And total time for each agenda item to 20 minutes. Any person wishing to speak on an agenda item may be granted up to three minutes at the Time the item appears on the agenda.
in the case of non-agenda items, comments may be made under a request to speak on Non-agenda items communications from the public.
prior to addressing the board please fill out the request to address the board card, Which may be picked up from margaret mcdonald, senior executive assistant to the
superintendent. Any person addressing the board should first state their name and Association with the district.
no cards now we will go into closed session at 5:00.
all right. The board will now reconvene into open session at 6:00. Report out of closed session.
derek. In closed session, the board took action to approve the employment of dr.
christine mullally as principal of oak mesa elementary school.
the motion was made by glenn creiman with a second by greg palatto.
the roll call was unanimous, but we did have one person abstain because they were not Present.
there we go [applause]. Dr.
christine mulally is currently serving as elementary school principal in claremont Unified school district, where she's been for the last 15 years.
prior to this position, she served as assistant principal tosa and an elementary teacher.
christine received her bachelor's degree from cal poly pomona, masters from cal state san Bernardino, and her dr.ate from azusa pacific.
christine and her husband, greg, are residents of la verne and have two children who Attended bonita unified schools.
those children, bryce and cole, will be graduating from cal poly pomona and cal state Fullerton later this month.
we're really excited to have dr. Mulally join bonita. Please join me in congratulating dr.
christine mulally, new principal, oak mesa [applause].
thank you. Good evening distinguished members of the bonita unified school district's Board of education, members of cabinet and guests.
I stand before you today, deeply honored and humbled to accept the position of principal At oak mesa elementary school.
first and foremost, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the bonita unified School district's board of education for entrusting me with this significant
responsibility. Your confidence in my abilities to lead and to inspire is profound source Of motivation for me.
I'm truly appreciative of the opportunity to contribute to our community in such a Meaningful way.
to the staff, students, and parents of oak mesa elementary school, I'm excited to embark On this journey with you.
together, we will continue to foster a nurturing environment that promotes excellence, Encourages curiosity, and supports each student's unique path to success.
I'm committed to being committed to building strong relationships within our school Community, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued.
I also want to acknowledge my predecessors and the solid foundation that they have laid At oak mesa elementary school.
it is upon their incredible work that we will continue to build, always striving to reach New heights of achievement and community engagement.
as we look forward to the future, I am filled with optimism and determination with the Support of the bonita unified school district board of education, the district office, and
the incredible team at oak mesa elementary school, I'm confident in our collective Ability to make a lasting and positive impact on the lives of our students.
finally, I would like to recognize and thank my family who are here tonight, my husband Greg, and our sons bryce and cole.
as was mentioned, bryce and cole are bonita alums and I am thrilled to join the school District that supported their success.
thank you once again for this tremendous honor. I'm excited to begin and contribute the long standing tradition of excellence at oak mesa Elementary school [applause].
all right. Well, will you please join with me in pledging allegiance to the flag of our Country?
ready. Begin. 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.
all right. Approval of agenda, order and content. So moved. Second.
all in favor? Aye. Opposed? All right. That's unanimous.
approval of minutes of the previous board meeting. So we'll adopt the minutes of the april 10th, 2024 regular board of education meeting.
do I have a motion? So moved. Second, any discussion? All in favor, say aye.
aye. All right, that's unanimous.
all right. Our last communications from our student representatives. We'll start with andrew watson [applause].
good evening everyone. I wanted to start off by saying how much of a pleasure it has been this year to deliver Benita's news to you all.
I have enjoyed this experience of being a student board representative, and it has helped Me grow as a communicator and a speaker.
I would like to give a special thank you to superintendent wien, board president palatto, And all of the board members for everything they have done for me this year.
being a student representative would not have been the same without these dedicated Leaders of our community.
the month of april was full of bearcat achievements. Our culinary team placed in the top ten in the country during their competition in Baltimore this past week.
there are approximately 20,000 high schools in the country and bonita placed within the Top ten.
competing against privately funded and other public schools bonita showed their prowess In the kitchen and defied all odds against them.
led by mrs. Brandler, the culinary program has become a world class and well-known sector of bonita High school.
this is truly an amazing accomplishment and as benita's asb president, I am proud to say That my school is nationally ranked and recognized in the culinary community.
can we give it up for our bearcats in the culinary program [applause]?
this past weekend, our drama program performed their sold out spring play, mamma mia.
throughout this program, attendees were transported to the islands of greece and Serenaded by music and laughter.
this program was amazing and it showcased the true performing arts talent that our bonita Students have.
may and june are full of fun end of the year activities for the bearcats. Our prom top 15 is being announced this friday, and prom is on may 18th at ovation in Long beach.
our theme is monte carlo by midnight, at prom, there will be tons of dancing monaco Inspired pastries, drinks and desserts and games.
jazz under the stars is taking place this friday, and many members of our community are Planning to come out and watch the show.
it is free for anybody to attend. On june 3rd bonita seniors will go to knott's berry farm for our annual senior trip.
