July 15, 2021: Five Administrators Appointed, Preserve School #2 Land Agreement Approved, Trustee-Area Map Hearing

President Joe Schaffer called the regular meeting to order at 5:15 p.m. with Don Bridge, Andrew Cruz, Christina Gagnier, James Na and Schaffer present, and reconvened in open session at 6:00 p.m. with the same five members 1. Out of closed session the board appointed two principals, two assistant principals and a director of access and equity 2. In open session it held a public hearing on the move to by-trustee area elections and four proposed maps, which drew no speakers, and approved a purchase and sale agreement for the Preserve School #2 site, higher daily pay for interim administrators, the state consolidated application and a 38-item consent calendar 2. Schaffer adjourned at 7:30 p.m. 3

About this record. This page rests on the district's adopted minutes, signed by Schaffer as president and Bridge as clerk 3, and the agenda packet. The archived video runs 58 seconds and ends as the board leaves for closed session 44, so everything after that rests on the minutes. People are named only where the minutes or the district's packet name them.

Out of closed session

The posted agenda listed four closed-session subjects: anticipated litigation (one possible case, with counsel Terry Tao), employee discipline, administrator appointments, and the superintendent's performance evaluation 5. The same four were read aloud on the recording 4. The minutes' list at the 5:15 p.m. adjournment also includes a conference with labor negotiators for A.C.T. and CSEA, and junior high school assistant principals 1, neither of which appears on the posted agenda; the report out of closed session does not mention them 2. The board met in closed session from 5:15 to 5:57 p.m. 1

With Bridge, Cruz, Gagnier, Na and Schaffer recorded voting yes, the board appointed 2:

• Jacqueline Jenkins as assistant principal of Borba ES, effective July 19, 2021
• Cletus Ganschow as assistant principal of Chino Hills HS, effective July 19, 2021
• Samantha Han as principal of Liberty ES, effective July 16, 2021
• Christine Wilson as principal of Wickman ES, effective July 16, 2021
• Stacy Ayers-Escarcega as Director, Access & Equity, effective July 16, 2021

Gagnier led the Pledge of Allegiance, and the scheduled Measure G update was not presented because of technical difficulties 2.

Trustee areas: the map hearing

The superintendent's memo set a hearing under Elections Code section 10010 on the transition to by-trustee area elections and four proposed trustee-area maps 6. Larry Ferchaw of Cooperative Strategies first gave an overview of the legal process and timelines. Schaffer opened the hearing at 7:00 p.m.; there were no speakers, and it closed at 7:00 p.m. 2

The district began this process in March 2021 after attorney Kevin Shenkman threatened a lawsuit under the California Voting Rights Act, the San Bernardino County Sentinel reported 7. At its next meeting, on August 19, 2021, the board held a further hearing and chose map plan 4A 8.

Preserve School #2 land

Gagnier moved and Na seconded approval of the purchase and sale agreement and joint escrow instructions for the purchase of land for Preserve School #2, and the motion carried 2. The memo from Assistant Superintendent Gregory J. Stachura says the district began negotiating in 2019 with the Chino Holding Company (Lewis Development) for 12 acres in the City of Chino, and that Lewis Development signed the agreement on June 30, 2021. It gives the fiscal impact as to be determined from fair market value set by appraisal, paid from Measure G Fund 21 and Developer Fees Fund 25 9.

Other action items

Na moved and Gagnier seconded approval of the 2021/2022 Consolidated Application for Funding 2. The memo prepared by Assistant Superintendent Lea Fellows lists Title I Part A, Title II Part A, Title III Part A (immigrant and LEP) and Title IV Part A 9.

Na moved and Gagnier seconded the pay increase for administrative substitute services 2. The memo from Assistant Superintendent Richard Rideout says the district last raised these rates in 2012. The daily rate goes from $400 to $500 for interim principals and from $300 to $400 for interim assistant principals; for long-term assignments it goes from $450 to $550 and from $350 to $450 10.

