Special - Filling Board Vacancy Meeting

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[0] Nancy Thomas: Join me in the pledge.

[4] SPEAKER_39: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[20] Nancy Thomas: I would ask for an approval of the agenda.

[24] SPEAKER_39: I'll second.

[25] Nancy Thomas: OK. Thank you. Please vote. Three ayes, thank you. Next, we call on public comment on this agenda item, which is to interview and select a school board member. Cary Knoop?

[45] Cary Knoop: Sure. Good evening. First of all, wonderful for these brave citizens who wanted to join the board and volunteered for that. I just have a couple of comments, and that's both for the board and for those who volunteer. I think it's extremely important to take a board member position very seriously. I think it'll take a lot of time, and I'm looking at it from the outside. It'll take a lot of time. You have to go through the agenda. You have to understand your material. I don't think it's a good idea to have board members who just want to have something on their resume that they're a board member, want to be some sort of an admiral who never went to sea, you need to be really involved. And I think the way I look at it, the job of a board member is one of ensuring. You're appointed as an officer by the state to ensure that there's academic standards, that there's financial standards, and that the employees are treated fairly. Now, of course, our superintendent does a wonderful job, and the executive staff does a wonderful job as well. But the construction is that board members need to be independent. You know, if you work in an organization, sometimes you cannot be totally objective. And that's nobody, everybody understands that. So that's why you have a governing board of people elected or appointed who take that responsibility of a high ethics, moral values, and monitor what's going on. Monitoring the financial progress and monitoring the academic standards. And you need papers for that, you need to ask the district for papers. It's not a matter of mistrust of or but it's just a formality that's super important. So I think when you know for the new members I think it's so important to take that job really seriously and it's going to take a lot of time and effort and you know please don't be a rubber stamper. That's not going to help the district. You don't want to interfere with the executive and operational matters obviously but you do want to set a course for this ship and Again, whoever is going to be appointed, I wish them a lot of luck and, you know, good progress. Thank you.

[191] Maria Huffer: Thank you.

[194] Nancy Thomas: On next, we have Nicole Eisen.

[203] Megan McMillan: Hello.

[206] Nicole Izant: Thanks for the time. I just wanted to say hello, board members, community members, and my daughter, who is Lisa. This is for you. She just did a Girl Scout badge about inside government, so I'm hoping she's going to let this absorb in. Anyways, I'm excited about tonight's proceedings, basically because we just came off of an election where we had people out there campaigning and doing whatnot, and the public had an opportunity to vote. And in those elections, we had some really clear signals from the community that it's time for a change, overwhelmingly. One of the candidates here tonight, I think I see another one in the back, and that Newark really wants change, change for the future, change for the better. And I think this is an excellent opportunity for you as the board. to not necessarily go with the next person in line, but really interview and ask the right questions and listen to the answers. You have an opportunity to really choose the correct candidate to fill out the rest of Mr. Preciado's term until the next election. And so I urge you to really listen to what people have to say, what they've said in their applications, because we just have a great opportunity for our kids' future if you get the right people working on this board. That's it. Thank you.

[289] Nancy Thomas: The first order of business is for us as a board to decide on the format, whether we want to do it as a panel style or whether we'd like to interview the candidates one at a time.

[303] SPEAKER_39: Would you like to speak to this? Having gone through this process before, I find that when you have people asking questions and the other people are in the room itself, it sort of skews the ability of the first person who answers the question to have a fair ground for comparison. And I remember people thinking, you could see them thinking as someone brought up a point, they were thinking, oh, well, I want to do that, too. So I would prefer to have an interview of one candidate completely done at one time, and then the next candidate come. And the other candidates would be back in the board library, I think is what we were talking about. Because I feel that it gives every candidate a fair chance to have a complete picture of what their skills are and what their points of view are. So I would suggest that that would be one way that we would change what we've done in the past. OK.

[364] Ray Rodriguez: Mr. Rodriguez? Thank you, President Thomas. I had an opportunity to look back at the videos from the prior meetings that we had. And this is the third time in the last, I think, five years that we've done this. And the last two times, we did the panel. And to me, I liked having the panel. I don't like having anybody hide in the back. It's just the way I am. And because of the fact that we do have We can look at the videos from before. I think looking at the individuals that put in their name out there to join our board, and I want to thank each and every one of you. I've been on the board for a while, and people say that it's a thankless job, but I disagree. When you visit the schools and you interact with the kids and parents, and they say thank you, that means everything to me. But I like the panel. I like to be able to look at everyone. And I don't think anybody gains too much from the other person's questions, in my opinion. They're all community members. Everybody knows each other. And it's worked before, so why change something that's worked?

[456] SPEAKER_39: I have a question. When we vote on this, do we all have to agree? Or do we come to consensus? Is that how we're going to handle this?

[467] Nancy Thomas: I think the rules are when we vote on something, it has to be a majority of the board, which is three. So in the case where there is a disagreement, I would hope that we would maybe consider the majority view. In any event, we don't want this to keep us from moving forward to interview. So I guess my thought is similar to Ms. Crocker's. I think that, and I noticed this even with the candidates tonight, with hearing some, you know, three or four people before you gives you a little bit of an advantage depending on the question. So I would recommend that we have the candidates wait for their turn in the board library.

[526] Ray Rodriguez: So if I don't agree, then we would go back to what we've done before, basically?

[533] Nancy Thomas: No. No, we just wouldn't move forward.

[536] Ray Rodriguez: I don't see that as you wouldn't move forward.

[539] SPEAKER_39: When we as a committee set up the process, There was a default because of what we had done before. There was nothing that indicated that that was what we had to do.

[549] Ray Rodriguez: OK. I understand. You know, like I said, the process has worked before, and I like it. But the last thing I want to do is stop anything, because we have a time frame on this. So we, right, superintendent, don't we have to? This is basically the last meeting to get this done. So be nice if member Winn is here and he might still come. So I'm fine with, so we can move forward.

[588] Nancy Thomas: Okay. Thank you. Having, I don't think. With objection. Okay. I don't know that we need to vote on it. It's more of a procedural issue. So I would then ask the superintendent to explain the process.

[607] SPEAKER_15: Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, candidates, members of the board. I want the candidates to know that each of you will go through a process tonight. Each of you will have a chance for an opening statement and a closing statement. There's also, I believe, eight questions. Eight questions. that you'll each be asked. We'll ask the question and it will be on the screen in front of you so you'll be able to see it. We are going to take all of you except for one person that will draw a name to go first back to the board library. But you'll have your opportunity to sit here. We'll make more room up there. We weren't sure if it was going to be panel or one at a time. At the end, the board will deliberate publicly And they will do a ranking exercise, and they'll make, hopefully, a final decision tonight. And that's the goal, is to have this identified by the end of the night, if possible. So I think we can get right to it. If I could walk them back.

[669] Ray Rodriguez: I'm sorry. I have a question pertaining to the screen. That kind of blocks part of it. And we've had the other screens, and for whatever reason, we don't have them.

[680] SPEAKER_15: We placed the other screen in the other room, just in case of an overflow situation. We weren't sure if we would have a lot of people tonight, so we just have it in the other. But we could roll it up closer, so make sure people can see. Yeah, I've got to make. We can adjust it a little bit.

[693] Ray Rodriguez: If that's OK.

[694] SPEAKER_15: The board has the questions, so you don't need to see them. But if the audience wants to see them, we can do that. OK.

[699] SPEAKER_39: It also allows the candidate to see the question written out, because sometimes people are visual, as well as verbal.

[706] SPEAKER_15: Right. So we were going to have Mr. Nguyen, the other Mr. Nguyen, draw the first name of who would stay to do the first interview. Right. And then I'll escort the candidates to the board library.

[719] Ray Rodriguez: Got it.

[719] SPEAKER_15: Then we can get started.

