[0:02] >> I'd like to call the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. All board members are present,
[0:10] and number 4, the public has the opportunity to address the board on agenda items.
[0:17] the board may limit the time for each speaker to three minutes and a total time for each agenda item to 20 minutes.
[0:23] 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.
[0:29] in the case of a non agenda item, comments may be made under request to speak on non agenda items,
[0:35] communication from the public. Prior to addressing the board, please fill out the request to address the board card,
[0:40] which may be picked up from margaret mcdonald, senior executive assistant to the superintendent.
[0:45] any person addressing the board should first state their name and association with the district.
[0:51] we're going to convene into closed session at 5:01.
[1:03] [noise] good evening. The board will now reconvene into open session at 5:58.
[1:13] you corrected this? >> I did. >> yes, 5:58 p.m.
[1:18] there is no report out of closed session. We need to do the pledge of allegiance. Would everyone, please stand.
[1:24] put your right hand over your heart. Ready, begin.
[1:39] >> >> well, now
[1:49] to the approval of agenda order and content. Is there a motion?
[1:54] >> moved. >> second. >> thank you. Any discussion?
[1:59] all those in favor? >> aye. >> any opposed? Number 11,
[2:05] approval of minutes of previous board meeting. Adopt the minutes of the october 8, 2025,
[2:10] regular board of education meeting. Is there a motion? >> moved. >> second.
[2:15] >> any discussion? No. All those in favor?
[2:19] >> aye. >> any opposed? I actually abstained.
[2:26] sorry, I wasn't here at the last one, so I can comment on that. Thank you.
[2:31] communications from student representatives. Hi, student representatives.
[2:35] I wasn't here last time. I was ill and I feel really bad. It's nice to meet you this evening.
[2:41] we're going to hear communications, and we're going to have savanna,
[2:46] now, help me, morua? Perfect, from bonita high school first. [applause]
[3:01] >> good evening, president horsley, and members of the board, superintendent wayne,
[3:06] cabinet members, and audience. Our annual dodgeball tournament starts tomorrow, and there are six teams playing this year.
[3:11] today, the national honor society launched our time of giving donation drive. Donations are transported to
[3:17] inland valley hope partners who serve the surrounding area and help those in need. On november 19th,
[3:22] we'll be continuing another bar catch edition by recording our third school wide lipub where
[3:26] all groups around campus have the chance to be highlighted. Last friday, we had our homecoming football game
[3:31] where we crowned tressa betty as our homecoming queen, and at the dance this past saturday, we crowned ohm shambag as king.
[3:37] the homecoming dance was hollywood themed and was definitely a night to remember. Banquets are being held for our fall sports celebrating our hardworking athletes.
[3:45] this year, our girls fog football and girls tennis teams were league champions. There are tries being held throughout this month for
[3:51] our winter sports as they're gearing up for a successful season. Our arts department has been working very hard on
[3:56] their upcoming fall play rumors by neil simon set in the 1980s. Our award winning coral music department has also been
[4:03] preparing for their fifth annual holiday spectacular, yuletide. Bonita is offering sat prep classes to students to help them feel prepared to excel.
[4:12] alongside this, our peer tutoring program is in session every day of the week, giving students a chance to get help from their own classmates.
[4:19] bonita has also hosted several college presentations from schools all around the country,
[4:23] helping students become prepared for the future. Lastly, I'd like to note that we are super proud
[4:27] of the bear cats who took the state test last year. Results just came out ad in the mount sack area,
[4:32] which has 40 comprehensive high schools, bonita scored first in english and third in math.
[4:37] bonita is on track for an amazing year and I look forward to giving you more bear cat news next month. Thank you. [applause]
[4:50] >> next, we have rachelle torres from chaparral vista. [applause]
[5:04] >> good evening, superintendent wayne, president horsley, members of the board,
[5:08] cabinet members, and audience. We had our student of the month rally for the month of september.
[5:13] our top credit earner once again is adrian and cowl, altogether. Adrian has earned 60 credits this year.
[5:19] our staff member of the month is miss keysha. Senior alexis rojas received the acsa region 15,
[5:26] every student succeeding award in scholarship. This recognition is a tremendous honor and testament to alexis perseverance,
[5:34] growth, and commitment to success despite challenges. We celebrated the end of the first quarter with the school wide version of family feud.
[5:42] all classes competed with miss lito's class taking first place. On october 21st,
[5:48] 34 juniors and seniors took the asvab. It's been a busy exciting month for seniors
[5:53] as we continue preparing for life after high school. Recently, seniors had a chance to hear directly from
[5:59] representatives from both citrus college and mosul, learning more about about the programs and pathways available in the community.
[6:08] coming up on november 19, vanessa tilford will be taking a group of seniors on
[6:13] an off campus trip to an electrical field opportunity.
[6:19] the very next day, november 20th, we will welcome the asvab team along with
[6:24] our representatives from local colleges and military services. They'll sit down with students to review
[6:30] their asvab scores and help them map out potential post high school options,
[6:35] whether that's college, career training, or the service. Last week, economic students participate in a shark tank.
[6:41] students are asked to choose a new product and prepare a budget for manufacturing products for the sale.
[6:49] they're asked to create a presentation similar for what is seen on the show, shark tank.
[6:54] there's a tie between milo lopez, cameron hampton, and natalie gonzalez, rachelle torres.
[6:59] in our class, students are working on finishing up a unit on shading with using white chalk on black paper.
[7:07] in digital art, students are using photoshop to create double exposure portraits.
[7:13] from october 23rd-31st, we celebrated red ribbon week with classes competing each day at
[7:19] lunch in a variety of activities that represent living a healthy life,
[7:24] including water balloon toss and sack race. This year, the winter was mr. Chipili's class.
[7:29] we also painted pumpkins and decorated all of the classroom doors for halloween. We held our annual dodger day celebrating the beginning of post graduate post season.
[7:39] each month, we hold a class color day where each grade level wears a color designated to the year.
[7:45] seniors are red, juniors are black, both sophomores and freshmen are gray. Our horse tournament is ongoing with bester wayne's team still in and playing tomorrow.
[7:54] our softball team won its first game 25 to five with north view park high school. Thank you. [applause]
[8:10] >> and us, we have jacob partis from sandy miss high school. [applause]
[8:21] >> drake.
[8:31] good evening, president horsley, members of the board, superintendent wayne, cabinet members, and audience.
[8:37] thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. I'll begin with academics. We successfully closed our first quarter on october 10th,
[8:44] and from october 21st-25th, our senior and junior class officers hosted our annual college week,
[8:50] where students engaged in activity centered around post high school planning and college reins.
[8:54] we also held a successful parent teacher conference day on october 30th, which provided meaningful conversations between families and staff.
[9:01] in our math department, our teachers on special assignment, miss segal,
[9:06] shared results from the first interim assessment block on algebra and functions.
[9:10] teachers will now review the data with students through re-teaching, reviewing activities, and practice strategies.
[9:15] they will meet again on november 13th to collaborate on the next steps. Our english department use our staff development day to refine curriculum,
[9:23] essential standards, and common formative assignments. They will have a poll day in december to calibrate and score student writing.
[9:31] additionally, one of our california state senators, susan rubio, visited shs and lead a civic lesson for over 50 of our seniors,
[9:38] which is a great real world learning experience. I, as well as our executive vice president, jen hansen,
[9:44] got a chance to speak to her personally about the importance of government roles and the effect we could have on those we represent.
[9:49] moving on to athletics. Our fall sports teams continue to make us proud.
[9:53] girls volleyball finished as league champions and finishing the cif division four playoffs.
[9:58] five football are in the title of undefeated league champions and advance the cif division two playoffs.
[10:04] our golf team is in playoffs and has now gone undefeated in league for two consecutive years.
