Regular Meeting

Introduction

• Regular Board Meeting held on 2025 at NUSD boardroom, streamed via YouTube. Key themes included budget adjustments, academic progress, staffing changes, and long-term facility planning.

Agenda Items

Closed Session Outcomes

• Description: Discussions on personnel discipline, litigation risks, and labor negotiations with CSEA/NTA.
• Decisions made:
  • Approved partial rescission of certificated staff reductions for 2025-26 (Resolution 2024-25.31).
  • Adopted resolution to release non-re-elected probationary employees.

Budget & Financial Updates

• Second Interim Report:
  • Structural Deficit: $5.7M deficit projected for 2024-25, requiring continued fiscal discipline.
  • LCFF Adjustments: $414K increase due to revised enrollment/attendance projections.
  • Reserves: Maintained 3% reserve ($2.5M), but projected to dip to $154K by 2026-27 without corrective action.
• Decisions made: Board approved positive certification, acknowledging ability to meet obligations for three years.

Curriculum & Student Achievement

• Kennedy Elementary Spotlight:
  • i-Ready Growth: 18% increase in 1st graders approaching/meeting reading benchmarks; 28% rise in 2nd grade EL proficiency.
  • Chronic Absenteeism: Dropped from 12.61% (2023-24) to 8.67% (2024-25).
• District-Wide i-Ready Results:
  • K-5 Reading: 37% of 1st graders on/above grade level (up from 14% in August).
  • EL Progress: 4th grade ELs two grade levels behind reduced from 25% to 6%.

Facilities & Operations

• Maintenance Updates:
  • Newark High Track: Turf installation progressing for June completion.
  • Snow Elementary Demolition: Tabled pending 7-11 committee review of district-wide asset management plan.
• E-Rate Network Upgrade:
  • Plan: $1.6M proposal to replace switches/UPS systems using federal E-Rate funds (60% reimbursement).

Policy & Personnel

• HR Changes:
  • Amanda Golliher (Lincoln Principal): Moved to district office role mid-year, sparking parent concerns about consistency.
  • Angela Walker (Special Ed Director): Transitioning to HR leadership; praised for SPED department improvements.
• Labor Relations:
  • CSEA/NTA Concerns: Frustration over layoffs, delayed negotiations, and lack of permanent superintendent search.

Public Comments

• Key Themes:
  • Staffing Instability: Teachers/parents criticized frequent administrative turnover and mid-year role changes.
  • Transparency Demands: Calls for clearer financial reporting and community input on asset decisions (e.g., Snow Elementary).
  • Program Concerns: Requests to preserve successful site-level leadership (e.g., Lincoln Elementary).

Follow-Up & Commitments

• 7-11 Committee: To evaluate district properties (starting with Snow Elementary) for long-term asset management.
• Stipend Audit: Internal review of overtime/stipend processes led by consultant Dina Palmer.
• IDEA Compliance Plan: $151K allocated for MTSS supports to address disproportionate Hispanic student SPED referrals.

Conclusion

• Next Steps:
  • March 18 meeting to focus on program reviews and bond expenditure planning.
  • Board meetings moving to Newark City Hall starting April 2025 with 11 PM adjournment rule.
• Key Focus Areas: Academic growth sustainability, staffing retention, and transparent facility/fiscal planning.

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Audience Note: Summary balances technical details (e.g., LCFF adjustments) with accessibility, emphasizing impacts on students, staff, and community resources. Neutral tone maintained throughout.

1.3 Public Comment on Closed Session Items

[764] Kat Jones: Members of the public may observe the meeting via NUSD YouTube channel or in person at the NUSD boardroom. Spanish translation is available in person. As of January 2025, public comment will only be conducted in person. The public will have the opportunity to address the Board of Education by submitting a written comment card with the executive assistant prior to the beginning of open session. Please make sure your cards are turned in. at the start of open session. Public comment in closed session. Do we have any public comment on closed session Ms. Lemus?

[802] Toya Lemus: We do not have any public comment on closed session.

[804] Kat Jones: Thank you. In closed session we will be discussing public employee discipline dismissal release complaint Government Code 54957, 2.2, conference with legal counsel anticipated litigation, significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Government Code 54956.9, three cases.

[830] Kat Jones: Conference with Labor Negotiators, Government Code 54957.6, Subdivision A, CSEA, and NTA.

1.4 Recess to Closed Session

[842] Kat Jones: We will release to closed session at this time.

Pause: 1h 9m 21s

3. REPORT OF CLOSED SESSION ACTIONS

[5006] Kat Jones: Session to order.

3.1 Report of Closed Session Actions

[5011] Kat Jones: Reporting out on closed session, we had two items. The first one is resolution number 2024-25.31. to partially rescind the reduction of certain certified particular kinds of services for the 25-26 school year. And on this we had This was motioned by Member Hill, seconded by Member Thomas, and it was a vote of five ayes. The second, the resolution to release a non-re-elect, certificated probationary employees. This resolution was adopted by the revision to remove or to let employee 4619. And this was motioned by Austin Block, seconded by myself, Kat Jones, and we had a vote of five ayes. All right, so moving to just want to make sure I'm logging the time. And Joy, would you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, please?

4.1 Pledge of Allegiance

[5092] Kat Jones: Yes, of course.

[5101] Joy Lee: 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.

1.2 Meeting Practices and Information

[5123] Kat Jones: Thank you. Meeting practices and information. As a reminder, on the dais and in the room, we will keep our focus on the best interest of the students. We will work together towards The future, learning from the past. We will stay focused on our goals and avoid getting sidetracked. We will build upon the ideas of others and look for common ground. We will paraphrase for understanding. When we have a difference of opinion, we will debate the facts of the situation and avoid personal criticism. We will address processes, not persons. We will respect differences, and we will never dismiss or devalue others. Approval of the agenda 5.1.

[5173] Kat Jones: Would anyone like to pull an item from the agenda? Okay.

5.1 Approval of the Agenda

[5181] Kat Jones: May I have a motion to approve the agenda as it is?

[5188] Austin Block: I'll make a motion to approve the agenda as is.

[5191] Joy Lee: Thank you.

[5191] Joy Lee: I'll second.

[5195] Kat Jones: Okay, can we take a vote, Ms. Lemus?

[5198] Toya Lemus: Yes. Student member Lee? Yes. Member Hill? Yes. Member Aldriano? Yes. Member Block? Yes. Member Thomas? Yes. President Jones?

[5214] Kat Jones: Yes.

[5215] Toya Lemus: Six ayes.

[5216] Kat Jones: All right. Six ayes.

6.1 Student Report: Student Board Member, Joy Lee

[5218] Kat Jones: Motion carries. Member Lee, would you like to give your student report, please?

[5227] Joy Lee: It would be my pleasure. Good evening, board members, executive cabinet, and beloved Newark community. The Newark Memorial High school band and choir Le Jazz Hot took place last Saturday. Attendants had a great time with nostalgic jazz pieces that were performed by the high school's choir and band while being served dinner from Texas Roadhouse. Winners of the raffle went home with big prizes like electric scooter and even a Blackstone grill. The special education students from the surrounding schools had a friendly competition in basketball at the Special Olympics last Friday. Thank you to the board members and executive cabinet who were able to come. Thank you to Coach K, the volunteers, and student athletes who made this event a success. The past week, our high school hosted an event called Challenge Day for our ninth graders. We had the Newark community come together, teachers, parents, board members, staff, seniors, and juniors who volunteered to spend the day with freshmen, building empathy. Each session was a powerful movement where students left feeling a little less alone in this world. With each testimony shared and game played, we became less like strangers and more like friends. Thank you to our board members who are able to come and participate, as well as all the staff of NUSD who showed up to support our freshman class. We have more upcoming events this month. HATS Multicultural Week will be taking place next week. There will be dress-up days, lunch activities, food fair, and the week will end with our Hats Assembly and Night Rally. For those who are unfamiliar with Hats Multicultural Week, Hats means hands across time and space. It signifies a week of honoring the different cultures in our school. And on Friday, there's a huge performance, or more of a celebration as I would like to call it, of the different culture clubs at our school. We have clubs like Metra, Filipino Student Union, Tahitian Vietnamese Student Association who will be performing. The Puente Club at the high school is helping beautify the school campus and improve the environment with the school tree planting from March 8, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. They wanted to personally invite you guys to come and celebrate with them. In our drama department, a story of drama and unexpected humorous twists will unfold as Newark Memorial High School presents Blithe Spirit. Explore with Charles, Ruth, and Elvira through a tale of love and heartbreak in the world of 1920s at the Newark Memorial High School Theater. Newark Memorial Cougars will also take on James Logan Colts in a game at the iconic Oracle Park in San Francisco the home of the San Francisco Giants this will be on Saturday April 12th at 12 p.m. The Cougars currently have a goal to reach 1,000 tickets. The minimum purchase price for a single ticket is $25, which also include one complimentary ticket to the high school game on April 12th. With this special opportunity, please consider buying tickets to create an unforgettable time. All of our spring sports at the high school have also begun their season and our athletics will be hosting a crab feed next weekend to raise money. And I'm going to now announce the Winter Sports First Team All League players from our high school. This award is given to student athletes who are chosen as the top athletes in their team's sport. by the opposing coaches. I would like to invite you to all clap at the end for all these people. So in wrestling, we have Sebastian Calvo, Sophia McCloy, Gianna Hernandez, Talia Hernandez. In girls basketball, we have Angelina Baca.

[5439] Joy Lee: And in boys basketball, we have Christian Faglia, and lastly, Jacob Liberian.

[5449] Joy Lee: Congratulations, Cougars, and thank you for listening.

[5454] Kat Jones: Great.

[5455] Joy Lee: Thank you very much.

7.1 Employee Organizations

[5456] Kat Jones: All right, moving on to employee organizations.

[5459] Kat Jones: NTA?

[5466] Chery Villa: Good evening, board, president, and school board members, and executive cabinet. My name is Cheri Villanueva. I'm president of our Newark Teachers Association. Our NTA is composed. We have our members. We also have a site representative council and an e-board. Yesterday, our e-board and our site representative council got together to have our formal meeting where we discussed and took an official vote. Our site reps are voiced for all of our 246 members, so this is a collective vote for all of our membership. in regards to our NUSD superintendent. So just so it's clear, our official position, which is actually a request, is for you, our NUSD school board, to follow what is outlined in the guarantee from leadership and associates, the contract for Superintendent DeLeon. use their search firm to look for our next superintendent.

[5528] Chery Villa: Thank you.

[5531] Kat Jones: Thank you.

[5532] Kat Jones: CSEA?

[5542] Sarah Kieser: Hi, my name is Sarah Kieser. I'm the CSEA vice president this year. Maria, our president, was unable to attend this evening. CSEA is deeply frustrated with the ongoing delays in negotiations and outraged by the recent layoffs that have not have yet to be properly bargained. These layoffs are not the result of a lack of work or lack of funding. They are unnecessary and unjust. Once again, we call on the board to exercise the authority granted in the interim superintendent's contract and begin the research for a permanent superintendent. She claims to prioritize hiring great people, yet she discards them when they no longer serve her interests. This pattern of pushing employees out to deflect from her own failures is unacceptable. This district and its employees deserve better. The board must do its job and initiate this search now. We have an interim superintendent, not a permanent one. Thank you for your time.

[5595] Sarah Kieser: We expect action.

8.1 Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items

[5605] Kat Jones: Thank you. All right. On to public comments. Non-agenda items. Oh, I'm sorry.

[5615] Kat Jones: Sorry.

[5622] Ashley Acosta: Good evening, President Jones, Board of Trustees, and our Executive Cabinet. My name is Ashley Acosta, and I'm the treasurer of our NEWMA board. Thank you for having me this evening. This year, the district has been focused on ensuring students kindergarten through fifth grade complete daily i-Ready lessons in their ELA. We are happy to report that all sites are reporting marked improvement for all students, especially RELs. Speaking of testing, REL students are currently participating in LPAC testing. Many sites help students prepare in different ways. We thank all of our staff who helped prep our students and thank you to our families who ensured their students showed up to school to do their best on the test. The test results will not arrive until the end of the school year, with reclassification as the ultimate goal for each of the students. We are hopeful many of our students will be reclassified this school year. Once again, we thank all of our NEWMA members for their collaboration, effort, and true commitment to the important stakeholders in the Newark Unified School District. Finally, we want to thank our superintendent and cabinet for the clarity and communication with our team. Thank you. Have a good evening.

[5696] Kat Jones: Thank you.

[5697] Kat Jones: All right. OK, moving on to non-agenda items.

[5707] Kat Jones: Kiran Permal, please.

[5718] Kiran Permaul: Good evening board and Newark. My name is Kiran Permal I am in my seventh year teaching here at Newark Memorial High School and I have concerns with our continued revolving door both at the district office and at our sites across the district. We were told that our head of special ed is now moving to be the director of HR given that our acting or interim director of HR is now leaving. That's great, but how many times are we going to change administrators at the district office? Should we just start playing music for musical chairs? so that the next board meeting we hear someone else gets shuffled in and another person gets shuffled in. Across the district we have seven positions that are getting removed from non-renewals or non-re-elects. Some of those are at the high school. This is what feels like the third or fourth year. We've had someone affected in the science department in that way. How are students supposed to get effective learning if they are constantly getting new teachers who have to be retrained or relearn the new processes at our high school? Another is our librarian at the high school. The last time we lost a librarian at our high school, it took us over two years to find another one. And so for two years, the library was closed, and students could not utilize it to research, to read, to have a place to congregate, and to otherwise have a place to learn more. Constantly having a revolving door is a problem with consistency. Consistency is better for our students, better for our staff, and better for the community. Lack of consistency leads to worse outcomes because of that need to reteach, to relearn. to retrain new hires, even if they are veterans in what has to go on in this district. Lack of consistency leads to lack of trust, lack of trust in admin. When you lose an admin that you can rely on and they go up to the district office, it makes it harder for you to trust that enforcements and standards would be upheld. When you lose teachers on a regular basis, there's lack of consistency. It's hard for students to trust teachers to be there for their students, the ones that they rely on. Lack of consistency can lead to the lack of trust because the community is concerned that their money is being wasted. Lack of consistency can lead to worse outcomes for students. They can't rely on the teachers that they become familiar with.

[5871] Kiran Permaul: They can't rely on the programs that keep getting cut and keep getting introduced by new members to this district office. Lack of consistency is not good for our community. I ask that the board and the district office consider hiring people in the long term and thinking about how it is necessary to retain staff over many years rather than continuing to cycle us over and over again.

[5899] Kiran Permaul: Thank you.

[5908] Kat Jones: Thank you. Ms. Parks, non-agenda items. And I'm going to take a wager that you would like to wait till the other ones for their specific.

[5920] Kat Jones: OK.

[5923] Cindy Parks: Good evening. This is an anonymous. This is not on behalf of myself. This is an anonymous letter that I'm reading from a member of the community. Our family has deep roots in Newark, spanning for generations. My husband and son both had the privilege of being taught by Mrs. K, and we have witnessed many changes over the years, including the closure of Sylva, Russian, Snow, and Music, as well as the merger of Newark High and Memorial High Schools. As my third generation grandson prepares to attend BGP, it is vital to ensure that families can continue to feel confident about the future of Newark schools. As a community member, former employee, and parent of an employee, I believe transparency and accountability are crucial for fostering trust and true progress within the district. Over the past three years, 22-23, 23-24, and 24-25 The district's efforts and accomplishments directly benefiting student achievement and accurate representation of the district's financial picture needs to be clearly communicated. This is vital to rebuilding confidence among students, families, staff, and the community at large. The recruitment of experienced and knowledgeable personnel for district leadership remains a significant area of concern. With the HR leadership role vacant for nearly two years, addressing this vacancy with experienced staff should be a top priority to ensure strong and capable leadership. Additionally, the recent layoffs have disrupted students, family, and employee communities. It is essential to understand how these decisions align with the best interests of all involved and to ensure that individuals appointed to leadership roles are well qualified through their experience and credentials. Finally, the ongoing dissatisfaction among unions with NUSD leadership highlights broader issues that demand attention and resolution. As we move forward, the district must demonstrate a commitment to transparency and accountability to rebuild, trust, and create a future that students, staff, family, and community can all believe in. Families like mine who have remained dedicated to Newark for generations deserve nothing less. Thank you. Thank you.

[6056] Kat Jones: Thank you. Angela Severa on a

[6070] Kat Jones: Personnel report 13.2.

[6078] Angela Silvera: Hi, everybody. I'm Angela Silvera. I am a parent of a fifth grader at Lincoln, a seventh grader at Newark Middle School, and a 10th grader who's actually Charles in Blythe's spirit, so I hope you do attend at the high school. I have been with Lincoln. This is my 11th year as a Lincoln parent. Eight of those, I was the parent PTA president or the PALS president. I'm just telling you all that so that you know that I have a little bit of history with the district. But I'm here because of something that actually, Katherine Jones, you just said on your introduction, I guess, is that working for the betterment of the students. Newark's mission, Newark Unified's mission is to inspire and educate all students to achieve their full potential and be responsible, respectful, and productive citizens. And when I read last week that our principal, Amanda Golliher, is being moved to the district office. I feel like this is counterintuitive to what that mission is. Amanda has been amazing for Lincoln. She has helped grow not only our population as far as students, But our I-Ready scores have gone up. Parents have been more involved. You ask parents, how are you feeling about the principal? They love her. You ask the students, they love her. She's always present. She was the janitor when we didn't have the janitor for a few weeks. step in at any moment's notice. If someone is sick, she will go and be the substitute teacher if there's not someone there. She has been incredible. But just like at the middle school a couple of years ago with Mrs. Pichowski, Amanda is being taken to the district office. And I understand why you want her. She's incredible. But it's mid-year, mid-progress, and mid-potential. You are dedicating your passion, I guess, or your desire to help the staff over these 300 children that need her, need her guidance, the staff at the school, the parents that she is also helping guide. And although I understand there is a need at the district, I understand that she is needed in that position. I personally feel like doing this mid-year is really disrespectful to our community. It is dishonoring what she has done and what she has changed and what she has grown for Lincoln Elementary. felt like it was really important that you guys hear that. So I will leave you with this. Captain Kirk quote, logic clearly dictates that the need of the many, which are our students, outweigh the needs of the few. And I really hope. that you can look at the needs of our students over the few, even though Amanda is amazing and I get that you would want her here. Thank you.

[6277] Kat Jones: Thank you. Miss Phyllis.

[6288] Kat Jones: Would you like to speak or you want to wait? Thank you. All right. Let's see, we are on to superintendents report. This car.

9.1 Superintendent Report

[6305] Tracey Vackar: Thank you. Good evening, everyone. And thank you for coming out this evening. We do have a number of presentations this evening before you. And I'm excited to share the information that you're going to hear this evening from some of our different departments, hearing about our already progress that we're making here in the school district. All of it is really to be just commended, I think, for the hard work that's going on. So I just want to thank staff. I want to thank our teachers, especially, and our staff and our school sites for all the work that you do. Much appreciated. However, I've got some really great news to share with you. The first one has to do with our centralized registration that we've shifted to. We did that starting on February 19th, and I just want to give you a little bit of update about the number of applications that we've had. We've done 1,423 applications so far, of which 189 of those are brand new applications. And 144 of those are brand new, either TK or kindergarten students that will be coming to our district. So that's exciting news. We're still in the process of processing 88 applications. And so for those families who are waiting or working with our team on getting some of their documents in, we are excited to have you come and join us as well. Also this evening, some really great news was shared with me, and I'm so excited to share with you. It is about one of our Lincoln students. So it's a fifth grade student over at Lincoln. He qualified for the regional finals for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The student won the Lincoln Bee, passed the regional qualifiers, and is now going to compete for the regional finals. The top three students from the regionals will then be traveling to Washington DC to compete at the national level. This is really exciting. And this is the only student from Newark and the only public school student from the Tri-City area to qualify. So congratulations. I wanted to let you know just how proud we are of our student. You won. Mariano, who will be competing on behalf of Newark in our region. We are going to be championing you on. The date will be on Sunday, March 23rd from 10 to 3 at the San Ramon Valley Community Center. You know, we just can't wait to see what the results are. We're excited to cheer them on. So thank you so much. Congratulations.

10.1 Kennedy Elementary School Spotlight Presentation

[6455] Kat Jones: All right. Thank you so much. Thank you. Staff report. Kennedy Elementary Spotlight.

[6462] Tracey Vackar: Actually, I'm going to turn this over to Assistant Superintendent Karen Allard to introduce Kennedy.

[6474] Karen Allard: Thank you. I am excited for Principal Luis Lenzi to showcase and highlight all of the wonderful things that are happening over at Kennedy Elementary this school year. So with that, I will pass it off to you.

[6487] Luis Lenzi: Good evening, President Jones, Board of Trustees, Executive Cabinet members. My name is Luis Lenzi, and I have the unique honor and privilege of being the principal at Kennedy Elementary. So thank you for the opportunity to highlight and share information about our school site.

[6501] Luis Lenzi: I'm also excited to share our efforts this year to increase student outcomes and showcase our community events. Currently, our enrollment is 450 students.

[6513] Luis Lenzi: Out of those 450 students, 74 are emerging multilingual learners, 76 students are students with disabilities, and 190 students are Hispanic Latinx students. As we look at last year's CASPP results, 49% of students met or

[6530] Luis Lenzi: or exceeded standard for ELA, and 54.6 or 55% met or exceeded standard for math. Also, in last year's CASPP results, for multilingual learners, 5.88 or 6% of multilingual learners met or exceeded standard for ELA. And 20% of multilingual learners met or exceeded standard for math. From this slide and the previous slide, we recognize the gap between all students and our multilingual learners.

[6562] Luis Lenzi: And we have been working this school year to change this narrative that we believe that we will see when we look at the 24, 25 CAS results released later this year. In a continued effort to support our students in both grade level academic content, our kindergarten students just took their first i-Ready diagnostic assessment and reading. The red circle indicates that we have no kindergarten students two or more grade levels below in reading. And the blue circle indicates that 63% of our kindergarten students are at.

[6594] Luis Lenzi: or above grade level. As we look at the first and second grade, no students are three or more grade levels behind in reading, as indicated in the last column, with 0% within the green oval. If we look at the red oval and red arrow, in August, 33% of all first graders We're approaching on or above grade level in reading. Now, currently, 51% of first graders are approaching on or above grade level in reading, which is an 18% increase. I'm also excited to share growth for our second grade English learner students. This is indicated with the blue oval and the blue arrow. In August, 63% of English learners in second grade, which is 11 students, were approaching on or above grade level. Now this is 91%, a 28% increase. Here is third and fourth grade. In August, 22% of third grade students were performing mid or above grade level. Now, 42% are performing mid or above grade level, an improvement of 20%. Third grade, 17% of our EL students were performing three or more grade levels below grade level in reading, as shown by the green arrow.

[6668] Luis Lenzi: And this has been reduced now to 0% are performing three or more grade levels below grade level. Looking at fourth grade, at the beginning of the year, 27% of students were performing at mid or above grade level, as shown by the blue arrow. Based on the winter results, now 37% of students are performing at mid or above grade level, an increase of 10%. Looking at the purple arrow, I would also like to highlight that at the beginning of the year, 25% of English learners in fourth grade were performing two grade levels below grade level.

[6704] Luis Lenzi: This has been reduced to 6%, a reduction and improvement of 19%. Lastly, I would like to highlight the work done by our fifth grade students. In August, 11% were performing at mid or above grade level. This has increased to 32% performing at or above grade level. a 20% increase as indicated by the red arrow. Also, it is worth noting that at the same time, 17% of fifth grade students were performing three or more grade levels below grade level. And this number has been reduced to 6%, showing an improvement of 11% by the orange arrow. Within our fifth grade EL students, 8% of our EL population performed at or above grade level in August. This number has improved to 17% during the school year. Lastly, the pink arrow shows that 33% of our fifth grade EL students performed three or more grade levels below grade level in August.

[6755] Luis Lenzi: This number has been reduced to 17%, a reduction of 16%. As we look at our chronic absenteeism and suspension numbers, looking at last year in 2023-24 school year, we had a total of three suspensions. As of December, 2024, this current school year, we have a total of seven suspensions. While our suspension numbers have gone up, please know that we believe in student and teacher safety as a top priority, and we always want to use alternatives to suspension. Some of these alternatives are outreach to parents, partnerships using our wellness together, for counseling services, coordination of service teams, costs. We also promote character strong curriculum.

[6802] Luis Lenzi: We also have regular parent meetings for absences with SART and SART meetings, and of course our student study team to look at other potential challenges that students may have at school. In terms of chronic absenteeism during the 2023-2024 school year, 12.61% of our students were chronically absent. So far this year, our current chronic absenteeism rate has dropped to 8.67%.

[6830] Luis Lenzi: And I would just like to take a minute and just say I believe it is because of the continued efforts of our teachers, campus monitors, office staff, classroom aides, office staff, custodial and lunch staff who has created an environment where students want to be at. As we focus on student success in the classroom, we are always learning with a continuous cycle of improvement approach to increase student outcomes. Shared on this slide are some of the next steps that will be taking place next year or discussions we are having on campus to increase student achievement.

[6862] Luis Lenzi: such as the continual implementation of dedicated ELD, increased extended learning opportunities, and so on. Historically, Kennedy takes pride in the multitude of events and committees we have our school site to ensure school and community connection. Highlights of these include our Spirit Week, Fun Run, Cody Night, Pizza with the Principal, Coffee with the Principal. These are always highlights to see staff engaging with parents and with the community. Historically, Kennedy has always been known for showing strong community support and engagement. As we move forward, we plan on continuing to promote community and culture by providing family academic events such as our Family Coding Night and our Science Expo. Increase ELAC involvement by continuing to give parent participation. Review and revise school-wide PBIS strategies and supports. Provide opportunities for community assemblies and celebrations, which also further promote our PBIS expectations. Strengthen family and community partnerships with continuing connecting with families with multilingual outreach to engage all families. Here are some of the highlights from this year. Some of the events and activities have taken place on and off campus. Last week, we saw the return of our Science Expo, which I'd like to highlight for a second here. We had a tremendous student participation and community support. And it was awesome to see over 52 exhibits ranging from TK students to fifth grade students who stood by their exhibits or their experiment. and for two hours straight shared what they learned and their process for over two hours, which was really awesome to see.

[6964] Luis Lenzi: And some of the work product is on our wall as well. Although I can go on and on about Kennedy, perhaps it is best to hear from the student perspective.

[6980] Luis Lenzi: And I'd like to invite and introduce two students that are on our student council, Dylan Haynes and Shalaya Sereno.

Pause: 15.7s

[7003] Kennedy Student 1: Good evening everyone. My name is Dylan.

[7006] Kennedy Student 2: And mine is. My name is Jelena. And we're excited to tell you why we love going to Kennedy Elementary and why it's such a great place to go to school. First the teachers and staff here are amazing. They help us learn fun ways and always support us when we need help, whether it's in the classroom, at recess, or in special activities. They make sure we feel safe and encouraged to do our best.

[7027] Kennedy Student 1: Second, we have awesome friends at Kennedy. The students here are kind, respectful, and always willing to help each other. Whether we're working on a project, playing a game at recess, or eating lunch together, there's always someone to make the day better.

[7041] Kennedy Student 2: We also have so many cool activities, from field trips, STEM challenges, to Science Camp, Student Council, Mercury Club, to the Science Expo, art projects and fun events like Spirit Days. There's always something exciting happening, and let's not forget about PE and library time. Those are some of my favorites.

[7058] Kennedy Student 1: Finally, Kennedy Elementary is a place where we learn important lessons, not just about math and reading, but about kindness, teamwork, and never giving up. Our school teaches us to be great students and even better people.

