Chino Valley Unified Board of Education: Regular Meeting, October 5, 2023

Decisions and actions

👥 Closed session. The board met in closed session from 4:50 to 5:42 p.m. and, reporting out, appointed Todd Finkbiner as Director, Access & Equity 1. As announced on the recording, the effective date was to be determined 2. The closed-session agenda listed a San Bernardino County Superior Court case with Liberty Justice Center among counsel, a PERB case, and a third case with Tao Rossini, APC 3.

📚 Instructional materials and administrators. A public hearing on the sufficiency of instructional materials opened and closed at 7:30 p.m. with no speakers. The board then adopted Resolution 2023/2024-16 on a motion by James Na, seconded by Andrew Cruz 4. Education Code 60119 requires the hearing and a finding on whether each pupil has sufficient textbooks or instructional materials 5. The board also adopted Resolution 2023/2024-15, Week of the School Administrator, on a motion by Na, seconded by Don Bridge 6.

✅ Consent calendar. Andrew Cruz pulled item III.C.3 and Don Bridge pulled item III.D.2. On a motion by Na, seconded by Bridge, the board approved the rest of the consent items as amended 6. The board then adopted the Red Ribbon Week proclamation for October 23-31, 2023, on a motion by Cruz, seconded by Bridge 6.

📝 Book-fair contract narrowed to one site. The contractor and consultant agreements were yellow-sheeted 4 and approved as amended on a motion by President Sonja Shaw, seconded by Jonathan Monroe 6. As first posted, the list included a master contract with Literati, Inc. "To provide book fairs," submitted by all sites 7. In discussion on the recording, it was said from the dais that the yellow sheet limits that contract 8 to one school site, and a concern was voiced about Scholastic being replaced 9 9. The yellow sheet is not among the documents on file.

Other consent actions:

• Payment for legal services to Tao Rossini, APC 6: $19,826.25 for August, out of $67,729.50 in fiscal-year-to-date invoices across three firms 10.
• Five student expulsion cases 6, and the claims before the board were rejected and referred to the district's insurance adjuster 6.
• Two Preserve II School change orders 6. The first adds $21,243 to Bogh Engineering, Inc.'s construction contract 11. Notices of completion for small CUPCCAA projects totaled $176,622 12.
• Also approved: the warrant register ($9,357,592.87 in the packet 13), fundraising, donations, signature authorizations, school-sponsored trips 6, purchase orders, surplus property, personnel items, and student-teaching agreements with Point Loma Nazarene University 6.

ℹ️ Received for information. The Williams quarterly report for July through September 2023 showed one complaint, about a teacher vacancy or misassignment, unresolved 14. The board also received new Administrative Regulation 4119.12 on Title IX sexual-harassment complaint procedures for employees 15.

Public comment

The minutes list 20 entries for comments on items not on the agenda, one recorded only as anonymous: Matt Sprankle, thanking the board for the parental notification policy; Kristi Hirst, community input; Jennie Gorton, the adult school; Misty, speaking against personal attacks on President Shaw; Len Beckman, Chino Valley families; Lisa Greathouse, ethical questions of the board; Amanda Swager, Chino HS visits and the effects of district policy on students; Eric Shamp, understanding students; Glory Ciccarelli, white privilege; Chantal Fox, the Bible; Byron Gonzalez, the political climate; Rochelle Henare and La'maya Epps, being Black on campus; Agnes Mazur and an anonymous speaker, book bans; Mary Thisis and Christa Irwin, nurse concerns and staffing ratios; and Stephanie Stabio, Priscilla Garcia and Daniel Sarimento, Ayala HS pool reconstruction and repairs 4. The minutes do not record what they said. Because names come only from the minutes and most topics had one to three listed speakers, this page does not summarize the remarks from the recording.

