[I. OPEN SESSION] [00:00:04] >> I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS REGULAR BOARD MEETING TO ORDER AT 5:15 PM. HELENE, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? >> DOSICK. >> PRESENT. >> GRANT. >> PRESENT >> CARDEN. >> PRESENT. >> META, ABSENT. >> MORA. >> PRESENT. >> THANK YOU. WE HAVE A QUORUM. YOUR ST BOARD MEETINGS ARE LIVE STREAM AND RECORDED AT THE DIRECTION OF THE BOARD. LIVESTREAM IS AVAILABLE ONLINE, AND THE RECORDINGS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW OF THE DAY AFTER THE BOARD MEETING. THOSE IN ATTENDANCE SHOULD EXPECT THAT THE RECORDERS WILL CAPTURE ALL ACTIVITY AND DISCUSSIONS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER MEETINGS. THIS EVENING, THE BOARD WILL BE GOING INTO CLOSED SESSION TO [V. CLOSED SESSION] DISCUSS ONE ITEM OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE, DISMISSALS RELEASE. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR, DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE FOR AN NTA. IS THERE ANYONE HERE TONIGHT TO SPEAK TO ANY OF THE ITEMS IN CLOSED SESSION? SEEING NONE, WE WILL RECONVENE OPEN SESSION AT APPROXIMATELY 6:15 OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER, FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF CLOSED SESSION. ARE YOU GUYS READY? GOOD EVENING. WE ARE RECONVENING OPEN SESSION AT 6:15 PM. [VI. RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION] HELENE, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? >> DOSICK. >> PRESENT. >> GRANT. >> PRESENT. >> CARDEN. >> PRESENT. >> META, ABSENT. >> MORA. >> PRESENT. >> ALICIA. >> PRESENT. >> WE HAVE A QUORUM. I CAN ASK OUR STUDENT BOARD MEMBER TO LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE. NO REPORTABLE ACTION WAS TAKEN AT CLOSED SESSION THIS EVENING. BUT BEFORE WE MOVE ON, JUST REMINDER FOR THOSE IN ATTENDANCE, THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH BOARD 9323 INDIVIDUALS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD MUST SUBMIT A COMPLETED PUBLIC COMMENT CARD PRIOR TO CONSIDERATION OF THE ITEM AND NO LATER THAN THE FIRST ACTION I'M ON THE AGENDA. INDIVIDUALS WILL BE ALLOWED TWO MINUTES TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, AND THE BOARD SHALL LIMIT THE TOTAL TIME FOR PUBLIC INPUT ON EACH ITEM TO 20 MINUTES. IF YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE FILL OUT THE PUBLIC COMMENT CARD AND HAND IT TO THE STAFF MEMBER AT THE TABLE OUTSIDE OF THE BOARD ROOM. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING, WE ASK MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO REFRAIN FROM APPROACHING THE DESK, TO PROVIDE BOARD MEMBERS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO GATHER THEIR BELONGINGS, SIGN DOCUMENTS, AND SECURE ANY CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. BOARD MEMBERS MAY MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC BY STEPPING DOWN FROM THE DIAS AND ENTERING THE AREA FOR AUDIENCE SEATING. NEXT UP IS THE APPROVAL OF AGENDA. [X. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA] IS THERE A MOTION? MOVE BY TRUSTEE DOSICK. >> SECOND. >> SECOND BY TRUSTEE MORA. HELENE, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? >> DOSICK. >> AYE. >> GRANT. >> AYE. >> HARDEN. >> AYE. >> MORA. >> AYE. >> ALICIA. >> AYE. >> MOTION CARRIES 50. NEXT UP IS COMMUNICATIONS. [XI.a. California School Employees Association (CSEA)] IS THERE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM CSCA? I SAID YES? GOT IT. >> THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, TRUSTEES, SUPERINTENDENT, AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. MY NAME IS CHRISTY CONNOR, AND I'M SPEAKING THIS EVENING ON BEHALF OF CSCA, CHAPTER 745, AND OUR CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES. CSCA SINCERELY APPRECIATES THE COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE SHARE WITH THE DISTRICT. THROUGH OPEN COMMUNICATION AND A WILLINGNESS TO WORK TOGETHER, WE CONTINUE TO ADDRESS IMPORTANT AND SOMETIMES COMPLEX ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR. WE VALUE THE POSITIVE, MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE BUILT. ONE GROUNDED ON COMMUNICATION, RESPECT, AND SHARED COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING BOTH OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE STUDENTS THAT WE SERVE. A KEY PRIORITY FOR CSCA IS ENSURING THAT CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES' VOICES ARE HEARD. ONE RECENT EXAMPLE IS OUR INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS, WHOSE FEEDBACK HAS HELPED LEAD TO THE OFFERING OF ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES DESIGNED TO MEET THEIR SPECIFIC JOB-RELATED DUTIES. WE APPRECIATE THE DISTRICT'S WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN AND RESPOND IN MEANINGFUL WAYS. AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE ENCOURAGE ALL CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES TO CONTINUE WORKING TOGETHER WITH RESPECT, PROFESSIONALISM, AND CONSIDERATION FOR ONE ANOTHER. BY TREATING EACH OTHER WELL AND SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER, WE HELP MAINTAIN A WORK ENVIRONMENT THAT IS WELCOMING, COLLABORATIVE, AND FOCUSED ON SUCCESS. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE BOARD THIS EVENING, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF CLASSIFIED PROFESSIONALS. >> THANK YOU. NEXT UP, NTA. [XI.b. Natomas Teacher's Association (NTA)] >> GOOD EVENING, TRUSTEES AND SUPERINTENDENT CASTILLO. FIRST, ONE BEING BY ACKNOWLEDGING AND HONORING THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES OF THIS REGION. SACRAMENTO SITUATED IN THE TRADITIONAL HOMELANDS OF THE NISANON PEOPLE. WE OFFER GRATITUDE FOR ATLANTA ITSELF. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE STUD IT FOR GENERATIONS AND FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY, [00:05:02] LEARN, WORK, AND BUILD COMMUNITY HERE. WE ALSO HONOR THE WOLDEN RANCHERIA, THE ONLY FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBE IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY. ENCOURAGE EVERYONE IN THE SPACE TO ENGAGE IN CONTINUED LEARNING ABOUT THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED AND WORKED ON THIS LAND SINCE TIME MEMORIAL. TODAY, THE NT BARGAIN TEAM MET WITH THE DISTRICT TO HAVE CONCEPTUAL CONVERSATIONS ON SOME KEY ISSUES. WE SHOWED UP READY TO LISTEN IN THE HOPES OF FRUITFUL CONVERSATIONS. THAT DID INCLUDE THE SUPERINTENDENT. UNFORTUNATELY, HER PRESENCE WAS VERY BRIEF, AND HONESTLY, INCLUDING MYSELF AND OUR TEAM, WE'RE EXPECTING MORE TIME. OUR TEAM END OF THE DAY WONDERING, FRUSTRATED, WHY THEY LEFT THEIR STUDENTS FOR A FULL DAY IF THE DISTRICT'S FUNDAMENTAL UNWILLINGNESS TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE BENEFITS OR COMMIT TO STAFFING OUR CAMPUSES APPROPRIATELY JUST REMAINS THE SAME. I HAVE COME HERE FOR MONTHS NOW, ASKING THE BOARD TO LISTEN TO YOUR EDUCATORS. LISTEN TO YOUR COMMUNION PARENTS, AND FRANKLY, I'M GETTING TIRED OF REPEATING MYSELF. LET ME BE CRYSTAL CLEAR. WE ARE FED UP, AND WE ARE STRIKE-READY. WE WILL ACHIEVE FULLY STAFFED, SAFE, AND STABLE SCHOOLS. IT'S UP TO YOU WHETHER THAT HAPPENS BEFORE OR AFTER A STRIKE. ON BEHALF OF THE 640 ACTIVE MEMBERS OF NTA, WE'LL SEE YOU AT FACT-FINDING. THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] >> THANK YOU. NEXT STEP, WE HAVE OUR STUDENT BOARD MEMBER. [XI.c. Student Board Member] >> GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT GRANT, TRUSTEES, SUPERINTENDENT CASTILLO, AND GUESTS. DISCOVERY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FINISHED QUARTER TWO SUPER STRONG. WE HAD 14 STUDENTS RETURNING TO NATOMAS AND INDERKUM HIGH SCHOOL TO COMPLETE THEIR SENIOR YEAR. WE ALSO HAD SEVEN EARLY GRADUATES, INCLUDING ME. [APPLAUSE] CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL. WE HELD OUR SECOND PAD NIGHT OF THE YEAR WITH OVER 20 STUDENTS AND FAMILIES PARTICIPATING. WE WELCOME NEW STUDENTS TO DHS THIS QUARTER, AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO CONNECTING WITH THEM AND GETTING EVERYONE ON TRACK. BASKETBALL SEASON STARTS SOON WITH OUR FIRST GAME ON JANUARY 22ND. THE BULLDOGS ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO 3P AS THE CONFERENCE WINNERS. INDERKUM HIGH SCHOOL TIGERS ARE GROWLING INTO THE SPRING SEMESTER. STUDENTS ACROSS CAMPUS ENGAGED IN A WEEK OF WELCOME BACK EVENTS, INCLUDING PARTICIPATING IN A CLASS MEETINGS, SETTING OUT POSITIVE GROWLING EXPECTATIONS, CELEBRATING THE HONORAL, GETTING CONNECTED ON CAMPUS TO CLUB PROGRAM THROUGH A LUNCHTIME CLUB BRUSH AND PLANNING FOR THE COMING TRADITIONS AND EVENTS IN THE SPRING SEMESTER. AT THE ANNUAL TIGER TOUR NIGHT, FUTURE IHS STUDENTS AND FAMILIES GATHERED IN THE THEATER TO GET INFORMATION ON IHS PROGRAMS AND TRADITIONS. 