I can't wait for that. This year has been a great year for bonita, and I am proud to say that I will soon Graduate from this amazing place that I consider home.
it is a bittersweet moment saying goodbye for the last time, but I know bonita has Prepared me well for my journey into college and the real world.
I know that I'm leaving bonita in good hands with brianna juarez, our next asb president.
she is a hard worker and will give bonita her best. Thank you to all the members of the community, my teachers and administrators who have Believed in me during this journey.
and with that I say farewell. Thank you. [applause] thank you for a great year, andrew.
next up from chaparral rylie koscielski [applause].
good evening, superintendent wien, president palatto, members of the board, cabinet Members and audience starting off with celebrations, awards and recognitions.
on monday night, seven seniors were recognized at the ed jones foundation awards Ceremony.
reggie gonzalez was awarded the act of kindness award. Feliz fajardo, brittany avelar, savannah gonzalez, and bianca perez were awarded the Perseverance awards, and brian gomez and myself rylie koscielski
were awarded the cte scholarship awards. Our annual tournament of champions, which is our school's version of chopped, was held The week of april 23rd.
student chefs were went head to head competing against one another. They were asked to create a dish during each round, using specific ingredients that were Not announced until seconds before the round began.
the final round was held on april 26th, and the specific ingredient was crabmeat.
junior gigi giuliano was prepared and prepared the winning dish as a spicy cajun pasta Dish with seafood, including the crab meat.
this year, jean and bob oleander selected 14 students to award $500 scholarships to Support in their pursuit of higher education after high school, the selected seniors will
be notified and awarded during our senior breakfast on june 4th. The san dimas senior citizens held interviews for scholarships on april 22nd, and they Selected ten new seniors to award a scholarship to help support their pursuit of higher
education, and they will also be notified and awarded during our senior breakfast on june 4th.
on april 23rd, eight seniors presented their senior projects, bringing ours to a total of 38 seniors successfully completing their graduation requirements.
our anticipated graduating class will be 36. With four seniors still on the hunt.
we hope to announce 40 names on june 4th, and it has been a very rewarding and successful Year at chap.
in art for the final credit, we are working on printmaking. We are starting off with a scratch board and then we will be working on a stamp making With a linoleum block cutting.
in our advanced culinary art class, students will be preparing for the day of the teacher On march 8th.
they will be making both savory and sweet crepes for the entire faculty as a thank you For all that they have done.
we held our annual food fest on april 22nd to april 26th, with a different activity held Each day for the surrounding food.
this week included international food day, stadium food day, fancy snack day and our Annual bulldog classic, which is a wiffle ball game between juniors and
seniors. And this year, for the second year in a row, sadly, the juniors defeated us Seniors 19 to 18.
oh, it has been an honor honor to represent chaperon vista high school as this year's Student board representative.
thank you so much for all the encouragement I have received from all of you.
and first off, sadly he could not be here, but I would like to thank the birthday boy Himself, mr.
mccormick, for being the main reason I was chosen for this position in the first place. He has become my school dad and has created an environment where I have always been Comfortable to be my true and authentic self, and he has shown me nothing but never ending
encouragement and guidance. I want to thank him for always looking out for me and never doubting me in my abilities.
I would also like to thank my principal, mr. Casey, for always coming out and supporting me in everything.
it truly does mean a lot to me. I'm also very thankful for all of you board members for allowing me to come and speak With all of you every month.
I used to be terrified doing this, but as the year went on and I got to know all of you, I realized that all of you have nothing but our best interests in mind.
I'm glad that I got to know my fellow peers a bit more, fellow peers a bit better, and How many possibilities I have been open to.
I want to thank you all for an amazing year [applause].
all right. Thank you rylie and last from san dimas high school, beatrice see [applause].
good evening, superintendent wien president palatto board members attending audience and Staff.
to introduce myself for the last time my name is beatrice see and I am the asb president At san dimas here to tell you everything going on with the saints.
I'm also here joined by maddie beck, who is going to take over my position as the san Dimas rep next year, starting with oh [applause].
starting with the arts in our drama department, students have begun to prepare for their Annual variety show.
this year's theme is all in a lifetime, and the show will feature student directed pieces Based on pop culture and broadway.
it is produced within the lifetimes of our seniors from 2006 to the present.
we hope you will join us on may 22nd, 23rd or 24th in room d9, our black box theater Space for the show.
our top wind ensemble got to perform at a regional festival because they earned a Superior rating earlier in the year.
they represented us well at regionals, earning a superior in sight reading and an Excellent in prepared music.
our annual rock and roll show, sd rocks, is june 1st. This year's theme is 80s music.
come see the band, choir, parents and staff rock out. Moving on to athletics, the baseball team was titled league champs and senior landon White was titled scholar athlete for the league.
our softball team also made it into playoffs. Boys tennis, girls track, swim and golf were titled league champs as well.
senior carolyn cowel was titled scholar athlete for the swim league. Boys volleyball won the first league championship in school history.
this is also the first boys volleyball playoff win in school history.
in terms of academics, students have finished course requests and counselors are working Hard planning for the next year.