[7071] Kennedy Student 2: That's why we love being students at Kennedy Elementary.

[7073] Kennedy Student 2: Thank you for listening.

[7083] Luis Lenzi: our presentation.

[7086] Kat Jones: Thank you.

[7086] Luis Lenzi: Thank you.

[7091] Kat Jones: Thank you. Any comments or questions? Member Hill.

[7095] Aiden Hill: Thank you so much, Mr. Lindsay, for your presentation. I really appreciate you and Ms. Allard continue to focus on academic results. So thank you so much. Are there things that you and the teachers are facing at your school that you need help with and that

[7112] Luis Lenzi: The board and superintendent and staff can try to to provide support for You know what a few things that we've talked about as a staff is really targeting what our PD is For instance earlier this year. We've been talking about having I ready training one thing that Ms. Allard and Ms. Hahn have done for us was when we asked for site-based having I-Ready training at our sites, they were able to bring somebody down to give us training, but in small groups by grade level. And that gave them plenty of time to not only learn, but to ask questions, specific questions that related to their areas of challenge. I feel like moving forward in the future, since we are really pushing and working through benchmark curriculum, it would be beneficial for us to be able to have similar types of opportunities for small group instruction.

[7169] Aiden Hill: So basically continued i-Ready training support?

[7173] Luis Lenzi: Well, continued support training, but the main emphasis of that was to be able to do it in small groups as opposed to the much larger whole school wide type PDs. If we're able to limit the size of it, I believe the teachers have more of an opportunity to interact with the instructors and to be able to engage more with the platform. Great. Thank you so much.

[7198] Kat Jones: Did I understand that you are interested in that in benchmark? You've had it in i-Ready and you're interested in benchmarking? Yes. Okay. Thank you. Anyone else?

[7209] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Absolutely. Thank you for the presentation. Thank you for the numbers and also the data. Just wanted to say to the young ladies that presented, That's really brave.

[7219] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Really appreciate you representing your school and also the rest of the students there. Mr. Lindsay, as well as the teachers from Kennedy, it's really When you go onto the campus, you can go ahead and feel that you're welcomed. It's really a great feeling to be a part of these events in the evenings and the afternoons, because it shows the support across the board, from our custodian to our principal, and that speaks loud. So I really appreciate it. having great success and we'll be there.

[7258] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Thank you.

[7261] Kat Jones: Member Block.

[7262] Austin Block: Just wanted to also say thank you for the really wonderful presentation. It's great to hear about all the positive things happening at Kennedy. I was just curious like if you had to distill it down to like two main factors that you think are leading to the really positive results that you're seeing? What would you say are the primary causes or reasons behind the success that you all have seen this year?

[7283] Luis Lenzi: be completely honest with you. I don't know if I can narrow it down to two, but definitely one comes to mind and I would say it's the consistency of our teachers. I would say district wide, I believe we've seen more consistency with teachers coming to work. I believe that makes a huge difference in building the relationships with not only with the students, but with the parents and Once you get that parent involvement, you get that teamwork aspect going. And I believe that's why we're seeing it. And I would give all the credit to the teachers. Awesome. Thank you.

[7314] Nancy Thomas: I would just like to add my congratulations on your i-Ready. progress that you've made year to date. Good job.

[7325] Kat Jones: Appreciate it. Thank you. Again, yeah, it's a privilege to have my granddaughter attending Kennedy. And she has a great time there. And she learns a lot every day. It's wonderful.

[7337] Appreciate it. Thank you. Yeah.

[7338] Joy Lee: I also just wanted to hop on to what everyone said and also say thank you. And good job, guys. You guys, it's super scary to come up and speak, but you guys did such an amazing job. And it was great to hear about all the events you guys liked at Kennedy. And hopefully, we'll be able to continue to provide you guys with all these amazing events.

[7357] Joy Lee: So thank you.

Pause: 11.6s

10.2 i-Ready 2024-2025 Status Data

[7370] Kat Jones: Moving on to i-Ready, the i-Ready report. Ms.

[7376] Kat Jones: Allard.

[7380] Karen Allard: Ready? Okay.

[7398] Karen Allard: Thank you, Board of Trustees, for the opportunity to share i-Ready reading mid-year results for our kindergarten through fifth grade students. Collectively, we have a big goal to increase student achievement and outcomes district-wide. This goal has been widely publicized this school year during District Days of Learning, principal monthly collaboration, district committees, and parent meetings. Before we analyze our mid-year I-Ready results for K-5 students, I feel it is important that we take a look back at our 23-24 CASPP English Language Arts results. This information provides a story and our need to increase student outcomes in reading. I also want to mention that the next four slides were previously shared during the annual CAS board presentation in 2024. In grades 3 through 8 and 11 representing 2,318 students, 44% met or exceeded standards as indicated by the navy blue bar and blue large circle. As we look at the other student performance groups, we can begin to notice the current opportunity gap. Students identified as white and Asian are outperforming other student groups. Our lowest performing group are English learners, which make up 22.6% of our student population, followed by students with disabilities, students who identify as Hispanic or black African American, and economically disadvantaged students. The number 44 is significant. If we start to historically dig deeper into the data, it has been common trend for the students to perform between 44 and 48% pre and post pandemic. I do want to highlight that we had some slight gains the year before the pandemic and the year after with 48% of students meeting or exceeding standard in English language arts. However, we have flatlined for the past two years at 44%. This slide gives a historical perspective of three student performance groups, including economically disadvantaged, multilingual learners, and special education students. This slide gives us another picture of our current opportunity gap. NUSD has 993 English learners in grades 3, 8, and 11. With 7% of our English learners meeting or exceeding standard, this means that 69 are in grade level and 924 are below grade level. This slide also indicates several of our student performance groups. Students who identify as Hispanic, Latino, or Latina, or Black or African American are scoring significantly lower than other student performance groups in English language arts. We have a need for change. i-Ready is one measure that can help us gauge student progress throughout the school year with the correlation to the annual CASPP assessment. This year we set the expectation across all six elementary sites for students to use i-Ready 30 to 50 minutes per week. Weekly we review results and share progress with site principals. We have also been very strategic with offering i-Ready professional learning sessions for teachers, virtual education night for parents, and celebrating growth at school sites. I would now like to share our i-Ready mid-year reading results. The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment aligned to the Common Core Standards that adjusts questions to suit students' needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield a slightly easier one. Students in grades K-5 are administered an i-Ready diagnosis assessment three times a year, except for kindergarten. with approximately eight weeks apart to engage and monitor growth. Along with i-Ready diagnostic assessments, students this year are consistently using i-Ready's reading personalized instruction platform. The personalized instruction platform uses insights from the i-Ready diagnostic assessment to create a personalized path of engaging online lessons. In this way, students receive instruction and practice in areas where they need the most support. i-Ready's recommendation is for students to engage in their personalized pathway 30 to 50 minutes per week to see the most growth. With this expectation, we have already doubled our weekly minute usage since last year, and we are seeing growth overall for all students and our multilingual learners. When analyzing i-Ready results, there are five main colors, and the colors are represented in a bar graph. Typically, we read the results from right to left. Red with lines indicate that a student is three or more years behind in reading. Red with no lines indicate that a student is two years behind. Yellow means a student is one year behind. Solid green indicates a student is early or approaching grade level. And green with diagonal lines means a student is mid or above grade level. The overall goal is to decrease the red colors and increase the yellow and green colors. I will be presenting the data for each grade level for all students, as well as our multilingual learners. And for this presentation, I will highlight specific areas of growth. Kitting Garden students just took their first i-Ready reading diagnostic. The reading diagnostic is given in kindergarten after the winter break so kindergarten students can acclimate to school. Highlights from the first kindergarten assessment include the following results. As we look at the red dots, currently no kindergarten students are two or three grade levels below in reading. Moving to yellow, overall 33% of kindergarten students are one year behind in reading, while our multilingual learners are at 48%. 29% of kindergarten students are approaching grade level, and 23% of our multilingual students are approaching grade level. And for the green with lines, 38% of kindergarten students are on or above grade level in reading, and 30% for our multilingual learners. For first and second grades, no students are three or more grade levels behind in reading, as shown in the last column. If we move to the left in the top corner, 14% of students in first grade were on grade level or above in reading in August for our baseline score. This is now 37%. For our English learners, 7% were on grade level or above in reading in August. This is now 26%. Looking towards the bottom of the slide and focusing on our English learners in second grade, 11% were on grade level and reading in August. This is now 21%, a 10% increase. For third and fourth graders, if we look at the last column, 35% of English learners in August were three or more grade levels behind in reading. This is now 15%, a decrease of 20%. If we look at the top of the slide for third graders, 30% of all third graders were approaching on or above grade level in August. Now this is 60%, a 23% increase. If we move to the bottom of the slide for English learners in fourth grade, 20% of English learners were approaching on or above grade level in August. This is now 31%, an 11% increase. Finally, for fifth grade, In the middle of the slide, 7% of English learners were one grade level below in reading in August. Now this is 19% indicating that more students are improving their reading skills. You will also notice how the red bar with the diagonal lines has decreased and the yellow bar has increased. Moving to the red oval at the top of the slide, overall 20% of all 5th graders were approaching on or above grade level in August. This is now 45%, a 17% increase. While all elementary sites have improved reading results, there are some individual school sites to showcase and highlight. I usually don't read directly from the slides. However, I feel these sites and schools deserve the recognition. Birch Grove Primary, second grade. In August, 26% of all second graders were mid or on grade level. In February, 58%, 32% increase. Birch Grove Intermediate. In August, 39% of 3rd through 5th grade students were mid or above grade level. Now, 55%, an increase of 16%. Coyote Hills, 3rd grade. In August, 14% of multilingual learners were approaching mid or on above grade level in reading. Now, 46%, an increase of 32%. Kennedy Elementary, fourth grade. In August, 25% of multilingual learners were two grade levels behind in reading. This has now decreased to only 6%. Lincoln Elementary. In August, 0% of ELs in first grade were at or above grade level in reading. Now, 43%. Schilling third grade. In August, 54% of ELs were three or more grade levels behind. Now, 17. This is a decrease of 37%. While there is exciting growth, we still have work to do. We need to continue to celebrate results, and I want to publicly thank all teachers who are having students log on to their i-Ready personalized pathway weekly. Consistently analyzing the data and having ongoing conversations will be important. We also need to stay the course so that we can see the possible correlation between i-Ready and the annual CASPP assessment. Thank you again for the opportunity to share students' i-Ready reading growth for grades K through 5.

[8019] Karen Allard: Let's continue to believe that all students, including our English learners, will reach their full potential and we will close the opportunity gap for all students in reading.

Pause: 10.2s

[8037] Kat Jones: Thank you.

[8040] Aiden Hill: So Miss Allard, I just love it. So, I mean, this is such a sea change from when I first joined the board. And it was a completely different administration and different members. But I just want to acknowledge all the work that you've been doing and that the superintendent has been doing in terms of supporting you. And I see the smiles. coming from all of the principals out in the audience, and you should be smiling, and you should be proud. And our teachers. And the teachers, right? The teachers are the ones that are making it happen. Right? And I think that this is what happens when you have goals and you focus in on them. And so it is just wonderful and just keep it going. I guess the same question I asked to Mr. Lindsey, I'd ask to you, which is what additional can the board do to support you? What challenges are you still facing? What can we do to support you?

[8109] Karen Allard: We know in transformational work, a lot of it is the professional learning side.

[8112] Karen Allard: So just as Mr. Lindsey mentioned, how can we make sure that our professional learning opportunities are very meaningful and intentional, where they're taking what they've learned and applying and transferring them back into the classroom?

[8129] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Just wanted to echo member Hill just he said it he said it all Really appreciate you sharing the percentage. I mean 58 percent 55 32 percent growth and it's just great to see that we're headed down the right direction and Congratulations to all the elementary schools. Really appreciate the dedication and also to our children and our community, teachers, staff, and also the administration. So thank you. I just did have a couple of questions in regards to just the personalized pathway. would it be possible to increase that in small groups like the black African-American group and also the EL and multilingual students? Would there be a possibility in their lectura or tables if they're working

[8188] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: to increase their time and just to support them a little more so we could have an increase there as well.

[8196] Karen Allard: Yes, absolutely. We set the expectation for the 30 to 50 minutes per week because according to i-Ready's research, that's where they kind of find the sweet spot to see the growth that we would hope to see on the CASPP. Sites do have autonomy on how much they will pull students into small groups based on student performance groups, etc.

[8215] Karen Allard: So it's a great next step to see how we can continue to do that based on the results that we get back this year.

[8223] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Thank you much.

[8224] Austin Block: Great presentation. Member Block. Thank you so much for the wonderful presentation. It's just super exciting to see all of this positive news. And just thank you to everyone who's part of this process, from yourself, Assistant Superintendent Allard, to all the teachers and principals and staff who make it happen. I have a few questions, hopefully. Bear with me. Sorry, I have like four questions. First, are there any remaining barriers in terms of technology access for using i-Ready consistently?

[8253] Austin Block: Do all the school sites have the sufficient Chromebooks that they need to keep up the good work on a day-to-day, or are there any tech needs that we could continue to support with?

[8265] Karen Allard: I might be putting my colleague on the spot, but I don't know if, would you mind sharing?

[8271] Karen Allard: I just wouldn't want to misspeak, so.

[8278] Jenilee Peñaflor: Good evening, everyone. So to answer your question we do have a mix of devices out there that we know some of them are end-of-life They are not able to be updated and for I think before I even got here. It was communicated to sites that that this set of end of life computers couldn't be used for testing and we're finding that you cannot use them, some of them for i-Ready. So we've put a lot back out in the fleet in terms of our break fix and things like that. We are down to maybe our last 30. We've spent a lot of time over the last couple of months getting everything out that we have out there.

[8311] Jenilee Peñaflor: But we are at the point where we're going to have to start purchasing to do refreshes.

[8318] Austin Block: Thank you. My second question was just regarding the kind of formative assessment that's occurring at the middle and high school level. So it's really awesome to see like all of this kind of continued data and growth at the elementary school level. And I was wondering like what the status is of like a similar type of formative assessment for the middle school and the high school.

[8338] Karen Allard: Yeah, our middle school does use i-Ready as well. They haven't taken their next diagnostic test. So I wanted to wait to give a next possible report for you because I think their data would be a little bit too much older than the fall. At the at the high school level, it is a part of the system that we need to take a look at. We currently don't have anything to gauge or monitor consistently across the board. It's a need that we have and Just looking forward to what we might be able to do, either bringing in NWEA or Star Renaissance or something, or common form of assessments with certain departments, so we can start to gather that data.

[8372] Austin Block: Awesome. Thank you.

[8373] Tracey Vackar: Just to add to that, the high school is also going to go through its WASC, and I think is one of their areas that they're focusing in on. I believe that's one of the areas that they are discussing.

[8381] Tracey Vackar: And so I think we'll also hear information from teachers and from their subcommittees that will be looking at next steps.

[8395] Austin Block: Last question. Sorry, my last question was just regarding, so I'd seen on here some comments about parent education nights and communication via email about students' i-Ready results. I wonder, is there any... possibility of maybe adding in a phone call home element to informing parents of students who are multiple grade levels behind as an additional form of outreach? Would that be logistically too difficult? Or could that be another way of notifying parents if their kid is behind to help include them in the collaboration?

[8429] Karen Allard: Yeah, I think it's a great conversation to have with the site administrators and to see what are the possibilities in regards to that or for them to brainstorm some ideas of how we can continue to close that gap. We don't have as many students as we would like on grade level, but based on the data, it is definitely shrinking, and we're moving in the right direction for sure.

[8448] Austin Block: Awesome.

[8448] Austin Block: Thank you so much.

[8451] Nancy Thomas: I'd like to say congratulations to the principals and the teachers on this growth.

[8457] Nancy Thomas: And I'm sure we're all looking forward to the CASPP results showing great growth as well.

[8468] Kat Jones: Yes, fingers crossed. Thank you. The growth is just fabulous to see. It's wonderful to see that all the schools are being represented here in terms of the growth. It's a lot of hard work on the part of, you know, the principals, teachers, and the students, too, because they're the ones that are producing the work. But that encouragement that the staff, the teachers, and the principals are able to give to the students And then, you know, to really reward them, even if it's, you know, just the kudos party, the five minute get up and, you know, dance and go crazy thing. It really is important to let them know that we are really excited for them as well. So thank you so much.

[8517] Nancy Thomas: Sure. OK. What I really think is amazing and kudos to you and the staff is the fidelity to doing the IREDI. In the past, we haven't had this good fidelity. And I think you're up over 95%, right? of students taking it. It wasn't always that way, so congratulations.

[8543] Joy Lee: Can I also say something? Sure. Thank you so much for just focusing in on our students and making sure our i-Ready results are all good, and also teachers who just always who are on the students, making sure they do them well and actually try.

[8562] Joy Lee: And also, good job to the students who are actually taking these i-Ready tests. And for actually trying on them and not just thinking about it as like, oh, another thing to do. So kudos to all of you guys.

[8577] Joy Lee: Thank you.

[8582] Tracey Vackar: Just real quickly. Yeah, so obviously, we know we're super excited about these early indications and the work that's being done. But we know it starts in the classroom. We know it starts with our teachers and with our kiddos. We know the information going back to our parents and making sure that they're aware that's happening through our leadership teams over the sites and with our teacher conferences that are happening. Really great work. Really just a very special thank you to everybody in their efforts that they've made I think to really push our academic goal for this year to really help our students succeed and to ensure they've got the support systems. There's a lot of support systems that we're offering. It's all really coming together in a really great way. And I'm really proud of everybody and the work that's been done.

[8625] Tracey Vackar: So thank you so much.

10.3 Task Order NO. 12 TO JPA City of Fremont & Newark Unified School District

[8629] Kat Jones: OK. Thank you. Moving on to 10.3, task order number 12, to the JPA City of Fremont and Newark Unified School District. Superintendent?

[8642] Tracey Vackar: Yes, thank you. This is a MOU and one of the things that the board has asked me to do is bring back MOUs that occur. This is in regards to a lot of our counseling support systems that we offer. And although it's not a very large dollar amount, a piece of this actually comes back through grants that are currently provided. I really want to bring this to your attention because this is going to be the last year of some of the grant work that we actually do get with this. We do have a contribution that we make, it's a much smaller amount. But I did want you to be aware of this. We get this MOU very, very late. We've actually been doing services now on this since July, and so I wanted to make sure I bring this to your attention. It's been habitually a document that comes late, and we are looking at what the new systems will look like as we move forward. forward for 2526 because the funding models are changing as to how delivery of these services will be done throughout our state. It's a piece that every school district for sure throughout the state and definitely here in Alameda County is working on. As we look at these models and how we're gonna provide the behavioral health support systems that we currently have access to, and how those funding models will contribute. Looking at 25-26, one of the things that's really going to change for us is that, very much like the MAW program where we can do Medi-Cal billing, we can actually now do private insurance billing for some of the services that get done. That's going to be a new model, some new work that we will be embarking upon. along with all the other school districts here in California. We've got a great team that's been working on this. They've been proactive. I'm pleased to see where they're at and moving forward with the documentation that we have to do to be able to move into these new models. But I did want to bring this particular thing to your attention. It's a program that we've been doing for a long time. The city of Fremont is the oversight of this particular grant. Not the county of Alameda, it is actually the city of Fremont.

[8760] Tracey Vackar: And so I just wanted to bring this forward.

[8764] Kat Jones: OK. Thank you. 10.4, maintenance operations transportation. This actually is an action item, too. Oh, it is an action item. So we do need to take a vote on that. Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead, Member Hill.

[8777] Aiden Hill: So thank you, Superintendent. And I understand a little bit more. But could you provide some examples of the types of services there? that Fremont is providing. I mean, there's a list here, but I don't really understand what that means. And so maybe a little bit more concrete examples, and then where our population or which populations are in need of that here in our school district.

[8808] Tracey Vackar: Yeah. Some of the things I think that we use here is that we actually have some counseling services that we can refer our students to directly when we are having some extreme behavioral type issues. We work also very closely with Alameda County Probation. Like in coordination when our students need additional support services and to make sure that counseling service can be offered either on our campus, some direct support that happens to make sure that their teachers and the site staff are aware of what's happening. Just a more coordinated effort I think is really happening to be able to really help and support the emotional well-being. I would be happy to be able to get a report together for you on this if that would be helpful to have a side report.

[8851] Aiden Hill: And is this something that we've been doing before and we're just renewing it? Or is this new? Correct.

[8857] Tracey Vackar: No, no, this is new. It's been ongoing. That's why it's task order number 12. You guys have been doing it for a long time. It took me a little while to kind of like wrap my head around like what this really was because of the timing of when it came. and making sure that I fully understood it, and I feel comfortable moving forward for the rest of this year. Obviously, we've been doing the services. It's just kind of a delay, and I think by the time it goes through their council, it goes through all the different people that are involved with being able to coordinate this big effort. Those are the things that we want to take a look at. But we also want to look at moving forward in the future, how those fundings will work because of all the changes that have come down at the state level as to how these are being funded now that COVID has been COVID funds are no longer there. There's a huge change in what's happening and how the state will allocate funds and how we actually will receive our funds. And so making sure that we all understand that. It will probably be another report that we will be giving back to you real soon to share with you. There's some decision making that will have to happen on behalf of our board. as we move forward into some of the new programs that will be happening. We are in what's called phase two of looking at some of the funding cycles that are happening and so we will be making those decisions coming up in the very near future so that we can make sure that we've got continuity in services.

[8932] Aiden Hill: Great, thank you.

[8933] Tracey Vackar: You're welcome.

[8935] Kat Jones: Any other comments or questions?

[8940] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Just to follow up on that, is this a referral-based program that we have on-site and they do the counseling and the services on-site, or is this something that happens at their facility?

[8955] Tracey Vackar: I'm going to ask our director of special education to come forward because I know she interacts with us quite a bit as well as along with our site principals.

[8964] Angela Walker: Happy to do so. Yes. So the program you can refer the students directly to both of the agencies or they come to the school site too because part of the services is to have a designated counselor come to the high school and work with small groups. And we work in collaboration so that we provide a small space, a larger space, whatever they need, depending on the needs. And prior to the board meeting, I checked in with the principal over at the high school and said, tell me about what this looks like and how has this been going. And he has a whole system of when there is the need, they go through this process. They contact the two different agencies that are involved in this contract, the MOU.

[9007] Angela Walker: And it's been happening and running all year smoothly.

[9013] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Do we evaluate the program, and how often do we do so?

[9017] Angela Walker: That's an excellent question. I don't have an answer to that, as I learned about it when we received that MOU.

[9028] Tracey Vackar: Yeah, I think that evaluation system is a piece that we're going to have to really work closely with our principals as to how often they're doing referrals. What is the timing that happens with that? What are the channels of communication? Those definitely will be questions that as we move forward into the new models that we may choose and also who we choose to do our services with in the future, those will definitely be evaluation elements that we'll have a lot more buy-in with than I think the current model that's probably there that we have been part of a larger consortium in doing this model in this way. I would hope that the new models would give us more ability to be able to do more direction as to what our customized needs are. And that's one of the things I'm kind of learning about the new model. Great question.

[9075] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Thank you very much.

[9080] Kat Jones: Okay, thank you. All right, we need a motion to for this agreement.

[9090] Austin Block: I'll make a motion to approve item 10.3.

[9092] Kat Jones: Oh, sorry. Okay, second is member Thomas. And may we have a roll call vote, Ms.

[9103] Kat Jones: Lemus?

[9112] Toya Lemus: Student board member, Lee? Yes. Member Hill? Yes. Member Anguiano? Yes. Member Block? Yes. Member Thomas?

[9120] Yes.

[9121] Toya Lemus: President Jones?

[9122] Kat Jones: Yes.

[9122] Toya Lemus: Six ayes.

[9123] Kat Jones: All right, motion passes.

10.4 Maintenance, Operations and Transportation Presentation

[9131] Kat Jones: All right. We are now ready for MOT.

[9138] Tracey Vackar: Great. I'm excited to introduce our Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Jose Quintana, who will introduce the maintenance and operation team.

[9147] Jose Quintana: So welcome, everyone. I definitely have the pleasure of introducing Travis De Freitas, our new Director of Maintenance Operations and Transportation. He has started here about maybe three months ago, but it feels like what do you say six months? He's didn't He's three months, but he's everywhere connecting with site administrators and throughout the district office really has a take it on the helm and right-sizing here our maintenance and operations. But with that, Mr. De Freitas, take it away.

[9182] Travis De Freitas: All right. Hello, everybody. Good evening.

[9185] Travis De Freitas: I've prepared a quick presentation here, just a fraction of the things that we have going on in the MOTI department.

[9196] Travis De Freitas: Quick summary, we'll save any questions and comments for the end. All right, so Newark High Track and Field, we've been meeting weekly between Renu Clark, the architect, and OC Jones, our contractor. reviewing progress. Currently our artificial turf base is being trucked in between yesterday and today and installed, packed, and leveled. Artificial turf is scheduled for the next step as far as installation. We're looking ahead and we seem to be in line with graduation to take place on site. Next slide. Kennedy Fencing Project, we have our final punch block scheduled for this week, Thursday the 6th. Our maintenance team has already gotten a head start with rekeying the cylinders and allowed staff to gain access to these gates. After our punch items have been addressed, this project will come to a close. Next slide. Music elementary, security fencing, as you may have As you may know, we've had numerous break-ins and vandalism at music school. We have recently installed some six-foot tall chain links fencing to slow down activity. A couple areas here at the district office to slow down access to the field, as well as two different areas on the other side of the campus itself. Just this alone has been a major benefit to our team and slowed down any vandalism. Next slide. Warehouse installation project the re-roofing that was recently done at our warehouse cost some existing installation to start falling from ceilings causing a safety hazard. In early January we went out to bid for a C2 installation contractor to make the needed repairs.

[9313] Travis De Freitas: The lower bidder was awarded and are scheduled to start repairs the week of March 17th. Cal Shape Grant, NUSD has applied for Cal Shape Grant back in October of 2022. We were approved in February 2023 for $1,132,000. We're preparing a plan to utilize those funds as per the original overview back in 2022. Most of which will consist of upgrading thermostats that include the required CO2 sensors, HVAC filter changing as well as some miscellaneous repairs. One thing I wanted to note on that was actually my first week here is when I found out about this Calshape grant, was able to gain access to the portal and I realized that we actually had six days from that date. to where it would have expired, and any funds that were already spent, which is approximately about $60,000, would have to be paid back directly to Cachet. Next slide. fluorescent lighting ban in September of 2022, California lawmakers passed AB 2208, which stopped the sales of fluorescent bulbs effective January 1st, 2025. That being said, we are exploring options such as grants to update all of our interior and exterior lighting to LEDs. Next slide. So before questions, I have a couple of things I wanted to add really quick. I just wanted to give a quick thank you to our entire MOT team, everyone's gone the extra mile to keep these campuses clean and safe every day. I plan to continue to work closely with the team to work on day-to-day activities. We're looking into training programs to assure campuses are getting cleaned and repaired as they should. I've been visiting all the sites and inspecting the rooms. Myself, looking and resolving any safety issues have been my top priority, as well as working to improve current processes. We have a few RFPs that I'm preparing for supplies and services, as well as putting together some advertisements for a vendor list for any repairs or any construction going forward, so we can easily put projects out to bid and get competitive bids. That's it. Any questions?

[9471] Kat Jones: Thank you. Member Hill.

