OK.

[00:00:01]

[2. CALL TO ORDER]

ANY PERSON WISHING TO SPEAK ON AN AGENDA ITEM MAY BE GRANTED UP TO THREE MINUTES AT THE TIME.

THE ITEM APPEARS ON THE AGENDA PRIOR TO ADDRESSING THE BOARD.

PLEASE FILL OUT THE REQUEST TO ADDRESS THE BOARD CARD, WHICH MAY BE PICKED UP FROM MARGARET MACDONALD, SENIOR EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE SUPERINTENDENT.

ANY PERSON ADDRESSING THE BOARD SHOULD FIRST STATE THEIR NAME AND ASSOCIATION WITH THE DISTRICT.

WE HAVE NO ONE SPEAKING THIS EVENING, THEN WE WILL CONVENE IN A CLOSED SESSION

[5. CLOSED SESSION AGENDA]

CLOSE ENOUGH.6 P.M., WE WILL BRING RECONVENE THIS SESSION INTO OPEN SESSION AGAIN.

[6. OPEN SESSION AGENDA]

WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND AND JOIN ME WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE?

[9. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG]

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA, ORDER AND CONTENT, SO MOVED SECOND.

[10. APPROVAL OF AGENDA ORDER AND CONTENT]

[11. REQUESTS TO SPEAK ON OPEN SESSION AGENDA ITEMS]

ANY PERSON WISHING TO SPEAK ON AN AGENDA ITEM MAY BE GRANTED UP TO THREE MINUTES AT THE TIME THE ITEM APPEARS ON THE AGENDA PRIOR TO ADDRESSING THE CART.

ADDRESSING THE BOARD, PLEASE FILL OUT THE REQUEST TO ADDRESS THE BOARD CARD, WHICH MAY BE PICKED UP FROM MARGARET MACDONALD, SENIOR EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE SUPERINTENDENT.

ANY PERSON ADDRESSING THE BOARD SHOULD FIRST STATE THEIR NAME IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE DISTRICT.

CONSENT AGENDA MATTERS LISTED UNDER THE CONSENT AGENDA ARE CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD TO BE.

OK, SO WE DO HAVE ONE COMMUNITY MEMBER TO SPEAK ON THE AGENDA ITEM, LILY [INAUDIBLE], PLEASE.

THANK YOU.

I'M THE FIRST ONE IS THAT MICROPHONE, OK? THIS ONE? OK, VERY GOOD.

THANK YOU.

MY NAME IS LILY BONITA WITH TWO KIDS.

SO AND THEN MYSELF MAMA BONITA BECAUSE I THINK I'M THE ONLY ONE COMING HERE TO TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO FOR SEX EDUCATION AND THEN NOW MONTHLY.

EVERY MEETING I WILL BE HERE.

I WILL BE LIKE A MOM OF A BONITA.

SO TODAY I'M SO APPRECIATIVE.

COME HERE BECAUSE I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL.

THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER WORKED SO HARD IN PANDEMIC THROUGH THE YEAR.

IT'S REALLY NOT EASY JOB.

AND THEN I WANT TO SHOW ALL MY RESPECT FOR [INAUDIBLE] CANDIDATE.

AND THEN I'M SO THANKFUL THEY APPLY THIS POSITION.

IT'S NOT EASY POSITION.

I ASK MYSELF, WILL YOU DO TIT? YOU WILL DO THAT.

ARE YOU GOING TO APPLY? AND THEN THE ANSWER IS NO.

ACTUALLY, I FOCUS MORE ON MY OWN KIDS BECAUSE I HAVE TWO SPECIAL NEED KIDS.

I KNOW I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH FREEDOM OF TIME, RIGHT? SO I'M SO APPRECIATE THIS CANDIDATE.

THEY COME TO APPLY THIS POSITION TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY.

SO MY OPINION IS FOR THE COMING YEARS.

IT'S A VERY BIG CHALLENGE.

I THINK IT'S NOT EASY TO BE A GOOD CANDIDATE, A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER IN THE FUTURE IN OUR SCHOOL, ESPECIALLY IN CALIFORNIA, IS [INAUDIBLE] DEVICE.

PEOPLE ARE NOT EASY TO COMMUNICATE.

AND THEN, ESPECIALLY AFTER LAST NIGHT, ALL THE TOPICS TALK ABOUT HOW TO MOVE.

I DON'T [INAUDIBLE] CALIFORNIA, BUT STILL END UP.

WE WANT TO STAY IN CALIFORNIA BECAUSE WE LOVE CALIFORNIA.

SO I'M THINKING IN THE FUTURE, I WILL STILL KEEP COMING EVERY MONTH AS A PARENT PRESENT MYSELF BECAUSE BONITA BAHMANOU ACTUALLY IS AN INFORMATION GROUP IS NOT ONLY PERSON, I CAN ONLY PRESENT MYSELF, SO I HOPE IN COMING [INAUDIBLE] KRISTA TEAM OF PEOPLE WHO WILL PRESENT US JUST LIKE PRETTY MUCH A CONSERVATIVE [INAUDIBLE].

[00:05:01]

YES.

SO I'M THINKING IN THE FUTURE, WE STILL HAVE A MORE PARENTS COME TO TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT OPINIONS.

MAYBE OUR NEW SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER REALLY NEED A BALANCE TO FOLLOW THE LAW OR FOLLOW THE COMMONSENSE OR FOLLOW SOME LIKE OUR ASIAN PRETTY MUCH [INAUDIBLE] BACKGROUND.

SO A LOT OF CONFLICT.

SO IT'S A VERY CHALLENGING POSITION.

SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEW SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER WILL BE GREAT TO REPRESENT US MOST, ALL OF CONSERVATIVE MODEL PARENTS.

THAT'S MY OWN OPINION.

SO I'M NOT REALLY IN FAVOR THE RADICAL AGENDA IN PUBLIC SCHOOL.

I TRY HOMESCHOOLING, I TRY PRIVATE SCHOOL AND THEN MY TWO KIDS.

ACTUALLY, IT'S A VERY SUCCESSFUL CASE FOR IEP IN BONITA DISTRICT.

YOU KNOW THAT MY FIRST BOY IN [INAUDIBLE] GO TO.

CONSENT AGENDA MATTERS LISTED UNDER THE CONSENT AGENDA ARE CONSIDERED BY THE

[12. CONSENT AGENDA]

FOLLOWING THE APPROVAL OF THIS CONSENT AGENDA, ITEMS WILL BE APPROVED WITH ONE MOTION WHICH IS NOT DEBATABLE AND WHICH REQUIRES A UNANIMOUS VOTE FOR PASSAGE.

DO I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED, SECOND.

THOSE IN FAVOR AYE, PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

THANK YOU.

ITEM 11 PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENT TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION CANDIDATE

[13. PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENT TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION]

I'M SORRY.

SEVEN CANDIDATES, WE HAD ONE WHO HAD REMOVED HIMSELF FROM THE LIST.

SO TONIGHT WE WILL BE INTERVIEWING BRITTANY ALLISON, JIM ELLIOTT, JESSICA GARCIA, JEFF GRUNDT.

HOPE I PRONOUNCED THAT CORRECTLY.

THANK YOU.

CRYSTAL JONES BACON.

CHRISTOPHER MATTSON AND JESSICA PERKINS.

SO I HAVE A SCRIPT TO FOLLOW.

AND SO I WORKED WITH THE FOLKS FROM THE DISTRICT OFFICE ON PREPARING THIS.

I PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT INTO TRYING TO MAKE SURE IT WAS DETAILED ENOUGH, SO IT MAY BE TOO DETAILED IF THERE'S ANY ERRORS.

IT'S MY BAD, NOT NOT THE DISTRICTS.

AND BEFORE I STARTED INTO IT, I WANT TO THANK CARL AND SUSAN AND MATT AND KEVIN FOR SPENDING THEIR SATURDAY MORNING WITH YOU CANDIDATES, BRINGING YOU UP TO SPEED ON AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE THAT YOU CAN LEARN IN ONE MORNING.

[INAUDIBLE] ON KIND OF THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF BEING A A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, SO I APPRECIATE THAT THAT EXTRA EFFORT AND APPRECIATE YOUR YOU'RE ATTENDING THE SEMINAR AND AND, YOU KNOW, LEARNING AS MUCH AS YOU COULD DO SO ON TO THE SCRIPT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING INTERESTED IN BECOMING A GOVERNING GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER OF THE BONITA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

WE CARRY OUT OUR DUTIES TO SUPPORT OUR TWO GREAT CITIES OF 70000 RESTAURANT RESIDENTS, 10000 STUDENTS AND 1100 EMPLOYEES AS A BOARD.

WE ARE NOW TASKED WITH SELECTING A FIFTH BOARD MEMBER THROUGH THE PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENT PROCESS.

THIS IS A RESPONSE TO THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT ALL FOUR OF US CURRENT MEMBERS TAKE SERIOUSLY.

THIS APPOINTED BOARD POSITION WILL BE UP FOR ELECTION AND ON THE BALLOT IN THE NOVEMBER

[00:10:01]

THE ELECTED TERM OF WHOMEVER WINS THIS SEAT IN NOVEMBER OF 2022 WILL BE FOR TWO YEARS, ENDING IN 2024.

WE ALSO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE COURAGE IT TAKES TO PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE AND WE SINCERELY APPLAUD ALL OF YOU.

TODAY'S PROCESS WILL BE AS FOLLOWS.

AFTER I FINISH EXPLAINING THE PROCESS, WE WILL BE ASKING ALL OF OUR APPLICANTS TO WAIT IN ONE OF THEIR MEETING ROOMS BEFORE AND AFTER YOUR INTERVIEWS.

THE RATIONALE IS SO THAT NO CANDIDATE HAS AN ADVANTAGE OVER SOMEONE ELSE BY HEARING THE QUESTIONS OR ANSWERS OF OTHERS UNTIL AFTER THE BOARD HAS MADE A DECISION.

AND AS A REMINDER, THIS MEETING IS BEING RECORDED AND WILL BE AVAILABLE LATER FOR VIEWING ONLINE.

AND UNLIKE AN INTERVIEW FOR EMPLOYMENT, WHICH CAN BE IN A PRIVATE SETTING, THIS APPOINTMENT PROCESS FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS NEEDS TO BE 100 PERCENT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

DURING THE INTERVIEWS, YOU WILL EACH HAVE 20 MINUTES TO TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.

ANSWER THE SAME EIGHT QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD AND PROVIDE ANY CLOSING STATEMENT.

YOU DON'T NEED TO USE ALL 20 MINUTES.

THE QUESTIONS WILL BE READ TO YOU ALOUD, AND A COPY OF THE QUESTIONS WILL ALSO BE TAPED TO THE PODIUM FOR YOUR REFERENCE IF, IF NEEDED.

YOU WILL ALSO SEE A TIME BOARD TO HELP YOU KEEP TRACK, YOU KNOW, FOR EVERYTHING.

KEEP TRACK OF HOW MUCH TIME YOU HAVE LEFT.

THE ORDER IN WHICH YOU WILL BE INTERVIEWED WILL BE RANDOM.

MARGARET MACDONALD WILL BE DRAWING AND ANNOUNCING THE NAMES, AND THEY'RE ALL IN THE LITTLE FISHBOWL THERE.

NOW, SINCE JESSICA PERKINS IS ATTENDING VIA ZOOM, WE WILL BEGIN WITH HER FIRST AND THEN GO TO THE RANDOM DRAWING WITH THE ZOOM FEED TURNED OFF.

SO SHE'LL BE WITH US VIA ZOOM FOR THE FIRST INTERVIEW AND THEN WE'LL CUT THAT FEED AND AND CARRY ON.

AFTER THE INTERVIEWS ALL OF YOU WILL BE INVITED BACK INTO THE BOARDROOM AND WE WILL RECONNECT WITH JESSICA PERKINS VIA ZOOM.

THERE IS THE POTENTIAL THAT ONE OR SOME OF YOU MAY BE ASKED BACK UP TO THE PODIUM IF A BOARD MEMBER DESIRES ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR CLARIFICATION.

IF SO, ALL CANDIDATES WILL REMAIN IN THE BOARD ROOM DURING THAT TIME AND THE ZOOM CONNECTION WILL BE MAINTAINED.

AFTER THAT, EACH BOARD MEMBER WILL THEN BE PROVIDED TIME TO ADDRESS THE CANDIDATES AS A GROUP AND PROVIDE ANY COMMENTS THEY DESIRE.

ABSENT ANY FURTHER DEBATE OR DELIBERATIONS, THERE WILL BE A MOTION TO A POINT MADE IF THERE IS A SECOND TO A MOTION TO THAT MOTION A VOTE OF WHAT WILL BE HELD IF THAT MOTION FAILS TO RECEIVE THREE VOTES FROM THE BOARD.

ANOTHER MOTION WILL BE ASKED.

THAT PROCESS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL A MINIMUM OF THREE VOTES IS CAST FOR A CANDIDATE.

IF AFTER A TIME, IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT THE BOARD IS NOT ABLE TO REACH A CONSENSUS.

THE BOARD WILL DISCUSS AND DECIDE WHAT OPTIONS WE HAVE AND WHAT ACTIONS WILL BE TAKEN HERE IN OPEN SESSION.

IF A CANDIDATE IS SELECTED TONIGHT, HE OR SHE WILL IMMEDIATELY TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE.

WE WILL ALSO BE HAVING A CEREMONIAL SWEARING IN AT THE OCTOBER MEETING TO ALLOW FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO ATTEND BEFORE WE GET STARTED.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANY OF THE CANDIDATES REGARDING THE PROCESS? VERY GOOD.

WE ARE THANKFUL FOR OUR AUDIENCE IN ATTENDANCE TONIGHT.

THE BOARD DESIRES THAT THIS PROCESS IS 100 PERCENT TRANSPARENT AND AUTHENTIC, AUTHENTIC.

WITH THAT SAID, REGARDLESS OF HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT A CANDIDATE'S ANSWERS, THERE ARE TO BE NO COMMENTS.

THIS IS AN INTERVIEW PROCESS, AND WE WANT ALL THE CANDIDATES TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS WITHOUT DISRUPTIONS, INCLUDING APPLAUSE.

ALSO, PLEASE ENSURE RIGHT NOW THAT YOUR CELL PHONE IS OFF OR MUTED.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

WE WILL NOW HAVE THE CANDIDATES MOVE INTO THE WAITING ROOM, AND IT'S WHEN IT'S YOUR TURN, SOMEONE WILL COME AND GET YOU.

BUT.

[00:15:13]

JESSICA, CAN YOU HEAR US? CAN.

HELLO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE HEAR YOU JUST FINE.

THANK YOU.

OK, WE'LL START THE TIMER NOW, AND I'LL ASK THE FIRST QUESTION, OK? BRIEFLY, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE BONITA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

OK.

MY NAME IS JESSICA PERKINS.

I WENT TO ALL OF MY SCHOOLING IN THE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

ALLEN AVENUE, RAMONA, AND BONITA, SO I HAVE A LOT OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH BONITA.

I ALSO HAVE TWO YOUNG BOYS WHO ARE STARTING THEIR JOURNEY WITH THE BONITA UNIFIED ONE IN FIRST GRADE ONE ABOUT TO BE IN PRE-K.

MY EXPERIENCE AND BACKGROUND I'M SORRY, I JUST GOT THE QUESTION FROM MARGARET.

IF YOU DON'T MIND GIVING ME A MOMENT TO PULL THAT OUT SO I CAN FOLLOW ALONG WITH YOU.

OK.

AND SO CURRENTLY, LIKE I SAID, I HAVE TWO, TWO YOUNG BOYS WHO ARE UP AND COMING BONITA UNIFIED.

AND I HAD ALL OF MY SCHOOLING AND THE UNIFIED, SO THAT IS THE INVOLVEMENT THAT I'VE HAD WITH THE UNIFIED THUS FAR, PROBABLY 18 YEARS OF MY LIFE.

AND THEN MY, MY CHILDREN AS WELL VERY GOOD.

THANK YOU.

PLEASE SHARE WITH US ANY PREVIOUS PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD WORKING WITH A TEAM.

AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT WORKING WITH A GROUP WHO HAS DIFFERING OPINIONS? THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION AND SOMETHING I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH.

IN MY CURRENT JOB, I LEAD MULTIPLE TEAMS DEVELOPING DIFFERENT SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS AND COORDINATING DIFFERENT TRAININGS.

AND I LEARNED THROUGH WORKING WITH TEAMS AND LEADING WITH TEAMS THAT RESPECT AND COOPERATION ARE THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT VALUES THAT YOU CAN HAVE WHEN YOU HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT OPINIONS AND VALUES.

YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL TO RESPECT THEIR VALUES, BUT ALSO INTERESTED ENOUGH IN THEM TO DISCUSS THAT AND WORK WITH THEM TO TRY TO MEET A COMMON GOAL.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ARE STILL ON THE SAME TEAM.

WHETHER WE DISAGREE ABOUT SOMETHING, WE ALL HAVE THE SAME END GOAL AND THROUGH RESPECT AND COLLABORATION IS HOW YOU GET TO THAT END GOAL.

OKAY.

NUMBER FOUR, OR NUMBER THREE RATHER, A NUMBER OF CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES SUCH AS MASK MANDATES, VACCINE TESTING MANDATES, CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND THE CALIFORNIA HEALTHY YOUTH ACT HAVE SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS CONCERNED.

CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS ON EACH OF THESE ISSUES AND HOW YOU WOULD PLAN TO HANDLE THEM IF SELECTED AS A BOARD MEMBER? WELL, I CAN SAY AS A PARENT, I AM ALSO CONCERNED.

THESE ARE VERY POLARIZING TOPICS.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY AND TRY TO GET AN IDEA OF WHAT THE PARENTS WANT FOR THEIR CHILDREN.

I ALSO KNOW AS A SCHOOL BOARD HAVE TO FOLLOW THE LAWS AND THE MANDATES THAT ARE PUT FORTH UPON US FROM THE STATE OR THE COUNTY, AND BEING SURE THAT WHILE FOLLOWING THE LAW, WE ARE STILL TAKING THE BEST INTERESTS OF OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE OUR FIRST PRIORITY.

AS A PARENT, I KNOW MASK CHOICE FOR ME HAS BEEN A BIG TOPIC.

I THINK I KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR MY CHILD.

I HOPE THAT ALL THE OTHER PARENTS PROBABLY FEEL THE SAME WAY.

I THINK MOST OF US KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR OWN CHILDREN, AND I HOPE TO BRING SOME OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS VALUES WHEN I COME TO THE BOARD ABOUT THESE TYPES OF TOPICS.

SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET A LOT OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT SO THAT AS A BOARD, WE FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND EVEN THE STUDENTS WANT.

MANY OF THE STUDENTS ARE OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE A SAY IN WHETHER THEY AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH SOME OF THESE TOPICS, AND IT WOULD BE, I THINK, BENEFICIAL FOR EVERYBODY IF WE GATHERED ALL OF THAT ENGAGEMENT AND FIGURED OUT HOW BEST TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THEM.

OKAY.

HOW WOULD YOU SEPARATE YOUR VIEWPOINTS AND THE VIEWPOINTS OF THE BOARD AS A WHOLE? WELL, ULTIMATELY THE BOARD IS ONE UNIFIED OBJECT, AND FOR ANY TEAM TO WORK

[00:20:08]

WHETHER YOU AGREE OR YOU DON'T AGREE.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ALL HAVE TO COME TO THE SAME CONSENSUS FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE CHILDREN.

I THINK I KIND OF LIKE WHEN YOU'RE ON A JURY, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO GET EVERYBODY ON THE ON THE SAME PAGE, AND IT MIGHT TAKE SOME PEOPLE A LITTLE LONGER TO GET THERE.

BUT AGAIN, RESPECT AND DISCUSSION OF THE TOPICS.

I DO BELIEVE THAT IT IS.

IT IS DOABLE TO HAVE DIFFERING OPINIONS OR VALUES, BUT STILL COME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION THAT IS ULTIMATELY WHAT IS GOING TO BEST BENEFIT THE CHILDREN IN THE SCHOOLS.

OK, IF A PARENT, GUARDIAN, COMMUNITY MEMBER OR SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP CALLS YOU WITH A VALID CONCERN, WHAT STEPS WOULD YOU TAKE AFTER THE CONTACT? WELL, THE FIRST THING I WOULD DO IS TRY TO FIND THE APPROPRIATE PERSON FOR THAT CONCERN.

I KNOW AS A BOARD MEMBER, WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL TO NOT BE THE GO BETWEEN BETWEEN THE APPROPRIATE CONTACT AND THE BOARD.

WE DO NEED TO MAINTAIN SOME SEPARATE LINES I GUESS, BETWEEN COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND PARENTS.

THERE ARE ALWAYS CONTACTS FOR CERTAIN CONCERNS, SO I WOULD MAKE SURE TO BE.

INFORMED ON WHO THOSE CONTACTS WERE AND PROVIDE THOSE CONTACTS TO THE CONCERNED PARTY.

OK, NEXT, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR HEARD SOMETHING.

SORRY.

START OVER.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE, WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME? I THINK MY BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE WAS TRANSITIONING ONE OF THE TRAININGS I PREVIOUSLY GAVE IN PERSON TO A 100 PERCENT VIRTUAL FORMAT.

I'M SURE A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD AGREE THAT IT IS VERY CHALLENGING TO TAKE AN IN-PERSON HANDS ON COURSE AND TRANSITION IT TO A VIRTUAL MEDIUM.

I THINK MY ROLE IS, AS I WAS THE THE DEVELOPER OF THE TRAINING COURSE, BUT I'M NOT ALWAYS A TECH PERSON, SO I HAD TO MAKE SURE I HAD THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO HELP ME GET TO WHERE I NEEDED TO BE, SO I HAD TO GET THE WEB DEVELOPERS INVOLVED.

I HAD TO GET OTHER [INAUDIBLE] PEOPLE INVOLVED WHO HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPERIENCE WITH THE TRANSITION OF IN-PERSON TO WEB TRAININGS.

SO I THINK REALIZING THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE SUFFICIENT SKILLS TO DO SOMETHING ON MY OWN AND GOING OUT AND FINDING THE PEOPLE THAT DID AND GATHERING ALL OF THEIR INFORMATION SO THAT I COULD THEN PROCEED TO SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITION MY MY TRAINING.

AND WE GIVEN IT THREE TIMES THUS FAR, SO IT HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL.

OK, THANK YOU.

AT TIMES, THE BOARD MUST UPHOLD CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS MADE BY OTHER GOVERNING BODIES WITH WHICH YOU MAY NOT AGREE.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOUR ROLE IN THESE SITUATIONS, AND HOW WOULD YOU ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY REMAIN UNITED AND FEEL ACCEPTED AND VALUED? WELL, THIS IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION AS WELL.

I THINK A LOT OF US ARE FEELING THAT THERE ARE SOME CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS THAT HAVE BEEN FORCED UPON THE STUDENTS.

I THINK ONE THING I PERSONALLY HAVE APPRECIATED AS A PARENT THAT THE BOARD HAS DONE IS IS PUT THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS ON THE STUDENTS.

THERE IS A MASK MANDATE THAT YOU GUYS WERE VERY PROACTIVE.

YOU ALLOW FOR A MASK MANDATE.

I THINK THAT THAT SHOWS THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU TRULY DO CARE.

YOU ARE LISTENING AND YOU'RE DOING WHAT YOU CAN.

AND I THINK AS A BOARD, THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.

WE CAN CONTROL WHAT THE STATE IS GOING TO PUT ON US, BUT WE CAN TRY TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS, THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS THAT IT COULD HAVE ON A STUDENT BY MAYBE DOING THE MINIMUM OR OFFERING AN EXEMPTION LIKE LIKE YOU HAVE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST.

I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

IT ALLOWS FOR PEOPLE TO FEEL MORE EMPOWERED THAT THEY DO HAVE MORE OF A SAY IN THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION.

I THINK ULTIMATELY, AS A PARENT, THAT'S ALL WE REALLY WANT AT THE END OF THE DAY.

SO JUST RESPECTING THE PARENTS WHO SHOW UP, WHETHER THEY AGREE WITH MY VIEWS OR THEY DON'T AGREE WITH MY VIEWS, IT DOES TAKE A LOT OF COURAGE TO STAND UP AT THAT PODIUM.

I'VE DONE IT A FEW TIMES.

I WAS SHAKY EVERY TIME.

SO I RESPECT ANYBODY THAT HAS THE COURAGE TO GET OUT THERE AND STAND UP FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN AND THEIR KIDS.

AND AS A BOARD, I HOPE THAT WE CAN COME TOGETHER TO DO OUR BEST TO FULFILL THOSE THOSE REQUESTS.

OK, FINAL QUESTION.

[00:25:01]

I AM NEVER SETTLE SATISFIED UNTIL THE JOB IS DONE, AND I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT NOT ONLY MY CHILDREN, BUT ALL OF THE CHILDREN IN THE DISTRICT.

I THINK IF I WERE TO PRIORITIZE, THE KIDS WERE ALWAYS FIRST.

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S THE BOARD MANTRA AS WELL AS THE KIDS ARE ALWAYS THE FIRST PRIORITY.

I KNOW THERE ARE OTHER VERY LARGE TOPICS LIKE BUDGET AND EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND ALL THOSE THINGS.

BUT IF YOU HAVE THE KIDS FIRST, THE OTHER PRIORITIES WILL FALL INTO PLACE.

I'M NOT SURE I CAN REALLY SPEAK TO WHAT THE PRIORITIES ARE BECAUSE I DON'T PLAN ON COMING INTO THE BOARD AND UPROOTING ALL OF THE PRIORITIES THAT YOU'VE ALREADY PUT INTO PLACE.

I THINK MAYBE AFTER 30 OR 60 DAYS OF UNDERSTANDING THE JOB AND UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE PRIORITIES CURRENTLY LIE, THEN I WOULD HAVE A BETTER SENSE OF WHERE I THINK THE PRIORITIES SHOULD BE.

BUT ULTIMATELY, AS LONG AS THE KIDS ARE NUMBER ONE, I THINK THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.

THAT CONCLUDES OUR QUESTIONS, DO YOU HAVE A CLOSING STATEMENT FOR THE BOARD? I DO.

THANK YOU.

OK.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HAVING ME.

UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS FEELING A BIT UNDER THE WEATHER, SO I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING THERE IN PERSON.

BUT I DO APPRECIATE THE ABILITY TO ZOOM BECAUSE THIS WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME.

IN CLOSING, I'M HONORED AND EXCITED TO BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN THE BONITA UNIFIED SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION AS A PAST STUDENT OF THE USD AND MOTHER OF TWO WHO ARE JUST STARTING THEIR JOURNEY.

THIS LITTLE BOARD POSITION FEELS EVEN MORE SPECIAL FOR ME TO GET A SENSE OF THE OTHER CANDIDATES.

I READ THROUGH ALL THE APPLICATIONS AND WAS VERY IMPRESSED.

IT BECAME CLEAR THAT WE ALL AGREE ON MOSTLY THE SAME THINGS.

WE ALL CARE DEEPLY ABOUT THE STUDENTS MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH.

THE USD'S GREATEST STRENGTH IS THEIR STAFF AND COVID HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE THE DISTRICT HAS FACED THIS YEAR.

I DEFINITELY DO NOT ENVY YOUR POSITION OF HAVING TO CHOOSE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT SEEMS THE ONLY THINGS THAT MIGHT MAKE US DIFFERENT ARE OUR BACKGROUNDS, OCCUPATIONS AND HISTORY IN THE COMMUNITY.

SO LET ME TELL YOU WHY I THINK I CAN BRING SOMETHING THAT SEPARATES ME FROM THE REST.

