Berkeley Unified School District School Board - Regular Meeting

Good evening, everyone. We are ready to begin. If you could quickly find a seat. Yeah. Thanks for the enthusiasm. We are ready to begin. If you could quickly find a seat. I'd like to call this meeting to order at 7.08 PM. Is there a motion to approve this evening's agenda? I'll move to approve. It's been moved by Director Shinoski. Is there a second? I'll second. Seconded by Director Corn. All those in favor, please signify with a sign of aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye.

The ayes have it, and the motion carries. Can we also please make sure, Ms. Chavez, that we do the roll call of the Board of Education, please? Absolutely.

Director Jennifer Shanoski? Here. Director Michael Chang?

Here.

Vice President Jennifer Corn? Present. President Khadijah Brown? Present. And welcome to our new student board representative from Berkeley High School, Hannah.

Thank you so much for giving that love and warm welcome, but we can give her a better welcome than that. Please welcome our newest member of the Board of Education, our Student Board Director, Hannah. Hannah, we are so excited that you're here. We are happy that you are joining us. And we know that you will definitely be an asset to this board, as well as a great representative of all BUSD students. So welcome. We're happy to have you.

Thank you.

All right. Vice President Corrin, can you please report out from closed session?

It would be my pleasure. Closed session was called to order at 5.37 PM. Item number 3.1.1 was moved by Chinoski, seconded by Brown, and approved unanimously. Item 3.1.2 was moved by Korn, seconded by Brown, and also approved unanimously. Item 3.1.3 was moved by Korn, seconded by Brown, and approved unanimously. Item 3.1.4 was moved by Brown, seconded by Chinoski, and approved unanimously. And finally, item 3.2 was moved by Director Chang, seconded by Korn, and approved unanimously. Thank you.

I thank you as well, Vice President Korn. I'll now turn it over to our superintendent for her comments.

Thank you, Madam President. Good evening, BUSD family.

That was actually pretty good. Let's try it again.

Good evening, BUSD family. Good evening. So last week was our first full week of the 26-27 school year. Woo! I thought the families and the parents would definitely be like, woo! Staff, maybe not so much. But it was a great first week. Our schools were ready. Our educators and our staff welcomed students and families with care and enthusiasm. And across the district, we saw thoughtful routines, clear expectations, stronger communication, connection and a sense of purpose in making sure we get the year going underway. At the end of our last week, at the end of last week, I asked our leadership team one question. I asked them, what is one thing you notice the first week that we should carry and hold on to? as we go deeper into the 26-27 school year. And a few themes really stayed with me. They all spoke about the joy and energy in our schools, the reminder that every student matters, and the faith and trust that you all put in us to take care of your best and your brightest, to take care of and greet your babies every single day. And so one of our students actually also said to one of the leaders when they were on campus last week, a student who had struggles and a hard time last year came up to him and they said, it was Dr. Shelly, Dr. Shelly, who's the head of student services. This is my year. And Dr. Shelly shared that with us. And we were incredibly inspired by this idea that this baby who had a more challenging year last year still started twenty six, twenty seven, open minded, excited and ready to claim this name and claim it. as their year. And so we want to say to you all, BUSD, 26-27 is definitely our year. We just talked about so much we wanted to hold on to, and we hope that you were able to feel and experience those things as well, that we're committed to continuing to nurture and foster that sense of joy, that sense of care, that sense of connection and possibility throughout the school year while continuing to learn, to improve and to get better for our babies in partnership with all of you. I also want to give a big thank you to our OFI team that made sure they did their part to make sure our babies came to school ready. I'm not sure if you all heard, but we have our traditional backpack giveaway. And on Saturday, the Saturday before school started, we had that school supply giveaway. And our OFE team distributed more than 1,200 school supply kits and 300 backpacks to nearly 600 families. We want to thank the OFE team, the families that came out, but also our partners, the SupplyBank.org, Covenant Church, Berkeley Public Schools volunteers, and the many community partners who helped make sure our students were ready to start off 26-27. And then finally, we know that our schools and our facilities are an important part of the learning experience and a significant public investment. So we want to place to make sure that we oh, it's gone. Oh, Okay, how was I gonna show you all? We wanted to celebrate and highlight the improvements that happen in many of our facilities across the summer. We think it's important to make sure that our facilities are not just places that our babies show up, but places that really set the conditions for them to learn, for our staff to work, and our community to gather in ways that are safe, accessible, welcoming, and really built to serve Berkeley schools and really highlight Berkeley values. And so we were able to welcome the Sylvia Mendez community back So it's a beautifully modernized campus after two years of construction. We also have a new turf field at Berkeley. It goes a little slow, so it's not going to keep up with me. But you keep up with it. We also have a new turf field at Berkeley High School. I'm not sure if you all have been to Berkeley High School. We had a number of families and caregivers actually the first day of school. I'm sorry, the first Friday of school, freshman Friday. And all of our freshmen gathered on the field to have lunch, interact, and be together. And so it's a beautiful new field. at Berkeley High School. And then we also have new gates. Some of you guys have been in these meetings and you heard about the gates. We have a new gate at Thousand Oaks. Look, that's not even a regular gate, y'all. That is like artwork. So if you haven't seen it, you should see it. And then we also have new perimeter fencing at Craigmont. That was something that the families in Craigmont really advocated for. They all might look like individual projects, but collectively they represent something that is much bigger. It's our continued investment in safe, welcoming, high-quality places for our babies to learn, our staff to work, and again, for you, our community, to gather. There's a lot of more work ahead, but tonight I just wanted to highlight some of the work that has happened and say thank you to our facilities team, to our OFI team, to our district staff, our site staff, our leaders, our educators, and to you, our families, for all that you did to make sure that we were Berkeley ready. That's not this year's hashtag. This year's hashtag is what? Y'all know what it is? to make sure we are ready to rise. Thank you, Madam President. That's the end of my comments.

Thank you so much, Superintendent Ford-Morthale. At this time, we will move to our first opportunity for public comment. During this time, you are invited, if you've submitted a green card, to make any comments to the Board of Education. And this public comment period is a 30-minute comment period. And I want to reiterate that because I have a lot of green cards, but that doesn't mean that everyone who submitted a green card will get the opportunity to speak. It is a 30-minute comment period with 20 minutes of comment in person, and then we allow for 10 minutes of public comments from those who are on Zoom. I want to reiterate again that even though you submitted a card, that does not mean that you will necessarily be able to make a comment today, and that is okay. There are multiple ways to reach us as a Board of Education, including via email, office hours, and even after this first opportunity for public comment, there's a second opportunity for public comment if you'd like to stay around to make your comments. So please make sure that you utilize those opportunities to engage with us if you do not get the opportunity to speak this evening. We will begin this public comment period in person at 7.17 p.m. and we will conclude the in-person public comments at 7.37. I'd like to first call up Carolyn Campbell for a public comment, followed by Molly Turner. Each speaker will be given one minute to speak so that we can hear from as many speakers as possible. Thank you. May you please set the time for one minute, Ms. Chavez? And it is still 717, so you may begin.

Hi, everyone. Thank you for having us tonight. I'm here to talk about extended care. My name's Carolyn. I'm the parent of a TK student at John Muir. And first of all, I wanted to say thank you to everyone for the work you've done to improve access for aftercare. Unfortunately, there's still a really big gap for John Muir families, especially the families with the youngest kids, as we don't have a learns program on campus. While I feel fortunate to have a space and a city run aftercare program, it requires my not even four and a half year old son to be bused across campus, across town, because there's not an appropriate on-site option for him. He's too young for the private program on campus and there are no spots for him in bears. This is particularly hard for us because we saw what happened with Lauren's and we were given a spot in Lauren's initially at Malcolm X, but we got off the wait list for John Muir, which is a lot closer to our home and we're left in a bind from an aftercare situation. We're making it work, but it's stressful to have my baby on a bus every day. So thank you.

Thank you as well.

Hi, thank you very much. My name is Molly. I'm also talking about extended care. I'm also a parent of a TK student at John Muir. First, I want to say thank you very much. I know you've been working really hard on improving the LEARNS program, and I've heard from a lot of families who are very happy with the changes. Unfortunately, John Muir families have not benefited from a lot of this work. my daughter is one of the youngest kids at John Muir she's being bussed across town for aftercare because her own campus won't take her she's just three years old she's not four yet and we were told she's too young for kids in motion on campus and there's no spot at bears which we only heard three days before school started meanwhile the district is bussing kids from other campuses to her very own campus for aftercare That's a waste of scarce bus capacity, which I know is a struggle for the district. And it leaves the littlest, most neediest kids out. You've already made loans prioritize TK. Please prioritize TK at John Muir. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your comment. I have to make an apology to this next speaker as well as to all of you all who are here. Typically what we do is we allow our students to speak first. And I did not see the student card. And so I really want to apologize to Amila who would like to speak to the Board of Education and invite you to come at this time. Followed by Emila, we will hear from Vanessa Vega.

Hi, my name's Amala. I'm a student at Berkeley High. Because the yearbook recall and the J Weekly article has been going around a lot, I'm sure people have been talking about it. And I'm sure some parents here might want to bring it up. During public comment, I wanted to voice my opinion as a student and one that's shared by many of my peers. The photo in Berkeley High's yearbook page on student activism has upset some adults in Berkeley enough that they decide to start an investigation and call to recall it. I honestly don't even know what that means. They say what was on the protest sign promotes violence, but what is possibly more violent than grown adults suppressing the freedom of speech of a freshman girl protesting outside of her high school? That's all. Thank you.

Vanessa Vega, are you here?

Okay.

And then we'll hear from Shannon Bierman after Vanessa Vega. Thank you.

Superintendent Ford-Morthell, you said on Fox News that you want parents and schools to be on the same page around technology. I want that too. Yet more than 700 parents and I have received no action in response to our petition asking for protections that other major districts have rapidly put in place, including locking away cell phones during school hours and blocking YouTube and privacy violating third party apps at school. OUSD, LAUSD, and San Diego are just some of the districts already using lock-away phone pouches to proactively remove cell phones from the learning environment, even with off-campus lunch. These districts also block gaming and YouTube on school devices and school Wi-Fi. YouTube carries an 18-plus rating because it exposes students to harmful content by its own definition. Intentional technology at BUSD means we consent to how digital tools are being used in our school. Right now, many parents did not consent to the privacy-violating third-party apps and addictive, infinite scrolling content on their children's school computers.

Thank you. Thank you as well. Next, we will hear from Shannon, followed by Kivi Jewell. And go ahead.

OK, great.

