[0:00] Hey folks, we're going to open this up.
I call the meeting to order. We have a
[0:04] quorum. The meeting is being webcast
live and recorded. The recording or
[0:08] webcast may capture images and sounds of
those attending the meeting. Uh identify
[0:13] close session topics of discussion.
Closed session items are as follows.
[0:19] 2.1 recommended expulsion. 2.2
recommended suspended expulsion. 2.3
[0:23] recommended reinstatements. 2.4
recommended continued expulsions. 2.5
[0:28] public employee discipline dismissal
release and complaints. 2.6 Conference
[0:32] with Labor Negotiator. 2.7 Conference
with legal counsel existing litigation.
[0:37] 2.8 Anticipated litigation are two
cases. These two matters involve facts
[0:42] and circumstances that might result in
litigation against the district but
[0:45] which facts and circumstances are not
yet known to the potential plaintiff or
[0:49] plaintiffs. And then 2.9 public employee
evaluation superintendent.
[0:56] Uh we anticipate that close session will
take approximately 1 hour. However, if
[0:59] additional time is required, the regular
session may be called to order after
[1:02] 5:30. The board will now adjourn to
close session. And is there actually
[1:06] public comment before I got it
backwards. Public comment on close
[1:10] session topics. Public comment on any
close session item will be heard at this
[1:14] time. Pursuant to board policy, the
board may limit individual comments to
[1:17] no more than three minutes and
individual topics to 20 minutes. It is
[1:21] recommended you begin your comments by
stating your name. Is there any public
[1:24] comment?
Seeing none, we go back to 1.6 which I
[1:28] just read. We anticipate being out in an
hour. Now close to or journ to close
[1:33] session.
Okay. Good evening. We will convene the
[1:36] regular session.
[1:42] Alandrean will serve as a Spanish
interpreter for this meeting. Meeting
[1:45] attendees who would like to listen to
the Spanish interpretation of the
[1:48] proceedings, please pick up headphones
from the table located in the back of
[1:52] this room. This announcement will now be
shared in Spanish.
[2:09] This meeting is being webcast live and
recorded. The recording or webcast may
[2:12] capture images and sounds of those
attending the meeting. Members of the
[2:16] public who would like to provide public
comment on items listed on tonight's
[2:19] agenda. We recommend you fill out the
public comment form, the green form
[2:23] located on the table at the northeast
entrance to this room. Please hand the
[2:27] completed form to executive assistant
Licia Weatherford before the item comes
[2:30] up on the agenda. She's in the back of
the room with her hand raised. We
[2:34] recommend you complete a separate form
for each agenda item on which you would
[2:37] like to comment. Members of the public
providing public comment, please use the
[2:41] microphone on the stand soon to be
located in the front of the room. 3.4
[2:45] Pledge of Allegiance led by board member
Walter Eskimo.
[3:13] 3.5 report action taken in close
session. The board took the following
[3:17] action in close session on a motion by
board member Naylor and a second by
[3:21] board member Gabby. The board voted six
yes, no nos, and one absent. The absent
[3:26] member being Kennethy Young to approve
the settlement agreement between the
[3:30] district and the parties representing
OAH case number 202671086.
[3:39] Let's see 3.6 Revisions to enclosure
items and adoption of the board meeting
[3:44] agenda. There are revised item
enclosures uh numbered 4.1, 6.16,
[3:50] 6.18,
6.33, 11.1, and 11.5.
[3:56] Do I have a motion to adopt the board
meeting agenda?
[4:01] » Moved by Miss Naylor, second by
>> I'll second.
[4:04] » Miss Gabby. Call for the vote.
[4:11] » Motion carries. Student board member
votes yes, six yes, one absent.
[4:17] » Okay.
>> Takes us up to 3.7 student performance
[4:22] to Visit Middle School Jazz Band. To
here to present that is executive
[4:26] director of student services Natalie
Garza.
[4:32] » Thank you board president Odo
Superintendent Shrum and board. Please
[4:35] welcome the Devisidero Middle School
Jazz Band under the direction of Reene
[4:40] Cassina and assistant director Aninsley
Barry Hill. Tonight they will be
[4:45] performing Avenue Swing and you will
hear a trumpet solo by Kelly Garcia.
[4:49] Board, if you'd like to come around so
that you can watch the performance,
[4:54] there are plenty seats up here or over
here.
[4:59] Again, let's welcome the Devisidero
Middle School Jazz Band.
[5:45] I think I want
[7:05] Give me
[9:11] Good job
[9:19] for medical school. I did a great job.
[10:38] They can hear us in the lobby there
because there's a speaker out there. One
[10:41] more time for the divisi jazz band,
please.
[10:48] As board clerkyan said, we're only a
couple weeks into the school year and we
[10:52] have that going on in school. So, it's
really, really great. All right, moving
[10:55] on now to 4.1 spotlight on good things
happening in the district.
[10:59] Superintendent Shrump,
>> uh, again, great job to Viziderero. Um,
[11:04] excellent display of our talent that,
um, exist all across our campus and
[11:08] again, as you said, just a few weeks
into the school year and what an
[11:12] exceptional uh, performance. So very
talented teachers uh students and of
[11:17] course staff supporting them and parents
as well. So uh always look forward to
[11:21] that part of our uh board meetings. So
as we get into our spotlight just a few
[11:26] things uh as we're a couple of weeks
into the school year now. Uh want to
[11:30] begin with uh an event that took place
just recently at Houston Elementary. And
[11:34] this event ribbon cutting coincided with
their back to school night. This was to
[11:39] celebrate and recognize the completion
of an extensive modernization project uh
[11:44] concluded in time for the best first day
ever. You know, Houston was built more
[11:48] than 50 years ago, as was over 70% of
our schools. But with our community
[11:53] support of measure A, Houston Elementary
received a new dropoff zone, a traffic
[11:57] pattern, administrative building,
updated classrooms, new doors, tiles,
[12:02] ceilings, and finishes, drainage, and
fire alarms, and many other
[12:05] improvements. And I think one of the
highlights of the event was was a former
[12:09] student that's pictured in the middle
there talking about the impact of
[12:13] modernization on what it felt like to be
in the classrooms. And uh she was
[12:17] talking about what you know for brothers
and sisters and and community members
[12:20] that will follow her. She's now in
middle school, what that will mean for
[12:24] students and staff uh as well. And so
very long time coming. So thank you to
[12:29] our community and everyone who helped
celebrate this achievement. uh our PTA
[12:33] parents at the site uh and again our
student speakers. So great event and uh
[12:38] just amazing to see what a modernization
can do uh to our school sites. Not to
[12:43] mention safety with the new student drop
off staff parking uh as well. Um as we
[12:49] started back to school, most of our
schools have now completed back to
[12:52] school nights with hundreds of families
making their ways onto our campuses to
[12:56] engage with staff and see student work.
And speaking of our students, we now for
[13:03] several years, thanks to our board of
education, had a partnership with the
[13:06] National Education Opportunity Network
and they bring uh college level courses
[13:11] through different universities to our
campuses and and each year Mount Whitney
[13:16] uh host a couple of those classes. Uh we
have students that rise to the top of
[13:21] these classes. And so we recently
received the spring 26 honor role
[13:25] results from the National Education
Opportunity Network and we're proud to
[13:28] celebrate these 12 Mount Whitney
students who earned this distinction.
[13:33] These students challenged themselves
with rigorous college level coursework
[13:37] including introduction to sociology
through Arizona State University and
[13:41] college algebra through Howard
University. Their hard work placed them
[13:45] among the top 20% of 9,500 students
nationwide pres uh uh participating in
[13:52] the program. An incredible
accomplishment. Congratulations to these
[13:55] outstanding students. They'll be
recognized later this month uh by the
[13:59] National Education Opportunity Network
along with university professors,
[14:03] educational leaders, and their proud
families. So, congratulations to those
[14:07] students. Uh we are in that season. So,
fall sports are underway. uh all of our
[14:12] high schools participating. We have
football, water polo, cross country,
[14:16] girls tennis, girls golf, and for the
very first time, we'll be having an
[14:20] official kind of ribbon cutting on
September 15th for girls flag football.
[14:25] We're excited to see so many of our
students connected to meaningful
[14:28] activities where they can build
relationships, develop skill skills,
[14:32] experience, and benefits part of being a
team. Uh our cheer, dance, band, all of
[14:37] those things kick into gear. And so fall
is an exciting time uh for sure on our
[14:41] campuses.
Another unique opportunity for our
[14:46] students that participate in ELOP on
August 29th, 65 VUSD students
[14:51] participated in the ELOP. It's our
extended learning opportunity program
[14:55] football clinic hosted by uh High
Performance Academy at California State
[15:00] University, Fresno. You can see they're
there on the field. They participated in
[15:04] a variety of flag football drills,
lunch, toured the baseball field and the
[15:08] soccer stadium and played games uh on
the football field. It was a great
[15:13] opportunity for our students to
experience a college athletic experience
[15:17] firsthand and build flag football
skills. So see what's possible through
[15:21] participation in athletics. So what a
great turnout for our students uh at
[15:25] that event.
Continuing with staff development, this
[15:30] is the second year of our letters. This
is the science of reading professional
[15:33] development kicked off on August 25th
and 28th. Over 80 educators representing
[15:38] 22 schools uh along with coaches
education specialists launched a
[15:43] two-year professional learning
experience focused on the science of
[15:46] reading evidence-based literacy
instruction. This investment in our
[15:50] educators continues to build the
knowledge and expertise needed to ensure
[15:54] every BUSD student develops a strong
foundation in reading. And we wrap it up
[16:00] with just some of the different events
and news information that we've had out
[16:03] on social media. Uh we had our student
board representative swearing in uh
[16:08] modernization of Houston Elementary. Uh
our first high- five Friday of the year
[16:12] was at Golden Oak Elementary. And also
shout out to Golden West's cheer and
[16:17] drum line for making an appearance at
that event. We began to share
[16:21] information about Measure Z uh to help
inform our community about our current
[16:25] reality and the purpose of Measure Z. Uh
we had our latest podcast from inside
[16:30] the boardroom uh discussing our last
board meeting and then of course we all
[16:35] enjoyed uh Labor Day yesterday. Uh and
so we uh recognize that day as well on
[16:40] our social media
and so that concludes our spotlight.
[16:47] Thank you. Next up item 4.2 student
supports update. Uh presenter is
[16:52] executive director of student services
Natalie Caro.
[17:01] not used to sitting way over there.
Good evening, board president Odto,
[17:06] Superintendent Shramm, board members and
community. I'm Natalie Garza, executive
[17:10] director of student services, and
tonight I'm excited to present our
[17:14] student support update for the beginning
of the school year.
[17:22] We believe learning environments should
be safe, supportive, and innovative.
[17:26] With that belief at the center of our
work, we've continued to strengthen our
[17:30] systems, supports, and staff capacity
needed to ensure that every student is
[17:34] learning every day.
Tonight, I'm going to talk to you a
[17:37] little bit about our student support
overview, the first six weeks of school,
[17:41] how we allocated those staff, what
professional learning they've had and
[17:45] will continue to have, our student data
from the students we are supporting, and
[17:49] our new request for assistance process.
So recognizing that the transition back
[17:56] to school can be challenging for some
students and families, the student
[18:00] services division allocated 27 staff
members from our elementary OCI
[18:05] intervention classes, early childhood
special education, and early childhood
[18:10] education to provide targeted support at
identified elementary sites during the
[18:15] first six weeks of school. Support
assignments were based on student data
[18:19] from the 2526 school year and
anticipated student needs. To prepare
[18:24] staff for day one, 164 classified staff
members, including additional support
[18:30] staff and TK pair professionals,
received targeted behavior training from
[18:34] one of our board certified behavior
analysts.
[18:37] Elementary principles received
information outlining the additional
[18:40] classroom support along with a
communication template they could use to
[18:44] explain to teachers what the support
would look like in their classrooms.
[18:49] Support assignments, like I said, were
based on student data from the 2526
[18:53] school year and anticipated student
needs. Support is being provided to 50
[18:58] students across 16 school sites with 28
students receiving direct support and 22
[19:04] students receiving regular check-ins
from our site support teams.
[19:10] Professional learning for the support
staff will be ongoing throughout this
[19:14] school year and began with a training of
164 classified employees, additional
[19:19] support staff and TK pair professionals
led by the early childhood special
[19:24] education board certified behavior
analysts, school psychologists, and
[19:28] behavior intervention specialists. The
training focused on building staff
[19:33] capacity to understand behavior and use
evidence-based proactive strategies to
[19:38] increase student engagement,
independence, and successful
[19:41] participation in classroom routines.
Staff practiced strategies they could
[19:47] immediately apply at carpet time
centers, free choice transitions, and
[19:51] other daily routines. And literally,
they brought in the carpet, the centers,
[19:56] and and they practiced what it would
actually look like in a real classroom.
[20:01] Um, training emphasized embedding
learning opportunities throughout the
[20:05] day, strengthening functional
communication, proactively preventing
[20:09] and responding to challenging behavior,
and using environmental supports
[20:13] effectively. Key strategies included
behavior specific praise, choice, and
[20:18] token boards, active engagement,
consistency, and appropriate adult
[20:23] proximity. The goal was to provide them
with the the tools that they could use
[20:29] every day to promote positive behavior,
increase student participation, build up
[20:33] independence, and create consistent
supportive learning environments for
[20:36] students. And this continued learning
and coaching will be offered by early
[20:41] childhood special education board
certified behavior analyst and behavior
[20:45] intervention specialist team over these
next five-week period. So during the
[20:50] support the teams that the are receiving
the support are getting additional
[20:55] training. A total of 12 professional
learning sessions will be offered and
[20:59] these opportunities will be provided to
identify to identified sites twice a
[21:04] week prioritizing TK and preschool
instructors and pair professionals to
[21:08] address our highest need students. Small
cohort training will continue beyond
[21:13] that throughout the year. And again, the
training is going to focus on building
[21:17] staff capacity and confidence,
strengthening consistent classroom
[21:21] routines, implementation of
evidence-based strategies, supporting
[21:25] student engagement, independence,
communication, and creating sustainable
[21:29] systems for ongoing classroom support.