ap testing is right around the corner, with 576 students taking a total of 592 ap tests This year.
we started our second week of state testing, with 11th grade students taking math and 10th grade students taking science.
our ap physics program is growing exponentially, exponentially.
two years ago we had ten students and last year we had 49. This year we added ap physics two and have a total of 79 students.
for next year, we have about 100 ap physics students signed up. And last but not least for our activities last week we completed our every 15 minutes Program geared towards teaching juniors and seniors about the dangers of drinking and
driving. In collaboration with california highway patrol 23 students were selected to Participate in the e15 retreat, which provides an in-depth experience on what families
would go through if placed in this situation. We completed our mid-cycle wasc accreditation visit this past tuesday, where all Stakeholder groups looked at crucial data to improve our systems at san dimas high school.
lastly, national signing day was today and it was a great event where all students Celebrated the class of 2024 with photo ops, games, and good food.
we watched as each senior took a moment in the spotlight and signed a paper committing to Their next step.
this wraps up the month of april and may for the saints. It was an incredible honor to represent san dimas high school this past year, and I am Grateful for the opportunity to have been able to report to you all every month.
thank you all of the board members for this amazing learning experience, and I will keep This going until or I will keep everything I experienced for the rest of my life.
thank you [applause]. All right.
thank you beatrice. Featured presentation. We're going to recognize our student board representatives now, so I cannot believe it's Already that time of year where your run as student reps is over.
but want to take a moment and thank you. We got a taste of it again tonight, but you have been outstanding all year long.
I was always floored by your poise and your confidence when you went to that that podium.
and even though you may have been a little bit nervous, you always did a wonderful job. And I would always go home proud at not only what the sites were doing because you would Tell us all those things, but proud that you were the three representing our school
district. So best of luck to you and you have been the best part of our school board Meeting.
so I appreciate that very much [applause]. Thank you. So we're going to recognize each of these individuals.
and to kick us off, principal of bonita high school, kenny richie.
well good evening. Andrew watson came to bonita high school not knowing a lot of people because he did not Come from ramona middle school, but here he is, asb president of bonita high school.
over the past four years, he earned the respect and friendship of the student body, the Staff and faculty of bonita bonita high school.
andrew has been a leader on campus and has led our school with empathy, passion and a Desire to make it a better place.
he has achieved his goals and we are a better place because andrew was on campus.
next year, andrew will be attending baylor university, majoring in entrepreneurship and Corporate innovation with a minor in spanish.
after he graduates, he liked to attend law school and then work with businesses and Advise them on investment strategies to grow their business.
when asked what his favorite memory of bonita high school was, he said that he loved Making all the friendships with people in asb.
when I asked him what made bonita a special place for him, he said that his relationship With all of his teachers over the past four years were invaluable.
one teacher that made the biggest impact on his life is miss pacino, his asb teacher.
in his words, she is a great example of leadership. We have loved having andrew represent bonita high school for all of his support for the Four a's.
we wish him all the best as he moves on to the next chapter at baylor university in Texas.
thank you for being such an ambassador for the students and staff at bonita high school. Andrew watson [applause].
a gift for you as well. Thank you. Absolutely. Very good. Should I put this down?
no you get to hold it.
thank you [applause]. And now principal of chaparral vista, sean casey.
I'd like to thank rylie koscielski for outstanding service as our chaparral vista high School board representative this year.
rylie has been a vital part of our school community since her junior year, and her Contributions have been nothing short of exceptional.
our school population is small and rylie has worn many hats as a bulldog.
she has been an active member in renaissance, a shining example of school spirit as a Winner of pick of the litter, this year's prom queen, rylie has also participated in dream
it be it, showcasing her dedication to her personal and academic growth.
in addition to her involvement in school activities, rylie has excelled academically, Receiving awards in ctec and delta kappa gamma this year.
she has also been a member of our school softball team and volunteers her time at wheeler Softball snack shack.
looking forward to her future, rylie has set ambitious goals for herself.
she plans to attend mount sac community college to pursue an a.a. In veterinary science, with an ultimate goal of transferring to uc davis to complete her Schooling and become a veterinarian.
riley's determination and passion for her future career path no doubt will make an impact On her future, but our community as well.
riley has had a lot of positive experiences at chaparral. She finds our staff inspiring and easy to talk to.
when asked what advice she would give a new student, riley simply said, just ask for Help.
she believes that the staff at chaparral is like family, and that our school provides an Environment like no other.
riley, your contributions have made a lasting impact on our school community this year.
we are truly proud of you for all the work that you have done, all the achievements and Accolades, and the growth and development that you've experienced over the past two
years. Speaking for myself and my staff at chaparral, we have nothing but bulldog love For you and we wish you the best in the future.
thank you [applause].
and principal of san dimas omar mayen.
good evening. It's my honor and pleasure to sit here and talk about someone very special to the san Dimas family miss beatrice see.
fun fact beatrice was the first student I ever met when I took my position back in October because she was here at the board meeting.
now, then. I asked beatrice what her favorite san dimas memory was, and she said this.
