Chino Valley Unified Board of Education: Regular Meeting, November 17, 2022

This was the last meeting for two members, President Christina Gagnier and Joe Schaffer, and it closed with farewells from members and the superintendent 1, after members of the public had thanked the departing pair during public comment 2. Nine days earlier, Sonja Shaw had won Gagnier's District 3 seat and Jonathan Monroe had won District 4, as the Champion reported when the results were certified 3. The business itself went through on one consent motion: two construction awards, a corrected award for the Preserve II School, a vehicle purchase, a revised instructional-materials policy, and the date of December's organizational meeting 2 4.

Opening and reports

President Gagnier called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. with all five members present and adjourned to closed session on student discipline matters. The board reconvened at 6:00 p.m. and reported no action requiring disclosure, and Joe Schaffer led the Pledge of Allegiance 5.

Student representative Maya King acknowledged veterans, thanked students who had spoken at the last meeting, spoke about the Biomedical Science and Technology Academy at Chino High School, and reported that two students attended the Student Advisory Board of Education hosted by CASC 2. On the recording she said academy applications for 2023-2024 were due December 1 6.

All three employee representatives thanked Schaffer: Brenda Walker of A.C.T., Danny Hernandez of CSEA and Barbara Bearden of CHAMP. Bearden also reflected on gratitude, and Hernandez spoke about what the minutes call "his negative encounter with a Chino Hills HS administrator" 2.

Public comment

The minutes list the non-agenda speakers and their topics 2:

• Student rights: Rey Alexander, Max Ibarra and Leila Maleki.
• Joe Schaffer's departure from the board: Cynthia Moran.
• Appreciation of the departing members Gagnier and Schaffer: Kristi Hirst, Darlene Berg and Abe Dyk.
• Union control over boards of education: Misty (first name only in the minutes).
• Board cleanup: Virginia Renteria.
• Mike Kreeger announced the December 14 Make a Child Smile program and thanked Gagnier and Schaffer.
• The public having access to restrooms where students change: Sonja Shaw.
• Board appreciation: Naomi Minogue and Michael Apolinar.
• The DA pressing charges against students who assaulted her daughter: Kim Grapentin.
• School safety concerns for her children: Mindy Sham.

Shaw spoke as one of the two members-elect 1. This page does not summarize what individual speakers said, because the minutes give only names and topics and the recording cannot attach a name to a remark.

The December 14 event was the 21st annual Make a Child Smile. It took 150 children holiday shopping, was sponsored by the Chino Valley Fire Foundation, and the district helped identify the children, according to a state corrections department release 7.

The consent calendar

On a motion by James Na, seconded by Don Bridge, the board approved the consent items as amended, and the student representative voted yes 2. The amendment, read into the record earlier, corrected "biles" to "piles" in the Eagle Canyon bid package 2. The minutes record one speaker on consent, Darlene Berg, regarding a drag queen bingo fundraiser, and do not record what she said 2.

Construction and purchasing

• Eagle Canyon Elementary alterations. Awarded to Keller North America, Inc. 4. Keller's was the only bid: $1,500,000 for shoring and drilled piles, from Building Fund 21 8.
• Preserve II School. A correction to the October 20 award: a demolition package had been listed by mistake, and the right package is concrete, reinforcing steel and masonry, to Bogh Engineering 4. Bogh was the low bidder of five at $6,646,000 8.
• Chino Valley Adult School construction technology building. Awarded to W.D. Gott Construction Co. 4. Thirteen bids came in. The apparent low bidder was found non-responsive and the second withdrew over a clerical error, so the job went to the next low bidder at $2,434,000 from the Adult Education Fund 9.
• White fleet vehicles. Awarded to M.K. Smith Chevrolet 4, at $164,464.64 for 2023 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles against a second bid of $211,017.84 9.
• Butterfield Ranch and Hidden Trails change order. Approved 4: $88,688 to GGG Demolition at Butterfield Ranch and nothing at Hidden Trails. The memo says this change order, with others pending, will push past the 10% legal limit, which San Bernardino County Counsel approved because of unforeseen circumstances 10.
• Piggyback contract. A resolution 4 lets the district buy classroom amplification and audio/video equipment through a California Multiple Award Schedule contract with RGB Systems, Inc. (Extron Electronics). The fiscal impact was listed as unknown 11.
• Small projects. Notices of completion for three projects under the CUPCCAA informal-bidding rules 4, totalling $61,618 12.