So, I have a little data for the first
[21:35] three weeks, and it doesn't look like
much, but this is an a gain of of five
[21:40] percentage points of independence. So,
when we're talking about student
[21:43] independence, the team is measuring the
percentage of time students are
[21:47] attending to classroom tasks such as
carpet time, free play, story time, free
[21:53] choice on their own without needing to
be prompted. So, they're they are making
[21:57] growth in those areas.
[22:02] The student services team is currently
revisiting the request for assistance
[22:06] process for K6 to provide more timely,
coordinated response to supporting
[22:10] school needs. Previously, we had a
request for TK students. We had a
[22:14] request for um students needing OCI, and
we had a general behavior request. We've
[22:19] streamlined all of that. So, this
refined process will create a clearer
[22:24] pathway to request additional support
while promoting consistent
[22:27] documentation, collaboration, and
follow-through. The RFAS will be
[22:31] reviewed weekly by a multidisciplinary
team, and support will be allocated
[22:36] based on student data. The RFA process
will provide data-driven support while
[22:42] build building staff capacity and
strengthening sustainable systems of
[22:46] support at the school site. This support
could look like classroom observations
[22:50] and consultations,
behavior and instructional strategies,
[22:54] staff coaching and modeling,
environmental and routinebased supports,
[22:59] collaboration with related service
providers, and connection to additional
[23:03] district resources. Ultimately, our goal
is to ensure that the stu the schools
[23:08] have the right supports at the right
time. By strengthening our staff
[23:12] capacity, providing targeted classroom
support, and using a more coordinated
[23:16] data-driven RFA process, we're building
sustainable systems that help school
[23:21] teams respond effectively to student
needs and create successful learning
[23:25] environments for for all of our
students.
[23:30] And with that, if you have any
questions. Okay. So, we'll go to public
[23:33] comment first on this. I do have one
request to speak. Stacy voiced. Stacy
[23:37] Boy, pardon me.
[23:53] » Good evening, Superintendent Shrum,
members of the board. Uh, thank you so
[23:58] much for that report. I'm really excited
to hear about the support for early
[24:02] childhood since there's more of that
coming into our schools and a lot of our
[24:07] teachers are sometimes a little bit new
to the younger children and their
[24:10] developmental needs. So I'm really
excited to hear that kind of support and
[24:14] as the conversation around behavior here
I am curious if there's any
[24:19] consideration for maybe not this
intensive of support but something
[24:24] similar for our um upper grades as well
because behavior is an issue across our
[24:30] district across all grade levels. Um, so
I was just curious if there's any
[24:35] considerations so far about as you see
the outcomes for this, are there maybe
[24:40] some opportunities to look toward um
supporting behavior in in a a very
[24:46] similar way because that's a lot of
layered support and it's job embedded
[24:50] support so it's ongoing and I think that
would be really beneficial to staff
[24:53] across all grade levels. So I'm just
curious about that.
[25:04] Okay. Is there any do you want to
respond or
[25:07] » This does address K through six and then
we are working on systems moving up
[25:13] through middle and high.
>> Okay. Any other public comment on this
[25:17] item?
Board member comment on this item.
[25:24] » Seeing none. Thank you very much.
[25:28] » 4.3 Elevating leadership. Our presenter
is Deputy Superintendent Mark Thompson
[25:32] and Assistant Superintendent HRD Vin
Dylan.
[25:39] » You coming around this way, sir?
>> All right.
[25:47] Oh, I'm red up there tonight.
[25:51] » Maybe got a little too much sun this
weekend. I don't know. Wow.
[26:01] It's a little better over here. Maybe I
stayed out of the sun over here. I got a
[26:04] little sunscreen. I'm not sure. There we
go. Here we go. All right.
[26:09] Sorry. Thanks for humoring me. All
right. Good. Good evening, board
[26:12] president Odoto, superintendent from
board and community. Tonight, I share a
[26:16] little bit about elevating leadership.
This is actually an ongoing conversation
[26:20] that we've had for the last two and a
half years, and this is just an update
[26:23] on where we're at um at this time.
As always, we start with our foundation
[26:29] which actually did a little history on
this uh this was actually three and a
[26:32] half years ago that this theory of
action down at the bottom that I'm going
[26:35] to reference uh that we put together
here. Um and this is really our focus
[26:39] tonight is to empower staff and provide
highquality professionally trained
[26:43] workforce um for our students as we know
if we do that then our students will be
[26:48] successful.
[26:51] I want to start us off tonight with this
quote. Every system is perfectly
[26:56] designed to get the results it gets. Uh
we have used this Edward Dming quote
[27:00] many times in the past. While this is an
accurate statement,
[27:05] I want to share to change a system to
get different outcomes. This change
[27:09] doesn't happen overnight and it requires
elevating leadership.
[27:14] Over the past few years, board, you have
worked together to develop a clear
[27:17] district mission and vision to provide
local priority student outcomes
[27:22] indicators uh which have turned into a
strategic plan that we're working on. Uh
[27:26] this shift has provided the foundation
for our leadership development. Our
[27:31] leaders today are working in a system
that has a clear north star. Uh rather
[27:35] than being reactive, they're able to
really focus in more on shared
[27:39] leadership. Leaders get to be trained
and supported to learn how to develop
[27:44] and build new systems that lead to
improved sustainable results. Also uh
[27:49] needs to develop skills to empower
staff, students and community and
[27:53] develop teams that think differently uh
so that we can involve into a more
[27:57] strategic system that pro produces
improved outcomes. It's about developing
[28:02] and cultivating a proactive leadership
culture for our students, staff, and
[28:07] community. This matters because our
leaders have a huge impact on student
[28:10] learning. When leaders are efficient,
effective, and student centered, then
[28:15] students thrive. That is why this work
is essential to the health and growth of
[28:19] our school district.
[28:24] While we just concluded our first year
of implementing our strategic plan that
[28:28] was developed from again those board
foundational guidelines
[28:32] because it was so new to us and required
adjustment from all leaders. We wanted
[28:36] to get better understand the challenges
and the gaps our principles and
[28:40] directors were facing. So we conducted
over 60 empathy interviews to listen and
[28:44] learn from their experiences on best
practices and areas of growth for our
[28:48] district. At a high level, what we
learned from our leaders was we need to
[28:53] be to provide more clarity and coherence
of all our systems coming together in
[28:58] order to go deeper in their learning and
the implementation of leadership and and
[29:03] our teaching practices. So, it's not
more, it's actually getting clear on
[29:06] what we're asking to do and then go
deeper into those levels.
[29:11] What we learned from the empathy
interviews along with the skills needed
[29:14] to lead in a district where there's a
clear vision, strategic plan, and
[29:18] priority metrics is what we use to
prepare our leadership development
[29:22] development for this school year. Now,
I'm going to hand off to assistant
[29:25] superintendent uh Mr. Dylan here to tell
you a little bit more about our
[29:28] leadership plan for this school year.
[29:33] » Thank you. So, as Deputy Superintendent
Thompson mentioned, it was really making
[29:39] sure that we understood the present need
and the target that you of the board has
[29:45] set for us. We have a number of
strategic plan actions that specifically
[29:49] address this area of our work. Even a
strategic plan action that calls out
[29:53] building out a leadership framework for
Vicelia. And so, this is done with that
[29:56] in mind, both living in the present
while building towards the future. So
[30:01] with that kind of frame, I want to just
kind of call out a few things that you
[30:05] as a board have empowered uh our
district leadership to invest in and and
[30:10] utilize in the recent years. So our
general leadership session is something
[30:15] that's been around for some time. It's
had different names over the years. It's
[30:19] a opportunity where we bring together
principles and directors for ongoing
[30:23] professional learning throughout the
year. The uniqueness that I'd call out
[30:26] going from last year to this year is
really getting focused on what exactly
[30:31] we are going to be doing and as deputy
superintendent Thompson shared it's not
[30:36] going broader but really being more
targeted and I'll share more about that
[30:39] but that's an existing structure that we
continue to get feedback on and our
[30:44] principles and directors give very
honest feedback and so I thank you all
[30:47] for that uh because we review that all
the time and we're coming back to that
[30:52] and continuing to hone and improve those
practices. is in addition you as a board
[30:56] have invested in our partnership for
leaders in education with the University
[30:59] of Virginia and it's exciting to see how
that work has manifested not just in
[31:04] leadership development but leadership
and development that drives student
[31:09] learning and improvement in our school
systems and it's especially encouraging
[31:13] as we're entering into our third and
fourth year now where we're seeing that
[31:17] academic return on that investment and
then also just a few other things and
[31:22] this is by no means a comprehensive but
from utilizing the change management
[31:26] resources that we've gleaned and learned
about through our partnership with the
[31:29] University of Virginia as well as tools
like the DISC leadership training and
[31:33] resources um helping us understand a
framework for leadership skills and how
[31:38] we work together and better work
together when we understand those skills
[31:42] of one another. So, as we think about
where we've been and where we're going,
[31:46] I want to take just a minute to
highlight kind of some specific
[31:49] leadership focus for this year. One we
talked about was our general leadership
[31:54] sessions. And so there's actually a
slide in the middle of this slide that
[31:57] I'm not going to go deep into, but it's
a slide we share at the beginning of
[32:00] every general leadership session because
it anchors us back to we said we're
[32:04] going to focus on this this year and
we're not going to run and chase rabbits
[32:09] throughout the year. We're going to stay
focused and we're going to go deep in
[32:12] our learning together. In addition, we
are committing to some specific time and
[32:18] and a learning structure for our
directors, both our classified and our
[32:23] certificated directors, all directors
across the district, deputy
[32:26] superintendent and Thompson and myself
will be co-f facilitating that uh
[32:31] building on the good work that already
exists and as I mentioned these are by
[32:35] no means the the sole actions taking
place. Lots of great work happening
[32:39] obviously at our school sites and also
within our departments and our divisions
[32:42] here at the district, but this is an
intentional focus to really address the
[32:46] director level leaders the director
level leadership needs of our district.
[32:50] And then also with this in mind that the
strategic plann action work is not
[32:55] stopping. It continues to move forward.
And so having that coordination and
[33:00] creating coherence across current
actions and then actions that are in
[33:04] service of a future state so that we're
not sacrificing one for another so we
[33:08] don't head down path A while we're
trying to plan path B for the long run.
[33:12] It's really about looking out and
casting a vision and then taking actions
[33:16] now that lead us towards that vision
that we're designing for the future.
[33:22] The last thing I want to share with you
board is we have committed to coming
[33:25] back to you to share about progress in
this effort throughout the year and so
[33:29] we'll come back to you mid year and then
we'll come back to report on this again
[33:32] at the end of the year. Leadership
development is critical. We know the
[33:36] research had research effects says on
teacher and educator impact. We also see
[33:41] that research especially over the number
of years coming out of the pandemic on
[33:45] educational leader impact. And so we
recognize that it's important that we're
[33:49] not just committing to take actions, but
that we're measuring how are those
[33:52] actions going and are we seeing success
coming from those actions. So
[33:56] specifically, I've called out a few
different measures that we will share
[33:58] about with you when we come back. Um,
and at this time, we would be happy to
[34:02] take questions about anything that we
just shared with you.
[34:05] » Okay. Any public comment on this item?
[34:10] » We good. Okay.
>> Board member comment. Mr. Belt,
[34:16] » both Mr. Dylan and Mr. Thompson, I I
appreciate very much that we are making
[34:21] um and not not just an effort. We are
intentional about helping all of our um
[34:29] key I like to say key staff, but they're
they're much more than that. The
[34:33] principles in the past have been um
usually in their position because they
[34:37] had an amazing personality or they liked
people like them. But we've decided in
[34:44] the last few years to help develop them
as leaders, not just some fly real well
[34:50] and others don't all I what I'm seeing
that you're developing an opportunity
[34:55] for all of them to develop themselves
and then have a cohort not only on
[35:00] campus but with each other. Uh and I
really appreciate that it is far more
[35:04] than just
punching a time clock or supplying
[35:09] stickers for the class of the month, you
know, because of they won some kind of
[35:14] attendance record or behavior uh
establishment. We are I'm seeing this is
[35:20] part of it, isn't it?
When I go onto a campus, a principal
[35:23] actually has some have clipboards, some
have folders, but they have these things
[35:28] you just shown us that they are checking
and walking the campus every day uh to
[35:33] find out if these things are actually
happening. Is that right? This is you
[35:36] have some kind of ongoing
accountability.
[35:39] Well, I would first say is our
principles are amazing and they they
[35:44] know where we're going because we have
clear progress uh indicators and
[35:48] directions that they're doing and they
pick and target for their school what
[35:51] their school needs and yes they do track
and monitor and we have great
[35:55] conversations with them on that. Our
goal is to have continuous improvement
[35:58] and I think that's what you're looking
for and what you're what you're speaking
[36:01] to today. just excited about the work of
our the team as they are fully in um
[36:06] fully vested and just appreciate their
work every day on the campuses
[36:09] » very much. Well, that's and that's what
I'd like to say. I think you said it
[36:11] very well. Thank you. Thanks to all of
our principles which we have a pretty
[36:15] good size representation today for all
your work. It's unending as all of us
[36:21] converse very often. It's a job that
none of us would like to have. Some of
[36:24] us have had it but that it literally is
almost all consuming. So take time for
[36:31] yourself like yesterday. I hope you did.
But also thank you. It's it's showing.
[36:35] [snorts]
It's not just in verbiage. It actually
[36:39] the big rocks are really the big rocks.
Thank you.
[36:43] » Any other board member comment?
[36:48] » So I think what Mr. Belt was trying to
say from my perspective having been one
[36:51] of those principles is we've always had
good principles but the thing you want
[36:55] to have is consistently good principles.
And when you systematize the work and
[36:58] you open people's eyes to what the
expectations are and then show them how
[37:02] it should be and how it works and how to
get there, then you get a better overall
[37:06] pool of principles. We've always had
good, but we want is great across the
[37:09] board, I think. Thank you for your work
in that. Okay, general public comment.
