October 14, 2025: Studio 24 Takes a Golden Bell, and One $12,000 Contract Is Pulled for Its Own Vote

Most of this meeting was calendar work — construction change orders, ten field trips, a reinstated expulsion and six stipulated ones, student teaching agreements with five universities. The evening's contested business came down to a single line on the educational services consent calendar, and its longest stretch was public comment: the minutes list six speakers on agendized items 1 and eighteen in the general period 2. President Rendler opened the meeting at 3:30 p.m. 1 and called the regular open session to order at 6:00 p.m. 1; it adjourned at 8:24 p.m. 3

🏆 Studio 24, and a Golden Bell

The night opened with the Adult Transitions Program's Studio 24 restaurant at Redlands High School. Teacher Sarah Ostash described a program in which students develop real-world skills in food service — menu planning, budgeting, food preparation, customer service — and build confidence, independence and community connections 1. Students Chuy Flores, Zaylynn Jones and Dylan Davis followed, sharing their experiences and future aspirations 1. "I recently passed my food handlers test and received my food handlers card," Davis told the board, identifying himself by name at the podium 4. Superintendent Juan J. Cabral then acknowledged that Studio 24, along with Terrier Grounds and the Floral Class, had received the Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association for the year 1.

💵 One line pulled from the consent calendar

The educational services consent calendar was moved by Patty Holohan and seconded by Melissa Ayala-Quintero, and the minutes record Ayala-Quintero's vote as "Aye, abstain from item XII.q." 5 The calendar carried one change to that same item: the funding source for the $16,500 ENVOLVE training agreement with Scott Backovich Communications — leadership training for all four RUSD middle schools and all four high schools 6 — moved from CYBHI funds to LCAP funds 5.

Item XII.m did not travel with the rest. The board pulled the agreement with Imani Enterprises Consulting LLC — $12,000 for culturally relevant instructional support and strategies for administrators and parents, effective October 27, 2025 through June 30, 2026, from Local Control and Accountability funds — and took it on a separate motion by Ayala-Quintero, seconded by Holohan. The Board took action to approve it, and the minutes' roll call for that vote records a No from Board Member Olson 7. The agenda describes the purchase in more detail: two three-hour sessions with Dr. Chike Akua, one for school administrators on "Education for Transformation" and one for the District African American Parent Advisory Council and other interested parents on "the Parent Power method" 6.

The minutes do not say which members raised the objections, and this page does not guess. The narrative is deliberately unnamed: "A board member expressing several concerns regarding the proposed agreement with Imani Enterprises Consulting, citing the pre-scheduled training dates prior to board approval, the $6,000 session fee, and the potential for division when allocating funds based on race," and later, "A trustee suggested receiving a report back from participants to share practical tools learned and encouraged funding additional supports such as tutoring and instructional resources" 8. The transcript puts board members' names on those turns, but its speaker labels are automated voice matches rather than the record, so they cannot ground a stance here.

Two people the minutes do name in the discussion: the Superintendent, who said Dr. Akua is nationally recognized, that dates had been tentatively reserved pending board approval, and that "the training aims to support Black student achievement, with strategies applicable to all students, and that similar investments could be made for other subgroups as needed"; and Assistant Superintendent Patricia Buchmiller, who confirmed the community session for Monday, October 27 at 5:00 p.m. at Citrus Valley High School 8. The recording puts figures to the gap under discussion — Black students graduating at 88 percent against a district-wide 92 percent, up from a low of 83 percent three years earlier 9.

🗳️ The rest of the business

The business services consent calendar was moved by Holohan, seconded by Ayala-Quintero, and the Board took action to approve items XI.b through XI.h 10, with these among them 5:

• an agreement with Taylor & Syfan Consulting Engineers, Inc. DBA T&S Structural for an engineering feasibility study of the home-side stadium bleachers at Redlands High School, toward a proposed press box addition — $26,500, Local Construction Funds 5. The agenda specifies a new 8'-0" x 42'-0" press box with rooftop access 11;
• Change Order No. 1 with Best Contracting Services for the McKinley Elementary School Roofing Project, $5,926.45, for new roof drains 11;
• Change Order No. 5 with Roadway Engineering & Construction Corp. for Stadium and Parking Lot Improvements at Redlands East Valley High School, Phase 2, $15,922.00;
• a Notice of Completion for the HVAC replacement at the Redlands East Valley High School Café (Bid 20-25, KMA HVAC & Construction, Inc.);
• the revised 2025-2026 board meeting dates — as part of that discussion the next board meeting was changed from November 12 to November 4;
• payment transmittals 26000606 through 26000958, $14,789,408.25.

