001Good evening everyone. Welcome to the uh board of trustees of the Bowmont Unified School District. Uh we will reconvene into open session on this March 25th at 6:16 p.m. And I would like to ask uh do um Dr. There's so many Dr. Browns um the not Dr. Brown, the not Dr. Jeff Brown, she's not here to lead in the pledge of allegiance. I'm sure she's listening, but she's not here. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay, thank you. And moving on to item 7.0. Um we do have public comment. So during the during meetings of the board of trustees, members of the public have an opportunity to comment on items
002that appear on the agenda, regular or special meetings or items that do not appear on the agenda but are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the board. Individual speakers shall be allowed three minutes to address the board on each agenda item or non-aggenda item. The board shall limit the total time for public input on each item to 20 minutes. Speakers may not yield. We only have one speaker. Um okay, I think that covers it. And so at this time, um Shauna Keels, would you like to come forward? Good evening um dear sport uh school board members. My name is Shauna Hills and I'm an educator uh with the Bowmont Teachers Association. I'm a Eboard member as well and a parent here in Bumont. I'm here to express my deep concern regarding the ongoing issues of
003school safety and student violence within our district. As an educator, I believe it's our collective responsibility to ensure that our schools remain a safe environment where students can learn and grow without fear. Recently, I've spoken to teachers throughout the district who are, in my opinion, extremely stressed out due to constant disruptions, physically and verbally aggressive behavior, which include but are not limited to, biting, spitting, kicking, punching, hitting, throwing objects at others, and cursing. Teachers have been asked to document specific incidents, write up reports in areas, and communicate. Meanwhile, student behavior is getting worse. Students have pretty much figured out that there are no real consequences for poor behavior. As a result, poor behavior increases, therefore undermining a safe and effective learning environment for all of our students. Unfortunately, all students miss out because more time
004is being spent on behavior than learning. So, lack of enforcement can make the situation worse as it sends a message that student violence and disrespect is tolerated in our schools. I respect respectfully request that Bmont Unifi take uh proactive action by investig investigating incidents in a timely and thorough manner. Implementing and uh continuing a cohesive discipline plan besides our PBIS um although that's a program it is not um appearing to work for many of our students at this time and they have some real consequences um such as ATS at the elementary sites. Um we also need additional security. There's not enough people to help keep students safe. I see one person at the elementary level watching hundreds of kids have recesses and lunches. Uh there's not enough supervision and I know it's probably worse at
005the middle school and high school level. Uh provide another counselor at the and behavioral spe specialists at the elementary sites for affected students. One is not enough for a site of 700 students or more. And we need actually more mental health counselors at all sites. Students are coming to school with lots and lots of trauma than ever before. However, students who are at school are also at risk to be exposed to trauma and some of them are having anxiety based on the actions of others. Many of our teachers and staff are willing to work and are um and really exhausted with the lack of um support with discipline issues. I think we need to revisit um our our discipline uh policies in the district and I know that our situation can be changed, but it's
006not going away. We're seeing increase in violence and just all over the place. So, what we really need are some real solutions to make our schools a lot safer. Thank you. Thank you so much. And I that's Thank you. Yes. Okay. And that's the only public testimony that we have tonight. And so we'll move on to item number 8.0. Um 8.1 is approve the recommended action on a request for readmission of an expelled pupil pursuant to education code sections 48916 and 35146. Um student discipline case number 202324-26. Uh do I have a motion? I'll move for readmission. I'll second. Moved by David, seconded by Lance. Any discussion on this. Okay, let's call for a vote. Okay, motion carries, one abstension. Um, item number 9.0. We do have a report out of close session. So Vance
0079.1 start with the first one. Right. We have enclo uh it was the anticipated litigation. The vote was unanimous in favor of rejecting the the claim. You want me to do all three? In regards to the board in close session relative to the real property real property negotiations, uh it was by unanimous vote of all trustees present to approve a purchase agreement for Riverside Assessor parcel number 413-790-074. Uh it has not been finally signed by the other party. Accordingly, details of the transaction and copies of the agreements will be released on request once the agreement is fully executed. The board took no other reportable action relative to this item. Lastly, 5.10 uh public employee appointment. It was agreed to that to appoint Michael Hart to the position of director of technology. Effective date to be
008determined. The vote was unanimous in favor of appointment. Okay. And Miss Castillo. Thank you, Lance. President Williamson, members of the board, Superintendent Kich, cabinet, colleagues, and guests. We are happy to announce the appointment of Michael Hart to the position of director of technology. Mr. Mr. Hart is joining our Bulmont team from the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools where he is currently the client systems administrator. Michael started his career in education in 2004 and has held the positions of IT programmer analyst, coordinator of student information systems, director of student data services, and database administrator. Prior to working for San Bernino County Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Hart worked at Santa Clara Unified School District, Marietta Valley, and Hemtt Unified School Districts. Michael earned his Bachelor of Science in IT Security and his Master of Business Administration
009in IT Management from Western Governor's University. Please join us in welcoming Mr. Hart to his new position as the director of technology. President Williamson, members of the board, Superintendent Kakkesh, cabinet, colleagues, and community, I am honored and humbled to be selected to serve alongside you as the director of technology for Bumont Unified. There's one thing I think we can agree is consistent about technology, and that is that it will change. I look forward to working with the team here to continue to deliver excellent service for the betterment of our students, staff, and community. Thank you. Thank you. Welcome aboard. And uh would you kindly introduce your family that's here with you? Yes. My wife uh Colleen Favven is here with me and our good friend um Christy Watson. Thank you for coming to support and