I'm a BUSD parent of a fifth grader at Washington, but I care deeply about the learning and well-being of all of our students. I work professionally in science education, where I partner with teachers to develop hands-on curriculum. Teachers are telling me. Their greatest challenge is students' difficulty paying attention, that it's becoming harder to keep students engaged for even a three-minute video or a short reading passage. It's no question broad access to screens kills student focus. And when kids can't focus, they can't learn. This is a moment for recalibration. We need board members prepared to lead on this. Rachel and Scott are both BUSD parents navigating this issue with their kids now. Both bring over a decade of parent leadership and service to BUSD. Both bring longstanding relationships with BUSD families, educators, and students. They each are experts on this issue of kids in tech in their own way. I strongly encourage you to appoint one of them. Thank you.

Hi, everyone. My name is Kiri Jewell. My children are in sixth grade at Longfellow and first grade at Sylvia Mendez. I'm here today because my sixth grader has YouTube, including its ads and all of its content directly linked within Google Classroom. I spent the last 11 years keeping my son off of YouTube and other short form video platforms because we know about their effects on attention and focus. And now at school, YouTube is one click away inside the dashboard he uses every day. I also want to understand why AI-assisted tools like Smart Compose, Smart Reply, and AutoCorrect are enabled by default in the tools he's using online. He's learning how to spell. He's learning how to write. He's learning how to create poetry. Why are we filling in his thoughts for him? These technology choices have a direct impact on how our kids learn, and parents deserve to know who is making these choices, what evidence they're based on, and what safeguards are in place. Please take a more intentional approach to technology in our schools. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Next, we will hear from Gracie Soukup, followed by Dan Brownson. Gracie, whenever you're ready, and then Dan to follow. Gracie, are you here? I did.

Okay, with a single mom, we immigrated to the US. I could not speak a word of English. We would pick through the discarded lettuce at the market and take that home for dinner. I remember trying to explain to my teacher that someone spit in my face, but I didn't know how to say the word spit. So I stuck out my tongue and pointed to the saliva on the tip of my tongue. My teacher didn't understand. But then I learned to speak and read English in just three months. I can guarantee you, if I had a phone or a laptop with all of its distractions, I would not be standing here today. Education gave me opportunities and choices, and every child deserves that chance to learn. What is happening with ed tech is not education. The shortcuts, cheating, entertainment, exposure to inappropriate content, addiction. Tech companies are not pro-learning. They are pro-money. We need people on the board who understands how to implement intentional use of technology. That's Rachel Lee and Scott Hoffmeister. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Followed by Neil Werdage. So Neil, as soon as Neil, I'm not sure if you heard me call your name, but as soon as Dan is done, we will receive your comments next, followed by Marina Cruz. Dan?

Who is the person after me?

Neil.

OK. Hi, I'm Dan Brownson. I work at Berkeley High. I want to strongly urge the board to reinstate the assistant to the district registrar position. Now that I I'm at Berkeley High for a second beginning of semester one. I'm noticing a drastic increase in the number of students who don't have finalized schedules yet. Last year was not an issue. This year, many, many students have been coming up to the CCC after meeting with their counselors because they're the College and Career Center, that is, because they do not have a class yet assigned for that period. Furthermore, I would encourage the board to appoint Beatriz Leyva Cutler because she was the only of the applicants who respected BCCE enough to reach out to us. And as always, free Palestine.

Thank you. Mia? Neil or Neil?

Neil.

Neil. That's what I thought. Okay. And followed by Marina Cruz. Please, whenever you're ready.

Hi, my name is Neil Radia. I am a father of two boys at Ruth Acty. My boys are in second grade and TK right now. They're coming up, and we've been making a really big effort to limit their screen time, limit their exposure to technology. And it's really been disconcerting seeing how my niece and nephew, who live very far away, are impacted by the use of technology in their schools and in their daily lives. I encourage you to appoint Rachel Lee to school board because we feel that she has been making a really big stride to address the issue of technology in the school. And we really strongly believe in what she is advocating for. Thank you.

Following Ms. Cruz, we will hear from Allison Bond and Gladys Bell.

Buenas tardes. Me llamo Marina Cruz. En nombre de Latinos Unidos de Berkeley, les queremos expresar nuestro firme apoyo al nombramiento de Beatriz Leyva Cutler para ocupar el puesto vacante en el Consejo de Educación del Distrito Escolar Unificado de Berkeley. Beatriz ha dedicado décadas de su vida al servicio de los niños y las familias y la comunidad de Berkeley. Como ex-membro del Consejo de Educación de BUSD, aporta 12 años de experiencia. Durante su tiempo en el Consejo, Beatriz demostró una trayectoria impecable de servicio al público y colaborativa, estableciendo sólidas relaciones de trabajo con sus colegas del Consejo. Les pedimos, respetuosamente, que den seria consideración a Beatriz Leyva Thank you.

Ms. Chavez, can you please provide translation? Good evening. My name is Marina Cruz. And on behalf of Latinos Unidos de Berkeley, we would like to express our strong support for the appointment of Beatriz Leyva Cutler to the vacant seat on the Berkeley Unified School District Board of Education. Beatriz has devoted decades of her life to serving Berkeley's children, families, and community. As a former BUSD board director, serving from 2008 to 2020, she brings 12 years of direct governance experience and a deep understanding of our district, its students, and the challenges and opportunities facing our schools. During her tenure on the board, Beatriz demonstrated an impeccable record of public service. She approached the work thoughtfully, responsibly, and collaboratively, building strong working relationships with fellow board members, district leadership, educators, families, and community partners. She understands that effective governance requires not only strong convictions, but also the ability to listen, build consensus, and work in partnership with others. We respectfully ask you to give Beatriz Teva Cutler your strongest consideration. Thank you.

Thank you so much. I just want us to keep in mind of the time. We have six minutes left, so I'm going to do something a little different. I'm going to ask the following people to line up so that we can cut down on the time. And I'll also ask you to hold your applause so that we can hear from as many people as possible. So we will next hear from Allison Bond, followed by Gladys Stout, DeeDee Alley, Lindsay Nofelt, Yasmin Navarro, and we will see where we are after that. Thank you.

Thank you so much. I'm Allison Bond. I have two kids at Washington and really wanted to speak out in support of Rachel Lee and Scott Hofmeister for the school board spot. I think they're the people with the professional and personal experience to really be able to guide us at this critical time. Tech use among young people really underlies a lot of the things that all of us in the room here care so much about, like equity, literacy, student safety. And tech companies don't care about any of that. They care about our kids' data, they're profiting from our kids' attention, and they're also building lifelong users through the habitual use of these apps. And so if we don't kind of stay on top of things and speak up in favor of our students' interests, nobody will. And I guess the last thing that I would say is that no action on this is an action, and that's exactly what the tech companies want us to do.

As a reminder, if you are speaking, come as close up to the podium as possible, and we will hold our applause until the end of all our speakers. Ms. Dowd, whenever you are ready, you may begin.

Good evening. My name is Gladys Ocampos Dowd, and I'm here on behalf of Latinos Unidos at Berkeley. We're here to say we proudly support Beatriz Leyva Cutler for the vacancy on the Berkeley Unified School District Board. Beatriz's commitment to Berkeley extends well beyond her years on the school board. For decades, she has been a dedicated community leader and an advocate for children and families. Through her leadership as Executive Director of Bahia Inc., a bilingual early childhood education organization, she has worked to ensure that children and families, particularly Latino, immigrant, and Spanish-speaking families, have access to high-quality education and meaningful opportunities to thrive. At this moment, we believe her experience would be particularly valuable to BUSD. appointing a new board member requires identifying someone who can step into the role with an understanding of board governance, district operations, and the Berkeley community. Yetriz would not be starting from the beginning. She knows the responsibilities of a board director, understands the importance of working constructively with colleagues and the superintendent, and has a proven record of putting students at the center of her decisions. Thank you.

Didi Ali? Deidre?

Hi, thank you everybody for being here and listening to what we have to say. I am the mother of a freshman at Berkeley High and she chose to be here and is excited about it. In the process of deciding which school she would attend for high school, we looked at a variety of schools. And one of the things that I noticed in a nanosecond was the schools that had policies where the kids could have theirs. their devices during the day versus the ones that couldn't. And the ones where they didn't, the kids were interacting, enjoying each other, bustling, talking to each other, and it just seemed like a great environment. And the ones where they did have access to their devices, I'm sure they're all great kids and doing their best at growing up, but they were all standing next to each other, looking at their devices. And I'd just like you to think about this as you consider what the policies are. We're excited about her journey at the high school, and we just hope that she gets a rounded experience.

Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

hi i'm here tonight to urge you to appoint rachie or scott to fill the vacant board seat our district has an incredible opportunity to build a thriving future and to get there busd needs leadership firmly focused on student achievement high academic standards and evidence-based instruction these pillars are all rooted in true equity helpful for all and essential for our most vulnerable learners Evidence-based instruction and early effective intervention open real pathways to college or technical careers. Ensuring every student graduates with strong foundational reading and math skills is critical to closing equity gaps. While we respect the former board members' 12 years of service, our district's current challenges call for a new direction and fresh, forward-looking stewardship. Rachie and Scott bring the perspectives needed to lead us into BUSD's next chapter. Thank you.

Thank you, Navarro. Instructions, man.

OK. Hello. Happy New Year. And thank you for allowing me to be up here. My name is Yasmin Navarro. I'm a college and career counselor at Berkeley High. I'm here tonight as a member of our community to speak in support of the strong consideration or confirmation of Beatriz Leyva Cutler as a member of our school board. Beatriz, who I've had the chance to know over the last five years, has a reputation that precedes her, and for good reason. She is a dedicated servant to our community, a constant advocate, and more importantly, a former board member with experience. I have seen her on our campus actively engaging our students and our staff over the last five years, always asking what we need, how we're doing, and how she can help. At a time when our public institutions are under scrutiny and attacked by this federal administration, having a seasoned member who understands our budget constraints, the initiatives we are currently implementing, and our community's needs, we need someone who can hit the ground running as we grapple with our unique challenges. Thank you.

Thank you. Perfect, the time has just turned to 7.37 p.m., and so we will move to our online commenters. At this time, Ms. Chavez, how many hands do we have raised?

Eight.

Eight people, okay. Let us begin now. The first hand that I see, excuse me for a second. Is carries over here from carry followed by Ivy. Thank you. Yes, please. One minute has started. Hopefully you all are also online timing yourself just in case you cannot see the clock here in the boardroom. When we have reached one minute, if you are still talking, I will politely ask you to finish your sentence.

