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good afternoon Thank you for being here Call the meeting to order [Music]
here Can I say here here [Music] resolution first resolution 2018 day of the teacher and Dr
[Music] Sergio Good evening Madame President board SLT and members of the public I'm here to introduce resolution 2012 California Day of the Teacher I am
honored to introduce resolution 2012 recognizing May 14 2025 as California Day of the Teacher This annual observance reminds us of the incredible impact our teachers have on the lives of students and families in our district and beyond Teachers are not only educators
they are mentors role models and advocates for equity and excellence in public education Their work shapes the future of our community and supports the democratic principles for which our society is built upon This year's themes we are the ones we've been waiting for acknowledges the collective power of
educators when they unite for the best working and learning conditions Here in Pasadena Unified our teachers exemplify the spirit every day through their passion their dedication and their relentless pursuit of academic success for all of our students It is with deep gratitude that we present this
resolution to formally recognize their contributions and celebrate their essential role in shaping the lives of those that they teach Thank you I move approval Second Do we have any commentary
there must be something Okay All in favor no Oh student board member please Yes All in favor any opposed no No abstensions Thank you very much Mr Canel
Oh you're still up there Resolution 2813 classified employee appreciation week Thank you You're like why is he still standing yeah I am also proud to introduce resolution 2013 which proclaims the week of May
28th through May 24th as classified school employees week This resolution honors the invaluable contributions of our classified professionals Those individuals who often work behind the scenes but are truly the heart of our schools From instruction aids to office
staff custodians food service workers classified employees ensure that our schools run smoothly safely and efficiently every single day The air first go beyond and above to support our students and families with a dedication their compassion and unwavering
commitment to excellence Classified staff play a vital role in fostering a positive educational environment and we are grateful for their service This resolutions gives us the opportunity to formally acknowledge and celebrate their important contributions to the Pasadena
Unified School District Thank you Thank you very much Student board member Oh motion Motion Sec Second Student board member Yes All in
favor no one No one's opposed No abstensions Next one Number three resolution 2814 National Foster Care Month Mr Brian Stanley Good evening uh board president Holly board members SLT Uh my name is Brian
Stanley and I have the privilege of serving as the the Pass Unified School District foster youth leazison and I'm here with James Russell who is our foster youth specialist We are here to present resolution 201814 for National Foster Care Month This month we recognize the
thousands of children in foster care as well as their caregivers and foster families who open their homes and hearts for our youth In PUSD we've had approximately 200 students come through our doors this year I've been proud to lead a team that works closely with our foster youth from the moment they enter
PUSD to sometimes well after they leave in order to provide direct services and support to meet their needs We know that children in foster care often face an uphill battle and many carry lasting physical and emotional scars from trauma which can have
devastating effects to their mental and physical well-being So we act with urgency to provide our youth and foster care with the resources support they need in order to for them to engage in learning and to build and nurture healthy relationships and to gain equitable access to all the
opportunities that they rightfully deserve We strive to work with our caregivers and foster families to support our children in becoming independent confident and successful We give thanks to the dedicated kinship and foster parents and caregivers who care for our foster youth
I have personally seen in my own life the power of a loving foster home and the power of caring adults who want to make a difference in the lives of the students they serve So it's my pleasure to introduce James Russell who works with our youth our foster youth on day
day in and day out and who's an outstanding partner in this work Thank you Mr Stanley Um I'm very grateful to be part of a team like the one that we have here at PUSD Um this year our colleague Angela Mendoza who
unfortunately couldn't be here today um has put a lot of time and energy into ensuring that our students are able to get the right school to meet their needs to get the transportation and the amenities they need to get their learning experience And um I've been very proud to work alongside Mr Stanley
who has worked really hard to enrich our knowledge and our best practices by inviting a wealth of community legal and educational partners to share their experience and wisdom with our district Uh but today and this month are about the youth
themselves Last year the board passed a resolution honoring these young people across the district And today as we pause to honor them again what I'd like to relate most to you is how deeply they deserve this recognition and respect Uh the thought of the foster
system evokes painful images for us And while it's right for us to be aware and most importantly understanding of what these students endure my experience with them conveys a message of strength and hope above all else What they continually teach me
transcends any cliches about overcoming obstacles Students have told me how they decided to forgive things that I will never experience and how they stood up to people with immense power over them in situations that I wouldn't have had the courage to face They've told me quote
uh we should all be able to love everyone no matter what they look like I've heard them say on on more than one occasion more than one student tell me "Yes I could be angry about the past but I have to choose to move on." And one young woman once told me "I've learned
that I just have to be proud of me for myself and what I've accomplished and not somebody else." And I think this is important to share because uh these students continue to defy the mental images and labels of fear that so easily cloud the truth of who they are They're
deserving of our attention and support and recognition Yes because of what they've overcome But they deserve our praise respect and faith because of what they accomplish The qualities of character they maintain are of the highest order And it is of my hope that together we
will continue to listen to and patiently guide them through their struggles And above all else that we will give them their rightful stage to be celebrated for what they can teach us Thank you Thank you very much for those words
Motion Motion Second Student board member Yes All in favor no one's opposed no abstensions Thank you very much Resolution
2815 Asian-American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Dr Chan Hill Thank you President Holly want to in um introduce Yulh her one of our ninth grade student assembly members With him
will be Lua Lula Matsura also a ninth grader and newly elected to the assembly and Leslie Chi who happens to be our seated board member tonight Hi Um my name is Yule and as part of the 7.9% of the student population in PUSD
that makes up the A&HPI um students There aren't many in my class that share my features My race is sometimes seen as a rarity among my peers and whether it's recognized intentionally or not it is still a rarity
Despite my my distinction and many others me and people like me are often lumped together and invisibleized like we are the same I believe recognizing this month will help people who struggle with being seen and not or not seen and
invisibleized like me and help celebrate the diversity among the Asian-American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in our district because our distinctions are just as important as our similarities Hi I'm Lula and a part of the resolution
that stood out to me was about the uptick in hate crimes against Asian-Americans during the CO 19 pandemic I remember protesting against these hate crimes and it was one of my first moments that I truly understood
how how people can be so cruel to other minorities And so I think this is why it's important that we celebrate ANHPI Heritage Month to show resistance towards
hate Hello I'm Lesie Um whereas this year's theme a legacy of leadership and resilience honors the enduring contributions of A and HPI leaders who have led a strong foundation for future generations to thrive despite adversity
Just 70 years ago people like me weren't even allowed to serve in office Today I have the honor of serving on our board Learning about the history of leaders who broke barriers remind me about the resilience that runs deep in our history inspiring me to keep pushing forward
with pride and purpose A NHPIA happy A&HPI month Thank you very much Is there a motion so moved Second Second
All in um student Okay Uh Miss Frederick's um I want to thank Dr Chan Hill and the student assembly and student board member for coming here and making your statements And
um uh it reminded one of you said that you are very rare in your school or your class My daughter also maybe know Lucy Frederick's from OEB was also one of those rare I don't know if she knew of any
other Asians in in her class Um but uh sometimes I have to remind myself that you know I'm the first of something and you're the first you know of something here as a leader and um you're you're a
role model for others So and that's really important Thank you for showing up Student board member Yes All in favor any opposed no abstensions Thank you very much Thank you so much for your
presentation We appreciate it Is there any public comment on closed session clerk public comment Okay Okay All right So there's
no public comment so we can recess to close session right now All right Excuse me Oh 240 Okay Thank you very much Bye bye [Music]
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[Music] education By a vote of six to zero the board took action to approve the settlement of special education litigation in accordance with the terms of a written agreement concerning item D3 case number
966714 by a vote of 6 to 0 The board took action to approve of the settlement of special education litigation in accordance with the terms of a written agreement concerning item D4 case number 2024120767 By a vote of six to zero the board took action to approve of the
settlement of special education litigation in accordance with the terms of a written agreement concerning item D5 case number 202501 0483 By a vote of six to zero the board took action to approve of the settlement of special education
litigation in accordance with the terms of a written agreement conference with legal counsel pending litigation GC 54956.9A and D1 case number LA 6852E In
close session the board of trustees approved a settlement agreement between the district and UTP resolving public employment relations board case number LA6852E Under the terms of the agreement UTB UTP agrees to provide certain
notifications to the district in matters involving non-employee consultants The vote was as follows Eyes six nos zero abstain zero absent one Public employee discipline dismissal release
GC54957 In close session the board of trustees approved a resignation agreement and general release between the district and employee number DG0239518 Under the terms of the agreement the employee shall resign from employment effective June 30th 2025 and receive
health benefits up to and including September 30th 2025 in exchange for the release of all existing claims against the district The vote was as follows Eyes six nos zero abstain zero absent
one And that concludes close session That's the injurement of close session I'm going to call the meeting to order at 7 o' here Here here
Here Here Now we'd like to say the pledge of allegiance Patrice will you lead heart stands one nation
indivisibley for all Okay Public comment What do we have clerk we have 23 public comment The board of education knowled received of public comment via email It will be made part of the permanent record of this meeting Clerk I was going
to ask for two minutes each I think two minutes 23 I think that's fair Okay So two minutes each for public comment It's super important that we stick with the two minutes so everybody has an equal amount of time to speak Thank you so
much Elizabeth Mcleian Colleen George Scott Nitaki Hi my name is Liz Mlan I am here to express my strong support of Miss Leaf the drama teacher at LA Arts Magnet
who's being laid off due to budget cuts Miss Leaf has had a profound imp imp on my daughter's life and the lives of many others in this room She's not just an inspiring educator but also a mentor who challenges students to become better versions of themselves She has taken a
group of students who have suffered significant trauma and loss under her wing and given them hope Like so many students she has lost not only her school in the fire but also her home community peers and educators are the
only constant in their lives right now I imagine you can all picture the one teacher who meant a lot to you growing up who made a real difference in your life It's likely why you are here tonight That teacher for so many is Miss
Leaf Before the wildfire her drama class consistently put on soldout shows for soldout crowds And she provided drama classes to so many students who've never had the opportunity to participate in the arts These classes help students develop
their skills develop a new perspective on life boost their confidence and allow them to explore a medium that has helped them become well-rounded versions of themselves We saw the impacts of this firsthand after the fire All our daughter wanted to do was sing songs
from last year's musical write lyrics of her own and record them in our host family's closet Despite all the challenges having existed after the wildfires we are now on the brink of an amazing musical tomorrow at the Amenson Theater Miss Leaf has not only facilitated this event
but provided unwavering support to all of our students helping them heal and find hope amidst the pain The loss of Miss Leaf would have a devastating impact on Elliot and Aladina Arts Elementary While I understand the
need for budget cuts I believe the dismissal could lead to further students not returning to the school They lost their school their homes Please don't let them lose their favorite teacher Colleen Colleen George Scott
Nitsaki Kevin Vanhen As I don't see Colleen I'll assume I'm going to go next Thank you for the opportunity to speak Um you're going to hear from a lot of people in support of Miss Leaf and what a great teacher she is I'm going to talk a little bit differently So uh I I don't know how many of you were in athletics
in school Maybe you were a theater kid yourself Maybe you were in the band right um you know what a difference that person meant as the leader of that team And you know that that person is not replaceable by somebody else Um I myself was a theater kid I've been doing
musicals from kindergarten onwards I've been a minor in theater arts When I tell you I've worked with a lot of directors please understand I've worked with a lot of directors in the neighborhood of two dozen shows that I've done Um one director is not like the other
I've had the opportunity to work with some great directors None of them were as talented as passionate as compassionate um as Miss Leaf as dedicated Uh I hope that most of you will be at the show tomorrow night and get to see that and
see the caliber of that show I understand that while the role was kept that rules make it so that we are not able to keep this teacher or at least we don't know for
sure Please believe me when I say that there is no one else that can do this job the way that Miss Lee does it there is no more qualified candidate and that if we get to a summer break without a position for her she will be gone in an instant because she will have a job
offer somewhere else in 5 seconds And I guarantee that families will go with her because this community is broken and that teacher is the rock that is keeping them together Thank you
Kevin Van Halton and then Margaret Hunt Thank you board I began to understand just how fortunate the Elliot community is to have Molly Leaf in September of 2023 She personally encouraged my daughter Sienna to perform in the fall festival giving
her the support that she needed to step way out of her comfort zone and stand alone on a stage in front of nearly 400 people to perform a monologue Seeing the way that Sienna leaped into Miss Leaf's arms after leaving the stage it was obvious that our community had a
had received a special gift And over the next year and a half Miss Leaf has shown that she gives this care and attention not to a select few but to every one of her students Now in Tuesday's state of the district address the board had a beautiful message about all the good
that our district is has President Holly Lee highlighted that quote "Arts education continues to provide district-wide opportunities that showcase the artistry of our students and the skills of our teachers and administrators Miss Leaf is the very
pinnacle of what arts education is all about and she is simply irreplaceable." We also heard from the board that the campus of Elliot Arts Magnet was severely damaged in the fire but its spirit wasn't Miss Leaf is a primary reason for that very spirit
enduring striving to provide for her students and the entire community an event that we will all see at the Amenson Theater tomorrow night The board's address did of course touch on challenges noting that our district's enrollment continues to decline each
year and how they remain committed to making every dollar count Well what better way to grow enrollment than to have a one-of-a-kind educator who is in and of herself a magnet for so many who come to Elliot Every dollar spent on
keeping Miss Leaf yields immeasurable returns in the lives of her students and to the district President Holly rightly asserted that creativity flourishes in our arts magnet de schools Well it's time for our administrators and board members to demonstrate some creativity
of their own We know that you can must and will find a way to keep Miss Leaf at Elliot It's the only way to write the next chapter of our story Margaret Hunt and Grant Babit
Hi I'm Margaret Hunt Aladina resident and mom of Dylan Hunt who's an eighth at Elliot and is playing the role of Shrek this week at the Almanson Thank you for hearing us out today as we all make our passion please to find a creative way to retain Molly Leaf in PUSD I don't have
to list out the miraculous things that she's done in the last 100 days alone since the fire I know each of you will be blown away tomorrow night when you take your seat at the most prestigious theater in Los Angeles You will see our PUSD elementary and middle schoolers
rise up like phoenix's You'll look around with pride and remind yourselves that Miss Leaf did that It's absolutely unbelievable what she's done for our kids and for our district Today at the Almanson I saw three different TV trucks and those outlets were there covering
this story I'm pretty sure that's the kind of news coverage that you'd rather have than some of the other coverage that's happening Students across Pasadena are choosing not to go to private schools or charter schools and to go to Elliott because of the incredible arts program because of stellar teachers Elliot is on the map
and sought out It's hard for our public schools to stand out for academics but we are standing out for the arts Your budget would look much better if more and more families continue to choose PUSD instead of private school This is the momentum that you need I know it's