010[Applause] congratulations. Okay. Wonderful. 9.2. Receive a report from student board member Bren Sabney. Good evening everyone. I'm excited to share our secondary school sites great events, activities, and accomplishments. The Mountain View Middle School music students had an unforgettable time at Riverside Community Colleg's theater production of Susicle. Students and SAS staff celebrated Pi Day with a fun dress up and activities. The advanced band received a superior insight in overall reading, and the intermediate band received an excellent insight in overall reading. The archery team competed in their first tournament on March 15th. The volleyball team also made history with not only the first game of the season, but also the first ever boys volleyball game. Last but not least, the students had a busy day on March 21st, hosting coffee with the principles and counselors in the
011library and then hosting their quarterly house rally. At Sangonia Middle School, the Hurricane basketball program just completed a perfect season. Both groups won league championships with undefeated records. The archery team took 10 of the top 12 spots at the Ellie Regionals competition held at Sanggonia Middle School. Congratulations archers. The Sea Purge program, a class where students built underwater robots, earned second place at the regional sea purge competition held at Troy High School. Special shout out to the counseling team. They shared information and resources to help with teen depression during lunchtime activities last week. Lastly, the students are working hard in robotics class. Recently, students designed a color sorder, which involved building and programming a robot. Summerwind Trails Middle School students started their first ever boys volleyball team. They played against Nicollet Middle School in banning
012to kick off the season. The ASB students hosted their second dance of the year, which had a great turnout. The American Association of University Women hosted an eighth grade girls STEM conference at Mount Sanento College. Many summer and trails eighth grade girls attended this event and had a wonderful day learning about careers in STEM. The summer and trails basketball teams both made it to the playoff games, finishing off their season. At Bowmont High School, the boys volleyball team took first place in the Great Oak Tournament and are currently undefeated in Citrus Belt League. The academic decathlon team finished in third place in division 3 at the California State Competition in Santa Clara. 150 students took the SAT and 90 sophomores will be taking the PSAT on campus on March 27th. 82% of AP students will
013also be taking the AP exams this year. At Glen View High School, the Coyote basketball team has come to an end. Cody Coyote basketball season has come to an end. The students and staff are proud of the team for making this playoffs after having a slow start to the season. Thanks to coach Mahan for working with the team. Glen View ASB and AVID students supported Palm Innovation Academy Elementary students by reading to them during ReadAcross America week. Thanks to Miss Lopez and her team for this opportunity. Glen View High School had a positive Wasp accreditation visit on March 12th through 14th. 21st Century Learning Institute seniors are completing their college applications, creating future plans, and filling out the FASA. Two students have committed to the US Marine Corps and Chico State University. 21st Century Learning
014Institute also had a positive WASP accreditation visit on March 12th through 14th. 21st Century Cyclones joined Bowmont Middle College and Glen View High School or Glen View students on a college field trip to UC San Diego. Bowmont Middle College High School had a very positive Wasque accreditation visit. Phoenix 10th and 11th graders met with MSJC counselor Karina Mahia to review which college courses to enroll in for the summer and fall semesters. AVID students attended a Knottbury Farm field trip. Special thanks to Mrs. Sheer, Miss Ryan Bolt, and the Bowmont High School AVID team for the invitation to participate. Bulma Middle College along with several other high schools attended the Discover California State University at the Riverside Convention Center earlier this month. Bulma Adult School English as second language students learned how to access healthcare services.
015Medical assistant students honed their intake and vital checking skills during their mock medical clinic. Vocational nursing students practiced their wound care skills during their skills lab session. Senior students from the adult transition program participated in a field trip to the Riverside County Office of Education post-secary job fair. Students got to visit different vendors and listen to presentations about options available to them after they graduate at 22. As always, thank you to all our parents, families, and staff. This concludes the presentation on events and activities taking place at our secondary school sites. Wonderful. Thank you, Brenn. And moving on to our report from the superintendent and review the district calendar for the months of March and April. Good evening, everyone. Good evening. I want to start by acknowledging the student board, the student of the month
016for the March 2025 and it's the last uh morning breakfast event. So the next time we meet with all of the students that were honored will be in May for the student of the year recognition. So one of them will be recognized as student of the year for I think one or two I can't remember. Um but Haley Zimmer and attends Bulmont Middle College High School and plans to pursue an art career. Cheyenne White attends Bulmont High School and plans to become an ER nurse. So proud of both students. The Bulman High School Jazz Band performed at the 2025 Riverside County State of the Education. On March 5th, Superintendent Edwin Gomez spoke about the ongoing success of education in Riverside County and gave a lot of data points. The event was attended by representatives from
017all 23 school districts within the county, including Bulma Unified staff and board members. The family and community engagement committee held a district-wide literacy fair. The event included uh book mobile, food trucks, hands-on activities, and author lectures. Three authors were in attendance, including one children's illustrator and author who is also a teacher in our district. And hundreds of incoming families attended 2025 TKinder welcome rally. The event introduced incoming students and their families to school employees, buses, and much more. Activities like food trucks and mascot contributed to a school mascot, sorry, uh to the festive atmosphere. And we also attended the recognition by Edison to give a scholarship of $50,000 to uh one of our seniors, Alice um Ivanov. and such an impressive young man. Um really proud of him for actually obtaining a scholarship of $50,000
018which is huge. That's going to be impactful to his career. The competitive scholarship is awarded to high school seniors pursuing higher education in STEM fields and business support services and the child nutrition services team held a grand opening for the Cougars Quick Cafe. The cafe offers food, refreshments, and snacks at Bowman High School. It was launched in response to the increasing student demands for healthy school meals. As far as the calendar updates, as we wrap up March, I want to remind everyone that Monday, March 31st to April 4th, will be the spring break for Bulma Unified. All of our schools will be closed. Um, our district office will remain open. Sundance Elementary will host the scholars on vacation camp during spring break. And as for April, we will meet again for uh our next board