Consent calendar

Na moved and Gagnier seconded the consent items 2; the agenda had no changes or deletions 2. Among them:

• Student board members. The board revised Bylaw 9150 11. As revised that night, the bylaw provides that the student member is chosen by a vote of high school students and may cast preferential votes that do not affect the final outcome 12. The packet's redline shows a new sentence that a student board member shall not be liable for any acts of the Board 13.
• Legal bills. Payment to Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo; Margaret A. Chidester & Associates; and The Tao Firm 11, for May invoices totaling $50,482.63 14.
• Chino HS offsite improvements. Awarded to two contractors, Moreno Valley Construction dba M.V.C. Enterprises, Inc., and RC Construction Services, Inc. 11, for sewer, street lighting, storm drain, fire service and street work totaling $2,893,000 15.
• Asphalt and landscaping. District-wide asphalt repairs went to Premier Paving, Inc., and the Townsend JHS slope landscaping to Conserve LandCare 11. Per the memos, Premier's was the lowest of seven bids at $1,357,000, for work at nine school sites 16, and Conserve LandCare's bid was $1,390,300 17.
• Ayala HS. Sixteen notices of completion for the Phase 2 alterations to Buildings B, F and H, one per bid package 1118.

The consent calendar also included security vehicles from Penske Chevrolet, Cerritos, five piggyback-contract resolutions 11, and a tuition-discount agreement with California Baptist University 18. The board received four information reports, among them the annual debt report required by Board Policy 3470 18.

Employee representatives

Molly Large, Ed.D., of CHAMP welcomed the newly appointed administrators, thanked the classified staff who worked all summer to prepare for the school year, and encouraged parents to read about school emergency relief funds on the district website and give input 2.

Public comment

The minutes list the speakers on items not on the agenda with their subjects, names as printed: Jose Hernandez regarding the Omnitrans Free Fares for School program; Tricia Cauley, Richard Wales, Darice De Guzman, Kelly Allen, Caity Martinez, regarding funding; Sonia Singh and Sonja Shaw regarding Board accountability and putting students first; Erica Moreno regarding an unresolved complaint; Jill Burlingame regarding parent survey; Kristi Hirst in favor of masks for students; and Casandra Sanchez, Nichole Babel, and opposing mandatory masks for students 2. The last entry reads "Nichole Babel, and opposing", which appears to drop a name; this page does not supply one. The recording does not reach this part of the meeting, and the minutes record subjects rather than remarks, so no comments are summarized.

For background, Omnitrans had announced in May 2021 a six-month pilot giving K-12 students in its service area free rides from August 1 19.

Board communications

Per the minutes 18:

Cruz requested two agenda items, on bingo fundraising and on options for adding 30 minutes to the school day. He spoke about mandating students to wear face masks, his research on the vaccine and its impact on people, and recalling Board members.

Na congratulated Preserve school parents for attending, acknowledged a handout from parent Kelly Allen and comments by other speakers, said he supports revisiting the additional 30 minutes of daily instruction, and encouraged parents to get involved with school site councils.

Bridge spoke about his work as liaison to Chino Hills and the Chino Valley Fire District, congratulated Chino Hills on its Independence Day event and Chino on its fireworks show, recognized district student athletes, and said high school football schedules are out.

Gagnier thanked the speakers, including Chino Hills HS student Casandra Sanchez; said she had received many emails from students at all levels about the new CDPH guidelines and encouraged them to keep writing; and announced the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce's first in-person event, on July 21. State guidance released July 12 kept indoor masks for all K-12 students regardless of vaccination status, a law firm alert published the day of the meeting explained 20.

Superintendent Norm Enfield made no comments.

Schaffer said Concerts in the Park were back on Wednesday nights; thanked the Chino Valley Fire District and its homeland security group for donating over 272 first aid kits to district sites; spoke about the passing of former Chino Councilmember Mark Hargrove; and asked Enfield to start looking into something to honor Hargrove at the Chino HS campus 3. Hargrove, a 1982 Chino High graduate who sat on the district's Measure G oversight committee, died on March 28, 2021, at 58, the Sentinel reported 21. A later staff memo records a written request from Schaffer, received August 19, to name or dedicate a Chino HS facility after Hargrove 22, and on September 2 the board approved proceeding with that process 23.