Carrie, you may begin. Hi, thank you so much. My name is Carrie Cabot. I have two students at BAM in kindergarten and third grade. And I am here tonight to first express support for Richie Lee to be appointed to the school board. I met her four years ago while she was campaigning and was really impressed with her and she has been an amazing advocate for students and foster youth and I really believe that she would be a huge asset to the school board. i also love her work to get technology policies and cell phone policies in place in the schools so i urge you to support her and then i am also here just to remind you that i am still working on getting a school bus back on grizzly peak we have 57 students who are still affected by the lack of a school bus in this area and i am doing the work that the transportation department should be doing to contact the CHP and work on this issue. And I will continue to do so and I hope I have your support. Thank you.

Thank you, Carrie. Next, we will hear from Ivy followed by Cara Benz.

Hi, can you hear me? Yes, welcome. Thank you. Hi, everyone. My name is Evie. I'm a parent of three BUSD students. One is a graduate, one is a 12th grader at Berkeley High, and the other a third grader at Rosa Parks. And both my husband and I are very active volunteers in our communities. And I want to thank a lot of the people running for the board seat because I know that they've done a lot of work to serve. So thank you. I'm here to support Rachy for two reasons. One, the timing of the appointment really matters for issues for our entire community. We're about to enter a math curriculum adoption process. Technology in the classroom is under active reconsideration at the state and national level. and AI is going to reshape what happens in the classroom. Berkeley parents already organized around these questions, and energy is currently sitting outside the boardroom. The district is better served with these issues represented inside the board, and Rachel is the best candidate to move these vital topics forward. And the second point I was going to say is that when she ran the last time, she got 21,000 votes and came really close to winning the seats, which gives her legitimacy for a vote that doesn't include public vote. an appointment that doesn't include a public vote.

Thank you. Thank you very much. May you please put on care followed by Katie Knight.

All right. Hi, I'm Kara Binns and this is Bridget Binns, TKer at Malcolm X. I'm a part of the Bridge the Care Gap parent group that is fighting for safe and expanded aftercare for all of our babies. I wanted to acknowledge that there have been improvements over the past year, especially related to our youngest kids and getting them into the programs on site. as well as the communications timeline. And I really wanted to thank our partners, especially Joia and Kelly and Brazil that have been working with our group all throughout the year to expand access to this critical aftercare programming. I'm here today just to say we have a long way to go. There's still hundreds of families on wait lists. There's still people, as you heard earlier, who are picking up their kids midday and driving them to a program. So please keep up the focus. This is something we stand with you throughout the school year to keep trying to make better every year. Thank you.

If you don't mind, Katie, I'm muting.

Hi, good evening. My name is Katie Knight and I am a mom of a TK student at John Muir. And I also want to comment on the aftercare gap for our youngest students. Thank you so much for expanding learns to young students at many schools. But John Muir families don't have learns on campus. My child is 1 of the youngest students at Muir. He's only 3 years old. Our son was turned away from every program at his school. Kids in Motion doesn't serve children under four and a half, which excludes half the TK class, and Bears had no space. We were lucky to get him a spot in an off-campus provider, but until today, we had no bus to get there, and I was driving him to aftercare daily. Meanwhile, the district buses kids from other schools onto our campus for aftercare, taking capacity away from our youngest kids. Please require our on-campus aftercare providers, Bears and Kids in Motion, to prioritize John Muir's own TK students or bring in a third operator to campus to specialize in TK and K students. Every one of our youngest students deserves a safe aftercare option on their own campus. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Katie. For the public watching, I've just actually asked Ms. Chavez to please promote everyone in the order that their hands are in. And so that way we can go all the way through public comment, the rest of our public comments without any disruption.

Up next is Leticia with our last speaker, going to be Eric Mowat. So that will be where we will stop receiving comments. Leticia, I'm promoting you now.

Hi, everyone. Can you hear me?

Yes, yes. Hi, everyone. It's Lydia. I work at Berkeley High School as a family engagement coordinator. And I'm here tonight to share my support for Beatriz Leyva Cutler as a BUSD board member. Beatriz is a leader who works to achieve equity for all students. She brings with her a proven track record of deep community engagement and unwavering commitment to our students and their families. Beatriz doesn't just lead from a distance. She is on the ground, listening to families, collaborating with educators, and elevating the voices of those who are too often left out of the conversation. Her deep connection to our community and her history of advocacy proves that she will be an empathetic voice as a BUSD school board member. Thank you so much.

Thank you as well. Chandra, up next.

You may unmute yourself.

Thank you.

My name is Chandra. I am the parent of an eighth grader and a third grader and a former high school teacher of 20 years. My family has worked very hard to limit and support our children's appropriate screen time use. And as part of that, one of the things that I do is ask my son, my eighth grader, if he has ever encountered porn. I've asked him about twice a year for the last several years. And the last time I asked him, I included the question, have you not even any AI porn? And he said, oh, I saw an ad. for AI porn. And I asked him about where he had seen that. And he said he had seen it at school, in fact. So I discovered in investigating the situation that there are no blocks, ad blocking, nothing like that going on at school. So my 14-year-old has just seen porn at school. So let's maybe not have that happen.

Thanks. Thank you so much for your comments. We will continue with Brittany, followed by Joyce, and we will end with Eric. So please be prepared to go in that order. Brittany, Joyce, and Eric. Thank you. Hi, Brittany. Welcome.

Hi, I can't, can you hear me?

We can hear you just fine, thank you.

Thank you, my name is Brittany and I'm a parent of two children in the BUSD school and I'm here to urge you to support Rachy Lee to be appointed to the board. Rachy thinks deeply about education and what helps learners and knows how to work collaboratively to help put practices that are effective into place. I've seen this firsthand as she was a colleague of mine at Golden Gate University Law School, where she taught in academic support and used evidence-based learning to think globally about our curriculum and how to help students who are struggling the most and also work tirelessly with individual students to try to help each one of them succeed. I've seen it again as she is working with other parents to try to think about the challenging issues that are facing our school system with digital and tech issues and trying to put the best policies in place to lead to each student's success. So with that, I urge you to appoint her to the board. Thank you.

Thank you, Joyce, and then Eric.

Joyce, you may unmute yourself, please.

Hi, sorry, thank you. My name is Joyce Lytle and my I have a 5th grader at Oxford Elementary and I am calling to are reaching out to talk about the learns program and kind of my experience most recently. Somehow we missed the deadline. The two weeks at the two week window to. To to re sign up for class and there was a lack of communication. I felt just generally knowing when the sign updates were and. And I feel like that could be easily addressed with just some basic, you know, sticky notes or things at the sign out sheet. And also, I had the opportunity to take a look at the board meeting from the August 5th, and I saw the presentation. that I think it was Kelly that presented it. And she was talking about the equity. And I was wondering if neurodivergent children were considered in the equity plan. Thank you.

Thank you as well. And our last public commenter for this public comment period is Eric. Can you please promote Eric Mollat? Welcome, Eric. You may begin whenever you're ready. Eric, may you please unmute yourself?

Apologies. Thank you. Hi, my name is Eric Mowat. I'm a recent graduate of the UC Berkeley Master of Data Science program, and I've known Rachy for over 10 years. And I've witnessed her commitment to our youth from her advocacy at East Bay Children's Law Center to our initiatives to provide a distraction-free environment in the classroom. And I've supported her last campaign financially. And I know that she is a tireless champion for our youth. The Berkeley community would be well served by including her voice on the board. And I implore you to consider her candidacy. Thank you so much.

Thank you as well. Thank you to all of you all who took the opportunity to make comments to the Board of Education. Again, I apologize if your name was not called, but there is a second opportunity for public comment, and you may always email us your public comments if you didn't get a chance to share them this evening. We will now move on to committee comments. Are there any committees that would like to make comments to the Board of Education this evening? Namota, I am going to assume that you're making comments on behalf of the African-American Advisory Committee. Can you please make your comments at this time?

OK, thank you. Good evening, Board of Directors, Superintendent Ford-Morthell, district staff, students, members, and members of the Berkeley community. My name is Nimota Abina, and I'm honored to bring greetings and updates from the superintendent's African American Success Advisory Committee, also known as ASAC. I come to this work not only as an ASEC member, but as a deeply invested Berkeley parent and community member. I attended Berkeley schools from elementary through high school. My daughter graduated from Berkeley High. And now my son is starting his next chapters as a freshman at Berkeley High. So for me, this work is personal. As my son begins the next four years, I am even more determined that the promise of the African-American success framework becomes real for him, his peers, and all black students across BUSD. ASEC is excited to begin this school year in alignment with the school's theme, Berkeley Rising. Sorry. We believe that themes matters. It speaks to a district that is not standing still. It speaks to a community that is working, learning, reflecting, and growing. And it speaks to the possibilities we are beginning to see when the district invests and focus in culturally responsible, student-centered, students and families benefit. we want to thank the board superintendent for the continued investments in partnership and priorities connecting to the african-american framework we recognize this investments matters we recognize that progress does not happen by accident it happens when a district chooses to stay focused stay accountable and stay committed And we are seeing signs of progress. We are seeing Berkeley rise. But we also are clear that the process is not complete. The urgency of this work remains. Our students still need strong transitions. We still need a sense of belonging. We still need access to information, opportunities, mentorship. academic support, adults who pay close attention. Our families still need communication, early engagement, and a meaningful partnership with schools. That is why ASAC is continuing the work this year to focus its energy and purpose. One of our first strong starting activities is the fifth annual We invite the entire Berkeley community to join us on Saturday, September 12th from 10 a.m. to noon at Willard Middle School. Black to School is designed to help students and families begin the year connected, informed, supported. Families will have the opportunity to connect with resources from the city of Berkeley Berkeley Public Library, literacy organizations, community partners, and others committed to student success. As always, this event and all sponsored events are for the whole community and are rooted in a clear purpose to make sure black students and families try to navigate the school not alone. We are here, we are invested, we are ready, we are committed to ensure that Berkeley Rising means black students are rising, black families are rising, and our entire community is rising together. Thank you.

And thank you as well for your comments. Are there any other committee comments this evening? Seeing none, we will now move on to union comments. Are there any union comments this evening? We will receive comments from our Berkeley Council of Classified Employees. Welcome.