11TH AND 12TH-GRADE TIGERS PROVIDED FAMILIES WITH STUDENT-LED TOURS OF THE CAMPUS. THE MUSIC PROGRAM IS PREPARING FOR WINTER AND SPRING COMPETITIONS. IN ATHLETICS, TIGERS CONTINUE TO EXCEL IN COMPETITION. CONGRATULATIONS TO NINTH GRADER PRESTON PITTS FOR BEING SELECTED TO THE 2025 MAXPREPS FRESHMAN, ALL-AMERICAN TEAM FOR THE SECOND TEAM OFFENSIVE LINE. AT LEEWARD GREEN ACADEMY, DECEMBER WAS PACKED WITH EXCITING EVENTS AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS FOR THEIR SCHOOL COMMUNITY. THEIR BUSINESS PATHWAYS, SENIORS, IMPRESSED FAMILIES AND STAFF DURING PITCH NIGHT BY PRESENTING INNOVATIVE BUSINESS IDEAS THEY HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING ALL SEMESTER. THEY ENJOYED BEAUTIFUL PERFORMANCES AT THE WINSOR CONCERT. STUDENT CREATIVITY WAS ALSO ON FULL DISPLAY AT THE ART SHOW AT THE VERGE. ARTWORK WAS SHOWCASED TO THE COMMUNITY. THEIR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN FINAL GRAMS, SPREADING ENCOURAGEMENT AND POSITIVITY AHEAD OF EXAMS. THAT SAME WEEK, THEY CELEBRATED POSITIVE ACADEMIC WEEK, RECOGNIZING STUDENTS FOR THEIR EFFORT AND GROWTH. NATOMAS HIGH SCHOOL NIGHTHAWKS HAD A STRONG FINISH TO THE YEAR. THEY HAD COOKIES AND CRAM, A TUTORING SESSION TO HELP STUDENTS GET READY FOR THEIR FINALS. IN THE COLLEGE AND CAREER CENTER, STUDENTS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE AS VAB AND ASSESSMENT REQUIRED TO ENLIST IN ANY US MILITARY BRANCH. NHS STAFF WILL BE WORKING WITH SENIORS ON THEIR FINANCIAL AID FORMS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH TO MAKE SURE STUDENTS GET ALL THE GRANTS THEY ARE ELIGIBLE FOR. NEXT WEEK, THEY WILL HAVE THEIR SCORING MEETINGS AND HONOR ASSEMBLIES TO SET A POSITIVE TONE FOR THE SECOND SEMESTER. A NIGHTHAWKS ATHLETICS ARE GOING STRONG. THEIR TEAMS PRACTICED AND HAD THEIR GAMES THROUGHOUT THE BREAK. ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING GAMES WAS THEIR BOYS' BASKETBALL DOMINANT PERFORMANCE AGAINST GRANT. NATOMAS MIDDLE SCHOOL WRAPPED UP THIS YEAR WITH SEVERAL FUN AND EXCITING EVENTS THAT REALLY BROUGHT THEIR SCHOOL COMMUNITY TOGETHER. BEFORE WINTER BREAK, THEIR TRADITIONAL BAND AND CHOIR CONCERTS TOOK PLACE, GIVING STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THEIR HARD WORK, TALENT WITH FAMILIES AND STAFF. THESE PERFORMANCES ARE ALWAYS A HIGHLIGHT AND A GREAT WAY TO CELEBRATE THE SEASON. THEY ALSO HELD THEIR MULTICULTURAL NIGHT BEFORE BREAK, [00:10:02] WHICH WAS A GREAT EVENT FOCUSED ON BRINGING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DIFFERENT CULTURES. STUDENTS ARTWORK WAS DISPLAYED. FAMILIES ENJOYED A VARIETY OF FOOD AND PERFORMANCES, AND EVERYONE HAD THE CHANCE TO CONNECT AND CELEBRATE THE DIVERSITY THAT MAKES NATOMAS MIDDLE SCHOOL SPECIAL. IT WAS A GREAT WAY TO END THE YEAR, AND THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE COMMUNITY-BUILDING EVENTS IN 2026. THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. >> THANK YOU. NEXT UP, [XI.d. Board Members] OUR BOARD MEMBERS, VICE PRESIDENT MORE. >> FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN, BOARD MEMBER ALICIA, ON YOUR GRADUATION. WE'LL SEE YOU IN MAY. YES, WE'RE HOLDING YOU TO IT TO COME BACK IN MAY SO WE CAN FORMALLY CELEBRATE YOU. THE ONLY OTHER THING I HAVE A IS PART OF MY BOARD REPORT IS WISHING EVERYBODY A START OF THE NEW YEAR, AND THAT CONCLUDES MY BOARD REPORT FOR TODAY. >> THANK YOU, TRUSTEE MAR. TRUSTEE HARDEN. >> THANK YOU. AS I MENTIONED AT THE LAST BOARD MEETING, FOR THE SAKE OF TIME, I WOULDN'T SPEAK ON THE CSBA CONVENTION THAT WAS HELD RIGHT HERE IN SACRAMENTO THIS YEAR, SO IT WAS REALLY NICE TO BE AT HOME AND BE ABLE TO BE IN OUR OWN BEDS. THERE WERE SO MANY OUTSTANDING PRESENTATIONS AND SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE TO SOAK UP. I HAVE ONLY PICKED ONE PRESENTATION TO HIGHLIGHT FOR THE SAKE OF TIME. I'M HIGHLIGHTING THE LUNCHEON HOSTED BY CASPA, WHICH STANDS FOR CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF BLACK SCHOOL EDUCATORS. OUR SPEAKER WAS AMEN RAHH, WHICH IS ABOUT R-A-H-H, VISIONARY LEADER. AWARD-WINNING FOUNDING PRINCIPAL. AWARD-WINNING AMAZON AUTHOR, HE WROTE THE FABULOUS BOOK REVOLUTIONARY SCHOOL CULTURE, A GUIDE TO UNLOCKING HIDDEN POTENTIAL IN SCHOOLS. HIS PRESENTATION WAS REVOLUTIONIZING SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND CULTURE. THE SIX PRINCIPLES OF UNLOCKING YOUR SCHOOL'S HIDDEN TREASURES. I'LL GO THROUGH THESE QUICKLY. PRINCIPLE NUMBER 1, TO INCREASE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, WE MUST FIRST HAVE SELF-AWARENESS. PRINCIPLE NUMBER 2, SET THE STAGE, WHICH MEANS THE MISSION, VISIONS, GOALS, AND THE METRICS, AND YOUR MANTRA, DON'T FORGET THAT. PRINCIPLE NUMBER 3, RESTORATIVE PRACTICES. WHEN WORKING ON YOUR RESTORATIVE PRACTICES, REMEMBER YOU CAN'T RESTORE SOMETHING THAT WAS NEVER BUILT. IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE WE BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS. PRINCIPLE NUMBER 4, ASPIRATION, ENVIRONMENT. KNOW YOUR STUDENTS. MAKE EVERYBODY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE SOMEBODY BECAUSE FUN FAT, EVERYBODY IS SOMEBODY. PRINCIPLE NUMBER 5, DATA-DRIVEN CULTURE. THAT'S THE COLLECTIVE CYCLE. IF ANYBODY'S INTERESTED IN THAT, FEEL FREE TO CALL ME, EMAIL ME, CATCH ME, AND I'D LOVE TO TALK MORE ABOUT IT, BUT I WON'T TAKE UP EVERYBODY'S TIME. PRINCIPLE NUMBER 6: TEACH AND LEARN. WE ALL ARE LIFETIME LEARNERS. WE ALL JUST LEARN DIFFERENTLY. NEVER FORGET IT'S KIDS BEFORE CONTENT. WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THEY'RE ALWAYS WATCHING US. WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT WHATEVER THEY'RE SEEING, THEY'RE OBSERVING, SO LET'S ALWAYS BE MINDFUL. I'LL END THAT PART WITH ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES, AND IT'S ONE OF THE ONES HE ACTUALLY OPENED UP WITH. IT'S BY BUCKMINSTER FULLER. YOU NEVER CHANGE THINGS BY FIGHTING THE EXISTING REALITY. TO CHANGE SOMETHING, BUILD A NEW MODEL THAT MAKES THE EXISTING MODEL OBSOLETE. WITH THAT BEING SAID, GO NIGHTHAWKS. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO TWO GAMES, AND I'M VERY PROUD OF US. I ALSO WANT TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY. LAST BOARD MEETING, I DID SELF-NOMINATE MYSELF FOR CSBA DELEGATE. I THANK YOU GUYS FOR SUPPORTING THAT. AFTER CONSIDERATION, I WILL NOT BE MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT. I REALIZED THAT I WAS BEING A BIG HASTY, AND I THINK THAT I WAS LETTING EMOTIONS TAKE OVER THINGS, AND I THINK I'M A LITTLE TOO BUSY FOR IT, AND I HAVE OTHER THINGS THAT I NEED TO WORK ON. THAT IS THE END OF MY REPORT. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, TRUSTEE HARDEN. I HAVE NO REPORT. TRUSTEE DOSICK. >> KEEP IT BRIEF. FIRST AND FOREMOST, CONGRATULATIONS ON ALICIA. YOU GRADUATED EARLY. AS MUCH AS I WANT TO SAY, I'M SO GRATEFUL TO PRINCIPAL HINTON AND THE STAFF AT DISCOVERY FOR WORKING WITH YOU AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IN THIS DISTRICT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, NONE OF THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOUR DILIGENCE. WE CAN DO EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD, BUT YOU'RE THE ONE THAT MADE IT HAPPEN. I ECHO TRUSTEE VICE PRESIDENT MORA CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU A GRADUATION AND MAY BE PART OF THE GROUP TO HAND YOU YOUR DIPLOMA. IT'S AN AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT, AND I HOPE YOU GOT TO REALLY ENJOY THE BREAK, BASKING IN THIS WONDERFUL TIME WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU WAKE UP AND REALIZE YOU HAVE NO HOMEWORK TO DO, WHICH IS A LIBERATING FEELING. [00:15:01] UNTIL THE NEXT STEP. CONGRATULATIONS TO THAT. I WANT TO WELCOME ALL THE STAFF BACK. I HOPE THAT EVERYONE FROM THE DISTRICT OFFICE TO OUR SITES AND ALL OF OUR CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES HAD A RESTFUL, RELAXING, AND RECHARGING BREAK, BECAUSE HERE WE GO. NOW WE'RE BACK IN 2026, SECOND HALF OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. LOOK FORWARD TO OUR CONTINUED WORK TOGETHER. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, TRUSTEE DOSICK. NEXT UP IS SUPERINTENDENT CASTILLO. [XI.e. Superintendent] >> HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY. I HAD A GREAT SITE VISIT LAST WEEK AT INDERKUM HIGH SCHOOL. I WANT TO THANK BOTH LUCY AND HANNAH, TWO STUDENTS WHO TOOK ME ON A TOUR. BOTH SENIORS. IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO HEAR ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES AT THE SCHOOL AND THEN THEIR PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR. BOTH OF THEM WERE WAITING TO HEAR ABOUT WHERE THEY MAY BE GOING NEXT YEAR. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THEM TO LET ME KNOW ABOUT THAT. I WAS ABLE TO VISIT SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS. THEY HAD SENIOR MEETINGS GOING ON THAT I GOT TO VISIT. THEN WENT OUT TO THE CTE PUBLIC SAFETY PATHWAY AMONGST A LOT OF VARIETY OF OTHER THINGS. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO MY CONTINUED SITE VISITS AND THE VARIOUS ACTIVITIES OVER THE SPRING SEMESTER. I WANTED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW WE ARE MOVING INTO THE NEXT PHASE OF OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM REVIEW, AND THAT ASCENDAC SOLUTIONS, WHO ARE WE ARE WORKING WITH ARE GOING TO BE CONDUCTING FOCUS GROUPS FOR BOTH PARENTS AND STAFF. NOTIFICATIONS HAVE GONE OUT TO PARENTS ABOUT MEETINGS NEXT WEEK. THOSE FOCUS GROUPS WILL BE OUT AT SCHOOL SITES, FACILITATED BY SNDC SOLUTIONS, AND NUSD ADMINISTRATION DOES NOT ATTEND. IT IS JUST THE GROUP THAT IS CONDUCTING THE STUDY THAT WILL BE LEADING THE FOCUS GROUPS. ALSO WANT TO KNOW THAT THE STAFF GROUPS WILL BE IN FEBRUARY, SO THERE WILL BE NOTIFICATIONS GOING OUT TO OUR STAFF MEMBERS IN THE COMING WEEKS ABOUT THOSE DAYS, TIMES, AND LOCATIONS. WE GOT AN INTERESTING NOTIFICATION FROM THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. TONY THURMAN, HE ANNOUNCED HIS LITERACY MOONSHOT, WHICH IS A FIVE-YEAR PLAN TO CLOSE THE THIRD-GRADE LITERACY GAP. WHY I MENTIONED THIS IS IN HIS PLAN, HE MENTIONS KEY STRATEGIES THAT ARE PROVEN TO IMPROVE LITERACY. THE FIRST ONE IS A DYSLEXIA SCREENING, WHICH WE IMPLEMENTED THIS YEAR, AS WELL AS DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE, OURS IS DIBBLE. THE SECOND ONE WAS HIGH-IMPACT TUTORING, WHICH HAS BEEN SHOWN IN RECENT STUDIES BY STANFORD UNIVERSITY TO BOOST BOTH ACHIEVEMENT AND ATTENDANCE. WE ARE VERY EXCITED THAT WE ARE STARTING THAT THIS MONTH WITH AMERICORE. >> THEY ARE WORKING WITH US ON HIGH DOSE TUTORING, AND WE ARE ACTUALLY THE FIRST DISTRICT IN THE REGION TO PARTICIPATE SO VERY PROUD OF THAT. THE NEXT ELEMENT WAS FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AND A BIG SHOUT OUT TO CAFE AND TO OUR SCHOOL SITES FOR ALL OF OUR FAMILY LITERACY NIGHTS, FAMILIES BEING ABLE TO ATTEND THE LITERACY NIGHTS ON ZOOM AND THEN THEY GET THE BOOKS TO KEEP AT HOME. THEN THE LAST ONE WAS ABOUT SPECIALIZED TRAINING AND COACHING TO SUPPORT THOSE WHO TEACH STUDENTS TO READ. WE HAVE INITIATED OUR EARLY LITERACY INITIATIVE TOSAS THIS YEAR, WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN THE SCIENCE OF READING BY THE NATIONAL LITERACY INSTITUTE TO SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE CLASSROOM AND PROVIDE COACHING. THEN ONE MORE EXCITING THING, SPEAKING OF OUR EARLY LITERACY TSAS, CHRISTINA CASWELL AND AMBER GROWLING WERE BOTH SELECTED BY THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO SERVE AS CONTENT REVIEW EXPERTS FOR THE STATE'S ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ADOPTION PROCESS THAT'S COMING UP. NOT ONLY THAT, BECAUSE OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF EVIDENCE BASED LITERACY PRACTICES AND THEIR EXPERTISE IN THE SCIENCE OF READING. THEY WERE ALSO IDENTIFIED FOR TEAM LEADERS AS PART OF THAT PROCESS. CHRISTINA AND AMBER'S WORK IN THIS ROLE WILL TAKE PLACE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS AND WILL CONTRIBUTE DIRECTLY TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR THE STATE'S OFFICIAL ADOPTION LIST. REALLY PROUD TO HAVE TWO OF OUR TOSSES PARTICIPATING AND REPRESENTING NATOMAS UNIFIED AND THAT IS MY REPORT FOR THE EVENING. >> AWESOME. GREAT REPORT. THANK YOU. NEXT UP. WE HAVE OUR CONSENT CALENDAR. IS THERE A MOTION? [XII. CONSENT ITEMS] >> PUBLIC COMMENTS. >> NO PUBLIC COMMENTS ON CONSENT. >> GREAT. I'LL SECOND. >> I DIDN'T MAKE A MOTION SO WHO MADE THE MOTION? I'M SO SORRY. MOVED BY TRUSTEE HARDEN. SECOND BY TRUSTEE DOSICK. SHOUT OUT TO THE CONTINUED EVOLUTION OF THE COSMETOLOGY PATHWAY. COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. >> DOSICK. >> AYE. >> GRANT. >> AYE. >> HARDEN. >> AYE. >> MORA. >> AYE. >> LISHA. >> AYE. >> MOTION CARRIES 5-0. [XIII.a. LCAP Mid-Year Update] THESE ARE SOME SERIES OF BOARD REPORTS. THE FIRST ONE, ACTION ITEM A LCAP MEDIA UPDATE. THIS BOARD REPORT WAS ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA WHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 9TH. [00:20:02] THERE'S NO ACTION REQUIRED. STAFF IS AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FROM TRUSTEES. BUT FIRST, WE DO HAVE ONE PUBLIC COMMENT, AND THAT'S FROM MS. SHARON THURMAN. >> I'M GOING TO TEST THE MICE TO MAKE SURE IT'S ON. THANKS. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. SO WE'RE REVIEWING THE LCAP AGAIN AND THIS IS YEAR 6 THAT I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF LOOKING AT THE LCAP, SEEING THE RESULTS FOR OUR ELA AND READING AND MATH. AND IT CONTINUES TO SHOW A DECLINE. I'M HOLDING THE MOMENT OF SILENCE BECAUSE THAT MEANS THAT SIX YEARS AGO, THIRD GRADERS WHO ARE NOW IN 9TH GRADE, WERE NOT READING AT GRADE LEVEL AND WE JUST KEEP PASSING OUR STUDENTS ON AND THAT'S NOT RIGHT. I'M ASKING OUR BOARD MEMBERS TO ASK THE STAFF FOR PLANS THAT WILL GIVE ACCELERATED IMPROVEMENTS AS OPPOSED TO DECLINES. THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE. THAT'S JUST IN READING. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE THE SAME LEVEL OF EMPHASIS PLACED ON THE MATH. WHEN I LOOK AT THE 75 PAGE LCAP REPORT, AND IT SHOWS THAT 1.9 MILLION IS GOING TO IB, BUT THERE'S NO QUALITATIVE EVALUATION AS TO IB'S EFFECTIVENESS FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS AND OTHERS WHO FALL UNDER THE CATEGORY OF NOT BEING PROFICIENT. IT JUST MAKES ME WONDER, WHAT ARE WE DOING? WHY ARE WE MORE EFFECTIVE? I SAY WE BECAUSE AS A COMMUNITY, WE'RE PART OF THIS. WE WANT TO HELP. WE NEED YOU TO ASK THE QUESTIONS OF THE STAFF AND OUR SUPERINTENDENT. WE NEED TO SEE SOME TANGIBLE RESULTS. THAT PEOPLE SAY, MOVE THE NEEDLE. OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT NEEDLES. WE NEED TO HAVE THEM BE ABLE TO READ SO THAT THEY CAN BE FUNCTIONING MEMBERS OF OUR SOCIETY. PLEASE ASK THE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, TRUSTEES? LOOK, I'LL SAY, HEY, LOOK, POINT WELL TAKEN AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOUR COMMENTS, MS. THURMAN. LOOKING FORWARD TO PARTNERING WITH YOU IN THE COMMUNITY IN SALVAN ARE TOUGHEST CHALLENGES. IT KEEPS ME UP AND I HATE IT. BUT THE DATA IS THERE. WE'RE SHARING IT WITH THE PUBLIC SO THAT WAY THEY CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON TOO. THERE'S NOTHING ELSE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM. TRUSTEE MORA IT LOOKS LIKE YOU WERE ON THE EDGE OF TOMORROW. >> [INAUDIBLE] >> TRUSTEE HARDEN? >> ACTION ON B. >> ACTION ON B. THIS IS CONSTITUENT AND CUSTOMER SERVICES MEDIA REPORT. [XIII.b. Constituent and Customer Services (CCS) Mid-Year Report] THIS BOARD WAS ALSO ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA WHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 9. ALSO NO ACTION IS REQUIRED. STAFF IS AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM? PUBLIC COMMENT? NO. >> I COULD AS USUAL THANK YOU TO THE CCS STAFF. MY FACEBOOK DID MY MEMORIES OF WHEN WE LAUNCHED CCS IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND SO IT WAS NICE THAT IT WAS LIKE WE'RE ACTUALLY HITTING THAT ANNIVERSARY TODAY. THANK YOU TO CCS FOR ALL THAT YOU CONTINUE TO DO TO BE THERE FOR EVERYONE FROM ALL DISTRICT STAFF AND ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS TO BE ABLE TO HELP THEM GET THE ANSWERS THAT THEY NEED. THANK YOU. >> I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE. TRUSTEES, ANY FURTHER COMMENTS ON THAT BOARD REPORT THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA? STUDENT BOARD MEMBER? NO. GOOD. ACTION ITEM C. WELCOME CENTER MAD YOUR REPORT. [XIII.c. Welcome Center Mid-Year Report] THIS BOARD REPORT WAS ALSO ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA. NO ACTION IS REQUIRED. STAFF IS HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. I DON'T SEE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM. I THINK THE WELCOME CENTER HAS BEEN A REALLY, REALLY GOOD THING SO REALLY GOOD DATA IN THERE. HOW MANY VISITORS DID WE HAVE WES DOUG? DID WE HAVE, LIKE 100,000? WHAT WAS IT? >> WE ARE WELL AHEAD OF LAST YEAR ON TARGET PROBABLY TO IF THE SPRING KEEPS UP, MAYBE GET TO 20,000 THIS YEAR. >> EIGHT THOUSAND. >> I THINK ABOUT 12 AT THE TIME WE WROTE THIS. >> THAT'S REALLY GOOD. IT'S GOOD WORK. IT MEANS PEOPLE ARE COMFORTABLE GOING THERE AND GETTING ANSWERS AND RETURNING AND SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE WORK THAT YOU ARE DOING. >> THE TEAM DID A GREAT JOB. >> I'M NOT SEEING ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION OR PUBLIC COMMENT. I'M GOING TO MOVE ON TO ACTION ITEM THE BOARD REPORT D. SAFETY [XIII.d. Safety & Safe Schools Mid-Year Report] AND SAFE SCHOOLS MID REPORT WAS ALSO ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA ON JANUARY 9TH. NO ACTION IS REQUIRED, BUT I DO HAVE ONE PUBLIC COMMENT HERE FROM [00:25:02] MS. SHARON THURMAN. WE'LL TAKE THAT FIRST. >> THANK YOU AGAIN. I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SITTING ON THE SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL FOR NATOMAS PARK ELEMENTARY, AND WE HAVE AN ENROLLMENT OF 823 STUDENTS. THE SAFETY ITEM INVOLVED HERE IS THAT THE TRAFFIC, THE NUMBER OF PARENTS WHO HAVE BEEN CITED GOING THE WRONG DIRECTION WHILE IN A HURRY BRINGING THEIR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL. IMAGINE THE UNSAFE CONDITION THAT THAT CREATES, AS WELL AS SOME PARENTS HAVE BEEN CITED AS USING INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE TO SOME OF THE STAFF WHEN THEY ARE DIRECTING PARENTS TO DO THE RIGHT THING. I WOULD ASK OUR BOARD TO ASK BASIC QUESTIONS LIKE, MAYBE 823 STUDENTS ARE TOO MANY TO HAVE ON ONE CAMPUS, AND THAT GENERATES THE TRAFFIC ISSUE, AND THAT CAUSES HUMAN BEINGS TO NOT BE THEIR BEST, EVEN ADULTS. WHEN DROPPING THEIR CHILDREN OFF TO SCHOOL AND CREATING AN UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT. TODAY, I WAS HAPPY TO SEE THAT THERE WAS A POLICE OFFICER PARKED IN FRONT OF OUR SCHOOL, WHICH WAS A FRIENDLY REMINDER. BUT I WOULD ASK US TO LOOK AT THE ROOT CAUSE OF SOME OF OUR ISSUES, AND IT COULD BE AS BASIC AS HAVING TOO MANY STUDENTS ON ONE CAMPUS MAYBE? THE LAST PART OF READING THE SAFETY REPORT, AND THIS ACTUALLY PROBABLY DOESN'T FALL IN THIS CATEGORY. I WANTED TO KNOW IF OUR BOARD COULD REQUEST OF THE FOLKS WHO GIVE US THE RESULTS, HOW MANY INCIDENTS THERE ARE ON EACH CAMPUS AND HOW THEY ARE RESOLVED? THERE WAS SOME WORDING IN THE REPORT THAT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME AND SO I'D ASK US TO BE A LITTLE MORE CLEAR IN THE PUBLIC'S EXPLANATION OF WHAT WE'RE READING. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, MS. THURMAN. TRUSTEES I GOT YOU. I KNOW YOU'RE EXCITED ABOUT IT. TRUSTEES COMMENTS ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT. VICE PRESIDENT MORA. >> FOR ALL OF THESE REPORTS, ALWAYS APPRECIATE THE DATA. IT'S HELPFUL, AND I THINK AT LEAST FOR MYSELF, IT'S ONE PART OF THE LARGER PICTURE AND THEN BEING ABLE TO SEE WHETHER IT'S A CENTER OR SOME OF THE WORK THAT STAFF ACROSS. AGAIN, I'M SPEAKING REALLY ABOUT ALL OF THE DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WERE COVERED IN ALL THE REPORTS. THAT'S THE OTHER HALF IS BEING ABLE TO SEE HOW THIS LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE, AND THEN WHAT THE GAPS ARE. BUT JUST TO GIVE THAT THANK YOU TO THE STAFF WHO PREPARED IT, AND THEN ALSO FOR THERE TO BE A PROCESS TO CONTINUOUSLY CAPTURE ALL OF THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AS THEY'RE HAPPENING. THAT'S ALL. >> THANK YOU, TRUSTEE MORA. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? TRUSTEE DOSICK. GREAT REPORT, RICK. THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM. I KNOW THE WORK YOU DO TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS SAFE. NEXT UP, WE HAVE PRESENTATIONS. [XIV.a. District Progress Report and 2025 California School Dashboard Update] WE HAVE OUR ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT TONY GERALD. STEVEN FONG, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND DATA, AND MICHELLE CIPHER DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND DATA TO PRESENT ON THE DISTRICT PROGRESS REPORT AND OUR 2025 CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DASHBOARD. WELCOME. >> GOOD EVENING, SUPERINTENDENT TRUSTEES. I'M PLEASED TO HAVE STEVEN FONG HERE TO PRESENT A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE DASHBOARD, OUR AREAS OF GROWTH AND ALSO AREAS TO CELEBRATE. WE ALSO HAVE DR. SIPER HERE TO TALK ABOUT OUR UPDATE ON OUR DISTRICT PROGRESS REPORT, OUR DPR. >> GOOD EVENING, SUPERINTENDENT, BOARD, STAFF, AND COMMUNITY. I REALLY WANT TO APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TO SPEAK ON THESE TWO ITEMS TOGETHER. IN PREVIOUS YEARS, THEY'VE ACTUALLY BEEN TWO DISTINCT ITEMS, AND IT'S REALLY A NICE OPPORTUNITY TO ALIGN THEM BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH ALIGNMENT ACROSS WHAT THE STATE PROVIDES US IN THE CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DASHBOARD AND WHAT WE PROVIDE THE PUBLIC IN OUR DISTRICT PROGRESS REPORT. JUST TO TIE THESE TWO THINGS TOGETHER BEFORE WE JUMP IN, THE DISTRICT PROGRESS SUPPORT GOING BACK MANY YEARS WAS DEVELOPED BY THIS DISTRICT, COMING IN THIS DISTRICT LATER, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THAT WAS DONE IN ADVANCE OF THE CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DASHBOARD AS A WAY TO BE TRANSPARENT WITH THE PUBLIC, EVEN LEADING INTO THE STATE'S DEVELOPMENT OF SIMILAR TOOLS. NOW THAT THE TWO EXIST SEPARATELY, [00:30:02] WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE A REALLY BROAD AND RICH AMOUNT OF METRICS TO REALLY LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE DOING WELL AND ALSO WHERE WE NEED TO IMPROVE. TONIGHT, WE REALLY WILL BE SPEAKING ACROSS OUR GOALS, AS WE SEE INSIDE OF THE DPR, THE DISTRICT PROGRESS REPORT, AS WELL AS THE DASHBOARD, WE'RE ABLE TO IDENTIFY HOW WE'RE DOING IN DIFFERENT STUDENT OUTCOMES ACROSS SOME OF THESE GOALS. WE HOPE THAT FOLKS LISTENING CAN LEAVE WITH A LITTLE BIT OF A OVERVIEW OF THE DASHBOARD, PARTICULARLY IF THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN THE DASHBOARD BEFORE. WE KNOW THERE ARE SOME EXPERTS OUT THERE. IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE A REMINDER TO BE TO REFLECT ON WHAT OUR OUTCOMES HAVE BEEN, BOTH THOSE CELEBRATIONS, AS WELL AS THE AREAS WHERE WE STILL NEED TO GROW, AND THEN BE ABLE TO DIG INTO OUR MOST RECENT UPDATE OF OUR DISTRICT PROGRESS REPORT, WHICH IS AGAIN WHAT WE PRODUCE INTERNALLY AND SHARE WITH THE COMMUNITY. AS A BRIEF REMINDER, THE CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DASHBOARD IS WHAT THE STATE PROVIDES FOR ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS, ALSO WITH THE SCHOOL LEVEL, AND THEN DRILLING INTO STUDENT GROUP RESULTS AT EACH OF THOSE LEVELS. YOU MIGHT THINK OF IT AS A REPORT CARD FOR A DISTRICT OR A SCHOOL AND IF YOU GO TO THE CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DASHBOARD AND YOU LOOK UP NATOMAS UNIFIED, YOU'D SEE THAT IMAGE, AS WELL AS, OF COURSE, OTHER INFORMATION BELOW. EACH OF THESE REPRESENTS ONE OF THE STATE INDICATORS. THE STATES IDENTIFY THESE AS KEY AREAS WHERE THEY'RE CONNECTED TO OUR RESULTS ON OUR ELA AND MATH ASSESSMENTS, YOU SEE SUSPENSION RATE, GRADUATION RATE, ETC. THESE ARE THE KEY AREAS WE OFTEN TALK ABOUT INTERNALLY, AND ONCE A YEAR, THE STATE ACTUALLY PRODUCES THIS REPORT CARD FOR US. EACH OF THESE INDICATORS AS A DIAL THAT SHOWS WHERE WE'RE CURRENTLY OR MOST RECENTLY AT IN TERMS OF COLOR, AND WE'RE GOING TO DIG A LITTLE MORE INTO WHAT ARE THOSE COLORS MEAN BECAUSE THEY'RE REALLY A COMBINATION OF TWO IMPORTANT FACTORS. WHEN YOU LOOK AT A GIVEN DASHBOARD COLOR, IT'S REPRESENTING THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN HOW WE DID IN THE MOST RECENT YEAR SO DID WE COME OUT AT A VERY HIGH, HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW OR VERY LOW LEVEL, BUT ALSO HOW WE'VE MOVED THE NEEDLE WE HEARD EARLIER. KIDS ARE NOT NEEDLES, BUT AS A DISTRICT OVERALL, WE'VE MOVED THIS ARROW, HOW WE'VE MOVED THAT PERFORMANCE. DID WE DECLINE SIGNIFICANTLY, DECLINE, MAINTAIN, INCREASED OR INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY? WHEN YOU DRAW A CONNECTION BETWEEN THOSE TWO, YOU CAN IDENTIFY WHERE WE LAND ON THAT TABLE. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE COLOR GREEN OR YELLOW, DOESN'T HAVE AN ABSOLUTE MEANING OF, YES, WE WERE HIGH OR LOW. IT'S WHERE WE ACHIEVED OUR PERFORMANCE MATCHED WITH HOW WE'VE MOVED. DID WE INCREASE IN THAT AREA, OR DID WE STAY STATIC, OR DID WE DROP? YOU CAN SEE HERE A QUICK SUMMARY OF WHERE WE WERE FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS. THIS WOULD BE THE DASHBOARD THAT CAME OUT IN FALL 25 AND GOING BACK TO PREVIOUS YEARS. I'LL LEAVE IT THERE FOR A MOMENT. YOU CAN SEE, BUT IN THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'RE ALSO GOING TO DIG INTO, WHAT ARE THOSE 24, 25 COLORS REALLY TRANSLATE INTO IN TERMS OF REAL MOVEMENT? WHEN YOU DIG IN ON 24, 25, REALLY LOOKING AT THAT COMBINATION OF, HOW DID WE DO IN 24 25, WHICH IS THE COLUMN RIGHT HERE WHERE YOU SEE THE CURSOR. BUT THEN ALSO HOW DID WE MOVE 23-24 TO 24-25? A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT WHERE IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE COUNTER INTUITIVE. A COLORS FOR SUSPENSION RATE CHRONICPS AND TISM AND ENGLISH LEARNER PROGRESS. IF YOU LOOK AT THAT COMBINATION FROM 20-25 DASHBOARD, SOME OF THOSE COLORS DIDN'T CHANGE, BUT WE ACTUALLY DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT IN THOSE AREAS WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. A GOOD EXAMPLE WOULD BE CHRONICPS AND TISM, WHERE WE ACTUALLY DECREASED OUR RATE BY 2.7%, WHICH WE WOULD SAY A PRETTY GOOD STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. BUT IN ORDER TO GET TO THAT NEXT COLOR IN THE DASHBOARD, THAT NUMBER WOULD HAVE HAD TO BE 0.3 HIGHER, BE NEGATIVE 3%. THE STATE IS SETTING AMBITIOUS TARGETS FOR US. THAT'S A GOOD THING. WE WANT TO BE STRIVING TO TAKE BIGGER BITES OF THE APPLE EACH YEAR, AND NOT ALWAYS DO WE HIT IT TO WHERE WE'RE GOING TO CHANGE THAT COLOR. WE WANT TO BOTH ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE DO WANT TO TURN THAT ORANGE TO A YELLOW, AND THAT WILL COME WITH TAKING BIGGER BITE OF THE APPLE, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT WENT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE CONTINUE TO HAVE A HIGH GRADUATION RATE. WE WANT TO, OF COURSE, INCREASE IT. IT'S THE HIGHEST IN THE COUNTY THIS YEAR. THAT'S A CELEBRATION. BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT IN OUR ACADEMIC AREAS, COLLEGE AND CAREER, WE SEE THE WORK THAT WE HAVE TO DO, PARTICULARLY LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN IMPROVE THE PERCENTAGE OF OUR STUDENTS FOR A COLLEGE CAREER READY AT THE SAME TIME IS ALSO GRADUATING. DID WANT TO NOTE, BY THE WAY THAT ATTACHED TO THIS ITEM, THERE'S ALSO A DETAILED REPORT SO WE'RE SCRATCHING THE SURFACE HERE. THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DASHBOARD IS VERY RICH. WE ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AS WELL. THIS IS OUR STUDENT GROUP REPORT. THIS IS AVAILABLE IN THERE. IT'S AVAILABLE FOR SCHOOLS AS WELL, AND IT REALLY SHOWS BY STUDENT GROUP. THIS IS FOR THE DISTRICT AT LARGE, HOW WE DID IN EACH OF THOSE AREAS. THIS IS ONE OF THE TOOLS THE STATE USES TO IDENTIFY OUR ELIGIBILITY FOR DIFFERENTIATED ASSISTANCE, WHERE WE PARTNER WITH THE COUNTY TO HELP US WITH CERTAIN STUDENT GROUPS. IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE THAT RIGHT NOW WE'VE BEEN SPENDING THIS YEAR AND THE PREVIOUS YEAR REALLY DIGGING IN WITH FOSTER YOUTH. THAT'S BEEN A GOOD OPPORTUNITY WITH THE COUNTY [00:35:01] TO BRING SOME JOB ALIKE STAFF AT THE COUNTY WITH OUR OWN STAFF AND REALLY DIG IN AT A VERY DEEP LEVEL IN WHAT'S HAPPENING FOR EACH OF THOSE STUDENTS BECAUSE IT IS A SMALLER STUDENT GROUP. BUT WE HAVE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THAT AND USE THOSE AS EXAMPLES OF WHAT'S GOOD FOR ALL STUDENTS. YOU CAN SEE IF WE GO BACK TO 2023, WE WERE ACTUALLY