[720] Ray Rodriguez: Now, after the first interview, then they would stay here.

[724] SPEAKER_15: Yeah, once you've been interviewed, you're welcome to stay and sit in the audience and listen. Right. That's totally appropriate. OK, got it. OK?

[731] Ray Rodriguez: Can we identify the candidates that are here, if that's possible?

[735] SPEAKER_15: Yes, who is, well, I think what we can do is let's have the candidates stand up. Do we want to have them introduce themselves first before we start? I think that would be nice. Yeah, I think it's better that way.

[750] Ray Rodriguez: Right now for the community.

[751] SPEAKER_15: OK. Let's start with Ms.

[753] SPEAKER_15: Hi, I'm Christine Clinton.

[754] SPEAKER_38: I'm a parent at Lincoln. I have two fourth graders and a three-year-old daughter.

[762] SPEAKER_31: I'm Michelle Padilla. I have a first grader, a fourth grader, a twelfth grader, and a sophomore at Sonoma State.

[771] SPEAKER_22: I'm Jennifer Snyder. I have a senior and also an older gal who went through what is now a lot of college in Newark.

[780] SPEAKER_36: My name is Lucia Gutierrez. I have a one-year-old who will be soon going to Newark schools, but I myself went to Newark schools since kindergarten through twelfth grade.

[793] SPEAKER_19: My name is Ron Rusdell. I have a teacher. I have a senior in high school on my other side. I graduated from Newark two years ago.

[804] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you. Thank you.

[805] SPEAKER_15: Thank you very much. So just so we know, we do have, I believe, two candidates that are not here yet. They might show up. If they do, we'll put them in the process. But Mr. Nguyen, would you draw the first name? We'll see who gets to do the interview first.

[823] SPEAKER_26: First candidate is Michelle Padilla.

[826] SPEAKER_15: So if you are entered to the table, I'll walk everybody back.

[834] SPEAKER_26: Second candidate is Richard Modeski.

[838] SPEAKER_39: He is not here.

[839] Ray Rodriguez: Yeah. Modeski.

[845] SPEAKER_26: The third candidate is Jennifer Snyder. The fourth candidate is Juan Brazil. The fifth candidate is Christine Clinton. The sixth candidate is Lucia Gutierrez. And the final candidate is Betty Cole.

[895] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you. Ms. Padilla, you get to pick from all the mics up there. OK, good.

[904] Nancy Thomas: So Ms. Padilla, you will be given three minutes to give an opening statement. And then you will have a minute. How much was it for each question? Two minutes for each question. Of course, you don't have to take the whole two minutes if you don't want to. And then one minute for closing.

[930] Chery Villa: OK.

[936] Maria Huffer: OK.

[943] SPEAKER_39: And what number was he?

[945] SPEAKER_26: He's number two.

[956] Nancy Thomas: Thank you, Ms. Padilla. You may begin.

[959] SPEAKER_31: Okay. Good evening, board members and Superintendent Sanchez. My name is Michelle Padilla. Newark is my home and my community. I attended Milani Elementary, Newark Junior High, and graduated from Newark Memorial. I'm a proud product of Newark schools. I have three children that are currently enrolled in the district, a fourth grader, a first grader, a twelfth grader, and a sophomore at Sonoma State. I have served on our PTA for the last five years, four of those years as a president, the LCAP committee, the Newark Memorial School Site Council, and several district committees. I have served on two nonprofits as a board member. I am a senior project manager for commercial electrical construction in San Jose and have tackled some of the most complex projects in the valley in managing budgets upwards of $60 million. I believe in strengthening our schools through community involvement, increased enrollment, and good policy. It would be my honor to give back to the community that I love.

[1021] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. Thank you. OK, we will ask, rotate as we ask the questions. I will ask the first question. OK. Please tell us why you are interested in serving on the NUSD school board.

[1035] SPEAKER_31: I'm interested in giving back to this community. I think I have assets as far as my project management ability, I understand budgets, I understand how boards operate, and I feel like I could be an asset to this board. I know that Measure G is coming to conclusion, and you have our, the facility plan is being updated with my construction background. I think I could be help in that aspect.

[1067] Nancy Thomas: Thank you.

[1071] SPEAKER_39: Ms. Padilla, how would you handle a parent who asks you to get involved in a personnel issue involving an NUSD employee?

[1083] SPEAKER_31: I know that there's policy involved with being on the board, and we would have to go through the proper channels, whether that be through the superintendent or I would bring it up to the board as a whole. And we would have to take the proper channels to address that issue. Thank you.

[1108] Ray Rodriguez: I have the next one. Thank you again for putting yourself out there. Appreciate it. We have significant budget challenges ahead. How would you suggest we meet the challenge of reducing our operating budget while retaining our excellent employees?

[1130] SPEAKER_31: I do understand that about 85% of the current budget is salary. So I think we need to look at capital costs. We need to look at maybe right sizing our schools. This year, we're down another 134 kids when we did expect an increase. And we need to really explore all options, including furlough days.

[1154] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you.

[1158] Nancy Thomas: How does an effective school board ensure that opportunities for input from all stakeholders with appropriate channels of communication in order to hear a wide range of opinions and perspectives?

[1172] SPEAKER_31: I think open and transparent communication is really key. We need to be able to give the community as much opportunity to weigh in on policy and deliberations. It's really important. We need to make sure that not only is there time for public comment at board meetings, as board members, I think it's imperative that we get out there and are participating in community and school events and interacting with parents and the stakeholders in our community. Thank you.

[1207] SPEAKER_39: Thank you. What strengths will you bring to the board team?

[1218] SPEAKER_31: So as I mentioned, I'm a project manager by trade. And my strengths would be, my role as a project manager is to keep a project on task, on scope, on time. And I'm really the bridge between the people that are actually performing the work that's being executed and what the client needs. In this case, the client would be our community. and the people executing it would be our district. So bridging that gap, making sure that there are clear goals that we set for the district and that we measure those goals and provide evaluations and updating the process as we go along.

[1266] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you. Tell us about a time when you had to make a decision that was having having to decide between two equally important issues, knowing no matter what decision you make, you will upset half of the stakeholders or half of the people or half of the community impacted by the decision.

[1292] SPEAKER_31: One issue that comes up to mind, going back to my professional career, we had a project with a very solid deadline and there was also a holiday weekend where we had many employees who wanted to be off and with their families. We had to make decision as a company whether we were going to enforce mandatory overtime and upset a lot of parents and families that wanted to be together or we were going to really upset a client who had paid for a deadline. We ended up We ended up making the client a little bit unhappy, but we softened the blow with having our employees work longer shifts, not the holiday shift, but longer shifts. We didn't exactly meet the deadline, but we came pretty close. So it was kind of a, sometimes you're not going to make everyone happy, and that's just part of it.

[1350] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you for making that from a professional side, because with you having more kids, you could have easily been a referee between all your kids, right?

[1356] SPEAKER_31: Oh, I'm always a referee between my kids. That's OK if they're not happy with the outcome.

[1361] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you. I appreciate it.

[1362] Nancy Thomas: The California School Boards Association has training for board members which outline the role, responsibilities, and authority of school board members. Are you willing to complete the training within the first year?

[1373] SPEAKER_31: I am. I actually looked into the training. I know that I believe it happens in Burlingame. I would be very willing to participate in any other training or orientations that are offered. Thank you.

[1389] SPEAKER_39: This is the eighth and last final question. If you are selected, are you willing to commit to be prepared and attend a minimum of two board meetings per month beginning at 5 PM?

[1401] SPEAKER_31: Absolutely. Yeah, that would not be an issue.

[1405] Nancy Thomas: Thank you, Ms. Padilla. Now you may have a one minute wrap up.