Good evening, school board members, superintendent Ford, Rithale, and leadership team. My name is Mildred Shearer, and I'm the vice president of Berkeley Council of Classified Employees. Welcome to a new school year. The way we start sets the tone. The way we finish tells the truth. So tonight I want to be intentional about how BCC starts this year and clear about what we expect along the way. Before I do, I want to acknowledge Beatrice Leyva Cutler. BCCE supports Ms. Leyva Cutler because among the potential board members, she was the only one who reached out to BCCE. That may sound like a small thing. To us, it is not. Her reaching out told us that classified employees were part of her thought process. And considering one of this year's leadership principles is listen to learn, BCCE noticed who made the effort to listen. At the superintendent's leadership retreat, we were given some important principles, and I must admit, I learned a lot. It was actually one of my favorite retreats. Several things stayed with me. Lead by example, listen to learn, build collaboration and trust, believe in others, set a common goal. We were also reminded that every employee is a leader who influences student success and school culture. Those are powerful words. This year, BCC will be paying attention to whether those words become actions. Leadership, collaboration, and trust require more than inviting people into the conversation. They require making sure people are actually heard. And if we truly believe that when we rise together, our students rise with us, then we have to ask, who is rising with Berkeley and who is being left behind? By now, there should be no question about the value of classified employees. We have already established that. The question this year is whether the respect and consideration we receive will reflect that value. You cannot say every employee is a leader and then treat some employees as though their voices matter less. You cannot build collaboration without communication, and you cannot build trust without when communication is inconsistent. So as we begin this year, BCC expects equitable access. BFT deserves consistent access to the superintendent and district leadership, and so does BCC. This is not about competing with another labor partner or taking away from anyone. It is about equity. When BCC brings forward matters affecting our members, we expect the same responsiveness and attention. We also need clarity of authority and accountability. BCCE continues to encounter situations that leaves us asking a very basic question. When an assistant superintendent makes a decision or gives an approval, who has the authority, besides the superintendent, to overrule it? If a supervisor or manager has that authority, then BCC would like that chain of command and decision making authority in writing. Our members should not receive an approval from senior leadership only to discover later that someone else had decided it would not be honored. An approval should mean something, a directive should mean something, an authority should mean something. If a decision can be overturned, there should be transparency about who has that authority, where it comes from, and whose decision is actually final. That is accountability. And accountability requires integrity. Integrity isn't simply saying the right things when everyone is in the room. Integrity is making sure our actions remain consistent after we leave the room. Decisions made behind closed doors still have consequences when those doors open. We were also told to ground our discussions in what is best for kids. Absolutely. But we cannot separate what is best for students from how we treat the employees responsible for supporting them. Think about the instructions on an airplane. Secure your own oxygen mask before helping someone else. Not because you're a matter more, but because you cannot effectively help someone else if you cannot breathe yourself. The same is true here. We cannot continually ask employees to pour into this district while allowing them to feel unheard or undervalued. So tonight, I want to put BCC's expectations for the 26-27 school year on the record. Listen to us, meet with us, respond, respect, and include us. Not sometimes, consistently. Remember I said in the beginning of my speech, the way we start sets the tone, the way we finish tells the truth. And what happens in between will determine whether we truly rose together. And when I stand before you at the end of the school year, I hope the truth is that we did. Because Berkeley is rising, then transparency must rise. Superintendent Ford Martell at the leadership retreat, you gave us a chance for Berkeley rising. I listened. And I thought, if Berkeley is rising, BCC needs a verse too. So superintendent, this one's for you. Berkeley is rising.

Berkeley is rising.

BCC is organizing. BCC is organizing. Classified voices no more minimizing. If Berkeley is going to rise, then we are going to rise together. BCC is here. BCC is rising. And this year, we expect to be heard. Thank you and have a good night.

Thank you so much, BCCE, for your comments. Are there any other union comments?

I would not want to go after that.

But if you are here to make comments on behalf of other unions, this is the perfect time to do so. Seeing none, we will move on to board member comments. Director Shenoski, would you like to begin?

Oh, well, just moving right in. I guess I will begin. I wanna thank all the families that are here today, whether you're here to talk about Berkeley Unplugged or talk about the appointment process tonight. I'm really happy to see so many faces. I wanna welcome our new student board member who was a classmate of my son's at Malcolm X, so we go way back. And I wanna welcome everybody back to school. As the parent of two teenagers, I have a 14 year old and a 17 year old, I know firsthand the struggle with devices and I was committed last year and remain committed to ensuring that our recently updated policy on technology is implemented with fidelity. I want to thank members of Berkeley Unplugged who took time out of their busy days to meet with me last week. Your concerns are heard and the district is already working on many of them. So I'm looking forward to the October 7th board meeting when we'll get a public presentation on benchmarks, answers to many of the questions that have been raised, and continued implementation and expansion of the policy that we passed last year. um i'd like to encourage folks to tune into the board meetings so that you are aware of what we are doing often we speak even just in our board comments about some of these issues so i can assure everyone here that the board is committed is knowledgeable about these issues and is committed to making sure that all of our kids are safe and that teaching and learning you know take the center of everything in all of our classes. I'm going to keep it short because I know that people are here for a reason tonight. So I look forward to the rest of the meeting and hearing my colleagues' comments. Thank you so much.

Student Director Hanna, would you like to share?

HANNAH SLATTERY- Hello, my name is Hannah Slattery-Weisberg. I'm a senior at Berkeley High. And I'm super excited to join the school board as a representative of the student voice in Berkeley. I'm the chair of the Berkeley Youth Commission. I've been a commissioner for five years. And I've learned a lot about the importance of a youth voice in politics. And I'm excited to keep learning more. Thank you.

Thank you and welcome.

Vice President Quorn? I will keep my comments even shorter. I'm eager to get to our process this evening and to hear from all of our candidates for the appointment process. I'm just wanna say that I'm grateful to everyone who showed up tonight. I'm very excited to welcome Hannah to the board and I look forward to hearing from all of our candidates this evening. Thank you so much.

Thank you as well, Director Chen.

Absolutely, thank you so much. I'm keeping my comments short as well. Thank you so much, all speakers, unplugged, et cetera. Really appreciate your using this public forum to give us your feedback. I'm really excited to hear from all the candidates. And I know it's... maybe not what you're accustomed to doing, being interviewed live, you know, on TV, so to speak. I'm really looking forward to the experience and hearing your different viewpoints on your role if you were to serve as an interim board director. And also, of course, congratulations and great to have Hannah on board. I've worked with your mom before and I really appreciate her. So thanks again and look forward to seeing everybody.

Thank you so much director Chang. We will now move on to approval of the consent calendar. There is one item this evening that needs to be removed from the consent calendar and that's item 12.14 which is the approval of amendments to contract with nonpublic agencies for services during the 2026-2027 year. That is the only thing that I have that needs to be removed from this evening. Is there a motion to, this evening's consent calendar, is there a motion to approve the consent calendar?

I move that we approve the consent calendar with the changes identified.

It's been moved by Director Corn. Is there a second?

I'll second.

Seconded by Director Chang. All those in favor please signify with the sign of aye. Aye. Opposers have the same sign. Abstentions? The ayes have it. The motion passes and This evening's consent calendar is approved. We will now move on to the moment that a lot of you all have been waiting for, which is action item number 13.1, board vacancy interviews and provisional appointment. So I'm going to talk a little bit about what this process is going to look like. First, we are going to invite all of our candidates to give an opening statement to the Board of Education, an opening statement of your choice, followed by a response to three questions. After the response, you'll have two minutes to respond to each question, followed by a two-minute closing statement. What will happen is Ms. Chavez will take all of the candidates to the back room in just a second, and back there with Ms. Chavez, you will pull numbers to know which order you will be able to have your interview with the Board of Education this evening. We want to make sure that it is a fair process, and so you will pull numbers in the order in which you will go. After we interview all of the candidates, or while we're interviewing all of the candidates, the Board of Education will participate in the rating scale of each candidate interview. The rating scale is as follows. First, I want to acknowledge that we are rating our candidates based on the substance of your responses, not your speaking style. We're also considering the candidates' understanding, reasoning, responsiveness to our questions, and demonstrated ability to think from a governance perspective, and a demonstrated ability to think from a governance perspective, specifically here for Berkeley Unified School District. And so, we will use the following rating scale that ranges from 1 to 5. We'll use the following rating scale for the responses to the questions that the candidates will answer. being insufficient. They demonstrate little understanding of the question or the role of the school board member. Their responses lack substance, does not address the question, or demonstrate significant misconceptions. A two is a developing answer. demonstrates limited understanding or provides a partially developed response. The reasoning may be inconsistent, overly general, or focused primarily on one perspective. Three is for competent. The candidate demonstrates an adequate understanding of the issue and provides a reasonable response. There's some depth or specificity that is present in their responses and the answer may be may be general or lack a fully developed rationale. Four is strong. The candidate demonstrates a clear and accurate understanding of the issues that we face here in Berkeley Unified School District. They provide thoughtfulness. They provide reasoning and relevant examples. They show good judgment and an awareness of multiple perspectives. And then the final score is five. which represents exceptional. The candidate demonstrates deep understanding, thoughtful analysis, strong governance judgment, and provides specific and relevant examples. They clearly connect answers to student outcomes, equity, accountability, and the board's role. So that is our rating scale for this evening. After each interview, the Board of Education will provide a score to each candidate. At the end of all of the interviews, the board will then share their top two candidates who received the highest score, who we would like to then move on to our discussion round. During our discussion round, we will, of course, discuss the two candidates that each board member would like to bring forward. And then from our discussion round, we will entertain a motion on the one candidate that the Board of Education would like to appoint to the board vacancy this evening. So that is the structure, that is the role. If the candidates need more explanation or need anything to be repeated, they have Ms. Chavez who will now at this time take them to the back so that they may pull numbers to receive the order in which they will be speaking to the Board of Education. So if you are a candidate, welcome, good evening. Can you please follow Ms. Chavez to the back who will provide you with further instruction? As she does so, I am going to call for a five-minute break for the Board of Education. Board, you are more than welcome to take a five-minute break at this time. I will set a timer. Thank you.

Thank you. yeah yeah Thank you. Oh, oh, oh! I just love that. Thank you Oh, nice. Thank you. Thank you. . . . . . Are you one of the candidates? Oh, my God.

Excuse me. Thank you. Nice to meet you.

Thank you. Thank you. Oh. yeah yeah Thank you. um Yeah, I know. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. . . . . . . . Thank you. I was thinking of this model that you're going to hire. You need to get a nice little range of shit to get out of it. . . . . . . . So basically, you make sure that the light is on. You have the two keys on the bottom, because you're going to have to turn on that thing on your mic.

Good evening, everyone. We are about to resume our agenda and about to start item 13.1. At this time, if everyone could please find a seat, and if we could please close the doors. If everyone could please find a seat. Wow. All right, good evening. As I shared earlier, our candidates this evening will begin with an opening statement, followed by three questions that will be asked by the Board of Education, a closing statement, and they will be given two minutes for each portion of the interview. I'd like to first welcome our first candidate, who is Diamond Williams. Whenever you are ready, you may begin your opening statement.

