Berkeley USD School Board Meeting March 18 2026

So, we're going to call to order though.

We um so we just called to order at bit after 7 um as part of the district's continued

commitment uh to transparency, equity, and meaningful engagement. We have partnered

meaningful engagement. We have partnered with Worldly, which is a translation system and captioning P platform. Um, it

allows students, families, and members of the community access to real-time translation. Um, this tool is available

translation. Um, this tool is available in both inerson and virtual attendees if you need. So, there should be um posters

you need. So, there should be um posters on the side of the boardroom with a QR code. Um, and also for those online,

code. Um, and also for those online, they can also access uh wordly as well for translation. Um, per our standard

for translation. Um, per our standard um uh policy um, we just want to remind folks of,

um, appropriate behavior in the boardroom uh, decorum expectations um, throughout tonight's meeting. So

that just means that no person shall disturb the order of this meeting. Such

behavior includes, but is not limited, booing hissing creating and participating. in a physical

participating. in a physical disturbance, speaking out of turn in violation of applicable rules, preventing or attempting to prevent others who have the floor from speaking,

preventing others from observing the meeting. Bless you. Um, entering into or

meeting. Bless you. Um, entering into or remaining in the area of the meeting room that is not open to the public or approaching the DAS without permission.

And I know no one's going to do any of this stuff, but it's part of our bylaws with meeting conduct. And also with regard to complaints concerning employees, um please do refrain from

making such complaints during public comment. Um you can email uh complaints

comment. Um you can email uh complaints at berkeley.net. Super convenient.

at berkeley.net. Super convenient.

complaints berkeley.net. All right.

We're going to approve the board agenda.

>> Yeah. So Liz, please do roll call. Thank

you.

>> Of course. Uh, director Anavas is excused this evening and so is director Cadill Brown who was at away at a conference. Um, director Jennifer

conference. Um, director Jennifer Shamoski >> here.

>> Vice President Jennifer Korn >> present.

>> Student Director Armana Arum >> present.

>> President Mike Cheng >> present. Thank you, Miss Jarz. Um, okay.

>> present. Thank you, Miss Jarz. Um, okay.

So now we will approve the agenda for this evening's meeting.

>> I move to approve. I'll second.

>> Great. Do we have the eyes?

>> I >> I >> I >> uh unanimous is student board director.

Did you have a vote as well on the agenda? Do you typically vote on the

agenda? Do you typically vote on the agenda? No, you don't. Okay. Sorry. I

agenda? No, you don't. Okay. Sorry. I

was trying to give you a vote that you you don't have yet. Um All right.

So, that was unanimous. Um and um seeing that there are no requested changes that this has been approved. Uh we have a report out from Vice President Korn from

our close session.

>> Thank you. Um close session was called to order at 5:34 p.m. with directors

Chang Korn and Chinoski in attendance.

There were two items addressed. Um for

both items 3.1 and 3.2, to the board received updates from staff.

>> Thank you so much, Vice President Korn.

Um while our superintendent is um out of town right now receiving a um a an award um and congratulations to her, of course, the superintendent Ford Morell.

Um associate superintendent Hugan Dyke is going to speak on her behalf. Thanks.

>> All right. Good evening, B USD.

Good evening.

>> Good evening.

>> Okay, we got to try that again because there's going to be some call-in response tonight. Good evening, B USD.

response tonight. Good evening, B USD.

>> Good evening.

>> Thank you. All right, this week we are hash Berkeley proud. So when I say we are, you are going to say Berkeley proud. We're going to practice this

proud. We're going to practice this right now. All right, we are

right now. All right, we are >> proud.

>> All right, one more time. We are

>> Berkeley proud.

>> Great. Um, tonight I'm giving uh comments on behalf of Superintendent Ford Morell. Today she is at the

Ford Morell. Today she is at the California Association of African-American Superintendent and Administrators or

CASA annual conference in Anaheim where she is at this very moment being honored with CASA's equity leadership award

which recognizes superintendent who have demonstrated sustained leadership in advancing equitable outcomes for students. And you may not know that

students. And you may not know that African-American women make up less than 2% of superintendent in our entire country. In addition to the award she is

country. In addition to the award she is receiving today, yesterday, Superintendent Ford Morell was recognized for her exemplary leadership and service in education amongst a

cohort of California women's superintendent in honor of Women's History Month. We are

History Month. We are >> All right, we're getting there. Okay,

thi this week we are also Berkeley proud because both Longfellow and Willard middle schools were named as two of the 48 California middle schools and high

schools selected for the prestigious 2026 California Distinguished Schools program. Eligibility for these

program. Eligibility for these identified eligibility for these three identified categories of either high achievers, gap closer closers, or

beacons of opportunity is determined by metrics generated through the California Statewide Accountability System for public schools, the California School Dashboard. The 2026 California

Dashboard. The 2026 California Distinguished Schools were determined using data from the 2025 California School Dashboard. I'm honored to say

School Dashboard. I'm honored to say congratulations and extend appreciation to Longfellow and Willard for their dedication uh their dedication and

commitment to our students. Go Tigers.

Go Phoenix's. We are

>> Berkeley.

>> All right, we're getting there. Um, and

this week we are also hash Berkeley proud because the San Francisco Chronicle released a new analysis looking at how well California public high schools prepare students for

admissions to the University of California system. Instead of simply

California system. Instead of simply ranking schools by raw acceptance rates, the analysis looks at how many UC admissions offers uh offers a school

would be expected to receive based on the demographics of its students and then compares that to the actual results. Using this approach, Berkeley

results. Using this approach, Berkeley High School ranked number two in the state among traditional public high schools for outperforming expectations

for admissions to some of the most se selective UC campuses. Even more

impressive, Berkeley High earned 42 more UC admissions per 100 seniors than the model predicted while serving a

graduating class of nearly 800 seniors.

This is a big, diverse, comprehensive high school and our students are showing what is possible. This recognition

reflects the work happening every day at Berkeley High. From our students and

Berkeley High. From our students and families to our teachers, counselors, and staff who support students in dreaming big and preparing for what

comes next. Go Jackets. We are

comes next. Go Jackets. We are

>> There we go. Um B USD continues to focus on enhancing and improving our and expanding our afterare options for our families. As you may be aware, the

families. As you may be aware, the afterchool team has initiated an engaged expanded learning campaign and they are now currently in phase three of this

work. This campaign aims to deeply

work. This campaign aims to deeply understand and intentionally improve the after-school experience for students, families, and staff by systematically listening to voices at the school,

identifying strengths and challenges, surfacing outliers, and acting on learning through a continuous improvement equity centered lens. Our

team will be sharing information at a board meeting this spring. And this

week, they will present an update at the 2 by two committee meeting. So, please

check the district website for the 2 by 2 meeting information.

Next Friday, our B USD schools will participate in what we are now calling Day of Service and Learning, which was formerly called the Caesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning. In light of the

recent allegations, we felt it was necessary to make this change. It is

important to know that BUSD takes allegations of harm very seriously and those actions do not reflect the values of our community. We also recognize that

movements for justice are always bigger than any one individual. in Berkeley

Unified and in line in in alignment with our board's resolution, we will continue to honor the legacy of the farmworker movement by centering the collective

struggle and many voices including Doloresa, Larry Leong, Philip Veraracruz, immigrant workers, all who led and sustained it, including the

leadership of women who have too often gone unrecognized.

We also continue to value the resolution's focus on student learning, community service, and the rich histories of the Chicanx and Latinx and

Filipino communities in our schools.

That legacy is reflected in the values, activism, and civic traditions of our community and resonates with Berkeley's longstanding commitment to equity and justice.

Tonight, the facilities department will be giving an update on many of BUSD's projects. And I see some folks in the

projects. And I see some folks in the room who are probably here to listen and comment on that. Um, the board will hear hear updates and have an opportunity to

ask questions about the following projects. Longfellow, Sylvia Mendes, B

projects. Longfellow, Sylvia Mendes, B USD's workforce housing, the Berkeley High Theater, the districtwide crisis alert system, and Mulleringfield. The

board will also be asked to take action on a recommendation about Mullering field from the facilities subcommittee.

Also tonight, our business services department will be presenting the second interim report. This is a mandatory

interim report. This is a mandatory fiscal update that provides a snapshot of a school district's health fiscal health as of January 31st. It compares

updated revenue and expenditure figures against the first interim report to certify to the state whether the district can meet its financial obligations for the current year and two

subsequent years. This is critical

subsequent years. This is critical information for us as we look ahead to developing our 202627 school year budget. Please stay so that

you can hear more. And I'll close out by saying we are >> great. Good evening.

>> great. Good evening.

>> Great. Thank you so much, Associa Superintendent Huggenike. Um that was a

Superintendent Huggenike. Um that was a rousing uh presentation. Um we'll now move on to public comments. There's a

lot of public comments. So um we're going to move through really rapidly.

There's a lot of you here and we want to make sure to hear your hearts and minds.

We're giving each person two minutes. Um

I'm sorry, one minute. Um one minute to stay within our 30 minute. Uh thank you, Vice President. um stay within a 30

Vice President. um stay within a 30 minute um time frame and I I will have to cut you off. It's not meant to um you know be uh impolite but at one minute the timer I'll also beep and I'll have

to ask you to to move to the next person just so that everyone can have a chance to speak. Um all right we uh by practice

to speak. Um all right we uh by practice we start with our students first of course. Um, first up we have Marilyn W.

course. Um, first up we have Marilyn W.

And then perhaps sitting on the side to get ready is, and I'm sorry, I'm trying to read the handwriting is Ice Isa BT ice issa, I'm sorry. Okay, issa BT. So,

um, does Marilyn W, you want to come on up first and then Issa, you can be on the ready to come on up. Cool.

Um, hello. My name is Marilyn Whiteside and I am a junior at Berkeley High School and I've played on the Berkeley High School girls tennis team for three years. Being a part of this team has

years. Being a part of this team has meant a lot to me because of the close and supportive community that the coaches and us players have created.

Through the team, I have met and become friends with so many people that I think I wouldn't have had the chance to meet without. So, I am very grateful to our

without. So, I am very grateful to our school's tennis program. However, our

program has been stuck without on-ampus courts for 25 years. Without onampus

tennis courts, we have have been forced to look to and heavily rely on others to support our program by letting us use their courts and equipment. In my three years on the team, we have called three

different locations our home. All of the courts that we have played on have been at least one mile away from Berkeley High School. This means that no matter

High School. This means that no matter if our match is a home match or an away match, we must miss valuable in-class learning time and travel to some off-campus courts. As a result of having

off-campus courts. As a result of having to travel, even to home matches, I have personally struggled academically because of >> want to finish your last sentence

quickly.

>> Okay.

>> I told you it was going to be rough.

just support us, please. We've been

waiting a long time and we'd really appreciate it. Thank you.

appreciate it. Thank you.

>> Okay. Thank you.

>> Thanks a lot.

>> Um Isa, please. And then next on up, Liam Buffington. And the minute does go

Liam Buffington. And the minute does go up uh really quickly.

>> Hi, my name is Isabelle Thompson. I am a junior on the Berkeley tennis team. Um,

and this the team has been a very important part of my high school life so far. Unfortunately, over the over my

far. Unfortunately, over the over my three years on the team, our location has changed three times. Building

permanent courts for our team would allow our community to thrive in a more set and stable environment. The program

would thrive um altogether and the students of and the community would benefit. Additionally, closer courts

benefit. Additionally, closer courts would give back time to students. um

they would restore the 30 plus minutes on a daily lost to commuting to our courts. Over my time on the team, I've

courts. Over my time on the team, I've noticed that fewer people show up to our home matches because of the commute and because our courts aren't nearby and not well represented. Home courts would be

well represented. Home courts would be our chance to showcase our sport to the Berkeley community. Thank you.

Berkeley community. Thank you.

>> Thank you so much, Liam. And then right behind Liam, thank you. Right behind Liam would be

thank you. Right behind Liam would be Samantha L.