a few months ago, she entered a costume contest during halftime at a silent night Basketball game, and she won a free prom ticket dressed up as the character toad from
super mario brothers. I asked her which which of our staff members made the most impact on her.
she said mrs. Carson, our asb director. She has impacted beatrice the most throughout her high school career.
beatrice has had her as a teacher since she was a freshman. Mrs. Carson is a great role model, and throughout these past four years, she's taught Beatrice how to be a better leader, friend, and student.
beatrice considers herself incredibly lucky to have such a great example on campus, and Is thankful for everything mrs.
carson has done for her and our school. As far as our extracurriculars, beatrice has been in asb since middle school.
she is part of lean crew and spanish national honor society. Beatrice's future plans include to further her education at mount sac to get her Associate's degree and then transfer to a uc school to pursue
nursing. A fun fact about her when beatrice was younger, she did taekwondo for five years And during the first degree black belt.
beatrice, on behalf of your school principal and our staff and students, we are very Grateful for your service and your commitment to this
to this board and to the school. So we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
and thank you [applause].
all right. Our other featured presentation is a recognition of the palomares league five And the valley vista league five, kevin.
thank you. Bonita high school competes in the palomares league.
this league includes bonita, alta loma, ayala, claremont colony, and glendora.
through the league, five individuals from each school were selected as the palomares League five representatives from their high school.
to be honored. Students must excel in areas such as academic scholarship, school and community service, Leadership, athletics, and a variety of extracurricular activities.
may I please have principal kenny richie come to the podium to give out the awards? Thank you. I will call each league representative to the podium and give you just a few Highlights of their multitude of accomplishments.
again, this is just a few, maybe four highlights of 10 to 12 that were they were Recognized earlier this year for their league five.
I'd like to start with rylie crosby [applause].
first golfer to go to cif at bonita for all four years. Four time scholar athlete award.
chamber singer and member of the choral leadership board. Commissioner of community for asb.
her inspirational coach is mitchell pike. Congratulations, rylie [applause].
next max distasio [applause].
2023 palomares league mvp for swimming. Two time usa water polo academic all-american award 2023 cif southern section water polo Player of the year.
school record holder for four swim events at bonita. His inspirational coach is coach dylan unsoeld.
congratulations [applause].
hayley heaton could not be here tonight because of competition in a cif event, but Congratulations to hayley [applause].
noah michael [applause].
over 35 division one college football offers leadership team for fellowship of christian Athletes.
principal's honor roll for four of the five school semesters, mountain view defensive Player of the year in 2022 and 2023.
his inspirational coach is mr. Bo beatty. Congratulations [applause].
our last member from bonita high school is colton perez [applause].
four years varsity basketball and three years varsity baseball. All academic league award league award for basketball in 22-23.
volunteer coach at lighthouse baptist church 23-24 palomares league mvp for basketball.
his inspirational coach is tim godly. Congratulations [applause].
this is a good opportunity for our parents to get a picture of the bonita league five, Along with principal kenny richie.
congratulations to our league five palomares league [applause].
we'll bring you back up in just a few minutes for another photo.
from the valle vista league five. San dimas high school competes in the valle vista league.
this league includes san dimas, northview, west covina, covina, diamond ranch, and Charter oak.
through the league, five individuals from each school were selected as the valle vista Five representatives from their high school.
the stated criteria for this award are individual accomplishment, overcoming adversity, Gpa, participating in school activities and
extracurriculars, accountability and sportsmanship, and outstanding citizenship.
may I please have principal omar mayen? Here he is to the podium.
once again, I will call each league five representative to the podium and give you just a Few of their highlights of their multitude of accomplishments at san dimas high school.
first, daniel gonzalez [applause].
first team all cif honors in water polo 2022 has been league mvp and team mvp in water Polo.
has maintained a high gpa throughout high school. Member of the spanish honor society.
his inspirational coach is goalie pv. Congratulations, daniel [applause].
next we have madison haas [applause].
san dimas high school athlete in girls basketball for four years and tennis for three Years.
served as secretary for the california scholarship federation. Served as the president of the spanish honor society, played on the boys golf team for Three years, and the girls golf team this year.
her inspirational teacher is mrs. Valencia. Congratulations, madison [applause].
and next for san dimas carolyn kao [applause].
carolyn holds 7 of the 11 school records at san dimas for girls swimming.
she's a four time mvp in swimming, two time league mvp in water polo, has mantained a gpa That puts her in the top tier of her class.
her inspirational coach is jessie johnston. Congratulations, carolyn [applause].
next from san dimas reagan parkhill [applause].
four year varsity soccer player and captain, two of those years member of the state Regional girls soccer championship 2021, first team all league in
2022 and 2023. League mvp 2024 her inspirational coach is john frisbie.
congratulations [applause].
and finally already mentioned earlier today, landon white [applause].
four year varsity starter. Starter for san dimas baseball.
three time first team all league, only player in school history to have a career with 100 Hits, score 100 runs and have 100 runs batted in.
has carried a gpa, putting him in the top tier of his class. His inspirational coach is mr.
mike regan. Congratulations [applause].