[37:14] Thank you folks. General public comment
on any topic not on the agenda may be
[37:18] heard at this time. If you have public
comment on an item listed on tonight's
[37:21] agenda, there will be an opportunity for
you to share your comments at the time
[37:24] the item comes up for discussion by the
board. Pursuant to board policy, the
[37:28] board will limit individual comments uh
for general public comment to no more
[37:32] than 3 minutes and individual topics to
20 minutes. To comply with the Brown
[37:36] Act, California's open public meeting
law, board discussion is limited to
[37:39] items on the agenda. Therefore, when
receiving public comment for items not
[37:43] on the agenda, the board's role is
limited to receiving such comments, and
[37:47] the board may not engage in dialogue
with the public. The board thanks the
[37:50] public for its participation in public
comment and understanding of the board's
[37:54] responsibilities.
Excuse me. It is recommended you begin
[37:57] your comments by stating your name. And
I do have a number of requests to
[38:02] speak here. We'll start off with believe
it's Mina Roachcha.
[38:11] Good evening. My name is Ma Roachcha. I
am a CCA labor rep. Um, some news came
[38:16] my way. So, I kind of wanted to touch
base before it like gets further along.
[38:21] So, um, I was made aware that a comment
was made about the potential of board
[38:28] members increasing their monthly stipen
to match the state law that passed
[38:33] recently.
Um, and that the comment could have been
[38:38] paraphrasing that some people have bills
to pay. And I know you've probably heard
[38:43] me say this several times, but so do the
people working in your districts, right?
[38:48] So do the ones that are working the
three and a half hours who also have to
[38:51] work somewhere else because they're
making the choice between keeping lights
[38:54] on, feeding their their child, getting
them here healthy, and paying rent. So,
[39:00] I am really hoping I'm really hoping
that's just a consideration and not
[39:07] something that we see like other
districts like in Bakersfield or up
[39:10] north where they have taken that and
then it kind of leaves a perception to
[39:15] your members out here that we're not
valued as much. And so, I'm really
[39:20] hoping it's just a consideration and
we're not leaning that way. But I just
[39:25] wanted to bring it up and bring light to
it because as I've said in other board
[39:28] meetings, um these people are making it
day by day trying to put food on the
[39:33] table, pay their bills. They got bills
to pay and they're doing the best they
[39:37] can with what they've got. So I'm like
I'm like I said, I'm really hoping it's
[39:41] just a consideration and it's not
something that you're really pursuing.
[39:44] Thank you.
>> Thank you. Next up, Sabrina Norton.
[39:55] Uh, Sabrina Norton, hope you don't mind.
I brought a visual aid. Um, so I just
[40:01] before I get into my main comment, I
sometimes make mistakes. Not often, but
[40:07] it does happen. So, I wanted to make a
clarification.
[40:11] Last time I was here, I mentioned a
meeting I had way back in 1996 with the
[40:18] Mount Whitney principal about a school
bully.
[40:22] You can go back and look. Um, I
mentioned meeting with the principal.
[40:27] Something didn't sit right. I went home,
grabbed the yearbook. Uh, it turns out I
[40:32] met with Henry Pasquini, the assistant
principal.
[40:36] Um,
and when I did go look him up, noticed a
[40:42] couple
uh familiar faces. Don't know y'all can
[40:48] see that. I know you can't. Uh, but Mr.
Otto, Miss Taylor,
[40:54] hi. [laughter]
Um, I'm really hoping that you didn't
[41:01] share the views of your uh
uh colleague, Miss Naylor,
[41:08] since you were there at the time. But
moving on, uh let's move to another
[41:16] yearbook um photo
and it's been a long time coming. The
[41:22] district dragged its feet on getting the
public information request filled and
[41:28] there's a lot that was revealed there
and a lot that is seemingly missing
[41:34] since there was a thorough
investigation.
[41:38] But the thing that stood out to me most
was the self-report from the Redwood
[41:45] uh yearbook instructor uh Calvin Fen.
And I'm just going to read his own words
[41:51] here. He claims that while he was in the
gym as the only teacher with the
[42:02] probably nearly entire senior class, he
heard laughing, turned around and saw
[42:09] the 10 students that were arranging for
the photo. He crosses over and in the
[42:16] time that he crossed the gym, I'm sure
many of the students also took photos.
[42:23] But he gets to the 10 students and says,
"What do you think you were doing? Why
[42:28] would you spell that word? Do you
realize what this means? That word isn't
[42:33] just a slur for gay people. And it
doesn't just mean a bundle of sticks. A
[42:37] bundle of sticks, kindling, is used to
start a fire." That word became a slur
[42:42] for gay people because it devalues their
lives. It says that they could be burned
[42:47] alive. You using that word is so
hateful. It means that because of how
[42:50] people love, how they live their lives,
their lives are forfeit and they are
[42:55] worthy of being killed, being burned
alive. You should never use that word.
[42:59] Not to mention the fact that you are the
leadership of this class and you are
[43:04] facing the entire senior class. The
entire senior class just saw what you
[43:08] were doing. Plus, you have taken a photo
of yourselves doing this. If that photo
[43:11] gets out now or in the future, it can
ruin your reputation. It can ruin your
[43:15] future. Whoever has the photo needs to
delete it now.
[43:18] » Thank you.
[43:27] » Next up, Britney Kamacho.
[43:36] » Good evening, board members. Uh, my name
is Britney Kamacho and I am a mother to
[43:43] three of the many victims from the child
abuse case at Highland Elementary
[43:47] School. And, um, tonight I just wanted
to give a response to Mr. Belt's comment
[43:54] at the workshop. Um, in response to your
opinion from the workshop, you stated
[44:01] that cameras would not give
accountability. [gasps]
[44:05] You [sighs] stated that they would not
give accountability, but my opinion is
[44:09] that cameras will provide
accountability.
[44:12] Another thing that cameras will do is
give transparency.
[44:17] Cameras would be an unbiased voice for
non-verbal children while in the school
[44:21] setting. I've said this before and I'll
say it again. As humans, we are known to
[44:27] fail.
You cannot solely rely on trusting good
[44:32] character and mandated reporting.
Cameras would provide concrete proof of
[44:37] the exact situation in question. So yes,
I I do believe that cameras are the
[44:44] answer. And how will cameras provide
accountability? By giving a voice. Many
[44:49] students in self-contained or special
needs education classrooms are
[44:53] non-verbal
or have limited communication skills,
[44:57] [snorts] making it difficult for them to
report verbal, physical, or emotional
[45:02] mistreatment. Another thing is by
providing an objective record.
[45:07] Proponents argue that video and audio
feeds act as an impartial eyewitness
[45:12] replacing a subject a subjective he said
she said scenario with factual evidence.
[45:19] Another thing is by protecting staff.
Advocates and lawmakers note that
[45:24] cameras protect innocent teachers and
aids from false accusations or
[45:29] misunderstandings
by providing clear proof of proper
[45:34] professional conduct. Another thing is
by verifying protocols. Recorded footage
[45:39] ensures that specialized individual
education plans and safety protocols
[45:45] such as proper handling of behavioral
crisises are correctly followed by
[45:50] staff.
I hope that all of you approach the
[45:55] upcoming research with an open mind and
I do look forward to collaborating with
[46:00] you in the next workshop. Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[46:06] Next up, Ephra Deser.
[46:18] » Good afternoon, board members. I'm Ebra
Bera, proud Vicelian. Um, I am here just
[46:23] to bring up a concern. I do notice that
this wonderful space um contains a copy
[46:30] of the Bill of Rights there. I do
believe that that bill of rights states
[46:35] that we have the freedom of expression
one something that was not practiced at
[46:39] this district in March 10th. Um
unfortunately you all as a board cannot
[46:45] see what happens in the backside of this
room. Um, well, I'm here to show you
[46:50] that you can. Actually, somebody decided
to get proof of this gentleman here that
[46:57] was texting Christian Gomez asking about
my employment 10 minutes after I spoke
[47:02] on March 10th over the Redwood situation
and also the classified employee cuts.
[47:09] So, I do see you guys are proud of all
the staff here. Um just wanted to say my
[47:14] concern comes from we have rights that
should not be taken away that should be
[47:20] trainings for that as employees you
should make your employees comfortable
[47:25] come here and state a concern to you all
now I might admit I might came across a
[47:31] little bit harsh to you all I admit that
so I'm trying to speak to you in a
[47:35] loving way something that I was taught
you know and Dr. you probably know this
[47:40] um from the same beliefs as you. So I'm
going to speak to you in that manner.
[47:45] And this text here says how is the
transfer as an employee from Christian
[47:51] Gomez who was the principal at
Greenacres.
[47:54] And then she says not very good on March
10. And then he says interesting.
[48:01] And then she says he's not tenured.
So
[48:06] after I spoke, this is probably being
thrown around to the HR people that are
[48:12] sitting right there too. So not being
tenure does not mean you don't have
[48:16] rights, you know, and this is caught on
camera, which will be posted by the way.
[48:22] I will make sure people know in Vicelia
this is not okay. Everybody should have
[48:27] rights. Teachers should have rights.
I've been a sub here in Vicelia for a
[48:32] long time getting my current my my
credential and my masters and teachers
[48:37] always say they don't feel listened to.
You guys talk about principles,
[48:40] assistant principles. Why don't you make
a plan to have pair of professionals
[48:44] also do walkthroughs with you guys or
with the principles teachers? They're
[48:48] the front lines with these students.
They don't feel Listen, that's the
[48:52] frustration coming from parents with you
guys. And I don't like seeing comments
[48:56] online against the board. You know, we
want to work with you. We want to make
[49:01] sure that, you know, we're all
interconnected, but it's not fair that
[49:05] the the US Constitution that you guys
are so proud of here is not being
[49:10] practiced in this this room. So, I'm
just letting you know, try better. Thank
[49:14] you.
>> Okay. Thank you. Any other public
[49:18] comment?
[49:22] Okay. Seeing none, we will move forward
with the agenda.
[49:26] Item six, consent agenda. Would any
board member like to pull an item from
[49:30] consent agenda?
[49:35] Okay, seeing none, may I have a motion
to approve the consent agenda?
[49:39] » I'll move.
>> I'll second.
[49:41] » Mr. Bell move and first and Miss Gabby
second. Call for the vote.
[49:52] Um motion carries. Student board member
votes yes. Six yes. One absent.
[50:02] » Item seven, student representative
report. Miss Jada Tour, LD Monte High
[50:07] School.
[50:15] » Good evening board members. My name is
Jada Tour. I'm a senior at LD Monte High
[50:19] School and a member of our USAV, our
district-wide student leadership team.
[50:25] We had our first USAV meeting on August
31st here at the USD boardroom. It was a
[50:31] chance for student leaders to talk for
all of our high schools to come
[50:34] together, get to know each other, and
talk about what our role in USB was
[50:37] going to be this year. We started with
the leadership activity that really
[50:41] showed us how important it is for
everyone to have a role and be willing
[50:45] to participate. We talked about what
happens when there isn't a clear goal,
[50:49] when someone doesn't do their part, or
when someone decides to not participate
[50:52] at all. That connected to one of the
biggest reasons USV exists. We want to
[50:56] hear from all students, including the
students who may not always feel
[50:59] connected or involved at their school.
We also talked about how USV is going to
[51:04] help bring student voices from
individual campuses to the district
[51:08] level. Throughout the year, we'll be
gathering feedback from our students,
[51:11] talking with our administrators,
bringing those ideas to our UN SAV
[51:15] meetings, and sharing what we're hearing
with you as a board. We ended the
[51:19] meeting talking about leadership and
what it actually looks like. One of our
[51:23] biggest takeaways for us was that
leadership isn't about being the person
[51:27] in the front. It's about helping people
grow, feel included, and be successful,
[51:31] too. It was a great start to our year,
and we're excited to represent our
[51:34] schools and make sure students across
BUSD have a voice. And now for our site
[51:39] reports.
We have three highlights from LDonte
[51:43] High School. LDonte kicked off its first
football game of the season with an
[51:48] incredible showing from the student
section. The Green Sea is back. More
[51:52] than 300 students packed the stands to
support our miners. The night continued
[51:57] with our icebreaker dance proudly
sponsored by Raising Canes, giving
[52:00] students a great way to celebrate
together. Their next highlight was that
[52:04] Club Rush was a huge success with more
than 40 student clubs hosting booths and
[52:08] showcasing opportunities for our
involvement on our campus. Our miners
[52:13] were eager to explore their interests,
meet new people, and find a place of
[52:17] belonging. The event was a great
reflection for the strong community and
[52:21] involvement that EDHS has to offer.
Their last highlight was that LD
[52:27] welcomed families to campus for a
successful open house. With a great
[52:32] turnout from parents and guardians eager
to meet teachers, staff, and learn more
[52:36] about the year ahead, we're grateful
about the strong support from minor
[52:39] families and a great year for EDHS.
Then, Golden West also provided three
[52:45] highlights. On Tuesday, August 18th,
Golden West ASB students hosted its
[52:49] annual club rush during lunch, bringing
together a widely wide variety of campus
[52:55] clubs and organizations. Students had
the opportunity to meet club members and
[53:02] advisors exploring their interests and
discover many ways they can also get
[53:06] involved on campus. It was a strong
turnout and enthusiastic participation
[53:11] made the event a great success. Their
next highlight was that on August 28th,
[53:16] Golden West ASB kicked off its first
Friday Night Lights home game of the
[53:20] school year. ASB students worked
together to prepare the student section,
[53:24] promote the game day theme, lead cheers
and chants, and create an energetic
[53:28] atmosphere throughout the evening. The
dub zone was packed with enthusiastic
[53:33] students who showed a tremendous school
spirit and helped make the first home g
[53:37] home home game an exciting and memorable
experience for the campus and community.
[53:41] Their last highlight was that Golden
West ASB is proud to celebrate
[53:46] homecoming week with a patriotic theme,
stars, stripes, and Friday nightlights.
[53:51] The week will feature dressup days,
lunchtime competitions, and performance,
[53:56] their top 10 finalist, and their courts.
On Friday, September 11th, our their
[54:01] students and community will come
together for the annual homecoming rally
[54:05] and football game featuring special
guests, local first responders, and the
[54:09] crowning of their king and queen.
