Remarks by Mary Blanco
213 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 5 of 9
- Play at 5:56:22
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 5:56:45
“Questions or comments from my colleagues?”
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:05:04
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:10:43
“Of course, Board Member Alonso wanted to say something first.”
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:16:19
“Thank you. Board Member Geller, I know you wanted to say something.”
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:27:57
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:28:50
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:31:51
“Does each? I mean, this is final reading, so we've already had some presentation. Are we good? We just want to maybe ask some questions?”
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:38:23
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:38:40
“Second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. H item, Chair Rojas, this is your item, H3. H3.”
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:41:51
“Thank you. Okay, and this is an item you bring every year and always so important. So can I get a motion for co-sponsors? Second. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Motion to move the item as amended.”
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:42:05
“Second. Maybe somebody seconded already. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. We'll now move on to new business. Any new business from any of the board members? No, okay, I think, did we have some staff follow-ups? Yes. I moved on, okay. Sorry, I lost my place. And I moved on to, this will give me one second. It's for item H5. All right, the staff follow-up, yes, thank you. On H5, comprehensive district staffing analysis, we received board follow-up. Any questions for Member Alonso?”
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:43:08
“Oh. There's no biases on this board. Go ahead, Board Member Alonso.”
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:52:05
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 6:55:33
“All right, the next staff follow-up was from the June 2026 agenda, item H4, the 21st Century Social Media Account Policy. I believe that was Board Member Santos' item. Board members, do you have any questions or comments? Looks like there's no questions, is that okay? All right. All right, then the next staff follow-up on item H10, 21st century planning, strengthening attendance boundary school choice. I believe this is the item that went somewhat hand-in-hand with the G3. Board members, any questions on the follow-up? Okay. If there's no additional new business and nothing else to be…”
Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 1:05:27
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Fiscal Accountability and Government Relations Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 1:28:59
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Fiscal Accountability and Government Relations Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 1:55:33
“New business, thank you. It's actually a comment on old business, but I think our next budget meeting is the first public budget hearing, correct, right, so I wanted to get some clarification. I know Chair Rojas sent out a memo asking some questions, right, for no response from a board member at that time, but I wanted to get some clarification. When we talked about the budget, and one of the things that we were doing was looking at the small school allocation, right, to do some of our cost savings. And I'm pretty sure I remember hearing that the K-8s, because they have suffered, would,…”
Fiscal Accountability and Government Relations Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 1:59:58
“Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I understand that, and that was expressed. We know this isn't final, and like you said, it's the hysteria that builds, right? Before we vote on the budget, will some of that be finalized through the chair?”
Fiscal Accountability and Government Relations Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 2:01:39
“And a follow-up. And I understand that. But so some of the concerns that the principals may have had in this first round before July 4th, right, can we expect that a lot of those conversations, like you said, for specifically the K-8s and the money that's being set aside, should some of that worry be eased somewhat before? And I know numbers can change, right? I get that. But that overall picture, right? Should some of that be eased before we get into finalizing and voting on the budget through the chair?”
Fiscal Accountability and Government Relations Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 2:02:39
“And just to give me an idea, how many budget conferences are there before the start of the school year? Are they ongoing? I don't know.”
Fiscal Accountability and Government Relations Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 2:16:58
“Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to follow up on some of the questions that Board Member Colucci was asking. We do have a school allocation plans in place. I was referring to the conversations that we had at our budget hearing, right, where we talked about that the small school allocation was always or was created originally for those smaller schools. But because of enrollment, so many more schools fall under that small school allocation plan that we had to make some changes. to that plan. So I think to the point that Board Member Colucci was making is my understanding is through those…”
Fiscal Accountability and Government Relations Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 2:20:29
“Okay. But, and thank you for that follow up again. So the reason I asked the question is when board member Colucci said, are we following the school allocation plan? Not really because the approved allocation plan that's been in place, we have. kind of agreed to, hey, that might be somewhere where we can save $10 million. And so what we're going to be approving is where we've said we're kind of okay with that. And the conversation, like you said, the conversations have been taking place in January. I think you called us in, I don't know, June or something, right, to explain these are the…”
Fiscal Accountability and Government Relations Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 2:24:41
“And I know I understand it, and I appreciate it. The reason I brought it up is because I think Board Member Colucci's question needed a clarifying response because her question was, Are we doing it based on the school allocation plan that's been approved? The answer really is no. We're doing it off when we've had conversations that will be modified from what we've had in the past that will be approved.”
Fiscal Accountability and Government Relations Committee · Jul 15, 2026
- Play at 2:25:30
“through the chair, and I understand that, but I think in the way that Board Member Colucci asked her question and the response, I don't, maybe she understood it, but the way it was asked and answered, I think needed a little bit more elaboration, and so that's all that I was hoping to make sure that her question was clarified. Thank you.”
Fiscal Accountability and Government Relations Committee · Jul 15, 2026