congratulations to all of our valle vista league five representatives if we can now get Our photos mr.
mayen.
will the palomares league five representative representatives now join the valle vista League five representatives for a group photo along with both principals.
these students represent the finest qualities of all of our two leagues class of 2024 Seniors.
it is a pleasure to honor them, their teachers, their coaches and their families on this Special occasion.
on behalf of the board of education, we would like to congratulate all of you on this Award and honor.
congratulations [applause].
it's probably that time where most of you guys are going to exit the building.
thank you.
all right. Request to speak on open session agenda items. The public has the opportunity to address the board on agenda items.
the board may limit the total time for each agenda item to 20 minutes.
any person wishing to speak on an agenda item may be granted up to three minutes at the Time the item appears on the agenda.
in the case of a non agenda item, comments may be made later under request to speak on Non agenda items communications from the public.
prior to addressing the board, please fill out the request to address the board card, Which may be picked up from margaret mcdonald, senior executive assistant to the
superintendent. Any person addressing the board should first state their name and Association with the district.
do we have any open session cards? No. Consent agenda.
matters listed under the consent agenda are considered by the board to be routine, or Sufficiently supported by prior or accompanying reference materials and information, as to
not require additional discussion. If any member of the board so requests, an item shall be removed from this section and Placed in the regular order of business following the approval of the consent agenda.
items will be approved with one motion, which is not debatable and which requires a Unanimous vote for passage.
do I have a motion? So moved. Any discussion?
all those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? It's unanimous.
all right. All right.
discussion action agenda. Superintendent. Adopt resolution 2024-35 to authorize staff to advise the los angeles, Registrar-recorder county clerk on candidate statements for board of education
elections. Yes. So this is, excuse me, step two in the process.
so last month we adopted a resolution to open and put bonita on the list for elections For november of 24 for the school board.
this is step number two and talks about candidate statements. So really deals with two issues, one maximum word length of the candidate statement and Who and when and who pays for the candidate statements.
historically 400 word max as we've adopted and that the candidate pays at the time of Filing.
and so it's up for your discussion. I'll see if I can get a motion and a second to adopt the resolution 2024-35 authorizing Staff of to advise the los angeles register recorder, county clerk on candidate
statements for board of education elections with the maximum word limit of 400 words, and With the payment of the estimated costs made by the candidate at the time of filing.
so moved. Second, is there any discussion?
all those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? All right. That's unanimous.
student disciplinary action. Student disciplinary action pursuant to code 48900 a and 48915 a1-a for student number 233010249.
the recommendation is that student 233010249 be expelled for the remainder of the 2023 -2024 school year, plus
the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year with placement in a program outside the Bonita unified school district.
is there a motion? So moved. Second, any discussion?
all those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? That's unanimous as well.
all right. Reports from members of the board and superintendent. We'll start with glenn.
I'd like to start with thanking our student reps. I know they're gone, but when you watch them grow from their first meeting to their last, It's amazing.
in past years, we've had them, not these group, but out in the bushes, out front throwing Up before their first speaking appearance.
literally that sick with worry and to see how they grow over the as the year goes.
it's just amazing every year. I'd like to congratulate dr. Mulally, our new principal at oak mesa.
I think it's going to be a great match. And we'll continue moving oak mesa in the way it's been moving for the last few years.
I'm looking forward to our promotions and graduations that are coming up, because at our Next meeting, we'll school will be out, everybody will be home on their way to college or
gap year or whatever they do nowadays. But it's one of the most fun times of the year when you get to to see all the kids that You've seen over the years as they finally graduate and everything else, and
these will be my last graduations as a board member. So I'm looking forward to that so.
I would also like to congratulate and thank our student board reps. They did a great job on one of them.
I think she's the one from san dimas. She had a brilliant plan. She plans on being a nurse, but she is also aware that she doesn't want to get too much Student debt.
so she's going to go to a junior college first so she doesn't have to pay as much money.
and then she's going to go to a four year college. So I'm very happy that our students are not just excelling academically, but they also Realize that they're going to have to pay back their student loans one day.
so great job to her. Congratulations, dr.
mulally, wherever you are I think she's going to be a great addition to our team.
I had the pleasure of seeing two plays. This well, more than two plays, but two plays at bonita this month.
I saw avenue q san dimas, and I saw mamma mia!
they both were very well done. What was one thing that I thought was noteworthy and first, we have a lot of talent.
when I go see the plays, I see people who very well could end up on broadway someday.
like, there's some people who have serious talent who are up on the stage.
mamma mia I'm sitting there with my wife. I convinced my wife to go because she likes the music of mamma mia so she's with me.
we're sitting there and I see this two ladies and they're holding court.
this is right beforehand. And student after student after student after student go up to talk to her.
and I'm like, I'm guessing this is a teacher. And I'm like, oh, excuse me if you don't mind.
do you work at the district? And I was so happy. She had no idea I was a board member.
so that was a great thing because that would have been an awkward conversation. But what ended up happening, she's like, yes, I teach.