been an impossible year for PUSD I know you have a long list of bad options for your budget cuts And I know you have literally hundreds of families begging for their most urgent issues And I know that in extenduating circumstances this
board and the PSA leadership step up I know in past years you found creative solutions to retain teachers that are truly extraordinary This is one of those times I implore you to get creative as Molly Leaf has time and again this year
for our kids Find a way Keep PSD a bright star for the arts at LA Enrollment and stature for this district will grow because of it Thank you Colleen George Glasco Colleen George Okay Grant
Babbot and Justina Black Hi my name is Grant Babbot and I am a father of four PSUD students Uh I also have the distinction of living between AAM Elementary School and Elliot So we live on that same street right there Uh we've been involved with the theater
through AAM and through Elliot ever since 2018 I have a kindergarter who's now a sixth grader He's been a part of every show ever since And we've seen an evolution of different teachers coming in as drama teachers and being directors and seeing what that does to kids They've flourished They've had these
amazing opportunities but it's not been the same since Molly Leaf has been there I ask you to save her I ask you to keep her She's so important on so many levels She is not just a drama teacher And I understand that in the hiring process a drama teacher can be someone who's
qualified and someone who can just do the job but she's so much more than that This this is not just an issue for a teacher and a teacher keeping a job This is a mental health issue for these kids that have already suffered So and I just want to say Molly Leaf is
not just a drama teacher She's a program builder She's a life skills instructor She's an arts therapist And she's a safe place for our kids And our kids need that right now And I don't want to see anybody pull the
rug out from underneath her Sorry pull the rug out from underneath the kids because they've suffered so much already And this is literally the person who has given them hope and given them strength in this process And much like improv theater and I'll just leave you with this Improv
theater has something that's called yes and Okay the opposite of that is but no And I implore you to use that Yes And let's keep Molly Leaf Yes And let's see what that investment does to the district Let's see what that investment
does to our kids and their future Please save Molly Leaf Thank [Applause] you Good evening My name is Justina Blakeney Rosen Crrance and I'm a parent
at Elliott here speaking on behalf of Miss Leaf Over the past few years our kids have been faced with challenge after challenge From the pandemic to the fires to school closures and emotional upheaval for the past two years Miss
Molly Leaf has been a beacon of fun of hope and stability for our kids She's created a space where our children can express themselves take risks and grow not just as performers but as people Our child Ida is an only child
and experienced a lot of isolation during the pandemic But through Miss Leaf's drama program Ida found community confidence and a deep love of learning Over the course of three productions I watched Ida transform developing skills
in public speaking in teamwork movement and most importantly a sense of belonging Miss Leaf doesn't just teach theater She teaches leadership empathy and collaboration Her dedication is unmatched She inspired me to get more
involved as a parent and to volunteer And I've seen first a firsthand her ability to create magic on a shoestring budget When the school auditorium closed it was her quick action tenacity and ability to pivot that made it possible for the spring musical to be staged at
the theater An extraordinary feat that shows how she moves mountains for our kids and our community Miss Leaf is the heart of the theater arts program at Elliott And while it may technically be possible to hire another drama teacher
the truth is no one can replace her If you're lucky enough to have Michael Jordan on your team and you're at risk of losing Michael Jordan you don't just let him go You do everything in your power to keep your star athlete Miss
Leaf is that star So while I understand there are policies in place I'm asking you what do you have the power to do because we this community have a responsible to our children to make this right Thank you
Joel Simmons Aisha Tang Johnny Miller Good afternoon I was told not to take this personal but there's no way that I cannot By a show of hands how many have you seen Midsummer Night Magic Lord of the Flies or Matilda
um I'm sure if you saw any of these productions then you know the magnitude of Miss Leaf's um power but I want to share something personal um about our family In 2003 my daughter Jolie Simmons was diagnosed with a chronic heart
condition and she was told that she couldn't participate in any activities such as physical education um running roller coasters or even walks around the corner So she found her niche in theater um under Miss Leaf's direction Just
recently she had a series of um cardiologist appointments and I rescheduled them and rescheduled them and rescheduled them because she begged me She couldn't miss second period drama She couldn't miss rehearsal for Shrek
Jr So the last attempt to get her because the cardiologist was begging me Um I parked in front of McKinley and Julie said "Mom I can't go I can't miss rehearsal." And I said "Jolie this is my
last time I have to take you to your cardiologist appointment You have an MRI You have all this stuff you have to do." And so I said "Fine." And I called Miss Leaf And a minute later Jalie walked out Not because I begged her but because
Miss Leaf told her how important her cardiologist appointment was and that she can come back to rehearsal Um Miss Leaf is more than a drama teacher She's a seal coach She's a therapist and she's a mom She was one of
the first persons to open up her home to us after the fire So tonight I'm asking you to resend your decision of Miss Lee Pink slip Thank you Uh good evening board members My name is Asia Tang I'm a Sierra Madre
resident a single mom a night shift nurse and a proud parent at Elliot Arts Magnet I'm here tonight to urge you to retain one of the most impactful educators in our district Molly Leaf When my child and I left our charter school to join PUSD it was because of
Miss Leaf and the program she built She brought purpose confidence and belonging into my child's life And after the Eaten Canyon fires which destroyed our auditorium and left many drama families displaced majority of them she didn't step back She stepped up She held our children through one of the hardest times in their lives and turned
devastation into inspiration Miss Leaf's leadership has made Elliot a beacon of what an arts magnet should be Her students are not only thriving emotionally and academically they're performing at the Almanson Theater this Friday She brought Broadway actors and master teaching
artists into our classrooms This isn't just teaching drama it's changing lives and it's exactly what PUSD's art vision and the grant intended I want to highlight something from the education code 44955 This board is authorized to deviate from
terminating certified employees in order of seniority where the district demonstrates a specific need and that the certifi certified employee has special training and experience necessary to teach that course which others with more seniority do not possess Miss Leaf meets that definition
completely She brings special training professional experience and a proven ability to deliver results that others simply cannot replicate Retaining her isn't just an emotional decision It's a strategic one that aligns with your own policies and the long-term vision for the arts in PUSD Elliot specifically
Miss Leaf is the heart of Elliot Arts She is the reason families like mine are returning to public schools Removing her would dismantle what has been so beautifully and effectively built Please honor the intention of the grant Honor the needs of our students right now and
honor the value of experience and impact not just time served Thank you Hello everyone Um thank you for this time and this space Thank you for your gosh you guys have been up forever trying to make
everything go as well as possible We are in need of more help we need to work together Um I come from a restorative justice background and I know you all are doing as much as you possibly can and this is a call to to
really put together what we've got There's so much talent in this room and beyond And so I'm looking forward to rebuilding a community in a way where we're not just pointing fingers at people with the most power because the
power is among us So how can we do that that's a bigger that's a bigger um conversation obviously Um I come to you also as a parent um and
our child um was once in LUSD now we're live in Arcadia we choose this we have fallen in love with Pasadena Altadena in this place Molly Leaf in the community that she's been building is a huge huge part of that we have a neurode divergent
son who we treat and who has been guided from uh as as if he's on the spectrum We've spent years restraining and and helping convince him who's been bullied by teachers students and peers But when
he's come here he wakes up with what was a fight to get to school on a daily basis Our son now has a sense of purpose gets gets up wants to be on time and grades have increased and has a diverse network of support um as described by
what you get everyone else has been talking about so far Um a huge call to I understand protocol but we need to build something else that's more cutting edge so we don't lose our our Kobes and Michael Jordans You know what I mean so
thank you for this investment Jose Advigo Leah Simmons Jinuan Leu Uh hello I'm Joe Riggo Um I have two daughters who have attended Elliot Um the oldest has moved on She was a
student of Molly Leaf Um she was so affected by it that when my youngest daughter Lux who is now in sixth grade saw what her sister was doing and studying She came to me and told me that she wanted to leave the charter that she
was at that she wanted to study under Miss Leaf and she left her friends behind And that's what she did She came on over but she was so excited about it that there were a whole host of other parents who wanted to know
what was going on at Elliot Why was Lex so excited and so some of their kids came too That's Molly Leaf Um I've heard a lot about how we can't replicate what Molly's doing It's
absolutely true There's great teachers out there There's great drama instructors There's great directors But this one is the best We're not here because she's kind of okay and
we think she's pretty neat We're here because she's the best I don't care about the bureaucracy I don't care I I feel for you guys I assume it's kind of a mistake It's part of the
bureaucracy but we don't let the best go just because the bureaucracy says so So we're here fighting for it We know you guys are going to do the right thing I don't like to come to board meetings but I'm here and I'm here because I care So
do the right thing Keep Miss Leaf around I don't want to come back and be in a bad mood about it So take care of us Okay Thank you Hi my name is Leah Slemens and my goal
today is to let you know that the population of students and families within uh PUSD is dramatically changing in the area of the arts specifically theater arts and specifically to Altadena and Elliot Arts magnet schools
My daughter Evangelene um played the role of Matilda in last year's production and she was a fifth grader at the time and I as a parent was extremely nervous um and anxious about it because she had never done a lead role that way
Um although she had done acting before and she was definitely talented I was nervous about it It was Molly Leaf who set my heart and mind at ease I didn't even recognize her as the director because she was unlike any other
director I'd ever met She was kind compassionate patient understanding and she really took Evangelene under her wing That was a um beautiful experience for my daughter and for me and all the families involved Um
it was five soldout performances with demand for more Uh we had people coming from other districts other schools private schools included all saying the same thing There's something going on here What is going on here and it had
truly become a junior Broadway production So um I also wanted to let you know that mine is not the only story where we could have chosen other schools We actually had my daughter enrolled for
um another school private school but we changed our minds at the last minute because of the program that was developing under Miss Leaf So um I want to let you know that uh with your ongoing support like programs with programs like this um you're going to
see that continued shift in population grow and grow and grow and hopefully other schools will follow suit Thank you so much Good evening board members My name is Ting Shanglio I'm the seventh grade men do emer teacher at sar middle school and
also a parent in this district Tonight I'm here to raise serious concerns about how decision are being made at our site especially around staffing teacher workload and how this decision have undermined the development and integrity
of our mand do emerging program This concern to a consistent pattern of f favoritism that has undermined collaboration strain morale and most most importantly started a started to erode a program that our community has
spent over a decade building together Because of time limits I won't go into full detail here I have submitted a written statement to board members and shared hard copies with those present tonight including board the union
representatives and the families in our mand do emerging program The statement included dates and specific examples that reflect a troubling pattern though these are no longer just internal staff issues they are beginning to harm
students I respectfully ask the board to investigate the concerns raised in my statement ensure transparency and hold the appropriate individuals accountable Not just not just through a public
apology but through corrective measures that restore transparency fairness and trust I also hope that in future decisions impacting the men program the district will meaningfully in include input from teachers and the families
especially those who speak the language and understand the unique needs of the mand program Finally I want to emphasize this I don't want to be here tonight I waited I follow the process I give people time But when silence begin to
harm students educator have a responsibility to speak up Thank you El Schneider Warren Bleecker Adriana Lopez Hey guys Um I don't really go here That is to say I'm an Altadino resident
Before that I was a Pasadena resident Uh I've lived in this community for 16 years my entire adult life So why am I here um I'm here because in uh fall of 2002 my brother
started high school at Stenton High School blocks away from ground zero in Manhattan Um and by the summer of 2005 he was diagnosed with stage three lymphoma And uh there is a known cancer
cluster that came up as a result of poor remediation of the schools in the vicinity of 9/11 after that disaster in particular um cancers and illnesses relating to lead and asbestos Um it's
really scary to me having gone through that and having my family go through that My brother had to spend his entire senior year of high school on chemotherapy unsure whether it would work I don't want to see that same thing happen in my new community As my friends are getting to the age where they're
having kids and they have kids enrolled in the school system I want to make sure that it's safe and that other families don't go through what we went through You guys need to figure out a way how to test the schools that are within a mile of the burn zone for lead asbestos and
other contaminants because we know and have verified facts of what happens if those contaminants are left to remain on the school grounds And that's not just cleaning the walkways it's the HVAC unit it's soft goods like carpets and
auditorium seats That's what caused the cancer cluster at Stson High School And I don't want a cancer cluster here Thank you so [Applause]
much Thirdood Marshall believed that integration was the best way to achieve an inclusive and well functioning democracy Marshall secondary school fully embraces integration and diversity The first Eagle principle is embrace
diversity Marshall draws students from throughout PUSD Marshall's diverse student body thrives in academics the arts and athletics Thood Marshall was unapologetic in his commitment to integration diversity and protecting our
democracy Thood Marshall stated "Democracy cannot flourish amid fear Liberty cannot bloom amid hate Justice cannot take root amid rage." In a commencement address Thood Marshall said "Where you see wrong or inequality or
injustice speak out because this is your country This is your democracy Make it Protect it Pass it on." As Marshall Secondary School turns 100 years old this year our country's commitment to integration diversity and democracy is
under attack But by naming a school after Thood Marshall this evening PSUD not only honors and commemorates Thood Marshall's legacy PUSD signals its unwavering commitment to integration diversity and democracy and commits to
teaching these ideals to future generations who will now walk the halls of Thood Marshall Secondary School Thank you [Applause]
Um good evening Dr Blanco and board members My name is Adriana Lopez I felt the need to reach out to you because I had concerns for the students at Rose City I joined the PUSD family in 2011 and work for Elliot Middle School as a temporary life science teacher After my first year I then transferred to Rose City where I am currently the only
biology teacher and girls PE teacher at my site Our students at this site are very special and dear to me I had the opportunity to build strong relationships with our students I know that my position as a biological science teacher was eliminated amongst others My greater concern is that way that we may
end up doing a disservice to our students by failing to provide them with the tools they all deserve to succeed In my opinion replacing a life science class with a computer-driven course is not the best alternative especially for our students population who often require more attention and focus These students greatly benefit from hands-on
learning experiences It is sad to see how our small close-knit real city community has been pulled apart This last school year we lost our full-time counselor our drug interventionist students are also losing a great art photography program one of the most desired electives at Rose City These
programs amongst other things like low teacher turnover are what helped our school become a model continuation high school It was not only the work of one individual but the seemingly effort of the entire group that it reflects our success as a team Of course this process was not easy It took years to stren
strengthen our cities family I am grateful for the fact that I will remain part of the PUC community and move forward to a different location but I am so saddened to leave the place I have been part of for the last 13 years and I consider a second home I understand it may be too much to ask for reconsider
reconsideration at this stage now that these decisions have been made But I still felt it was important to share how I feel I want to thank you all for taking the time to listen to my concerns Thank you Karolina Oreon Aster
Sylveo Evan Gford Okay Good evening My name is Karolina and I've had the pleasure of calling Rose City my home away from home since 2011 Although my position as a math teacher at Rose City is not being eliminated this year I feel compelled to