ELIGIBLE FOR SIX STUDENT GROUPS SO THERE IS A POSITIVE IN BEING ABLE TO BOTH SEE OUR MOVEMENT OUT OF THAT, BUT ALSO TO FOCUS IN AND REALLY DIG INTO ONE STUDENT GROUP. >> JUST FOR A BRIEF MOMENT HERE WE WANT TO CELEBRATE THE SAME PROCESS HAPPENS FOR OUR SCHOOL SITES. SO THEY HAVE THEIR OWN DASHBOARD, AND BASED ON THE DASHBOARD PERFORMANCE THEY HAVE, THEY CAN BE IDENTIFIED FOR VARIOUS LEVELS OF ACCOUNTABILITY UNDER FEDERAL LEGISLATION AND STATE LEGISLATION. BACK IN 2023, IT WAS THE START OF THIS CURRENT CYCLE, AND YOU CAN SEE THE STATUS SO WE HAD, I BELIEVE, SIX SCHOOLS IN WHAT'S CALLED COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT AND IMPROVEMENT AND MULTIPLE SCHOOLS IN THE ADDITIONAL TARGETED SUPPORT AND IMPROVEMENT. AS OF THIS FALLS DASHBOARD, ALMOST ALL OF THOSE SCHOOLS HAVE MOVED OUT OF ANY STATUS COMPLETELY, ALL HAVE MOVED OUT OF CSI. WE HAVE ONE REMAINING IN ATSI, AND WE HAVE A FEW THAT ARE THERE NOW JUST FOR STUDENT GROUP LEVEL. DOESN'T MEAN WE'VE SOLVED EVERY PROBLEM OUT THERE, BUT IT'S JUST ANOTHER INDICATOR OF MOVING THINGS IN SOME POSITIVE DIRECTIONS. TRANSITIONING AND SLIGHTLY, THE CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DASHBOARD IS WHAT THE STATE PRODUCES. THE DISTRICT PROGRESS SUPPORT IS WHAT WE PRODUCE INTERNALLY, AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE ALIGNMENT THERE IS. BUT WE HAVE INTERNALLY, OF COURSE, MANY MORE METRICS THAN WOULD BE AVAILABLE ON THAT STATE DASHBOARD. AGAIN, THIS WAS DEVELOPED A LONG TIME AGO, PRIOR TO THE CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DASHBOARD, REALLY, APPRECIATE THE DISTRICT GREEN FORWARD THINKING IN THAT AREA, REALLY TRYING TO SHOW THAT PROGRESS OVER TIME. ACKNOWLEDGING THAT NOT EVERYTHING IS WHERE WE WANT IT TO BE, SETTING TARGETS, WORKING TOWARDS THOSE TARGETS, AND THEN CONTINUING TO BE TRANSPARENT WITH THE PUBLIC. IF YOU RECALL LAST YEAR, WE MOVED TO AN ONLINE FORMAT SO EVERYTHING YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ON THE DISTRICT PROGRESS REPORT IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE. WE CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THE ALIGNMENT. THE SAME KEY METRICS THAT ARE IN THE DASHBOARD ARE ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE DISTRICT PROGRESS REPORT, AND THEY WOULD ALSO BE PILLARS WITHIN THE LCAP, AND WE'RE ALSO USING THEM FOR OUR INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND RECOGNITION TOOL THAT DART, WHERE WE ACKNOWLEDGE SCHOOLS. YOU CAN SEE HERE SOME DESCRIPTIONS. WE DID PROVIDE SOME OF THIS IN THE PAST, BUT JUST AS A REMINDER, NOT EVERY TOOL IS SHOWING THE EXACT SAME THING AT THE EXACT SAME TIME, BUT THEY ARE DESIGNED TO TALK TO EACH OTHER AND REALLY BE IN HARMONY IN TERMS OF ORIENTING AROUND OUR KEY GOALS AND LETTING SCHOOLS, LETTING THE DISTRICT FOCUS ON SOME CORE AREAS. THIS IS JUST SHOWING THE ALIGNMENT IN SOME REALLY KEY INDICATORS. THIS WOULD NOT BE AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF WHAT'S IN THE DPR, BUT IT DOES SHOW THAT FOR THESE KEY ONES, WE ARE DRAWING THEM FROM REALLY THESE PLACES ACROSS THE SYSTEM. WE CAN SAY, HERE'S WHERE WE WANT TO FOCUS WHATEVER YOU'RE LOOKING AT ANY OF THESE FOUR TOOLS, YOU'RE GOING TO START TO SEE THOSE OUTCOMES. WE'RE ALWAYS GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT WE WANT TO DO FOR STUDENTS. WE JUST WANTED TO REMIND FOLKS THAT THIS DART, WHICH WAS LAUNCHED LAST YEAR, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO SEE SOME SCHOOLS EARN IT. IT'S OUR INTERNAL TOOL TO RECOGNIZE GROWTH, AND PERFORMANCE SO THIS DOESN'T MEAN A SCHOOL HAS MAXED OUT AT 100% EVERYWHERE, BUT IT'S ALSO SHOWING WHERE SCHOOLS ARE GROWING. SCHOOLS THAT MAKE BIG LEAPS, JUST LIKE THEY'LL BE REWARDED ON THE DASHBOARD AT THE STATE LEVEL, WE'RE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING THEM ON THE DART. OUR BLUE DART IS REALLY LOOKING AT THAT GOAL 2 AND 3, ENGAGEMENT, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL PIECES, AND THE GOLD DART IS REALLY LOOKING PRIMARILY GOAL 1, WHICH IS OUR ACADEMICS. WE WOULD REALLY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS, IN OUR INAUGURAL YEAR OF THE DART. WE CAME UP WITH I THINK, A NICE ACRONYM, THE BULLS EYE AWARD. WE HAVE SOME SCHOOLS ON THE LEFT AND THE GOLD WHO WERE ABLE TO MEET THE THRESHOLD THERE, SCHOOLS ON THE RIGHT IN THE BLUE, AND THOSE SCHOOLS THAT TURNED ON BOTH THOSE LIGHTS ARE IN THE DARK SO CELEBRATIONS TO THEM. IT WAS EXCITING TO HEAR PRINCIPALS ALREADY TALKING ABOUT HOW DO WE WORK TOWARDS THE ART IN THE COMING YEARS. EVERYONE WANTS THAT AWARD. I'M GOING TO PASS OFF NOW TO DOCTOR CIPHER. WE'LL BOTH BE HERE FOR QUESTIONS AFTERWARDS, BUT SHE'S GOING TO DIG IN A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE DPR, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE LIVE ONLINE. >> THANK YOU. HI, WELCOME, GOOD EVENING. I'M JUST GOING TO GO THROUGH PRETTY BRIEFLY HOW TO READ EACH METRIC IN THE DPR. LIKE STEPHEN SAID, IT'S NOW ALL ONLINE, ELECTRONIC, AND IT'S UPDATED AS SOON AS WE GET DATA AND ANALYZE IT. IT'S REALLY NEAT THAT THAT'S HOW IT IS. EVERY METRIC LOOKS THE SAME, BUT THERE'S THAT DROP DOWN AT THE TOP THAT HAS THE METRIC NAMES. YOU CAN SELECT THE METRIC YOU WANT TO LOOK AT. THEN IT HAS A DESCRIPTION, NOT ONLY WHAT IT'S ABOUT, BUT HOW IT'S CALCULATED. IF SOMEBODY'S LOOKING AT IT AND THEY'RE LIKE, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? HOW IS THAT ACTUALLY CALCULATED? THEN NOW WE HAVE THREE YEARS OF DATA FOR I THINK ALMOST ALL OF THE METRICS. IT'S LAUNCH TUNEL DATA FOR ALL STUDENTS AND THEN EIGHT OF OUR STUDENT GROUPS THAT WE DECIDED ON IN 2017. HE SAID A LONG TIME AGO, BUT I WAS HERE WITH THE START OF IT. IT'S A LOT OF FUN. THEN SIX AND SEVEN DOWN HERE SHOWS WHICH SCHOOLS AND WHICH GRADE LEVELS, ARE IN THERE BECAUSE IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE DASHBOARD, YOU'RE LOOKING AT DATA QUEST, IT COULD BE DIFFERENT IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT CHARTER, NON CHARTER, DIFFERENT GRADE LEVELS FOR METRICS. [00:40:02] THIS POINTS IT OUT REALLY CLEARLY, AND THEN THE ADDITIONAL ACTIONS ON THE RIGHT IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHAT WE'VE INVESTED SOME FUNDS IN AND HOW WE'RE SPENDING OUR TIME IN THE DISTRICT, TO GET TOWARDS THAT GOAL IN THE BLUE BOX, WHICH IS OUR 2027 METRIC AT THE END OF OUR L CAP CYCLE. THAT'S HOW YOU READ IT. NOW I'M GOING TO GO LIVE TO THE DISTRICT PROGRESS REPORT. AJA HAS SET THIS UP FOR ME. THANK YOU. NO, I'M NOT. I'M GOING TO GO ONE SLIDE REAL QUICK. THESE ARE THE METRICS. SOME OF THEM THAT ARE IN THE FALL 2025 DPR THAT WE'LL LOOK AT. THE BOLDED ONES ARE THE ONES THAT WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS ON TONIGHT, THOSE FOUR REAL QUICK. BUT LIKE STEPHEN SAID, THERE'S OVER 30 METRICS IN HERE. WE REALLY DIVE INTO IT AND WE UPDATE IT, NOT JUST LONGITUDE NEELY, BUT EVERY TIME WE TAKE A DIAGNOSTIC OR DO COVITALITY, OR ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS MORE THAN ONCE A YEAR, WE'RE PUTTING ALL OF THAT DATA IN. WE'RE GOING TO DIVE INTO THOSE FOUR NOW. WE'RE GOING TO START WITH CAASPP ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, AND LIKE SUPERINTENDENT SEO SAID, THERE IS A LOT OF WORK BEING DONE TO IMPROVE THIS, TO HIT THAT TARGET, GO PAST THAT TARGET. SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL ACTIONS ARE THERE, BUT WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO ADD MORE BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT GOING ON. BUT LAUNCHING THAT EARLY LITERACY INITIATIVE, DEVELOPING, IMPLEMENTING CO TEACHING COACHING CYCLES, DIBBLS HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED, K-2, AND A LOT OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LITERACY. WE'RE SHOWING YOU THE DATA. WE KNOW THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO IMPROVE ON. THERE IS A LOT OF WORK BEING DONE IN EARLY LITERACY. WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TOUCHED ON THAT. I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU HERE. THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN GO TO DIFFERENT METRICS NOW. WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT I READY REAL QUICK. JUST KIDDING, IT'S READING DIAGNOSTIC I-READY MY HEAD, I HAD I. THERE YOU GO. THIS IS THE METRIC WHERE WE TAKE IT THREE TIMES A YEAR, WE'VE HAD A UNIFORM ASSESSMENT SINCE 23/24, AND YOU CAN REALLY FOCUS IN ON FALL IF YOU WANT TO JUST FOCUS IN ON FALL, BUT YOU CAN ALSO SEE THE IMPROVEMENT OVER TIME. THIS IS ONE WHERE STILL WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR EARLY LITERACY INITIATIVE AND OUR PD AND OUR TOSS TO IMPROVE THIS BECAUSE WE DO SEE A CORRELATION BETWEEN NOW I-READY AND CAS, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE IMPROVING EVERYTHING THERE. BUT I WANTED TO SHOW YOU A THREE YEAR METRIC AS WELL WITH THREE DIAGNOSTICS. THEN I WANT TO JUST DO SOME CELEBRATIONS BECAUSE WE HAVE EARLY GRADS WHO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR GRADUATE. CONGRATULATIONS. WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT OUR GRADUATION RATE BECAUSE WE CONTINUE TO BE THE HIGHEST IN THE COUNTY AND THE HIGHER THAN THE STATE AT 96% THIS YEAR OVERALL, BUT ALSO FOR SOME OF OUR STUDENT GROUPS, WE CONTINUE TO IMPROVE. OUR BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN AT 96%, OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS CONTINUING UP AT 88. YOU CAN SEE THE TREND, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT WE