[1409] SPEAKER_31: OK. I believe a good school board sets the vision and goals for the district and is responsible for measuring the success of the district and the superintendent against those goals. A key indicator is the ability to involve and communicate their actions to the community and above all focus on what is best for all of our students. I am deeply committed to partner with you to find a new and innovative ways to bring all stakeholders to the table as we make decisions for our district. I am fully aware of the challenges that we are facing and know that the road will not be easy. I am confident that I can bring experience that will be helpful as we move forward in our common efforts and I'm ready to work hard to drive the results that we need. I have deep roots here in Newark. My parents and grandparents grew up in Newark. My great-grandfather built one of the original Newark elementary schools, Mueller. A collaborative approach with accountability, transparency and community involvement is how I would like to contribute to this board. I would be honored to serve with you on the Newark School Board and through it serve our children. Thank you.

[1477] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you. Excellent. I have a point of order for the board.

[1508] SPEAKER_39: Yeah, that would be good. That would be a plea.

[1527] Nancy Thomas: Good evening. Mr. Moduleski, thank you for coming this evening. I believe the superintendent filled you in on the process we're going through. Did he?

[1542] SPEAKER_15: I just explained he was next. He caught here at the end. Oh, OK. And then he found out quickly that he was next to be interviewed. So I didn't go into the full detail.

[1550] Nancy Thomas: The process is that we have eight questions we're going to ask you. You have a three-minute opening statement that you can make. Then we will take turns asking you the eight questions, and at the end you have a one-minute wrap-up. You don't have to take the full time to answer each question. You can answer it as long as you answer it within two minutes. Okay?

[1571] SPEAKER_24: Can I say yes and no? No.

[1573] Nancy Thomas: Certainly you can.

[1574] Diego Torres: Absolutely. Just kidding. Just kidding.

[1576] Nancy Thomas: Yeah, well, it's completely appropriate for some of these questions to have a yes or no answer. There are. All right, I didn't know. OK, please begin.

[1587] SPEAKER_24: Well, my name's Dick Mosileski. I've been a resident of Newark since 1979. And in 1982, I started a business on Thornton Avenue, Rainbow Funding and Realty. And I really got involved in the community. I was involved with Love. I was Love Newark. I was past president of Love. I was on the also past president of Cura in Fremont Drug Rehab and a lot of civic things. And I thought it was best when I first got in business to be involved with the city and what that meant to me was getting involved with the youth. So if someone came in and they had a basketball team or a baseball team or a football team or they wanted sponsorship, I was the first one to step up to the plate and do that. So my involvement with the, this is my first, I ran for city council in the early 90s and this is my first involvement the political forum since then. The reason being is that I see the growth that's happening in Newark. I see the new housing that's taking place all over the city. And I think that with the growth and the new families that are moving here and the children that are going to be moving here that those parents need a quality of education that needs to be addressed and quality of education as far as ratings. Now, I am in real estate. As I list properties, I take account of people that come in groups and ask them what, well, I don't ask them anything. I mean, it's obvious that the culture of the community has changed. since I moved here, and culture meaning the demographic. So when I came here, there were still tumbleweeds that rolled down Thornton Avenue, and people rode their horses. Today, you're not going to do that. So anyway, I think that we need to change what's going on. We need to improve the school. numbers if you will. So my point was this somebody came in they were looking for a house and the first thing they did was say what school what's the school rating they would put up on their phone they would look at the school ratings and see if they were going to be able to put their kids into a public school or private. So it had a big impact. So these people that are moving here now that are moving to Newark because of the explosion in the city and all that, are going to need schooling and they're going to need the right kind of schooling, so we want to give it to them.

[1790] SPEAKER_39: Thank you. Thank you. The first question. Tell us why you're interested in serving in the Newark Unified School District Board.

[1799] SPEAKER_24: Why? Well, without sounding too cliche, and I do remember the first meeting that I went to when I was first hired. And that was, my gosh, that was in the 70s. The gentleman that led the meeting and was the owner of the company at the time stood in front of about 40 or 50 men. And I happened to be one of them. It was very, I don't know, there weren't any women in the workforce then. It just seemed like it was all men. So we were selling life insurance. Anyway, he stood up there. And he put his hand in his pocket, and he shook it. And he shook it vigorously. And he says, can you hear that? Well, he had a bunch of nickels, dimes, and quarters in there. And he says, that's change. He says, that's what we need. We need change. So for me, I want to bring, I don't want to say I'm ousting anybody or doing anything. I just want to bring a change, a fresh start. a newness to the community, a newness to the school board. So that's my outlook on that question.

[1876] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you.

[1877] SPEAKER_24: Thank you, Ray.

[1880] Ray Rodriguez: You weren't here before, but thank you for putting yourself out there. Appreciate it. Question number two, how would you handle a parent who asks you to get involved in a personal issue involving a Newark Unified School District employee?

[1900] SPEAKER_24: if they came to you as a board member. As a board member. Well, I think you have to handle that very gingerly. So I wouldn't give any opinion to a parent or to some outside person as to what's a private situation, but I would, as a school board, I would bring it before the board and I would think that we would need to address something like that. If there's, having had many, many people work for me in the past, and it seems like when you have somebody working for you, that you don't get any work done because you're always solving the problems of other people. So the people will come to you and you're talking and you're solving problems. In this particular case, it has to do with a school employee and we need to have a meeting where we talk, not me, but we talk amongst ourselves because we are the board that decides and governs and then bring it before the people that need to administer that kind of answer too. So I don't know that I'd be the person answering that question, but.

[1984] Nancy Thomas: Thank you.

[1985] SPEAKER_24: Thank you.

[1986] Nancy Thomas: We have a significant budget challenge ahead. How would you suggest we meet the challenge of reducing our operating budget while retaining our employees?

[1998] SPEAKER_24: Well, I wouldn't be selling property off at this point. That's to me. I don't know that. I think within the next five years, maybe pushing a little bit further out, but I think that the city is going to have an explosiveness. Now, I've talked I talked to the principal at Newark Memorial, and just in passing, I happened to be there for the homecoming, and I drove the King and Queen Court around the school. And in talking to him, he had issues when he was vice principal, I guess, in Antioch with students. So it wasn't something out of school that he was telling me. I'm not saying that in any way. But he administered. He had some issues that he had to deal with. So trying to answer that question, the budget, and not selling property, I think we need to get the enrollment back. And how do we get the enrollment back? We bring the scoring. The numbers, instead of Schilling being a 4 or 5, we need to get it to a 7 or 8. That's why people move to Mission. That's why Mission High School. They don't move there because of the housing. They move there because of the schooling. They move to American. And being in real estate, you can see a demographic. You can see something happening. So the people that are coming here now because of the housing, and there are six jobs for every one house. So there's households out there that need their children to be put into the right school. And the way to do that, the way to answer that budget, I don't have pencil and paper. I can't just sit here and tell you what we're going to cut and what we're going to slice. But teachers are the key, the right teachers in the right place. Gosh, administration's important. And you, as a board, you guys, you make those decisions. How that money's going to be spent.

[2134] SPEAKER_15: Time. Thank you. Sorry. We're off and running.

[2142] SPEAKER_26: Thank you, Ray.

[2146] SPEAKER_39: How does an effective school board ensure that opportunities for input from all stakeholders with appropriate channels of communication in order to hear a wide range of opinions and perspectives. My gosh.

[2162] SPEAKER_24: Oh, I can read it? You can read it. Oh, I didn't know that. OK. Can I read that while you're reading it? Sure. Sure. OK. Well, first of all, Thank you for your service within the community, all of you, and certainly being out there in the community, being part of the community, being effective in that way. Communication, obviously, this is one. I didn't, I apologize, because I didn't think I was going to be here and be able to make this, and I got a phone call, and they said, hey, you're on the agenda. They read your name. And then I was knocking. I didn't even know how to get in here. So for the last 15 minutes, I was knocking on windows and doors. So effective and making it open to the public and having response and having an open forum is a very important thing. So having people come from the community to speak and not be afraid to get up here and talk. I mean, I am not a public person myself. I'm not a speaker. by any means. But I think and I have never approached the school board. I apologize for that. But I think continuing to serve the community in the capacity that you're serving it and to have an open forum to make yourself available not just on meetings a meeting night, but just make yourself available to the school and not just as a name present for whatever outside influence or outside interest. So, let's see. I don't know what a stakeholder is either, but I would imagine somebody that has a, I don't know, I'm sorry. I don't want to ramble on. Thank you. Thank you.

