Board of Education — December 17, 2024

Good evening, everyone. As the current Vice President of the Board of Education, I want to thank Jim O'Neill and Alex Vara for their service for the last eight years. And I want to congratulate Melissa Ayala-Quintero for your re-election. Congratulations. I want to welcome our two new board members, Jeanette Wilson, Trustee Area 4, and Candy Olson, Trustee Area 5. Superintendent Cabral is not here tonight. Our condolences go out to him as well as his family. Today was his father's funeral and he is spending time with his family. Sitting in for Superintendent Cabral is our Deputy Superintendent Jason Hill. So thank you Jason for being here. Okay, we're going to call this meeting to order at 6.04. And our student trustee, Alina or Jasmine, which one of you would like to do the Pledge of Allegiance tonight?

I can do it.

Okay, thank you.

Please stand. Put your right hand over your heart. Ready, begin.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I'm going to take roll. Candy Olson. Patty Hollihan?

Present.

Melissa Ayala-Quintero?

Present.

Jeanette Wilson? Here. I am here. We are all present. Is there a motion to approve the agenda with flexibility?

So moved. I'll second.

Any discussion on that? Okay. And our student trustees, I understand, are not going to vote tonight. Is that correct? You don't want to? Okay. So all those in favor, say aye. Aye. All those opposed? The chair votes aye and so ordered. In regards to public employee appointment, the part of the agenda, I would like to report the following. In closed session during the special board meeting on December 3rd, the board took action to appoint Kelly Cooper to the position of coordinator one, special services. Effected December 4th, 2024, step five of the management team's salary schedule. Kelly, are you here? Do you have any family here? Do you have your family here? Welcome and congratulations. Oh, I don't have it.

I don't have it.

Okay. In closed session during the special board meeting on December 3rd, the board took action to appoint Tricia Mamacki to the position of school occupational therapist, effective December 5th, 2024 at step five of the management team salary schedule. And she is not here present, but we welcome her. Thank you. In closed session, the board took action to appoint Patricia Patty Buck-Miller to the position of Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services, effective December 18th at step one of the cabinet management team salary schedule. And in closed session, all five. Oh. Hi. Hi. Welcome. Do you? OK. Hi. Welcome. And all five board members voted aye. So welcome, Patty, to the new position. In closed session, the board took action to appoint Maria Josephine Josie Perez to the position of supervisor, child nutrition services, culinary, and innovation, effective December 18, 2024, of the management team's salary schedule. And Josie is not here tonight, but we welcome her. And she was voted. All five voted aye. Moving on to the organization of the board. We're going to have the oath of office, starting with the oath of office for the elected board members. Deputy Superintendent Hill will swear them in, starting with Mrs. Ayala Quintero.

That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States. And the state of California against all enemies. and the state of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the state of California, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation, on purpose of the nation. And I will, and I will, I will, well, and...

And next we have Kendi Olson.

I, Candy Olson, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution.

and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies foreign and domestic that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California and I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion

And I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.

Thank you. Next we have Jeanette Wilson.

I, Jeanette Wilson, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith,

and the Constitution of the State of California, that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am

Welcome again. Okay, we're going to start off by electing our President of the Board of Education. Elect the President of the Board of Education for a one-year term to fill the vacant position of Alex Vara in accordance with the Education Codes 35022 and 35143. Is there a nomination for president?

I'll nominate Vice President Michelle Renler for president.

Is there a second?

Second that.

Okay. Any discussion? All right. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? Aye. The chair votes aye and so ordered. Thank you.

Congratulations. Thank you.

Election of the Vice President. The next election is the Board Vice President. Elect the Vice President of the Board of Education for a one-year term to fill the expired term of Michelle Renler. Is there a nomination?

I nominate Patty Holhan.

Is there a second?

Second.

We've got a first and second. Is there any discussion? Okay. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no. No. Okay, the chair votes aye and so ordered.

Are these on?

Okay, next is the election of the clerk. Elect the clerk of the Board of Education for a one year term to fill the expired term of Jim O'Neill in accordance with education codes 35121 and 35143. Is there a nomination?

I nominate Melissa for clerk, please.

Is there a second?

I'll second.

Any discussion? All those in favor, say aye.

Aye. I didn't hear.

I'm sorry. I didn't hear that. Aye. Aye. Any opposed?

No. No? I'm opposed. I want to nominate Jeanette.

Okay, well, hold on.

We've got to take care of this one first. Yeah, so we- Okay. It's 2-2.