I WAS ALWAYS DRIVEN, AND I BELIEVE A PROPER PLAN OF ACTION IS KEY FOR SUCCESS.

IT'S EASY TO SAY YOU WANT RESULTS, BUT WITHOUT IMPLEMENTING A HOW RESULTS ARE UNATTAINABLE.

I'M OBSESSED WITH HOW AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IN MY OWN LIFE WAS A DISCUSSION MY HUSBAND AND I HAD ABOUT HOW TO RAISE GOOD HUMAN BEINGS.

I MEAN, WHO DOESN'T WANT THAT RIGHT? SO WE SAT AND HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE WERE GOING TO ACHIEVE THIS.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE IMPLEMENTED WAS A FAMILY NIGHT ROUNDTABLE WHERE WE EACH DISCUSS ONE GOOD DEED THAT WE HAD DONE DURING THE DAY.

WE HAD A PLAN AND WE EXECUTED IT.

I BELIEVE IS GOING TO BENEFIT THE DISTRICT AS WELL WITH THE EIGHT AREAS OF FOCUS THAT THE DISTRICT HAS GOALS FOR, WITH THE EVER CHANGING MANDATES, REGULATIONS AND COVID REQUIREMENTS.

FINDING A HOW TO MEET THESE GOALS BECOMES MORE CHALLENGING.

I WANT TO BRING THAT TYPE OF FOCUS, HARD WORK AND OBSESSION WITH GETTING THINGS DONE, SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH A SAFE, CHALLENGING AND COMPREHENSIVE.

[INAUDIBLE] THANK YOU, JESSICA.

JESSICA, COULD YOU REPEAT ABOUT YOUR LAST THREE SENTENCES YOUR FEED STOPPED FOR A MOMENT THERE.

I'M SORRY.

OH, THAT WAS THE MOST IMPACTFUL PART.

[LAUGHTER] I'M NOT SURE WHERE YOU LOST ME FOUR SENTENCES.

THE EIGHT AREAS OF FOCUS.

DID YOU HEAR THAT ONE? YES.

OK.

SO THE EIGHT AREAS OF FOCUS OF THE DISTRICT COUNCIL WERE WITH THE EVER CHANGING MANDATES, REGULATIONS AND COVID REQUIREMENTS, FINDING A HOW TO MEET OUR GOALS BECOMES MORE CHALLENGING.

I WANT TO BRING THAT TYPE OF FOCUS, HARD WORK AND OBSESSION WITH GETTING THINGS DONE, SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH A SAFE, CHALLENGING AND COMPREHENSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THAT IT WILL SHAPE THEM AND PREPARE THEM FOR THEIR FUTURE.

[00:30:01]

[APPLAUSE] THANK YOU, JESSICA.

WE WILL.

WE WILL SEND YOU TO THE ZOOM WAITING ROOM AND PAT YOU BACK IN LATER.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

LET'S LET'S.

LET'S LET'S WAIT UNTIL THE FEED IS OFF.

OK.

PLEASE DRAW.

JIM ELLIOT, I AM STILL HERE.

I CAN LEAVE.

[LAUGHTER] THANK YOU.

OH, SURE.

I WILL LEAVE THE MEETING IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO JUST SHOOT ME A TEXT I CAN JOIN BACK ON WHEN IT'S TIME, IF THAT'S THE BEST WAY.

[INAUDIBLE] I THINK OUR TECHNOLOGIST IS WORKING ON IT.

YEAH, JUST I WANT YOU GO AHEAD AND GO AND SIGN OUT, AND THEN WE WILL CONFIRM THAT.

AND THEN WE WILL ALSO, AFTER EVERYBODY'S DONE, REACH BACK OUT TO YOU.

OKAY, PERFECT.

I'LL GO AHEAD AND LOG OUT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING, JIM.

ARE YOU READY TO GO? JUST START.

NO, WE'LL START WITH EIGHT QUESTIONS, AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY AT THE END FOR A SUMMARY.

QUESTION ONE.

BRIEFLY, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE BONITA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

I'VE BEEN IN THE DISTRICT FOR 33 YEARS.

FORMER BOARD MEMBER AND OVERALL SUPER FAN OF THIS DISTRICT AND ALL THAT IT STANDS FOR, I'M A I'M A DAD.

PARENT OF TWO BONITA UNIFIED K-12 GRADUATES.

I WAS IN BOOSTER'S.

I WAS A CHAPERON ON A HAMBURGER FLIPPER.

BOTH MY CHILDREN WERE IN SCHOOL AGED CARE AND I WAS INVOLVED IN PTA SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL.

YOU KNOW AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL BEFORE I WAS ELECTED TO SCHOOL BOARD, I SERVED ON THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY GROUP AND THEN WHEN I WAS ELECTED AS A PARENT, A CONTINUING PARENT, I WAS ON [INAUDIBLE] ACCREDITATION COMMITTEES.

I SERVED ON A MAJOR SEAT BOND COMMITTEE, MAJOR A B BOND COMMITTEE AND AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, I SERVED 14 YEARS THREE TIMES AS PRESIDENT.

I WAS A MEMBER OF AD HOC COMMITTEES, WHICH PARTNERING WITH OUR LOCAL CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.

AND SINCE LEAVING SCHOOL BOARD, I SERVED ON THE BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.

THAT'S KIND OF THE SHORT, SHORT VERSION.

PLEASE SHARE WITH US ANY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD WORKING WITH A TEAM.

AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT WORKING WITH A GROUP WHO HAS DIFFERING OPINIONS? OH, GREAT QUESTION.

YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE THAT DIFFERING OPINIONS, YOU KNOW, ARE THE KEY INGREDIENTS TO GET IT RIGHT, THAT FRICTION, THAT INTERACTION.

THE STARTING POINT FOR ME ALWAYS NEEDS TO WORK ON ESTABLISHED VALUES AND A COMMON SOURCE OF TRUTH LIKE DATA, REGULATION, LAW AND ALL OF WHICH I BELIEVE SHOULD FORM A PROCESS TO GET TO AN AGREEMENT.

I BELIEVE SCHOOL BOARDS SHOULD ALWAYS WORK THROUGH ISSUES WITH THE GOAL OF A UNANIMOUS DECISION.

YOU KNOW, THE TRUTH IS, OFTENTIMES PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR BELIEFS.

AND I THINK IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO FIND A WAY TO WORK, WHETHER IT'S WITHIN THE BOARD, WITHIN THE DISTRICT OR THE COMMUNITIES THE DISTRICT SERVES.

A NUMBER OF CONTROVERSIAL CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES SUCH AS MASK MANDATES, VACCINE TESTING MANDATES, CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND THE CALIFORNIA HEALTHY YOUTH HEALTHY YOUTH ACT HAVE SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS CONCERNED.

CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS ON EACH OF THESE ISSUES AND HOW YOU WOULD PLAN TO HANDLE THEM IF SELECTED AS A BOARD MEMBER? SO IN MY VIEW, OFTENTIMES PEOPLE HAVE STRONG BELIEFS OR ARE OR WHEN WE'RE DEALING WITH CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES SUCH AS VACCINE TESTING MANDATES, CRITICAL RACE THEORY, WHICH IS REALLY ABOUT ETHNIC STUDIES AND THE VALUE OF THAT IN OUR OVERALL EDUCATION.

CALIFORNIA HEALTHY YOUTH ACT FOLKS, IT NEEDS PROPER CONCERN, BUT

[00:35:04]

AND I THINK OFTENTIMES MAYBE A MISUNDERSTANDING OF CURRENT LAWS AND LIMITATIONS, PUBLIC HEALTH LAWS AND SO ON.

EITHER WAY, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BECOME CLEAR ABOUT THEIR STORY, WHY THEY TEND TO BE DIFFICULT OR CONTROVERSIAL ABOUT WHATEVER ISSUE WE'RE DISCUSSING.

BUT I THINK IN THE END, WE NEED TO FOCUS OURSELVES ON A GROUNDED FOCUS AND COMMON VALUES AND GET TO THE BEST OUTCOME.

THESE ARE THE ISSUES THAT ARE BEFORE US TODAY, AND IT'S THE SCHOOL BOARDS INCUMBENT RESPONSIBILITY TO WORK THROUGH THESE, WITH THE FACTS, WITH THE DATA WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE LAW.

MASKING AND VACCINES IS SOMETHING THAT NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART.

IT MIGHT WORK CEO FOR CALIFORNIA CORRECTIONAL HEALTH CARE AND OUR RESPONSE TO COVID 19 HAS BEEN QUITE AN EXPERIENCE.

SO I BELIEVE IN THE SCIENCE AND I BELIEVE IN FOLLOWING PUBLIC HEALTH LAWS AND PUBLIC HEALTH ORDERS.

HOW WOULD YOU SEPARATE YOUR VIEWPOINTS AND THE VIEWPOINTS OF THE BOARD AS A WHOLE? WELL, I THINK THE SUCCESS OF A BOARD MEMBER IS REALLY THE SUCCESS OF THE BOARD AT LARGE, IN OTHER WORDS, INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBERS CERTAINLY HAVE A POINT OF VIEW AND A CERTAIN SET OF BELIEFS.

BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT BEING A PART OF THE TEAM OF SIX FIVE BOARD MEMBERS AND THE SUPERINTENDENT THAT PEOPLE ARE WATCHING AND IT'S THE PROCESS THAT WE NEED TO EMBARK ON AND BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IS REALLY ABOUT WHAT'S BEST FOR THE KIDS, WHAT'S BEST FOR THE DISTRICT AND THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE, AND NOT ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBER.

OUR POLITICAL BELIEFS OR IDEOLOGIES.

IF A PARENT, GUARDIAN, COMMUNITY MEMBER OR SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP CALLS YOU WITH A VALID CONCERN, WHAT STEPS WOULD YOU TAKE AFTER THE CONTACT? GREAT QUESTION.

AND YOU KNOW, THE TRUTH IS, I THINK BOARD MEMBERS JOB IS TO LISTEN, CERTAINLY KIND OF ASK FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE CLEAR ON WHATEVER IT IS THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT.

BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S A REAL CAUTIONARY NOTE.

WHETHER IT INVOLVES REDIRECTING THEM BACK TO A TEACHER, PRINCIPAL OR SUPERINTENDENT, BOARD MEMBERS REALLY CANNOT GET INVOLVED IN ACTING ON THEIR OWN AGAINST POLICY OR ANY OTHER ISSUE.

I THINK IN MY EXPERIENCE AND MY BELIEF IS THAT THEIR JOB IS TO LISTEN AND TO REDIRECT AND THEN TO FOLLOW UP WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT.

IT'S ONE OF THE INCUMBENT JOBS OF A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TO KEEP PUBLIC EDUCATION PUBLIC.

WE'RE IN THE COMMUNITY.

WE NEED TO BE A PART OF THAT COMMUNITY AND TO LISTEN AND PARTICIPATE.

BUT THE PROCESS REALLY NEEDS TO BE A RESPONSIBLE BOARD MEMBER, IN MY VIEW, NEEDS TO REDIRECT THROUGH THE PROCESS BECAUSE YOU CANNOT SPEAK OR ACT ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD AS AN INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBER.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE? WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE, AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME? I HINTED AT IT JUST A MINUTE AGO.

MY GREATEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE IN ALL MY YEARS IN HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION OVER 30 WAS TO FORMULATE OUR RESPONSE TO COVID 19.

AND THAT'S SIGNIFICANT.

DELIVERING HEALTH CARE INSIDE OF A STATE PRISON IS QUITE A CHALLENGE ON A GOOD DAY.

BUT OUR PROCESS WAS IN MARCH OF 2020.

I ASSEMBLED MY EXECUTIVE TEAM AND ALL OF OUR SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS WITH THE NOTION THAT WHATEVER WE DO AND HOWEVER WE DO, IT NEEDS TO BE BASED ON PATIENT CARE AND TREATMENT, EFFECTIVE AND TIMELY COMMUNICATION TO THE STAFF, TO THE FAMILY, TO VARIOUS EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS SUCH AS THE PRESS AND RELENTLESS LEGAL INQUIRIES.

ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES WITHIN THIS PROCESS WAS TRANSLATING THE EVER CHANGING SOMETIMES TWO OR THREE TIMES A DAY GUIDANCE EITHER FROM HEADQUARTERS OR THE CDC OR

[00:40:05]

OR IN THE END, THOUGH, OUR FOCUS ON SUPPORT FOR STAFF TO DELIVER CARE TO THE PATIENTS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME, AND OUR ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR BEST PRACTICE, LOW PATIENT MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WITH THINGS REGARDING OUR MANAGEMENT.

OUTBREAK MANAGEMENT, TESTING AND DISEASE TRACING.

VACCINATION RATES.

AND WE'VE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR INNOVATION IN DEVELOPING INTERACTIVE TRACKING TOOLS.

ALL IN IN THE END LED TO SUPERIOR CLINICAL OUTCOMES, AND WE'VE SAVED SOME LIVES.

AT TIMES, THE BOARD MUST UPHOLD CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS MADE BY OTHER GOVERNING GOVERNING BODIES WITH WHICH YOU MAY NOT AGREE.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOUR ROLE IN THESE SITUATIONS, AND HOW WOULD YOU ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY REMAIN UNITED AND FEEL ACCEPTED AND VALUED? SO, SO HERE'S THE THING.

IN MY VIEW? LET ME MAKE SURE I GET THE.

IN MY VIEW, IT'S NOT ABOUT ME OR MY BELIEFS OR IDEOLOGY, IT'S REALLY ABOUT WHAT'S BEST FOR KIDS, WHAT'S BEST FOR THE DISTRICT WITHIN A PROCESS THAT THE BOARD HAS TO HAS TO WORK THROUGH, RIGHT? THAT'S THE STUFF OF DISAGREEMENT, BUT GETTING TO THE RIGHT ANSWER AS A GROUP.

AND IT'S A PROCESS, AND IT REALLY NEEDS TO FOCUS ON AGAIN SHARED VALUES.

FOUNDED IN A SOURCE OF TRUTH, DATA LAWS OR ALL OF THE ABOVE AND REALLY GETTING TO A PROCESS WHERE WE ASK OURSELVES QUESTIONS OF FIRST, WHY WHATEVER IT IS WE'RE GOING TO DO OR NEED TO DO NEEDS TO BE DONE.

WHAT WE INTEND ON DOING AND THEN HOW WE INTEND TO DO IT.

AND I BELIEVE IN IN A PROCESS.

AND THAT'S REALLY THE ESSENTIAL NUTS AND BOLTS OF HOW TO GET IT RIGHT.

SO COLLABORATION IS THE STUFF THAT GETS US TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE.

WHAT STRENGTHS WOULD YOU BRING AS A MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BOARD AND WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TOP THREE PRIORITIES FOR THE DISTRICT? MY STRENGTHS ARE AN UNAPOLOGETIC LOVE FOR THIS DISTRICT AND ALWAYS FOCUSING ON WHAT'S BEST FOR CHILDREN AND THE DISTRICT AT LARGE.

I HAVE NO PERSONAL AGENDA AND MY MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS A BOARD MEMBER AS PART OF THIS TEAM OF SIX, IN MY VIEW, AS A TESTAMENT TO MY FIRM COMMITMENT AND ALWAYS GETTING TO DO THE RIGHT THING, BEING PROFESSIONAL AND UPHOLDING THE OFFICE IN WHICH WE'RE CHARGED WITH.

AND THAT'S A PRECIOUS THING.

SO I THINK THE TOP THREE PRIORITIES OF THE DISTRICT.

FIRST AND FOREMOST NEEDS TO BE OUR COMPREHENSIVE AND PROACTIVE RESPONSE TO COVID 19 TO SEE THIS THROUGH AS IT CONTINUES TO CHANGE AND THAT IT NEEDS TO BE ROOTED IN SCIENCE, PUBLIC HEALTH LAWS, PUBLIC HEALTH ORDERS.

AND BEYOND THAT, WE NEED YOU TO BE GREAT COMMUNICATORS, EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS WITH ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE A PART OF THIS DISTRICT, REGARDLESS OF THEIR PLACE.

ALL WITH AN EYE TOWARDS PUTTING THE DISTRICT IN THE BEST PLACE AND NOT AT RISK EITHER LEGALLY OR FINANCIALLY.

SECOND ARE OUR PROACTIVE MANAGEMENT OF OUR LONG TERM FISCAL HEALTH.

THIS IS NOTHING NEW.

SCHOOL BOARDS ARE ALWAYS WRESTLING WITH BUDGETS AND THERE'S UPS AND DOWNS.

BUT I THINK A GOOD EXAMPLE LONG TERM BESIDES COVID AND OUR RESPONSE TO COVID AND COVID FUNDING WILL EVENTUALLY WANE IS OUR DISTRICT'S PRIORITIES FINANCIALLY TOWARDS THE EVER-GROWING OBLIGATIONS FOR STIRS AND CALPERS.

THAT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING THAT THE DISTRICT HAVE TO CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE OVER THE LONG HAUL, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND.

AND THIRD, I THINK RIGHT AWAY, SOMETHING THAT THE DISTRICT IS COMMITTED TO IS

[00:45:07]

AND IT'LL BE BRAND NEW AND IT'S GOING TO BE A PROCESS AND A TOUGH, TOUGH OBLIGATION THAT I BELIEVE THAT YOU ALL MADE THE RIGHT DECISION TO GET AHEAD OF THIS ISSUE.

SO THE DISTRICT'S NOT AT RISK OF LAWSUIT AND THAT YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER OVER THAT ISSUE.

SO I KNOW IMMEDIATELY ALONG WITH COVID, THOSE ARE THE TWO PRIORITIES THAT I SEE, AND I REALLY WANT TO BE A PART OF YOUR TEAM TO WORK THROUGH THAT AND GET TO THE BEST, BEST PLACE.

THAT CONCLUDES OUR QUESTIONS, DO YOU HAVE A CLOSING STATEMENT FOR THE BOARD? I DO.

THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT.

YOU KNOW, WE WERE AT SATURDAY AT THE CANDIDATES WORKSHOP AND CARL GAVE US AN ENVELOPE AND HE SAID, YOU KNOW, SPEND SOME TIME AND WRITE DOWN THE WHY? WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER? SO HERE IT IS, MR. PRESIDENT, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THE SUPERINTENDENT, EXECUTIVE CABINET AND THOSE HERE IN THE GALLERY AND WATCHING AT HOME.

I'M HERE BEFORE YOU TONIGHT TO RECOMMIT MYSELF, MY TIME AND MY EXPERIENCE TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT I LOVE BY ONCE AGAIN SERVING AS A BOARD MEMBER OF YOUR GOVERNING BOARD TEAM.

THE DISTRICT WHERE MY TWO CHILDREN GRADUATED ONE FROM SAN DIMAS AND ONE FROM BONITA AND WHERE I WAS PROUD TO HAVE BEEN PART OF THIS GOVERNING BOARD TEAM OF SIX FOR MANY YEARS, STARTING IN 2003, THE TIME WHEN MANY CHALLENGES WERE MET WITH THOUGHTFUL YET DELIBERATE DECISIONS, ALL WITH AN EYE TOWARDS THE LONG TERM.

I AM PERSONALLY COMMITTED TO ONCE AGAIN SERVE AS A MEMBER OF YOUR TEAM SO THAT TOGETHER WE CAN CONTINUE FINDING THE BEST WAY TO SERVE THE CHILDREN AND COMMUNITIES OF BONITA UNIFIED AT A DIFFICULT TIME IN THE DISTRICT'S HISTORY.

I KNOW THAT BEING A RESPONSIBLE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MEANS THAT DECISIONS A BOARD MEMBER MAKES CAN NEVER BE ABOUT YOU OR PERSONAL POLITICAL INTERESTS OR IDEOLOGY.

I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THE SUCCESS OF ANY INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER IS TIED TO THE BEHAVIOR AND SUCCESS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT AS A TEAM.

DECISIONS MUST ALWAYS BE ABOUT WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR CHILDREN WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF STATE AND FEDERAL LAW EDUCATION CODE AND NOW MORE THAN EVER, PUBLIC HEALTH LAW AND RELATED ORDERS.

I RESPECT THE BOARD AS AN INSTITUTION AND KNOW THAT SCHOOL BOARDS DEAL WITH DIFFICULT ISSUES, FROM BUDGETS TO GRIEVANCES AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.

AND I BELIEVE THAT THE BOARD TEAM MUST SET A POSITIVE TONE AND ALWAYS MAKE THEIR DECISIONS BASED ON LAW, EQUITY, FAIRNESS, ESTABLISH GOALS AND PRIORITIES COUPLED WITH ROBUST DATA ALL WITHIN THE LIMITATIONS AND RESOURCES THE DISTRICT HAS TO WORK WITH.

I RESPECT AND TAKE SERIOUSLY THE OATH A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MAKES TO THE OFFICE AND THE PUBLIC TRUST.

IT ENTAILS, TRUST WHICH MUST BE EARNED AND MAINTAINED IN THE COURSE OF YOUR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, GROUNDED IN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND FOCUSED ON FIRST ON UNDERSTANDING THE WHY AND HOW IT RELATES TO THE BIGGER QUESTION.

SO I REALLY THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION, AND REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS TONIGHT, I WANT TO COMMIT TO YOU ALL AGAIN, BOTH NOW AND IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS AHEAD TO CONTINUE TO LEARN BY DOING MY HOMEWORK, ASKING QUESTIONS, COLLABORATION AND MAKING DECISIONS AS A MEMBER OF THE TEAM.

AND BY CELEBRATING OUR SHARED SUCCESS.

SO THANK YOU.

I THINK JUST ABOUT ON TIME.

PRETTY GOOD.

THANK YOU, JIM.

YEAH.

OK.

CRYSTAL JONES BACON.

[00:51:05]

HELLO.

IT CAME TO MY NOTICE THAT IN THE INSTRUCTIONS, I DID NOT POINT OUT THAT EACH OF THE CANDIDATES WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY AT THE END OF THE QUESTIONING FOR A CLOSING STATEMENT.

SO PLEASE KNOW THAT.

ARE YOU READY? READY AS I'LL EVER BE.

OK, WE'LL START WITH BRIEFLY.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE BONITA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON SCHOOL BOARD AND EVERYBODY ELSE.

MY NAME IS CRYSTAL JONES BACON AND I AM A MOTHER OF A NOW GRADUATED SAN DIMAS [INAUDIBLE] AND A SOPHOMORE AT SAN DIMAS AS WELL.

I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN SAN DIMAS HIGH SCHOOL SINCE WE GOT HERE FIVE YEARS AGO.

AND AS A PARENT, I'VE ALWAYS OPTED TO BE VERY INVOLVED IN NOT JUST MY DAUGHTER'S SCHOOL LIVES, BUT THEIR EXTRACURRICULARS AND ANYTHING THAT I CAN DO.

AND AS WE TRANSITIONED OUT OF PRIVATE SCHOOL, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I DID THE SAME WITH BONITA AND THREW MYSELF INTO EVERYTHING THAT I COULD ASSIST WITH.

I TEND TO BE SOMEBODY WHO ENJOYS HELPING AND AS A NERD WHEN IT COMES TO PAPERWORK AND POLICY, I WORK IN INSURANCE.

I END UP BEING ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE OF A LOT OF THINGS.

SO WITH THAT, I'VE BEEN THE SECRETARY OF THE SAN DIMAS HIGH SCHOOL SINCE [INAUDIBLE] FOR SOME YEARS NOW.

I BELIEVE THREE YEARS, THREE AND A HALF YEARS, FOUR ISH.

I'M CURRENTLY THE SECRETARY OF THE SAN DIMAS BOOSTER CLUB.

I'M A MEMBER OF THE LA VERNE SAN DIMAS WOMEN'S CLUB, WHICH IS NEW AND I'VE BEEN ON THE PTA FOR THREE YEARS AND I JUST FINISHED MY SECOND TERM AS THE SECRETARY AT SAN DIMAS HIGH SCHOOL.

AND THIS YEAR, EARLIER THIS YEAR, LAST SCHOOL YEAR.

BUT EARLIER THIS YEAR, I WAS JUST APPOINTED AS THE LEGISLATIVE AND ADVOCACY CHAIR FOR THE BONITA PTA OVERALL.

PLEASE SHARE WITH US ANY EXPERIENCE, ANY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD WITH WORKING WITH A TEAM.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT WORKING WITH A GROUP WHO HAS DIFFERING OPINIONS? I HAVE WORKED WITH TEAMS JUST ABOUT MY WHOLE LIFE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE PAST FIVE YEARS.

SO I STARTED MY WORK CAREER AT THE POSTAL SERVICE AND I WAS PART OF THE POSTAL TEAM IN OUR OFFICE AND THEN SMALLER AS A CLERK.

I MOVED UP TO MANAGEMENT THERE AND I AT A YOUNG AGE, I WAS MANAGING PEOPLE WHO WERE MY PARENTS' AGE AND ACTUALLY MY GRANDPARENTS AGE, WHICH WAS INTERESTING.

AND SO I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT WHAT DIPLOMACY MEANS AND HOW YOU WORK WITH OTHER PEOPLE BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO THINK LIKE I DO, BECAUSE THE BIGGEST THING I'VE LEARNED IS THAT IF I SURROUND MYSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO JUST THINK THE WAY THAT I DO, THEN MY WORLD IS THIS BIG WHEN IN ALL ACTUALITY, THE WORLD IS THIS THING.

AND SO I THINK THAT IN WORKING WITH TEAMS AND WORKING WITH OTHERS, YOU'RE ABLE TO LISTEN, YOU'RE ABLE TO LEARN AND YOU'RE ABLE TO BROADEN AND UNDERSTAND OTHER PEOPLE'S PERSPECTIVES.

AND FROM THERE IS WHERE TRUE GROWTH HAPPENS.

AND SO AFTER THE POSTAL SERVICE, I CAME HOME AND I WORKED AT LOWE'S AGAIN.

MANAGING WENT ALL THE WAY UP AND I WAS MANAGING AGAIN A TEAM OF ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY ISH PEOPLE AT THE TIME.

AND I THINK THAT WORKING AT LOWE'S WAS ONE OF MY ONE OF THE GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCES AS A TEAM MEMBER BECAUSE AS A MANAGER, ALTHOUGH I WAS YOUNGER, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS CAN HEAR ME AS A MANAGER.

ALTHOUGH I WAS YOUNGER, I WAS MANAGING A LOT OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WELL, NEWLY GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND INTRODUCING THEM INTO THE WORLD OF WORK.

[00:55:01]

YOU HAVE TO BE HERE FIVE MINUTES EARLY.

AND I THINK THAT IN WORKING WITH A YOUNGER DEMOGRAPHIC, I STARTED TO LEARN HOW TO TEACH THEM WHAT THEY NEEDED TO LEARN AND HOW AND THE SKILLS THAT THEY NEEDED TO LEARN TO CARRY ON INTO THE REST OF THEIR LIVES AND THEIR FUTURE CAREERS.

SO A LOT OF THEM, I SEE THEM THESE DAYS AND I GET MESSAGES SOMETIMES AND THEY'RE LIKE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

YOU KNOW, YOU WROTE ME THIS LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION AND NOW I'M HERE AND THIS NOW I'M DOING THAT.

AND I THINK THAT REALLY WORKING AS A TEAM OVERALL AND MANAGING TEAMS IS SOMETHING THAT I ENJOY.

CURRENTLY, I AM A MEMBER OF BOARDS AND I WORK WITH TEAMS TO, YOU KNOW, RUN BINGO TO KEEP THINGS MOVING FORWARD IN OUR BOOSTER CLUBS.

AND I, I JUST ENJOY WORKING WITH PEOPLE.

I'M A PEOPLE PERSON.