speak with you today because I have deep concerns about the future of our school Over the years I've witnessed Rose City transform into a welcoming safe and nurturing environment that truly supports the needs of all of our students We have come together as a
community to address both the academic and mental health needs of our students As a result we've achieved incredible milestones This year alone we were named a model continuation school for a third time Thank you Thank you Um we also
renewed our WASK accreditation Um our graduation rate increased by 21.5% over the previous school year Right And our CAS math and English proficiency rates have also improved These accomplishments didn't happen by
chance They are the result of deliberate collaborative efforts among our teachers staff and the unique programs that we have in place at Rose City I understand that our enrollment has been low this year which has prompted the these cuts
Please remember that our enrollment fluctuates year to year quarter to quarter based on the number of students that are referred from the comprehensive high schools This is why I urge you to reconsider the proposal to cut our
teaching staff by onethird We currently only have nine teachers and the current cuts would take us down to just six teachers Such a reduction would directly impact our ability to continue delivering the highquality individualized education our students
both need and deserve Thank you for your time Good evening My name is Aster Sario and I was the valad Victorian for Rose City High School in 2023 As a former student I'm here tonight to speak on behalf of the students that currently attend Rose
City High Without Miss Lopez Mr G and Miss G The student the subjects that they teach would likely be reduced to be completed on Ascelis And to minimize Rose City's students learning experience to be on a computer is to discourage
them from making and maintaining the necessary social connections that promote motivation and understanding in a classroom environment To remove their programs from the school is to deprive the students the learning experience that they deserved Simply put Rose City
would not be Rose City without these teachers That being said I believe and I hope that there will be more deliberation in terms of moving forward with this matter Thank you for your time Hello I'm Evan Goldfarb a senior at Rose
City High School A school that I could describe in many ways but one that sticks out to me is like a a lighter with low butane A lot of schools come here as a burntout candle and Rose City helps light their wick once again But with these budget cuts Rose City can't
light as many and soon might even run out of fuel We have 40% fewer students the last year 113 And if every single senior graduates that means we would have half the student population that we currently have With the model continuation program we are a 21 school
or 221 school meaning we only need 20 students If we get five students that aren't doing the best in other schools we could save a teacher I don't like to put down other schools to bring up Rose City but it it's more than a school It's a community and firing a third of the
staff really just breaks up the family almost You know without Miss Lopez we wouldn't have a biology program or female um PE class Without Mr G we wouldn't have art We wouldn't have photography and it would take the No Boundaries art installation away from
Rose City Not only do we have an amazing staff we have arguably a even better support system with staff that are easy to approach and friendly and in Denver to find a solution to any student's
need I know the world ain't fair but right now Rose City's at its best We have higher graduation rates We got model continuation We have the Wasp program Everything is doing good and we're still getting hit almost the hardest All I ask is for to have like is
to bring more students Whether that's students that are doing the best at other high schools whether that's the overflow applicants from CIS All we need is more students and to save our staff Thank you for your time Kimberly
Salas Leonard Evans Rene Gonzalez Carlos Garcia Salana Good evening My name is Kimberly I am a senior at Rose City Rose City is a school filled with passionate teachers whose main focus is on the students
Every teacher on this campus has shown dedication at every single student I can speak on this since I have had every single teacher As soon as you step into the classroom you can see that every teacher is stirrled with enthusiasm in their own way They all have their way of
teaching and I have had the privilege to get to know every teacher Mr Gothold Miss Lopez and Miss Gutierrez have the heart of every student who has had them including mine Without these students without these teachers much motivation and knowledge would be lost All three
along with every teacher have a very important role in our lives and education Our photography teacher has taught a lot and is our only art-based teacher Miss Gutierrez is a big help with our Spanish speaking students and
Miss Lopez is a big help in our science area Not only are they our teachers but our friends They have pushed us to our very best As a senior I have can say that I was at I joined Rose City as a sophomore and I have developed so much
since the beginning and it would it's all thanks to the help to every single teacher and especially well there's no one but all of our teachers have been a very great help and motivation and without them I
don't know where I would be at personally Um I don't it's very sad to see it would be very sad to see each stu each teacher to leave us because they have been a very big big support in our
life and education me and for every student on Rose City campus we would be pleased to have and to maintain every teacher and staff on this campus Thank you Good even good evening Evening Uh my name is Lonard Evans I'm a former
student at Rose City High School and I'm here to speak on behalf of former students also into not getting rid of the three teachers that made Rose City what it is
I personally have been affected by the pandemic in the past few years I was a freshman when it first started and I graduated 2023 In that time that I have been at Rose City for two years I have gotten
three internships for major film companies just for participate participating And Mr G honestly he he helped me a lot because I was a lost kid trying to trying to go through
the world through the pandemic and also not having a solid male figure in my life I think I think it's honestly a shame that mo that most of the teachers third
of the teachers are getting budget cuts are getting laid off I also believe that most kids who are a who graduated after me or are going going to continue to graduate after me are going are going
to not have that role model in in Rose City There are only a small percentage of students and most of them are lost too And I just think um I just think it could make a difference in most people's lives
especially my life It made a difference And I think I think um I think most I think most students uh Thank you
[Applause] Party time Connie Conniey's part Okay Yeah that's all Go ahead Connie de
That's me again I'm sorry Uh good evening everybody Happy to see you guys I'm come for a good thing I'm come here to invite you guys for our wonderful Latino ceremony on May 18 from our beautiful
Marshall School That is my heart You know all my kids went to Marshall And uh thanks to the principal and you guys want to present our ceremony for our wonderful Latino ceremony of 2025 And uh we're here to invite you guys and see if it's possible you guys can go because I
love to see everybody and our wonderful uh things for our kids because especially this year they will they really everybody you know to have a little come together I think we can make a difference in those kids and they can open their heart especially for what's going on with all the uh the what
happened in in our school and our in in our city and then that's why you know I'm here you know I have a passion for students and I love the I love my kids everybody I love all my kids but especially you know Debian and the Latino ceremony I was the one that you know I started this many many many years
ago and I'm happy to uh to be part of the uh with Mr Gonzalez you know I'm happy to invite you guys to our beautiful ceremony If you want to say something no the flyer is on your desk and you will get the digital flyer So
bring friends and have fun and party time Thank you Dr Garcia Thank you Uh good afternoon Dr Blanco uh ELT and board members Um I am here as a followup to my email from earlier this
week asking for the opportunity to sit and discuss and brainstorm what can be done with the campuses that have been lost to the eaten fires Um the Edison campus where we housed 370 students is now fully inoperable The Ottabon campus
that housed 470 students has some limitations for collocation Um the state of California and voters are looking at $10 billion in school facilities Charter schools have $600 million earmarked for
rehabilitation renovation and new construction projects I'd love the opportunity to meet with everyone anyone a committee facilities to discuss is there an opportunity to partner to rebuild our schools and provide our
community with a fresh opportunity moving forward Um Odyssey Charter Schools has been in the Altadena community for over 20 years at the Ottabon campus This is our home That is our community These are our roots Um we
want to and we will be part of the rebuild efforts and we'd love to have that opportunity to do that in partnership with you all um and staff and leadership um to make that happen
Primarily accessing funding that will not put any strain on the district budget So I look forward to that opportunity um when it becomes available Thank you [Applause]
Rene Gonzalez Thank you clerk Good evening everyone ELT first I I want to say you know I'm very impressed with the students of Rose City I never seen students you know come back and support a school That's not a
school That's a family and and you know I I'm I'm very proud to hear your words uh young man and and stay strong and uh there's good things for you in life We live in a time of darkness and nepotism culture in
PUSD This district has ignored the public needs for far too long This district has ignored the student needs for far too long This district has prioritized
the outside contractors consultants and etc for far too long They prioritize their agenda and their profit We gave you 500 not you but past administrators $500 million They
promised sustainable energy We could have solar panels EV chargers make deals with four chi why not you know I really dislike to hear the word decline enrollment like if it's a chronic
disease that you're going to die decline enrollment is nothing but the aftermath of your lack of leadership and your lack of actions Do one thing to save one teacher do one thing to say one teacher each
month because they are here to stud to you know educate the students and that's what a public school system should be not profits for contractors and and racketeering and all the stuff that goes on here
So this bad culture started many years ago with bad leaders like Scott Phelps Larry Torres who are still getting paid Somebody should be fired should be them because they ruined this this this district and they're comfortably getting
paid at CIS We don't need them You know we can have one principle at CIS in Rose City So please I look forward to your leadership I miss your speech It was a powerful one I had another commitment as you might know but I'm here for the
students and for the future the prosperous future of this district And I I see the light but we need change And the COC it's not changed You chose to put the $900 million on the COC There's going to be hundreds of million dollars funneling out of this district We have
the money now to invest on the gold mine which is California and we're not doing it Please bring solar panels and use that money to make money and bring the teachers back Thank you so much for listening Okay thank you That closes public
comment and now we'd like to hear our comments from labor unions All right Good evening uh Superintendent um President Holly Here are my uh UTP labor comments Um I wanted to share with you some
information It was just published on eddata.org and um you all have a copy of this so you can look at it yourselves But if you zoom in you can see that instruction for last year was at 53% compared to the normal school
district which spends 58% on instruction Also I highlighted these are three things you can find in their financial um report in comparison with other districts The second one is instructional supervision and administration where PUSD spent 8% of
their budget on that whereas most districts spend four That's a pretty huge gap right there And the last one is on general administration which is at 7% for PSD whereas 6% elsewhere So you can see
between the bottom two you have about 5% and that 5% represents how far off we are from the typical school district in in terms of spending in the classroom and instruction That 5% cut from
admin because this year's budget is very similar to last year There has not been huge cuts to admin but a 5% cut from from all those things in those categories would allow a savings of 14 or $15 million that would save all
117 of our teacher shops including the ones from Rose City Molly Leaf and all the other individuals that we've brought forward to you over the last couple of months Students deserve fully funded schools and classrooms And unfortunately
when you have all that administration we wind up with additional bureaucracy And that's not something that helps our students On a new topic special education we need to set our special education professionals up for success
We need to have appropriate case loads structured compliance time structured planning time for all elementary school teachers and more dedicated planning time will lead to higher quality instruction It will allow us our teachers in general education and special education to support all of our
special education students UTP's asks are reasonable and will give students the support they need to learn 10 years UTP has been asking for dependable working conditions for those who serve our students with special needs Who better to let you know how to
fix the problem than the frontline educators the chaos of having the 12th head of special ed in 13 years has to stop Contract language is the only way to stabilize this ship I noticed on the agenda also that we
have a declaration of need for fully qualified educators But I want to point out to you that we already have many of the educators that you need PSD already has people the five multiple subject teachers that are mentioned in that um
notice two ELA teachers one of whom is Molly Leaf 23 bilingual education authorizations many of whom currently have temporary contracts for several others um on that list If you worked with our
current teachers for instance maybe some of the biology positions that are looking to be cut and ask them to be train uh see if they could uh be authorized in chemistry or physics or paying for other classes There are ways to keep the people we have now who are
the people that have been forged in this fire that have been trained in our practices It would be much better to do that rather than the six-year pattern that we have of laying off people and then bringing in a whole new
crew I want to bring to your attention quite a number of contract violations This um one of the biggest that's affecting us right now is that HR has not published the vacancy list to all our members despite that being clearly called out in our contract as a need a
requirement of our contract On the second note HR deprived a member of PD time and forced them to work longer hours with no compensation all of last semester HR is not keeping accurate sick leave records We have a grievance to
that effect And the the last one although it hasn't been ruled yet is actually um HR involuntarily transferred a more senior teacher over a teacher with less seniority And um instead of handling or dealing with it the district
um decided to spend a bunch of money on arbitration which is a waste of everyone's time and money and um we should be resolving these things quickly and following the contract Lastly I want to point your
attention to the QR code Um we as UTP believe that PSD should embrace its classrooms and its students and lean in to fully fund our PSD classrooms and schools I pointed out to you that we have the ability to do a much better job
than what we're doing right now Also UTP must be treated as a true labor partner We were talking earlier about creativity and solutions The best solutions are through collaboration through working together which has not been the pattern of our bargaining process or this whole
riff process For those of you in the public I would like you to uh uh I would ask you to sign our petition using the QR code and uh if you believe that we should be fully funding our schools and classrooms Thank you
[Applause] Hi good evening board president Holly board members superintendent SLT My name is Brian Stanley president of Association of Passage of School Administrators We extend our sincere gratitude and all our of all our
certificate and classified leaders within PSUSD for the incredible work that they do day in and day out Our exceptional leaders model and uphold the district's mission and values and demonstrate the qualities of visionary thinking strong communication and commitment to continuous
improvement They inspire and motivate others foster collaborative environments and fiercely advocate for student success and equity They demonstrate integrity adaptability and a passion for education Each year the APSA body associated of
past school administrators nominates and votes on leaders who model these qualities to an exceptional degree This this normally happens uh in the fall um which it did this year and then you know in the in January we nominate these these administrators to
the uh state regional and state awards for AXA Um that did not happen this year um you know do not seem appropriate to you know focus on nomination for awards for the times that we're going through Um however you know we don't want this year
to come to a close without at least recognizing those administrators that were nominated and voted for these awards Um nevertheless so before this year comes to an end we do want to recognize these administrators for um for what their peers voted them for
Um which starting with our secondary school principal of the year Dr Lton Gray elementary principal of the year Marcy Brownella central office administrator of the year Dr Shannon Mumalo Harmony Canó and Dr Helen Chanhill
Charter Leadership Award Dr Shannon Malone Promising Administrator of the Year Ella Finus Classified Managers of the Year Moral McTarion Tracy RmIrez and Beth Leaden Secondary School co-administrators of the year Vivian
Wong Learns administrator of the year Daisy Kenyonus Professor of Education Dr Marian Stewart and of course Superintendent Dr Dr Blanco who will be celebrating at our um as our region 15 um superintendent of the year next Friday
So like I said I I know times are are very tough right now but um still want to recognize the work that these administrators are doing and for the you know celebrate their achievements this year Thank you
[Applause] Is is there anybody else i don't think there's any other labor unions Did Did you say there was going to be some type of ceremony or an event celebrating all of this and will the
board uh receive an invitation what sorry Uh can you repeat that i'm sorry I didn't hear all that You said for um I just wanted to know if the board was going to be invited to the celebration but I was just informed that it was full
So so for an event next Friday the board wasn't was invited Um but let me know if you want to attend And then for all the for all the administrators we'll do something at the very end of the year probably at the end of May We haven't decided on an exact date yet
