June 18, 2026: Budget, LCAP and Raises Pass as a Parent Asks for Cameras in Special Education Classrooms

An independent community summary of the Chino Valley Unified School District's public records. It is not an official district document.

The open session ran from 6:00 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. 12. In that time the board adopted the 2026/2027 budget and Local Control and Accountability Plan and approved districtwide salary schedule increases 13. The sharpest moment came in public comment, when a parent described the alleged abuse of a nonverbal autistic child at school and asked for cameras in special education classrooms, a request two trustees took up in their closing comments 4. The board also received, without comment, a revision of its flag-display regulation brought forward to comply with a state labor board order 45, and adjourned in honor of Amanda Swager, a Chino High School teacher who died in May 26.

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💰 Budget, LCAP and a 4.31% raise

Budget. On a motion by John Cervantes, seconded by James Na, the board adopted the 2026/2027 budget for all funds and authorized the superintendent or designee to sign the district's certification of budget adoption 3. The staff report says the proposed General Fund budgets for 2026/2027 through 2028/2029 meet the minimum statutory reserve requirement and that all other funds are projected to remain balanced 7. The required public hearing was held June 4 7.

In the recording, one board member called it "another positive budget" and contrasted it with districts across California "in deficits and laying people off," then thanked the business services staff 88.

LCAP. On a motion by Andrew Cruz, seconded by John Cervantes, the board adopted the 2026/2027 Local Control and Accountability Plan 1. The staff report lists $92,424,096 from general and restricted funds, and says the plan goes to the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and takes effect July 1, 2026 9. The one substantive remark from the dais on the recording praised the plan's focus on "strong teaching, academic skills, and college career readiness" 10.

Raises. On a motion by John Cervantes, seconded by James Na, the board approved increases to the salary schedules for the Associated Chino Teachers (A.C.T.), CSEA and its Chino Chapter 102, and non-represented employees, including management, classified confidential staff, executive cabinet members and the superintendent, effective July 1, 2026 3. The staff report puts the increase at 4.31% ongoing, made up of the 2.87% statutory cost-of-living adjustment and a 1.44% augmentation that follow the Governor's May Revision 11, at a cost of $4,169,648 ongoing to the general fund 11. The April 16 tentative agreements with both unions had provided 2.25% or the funded COLA, whichever was greater 11; the report extends the full 4.31% to non-represented groups under a long-standing practice of keeping the schedules aligned 11.

On the recording, one board member recalled being told that Chino "is not competitive" on pay and said the district was avoiding the path of districts that gave "high raises and then lay off 150 to 280 people" 812. Another board member cited a survey finding that a $100,000 household income in Orange County "is considered now as a poor class" 12.

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📹 Public comment

The minutes list six comments from five people: Glory Ciccarelli, Lauren Wiltz Crawford, Katherine Gardner and Lisa G. on non-agenda items, and Paul Griffin twice, once on the budget item and once on a non-agenda item 1. Speakers had up to three minutes and could not donate time 13, under rules Board Bylaw 9323 sets for meeting conduct 14. The comments below are summarized as what was said; this page does not verify them.

• Cameras in special education classrooms. A parent told the board that their five-year-old son, who is autistic and nonverbal, had been neglected and abused at school in the care of a special education teacher and aide 1515. The parent said the abuse, verbal and physical, was overheard through a smartwatch the boy wore to school 1515, and formally asked the board to install video cameras in every moderate-to-severe special education classroom in the district 1616. The time ran out mid-sentence, and from the dais the parent was asked to email the rest 16.
• Complaints and retaliation. A speaker marking Juneteenth said teachers in the district had used the N-word in classrooms and that principals were retaliating against educators 1313, and asked Human Resources to create a way to file anonymous complaints, especially about possible Title IX violations 13.
• Allegations against the board president. A speaker said they were documenting a history of "animus, harassment, and hate incidents" against LGBTQ people involving the board president and a Protect Girls Sports group the speaker tied to her 16, citing a report to the state's hate-incident reporting line about a May 10, 2026 incident in a parking lot at a CIF meet in Yorba Linda 16, and a "groomers" sign held up at a March 7, 2024 board meeting 17.
• A podium in the budget. Paul Griffin spoke on the budget item 1; that comment asked whether the budget included a podium for public speakers, arguing that if the district could produce its achievements, "we can make a podium happen" 1718.
• The president's record. One speaker, who said the board president is campaigning for state superintendent of public instruction 18, credited the district's academic results partly to the previous board's 2021 decision to add 30 minutes of instructional time 18. The speaker dedicated the remarks to Amanda Swager, whose memorial service was that day 19.
• Common ground. Another comment cited a Colorado teacher fired for making same-sex students kiss, and offered agreement that this was improper as "common ground" 1910.

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🔒 Closed session: five administrators and two settlements

Reporting out, the minutes record that the board appointed 1:

• Camille Moet, Elementary Assistant Principal, Newman ES, effective July 1, 2026
• Jeremiah Fellows, Elementary Assistant Principal, Eagle Canyon ES, effective July 1, 2026
• Shirley Perez, High School Assistant Principal, Ayala HS
• Daniel Galindo, Junior High School Principal, Briggs K-8
• Christine Dahlstrom, Junior High School Principal, Canyon Hills JHS

The board also directed legal counsel to accept a settlement agreement with Mel Smith Electric, Inc., related to the Ayala High School Performing Arts Center project, and directed the superintendent, with counsel, to settle Claim No. 1953524 1. The closed-session agenda listed seven existing cases, among them three Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) cases titled Associated Chino Teachers v. Chino Valley Unified School District and a case listed with the Liberty Justice Center 2021.