Okay, so chair votes no and so ordered. And so we're going to move on. That one did not go. So any nominations?

Nominate Jeanette.

You have a second?

I'll second it.

Okay, any discussion? Okay, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? No. Okay, the chair votes aye and so ordered. Okay, so Jeanette, you are the clerk. Everybody needs to move around. You stay, you go over there. You and Patty switch. Okay, next thing is to reaffirm the secretary of the board. Yes, that's mine. No, that's hers. Okay. Mine's over here. Do you need a different one? Is that yours over there? Now that we're all organized, okay. We'll reaffirm the Secretary of the Board, affirm Juan Cabral, Superintendent of Schools as Secretary of the Board in accordance with Education Codes 35025 and 35035. Do I have a motion? Move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All right, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? And the Chair votes aye and so ordered.

We have to read the names of the votes so they can record them accurately. Okay, okay.

Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I neglected. For President, it was unanimous. Vice President, The ayes were Melissa, Patty, and me. Thank you. For Vice President? Yes.

I said no.

There were four ayes and one no. That's why I was wondering.

For Vice President.

It was two. I had it wrong. Okay. Did you get that? Did you get that? And then clerk? And clerk, for Jeanette, was three ayes and two noes. Correct. Yes.

Yeah.

OK. Oh, do you need to know names? OK. So for the clerk, the two noes were Melissa and Patty.

I actually voted aye.

Oh, did you? Then I counted that wrong. I'm sorry. So it was four ayes and one no. And then for vice president was three ayes, that was Melissa, Patty, and myself, and two nos, Candy and Jeanette. Okay, now are we good?

Yeah, one was unanimous, yeah.

Okay.

Election to the Regional Occupation Program R.O.P. Board. Elect one member of the Board of Education as representative to Colton Redlands Yucaipa Cala Mesa Regional Occupational Program, which is called CRYROP, governing board for a two-year term to fill the expired term of Melissa Ayala Quintero. Is there a nomination?

I'd like to keep my seat.

Okay. Is there a second? Second. Okay. All those in favor? Oh, I'm sorry. Discussion? On that?

Sorry, I didn't hear what you said.

She'd like to keep the seat she has. Oh, OK. She nominated herself. OK. So any other discussion? All right. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? OK. Chair votes aye and so ordered. OK. So, another member of the Board of Education as representative to Colton Redlands-Ucarpa Cala Mesa Regional Occupational Program, CRYROP, governing board for a two-year term to fill the expired term of Alex Vara. Is there any nomination?

I'd like to go ahead and take that. I was the alternate, so if I can- Okay, I'll second that.

I'll second that. Any discussion on that? Okay, let's call for the vote. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? And the chair votes aye, and so ordered. All right, we're going to elect one member of the Board of Education as a voting alternate to the Colton Redlands, Cala Mesa Regional Occupational Program governing board to serve for a one-year term as a voting member when a regular representative is unable to attend to fill the expired term of Patty Hollahan. Is there a motion, a nomination?

Understood in that, Michelle?

Sure, I would love to do that. Is there a second? I'll second. Any discussion on that? All right, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? And the chair votes aye and so ordered. Next is the election of representative to county committee on school district organization. Election of a representative to the county committee on school district organization will elect one representative who shall have one vote for each member to be elected to the county committee of school district organization for a one year term to fill the expired term of Michelle Renler in accordance with education codes 4005, 35023, and 72403. Is there a nomination?

I think it'd be good for one of our new board members to get one of those on.

Would either one of you like to be the voting member of that?

I'm really interested in the compact. Okay. Redlands Compact.

I was interested in the rep. Is it the rep?

Okay. I will stay on as that if that's okay. Okay. Is there a second? I'll second that. Okay. Okay. Any discussion on that? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? And the chair votes aye, and so ordered. Elect an alternate to attend the meeting if the elected representative is unable to attend, who shall have one vote for each member to be elected to the County Committee on School District Organizations. to fill the expired term of Melissa Ayala-Contero in accordance with education codes 4005, 35023, and 72403. Is there a nomination? Now that's just an alternate in case I would happen to not be able to go to the voting.

I will nominate myself.

Okay, is there a second? All right, any discussion on that? All right, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? The chair votes aye and so ordered. Next is appointments to committees and commissions. Redlands Compact, it's currently a position I'm holding. I've served on this last year, and I would let somebody else have a chance because it's a great, great organization, a great club in our high schools. So is there a nomination for anybody who'd like to serve?

