Board of Education — May 23, 2023

All right, welcome. I would like to call this meeting to order. Thank you for coming this evening. We have several recognitions tonight. So let's start the evening off with the Pledge of Allegiance. Patty, will go ahead and lead us.

Right hand over your heart. Ready, begin.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

Please note for the minutes that all board members are present and accounted for. Is there a motion to approve the minutes of April 11th, 2023 regular meeting?

So moved.

Second. Thank you, Alex. Thank you, Patty. Any discussion? All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? Chair votes aye and so ordered. Moving on to public participation. This section of the agenda is meant for any member of the public to address the board on any agenda item listed tonight. I believe we have one. Sue Apt.

Good evening, school board, Superintendent Kelly, cabinet, staff, and community. I am Susan Abt, and I'm proudly representing the Redlands teachers as their president. Tonight, we have submitted our initial contract proposal as we begin the negotiations process for the 23-24 school year. I want to take a minute to recognize our outstanding negotiating team, led by Shannon Rooney, They're going to be working hard for us this year, and we're very excited for what lies ahead for us. Our proposal supports RUSD's goal, academic excellence for all. We do this by retaining our current accomplished staff and attracting the brightest new educators. Right now we are seeing a marked decrease in new educators, an alarming increase in educators leaving the profession. If we are to live up to our goal of providing excellence, we need to make sure our contracts reflect this. We do this by providing wages that are competitive, benefits that are affordable, especially for our families, working conditions that allow educators to do their jobs, and we make sure everyone is safe. RTA has made a commitment with the district to work together for the best bargaining outcome in the past, and this is a commitment we are excited to continue with the blessing of our new superintendent. When we work together, we excel. Thank you for your time to speak tonight.

Thank you. I had it on my cell phone in case you were wondering why it wasn't on there. The time. She was being timed. All right, now on to our public hearings.

Public hearing regarding Redlands Unified School Districts 2023, Local Control and Accountability Plan, LCAP. The public hearing is now open. Is there anyone who would like to comment? All right, the hearing is now closed. Public hearing on Redlands Unified School District's 2023-24 annual budget. The public hearing is now open. Is there anyone who would like to comment?

I'd like to make a comment if possible. Thank you, President. I just want to let the board know that we're monitoring the governor's revise, the LAO, the federal government, monitoring their budgets, their revisions, and their announcements. And so we'll be making changes to the budget that you see here tonight before the final one in June.

Thank you, Mr. Hill. This hearing is now closed. Public hearing regarding the adoption of the following instructional materials for grades preschool through transitional kindergarten TK to be implemented beginning the 2023-24 school year. Scholastic, pre-K my way. The public hearing is now open. Is there anyone who would like to comment?

Make a comment. I'm glad that we have a curriculum now because they've been without a curriculum for quite some time. So I'm glad we're able to provide this to our TK teachers.

All right. This hearing is now closed. Now onto the fun stuff. Recognizing students and staff is one of the board's favorite things to do. We are going to start off with recognizing our student trustees. Mr. O'Neill, would you like to help me with this one? I would love to. OK. After we call your name, please stay on the stage for a quick photo.

So for members of the public, for the first time in RUSD's history, we started a Student Trustee Board of Education, and this was the inaugural year. We had no precedence for it whatsoever. We also had no precedence for it in the state, because instead of having just one student trustee representative, which quite a few districts in our state now have, we wanted each secondary school to be represented. So we had student representatives from each of our high schools, our comprehensive high schools, Orangewood, and the E Academy. And when we started it, we had no We wrote it as we went. And I am saying personally as the advisor, one of the advisors, Melissa Contrero, Melissa and I had this brainchild last year, and we worked together to kind of piece together what we'd like to do, and the board got behind it. And so it was an exciting year, but it was a challenge in terms of, nope, nobody did this before. So I think tonight when we honor these five students, We are so blessed. I am so blessed to have been able to spend time once a month to meet with these bright, young, talented student trustees who help frame what I think will be a model for all school districts in the state to get student input, student involvement, communication with the board. And I'm looking forward to our next year. Unfortunately, they're seniors. So I'm happy and I'm sad because I think one of the things they brought up at the end of our term together was that, you know, we wished we could have had another year because the first year we were busy trying to figure out where this was going to go and how it was going to work. So it's really sad to let them go because they had wonderful ideas. The student trustees are going to have a two-year experience. So we're going to be seeking juniors to serve on our student trustee board. So we're looking forward to that. So at this time, I would love the student trustees to stand and make a line over here. And then we will call you up and honor you in front of everybody. So student trustees, come right over here. Line up at the side. So I would like to call out, first of all – Olivia's first in line. Olivia Johnson from the Relevance E Academy. See, they didn't line up in the order of the plaque, so these poor people over here have to shuffle everything. My bad, I guess. From Rev High School, Maria Norton. And from Redlands High School, Aditi Patlola. And from Citrus Valley High School, we have Haley Nagel. Unable to make it tonight was our representative from Orangewood High School, Christian. Is he outside? Well, good for him. He has a job and it's hard for him to be here. So Christian Roll from Orange Wood High School.

There he is.

Now Christian happens to be a junior, so guess what he's going to do next year? He's going to be the veteran student trustee to carry the torch forward for our student trustees. All right, well in case these five, something happened and they went off to other things and weren't able to complete their year as trustees, we did have alternates this year. And I don't know if they're here tonight, but Jolene Bakalova? Are you here? Oh, Jolene is here. Very good.

It's been a while.

And Frankie Russo, I don't believe she's here tonight from Redlands East Valley. And Ariana Mata Stevens, also unable to make it tonight, she texted me. So this is our student group, give them another round of applause.

One, two, three.