019meeting on April 22nd. And lastly, on Thursday, April 24th, we will host Exceptional Leader Resource Fair at Brookside Elementary uh school to share information about special education services. And that's it for the report, Madam President. Thank you. Okay. Um, item 10.1, consent agenda. Um, would anybody like to pull an item from the consent agenda? 10.8. 10.8. Anybody else? Okay. I saw David pressing his button, so I didn't want to miss him. Okay. Um, so these are items that are are routine in nature. Um, but we will pull item 10.8. And so do I have a motion to approve 10.1 through 10.7 and 10. Oh, that's it. Yeah. Move approval. Second. Okay. So moved by Jeff, seconded by David. Call for a vote. I want 10.7. Motion carries. And so now we'll move on to item
02011.1 um which would be to approve the consent contra contractual agreements. I just I Go ahead. Go ahead. Sorry. Okay. So my question was um for Mr. Sam Martine the two contracts for labor compliance. This is something new for our district. Correct. So we've not done this in the past that I remember for Bulmont Uni Unified School District. I'm not sure how how the labor compliance um process was handled, but uh this is one of the requirements that the Department of Industrial Relations DI the DI requires that districts um uh report back and review uh any uh payroll from contractors. So, this is the responsibility of the district to make sure that we're reviewing and making sure that there's no no discrepancies and report back to the DI. Okay. And so the construction managers are
021not part of that process. No, they're not. They they they uh the construction managers are responsible for the contractor's uh work day and and scheduling, but not necessarily for their payroll. Okay. All right. That's all I just wanted to clarify. That's all. Okay. Thank you, Susie. So, I move we approve um item 11.1. I'll second. You have the money. Call for a vote. [Music] Okay, motion carries. All right, 12.0 special legal and discussion items for 12.1. Um, we will be receiving an uh update from Highland Academy Charter School and conducting a public hearing on the charter petition requesting the renewal of its charter. And so at 6:36, go ahead and come on up. We'll open our public [Music] hearing. Okay. Good evening everybody. Um my name is uh Billy Macintosh. I'm the director of Highland
022Academy. Um thank you for having us uh this evening. Um I'm joined this evening by our assistant director, Elizabeth Bucher. um Terrence Lee, who's our chief business officer. Um and our board president, Matt Ner, um and another uh board member of ours, Jason French. And I may have missed somebody if they came in late. Uh but um I'm I'm very happy to have them here and I appreciate their support. Um we're accustomed to presenting our annual update to the board around this time of year. Um but this year has added uh significance because we are also seeking a renewal of our charter. Um, Assembly Bill uh 1505 uh went into effect on July 1st, 2020. Um, and it modified the criteria used within charter school renewal. Um, based on criteria from this bill, charter schools
023um receive a performance category um based on their dashboard uh performance over the past two years. Uh the three categories are high in which a charter school is eligible for a five, six or sevenyear renewal term. Um, charter schools classified as low may only be renewed for two years um if it meets conditions um dictated under ED code. Um charter schools classified as middle performing um of which Highland Academy has been um may be um eligible to be renewed for a 5-year term. Um today we bring our charter renewal petition uh before the school board uh seeking exactly that, a renewed uh five-year term. Uh the current term of our charter expires in on June 30th of this year. Um and if renewed um it would continue until June 30th of 2030. Um while this
024presentation is our annual update to the Bumont School Board um the dashboard data included in this also um is included in our renewal petition and the data used by the state to classify us as a middle performing school. All right, I made it work. Um, Highland Academyy's mission is to find your genius. That's what we tell kids. That's what we tell parents when they're bringing them to our school. And we truly believe that. Um, we pride ourselves on tailoring education to each student's unique needs, ensuring success for everybody. Um, regardless of background or past academic challenges, our diverse student body with a range of has a range of strengths and interests just like any school. Um, but it often includes those who have not really thrived in traditional school settings. Some students just need a
025fresh start in a smaller setting and we provide exactly that. Um, we strive to see every student leave Highland Academy better than when they arrived. So, as far as our current staffing, um, our staffing levels have remained relatively the same at the same level since returning to in-person learning after the COVID 19 pandemic. Um, we have a good mixture of both newer and experienced teachers that are all passionate about helping our students. Um, our elementary program consists of six uh certificated teachers and our middle school program has 12 certificated teachers. Um we also have a special education coordinator who is responsible for students with IEPs and ensuring they re they are receiving the required services. Uh these positions in addition to the administrators and pair of professionals that we have on staff um ensure that
026we are able to pro provide a quality education to all our students. Um and we're really able to accomplish even though we're very small in size, we're really able to accomplish anything a larger school uh would be able to do. Um, in this photo right here, the one up above, that was uh, I believe anything but a cup day. And so teachers brought all sorts of things to drink water out of. Um, and then the bottom one, I believe that was patterns day. And, um, I usually dress like that anyways. So that was actually a very easy day for me to participate in. Um, so we try to have fun with the kids and anytime there's a theme day or an activity, we we definitely try to get involved. Um so as for our enrollment
027numbers um the maximum capacity at our current campus at Wellwood is 340 students. Um our elementary program has six classes, one class per grade level. Um with the exception of our TK kindergarten uh combo class. Our middle school program has roughly 70 students uh per grade level in grades uh sixth, seventh, and eighth. Our student groups match very closely the demographics of district schools and other schools in our area. Our largest subgroup of students is our Hispanic population at 47 uh3% uh followed by our socioeconomically disadvantaged students at 39.7. Um our white students make up 35.5% of our student population. Uh while uh Highland Academy is open to any resident of the state of California, approximately 90% of our students are Bumont residents. Um and the vast majority go on to attend Bulmont High School
028after they they have completed 8th grade with us. Um this is our financial summary. Um the financial health of Highland Academy has significantly improved since uh 2017 when we last appeared before this board um seeking a renewal. At that time the school was struggling financially and we needed to borrow money to stay operational. Um thanks in large parts to the efforts of our CBO Terren Lee behind me um and our charter impact who's our accounting firm um and the many supportive staff here with the district. Um we are now on very solid financial footing. Um this year we anticipate ending with a balance of about $3.4 million or approximately 80% of our budget. Um which provides us with the financial uh flexibility and the ability to withstand um any difficult economic conditions down the road.