[2307] Ray Rodriguez: You're halfway there. What strengths will you bring to the board team? Strengths? What strengths?

[2315] SPEAKER_24: Well, having been self-employed, having lived within the community, Obviously, I'll tell you, because I don't want to hold anything back, but my kids did not go to public school here. We put them in a private school, had to do with religion at the time. And so the strengths that I would bring would be to entice, to engage, to enlarge, and to bring a fresh new feeling of influence to the school board and to work and implement myself and to work with you to make this a stronger better school system and that's not that it's a it is not a bad system. It's we're growing we're expanding and we have to focus in. We have to focus in on finances, where the money goes, how it's spent. We have teachers that can hardly afford to live here. And that's the other problem. So the strengths that I would bring, I would work with the school people, the board, but the school people in position to bring a bring a freshness, bring something new, to be excited about coming here and to bring change. So again, change.

[2431] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you.

[2433] Nancy Thomas: Tell us about a time when you had to make a decision that was having to decide between two equally important issues, knowing that no matter what decision you make, you will upset half of the stakeholders impacted by the decision.

[2459] SPEAKER_24: Well, here's the way it is. You're never going to satisfy everybody. You're never going to make everybody happy. Not everybody is going to see the same way you see it, but as a collectiveness. I was here when Dave Smith was mayor, and he ran He never, he was never, no one ever ran against him. He was, you know, never opposed. And he did a wonderful job. And then, you know, the city managers that we've had and so forth. So decisions are made by the person at the top. You guys, us, we are at the top. We make decisions. Somebody's not going to go along with it. Somebody may not like it, but issues, again, issues, You're going to upset somebody. Somebody is going to not, and you have to do it in such a way as, you know, you don't want to make enemies. I don't want to make enemies. I want to have advocates. I want to have people that if you can sway them to the point where they understand the reasoning that you're making that decision, if they understand so that stakeholder knows that you're not, it's not being vindictive. It's just being rational. I guess that's what I'm trying to think, saying. OK.

[2560] SPEAKER_39: OK. Thank you. The California School Board Association has training for board members, which outline the roles, responsibilities, and authority of school board members. Are you willing to complete the training within the first year?

[2575] SPEAKER_24: I'm almost retired. I'm not tired. I'm just retired. So I have a lot of time to devote to the school board, to these issues, to learning, to training, to becoming involved. I've sat back. I had some health issues a long time ago, and that's why I basically stepped off of all the civic and the boards and the things that I was doing. But I feel a need to jump back in and to be effective and whatever whatever's the need to make that work, then I'm willing to do it. So if there are classes, if there's training, and if I have to go somewhere at my own expense, I would do that. So I'm not looking. I don't even know, other than involvement and you spending your time and you guys doing that, I don't know what else I could do other than follow the procedures that are laid out for a new person, a rookie, if you will. And that's what I would be, a rookie. So.

[2653] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you. I have the last question, Mr. Majewski. If you are selected, are you willing to commit to be prepared and attend a minimum of two board meetings per month, beginning at 5 p.m.

[2675] SPEAKER_24: I think more than just the two board meetings, I'm going to be involved because I'm going to put myself, I'm all in, as they say when you play poker. I'm all in. So I'm all in with this. I'm not coming half-baked, halfway. I'm coming all the way. So whatever it's going to take to make this thing Not this thing. I take that back. To make the opportunity for me to be part of this board, to be part of the community and the Newark School Board, then I'm willing to take that step. Yes.

[2715] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. So you have a one minute follow up statement.

[2722] SPEAKER_24: You guys are pretty good. That's all I can say. It's not just an opportunity, but it's a pleasure to be here, to be given the opportunity. And some of you I know on a personal level, some of you have just seen your face. Some of you I just know by the name. And you've done a wonderful job. I want to add to it. That's all. I just want to be the appendix. I want to be there, and I'm not looking to jump in, but I think that, as I said early on, change, not change, change, but change, maybe a mentality of freshness, a newness, a different perspective, a different look at things, a different way. That's what I think I'll bring. I'm a bunch of, I'm not just, persimmons and figs and apples. I'm the whole thing. I'm the whole thing. I'm ready to jump in the fray. So that's what I would bring to the table. I thank you for the opportunity of me coming tonight. And go Newark.

[2799] Nancy Thomas: Thank you very much. And you're welcome to stay in the audience if you'd like now that you had your turn. Thank you.

[2827] SPEAKER_26: There's one right here.

[2857] Nancy Thomas: Hello. Hello. Jennifer, you have the opportunity to make a three-minute opening statement. Then there will be eight questions that we will ask. You can take as much or as little time as you want, as long as you don't go over two minutes for each question. And then at the end, you'll be able to give a one-minute follow-up or wrap-up.

[2877] SPEAKER_22: Timed. Can I have time and a half? No, I'm kidding. OK. So I'm going to turn the panel over. How I got here is interesting. I grew up on a farm in Wisconsin. Neither of my parents, who were both women, graduated from high school. I did horrible in high school. I hardly graduated. My teacher gave me a D, and that was a gift for me, and that's how I graduated. Oh, hello. Anyway, so I had to work really hard to get where I'm at. It took me nine years to get through my undergrad because I had an undiagnosed learning disability that I discovered as an adult. Again, after graduating from law school and trying to pass the bar, it was again hard. And it was about that time I got diagnosed with a learning disability. And as soon as I got the Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations, I passed immediately. The problem was that I was not able to read. the questions. I wasn't ever able to properly read. I'm my deficit is reading. OK. If you can't read you can't learn. But I struggled through and I made it and I did it with hard work. Critical thinking questioning norms and problem solving. So that's the person that is sitting in front of you someone who had a lot of challenges who decided that There was nothing anybody else could do that I couldn't do. And why I'm here is because I obviously am an attorney, and I'm all for governing a government for the people, by the people. So I'm here.

[2991] Ray Rodriguez: I have the first question. Ms. Snyder, thank you again for putting yourself out there. The first question, and you can look at it there if you want. Tell us why you're interested in serving on the Newark Unified School District School Board or Board of Education.

[3010] SPEAKER_22: Yeah. Well my first the reason is civic duty. I think that when I was young and I was growing up in these circumstances and I was also a poor single mother and everybody's always screwing me over. I said you know there has to be a way to make this better for not only for people like me but for everybody. So I said I can either go into politics, I can go into law, or I can become a teacher. I decided to go into law because then I thought I could cover both of the other areas. My, the reason I'm saying this is because I am not, I don't have a passion for public education. I have a passion for making life better than when I found it, or making things better than when I originally found it. So, I think I could implement those things and those characteristics and the critical thinking and the thinking out questioning norms in a way that complies with the government's handbook.

[3080] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you.

[3083] Nancy Thomas: How would you handle a parent who asks you to get involved in a personnel issue involving an NUSD employee?

[3092] SPEAKER_22: I'm sorry. Let me read this. It's up there. Although I do have a difficulty reading. Give me a minute. Oh. Well, of course, as a board member, board members cannot do that. Board members interact with the superintendent who they have investigated and hired because they have faith in the person to implement policy. board will implement policy and the administrative branch enforces that. So, what I would do is I would listen. I would listen to the parents' concern and I would empathize. I mean, because who wouldn't? Who couldn't? I would tell them that there are procedures in place to deal with what they need done and that What they are saying is important and they need to follow through with it and keep me informed on how it goes. But you have to go through the process that we have, which is the complaint process or the variety of processes that are present in the board rules for complaints. But I wouldn't leave it there because the board is entrusted with making sure that the district is implementing the community's wishes. So that's what I would do. I'd empathize. I would explain the process. I would tell them to go do that process and keep me informed and tell me if it doesn't work.