[10:09] our girls tennis, are co-league champions, and will host ervine in the first time as af.
[10:13] san dimas football enters caf division nine playoffs on november 7th at rollin high school,
[10:18] and cross country is preparing for its final league meet on november 6th. Now for the arts.
[10:23] our theater department just concluded a fantastic run of the odd couple in the cloud 9 theater in the round setting,
[10:30] featuring students from both lone hill and san dimas. Looking ahead, auditions and preparations are already
[10:35] underway for their take on rodgers and hammerstein's cinderella. Earlier this month, our combined shs and
[10:41] lone hill choir performed to a sold out bca audience. Congratulations to our performers and our choir director,
[10:46] mr. Jared p. Our royal corps marching band also excelled at their recent competition at centennial high school,
[10:52] earning an impressive score of 81.4, their first time breaking 80 this season.
[10:57] congratulations to our musicians, student leaders, staff, and volunteers.
[11:02] lastly, activities. We've had a successful october donation drive and
[11:06] our first food frenzy saw around 30 clubs participating. Our homecoming festivities included our rally, parade,
[11:12] and dance, where we crowned our king, ryan lee, and queen, elena kintinia.
[11:16] we are gearing up for our annual fall rally where we will celebrate the fall season and our annual thanksgiving food drive,
[11:21] where we will partner with lone hill middle school to help families in our district. We're open to accepting food donations or gift cards in
[11:28] our front office until november 20th. Thank you again for your time. I look forward to sharing more updates
[11:33] next month. [applause]
[11:46] >> we're moving to our featured presentations. First, we have the recognition of the la verne-san dimas educational foundation teacher,
[11:54] mini-grant, award recipients. Annie.
[11:59] >> it's been our privilege since 1983 to partner with the la verne-san dimas educational foundation.
[12:06] I'm delighted to welcome them as they celebrate the spirit of innovation by formally awarding this year's teacher,
[12:13] mini-grants to deserving staff members, funding exciting new projects all across our district,
[12:19] representing the ed foundation tonight are michelle radel, vicky malchesky, and jamie skinner.
[12:25] [applause]
[12:30] >> thank you, annie, president horsley, our board,
[12:35] superintendent wayne, our beloved staff at the bonita unified school district and the members of our community.
[12:41] for over 40 years, we've been grateful to partner with the bonita unified school district and
[12:46] our ptas at each of our school sites to bring forth activities,
[12:51] fund raising, and programs to our schools. This mini-grant program is one of the programs that we are extremely thrilled to do.
[13:02] we ask our teachers and they responded
[13:06] in flourish in ways to bring enhancements to their classrooms,
[13:11] tools for their students, and opening wonders and curiosity that
[13:15] will benefit not only the students in years to come, but also our communities.
[13:21] we were very thrilled to be able to accept 33 grants for our students,
[13:28] and our school district, bonita council pta is taking on an additional grant that we were not able to fund.
[13:36] this was over $13,000 worth of grants that we were able to do,
[13:40] and this was all done through our fund raising efforts largely in part by our spring fundraiser and our golf tournament.
[13:47] please check that out come this spring. But without further ado,
[13:53] as I announced your names, if you could stick, come up, receive your certificate and your money,
[13:59] most important part there, the check. If you can stay up here so we could have a quick pic with you afterwards.
[14:07] first is brooks salgado from allen avenue. [applause] emily o'connor from allen avenue.
[14:19] [applause] thank you.
[14:24] angela para, allen avenue. [applause] john mcluchy, from bonita high school,
[14:33] accepted by mr. Richie. [applause] courtney litle from chaparral vista.
[14:39] [applause] sarah davis.
[14:45] [applause] from mxtran.
[14:50] kelly sarah kohler from mxtran. [applause] elizabeth hutter, from mxtran.
[15:00] [applause] katherine calderon rojas from mxtran.
[15:07] [applause] robin turis, gladstone.
[15:13] [applause] brook wharton, gladstone.
[15:20] [applause] adrian wong, gladstone.
[15:27] [applause] amy benson, grace miller.
[15:33] [applause] april maidens, grace miller.
[15:39] [applause] emily duenas, grace miller.
[15:46] [applause] rubio lacio, grace miller.
[15:51] [applause] antonio garza, grace miller.
[15:57] [applause] carla iniguez, laverne heights.
[16:03] [applause] armando jaquez, lone hill.
[16:11] [applause] michelle cruz, lone hill.
[16:18] [applause] alicia saldana, lone hill.
[16:25] [applause] mitchell jacobs, lone hill. [applause]
[16:38] >> kevin amazinone hill. [applause] heather hoyes, oak mesa.
[16:48] [applause] alexander laslo, ramona middle.
[16:55] [applause] monica johnson, ryan.
[17:00] [applause] kristin mcdaniel, ryan.
[17:08] [applause] dinsman ryan.
[17:14] [applause] amanda nolte ryan.
[17:21] [applause] austin sill, san dimas high.
[17:28] [applause] sara louis is sam dems high.
[17:36] [applause] alyssa ferry, shoal elementary.
[17:43] [applause], and kelly montgomery from shoal elementary.
[17:50] [applause] thank you all.
[17:55] we are very excited to see what comes from this. We are expecting pictures so feel free to swap page,
[18:03] and congratulations to each of you. [background] now in a double layer.
[18:11] [background].
[19:08] >> thank you.
[19:17] >> I think that was the largest group you guys have ever awarded.
[19:21] I could be wrong, but that was just wow. >> we're excited.
[19:25] >> very exciting. Teachers, you do not need to stay for the next presentation.
[19:31] >> can if you want. >> but you can if you want. [background]
[19:54] we do have one more small presentation from the ed foundation.
[19:59] >> I need to keep my eyeballs on. >> we're thrilled to keep the educational foundation board up here as they present
[20:09] a generous check to the district here to receive that check as dr. Jamie avason from ed services.
[20:15] >> four hands on history. >> this check is dedicated to sustaining and enriching our popular hands on history.
[20:22] program, thank you again, to the ed foundation for your support.
[20:30] >> thank you. >> now, you two are free to go. That's really incredible because I know that that program gets at risk,
[20:38] it is quite costly so, but highly valued by parents. Thank you very much.
[20:45] >> we have another featured presentation. We have chet wang from kegent advisors.
[20:52] >> I'd like to welcome chet wang and nick hu from kegent to discuss, once again,
[20:57] our exploration of a general obligation bond, which would help the district improve our facilities district wide.
[21:03] tonight, we'll hear information on how bonds work, our bond capacity,
[21:08] and a relative placement on a list of la county districts regarding our existing tax liability for our residents.
[21:14] this presentation will help inform our process as we decide whether or not to place a measure on the ballot for 2026.
[21:20] welcome chet and nick. >> great. Good evening, president horsley,
[21:24] members of the board, superintendent wayne, cabinet, and community.
[21:29] as mentioned, this is a presentation for information just to review what bonds are,
[21:35] what the district has taken advantage of in the past, what current tax rates look like,
[21:40] and what opportunities exist should a bond be explored.
[21:44] we'll start with slide 1, just on an overview of general obligation bonds.
[22:01] technology is not my [overlapping]. >> you got it on. You're on the right.
[22:05] point it right there. >> that's why. Go bond is the most common method of
[22:14] debt financing utilized by school districts to finance capital projects.
[22:19] it's the mo because it's the lowest cost option, really,
[22:23] due to the fact that the repayment of bond debt service is the levy of
[22:28] property taxes against the assessed value of the district.
[22:32] now, when voters approve a bond measure, they're approving three things, the authorization amount,
[22:38] whether it's a $100 million bond measure or $150 million bond measure,
[22:43] the project lists, and an estimated tax rate. The way that we size bond programs is we're looking at a handful of variables.