[9475] Aiden Hill: Thank you Mr. De Freitas for the update. I really appreciate it. Just two questions because I, I don't know, I just, maybe I missed it, but so if you could just provide a little bit more of an explanation or just restate it because maybe I missed it. So what exactly was going on with the warehouse insulation and what was the problem? What are we trying to address and solve? And then also what types of projects are going to be addressed through the CalShape grant?

[9511] Travis De Freitas: Yes, so for the installation at the warehouse, there was a re-roofing project that was recently done. During the installation of the roofing, some of the insulation started to kind of tack off and fall down. Unfortunately, in the scope of work, it wasn't called out for any repairs of that sort. So with this, we are planning on reattaching all the existing installation and re-securing everything, so it's no longer a safety hazard. great. And then Cal shape Cal shape. So we're looking a little bit into a little bit more into it back in 2022. The way this Cal shape grant goes is they'll help somebody come out and kind of do an audit on the existing unit to see what's needed. The biggest A priority on that is updating the current thermostats. I believe there's just a select few that don't currently have the required CO2 sensors built into them. So that'll be step one. Step two will be going through and changing all the filters on the units. And then step three, which I don't have all the information currently, but our repairs that they found needed back in 2022. With that being said, we've done a lot of repairs since then, so potentially seeing if we can change that plan to fit the current repairs that are needed.

[9598] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Great, thank you.

[9601] Kat Jones: Member Aguililla.

[9603] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Mr. De Freitas, I appreciate that you've came and hit the floor running there. You're out there interacting with staff, you know, and you're making things happen out there, which is really and it shows in regards to the CalShip grant. You mentioned there was about 60,000.

[9623] Travis De Freitas: that we're still looking into that as well where that was spent. I know some of it was And so that was done in kind of the overview and potentially some filter changing was done. I don't have all the information just yet. You know, having weekly meetings and trying to really grasp what was done and, you know, put together a plan. And with that we're gonna see exactly where those funds.

[9652] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Okay. Thank you. And just to follow up on that the HVACs with the furnace and also the ACs replacing the filters or is it just washing them down cleaning them out or you're completely

[9663] Travis De Freitas: Replacing the filters, those filters generally are supposed to be replaced every quarter. The coils get washed down and that is included in that as well.

[9672] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: So while you're replacing the filters, they're getting washed down and cleaned out. Just feedback that I've heard from families and also students that Because it's been really cold days out there, right? And some of the furnaces are not working in the classroom. So I just appreciate that, taking that step to fix that.

[9693] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. Thank you very much for the presentation. I never heard of the CalSHAPE Grant. Can you tell us just in a few sentences what it was for and how much it was for? And congratulations on saving $60,000 for our district.

[9714] Travis De Freitas: Thank you, yes, Cal State Grant is a state-funded grant that started, I want to say, in 2021 that was offered to all districts if applied for. Many districts qualified, many didn't. My previous district, I was able to get it, so I'm pretty familiar with kind of the process of everything. Luckily, the CalShape grant has since then exhausted, so no districts can apply for it. as of I believe it was middle of last year. So we were lucky that we did apply and qualify for it. Now it's just kind of going through and carrying the rest of it out.

[9752] Nancy Thomas: And then a follow-up question on our HVAC units. Do we have centralized control and are we monitoring You know how well the classrooms are being maintained at the correct temperature?

[9768] Travis De Freitas: Yes, we have a system that we're working with that we're dealing with some issues. Currently, we can see through the centralized system what it's pushing out. That system is struggling to work with our existing units, and we're in the works on trying to come up with the best way to resolve that.

[9794] Nancy Thomas: area district that was in the news recently I don't know if you heard about it because of the centralized system not working with the individual HVAC units and it was pretty disastrous so I hope you get that under control. Thank you.

[9810] Travis De Freitas: One of the top things on my list.

[9813] Kat Jones: Thank you so much for your report, and it's refreshing to hear that you are out on the sites and checking things out, so thank you. Thank you very much.

[9823] Tracey Vackar: Just a quick couple of notations before Mr. Freitas joined our team, of course, you know, we've had lots of conversations about the HVAC systems being not really engineered correctly, and really they're like what I would call over-engineered because they've got multiple controllers that then cancel each other out, which creates some of the problems. So we're looking at some other ways to be able to troubleshoot. I just want to thank you for your efforts in trying to understand the various systems that are at different schools. and for some of the solution-oriented ideas that you have that we're exploring to see how we can best go in there and go fix it. Going back to the CalShape grant, it actually came in several different phases. I'm not sure how many phases we actually applied for and received funding for. Some of them were very descriptive as far as what you had to do. If you were going to do sensors, like when you walk in the room, the lights come on, and when you walk back out of the room, the lights will go off. So there's a sensory piece that goes with it. The other piece is around filters. the filtration systems to make sure the air quality is good inside the classrooms. And the other piece really had to do with changing out from going from the old fluorescence to the LED lighting. So there were a couple of different phases that were sitting out there that the Cal Shape had. So making sure that we understand exactly what was written for and what our responsibilities are are going to be a really important piece. I'm not sure if the district used a consultant to help them with that, but we will be able to dig into looking at those reports. And I'm really glad that we've got Travis here with us to be able to really help us navigate that. He does have experience being able to do that. So that will be a big help to the district. So thank you for the presentation.

[9917] Jose Quintana: Thank you, Travis.

[9918] Jose Quintana: Thank you.

10.5 ERATE Network Switch Upgrade

[9925] Kat Jones: Moving on to 10.5, the E-rate network switch upgrade.

[9933] Jose Quintana: So I have the privilege of introducing Ms.

[9936] Jose Quintana: Janet Leigh Penaflor, our IT director, who will be bringing this presentation for our E-Rate and some of our options here as she gets set up.

[9954] Jenilee Peñaflor: Good evening, members of the Board and Executive Cabinet.

[9957] Jenilee Peñaflor: My name is Jenilee Penaflor, Director of Technology, and I will be discussing how we propose using our Year 5 E-Rate funds. Okay, so 2025 is year five of five and we have $453,060 left to spend of the original $938,874 award.

[9980] Jenilee Peñaflor: Next year begins a new five year cycle and we're anticipating about the same amount, about $900,000 to a million dollars. So just to summarize what our recommended use for category one, we want to just continue our internet phone services with AT&T and ACOE. And then for category two, which is really the heart of this presentation, is to upgrade our network switches and all the MDFs and IDFs across the district and replace the UPSs which are our backup batteries in the IDFs and MDFs as well. And so just some definitions. Category 1 services are data transmission and internet. Category 2 services are for managed broadband services and maintenance of our internal connections. And Newark is categorized to receive a 60% discount on these services. And when we finally procure a product, the district or the vendor can be reimbursed by USAC. So just some background. In 2023, we upgraded our access points at all of our school sites. And our access points draw their power from these network switches that we're asking you to consider today. But the other things connected to these switches are our security surveillance cameras, I should say, thermostats. our computers, obviously, and our printers and things like that. So it's not just network and data, but it's also supplying power. So with all these devices and our new access points, we need essentially higher wattage switches so that we can continue providing stable access and connectivity. On top of that, the UPSs in our MDFs and IDFs are, I say, seven to eight years. We found the PO or the original quote. It's actually 10 years. We bought these in 2014. So many of them are already dead. When we have power outages at our school sites, a couple more die each time, if I'm being honest. a lot of our equipment is plugged in directly to the walls, which, not great.

[10102] Nancy Thomas: Do you mind saying what MDF and IDF and UPS means?

[10107] Jenilee Peñaflor: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I had them on the other slide. MDF is main data frame, so basically the main place at a site where our internet is connecting. IDF are the other closets around the site because the cables can only reach so long. So it's basically a relay point and then UPS is uninterruptible power supply. So if the power goes down the UPS kicks in for an amount of time that we choose. So we can choose how long they last. It's not meant to last forever.

[10136] Jenilee Peñaflor: It's meant to last for maybe 10 to 30 minutes so that we can get to our equipment and do a graceful shutdown. All right, so our proposed solution, we want to upgrade up to 209 of those switches to HP Aruba or the equivalent with the accompanying software.

[10159] Jenilee Peñaflor: We want to replace up to 90 UPSs and then of course continue our internet services with AT&T and ACOE. And so the fiscal impact. So for ACOE network, we're already getting our internet services from them. You might recall that last summer we doubled our bandwidth from 2 gigs to 4 gigs. That was kind of a special deal. 5 gigs is really the threshold there. But we couldn't do that because of just hardware limitations on both ends.

[10189] Jenilee Peñaflor: So to go to 5 gigs this year, $52,530 annually, which is only $1,000 more than we're paying now for 4 gigs. for AT&T, again, continuing services. The port charge, that's basically getting our internet from AT&T to here. $8,496 annually, and then our Ethernet that goes to each of our sites from here is $17,703. And I want to just add here that when we converted to ASCOD two, three years ago, we were being billed for our old Ethernet circuits at that time. So when I got here, canceled that in May or something like that. I went back and I sought that two years of refund and we got I think about a year, a year's worth back. So last month we were able to recoup $160,000. So for both of these, AT&T and ACOE, it'll be a 36-month contract with two optional one-year extensions if we want to go that route. Okay, so here's really what I want you all to consider today as the category two. So our switch is we're not going out to formal bid, we're using the SPUR master contracts. The bids must be evaluated by March 26 and all of the parties are already at work at this. So us, our e-rate consultant, the vendors, our resellers are all actively working on this. This is a lot of numbers, but it's just an example because I want you to have something to conceptualize. So the top section, the switches, we are probably looking to buy the first four line items, the equivalent. It's not branded because we're still accepting bids. but the equivalent of those first four line items, which are the switches and their components. We would do the support licenses in Section 2. In Section 3, we would do some kind of software to manage this and our existing access points. And then, of course, the professional services to set all this up and then installation fees. So you'll see at the very bottom, it's 1.6 million. Again, not the total number, but just something we can conceptualize for our switches, 1.6 mil. Now payment procurement. So the first option is to pay in full, which we of course don't recommend because you would be losing out on that 60% discount that we would get with our E-rate funding that's going to come next year and the five years beyond. The second option is to use this year's E-rate funds, $453,000-ish, and buy as many units as we can with that money, and then do this whole thing again next year, and then kind of a phased rollout of this update. The third option is that we could actually enter into contract for the total scope, for the whole 1.6 mil, use this year's fund, and then forecast the use of the next five years of E-rate awards, and then pay in interest-free installments. Seems enticing. And so the other part I want you to consider is the UPSs because we have a finite amount of e-rate funds. On the low end, we're looking at 86,000 basically. On the high end, about 342,000. And what I want you to consider is that if we do this initiative at the same time as the switches? Do we want to take a portion of this year's money away from the switches and just pay the rest of it out of general or out of bond? Or should we kick this UPS project down to next year's E-rate cycle? or do we just pay for it you know again out of entirely out of general and bond without the e-rate 60% discount. So just some things to chew on. that's kind of that really. So where we are next steps. So we are currently soliciting bids and we're in our question and answer period. So we have vendors already answering and we've got some contenders up here. The evaluation period ends March 14th and then we will be getting formal contracts from the winners or from the bidders. And then we will have those contracts ready for you to review and approve at the March 18th board meeting. That's for both category 1 and category 2. Shout out to my team who has been instrumental in getting these things together and specs and all that good stuff. And with that, I will take any questions you have.

[10462] Aiden Hill: Member Hill. Thank you, Ms. Penoflor. Appreciate it. A couple questions. So it sounds like that you've identified a spec and you're now going out and you're doing a competitive bid on the components. And so all of this is competitively bid.

[10483] Jenilee Peñaflor: Kind of. So we identify the specs and the SPUR minibid, basically the companies that are on that master contract have already bid certain products. So we only have to contact, let's say CDW. We only have to contact CDW if they've bid on a UPS.

[10501] Aiden Hill: OK, OK, got it. And then are you giving flexibility to the vendors to come back with an alternative solution?

[10512] Jenilee Peñaflor: Yeah, we can do that to a certain degree. So if that product isn't on that master contract list and I might want it, they would have to, they, the vendor, would have to go back to SPUR and ask if they'll accept that and if they'll add that to the master contract list.

[10529] Aiden Hill: Okay. And then the last question is, is obviously they're providing hardware, but are they also providing implementation services?

[10539] Jenilee Peñaflor: So specifically the one that you were looking at from HP Aruba, yes. So not all services are E-rate eligible, but for this one they are.

[10548] Aiden Hill: Okay, great. Thank you.

[10552] Kat Jones: You're welcome.

[10554] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Thank you. Thank you for the information and the presentation. Just questions in regards to the HPE Aruba, the cooling systems that the MDFs have and also the IDFs, are they properly installed with the proper circulation of air to Kolomof. That's possibly why the UPSs are going out?

[10577] Jenilee Peñaflor: Yeah, minimally. I'll answer that with minimally. I know here we have had our HVAC vendor come out. It's yeah, I think the answer is minimal like it's surviving but it could be overhauled.

[10595] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: And just a follow-up question with the 90 UPS's can we salvage a few of those or they're they're pretty much

[10603] Jenilee Peñaflor: I mean, 10 years old, you know, the life of the battery is probably half of that. And so I would say no. We've just got new UPSs here. Like, actually, I have a brand new stack of batteries that needs to be installed. So I don't think they can be salvaged.

[10619] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Going back to the installation the infrastructure. That's something that we need to work on absolutely But if we're gonna go ahead and get the equipment if we get the the routers the access points MDFs need to be well You know, they have to have that natural breathing or ventilation. And if they're connected directly to the wall, they're going to go ahead and start going out. So we need to really, if we're going to go ahead and invest into the actual Aruba's, we need to have the UPS's as well.

[10655] Jose Quintana: Thank you. If I may, President Jones, part of our bond that just passed is to address a lot of these IT issues and having the right infrastructure. Obviously, the HVAC, the cooling systems, those are key.

[10671] Jose Quintana: So we're definitely identifying those in our bond.

[10678] Austin Block: Thank you so much for your presentation. Just had a quick question regarding the procurement and payment options. So based on what you said, it seemed like you were leaning towards the third option as, in your opinion, the best solution. Was that correct, my reading of the situation? Yes. So why do you think that's the best option?

[10696] Jenilee Peñaflor: It would be easiest to support a unified system. So if we had them all on one controller, it would be easier to manage. It's definitely a huge lift to do, a huge, huge lift, because we have, you know, three or four IDFs just at the elementary schools and four times that at the high school, middle school. So it would be a lot. And it might just be easier, if I'm being honest, to allocate the funds at one time, because there's no guarantees year after year.

[10731] Jose Quintana: Got it. Thank you. Just want to add to that it's we when we go for the spur master plans here We we want the best value so if we can get all these components a total scope.

10.6 Facility Use Overview and Process

[10742] Kat Jones: I think that would be our best choice All right, thank you so much appreciate it All right, and we are looking at the facility use overview and process.

[10762] Kat Jones: 10.6.

[10771] Jose Quintana: So this is an overview of our facility rental. and our processes that we currently have in place.

[10779] Jose Quintana: So we have this slide deck for our facility rental and overview. So we've been looking at our facilities and seeing how we can capitalize our time and our spaces. on our encompasses from our high school, middle school, and elementary schools that are currently being underutilized. So we want to make sure that we've identified every space here in this.

[10808] Jose Quintana: There you go. So in this overview, we're going to go and go step by step on some of the Civic Center Act and funding on how we can apply that to our district. And if we go to the next slide, we will look into our Civic Center Act, which is EDCO 3800 series. This basically authorizes the school district to grant the use of school facilities as a civic center, a gathering center for specific purposes like religious groups, non-profit groups, Boy Scouts, that basically that are based upon the terms and conditions of this governing board. that aligns with this Civic Center Act. That also allows us to charge fees for groups that use the facility for operations and administrative costs. Next slide. And so the Civic Center Act identifies specific fees what we can charge for specific groups like non-profits that district may charge an amount not to exceed its direct cost for use of the facilities. Or religious organizations that district shall charge an amount not to exceed direct cost for the use of the facilities and the general use up to the public. The district shall charge an amount not to exceed the fair rental value price on that. Next slide. We're seeing some direct cost language and direct costs that are not effective as of June 2025. The only difference here is that they will not share the cost of maintenance, repair and restoration and refurbishment of our facilities. but we will keep intact the direct costs which are supplies, utilities, janitorial services, services of the school and district employees, and salaries of employees in administrating this platform. Next slide. So here we have our, once again, our direct cost language that was effectively our direct costs in our previous years and what's moving forward. Our next slide shows us what a fair rental value might be, what direct costs and amortized costs of the facility. which basically means the wear and tear and depreciation of a building and equipment spread over the building's lifetime. And so we're asking in this study that the renter pays their share of the depreciation. Next slide. So we do have a board policy in place, board policy 1330, that outlines our procedures of the priority use of our facilities, that identifies four rental groups. That's group zero, which is at no cost. our school's own teachers, employees, community advisory groups. Group one is subsidized costs such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Campfire. Group two is the cost basically of community sponsored youth organizations whose membership at least 70% of residents of Newark. And group three is a fair rental value, groups conducting events, activities, or fundraising for our NUSD students. So this establishes the fee schedule and structure for our rentals. Next slide. So our facilities funding why we should charge for using our space because when we do obtain bonds like we just have. It builds our properties, you know, it builds our facilities, and it's used by our staff and our students, but there's wear and tear, there's upkeep on it. So when it's used by renters or our communities, then they should pay the allowable costs associated with that use. because that will help us in not only rebuilding but modernizing and keeping up with preventive maintenance of our sites. Next slide. Our facilities fundings, facilities use fees are not for profit. This is not in the business of making money. This is simply for to cover our direct costs like our studios, supplies, utilities. and for our spaces. This is a fair rental value that is basically directs costs in proportion to the depreciation of the building. Next slide. We're going to see some rate comparisons here, facilities funding here. We compared not only our district to the other districts like Fremont, Union City, New Haven, but also the City of Newark Settlement Center and what those hourly rates might cost as well as some of those notes, some of the minimums like two hours. minimums or six-hour minimums you see in Union City. So we're trying to get cost comparisons across our East Bay here. Next slide. We're going to go into a dashboard that we've been utilizing called Facilitron. Now there are other dashboards we could use out there, but they currently would be The most cost-effective would be Facilitron. Other means that we've had at other districts is like civic use or civic permits, which is basically having your own personnel to run this program with your own dashboard, your own permitting system. So there is a benefit for our renters because you have a centralized dashboard that you can view every space and look at the availability, pay directly with your credit card, and upload your certificate of insurance. all the collecting is done with the Facilitron. Next slide. We'll go into this process of the benefits of the district is one place to view for us as one calendar. Next slide, please. So this would be of us our Our own layout, our own dashboard, our own spreadsheets, knowing who is actually using the space and what the best practices would be and a cost analysis of our reporting. So it breaks down every site, exactly how much it's generating for the district. Next slide is what the renter sees when they look at this brief overview. They start seeing pictures of our sites. Next slide. They start looking at whether they have an account or not. They get to sign up. It's pretty simple to sign up on that with simple information. Next slide. they start looking at a multipurpose room if that's what they choose to see at this particular site. They start seeing real life photos that we have updated and lets them know what the capacities are. And once they click into it, next slide, they can see the details of this space, does it have heating, does it have a kitchen, does it have a projector with a screen, what those rates are, and it also looks at the calendar of what's available for them. Next slide. They go into more of the detail of this facility, of the time and the date that they're choosing once they select that. And to our next slide, they start going into their checkout process. And in this checkout process, into the next slide, they start filling out the details for their event. Is there any parking required? Is there food going to be served? Is there any restrooms that need to be utilized here? So these are all different metrics they can connect with and that'll help them with their cost. Next slide. We'll go straight into their checkout process and this is where they would upload their certificate of insurance or utilize the Facilitron's insurance as well. Next slide, it goes into the rental experience of the insurance portion. They agree to whether uploading or utilizing a blanket insurance. Next slide. They go into their checkout process with their e-check or PayPal or card. And this now gets uploaded into the reservation portal. They get a request number. This now gets channeled to the sites. Next slide. Next slide. goes into the staff approval process. And so this process will, number one, they'll check for availability of the space. Do they have the staffing? Do they have the custodians? Do they have availability for the event and any additional items they might need? So next slide goes into our pricing comparisons. of what we're currently seeing out there. We can go into our neighboring districts here. Next slide. We're going to look at like a typical weekday four-hour rental for a practice field. We're able to compare once again with Fremont, New Haven, San Leandro, Milpitas, City of Newark with the cost per hour. But what the custodial per hour is, as well as the notes, two-hour minimums or three-hour minimums or one custodial and minimum 150 participants to rent that. So across the board, this is for less than 100 users for a four-hour rental during the weekday. Next slide. Pool pricing comparison with Fremont, New Haven, and San Leandro, what those minimums are and what the supplies cost might be. Next slide is our gym pricing comparison. That's a weekend four-hour rental for less than 100 users here. So these are costs with once again, the neighboring districts and what those minimums might look like. So overall, in some we might be a little bit high, but I think that has to do with some of our sites that are not used as much, so they're in much better condition. We have some newer facilities just by looking at some of the other sites and comparisons. So next slide, we'll go into our football stadium pricing. This is our weekend four-hour rental for our weekends. And we're seeing here, once again, neighboring districts with two-hour minimums, supplies, or if they need more custodians. And with our new football stadium, I think this is something that would give us an edge.

[11416] Tracey Vackar: Just a comment real quickly. In looking at some of the totals, I can say one of the things I know that I've noted on here is that our custodial hourly rate is really at our base rate. So a lot of times, they'll be actually going into additional overtime. So we would actually probably need to discharge the actual overtime hours, especially after hours and on weekends. Because that's what it would cost for us to be able to really make sure that our custodians are there and that we have our custodians versus just substitutes. And they have that opportunity to be able to work.

[11446] Jose Quintana: Correct. And those are all metrics we're looking at. Next slide is our next steps is to review and update the board policy administrative regulations, conduct a fee study to be in compliance with new laws effective January 2025, and review current operational processes focusing on routings, approvals, and response times. Any questions?

[11470] Kat Jones: Member Hill.

[11471] Aiden Hill: Thank you Mr. McIntyre for covering a very important topic. So question, so we have been using Facilitron for a while, but I think that the challenge that we faced is that there really hasn't been really, I mean from my impression, active management of that system. And so essentially, theoretically, we have all these different spaces that are set up in Facilitron, and then people can potentially reserve them. But it's kind of my understanding, anecdotally, that what happens is either people end up going and starting to use sites, or somehow they're getting some sweetheart deal, and it's actually not only not providing money to us, it is actually costing money, and particularly, as the superintendent noted, as it relates to custodial. And so I guess the question is going forward, what kind of management do we need to put in place so that this system can really function? And also I think one of the key things is an approval process. Because I know that, for example, at my school, we use Facilitron at the school where I teach. And we have every single space identified. And there's a very specific process. And it has to go through approval. And there's like a centralized function that is validating that. And if you end up trying to use an area and you don't have approval, you get in big trouble. So I'm just curious what our thoughts are around how to get a hold of this situation.

[11573] Jose Quintana: So that's a question we've identified. And I think having the director who's currently at MOT who is finding out these different scenarios where people are just going straight through to the principal and saying, I need it for this time. And it really is educating our site administrators, office managers, custodians to say, go back to Facilitron. You might have done it that way last year, last summer. We need to go through that process and this is why we're asking for this study to go forward to for routing and approval processes. So it becomes a board directive not because MOT is saying this or we want to the business services is trying to redirect us.

[11618] Aiden Hill: So and just to add on to that too. I think it's really important for everyone to understand that these are school facilities that are owned by the district and that ultimately the district needs to make the call around when they're not in use in normal hours, how they're allocated, and that nobody has any claim on these facilities. And I will give you an example. In my school where I teach, Every Saturday, there is a Korean school that comes and basically occupies almost all of our classrooms for the entire Saturday, almost every weekend of the month. And they come into my classroom. And even though it's my classroom and I have it set up all the way that I want it and I'm very particular about it, I have zero say in whether they're going to come into my classroom or not. Because in reality, I'm not in control of the classroom. The school and the district is in control. And so I think it's important for us to put those kind of rules into place to say that we're going to have some type of district office oversight that is providing being a part of those approvals and those sign offs and making sure that we're operating in the best interest of the district.

[11693] Travis De Freitas: So that's one thing I wanted to jump in and mention. It's all the points that you brought up are you know, kind of real time issues that we're exploring and looking into. One of the first things that I went ahead and did was I added all the office managers and school principals to the rental process. Currently, I have the final approval, say so, but I don't approve those unless I get pre-approval from both the office manager and the... principles. With that, we're also adding a tab to have custodians buy in as well, get an approval and assigning a custodian. Once they get assigned that reservation, that event, then they kind of take ownership of that and, you know, they're on site. for that event.

[11743] Aiden Hill: Ultimately you sign off, you're the last link in the chain. Correct.

[11749] Travis De Freitas: Lots of different obstacles and stuff that's been coming up, but we're looking at all avenues, getting the sites involved and trying to make things work as best and simple as possible.

[11763] Jose Quintana: As a follow-up, Member Hill, I think the culture has been, well not the culture, I'll take that back right now. My apologies. I think the The environment has been where we have not charged what we need to charge, direct costs, operational costs, staff costs, supplies costs. And so our sites have expressed, well, you don't make any money off of this. And so I think we're asking for permission for us to look at our pricing structure. and get more competitive so that there is an incentive for the district to have these facilities use agreements.

[11803] Aiden Hill: Great. Thank you, Mr. Kuehtaner.

[11805] Tracey Vackar: Also, if I can just state one more thing, also from an insurance perspective. Facilitron allows for the other people that are actually using our facilities to actually go into an insurance piece that would actually protect both the district, our property, where now we may not actually be getting that done at all and we may not even have access or they may not even have purchased insurance with coming on our campuses. And so we want to make sure

[11829] Tracey Vackar: that we're doing things safely, that we're protecting our own equipment and our own investment as well.

[11836] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Mr. Condeno, thank you for the presentation. Thank you for the details of the breakdown. The comparisons, I did see the dollar amount. Do we have deposits to withhold like to hold on the credit cards is that part of the process or like a say for example a deposit if you reserve 24 hours 48 hours to counsel 72 hours do we have that I believe it's the total charge on there they pay up front so when they're

[11867] Jose Quintana: paying for their four-hour rental or for a two-day rental, everything gets charged up front.

[11872] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: And just in case if there's damage to the facility, I mean, there's monies taken from that?

[11877] Jose Quintana: Correct. And so that's depending on the size of the venue, the certificate of insurance goes up in that per occurrence and the umbrella.

[11888] Tracey Vackar: If it was a really large event, we might actually ask them to put down an additional security deposit, depending on what they were doing, like especially they're using something, you know, into the hours and that might require additional security or. If we look at some things and we think that perhaps police department needs to be coordinated because the activity is so large, we'd want to make sure that we bring them into the conversation as well.

[11910] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Thank you also for the hiring the custodians. Is it per seniority? Is it something that you have? For custodial, is that a rotation available to our custodians as well?

[11924] Travis De Freitas: Currently, it's a rotation per site. So not seniority? No, not seniority. So per site, it'll be a rotation. So a perfect example is at the high school, they will literally switch between every single custodian every weekend. whoever is available and or interested.

[11940] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: And if there's no one available on site, I mean, can you go ahead and recruit someone else from a different site? Correct.

[11946] Travis De Freitas: I see. And get them familiarized with the site prior and all that as well.

[11951] Jose Quintana: Thank you. Definitely, these are the questions that we would go and work with Facilitron like deposits, security. We've had some events over a thousand that were a little, you know, that were concerning. So those are all things we want to identify. But our most active site right now is the middle school. So they're really advocating for facilities use.