A NUMBER OF CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES SUCH AS MASK MANDATES, VACCINE TESTING MANDATES, CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND THE CALIFORNIA HEALTHY YOUTH ACT HAVE SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS CONCERNED.

CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS ON EACH OF THESE ISSUES AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HANDLE THEM IF SELECTED AS A BOARD MEMBER? OK, SO MASK MANDATES, I'M A RULE FOLLOWER AND I TEND TO FOLLOW THE RULES.

IF THE RULE IS THAT WE HAVE TO WEAR A MASK, THEN I'M GOING TO PUT A MASK ON BECAUSE AS A LEADER, I BELIEVE IN LEADING BY EXAMPLE.

AND IF THAT MEANS I HAVE TO WEAR A MASK WHEN IT'S HOT AND WHEN IT'S SWEATY AND YOU KNOW, WHEN IT'S LIKE STICKY INSIDE, THEN IT'S WHAT I'VE GOT TO DO BECAUSE THAT IS THE.

THAT IS WHAT I WANT TO SHOW THOSE WHO I'M LEADING VACCINE AND TESTING MANDATES AGAIN, I THINK THAT KIND OF FALLS IN UNDER RULES AS WELL.

I THINK THAT EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN PERSONAL BELIEFS WHEN IT COMES TO VACCINES, WHEN IT COMES TO TESTING AND WHEN IT COMES TO MANDATES, AND WHILE I RESPECT AND I UNDERSTAND AND I HEAR WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM AND ON ALL SIDES, I THINK THAT IT COMES DOWN TO WHAT IS MANDATED IS WHAT I WOULD I WOULD DO.

I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN THERE ARE RULES ARE RULES AND AND THEY'RE THERE FOR A REASON AND RULES COME FROM, YOU KNOW, ELECTED OR PEOPLE IN POSITIONS WITH MUCH MORE KNOWLEDGE THAN MYSELF IN THAT SITUATION SPECIFICALLY.

CRITICAL RACE THEORY.

I THINK CRITICAL RACE THEORY AS A TOPIC IS VERY INTERESTING.

I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT CRITICAL RACE THEORY HAS ANY PLACE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AS IT DOESN'T HAVE A PLACE NOW BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT IT IS A PHD LEVEL PROGRAM.

I TEND TO TAKE LEAD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING AND I AGREE WITH A STANCE THAT I WAS THAT I READ BY THE PTA.

AND IT IT BASICALLY JUST SAYS, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE HARD THINGS IN HISTORY, AND WE WOULD BE REMISS IF WE DID NOT AGREE THAT THERE ARE HARD THINGS WHEN PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR, WE THINK ABOUT ALL OF WHAT HAPPENED AND WE THINK OF THE UGLY THAT HAPPENED.

AND WE HAVE TO TAKE THOSE HARD THINGS AND WE HAVE TO LEARN FROM THEM SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD AND WE CAN TEACH THAT THESE ARE NOT THE THINGS THAT WE AS A COUNTRY STAND FOR, AND THESE ARE NOT THE THINGS THAT WE CHOOSE TO DO GOING FORWARD.

SO WHILE I DO UNDERSTAND CRITICAL RACE THEORY IS IN ITSELF A PHD LEVEL PROGRAM, THERE ARE HARD SUBJECTS THAT NEED TO BE TAUGHT AND UNDERSTOOD, AND THAT'S BASICALLY MY STANCE ON THAT.

THE CALIFORNIA HEALTHY YOUTH ACT.

I HAVE ALWAYS MAINTAINED THAT THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING TOPIC FOR ME BECAUSE AS A PARENT AND AS A MOTHER, I UNDERSTAND THAT A LOT OF THESE TOPICS ARE HARD TO DISCUSS AND THEY CAN BE UNCOMFORTABLE.

THEY CAN GO AGAINST PEOPLE'S BELIEFS.

AND I THINK THAT WE WOULD BE REMISS IF WE DIDN'T SAY THAT THERE ARE CONVERSATIONS AND THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE TAUGHT, UNFORTUNATELY, BY SCHOOLS, BECAUSE SOME STUDENTS NEED TO UNDERSTAND IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

SO AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD DOES NOT SET CURRICULUM, AND SO I KNOW THAT AS A CHOICE, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS WOULD MAKE, WHETHER OR NOT WE TEACH THIS BECAUSE IF IT IS MANDATED BY THE STATE OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, THEN IT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD NEED TO BE TAUGHT.

AND SO I DO RESPECT THE FACT THAT YOU GUYS HAVE TAKEN TIME TO CHOOSE A CURRICULUM THAT IS BEST SUITED FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR DISTRICT.

HOW WOULD YOU SEPARATE YOUR VIEWPOINTS AND THE VIEWPOINTS OF THE BOARD AS A

[01:00:03]

I LIKE TO LISTEN AND I LIKE TO LEARN WHILE ALSO UNDERSTANDING THAT, YOU KNOW, I MAY HAVE AN OPINION THAT MR. PALATTO, MR. CREIMAN, AND MR. BAHMANOU AND [INAUDIBLE] WHEN YOU DISAGREE WITH.

AND I THINK WITH THAT, THERE ARE MANY COMMON VIEWPOINTS THAT REALLY HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING STATED OUT IN PUBLIC ANYWAYS.

AND SO I THINK THAT I WOULD TAKE THE STANCE THAT I WOULDN'T PUBLICLY ANNOUNCE MY VIEWPOINTS ON ANYTHING REALLY THAT WOULD BE CONTROVERSIAL OR POSSIBLY GO AGAINST ANYTHING.

IF A PARENT, GUARDIAN, COMMUNITY MEMBER OR A SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP CALLS YOU WITH A VALID CONCERN, WHAT STEPS WOULD YOU TAKE AFTER THAT CONTACT? I THINK THAT AFTER THAT CONTACT, WELL IN THE CONCLUSION OF THAT CONTACT, I WOULD GENERALLY REFER THEM BACK TO THE LOWEST LEVEL THAT IT COULD BE HANDLED AT.

SO IF IT WAS AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, I WOULD REFER THEM BACK TO AN ADMINISTRATOR AT THAT SCHOOL.

IF IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THAT ADMINISTRATOR, I MAY REFER THEM TO A SECOND, A DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATOR OR MR. COLES IN THAT SITUATION AND JUST ASSURE THEM THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THIS IS A PROTOCOL.

AND I THINK AFTER I WOULD FOLLOW UP IN A LATER STANCE JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE HEARD AND THAT IT WAS, YOU KNOW, IT CAME TO A CONCLUSION REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY WERE HAPPY WITH THE CONCLUSION OR NOT.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE? WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME? I WASN'T EXPECTING THIS ONE.

THIS IS LIKE A NORMAL INTERVIEW QUESTION I HAVEN'T INTERVIEWED IN A LONG TIME.

I THINK THAT MY BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE THAT I'VE EVER HAD WHEN I WAS 25 IS WHEN I GOT MY DIVORCE AND I LIVED IN ON THIS IN THE SOUTH AND THE EAST COAST.

I LIVED IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND I MADE THE DECISION TO MOVE HOME.

I QUIT MY JOB WITH THE POSTAL SERVICE AND I SAID THAT I'M 25 YEARS OLD AND I WANT TO RAISE MY CHILDREN IN CALIFORNIA.

I WANT THEM TO BE SURROUNDED BY FAMILY BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY.

AND I WALKED AWAY FROM A A STEADY CAREER WHERE I HAD BEEN FOR FIVE YEARS.

UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS AFTER THE 2008 BUST, SO THERE WAS NO ABILITY TO TRANSFER ANYWHERE.

AND YOU WERE LUCKY TO HAVE A JOB.

AND I JUST WALKED AWAY AND SAID, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE YOUR FAMILY OVER ANYTHING ELSE.

I MADE THAT DECISION AND DECIDED THAT I WOULD MOVE HOME AND START OVER.

AND, YOU KNOW, THE SAME WAY I GOT THERE, I WOULD GET TO WHERE I NEEDED TO BE.

AND I'VE JUST WORKED HARD AND DONE WHAT I'VE HAD TO DO SINCE THEN.

AT TIMES, THE BOARD MUST UPHOLD CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS MADE BY OTHER GOVERNING BODIES WITH WHICH YOU MAY NOT AGREE WHAT YOU SEE AS YOUR ROLE IN THESE SITUATIONS.

AND HOW WOULD YOU ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY REMAIN UNITED AND FEEL ACCEPTED AND VALUED? AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, I TEND TO BE A RULE FOLLOWER.

AT TIMES IT CAN SEEM LIKE I'M HARD AND I HAVE NO EMPATHY.

BUT REALLY, I JUST FOLLOW RULES.

AND I THINK THAT WHETHER THE DECISION IS A DECISION THAT I AGREE WITH, THIS IS WHAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DO.

AND I WOULD HEAR PEOPLE OUT AND I WOULD HAVE EMPATHY FOR THEIR CONCERNS AND FOR WHERE, WHAT THEIR POSITIONS AND THEIR FEELINGS ARE.

BUT ULTIMATELY, IF IT'S A DECISION THAT WE HAVE TO UPHOLD, THEN I WOULD UPHOLD IT AND I WOULD HAVE I WOULD SLEEP PERFECTLY FINE AT NIGHT.

I THINK I DON'T KNOW YET, SO I CAN'T SAY THAT.

I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU GUYS SLEEP.

OK.

WHAT STRENGTHS WOULD YOU BRING AS A MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BOARD AND WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TOP THREE PRIORITIES FOR THE DISTRICT? I THINK AS A MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BOARD, I WOULD BRING A DIFFERENT SET OF EXPERIENCES.

I KNOW THAT I AM A PERSON WHO CAN WORK WELL WITH TEAMS AND I ENJOY WORKING WITH TEAMS AND ABOVE THAT I ENJOY PROBLEM-SOLVING.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU PRESENT A PROBLEM, I'M GOING TO SIT WITH YOU AND I'M GOING TO GO OVER THIS.

AND I'M GOING TO SAY, WHAT ABOUT THIS? AND WHAT ABOUT THAT? AND WHAT ABOUT THIS UNTIL WE CAN FIND SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE? AND I THINK THAT THAT IS ONE OF MY BIGGEST STRENGTHS THAT I'M NOT GOING TO STOP AND I'M GOING TO BE DEDICATED TO DOING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE UNTIL WE CAN GET TO A SOLUTION.

AND I HAVE NO PROBLEM SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT DIDN'T WORK BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD.

I'M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT.

I HAVE NO PROBLEM SAYING THAT.

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS NEEDED AND IT'S A QUALITY THAT NOT THAT IT'S NEEDED BECAUSE YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE IT, BUT I THINK IT'S A QUALITY THAT'S NEEDED

[01:05:05]

MY THREE TOP PRIORITIES FOR IF I WAS APPOINTED TO THE BOARD WOULD BE TO NUMBER ONE.

MY MY NUMBER ONE THING WOULD BE TO WORK WITH NOT ONLY THE BOARD BUT THE COMMUNITY TO ERASE SOME OF THE DIVISION THAT WE'VE SEEN AS OF LATELY.

I THINK THAT UNFORTUNATELY, POLICY AND POLITICS HAVE BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THAN PEOPLE AND THEN OUR NEIGHBOR, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ALL LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY AND WE ARE ALL HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR THE SAME BODY OF CHILDREN AND THE SAME BODY OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

SO I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE ONE OF MY BIGGEST GOALS WOULD BE TO START BUILDING BRIDGES AS OPPOSED TO CONTINUING THE DIVIDE THAT HAS FOUND ITS WAY TO OUR DISTRICT.

OUTSIDE OF THAT, I WOULD DEFINITELY LOOK AT CREATIVE WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN OUR FISCAL WHERE WE ARE FISCALLY.

I KNOW THAT WITH THE WITH WITH COVID AND WITH THE INFLUX OF FUNDS THAT CAME IN, WE WERE ABLE TO DO A LOT OF THINGS.

AND I THINK THAT I WOULD WANT TO LOOK AT CREATIVE WAYS TO KEEP STAFF AND AND KEEP PEOPLE ON BOARD AT ALL TIMES AND ENSURE THAT BONITA STAYS IN ONE OF THE TOP 10 PLACES TO WORK.

AND THE LAST THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON WOULD BE JUST MAKING SURE THAT THE PANDEMIC DOESN'T CONTINUE TO HAVE LASTING EFFECTS ON THE EDUCATION OF OUR STUDENTS.

SO HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE SUMMER GAP THAT USUALLY EXISTS IS NOT TURNED INTO THE THREE YEAR GAP OF WE'RE AT HOME AND WE'RE AT SCHOOL AND WE'RE NOT AND THERE'S ZOOM.

AND I JUST THINK THAT THAT'S A REALLY BIG TOPIC.

IT'S A REALLY BIG THING THAT IS CLOSE TO MY HEART BECAUSE I HAVE A SENIOR WHO GRADUATED THIS PAST YEAR AND IT WAS TOUGH.

IT WAS TOUGH ON HER.

IT WAS TOUGH ON THE HOUSE.

AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A SENIOR WHO CAN SIT DOWN IN FRONT OF THEIR COMPUTER AND KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO.

AND SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT ALL THE PARENTS OF THE YOUNGER STUDENTS WHO NEED TO LEARN THESE BASIC SKILLS AND NEED TO LEARN THE LOWER LEVEL, LOWER LEVEL ITEMS SO THAT THEY CAN BUILD ON THEM IN THEIR UPCOMING YEARS IN BONITA UNIFIED, I THINK THAT THE LEARNING LOSS IS A REALLY BIG THING THAT I WOULD WANT TO WORK ON FINDING CREATIVE WAYS TO COMBAT IT FURTHER.

WELL, THAT CONCLUDES OUR QUESTIONS.

DO YOU HAVE A CLOSING STATEMENT FOR THE BOARD? THAT WAS TOUGH.

YOU KNOW, I REALLY DON'T.

I MEAN, I THANK YOU GUYS ALL FOR FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE.

I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE BOARD CHOOSES ME OR NOT, I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO CHAT WITH SO MANY OF THE CANDIDATES, AND I THINK THAT THEY ARE ALL HIGHLY QUALIFIED.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT AFTER MY LOSS IN NOVEMBER, THERE WAS A LOT OF SOUL SEARCHING.

AND I THINK THAT ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS I TOOK AWAY FROM IT WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, SUCCESS ISN'T ALWAYS IN THE WIN AND IT'S NOT ABOUT THE WIN.

I THINK THAT IT'S THE LESSONS THAT I TOOK FROM THERE AND A LOT OF THE THINGS, YOU KNOW, THE CONVERSATIONS AND THE LESSONS, THE THINGS THAT I LEARNED ALONG THE WAY.

AND I THINK WHEN I WAS DRIVING IN TODAY, I WAS THINKING LIKE, WHAT AM I GOING TO SAY IN THIS FINAL STATEMENT THAT I HAVEN'T SAID IN A YEAR, IT FEELS LIKE.

AND I THINK THE ONLY THING THAT CAME TO MIND WAS MY FINAL CONVERSATION WITH CARL COLES THAT HE CALLED US ALL AFTER THE ELECTION TO SAY WAY TO GO, GREG, OR SORRY, CRYSTAL.

BUT I THINK I'VE MENTIONED TO HIM, I SAID, OH, YOU KNOW, I'LL BE BACK.

I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE LIKE, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ME.

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT I LEAVE YOU WITH TODAY THAT I'M HERE BECAUSE I GENUINELY CARE.

I CARE ABOUT OUR STUDENTS, I CARE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY, I CARE ABOUT OUR PARENTS.

AND AS A MEMBER OF THIS BOARD OR NOT, I'M STILL GOING TO BE HERE AND I'M STILL GOING TO BE INVOLVED AND I'M STILL GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, AT EVERY MEETING AT 6:30 AND TAKING THE MINUTES AND DOING THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, WHETHER I GET A TITLE OR NOT, BUT IT'S NOT IMPORTANT TO ME.

WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU.

YES, THE BOARD WILL TAKE A FIVE OR 10 MINUTE RECESS.

TURNED WE WILL RECONVENE INTO OPEN SESSION, LET'S DRAW THE NEXT NAME, PLEASE.

[01:10:06]

GIVE ME JUST A MINUTE WHERE I'M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS WITH MY GLASSES ON, SO GET SETTLED HERE.

THAT'S FINE WHY YOU'RE DOING THAT, ONE NOTE, IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT IN MY INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS, I DID NOT POINT OUT THAT AT THE END OF THE QUESTIONS, YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A CLOSING STATEMENT.

SO EXCELLENT THANK YOU JUST GIVE ME A SECOND HERE.

SURE.

NO HURRY.

I LIKE THE CARDBOARD BOX.

OK, YOU READY? YES.

HERE WE GO.

I NEED MY GLASSES FIRST.

I TRY TO READ ALONG HERE, TOO.

OK? BRIEFLY, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE BONITA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

ALL RIGHT.

EXCELLENT.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU.

SO I GOT SOME OF THAT PREPARED HERE.

SO CAN YOU HEAR ME ALL RIGHT? YES.

OK.

EXCELLENT.

SO I'M ORIGINALLY FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.

I GREW UP THERE MIDDLE CHILD, BROKEN FAMILY, SMALL SMALL TOWN RIGHT NEXT TO THE CANADIAN BORDER.

SO I REALLY NEEDED SCHOOL WHERE I NEEDED MULTIPLE EAR OPERATIONS BEFORE THE AGE OF FIVE TO REMOVE A CHOLESTEATOMA FROM MY LEFT EAR.

AND IT BASICALLY LEFT ME DEAF IN THAT EAR AND REQUIRED SPEECH THERAPY.

SO I WAS TOLD TO AVOID WATER AND THAT I'D NEVER BE ABLE TO SERVE IN THE MILITARY, FIRE DEPARTMENT, ET CETERA.

AND I MOSTLY I HAVE DIFFICULTY DETERMINING THE DIRECTIONALITY OF SOUNDS AND THE VOLUME OF MY OWN VOICE, WHICH REGULARLY REMINDS ME OF HOW PEOPLE PERCEIVE THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY.

DURING COLLEGE, I WORKED AS A BELLHOP AT HOTELS AT WASHINGTON AND BOSTON, TRAVELING OVER THE COUNTRY, WHICH WAS NICE BECAUSE WHEN YOU GROW UP IN A SMALL TOWN, YOU OFTEN WANT TO LEAVE IT.

SO I EVENTUALLY DID, AND LATER ON I MOVED TO L.A.

IN 2003, AND I'VE ESSENTIALLY BEEN AT USC SINCE WHERE MY GOAL WAS HELPING COLLEGE STUDENTS DO BETTER AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR LIFE AND BE BETTER PREPARED THAN I WAS.

SO THAT'S BEEN HELPFUL.

I EARNED MY MASTER'S AND DOCTORATE DEGREE IN EDUCATION THERE.

MY WIFE IMMIGRATED FROM BULGARIA, AS A TEENAGER AND WE HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS INTENT AND SIXTH GRADE, AND WE MOVED TO SAN DIMAS IN DECEMBER OF 2015 AFTER NINE YEARS IN SOUTH PASADENA.

SO MY EXPERIENCE IS A PARENT AND AS AN EDUCATOR, HAVE GIVEN ME VARIOUS DIFFERENT VIEWS OF WHAT A SCHOOL BOARD DOES.

AND I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF COMING HERE IN THIS BUILDING BEFORE AND IN BONITA AND IN THE OLD BUILDING, AND I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO ATTEND BOARD MEETINGS.

ALTHOUGH THE OLD BUILDING, YOU CAN'T REALLY HAVE ANYONE SIT IN.

IT WAS SO SMALL.

BUT YEAH, THOSE WERE MY EXPERIENCES IN A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE GUIDED MY OPINION AND VIEWS ON THIS EXPERIENCE AND OPPORTUNITY.

OKAY.

PLEASE SHARE WITH US ANY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD WITH WORKING WITH THE TEAM.

AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT WORKING WITH A GROUP WHO HAS DIFFERING OPINIONS? EXCELLENT.

YES.

SO MOST OF MY CAREER IS HELPING PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY IN COLLEGE AND COLLEGE STUDENTS AND IN THE LAST FIVE SIX YEARS IN DOCTORAL STUDENTS.

SO I DON'T CHOOSE WHO I HELP.

THEY COME TO ME.

SO I GET PEOPLE VARIOUS DIFFERENT OPINIONS, VARIOUS DIFFERENT OBJECTIVES AND.

[01:15:01]

SO I WILL HELP ANYBODY SO LONG AS THEY COME TO MY OFFICE.

I WILL FIGURE OUT A WAY TO LISTEN TO THEM BECAUSE MOST TIMES IT'S JUST SOMEONE NEEDS SOMEONE TO LISTEN TO THEM AND TO SEE THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY'RE EXPERIENCING.

SO LET ME LOOK BACK OVER THE QUESTION HERE.

AND IN REGARDS TO WORKING AS A TEAM IN MY CURRENT ROLE AT USC, MY COLLEAGUES AND I, I HAVE TWO COLLEAGUES WHO WE RECENTLY MADE FULLY REMOTE.

SO WE NOW SHARE AN OFFICE, ALTHOUGH I'M NOT GOING TO SEE THAT OFFICE UNTIL FRIDAY FOR THE FIRST TIME.

AND TOGETHER WE WORK OUT HOW WE PROVIDE AND COORDINATE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SUPPORT TO DOCTORAL STUDENTS.

PREVIOUSLY, I'VE BEEN ON TEAMS WHERE, FOR INSTANCE, IT WAS MORE SERIOUS WHERE WE ARE ON THE STUDENT CONCERNS COMMITTEE AT USC IN DEALING WITH ALL THE BAD STUFF YOU CAN IMAGINE HEARING ABOUT OVER THE WEEKEND, ET CETERA.

AND WE WOULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO OFFER SUPPORT TO THOSE WHO NEED IT.

WE BRING UP STUDENTS OF VARIOUS TYPES OF CONCERNS, ET CETERA, AND WE WOULD WORK AS A TEAM AND SHARE INFORMATION BECAUSE IN A LARGE ORGANIZATION, THERE'S INFORMATION SILOS AND OFTEN INFORMATION THAT DOESN'T REACH ONE POINT WHERE IT'S KIND OF KEPT IN ONE PLACE.

AND IT'S REALLY NECESSARY FOR LARGER ORGANIZATIONS TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION SHARED, WHETHER IT'S SUPERVISOR UP AND LATERALLY, ET CETERA.

IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE TYPE OF ORGANIZATION.

BUT AND SOMETIMES IT'S NECESSARY TO JUST HAVE ALL THE IMPORTANT PEOPLE TOGETHER IN A ROOM THAT HAVE AN AWARENESS.

AND THAT'S WHAT THAT COMMITTEE AND HANDLED.

AND SO I GUESS THAT'S.

I GUESS I'LL STICK TO THAT FOR THAT ANSWER.

A NUMBER OF CONTROVERSIAL CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES SUCH AS MASK MANDATES, VACCINE TESTING MANDATES, CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND THE CALIFORNIA HEALTHY YOUTH ACT HAVE SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS CONCERNED.

CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS ON EACH OF THESE ISSUES AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HANDLE THEM IF SELECTED AS A BOARD MEMBER? YEAH.

EXCELLENT.

SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND START HERE, WHERE FIRST OF ALL, ALL OF THESE, THERE'S FACTS, THERE'S BELIEFS, THERE'S OPINIONS AND THERE'S EMOTIONS INVOLVED.

AND IT'S SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO SEPARATE THE TRUTH, AND SOMETIMES THE TRUTH IS NOT CLEARLY VISIBLE AND OFTENTIMES YOU'RE ALL CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING.

YOU HAVE CERTAIN MANDATES THAT ARE ASKED OF YOU BY THE COUNTY, BY THE STATE, ET CETERA, BY PARTICULAR CITIES AND CERTAIN MANDATES.

AND AND THEN SOMETIMES YOU'RE ASKED WHETHER YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THOSE BECAUSE THE MANDATE IS NOT A LAW.

AND IT REALLY JUST HAS TO COME DOWN TO BEING FAIR AND REASONABLE AND BEING UNDERSTANDING AND COMMUNICATING.

SO FIRST OF ALL, WITH MASK MANDATE.

I UNDERSTAND THE L.A.

COUNTY SHERIFF HAS ITS STANCE ON WHAT'S ENFORCED AND WHAT'S NOT AND SIMILAR THAT GOES TO THE DEBATE ON WHAT'S A MANDATE, WHAT'S A LAW, HOW IS CERTAIN ENFORCEMENT HANDLED AND, CONSIDERING WE'RE A SCHOOL DISTRICT, WE ALSO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT HOW ARE OUR PRACTICES TEACHING OUR KIDS.

AND SO I TRY TO REFLECT UPON THAT QUITE A BIT.

AND LET'S SEE HERE.

VACCINE TESTING MANDATES AS WELL WHERE I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, I'VE SEEN WHAT LAUSD RECENTLY ANNOUNCED FOR THAT.

I KNOW THERE'S THE RECALL ELECTION FOR THE STATE, AND I IMAGINE, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL ARE WAITING ON SOME GUIDANCE AS TO WHETHER THE COUNTY MAKES SOME SHIFTS REGARDING HOW QUARANTINES ARE HANDLED AND THE LIKE, AND IT COMES DOWN TO AS A DISTRICT, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT ARE SHARED WITH YOU THAT YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW OR YOU VERY MUCH SHOULD FOLLOW, OTHERWISE YOU'RE AT RISK OR A LIABILITY.

AND SO IT'S BEING AWARE OF THAT.

AND THEN THERE'S FIGURING OUT WHAT CAN YOU DECIDE ON? AND THEN ONCE YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO SEE WHAT YOU CAN DECIDE ON, THAT'S WHERE IT'S FIGURING OUT, OK, WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR COMMUNITY BASED ON THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE.

AND THAT'S KIND OF SIMILAR WHERE LET'S SEE HERE.

CRITICAL RACE THEORY CALIFORNIA HEALTHY YOUTH ACT.

A LOT OF THE SAME THING APPLIES TO THAT.

WE'RE IN TERMS OF CRITICAL RACE THEORY WHERE I'M AWARE OF WHAT'S BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR THE ETHNIC STUDIES AND THAT THERE'S THE GUIDANCE ABOUT THAT, BUT IT'S NOT A MANDATE IN TERMS OF OFFERING THAT.

AND WE'RE FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, ETHNIC STUDIES, IT'S A STUDY, IT'S A

[01:20:02]

IT'S AN ISSUE AND CRITICAL RACE THEORY THAT IT'S DIFFERENT.

IT'S A THEORY, IT'S NOT A STUDY OR A TOPIC, IT'S A THEORY.

AND IT'S A WAY OF LOOKING AT THINGS OR PERSPECTIVE.

AND IT'S NOT REALLY USED OTHER THAN MAYBE SOCIAL SCIENCES, MAYBE MASTER'S DOCTORATE STUDENTS, PROFESSORS, ET CETERA.

BUT IT'S ONE OF MANY THEORIES, AND IT'S REALLY QUITE ODD BEING AN EDUCATOR WHO REGULARLY READS DISSERTATIONS AND RESEARCH THAT USES IT, THAT THE MORE PEOPLE BRING IT UP, THE MORE THEY'RE MAKING IT AN ISSUE WHERE IT REALLY WASN'T AN ISSUE BEFORE, AND THE MORE THAT PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT IT.

IT ODDLY, SOMEWHAT MORE LEGITIMIZES HOW IT'S USED.

SO ANYHOW, THAT'S JUST MY SIDE PERSPECTIVE ON THAT.

LET'S SEE.

YEAH, IT JUST COMES DOWN TO FIGURING OUT WHAT WE HAVE TO DO WITHOUT RISK OF LIABILITY.