Congratulations again to our student trustees. They've been vital to helping us have some insight to what our student population truly needs and feels. So we can't wait to have a new crew on board next year. Up next, we have Deepika Stravastava to do items two and three. We are recognizing our 2023 SIMCEF and CWIT and Rube Goldberg recipients.

lights now it's like

Good evening, Superintendent Keller, President Ella Contero, members of the board, members of the cabinet. Tonight we celebrate RUSD students and educators who have won awards at various events in the school year. The first, we start with San Bernardino Indian Mono County Science and Engineering Fair. 27 students from Redlands Unified represented RUSD at the 2023 San Bernardino Indian and Mono County Science and Engineering Fair. They were coached by Ms. Colleen Duncan and John Herbert. I would like to invite the gold medal winners in the junior division, Jaden Lu from Cope Middle School and Natalie Jones from Moore Middle School. Jaden, if you could please come up here. Natalie Jones. Gold medal winners in the senior division were Amanda Lu from Redlands High School, Michael Dahlgreen, and Deacon Carion from Redlands East Valley High School. We would like to invite the board to take a picture. Yeah.

Everyone move this way. One, two, three. One more? Thank you.

Sorry about that. Next we recognize Rube Goldberg, competition winners. The Chain Reaction Contribution Contest is an annual event hosted at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in which high school teams each build a Rube Goldberg machine to complete some simple tasks. This year's challenge was to build Lunchables. The Orangewood High School team won the top 10 project in the nation. The team was led by engineering teacher Matthew Stewart. He would like to invite Matthew. Matthew, would you like to take the honor to invite your students? Or do you want me to read it?

I'll get it. I'll get it.

OK.

So we have, actually, there's like 25 kids. And because we're Orangewood and everyone graduates this week, next week, three weeks from now, I think we have four here tonight. Christian Rolle is one of them. There he is back there, Christian.

There's questions right there.

Okay. The next one is Edgar Cruz over here.

There's the three I got. The rest I got. I got them right there.

Then we have David Rayford. Where is he sitting? Right there, right there. And last but certainly not least is Claudia Ramirez.

I would also like to invite the principal, Cardi Norris. Next we would recognize C-STEM Educator of the Year. University of California Davis recognized Ruth Thompson as a C-STEM Educator of the Year award at the 12th Annual C-STEM Conference. Mrs. Thompson has been instrumental in the growth of C-STEM over the last two years at Smiley Elementary School. Mrs. Thompson has been a leader among her C-STEM peers with further program development and has presented at various symposium and conferences. Ms. Ruth Thompson. She's outside, she's here. We'll come back to her. University of California, Michelle Center, are you here? Michelle. University of California recognized Michelle Senter as a C-STEM Educator of the Year Award at their 12th Annual C-STEM Conference. Mrs. Senter teaches seventh grade math and C-STEM computer science elective and has been instrumental in implementation and growth of the program at Beatty Middle School. She's scheduled to present her work with C-STEM curriculum at ISTE 2023 in Philadelphia next month. Ms. Michelle Senter. I would also like to invite her principal, Ms. Kim Liam. University of California Davis recognized Ruth Thompson as the C-STEM Educator of the Year Award at the 12th Annual C-STEM Conference. Mrs. Thompson has been instrumental in growth of our C-STEM over the last two years at Smiley Elementary School. Mrs. Thompson has been a leader among her C-STEM peers with further program development and has presented at various symposium and conferences. Are you here? Corey Elgin? Corey Elgin, he's stuck outside.

Corey Elgin, he's here. Jenny?

University of California Davis recognized Corey Elgin as the C-STEM Educator of the Year Award. Mr. Elgin is an eighth grade C-STEM teacher and C-STEM site coordinator at Moore Middle School. Mr. Elgin's C-STEM math class, you will assuredly see students ambitiously running and testing their solution to math problems using coding and robotics. He's determined to use C-STEM to remove barriers so all students can learn and be successful in math. And finally, University of California Davis recognized Jenny Darlie, principal at that time, Crafton Elementary School, as a C-STEM Administrator of the Year Award. Mrs. Darlie implies excellence in academics and has focused her efforts on the implementation and expansion of the C-STEM program at Crafton Elementary School to both fourth and fifth grades. Mrs. Darlie has been a champion for elementary C-STEM programs and teachers. We have an AP from Moore Middle School, if you would like to come up on the stage. And there's an AP from Smiley Elementary.

One, two, three. Thank you. Congratulations.

Before I start, I'm checking for Shreya Narayanan and Nikita Jones. National Center for Women in Information Technology, NCWID, awards for inspiration in computing honors, recognizes 9th to 12th grade girls and non-binary students for their computing related achievements and encourages them to pursue their passion. Award recipients are selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing, as demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership experience, and tenacity in the face of barriers to access and future plans. This year, Shriya Narayanan, senior at Redlands High School, was the winner of Inland Empire NCEWID Awards for Aspirations in Computing. Nikita Jost Jr. at Redlands High School received the honorable mention and CWID awards for aspirations in computing.

So I have to introduce this one. So the National Center for Women in Information Technology Aspirations in Computing Educator Award identifies exemplary educators who play a pivotal role in encouraging 9th through 12th grade students to explore their interest in computing and technology. This year's winner is Deepika Srivastava.

One more round of applause for our recipients. Up next, we are recognizing Citrus Valley High School's mock trial team and their coach, Debbie Muniz, is going to be presenting for us.

Hi. Good evening, Superintendent Kelly, board members, cabinet members, staff, and community members. As she said, my name is Debbie Muniz, one of the coaches for the Citrus Valley Mock Trial Team. and our attorney coach, Chris Carrillo, I am extremely pleased that we're here to honor this amazing group of students. Sadly, all of them could not be here tonight, but as I go through this, I'd like to point out that half of our team this year are first year members with no previous mock trial experience. So keep that in mind as we go through. And nevertheless, even with a bunch of newbies, all of the challenges the role changes that we threw at them, this resilient team stepped up and stepped in when and where they were needed. So we ended our regular season with a hard-fought 4-0 record. The top four teams in the county are those that move on to the semifinals. And since we ranked second overall in the county, we made it to the semifinal competition. Our team's determination shined in the semifinals as we successfully prevailed and moved on to the county finals, where we faced Oak Hills High School. Now, anyone who attended that final competition will tell you that the county championship and the talent on the both teams was exceptional. It was a close scoring competition, and it could have been won by either team. Ultimately, we finished as a second place team in the county, and that was enough to earn us a spot in the state competition as the first selected wildcard team. So state competition was fierce, and all the teams were challenged in not only their capabilities, but in their stamina as well. It was our first time competing in a state competition, and we weren't quite sure what to expect, but again, this amazing team with 32 of the best teams in the state, we proudly finished in the top six team. Our team motto, as can be seen on the back of our shirts, is objecting with class. And there's no doubt that this team mastered that well. We as a coaching staff want our students to leave the program believing in themselves and then believing that when they work as a team toward a common goal, anything is possible. Our students, fortunately for them, that is exactly what happened this year. Congratulations team for a wonderful job this year. And now to recognize them individually. OK.