>> Okay. Um,

>> all right. Can I start? Okay. Hi, I'm

Liam Buffington. I'm a senior on the Berkeley High boys tennis team. This is

only my second year on the team, but I can already identify the strong roots that the tennis team has in Berkeley High's culture. and the team has

High's culture. and the team has continued to persist and remain strong despite the removal of our home tennis courts. With that being said, I still

courts. With that being said, I still believe building home courts at Mullering Fields is a worthwhile investment. This investment goes beyond

investment. This investment goes beyond convenience. It restores a vital part of

convenience. It restores a vital part of Berkeley High's identity. Our team has proven its strength without home courts, but I can only imagine what we can achieve with them. Thank you for your consideration.

>> Thank you. Um, we've got Samantha L. And

then next on up, um, Otter Kar Karich Chow. Apologies for misprononunciation.

Chow. Apologies for misprononunciation.

>> Otler. Are you gonna go? Okay. Hi

everyone. My name is Otter. I'm a junior at Berkeley High and I've been on the varsity tennis team since my freshman year. That might sound like an

year. That might sound like an impressive story to anyone who doesn't know that Berkeley High actually only has a varsity team. There are players who make varsity only to be perpetually benched. players who would be good

benched. players who would be good enough for a JV team, but are instead cut from high school tennis altogether, and most importantly, players who don't even want to try out once they hear that they'd be playing at rented public

courts, constantly having to chase or be chased off by other non- Berkeley High players, and really playing a sport that hardly feels like it has a connection to the school itself at all. Ever since the demolition of our home courts back in

2001, we've had to constantly seek new facilities. We end up putting more time

facilities. We end up putting more time and energy into logistics than into the team itself. Right now, we're visitors

team itself. Right now, we're visitors wherever we play. Our home matches frequently have a larger audience turnout from the opposing school community than from our own. With courts

to call ours, we would not only be fostering a more inclusive and inviting program for students, but creating a real home and a beacon for tennis in Berkeley. So, I know I'm speaking for

Berkeley. So, I know I'm speaking for everyone in this room repping a Berkeley High tennis hoodie when I encourage you to support this plan and its tennis courts so that Berkeley High students can finally have a home for our program.

Great. Thank you.

So, oh, you Samantha here. You want to come up, Samantha? Thank you.

up, Samantha? Thank you.

>> Wrap around. Okay.

>> Um, hello. My name is Samantha. Um, I'm

a captain of your 2025 2026 women's tennis team. I've been playing this

tennis team. I've been playing this sport for 12 years and been on the team for 12. As a freshman, I was thrilled to

for 12. As a freshman, I was thrilled to partake in the sport and thrilled for the the courts promised for my senior year. Um, it's now been 25 years since

year. Um, it's now been 25 years since we've had courts, and I never got to realize those courts as a senior. I've

worked with our lovely coaches, Tiffany and Nick, to keep um, motivating this team through the season, but it was really rough. And if I'm being honest,

really rough. And if I'm being honest, um, instability in one area of the team really brings instability to every other area. So, I'm hoping that you guys will

area. So, I'm hoping that you guys will consider approving the five tennis courts at Mullering. though our

freshman sophomores juniors my teammates, all of those who I had the joy of welcoming to the team year over year would have home courts to play on

very very soon. So I ask that you ask or I ask that you allow these courts to be realized for them, for my freshman self that didn't see the success of these courts and the 25 classes that have come

before me. Thank you.

before me. Thank you.

>> Great. Thank you so much. Um,

good job. Thank you. Okay, next on up we have Will Parker and then Felonius Holmes right behind Will. Will Parker

come up please and then Felonius Holmes and then Arouch Madan.

Cool.

>> Uh hello. Good evening members of the board. My name is Will and I'm a senior

board. My name is Will and I'm a senior on the Berkeley High baseball team. I've

spent the last four years representing this school on the field and I'm here to tonight to advocate for for a solution that ensures the future of our athletic programs, the restoration of our tennis

courts and the turfing of our baseball field.

>> I'm asking the board to look beyond a temporary fix and invest in a long-term solution.

By restoring the courts and turfing the field, you are giving Berkeley High athletes the facilities they deserve.

Let's make sure the next generation of jackets spend spend their time winning games and not waiting for the mud to dry. Thank you.

dry. Thank you.

>> Thanks so much. Um Felonius and then Arouch next.

>> Good evening. My name is Felonius and I'm speaking in support of building tennis courts at Tim Mullering with lights included right now.

Right now, our team practices by reserving public courts near Cal. That

works, but it means depending on outside court availability and taking up courts that other people in Berkeley also want to use. Courts at Tim Oering would give

to use. Courts at Tim Oering would give a real home and reduce pressure on other public courts. It would make practices

public courts. It would make practices and matches more consistent while also giving students the kind of dedicated space that other sports already have.

Lights matter because our season includes months when it gets dark early and they would make the courts usable for both the players and the community.

Thank you.

>> Thanks so much. Um Arouche and then next up after Arouch if we could have Gloria Bell.

>> Hi, my name is Arouche Madon and I'm a freshman on the boys team at Berkeley High. Even in my first year, the

High. Even in my first year, the challenges are already clear. Practices

and matches often require commutes of over 30 minutes, which is even harder for students without reliable transportation. At Channing, the

transportation. At Channing, the bathrooms are almost always locked, forcing players to have to go leave practice just to find one. Often having

to go to nearby shops and spend money.

We also frequently lose court space to cow players when we don't have them reserved, making practices less effective and not letting us use our time in a way that's going to help us build our skills. Without home courts,

managing equipment and scheduling also becomes much harder. These issues take time and energy away also from what really matters. Building teamwork in

really matters. Building teamwork in improving our skills on in this lifelong sport and enjoying it. Access is another major issue. Nearly 70% of students who

major issue. Nearly 70% of students who tried out didn't make the team this year and many were cut from high school tennis entirely. Often the difference

tennis entirely. Often the difference comes down to access to private lessons, something not everyone can afford.

Building tennis courts would fulfill a 25-y year promise to Berkeley High and support B USD's core values of equity, engagement, and enrichment.

>> Cool. Thank you so much.

>> All right, good job everyone keeping within a minute. And um so we have Gloria Bell up and then after Gloria Zea pronouncing your name properly. So

thanks uh tennis folks really appreciate but um Gloria is up and then Zeba.

>> I see my time to Hannah Slaughter Wise.

Okay, Hannah. Um.

Hannah. Um.

Oh, we don't see time. Do we see time?

Okay.

Okay.

>> Hello. Hello, my name is Hannah Slatterie Weisberg and I'm the chair of the Berkeley Youth Commission and I'm speaking here today on behalf of the commission as well as our constituents, the students of BUD. Myself and my

sergeant-at-arms are here to urge the district to address significant gaps and concerns identified by the students regarding the teaching of the Israeli Palestinian conflict in Berkeley schools. Each student each schoolboard

schools. Each student each schoolboard member should have received a copy of the full length letter including the results in their email. From December

8th to January 12th, the youth commission conducted a survey that received 63 responses from students across Berkeley Unified School District.

Respondents V represented a wide range of grade levels with the largest groups consisting of 11th grade students and eighth grade students, demonstrating that these concerns span both middle school and high school populations. When

asked how much they have learned about the Israeli Palestinian conflict in school, 70% of students reported low exposure, selecting a one or two on a five-point scale. In contrast, students

five-point scale. In contrast, students reported learning significantly more about the conflict through social media with over 61% selecting a four or five on the same scale.

>> Is it do I have my additional time as well?

>> Okay, thank you.

>> Yeah, I'm sorry. Thank you for the Thank you. And you can also email us again too

you. And you can also email us again too if you want to follow up. Um so you cannot um seed in the sense of adding on to someone else's. Um so does that mean

that Gloria, do you want to still speak >> recognizing? No, thank you. Okay, cool.

>> recognizing? No, thank you. Okay, cool.

So, next on up we have Zea. And then

after Zea >> Za had to leave.

>> Oh, Za had to leave. Okay.

Okay. So, um Ida Marshall Cap.

Ida Marshall Cape is next. Is Ida here?

>> Oh, cool. Hey, Ida. And then next is apologies for misprononunciations. Amila

Amila Amigo would be next.

>> Hi, my name is Ida Marshall Lee and I'm the sergeant-at-arms of the Berkeley Youth Commission. Continuing with the

Youth Commission. Continuing with the words of Hannah, our chair, I would like to elaborate on our recommendations for the implementation of said education into Berkeley schools. Student responses

clearly show that how this topic is taught matters deeply. Concerns raised

by students who were hesitant or opposed to learning more in school included fears of bias, unproductive or hostile classroom environments, or emotional distress. Some students expressed

distress. Some students expressed concern about anti-semitism, while others emphasized the need for Palestinian voices to be included without being dismissed or mislabeled as anti-semitic.

Um, overall the main themes that we saw included in in in the student responses included clear distinctions between governments, armed groups, and civilians, assurance that Palestinian, Jewish, Muslim, Israeli, Arab, and other

students would not be targeted or blamed, structured discussions grounded in historical facts before debate, a safe, judgment-free environment with clear guidelines for dialogue. Um,

overall, we we sent you the email, but thank you for your time and consideration. Very sincerely, the

consideration. Very sincerely, the Berkeley Youth Commission. Thank you.

Great. Thank you.

Um Amila Amila. Oh, you're not gonna speak. Okay. Okay. Cool. Thank you so

speak. Okay. Okay. Cool. Thank you so much. Um next on up we have or you can

much. Um next on up we have or you can clap if you want. Um uh Phyllis Oyama and Ross Parker. Phyis Yama if you come

up first and Ross you be on deck.

>> Phyis, are you here?

Are you doing some trading?

>> Ross, you coming up? Okay, cool. Ross,

>> so Phyis may not be here. Okay, thank

you.

>> Okay, fine.

>> Good evening, board. Thanks for having us uh and allowing opportunity to speak.

My name is Ross Parker. I'm a teacher at Berkeley High School. Um, just really quickly, I coached the tennis team for four years in 2011 to 14. I've coached

the baseball team. Uh, and so I've lived the life of marching a mile and a half away to play games, as well as getting buckets and hoses and everything else to get off the baseball field for hours and hours and hours when it rains like a

tenth of an inch. Um, I think this is a really great opportunity, this plan to write a historic wrong of 25 years that is just hard to even wrap my mind around. Uh, as well as fix what looks

around. Uh, as well as fix what looks like a beautiful field but wasn't done correctly 13 years ago. and in one fell swoop, you can make a lot of kids' lives a lot easier and make the school a lot prouder. So, I hope the board acts on

prouder. So, I hope the board acts on that. Thank you.

that. Thank you.

Thanks a lot, Ross. Um, next on up we have John Slatterie and then after that, Jeff J.

if they could uh be on the deck.

John, are you here?

Mr. Slatterie.

Okay. So, Jeff, you going to come up first?

Who's coming up? John or or Jeff?

>> Okay.

>> Good evening, school board.

My name is Jeff J. I'm the head boys tennis coach at Berkeley High for the last 12 years. First, I want to thank

the board facility subcommittee for their support. Last night, they voted

their support. Last night, they voted yes to move forward with a full board vote on the proposal to fund construction of five tennis courts with

lights at Mouldering Field, hopefully completed by spring of 2027.

Tonight, we have an opportunity to make history by investigating in tennis courts that will benefit both

our students and the broader community for years to come. Please, let's make it happen. Go Jackets. Berkeley proud.

happen. Go Jackets. Berkeley proud.

Thank you. Um, on the next one up we have Dar Perau and Michael Karich Chow.

Is there a Dar Derek Perau and Michael Karich Chowo beyond deck? Thank you.

deck? Thank you.

>> Thank you. Uh, hello. My name is Darra Perau and thank you for allowing me to share some thoughts with you tonight.

I'm a parent of a BHS high school student has played on the girls tennis team for the last four years. I came

here today because not having tennis courts for Berkeley High School is and has been a persistent blemish on the Berkeley High School's character and commitment to excellence in sports. It

has negatively impacted the quality of life for many tennis coaches, parents, and hundreds of students who have been on these teams over the years. When

Measure G passed in 2020, I was positive that my daughter would be playing on new test courts before she graduated high school. And here we are six years later

school. And here we are six years later still rehashing the same problem and trying to come up with another solution.