IT COMES DOWN TO WHAT WIGGLE ROOM DO WE HAVE? AND WITHIN THAT WIGGLE ROOM, WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR PARTICULAR COMMUNITY? AND THEN HOW CAN WE PREPARE AND SHARE THAT WITH EVERYONE INVOLVED.

HOW WOULD YOU SEPARATE YOUR VIEWPOINTS AND THE VIEWPOINTS OF THE BOARD AS A WHOLE? YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

WHERE REALLY MY OWN VIEWPOINTS, ARE JUST MY OWN AND IN TERMS OF I'M NOT HERE FOR MYSELF, I'M HERE TO HELP THE DISTRICT.

AND WITH THAT COMES THE IDEA THAT I'M NOT HERE PUSHING SOMETHING.

I'M HERE TO COLLABORATE WITH PEOPLE, I'M HERE TO LISTEN AND LEARN AND OFFER MY FEEDBACK BASED ON WHAT'S POSSIBLE.

IF I CAME HERE AGENDA DRIVEN, I WOULD BE BIASED.

AND I TRY MY BEST TO KEEP BIASES OUT OF THE INVOLVEMENT, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR KIDS.

WHERE ENTERING ANY TYPE OF WORK ENVIRONMENT BEFORE YOU'RE FULLY ENTRENCHED IN IT WITH BIASES AND AGENDAS JUST SEEMS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE, IN MY OPINION.

IF A PARENT, GUARDIAN, COMMUNITY MEMBER OR SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP CALLS YOU WITH A VALID CONCERN, WHAT STEPS WOULD YOU TAKE AFTER THE CONTACT? YEAH, I WOULD MEASURE HOW CONCERNED THEY ARE BECAUSE SOMETIMES, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THEY JUST NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO.

THEY NEED SOMEONE TO OPEN UP WITH.

BUT I WOULD MAKE CLEAR TO THEM THAT MY ROLE AS A BOARD MEMBER IS NOT TO RESOLVE ANY COMPLAINTS, AND THAT'S COMMON PRACTICE, AND I WOULD REFER THEM TO SUPERINTENDENT COLES OR ANY PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL.

IF I KNEW WHAT THEIR EXACT ISSUE WAS AND THE BEST PERSON TO CONTACT THEM OR FOR THEM TO CONTACT OTHER THAN DR.

COLES WOULD BE OR SUPERINTENDENT COLES SO SOON TO BE DR.

BUT YEAH, YEAH, WE'RE IT'S NOT MY ROLE TO RESOLVE THE COMPLAINT, BUT I DO WANT TO GIVE THEM AN AVENUE TO IF THEY REALLY NEED TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES, I'LL LISTEN.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE? WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME? YEAH, OK.

MY BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE IS I HAD A ROLE AT USC THAT I USED TO REALLY LOVE WHERE I WAS A DIRECTOR OF A PROGRAM.

I GOT TO WORK WITH STUDENTS ENTERING USC AS UNDERGRADUATES, ENTERING FRESHMEN, AND THEN I ALSO HAD A CHANCE TO WORK WITH STUDENTS WHO WENT ON ACADEMIC PROBATION.

AND THAT WAS THE JOB THAT I WORKED GOOD FIVE SIX YEARS AND REALLY ENJOYED IT.

AND THEN POOF, NEW PRESIDENT, DIFFERENT PROVOST, AND THEY JUST DECIDED TO CUT THAT PROGRAM ALTOGETHER.

SO ALL OF A SUDDEN, MYSELF AND MY COLLEAGUES IN THE CENTER FOR ACADEMIC SUPPORT, WE WERE ALL JUST ELIMINATED.

OUR ROLES WERE NO LONGER USEFUL.

AND SO LOSS WHERE I MEAN, IF SOMEONE WHO WORKS IN EDUCATION, YOU TRY TO THINK THAT YOUR YOUR JOB AND YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AND YOUR ROLE AND WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING AND FOR LOVE IS SOMEWHAT STABLE.

SO WHEN YOU LOSE SOMETHING THAT YOU LOVE AND IT'S SO MUCH A BIG PART OF YOUR LIFE, THAT WAS A CHALLENGING TIME FOR ME.

AND YEAH, I WOULD DEFINITELY SAY THAT WAS MY BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE.

AND THE OUTCOME WAS THAT I ENDED UP DECIDING TO CONTINUE TO WORK AT USC AND JUST STARTED WORKING IN SCHOOL FOR EDUCATION.

AT TIMES, THE BOARD MUST UPHOLD CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS MADE BY OTHER GOVERNING BODIES WITH WHICH YOU MAY NOT AGREE.

[01:25:01]

ONE THING I'VE LEARNED IN LIFE IS IS THAT SOMETIMES THERE'S NOT REALLY A RIGHT OR WRONG DECISION, AND SOMETIMES THERE'S DECISIONS YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T HAVE A VOICE IN.

AND IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO DO YOUR BEST TO MAKE RIGHT BY WHATEVER DECISION WAS MADE.

AND IN TERMS OF THE PEOPLE WORKING WITH YOU AND THE PEOPLE YOU'RE WORKING FOR, IT'S IT'S COMMUNICATING OK WHERE I KNOW SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THAT, BUT THIS IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH IT.

THIS IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR BEST FOR WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE I KNOW OUR COMMUNITY IS DIFFERENT THAN OTHER COMMUNITIES.

OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT IS DIFFERENT THAN OTHER DISTRICTS.

AND SO IN THE END, IT JUST FIGURING OUT AND COMMUNICATING AND COMING UP WITH A PLAN THAT'S FAIR AND REASONABLE AS TO HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH IT.

AND IF THIS HAPPENS WELL, WE HAVE OTHER METHODS TO GET THROUGH IT THE BACKUP PLANS.

WHAT STRENGTHS WOULD YOU BRING AS A MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BOARD AND WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TOP THREE PRIORITIES FOR THE DISTRICT? OK, SO LET'S SEE HERE.

OK, I GOT SOMETHING SOMEWHAT PREPARED FOR A QUICK ANSWER TO THIS, SO SOME PEOPLE THINK INSIDE THE BOX.

OTHERS THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.

SOMETIMES I THINK ON TOP OF THE BOX OR EVEN UNDERNEATH IT.

OTHER TIMES, I THINK BEFORE THE BOX OR AFTER THE BOX.

MOST OF THE TIME, THOUGH, I THINK THERE IS NO BOX.

IN OTHER WORDS, I'M A CREATIVE, REFLECTIVE AND THOUGHTFUL PERSON, UNAFRAID OF LOOKING AT ISSUES FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES.

REMOVING THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, COMBINED WITH MY KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION, AS WELL AS HELPING PEOPLE IN ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESSES, I FEEL QUITE CAPABLE OF ADDING NEW WRINKLES TO THE COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE OF THE BOARD.

AND IN TERMS OF THREE THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON, WHICH I BELIEVE SO.

AS I, AS I MENTIONED WHEN I WAS RUNNING PREVIOUSLY, COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION, CRITICAL THINKING, CREATIVITY AND CONSIDERATION, MY FIVE CS, I THINK THOSE ARE NECESSARY.

I'D ALSO WANT TO PUSH FOR MORE MINDFULNESS AND MENTAL HEALTH WHERE I KNOW WE HAVE THE NEW COUNSELORS.

I'D ALSO ADVOCATE FOR, SAY, BREATHING, JUST TEACHING, MINDFUL BREATHING OR EVEN THE BENEFITS OF NASAL BREATHING, JUST EVEN SOMETHING SO SIMPLE AS THAT THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T THINK ABOUT.

BUT YET MOST PEOPLE DO WRONG COULD BENEFIT THE HEALTH OF OUR STUDENTS.

AND THEN ALSO, AS I BELIEVE SOME OF YOU ARE ALREADY WORKING ON THE MULTIPLE PATHWAYS TOWARDS PROFESSIONS AND IT'S NOT ALL COLLEGE OR SOMETHING ELSE.

THERE'S MULTIPLE PATHWAYS WHERE WE NEED TO PREPARE OUR STUDENTS FOR THEIR FUTURE, NOT OUR PRESENT.

WELL, THAT CONCLUDES OUR QUESTIONS, DO YOU HAVE A CLOSING STATEMENT FOR THE BOARD, JUST BARELY ENOUGH TIME? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

SO FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO GO BACK AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BEING HERE IS A PRIVILEGE, AND I'M THANKFUL THAT YOU'RE HAVING THIS PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENT.

AND THANK YOU FOR THAT.

I APPRECIATE YOUR CHOICE ON THAT.

SO PLEASE KNOW THAT I FULLY UNDERSTAND HOW I VIEW EACH PERSON IS SHAPED BY MY OWN PERSPECTIVES, BIASES AND EXPERIENCES.

SIMILARLY, I'M AWARE THAT EACH PERSON VIEWS ME AS INFLUENCED BY THEIR PERSPECTIVES, BIASES AND EXPERIENCES.

IN OTHER WORDS, HOW WE VIEW OTHERS HAS MORE TO DO WITH US THAN THEM AND VICE VERSA.

IN MY OPINION, PRETENDING TO VIEW EVERYONE EQUALLY IS UNREALISTIC.

IDENTITY IS COMPLICATED.

I BELIEVE IN TRYING TO SEE PEOPLE AND THINGS FOR WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY ARE.

AND I'M HERE TO HELP OUR DISTRICT.

I'M HERE TO OFFER MY PERSPECTIVES, KNOWLEDGE AND THOUGHTFULNESS.

SIMILARLY, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO SEE OUR DISTRICT FOR WHAT IT IS AND WHO OUR STUDENTS FOR WHO THEY REALLY ARE.

WE'RE NOT PALOS VERDES OR MANHATTAN BEACH OR SAN MARINO.

OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITIES ARE DIFFERENT.

WE HAVE A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF ENGLISH LEARNERS, FOSTER YOUTH AND STUDENTS QUALIFYING FOR FREE OR REDUCED PRICE MEALS.

IN OTHER WORDS, OUR DISTRICT HAS GREATER CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES.

OUR ACTIONS AND INACTIONS HAVE A MUCH GREATER IMPACT ON OUR STUDENTS AND THEIR

[01:30:01]

AS I'VE PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN, I BELIEVE IN EMPHASIZING COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION, CRITICAL THINKING, CREATIVITY AND CONSIDERATION.

WE DO OUR BEST WHEN WE DEVELOP LIFELONG LEARNING.

WE LOOK AT STUDENTS AS A WHOLE PERSON WHEN SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL SKILLS, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH, PROBLEM SOLVING AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY ARE VALUED.

PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR THEIR FUTURE, WHICH INCLUDES MULTIPLE PATHWAYS TO VARIOUS EMERGING PROFESSIONS, IS VITAL.

LASTLY, FOR ANYONE LISTENING, PLEASE BE FAIR AND REASONABLE.

ACCEPT THE CHOICE THE BOARD MAKES TONIGHT.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE CHOICE, THE 2022 WILL COME SOON ENOUGH.

WASTING VALUABLE MONEY IS NOT NECESSARY.

OUR KIDS NEED IT MORE.

ONE BOARD SEAT IS NOT WORTH A MILLION DOLLARS.

THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT.

THANK YOU CHRISTOPHER.

LET'S TRY ANOTHER NAME, PLEASE.

JESSICA GARCIA.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

HI, JESSICA.

HELLO, GOOD EVENING, JESSICA.

BEFORE WE START IN MY INTRODUCTION OF THE PROCESS NEGLECTED TO POINT OUT THAT AT THE END OF THE QUESTIONING, AFTER THE EIGHT QUESTIONS, YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A CLOSING REMARK.

OK.

OK, READY TO GO? SURE.

OK.

FIRST, BRIEFLY, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE BONITA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

SO MY NAME IS JESSICA GARCIA.

I AM A TWENTY ONE YEAR SPECIAL EDUCATION VETERAN.

I HAVE WORKED WITH STUDENTS THAT ARE GIFTED, BUT PRIMARILY MY FOCUS HAS BEEN WITH DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING AND MILD TO MODERATE DISABILITIES.

I HAVE WORKED UNDER SELPA FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS.

PERSONALLY WITH BONITA, I HAVE TWO CHILDREN.

I HAVE A SHULL SHARK, WHO IS A FIFTH GRADER AND I HAVE NOW A SAN DIMAS SAINT WHO HAS GONE THROUGH SHULL AND LONE HILL IS NOW VERY EXCITED TO START HIS FIRST YEAR AS A FRESHMAN.

SO THAT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE THERE.

I'VE SERVED ON THE PTA EXECUTIVE BOARD AS THE VICE PRESIDENT AT SHULL, AS WELL AS MEMBERSHIP.

I'VE ALSO ASSISTED WITH THEIR FUNDRAISING SPRING FUNDRAISERS, SO WE'VE DONE A LOT OF THE COMMITTEE PLANNING THAT WAY.

AND AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER, I HAVE BEEN A STAKEHOLDER THROUGH THE EL CAP PROCESS.

FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.

I PARTICIPATED IN THOSE MEETINGS AS WELL AS DONE THE SURVEYS AS A PARENT, BUT ALSO ATTENDED THE MEETINGS AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER, AS A TEACHER AND THEN AS A PARENT AS WELL.

RIGHT.

PLEASE SHARE WITH US ANY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD WORKING WITH A TEAM.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT WORKING WITH A GROUP WHO HAS DIFFERING OPINIONS? OH MY GOODNESS, I AM IN AN IEP MEETING AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK.

SO AS FAR AS A TEAM GOES, MY CAREER HAS BEEN SPENT ON TEAMS. I'M ALSO THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR OR THE LEAD TEACHER, DEPENDING ON WHICH DISTRICT SIDE THAT I'M WORKING ON UNDER THE SELPA.

SO I HAVE FIVE TEACHERS THAT HAVE COME TO ME IN TERMS OF NEEDING SUPPORT FROM EITHER

[01:35:07]

SO I'VE BEEN ABLE TO SUPPORT THEM IN THAT WAY AS FAR AS THE TEAM LEADER.

THERE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE SOMEBODY THAT DISAGREES WITH YOU.

AND I THINK THE BIGGEST PART ABOUT UNDERSTANDING AND WORKING WITH THE TEAM IN A GROUP THAT HAS DIFFERING OPINIONS IS THAT YOU GIVE EVERYBODY THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD TO SAY THEIR PIECE AND THEN YOU TAKE ALL OF THE INFORMATION INTO ACCOUNT SO THAT WHEN A DECISION IS MADE, PEOPLE CAN ACCEPT THE DECISION, AT LEAST UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND SAY THEIR PIECE.

AND WHEN THAT IS DONE, I THINK IN A IN A GROUP PROCESS, THEN DECISIONS CAN BE MADE MORE SUCCESSFULLY AND OUTCOMES CAN BE PRODUCED MORE SUCCESSFULLY BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF THE PROCESS.

SO WE JUST HAVE TO KIND OF TAKE OUR PERSONAL OPINIONS OUT OF IT, ALLOW EVERYBODY TO SAY THEIR PIECE AND THEN MAKE A DECISION.

A NUMBER OF CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES, SUCH AS MASK MANDATES, VACCINE TESTING MANDATES, CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND THE CALIFORNIA HEALTHY YOUTH ACT HAVE SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS CONCERNED.

CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS ON EACH OF THESE ISSUES AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HANDLE THEM IF SELECTED AS A BOARD MEMBER? THIS IS AN INTERESTING TIME IN OUR COMMUNITY, ISN'T IT? I THINK THAT NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE, SOMEBODY IS GOING TO HAVE A CONCERN AND OUR BIGGEST FOCUS NEEDS TO BE ON WHAT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE STUDENTS.

AND SO, EXCUSE ME, MY GLASSES ARE FOGGING UP AND I COULDN'T SEE THE QUESTION.

SO IF WE KEEP THE STUDENTS PRIMARY FOCUS AND THAT BE THE CENTER OF OUR DECISION MAKING, WE CAN ALWAYS BE SUCCESSFUL AND WE'RE WORKING IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE STUDENTS IN TERMS OF THE VACCINE, MASK MANDATES, TESTING AND EVEN SOME OF THE CRITICAL RACE THEORY.

I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING TO DO IS FOCUS ON THE DATA AND ON THE GUIDELINES OF WHAT'S BEING PUT IN FRONT OF US, WHICH SOMETIMES CAN CHANGE DAILY.

BUT WE ARE GOVERNED BY THE STATE, WE'RE GOVERNED BY OUR LOCAL ORDINANCES AND WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THAT IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR STUDENTS, WHICH IS THE BIGGEST PRIORITY THAT WE HAVE NEXT TO EDUCATING THEM.

IF THEY'RE NOT HEALTHY AND SAFE IN SCHOOL, THEN WE CAN'T EDUCATE THEM PROPERLY AND WE WANT TO SEE THEM SUCCESSFUL.

AND SO AGAIN, I THINK THAT ALLOWING THE COMMUNITY TO BE HEARD AND HAVE THEIR CONCERNS EXPRESSED AND TAKING THAT INTO ACCOUNT IS PART OF WHAT WE DO.

WHEN WE SERVE THE COMMUNITY.

WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS THEIR CONCERNS.

BUT I THINK ULTIMATELY, IF WE FOCUS ON THE DATA AND WE FOCUS ON THE INFORMATION THAT'S PUT OUT TO US IN THE MOST CURRENT STATE, WHETHER IT BE ABOUT VACCINES OR MASKING OR EVEN THE HEALTHY YOUTH ACT, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO TAKE THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION RESEARCH AND UNDERSTAND AND THEN MAKE DECISIONS RATHER THAN JUST KIND OF SNAP JUDGMENTS.

WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE ALL THE INFORMATION INTO ACCOUNT.

OK, NEXT, HOW WOULD YOU SEPARATE YOUR VIEWPOINTS AND THE VIEWPOINTS OF THE BOARD AS A WHOLE? WELL, I THINK THAT MY VIEWPOINTS IN TERMS OF ANY PARTICULAR TOPIC ARE WOULD BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION.

BUT IN THE END, THE DECISION THAT THE BOARD MAKES AS A WHOLE IS WHAT IT'S PUT FORTH TO THE COMMUNITY.

AND SO WE WOULD SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE IN THE END.

SO AS WE COME FORWARD AND HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE TOPIC AT HAND, WE CAN TAKE THAT INFORMATION AND THAT'S WHERE MY OPINION OR MY POINT OF VIEW WOULD BE HEARD.

BUT ULTIMATELY, WHEN THE BOARD MAKES A DECISION THAT THAT'S THE VIEWPOINT THAT WE NEED TO SUPPORT.

IF A PARENT, GUARDIAN, COMMUNITY MEMBER OR SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP CALLS YOU WITH A VALID CONCERN, WHAT STEPS WOULD YOU TAKE AFTER THE CONTACT? SO, YOU KNOW, AT THAT POINT THERE IS A PROCESS THAT HAS TO BE FOLLOWED.

I WOULD ENCOURAGE THEM TO ATTEND THE NEXT MEETING AND GO THROUGH THE PROCESS IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO SPEAK AND ADDRESS THE BOARD.

BUT I WOULD ALSO BRING IT TO THE BOARD AND LET THEM KNOW THAT A PARENT DID CONTACT ME.

BUT IN TERMS OF ME BEING ABLE TO ADDRESS THAT CONCERN WITH THAT COMMUNITY MEMBER OR THAT PARENT, THAT THAT'S NOT APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO DO ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, BUT THAT I WOULD ALSO BRING THAT INFORMATION TO THE BOARD TO LET THEM KNOW THAT I WAS CONTACTED BY THIS PERSON AND THIS IS THEIR CONCERN AND THAT THIS IS WHAT I DIRECTED THEM TO DO.

AT TIMES, THE BOARD MUST UPHOLD CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS MADE BY OTHER GOVERNING BODIES WITH WHICH YOU MAY NOT AGREE.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOUR ROLE IN THESE SITUATIONS AND HOW WOULD YOU ENSURE THAT OUR

[01:40:05]

BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE LEGALLY BOUND TO FOLLOW, YOU KNOW, THE STATE MANDATES, WE'RE LEGALLY BOUND TO FOLLOW THE CITY ORDINANCES, THE ED CODE, EVEN, YOU KNOW, ANY COUNTY GUIDELINES, OSHA WHEN IT COMES TO THE STAFF.

AND SO SOMETIMES NO MATTER WHAT WE MIGHT THINK OR FEEL, WE ARE BOUND BY THOSE LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS.

AND SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PUT THOSE THINGS OR IMPLEMENT THOSE THINGS INTO PLACE.

AND AS FAR AS YOU KNOW, ENSURING THAT THE COMMUNITY FEELS UNITED AND ACCEPTED, A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH TRANSPARENCY AND AN OPEN FORUM AND ALLOWING THEM TO SAY THEIR PIECE AND HAVE THEIR, YOU KNOW, THREE MINUTES IN FRONT OF THE BOARD AND BE ABLE TO SAY HOW THEY FEEL AND WHY THEY FEEL THAT WAY.

I THINK WHEN YOU INCLUDE THE COMMUNITY AND THE STUDENTS AND THE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE PROCESS, REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME, IF PEOPLE FEEL HEARD, THEN I THINK THAT IT GOES A LONG WAY INTO MAKING THEM FEEL ACCEPTED.

WHAT STRENGTHS WOULD YOU BRING AS A MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BOARD AND WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TOP THREE PRIORITIES FOR THE DISTRICT? SO I HAVE A VERY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE IN THAT I HAVE WORKED IN SEVERAL DISTRICTS.

I'VE WORKED IN THE SELPAS, I'M AN ADMINISTRATIVE INTERN, SO I'VE BEEN WORKING A LOT WITH OUR FISCAL DEPARTMENT LATELY.

SO I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF A BALANCED BUDGET AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN FISCAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES THAT ABOARD AND BY EXTENSION, THE DISTRICT HAS TO MAINTAIN.

AND SO MAKING SURE THAT THAT KEEPS THE THAT'S KIND OF A KEY KIND OF CENTER, YOU KNOW, FOCUS FOR ME IS MAKING SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE WAY THE DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE AS A BOARD ARE AFFECTING EVERYBODY FROM THE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF ON DOWN TO THE STUDENTS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO ANY PERSON THAT HAS CONTACT.

AND I CALL THEM EDUCATORS BECAUSE I THINK THAT ANYBODY THAT HAS CONTACT WITH OUR STUDENT, WHETHER THEY'RE THE FRONT OFFICE SECRETARY OR THE CLASSROOM TEACHER OR THE FRONT OFFICE STAFF, THE CUSTODIAL STAFF, WE'RE ALL EDUCATORS.

TEACHERS, YES, ARE EDUCATORS, BUT ANYBODY THAT TOUCHES THE LIFE OF OUR STUDENT HAS A WAY OF EDUCATING THEM.

AND SO I KIND OF GUESS THAT KIND OF LEADS ME INTO A PRIORITY OF MINE IS MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY IN THE DISTRICT FEELS THAT THEY ARE HEARD AND THAT THEY ARE SEEN, WHETHER IT BE A CHILD OR AN EMPLOYEE.

YOU KNOW, I FOUND NUMBERS VERY INTERESTING, AND WHEN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT OVER THE WEEKEND IS UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE 10000 STUDENTS AND 1100 EMPLOYEES.

AND WHEN YOU DO THE MATH, IF EACH EMPLOYEE TOUCHES THE LIFE OF NINE CHILDREN OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, THEN EVERY CHILD HAS HAD A CONTACT WITH SOMEBODY AND KNOWS THAT THEY'RE VALUED AND KNOWS THAT THEY'RE IMPORTANT.

AND SO MAKING THE STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT FEEL VALUED IS A BIG PRIORITY FOR ME.

WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT COME IN FROM OUT OF THE DISTRICT, AND THEY'RE HERE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO BE AND THEY'RE NOT HERE.

AND WE ALSO HAVE STUDENTS THAT COME IN THAT ARE OUR FOSTER STUDENTS THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY HERE FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF EVERYBODY IN THE DISTRICT TOUCHES A LIFE OF NINE CHILDREN, YOU KNOW, WE THINK 10000 KIDS IS A LOT, BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO TOUCH TEN THOUSAND KIDS.

WE ONLY HAVE TO TOUCH NINE.

AND SO IF EVERYBODY LOOKS AT THOSE NINE CHILDREN AND MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF THOSE NINE CHILDREN, THEN EVERY CHILD IS GOT IN CONTACT WITH SOMEBODY THAT KNOWS THAT THEY'RE VALUED AND KNOWS THAT THEY'RE IMPORTANT.

ALSO, JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE SOCIALLY AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE.

THIS IS A TIME WHEN OUR STUDENTS ARE COMING BACK TO SCHOOL, HAVING NOT BEEN IN SCHOOL FOR A LONG TIME.

SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN VERY ISOLATED.

SOME OF THEM DO WELL IN AN ONLINE ENVIRONMENT, ESPECIALLY OUR STUDENTS THAT ARE VERY TECH SAVVY.

BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ALL NEED THAT CONTACT WITH SOMEBODY.

AND SO BEING SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE ARE STUDENTS THAT STRUGGLED THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE HEARD AND TAKEN CARE OF.

AND ALSO, MY LAST PRIORITY IS MAKING SURE THAT WE LISTEN TO THE STAKEHOLDERS BECAUSE AS A BOARD, I THINK SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THAT STUDENT, IT'S ABOUT THEIR PARENTS, IT'S ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES.

MAYBE THEY'RE OUT OF WORK, MAYBE THEY HAVE ANOTHER CONCERN.

MAYBE THEY NEED SUPPORT FROM THE SCHOOL IN DIFFERENT AREAS.

[01:45:01]

AND SO MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE AVAILABLE AND THAT WE HAVE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO ANYBODY IN THE DISTRICT THAT NEEDS THEM.

YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING THAT I FOUND INTERESTING WAS THAT WE MAINTAIN OUR 80 70 GOAL, YOU KNOW, WITH A 40 PERCENT ON DUPLICATED PUPIL COUNT.

IT'S IMPRESSIVE THAT WE CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN OUR 70 160 COMPARED TO OTHER DISTRICTS THAT ARE IN OUR SAME POSITION.

AND SO THOSE MAKING SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN THOSE HIGH STANDARDS.

BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FAMILIES AND MEET THEIR NEEDS WHERE THEY ARE.

JESSICA, I'M SORRY, I SKIPPED OVER QUESTION SIX.

LET ME READ THAT TO YOU, PLEASE.

SURE.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE? WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME? I THINK ONE OF MY BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGES RIGHT NOW IS COMPLETING MY ADMINISTRATIVE INTERNSHIP.

I HAVE RECENTLY BEEN MOVED INTO A NEW ACADEMIC POSITION.

I WENT FROM THE CLASSROOM TO BEING AN ITINERANT SERVICE PROVIDER FOR A DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING POPULATION.

AND SO MAKING SURE THAT I STILL HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT SITE ADMINISTRATORS.

HOWEVER, FOR ME, I'VE TURNED THAT INTO A POSITIVE BECAUSE NOT ONLY HAVING EXPERIENCES WITH ONE SITE ADMINISTRATOR, I ACTUALLY AM ON 12 CAMPUSES THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF A WEEK.

AND SO I HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT SITE ADMINISTRATORS WHERE I CAN GET A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE FROM WHAT THE NEEDS OF A HIGH SCHOOL ARE VERSUS WHAT THE NEEDS OF AN ELEMENTARY OR EVEN OUR SPECIAL ED PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS. AND SO BEING ABLE TO HAVE THOSE EXPERIENCES WERE ORIGINALLY I THOUGHT, OH, THERE'S NO WAY I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO HIT ALL OF MY HOURS BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO ONE SPECIFIC SITE HAS ACTUALLY TURNED INTO A REALLY GOOD GROWING EXPERIENCE FOR ME BECAUSE IT'S TAKEN ME TO A POSITION WHERE I'M LIKE, OH, NOW I CAN SEE HOW YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCES IN THE NEEDS AND HOW IT AFFECTS HOW WHAT WE DO AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AFFECTS EVENTUALLY WHAT HAPPENS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.