[11974] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Thank you. Newark, we're a party city. We party a lot, too. So we just want to make sure that, you know, our families, they do do a lot of rentals for baptisms, quinceañeras, weddings. Instead of going to the local hotels or Doubletrees, is that an option for them to rent? these properties, these facilities?

[11996] Jose Quintana: I think once again, exploring and going into the study, seeing what those costs would be. I think we'd be a cost savings for those quinceaneras because our facilities are impeccable. Our high school, our gyms, our restrooms. I can see that being a viable venue.

[12015] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: And just one last piece, our athletic department and sports would have first dibs to all of this.

[12021] Jose Quintana: Absolutely. Students are priority over any other facilities use, rental, renter. That has always been the case for any facilities use agreements.

[12032] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: So during football season, we have it just all taken care of with home games, made sure that those particular events are not overbooked. Right.

[12045] Jose Quintana: And that's part of the process that we would connect with every site and seeing those not only response times, but what that program looks like, the athletic program at our high school. And those time slots would be earmarked for that program, whether it be soccer, whether it be track and field, football, baseball, you name it, they would take priority first over any facility use rental.

[12074] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Really appreciate it. Thank you.

[12075] Nancy Thomas: I was wondering if you have done a analysis of the revenue that we've gotten over the last several years. Do you have any estimates of our quote losses in terms of not collecting what we should be collecting or giving free use of our facilities where we should be asking for a fee?

[12102] Jose Quintana: Yes, we do have those and I'll follow up with that.

[12105] Jose Quintana: number and member Thomas, I don't have it with me, so I would rather send an email out to all of you.

[12117] Kat Jones: Thank you. We are going to be moving on to new business, but it's about that time. So I think we're going to need to extend the meeting. So I'm going to. pray for midnight.

18.1 PLACEHOLDER - Extend Meeting

[12137] Kat Jones: So let's I need a motion and a second for a meeting extension to midnight.

[12147] Kat Jones: I know nobody wants to do it.

[12153] Austin Block: I'll make a motion to extend the meeting to midnight.

[12156] Tracey Vackar: I think that was a hint.

[12158] Kat Jones: I'll second.

[12160] Kat Jones: OK, thank you. We have a roll call vote, please, Toya. I'm so sorry.

[12168] Toya Lemus: Student board member Lee?

[12170] Kat Jones: Yay.

[12171] Toya Lemus: Member Hill? Yes. Member Aguillano? Yes. Member Bach. Yes.

[12177] Toya Lemus: Member Thomas.

[12182] Nancy Thomas: I'm not so sure. Yes.

[12186] Kat Jones: You can say no. It's OK. Yes. President.

[12191] Toya Lemus: Six, five.

[12193] Kat Jones: Five and a half. All right. Meeting has been extended to midnight tonight. And with that, we're going to take a five minute bio break for anyone who needs to get up and do that or stretch their legs.

[12208] Kat Jones: We will return at 9 20. All right, we are now to 12.1, new secondary MVROP courses. Ms. Bacar.

12.1 New Secondary / MVROP Courses

[12819] Tracey Vackar: Thank you.

[12821] Tracey Vackar: Item, please. So I don't know how often you've done this before in the past, but when the ROP has a new course, we like to bring that course forward to our board to make sure that you adopt it. It helps us with a couple of things in the additional grants that we might have and also to make sure that you're aware and that we then actually vet that to actually go on to our our student information system to make sure that that course has actually been formally adopted by our board. So before you this evening is a welding and metal joinery. course curriculum. This is a 360 hour course that includes a combination of both the introductory, the concentrator, and the capstone course all in one. Sometimes you have separate courses that make up that combination, but this actually is a course that's done in a double block. both in the AM and the PM, and it's offered at the high school. So I just wanted to share this particular piece with you and ask you for your consideration to approve this item as presented.

[12882] OK.

[12883] Kat Jones: Thank you. So we need to take action on this, correct? Yes. Hopefully there's a question. Question. Member Hill.

[12893] Aiden Hill: So just just yeah just a question because I'm not familiar with the process but but so as you're talking about okay in CTE so you know you've got your your intro courses and then kind of depending on the resources at the school you might have You might have just one other course, or you might have a three-step course.

[12915] Tracey Vackar: So there's two ways that you can typically do it. You can either have three courses, which would be an introductory, which really doesn't count on the pathway indicator. But you definitely need to have your concentrator and your capstone. Or you can have what's called a program. And they've actually done this one as a program. where it encompasses all the hours and includes the combination, the introductory, the concentrator, and the capstone that's actually combined here is my understanding and reading through the course narratives as to what the ROP has done with this. That's not unusual. A lot of times your nursing programs, your welding programs, Some of your very specific ones that also have certification tied to them will also be considered a program versus just individual courses.

[12955] Aiden Hill: And the board has to approve this pathway?

[12958] Tracey Vackar: Yes.

[12959] Aiden Hill: OK. All right, well, what I'll say is that welding is an incredibly important skill. And people that get trained in welding have starting salaries of $120,000 plus. I think it's a great idea.

[12974] Tracey Vackar: I will share a secret with you. One of the things I really want to do in my retirement days is I want to learn how to weld. I have like this artsy mindset to be able to learn how to do that skill.

[12987] Nancy Thomas: ROP has really invested a lot of money. through their CTIG grant in welding equipment. And the welding program is really taking off. I've had a chance to tour it once or twice. Yeah, go ahead.

[13003] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: In regards to the welding and metal joinery, do we have an MOU that specifies going out and exposing, or not exposing, but creating like a resource fair, right? Like for our high school students, kind of to motivate our students to go recruit, not necessarily recruit, but to have it as an option to talk to our students about the program itself.

[13027] Tracey Vackar: I'm glad that you asked that question. Actually, I was just talking with one of our council members over the weekend. I know she's got some ideas around that. We actually do have a college and career fair that we do. And so there is an opportunity for industry to actually come in and have a conversation with our students. And I know our ROP makes a lot of opportunities just through their courses to be able to come in, specifically to be able to invite those industries to come in and come talk with our students while the courses are going on. So I think it's twofold.

[13054] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Is this also open to our families?

[13057] Tracey Vackar: I don't know that end of it. I think right now I know this is a high school program. It's not one that we're offering to adult education. We do have some other programs that sometimes are done through adult education that we offer. And I had to check with the ROP to see if they actually offer adult classes in addition.

[13072] Nancy Thomas: They do have adult classes. But is it for all subject matters? I don't know. Not for all, but for several.

[13078] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Reason being is that it's good to get the family involved, the parents involved, to know what their students are looking into for the future.

[13087] Aiden Hill: So the family that welds together stays together?

[13091] Tracey Vackar: They're soldered.

[13092] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: They stick together, absolutely.

[13098] Nancy Thomas: They do schedule an evening where families and their students can go to see the various programs.

[13106] Tracey Vackar: This is the entertainment at 930 at night.

[13111] Kat Jones: All right. Any other questions on this one? Okay, let's see.

[13116] Kat Jones: I need a motion, please. Member Aguillano makes the motion. Second?

[13127] Aiden Hill: I second.

[13128] Kat Jones: Member Hiltzik second. And can we have a vote, please?

[13134] Toya Lemus: Student Board Member Lee, how do you vote? Yes. Member Hill? Yes. Member Aguillano? Yes. Member Block? Yes. Member Thomas?

[13141] Kat Jones: Yes.

[13142] Toya Lemus: President Jones?

[13143] Kat Jones: Yes.

[13143] Toya Lemus: Six ayes.

[13145] Kat Jones: Great. That would make the motion pass. Thank you. All right, Delegate Assembly Election

12.2 Delegate Assembly Election Ballot

[13153] Tracey Vackar: ballot. Thank you. So this item actually is brought to you by CSBA. This is an election ballot where the board can choose up to three candidates. It happens to be three candidates on the list. So it kind of works out pretty good with that. The would actually serve as delegates here in our local area. It would help and support the initiatives of policies and legislation efforts that are done. on behalf of the Delegate Assembly. Would you like to say anything else more about this?

[13185] Nancy Thomas: Yes, I am on the Delegate Assembly and I know Diane and Sarah who are on the ballot and I've looked over all of their resumes and I think that they are excellent candidates and my recommendation

[13201] Nancy Thomas: So I'll make that motion is that we approve Dolly, Diane, and Sarah.

[13208] Austin Block: I'll second.

[13209] Nancy Thomas: OK.

[13211] Kat Jones: May I have a vote, please?

[13214] Toya Lemus: Student Board Member Lee?

[13216] Joy Lee: Yes.

[13217] Toya Lemus: Member Hill? Yes. Member Anguiano? Yes. Member Block? Yes. Member Thomas?

[13223] Kat Jones: Yes.

[13223] Toya Lemus: President Jones? Yes. Six ayes.

[13226] Kat Jones: Great, thank you. All right, the Audit Committee non-voting member appointments.

12.3 Audit Committee Non-Voting Member Appointment

[13233] Tracey Vackar: Thank you. Before you this evening is a recommendation from our Audit Committee to appoint a new member or be a non-voting member. And that member's name is Donna Bonaventure. I'm sorry. Buenaventura. Buenaventura. I'm sorry. Buenaventura. My apologies for mispronouncing that. And this will be a non-member.

[13256] Tracey Vackar: And this is before you for consideration this evening.

[13261] Kat Jones: Any comments or questions? All right. May I? OK.

[13268] Nancy Thomas: Member Anguiano and I interviewed this individual, and we strongly recommend that you vote to approve her.

[13280] Kat Jones: May I have a motion?

[13283] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: A motion to have the Audit Committee public member application and also accept it for the mentioned candidate for the Audit Committee as well.

[13294] Kat Jones: Thank you.

[13294] Nancy Thomas: I'll second.

[13297] Kat Jones: Are we on our motions? Thomas seconds. May we have a roll call vote, please? Yes.

[13302] Toya Lemus: Student board member, Lee?

[13305] Kat Jones: Yes.

[13306] Toya Lemus: Member Hill? Yes. Member Aguillano? Yes. Member Block? Yes. Member Thomas?

[13311] Kat Jones: Yes.

[13311] Toya Lemus: President Jones?

[13312] Kat Jones: Yes.

[13312] Toya Lemus: Six ayes.

[13313] Kat Jones: Motion passes. Snow Elementary School demolition. And we have one speaker for this, Ms.

12.4 Snow Elementary School Demolition

[13321] Kat Jones: Parks.

Pause: 10.2s

[13331] Cindy Parks: Good evening, once again. To say this agenda item came out of left field is an understatement. Where is the board approved district asset management plan? The attached proposal from Renew Clark Architects was originally dated July 10th, 2024. and has been revised as of February 25th, 2025. If this thought process began last July, why hasn't the district been working towards an asset management plan? Such a plan would enable you, the board, to make informed decisions about the district's asset as a whole. When the Russian elementary school site was sold, a 7-Eleven community was convened and community meetings were held. The outcome was the property was sold as is, leaving demolition to the developer. It is worth noting that the agenda indicates an assumed budget of $716,000 from a to-be-determined funding source. Based on my understanding, the demolition of a school property would not fall within the scope of Fund 25, your developer fee money. nor fund 40 capital improvement, improvement, leaving the general fund as the likely source. You should ask for clarity on the funding source. Upon seeing the agenda item in the spirit of transparency, I posted on two Facebook pages and on next door to inform the Newark community, this issue was up for discussion. Something I believe the district should have done, communicated to the community. A commentator on one of the posts suggested that spending money on property upkeep instead of demolishing the buildings might yield a higher sales price the property as is this raises an important question. What are the annual incurring upkeep costs. Do you know. and demolition exceed the revenue that could be realistically obtained from the sale of the property. Finally, have you sought direction as to whether a CEQA will be required due to the short impact of hazardous materials like asbestos? The lack of district-wide assessment plan and clear funding source underscores the need for transparency, strategic planning, and informed decision making. I urge the board to seek answers to these questions I have posed and prioritize a comprehensive plan for managing the district's assets as a whole. Moving forward, this will ensure decisions regarding properties like snow are done in the best interest of the community and the district's financial stability. Thank you. Thank you, Ms.

[13501] Cindy Parks: Parks.

[13507] Kat Jones: All right. Superintendent? Yes, thank you.

[13510] Tracey Vackar: I will be actually having a brief presentation on this and also share with the board and the community some concerns that we have for this property with regards to the vandalism that has taken place and the costs that we are incurring because of this vandalism. A lot of this happened over just the last couple of weeks. And it wasn't something that we thought we couldn't manage up until now, but it's become detrimental to the budget for us to be able to bring this forward to you for discussion and for consideration of demolition of this item for snow property.

[13542] Tracey Vackar: So with that, I'm going to turn it over to Assistant Superintendent Jose Quintana. It wasn't on board docs.

[13561] Jose Quintana: Okay. Thank you, Superintendent, the car. Just just a little background on this property here. This was the commission back and by the city back in June 4th 2021. There are currently no executive contracts nor will use with any other entity at the site. And with that, we've Kept it vacant because we did have our risk assessment insurance carrier Keenan and Associates who was able to walk the site and give us a hazardous assessment. And in there you will find pictures throughout showing the vandalism that has taken place since 2021. in the last four years that have incurred costs from having our alarm systems in place, our fire alarm panel reconstructed after vandalism. These are things that are to be considered when we look at a decommissioned site by the CDE that it's a risk for the for the district. Yesterday we were just once again broken into and our electrical panel our main electrical panel was stripped of its copper and of its breakers. That alone is a $200,000 repair. We currently have no fire alarm system in place. What we do have is a fire watch that we reached out to that we had in the past because of these type of vandalism that has taken place. So it has incurred costs to the district and I will be more than happy to give you a breakdown of these costs annually since 2021 what those look like. But we do ask that we move forward on this agenda item as currently it is it would be uninsurable if we did not have a fire watch or a fire alarm panel alone. Two days ago there was some youth that were on the roof running around and citizens and the neighbors called the Newark Police Department. And when they showed up they did visually see the students up running around. I say still youth running around on the rooftops. And by the time they got into the site they were not able to apprehend them. But there was damage done to the site. These are risks that we cannot take. If a youth was to fall off that roof, we assess, we take on that risk and that responsibility. Keenan and Associates have been very clear with that hazardous assessment that this is near its insurability. So it would definitely be a recommendation to go out to bid for demolition as soon as possible so that we have slab on grade with utilities on site that would be not only beneficial for the next developer or whoever purchases the property if that was the choice of the board. But you do have infrastructure in place, sewer, water, electrical, gas, under slab.

[13759] Jose Quintana: So if there's any questions on this, I'd be more than happy to answer these questions now.

[13768] Kat Jones: Member Hill.

[13770] Aiden Hill: So we've heard a lot of great things tonight. So there were a lot of different topics we covered and really great things that we're doing as a district. This particular topic, though, I'm very concerned about. I think that we are taking a knee-jerk reaction to something, and I don't think that a knee-jerk reaction is ever really a good approach. And what I've said in earlier meetings is that we need to be looking at our properties as a whole. And we need to come up with a plan before we take any action on an individual property. And I've asked that we form a 7-11 committee. And so rather than doing stuff piecemeal, I think that you will suboptimize. And I think it will be a detriment to our district. But as it relates to this particular project, I'm going to just give you a little analogy. So recently, I had a car that was eight years old, and it was starting to break down. And I had to basically do an analysis to say, OK, do I keep the car, or do I get a new one? And so I need to evaluate sort of what are the repair costs and what's the potential useful life versus, you know, basically selling it. And maybe and then I have options I could sell it I could repair some of it and maybe hopefully get a greater price Or I could just sell it as is And then what's the benefit to you know to get in a new car? I? Don't see any of that analysis here and And quite frankly, when I look at the specific information that came from the insurance company, so in their recommendations, nowhere do they say that we must demolish this school. We look at the recommendations here and they say there are risk issues and here are mitigations that you can take to address those risks. Now I know that there's potential costs with doing this stuff. But we haven't done any type of trade-off analysis. And we haven't said, well, OK, if we have to go put this on Firewatch and it's $20,000 a year, OK, well, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, a month. It's $20,000 a month. Okay, so but here we've got Renaud Clark saying, well, you know what, if we go through and do demolition, it's going to be potentially 700,000 plus. And so my viewpoint is that, you know what, so 20,000 a month, times 12 is $240,000. We have three years to make a decision on this because I think that potentially we could sell this project. this piece of land as is, and we wouldn't have to do the demolition. It could be taken over by somebody else. But these are all suppositions, right? And in my opinion, Just as like my suppositions haven't really been discussed and vetted, I would say also that the recommendations here haven't been fully vetted. We are not looking at this at a dollars and cents from a dollars and cents standpoint. And I think that it is very, very hasty. And I think that we have time. address it and then one last comment and this is really important for me so when I first joined the board four years ago under a different administration we had real issues with contractors and we had quite frankly You know, we had issues, and particularly in construction management. And we did not have competitive bidding going on, and there was a lot of a lack of transparency. And I'm very concerned because the guys that are now giving us this estimate, Renault-Clark, they have given us They have basically donated to the bond campaign. And in my opinion, that is a conflict of interest. And quite frankly, I think that they need to be recused going forward from being a vendor to us. Because we cannot have people believe, vendors believe that we can have pay to play. And just to support how serious this is and how strongly I feel about this, this is actually outlined. So in California, we have this thing called the public contract code. And the very first section of it, it says, The legislature finds and declares that placing all public contract law in one code will make that law clearer and easier to find. Further, it is the intent of the legislature in enacting this code to achieve the following objectives. So here's the whole point around having a public contracting code. Number one, to clarify the law with respect to competitive bidding requirements. Number two, to ensure full compliance with competitive bidding statutes as a means of protecting the public from misuse of public funds. And this is what we need to understand is that these are not personal funds. These are the people's money and ultimately it's the kids money. And so number three, to provide all qualified bidders with a fair opportunity to enter the bidding process, thereby stimulating competition in a matter conducive to sound fiscal practices, and then finally, and most importantly, to eliminate favoritism, fraud, and corruption in the awarding of public contracts. And in my experience in working in the procurement field, and I actually have an MBA that includes procurement as a part of that MBA. You cannot even have an appearance of a conflict of interest when you're working with vendors And so I'm very concerned about this. I think that we ought to put a pause on it and quite frankly I think that we need to form a 7-eleven committee to look at this as well as everything else in our portfolio So that's my two cents.

[14136] Aiden Hill: Thank you

[14142] Jose Quintana: So thank you for that, Member Hill. I do want to address some of your comments. For public contract code, this is something that you've not had here for the last, I guess you just said it, four years. You've not have policies and procedures for having an RFP process for bidders. Or a bond pool of architects and contractors that you normally would have through our bond attached to it and usually a CBOC would Would be part of that that would oversee that that would see it and actually contribute to the sites and going and making sure they're walking the projects making sure that The architects are being responsible that are in that pool and that the bidding process is being competitive. I think all of these public contract code points you made are valid. I mean that's something that's not been in place at this district here. Obviously coming into this district having that construction background. as well as De Freitas, our new director who has that background in construction management of the districts. This is something that we're looking at. We don't see any kind of pools for your deferred maintenance that you normally need to have once again with the public contract code and your bond pool. These are things that have not been in place here. And so, yes, there's a lot of question to your question and to your point.

[14225] Aiden Hill: Hold on just one second, Mr. Mr. Katana. Yes. So they haven't been a place. But what that indicates is we are in violation of the law. Okay. So the public contract code is not optional. Okay. It is the law and we need to comply with it. And we don't get like a get out of jail free card. Right. We need to put it in place.

[14248] Jose Quintana: So can I ask for the clarification. What violation of the law are we violating.

[14254] Aiden Hill: So as I mentioned, specifically, it doesn't look like we're doing competitive bidding around this and that particular vendor. So we haven't done competitive bidding around that particular vendor. But I'm even more concerned that that vendor has been making political campaign contributions to efforts here. And it looks like pay to play to me, right? And that's not good.

[14277] Jose Quintana: So that is a reported contribution under the Fair Political Practice Commission. that most architects and contractors do contribute and it is no way intended for pay to play. I think they know that and that's why they disclose the contributions amounts. So that's just one point.

[14298] Tracey Vackar: I think they were stated here that I want to go back and either correct or actually reset if I could. We absolutely must go out and do competitive bidding. What we were showing here were some estimates for us to be able to go out there and go do exactly that. So we have done a few piecemeal things that we've done with Ron and Clark. We had them come in. We haven't specifically look at our track and field and we had to look at our fencing project because we did have concerns with prior vendors. We still continue to have. Concerns as we move forward looking at various projects the idea would be is we get into our larger facility bond Program and when we have our list of what we're going to be doing we actually need to go out We need to go do competitive As for competitive bids for both contractors as well as architects, that you've got a variety to be able to choose from. So as you've got different projects that come up, you're able to sit there and then pull from that. But that would be a very competitive process that you have to go through. It follows the contract laws that you were discussing. I do want to go back and say that the CBOC does not have the oversight of being able to do and make the decisions on exactly what contracts are going on. That would actually be like an ed specs committee that we might go off and actually create to go along with facility planning, right? So you might have, so the CBOC has a very defined thing about looking at whether or not The appropriate monies were spent on the projects that is their oversight and specs committee would actually look at the various projects that need to be done at facilities and maybe assist in prioritizing or even looking at some of the architectural designs and concepts before bringing that to the board. So it's kind of two different that are sitting out there. I just want to make sure that we have clarity on that. We've not really been engaged with a very large expenditure of spending money on our facilities. And as we start to ramp up, we're going to need some advice on this as we move forward to make sure that we do this the right way as a district. that we spend the public's money the right way, and that we do our drawdowns, as we discussed with our financial advisors last week, the same way. That we make sure that we have a very structured program as we move forward. And with that comes the responsibility of going out for RFPs. You recently have seen our district go out for some RFPs, something that we have not done before in the past, because we want to make sure that we're being competitive. We want to make sure that we're getting the best bang for our dollar, and that we are making sure that it's very clear as to what the expectations are. when people were working with us for services on various projects that we're doing. So I do want to be able to kind of reset the conversation. This really came to you because we were getting concerned about the amount of vandalism that was happening. We thought we should bring it to your attention, that we should have a robust discussion. And I do appreciate the input.

[14468] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: I wanted to mention the fact that absolutely it is a liability to have children on roofs. That's a big concern. However, this is something that should have been brought to the neighborhood also to get the families that lived there for 25, 30 years, their perspective, also their buy-in to keep them posted on how can we make the neighborhood a lot more safer. We do have homes that have backyard doors that lead to the playground. You know, we're pretty much telling our families don't go into the playground when we have a door behind that. But we want to make sure that we take in consideration the 7-Eleven conversations in the group and to get their perspective as well. Because we can create a neighborhood watch. We can be and talk about these things. Whenever we see someone on campus, let's go ahead and just call the patrol. So there's ways around it. But demolishing the whole school at this point in time is not going to go ahead and cure nothing.

[14540] Jose Quintana: I just wanted to clarify there the Vandal watch would be from the evening hours into the early morning. If we did a 24 hour we're looking at closer to thirty five to forty thousand dollars a month.

[14554] Jose Quintana: That price was just for the evenings.

[14562] Nancy Thomas: Is there any thought that this site could be saved for any purpose?

[14574] Jose Quintana: Absolutely. What we're bringing here tonight is it could be different methods of how to address this.

[14581] Jose Quintana: One method was the demolition that was proposed back in July 10th, 2024 under Renault-Clark and approved by the board at that present time. The Renault-Clark services.

[14596] Aiden Hill: Yeah, their contract was, but this is the first time we're ever having a discussion about this.

[14601] Jose Quintana: My correction, just their services. They brought that back July 10th. Yeah, go ahead.

[14615] Austin Block: So just trying to get a better understanding of the situation. So if we were to not approve this action, you're saying the monthly cost for just continuing to ensure that the district is not going to be in a major insurance situation is $35,000 to $40,000 a month? That's the estimate. So if no action was taken tonight. Each ensuing month would be $35,000 to $40,000 until some sort of decision is made?

[14640] Jose Quintana: Correct.

[14641] Austin Block: A 24-hour fire watch. Got it.

[14643] Tracey Vackar: And I would want to go back and I would want to look at maybe some other models that we could provide the services at a more affordable rate. I think we've got employees. Right.

[14651] Tracey Vackar: And I think that's something that I'd want to bring back to our employee team and be able to work with CSEA on.

[14659] Austin Block: I guess just to offer my two cents, I mean, this is a huge dollar amount to approve on relatively short notice with not a super elaborate conversation. So I am quite hesitant. We're talking about $700,000, and obviously that $35,000 to $40,000 a month is a lot, and that will add up really quickly. So I guess my thinking would be that maybe this is something that we bring back again relatively soon and have a more elaborate conversation about where we can explore a variety of potential uses for the site and how many of those uses would require demolition or require not demolishing the site. Obviously, $35,000 to $40,000 a month to protect a site that is not in use is really not ideal. But maybe just holding off for the time being and accepting, biting the bullet on that $30,000 to $40,000 for one month, two months, while we come to a consensus on what to do next, maybe. what assuages the community's concerns and also allow us to make a strategic plan.

[14719] Tracey Vackar: And when we initially brought this on the agenda, we were not aware of, you know, obviously the most recent vandalism that happened that really kind of crippled the site to where now we're going to have to bring back and vandal watch. That was not something when we put this on the agenda that that was a concern of ours at that time. It was more trying to get the ball rolling as part of the discussion, get it out there in front of you, start thinking about these things. I understand also that we had the discussion about wanting to bring a comprehensive plan forward, and I'm still behind doing that.

[14747] Nancy Thomas: I really think that the comprehensive plan, the priorities for the first Was it, what's the, how many million dollars, 30? $30 million for the first sale of the bond. We need to make that a top priority of coming up with a prioritized list of spending and a rationale for that. Then we also need to make, I think, a long-term asset management strategic plan that Member Hill keeps talking about. I think that's very important. And concomitant with that, the 711 committee should be a first priority as well.

[14790] Kat Jones: Agreed. That is what I was going to ask. What I was going to say is, I don't know which way I'm supposed to go. That is also what I was going to bring up. I think it's really important that we do begin that 7-11 committee process. ASAP, so that we can at least, if this is our burning issue of where we start, then we can begin to really look at this and see what's best. But I do feel like getting that committee up and running as quick as possible is going to be key.

[14827] Jose Quintana: President Jones, just to follow up on that, for the 7-Eleven committee, I know we've mentioned other properties. Could we include Musick or anything else? We want to look at everything. We want to look at everything.

[14839] Kat Jones: Yeah, include those. I'm just saying that right now, this seems to be the top priority of our properties that we need to be discussing in that 7-11 committee.

[14851] Jose Quintana: Perfect. Thank you.

[14852] Nancy Thomas: I would hope that the 7-11 committee would would not be bound to specific parcels because we have a I think every Every potential parcel should be involved in the discussion with the community through the 711 committee.

[14869] Tracey Vackar: And in our study session, that was something that we definitely talked about.

[14874] Austin Block: Yeah, I think it would just be helpful next time we have this conversation then just like maybe, you know, hear about a few different visions for potential use of the property. I know there's been conversations about constructing, you know, affordable housing for Teachers and staff in the district. There's been conversations about Sale of land some people brought that up. Some people have brought up the idea of repurposing the facility for some other reason So I guess just like hearing what like a few different kind of potential options are and the pros and cons of each would be really helpful and just thinking through the implications and then

[14903] Austin Block: making a decision that's in line with community needs and district needs.

[14909] Kat Jones: So I would say at this point what I'm hearing from the board is that we are not going to vote to approve to move forward.

