November 21, 2024 Regular Meeting

Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education

Overview

President Sonja Shaw called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m. Don Bridge, Andrew Cruz and James Na were present, and Jon Monroe arrived at 4:16 p.m. 1 Open session began at 6:00 p.m. with all five members present 1. Two subjects ran through the evening: the removal of Ayala High School's cross country teams from the CIF-Southern Section finals, and tributes to Bridge from both employee unions, his colleagues and the superintendent 23. The board also approved, as amended, an agreement to buy a warehouse that the staff memo prices at $8 million 24.

Closed session

The board met in closed session from 4:10 to 5:41 p.m. 1 It reported these actions 1:

• It approved further action on buying a parcel from the Charles & Christine Unsworth Trust, subject to minor revisions to the agreement and to CEQA 1.
• It approved a settlement of OAH Case No. 2024090843: up to $19,000 for specified services, $8,500 in attorneys' fees and costs, dismissal with prejudice, expungement of specified student records, and a release of claims 1.
• It upheld the Superintendent's decision on a complaint filed against employee 5152. The minutes record that Bridge abstained 1.
• It appointed Amber Orttel-Parks principal of Butterfield Ranch ES, effective December 2, 2024, and Melissa Cisneros-Alba assistant principal at Cal Aero Preserve Academy, with the start date to be determined 1.

The closed-session agenda also listed existing litigation, Case No. 2:24-CV-01941, with Liberty Justice Center as counsel 5. That is the federal suit the district filed against Governor Newsom in July 2024, challenging AB 1955, which the suit says bars schools from adopting parental-notification policies 67.

An $8 million warehouse on Danito Court

The staff memo for action item II.A.1 describes a 22,868-square-foot warehouse building at 4575 Danito Court, Building 4, in Chino. The seller accepted the agreement on November 15 4. The memo lists the cost as $8,000,000 from Chino RDA Fund 25, based on fair market value set by appraisal 4. It does not say how the district plans to use the building. A change to the contract was read into the record before the vote: the contract had been "yellow-sheeted" 2. The board approved the agreement as amended, on a motion by Monroe seconded by Na, and the student representative's preferential vote was yes 2.

Ayala cross country and CIF

Ayala had qualified for the CIF-Southern Section finals on November 23 in Division 2. Three days before the finals, the school learned that an error in its reported enrollment had placed it in Division 2 instead of Division 1. After an unknown person reported the error, section officials made Ayala withdraw 8.

In public comment, a speaker described the disqualification of both the boys' and girls' teams 9 and said "the only ones being punished are the athletes" 9. A speaker said the reporting error had persisted for 13 years, a figure the record does not confirm 9, and asked for district support to send the team to a championship meet in Alabama instead 910.

Board members and the superintendent took up the subject in Communications:

• James Na asked staff to follow up with Ayala parents and students 3. On the recording, he asks for a staff member to "meet up with our parents and students from Ayala High" School 11.
• Andrew Cruz expressed concern about the situation 3, saying the district should call if needed because "these kids deserve it" 12.
• Jon Monroe asked staff to look at a possible resolution 3. He asked Superintendent Enfield to find out whether there is an appeal process and whether it could be sped up 13.
• Superintendent Norm Enfield said there had been a reporting error and that he was following up on a possible remedy 3. He said the district has no oversight over CIF 14, and that "it's an adult error and the kids are paying the price" 14.
• Don Bridge said he was pleased the district was looking into it 3, adding that CIF "is its own animal" 15.
• President Shaw said she hoped a solution would be found for students 3. She said her "heart is breaking" as the mother of two athletes 16, and that an appeal process should be looked into 16.

Two weeks later the district spent about $30,000 to send 23 Ayala runners, three coaches and two chaperones to the Running Lanes XC championships in Huntsville, Alabama, on December 7, a district spokeswoman told the Champion 8.