[22:51] on one side is the district's project needs, the cost of the projects,
[22:55] and the timing and scope. On the other side is how we raise the funds to finance those project needs,
[23:02] and those are a function of your assessed valuation, interest rates, tax rates, and legal parameters.
[23:09] we'll look at each of those constraints in a little more detail.
[23:13] first is the district's assessed value. This is the value of all taxable property within district boundaries,
[23:19] so it excludes non-profits, governments, schools, and churches.
[23:25] the district's current assessed value is about $13.7 billion.
[23:30] you can see that the districts had two small years of decline during the great recession of about 1.1% in aggregate,
[23:38] so quite resilient, but since the great recession, the district's assessed value has pretty much doubled to the current rate.
[23:47] you can see historically, the averages are quite strong, your 25 year annualized growth rate,
[23:53] 4.8%, your 35 year,4.6%. Those numbers are important because when we look at a potential new bond,
[24:01] we have to make some projection of future assessed value growth, and we do look to your history as a guide.
[24:09] the current interest rate environment, if you looked on the chart to the right,
[24:14] after quite historic lows during the pandemic, the fed raised rates 11 times from march of 2022-2023.
[24:24] then at the tail end of 2024, the fed cut rates three times, and in september,
[24:30] the fed cut rates, and just last week, the fed cut rates with another rate cut plan for the end of the year in december.
[24:37] if you look on the chart to the right, you might say interest rates have spiked,
[24:41] and that is true, and you see it with inflation, you see it with mortgage rates.
[24:46] if you look at a longer term history, and we've got the 60 year table to the left,
[24:51] you can see historically speaking, we're still on the lower end,
[24:55] similar to the interest rates we saw in the late 60s in the early 2000s.
[25:03] to the extent the district does issue any bonds, what helps your borrowing cost is your strong credit rating.
[25:10] there's three major credit ratings, moody's, standard and poor's, and fitch, and you're rated on your economy,
[25:16] your finances, the district management, and the districts debt profile, and you have a high grade rating with both standard and poor's and fitch of aa-.
[25:26] those are pretty fresh ratings recently updated as of 2024 and 2025.
[25:34] now, tax rate, the numbers are quite small, but bonita unified is highlighted in the orange.
[25:40] you're in the bottom 20, 25% of all unified school districts in the county.
[25:45] your current tax rate as of the 25/26 fiscal year is $67.89.
[25:52] I'll just pick a few of these. Dorte unified has the highest tax rate at $212,
[25:59] pomona unified at about $170, covina valley,
[26:04] $110, walnut valley, $105, azusa $90.
[26:10] a lot of your neighboring districts do currently have higher tax rates than where you currently sit.
[26:18] the districts had two prior bond measures. In 2004, that was measure c for $56 million.
[26:26] that passed at 62% above, comfortably above the 55% requirement.
[26:32] that has a final tax rate in 2031. Four years after measure c passed,
[26:38] you passed measure ab, and that was for $83.5 million,
[26:43] also with a comfortable margin at just shy of 61%,
[26:47] and that has a final tax rate in 2038. If you look at the chart on the bottom,
[26:52] you can see there's a drop in 2031, where measure c expires,
[26:57] and then a drop in 2038, where measure ab will expire.
[27:02] it's been 17 years since the district's last measure in 2008.
[27:09] we talked about assess value, we talked about interest rates,
[27:13] we talked about tax rates, and now we're into the legal parameters. There's two that we look at.
[27:18] on the federal side is how you spend your dollars, and when you're issuing bonds,
[27:23] you're likely issuing them as tax exempt bonds, which come at a lower cost of borrowing because
[27:29] investors are not paying taxes on the interest they receive, but in order to qualify for tax exemption,
[27:36] you have to meet these spend down requirements. Most school districts adhere to the three-year spend down rule,
[27:42] which requires that you spend 85% of bond proceeds within a three-year time frame.
[27:48] that's per series of bonds as opposed to the entire measure.
[27:52] if the district issued higher cost taxable bonds, there is no spend down requirement.
[27:59] on the state side, this law was not in place for measure c or measure a b,
[28:06] but when voters vote on a measure should one be presented in front of them,
[28:10] there's a 75 word ballot statement which talks about the projects, it names the district,
[28:15] and now we're required to use about 15 words of the 75 words to describe cost.
[28:23] tax rate, the amount of property taxes levied annually,
[28:27] and the duration of the tax. Here's two samples on top, and these are both successful,
[28:33] santo union high school district and bold italicize. Shall they issue 385 million levying $15.55 per 100,000 of assessed value,
[28:44] 27.2 million annually while bonds are outstanding. Fremont unified on the bottom took a different tact.
[28:51] instead of quoting dollars per 100,000, they quoted cents per $100.
[28:56] in this case, shall they levy 919 million levying 4.9 cents per $100,
[29:03] 53 million of annual property taxes while bonds are outstanding.
[29:07] a poll could help determine which is going to be more viable.
[29:11] in the case of fremont unified, quoting cents per dollar,
[29:15] gave them an increase of about eight percentage points, which is why they used that particular format
[29:20] versus san mateo high's dollars per 100,000.
[29:26] hypothetically speaking, as a starting point, what could bonita unified school district access with its current assessed valuation?
[29:36] we've got a few assumptions here. We're looking at possibly a june 2026,
[29:43] fairly conservative interest rates today of 5-5.75%.
[29:48] if you issued bonds in today's environment, you'd be closer to the 4,4.25%,
[29:54] assessed value growth annually of 4% versus you'll recall your long term average is closer to 4.8%.
[30:01] we're only going to issue the lower cost current interest bonds. If you look at the schedule to the bottom left,
[30:07] if we issued equal increments, and those amounts can change and we can tailor them to a project cash flow,
[30:13] but we're issuing bonds in equal increments every three years. You can see 65 million,
[30:18] 65 million, 65 million, 65 million totaling $260 million.
[30:25] graphically on the top right, the new measure itself would have its own $60 tax rate.
[30:31] the way we layer that is, you can see series a uses $60 for the first two years and it'll drop.
[30:38] series b will layer on and then leave room for series c, and then leave room for series d. It's like tetris really, but in aggregate,
[30:46] you'll see a level $60 tax rate, which if approved, would then be stacked on top of measure c and measure a b.
[30:56] you see that on the bottom right hand corner. Our approximately $65 tax,
[31:02] you would see increase to about $130 and then measure a gets paid off,
[31:08] measure c gets paid off, and then measure a b gets paid off, and then only the remaining green bars at the $60.
[31:16] a lot of numbers here, but this is part of the polling process,
[31:21] and this is a tax rate sensitivity. $60 or $0.06 per $100 generates 260 million,
[31:28] but if part of the poll says, well, voters might not be willing to support $60,
[31:34] what might $59 generate because it's on sale, if you will?
[31:40] less tax, less proceeds, our 260 becomes 256 million.
[31:46] if you have significant tax rate tolerance or don't have a lot of tax rate tolerance, then,
[31:52] for example, a $35 tax rate on the very bottom would generate about 152 million in proceeds.
[31:59] this is something that we work with district staff on and the pollster to determine
[32:04] what voter sensitivity there might be to any potential taxes.
[32:09] any questions before I pass it on for the legal side of this presentation?
[32:16] >> this might sound complicated. Back when you were talking about,
[32:21] you have the four years and you're releasing a certain amount,
[32:26] and it has to be spent in a climate where sometimes construction
[32:32] is difficult to get completed either because just the environment,
[32:38] getting materials, etc, what happens if it doesn't happen?
[32:43] >> that's a great question, and I will say that this is a reasonable expectation test,
[32:48] but we have our attorney here, so I'll invite nick to address the legal aspects of that.
[32:53] >> sure. That's a great question.