AND SO I THINK THE IMPORTANCE OF OF HAVING HAD THAT NOW BEING ABLE TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY HAS ACTUALLY BEEN A POSITIVE THING FOR ME.

OK.

WHAT STRENGTHS WOULD YOU BRING AS A MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BOARD AND WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TOP THREE WITH THAT ONE? YEAH, I THINK WE JUST WENT BACK THEN.

OUR WORK HERE IS ALMOST DONE.

THAT'S OK.

THAT CONCLUDES OUR QUESTIONS.

DO YOU HAVE A CLOSING STATEMENT FOR THE BOARD? YES, THANK YOU.

SO I JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT I'M HUMBLED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF MY SKILLS AND ABILITIES AND HOW WE CAN SERVE THOSE 20000 PARENTS AND 10000 STUDENTS AND 1100 EMPLOYEES OF THE DISTRICT TO MAINTAIN THOSE HIGH STANDARDS THAT THEY'VE GOT A LEGACY.

WE'VE GOT A LEGACY FOR THAT THAT WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN, BUT ALSO THE ACHIEVEMENT FOR SUCCESS AND TAKING US INTO THE FUTURE, BUT KEEPING THAT STUDENT CENTERED FOCUS AND BEING SOCIALLY AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU.

OK.

FOR THE NEXT NAME, PLEASE.

GOOD EVENING.

HI THERE, BRITNEY.

WHY ARE YOU GETTING SETTLED? I WANT TO POINT OUT SOMETHING THAT I OVERLOOKED IN THE PROCESS WHEN I WAS SPEAKING EARLIER.

[01:50:01]

AT THE END OF THE EIGHT QUESTIONS, YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A CLOSING STATEMENT IF YOU SO DESIRE.

OK.

AND THAT CLOSING STATEMENT IS PREDICATED ON THE REMAINDER TIME.

YES.

OK.

OK, THANK YOU.

YOU BET.

READY.

YEAH.

HERE WE GO.

BRIEFLY, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE BONITA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

BRIEFLY, TELL YOURSELF I AM SOMEONE THAT REALLY DOES JUST LOVE COMMUNITY WORK.

I AM AN ENGAGED PERSON, RELATIONALLY, ON POLICY, ON PROCEDURES, I JUST WANT TO SEEK ENGAGEMENT AND IMPROVEMENT THAT INDIVIDUALLY, COLLECTIVELY.

AND THAT KIND OF FOLLOWS ME THE WAY I DO EVERYTHING RIGHT.

IT FOLLOWS ME THE WAY THAT I WORKED IN EDUCATION PREVIOUSLY.

IT FOLLOWS ME IN THE WAY THAT I MOTHER MY CHILDREN AND PARTICIPATE WITH MY FAMILY.

I HAVE TWO YOUNG KIDS, ONE THAT JUST STARTED AT ROYNON ELEMENTARY.

AND AS FAR AS MY INVOLVEMENT IN BUSD, MY VERY FIRST INVOLVEMENT WITH BUSD WAS ACTUALLY GETTING A COUPLE OF BONITA SENIOR INTERNS FOR MY NONPROFIT, AND THEY HELPED US PUT ON SOME COMMUNITY PROGRAMS, HELPED FACILITATE A COMMUNITY DIALOG, WHICH THE BONITA DEBATE TEAM PARTICIPATED.

AND THAT WAS MY FIRST LITTLE SIGN OF WHAT THE USDA HAD TO OFFER.

AND THEN I STARTED TO RESEARCH THE DISTRICT A LOT MORE AS ME AND MY FAMILY WERE DECIDING WHAT EDUCATIONAL CHOICE WE WOULD BE MAKING FOR OUR ELDEST DAUGHTER.

AND THAT STARTED WITH CONVERSATIONS TO SOME OF YOU, TO TEACHERS, AND IT JUST THIS DEEP DIVE INTO RESEARCHING ALL THAT THIS DISTRICT HAD TO OFFER.

THOSE CONVERSATIONS RESULTED IN MY LAUNCHING A CAMPAIGN LAST SUMMER, WHICH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, IS AN EVEN DEEPER DIVE INTO LEARNING ABOUT THE DISTRICT AND AND SEEKING TO ENGAGE WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND TEACHERS AND PARENTS.

THROUGHOUT THAT PROCESS, I LINKED UP WITH THE LA VERNE SAN DIMAS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION AND LAST SUMMER HELPED ORGANIZE AND EXECUTE THE BONITA 5K WELLNESS CHALLENGE, WHICH WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE IT WAS THE PANDEMIC SUMMER AND WE WERE KIND OF NAVIGATING HOW WE COULD MAKE THAT EXPERIENCE AS BEST AS POSSIBLE FOR BONITA.

MY PARTICULAR ROLE WAS COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND GETTING CO-SPONSORS AND PARTNERS AND PEOPLE WHO COULD OFFER WELLNESS OPPORTUNITIES TO OUR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I DO.

THAT'S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS WHAT I TAKE EVERYWHERE I GO.

AND THEN I CONTINUED MY INVOLVEMENT WITH LVSD EDUCATION FOUNDATION BECAME A BOARD MEMBER THERE.

NOW I AM ON THE WELLNESS COMMITTEE, CONTINUING TO SEEK MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT OPPORTUNITIES WE CAN PRESENT TO OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

I'M NOW ON THE PTA FOR IN AND SEEKING FOR EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO BE ENGAGED IN SUPPORTIVE PARENT, AND THAT IS WHERE A LOT OF MY ENERGY RESIDES NOW.

MY KIDS ARE YOUNG, SO MY INVOLVEMENT WITH BUSD IS JUST STARTING AND I AM COMMITTED FOR FOR THE LONG HAUL.

I GOT A TWO YEAR OLD.

WE'RE GOING TO BE AROUND FOR A WHILE.

PLEASE SHARE WITH US ANY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD WITH A TEAM.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT WORKING WITH A GROUP WHO HAS DIFFERING OPINIONS? OH BOY.

I MEAN, I PLAYED SPORTS MY ENTIRE LIFE, SO MY TEAMWORK STARTED WHEN I WAS VERY, VERY YOUNG.

I WORKED ON, I WORKED IN ALL LOTS OF CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE, WHETHER IT WAS RHA, WHETHER IT WAS ON THE TRACK TEAM, I COMPETED COLLEGIATELY FOR TRACK AND FIELD.

I WAS IN THE THEATER DEPARTMENT THERE.

SO WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING ON A PRODUCTION, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A TEAM.

THEN I DEVELOPED A NONPROFIT AND ALONG WITH MY HUSBAND AND WORKED WITH THAT BOARD.

NOW I'M WORKING WITH THE LVSD ED FOUNDATION BOARD, SO I HAVE LOTS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH THE TEAM.

AND I THINK WHAT I'VE LEARNED BEST IS THAT YOU'VE GOT TO SHOW UP WITH EARS TO LISTEN AND A MIND WILLING TO BE CHANGED.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SEEK TO DO.

I WANT TO UNDERSTAND YOUR POSITION FIRST, AND I THINK EVERYONE DESERVES AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THEIR POSITION UNDERSTOOD FIRST.

AND THEN AT THAT POINT, WE CAN MOVE FORWARD AND DISCUSS WHAT COLLECTIVE SOLUTIONS WE CAN FIND BECAUSE I REALLY THINK THAT WHEN EVERYBODY IS ABLE TO TO DELVE INTO THE THE REAL REASONS WHY THEY BELIEVE WHAT THEY BELIEVE OR THE REAL REASONS WHY THEY THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS PROGRAM OR THIS POLICY OR THIS RESPONSE IS THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION, WE'VE GOT

[01:55:02]

AND I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT WHEN YOU'RE ON A TEAM THAT YOU ARE PUTTING FORTH A COLLECTIVE VOICE, AND THAT'S WHY HAVING DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT AND REPRESENTATION IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEN YOU'RE YOU'RE PRESENTING MORE DEPTH OF HUMANITY, MORE DEPTH OF PEOPLE.

A NUMBER OF CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES, SUCH AS MASK MANDATES, VACCINE TESTING MANDATES, CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND THE CALIFORNIA HEALTHY YOUTH ACT HAVE SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS CONCERNED.

CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS ON EACH OF THESE ISSUES AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HANDLE THEM IF SELECTED AS A BOARD MEMBER? THAT'S A LOT OF ISSUES.

I MEAN, FIRST AND FOREMOST, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND CANDIDATES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHAT THE ROLE OF A BOARD MEMBER IS, AND THAT SHOULD ALWAYS BE MADE CLEAR AT THE VERY, VERY FOREFRONT.

WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MANDATES AND CURRICULUM, MOST OF THOSE THINGS ARE MATTERS OF LAW AND LEGISLATION, AND AS A PROSPECTIVE BOARD MEMBER, I WOULD BE HERE TO ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY TO HELP INFORM ON HOW WHAT FLEXIBILITY DO WE HAVE IN IMPLEMENTATION, RIGHT? THESE ARE THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT OPTIONS WE ACTUALLY HAVE AND HELP GUIDE ADVOCACY FOR FOLKS WHO FEEL PASSIONATELY OUTSIDE OF THOSE BOUNDARIES.

AN EXAMPLE OF THIS WOULD BE WITH THE MASK MANDATE WE WE SAW A LETTER THAT SUPERINTENDENT COLES SENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, RIGHT? THERE IS A LINE OF ADVOCACY THAT WE CAN'T ENGAGE IF WE WANT TO HAVE ANY WIGGLE ROOM ON HOW THIS MANDATE OR HOW THE QUARANTINE PROCESS GOES.

LET'S BE REALLY, REALLY CLEAR WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABOUT WHERE THEY CAN DIRECT THEIR ADVOCACY AND WHAT FLEXIBILITY THE BOARD HAS.

REFLECTING BACK TO WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT BEING A PART OF A TEAM AND HOW I ENGAGE MY COMMUNITY WORK, I REALLY DO WANT TO SEEK TO UNDERSTAND.

SO FOLKS THAT HAVE A THOUGHT THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN ME OR MULTIPLE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT FEEL OPPOSITIONAL ABOUT SOMETHING.

CAN WE HAVE AN HONEST CONVERSATION ABOUT IT AND CAN WE CAN WE QUIET OUT THE NOISE AND CAN WE STOP MODELING THE WAY THAT WE ENGAGE IN COMMUNITY WORK AFTER DIVISIVE AND ANGRY STATE AND NATIONAL POLITICS AND BOIL IT DOWN TO WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY HERE FOR? AND I THINK THAT I WOULD APPROACH THIS AS A BOARD MEETING AS A BOARD MEMBER WITH THE INTENTION OF MITIGATING TENSIONS, WITH THE INTENTION OF LETTING FOLKS FEEL HEARD, INFORMING THEM ABOUT THE FLEXIBILITY WE DO AND DO NOT HAVE DIRECTING THEIR ADVOCACY WHERE IT BELONGS.

AND THEN AND TONING DOWN THE FRUSTRATIONS BY RECOGNIZING THAT WE ARE LITERALLY ALL PEOPLE WHO REALLY, REALLY CARE ABOUT OUR KIDS.

SO LET'S REFOCUS ON THAT AND AND KIND OF QUIET OUT SOME OF THE DISTRACTIONS.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.

HOW WOULD YOU SEPARATE YOUR VIEWPOINTS AND THE VIEWPOINTS OF THE BOARD AS A WHOLE? WELL, THE THING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER IF I'M A BOARD MEMBER, IT'S NOT ABOUT MY PERSONAL, MY PERSONAL POWER THAT I COULD OR COULD NOT WIELD OR WHAT POSITIONS THAT I PERSONALLY HOLD.

BUT MY JOB, YOUR JOB IS TO BE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE COLLECTIVE COMMUNITY VOICE.

SO, SO THE WAY THAT I SEPARATE MY VIEWPOINTS WITH THE VIEWPOINTS OF THE BOARD IS BY ENSURING THAT I'M POSITIVELY ENGAGING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS EVERY SINGLE STEP OF THE WAY.

LIKE, Y'ALL WANT TO COME AND HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE, LET'S SIT, LET'S WATCH OUR KIDS PLAY AND HAVE A CONVERSATION.

LET'S HAVE A PHONE CALL, LET'S BE ACCESSIBLE, LET'S WORK AS A TEAM, AND IF I AM DOING MY JOB AND ENGAGING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, THEN I'M NOW ABLE TO SYNTHESIZE THAT.

I'M NOW ABLE TO ENCAPSULATE THAT COLLECTIVE COMMUNITY VOICE FROM THE BOARD.

AND THEN ONCE A BOARD HAS MADE A DECISION THAT THAT'S THE DECISION, RIGHT? THAT IT IS A COLLECTIVE ACTION AND A COLLECTIVE GOVERNANCE BOARD.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT ONLY IS EFFECTIVE IF WE UNDERSTAND IT ONLY IS EFFECTIVE IF WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE TAKING COLLECTIVE ACTIONS.

IF A PARENT OR GUARDIAN COMMUNITY MEMBERS OR SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP CALLS YOU WITH A VALID CONCERN, WHAT STEPS WOULD YOU TAKE AFTER THE CONTACT? I THINK IT DEFINITELY DEPENDS ON WHAT THAT VALID CONCERN IS AND WHAT THE I

[02:00:01]

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY LOVE THAT I'VE HEARD IN MULTIPLE DIFFERENT RESPECTS IS HOW MUCH THIS DISTRICT VALUES SITE AUTONOMY.

SO IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH A SPECIFIC SITE, I WOULD I WOULD HONESTLY PROBABLY DIRECT THE COMMUNITY MEMBER TO TAKE A LOT OF ISSUES TO THE ACTUAL CONCERNING PARTY, RIGHT? I WANT TO BE YOUR SOUNDING BOARD.

I WANT TO HEAR YOUR OPINION.

BUT ALSO, LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW EFFECTIVE PERHAPS A MEETING WITH THE PRINCIPAL WOULD BE OR HAVE YOU DIRECTLY CONTACTED THE TEACHER, RIGHT? ARE WE AS COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ARE WE TRYING TO TO MAKE NOISE AND MAKE A POINT OR ARE WE TRYING TO BE ENGAGED AND SUPPORT THIS EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY? SO MY FIRST COURSE OF ACTION WOULD BE, WELL, HOPEFULLY I'VE ALREADY LEARNED WHAT THE DESIRED COURSE OF ACTION IS AND WHAT THE CHAIN OF COMMAND WOULD BE AND CATEGORIZING WHAT TYPE OF CONCERNS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DIRECTED TO WHAT SPECIFIC DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE, WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME? WHEN WE LAUNCHED, WHEN ME AND MY HUSBAND LAUNCHED OUR NONPROFIT BACK IN 2016, IT WAS A MOMENT OF COMMUNITY TURMOIL AND TENSIONS RISING NATIONALLY, AND WE HAD A NEWBORN BABY IN OUR HANDS AND WANTED TO TAKE PROACTIVE MEASURES TO BUILD BRIDGES IN THIS COMMUNITY.

WHAT I DID WAS I REACHED OUT TO THE EIGHT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND ASKED TO SET UP A MEETING WITH THEM TO LISTEN AND LEARN FROM WHAT THEIR PERSPECTIVE WAS ON HOW TO BETTER BUILD BRIDGES BETWEEN DISGRUNTLED COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

BACK IN 2016, IF YOU RECALL, THERE WERE SPLASHY NEWS HEADLINES ABOUT ABOUT POLICE ACTIONS AND ABOUT RETALIATIONS, AND IT WAS GETTING MESSY AND IT WAS GETTING SCARY AND COMMUNITIES WENT FROM BEING, YOU KNOW, THE SAFE SUBURBAN TO BEING A HASHTAG.

AND THE THING THAT I SAID WHEN I PERSONALLY CONTACTED THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IS I WANT TO DO EVERYTHING I PERSONALLY CAN TO KNOW THAT OUR COMMUNITIES DON'T BECOME A HASHTAG AND THAT OUR COMMUNITIES CONTINUE TO WORK AS A COMMUNITY.

SO WHAT WE DID IS WE MET WITH EACH OF THESE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.

SOME OF THOSE MEETINGS WERE LITERALLY THREE HOURS LONG BECAUSE WE WERE THERE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND LEARN, AND THEN WE INVITED THEM ALL IN ALONG WITH THEM, PUT ON A SOMETHING CALLED A TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION PROGRAM WHERE WE INVITED COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO COME AND NAVIGATE THIS CONVERSATION ALONG WITH US.

WE DID THAT ONCE IN THE SUMMER OF 2017 AND THEN ACTUALLY DID IT AGAIN A YEAR AND A HALF LATER, WITH CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL CALLING US AND ASKING IF THEY COULD BE INVITED ALSO.

SO THE CHALLENGE WAS TO TAKE SOMETHING THAT WAS A VERY SENSITIVE, CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC AND ENGAGE MYSELF IN IT, EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE AN EXPERT.

BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER WAS I DIDN'T NEED TO BE THE EXPERT.

I WAS THERE TO PROVIDE A FORUM FOR POSITIVE INFORMATION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INTENTION OF STEPPING TOWARDS RECONCILIATION.

AS FAR AS THE OUTCOME, AFTER THAT FIRST ONE, LVPD ACTUALLY LAUNCHED A PROGRAM CALLED COP TALK, WHERE THEY WERE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE CAMPUS, HANDING OUT PIZZAS AND HAVING SOME POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH STUDENTS.

THEN THEY HAD A LITTLE COMMUNITY ROUNDTABLE OVER AT THE STATION.

SO WE HAD A NUMBER OF UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE STUDENTS THAT STARTED OUT FEELING LESS SAFE BECAUSE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS SO CLOSE AND ENDED UP FEELING CONNECTED AND HEARD.

AND WE HAD LOTS OF OTHER PROGRAMS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT.

BUT I ONLY HAVE SIX MINUTES LEFT.

YOU'RE FINE.

AT TIMES, THE BOARD MUST UPHOLD CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS MADE BY OTHER GOVERNING BODIES WITH WHICH YOU MAY NOT AGREE.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOUR ROLE IN THESE SITUATIONS, AND HOW WOULD YOU ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY REMAIN UNITED AND FEEL ACCEPTED AND VALUED? WELL, AS I CITED IN ONE OF MY FIRST RESPONSES, I DO BELIEVE IN UNDERSTANDING THE CHAIN OF COMMAND AND DIRECTING ADVOCACY.

SO IF A DECISION IS MADE BY ANOTHER GOVERNING BOARD OR BODY, THAT IS THE ONE ACTUALLY CREATING LAWS.

IT'S NOT MY JOB TO PICK AND CHOOSE WHICH ONE I DO AND DO NOT AGREE WITH, AND I WOULD HOLD TRUE TO THAT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, BUT ENSURING THAT OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY REMAIN UNITED AND FEEL ACCEPTED AND VALUED.

[02:05:02]

I DON'T THINK THAT THERE THE THE END RESULT OR THE THE END OUTCOME, BUT I THINK THAT THEY'RE THE ONLY FIRST STEP IN WORKING TOGETHER.

SO MY WAY THAT I WOULD ENSURE STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY FEEL UNITED IS MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS ALWAYS SPACE TO BE HEARD.

I EMPATHIZE WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE OPPOSED TO THE MASK MANDATE.

MY FACE IS REALLY SWEATY RIGHT NOW AND I HAVE A LOT MORE PIMPLES THIS PAST TWO YEARS, RIGHT? I REALLY DO UNDERSTAND.

AND THOSE ARE THE SURFACE LEVEL THINGS, RIGHT? LIKE, MY KID CERTAINLY WANTS TO SEE HER TEACHERS SMILE.

I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE PAINFUL THINGS THAT RESULT FROM POLICIES THAT WE CAN'T CONTROL.

AND I THINK FIRST, WE EMPATHIZE AND WE INFORM WHERE ADVOCACY IS DIRECTED.

BUT THEN WE ALSO TRY TO FIND IF THERE IS CREATIVE SOLUTIONS.

LAST SUMMER, WHEN EVERYTHING.

CLOSE DOWN, I ACTUALLY I PUT CALL THROUGH TO ASK THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHY CAN SPORTS MEET ON CAMPUS AND NOT CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES, RIGHT? CAN WE HAVE SOME MIDDLE GROUND? IT'S L.A.

COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH.

CAN WE DIRECT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO CONTACT L.A.

COUNTY HEALTH? I DON'T THINK THAT'S FAIR.

I THINK IF FOOTBALL WAS PLAYING, DRAMA SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALSO RIGHT, BUT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THE PROPER CHANNELS OF THAT ADVOCACY.

LIKEWISE, NOW THAT WE'RE BACK IN SCHOOL AND THERE'S SO MANY FOLKS UPSET ABOUT MASK CHOICE, MY QUESTION IS DO TEACHERS NEED TO FEEL SUPPORTED IN MOVING INSTRUCTIONAL TIME OUTSIDE, RIGHT, IF TEACHERS CAN TEACH OUTSIDE MORE? THAT'S WHERE MASK CHOICE SAFELY CAN HAPPEN.

SO I ASKED THE DISTRICT.

I ASKED TEACHERS HOW THEY CAN FEEL SUPPORTED.

I ASKED THE LA VERNE SAN DIMAS EDUCATION FOUNDATION, IS THIS SOMETHING WE NEED TO FUNDRAISE FOR? IS THIS SOMETHING WE CAN SUPPORT? IS THERE A CREATIVE SOLUTION THAT CAN BE FOUND TO MEET IN THE MIDDLE SOMETIMES? WHAT STRENGTHS WOULD YOU BRING AS A MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BOARD AND WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TOP THREE PRIORITIES FOR THE DISTRICT? I TRULY DO BELIEVE MY STRENGTH IS MY, MY FOCUS ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND MY HOPE AND BELIEF IN THE FUTURE.

THE MOST RADICAL THING ABOUT ME IS HOW IDEAL IDEALISTIC I AM, RIGHT? I BELIEVE IN THE KIDS IN OUR DISTRICT SO DARN MUCH, AND I BELIEVE IN OUR DISTRICT'S ABILITY TO PAVE THE WAY INTO THE FUTURE FOR THIS COMMUNITY AND BEYOND ITS BOUNDARIES SO DARN MUCH.

AND I THINK THAT THAT BELIEF IS MY GREATEST STRENGTH.

MY TOP THREE PRIORITIES.

I MEAN, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ACTUAL POLICIES OR PROGRAMS, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN EXPANSION OF TRADE SCHOOLS AND PATHWAYS, NOT JUST THE OPPORTUNITY, BUT ALSO EXPANDING HOW MUCH WE RECOGNIZE THEM AS AS EQUAL AND ADMIRABLE PATHS TO TAKE, NOT AS A BACKUP CHOICE OR NOT AS ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

I THINK ENGAGING COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND TEACHERS IN MORE PROACTIVE FEEDBACK.

WE'VE STARTED TO DO THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE WITH MORE SURVEYS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT I WANT TO CREATE A CULTURE OF INTEGRATION WHERE IT TAKES MORE THAN A COUPLE OF SURVEYS TO BUILD THAT RELATIONSHIP, RIGHT? THERE NEEDS TO BE A RELATIONSHIP OF TRUST FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT, TO BE REALLY, REALLY MEANINGFUL.

AND THEN MY THIRD PRIORITY WOULD BE REALLY FOCUSING ON THAT 80 70 GOAL AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE CLOSING THE EDUCATIONAL GAPS, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT RESULTED FROM THIS PANDEMIC IN ORDER TO GET THAT TIMING.

THAT CONCLUDES OUR QUESTIONS.

DO YOU HAVE A CLOSING STATEMENT FOR THE BOARD IN ONE MINUTE? SURE, I BELIEVE THAT MY SKILL SET IS UNIQUELY FORMED FOR A TIME SUCH AS THIS.

I RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THAT THERE IS NO EASY DECISION HERE.

BUT I RAN A CAMPAIGN BECAUSE I BELIEVED THAT I WAS CALLED FOR A TIME SUCH AS THIS, AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S ANY DIFFERENT NOW.

AND ANY CONCERNS THAT YOU MAY HAVE OR THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS MAY HAVE, I WILL BE THE PERSON WHO GOES NOT JUST THE EXTRA MILE, BUT THE EXTRA TWO MILES TO ENSURE EVERYONE IN THIS AUDIENCE VIRTUALLY THAT I AM A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE ENTIRE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

IT'S WHY I'VE DONE EVERYTHING I DO RIGHT.

I MY BELIEF IN OUR KIDS IN OUR FUTURE AND EDUCATION IS WHY I STUDIED EDUCATION.

IT'S WHY I LOOKED FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO TEACH EVERY OPPORTUNITY I COULD AS AN SES TUTOR, AS AN AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM LEAD, AS A SUMMER SCHOOL TEACHER, AS A SUBSTITUTE, AS A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER.

THEN I THRUSTED MYSELF INTO COMMUNITY WORK AND EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WAS ALWAYS THE PRIMARY FOCUS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

[02:10:03]

I LOVE EDUCATION, AND I LOVE KIDS, THAT'S IT.

WELL, THANK YOU.

THANKS.

I THINK WE'RE DOWN TO OUR FINAL, MAY AS WELL DRAW SINCE WE DREW THEM ALL.

JEFF WHILE YOU'RE GETTING SETTLED, ONE POINT THAT I DID NOT MAKE IN EXPLAINING THE PROCESS IS THAT AFTER THE EIGHT QUESTIONS, YOU'LL BE ALLOWED THE TIME TO PROVIDE A CLOSING STATEMENT IF YOU WANT.

PERFECT.

AND THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE 20 MINUTES.

YOU GOT IT.

OK, READY.

I'M READY.

YEAH.

BRIEFLY, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE BONITA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

ALL RIGHT.

FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU BOARD MEMBERS AND CABINET MEMBERS IN THE AUDIENCE FOR LETTING ME HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW FOR THE VACANCY.

MY NAME IS JEFF GRUND.

I'M A TEACHER FIRST AND FOREMOST IN THE NEIGHBORING DISTRICT.

I'M A HUSBAND.

I'M A DAD.

I HAVE TWO WONDERFUL CHILDREN, KATE AND LUCAS, A NINE YEAR OLD AND A FIVE YEAR OLD WHO BOTH ATTEND OAK MESA.

KATE'S ON ASB, LUKE'S IN KINDERGARTEN, AND HE LOVES IT SO DOES MY DAUGHTER.

I'VE BEEN TEACHING FOR ABOUT 18 YEARS.

MY WIFE'S BEEN JUST OVER A DECADE, SO I'VE TAUGHT HISTORY THE WHOLE TIME MY WIFE HAS TAUGHT IB, A.P.

BIO HONORS, BIO, CP BIO.

I'VE TAUGHT ALMOST ALL THINGS IN THE HISTORY DEPARTMENT.

I HAVE ALSO RAN THE SATS.

I RAN SITE COUNCIL.

I'VE BEEN A FOCUS GROUP CHAIR.

I'VE BEEN ON [INAUDIBLE] COMMITTEES, COACHED GOLF.

SO I'VE I'VE DONE A LOT AT OUR HIGH SCHOOL, SO.

I THINK THAT TELLS A LOT, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD ON THAT I'VE BEEN AN [INAUDIBLE].

CURRENTLY, I'M DOING [INAUDIBLE] IN THE LA VERNE CLAREMONT FOR THE U.

6S THE U.

SIX BOYS, AND I HELPED OUT WITH MY DAUGHTER'S GIRL SCOUTS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO PRE-COVID.