It has been really disheartening to see one by one proposals getting knocked down to build these tennis courts. And

in addition, many courts in Berkeley have been torn down and replaced with housing or parking structures and more are planned.

Thank you so much. Thank you. You want

you can email stuff to us as well. Um

Michael Caricho and then Peter Peter Wright if you could be on deck. Peter

Wright after Michael. Thanks.

>> Uh hello school board. Um my name is Michael Kerry Chow and I'm the parent of a Berkeley High student athlete.

We uh anytime we build a project in Berkeley um there are neighbors that are affected with every project and we need

a board that doesn't cower to every neighborhood group that stands up for the students and uses every square inch

of the limited Berkeley land for our students and their benefit.

We need this board. We support this board and I believe tonight this board is before us. Thank you very much.

>> Thank you so much. Um is Peter Peter right here >> and then Thank you. And then after Peter be Dan Brazen.

Yeah, Dan the man. Thanks.

Hello school board. Uh I just uh my name is Peter Wright. I played tennis here a long long time ago and for the last 25 years uh I've been supportive of coach

JW and the efforts to bring the courts back to Berkeley High School. I'm super

encouraged by your actions of late uh yesterday and today and Mullering Field which is uh for those of us who've been in Berkeley for a long long time it's an

area that can be improved upon. And I

think it was built with the best of intentions and now we can really make it great for baseball and for tennis. And I

think this is writing uh the ship for these young people who are so super impressive uh and our community which is backing this. Uh I'm I'm excited about

backing this. Uh I'm I'm excited about this. I I couldn't be more happy for our

this. I I couldn't be more happy for our coaches, our team members, and future generations of Berkeley High students.

So, thank you so much and go Jackets.

Thank you.

Thanks a lot everyone for um moving quickly and Dan is on up.

>> Yeah. So, uh I just got my uh March 15th notice. Um, I know this is not a you are

notice. Um, I know this is not a you are definitely getting laid off notice, but I hope that all of these get rescended

because, you know, we we shouldn't be we shouldn't be uh laying people off every year, especially cuz I was really

dismayed to see that among the 107, I think, uh, you know, possible layoffs was eight people in the office in family

engagement and equity. which um I think would be very pennywise and pound foolish because those people solve lots of problems

before they escalate to becoming much bigger problems that could result in extremely expensive lawsuits for the district. So please don't balance the

district. So please don't balance the budget on the backs of employees who do really hard work for you. And as always, free Palestine.

Um, thank you. So, next on up we have um committee comments.

Do we have members?

>> Any online? Nope. Okay. So, not online, not in person. So, we're moving on to union comments. I thought I saw some

union comments. I thought I saw some union folks here. Would you like to make comment?

BCC.

Thanks.

I like my guide.

Good evening, school boards, associate superintendent, assistant superintendent.

Um, before I say anything else tonight, I want to take a moment to do something we don't do enough of in this space. I

want to acknowledge the people who did the work.

My name is Mild Sher. I'm the vice president of BCCE.

Tonight, I stand before you in a different space than the last time I prepared to speak because this time BCC has reached a tentative agreement with

the district. And that matters. It

the district. And that matters. It

represents long hours, hard conversations disagreements and moments where we did not always agree, but we stayed at the table. At the end of the day, we are here for what's in

the best interest of our members, students, and families. Too often, we say we reached a tenative agreement and then we move on without pausing, without acknowledging,

without naming the people who made it happen because this work is hard work.

So, tonight I'm going to do what we don't do enough of. I'm going to acknowledge the people because too often we forget something simple but

important. we forget to say thank you

important. we forget to say thank you to the BCCE negotiations team. Each and

every one of you, thank you for the work, the sacrifice, and the commitment it took to get us here. To our district partners for staying in the work even

when it was difficult. To our BCC president for your leadership, your steadiness, and for holding the line for our members.

and to our CTF representative, Miss Erica Williams, for your guidance, your patience, and for never letting us lose sight of who we are in the middle of the work.

So, what people don't see is the disagreement, the difficult conversations, the moments where it have been easier to walk away. But what

matters is this.

We stayed, we worked through it, and we came to agreement together. And that

deserves to be said out loud.

Now, with that said, even though we have settled, our work is not done. While we

can take a moment to say thank you and recognize the work that brought us here, we also have to be honest what comes next. More hard conversations, more

next. More hard conversations, more difficult conversations, especially as we we move on to layoffs and a responsibility to make sure that those

decisions are made the right way. Before

we talk about decisions, before we talk about budgets, before we talk about layoffs, we need to understand something that is being missed. Classified staff

are not just the backbone of this district. They are not just support.

district. They are not just support.

Classified staff are the program and they are working directly with our students every single day. This past

Saturday, the president and I went to observe super science Saturday and what we saw was powerful. That program is run by classified staff, instructional

assistants, instructional technicians, office staff, attendance technicians, BCCE members. We saw our members working

BCCE members. We saw our members working with students, teaching, laughing, building cur curiosity, but what stood out to us the most was the energy in the

room, the excitement. students who were happy to be there on a Saturday learning staff who were fully present, invested, and clearly enjoying the work they were doing. You could feel it. This wasn't

doing. You could feel it. This wasn't

just a program. This was engagement.

This was enrichment, excellence, equity happening in real time. And within that, there was something else that spoke volumes.

The only certificated person there was someone who used to be classified. She

was an admin too who became a credential teacher and still chooses to be there because the program matters because the work matters. So when we talk about

work matters. So when we talk about classified staff we are not talking about just one thing. We are talking about people who working directly with students and the people behind the scenes who make all of this possible. It

takes the people in the classroom and it takes the people ensuring those classrooms can function.

classified positions are reduced and this and that is the disconnect because we cannot be both essential to the work and the first to be reduced. What what

we are seeing is a system that too often prioritizes positions over the work itself. And as a district, we have to

itself. And as a district, we have to ask ourselves, are we focused on titles or are we focused on the work that is actually being done for the students?

Because when we center the work, the answer becomes very clear. The work is happening with BCCE. What we saw on Saturday was not extra. It was

essential. And what and that is what we have to think about moving forward. We

cannot do this work separately. We

cannot do this work if we do not share the same goal for this district. We

cannot do this work if we are not all truly Berkeley proud in action, not just with words. Thank you.

with words. Thank you.

Thank you so much. The time down to the second. Um we've got someone that we

second. Um we've got someone that we missed from committee online um for the African-American advisory success advisory committee, Karina Thomas.

Then we'll we'll come back to any additional union comments if there are any.

>> Hi. Can everyone hear me?

>> Yes.

>> Okay.

>> Good evening. Before I begin, I'd like to ask ask everyone in this room a question. Members of the board,

question. Members of the board, educators, families, community members, for just a moment, I want to invite you to go back in time. Think about when you

moved from elementary school to middle school or when you stepped onto a high school campus for the first time. Think

about that moment, the first day, the new hallways, the older students, the feeling of wondering where you belonged.

What questions did you have that you didn't ask? What do you wish someone had

didn't ask? What do you wish someone had explained to you? What do you wish someone had told you that might have made that transition that transition just a little easier? My name is Karina

Thomas and I am a senior at Berkeley High School and a student representative on the superintendent's African-American Success Advisory Committee. But before I was a senior, before I stepped into

leadership roles, I was a student entering entering Berkeley Unified in Middle School. And I remember that

Middle School. And I remember that transition clearly. It wasn't easy. I

transition clearly. It wasn't easy. I

had to learn a new school community. I

had to find new friends and I had to figure out how to express who I was at that moment in my life while also discovering who I was becoming. Now, as

a senior, I can look back and see just how important those transition those transition moments really were. Moving

into high school was a milestone. It

shaped my confidence. It shaped my opportunities and it helped shape the leader I am today. That experience is one of the reasons I volunteer on the superintendent's African-American

success advisory committee and why I help support the transition fairs.

Transitions can be challenging for any student. But they can be especially

student. But they can be especially complicated for students who may feel like they are one of only a few in their classes, their programs, or their activities.

Sometimes students need support not just academically, but socially and emotionally. and they need to know how

emotionally. and they need to know how to navigate the opportunities that exist within their school system. That is

exactly why I'm I'm excited to invite our community to the 4th annual African-American Success Framework transition transition fairs. On

Saturday, April 11th, we will host the 8th to 9th grade transition fair at Berkeley High School in the Donaghue Gym from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. And on

Saturday, April 18th, we will host the fifth to 6th grade transition fair at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School from 10 to 11:30 a.m. These fairs are

designed to help students and families see around the corner. Students will

have the chance to learn about classes, graduation requirements, clubs, sports, and leadership opportunities.

Families will be able to connect directly with counselors, teachers, and support staff who are there to help students succeed. Our goal is simple. We

students succeed. Our goal is simple. We

want students to begin their next chapter informed, confident, and supported. But these fairs are about

supported. But these fairs are about more than just information. They are

part of the larger work of the African-American success framework. When

the district conducted the needs assessment that helped shape this framework, families shared something important. Many said that navigating the

important. Many said that navigating the school system sometimes feels like trying to understand a black box.

Sometimes the pathways, opportunities, and processes are not always clear. The

transition fairs are one way we are working together to open that box. They

create a space where schools, families, and community organizations come together with a shared goal, supporting our students as they step into the next stage of their education. And as someone

who's walked through those transitions myself, I want to encourage families and students to attend, ask questions, explore opportunities, take advantage of the support that exists in this

community. Let's make sure every student

community. Let's make sure every student in Berkeley knows that the next step in their journey is not a mystery. It's an

opportunity. The superintendent's

African-American Success Advisory Committee remains proud to partner with the district and the Berkeley community as we continue working together to support black and African-American

students and families. And I want to thank everyone in this room and beyond for taking a moment to reflect on our journey. Because when we remember what

journey. Because when we remember what those transitions felt like for us, it helps it helps us better support the students who are walking through those

moments right now. Thank you.

>> Thank you, Karina.

Um I don't think we have not seeing anyone anyone else online. We're going

to um go back to union comments and I don't think we have any more union comments. Um do we have any recordings?

comments. Um do we have any recordings?

No. Uh thank you so much. So board

member comments. Um, I'll start off and then I I'm going to pass it on to the student. I'm going be really fast. I

student. I'm going be really fast. I

know there's lots of folks here waiting for an important um section of our agenda. Uh, thanks so much for coming

agenda. Uh, thanks so much for coming today. It's always great to see your

today. It's always great to see your hearts and minds, see you speaking your hearts and minds. That's the purpose of a forum of this sort. And again, you know, uh, we're we're very excited to

hear uh, the outcome today um, as you are. Um and uh uh policy has been moving

are. Um and uh uh policy has been moving through um uh on uh some important um uh policies and procedures that are coming

before the board. Um I sat in an audit uh that's uh exciting. It could sound boring. It's numbers etc. But um it's

boring. It's numbers etc. But um it's important in this season of the budgetary issues and you heard a lot about some of the potential budget cuts.

Um we're this uh team here, the board here is working very closely um to look at this in a um in a processbased and

principalbased uh approach to um shoring up our um budget and ensuring that we set ourselves up on a good foundation for the future. And I'm just going to pass that on to our uh student uh board

director. Thank you.

director. Thank you.

>> Good evening everyone. So I wanted to mention a quick little anecdote about being on the track team. And there's

this running joke that we have where there's this big annoyance of showing up to practice and seeing a basketball, lacrosse, or football team maybe taking 5, 6 minutes to do a mile workout on the

track. And everybody has something to

track. And everybody has something to say and complain about. And so I really just want to give my deepest sympathies to the tennis team because I can't imagine what it's like to have to deal

with that every single day and not have courts to call home.