[32:59] the test is, the reasonable expectation to spend 85% within the three-year time period,
[33:07] it's an objectively reasonable standard. You'll have to have a demonstrated plan
[33:13] to spend the money within the three-year time period. If the end of the three years,
[33:19] you haven't spent the bond proceeds in across of that schedule,
[33:24] the danger would be, if if you're ever audited by the irs,
[33:28] you'll have to demonstrate that your expectations were reasonable.
[33:33] typically the irs is unsympathetic to
[33:37] arguments that there was a delay in construction or the weather was bad.
[33:42] it's usually something more like a pandemic or a fire or an earthquake,
[33:47] something in that nature. When we do each bond series,
[33:52] we work closely with the district staff to make sure that the plan that is demonstrated can meet that test and that we're all,
[34:00] as much as we can be fairly certain that we'll be able to meet those expectations.
[34:08] >> and this question, chet? >> yes. >> getting back to the tax rate sensitivity table,
[34:16] when you say it's determined by polling, can you tell us a little more about what that actually
[34:21] means and the methods that are used? >> that's a great question. So generally,
[34:27] as part of assessing the feasibility of a bond, a pollster will test the likely voters of a june 2026 measure.
[34:37] it won't be active parents that attend pta meetings, it won't be teachers.
[34:43] it'll be who is most likely to represent the voters on june 2026?
[34:50] in this voter survey and they generally do it through various modes, whether it's email,
[34:54] text messaging, or traditional phone calls. They'll ask voters or potential voters a series of questions,
[35:02] their opinions on the district, their prioritization of projects,
[35:07] for example, there might be a need. I'm going to totally make this up for a swimming pool,
[35:12] and that might be a popular project for the community, but voters might think we don't need a swimming pool,
[35:18] so it'll test what projects voters are willing to support,
[35:23] whether it's hvac, leaky roofs, things like that. Then also there's one side of the needs that they test,
[35:31] and then it's the cost sensitivity. Now that you know what the district's various needs are,
[35:37] what might you be willing to support by way of a property tax.
[35:42] so on this far right table, even though homes in the area are selling million dollar plus,
[35:51] the immediate assessed value of a single family home within bonita unified school district is $502,000.
[36:00] that has to do with proposition 13, where annually, your assessed value cannot increase by more than 2%.
[36:08] if you have long-term residents that have lived here since the '50, '60s '70s,
[36:12] their assessed value is far below the current market value and you pay property taxes on your lower assessed value.
[36:19] so $60 per 100,00 for a median homeowner of 502,000,
[36:27] that is $301 in that first year of the bond,
[36:32] which $25 per month is what that would equate to to the median homeowner.
[36:37] so when they're testing various tax rates, if they test $60 and support is soft at say 53%.
[36:46] but then they test for $49 and we go over that 55% threshold to sit to 60%,
[36:55] then $49 might be this is a viable bond measure that the community would actually pass.
[37:02] >> so the source of that data, the voters, the high propensity voters,
[37:06] is it a list or a source that we're familiar with as candidates,
[37:11] or is it another type of list from another source?
[37:16] >> it's a list that they obtain from the county registrar. And from that, they parse the data to assemble who is
[37:24] representative of your typical voter that would show up on a primary gubernatorial election,
[37:30] because that audience of voters will be very different from who might show up in a presidential election.
[37:36] so there is some science behind how they select who is on the voter role.
[37:42] >> chet, could you share with the folks in the gallery tonight and the folks watching at home,
[37:47] exactly what capital means in this context.
[37:52] folks see us with crews working on our schools,
[37:56] replacing roofs, and painting and all the rest. For our purposes tonight, for this discussion,
[38:03] what does capital mean and why do we need to raise money from a different source?
[38:07] >> that's a great question, and part of nick's presentation will cover what you can use bond proceeds are,
[38:12] but I'll touch on this briefly, bonds can only be utilized for capital projects,
[38:17] and these 275 word statements give pretty good examples,
[38:21] improve school safety, provide modern classroom technology,
[38:26] construct, repair classrooms, facilities, sites, and equipment. These are capital expenditures, hard projects,
[38:34] as opposed to things like operational costs like
[38:38] maintenance or salaries or things of that nature.
[38:43] >> I think more specifically we have capital expenditures when we buy a new bus.
[38:48] >> that's correct. >> we have a capital expenditure when we buy a new piece of equipment for the central kitchen.
[38:54] what's the distinction? Is there a threshold? Is there an amount?
[38:58] >> not an amount, but nick, would you like to talk about the equipping part of the bond expenditures?
[39:06] >> the point of the question, guys, is I'm trying to communicate.
[39:10] this goes along with the dialogue and trying to communicate why a voter should support this, right?
[39:17] you guys, your school sparkle, they look beautiful. My kids are getting a great education.
[39:22] the environment is amazing. Why do we need to do this?
[39:26] we're going to make the case. But how do you attach the dollars?
[39:30] I understand the formula. But from a voter's perspective, what's the threshold?
[39:35] so capital for these purposes, is that different than a capital expense when we buy a new vehicle?
[39:41] >> I'm starting to follow you. Apologize for the misunderstanding earlier. So I think every district has needs,
[39:49] whether it's updating district facilities, and the districts your general fund wouldn't otherwise be able to support
[39:58] those projects that do need to be supported from an external source of revenue.
[40:04] so it really goes above and beyond what the district can finance from its own general fund,
[40:09] which is really allocated towards the operation of the school district.
[40:14] >> to put that in context. Our general fund unrestricted is about 110 million,
[40:19] 85% of that is swallowed up on day one with salary and benefits.
[40:23] you look at the list of projects that we have that we need, mostly infrastructure, hvac, plumbing,
[40:29] new buildings, new science, safety security. Even that list of projects is going to exceed $200 million.
[40:37] we would never be able to use our general fund unrestricted to do that.
[40:42] >> even if you tried, it would take [overlapping]
[40:46] >> one last additional comment, I had on this topic, is I've spoken to someone who's at
[40:52] the very top of the list of school districts in terms of their bonds, and yet they're going to go out for another bond because
[40:59] they still have more capital improvements to do. Even when we're lower,
[41:04] we're going to go higher, but some of those higher are also going higher and they'll help bonds drop off for us.
[41:10] we will be lower than what we're asking of our property owners today in 12 years.
[41:17] we will drop below that, so something to think about. >> it is interesting when you look at that list of districts,
[41:23] if we take our current tax liability at 67 and add 60 at that's the max,
[41:28] we'd only be in the upper quarter of the list of la unified districts, we still would not be at the top.
[41:34] >> thanks. Sonia, is it $5,000?
[41:39] >> it's 5,000. In the accounting world, anytime we talk about a capital expense versus a normal expense,
[41:46] the threshold is up to $5,000, and what that means it's put into a different category and we depreciate that asset.
[41:54] so that's me in accounting role. >> picture terms, operations versus we're building a building.
[42:02] the difference in scope, and the definition of capital can
[42:06] mean depending on the context can mean something different. Thanks, fellows. I appreciate your try.
[42:13] >> nick, come on.
[42:22] >> there you go. >> good evening, president horsley,
[42:26] members of the board, superintendent wayne, cabinet. My name is nick yeager from stradling yocca carlson & rauth,
[42:31] the district's bond council. I'll go over some of the legal considerations that the board,
[42:38] will want to consider as it decides whether it wants to place a measure on the ballot.
[42:43] so if the decision is made to place the measure on the ballot, the election will be conducted under the auspices of proposition 39,
[42:51] which was approved by voters in november of 2000, and it lowered the voter threshold from
[42:56] the previous two-thirds voter requirement to the 55% supermajority requirement.
[43:01] and it had three educational goals in mind and then the accountability goals. So the educational goals were to ensure
[43:07] that students learn in a safe and secure environment. To implement class size reduction and to prepare students for the 21st century.