SO THAT, I THINK, SUMS UP QUESTION ONE.

OK.

PLEASE SHARE WITH US ANY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD WORKING WITH A TEAM.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT WORKING WITH A GROUP WHO HAS DIFFERING DIFFERING OPINIONS? OK, A COUPLE, I GUESS ANSWERS TO THAT QUESTION.

NUMBER ONE IS I'M A COACH FOR SIX YEAR OLDS CURRENTLY AND GETTING SIX YEAR OLDS OF ANYTHING MORE THAN ONE TO DO ANYTHING IS A GREAT TASK.

SO LET ALONE PLAY A GAME OR A PRACTICE, AND AND THAT'S ENJOYABLE.

BUT I THINK WORKING WITH THE TEAM AS ADULTS WOULD BE RUNNING A FOCUS GROUP OR BEING ON THE LEADERSHIP TEAM OR A [INAUDIBLE] COMMITTEE.

ANY TIME YOU TRY AND GET 30 TO UPWARDS OF A STAFF, HIGH SCHOOL STAFF TO AGREE ON ANYTHING CAN BE DIFFICULT.

AND I THINK YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THERE IS COMMON GROUND YOU NEED TO REACH AND YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR THE WHAT'S WHAT'S OUR END OBJECTIVE? WHAT'S OUR MAIN GOAL THAT WE ARE REALLY TRYING TO PURSUE? WHETHER IT'S A DOCUMENT FOR [INAUDIBLE] OR THE LONG TERM PLANNING FOR THE HISTORY DEPARTMENT.

SO I THINK FOR QUESTION TWO WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT WORKING WITH THE GROUP WHO HAS DIFFERING OPINIONS? I THINK THE KEY THING IS TO KEEP THE OBJECTIVE IN MIND, WHAT IS THE GOAL THAT WE WANT TO

[02:15:01]

CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS ON EACH OF THESE ISSUES AND HOW YOU PLAN TO HANDLE THEM IF SELECTED AS A BOARD MEMBER? I WOULD BE HAPPY TO IF I'M SELECTED AS A BOARD MEMBER FOR THE FIRST ONE MASK MANDATES.

I'M A FIRM BELIEVER IN TRUSTING LA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND THE DOCTORS AND SCIENTISTS THAT ARE WORKING TO KEEP US ALL SAFE HERE AS STUDENTS, PARENTS, EDUCATORS AND ADULTS.

SO AS A BOARD MEMBER, IF I GET CHOSEN, I WILL FIRMLY STAND BEHIND WHAT THE COUNTY SAYS FOR US TO DO FOR MASKS.

THE SECOND ONE, THE VACCINE TESTING MANDATES, IF AS A TEAM MEMBER OF THE BOARD AND THE CABINET, IF WE COME TO DECIDE THAT VACCINES ARE NECESSARY FOR LOWERING THE LEVELS OR MANDATING THEM FOR OUR KIDS, I WILL BE A TEAM MEMBER AND INCLUDE MY DECISIONS ON THAT.

I WORK IN THE NEIGHBORING DISTRICT AND A DECENT AMOUNT OF MY POPULATION OF KIDS ARE VACCINATED.

SO TESTING, I'M A PROPONENT OF TESTING.

I'M A PROPONENT OF TESTING KIDS THAT PLAY EXTRACURRICULAR SPORTS THAT ARE IN HIGH CONTACT SPORTS THAT ARE IN LARGE GROUPS SUCH AS DRAMA OR [INAUDIBLE] OR THINGS LIKE THAT.

CRITICAL RACE THEORY, CRITICAL RACE THEORY, I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A DELINEATION BETWEEN CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND SOMETHING LIKE ETHNIC STUDIES THAT IS IS CLOSE TO THE GOVERNOR'S DESK.

SO WHERE WE SEE THAT, WHERE ETHNIC STUDIES IS A CLASS THAT WE CAN SEE GOING FORWARD, MAYBE IT'S A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT.

MAYBE IT'S AN ELECTIVE WHERE WE HAVE CRITICAL RACE THEORIES.

HOW ARE WE EXAMINING OUR PREJUDICES? HOW ARE WE VIEWING WHAT WE'RE TEACHING, WHAT WE'RE BRINGING IN THE CLASSROOM? WHAT ARE OUR BIASES PER SAY THAT WE'RE BRINGING IN? BUT I THINK CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND GETS TIED IN A LOT WITH A CLASS LIKE ETHNIC STUDIES.

SO AND I BELIEVE IF I'M CORRECT THAT ETHNIC STUDIES IS MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH THE OUR STATE GOVERNMENT AS A CLASS, AS WE SPEAK, SO.

THE NEXT ONE, THE CALIFORNIA HEALTHY YOUTH ACT, I BELIEVE THAT IS DEALING WITH MENTAL HEALTH, AND I'M A FIRM BELIEVER IN MENTAL HEALTH.

I'M A FIRM BELIEVER AND ESPECIALLY WITH COVID AND OUR KIDS WHO HAVE BEEN SEPARATED FROM THEIR DAILY ROUTINES AND THEIR DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS.

SO KEEPING THEM AS MENTALLY HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE, WHETHER THAT'S INCREASING COUNSELORS OR INCREASING CHECK INS, WHETHER IT BE IN PERSON OR IF THEIR ZOOM ON DISTANCE LEARNING OR THEY HAVE AN INDEPENDENT STUDY THAT DOESN'T PERMIT THEM TO BE ON A DAY TO DAY ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL.

AND YOU GIVE US ANY THOUGHTS.

I BELIEVE I ANSWERED THAT QUESTION.

HOW WOULD YOU SEPARATE YOUR VIEWPOINTS AND THE VIEWPOINTS OF THE BOARD AS A WHOLE? NUMBER ONE, I THINK I WILL BE THE NEW MEMBER, OBVIOUSLY COMING TO THE BOARD, SO I WOULD WANT TO GET TO KNOW THE BOARD.

FIRST OF ALL, AND WORK AS A TEAM TO PUSH FORWARD AND MAKE BONITA EVEN BETTER AS MUCH AS I CAN CONTRIBUTE AS A BOARD MEMBER.

BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M A TEAM PLAYER.

I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I DON'T COME IN AND ROCK THE BOAT, SO TO SPEAK.

I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I CAN CONTRIBUTE MY IDEAS TO THE BOARD.

I WANT TO WORK WITH AS A SERVANT WITH MR. COLES AND THE CABINET WERE GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO HOST US SATURDAY MORNING, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS BROUGHT UP WAS THE DISTRICT OFFICE IS THERE TO SERVE THE SITES THAT ARE THERE TO SERVE THE STUDENTS, AND THAT IS THEIR NUMBER ONE JOB.

WE DON'T HAVE STUDENTS WALKING AROUND THIS DISTRICT OFFICE EVERY MORNING.

AND I BELIEVE THAT'S VITALLY IMPORTANT, INCLUDING THE ROLE THE BOARD THAT HOW CAN WE BEST SERVE THE COMMUNITY AND OUR OUR CONSTITUENTS AND THE THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY SHOULD NEVER BE STRAYING AWAY FROM THE KIDS.

IF A PARENT, GUARDIAN, COMMUNITY MEMBER OR SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP CALLS YOU WITH A VALID CONCERN.

WHAT STEPS WOULD YOU TAKE AFTER THE CONTACT? IF A PARENT CONTACTS ME OR A SPECIAL GROUP CALLS ME AND HAS A VALID CONCERN, I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD.

FIRST AND FOREMOST, TALK AS A BOARD.

WE SHOULD TALK WITH OUR SUPERINTENDENT.

WE SHOULD HAVE OPEN CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION.

I DON'T BELIEVE ANY ONE BOARD MEMBER SHOULD MAKE UNILATERAL DECISIONS.

[02:20:05]

I BELIEVE ONE OF THE EARLY QUESTIONS MENTIONED A TEAM WE ALL SHOULD WORK TOGETHER.

IF IT'S A PERSONNEL DECISION, WE SHOULD DEFINITELY BE IN CONSULT [INAUDIBLE] FISCAL DECISION.

WE SHOULD BE IN CONTACT WITH OUR CBO IF IT'S DEALING WITH MATTERS OF WHAT'S BEING TAUGHT IN THE CLASSROOM, WE NEED TO CONTACT ED SERVICES.

SO IF IF A PARENT HAS A LEGITIMATE CONCERN AND I HOPE PARENTS FEEL COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO TALK TO ANY LEVEL, WHETHER IT'S ADMINISTRATOR, A DOE OFFICIAL OR A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, I THINK WE NEED TO WORK AS A TEAM AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE ELECTED FOR IS TO MAKE THOSE TOUGH DECISIONS AND TO WORK AS A UNIT, AS A TEAM.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE? WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME? MY BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE, I WOULD SAY, AS A CHALLENGE.

I RAN THE SATS FOR OVER A DECADE IN MY DISTRICT, WHERE I CURRENTLY WORK AT CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL, SO I SERVED ON AVERAGE OF ANYWHERE FROM TWO TO FOUR HUNDRED KIDS EVERY TEST, AND I GAVE FIVE OR SIX TESTS EVERY YEAR FOR A DECADE.

SO I WAS PUSHING THROUGH THOUSANDS OF THOUSANDS OF KIDS EVERY YEAR.

AND THE CHALLENGE TO ME WAS DEALING WITH PARENTS.

IT WAS DEALING WITH GROUPS.

IT WAS HAVING TO SHUT THE DOOR THE GATE ON A KID BECAUSE HE CAME LATE AND THERE WERE RULES WE HAD TO FOLLOW AND WE COULD NOT LET THEM IN.

AND I THINK MY ROLE IN THAT WAS THE BUCK LITERALLY STOPPED WITH ME.

I WAS THE ANSWER.

I WAS THE REPRESENTATIVE, NOT OF CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL THAT DAY, NOT AS MR. GREG THE HISTORY TEACHER.

I WAS REPRESENTED FOR ETS AND THE TESTING SERVICE, SO IT WAS TOUGH AND THE OUTCOME I FELT DEEP DOWN I MADE THE RIGHT DECISION AND I WAS IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH NEW JERSEY AND THE SAT, AND I CONSULTED THEM.

IF I FELT I WAS NOT 100 PERCENT SURE OF MY DECISION EVERY DAY OR IN THAT MOMENT, AND I WOULD TELL THE FAMILY OF THE KID, HEY, I NEED TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THIS DAY HERE WITH ME.

AND I FELT THAT THAT WAS A CONSTANT CHALLENGE WAS MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION.

BUT I DID IT WITH MY TEAM AND I EMPLOYED.

I HAD UNDER ME ANYWHERE FROM 6, 8, 10 UPWARDS OF 15 PEOPLE AT A TIME.

AT TIMES, THE BOARD MUST UPHOLD CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS MADE BY OTHER GOVERNING BODIES WITH WHICH YOU MAY NOT AGREE.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOUR ROLE IN THESE SITUATIONS AND HOW WOULD YOU ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY REMAIN UNITED AND FEEL ACCEPTED AND VALUED? I THINK I SECOND IN THAT STATEMENT A LITTLE BIT.

THE BOARD UPHOLDS CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS MADE BY GOVERNING BODIES.

I THINK WE ARE SERVANTS OF THE COUNTY AT TIMES, AND WE HAND DOWN STUFF THAT COMES FROM HIGHER UP THAN US AND SOMETIMES HIGHER UP THAN THAT AT THE STATE LEVEL.

SO I MIGHT NOT AGREE WITH EVERY DECISION THAT'S BEING PASSED DOWN TO ME, OR I MIGHT BE A VOTING MEMBER THAT LOSES A VOTE ON AN ISSUE THAT I DIDN'T AGREE WITH.

I THINK A KEY THING GOES BACK TO ONE OF MY EARLIER STATEMENTS THAT WE ARE A TEAM.

WE'RE A BONITA UNIFIED DISTRICT FAMILY.

AND I THINK A KEY THING IF I GET APPOINTED OR CHOSEN TO FILL THE BOARD SEAT IS THAT I BECOME A FAMILY MEMBER AND I KNOW THAT THERE AREN'T GOING TO BE DECISIONS I LIKE OR THAT I SIDE WITH.

BUT IF I GET CHOSEN, I THINK A HUGE THING IS THAT WE NEED TO PUT OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD FOR THE KIDS, FOR THE PARENTS.

AND PART OF THAT IS MY ROLE IS I BECOME IF I'M CHOSEN TONIGHT, I BECOME A LEADER.

I BECOME AN APPOINTED ELECTED OFFICIAL THAT REALLY LOOKS OUT FOR THE BEST INTEREST OF THE KIDS IMMEDIATELY STARTING TONIGHT.

AND I THINK THAT'S KEY TO NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF, AND I MIGHT NOT AGREE WITH 100 PERCENT OF THE THINGS COMING OUT.

I DON'T AGREE WITH 100 PERCENT THINGS THAT HAPPEN EVERY DAY, BUT THE POINT IS YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHAT'S BEST, WHAT'S THE BEST FOOT FORWARD AND IF THE MEMBERS IN FRONT OF ME, IF THAT'S THE DECISION WE'RE MAKING AND I'M OUTVOTED OR THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO SUPPORT.

WHAT STRENGTHS WOULD YOU BRING AS A MEMBER OF THE GOVERNING BOARD AND WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TOP THREE PRIORITIES FOR THE DISTRICT? I THINK MY STRENGTHS, MY NUMBER ONE STRENGTH COMING OUT OF THE GOVERNING BOARD IS I'M A FRESH FACE NUMBER ONE, I'M A SECONDARY EXPERT EDUCATOR.

IF YOU WANT TO CALL THAT A TERM BECAUSE I'VE BEEN IN SECONDARY EDUCATION FOR CLOSE TO 20 YEARS, I'VE SERVED ON LOSS SAT FOCUS GROUP COACHING.

I'VE BEEN A COACH OUTSIDE OF IT.

I'VE COACHED HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS.

I GET THE SECONDARY LEVEL, AND I THINK THAT'S CRITICAL WHEN YOU HAVE HIGH SCHOOLS WITH OVER 1500 KIDS IN THEM.

I THINK IT'S A BIG THING AND YOU HAVE A CONTINUATION HIGH SCHOOL.

I GET THE MANAGING OF MASTER SCHEDULES, I GET THE STAFFING AND MASTER SCHEDULES.

I GET SEVEN SIX.

I UNDERSTAND THAT AS A BOARD MEMBER, IF I'M PICKED.

[02:25:04]

ARE OUR KIDS SAFE? ARE THE FAMILIES FEELING COMFORTABLE WITH THEM GOING TO SCHOOL? THE SECOND THING I WOULD HAVE SAY AND BONITA IS DOING AND SAN DIMAS IS DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB OF THIS.

ARE WE PROVIDING OUR KIDS WITH A RICH, RIGOROUS, ENGAGING CURRICULUM OR ARE WE REALLY PUSHING THEM IN THE [INAUDIBLE] WE TALKED ABOUT THIS AS WELL.

ARE WE PUSHING THEM TO MEET THOSE TARGET GOALS AND NOT JUST ONLY IN ENGLISH AND MATH? ARE WE HITTING THE SOCIAL SCIENCES? ARE WE HITTING THE SCIENCES? ARE, YOU KNOW, ARE WE REALLY ENGAGING AND MOTIVATING AND PUSHING THESE KIDS TO EVEN DO BETTER THAN WE, WE CAN AND REALLY PUSHING THESE KIDS FORWARD? AND I THINK MY THIRD PRIORITY WOULD LAND ON JUST AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.

WE'RE SITTING IN A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING.

IT'S ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.

I'VE DRIVEN BY IT AS IT WAS GETTING BUILT, AND I WOULD HOPE TO SEE THAT AS A BOARD MEMBER, AN APPOINTED BOARD MEMBER TONIGHT, I COULD SEE THAT WE SEE SOME OF OUR BUILDINGS THAT ARE AGING IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE BUILDINGS, GET REDONE, GET REVAMPED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS, FOR FUTURE SAINTS AND BEARCATS TO COME BACK TO AND HOPEFULLY BE SO PASSIONATE AND EXCITED THAT THEY WANT TO COME BACK AND MAYBE WORK HERE, MAYBE RECONTRIBUTE TO THEIR COMMUNITY THAT THEY GRADUATED FROM TO CREATE THAT LEGACY.

THAT CONCLUDES OUR QUESTIONS.

DO YOU HAVE A CLOSING STATEMENT FOR THE BOARD? I'LL MAKE MY BRIEF.

I I CHOSE TO GET INVOLVED.

I DID NOT RUN IN THE ELECTION, BUT I CHOSE TO GET INVOLVED.

I FELT THAT AS A TEACHER, AS AN EDUCATOR, AS A HUSBAND, AS A DAD, I FELT THAT NOW IS IS AS GOOD A TIME AS EVER TO WANT TO HELP OUT OUR KIDS.

WANT TO HELP OUT THE FAMILIES WANT TO PROVIDE STABILITY TO THE BOARD.

THERE IS A VACANCY.

OBVIOUSLY, IT'S NO IT'S NO SECRET.

I WANT TO BRING STABILITY.

I WANT TO GET TO KNOW EVEN BETTER.

AFTER 20 YEARS OF TEACHING, WHAT MORE CAN I CONTRIBUTE TO THE BONITA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT IN ANOTHER DISTRICT? SO I WAS WORKING.

I WORK FOR CHARTER OAK AND I LOVE CHARTER OAK, BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT CAN I DO FOR BONITA? WHAT CAN I DO FOR THE STUDENTS? I'M ENCOURAGED IF I GET PICKED, I WANT TO GO OUT AND VISIT THE SCHOOL SITES.

I WANT TO SEE THE PRINCIPALS.

I WANT TO SEE THE KIDS FACES IN SECOND GRADE AND IN EIGHTH GRADE.

I WANT TO SEE OTHER HIGH SCHOOLS.

I WANT TO SEE THE MAGIC THAT'S HAPPENING BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK ALL OF US WOULD AGREE.

UP IN FRONT OF ME, THE REAL MAGIC IS IN THE CLASSROOM.

THE MAGIC IS AT 9:00 A.M.

IN SECOND PERIOD OR WALKING INTO THAT THIRD GRADE CLASS OR TAKING A FIELD TRIP TO THE PUMPKIN PATCH.

THAT'S THE REAL MAGIC, AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT LIES AHEAD COMING OUT OF COVID.

I THINK THAT THE KIDS ARE JUST AS EXCITED TO REKINDLE THAT MAGIC AND REKINDLE THAT SPARK THAT REALLY IS HAPPENING IN PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE FUTURE.

PUBLIC EDUCATION IS BRIGHT.

IT'S WONDERFUL.

I TEACH EVERY DAY AND I LOVE EVERY DAY I'VE TAUGHT.

HAVE THERE BEEN BAD DAYS? YES.

HAVE THERE HAVE BEEN BAD FISCAL YEARS? YES.

BUT I LOVE GOING TO WORK.

I LOVE TEACHING.

I'M EXCITED IF I GET TO CONTRIBUTE TO BE A BOARD MEMBER.

SO THAT'S MY CLOSING STATEMENT.

WELL, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

SO YOU WANT TO WANT A BREAK BEFORE WE CONTINUE? OK, WE'LL TAKE ANOTHER 5 TO 10 MINUTE RECESS.

OKAY WE'RE BACK INTO SESSION AT 8:37.

WELL, CANDIDATES, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND COMMITMENT TO BE A GOVERNING SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER.

AS A REMINDER, YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES TO ANSWER EIGHT QUESTIONS.

WAIT A MINUTE, WE'VE ALREADY DONE THAT PART AFTER THE INTERVIEW.

ARE YOU READY FOR ROUND TWO? IT'S BEEN A LONG NIGHT FOR ALL OF US.

SO LET ME START HERE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR TIME AGAIN.

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT EACH OF YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO CONTRIBUTE, AND YOUR PASSION FOR BUSD IS TREMENDOUS.

WE HAVE A TOUGH DECISION TO MAKE, AND UNFORTUNATELY WE CAN ONLY SELECT ONE OF YOU AT THIS TIME.

EACH BOARD MEMBER WILL ADDRESS ALL OF YOU BEFORE WE BEGIN OUR FINAL DELIBERATIONS.

LET'S GO, GREG.

GLENN, DEREK AND I'LL FINISH.

WELL, THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT.

I REMEMBER BEING ON THAT SIDE JUST A LITTLE WHILE AGO, AND I REMEMBER MY HEART RATE WAS BUMPING MY.

I WAS SWEATING BEFORE I EVEN GOT TO THE PODIUM.

SO I UNDERSTAND HOW IT FEELS.

AND, YOU KNOW, GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU.

I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE HARD NOT TO TAKE IT PERSONALLY FOR SIX OF YOU BECAUSE I

[02:30:04]

JUST GOT TO REALIZE, YOU KNOW WHERE WE ARE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR WHAT'S BEST FOR ALL THE BONITA KIDS AS A WHOLE.

IT WAS REALLY REFRESHING TO HEAR SOME OF YOUR VISIONS, ESPECIALLY YOUR THREE PRIORITIES.

I REMEMBER WHEN THAT GUY WAS CAMPAIGNING AND RUNNING FOR APPOINTMENT, WE HAD THESE VISIONS OF WHAT WE WANTED TO DO.

IS JUST NICE TO HEAR THAT AGAIN, JUST TO KIND OF REDEDICATE MYSELF TO WHY I'M HERE AS WELL.

SO THANK YOU FOR ALL COMING OUT.

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST.

MY MIND, YOU KNOW, I READ ALL YOUR APPLICATIONS AND I HAD MY MY THOUGHTS.

AND THEN YOU ALL COME HERE AND I HAVE A WHOLE DIFFERENT VIEW.

SO I TRY TO TAKE EVERYTHING JUST FROM FACE VALUE FOR WHAT IT IS, AND I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU COMING OUT.

I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL.

I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT.

I HAVEN'T SAT THROUGH THIS BEFORE, BUT I HAVE SAT THROUGH THE CANDIDATES FORUM, SO I'LL HAVE TO DEFER, WHICH IS WORSE.

THE ONE ON ONE WITH THE BOARD OR THE CANDIDATES FORUM WHERE YOU'RE TALKING TO THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT AND I DON'T WANT YOU TO FEEL I'M DISRESPECTING YOU NOT WEARING A SUIT TONIGHT, BUT I DAMAGED THE NERVE IN MY NECK AND LOST A LOT OF THE USE OF MY RIGHT HAND.

SO I CAN'T BUTTON TOO MANY BUTTONS AND I CAN'T DO A TIE.

SO THAT'S A GREAT EXCUSE NOT TO HAVE TO WEAR ONE.

AND I'M GOING TO NURSE IT AS LONG AS I CAN.

IT WAS REFRESHING TO HEAR DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW TONIGHT FROM NEW PARENTS IN THE DISTRICT TO OLD PARENTS IN THE DISTRICT AND DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS AND WHAT YOU SEE AS OUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES.

AND I THINK THE THE OVERRIDING THING I HEARD AND IT'S SOMETHING I CAMPAIGNED ON IN 2003, WAS WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR KIDS.

IF THAT'S NOT YOUR PRIORITY, THEN YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T BE SITTING OUT THERE OR SITTING UP HERE.

SO IT WAS NICE TO HEAR THAT EVERYONE IS LOOKING AT THAT AS YOUR PRIORITIES.

SO FIRST, YES, DEFINITELY.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE PRESENTED YOURSELF WELL.

I THINK YOUR PASSION FOR OUR KIDS DEFINITELY SHOWED THROUGH, AND I THINK THERE ARE DEFINITELY SOME DIFFERENT VISIONS, AND I THINK THAT'S ACTUALLY VERY NORMAL ON A BOARD.

AND I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT ONE OF MY BIGGEST CHALLENGES WHEN I GOT ON THE BOARD.

WHEN I GOT ON THE BOARD, I WAS A NEWCOMER.

AND, YOU KNOW, I CAME IN AND ONE OF THE BIGGER CHALLENGES I HAD WAS I WAS COMING ON A VERY SUCCESSFUL BOARD.

WHY THAT'S A PROBLEM IS BECAUSE THE ODDS OF YOU MAKING IT WORSE ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN YOU MAKING IT BETTER.

I NEVER TOLD THEM THAT IT WAS NOT SOMETHING I WANTED TO PUBLICLY BROADCAST, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING I RECOGNIZED.

AND YOU KNOW, THE GIVE AND TAKE THAT HAPPENS, THE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION AND ACTUALLY COMING TOGETHER FOR A SOLUTION I THINK HAS REALLY BEEN GOOD AND ALL OF US HAVE ADVOCATED FOR DIFFERENT THINGS.

GLENN HUGE, ADVOCATE FOR SPORTS WANTING TO MAKE SURE OUR KIDS CAN GET ON THE FIELD, THAT THEY CAN HAVE THIS ATHLETIC OUTLET THERE.

GREG, HUGE ADVOCATE FOR SPECIAL ED AND WANTS TO MAKE SURE OUR SPECIAL ED PROJECT PROJECT IS VERY STREAMLINED.

I WAS GOING BACK AND FORTH WHICH ONE I SHOULD MENTION FOR CHUCK, BUT CHUCK HUGE ADVOCATE FOR MENTAL HEALTH.

HE REALLY WANTS TO MAKE SURE OUR KIDS GET THE HELP THAT THEY NEED, AND ALL OF US HAVE THESE THINGS THAT WE ADVOCATE FOR.

SO WHOEVER GETS ON THE BOARD, I'M VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HOW YOU'RE GOING TO CONTRIBUTE BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE THAN THE REST OF US.

ALL OF US HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE AND WE KIND OF COME TOGETHER TO DO WHAT'S BEST THE BEST FOR OUR KIDS.

LISTENING TO THIS, AND I'LL SKIP MY REMARKS.

I HAVE LIKE NO PATHS.

I'VE WRITTEN LIKE FIVE SPEECHES FOR THIS.

BUT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS INTERESTING WAS EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU GUYS SEEM LIKE YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT OUR KIDS.

AND THERE ARE A LOT OF COMMUNITY GROUPS OUT THERE, AND I'M SAYING THIS FOR THE ONES WHO DON'T THE ONE OR MAYBE ALL OF YOU.

BUT DEFINITELY THE ONES WHO DON'T GET SELECTED.

YOU GUYS ARE LEADERS.

YOU GUYS WANT TO CONTRIBUTE.

I READ ONE OF YOU WAS IN THE ROTARY IN THE PAST.

SAN DIMAS HIGH SCHOOL, LIKE ALL OF YOU, HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THINGS.

AND I WOULD JUST ASK THAT YOU CONTINUE CONTRIBUTING.

JUST CONSIDER CONTINUE CONTRIBUTING BECAUSE HONESTLY, WHAT I HEARD WAS VERY AMAZING AS PEOPLE, AS PERSON TO PERSON.

THANK YOU FOR CARING ABOUT OUR KIDS, FOR OUR CITY.

AND I HOPE YOU GUYS CONTINUE TO DO THAT.

SADLY, WE WILL HAVE TO PICK JUST ONE OF YOU.

SO BUT THANK YOU FOR COMING IN AND FOR REPRESENTING YOURSELF VERY WELL.

OH, WELL, I HAD MY THANKS ONCE AGAIN BEFORE I REALLY GET INTO MY REMARKS, YOU'VE HEARD MENTION OF THE DISTRICT, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BEING DIVIDED UP INTO DISTRICTS FOR THE 2022 ELECTION.

NOTHING IS SCHEDULED YET, BUT THERE WILL BE A NUMBER OF PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CERTAINLY WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH OF YOU IS IS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THOSE.