I think having home meets and practices builds so much community and so I really am sorry that you guys were not able to experience that with your time at Berkeley High. In regards to the meeting

Berkeley High. In regards to the meeting tonight, I want to keep my comments very brief because I'm very excited to see an equitable lens being applied in the review of Bup and Vera data. I'm

especially interested in the program metrics for uh zero and seventh period courses, especially in relation to summer 2025 credit recovery opportunities, especially for our focus

groups being minorities. I really hope that we continue to prioritize positions and investments that directly support our students. And thank you all for

our students. And thank you all for coming out tonight.

>> Thank you so much, >> Vice President Corn.

>> I will also keep my comments very brief.

Um, I want to thank particularly thank all of the students who came out tonight to speak. It's always just so gratifying

to speak. It's always just so gratifying and important and wonderful to hear student voices in the room. And tonight

we heard from the tennis team. We heard

from the city of Berkeley youth commission and we heard it from a student member of the African-American success advisory committee. And I think that collectively that's um oh and a and

a baseball player. Um, I think collectively, um, it just shows the the power and the strength of student voices in Berkeley. And I thank you all for

in Berkeley. And I thank you all for coming out tonight. Um, yeah, give yourselves a round of applause.

Um, associate associate superintendent Hoganike stole my thunder, but I am also super Berkeley proud of all the things she mentioned. um particularly the

she mentioned. um particularly the distinguished schools awards for King and Longfellow and this amazing report that came out from the San Francisco Chronicle showing that Berkeley High is

number two in the state in beating expectations around sending kids to really um competitive UC's. This is huge and I think we should all be really

proud and I am really proud of every student, every family, every teacher, every counselor, every staff person, every everyone in the Berkeley community

who has worked really hard to create th those opportunities for our kids. So

Berkeley proud Jill.

Um and I think I'll leave it at that. I'm

really looking forward to tonight's conversation about facilities and about budget.

Thank you.

>> I'll also be fast so that we can get to our uh facilities update um which will be in just a couple of items. Um but I do want to just give a shout out to our

CTE programs, especially our um pipeline programs that were honored at the chancellor's breakfast, UC Chancellor's Breakfast last Friday. Um, I also had

the chance to go and tour a bunch of our Berkeley High CTE facilities and programs with the Berkeley Public Schools Fund. And I want to encourage

Schools Fund. And I want to encourage anyone um in the audience or listening to join the May 8th spring luncheon for our Berkeley Public Schools Fund um to

help continue to support that work. And

a big shout out to Windskills and um all the heavy lifting he's done on that program. Uh so we that's it. That's all

program. Uh so we that's it. That's all

I'm going to say for now. Um, and I'm really looking forward to the discussion about facilities.

>> Excellent. Thank you. Um, now we're moving on to consent calendar. Um, is

there a motion?

>> I'll move to approve the consent calendar.

>> There's only three of us.

>> I'm going to second it, but I messed up and I said I messed up the names of the middle schools. It was Longfellow and

middle schools. It was Longfellow and Willard that are the distinguished schools. Oops.

schools. Oops.

>> Um, I will second the consent calendar.

>> All right. Thank you so much. And then

do we have the the eyes?

>> I >> I unanimous. Um and the dog says I also.

So uh the consent calendar is approved.

So okay, let's go on over to our agenda here. Um so uh we're

here. Um so uh we're starting up with 12.18.

Is that correct? Yeah. Um, I'm sorry.

Don't point as part of the 13.1 approval of measure G, which we're all so excitedly waiting for.

>> Update.

>> Approval and re. Yeah, we get the link typo.

Good evening. Good evening, board members. Um, and Miss Chidz, if you can

members. Um, and Miss Chidz, if you can pull up our presentation. Uh, joined

here tonight with me are two of my team members. You guys have met before,

members. You guys have met before, Ashley Del Rio and Kevin Wagner. They're

program managers from Vanpelt. Uh,

Maurice Bordon, our director of facilities, as well as Asia Evans.

Unfortunately, neither were able to be here as originally planned this evening.

So, we're going to pinch hit and do our best for them. Uh, as soon as we have the presentation up, we will start.

Great. Thank you. So, tonight we're here to talk about Measure G and it's a bond update. I know the crowd behind me is

update. I know the crowd behind me is absolutely interested to hear about our mullering field that is later in the presentation with reason and by design because there's several things that have afforded this decision to sort of take

so long for us to bring it to you to make the decision. Uh so next slide please.

Uh our mission we know it. We're always

grounded in those four E as our superintendent has talked about and the facilities division has its own mission which really is designed to fully support the district as well as the community at large. Next slide. So

tonight we're going to talk about we're going to give everyone a update on the Longfellow modernization uh Sylvia Mendes modernization BHS little theater increment one progress update which I'm

just going to say now we need to rename.

It's so disingenuous. The project was originally titled as the little theater because that's what it was intended to be. The state said, "No, you're going to

be. The state said, "No, you're going to do so much more." So, it's actually a much larger project as you'll see tonight. Uh, I'm going to give you a

tonight. Uh, I'm going to give you a brief update on workforce housing, which is really exciting and we're moving quickly. Districtwide crisis alert

quickly. Districtwide crisis alert system, which was something that the board asked us to prioritize and we've done. Uh, program funding update, and

done. Uh, program funding update, and then we will talk about the facility subcommittee update, which includes Muller Ringfield. Next slide, please.

Muller Ringfield. Next slide, please.

And one more. Thank you. Click one more time for me if you would list. Thank

you. So, Longfellow DSA procurement and update. Um, this has been a long time

update. Um, this has been a long time building as you all remember, right? We

brought a Longfellow contract to you all several years ago, started construction and then stopped. Uh, we found major problems with the building that we had to go back to DSA and move everybody

out. The buildings were redtagged. So

out. The buildings were redtagged. So

with that, I'm happy to say that that one project that is now has four formal DSA numbers, it's four separate projects, finally has all of the DSA approvals that it needed. We had those

back in December. So at that point in January 14th, we were scheduling to really go out to bid due to the complexity that we found on this project

where we had to separate one project into four projects to satisfy the state.

But then because work had already begun really do bid leveling to make sure that we weren't paying for the same thing twice. There was over 221 bidder

twice. There was over 221 bidder questions that we had to pull it back and Vanpelt folks and our contractor uh partners at Alton Construction did an

amazing job of several weeks going through four sets of plans over a thousand pages every single item in detail to clarify these. At this point in time, we have the updated schedule

and we will have a price early next week to bring to the board to the next board meeting. So that project, what it

meeting. So that project, what it includes, jump back. Uh structure no structural improvements.

>> Sorry, >> that's okay. Structural improvements and upgrades. Uh we have completed what's

upgrades. Uh we have completed what's needed or we're working on the structure itself between the administration and the classroom wing. If you've ever been to Old Longfellow, I talk about it all the time. The gates there, it had a very

the time. The gates there, it had a very prison-esque feel. We've changed that.

prison-esque feel. We've changed that.

We've made it a very inviting space while actually enhancing the security of it. Um the building envelope

it. Um the building envelope improvements dealing with the waterproofing issues that we had. And

that was not only on the three-story building, the main ad, it was also on the admin building, the library building, and the gym. All of which had structural deficiencies. Below grade

structural deficiencies. Below grade waterproofing, and then campus and site improvements overall. Next slide.

improvements overall. Next slide.

So here's where we are on the timeline.

So what we had originally said even several years ago was that we were targeting August of 27 at this point.

Now understanding all of the structural work that has to be done. The project is pushed. It's pushed by 12 months.

pushed. It's pushed by 12 months.

Honestly, for the level of work that has to happen, 12 months is not bad. It was

actually nice to see. And we've really dug in that schedule to understand and make sure that we're not overpromising.

We're currently in March of 26. We'll

get the new guaranteed maximum price, our contract. From now until September

our contract. From now until September of 27, it'll just be extensive structural upgrades happening. That

three-story building is essentially being taken apart and put back together with all new parts. Uh September to April of 28, we'll be doing modernization improvements, which is a lot of interior work, followed by

continued work, site work, and then final work. So, we anticipate

final work. So, we anticipate substantial completion in June or July of 28 with movein happening that our Longfellow students will be seated back

at home in August of 28 and with that our adult school will be seated back in their home and things will be back somewhat to normal. Next slide.

Uh, Longfellow modernization program impact. This is an important one and we

impact. This is an important one and we talked about this briefly last night at subcommittee. The Longfellow project in

subcommittee. The Longfellow project in the original bond, the original bond plan was slated as an infrastructure project only about $6 million. There was

some concerns around that from the board which there was a little bit of a transition from the board that sat in on helped to create the original bond plan to that board. There was an ask for

about a $10 million project. Due to

scope creep through public engagement and whatnot, it quickly transformed into a $30 million project. Thankfully, it

was early enough in the bond that we were able to go back really look at the overall plan for the entire bond and say we can swing 30 million. Currently, this

project is trending closer to 90 93 million. So, it's very important for the

million. So, it's very important for the board and for the public to understand that Longfellow now represents one of the largest capital improvements of the entire bond program.

um anticipating your questions. If

there's a question that's going to be asked of why not tear it down and rebuild, believe it or not, it would have cost a lot more. Um the expanded project scope, it required the district

to rep prioritize all of the projects in Measure G. Uh last year towards the end

Measure G. Uh last year towards the end of the year, we sat down, we did a workshop with the subcommittee on a Sunday, about the better part of a day, and we rep prioritized and then brought that back to the board where we had to

defer projects. certain projects on were

defer projects. certain projects on were paused or deferred and then program cash flow projections indicate that the major construction of this work and our

expenses will occur between FY 26 and 28. Next slide.

28. Next slide.

Sylvia Mendes. Let me just take it.

So upcoming work for Sylvia Mendes includes the framing, drywall, building utilities, interior, exterior finishes, site improvements.

Summer work is going to focus on interior finishes, casework, installation, final site work, and we should have substantial completion in July. If you have not driven by Sylvia

July. If you have not driven by Sylvia Mendes anytime recently, you'll see there's a large addition, an entire new building that's been added on. Um, and

the team is working hard to get it done.

We wanted to talk about Mendes tonight a little bit. One to update you on the

little bit. One to update you on the schedule, which you see here. Um this is just a nice little infographic which shows the different areas of activity that are happening between now and

moving up to late July. But we also wanted to talk a little bit about the financial impact. So what we have had is

financial impact. So what we have had is there's been number numerous requests that have come from the board as well as really from what we're looking at as

stakeholder initiated adjustments. And

what that means is where our stakeholders, both internal and external, have made demands for things that are a little bit out of the ordinary and that we've never done on other projects. Understanding that, I

other projects. Understanding that, I needed to put this into perspective for our board. The original contract for

our board. The original contract for construction on this project was $49.5 million. Due to a major flaw in the

million. Due to a major flaw in the geotechnical study that was done, as well as some other small minor issues, we had about a million dollars in unforeseen conditions. The reality is is

unforeseen conditions. The reality is is a million in unforeseen for a $50 million qu project is actually quite low. But on top of that million, we've

low. But on top of that million, we've had $3.5 million of cost for stakeholder initiated adjustments. So what I want to

initiated adjustments. So what I want to say to the board tonight and really look for feedback, but at this point in time, any more stakeholder input for added

scope, for added costs, although they seem small and they seem inconsequential, it's a ripple effect and it has impact on other things. The

facilities department with the board's approval, we need to take the position that the answer has to be no. At this

point, we have to draw a hard line because the reality is is there's no extra money to continue to pull from as you'll see and we move forward.

So, BHS, we're going to call it the theater project. We're going to strike

theater project. We're going to strike that and I'm going to pass it over to Mr. Wagner real quick. Thank you, Mr. Cle. Oh, here we are. Uh, so real quick

Cle. Oh, here we are. Uh, so real quick uh progress update on increment one. Uh,

we did break ground last summer and the contractors been doing great work. Uh

they are uh quickly progressing through uh basically the project finish out. Um

they've got all the exterior work done.

They're finalizing the little bit of site uh improvement on the exterior site work. Uh the in building interior is

work. Uh the in building interior is complete completed at the at this stage and uh they're going through the final testing of all the infrastructure of the building itself. Uh we will be ready for

building itself. Uh we will be ready for uh to use that facility. Um, so we'll have a full gender neutral uh facility for both uh students and faculty uh

right after spring break.