I'd like to do that. We don't nominate these.

You don't nominate on these. You just appoint. You just appoint.

There's no voting on this.

Who would like to do that? I mean, Compact.

Good.

Jeanette? Yeah. Okay. All right. Redlands Educational Partnership Foundation, REP. Currently, that's a position I'm holding. I've served on this for a year, and I would love to have somebody else learn about REP. So, Candy, you'd like to do that one? There's also a alternate in case the... cannot make the meetings. Mrs. Ayala-Quintero, are you interested in still being the alternate?

No, actually. I don't know that I'd be able to make the meetings. I mean, but if you, I would imagine, yeah.

Somebody else want to be the alternate? When are the meetings? Wednesdays. The first Wednesday of the month at 6 o'clock here at the district. Too tough? Too hard? Okay. I can be the alternate just in case you can't make a meeting. Unless you would like to.

I'm already the person.

It's you. She's the person. Yeah, I'm already the person. You're already on it. Okay, gotcha. Okay.

I can do that one if you want, Michelle.

Yeah.

Okay.

All right. City of Redlands Cultural Arts Commission. Currently it's Melissa Allen-Contero.

I've actually never gone to that meeting. There was never. I thought that was Jim or you.

Oh.

That was not me.

I was at two years ago, and Jim was at the last year.

Okay, yeah, that was never me.

Okay. They meet every other month?

I can do that. Okay.

So Melissa will stay and maybe start. Okay. City of Redlands Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. Jim O'Neill served on this last year. Is there anybody interested in the parks?

I used to do that, so I'm happy to do that. Okay, perfect. Is it still the Monday?

Yes, Monday. And we changed the time.

Is it 4 or 2.30?

It's 4.30.

4.30 on Monday? Yeah. Every other month?

No, every month.

Oh, it's every month?

Yes, but a few of them have gotten canceled along the way. Okay, so you got all those? Do you need me to read them? Oh, CSBA Region 16 Delegate Assembly. It's currently Jim O'Neill. Mr. O'Neill served on this last year. Is there anyone interested to being the delegate?

No one else will do it, I will.

You'd like to be the delegate?

No one else will.

Okay. Thank you, Patty. All right. Is there a motion to accept the representatives as discussed?

I'll move.

Is there a second? I'll second. Okay. All right. Any discussion on any of those?

What was the last one?

Delegate to CSBA for our region. Okay. Yeah. So we'll call for the vote. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Chair votes aye and so ordered. Next up is item I, designate board meeting dates. Designate the second and or fourth Tuesday of each month, or as otherwise approved by the board, 6 PM at the boardroom, 25 West Lagonia, Redlands, as the regular board meeting dates and location. Is there a motion? So moved. Any discussion?

I would like to see more meetings in the new year, but maybe we can put that on a future agenda.

So any other discussion? Anything? All right. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? All right. Chair votes aye and so ordered. Approval of minutes. Is there a motion to approve the minutes of the November 12, 2024 Board of Education regular meeting and the December 3, 2024 special meeting?

Second.

Any discussion?

I think they might have to abstain because they weren't.

Yep, so you'll have to abstain. All those in favor of approving? Aye. Any abstain? Abstain. Okay. Two abstains? Okay. Okay. Now we're on to public participation. This is the time that 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 address the board. form to the clerk of the board or his or her designee prior to the time the chairperson calls the item for the board's consideration. This is not meant to be a debating period. Complaints and problems relating to the 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 or the microphone and announce his or her name. The chairperson shall, in the interest of facilitating the business of the board, 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.

We only have one?

Yeah. We just have Olga. OK. All right. Olga Romero. Welcome, Olga.

Good evening, board members. My name is Olga Romero. I am the parent of a student currently enrolled in Redlands Unified. I want to begin by welcoming Cindy Olsen and Jeanette Wilson to the board. I'm really excited to finally have parent representation on this board. I met Candy about three years ago when we started coming to these board meetings. I would come to speak about the lack of services for students with disabilities and lack of inclusivity. Month after month, I would come and not once did a board member reach out to me. One day out of the blue, Candy approached me wanting to know why I was so dissatisfied. She wanted to know about my child and how these services would help not only my child, but children with disabilities. She listened to me even though there wasn't much she could do at that time. The fact that she even reached out to me, that was enough. Since then, Candy randomly messages me asking me how things are going, if things have changed, how is my child doing and thriving? Many parents might not know this side of Candy, but I'm here to say that the Candy I know is compassionate, caring, and fair. And I know that the board is better because of her and Ms. Wilson in it. Now as the semester comes to an end, I do want to thank, even though he's not here today, Mr. Cabral. for changing and implementing new things for special education children. They're becoming more inclusive and they're becoming more programs. IEPs are becoming easier. The lack of needing attorneys or advocates is apparent to parents like myself. So welcome, Candy. Welcome, Jeanette. And I look forward to having you as board members. Thank you. Thank you.