I don't know if this thing is on. We have a few students that weren't able to show up tonight. So our first student, though, that is here, Maddox Flowers. Brianna Ilacas. Bella Moreno. Dominic Pedroza. Marsha Rajaguku. And Noah Sanchez. And I would also like to call our Attorney Coach Chris Carrillo and his two boys as well to come on up as they are our team mascots. And I want to say thank you also to the parents that are here as well as the parents who are not. It is a huge job and task to be parents of this program. So we really appreciate you guys and could not have done it without you.

All right, we're over here.

A lot of amazing students out there. So hopefully everybody's hands aren't getting tired. You can just rub them together. I know it's a lot of clapping. We're not done yet. Up next, we have Doug McCasey, our coordinator of district athletics. Mr. McCasey.

Just take a moment for the athletes to get settled here. Good evening, Superintendent Kelly and board members. Tonight we are here to recognize some very special athletes in our district from all four high schools. And tonight we have a very special recognition to start with. It's going to be for a student who participated In the fall season of sport at Redlands High School, Julia Tolstova on the girls volleyball team. She achieved some amazing honors this past fall and we wanted to take the time to recognize her tonight. The reason we didn't do it earlier in the year is her club volleyball schedules were highly impacted and we didn't want to interrupt that. Some of her significant accomplishments that she achieved, one was she was selected by the Inland Valley Sports Hall of Fame as an inductee after the season. If you haven't heard of that group, it's a local sports media organization. She also received the Outstanding Volleyball Player of the Year for the county, a very prestigious award. Coach Flowers, who's here tonight, praised Julia as being one of the most talented players she's ever coached. And this is a coach who's coached several Division I players, had a lot of success in CIF and in the CBL. So that's quite an amazing accomplishment. Also, this Terrier team, this last year, they're one of our most successful teams in the district. They went undefeated in CBL. Very tough challenge there. She earned the Miss Offensive Award the last two seasons. And again, she's only a junior. We expect a lot of great things next year as well. CBL honors include 2022 MVP. She was first team all CBL, both as a sophomore and junior. She led the team in kills both years and was ranked number five in the entire CIF and number two in the southern section alone for kills with 541. I could be here a lot longer giving her stats, but some other significant ones, 102 aces, 487 digs the last two seasons. So again, amazing accomplishments there. She's also a well-rounded student. She participates in clubs and is ranked number 15 in her class with a 4.72 GPA. So congratulations, Julia. Come on up. Coach Flowers, if you can come up.

One, two, three.

Eric, can I have your gun?

Eric, get in the picture. No, no, I'll take it.

OK, we have a headed tradition in our district of honoring the outstanding athlete for each season of sport as they've been selected by their high school. And I want to make this clear. I do not handpick these students. The school has autonomy to do that. And they pick it as a school and as an athletic department. So it's a major accomplishment considering the hundreds of athletes that compete each season. OK, so first tonight from Orangewood, we have Vincent Castro, who's been selected as their outstanding spring sports athlete. Vincent was a two-sport athlete at Orangewood. He participated in softball and soccer for the Dragons. He played forward in soccer and led the team with 10 goals. He also participated in and excelled in their flag football tournament. The league put on basically a one day event and it was something a lot of students really enjoyed and Orangewood took second place. So really technically it was three sports he was involved in. Coach Perkins, who coaches all the sports there, commended Vincent for his outstanding leadership, determination and hard work. And Vincent actually wrote for the ethnic news as part of his journalism class. And he actually covered teams he was participating on. So I thought that was very cool. And he just graduated from Orangewood two weeks ago. So congratulations, Vincent. Come on up. OK, next, from Redlands East Valley High School. OK, next, from Redlands East Valley High School, senior Ryan Hamilchik has been selected as their outstanding spring athlete. Ryan was a two-sport athlete at REV. He played on their outstanding water polo team, was part of CBL championships, played goalie. And tonight, we're honoring him for his accomplishments in baseball. Ryan played pitcher in third base. He was named first team all-CBL. He led the Wildcats to the quarterfinals of Division III and lost to a very tough team from Santa Barbara, San Marcos. They had one of the best pitchers in the state. Ryan held his own, lost a close game, 2 to nothing. But again, definitely a lot of respect for him and how he played in that game and throughout their playoff run. He had a 6 and 2 record as a pitcher, 0.96 ERA in one save. He hit 304 with 15 RBIs in a home run. Coach Patterson, who's new to Rev this year, commended Ryan for his willingness to do whatever it took to win. And he was very devoted to the team, never missed practice. And next year, Ryan will take his talents to Cal State Northridge, where he'll be playing baseball there. So congratulations, Ryan. Come on up. OK, the Redlands Terriers have selected Wyatt Minor, senior, as their outstanding spring athlete. Wyatt was a member of the CBL champion boys swim team this past season. And again, a lot of significant stats to include about Wyatt. He took first in the CBL in the 100 breaststroke of the 200 medley relay, the 400 freestyle. In CIF Division II finals, he placed second in the 200 individual medley. And the 500 freestyle, he took fourth place in the 200 medley relay. Coach Brown, who again coached a lot of successful teams and has had success within CBL, stated that Wyatt was an outstanding leader in terms of his character and really developed class and character within the younger members of the team. Ryan, excuse me, Wyatt competed in the CBL finals the last two years and he was also at the USA Futures Championship. And Wyatt plans to swim UNLV next year where he will pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Science. So congratulations Wyatt. Okay, next we have from Citrus Valley High School, Ethan Romero Sr. has been selected as their Spring Outstanding Student Athlete. Ethan was a part of very successful cross country and track teams at CV. Tonight I'm going to mainly talk about track, but really, I mean, you almost can't talk about one without the other because they all train together. He broke records at CV and track in the 3200 meter and 4 by 800 meter relay. He received all CIF honors in cross country as CV won multiple league championships. Coach Grace Leon praised Ethan, for his outstanding leadership, he really inspired and elevated his teammates. He pushed them every day in practice. She really made a point to stress that. And part of that is why he won the team's class award. Really, it's something their whole program has separate awards for class. And he was the representative there. I always do research on students and their academics for these awards. He's ranked number 45 in his class. And he also, in his entire time at CV, he took 12 AP and honors classes. So that's outstanding. Next year. He's going to be very busy as he's studying civil engineering at Cal Poly Pomona and participating in tracking cross-country there, so Congratulations, Ethan come on up And just a final round of applause to our four spring outstanding athletes. If any of the admin or coaches are here tonight, or athletic directors, you can come on up and be in the photo.