>> So as a reminder cuz a lot of folks in the audience I don't think they know what inc one was. Um and I apologize because we should have thrown that in there. So the larger project is the

there. So the larger project is the little theater as well as the entire house that 3500 seat the theater theater doing major structural upgrades and work and so on and so forth. included in that

we are adding a student lobby and it basically an entry lobby off of the little theater into the courtyard between the theater and the H building.

Understanding that when we started looking at the elevation just standing there and looking at the elevation difference between what we call level zero which is the gallery entrance uh

and where you stand to come out there in the H building you have a full building of height there. We also know that we have a tremendous problem on Berkeley High with not only not enough restrooms

for students and staff, but not enough genderneutral restrooms. So, what we've done is we put this project in this increment one, which added an entirely new building, which will actually be

located underneath the plaza of the gallery. And what that building is is

gallery. And what that building is is two restrooms, seven genderneutral restrooms for students and sever seven genderneutral restrooms for staff. And

as Mr. Wagner has said, that will actually be done the end of March. We're

going into spring break. We'll do a couple punch list items on it. We'll

also do the final cleaning. And on April 7th, when students return, barring any unforeseen, as I always like to say, that will be open for full use from students and staff.

>> And then on to uh uh increment two.

After increment one is finished up, we are currently finished with design for increment two. We are in DSA for DSA

increment two. We are in DSA for DSA approval. We got our initial round of

approval. We got our initial round of comments back from DSA already and we do anticipate having those uh comments or responded to with DSA uh by the end of

this month. Um we are anticipating

this month. Um we are anticipating getting our first draft of our GMP from our contractor uh by the first part of June which uh we'll be bringing to the

board by by mid June. Um, with that in mind, uh, if we are able to get to, uh, reasonable terms with the contractor on the GMP and the board's approval, then we'll go ahead and start, um, with our

DSA, we're anticipating DS full DSA approval by midsummer, which means we'll be able to start uh, the actual construction uh, by midsummer as well.

And if I may, and I mentioned this to subcommittee last night, and it's important to say now because what you just heard me say a moment ago was about Sylvia Mendes and just really about any project about those stakeholder

initiated adjustments that we have to draw a line and say no. And then on the screen, what you have in front of you is a project that's going to come back to you for the GMP approval. We are

currently estimating that GMP that contract to be about $110 million where the total project cost would be about $137 million. So you as the board or

$137 million. So you as the board or even the public can ask well why would you say no to such a small item at this particular project but you want to spend $37 million on a theater. It's a great

question and the answer is simple. If

you look at it from a seismic and a safety standpoint, there is no building at greater risk than that theater. That

theater, they began construction in the 30s. In the ' 40s, it sat vacant and

30s. In the ' 40s, it sat vacant and stagnant and completely open. It was

known as the steel bird cage for almost a decade because of the war and the shortage in steel. Then they came back and they finished it. But when they built it, while it was to the best structural abilities of their time,

there was a tremendous amount of structural issues with it. Even then

when we look at it from today's standards, we know that we have to do this. And when we consider different

this. And when we consider different projects, as we're going to talk about a little bit more further into the presentation, when you think of what the percentage cost of escalation is and the percentage cost of just inflation

overall, this is one project that the board cannot afford to defer besides for the safety piece of it. So, excuse me, but thank you. Okay,

>> so workforce housing, uh, I wanted to give you a quick update because this is something that's really near and dear to me. I've spent six of my last seven and

me. I've spent six of my last seven and a half years working on this with some incredible partners, including old board colleagues of yours like Julie Sinai.

Um, this is 110 units of affordable housing that is really designed to serve BUSD educators first. We are flying through construction, and I mean that in a really positive way. This is a

six-story building. The photos that you

six-story building. The photos that you see there are actually the seconds story courtyard looking in. Um, and right now where we are on progress is we anticipate and we have no reason to

believe that construction that it won't construction will be done in December or early January. So with that in April,

early January. So with that in April, next month we're going to be opening up uh working with Saha and Abode, our partners. We're going to be opening up

partners. We're going to be opening up the application portal. We've started to do a little bit of marketing to the district to all certificated and classified. Um January of 27 is when we

classified. Um January of 27 is when we anticipate the true opening and the ribbon cutting. We'll expect you all

ribbon cutting. We'll expect you all there. Uh and then with that from

there. Uh and then with that from January till about April of next year is when we anticipate postcomp completion leasing and move in. So this is 110

units mixed 1 2 and threebedroom units.

We prioritize BUSD educators. That's our

certificated and classified alike. And

these units are equally spread across 30 from 30% of the AMI, the area median income, all the way up to 120%. And the

goal with that was really to capture some of our lower paid classified singles or families up through our teachers as well.

This is the flyer that was sent out uh a couple of weeks ago to start some marketing as well as some different information and anticipated rent costs.

And this was sent out and we've asked our partners with BFT and BCCE to continue to nudge this to all of their members uh just so that it stays on their radar. We did work with Saha and

their radar. We did work with Saha and Abode that actually originally planned a really short window for that first round of applications to actually extend it from April until the end of August. The

reasoning for that and my push was in April our teachers are classified alike.

April and May they're bogging down.

They're getting ready for finals. come

June, everybody's feeling a little burnt out and it's easy to forget the things that are really important to you. Um,

and my hope was with them coming back in August realizing that maybe they just didn't click send, now they can do such and that first window remains open.

Uh, districtwide crisis alert, Kevin.

>> Yes.

So about a year year and a half ago, the board asked uh assistant superintendent CL to go find a system that would allow for quick uh notification of emergency

situations within the campuses and also allow for lockdown of the campuses as well. Um our the district safety manager

well. Um our the district safety manager uh Miss Evans went out and reviewed approximately eight different systems and the system that we're currently uh

that has been procured um is um uh by the kayak company uh in conjunction with uh CCUS ops. Um all the parts have actually been ordered and received by

the vendor. Uh they are actively

the vendor. Uh they are actively programming that uh software now and anticipate rolling out uh the first um

uh pilot site which will be uh the 2515 9th Street um by April of 20 April 26.

So next month um if that's successful then we'll start uh preparing for full roll out to all the different campuses over the summer of 26.

>> Yeah. and we're choosing to pilot that in my office since we're not studentf facing and we would rather know there if there is an issue with the system that can be worked out before we roll it out.

The one piece of this left that we still have to work on is we there will be a large PD that we will need to do really for all not necessarily a timely PD but or a time extensive PD but a large PD

for all of our staff. What this allows staff to do is it is behind broken glass or break glass but they can by with the push of two buttons they can lock down the entire campus. They also have the

ability to call for medical help or to call for administration assistance. So

with that, we started thinking, well, what does that look like, right? Cuz

this system is designed and it was really built in a way that it not only allows you to alert the campus to a problem, but it allows our first

responders to actually help track movement. And what I mean by that is,

movement. And what I mean by that is, Director K, right, if you lock down your classroom, right, well, we know that your classroom is red. And what we're going to do is in in the main office,

we're going to see on a map that your room is in the red. But what we want to know also is when do you go to the green? And if you go to the green, that

green? And if you go to the green, that your room is now all clear. Which way

did they go? Right? And that's a really useful tool for our first responders to be able to respond accordingly. So when

we started thinking about that and started talking about it, the number one problem that I had was that what we teach and what Homeland Security tells us to teach is run, hide, fight. So

chances are the folks in the administration offices where all these screens are housed, they're going to get out of the building. We're going to have first responders come in. Well, in the event of a school lockdown, if you have

a badge, you are required to spot respond. Doesn't matter if you're local

respond. Doesn't matter if you're local police, if you're sheriff, CHP, fishing game, you will respond. There's no way for us to train all these folks how to operate our system. What I don't want to

do is ask one of our classified employees or even one of our administrators to then go back into the building where we don't know what's going on to help those first responders

navigate it. So what we came up with was

navigate it. So what we came up with was a crisis liaison center. We have room in the back of 9inth Street uh my facility to actually build out what you see there

which is a crisis liaison center. This

allows PD or whoever is taking incident command of this to send a liaison to our offices and we can operate the system and communicate with the folks in the

field to let them know they're in this building moving east to west. They're

now on the second floor, they're now on the first floor, etc. Um, we're currently going through the initial proposal that's been completed. We're

still negotiating a little bit more back and forth with the vendor instead of cost for buildout and then reviewing some design options. Just always looking for value engineering opportunities, but what we don't want to do is value

engineer the benefit of the project away. But this was a way that we felt we

away. But this was a way that we felt we can really utilize this hopefully never have to utilize this system, but have have this system in place to be utilized while keeping all of our staff safe as

well.

So, we're going to talk about program funding highlights and I'm going to pass it to Miss Del Rio.

>> Uh, thank you, Assistant Superintendent Kis, and thank you, trustes, for having us here tonight. I love to talk about money. Uh, so let's talk about some

money. Uh, so let's talk about some positives and not just spending, but how we're also exploring additional funding opportunities outside of our bond, which is a really critical component in being

able to support uh BUC's initiatives for all the programs and all the projects that we have moving forward. So state

funding prop 2 is a critical element that we explore in ensuring that we have the opportunities to take advantage of what the state is giving us outside of just running our local bonds. So

currently we have four funding applications in hand that we are working with our partners of our state funding consultants. um two of them are special

consultants. um two of them are special additional funding opportunities that we're taking due to the conditions of these two projects and that is the little theater project uh which is now

the community theater as well um and the long fellow facility hardship program and those are two separate state funding applications that are in addition to our actual eligibility for each school site

that we have. So uh what that does is because of the conditions of these buildings uh the sense of emergency to address the seismic needs for both um we are doing the hardship applications and

what that does is actually puts us further ahead in the application process with the state um and identifies us as a higher need. So it allows us to get that

higher need. So it allows us to get that funding in hand much sooner than a regular state funding application would be. We have two other state funding

be. We have two other state funding applications that are in the pot right now as well. Those are regular eligibility per um per school site. Um

it's a strategic timing. Your

eligibility increases based on certain time frames over the last 25 years, based on how old your building is, the last time you did a modernization, um current enrollment. So, we don't just

current enrollment. So, we don't just throw applications at every single school site. It is a strategic process.

school site. It is a strategic process.

The other two applications that we have in right now are um eligibility that we have currently for the high school.

We're using the natiatorum um solar project that was just recently completed as well as a um PV solar PV project that we're also doing at Longfellow in the midst of all this construction. So

currently right now we're at an estimated about $57 million that we expect to be getting back from the state um particularly just for the two seismic projects which again is the theater and

the Longfellow project. um because we have the hardship uh due to the elevated need for to address these seismic um emergencies, not truly. Uh we are able

to again get ahead of that funding and we're really expecting to be able to get that money in hand somewhere between 2028 and 2029, which a typical timeline would probably push us closer to like

2031. Um, so it's really nice to be able

2031. Um, so it's really nice to be able to get ahead of the line and get um ahead with Prop 2 and hopefully get that money in hand um within a time frame that as we're executing these projects.

So the piece of that um as every implementation does, it changes. Um this

is kind of a snapshot from one of the original implementation plans from 2022.

Um and as we all know standing here in this building today, this has massly changed um since that initial initiation. And so if you go to the next

initiation. And so if you go to the next slide, we'll kind of talk about some of the li the projects that were added to this measure G list have different effects of reasons and wise. Again,

every implementation plan changes, needs come up, emergencies happen. So the

purple kind of represents things that were initiated through board action. Um

adjustments in priorities, COVID happened, that was a really big one. Um

additional access control implemented throughout the district. our heat

mitigation, which I know we're all sitting under these lovely fans today.

Pretty thankful for that. Um, and that's still only another increment coming this summer to addition to that. Longfellow

is one of those projects that actually falls into the purple and the blue. It

was pushed forward in executing that project thankfully. So, cuz as we all

project thankfully. So, cuz as we all know from 2024, we started it, you know, get into the building a little deeper and found the um structural elements that needed to be addressed. So it also kind of fell into the blue which is

where you know it represents a lot of projects that were urgent due to operational needs unforeseen circumstances and you know we needed to get creative with alternative funding.