Mount Winnie also provided three
[54:14] highlights. They celebrated their
welcome week with a minion style theme
[54:19] August 17th through the 21st. Students
participated in dressup days and
[54:23] lunchtime activities. They wrapped up
the week the week with their welcome
[54:27] back rally and their teachers, their new
teachers from the year participated in
[54:31] their first game.
Their next highlight was that Mount
[54:35] Winnie also hosted a club rush for
sports and clubs on campus on August
[54:39] 25th, 27th, and the 28th. It was a great
opportunity for students getting
[54:43] involved in their high school journey,
and you could feel the excitement. Their
[54:47] last highlight was that on September
2nd, Mount Winnie put on a lunchtime
[54:51] rally to wish their football teams the
best of luck during their week. Their
[54:56] lady pioneers had their first ever flag
football game and their boys had their
[55:02] first home football game this Friday. It
was great to see both students and staff
[55:07] come support the Pioneers.
[55:12] Redwood High School also provided three
highlights. Redwood kicked off the year
[55:17] with more than 60 RHS clubs
participating in their leadership
[55:21] orientation. Club presidents and vice
presidents came together to prepare for
[55:25] the year ahead and get ready for club
day on September 9th. Students lead
[55:30] student leaders focused on setting a
goal, having effective meetings,
[55:33] communications, finances, and promoting
opportunities for students to get
[55:37] involved. They're excited for club day
and the Rangers
[55:41] to have more opportunity for the many
clubs and involvement that Redwood has
[55:45] to offer. Their next highlight was that
Ranger athletics made history and hosted
[55:50] the first ever girls flag football game
in USD history at Mineral King Bowl. The
[55:54] Lady Rangers opened their season against
Madera South with an impressive victory.
[56:01] This milestone marks the beginning of a
new athletic opportunity for their
[56:05] students and a chapter for Redwood and B
USD athletics. They're excited to watch
[56:09] their Lady Rangers continue building the
program and making history throughout
[56:12] its first season.
Their last highlight was that Redwood
[56:16] started the year focusing welcome
focusing on welcoming new students,
[56:20] building connections, and strengthening
Ranger pride. They welcomed the class of
[56:24] 2030 and their freshman parent and
freshman parents for their parent night
[56:29] and local icebreaker rally and dance
where students came together for games,
[56:34] fun activities, music, and school
spirit. Their annual annual freshman
[56:38] tailgate continued to welcome the newest
Rangers and giving them an opportunity
[56:42] to connect with classmates, enjoy food,
activities, and attend their first home
[56:47] game.
Sequoia High School provided two
[56:53] highlights. Sequoia welcomed back
welcomed our back to school night with
[56:58] raffle tickets that were given
throughout the week and one lucky family
[57:01] got a great gift. They hosted the
families in their gym with the resources
[57:05] such such as social emotional attendance
and all teachers displayed their work
[57:11] for families to connect. Their next
highlight was that Sequoia participated
[57:17] in a spirit week with some dressup days,
twin day and decade day. They also
[57:22] finished the week on Friday with snow
cones.
[57:25] BCIS held their back to school night on
se on Thursday, September 3rd for their
[57:30] families and community. The event was
met with great success, one of the
[57:34] highest turnouts that USD has had for
back to school night. All families,
[57:38] including over 200 new V VCIS families,
got to explore the state-of-the-art
[57:43] facility and see where their students
innovative learning takes place each
[57:48] day. VCIS student services continued its
chill and chat, own it together student
[57:56] series on September 2nd with a session
focused on own your learning. Students
[58:01] had the opportunity to connect with one
another while exploring their individual
[58:05] learning styles and developing
strategies to create an academic
[58:09] comeback plan. The chill and chat series
provides BCIS students to with welcoming
[58:15] space to socialize, build connections,
and develop important life skills that
[58:19] support their academic and personal
success.
[58:24] VTEC welcomed parents and students on
their back to school night on September
[58:28] 2nd. The event was well attended by
parents and families. Wolverines had the
[58:34] opportunity to visit classrooms, connect
with teachers, and get ready for up
[58:38] upcoming fair events. Their next
highlight was that BTE ASB hosted a club
[58:42] rush where students had the opportunity
to get involved and learn about already
[58:48] established clubs as well as newly
developed clubs. During the month, ASB
[58:52] also hosted a dressup week and an
icebreaker dance.
[58:57] VTEC FFA hosted an FFA state officer
visit where all students were given the
[59:02] opportunity to enhance their leadership
skills through different presentations.
[59:06] During that week, VTEC FFA hosted an ice
cream social during lunchtime and
[59:11] students were allowed to build
connections. The month came to an end
[59:15] with VTEC FFA hosting their first
chapter meeting where students enjoyed
[59:19] making tie-dye shirts. Thank you.
>> Thank you very much. Item eight, board
[59:25] member reports. Mr. Belt, batting lead
off.
[59:29] » Thank you. Tie-dye shirts. Some of us
grew up with that.
[59:35] You still like them.
I I wanted to highlight the the ribbon
[59:39] cutting at Houston school that several
of us attended. The staff did an
[59:44] outstanding job negotiating the 102
degrees. And um the Houston school is a
[59:50] result of what we what can be done in
turning the educational environment into
[59:55] a tremendous place to work and to learn.
U the facilities head Steve Pena uh
[1:00:03] Jennifer Frederick's uh project manager
uh our business department principal
[1:00:08] signs should all be commended. This is a
model of what can be done when we have
[1:00:14] sufficient resources to do it. take a
60-year-old school and bring it into the
[1:00:20] 21st century. Uh the state of the local
government meeting was uh always an
[1:00:25] interesting showcase of the joint
efforts of the city, county, district,
[1:00:30] and business entities. Not only that
they work together, but they cooperate
[1:00:35] and are interdependent. It was
highlighted that as our schools go, so
[1:00:40] goes the whole community that you are
able to uh sell, if you will, the the
[1:00:47] the best of Vicelia when our schools are
doing well. And so that's a a back and
[1:00:53] forth uh interaction. And so anyone and
everyone who's been involved with
[1:01:00] government as well as many business
people were there asking some really
[1:01:05] in-depth questions and uh I was glad
that we were able to be a part of that.
[1:01:09] I've also made it a point to attend
Friday nights at both stadiums because I
[1:01:13] wanted to get firsthand look at both the
and support but I wanted to see the how
[1:01:19] things are working. Uh, I want to
appreciate all of our sports teams, our
[1:01:24] activities, our leaders of activities,
our athletic directors, the stadium
[1:01:30] upgrades, the students, as well of
course the teams and the
[1:01:35] inner workings. I actually had the first
time I've actually climbed on the top,
[1:01:40] which is a precarious move of the press
box at Middle King Bowl because the
[1:01:45] stairs go straight up and come straight
back down. uh to actually get that
[1:01:49] amazing view and shoot some video and
some pictures of what it looks like from
[1:01:54] there. But then I also got the inside
look as at both stadiums of how our
[1:02:00] integrated video scoreboard works, how
they can do highlights, what they're
[1:02:04] growing into with very near future, our
students uh in media will actually be on
[1:02:10] the field filming and shooting camera
ready uh video that will be livefed and
[1:02:16] put on the screen as well. So there's a
lot to be developed further because they
[1:02:21] have all the tools to do it with. Now um
I want to remind us all that the bucket
[1:02:27] of money that went went into modernizing
and upgrading those two stadiums uh
[1:02:34] could not be used for anything else but
what it was used for infrastructure. It
[1:02:38] wasn't uh taking money away from the
classroom or from salaries or for other
[1:02:42] projects. It was infrastructure money.
It was, I think, I believe, well spent
[1:02:48] because it is a tremendous now tool.
Those two stadiums get amazing use from
[1:02:54] our four high schools. The blowout game
that I attended between Mount Whitney
[1:02:59] and Reg Regetti, um, it made for Regetti
having a long ride home. Uh, but it was
[1:03:06] very fun to see how uh Jaden, the
quarterback who set the all city passing
[1:03:12] record at the end of his junior year, is
now with every pass completed extending
[1:03:17] that amazing historical um prospect as
well as stats. Uh then I had that
[1:03:24] opportunity to see the Mount Whitney
Golden West game together which gave us
[1:03:30] a highlight of two teams. Played a very
tight game, but to actually witness the
[1:03:35] first varsity game win by coach Ado, I
probably just destroyed his name, but um
[1:03:42] it was quite amazing because both teams
played very very well. They had a few
[1:03:47] fumbles. Uh the last thing is that in
the consent agenda tonight, there is an
[1:03:52] item of buying some buses. And I I
wanted to make a highlight. They're not
[1:03:56] just buying buses or replacing old ones.
Uh used ones, used out ones. We actually
[1:04:01] sold them off because uh they weren't
worth much to us to try to keep fixing.
[1:04:07] And that purchase though came from
one-time funds. That is a good use of
[1:04:12] one-time funds. Uh and that's something
that I I know that Nathan's not with us
[1:04:17] this evening. our business manager
Nathan Hernandez because he's ill. But
[1:04:22] that's what we've tried to do.
Fudiciary, is that the right word? Being
[1:04:27] very frugal in how we spend the money at
Vicel Unified. It's for things that we
[1:04:33] need or that we can improve or people
that we also want to make sure that all
[1:04:38] their needs are met as well in all the
different positions we have them. Oh,
[1:04:43] and my second last thing, can I do that?
Um, the Golden West Orchestra showed
[1:04:48] phenomenally well as they played the
national anthem at the Raw Height
[1:04:52] baseball game Sunday night. And the
little video that I put up has had over
[1:04:56] a,000 views in the last 24 hours. If
you've never heard the national anthem
[1:05:01] played by strings, it's worth your
listen. And they made all of us very
[1:05:05] proud. I have never seen a high school
orchestra play at a baseball game. Uh
[1:05:11] but it says a lot of what's happening as
you witness tonight from our middle
[1:05:15] school uh musicians.
My wife who is a classroom music teacher
[1:05:21] feels like today was a red letter day
because 20 students showed up in the
[1:05:27] afterchool rehearsal time uh with their
instruments because they just got their
[1:05:32] instruments in the fifth grade last week
but they want to learn how to play well.
[1:05:37] So thank you again Alan McFarland. There
he is, our VA director. There's lots of
[1:05:42] things happening for all of our
students. Thank you.
[1:05:46] » Okay. Thank you, Miss Gabby.
>> Yeah. And just to kind of continue on
[1:05:51] that, um, you know, we are only 3 weeks
in. Um, welcome back to all of our
[1:05:56] staff, although I know you've been
working for a lot longer than 3 weeks.
[1:05:59] Um, and thank you for all you do to get
the year going, um, you know,
[1:06:05] efficiently. And it's it's no small
task. No matter how much we prepare, you
[1:06:10] know, 30,000 kids descending on a
district is technology needs and busing
[1:06:15] needs and where do I go after school and
all those little things um while still
[1:06:20] starting teaching and learning going and
like we saw tonight like a jazz band
[1:06:25] playing already. So um we know none of
that just happens. Um there's people
[1:06:30] behind all of that. So thank you. Thanks
for your leadership and your
[1:06:33] personality. Um and um yes, the Green
Sea is alive. The high school um sports
[1:06:40] are going also only a few three weeks
in. But um it's great to see the school
[1:06:45] spirit out there. And um lastly, uh we
had a board study session and just
[1:06:51] really excited about um moving to an 8
period day. Um I know that also thank
[1:06:57] you for all the work that's going behind
that. I know that is not um an easy task
[1:07:02] to move um all of the high schools over
to an entirely different schedule.
[1:07:07] There's so many moving parts of that,
but bottom line was everybody kind of
[1:07:11] came together and knew that was best for
kids and that's um an amazing thing when
[1:07:16] um we make a decision that's going to be
a lot of work um but it's best for kids
[1:07:21] and so thank you to all the staff behind
that. That um is a great move in the
[1:07:25] right direction for our kiddos.
Okay, thank you. Board member Viegas.
[1:07:32] Uh, no report. Okay, this is Naylor.
>> Um, just really great job tonight, our
[1:07:39] student board rep. I appreciate the I
love hearing about what's going on in
[1:07:42] the schools and you did an amazing job.
So, thank you. Um, I just wanted to give
[1:07:46] a shout out. I visited with uh
Superintendent Shum Mountain View
[1:07:50] Elementary with principal I don't know
if she's here, Stephanie Gendren. Um,
[1:07:56] thank you. did an amazing job. Went into
the classroom and the first classroom we
[1:08:01] went in, you know, just the little kids,
the TK already doing math with our
[1:08:06] Amplify program. Um, they were all all
engaged. Every classroom that we went
[1:08:10] into, we saw the math and it's the
amplify with all the the um the pieces
[1:08:17] to it, you know, and the hands-on and
the math piece even in the dual
[1:08:22] immersion and we went into a couple of
dual immersions classrooms. So, um, and
[1:08:26] I know one of the things that you said
was, you know, I didn't tell them which
[1:08:28] classroom. So, when we went in, it was a
surprise cuz you tell the teacher's
[1:08:31] face, oh, they chose mine. Um, but they
did an amazing job and it shows your
[1:08:36] leadership and I just appreciate the
intentionality of getting our kids on
[1:08:41] grade level for our math. Um, and just
want to shout out to our visit. Uh, they
[1:08:47] did an amazing job tonight uh with the
band. I was even stomping my foot, but
[1:08:53] um especially just 3 weeks in. So, I
don't know if the band director is here,
[1:08:57] but good job. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Miss Coin.
[1:09:03] » Um I wanted to highlight something on
the consent agenda as well. Um, since
[1:09:09] 2022, we've given scholarships to our
classified employees of $3,000 to earn
[1:09:16] their BA and get their teaching
credential. And now that's that money is
[1:09:23] up to 4,800. And I I just appreciate
that. I remember I was in a special ed
[1:09:29] classroom couple summers ago and I
thought, "Wow, that teacher's really
[1:09:32] good." And then I found out the teacher
was not a teacher but a
[1:09:36] paraprofessional. And I talked to them.
