Alison Bruce

The event marked the official opening of the first Love to Learn preschool classroom on campus, an initiative supported by the Riverside County Office of Education to provide high-quality early childhood education to local families.

The open session meeting included recognitions for the Watchdog program volunteers, including specific recognition for individual leaders and multiple elementary schools for their significant time contributions to campus safety and student support. There was a moment of silence held for a student who passed away. Actions taken in closed session involved denying a claim for damages, ratifying the approval and approving a resignation settlement agreement for a classified substitute, and denying another claim for damages. During public comment regarding a revised board bylaw concerning parliamentary procedures (Bylaw 9323.7), concerns were raised regarding granting the board president sole authority to limit debate, arguing it bypasses established quorum and voting requirements found in Robert's Rules of Order and the existing bylaws. Further public comment suggested amendments to the board member final comments section of the bylaws, proposing to strike "in order of seniority" and add "voting order."

The open session meeting included an update from the Board Advisory Committee regarding construction and modernization efforts. The committee detailed that discussions centered on the importance of district finances as related to student learning and safety, and developing an approach for school facilities. A significant decision was recommending Mr. Jack Guerrero to lead the process for establishing recommendations for a potential school bond. Key concepts driving their analysis include ensuring excellent facilities conducive to learning, adopting a reasonable approach to determining facility needs by focusing on essential enhancements, and evaluating funding opportunities. The committee noted that funding from Measure Y has been exhausted, necessitating the search for other sources, including state matching funds from Proposition 2 (which offers up to $70 million in matching funds based on facility aging formulas). The committee highlighted critical facility needs, noting that 22 schools require modernization in the next six years and addressing the condition of 350 portable classrooms, many of which are significantly past their 20-year useful life and pose health concerns. The committee emphasized fiscal prudence and minimizing debt burden while pursuing state matching funds.

The meeting included several recognition segments. The first recognized students from the Tmacula Valley High School regenerative agriculture CTE program for their extensive volunteer hours, internship work at Wilson Creek Vineyards, and completion of planting an olive grove and installing irrigation systems. Industry partners were also thanked. Following this, the district spelling bee winner and runner-up were honored, along with the ELA TOSA and the bee master. Student representatives from Chaparral High School provided updates on recent senior nights, sports captain conferences, and upcoming events like the Culture Fair and leadership elections. Student representatives from Great Oak High School shared highlights from their winter sports rally, successes of their basketball and soccer teams (including league championships), preparation for a senior trip to Disney, and CPR day activities. Finally, a school-related organization representative spoke regarding educators' work and concerns about potential budget cuts affecting access to educational support services like HIA.

The meeting began with the discussion and approval of the agenda, during which Action Item 2 regarding new online textbooks (Cognity digital textbook database) was pulled and postponed to the next meeting. Information and Reports Item 4 concerning disagreements between board members was removed from the agenda. A motion to remove Action Item 1, the adoption of revised bylaw parliamentary procedure, failed. The board also addressed requests to reorder the agenda, including moving general public comment to the front, which did not pass. Public comments focused heavily on teacher compensation, noting that current salaries and increased medical contribution costs have resulted in a net decrease in purchasing power for veteran teachers compared to neighboring districts. Speakers urged the board to prioritize fair and competitive compensation and support for employees. The board then announced its transition into a closed session.