[I. OPEN SESSION] [00:00:04] ALL RIGHT, I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS REGULAR BOARD MEETING TO ORDER AT 5:15PM. HELENE, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? DOSICK ? PRESENT. GRANT? PRESENT. HARDEN? PRESENT. MEHTA? PRESENT. MORA? PRESENT. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A QUORUM NUSD BOARD MEETINGS ARE LIVE STREAMED AND RECORDED AT THE DIRECTION OF THE BOARD. THE LIVE STREAM IS AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING ONLINE, AND THE RECORDINGS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING THE DAY AFTER THE BOARD MEETING. THOSE IN ATTENDANCE SHOULD EXPECT THAT THE RECORDINGS WILL CAPTURE ALL ACTIVITY AND DISCUSSIONS BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE MEETINGS. THIS EVENING, [V. CLOSED SESSION] THE BOARD WILL BE GOING INTO CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54957, PUBLIC EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE, DISMISSAL/ RELEASE AND ONE ITEM OF CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL REGARDING ONE CASE OF POTENTIAL LITIGATION. IS THERE ANYONE HERE TO SPEAK TO ANY OF THE ITEMS IN CLOSED SESSION? . ALL RIGHT, SEEING NONE, WE WILL RECONVENE OPEN SESSION AT APPROXIMATELY 5:45 OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE CONCLUSION OF CLOSED SESSION. [VI. RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION] ALL RIGHT. AGAIN, NO REPORTABLE ACTION WAS TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION. BUT BEFORE WE MOVE ON, JUST A REMINDER FOR THOSE IN ATTENDANCE THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH BOARD BYLAW 9323 MEETING CONDUCT, INDIVIDUALS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD MUST SUBMIT A COMPLETED PUBLIC COMMENT CARD PRIOR TO THE CONSIDERATION OF THE ITEM AND NO LATER THAN THE FIRST ACTION ITEM 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 A PUBLIC COMMENT CARD AND HAND IT TO THE STAFF MEMBER AT THE TABLE OUTSIDE OF THE BOARDROOM. AT THE CONCLUSION OF OUR MEETING, WE ASKED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO REFRAIN FROM APPROACHING THE DAIS 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 DAIS AND ENTERING THE AREA FOR AUDIENCE SEATING. BOY, THAT WAS A MOUTHFUL. AND LOOK AT EVERYONE, SO ATTENTIVE. ALL RIGHT, NEXT UP, [X. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA] WE HAVE THE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA. IS THERE A MOTION? I WILL MOVE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA. I WILL SECOND. YOUR MOTION IS SECONDED BY TRUSTEE HARDEN. HELENE, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? DOSICK? AYE. GRANT? AYE. HARDEN? AYE. MEHTA? AYE. MORA? AYE. SOKOLOVA? AYE. MY MOTION CARRIES, 6-0. ISN'T THAT COOL? ALL RIGHT, NEXT UP, OUR BOARD IS [XI.a. Student Board Member - Olga Sokolova] CELEBRATING THE SWEARING IN OF OUR NEW STUDENT BOARD MEMBER. I AM VERY PROUD TO INTRODUCE AND WELCOME OLGA SOKOLOVA. FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC JOINING US TONIGHT IN THE BOARDROOM, AS WELL AS THOSE WATCHING FROM THEIR DEVICES, A STUDENT BOARD MEMBER PLAYS AN ESSENTIAL ROLE BY CASTING A PREFERENTIAL VOTE ON THIS BOARD. THIS VOTE SERVES AS A MEANINGFUL REPRESENTATION OF STUDENT VOICE AND OPINION. THIS YEAR, NATOMAS HIGH SCHOOL HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SELECT A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE TO SERVE ON THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THE 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR. OLGA IS AN ACTIVE AND ENGAGED MEMBER OF THE THOMAS HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY. SHE SERVES AS PRESIDENT OF I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. A LITTLE BIT OF THE NHS STUDENT BODY AND CAPTAIN OF THE SWIM TEAM AND IS A HIGH ACHIEVING STUDENT WHO IS EARNING COLLEGE UNITS THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE. OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL, OLGA VOLUNTEERS AT JOY'S FOOD LOCKER AND SERVES AS A PRESCHOOL TEACHER AT HER CHURCH. SHE'S PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN HER COMMUNITY AND IS COMMITTED TO GIVING BACK AND SUPPORTING OTHERS. AS OUR STUDENT BOARD MEMBER, OLGA HOPES TO SERVE AS A VOICE FOR HER PEERS BY LISTENING TO STUDENTS AND SHARING PERSPECTIVES ON ISSUES. THEY'RE IMPORTANT TO THE STUDENT BODY AS A WHOLE. AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, SHE PLANS TO ATTEND UC BERKELEY AND MAJOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE. HER CAREER ASPIRATION IS TO BECOME A LAWYER SO SHE CAN ADVOCATE FOR AND HELP AMPLIFY THE VOICES OF THOSE WHO ARE NOT ALWAYS HEARD. PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING OLGA AS OUR STUDENT BOARD MEMBER FOR THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR. OLGA, IT'S TIME TO TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE. SO PLEASE JOIN ME ON THE STAGE FRONT OF THIS. ALL RIGHT, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND AND REPEAT AFTER ME. I, STATE YOUR NAME. I OLGA SOKOLOVA. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL SUPPORT AND DEFEND THAT I WILL SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. AND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. AND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. AGAINST ALL ENEMIES. AGAINST ALL ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC. FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC. THAT I WILL BEAR TRUTH, FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE. THAT I WILL BEAR TRUTH, FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE. TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. AND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. AND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. THAT I TAKE THE OBLIGATION FREELY THAT I TAKE THE OBLIGATION FREELY WITHOUT ANY MENTAL RESERVATION. WITHOUT ANY MENTAL RESERVATION OR PURPOSE OF EVASION OR PURPOSE [00:05:03] OR PURPOSE OF EVASION OR PURPOSE AND THAT I WILL WELL AND FAITHFULLY AND THAT I WILL WELL AND FAITHFULLY DISCHARGE THE DUTIES DISCHARGE THE DUTIES UPON WHICH I'M ABOUT TO ENTER. UPON WHICH I'M ABOUT TO ENTER. ALL RIGHT, YOUR SWORN IN. CONGRATULATIONS. I'M GONNA ASK MY FELLOW TRUSTEES TO JOIN ME UP HERE FOR A PHOTO WITH A NEW STUDENT TRUSTEE. AND THEN YOU HAVE A SIGN THIS THING, [INAUDIBLE] THAT YOU GIVE US YOUR LIFE. [INAUDIBLE] ALL RIGHT, CONGRATULATIONS. [INAUDIBLE] [XII.a. Athletics Spring Recognition ] ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP, WE HAVE OUR CELEBRATIONS. DAVID RODRIGUEZ, OUR ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT IN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IS GOING TO LEAD US IN THE RECOGNITION THE ATHLETIC SPRING RECOGNITION. GOOD EVENING, BOARD PRESIDENT GRANT, SUPERINTENDENT CASTILLO, TRUSTEES, STAFF, MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE. I AM HONORED TO RECOGNIZE THE COACHES AND STUDENT ATHLETES FROM INTERCOM HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD TEAM. JOINING ME FOR THIS SPECIAL PRESENTATION IS DISTRICT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, MS. SUZANNE BAKER, INTERCOM ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, MR. JUSTIN REBER AND OUR AMAZING PRINCIPAL, MR. SCOTT PITTS. LET'S GIVE HIM A HAND AT THIS TIME TRUSTEES, AS WE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST, I WILL NOW ASK THAT IF YOU GUYS WOULD PLEASE JOIN ME AT THE FRONT OF THE DAIS AS I INTRODUCE OUR COACHES AND OUR TEAMS. OKAY. AT THIS TIME I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR AMAZING HEAD COACH, MR. JOHN KNOWLES. ALL RIGHT, FIRST UP WE HAVE GRADUATE JADEN GOODMAN. JADEN WAS A HIGH JUMPER. JADEN PLACED FIRST IN LEAGUE, FIRST IN SECTION AND THEN PLACED SECOND AT THE CIF MASTERS MEET. HE ALSO ADVANCED TO THE CIF STATE MEET. THIS YEAR, JADEN WILL CONTINUE HIS ATHLETIC CAREER PLAYING BASKETBALL AT COSUMNES RIVER COLLEGE. GREAT JOB, JAYDEN. NEXT UP, WE HAVE OUR 4 BY 100 TEAM. NOW I WILL SAY THAT YOU'LL SEE THREE OF OUR FOUR. UNFORTUNATELY, ONE OF OUR STUDENTS WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT. BUT FIRST OFF, WE HAVE CURRENT JUNIOR JEREMIAH PAYNE. WE HAVE SENIORS JADEN COREY AND HIS BROTHER JORDAN COREY. AND AS I [00:10:06] MENTIONED, RONALD ROSALIN WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT THIS EVENING. THE 4X100 TEAM, THEY WERE SECOND INDIVIDUALS, THEY WERE SECOND AT MASTERS MEET AND WERE CIF STATE QUALIFIERS AS WELL. THEY HAD AN AMAZING SEASON. LET'S GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE. NEXT UP, WE HAVE GRADUATE JOSIAH AMY. ALL RIGHT, JOSIAH WAS THE CVC LEAGUE CHAMPION IN THE 110 HIGH HURDLES, THE DIVISION 2 SECTION CHAMPION IN THE 110 HIGH HURDLES, AND ALSO AT THAT MEET BECAME THE NEW STATE LEADER WITH A TIME OF 13.58 SECONDS. AFTER THAT, HE THEN BECAME THE CIF MASTERS CHAMPION IN THE 110 HIGH HURDLES AND WAS ALSO A CIF STATE QUALIFIER WHO GRADUATED IN THE MORNING AND THEN DROVE DOWN TO FRESNO. SO JOSIAH WAS ALSO. NOT ONLY WAS HE BUSY DOING THE HIGHER HILLS, HE WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE 4 BY 100 TEAM AS WELL. SO, THIS YEAR, JOSIAH, HE CAME BACK AND HE WILL BE RUNNING TRACK AT CAL STATE FULLERTON. SO LET'S. AMAZING GROUP OF STUDENTS HERE, STUDENT ATHLETES. LET'S GIVE THEM ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE. ALL RIGHT, GENTLEMEN, WE'LL COME UP TO THE FRONT AND TAKE A PICTURE. PARENTS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COME UP. YOU GUYS GET UP THERE. ALL RIGHT, I JUST CHALLENGED THE SOME OF THE BOYS FOUR BY ONE TO A 60 METER RACE. SO, WE WILL DO THAT FOR CHARITY. OKAY? SEE WHAT HAPPENS. ALL RIGHT. BRING THE ADVIL AND ALL THE ICE PACKS AND EVERYTHING. OKAY? ALL RIGHT, [XII.b. Introduction of New NUSD Administrators] SO NEXT UP ON OUR AGENDA IS THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW ADMINISTRATORS. SO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES IS EXCITED TO WELCOME OUR NEW NATOMAS UNIFIED ADMINISTRATORS. ONE ADMINISTRATOR IS NEW TO THE DISTRICT, WHILE TWO ARE STEPPING INTO TWO NEW LEADERSHIP ROLES. ANGELA HERRERA, OUR DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT IS GOING TO LEAD US IN THIS ITEM. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT GRANT WE ARE PLEASED TO INTRODUCE OUR NEWEST SITE LEADER AS WELL AS KEY LEADERS FOR THE DISTRICT'S ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM AT NATOMAS UNIFIED. THESE LEADERS ARE EITHER NEW TO OUR DISTRICT OR STEPPING INTO NEW RULES ROLES AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERTISE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BRING TO THE TEAM. PLEASE JOIN US IN WELCOMING THEM TONIGHT. FIRST, I AM PLEASED TO INTRODUCE JARMEN LEACH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SAFETY OPERATIONS. RIGHT HERE. MANY RECOGNIZE DRUMMOND LEACH. HE IS NOT NEW TO NATOMAS BY ANY MEANS. HE BEGAN HIS JOURNEY WITH NATOMAS UNIFIED AS A SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER. FOLLOWING HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT, HE CONTINUED SERVING THE [00:15:02] DISTRICT AS A CONSULTANT. HE PROVIDED INVALUABLE SUPPORT IN THE AREA OF SCHOOL SAFETY AS WE WERE BUILDING OUR SAFETY DEPARTMENT AND IN THIS ROLE HE MENTORED AT RISK STUDENTS. HE PROVIDED TRAINING AND SUPPORT TO STAFF AND SCHOOL SITE SAFETY TEAMS AND SERVED AS AN IMPORTANT LIAISON AMONG SCHOOL LEADERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS AS THE ROLE OF SAFETY CONTINUES TO GROW. IN HIS NEW ROLE, JARMAN WILL PROVIDE STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND COORDINATION FOR THE DAILY FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE DISTRICT SAFETY AND SAFE SCHOOLS DEPARTMENT SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE PREVENTION, RESPONSE AND COMMUNICATION RELATED TO SAFETY AND SECURITY. WE ARE PLEASED TO WELCOME JARMAN TO THIS NEW ROLE AND LOOK FORWARD TO HIS CONTINUED LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE TO OUR STUDENTS, STAFF AND COMMUNITY. THINK TECH NEXT I'M PLEASED TO INTRODUCE COREY OLSON. SHE'S OUR NEW ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THE SELPA. IN ALL FAIRNESS, I THINK THIS IS MAYBE THE THIRD TIME SHE'S BEEN INTRODUCED SINCE SHE TOOK THE JOB. YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD A PRESENTATION FROM HER. COREY JOINED NATOMAS UNIFIED IN 2018 AS A DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION. SHE WAS PROMOTED TO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN 2023. THROUGHOUT HER TIME IN THE DISTRICT, SHE'S PROVIDED LEADERSHIP AND OVERSIGHT FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. SHE'S SUPPORTED AND SUPERVISED STAFF, STRENGTHEN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND INCLUSIVE PRACTICES AND HAS WORKED CLOSELY WITH STUDENTS, FAMILIES, STAFF AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS. IN HER NEW ROLE, COREY WILL PROVIDE STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND OVERSIGHT FOR ALL NUSD SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS AS WELL AS OUR SINGLE DISTRICT SELPA WITH A FOCUS ON EQUITABLE ACCESS, COMPLIANCE AND HIGH QUALITY SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. WE ARE PLEASED TO WELCOME COREY TO THIS NEW ROLE AND LOOK FORWARD TO HER CONTINUED LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE TO THE DISTRICT. I'M GOING TO INVITE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP BRANDON BLOM TO INTRODUCE OUR NEWEST SITE PRINCIPAL. ALL RIGHT IS MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE SARAH HENDERSON AS THE NEW PRINCIPAL OF H. ALLEN HEIGHT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SARAH JOINS NATOMAS FROM SOUTHPORT TK8 SCHOOL IN WEST SACRAMENTO WHERE SHE SERVED AS AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL SINCE 2022. SHE BRINGS MORE THAN 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION AND HAS LED KEY INITIATIVES IN INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP, PBIS, MTSS, SCHOOL SAFETY, AND STUDENT SUPPORT. SARAH IS A LONGTIME NATOMAS RESIDENT AND PROUD NUSD PARENT, AND SHE'S DEEPLY CONNECTED TO OUR COMMUNITY. IS COMMITTED TO ENSURING EVERY STUDENT FEELS SAFE, SUPPORTED AND CHALLENGED TO SUCCEED. THROUGHOUT THE SELECTION PROCESS, SHE STOOD OUT FOR HER COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP STYLE, PASSION FOR STUDENTS, AND DEDICATION TO BUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH STAFF AND FAMILIES. THAT WAS DURING THE SELECTION PROCESS, AND WE ARE ALREADY CLEARLY SEEING THAT AT H. ALLEN HEIGHTS. SO, WE'RE EXCITED TO WELCOME SARAH TO NATOMAS UNIFIED AND LOOK FORWARD TO HER LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE TO OUR STUDENTS, STAFF, AND FAMILIES AT H ALLEN HEIGHT. THANK YOU, TRUSTEES. WE'RE NOW GOING TO ASK YOU TO COME TO THE FRONT OF THE STAGE SO WE CAN DO A GROUP PHOTO WITH OUR NEW ADMINISTRATION. THANK YOU. [XIII.a. California School Employees Association (CSEA)] LOTS OF CELEBRATIONS TONIGHT. ALL RIGHT, NEXT UP IS COMMUNICATIONS. DO WE HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM CSEA AVAILABLE? HEY, HOW ARE YOU? GOOD, THANKS. GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY. MY NAME IS MARISSA LAW, AND I'M THE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER FOR NATOMAS CHAPTER 745. AS WE BEGIN OUR ANOTHER SCHOOL YEAR, WE WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO WELCOME BACK ALL OF OUR CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES FROM SUMMER BREAK. WE KNOW HOW VALUABLE YOUR TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY IS, AND WE HOPE YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENJOY A RESTFUL AND MEANINGFUL SUMMER. AS WE MOVE INTO THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR, OUR FOCUS IS ON WORKING TOGETHER. WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE ALL CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES TO TREAT ONE ANOTHER WITH RESPECT, COMMUNICATE PROFESSIONALLY, AND REMEMBER THE IMPORTANT ROLE WE PLAY WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR DISTRICT. THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE AND THE WAY WE TREAT ONE ANOTHER REPRESENTS NOT ONLY OURSELVES, BUT OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR DISTRICT AS A WHOLE. THIS SUMMER, OUR CSEA DELEGATES HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE 100TH CSEA [00:20:01] ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN LAS VEGAS. IT WAS AN EMPOWERING AND INFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE. AND HOT, LET ME TELL YOU. OUR DELEGATES PARTICIPATED IN DEBATES, IMPORTANT RESOLUTIONS, DISCUSSED ISSUES AFFECTING CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES, AND LEARNED MORE ABOUT THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES THAT WILL GUIDE PUBLIC SCHOOLS MOVING FORWARD. WE ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HONOR AND RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING CSEA MEMBERS FOR THEIR DEDICATION AND SERVICE. AS WE BEGAN THIS SCHOOL YEAR, CSEA CHAPTER 745 REMAINS COMMITTED TO WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH OUR DISTRICT LEADERSHIP. WE BELIEVE IN ADDRESSING CONCERNS, FINDING SOLUTIONS, AND SOLVING PROBLEMS AT THE LOWEST LEVEL POSSIBLE WHEN. WHENEVER WE CAN. OUR GOAL IS NOT TO CREATE UNNECESSARY CONFLICT, BUT TO COMMUNICATE, COLLABORATE, AND WORK TOGETHER TOWARDS SOLUTIONS THAT BENEFIT OUR EMPLOYEES, OUR STUDENTS, AND OUR DISTRICT. WE KNOW THAT WHEN CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES AND DISTRICT LEADERSHIP WORK TOGETHER, WITH MUTUAL RESPECT AND OPEN COMMUNICATION, WE CREATE A STRONGER WORKPLACE AND ULTIMATELY A BETTER ENVIRONMENT. FOR OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES. WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUE THAT WORK THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR. THANK YOU AND WE WISH EVERYONE A SUCCESSFUL AND PRODUCTIVE SCHOOL YEAR. [XIII.b. Natomas Teacher's Association (NTA) ] THANK YOU. NTA. GOOD EVENING SUPERINTENDENT CASTILLO AND TRUSTEES. I'D LIKE TO START BY WELCOMING EVERYONE BACK TO THE START OF A NEW SCHOOL YEAR AND ALSO INTRODUCE OUR 2627 NTA EXECUTIVE BOARD. SOME ARE HERE WITH ME TONIGHT. WE HAVE OUR VICE PRESIDENT RACHEL GREEN, OUR TREASURER JENNIFER JONES, OUR SECRETARY JEFF BRYAN, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION MEMBER AT LARGE MAYA SWAYA MENIFEE, OUR BIPOC MEMBER AT LARGE CHELINA HUTTON, SECONDARY MEMBER AT LARGE CHRISTINE STANFORD AND ELEMENTARY MEMBER AT LARGE KIM STEP I'VE HAD THE CHANCE TO VISIT SEVERAL SCHOOL SITES AND SEEN THE ENERGY AND DEDICATION OUR TEACHERS AND SUPPORT PROVIDERS ARE PUTTING IN TO MAKING SURE OUR STUDENTS HAVE A GREAT START TO THE SCHOOL YEAR. IT SHOULD ALSO BE SAID THAT MANY OF OUR MEMBERS HAVE SPENT A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF HOURS AND DAYS DURING THEIR SUMMERTIME MAKING SURE THEIR CLASSROOM AND SPACES ARE READY TO WELCOME IN THEIR STUDENTS. THIS YEAR. WE HAVE MANY OPPORTUNITIES AS A DISTRICT TO CONTINUE TO MAKE NATOMAS SCHOOLS THE BEST THEY CAN BE FOR OUR STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS. OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS AND NATOMAS HIGH SCHOOL AND JEFFERSON SCHOOL ALREADY DOING GREAT THINGS FOR THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE. NATOMAS MIDDLE SCHOOL IS STARTING TO IMPLEMENT THEIR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS MODEL THIS YEAR AS WELL. WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF COMMUNITY SCHOOLS THAT WE HAVE HERE IN NATOMAS THANKS TO ONGOING FUNDING FROM THE STATE. I TRULY HOPE WE'RE ABLE TO DEVELOP THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS MODEL AT AS MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS IN NATOMAS AS POSSIBLE. WE ALSO HAVE SPECIAL EDUCATION MODERATE HOMEROOMS BACK NOW AT OUR ELEMENTARIES. THIS IS ANOTHER GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND OUR OR ENHANCE INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING FOR OUR STUDENTS AT IEPS. I MAY VISIT THE MODERATE HOMEROOMS AT ONE SCHOOL SITE. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING ALL OF THEM THIS YEAR. SAFETY WAS ALSO ONE OF THE MAIN CONCERNS BROUGHT UP BY OUR EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY LAST YEAR AND IT REMAINS A TOP PRIORITY FOR NTA. WE'RE HOPING THE FEEDBACK HAS BEEN GIVEN BY OUR MEMBERS TO THE SAFETY ADVISORY COUNCIL WILL BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. A SAFE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT LEADS TO BETTER LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR OUR STUDENTS AND RETAINING OUR HIGH QUALITY EDUCATORS. LITERACY ALSO CONTINUES TO BE A PRIORITY AT ALL GRADE LEVELS. WE RECOGNIZE THE IMMEDIATE NEED TO CLOSE THE GAP IN READING LEVELS AND AS THE EARLY LITERACY INITIATIVE ENTERS ITS SECOND YEAR, WE'RE PLANNING TO GIVE FEEDBACK FROM OUR MEMBERS TO SHARE THE BOARD THAT WE HOPE WILL GIVE CONSIDERATION AS TO HOW THE DISTRICT CAN IMPROVE ITS EARLY LITERACY PROGRAM SO THAT MORE SIGNIFICANT READING GROWTH CAN BE SEEN FOR STUDENTS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, I'D ALSO LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT OUR TK CLASSES ARE GROWING THIS YEAR, AND IT'S IMPORTANT THE DISTRICT MAKE SURE STAFFING RATIOS ARE MET TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS. TK CLASSES GOING ABOUT PROPERLY STAFFED CLASSES LEADS TO A LESS THAN OPTIMAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS. ONCE AGAIN, WE WELCOME EVERYONE TO A NEW SCHOOL YEAR, AND WE'RE HOPEFUL FOR A YEAR WITH IMPROVED COLLABORATION BETWEEN NTA AND THE DISTRICT THAT IS FOCUSED ON PRIORITIZING [XIII.c. Student Board Member ] IMPROVED OUTCOMES FOR OUR STUDENTS AND KEEPING OUR EDUCATORS HERE IN NATOMAS. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, NEXT UP IS OUR NEWLY SWORN IN STUDENT TRUSTEE. JUST ONE SECOND. CAN WE CUT OUR MIC UP A LITTLE BIT? YEAH. OKAY. THIRD TAKE. WE'RE SO SORRY. [00:25:01] THIS IS. THIS IS NOT THE NORM. WE'RE USUALLY MUCH MORE ORGANIZED HERE. OKAY. TEST, TEST. YOU WANT TO TEST THAT? HELLO. ALL RIGHT, THERE IT IS. HEY. OKAY. I JUST WANT TO SAY A BIG THANK YOU FOR TAKING ME AS A STUDENT BOARD MEMBER FOR THIS YEAR, AND I'M SO HONORED TO LEARN AND GROW FROM THIS EXPERIENCE. SO THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU, AND WE'RE HONORED TO LEARN AND GROW WITH YOU AND LEARN FROM YOU AS WELL. OKAY. ALL RIGHT, ESTEEMED BOARD MEMBERS, [XIII.d. Board Members ] LET'S START WITH TRUSTEE MORA. THANK YOU. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE THAT'S ALREADY REPORTED AHEAD OF MY REPORT, AND WELCOME TO THE. TO THE BOARD. OLGA, IT'S BEING YOUR FIRST MEETING. I THINK YOU'LL FIND THAT WE ALL REALLY VALUE YOUR PERSPECTIVE, BUT ALSO THE REPORT THAT YOU PROVIDE THAT GIVES US AN INSIGHT INTO A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT. THAT ARE HAPPENING STUDENT ACTIVITY WISE IN THE DISTRICT. SO I, FOR ONE, ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU HAVE TO SHARE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON THE STUDENT SIDE OF THINGS. I ALSO WANT TO. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I WANT TO INCLUDE IN MY BOARD REPORT RELATED TO ACTIVITIES THAT I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO ENGAGE IN AS A TRUSTEE SINCE THE START OF SCHOOLS. BUT FIRST OF ALL, HAPPY START OF SCHOOLS TO EVERYONE AND EVERYBODY THAT MAKES IT HAPPEN. FROM ALL THE STAFF IN THE DISTRICT, BUT ALSO THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE UP THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR THOSE STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY, MAKE IT OUT OF SCHOOL EVERY DAY, AND JUST MAKE IT THROUGH THEIR JOURNEY, THEIR ACADEMIC JOURNEY IN GENERAL. SO, I KNOW IT TAKES EVERYBODY, BUT. SO, THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER SCHOOL YEAR. THE ACTIVITIES THAT I WANTED TO SHARE ARE BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHTS. I HAD A CHANCE TO VISIT A COUPLE, AND I WON'T DIVE INTO DETAILS RELATED TO MY VISITS, BUT I HOPE THAT YOU CAN IMAGINE JUST HOW MUCH ENERGY IS OUT THERE AND HOW MUCH IT MEANS TO STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO INTRODUCE THEIR PARENTS TO THEIR TEACHERS AND VICE VERSA. IT'S ALWAYS. I KNOW WE CAN ALL THINK OF INSTANCES IN OUR OWN LIVES WHERE THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE. I HAD A CHANCE TO ATTEND A VOLLEYBALL GAME FOR THE LEROY GREEN ACADEMY GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM, AND THEY WON. SO THAT WAS DEFINITELY A GOOD NIGHT YESTERDAY. THERE'S A NEW COACH WHO I KNOW IS LEADING THAT TEAM REALLY WELL ALREADY BECAUSE AGAIN, I'M JUST GOING TO KEEP SAYING IT BECAUSE. BECAUSE THEY WON. BUT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WINNING. IT'S OBVIOUSLY ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, THE LESSONS THAT COME WITH WORKING WITH THEIR FELLOW STUDENTS ON BEING A FUNCTIONAL UNIT. AND THAT'S REALLY. THOSE ARE INVALUABLE LESSONS. THE NEXT THING THAT I WANT TO SHARE IS. IS THAT IS ACTUALLY AN ASK OF THE DISTRICT STAFF. WE HAD A BOARD MEETINGS, I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN TWO OR THREE BOARD MEETINGS AGO, WHERE WE WERE LOOKING AT OUR BUDGET AND LOOKING AT JUST THE PERSISTENT GAPS IN FUNDING FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS THAT WE NEED AND THAT ARE REALLY CRITICAL. AND THE ASK TO HAVE A RESOLUTION ADDRESSED TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ASKING FOR ADEQUATE FUNDING. FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION WAS PROPOSED. AND I BELIEVE AT THAT TIME WE DIDN'T HAVE A MAJORITY OF TRUSTEES. THE DAIS EXPRESS INTEREST. SO, I ENCOURAGE MY COLLEAGUES. THIS IS OUR PROCESS. I ENCOURAGE MY COLLEAGUES TO JOIN ME IN EXPRESSING INTEREST EXPLICITLY TO STAFF SO THAT WE CAN HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S. IT MAY SEEM SIMPLE, BUT I THINK IT WILL GO A LONG WAY BECAUSE IT IS A TOOL THAT WE HAVE AT OUR DISPOSAL TO EXERCISE THAT VOICE ON BEHALF OF OUR COMMUNITY, THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED. AND WE ARE ADVOCATES OURSELVES TO LARGER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT. SO, WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO END MY BOARD REPORT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, TRUSTEE MORA? TRUSTEE HARDEN? THANK YOU, PRESIDENT GRANT. THANK YOU, TRUSTEE MORA. YOU PRETTY MUCH HIT ON EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR I DIDN'T MAKE THE GREAT VOLLEYBALL GAME. WELCOME STUDENT IMPACT IS THE BEST. WE APPRECIATE ALL YOU DO. AND I'M SO HAPPY TO HAVE A NIGHTHAWK SITTING HERE. I LOVE ALL MY STUDENTS, DON'T GET ME WRONG. BUT IT'S ESPECIALLY GREAT WHEN WE HAVE YOU HERE AND WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA BRING. AND THE THANKS IS WE THANK YOU BECAUSE YOU EARNED THIS SEAT. SO DON'T THINK THAT YOU WERE CHOSEN. YOU EARNED THIS. YOU DESERVE TO BE HERE. SO, ENJOY AND TAKE IN EVERY MINUTE OF IT. I, TOO, HAD A CHANCE TO GET TO BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHTS. I'M GONNA SAY IT BECAUSE I SAY IT EVERY YEAR AND I KNOW NOBODY WANTS IT, BUT BOY, DO I WISH WE COULD JUST DO LIKE ONE OR TWO SCHOOLS EVERY DAY FOR TWO WEEKS SO THAT WE COULD GET OUT TO ALL OF THEM. BECAUSE IT IS SO DIFFICULT. BUT THE ENERGY, THE [00:30:02] PEACEFULNESS, IT'S BEEN JUST AN INTERESTING YEAR. IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A CALMNESS WITHIN THE SCHOOL SITES AND WITH OUR COMMUNITIES. THE SCHOLARS AND FAMILIES STAFF ALL SEEMS TO BE READY AND CALM. AND I'M JUST PRAYING FOR US TO HAVE A VERY SUCCESSFUL CALM SCHOOL YEAR. BUT IT WAS AMAZING. I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE THE TEACHER'S NAME, BUT OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU BECAUSE I DID GET A CHANCE TO GO INTO THREE OF THE CLASSROOMS AND LISTEN TO THE PRESENTATIONS. PRESENTATIONS WERE PHENOMENAL. AND ON MY ONE OF THEM, YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT SHE WAS GOING THROUGH AS MUCH AS SHE IS. BUT SHE'S HAVING TO TAKE A LITTLE BREAK. SO, OUR PRAYERS ARE TOTALLY WITH HER. AND I KIND OF ASKED HER LIKE, WELL, WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE? BUT SHE WANTED TO LET HER PARENTS KNOW SO THAT THEY WOULDN'T FREAK OUT. AND I THINK THAT SHOWS WHAT NATOMAS IS ALL ABOUT BECAUSE I'M LIKE, YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE AND BE WITH YOUR FAMILY. SO, WE APPRECIATE YOU AND OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE TOTALLY WITH YOU. I HAD A MEETING WITH SCEC AND I'M SORRY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT STANDS FOR. AND IT WAS REGARDING AMPAC AND GETTING MORE TUTORS IN, SO WE'VE GOTTEN MORE SO. AND YOU KNOW, ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY, SO LET'S JUST ALL BE PATIENT. AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO SUPERINTENDENT DR. DARREN BRAWLEY OF COMPTON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. I HAD A WONDERFUL MEETING WITH HIM BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING SOME GREAT THINGS IN COMPTON. AND ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS THAT I TOOK AWAY FROM IT WAS THAT HE HAS ALREADY BEEN WORKING WITH OUR SUPERINTENDENT ON BRINGING SOME OF THOSE GREAT THINGS THERE. SO THAT WAS NICE. AND SHOUT OUT TO THE HONORABLE MAKAI ALI, TRUSTEE AND PRESIDENT OF COMPTON, FOR MAKING THAT CONNECTION. AND THEN I WILL GO AHEAD AND GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY PRESIDENT GRANT, BECAUSE HE IS THE ONE THAT ORIGINALLY INTRODUCED ME TO HIM IN THE BEGINNING. SO, I APPRECIATE THAT. AND I THINK THAT IS THE END OF MY BOARD REPORT. SO, EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT SCHOOL YEAR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, AND THANK YOU AND APPRECIATE THE SHOUT OUT. ALSO WANT TO WELCOME EVERYONE BACK. OUR TEACHERS, STUDENTS, PARENTS, FACULTY. LOOKS LIKE THE START OF SCHOOLS WAS A SUCCESS AND IT'S GOOD TO SEE SMILING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS BACK IN CLASSROOMS. JUST QUICK ORDER OF BUSINESS. TRUSTEE MOORE, I HEAR YOU WOULD HAPPILY SUPPORT THE RESOLUTION THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING IT. ON A FUTURE AGENDA IF OTHER TRUSTEES WOULD SUPPORT THAT RESOLUTION. I WOULD ALSO ENCOURAGE YOU TO COMMUNICATE THAT THROUGH YOUR BOARD COMMUNICATION. LAST SORT OF SPEAKING OF THE BOARD AGENDA, I WAS UNFORTUNATELY NOT PRESENT FOR THE LAST BOARD MEETING. YOU KNOW, I'M NOT AS STRONG AS SCOTT. YOU KNOW, HE NEVER MISSES A BOARD MEETING. BUT I DID HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE BOARD MEETING AND PARTICULARLY THE ITEM RELATED TO PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. SO, IT LOOKS LIKE THE BOARD HAD A GREAT DISCUSSION, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE BOARD DID STALEMATE ON THAT ITEM. BECAUSE OF THAT, ENDED UP DOING SOME RESEARCH AND USING MY PRIVILEGE AS PRESIDENT AND CONSULT WITH LEGAL COUNSEL AND THE SUPERINTENDENT. THERE'S ACTUALLY SOME LEEWAY FOR THE PRESIDENT AND SUPERINTENDENT TO MODIFY THE AGENDA ACCORDING TO HISTORIC PRACTICE. OKAY. AND SO WHAT WE'LL DO THAT I THINK MEETS THE BOARD'S DISCUSSION IS MODIFY THE AGENDA TO MOVE PUBLIC COMMENT FOR NON AGENDIZED ITEMS CLOSER TO THE FRONT OF THE AGENDA. WE'LL TRY THAT FOR A PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS AND WE'LL GET COMMUNITY FEEDBACK. DID I HEAR CLAPS? WAS SOMEONE CLAPPING? OKAY, I APPRECIATE THAT. OKAY, GOOD. WE'LL GET COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND WE CAN REVISIT THE ISSUE AFTER THAT SIX MONTH PERIOD OR IF A NEW PRESIDENT IS ELECTED IN DECEMBER. RIGHT. AND THEN THAT WOULD. SO SOMETIMES THAT JUST HAPPENS. OKAY. SO THE SUPERINTENDENT, WE TALKED, SHE'S GOING TO ENSURE THE COMMUNITY HAS AMPLE TIME TO SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT AND MORE WILL BE FORTHCOMING. AND SO THAT WILL CONCLUDE MY BOARD REPORT. BUT WE WILL TRY THAT I THINK AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THE RESOLUTION AS PROPOSED BY. [00:35:02] ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, TRUSTEE DOSICK. ALL RIGHT, TRUSTEE MEHTA THANK YOU. WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE SCHOOL I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT LIVE SCHOOL SITE AND THEN OF COURSE, BUT IT WAS SO NICE AND FUN TO SEE THE PARENTS, THE STUDENTS, THE TEACHERS. AND IT TAKES A LOT OF HARD WORK FROM THE DISTRICT, FROM THE TEACHERS, FROM THE SCHOOL SIDE TO HAVE A CLASSROOM LIKE HOW THEY WERE THE FIRST DAY OF THE SCHOOL. THE EXCITEMENT WAS AMAZING. THAT'S ALWAYS THE EMOTIONAL TOUCH TO SEE MOM DROPPING OFF THE KITCHEN ARSENAL AND CRYING. AND I COULD JUST REMEMBER WHEN MY KIDS WERE YOUNG AND I USED TO DO THE SAME THING TOO, SO. AND I AGREE WITH TRUSTEE MORA'S RESOLUTION. AND ANOTHER THING THAT I AM EXCITED IS THAT THE NUSC ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WILL SOON HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PUNJABI LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM THROUGH LEAF ACADEMY. AS THE FIRST PUNJABI WOMAN TO SERVE ON THE NUSC BOARD, I FIND THIS ESPECIALLY MEANINGFUL. THIS. THIS HAS BEEN A PRIORITY OF MINE SINCE I WAS KNOCKING DOORS IN 2024 AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD THIS EFFORT AND ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE BOARD PRESIDENT GRANT FOR SHOWING INTEREST AND SUPPORT IN MAKING THIS OPPORTUNITY POSSIBLE AND DR. CASTILLO FOR WORKING WITH ME TO MOVE THIS INITIATIVE FORWARD. A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO TONIA GENERAL FOR ALL THE BEHIND THE SCENES WORK THAT HELPED BRING THIS PROGRAM TOGETHER. THANK YOU. I ALSO WANT TO A SHOUT OUT TO SATSBIR FOR COLLABORATING WITH THE DISTRICT RIGHT NOW AND SHARING HER EXPERIENCE AND INSIGHTS FROM PUNJABI PROGRAM AT... [XIII.e. Superintendent] ALL RIGHT, LOTS OF LOVE TONIGHT. ALL RIGHT, NEXT UP, DR. CASTILLO, THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING TO OUR BOARD MEMBERS, STAFF, FAMILIES AND MEMBERS OF OUR NATOMAS COMMUNITY. AND WELCOME TO OLGA. THE FIRST TWO DAYS I GOT OUT TO A LOT OF SITES AND ON FRIDAY I GOT TO WALK THE CAMPUS WITH OLGA AND MR. BAKER AND SO. SO THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN AND STARTING UP WITH THE BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHTS AND THOSE WILL BE CONTINUING THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. TONIGHT'S MEETING HIGHLIGHTS SOME IMPORTANT WAYS WE'RE ADVANCING OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR STUDENTS BY CREATING OPPORTUNITIES THAT HELP THEM FEEL CONNECTED AND EMPOWERED AND BY STRENGTHENING THE SYSTEMS AND PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT THEIR SUCCESS. SO I'M GOING TO PREVIEW A COUPLE OF THINGS YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT THIS EVENING. I WANT TO BEGIN BY CELEBRATING OUR CONTINUED GROWTH OF OUR EMPOWER U, A PROGRAM CREATED TO UPLIFT AND EMPOWER OUR BLACK AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS. EMPOWER U REFLECTS OUR BELIEF THAT EVERY STUDENT DESERVES TO FEEL SEEN, SUPPORTED AND CONNECTED AND THAT CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SPACES CAN HELP STUDENTS BUILD CONFIDENCE AND RECOGNIZE POSSIBILITIES AHEAD OF THEM. BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS OF ITS FIRST TWO YEARS, EMPOWER U IS EXPANDING FROM A ONCE A YEAR EVENT TO TO A GATHERING HELD EVERY THIRD SATURDAY. WE'RE DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO THE STAFF AND FAMILIES WHOSE PASSION AND COMMITMENT BRING EMPOWER U TO LIFE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO BUILDING ON THIS STRONG FOUNDATION AND ENSURING THAT EVERY PARTICIPATING STUDENT AND THEIR FAMILY FEELS SUPPORTED AND CELEBRATED. LATER THIS EVENING WE WERE ALL WE WILL ALSO RECEIVE THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM REVIEW CONDUCTED BY ASCENDANCY SOLUTIONS. LAST SUMMER I ANNOUNCED THAT THE DISTRICT BEGAN THE PROCESS OF COMMISSIONING AN INDEPENDENT OUTSIDE REVIEW OF OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM. I BELIEVED THEN, AND CONTINUE TO BELIEVE TODAY THAT STRONG LEADERSHIP MEANS TAKING AN HONEST LOOK AT OUR SYSTEMS, RECOGNIZE WHAT IS WORKING AND IDENTIFYING WHERE WE CAN IMPROVE. WE ENGAGED ASCENDANCY SOLUTIONS TO CONDUCT THAT COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW AND AND HELP US STRENGTHEN HOW WE SERVE OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND THEIR FAMILIES. FROM THE OUTSET, I WAS CLEAR THAT THE REVIEW MUST BE TRANSPARENT, NEUTRAL AND FROM AN HONEST ASSESSMENT OF OUR DISTRICT PRACTICES. I'M PROUD THAT WE TOOK THIS STEP PROACTIVELY BECAUSE OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES DESERVE BOTH OUR BEST EFFORTS AND OUR WILLINGNESS TO CONTINUALLY IMPROVE. THE REVIEW IS DESIGNED TO EXAMINE THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROGRAM DESIGN OF OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND TO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL ELEVATE OUR EFFORTS TO PROMOTE OUTCOMES FOR ALL STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. WE KNOW WE WILL HEAR ABOUT BRIGHT SPOTS ACROSS THE DISTRICT, AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE WILL HEAR CANDID FEEDBACK ABOUT THE AREAS WHERE OUR PRACTICES AND SYSTEMS MUST GET BETTER. WE WELCOME THAT FEEDBACK. OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO LISTEN CAREFULLY AND TURN RECOMMENDATIONS [00:40:01] INTO MEANINGFUL ACTIONS FOR STUDENTS. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IS CENTRAL IN HOW WE LEAD NATOMAS UNIFIED. WE'RE COMMITTED TO REGULARLY REFLECTING ON OUR PRACTICES, LISTENING TO OUR STUDENTS, FAMILIES, STAFF, COMMUNITY PARTNERS, AND USING DATA AND EVIDENCE TO STRENGTHEN OUR PROGRAMS OVER TIME. THIS REVIEW IS ONE EXAMPLE OF THAT ONGOING COMMITMENT AND OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT OUR SYSTEMS AND SERVICES CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL GROWTH OF EVERY STUDENT. IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE WORK TO STRENGTHEN OUR PROGRAM IS ALREADY UNDERWAY. WE HAVE FUNDAMENTALLY RESTRUCTURED OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM TO CREATE STRONGER LEADERSHIP, CLEARER ACCOUNTABILITY, AND MORE RESPONSIVE SUPPORT FOR OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES. WE ELEVATED OVERSIGHT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION TO THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT LEVEL, HIRED A FULL TIME PARENT LIAISON TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNICATION AND PARTNERSHIP WITH FAMILIES, AND ARE REIMAGINING HOW SCHOOL SITE STAFF ARE STRUCTURED TO BEST SUPPORT STUDENTS IN OUR PROGRAMMING. WE HAVE ALSO BEGUN DEVELOPING A BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL FRAMEWORK, LAUNCHED OUR MODERATE HOMEROOM INITIATIVE, AND ARE STRENGTHENING TRAINING PROCEDURES AND IMPLEMENTATION SO THAT EFFECTIVE PRACTICES ARE APPLIED CONSISTENTLY ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS. TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN THAT PROCESS AND IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE THE GOOD WORK ALREADY HAPPENING AND CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD FOR OUR STUDENTS. I WANT TO THANK THE INDIVIDUALS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS REVIEW AS WELL AS OUR EDUCATORS, SUPPORT STAFF, ADMINISTRATORS, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHO CONTINUE TO HELP US IMPROVE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONTINUING THIS WORK TOGETHER. WE HAVE HAD A GREAT START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR SO FAR AND IT'S WONDERFUL TO SEE ALL OF OUR SCHOLARS AND THEIR FAMILIES BACK AT OUR SCHOOL SITES. I WAS ABLE TO ATTEND BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT AT WHITTIER RANCH, BANNE CREEK, LGBA AND JEFFERSON AND LOOKING FORWARD TO ATTENDING OUR OTHER SCHOOLS BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHTS OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. THAT'S MY REPORT FOR THIS EVENING AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH, SUPERINTENDENT. THANK YOU. ALL [XIV. CONSENT ITEMS] RIGHT, NEXT UP, WE HAVE OUR CONSENT CALENDAR. IS THERE A MOTION? MOTION TO MOVE. MOVE BY TRUSTEE HARDEN, SECOND BY TRUSTEE MEHTA. HELENE, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? DOSICK? AYE. GRANT? NO. HARDEN? AYE. MEHTA? AYE. MORA? AYE. SOKOLOVA? AYE. [XV.a. Constituent and Customer Services (CCS) Bi-Annual Update] ALL RIGHT, MOTION CARRIES, 5-1. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP, WE HAVE A BOARD REPORT, THE CONSTITUENT AND CUSTOMER SERVICES CCS BIANNUAL UPDATE. THIS BOARD REPORT WAS ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA WHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2026. STAFF ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FOR TRUSTEES. TRUSTEES QUESTIONS, COMMENTS ABOUT THE CCS REPORT. JUST OUR USUAL THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND IT'S JUST WONDERFUL TO HAVE THAT BLESSED. I'VE ALREADY REFERRED SO MANY PEOPLE JUST IN THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL LIKE, PLEASE CALL CCS. GO AHEAD AND COPY CCS. YOU KNOW, YOU CAN EMAIL ME, BUT PLEASE REACH OUT TO CCS AND KNOWING THAT THEY GET THAT SAME LEVEL OF RESPONSE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER WE'RE COPIED AS TRUSTEES OR NOT, IT'S A GREAT TEAM. WE APPRECIATE YOU. I WOULD DO IT ALL THAT VERY COMPREHENSIVE REPORT. TRUSTEE MORA MIKE. THANK YOU. AND I AGREE. AND IT WAS A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT BECAUSE MY QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED BY THE FURTHER I WENT ALONG IN THE SLIDES IN THE REPORT. BUT THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE DONE IN GENERAL, BUT ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR. JUST ONE QUICK STAT THAT I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT. WE DID HAVE A LOT OF. IT WAS USED QUITE A LOT LAST YEAR, LET ME SAY THAT. BUT SAME DAY CLOSURE RATE FOR ISSUES 60% CLOSURE RATE FOR THINGS WITHIN ONE TO FIVE DAYS, 30%. RIGHT. SO, THEY'RE MOVING ISSUES QUITE QUICKLY AND THEY'RE SOLVING PROBLEMS ACROSS THE DISTRICT. RIGHT. AND SO WHEN A TRUSTEE DOES SEND YOU TO CUSTOMER SERVICE, I KNOW EVERYONE WANTS TO TALK TO THE TRUSTEE RIGHT AWAY. THERE'S A REASON WE ASK YOU TO CHECK IN BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT THE EXPERTS, THEY ARE AND THEY CAN PROBABLY FIND THE ANSWER A LOT FASTER. AND SO, LOOK, SOME THINGS NEED TO BE ESCALATED TO TRUSTEES. BUT KNOW THAT THAT DEPARTMENT ABSOLUTELY HAS OUR CONFIDENCE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. MISSING ANY QUESTIONS OR OTHER COMMENTS, SO [XV.b. Family Liaison Special Student Populations Bi-Annual Update with Context Slides] WE'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON. NEXT UP ON BOARD REPORTS, THE FAMILY LIAISON SPECIAL STUDENT POPULATIONS BIANNUAL UPDATE WITH CONTEXT SLIDES. THIS BOARD REPORT WAS ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA WHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2026. I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE CHRISTINA HUTH, OUR CHIEF OF STAFF. STAFF, WHO WILL LEAD A BRIEF PRESENTATION ON THIS ITEM. [00:45:02] [INAUDIBLE] NOT EXACTLY. THANK YOU. THERE WE GO. OKAY. GOOD EVENING, TRUSTEES, SUPERINTENDENT AND GUESTS. IT'S MY HONOR TO BE HERE THIS EVENING TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT SOME VERY EXCITING WORK TAKING PLACE THROUGHOUT NATOMAS UNIFIED. JOINING ME TONIGHT IS MY COLLEAGUE, SABRINA JACKSON, THE DISTRICT'S FAMILY LIAISON FOR SPECIAL STUDENT POPULATIONS. BEFORE WE BEGIN, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO NOTE THAT THE INFORMATION THAT WE WILL BE SHARING TONIGHT REPRESENTS A SAMPLING OF THE CONTENT THAT IS INCLUDED IN THE FULL BOARD REPORT WHICH IS AVAILABLE AS AN ATTACHMENT ON TONIGHT'S BOARD AGENDA. SO AS A REMINDER, THE POSITION OF THE FAMILY LIAISON FOR SPECIAL STUDENT POPULATIONS WAS CREATED BASED ON STAFF AND COMMUNITY FEEDBACK IN THE SPRING OF 2025. SORRY, MY VOICE IS GOING A LITTLE BIT THE POSITION WAS CREATED TO PROVIDE PROACTIVE SUPPORT TRAINING INFORMATION TO FAMILIES FOR THINGS LIKE SPECIAL EDUCATION AND SECTION 504, CREATE A BRIDGE FOR PARENTS OF SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS REQUIRING ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS AND PROVIDE RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES IN THOSE SPECIALLY SPECIAL POPULATIONS TO BECOME MORE ENGAGED. THE POSITION DOES NOT ACT AS AN ADVOCATE, SERVE AS A CASE MANAGER, OFFER LEGAL ADVICE, ACT AS A COMPLIANCE OFFICER, OR DETERMINE SERVICES. SO, WE WILL JUMP INTO SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FIRST YEAR. THIS SLIDE PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF BOTH THE NUMBER AND TYPES OF CONTACTS RECEIVED DURING THE 25-26 SCHOOL YEAR AND INCLUDES A SCREENSHOT FROM THE BOARD REPORT. I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT IN ADDITION TO THE 204 CONTACTS RECEIVED, THERE WERE ALSO 189% PROACTIVE OUTREACH EFFORTS TO FAMILIES OF STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES WHO WERE NEW TO NATOMAS UNIFIED. THESE PROACTIVE CONTACTS WERE AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH FAMILIES EARLY, PROVIDE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES, AND HELP SUPPORT A SMOOTH TRANSITION INTO THE DISTRICT. THEY WERE VERY WELL RECEIVED BY FAMILIES. ONE PIECE OF DATA FROM THE BOARD REPORT THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS THIS GRAPH HERE ON THE SCREEN WHICH ILLUSTRATES COMMUNICATION WITH STAFF BY GRADE LEVEL DURING THE 2526 SCHOOL YEAR. 180 CONTACTS WERE MADE WITH STAFF MEMBERS AS A RESULT OF INQUIRIES AND OUTREACH FROM PARENTS. AS REFLECTED IN THE CHART ON THE SCREEN, THESE INTERACTIONS OCCURRED ACROSS ALL GRADE LEVELS DEMONSTRATING THE BROAD REACH OF THE WORK THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT. ADDITIONALLY, THE BOARD REPORT INCLUDES A SEPARATE CHART SHOWING THAT STAFF AT EVERY SCHOOL SITE IN THE NATOMAS UNIFIED ENGAGED IN COMMUNICATION RESULTING FROM THE PARENT CONTACTS LAST YEAR. I WILL NOW TURN THE PRESENTATION OVER TO SABRINA JACKSON WHO WILL PROVIDE A MORE IN DEPTH OVERVIEW OF OUR PARENT TRAININGS AND THE WORK BEING DONE FOR ENGAGEMENT. THANK YOU CHRISTINA AND THANK YOU BOARD. OKAY, SO FOR PARENT TRAININGS FOR 2025 2026 SCHOOL YEAR WE OFFERED SIX PARENT TRAININGS BOTH VIRTUALLY AND IN PERSON. SOME OF THOSE TOPICS WERE PARENT RIGHTS, UNDERSTANDING, IEP AND 504 PAPERWORK, ACCOMMODATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS, BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION PLANS, PARENT INPUT AND CONSENT ESY AND AFTER SCHOOL AND SUMMER PROGRAMS. AND THEN WE ALSO DID AT THE END OF THE YEAR A COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS FAIR. SO ON THE HORIZON. SO, LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR. I'M VERY EXCITED TO SAY THAT I WILL CONTINUE TO RESPOND TO FAMILIES LISTENING TO THEIR CONCERNS, CONNECTING TO WITH THEM AND CONNECTING THEM WITH RESOURCES AND HELPING THEM ESTABLISH CONNECTIONS THAT INCREASE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AND LEAD TO BETTER STUDENT OUTCOMES. OKAY. SO, FOR THIS YEAR WE WILL CONTINUE PARENT TRAININGS ON TOPICS SUCH AS PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS. WE HAVE PLANNED A MOCK IEP MEETING WHERE PARENTS WILL BE ASKED TO COME AND OBSERVE AND VIEW AND BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS. WE HAVE A CONSERVATORSHIP TRAINING HAPPENING, STATEWIDE TESTING TRAINING, EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR AND SUMMER PROGRAMS TRAINING. AND SO, WITH THAT, I'M ALSO EXCITED, VERY EXCITED TO SAY THAT WE'RE EXPANDING BEYOND TRADITIONAL TRAININGS TO OFFER FAMILIES OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN ABOUT THE BLUE ENVELOPE COMMUNITY SAFETY INITIATIVE. THIS IS A SYSTEM TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION AND SAFETY DURING INTERACTIONS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND IN ADDITION, WE'RE ALSO [00:50:01] OFFERING PARENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN TWO FIELD TRIPS. ONE TO UC DAVIS REDWOOD SEED SCHOLARS PROGRAM, WHICH IS A PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND WHO REALLY WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE. THEY WILL LIVE ON CAMPUS, GET SUPPORT WITH ACADEMICS, EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT, AND THEY WILL GET TO BE A PART OF A SOCIAL INCLUSION HEALTH WELLNESS PROGRAM. AND THEN THE SECOND FIELD TRIP WILL BE TO MERISTEM. THIS IS A MULTI YEAR PROGRAM DEDICATED TO PREPARING STUDENTS WITH NEURODIVERSE DISABILITY TO HELP THEM FURTHER THEIR LIFE AND FULFILLMENT. AND, AND OUR LAST TWO EVENTS WILL BE A COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS FAIR EVENT. AND THEN IN MAY, WE WILL CONCLUDE THE YEAR WITH A PARENT APPRECIATION EVENT WHERE WE WILL RECOGNIZE FAMILIES FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION AND PARTNERSHIP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SABRINA. ALL RIGHT, YOU CAN STAY. SO, TO CONCLUDE TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION, THIS SLIDE PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE WORK THAT WILL CONTINUE THIS SCHOOL YEAR AND BEYOND, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE EXCITING NEW WORK THAT HAS ALREADY BEGUN THIS YEAR. I'LL SPEAK BRIEFLY TO THE BULLETS ON THE SLIDE THAT HAVE NOT ALREADY BEEN DISCUSSED AS PART OF THIS PRESENTATION. SO, THIS SCHOOL YEAR, SABRINA WILL CONTINUE SERVING AS THE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CAFE DEPARTMENT. SHE'LL ALSO CONTINUE TO ATTEND THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETINGS, IMPLEMENT VARIOUS OUTREACH AND MARKETING ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES, AND CONTINUE WORKING TOWARDS BUILDING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. NEW THIS SCHOOL YEAR, SABRINA IS CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF CREATING A PARENT FRIENDLY SPECIAL EDUCATION HANDBOOK TO HELP FAMILIES BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROCESS, SERVICES AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THEM. SHE WILL ALSO BE TAKING MORE OF A LEAD ROLE WITH STAFF VOICES AND SERVE AS A STAFF REPRESENTATIVE FOR BOTH THE SANDY HOOK PROCESS PROMISE PROGRAM AND THE NUSD SAFETY ADVISORY COUNCIL. SABRINA'S CONTACT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE IN NUMEROUS PLACES, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE INCLUDED IT HERE IN THIS BOARD PRESENTATION AS WELL. IT HAS BEEN OUR PLEASURE TO SHARE THE INFORMATION WITH YOU THIS EVENING AND WE'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. ALL RIGHT, TRUSTEES, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, TRUSTEE MEHTA? I HAVE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET YOU, BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR GREAT WORK BECAUSE IN THE COMMUNITY I'VE BEEN HEARING A LOT OF GOOD THINGS ABOUT YOU APPROACHED ME AND THEY SAID THAT YOU'RE VERY RESPONSIVE AND YOU GET BACK TO THEM AND YOU HELP THEM. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU, TRUSTEE MORA. ALSO, A COMMENT TO ECHO WHAT TRUSTEE MEHTA JUST SAID. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT YOU DO. I SHOULD HAVE STARTED WITH A QUESTION PROBABLY HOW BUSY ARE YOU? BUT I HAVE A FEELING THAT IT WOULD BE HARD TO ANSWER GIVEN EVERYTHING THAT WE JUST HAVE SEEN. MY COMMENT, THOUGH, IS REALLY RELATED TO SOME OF THE TRAININGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED AND SOME OF THE ONES THAT ARE UPCOMING. I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THE BLUE ENVELOPE PROJECT TRAININGS. I HAD A CHANCE TO HEAR A LOT ABOUT THAT FROM SOME OF THE, I THINK IT'S CALLED THE SHERIFF'S, THE COUNTY SHERIFF'S REVIEW COMMISSION. AND SO I'M FAMILIAR WITH JUST HOW HELPFUL I THINK THAT'LL BE. SO I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THAT THERE'S A TRAINING ON THAT AND ALSO THE ONES RELATED TO THE COLLEGES BECAUSE THEN NOT JUST THE STUDENT, BUT THE PARENTS GET TO SEE WHAT RESOURCES ARE OUT THERE IF THEY CHOOSE TO FURTHER PURSUE THEIR EDUCATION ONCE THEY LEAVE OUR DISTRICT. BUT EVERYTHING IS, I'M GLAD TO SEE EVERYTHING, BUT IN PARTICULAR SOME OF THOSE THINGS. BUT THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THIS PROGRAM IS A REAL BRIGHT SPOT, OBVIOUSLY, AND SO I'D LOVE TO SEE HOW WELL ATTENDED IT IS AND HOW WE'RE CONTINUING TO INNOVATE. SO GREAT WORK. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT GRANT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP [XV.c. Safety & Safe Schools Bi-Annual Update ] ON OUR REPORTS, WE HAVE THE SAFETY AND SAFE SCHOOLS BIANNUAL UPDATE. THE BOARD REPORT WAS ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA WHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH. STAFF ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FROM TRUSTEES, ANY QUESTIONS, TRUSTEES, ABOUT THE SAFETY AND SAFE SCHOOLS REPORT. ALL RIGHT. ANOTHER COMPREHENSIVE REPORT. [XV.d. Welcome Center Bi-Annual Update] THANK YOU TO OUR STAFF. ALL RIGHT. IN OUR LAST REPORT IS THE WELCOME CENTER BIANNUAL UPDATE. THIS BOARD REPORT WAS ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA ALSO WHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED ON THE 14TH. QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, TRUSTEES? YOU KNOW, DOUG, DOUG REALLY IS DESTROYED BY NOT BEING ABLE TO PRESENT THIS THING. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SO. BUT IT IS REALLY FANTASTIC REPORT. THAT WELCOME CENTER IS FANTASTIC. I [00:55:01] JUST GO THERE SOMETIMES WHEN I HAVE A BREAK ON MY LUNCH JUST TO WALK AROUND REALLY COOL. SO DON'T TELL ANYONE, THOUGH, [XVI.a. Start of Schools Presentation 2026-2027 Part II] OKAY? NEXT UP, WE HAVE PRESENTATIONS. WE HAVE OUR START OF SCHOOLS PRESENTATION. OUR ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP, DAVID RODRIGUEZ, IS GOING TO LEAD THE BOARD THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION. GOOD EVENING AGAIN. THIS IS PART TWO. AND MANY OF YOU ALREADY COMMENTED ON THE AMAZING START TO THE 26, 27 SCHOOL. OKAY, WE'LL BE GOING AS, AS EVERYTHING WE DO. OUR PRESENTATIONS ARE GUIDED IN OUR GOALS, OUR DISTRICT GOALS, BE GOING OVER ENROLLMENT, FACILITY, STAFFING, HEALTH EVENTS, AND MUCH MORE. BUT TO START OFF, MANY OF YOU ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE FIRST DAY MOMENTS, RIGHT? AND SO WE TOOK SOME, HAD STAFF GO OUT AND TAKE MANY PICTURES. I COULD SPEND A FEW HOURS UP HERE GOING OVER THE PICTURES, BUT THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE SMILING FACES WE SAW ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, THESE STUDENTS AND OUR STAFF AND EVERYBODY WAS JUST EXCITED TO BE IN THE CLASSROOM AND JUST GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS, RIGHT? AND SO THE FIRST FEW DAYS, REALLY AMAZING. THE FIRST FEW DAYS, THE SCHOOL YEAR AND JUST EVERYBODY JUST HAPPY TO BE. TO BE BACK. AND ALSO TO GO ALONG WITH OUR FIRST DAY MOMENTS. WE HAVE A CAFE RUNS A. YOU KNOW, AGAIN, JUST PLENTY OF FIRST DAY. I MEAN, I COULD BE UP HERE ALL DAY JUST, YOU KNOW, SCROLLING THROUGH THIS, RIGHT? BUT YOU KNOW, WE ARE OUR ESSENTIAL AGREEMENTS IN THE CLASSROOMS, OUR BAND CLASSES, YOU KNOW, JUST STUDENTS READY TO GET AFTER IT. YOU KNOW, CAFE RUNS A BACK TO SCHOOL PHOTO CONTEST. AND SO WE HAVE OUR WINNERS TO MY LEFT, YOUR RIGHT, AND IN THE MIDDLE. BUT WE HAD TO THROW AN HONORABLE MENTION. HONORABLE MENTION ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE. OUR STUDENTS GET SO CREATIVE FOR FIRST DAY PHOTOS THAT WE HAD A STUDENT JUMP UP ON A HORSE THERE. SO VERY, VERY EXCITING. THIS IS PRETTY AWESOME. NO, NO, THIS IS ACTUALLY ONE OF OUR STUDENTS. IT'S A HORSE. SO, THIS IS A QUICK ENROLLMENT UPDATE. AS OF THE 17TH, WE WERE SITTING AT 10,880 STUDENTS. AND AGAIN, I NEED TO STRESS THAT OUR NUMBERS DO FLUCTUATE EVERY DAY. WE ALSO HAVE APPROXIMATELY 161 PRESCHOOL STUDENTS IN OUR ACCOUNT. PART OF THE START OF SCHOOLS IS MAKING CONNECTIONS. AND A FEW THINGS THAT WE DID IS WE HAD THE BACK TO SCHOOL FAIR, WHICH REINFORCED OUR THEME, BUILDING OUR FUTURE TOGETHER. WE CONNECTED FAMILIES WITH RESOURCES. ON THAT DAY, DR. CASTILLO HAD HER PODCAST SHARING WAYS FAMILIES COULD PREPARE FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. CAFES AND OUT POSITIVE MESSAGING. WE HAD TARGETED WELCOME BACK MESSAGING AS WELL. WE HAD SITES CREATIVE, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST DAY, JUST MAKING WELCOMING ENVIRONMENTS FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR FAMILIES. AND THEN MOVING ON TO THE IMMUNIZATION UPDATE. AS OF TODAY, WE HAD 12 STUDENTS WHO REMAIN WHO HAVE NOT RECEIVED THEIR IMMUNIZATIONS. BUT WE, OUR TEAM IS WORKING WITH THOSE FAMILIES, REACHING OUT TO THEM TO GET THAT TAKEN CARE OF. AND AS YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM WE DO HAVE THE MEDICAL IMMUNIZATION EXEMPTION DATA THERE AS WELL. AND WHOOPS, I KEEP ON GOING TOO FAST THERE. ONE THING THAT I WILL SAY IS THAT FROM WE HAD EIGHT IMMUNIZATION CLINICS AND SO WE HELPED OUT 149 FAMILIES GET IMMUNIZED DURING THAT TIME. AND NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO OUR STAFFING UPDATE AS WE KNOW, YOU KNOW DON'T NEED TO SAY IT EVERY TIME I'M UP HERE BUT I'M GOING TO. YOU KNOW WE DO HAVE A SHORTAGE OF APPLICANTS FOR ALL OUR POSITIONS AND AS OF RIGHT NOW WE HAVE SEVEN CLASSROOM POSITIONS THAT NEED TO BE FILLED. SIX IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND ONE BILINGUAL MULTIPLE SUBJECT POSITION, 13 NON CLASSROOM CERTIFICATED POSITIONS AND 10 CLASSIFIED POSITIONS AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR WE WERE AT 35 COMPARED TO 30 THIS YEAR. AS FAR AS STAFFING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SUPPORTS THAT WE OFFER OUR STUDENTS. WE HAVE A SOCIAL EMOTIONAL CURRICULUM THAT IS ALL THE WAY FROM OUR LITTLES ALL THE WAY TO OUR SENIORS. WE HAVE COMMUNITY BUILDING HAPPENING AT OUR SITES. WE OFFER SUPPORT TO OUR FOSTER HOMELESS AND HOMELESS. WE HAVE RESTORATIVE PRACTICES HAPPENING. AND ON OUR STUDENT IDS FOR OUR 7TH THROUGH 12TH GRADERS. WE DO HAVE THE SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA SUPPORT WITH THE QR CODE AS WELL AS THE LGBTQ AND THEN DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE IDENTIFY STUDENTS [01:00:01] WITH EMOTIONAL NEEDS. WE HAVE OUR GOGUARDIAN, WE HAVE NEW DAWN. WE HAVE OUR CO VITALITY SURVEYS. WE HAVE OUR DISTRICT WEBSITE REFERRAL FORM THAT PEOPLE CAN UTILIZE. ALSO INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL SITE REFERRAL FORMS. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE CARE SOLAS REFERRALS, REFERRALS LINKING TO COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES RESOURCES FOR OUR FAMILIES. AND THEN A LEAP ACADEMY IS UP AND RUNNING. ALL SITES SERVING OUR TK8 STUDENTS ARE UP AND RUNNING AT THIS TIME. WE'RE SERVING ALL REQUESTS AND THERE ARE NO WAIT LISTS AT THIS TIME. AND THEN THIS IS OUR WANTED TO SHOW SHARE OUR INTRODUCE OUR SCHOOL SAFETY OFFICERS AND CLIMATE LIAISONS. YOU WILL BE SEEING YOU'VE SEEN THEM OUT AT THE SCHOOL SITES AND YOU'LL SEE THEM EVERY SINGLE DAY HELPING OUR PARENTS AND OUR STUDENTS AT EVERY SITE. AND THEN YOU MENTIONED BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHTS. WE HAD BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHTS STARTING YESTERDAY BUT WE'LL HAVE THEM THROUGHOUT THE NEXT FEW WEEKS COMING THROUGH. AND THEN YOU JUST HEARD A REPORT FROM CUSTOMER CONSTITUENT CUSTOMER SERVICES IF YOU NEED A RESPOND TO CONCERNS FROM PARENTS, EMPLOYEES, COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGH EVERYTHING THAT THEY DO. ONE THING THAT WE DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT AGAIN IS THAT WE DO HAVE THE AFTER HOURS ANSWERING SERVICE TO HELP US WITH THAT AND THEN AGAIN, THE PATH TO SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOL SITES. IT HAS THE STEPS OF HOW TO GET TO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS REGARDING SCHOOL SITES. AND THEN ALL THIS INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE IN A WIDE RANGE, RANGE OF LANGUAGES TO HELP SUPPORT OUR FAMILIES AND OUR COMMUNITY. AND ALSO WE HAVE OUR PATH TO SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION WHEN THERE ARE QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS REGARDING SPECIAL EDUCATION. FOLLOWING THAT, WE ALSO HAVE IT FOR OUR ATHLETICS, BOTH IN THE K8 ATHLETICS AND OUR HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS. SO A WIDE RANGE OF WAYS TO GET A HOLD OF PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHEN THERE ARE QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS. AND THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH A PRETTY QUICK RUNDOWN. BUT IT'S AMAZING START TO THE SCHOOL YEAR. ANY QUESTIONS? DAVID? VERY THOROUGH AS ALWAYS. AMAZING WORK OVER THE SUMMER TO GET EVERYTHING READY FOR THAT AMAZING LAUNCH. WOULDN'T MIND GOING BACK TO THE STAFFING UPDATE SLIDE. YEP. AND I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY SOMETHING THAT YOU HAD SAID AS YOU TALKED ABOUT HAVING A SHORTAGE OF APPLICATIONS. I'M ASSUMING THAT ALSO REFLECTS THE FACT THAT THERE CONTINUES TO BE A SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS BOTH STATEWIDE AND INTERNATIONALLY RIGHT NOW THAT PRETTY MUCH EVERY SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY STRUGGLING TO FILL ALL OF ITS POSITIONS. YEAH. OKAY. SO, I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT IF YOU GO TO IMMUNIZATION UPDATE SLIDE. I TRY TO AVOID GETTING TOO POLITICAL, SO I'M GOING TO TRY AND KEEP THIS FACT BASED. BUT AT A TIME WHEN WE ARE SEEING A GROWING AMOUNT OF MISINFORMATION ABOUT VACCINE EFFICACY AND SAFETY, I'D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE US, ESPECIALLY IN OUR HEART DEPARTMENT AND WITH OUR HEALTH PATHWAYS, TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE AS MUCH SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION AS WE CAN FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT BE VACCINE HESITANT ABOUT BOTH THE SAFETY AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE VACCINES. WE'VE SEEN DISEASES LIKE MEASLES THAT WAS ONCE VIRTUALLY ERADICATED NOW SURGING IN THIS COUNTRY AT LEVELS WE HAVE NOT SEEN IN DECADES. THIS IS VITAL WORK TO PROTECT THE SAFETY OF OUR STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, EVERYONE IN THE DISTRICT, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE THAT MIGHT BE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED AND FOR WHOM IT IS VITAL THAT THEY NOT BECOME CARRIER, THAT THEY NOT BE AROUND CARRIERS TO SOME OF THESE POTENTIALLY FATAL DISEASES. SO I JUST ENCOURAGE THE DISTRICT TO NOT JUST OFFER THESE, BUT TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION CONSISTENT WITH OUR ROLE AS EDUCATORS ABOUT THE VACCINES AND THEIR EFFICACY AND SAFETY. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, TRUSTEE DOSICK. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, [XVI.b. Empower U Academy] OUR NEXT PRESENTATION IS ON EMPOWER U ACADEMY. DEIDRE POWELL, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, WILL LEAD THE BOARD THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS REALLY EXCITING WORK. SO I'M JUST GOING TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF OVERVIEW. DR. CASTILLO ALREADY TOUCHED UPON IT SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHY WE'RE DOING IT. SO, FOR THE FIRST THING, EMPOWER YOU ACADEMY SUPPORTS OUR VISION, AS YOU SEE ON THE WALLS IN THE BOARDROOM. BUT IT ALSO SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSES GOAL NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS CREATE A SAFE, ENGAGING ENVIRONMENT WHERE STUDENTS CONNECT TO SCHOOL AS WELL AS GOAL NUMBER FOUR, WHICH [01:05:01] IS ENGAGED PARENTS AND FAMILIES TO SUPPORT STUDENT SUCCESS. SO WE ALWAYS WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ANYTHING THAT WE DO THAT IT ALIGNS WITH OUR GOALS, WHICH THIS PROGRAM DOES. JUST TO GIVE YOU JUST A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, IN 2024 WE LAUNCHED NUSD UMOJA AND WHAT THAT IS, IT'S A COLLECTION OF PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES THAT SPECIFICALLY SUPPORT OUR BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS. WE WERE DOING A LOT OF THINGS AND SO WE WANTED TO FIND A WAY THAT WE COULD CENTRALIZE AND HAVE ONE DEDICATED PLACE WHERE OUR FAMILIES COULD FIND THE INFORMATION, WE COULD MONITOR THE INFORMATION. AND SO THIS INFORMATION IS ON OUR WEBSITE. AND SO THIS PROGRAM WOULD BE UNDER THAT UMBRELLA. WELL, I'M JUST HAPPY TO SHARE THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE EXPANDING, EXPANDING SOME OF THOSE OFFERINGS FOR THIS UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. MOST OF YOU KNOW TRUSTEES THAT WE LAUNCHED EMPOWER YOU SUMMIT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. THE FIRST TIME THAT WE DID IT, WHICH WAS I GUESS IN 2025, IT WAS A ONE DAY EVENT AND IT WAS SPECIFICALLY TO SUPPORT OUR MALE FOSTER YOUTH. THAT WAS THE TARGET AUDIENCE. SO, WE HAD A NICE TURNOUT. BUT WE REALIZED GOING INTO YEAR TWO THAT THERE WAS A GREATER NEED. AND SO WE EXPANDED THAT FOR ANY NUSD MALE IN GRADES 5TH THROUGH 12TH. AND THAT WAS THIS PAST SPRING. THE EVENT INCLUDED MENTORING, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, YOU CAN SEE FROM THE PHOTOS, SOME FUN ACTIVITIES AND PARENT UNIVERSITY THROUGH CAFE. WE ACTUALLY HOSTED A PARENT ENGAGEMENT SESSION FOR THE PARENTS WHILE THE YOUNG MEN WERE IN THE CONFERENCE. FROM THAT MANY FAMILIES SHARED THAT WHILE THIS WAS GREAT TO HAVE THIS ONE DAY EVENT, IT WOULD BE MUCH GREATER AND MORE OF A BENEFIT TO THEM AND THEIR FAMILY IF THERE WAS SOMETHING ALL YEAR LONG. SO WE LISTENED TO THAT FEEDBACK. WE RECOGNIZED FROM OUR DATA THAT THIS WAS A NEED OF THIS DEMOGRAPHIC IN TERMS OF ACADEMIC SUPPORT, CONNECTEDNESS, ATTENDANCE. AND SO TAKING THAT DATA AS WELL AS THE FEEDBACK FROM OUR FAMILIES, WE DECIDED TO LAUNCH A YEAR LONG ACADEMY BASED ON, ON THE FOUNDATION OF EMPOWER U. SO THIS PROGRAM IS EXPANDING TO GIRLS NOW, SO IT IS NOT JUST FOR BOYS. AND WE EVEN EXPANDED IT FOR FOURTH GRADERS. WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE FIFTH GRADE FAMILIES WERE THE MOST VOCAL ABOUT HEY, WE NEED SOMETHING. AND SO WE DECIDED TO EXPAND IT TO 4TH GRADE ALL THE WAY THROUGH 12TH. AND THIS IS ALSO FOR THE PARENTS AND THE GUARDIANS SO THIS IS NOT A PROGRAM DESIGNED WHERE YOU JUST DROP YOUR KIDS OFF. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, IF YOU HAVE TO DO THAT, THAT'S FINE, BUT WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR THE PARENTS AND THE GUARDIANS AS WELL. WHEN WE MEET, IT'S EVERY THIRD SATURDAY OF THE MONTH. AND NATOMAS MIDDLE SCHOOL WILL BE OUR PERMANENT LOCATION. IT IS OPEN, THOUGH, TO ALL STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT, ALTHOUGH NATOMAS MIDDLE SCHOOL WILL BE OUR PERMANENT LOCATION AND IT WILL BE FROM 9 TO 12. I ALSO JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS POSSIBLE THROUGH A COLLABORATION OF MANY DEPARTMENTS, BUT SPECIFICALLY THE LEADS IN THIS IS THE COMMUNICATIONS AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, OUR EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE E2, AS WELL AS OUR HART DEPARTMENT, AND A WHOLE HOST AND HOST AND HOST OF MANY COMMUNITY PARTNERS. SO THE FIVE AREAS OF FOCUS ARE ACADEMIC SUCCESS, MENTORING AND COACHING, FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, CULTURAL IDENTITY AND APPRECIATION, AND COMMUNITY CONNECTEDNESS. AND I'M JUST GOING TO GIVE JUST A LITTLE BRIEF OVERVIEW ON EACH ONE SO YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE REFERRING TO. SO, FOR ACADEMIC SUPPORT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS AND EACH ELA AND MATH, BUT PROVIDING ENGAGING ACTIVITIES FOR THEM SO THEY DON'T EVEN REALIZE THAT THEY'RE STRENGTHENING THOSE SKILLS THROUGH THE CULTURALLY RICH, FUN ACTIVITIES THAT WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE. AND THEN MAKING SURE OUR FAMILIES ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS WHEN THEY'RE AT HOME SO THEY'LL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE LEARNING AND HAVE THE TOOLS THAT THEY NEED FOR MENTORING AND COACHING. WE ALREADY HAVE MENTORS THAT SUPPORT THE EMPOWER YOUTH SUMMIT THAT ARE ALREADY SIGNED UP TO COME BACK. THEY WANT TO CONTINUE MENTORING. AND THESE ARE MENTORS WHO HAVE A BREADTH OF KNOWLEDGE ACROSS INDUSTRIES. WE HAVE SOME NEW COMMUNITY PARTNERS AS WELL [01:10:01] IN TERMS OF MENTORING. AND AGAIN, WE'RE EXPANDING THIS TO YOUNG LADIES SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE COACHES FOR BOTH OUR YOUNG MEN AS WELL OUR YOUNG LADIES. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY, I'M REALLY BIG ON FAMILY ENGAGEMENT. AND SO THERE'S GOING TO BE PARENTING AND EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS ON A MYRIAD OF THINGS, BUT ALSO TO SUPPORT LITERACY, SINCE THAT IS OUR FOCUS, THERE'S GOING TO BE CULTURAL ACTIVITIES. AND THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IS ESTABLISHING A FATHER'S COHORT. WE ALWAYS SEE MOMS, AND WE LOVE OUR MOMS, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE DADS OUT THERE THAT WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THEM, WE WANT TO GET THEM INVOLVED. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE AND PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR THEM. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CULTURAL IDENTITY AND APPRECIATION, THIS IS WHERE WE WILL HAVE GUEST SPEAKERS, PRESENTATIONS, MAKING SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE OUT THERE. WE LIVE IN CALIFORNIA, SO WE DON'T HAVE HISTORIC HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. SO MOST OF THE STUDENTS IN CALIFORNIA, THEY DON'T RECOGNIZE THAT THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE PROGRAMS AND SYSTEMS IN PLACE DESIGNED TO SPECIFICALLY SUPPORT BLACK AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE EXPOSED TO THAT AS WELL AS A NEW PROGRAM THAT LAUNCHED, I BELIEVE IT WAS EITHER LAST YEAR, THE YEAR BEFORE AT SACRAMENTO STATE, THE BLACK HONORS PROGRAM. AND WE WANT TO INVITE OUR ELDERS. OUR ELDERS HAVE WISDOM AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, OUR STUDENTS LOVE THAT. THEY LISTEN AND THEY REALLY TAKE TO SOME OF THE GRANDPAS, THE AUNTIES AND ALL OF THAT. SO WE WANT THEM TO BE INVOLVED BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IT TAKES EVERYONE. COMMUNITY CONNECTEDNESS. THIS IS TEAM ACTIVITIES, MAKING SURE OUR STUDENTS FEEL WELCOME, HAVING SESSIONS ON HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHOICES. AND THAT INCLUDES GANG PREVENTION, DRUG AND ALCOHOL PREVENTION, PICKING YOUR FRIENDS TO DETERMINE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE DOING AND THE ROAD THAT YOU MIGHT TAKE. MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS, GOAL SETTING AWARENESS, AND ALL THE AVAILABLE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE. A LOT OF TIMES OUR FAMILIES JUST DON'T KNOW THAT THEY EXIST, BUT OUR INTERNAL RESOURCES AS WELL AS THE EXTERNAL RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY. SO WE ARE EXTREMELY EXCITED. WE ARE GOING TO LAUNCH THE PROGRAM SEPTEMBER 19TH. IT'S GOING TO. WE HAVE THE DATES ALREADY SET. WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN ADVERTISING ON AUGUST 26TH. WE'LL WILL ACTUALLY START ADVERTISING BEFORE THAT, BUT REGISTRATION WILL BEGIN ON AUGUST 26TH. WE'RE GOING TO DO SOME INTENTIONAL OUTREACH TO FAMILIES THAT MAY BE RECOMMENDED FOR SOME OF THOSE KEY AREAS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WHERE WE FELT WE NEED TO IMPROVE. BUT IT WILL ALSO BE OPEN TO THOSE WHO WANT TO COME. AND I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE SO MANY COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT ARE EXCITED ABOUT THIS. WE ACTUALLY HAVE ONE THAT SHOWED UP TONIGHT. AND SO I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE WE HAVE SOME LADIES HERE. WOULD YOU JUST PLEASE STAND? THEY ARE A PART OF AN INTEREST GROUP OF ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY INCORPORATED THAT WILL BE SERVING THE NATOMAS. AND SO THEY'RE GOING TO BE A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY SERVICE. THEY'RE BUILDING THIS INTO THEIR PROGRAM. SO I WANT TO JUST THANK THEM. THEY SLIPPED IN AND I SAW THAT 1908 P AND I SAID I DEFINITELY HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEM. AND I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS WHY TOO, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T HAVE MY PINK AND GREEN ON. BUT WE JUST HAVE. WE ALL ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS WORK AND WE JUST WANTED TO GIVE THE BOARD A LITTLE SNIPPET. OBVIOUSLY, WE'LL BE PROVIDING MORE UPDATES AS WE LAUNCH AND THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. AND WITH THAT, THAT CONTINUES CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, I'D BE GLAD TO ANSWER TRUSTEES COMMENTS. I DON'T SEE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT UP HERE AS WELL. SO. TRUSTEE HARDEN, I'M JUST SUPER EXCITED THAT WE'RE EXPANDING AND NOW THE YOUNG LADIES DO NEED SO MUCH MORE. SO I'M EXCITED. AND THANK YOU LADIES FOR COMING. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, GREAT JOB. THANK YOU. [XVI.c. Special Education Program Review] ALL RIGHT, NEXT UP IS OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM REVIEW. OUR SUPERINTENDENT WILL LEAD US ON THIS ITEM. ALL RIGHT, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, LAST AUGUST IN MY SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT, I TALKED ABOUT US ENGAGING IN AN INDEPENDENT SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM REVIEW TO LOOK AT THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING WELL AND THE AREAS THAT WE NEED TO IMPROVE AND SETTING UP IDEAS, IDENTIFIED ACTIVITIES THAT WE WILL FOCUS ON AND CREATING A WAY TO. [01:15:05] TO MEET THOSE GOALS TO BETTER FOR OUR STUDENTS. AND SO WE ENGAGED WITH DR. MILDRED BROWN AND HER GROUP WITH ASCENDANCY SOLUTIONS, AND THEY HAVE BEEN AMAZING TO WORK WITH, VERY RESPONSIVE, HAVE COME IN AND DONE A LOT OF THINGS WITH OUR STAFF F HELD FOCUS GROUPS WITH FAMILIES. AND SO THEY'RE HERE TONIGHT TO SHARE THE PROCESS THEY WENT THROUGH, SOME OF THEIR KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. BUT WE REALLY JUST APPRECIATE THEIR CANDOR, THEIR WILLINGNESS TO WORK WITH US. AND SO I WILL TURN IT OVER TO DR. BROWN AND LET HER INTRODUCE HER TEAM AND OUR PRESENTATION FOR THIS EVENING. I WANT TO START OUT BY SAYING THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. TRUSTEES, SUPERINTENDENT, CERTAINLY OUR STAFF, AND ALSO COMMUNITY. IT'S REALLY UNFORTUNATE, THOUGH, WE'RE FOLLOWING SUCH EXCITING WORK THAT HAS ALREADY PROBABLY PREFACED SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE GOING TO RECOMMEND. SO WE'RE HERE TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT THE SPECIAL ED REVIEW. AND OUR COMMITMENT TONIGHT IS TO SHARE THE WORK THAT WE DID IN REGARDS TO THE ASSESSMENTS, AS THE SUPERINTENDENT JUST SHARED THE FOCUS GROUPS AS WELL AS THE OTHER DATA THAT WE COLLECTED, AND THEN END WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS. SO THE ASCENDANCY SOLUTIONS TEAM IS NEW IN TERMS OF. NEWLY FORMED WHEN I RETIRED FROM MOUNT DIABLO UNIFIED AS ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT. AND FROM THAT POINT ON, YOU'LL SEE AN ARRAY OF EDUCATORS WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING SINCE 2013 AND IN PROBABLY OVER 100 SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME. AND WE'VE WORKED TO SUPPORT DISTRICTS AS FAR AS ASSESSMENTS AS WELL AS BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE AND CHANGING ALSO THE CONVERSATION AROUND CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS ABOUT SUPPORTING STUDENTS. SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO INTRODUCE EVERYONE TONIGHT, BUT TONIGHT WE HAVE JENNA SPURLOCK, GARY MCKINNON, HENRY AND MARGARET FUGIO. [INAUDIBLE] ALL RIGHT, SO IN THE FALL OF 2025, WE WERE ALREADY WORKING IN THE DISTRICT, SUPPORTING THE DISTRICT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR SIM PLAN. AS FAR AS THE SIGNIFICANT DISPROPORTIONALITY WHERE THE DISTRICT HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED. AND THIS PRETTY MUCH SEGUED INTO WORK AROUND THE SPECIAL ED REVIEW. AS THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS ALREADY SHARED, THIS IS A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW WHERE WE WERE LOOKING NOT ONLY AT SPECIAL ED, BUT SPECIAL ED AS A PART OF THE REGULAR DISTRICT GENERAL EDUCATION, AS WELL AS WORKING AND ASSESSING THOUGHTS AND FEEDBACK FROM YOUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PARTICULARLY YOUR PARENTS, AND ALSO ELEVATING STUDENT VOICES. YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT SPECIAL EDUCATION, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S PART OF A LARGER CONTEXT. AND SO, WHEN WE WERE TASKED TO COME HERE AND DO THAT WORK, WE STARTED TO LOOK AT WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT. SO, THIS PROGRAM REVIEW REALLY SERVED AS A PURPOSE AND A CATALYST FOR US IN TERMS OF HOW COMPREHENSIVE WE COULD BE. AND LOOKING AT A WHOLE SYSTEM, SPECIAL EDUCATION CANNOT FUNCTION AS AN ISLAND. AND SO THERE YOU WILL SEE INTERSECTIONALITY BETWEEN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND GENERAL EDUCATION IN THIS REVIEW PROCESS. THESE ARE ALL THE AREAS OF INQUIRY. MY GOODNESS. EVERY ONE OF THOSE AREAS WERE LOOKED AT, DATA WAS GATHERED, ASSESSED, AND BROUGHT FORWARD IN TERMS OF ITS OWN RECOMMENDATION, AND THEN HOW IT AGAIN INTERSECTS WITH THE REST OF THE DISTRICT. OKAY, SO WE DID THE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW, AND IT WAS TWOFOLD. OUR OUTCOME WAS, LET'S TAKE ALL THOSE FINDINGS THAT. ALL THOSE. YOU SAW THAT NUMBER, ALL THOSE BULLET POINTS, POINTS, TAKE THE FINDINGS FROM ALL OF THAT INDIVIDUAL WORK, THEN PUT IT TOGETHER, MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THEN PUT TOGETHER A REPORT THAT ACTUALLY THEN LOOKED AT, HOW DO YOU. HOW DO YOU LEVERAGE THE RELATIONSHIP AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S IN THE DISTRICT ALREADY TO ACTUALLY REALLY IMPROVE SPECIAL EDUCATION AND MAKE IT FULLY INTEGRATED SO THAT THE, THE BOUNDARIES ARE MORE SEAMLESS. AND BASICALLY, I JUST SAID THAT, THAT THE INTERSECTION IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT BETWEEN THE TWO. AND I, YOU KNOW, HEARD MENTION EARLIER AROUND, YOU KNOW, THE CONCERN ABOUT THE EXPENSE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION. AND I THINK AS WE WORK MORE TIGHTLY, WE CAN ACTUALLY START [01:20:01] LEVERAGING RESOURCES MORE WISELY AS WELL TO THINK IN THAT DIRECTION. SO OUR GOAL WAS TO MAXIMIZE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE POTENTIAL OF ALL STUDENTS, SO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ARE STUDENTS FIRST. AND SO WE WANTED TO REALLY EMPHASIZE THAT AND ELEVATE THAT TO BRING IT FORWARD. ALSO, WE TALKED TO VARIOUS, MULTIPLE PLAYERS IN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, AND IT WAS REALLY A LOT OF ONGOING COLLABORATION. PEOPLE WERE WILLING TO TALK TO US. WHEN WE WALKED IN THIS EVENING, FOLKS WERE SAYING HELLO TO US AND HOW ARE YOU DOING? A HOME WHOLE WEEK, YOU KNOW, HOMECOMING. SO REALLY NICE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. ALSO, THOUGH, WE LOOKED AT ANALYZING POCKETS OF EXCELLENCE BECAUSE THINGS ARE HAPPENING WELL IN THE NATOMAS. BUT AS SUPERINTENDENT CASTILLO SAID, WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT IS ALSO NEEDING TO BE DONE. SO WE NEEDED TO LOOK AT ALSO OUR DATA GATHERING AND THAT WAS WHEN WE LOOKED AT DIFFERENT, VARIOUS REPORTS. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THE HISTORY. WE GAVE YOU A BIG REPORT ABOUT SOME OF THE REPORTS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE IN THE PAST, BUT WE LOOKED AT THE PAST HISTORY. WE HAVE TO KNOW WHERE WE WERE IN ORDER TO KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING. AND SO WE LOOKED AT ALL PAST HISTORY REPORTS AND THEN WE ALSO LOOKED AT ADDITIONAL INQUIRY LEVELS. SO, WHEN MARGARET AND I CAME OUT TO DO THE VISITS AT THE SITES, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID WAS WE SAID LET'S TALK ABOUT AND LET'S LOOK AT THE CONTINUUM OF SERVICES. AND THEN NOW YOU HAVE YOUR MODERATE HOMEWORK. SO THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT KIND OF WERE ORGANIZED, ORGANIC AS WE PROGRESS THROUGH THIS PROCESS. SO WHAT WERE THE FINDINGS? WE DID ALL THIS WORK. WHAT WERE THE FINDINGS? AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO LOOK AND IDENTIFY A FEW OF THINGS. FIRST, WE'RE GOING TO START WITH BRIGHT SPOTS. DR. BROWN, I'M EXCITED TO DO THIS PART BECAUSE IT'S SO POSITIVE. AND LET ME JUST SAY THAT THE NUMBER ONE POSITIVE IS THE OPENNESS, THE COURAGEOUS COMMUNICATION WITH ALL OF THE STAFF AS FAR AS THEIR OPENNESS AND SHARING AROUND THE DIVERSE VOICES AND AMPLIFYING THE GOOD THINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING ALONG WITH THINGS THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE HAD SOME CONCERNS. THE OTHER WAS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SEE THAT THERE'S A REALLY CONSCIENTIOUS COMMITMENT TO REALLY SUPPORT AND ENGAGE, ENGAGE WITH FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES. WE WERE EXCITED. IN FACT, I EVEN TESTED, I CALLED THE CONSTITUENT AND CUSTOMER SERVICE ON THE WEEKEND TWICE TO SEE IF I'D GET A RESPONSE. AND IT WORKED. AND I DID GET A RESPONSE AND I SAID, OH, WOW. I JUST WISH THIS HAD BEEN SOMETHING THAT HAD BEEN IN MY OLD DISTRICT BECAUSE IT CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE STOPPED A LOT OF THE WORK THAT I HAD HAD TO DO AS FAR AS TRYING TO ENGAGE PARENTS WHO WERE VERY CONCERNED AND FRUSTRATED. THE OTHER IS WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN CELEBRATED TONIGHT IS CERTAINLY MS. JACKSON'S WORK AROUND THE FAMILY LIAISON WORK THAT SHE. EVERY FOCUS GROUP ELEVATED THE WORK THAT THAT PARTICULAR POSITION HAS BEEN DOING ALONG WITH THE CCS DEPARTMENT. THE OTHER WAS THE LEADERSHIP AROUND THE CORE VALUES. IT WAS JUST TONIGHT WE WERE ABLE TO SEE IT ON THE SCREEN AS FAR AS THE AMPLIFICATION OF YOUR GOALS AND HOW YOU REALLY WORK HARD TO BE SURE THAT THAT'S THREADED THROUGHOUT EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING. AND WE WERE ABLE TO SEE THAT. WE ALSO SAW KIND OF A TEAM SPIRIT AROUND BEING RESPONSIVE AND OPEN AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, SHARING THAT THERE WERE WHEN WE MET WITH THE PRINCIPALS, WHEN WE MET WITH ALL OF THE ACTUAL DEPARTMENTS AS FAR AS ROLE GROUPS, THERE WAS THAT COLLEGIAL SPIRIT AND TEAMWORK AND NATOMAS FIRST. SO THAT WAS VERY POSITIVE. THE ANNUAL SPOTLIGHT AWARD. WE WERE HERE FOR ONE OF THE SESSIONS AND FOCUS GROUPS, I THINK, THAT DAY, AND EVERYONE WAS JUST SO EXCITED ABOUT TALKING ABOUT THIS GREAT EVENT AND THEN HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO BACK IN SOME OF YOUR NEWSLETTERS AND READ ABOUT IT AND THEN ASK ABOUT IT. SO ONCE AGAIN, THAT IS JUST DEFINITELY A HIGHLIGHT. AND THEN WE WERE ALSO LOOKING AT YOUR DIVERSE FUTURE TEACHERS PROGRAM AND TALKING IN THE FOCUS GROUPS ABOUT SOME TEACHERS THAT EVEN STARTED OUT AS INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD BEEN IN THE PROGRAM AND WHO NOW WERE VERY SUCCESSFULLY EMPLOYED IN THE DISTRICT. SO THAT CAREER LADDER OR GROWING YOUR OWN WAS CERTAINLY DEMONSTRATED BY THE DIVERSE FUTURES TEACHERS PROGRAM. SO, I COULD GO ON AND ON. WE HAVE A WHOLE LIST AND WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DECIDE. BUT GIVEN THE FACT WE ALREADY HAVE ALL THESE SLIDES, WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH TONIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO TURN IT OVER NOW TO OUR QUANTITATIVE DATA. MR.MCHENRY. [01:25:06] GOOD EVENING. I WILL BE REPORTING ON THE QUANTITATIVE DATA SECTION WHICH I HELPED PUT TOGETHER ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. I REALLY WANT TO FOCUS ON A COUPLE OF AREAS. FIRST, THE GRADUATION RATE. ALL GROUPS IN THE DISTRICTS HAVE OVER A 90% HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE. BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS ALL GROUPS HAVE MEET THE A TO G REQUIREMENT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT THE 50% LEVEL. WITH THE EXCEPTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS. THE AFRICAN AMERICANS MEET THE A TO G COMPLETION RATE FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT 35.9%. SO, I KNOW THAT THE DISTRICT HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON THE ACHIEVEMENT OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS. AND THOSE ARE THE STUDENTS AT THE PRESENT TIME WHO SEEM TO NEED MORE ASSISTANCE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION. AFRICAN AMERICANS. OF THOSE, I THINK 17, 60 STUDENTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, ABOUT 24% OF THEM ARE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION OR HAVE AN IEP. ALSO, WE CHECKED THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO HAD A SECTION 504 PLAN. AFRICAN AMERICANS. ABOUT 20% OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS HAVE A SECTION 504 PLAN. SO, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT, OVER 40% OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS EITHER HAVE AN IEP OR SECTION 504 PLAN. AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS HAVE A CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM RATE OF 31.2%. WHAT THAT MEANS IS OF THE 2,600 AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT, 31% OF THEM MISS 10 DAYS OF SCHOOL EVERY YEAR. THE SUSPENSION RATE FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS IS ABOUT 15, 16%. IT IS THE HIGHEST IN THE DISTRICT. SO AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT YOUR FOCUS IS CLEAR AND YOUR FOCUS IS NEEDED IN TERMS OF ASSISTING THESE AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS. THANK YOU, GARY. SO, THINKING ABOUT THE FUNDAMENTAL THINGS THAT NEED TO BE IN PLACE, POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES. I KNOW CHRISTINA HAS TAKEN A LOT OF TIME TO UPDATE ALL THE BOARD POLICIES. POLICIES. LAST BOARD MEETING SHE PRESENTED, I THINK, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY. BUT WHAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT ARE THEY MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS AND FACULTY AND WHAT IS THE CONNECTION AGAIN TO STUDENT OUTCOME AND ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THOSE POLICIES IN THE CLASSROOM EVERY DAY? SO I TOOK A LOOK AT THE POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES SPECIFICALLY AROUND MTSS FRAMEWORK, STUDENT STUDY TEAM, YOUR COORDINATION OF CARE TEAM, YOUR COST PROCESSES. WE LOOKED AT 504 PBIS, THE BEHAVIOR MATRIX ALTERNATIVES. WE ALSO LOOKED AT YOUR NON DISCRIMINATION POLICY AND ALSO ABOUT YOUR EQUITY POLICY AND ALSO YOUR POLICY THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE THEORY OF ACTION FOR STUDENT SUCCESS. SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO STAFF ABOUT THAT. WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT WHAT FOUNDATIONALLY NEEDS TO BE DONE, BUT THAT'S A PIECE THAT WE HAD A FINDING AND SO WE WANTED TO BRING THAT FORWARD TO YOU. ALSO, THE INCLUSIVE PRACTICES. I'M SO HAPPY TO HEAR PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT THE MODERATE CLASS HOMEROOM. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU EVEN REALIZE, WHEN WE STEPPED INTO THE DISTRICT, PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT A NEED FOR CONTINUUM OF SERVICES IN TERMS OF INCLUSIVE PRACTICES FOR STUDENTS. AND THAT CONTINUUM HAS COME TO FRUITION THIS FALL QUICKLY. I MEAN, THE TURNAROUND WAS PHENOMENAL, SO KUDOS TO THAT. BUT WE FOUND THAT AS A NEED, THE DISTRICT RESPONDED. AND HERE WE HAVE A MODERATE INCLUSIVE HOMEWORK FOR STUDENTS AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL. FABULOUS, MARGARET. I DON'T NEED ANYTHING. WE GOT IT. I MEAN, WE BASICALLY CAME TO, IN THOSE SITE VISITS, WE CAME TO THAT. WE LISTENED TO THE PRINCIPALS THAT TALKED WITH US AND SAW WHAT WAS BEING, YOU KNOW, TOURED US AROUND. AND WHEN TRENT AND I TALKED THINGS OVER, THAT WAS WE SAW A NEEDLE AND THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD WITH THE LEADERSHIP HERE IN THE DISTRICT WAS REALLY, REALLY OPEN TO SHAKING THAT APART. THANK YOU. THEN THERE WAS THE…SO THEN THERE WAS ALSO THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY FILE REVIEW. THIS IS A SNAPSHOT IN TIME OF A SET OF FILES FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE IEPS. AND THERE WAS A CONCENTRATION AS FAR AS LOOKING TO SEE IF THERE WERE, IN FACT, ON A CONSISTENT BASIS, PRE INTERVENTION STRATEGIES THAT WERE A PART OF THE PROCESS. AND EVEN THOUGH IT WAS SPOTTY, AS FAR AS THE INFORMATION THAT WAS DOCUMENTED, THERE DID NOT APPEAR, JUST BASED ON THIS SNAPSHOT, [01:30:02] A FORMAL PROCESS FOR STUDENTS TO RECEIVE TARGETED SERVICES. WE ALSO, THOUGH, WERE ABLE TO TALK TO STAFF AND KNOW THAT THERE IS DATA THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE PROBABLY OUTSIDE THESE FILES, BUT AT LEAST IN THE STUDENT FILES THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT, IT WAS NOT THERE. SO, THEN THAT WOULD BE INSUFFICIENT DOCUMENTATION IN THOSE PARTICULAR STUDENT FILES. YES. I ALSO DID THE FOCUS GROUP WITH THE PARENTS. THERE WERE FOUR DIFFERENT SESSIONS, I BELIEVE, IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY. ABOUT 100 PARENTS ATTENDED THOSE SESSIONS. ALL THOSE HUNDRED PARENTS, ABOUT HALF OF THEM WERE AFRICAN AMERICAN PARENTS, AND HALF OF THEM EITHER HAD AN IEP OR SECTION 504. AND WE USUALLY START THE CONVERSATION WITH WHAT ARE SOME BRIGHT SPOTS IN THE DISTRICT AND WHAT PARENTS TOLD US. THEY LIKED THE FACT THAT THEY HAD SOME PARENT EDUCATION THAT SCHEDULED FOR THEM. THEY REALLY LIKED THE FACT THAT THE BOARD ADDED THE NEW COORDINATOR POSITION FOR THAT. MS. BLACK, WHO SPOKE EARLIER TONIGHT, THEY. WHAT THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT, MORE SO THAN ANYTHING ELSE, IS THAT WHEN THEY WOULD CONTACT A DISTRICT OFFICIAL, THEY DIDN'T GET A TIME TO RESPOND. IF THEY HAD. IF THEY REQUESTED, LIKE AN IEP, THEY FELT LIKE THEY WERE IN WAR WITH WHOEVER'S ON THE OTHER END IN TERMS OF MAYBE SETTING UP THE ASSESSMENT SO THAT STUDENT COULD. SO A DETERMINATION COULD BE MADE OF WHETHER THE STUDENT REALLY NEEDED AN IEP OR WHETHER THAT NEEDS COULD BE MET WITH THE SECTION 504 PLAN. COULD I JUST REAL QUICK. BECAUSE THIS IS A LOT OF INFORMATION, AND WHAT I DON'T WANT TO HAPPEN IS THAT WE READ AND YOU GUYS ARE DOING GREAT. THIS IS MORE DIRECT. IT'S JUST GENERAL EXPECTATIONS THAT I HAVE. THIS IS A LOT OF INFORMATION, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. SO I'D LIKE TO JUST MAYBE ASK SOME QUESTIONS AS WE'RE GOING ALONG SO WE DON'T GET TO THE END, AND IT'S LIKE, GREAT, COOL. WE KNOW WE HAVE WORK TO DO. I DON'T THINK THAT'S INTERACTIVE. SO I DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. IF WE COULD JUST GO BACK A SLIDE OR TWO ON THE AREA THAT SAYS INCLUSIVE PRACTICES AND MODERATE PROGRAM OPTIONS. OKAY. NOW, I HAVE TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST. YOU KNOW, I PROBABLY SPENT THE GREATER PART OF A YEAR LISTENING TO TEACHERS COME CONSTANTLY SAY, HEY, WE NEED A MOD PROGRAM, AND I EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR IT. AND WHAT I CAN'T UNDERSTAND IS I THINK THERE'S A RANGE OF PRESENTATION, RIGHT? I'M THE GUY WHO SAYS, HEY, LET'S JUST BE CIVIL. CIVILITY IS GOING TO GET YOU A LOT FURTHER. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A RANGE. SOME PARENTS ARE STEAMING MAD. SOME PARENTS ARE SUPREME COURT JUSTICES, AND SOME ARE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE. WHAT I FOUND, THOUGH, IS THAT THE PARENTS THAT ARE REASONABLE THEY'RE LIKE, HEY, LOOK, THESE. OR TEACHERS THAT ARE REASONABLE, WE NEED THESE PROGRAMS. THERE SEEMS TO BE, LIKE, THIS ETHEREAL FORCE THAT PREVENTS LISTENING OR LIKE, WHY CAN'T WE JUST HEAR WHAT THEY'RE SAYING? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU FOUND IN YOUR AUDIT? WHAT IS THE. WHAT IS THE BREAKDOWN IN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TEACHER ADMIN BOARD? WHAT DID YOU GUYS FIND THERE? RIGHT. I MEAN, BECAUSE AGAIN, THIS IS A LONG PROCESS. AND I WENT UP TO TALK TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, GOT A LOT OF FEEDBACK. AND AGAIN, AGAIN, I'M NOT AN EDUCATION EXPERT. I MEAN, I'VE BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH, SO PROBABLY SHOULD STOP SAYING THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, I TRY TO REALLY COME UP WITH A GOOD CONCLUSION. BUT THERE'S THAT WAR THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT HAS BEEN EXPRESSED, I THINK, BY TEACHERS AND PARENTS HAVE HEARD IT A LOT. AND SO WHAT IS CAUSING THAT WAR? LIKE, FEELING. I THINK THAT WE'RE ALWAYS CONCERNED WITH OUR PARENTS WHO ARE THINKING AT THE SAME TIME, THEIR MOST VALUABLE ASSET IS THEIR CHILD. SO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT YOUR CHILD NOT MEETING YOUR EXPECTATIONS OR OUTCOMES AND YOU'RE HEARING COMMUNICATION FROM TEACHERS, PERHAPS THEN YOU'RE SAYING, I NEED HELP. AND WHAT WE FOUND FROM PRETTY MUCH CONVERSATION WITH ALL OF THE FOCUS GROUPS IS THAT THERE WAS A DISCONNECT AROUND COMMUNICATION. AND THE FEELING WAS THAT THERE NEEDED TO BE REALIGNMENT, RECOMMUNICATION. AND I THINK SOME OF THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENED AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE LEVEL. AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE LEVEL, AND THE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO ELEVATE AND TALK ABOUT WHO IS COMMUNICATING WITH WHOM. BUT THE PARENTS ARE SUPER FRUSTRATED BECAUSE IT. IN THEIR MIND, IT TOOK SUCH A LONG TIME [01:35:07] TO HEAR BACK FROM INDIVIDUALS ABOUT THEIR INDIVIDUAL CONCERNS. SURE. AND I JUST WANT TO ASK SOME MORE. JUST BE VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT THIS QUESTION. I'M A PARENT. IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO LONDON, HEY, GOD BLESS YOU. OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT OUT THERE FOR REAL. BUT I'M ASKING A QUESTION ABOUT TEACHER FEEDBACK TO ADMIN. RIGHT. OUR TEACHERS, THAT'S A. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LIKE A NEUTRAL IN A SENSE. RIGHT. LIKE, THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH THE KIDS. RIGHT. AND. BUT OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT THEM. BUT THE GREATEST RESISTANCE THAT I'VE SEEN HAS BEEN WHEN A TEACHER SAYS SOMETHING. AND I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE BREAKDOWN FROM. WE DIDN'T. I HEARD WHAT. WHEN WE WORKED WITH TEACHERS, AND PARTICULARLY INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS. SURE. THEY. AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE PARENTS ELEVATED AND WERE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE TEACHERS AS FAR AS FEELING THAT THE TEACHERS WERE DOING A GREAT JOB. THEY JUST FELT THE TEACHERS WERE NOT BEING PROVIDED THE RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN. AND THEN WHAT ABOUT THE TEACHER COMMUNICATION TO ADMIN? THAT WAS LACKING ACCORDING TO THE TEACHER GROUPS. AND IT WAS BECAUSE THERE WAS EVIDENTLY NOT ENOUGH SUPPORT FROM SPECIAL EDUCATION TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND QUICKLY ENOUGH TO THE TEACHER'S CONCERNS. SO I THINK THE HIERARCHY AND THE FACT THAT WHAT WE WERE GETTING READY TO SHARE IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF SILO IN THAT THERE ARE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SPECIAL ED THAT ARE PART OF DEEMED TO BE A PART OF THE SPECIAL ED DEPARTMENT. AND THAT CAN'T CONTINUE IF IN FACT THERE'S GOING TO BE BETTER COMMUNICATION. SPECIAL ED IS. SHOULD BE A SEAMLESS COMMUNICATION WITH GENERAL ED AS WELL. IT SHOULD NOT BE. WELL, THIS IS HAPPENING IN SPECIAL ED AND THIS IS WHAT THE PRINCIPALS ARE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF IN THE SPECIAL ED DEPARTMENT ARE THE ONLY SAVIORS THAT ARE GOING TO COME IN AND SUPPORT THE SPECIAL ED TEACHERS AND THE STUDENTS. SO IT TAKES EVERYONE TO ALL BE ON THE SAME PAGE SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH IEPS AND GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENTS. OKAY. AND THEN IF WE GO BACK ON THE POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES, YOU KNOW, I WAS READING IN THE REPORT OVER THE WEEKEND, THERE WAS A PARTICULAR PROGRAM RELATED TO SDC WHERE IN 2020, YOU KNOW, THINGS GOT MIXED UP BECAUSE COVID AND THEN WE JUST DIDN'T DO IT ANYMORE. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, IT SAYS ACROSS THE DISTRICT OF ESTABLISHED POLICIES, PRACTICE, THERE'S NOT CONSISTENT. WHAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR? IMPLEMENTATION. YEAH, IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY CHALLENGES. WHERE DO THOSE ACCOUNTABILITY CHALLENGES EXIST? SO FIRST OF ALL, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE HISTORY AND THAT'S WHY I SAID WE REVIEWED PAST REPORTS. ONE OF THE THINGS NATOMAS WAS GOING FULL FORCE WITH INCLUSIVE PRACTICES. YOU HAD STEPS IN HERE, YOU WERE GOING AND THEN BAM, COVID HIT AND THEN IT FELL OFF. INCONSISTENCY OF STAFF. STAFF NOT UNDERSTANDING SHIRAKI HOLLY CAME. YOU HAD SEVERAL THINGS HAPPENING THAT WERE RIGHT AS RAIN, EXCEPT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION WITH CONSISTENCY. AND TO US THAT LOOKS AT IF IT'S CONSISTENT WITH A POLICY IN PLACE, THEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY WITH STAFF, PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS. AND WHERE THAT BREAKS DOWN IS WHEN THE INCONSISTENCIES COME. IF YOU GO FURTHER A LITTLE BIT MORE IN OUR REPORT, THEY THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING IT RIGHT. IT CAN HAPPEN CORRECTLY. IN FACT, WE SAID THERE ARE ISLANDS OF EXCELLENCE HERE. SO THEN HOW CAN THAT SCHOOL DO IT OKAY? AND THIS SCHOOL NOT WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? AND IT BECOMES A QUESTION OF LEADERSHIP, DISTRICT LEVEL SUPPORT, HOW WE'RE FILTERING IT DOWN FROM PRINCIPAL TO MAKING SURE THAT IT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM EVERY DAY. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THAT BEFORE WE IMPLEMENTED THE MODERATE HOMEROOM, WE HAD THREE, THREE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS THAT INCLUDED THE PRINCIPAL OF THE SCHOOLS. RIGHT. THE TEACHERS AND DISTRICT LEVEL. AND IT WAS POWERFUL BECAUSE EVERYBODY CAME IN WITH AN EQUAL VOICE TO SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE NEED. HOW CAN WE MAKE IT HAPPEN? WE LOOKED AT BARRIERS, WE LOOKED AT ACCOUNTABILITY. WE'RE GOING TO CHECK BACK IN AND MONITOR. AND SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS FLOW INTO THAT WHOLE THING THAT DR. CASTELL SAYS ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF INQUIRY. RIGHT. THE SCIENCE OF IMPROVEMENT. YEAH. OKAY, JUST ONE FOLLOW UP QUESTION. I'M SORRY IF I'M KILLING THE BOARD HERE. I JUST. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. I MEAN, THIS IS WHY WE'RE HERE. THE, THE FOCUS GROUPS. AND YOU'RE SAYING LIKE, HEY, WE HAD FOCUS GROUPS AND WE GOT PEOPLE TOGETHER. SHOULD THAT BE WITHIN THE CAPABILITY OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO DO INTERNALLY? WELL, THERE WAS A CONCERN IN THE FOCUS GROUPS WITH RETRIBUTION. NO, NO, I UNDERSTAND THAT. I'M SAYING IDEALLY, LIKE, OF COURSE WE HAVE A FOCUS GROUP AND IT'S DOUBLE BLIND AND ANONYMITY IS IMPORTANT AND WE HAVE TO PROTECT PEOPLE. BUT I'M SAYING GENERALLY, WOULDN'T IT BE A POSITIVE CULTURE IN THE DISTRICT IF A DISTRICT COULD SAY, HEY, LET'S GET EVERYONE TOGETHER AND LET'S GET SOME FEEDBACK AND THEN LET'S LIKE BE ACTIONABLE [01:40:02] ON THOSE THINGS? YES, THE ANSWER IS YES. BUT I HAVE TO SAY, IN ALMOST EVERY DISTRICT, WHEN PARENTS, STAFF HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK THEIR MIND, THEY'RE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT, WELL, WHO ELSE IS HERE IN THE ROOM? IS ANYONE RECORDING? IS THERE GOING TO BE RETRIBUTION AGAINST MY CHILD? BUT IN THE BEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES, THE ANSWER WOULD BE YES. OKAY, BUT THERE HAS TO BE SOME DISTRICT THAT'S DOING IT CORRECTLY. AND THEN AGAIN, MY RELATIONSHIP AS A TRUSTEE, IT'S NOT POINT I WANT TO JUMP OFF REAL QUICK. OKAY. LIKE, HEY, I'M NOT YIELDING MY TIME. I HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH A LOT OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT TALK TO ME ABOUT ANYTHING. RIGHT. SO I THINK MAYBE TOO MUCH SOMETIMES, BUT TO ME THAT KIND OF POINTS TO LIKE, WHAT TYPE OF TRUST DOES OUR STAFF HAVE WITH THE COMMUNITY? PERHAPS I DON'T THINK IT'S JUST AS SIMPLE AS NOBODY WANTS TO TALK. RIGHT. NO, I THINK THAT THAT WAS A GENUINE CONCERN THAT, YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT COME BACK AROUND. YEAH. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT FROM ALL OF THE FOCUS GROUPS WITH STAFF, WITH THE COMMUNITY, THAT THE LACK OF TRUST WAS PROBABLY ELEVATED VERY HIGH AND THAT WAS SHARED, YOU KNOW, OPENLY WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT. OKAY, THANK YOU. THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS FOR NOW. BUT THIS GENTLEMAN HAS INPUT. YES. WELL, YOU HAD YOUR HAND UP. YEAH. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT YOU, YOU ASKED ABOUT WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE FOCUS GROUPS. PRIOR TO MY RETIREMENT, I WAS SUPERINTENDENT OF THREE DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS. AND WHAT WE DID AS SUPERINTENDENT IS WE WOULD HAVE COMMUNITY MEETINGS MULTIPLE TIMES A YEAR WHERE PARENTS COULD COME IN AND JUST VOICE ANY CONCERNS THEY HAVE. IT WASN'T RELATED TO A COMPLAINT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT WAS JUST OUR WAY OF HEARING FROM PARENTS AND TERMS OF WHAT THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT. IF THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT CURRICULUM, WE WOULD HAVE A ROOM WHERE THEY COULD GO AND VOICE THOSE CONCERNS ABOUT CURRICULUM. IF THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY, THERE WAS A PLACE FOR THEM TO TALK ABOUT SAFETY. THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION, THEY COULD TALK ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION. SO IT WAS AN ONGOING PRACTICE THAT DURING MY TIME AS SUPERINTENDENT THAT I IMPLEMENTED AND IT WAS REALLY, REALLY HELPFUL TO KIND OF ESTABLISH THE RELATIONSHIP WITH PARENTS ALONG WITH A PARENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE THAT WORK WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS FOR NOW. TRUSTEE DOSICK SINCE WE HAVE A MOMENT TO ASK QUESTIONS INSTEAD OF WAITING TO THE END, I DO HAVE A COUPLE THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO BUILD UPON. SO, THANK YOU. SURE. FIRST, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR FLAGGING THE THAT WE DON'T HAVE AN EQUITY POLICY AS RECOMMENDED BY CSDA. [INAUDIBLE] SO, THANK YOU FOR FLAGGING AROUND ON SLIDE 21. I WILL TELL YOU THIS IS, I MEAN A LOT OF THOSE HIGH CONFUSION HEARTBURN. THIS ONE GAVE ME HEARTBURN BECAUSE I WENT TO THE WAY BACK MACHINE WHEN THE BACK TO 2012 AND THE SAME COMMENTS WAS BEING HEARD THROUGHOUT OUR SCHOOLS AND IT WAS, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY ON REFERENCE SAKE FOR THOSE NOT LOOKING AT MY PAGE ON SLIDE 21 THE OVER IDENTIFICATION OF BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN SPEAKS OF SPECIAL ED AS IT WAS PERCEIVED AS THE ONLY MEANS FOR GETTING THOSE SUPPORTS THAT ARE NEEDED INSTEAD OF TAKING A SUPER CHEAP GUIDANCE. NOW I'M GOING TO ASK. I KNOW WE'RE GETTING TO A RECOMMENDATION SLIDES WHICH IS NOT INTERRUPTING YOU BUT WHEN WE GET TO THE RECOMMENDATION SLIDES YOU CAN MAKE SURE TO COME BACK TO THIS POINT AND GET IT LIKE YEAH, BECAUSE THE THING I'M LOOKING FOR IN ALL THESE THINGS IS YOU TALK ABOUT THE PERCEPTIONS A NUMBER OF TIMES AND I'M LOOKING AT PERCEPTION. I KNOW PERCEPTION CAN'T BE REALITY BUT I'M ALSO FROM A POLICY THAT CAN TAKE PERSPECTIVE. WHAT IS IT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE? DO WE NEED TO OVERCOME A FALSE PERCEPTION OR IS THE PERCEPTION REALLY REALITY AND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? WE DON'T HIDE DIRTY DAY AND THEN WE OWN IT AT ALL. CONTINUE THAT. SO I'M REALLY LOOKING FOR SOME. I THINK YOU WERE DIRECT FEEDBACK LIKE WHAT CAN WE DO TO ADDRESS THIS BECAUSE, YEAH, WHEN I SEE SOMETHING DATING BACK, THIS WAS THE ISSUE BACK IN 2012. AND YEAH, WE HAD A PANDEMIC AND IT REALLY MESSED A LOT OF THINGS UP AND SOME THINGS GOT LOST. SO I'M REALLY HOPING YOU WILL COME BACK TO THAT POINT. AND THEN ALSO AGAIN, WHEN YOU GET TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS, THE CONVERSATIONS, THE COMMENTS ABOUT THE FEARS OF RETALIATION OR RETRIBUTION FOR BRINGING UP AND FLAGGING STUFF. NOT NOW, BUT AS YOU GET TO YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, I'D REALLY LIKE TO KNOW HOW MUCH WAS THERE EVIDENCE? YOU KNOW, AGAIN, PERCEPTION IS REALITY. BUT IF THERE WERE DOCUMENTED THINGS THAT YOU FOUND OF RETALIATION OR RETRIBUTION, I WOULD. THAT GOES BEYOND, YOU KNOW, JUST THE PERCEPTION ISSUE BECAUSE WE CAN'T ADDRESS IT IF WE DON'T KNOW IF IT'S PERCEPTION OF REALITY. JUST IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, [01:45:02] WOULD YOU WANT US TO GO TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS? I JUST. WE CAN CONTINUE AT THE TIME. WE CAN ALSO MOTION TO EXTEND THE MEETING, BUT SO JUST CONTINUE. WE'LL KIND OF WATCH HOW THINGS ARE GOING. YEAH, OKAY, COOL. I ALSO DID THE STUDENT FOCUS GROUP AND THE FIRST QUESTION THAT WE ASK THE STUDENTS IS TO IDENTIFY THE BRIGHT SPOTS. AND SOMETIMES THE WAY THAT WE DO THAT IS WE ASK A STUDENT IF THEY WERE SPEAKING TO A GROUP OF PARENTS AND STUDENTS SAY FROM A. THAT ARE THINKING ABOUT ENTERING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHAT WOULD THEY SAY TO THEM ABOUT GOOD THINGS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT? AND THE STUDENTS TOLD US THAT IN NATOMAS, THERE'S AN ENGAGING COMMUNITY, THE BLACK STUDENT UNION, SUPPORTIVE PRINCIPAL, THE DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM, COUNSELORS WHO OFFER A GREAT DEAL OF SUPPORT, THE COLLEGE AND CAREER TEAM, AFTER SCHOOL TUTORING, CONNECTING TO HELPFUL TEACHERS, AND COMMUNICATION THROUGH STUDENT SQUARES. SOME OF THE INFORMATION MAY SEEM IN CONFLICT BECAUSE ON THE ONE HAND, STUDENTS POINTED OUT THAT EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD LOTS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THEIR TEACHERS, TEACHERS DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THEM, TEACHERS WOULDN'T LISTEN TO THEM, TEACHERS WOULD KIND OF THREATEN THEM IF THEY HAD POOR ATTENDANCE, THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IF THEY HAD A GOOD TEACHER, THAT GOOD TEACHER WAS THE KEY TO THEIR ACADEMIC SUCCESS. AND SO THEY SEPARATED OUT THE TEACHERS WHO ON THE ONE HAND DIDN'T TEACH. AND THE WAY THEY DESCRIBED IT WAS THAT TEACHERS PUSHED THEM TO SUCCEED, BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY WOULDN'T PROVIDE THE SKILLS NECESSARY FOR THEM TO SUCCEED, THAT THERE WERE GAPS IN THE CURRICULUM AND THE TEACHER WOULD NOT HELP THEM HOW TO FULFILL THOSE GAPS IN THE CURRICULUM. THEY ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE COUNSELORS. ONE OF THE COMMENTS THEY TALKED ABOUT WAS A GOOD COUNSELING PROGRAM. AT THE SAME TIME, THERE WAS ANOTHER GROUP OF STUDENTS TALKED ABOUT THE COUNSELORS WERE NOT AVAILABLE, THAT THEY HAD A HARD TIME. THE SPECIFIC QUOTE WAS I CONTACTED MY COUNSELOR AND I DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE FOR TWO WEEKS. AND SO THEY FELT THAT THERE WEREN'T ENOUGH COUNSELORS. SOME OF THE COUNSELORS REALLY WERE NOT RESPONSIVE IN A TIMELY MANNER AND SOME OF THE COUNSELORS WOULD TALK ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE, BUT YET WHAT THEY REALLY WANTED WAS INFORMATION ABOUT OUT OF STATE SCHOOLS. SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE COMMENTS FROM THE STUDENTS. SO, I'VE ALREADY COMMENTED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE STAFF FOCUS GROUP, SO I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO DETAIL. BUT I DO WANT TO SAY THAT IT WAS INTERESTING AS FAR AS MANY OF THE STAFF GROUPS TO TALK ABOUT THE NEED TO TALK TO EACH OTHER, THAT THEY WISHED THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY AS FAR AS GOING BEYOND THEIR PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT OR AREA TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT COMMUNICATION. SO THE STAFF FOCUS GROUPS WERE GENERAL ED, SPECIAL ED TEACHERS, SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS, SPEECH AND LANGUAGE AND SHE INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANCE, GENERAL ED. IT WAS JUST REALLY INTERESTING AS FAR AS THE VARIOUS GROUPS TO COME BACK LATER OR EMAIL ME OR EVEN LEAVING THE PHONE NUMBER TO ONCE AGAIN, WHAT I HAD SHARED TO SHARE INCIDENTS WHERE THEY FELT THAT THEY HAD BEEN PERSONALLY PUT IN A SITUATION OF BEING CONCERNED ABOUT SPEAKING OUT OR SHARING INFORMATION. IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THE MULTI TIERED SYSTEM SUPPORT, THAT'S YOU. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S SO IMPORTANT, AGAIN A FOUNDATIONAL PIECE IS MULTI TIERED SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT. IN THIS DISTRICT. THERE'S A BEAUTIFUL INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK THAT WAS DRAFTED IN 2025. HOWEVER, IT DOESN'T CONNECT WITH THE WHOLE MULTI TIER SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT FOR ALL DOMAINS. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW DO WE LOOK AT INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE TARGETED, SPECIFIC, MONITORABLE, THAT CAN LOOK AT STUDENT PROGRESS ACROSS THE BOARD. SO EVERY SCHOOL HAS A PBIS EXCEPT TWO. HOW ARE THOSE DOING? WHERE'S THE TIERED LEVEL OF FIDELITY THAT'S GOING AROUND WITH IMPLEMENTATION? WE LOOK AT INTERVENTIONS AND EARLY SUPPORT. SO WE REALLY WANT TO BEEF UP TIER ONE, WHICH IS GOOD FIRST TEACHING TIER TWO, THAT STILL HAPPENS IN THE CLASSROOM. IT IS NOT SPECIAL EDUCATION. IT TRULY IS ABOUT THAT CLASSROOM TEACHER DIGGING DOWN DEEPER TO SEE WHAT STRATEGIES AND INTERVENTIONS CAN HAPPEN AT TIER TWO AND THEN LOOKING AT TIER THREE AND TIER ACTUALLY, SPECIAL EDUCATION IS WAY OVER HERE IN TERMS OF BEING THE LAST RESORT FOR STUDENTS BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT GENERAL ED BEING THAT TICKET [01:50:01] WITH MTSS SECTION 504. IT WAS VERY INTERESTING AND BEING ABLE TO. I'M SORRY, LET'S GO BACK. I'M SO SORRY. ALL RIGHT, SO THERE'S SOME TOUGH MEDICINE IN THIS FOR EVERYONE, OKAY? INCLUDING SOME OF OUR TEACHERS. ALL RIGHT, SO PARAGRAPH READS EARLY INNOVATION. INNOVATION. GOODNESS. I NEED THE READING SPECIALIST, EARLY INTERVENTION SUPPORTS AND ESSENTIAL DE ESCALATION TRAINING FOR TEACHERS, STAFF AND INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANCE IS CRITICAL FOR IMPROVING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN THE CLASSROOM. AND THEN IT GOES ON TO SAY, DUE TO INSUFFICIENT MTSS, TIER 1 AND TIER 2 SUPPORT AND GENERAL EDUCATION STAFF ACROSS THE DISTRICT PERCEIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION HAS THE CATCH ALL. SO THAT COULD BE PART OF THE WAR. RIGHT. WHERE ADMIN IS LIKE, WELL, NO, NO, WE, WE DON'T THINK THIS KID PROBABLY NEEDS THIS PROGRAM. AND THE TEACHER IS KIND OF EXHAUSTED, LIKE, AH, OKAY, SO WHAT, WHAT'S CREATING THAT FATIGUE OR REACTION FROM TEACHERS TO GO, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO. BECAUSE I DON'T, I DON'T, I CAN'T SIT HERE AND SAY IT'S ALL ADMIN. I MEAN THAT WOULD BE RIDICULOUS. SO, THERE'S SOMETHING I THINK IN TEACHER CULTURE AS WELL, THAT IN OUR DISTRICT THAT'S SAYING THAT'S MAYBE WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT SHORTCUT. WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT THE THROUGH LINE. RIGHT. YEAH. WHERE ARE YOUR INTERVENTIONS? RIGHT. DO YOU HAVE EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES IN PLACE FOR STUDENTS, FOR TEACHERS IN THEIR TOOLBOX TO SAY, OH, HE'S HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH SOUND SYMBOL RELATIONSHIPS. LET ME PULL THEM OVER HERE AND DO SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION. IS THAT HAPPENING CONSISTENTLY IN THE DISTRICT? I SAW PLACES WHERE THE TEACHERS, YOU SHOULD HAVE CLONED THEM. THEY WERE EXCELLENT. THEY CALLED ON KIDS, THEY HAD EQUITY STICKS. THEY WERE REALLY MOVING AND GROOVING. I WENT TO SOME AND I'M LIKE, KIDS ARE JUST SITTING THERE, LIKE JUST SITTING. SO WHY IS IT INCONSISTENT? IS IT WILL OR IS IT SKILL? IS THERE CONSISTENCY WITH THE PRINCIPALS KNOWING WHAT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES ARE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TEACHERS ACTUALLY DO THE INTERVENTIONS? ARE THE INTERVENTIONS CLEARLY ARTICULATED? AND IF ANY OF THOSE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS ARE NO, THEN THAT'S WHERE THE INCONSISTENCY COMES. SO, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING A GOOD JOB WITH MTSS AT THEIR SITES AND OTHERS, NOT SO MUCH. WHERE IS THE CONSISTENCY IN SAYING, THIS IS WHAT OUR DOCUMENT SAYS. THESE ARE THE INTERVENTIONS THAT WE HAVE IN THE DISTRICT AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO STRUCTURE THEM AND HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE FOR STUDENT OUTCOMES? THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE. GOT IT. AND THEN, I MEAN, I DIDN'T, I DON'T RECALL BOARD INTERVIEWS, BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHERE WE AS BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ENABLED, HAVE BEEN ENABLERS. I THINK THAT'S ALSO A VERY GOOD POLICY QUESTION THAT WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES IF WE'RE BEING HONEST. SO MAYBE WE NEED TO DO THAT AUDIT UP HERE AT SOME POINT TOO. SECTION 504. SECTION 504. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AT AS A RESULT OF THE PARENTS THAT CAME TO THE FOCUS GROUPS, MANY OF THE PARENTS WERE STUDENTS WHO HAD A SECTION 504 PLAN AND THEY WERE CONCERNED, PARTICULARLY IF THEY MOVED INTO THE DISTRICT, THAT IT TOOK A LONG TIME FOR THE SITE TO RECOGNIZE THEY HAD A SECTION 504 PLAN AND TO REALLY START THE IMPLEMENTATION. SO AT THE SITE LEVEL, THAT WAS WHAT WAS REALLY FUZZY. AND SO THE PARENTS WERE REALLY FRUSTRATED AND TALKING WITH THE STAFF IN TERMS OF THE FOCUS GROUP AROUND SECTION 504. THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES CAME FOR STAFF TO EVEN RECOGNIZE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WHO HAD SECTION 504 PLANS. HOWEVER, AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE, THERE'S A GREAT, I SHOULD SAY PROBABLY INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO KNOW WHO HAS A SECTION 504 PLAN, HOW THE PLANS ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED, WHERE THEY ARE, AS FAR AS THE SCHOOL SITE. THE ONLY DIFFICULTY THERE IS THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO TAKE A LOOK AT HOW MANY STUDENTS HAD SECTION 504 PLANS AROUND OVERALL ETHNICITY PER SCHOOL, BECAUSE THE PARENTS, THE PARENTS THAT WE SPOKE WITH, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PARENTS IN PARTICULAR, ELEVATED THE CONCERN THAT THEY FELT LIKE THEY WERE DEFINITELY NOT BEING COMMUNICATED WITH AND THEIR CHILDREN WERE LACKING. AND THEY WERE TOLD PRETTY MUCH THAT IT'S PROBABLY EASIER TO GET AN IEP THAN TO EXPECT SERVICES OR SUPPORTS FROM SECTION 504. AND THAT WAS CERTAINLY TROUBLING. THE OTHER, I THINK THAT TRINA HAS ALREADY MENTIONED IS THE INCONSISTENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO CERTAINLY MEET WITH THE DEPARTMENT THAT DEALS WITH YOUR SUSPENSIONS, EXPULSIONS. THEY WERE REALLY CONCERNED ONCE AGAIN [01:55:02] ABOUT BEING SILOED, SEPARATED, AND FELT THAT IF THERE WAS MORE COMMUNICATION WITH THE SPECIAL ED DEPARTMENT AND VICE VERSA, THAT THERE COULD CERTAINLY BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK TOGETHER TO RESOLVE AND CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALTERNATIVES TO SUSPENSION. AND I DO THINK THERE'S POLICIES IN PLACE. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK THAT THE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT IS DOING IN REGARDS TO THE ELEVATING SOME OF THE PRE BEHAVIOR AND LOOKING AT THE BEHAVIOR MATRIX. AND THAT'S WORK THAT'S ALREADY STARTED. SO, THIS IS JUST. JUST IN. ONCE AGAIN, ELEVATING THIS AS A CONCERN. SO, I TALKED ABOUT THE FOUNDATION OF POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES. THE OTHER FOUNDATION IS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. AND WHEN WE LOOK AT HOW ARE TEACHERS BEING TRAINED, WHAT TRAINING TOPICS ARE THERE? IS IT SIT AND GET. DOES IT GO DEEP? ARE YOU GOING BACK IN AND WATCHING FOR IMPLEMENTATION? ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WAS THAT THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS NOT MANDATORY IF IT'S AFTER SCHOOL. AND SO HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT ALL TEACHERS ARE GETTING THE TOOLS THAT THEY NEED IN THAT TOOLBOX TO ADDRESS STUDENTS. ANOTHER IDEA WAS THAT THE INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS TALKED ABOUT ONBOARDING SO THEY HAVE THE TOOLS AND ARE EQUIPPED WITH WORKING WITH STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM AS WELL. AND SO THOSE ARE FINDINGS THAT CAME UP AS WE WERE TALKING WITH THEM AROUND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE PLCS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE, BUT WE FOUND THAT THERE WAS INCONSISTENT EXPECTATION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS PARTICIPATING IN THOSE PLCS OR SOME OF THEM PARTICIPATING IN THE WORK IN THE DISTRICT. SO, LOOKING AT DATA COLLECTION REVEAL THE NEED FOR RECURRING PROFESSIONAL FOCUS ON IMPLICIT BIAS, TRAUMA INFORMED PRACTICES, CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE AND SUSTAINING PRACTICES ACROSS EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS, AND THE USE OF THAT BEHAVIOR MATRIX THAT MILDRED WAS SPEAKING TO. OKAY, SO WHAT ARE THE KEY RECOMMENDATIONS? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? WE TALKED ABOUT THE DATA, WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT WE FOUND. SO HERE ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS THESE AREAS. SO THE FIRST ONE BEING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT. AS FAR AS DESIGNING A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THAT INCREASES STUDENT AND TEACHER ENGAGEMENT BY RECOGNIZING THE BARRIERS THAT ARE DISRUPTING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND NOT THE LEARNER. THIS IS REALLY STRESSING THE NEED FOR TEACHERS TO HAVE MORE IN THEIR TOOLKITS IN THEIR CLASSROOM BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT ONCE A STUDENT AND THE BEHAVIOR IS AMPLIFIED ONCE THEY'RE OUT OF THE CLASSROOM, THEN IT'S ALREADY LOST FOR THAT PARTICULAR STUDENT. SO, STUDENT ENGAGEMENT. AND THEN THESE WERE THE AREAS. I DON'T NEED TO READ THEM AS FAR AS TO ELEVATE THOSE PARTICULAR AREAS AS FAR AS IMPLEMENTATION, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGED. I'M GOING TO ASK YOU IF YOU COULD JUST BACK UP FOR JUST A MOMENT. I KNOW. I ALMOST FEEL LIKE WE'RE RUSHING THROUGH THIS. AND FOR SOME PEOPLE, EVERYBODY HASN'T HAD A CHANCE TO SEE THIS. SO UNLESS YOU GUYS ARE IN A RUSH, WE HAVE LOTS OF TIME IF WE CAN BELIEVE BULLET POINT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS SO THAT EVERYBODY CAN. BECAUSE EVERYBODY CAN'T SEE WHAT WE'RE SEEING OR JUST GO THROUGH THEM. SO WE'RE UNDERSTANDING THEM. I'D APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. CERTAINLY. AND LET ME APOLOGIZE BECAUSE WE WERE TOLD WE HAD SO MUCH TIME TO GET THROUGH SO MANY SLIDES AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO BE COGNIZANT OF THAT. AND THAT'S. THAT'S STANDARD AND APPRECIATED. IT'S. THE BOARD IS JUST EXPRESSING FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME, WHICH IS OUR PREROGATIVE TO DO SO. PLEASE CONTINUE. AND THE EXECUTIVES SUMMARY IS ALSO ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA AS WELL. AND SO THAT IS ALSO AVAILABLE IF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE AT HOME CAN'T SEE ALL OF THIS, THAT THEY CAN SEE THAT IN THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. JUST KEEP IT GOING. NEVER MIND. NO, NO. IT'S IMPORTANT TO. YEAH. DON'T GO FOR THE FLOW NUMBER TWO. WE'RE GOOD. THANK YOU. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THIS ONE. YOUR MIC. SORRY, WAS THIS ENGAGED IN. DO YOU THINK THAT THE TEACHERS NEED MORE SUPPORT IN THE CLASSROOM TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO MANAGE THEIR BEHAVIOR IN THE CLASSROOM? YEAH, THAT'S. BUT IT'S NOT SUPPORT AS MUCH AS GIVING THE SUPPORT RESOURCES AND TOOLS TO THE TEACHERS AS FAR AS SO THAT THEY FEEL MORE EMPOWERED TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS VERSUS SAYING THIS STUDENT NEEDS TO GO INTO SPECIAL EDUCATION. IF I'M UNDERSTANDING IT CORRECTLY THAT THESE TEACHERS NEED MORE TRAINING OR THEY NEED MORE BODIES IN THE CLASSROOM TO HELP STUDENTS. NO, NO, I'M NOT ADVOCATING MORE BODIES. I'M MORE TRAINING AND SUPPORT. RIGHT? YES. TRAINING CAN ALMOST LEND TO A SHIFT IN A MINDSET WHERE YOU ACTUALLY DO FEEL THAT YOU HAVE MORE ENERGY [02:00:01] TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS. YOU'D HAVE MORE ENERGY TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS. IF IT MAKES MORE SENSE, YOU CAN START WORKING A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM YOUR HEART AND YOUR GUT AS OPPOSED TO THINKING OH, SOMEBODY ELSE IS THE EXPERT SOMEWHERE ELSE. YOU'VE ALREADY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SOME OF THE TRAINING START, BUT IT STOPPED. AND YOU, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT MAYBE COVID OTHER ISSUES GOT IN THE WAY OF DISRUPTING SOME OF THE GOOD TRAINING THAT WAS GOING ON AS FAR AS INCLUSIVE PRACTICES, THE WORK THAT SHIRAKI HOLLY WAS DOING AS FAR AS CULTURAL PEDAGOGY. SO IT'S LOOKING AGAIN AT GIVING THOSE TOOLS BACK TO THE TEACHING STAFF. THE FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS CERTAINLY I WANT TO APPLAUD A LOT OF THE WORK THAT IS GOING ON AS FAR AS THE WHAT WE HEARD TONIGHT AROUND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, PARTICULARLY LOOKING AT THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN OTHER DIVERSE FAMILIES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE U LEARNING U PROGRAM. BUT WE REALLY FEEL THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE INTENTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS THE DISTRICT AS FAR AS WORKING AND COMING UP WITH STRATEGIES AND SUPPORTS TO BUILD THE TRUST AGAIN. AND I THINK THAT'S ALREADY STARTED BY SOME OF THE REALIGNMENT AND CHANGES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REORGANIZATION IN SPECIAL ED. BUT I ALSO THINK THAT MORE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PRINCIPALS, THEIR ROLES AND MAYBE JUST TO MOVE SOME OF THE BARRIERS THAT ARE PART OF THE NEED TO INCREASE THE AWARENESS OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES. SO IT'S NOT JUST WE'RE SENDING EVERY STUDENT INTO SPECIAL ED. SO, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE ALL EXPLAINED IN THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. AND SO, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON IF THAT'S OKAY. SO, MTS FRAMEWORK, SO I MENTIONED ALREADY THAT THERE IS AN INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK PRESENT, BUT WE'D LIKE TO THINK THAT IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO ALIGN A SPECIFIC TARGETED MULTI TIERED SYSTEM AND SUPPORT FRAMEWORK THAT AGAIN INCLUDES ALL AREAS OF DOMAIN, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, BEHAVIORAL AND OTHER MEANS OF CAREER DIRECTION. ALSO WITH INSTRUCTIONAL OR ACADEMICS. SO IT'S NOT TWO SEPARATE FRAMES, IT'S ONE MTSS, MULTI TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT WITH ALL OF THE DOMAINS BEING ADDRESSED FOR ALL CHILDREN. AND THEN YOU WOULD HAVE YOUR TARGETED INTERVENTIONS AND PEOPLE WOULD BE TRAINED ON IT AND THEN RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION TO BE ABLE TO KNOW WHAT TO DO. THAT IS YOUR EARLY LITERACY INITIATIVE. IT WOULD BE UNITED WITH YOUR MTSS, WOULD BE UNITED WITH YOUR PBIS, YOUR RESTORATIVE PRACTICE PRACTICES, YOUR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING. AND ALSO YOU ALREADY WORKED WITH THE BUILD FRAMEWORK. AND SO WE WOULD CODIFY THAT AND MAKE IT PART OF THE DISTRICT STAFF REQUIREMENTS IN LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT. WE TALKED ABOUT THE CONTINUUM AND I HAVE TO SAY AGAIN, THE DISTRICT JUMPED ON IT WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE MODERATE HOMEROOM. THERE WAS NO CONTINUUM AND NOW THERE IS. BUT WE HAVE TO BE SMART ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE TALK WITH THAT ROUNDTABLE TO SAY THIS MODERATE HOMEROOM IS NOT A DUMPING GROUND. IT IS FOR STUDENTS WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM THAT DIRECT INTERVENTION AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE STUDENTS HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCLUSIVE PRACTICES, INCLUSION AND GENERAL ED PROGRAM AS APPROPRIATE AND THEN GIVE THE TEACHERS THE TOOLS TO HELP DEVELOP THE STUDENTS FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS IN THAT CLASSROOM. THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGAIN CONTINUES TO LOOK AT THE LEARNING CENTER, LOOKING AT CLASSROOM, EXCUSE ME, LEARNING COMMUNITIES, CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND ALSO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOCUSED ON THOSE SPECIAL EDUCATION INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANCE WITH ONBOARDING ORIENTATION FOR NEWLY HIRED AIDES SO THAT THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE STEPPING INTO WHEN THEY GO INTO A CLASSROOM TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. SO I THINK IF I HAD TO LOOK AT AN AREA THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE ELEVATED, IT'S CERTAINLY AROUND DISCIPLINE INTERVENTION AND POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION JUST BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE DISTRICT WAS ALREADY IDENTIFIED FOR BEING SIGNIFICANT DISPROPORTIONATE FOR STUDENT DISCIPLINE. AND THERE'S OTHER DATA THAT HAS ELEVATED THE DISTRICT AROUND CONCERNS AROUND HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE BEING PLACED INTO SPECIAL ED, BUT THERE IS NOT BASED ON A DISABILITY, BUT THE PATHWAY APPEARS TO BE STUDENT BEHAVIOR. SO, LIKE I SAID, I KNOW THAT THE WORK HAS ALREADY STARTED, BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE KEY RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND ADDRESSING STRENGTHENING THE BEHAVIOR MATRIX OR DISCIPLINARY INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE SURE THAT THERE'S AN [02:05:02] OPPORTUNITY FOR ALTERNATIVES TO SUSPENSION BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT SUSPENSION IS ALSO ATTENDANCE ISSUES WHERE STUDENTS ARE NOT, IF THEY'RE NOT IN SCHOOL, ABLE TO CONTINUE TO HAVE MORE POSITIVE OUTCOMES. AND THEN THE FOCUS GROUPS WITH THE PARENTS AROUND SUSPENSIONS WAS PRETTY BRUTAL AS FAR AS THEIR CONCERNS. AND I REALLY FEEL THAT WHAT WE HEARD WAS THE RELATIONSHIP RELATIONAL TRUST WAS ALSO ERODED BY THE NUMBERS OF PARENTS WHO HAD PRETTY MUCH BEEN REALLY, THEY FELT TRAUMATIZED BY HOW THEY HAD BEEN TREATED IN THE SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION PROCESS. SO, WHEN WE LOOK AT SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES, BECAUSE WE TALKED ABOUT ALL OF OUR FINDINGS, SO WHAT ARE WE GOING TO PUT IN PLACE? WE NEED TO PUT STRUCTURES IN PLACE TO HELP WITH THE COMMUNICATION, WITH THE MONITORING AND ACCOUNTABILITY. SOME OF THOSE THINGS WILL BE TO REINFORCE WHAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING IN TERMS OF INTENTIONAL AND COLLABORATIVE STRUCTURES ACROSS BOTH GENERAL ED AND SPECIAL ED. SO THAT ROUNDTABLE WHEN WE WERE ALL PRESENT, THAT WAS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT. IT NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO BE EVEN MORE FORTHCOMING TO INCLUDE EVERYONE IN THE CONVERSATION. ALSO THAT BOARD EQUITY, AND I THANK TRUSTEE FOR BRINGING THAT FORWARD AS A HIGH POINT FOR YOU IN TERMS OF EQUITY. TALKING ABOUT IT AND LOOKING AT IT, DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH IN YOUR CURRENT POLICIES TO ADDRESS EQUITY OR DO YOU WANT TO ELEVATE IT EVEN MORE? OBVIOUSLY THE CSBA IS OPTIONAL AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE GIVE TO YOUR WISDOM. ALSO ALIGNING ALL OF THE POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES TO SUPPORT THAT CULTURAL SENSITIVITY OF KIDS, THOSE WITHOUT DISABILITIES, WITH DISABILITIES, TO INTERRUPT, YOU KNOW, THE LACK OF CULTURAL SENSITIVITY AND THEN TO CONTINUE TO FIND AND FINALIZE THE RULES OF SPECIAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP AND HOW THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION IS SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL SITES. NOT RUNNING THE PROGRAM, BUT SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL SITES. LET'S SEE. I THINK I SAID THAT WE HAVE. SO, WE'RE GOING TO STRICTION 504. SO, THIS IS JUST TO REINFORCE WHAT WE'VE ALREADY SHARED IS THAT TO STRENGTHEN THE SECTION 504 PLAN PROCESS WHERE IT IS A VIABLE PROGRAM SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE AND MEET THE REQUIREMENTS AROUND SECTION 504 AND THEN TO LOOK AT HOW STUDENTS, WHEN THEY ENTER THE DISTRICT ARE ABLE TO QUICKLY BE ABLE TO TRANSITION INTO THE DISTRICT. BUT ALSO IF THEY HAVE A SECTION 504 PLAN, TO HAVE THAT STRUCTURE AND QUICKLY PUT IN PLACE AS FAR AS IMPLEMENTATION AND THEN ALSO TO LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MORE DATA TRACKING, TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT WHO HAS SECTION 504 PLANS FOR WHAT REASON, WHAT ARE THE DISABILITIES AND SEE IF IN FACT THEY ARE IN KEEPING WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERRUPT STUDENTS FROM BEING PLACED INTO SPECIAL ED. THIS IS ALSO THE SST STUDENT STUDY TEAM PROCESS. WHEN WE TALK TO STAFF AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE, AS WE SHARED BEFORE, THERE'S A FEELING THAT EVERYTHING'S IN PLACE. WHEN WE TALK THAT THE STAFF WITH THE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL SITES SOMEWHERE, IT'S WORKING VERY WELL. AS FAR AS THE STUDENT STUDY TEAM PROCESS, AS FAR AS LOOKING AT PRE INTERVENTION EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES, STUDENT MONITORING, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU DECIDE A STUDENT IS GOING TO BE RECOMMENDED FOR SST, WHAT IS THE FOLLOW UP AND ONCE AGAIN IT GETS TO IMPLEMENTATION TO BE ABLE TO INTERRUPT STUDENTS BEING MOVED RIGHT INTO SPECIAL EDUCATION. AND THIS GETS TO THE POINT THAT TRINA SHARED AROUND REINFORCING YOUR MTSS PROCESS AS FAR AS PRE INTERVENTION AND DISRUPTIVE STUDENTS AUTOMATICALLY GOING INTO SPECIAL ED. SO. WE DID THIS VERY QUICKLY. YOU HAVE A VERY EXTENSIVE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY WITH MORE DETAIL. WE REALLY FEEL THAT THE DISTRICT HAS ALREADY STARTED WITH SO MANY OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THAT'S WHAT MADE IT SO SPECIAL TO WORK WITH NATOMAS IN THAT I HAVEN'T EVER, WE HAVEN'T EVER BEEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PROCESS AND THE SUPERINTENDENT CALLS AND SAYS OKAY, TELL ME WHAT YOU FOUND AND THEN ACT ON IT THAT QUICKLY. SO WE FEEL THAT THIS WORK WILL CREATE A COLLECTIVE SHIFT IN MINDSET, AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESTRUCTURE SYSTEMS AND CERTAINLY ELEVATE A SHARED OWNERSHIP AROUND DATA COMMUNICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND ONCE AGAIN [02:10:02] REINFORCE THE FACT THAT SPECIAL ED IS