I go, "You need to get your teaching
[1:09:40] credential." And that person is teaching
now. Um um I also want to just thank
[1:09:46] everybody that's working on this 8
period day. I innocently asked
[1:09:52] someone, "Well, are we going to train
our counselors?" And then I was
[1:09:56] overwhelmed with the work they've been
doing to get this set up. I mean indepth
[1:10:03] detailed work to get this eight period
uh day I mean this eight periods and off
[1:10:10] the ground. So I just want to thank you
for that. I was at a VPI meeting today.
[1:10:16] Um our VPI if you don't know is
partnerships with businesses business
[1:10:23] partners in our community and last year
they came up with three priorities. So
[1:10:29] they do advise Vicelia
uh unified. They came up with three
[1:10:34] priorities. They wanted clear and
effective communication, responsibility
[1:10:39] and flexibility and ethical and legal
responsibility. The soft skills that
[1:10:45] many in our community say our kids do
not have and they've been working on
[1:10:48] that diligently with our kids. When I
hear those kids share and talk, I'm
[1:10:53] pretty amazed at how articulate they
are. Uh, VPI has gone after every I'm
[1:11:00] sorry, our CTE department has gone after
every imaginable grant. Um, right now um
[1:11:08] they have uh earned I mean from grants
um over $3 million.
[1:11:14] um they had 418
internships last year and so that
[1:11:23] department is doing a really great job
and I want to thank you for that and the
[1:11:28] lunch that was provided by the culinary
department or the culinary um uh classes
[1:11:34] at um at Mount Whitney. It was a pretty
darn gone good lunch. So, thank you.
[1:11:42] » Okay. And I don't really have anything
to add to that except to say that
[1:11:45] there's lots of things going on across
the district. Thanks to everyone who's
[1:11:47] doing what they can to make sure that
our kids have the best opportunities
[1:11:51] possible to learn and achieve. Whether
you're classified, certificated, or
[1:11:54] management, it all makes a difference.
So, thank you. And superintendent from
[1:11:58] » Wow, no report. Moving on. 10.1
Administrative panel recommendations.
[1:12:05] 10.1 uh recommended expulsions. May I
have a motion to approve recommended
[1:12:09] expulsions?
I'll move. Okay, I'll second.
[1:12:14] » Second by Gabby, first by Odo. Call for
the vote.
[1:12:21] » Motion carries. Um, student board member
abstains. Six yes, one absent.
[1:12:27] » 10.2 recommended expulsions. May I have
a motion to approve the recommended
[1:12:31] suspended expulsions?
>> I'll move.
[1:12:33] » Okay. Motion by Gamoyan, second by
>> Mr. Oh, heard a mail voice. Okay, call
[1:12:41] for the vote.
[1:12:47] » Motion carries. Student board member
abstains.
[1:12:51] Uh, six yes, one absent.
>> 10.3 recommended reinstatements. May I
[1:12:55] have a motion to approve the recommended
reinstatements?
[1:12:58] » So moved. I'll
>> second. Okay. Moved by Naylor, second by
[1:13:01] Viegas. Call for the vote.
[1:13:09] Oops.
Oh, come on. There we go. Motion
[1:13:13] carries. Student board member abstains.
Um, six yes. One absent.
[1:13:18] » And completing the cycle. Recommended
review for continued expulsions. May I
[1:13:21] have a motion to approve the recommended
review continued expulsions?
[1:13:26] » Moved by Naylor. A second.
>> Second by Gamoyan. Call for the vote.
[1:13:33] Motion.
>> Motion carries. There we go.
[1:13:37] » Student board member abstains. Six yes.
Um, one absent.
[1:13:42] » Okay. General agenda item 11.1, long
range facilities planning measure Z
[1:13:47] update. Superintendent Shrub.
>> All right. Well, thank you, President
[1:13:50] Odo. Board members, I am pleased this
evening just to give a little update on
[1:13:55] uh Measure Z, which uh this board in
July unanimously approved uh a bond
[1:14:00] measure to go on the November ballot. Uh
since that time that bond uh received
[1:14:06] the letter designation Z uh from the
county and so uh now we have a name for
[1:14:12] that and uh we are in the process of
sharing this information and and just
[1:14:16] for uh those that may wonder as as a
district we are uh in the position where
[1:14:21] we can share information. We cannot
advocate uh in this in our capacity, but
[1:14:26] we can share information and do
everything we can to make sure uh people
[1:14:29] are aware of what we're doing, why we're
doing this uh and uh what the uh
[1:14:35] benefits would be for the school system
uh with measure Z. So that's what this
[1:14:39] is tonight. This is to give a overview
of where we are and some of the
[1:14:43] important information. And this work is
driven by our strategic plan and
[1:14:47] especially within our strategic plan uh
learning environment safe, supportive,
[1:14:51] and innovative. And so a lot of what
we're able to do, we heard about Houston
[1:14:55] Elementary tonight, uh, modernization
and other things directly connect to
[1:15:00] those safe, supportive, and innovative
environments.
[1:15:04] So, we're going to talk about a couple
of things tonight. Just general
[1:15:07] information about previous bonds, what
that has accomplished, how those funds
[1:15:11] are managed, our commitments, how we're
planning for the future, what Measure Z
[1:15:16] projects would be, uh, and what would
the impact be on our taxpayers.
[1:15:21] So, one of the things I always like to
share and and that we're sharing as we
[1:15:25] engage with our community and and online
is, you know, how do we make some of
[1:15:29] these decisions around our facilities,
right? Do we just take a guess or or is
[1:15:34] there deliberate intentional planning
around this? And there is this is guided
[1:15:39] by our board of education. Our board
said as we engage in this work, we have
[1:15:43] five guiding principles. We've got to
address critical infrastructure needs.
[1:15:48] This is your Hback. This is a lot of the
of the system. Uh you don't necessarily
[1:15:52] always see it but you can feel the
impact when these systems are not
[1:15:56] working. Uh and we have much of our
infrastructure with our facilities as
[1:16:00] old as they are have been managed and
repaired by an amazing operational uh
[1:16:06] facilities uh maintenance teams but
there's only so much work we can do
[1:16:11] before uh that just has reached its
useful lifespan. uh modernizing existing
[1:16:16] schools, balancing enrollment uh and so
we've worked on reducing transfers. For
[1:16:21] the first time in several years, our
actual student enrollment at Redwood has
[1:16:25] decreased and so that work is having an
impact. Uh address community growth uh
[1:16:30] and then be fiscally responsible. That
time and time again is one of the most
[1:16:35] important pieces our board of education
has called us to do as stewards of our
[1:16:39] taxpayer dollars. So, we've been on this
journey for several years. Starting
[1:16:44] about a year after I arrived, we began
some long-term and short ter short-term
[1:16:48] and long-term uh strategic planning. We
went out and we engaged the community.
[1:16:53] We had community meetings and this board
approved both short-term actions and
[1:16:58] long-term actions. Um, and with the that
together, uh, we've been able to
[1:17:03] accomplish a lot. Uh but based on the
work that we have left to do, that's how
[1:17:08] we got to the bond resolution for the
November 3rd ballot. We mentioned the
[1:17:14] community engagement and we heard over
and over again uh from our community
[1:17:18] meetings. We had over 31,000 website
visits, over 2400 community members
[1:17:24] completed the survey, and more than
11,000 people conducted ratings of those
[1:17:30] ideas. In other words, saying we like
this idea more than that idea. All of
[1:17:34] that was taken into consideration as the
short-term and long-term plans came
[1:17:39] together.
And this community has continually
[1:17:43] supported our education of our students
and our facilities. Uh measures E and A
[1:17:50] have supported uh numerous projects
across the district. They include
[1:17:54] science and technology improvements at
our high schools and middle schools. the
[1:17:58] modernization we just saw at Houston and
we are beginning at Viva Blunt, a huge
[1:18:04] investment in Mount Whitney, we've
talked about that, a new academic
[1:18:07] building, new classroom buildings, uh,
media center at Mount Whitney in
[1:18:12] addition to, uh, classroom additions at
Redwood, LDonte, Golden West, uh, to
[1:18:17] begin to replace some of those aging
portables and others as well. um and
[1:18:22] measure E which brought in an academic
building at Redwood High School,
[1:18:25] playground, solar installation, lots of
other investments, Ridge View, uh and
[1:18:30] other school sites as well. And
together, ENA have been impactful.
[1:18:36] They've allowed the district to
modernize approximately half of our
[1:18:40] schools. Now, I will say that doesn't
necessarily mean a full modernization
[1:18:44] when it comes to when you think about a
go, you know, a Valley Oak. While we
[1:18:49] might have been able to do science labs
or or build, you know, two modular
[1:18:54] classrooms to replace a portable, that
even though we've impacted 42 sites, it
[1:18:59] doesn't mean the whole site had a
modernization, right? So, just to keep
[1:19:03] that in mind. Um, and so while we've
been able to do that, that still leaves
[1:19:08] about half of our schools in need of
some level of improvement and
[1:19:12] investment, not to mention other sites
that may have had some work done with
[1:19:17] measure ENA still have opportunity on
their site to continue to do work. Now,
[1:19:24] along the way in measure A, at that
time, we had enrollment projections that
[1:19:28] were showing the district was on track
to need a fifth comprehensive high
[1:19:33] school. And so part of measure A was
about investing in that potential in
[1:19:38] addition to modernizing classrooms,
investment in high schools. But a little
[1:19:43] something happened around 2019 2020 uh
that kind of changed uh some of the
[1:19:50] numbers and what we saw gradually after
that time in our projections and that
[1:19:56] we're seeing now we have declining
enrollment again this year. uh we've as
[1:20:01] a district kind of been I wouldn't say
immune to that but but kind of it hasn't
[1:20:06] really been impactful here in Vicelia
but but we're seeing that this year uh
[1:20:10] and we're seeing that trend really
continue so actually 10 years out
[1:20:15] instead of having additional high school
students we have hundreds less and again
[1:20:21] we're seeing that trend for lots of
different reasons through our schools.
[1:20:26] So, our board realized that going back
to those guiding principles, would it be
[1:20:30] fiscally responsible to invest in
something that our data now shows that
[1:20:36] we would not need? Now, I think we had
an opportunity to communicate better. We
[1:20:41] certainly want to make sure our
community knows why that focus shifted
[1:20:45] into instead of a new high school,
investing in our current facilities. Uh,
[1:20:49] and that's what you're seeing at Mount
Whitney. that's encumbering about 50
[1:20:52] plus million of what's left in measure A
and the modernization at Viva Blunt. And
[1:20:58] when those projects are completed, um
that concludes uh the oper that includes
[1:21:04] our money from those bonds. Um and so a
couple of those things I just mentioned,
[1:21:08] work that's still underway. Viva Blunt's
going to have a full campus
[1:21:11] modernization, Mount Whitney, a new
academic building, classroom replacement
[1:21:16] and modernization up to 16 classrooms.
and then both LDA and Redwood. Now, it
[1:21:21] says new classroom building. What that
means is new classrooms. What ultimate
[1:21:25] form that takes and where will be
determined by architects and those sorts
[1:21:29] of things, but both of those sites will
have additional classrooms out of
[1:21:33] measure A. And as I said, with the funds
for that encumbered, uh the next school,
[1:21:39] Crestwood, that would be up for
modernization. We will be able to design
[1:21:43] that modernization, but we will not be
able to act on any of that. So,
[1:21:48] Crestwood, any any schools beyond that,
um, we do not have resources available
[1:21:54] for modernization.
One question we get a lot, you know, is
[1:21:59] even though that focus shifted, we
didn't need a new high school, but we
[1:22:03] continued to need investment in our
facilities, have we met the obligation
[1:22:08] of the bond? Have we done what we were
uh voters voted on? And the answer to
[1:22:14] that, it comes through our audits, comes
through our independent oversight from
[1:22:18] our community members who meet and have
an external audit. And all of this
[1:22:24] information can be found online. I I
love to to tell people like if you
[1:22:28] really want to go and read an audit
report, you can do that because we have
[1:22:32] it there. So, I challenge folks all the
time, well, you know, I'm just not sure,
[1:22:37] go look at the audit report, right?
Because it shares that information. And
[1:22:41] what you'll find is time after time
again, absolutely nothing. Meaning no
[1:22:47] substantial findings. In other words,
this board's obligation or this board's
[1:22:52] um uh job to be responsible with
taxpayer funds has been met and answered
[1:22:58] time and time again through audits,
independent audits. And as I also like
[1:23:02] to share, we have a double A minus bond
rating, uh which is the highest in the
[1:23:07] valley outside of Clovis. And so you
don't receive those things unless you're
[1:23:12] responsible with taxpayer dollars. And
so I compliment the board along the way
[1:23:18] through refinancing. The board has saved
taxpayers 156.9 million by refinancing
[1:23:25] measures E and A. This means that over
the course of the 30 plus years that has
[1:23:31] been refinanced, shortened, and so that
means there's less that taxpayers will
[1:23:36] pay over time. Um, and again you can see
that 156.9.
[1:23:40] And I think that's important because
responsible bond management includes
[1:23:43] both how we spend bond proceeds and how
we finance those investments through
[1:23:48] refinancing and improving the terms. It
results in the savings less than
[1:23:53] originally planned with payments ending
three years earlier for measure E and
[1:23:58] seven years earlier for measure A.
And when we talk about Measure Z, all of
[1:24:05] those things that I just mentioned, the
independent uh audits, the community
[1:24:09] oversight, all of that will happen and
there'll be a whole new group of
[1:24:14] individuals uh that will be established
with a measure Z uh bond oversight
[1:24:19] committee and including some other ways
that we want to help keep our public
[1:24:23] informed through a public dashboard and
community meetings. Um, and oftentimes
[1:24:28] if if I get asked by individuals, well,
how do I know this money is being used
[1:24:34] uh wisely and how it's intended to be
used, I point to the audits, I point to
[1:24:38] the bond rating, and I point to the fact
that we have open seats on our bond
[1:24:44] oversight committee, and I say, would
you like an application? So, if you
[1:24:49] would like an application, uh, speak
with our finance team because we do have
[1:24:52] seats available both for measure A and,
uh, if Measure Z were to be passed, we
[1:24:57] would have a whole new slate of seats
available, uh, for Measure Z, so to be
[1:25:02] on the oversight committee. So, we're
always looking for individuals willing
[1:25:06] to serve on those committees. Now, let
me get to why as a board
[1:25:13] and staff, we recommended a bond. So
about three years ago, we had an
[1:25:18] independent uh audit, so to speak, of
our facilities. We had a group come in.
