Board of Education — March 16, 2023

March 16, 2023 Regular Meeting of the Board of Education

Highlights

• 💰 The board approved the 2022/2023 Second Interim Financial Report with a positive certification of financial condition, and approved the district's home-to-school transportation plan. 1
• 🗣️ Four people addressed the board on items not on the agenda, two of them on school violence and safety. 1
• 🏫 In communications, several board members responded to safety concerns at Chino Hills High School, Andrew Cruz asked for an agenda item on AB 1314, and Sonja Shaw said she backed a resolution on that bill and wanted another opposing AB 659, the HPV vaccine bill. 22

🏆 Opening and recognition

Closed session ran from 5:00 to 5:58 p.m. on student discipline, two appointments and the superintendent's evaluation. 3 The board reported appointing Lynette Varney as Procurement Coordinator, effective March 17, 2023. 3 Tilly Kakuk, a Chino HS student, led the Pledge of Allegiance. 3

President Shaw presented certificates of recognition to coaches and wrestlers from the Chino HS wrestling team, listed as 2023 CIF champions. 3 On the recording, the presentation credited the program with qualifying 12 boys and seven girls for CIF competition. 4 The Orange County Register had reported on February 1, 2023 that the Chino boys won the CIF Southern Section Division 5 dual meet team title, the program's first. 5

🏊 Student and employee representatives

Student representative Maya King spoke about pool facility problems at Chino HS and Don Lugo HS and invited board members to come see them. 3 On the recording she described two one-person bathrooms for 30 to 40 swimmers at Chino High's morning practice 6 and a single outdoor shower. 6

Danny Hernandez, CSEA President, said Chino Valley is competing with other districts for employees, spoke about growing vacancies and applicant shortages, and said CVUSD needs to do better to retain employees. 3 On the recording he said neighboring districts had begun actively recruiting CVUSD staff 7 and pointed to a contract increase on that night's agenda, from $150,000 to $400,000, for special-needs services covering unfilled positions. 7 The packet shows that amendment, to a ProCare Therapy agreement for nursing, therapy, psychologist, interpreter and aide staff. 8

Barbara Bearden, CHAMP President, commended maintenance staff for their work through the rainy season, spoke about chronic absenteeism, and gave the spring break dates. 1

🗣️ Public comment on items not on the agenda

The minutes list four speakers and their subjects: Glory Ciccarelli, on Black History Month becoming sparser; Ann Malane, on AB 1314 and protecting parent rights; Misty, on school violence, behavioral problems and a lack of school resource officer involvement; and Julissa, on high school and middle school safety and a lack of documentation of complaints. 1 The minutes record only each speaker's subject, so this page does not summarize the remarks from the recording. 1 The Champion reported on March 18, 2023 that ten Chino Hills High students had been cited for assault and suspended after fights near the campus on March 3 and March 6, and that Julissa told the board she had witnessed one of the fights and that students' reports to school officials had been dismissed. 35

For background, AB 1314 had been introduced only days earlier: Spectrum News 1 reported on March 13, 2023 that Assemblymember Bill Essayli's bill would require schools to notify parents if a child identifies as transgender. 9

💬 Board communications

Don Bridge reported on school events including the dedication of Chino HS's new gym named after Mark Hargrove. He said the Chino Hills Parks and Recreation Commission had announced the City Council's approval of a teen advisory board, and that because of a church service on Thursday, April 6, he would attend only that day's closed session. 2

James Na acknowledged parent concerns about student safety at Chino HS and Townsend JHS (the minutes' wording; on the recording the passage refers to the Chino Hills High School attendance area). 210 On the recording he asked that the district's risk management and security director assess the problem 10 and gather input from staff and parents. 10 He also raised the pool concerns, and the minutes note that staff gave a brief update. 2 In that update, as heard on the recording, staff said the Chino High pool modernization was waiting for DSA approval 11 and was hoped to start that summer, with Don Lugo's pool to follow the next year. 11 A packet from August 15, 2024 records that work on one bid package of the Chino HS Aquatic Center, Gymnasium, and Locker Modernization was completed on June 30, 2024. 12

Andrew Cruz said he agreed with the parent commenting on student safety at Chino Hills HS, said concerns are being addressed and changes are being made, requested that an item on AB 1314 be placed on the agenda, and read from a book that he donated to Rhodes ES. 2