[3194] SPEAKER_39: Thank you. We have a significant budget challenge ahead. How would you suggest we meet the challenge of reducing our operating budget while retaining our employees?

[3206] SPEAKER_22: That's a hard question, because you folks have been working on that a long time. The reality is, first off, I will say that, which is what I wrote in my application, is that there is an answer. The fact that there isn't a solution is not possible. There is a solution. Increasing revenue or decreasing expenses, that's how it's done. And they're hard decisions that nobody wants to make. And be sure that they're going to be made. Either I'm going to make them, you're going to make them, and lay it all out there. In my law office, I have people coming in that struggle to accept that they have legal problems. And I say, look, this is everything that's out here. It's all honest. It's all true. You have to deal with the reality, and you have to pick the solution. So that might be my approach to this significant problem. Anybody who's teachers, community members, administrators, these are all the facts. We all have all the same facts, and now we have to make a decision about it. And we're all in it together. So the answer to the question is, I'm not sure if I answered it. Yeah, how I would suggest meeting the challenge is by accountability, transparency, and group sacrifice and collaboration.

[3303] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you. Question number four. How does an effective school board ensure that opportunities for input from all stakeholders, parents, et cetera, with appropriate channels of communication in order to hear a wide range of opinions and perspectives.

[3330] SPEAKER_22: I have to re-read it just for one minute. So the question is, how do the school board guarantee that there are opportunities to hear what people are thinking? and through the appropriate channels of communication? Well, I guess the easiest way to do that is just to actually talk to people. You go to school, you're in the community, people talk to you. It becomes known that you will listen, you will empathize, and you will keep track of what's going on. Well, and I also wonder, it's kind of like a compound question, which I would object to if I were in a different setting. But if I was under direct examination, I would object to this question because it is a run-on sentence. But there are appropriate channels of communication. Public recourse is one of them. There's nothing wrong with talking to board members. I mean, this is a very simple question to answer. You just be available through all the available means that are there. And you give all that information to the superintendent. And you work together to rate the highest priorities and deal with them.

[3453] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. What strengths do you bring to the board team?

[3463] SPEAKER_22: Challenging the norm, hard working, critical thinking and problem solving. What strengths do I bring to the board? Well, I didn't get where I am without challenging the norm constantly. When I was in high school, I took a test They said that I should be, my correct vocation was working in a factory. I obviously decided that wasn't what I wanted to do. I just had to learn how I had to learn with my learned disability in college. So I guess the strength is someone will tell me something and if I think there is a better way, then it would be inappropriate for me not to investigate a better way. And that is challenging the norms. That's what I do. I question the norms. I mean, had I not, I'd be living on a farm in Wisconsin, a grandma now cooking potatoes at the country fair. So that's what we would be doing. I'm a lawyer in Newark, California. And I pass a California bar.

[3542] SPEAKER_39: The next question has to do about making decisions Tell us about a time when you had to make a decision between two equally important issues, knowing that no matter what decision you make, you will upset half of the stakeholders impacted by that decision.

[3558] SPEAKER_22: Yeah. Jeez, that's a good question. Well, here's the thing. Whenever you make a decision like that, there are considerations that come into the decision. the overwhelming deal breaker for me would be what is best for everyone. And I would have a hard time thinking that a bunch of reasonable minds got together and couldn't all agree that, in general, this was best for everyone. And this constituency, is that what you said? I'm sorry, this group of people, this group of people have their time coming. Concerns are valuable. And if we are implementing, if we have a choice to make, we have to do what's best for the majority, keeping in mind that there is still this issue to deal with. And if you actually are a creative thinker, the fact is there might be a third solution that would meet the needs of each party.

[3644] Ray Rodriguez: Number seven. I have to go back and forth sometimes because I just had knee surgery. So it's not like I'm not in tune with how you're responding to the questions. Number seven. California School Board Association, CSBA, has training for members which, or board members, which outline the role, responsibilities, and authority of school board members, are you willing to complete the training within the first year?

[3679] SPEAKER_22: Absolutely. And I've read the board and governance. I have a really good sense of the importance of that first off and the structure of its second off. So absolutely.

[3694] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. Thank you. If you are selected, are you willing to commit to be prepared and attend a minimum of two board meetings per month beginning at 5 p.m.

[3704] SPEAKER_22: Absolutely.

[3710] Nancy Thomas: Oh, my closing statement? You have a closing one-minute statement.

[3714] SPEAKER_22: Let me think. I don't really have anything other to say than I've already said. So, thank you.

[3723] Nancy Thomas: Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Are you welcome to stay if you'd like in the audience? Hello, Mr. Brazil. Excuse me. I've got a frog in my throat. You will have three minutes for an opening statement. And then there's a series of eight questions, which you can answer as long as you'd like, as long as you don't go over two minutes for each question. And then at the end, you'll have a one-minute closing statement that you can make. OK.

[3808] SPEAKER_20: All right, well. I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to speak here today. And I'd also like to congratulate the board, the new board members on their election. And thank the board for their work for Newark Unified School District and the superintendent too. After reading over the governing handbook, it looks like this is really more than just a, practically more than a full-time job that you all have taken on here. I am running for this position for several reasons. One, I thought maybe I could share my expertise in some small way, help to make, help to improve scores in the Newark School District, and help maybe stabilize enrollment. Also, I was tired of just sitting around complaining about the way things are, not just I'm not talking about the school district necessarily, but just in general, and decided to get off the couch and do something. And the third reason is just, to show my kids, give an example to my kids that you've got to take a step forward, get out of your comfort zone a little bit. And so here I am. This is not really what I'm comfortable doing, speaking in public, but it's part of what goes into this position. So anyways. I'm ready to start. That's it for now.

[3931] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. Please, while you sort of answer this next question, please tell us why you are interested in serving on the NUSD school board.

[3945] SPEAKER_20: Yeah, so like I said, I did pretty much answer that question. So I guess, you know, I do have some ideas about things that can be done. in the district. Number one, like I said before, I think there's a lot of good things going on in the district. I've been happy with what my sons experience here in the school district. But I think the image of the district is not very good. And so I think some sort of publicity campaign as you already are starting to research here, would be a great first step in maybe changing the image of the district and getting the word out, not just to the people who are part of the Newark School District, but to the general community. A nice brochure or something along those lines that would promote the district.

[4020] SPEAKER_39: Thank you. Thank you. How would you handle a parent who asked you to get involved in a personnel issue involving an NUSD employee?

[4036] SPEAKER_20: Well, I know I can't do that single-handedly. It has to go through a process. It has to go through the process. It has to go through the superintendent and then And then be referred to the board as a whole to be discussed in that way. I think, you know, there's a procedure. It's not a one person, you know, it's not handled by one person. It's handled by the board as part of a process.

[4073] Ray Rodriguez: Yeah. Thank you. The question is up there in case you want to look at it. Number three, we have significant budget challenges ahead, Mr. Brazil. How would you suggest we meet the challenge of reducing our operating budget while retaining our excellent employees?

[4101] SPEAKER_20: OK, well, like I've also said in the past, Budget challenges are not my expertise. I'm more of a program person. And I would have to listen to the ideas that come out of the district and make the hard decisions as a group here that would need to be made in dealing with the budget problems. I'm more looking at the other end of the problem and trying to increase enrollment so that we can have more funds available. I really don't, you know, I don't think reducing, I think retaining our employees at all expense is necessary. Otherwise, it's just going to continue to spiral. down as far as enrollment, dissatisfied parents, losing good teachers. So I think that's the absolute last resort is losing employees.