So, um there's windows that were added or replaced over at the adult school elevators over at John Mir again. Um

Emerson storefront cars happen. Um and

again, this is one of those things to remember that every implementation plan will always face its changes as the years progress and as needs um are rep

prioritized and readressed. So, um this is just kind of again that snapshot from your 2022 to now. There has been a lot of drastic changes and we'll go a little bit more into the um proposed uh additional changes that we're going to

make to measure G, our um current green and yellow sheet. But this again is just kind of the background to understand where we're at today. And if I may, Ashley and I talked about this and we wanted to show this because this will

probably be one of the less popular things that I say tonight, but to the same way that we have to say no to stakeholder initiative adjustments moving forward because of where the bond is. At this point in time, when the

is. At this point in time, when the board says, "Hey, can we fit this in?"

My answer has to be no unless we take away from another project. It is not uncommon to over encumber a bond. It's

quite normal. and we over encumber a bond based upon developer fees, based upon state funding, etc. We have now over encumbered the bond to include

everything anticipated through state funding, through developer fees, all of those numbers put together. So the

purple, what we were talking about on the left, which was sort of the board initiated projects, that represents about $120 million, right? And then the ultimate the the needs, those one-offs

were another $30 million. So at this point we really fitting anything else in means that the board will have to struggle with taking away. Now I say that but I should say fitting anything

else in after the vote that we're going to ask you to have tonight. Let me be really clear about that.

So facilities subcommittee update. This

is I think what the folks behind me are here to see tonight. Uh Washington

versus AI AI. And a few people asked me why we named this. Uh AI AI is athletics infrastructure additions and improvements. Or for those of us from

improvements. Or for those of us from New York, it's AI, right? Like that's

what it is. I just wanted to do that. So

AI AI that's all right. I'm okay. I'm

going to run with it. So it has a relatively short window for design and approval. The impact for this is greater

approval. The impact for this is greater than one school. The impact for this is BHS. It's BATA. It's the BIS, right?

BHS. It's BATA. It's the BIS, right?

It's also a huge community impact. It

impacts our student athletes and the community as a whole. It corrects

operational deficiencies at Tim Mullering Field. I heard uh Ross earlier

Mullering Field. I heard uh Ross earlier talking about what they have to do when that field when it rains when we get a tiny amount of rain. And I know that I can't correct what was done many many

years ago. What I can tell you is to

years ago. What I can tell you is to echo what I heard tonight. We are in the 25th year of our tennis team, tennis teams, excuse me, without courts. So, by

the time these courts have built, they will have gone 26 or 27 seasons without having any home courts. This addresses

also a long-standing community commitment. Our boards and boards past

commitment. Our boards and boards past for the last two bonds have actually made commitments to do these courts and I think what the community is asking for is that we move forward with that. Now,

how do we do that? what's on the table right now because as I've said anything that we give we have to take away. The

Washington modernization has taken a lot longer to get through DSA and design than originally anticipated. It actually

got DSA approval 2 days ago. But with

that, what was the Washington modernization or what is it? It's

improved entry. It's a new kitchen and servery. It's redmising of existing

servery. It's redmising of existing interior space as well as some ex some upgrades to the exterior.

What was decided last night at the subcommittee, and I know it wasn't an easy vote, but what they struggled with was that AI AI, we're all going to say that, did win, was that the athletic

improvements additions and infrastructure absolutely outweighed the need to do the Washington modernization.

So, what we're going to ask the board to do tonight is actually vote on this once we're done.

So, what that project includes is turf installation. There's been a big push

installation. There's been a big push from the athletics community to go to not only improving drainage but to adding artificial turf drainage improvements. Five new tennis courts.

improvements. Five new tennis courts.

One of the coaches asked me earlier and I couldn't remember. I double checked the plans. Those are five doubles. All

the plans. Those are five doubles. All

of those courts are doubles that are out there. Basketball court will remain but

there. Basketball court will remain but it will be relocated. We've gone through that with BTA so that they understand the sighteline is still there. Student

restroom and changing facilities. This

is an operational deficiency that it's been lacking since it's been built. And

then fencing improvements. We understand

that even though that those fences are high and the nets go even higher, we've got some amazing student athletes and they're hitting it over the fence. So,

we need to improve that.

Uh, additionally, in the design, and this has to go through SEA, this has to go through the California Environmental Quality Act and a full environmental impact review. included in this project

impact review. included in this project is lighting for baseball and separately lighting for tennis and for basketball.

Now, that does not mean that that will be done. What that means is that there

be done. What that means is that there will be a full community engagement process through SQA to determine what the impact of that is and then if that gets installed or what restrictions are

put on it. That project is estimated at 15.4 4 million and it does include the turf replacement of the football field which has reached its life expectancy.

And then we're carrying a bid alternate and what that means is depending upon where the bid comes in will determine whether or not we can truly afford it.

We're carrying a bid alternate to do artificial turf on the on the softball field on the campus as well. That was

another request from athletics due to the drainage issues and the amount of time that it can't be used. But that

piece we cannot commit to until we get our numbers in.

So this here is just a quick schematic diagram of what that would look like.

We've gone through this before. Um this

protected the most amount of green space on that on that mullering field. Uh it

had the turf field installation. We

added a student restroom with changing rooms, five tennis courts, and then the relocation of the basketball courts.

And Measure G program update. I'm going

to let Ashley take again.

>> Uh so based on last night's uh subcommittee meeting, we had two options to show how this was going to look.

Well, really actually one option or none. Um the biggest thing is with the

none. Um the biggest thing is with the AI AI, that means that we'll be removing that scope from the BHS CE uh project and making it its own uh to be able to

still move on design for the CE project, which is the twotory addition to the high school as well as CTE upgrades to the existing building. And then the AI AI is what we just talked about, what Mr. Glee uh was able to go through in

scope. We're pulling about 1.8 million

scope. We're pulling about 1.8 million from CE to push the design and SQL needs that we have for AI AI. Um we would be reducing the Washington modernization

project by about 2 uh 12.4 million. Uh

that money would get reallocated up to the AIA project. uh that 1.1 that you see remaining for Washington is to cover all the pre-esign and pre-construction costs that we've paid to date. Um and

then the Sylvia Mendes project as um we reviewed earlier with Superintendent Kises for another about 4.5 million that we need to increase on that total budget to get through finishing um up through the end of the summer. So all in all

with the tradeoffs we're adding about another 5.7 million uh to the total measure G project uh budgets. But again,

as well to remind you guys, yes, we are over encumbered, but we are always getting creative and always exploring additional funding opportunities, even outside of state funding. We're looking

at grants to multifund some of these projects and other means uh that are out there to really support this whole bond program as a whole.

>> Yeah. And two things real quick that I didn't think to include in here, but one uh I saw I saw a reaction to the 1.1 million on Washington and what it made me think about was sort of do people

wonder does that does that money just go away? Was it wasted? No. So we got DSA

away? Was it wasted? No. So we got DSA approval either yesterday or today. So

what that means is now we have 5 years to open the box with DSA to start that project, right? Before we have to just

project, right? Before we have to just go back and update the original plans.

The other thing to Miss Del Rio's point about grants and whatnot, currently we're working on a grant with the NFL for about a quarter of a million dollars to help offset the cost of returfing the stadium field. We'll also be working

stadium field. We'll also be working with the USA to look at a grant to help with the costs for the tennis courts.

So, we're always looking at different funding opportunities that go beyond just state funding, developer fees, or bonds.

>> Okay. And as projects are being completed and we're closing out and we're getting unused contingencies and unused allowances back, that's where you're going to see the reduction in these budgets going back into our pot of

money to to, you know, relieve some of that incumbrance as well. So that's also things to consider.

>> So with that, we will open it up for any questions.

>> Thank you so much. That was a a very thorough um review and and we really appreciate you taking the time to do so.

Do we have questions, board members?

Yeah, student board member, >> excuse me. I had a question about the district-wide crisis alert system. Um, I

was wondering how that's going to work with non-emergency usage, especially at Berkeley High and we have a lot of like fire alarms and interruptions and like the class time. So, I was wondering how that works, especially with um the crisis leaison center if that's

something that's being employed with that.

>> Yeah, it's a great question. So when we actually went and looked at this system after the the system was chosen by our safety coordinator uh and recommended to us, we actually went and looked at the

system where it hasn't been installed in a school in Southern California. Uh and

we took principal at AOSA with us to think about that because of all the schools we said Berkeley High that's the one to control and honestly the easiest way to control it is to install all of

those push panels behind break glass, right? The small glass panels that you

right? The small glass panels that you do have to break. Now, is that going to stop everybody from breaking it and setting it off? Unfortunately, not. It's

going to be about behavioral change, right? But this is something that we all

right? But this is something that we all and the board as well felt that it was important enough to consider so that we can always put the the the safety of our students and staff first.

>> Can I follow up on that? Does that mean that that um is it just safety lockdown alert?

>> Yes.

>> Behind the brake glass or is it fire?

>> So fire alarm is completely separate and it will remain separate. There's three

features of this uh one of which you have to break the glass and press two buttons simultaneously to lock down the campus. That's going to come over the

campus. That's going to come over the PA. It's going to come over the strobes,

PA. It's going to come over the strobes, the horns. it's going to be everywhere

the horns. it's going to be everywhere that that campus is in a lockdown. The

other two options is that you can call for medical support. Those will go over a radio or you can call for administrator assistance. Those will go

administrator assistance. Those will go over the radio as well.

>> I So I heard you say that we would need to do professional development to train the adults how to use this system.

Are we going to train students? Are we

going to how how how are students to know or not know about the workings of this system? The short answer is I don't

this system? The short answer is I don't have the answer yet. We are working on it. It's something that we're thinking

it. It's something that we're thinking about. We need to start thinking about

about. We need to start thinking about it. Right now where we've been focused,

it. Right now where we've been focused, our lens has really been about what is the project and how do we implement the project. Now that we're to that point,

project. Now that we're to that point, we need to start thinking about it and talking with our partners in ed services to think about what is that going to look like not only for staff but student facing as well.

And the school that you visited in Southern California had this district centralized crisis response.

>> It actually had it on that campus. Yeah.

Uh it was on that particular campus for it. But yes, it did.

it. But yes, it did.

>> And it's not staffed unless there's a crisis. Right.

crisis. Right.

>> Correct. But with putting it at 9inth Street, 9inth Street is not only where I am, it's where several of my key leadership is, but also our safety coordinator and also our after hours

folks, our after hours custodian, supervisor, etc. Right. So, that

building typically has somebody in it from at least 6:30, 7 in the morning till about 10:00 at night.

>> Mhm.

>> Okay.

>> Um, I'm going to follow up with that.

Thank you so much. Um, and thanks for, you know, we've had I think the board and facilities members had some conversations about this a couple years ago, I think. Um, so this is exciting as well. Uh but um you know some of the

well. Uh but um you know some of the kind of mechanical questions behind this I kind of had big regulations of um information you previously provided

these panels are they hardwired and or are they connected by you said radio or or what's the system?

>> No there there's there's a combination of hard wiring of radio signal as well as cellular data being used.

>> Okay. Because it's going to go across the entire school district.

>> Yeah. So part of the initial scope review with the contractor when we were working up the price was they had to come out and not only survey the sites actually for the location to understand what it was going to take, they actually

had to take cellular and radio readings at all different places amongst the campus to understand what boosters were needed, what amplifiers were needed, etc. >> So there's a certain amount of redundancy it sounds like um with the

three different forms of communications.

Okay, that's that's great.

>> Um are there other questions about this?

Yeah, Dr. Schnowski, >> I have a few comments. Um, so first, I'm really excited about the um bathrooms at Berkeley High. Um, this is another sort

Berkeley High. Um, this is another sort of additional project that you all put in um and expedited uh because of calls

especially from our students and our staff. And so knowing it was supposed to

staff. And so knowing it was supposed to be April and knowing that when kids get back from spring break and and staff get back from spring break, they should have access to these bathrooms is really

great. So thank you so much for that.

great. So thank you so much for that.