Everyone look this way. Ready, one, two, three.

OK, thank you, Mr. McCasey. Up next is Michelle Renler and Brian Zander, and they are presenting the school dual trophy presentation. And Scott Welsh, my apologies.

Alright, good evening Superintendent Kelly, board, cabinet, staff, and audience. I'm Brian Zander and joining me is Mr. Scott Welsh and Michelle Brandler after a short costume change there, looking good. We're here as representing the Revens Bicycle Classic Committee, over 50 members strong, all volunteer committee, and we work together to promote cycling events for top-level international cyclists, domestic cyclists, amateur cyclists, and even kids as young as three years old. And so we're here tonight to honor schools that have run the recent school dual trophies, which are very heavy, and we're holding them here. We're going to hold them for a little bit longer. I think Michelle has some things to say about the school dual, possibly Scott as well.

I just want to say that we're so happy that so many kids come out to race. I think what helps a lot is the school visits that we do beforehand. So if your school has not had a chance to do that next year, get in on that action because it's a lot of fun. And this year we had almost 10,000 students reached and race in our race. Actually, not that many raised. 10,000 reached with the school visits. We did 32 visits this year, so I'd love to see that at 40 next year.

Hi, my name is Scott Welsh and I'm the media and marketing director and very honored to have been volunteering for almost 20 years with this bike race. And this event is really where this world-class professional race touches the community and our school kids. And this puts professional athletes that are at the very highest level right in front of our kids and allows them an opportunity to come face to face and talk to them and ask them questions where they may not get an opportunity to do that in other places of their life. So we're very, very proud of this and we're really proud that the kids that participate in the school duel come out and ride on the same course as the pros do. and sometimes they're let out by that. So we're really happy that to award this. We started this program to get a little more enthusiasm toward the kids races and each year it grows. I think over 500 kids participated this year and it took a lot of effort from the teachers and the principals and the school population so we're very, very thankful for that participation.

Thank you.

And without further ado, we'd like to announce the winners of this year's school dual trophies, which are based on participation, not whether the students come in first or second or last. It's if they get out there and toe the line and do the race. So it's based on participation. This is the trophy for the elementary division. Congratulations to Judson and Brown Elementary. And the winner of the secondary division, which is middle school and high school, is Moore Middle School. So we have Principal Todd Rossi here representing and accepting the trophy on behalf of the students, the families, and the staff of Judson and Brown Elementary. Congratulations, Mr. Rossi. And is Rosa Bolock here? Rosa? Come on up, Rosa. Thank you for being here. On behalf of Moore Middle School, representing the students and family and staff, congratulations to Moore Middle School. Congratulations. One, two.

Okay, up next we have our Moore Middle School Drama presentation put on by Katrina Covarno.