Yes Okay Thank you So now we are going to move on to our first staff presentation Superintendent's leadership team for eaten fire recovery update Good evening Momentarily I'll
invite up now they're coming The rest of the uh superintendent's leadership team Um as we have done in previous board meetings we just want to provide uh some continuous updates on the recovery process from the Eden fire Now um in a
very uh stabilizing way this has become sort of our new normal and uh you're going to end up seeing some things that just are typical for this time of year Something happening I think she's just standing really far
behind you Oh okay I was like something happening Pictures Okay Okay Okay Sorry Mr Hard Didn't know I was that self-conscious Okay I'm just gonna keep going So all right So in it today in this presentation we have organized
information around our academic and well-being monitoring So we have some new information for you uh in those areas and then of course our um continuous operational updates So in our academic and well-being monitoring one of the things
that has been um eagerly awaited is our academic data reporting As you know because of the delays with uh the the initial emergency we did have to delay our typical local benchmark um assessment window However I wanted to
which I have some preliminary data for you here tonight but I wanted to um share some structures that we have around how we are checking in on students academically regardless of local benchmark or not And so essentially uh we have talked in the
last uh few months and uh and year around different levels of data that we utilize Uh the term that we've been um sharing is street data being the more day-to-day on the ground in the classroom type of data that teachers
utilize when they interact with students when they test informally when they do uh exit tickets and and and the like We have a new system that we're very excited about uh called Panorama Student Success that Dr Reos's team has helped um begin training uh critical staff in
which will actually house this collective data uh so that we can actually combine academic data with behavioral attendance engagement um and SEAL data so that we have a holistic look at how students are doing What we also have that I've just referred to was
that local benchmark data which is what we typically look at in terms of how students are doing in math and reading So you'll see some of that preliminary data but that's really at the map level right it's not the daily work that we're doing but it does give us a good look at
a certain period in time And finally we have the typical satellite data that you see our reporting on uh usually at the beginning of the school year because the students take this uh California assessment state assessment at the end of the school year This is actually the opening of our testing season for that
and then the results come in throughout the summer and you see the dashboard release happening in the fall that satellite data is such a lagging indicator because of the delay in in how we see it that we don't typically use it for daily instructional um adjustment
but it is a good indicator for us of how students are doing toward the end of the year in one consistent point in time So today I'm going to talk about oh sorry today I'm going to talk about that center data the local benchmark data um and so in that context understand that
it's only one data point that we're looking at but it's and in this uh sense it is preliminary there's a lot of disagregation that we still have yet to do but because the window has closed we were able to give you some of the general um uh impressions so the way
that the next few slides are structured so that I won't belabor each one individually ually is it begins with a table that shows you our elementary data and that would be kindergarten through fifth grade and then our middle school data from sixth through 8th grade We do
assess high school and reading um and that's uh included in our final district-wide data on the table we are showing you what the current uh results are in what would be called diagnostic 2
and then we compare it to the middle column which is diagnostic one which they took in the fall and then showing you the percent change in that category So different than our summitive test our I Ready local benchmarks are divided into
five performance bands and we are showing what the growth is between those performance bands What I want to point out is that yes we should always expect that our uh data grows from the beginning of the year to the middle of the year But what
I want to point out is that those percentages are not just due to time the actual um percentage of that performance or proficiency is based on what the cut point is expected to be at that point in the year So if it is a diagnostic one
being done in the fall then there is a particular cut point where they expect you to be at a certain proficiency level because you've uh typically been in school for about 3 to four months When you move to diagnostic two which happens in the winter the cut point moves So
your target shifts because there's a higher expectation for how much you should have covered by that point in the year And so those percentages can flatline because you can continue to only be progressing at a particular percentage as you make progress But what you want to see is
that it increases in percentage because more students are gaining proficiency at the adjusted cut point Um so that's what this table uh will display in numerical change So what I
wanted to point out for both the elementary and the middle school math data is that you are seeing um all levels moving in the direction that we want them to move Meaning the two levels or the two bands that are early on grade
level or mid and above are moving in a positive direction we're increasing the percentage of students that are reaching those benchmarks and the grade bands um that indicate uh remediation needed or
uh grade levels below are decreasing So we're moving students into the in the right direction in both um in both grade level bands we do see a significantly um higher movement in the elementary
grades than we do in the middle grades and that remains true in math and in reading So this is also something that's not surprising It has been traditionally more difficult for us to move um students across grade bands as they get older And so uh that is definitely
something that we are honing in on as a concern The next couple slides and this will be replicated when I get to the reading as well visually show you what you just saw on the previous um table So it's the
exact same data but this time uh shown in uh graphical format so that you can see really how that breaks down in terms of percentage So we are um thrilled to see that we have a collective growth and
change in the number of students who are on grade level or above um in both of the um grade bands This is our reading data split up in that same way where you see the elementary on the left side of the table
and the middle school on the right side And again across all grade bands we are I'm sorry grade bands uh all performance bands we are seeing movement in the right direction except in the middle school uh with the early ongrade level where we didn't see um a change students
in those bands may have changed but the net percentage of students did not And then another graphical depiction of that same data And we are uh pleased to see that that growth in ongrade level or above is
growing year-to-year One of the um and then finally this final slide is the district-wide data where we now collectively include both the elementary and middle school and in reading we add in the high school all together
So notable um changes is that for re uh for reading at the bottom we actually have increased um our on grade level or above percentage on this at this particular time of the year to 49% Which is uh at this point nearly
half of students We are obviously concerned that that also means that nearly half of students are not but we are making strides We have done a significant amount of work around reading instruction and we see that the gains are um occurring I shared earlier that this is
the preliminary data We don't have the disagregated data yet We are actually meeting with the the data analysis team in the next week where we can look at this by subgroup We can look at this by grade level um with more specificity um and we can see which students are moving
One of the um things that we were also reviewing is what does this look like from winter last year to winter this year The data that you've seen so far really is just comparing that growth during this current school year But if we were really trying to get as close to
apples to apples we were uh wanting to look at the year-over-year change from the same point in time And last year at this point in time or on this particular diagnostic 2 our proficiency rate was at 43% and this year we're at 49 So even
though we were very concerned with some of the um stressors that have been added to our students lives uh we are still seeing that there's a steadiness that's occurring in these instructional areas Uh similarly in mathematics at this time
last year we are at 34% proficiency and we're now at 41% So those are positive changes Again those numbers are moving in the right direction but the rate of growth is something that we are eager to look at because we've talked about
needing to use stretch goals as opposed to just typical rates of growth And so we are going to inspect a little deeper and be able to come back to you with some more information on that I'll turn to Dr Reynoso for our attendance data
Thank you Dr Hill Good evening Well we were off to a great start up through December with our attendance being on target um to reach our 95 n sorry 94.08 and in chronic absenteeism decreasing to 15%
But as we know we had a major disruption happen in January And since that time it has impacted the work that our schools are experiencing and um through a variety of different um situations and variables our students are finding it
difficult to come to school in some of our schools However um we believe uh we just looked at some recent data that we are hopeful that we might actually meet all of our targets despite what uh interruptions we've experienced We know that our schools are working tirelessly
They are doing home visits They are meeting with every single family whether it's about law enforcement immigration um and the impact of the fire they are um just really doing everything they can to remove the barriers so that our students can show up um and feel
connected to schools um and to each other And so we're going to continue to work on that Um we talked today about identifying about four or five schools that are have a higher threshold of concern Uh so we'll be working alongside with them to see if we can go back to
their attendance plans make some adjustments and bring it home really strong so our students feel well when they come to school I bring show and tell because I am student wellness aer representative All right I'm not going to read through all of these things but I am going to touch on um just the
incredible uh work that has happened since the eaten fire Um the Infire underscored the urgent need for mental health and wellness support in the Pasadena Unified School District highlighting the value of immediate and long-term supports We are deeply grateful to the Swiss teams for their
service PEF the Los Angeles County of Education Young and Healthy and statewide partners for their steadfast partnership during this critical time for our school district This experience connected us to each other and to the broader state and county mental resources and we are especially thankful
to all of the counselors for their surrounding us with love and care We definitely feel love and support We embraced tangible seal supports For example I'm going to pass that around because you do need to give it a hug It's called the cuddle bear Um they are
going to be gifts that are going to two of our schools I'm sorry Getting two All of our schools are getting two bears Um they are therapy bears and one will be in the principal's office and one will be with our RTI wellness teachers We
also um had the uh great privilege of Christina Deari who is um a therapist and author who created a therapeutic um seal coloring book just for the eaten fire and palisade students Um they arrived on Monday um and for
free of charge our Los Angeles County of Education reprinted every single one of them All of our kids in K8 will be receiving one They are beautiful They are in English and in Espanol So we're really excited about this opportunity and they um this artist also did the same type of work when the Lahina fires
fires happened So privileged and a shout out to um just across oceans and across states of the support that PUSD is receiving Um I also um just uh if you haven't had a moment to step outside um outside of the Dr Blanco's office um
over 33 states participated in a kindest act which is an international affair They sent notes They sent um thousands and thousands of pairs of socks But the notes are beautiful and written by people who care about PUSD A special thanks to our team and the student wellness and support services who have
truly gone above and beyond for our students and our staff We are hopeful that the results from the panorama survey that Dr Hill mentioned will also guide us and validate us in the steps forward One final note uh you have been receiving uh lots of notification and
and hopefully an approval for tonight for the children and youth behavioral health initiative Thank you Thank you Trustee Marshall McKenzie You've been a huge champion for this work Um we are pleased to say that we have received 50% of that funding which is a million-dollar grant um that will begin
working to support stu students and staff and offering the chance to measure long-term impact of mental health well-being And for the first time in the state of California we will actually be able to build and be reimbursed for services that we have never done before creating a sustainable um foundation to
elevate our vital work with mental wellness and student uh well-being because our students who are well are ready to learn Thank you Dr H Thanks Dr Renoso Um that actually really captures a lot of what I'm going to
discuss on the next couple slides uh which is really where do you culminate these academic um uh outcomes and expectations alongside a holistic u motivational experience for students And um we do strive to do that throughout
the year But we know that one of the uh benefits of having summer and different inter sessions is that students feel like this is a camp of some sort or that this is a um you know smaller experience that we can engage in some creativity while we're also striving towards some
academic intervention and enrichment And so um a huge kudos to Harmony Conno our coordinator of expanded learning um uh programs and and the various teams that she's been coordinating for our summer of empowerment and additional um
programs that are being offered to students this year in a targeted way We are making use of the time that we have in the summer and the um the very uh specialized funds that are also dedicated to that time to be able to
offer to be able to like it's the bear you guys I'm watching the bear go through Anyway uh to be able to offer um programs to kids that are engaging um and also targeted for whatever their academic needs are Um one that I want to
highlight that she's been um doing in collaboration with our CIPD team is the um PowerUp a reading intervention that is by invite only to every single rising third grader that is eligible for for this um attention And um in addition she
has a significant number of summer camp programs uh that are uh being uh created in collaboration as well as uh for the first time ever team PUSD in collaboration with all of our high school athletic directors and coaches
where they are creating uh bridge camps for students who are in fifth anywhere as young as fifth grade through middle school to come and spend a week at each of our high schools rotating through a variety of athletic experiences So they are getting connected to the school
early and perhaps doing their own little preliminary tour of which high school they would like to enroll in um and meeting other um other students and coaches and teachers who who already work there So uh this was actually um
partially inspired by uh uh Trusty Frederick's and her um ask to bring kids into our high schools earlier uh through our arts and um sports programs And I know we've done a significant amount of that in the arts and we're trying to to bring some parody in other areas as well
Um additionally I wanted to show you that this slide was actually done prior to the spring break and at that time we had,00 students already um enrolled and u Miss Connor let me know that we're now at 1,400 and enrollment I think is
possibly still open It is still open for team PSD for sure and I think closing shortly for the summer camps Uh what you see on this slide is the culmination of all the programs that are being offered throughout our schools this summer Um you'll see that some of them are in
partnership with PEF Uh we are offering Harambe and Freedom Schools as usual Um skills another incredible partner um and our international academy taking care of uh you know our um newcomer students etc
So what you'll see that is distinct now and this one is inspired by trustee Velasquez Vargas We do not often lay out what our academic goals are and then measure them afterwards with uh
with a similar um lens And so uh it has taken a few years We have been obviously doing this um in increments and you've been seeing various data points But now every single one of these programs has a pre-assessment plan and a postassessment plan and we can um now they're not all
the same but we will be able to monitor progress um with the program goals So that's something that we want to make um move in that same direction with more specificity and detail so that we can really follow and make sure that time spent in the summer is just as impactful
and gets us the gains that we would like to support students to move back into the school year Finally I want to just uh share um our enrollment numbers We've been giving you sort of the updates on how many students have exited the district over this time period and how many students
have newly enrolled These are the net numbers that have um occurred since the eaten fire up until the Friday before the spring break We have um gained 263 students who were not previously enrolled in PSUD but in that same time period we've lost 407 Uh we know again
as we've said throughout um our presentations that the true true enrollment um manifestation will will be seen u more throughout the summer But one of the things that we are committed to is in looking at the 2526 enrollment
We plan to take pre-enrollment data and have monthly regular meetings with um human resources so that we can make sure that we are adjusting if staffing needs to adjust as student um enrollment manifests Uh my preliminary um pre-enrollment information from Dr
Mumalo and her office show that we are actually still very much on track um and and steady but again we have a lot of commitments that are still due to come in Uh with that on April 15th you likely saw that intent to return emails were sent out to families So if you are a
family watching and you didn't receive that it's in your email Um we can ask uh the schools have also sent it out and it'll continue to be sent out for uh for some time We are also going to do updates in Aries with that live data uh more frequently than we typically do All
right that transitions us to the operational updates Thank you Dr Chan Hill and updates regarding um some of the items that are happening through the human resources department As you all know um board approved and uh before you
on tonight's uh board meeting we have the new MTSS coach FTEES um and they are reimagined way to support working alongside um or uh academics and looking um at what the needs are going to be and how things are going to be for the 2526