[4186] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. How does an effective school board ensure opportunities for input from all stakeholders with appropriate channels of communication in order to hear a wide range of opinions? and perspectives?

[4204] SPEAKER_20: Well, I think the key stakeholders, the decision makers, are the parents. So I think the parents have to be included in any decision making process. Their opinions are, they're the ones who decide if their kids stay in the district or not. that they need to be included in whatever we decide to do as a district. Any big decisions should involve the parents as a number one decision maker as to whether they keep their kids in school or not. So I would focus on that group. I think the others are already sort embedded in the process, teachers and the administration. But I think parents are the key group to keep involved in the process.

[4269] SPEAKER_39: Thank you. Mr. Brazil, what strengths will you bring to the board team?

[4279] SPEAKER_20: Well, I think as far as my strengths, it would involve program items, how to improve You know the educational process I've got a lot of ideas in that regard That You know can help build a strong educational program for the students And get them more engaged in their education Including that they'll feel their education is more meaningful to them. I see that's a low score on our Healthy Kids survey. So I think that would be my strength is helping develop a strong educational program.

[4335] Ray Rodriguez: I have the next one, Mr. Purzell. Thank you for putting yourself out there. Number six, please tell us about a time when you had to make a decision that was having to decide between two equally important issues, knowing that no matter what decision you make, you will upset half of the parent stakeholders, et cetera, impacted by the decision.

[4378] SPEAKER_20: I understand the question. I'm just trying to think of a time where that was the case. Yeah, off the top of my head, I just can't think of any situation like that right now. Sorry.

[4409] Ray Rodriguez: That's OK. You have time if you want to continue to look at it.

[4417] SPEAKER_20: I can think of plenty of times I've made decisions that have upset my wife, but I don't know if that counts or not.

[4429] SPEAKER_19: So that's it.

[4438] SPEAKER_20: I guess the only, this isn't really, I know on our basketball team, this is so minor, it's hardly worth bringing up, but the team, in CYO, there's an A team, which is a higher level, and there's an N team, which is a lower level of play. And my last team had, Last year, they're sort of a split team. They're kind of half in-type players, half A-type players. And half of them wanted to play A, half of them wanted to play in. And I said, well, if you win a certain number, we were in the in league. And so I said, if you win a certain number of games, you can play up to A. And so they did win that number of games. But then come this year, I kind of leave it up to them to decide. And they were still pretty well split. So I guess I would include the people who are involved in the decision and then try to make the best decision possible, but listen to both sides and try to get a consensus of what what the people would want to do.

[4532] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. The California School Boards Association has training for board members which outlines the roles, responsibilities, and authority of school board members. Are you willing to complete this training in the first year?

[4549] SPEAKER_20: I'm assuming so. Is it after hours or is it in the evening or weekends?

[4552] Nancy Thomas: I believe that they have like two modules on a Friday and then on Saturday several times a year.

[4560] SPEAKER_20: Is it during the day? Because I couldn't really miss work. I don't think. But if it's in the summer, I could. And if it's in the evening, I could. Or the weekends.

[4569] Nancy Thomas: I'm sure there are opportunities to not have to miss work.

[4573] SPEAKER_35: Yeah.

[4573] Nancy Thomas: I'm assuming. But OK. Thank you.

[4578] SPEAKER_39: And the last question is, if you are selected, are you willing to commit to be prepared and attend a minimum of two board meetings per month beginning at 5 PM?

[4593] SPEAKER_20: I should be, yes. I'm not a big fan of meetings, but I know that's part of this job and it's part of what needs to be done to do the work of the board. So I understand that. And I understand there's a lot of preparation that goes into it as far as reading material. Am aware of that. I'm not quite sure how much time it takes but It sounded like it was rather significant prep time is there an Average number of hours it takes or what? So 5 p.m. Is I can usually make it by 5 if there's, if the traffic's not too bad, getting across town. Yeah.

[4662] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. So you have one minute to give a closing statement.

[4668] SPEAKER_20: OK. So anyways, like I said before, thank you for the opportunity to speak here. And I do have some ideas that I'd be interested in communicating with the board and with the superintendent to try to help Newark schools become a better place for students to reach their full potential. And I think there's a lot of good things going on here that need to be exposed to the general public. And I'd like to see that get done as well. Thank you.

[4712] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. And you may sit in the audience if you'd like.

[4715] SPEAKER_20: OK.

[4764] Nancy Thomas: Hello, Ms. Clinton. Hi. Sorry, I have a frog in my throat. You have an opportunity for a three-minute opening statement, and there's eight questions. You can answer them as long as you don't go over two minutes on any one question, and then a one-minute closing statement.

[4781] SPEAKER_38: Sounds good. So my name is Christine Clinton. I'm a parent at Lincoln. I have a boy. Sorry. Can I bring this closer? There we go. Is it on? It is. Yeah, it's green. Thank you. Sorry, I'll start over. I'm Christine Clinton. I am a parent at Lincoln. My twin fourth graders, boy, girl, Kevin and Katie, they've been going there since kindergarten. I also have a three-year-old son and I'm pretty active in the community. I co-organize a playgroup. I think we have 155 parent, grandparent, moms, dads, nannies in the group and well over 200 children. We get together about three to four times a week. We have parties. We do a lot of fun. I have started an art class at Lincoln that I'm hoping to franchise at some of our other elementary schools that have expressed interest. We, I put a lot of planning into that. We started, I started planning it last year with our principal and worked out the funding and started shopping for all the supplies and planning the materials and we kicked it off in October. We started with Frida Kahlo and we did self-portraits and one of the things that I had the kids think about was something special to them because Frida would put a lot of special mementos in her artwork were personal to her, like the monkeys, some of the thorns, the deer, the wounded deer painting. So we had a lot of fun pictures. We had someone put pizza. Somebody put soccer balls. It was really cute. And last month, we talked about MC Escher and tessellations. And the kids were kind of like, whoa, what's that? That's a big word. Well, it's just a pattern. Patterns to infinity. So that's what we did. Next month we're gonna be doing some artwork holiday presents for our families. And I've talked to Graham's, well I sent an email to Graham's principal to try to bring it over to their school as well. And one of my friends at Shilling has expressed interest in that too. So that's been a lot of fun. And I just volunteer as much as I can. I've been helping in our science lab. trying to do as much as I can for our kids as often as I can.

[4922] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. Please tell us, I believe, is it my turn or your turn?

[4929] SPEAKER_39: Please tell us why you are interested in serving on the board.

[4942] SPEAKER_38: One of the main things is I think we need to do a better job of getting the word out about the great things going on in our schools. We have a lot of wonderful programs. We have great things going on in the classroom. And I get hit with questions about once a week from friends throughout the community wondering if they should go public or private. One of the big reasons I want to get on the board is to help promote our schools. We have so much going on that's good. And I think that if people look at a number, and that scares them, and they run away to private school. My next door neighbor is going to private school. And when he started there in kindergarten, I said, gosh, are you really getting that much value from your school for that amount of money? Because I really think our kindergarten experience was fantastic. It's full day here. It's full day in Union City. There's so much more we get to do than Fremont gets to do because they're so impacted with their enrollment. We were going to the science lab. We were going on a field trip. We were getting parties in the classroom. We were going to the library. We were going to the computer lab. We were going to PE three times a week. There's so many great things. And then, you know, we've got science projects going on. We're going to have an art gallery at Lincoln and hopefully at Graham too. We need to get the word out to our community that these schools are great. These teachers are great. The students we have are fantastic. That's my big thing is getting the word out and trying to drive people into our schools. And once we capture them in elementary school, we need to keep selling them on the great things in junior high and high school and all the programs we have that are going to get them into the top tier colleges that they want to go to.