029Um, we appreciate this board's leap of faith in 2017 and approving our charter at that time and are pleased to report that Highland Academyy's uh financial future is bright moving forward. Um, much more detailed uh financial information uh including a 5-year projection can be found in our charter and appendix A. Um, and that that will go into a lot more specifics. Um, literally everything you want to know is contained in that appendix. At least I hope so. Um this slide uh contains a screenshot of the current dashboard school performance overview uh for the current year for Highland Academy. Uh all performance categories show uh standards met or are in the yellow. Um this shows an improvement from last year when we were in the red or orange in these exact same areas. Um, in English
030language arts, we saw drastic improvement from the prior year um with a 5.87 improvement schoolwide of the state testing of state testing in students who were at or above proficiency. Um, inside these numbers, there's even more reason to celebrate as we saw most of our subgroups make great strides forward in English. Um, as measured by uh distance from standard or DFS, our socioeconomically disadvantaged students increased 21.4 points. Our English learners improved uh 4.4 points. Our Hispanic students improved 28.9 points. Uh we are very proud of the progress they've made in math. We also saw overall schoolwide improvement from 20 the school year 2223 to 2324 of 78% um of Highland Academy students at or above proficiency. Again, inside these numbers, we see individual student groups making tremendous progress. Our socioeconomically disadvantaged students increased 14.7 points.
031Our students with disabilities improved 18.2. Our English learners improved 15.2. and our Hispanic students improved 12.9. Um, as a as a quick but related side note, um, we are especially proud of our the progress of our, uh, students with disabilities and the progress they've made over the last two years in both language arts and math. Um, their prog their progress actually surpasses the district and state averages by a fairly significant margin. And we're a lot of hard work has gone into that and we're very happy to see the fruits of our labors. So, as far as the uh school-to-state comparison, um this slide shows the overall comparison between Highland Academy and the state average. In uh ELA, we trail the state average by 2.34%. Um whereas in math, we're below the state average by 9.58.
032Uh these numbers why below where we would ideally like to see them still represent improvement over last year as we continue narrowing the gap with the state average. The gap in language arts has decreased 5.49% um from 7.83% in 2223 uh to 2.34% in uh the 2324 school year. In math, the difference between the state and Highland Academyy's average is holding steady from 22 to 23 and then 23 to 24 at about 9%. So, as far as areas of focus, what do we what do we want to do next? What are we focusing on now? As well, um we're we're honing in on the following areas. Attendance. Um the data is clear. Um there's a direct correlation between student attendance and their performance in school. Um the vast majority of students who struggle with attendance
033also struggle academically. Um under the direction of our assistant director, Miss Boucher, um we've made getting students to school a priority and have seen a chronic our chronic absenteeism rate drop from 20.9% in 2023 on the dashboard uh to 13.7% um on the 2024 dashboard. Um and then our current data shows for the current year that we're in um that will be dropping even more. Um small class sizes is also an area of focus for us. Um our experience has shown that students are so much more successful when they are in smaller classes with more facetime with their teacher. Um while it is tempting to increase class sizes and pick up a few more students, uh this would uh this is something we have not been willing to do uh because it would take away
034from the teacherto student interaction that is so valuable and necessary. Um and then as we mentioned uh ear as I mentioned earlier um we have seen improvement in our math and ELA scores over the past two years. Um we want to continue that upward trend. Um upgrading our facilities. Um we absolutely love our campus at Wellwood Avenue. Um it has quite the history. Um we've learned um it is the perfect home for us. However, it's old and requires constant upkeep. Um for example, our D building um is over a hundred years old. Um that we are trying to be proactive with maintenance and repairs to ensure our campus will be there for us for years to come. Um a big focus of our classroom instruction um is also Web's depth of knowledge. Um we are
035first and foremost training ourselves, the staff in this area so we have the tools necessary to teach our kids. Um we want to push our kids past their comfort zones of lower levels of recall and reproduction uh to deeper levels of understanding in the form of strategic and extended learning uh because these are the skills that will help our students become lifelong learners. Um professional development is also a focus of ours. Um as a small school we don't often have the same internal professional development and training opportunities as most districts. Um it becomes important for us then to actively seek out these opportunities. Um we've been partnering with the Riverside County Office of Education um with our SELPA partner El Dorado and many other organizations to ensure our teachers have an opportunity to be trained
036in the best practices and grow in their profession. Um and as I was mentioned earlier, we want to maintain our financial flexibility to respond to to needs as they arise. Um, just as an example of this, um, the work we're doing with our special education students, I'm very proud of. Um, while our special education students have shown considerable growth, we want to do more. Um, our plan going into the 2526 school year is to hire an additional special education teacher who will be able to assist us in supporting these students um, our students with special needs even more than we do now. Um, El Dorado has also provided us um ourself has provided us with invaluable support to ensure we're compliant with exist existing laws, using best practices, and meeting the needs of our students.
037Um, expanding our school. Um, the truth is we have long waiting lists. Um during the open enrollment period, which is currently underway during the month of March, we're only able to accept a fraction of the students who apply for our school, especially in the elementary program where we only have one class per grade level. Um for example, um the next school year, the um so currently the open enrollment, the number of fifth grade applications we already have received would be more than enough to create an entirely new section of fifth grade. Um it's hard to lottery season is hard. um because we have to say no to so many students um especi and again elementary is really where it's difficult to get into our school um because there's just we just have the one class
038and if third grade goes to fourth grade and nobody leaves our school then there's just no openings um and so we have I believe 17 applications for third grade all of them right now are going to be placed on a waiting list um there's no immediate solution to this problem and nothing is imminent however this is an ongoing topic of discussion in our learning community with our board and our parents and our admin team and we hope to have a solution sometime down the road. This of course would be done in collaboration with the district and nothing would be done without your full support. Um but it is a a constant concern that's brought to our attention by our families. So as far as school highlights and we have a lot to be proud of.