YOU OBVIOUSLY ARE VERY INVOLVED AND CARE VERY DEEPLY ABOUT THE DISTRICT AND AND THAT IS

[02:35:01]

AND SO WE WILL NEED ALL THE BIG BRAIN PEOPLE ON BOARD THAT WE CAN BRING FORWARD.

SO THERE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE LIKE DEREK WHO ARE AND SOME OF YOU OUT THERE WHO ARE CLASSROOM TEACHERS AND AND CARL COLES AND OTHERS HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET UP AND JUST SPEAK EXPONENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT NOTES AND THAT SORT OF THING.

I'M PART OF ME AS A WRITER, SO I NEED TO WRITE MY THOUGHTS DOWN SO I'D LIKE TO SHARE THOSE WITH YOU.

SO JUST LIKE ANY ONE ELSE, EACH OF US UP HERE HAS OUR OWN INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS.

IT IS THE INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVE THAT EACH OF US HAS THAT HELPS GUIDE AND DRIVE OUR DECISIONS.

BY NOW, I THINK IT'S FAIR THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT THAT EACH OF US HAS EITHER DECIDED OR IS VERY CLOSE TO MAKING THEIR DECISION AT THIS POINT.

I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO SHARE SOME OF MY PERSPECTIVES AND WHAT HAS HELPED GUIDE AND DRIVE MY DECISION.

TENURE.

WHEN I LOOK AT THE FOUR OF US SITTING UP HERE NOW, I SEE TWO LONG TERM MEMBERS, GLENN AND MYSELF.

AND AS A SIDE NOTE, THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME THAT GLENN AND I HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH THE OUR PORTION OF THE DUTY OF OF SELECTING A INTERIM MEMBER.

THE AVERAGE AGE OF OUR TENURE FOR THE FOUR OF US IS NINE POINT FIVE YEARS.

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN GLENN AND I WERE EACH ON OUR FIRST TERMS WHEN THE AVERAGE TERM OF LENGTH OF SERVICE OF EACH OF THE BOARD MEMBERS WAS ONLY ABOUT THREE POINT FIVE YEARS.

SO GLENN AND I REALLY BRING THAT CURVE UP BECAUSE COINCIDENTALLY, DEREK AND GREG ARE EACH IN THEIR FIRST TERM.

SO ODDLY COINCIDENTAL.

WHEN I LOOK AT THE FOUR OF US SITTING UP HERE TONIGHT, I MUST MAKE NOTE OF THE FACT THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN WELL OVER 20 YEARS THAT I KNOW OF WHERE THE BOARD DID NOT HAVE AT LEAST ONE WOMAN ON IT.

I WAS HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE HAD SO MANY WOMEN APPLY.

I WILL ALSO NOTE TONIGHT THAT THE ONLY TWO GENTLEMEN WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE AUDIENCE ARE TWO GENTLEMEN WHO ARE BEING PAID TO BE HERE AS PART OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO THE DISTRICT.

ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE AUDIENCE BECAUSE I THINK WE'VE SEEN A FEW LEAVE ARE WOMEN.

SO THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT, LADIES.

NOW I'M PROBABLY GOING TO RUFFLE A FEW FEATHERS WITH MY NEXT COMMENTS, BUT I BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO HEAR THE HONEST OPINION OF THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND TO KNOW WHAT DRIVES THEIR DECISIONS.

IT'S BEEN ONE OF MY OBSERVATIONS THAT INCREASINGLY OVER TIME, SCHOOL BOARDS AS WELL AS CITY COUNCILS SEEM TO BE INCREASINGLY POPULATED BY MEMBERS WHO HAVE OR HAVE RETIRED FROM CAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR.

I THINK THAT MAY TEND TO GIVE SOME OF THEM OR THEM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE FROM SOMEONE WHOSE CAREER HAS BEEN IN OR IS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

SO I'M HERE TO TELL YOU, HAVING TO PACE, HAVING TO SIGN PAYCHECKS WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH DEFINITELY GIVES YOU A CERTAIN PERSPECTIVE WHEN IT COMES TO EMPLOYEE PAY SCALES.

WHOMEVER GETS THIS APPOINTMENT WILL BE JOINING A UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT EMPLOYS OVER 400 OF THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST EDUCATORS AROUND FROM CARL COLES, OUR SUPERINTENDENT, TO HIS CABINET.

LOST MY PLACE [INAUDIBLE] FROM CARL COLES, SUPERINTENDENT CABINET AND THEIR LEADERSHIP TEAMS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO OUR NEWEST HIRES ON CAMPUS.

YOU COULD NOT ASSEMBLE A FINER GATHERING OF MORE CAPABLE, DEDICATED, PROFESSIONAL, PASSIONATE AND COMPASSIONATE EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONALS.

SO IT HAS BEEN ANOTHER OBSERVATION OF MINE THAT SCHOOL BOARDS ARE ALSO INCREASINGLY OVER TIME BECOMING POPULATED WITH CAREER EDUCATORS.

I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE BOARD MEMBERS FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR BECAUSE THEY BRING A VERY NEEDED AND IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVE.

SO THAT CONCLUDES OUR DISCUSSION PERIOD, UNLESS ANY BOARD MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO ASK ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS WE HAD, WE HAD SAID WE'D PROVIDE THAT OPPORTUNITY.

[02:40:02]

ANY OF THE FOUR OF US CAN MAKE THAT MOTION.

I'M GOING TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY AS THE PRESIDENT TO MAKE THE FIRST MOTION.

REMEMBER THE SEQUENCE? SO FOR MY MOTION, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPOINT CRYSTAL JONES BACON AS OUR NEXT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER.

SECOND.

WE HAVE A FIRST AND A SECOND.

OK.

THE MOTION DIES FOR LACK OF A VOTE.

I'M ASKING FOR ANOTHER MOTION.

I'D LIKE TO MOVE FOR JIM ELLIOT.

I'LL SECOND.

I'D ASK FOR A VOTE.

AYE , AYE.

[INAUDIBLE] OK.

MOTION FAILS.

I'LL ASK FOR ANOTHER MOTION.

I WANT TO MOVE FOR JESSICA GARCIA, PLEASE.

FAILING A SECOND, THE MOTION IS TABLED.

WELL, LET'S GO THROUGH AGAIN, I WILL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPOINT CRYSTAL JONES BACON.

I SECOND.

AND WE HAVE A VOTE ALL IN FAVOR AYE.

AYE.

I'D SAY NAY, BUT OK, THEN THE MOTION FAILS, I'M SORRY.

MAY I HAVE A MOTION? I'LL MOVE FOR JIM.

I'LL SECOND AGAIN, I'LL ASK FOR A VOTE.

AYE.

AYE.

HMM.

MOTION FAILS.

MAY I HAVE ANOTHER MOTION? I MOVE FOR JEFF GRUNDT.

THE MOTION FAILS LACK OF A SECOND.

I HAVE ANOTHER MOTION.

I MAKE A MOTION AGAIN FOR CRYSTAL JONES BACON.

SECOND.

OK.

THE MOTION FAILS, SHALL WE DISCUSS.

I MOVE FOR [INAUDIBLE].

MOTION FAILS FOR LACK OF A SECOND.

MAY I HAVE A MOTION? WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A DISCUSSION? I THINK DISCUSSION MIGHT BE WARRANTED.

LET'S HAVE A DISCUSSION.

I MEAN, I GUESS FOR ME, I COULD START.

ONE THING THAT I MEAN NOTHING AGAINST JIM.

BUT ONE THING I THINK IS IMPORTANT IS THAT AT LEAST THE MAJORITY OF THE BOARD HAVE AN INVESTMENT WITH THEIR KIDS IN THE DISTRICT.

TO ME, THAT'S IMPORTANT.

ONE THING WE ARE LACKING AND IT'S HARD TO REPLACE IS A MOTHER'S PERSPECTIVE ON THE BOARD.

WHILE I'M CLOSE TO MY WIFE AND I COULD SEE THINGS HER WAY.

I DON'T HAVE THAT SAME PERSPECTIVE.

AND LOSING THE ONE WOMAN WE HAVE TO ME IS IMPORTANT.

I DO APPRECIATE DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS, SO I'M HAPPY TO CONSIDER ALL THOSE.

ONE THING I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY WROTE IN.

NOT EVERYONE WROTE IN FOR THE SAME PERSON.

SO UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S KIND OF A MIXED BAG THERE.

BUT I'M NOT OPPOSED TO MR. ELLIOTT.

I KNOW THIS IS ONLY FOR A YEAR.

I JUST HAD PEOPLE THAT KIND OF ROSE TO THE TOP BEFORE THAT.

AND AGAIN, I SHOULD I'D LIKE TO COMMENT AS WELL.

YOU GUYS WERE GREAT.

I'M NOT LIKE KNOCKING YOU GUYS AT ALL.

SOME OF YOU, I CONSIDER FRIENDS.

I MEAN, THIS IS A CONFLICTING THING FOR ME.

MY POINT OF VIEW IS THAT OF A FIDUCIARY.

MY MAIN GOAL IS WHAT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR DISTRICT.

THE REASON WHY I AM VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT JIM IS FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS, BUT I'D LIKE TO BRING UP A PRAGMATIC ONE.

IT'S ONE OF ONBOARDING.

FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, THIS APPOINTMENT IS FROM NOW UNTIL THE ELECTION IN 2022.

THAT'S WHEN THIS APPOINTMENT IS AN ONBOARDING LEARNING HOW TO BE A BOARD MEMBER TAKES TIME.

THEREFORE, I SEE JIM AS THE SAFEST BET BY FAR, AND YOU GUYS MIGHT BE AMAZING ON THE

[02:45:02]

I'M NOT KNOCKING ANYONE'S ABILITY, BUT JIM IS THE SAFEST BET BECAUSE HE'S PROVEN HE'S BEEN ABLE TO DO IT.

IF YOU GAVE ME A CHOICE BETWEEN A 60 PERCENT CHANCE OF HAVING SOMEONE WHO COULD BE AMAZING OR 99.9 PERCENT CHANCE OF SOMEONE WHO COULD BE, I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO BE AMAZING, BUT GOOD.

I'M CHOOSING GOOD AND HONESTLY, I HAVE.

I TOOK NOTES ON WHAT YOU GUYS SAID.

THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HERE, AND I'VE COMMUNICATED WITH SEVERAL OF YOU.

I CAN TELL YOU THE GREAT QUESTIONS YOU'VE ASKED, THE GREAT POINTS YOU MADE BOTH HERE AND ELSEWHERE.

IT'S NOT ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT ANYONE ELSE.

BUT IF I'M APPROACHING THIS AS A FIDUCIARY, MY MAIN GOAL IS THIS PERIOD OF TIME UNTIL THERE'S AN ELECTION.

MY MAIN GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE STABILITY UNTIL THE PEOPLE CAN SPEAK.

AND I THINK JIM GIVES US THAT BEST OPPORTUNITY.

SO THAT'S WHY I'M DEFINITELY PUSHING FOR HIM.

I KNOW HIM.

HE'S A TRUSTED COMMODITY.

HE'S WON AN ELECTION.

I THINK PEOPLE HAVE A LOT OF TRUST IN HIM, SO THAT'S WHY I'M PUSHING FOR HIM.

AND I ACTUALLY I'VE NEVER WORKED WITH YOU ON A BOARD, BUT I THINK IT'D BE FUN TO WORK WITH YOU AS WELL.

ONE THING THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT TO ME AND I AGREE WITH GREG IS IMPORTANT HAVING PARENTS WITH KIDS IN THE SCHOOLS ON THE BOARD.

THERE'S BEEN TIMES WITH NO FEMALES, THERE'S BEEN TIMES WHERE WE'VE HAD TWO.

THEY DO BRING A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

BUT FROM THE TIME I FIRST RAN ONE OF MY THINGS AND THOSE THAT RAN AGAINST ME LAST TIME WILL REMEMBER IS INVOLVEMENT IN THE DISTRICT.

IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME HOW MUCH TIME YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE DISTRICT AND WHAT YOU'VE DONE, WHETHER YOU'RE PTA BOOSTERS, PARENT, VOLUNTEER IN THE CLASSROOM.

AND THAT'S HOW I STARTED TEACHING KINDERGARTNERS HOW TO STOP DROP AND ROLL AND WENT THROUGH PTA PRESIDENTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

THE INVOLVEMENT IN THE DISTRICT TEACHES YOU.

I MEAN, THOSE OF YOU, THE EDUCATORS, I'M SURE YOU KNOW YOUR DISTRICT INSIDE AND OUT.

BUT IF YOU AREN'T INVOLVED IN THIS DISTRICT, THERE ARE LITTLE THINGS THAT ARE DIFFERENT, AND EACH DISTRICT HAS ITS OWN CULTURE.

AND THE MORE YOU'RE AROUND AND LEARN THE CULTURE OF A DISTRICT, THE EASIER IT IS TO GOVERN THAT DISTRICT.

IT'S KIND OF A CLICHED TERM, BUT YOU KNOW WHO THE PLAYERS ARE, WHO WHO TO TALK TO TO GET STUFF DONE.

WHAT WE'VE DONE THAT HASN'T WORKED.

WHAT WE LIKE TO TRY THAT WE WILL BE DOING.

SO THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN AN IMPORTANT THING TO ME IS YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE DISTRICT.

AND I THINK ALL OF YOU WILL MAKE AT SOME POINT TREMENDOUS BOARD MEMBERS.

BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE SOMEONE THAT HAS YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF YEARS LEFT FOR YOU, FOR YOUR CHILDREN.

AND I THINK YOU'LL BE A GREAT BOARD MEMBER.

BUT MY CONCERN IS NOT HAVING THAT ANECDOTAL STORIES OR WORKING WITH KIDS IS FINE.

BUT IF YOU AREN'T ON THE GROUND IN THE CLASSROOMS, VOLUNTEERING WITH THE DIFFERENT GROUPS AND EVERYTHING ELSE, YOU DON'T HAVE A FEEL FOR THE AS THEY LIKE TO SAY, WHICH I REALLY DON'T LIKE THE TERM, THE BONITA WAY.

AND THAT'S A DRIVING.

YOU ALL HAVE A PASSION FOR THE KIDS, SO THAT'S NOT A DECISION.

BUT TO ME, IT'S WHO HAS INVESTED THAT TIME, WHETHER IT'S CURRENTLY OR IN THE PAST, BUT STILL IS INVESTING IN THE TIME AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IS WONDERFUL.

IT CAN'T JUST BE THE DISTRICT, BUT THE DISTRICT IS IMPORTANT TO ME WHAT YOU INVEST IN THE DISTRICT.

AND PART OF WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR YES, I LOVE THE KIDS IN THE DISTRICT, BUT WAS THE ONES I DID NOMINATE AND SECONDED.

THE FIRST ONES ARE THOSE WHO HAVE PUT THEIR EMPHASIS IN THE DISTRICT.

I SEE SOME PTA EXEC BOARD EITHER PRESENT OR PAST KIDS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS IN THE DISTRICT.

SO TO ME, I DON'T GO WITH THE 60 PERCENT, POSSIBLY GREAT.

I THINK YOU ALL HAVE GREAT POTENTIAL.

EVERYONE 99 PERCENT IS GOING TO BE GOOD.

I DO SEE SOME GREATNESS OUT THERE, THOUGH THAT'S AT A HIGHER LEVEL.

BUT THAT'S IT FINISHING UP SAYING THAT I WILL MAKE IT.

WE WILL MAKE A DECISION BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE THIS GO TO A SPECIAL ELECTION.

SO WORSE COMES TO WORSE.

WE WILL MAKE A DECISION TONIGHT.

SPEAKING AS THE ONLY CAREER PRIVATE INDUSTRY MEMBER OF THIS SCHOOL BOARD, I'M GOING TO REITERATE MY CONCERN ABOUT DECISIONS BEING MADE BY CAREER PUBLIC SERVANTS.

GOT TO LOVE THEM.

MY WIFE WAS A TEACHER FOR 38 YEARS, SO, SO SO I'VE GOT NO ANIMUS TOWARDS PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.

[02:50:01]

I'VE NEVER HAD UNION PROTECTION.

SURE WOULD HAVE LIKED IT AT DIFFERENT POINTS.

HEALTH HEALTH BENEFITS, YOU KNOW, ARE HAVE BEEN NEGLIGIBLE COMPARED TO WHAT THE WHAT THE PUBLIC SECTOR PROVIDES.

AND THAT THAT PERSPECTIVE IS DIFFERENT.

AND AND SOMEONE MENTIONED A FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY.

WE DO HAVE A FIDUCIARY FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY AND THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOMEONE FROM PRIVATE INDUSTRY.

A LOT OF TIMES IS A LOT MORE NUANCED AND PRACTICAL AND AND REAL WORLD INFORMED THAN FOLKS WHO SPEND ARE SPENDING OR HAVE SPENT THEIR CAREER IN A PUBLIC CAREER.

NOW WE CAN IF THE BOARD WOULD SO DETERMINE AT THIS POINT, PERHAPS NARROW OUR SELECTIONS DOWN TO A FINAL NUMBER AND MAYBE TAKE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO ASK MORE QUESTIONS OF THE CANDIDATES.

WOULD THAT BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE BOARD? SURE.

OK.

AND ONE OF ONE OF THE GENTLEMEN WHO'S BEING PAID TO BE HERE THIS EVENING IS OUR IS ONE OF OUR ATTORNEYS.

HE'S HERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT I DON'T DO ANYTHING UNTOWARD BECAUSE THIS IS A REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT PROCESS THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH HERE AND IT'S SO CRITICAL THAT WE GET IT RIGHT.

SO, SO WE'RE ON A LITTLE BIT OF WE'RE REINVENTING OR INVENTING THE WHEEL AS WE GO ALONG HERE A BIT.

SO CLEARLY, CRYSTAL JONES, BACON, JIM ELLIOT.

AND I'VE KIND OF LOST TRACK BEYOND THAT, IF ANY, IF THERE'S ANYONE SOMEONE ELSE WOULD LIKE TO BRING KEEP FORWARD.

THOSE ARE OUR TOP TWO.

WE HAD TWO OTHERS WHO SHOULD BE MS. GARCIA AND MR. GRUNDT, BUT I THINK WE'RE KIND OF THE TWO THAT GOT THE MOST, I GUESS DIALOG WERE JIM AND CRYSTAL.

EXCUSE ME.

OK, THEN JIM AND CRYSTAL, IF IF THE BOARD MEMBERS HAVE QUESTIONS, THIS WOULD BE AND AGAIN, WE'LL START WITH YOU, GREG, SINCE YOU'RE DOWN AT THAT END.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO SAY.

I MEAN, THE ONE THING I REALLY LIKED ABOUT CRYSTAL IS THAT WE HAD THIS ONE QUESTION NUMBER THREE ASKING ABOUT ALL THESE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES.

SHE WAS ONE OF ONLY TWO PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY ANSWERED.

THAT'S HER VIEW, AND I KNOW COMING HERE IT TAKES TOUGH SKIN TO DO WHAT SHE DOES, ESPECIALLY WITH EVERYTHING GOING AROUND AND IT TAKES THICK SKIN TO BE A BOARD MEMBER HERE, ESPECIALLY AT THIS DAY AND AGE.

SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT.

I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS.

SHE'S VERY COMPASSIONATE, INSIGHTFUL, AND I MEAN, SHE HAS ALL THAT PTA EXPERIENCE INVOLVEMENT IN ALL THE SCHOOLS AND KIDS IN HIGH SCHOOL.

I HAVE MIDDLE AND ELEMENTARY.

I KNOW HE HAS SOME ELEMENTARY, SO IT'S JUST ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE.

AND FOR MY MOM, I THINK THAT'S HONESTLY A BIG THING SAYING THAT, THOUGH, I MEAN, I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE A DECISION WHERE I'M CASTING THE BOARD A MILLION BUCKS TO, THANK YOU.

I DID NOTE I'M GOING TO SECOND THAT.

OH, GO AHEAD.

I THOUGHT HE WAS WASN'T GOING TO SPEAK.

NO, NO.

GO AHEAD.

GO AHEAD.

OK.

YOU WERE THE FIRST ONE OF THE CANDIDATES TO ACTUALLY ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS, WHICH HONESTLY, IF I WAS ANSWERING THEM, IT WOULD HAVE GIVEN ME PAUSE.

IT GAVE OTHERS PAUSE BECAUSE YOU'RE JUST LOOKING AT THAT, LIKE, WHY WOULD YOU PUT THAT QUESTION THERE? AND YET, YOU KNOW, AS SOMEONE WHO'S CAMPAIGNED, EVERYONE'S GOING TO ASK YOU ALL THOSE QUESTIONS.

SO I WAS VERY HAPPY THAT YOU WERE BEING VERY AUTHENTIC AND ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS.

IF MY HANDWRITING WAS NEATER, I WOULD HAVE WENT THROUGH SOME OF THE QUOTES YOU HAVE.

I GOT A WHOLE JUST A PAGE, BUT I GOT A WHOLE PAGE OF STUFF FROM YOU.

I LIKED YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS WELL.

SO, YEAH, THERE WAS A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF, JIM.

[02:55:01]

I BELIEVE YOU'RE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, SO YOU'RE MEETING THAT CRITERIA.

NO, HE'S NOT.

OH, YOU'RE NOT IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

LAST 10 YEARS.

OK, BUT BEFORE THAT, YOU HAD PRIVATE, OK, SO YOU'VE HAD PRIVATE EXPERIENCE, BUT NOW YOU'RE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR.

GOT IT.

SO I DO KNOW OF THE EXPERIENCE, LIKE WHEN I GAVE THE COMPLIMENT FOR THE BOARD, I DID A WHOLE BUNCH OF RESEARCH.

I DO THAT AND I WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE BOARD IN GENERAL, LIKE THE DECISIONS YOU GUYS HAVE MADE.

I THINK THAT SPEAKS WELL MY TWO COLLEAGUES TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT OF ME, I THINK IT SPOKE WELL OF YOU AS WELL.

SO I THINK YOU DO GET CREDIT ON THAT.

SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ODDS, I DON'T THINK THERE'D BE ANY TIME ON OFF BOARDING.

I KNOW SAID THAT AS WELL, BUT I THINK YOU KIND OF ARTICULATED A LOT OF STUFF THAT WOULD BE IN OUR ONBOARDING PRESENTATIONS.

I THINK THAT YOU HAVE SHOWN GOOD JUDGMENT IN THE PAST YOU AND THERE'S TO BE FAIR, OTHER PEOPLE WHO COULD COLLABORATE PRETTY WELL.

BUT YOU'VE ARTICULATED HOW TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND YOU'VE NOT ONLY ARTICULATED IT, BUT YOU'VE ACTUALLY DEMONSTRATED IT ON THE BOARD.

AND I'M SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES ACTIONS DEMONSTRATED ACTIONS ARE WORTH A LOT, SO I'M KIND OF LEANING STRONGLY TO YOU.

BUT I DO THINK YOUR SERVICE, WHETHER OR NOT YOU GET PICKED, HAS BEEN AMAZING.

AND I THINK IT'S ALSO HARD TO COME BACK HERE AFTER YOU'VE BEEN A BOARD MEMBER AND GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS.

YOU WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT IF YOU DIDN'T CARE ABOUT OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT VERY DEEPLY BECAUSE I WOULDN'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS.

HONESTLY, YOU GUYS AMAZING BECAUSE YOU GUYS RAN A CAMPAIGN.

I THINK THIS IS WORSE.

SO IT IS, HUH? I AGREE.

SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR COMING HERE.

BUT AFTER I'VE BEEN A BOARD MEMBER, IT'S LIKE TEACHING THEM SOMETHING.

IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT WHEN YOU KIND OF GO INTO THAT PROCESS.

SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AS WELL.

FOR MINE SOME OF IT COMES DOWN TO THE PRIORITIES FOR THE DISTRICT, AND JIM'S ANSWERS WERE MORE NUTS AND BOLTS LONG TERM FINANCIAL AND WHY COMMUNICATE THE COVID AND COMMUNICATING WITH STAKEHOLDERS THE DIVIDING INTO DISTRICTS.

CRYSTAL MENTIONED THE FISCAL QUESTIONS AND THE RACE DIVISIONS AND BUILD BRIDGES, WHICH IS IMPORTANT.

IT'S SOMETHING EVERY ORGANIZATION NEEDS TO DO IN THESE TIMES, BUT IT DIDN'T STRIKE AS AS MUCH TO ME AS THE OLD SCHOOL, SHALL WE SAY, PRIORITIES THAT THE BOARD HAS ALWAYS DONE.

IS IT SOMETHING WE NEED TO DO? ABSOLUTELY.

DO I THINK YOU HAVE A GOOD VISION FOR THAT AND BE A BENEFIT FOR US FOR THAT? ABSOLUTELY.

BUT IT DIDN'T OVERRIDE THE WHAT I SEE AS THE PRESSING THINGS WE NEED TO DO NOW.

WE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO DO IT, BUT IT'S NOT ONE OF MY TOP THREE.

IT MIGHT BE THREE A.

BUT GETTING US THROUGH THIS, MAKING SURE WE'RE FINANCIALLY SOLVENT AND CONTINUING OUR RISE TO AND I FORGET WHO MENTIONED IT OR WAS BROUGHT UP SEVERAL TIMES OUR [INAUDIBLE], YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR, FOR ALL THE KIDS.

AND IF WE CAN DO IT THE WAY WE'VE BEEN MOVING OUR DISTRICT IS GOING HAS BEEN ON A GOOD TRAJECTORY.

DO WE NEED TO STRAIGHTEN IT OUT A LITTLE BIT OR MAYBE PLUG SOME IN THAT ARE BEING LEFT BEHIND? ABSOLUTELY.

BUT THAT COMES DOWN TO THE DIFFERENCE AND YOU HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN THE WITH THE PTA, WITH THE BOOSTERS.

I WORK BINGO.

IT'S A MISERABLE THING TO WALK AROUND THERE SELLING THOSE CARDS TO THE OLD PEOPLE.

SORRY, IT IS, BUT IT.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT VOLUNTEERS DO TO DO THAT, SO I I CAN APPRECIATE THAT PROBABLY ABOVE A LOT OF OTHER SERVICES WORKING AT BINGO, ESPECIALLY EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT.

ONE OF THE PART OF THE REASON THAT I'M ON THIS BOARD RIGHT NOW IS THAT IN 2005, JIM ELLIOTT GAVE ME A CALL ON THE PHONE AND SAID, CHUCK YOU NEED TO RUN FOR THE BOARD AGAIN BECAUSE I HAD RUN AGAINST HIM.

AND GLENN AND A GENTLEMAN NAMED ED JONES WHO PASSED AWAY.

AND, YOU KNOW, AFTER 2003, I WAS ONE AND DONE, I THOUGHT.

BUT JIM CAME TO ME AND SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO RUN.

THE DISTRICT NEEDS YOU.

SO I RAN AND I WON AND AND THERE I AM.

SO I FEEL, YOU KNOW, CONFLICTED JAMES A LITTLE BIT.

WE BOTH SERVE ON THE SAME BOARD AT MCKINLEY.

[03:00:03]

AND I WOULD IMAGINE SHE LOOKS VERY YOUNG, SO PLANS TO CONTINUE WORKING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS FAR AS THE CONCERNS ABOUT FISCAL SOLVENCY FISCAL PLANNING.

I WOULD SAY AND SUBMIT THAT AS LONG AS WE HAVE SUSAN HUME KEEPING OUR BOOKS.

WE DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM OR AN ISSUE WITH FISCAL SOLVENCY.

SO I THINK THAT IS WELL HANDLED.

YOU KNOW, I FOUND IN BALANCE, CRYSTAL'S ANSWERS MORE COMPLETE AND MORE INCISIVE AND MORE DEFINITIVE THAN THAN THAN EVERYONE ELSE.

THAT'S THAT'S MY PERSPECTIVE.