[1:25:24] They opened every single door, went into
every single classroom, every closet,
[1:25:28] every playground, um every VAPA, every
sports um location on campus and looked
[1:25:36] behind the scenes, right behind the
walls, looked at our HVAC, looked at our
[1:25:39] plumbing, looked at our infrastructure.
And this is probably not a surprise to
[1:25:45] anyone in the room who works in a
facility, but and again, as I said,
[1:25:51] we've done great. Our teams do
phenomenal work keeping these systems
[1:25:54] running. But this audit identified over
600 million in needs over a 30-year
[1:26:01] period,
including in priority one and two,
[1:26:05] things like the HVAC system. We just had
a situation a few weeks ago. We had two
[1:26:11] HVAC units at um at Redwood High School
that our our maintenance operations
[1:26:18] facilities teams done have done
phenomenal work keeping running. But
[1:26:22] guess what? It reached a point. The
units were so past their lifespan, we
[1:26:28] could not find replacement parts
anywhere in the nation.
[1:26:32] So if anyone in here works with
machinery, you know, you do a great job
[1:26:35] keeping it running, but at some point it
comes to a point where you've got to
[1:26:38] replace it. um and you couldn't patch it
because the it's so old the the part
[1:26:43] isn't found anywhere in the nation. So,
we had to install two new units. Well,
[1:26:48] when the teams came to install the two
new units, it didn't fit the framing of
[1:26:52] the window, the the the piping. This is
where I'm not the technical person here,
[1:26:58] but you know, the you know, the ducks,
right? Um and when they fixed that, the
[1:27:06] wiring was outdated. It blew the circuit
and so the wiring had to be replaced
[1:27:11] because it couldn't handle the load from
the new units. That's a situation we're
[1:27:16] in all across our district. Despite best
efforts and using our maintenance funds
[1:27:21] wisely, the needs of our facilities far
outweigh what we're able to do and able
[1:27:26] to maintain. Now, by the way, what does
every school need? How can the community
[1:27:32] know that? Okay, you're saying these
things, but where is the evidence? So if
[1:27:37] you go to vusd.org, you can find from
that link a print out of every single
[1:27:45] school in Vicelia Unified and it goes
through and it shows what's in priority
[1:27:50] one, what's in priority 2, three, and
four. And
[1:27:57] you can see what HVAC needs to be
replaced, where will we need additional
[1:28:01] classrooms, where might we need a new
pool, you name it. All of that is in
[1:28:05] there in that information. Any public,
any teacher can go in and find that.
[1:28:10] Now, keep in mind this was an assessment
done three years ago. So, I would say
[1:28:13] that probably is now 700 million in
needs, right? Is that as we know how
[1:28:17] pricing continues and so there I think
there's a sense of urgency of the sooner
[1:28:22] we can get to some of these priority one
needs, the further uh we'll be able to
[1:28:26] have an impact uh should we have the
Measure Z funding. So, I did want to
[1:28:30] point that out and let our community
know where you can find what over time
[1:28:35] would eventually happen for each site uh
should that happen. So, here's our
[1:28:40] ballot measure language. I won't read
that, but that uh is uh in this report.
[1:28:44] And you can see that ultimately measure
Z would authorize up to 158 million in
[1:28:49] general obligation bonds. The estimated
tax rate 4 cents per hundred uh dollars
[1:28:54] of assessed value, not market value,
while the bonds are outstanding. And for
[1:28:59] the average homeowner with an average
value in Vicelia is 300,000 the annual
[1:29:04] cost would be $120 or $10 for the year
or $10 for a month for a month. And what
[1:29:12] would measure Z uh if approved be
prioritized for? We talked about a lot
[1:29:17] of those priority one and two needs in
the assessment. That is things like uh
[1:29:22] removing hazardous material, the safe
drinking water, roof leaks uh by
[1:29:26] replacing roofs, right? uh gas lines,
HVAC, electrical systems because those
[1:29:32] have to be updated to handle new units
uh and uh career technology spaces and
[1:29:37] continuing modernization. As I've
mentioned, uh Crestwood would be one of
[1:29:41] the first schools uh in uh in the
modernization. And so this need is
[1:29:47] significant. We've said before over 70%
of our schools are more than 50 years
[1:29:51] old. They have been maintained
fabulously. Uh over 87% of our portables
[1:29:56] are more than 20 years old, but there's
only so much longer some of those can
[1:30:01] hang on. Uh and so already during the
24-25 school year, we had over 380 roof
[1:30:07] leaks. And you can see uh I just
mentioned the HVAC systems, but also the
[1:30:11] board had to make an emergency approval
uh which was not intended in our
[1:30:16] budgeting of a replacement at Gan
because we've had a couple of portables
[1:30:21] whose foundation has now deteriorated
because uh it has it it just is so old.
[1:30:27] Um and so those are again the things
that we continue to find ourselves
[1:30:30] facing as a district. And I think
another important piece is you know we
[1:30:36] often get asked well we're already
paying for measure A and E right we're
[1:30:41] already investing in our facilities and
that is true we just talked about how
[1:30:46] that money was used uh but that that has
now you reached its uh useful lifespan
[1:30:52] right it's been encumbered so when you
look at some of our surrounding areas
[1:30:57] you can see where those uh bond rates
lie uh all the way from a high of 238
[1:31:04] and again this is per 100,000 of
assessed value uh to uh Farmersville
[1:31:10] there you see exit which also I believe
has a bond measure on the ballot for
[1:31:14] this year um and so you think about what
systems are able to do with that level
[1:31:20] of investment
[1:31:25] and here's Vicelia currently
so what we're able to do with that level
[1:31:32] of investment, we've done
um and so that's why the board taking
[1:31:37] this information together uh said we're
going to place a bond measure on the
[1:31:42] November ballot. Now, I will point out
that that is current. That includes
[1:31:47] measure ENA, which we've talked about
have been refinanced. Should the
[1:31:52] taxpayers uh or the voters approve
measure Z, that number would go to 92,
[1:31:58] which is an increase, but I want you now
to look at it and pretend in the middle
[1:32:02] that was 92. And you can still see uh
that comparison of multiple districts.
[1:32:09] So,
we're able to do the invest, you know,
[1:32:14] what we can with the investment that we
have. And so why you see many of our
[1:32:19] facilities in the state and condition
they are that are being fabulously
[1:32:24] maintained but our ability to replace
and modernize
[1:32:28] is directly tied to uh the bond and
state matching funds which we do receive
[1:32:34] from that investment. So I think that's
an important number to look at when we
[1:32:40] think about the scale of the work in
Vicel Unified and why these spaces are
[1:32:45] important. We just talked about Houston
and you can see in that picture a whole
[1:32:50] new driveway, a whole new entryway,
teacher parking. Uh so when you see drop
[1:32:55] off and pickup, it's now not on the
street. Uh and so you think about safety
[1:32:59] and and many of those other things. Uh
you can see the storage, you can see
[1:33:03] some classrooms. I can tell you the
teachers there with the storage and the
[1:33:07] other items that they have in the
classroom. Uh it really does make a
[1:33:11] difference. We already have amazing
learning happening and amazing teaching
[1:33:17] and instruction happening in our
classrooms all across our community.
[1:33:23] But it's time and we want our facilities
to reflect
[1:33:27] that great work that's happening inside
them. So our objective is to provide
[1:33:31] students and staff with learning and
working environments that are safe,
[1:33:34] functional, and capable of serving the
community for many, many more years. So
[1:33:40] that's just a little bit of an update.
We are uh going to hold two community
[1:33:44] sessions. Uh we have uh flyers and
information going out online. So uh
[1:33:50] where our community can come, they can
ask questions. Uh and we're going to
[1:33:54] give anybody who wants a tour of our
facilities where we'll point out both
[1:33:58] things that have been modernized and
things that are on that priority one and
[1:34:03] two list. And so those dates are coming
up in a few weeks in September. Uh and
[1:34:07] that's open to any community member uh
members that would like to come. Uh and
[1:34:12] we'll also have this presentation posted
on our website uh in the next few days
[1:34:16] as well. Uh but I encourage our
community uh I don't want to say those
[1:34:20] dates because I may have them wrong, but
they're coming up in two weeks. We have
[1:34:23] a a mailer going out and it will be on
our social media. Uh but we invite you
[1:34:28] to come to that. Uh so we happy to share
this information and give you a tour as
[1:34:32] well. So, thanks for giving us an
opportunity to give a little bit of an
[1:34:35] update uh and some information around
measure Z. Happy to answer any
[1:34:39] questions.
>> Okay. Any public comment on this item?
[1:34:48] » Well, I thought I was going to say
anything, but I guess I am. Uh,
[1:34:50] regarding this measure, I want to ask
the board if it if you know elections
[1:34:55] coming up, have you talked to voters
about this measure? I have. Voters don't
[1:35:01] agree with this. They're struggling to
pay their bills. They're struggling with
[1:35:04] their f with their kids, right? You show
a number that said 52 uh dollars going
[1:35:10] up to 93. As somebody that pays a
mortgage also, I I don't agree with
[1:35:15] this. Um I agree with modernizing
schools in other ways, but what happened
[1:35:20] to 2008? Like you got a lot of you were
here when we had a recession where you
[1:35:26] know don't the board plan for years who
are the financial people here with
[1:35:31] inflation I mean in 2008 when we went
through financial crisis this board
[1:35:36] should have known to plan for 10 years
in advance why are we taxing the people
[1:35:41] again that's what they're being they're
telling me of course and another thing
[1:35:46] with all due respect um superintendent
based on public um records. Your salary
[1:35:53] is quite high compared to our governor.
I'm not saying anything about the
[1:35:56] governor. I mean, that's a separate
topic, but you know, most families
[1:36:02] regardless of status in Vicelia are
struggling financial financially and
[1:36:08] everybody says the same thing. It's not
a me thing. It's it's the voters.
[1:36:12] They're saying they don't agree with
this bond. So just keep that in mind in
[1:36:16] November because again you know you talk
you're trying to sell a bond saying oh
[1:36:21] well we're going to compare with exit
and Lindsay and other but here in
[1:36:25] Vicelia all the voters are saying the
same thing so why not look for other
[1:36:30] ways of funding this I mean we've gotten
grants from the state during co I know
[1:36:35] this we've gotten grants in 2008 what's
happened to all that money I mean you
[1:36:40] promised voters I know I voted yes in
the first bond
[1:36:44] a new high school and all of a sudden we
don't have one. So that's what the
[1:36:47] voters are saying. So you need to
respond what happened to the those
[1:36:51] promises that were made, you know, the
four election cycles ago since 2008.
[1:36:56] I've seen it on the ballot over and over
again. And I have voted yes cuz I'm an
[1:37:00] educator myself, getting a credential,
of course. Um and at this point, I don't
[1:37:05] agree with it because it's just
promises, promises, but no promises
[1:37:08] kept. And I that's something I would
want to respond to the voters. Thank
[1:37:12] you.
>> Any other public comment?
[1:37:23] » Just more like two questions.
Would you guys at any point considered a
[1:37:29] live priority list of what needs to go
what needs to be fixed and modernized
[1:37:36] while we if the bond was approved? So
like Redwood meeting and AC unit was
[1:37:43] probably number 11 on your list but
moves up to the top. So then that way
[1:37:47] your constituents and parents and know.
And then the second one would be I
[1:37:54] believe in your April or May meeting um
it was noted that we did not turn in the
[1:37:59] proper paperwork to increase the
developer fees. Is there something in
[1:38:03] place to not allow that to happen with
how fast Vice is rapidly
[1:38:08] booming in buildings? Thank you.
>> Thank you. Any other public comment?
[1:38:16] » Okay. Board member comment.
[1:38:21] » Seeing none. Thank you, Mr. Trump.
>> All right. Thank you.
[1:38:29] » Okay.
out of the centerpiece for the evening.
[1:38:32] Kyla, you ready? 11.2 fiscal year 20
2526 unodudited actuals report
[1:38:38] administrative business services. Uh
Kyla Johnson.
[1:38:42] » Good evening board president Odo,
members of the board, Superintendent
[1:38:47] Shrum. We are here tonight to bring you
our 2526 unudited actuals for board
[1:38:52] approval.
[1:38:56] There you go. So our budget is a tool to
ensure that our resources are aligned
[1:39:00] with our core beliefs and commitments
and our strategic plan. It provides the
[1:39:05] resources needed to support student
learning and ensure all students can
[1:39:09] achieve at high levels and demonstrate
demonstrate continuous growth. So as we
[1:39:14] look back at this prior year of 2526,
this financial update provides a picture
[1:39:18] of how these resources were ultimately
used and where we ended our year
[1:39:23] financially. It also allows us to
reflect on our actual expenditures and
[1:39:27] revenues and ensure our resources are
continuing to support the priorities and
[1:39:31] commitments established by the board.
So here's our agenda tonight. We're
[1:39:37] going to go through the purpose of our
unodudited actuals. We'll do a
[1:39:40] comparison of our general fund revenues
and expenditures and then our general
[1:39:44] fund and other fund ending fund
balances. And then we'll discuss next
[1:39:48] steps.
So our unodudited actuals are district
[1:39:52] prepared financial statements for the
period of July 1st 2025 through June
[1:39:57] 30th 2026. It is our final accounting of
all of our financial activity for this
[1:40:03] last fiscal year including our financial
position as of June 30th 2026. We are
[1:40:09] required by education code to file this
with our county office of education on
[1:40:13] September 5 September 15th. And then
it's also used by our external auditors
[1:40:18] to prepare our annual financial report.
[1:40:23] And so what does it mean? It tells us if
we're living within our means. Are we
[1:40:27] spending more money than we receive? And
if we're deficit spending. So this last
[1:40:31] um year we were deficit spending. Um and
then also if we were able to meet our
[1:40:37] required reserve for economic
uncertainties of 3%. So I'm happy to
[1:40:41] report that we were. And then are each
of our districts operating funds
[1:40:45] fiscally solvent? Meaning, do they end
the year with a positive ending fund
[1:40:49] balance, which they did?