[14916] Aiden Hill: Yeah, we want to table it. Table.

[14918] Kat Jones: We will table it. Okay.

[14920] Aiden Hill: Great.

[14920] Tracey Vackar: Thank you.

[14921] Tracey Vackar: We appreciate the discussion. Moving into, oh, I'll let you.

[14927] Kat Jones: Go ahead, 12.5, go for it.

12.5 Report: 2024-2025 Second Interim Budget Report

[14929] Tracey Vackar: All right, this is our second interim budget report, so excited to be able to present this. Presenting this topic will be Assistant Superintendent Jose Quintana and Nancy Chen. And you have comments? Uh-huh.

[14943] Kat Jones: OK.

[14943] Kat Jones: I have one comment card from City Parks. And Ms. Lee, feel free to get up and go at any time.

[14954] Cindy Parks: I would like to start off by addressing slide 8, the second interim assumption continued. This slide highlights a significant drop in unduplicated pupil count from last year to this year. Dr. DeLeon made a substantial effort to encourage parents to sign up last year. However, this year that push was notably absent. This leads me to question whether significant drop, which continues for the next two years, is an accurate forecast. And I'm glad you found the typo in the handouts. I noticed that the handout's been corrected. Now I would actually like to address the critical need to reinstate the position in budget control position. As a cost saving measure in the spring of 2024, this position was consolidated into the responsibilities of the Director of Fiscal Services. However, I believe this change has introduced significant challenges and risks to the district's financial health. The director of fiscal services already carries an extensive workload focused on strategic long-term responsibilities like planning, compliance, and policy advising. Adding operational day-to-day duties such as budget control, monitoring, and proactive financial oversight has been proven unrealistic. As a result, the district has resorted to paying employees out of class pay, utilizing service contracts, or leaving the work undone. These tasks require dedicated attention, which is currently lacking. This has compromised the district's ability to ensure financial accuracy, compliance, and transparency. Since consolidating these positions, the district has faced challenges such as increased risks of errors and overspending, as seen with the stipends. Delayed financial reporting, including the 2324, annual audit, which you still don't have. Strained communication with schools and departments regarding their budget, and the retirees and new hires going without medical coverage for months. Regarding stipends in the June of 2024 board meeting, several issues were raised during discussions. Then Board President Aiden Hill requested draft policies and procedures. Interim Superintendent Vackar committed to having a draft ready by November, but this commitment has not been fulfilled. The Audit Committee has also held several meetings on stipends due to concerns about staff being overpaid because of incorrect calculations. Additionally, on Friday, I shared with Superintendent Vackar several issues I identified in records I obtained through a CPRA process for one of your vendors. These records revealed several procedural issues. This brings me to the critical point from page four of your criteria and standards review summary in your second interim. The question posed is the personnel position control independent from your payroll system. is not independent from payroll, which this raises concerns. I strongly recommend reinstating the budget control position By doing so, the district can ensure timely and accurate financial oversight, improving compliance, and allowing the Director of Fiscal Services to focus on strategic priorities that are vital to the district's long-term success.

[15150] Cindy Parks: Thank you.

[15157] Tracey Vackar: Are there other comments? No. Oh, OK. With that, we will pursue them with our presentation. Ms.

[15163] Tracey Vackar: Chen, can you please come to the podium? Yes. Good night, Joy.

[15177] Jose Quintana: All right, if we can put it on presentation mode.

[15190] Jose Quintana: Top left, top left. Right there, right there. Okay, tonight we are going to go over, good night Joy, our 24-25 second interim report. This is our second revision that you all should have with you there. We are going to present this, I'm going to present this with Nancy Chen, our fiscal director. And really, a lot of the lifting's been done by Nancy here, both of us just really gathering this data. In our second interim report, we're going to compare to our first interim report that we presented back in December 15.

[15234] Jose Quintana: These are the three major reports that a school district would present to the state, which is the first, second interim, and the unaudited actuals. Our report here today really is going to focus on some of the analysis and the differences between our first interim reporting. It's going to reflect a thorough fiscal review that are aimed at optimizing the district's expenditures and at the same time adapting some state assumptions.

[15269] Jose Quintana: Our goal is to implement effective budget reductions, strategies to ensure fiscal stability for the district for the next two years and beyond. You can find the comparisons in the first interim and the approved budget on page 42 of your SACS report, and our multi-year projections on page 51. You'll also find some one-time funding, like grants, like ESSER III funds. and fiscal alerts and contributions. These are grants received, basically funds that were allocated.

[15308] Jose Quintana: And consideration for fiscal sustainability. Part of our adjustments here begins with our beginning balance and carry over adjustments for our fiscal year 24-25. There's been no change from the first interim.

[15324] Jose Quintana: I'm sorry.

[15333] Toya Lemus: I'm sorry.

[15334] Jose Quintana: So our beginning balance and carryover adjustments for fiscal year 24 25 are no different in the second interim from the first interim of thirty three million eight hundred and forty three thousand dollars. And our categorical, which are restricted funds revenues, are $16.7 million, expenses at $34.7. We've had an increase of $429,000 in LCFF revenues. We've had salaries that were adjusted to a separate column. And we have benefits that were adjusted by savings of $88,000. And our second interim assumptions here, we have a ADA, that is our computed average, our funded rolling average, a daily attendance of 4,705. This will be a key number that I'll bring up in our other slides. When we go into our second interim assumptions here, we're looking at comparisons from our first interim percentages. You'll notice in those two highlighted circles there, that we were at 42.31 for this current year and our single year pupil percentage count and we have raised that to 48.84%. You will also notice that the three-year rolling average of the unduplicated pupil percentage is at 52.80 right below that. We do see some numbers that are scaling down. We do see those in the multi-year, but our district goal is 55%. Our unduplicated pupil count for a three-year rolling average is 52.80. And these are numbers that we're trying to attain with our online enrollment, with our numbers looking good, some identifiers for our UPP count. So I think we're heading in the right direction. Our enrollment graph here shows our enrollment versus our ADA. Enrollment is all the students that have enrolled into our school district. Our average daily attendance are those that actually are showing up to our classrooms, and that's how we get funded. Once again, our three-year enrolling average is 4,705. That is a number to focus on. Our declining enrollment in the last 12 years here, plus we've seen some

[15483] Jose Quintana: declining of 124 last fiscal year, this year 162 students. Comparing our second interim to our first interim budget, we're going to see what those changes are in that column, the last column there that you'll see. If you follow along, you'll see that revolving cash and stores, there's been no change in that. And our reserve for economic uncertainties, our 3% grew by 51,000. We do have other committed funds that have been no change with that. And our unappropriated fund balance, We do have an extra $133,000 there.

[15523] Jose Quintana: And total unrestricted fund balance, we have a decrease of $12,000. Into our general fund revenues here, these are unrestricted revenues. These revenues we're seeing are low control funding formally entitlement. That has changed. We do have an increase of four hundred and fourteen thousand dollars that's due to our CSI and Title 1 grants. Federal revenues no change for unrestricted. Don't get funded there and unrestricted. Other state revenues, we do have an increase there of $189,000 compared to the first interim. And local revenue, an increase of $94,000, a total of $698,000 increase in our revenues. Going into our Expenditures for our general fund, unrestricted once again. Our salaries, we see savings here of $144,000 compared to first interim for certificated and for classified $71,000. Employee benefits $131,000. We do see books and supplies where we have spent a little bit more there, but these were tools necessary for student achievement. And we do have services and operating expenditures, $813. These are other costs that we've had to incur. Once again, like MOT, flooring projects, other services. Capital outlay, we have saved there $10,000. Another outgoing $74,000 deficit there.

[15624] Jose Quintana: and total of $699,000 shy of $700,000 in deficit spending there. Moving into our Last section here for our expenditures are revolving cash and stores. There's been no change across the board from an adopted budget. Our assigned funds are from our LCAP. We've used $400,000 as our first interim. We anticipate going through these funds of $253,000. Our reserve for economic uncertainties are $2.5 million here for the second interim. You can find those on page 42 of your SACS report. I do want to say just with that LCAP in here and these numbers that we are looking at different funding sources.

[15676] Jose Quintana: We do have a reduction in our LCAP due to our LCFF funding.

[15684] Jose Quintana: We end up with a fund balance of $12.2 million. Next, we're going to go into our multi-year projection assumptions. comparing some enrollment and ADA projections and adjusted since the adopted budget, our local control funding formula, and our cost of living allowance adjusted for latest projections, and continuing employee costs increase, pension step and column, federal and state restricted programs, and current funding assumptions.

[15716] Jose Quintana: and maintain the minimum 3% reserve. In this chart, you will find our revenues, our adjusted COLA. We're at 1.07 currently, but you notice it increases into the next two fiscal years 2.43%. and 3.52%. These all assist and help us in the bottom line with our enrollment numbers. We do have projections from existing 4666 and next year 4497 and 4345 into our third year out. What helps us is that cost of living allowance that does help us with mandated block grants, as we'll see on the next page. But our average daily attendance here, our computed average three year, is 4,701.5 for current year, 4,490 for next fiscal year, and 4,362.

[15771] Jose Quintana: Our LCFF projections for this year 59.9, next year 58.3, and third year out 58.4. Continue on with our multi-year projection assumptions. We're looking at categorical programs, our cost of living allowance here. federal programs, state categorical programs at 1% across, and our lottery per ADA unrestricted funding and restricted. This is where the COLA kicks in here with our mandated block grants. COLA usually kicks in from Prop 98 for any categorical programs that are not covered under the LCFF. Here we have the K-8 ADA, $38. That COLA does go up in 25-26 and 26-27. That's where you're seeing those numbers go up at 39-14 and $40.52 respectively, 75-41 for grades 9-12. and 7806 for third year out. Here we see our expenditures for this MYP with our STRS and PERS. STRS has consistently stayed at 19.10. CalPERS is going up steadily from 27.05 to 27.40 and 27.50 third year out. Our supplies and services, these are numbers that we and assumptions that we continue to monitor closely. These are numbers that we've looked at, we've discussed in the past. Our routine restricted maintenance account, that has steadily been 3% of our general fund.

[15870] Jose Quintana: And salaries, NTA and CSEA are ongoing negotiations. And going into our last slide here for our 24-25 second interim, this is our three years of LCFF statutory COLA and augmentation. Once again, COLA 1.07, ending at 3.52. Operating deficits and surplus, current year 5.7 million. second year out at $25.26 million, $8.2 million, and third year out at $8.8 million. We do hold a reserve for economic uncertainties, percentage 3% every year, and remaining balance above the 3% current year is $3.3 million. But if you look at 25-26, it's significantly impacted at $543,000, and 26-27, $154,000.

[15925] Jose Quintana: With that, any comments or questions from the board?

[15936] Kat Jones: Member Hill.

[15938] Aiden Hill: Thank you, Mr. Quintana. So first off, I just want to acknowledge that I know that it's been difficult to get our arms around our financial numbers, and I know that The superintendent and staff have been doing Yeoman's work in that regard and I think that we've made a lot of progress. The challenge though that I have, and it kind of connects back to the prior agenda item, is I think that sometimes we don't look at things as a whole. We kind of zero in on a particular area, and we lose the forest for the trees. And so when I look at this information, number one, it's helpful. And one thing that we're missing in my mind, We've been missing it forever, right? It's prior to the current administration. It goes back to the prior administration. But we only kind of see this snapshot in time. And as Shakespeare famously said, past is prologue. And so it's important to be able to understand, well, What happened like the prior year, and then how is it connected to this year? Because oftentimes, if you look at the past, you're going to see some trends that maybe can tell you whether you're off track or not. So when I look at the prior years on audited actuals, so we don't have the final audited actuals yet, but the prior year audited actuals, so we had revenue at the end of last summer of $80.65 million. What we're projecting for revenue for this year is 78.91 million. So that is a decrease in revenue of 1.75 million. Okay. From a total expense perspective, the prior year on audited actuals, 81.25 million. Our projection right now is 84.70 million for this coming year. So that means our expenses, our revenue is going down 1.75 million, but our revenue is going, I'm sorry, our revenue is going down 1.75 million. But our expenses are going up $3.45 million. And this is confusing, because we've said that we're cutting the budget. Now, if you just look at those comparisons, you add up those two numbers. So revenue went down, expenses went up. We've got $5.2 million. that we're theoretically in the hole if these numbers are correct, okay? But where I think it's really important, and what I'm looking at, and for those of you that are really into the numbers, I'm working off of page, hold on a second. So the high level, it's both restricted and unrestricted. That's on page, the high level is to page 18, but the details of the expenses are on page 47. I'm sorry, I should be consistent here. So it's page 42 of 166 is the high level, and then page 47 of 166 are the expenditures. So I'm always interested in seeing, okay, what are the elements of the pie? So we know at a high level that we're saying we're going to spend 5.2 million more this year than we spent at the end of last year. So let's now break it down. And again, this is restricted and unrestricted combined. So we've been spending a lot of time talking about staff. But if we look at what's happening to certificated staff costs, Certificated staff costs at the end of the last fiscal year 32.09 million what we're projecting this year. is $29.9 million. So if you look at on page 47 and you look under total certificated salaries, you're going to see that we're saying $29.897, right? So I rounded up, $28.9 million. So what that says is that from the prior year to this year going forward, our certificated costs have gone down $2.2 million. So our issue is not in certificated staff, right? Our numbers are going down there. If you look at classified, prior year $10.59 million. This current year and our projection 10.26 million. So going down 0.3 million. So we're going down in staffing costs there. Benefits are going up, but it's not surprising. Benefits for the prior year was 15.16 million. What are, what we're projecting for benefits this fiscal year in second interim, 15.97, so that's up .8 million. So again, not surprising, right, we know this, okay. But if you go in and you look at what is driving this 5.2 million, it is books and supplies, and its services and operating, okay? So if you look at books and supplies, prior year we ended it at 1.94 million total. If you look at what we say here, we're projected to spend 5.2, basically 5.3 million on books and supplies. So that is an increase year to year, 3.4 million. Now my suspicion is, I don't know what the details are, and I think it would be very helpful to maybe have sort of a Staff provided some more detailed update around this, but I think why it's important to understand this is that usually books and supplies are not like an every year recurring cost. So something happened here that caused us to spike. from 1.94 million all the way up to 5.29 million, right? So 3.4 million delta variance there is a major part of that overall 5.2 million whole. The second part is service and operating. Prior year, 19.18 million. This year, 21.97. So that's an increase in 2.8 million. So you take those two categories combined, books and supplies and services operating, 6.2 million. So we've been cutting in some areas and totally ignoring these other areas, it looks like. And then if we go and we drill down to the services part and say, well, what's really going on? There's a whole bunch of different categories. So there's subagreements, there's travel, there's dues. And although you do see some interesting changes there, which might weren't getting dug into. But of that $21.97 million that we're spending on services and operating, we are spending $6.3 million in consulting. The prior year was $4.1. So we are increasing our consulting expenses by $2.2 million. So again, if we bring it back to the big picture, $5.2 million, right, almost half of that really is related to, you know, potentially to consulting costs. So we got a problem, right, and I think that we're not focusing on the right area. And again, it's easy to come and look at this like once you start to have numbers coming in. So I'm not trying to criticize, but what I am saying is that we have to really start to look at things holistically because I know that like where I come from in corporate America, The minute that you know that you've got some type of deficit, that you're losing money, there's certain actions that happen immediately. And one of the first things they do is they fire all the consultants. And I know because I used to be a consultant, right? And so we really need to look at this because I think that we're right now doing a tradeoff in staff versus consulting that is driving some of this variance. So I'm, you know, so I think it's really helpful to see this, but I think that what it is encouraging us to do is that the areas where I think we would like to have more information is, you know, why are books and supplies going up so much? And then why are we spending so much on consultants? And then what can we do to sort of course correct? Because I think if we course correct, we're not going to see these projections year over year that we're talking about because I think that these are correctable things, right? They're not like, benefits where you're going to have to pay it every year and there's a certain COLA and there's a certain expectation. These things we can potentially control. The one question that I did have as I looked through the numbers and the detail that I wasn't completely understanding is there's a category called other transfers. And in the prior year, there was a zero. Here, we're saying there's 969,000. Can somebody explain to me what that is?

[16491] Jose Quintana: Absolutely. Ms. Nancy, could you go ahead and take a gander at that? The other outgoing excluding indirect costs. At $969,000, is that what you're referring to, Member Hill?

[16503] Aiden Hill: Yes. So if you look at, it's on page 48 of 166. And you've got other transfers of apportionments. And it's 969,359. And I'm just curious what that is. Is that what it is? Yeah. How come we didn't pay that last year?

[16527] Nancy Thomas: We pay it every year.

[16528] Aiden Hill: It wasn't in the prior unhonored actuals.

[16533] Jose Quintana: I'd have to get back to you on that, Member Hill. I'll follow up with you.

[16536] Jose Quintana: OK.

[16540] Aiden Hill: So, I mean, and again, I could have made a mistake, but I went back and I was looking carefully at it, and in that category, we didn't have, we had zeros in all those categories, so.

[16549] Tracey Vackar: Yeah. It may have been budgeted, and therefore you didn't have the transfer that happened. Okay. So that could be an explanation behind it. So if it was actually appropriately budgeted, it would be great. But you remember last year, there were some things that were not budgeted, and therefore transfers had to occur, right? And also some of the expenditures that you're noting for services, we're actually putting all of our services in the right category, because remember, they're from ESSER. There's a lot of vendors that we're still seeing out there with support services that we're doing things with and then also with our special education services that we have to do for those. Various vendors that we've actually contracted with they're also sitting in there as well, so we can have a bigger conversation about that But we've actually earmarked like where those services are going is not like we're trying to hide them inside like other kinds of funds We're actually showing them here, which is one of the things that we talked about calling out last year, so that we can start to carve down to them and really drill down as to whether or not those are necessary in coming forward.

[16610] Aiden Hill: Right. And I just want to be clear, too, that I mean because I remember when I was a consultant and that I was trying to pull together a whole bunch of data that nobody had ever pulled together before and had to go sift through stuff and compile stuff and all of a sudden I like bring this answer to the executives and they're like well What about this? What about this? Why aren't you doing this? Why aren't you doing that? It's like, well, hold on a second. We just finally compiled the data. So I understand that we've been going through a process. But I think what's really important here is I think we're seeing certain things that help us to focus better going forward and where we can address things. And I think that maybe the financial news is better than we think because, you know, if it were simply like staffing costs and benefit costs that we were out of control, those are very difficult things and very painful things to cut. But if we're talking about books and supplies and various services, so those are things where we can maybe make more targeted cuts, right, and approaches, so.

[16680] Jose Quintana: Thank you for that, Member Hale. I just wanted to address just one comment on page 47 on the certificate salaries from original budget of that $3 million that you see. Those were our unfilled positions that were presented in the first interim. That we closed out vacant unfilled positions that At that time assistant superintendent Chris Williams addressed with the fiscal department that gave us those savings Of those three million dollars, so I just wanted to point that out, but that's that's helpful.

[16720] Aiden Hill: Yes, so what's your what you're saying is is is that in the prior year, when we were reporting a little bit more than $32 million in certificated salaries, some of those entries were being double booked. And now that we've corrected that, the true number is now 28.9.

[16741] Jose Quintana: They were carried on, Member Hill. I'm sorry. They were carried on to the next budget year.

[16745] Aiden Hill: Correct. And so that's why we've seen this reduction is because we were basically padding those numbers earlier. I mean, when I say we, it's the district, right? I mean, it was prior administrations. So, OK.

[16757] Aiden Hill: Thank you.

[16762] Austin Block: So is it correct that the ideal standard would be that more like 75% to 80% of expenditures would go towards certificated classified salaries and benefits? Is that what we're shooting for in the long run? Because we're at like 66% right now. Is that the direction we'd like to go?

[16781] Jose Quintana: Well, I don't know if that. I think that's just typical for most school districts to be the highest because that's who run the district, your teachers and your supporting staff. But that's not unusual to be in that percentage from 60 to 70%. It really depends on the size of the district.

[16798] Tracey Vackar: I actually think that's low, quite frankly. So, actually, one of the things that we're doing is we're actually commissioning a study school services, just to take a look at light type districts like ours that receive the same kind of funding, similar in size, so that we can actually look at that and kind of do an analysis of like, what are the other districts doing? What are their best practices? And then we actually went to a deeper dive in by looking at their budgets and their reports. to see how they compare to ours, right? So I think that's one of the things you want to look at. I would say most districts are probably north of 80% to 85% is really towards benefits and salaries. So I think that we are relatively low on that end of it myself. for what we do, but we have other operating costs that are much more expensive here than they are in other places. So there are some additional operating costs because you're actually operating a number of sites, even though it's small. It still is an operational cost to keep the many sites that we have open and keep our neighborhood schools going, which is a priority to our district, right? So another district of similar size may have half the number of elementary schools that we do, therefore they're saving other kinds of services and other kinds of expenditures. But I think it's something that, I think it's unique to each district as to what our needs and what we wanna, how we wanna structure our program. And I know right now neighborhood schools are extremely important to our community and to the board. And I think we're doing everything we can to keep that integrity in place.

[16886] Austin Block: Thank you. I had a question too. I was a little bit surprised by the kind of continued assumption of like a pretty steep enrollment decline for next year given the the TK sort of influx that we're gonna get. Why is the like decline in enrollment still projected to be so severe when we know we're gonna be opening up the TK classrooms?

[16905] Tracey Vackar: We use a trend and so we look at what the trend is and we make sure that There's an average that comes with that. So as we still continue to trend down, we look at a multiple year trend. The other thing you have to look at is you've got a rolling year average. So you're actually going back two years. So you've got this year and the prior two years. One of your falls off, right? So you have to then keep adjusting to go with that, right? So you actually have some real data. We've actually been doing TK for a while. And although we're promoting it and we're seeing great results, we are still watching our higher number of kids leaving us at the high school level. in a bigger number than what we're actually drawing in. So you're also having that too. It's a great question.

[16949] Nancy Thomas: I have a question. The assumption is that in the past we've been at 85% of salaries and benefits have been about 85%. That's really dropping down so low, but I still don't understand why services and other have gone up so much. I just don't understand it. And I don't think it has to do with how many schools we have. I think an efficient school and an elementary level should be about 600, 550 to 600 students. And our biggest is 450, right? So those are definitely a cost, but I don't see how. It explains why our services and other operating have gone up at such a percentage in our, compared to our salaries and benefits. Do you have any explanation for that?

[17013] Nancy Chen: I can give you an explanation. So let me answer first question. I'm from board member. So you're asking the other how to go 969,000. We added the explanation on page 21. That's the explanation. And for the expenditure for service charge, why is it going so high? Because, for example, we have an art and music program. We have $1.3 million we have to spend before June 30, 2026. That's why we fully budget half this year, half next year. That's why we increased the budget to $700,000 for this year, $700,000 next year. This is an example.

[17071] Jose Quintana: So thank you, Nancy, for that. And that's a good point that she's bringing here. I'm trying to get to that slide here. Here, services and operating expenditures here, why we have a $814,000 that we are reflecting here, higher than the first interim, but that's because Some of that grant was put into these operating expenditures and services. It's not outside professional services. This is using our art and music block grant. So monies were put into this fund so that we can service different students under this art and music grant, block grant rather.

[17116] Nancy Chen: So we have a carryover, $400,000.

[17120] Jose Quintana: Right, the LCAP carryover as we discussed, we had $600,000 plus $1,000. We currently have earmarked that $400,000 as well. into these services and operating expenditures still gives us $200,000 plus for that LCAP that we are planning on using up. Thank you once again. This I will say right now these are great questions and I hope I just answered your question member Thomas in regards to why we are seeing these expenditures the services and your question regarding our ADA at our sites.

[17162] Nancy Thomas: One more follow-up. Someone asked about the enrollment numbers. Don't we have a, we had a contract, I think it was with School Works, for an enrollment projection. Is that report ever going to come out?

[17182] Jose Quintana: So we engage, I think I engaged about maybe a week and a half ago now. The last board meeting, I think it was, we discussed that. So I've reached out to School Services of California, and they've given us proposals. We started that process to give them a PO.

[17198] Nancy Thomas: No, I'm talking about the. the enrollment projection. We've had a contract every year. Oh, you're talking about? For enrollment projections.

[17207] Tracey Vackar: And it's actually a new, so you'll be surprised to learn this, but the company that actually does it now is MGT. They actually bought out the other company that did that. And so that report is coming from MGT now.

[17222] Nancy Thomas: But I mean, that's the kind of enrollment numbers we should be looking at when we build up our budget. And we've always had that report. When is it coming? And I think the appeal. Or the contract was last year.

[17242] Jose Quintana: No, we get those every year. Remember, Thomas, and we use those for assumptions. Once again, those are just projections, but we have to give our assumptions here. These are all assumptions. So based on that study.

[17252] Nancy Thomas: Yeah, but I mean the report, the enrollment report.

[17256] Jose Quintana: We did receive that.

[17257] Jose Quintana: I can provide a copy for you.

[17267] Nancy Thomas: Did we ever do a capture? One of the things I had repeatedly asked for was a capture report. The percentage of the students that live in the district are we capturing? And was that ever added to the contract?

[17282] Tracey Vackar: So we discussed that with the prior vendor. I wasn't real pleased with the answer. And I'm actually working with another vendor to be able to look at some additional captured data by using some other trends. And I'll be sharing that with you soon, probably a contract coming back to you in April that I would like to be able to share with you and have a discussion about using other ways to be able to identify our students here in Newark based on age groups. So that we could actually do some more like direct marketing and mailing that would actually go out and be able to help support them and try to bring them back. I think it's another way of looking at how we capture it versus the old method. I think it's a newer, more trendy way of doing things. And I think they use a lot of algorithms to help them determine who in the household and at what age level they are, and that's the kind of marketing data that we want to have. And so I look forward to bringing that report back to you here in April as I'm working through that. It was one of the things that we noted on the vendor floor when we went to CSBA. And one of the more exciting pieces of information I was able to actually bring back and start working with them. So they actually have a proposal. I reviewed the proposal. We've been working on that. And that will be coming back to you in April.

[17356] Aiden Hill: And maybe we should talk to Facebook. I bet they know, seriously.

[17361] Tracey Vackar: They do. That's exactly where this data comes from. So this data all comes from those kinds of algorithms that you're talking about. And they capture things, whether it's through Amazon. So through all those different things that people actually opt into. or don't remember to opt out of, it captures that information.

[17379] Tracey Vackar: And then these companies are able then to gather that information, use that data, which would help us also make some informed decisions if we buy back that data. The good news is we are giving you a positive certification for three years. We are excited to share that news with you.

[17400] Jose Quintana: I did want to just finish off with there are three different types of certifications. That is a positive certification which we're bringing to the board here tonight. There's qualified certifications that That basically states that district might not have enough funds to make it through the school year. And then there's a negative certification where that district is going to run out of money before the end of the year. We do have in the state of California 32 districts that are Certifying as qualified and 16 districts certifying as negative to in our county here alone at Alameda County. So we are definitely in a much better position. I think this this board has made some decisions in the past to keep us fiscally solvent for not only the two years. coming up, but beyond. And so I'm very thankful for that, for this board's decisions to keep us fiscally solvent. I also want to thank Ms. Nancy Chen for all her dedication and hard work into this, into the SACS report. Her and I spent many, many nights just trying to get this report on time with as much accuracy as one can go through a fight through a comb and bringing these in. So thank you for that. And I also want to say thank you to member Thomas who's challenged us with this audit committee. The audit is done and we present the next following week, not only the general audit, but as well as the bond audit. So please look forward to that. So thank you very much.

[17501] Kat Jones: Thank you.