The educational services calendar carried ten field trips 12 — Catalina Island for Mariposa and Mentone fifth graders, Camp Paivika for Crafton's, a Northern California college tour for the Redlands High AVID class, REV wrestling and mock trial, Citrus Valley choirs — plus AVID membership fees not to exceed $48,052, a Mindfulness in Motion agreement not to exceed $152,050 from IEEEP grant funds, and ProCare Therapy staffing 12, along with special education evaluation services from Dr. Robin Morris not to exceed $6,400 7.

Under educational services action items, the Board took action to adopt Resolution No. 9, 2025-2026, National Red Ribbon Campaign, supporting Red Ribbon Week, October 23 – October 31, 2025, on a motion by Ayala-Quintero seconded by Michele Rendler 7. The agenda gives the 2025 theme as "Life is a Puzzle, Solve It Drug Free." 13 On a further motion by Holohan seconded by Ayala-Quintero, the Board took action to approve items XIII.b through XIII.h together — reinstatement of the stipulated expulsion for student 2024-2025-036 following a suspended expulsion, and stipulated expulsions for students 2025-2026-001 through 2025-2026-006 7.

The human resources consent calendar (items XIV.b through XIV.aa) was moved by Candy Olson, seconded by Holohan 14. Under human resources action items the Board took action to ratify and adopt revised Resolution No. 3, 2025-2026, Action Regarding Teaching Outside Credential Authorization, on a motion by Olson seconded by Jeannette Wilson 14, and then approved, each on its own motion, student teaching agreements with Grand Canyon University, Cal Baptist University, Los Angeles Pacific University, the University of Redlands and Loyola Marymount University 2.

Community Forward Redlands previewed the agenda the day before, writing that "Trustees will consider a $26,500 feasibility study for Redlands High's home-side bleachers, approve several student travel requests, and vote on partnerships for wellness and culturally relevant instruction." 24

🗣️ Public comment: mostly about the board

Six speakers took the agendized-item period 1:

• Eriko Grossman addressed the need for expanded inclusion of students with disabilities, called access to education a legal right, raised concern about recent federal actions affecting special education, and urged greater staffing and support for paraprofessionals 1. "Too often, support for students with disabilities is framed as charity," she told the board 15.
• Peter Hall questioned what the district does to prevent the hiring or reassignment of individuals with histories of abuse 16, and Joshua Hall urged stronger hiring and screening processes 16.
• Katherine Appleby asked how the $26,500 feasibility study's timeline and cost compared with other firms, urged reconsideration of two 2026 meeting dates, asked what the ENVOLVE training covered, and flagged large discrepancies in mentor-teacher stipends across the university partnerships 16.
• Valerie Taber said drug use is a symptom of broader issues and urged more comprehensive prevention — early intervention, mental health support and expanded extracurricular opportunities 16.
• Bea Hamilton supported the culturally relevant instruction agreement and the Dr. Robin Morris evaluation agreement, and asked whether the ProCare Therapy contract would replace or supplement existing school counseling 16.

Eighteen speakers took the general period, six of them returning from the earlier round, and most of them addressed the board itself. The evening's news came from Trisha Keeling, who identified herself at the podium as the executive director of Together for Redlands 17 and read a statement on behalf of the organization announcing that "a formal cease and desist letter had been issued to Trustees Candy Olson, Jeannette Wilson, and the affiliated platform Awaken Redlands," demanding retraction of allegedly false and defamatory statements, an end to further publication, and a public apology; copies were provided to the board 2. Michael Paisner said his group's criticism is protected by the First Amendment and repeated a request to meet with President Rendler, noting that previous requests had gone unanswered 2. Samantha Trad, identifying herself as a founder and leader of Together for Redlands, described the group and opposed recently adopted board policies as harmful to students and financially risky 18. KVCR News reported in August that "Calls for a Redlands school board member to resign are mounting after a series of Instagram likes that included racist and antisemitic images were made public last month." 25