All right, we're going on to public hearing. Public hearing regarding resolution number 23, 24-25, resolution of the Board of Education of the Redlands Unified School District, approving the annual and five-year reportable fees, report for the fiscal year 2023-2024, in compliance with government code section 66006 and 66001. Approval.

Oh, it's a hearing.

Yeah, the hearing is now open. Is there anyone who would like to comment? The hearing is now closed. Public hearing regarding the Redlands Unified School District dedicating portions of real property to the state of California through the Department of Transportation for the state highway purposes. Hearing is now open. Is there anyone who would like to comment? Hearing is now closed. We're going to go on to student trustee report. Tonight we have Alina and Jasmine. Do you have anything to report?

Yes, I'll be reporting on behalf of all five schools. So I'll start off with E-Academy. Last Thursday, their drama and choir clubs successfully put together their performances, including the drama club's puppet extravaganza. Also, middle school ASB elections have just taken place, so they are now awaiting the results of their middle school ASB president. And for E-Academy students, winter break will begin after Wednesday. At Orangewood, preparations are currently underway to welcome new students after winter break. OHS students have been staying active in the STEM field as well. On December 7th, they hosted the Redlands Robot Rumble and it went great. Their engineering team is now preparing for the Rube Goldberg competition. School spirit is also strong amongst dragons. This is their first year participating in the mug of war and they won. Lastly, students are doing lots of holiday activities such as a fake snowball fight and candy cane fishing to end the year on a festive note. This week, sports at Redlands East Valley High are exciting due to their much-anticipated rivalry games against RHS this Thursday. These include the girls varsity water polo at 4 p.m., the girls and boys varsity soccer at 5.30 p.m., and the girls and boys varsity basketball at 5.30 p.m. Rev also has an ongoing Christmas toy drive to which donations can be dropped off in English classrooms until the end of the week. And now Jasmine's going to present for Citrus Valley.

Hello, at Sisters Valley High School, our fall sports are wrapping up the season with high achievement. Our boys varsity wrestling team made third place as a team at the Tom Bravo Tournament. Winter sports such as our track team are starting up soon. The CV Winter Extravaganza ran successfully on Wednesday and Thursday last week. CV performing arts students from band, choir, theater, and piano performed expressively and earned applause from the local community. CV's Megawar was well received by students with many students lining up before the start of school to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. Blackhawks also showed strong participation in our Winter Spirit Week last week, especially for Pajama Day on Monday. Finally, at all of our local high schools, final exams have been ongoing this week. So please support our RUSD high school students as they finish up the semester and head off into winter break.

Thank you for listening.

Thank you very much. Oh, you guys are free to go.

Thank you. Have a good night. Go study for your finals.

Good luck. Okay, on to our association reports. Redlands Teachers Association. Mr. Caperton.

Good evening, everybody. I would like to welcome our newly elected and returning board members. The Redlands Teachers Association has a proud history of working with our partners on the board and district administration to further our shared goal of safe, effective schools that provide the best education in the state. I encourage the new board members to see the great work teachers and students do every day in RUSD. In addition to daily high quality academic instruction, we have excellent athletic programs, state and nationally ranked academic programs such as speech and debate and mock trial, cutting edge STEAM labs, amazing theatrical productions, and far too many other programs to name in a short speech. Redlands USD offers students more than an education. It provides a safe environment where they can learn, grow, and become the leaders of tomorrow. The first semester of the 24-25 school year has been the longest and ironically shortest school semester of my entire 22-year career. I know that many of us are looking forward to the long winter break, and I hope everyone here has a happy holiday season. Thank you.

Thank you. Education Support Professionals Association. Ms. Brewster, are you here?