Good evening, members of the board, ladies and gentlemen who are here. I'm Kat Cavarno, Director of the Moore Drama Program here at Moore Middle School for the past nine years. I'm here to promote the value of performing arts in education as well as just a brief review of the accomplishments of our program this year. With the establishment of visual and performing arts and academic standards, as well as the financial recognition through funding such as Prop 28, and the release of the formal California single subject credential in theater as of 2021, comes to the higher expectations for theater programs and education. It's probably not that shocking to find out that students who participate in theater education have a higher chance of success in life because the arts, including theater, are essential to a well-rounded education and they provide a unique way of learning and engaging with the world around us. In the United States, the Visual and Performing Arts, or VAPA, state standards provide a framework for education in the arts that includes dance, music, theater, and visual arts. The theater standards outline the skills and knowledge that students should develop in order to have an understanding and participate in theater. Research shows that students who study the arts, including theater, are more likely to have higher grades, higher test scores, and better attendance. According to a study by the National Endowment for the Arts, students who study theater are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, and they're also more likely to be elected to class office, participate in math and science fairs, and be recognized for writing or poetry. But the benefits don't stop there. Theater education helps students develop critical skills that are essential for success in any profession. For example, students who participate in theater education learn how to communicate effectively. According to a study by Americans for the Arts, students who participate in theater are three and a half times more likely to be recognized for their communication skills. Theater education teaches students how to communicate effectively, both verbally and non-verbally. Students learn how to use their voices, gestures, body language to convey meaning and emotion. These skills are crucial for success in a wide range of professions from public speaking to sales and many leadership roles. Additionally, theater education helps students develop creativity and imagination. A study by the University of Arkansas found that students who participate in theater education show greater creativity and imagination, I'm sorry, imaginative thinking, as well as better problem solving skills. Theater students learn how to think outside the box, solve problems in new and innovative ways, and take risks in their artistic expression. These skills are highly valued in many professions, including the arts, but also things like business and technology. Furthermore, theater education also teaches students the importance of collaboration and teamwork. Theater is a highly collaborative art form, and students learn how to work together and create a performance. According to the National Association for Music Education, students who participate in theater are more likely to work collaboratively and support their peers. This helps them develop leadership skills and learn how to work effectively in groups. They learn how to listen to each other, how to compromise, and how to support each other in their artistic endeavors. These skills are essential for success in any profession that involves working with others, such as medicine, law, or education. Moreover, theater education helps students develop empathy and understanding for others. A study by the National Endowment for the Arts found that students who participate in theater show greater empathy and tolerance for others, which is no surprise, physically putting yourself in the shoes of another person or character, as well as a better understanding of different cultures and perspectives. Students learn how to see the world from different perspectives, and they learn how to embody characters that are different from themselves. They learn how to understand and appreciate different cultures, backgrounds, experiences, which is essential for creating a more inclusive and tolerant society. In conclusion, theater education is not only fun, but it's essential for the development of critical skills that are valuable in any profession and is an essential part of a well-rounded education. By prioritizing theater education in our schools, we can help our students achieve tremendous and academic success, develop critical skills, and become more empathetic and understanding members of society. The visual and performing arts state standards provide a framework for the arts education that includes theater, and schools should prioritize theater education as part of their curriculum. This year at Moore, we were thrilled to put on three productions, including The Day the Internet Died, Horton Hears a Who, and The Hilarious History of the Trojan War, as well as participate in the Intradistrict Festival, so Festival for Thespians, that occurred in March at Citrus Valley High School. And to kind of wrap that up, we have Atlas Steenhausen, who is a student representative of our program.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. As you heard, my name is Atlas Dienhausen, and I have done Moore's Drama for two years. I just wanted to start us off by saying, when I was in sixth grade, I did do drama, but I was more nervous, dare I say. I was more kind of in a shell. But then in seventh grade, when I was accepted into Moore's Drama, that all changed. I met a person named Tony, who really helped me open up, and their friend Annabelle also really helps me. I just became a different person. I also found that my stage fright just kind of disappeared. When I was in sixth grade, I did have quite a bit of stage fright. It was just very nerve-wracking for me to go on stage and talk in front of people, but Moore's drama really helped me no longer feel nervous. That sort of experience can also correlate back to, let's say, job interviews. I'm sure everyone would probably be a little nervous to do a job interview, considering just the adrenaline. However, with drama, you're more open to it. And it'll be easier for you. Another thing is that just in general, theater people are very kind. And I always find that they're very funny. And they just really help me open up. Thank you all for listening, and I hope you have a great evening.

And then we have a brief slideshow reel of just pictures from the different productions and program events that we put on.

Thank you.

Thank you. OK. We actually have no student trustee report tonight. So we're going to go ahead and do board committee reports. And we'll start with CRIROP. This is the May update. We just had another meeting, but I don't have that update with me, so technically up to date. Over 1,200 CTE and ROP students and 97 business partners participated in mock interviews at all three district high schools. 41 Citrus Valley High School culinary arts students earned their food handler certification. It's a good amount. Cry Rock Mental Health Fair at Redland's East Valley High School hosted 22 tables, eight industry partners and eight student content tables and five campus clubs offering resources and sharing messages of wellness for hundreds of students in attendance. Our Redlands East Valley High School Esports team finished the season strong, taking 10th place for Overwatch and 13th place for Rocket League in the state. So we want to congratulate our Rev students. Our Citrus Valley High School culinary arts students completed their global cuisine fusion dish project, researching two international cultures and applying that to a dish of their choice. We also have our, I'm sure everybody knows, our RHS Esports Valorant team that are number two in the nation. So we want to give all our Cryop students, especially our Esports kids, a great round of applause. That is a big feat. And that is it for my Cryop report. We'll move on to Mrs. Brandler with Compaqt.

Compaq Club had their awards program last night. I just want to thank Rev and specifically Isaac and Louie, the night custodians, for actually getting us in the door because it was locked. But thank Rev for letting us use the facility and congratulations to all the many students who received the basic or silver certification this year. Congratulations to Bryce Cohen, the president at REV, and Aditi Patlola, the co-president at RHS, on being chosen to receive Compaq's $1,000 scholarships this year. So that's all I have for Compaq. So I attended the Evening of Appreciation a few weeks ago. The evening was yet again another wonderful event spotlighting our fabulous RUSD teachers, staff, and students. The outstanding teachers in elementary were Haley Hoke from Crafton, Jeannie Nowak from Judson and Brown, Genise Bradshaw from Kimberley, Christina Stewart from McKinley, and the outstanding classified employees were Joanne Delgado from Arroyo Verde, Elizabeth Mejia from Highland Grove, Mary Ambries from Mariposa, and Jordana Gilmette from Smiley. We also do the Arts Alive Student Showcase winners that night, and they were Nicole Lash and Peter Giorgi and Zella Docksdader from Smiley. Savannah Martinez and Jasmine Munion from Cram, Evan Rizzone from Mentone, Roman Montalago from Lagonia, Ronnie Velasco from Crafton, and Claire Ju from Kimberly, Violet Ellis from McKinley, Elgin Jace Adonza, and Kiara Suarez from Victoria. Their artwork was all beautiful, and I have note cards for all of you. Jim already got his, and I gave Mr. Kelly his, so. That's for you guys. Well, I was trying to get them for you, and then you said, I already bought them. So I also want to thank Marilyn Page, Mallory Mudge, and Kathy Faust for making this such a fabulous event each year. A special thank you to Dr. Conrad Lucero for your time and talent putting the video together each year. It makes the evening even more special for all the nominees. So that's all I have for a wrap.

Okay, thank you Mrs. Renler. Do you want to go ahead and move on to Parks and Rec?