039We're proud that we made it to our 11th year of operation. Um, some years we've had to fight to keep our enrollment up, especially upon returning uh to school from the pandemic. Uh, most years, like the current year, we have waiting lists at all grade levels and are unfortunately only to enroll a small percentage of those who apply. Um, we have an active sports program and participate in all sports that all other middle schools in our area do. Our games against the district middle schools, Summerwind, Mountain View, and Sanji always draw big crowds. And our student athletes and families always look forward to competing against our rivals. And sometimes we even win, but not very often, but we we're competitive. I'll say that. Um, I also wanted to to recognize and give a special shout
040out to our um elective teacher, our performing arts teacher, Miss uh Jessica Whitford, uh for the amazing job that she does. Um in her program she take kids she takes kids who are shy or insecure and is able to make them performers. Um annually we have a variety of events, shows, plays and concerts that allow our students to showcase their talents. Um and then the photo in the upper right hand there um that was a frozen m um that was done here at Bulmont um high school's theater um last year. And uh there's kids who I had no idea they could sing and they get on that stage and they just they just blow you away. It's really amazing to see. She gets the most out of these kids. Um this year our theater classes
041will be performing the musical The Descendants um here at Bowmont High School again uh during the the dates of May 13th through the 16th. And we would like to invite anybody who would like to attend to do so. I've been in education a long time, seen a lot of middle school plays. Most of them are middle school plays if we're being honest. Uh the quality of these productions are quite honestly they're they're astonishing. Um and I'm really really proud of the work that uh Miss Whitford uh does with our kids. Um and I think the biggest thing is just again seeing kids get out of their shell and finding talents that they didn't even know they had themselves. Um I spoke previously um about the decreased chronic absenteeism we have experienced um in this presentation
042earlier. Um our suspension rate is also declining significantly uh due to the addition of a campus supervisor, a school counselor, um increased monitoring, incentives and celebrations and a schoolwide support system of uh of interventions and and supports. So we're very very pleased that that also um is happening. Um and lastly, as I already mentioned, um we have experienced um increased performance on the state test schoolwide in both math and language arts moving us on the dashboard from orange last year uh to yellow this year. I can confidently say that all the areas that are uh listed on this slide, we are projecting in the right direction. Um again, we're immensely proud of the progress our students our student groups have made. All groups on this slide saw improvement um from last year to this year.
043Um and we're happy to report that we have made enough progress that we are no longer eligible for differentiated assistance uh through the county um and that we've exited um ATSI status. Um all that the support and training we received during our time in these programs was immensely helpful um and is a major reason that we are seeing the progress that we have and our goal is to stay off those lists moving forward of course. Um and lastly we're fully staffed with the appropriately appropriately credentialed teachers and have no current vacant positions. So, in conclusion, um I did want to take this opportunity to thank Bumont Unified School District for honoring uh parent choice in our community and allowing Highland Academy to exist and thrive. Even though we're an independent charter school, we have always
044felt the full support of the district. Um I would especially like to thank uh Dr. Evan Brown for his guidance through this renewal process. Um, Carmen Ordonius, who's helped us with our finances countless times since I arrived at Highland in I I want to say 2015. Um, James Hickman, who's consistently helped us keep our aging facility functioning and safe. Um, Marisol Ramirez, who serves as the liaison between Bowmont Unified, um, and our school, and so many others in the district who have made it possible uh, for us to be where we are today. So, I thank you for your time. Um, and if there's any questions, I'd be happy to answer those for you at this time. I just I just want to say that um it's great to see the progress you guys have
045made over the years. It's it's really good to see. Thank you. Thank you for what you do for our for those students in our community and we appreciate that because you're part of our district as well. Absolutely. And we and we feel that way. We absolutely do. Thank you. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Thank you so much for coming. And hold on, hold on. Sorry, I'd like to make a comment. I was a student at Highland Academy um for my sixth to 8th grade years. And from a student perspective, it was an amazing school. I had I had a fantastic experience from especially the small class sizes. I felt so supported by the teachers and the administration and everyone knew everyone. It was it was a really really great experience. So, I would have full support for
046ruining the charter. Oh, that's so good to hear. Thank you. Yeah. Okay. And do we have any um discussion from the public? I believe so. Okay. You can make your way forward. Thank you. Thank you very much. Good evening. Good evening. Uh members of the board. My name is Matthew Neri and I've been a Bumont resident since 2003. I've worked in the community since 1998. Uh my wife and I have been directly involved with Highland Academy since the school opened its doors in 2013. Uh my oldest son, Bod, was a part of Highland Academyy's first sixth grade class and has now returned as the first substitute student teacher at the school. Uh our middle son, Logan, also attended and graduated from Highland Academy before moving on to Bulmont High. Uh, and our youngest son, Garrett,
047has been a student there since fifth grade and is now a sixth grader. Uh, I faithfully served the board for 6 years before taking a one-year mandatory hiatus. Not my choice. Um, and I now proudly serve as the board's current president at Highland. Uh, during the last charter consideration, I spoke in support of Highland Academy, and I feel just as strongly today. The school has provided my family an incredible environment. uh one where my sons thrived academically, socially, and personally. The dedicated teachers and staff have played a pivotal role in shaping them into the individuals they are today. Since its inception, Highland Academy has offered a uniquely positive, nurturing environment where students are encouraged to excel. It is a place where students are not only educated but truly supported in the growth in growth in
048their growth and success. I have always said that the staff at Highland Academy including its current administration uh has been giving uh Bulmont High some of its best work and the surrounding schools. Uh I stand before you today uh because I believe in Highland Academyy's mission and the vital role it plays in our community. I urge you to continue supporting this school and ensuring the future of students can benefit from the same educational experience that my family has been fortunate enough to receive. Thank you for your time. Yeah, thank you so much. Any other public comment? Okay, I don't see anyone. So, we will close this uh public hearing at 6:59. All right. Item 13.1. Do we have to vote on anything on that? No, the uh voting will come at the next meeting. It