I think juniors or senior english. Her friend taught algebra two, but what was really remarkable is the real close bond that Our staff have made with our students.
and it's not just that our students and former students were so excited to see them.
it was also that our staff in non contractual time, this wasn't an adjunct duty, but in Both high schools I've
seen elementary teachers, middle school teachers, high school teachers show up to and the Superintendent show up to support our students.
and I just think that's one of the things that makes us a real special community. So there are amazing shows.
mamma mia was my wife talked about it quite a bit.
she had to tell me everyone she thought was talented, and she just kind of raved about The review.
but they were both phenomenal plays, so I just wanted to give them both schools.
just congratulations. I get flyers sometimes at telling me about, like, performing art magnet schools.
we're technically not a performing art magnet school, but you would never know it when You see our kids perform.
and that's really all I have to say.
good evening. In the last month, I was in a very serious car accident.
and so I've had very had limited access to some of the activities.
so I'd like tonight to congratulate all of our retirees. I believe there were 13 or 14 of them.
and I want to thank them for their service to busd and wish them the very best with their Exciting futures.
I also was not able to make the perseverance awards.
for those awards, we each school gives awards to students that have shown grit and Determination when encountering challenges in their lives.
and this is one of my favorite award programs. So I want to congratulate all of those students and families.
congrats to our high schools as well for ranking in the top 15% of high schools Nationwide.
I know our teachers and admins do a great job preparing students for their futures.
and on that note, I wanted to say I was excited to see the write up about our students who Are graduating from the cosmetology program, which is one of our successful career
tech ed programs that we offer through sarop, our san antonio regional occupational Program.
I know also that the schools are in the midst of testing this month, and I wish everyone The best.
our teachers and support staff have done so much to help our students be successful.
and lastly, as a personal thank you to deb brownlee, kelly nau, and jackie evans, who I Believe set up a soroptimist awards evening here at the district that originally was
supposed to be at my home. But as I was in the hospital, they quickly transferred it over to the district office and They did a fantastic job.
I saw the photos and the three girls women just did absolutely wonderful job, and we were Able to give out $1,000 scholarship to a young woman, head of household,
working on pursuing her academic dream. And that's what I have for the evening.
thank you. All right. I know as a board with the brown act, we don't ever really get a chance just to talk to Each other about other things that might be on our mind.
I mean, as an educator and as different people, sometimes we have ideas on how we can Make some of our schools better.
we might see things from a different angle. I know a few of us have kids in different areas, so if you guys can think maybe in the Next few months, maybe 1 or 2 topics, we can have a study session kind of agendas, those
we don't really have to take action right there, but we could just start the process of Talking about things we might see that we can do better.
so just keep that in mind. There's no real set date. Just if there's enough interest in it, maybe you can set a date just to kind of talk About ideas we have from different angles that we see.
okay. One of our I'm in the masonic lodge, one of our members passed away a little while Ago.
and one thing that we're known for, despite all the conspiracy theories you might hear, Is charity, local charities, especially with public schools.
this guy, a friend of mine, too, passed away and his wife passed away but they did have No kids.
and what he did with his money is he wanted to donate to different charities.
he had a couple to some charities. One of the big ones was city of hope.
he gave 40% of all his lifetime earnings just for cancer research, but he also gave 40% To the bonita unified school district.
and knowing a specific area because he understands public schools, he talks a lot of Teachers.
and this is only for teachers for their classroom supplies. And hearing from what the money is.
that's almost like a mini grant for every single teacher in our district. So I wanted to acknowledge him.
his name is earl sondheim, a very great heart and just an example of what a community Member who really has no ties to the district with the kids, but just really involved in
those public education is something that is important. So I just want to end on giving him kudos and congratulations.
and this is going to spread to all the teachers classrooms. But it really impacts all of our students.
so thank you to him [applause].
I do just want to take a moment during a consent agenda. Tonight, we did pass a resolution honoring our csea employees so that that recognition Week is in may, as it is annually and such a vital
part of the educational process. We spend a lot of time advocating for and helping our teachers, which is vitally Important.
but our csea employees add so much richness to our campuses as well.
so I want to make sure and thank them for the work that they do. Thank you. All right.
the public has a request for to speak on non-agenda items communications from the public.
the public has the opportunity to address the board on non-agenda items. Any person wishing to speak on a non agenda item may be granted up to three minutes.
the board may limit the total time for each topic to 20 minutes.
to address the board on non agenda items, please pick up the request to address the board Card, which may be picked up from margaret mcdonald, senior executive assistant to the
superintendent. Any person addressing the board to first state their name and association with the District.
and we got some.
all right. First topic [inaudible] testing ron van orden.
good evening, members of the board of education. I'm ron van orden, I'm a resident of la verne, and I have two children at bonita high School.
I'm here tonight to talk about the testing policy of bonita high school. Currently, the policy is that if a student scores a one or a two on that test, or if a Parent opts their child out, that student
loses their extended lunch period. So this is an earned privilege, which if they maintain a gpa, they get this extra lunch.
so my question is why are we attaching a penalty to a state standardized test?