Sure. There was more discussion on the possible security fencing for the Seawell Theater in Prospect Park due to the vandalism last year. It's going to go back to the city for alternative ideas aside from just giving them the $140,000 from the fund that they have. Hopefully they'll have more information in a few months and city staff will find a solution for this year's season to deter any vandalism. And in partnership with the Optimist Club of Redlands, the city will hold another fishing derby on June 3rd from 6-11 AM at Ford Park. So kids, if you want to get into that, just go on the website and I think you have to register beforehand. And Redlands Market Morning held on Saturday mornings from 8-11 is reminiscent of Thursday market nights that we had in the 90s and the early 2000s. Many people out walking around town enjoying vendors and music. I personally like the change onto Saturday morning because it feels more like old Redlands. Sean McIntosh reported that the Community Day of Service was a big success. Work was done at the Redlands Bowl, Israel Beale Park, the Bluff Trail, and Ford Park. Volunteers painted benches, planted trees, planted grass, fixed a retaining wall, installed aerators, and much more. And finally, congratulations to Dave Jaffe for being named Manager of the Year in the City of Redlands.

Thank you Mr. O'Neill, do you have anything for the Cultural Arts Commission? Okay, how about for CSBA or the Rev Stadium? All right easy enough All right moving on to Superintendent Kelly, are you gonna say you don't have anything either?

I don't but dr. Robertson Phillips does I

Thank you, Superintendent Kelly. This evening, the Redlands Teachers Association and the Redlands Education Support Professionals Association have presented their initial proposals for reopening negotiations to the Redlands Unified School District Board of Education. for the 2023-24 school year. The public hearing for both associations' initial proposals will be held at the June 13th, 2023 Board of Education meeting. And I see both teams are here tonight, so we look forward to the fall.

All right, thank you Dr. Robert Phillips and thank you Mr. Kelly. We will now continue on with superintendent's recommendations. First up will be consent items under business services. Mr. Hill, do you have any additions or corrections?

You President, I have no additions, changes or corrections tonight.

Thank you, can I get a motion to approve item a consent items B through Q move second Thank You Michelle Thank You Alex any discussion All those in favor say aye Any opposed? Okay chair votes aye and so ordered on to business services action items Adopt resolution number 36, 2022-2023. Finding the purchase of real property exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act and approving the purchase of real property located at 304 Ninth Street, City of Redlands, County of San Bernardino, California, 92374. Assessor parcel number APN 0169-321-02-0000. and 0169-321-02-100 for the estimated cost of $12 million to be paid with a certificate of participation and from redevelopment funds.

So moved.

Second.

Thank you, Patty. Thank you, Alex. Any discussion? All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? Chair votes aye and so ordered. Moving on to consent items under educational services. Dr. Wagner, do you have any changes or additions?

Thank you, President Aila-Cantaro. No changes or additions.

Thank you. Can I get a motion to approve items A, consent items 14B through 14D? Moved.

Second.

All right, thank you, Michelle. Thank you, Alex. Any discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Chair votes aye and so ordered. Moving on to educational services action items. Approve the adoption of Scholastic Pre-K On My Way, instructional materials for grades preschool through transitional kinder TK to be implemented beginning the 2023-2024 school year. So moved. Second. All right, thank you. Patty, thank you. We'll give that to Alex. Any discussion? All right, all those in favor say aye aye any opposed chair votes aye and so ordered We're going to go ahead and take items 15 b through 15 e together. Can I have a motion moved? Thank you alex. Thank you. Jim any discussion All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Chair votes aye and so ordered. Moving on to consent items under human resources, Dr. Robertson Phillips, do you have any changes or additions? I have no changes or additions this evening, thank you. Thank you. Is there a motion to approve item A, consent items B through W? So moved. Move approval. Thank you, Alex. Thank you, Patty. Any discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Chair votes aye and so ordered. We actually have no human resources action items or discussion items, so we'll be moving on to the community import portion of the agenda. This is the time any member of the public may address the board on anything that falls under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education, provided the person submits a completed registration card to the clerk of the board or his or her designee prior to public participation. This is not meant to be a debating period, complaints and problems relating to policy matters will be referred to the superintendent. The person wishing to address the board shall, when recognized by the chairperson of the board, step up to the podium and announce their name. The chairperson shall limit the amount of time which a member of the public may use in addressing the board to three minutes unless the chairperson or a majority of the board determines that a different time limit is appropriate. Okay, before I forget, we are going to acknowledge emails received for public comment from Rebecca Smith McClure regarding the Latin program and Nancy Marin regarding the reassignment of Cynthia Kemper. All right, I'll announce the first person and then I'll go ahead and call the second person just so they know to be prepared. Our first is Overcast Espinoza, followed by Dale Broom MD.

Do I start? Hello, I am a student at Citrus Valley High School in the ninth grade. My name is Overcast Espinoza. I use they, them pronouns, and I have found RUSD to be corrupt with ignorance. The city of Redlands posted a previous list of incidents at schools in the Redlands Unified School District, and I found that most were never mentioned by the schools to the students. I hold the belief that we have the same right to hear about the incidents that occur at our own schools, especially considering we are the ones that have to encounter these issues on almost a daily basis. Our USDA administration has the lives and safety of children in their hands and they still turn a blind eye when incidents occur. I was the victim of harassment and I was ignored. Clement Middle School did not mention my case to authorities. It did not go on record. They promised me they would not put me in the same class as him. They promised me I would be safe. That was in the sixth grade. Eighth grade, I was put in the same math class as him and I had to spend almost every day reliving the trauma I had been through. Later that year, he went on to assault a peer. Only then did they move him because I was ignored, forgotten, and not important enough. Because my tears and anxiety were not strong enough, I warned them and I was ignored. It took another student getting maimed for someone to take notice that this kid is a threat because why would they listen to us? Just like that, yet again, our problems were swept under the rug. What does it take to get you to listen? How many children need to be harmed for you to listen? We are not okay because every year there are more and more and more reports of incidents and this district is ignoring us. Our pleas, our screams, we are begging to be saved and nobody listens. Students are scared, we are angry, we want justice, we deserve justice. There needs to be reform, change the policies, be accountable and be open. We, the students, the staff and the parents have a hunger for accountability and justice. And we will keep fighting until we receive that justice. I am tired of sitting in the dark waiting for someone to realize my justice and the burnt image in my mind. I am tired of waiting for someone to reach out and apologize for the harm that was done. I am tired of not being heard, of not being valued and cared for by the people who my parents trusted me with. I am tired of knowing there are women, men, children that have been damaged the same way I have. I am tired of knowing that the people we trusted to guide and secure our futures are putting their social reputation over the mental health and safety of children. We are not valued, we are not cared for, we are not safe, and we are not satisfied. The most I have seen done to encourage a safe campus is posters in the bathrooms which nobody actually reads. We need education in class lessons. I was a victim and there will be more if there is no change. Some of those changes could be acknowledgement of past crimes that have been ignored, open communications with students when a crime occurs, alerting proper authorities when a sexual crime occurs, not just between adults and minors, but also student to student. Educating students on what to do if they have an inappropriate encounter and who to talk to, step by step class lessons, and enforcing district zero tolerance policy.