[43:16] and one of the ways that proposition 39 does that is that
[43:22] it expanded the types of projects that could be undertaken with prop $39.
[43:27] so eligible bond projects include the construction, reconstruction,
[43:32] rehabilitation and replacement of school facilities, including the furnishing and equipping of school facilities.
[43:39] so prior to proposition 39, school districts could not acquire equipment with bond proceeds.
[43:45] the equipment piece was meant to satisfy that one of
[43:51] those education goals of preparing students for the 21st century because it meant technology.
[43:57] but it's not limited to technology. You can equip school facilities outside of the relevant technology,
[44:02] but that was one of the big purposes of proposition 39.
[44:07] under proposition 39, voters have to be presented with a specific list of school projects to be funded.
[44:16] in formulating that list, the school board has to require and evaluate safety,
[44:21] class size reduction, information technology needs of the district. You know that bond project list.
[44:28] I'll touch on later what the form of it is. But that's a prop 39 requirement that was not in place,
[44:36] prior to that in the prop 46 bond context.
[44:41] bond projects only be spent on projects of the type that are described in the ballot question.
[44:48] so the 75 or ballot question and the bond project list. So you can think of the ballot measure as two components with one package,
[44:59] and that constitutes the outer boundaries of the projects that can be undertaken.
[45:03] and the way that courts evaluate bomb projects list is determined based on the foothill-de-anza v. Emerich case,
[45:12] which was decided in 2006. There was a challenge to a bomb project list,
[45:19] and the allegation was that the list would lack the specificity requirement of prop 39.
[45:25] the court rejected that argument and said that voters approve the types of projects to be undertaken.
[45:31] they don't need to know the particular fire safety door to be improved or the roof that needs to be repaired.
[45:38] that's minutia that voters have no expertise in determining. So when you're thinking about the bond project list,
[45:46] I draft it in a manner that will classify projects by type.
[45:51] and if the district decides they want to be more specific, courts will hold you to that.
[45:57] so if you decide, no, we really do want to talk about a particular roof or a particular school site,
[46:03] you'll be held to that standard by the courts. Then the accountability goals of proposition 39 are satisfied
[46:14] by the requirement that the district establish a citizens bond oversight committee which it has had for prior bond measures,
[46:23] as well as the requirement to obtain annual financial performance audits.
[46:29] so in order to place a measure on the ballot,
[46:35] the board will be required to adopt a resolution ordering an election by two-thirds vote of the board.
[46:42] and that resolution will direct the county registrar voters to submit the ballot question to the voters and
[46:48] consolidate the measure with the wider election being conducted within the county.
[46:55] and it will also include as exhibits the 75-word ballot question,
[47:00] so what voters vote yes or no on. And it'll include the bond project list.
[47:06] so the 754 ballot question has to be a single sentence ending in the question mark.
[47:11] has to contain the phrase, shall the measure be adopted. It includes the name of the district,
[47:16] the purpose of the measure, the amount of the bonds, the maximum interest rate and the bonds,
[47:20] recite the oversight requirements of prop 39 and state
[47:26] the amount of money to be raised annually in the rate and duration of the tax, which is what was covering earlier in the presentation.
[47:31] the language of the ballot measure has to be cannot be argumentative or create prejudice against the measure.
[47:38] so it has to be drafted in neutral tone. And you have to deliver the resolution ordering election in person
[47:44] to the county registrar on the 88th day prior to the election. So that's march 6th, 2026.
[47:50] I would say don't wait to the last minute though. You don't want to be scrambling at the end.
[47:56] and then after that resolution gets delivered, you're also going to deliver the tax rate statement,
[48:02] and then the district will work with the county on the arguments in favor of the measure and the impartial analysis.
[48:12] in the planning phase for a measure, there's rules regarding what the district can spend public resources on.
[48:22] so prior to placing the measure on the ballot, district can spend money to prepare the facilities assessment,
[48:29] the facilities master plan, conduct the voter opinion survey, and communicate to the community,
[48:34] the district's need for facility improvements. However, the district may not use public funds to hire
[48:41] a consultant to develop implement a strategy for building a coalition to support the bond measure,
[48:46] or to seek financial support for the campaign. You can't spend money on activities that initiate the advocacy campaign.
[48:56] and the genesis of that rule, it's a constitutional requirement that's subject to all public agencies,
[49:04] but there's also a provision in the education code which says that school districts cannot spend their assets,
[49:10] cash or in kind assets advocating for the passage of the bond measure.
[49:15] however, it's very clear within
[49:20] the education code that just because there was that prohibition on advocacy,
[49:25] the district is able to spend public resources to provide information to the community about the possible effects of the bond measure.
[49:34] as long as those following conditions are met, that it's otherwise authorized by the constitution or in the state,
[49:41] and that the information presented constitutes a fair and impartial presentation of
[49:45] the relevant facts to aid the electorate in reaching a form judgment on the ballot measure.
[49:52] and when you're looking at informational mailers,
[49:56] for instance, these rules are strictly interpreted and it's enforced by the fair political practices commission.
[50:05] oftentimes, I'll be asked to review on behalf of
[50:09] the district, the informational materials.
[50:14] well, I review that and ensure that you're within the proper guard rails,
[50:22] I won't be able to guarantee you that there won't be a challenge wouldn't
[50:26] be met with a sympathetic ear from the fair political practices commission because ultimately,
[50:33] if there's a complaint, it's up to that commission to determine whether they think it's impermissible.
[50:40] and it's a totality of the circumstances type of analysis.
[50:44] so the factors that are considered are based on the supreme court case stanton v. Mott.
[50:49] so the fair political practices commission will look at the style of the tenor and the timing of the publication,
[50:55] and there's not any hard and fast rules. But generally speaking, we'll ensure that you don't use
[51:02] inflammatory language if you present positive potential impacts of the bonds,
[51:08] you also have to present the cost of the measure, which is the tax that will be levied to repay the bonds.
[51:20] >> the role of the board of trustees in planning for and voting on the measure,
[51:25] so the board will evaluate the need for the bond and be able to defend the bond package.
[51:32] if the board supports the package, vote to place the measure on the ballot.
[51:36] campaigning for the measure is permissible.
[51:41] unlike district staff activities
[51:46] during normal work hours is limited during the bond campaign.
[51:51] you're not technically an employee of the district, so you're not constrained in that way in the same way that staff is.
[51:59] you can summarize activities during the bond campaign at board meetings,
[52:04] but from the dais, you won't be able to advocate for the measure. You can't say vote for measure in b
[52:11] but you can report to the community that you attended an event,
[52:16] you see enthusiasm in the community, etc, so you can report, but not advocate.
[52:22] then when you're in the campaign mode, you should avoid using district assets in that endeavor.
[52:30] happy to answer any questions about the legal considerations.
[52:37] >> I think that was really good advice. Is there any other questions?
[52:42] >> actually, just a couple of questions. Made it really clear that we have to tell
[52:48] folks what they're voting for upfront by way of projects, and we can't really vary from that.
[52:53] whatever we think we want based on the total bond proceeds,
[52:58] and how the series are working. All that has to be decided before the campaign,
[53:03] before it goes on the ballot. There's a bond oversight committee. We cannot spend public funds on a campaign but we can give information,
[53:13] who decides what's informational versus campaign material?
[53:18] I understand the law, but who decides? >> it's ultimately it's the district's decision about the information that gets released.
[53:25] I will advise the district in the manner that I believe will most protect you from a challenge.
[53:33] but it's ultimately the district's decision, what gets disseminated to its constituents in the public.
[53:41] >> one last question. >> sure. >> if we can't use public funds,
[53:47] in other words, tax money to run a campaign. >> that's correct.
