Board of Education — August 5, 2025

I call to order the special meeting of board of education Tuesday, August 5th, 2025 at 5:00 PM with Cervantes, Cruz, Na, and Shaw present. Mr. Cervantes, can you please lead us in the pledge? We are now at public comments. Pat, how many requests to speak? >> One. >> Thank you. Board bylaw 9323. Meeting conduct establishes the guidelines and

the following process applies. Speakers will be called in the order you registered on the electronic request to speak device. Your name will appear on the monitor. Please line up immediately. Actually, we don't even need to say that. The timer will start once your name and topic is fully stated. Once the recording secretary announces the first name request to speak will no longer be

accepted. Um Mr. Cruz, I can have you explain it unless you want me just to go. >> Speakers, you have up to three minutes to address the board, one person at the mic at a time. If you read on behalf of absent person, that would be considered your time. The timer starts when your name is fully stated. Please refer to

board policy 1312.1 for the procedure regarding complaints against an employee. Thank you, Mr. Cruz. Jim Gallagher. >> So, I'm here to speak on item 2A1 in regards to the the appointment or special election, whichever way you want to put it. Uh those are the two choices that are faced before you today. Uh special election of course has its

pluses because you give the whole community an opportunity to weigh in on the preferred candidate to fill the position. Uh of course the downside to that is it's pretty difficult to do a good candidate search in the short period of time that you wish to do it and it can be quite costly to the district. Uh number two choice which is

an appointment position which I see as a little more favorable I might add having gone through one is that gives you the opportunity to put out the call as you indicated to all the potential candidates in the community to appear before the board or your interview committee and uh submit their applications and you review them. In 2017 Chino Hills did such a thing. Uh I

was one of the uh potential appointees that that applied of 16 people I might add. It was a well-run process. It was open. Uh every candidate was given an opportunity to submit their application. Then they were given an opportunity for an open interview which I think was most beneficial. The public was allowed to to review it and to observe of course with

no applause or anything else. uh each candidate came in separately on their own. They were they did not know what the other candidate that preceded them had to say. So they were kept separated from one another which I also thought was beneficial. And it was a long day. But I might add the best part of all of

it was the fact that the council who was part of the interview committee and others uh were given the opportunity to fully vet every possible applicant. To me that's the most democratic. That's the most open and the most transparent uh process that you could probably do. I might advocate besides your less than quorum that you've indicated of board

members, I I'd like to also advocate that perhaps for an interview committee if you choose to do that, put a member of the associated chino teachers as well on that interview committee. And I think that way you will also have the instructional uh uh teachers viewpoint as well. So thank you for hearing me and and good luck today.

>> Thank you for your input. >> We we are now at the only action item vacancy on the board of education for trustee area 4 recommends the board of education select one of the following options. order an election to fill the board vacancy in trustee area 4 pursuant to education code 5091, thereby initiating the process to place this

matter on the next established election date of April 14th, 2026 with an estimated cost of $495,200. Number two is to make a provisional appointment to fill the board vacancy in trustee area 4 in accordance to with education code 5091 and board bylaw 9223 and a select a committee of less than a quorum of the board to work with the

superintendent or designated staff. B establish August 15, 2025 through August 29th, 2025 as the application period and post public notice that a vacancy exists in two newspapers of general circulation and c authorize the superintendent or designate to manage administrative functions related to the application and interview process. Board members, as you're aware, Mr. Monroe submitted his resignation from

the board effective August 15, 2025 and was tendered to the county superintendent in accordance with bylaw 9223 filling vacancies. We are presented with two options for addressing this vacancy. Option one, order an election which due to the election calendar would take place on April 14th, 2026 according to the register of voters leaving the seat vacant until that time thereafter. The

person would fill the seat until November 2026. This option would also come at a financial cost to be born by the district. Option two, make a provisional appointment allowing us to appoint a qualified individual to serve trustee area in the interim until November 2026. Dr. Enfield, you and staff have been involved in this meticulous facilitation of past board

vacancies. Can you please briefly run us through what can be expected with both options? All right. Thank you, Mr. Shaw. And yes, that is correct. Um, three times in this district, I worked along district staff to support previous uh appointments of provisional uh board members. And each time I can tell you the process was very successful and it was very transparent.

Um, so the board tonight, you guys have two options in front of you and so let me start with those. So the first option, this is the option where the board would order an election. All right. So if the board so chooses this option, uh the first thing we would do is we would notify the San Bernardino

County Superintendent of Schools that we want to hold a special election. And then we have contacted the register of voters and they stated that the special election would take place on April 14th, 2026. All right. And then the register of voters also they got back with us today and they stated that the cost of a special election would be 400 $495,200.

So that's about a half a million to run a special election and the district would be paying for that. All right. And then trustee area 4 in this process would remain vacant until after April 14th, 2026 until after the election. And then after the election, it takes approximately 38 days for the county to certify the election. So the new board member would not uh

would probably not be seated until the end of May, maybe the beginning of June. So it would stay open for about nine months and then the individual would come on to the board again at the end of May, beginning of June and then they would serve on the board for approximately six months and then in November of 2026

that seat is up and it would be another election for uh trustee area 4. So again, that special election, if you so choose that, would stay vacant for about 9 months until after the April 14th election. They have to certify it. Once it's certified, that individual would come on to the board, serve for six months, and then a new election at the

regular November election would take place. And again, that would cost about a half a million dollars. All right. The other option is option two, and this is the one we've used before for three different times since I've been in the district. Um, the board would have until September 23rd. So, if the board wanted to select option, let me go back. If the

board selects option two, this is the process. It would be having a vacancy filling it with a provisional appointment. Okay? And so the board would have until September 23rd, 2025 to select a board member to serve for area 4. The process would allow for community members living in trustee area 4 to apply to be interviewed and possibly to

be selected to serve on the board of education. The board would interview qualified candidates and select a candidate to serve on the board of trustee area 4 until the general election. which is in November of 2026. So that's approximately 15 months. And then this would cost the district no money. So again, if the board wants to go through

that process, you would enter, you would put out an application, allow people who live in area 4 to submit their application in the correct paperwork. We'll verify that they live in the area and then the board would do an interview with those candidates, select and then that board member would take over right away before September 23rd and they

would be on the board for 15 months and then that seat doesn't stay vacant like in the first option. Okay. So that's the board's two options. >> Thank you Dr. Enfield. The question is now before the board. Will we entertain any discussion after motion is placed on the floor? We will entertain any discussion after a motion's placed on

the floor. Does the board order an election or make a provisional appointment as outlined in option one or option two? Please note that the option two has other components identified as items A, B, and C. So, please be prepared to nominate two members for the committee when moving forward in option two. Mr. No, I see your speaker on.

>> Yeah, I'll uh move to uh on the floor option number two. And I'd like to select do I need to select two members. >> Um um Mr. Cerventes B1 and Mr. Cruz will be another one. Two person. >> I apologize. I won't be able to do that. >> Okay. Then Mr. CVentes and um then we have president. Will you

be able to do it? So, you're nominating Cervantes and myself, and you're putting option two on the floor. Um, I have a motion on the floor. Can I have a second to Mr. Cantes? Second it. Okay. Now, we can open up to discussions, comments, and questions. I'll turn all mics off and if you want to speak onto this, we can

speak. I'll use the speaker. Any questions? Mr. Naw has this on the floor. Okay, seeing nothing. Board members, please. and all votes are registered. The motion passes for option two with the vote of four to zero with Mr. Cervantes and myself uh to serve as the board's committee. And um that actually concludes the special meet of meeting

meeting of board of education at 5:12 p.m.