Reports and recognitions

🏅 Ayala HS students Ky-An Dinh and Lukas Cao received certificates for perfect Advanced Placement Research Exam scores, placing them in the 1.26% of 2023 test-takers worldwide 1. The introduction on the recording said, as captioned, that only 350 students worldwide earned a perfect score in all categories 16.

🏗️ Art Bennett presented the Measure G Citizens' Oversight Committee's 2022/2023 annual report 4. He reported that the bond audits disclosed "no instances of non compliance" with Proposition 39 or the bond measure 17. Projects in progress included the Chino High School reconstruction, the Ayala High School modernization, and construction of Legacy Academy 18.

🎓 Student representative Chloe Kubeldis congratulated Ayala's Zachary Chang on qualifying for the debate Tournament of Champions and announced the district's October 9 fair at Ayala HS 4.

🤝 Brenda Walker, A.C.T. President, spoke about rodents on campuses, asked what was being done to increase the number of nurses, asked for a campus-safety update, and spoke about good-faith negotiations 4. On the recording she said the union and district had finished their second negotiating session, with another set for October 30 19. Danny Hernandez, CSEA President, recognized National Custodian Day. Emily Lao, CHAMP President, congratulated Finkbiner and said 416 students are on track for biliteracy recognition 4, in seven languages 20.

Board communications

• Don Bridge spoke about the Don Lugo HS football game and Ayala's 16th Annual Music in Motion Band Field Show Tournament on October 14. He asked Dr. Enfield for a brief explanation of the donation button on the district website related to legal costs 15. The minutes record that Superintendent Enfield made no comments 15.
• James Na asked staff to review Ayala HS pool documents given to the board secretary, commented on the adult school and the nurses' concerns, and spoke about student achievement and quality education 15. On the recording he said teachers and staff are respected and that "everybody agreed our job as a district is to provide safe learning environment" 21.
• Jonathan Monroe asked Dr. Enfield for a safety report, commended the Don Lugo HS boosters, and invited student speakers to talk with him about their experiences at Ayala HS 15. On the recording he asked for a report on the safety changes made over the last year 21.
• Andrew Cruz supported the adult-school concerns, called a water polo committee a good idea, spoke about nurse ratios, and suggested using the Miller test, a Supreme Court ruling, to discern inappropriate materials in schools 15. On the recording he said "maybe we should like you know start all over and and come together" on water polo 22, and said "we're going to try to plan an action item of inappropriate materials" 23.
• President Sonja Shaw apologized to Ms. Swager, a public commenter, for missing her classroom on a site visit; said staff would meet with the water polo parents; recognized custodians and the board secretary; and spoke about internet safety 15. On the recording she said the district does not want the parents "thinking that you know the district is the enemy" 24. Per the minutes, she said one or two pages of inappropriate material shouldn't be available to students, read a passage from a book found in district libraries, and "addressed and clarified" what the minutes call false allegations by Mrs. Greathouse, a public commenter, regarding district travel 25. On the recording she said she is working on a way for the public, "not Schoolboard members," to bring such books forward for removal 26. On travel, she said one Sacramento trip, made to oppose AB 1078, was paid by the district 27 and that her other trips were not district-paid 27.

President Shaw adjourned the meeting at 8:06 p.m. 25

What came next

📖 On October 19, 2023, a memo from President Shaw brought a revision of Board Policy 6163.1, Library Media Centers, "to outline a complaint process regarding non-curricular obscene materials" 28. The Daily Bulletin reported that the proposal drew a crowd and was expected back for a vote on November 16 29.

🩺 At the same October 19 meeting, the board approved a compensation increase for certified registered nurse substitute services for school nurse employees 30.

Press and context

📰 A press search found no news coverage specific to this meeting. For background on the litigation then on the closed-session agenda: the Attorney General sued to block the district's parental notification policy and on August 28, 2023 sought a temporary restraining order, which a San Bernardino County judge granted on September 6. Liberty Justice Center announced on September 11 that it would defend the district, with the next hearing set for October 13 31.