school year uh a new job description was created approved and uh we had successful interviews uh before spring break Uh we were happy to see it was only open uh to PUSD uh current teachers So it was not open to anyone from the outside to be able to apply for the
positions and we were able to fill them That coupled with uh natural attrition so retirements and resignations I had given you the number previously uh before um the February 27 board meeting and had mentioned where the layoffs were approved mentioned that we had taken
into consideration the layoffs retirements um non-reelects up to that point Uh since then we continue to get um typically resignations some retirements um we I take those into account we do have to wait to the next
part of the what happens with the layoff um resolutions which is a lot of the statutory requirements that a lot of you are aware of So right now the current one would be we have to have hearings Uh there's an administrative law judge that will be hearing the cases which will be happening next week uh Wednesday and
Thursday After that the administrative law judge has until May 7th by statutory to provide us with their findings um she would then inform us um of those findings We then issue final layoff notices which is they're due by May 15th
Of course the administrative law judge can always come back with their decision uh past May 7th If they go beyond the May 7th then the same amount of time between May 7th and May 15th we would have and to provide those letters I'm really hoping that that doesn't happen because that just makes us prolong in
terms of notifications to staff but we are tied to those statutory requirements in terms of dates So we're really looking forward to ensuring that they um are able to get us their u their decisions by then When that happens we're able to then and only then um
start assigning reassignment notices uh to folks and we're able to then into take into account any uh retirements um any resignations and of course any of those and through that part of the attrition then that would reduce the number of uh layoff notices At that
point is the time where the district would then begin to resend notices But we have to wait till the administrative law judge provides their ruling before we can ever do that Um again final notices are due by May 15th unless the administrative law judge provides their
decision past the May 7th statutory deadline So we are hopeful we are pushing on them so that we can get those notices earlier the notices that the earlier we're able to get administrative law judge to provide their responses the earlier we're able to issue final layoff
notices but more importantly the sooner we can resend notices as applicable And just for a point of clarification those notices of rescending uh wouldn't be for the uh same FTEES that they're uh currently sitting in So sometimes there's a misconception that if we
brought someone back that then we didn't do any layoffs they would be taking positions that are being budgeted for for next school year So it isn't the same position They're still in terms of reductions in terms of for budgetary purposes we're still gaining those uh
reductions um into the budgetary So these folks will be taking positions that folks are leaving the district So such as retirements resignations and non-reelects Just a point of clarification The next is a risk management update Um as you know so uh it's an ongoing process Sometimes it
goes a little bit quicker sometimes usually it goes a little bit slower Um uh I'm really pleased to be working with Son on a lot of this in terms of I think we're working in tangent to address uh several of the different issues As you know we're one bucket as I like to call
there's really two when it comes to this One of them is really through our insurance um and making uh claims with them to get make sure that we get reimbursed Um and there's a process for that the other is the um lawsuit that we the district has chosen to go pursue um
with Edison So those are two different things that are happening at the same time when it comes to impact in terms of the fire So this specific information right now is regarding the insurance company So I just want to make sure that there's clarity on the two separate ones for this There's still a lot of um
happening in terms of relocation the portables Um we're still analyzing the classroom costs There's a lot of repairs Um there was a lot of um mediation uh that remediation that happened There's stuff that is still happening in terms of remediation that uh went out in a message from the superintendent um just
last week Today's Thursday Yes Or it was this week I think might have been The days are blending together Um all of that is part of this purpose and part of us working with the insurance company to ensure that um all of those items are
covered for With that in mind uh part of through the insurance company uh providing uh resources back to the district because of the fire that are dollars are meant to do um uh impacts of the fire They have already um provided
the district with uh 60 over $60 million reimbursement from insurance to date Again that is meant specifically for um the work that's coming in terms of the recovery uh the safe there's several different safeguards that I've mentioned several times but I think they're worth repeating um council for instancing
accountants to protect the district's interests ensuring that informed decisions are made to preserve the rights under the insurance policy and I gave the analogy last time where uh and through insurance just like very much uh homeowners insurance and car insurance there's different buckets where we can
categorize um or reimbursements but they do have limits so what we do is we maximize the limit of each of those so that we're able to maximize the that were reimbursed Um but just as we have a forensic accounting and legal counsel obviously so did the insurance right
they have their own forensic analysis and looking through the invoices and making sure they account for every dollar Um and last the restoration and the rebuild planning with structural architects and engineers about the best path forward That's still an ongoing process but as you know there was still a lot of remediation that is still ongoing that is still happening So
that's just a little bit of updates will continue to update you as um information comes through and as uh Saman and I continue to work and navigate through um through this process Next up I believe is Mr Simone So last couple board meetings we
provided uh more detailed updates on our facility plans and and impacts on schedule And so uh not a lot new to report uh the portables at Elliott are are proceeding as we previously discussed as well as those additional portals at the Allenale campus for
Altene Arts Magnet as well as all the previous uh bond funded summer projects that we had discussed at the last couple board meetings um with respect to health monitoring So as folks uh saw likely on Friday and
over the weekend uh county public health released some results from some soil sampling that had been done uh primarily in Aladena but also in in in parts of Northern Pasadena And those showed in many areas uh levels of lead that were
above the California screening levels And so subsequently Pasadena Public Health released some school guidance And so uh a lot of this information can be found on our website We'll show a link on the next slide Um and so there were some recommendations uh for schools in
those areas Um and so as a result of those recommendations by Pasadena Public Health uh the Pasadena Unified School District is conducting soil testing across our campuses And so we are you know going a little bit beyond what's being recommended by public health Uh
they're not requiring it to be clear recommendations uh but in the interest of um you know giving comfort to the to the public about the safety of our schools as well as to do any remediation that might be necessary as a result of
those tests Uh we are going to do those across our all of our campuses So something I do just want to point out is that the results of the county public health tests do not indicate any
imminent harm to our students at any of our campuses nor do they indicate any harm from having attended school over the last couple months Uh so as we've been working since the release of these results with Pasadena Public Health um
they put it well and I'd like to kind of repeat their take which is new information is always welcome Additional data is always welcome And sometimes that new data um either tells us that things are fine or it tells us that more investigation is necessary And this isn't that category This isn't a
category of it's not that there's any imminent harm uh to our students or to members of the public that are living in these communities uh but it does warrant additional uh assessment and evaluation and that's that's what we're doing So a lot more information on our website Unfortunately
what it's also going to lead to is a temporary uh restriction of use of of exposed dirt areas Um again this is being done in an abundance of caution Um but as soon as we get those results from our own soil testing uh we will be able
to make those exposed dirt areas available again for use by our students and staff But for the time being until we get those test results those expos exposed dirt areas are going to be uh restricted All right Next are for
communication Good evening board members Um I'm Hilda Ramirez Horvath the your public information officer So in terms of updates um on um communications in the last uh couple of months um we continue
to update our fire relief website which continues to be our most visited page um on on the website Second is the calendar and um this uh week we added information about soil testing We sent messages and
a press release out about the soil testing Added an FAQ on the safety portion of the fire relief um page and we'll add test results as they come in um in about starting in about four weeks
Um that is that website is updated constantly We continue with the weekly PUSD updates It's the weekly newsletter along with other messages as necessary We send out to roughly 38,000 email addresses that include um parents
students community members and um media um or news media partners Um and those um have a pretty high open and engagement rate Um so we continue with those And then we have um we have
averaged since February about one or two events at our schools that are related to fire response Um our our larger our local and then larger community have been incredibly generous in donating to um items and experiences to our students
So um we've supported schools with the planning um and getting the word out So things like at Madison um there was a donation of uh bicycles to teach transitional kindergarten students these four-year-olds with the training wheels
on Um and just a couple of weeks later we just saw a video yesterday that um these four-year-olds on their bicycles had took the training wheels off and our so um to um experiences like that to um you
know the the uh renowned Jane Goodall who came and spoke to our students and gave that as a gift to our students and our community um and a real consciousness about our responsibility as stewards of of um our environment Um
so we continue with those We have many more events planned um and are supporting more in May including senior prom um and are preparing information on our graduates um the class of
2025 and um telling their story Thank you That concludes our presentation and we're here for questions Thank you very much That was really interesting Do we have any questions from the board
trustees miss Kenny I had a question you um on your data slide at the very beginning and you talked about satellite data and the CASP and I know we received a memo about it I wanted to clarify something that's kind of in relationship to the
enrollment numbers back back in the day Um my understanding was for while every student who's with us will take the CASP state test for our dashboard
system will only students count who have been with us continuously since norm day be calculated into our dashboard And the reason I ask is because on that enrollment slide there's been so much movement both coming and going I I
wonder how different those numbers of eligible students will be this year We actually will follow up with that That's a that's a good point All right Because that's it made me kind of think about oh you know new students will be here but they won't at least the way that it used
to work Um that's right And also we have had uh you know the uh CDE did give us um fire affected districts did um have some adjustments that they um shared We'll check and see what's what that status would be Okay And then on
enrollment um so you said the intent to return that will be going to all students at all schools It should uh have gone out on Tuesday So yes intended anybody who's currently enrolled in our system would have received it And is that something new or have we done that in the past and
because I'm we do it annually Uh this year it did go out a little later because uh we are actually hoping that this allows families to have a better sense of where they are on a typical year Maybe not this year Do
we get a pretty good response to that i can ask Dr Mimalo her office can give me the I'm wondering if you know we get 80% or if it's if it's if it's lower than that So just wondering what's helpful is
that we do have this one has a typically has a higher return response rate than our surveys uh our general surveys my apologies uh because the schools do work pretty hard to get those numbers and helps them with their enrollment Okay And then you may not have this information tonight but it would be
great to understand how um open enrollment is going so far especially maybe compared to prior years And so this will be the year that the first year that TK is fully at every single elementary school
Okay Well but I mean it's every month in the year Everyone's eligible now right this is the first time But as I was thinking about this I was like but I wonder of entry grades TK and kinder if we'll be more affected by
losing families from the Altadena area So people may have stayed for senior year Sure But the entry years but coming into the entry years and and I just I wonder and I because TK did we have everyone go through the lottery for that for TK they
they do enroll through the lottery system the same way All right What I will say is our TKs are actually we have weight lists already Okay All right And that's that's encouraging So any information like that that can be shared with the board through a communicate would be great Okay And then I have one Oh okay Sorry I just had one You're
supposed to have three questions So okay go ahead Right So I had one on test scores and one on enrollment All right And I have one on insurance Okay So I wanted to make sure I understood the six it was 60 million Is that the number I saw there i said approximately 60 million I think it's 589 and change Is
that promised to us or we've already received it we received the majority of it Yes Okay So we have that And is that so it's not a case where we have to spend the money to get reimbursed
this is for us Is it restricted in its use so it's no it's it's in the general fund Um it is an advance towards our future claim So what happens often given
the how obvious the extent of our losses is is that insurance companies knowing that we have needs for cash will provide these advanced allocations knowing that ultimately the claim will be far in excess of these amounts that they're u
providing up front and in in in the first few months Okay So I know we had to do a lot of remediation but we will also have replacement costs Yes Is the Is this money mainly to
reimbursements reimburse us for replacement or is there a remediation part that they're covering do you see what I mean remediation meaning the like the cleanup of the schools So like we've spent a whole bunch of money so far Yes Okay So I mean I don't know how much of each ultimately each each category but
there were very yeah over the last few months the biggest expense has been of course remediation and testing Um subsequently moving forward it's going to be more replacement of lost items as well as rebuilding of campuses All right
great Thank you Okay Thank you And um I'm going to remind us three questions or three minutes It's very important That's something we all voted on So who's next miss Frederick's Just a comment to Dr Hill I keyed in on
the summer bridge program with the high schools I was thinking that sounds like an idea we talked about but I'm going to say it was council member Garcia that prompted that conversation So I'm going to give him kudos Um I'm going to have a
question about soil testing Um is the um industrial hygienist this company the same that did the um initial uh series of testing so we we were
identif the the firm that can do it the fastest and with the most competence and so it it could be ultimately the same vendor as before Um but we were going out to see uh for multiple uh firms uh not just the ones that we used before
looking right now Okay And then so the the elements that we're testing for in the soil can you elaborate on the different elements so it's principally going to be mirroring what the county itself uh tested for in the in the
results that were released on Friday So it's principally heavy metals obviously lead given that that's the heavy metal that came back at levels above the California screening levels Um but we're also going to include asbestous fibers even though that wasn't tested by the
county just because there's been so much public interest in in in testing for asbestous um as well as other uh furins dioxins So it's going to be the main focus the the main impetus is the lead uh results And
so that is absolutely what uh in working with Pasadena Public Health as well as the California Cal EPA um was warranted based off of those results And we did kind of send we did send u what we proposed to test to Cal EPA just to get
their feedback to make sure that they were in agreement with the scope of our testing And we're still on track for getting those results in a few weeks Yeah And are we doing it in the order of you know proximity to the burn zone or just all
at the same time yeah The intent is to do it all uh simultaneously to get the results as quickly as possible Dr Velasquez my my favorite area She didn't say favorite person but okay Implied Okay
So while the data that you're showing shows that there's a growth in the right direction and I very well understand that the marker moves etc What I am able to observe is that um the achievement gap is even getting bigger
So the students that are already performing at higher levels are accelerate accelerating at great levels and the progress in the ones that need the most assistant So we're
have we're we're growing the divide in this district And so I'm really concerned about this and um I want to know what specific instructional practices are being used in the classrooms to address these gaps and how we're measuring their effectiveness in
real time Also um this year our COVID kinder to first is moving to middle school and I am not clear that a significant effort has been made to address that particular cohort that is
coming with significant delays and as as you said the progress once they move to middle school is going to be slower So this is like a generational damage that we're doing to this class Um and so that there's no issues I'm
going to ask everything So keep taking notes The district references reassignments and coaching positions but I really want to know do we have any evidence that um the interventions are not just comp a
compliant framework and we are producing measurable gains the interventions with the coaches Yes Okay So I'll start with the first one I uh I think that is actually our shared concern as well We know that when you