Good evening, everyone. My name is Diamond Williams. And I am here because I believe every student deserves a school system where they feel seen, supported, and challenged, as well as prepared for their future. My background is rooted in education, teaching, and community work. And I've had the opportunity to work directly with young people and families. And that experience taught me something that's very important. When we listen to students, educators, and families, and we actually act on what we hear, we can create meaningful change. I'm considering serving on the Berkeley Unified School District's board because I want to bring that perspective to the table. I want to be a board member who is present, accessible, and willing to ask the difficult questions, not simply a board member who shows up to meetings and votes. My priorities will be clear. First, I want to strengthen student achievement while making sure students have the academic, social, and emotional support they need to succeed. Second, I want to support our educators and staff. Great schools depend on great teachers and staff, and they need the resources, professional support, and working conditions necessary to do their jobs well. Third, I want to strengthen the relationship between schools, families, and the broader Berkeley community. Parents and caregivers should feel that their voices matter and students should have meaningful opportunities to tell us what they need. And finally, I want to focus on equity, accountability, and responsible use of our resources. Every student should have access to opportunity regardless of which school they attend or what circumstances they come from. I'm not coming forward with the idea that I have every answer. I'm coming forward ready to listen, learn, collaborate, and work. If given, okay.

Thank you so much for your opening statement. I will now go to Director Corn who will ask the first question this evening.

Thank you, Mr. Williams. Can you please speak to the question, what do you believe are the most important responsibilities of a school board member?

Good question. I believe that the school board members should listen to the community, advocate for the students, parents, and community members, and collaborate with other board members in order to see any task through. I'm here to lend my expertise and my experience to be part of a team in order to make Berkeley the best in its possibility. Yeah.

Thank you. Director Chang, can you please ask the second question?

Thank you so much, and thank you for coming to speak to us. This question regards decision-making. Describe how you would balance the following when deciding how to vote on a matter. It would be community concerns, student needs, state and federal law, staff recommendations, and your own values or belief. I can repeat it if you like. I know there's a lot.

Yes, please. I'm a visual learner.

Absolutely. So there's several components. There's community concerns. Community concerns. Student needs, state and federal law, staff recommendations, and finally, of course, your own values and beliefs.

OK. Thank you. I can work backwards. My own values and beliefs, that'll take the last position. Wow, I wish I was looking at this stuff. I honestly would say that the community comes first. In conjunction with the resources that are available, that's given federal, you said federal and state laws, correct? AFTER THE COMMUNITY, DEFINITELY STUDENT NEEDS. I THINK THE FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS ARE THE EMBELLA IN WHICH WE HAVE TO WORK UNDER. AND SO IN ESSENCE THAT DOES SORT OF TAKE A PRECEDENCE. HOWEVER, I DEFINITELY PRIORITIZE THE COMMUNITY, THE STUDENTS, I know you said like seven other things.

I'm going to pause you for a second because I heard you say two times you wish you could have seen it, and I think that that is very fair to make sure that everyone can see it. I'd appreciate that. Liz, I just sent it over to you. There's a portion that talks about the opening statement as well as the questions. Can you please promote those on the screen? It's important to make sure that everyone can see the questions, so thank you for that. I'd appreciate it. Thank you.

Nope.

No. Just from opening down to closing. Right there. Can you see okay?

Just so we can see the questions. Do you see the second one, sir? Excuse me for a second. Yes.

We're at...

It's good.

It looks good. Or decision-making, and I can read it out loud again so the members of the audience are aware too. Describe how you would balance the following when deciding how to vote on the matter.

Community concerns, students' needs, state federal laws, staff recommendations, and your own beliefs. There's a lot there. Thank you so much for that. It's very helpful. Yeah, like I was saying, that state and federal law is the umbrella in which we have to work under. However, most pressingly would be community concerns and student needs, as well as staff recommendations. I almost want to put staff in front of students because I am an educator. And we see things differently from our perspective. However, yeah. Yeah. So yeah, I would say staff, excuse me, state and federal first, then community concerns as well as staff and student needs. Community concerns, that doesn't necessarily mean parents per se or families of students. So I'm thinking out loud, maybe I'll push staff next to students in the community after students because this is a school board meeting and I really want to represent the people that are going to be implementing what we are looking to push as our school board program and staff are the implements or excuse me the the people who see the students or who are engaging the decisions that the board makes and so using that As, yeah. Staff, students, community, myself. Ooh, that was a tough question.

Thank you. Yes. Can you please ask the third question, Director Shenoski?

Yeah, good evening. How would you advance educational equity for all students while ensuring that historically underserved student groups receive appropriate support?

I would start there at the underserved. Yes. I would start there. My work has been with the underprivileged students in OUSD. I worked alongside students YEPs, SDC students, and all of the like. And I don't feel that these students get a fair shake because of when budgets are cut. These programs that serve these underprivileged students are usually to go first, whether it be the paraeducators and the supplemental programs. I think it's very important that we focus first here in these underprivileged communities and students because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. And I know that the achievement gap has been growing drastically, whether it be through available resources, whether it be through technology, or even just something as basic as a place to live and food to eat. Focusing on our students who are migrant students, students who are IEP students, who are SDC students, who need one-on-ones, I think we need to start there first.

Thank you so much. If you can start your closing statement whenever you are ready.

Oh, yes. First off, I want to say thank you very much for the opportunity. If nothing more, this is a great learning experience for myself to be in front of you all to see how to see what the community is urging and I'm grateful for the opportunity to witness. I'm very, very nervous. I've never had an interview on TV in front of people and community members and audience. That's new for me. I'm very, very nervous. I said it once, I'm gonna say it again. I've been sweating since I got here. But I love to see that the support for the other candidates in the room it really is eye-opening that Berkeley really rises to the occasion to push for their students in their community. And that gives me courage, that gives me motivation to want to work for this community, for the students in this community, and to work alongside you all. Yeah, thank you for the opportunity. Appreciate you.

And thank you so much for being here. It was very nice to meet you and nice to learn a little bit about your approach and to learn about your background. We appreciate you coming. If you could please return back to the candidate room, we'd appreciate that. Thank you so much.

Appreciate it.

Good evening. How are you today?

Good. Thank you.

Great. Behind me will be the process for your interview. You will begin with a two-minute opening statement followed by a series of questions that will be asked by the Board of Education as well as a closing statement. So whenever you're ready, you have two minutes for your opening statement.

Okay. uh so good evening directors superintendent ford mathel um i'm scott hoffmeister i won't repeat my application in detail but the short version is 12 years as a busd parent 11 of them in parent leadership pta treasurer pta president school site council and the superintendent's budget committee In 30 years as a technologist, most recently leading AI implementations at Kaiser Permanente, I want to spend my time on why this seat right now. I studied AI at MIT in the 1990s, when the field was long on promise and short on results. I believe history will regard generative AI as one of the most transformative innovations humanity has ever produced, on a par with electricity or the automobile, but arriving on a time scale we have never experienced. Electricity took decades to reach every home. This is happening in years and changing meaningfully in a matter of months. How our institutions respond, and especially how education responds, is one of the defining questions of our time. Berkeley should have a board that includes someone who has actually built these systems, who has questioned vendors, can weigh staff proposals, and separate what's real from what's hype. But AI is a slow-moving tsunami, and a board cannot govern by watching the horizon. The daily work is the superintendent's four E's, excellence, equity, engagement, enrichment, delivered through hard budgets, aftercare wait lists, and special education. Some of you know how I work. I listen first. I do my homework. 11 years alongside principals, teachers, classified staff, and very opinionated Berkeley parents has taught me that durable decisions are brokered, not won. I would join this board to help carry forward the work you already have in motion. Thank you.

Thank you. Director Shadosky, can you please begin with question number one?

Sure. Thank you. Welcome. What do you believe are the most important responsibilities of a school board member?

think that the school board has one employee the superintendent the superintendent's job is to run the district the gourd the gourd the board governs it does not administrate I believe that the board is here to reflect the the wishes and the feelings of the voting public, to hold the district accountable, to ask tough questions, to understand the options, and to be that bridge with the community uh sharing what the perspective is of the district the hard work are the team is doing and understanding what are realistic parent expectations and helping the parents to understand where the where the district is moving and to make sure that the um the priorities of the community are carried forward in in these discussions and that the the community feels included and heard in these meetings and at in this process thank you director corn if you can please ask question number two

Happily. Can you please describe how you would balance the following when deciding how to vote on a matter? Community concerns, student needs, state and federal law, staff recommendations, and your own values and beliefs.

from the application. So first of all, state and federal law, that's not a balancing. We have to do that. That's non-negotiable. The district is there to do the hard work of analyzing options looking into different possibilities and so I think it's important to give great weight to the staff recommendations. And I think it's important to listen to the community. And I think that this is, it's an iterative process. The community comes in here to comment, there's discussion, there's response from the board, there's response from the district, and then we rinse and repeat. And every day is an opportunity to try and get it right. So I think that it's not a one and done. Obviously there are times when decisions have to be made. A decision that makes everybody happy all the time, that's not leadership. And I think that that's what we look for in the superintendent and that's what we look for in the board to make these tough decisions And to balance the factors the one additional thing that I think I would add is that frequently I think things can get framed as student needs or some other group educators classified staff the different parties and. i think that the district will not rise will not continue to rise without a true partnership between the parents the students the classified staff the administrators the t the educators it's a team approach and they've we've all got to be rowing in the same direction thank you and director chang if you could please ask question number three

Sure. I do think Scott can read it, though. Just joking around. Equity-based. You can't see it? I'm just kidding. How would you advance educational equity for all students while ensuring that historically underserved student groups receive appropriate support?

I think equity is one of the cornerstones of what makes this district so great. It was one of the factors when my family toured the different schools and saw the the demographics mixed, all basically the same. It's the magic of this district is how we've all worked together. My time counting down. And the Emerson principal, Susan Hodge, I had tremendous admiration for her. And I viewed her as kind of like the whole school is running a race. And she is in the back. watching carefully who's getting left behind, who's falling short, and what can we do to help those kids. And so I think that is key to the historically underserved communities. I also think there's a lot of different approaches and a lot of different ideas within Berkeley. We have a lot of different sites that are taking slightly different approaches. And there's an opportunity for us to leverage the learnings from each of those different learning communities to see what works best, what can we roll out to other sites, what innovations can we take from other areas? I don't think there's a magic solution to this question. It's a lot of hard work and paying attention to what really moves the needle.

Whenever you are ready, you can begin with your closing statement.

So first of all, I want to thank you for this opportunity. It would be an honor to be a member of the board. I think that I have a real focus on collaboration and respect. I have the time that I think this position would require. It's something that I would work to balance all of my other commitments around. and I think it would be great fun to play with this team. Thank you.