049says action. Okay. It did. Yeah, that was a little I think the action was the was the hearing. Okay. Thanks. It was act It was an active hearing. Um Okay, so 13.1 Approve a revised uh job description for the position of school nurse. Do I have a motion? So moved. I'll second. All right. Moved by David, seconded by Susie. Any discussion on this item? Okay. Call for a vote. Okay. Motion carries. 13.2. Approve the certificated personnel assignment order listed on the report dated March 25th, 2025. So moved. Second. Have a motion by David and a second by Lance. Yes. Um any discussion? Call uh call for a vote and motion carries. 13.3 Approve the classified personnel assignment order listed on the report dated March 25th, 2025. Motion. So moved. Second. I yield to Brown. Motion
050by Lance, second by Jeff. And uh any discussion? Call for a vote. And motion carries. 13.4. Approve the administrative personnel assignment order listed on the report dated March 25th, 2025. Do I have a motion? Move approval. Second. Have a motion by Jeff. Second by David. Any discussion? Yes. Carmen. I don't want to vote yes, but I do because you want to retire. So, congratulations. Yes. Congratulations. For sure. Congratulations, Carmen. But we're not saying goodbye yet because it's not until July still. Still, I'm not going there. All right. Okay. Let's call for a vote. And motion carries. Item number 14.1 under business services adopt resolution 202425-9 to utilize the piggyback clause from Hisperia Unified School District bid number 22-00001 portable classroom buildings for the purchase and installation of portable buildings from Silver Creek Industries LLC. Do
051I have a motion? So moved. Sergy has a Oh, Sergy. Okay. on this this uh resolution would authorize staff to enter into a an agreement with Silver Creek Industries and this is for our portable projects at uh Mountain View Middle School, Sangreonio and also Summerwind Trails Elementary. Um this is for our portable projects that's going to take place this summer. However, on this resolution, uh staff is requesting a correction. Uh the resolution mistakenly calls for San Sabernadino County Superintendent which should be on the second paragraph. Hisperia Unified School District. This is a bid between Hisperia and Silver Creek and Bulmont Unified School District is going to use this piggyback to move forward into this agreement. Okay. So, can we make the motion with the corrections as proposed by Sergio? Yes, I'll move that motion. Second
052with the amendment. Okay. So, moved by Susie, seconded by Lance. Um, any discussion on that? Yes. I'm going to I'm going a little bit out of order on this, Miss M. Madame President. Um, is it possible because as I was reading through 141 through 145, uh, I was getting a little bit confused on what services would be provided, what foundation options were being provided, uh, what was excluded. Uh, it was running into each other. And I was going to call and ask and to for some guidance over the phone, but then I was sudden thinking to myself, you know what? I'd rather have this presented here in the in the forum uh for everyone to hear. But I did get I was confused on on how this is getting done. Uh are we talking foundations
053that were there in the past? Soil testing. I know we're putting something over over here as well next to the district office, but if you could run through the process from beginning to end for all of the portables all in as if it were one motion instead of all these divided motions. If the chair would recognize that. Sure. Thank you. Thank you. Sure. Okay. So, what we're asking the board this evening is to enter into an agreement with Silver Creek Industries. They're the modular manufacturers. So, what we're asking the board is on the following three um action items is to enter uh separate agreements with Silver Creek for the purchase of those specific modular classroom buildings. These are are steel frame with wood uh um uh finishes. They're going to be on raised foundations. Um
054we could bring to the board as as we've progressed with the project in the design. uh we can bring either in a study session the specific locations of these portables with uh the finish the finishes and how they're going to be uh constructed. Now with Silver Creek again they're just a manufacturer. At at a later date, the staff is going to bid the actual construction of the site work that is required, which will include additional um uh foundations or slabs if we're going to put it on an asphalt or concrete um in specific just site work for ADA compliance and other specific work not related to the buildings. Okay. because I did see another uh item I that had to deal with the the initial groundwork and that's where I was getting a little confused
055with what silver again I understand a portable coming in and they're just being responsible for the portable but the the site work was where I was I noticed that's another bid that went out to I think that was installation of flooring system by Shaw are are they doing any finish work at with the portables or is Shaw doing something at another site. Yes, that is a separate piggyback with a different manufacturer separate from this specific project. Um, kind of getting ahead of that one. Uh, that that piggyback is for for the district to utilize uh this um Shaw uh company for flooring for a specific different project not related to the portables. All right, that makes more sense now. Thank you. And Lance, did you have any No, just a point of order. Are we
056now voting on 14.1 or 14.1 through 14.5? No. Okay. We'll vote on them separately. Okay. I just wanted one explanation on all five all six items for the most part instead of me asking a question each one at a time. Were you pressing your button? No. Okay. Okay. If any other discussion Thank you, David. That was a good point of clarification. So, we already have a motion and a second. Um, my mic is off. Sorry. On 14.1. Um, so let's call for a vote and the motion the mo the amended motion is listed here. So, we have the correct language on that. Thank you, Carol. Okay, motion carries. And so 14.2 approve the purchase of the two uh 48x40 two classrooms and one 12x40 uh restroom building for Mountain View Middle School for student growth
057capacity. Do I have a motion? So moved. Seconded by Lance. Any discussion? Okay. Call for a vote. And motion carries on 14.2 14.3 uh approve the purchase of two 48x 40 two class two classrooms and one 12x40 restroom build buildings for San Gregio uh middle school for student growth capacity. Move approval. Second. Moved by Susie, seconded by David. Any discussion? Call for a vote. And motion carries. Moving on to 14.4. Um, approve the purchase of one 24x40 classroom, one 48x42 classroom, and one 12x40 restroom buildings for Summerwind Trail School for student growth capacity. Um, do I have a motion? So moved. A second. A second. Moved by David, seconded by Jeff. Do we know what what um grade levels these are going to be geared for? Are they for the middle school? Um the the
058initial plan is to use it for the upper grades for um six, seven, and eight grades, but we can determine that change that as we look at the master schedule for next year. Okay. Thank you. Call for a vote. I have a question. Sorry. Um so this question covers the last three topics. Um we're getting new portable classrooms, which is awesome. Um, I know a lot of our sites have some very dated portable classrooms. Are any of these replacements or we or is this all expansion? These are these portables are for growth for expansion. Okay. At a future date when we pass a bond, uh, we will then focus on those through the modernization program. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Sergio. Okay. Call for a vote. The motion carries. Item number 14.5 to adopt resolution