[53:52] >> how do you pay for it? >> normally, there will be a bond campaign committee that's formed and they will fund
[53:58] raise and solicit donations to the bond campaign.
[54:04] >> traditionally, who supports that? >> usually, it's members of the community.
[54:11] vendors and contractors of the district might want to give to the bond campaign,
[54:18] the foundation could be a entity that supports through financially the bond measure.
[54:25] although if they do contribute to the bond campaign,
[54:30] there's complex tax rules related to that. >> especially for a nonprofit.
[54:35] >> for a nonprofit so they can preserve their tax deem status. I have a memo I can provide the district.
[54:40] if the foundation wants to give to the bond campaign, I'll provide you that memo to detail the requirements.
[54:47] >> thanks. >> other question? No? Thank you.
[54:54] >> thank you very much. >> thank you very much. >> thank you.
[55:01] >> moving to the request to speak on open session agenda items.
[55:05] 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.
[55:13] 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.
[55:20] in the case of a non-agenda item, comments may be made under request to speak on non-agenda items,
[55:25] communication from the public. Prior to addressing the board, please fill out the request to address the board card,
[55:30] which may be picked up from margaret mcdonald, senior executive assistant to the superintendent.
[55:35] any person addressing the board should first state their name and association with the district.
[55:42] moving to the consent agenda. Matters listed under the consent agenda are
[55:47] considered by the board to be routine or sufficiently supported by prior or accompanying reference materials
[55:53] and information as to not require additional discussion. If any member of the board so requests an item shall be removed from the section and
[56:01] placed in the regular order of business following the approval of the consent agenda.
[56:05] items will be approved with one motion which is not debatable and which requires a unanimous vote for passage. Is there a motion?
[56:13] >> moved. >> second? >> second. >> all those in favor.
[56:18] >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> any opposed? No. Thank you.
[56:23] we now move to our discussion action agenda.
[56:27] the superintendent is going to approve the first amendment to employment agreement for the assistant superintendent of
[56:35] human resource development and the second amendment to employment agreements for the assistant superintendents
[56:42] of business services and educational services. >> last month's meeting the board approved
[56:48] a 1% off schedule payment for all busd employees. Executive cabinet members are not automatically included in that.
[56:55] this action allows our assistant superintendents to receive the one time 1% payment.
[57:00] >> is there a motion? >> moved. >> second? >> second.
[57:05] >> any discussion? All those in favor. Aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> any opposed? No. We're going to receive our first reading of board policy.
[57:14] >> we had a stock of them this time to go through for first read. Revisions reflect changes in the law.
[57:20] >> thank you. We now move to reports from members of the board and superintendent.
[57:26] request to speak on non-agenda items, communication from the public. The public has the opportunity to address the board on non-agenda items.
[57:34] any person wishing to speak on a non-agenda item may be granted up to three minutes.
[57:38] the board may limit the total time for each topic to 20 minutes. To address the board on non-agenda items,
[57:44] please complete the request to address the board card, which may be picked up from margaret mcdonald,
[57:48] senior executive assistant to superintendent. Any person addressing the board should first state
[57:53] their name and association with the district. >> ms. President, point of order, did we skip over reports?
[57:58] >> did I? >> number 17. >> I'm sorry, reports from members of the board
[58:03] and superintendent, you're absolutely right. I was thinking. Where are we down there?
[58:07] [laughter] [overlapping] we're going to move right back up to the top then to 17.
[58:14] reports from members of the board. We'll start down on that end. >> is that me? I can't see. I'll keep it short though.
[58:21] first off, go dodgers. [laughter] that was stressful.
[58:26] second off, it's national school psychology appreciation week. Thank you to all you sykes out there, fellow sykes.
[58:32] hope you got spoiled with some starbucks gift cards and whatnot. I see one waving at me.
[58:36] I feel you. You do so much to support our students. Lot of is behind the scenes.
[58:41] I know a lot of job now is writing reports and presenting group reports, but you do have that connection with the students that does go a long way.
[58:47] thank you, everyone out there. I did see last night on the news all these news mayors and governors getting elected,
[58:56] which made me just realize that us here, we're a liaison to you guys. When we get concerns from you guys from emails or speaking,
[59:04] that's us where we represent you. Thank you for that. I'm not here just to tell you about my events coming up what I'm looking forward to,
[59:11] but it's really to be a liaison for you to benefit the community for the district.
[59:16] I know I'm a parent of two kids in the district as well, we might see things from a different lens than our staff or admin.
[59:23] it's good to have that communication.
[59:28] I appreciate all the emails and comments because we're doing great as
[59:33] a district with everything that we're doing with our scores and whatnot but there's always room for improvement.
[59:38] thank you out there, and I'm here for you guys as well. >> thanks. This week is interesting because I feel like everything that I like to
[59:51] talk about and share and celebrate is clouded with
[59:55] the concern that I have for those that are currently experiencing food insecurity.
[1:00:00] I'm thrilled to see the community show up
[1:00:06] and follow mr. Rogers famous advice to look for the helpers.
[1:00:12] I've seen our school district share resources to help families in need.
[1:00:18] I've seen our local food pantries step up, and I do see the increase for calls of action to donate, to volunteer.
[1:00:29] I just left reminded as we enter into this season of gratitude and of thankfulness,
[1:00:36] that I take that to be a call of action for us to show up and
[1:00:42] help in whatever way that we can and also to get help in whatever way you need.
[1:00:49] I'm a big fan of community strengthening one another,
[1:00:54] and I wanted to start with that.
[1:00:59] this morning, I had the fun privilege and honor
[1:01:03] of going alongside chris anne to a community
[1:01:07] coalition building behind bringing and launching imagination library to our eastend gabriel valley.
[1:01:17] if you're not familiar, imagination library is dolly parton's dollywood foundations flagship program that sends
[1:01:24] a book to a kid every single month from 0-5.
[1:01:29] while I was in this meeting with folks all across san gabriel valley,
[1:01:35] it reminded me of that same adage of showing up in whatever capacity you can,
[1:01:42] about whatever issue is near and dear to you.
[1:01:47] if it's about food insecurity, find that pantry that needs your help and show up.
[1:01:52] we heard from one of our student reps. San dimas is having a drive, a lot of local schools are having drives.
[1:01:58] if it's early literacy, show up and help get books in hands of our kids.
[1:02:04] if it's special education and if it's neuro-divergency, show up.
[1:02:09] I just am reminded of the need for us all to show up.
[1:02:14] I plan on showing up on november 16th, the la verne – san dimas educational foundation,
[1:02:21] the same one that was here giving out many grants to our teachers,
[1:02:25] is hosting a community wellness fair at san dimas high school and that's an opportunity to show up.
[1:02:33] there's the golf tournament where you can play golf and raise funds.
[1:02:37] there's a community wellness fair where you can experience local community vendors,
[1:02:43] our culinary programs will be selling their food, we'll have student performers coming to show all of
[1:02:49] the things that make this school district so incredible and this is all
[1:02:54] done in a spirit of celebrating wellness and raising funds so that we can continue to support those initiatives inside of the school district.
[1:03:03] I'm excited to show up for each of those things, and I am wanting to invite everyone in the audience today and everyone that
[1:03:12] is listening to consider what it is that you are showing up for in our community.
[1:03:19] >> thank you. Special thanks to the la verne – san dimas educational foundation.
[1:03:25] as you heard earlier over 40 years, it's local nonprofit supported by fund raising and each and every one of
[1:03:34] the dollars that they raised goes directly into the classroom as requested by that classroom teacher.
[1:03:41] it's something that we should all be very proud of and consider ourselves fortunate.
[1:03:46] thank you to the foundation. Thank you, sonya. I really appreciate you trying to decipher my scribbles on the policies.
[1:03:55] I wrote it while I was on an airplane and so it was a little messy and I
[1:03:59] appreciate your good work in your response. Thank you for that.