[5047] SPEAKER_39: Thank you. How would you handle a parent who asked you to get involved in a personnel issue involving an NUSD employee?

[5056] SPEAKER_38: That is not my job. I would not interfere with that sort of issue. What I could do is give them names of someone at the district that they could talk to, but not physically take on that project and get them the answers. I can point them to the website where the email addresses are. I can ask them to go to the office at the school and talk to someone there, but not handle the personnel issue directly.

[5087] Ray Rodriguez: I have the next one, number three. Thank you for putting yourself out there, Ms. Clinton. I appreciate it.

[5095] SPEAKER_38: Thank you.

[5096] Ray Rodriguez: We have significant budget challenges ahead. How would you suggest we meet the challenge of reducing our operating budget while retaining our excellent employees?

[5108] SPEAKER_38: This is a multi-part question. The first thing that I see that we need is a business development department. We do not have a grant writer on staff. One of the things I think Mrs. Ehrlich is fantastic at is finding money. If we had a grant writer who did their job well, we could be finding a ton of money out there. I know in the past she's been able to find someone to bridge the gap between the PE requirements, the number of minutes that we're required to have, and the number of minutes that our PE coach can actually offer to our students. She was able to find a grant for that for a couple of years. If we had someone going after more money, meet this challenge slightly better. The second thing is, you know, clearly we can't give a lot of raises. The money's just not there. But if we had grant writing coming through, we could not have to lay people off. We could look at the number of employees we have and do a better job of going through and deciding, you know, what the key positions are. I don't think we look at the district staff as much as we should. It seems to be at the school level, the counselor level, the teacher level. So I would definitely start with the grant writing though, business development.

[5191] Nancy Thomas: Thank you.

[5191] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you.

[5192] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. How does an effective school board ensure that opportunities for input from all stakeholders with appropriate channels of communication in order to hear a wide range of opinions and perspectives? I think the word that shouldn't be in there. How do you ensure opportunities for input?

[5214] SPEAKER_38: One of the things I don't see is a lot of district staff coming through the schools and I don't see these school board members coming through the schools. I think it's important to set up meetings at the schools with the principal and maybe go to the coffee with the principal events that happen and hear from the parents directly of what they need. have them write in, give them answers. A lot of times I think people write in and they don't feel like they're getting heard. I think if we make it a point to get out there more in the public and hear what people need and try to address their concerns that we can be a lot more effective as a team of five.

[5259] SPEAKER_39: Thank you. Ms. Clinton, what strengths will you bring to the board team?

[5266] SPEAKER_38: Great at communication. I am a very good writer. I used to get paid to do both. I was a marketing communications manager for an environmental engineering firm before I decided to stay home with my children. And I've been told by several former employees or employers that I am great at writing. I think we can tighten up our website. We can make some brochures. We can put some mailers out there. We can drive people into our schools at the open houses. Promotion. Just a lot of promotion, press releases, media alerts, anything like that. Get the word out there.

[5309] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you. I have the next one, number six. Tell us about a time when you had to make a decision. Please, please tell us about a time when you had to make a decision that was having to decide between two equally important issues, knowing that no matter what decision you make, You will upset half of the parent stakeholders impacted by the decision.

[5337] SPEAKER_38: I think back to the time that I had my twins, I hired a nanny to come into my home. And I went back to work and continued to work on grants and proofreading the CEQA and NEPA documents. and writing press releases and all of that. And I came home one day and the nanny was sitting on the couch reading a book while my twin babies, I think they were about four months old, were on the floor crying. And at that moment I decided that I needed to send her home and get a clear head. And I thought about it overnight and decided that I would, from that point on, I would be with my children. So it was tough to go back to work. and work through, I told, you know, transfer all the information and all the projects I was working on. But that's kind of the pivotal moment for me, putting my children ahead of everything. Since that time, I meet so many kids, so many parents, and that's really my passion is working with them and helping them. So that's where I kind of transitioned between a paying job and a job that's much more fulfilling.

[5414] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you.

[5415] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. The California School Boards Association has training for board members which outlines the roles, responsibilities, and authorities of school board members. Are you willing to complete the training within the first year?

[5431] SPEAKER_38: Absolutely. I have a really strong network of friends and family who will help me with the babysitting aspect while I take care of any obligations here.

[5444] SPEAKER_39: Thank you. And the last question is, if you are selected, are you willing to commit to be prepared and attend a minimum of two board meetings per month beginning at 5 PM? Yes.

[5456] SPEAKER_38: Most definitely.

[5459] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. So you have a minute for a closing statement.

[5463] SPEAKER_38: OK. Well, I appreciate the opportunity to be here tonight and to speak to everybody. If I get the position or not I will still continue to do all the great things that I do for our community and in our schools and I'll continue to help and do as much as I can. Hoping that I can bring the art class to more of our elementary schools and keep planning great events and working and meeting all of our great families here. It's been a real honor and a pleasure and I appreciate the opportunity. Thank you.

[5502] Nancy Thomas: Thank you, and you're welcome to stay in the audience for the last interview.

[5544] SPEAKER_15: Hello, Ms.

[5561] Nancy Thomas: Gutierrez. Welcome. Thank you. You have an opportunity to make a three-minute opening statement. Then there are eight questions that we have. You can take as much time, up to two minutes, to answer each one. And then you have a one minute final wrap up. OK. Perfect.

[5582] SPEAKER_36: OK. Well, I'll get started. My name is Lucia Gutierrez. And first of all, I would like to proudly say that I am a product of Newark Unified School District. Thank you. I attended Newark schools from kindergarten to 12th grade. And my family has resided in Newark since 1990. My siblings attend in Newark schools, as well as currently I have a lot of nieces and nephews that are in the district as well. I have a law degree and a bachelor's degree in political science and history. As a student here in Newark, I was greatly involved with a lot of activities such as leadership, ASB, Mecha, basketball team, tennis team, just to name a few. While I was in college, I was part of the orientation team for four years, and I worked for the city of Newark's recreation department for almost seven years. I was constantly interacting with students. I helped coordinate programs such as the summer Ash Street program, sixth grade dances, helping the teen center, and many activities which involved helping the students. While in law school, I was also a tutor for elementary school students. As well, I helped an elected official coordinate a program to help specifically Latino students pursue a higher education. So currently, I have a one-year-old baby girl, and she will soon be attending Newark schools as well. I want to make sure that she gets a good education just like I did. So now I want to continue to give back to my community by helping ensure that students have a good education. And I want them to one day come back and say that they are also proud to be a product of Newark schools. Currently I have began to help with the med test program and now I'm here to help push forward a policy that will help provide students with the best education so they can proudly write in their college applications that they come from Newark. With my background and my experience, I believe that I am committed to hit the ground running.

[5691] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. Thank you. Hi. Hello.

[5702] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you for putting yourself out there. So I have question number one, and it's up here. So you can read it and take your time on the answer. Ms. Gutierrez, please tell us why you are interested in serving on the Newark Unified School District Board of Education.

[5725] SPEAKER_36: Primarily because, as I mentioned, I have a daughter that will soon go to this school and I want to make sure that she, as long as all the students currently have a great education, I was part of Newark schools and saw the potential that that it had for me. I am a law school graduate. I pursued a higher education, and I want all students to be able to do that. I want them to be motivated to pursue a higher education, and I want the district to help students pursue that. And I want them to know that we have the programs, the administration, and the facilities to help them achieve that.

[5768] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you.

[5768] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. you handle a parent who asks you to get involved in a personnel issue involving and then USD employee.

[5783] SPEAKER_36: I think as a representative of the community. I can. I should listen to her concern. But I should also. Inform them of. My purpose as a as a board member. which is to pass policy and help pass policy and as well discuss issues and matters like that with the board and not anything that I can handle or would handle personally.

[5816] SPEAKER_39: Thank you. We have a significant budget challenge ahead. How would you suggest we meet the challenges of reducing our operating budget while retaining our employees?