0592 2024-25-23 to utilize the piggyback clause from Sourcewell solicitation number 061323 for the purchase and installation of flooring from Shaw Integrated and Turf Solutions Incorporated. Do I have a motion? So move. Second. I'll move by Susie, seconded by Lance. Any discussion? Call for a vote. A motion carries. 14.6. Uh, approve the award of bid number 2024-25-07, educational support facilities ESF portables project. Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Moved by Lance, seconded by Jeff. Um, any discussion. Call for a vote. And motion carries. 14.7 approve an agreement for architectural services for the kindergarten building edition at Anahos Elementary School project. Uh do I have a motion? So moved. Second. So moved by David is David, seconded by uh Jeff. Any discussion? Okay. Call for a vote. And motion carries. 14.8. Adopt resolution 2024-25-20 for
060the incumbrance of funds for the 202526 fiscal year. Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Was that Lance? Yes. Okay. Moved by Susie, seconded by Lance. Any discussion? Call for a vote. A motion carries. 14.9 adopt resolution 2024-25-21 for year-end budget adjustments for the 202425 fiscal year. And do I have a motion? So moved. I'll second. Moved by David, seconded by Susie. Any discussion? Call for a vote. A motion carries. For uh 14.10, 10. Adopt resolution 2024-25-22 authorizing the temporary transfer of funds for the 2526 fiscal year. Do we have a motion? So moved. Second. Moved by Susie, seconded by David. Any discussion? Call for a vote and motion carries. Uh 14.11 adopt the 2024-2027 uh transportation services plan. Have a motion. Move approval. Second. Moved by Jeff, seconded by David. I have a
061comment. Yep. Discussion on this transportation service plan. We did receive some information on concerned parents um in regards to the safety. Has this plan taken those concerns into consideration or was this adopted before that? Sergio, do you have any information on that? I think maze or maze maze or surgery I can start the answer because it was adopted before Mr. son Martin joined our team. He's basically taken it for a routine approval so CDE can continue the funding. Um at the time this was planned, the board considered additional services and because this program is so underfunded still um at this point we haven't allocated any resources for additional funding for the secondary students. So it remains a plan to serve all special education students TK through 12 and preschool but for regular hometoschool transportation that
062are beyond walking distance we only serve elementary at this point. Now we are entering a budget cycle and if it's the will of the board to take a look at that again and see if we can reallocate fund for secondary that would be discussed at that time. Okay. Any other discussion on this? Okay. Thank you, Mace. Call for a vote. Motion carries. Okay. Um, heading into reports. Uh, receive a report from the California School Employees Association. It's and it's chapter 351. Do we have anyone from CSEA here? Okay. 15.2. Receive a report from the Bowmont Teachers Association. Good evening, President Williamson, members of the board. Superintendent Kich, cabinet, colleagues, community. Um we're looking forward to continuing negotiations uh with the district tomorrow on our items. Um you know, we have a lot on our plate
063this year. um special education. And I just want to reinforce to the board um especially since we're not seeing you again till kind of later next month that you know we really need some level of numbers, you know, some standards that we can um show our community that we're putting in the effort um to make sure that we are making a commitment to our students and our families and our teachers that we can have a controllable number of students and really help our students um by committing to some level of flexible number. Right. I think we put in some things that are flexible in our proposal, right? We're not trying to um lock the district into anything that they can't commit to or force them to spend money in in a way that's irresponsible. Um
064but we do want the board to speak and make a commitment um that we are really trying to meet these goals and that we have a process that we can address if there is um an areas that are are spiked over. Um, so I know that's really important to the staff. Um, and we really would like to see some progress on that. Um, as well as some progress made to um, attract and retain special education teachers. As I mentioned at the previous meeting, we have a really a big problem with churn and turnover and um, um, teachers uh, fleeing the profession um, you know, everywhere, but especially in that area. So, we really want to make progress on that. Um, and our coaches were here in the fall. Um, I know Dr. Sylvester, you weren't
065here for that meeting, but um they came and they um showed their support for increasing coaching stipens um up to a level that's comparable um with other districts. They've been very low in comparison to other their colleagues in other districts for quite a few years now. So, I think our proposal of uh moving everybody over from row one um column 1 to row one, column 5 plus a 1% for athletics um would really help that because you know stipens per the hours. If you divided it up, it made it a minimum wage. It would be very very low for the number of out hours that they're out there coaching those um kids um for things. So, we really want your support on that. And of course, we have a number of miscellaneous things. So, we
066really appreciate the board's support um and listening. I know a lot of members uh expressed that they felt heard when they were here. So, we look forward to making progress um on that uh in the coming days and weeks. So, thank you very much and uh have a nice uh spring break there if you get one. Thank you, Joyce. Thank you. Okay. 15.3 uh receive a report from the Bulmont Administrators Confidential Management Employees Group. Good evening, President Williamson, Superintendent Kish, board members, cabinet colleagues, and community. I want to welcome our newest member of the Backne team and and to uh the instructional services support team, Michael Hart, as director of technology. Uh that now brings the grand total of Michael's as directors uh on the ISS team to three. Um which makes it even easier
067for others to say Michael did it. Um so we're we're excited to have you on board. Um, also, and I know that we'll we'll I'm sure we'll have some type of formal uh recognition or celebration, but definitely wanted to thank Harmon Carmen um for, you know, everything she's done for our district. Um, I' I've worked with her now in two capacities as a site administrator and and district administrator. And I know I've learned a ton from her and I can only imagine uh what others have as well. So, I just wanted to to thank her and again, I know there will be a formal recognition at some point, but uh didn't want to leave the night uh without doing that. Thank you very much. Yeah. Thank you. Okay. Uh 15.4 receive a report from board
068member David Sanchez. Carmen just threw me off right now and I'm sure she wanted this to pass through really quietly and nobody know anything and I'll try to keep it that way. But once you're gone, who else am I going to have Carol Severn stories with? It's not fair. Um just me. Just you. Oh, maybe Maze, too. That's right. Um, I I do want to sit there and make a comment about what I heard tonight from the charter school and I want to emphasize it with the board and the community. Class size does matter and there's a bond that is created with the teacher and the student dependent on class size. And thank you for reflecting upon that point. And we also have a student representative up here that also in her own way except