Thank you as well. Thank you for being here. Thank you so much, Scott. As Ms. Chavez is getting the next candidate, I just want to take a moment to be a little bit transparent with our community. Every candidate received the order in which They were speaking when we went to the back, but before they got to this public meeting, they received the order in which they would be interviewed in terms of the opening statement, answering three questions, as well as the closing statement. In addition to that, it is very important to tell the community that the questions that they are being asked today were taken directly from their applications. I think it's important to share that information. Welcome, Meena. You may take a seat and begin Ms. Sun whenever you are ready with your opening statement.

Oh, OK. Thank you. I just want to start by sharing my story. I'm an immigrant from China. My parents' education was brutally disrupted by the Cultural Revolution. So at age 13, exactly the same age as my son sitting there right now, they dropped off middle school and started to work. Growing up, my childhood was deeply intertwined with their struggle of pursuing a proper education later on in life. And to pursue a career they wouldn't have without it. So it's ingrained in me to value the public education and to know it changes lives. Caring deeply is not enough to serve effectively. A board member must look beyond the immediate issues and ask what policies and practices allowed issue to happen and what system level changes can prevent them from happening again. This is the strengths I bring. I worked decades in education and later on in nonprofit leadership and governance. I have a track record of turning individual concerns into system level changes. An example is I co-developed BUSD's instructional software guideline So compliance is considered before software reaches classrooms, not after students encounter barriers. I'm also serving on a board of the large unionized nonprofit with $100 million in assets addressing operational deficit, long-term organizational health, and labor relations. Finally, I know and care deeply about this community. My two kids both entered the district as English learners. Each have a very different disability and educational journey. It's the outstanding educators and the staff here who nurture them to who they are today. So those are experience shapes what I notice, questions I ask. If I pointed, I'm deeply committed to bring them together to build a stronger USD.

Thank you. Can you please ask the first question, Director Korn?

Sure. Our first question is, what do you believe are the most important responsibilities of a board member?

The most important responsibility of a board member Can I share multiple or just one?

OK.

So first of all, I think it's really important to distinguish governance and management. And we want to listen deeply and broadly and to really distinguish the responsibility, what is good governance, from actually hands-on management. Because that's not the board's job. That's our superintendent's job. but that doesn't say the board member does not shoulder those detailed responsibility because without listening deeply and understanding each program and our students and barriers the encounter We cannot make an informed decision on the board. And so the governance of the policies and practices is what the board members should focus on. And also, as board members, we want to look at system level issues and to identify system gaps and inefficiencies. And we cannot be focusing on single issue. and because as a board member, we need to listen broadly and represent all of our community instead of certain constituencies. So that's what I believe what's important for the board.

Thank you. Director Chang, if you could please ask question number two.

Yes, I shall. This one regards decision making. Describe how you would balance the following, and there's a whole list of them again, when deciding how to vote on a matter. Community concerns, student needs, state and federal law, staff recommendations, and your own values and beliefs. Thank you.

Thank you. So first of all, the compliance and legal obligations are not optional. So everything decision should be guided around knowing those legal obligations and compliances. And the next step is we can't make a decision without listening deeply to the community. I would say today we are witnesses and in any board meetings, and sometimes it appear to be issues that there's a conflict. But I think what conflict really strengthens our community and a challenge both side of us and So I think having the open mind of embracing the conflicts instead of avoiding them and really peel the onion and get down to the bottom of why we are having that conflict and what are the issues we're really debating about is really important. That requires listening deeply to the community and to different constituencies and listening to their struggles and really laying out the staff expertise because they are the people who does frontline work every day with our students. And for personal belief as board members, first of all, personal beliefs brought into this decision making should be put aside. And in my personal experience, my personal belief is often influenced and devised based on all the information I gather by listening, familiarize myself with the laws and regulations, consolidating with staff opinions, and listening to the community.

Thank you. And Director Schamowski, if you can please ask our final question.

Yes, thank you. How would you advance educational equity for all students while ensuring that historically underserved student groups receive appropriate support?

Yeah, I've been thinking about this a lot. I think our student outcomes should be prioritized in our district. And so I see that as academic growth for every student and narrowing the achievement gap for underserved communities. So I worked decades in higher education and K through 12 education settings. I think there are two guiding principles are very important for me. One is every student can learn and make meaningful progress when the barriers are identified and addressed. Those barriers could look very different for different students. Attendance, family instability, language barriers, disability after school care, many of those disproportionately affect black and brown students, English learners, students with 504 and IEPs, and other historically underrepresented. underserved students. Our school must listen deeply to understand those barriers and maximize our capacity to address those within our influence. And The academic, the second guiding principle I have is academic excellence and narrowing achievement gap are not mutually exclusive. Closing the achievement gap does not mean lowering the standard. We should raise both the ceiling and the floor. Provide early effective intervention for students who are falling behind while maintaining vigorous um grade level instruction for all students to grow but this cannot simply mean asking teacher to do more at the board level it means really looking into our curriculum structure and the alliance resources thank you whenever you are ready you may begin your closing statement Thank you for the opportunity for allowing me to be here. I want to close by sharing a story. So Joaquin is an incoming sixth grader. I changed his name to protect his identity. Unlike his classmates, Joaquin spent the first two days of middle school at home. Not because he didn't want to go to school, not because his family didn't care about attendance. His school bus registration fell through the cracks. Joaquin's mother is a single parent with a 9 to 5 job and have no access to a car. His school is two miles away from home. He also had the IEP with transportation listed as one of his accommodations. Without a school bus, his family have no way to get him to school. At the board level, we see numbers. We see attendance rates, achievement gaps, cost. But behind every number, there's a student like Joaquin, a family, and a story. System gaps disproportionately affect historically underserved family, English learners, students with 504 and IEP. We cannot build a system that depends on parents knowing how to advocate, whom to call, and how to navigate each step. Our system must work for families with the least capacity to navigate through. When we talk about narrowing achievement gaps, preventing avoidable dispute, we must understand the barrier behind those numbers and close those system gaps. That's why we must listen deeply, work collaboratively, and address those barriers within our control. Every missed registration, delayed service, have a real student and family on the other side.

Thank you so much, and thank you for being here with us today. Hi. Welcome, Rachy Lee. Miss Lee, whenever you are ready, you will begin with your opening statement. The board will ask three questions, and then you will end with your closing statement. You have two minutes for each statement and two minutes for each question. And the questions are also posted behind me. OK. OK. Whenever you are ready, you may begin with your opening statement.

Okay, thank you so much, Director Brown. I want to first address all of the young people who are still here, or maybe they're watching from home.

No matter who you came to support tonight, I want you to know that I see you, I hear you, and I got you.

no matter what, you're the reason why I'm here today. I came to this country in second grade and I learned English in public schools with some of the best ESL teachers on earth. I'm an example, just like some of my other candidates on what public education can do. And that's why my family chose Berkeley and why I spent the last 11 years giving back to our school. right now as you know we are facing unprecedented challenges and I would bring the precise legal policy curriculum and tech wise experience the board needs now and as you all know technology is not just advancing fast there's an escalating race for our children's attention and now to train them on AI tools. This is the number one equity issue of our time because depending on how and when technology is used, it can open up a young person's world or it can widen academic gaps with the greatest consequences for students who are already struggling. I know districts are scrambling. I really feel that. Families are scrambling too. And teachers have to somehow figure out how to educate in this environment. So we're all in the same boat. We must come together to establish the right safeguards and decide deliberatively and collaboratively what aspect of technology belong in our schools and what does not. And no matter where we stand on the details, I think we can all agree that our students need uniquely human capabilities, strong literacy and math skills, judgment, creativity, and perseverance. Thank you.

Thank you. Director Cheng, if you can begin with the first question.

Absolutely. Thank you so much for coming out. This regards understanding the role. What do you believe are the most important responsibilities of a board member?

Thank you. The first responsibility is understanding that your role is one of governance. And I have a lot of experience in that. I've been the school site council chair. I've been on many district committees, including PAC. a bit of time, a little bit of time on the African American Success Advisory Committee. I'm currently the BHS PTA president. I've served on city commissions such as the Parks and Waterfront Commission. I've been board chair of several non-profits including 12 years at Access Health Justice, which is a reproductive health organization. So I have reviewed a lot of budgets. I have looked at spending cuts to align them with mission and values. I've reviewed program data and outcomes. I've led executive searches. I'm also an active lawyer with the California State Bar. I have actually helped advise boards about their fiduciary duties. I have represented public agencies And I have also advised school districts on their policies. And so I've been around the block a couple of times and I deeply understand the difference between the role of the board, the CEO or AKA superintendent and her staff and the constituents. What I would bring is an ability to write and evaluate policies, assess program and tools against evidence, and help set clear and enforceable policies all with an equity lens.

Director Shinoski, if you could please ask question number two.

Sure. Describe how you would balance the following when deciding how to vote on a matter. Community concerns, student needs, state and federal laws, staff recommendations, and your own values or beliefs.

Thank you. My guiding value always is educational excellence for every child. My approach to decision making is timely, evidence-based, and transparent. I always do my homework. And before a matter comes to a vote, I would review the materials, consult staff, hear from stakeholders, and independently examine the evidence so I understand the options and the trade-offs. The law, collective bargaining agreements, board policy set the boundaries of what can be done, unless they're changed down the road. My legal experience will allow me to understand all of those. And as a lawyer, I understand what's permissible, impermissible, and what's in the gray. And frankly, a lot of it is in the gray. Staff recommendations should be given a lot of weight because they're the ones with the expertise and they're the ones doing the job and they have to do the job. And I have been a senior staff leader myself, so I certainly understand that. But respecting staff expertise doesn't mean accepting every recommendation without question. So I would come prepared, ready to ask relevant questions, make sure the board has what it needs to make an independent judgment. With respect to students, I will always be asking myself, how does this affect student learning and well-being? Who is benefiting? Who may be disproportionately affected? Whose voice is missing at the table? And I would listen deeply to their parents because parents are the ones closest to what's happening to their child.

Thank you. And Director Corn, if you will please ask the last question.

The last question is about equity. How would you advance educational equity for all students while ensuring that historically underserved student groups receive appropriate support?

Thank you. We still have a large achievement gap because when you de-aggregate the results, you see the kids with families who can afford tutoring and supplementation outside are generally doing better than the kids who cannot. So equity requires that we prioritize academics, right? That's what we're here for. Especially in literacy and math because why those two? Because they're the building blocks for higher level learning and they build confidence. So for example, when math is taught systematically with an emphasis on numerical fluency starting at a young age, with a lot of practice and feedback by their teacher, they can develop into confident learners. So that psychology is really important for future learning. And math also teaches important executive functioning skills that they need to be successful. So additionally, our students in high school, quite a few of them, unfortunately, are still not meeting A through G standards. And I would work with our district to see if there's a way we can notify families immediately at the first sign of the problem and maybe provide a concrete recovery plan within that same academic year. Because what happens is it's really hard to make it up all towards the end. And I truly believe that equity means a belief that students will rise to the challenge when we give them the opportunity. That's equity.