WANT TO SEE. WE HAVE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO DO CREDIT RECOVERY, MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE IN THE RIGHT MASTER SCHEDULE. JUST EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING AT THE HIGH SCHOOLS JUST BIG PROPS TO ALL OF THEM FOR MAKING SURE THAT THE STUDENTS ARE GRADUATING, SO THEY CAN CONTINUE. THEN ONE MORE, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT AP/IB TEST PASS RATE. THE TEST PASS RATE IS THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO PASS ONE OF THE AP/IB EXAMS, WHICH THANK YOU TO THE BOARD WE PAY FOR, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE. THERE'S ALSO A METRIC IN HERE THAT SHOWS HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE ENROLLED. IT'S USUALLY 35 OR SO PERCENT ARE ENROLLED IN AP/IB CLASS, SO ALL OF THOSE KIDS GET THE OPPORTUNITY AT THE END OF THE YEAR TO TAKE THESE EXAMS THAT WE PAY FOR. THIS YEAR, YOU CAN SEE THE IMPROVEMENT, 49% OF OUR STUDENTS PASSED AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE EXAMS, WHICH THEN GETS THEM NOT TO EVERY COLLEGE, BUT A LOT OF COLLEGES ACCEPT THAT AS COLLEGE CREDIT, WHICH IS REALLY NICE, SAVING THEM MONEY AND TIME IF THEY'RE GOING ON TO PURSUE A UNIVERSITY EDUCATION. YOU CAN ALSO SEE BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN JUST A BIG JUMP TO 38% OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS, 27 OR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, 29. WE'RE SEEING SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO ARE PASSING ONE OF THOSE EXAMS AND USING THAT. THAT'S A DPR. IT IS LIVE. IT IS IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. IT WILL BE UPDATED AS WE GET MORE DATA, AND THE WEBSITES UPDATED, AND WE'LL JUST MAKE SURE TO PUT, THESE ARE THE METRICS THAT HAVE BEEN UPDATED, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO SEARCHING THROUGH THEM. BUT IT'S REALLY COOL THAT BLOOD. NEXT STEPS FOR DISTRICT PROGRESS REPORT AND EVERYTHING. WE'RE GOING TO, LIKE I SAID, CONTINUALLY UPDATE IT, AS SOON AS WE GET DATA. WE'RE GOING TO ADD DOUBLES. WE NOW HAVE THAT SCREENER. IT'S THREE TIMES A YEAR. WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S IN THERE AS WELL. THEN BASED ON PROGRESS, YOU SAW THE LITTLE BLUE BOX WITH THE TARGET, THOSE MIGHT NEED TO BE ADJUSTED. WE MIGHT HAVE ALREADY REACHED THEM, OR ANY THING MIGHT NEED TO ADJUST THOSE, SO WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THOSE, AND THEN WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING. WE HAVE SO MUCH DATA HERE, LIKE YOU SAID, WE'RE VERY DATA RICH AND ALIGNING THOSE AND LOOKING AT AREAS FOR GROWTH AND AREAS IMPROVEMENT AND DEFINITELY AREAS TO CELEBRATE. [00:45:03] THOSE ARE OUR NEXT STEPS. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? WE'RE ALL HERE. >> FIRST, I'M GOING TO TAKE OUR ONE PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN I'LL CIRCLE BACK TO THE TRUSTEES. >> THANK YOU. >> WE HAVE DARIA MCGREW. >> THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS. I'M DARIA MCGREW, A PARENT AT AMERICAN LAKES, AND I HAVE SERVED FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW ON THE SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL. I WANT TO THANK THE STAFF FOR THE COOL REPORT AND THE LENGTHY DOCUMENT EXPLAINING HOW TO INTERPRET THE DASHBOARD. IT'S VERY INTERESTING AND IT'S A REALLY GOOD READ. I ALSO LOVE NERDING OUT ON THIS STUFF. I WANT TO RECOGNIZE AND APPLAUD SOME OF THE POSITIVE MOVEMENT OVERALL AS A DISTRICT. BUT I'M HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE I'M DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT SHARP DECLINES IN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AT SOME SCHOOL SITES, PARTICULARLY BANNON CREEK AND AMERICAN LAKES. AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT, THE MOST RECENT TEST SCORES SHOW SIGNIFICANT DROP IN COMPETENCY SCORES, AND OUR DASHBOARD SCORES WENT DOWN DOUBLE DIGITS. AS OF THIS YEAR, LESS THAN 10% OF THE STUDENTS ARE READING AT GRADE LEVEL AND LESS THAN FIVE ARE ON GRADE FOR MATH. I USUALLY AGREE WITH THE DISTRICT'S PHILOSOPHY OF PROGRESS OVER TIME THROUGH SMALL INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENT. BUT I THINK THAT DOUBLE DIGIT LOSS IS A CRISIS. AS YOU KNOW VERY WELL, WHEN STUDENTS ARE THIS FAR BEHIND, INCREMENTAL GAINS ARE NOT ENOUGH AND THEY MAY NEVER FULLY RECOVER. I KNOW WE HAVE SO MANY COOL INITIATIVES IN THE WORKS, AND THEY WERE PLANNED, BUT I THINK THAT NOW STAYING THE COURSE AND WAITING UNTIL NEXT YEAR'S SCORES ARE OUT IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE OPTION. BUSINESS, AS USUAL, IN THIS CASE, WILL BE HARMFUL TO THE FUTURE OF THESE STUDENTS, AND THIS SHOULD BE A BREAK GLASS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY SITUATION IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION. I WORK IN HEALTHCARE POLICY, NOT EDUCATION POLICY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWERS ARE, BUT I'M HERE TO ASK THE BOARD TO LOOK CLOSELY AT EACH INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL SITE TO DIG DOWN INTO THE PERFORMANCE AND WHAT IS GOING ON THERE, AND RECOGNIZE THOSE CHANGES. MOST IMPORTANTLY, NOT JUST ASK WHAT HAPPENED, BUT I ASK YOU TO PLEASE PRIORITIZE EXTRA SUPPORT FOR OUR LOWEST PERFORMING SCHOOLS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] >> THANK YOU. TRUSTEES, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, VICE PRESIDENT MOORE? >> I HAVE A COMMENT FOR PERFORMANCE BY INDICATOR. WELL, THAT SLIDE. JUST TO CONFIRM, SO THERE ARE SOME CATEGORIES THAT WHERE, THE CATEGORIES COLOR HAS ISN'T A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THE PROGRESS BEING NOT MEETING THE LEVEL THAT THE STATE HAS SET FOR PROGRESS, EVEN IF THE MOVEMENT IS GOING IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION. >> CORRECT. I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION. IF YOU DIG INTO THE STATE WEBSITE, EACH OF THESE CATEGORIES MAINTAINED, INCREASED, INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY COMES WITH THRESHOLDS AND CUT POINTS SO IN THE CASE OF THE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM EXAMPLE, WE ACTUALLY MOVED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WE JUST DIDN'T MOVE FAR ENOUGH TO GO INTO THAT NEXT COLUMN ESSENTIALLY. >> I SEE. SOMETIMES THE DASHBOARD, NOT SOMETIMES, I THINK, ALL OF THE TIME THE DASHBOARD TAKES ME A COUPLE OF TRIES AND JUST A MORE CAREFUL LOOK TO FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S BEHIND. WHAT'S PRESENTED AT FIRST GLANCE? THEN I THINK ENGLISH LEARNER PROGRESS MIGHT BE ANOTHER ONE WHERE PROGRESS IS INSUFFICIENT, BUT THERE'S SOME, SMALL PROGRESS IN THAT DIRECTION. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS UNDERSTANDING THAT. ALSO, IF THAT HELPS ANY ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC WHO'S ALSO MAKING SENSE OF ALL THE NUMBERS AND MAKING SENSE OF THE CATEGORIES THAT ARE IN THE DASHBOARD. MY SECOND QUESTION IS ALSO FOR THIS SLIDE, ARE THERE SOME THINGS THAT WOULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON SOMETHING LIKE GRADUATION RATES. I'M THINKING I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF MOBILITY IN THE DISTRICT, AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF STUDENTS COMING IN, A LOT OF STUDENTS LEAVING EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR. I'M TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF WHAT SOME OF THESE NUMBERS THAT ARE LISTED ARE JUST BECAUSE THEN WE ALSO HAVE PROMISING DATA ON SOME OTHER FRONTS. >> GREAT QUESTION. ONE THING THAT I'LL SAY IS NOT PRESENT INSIDE OF THIS PARTICULAR SET OF STATE INDICATORS IS OUR DROPOUT RATE, WHICH, WHEN COUPLED WITH OUR GRADUATION RATE TELLS A MORE COMPLETE STORY. [00:50:03] WE HAVE THE LOWEST DROPOUT RATE IN THE COUNTY. STUDENTS THAT DO NOT COUNT AS A GRADUATE UNDER THIS PARTICULAR FRAMEWORK WOULD BE STUDENTS THAT COMPLETE THE ADULT SCHOOL PROGRAM, STUDENTS. THAT ARE HAVING OTHER OUTCOMES THAT MIGHT BE WHAT'S WORKING BEST FOR THEM. THERE'S OTHER TYPES OF WAYS TO COMPLETE YOUR HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM WITHOUT COMPLETING WHAT WE CONSIDER HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA. THEN MOST NOTABLY, STUDENTS WHO MAYBE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES THAT HAVE A CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION OR COMPLETE THEIR PROGRAM AS PRESCRIBED THAT CURRENTLY DOES NOT COUNT AS A GRADUATE IN OUR STATE DASHBOARD, AND SO WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE REALLY GOOD PROGRAMS THAT ARE PROVIDING STUDENTS WHAT THEY NEED, WHERE THEY'RE AT, AND THIS WON'T ALWAYS TELL ALL OF THAT STORY. WITH THAT DROPOUT RATE, THAT'S THE OTHER PIECE IS THAT WE HAVE A VERY SMALL FRACTION OF STUDENTS WHO WE, DON'T SEE COMPLETE ONE OF THOSE DIFFERENT OPTIONS. THAT DROP BY RATE WOULD, OF COURSE, ALWAYS HOPE TO BE ZERO AND SO WE'RE ALWAYS WORKING TOWARDS THAT. I THINK WE WERE VERY CLOSE TO 2% THIS YEAR. >> PRESIDENT MOORE, CAN I ADD ONE OTHER PIECE TO AND DR. SIPER AND MR. FUNG CAN SPEAK TO IT. SOMETHING THAT WE ADDED THIS YEAR TO BE MORE RESPONSIVE AND MORE QUICKLY IS OUR EARLY WARNING SYSTEM SO OUR R&D TEAM HAS CREATED AN EARLY WARNING DASHBOARD ESSENTIALLY SO THAT WE CAN LOOK AT THE INDICATORS THAT LEAD TO THESE MEASURES AND ACT ON THEM MORE QUICKLY. FOR EXAMPLE, ADDING AN INTERVENTION CLASS DURING THE DAY IN THE NATOMAS HIGH SCHOOL MASTER SCHEDULE BASED ON