Tributes to Don Bridge

A.C.T. President Steven Frazer recognized Bridge and thanked him for his public service 2, calling him "The Guiding Light for us all" 17. CSEA President Danny Hernandez also thanked him 2. Superintendent Enfield shared Bridge's history with the district 3. He recounted that Bridge came to the district in 1981 as a resource specialist teacher at Don Lugo High School 14, later coached, served as A.C.T. president and retired with more than 33 years in the district 14. Na, Cruz and Monroe also thanked Bridge 3.

In his own remarks, Bridge reported on events he had attended and congratulated all four high schools on making the CIF playoffs 3. He congratulated the newly elected and re-elected members and presented his wife with roses 3. He thanked the community for electing him 3 "four years ago during the pandemic," as he put it on the recording 15, and said "it truly has been my pleasure serving as your board member" 18. At the November 5 election, Na and Cruz had kept their seats and John Cervantes had won Trustee Area 1 19. President Shaw thanked Bridge and wished him well 3, saying they "did not agree all the time" but agreed on a lot 18.

Staff and employee reports

Dr. Tracy Freed, Assistant Superintendent, presented the Essential Standards and Smarter Balanced results 1. On the recording she reports 48.64% of students meeting or exceeding the math standard in the 2023/24 school year. The captions render the English language arts figure as "6064". She compares these with 52.4% and 39.2% for the next-highest unified district in the county 20.

Student representative Gabriella Segoviano 5 reported on school events, including Don Lugo's first academic rally 1. Hernandez said classified staff consistently ask for more training 2. CHAMP President Emily Lao spoke about the district's One-Stop shop for students 2, including the Hope Center and the Care Solace mental-health service 2121.

Public comment

The minutes list nine people who addressed the board: Amanda Swager, Virginia Renteria, Colonel Robert Reed, Lieutenant Ed Haronian, Eric Shamp, Caitlyn Cabal, Jazelle Campos, Monica Paz and Emily Barajas 2. The minutes do not record what each person said, so no comment is tied to a name here. Besides the Ayala comments above, the recording includes the following, grouped by theme and not in speaking order. One comment urged caution in reading the assessment data presented that night 22. Another was a prayer for the community 23. One raised concern that some teachers are disengaged in class and urged more unannounced principal visits 24. Another offered volunteer assistance from a community organization 23.

A community member's bylaw request

Information item IV.A.1 was a request Amanda Swager submitted on October 16, 2024 to place an item on the agenda 25. Her proposed revision of Bylaw 9322 would accept written proposed changes to information items within 48 hours of the meeting 26. The board received the request for information 27.

Consent calendar

The consent items were approved on a motion by Na, seconded by Bridge, and the student representative's preferential vote was yes 28. They included:

• The minutes of the October 17 regular and November 7 special meetings, and a separate item setting December 19, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. for the annual organizational meeting 28.
• Revisions to Bylaws 9010 (Public Statements) and 9012 (Board Member Electronic Communications), updated to CSBA language 2928. Bylaw 9010 now notes that a member may put a disclaimer on a personal social media account saying the views are their own 30. The 9012 redline struck a paragraph that barred a member using social media for district business from blocking people based on their viewpoint 31. It also added that the bylaw does not apply to communications unrelated to district business or not made in a member's official capacity 32.
• Payment of $83,001.34 in September legal invoices to Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo; Margaret A. Chidester & Associates; and Tao Rossini, APC 3328.
• A $692,202.90 payment to FieldTurf USA, Inc., under threat of potential litigation or disputed claim 2834. The payment was for Ayala's stadium turf, which was vandalized on May 8, 2024. The county office had declined to process it because labor exceeded 10% of the contract 34.
• Four student expulsion cases and two new CTE dance courses 28.
• A batch of CUPCCAA change orders, plus twenty bid-project change orders and notices of completion: 13 for Preserve II School, six for administration relocations at Anna Borba, Marshall and Walnut elementary schools, and one for the districtwide roofing project 282727.

Shaw adjourned the meeting at 7:16 p.m. 35