Thank you. Dr. Broom is up next, followed by Candy Olson.

Yes, my name is Dale Broom. I'm a physician here in Redlands. And I'm bringing to attention some of the issues regarding our school library books. And I'm a member of a group called Awaken Redlands. And I wanted to thank Dr. Wagner here and four of the high school principals for meeting with me on Thursday this last week to discuss some of the formal complaints that we have submitted regarding library books with sexually graphic language, scenes, and plots. These include books named Beyond Magenta, Tricks, Lucky, Sold, and The Bluest Eye. Each of these books include descriptions of criminal sexual activity for which characters are neither arrested nor jailed. Unfortunately, none of the administrators who came to this meeting had read the books and they were not really prepared to deal with the complaints that we had. I was also rather disappointed that this is going to be referred to committees at the school, including teachers, principals, librarians, but not include any parents. I think parents need to also be involved in this committee. Also, this really kind of smacks of elitism and kind of a disdain for parental input. It also sounds like nothing will be done probably till fall or winter of this next year. Despite citing numerous offensive and sexually graphic texts, I'm shocked that more immediate steps were not taken to restrict access of these books to students. So now what I'd like to do is I want to highlight one of the most obscene books that I've had a chance to review called The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. In this book, This book has a number of different, it really has it all. It has offensive and titillating discussion that includes offensive language, lewd, and sexually graphic descriptions of marital sexual intercourse, teenage fornication, incest, rape, and pedophilia. This material is inappropriate, inappropriate for minors to read, and the plot of this book is an incestuous rape of an 11-year-old black girl named Pecola by her alcoholic father. And I'm just going to read a short segment of this text and this is what it says. Crawling on all fours toward her, he raised his hand and caught the foot in an upward stroke. Pecola lost her balance. His mouth trembled at the firm sweetness of the flesh. He closed his eyes, letting his fingers dig into her waist. A bolt of desire ran down his genitals, giving it length and softening the lips of his anus. He wanted to fuck her tenderly, but the tenderness would not hold. The tightness of her vagina was more than he could bear. A gigantic thrust he made into her then provoked the only sound she made, a hollow suck of air at the back of her throat. Removing himself from her was so painful to him, he cut it short and snatched his genitals out of the dry harbor of her vagina." Now that's text directly out of this book. This is only one of five sexually graphic scenes in this book and it's not appropriate for minors. Ask yourself, would you feel comfortable letting your teen read this book out loud in front of you? Would you feel comfortable reading it to your teen as well? This book promotes vice, not virtue. It promotes sexual immorality not moral behavior and responsibility. I want to urge the school board to take measures, to listen to our parents' complaints, let us be on this committee, and take steps to protect our children regarding these sexually graphic books. Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Broome. Up next we have Candy Olson, followed by Eva Steinhausen.

Hi, it's Candy again. Last time, Melissa had said that these pornographic books are, quote, fine as long as there's parental consent and it's a family decision. Yet the irony here is that there is no parental consent involved. A kid just walks on into the library and checks it out. There's no consent involved whatsoever. Melissa says a parent can put a block on the bad book if they don't want their child checking it out. The absurdity of this solution should be obvious. The vast majority of parents do not have any idea what's in the school library. They don't know how to search for it. In fact, the entire board doesn't even know which books are where and what's inside them. I'm going to read to you from the California Penal Code 311 regarding the distribution of child pornography. The matter is considered obscene if, number one, it shows or describes sexual conduct in an obviously offensive way. Number two, a reasonable person would conclude that it lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value and, number three, An average adult person applying contemporary statewide standards would conclude it appeals to a shameful interest in nudity, sex, or excretion. Again, we see the board's attempts at stifling the readings because the average adult in today's contemporary standards finds these books repulsive. I spoke with the superintendent from another school district who tells me there are an abundance of computer programs the district could implement that would solve 99% of these problems. Books can easily be coded to student IDs for age appropriateness, both in the physical and online library checkout process. Other programs can automatically email the parent when a child checks out an explicit book or even just any book. Why hasn't a single one of you called for a special board meeting to implement such programs and or amend your eight-step process to include a procedural appendix for grossly inappropriate pornographic books as they are brought to your attention? The lengthy process could quickly be bypassed and the board could determine book status within a set number of days. Another option is to provide the parents a list of controversial or explicit books in their library so they're aware and then they can request a block on certain titles. yet we see a complete stonewalling with no attempts from our leaders to protect our children's innocence. The options are endless and I just cannot, for the life of me, figure out why, whether this board is just grossly incompetent or intentionally negligent or both and it just, kills me, because I can't understand. You all know this is disgusting, and you've done nothing about it. We've been begging for it to go on the agenda. You guys do nothing. You talk about Sundays and football games and sunsets and cake pops. We want to know, what are you doing to protect our kids? Thank you.

Thank you. Up next, we have Ava Steinhausen followed by Jeanette Wilson. Ava Steinhausen? Okay, move on to Jeanette Wilson and then we'll be followed by Christine Collins worth Good evening board.