INDICATORS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN REAL TIME THIS YEAR. IF YOU GUYS WANT TO SPEAK TO THE EARLY WARNING DASHBOARD, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IT, WE CAN DEFINITELY TALK MORE ABOUT THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM AS WELL. >> THIS ISN'T A QUESTION FOR THIS INSTANCE, BUT I'M WONDERING OUT LOUD, HOW WE CAN ALL COLLECTIVELY SHARE MORE OF THOSE PIECES THAT AREN'T TOLD IN THIS SIX COLUMN STORY THAT'S HERE. I KNOW AS REPRESENTATIVES, IT'S PART OF OUR DUTY TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND SO THAT WE CAN THEN EXPLAIN AND SHARE THAT WITH OTHERS. MY LAST QUESTION IS THE SLIDE THAT SAYS SITE SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITY, AND I APPRECIATE THE PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WE HEARD, RELATED TO THIS. I TAKE IT THAT THIS SLIDE HAS GOOD NEWS, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY. ALL OF THE SCHOOLS ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION BASED ON WHAT'S ON THIS SLIDE? >> I THINK WITH RESPECT TO THEIR ACCOUNTABILITY STATUS, THAT IS SOMETHING TO ACKNOWLEDGE, THE ACCOUNTABILITY STATUS DOES COME ACROSS THOSE SIX STATE INDICATORS. I THINK WHAT WE HEARD HIGHLIGHTED WAS THERE ARE SOME INSTANCES WHERE THERE'S BEEN SOME DIPS IN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. NOW, SOME OF THOSE SAME SCHOOLS THAT HAVE A DIP IN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE MIGHT HAVE ALSO HAD IMPROVEMENTS IN CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, DECREASED THEIR SUSPENSION RATE, YOU KNOW, REALLY MOVE THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THIS IS WHEN YOU SEE THAT CSI, THAT IS A LOOK ACROSS HOLISTICALLY THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD FOR A SCHOOL AND SAY, HOW MANY CENTRALLY REDS DO WE START TO SEE ACCRUE FOR A SCHOOL OVER THE COURSE OF MULTIPLE YEARS IN A ROW AND SO IF A SCHOOL IS ABLE TO SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN SOME OF THOSE AREAS WHERE THEY DON'T HAVE THEM ACROSS THE BOARD OR LARGELY ACROSS THE BOARD, THEY'LL MOVE OUT OF THAT STATUS. IT DOES NOT MEAN BY ANY MEANS THAT THEY HAVE SOLVED ALL THEIR ISSUES OR THAT THEY'RE WHERE WE WANT THEM TO BE. >> THANK YOU. I MEANT TO ADD, SPECIFICALLY WITH THE ACCOUNTABILITY STATUS, AND SO THIS IS HOW I'M THINKING OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY STATUS IN MY HEAD, AND I WANT TO KNOW IF THIS IS CORRECT. CSI WOULD BE, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM, NOT THE BEST BECAUSE IT'S A BROADER POPULATION. ATSI WOULD BE ALSO, IT'S NOT THAT IT'S BETTER, BUT AT LEAST YOU'RE FOCUSING IN ON A POPULATION THAT NEEDS MORE SUPPORT, BUT IT'S NOT OVERALL THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF THE SCHOOL. AND THEN TSI WOULD BE AN EVEN SMALLER POPULATION THAT NOW YOU'RE ABLE TO HAVE THE RESOURCES IN THE TIME TO FOCUS ON. IS THAT I THINK IT'S GOING IN THE RIGHT PLACE? >> I THINK YOU'RE GETTING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. CSI IS ACROSS THE ENTIRE SCHOOL, SO A SCHOOL THAT IS IN CSI, WHERE THEY NOT ELIGIBLE AT A SCHOOL LEVEL, THEY COULD QUALIFY POTENTIALLY FOR MULTIPLE STUDENT GROUPS, BUT BECAUSE THEIR SCHOOL D RESULTS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY UNDER-PERFORMING, THEY GET THAT CSI DESIGNATION. IT'S LIKE IF YOU'RE IN TRA, YOU WON'T BE IDENTIFIED FOR TIER B OR C BECAUSE TRA IS THE HIGHEST TIER YOU COULD BE, WHICH IS CSI. THEN, IF YOU DON'T QUALIFY FOR THE SCHOOL I LEVEL, THEN THEY LOOK AT THAT STUDENT GROUP PERFORMANCE. THE NOTABLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ATSI AND TSI IS ATSI IS DONE EVERY THREE YEARS, SO IF YOU IN 2023 WHERE ATSI, YOUR ATSI UNTIL YOU CAN DEMONSTRATE IMPROVEMENT TO MOVE OUT, [00:55:02] WHEREAS TSI, IF YOU HAVE NO STATUS, YOU CAN QUALIFY EVERY YEAR BECAUSE THERE'S NO YEAR WHERE A SCHOOL IS "SAFE" FROM NOT IDENTIFYING. THEY'RE ALWAYS GOING TO BE LOOKING AT YOUR RESULTS AND SO IF YOU DON'T QUALIFY FOR CSI OR ATSI IN THAT THREE YEAR CYCLE, THEN IN THE OFF YEARS, THE TSI WOULD BE THE PLACE WHERE THEY'D LOOK AT YOUR PERFORMANCE. >> THANK YOU. I DIDN'T NEED TO HUG ALL THE TIME FOR THIS. THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS. >> WELCOME. >> THOSE ARE GREAT QUESTIONS. ANY OTHER FURTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, TRUSTEE DOSICK? >> NOT NECESSARILY FOR TONIGHT, BECAUSE I THINK MY QUESTION WOULD VEER BEYOND THIS PARTICULAR AGENDA ITEM. PART OF IT DOVETAILS TO DARIAS COMMENTS AND APPRECIATE HAVING HER HERE AS USUAL. BUT WOULD LOVE TO GET AN UPDATE ON THE THINGS THAT WE DO TRACK, AND THIS, TANIA, I THINK, GETS TO THE POINT YOU WERE MAKING AS WELL, WHICH IS, WE DON'T RELY ON ANNUAL SNAPSHOTS. WE'RE NOT DISCOUNTING SCORES FROM A PARTICULAR TIME, BUT WE DON'T RELY ON THOSE AND SAY, LET'S WAIT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT YEAR, AND SO I'D LOVE TO GET AN UPDATE ON THE INTRA YEAR TESTING THAT TAKES PLACE, THE FREQUENCY, AND MAYBE SOME ANECDOTAL EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THOSE INTERVENTIONS AND WHAT THEY'VE LOOKED LIKE AND THIS TIES IN, I THINK AS WELL AS SOME OF THE SUF THE SUPERINTENDENT TALKED ABOUT DURING HER EARLY PART. BUT AGAIN, I THINK IT DIVERTS A LITTLE BIT TOO FAR FROM THIS PARTICULAR AGENDA ITEM. BUT WITH REGARD TO RECOGNIZING THAT THE COMMENTS ARE CORRECT, WE DO HAVE A CRISIS, BUT WE'RE TAKING STEPS TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO COMBAT IT. THEN, TO DR. CIPHER, THANK YOU AS ALWAYS, YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE THE DATA. I'LL RENEW MY SEMI-ANNUAL REQUEST, AND I THINK VICE PRESIDENT TRUSTEE MAURA ALLUDED TO THIS AS WELL. WE HAVE A LOT OF TRANSIENCY WITHIN THE DISTRICT, BOTH IN TERMS OF INTRA DISTRICT TRANSFERS, BUT ALSO STUDENTS IN AND OUT OF OUR DISTRICT FROM OTHER DISTRICTS OR TO OTHER DISTRICTS AND AS WE EMBARK ON THESE VARIOUS STRATEGIES TO COMBAT THE TEST SCORES AND THE RESULTS THAT WE'RE NOT GETTING FOR OUR KIDS THAT WE WANT AND THAT THEY NEED, I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO BREAK DOWN, WHETHER IT'S BY GRADE LEVEL BY SCHOOL, THE STUDENTS THAT WERE IN THAT SAME SCHOOL FROM ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT OR WITHIN THE DISTRICT FROM ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT VERSUS THE ONES THAT CAME INTO THE DISTRICT WHERE WE HAVE NO THEY'RE OPERATING FROM DIFFERENT BASELINES AND TO GRADE OUR DISTRICT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A STUDENT THAT'S NEW TO THE DISTRICT, VERSUS THE STEPS THAT WE'VE TAKEN OVER AGAIN, INTRA AND INTER YEAR STRATEGIES, I THINK IS GOING TO BE VERY ILLUMINATING AS TO WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT'S NOT WORKING SO WE'D LOVE TO SEE AGAIN, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE TOTALLY COMPREHENSIVE. WE COULD PICK A PARTICULAR SCHOOL, BUT EVEN A PARTICULAR GRADE LEVEL, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A PRESENTATION WITH THAT BREAKDOWN. >> THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. >> ALL RIGHT, DIDO. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS? >> YES, PLEASE. >> TRUSTEE HARDEN. >> THANK YOU. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT BE COMPREHENSIVE. THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT, TRUSTEE DOSICK, SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I AM INTERESTED IN. I JUST WANT TO NOTE THAT IT IS NICE TO SEE THAT OUR GRADUATION RATE IS CONTINUOUSLY STAYING HIGH AND GONE UP, BUT WE STILL HAVE A SERIOUS CRISIS ON STUDENTS GRADUATING AND NOT BEING GRADE-READY AND NOT READY FOR THE REAL WORLD. WE NEED TO REALIZE THAT, OBVIOUSLY, IT'S A NATIONAL CRISIS. I'M NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND HARP AND SAY THAT IT'S JUST US, BUT I'M NOT A NATIONAL TRUSTEE. I'M A TRUSTEE FOR NATOMAS UNIFIED, AND I'M CONCERNED ABOUT OUR SCHOLARS HERE, NOT NECESSARILY THE OTHERS. THANK YOU, DAR FOR NOTING THE ISSUES THAT ARE GOING ON AT BANNON CREEK AND AT AMERICAN LAKES AND I THINK WITH ANOTHER REPORT AND COMING BACK TO US AND BREAKING IT DOWN BECAUSE I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO KNOW HOW IT IS LOOKING, AND THEN WE NEED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ON WHERE WE CAN FIND THE FUNDING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE AT THOSE PLACES FAR TOO OFTEN. I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR MENTIONING DURING THIS WONDERFUL PRESENTATION THAT WE DO STILL HAVE LOTS OF WORK TO DO. WE ARE MAKING THE GREAT LEAPS, BUT AS LONG AS WE ARE LEAVING SOME STUDENTS BEHIND, WE TRULY HAVE NOTHING TO CELEBRATE. THANK YOU. AND BY THE WAY, I DID HAVE SOME THINGS TO SAY FOR DURING TANIA'S LCP, BUT SHARON THURMAN, YOUR HAIRCUT IS SO CUTE, IT JUST THREW ME ALL THE WAY OFF. [LAUGHTER] [APPLAUSE] >> THANK YOU, TRUSTEE HARDEN. VICE PRESIDENT MAURA. >> JUST WANTED TO ADD MY PLUS ONE TO WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE HAS ADDED A PLUS ONE TO, AND TO BE CLEAR, [01:00:03] FOR REALLY THE SOLE PURPOSE OF KNOWING HOW WE CAN BEST HELP, NOT TO FOCUS THAT ATTENTION ON A SPECIFIC STUDENT GROUP. >> THANK YOU. THERE'S NOTHING ELSE. THANK YOU, GUYS, SO MUCH. APPRECIATE YOU. WE'LL GET ON TO ACTION ITEMS HERE. YOU HAVE ANYTHING NOW? ACTION ITEMS. FIRST UP, [XV.a. Approve the 2024-25 Independent Audit] ACTION ITEM A APPROVED THE 2024-2025 INDEPENDENT AUDIT. I DON'T SEE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. TRUSTEES. DEBATE, DISCUSSION. IS THERE A MOTION? >> GOOD AUDIT. MOVE APPROVAL. >> MOVED BY TRUSTEE DOSICK. >> SECOND. >> SECOND BY TRUSTEE MAURA. NO FINDINGS IN THIS AUDIT? NO FINDINGS. THERE'S SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE IT. >> ITS THAT GOOD. >> REALLY GOOD AUDIT. HELENE, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? >> DOSICK? >> AYE. >> GRANT? >> AYE. >> HARDEN? >> ABSTAIN. >> MAURA? >> AYE. >> LICHA? >> AYE. >> MOTION CARRIES 4-0-1. ACTION ITEM B. BECAUSE ONE OF THE SENIOR IS ON THE END, NOT THE MIDDLE. 