[1:04:05] special thanks to all of our us military veterans,
[1:04:10] when we remember them for their service to our great nation coming up this november 11th,
[1:04:16] the 11th day of the 11th month. I'm looking forward to the ongoing dialogue, information sharing,
[1:04:22] and the momentum we will need to fully inform the communities we serve of the need for
[1:04:28] a general obligation bond as the only means to pay for much needed facilities and infrastructure.
[1:04:35] stay tuned. It's informational, but we're going to be talking a lot about that.
[1:04:41] whatever your traditions and however you celebrate, I wish all the very best to you,
[1:04:47] your family and friends this upcoming thanksgiving holiday. Cheers. Thanks.
[1:04:53] >> hello, everyone. I'm going to try to make this quick. I agree with a lot of what my colleagues have said.
[1:05:00] we have some great school psychologists and people who really care for our kids. Thank you for the work you do.
[1:05:06] as an angels fan, this is slightly hard to say but congratulations,
[1:05:11] dodgers, you guys demonstrated grit and got a well deserved championship.
[1:05:16] it was a great series to watch. I would prefer not to stay up as late,
[1:05:21] but it was still a fun series. Great baseball. Thank you to the ed foundation and all our community groups for all the work you do,
[1:05:27] you make a difference in our kids' lives. The food insecurity one,
[1:05:32] that's a huge issue, and kids are hungry not just on thanksgiving and christmas.
[1:05:37] they need food every single day, multiple times a day. I just thank those people who are fighting the good fight
[1:05:43] to make sure that our families and kids get to eat. A couple of other ones.
[1:05:49] let's see. Went to an extended family night. Thank you to all the staff who helped put that on.
[1:05:56] it was a great event. I was looking at the numbers for the bonds.
[1:06:00] I just wanted to share some percentages with you. We're I think at the bottom 20 of this chart, I see.
[1:06:08] I think for every $100,000 made, we get 32% of what dari takes in,
[1:06:14] 38% of what pomona takes in, 56% of what lusd takes in,
[1:06:20] 67.8% arcadia, 64% walnut.
[1:06:25] I want to make sure arcadia and walnut are there because I feel like in test scores, those are the schools we're chasing and they've invested more money in
[1:06:32] their infrastructure and making sure their kids get the materials they need for success than we're able to.
[1:06:38] we also have other school districts that are taking a lot more money for facility needs,
[1:06:45] including beverly hills, temple cities, redondo beach, huston la puente, culver city,
[1:06:50] south pasadena, el segundo, manhattan beach. We have west covina,
[1:06:54] pasadena, torrance, and two neighboring school districts, glendora and claremont.
[1:06:59] all these school districts have a higher property tax liability than we
[1:07:03] do and I think that gives their kids an advantage.
[1:07:07] it is unfortunate that our kids are getting not like
[1:07:12] our staff do a great job of making sure our kids get a great world class education.
[1:07:18] we have community groups that help make sure that our kids get a great world class education.
[1:07:24] but when I look at the disparity, I do think we need some facility improvements,
[1:07:28] and I'm not advocating either way, but I do think our location on this is notable. That's all I have to say.
[1:07:37] >> thank you, and I appreciate all the comments from the board tonight. You spoke on things that were important to me,
[1:07:43] too, so those were great to hear. I have been to a number of high schools this fall at
[1:07:48] different football games because a grandson is playing football out there. I have to say that when I visit
[1:07:54] the newer schools and I look at these really updated facilities, it really hit home how old some of our schools are and
[1:08:02] that the infrastructure beneath these schools and air conditioning,
[1:08:07] that they're in need of improvement. I also want to say, on a different thing, totally.
[1:08:15] congrats to water polo tennis and football for making it into the cif season,
[1:08:20] and I know our water polo bonita one. Yesterday, and tennis was competing tonight,
[1:08:26] and we'll see both of our high school football teams this friday compete so good luck to all of those athletes.
[1:08:33] >> I had the pleasure earlier this month to spend a saturday
[1:08:40] with 40 students across los angeles county that came from the california association of student councils.
[1:08:46] these are leaders in their schools, and it was so interesting to spend the day with them as they
[1:08:52] work to identify needs and create
[1:08:57] presentations that they practiced on three school board members so that they could then take them back to their communities.
[1:09:07] we had a student from bonita, chloe, who was there that day,
[1:09:12] and she had invited me to attend, and I got to hear presentations on student health,
[1:09:19] both physical and mental, on their concerns about civic education,
[1:09:23] encouraging students to be active in their community and to eventually be well-informed voters.
[1:09:31] they had concerns about continued concerns about their fellow students
[1:09:37] that might be suffering from drug or substance abuse. And also, about improving completely the student engagement on campus,
[1:09:45] that every child feels like they have a place on that campus and how important it was for
[1:09:51] all our campus leaders to want to educate other students about the students that they're going to school with.
[1:09:58] it was just a wonderful day and wonderful presentations, and I felt really blessed that I got to attend.
[1:10:07] also, I wanted to say, I love the season. We're going into thanksgiving and christmas,
[1:10:12] and I want to encourage you all to go to some of our bca choir concerts and band concerts,
[1:10:18] and go to the bca calendar, and it really does make you go into that holiday spirit.
[1:10:25] I highly recommend those that're coming up. And I think it did my list. We're good.
[1:10:34] >> all right, we are good. I do want to take a moment and follow up on the presentation from kegent,
[1:10:39] and do want to reiterate that we do have facilities that are in need of repair.
[1:10:44] the facility needs that we have really come down to five overarching categories, number 1.
[1:10:49] we do need to replace all the hvac units throughout the district. Number 2, we need to replace much of our plumbing throughout the district, number 3.
[1:10:58] we need to create additional classroom space, replace a number of portable buildings on our campuses.
[1:11:04] about a third of our buildings are at portables. Number 4, want to upgrade safety and security components on all campuses, and number 5.
[1:11:11] we want to build completely new science labs for the high schools to give our students the experiences they need to be competitive in the sciences.
[1:11:18] I look forward to the continued engagement with the board and our district community as we explore
[1:11:23] ways to keep but need to unified among the very best districts in the state. Thank you.
[1:11:30] >> do I have to read 18 all over? I do.
[1:11:35] okay. Request to speak on non-agenda items, communication from the public, the public has the opportunity to address the board on non-agenda items.
[1:11:41] any person wishing to speak on a non-agenda item may be granted up to 3 minutes.
[1:11:46] the board may limit the total time for each topic, 20 minutes. To address the board on non-agenda items,
[1:11:51] please complete the request to address the board card, which may be picked up from margaret mcdonald, senior, executive assistant to the superintendent.
[1:11:58] any person addressing the board should first state their name and association with the district.
[1:12:03] here we go, so we have several from the community.
[1:12:09] first would be monica mccurt.
[1:12:21] >> good evening. My name is monica, and I am a longtime resident of san dimas, about 20 years.
[1:12:29] I'd like to start by first saying what an exceptional board we have.
[1:12:34] our board members have a combined experience as teachers, principals, school psychologists,
[1:12:40] advocates for social justice, adjunct faculty, and healthcare professionals,
[1:12:46] and this is truly impressive. We appreciate you. I am a retired special education teacher,
[1:12:54] general education teacher, school psychologist, and instructor at the university of laverne,
[1:13:01] adjunct for school psychologists. Although my own children attended damien and holy name,
[1:13:09] I'm a strong proponent of public education of school bonds,
[1:13:14] especially because they keep our property values high. People want to move here because of our excellent board,
[1:13:20] because of our excellent school district. That's the reason that our entire family moved here is for bonita school district.
[1:13:26] we have a big family. Unfortunately, sadly, I'm sorry,
[1:13:31] I am here to be a donor. I have some concerns in there regarding special education.
