* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] GOOD [I. Welcome and Opening Remarks] MORNING EVERYONE. WELCOME TO OUR FINAL GREENING SCHOOLS AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE COMMITTEE OF THE 24 25 ACADEMIC YEAR. WOW. THIS YEAR REALLY FLEW BY. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT Y'ALL, BUT IT WAS LIKE, WHEW. NOW WE'RE ALREADY IN, IN COMING SOON. NEXT WEEK WILL BE JUNE. UM, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS YEAR HAS BEEN A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT ONE FOR ROSAS. UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, WITH CLIMATE IMPACTS INTENSIFYING AND THE ONGOING CHALLENGE OF WILDFIRES CONTINUING TO AFFECT OUR COMMUNITIES, THESE CHALLENGES REMIND US OF THE URGENCY OF OUR WORK HERE TODAY AND OF THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR COLLECTIVE EFFORTS TO CREATE A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR OUR SCHOOLS, OUR STUDENTS, AND OUR CITY. AS WE GATHER HERE TODAY, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE NO LONGER A DISTANT CONCERN. THEY'RE HERE IN OUR FACES, UM, AND THEY'RE IMPACTING US. NOW, WHETHER IT'S A DEVASTATING WILDFIRES THAT HAVE RAVAGED PARTS OF OUR STATE OR IN, IN OUR CITY, OR THE INCREASING TEMPERATURES AFFECTING OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR SCHOOLS, OUR STUDENTS ARE FEELING IT. WE ARE FEELING THE PRESSURE TO MAKE CHANGE NOW, BUT IT'S ALSO A TIME FOR ACTION. WE'RE NOT JUST FACING THESE ISSUES. WE ARE RESPONDING TO THEM FROM GREENING OUR SCHOOL CAMPUSES TO IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES. WE ARE ENSURING THAT OUR SCHOOLS BECOME NOT ONLY SAFER, BUT MORE RESILIENT, AND ALSO SPACES THAT FOSTER HEALTH AND THE WELLBEING OF ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF. OUR WORK IS PART OF A LARGER MOVEMENT, AND EACH OF YOU HERE TODAY, PARTICULARLY OUR STUDENTS AND ALL OUR STAFF AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS, WE EVERYONE HERE PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN THIS CRITICAL PROCESS. THE WORK WE DO TOGETHER WILL HELP US BETTER NAVIGATE THE CHALLENGES AHEAD, ENSURING THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTHY GREEN SPACES WHERE THEY CAN THRIVE AND WHERE THEIR FUTURES ARE PROTECTED FROM THE GROWING CLIMATE CRISIS. I'M EXCITED ABOUT TODAY'S DISCUSSIONS AND THE PROGRESS WE'VE MADE ON AN ONGOING EFFORTS. WE HAVE A FULL AGENDA AHEAD FILLED WITH UPDATES FROM OUR KEY PARTNERS AND INSPIRING SPEAKERS, ALL CONTRIBUTING TO THE BROADER GOALS WE SHARE FOR A GREENER, HEALTHIER A-L-U-S-D. BEFORE WE DIVE IN, I WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES, UH, EXTERNAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS, DISTRICT STAFF, OUR CHIEFS, NONPROFIT PARTNERS, AND ALL THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ENGAGE IN THIS IMPORTANT DIS IN THESE IMPORTANT DISCUSSIONS FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND HARD WORK AND FOR THE ON CONTINUING TO BRING YOUR IDEAS, PASSION, AND EXPERTISE TO THE TABLE AS WE WORK TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR OUR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES. NOW, LET ME, UM, LET'S TAKE A BRIEF LOOK AT TODAY'S AGENDA. [II. Public Comment (Part 1 of 2)] FIRST, WE'LL OPEN THE FLOOR TO PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, THIS IS A VITAL PART OF OUR MEETING, ALLOWING MEMBERS OF PUBLIC TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS AND CONCERNS. MR. MICHAEL MCLEAN FACILITATE THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD, GIVING EVERYONE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND ENGAGE IN WITH US IN THIS IMPORTANT ISSUES WE'RE DISCUSSING TODAY. THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO A VERY SPECIAL PART OF OUR MEETING, THE HEROES FOR ZERO AWARDS CEREMONY HERE TODAY. YAY. I'M SO EXCITED. MR. CHRISTUS CLIO. OUR CHIEF ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER WILL LEAD THIS CEREMONY WHERE WE'LL CELEBRATE THE OUTSTANDING SCHOOLS STUDENTS AND THEIR SUPPORT TEAMS WHO HAVE SHOWN EXCEPTIONAL DEDICATION TO OUR SUSTAINABILITY AND ZERO WASTE EFFORTS. THESE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE VITAL TO BUILDING A GREENER FUTURE, AND WE ARE SO THRILLED TO HONOR EVERYONE'S HARD WORK HERE TODAY. FOLLOWING THE AWARD CEREMONY CHRISTOS AND MR. JIM TORRANCE, UM, JAMIE TORRANCE, SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE SUPERINTENDENT WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE PROGRESS FROM THE E SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE. THEY'LL WALK US THROUGH THE LATEST INITIATIVES AND THE STEPS WE'VE TAKEN THIS YEAR TO MAKE OUR SCHOOLS MORE SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT. THESE UPDATES WILL GIVE US CLEAR PICTURE OF WHERE WE STAND AND WHAT'S AHEAD AS WE CONTINUE TO PUSH FORWARD WITH OUR GOALS, INCLUDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR RECENT RESOLUTION, STRENGTHENING GREEN INITIATIVES THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. NEXT, WE'RE EXCITED TO HEAR FROM MS. CHRISTINA TOS, WHO WILL PRESENT THE 2025 GREENING FORECAST. THIS PRESENTATION WILL OUTLINE OUR VISION FOR THE NEXT STEPS IN GREENING, L-A-U-S-D. MS. TOS WILL SHARE KEY STRATEGIES, UH, PROJECT AND INITIATIVES THAT WILL HELP US MEET OUR SUSTAINABLE SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS AND CONTINUE MAKING OUR SCHOOLS MORE ECO-FRIENDLY IN THE COMING YEARS. NOW LET'S DIVE INTO TODAY'S DISCUSSION, STARTING WITH PUBLIC [00:05:01] COMMENTS. MR. MCLEAN, PLEASE TAKE IT AWAY. OKAY. SO WE'LL CALL ON THE FOLKS WHO ARE IN PERSON FIRST, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO THOSE WHO ARE CALLING REMOTELY. WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA GET TO ABOUT HALF THE LIST NOW, AND THEN WE'LL DO THE PRESENTATION AND THEN AT THE END OF THE MEETING, WE'LL, WE WILL DO THE REST OF THE LIST. ALRIGHT, SO WOULD, UH, FRANCESCA DE LA ROSA, PLEASE COME ON UP. FRANCESCA DE LA ROSA. YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN, AND THEN AFTER, UH, MS. DE LA ROSA IS A BOLIVIA, SO COME ON UP. YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS FRANCESCA DELAROSA. I'M HERE REPRESENTING THE LOS ANGELES LIVING SCHOOLYARDS COALITION. THANK YOU, DR. RIVAS, FOR YOUR WORK IN GETTING US HERE TODAY. THE PASSAGE OF YOUR RESOLUTION CO-SPONSORED BY FOUR OF YOUR COLLEAGUES TO REDUCE AND REMOVE FEES CHARGED TO NONPROFIT PARTNERS. WORKING ON GREENING PROJECTS WAS A SIGNIFICANT STEP TO EXPANDING THE POLICY GOALS AND THE MOMENTUM SET BY THE PASSAGE OF THE GREEN SCHOOLS FOR ALL RESOLUTION. THE LIVING SCHOOL YARDS COALITION HAS COLLECTIVELY BROUGHT IN OVER $50 MILLION IN FUNDS TO GREEN L-A-U-S-D SCHOOLS AT NO COST TO THE DISTRICT, BUT WE HAVE YET TO SEE REAL COMMITMENT AND EXECUTION OF DISTRICT PROMISES TO REDUCE UNNECESSARY DELAYS AND COST BURDENS. OUR COALITION REPRESENTS 41 CAL FIRE PROJECTS. IT IS GOING TO BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO MEET THE MARCH, 2026 CAL FIRE DEADLINE TO IMPLEMENT THESE PROJECTS. IF YOUR DEPARTMENTS DO NOT URGENTLY FACILITATE A MORE COST EFFICIENT AND TRANSPARENT APPROVALS PROCESS. THIS DOESN'T JUST MEAN 41 LESS SCREENING PROJECTS ACROSS THE DISTRICT. IT MEANS LASD IS AT RISK OF LOSING FUTURE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES. IF WE CAN'T DEMONSTRATE SUCCESS WITH THESE PROJECTS, WE JEOPARDIZE THE PUBLIC'S FAITH AND THE DISTRICT'S CREDIBILITY ON THIS ISSUE. MANY OF OUR PROJECTS ARE BEING SQUEEZED BY DISTRICT FEES TO THE POINT OF BEING FORCED TO SCALE BACK. IN SOME CASES, MORE THAN HALF OF THEIR PROPOSED SCOPE, CUTTING BACK ON COMMUNITY SUPPORTED GREENING AND PLAYGROUND UPGRADES. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? IT MEANS LESS GREENING. SINCE THE PASSAGE OF YOUR RESOLUTION EARLIER THIS YEAR, THINGS ARE NOT GETTING BETTER. THEY ARE GETTING WORSE. COST DELAYS AND ARBITRARY REQUIREMENTS IMPOSED ON PARTNERS ARE ON THE RISE AND INNOVATIVE NATURE FOCUSED DESIGN. IT'S ONCE AGAIN BEING DOWNSIZED FOR HOT BLACKTOP. SO I'M HERE TODAY TO SAY PUSH BACK. I URGE YOU TO ASK DEPARTMENT STAFF FOR MORE DETAILS AND FOR A REAL PLAN AS DIRECTED IN YOUR RESOLUTION. PROGRESS FOR US BEGINS WITH STREAMLINING, WAIVING THE FEES, CUTTING THE TAPE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. A OLI, COME ON UP. OKAY. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS A, I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF RECLAIM OUR SCHOOLS LOS ANGELES. UH, WE'RE PART TO PARTNER WITH THE LA LA NEIGHBORHOOD LAND TRUST AND SCHOOL COMMUNITIES LIKE 93RD STREET ON THE ON TRANSFORMATIVE SCHOOLYARD GREENING PROJECTS. UM, THIS PROJECT ISN'T JUST ABOUT PHYSICAL REDESIGN, IT'S ABOUT RACIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. MANY OF OUR L-A-U-S-D SCHOOLS ARE IN HISTORICALLY DISINVESTED NEIGHBORHOODS. THEY HAVE TOO MUCH ASPHALT, NOT ENOUGH GREEN SPACE, AND TOO LITTLE SAY IN WHAT THEIR CAMPUSES LOOK LIKE. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO CHANGE THAT, TO LET COMMUNITIES IN THAT, THAT ARE THE MOST IMPACTED SHAPE, WHAT THEY NEED AND DESERVE AT RECLAIM. WE'VE SURVEYED PARENTS ABOUT THEIR PRIORITIES FOR L-A-U-S-D SCHOOLS FOR EIGHT YEARS NOW, AND GREENING CONSISTENTLY RINGS AMONGST THE TOP. FAMILIES WANT SAFER, HEALTHIER CAMPUSES, PLACES WHERE STUDENTS CAN LEARN, PLAY, AND THRIVE IN CONNECTION WITH NATURE. WE'RE DOING THAT AT 93RD STREET. UM, THANKS TO OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS AT THE LAND TRUST, THE PROJECT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BECAUSE THE LAND TRUST SECURED A CAL FIRE GRANT. THIS KIND OF INVESTMENT SHOULD BE MET WITH URGENCY BY THE DISTRICT. WE APPRECIATE THE STEPS THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN. UM, YOU TOOK STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION BY PASSING THE RESOLUTION TO EASE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN A A FEW MONTHS AGO. BUT THE REALITY IS THE PROCESS IS STILL ISN'T MOVING FAST ENOUGH. OUR, UM, THESE OUTDATED POLICIES, THESE NARROW DESIGN DEFINITIONS AND UNCLEAR TIMELINES ARE STILL MAKING IT HARD FOR COMMUNITIES TO BRING THEIR FULL VISION TO LIFE. WE SEE THAT AT 93RD STREET WHERE PARENTS HAVE GIVEN FEEDBACK, HAVE CHOSEN THE DESIGNS THAT THEY WANT, HAVE TALKED ABOUT NATURE PLAY, AND HOW EXCITING THAT IS FOR THEM. AND NOW WE'RE HAVING TO GO BACK TO THEM AND SAY, WE CAN'T DO THAT, BECAUSE THE DISTRICT'S POLICIES DO NOT ALLOW FOR THIS TO BE CONSIDERED PLAY. WE'RE TELLING KIDS THAT NATURE PLAY IS NOT CONSIDERED PLAY. L-H-U-S-D SHOULD BE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO STREAMLINE THIS PROCESS. UM, THE FUNDING IS HERE, THE FAMILIES [00:10:01] ARE ENGAGED, AND WE JUST NEED YOU TO MEET US AT THE TABLE. LET'S WORK TO THE TOGETHER TO DELIVER THE KIND OF GREEN JUST AND WELCOMING CAMPUSES OUR STUDENTS DESERVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. ANGELA POLK. ANGELA POLK, COME ON DOWN. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN, AND THEN AFTER MS. POLK WILL BE, UH, LETICIA GUINO. GOOD MORNING. YOU SEE, I'M PROUD OF MY SCHOOL. I AM A PARENT AT 93RD STREET SCHOOL. I'M ON A-P-T-A-I VOLUNTEER AND I ALSO SHARE A FOCUS HELPING DESIGN OUR NEW SCHOOLS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LA NEIGHBORHOOD LAND TRUST AND RE RECLAIM OUR SCHOOL. LA AS A PARENT, I WAS HONESTLY SO EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THIS PROGRAM AND FELT REALLY GOOD ABOUT THE INPUT TO IMAGINE SPACE WHERE OUR KIDS COULD FEEL HAPPY, SAFE, CONNECTED TO NATURE. OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO A LOT OF GREEN SPACE, AND WE'VE HAD A HARD DREAMS OF THIS FOR OUR YARD, BUT AS WE PROCEED, HAS GONE ON AND HAS BEEN REALLY DISHEARTENING TO SEE HOW MANY OF THOSE HAVE BEEN CHIPPED AWAY BECAUSE OF THE DISTRICT RESTRICTION. FOR EXAMPLE, THE PLAYSTATION REQUIREMENT AND THE TREES, THE RULES ENDED UP FORCING US TO DRAMATICALLY REDUCE THE NATURE TRAIL. UM, AS A PARENT, I TALK TO MY CHILDREN EVERY DAY. I'M OUT ON THE YARD WITH THEM EVERY DAY. WHEN THEY SAW THAT WE WERE GONNA GET GREENERY, THEY WERE ECSTATIC. THEY WERE SO HAPPY. UM, THE ASPHALT IS SO HARD, SO HOT, THEY HAVE NO SHADE AT ALL, ESPECIALLY AT 93RD. WE HAVE ONE TREE AND THAT'S IT. AS LSD HAS DEMANDED, PLAY IS SO LIMITED. NATURE-BASED PLAY DOESN'T EVEN COUNT. SO A LOT OF THE YARD STILL ENDS UP BEING COVERED WITH ASPHALT. THE SPORTS, THEY'VE FALLEN, THEY'VE SCRATCHED KNEES. WE'VE HAD HEAD INJURIES AT OUR SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THE ASPHALT, NO SHADE TO SIT AND RELAX AND THINK ABOUT, OH, LET'S ENJOY OUR TIME. IT'S JUST THEY REALLY ARE DISAPPOINTED FOR THEM. FOR ALL OF US, THIS IS A ONE TIME OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD SOMETHING TRULY SPECIAL FOR OUR KIDS. BUT RIGHT NOW, IT'S TOO MANY BARRIERS THAT ARE IN OUR WAY. I'M HERE TO SUPPORT AS A PARENT AND HOPE THAT YOU GUYS WILL PLEASE TAKE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF WHAT I'M ASKING FOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU GUYS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. SPEAKER IS LETICIA GRINO, COME ON UP. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. GOOD MORNING. HELLO, MY NAME IS LETA GUINO AND I SERVE AS A COMMUNITY SCHOOL COORDINATOR AT SHARP AVENUE COMMUNITY SCHOOL. SHARP ELEMENTARY IS ONE OF OUR, THE FOUR SCHOOLS THAT WERE SELECTED TO BENEFIT FROM A CAL FIRE GRANT AWARDED TO THE LOS ANGELES BEAUTIFICATION TEAM, LEBT. THIS GRANT TOTALING 2.6 MILLION FOR THE 2022 2023 CYCLE, WAS MEANT TO SUPPORT GREENING PROJECTS ACROSS ELECTED CAMPUSES. HOWEVER, AS OF 2025, OUR SCHOOL HAS ONLY SEEN THE PLANTING OF FIVE TREES AND NO SIGNIFICANT GREENING IMPLEMENTATION IMPLEMENTATION HAS OCCURRED. THE DELAY IN THIS PROJECT HAS BECOME A SOURCE OF GROWING FRUSTRATION FOR OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY, INCLUDING PARENTS, EDUCATORS, STUDENTS, AND OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS. AT LABT, OUR COMMUNITY INVESTED TIME AND EFFORT INTO THE GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS. OUR STUDENTS WHO WERE THIRD GRADERS WHEN THIS GRANT WAS AWARDED, ARE NOW FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS. THEY'RE ABOUT TO LEAVE OUR CAMPUS WITHOUT EVER SEEING THEIR SCHOOL YARD TRANSFORMED. WHILE WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR LEBT FOR SECURING THESE VITAL FUNDS, WE ARE ALSO DISHEARTENED BY THE BUREAUCRATIC HURDLES AND EXCESSIVE FEES IMPOSED BY THE DISTRICT, WHICH HAS STALLED PROGRESS AND DEPLETED THE ORIGINAL FUNDING. THESE FINANCIAL BARRIERS HAVE FOCUSED IN SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS TO OUR ORIGINAL PLANS, INCLUDING THE REMOVAL OF PROPOSED OUTDOOR CLASSROOM SPACES AND THE INSTALLATION OF JUST A SINGLE GRASSY AREA, A FRACTION OF WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY ENVISIONED. THIS IS JUST NOT ABOUT LANDSCAPING. THIS PROJECT IS CRITICAL FOR HEALTH, WELLBEING, AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF OUR STUDENTS. OUR SCHOOL IS LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE FIVE FREEWAY IN ONE OF THE HOTTEST REGIONS OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY. OUR SCHOOL YARD CURRENTLY CONSISTS MOST OF BLACKTOP. WE ARE CONSIDERED 5.99% ON THE GREEN SCHOOL YARD PLAN. I AM HERE TODAY TO ADVOCATE FOR OUR STUDENTS FOR THE GENERATIONS TO COME. THEY DESERVE BETTER. WE NEED A STREAMLINED PROCESS THAT ALLOWS GREENIE PROJECTS LIKE THIS TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT UNNECESSARY DELAYS AND FEES. WE MUST PROTECT AND PRIORITIZE FUNDING THAT WAS INTENDED FOR STUDENT-CENTERED IMPROVEMENTS AND NOT TO BE, [00:15:01] UH, ALLOWED TO BE SIPHONED AWAY BY RED TAPE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. OKAY, EMILY. TYRA, ARE YOU HERE? EMILY T COME ON UP. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK. AND THEN AFTER EMILY T IS LUCY GUTIERREZ. HELLO AND THANK YOU COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR YOUR CONTINUED ADVOCACY FOR SCHOOL GREENING. I'M EMILY TYRA, AND I'M SPEAKING AS TREE PEOPLE'S DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL GREENING INITIATIVES. TREE PEOPLE HAS A LONG PARTNERSHIP WITH L-A-U-S-D, AND WE'RE CURRENTLY MANAGING OVER $17 MILLION OF GRANTS FOR GREENING PROJECTS AT 15 SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT. WE'VE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE, AND WE'D REALLY LIKE TO THANK CHRISTOS CLIO AND HIS TEAM AS THEY'VE BEEN VITAL PARTNERS ON THIS PROJECT, ON THESE PROJECTS. OUR SCHOOL GREENING TEAM IS WORKING AS FAST AS WE CAN TO COMPETE 12 TO COMPLETE 12 AMBITIOUS SCHOOL GREENING PROJECTS WITH FUNDING FROM CAL FIRE AWARDED IN 2023. THESE ARE SIMPLE PROJECTS. THEY'RE GRASS, SHRUBS, AND TREES, BUT THE PROCESS HAS BECOME INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE AND COMPLEX DUE TO L-A-U-S-D REQUIREMENTS, INCLUDING LENGTHY DESIGN REVIEWS OVER THE TOP TESTING AND REMEDIATION REQUIREMENTS, DETAILED AND INVOLVED, UM, OVERLY INVOLVED CONSTRUCTION OVERSIGHT, A DA COMPLIANCE THAT REACHES FAR BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT AND CONSTANTLY CHANGING AND ENDLESS RULES AND REGULATIONS THAT ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP UP WITH. WITH THE GRANT COMPLETION DATE OF MARCH, 2026, GREENING PARTNERS HAVE ONLY NINE MONTHS REMAINING TO COMPLETE THESE PROJECTS. FINISHING BY THEN WILL BE A HERCULEAN TASK, AND WE ARE ASKING THE DISTRICT TO WORK WITH US, EXPEDITING CONSTRUCTION TIMELINES, CUTTING RED TAPE AND REDUCING EXPENSES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IF THESE PROJECTS AREN'T FINISHED BY MARCH OF NEXT YEAR, LUSD STUDENTS WILL MISS OUT ON THE GREENER COOLER SCHOOLYARDS THAT THEY DESERVE AND AN UNPRECEDENTED STATE INVESTMENT IN SCHOOL. GREEN SCHOOLYARDS WILL GO UNREALIZED SETTING THE DISTRICT BACK IN, ACHIEVING THE AMBITIOUS GOALS IN ITS GREEN SCHOOLS FOR ALL PLAN. UM, AS THE BUDGET WORKSHOP