[1:40:53] And so this is our 2526 accounting and
budgetary cycle. This is just to kind of
[1:40:58] give you a snapshot of how long it takes
for us for a year. So we actually
[1:41:02] started planning for the 2526
um uh fiscal year back in the fall of
[1:41:08] 2024. And then we are now at September
15, 2026.
[1:41:14] Our next steps is that in December we
will bring an audited financial state or
[1:41:18] we will receive our audited financial
statements and then in January of 2027
[1:41:22] is when we bring those to the board for
approval.
[1:41:29] So this is our general fund revenue. Um,
so our main sources of revenue under
[1:41:35] LCFF, uh, or our main revenue sources
are LCFF, federal revenue, our other
[1:41:41] state revenue, and other local revenue.
So overall, um, we ended the year
[1:41:46] compared to 2425 with a $20.6 million
increase. That is primarily from our
[1:41:53] LCFF revenue, which we had a 2.3% COLA.
And then we are also funded on our ADA
[1:41:58] 3-year average. We also saw an increase
of about $4 million in federal revenue
[1:42:04] and the majority of those funds are for
our title funds. And then other state
[1:42:08] revenue, we saw a 7.5 million increase
and that is for our expanded learning
[1:42:13] opportunities or ELOP which is ongoing
funding. And then we also had um
[1:42:18] learning recovery emergency block grant
funds and then also the one-time funds
[1:42:22] which are the student support and
professional development block grant or
[1:42:26] spudbug.
[1:42:29] because the state loves acronyms.
Um, so our 2526 combined general fund
[1:42:35] revenues, we had 542 million. This is
both restricted and unrestricted. Our
[1:42:41] LCFF sources u make up 71% of that. And
that is revenue that comes in through
[1:42:47] state aid, our education protection act,
and then also property taxes. And then
[1:42:53] our federal revenues make up about 5% of
that budget.
[1:42:58] And that's where we have some of our
medical reimbursements, our special
[1:43:02] education, and then our title programs.
Our other state revenue as I mentioned
[1:43:07] um is um our student our ELOP, Prop 28,
lottery, transportation, and that's
[1:43:13] about 17%. And then other local revenues
is 7%. And that is usually local grants
[1:43:20] pass through spend.
[1:43:24] And then this is our general fund
expenditure comparison. Um this is
[1:43:28] compared to 2425 where we ended the
year. So from 2425 to 2526 we did see an
[1:43:36] increase in um salaries and benefits of
about $25 million. That includes our
[1:43:41] step and column the negotiated salary
increases. And then we also saw a health
[1:43:46] and well health and welfare increase of
about 9%.
[1:43:50] We also had an increase in our books
supplies and services which was about
[1:43:54] 10.6 million. Um we brought to the board
um early spring for some textbook
[1:44:00] adoptions for Amplify. We had Read 180
and then also our dual language um
[1:44:06] expansion that accounts for the majority
of that increase as well as services
[1:44:10] that we had related to the ELOP program.
And then we also had a little over $2
[1:44:16] million in our capital outlay
and that has to do with the cowshape
[1:44:21] grant that we received and um some HVAC
improvements that we are doing as part
[1:44:26] of that um grant. And then we also had
our district AV um districtwide AV
[1:44:32] project as well. So overall, we saw an
increase in expenditures of $38 million
[1:44:37] from our 2425 year.
[1:44:45] And this is our general fund
distribution of expenses per dollar. So
[1:44:51] if we take our dollar and divide it up,
you can see that approximately close to
[1:44:56] 80% or 80 cents on a dollar goes to
salary and benefits.
[1:45:00] Five and a half goes to books, materials
and supplies. We have just under 12 and
[1:45:06] a half for services and operations. And
then the other which is our capital
[1:45:09] outlay and transfers is just under 4%.
[1:45:19] And this is our components of ending
fund balance for unrestricted. So our
[1:45:23] general fund unrestricted revenues
were $410 million. Our expenditures were
[1:45:30] 358
and then we had approximately 67.7
[1:45:36] million in transfers and contributions
which left us with a net decrease in
[1:45:40] fund balance of 15.7. And so we were
deficit spending this last year and um
[1:45:47] primarily that is for LCAP carryover
balances that we had this past year
[1:45:51] which was about 5.5 million. The board
al also authorized approval of um new
[1:45:57] equipment for our print shop which was
just over 800,000.
[1:46:01] Um we also have the payment for our
early retirement program that we
[1:46:05] offered. And then also we saw a decrease
in revenues for declining enrollment
[1:46:10] which is the $2.9 million. So overall,
when you take our beginning fund balance
[1:46:15] of 51.3 million and our net decrease of
15.7,
[1:46:20] that leaves us with an ending fund
balance of $35.5 million for
[1:46:25] unrestricted.
[1:46:30] And this is the same slide, but it's for
our restricted. So again, our restricted
[1:46:35] um revenues were 132.2
million. We had 220.4 4 million in
[1:46:42] expenditures and then again the cont uh
transfers and contributions were 67.7.
[1:46:49] So for restricted funds we had a net
decrease in fund balance of $20.9
[1:46:55] million
and that again is deficit spending. We
[1:46:58] had 10.4 million in learning recovery
which is salaries that we have there. We
[1:47:04] also had the cow shape as I mentioned
before for HVAC improvements where we
[1:47:08] were spending fund balance of 3.9 and
then we had approximately 11.7 that was
[1:47:13] for the textbook adoptions.
So with our beginning fund balance
[1:47:18] 91.7 million with our net decrease in
fund balance of 20.9 that brings our
[1:47:24] restricted ending fund balance to $70.8
8 million for 2526.
[1:47:34] And so when you take the combined um bal
ending balances that get we are at 106.3
[1:47:40] million for general fund. We have our
reserve for economic of uncertaint
[1:47:45] reserve for economic uncertainties just
over 6% this year which gets us at just
[1:47:50] under 32.7 million. We have um our LCAP
balance carryover site donations. We
[1:47:56] have our revolving cash and our
warehouse inventory. And we also have 1
[1:48:01] million set aside for our pension
reserve and our restricted balances of
[1:48:05] 70 million. When you take that away, it
leaves us with a fund balance of $26
[1:48:10] $26,344.
[1:48:18] And this goes back to our question
number three. um our other district
[1:48:22] funds, if they're all uh end the year
with a positive ending fund balance,
[1:48:26] which they do, those total 300 300.2
million. So when you add that to 106.4
[1:48:33] for general fund, our total fund
balances as of June 30th are $46.6
[1:48:40] million.
[1:48:45] And so um this is our unodudited actual
report. Um but we are bringing this
[1:48:50] back. We brought this last month in
August as part of our 45day revise. Um
[1:48:54] so when you look at our current year
budget, our revised budget for 2627, you
[1:48:58] can see there that um we do have a
surplus of 764,000
[1:49:04] um dollars. Um but that is this budget
is balanced using one-time funds and um
[1:49:11] fund balance. So when you look at the
2728 um projection, you can see that we
[1:49:15] do have deficit spending and so that is
also taking into account the one-time
[1:49:21] funds and costs that we have in there.
So we will be back in December with our
[1:49:25] first interim report to bring you an
update on our current year budget.
[1:49:32] Um our next steps, we are required to
file this with our county off office of
[1:49:37] education by September 15th. They will
then send it off to CDE for review. And
[1:49:42] then this fall, we will be begin our
work with our external auditors where
[1:49:46] they will do an audit of our financial
activity and then submit that to the
[1:49:50] state controllers's office. And then we
will be back in January of 2027 to
[1:49:56] present our um audited financial
statement to the board for approval. And
[1:50:00] then that is when our 2526
fiscal year will be officially closed.
[1:50:10] That's the end of my presentation.
>> Okay. Is there any public comment on
[1:50:14] this item?
[1:50:17] Board member comment on this item.
[1:50:21] Okay. Well, we have a Thank you. And
I'll say this. I I wasn't joking when I
[1:50:25] said this is important. This is proof to
the public that we use our money
[1:50:28] appropriately and to good ends. So, it's
it's a big darn deal. So, with that in
[1:50:32] place, I will make the motion to approve
this um item. May I have a second? Okay.
[1:50:38] Second by Naylor, first by ODOT. Call
for the vote.
[1:50:47] » Motion carries. Um student board member
votes yes, five yes, two absent.
[1:50:53] » Okay. Thank you. 11.3 Exemption from
required expenditures classroom teacher
[1:50:58] salaries. presenter is going to again be
uh administrator for business services,
[1:51:02] Kyla Johnson.
>> Yes. So, as part of our unodudited
[1:51:05] actuals, we have a form in there that is
um required by education code 41372
[1:51:12] that requires districts certify they
meet a minimum percentage of
[1:51:15] expenditures for classroom salaries and
benefits. Um, and since the district did
[1:51:21] not meet this re required 55% for
unified school districts, we are
[1:51:25] required to apply for a wa a waiver. And
this waiver shows that VUSD has
[1:51:31] equivalent or higher salaries and
benefits to other districts that we
[1:51:34] compare um like size and demographics.
This is something that has been in place
[1:51:40] for many years and there are a lot of
districts that are in the same um
[1:51:43] position and are um requesting waiverss.
um more funds that are coming in are
[1:51:48] being spent um for supports in the
classroom that are not um that are not
[1:51:52] being performed by teachers but
classified um staff. Um there are only
[1:51:56] five districts in our county this last
year that met the requirements out of
[1:52:00] the 43.
[1:52:05] » Okay. So, do we have public comment on
this item? I do have a request to speak
[1:52:09] by Mr. Patrick Hempill.
[1:52:17] Good evening board superintendent. My
name is Patrick Hempill. I'm the VUTA
[1:52:21] president. I wanted to briefly speak
tonight uh on in regard to the
[1:52:25] district's waiver request. For many
years, we have now fallen below the 55%
[1:52:30] threshold mandated by state law. The
easy explanation in most of that time
[1:52:34] was a huge influx of one-time COVID
monies that skewed some of our spending
[1:52:37] totals and that money has now been
spent. Specifically, however, I have
[1:52:42] comment about our criteria for the
waiver we seek, and I quote from the
[1:52:45] waiver, payment of classroom teacher
salaries that are in excess of those
[1:52:49] paid by other comparable districts. Here
I encounter a couple of wonders. The
[1:52:54] districts we've chosen to compare
ourselves to are are very interesting.
[1:52:57] First, Duba Unified, a small local
unified district that we slightly
[1:53:01] outpace in compensation. Second, Clovis
Unified, a more distant district that
[1:53:06] lacks collective bargaining and has
historically been behind the curve in
[1:53:09] compensation. And thirdly, Fresno
Unified, another more distant district
[1:53:13] where in the waiver all of the career
increments of salary increase beyond
[1:53:17] year 10 are not recognized in the waiver
salary claims. The methodology does not
[1:53:21] paint an accurate picture of overall
teacher compensation as it neglects
[1:53:25] consideration of increasing teacher
longevity increments beyond year 10 in
[1:53:29] the Fresno salary schedule. Though not
wholly its intended purpose, I would
[1:53:33] venture to say this small sampling does
not truly reflect our status among most
[1:53:37] comparable districts in our local
region. Are there more complexities to
[1:53:41] this argument? Surely. And did many
schools in our area seek these waiverss
[1:53:45] over the last few years for the same
reasons? Yes. But if data after this
[1:53:49] year shows that we are lagging behind
other districts and pushing back towards
[1:53:53] that desired 55% mark or we are not
truly on par with other districts in our
[1:53:58] region, we must take a closer look at
our practices and priorities to ensure
[1:54:02] we remain a competitive district. Thank
you.
[1:54:07] » Thank you. Any other public comment?
>> Board member comment.
[1:54:13] » Uh yes. Um, I wanted to ask district
staff as to why we continuously, you
[1:54:19] know, fall short here. I recognize
there's a slight improvement from 50 to
[1:54:22] 52% and yet we still haven't hit the 55%
threshold, uh, when it comes to
[1:54:28] salaries. And so, I want to start just
with that before I ask my other
[1:54:31] questions.
>> Sure. So, Kyla, if you don't mind, jump
[1:54:35] in. Um so as Miss Johnson mentioned
really this came out of right the co era
[1:54:42] and what we saw with one-time funding
and and many districts as she mentioned
[1:54:46] utilizing because of the variety of
additional resources staffing uh
[1:54:52] positions that we are adding to address
the learning loss experience coming out
[1:54:55] of that. We're not entirely removed from
that necessarily is one of the things.
[1:55:00] But as she mentioned, when you look down
into what's included within that number,
[1:55:04] you also are including an expansion of
ELOP programming. You're looking at the
[1:55:10] addition of staffing in special
education programs. For example, for
[1:55:14] every one of our specialized learning
centers, there's three classified staff
[1:55:17] members employed for every one
certificated staff member. Um the
[1:55:21] intention is not to remain there. That
there's no commitment in that sense,
[1:55:25] obviously. Um and there is growth that
we've seen uh and the district's intent
[1:55:29] is always to grow and and be as Mr. Hemp
Hill mentioned a competitive employer um
[1:55:35] where we're bringing in you know
highquality employees and maintaining
[1:55:38] and retaining really high quality
employees that we're paying them a fair
[1:55:41] wage uh for the quality work that they
perform in service of our students.
[1:55:46] And so, uh, given that this is specific
to certificated staff, I know earlier in
[1:55:51] our presentation, a thank you by the
way, uh, we saw that we spend
[1:55:54] approximately 75% um, on on salary,
classroom salaries, which includes
[1:56:01] classified employees and administration.