401. ACTION ITEM B, [XV.b. Ratify a Memorandum of Understanding between the District and NTA Regarding Modifications to the Transfer and Reassignment Timeline for the 2026-2027 School Year] RATIFIED MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE DISTRICT AND NTA REGARDING MODIFICATIONS TO THE TRANSFER AND REASSIGNMENT TIMELINE FOR THE 2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR. IS THERE A MOTION DEBATE, DISCUSSION? >> MOVE APPROVAL. >> MOVED BY TRUSTEE MAURA. >> SECOND THAT MOTION. >> SECOND BY TRUSTEE HARDEN. I'M NOT SEEING ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. HELEN, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? >> DOSICK? >> AYE. >> GRANT? >> AYE. >> HARDEN? >> AYE. >> MAURA? >> AYE. >> LICHA? >> AYE. >> MOTION CARRIES 5-0. ACTION ITEM C, RATIFY A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE DISTRICT AND NTA [XV.c. Ratify a Memorandum of Understanding between the District and NTA Regarding a Temporary Schedule Modification for Paso Verde School’s 7th and 8th Grades] REGARDING TEMPORARY SCHEDULE MODIFICATION FOR PASO VERDE SCHOOLS, SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE. EIGHTH GRADE. I'M SORRY. IS THERE A MOTION DISPLAY DISCUSSION? >> I'M SURE EVERYBODY'S AWARE, BUT SO THAT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THIS CAME FROM PASO VERDE SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN DOING. >> GREAT. OUR STUDENT TRUSTEE LOOKS LIKE, YES, GO AHEAD? YOU MOVE APPROVAL. MOVES APPROVAL. SECOND BY TRUSTEE, DOSICK. HELEN, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? >> DOSICK? >> AYE. >> GRANT? >> AYE. >> HARDEN? >> AYE. >> MAURA? >> AYE. >> LICHA? >> AYE >> MOTION CARRIES 5-0. ACTION. ITEM D APPROVED THE 2026-2027 REGULAR BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE. [XV.d. Approve the 2026-2027 Regular Board Meeting Schedule] WE SHOULD REALLY TAKE A TIME TO LOOK AT THIS ONE. BECAUSE SOMETIMES THEY'RE LIKE DATES AND PLANS AND THINGS I HEAR ABOUT ON THE SIDE, AND LIKE, WE SHOULD JUST PROBABLY TALK ABOUT IT UP HERE. LOOKS LIKE A PRETTY REASONABLE SCHEDULE TO ME. THAT RECOGNIZES THE WORK WE HAVE TO DO, AND WE NEED TO GET TO IT. EVERYONE'S OKAY WITH THE SCHEDULE? DID EVERYONE TAKE A LOOK? IT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S A MOTION FROM TRUSTEE HARDEN? MOVED BY TRUSTEE HARDEN. >> SECOND. >> SECOND BY TRUSTEE DOSICK. HELEN, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? >> DOSICK? >> AYE. >>GRANT? >> AYE. >> HARDEN? >> AYE. >> MAURA? >> AYE. >> LICHA? >> AYE. >> MOTION CARRIES 5-0. ACTION ITEM E APPROVED RESOLUTION 26 DESIGNATED IN THE WEEK, [XV.e. Approve Resolution No. 26-01 Designating the Week of February 2-6, 2026, as National School Counseling Week] FEBRUARY 2ND TO 6TH 2026, IS NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELING WEEK. I WILL MOVE APPROVAL. >> AND I WILL SECOND WITH THE AMENDMENT TO WELL, MAYBE JUST A COMMENTARY THAT THANK YOU TO, EVERY WEEK IS COUNSELING WEEK. OUR COUNSELORS PLAY AN INCREDIBLY VITAL ROLE IN THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF OUR STUDENTS. I WANT TO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS ISN'T JUST AN ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVAL, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT DISTRICT. I'M GLAD TO BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE THEM. >> SECOND, THOSE COMMENTS. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS, TRUSTEES? IF A MOTION IS SECOND. HELEN, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? >> DOSICK? >> AYE. >> GRANT? >> AYE. >> HARDEN? >> AYE. >> MAURA? >> AYE. >> LICHA? >> AYE. >> MOTION CARRIES 5-0. ACTION ITEMS. [XVI. PUBLIC COMMENTS] I HAVE THREE PUBLIC COMMENT CARDS FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA. THE BOARD WILL HEAR FROM THESE SPEAKERS ONLY ENSURE THE MEETING IS CONDUCTED IN AN ORDERLY AND EFFICIENT MANNER, IN ACCORDANCE WITH BOARD BY LAW 9323. FIRST UP I HAVE, IS IT ELVIRA VASQUEZ? [01:05:04] >> GOOD AFTERNOON, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MY NAME IS SALVIA VASQUEZ. I'M A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER WITH SACRAMENTOIA CONGREGATIONS TOGETHER OR SACRAMENTO AT. I ALSO HAVE A SON IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF SACRAMENTO. THAT HE USES THE FREE RIDE PROGRAM FOR THE STUDENTS. BEFORE ANYTHING, I'M HERE TO THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT YOU'VE BEEN IN THIS PROGRAMS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS. ALSO, TO LET YOU KNOW THAT FREE RIDE PROGRAM GIVES THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS FREE TRANSPORTATION TO SCHOOL AND ACTIVITIES. THIS PROGRAM IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS IN NATOMAS BECAUSE ABOUT 13,000 STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT COULD BE DEPENDING ON THE FREE RIDE PROGRAM. EVERY DAY, THEY GO TO SCHOOL, SPORTS, TUTORING, VOLUNTEER WORK, LIBRARIES, AND MORE WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT THE COST OF THIS. LAST YEAR, STUDENTS USE THIS PROGRAM ALMOST OVER 4 MILLION TRIPS. THIS SHOWS HOW MUCH THEY COUNT ON AND WRITE THREE RT. TO ACCESS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPERIENCE TO HELP TO SUCCEED. THE RIDE FREE RT IS, ESPECIALLY VITAL FOR OUR FAMILIES WITH LOW INCOME, YOUTH AND FOSTER CARE AND STUDENTS EXPERIENCING AND STABLE HOUSING. IT HELPS MAKE SURE THAT EVERY STUDENT IN NATOMAS HAS A FAIR CHANCE TO REACH OUT THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. FOR THESE REASONS, I'M ASKING YOU PLEASE TO CONTINUE FUNDING THIS PROGRAM, AND SO NO STUDENT AND NATOMAS IS LEFT BEHIND BECAUSE THEY CAN GET TO SCHOOL AND DO ACTIVITIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT. >> THANK YOU. NEXT UP, I HAVE TAYLOR KATA. >> MY NAME IS TAYLOR KATA. I'M VIE PRESIDENT OF SACRAMENTO CITY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION. I AM HERE WITH AVA ON BEHALF OF THE SAC ACT. JUST ENCOURAGING YOU WHEN YOU'RE GOING THROUGH YOUR BUDGET DISCUSSIONS THIS YEAR TO MAKE SURE YOU CONTINUE TO FUND THE RIDE FREE PROGRAM, JUST AS WE'VE DONE AND JUST AS SEVERAL OF OUR OTHER PARTNERS AROUND THE AREA HAVE DONE. THIS IS A CRITICAL PROGRAM. IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THE CITY DECIDED IT WAS NOT WILLING TO FULLY FUND IT AS IT HAD BEEN DOING IN THE PAST. BUT I BELIEVE FORMER MAYOR STEINBERG DID FIND A WORKABLE COMPROMISE WHERE WE ALL HAVE A LITTLE SKIN OF THE GAME, AND IT DOES, IT HURTS US, ESPECIALLY IF YOU VIEW THE NEWS. BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO DO FOR OUR STUDENTS, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO SERVE ALL THE REGION'S STUDENTS WITH THESE FREE BUS PASSES THAT GET THEM TO SCHOOL AND AROUND TOWN. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. SHOULD HAVE SAID THE MOST HONORABLE TAYLOR CAYO THERE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. NEXT UP, I HAVE SHARON THURMAN. >> TO END ON A POSITIVE NOTE. TWO THINGS CAN BE TRUE AT ONCE. OUR STUDENTS' READING RESULTS ARE SUBPAR, BUT OUR DISTRICT HAS SUPPORTED AND CONTINUED TO SUPPORT FREEDOM SCHOOL. THANK YOU. TWO THINGS CAN BE TRUE AT ONCE. WE KNOW THE TEST RESULTS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SHOULD BE, BUT WE CAN DO BETTER. THE NATOMAS BLACK PARENT, UNITED GROUP HAS BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF A GRANT FROM FIRST FIVE OF SACRAMENTO, AND THIS SUMMER WE'LL BE PUTTING INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, ESPECIALLY SOUTH NATOMAS, AND WE INVITE OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TO PARTICIPATE IN AN EARLY LEARNING INITIATIVE FOR THOSE STUDENTS UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE. THE OTHER GOOD NEWS IS THAT OUR DISTRICT IS NOT ONLY MULTICULTURAL, BUT WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO SEE THAT SUPPORT RENDER A CONTRACT THAT OUR TEACHERS AND OUR DISTRICT CAN AGREE ON, SO THAT OUR CHILDREN WILL BE IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY KNOW THE ADULTS ARE NOT UNDER THE STRESS OF THE CURRENT SITUATION. TWO THINGS CAN BE TRUE AT ONCE. WE CAN BE MOVING TOWARD BETTER, AND AS WE GET READY TO CELEBRATE MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR'S BIRTHDAY TOMORROW, I'M ADMONISHING US TO BRING HIS VISION TO REALITY HERE IN OUR DISTRICT, TO NOT LET OUR DIFFERENCES CAUSE US TO HURT OUR CHILDREN. HIS VISION THAT EVERYONE WOULD BE JUDGED BY THE CONTENT OF THEIR CHARACTER CAN BEST BE REALIZED WHEN ALL OF OUR CHILDREN CAN READ AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL. [01:10:02] YES, SOMETIMES WE DO HAVE TO DESTROY THE OLD MODEL AND CREATE A NEW ONE. I'M ENCOURAGING US TO DO THAT. >> THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] THAT'S ALL THE PUBLIC COMMENT I HAVE. IF THERE'S NO FURTHER BUSINESS BEFORE THE BOARD. WE'LL CALL THIS MEETING ADJOURNED AT 7:24. THANK YOU. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.