It's very exciting. Um and also the progress on Sylvia Mendes that will start, you know, next year with hopefully plenty of lead time to move in

and get settled and really like live in that space. That's super exciting. and

that space. That's super exciting. and

Longfellow. I live by Longfellow, so I can see through it right now, and I'm excited to not be able to see through it anymore. Um, yeah. So, I also want to um

anymore. Um, yeah. So, I also want to um really thank everyone here for their advocacy for the courts and for um

upgrading our our baseball field. I

really want to thank I don't think Coach Tiffany's here. Oh, yes, she is.

Tiffany's here. Oh, yes, she is.

So, you don't know that I know you probably, but I've heard a lot about you and I remember when you came last year.

Um, congratulations on your wedding.

And, um, the girls talk so highly of you and, um, you and Jeff especially, I want to shout out to thank you for keeping your teams going under really, really

challenging circumstances. So, thanks

challenging circumstances. So, thanks for sticking with everybody.

This really is a comment on the facilities presentation, but I also want to thank Robin and Ross um for yes for um juggling a really challenging

situ well many challenging situations and I had no idea when I became a board member that we had so many different sports teams. So juggling all those facilities, all those athletes, all

those sports, all those parents, um all those neighbors is really a challenge and you guys do it so well. So thank you so much.

And finally, I want to take our thank our facilities team because um this mowering field project, I always told John like this was a priority for me um that I thought it was really important

for us to keep our promises. And I

remember, you know, as Longfellow was happening and all these things were unfolding, John just shaking his head, kind of thinking, being skeptical that he could get it done. Um, and so the

fact that we that you all you and your team were really able to do this is really a testament to your commitment to the community and your commitment to um

the needs of all of our students. So,

thank you.

Can I ask like >> Okay, I'm gonna let Jen interrupt me >> just before she makes the motion

um everything she said and I have um I have just two quick questions. So,

thinking about um the athletic infrastructure additions and improvements project because I disapprove of this acronym. might think

it's silly.

>> It's going to stay.

>> Um, thinking about weighing it against Washington. My question is, have you

Washington. My question is, have you engaged with the Washington community?

Are they aware that their project is going to have to be delayed? Um, and

then similarly, can you talk a little bit about the engagement that I know you've done with the neighbors around Mullering Field?

>> Sure. So, uh, the first the first question as far as Washington, we haven't only because the subcommittee recommendation to move this forward to board was made last night. So, we

absolutely will. Unfortunately, our

architect who is working on that and even our contractor who's doing the pre-construction, unless they're watching the board member, they the board meeting tonight, they don't even know, right? So, we'll have to reach out

know, right? So, we'll have to reach out to them. This was something that moved

to them. This was something that moved very quickly, so we haven't had a chance to engage yet. uh around mowering field.

We did have several more community listening sessions. Uh we did one

listening sessions. Uh we did one online, we did one in person. We got

some really good feedback at them. And

we did commit at that point in time to say, "Hey, we're going to come back to the community, but we don't know what that looks like yet." That hasn't changed. What that will look like now,

changed. What that will look like now, assuming that the board does want to move this forward this evening, is that community engagement and that open listening process will really happen

through SQA through the environmental impact review. Uh because what we would

impact review. Uh because what we would hear is if the board wants to move this forward is that the governing board is making the decision that this is a priority and now we just have to make it

work within the community.

>> Thank you for that clarification. Now

I'm done.

>> Let me follow up really quickly too. Uh,

apologies for the interruption. Um, so,

uh, what we're voting on is AI AI.

>> Yes. So, make sure I understand what we're moving for. Um, Washington, um, those that modernization could potentially be in the future. Is that my understanding?

>> That moderniz you would be voting to defer that modernization to, as I mentioned at the last facilities update.

Uh, >> God, I don't remember when it was. It

was a few months back. We we are really firm in the belief that while typically Berkeley does a general obligation bond for facilities every 10 years because of

unforeseen like Longfellow because of cost escalation because of COVID, right?

And I hate using that as an excuse.

We're going to have to consider going for another bond in 28. And if we do that, this would be one of those projects that's now been moved to the deferred list. And with that deferred

deferred list. And with that deferred list, obviously we would try to prioritize those. There's several key

prioritize those. There's several key factors, right? When does the five-year

factors, right? When does the five-year mark hit? So, when does it expire? What

mark hit? So, when does it expire? What

does cash flow look like? There's so

many variables and to how we issue the money because again, when we issue the money, the goal is always to keep the tax base as low as possible. Even when

we did the last issuance last year when I sat here and we talked to the board about it, we explained that because of the times that we were in and the market was so volatile that our your

constituents were actually going to see a jump in their tax bill, a heavy jump for about one year and then at year two they would drop again and then at year three it was an exponential drop. And we

structured it that way just to be sure that the long-term effect was the was the least. So, okay. Thank you for that

the least. So, okay. Thank you for that overview. That's helpful. Do we have a

overview. That's helpful. Do we have a motion?

>> I forgot to thank one other group and that is the student athletes. I'm so

sorry. It was in a different line.

Especially some of you that I've seen for years and also those of you that are advocating not even for yourselves because you'll be gone, but for the

future generations of tennis players.

So, thank you.

And we hope if all goes well, you'll be at the ribbon cutting in fall 2027.

>> And let me speak to that actually because I did mean to earlier and I have nine minutes left. But no, uh I I meant to talk about this earlier. Uh we were talking about at the team today about how do I wanted to do this. So what the

board has asked us to do or the subcommittee asked us to do originally was figure out a way to split this project. figure out a way to split

project. figure out a way to split mering from CNE. We've done that, right?

But now what we're also doing is we're looking for ways to actually split this AI AI project. Meaning, we're looking to see with the turf field for the

football, for example, since that's a replacement in kind, do we even have to put it through DSA? If I don't have to put it through DSA, we'll be rolling new turf there this summer. If not, it'll be

the following summer. But then even with the tennis courts, that's something that assuming that we can get through DSA in time. We know that we will not be able

time. We know that we will not be able to start the football or excuse me, the baseball field mowering field till summer of 27 just because of when baseball happens. But that's not to say

baseball happens. But that's not to say that come January of 27, if we have all the necessary DSA approvals, we can't be putting in the infrastructure and ultimately laying those tennis courts,

that tennis could potentially be open as early as April or May, right? So,

there's a lot of unknowns, there's a lot of variables. What we anticipate is

of variables. What we anticipate is August of 27 for everything to be 100%.

But we are looking for ways to try to roll it out incrementally to get it done faster.

Great. So, I'd like to make a motion to accept the subcommittee recommendation to reorder our projects such that the AI

AI project um is done under this bond.

Do >> we have a second?

>> Do we have a second?

>> Yes, I will second. I thought you just said you were seconding.

>> I'll second.

>> Which project will you second? I I just love hearing the act. I would like to second the athletic infrastructure additions and improvements.

>> It'll have to be spelled out. Um, thank

you. And do we have the eyes?

>> I I >> So, I mean, the motion has passed. Um,

thank you.

Woo!

>> All right. Congratulations. Um,

good to see everybody again. Uh, we're

going to move on to our next agenda item, which is 13.2, the second interim report for the period

ending January 31st, 2026.

25.

I heard the voice.

Um, so she went to the bathroom. So,

>> you want to get ready? Yeah. Okay. Um,

we're going to start up with uh 13.2.

Everybody ready?

>> Miss Charz, you're going to have to push the alarm.

When did you know?

>> Okay, we're ready. 13.2

uh approval of second interim report for the period ending January 31st, 2026.

>> Deja vu.

>> Um so good good evening.

>> I literally had board members presentations >> because what do you got?

>> They're so noisy. Um so we'll be presenting the second interim report um for the period ending January 31st. But

before I do that, I'd like to present our executive fiscal director Medie Rivzy who has been with us since October.

>> So and you met some already. So

>> okay, so with that being said, um we're going to um go on to the next slide. So

um again our presentation is grounded in our mission and in our four E um excellence, equity, engagement and enrichment. And this evening we're going

enrichment. And this evening we're going to present the unrestricted our focus is unrestricted general fund. We're going

to look at budget highlights. Um the

fund one through four summary, the variance report, our ADA enrollment, multi-year projections, fund 20, federal

funding, other funds, Prop 98 minimum funding and settle up and next steps.

And tonight we're asking the board to approve our second interim um report.

So our budget highlights um the first thing is that we actually we are we have a positive certification that means that we can meet our fiscal obligations for

the current year and two subsequent years. So we're presenting our budget as

years. So we're presenting our budget as um as positive.

Um the other thing that we need to mention is that um since we closed the the second interim in January, we had settled with three of our um bargaining

groups. The impact of that is not

groups. The impact of that is not included in the second interim because it's a subsequent event. Um it will be handled with in the AB1200 um that we present to the board in terms

of settlements.

Um and another thing that we have to um to mention is that we use the one-time savings. Second interim is a point at

savings. Second interim is a point at which we look at the budget and any unspent BA balances we take it to the bottom line which is actually helping

our ending fund balance at the second interim and in turn it's also helping the beginning balance for 2627 which is a budget year that we're working on

right now. Um the other thing um our

right now. Um the other thing um our contribution to special ed at SEC at first interim we had contributed 3.2

million. Um tonight you'll see that this

million. Um tonight you'll see that this amount has been reduced by 1.1 million.

Um but we're evaluating this amount to determine if it's one time or ongoing.

We've treated it as a one-time adjustment which means the following year it's gone back up by 1.1 million.

But um but this is being evaluated um with the project team.

And as a reminder also um the board on at the February 5th meeting approved an increase to sped transportation by 600,000.

Um let's see. Um the undesated fund balance um is $2.3 million which is a far cry from the negative $6,000 we had

at first in this is mainly due to one-time savings and um as before we have not set aside funds for the LCAP

supplemental um 800,000. Awesome.

um 800,000. Awesome.

So the fund one through four summary, it's important because on the next slide you can see we have several columns. Um

and the columns um include the fund one unrestricted, the fund one restricted, fund two unrestricted and restricted, BEP and bearer. And the far three

columns are the total unrestricted, the total restricted and the total fund. And

why is this important? It's important

because what uh most people look at are the last three columns and they think that's the district's general fund. It's

not include it includes BAP. So um so for instance our revenues for the unrestricted general fund which is our focus is 124 million. When they're

looking at the total fund they're looking at 237 million and unrestricted total they're looking at 194. So we have

to set the stage because our focus when we're determining whether we're positive, negative or whether we can afford um things that we have promised

is the unrestricted general fund which is the first column.

So with that um I'm going to turn it over to Medie to do the variance report where we're looking at the change from the first interrum to the second

interim. Yes. So in these variance

interim. Yes. So in these variance reports these are important because um at the beginning of the year we have the adopted budget and then we have the

first entrance and now we are into second ent. So the numbers change during

second ent. So the numbers change during the year and what we have to um present here what was the situation at first in what is the second in

what has changed and what are the reasons for those changes. So the there are four main areas that we have identified as ABC D and on this first

page you could see that we are showing you first a saving of um the 1.2 2 million and there are some details that

you could see. But then that saving has been offset by $600,000.

The the $600,000 uh for the special ed transportation that was approved by the board earlier.

So then our uh what we will be saving here is $.6

million.

Then we go on and we are looking at um uh inter fund transfers.

Previously in the first entry that the approval was for $700,000.

Now we are saying that $1 million from fund 20 into the fund one. So that is $300,000 additional.

On the next page, the point C that we see here, what Pauline earlier highlighted,

we have identified those savings that we believe we will be able to um recoup in the special ad areas and which is

slightly above $1 million.

And most likely they will be one time we will be evaluating but at the moment they are taken as a saving only in current year and not in the next two

years.

And the last item uh that we have is there is a slight adjustment for the labor um agreements. Previously it was almost

um agreements. Previously it was almost $2 million.