are doing if you are stronger in a particular subject area your rate of growth can be faster Um we would love to see double digit decreases in those who are already behind Uh and so that's an area where we're looking forward to the disagregation because we also want to
see uh not just how this is manifesting in the bands but with whom So one of the things that um we know is contributing to the growth is that middle band the one grade level below tends to be easier to move because they have some
foundational knowledge and you can shift We do um I think put together some um some expectations around intervention for those furthest behind and that band in the middle is where we sort of shifted some of our attention this year
because they were not growing at that same rate when they could grow at a higher rate So that's something that is I think an attribution to current instructional focus But where we really do struggle with those two and three uh grade levels or more behind is having
that intensive intervention And so the um framework of MTSS that you've been hearing about for the last year um and more is something that we are really looking into to implement not just with fidelity but to implement period and then with fidelity because we are
finding that a difficult area is identification of who and identification of what the service is So this actually connects to the third question that you had which is around we now have coaches that are designated for MTSS multi
multi-tered systems of support It's not intended just to look at a a connection between their academic their behavioral and their social emotional wellness but to say that all of those things work in tandem so that they achieve And so um helping folks to understand that all of
these things are important is step one I think we are we are moving in that right direction Next we need to work at what does it look like to do first instruction what does it look like to make a distinction between additional support and then really for those students what does an intensive support
look like how is it different so some of that is dosage time but a lot of it is actual practice And so that is an area that we are we have to work in collaboration with special education others etc to make sure that we make happen but it's not an area that we
currently provide as many resources So I want to be blunt because my concern is that you know and and and I know that you are the recipients of my pressure as well but my concern is that in the quest
for improving some numbers you know our actions are also pushing those results right um and I am the direct beneficiary of that because I know that you know as you know my kids
are doing great but I want all kids to do great right and so that really worries me And the other thing that worries me and that I wish that you could tell me that this is this is a bad hunch on my part which is that the
interventions have been working in spaces with lower case loads And I what I just want w want to make sure that our dis our assignments from school to school in
terms of need and volume of work match the success of our coaches because the coaches that attend smaller populations that have these demographic challenges or this this learning challenges I I I did not mean
to say demographic Yes Um where if you're in a school when you where you in a class where you have less students you're making great progress towards that But if you have a school
where 75% of the population you know the amount of coaches is not sufficient to address that at the same level It agreed But I will actually if I can if it gives you relief say that the hunch
is maybe only partially accurate I will say that case loads do matter However quality is the the highest indicator Teacher efficacy and collective efficacy are the the highest indicators So in the sense that
certainly we would expect California's had criteria around class size reduction class size reduction itself does not necessarily manifest in student change right but quality instruction and efficacy within that that setting does So we do know that there are um maybe
unequal case loads but we do provide additional support and resources for those that have indicators of other needs And so um obviously in this particular situation it might not be the resources we are all hoping for um but I
would say that initially a case load count wouldn't necessarily indicate that there's going to be a fail So um the the the intentionality around the intervention is what we're seeking So we do know that there have been cases where
we've been able to hire an intervention teacher to specialize in something in a small dosage way and return that student back in and and that this is not a year-long sentence but something that happens in a small um treatment and you return That's the MTSS model that we're
after Um this year Dr Reynoso's um team worked really hard to share out how we have a coordinated coordination of services team We call it the cost team We have a replicated model from the central office and down that's going to create the structure that allows us
internally to have those conversations around actual student names and interventions and monitor that four to six week cycle So that's really the the intent for our lowest bands and and I would like to get support from
the board and this last request which is I would really love for um all of you um to block some time maybe one hour or two and really
write about lessons learned from this uh experience that we've lived through um just so that we can understand process procedures things challenges etc I think that it is going to be a very
important process for everybody to go through um as we make steps towards recovery I have two what I think are going to be quick questions The first one is related to soil
testing Um is there any opportunity for us to explore um collaborating with our university partners around um galvanizing their expertise related to um testing evaluation research etc while
there are still research dollars in the pipeline Yes Okay Because I've had some people approach me So I wanted to know can I just send them to Yeah So the there's an urgency to do the after the county released their results for us to get this testing done And so that's going to move forward but yeah we can
certainly we have had conversations with foundations and and universities already uh before this kind of uh the county results are released but but yes you can always connect me Thank you I imagine there'd be some opportunity to do some longitudinal studying Yep As we begin to move forward And then my second relation
second question is communications related Um with our sending out the April 15 notices about notices to um return Have we given any consideration to utilizing um the branding around restore
rebuild and rise to build out a campaign um to really communicate to families about um us seeing value in keeping our PSD family connected that they're a part of that family and that we want to see all
of our students remain with us as we continue to restore rebuild rise so that there's some feeling of um inclusion connectivity and an opportunity to continue to draw people in as we know that information is still growing But we want to make sure we are we're proactive
in how we reach out to folks in terms of um trying to create buyin and support around people making an investment in sort of retaining and remaining with PUSD So one of the things that came
through um strongly in in our response um and our um our response to the fire um is that this is this is a ties in this community are
are are really strong and that um you know seeing it from the first day of the fire to now you know what is it three months later that um that you know we we've been through a
lot um in the last few months but what I see in my colleagues and what I see in with the students and their youthled conference um and with the faculty um and the and
the staff um is that there is a real determination that um you know if we have to stand up and rise a thousand times we'll do it And so there is in every every communication
that we send out um we try to reflect that spirit of the community We are also doing some marketing and doing some ads right now um uh encouraging enrollment knowing that the messages that we that I send
out are um to our audience Um we've also been placing a lot more um um op-eds um articles in in local publications through you know gaining attention and um and telling our story through earned
media Um we are also the best way that we have of of telling our story is through our students and their incredible um uh spirit Um we saw at the state of schools on Tuesday
um the speech by Malikica um who is a senior um who is um a product of PUSD's international balorate elementary at Willard at the accelerated math academy at McKinley and then at PHS where she
has been in the app academy and is president or vice president of the astrophysics club and the robot biotics club and is um told me when we talked before her speech that um when I asked her how she coped with a
fire because she was evacuated her family was evacuated is that she focused on data until school opened So there was before school opened and after school opened but where she found strength was after school opened and in the student think tank And that's you know an
incredible accomplishment Um so yes are there plans to to take that that theme through yes If we're going to rise we're going to do it a thousand times And I do have to tell you I neglected to mention this before our communications team is
fairly small but our mighty Kalin um takes images and tells our story through video that you saw on Tuesday and has been in the academic update and we'll put it in this next update uh district-wide update on Monday but um
tells our story eloquently and um and so respectfully um that reflects um you know the spirit of who we are and I think that your point is definitely wellreceived
and the stories of students like Malikica are remarkable I would like to see us be able to cultivate that same passion for PUSD in our youngest learners and in our young families so that they have the
opportunity to metriculate from TK through high school and you know 12 15 years from now those students are having the same experience as Malika has had So we're talking about our families that have like three four five year olds We want them to be able to know that PUSD
is their home It will be the place where their students learn and thrive and where we help those families that have young young children to restore their lives to rebuild their families and rise with PUSD So I think that we should be
focusing on looking at our youngest learners because they're going to be the ones that are going to grow with us for years to come I just wanted to uh zero in on the u summer expanded learning opportunities specifically the pan-African immersive summer program So um that that
I'm excited about that Um and of course as we have the um the Panaffrican Immersive Storytelling Academy launching next year it is is the intention for this summer program to um attract some of the same families that will be
enrolling in the fall to kind of get them up to speed the students up to speed Um or is it um you know to to tease new enroles into the program maybe you can just kind of double click on that a little bit as as to All of the
above All the above So it is actually specific to the grade level that we're going to enroll Yeah Um so it will be a precursor for some and uh perhaps an enticement for others but um but thank you for drawing attention to that um you know with everything else happening this was a very exciting project that that
began with our black um student family task force um where we are able to create uh a very specific pan-African uh immersive storytelling academy that's based on innovative technology that would really garner them skill sets that
are uh productive and applicative in life It is a very STEMbased type of academy but also that storytelling aspect is how do you utilize media how to utilize technology to tell stories such as you know a trustee Marshall
McKenzie even described how could we leverage these tools um this summer would allow them to have exposure into some of that um in a small project based way uh it's been uh completed in collaboration uh our project manager at
the central office is Dr Nadier and IO so it's a curriculum based uh program um she and Dr Shannon Malone have been working heavily with Dr Toiver over at McKinley to make sure that this is something that connects everyone to the school community early on whether you're
enrolled or not Um and we actually already know that there are double digit enrolles already for that sixth grade class So the summer program can take a few more So at the end of that program if if a not already enrolled child says "This is incredible I want to keep doing
this." that we can our office of enrollment has worked with families individually to make sure they they can get to where they want to go Awesome Thank you Miss Bailey Yeah I just want to thank the team This is great work Um and I'm really enjoying
this discussion but I need to back us up to a comment that my colleague Dr uh Velasquez made [Music] um I kind of feel like you left us hanging You you made a comment that you
needed the support from your colleagues and then you said something about writing up this experience or lessons learned I'm not sure if you were referring to your colleagues or just to staff or to everyone And if you were
referring to staff I do have a a concern about that So could you clarify who you were yeah I I think that we've experienced um I just need to
know who you're referring to The staff Okay So um my concern about that is you know this is this this has been a really
tragic period of time and having to continuously replay over and over in your mind what you've experienced and how you you have experienced it can create more damage
Writing is not therapy for everyone And not only that I don't think that it is our role to ask staff to do something like that Um and so I just have a concern about
that I and I I think our our protocols kind of address the fact that we're not supposed to to put that type of work or extra work on staff
Correct So that's just my concern and I you know even when you said it I was like oh my god I don't even want to think about it because you I mean we're living it We're living it And for me maybe a year or two from now I'll be
able to take pen to paper and write about it But right now that would not be therapy for me That would probably create more trauma for me All right Thank you I was I was not suggesting that they relive the
experience but um they all have very busy schedules and if we allow the openness to to think about this with time there's a lot of details
that are get lost and and and and I know that we have to navigate something in between but what I what I meant is things is technic ical things like an increase in logmanship or an increase on or paying attention to like like how
this particular material responded to this other material So what I envisioned was something very technical that if you don't purposely carve out the time to try to figure out some notes it's all going to we're we're going to move on
But you know yeah that's premature without knowing their process already especially in having to create this data and this bring this data forward And they constantly talked about how you know things like COVID and the fires have impacted the students and the
families and the district as a whole So I think a lot of what maybe you're trying to to get them to do moving forward has probably already been done and it's in the details If you if you want more I mean you can maybe ask
another way but I don't want to get in the habit of us giving them assignments to do outside of the work that they already have to do daytoday and they're already pulling extra heavy loads by you know the extra meetings in the evenings
the community meetings just everything um that the district is involved in to keep the community updated to keep our our our students you know um being led in the classroom I mean just there's a
lot that's going on So I I don't I just don't think that's a part of the work that we need to be dictating to the staff to do Okay Thank you We're going to move
on Nope we're not doing that anymore We're moving on Thank you very much Okay So uh now we're moving on to K action items Number one recommendation for expulsion student ID 942836 I would like to make a motion to
not accept recommendation for expulsion Do I have a second second All in favor oh student board member on that just seems so No No she can't It's
Sorry All right All in favor no one not to accept the recommendation Okay No abstensions Okay What everybody's been waiting for Number two approval of change of school name John Marshall Fundamental to Thor
Good Marshall Secondary School I move approval I second Give us what you got Sounds great All right Good evening Board President Holly esteemed members of the board Superintendent Blanco and
Superintendent's leadership team It is my honor and privilege to once again represent the Marshall School community in our interest and efforts in proposing a school name change from John Marshall Fundamental Secondary School to Thood
Marshall Secondary School In the Google electronic folders you receive titled Thood Marshall name change you will find evidence of our community's efforts in support of our proposed name change The evidence includes board reports 1791F
which approved the establishment of a committee to review the school name change process and 1821F that provides the updates to the committee's review individual folders of meeting agendas minutes and attendance from school site
council ELAC PTSA centennial committee as well as folders pertaining to our student staff and community surveys and responses and community outreach Additionally you will find documents shared with our school community such
as this one-pager document which was also posted in local businesses coffee shops parks and bookstores in order to garner community support As mentioned in our previous presentation to the board we are proposing to change our name
because our school's current namesake is not aligned with our school's essential mission and character The legacy of Chief Justice John Marshall though one of prestige and great significance in United States history also includes the
ownership of enslaved individuals In changing our name we follow suit with other educational institutions such as Cleveland State University and the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Law in distancing our mission and
values away from that of human bondage Instead we are proposing to change our name to honor the late Supreme Court Justice Thood Marshall the first black American US Supreme Court Justice As a lawyer and justice Thood Marshall's
legacy is one of undaunted persistence academic excellence and an unwavering belief that an equitable society is good for all Also known as Mr Civil Rights and the Legal Eagle Justice Marshall's
work as a civil rights lawyer with the NAACP and Legal Defense Fund led to his role as chief counsel in Brown versus Board of Education His landmark victory established the unconstitutionality of separate but
equal schools leading to desegregation Additionally Justice Marshall was a fervent supporter of affirmative action for minorities and for protecting bodily autonomy He also adamantly opposed capital punishment
Thood Marshall's name is synonymous with civil rights racial equality and social change These are the basis of our Eagle values Embrace diversity act responsibly
graduate prepared lead with integrity engage in learning and succeed Yes we do Are all values that we hope to instill in our school's diverse student body Further fundamental no longer holds
meaning nor represents all that we offer at Marshall or at Pasadena Unified Fundamental schools emphasize traditional approaches to schooling and a back to basics curriculum where agriculture homemaking hygiene and