Good evening, board members, cabinet, and guests. Last month, RESPA distributed over 700 gift cards to our members, $25 each for Stater Brothers, showing our commitment to supporting those who serve our schools. We also collaborated with the FACE department on a toy drive to help students and families in need, further highlighting our dedication to the community. We encouraged the board to participate in the distribution at Citrus Valley and at 2 p.m. on Friday and wear your Christmas attire. And that is the flyer that I put up there for all of you. I am proud to share that RESPA membership has now grown to 85%. A clear sign that our leadership cares deeply about our members. As we show this care and commitment, we ask the district and the board to do the same. There continues to be numerous positions opening in the district. with competitive starting salaries. Yet, as I mentioned in October, paraprofessionals remain undervalued. They work tirelessly with the most vulnerable students, often facing physical and verbal aggression, including being bitten, kicked, and cursed at. And they still show up to work every day. Why? because they are dedicated to the students they serve. Paraprofessionals deserve more pay. It is time to take action instead of just talking. These employees deserve recognition and compensation that reflects their critical role in student success. Campus monitors also play a vital role in maintaining the safety and well-being of students and staff educational institutions despite their significant responsibilities monitors are often on the lowest pay range of the salary schedule this discrepancy between their duties and the compensation needs to be addressed thank you thank you liz

Redlands Administrative Professional Association. Dr. Liam is hosting a holiday orchestra concert at Beatty, so she could not be here tonight. But we wish them well. On to board committee reports. Does anybody have anything they'd like to report? Melissa, we'll start with you.

No, our choir art meeting isn't until Friday, so we'll have some updates then. Okay. Do you have anything?

Okay. I have just one thing for... Two dates for REP, February 13th. And the 13th is mock trials at Redlands High School. And then the 21st is the dinner mixer at the Orton Center. I mean, yeah, no, Casa Loma room at the U of R. So if anybody has a business, you're a business professional and you'd like to attend that mixer, we would love to have you there to network with kids and teach them about your career. Also, if you... I would like to help with the mock interviews. If anybody knows about interviewing and you'd like to help our students, you can see me after the meeting and we'll get you signed up to help with that too. Thank you. That's all I have for any reports. Anybody? Nobody else? Okay. We'll move on to board comments. Candy, we'll start with you. Do you have any comments?

Yes, I do.

Okay.

First and foremost, I would like to thank God for his guidance in getting me here, and I want to thank my family for their support in sacrificing so much of our family time for this very important opportunity to make a difference. And a really huge thank you to my community for taking a stand. Your tremendous support was absolutely incredible. You spoke loud and clear this election for the direction you want this district headed in. This is your seat, and I am just sitting here to represent you and your family's values. I intend to ensure that we have a truly inclusive classrooms and campus environments where all families from every political, ethnic, cultural, or religious background feel safe. Any promotion of divisive ideology will need to be a thing of the past. It is very important to understand that when staff promote their personal or political beliefs, at a very minimum, at least half of the students and their parents will feel offended and not welcome. This district does not serve half of their community. We serve all, and as such, we must maintain a dignified, respectful environment for all families who have entrusted us with the education of their children. There are many policies I will actively be working on in the future, but the first one I would like to see placed on the next agenda would be regarding ceremonies, observances, and flag displays. I look forward to collaborating with the unions to ensure we can move forward cohesively with all parties on board for the best interest of all children. Moving forward, I aim to adopt and implement policies that are pro-family, that prioritize the safety of children, including protecting them from harmful material. Using standard societal guidelines, we can ensure students are only exposed to age appropriate content. As this is a school district, the education and academic achievement of our students should be our highest priority. And I am so full of ideas and intentions to get our scores up. I am so honored, hopeful, and excited to be part of a positive change and redirection of this district. Thank you so much.

Didn't it?

Hello, everyone. Thank you for being here. I just wanted to give a brief update and words of appreciation to all of my, first of all, my family. They couldn't be here tonight, but they are watching live, I believe. Hello, family. My friends, my supporters. I want to reinforce to you that I will be diligent in working to uphold all the great things that are already going on in Redlands Unified School District and working to make improvements. I want to see a wholesome educational environment for all of the students and one main focus I will have is academic progress. The first area of focus for myself to advocate for will be increasing reading scores. I find that our percentage of students who can read at grade level is really not anything to be too excited about, so I really want to see that improve. And also very important to me is ensuring that parents are included in their child's education in all aspects, that they are notified of things going on with their child, and that they understand how they can be involved. I'm also very concerned about the safety of students, and I feel our new compliance coordinator is doing a great job and will continue to do so, and I look forward to working with him in that regard. Also, you heard us talking about different committees and groups that, as a board, we like to be involved in so that we can interact and network with the community and maintain positive relationships. And I wanted to bring to your attention, I learned this through canvassing, that a big portion of the area I represent is Highland. So if there is anyone in the audience or that watches the board meetings that has ideas of groups we could be involved with in Highland to further promote our ongoing relationship, I would appreciate hearing about it and we can try to move forward on that. So I just want to thank you again and hope to see this many of you at future board meetings.