MEETING ON MAY 19TH, THE ADMINISTRATION PRESENTED A BUDGET PRIORITY OF $3 MILLION FOR GREENING PARTNERS. THIS IS ESSENTIAL FOR GREENING PARTNERS TO COMPLETE THIS ROUND OF PROJECTS, BUT IT'S A ONE-TIME INVESTMENT AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR A LONG-TERM FIX. UM, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. OKAY, UP NEXT IS LUCY GUTIERREZ, AND THEN AFTER, UH, MS. GUTIERREZ IS STEPHANIE GALLEGOS. HELLO, MY NAME IS LUCY GUTIERREZ. I AM A SAN FERNANDO VALLEY RESIDENT AND THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE AT SHARP ELEMENTARY. THE GREEN SPACE PROJECT AT SHARP IS VITAL FOR THE WELLBEING OF OUR STUDENTS, STAFF, FAMILY, AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY. IT WILL TRANSFORM OUR PREDOMINANTLY ASPHALT COVERED CAMPUS INTO A MORE WELCOMING SHAPED SPACE, IMPROVING AIR QUALITY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE FIVE FREEWAY LOCATED BESIDE THE SCHOOL, PROVIDING COOLING COOLER AREAS FOR STUDENTS DURING THE EXTREME SUMMER. HEAT BEYOND COMFORT, THE PROJECT CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUTDOOR LEARNING WHERE CHILDREN AND TEACHERS CAN DIRECTLY ENGAGE WITH PLANTS, LIVING ORGANISMS AND THE NATURAL WORLD. WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED FIVE TREES AND THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE. STUDENTS NOW PLAY BY THE TREES, CARE FOR THE TREES, AND SHOW GENUINE CURIOSITY AND CONNECTION TO THEM. SEVERAL STUDENTS OF SHARP, JUST LIKE MY LITTLE SISTER, DO NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE ACCESS TO A SAFE SCREEN SPACE AT HOME. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO BRING THEM ACCESS OF A GREEN SPACE. THESE SMALL STEPS HAVE, ARE HAVING A BIG IMPACT ON OUR CHILDREN'S LIVES. WE NEED THE COMMITTEE, THE DIS AND THE DISTRICT TO PUT INTO ACTION THIS RESOLUTION, TO STREAMLINE GREETING PROCESS OF THIS EVERY SIMILAR PROJECT OH, AND EVERY SIMILAR PROJECT TO HELP MAKE THIS AS COST EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. STEPHANIE GALLEGOS, COME ON UP. STEPHANIE GALLEGOS, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK. WHEN SHOULD BEGIN? GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS STEPHANIE GALLEGOS AND I AM A PARENT VOLUNTEER, AND I ALSO, I'M A PARENT WITH THE CAL FIRE PROJECT, SO THANK YOU DR. VISS FOR I NEED TO SPEAK TODAY. LORETO IS SURROUNDED BY THE FIVE FREEWAY, THE ONE 10 FREEWAY, AND THE ONLY MAIN ROAD IS NORTH GRO STREET. WE HAVE NO TREES. UM, WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE BEEN WAITING ON THESE GRANTS TO COME THROUGH. WE DON'T WANNA LOSE THEM. [00:20:01] OUR, MY KIDS PLAY ON VERY, VERY HOT ASPHALT. SO WE DID A PROJECT WITH THE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS. WE PUT A THERMOMETER ON THE GROUND, AND SO IF IT WAS, IF IT'S A HUNDRED, 110 DEGREES OUTSIDE, THE ASPHALT GETS TO UP TO 140, 150. THAT'S WHERE THEY PLAY WITH NO SHADE. SO I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR THIS TO HELP US PUSH THIS THROUGH. I'VE BEEN A PARENT OF THERE FOR ALMOST 14 YEARS AND YEAH, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH. NO SHADE AT ALL. WE'VE BEEN REALLY WORKING HARD. UH, WE WE'RE STILL WAITING AND WE DON'T WANNA LOSE THIS GRANT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. YEAH. ANNABEL VASQUEZ OR ANNABEL VASQUEZ, ARE YOU HERE? COMING UP? WE HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. QUE UH, SO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T SPEAK SPANISH, PLEASE PUT YOUR HANDS UP IF YOU'D LIKE TO EXPERIENCE SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION. AND SO AS THE SPEAKER IS SPEAKING SPANISH, YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR HER IN ENGLISH ON THE HEADPHONES. YEAH. YEAH. SO WE WILL TAKE A MINUTE. IT'S WORTH IT. SO, UH, JUST KEEP YOUR HANDS UP AND WE'LL GET YOU THE HEADSETS. THEY, THEY OPERATE PRETTY SIMPLY ONCE YOU PUT THEM ON, THAT TURNS THEM ON AUTOMATICALLY AND THEY'LL AUTOMATICALLY BE SENT, SET TO THE PROPER CHANNEL. FOR MY KIDDOS IN THE AUDIENCE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME, KIND OF LIKE THE UNITED NATIONS, THERE'S A BIG DIAL IN THE MIDDLE THAT ADJUSTS THE VOLUME. SO AS SHE'S SPEAKING, YOU CAN ADJUST, ADJUST THE VOLUME UP OR DOWN. SO KEEP THOSE HANDS UP PRETTY PLEASE AND WE'LL GET YOU THE HEADSETS. MY LOVELY TRANSLATIONS, FOLKS. IT LOOKS LIKE WE MIGHT NEED A COUPLE UPSTAIRS, SO I HOPE TODAY YOU'RE GETTING YOUR CARDIO. LOOKS LIKE ABOUT 10 OF THEM UP THERE. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS ANNABEL VASQUEZ. I'M A MOTHER OF A STUDENT OF A CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENT, MY SON IS AT, IN KINDER. THEY TOLD US THAT OUR CHILDREN WERE ENJOY THE SCHOOL, BUT NOTHING HAS CHANGED. OUR CHILDREN DESERVE THE, IN THE INVESTMENT FASTER SO THAT THEY CAN REACH ACADEMIC GOALS AND BE SAFE. THEY ARE, THEY CONFRONT CHALLENGES AND THE [00:25:01] SUMMER, THEY ARE NOT PREPARED TO DEAL WITH THE HEAT DURING THE SUMMER. WE NEED URGENT MA MATTERS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE GREEN SPACES AND SHADE. WE NEED TO GIVE TIME FOR THE PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION. THIS SCHOOL IS RIGHT NEXT TO A ROAD, ROAD FIVE, FREEWAY FIVE, AND THE QUALITY AIR IS NOT DOING WELL EVEN AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND CHILDREN ARE BREATHING CONTAMINATED AIR, AND THIS IS GETTING WORSE. OUR CHILDREN ARE SUFFERING FROM THE HEAT AND THIS CAUSES HEMORRHAGE, HEADACHE, AND LACK OF ENERGY. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE COMMITTEE AND THE DISTRICT PUTS THIS IN ACTION IN AND THIS RESOLUTION IN ACTION SO THAT WE CAN GET, SO THAT THIS PROJECT CAN GET BETTER AND HELP SO THAT THIS CAN ALL BE LESS COST EFFICIENT. THANK YOU, GRACIA. THANK YOU. PRESENTATION IS DUE TO START AT 1135. I HAVE 1132. ARE WE PREPARED TO BEGIN AT THREE MINUTES EARLY OR, OKAY, THERE'S MORE STUDENTS COMING IN, SO WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND TAKE MORE PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, NOW IT'S COMMENTERS WHO ARE SPEAKING REMOTELY. SO FOR THOSE WHO'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE, IT'S GONNA BE PEOPLE CALLING IN AND YOU'LL HEAR 'EM OVER THE SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM. SO LET'S SEE. I'LL CALL ON THAKUR SINGH, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. THAKUR SINGH. GOOD MORNING. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE SURE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. PERFECT. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. I'M THAKUR SINGH. I'M A MEMBER OF THE SUPERINTENDENT STUDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND A STUDENT FROM THE LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE VIRTUAL ACADEMY. THIS YEAR, OVER 300 VIRTUAL ACADEMY TEACHERS WERE SUDDENLY REQUIRED TO REPORT TO PHYSICAL CAMPUSES TO CONTINUE TEACHING REMOTELY. WHILE I APPLIED L'S COMMITMENTS TO SUSTAINABILITY AND REDUCING ITS CARBON FOOTPRINT, IT HAS MOVED REMOTE TEACHERS TO IN-PERSON CAMPUSES, MANY OF WHICH ARE FAR AWAY FROM THEIR HOMES, WHICH CONTRADICTS THESE VERY GOALS. INSTEAD OF BEING PLACED ON CAMPUSES NEAR THEIR HOMES, TEACHERS HAVE BEEN PLACED INDISCRIMINATELY. MANY HAVE BEEN FORCED INTO EXTENSIVE DAILY COMMUTE TO TIMES FOUR HOURS IN SINGLE DAY, ADDING TRAFFIC POLLUTION AND BURNOUT. WHY ADD MORE CARBON INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE? THERE ARE ALSO LEARNING ISSUES. TEACHERS HAVE BEEN PLACED IN SHARED ROOMS. I AS A STUDENT, OFTEN HEAR OTHER TEACHERS IN THE BACKGROUND. TEACHERS ARE PROVIDED HEADPHONES, YES, BUT SOME OF THEM REFUSE TO WEAR THEM BECAUSE IT MAY CAUSE PAINTED THEIR EARS DISCOMFORT OR MAY NOT WORK WITH THEIR GLASSES. THIS CREATES A COMPLEX AND LIMITED SPACE FOR TEACHERS. HOW CAN MY TEACHERS BE THE BEST POSSIBLE EDUCATORS FOR STUDENTS LIKE ME IN THIS SORT OF ENVIRONMENT? WE'RE ALSO ACTIVELY CONDUCTING A SURVEY OF OUR TEACHERS. WE'RE STILL GATHERING RESPONSES, BUT SO FAR, 100% HAVE INDICATED THAT THEY HAVE SOME FORM OF DISTRACTION IN THEIR WORKSPACE THAT INCLUDES BURGLARIES. WE JUST HAD SUCH AN INCIDENT RECENTLY. A HUNDRED PERCENT HAVE ALSO INDICATED ISSUES WITH WORKSPACE QUALITY SUCH AS POOR VENTILATION AND BATHROOM ISSUES. AND YES, THAT INCLUDES RODENTS AND RODENT DROPPINGS. FURTHER, THINK OF THE MONEY THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED AND REINVESTED INTO STUDENTS. SO MUCH MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT ON CUSTODIANS ON KEEPING THE LIGHTS RUNNING AND SO ON. BUT GOING BACK TO THE ENVIRONMENT, BECAUSE THAT IS REALLY YOUR TRUE FOCUS TODAY. IF YOU TRULY CARED ABOUT OUR PLANET, YOU WOULD REPEAL THIS POLICY IMMEDIATELY. BOARD MEMBERS, DR. RIVA SCHON AND NEW BILL, I ASK THAT YOU MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE. STOP THE SUFFERING OF TEACHERS, STOP THE SUFFERING OF STUDENTS, AND STOP THE SUFFERING OF OUR PLANET. GIVE VIRTUAL ACADEMY TEACHERS THE OPTION TO WORK FROM HOME OR AT THE