citizenship were prioritized over the arts and extracurriculars Presently our Marshall Eagles far exceed fundamental standards with a thriving arts program in the Academy of Creative
Industries a multicultural and social justice grounded curriculum in Poente and robust advanced placement catalog We also have a highly competitive athletics program with multiple CIF championships
most recently our CIF winning girls tennis team The photos of our students are testaments to the importance and the beauty of our diversity at Marshall our multicultural clubs mock trial program our incredible dancers focused on civic
activism our artists our alumni and our wonderful middle schoolers exemplify Justice Thood Marshall's legacy of academic excellence and social justice In presenting the name change to the school community input was sought from
various parent committees as well as staff student and larger community via surveys All Marshall parent committees voted unanimously in favor of the name change to Thood Marshall Secondary
School The data represented in blue that you have in your folder are those in support red not in support and orange were abstensions The staff resoundingly supported the name change More students are in support than are not Some of our
middle schools are middle schoolers are only recently learning about Thood Marshall and a majority of community responses are also in strong support Additionally we utilize social media to help garner support We had remarkable
positive engagements and comments Should the board award the approval we hope to unveil our official name change to Thood Marshall Secondary School at our centennial celebration to which you are all invited on May 9th in our Marshall
auditorium The event will celebrate and honor our school's rich history as John Marshall Fundamental Secondary School while looking forward to our amazing future hopefully as Thood Marshall Secondary School Thank you very much for
your time and continued support of our school community I also wanted to add that there is no fiscal impact Our mascot our school mission vision values logo all stay the same And we have gifts for you which you have already put on
your head which is great So thank you so much for your time and we can take any questions for you I'm joined by our amazing administrative team uh Miss Audrey Green Dr Valadez and
Miss Narvvice and of course Miss Felita Keeling and some Marshall parents Mr and Mrs Bleecker And we thank you all for your support Thank you very much That was wonderful Do we have any questions here yes Miss Kenny Can you elaborate a little bit about the
student input and I I'm so sorry You said something about green uh blue Yes In the folder and we don't have the folder correct they're down there So there was an electronic folder that was shared and in the electronic folder is a slide deck that um I was hoping to show
this evening but I we didn't get it in in time So I realize now that the board needs 72 hours in advance for the information to be presented Um but it is in your electronic folder and so you will see the pie charts The pie charts
are colorcoded in those colors and so you'll see the different percentages I see board presentation It's got seven slides but it doesn't have So maybe you can just elaborate a little bit more So um how was student input
um sought out so we sent out a survey um which was sent via of course Canvas Our teachers administered the survey I'm going to try to see if I can get the I have a printed version of the slide that
I was going to discuss And so you'll see there that 46.6% of students are in favor 30.5 are not 22.9% abstained And so more students than not are in favor of the change For
staff you have 93 um 8% in favor And for community you have 70.8% in favor Great I'm so sorry I found there's actually two different presentations there One with seven slides and one with eight but the one with eight has has that slide So you said the blue is the in favor the
red against and the uh orange is abstain Right Wonderful And we did realize that some of our students are just recently learning who Thood Marshall is in couple of comments like who's thood Marshall again and that's okay We're we are educating our students actually every
day of this week We have our eagle announcements that we do every morning and we had a third good marshall um just quick fact of the day so far this this week and we're going to continue to of course inform our student body Mr Harden
Well I um just as much as I'm proud that that Marshall's um taking the name of such an amazing historical uh leader um I also really appreciate the fact that fundamental uh is being dropped um from the name because those who know you know the
troubled history of racism and classism and systemic inequality in in this community know what fundamental really meant And so I'm I'm happy that we're taking that step to to um to remove that
uh that that coded word from from the school's name So thank you Thank you so much Mr Hart Miss Chi I just wanted to say I'm so excited for you guys for this huge change Excuse me Sorry That's okay Um the student assembly feels that this change reflects
diversity and equity and inclusion and it aligns with the school's mission and also the district's mission especially in a time where DEI raiser is so present and our equity is at risk Right Um I don't think anyone should question
whether or not students want this change or not because at our voting meeting where we met with all of our student representatives from each campus it was a resounding yes It is actually the only action item where I have the records of all of the votes right here Oh my gosh that's where there are actually
exclamation marks next to the yeses and as I quote yes with like 10 S's That's great But honoring third good Marshall but better represents the values of both the school and our district So thank you Thank you so much Thank you for letting us know that Thank you for sharing Thank you Anybody else
on this one okay look that was Miss Frederick's I have to follow Trusty Chi That's gonna be tough Um so how I was just wondering how long how long is this i forgot the
phrasing How long a long time coming Yes it's a long time coming So how long was it from you know the time that you've you all the community thought of this idea and now until now how long has that since last year it actually came from staff and um we discussed it in staff
meetings and um wanted to just move forward with coming up with you know have forming a committee having the idea move forward um knowing that we had of course needed to gain support from all of our different community partners um from parents from students from everyone
um you know as you all know I'm former principal at Elliot so I was familiar with just the name change process of making sure that you have community support Um and so we did that and every step of the way we were getting a lot of just you know positive um feedback and
reinforcement And so um we just think that it's what better occasion than our centennial celebration to honor the hundred years of John Marshall Fundamental and then embrace a new future with Thood Marshall Secondary School And I will echo Trusty Chi that
this cannot be a better time to be doing this Um and I am very biased for this name change because I remember you tell okay because at UC San Diego there's seven campuses and I went to third go Marshall awesome campus and the motto is
that the student as a scholar and citizen social responsibility and academic excellence are equally important Oh I love that So um so congratulations Thank you Thank you Thank you very much It was wonderful It
is a fabulous thing to do particularly now Yes His life went through so many court you know so much right plus in Ferguson Brown versus Board of Ed and if only we had him now But we've got him on your school So that's fabulous Thank you
very much Oh so now we have to vote right can't forget that All right we have a motion and a second No Patrice Thank you to the Marshall family for bringing this forward and I look forward to celebrating your centennial and
um is the name change going to be unveiled at the centennial will the signage be ready in time do we need to do anything to make sure that's for sure okay So we do have some marketing
materials already in the works but of course we were waiting for this evening to have the blessing of the board to move forward So I'm thinking about the exterior name on the school signage That's what I'm Oh so the facade of the
actual school will remain the same Um the John Marshall that's on the facade of the school remains the same but we will be purchasing a new marquee which we needed to do anyway because our marquee is actually broken And so the marquee in front of the school will be Thood Marshall Secondary School
Okay Yes they'll have to raise some money to change the facade Yeah I know they did it at Mary Jackson I saw that Thank you That's another discussion So let's let's take a Oh Michelle So at the celebration
yes will our illustrious principal be leading us into some song or something to I will absolutely make sure we have music and we will be celebrating the arts community service and leadership to
lead us into Miss Bailey If you would like me to sing I will sing for you that evening I will get to work on that right away Okay So we're going to vote now starting with our student board member Yes Okay
All in favor that's great And seven to zero Seven to zero Thank you Thank you very much Have a nice night We're gonna How about a five minute
break yeah let's do that I need that [Music] Hey Hey
[Music] [Music]
Do you love you
[Music]
[Music] hey hey hey
[Music] Heat Hey Hey Hey [Music]
Hey hey hey [Music] [Music]
[Music]
Heat Heat [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]
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I'm [Music]
Okay we are back Motion to extend to 10:30 Second All in favor oh student board member Yes All in favor okay Number three approval of board
member request to agendaize a board discussion regarding the termination of the lease with the city of Pasadena for the Jefferson campus early prior to fall 2027 Public
comment Is it okay if I do the short presentation first well just to elaborate or to I didn't know there was a presentation here Usually there's a name I know I didn't see a name There is no name there So you
No one wants to know who put the context or who put the request in So is it okay if I do we need context sure Very quickly Yes So um as I said the as stated the initial request to place the
termination of lease at Jefferson early to potentially benefit our bond program and the request was to have that on the 417 agenda Um I did say that if that wasn't something that we felt we could do could we at least bring this uh to the board for a vote so the reason I
made this request um is because since the eaten fire destroyed or damaged five of our schools we have had to pause two of our plan 2526 modernization projects This has changed our district circumstances since we last considered this item Another change is the passage
of measure R which will probably increase the number of school sites that will go through modernization in the future I thought it was reasonable to have a discussion and get staff input on whether it would be helpful to have the Jefferson camp campus available for our use I requested this item sooner rather
than later since my understanding is that it would take some time to prepare the site to be used again as a school if that was needed for the 2627 school year Thank you Okay Public comment Three minutes Yes Good evening again uh
dear board members uh and uh Superintendent Blanco So I you receive an email right now with a link with some pictures some historical pictures of the Roosevelt site And I want to echo one of the
murals from Helen Keller that uh says together we can get so much alone we can get so little So basically I think that is right now
A good thing to think about when you're looking at the future of this district and the collaborations that are available with the LA County with the um polytechnical careers sustainable
energy your sites your facility master plan that was created uh by a vendor hire by the previous administration or a consultant DLR and they were specifically directed to omit the
Roosevelt history site and many other sites from the facilities master plan So that ties your hands to your opportunities And so I believe that with this emerging need um it's a good time for you to reconsider an emerging facility master plans that re-evaluates
the whole structure And uh I want to recommend that you look at the the 710 stub and look at ways to not stand alone but together with the city of Pasadena and you know maybe try to do collaborations for staff housing there
instead of erasing a piece of Pasadena's history at Roosevelt Um I was mentioning um that to uh board member Kim that uh the developers at 100 West Walnut are
some of the most successful in the world and they brought the biggest development to the city of Pasadena's history at Walnut and Ferros And the way they do it is that they go everywhere in the city fivestar cities and they look at it from
the aerial view There's no this is high price square footage So they just see empty land They saw the parson's building you know and they acquired it and so right in Oldtown So now they go two or three stories down underground
and then they go four stories up That's the way of modern development You don't do town houses anymore You don't do 1.5 parking ratio like the um very uh dumb design that they're
presenting to you 1.5 parking ratio per unit Just look at the city of San Frern the San Frernando Valley of LA You know we can do much better for Pasadena Thank you so much for listening Thank you very much
Do I have a motion and a second for this agenda item so move I'll second Do we have conversation on this this is about a discussion um agenda to agendaize the board
discussion in the future conversation Yes Miss Frederick's Yeah I just want to reiterate Trusty Kenny like basically major disaster effect to our district and
um there could be opportunities by looking at the Jefferson site and could be a win-win situation Never know So that's why I support this Dr Vasquez Velasquez I want to raise a serious concern about
our board governance practice It is highly problematic for this body to continue to revisit decisions that have already been deliberate voted and settled This repeated reopening of agenda items undermines undermines the integrity of our decision-making process
Let's be honest To repeatedly prioritize building over students is a misuse of this board's responsibility And we must ask who truly benefit from the continuous focus on brick andmortar decisions and at what cost When we spend
hours rehashing decisions already made we delay the urgently needed actions on literacy math proficiency and student well-being issues that disproportionately impact our black and brown students It becomes impossible to
ignore that some communities may be using their proximity to power and even demographics of our most vulnerable students to advance facility agendas that do not serve learning outcomes Just
earlier today we saw 70% of our students are below grade MA level in math Seven 60% are not reading at grade level and yet we continue to spend meeting after meeting relitigating real estate
decisions I want to directly address some of the concerns of the past No one disputes that neighborhood schools matter But if we're serious about equity we must define it not as
proximity but as access to opportunity A building within walking distance means little if the students inside of it are two and three grades behind
This board is constantly full of people advocating for buildings and empty when we are advocating for outcomes The district has already committed to providing transportation solutions including buses to ensure
access where proximity is a concern That is the equitable solution ensuring access not allowing facility policies to overshadow academic urgency And let's be also clear the Eton
fire is a tragedy and an emergency and the district has moved swiftly to respond We have deployed support teams address temporary relocations and mobilize recovery trends And the long-term management of this crisis does not erase
months of community engagement staff planning board deliberation public input that went into the original measure O priorities We can't address the Eton recovery without rewriting the measure O
plan And that is what's behind this request over and over and over again since we passed the god the plan And when we say equity it must mean
something deeper than convince or advocacy power It must mean committing ourselves to the students who are furthest behind who are counting on us to prioritize them to uh prioritize the teaching and learning and to prioritize achievement over bricks
and blueprints And I am tired of using the time of this board to discuss buildings I am tired and I'm tired of a community that manipulates their populations to talk about buildings I am
tired The next time somebody comes here to talk to me about buildings I want to talk No Are your kids three grades behind in reading do we have any Mr Harden so I
I understand and appreciate the intention to keep our finger on the pulse of of the shifting forces under our feet in terms of the um the disaster and the fact that we need to give staff
flexibility to do what they need to um to uh move forward with our plans Um but I I think that um we need a more holistic discussion I think it has to be rooted in long-term
vision I've said that a few times now And so I would rather uh and I think we're moving towards thinking of um the future of our district the long range future of our district and I would rather go there and think big picture
and incorporate the the the uh input of the community that we're serving um rather than getting focused on on one property Um so I'm I'm I'm having trouble with this because I think it's it we need to think broader than just
something um specific Anybody else a student board member has a comment Go ahead I just wanted to give some context behind our decision and how we vote on this particular action item
So based off the um information that was presented to us we have almost unanimously voted in the same way except for one student assembly member who could had to abstain because she was a employee of the city But um based off
the information that was presented to us from how leasing this property not only benefits our relationship with the city but also how the city is also handsomely paying us for our um facility and also
the process of reconstructing the building back into a classroom and how that would not only take funds but also time We see almost no benefit from discussing this or ending the or
terminating the lease Anybody else here miss McKenzie Just going to underscore my colleague Dr Velasquez's point about um relitigating things that have already
been decided and that we are here to support students And it seems as if we get caught up in the loudest voices who are in front of us versus the voices who are silent because there are more
pressing issues in their lives that they have to attend to besides being able to have the privilege of being here to talk to us People's absence sometimes from this body is not for lack of interest lack of
desire or lack of ability or lack of um passion for issues that concern their community their students and their family Um I think that we as policy makers and leaders have
to think broader about whose voices matter what voices influence our decision making and what information we take in in terms of how we process the
issues that come before us And I think that I'm not interested being able to have a discussion about relitigating this issue I think that if there is any discussion to be had it is about being forward thinking
about what our kind of broader range plan looks like in terms of how do we rebuild the campuses that were lost how do we continue to ensure that the commitments that we made to campuses for