069said the same thing because there was a bond. Um we heard Mrs. Ks talk about class uh student behavior. Again, rigor, relevance, and relationship. You have a relationship with when class size matters. You don't have a relationship with a student when you're servicing 40, 36, 40 students every hour going through a room at the secondary level. So again, I think some of our problems that we're hearing with student behavior could be addressed in in that nature. Again, as an individual, I am speaking only, but I do still and will always believe class size does matter. Um, with that, yes, I hope everybody has a restful Thanksgiving break that's coming up. And um, take care. Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving. I mean, thankful. I'm starting this year. long vacation. David, we can be thankful for spring break. There
070we go. Thank you. Okay, Mr. Jeff Brown. Um, so in uh I believe it was Bin's report earlier, they she talked about uh middle college and 21st century and um Glen View going to UCSD this past week. Um I went on that trip and it was a fantastic trip. Um it was a little scattered and it needed some help with some organization. Um and uh but uh it it was an amazing opportunity for the kids to see a campus and uh the teacher who led the experience um took us on a self-guided tour. He printed out some literature. You can you can download a self-guided tour of UCSD. So, if you have a kid who's interested in visiting colleges, most colleges have a self-guided tour that you can download um including maps and then information
071points around the campus for you to visit. Um and it was an amazing experience and we left there and went to Balo Park and saw the Timkin Museum. Um I kept calling it the Tinker Museum. So, the Timkin Museum, um, it is a small museum, but it is it has some amazing artwork in it. It's completely free as many of the, uh, museums in Balo Park are. Um, but, uh, we did get guided tours and we got a lot of information about the the art inside. So that was an amazing opportunity for these students to get sort of a snapshot of what a big college and what a large community's cultural uh features are. Balboa Park in itself is a giant museum essentially. So they got to see um a couple of museums in there
072with a guided tour of one and then the actual park itself. Um so and they appeared to love it. Um it was a very very very long day. Um riding home on a bus in Friday night. We didn't leave BO Park until 3 45 4:00 maybe. Long drive. So yeah, we didn't get back to Bulma. We didn't get back to the sports complex until close to 8. Um, that is it was Yeah. And we got on the buses at 7:30, I think. So yeah, it was about a 12-hour long day with these kids, but they were absolute they were just champs about it and they just had the time of their lives. And uh uh I hope many of them go on to go to UCSD. It is an amazing school. Um but yes, sorry
073that's my rant for the day. It was an awesome experience and I'm glad that I'm thrilled that someone put together something like that for these kids. So and I'm thrilled that I got to go, too. Yeah, that's awesome. Thank you, Jeff. Okay, Dr. Lansston Sylvester. Good evening, everyone. the president Williamson, Superintendent Kesh, and CB board members, cabinet members, community. Um, first I want to say uh welcome aboard again to uh I guess he said the third Michael Hart. Uh very impressed uh with uh meeting you, speaking with you and looking forward to how Bulmont will be better because we have you. Uh, want to say also happy birthday to the March birthdays, Superintendent Kakkesh. And raise your hand if you had a birthday in March cuz we got a lot of happy birthday. Yes. Yes.
074Sorry. Go ahead. It's not just once, not just twice, but thrice is nice. Um, again, I'm here to serve. So, in regards to uh receiving information and concerns about student conduct, uh teacher safety, uh I would like if possible because I guess when I listen to things, I wonder how impactful I can be at this level. And so what I what I would actually like is uh to receive if the board doesn't have it already to receive the protocol and procedures for school discipline um for how possibly teachers are endangered how stu other students may be endangered and how we can best uh address it because if I don't know then I'm shooting in the dark. And so to be able to let the teachers feel that we are hearing them, we're addressing that their
075concerns, I would need to know that. So if uh after the break or something, we can get that type of step so I can understand that would be that would be great to have. Okay. Thank you so much. That's my report. Thank you, Susie. Laura, mine's nice and brief. Happy birthday. I already said it, but happy birthday. Sergio's today. It says day. Today. And Bobby's says today. So that's good. And then we have Lance and Maze. So it was Lance Maze. And then these two. So there you go. Happy birthday. I'm done. Have a good spring break from the charter school. It seems like Oh, yep. So there you go. Oh, all the VIPs. That's it. Welcome, Mr. Hart. Oh, okay. Thank you, Susie. Um, so I think most of you know, um, my daytime
076profession is early childhood. And, uh, that's been my career for, um, quite a while now. And, um, I have all female staff with the exception of mics. Um, we have only mics as males at our at my school as well. our cook, our custodian, and our IT guy. So, we appreciate the convenience of that uh very much. Um and welcome. It was a joy to get to know you and um I always love seeing um spouses and stuff come to encourage and your smile means a lot and it tells me he has a lot of good support. Um I think any of us that are successful in our career do that with the support of a a strong family. So, thank you for being here and um happy birthday. Banisha left but um congratulations on
077the Wasque accreditation visit and we won't meet again until the end of April but there is something very important happening at the beginning of April and that is April 5th through 11th is the week of the young child um by the national association for the education of young children and so I wanted to share some statistics with all of you um in celebration of the week of the young child. Children who attend an early childhood program are less likely to drop out of high school, more likely to go to college, likely to earn more in a lifetime, and more likely to own a house. They are also likely to have improved academic performance, reduced grade retention, reduced special education needs, and reduced chronic absenteeism. Children who have early education have improved social skills, enhanced emotional
078regulation, more prepared, they're more prepared for kindergarten, um reduced suspensions and juvenile detention, and better adult health outcomes. Research indicates that investments in highquality early education programs can yield a significant return on investment both economically and socially. And I follow this page on Facebook called Board Teachers. They just have a lot of funny content that they put out. But this quote was really um quite cool. It says, "Research shows the first five years are most important for brain development." And we know that this means early childhood educators are basically brain architects. So please take time to celebrate our educators who work with our youngest students. I I know oftentimes our focus is on high school graduation. Um but if if we want to have success in high school graduation, it really starts in preschool, TK,
079kindergarten. Um give them a high five if you see them. Um they have a hard job. Trust me, I know. Um high five. Um I run after them all day, 5 days a week at least. Um, and I love it. Um, thank them for improving outcomes for our students um, that last through and beyond high school. And with that, that's all I have. Thank you. And um, so we will adjourn the meeting at 7:32 p.m. I thought that was good. I'm going to send it to my staff.