I just wanted to start by saying I am so tired of hearing like safe redland schools articles in the paper even the rev website saying pretty much gaslighting the community by saying those who speak out about the book concerns are Asking that they be banned We've never asked for a book to be banned. We've stated that certain books are not appropriate for the public school. That has nothing to do with wanting to ban a book. The book can be available on Amazon, at a bookstore, at the public library. So I just wanted to emphasize that. My concern tonight is a book that I feel is very age-inappropriate for public school. So we're not asking for books to be burned or banned, just maybe moved to the public library. The local group that I belong to, Awaken Redlands, has gotten a lot of feedback from parents. They'd like to volunteer for a committee to help review books. There have been many, many parents saying they would volunteer to do this. And a perfect example is this book that I just read called Push. It has certain merits, but it is not age appropriate for children in public school. It does not meet your criteria for an acceptable book for public school library per your board policy 6163.1. And, as a matter of fact, the Redlands Library, if you go there to check it out, which I did, you will find it in the adult fiction section. It's not age appropriate. I'm going to read you a brief excerpt. Now, this is a book that, like I said, has some merits. It's just meant for a more mature audience. And it's about a girl who was sexually raped and even impregnated by her father. And at one point in the book, a therapist is asking the mother at what age this started. And mind you, this is just one therapy session. It's not like they were in ongoing therapy. Police report ever having been made. There's no trial. There's no indication that anything happened to this father but basically when it starts the mother says So he on me then he reach over to precious. That's the girl start with his finger between her legs I say Carl. What are you doing? He says, this is good for her. Then he'd get off me, take off her pampers, and try to stick his thing in Precious. You know what tripped me out is it almost can go in Precious. I think she's some kind of freak baby then. I say, thank you.

Thank you. Our last speaker tonight is Christine Collinsworth. OK, no problem. Thank you. Okay, we acknowledge the emails that were received and in this time for board committee report sorry board reports Board member comments my bad. All right up next we want to start on this end. Maybe mr O'neill Do you have anything for us this evening? Okay, patty

Thank you. Congrats to all the recipients tonight that were recognized. I know all their hard work, both the athletes. To have a GPA of 4.72 and be a scholar is pretty remarkable. So congratulations to all our recipients tonight. Congratulations to Judson and Brown for winning. I think this is their third or fourth time that they've won in a row in getting the participants. Eight years add five. So congratulations. I attended the Loma Linda Annual Chamber Dinner with Melissa and Mr. Jason Hill. And it was nice to see someone recognized. So I know Amy is back there with us. Amy from purchasing and her husband Juan, employee of the year. So congratulations to your husband. And just quickly, we'll see everyone at graduation every night in a few days. Thank you.

OK, Mrs. Renly, you want to go ahead?

I just have a few things that I didn't say last week. A few weeks ago, I was invited to Kingsbury to watch Brenda Selby's third grade class launch paper rockets on the field. An air compressor was used to launch the student rockets. I even got the opportunity to launch my own. It was really fun. Mr. Foster, a retired teacher from Beatty, along with his daughter and son, his daughter is a student teacher there at Kingsbury. They spent a lot of time with the kids teaching about engineering design, problem solving, velocity and speed, forces in motion, writing skills, data analysis, and much, much more. So STEAM is alive and well on the Kingsbury campus. On my way to the field, Melissa Anderson, a third grade teacher, asked me to come into her classroom to see what her students were preparing for Mother's Day. She said, I went old school with the succulent plants in pots that the students painted. And then in the plant was a stick with a QR code. And when I clicked on one of the QR codes, it was a message from the student to their mom. And it had me in tears. It was the sweetest thing ever. It was so cute. What a lasting memory these parents now have of their children at this age. I want to thank Mrs. Anderson for giving me a glimpse of your wonderful classroom. And then last Wednesday evening I had the pleasure of attending the premiere of the RUSD Mission to Mars movie with my family. So thank you very much Kingsbury staff for the personal invitation. and congratulations to the 150 students from Bryn Mawr, Franklin, Kimberly, Kingsbury, and Mariposa, and Victoria for the many months and that long hours you put in producing this exceptional movie. Whether you were behind the scenes as a set director, costumer, or writer, or in the front of the camera as an actor, you played a big part in the success of this full length feature film. I want to thank Dwayne Coles, because without your hard work and love for what you do, this would not have happened. And thanks to Dr. Ken Wagner. for his part in the movie and Jason Hill for realizing what the Rapid MOOC can do for our students and their education. I also want to thank our former superintendent Mauricio Arellano for the vision that he had for our district and the faith he had in Duane Coles to make a digital storytelling thing a reality in Redlands. If you didn't get to see it I think it might be coming to YouTube so you'll have a chance. Um, also Redlands Council held their honorary service awards brunch, um, last week. And I wanna thank Ioana Contreras. She's the outgoing president and the executive board for their efforts all year on behalf of all our students in Redlands Unified. Uh, honorary service awards, uh, one went to Principal Todd Flowers at Kingsbury. and there was one more and I can't remember and then a golden oak ward went to Mauricio Arellano. I want to congratulate all the recipients. Congratulations also to Jessica Keating. She's the incoming president of the council PTA and congratulations to her whole executive board as they begin their new roles in July. E Academy and Rise held a talent show yesterday, and what a talent they showed, from piano and gymnastics to taekwondo and singing. Plus there was a puppeteer performing a series of knock-knock jokes for the audience. It was very cute. It was a fun morning. Over 20 students performed their talents in the packed NPR at Orangewood. I want to thank Principal Jeff Im for the invitation. And congratulations to all the winners, recipients of all our awards today and our student trustees. To all our students, have a great last two and a half weeks of school and make them count. I'm looking forward to senior award nights and graduations. We have amazing students and they deserve to all be celebrated. Thank you all to all the parents and guardians. I know you are very proud of your students and I am as well Thank you also for caring enough about their education to always advocate for them and continue to continue to make Redlands Unified an even better district for our families in our community That is all I have You mrs. Renler.

Mr. Barra and no comments tonight.

All right. I don't have any except for good Good job on your acting skills. Mr. Rich All right, well, I'll adjourn this meeting at 833. Thank you everyone for coming out tonight. Have a safe drive home.