And yet, just a few months ago, this
[1:56:05] very same board was considering, you
know, layoffs, uh, in which several of
[1:56:09] us, you know, a couple of us voted
against. Um so that to me begs the
[1:56:13] question as to whether we are very
topheavy uh in terms of administration
[1:56:18] salaries uh andor positions comparable
to other districts. I would like to know
[1:56:23] how VUSD compares uh to other comparable
districts across the central valley when
[1:56:27] it comes to that um you know allocation
of overall funding and and budgets and
[1:56:32] salaries. um simply because in my mind
it doesn't appear that you know we're
[1:56:37] not meeting that threshold because we
have a lot of classified employees
[1:56:41] considering that we were voting on
layoffs just a few months ago. Um am I
[1:56:44] wrong in my assessment that this
suggests that we're very topheavy and
[1:56:48] that's why we're not meeting that 55%
threshold. So, one of the things that
[1:56:52] we've committed to the board during this
school year is to do a staffing analysis
[1:56:56] to look at to answer that very question
as objectively um utilizing data to
[1:57:02] inform that decision. Uh so, we we will
do that and we will bring back that
[1:57:06] information to the board as we obtain
that information. And I know one of our
[1:57:11] uh long-standing goals and conversations
has been um you know for us to be within
[1:57:16] that top third of salaries within you
know comparable districts and across um
[1:57:21] the valley. Are we currently within that
top third? Uh and where where do we
[1:57:25] stand currently?
>> So what I believe what you're referring
[1:57:28] to is a um an ongoing collaborative
effort between VUTA bargaining teams and
[1:57:35] our district bargaining team. Um we are
currently with those comparable
[1:57:39] districts and a specific set of
comparable districts. We're not in the
[1:57:43] top third at this time in all areas. We
look at that across sort of your average
[1:57:48] salary, your starting wage, longevity.
Um it is something we're still working
[1:57:52] working towards. Uh it was a bulk of
conversation we spent with uh through
[1:57:56] bargaining with our bargaining uh teams
this last year. Um and is a part of that
[1:58:01] conversation that we will enter into as
we begin bargaining this October.
[1:58:06] Thank you uh for that clarification and
certainly considering we're not meeting
[1:58:10] reaching that 55% threshold um I hope
that there is a path forward with our
[1:58:14] partners to to find a solution to
getting there um and to reaching goals
[1:58:19] with our partners. Thank you.
Any other board member comment?
[1:58:25] » Okay.
>> Sorry. And and for those same reasons, I
[1:58:29] will be voting no on this item.
[1:58:36] Okay, I have a couple things. First of
all, I appreciate you're doing the audit
[1:58:40] and um if we bring,
this is my concern, if we bring our um
[1:58:50] our salaries up to that 55%
or um we um get to the top third, which
[1:58:59] I would like to do. I think that's a
good goal. um what would be the result
[1:59:04] of that? Would that result in layoffs?
Would that result That's my question.
[1:59:09] » Yeah, there there is no magic untapped
pot at the end of the rainbow
[1:59:13] unfortunately. So,
I don't think I could provide you the
[1:59:17] specific answer because there are many
answers to that question. Uh, and it is
[1:59:22] really looking at how we work with our
labor partners and through the guidance
[1:59:28] and direction of the board to accomplish
what you've set out for us to do in
[1:59:32] service of our students while still
making sure that as Miss Johnson
[1:59:35] mentioned that we're funneling resources
to those targeted, most appropriate
[1:59:39] areas. The answer is multiffold. It it
would mean though that if we spend more
[1:59:44] money in one area, we spend less money
in other areas.
[1:59:54] Okay. Any other board member comment?
>> I have one.
[1:59:57] » Mr. Bill,
>> it still is remarkable that um we
[2:00:01] literally split the difference, if you
will. We came up half of what the waiver
[2:00:06] deficit was last year. So that's worthy
of note. And the other thing I'm
[2:00:11] thinking is I
to be within such a few percent is
[2:00:16] pretty remarkable. especially I'm
constantly amazed at the numbers that
[2:00:20] you guys have to work with all the time.
Uh so we are making strides to improve
[2:00:25] that waiver difference. Um and with our
consulting um that we just passed at the
[2:00:31] last board meeting, we're not just going
to be uh doing a personal survey as Mr.
[2:00:37] Dylan has uh
literally recognized. We're not we're
[2:00:42] not going to go office to office say are
you making enough? Are you making
[2:00:45] enough? uh we are actually have
professionals come in and do a thorough
[2:00:51] view and review of every level so that
we can have the data that we're talking
[2:00:57] about. We can make a an informed
decision u on many levels. So we're it's
[2:01:02] not just let's throw the like I used to
do throw the spaghetti on the
[2:01:06] refrigerator and see if it sticks. Um we
are actually doing some deep dives in
[2:01:11] all of these things.
Miss Koy um in that salary calculation
[2:01:17] are benefits included.
>> Okay.
[2:01:24] » Any other board member comment?
Okay. Then I may I have a motion for the
[2:01:29] approval of the exemption from required
expenditures classroom teacher salaries.
[2:01:37] » I so move.
Okay.
[2:01:39] » I'll second. All for the vote.
[2:01:48] Let's see. Did I vote?
Okay. So,
[2:01:53] um, student board member abstains. We
have four yes, one no, and two absent.
[2:02:02] » So, can I just say something real quick?
Sorry.
[2:02:05] » Um, I would like to see us get up to 55.
This hurts my heart when we have to uh
[2:02:11] prove something like this. Obviously, we
have to because we're here and we can't
[2:02:16] change the facts right now, but I would
like to see it improved. I know that's
[2:02:20] one of our goals.
>> Mr. Shaw.
[2:02:22] » Yeah. No, I just want to appreciate the
board. This item comes up every year and
[2:02:26] and is very misunderstood because of a
lot of the nuances about it. Um and I
[2:02:32] think one interesting piece that Mr.
through mentioned was the fact that
[2:02:36] we've used a lot of one-time funding uh
for our classroom supports. So, uh one
[2:02:42] classroom teacher in a special education
classroom, three pair professionals. Um
[2:02:47] and so, as he mentioned, if you move one
lever, another lever has to go. Um and
[2:02:53] so I think that's important that people
realize the ramifications.
[2:02:57] uh in our current structure, our current
size, I believe the only four districts,
[2:03:01] if I'm not mistaken, that met that
threshold in Tallery were one school
[2:03:06] districts. In other words, they're a
district of one school.
[2:03:10] » Yeah. And I can share Tiller City was at
53.32%,
[2:03:14] Porterville was at 47.5%
and then Terary joint was 48.69.
[2:03:20] So we are above two of those three
larger districts. So just wanted to
[2:03:26] point out like you know two well one I
think that's a very important comparison
[2:03:33] right so it speaks to the work of our
labor partners uh understanding this
[2:03:37] information because you know I think you
know there are a lot of things that that
[2:03:43] are misunderstood about this but but the
ramifications
[2:03:47] would have a dire impact on our staffing
um our current level of staffing uh to
[2:03:53] reach that and so I think that's is
something everyone needs to understand.
[2:03:57] And then when you look at other
districts around us, uh for us to
[2:04:00] already be and I appreciate board member
uh Belt's comment about improving and
[2:04:06] with one-time funds diminishing
supposedly, uh you know, you know,
[2:04:10] depending on if the state continues to
do that, that number will change. Uh but
[2:04:15] as long as that funding is available and
and put into hiring classified staff uh
[2:04:19] and others for ELOP that that will
continue to be a challenge to reach the
[2:04:23] 55.
>> Okay. Any other board member comment?
[2:04:31] How do how do we get the comparable? I
mean, who chooses the comparable
[2:04:35] districts? Because you said, you know,
some of the schools around us like
[2:04:38] Tallery, they're really low, but yet,
you know, we How does that How does that
[2:04:43] pan out? We actually work with the Ter
County Office of Education um to do this
[2:04:49] and they actually will um we send the
information to them and work with them
[2:04:53] prior to bringing it to the board for
approval because they are the ones that
[2:04:57] do approve the waiver. So, we work with
them prior to it coming here.
[2:05:02] Okay. So, I'm going to take the last
word here. So, it sounds like next time
[2:05:05] this comes around, we need a little more
information to see how this actually
[2:05:08] comes about so we understand it better.
My sense here is that for years and
[2:05:12] years and years and years we've met this
standard. Uh it's an archaic standard,
[2:05:16] but because it's archaic doesn't mean
it's not valid still. And because
[2:05:21] funding has shifted to schools, we're
out of line. Well, we share a common
[2:05:27] interest in making sure that our folks
are compensated fairly and well because
[2:05:30] we want to attract and maintain folks.
Nobody here on this board or on this day
[2:05:34] would disagree with that. So, I think
what we're what we really bring forward
[2:05:38] in the conversation here is ensuring
that we're doing the very best we can to
[2:05:41] pay our people the best we can so
they're here for 35 or 40 years for a
[2:05:44] full career. So, and we'll see next year
what that looks like. Okay, fair enough.
[2:05:50] Moving on.
11.4 Four, public hearing 4217, energy
[2:05:54] services agreement and adoption of
resolution. Um, so it looks like what I
[2:06:00] have to do is open up a public hearing
to allow for public comment on this item
[2:06:04] and then it's back to you, Miss Johnson.
>> Um, so we are requesting a public
[2:06:09] hearing and adopt adoption of a
resolution with site logic for an LED
[2:06:13] lighting retrofit project. This total
project cost is approximately uh
[2:06:19] 2,163,36
[2:06:22] and it will be funded through a 0%
interest California Energy Commission or
[2:06:28] CEC loan. Um the projected energy
savings are expected to offset the cost
[2:06:33] of the project. The proposed retrofit um
is to include comprehensive upgrades to
[2:06:40] existing light fixtures to increase
energy efficiency, enhance indoor
[2:06:45] lighting, and also ensure compliance
with current building and energy codes.
[2:06:51] » Okay. Is there any public comment on
this item?
[2:06:56] » Board member comment,
>> Mr. Belt.
[2:06:58] » Um, sounds like a win-win. Uh, we don't
have to put money out of our own budget.
[2:07:03] we actually are able to have a 0% loan
and it will pay for itself.
[2:07:12] Okay. Any further board member comment?
Okay. Then I'm going to close the public
[2:07:18] hearing. May I have a motion to approve
the 427 energy services agreement and
[2:07:22] adoption of resolution.
>> I'll move. Mr. Belt moves. Second.
[2:07:29] Second. Miss Naylor. Call for the vote.
[2:07:37] Motion carries. Student board member
votes yes. Five yes to absent.
[2:07:44] » Okay. 11.5. Notice of intent to employ
certificated personnel and approval of
[2:07:48] variable term waiver request for CCST
certification. Presenter is assistant
[2:07:53] superintendent HRD Ben Dylan.
>> Thank you board president Odto. I'm
[2:07:57] requesting that the board approve this
waiver for uh one of our teachers who is
[2:08:00] working in our CTE programs.
>> Okay. May I have is there any public
[2:08:05] comment on this item?
>> Board member comment. Okay.
[2:08:13] Mr. Bur
[2:08:17] just just so you can clarify again to
the voters. Um can you clarify like the
[2:08:21] pay rate to where you're going to
approve right now? So this isn't
[2:08:27] anchored to a pay rate. So this is about
a credentiing waiver, but the pay rate
[2:08:31] is specific to the salary schedule that
this position would anchor to.
[2:08:35] » So is this district considering also the
cost of
[2:08:41] universities and colleges by any chance?
Um, I say this because I looked at your
[2:08:46] website uh on Ed Join and the pay rate
for classified employees that work with
[2:08:50] special ed is very low actually in my
opinion with a bachelor's degree that's
[2:08:54] $25,000.
So, how are we going to compete with
[2:08:57] that? How are we going to compensate?
Cuz remember that a lot of your
[2:09:01] employees still have to pay these
student loans and we are in a society
[2:09:04] where nothing's free, which is what I
hear from you guys. So, you got to
[2:09:08] clarify that to the employees. Thank
you.
[2:09:12] Thank you. Okay. May I have a motion to
approve the not is there any board
[2:09:16] member comment on this? May I have a
motion to approve the notice of intent
[2:09:19] to employ certificated personnel and
approval of variable term waiver for
[2:09:23] quests pardon me for CCSD certification?
>> I'll move. Yes.
[2:09:28] » Okay. Mr. Belt move. Second.
>> Okay. Second, Miss Naylor. Call for the
[2:09:35] vote.
[2:09:38] » Motion carries. Uh, student board member
votes yes, five yes, two out.
[2:09:43] » Okay. 11.6. Notice of intent to employ
certificated personnel and approval of
[2:09:47] provisional internship permit request.
Mr. Dylan,
[2:09:51] » thank you. I'm bringing before you three
individuals who are requesting the board
[2:09:55] to approve a PIP or provisional
internship permit. Okay. Public comment
[2:10:00] on this item.
Board member comment on this item.
[2:10:04] May I have a motion to approve the
notice of intent to employ certificated
[2:10:07] personnel and approval of provisional
internship permit request?
[2:10:12] Moved by Miss Naylor, second by
second, Mr. Belt. Call for the vote.
[2:10:25] Motion carries. Student board member
votes yes. Five yes, two absent.
[2:10:29] » Here we go. 11.7. Notice of intent to
employ certificated management personnel
[2:10:34] and approval of administrative services
credential waiver request. Mr. Dylan,
[2:10:38] » thank you. Uh requesting that the board
approve uh this for the administrative
[2:10:42] services credential waiver to allow the
individual the opportunity to complete
[2:10:46] their credential program associated with
the credential.
[2:10:48] » Got it. Public comment on this item.
Board member comment on this item. May I
[2:10:55] have a motion, please? A motion. Okay.
Mr. Viegas first. Seconded by
[2:11:02] Miss Naylor. Call for the vote.
[2:11:07] » Motion carries. Student board member
votes yes. Five yes. Two absent.
[2:11:12] » Okay. 11.8. Warrant list August 1, 2026
to August 28, 2026. May I have a motion
[2:11:18] to approve the warrant list from August
1st, 2026 to August 28th, 2026. I'm
[2:11:23] going to vote or move for that. Second.
[laughter]
[2:11:27] » I'll second.
>> Second. Miss Kamoyan. Call for the vote,
[2:11:29] please.
[2:11:35] » Motion carries. Student board member
votes yes, four yes, two absent, one
[2:11:40] abstension.
>> And with that, this meeting is
[2:11:42] adjourned. Thank you, folks.