CLOSEST POSSIBLE LOCATION TO THEIR RESIDENTS. ALSO, GRANT TEACHERS ACCOMMODATIONS. IF THEY HAVE A LEGITIMATE REASON. LESD SAYS IT'S COMMITTED TO STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND THE ENVIRONMENT, THEN IT NEEDS TO WALK THE TALK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. WE HAVE MALADY ON THE LINE. MELODY MALADY, UH, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. I DO NOT SEE THAT PERSON SIGNED ON JUST YET, SO WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT CALLER. ALEX HALO. ALEX HALO, YOU SIGNED UP TO SPEAK REMOTELY, BUT I DO NOT HAVE YOU ON THE LINE. ARE YOU IN THE ROOM? UH, ALEX HALO. ALEX HALO. NOT HERE. UH, JAMILA UA. JAMILA F PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. JAMILA, I SEE YOU'RE ON THE LINE WITH US. JAMILA, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. HELLO? HELLO. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN JUST MAKE SURE TO SPEAK UP AND DIRECTLY INTO WHATEVER DEVICE YOU'RE USING SO WE CAN HEAR YOUR WORDS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS JIM AND I'M RESIDENT OF DISTRICT BOARD MEMBER NEWVILLE STUDENT LEADERSHIP PUBLIC SOCIAL ACADEMY. MY FIRST LEARNING HELP, MY CHALLENGES MEANS EVERYTHING ALLOWS TO SUPPORT THEM. STILL FOCUSING ON SCHOOL THAT BALANCE POSSIBLE. BUT THIS YEAR THAT THE ONE [00:30:01] FAR APART ENTIRELY, ONE HAS BEEN FORCED TO REPORT CAMPUSES AND ATION HAS TO CREATE A LOT OF NEW, OF NEW SITES OF PROBLEMS. THEIR C ARE KNOWN ALARM SHOWING FOCUS, LOVING, ENVIRON, MUSLIM, CALM, INSTRUCTED TO CHAOTIC ON TOP THAT TEACHERS, TOP OF THAT TEACHERS USED TO BE AVAILABLE 1, 1 1 TO ON ZOOM, BUT NOW BETWEEN LOG NEWS AND CONSTANT INTERRUPTION THAT SUPPORT THERE ANYMORE. AND I HAD TO FIGURE THINGS OUT ON MY OWN, WHICH TO HELP MY, AND JUST YESTERDAY, TWO OF OUR TEACHERS HAD THEIR CLASSROOM, THEIR LIVES POLICE WERE STOLEN. THAT WHEN HAPPENED, IF NOT FOR THE BOARD DECISION TO PLACE REMOTE TOUCH SITE IN THE FIRST PLACE, IT'S NOT JUST DISRUPT, IT'S UNSAFE. WE NEED TO RETURN TO WORK, SHUT THE CHOICE TO WORK FROM HOME OR, OR BE ON CAMPUS NEAR THE HOUSE. SOME, SOME ARE NOT BEING PLACED AT THE CLOSEST PARK CAMPUS AND ANYONE FOR THAT REASON SHOULD REMAIN FULLY SHOULD BE SUPPORTING THAT. IF YOU TRULY ENVIRONMENT YOU, YOU, YOU'LL REVERSE THE POLICY. BUT SURE, HELP ME MANAGE MY EDUCATION, MY RESPONSE, AND MY RESPONSIBILITIES. PLEASE DON'T MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE. BOTH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. OKAY, SO NOW THERE ARE ABOUT 12 FOLKS LEFT TO SPEAK REMOTELY, AND WE'RE GONNA PAUSE ON, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT. AND THE MEETING IS BACK TO YOU, DR. VIVAS. THANK YOU MR. MCLEAN. YES. THANK YOU. WE NEED TO PAUSE, PUBLIC [III. Heros for Zero Awards Ceremony] COMMENT, UH, PERIOD TO STAY ON SCHEDULE, BUT REST ASSURED WE'LL RESUME LATER IN THE AGENDA DURING THE SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION FROM ONE 20 TO ONE 40. AND WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND PATIENCE AS WE MOVE FORWARD. TODAY'S MEETING NOW WE HAVE THE MOST EXCITING, I MEAN, EVERYTHING'S EXCITING, BUT THIS IS VERY EXCITING AND REWARDING. PARTS OF OUR MEETING TODAY, THE HEROES FOR ZERO AWARD CEREMONY. WOO. OH, I CAN FEEL THE ENERGY. THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. UH, THIS YEAR WE ARE PROUD TO RECOGNIZE THE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION OF OUR STUDENTS AND THEIR DEDICATED TEACHERS WHO HAVE SHOWN EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENT IN ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES. THESE STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS HAVE LED EFFORTS TO REDUCE WASTE, PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL WAR, AND CREATE SUSTAINABLE GREEN SPACES WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES. AS MR CHRISTUS GOES DOWN TO THE PODIUM, WE'LL BE HONORING THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WHOSE PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES HAVE MADE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THEIR PEERS, THEIR SCHOOLS, AND OUR DISTRICT'S SUSTAINABILITY GOALS. MR. CHRISTUS CLIO, OUR CHIEF E SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER, WILL LEAD US THROUGH THE CEREMONY AND SHARE MORE ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THESE YOUNG LEADERS AND THEIR EDUCATORS. THEIR HARD WORK NOT ONLY HELPS CREATE A GREENER, MORE RESILIENT FUTURE, BUT ALSO SERVES AS AN