[17509] Austin Block: OK, so we need to make a motion, right?

[17511] Yes, please.

[17512] Austin Block: All right. I'll make a motion to approve item 12.5, the second interim budget.

[17518] Austin Block: I second.

[17522] Kat Jones: Could we get a roll call vote, please?

[17526] Tracey Vackar: Yeah, second.

[17527] Kat Jones: No, we got a second. Hill.

[17529] Tracey Vackar: Oh, I'm sorry.

[17529] Tracey Vackar: Hill.

[17534] Toya Lemus: Member Hill? Yes. Member Anguiano?

[17538] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Yes.

[17538] Toya Lemus: Member Block?

[17539] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Yes.

[17539] Toya Lemus: Member Thomas?

[17540] Yes.

[17541] Toya Lemus: President Jones?

[17541] Kat Jones: Yes.

[17542] Toya Lemus: Five ayes.

[17547] Kat Jones: All right, motion carries. 12.6. Thank you, Nancy.

[17557] Nancy Chen: Thank you.

[17560] Kat Jones: 12.6, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

12.6 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004, Part B Grant - 2025 Assurance of Compliance

[17567] Kat Jones: of 2004 Part B Grant 2025 Assurance of Compliance. It is. I had to, like, huh?

[17578] Sarah Kieser: So I would like to invite our director of special education, Antoine Walker. All right. Dr. Walker, the floor is yours.

[17586] Tracey Vackar: I know we've had some conversations.

[17589] Angela Walker: We have. We have. Newark Unified School District has been identified by the state as being significantly disproportionate in identifying our Hispanic population under a specific learning disability. eligibility. So as a result of that we have some work to do. We have 15% of the Part B idea money that we receive which turns out to be about $151,380, is to be set aside. And it will be set aside to develop and support multi-tiered systems of prevention and intervention. And this is targeted towards our general education population, right? So before they are referred to special education. This portion of money is not to supplant, but rather to support. so that we are putting in the multi-tiered attempts and systems to support our students that are at Promise and requiring more support at each of our school sites before we get the referral to special education. Three years, and we are assigned a state worker, and the state worker will partner with the special ed department and most definitely with ed services so that we can support our school sites, our principals, our general education teachers. and put in programs in place that will prevent the referral of too many of our Hispanic students being referred and being made eligible under specific learning disability. And you will get a much bigger. presentation after we go to the several upcoming training sessions so that you have a better idea of what's going to go into this CEIC plan, or CCEIS, I apologize, plan, which is quite comprehensive. And we will have a task force that will involve Our families, our students, our general education administrators, it's quite large and it's a robust task that we will be moving forward. Any questions?

[17747] Austin Block: I guess my question is just the why. Like why do we think this proportionality has emerged in the first place?

[17753] Angela Walker: And so that is the question. And so part of the self-reflection that we have to do as a district is really look at the data. We're looking at how strong are the intervention services that we have in place at each school site, do we actually have that Tier 1 and Tier 2? How are we using data to drive whether or not our programs are working in intervention as we move forward and end up with the referral for special education? Can we say with fidelity that we have really worked with our students? Another area to look at is how long of Our families, some of them are EL students. How long have they had EL services? And how strong is the program for EL services and its implementation? Because we want to give our kiddos couple three years to be with the English language before we consider assessing for special education. So these are some of the factors we're looking at and you know it's it could be driven off data but it's also it's looking closer at our culture at our school sites and how we are supporting

[17830] Angela Walker: our students that especially within this population.

[17836] Austin Block: Thank you. So will there be like a kind of additional sort of thoughts on that in the coming presentation?

[17841] Angela Walker: This was just the welcome to the club letter.

[17843] Austin Block: Got it.

[17844] Angela Walker: So we have some work to do and we want to make sure that we are coming up front with the plan.

[17849] Austin Block: Thank you.

[17852] Nancy Thomas: My question has to do with, it sounds like a lot of this is time that we have to spend with our staff, training our staff, our teachers and our, there's only so many hours in the day and so many days in the year. How are we going to carve out, even if we have that money to spend, we can't mandate that our teachers come to trainings other than trainings that are already in the books. How are you going to carve out the time?

[17885] Angela Walker: So we start with the task force with all of the constituents. Right. So we have the administrators and we have a couple lead teachers. And then when we because this plan has to be bought into it's not a special education plan. It's a plan to support general education. And then working closely with assistant superintendent and director of student services, then we will be working with the school sites. And it's more of taking advantage of the professional development time that we already have carved so that we come into those meetings and get a block of it each time. So it's not a one-time shot, but it has to be revolving. And yes, we are very much aware of the challenge around timing. Yes.

[17935] Karen Allard: I would just say two.

[17937] Karen Allard: At least on the elementary side, monthly, there is the 90-minute sessions where we can start to have a series throughout the school year, because that happens every single month, and that is during professional work hours.

[17952] Aiden Hill: It is quickly. So you mentioned about welcome to the club. Do you have a sense, though, of what percentage of schools in California are in the club? I suspect it's pretty high.

[17962] Angela Walker: So many. Yes. Thank you, Board Member Hill. Yes, so many. It's all of our surrounding districts, even New Haven and Fremont. They went through it and We're not alone. And you can go from year one to year two. I mean, it's, there's just work to be done along the way. And it's hard work, but I think it's meaningful work, especially when we're looking at, we want to keep our, our, our children in the least restrictive setting. So I'll have more for you when we do the formal presentation about what other schools are impacted with districts and some of the ideas that they have already put into place. We do have an assigned worker who's fantastic and She actually, you know, is from Contra Costa, so I'm really looking forward to some of the ideas of how she's recommending we use that 15% of support. So. You're welcome.

[18024] Kat Jones: Anyone else?

[18026] Angela Walker: Okay.

[18028] Tracey Vackar: May. I just want to thank Dr. Walker and her team. I know this is going to be really difficult work for our school sites as we look at ways that we can help and support all of our students. Right. It was difficult to sit there and look at the data and know that we had missed the mark. But we know that moving forward, this is something that we can't ignore, something that we have to move forward on, something that we'd like to be able to give you more often reports on, so that you know how we're doing and what we're doing and how we're actually adjusting our support services for our kiddos here in schools. This is really difficult. And again, the dollar amount, this is additional dollars that we have to sit there and fund. We're not getting money from them. We have to fund this from our own contributions that we're doing, right, in order to make sure that this works. It will be a concerted effort. We're going to have to work with all of our school sites, with our unions. to make sure that everybody's on board because everybody's going to have a role in what happens here.

[18089] Kat Jones: Thank you so much.

[18092] Kat Jones: We do need to have a motion to for this, correct?

[18099] Aiden Hill: Make a motion to approve the 2025 Assurance of Compliance for the IDEA 2004 Part B grant.

[18109] Kat Jones: May I have a second?

[18111] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: I second that.

[18113] Kat Jones: OK. Hill motions. Anguiano seconds. And a vote, please.

[18118] Toya Lemus: Member Hill? Yes. Member Anguiano? Yes. Member Block? Yes. Member Thomas? Yes. President Jones?

[18124] Kat Jones: Yes.

[18125] Toya Lemus: Five ayes.

[18126] Kat Jones: Motion carries. All right, we are at 12.7, resolution number 2024. 25.31 partially rescind the reduction of certain certificated particular kinds of services for the 25-26 school year.

12.7 RESOLUTION NO. 2024.25.31: Partially Rescind the Reduction of Certain Certificated Particular Kinds of Services for the 2025-2026 School Year

[18144] Tracey Vackar: Earlier this evening this might feel like deja vu for all of you. I'm going to ask that you take this openly here in open session. The members that made the motions were Member Hill and Member Thomas, who made the motions. If you could consider doing it again in open session, that would be much appreciated.

[18164] Aiden Hill: So I move to approve resolution number 2024-25.31, partially rescind the reduction of certain certificated particular kinds of services for the 2025-2026 school year. I'll second that.

[18178] Nancy Thomas: All right. Thank you.

[18180] Toya Lemus: Thank you. Member Hill?

[18183] Aiden Hill: Yes.

[18184] Toya Lemus: Member Anguiano?

[18185] Aiden Hill: Yes.

[18186] Toya Lemus: Member Block?

[18186] Aiden Hill: Yes.

[18187] Toya Lemus: Member Thomas? Yes. President Jones? Yes. Five ayes.

[18192] Kat Jones: Thank you. As we move on to the consent agenda, 13.2, we have two speaker, one speaker, I'm sorry, Ms.

[18204] Kat Jones: Villa.

[18211] Chery Villa: Before I start, can I just bring the professional development time? Secondary, the total prep time is 267 minutes per week. Elementary, it's 260 per week. But the nine Fridays that we've had professional development, that's over 1,000 minutes that we have to use for professional development. So it becomes inequitable between elementary and secondary when we have to have Friday PDs. We're talking about when we're going to have these professional developments.

[18250] Chery Villa: If they're on Fridays, we're taking away elementary prep time. So all right. I would like to. Properly acknowledge and thank our former interim assistant superintendent of human resources, Chris Williams. Mr. Williams is no longer working with us as his time here in our district is over. At his first school board meeting, Mr. Williams introduced himself using three words, passion, purpose, and conviction. Please allow me to share an example for each one. First one is passion. While in Newark, touring the 9-11 memorial, Mr. Williams wandered away from his wife and pretended to be lost in order to sneak in a quick call regarding NTA and NUSD business. That's what I call passion right there. Taking a risk like that, and again, thank you, Mr. Williams. His purpose, Mr. Williams' purpose while his time was here was to recruit and hire people to work in our district. While I will remind you that, once again, we are the lowest paying salaries in our surrounding areas, except for our executive cabinet and superintendent, of course. Let's see. Now, except for our special ed and contracted positions, and including our long-term services, the first school year in several years since before COVID even that we started a school year being fully staffed. So again, thank you, Mr. Williams for conviction. Mr. Williams often shared his belief that a successful organization builds culture and relationships among all of its employees and ultimately, All planning, decision-making, funding actions should benefit all students. So Mr. Williams, if you're listening, on behalf of NTA, thank you for being willing to relocate away from your family anywhere from two, three, and four days per week over the past year. Thank you for not just acknowledging, but for actually taking the actions to address the non-existing protocols and broken procedures throughout our district that pertain to our FTA members. Thank you for going above and beyond you and your department with the time and energy to cut roughly $11 million from our budget.

[18394] Chery Villa: NUSD is a better place because of you. Again, thank you, Mr. Williams.

13.2 Personnel Report

[18403] Kat Jones: Thank you, Ms. Filda. All right. Would anyone like to pull the personnel report?

[18411] Aiden Hill: Yes. Yes, I'd like to pull the PAL.

[18413] Kat Jones: All right. Since that is all there is on the consent agenda item, member Hill.

[18422] Aiden Hill: OK, thank you, President Jones. So I want to first say. that I believe that Ms. Walker and Ms. Golliher are incredibly talented human beings and contributors to our district. And our district is a better place because of you. And you are both doing incredible work. And quite frankly, Ms. Walker, I don't think that our SPED department has ever been operating as well as since you've come in and taken over. And Ms. Golliher, we've heard from the community that came here this evening about how well loved and appreciated So my comments really have nothing to do with you as individuals, but what I'm concerned about is that we as a district have had a history of a lot of times taking people who are really succeeding and doing well in certain roles and then putting them into brand new roles that, you know, where they may not have formal training or experience. And we've seen the results, right? And it hasn't been good. And so I understand that we have a gap right now with Mr. Williams leaving. But I really want us to take a deep breath and evaluate this because I'm concerned that all the progress, Ms. Walker, that you've done in SPED may, you know, You have big shoes to fill. And even though Ms. Golliher is wonderful, right, but she's newer to this. And then Ms. Golliher, you know, again, you know, you're making incredible strides at Lincoln right now. I mean, it's just amazing what you guys are doing there. And I'm just concerned. and especially considering as some of the other community members had mentioned, you know, that sort of midstream, it's just, it's concerning. And so, I really want us to take a deep breath and I, and, And so that's just my comment about that, that we may need to make some temporary adjustments here. But I really want us to think about what are the highest and best roles for everybody. So that's my input.

[18585] Kat Jones: Anyone else want to speak on this? OK. Then I will look for a motion to pass the PAL.

[18600] Austin Block: I'll make a motion to approve the PAL.

[18601] Austin Block: OK.

[18604] Kat Jones: A second?

[18608] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: I'll second that.

[18609] Kat Jones: Okay.

[18611] Kat Jones: And roll call, please.

[18615] Toya Lemus: Member Hill? Yes. Member Anguiano? Yes. Member Block? Yes. Member Thomas? Yes. President Jones?

[18622] Kat Jones: Yes.

[18623] Toya Lemus: Five ayes.

[18626] Kat Jones: Great. Thank you so much. I just want to say I'm really grateful that the two of you are willing to step into these positions and to help out. And, you know, I know that you're going to be supporting each other and making this happen for us.

[18645] Kat Jones: But thank you very much. All right. And thank you for being here for so late tonight to wait for this moment. We really do appreciate it.

[18659] Kat Jones: Would you like to say something?

[18667] Angela Walker: Thank you so much. Everyone knows special education is my passion. Students are my passion. And I never thought that when I got to Newark that the people and the community would become my passion. And I drive here and I think to myself how lucky I am to see the people around me and have the support that I have. I want to continue to build positive relationships with all of our constituents, with our families, our teachers, the teachers union, the whole community of Newark. It's a special place. And so I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve and the new role and work hard for you and partner with Amanda, who I adore and have known for many, many years. So I think that

[18724] Angela Walker: I think we are headed in the right direction and thank you so much for the opportunity.

[18736] Angela Walker: So thank you for the opportunity as well. I look forward to being able to serve in a new capacity. So I'm also wanting to move forward with the same dedication and commitment. that I have to my Lincoln community, that I had for our music community, and bring all of those skills to serve all of the students in NUSD, ensuring that they have the services, resources, and advocacy that they deserve. So thank you for that opportunity.

[18765] Kat Jones: Thank you. All right, we are now on to the consent agenda, non-personnel items. Are there any items that anyone would like to pull?

[18782] Nancy Thomas: I'd like to pull 1410.

[18783] Nancy Thomas: OK.

[18789] Kat Jones: Any others? Member Hill.

[18794] Aiden Hill: I'd like to poll 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 14.5.

[18798] Aiden Hill: No, I'm just kidding.

[18803] Kat Jones: Thank you. We're all laughing, sort of. All right. Let's see. May I have a motion for 14.2 through 14.9 and 14.11 and point 12. Oh, I'm so sorry. I apologize. 14.4. We have a speaker, Ms.

14.4 Report: Contracts

[18830] Kat Jones: Parks.

[18834] Kat Jones: Thank you for your patience.

[18839] Cindy Parks: I'm glad to see a concerted effort to review contracts more frequently than quarterly. Last Friday afternoon, when I met with the superintendent regarding contracts with one of the particular vendors through the CPRA request, I had gotten those purchase orders and everything, as I explained to you earlier. that I would like to turn to the contracts before you this evening. The first contract is with Dina Palmer as an HR consultant. After reviewing the scope of work, I'm left unclear about the specific tasks the district expects from Ms. Palmer to accomplish for the $30,000. While I understand she worked as the Director of Purchasing for Fremont Unified before retiring last year, it's worth noting that she has no HR experience. What qualifies her for this role and what deliverables are being outlined in this agreement? Because it seemed kind of nebulous. The second contract is with a confident living company for up to $49,000, covering a period from July 1st of 24 to June 30th of 25. However, the contractual timeline raises questions. The vendor signed on November 4th. Angela Walker signed on February 3rd. The purchase order is dated February 18th has just begun providing services last month or did the work begin with your Another contractual issue I'd like to bring to your attention happened during the discussion at the February 18th study session. Board member Hill raised concerns about the lack of project list for Measure O funds. In response, Mr. Quintana stated that a list existed, and it originated from the Renew Clark architects who were tasked with assessing all sites. He also claimed this was approved by the board in June of 2024. However, the only board contracts approved with Renew Clark architects I hope you will see answers to the contract was signed or the original date in July. for assessing all of the individual sites. Thank you.

[19002] Tracey Vackar: Thank you, Ms. Parks. So I think we can break this down.

[19005] Tracey Vackar: Angela, can you maybe speak on the one item, please?

[19010] Yeah.

[19011] Angela Walker: So the second item is a contractor. It's a vendor that supports mental health. And we had one student that was utilizing this. And then we had to increase services based on the IEP as it was written. But the services were provided through the course of the year. But if you look at the details of that particular contract, it was a request to increase because the amount increased due to the needs of the student.

[19041] Tracey Vackar: Thank you.

[19042] Angela Walker: So it's not a new vendor. Thank you.

[19046] Tracey Vackar: It's an increase of services. Can you address the second piece on that, Mr. Quintana, regarding the vendor?

[19055] Jose Quintana: Yes, regarding Dina Palmer. So Dina Palmer was hired at the capacity to look into our stipends, our overtime. She started to look into the department chair, coaching stipends. more of an internal controls role to look at what are processes and she's been meeting up with HR, business services, fiscal, payroll, and for what I know is that she'll be meeting up with the unions and kind of with Ms. Cheri Villa here in looking at these processes because that was one of the requests from our audit committee is to have some type of internal control, some type of internal audit to move forward since we, it would be Nancy and I doing the work. There's no one else that would do that. So we went ahead and hired her. to in that capacity to start addressing the stipend and overtime as we know those two combined are exorbitant amount of numbers that I've reported for in the past. I think we're at 350,000 just on stipends close to it in overtime. I think that that is money well worth into. That internal control our internal audit process, so that's her capacity So it starts with HR because that's the process for the personal action forms I've also asked board member Thomas to spend a few minutes with

[19136] Tracey Vackar: with Dina so that they could, you know, converse about some of the findings that Ms. Thomas has worked on in the past. We want to make sure that we capture some of the bigger concerns. I will share with you that she's already pointed out to us some various elements of what our policies say and what our practices are, and then also with the CBA contract say. So there's actually a lot of disconnects, as you well know, Board Member Thomas, and so I think she will be speaking your language. Thank you.

[19170] Aiden Hill: All right. And I just have a comment on this topic. I mean, there were a few things that were kind of discussed. But one concern that I've had that dates all the way back to when I first joined the board and under the prior administration. People probably saw some pretty passionate speeches that I made. But I'm very concerned. I mean, I'm very focused. And I believe it's very important to do purchasing and contracting appropriately. And when we talk about internal controls, right, one of the key controls is that when you're going to go and buy something or you're going to purchase a service that a request needs to be placed. It needs to go through an approval chain. Not until it's gone through an approval chain is it sourced. And ideally, it's sourced by a different person than the person who's the requester. And then finally, once, you know, essentially there's been, that no work is done, until a contract is in place and a purchase order has been issued. And we had all sorts of violations happening in the prior administration. And I want to make sure that that doesn't happen. And also there needs to be transparency of the board. And I'm just going to read you from Ed Code 17604 contracts. So wherever in this code the power to contract is invested in the governing board of the school district or any member thereof. The power may, by a majority vote of the board, be delegated to its district superintendent or to any persons that he or she may designate, or if there be no district superintendent, then to any other officer or employee of the district that the board may designate. The delegation of power may be limited as to time, money, or subject matter, or maybe a blanket authorization in advance of its exercise, all as the governing board may direct. However, no contract, and this is the part that's important, no contract made pursuant to the delegation and authorization shall be valid or constitute an enforceable obligation against the district unless and until the same shall have been approved or ratified by the governing board. Right. And we and I know that we've I've had some conversations with the superintendent about this and I believe that that she feels the same way as well that that We need to go through proper contracting, and that we need to have a contract in place, and that we need to have a purchase order in place. And even if the contract is under the superintendent's signing limit, that that contract still needs to be brought to the board in a timely fashion for us to ratify and approve. So I just want to make sure that we're following this.

[19340] Tracey Vackar: And that's why this is on here immediately for your ratification.

[19344] Aiden Hill: Great.

[19345] Tracey Vackar: I don't want to wait quarterly.

[19346] Aiden Hill: Great. Great. Thank you.

[19348] Nancy Thomas: I'd like to echo that. I really appreciate that you're bringing them to us as they come.

[19354] Jose Quintana: Thank you. I'm almost inclined to ask Member Hale. Would you like to see a process or a mapping of some sort of these different types of like CMAS, RFP, CAPCA, architect pool, contract pools for deferred maintenance and bond? perhaps an export meeting that I can provide.

[19380] Aiden Hill: Well, I mean, I think it would be great to see the process. I mean, the process documented because we have not really had a very Well, well or sometimes at all process documented. And there's different types of purchasing, and there's different types of approval limits. And I think it would be great to document that and make sure that the board is aware of it.

[19404] Jose Quintana: I'd be glad to present that at the next board meeting.

[19410] Kat Jones: All right, are we ready to make the motion?

[19413] Kat Jones: 14-2 to 14-9, 14-11, and 14-12. Do I have a motion?

[19423] Nancy Thomas: I make the motion to approve those.

[19426] Austin Block: A second?

[19428] Austin Block: I'll second.

[19433] Toya Lemus: Yes. Member Hill.

[19440] Aiden Hill: Yes.

[19441] Toya Lemus: Member Anguiano.

[19442] Aiden Hill: Yes.

[19442] Toya Lemus: Member Block.

[19443] Aiden Hill: Yes.

[19444] Toya Lemus: Member Thomas.

[19445] Kat Jones: Yes.

[19445] Toya Lemus: President Jones.

[19446] Kat Jones: Yes.

[19447] Toya Lemus: Five ayes.

14.2 Purchase of Van for Child Nutrition Services (Approved on Consent)

14.3 Purchase of Dishwasher for Newark Memorial High School (Approved on Consent)

14.5 Report: Monthly Purchase Order Report (Approved on Consent)

14.6 FIELD TRIP: Curricular, Overnight Trip for Newark Memorial MCA Seniors to travel to Los Angeles. (Approved on Consent)

14.7 FIELD TRIP: Non-Curricular Field Trip (Approved on Consent)

14.8 Resolution 2024.25.29 Declaring Surplus Equipment (Approved on Consent)

14.9 Williams Uniform Complaint Quarterly Report October 1, 2024- December 31, 2024. (Approved on Consent)

14.11 MINUTES of the January 21, 2025 Regular Meeting of the Board of Education (Approved on Consent)

14.12 MINUTES of the January 29, 2025 Special Meeting of the Board of Education (Approved on Consent)

[19448] Kat Jones: Great.

[19448] Kat Jones: Motion approves. All right, 14.10. Member Thomas.

14.10 Facility Use Agreement Between City of Newark and Newark Unified School District

[19458] Nancy Thomas: Thank you. brief exchange with the superintendent about some of the questions I had. And I thought it would be useful to hear from you, superintendent, about the process you went through with the city and issues that might arise.

[19474] Tracey Vackar: Sure. Thank you so much. So this is kind of an exciting opportunity something we've been talking about now for a couple of months about the idea of being able to actually do our board meetings at the city offices in the board in the council chambers. We have met with the city staff. We have had our IT department converse with them and look at things. We've had our executive assistants work together. We've looked at calendaring. For this coming year, I recognize that we are a guest in their facility and so we wanted to make sure that we weren't intruding on any of their work and in any of their times. For the majority of our meetings, we are able to actually be housed there. There are a couple meetings that we are going to have to change either on our end and find a different date because there is a conflict. Mainly because it didn't fall either underneath the first or the third Tuesday, but there are other days that are available for us to be able to work with the city staff to be able to identify those. So we'll be looking at. the months of June and December in particular to make sure that on those unusual days that we're kind of a little bit off schedule that we're able to find either an alternate date or location we'll be bringing back to the Board. I think the biggest one that we noted was the one for the December

[19551] Tracey Vackar: I want to say, whatever the December meeting was that we were supposed to do our organization meeting, that is a date that we would have to go back and go change, or else we would have to host that here in this particular facility. For the December meeting, for sure, that would be a change of either location or also a different date that we would have to identify with the city. And we'd have to then get your approval to be able to change the meeting date. There also is one also in June that- Yes.

[19586] Kat Jones: Yeah.

[19587] Tracey Vackar: But they have they are going to work with us they've been wonderful they've been great partners with making sure that we will have access to sound and equipment that will be able to promote our. Our meeting is up to the community. We've talked about hours. We've talked about security. I think we've gone through just about everything. We've talked about the size of the signs and how they fit in their placeholders. We've talked about how electronics work. And we've looked at the day as president. was able to come and join us, and we were able to actually sit there and take a look at what that dais looks like, where staff would sit. Staff would be a little bit lower, just like how they are with the council chambers. So we'll be sitting down. We'll actually be on opposite sides of each other. Toy and I will be facing each other for some communications. Then the rest of our staff will be sitting out in the audience. when they're doing presentations with us. All of our board members will be up on top. And there are five spots up there. Student board member will be sitting down lower with me, because there isn't a sixth spot. And we've tried to figure out how we would squeeze that person in. There just really isn't room with the way how all the electronics work. But I think there's plenty of room for her to be down there with us and to be able to be recognized and also allow for her to be able to do some presentations, perhaps even from the podium, which I think she would probably enjoy doing.

[19668] Nancy Thomas: So what is the first day that we're meeting that we're going to do it and what is the plan to communicate this to the public and staff and everyone else.

[19680] Tracey Vackar: Once you take the action here this evening, I will sign this and then we will be putting out information on our website as well as through Parents Square to let everyone know that we're moving. We'll do a reminder of that happening. We'll also be posting our agenda locations, not only here at our site, but we'll also be posting it over at City Hall. And so we'll have access to their window where we're able to actually post our agenda there. They've made accommodations for us to be able to post, and so we'll be able to do that. So Toya will be able to list that there as well. Like I said, we've worked with security. We've talked about keys. We've talked about passes that we need to do. All of those things are moving in place so that we have access. There are some limitations, though, on time. I know this will disappoint you.

[19726] Tracey Vackar: We do have a curfew. Staff was happy didn't you kind of cheered a little bit if you want to know the truth. There's a curfew. So we will turn into pumpkins at 11 p.m. over at City Hall. So that would be probably the one thing that would be a little bit different than what you've had here in your meetings. And if there's agenda items that we need to shift around, I think maybe one of the conversations would be, if we get to that bewitching time that you need to extend the meeting, and it goes beyond that, that we may look at what items could be tabled to the next meeting. and not impact some of the work that's going on. So those will be things that I'll be thinking about as we present the agenda and we work through that you navigate these new waters.

[19774] Tracey Vackar: I hope that will be helpful.

[19777] Aiden Hill: And related to that, I don't think anybody objects to having a curfew. But I know that I've heard comments from various community members, obviously, at the length of our meetings, but also a feeling that sometimes, you know, are all of the topics that we're covering absolutely essential. And so if we're going to be having a compressed time period, I think we need to be very selective.

[19804] Aiden Hill: And my suggestion also is that we tee up the most important things first so that we don't run out of time.

[19813] Austin Block: I've also heard about some districts doing like their closed session at the end of the evening as well. So that public comment can happen a little bit earlier. Is that something that could potentially be under discussion as we transition sites as well?

[19824] Tracey Vackar: It is something that we can take a look at. It's also something that the only issue is, again, of course, if we have an 11 PM curfew and you go beyond that and we don't do our closed session, that could be concerning, especially on some of the matters that we might have. I would say that if it's a time-sensitive matter, that we would still want to be able to do that closed session up front. And if it's something that can be kind of pushed on the back burner that doesn't require us to come out and report out necessarily, we might push those on the back and maybe somehow kind of share in those.

[19859] Tracey Vackar: Good question.