[1:13:37] I wanted to share with you, my godson. Sadly, on the first day of school,
[1:13:45] this bright and happy little boy had a seizure. The school had been told about his health concerns prior.
[1:13:53] >> your microphone. >> sorry about that. The school had been told
[1:13:58] prior to the first day of school about this little boy having seizures.
[1:14:02] yet no adult noticed that he was on the ground,
[1:14:07] on the black top, banging his head repeatedly. The children had to witness this.
[1:14:13] they didn't know what to do. They finally sought an adult. We heard this from multiple parents.
[1:14:18] they finally searched an adult to come help them. They were pretty upset that we got many phone calls.
[1:14:24] he ended up having a concussion,
[1:14:29] lacerations, and bruising to his face. He was hospitalized for several days because of a concussion.
[1:14:34] not for the seizure, for the concussion from the seizure.
[1:14:40] as someone who supports schools and funding,
[1:14:44] I know you're not members of the iep team, but I do have some questions because I believe that
[1:14:50] the reason that this little boy is still not in school since the first day of school,
[1:14:55] the reason he hasn't been in school is because he needs somebody to monitor him to make sure that he is monitored if this happens again.
[1:15:02] I mean, they can't prevent anything, but they do have emergency medication.
[1:15:07] they could have even put their hand under his head, piece of cardboard under, and he wouldn't have been banging his head repeatedly.
[1:15:14] I wanted to ask the school board why the school board would approve funds to hire
[1:15:22] attorneys to fight a parent instead of providing what the child needs.
[1:15:30] why the school board would expect second-grade teacher with
[1:15:35] 25 other students to continually monitor a student for silent and major seizures.
[1:15:42] this decision is putting the district at liability,
[1:15:47] not only in regards to faith, but also for tort claims. It really is because he's injured.
[1:15:53] I just wanted to assure you this is not going to go away. Bonita must support all general education teachers and students,
[1:16:00] and thank you for your time. I really appreciate. Thank you.
[1:16:08] >> mike mccurt.
[1:16:17] >> hello, my name is mike mccurt. Thank you again, board. You guys are a wonderful board,
[1:16:24] and we're very appreciative to have you. I'm a longtime homeowner in san dimas.
[1:16:30] for 20 years, I've been a special education teacher in high school. I just wanted to say that in my experience,
[1:16:36] it's quite common for students who have frequent seizures or other medical conditions to have a dedicated person monitoring them at school.
[1:16:46] agenda teacher can't be expected to be responsible for the learning of
[1:16:51] 25 students and also closely monitoring one student with a health condition.
[1:16:57] how is one teacher going to call for help, manage the safety of the student, experiencing the seizure,
[1:17:04] administer the emergency medication, and supervise the other 24 students while this is happening?
[1:17:10] this is an unreasonable demand placed on one single teacher.
[1:17:15] a paraprofessional in the classroom is quite common. He or she helps all students with instruction and safety. Thank you very much.
[1:17:27] >> thank you. Derek cooper.
[1:17:40] >> good evening, board. My name is dre cooper. I am a retired teacher.
[1:17:45] I came to laverne. I married into this wonderful family, and we have two wonderful stepsons who both went to
[1:17:51] bina high school as well as niece who also, and two of them are at usc now and one is at cal poly, thank you for all you do,
[1:17:59] you do a great job and I share the concern that monica had mentioned earlier.
[1:18:04] I rise today to talk about my nephew, daniel. As has already been mentioned,
[1:18:09] he suffered a severe seizure on the very first day of school. This was a traumatic event for our family.
[1:18:14] this event was compounded by the fact that there was no adult nearby.
[1:18:19] the children playing with daniel didn't realize that he had fallen ill.
[1:18:23] they thought he was playing some weird game while he's there banging his head against the ground.
[1:18:28] clearly, if he had had a one on one, that could have been taken care of. Someone could have intervened,
[1:18:33] and not to mention the traumatic view of the students seeing this.
[1:18:39] as a retired teacher myself, I can tell you that you never forget when you have a student seize in your class.
[1:18:47] that memory stays with you forever. Not just for me, but for the students who will also witness it,
[1:18:51] and most importantly for the student who had the seizure, that stigma stays with them for a lifetime.
[1:18:57] as I rise today to ask that you do the best you can for us.
[1:19:02] as a family of educators, we just want to see this little boy get back to school as soon as possible. Thank you for your time.
[1:19:10] >> thank you. Maria [inaudible].
[1:19:24] >> good evening. Nice to see you here. I have taught general education science,
[1:19:29] and I am now a high school special ed teacher. I have about six years left of my career before I retire.
[1:19:38] I have also taught future instructional teachers, instructors at graduate university and for len university.
[1:19:48] most of these teachers went on to work. Some of them are my colleagues now.
[1:19:53] we work together at public education, so I teach in a public school.
[1:19:58] I've lived in laburn for more than 20 years. My boys attended okmsa elementary,
[1:20:03] ramona middle school, and bonita high school. They're now at usc and cal poly because of the great work that we do here at bonita.
[1:20:11] I'm here today to say thank you to all of you for having high expectations,
[1:20:16] holding our educators accountable, and supporting our community. We appreciate everything you do for all of our students,
[1:20:22] including those who require special attention, such as my nephew, daniel, who is in second grade and waiting every day to attend school.
[1:20:29] he's very sad without his friends. He's a very social little boy.
[1:20:33] he's a very intelligent boy, and he hasn't been able to be back at school because we're afraid that he'll fall,
[1:20:40] bang his head, get a concussion, or even worse, and there'll be nobody there to help him.
[1:20:46] and he's very sad because he's social and all of his friends miss him.
[1:20:51] thank you very much for having us here.
[1:20:55] >> thank you. Megan keene.
[1:21:06] >> good evening. My name is megan keene, and I'm a parent of a child at lone hill middle school.
[1:21:12] thank you very much for having me this evening. When my daughter started school at lone hill middle,
[1:21:19] she's a sixth grader, just a few months ago. I was surprised by two things.
[1:21:25] one, the weight of the backpack that she carries with her every day.
[1:21:30] it is full of five notebooks, a binder for loose papers,
[1:21:35] a textbook, a chromebook, and a book that she reads for 30 minutes per day.
[1:21:41] that's a minimum of the materials that she carries with her.
[1:21:45] every day, I've weighed it a few different times, and it measures between 16-19 pounds every day.
[1:21:53] the american academy of pediatrics recommends that kids only carry about 10% of their body weight.
[1:22:01] this 16 and 19 pounds is pushing 20 to 25% on any given day.
[1:22:08] this puts middle school kids at risk of developing spine problems,
[1:22:14] back pain, shoulder pain, and neck pain. And the second thing that surprised me was that none of
[1:22:21] the bonita schools have lockers in the schools.
[1:22:25] I understand it's a policy, but I'm requesting that we put lockers back in the schools
[1:22:30] because the risk of medical problems due to kids having to carry
[1:22:35] everything around with them every day puts kids at
[1:22:39] risk of not being able to attend their sports activities,
[1:22:44] physical education, as well as school in general. It puts them at greater risk of needing to attend doctors' appointments during
[1:22:51] the school for problems that they're frankly too young to be experiencing.
[1:22:56] due to these reasons, I request that we give the kids some storage space and that we put lockers back in school.
[1:23:04] I also have a backpack for demonstration, if anybody would like to feel how heavy this thing is.
[1:23:10] it's surprising. >> thank you. We continue on with communication from the public,
[1:23:20] answer to anyone from pta. Buda, csca.
[1:23:28] bumped. Future meeting dates. The next regular board of education meeting will be on december 3, 2025.
[1:23:37] items for future agendas. We will adjourn the meeting at 7:21 p.m. Thank you.