Jonathan Monroe commended Wickman ES for its multicultural event, thanked the Chino Hills council for approving the teen advisory board, and described campus visits including Boys Republic and Chino Hills HS. He spoke about the safety concerns at Chino Hills HS and about the Odyssey of the Mind program. 2 On the recording he said that "as a board we're already moving forward with different measures." 13

Superintendent Norm Enfield announced senior scholarship applications and the Julie Gobin Memorial Hit the Greens for Scholarships event that supports them. 2

Sonja Shaw thanked speakers for sharing their concerns about school fights, said she and Board member Monroe had visited the campus, and spoke about parental engagement, communication and working together as partners. 2 Her remarks on the recording included the line "we're Partners we're not enemies." 14 She thanked the City of Chino Hills and Mr. Bennett for their support and thanked staff for filling in for substitute security positions 2; on the recording, bus drivers were described as stepping into those positions. 14

She said she supports Mr. Cruz's request for a resolution on AB 1314, and that she was working with a city council member to schedule a meeting with an assembly member to go over opposing the HPV vaccine bill, AB 659, and wanted a resolution on it. 2 On the recording she said she did not want to bring resolutions "without some kind of teeth." 15

What happened next

• AB 1314: On April 6, 2023 the board adopted a resolution in support of AB 1314. 16 Four days later, the chair of the Assembly Education Committee, Al Muratsuchi, announced he would not set the bill for a hearing. 17
• AB 659: As introduced, the bill would have required the HPV vaccine for middle schoolers; KFF Health News reported on April 12, 2023 that lawmakers had removed that mandate. 18

📋 Action items

Second Interim Financial Report. On a motion by Na, seconded by Cruz, the board approved the 2022/2023 Second Interim Financial Report and authorized the board president and superintendent to sign the positive Certification of Financial Condition for the current and two subsequent fiscal years. 1 The staff memo says the report reflects a balanced budget for 2022/2023 through 2024/2025. 19

Transportation Plan. On a motion by Na, seconded by Cruz, the board approved the transportation plan. 1 Education Code 39800.1 required the plan by April 1, 2023, tied to the state's new home-to-school transportation reimbursement under AB 181 and AB 185. 20 The plan answers the state's questions on prioritizing service for transitional kindergarten through grade 6 and low-income pupils, and reports transporting 1,521 of 25,645 pupils, with 47% qualifying for free and reduced lunch. 21

Changes and deletions. The personnel items were amended before the vote: one release of an employee was deleted, and the resignation of Danielle Seibert, Paraprofessional II at Marshall ES, was added. 1

✅ Consent calendar

On a motion by Cruz, seconded by Na, the board approved the consent items as amended. 1 They included:

• The March 2, 2023 minutes and the warrant register, which the packet puts at $5,102,380.80. 122
• Payment for legal services to Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, $52,893.92 for January. 123
• Two student expulsion cases and school-sponsored trips for Ayala HS and Don Lugo HS. 1
• A world language textbook adoption for Spanish, French, Mandarin and Japanese courses, estimated at $2,027,000 to the General Fund. 2425
• Contractor and consultant agreements, including the ProCare increase and an amendment to the City of Chino school resource officer agreement to provide five days a week of SRO coverage. 268
• Closeout change orders and notices of completion, including net decreases of $565,429 and $60,583.79 on two Chino HS offsite-improvement packages, CUPCCAA projects, and five Butterfield Ranch ES and Hidden Trails ES packages. 26272829
• The award of the District Office test kitchen and break room equipment rebid to Douglas Food Stores, Inc., at $118,278.21. 2930
• A revision of Board Policy 7310, Naming of Facility. 2931
• Certificated and classified personnel items as amended, rejection of a claim referred to the district's insurance adjuster, and a student teaching agreement with Los Angeles Pacific University. 29

The BP 7310 revision lets the superintendent appoint a committee to review name suggestions 3132 and adds a section on rescinding a school's name, to be considered only on a request from students, their families, school faculty or community interest groups. Sufficient cause includes a felony conviction, a crime of moral turpitude, or disreputable behavior that would reflect badly on the school or district. 33

Adjournment

President Shaw adjourned the meeting at 7:04 p.m. 34