[19864] Kat Jones: One of the things. that I also thought about was, as much as we have been really good about honoring public comment and giving everyone three minutes, that if we do have an issue where there are, if you look at our comment card thing, it says if you're, if we're between one and, I gotta put the alt specs on. One to 10, it's three minutes. 11 to 15 speakers, it drops down to two. And so we may have to stick with what it says on our comment card in order to be able to keep public comment to a reasonable length of time, because that's one of the things that often extends our meetings.

[19904] Kat Jones: As much as I don't want to do that, that may be something that we have to really consider. All right, anything else from anyone?

[19916] Tracey Vackar: Just lastly, I just want to really thank the city of Newark for really opening up their doors to us. to try to find great solutions to help us be able to communicate our agendas and the work that we do on behalf of the community and the parents and families here. And so I just really want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of them. They've been very solution driven.

[19945] Kat Jones: All right. Thank you everyone. Could I ask for a motion for 14 point 10.

[19953] Nancy Thomas: I move that we approve 14 point 10 and a second.

[19956] Toya Lemus: I second.

[19957] Kat Jones: Thank you.

[19958] Toya Lemus: Member Hill. Yes. Member Anguiano? Yes. Member Block? Yes. Member Thomas?

[19968] Kat Jones: Yes.

[19968] Toya Lemus: President Jones?

[19969] Kat Jones: Yes.

[19970] Toya Lemus: Vice Vice.

[19971] Kat Jones: Motion carries. Thank you so much. All right. We are at the time of the evening where it is Board of Education Committee reports, announcements, requests, debriefs, discussions.

16.1 Board of Education Committee Reports, Announcements, Requests, Debrief and Discussion

[19982] Aiden Hill: Member Hill. I don't have any specific updates. I just want to thank all of our executive cabinet and all of our principals and all of our teachers for all of the continued hard work that they're putting in to make our district great.

[19998] Aiden Hill: So thank you.

[20002] Gabriel Anguiano Jr: Just to echo that, what Member Hill just mentioned, but a special thanks for the invitation that was opened to the trustees for the Special Olympics last Friday, the 28th. Had a great time. Thank you, Angela. Ms. Walker, thank you. Really appreciate it. Ms. Allard, but also, you know, the individuals that are working in the background, Coach K with the rest of the athletic department and the students especially that did a wonderful job coordinating, sticking to their script, and even adjusting a bit. I'm really excited just to be a part of that, to be able to be a part of the community in that sense, and to be able to, you know, just get to meet other folks, other folks in the community, and know their children. So thank you, and also just, Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for the opportunity of going to different schools. It's really key for us to be a part of the community and also just building that report, that camaraderie, building culture. So it starts being where you're seeing and how we can go ahead and be visible 100% of the time. So just to wrap it up, thank you, cabinet. I really appreciate your presentations. And also your board members, the rest of you guys, Ms. Vacar, really appreciate the time. and also the dedication that you give to our families and also to the families that came out today and you're taking away from your families, you know, the time to the teachers, the staff, all that were here today. Thank you very much.

[20110] Austin Block: Yeah, just a quick comment. I want to thank everyone, staff, students. I'm feeling a lot of hope going into the final portion of the school year. Really just appreciate everyone's dedication to moving the district in a positive direction, and I'm always open to hearing from everyone in the community. Email me anytime, austinb at newarkunified.org.

[20128] Austin Block: Always happy to have a conversation and listen to people's ideas and concerns.

[20135] Nancy Thomas: Good. I'd like to echo my fellow board members' appreciation to staff and our teachers and students. Anyway, I'd like to I would like to thank whoever fixed the clock. Anyway, I'd also like to say that we had a productive meeting this week of the Audit Committee, or last week, I guess. And Mr. Anguiano is our chair of the Audit Committee. And we're looking forward to meeting with the auditor and seeing the audit report at our next meeting coming up on the 12th, I believe. And of course, the rest of us will have a report at our next meeting.

[20199] Nancy Thomas: Thank you.

[20204] Kat Jones: I was going to make a statement but I'm going to wait because it's late and I'm tired. So I will wait till the next time but I do want to just acknowledge all the work that staff put into the presentations tonight and Those of you that have hung with us until this late very much appreciate your time, your energy, and everything that you do and give to the district. So thank you so much for being here. And I am happy to announce. that we are adjourning. Oh, no, I'm so sorry. See, I'm so anxious. I'm so sorry. I have a few things, and I still have 32 minutes. Yes, you do have 32 minutes. I apologize. Go for it. Great.

17.1 Superintendent's Concluding Comments, Updates, and Future Agenda Items

[20255] Tracey Vackar: So a couple of things. Sorry. Can we please can we go back. Actually I do want to talk about some future agenda items that we'll be talking about on the 18th. So you know we've kind of gone to a different structure so we can kind of do a deeper dive. One of the things that we had mentioned to you is that we want to talk about some of the programs that we have here at Newark Unified School District. And so we will be talking about some of our programs. Those will be coming forward to you on the 18th for us to have a bigger discussion, a little bit about the history of them, a little bit about what's working what's not working and also to be able to just have a really robust discussion as to how we move forward to be either be able to support those or to talk about if there's something else that we should be doing in order to be able to help and support our students. So I think it's those kinds of discussions. I will be calling upon staff to help me with that is a kind of give you a quick synopsis of the various programs and we will try to put in a format that we can kind of go through so that it can be done in a relatively. concise fashion, but then also allow for that really good dialogue that needs to happen, which is one of the things that we've been talking about wanting to be able to do. We haven't had the time to do it this past year. So I am excited about that, to be able to do it on the 18th. At the end of the month, we're going to CABE. And we're taking a team to CABE. We're going to be looking at instructional ideas and what we can bring back and what we can be collectively doing together. This is the first time that we will be doing this as a team. CABE is the California Bilingual Conference. And so I am excited because it will give us a chance to really work together across the spectrum of our elementary, middle and high schools. and be able to really take input and look at some best practices and what we can bring back that would actually be doable here at Newark, right? And things that we can implement, things that we can improve upon, maybe some things that we're doing better than they're doing. I don't know. But those would be the conversations that we'll be able to have.

[20378] Tracey Vackar: And so from an instructional standpoint, I'm really looking forward to that. That's it. That's OK. Oh no. One more thing. Really important. Chris is not here with us this evening. You know he's done his great service with us here. He stayed way longer than we ever thought Chris was going to stay. We were so much appreciate his support. I want to thank Cheri for speaking and talking about his commitment to our district and the work that he's done here in the past year. Truly it was commendable. He was the right person at the right time to come in and really be able to help support us and be able to look at ways that we needed to move our district along and make sure that it had the stability that needed to happen with that really was making sure that we were fully staffed begin school year. And I'm really proud to say that that actually happened. It's the first time in a long time that we had all of our sites actually staffed. The district office may not have been staffed as fully as the sites were, but our priority was to make sure that we had teachers and that we had administrators in place at all of our school sites. And that was really how we kicked off of our school year. With that, I know he's worked very closely with our unions.

[20446] Tracey Vackar: and our labor associations, we look forward to continuing those conversations and relationships with them.

18.2 Adjournment

[20459] Kat Jones: And that concludes my comments. OK. And with that, I adjourn the meeting at 11.32.

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2. CLOSED SESSION (Closed Session)

2.1 Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release/Complaint: Gov. Code § 54957 (Closed Session)

2.2 Conference with Legal Counsel regarding Anticipated Litigation - Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Gov. Code, § 54956.9- Case 1, Case 2, Case 3, (3 cases) (Closed Session)

2.3 CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS (Gov. Code, § 54957.6, subd. (a): Employee Organizations - CSEA, NTA (Closed Session)

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[764] 1.3 Public Comment on Closed Session Items

[842] 1.4 Recess to Closed Session

[5006] 3. REPORT OF CLOSED SESSION ACTIONS

[5011] 3.1 Report of Closed Session Actions

[5092] 4.1 Pledge of Allegiance

[5123] 1.2 Meeting Practices and Information

[5181] 5.1 Approval of the Agenda

[5218] 6.1 Student Report: Student Board Member, Joy Lee

[5456] 7.1 Employee Organizations

[5605] 8.1 Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items

[6305] 9.1 Superintendent Report

[6455] 10.1 Kennedy Elementary School Spotlight Presentation

[7370] 10.2 i-Ready 2024-2025 Status Data

[8629] 10.3 Task Order NO. 12 TO JPA City of Fremont & Newark Unified School District

[9131] 10.4 Maintenance, Operations and Transportation Presentation

[9925] 10.5 ERATE Network Switch Upgrade

[10742] 10.6 Facility Use Overview and Process

[12137] 18.1 PLACEHOLDER - Extend Meeting

[12819] 12.1 New Secondary / MVROP Courses

[13153] 12.2 Delegate Assembly Election Ballot

[13233] 12.3 Audit Committee Non-Voting Member Appointment

[13321] 12.4 Snow Elementary School Demolition

[14929] 12.5 Report: 2024-2025 Second Interim Budget Report

[17567] 12.6 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004, Part B Grant - 2025 Assurance of Compliance

[18144] 12.7 RESOLUTION NO. 2024.25.31: Partially Rescind the Reduction of Certain Certificated Particular Kinds of Services for the 2025-2026 School Year

[18403] 13.2 Personnel Report

[18830] 14.4 Report: Contracts

[19448] 14.2 Purchase of Van for Child Nutrition Services (Approved on Consent)

[19448] 14.3 Purchase of Dishwasher for Newark Memorial High School (Approved on Consent)

[19448] 14.5 Report: Monthly Purchase Order Report (Approved on Consent)

[19448] 14.6 FIELD TRIP: Curricular, Overnight Trip for Newark Memorial MCA Seniors to travel to Los Angeles. (Approved on Consent)

[19448] 14.7 FIELD TRIP: Non-Curricular Field Trip (Approved on Consent)

[19448] 14.8 Resolution 2024.25.29 Declaring Surplus Equipment (Approved on Consent)

[19448] 14.9 Williams Uniform Complaint Quarterly Report October 1, 2024- December 31, 2024. (Approved on Consent)

[19448] 14.11 MINUTES of the January 21, 2025 Regular Meeting of the Board of Education (Approved on Consent)

[19448] 14.12 MINUTES of the January 29, 2025 Special Meeting of the Board of Education (Approved on Consent)

[19458] 14.10 Facility Use Agreement Between City of Newark and Newark Unified School District

[19982] 16.1 Board of Education Committee Reports, Announcements, Requests, Debrief and Discussion

[20255] 17.1 Superintendent's Concluding Comments, Updates, and Future Agenda Items

[20459] 18.2 Adjournment

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[99999] 2. CLOSED SESSION (Closed Session)

[99999] 2.1 Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release/Complaint: Gov. Code § 54957 (Closed Session)

[99999] 2.2 Conference with Legal Counsel regarding Anticipated Litigation - Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Gov. Code, § 54956.9- Case 1, Case 2, Case 3, (3 cases) (Closed Session)

[99999] 2.3 CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS (Gov. Code, § 54957.6, subd. (a): Employee Organizations - CSEA, NTA (Closed Session)

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[99999] 14. CONSENT AGENDA: NON-PERSONNEL ITEMS (Not Found)

[99999] 14.1 PLACEHOLDER - One Consented Vote (Not Found)

[99999] 15. STUDENT EXPULSION (Not Found)

[99999] 16. BOARD OF EDUCATION: COMMITTEE REPORTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, REQUESTS, DEBRIEF AND DISCUSSION (Not Found)

[99999] 17. SUPERINTENDENT'S CONCLUDING COMMENTS, UPDATES FOR THE BOARD AND FUTURE AGENDA REQUESTS (Not Found)

[99999] 18. ADJOURNMENT (Not Found)

1. CALL TO ORDER

1.1 Roll Call

Type                        Information, Procedural

TRUSTEES:

President Katherine Jones Vice President Nancy Thomas Member Aiden Hill Member Austin Block Member Gabriel Anguiano Jr.

STUDENT BOARD MEMBER:

Member Joy Lee

1.2 Meeting Practices and Information

Type                        Information, Procedural

IN-PERSON MEETING INFORMATION:

Please see the attached meeting information in English and Spanish.

OBSERVE THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING:

Members of the public may observe the meeting via the NUSD YouTube Channel, or in-person at the NUSD Boardroom. Spanish translation will be available in person.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

The public will have the opportunity to address the Board of Education regarding non-agendized matters and agendized items with a written comment by submitting a speaking card with the Executive Assistant.

File Attachments
Board Meeting Protocols_ENG(1).pdf (69 KB)
Protocolos de la Reunion de la Mesa Directiva_ESP (1).pdf (65 KB)
Original Board Meeting Guidelines (3).pdf (263 KB)

1.3 Public Comment on Closed Session Items

Type                       Procedural

PURPOSE:

The Board of Education encourages the community's participation in its deliberations and tries to make it convenient for members of the community to express their views to the Board.

If a constituent wishes to address the Board on any agenda item: In-Person Comment: please submit a completed speaker card to the Board's Executive Assistant before the start of the meeting, or prior to the calling of the section for public comment.

1.4 Recess to Closed Session

Type                       Procedural

PURPOSE:

The Board will recess to Closed Session, and reconvene to Open Session on or about 7:00 p.m.

2. CLOSED SESSION

2.1 Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release/Complaint: Gov. Code � 54957

Type                       Action, Discussion, Information

PURPOSE:

BACKGROUND:

2.2 Conference with Legal Counsel regarding Anticipated Litigation - Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Gov. Code, � 54956.9- Case 1, Case 2, Case 3, (3 cases)

Type                       Action, Discussion

Fiscal Impact              Yes

PURPOSE:

To discuss three potential litigation for HR, 3 cases

BACKGROUND:

2.3 CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS (Gov. Code, � 54957.6, subd. (a): Employee Organizations - CSEA, NTA

Type                       Discussion, Information, Procedural

PURPOSE:

Information and update will be provided by the Interim Superintendent regarding CSEA negotiations and NTA negotiations

BACKGROUND:

3. REPORT OF CLOSED SESSION ACTIONS

3.1 Report of Closed Session Actions

Type                       Action, Procedural

PURPOSE:

If available, a report of the closed session will be provided by the Board President.

4. RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION

4.1 Pledge of Allegiance

Type                       Procedural

PURPOSE:

The Governance Team will recite the Pledge of Allegiance

4.2 Meeting Practices and Information

Type                       Information, Procedural

IN-PERSON MEETING INFORMATION:

Please see the attached meeting information in English and Spanish.

OBSERVE THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING:

Members of the public may observe the meeting via the NUSD YouTube Channel, or in-person at the NUSD Boardroom. Spanish translation will be available in person.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

The public will have the opportunity to address the Board of Education regarding non-agendized matters and agendized items with a written comment by submitting a speaking card with the Executive Assistant.

File Attachments Board Meeting Protocols_ENG(1).pdf (69 KB) Protocolos de la Reunion de la Mesa Directiva_ESP (1).pdf (65 KB) Original Board Meeting Guidelines (3).pdf (263 KB)

5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

5.1 Approval of the Agenda

Type                       Action

Recommended                The recommendation is that the Board of Education approve the agenda for this meeting.
Action

PURPOSE:

Members of the Governance Team may request that the agenda be amended or approved as presented.

Motion & Voting The recommendation is that the Board of Education approve the agenda for this meeting.

Motion by Austin Block, second by Joy Lee. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block, Joy Lee

6. STUDENT REPORT

6.1 Student Report: Student Board Member, Joy Lee

Type

PURPOSE: The Student Report gives the Board of Education and the public an opportunity to hear the highlights, achievements, and initiatives from the viewpoint of the student board member.

BACKGROUND:

The information will be provided by the Student Board Member, Joy Lee.

7. EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATIONS

7.1 Employee Organizations

Type                        Information

PURPOSE:

At regular Board meetings, a single spokesperson of each recognized employee organization (NTA, CSEA, NEWMA) may make a brief presentation.

BACKGROUND:

Discussion items are limited to updates, celebrations, and upcoming events.

1. NTA

2. CSEA

3. NEWMA

8. PUBLIC COMMENT

8.1 Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items

Type                        Procedural

PURPOSE:

The Board of Education encourages the community's participation in its deliberations and has tried to make it convenient to express their views to the Board.

BACKGROUND:

Please see the instructions on the link below for public comment information on non-agenda items and agenda items.

http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/nusd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=C4Q2D4019F40

8.2 Public Comment on Agenda Items

Type                          Procedural

PURPOSE:

The Board of Education encourages the community's participation in its deliberations and has tried to make it convenient to express their views to the Board.

BACKGROUND:

Please see the instructions on the link below for public comment information on non-agenda items and agenda items.

http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/nusd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=C4Q2D4019F40

9. SUPERINTENDENT REPORT

9.1 Superintendent Report

Type                          Information

PURPOSE:

The Interim Superintendent will provide the Board of Education with district information, updates, news, or anything in the jurisdiction of the board or the superintendent.

BACKGROUND:

The presentation and information will be provided by the Interim Superintendent

10. STAFF REPORT

10.1 Kennedy Elementary School Spotlight Presentation

Type                          Information

PURPOSE:

The School Spotlight gives the Board of Education and the public an opportunity to hear the highlights, achievements, and initiatives at each school from the principals.

BACKGROUND:

Principal Luis Lenzi will showcase various innovative programs, projects, and initiatives that are taking place at Kennedy Elementary School.

File Attachments Kennedy School Spot Light Board Presentation 2024-25.pdf (7,236 KB) Updated Kennedy School Spot Light Board Presentation 2024-25 - Google Slides.pdf (7,249 KB)

10.2 iReady 2024-2025 Status Data

Type                       Information

Goals                          VISION: The Newark Unified School District, in partnership with the community, will be a
                               model of world-class education that develops the unique abilities of every student.
                               1b. Student Achievement

PURPOSE:

To provide a comprehensive analysis of the mid-year i-Ready reading assessment outcomes for K-5 students.

BACKGROUND:

The attached presentation will provide an in-depth analysis of K-5 student performance in reading during the current academic year as measured by the iReady assessment administered in August and January/February. Focus will be on understanding the academic growth of students from the beginning of the year to the mid-year point and identifying trends, strengths, and areas for improvement.

File Attachments Board Presentation Mid Year iReady Reading Results K-5 .pdf (1,132 KB)

10.3 Task Order NO. 12 TO JPA City of Fremont & Newark Unified School District

Type                       Action, Information

Fiscal Impact              Yes

Dollar Amount              $786,300.00

Budgeted                   Yes

Budget Source              ACHD, ACBHD, AC PROBATION

Recommended                For the Board to approve the Task Order NO. 12 TO JPA City of Fremont & Newark Unified
Action                     School District

PURPOSE:

All services of the City of Fremont provided to the Newark Unified School District under this scope of services are funded by Alameda County and will be provided by YFS and FRC staff at the Fremont Family Resource Center, except as otherwise provided at schools and student and/or family homes. Newark Unified School District (NUSD) may refer students and families for: A) Outpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services, in partnership with Alameda County Behavioral Health Department, at Bridgepoint High School and Newark Memorial High School campus. B) Services for At-Risk youth and youth on Probation in partnership with Alameda County Probation Department and Alameda County Behavioral Health Department. I. Individual counseling, crisis response and case management services and linkage to community resources. II. Why Try Groups for at risk youth and youth being diverted from Probation or on Probation. C) Family Support Services, the Working Wellness Team and SparkPoint Fremont in partnership with Alameda County Health Department, at the Fremont Family Resource Center BACKGROUND:

SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (SUD) AT Bridgepoint High School and Newark Memorial High School Program Period: 2024- 2025 School Year YFS proposes to provide outpatient Substance Use Disorder (SUD) intervention and treatment services for Bridgepoint High School and Newark Memorial High School students, who are experiencing substance use issues that are impacting academic, behavioral, social and emotional development. Substance misuse behavior can directly contribute to poor youth outcomes, academic failure, and greater risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system. Treatment services provided by YFS, which uses best practice models, include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Matrix Model curricula and trauma informed approaches, can change attitudes, increase coping behaviors and decision-making skills, and mitigate the risk of substance misuse and its impact on students' physical, emotional and academic development. All SUD treatment services are funded through a Drug Medi-Cal (DMC) contract with Alameda County Behavioral Health Department (ACBHD). The SUD treatment services are provided in accordance with 42 CFR, Part 2: General information regarding patient health care, including payment for health care, is protected by two federal laws: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"), 42 U.S.C. � 1320d et seq., 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 & 164, & the Confidentiality Law, 42 U.S.C. � 290dd-2, 42 C.F.R. Part 2. Under these laws, YFS as the SUD treatment provider may not disclose to a person outside of the program that the patient (student) attends the program, nor may the provider disclose any information Page 3 of 6 identifying the patient (student) as an alcohol or drug treatment patient or disclose any other protected information except as permitted by federal law. 1. City Obligations Subject to NUSD's fulfillment of its obligations under Section 2, Youth and Family Services will provide one (1) Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Intervention Specialist who will deliver individual and/or group services for Bridgepoint High School and Newark Memorial High School students. Additionally, the SUD Intervention Specialist may support students and/or their families with resources and linkages to increase access to SUD services and to develop positive family, social and community norms as related to substance abuse. The SUD Intervention Specialist may provide consultation and resources to NUSD teachers, counselors and administration as the direct service schedule allows and is needed to support the coordination of student referrals and SUD services for NUSD youth and participate in coordination meetings with the school's administrative team. The City will provide all necessary operating materials and supplies.

File Attachments NUSD JPA TASK Order 12_ 2024-2025 with CoF-HSD-FINAL.pdf (163 KB)

Motion & Voting For the Board to approve the Task Order NO. 12 TO JPA City of Fremont & Newark Unified School District

Motion by Austin Block, second by Nancy Thomas. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block, Joy Lee

10.4 Maintenance, Operations and Transportation Presentation

Type                       Information

PURPOSE:

Department presentations give the Board of Education and the public an opportunity to hear from each department with highlights of it's initiatives, achievements, and work throughout the school year.

BACKGROUND:

The Director of Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation will share a presentation and highlighting the District's MOT Department.

File Attachments Maintenance, Operations and Transportation Board Presentation 3_4_25.pdf (2,142 KB)

10.5 ERATE Network Switch Upgrade

Type                       Discussion, Information

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this information-only item is to provide background and rationale for the Board to evaluate technology procurement proposals that will be brought forth at the March 18, 2025 meeting.

BACKGROUND:

In 2023, the IT department upgraded Wi-Fi access points at all school sites from Ruckus to HPE Aruba, each drawing power through a PoE switch. These switches also power phones and connect Internet-ready devices such as computers, printers, surveillance cameras, and smart displays. Upgrading switches to PoE+ is necessary for stable operation of said devices.

The UPS' in each MDF or IDF have not been upgraded to support the increased power needs. They are 7-8 years old and are due for replacement based on lifespan. The upgrades proposed here are a continuation of the improvements made to the district network and WiFi. The district has $453,060 of available E-Rate Category 2 funding to use in 2025.

The Board is asked to discuss the projects and funding options today in order to confidently approve a purchase proposal at the next Board meeting.

MDF- Main distribution frame IDF- Intermediate distribution frame UPS- Uninterruptible power supply PoE- Power over ethernet

File Attachments IT-Board Presentation-ERATE 2025.pdf (641 KB)

10.6 Facility Use Overview and Process

Type                       Discussion, Information

PURPOSE:

To provide the Board with an overview of the facility rental process, share how our partnership with Facilitron helps us with this process and the next steps for updating the Facility Use Fee Schedule.

BACKGROUND:

As part of the Budget Reduction Plan presentations brought to the Board on January 21, 2025, February 4, 2025, and February 18, 2025, Facility Use Contracts/Renting Facilities has been identified as a part of future revenue considerations.

The current facilities use fee schedule was approved by the Board on April 4, 2019. It was a three year roll out for 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 fees. Our current fees have been in effect since July 1, 2021. The district is reviewing existing fees and working with Facilitron to update these fees.

The next steps include a review and update of any Board Policies and Administrative Regulations that may be out of date; to conduct a fee study to be in compliance with new laws effective January 2025; and to review current operational processes focusing on: routings and approvals, and response times. Once these items are done, a recommendation on an updated fee schedule will be presented to the Board for review and approval. By updating our fees schedule and expanding our rental services and availability our intent is to attract new users and increase revenue.

File Attachments Facilitron Facility Rental Overview & Process.pdf (4,227 KB)

12. NEW BUSINESS

12.1 New Secondary / MVROP Courses

Type                       Action (Consent)

Preferred Date             Mar 04, 2025

Absolute Date              Mar 04, 2025

Fiscal Impact              No

Budgeted                   No

Recommended                Staff recommends the Board of Education approve the New Secondary / MVROP Courses
Action                     Proposal for Welding & Metal Joinery courses state ID course code 8231.

PURPOSE:

The purpose is to update course offerings at Newark Memorial High School for our students. The following courses also align with the California Dashboard to be College and Career Ready. Courses are offered in a two hour block. The CTE course includes introductory, concentrator and advanced/capstone sections in the same year (360 Hours to comply with pathway completion). Welding and Metal Joinery 2 Block (AM) Welding and Metal Joinery 2 Block (PM)

BACKGROUND:

The state ID course code 8231.

    Welding and Metal Joinery -This course prepares students in core skills needed for the Welding and Metal Fabrication
    industry. This course is an introduction to welding and an exposure to metalworking basics. Students will learn proper
    safety practices associated with welding, perform basic welds using different types of welding equipment, and identify
    properties of ferrous and nonferrous metals. Students will learn the use of basic hand tools and cutting & preparation
    techniques as they relate to welding and fabrication. Students will take part in group and individual projects
    throughout the semester

    Welding and Metal Joinery -This course will build upon the foundational skills from year 1, focusing on advanced
    technologies and industry standards. Students will gain in-depth knowledge of welding, symbols, codes, and the
    certification process. The course includes training in OSHA certifications, blueprint reading, and operating advanced
    welding and heavy industrial equipment.

File Attachments Welding and Metal Joinery.pdf (787 KB)

Motion & Voting Staff recommends the Board of Education approve the New Secondary / MVROP Courses Proposal for Welding & Metal Joinery courses state ID course code 8231.

Motion by Gabriel Anguiano Jr, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block, Joy Lee

12.2 Delegate Assembly Election Ballot

Type                       Action, Information

Fiscal Impact              No

Recommended                For the Board of Education to vote for CSBA's Delegate Assembly for Alameda County.
Action

PURPOSE:

For the Board of Education to vote for CSBA's Delegate Assembly for Alameda County.

BACKGROUND:

Per standing Rule 52, in regions with more than one county, each county board of education has one vote to elect the county board member who represents the county board(s) in the region in the Delegate Assembly. One -county regions will appoint the county Delegate.

File Attachments Delegate Assembly Ballot.pdf (95 KB) CSBA Candidate Information.pdf (350 KB)

Motion & Voting For the Board of Education to vote for CSBA's Delegate Assembly for Alameda County.

Motion by Nancy Thomas, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block, Joy Lee

12.3 Audit Committee Non-Voting Member Appointment

Type                       Action

Fiscal Impact              No

Recommended                The recommendation is that the Board of Education appoint Donna Buenaventura as the non-
Action                     voting member to the Audit Committee.

Purpose:

By taking this action, the Board will appoint non-voting public (community) member, Donna Buenaventura, to the Audit Committee for a term beginning March 4, 2025 and expiring January 31, 2027.

Background: The Audit Committee currently has one voting community member. The position for the non-voting member has been on the website since the last campaign in January 2024.

The Audit Committee reviewed (1) application for the non-voting member position and interviewed the applicant on February 19, 2025. The Audit Committee recommends Donna Buenaventura be appointed by the Board of Education to the Audit Committee as a non-voting member. This will be Ms. Buenaventura's first 2-year term beginning March 4, 2025 and expiring January 31, 2027.