The rest of the general period ranged across the same disputes. Dale Broome backed policies allowing parental appeals of sexually explicit books and announced his intention to run for the Area 1 seat 18; John Berry cited an article he had published in the San Bernardino County Sentinel about Together for Redlands 18; Greg Brittain argued that cultural and educational disagreements reflect broader societal conflicts over values and inclusivity 19; Lawrence Hebron disputed statements made about Dr. Robert Newman at a prior meeting 2; Pat Molnar spoke on protecting LGBTQ and historically marginalized students 2; Jean Saglam called on Candy Olson to resign over conduct at a previous meeting 18; Aaron Fernando argued for encouraging students through diverse books rather than banning them 18; Jeff Poggi reviewed two district goals in the Board Policy Manual and noted they "had last been reviewed on October 13, 1998" 19; and Bea Hamilton returned to correct an earlier statement of her own about district legal fees 19.

Kristi Dodson spoke last. She described a prior diversity training program that she said divided staff and students by race without improving student outcomes, and recommended the district explore the Belonging for Schools program by Corwin, citing research that fostering belonging improves attendance, behavior and academic performance across all student groups 19. Reading from the program's own training material, she told the board that "The key to student success across all colors, genders, interests, capabilities is belonging" 20.

📚 The handbook and the book-reconsideration process

Two threads ran from public comment into board comments. Katherine Appleby asked for the status of the board's unfinished governance handbook and for its public accessibility, and asked for transparency "regarding book challenge submissions, review procedures, and the roles (not names) of committee members involved" 19. "You started this over the summer, but you've not provided any updates to the public," she said of the handbook 21.

In board comments, Jeannette Wilson said work on the Board Governance Handbook is nearly complete, "emphasizing that it is being developed intentionally to address board challenges and align with district goals to improve attendance, academic performance, and graduation rates" 3. The 2025-26 Board of Education Governance Handbook now in the district's document library opens with a caution about its own status, describing itself as a template that requires legal review before formal adoption: "It is not a legal document." 22

The reconsideration process Appleby asked about lives in the district's own administrative regulation. AR 1312.2, Complaints Concerning Instructional Materials, last revised August 19, 2025, sets a separate and faster track where a complaint "alleges that material includes perceived pornography, erotica, graphic descriptions or depictions of sexual acts, and/or sexual violence, or sexually explicit materials" 23. Community Forward Redlands, covering the August revision, reported that under it "The principal must remove books that fall within this category within three business days, triggering a district-level review." 26

🏛️ Superintendent's report

Juan J. Cabral welcomed Dr. Angle and his CRY-ROP team and addressed two of the evening's public questions: all mentor teachers receive a $500 stipend, "which is covered by the district when colleges contribute less," and ProCare Therapy was contracted to cover an occupational therapist on maternity leave 10. He also noted that the Office of the Attorney General will visit in November as part of year-two compliance monitoring, with dates to be finalized 10. That monitoring stems from the stipulated judgment the California Department of Justice announced in May 2024 over the district's handling of reports of sexual harassment, assault and abuse; the Attorney General's office said the district "is subject to a minimum of five years of oversight by the court and Attorney General." 27

🎓 Board comments

• Melissa Ayala-Quintero reported that six former Redlands High School students passed the ASL Avant test, a step toward the Seal of Biliteracy 10, and congratulated the Redlands High marching band on its first-place finish at the Citrus Valley Classic 3.
• Patty Holohan welcomed the CRY-ROP staff 10 and, reflecting on the Believe Walk as a breast cancer survivor, encouraged mammogram screenings 3.
• Jeannette Wilson described the Compact Club's first advisory committee meeting and an October 30 student mixer 10, and reported on a Kingsbury visit where she saw Mindfulness in Motion funds supporting special needs students 3.
• Candy Olson said planning had begun for the annual Turkey Trot 10, and in closing comments "thanked the evening’s speaker for presenting a program that promotes student belonging without dividing by race," saying such programs may be a more effective use of LCAP funds to support all disadvantaged students 3.
• Michele Rendler congratulated Kristen Mariani and all TK teachers, praised student engagement during school visits, and highlighted the PAC meeting and Cope's student incentive program 3.
• Juan J. Cabral closed with a personal reflection on the one-year anniversary of his mother's passing, thanking his team, cabinet and board 3.

Association reports came from Stephen Caperton for the Redlands Teachers Association 16, Liz Huerta for the Redlands Education Support Professionals Association, on a districtwide site blitz that visited 32 school sites 10, and Jennie Dyerly for the Redlands Administrative Personnel Association 10.