Just brief, I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah. However you celebrate, that you celebrate with your family and your loved ones and you have some time to take some rest. Thank our RUSD staff, our students, and our wonderful partners with RTA and RESPA for the first semester done. I know it was a long one and we had some days off there with the fires and there was a lot going on. So I just want to thank everyone that gave their 150% and staff here at the district as well. Be safe and take time, like I said, for yourself and God bless you all in 2025 and have a very Merry Christmas.

same for me just want to keep it brief I want to wish everybody happy holiday and good luck to all those teachers and students who still have finals and an extra good luck to those parents who are still waiting for their kids grades to update and there's assignments to finish loading the ones that they say they swear are incorrect but just a restful holiday however you celebrate and hopefully we can come back in 2025 and have a really good year Oh, and thank you to RTA and RESPA for having us on the float during the Christmas parade. That was fantastic. So thank you very much. And I will see you on Friday for the distribution.

Okay, I wanna say it was a privilege to be at CSBA's Golden Bell Awards where Redlands Unified was the recipient of our sixth Golden Bell. Woo hoo, Redlands. This one was for our K-12 Computer Science Pathway. Congratulations to all our C-STEM teachers and their students. We have some absolutely amazing teachers and support staff in our schools. You guys need to go around to schools and see what's happening. In the last two weeks, I have been lucky enough to attend two Inspire Choir performances. The first one, at RHS, with all the middle and high school special education students, where my husband, grandson, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and wished it could go a little longer. The other one was at Smiley with Tessa Shinley's special education class. That was this morning. Thank you, Cindy Van Horn, for making amazing things happen for our students, all our special ed kids. You are all truly gems. And lastly, I want to say it will be an honor and a privilege to serve as the president of this board for the next year. I'm looking forward to working with all my colleagues to continue focusing on preparing our students for their future by providing them with the best possible education in very safe and innovative learning environments. And I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, and we will see you in 2025. Superintendent Cabral is not here as I said tonight. Deputy Superintendent Hill is here as the representative. Mr. Hill, do you have anything to report on behalf of the superintendent tonight?

Yeah, a few things. Thank you. First, I just want to give my condolences and I think is that in representing the entire district to our superintendent for his loss. He's lost his mother and his father in the past month. So it's a tough time for him and our wishes are behind them and we all pray for him. I also want to welcome our new board members, Melissa for being reelected and Candy and Jeanette. We appreciate the work you guys took to get here and we have a lot of work ahead of us. So I do want to embrace that and we'll get through it together. I'm going to thank my director who hasn't spoken yet. He does give a budget presentation tonight. It'll be the first one that I haven't given in four years. And so part of sitting here is nice that I don't have to sit up there and try to justify numbers that are boring for everybody. So thank you ahead of time and for the entire team for working on it. We did mention the fires over here. I just want to let the community know that any time that we have to close schools, that does take a small hit against our overall budgets because we do lose ADA. But there is a process with the state where we can go and which allows us to not have to make up those days. So there was a little bit of worriness that if we closed for the fires that we would have to make those days up at the end of the year to meet our 180 day requirement by the state. But we did get a waiver. And so those days that we did close the fires, we do not have to make those days up. So that is a nice thing for everybody that we don't have to give up part of our spring break with our kids. I also like to welcome the new employees. Patty, congratulations. I am ecstatic to get an Assistant Superintendent of Ed Services aboard. There's been a lot of work over the last couple of months as we start to kind of fill the gaps, and so I do appreciate and excited about movement with her. Josie with CNS, all of us have heard about concerns with kids not liking their food. We do the best we can, and it's nice to get a position on our books to someone whose job it is to kind of cater and figure out what students like. And moving forward as we start to develop our new central kitchen, we will start offering some opportunities for input from kids and families to taste the food and kind of do a better job within our kitchens. And Kelly and Tricia, I know you were approved last time, but it's exciting and welcome to the management team. We do appreciate everybody that we have. That's, I think, all I have. Thank you very much, President Randler.

All right, moving on to business services consent items. Is there a motion to approve? I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. It's your big show. It's your big show and I almost let you just go right through.