Thank you so much. Whenever you are ready, you may begin your closing statement.

Sorry, there's so much I want to say. Just give me one second. I think I'll spend my closing on community representation. I think that's a really critical part of governance and having represented vulnerable youth And frankly, this is why I'm even sitting here. As their attorney, I saw how systems that were meant to help can actually hurt. I'll share with you a story. I represented a 15-year-old client in Pinal. I did a school visit, and my clients always hated that. They hate when their attorneys come to school. We have to sit in the conference room. They're really embarrassed of what people think, and I totally understand that. But sometimes that's the only confidential place that you have with them. So anyways, I met with this kid in his school in Pinal, and school was really the only place that he felt safe and had some control over his life. And he told me he did not, I'll never forget this, a 15 year old told me, he's like, I do not want to be a statistic. He got straight A's by the time he graduated, and by doing so, by representing him, he showed me that education is the best form of social justice we have. And so that's the lens that I would always carry with me as your school board director. I think students are underrepresented in decision making. They have the least institutional power than any of the adults in this space. But their parents are their eyes and ears, and parents know when their child is struggling, what their child needs. And because I have earned, and I'm so honored to have done that, but I have earned the trust of many families and community members in Berkeley and in BUSD, I would be able to bring that to the board and to help facilitate a productive dialogue between the two. Thank you.

Thank you as well. Thank you for being here today. Hello. Hello, Beatrice. You may begin whenever you are ready, Ms. Lavacutler, with your opening statement. The board will ask three questions to you. They are posted right here behind me. And then you will share your closing statement when you are done answering the questions. So whenever you are ready, you may begin with your opening statement.

Good evening, and thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm seeking your vote to serve as provisional member of the Berkeley School Board of Education, drawing on my 12 years' experience as a former school board member from 2008 to 2020. I have over 43 years of experience working at a Latino nonprofit, providing care and education to toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children in bilingual settings. As a former Board of Director, I understand the district's budget, policies, and community needs. I will require little to no time to get up to speed on the current matters and issues affecting the district, our schools, administrators, teachers, and classified staff. I'm well versed in the district's budget, policies, programs, schools, unions, and community groups, as well as state contractors. preschool and after school learning, transitional and kindergarten, and the importance of parent engagement. I also prioritize supporting the voices and advocacy of black, brown, and underserved students and families. I bring a strong ongoing commitment to equity in education along with knowledge and experience in advocating for bilingual multilingual language learning. I understand that bridging the home to school experience and welcoming students and their families is essential for our students' academic and school success. Since leaving the school board in 2020, I have served on the superintendent's budget advisory committee by invitation, where I have stayed informed about budget challenges, heard stakeholders' voices, and seen the value of the district when we are transparent and engage everyone at the table. I am ethical and open-minded, and even in retirement, I have remained active in the community, the city, our school district. I strive to protect public funds, maintain positive relationships, with stakeholders in our community and advocate strongly for the district, our tax measures that support our schools, and our voters who support Berkeley Unified. You'll find in me a respectful and trusted colleague as an honest and active public servant in our community, and most importantly, an advocate alongside you for all that is challenging and joyful. Thank you for your opportunity to be interviewed, and congratulations to our superintendent, our school board president, and former school board director Laura Babbitt on the upcoming documentary. I welcome your questions.

Thank you so much. I will be asking Director, she'll ask if she will begin with the first question.

Hi, thank you for being here. What do you believe are the most important responsibilities of a school board member?

To be ethical, to protect our public school funds, to be open-minded, to be inclusive in the decision making, listening to all sides and perspectives, listening to the public comment, coming prepared for school board meetings. That means I've done my homework. I read my packet. I've taken notes. I've spoken to the superintendent and their staff on a regular basis to be informed before making my decision. And if there's a school board member that is in opposition to perhaps an item, I make time to understand and to listen to that board member so that I know where they're coming from and they understand. I will only speak to another school board member on that. But it's generally being very inclusive and trying to find the middle ground of where the differences and where we are like and where we align. It's important for that, as well as listening to our staff, our teachers, our classified, our community, our public input and comments. Everything, it's not just making a decision on the dais, it's making a very thoughtful and doing my homework as a school board member.

Thank you. Director Corn, if you'll please ask the second question.

Yes, thank you. Our second question is about decision making. Can you please describe how you would balance the following when deciding how to vote on a matter? Community concerns, student needs, state and federal law, staff recommendations, and your own values and beliefs.

Again, it really is about how many voices can I bring into the room? Even the differences in my opinion, in my thoughts, in my values, how do I bring that into the room to really understand and to listen to the decisions that need to be made that are going to impact our district? These are decisions that I made at one meeting. these are decisions that are made in the dais these are decisions that are made in public these are decisions that you make even including our students in terms of how they think and feel about any policy or any decision made by the board or any program that's going to be perhaps cut or reduced or you know it really is an inclusive process it's not just a decision that you make at a board meeting voting no or yes. And it's always been my policy. And when I was on the board, when I did vote no, on an item, I would make sure that I, even if I was just a lone vote, I would make sure that that policy or that decision succeeded because I didn't want to get in the way and say later on, see, I told you it was wrong. So it's my policy to make sure that whatever decisions made by the majority of the board that I supported eventually because it was a majority vote by the board.

Director Chang, if you could please ask the third and final question.

Absolutely. Thank you for coming. This question regards equity. How would you advance educational equity for all students while ensuring that historically underserved student groups receive the appropriate support?

I think we have wonderful programs in Berkeley schools. We have partners in Berkeley schools that come into our schools from the city part, from Bayer, from community groups that come into our school district to support our students in robotics, in science, in STEM, in the arts, in supporting their culture, their language. Those are the kinds of programs that we need to continue to support because they They make up the difference what we can't provide in the academics to our students. Those are the programs that we need to highlight and lift and also ensure that our students have access to them and information and that the parents also know. There's so many times that parents didn't know about a program that is happening in our schools in arts. Some of the Bayer programs that are being funded that support our youth and our students from a very young age, even in middle school in STEM. So these are the kinds of things, how do we get these programs that we have that lift our school district? How do we get that information out to our families for both the students who are succeeding and the students who need additional support in our schools? And for families, how do we make sure that they are getting the information about not just the academics and the regular schedule that our students have, but the other programs that support our students? On a very, very grassroots level, we need to get that information out to families because we have a wealth of city programs, nonprofits, and also programs within our own school district that we support and make sure we need to get that communication out more broadly.

Thank you. Whenever you are ready, you may begin with your closing statement.

I offer strong, consistent dedication to our students in our school districts. I have relevant professional skills, such as budgeting, policymaking, and demonstrate collaborative approach to governance. You receive letters that attest to my qualifications from former board members. and colleagues Judy Appel, Julie Sinai, Ty Albert, Josh Stangels from the community, Latino parents, and employees in BUSD. This afternoon, I reviewed the board policies approved by the school board on the BUSD website and saw 30 policies still active in the district. I was part of approving 23 of those policies along with my colleagues from 2011 to 2020. This demonstrates my broad experience in governance, because in policies we approve, we have had thoughtful, informative discussions with administrators, staff, and teachers in our unions, and have heard from the public their input. Some of these policies are on admissions, anti-bullying, district residency, LCAP, protection of students from immigrant families. My experience is three-dimensional and inclusive. I step up for this because we, who are part of United in Action, are still part of Latinos Unidos. I worked very hard before my friend and board colleague Karen Hempel was elected in 2006 to ensure that there was equal voice and representation on the Berkeley School Board. I bring this to the board along with my integrity, commitment, and collaborative spirit, and affirm that if nominated to the school board, I will commit to representing all students and families to the best of my ability. Thank you.

Thank you as well, and thank you for being here. At this time I'm going to ask the Board of Education to just take two minutes to tally up your scores for the candidates while I go back and check in with them. Thank you. So one last piece of information to share with the community. As many of you all are aware, we invited six candidates to participate in this evening's interview. One candidate is not here this evening. And so that is why you only see five candidates before you. Again, another moment of transparency to let the community know what we are doing in the process. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. okay so Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, I like this. Is it popcorn? Thank you.

All right. Good evening. We are back. As outlined before we began this process, board members used a rating scale for each candidate that ranged from one, which identified as insufficient, all the way up to five, which identified as exceptional. At this time, each board member, elected board member, will share their rating scale. I do, for another moment of transparency, want to share with you that the student board member for the Board of Education has an advisory vote on the board. And so if you did not hear our student board member ask questions and did not hear our student board member And we'll not hear our student board member share her scores. And it is not because she is shy, but it is because she is acting in her role. And Hannah, we are so happy that you're here, so proud of you. But there will come a time for a vote, and she will have the opportunity to vote. All right. Do you have a question?

It was my understanding that we were going to share our top two scores, not the scores of each candidate. Excuse me if I misspoke. OK. I just wanted to clarify and make sure I understood correctly. Check-in isn't cheating.

Thank you. So you're absolutely right. That is what we will do. We will share our top two scores. We will share the candidates who received our highest two scores, candidates who we would like to move on to the next round this evening. Thank you. Director Czernowski, I am going to begin with you. My favorite checker.

I'm in the hot seat. My top two scores were given to Scott Hoffmeister and Beatrice Livia Custer. Cutler, I'm sorry. I'm nervous because of the hot seat, Beatrice.

Thank you. I'm just recording. Director Chang, if you'd like to go next.

Thanks so much. This is a hot seat, but not so much as folks who are speaking today. Thank you so much for your efforts. I know it's so hard and you were on live TV. Very exciting. Everybody did a great job. It's very hard to do that right in front of lots of folks. So Scott Hofmeister. and also Beatriz Leyva Cutler. Thank you so much.

Thank you. And Director Corn. I guess we're very closely aligned because my top two scorers were also Scott Hoffmeister and Beatriz Leyva Cutler.

Thank you. And my two candidates who received my top scores were Rachel Lee and Beatrice Leyva Cutler. So at this time, the Board of Education will deliberate on the candidates that we brought forward. Whoever would like to begin the discussion, you will share. I just want to remind the Board of Education, remind the community that we were rating the candidates, and now we are going to deliberate on the candidates based on the substance of their response, not their speaking style. We are also talking about the candidates from the perspective of their understanding, reasoning, and responsiveness to the questions that we provided, their demonstrated ability to think from a governance perspective, and specifically the governance perspective that is needed to serve on the Berkeley Unified School District Board of Education. and we are also considering the candidate's background, experience, and what they will bring to the board. At this time, whoever would like to may begin our deliberation period, our discussion period.