NOT AN ISLAND. IT REALLY IS A PART OF THE ENTIRE DISTRICT AND SHOULD BE EMBRACED. TO THAT POINT. WE'RE HOPING THAT WE'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THE SPECIAL ED TEAM AND THE GENERAL ED TO CREATE A NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM TO DO A MODIFICATION FOR YOUR SIM 4 SICK DISPLAN. WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IT THIS SUMMER THAT THAT IS GOING TO BE A BROADER GROUP DISCUSSION, BRING IN MORE COMMUNITY TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE OPPORTUNITY TO RE LOOK AT SOME OF THE STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES THAT WERE A PART OF THE SIM FOR SICKNESS PLAN. CAN YOU GO BACK? I'M SORRY. AND THEN WE REALLY WANT TO MAYBE WORK WITH YOUR FAMILY ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT TO SEE ABOUT CONDUCTING ADDITIONAL TARGETED LISTENING SESSIONS WITH KEY ROLE GROUPS, SPECIFICALLY YOUR AFRICAN AMERICAN BLACK PARENTS AS FAR AS CREATING OPPORTUNITY FOR TWO WAY COMMUNICATION WHERE WE'RE ASKING THEM, BUT THEY'RE ALSO SHARING INFORMATION WITH US. AND THEN THIS WOULD NOT MAKE IT TO BE SO SPECIAL AS FAR AS THESE FOCUS GROUPS, BUT AN ONGOING COMMUNICATION WHERE HOPEFULLY THAT WOULD ALSO LEAD TO REBUILDING TRUST THAT WE KNOW THE DISTRICT WANTS TO HEAR FROM ALL PARENTS AND THIS WOULD GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE AND DO SO. AND THEN WE CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE IN MOST DISTRICTS WE WORK WITH THE DISTRICT TO DEVELOP AN IMPLEMENTATION ACTION PLAN SO THIS DOESN'T JUST SIT ON THE SHELF. AND WE ALREADY KNOW THAT IT'S NOT SITTING ON THE SHELF BECAUSE SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES HAVE ALREADY STARTED. BUT WE DO HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK AND SUPPORT, SUPPORT THE DISTRICT AS FAR AS LOOKING AND REVIEWING THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS AND MAYBE EVEN TALKING TO THE BOARD AS FAR AS LOOKING AT HOW WILL WE IMPLEMENT EVERYTHING THAT'S IN THE PLAN SO IT CAN BE PRIORITIZED TO BE ABLE TO DO WHAT'S QUICK, FASTEST, AS FAR AS THE MOST MEANINGFUL WORK AND THEN LOOK TO SEE ON DOWN THE LINE FROM A SYSTEM APPROACH, WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO KIND OF MOVE SOME OF THE WORK FORWARD. SO WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR OUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT AND CERTAINLY IF THERE ARE ANY MORE QUESTIONS, WE'RE AVAILABLE. ALL RIGHT, BOARD MEMBERS, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? TRUSTEE MORA? OKAY, I WILL, I JUST WANT TO SHARE A DISCLAIMER. I HAVE MAYBE A DOZEN QUESTIONS LISTED HERE, BUT I'M SURE THAT SOME OF THEM WILL INFORM OTHERS, AND SO I DON'T THINK THAT I WILL ULTIMATELY END UP WITH THAT MANY. BUT FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO APPRECIATE YOUR EXPERTISE AND ALL OF THE FINDINGS THAT YOU'VE PRESENTED TO US. I THINK, LIKE WITH ANY INDEPENDENT AUDIT, IT CAN BE IT'S TOUGH TO HEAR A LOT OF THESE FINDINGS AND I'M SURE IT'LL BE EVEN TOUGHER TO ACCEPT SOME OF THESE. BUT I'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE ONE OF THE LAST THINGS THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT, WHICH WAS IN DISTRICT CULTURE, IN LOOKING AT THE DISTRICT CULTURE, THAT THAT IS ULTIMATELY HOW ALL OF THIS IS BENEFICIAL IS TO HAVE THOSE TWO THINGS HAPPEN. AND SO WITH THAT, I HAVE MY FIRST QUESTION AND IT'S REALLY ABOUT IDENTIFYING, IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM. I THINK YOU DID THAT. BUT I AM JUST TOO CURIOUS ABOUT IN TERMS OF THERE BEING INCONSISTENCIES FOR DIFFERENT PRACTICES, POLICIES AND SUPPORTS, DID YOU FIND THAT THERE WERE MORE THAT THERE WAS THAT IN THE FOCUS GROUPS, THE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDER GROUPS EXPRESSED MORE INCONSISTENCIES IN TERMS OF SUPPORTS RECEIVED OR PROCESS BEING FOLLOWED OR BOTH EQUALLY? I'M GOING TO HAVE TO ASK YOU TO REPEAT THAT WHEN YOU ACROSS THE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDER GROUPS WHERE THERE WERE FOCUS GROUPS, DID YOU FIND THAT WHAT THEY WERE REFERRING TO IN TERMS OF THERE BEING INCONSISTENCIES WAS IF YOU HAD TO WEIGH IT, WAS IT SUPPORT THAT THEY WERE RECEIVING BEING INCONSISTENT, WAS IT PROCESS THAT NEEDED TO BE FOLLOWED BEING INCONSISTENT, WAS IT REALLY JUST EQUAL ACROSS THE BOARD? I THINK IT WAS PRETTY MUCH EQUAL ACROSS THE BOARD. ONE OF THE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES THAT THE STUDENTS BROUGHT UP HAD TO DO WITH DISCIPLINE. THEY FELT THAT PARTICULARLY AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS FELT [02:15:02] LIKE THE DISCIPLINE WAS UNFAIRLY APPLIED OR MORE STRINGENT FOR THEM THAN SOME OTHER GROUPS. THE OTHER ISSUE WHICH WAS BROUGHT UP HAD TO DO WITH THE ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES. THAT AND THEY WANTED US TO PUT DOWN THAT TO LOOK AT THE ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES BECAUSE THOSE ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES MIGHT HAVE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES, CONSEQUENCES THAT WERE NOT INTENDED. AND SO, ONE OF THE EXAMPLES THEY BROUGHT UP WAS THAT IF YOU'RE A SENIOR AND YOU HAVE TOO MANY TARDIES, YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GO TO THE. THIS SENIOR EVENT AT THE END OF THE YEAR. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IF YOU HAD PAID FOR THAT SENIOR TRIP, YOU WOULDN'T GET YOUR MONEY BACK, EVEN THOUGH YOU WEREN'T ALLOWED. ALLOWED TO GO. SO THAT WAS ONE OF TWO OF THE SPECIFICS THAT THEY TALKED ABOUT. THANK YOU. AND, WELL, REALLY, IN FOCUSING IN ON, YOU KNOW, THE DISTRICT'S, THE SUPPORTS COMING FROM THE DISTRICT OFFICE AND ALSO THE PROCESSES THAT WE HAVE AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, DID YOU FIND SIMILAR, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR THINGS TO THE EXAMPLE THAT YOU JUST GAVE? WELL, THE CONCERN FROM THE STAFF WAS THE DIFFICULTY OF GETTING RESPONSES FROM THE SPECIAL ED TEAM THAT IT TOOK MANY CALLS. AND LIKE I SAID, THERE WERE BRIGHT SPOTS. THERE WERE CERTAINLY SOME STAFF THAT WAS VERY DILIGENT IN RETURNING FUNDS CALLS AND THEY WERE APPLAUDED. AND THEN THERE WERE OTHER STAFF MEMBERS THAT WERE REALLY UNHAPPY. SO, THEY FELT LIKE THEY WERE OUT THERE BY THEMSELVES. THEY COULDN'T GET AN ANSWER FROM THE PRINCIPAL ABOUT THE CONCERNS. THEY COULDN'T GET AN ANSWER FROM THE DISTRICT OFFICE. AND SO, THEY FELT VERY FRUSTRATED ABOUT HOW TO WORK AND JUST FELT THAT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH RESOURCES OR SUPPORT FOR THEM TO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS THAT NEEDED THE HELP. AND I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION, AND I'M GOING TO CEDE SOME SPACE TO MY COLLEAGUES IN CASE THEY HAVE SOME QUESTIONS TOO. IN TERMS OF RESOURCES, THE RESOURCES THAT EXIST AT THE, YOU KNOW, AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE, JUST IN GENERAL, DID YOU FIND THAT THERE WERE ENOUGH THAT WE HAD ENOUGH PEOPLE POWER TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORT THAT WAS EXPECTED FROM THE SITES? CERTAINLY NOT IN THE SPECIAL ED DEPARTMENT. AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN, ONCE AGAIN, MORE STAFF IN PLACE, A REALIGNMENT OF HOW THE SPECIAL ED STAFF WILL SUPPORT THE SCHOOLS. SO THOSE CHANGES HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED. BUT NO, I DO BELIEVE THAT PRETTY MUCH EVERY STAFF MEMBER AT THE DEPARTMENT FELT THERE WASN'T ENOUGH. BUT YOU'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND. AND KIND OF DEAL WITH PEEL THE ONION AND HAVE MORE CONVERSATION. BUT THAT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE HEARD ABOUT THE LACK OF RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THE ISSUES AND CONCERNS AT THE SCHOOL SITES. YEAH. AND CERTAINLY A BIG ISSUE WAS THE TRAINING FOR THE IAS, WHERE THE IAS THEMSELVES FELT THAT THEY WEREN'T GETTING ENOUGH TRAINING. THEY WERE HIRED QUICKLY, PUT IN THE CLASSROOM, AND LIKE, THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. RIGHT. COULD I PIGGYBACK ON A QUESTION THAT HE ASKED ABOUT RESOURCES? OKAY, SO JUST LIKE A VERY UBIQUITOUS PHRASE, RIGHT. WHEN I HEAR RESOURCES, I'M LIKE, ARE THEY ASKING FOR A WORKSHEET OR TRAINING? OR IS IT ANOTHER ADMINISTRATOR OR IS IT LIKE AN INTERVENTION TEACHER. I THINK IT VARIED ACCORDING TO WHICH ROLE GROUP WE WERE TALKING WITH. THE TEACHERS CERTAINLY WANTED MORE RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS IN THE CLASSROOM. AS I SHARED WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT, WE HAVE ONE GROUP THAT CAME WHERE THEY CAME IN SHOWING ALL THE BITE MARKS FROM THE FACT THEY HAD BEEN BITTEN OR ONE OF THE… YEAH, I'M FAMILIAR WITH IT, UNFORTUNATELY. SO, THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT NEEDING MORE TRAINING ABOUT HOW TO DE-ESCALATE STUDENTS AROUND THEIR BEHAVIOR AND THEN ALSO MORE BEHAVIORAL SUPPORT AS FAR AS SOME OF THE MORE DIFFICULT BEHAVIOR THAT THE STUDENTS WERE EXPERIENCING IN THE CLASSROOM. SO, I COULD JUST GO THROUGH EACH ROLE GROUP AND SHARE. BUT EVERYONE HAD A REQUEST FOR MORE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT, WHICH. WHICH WAS AS SIMPLE AS MORE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND TRAININGS ALL THE WAY TO. [02:20:02] WELL, WE NEED MORE SUPPORT WITH THESE STUDENTS. OKAY, THANK YOU, TRUSTEES. THIS IS THE TIME. TRUSTEE MORA. THANK YOU. I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION. THIS ONE'S REALLY JUST MORE CONTENT FOR CONTEXT WITH THE BOARD POLICY THAT HAS TO DO WITH EQUITY. 0415 I THINK IT IS. DO YOU FIND THAT THERE OR DID YOU FIND ANY REASONS FOR WHY WE HAD NOT ADOPTED 0415? I'M GONNA CALL TRINA BACK. I DON'T KNOW WHY SHE'S SITTING DOWN. YEAH. I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO INTERJECT SOMETHING ON THAT AS WELL. SO, THE BOARD POLICY THROUGH CSBA ABOUT EQUITY, BEFORE THAT POLICY EXISTED, AND THIS WAS BEFORE MY TIME, THE TRUSTEES IN NATOMAS UNIFIED CREATED BOARD POLICY AND ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION 01100, AND THAT WAS TO ADDRESS EQUITY BECAUSE THAT POLICY DID NOT EXIST THROUGH THE CSBA NUMBERS AT THAT TIME. SO SINCE THEN, CSBA HAS ADOPTED THAT POLICY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE COMMITTING TO DO IS TO DO A CROSSWALK OF OUR POLICY WITH THAT POLICY AND SEE HOW THEY CAN BE COMBINED AND GO TOGETHER. BUT THE HISTORY OF THAT IS NATOMAS UNIFIED, THAT WAS AN EFFORT TO CREATE A POLICY ABOUT EQUITY WHERE ONE DID NOT EXIST. AND THEN THE CSBA ONE CAME ALONG. SO WE ALREADY HAVE PLANS TO DO A CROSSWALK WITH THAT AND THEN PROBABLY MERGE THEM TOGETHER AND JUST HAVE ONE EXISTING POLICY. WHAT'S NICE ABOUT USING THE CSBA NUMBERS IS THEN, AS WE DO, OUR ANNUAL PROCESS FOR UPDATING BOARD POLICIES. ANYTIME THERE WAS AN UPDATE TO THAT NUMBER, WE WOULD GET THAT FROM CSBA. SO, WE SEE AN ADVANTAGE TO DOING THAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF YOU HAD ANYTHING TO THAT YOU NEEDED TO ADD. NOTHING TO ADD. OKAY, THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO DO ANOTHER QUICK PAUSE TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M NOT MONOPOLIZING THE TIME AND SEEING THAT I'M NOT. I THINK THIS MIGHT BE MY FINAL QUESTION, BUT IT MIGHT BE KIND OF A SERIES OF QUESTIONS. MY. YOU HAD TALKED ABOUT HOLDING PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE, AND I TOOK THAT TO MEAN, YOU KNOW, STAFF ACCOUNTABLE FOR STUDENT OUTCOMES. IN ADDITION TO WHAT I IMAGINE IS MORE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ALL PARTIES. WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND TO ADDRESS SYSTEMIC INCONSISTENCIES IN TERMS OF WHAT DOES ACCOUNTABILITY LOOK LIKE IN ACTION, PER YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS? I ALREADY KNOW THROUGH OUR SITE VISITS THAT THERE IS A WALKTHROUGH CLASSROOM PROTOCOL WALKTHROUGH THAT PRINCIPALS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO. WHEN WE WENT THROUGH AND TALKED TO PRINCIPALS, WE ASKED THEM, SO WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT? WELL, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO SO MANY A WEEK, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, SO MANY A MONTH. I SAID, BUT WHAT IF THE TEACHER NEEDS SUPPORT? AND SOME PRINCIPALS ARE LIKE, I GO IN AND I DO AN IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND I DO THE WORK AND DO LIKE THIS. AND OTHERS WENT, YOU KNOW, I DO MY WALKTHROUGHS, AND THAT'S ABOUT IT. SO, THERE'S A COMPLIANCE ISSUE VERSUS A QUALITY ISSUE VERSUS AN ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUE. AND WHERE DO THOSE WALKTHROUGHS GO AND HOW ARE THEY MONITORED? AND I KNOW THAT IN THE DISTRICT STRUCTURE IN THE CABINET AND THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS, THEY'RE WELL AWARE OF WHICH SITES NEED MORE SUPPORT IN ESTABLISHING THAT CONSISTENCY AND HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR IT. SO, I KNOW THAT'S IN PLACE. IT JUST NEEDS TO HAVE SOME TIME TO GET GOING. SO, THERE'S TOOLS. THERE'S TOOLS HERE IN THIS DISTRICT. THAT'S WHAT. THAT'S WHAT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE TRYING TO SAY IN THE BEGINNING WITH THE BRIGHT SPOTS. THERE'S SO MUCH GOOD HEALTH HAPPENING IN THE NATOMAS. BUT THEN WHAT'S THE. WHAT'S THE BARRIER? AND SO THAT ACCOUNTABILITY PIECE IS GOING TO BE ESSENTIAL. AND THEN SUPPORTING PEOPLE WHEN THEY HAVE TO MAKE THE HARD DECISION TO MAYBE TELL A TEACHER, YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU'RE NOT RIGHT FOR NATOMAS. RIGHT? GARY? I'M SORRY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE SEEN THAT'S BEEN HELPFUL IN TERMS OF BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS IS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, IF TEACHERS WERE ASKED TO MAKE THE FIRST CONTACT WITH PARENTS POSITIVE. BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEAR IN THE FOCUS GROUPS IS THAT THE TEACHER WOULD CALL THE PARENTS, BUT IT HAD TO DO WITH THE STUDENT NOT DOING HIS HOMEWORK OR STUDENT SHOWING UP LATE, BUT NOT A POSITIVE ENCOUNTER. SO, I THINK WHEN WE TALK ABOUT A CULTURE SHIFT, THAT MIGHT BE PART OF IT. THE OTHER ONE WOULD BE, WE NOTICED TONIGHT WITH THE ATHLETES THAT ATHLETES WERE VERY WELL REPRESENTED HERE. BLACK ATHLETES MOSTLY, ALL REALLY. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENS IS THAT FOR ATHLETICS, COACHES DO A GREAT JOB OF GETTING THE PLAYERS ON THEIR TEAM BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY ASK THEM. BUT IS THAT TRUE OF STUDENTS WHO ARE IN LEADERSHIP, MUSIC, DRAMA, [02:25:01] ALL OF THE PERFORMING ARTS? SO, ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO LOOK FOR STUDENTS THAT HAVE ABILITY IN A PARTICULAR AREA AND INVITE THEM TO JOIN THEIR TEAM AS A WAY OF KIND OF RECOGNIZING THEIR TALENT AND ALSO IMPROVING THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH STUDENTS WHO MAY NOT BE INVOLVED. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. NOT SEEING ANY MORE DISCUSSION ON THIS, DR. CASTILLE. I'M SORRY. I JUST REALLY WANT TO REITERATE A. THANKING ASCENDANCY SOLUTIONS FOR THIS WORK. AND THIS IS NOT A ONE TIME OCCURRENCE FOR US. SO, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE CREATING AN ACTION PLAN. WE LOOK FORWARD TO FUTURE, FUTURE COLLABORATIONS WITH OUR TEAM AND WITH ASCENDANCY SOLUTIONS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO OUTLINE WHAT OUR PLAN IS FOR OUR ACTION PLAN, OUR IMPLEMENTATION, GIVING REGULAR UPDATES TO THE BOARD AND TO OUR COMMUNITY, AS TRUSTEE GRANT REFERRED TO EARLIER. HAVING OPPORTUNITIES TO GET PARENT FEEDBACK AND INPUT AND HAVING SOME REGULAR MECHANISMS FOR THAT TOO OCCUR. I APPRECIATE THEM RECOGNIZING SOME OF THE STEPS THAT WE HAVE ALREADY TAKEN. WE KNOW WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO THAT WORK. BUT WE ALSO ARE PROUD TO HAVE THREE NEW PROGRAM SPECIALISTS WITH OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEAM TO REALLY HELP SUPPORT THE WORK THAT THEY ARE DOING. WE ALREADY HAVE SEVERAL MEETINGS WHERE ALL OF OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFF IS INCLUDED, SO. SO THAT WE HAVE THAT VOICE ON THE REGULAR BASIS. NEW PROGRAMS, LOOKING AT OUR IA TRAININGS. SO, WE ARE VERY COMMITTED. WE DON'T WANT THIS TO BE A REPORT THAT GOES UP ON THE SHELF. WE WANT IT TO BE THAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, CREATING AN ACTION PLAN AND REPORTING THAT OUT OVER TIME AND HAVING THAT ACCOUNTABILITY. AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE WORK THAT WE. WE WILL ACCOMPLISH TOGETHER. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. [XVII.a. Approve Bond Fund Reallocations for Measures J and L] ALL RIGHT, NEXT UP ARE ACTION ITEMS. WE'LL START WITH ACTION ITEM A. APPROVED BOND FUND REALLOCATIONS FOR MEASURES G, J AND L. I DO NOT HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE'RE SHIFTING SOME THINGS AROUND TO SAVE ON INTEREST. IS THAT CORRECT? SPEND DOWN. OKAY. SO, TRYING TO SAVE SOME MONEY. FAVORITE THING TO DO. I GOT IT. OKAY. MOVE APPROVAL. MOVED BY TRUSTEE DOSICK. SECOND. SECOND. BY TRUSTEE MEHTA. HELENE, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? DOSICK? AYE. GRANT? AYE. HARDEN? [XVII.b. Approve One Provisional Internship Permit (PIP)] AYE. MEHTA. AYE. MORA? AYE. SOKOLOVA? AYE. ALL RIGHT, MOTION CARRIES, 6-0. ACTION ITEM B. APPROVE ONE PROVISIONAL INTERNSHIP PERMIT. NOT SEEING ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. [INAUDIBLE] SECOND. ALL RIGHT. THERE'S A MOTION BY TRUSTEE MEHTA AND A SECOND BY TRUSTEE DOSICK. IF THERE'S NOT ANY OBJECTION FOR. WE CAN SUBSTITUTE THE PRIOR UNANIMOUS ROLL CALL VOTE. ALL RIGHT, [XVII.c. Approve Selection of eFuel LLC dba Ramos Oil Company as Fuel Provider for District Vehicles] THE MOTION CARRIES, 6-0. I JUST FELT LIKE NOEL WANTED TO OBJECT JUST BECAUSE. I DON'T KNOW WHY. OKAY. ACTION ITEM C. APPROVED SELECTION OF E FUEL LLC. DBA RAMOS OIL COMPANY IS FUEL PROVIDER FOR DISTRICT VEHICLES. I'M NOT SEEING ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM, BUT MY ALSO UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE'RE GETTING FUEL IN BULK, AND THAT'S GOING TO SAVE US SOME MONEY. RIGHT, LIKE SOUTHWEST AIRLINES DID A COUPLE OF YEARS BACK WHEN IT WAS SMART TO DO THAT. YEAH. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT SOUTHWEST, BUT YEAH, CORRECT. WE DID RFP. OKAY, IT LOOKS LIKE TRUSTEE MORA HAS A QUESTION. MOVE APPROVAL. SECOND. LOOK AT ME. RIGHT. MOVE BY TRUSTEE MORA AND SECONDED BY TRUSTEE MEHTA. IF THERE'S NOT ANY OBJECTION, WE CAN ALSO SUBSTITUTE THE PRIOR UNANIMOUS ROLL CALL VOTE. ALL RIGHT. SEE? NO OBJECTIONS. THAT MOTION CARRIES, 6-0. ALL RIGHT. I DON'T HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT CARDS. WOW. OKAY. WELL, LET ME END THE MEETING BEFORE WE GET. I'M KIDDING. ALL RIGHT, SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT CARDS, SO I'M GONNA CALL THIS MEETING ADJOURNED AT 8:14. THANK YOU. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.