I've asked numerous administrators to explain how this benefits students, and I've just Been told this is how it is.
so I thought I'd come to my board and bring this item forward.
prior to this test another area of concern is our students were told that their Performance on this test helps bolster property values in this community.
my thought is that adults are responsible for property values and educating our kids.
and if their results that that results in high test scores, all the better.
my view of this is that this policy was written by adults for the benefit of adults.
and has educators on this panel know this test measures mastery of subjects.
so I'm not sure how offering free television sets, attaching penalties to testing or Giving them speeches right before the test actually will make a
marked difference on the test. So in conclusion, I will just leave you with this.
imagine you're a student that worked all year to maintain a high gpa, and the day of the Test, you just have a bad day.
maybe something's going on at home. You score a two, and then for your lunch period your senior year, you're sitting in a Study hall.
there's no structured instruction that's happening. There's no framework for any sort of intervention.
you're sitting on your phone watching a teacher eat lunch. So my question to you is, how does that help that student's individual journey in Education?
how do they feel in the future about taking standardized tests? How does this benefit students?
that's my question. Thank you. Thank you [applause].
abby duncan.
good evening. My name is abby duncan. I am a resident of la verne and a mother of two students in our district.
two weeks ago friday, I received a phone call from mr. Ellis to inform me that my son had made a negative comment on a performer's instagram Account, who had recently been at the school performing for the ramona renaissance fair
on april 10th. Mr. Ellis did not provide me with a comment, nor did I know who the performer was or what His content entailed.
mr. Ellis recommended a written apology and a detention and asked for my support.
at that time, I agreed to the disciplinary action based solely on trusting in his role as Principal and in his judgment.
over the weekend I was shocked to discover the content on the performers page and to make Matters worse, that he had responded to my son's comment in a
taunting, creepy and threatening manner. I immediately emailed mr.
ellis, informing him that my son would not be serving detention or write an apology.
mr. Ellis agreed and stated that he had no knowledge of the comment or picture my son Commented on.
but how can you, as principal, impose detention without having all the facts?
in today's digital age, where information is readily available, it is extremely Concerning to learn that no effort was made to vet the performer
hire to interact with her children on school grounds. Despite being spotted at a local fair by a staff member in 2023, no background check or Review of social media content was
conducted. This oversight is totally inexcusable and puts our children at risk.
contrary to what some board members stated, the issue at hand is not about politics, Religion or equity.
it is about ensuring a safe and nurturing environment for our children, free from Explicit or offensive content.
as parents, we have a responsibility to instill values and morals in our children.
we could not ignore the impact of what they see or hear.
it is imperative that we as a community take steps to protect our children from Unnecessary or harmful information.
ultimately, it is the principal's responsibility to know who or what has access to our Children.
hearing a I wasn't aware or I didn't know from our principal is simply not good enough.
and as a parent, these responses do not instill confidence in the leadership of our District.
I hope this serves as a reminder to busd that parents are deeply invested in the safety And well-being of our children.
we will continue to advocate for our children and ensure that necessary measures are Taken to protect them.
moving forward, I urge the implementation of a strict vetting process for all individuals Who interact with our children on campus.
additionally, parents should be informed of who will be on campus to interact with our Children.
you simply need to do better. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter [applause].
christine albon.
nope. Okay.
good evening. I am a resident of la verne and I and my three children are enrolled in busd.
I am here to address a concerning incident in our school community. Recently a male adult or a male adult hired by ramona middle school as a performer Encouraged minors on school premises to follow his personal social media
account where he openly shared fetishized fetishizes sorry content related to kink.
this blatant disregard for professional standards and the well-being of students is Unacceptable and alarming.
even more troubling is the school's response when they discovered a student disapproved Of the inappropriate content.
without a proper investigation into the matter, the school's principal attempted to Punish him.
reflect on this for a moment. A student who courageously spoke out against something inappropriate faced punishment Rather than support and protection.
if the boy's parent had mindlessly relied on principal ellis's discernment and accepted The school's consequences for her son's perceived harmful
actions, I'm sorry without conducting her own investigation, as all responsible parents Do in matters pertaining to our children,
this incident would have gone unnoticed. I keep losing my spot, and the school would have punished a child for expressing Discomfort with the inappropriate content that an adult hired by the school was willing to
expose him to. This is a breach of of the trust we have in school officials to safeguard our children.
principal ellis had no right to make the child feel guilty or unkind for expressing his Discomfort in discovering disturbing images like
this one. After searching up the performers name at his request, the
child likely found the performance cool, only to encounter inappropriate photos and Videos that rightfully left him feeling unsettled.
your students deserve better. Parents deserve better, and our community deserves better.
not all adults have honorable intentions or behave in a trustworthy manner.
children should learn to respect diversity and differing opinions, but this doesn't mean That they must respect and accept every individual without question.
children observe and learn from adults around them. If they are taught to blindly respect all adults and what they expose them to, they may Internalize or tolerate harmful behavior.
yes, respect is an important value to instill in our children, but empowering them to Prioritize their safety, set boundaries, think critically, and respect deserving adults
is paramount in today's world. Actions, treatment of others, and alignment with positive values should guide our Children in whom to into whom to respect.
lastly, while I acknowledge the importance of recognizing this district's academic Achievements and taking pride in your staff, it is crucial to remember that no amount of
awards or self recognition can restore the trust that has been strained between the District's leadership and parents in recent years.
rebuilding the trust requires transparency, accountability and commitment, and Prioritizing the safety and well-being of our children.
as elected members of our school board, you and your staff have an obligation to address And repair this erosion of trust.
and I pray that you do. I appreciate your time on this attention. Thank you [applause].
sarah rybacki.
good evening. My name is sarah rybacki. I am a resident of la verne.
my son is a second grader in the district and I wanted to address you guys.