File Attachments Audit Committee Non-Voting Member Application_Donna Buenaventura_REDACTED.pdf (290 KB)

Motion & Voting The recommendation is that the Board of Education appoint Donna Buenaventura as the non-voting member to the Audit Committee.

Motion by Gabriel Anguiano Jr, second by Nancy Thomas. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block, Joy Lee

12.4 Snow Elementary School Demolition

Type                       Action, Discussion

Fiscal Impact              Yes

Dollar Amount              $716,000.00

Budgeted                   No

Budget Source              TBD

Recommended                The recommendation is that the Board of Education approve the contract with Ruhnau Clarke
Action                     Architects and to authorize staff to go to bid for the demolition of of Snow Elementary School.

PURPOSE:

For the Board of Education to approve the contract with Ruhnau Clarke and authorize staff to go out for bid for the demolition of Snow Elementary School located at 6580 Mirabeau Drive, Newark, CA 94560.

BACKGROUND:

The H.A. Snow Campus was officially decommissioned and closed by the California Department of Education on June 4, 2021. There are currently no executed agreements with the any entity or agency. The site has been identified as an urgent priority due to the persistent issues of vandalism and theft of school equipment that is stored in unoccupied classrooms. The proposed scope of work involves the complete removal of all facilities and utilities, with the intention of leaving only the existing concrete slabs intact for potential future development plans.

Business Services would oversee all related activities and documentation. The estimated cost for the project is $650,000.00, and architectural proposed fee for this work is $66,000.00.

File Attachments NewarkUSD-HazardAssessment-[SnowElementary]-101024.pdf (3,456 KB) Ruhnau Clarke_HASnowES_CampusDemoProject_R2.pdf (252 KB)

12.5 Report: 2024-2025 Second Interim Budget Report

Type                         Action

Fiscal Impact                Yes

Budgeted                     Yes

Budget Source                Various Funds as Outlined in the Budget Report

Recommended                  The recommendation is that the Board of Education certify the 2024-2025 Second Interim
Action                       Budget Report with a POSITIVE certification.

PURPOSE:

The Second Interim Report is expected to be uploaded by 5:00 pm Saturday, March 1, 2025. The Second Interim Report uploaded at 4:56 pm Saturday, March 1, 2025.

The purpose of the Interim Report is to advise administrators, the Board of Trustees, the public, and other interested agencies of the District's current financial condition at periodic intervals during the fiscal year.

BACKGROUND:

The Second Interim Budget Report compares the General Fund and other funds' anticipated revenues and expenditures with the current operating budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, along with actual receipts and expenditures as of January 31, 2025. At each interim reporting period, the District must certify whether the District will be able to meet its financial obligations for the current and subsequent two years.

The current year budget is used as the base year and multi-year projections are made based on a number of factors and assumptions for the coming two years. The primary drivers of the budget are the State's fiscal health and District student enrollment and attendance.

The multi-year projection indicates the District can issue a positive certification as the District will be able to meet its obligations for the current fiscal year and two subsequent fiscal years. The district is deficit spending due to declining enrollment.

District and site staff are committed and have developed strategies to implement budget reductions and cost saving strategies that will support the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 budget in order to maintain positive certifications.

File Attachments FY24-25 2nd Interim Book_Final.pdf (5,741 KB) FY24-25 2nd Interim Presentation_Final.pdf (905 KB) FINAL NUSD FY2425 2nd Interim Presentation.pptx (1,916 KB)

Motion & Voting The recommendation is that the Board of Education certify the 2024-2025 Second Interim Budget Report with a POSITIVE certification.

Motion by Austin Block, second by Aiden Hill. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

12.6 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004, Part B Grant � 2025 Assurance of Compliance

Type                         Action, Information
Preferred Date             Mar 04, 2025

Fiscal Impact              Yes

Dollar Amount              $151,380.00

Budgeted                   Yes

Budget Source              Resource 3312 and 3318

Recommended                Approve the 2025 Assurance of Compliance for the IDEA 2004, Part B Grant to ensure the
Action                     district remains eligible for federal special education funding.

PURPOSE:

To present the Newark Unified School District's Assurance of Compliance for the 2025 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B Grant. This assurance outlines the district's commitment to meeting federal compliance requirements, specifically addressing Significant Disproportionality through the implementation of Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CCEIS).

BACKGROUND:

As a condition for receiving the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2025 IDEA Part B grant, Newark Unified School District must comply with federal regulations regarding the equitable identification and service of students with disabilities. Under 34 CFR Section 300.646, the district is required to reserve 15% of IDEA Part B funds to implement CCEIS aimed at addressing factors contributing to Significant Disproportionality.

File Attachments FINAL 2025-SigDis-Assurance-of-Compliance 1.pdf (34 KB)

Motion & Voting Approve the 2025 Assurance of Compliance for the IDEA 2004, Part B Grant to ensure the district remains eligible for federal special education funding.

Motion by Aiden Hill, second by Gabriel Anguiano Jr. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

12.7 RESOLUTION NO. 2024.25.31: Partially Rescind the Reduction of Certain Certificated Particular Kinds of Services for the 2025-2026 School Year

Type                       Action

Absolute Date              Mar 04, 2025

Fiscal Impact              Yes

Recommended                The recommendation is that the Board of Education approve Resolution No.2024.25.31:
Action                     Partially Rescind the Reduction of Certain Certificated Particular Kinds of Services for the
                           2025-2026 School Year.

PURPOSE:

The purpose is for the Board of Education to approve Resolution No. 2024.25.31 to partially rescind the reduction of certain certificated particular kinds of services for the 2025-2026 school year. BACKGROUND:

On February 18, 2025, the Board determined it necessary to reduce or discontinue certain certificated particular kinds of services of the District no later than the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, and adopted Resolution number 2024.25.20 accordingly. Staff has since determined it is no longer necessary, in part, to reduce certain certificated particular kinds of services and programs for the 2025-2026 year. The resolution, if adopted, will rescind the prior reduction approved by the Board by 1.0 FTE, as described in the resolution.

File Attachments Resolution Partially Rescinding PKS Layoff 4930-4402-6657 1.docx.pdf (83 KB)

Motion & Voting The recommendation is that the Board of Education approve Resolution No.2024.25.31: Partially Rescind the Reduction of Certain Certificated Particular Kinds of Services for the 2025-2026 School Year.

Motion by Aiden Hill, second by Nancy Thomas. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

13. CONSENT AGENDA: PERSONNEL ITEMS

13.1 PLACEHOLDER - One Consented Vote

Type                        Action

Recommended                 It is recommended that the Board of Education approve, under one consented vote, the
Action                      agenda items under Consent-Personnel, except for agenda items:

PURPOSE:

This is specifically a placeholder, and will only be used if multiple agenda items are approved under a consented vote.

BACKGROUND:

Items within the Consent Agenda are considered routine and will be approved, adopted, or ratified by a single motion and action. There will not be a separate discussion of these items; however, any item may be pulled from the Consent Agenda upon the request of any member of the Board and acted upon separately.

13.2 Personnel Report

Type                        Action

Absolute Date               Mar 04, 2025

Recommended                 The purpose is for the Board of Education to ratify the Personnel Report as presented.
Action

PURPOSE:

The purpose is for the Board of Education to ratify the Personnel Report as presented. BACKGROUND:

All personnel activities including new hires, changes in status, resignation, leaves, and retirements are routinely submitted to the Board for ratification.

File Attachments HR PAL 03.04.2025.pdf (216 KB)

Motion & Voting The purpose is for the Board of Education to ratify the Personnel Report as presented.

Motion by Austin Block, second by Gabriel Anguiano Jr. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

14. CONSENT AGENDA: NON-PERSONNEL ITEMS

14.1 PLACEHOLDER - One Consented Vote

Type                           Action

Recommended                    It is recommended that the Board of Education approve, under one consented vote, the
Action                         agenda items under Consent Non-Personnel, except for agenda items:

PURPOSE:

This is specifically a placeholder, and will only be used if multiple agenda items are approved under a consented vote.

BACKGROUND:

Items within the Consent Agenda are considered routine and will be approved, adopted, or ratified by a single motion and action. There will not be a separate discussion of these items; however, any item may be pulled from the Consent Agenda upon the request of any member of the Board and acted upon separately.

14.2 Purchase of Van for Child Nutrition Services

Type                           Action

Fiscal Impact                  Yes

Dollar Amount                  $60,556.00

Budgeted                       Yes

Budget Source                  Child Nutrition Services, Fund 130

Recommended                    The recommendation is that the Board of Education approve the purchase of a new Dodge
Action                         Ram van for Child Nutrition Services in the amount of $60,556.

PURPOSE:

To get pre-approval from the Board to purchase a new gas or diesel cargo van for Child Nutrition Services to reliably transport food between the central kitchen and various locations. It will also be used for caterings, to attend local seminars and trainings which fulfill the mandated training requirements of department members to stay in compliance with changing food handling regulations. Staff recommends purchasing the RAM with a base price of $53,505 and estimated tax, license and fees of $7051 for a total of $60,556. NUSD has met the bid requirements and is in compliance with reviewing multiple quotes.

BACKGROUND:

The Child Nutrition Department currently has two vans. One is a large van that has an additional seat in the back, but is not used when the location has little space to accommodate larger vehicles, and it is not conducive for short trips. The other vehicle, which is much older, will be moved to the Newark Middle School (NMS) in order to allow staff to transport food between NMS and the MacGregor Campus. Transporting food from NMS offers the MacGregor campus a larger variety of meal options. By purchasing an additional vehicle to remain at the Central Kitchen, it will allow for more flexibility for staff to provide caterings, attend meetings, seminars, and taste testing at school sites.

It often happens that Child Nutrition is asked to provide caterings for multiple locations at the same time. Having the capability to transport caterings at more than one location, with multiple vehicles, ensures we can provide these services more efficiently. The larger capacity van also allows for the opportunity to provide for larger catering events. Currently when large events are being catered, multiple trips are needed to bring food and supplies to the events.

File Attachments Dodge Van.pdf (100 KB) Mercedes Benz Van.pdf (433 KB) Ford Van.pdf (816 KB)

Motion & Voting The recommendation is that the Board of Education approve the purchase of a new Dodge Ram van for Child Nutrition Services in the amount of $60,556.

Motion by Nancy Thomas, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

14.3 Purchase of Dishwasher for Newark Memorial High School

Type                       Action

Fiscal Impact              Yes

Dollar Amount              $152,563.49

Budgeted                   Yes

Budget Source              Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT) Funds

Recommended                The recommendation is that the Board of Education approve the purchase of a new
Action                     dishwasher from Chef's Toy - Hobart Model for the amount of $152,563.49 for Newark
                           Memorial High School.

PURPOSE: To get pre-approval from the Board for Child Nutrition Services to purchase, and have installed, a dishwasher at the Newark Memorial High School. Staff recommends the purchase of the Chefs Toy - Hobart Model for the amount of $152,563.49. NUSD has met the bid requirements and is in compliance with reviewing multiple quotes.

BACKGROUND:

The Child Nutrition Department does not currently have a dishwasher in the kitchen at Newark Memorial High School. With the implementation of the Universal Meals Program, providing free meals to all students in the district, the meals being provided has grown exponentially. As a result, the number of dishes that are being used has increased dramatically. By being able to utilize a dishwasher, rather than washing the dishes by hand, staff will have more time to prepare fresh foods for our students. The California Department of Education is encouraging all districts to start moving toward more scratch cooking in order to meet the new reduced-sodium requirements in school foods. Having a dishwasher is a key component to reaching this goal.

The state of California passed SB1383 which requires a reduction in waste products in K-12 education. The use of a dishwasher would allow for the utilization of reusable food containers. The addition of reusable food containers will help prevent edible food waste (which is to be donated by the schools, rather than thrown in the trash).

The state has also passed AB1200 which bans per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (also described as the forever chemical) in food packaging which is seen in many of the school single-use containers. This class of over 13,000 chemicals (Teflon is the most famous) threaten students health and that is why California banned them in food packaging. We have a non-profit (CEH) testing one of our products for PFAS, but we cannot afford to have them test every single one of our products. Child Nutrition Services is being proactive with our meal program to ensure student safety and to be environmentally responsible.

The dishwasher would be installed over the summer. California districts were awarded Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT) Funds, which are federal funds to allow for upgrades to kitchens that have not always been feasible in the past due to limitations on spending for the Child Nutrition funds. These funds need to be spent by June 30, 2025 and the purchase of this dishwasher will exhaust the remaining funds available for Newark Unified School District.

File Attachments Avanti Quote.pdf (1,831 KB) Chefs Toys - Hobart.pdf (2,325 KB) Chefs Toys - Insinger Admiral.pdf (1,559 KB) Chefs Toys - Insinger CX20HVG.pdf (988 KB) East Bay Quote.pdf (238 KB)

Motion & Voting The recommendation is that the Board of Education approve the purchase of a new dishwasher from Chef's Toy - Hobart Model for the amount of $152,563.49 for Newark Memorial High School.

Motion by Nancy Thomas, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

14.4 Report: Contracts

Type                        Action

Fiscal Impact               Yes

Dollar Amount               $79,000.00

Budgeted                    Yes

Budget Source               Various Funds Per Contract
Recommended                The recommendation is that the Board of Education ratify the contracts in the amount of
Action                     $79,000 as presented.

PURPOSE:

For the Board to ratify the contracts presented in the total amount of $79,000 (see attachments).

BACKGROUND:

On February 4, 2025 the Board was notified that a report of all contracts for professional services under $57,400 (50% of formal bid limit), be presented at the Board meeting following the contract for ratification. This report only includes contracts that have not been previously approved by the Board. (Reference Board Policy 3312)

Contracts for Purchase Orders issued between February 11, 2025 and February 24, 2025 are included in this report.

Contracts are on file in the Business Office.

File Attachments Contracts Report 03-04-2025.pdf (9 KB) Dena Palmer Strategic Solutions_fully executed_REDACTED.pdf (222 KB) A Confident Living Company.pdf (541 KB)

Motion & Voting The recommendation is that the Board of Education ratify the contracts in the amount of $79,000 as presented.

Motion by Nancy Thomas, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

14.5 Report: Monthly Purchase Order Report

Type                       Action

Fiscal Impact              Yes

Dollar Amount              $542,470.88

Budgeted                   Yes

Budget Source              Various Funds Per Purchase Order

Recommended                The recommendation is that the Board of Education receive the Monthly Purchase Order
Action                     Report as presented.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this item is to present a monthly report on Purchase Order transactions per Board Policy 3300, Expenditures and Purchases in amount of $542,470.88.

BACKGROUND:

Based on the discussion at the Board's Study Session on January 6, 2022, staff is providing a monthly report on Purchase Order transactions per Board Policy 3300, Expenditures and Purchases. The policy states that "The Board shall review all transactions entered into by the Superintendent or designee on behalf of the Board every 60 days." This month's report includes 152 PO's dated 1/1/2025 through 1/31/2025 for a total of $542,470.88.

File Attachments Monthly Purchase Order Report 03-04-2025.pdf (95 KB)

Motion & Voting The recommendation is that the Board of Education receive the Monthly Purchase Order Report as presented.

Motion by Nancy Thomas, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

14.6 FIELD TRIP: Curricular, Overnight Trip for Newark Memorial MCA Seniors to travel to Los Angeles.

Type                       Action

Preferred Date             Mar 04, 2025

Absolute Date              Mar 04, 2025

Fiscal Impact              Yes

Dollar Amount              $27,452.00

Budgeted                   Yes

Budget Source              MCA CPA Grant funds

Recommended                The recommendation is that the Board of Education approve the field trip for Newark
Action                     Memorial MCA Seniors to travel to Los Angeles.

PURPOSE:

The Newark Memorial community requests permission to take MCA Seniors on a curricular, overnight field trip. Students will travel to Los Angeles. Student will be exposed to post-secondary opportunities in the greater Los Angeles region in the fields of Arts, Media, and Entertainment.

     School: Newark Memorial High School
     Dates: March 25 - March 28, 2025
     Location: Los Angeles, CA

Chaperones:

     The ratio of adults to students on school-sponsored trips shall be based on the following formula:

            K-3 1 adult for every 5-8 students
            4-9 1 adult for every 10 students
            10-12 1 adult for every 10 students where strict supervision is required (tours, theaters, etc.)

     Overnight trip supervision must be gender appropriate. However, in the event that the supervisors, who stay overnight in
     proximity to students, are of a gender other than that group of campers, adequate planning, and preparation of campers and the
     physical arrangements of the camp shall be made to ensure optimal safety and privacy of students (AR 6153).

No student will be denied due to a lack of funds.

BACKGROUND:

According to Board Policy, all trips in excess of 100 miles, non-curricular trips, and overnight trips require Board approval. The site principal and Media Arts teacher request permission to take Newark Memorial MCA Seniors on an overnight curricular trip to Los Angeles. Motion & Voting The recommendation is that the Board of Education approve the field trip for Newark Memorial MCA Seniors to travel to Los Angeles.

Motion by Nancy Thomas, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

14.7 FIELD TRIP: Non-Curricular Field Trip

Type                         Action (Consent)

Preferred Date               Mar 04, 2025

Absolute Date                Mar 04, 2025

Fiscal Impact                No

Recommended                  The recommendation is that the Board of Education approves the trip to Princess Project
Action                       Silicon Valley for Newark Memorial High School's eleventh and twelfth grade students.

PURPOSE:

Newark Memorial High School requests permission to take eleventh and twelfth grade students on a non-curricular, field trip.
Students in need will shop for a free Prom Dress.

        School: Newark Memorial High School
        Dates: March 8, 2025, 2:15 pm to 6:45 pm
        Location: 950 Monroe St, Santa Clara, CA 95050

Chaperones for Field Trip:

        The ratio of adults to students on school-sponsored trips shall be based on the following formula:
               K-3 1 adult for every 5-8 students
               4-9 1 adult for every 10 students
               10-12 1 adult for every 10 students where strict supervision is required (tours, theaters, etc.)
        No student will be denied due to a lack of funds.

BACKGROUND:

According to Board Policy 6153.2, all trips that are non-curricular require Board approval. The site principal and Newark Memorial
High School Director of Student Activities request permission for 11th and 12th grade students to attend a 4.5 hour free prom
dress shopping event.

Motion & Voting Staff recommends the Board of Education approve the New Secondary / MVROP Courses Proposal for Welding & Metal Joinery courses state ID course code 8231.

Motion by Gabriel Anguiano Jr, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block, Joy Lee

14.8 Resolution 2024.25.29 Declaring Surplus Equipment

Type                       Action

Fiscal Impact              No

Budgeted                   No

Budget Source              N/A

Recommended                The recommendation is that the Board of Education approves Resolution 2024.25.29 -
Action                     Declaring Surplus Equipment.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this item is to obtain Board approval of Resolution 2024.25.29- Declaring Surplus Equipment, which lists items to be declared as surplus equipment as recommended.

BACKGROUND:

Surplus materials will be disposed of per Board Policy and Administrative Regulation 3270 Sale And Disposal Of Books, Equipment And Supplies. Education Code, Section 17546 states that if the Governing Board, by a unanimous vote of those members present, finds that the property, whether one or more items, does not exceed the value of $2,500, it may be sold at private sale without advertising, by a District employee empowered for that purpose by the Board; the property may be donated to a charitable organization, or it may be disposed of in a public disposal facility.

The property as described in Resolution 2023.24.20 includes equipment used at Newark Memorial High School. Staff determined that items are a safety hazard and are beyond economical repair.

File Attachments Resolution 2024.25.29 Declaring Surplus Equipment.pdf (12 KB)

Motion & Voting The recommendation is that the Board of Education approves Resolution 2024.25.29 - Declaring Surplus Equipment.

Motion by Nancy Thomas, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

14.9 Williams Uniform Complaint Quarterly Report October 1, 2024- December 31, 2024.

Type                       Action

Fiscal Impact              No

Recommended                The recommendation is that the Board of Education approves the Williams Uniform Complaint
Action                     Quarterly Report for the period of October 1, 2024-December 31, 2024.

PURPOSE:

The purpose is for the Board of Education to receive and approve the Williams Uniform Complaint Quarterly Report for the period of October 1, 2024- December 31, 2024. BACKGROUND:

Education Code 35186 requires that the Superintendent of a school district report summarized data on the nature and resolution of all complaints filed under the Williams Uniform Complaint Procedures to the local Board of Education and the County Superintendent of Schools on a quarterly basis. The report must include the number of complaints by general area, the number of resolved and unresolved complaints, and be publicly presented at a regularly scheduled Board meeting. The attached report is presented to the Board for the period of October 1, 2024- December 31, 2024.

File Attachments Q2 24-25 UCP Report for Board.pdf (60 KB)

Motion & Voting The recommendation is that the Board of Education approves the Williams Uniform Complaint Quarterly Report for the period of October 1, 2024-December 31, 2024.

Motion by Nancy Thomas, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

14.10 Facility Use Agreement Between City of Newark and Newark Unified School District

Type                       Action (Consent)

Fiscal Impact              No

Recommended                The recommendation is that the Board of Education approves the Facility Use Agreement
Action                     Between the City of Newark and Newark Unified School District.

PURPOSE:

City will make available to District the Facilities for the purpose of conducting District Board of Education Meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, from 5:00-11:00 p.m.

BACKGROUND:

The City of Newark has agreed to host Newark Unified School District Board Meetings on the first and third Tuesday's of the month through November 2025.

File Attachments Facility Use Agreement Between City of Newark and Newark Unified School District.pdf (273 KB)

Motion & Voting Staff recommends the Board of Education approve the New Secondary / MVROP Courses Proposal for Welding & Metal Joinery courses state ID course code 8231.

Motion by Gabriel Anguiano Jr, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block, Joy Lee

14.11 MINUTES of the January 21, 2025 Regular Meeting of the Board of Education

Type                       Action, Minutes

Fiscal Impact              No

Recommended                For the Board to review and approve minutes of the January 21, 2025 Regular Meeting of the
Action                     Board of Education.

Minutes                    View Minutes for Jan 21, 2025 - Regular Meeting of the Board of Education

PURPOSE:

For the Board to review and approve minutes of the January 21, 2025 Regular Meeting of the Board of Education.

BACKGROUND:

The attached minutes are reflective of the January 21, 2025 Regular Meeting of the Board of Education. The meeting may be viewed on the NUSD YouTube Channel HERE

File Attachments January 21, 2025 Meeting Minutes.pdf (243 KB)

Motion & Voting For the Board to review and approve minutes of the January 21, 2025 Regular Meeting of the Board of Education.

Motion by Nancy Thomas, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

14.12 MINUTES of the January 29, 2025 Special Meeting of the Board of Education

Type                       Action, Minutes

Fiscal Impact              No

Recommended                For the Board to review and approve minutes of the January 29, 2025 Special Meeting of the
Action                     Board of Education.

Minutes                    View Minutes for Jan 29, 2025 - Special Meeting of the Board of Education

PURPOSE:

For the Board to review and approve minutes of the January 29, 2025 Special Meeting of the Board of Education.

BACKGROUND:

The attached minutes are reflective of the January 29, 2025 Special Meeting of the Board of Education. The meeting may be viewed on the NUSD YouTube Channel HERE

File Attachments January 29, 2025 Meeting minutes.pdf (29 KB)

Motion & Voting For the Board to review and approve minutes of the January 29, 2025 Special Meeting of the Board of Education.

Motion by Nancy Thomas, second by Austin Block. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block Not Present at Vote: Joy Lee

16. BOARD OF EDUCATION: COMMITTEE REPORTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, REQUESTS, DEBRIEF AND DISCUSSION

16.1 Board of Education Committee Reports, Announcements, Requests, Debrief and Discussion

                           AND DISCUSSION

Type                       Action, Discussion, Information

PURPOSE:

COMMITTEE REPORTS: The Trustees will provide an update, if available, on the committees of which they are members.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: The Trustees may acknowledge or recognize specific programs, activities, or personnel at this time.

REQUESTS: This is an opportunity for the Board of Education to suggest items for placement on future agendas and to review Board requests.

Approval from the majority of the Board will be required for direction to be provided to the Superintendent.

DEBRIEF AND DISCUSSION: The Trustees may debrief and discuss items.

BACKGROUND:

Each year the Board of Education members liaise with schools and committees in order to build relationships, hear from staff, students, and families, and act as a conduit for information to and from the schools.

                         Board Committees 2025-26

Board Adopted 12/17/2024 Representative/Liaison* Alternative Mission Valley RegionalOccupational CenterNancy Thomas Katherine Jones SELPA Katherine Jones Nancy Thomas Newark Teacher Induction Austin Block Aiden Hill 1.Nancy Thomas Audit Committee 2.Gabriel Anguiano Jr. Austin Block

                                     1.Austin Block *          Joy Lee

CBOC 2.Nancy Thomas* (Attendee) City of Newark/NUSD LiaisonCommittee 1.Katherine Jones2.Aiden HillAustin Block LCAP 1.Katherine Jones*2.Gabriel Anguiano Jr. *Aiden Hill

The following derives directly from the Board approved "Governance Team Handbook" Authority is Collective, Not Individual: The only authority to direct action rests with the Board as a whole when seated at a regular or special board meeting. Outside of this meeting, there is no authority. A majority Board vote provides direction to the Superintendent. Board members will not undermine the ability of staff to carry out Board direction.

Bringing New Ideas Forward The Board will be open to having "brainstorming" discussions, or study sessions, around any idea that a Trustee may feel merits exploratory consideration. "New Ideas" are defined as any proposal brought forward by a Trustee, at their initiative or at the request of a constituent, which was previously discussed during a board meeting. Trustees will first notify the Board President and Superintendent of their interest in bringing forward a new idea at a board meeting. When initially agendized, the preliminary discussion of a new idea will not require staff research time. Initially, staff will be expected to respond to new ideas based on current knowledge. Only a majority of the Board may direct the Superintendent to conduct research regarding the exploration of a new idea. The Superintendent will decide on the delegation of assignments to District staff. The new idea may be agendized for discussion only. The Board majority will decide if the new idea should be further developed and studied by staff. The Board majority will decide if staff time should be invested in the "fleshing out" of new ideas. Individual Trustees, in the course of interactions with constituents, will be careful not to make or imply the commitment of the full Board to explore or proceed with implementing new ideas.

17. SUPERINTENDENT'S CONCLUDING COMMENTS, UPDATES FOR THE BOARD AND FUTURE AGENDA REQUESTS

17.1 Superintendent's Concluding Comments, Updates, and Future Agenda Items

                              AGENDA REQUESTS

Type                          Information

PURPOSE:

This is an opportunity for the Interim Superintendent to make any concluding comments, updates, agenda requests, or provide information of future meetings.

18. ADJOURNMENT

18.1 PLACEHOLDER - Extend Meeting

Type                          Action

Recommended                   The recommendation is that the Board of Education extends the meeting to ____ P.M.
Action

PURPOSE:

This is a placeholder, only to be used if the Board adds a motion and action to extend the meeting.

Motion & Voting The recommendation is that the Board of Education extends the meeting to 12 A.M. Motion by Austin Block, second by Gabriel Anguiano Jr. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Thomas, Aiden Hill, Katherine Jones, Gabriel Anguiano Jr, Austin Block, Joy Lee

18.2 Adjournment

Type                       Action

Recommended                The recommendation is that the Board of Education adjourns this meeting.
Action

PURPOSE:

No items will be considered after 10:00 p.m. unless it is determined by a majority of the Board to extend to a specific time.

This action will conclude the meeting.

Content

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