >> I'll move to approve this. I do have one question about this. um is this list of um seniority going to be posted or provided to the staff? Um I think that being transparent with this and making sure that we are there's no surprises when someone is looking at and even you know in future years hopefully we don't have to do layoffs in future years but um but at any point in time being able to understand where someone lies on the seniority list. Um, yeah, thank you. And I'm grateful to have worked closely with our union partners through this difficult time.
087We do share the seniority list. We did that as we worked through this process. So, we um we did a verification process first with our middle school general ed teachers where we verified credential um and seniority dates and then we did share that with everybody so that it wasn't a surprise and people have that um in their possession now. Okay. >> Fantastic. I think I need a second. >> Second. >> Okay. Any other additional questions? All in favor say I. >> I. >> All right. And that brings us to our announcements, reports, and communication from the board and superintendent. >> I'll keep it brief and they talk too much tonight. Um I I hope everyone is staying healthy and not getting too sick. This uh I feel like the last month I hear about everyone
088getting um under the weather. So hopefully everyone's staying healthy and continue to have, you know, a good week. >> Um, I had the opportunity this month to go to a special ed parent meeting, um, which was fantastic. So I know I saw Eileen earlier. I don't know if she's still here, but um, Eileene and, uh, Sarah and Rachel, they did a fantastic job. If you are a parent of a kid with special needs or really a kid in general in our district, I recommend going. they had some really great strategies that um I'm going to teach my own uh parents um my students parents um and so yeah, I'm really grateful for that. And the other thing that I wanted to say is I was thinking the other day about um how teachers right now
089in our country are the heroes. I know we talk about other types of heroes, but I think you guys are the heroes in the current climate because there is so much pain and hurt and fear and a lot of us get to carry that in our day and teachers can't. Teachers have to put their own feelings aside and make sure that their classrooms are safe and that is a really almost impossible job and you guys do it every day. So, thank you for making our students feel safe and loved and just being able to put aside your own feelings so that your our students can feel protected. So, thank you. >> Um, I have a couple things. I was able to represent the district at um a couple of things last week. um Assembly Member
090Lache Sharp Collins had a meeting between um education leaders across the her her area and um there was a lot of discussion about funding for education and how she can best support us at the state level. Um and that was good to be in a room with other folks that really value and prioritize education. Um a lot of it is around how do we get more funding and how do we get where does that come from? And so, um, that was hopefully something some things will be coming down, um, from that. Um, and then later that day, Congress member Sarah Jacobs and her team came and visited PEP um, with Deian and myself. And that was a really, I hope, a really impactful experience for her. Um she got to meet our little kiddos and
091she um we they those of you that may not be familiar with PEP have a they all all the staff there have a lanyard that has the emotions from inside out on one side and then on the other side strategies coping strategies for those emotions. And so um the congress member got to you know have one of those lanyards and meet with some of the kids and ask okay how how are we feeling? Oh, what is this? Um, how do we um cope with this emotion? And she did mention that in the little tongue and cheek was that that some of her colleagues might need help with their emotions. Um, and so she she did get to take one of those back with her. Um, but it was great for her to hear directly from
092parents, see the impact that it had with the kids, but then hear directly from their parents on the impact that it's had on these families and these skills that are being able to take back home and back into the classroom. And um, I think that that, you know, this is a program that lost funding from that mental health grant and we're trying to, you know, piece piece funding together to keep it in any way possible. And so I think um hopefully hopefully that did something. Um I also want to shout out I got to participate or um attend the Elmax spelling bee last week and congratulations to Kevin for winning that. Um that was incredible. They're very talented kids. Um and Steam, I was able to visit Steam yesterday and also a couple of weeks
093ago for their dance recital. Um they have a K-pop dance class that was really cool to see all of the kids like I that one like the kids were really in it and it was it was very fun to see that. Um yesterday I got to go into an art classroom and uh >> uh they had an art competition going on and we had to choose which you know they had to speed art um with groups and yeah it's just it's great seeing the great things going on on our campuses. Um, I'll do last thing is a little plug for Lamesa Spring Valley podcast. Um, vice principal Oscar Nava was um from Elmac was featured this week and so um if you haven't taken uh gotten a chance to listen to that yet um recommend
094that and that is it for me. Um I'm just I work from home so I'm excited that Kemp is having a glow dance on Fridays and I will be there. I'll see all the kiddos there. >> Um, I'm just giving a shout out to everyone. I'm I'm proud of the district and where we are and going to keep moving forward and I'm happy to be working with all of you. So, >> yeah, I want to thank uh the math pilot committee um for all the hard work that went into um um that. But I know that it it's it's um tough with all the options that are out there and sometimes there's disagreement on committees and everything else and it's like the way that you all work through this and was just fantastic and so
095thank you for that. Thank you for being here tonight. Um for to the Fletcher Hills community. Um thanks to all of you for being here tonight as well as awesome to see so many um kids and families come out always. Um, I also wanted to just share to, you know, uh, this, uh, bringing layoffs forward tonight is is it's a really hard thing. It's it's the last thing in the world we want to do. It's the hardest, um, thing that that we have to do. And, um, and first off, I want to say how proud I am of this school district and how we walk through hard things. We just have amazing people, amazing principles, amazing teachers, amazing staff, um that just give their heart to the work and um just I just couldn't be
096more proud to be a part of this community and this district. Um I think what you shared, Sarah, about what teachers have to carry and what they don't have the luxury of carrying with them into the classroom is so true. Um, I I think about as parents, I think that's something that we need to model for our kids, too, you know, because there's a lot that people are carrying right now. And um, it's it's hard not to be cynical and angry. Um, and uh, it's just a hard time. Uh, and I'm I'm grateful to our teachers for being uh, just the amazing people that they are. Uh I also wanted to share too, you know, uh included on the board agenda tonight, it was the um the, you know, discontinuation of our social so many
097of our social workers and our counselors and the work that we've done over the last four years. um because of that federal me school-based mental health grant that we were awarded is just it really is like it's so critical. It's been so important especially coming out of the pandemic and all the things that um kids and families have gone through. It's just the thing that we all brag about and that we've been so proud of as a district and to lose that is heartbreaking. And um there's it's a little bit I don't think that we feel necessarily the full extent of it because you know we learned that we were that that grant had been um defunded by the Trump administration um earlier um in 2025 and we all you know um went through I
098think the grieving process with that and are continuing actually legally to um fight that and do everything we can to sustain and keep some of those services. Um, but it's just it's it makes me sick that there would be something that makes such a difference in the lives of children and their families that would be cut for just purely political reasons. Um, it's it's so sad. Um it's just really sad and it's that's something that was created like on a bipartisan basis um to make a difference in response to violence that was increasingly happening in schools. And so to completely take that that support away is just insanity. Um, so I just want to say though to our social workers and our counselors like the work that you did matters so much and we are
099so grateful to you. Um, we would we are doing and we will continue to do everything we can to continue to provide um the great work that that you provide for our students. Um, and it's just so sad that it it's come to the place where we we have to cut the positions because that funding no longer exists. Um, glad that we have some options to sort of peacemeal things and provide as much support as we can, but still heartbroken that those services um have been cut um in the first place. And it's it's just it's just sad. It feels like kids get become pawns in kind of like political games and it's very real when um somebody that was there yesterday isn't there today, you know. So um anyway, just thank you everyone for
100um just being so professional and loving and just everything through all of this. I'm just amazed at how we've gone through this as a as a district and and so proud of um really just how how we've all stuck together and and done what's right, you know, for kids. So, thank you. >> All right. Thank you. So at 7:25 we will adjourn this