Policy, calendar and routine items

• Instructional materials. The board approved the revision of Board Policy 6161.1 2. The staff memo says it reflects Senate Bill 820, which counts the electronic equipment needed to use technology-based materials as part of those materials when the board decides whether students have enough of them. It also moved the review-process section into the administrative regulation. The item had come to the board as information on November 3 13. The revised policy is in the district's policy library 14.
• Organizational meeting. Set for December 15, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. 2, where the board would choose a president, vice president and clerk 15.
• Board compensation. A resolution compensating James Na for missing the November 3 meeting 2.
• Students. Two expulsion cases, and a Chaparral Elementary trip 2: outdoor science camp in Crestline on January 23-27, 2023, for 75 students at $395 each 16.
• Routine business. The warrant register, at $6,188,859.85 17; the purchase order register, at $15,788,094.39 18; contracts including a $400,000 California Department of Education grant for dual language immersion 19; personnel items; and the rejection of claims, which were referred to the district's insurance adjuster 4.

Information items

The board received for information 4:

• revisions to Board Policy and Administrative Regulation 5111 on admission, to admit students eligible for transitional kindergarten and clarify residence verification 20;
• the county's first quarterly Williams report for 2022/2023;
• the special tax report for Community Facilities District 4 (College Park), whose cover memo notes that no bonds have been issued 21;
• a revision of Board Policy 3430 on investments, recommended by the district's investment firm, Crawford Investment Counsel, so the investment pools can hold higher current yields for longer than the policy then allowed 22.

Board communications

• Joe Schaffer thanked the community for the chance to serve during the last four years 4. On the recording he called it "an honor and a pleasure" 23.
• Don Bridge attended the November 8 Veterans Day ceremony at Howard Cattle Elementary and the groundbreaking for the second elementary school at the Preserve 4, which he said he expected to open in summer 2024 23. He congratulated Don Lugo's marching band 4, the Chino and Ayala football teams and Don Lugo boys' water polo, and thanked Schaffer and Gagnier 1.
• Andrew Cruz called Make a Child Smile a beautiful program, asked for an action item on the next agenda to restore board rotation, and said the next four years will be amazing 1.
• James Na thanked Schaffer, and thanked Gagnier's husband for attending to support her. He said he attended the Preserve School 2 groundbreaking and a Don Lugo basketball fundraiser with Chino police officers, with Cruz and the two members-elect. He asked Superintendent Enfield to look into the Ayala High School swimming pool situation so students have a place to dress for safety 1.
• Superintendent Norm Enfield thanked Gagnier for her service 1.
• President Christina Gagnier spoke about why she became involved in governance, thanked Schaffer, Bridge and Enfield, and said she hopes everyone can commit to students feeling valued 1. On the recording she said she had not wanted to run for re-election but, after hearing from students, felt she had no choice 24 24. She described working her way through a public college and organizing students when University of California tuition rose 24, and volunteering on literacy issues after law school 25. She told the board that students "are watching" 26. She adjourned the meeting at 7:08 p.m. 1.

What came of the rotation request

Cruz's request 1 came back at the December 15 organizational meeting as an information item, his revision of Bylaw 9100 so that officers are chosen by rotation 27. That night Cruz nominated Sonja Shaw, and she became president 28. The board approved the bylaw on its January 19, 2023 consent calendar 29. The Champion reported in December 2023 that the board had gone back to electing its officers each year 30.