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🚩 The flag rule a state labor board told the district to undo

The board received for information a revision of Administrative Regulation 6115, Ceremonies and Observances 4, and no board member commented on the information items 1222.

The staff report explains why. Revisions made June 15, 2023 had set rules for flag displays and defined a "flag"; A.C.T. filed an unfair practice charge with PERB arguing they could be read to bar protected union expression; and PERB concluded that portions of the 2023 revisions violated the Educational Employment Relations Act and ordered the district to rescind the June 15, 2023 revisions 55. The version in the packet strikes the 2023 definition of a flag as "a display of distinct color and design used as a symbol, standard, signal, or emblem" 23. It keeps the rule that no flag other than the U.S. and California flags may be displayed in classrooms or student gathering areas in a way that violates district standards on religious, political, economic or social materials 23, and states that employees may display union logos, insignia and symbols 24.

The dates in the record differ. The June 18 report says PERB issued its final decision and order on May 26, 2026 5. A May 7 agenda item that President Shaw recommended the board discuss 25 dated PERB Decision No. 3017 to April 20, 2026, said PERB had, in part, focused on bargaining obligations rather than which classroom displays are permissible, and said it does not authorize unrestricted classroom displays 2525; PERB's own site lists Decision 3017-E on that April date and says the policy interfered with employees' right to display union insignia 26. The 2023 revision itself had come to the board in a memo from Shaw as board president 27. When A.C.T. filed the charge that year, the California Teachers Association reported that the union argued the flag policy could improperly restrict union speech 28.

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✅ Consent calendar

On a motion by John Cervantes, seconded by Shaun Smith, the board approved the consent items as amended 3. Among them:

• Absences for entertainment work. The board approved a revision of Board Policy 5113 3 that adds work in the entertainment or allied industry to the grounds for an excused absence 29. The policy now posted carries that wording 30. The agenda listing described the item as received for information 31, while the staff report recommends approval 29 and the minutes record one.
• Bus passes. The board approved raising the annual school bus pass fee from $350 to $400, effective July 1, 2026 432, which staff estimated would reduce a $9 million General Fund encroachment by about $15,000 32.
• Legal bills. The minutes record payment for legal services to Tao Rossini, APC 3. The staff report instead recommended paying April invoices from Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo and Margaret A. Chidester & Associates, totaling $81,279.38, and lists no current invoice from Tao Rossini; year-to-date billing from the three listed firms was $817,444.52 3333. The record does not explain the difference.
• Spectrum Center. The board approved a 2026/2027 license letting Spectrum Center, Inc. run a nonpublic special education school in seven rooms at the Alternative Education Center 432.
• Other items. The board adopted the Education Protection Account resolution with a page added at the meeting 13; added four vendors left off the June 4 snack and beverage award 434; approved the notice of completion for the $304,093.96 Chino HS football stadium and tennis court lighting project 435; and ratified a $19,389,951.83 purchase order register 336. Also approved: the June 4 minutes, warrants, fundraising, donations, readmission and expulsion cases, school trips, school plans, piggyback-contract resolutions, small-project completions, personnel items and student-teaching agreements 34.

The board also received a report that the district met all five local indicators on the California School Dashboard 437.

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💬 Board communications

• Shaun Smith asked about the feasibility of classroom cameras in response to public comment, recognized students and staff in summer programs, and paid tribute to Amanda Swager 4. On the recording, the question was put to the superintendent, and the reply was that there would be "probably quite a bit of obstacles, but we can look into it" 2222.
• James Na spoke about the importance of wisdom as well as knowledge and the role of parents, grandparents and educators, remembered Swager, and congratulated Deputy Superintendent Grace Park's daughter on a Chancellor's Award at UCLA 4.
• Andrew Cruz addressed the public comment on classroom cameras, encouraged the public to do their own research, and commented on alternative medical treatments and public health 4. On the recording, those remarks called cameras "a good idea" 38, named zinc, hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin and quercetin in connection with RNA viruses 38, and read a quotation on placebo testing of vaccines attributed to "RFK," identified as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services 3939.
• John Cervantes thanked the public, teachers, staff and district leadership, stressed student success, fiscal responsibility and support for employees, congratulated the Chino HS track athletes, and promoted the Fireworks Spectacular 2.
• Superintendent Norm Enfield made no comments 2.
• President Sonja Shaw spoke about education's role in shaping future generations, thanked teachers and staff, and reflected on Swager's memorial service 2; on the recording, those remarks included that it was "disheartening to see people in the community use someone's death for their benefit" 40.

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🎓 Recognition and remembrance

The board recognized student-athletes and coaches from Chino High School's track and field program for the 2026 CIF State Track & Field Championships 1. The tribute read aloud noted a ninth-place finish in two para ambulatory events, an eighth-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles, and a girls para ambulatory shot put title that made one athlete a two-time CIF state champion 41414141. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Olga Blind 1.

The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m. in honor of Amanda Swager 240. Champion Newspapers reported that Swager, a Chino High chemistry teacher for 18 years, died May 3, 2026, at 44, and described her as an advocate for her students before the school board 6.

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Where this summary says who spoke, moved or seconded, it follows the district's adopted minutes. Recording passages supply quotes and detail, and speakers the minutes do not tie to their remarks are described without names.