[5828] SPEAKER_36: I believe this would take a lot of research. I believe that handling a challenge like this requires research, looking at analytical data. I think it's very important that once in the position, look at everything at all angles to figure out what's the best way to address this challenge. So that would be my strategy is first, do the research, figure out what analytical data we have available to be able to address this challenge and find a solution for it.

[5871] Ray Rodriguez: Number four. How does an effective school board ensure that opportunities for input from all stakeholders, parents, et cetera, with appropriate channels of communication in order to hear a wide range of opinions and perspectives.

[5899] Nancy Thomas: I think it reads better if the word that is not in there.

[5903] SPEAKER_36: I'm just going to give me a second to read it, please.

[5906] Ray Rodriguez: I'll take your time.

[5915] SPEAKER_36: I believe that's what we have these board meetings. I think it's very important for parents and everybody in the community to know that this is here. This is a channel for the voice to be heard. I believe that the if the community is aware of these meetings they they are informed that this is where they should come and address their issues and concerns. This is the most effective channel that they have.

[5947] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you.

[5950] Nancy Thomas: What strengths will you bring to the board team?

[5955] SPEAKER_36: My strengths are my optimism, first of all, to help our district, help our schools. One of the biggest strengths that I have, I think, is that I saw Newark at its peak. I saw Newark when it had everybody fighting to come here. And I know what we need to bring it back to that point. My strength is that I will I am the person that will fight for our community. I've been helping our community from a very young age and I have the passion to help them succeed. I have the passion to help the students succeed help our community from wide the wide ranges of our community from our minority to are non-English speaking students. I believe everybody needs a chance to be able to succeed. And I believe I have the skills to address such community members. And I have the knowledge with my background, educational background, as well as work background, and the activities that I've participated in to know what what will help a team succeed. Thank you.

[6045] SPEAKER_39: Question number five. Excuse me, question number six. Tell us about a time when you had to make a decision between two equally important issues, knowing that no matter what decision you make, you will upset half of the people involved with the decision.

[6061] SPEAKER_36: I believe every decision that has two two options, you're always going to let down someone. So when you have two options and you don't choose, you choose the other one, the other side will somehow not be happy because you just didn't choose, you didn't choose them. Specifically in work, I think in everyday life, work examples where you have to balance two options, you're making decisions. In this school, in this district, when you're helping the administrators, sometimes teachers might not be happy. When you're helping the teachers, sometimes the students might not be happy. So it's a matter of balancing out the decisions and figuring out what's going to be the best in the long term and hoping that that decision still doesn't hinder. the other side.

[6131] Ray Rodriguez: Number seven, CSBA or the California School Board Association has training for board members, also for new board members, which outlined the role, responsibilities, and authority of school board members. Are you willing to complete the training within the first year?

[6153] SPEAKER_36: Definitely.

[6154] Ray Rodriguez: Thank you.

[6155] Nancy Thomas: Thank you.

[6156] Ray Rodriguez: Quick answer.

[6158] Nancy Thomas: If you are selected, are you willing to commit to be prepared and to attend a minimum of two board meetings per month beginning at 5 p.m.?

[6167] Maria Huffer: Yes.

[6170] Nancy Thomas: So you have one minute to wrap up. OK.

[6173] SPEAKER_36: Well, thank you for your time. And in closing, I would like to say that I believe this district needs and deserves someone who will fight for it. I went to Newark schools during their peak. I I saw what it was to have administrators believe in the potential of the students. I saw teachers that were amazing and I saw programs that were great. I saw that and I was part of that. And I know that potential that Newark has the potential to have that once again. I know our community and I know our students and I know that they need someone who believes in them and represents them and will also fight for them. I am that person. I want parents to be excited to send their students to Newark schools and I want students to be proud and excited to say that they go to a Newark school and I know that this can be done. I just I believe that we need fresh ideas new perspectives and someone who's excited to help. I'm that person. I'm willing to put in the time and the effort to do the research and I want to bring to I want to bring in data and proof of what works and implement that in our system. Our policies need to be all-inclusive. They need to be a representation of our community and our values. And they need to inspire and educate all students to achieve their full potential, to be productive citizens, just like our mission statement says. Thank you. Thank you.

[6262] Nancy Thomas: Well, you can join the other candidates in the audience if you'd like.

[6269] SPEAKER_15: And just for the record, Mrs. Cole is not here that I'm aware of.

[6273] SPEAKER_39: No, I haven't seen her.

[6274] SPEAKER_15: OK, I just want to make sure. Right.

[6275] SPEAKER_39: Thank you. Do we have time now for us to process within ourselves?

[6279] SPEAKER_15: Yes. I want to take a quick five minute break to deliberate. OK. It's up to the board president.

[6287] Nancy Thomas: Yeah, so let's five minutes look over our notes and think about things, and then Then what we will do is we have a process similar to what we did last time that I hope is okay with all of us. And that is we will fill out a ranking sheet with our top three choices and then pass them on so that they can be tallied and put up on the screen. And then we will take and congratulate women. Next, we will rank the first, second, and third choices on the ranking sheet, and then pass those over, and we'll just display the tally as they are read.

[6556] SPEAKER_35: you

[6700] SPEAKER_26: Lucia Gutierrez, Michelle Padilla, and Jennifer Snyder. Ms. Jan Crocker, Christine Clinton, Lucia Gutierrez, Michelle Padilla. Ray Rodriguez, Lucia Gutierrez, Michelle Padilla, Jennifer Snyder.

[6743] Nancy Thomas: So it looks like we have our top three candidates, which would be Lucia Gutierrez, Michelle Padilla, and Jennifer Snyder. The next step is to fill out and Rank them three points for our first choice, two points for our second choice, and one point for our third.

[6832] SPEAKER_26: All right, Nancy Thomas, Lucia, three. Jennifer Snyder, two. Michelle Padilla, one. Miss Jan Crocker, Lucia, I'm sorry, let me take that back. Michelle Padilla, three. Jennifer Snyder, two. And Lucia Gutierrez, one. Ms. Lucia, I'm sorry.

[6877] SPEAKER_39: Ray Rodriguez, Lucia the three, Michelle two, and Jennifer one.

[6908] Nancy Thomas: So I think now is the time to entertain a motion.

[6912] SPEAKER_39: I would like to move that we appoint Lucia Gutierrez as a member of the Unified School District Board of Education to replace.

[6928] SPEAKER_15: Who's been memorialized here. There you go.

[6934] Nancy Thomas: I'll second that. Please vote. Three ayes. Congratulations. And thank you to all of you who participated. It was difficult because so many of you were highly qualified. So please stay involved. We welcome your and ask for your your wise counsel as as we embark on some very difficult choices regarding the budget and our educational program and our enrollment in the months ahead. Thank you. Meeting adjourned.

[6981] Ray Rodriguez: Can I say something real quick? Sure. Again, thank you for everybody and the ones that are here that are supporting. I know it's difficult to get up there and talk and answer questions. Our next board meeting is December the 4th. We're asking member Preciado and member Nguyen, hopefully you'll be here, so we can say thank you. And that also is going to be when you, Ms. Gutierrez and Ms. Martinez, when you raise your right hand and when we have the swearing in, and member Thomas. So hopefully you'll all come to the December 4th meeting so we can have the opportunity to say thank you to the board members that are going to be leaving. and welcome the ones that are starting. Thank you, everybody. I appreciate it. Thank you very much.

[7032] SPEAKER_39: I would also like to make a statement, if I could, to those people who are not selected. There's plenty of opportunities for work within the school district. Keep your options open. Do not be distressed because you didn't get the first time. I didn't get the first time either. Mr. Rodriguez didn't get the first time either. So you have to be tenacious if you want to do this kind of work. So please keep this in mind. We're looking forward to seeing all of you at board meetings. Thank you.

No minutes available.