WE ALL HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

MINE AGAIN, IS FROM PRIVATE INDUSTRY, PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYER, AND I'M PRETTY HIDEBOUND ABOUT THAT POSITION.

I WOULD SUGGEST THAT IF THE BOARD SO DESIRES, WE COULD ASK THE TWO REMAINING CANDIDATES QUESTIONS.

I'LL BEGIN IF THAT HELPS BREAK THE ICE.

AND THIS IS GOING TO SEEM UNFAIR, BUT THERE'S A POINT TO THE QUESTION.

ONE OF THE COMMENTS WAS INVOLVEMENT.

WELL, LET ME BACK UP AND ADDRESS ONE OTHER ISSUE BRINGING SOMEONE NEW UP TO SPEED.

IT IS NOT AN INSURMOUNTABLE HURDLE TO BRING SOMEONE UP TO SPEED.

WE'VE BROUGHT OTHER NEW BOARD MEMBERS ON TWO RIGHT HERE WITHIN THE LAST FOUR YEARS.

BRIGHT GENTLEMEN.

I DON'T RECALL THEM MISSING A STEP OR LOSING A BEAT THROUGH THROUGH ANY OF THE PROCESS.

PART OF THE ONBOARDING PROCESS IS THEY WILL MEET WITH CARL AND HIS CABINET.

AND THERE'S I DO NOT VIEW THE ISSUE OF ONBOARDING SOMEONE AS AN INSURMOUNTABLE HURDLE.

I, YOU KNOW, IF IT WAS ANY OF YOU, YOU'RE ALL VERY, VERY BRIGHT.

I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL QUICK ON THE UPTAKE, AND I AM FULLY CONFIDENT THAT YOU WOULD BE A FULLY PARTICIPATING MEMBER OF THE BOARD BY THE TIME WE HAVE OUR FIRST MEETING IN OCTOBER.

LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT AGAIN.

SO INVOLVEMENT THAT IS IMPORTANT.

SO HOW DO YOU HOW DO YOU DEFINE OR DEFENDER OR DETERMINE WHICH INVOLVEMENT IS BETTER THAN OTHER? WELL, ONE WAY OF DOING IT IS RECENT INVOLVEMENT.

WE CAN ASK THEM, COME UP AND TELL US YOUR RECENT INVOLVEMENT IN THE DISTRICT.

THAT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT UNFAIR BECAUSE CRYSTAL HAS CHILDREN IN THE DISTRICT NOW.

AND JIM, I DON'T RECALL WHEN YOU RESIGNED 2016, 2017? 2017.

SO SO YOUR INVOLVEMENT WAS VERY HEAVY.

OF COURSE, BEFORE THEN, CRYSTALS IS MORE RECENT.

SO IS IS MORE RECENT INVOLVEMENT A TIPPING FACTOR? WELL, MAYBE IT IS.

WE'VE ALL SEEN WHATEVER ISSUES THAT WE'RE FACING AS A DISTRICT, AS A SOCIETY HAVE CHANGED DRASTICALLY IN THE LAST TWO, THREE OR FOUR YEARS.

SO SOMEONE WHO'S HAD HER FEET ON THE GROUND IN THE DISTRICT RECENTLY TALKING TO PEOPLE, MEETING PEOPLE, COMMUNICATING TO ME THAT THAT TIPS THE SCALE TOWARDS TOWARDS CRYSTAL.

SO I'M NOT GOING TO ASK THAT QUESTION BECAUSE I THINK I JUST ASKED AND IT'S BEEN ASKED AND ANSWERED BY MYSELF.

SO ANY OTHER COMMENTS, GENTLEMEN? I DO.

YEAH.

SO I DO THINK JIM WOULD HAVE THE FASTEST ONBOARDING JUST BECAUSE HE'S DONE IT.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE HIRING A TEACHER AND YOU HAVE TWO GREAT CANDIDATES AND ONE HAS

[03:05:03]

I ALSO THINK THIS IS A VERY POLITICAL TIME RIGHT NOW.

THAT'S UNFORTUNATE.

IT IS BECAUSE THINGS BEING POLITICAL WHERE EVERYTHING HAS A LEFT AND RIGHT BENT TO IT MEANS OUR KIDS LOSE.

AND EVEN IF YOU KIND OF HAVE THAT BATTLE POLITICS WITH OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WHEN IT SWAYS LEFT AND RIGHT, LEFT AND RIGHT, WE GET A SCHIZOPHRENIC SYSTEM.

WE DON'T HAVE PEOPLE WORKING AND WORKING TOGETHER AND COLLABORATING BECAUSE JIM HAS WON AN ELECTION.

I THINK HE IS ACTUALLY SOMEONE WHO MIGHT HAVE MORE TRUST AND HOPEFULLY KIND OF HAVE SOME OF THIS POLITICAL ANGST TAP DOWN.

I AM NOT A FAN OF THAT.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE PEOPLE HAVING, YOU KNOW, BEING MORE OPEN TO THINGS.

AND HONESTLY, IF YOU'RE A FIDUCIARY, HAVING A DEFINITE FASTER ONBOARDING IS SOMETHING YOU CONSIDER.

THAT'S WHY WE HIRE TEACHERS WITH MORE EXPERIENCE.

IF IT'S YOU'RE IN CHARGE OF A COMPANY, YOU CARE ABOUT BRANDING, YOU DON'T WANT TO CREATE CHALLENGES WHEN PEOPLE ARE VERY ANGST.

THAT IS ANOTHER ARGUMENT FOR JIM.

AND AGAIN, I FEEL BAD BECAUSE I DON'T REALLY WANT TO BE ARGUING AGAINST OR FOR ANYONE.

I LIKE SCIENCE BETTER BECAUSE LITERALLY MY KIDS JUST FILL OUT A NUMBER AND THEY EARN THEIR GRADE.

THIS IS MORE SUBJECTIVE.

I DON'T LIKE THIS PROCESS, BUT IF WE'RE DOING THAT BRANDING AND ONBOARDING.

I THINK ARE TWO CRITERIAS A FIDUCIARY SHOULD DEFINITELY CONSIDER.

I THINK THOSE GO FOR JIM.

I THINK IF WE WERE LOOKING AT THAT, IF THAT WAS THE MAIN THING, WE DIDN'T NEED TO INVITE EVERYONE HERE, IF WE KNEW THAT THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO GO FOR, JUST EXPERIENCE BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY ONE PERSON WITH THAT.

AGAIN, I SEE THE LEADERSHIP.

IT DIDN'T.

I DON'T FEEL IT TOOK ME VERY LONG TO ONBOARD MYSELF.

I LIKE HOW SHE SAYS I LIKE TO THIS DIPLOMACY PEOPLE WHO DON'T THINK LIKE I DO BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I'M IN THE SAME BOAT AGAIN.

SHE'S THE ONE TO ME THAT HAS THE THICKEST SKIN, ESPECIALLY THE WAY SHE ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS.

I'M NOT AGAINST YOU, JIM.

I LIKE SOME OF YOUR ANSWERS AS WELL.

I'D BE HAPPY YOU JUST WEREN'T IN MY TOP GROUP TO ME.

I HAD THE WHOLE THING BEFORE, AND THEN CRYSTAL JUST KIND OF ROSE TO THE TOP WITH HER ANSWERS TONIGHT.

AND IT WOULD BE REMISS OF ME NOT TO TO TRY TO BACK HER, BUT NOTHING AGAINST YOU PERSONALLY.

GREGG, THANK YOU.

YOU MADE A POINT THAT I THINK BEARS EXPANDING ON, AND THAT IS THE THIS THIS PROCESS OF THE BOARD APPOINTING A PROVISIONAL BOARD MEMBER IS NOT PRESCRIBED BY LAW, BY EDUCATION CODE, BY ANYTHING.

WE VERY LITERALLY COULD HAVE AND HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY, AND I BELIEVE WE DISCUSSED IT.

WE COULD HAVE SIMPLY APPOINTED ANYBODY OK, THE BOARD AT THAT TIME.

AND AND YOU KNOW, THE THE POTENTIAL OF A PREVIOUS BOARD MEMBER BEING ONE OF THE CANDIDATES WAS DISCUSSED.

EACH ONE OF THE PREVIOUS BOARD MEMBERS WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN ELIGIBLE.

THAT BEING DIANE KOACH AND PATTI LATOURELLE, AS WELL AS JIM, WERE CONTACTED BY MR. COLES ALERTING THEM OF THIS OPENING SO THAT THEY WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE.

BUT GOING BACK TO THE MAIN POINT, THE BOARD DID NOT NEED TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS.

I THINK IF IF THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD WHEN WE INITIALLY DISCUSSED HOW TO PROCEED IN THIS PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENT AT THAT TIME HAD FELT THAT SIMPLY APPOINTING A PREVIOUS BOARD MEMBER WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN SWORN IN AND SERVING ALREADY IF WE HAD GONE DOWN THAT ROAD, IF WE HAD, WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.

WE CHOSE TO GO THE WAY THAT WE'VE GONE.

CONCLUDING HERE THIS EVENING.

SO I'M GLAD.

WELL, IT'S A MIX, HONESTLY, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW ANYONE WHO GOES THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND DOESN'T FEEL HURT.

AND I ALSO PERSONALLY DON'T LIKE MAKING DECISIONS LIKE THIS BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO DISAPPOINT PEOPLE.

THERE'S NO WAY AROUND IT.

I'M SORRY, BUT WE DID HEAR EVERYONE.

JIM DID A GREAT JOB.

HE DID A FANTASTIC JOB IN HIS INTERVIEWS.

SO I THINK TO SAY THAT, WELL, WE COULD HAVE DISAPPOINTED IF WE WERE

[03:10:05]

THAT WAS SOMETHING I RANKED VERY HIGHLY EXPERIENCED.

NOW SOMEONE ELSE COULD HAVE HAD SCHOOL BOARD EXPERIENCE.

PEOPLE DO MOVE.

THAT WAS A POSSIBILITY.

WE DID HEAR ALL THE CANDIDATES.

FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, I THINK BOTH FOR GOVERNANCE, FOR THE SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

AND I GUESS I'LL ASK A QUESTION IF YOU GET APPOINTED, WOULD YOU RUN AGAIN? I KNOW THAT'S AN UNFAIR QUESTION.

BUT AND YOU DON'T NEED TO ANSWER IT IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT IT OR NOT.

BUT I LOOKED AT A PREVIOUS BOARD MEMBER MORE AS A PLACEHOLDER UNTIL THE PEOPLE COULD DECIDE.

AND YOU DON'T NEED TO ANSWER IT.

I STILL THINK YOU'D BE GREAT FOR GOVERNANCE, BUT WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? YEAH, PLEASE.

SORRY, I ASKED A HORRIBLE QUESTION.

DEREK, I WOULD.

AND HERE'S WHY IT'S BEEN PART OF THE CALCULUS OF APPLYING AND BECOMING A CANDIDATE FOR THIS PROCESS.

AND BY THE WAY, FOR THE RECORD, I CONGRATULATE THE BOARD FOR CHOOSING THIS PATH AS A PROCESS TO GET TO GET THE RIGHT PERSON.

SO I BELIEVE IN THE PROCESS AND I I BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT YOU'RE YOU'RE YOU'RE GOING ABOUT THIS THE RIGHT WAY.

THE ANSWER IS YES, BECAUSE WHOEVER IS SUCCESSFUL TONIGHT HAS TO RUN AGAIN.

OK, LESS A LITTLE MORE THAN A YEAR FROM NOW, BUT THEY HAVE TO DECIDE ON CAMPAIGN LESS THAN A YEAR FROM NOW.

RIGHT.

AND THEN TWO MORE YEARS RIGHT.

AND THE CALCULUS IN THE DISTRICT IS GOING TO LOOK DIFFERENT BY THEN.

THE POINT IS THAT THE ONLY REASON I RETIRED FROM THE BOARD IN 2017, BECAUSE AT THE TIME I MADE THE DECISION TO RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL AND THE CALCULUS AND THE OPENINGS AND THE RETIREMENTS, IT WAS THE RIGHT TIME.

UNFORTUNATELY, AS I POINTED OUT IN MY APPLICATION, MY WORK INTERVENED ON THREE COMMITTEES IN SACRAMENTO, AND MY WORK TRAVEL REALLY STARTED TO BE A PROBLEM WITH ATTENDING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AND ALL OF THE OTHER MEETINGS THAT YOU NEED IF YOU'RE SERIOUS ABOUT RUNNING FOR ANY PUBLIC OFFICE IN THIS CASE, RIGHT? CITY COUNCIL.

SO I WITHDREW CAMPAIGN FOR CITY COUNCIL AND DECIDED, WELL, YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD MY TIME AND YOU KNOW, WE'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT.

SINCE COVID, THE COMMITTEES THAT I'M STILL ON ESSENTIALLY GONE VIRTUAL.

SO MY WORK TRAVEL, EVEN IF WE'RE TRAVELING REGULARLY LIKE WE WERE IN THE PAST, THOSE COMMITTEES REALLY DON'T REQUIRE MY TRAVEL.

I WAS IN SACRAMENTO, OFTENTIMES THREE OR FOUR TIMES A MONTH, AND THAT HAS GONE AWAY.

I LOVE THIS DISTRICT AND I LOVE BEING A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER.

AND QUITE FRANKLY, IT WASN'T UNTIL I RETIRED WHEN I FULLY UNDERSTOOD HOW MUCH I MISSED BEING ON THE BOARD IN IN IN IN CONTRAST WITH CITY COUNCIL.

I'M JUST NOT INTERESTED IN COUNCIL ANYMORE, SO I HOPE THAT HELPS.

IT DOES.

YEAH.

JIM, WHILE YOU'RE UP THERE.

YOU MENTIONED RETIRED FROM THE BOARD.

LET'S LET'S DRILL A LITTLE DEEPER.

WHEN DID YOU RETIRE FROM THE BOARD? NOW, PATTI LATOURELLE IS THE MOST RECENT RETIREE.

NO.

WELL, DIANE KOACH WAS, YEAH, LET ME LET ME SPEAK HERE.

SO SHE, PATTI LATOURELLE AND DIANE KOACH.

BOTH RETIRED AT THE END OF THEIR TERMS. THEY CHOSE NOT TO RUN AGAIN.

YOUR RETIREMENT WAS A RESIGNATION.

IT WAS THE TERM.

YEAH.

DURING YOUR TERM.

SO THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RETIRING FROM THE POSITION AT THE END OF A TERM AND RESIGNING DURING A TERM, PUTTING THE BOARD AT THAT TIME INTO THE POSITION OF HAVING TO DO YET ANOTHER BOARD REPLACEMENT.

SO I JUST WANT TO BE REAL CLEAR SO THAT EVERYBODY REALLY UNDERSTANDS EXACTLY WHAT THE CHRONOLOGY WAS BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE HOW FAMILIAR GREG WAS WITH THAT.

I'M NOT SURE IF HOW FAMILIAR GLENN WAS OR RATHER DEREK WAS WITH THAT.

SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE.

SURE.

WELL, SINCE WE HAVE YOU UP HERE JUST TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS.

IT IS IRONIC THAT THE SEAT THAT WE KEEP FILLING WAS THE ONE THAT YOU RESIGNED FROM.

YOU KNOW, SO I THINK IT WAS YOU.

THEN YOU STEP DOWN AND THEN MATT AND THEN MATT STEP DOWN AND THEN KRISTA.

[03:15:02]

SO IT IS IRONIC THAT IT WAS JUST THAT ONE SEAT THAT HAS HAD INSTABILITY.

MAYBE YOU WEREN'T MEANT TO STEP DOWN, I DON'T KNOW, BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS JUST ASKING A QUESTION.

SAY WORK GETS COMPLICATED OR ANYTHING.

I DON'T REALLY WANT TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS AGAIN, QUITE FRANKLY.

YOU WOULDN'T STEP DOWN AGAIN AT ALL, RIGHT? NO.

AND THAT'S THE REASON I'M HERE TONIGHT, GENTLEMEN.

YOU KNOW, IT'S FAIR POINT, CHUCK AND I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT.

AND YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

I DID RESIGN IN DECEMBER OF 2017 MID-TERM.

RIGHT.

THE REASON I DID THAT WAS BECAUSE AN OPENING AND THE CALCULUS FOR BEING SUCCESSFUL FOR CITY COUNCIL WAS THE UPCOMING SEAT.

AND IT WAS REALLY STRATEGIC AND IT TOOK A LOT OF TIME AND THOUGHT.

AND SO IT WAS A DECISION THAT I MADE AND I DIDN'T TAKE LIGHTLY.

BUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

I SAY RETIRED BECAUSE AT THE TIME, I NEVER INTENDED THAT I'D RUN AGAIN FOR SCHOOL BOARD.

AND THAT WAS A POLITICAL DECISION AND A POLITICAL MOVE, CLEAR AS A BELL.

AND I ALSO THINK IT HAD INTEGRITY TO IT.

HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE SO BUSY THAT HE COULDN'T TAKE CARE OF HIS RESPONSIBILITY.

SO AS MUCH AS YOU DID STEP DOWN.

YOU ALSO DECIDED NOT TO SANDBAG YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES BECAUSE YOU KNEW YOU COULDN'T RUN BOTH THAT NEW CAMPAIGN, THAT NEW BATTLEGROUND AND ALSO AT THE SAME TIME, DO ALL THE WORK WE DO BECAUSE THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF WE END UP DOING THAT I PREFER TO NOT COUNT AS TIME I SPEND ON THE SCHOOL BOARD BECAUSE THEN I'M SPENDING WAY TOO MUCH TIME HERE.

YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU RUN FOR OFFICE AND WHETHER IT'S SCHOOL BOARDS, CITY COUNCIL OR ANY OFFICE OR ANY POSITION, YOU NEED TO BE 100 PERCENT ALL IN.

AND I WAS ALL IN SCHOOL BOARD AND I WAS ALL IN FOR CITY COUNCIL UNTIL IT BECAME CLEAR THAT I COULDN'T COMMIT THE TIME AND ATTEND ALL OF THE THINGS I NEEDED TO ATTEND TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND QUITE FRANKLY, DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO MAKE THAT COMMITMENT TO THE CITY.

SO I HOPE THAT HELPS.

SO YOUR TIME IS MORE OPEN NOW FOR THEORETICALLY SCHOOL BOARD WORK? NOT THEORETICALLY.

I'M ALL IN AND 100 PERCENT COMMITTED.

SO IF YOU HAVE MORE TIME FOR FOR SCHOOL BOARD WORK, WHAT'S TO STOP YOU FROM DECIDING THAT YOU NOW ALSO HAVE TIME TO DO THE CITY COUNCIL INSTEAD? I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION YOU'RE ASKING.

WELL, WILL I RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL AGAIN? WELL, YOU HAVE RESIGNED FROM THE BOARD ONCE TO RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL.

WE'RE CLEAR ABOUT THAT.

YOUR RATIONALE FOR DECIDING NOT TO RUN FOR SCHOOL BOARD I'M SORRY FOR CITY COUNCIL WAS YOU WERE TOO INVOLVED WITH WORK.

YOU HAVE EXPLAINED THAT THAT SITUATION HAS CHANGED.

YOU NOW HAVE THE TIME TO DEVOTE TO WE'LL JUST CALL IT EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, RIGHT? AS I DID FOR MANY YEARS.

YES.

SO HOW AM I TO KNOW THAT NEXT YEAR, WHEN THE CITY OF SAN DIMAS HAS A CITY COUNCIL ELECTION THAT YOU WILL NOT, YOU KNOW, RESIGN AND RUN AGAIN OR RUN WHILE YOU'RE STILL ON THE SCHOOL BOARD? CHUCK, ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT I AM COMMITTED TO THE SCHOOL BOARD AND NOT TO CITY COUNCIL.

I WOULD NOT BE HERE TONIGHT AND I WOULD NOT BE PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROCESS IF IT WEREN'T A GENUINE COMMITMENT THAT I'M READY TO MAKE.

I AM NOT INTERESTED IN CITY COUNCIL.

AND AGAIN, ONE OF THE THINGS I LEARNED AFTER LEAVING THE BOARD AFTER RESIGNING FROM THE BOARD IS HOW MUCH I REALLY MISS BEING A PART OF THIS.

IT'S THE REASON I RAN IN THE FIRST PLACE, NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART.

YOU KNOW, I HAD BEEN A COMMISSIONER WITH THE CITY, HAD BEEN VERY INVOLVED WITH THE CITY FOR MANY YEARS AND CITY COUNCIL SEEMED LIKE A NATURAL THING.

BUT WHEN SCHOOL BOARD REALLY BECAME BECAME A PART OF SOMETHING THAT'S NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART AND SOMETHING THAT WAS ALWAYS A PRIORITY.

YOU KNOW, IN THIS OPPORTUNITY, HOWEVER UNFORTUNATE IT IS AT THE TIME IN THIS DISTRICT AND THE SITUATION, THE BOARD, THE THINGS YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH RIGHT NOW.

[03:20:04]

GET BACK TO PARTICIPATING AND BEING A PART OF A TEAM THAT ANSWERS THE HARD QUESTIONS.

SO ALL I CAN SAY, CHUCK, IS THAT I AM COMMITTED AND I AM NOT WILL NOT RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL.

THAT'S CLEAR I RESOLVE THAT I WOULDN'T BE HERE TONIGHT IF THAT WERE SO.

JIM, WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER A LONG TIME.

WE'VE BEEN FRIENDS FOR A LONG TIME AND AND I KNOW THAT YOU'RE VERY REASONABLE, ELOQUENT SPEAKER AND YOU HAVE A THICK SKIN.

SO I APPRECIATE YOUR YOUR YOUR PATIENCE WITH MY QUESTIONS.

I THINK THEY ARE QUESTIONS THAT OTHERS MAY HAVE HAD.

AND ONE OF THE LESSONS THAT I LEARNED THE LAST TIME WE WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS WAS PERHAPS WE DID NOT PROBE DEEP ENOUGH.

SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR I GUESS THE WORD IS FORBEARANCE FOR PUTTING FOR ALLOWING YOURSELF TO BE PUT THROUGH THIS WRINGER.

YOU'RE NOT ONLY WELCOME, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS TOO IMPORTANT NOT TO GET RIGHT AND BE HONEST WITH YOU, GENTLEMEN, WHOMEVER YOU CHOOSE TONIGHT.

THE DISTRICT WILL BE IN A BETTER PLACE.

THANK YOU, JIM.

I THINK ANY OF THE SIXTH [INAUDIBLE] PEOPLE IN FRONT OF ME WILL BE FINE, WILL DO A GREAT JOB.

I JUST HAVE PREFERENCES FOR SOME MYSELF.

I MEAN, I THINK THE ONE THING THAT PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED WITH WITH CRYSTAL WAS ABOUT THE WHOLE CRT THING SEEING HER ANSWER.

BECAUSE SHE STATED CRT HAS NO PLACE IN PUBLIC SCHOOL.

I THINK SHE'S SETTING HER RECORD STRAIGHT.

SHE WENT MORE INTO THAT.

SO I MEAN, THAT'S WHY I CHOSE SOME OTHER PEOPLE OVER OTHERS, BUT I'M NOT OPPOSED TO EVERYONE ELSE.

BEFORE I DO A NOMINATION, I WOULD SAY, I DO THINK YOU'VE CLARIFIED YOUR RECORD, AND I THINK THAT WOULD DEFINITELY HELP.

BUT I STILL THINK JUST FOR THIS TIME PERIOD, I'M GOING TO NOMINATE JIM AGAIN, JUST BECAUSE I'D LIKE TO SEE AN EASY TRANSITION.

WE'VE BEEN VERY BUSY RECENTLY.

I WOULD LIKE US TO BE LESS BUSY.

AND, YOU KNOW, IF I CAN HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY KNOWS THE LAW, KNOWS THE CULTURE IS RESPECTED BY PEOPLE ON ALL SIDES IN BOTH CITIES AND HAS WON AN ELECTION HAS SHOWN THAT THEY HAVE CONFIDENCE.

I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT AS A NEW PERSON.

I GET IT.

PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS LIKE, OH, THIS OTHER PERSON HAS DONE THIS, OTHER PERSON HAS DONE THIS, AND THEN YOU DO IT.

AND THEN THEY'RE LIKE, OH, YOU DO THIS.

SO ONCE YOU GET THERE, THEY JUST IMPUTE IT TO YOU.

I DO UNDERSTAND THAT.

BUT MY I STILL THINK JUST FOR THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE JIM.

I THINK HE WOULD DO A GREAT JOB.

THE FLOOR IS NOT OPEN FOR NOMINATIONS.

A COUPLE OF COMMENTS AND I'LL SPEAK FOR MYSELF, BUT I'M SURE THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS HAVE HEARD THE SAME THING WHEN KRISTA RESIGNED.

WE HEARD FROM ALL ENDS OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM AND THIS SIDE SAID, APPOINT ONE OF US OR WE'RE GOING TO FORCE AN ELECTION.

THIS SIDE SAID, APPOINT ONE OF US OR WE'RE GOING TO FORCE AN ELECTION.

AND OUR WHOLE IDEA OF BEING HERE IS SO WE DON'T HAVE TO SPEND A MILLION DOLLARS OF OUR KIDS MONEY ON AN ELECTION FOR AN APPOINTMENT THAT IS PRACTICALLY FOR ONE YEAR.

AND I HATE TO SAY JIM IS A SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO ME, BUT HE'S MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.

HE HASN'T BEEN INVOLVED IN THE POLARIZATION OF THE DISTRICT THESE LAST FEW YEARS.

AND I WOULD RATHER SEE A SAFE AND I HATE TO SAY THAT BECAUSE HE'S FULLY QUALIFIED BUT A SAFE PICK TO GET US MOVING FORWARD AND COME NEXT NOVEMBER, THE COMMUNITY CAN MAKE THEIR DECISION, WHETHER THEY LIKE THE WAY HE'S DOING IT, OR THERE'S GOING TO BE THREE SPOTS UP TWO FOR THE FOUR YEAR TERM AND THEN ONE FOR THE TWO YEAR TERM.

BUT I JUST I HATE TO PICK SOMEONE THAT BY THE TIME WE WALK OUT OF HERE NEXT WEEKEND, THE OTHER SIDE IS GOING TO HAVE A ENOUGH SIGNATURES, WHICH NOT TOO MANY AND FORCE US TO SPEND A MILLION DOLLARS.

SO THAT'S.

JUST KIND OF WEIGHS INTO MY DECISION.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS, GENTLEMEN? I'LL ASK FOR A MOTION.

I'D LIKE TO MOVE FOR JIM I'LL SECOND, THOSE IN FAVOR.

AYE.

AYE.

PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

[03:25:01]

WE WILL NOW ADMINISTER THIS.

THIS MEETING IS STILL IN ORDER, SO IF YOU'RE EXITING, PLEASE BE QUIET.

I WILL NOW ADMINISTER THE OATH OF OFFICE TO MY GOOD FRIEND JIM ELLIOTT.

PLEASE RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND AND REPEAT AFTER ME, I STATE YOUR NAME, DO SOLEMNLY, SWEAR THAT STATES AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC BUT I WILL BEAR TRUE AND FAITHFUL ALLEGIANCE TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.

PURPOSE OF EVASION AND I WILL WELL AND FAITHFULLY DISCHARGE AM ABOUT TO ENTER HAVE YOUR FAMILY AND EVERYBODY HERE ON ON THE FIRST MEETING IN OCTOBER AND DO A CEREMONIAL SWEARING SO WE CAN GET FAMILY PICTURES AND THAT KIND OF THING.

[14. FUTURE MEETING DATES]

ARE THERE ANY AGENDA, ANY ITEMS FOR THE FUTURE AGENDA? WE WILL ADJOURN AT 9:27.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.