Can you hear me? Okay, perfect. Ready? All right. Good evening, President Randler, distinguished board members and cabinet. My name is Kirtan Shah. I'm your director of fiscal services. I'll be going over our first interim financial report. So just a brief overview about the interim report. It's required to be presented to the board for approval by December 15th. Of course, we're past the date, but there is no penalty, so we are okay. It identifies changes to the projected budget since the unaudited actuals were presented in September 2024, as well as revisions based on the state budget, which was adopted in June 2024. Additionally, it identifies actual restricted and unrestricted expenditures through October 31st, 2024. This slide shows you the last five years of historic data on our CBEDS enrollment and average daily attendance. As you can see in the light green color, our enrollment has been dropping year over year along with the average daily attendance. And our 24-24 projection is no different. We are projected enrollment at 19,340, ADA at 18,111. That's about 93.6% attendance rate. Now, this report, after this report was finalized, our CBET was still not certified, and we have learned that our enrollment has dropped to 19,181. So that's another drop of 159 students. Now the next slide kind of goes with this slide to show you the effect of that drop. So during last year, our LCFF revenue, which is our main source of funding that's based on attendance, and our unduplicated students was at 262.1 million. Based on our decrease projected for 24-25 in attendance and enrollment, we are projecting 5.8 million decrease in funding. And the supplemental concentration is based on our FRPM, unduplicated rate. Any questions before I move on? This slide, this is our combined general fund. So the first column is our 23-24 actuals. We started with $108 million in combined fund balance. Revenues were $363 million. Expenditures, $361 million. So we had a surplus of $2.4 million, ending with $101.1 million in fund balance. Our 24-24 adopted budget, which was done in June, we started with $96 million in fund balance, projecting $330 million in revenues, $359 million in expenditures, deficit of $29 million, with funding balance ending at $67.3 million. Today, the first interim were at $336 million in projected revenues, which is a drop from prior year, as you can see from the first column. $368 million in expenditures, leading to $31.8 million in deficit, ending fund balance at $79.3 million. And the last column is just net change compared to the adopted budget. Now, this is our breakdown of our total fund balance, which is $79.3 million, as you can see on our interim ending. In unrestricted side, we have revolving cash of $50,000, non-spendable, which is our store's inventory, plus prepaid at $2.2 million, commitments at $23.6 million. I'll have a breakdown of commitments in the next slide. Legally restricted at $39.6 million, which is our federal and state grants that are earmarked for a specific purpose. So those are legally restricted. By law, we're required to have 3% reserve for economic uncertainty, which is $11 million. And a lottery assigned at $2.6 million. So you can see our unrestricted plus restricted, about 50-50. Okay. Here is the breakdown for commitment. Six million for REL stadium phase two. 6.2 million for current and future textbook adoption. And 11.4 million for increased pension costs. These are our multi-year assumptions for 25, 26, and 26, 27. The COLA, expected COLA for LCFF is at 2.93 for next year. But the county office is already talking about potentially being under 2%. PERS, which is for classified employees, is at 27.4%. STERS, for certificate instructional employees, at 19.1%. Our assumption also includes step and column 5% to 8% increase in utilities, 10% to 15% in property liability insurance, and additional program changes. 26-27 assumptions, COLA is expected at 3.08%, PERS at 27.5%, STERS remains consistent at 19.1, step and column, and similar increase for utilities and insurance. Now this is our multi-year analysis. So we have our actual that we went over in previous slides, our first interim, and then our projected for 25-26. So we start with our ending of interim, $79.3 million for 25-26. And we end with $66.9 million. And then we start 26-27 with $66.9 million and end with $62. So as you can see, we're going in deficit each year. And that's partly due to our projected enrollment dropping each year. Now, there are three possible certifications. Positive, which means the district can meet its financial obligation for the current fiscal year and the next two fiscal years. Qualified, the district may not meet its obligation for the current year or the next two subsequent years. And negative, which is the district will be unable to meet its financial obligation for the remainder of the year or the subsequent years. I'm happy to report that we're suggesting positive certification. which means that we are able to meet our obligations for current year and next two years. And here are the next steps to expect. So in January 2025, Governor releases his initial budget for 2025-26 and any changes for current year budget. In March 2025, I'll be here again asking you to approve second interim report. In May 2025, the Governor revises his budget from January. And then in June 2025, we'll be adopting 2526 budget. Any questions for me?

I want to say thank you, for everything I know. Thank you. Appreciate it.

I have a question. The PERS and STERS, can you explain those?