Director Corn? Yeah, I can make a few brief comments. I first just want to express my gratitude to all five of the candidates who came out tonight. As Director Chang said, that must have been a pretty nerve-wracking process. And you all just demonstrated such deep passion and dedication for our children, such deep commitment to our community. And I'm just really grateful for all the time that you put into this process, starting back when you filled out our questionnaire and answered all of our questions, and then tonight as well. The reasons that I elevated my top two scores were really about both Scott and Beatriz were candidates who talked about listening and who talked about decision making as a process and talked about bringing community voices into the room. And I found all of those to be really powerful ideas that I think align with our ethos as a board. I'll leave it at that for now. Yeah.

Please, Director Shenoski.

I have similar comments. I want to start out by thanking all of the candidates and everyone else here for being part of the process. I was really impressed with all of the candidates. I think that it's a testament to the community that we had so many great candidates come and interview today. And my scores were very close. I also really appreciated the comments about collaboration and listening and learning and appreciate the top two candidates deep and very long lasting commitment to Berkeley Unified School District, to everyone that is part of our district and the ability of both candidates to really jump in right away and do the work. Those were all really compelling aspects of those interviews to me, so thank you.

Director Chang thanks so much you know I feel the same way as the other two board members you know I do want to say the candidate pool was very strong we were I was surprised by the number of people who put themselves out there because this is hard work but a really large pool and just winnowing it down to the nomination pool and then listening to you and reviewing your substantive materials that you provided that was very informative and impressive too. So for those who did not get to this round or whatever it's not like you know we're just joking it's not like The Apprentice you know every single person would make it a strong board member for me for the two that kind of eat out the others the aspect of having that substantive experience with prior board experience or some form of governance or other committee experience that indicates that you understand the distinction between governance and the fiduciary duties associated with governance versus administrative roles that are so complicated. That takes a long time to figure out. It took me a while to figure out when I first came on the board. So having that experience or some exposure to that experience, whether that be prior board experience or non-prior board experience, but working really closely with all of our myriad different committees and having that kind of ethos and understanding of collaboration, too, and also the understanding that you're going to come up here and you're going to be yelled at. and you're going to understand their opinionated parents. Like I was an opinionated parent before I got up here too. And to recognize that that's part of the importance of what makes our district run. And also what makes our district run is that when you get onto the board and we need someone to really hit the ground running because we had someone leave midway and we miss her. But we have to have someone who understands that governance and also can work with disagreement and also work under the pressure of people who are upset about things, which is their right to be so. And we'll come to our limited public forum here and tell us why they're upset and to process that and think about how that can serve as a way to inform you in your decision making in your fiduciary duty. So thanks so much. I really appreciate your efforts.

I'll share. When we were tasked with the rating scale for each candidate, I really was looking for candidates who demonstrated a deep understanding of what the work is that we do here on the Board of Education. The very first question was, what do you believe are the most important responsibilities of the school board? The things that I heard were to listen, to collaborate, to be here for the students, because the students are the number one reason why we're here. The things that I heard from the two candidates that decided to move on to the next process is an overall understanding of how we do things on the board. I heard how they provided a thoughtful analysis of what a board member is actually supposed to do. A lot of times people think that board members are over the entire district, and we support the district, but we are not to do the role of the superintendent. I definitely heard that from our candidates today. We'll ask the question around balancing balancing our stakeholder concerns, community concerns, student needs, state and federal law, staff recommendations, and their own values and beliefs. What I heard was an overarching goal to ensure that student needs come first, that our district is here in service of our students, and that our student needs are at the forefront of the decisions that we make. I also heard that it is, from the candidates that want to move forward. I also heard that it is really a partnership in between the school board member as well as the other stakeholders who represent the community. I heard less about I. I want this. I want to do that. And I heard a lot of we. We are moving forward as a district. We need to collaborate. I also heard that even in the times where we do not agree, where we disagree, still supporting the efforts and the decisions that are made by the Board of Education, because ultimately there is no I in team, but together everyone achieves more. That was corny, but true. but we can. I also appreciated hearing as it relates to, I also appreciated the relevant examples. I loved hearing the stories, that were happening, of course, in this district and elsewhere that helps us to know that you have an applied understanding of what it means to be able to serve the needs of students in our school district. appreciated hearing the clear connections to student outcomes and hearing that while our programs in BUSD are working and working well, there are still opportunities for growth and there are things that we need to do that are different. I heard a lot about equity, I heard a lot about accountability, all of the things that are identified behind me that talk about what an exceptional score should, who will receive an exceptional score based off of what they shared. tonight I also considered the background that the candidates bring the backgrounds that the candidates are coming from and how that information is necessary on the board when I think about our fiduciary responsibility when I think about our legal responsibility when I think about our policy responsibility it is important to have someone on the board who has experience in that It's important to have someone on the board who has a strong touch in the community, who has served this community well for many years, and someone who understands how policy works, someone who understands how a school district works, and someone who understands the importance of having a good, strong background with our stakeholders. And so I heard that tonight from Rachy Lee. I also heard that tonight from Beatrice Leva-Cutler. And I heard that tonight from all of the candidates who spoke. When I think about the candidates who scored a five for me, that is Rachy Lee as well as Beatrice Leyva Cutler.

We can continue the discussion.

I'll go to Director Schanofsky.

I was going to make a motion if we're prepared for that.

Is there any other discussion that needs to happen amongst the Board of Education right now?

No, I just wanna reflect, I think everyone's saying here, for those who are working in our school district to make change, continue to do so. You have a role there. It's not like being on the board is the only way to make change. Of course, you've done that outside of the board externally, so we continue to appreciate that. So I think I'm ready for a motion.

Is there anything that you would like to share? Without hearing anything further, I'll entertain a motion from the Board of Education for a candidate that we would like to move forward to fulfill the board vacancy that we have on the Board of Education beginning in 2026, filling the term until 2028. Is there a motion that I can entertain at this time?

Yes, I move to appoint Beatriz Leva-Cutler to serve out the remaining two years of the term.

OK, the motion has been made. Is there a second to that motion?

Yeah, I'd like to second the motion to appoint Beatriz Leva-Cutler.

OK. The motion has been made and seconded to approve Beatrice Leyva Cutler to serve the rest of the term for the board vacancy. All those in favor, please signify with the sign of aye. Aye. Opposers have the same sign. Abstentions? The ayes have it. The motion passes. Congratulations, Beatrice Leyva Cutler, for your appointment. Congratulations, Beatrice Leyva Cutler, for your appointment to the Board of Education, Berkeley Unified School District from the term 2026 to 2028. To all of our candidates who came out this evening and everyone who came to support our candidates, i think director chang said it best we hope that this is not the last time that we will see you here in this boardroom we hope that you will continue to advocate on behalf of our students continue to support the efforts of our school district to continue to be the community that wraps its arms around our school district and also continue to be in the fight with us as we work to make sure that our education in berkeley unified school district is one that is equitable, one that's exceptional, and one that meets and reaches the needs of all of our students. Thank you very much. All right, we will continue with our extended public comment this evening. If you would like to speak to the Board of Education, we will open up the floor for extended public comment. You may please come to the dais at this time if you'd like to speak to the Board of Education. Going once?

OK. That's OK.

Welcome. We're happy you're here.

First, I wanted to acknowledge just how far expanded learning has come after more than two years of advocacy. I want to thank every single one of you, the superintendent, the board, Jill, for bringing Joya in. It has been exceptional. I love that the first statement in our vision is that expanded learning should connect learning, that learning is an extension of the instructional day, not just an afterthought. Enrichment and sports in our elementary schools, thank you. Support for students who require accommodations, walking school buses, which I think are a huge step forward in thinking outside the box, and we need more of that. And a more consistent model across schools that gives us structure we need to actually scale this program. Thank you again. But we still have work to do, as you know. We need to keep filling the open positions. We need to continue working with the city of Berkeley to open up more capacity. And we need to fix the places where our departments aren't working together. We can't expand TK without coordination. And I'll send the rest in an email. Thank you.

Thank you as well. Any other public commenters?

Yes, welcome. Hi, good evening. My name is Emma Swashay. I'm the mom of two kids in BSD, a fifth grader at Washington and an eighth grader at Willard. I came here to support Scott and Rachy, and I'm disappointed, but also understand. I think Beatrice is wonderful. But I also came here to call on you, and I think you have a sense that we're not going to, this isn't going to be the only time you hear from Berkeley Unplugged. We're going to be here. I came to call on you to take some concrete, meaningful action on tech issues. It's not just an issue that's in the headlines, but this is a real issue in BUSD. And some of the stories that we've already been telling you come from my daughter, who We have been intentional about limiting screens. But beginning in sixth grade, when my daughter went to Willard, she was given a Chromebook and has been on it every single day in sixth and seventh grade for at least four hours a day, other than dance and art class. And during that time, there are some teachers, and this is not a slight on the teachers, but their policy was to trust students. and there are no controls so she was the one who was playing video games literally in science class when they were told to occupy themselves she was the one playing you know a game called Five Nights at Epstein's which has no educational value thank you so much for your comments this evening I'm sorry but if you don't mind please emailing the board the rest of your comments and I'm sorry to cut you off because it feels so rude

But we have one minute for speaking time. I understand. I was on many commissions. I've done it before. I just was hoping since everyone else was gone.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

We'll be back. Thank you. I appreciate that. We will move on to extended board member comments. Are there any? Oh, there is one online. There's an online commenter, Ms. Chavez. Can you please promote her whenever you are ready? Corinne Gibbs, promoting you. Thank you.

You can unmute yourself and you'll have one minute.

Hi, I'm sorry for the darkness. My name is Dr. Queen Gibbs and I have two children in BUSD. Last week, there was a spear phishing incident where I know personally of four students, teachers and staff whose emails were compromised. We have not received an update from the district and I think that the issue is actually continuing on. And in other words, there are hackers in cyber system. I would ask the board to please ask the district to do an audit of student accounts as well as staff and reach out to parents. Also the district hobbled students' ability to protect themselves from preventing two-factor authentication. or recovery emails. This is a pretty big exposure and indicates one of the technology issues we have in the school district. But number one, please, please, please inform the entire community about this fare phishing and have people check their emails for intrusion because we know that it's there. But again, I know four different instances independent. Thank you.

Thank you as well. Extended board member comments? Okay. Hearing none, our meeting is adjourned this evening at 9.52 p.m. Thank you all.