I didn't prepare anything. I I decided to come at the last minute, but I wanted to address you to to talk about this Recent performer that was at ramona middle school.
it's really frustrating to me as a parent. My son is in second grade, and I only have a couple more years till he's in middle School.
and and I just want you guys to understand that I need to trust this district.
I need to trust the teachers. I need to trust the administrators. And I need to feel comfortable with my son moving into middle school, and that trust has Been broken.
so I just I would like to ask you, you have heard you have heard from the other parents Already about the issue.
but I would just like to ask you to address this issue make an apology to the parents That were affected.
and make, make make it right, please. That's all I have to say [applause].
okay. Daniel cruz.
hi, my name is daniel cruz. I'm one of the leaders of informed parents of busd.
I'm here to speak on what happened at ramona middle school's renaissance fair.
short story is ramona hired this performer to be at their renaissance fair.
while he was there, he encouraged the kids at the middle school to follow his instagram Account.
some of the kids did go check out his instagram account. And when they did, they found out that his page was majority about fetishes and kinks That he was into.
one of the students made a comment saying, oh hell no, hell no, don't come back to Ramona.
and he replied by saying, oh, what are you going to do about it, little boy?
word got back to the principal principal ellis at ramona middle school, and instead of Principal ellis
defending the kid and gosh, just.
he took the side of the performer and told the child that he should apologize and that, And even threatened him
with detention. I'm here today because if that were to happen to my kid, I.
I don't know if I'd be able to maintain my cool. I'm here to support the mother and the other parents that were involved.
and I'm asking the district to please suspend principal ellis until a thorough Investigation has been conducted over his code of
conduct and him threatening a child in retaliation for a comment that I think most Parents would agree.
it's pretty. It's pretty disgusting what was on this guy's page. And if you guys hadn't had a chance to go check it out, it's all been deleted now because He's trying to cover his tracks.
but it's okay. We've got pictures, we've got the videos, and we could keep on showing Them day after day, week after week.
like I said, I'm asking you as board members, please take into consideration what's going On here in the community and how we feel.
and me personally, I'm asking that you guys suspend principal ellis until an Investigation is done.
and that way, he cannot retaliate or threaten any more students at ramona middle school [applause].
edgar alvarez.
my name is edgar alvarez, and I'm here with luca, supporting the mother and supporting Every parent that's here on the same issue.
I was listening to you guys when you guys started, and you guys take pride of what the Accomplishments and the achievements that the school is doing that the children are doing,
and that's respectable and we honor that and we thank you for what you guys are doing.
so we are here asking for you guys to do an investigation about this.
you've heard what happened, you heard the issue. But this is unacceptable and discouraging when the school takes the side of a performer Versus a
child, if they're going to, if principal ellis wants to punish the child for speaking out And saying that that was inappropriate,
I find that unacceptable. The board should be on the on the children's side.
the board should always be their main concern should be the well-being and the well-being Of the students mental health as well.
and what these kids are seeing was inappropriate, and the school needs to do a better job On vetting these performers.
and furthermore, when an accusation comes, they need to investigate that before Automatically punishing the child.
like they said, we request a full investigation we would like personally, I would like to See the letter of recognition, the resignation of
this principal. But I know that's far fetched, but we will keep on on this subject to Defend the children.
the children's innocence is the most important here in their safety and by you guys Bringing unvetted performers.
furthermore allowing them to give their personal media, social media accounts to these Children and then punishing the children for not accepting what's there, I it just blows
my mind. You guys are placed in a in a position of leadership by a holy and righteous God.
you guys will give an account for the decisions that you guys make over these children.
children are very close to god's heart. They're the apple of his eye.
and we're here to defend them. We're here to support them, and we're here to stand behind parents.
and I want to ask you guys to remember that every single one of us will give an account To a holy and righteous god on that day of what you guys did in this position that's been
granted to you by god. So take this matter seriously because we have.
and the day of judgment is coming. So if you do not understand what a savior is to have jesus as your lord and savior, I Encourage you to do so because every single one of us
will give an account. And things like this, especially in a position of leadership, will behold, we will be Held very strictly against you.
so please defend our children, please support our parents and take in consideration what Has just happened [applause].
pta? No. Buta? Csea?
bumped. All right. Next regular board of education meeting will be june 12th, 2024.
does anyone have items for future agenda? No. All right. We will adjourn at 7:01.