modernization how do we make sure that that schedule while it may have to adjust a little bit but how do we still honor those commitments to those schools and those communities for um the upgrades that are going to
promise greater academic opportunities in their school sites So I'm committed to being a woman of my word I'm committed to being a leader who hears all the voices those that are loud and
those that are not And I want us to think smarter about how we move forward versus um being impulsive There anybody else um okay Miss Bailey and then Miss Kenny
Wow Um this is a very powerful discussion that we're having here and thank you Dr Velasquez as you you said what you said very well Um you know one of the things that
um I do know is that in all of our deliberations and considerations and you know how we move through having our discussions we never
stop to really examine what staff's position is on something that we need to do Now I know I talk a lot about staff but y'all I was staff here for 14 years and I served in various departments
starting with the superintendent's office and I know exactly what it is like to have to try to balance everything that they're trying to balance and to have a body like this a
governing body like this not able to stick to their decisions I've been on the board now for eight years and we should be way further along on these kind of discussions than
we are now And I am absolutely adamant about the fact that we made an agreement with the city We have a contract We
voted to allow them to stay in that facility at least until the expiration of their contract And as I think about this matter and I'm I'm hearing the plans that we're making
for Aladena to stay in Allenale and then there's no other space available for swing for swing space So what does it mean that we just all of a sudden ask the city to relinquish their
space who by the time we get that set up like I'm I'm just trying to understand it'll be 2027 So why go down that rabbit hole we need to stick to our original
decision Stop doing this to ourselves Stop doing this to community stakeholders and partners Stop doing it to staff I'm sure they're tired of doing the chaa with us you
know and let's just keep thinking and moving and pressing forward What is another plan that we can't wait until
2027 to go in and fix that building up to either return it to uh uh classroom space or start discussing our original idea of maybe moving the district office there
So I mean there's a lot of moving parts and instead of us jumping at every idea that someone throws at us and they all have potential Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that anything is bad They all
have potential They all deserve consideration but when it comes to decisions that we've already made and we by the time we do anything that lease will have expired and then we could start discussing how we want to move
forward That is the time Next year would be the time to start discussing how we want to move forward because I don't know maybe by then we'd have another facility up and running So I would like for us to just sit
back let staff decide on how they see the the forward movement of dealing with these bond
um modern school modernizations and how and what they present to us I think they need to bring some recommendations to us because this is killing us I'm
When you say you're tired I I mean I'm sitting here meeting after meeting now I'm mentally exhausted before I even get here just looking at the agenda and knowing how the the conversation is going to go And I haven't been wrong
yet So this is good I mean I think this helps us to realize that we can do better We've got to do better We need the city we need the community to be able to trust
us especially as leaders We need our parents to trust us enough as leaders that they don't have to come in here and pile this boardroom and express their anger at our
decisions because our decision should be based on staff recommendation and if there is something that we want to see done outside of that as a board there's a way to communicate that to staff as well So we just need to start moving in
order and we need to trust our staff and we need to do all that we can to regain the trust of this community and I think this moment is a good time to start So thank you Thank you for that Miss Kenny I just want to ask a clarifying question
I believe the student board members said that information was presented to you I just wondered who presented it No no they said they had information presented to them Um it was presented to us by Dr Helen Chanhill Okay great Thank
you Is there any anybody else because I have one last thing to say I'm going to thank Mr Harden for talking about vision I'm a firm believer in a long-term vision for this district and I thank you for talking
about that and bringing that up It is absolutely necessary for the Pasadena Unified School District So we have a motion and a second on the floor We do And now we're going to vote Stu student board member clarify
Sorry question When I assembly meetings to have they invite individuals to answer questions Okay Thank you Okay
To also clarify um we do invite Helen But also we invite all parts of the district We've worked with so many parts of the district We've invited to see so many different perspectives whether it's UTP or um principles from schools We've
done campus visits We've got done so much field work and worked with so many different people Okay so we're back to voting Student board member Yes Sorry I will go So this is let me let me
clarify Approval of board member request to agendaize a board discussion regarding the termination of the lease with the city of Pasadena for the Jefferson campus early No All in favor
two All against Okay we're going to move to student board member report We It's 10 o'clock So go ahead Miss Chi Thank you to President Holly Lee esteemed board members and superintendent Dr Blanco for your
continued contributions and commitment to the Pasadena Unified School District and support to our student assembly On April 2nd PUSD held a transformative youth conference titled Breaking the Line: Creating a Bridge between Students and Teachers Here's our program If you could hand that out
please The goal of this full day event was to center student voices in a meaningful way and create a space where authentic dialogue could be take place between students teachers and administrators The conference aimed to break barriers foster empathy and create actionable steps towards more equitable
and inclusive school environments What emerged from that day was not just a conversation but the beginning of a connection between groups that rarely get the opportunity to engage so openly and honestly with each other From the moment students arrived at the registration table there was a clear
sense of purpose and intention The morning began with guided conversations during breakfast with the signed seating designed to mix students and adults from different campuses The panel sessions followed allow students to take the lead as panelists and moderators choosing topics important to them from addressing
systematic injustices in school and navigating personal recovery after trauma to elevating youth voices in educational policy decisions A major highlight of the day was a keynote address by Dr Tyrone Howard a professor from UCLA and nationally renowned expert
on equity and education His message calling on students to resist echoed the spirit of the conference challenging educators to deeply listen to students embrace culturally responsive practices and work with young people not just for them The afternoon sessions continued to
build on themes of connection and empowerment Topics such as belonging studentled support systems and influencing policy were explored in ways that move participants beyond theory and into shared action What made the day even more impactful was the overwhelmingly positive response from
everyone involved Students teachers and staff alike many students who had never before imagined themselves speaking in public or leading a panel expressed how grateful they were for the experience For some it was the first time they had felt truly seen and heard in an educational space By the end of the day
Breaking the Line was had accomplished something that many educational events strive for but rarely achieve a genuine transformation in how students and educators see and relate to each other The walls between roles student teacher administrator had begun to dissolve as participants shared stories listen to
hard truths and envision a better path forward together The conference didn't just build understanding it built community It showed us that when we break the lines that separate us we belong to we begin to build bridges that truly connect us As the student assembly and student think tank collaborates to find the most
efficient way to find student feedback that inclusively serves the better the inclusively serves the needs of the students of PSD We are now exploring how this conference can serve as a model for gathering student input on a more consistent and organized basis The vulnerability and honesty and insight
shared during the panels made it clear that students have valuable perspectives and should be regularly incorporated into decision-m processes We are currently discussing ways to systemize this kind of input that so that the district can maintain an ongoing dialogue with its students By building
on the momentum of this event we hope to create a sustainable structure for student voices that don't just appear once a year but becomes an integral part of how we build policies design programs and cultivate inclusive schools We also like to recognize the collaboration between the student assembly council and the student think tank and give special
credit to the student think tank summer 2024 internship where the idea of breaking the line was born While the student assembly and student think tank regularly collaborate the level of harmony shared vision and collective purpose we experience through breaking the line was something truly rare and
beautiful We would also like to give a huge shout out to PEF for supporting the event and outfitting our teams in these gorgeous purple sweats Talk to me I'll get you one But post conference we have an influx of student interests in both student
assembly and student think tank We have we are expanded excited to expand our student participation in this year's summer internship for those interested We would then like to revisit a reoccurring concern about the structure of the board meetings specifically the timing of the closed sessions The closed
sessions are in the middle of the meetings which significantly extend the night and presents a serious accessibility issue for the student assembly members as well as students who are attending online The extended close sessions and late hours we juggle with the school responsibilities the next day
are challenging for us Once again we respectfully recommend that the closed sessions be either moved to a day before or after the meetings to ensure that student participation means remains both meaningful and manageable We understood that the board is dealing with serious issues like lead found in soil in
Aladena as well as other urgent issues but we urge you to consider our request Lastly we would like to shout out our new council member Theo Ortega a junior at Marshall who was elected from our special elections We have no doubt that Theo will be a powerful voice for
students across the district so watch out for him at his next meeting In closing Breaking the Line was more than just a one-day event It was a turning point It reminded us that the power of the student when it is uplifted respected and supported As we look ahead we are committed to making sure that
this momentum continues and that the student perspectives made at the heart of everything we do here at PUSD Thank you for your support and your belief in young people to lead meaningful change in our schools and our community Thank you very much for that Miss G Very
well done Okay uh board committee reports Because of the time I'm going to skip my board committee I don't feel the need to give one I'll give it next month unless you want to give it Does somebody have a board committee report no one We're moving on to the big
consent agenda Do we have any polls i'd like to pull N3Q resolution 2816 Okay Do we have a sweep for all the rest
motion to approve Second I just have two comments if I could I don't know if anyone else had comments or questions Um I just wanted to clarify So N3M which is the amendment to the nonpublic schools non-public agency Um so I think that's
about $2.5 million increase So it is that the equivalent of saying our $39 million deficit will go to 41.5 I mean this is coming out of general fund right unrestricted These
are non non previously All right Thank you And then I guess I just had a comment um on the ascendancy contract which was the um consultants for for special education Um as we've in the last few years we
have made cuts to our central administration but then it it there has been a trend to backfill with consultants and and this is an example and I think we we used them last year and we're using them this year and I think the intent is to use them again next year and so I just I wanted to kind
of comment on that So that's that's an interesting phenomena that we we reduce central office whether it's administration level or others but then we have to backfill with contractors and so in the end and not clear that we're saving that money
and so it's just a it's a comment Can I ask a clarifying question are our non-public school dollars um capacity contracts and that we're using them if they're needed and not necessarily committing the
dollars that as specified specifically in the contract So for example if there's a contract for you know acne services if we end up only using you know a thousand of the $5,000 capacity you're not paying 5,000 only paying
the$1,000 Is that how I understand that some of them are however we exceed those that's the request others where there is a direct contract due to a settlement or some other agreement can be done
thank you thank you did you have comment superintendent yes so I'll go to the most recent question um that marshall McKenzie was asking about usually we do budget like the capacity contracts that you're
mentioning But um hopefully this hasn't happened lately We give money back in the middle of the year to the general fund or to you know um SNC if it's coming out of a foster goal But um these contracts now are where more students
are being placed or moving in from other school districts and we don't have enough money in the bucket And um I just didn't want to leave um the public with um I'm not saying I disagree with you Mrs Kenny but
in the case of that particular contract we were um using the service for our um audit and then implementation of the audit and for consulting in that one of the um consultants well two of them that were
working with us we asked them to fill in some gaps where there were not special ed people So the continuing um of their contract could be to do the work that's for the significant disproportionality in the implementation plan for special
ed not to continue working in the role of employees but we could get you more detail on that exactly what work they're going to do So are we going to vote on the We did a motion for a sweep and we have a second All in favor oh student board
member Yes Okay All in favor 70 Okay Now we we're going to discuss N3Q here Yes Uh this is the uh resolution to authorize change order for the PHS
campus identity project And and I'd asked a question on it because I it it wasn't as clear from reading the resolution um what the original contract amount was
that we were authorizing a change order to and then also why we were why we're doing this resolution and I went back and actually found another one that we did a very similar one resolution
2785 and its format was different and a little bit clearer So um and this we did back in um gosh I'm sorry I don't Oh in October of this year where it was just really clear where it said whereas the initial bid of this amount which
includes a contract allowance of this has been exhausted the new amount equals 10% of the original amount It was just very clear that that was the resolution So if we could I would um move approval with two amendments to the to the resolution itself with a whereas in the
first whereas where it says October 26 2023 we approve the high school Pasadena High School campus identity project under board report 1667F for the initial bid of I'm sorry
these are the words I want to add for the initial bid of 4 million 944123 And then that clarifies what we're adding on to And then in the fourth
whereas at the end right after it says 552835.01 say which exceeds 10% of the original bid Just to clarify that that's the whole purpose of this resolution because that was missing And so I'm moving that for approval She has a
motion with an amendment I'll second All in student board member Yes All in favor it is is really um minor Whatever Just helps transparency and makes it clear what we're doing I It's
clear as it's written It was incredibly clear to me when I read through this What What was clear to you it's it's clear Yep It's 10:15 We're moving on All righty Um public comment on non-aggendaized items Do we have anything clerk
no Okay Board requests and questions Board requests and questions We have 15 minutes I have a comment Okay Um or requests I guess there was a interest in talking
about the holistic vision of the district and are we going to have like a meeting about talking about this holistic vision um it's not a holistic vision It's a long-term vision and we started talking about it in the last
board retreat So we're going to have in the next board retreat or in a future board retreat we are talking about it Yes This district's never had a long-term vision and we're going to need one Anybody else what is your What was the long-term
vision that you all decided upon that's the five-year strategic plan It's not a long-term statement That's a vision statement A vision statement is not a long-term That's a vision statement It's not a long-term vision for everything I don't know It's not a a vision
statement is not a long-term vision A 20 to 25 year vision A vision statement is not that because districts have that particularly in times like this with declining enrollment That's too much
We started talking about it in the retreat I would I would recommend we take this to the May 8th retreat and discuss it here I don't know Okay So future board anybody else future board agenda items So I I would be very interested in a uh
presentation on the special education roadmap blueprint of recommendations I know that's under development but uh Dr Chan how are you listening i I'm I'm very excited and and also intrigued um
of the special education roadmap blueprint of recommendations and so my suggestion would be that to have a presentation of that at some point to give visibility to that because I think it's important work and and the public should see it and and understand what it is That's my
Yes we had tape We tabled in December our reports on CSGA or whatever the letters are I've been carrying my notebook week
after week CSBA CSBA that that those letters Yeah So um can we just type it and share email yeah sure a report of the conferences because we are required to give reports after we go to conference Usually we've been giving it verbally If do you want
to type of up yours it's just that we tabled it in December and we haven't had the time to retake it I I don't know if everybody's going to want to type something up It's a bit laborious for some of us So So we want to take it's We can talk about it in the next meeting We
can put it on the agenda Okay Great Okay Uh yes the superintendent has something to say There was a suggestion made um to move the student board report up earlier in the meeting Can we have consensus on
that yes Yes Thank you Can it go right after the labor partners or them motion to adjurnn Have a great night everybody