Yes. So PERS is for classified employees, so RESPA employees. It's the retirement system, and the rate is set by the PERS board, and it's based on how the market does because they invest the money into the market, and then based on how the market does, they adjust the rate up and down. So let's say if you hire a classified employee and their salary is $50,000, 27.5% is added to it as benefits to the PERS as a retirement contribution. And similarly for STRS, which is 19.1%.

Any other questions? No. Thank you, Kirtan. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

Okay, we'll be moving on to business services consent items. Is there a motion to approve item 16A, consent items B through Q?

So moved.

Second?

I'll second.

Okay, any discussion on anything? I'm just glad we're keeping ROTC. All right, so we'll take a vote. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Any opposed? The chair votes aye and so ordered. Business services action items. Adopt resolution number 232425, resolution of the Board of Education of the Redlands Unified School District, approving the annual and five-year reportable fees report for the fiscal year 2023-2024 in compliance with government code section 66006 and 66001. Is there a motion? I'll move.

I'll second. I'll second.

Any discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. The chair votes aye and so ordered. Adopt resolution number 24, 2425 resolution of the Board of Education of the Redlands Unified School District, dedicating portions of the real property to the state of California through the Department of Transportation for state highway purposes.

So moved.

A second? Any discussion? All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? Chair votes aye and so ordered. Adopt resolution number 26 for 2024-2025. Acknowledgement of due diligence and authorization to commit funds indicating there will be projected reserves available in the general fund as of December 17th, 2024. Is there a motion? I'll move. Second. Patty will second. Patty seconds. Any discussion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Chair votes aye, and so ordered. Approve and certify the first interim financial report, H251, per Assembly Bill 1200 and Education Code 35035G. Is there a motion? Move.

Second.

Any discussion?

Once again, thank you for the report. Appreciate all the hard work and to the staff in your department.

First report, good job. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The chair votes aye and so ordered. Moving on to consent items under educational services. Is there a motion to approve item 18A, consent items B through I? Move.

Second.

Any discussion?

I have some discussion regarding I, the courses. There was no information provided regarding the AP African American studies, so I'm not sure how we can vote on that since the information wasn't provided regarding that curriculum. There's no course description or curriculum.

I couldn't find it either.

27. because educational consent yeah yeah okay so if we're all in agreement can we pull that i can even provide we can resubmit it again with all appropriate information Okay, are we in agreement that we can pull that or?

I don't mind pulling it until we get all the information. I do have to issue with why is it the only one being pulled? Or the only question of. No, no, I know, I just, I.

Because the other courses have a completed curriculum.

Okay, then we should be pulling it just because the packet was incomplete.

Yes.

Yes. I suggest- So do we need to pull all of I? No. Okay. I would pull the whole, everything. All right, it's consensus that we'll pull the whole I.

So the information is complete.

We have information and we can look at it again. Okay, so back to the vote with pulling I. All those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed? The chair votes aye and so ordered. Moving on to educational services action items. Items 19A through D, we'll take them all together. Do we have a motion?

So moved.

Second. Any discussion on these? We'll call for the vote. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Chair votes aye and so ordered. Moving on to consent items under human resources. Is there a motion to approve item 20A, consent items B through AH?

I'll move.

Second. Any discussion? Discussion. All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? The chair votes aye, and so ordered. Now we're moving to human resources action items. We will be approving the collective bargaining unit agreements. Certificated. Ratify and approve the collective bargaining agreement addendum between the Redlands Unified School District and the Redlands Teachers Association, CTA, NEA. Effective July 1st, 2022 through June 30th, 2025. A copy of the agreement addendum is available for review at the district office in the business services division.

So moved.

Second.

Any discussion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The chair votes aye and so ordered. Classified. Ratify approve the collective bargaining agreement addendum between the Redlands Unified School District and the Redlands Educational Support Professionals Association, CTA-NEA. Effective July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025. A copy of the agreement addendum is available for review at the District Office Business Services Division. Is there a motion to take action on item 19B? I'll move.

Second.

Any discussion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. The chair votes aye. I mean, opposed. I'm sorry. And the chair votes aye, and so ordered. Classified. Establish position and approve job description for child nutrition services catering lead at range 23 of the classified salary schedule and 12 months of the classified work year calendar, effective December 18, 2024. Is there a motion to take action on item 19c? I'll second. Any discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The chair votes aye, answer order. Do we have any discussion items? No? Okay. Then we are going to adjourn this meeting at 7.07.