Now we are talking about $1.6 million.

So it is a saving of around $.3 million.

And again what Paulina earlier stated I will reiterate that this is based on numbers as of January 31st. So whatever

we have agreed the bargaining agreements and with those three unions those numbers are not part of the presentation here.

>> Okay. Thanks Mie. So um Mie shared um what's causing the change from first interim to second interim and as I mentioned earlier a lot of that is due

to one time um savings or onetime unspent balances.

Um next we're going to look at the ADA and enrollment. And this chart um I have

and enrollment. And this chart um I have shared this before. Nothing has changed um because we're still um sticking with

the assumptions um the still the same enrollment and attendance um assumptions.

And um on this slide, as I have demonstrated before, um the funded ADA is now the same as the um as the P2 ADA.

And that's because we're no longer benefiting from um mitigating factors that the state put in place due to the um pandemic. So for instance you can see

um pandemic. So for instance you can see in 2021 the third row down um we actually received 9426

um from the state whereas our actual P280 was 9,09 that's in the first column. So in the third row and the

column. So in the third row and the fifth row you can see that we're funded at a higher amount. Now we're in 2526 and the outy years um that third row

we're at 8923 which is the same as the fifth row which is the P2 ADA. So we're

now getting exactly what our attendance is and that's what drives our LCFF calculator.

Um, next we're going to look at the multi-year projections. And as I

multi-year projections. And as I mentioned earlier, this does not include um negotiated increases and it's based

on the governor's 2627 proposed budget.

Um, whoops. How do I go back? Oh.

Ah, got it. So, um, what's included here is the assumptions from the governor's budget for 2627.

So the coler that was higher um when we presented the first interim it's now at 2.41 and the revenues have decreased by

600,000 in 2627.

No other changes on this page. So we

have actually taken something from the governor's budget and that's just the assumption for revenue um in cola.

On the next page, you can see um our expenditures for 2526 um is significantly less than 2627 and that's because we took one-time

savings that brought our expense expenditures down to 108.8 8, but those expenses are actually added back in 2627

um because like I said there were one time savings and then the increase in expenses in 2627 would be the cola uh

the the step column in in expenses um sources and uses of the next section and what's important to note in this section is that the transfer from fund

20 that Medi explained um had increased by 300,000.

That's a million dollar, but it's one time. It's only being recognized in

time. It's only being recognized in 2627.

And then the transfer to special ed, which is further down in that section, um is 33.5 million, but you can see it goes up to 34.5 million in the out

years. And what does this do to our um

years. And what does this do to our um our change in fund balance? um because

of one-time savings. You can see we have a surplus a one-time surplus of 2.9 million in 2526 where deficit spending in 2627

and we have an undesated fund balance 2.1 million in 2526 reduced to 300 in 2627 and pretty much

zero in 2728. But this is before we introduce budget balancing solutions and before we know what the governor is going to do with one-time funding for

2627.

So the other thing um that we looked at um medic mentioned that we transferred funds from fund 20 and this is a a view

of um an estimate of um our ending fund balances over the years. um in fund 20.

And again, this is set aside for um paying for actual cost of retirement. Um

and you can see the costs kind of fluctuate yeartoyear and we're looking into that. Um but we're estimating that

into that. Um but we're estimating that we're going to be spending $900,000 in 2526 and we'll have uh a ending fund

balance of about 1.3 million. Um the

transfers out is the million that we mentioned before. So at first interim

mentioned before. So at first interim that slide would have had 700,000.

So um so we've been using this um to kind of shore up the unrestricted general fund on a one-time basis. We had a

significant um transfer out in 2425 of $6 million.

Um, so our fund balance went from 7 million to 2 million. So, um, this is not a source that can be used for ongoing funds. Um, we're down to a

ongoing funds. Um, we're down to a million dollars at this point.

>> Um, did you want to talk about federal funding?

>> Yes. So federal funding you could see that we received those federal funding

in four funds 1, 11, 12 and 13th and fund 51 is also highlighted but we don't control that fund 51 that is the bond

interest and redemption money. So we

really don't control and the county treasurer they control this. We have um we um look into the other four first

four funds and as you could see that we have not made any changes into those funds between the first entry and the second entry. This is due to the

second entry. This is due to the uncertainty that we have at the moment and al

we have tried to keep those numbers on the lower side and hopefully even this money we we are hoping that we will be able to receive even this this much

money uh from the federal government.

>> Thanks Marty.

So, um, as a reminder, um, our while our focus is on the unrestricted general fund, the district does have several other funds, um, an ending fund balance

of $140 million. We've listed the funds.

Um, we've listed the beginning fund balances and the ending fund balances.

Fund 20 here is at 1.2 million. So, um, there's a little bit of

million. So, um, there's a little bit of a discrepancy between the estimate that we had, but the this is an interesting slide because it gives us the full

picture of the district's budget, not just the unrestricted general fund, which is our focus.

And then, um, there's been a lot of discussion about our Prop 98 minimum guarantee and settle up. So I presented

some slides in terms of what is a Prop 98 minimum guarantee and what it isn't.

So it is a constitutional amendment that guarantees funding that legally binds um a minimum minimum annual funding level

for schools. Um they do go through a

for schools. Um they do go through a three test um process and we're funded at the um at the highest calculation.

Um however this can be suspended when revenues are low and um the suspension actually creates a maintenance factor or

a debt that must be paid back. So it's

not a re predictable revenue stream.

It's not a shield against budget renew maneuvers. It's not for specific

maneuvers. It's not for specific programs. It's not an unbreakable promise. It's not a funding ceiling. and

promise. It's not a funding ceiling. and

it's not always full funding and that's when we we get into the settle up arrangement.

So then um with the settle up um this is basically the recognition that the state failed to pay us the full amount that we were guaranteed

and um so it's not a permanent funding increase and it does not guarantee immediate payments um and it's not voluntary. The minimum

guarantee is revised upwards. the state

must pay the difference to meet the constitutional requirement.

So, um it is a debt that the state owes us, but they kind of decide when they're going to pay it. There's no guaranteed time as to when it's going to um be

paid. So, on the next slide, um what can

paid. So, on the next slide, um what can we do? Oh, well, I'll just skip this

we do? Oh, well, I'll just skip this section. Actually, no, this is important

section. Actually, no, this is important because this kind of gives you a history of the setup. Um, we have a $5.6 billion setup that the state owes us,

which is about $8 million for Berkeley.

Um, this is a huge amount um for any district, especially our district. In

2425, there was a $1.9 billion settle. So, um,

they're basically kicking the can down the road and, um, it does not necessarily equal to total need. is just

addressing the the difference between the estimated and the actual revenue figures and it's not necessarily what we need for programs and it's not part of

the main budget calculation. It's like

an oh by the way we owe you guys this amount. So um on the next slide um we

amount. So um on the next slide um we have to take action to secure the um the owed prop 98 funds. So there's

coalitionbased lobbying um or CSBA or CTA and school superintendence advocacy.

Um and on the next slide um direct lobbying and testifying and then also um the fact that there's a oh I'm not on

the next the fact that there's a settle process. We have to make sure that the

process. We have to make sure that the state does pay us what um what they owe us. Um and that's important for us to

us. Um and that's important for us to maintain our programs. So So what's next? Um we have to look

forward to the governor's may revision.

He may um change any of the assumptions that he gave us um with his January budget. Hopefully he will tell us more

budget. Hopefully he will tell us more about the one-time spudbug funding. Um

so we're hoping to hear more about that.

Um we're in the middle of conducting meetings with the superintendent's budget advisory committee and other partners and that's going to allow us to

um finalize the target and have strategies to meet the target. So we had a meeting with ESPback just before we came here and I think our next one is on

the ETH. Um we have to um finalize the

the ETH. Um we have to um finalize the impact of the cost of negotiations on the target. Um, we have to evaluate

the target. Um, we have to evaluate program costs as we try to find efficiencies in trying to meet the target. And of course, our drive is to

target. And of course, our drive is to continue lobbying for Prop 98 setup funds because then, you know, our target

would possibly not even be in existence at that point.

So, um, we are going to be closely monitoring federal funding as well. of

the funding that many presented um to assess funding for programs because it is going to impact future funding. So

>> and in fact if I could add one thing what we are just seeing in the stock market which is going down and the

revenues that California state of California receives capital gains is one of the bigger pie of that. So if the

stock market is going down so what we believe that in May the numbers for the prop 98 guarantee would be lower.

>> Mhm. So at the moment I don't have any hard data against it but this is what has happened and because uh the revenues for the state comes from the capital

gains the personal income tax and the sales tax those are three main revenue sources and capital gains we see that would be lower.

>> Okay thanks.

So um again we are faced with near um near and long-term challenges and we need to continue to develop comprehensive plans to maintain fiscal

solveny and preserve the integrity of our educational programs. So um there's a section on staying informed and engaged. Um but that's just

has like um the information that we have on our budgets. So, we'll take any questions at this time.

>> Thank you so much. That was um really helpful and I appreciate the time you put in put into this. And I I got that pre-exposure on the audit committee and I really appreciate the hard work you've

put in to ensure that our district's our district maintains solveny and continues to be in the black. Um I know that that the line is pretty uh close

pretty uh close >> in terms of um our reserves and you know >> in terms of um our reserves and you know hitting the reserves and also the 3% hitting the reserves and also the 3% statutory requirement statutory requirement >> right >> right >> and the um the remaining budget to work

>> and the um the remaining budget to work with. Um do board members have

with. Um do board members have with. Um do board members have

with. Um do board members have questions?

questions?

>> I don't have any questions but I have a >> I don't have any questions but I have a comment. Um I know that that the line is

comment. Um I know that that the line is comment. I just want to put in my, you

comment. I just want to put in my, you know, weekly plug for the fact that California is the fourth largest economy in the world and that there is no reason that we have the kind of budget crisis

that we have that means we have to lay off um folks that work in some of our, you know, really beloved programs and

that if we were actually to get the Prop 98 guarantee, um, we would be getting another at least $8 million. It's about

$1,000 per ADA and that would almost entirely eliminate the need for any March 15th or May 15th uh letters. So,

um I just encourage anyone who's in the audience or listening online or to the recording later um to make sure you get involved in that advocacy because it really is

important. There's absolutely no reason

important. There's absolutely no reason we can't fully fund education in California and healthcare. Thank you.

>> Thank you.

>> I'll just ditto what both of my colleagues said. First, really grateful

colleagues said. First, really grateful for all the hard work. Grateful for the positive budget certification. It's nice

to see the numbers moving in a positive direction even if it's still, you know, there's still budget challenges ahead of us unless we win the fight over Prop 98.

>> Um, >> when we win the fight over Prop 98, everything will be rosy.

>> Um, yeah, and I participated today in a lobbying session with CSBA >> um that was organized. So I I was with other schoolboard members from um other

from other local districts meeting with one of our legislators today and Prop 98 was the top issue that we were talking about. So um there to your point Pauline

about. So um there to your point Pauline there are multiple organizations who are working on this and um we all need to keep the pressure on.

>> Yeah.

>> Absolutely. Thank you so much. And and

does our student board member have a question? Add one quick question. So you

question? Add one quick question. So you

know um you did note that um in this I believe this iteration of the board for this that we we had basically borrowed from fund 20 >> to ensure our solveny and we do see the

fun 20 numbers dropping significantly from seven down to 1 something. Um

>> so we need a vote to approve the second interim >> I move to approve the second interim report.

Okay.

>> Second the approval of the second interim report.

>> Uh do we have the eyes?

>> I >> I >> I think it's unanimous. Okay.

>> This has a form.

>> Liz is going to give you the um >> Okay. We got got to get the the form

>> Okay. We got got to get the the form out. Thank you.

out. Thank you.

>> Thank you.

Um so we don't have any um comments online and we don't have any do board member comments.

No.

>> Okay. So we've adjourned the meeting.

Thank you so much.

I had a lot of slides.

>> I know.

No, just sign above the uh above your name.

>> That's it.

>> Yeah, he's signing it. Let me grab it.