INSPIRATION TO ALL OF US TO CONTINUE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. YES, THANK YOU DR. RIVERS, AND GOOD MORNING TO OUR HEROES. IT'S GREAT TO SEE ALL OF YOU HERE TODAY. SO IT IS MY ABSOLUTE PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU ALL TO THE HEROES FOR 0 24 25 CONTEST CELEBRATION, A VISION THAT WAS ESTABLISHED NINE YEARS AGO AND NOW IN ITS SEVENTH YEAR OF EMPOWERING STUDENTS ACROSS L-A-U-S-D TO LEAD THEIR WAY IN ENERGY CONSERVATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION. THIS INCREDIBLE CONTEST CHALLENGES STUDENT TEAMS FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE TO BECOME TRUE ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS BY HELPING THEIR SCHOOLS BECOME ZERO NET ENERGY READY. THIS MEANS REDUCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION. THAT'S THE FIRST THING WE'LL LOOK AT. AND THEN MAXIMIZING EFFICIENCY AND REFERS TO A BUILDING OR A CAMPUS THAT USES NO MORE ENERGY FROM THE UTILITY GRID, FROM WHAT IT PRODUCES REAL WORLD ACTIONS AND REAL WORLD IMPACT. AND OUR AGENDA TODAY IS VERY SHORT, AND WE HAVE ONLY A FEW ITEMS. WE, UH, I'LL BE SPEAKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HEROES FOR ZERO CONTEST, OUR PARTNERS, WHICH ARE HERE WITH US TODAY, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA GO RIGHT INTO THE AWARDS TO CELEBRATE ALL OF OUR HEROES. SO HEROES FOR ZERO ALIGNS WITH S'S BOLD VISION TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT ENERGY CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. IT SUPPORT OUR COMMITMENT TO ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, FOSTERS CRITICAL THINKING AND RESEARCH SKILLS, AND GIVES OUR STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE MEANINGFUL CHANGE RIGHT FROM THEIR, FROM THEIR CLASSROOMS AND CAMPUSES. THIS CONTEST IS MUCH MORE THAN ACADEMIC EXERCISE. IT'S A CALL TO ACTION. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, STUDENTS DEMONSTRATED THEIR CREATIVITY AND PROBLEM SOLVING BY CONDUCTING ENERGY AUDITS, DESIGNING CONSERVATION PLANS, IMPLEMENTING ENERGY SAVING SOLUTIONS, AND TRACKING THEIR PROGRESS USING REAL DATA. NOW THE COMBINATION OF THEIR EFFORTS IS A STUDENT [00:35:01] CREATED THREE MINUTE VIDEO SHOWCASING THEIR HERO'S JOURNEY AND THE IMPACT OF THEIR INITIATIVES, WHICH WE'LL BE VIEWING. TODAY. WE'LL BE VIEWING THE THREE FINALISTS, THREE FINAL VIDEOS FROM OUR STUDENTS. WE'LL BE SHOWCASING AND SHARING THE REST OF THEM OUT IN THE BLUE ROOM BEHIND THE SCENES. WE'RE PROUD TO HAVE INCREDIBLE SUPPORT SYSTEM, OUR LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT, WATER AND POWER, WHO GENEROUSLY FUNDS THE CONTEST EACH YEAR AND PROVIDES EXPERT PANELISTS TO HELP JUDGE THE ENTRIES, THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION WHO PARTNERS WITH US IN RECRUITING SCHOOLS AND SCORING ENTRIES AS WELL. AND OF COURSE, OUR DEDICATED TEACHERS, INCLUDING THE 258 CLIMATE LEADERSHIP CHAMPIONS ACROSS L-A-U-S-D, SEVERAL FROM WHICH ARE GUIDING THE HEROES TEAMS. THEY'RE WITH US HERE TODAY, BUT ALSO I, I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR E SUSTAINABILITY TEAM FOR THEIR PASSION TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY AS THEY'VE BEEN HELPING GUIDING, UH, MANAGING THIS CONTEST. SO, UM, LET'S GIVE ALL OF 'EM ROUND OF APPLAUSE. JUST AS WE'VE ENCOURAGE OUR HEROES TO PARTNER WITH FELLOW STUDENTS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES TO SHARE BEST PRACTICES. WE ALSO BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF COLLABORATION. THAT'S WHY WE'RE PROUD TO RECOGNIZE OUR INCREDIBLE PARTNERS WHO HELP MAKE THIS CONTEST POSSIBLE. WE'RE ESPECIALLY HONORED TO HAVE MR. DAVID JACO WITH US TODAY. HE'S THE DIRECTOR OF DISTRIBUTED ENERGY SOLUTIONS AT LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER. DAVID HAS BEEN A VALUED FRIEND AND SUPPORTER OF THE CONTEST FOR OVER SEVEN YEARS, HELPING US GROW AND SUSTAIN THIS IMPACTFUL PROGRAM. PLEASE JOIN ME IN GIVING HIM A WARM ROUND OF APPLAUSE AS WELCOME, AS WE WELCOME TO SHARE A FEW WORDS. DAVID, THANK YOU CHRISTOS. THANK YOU BOARD. UH, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. IT IS AN HONOR AND A PLEASURE TO BE HERE, UH, TO CELEBRATE THE AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT OF THIS YEAR'S HEROES FOR ZERO PARTICIPANTS. AS A DIRECTOR OF DISTRIBUTED ENERGY SOLUTIONS. ON BEHALF OF THE LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER, I WANT TO CONGRATULATE EVERY STUDENT, TEACHER, AND, AND SCHOOL INVOLVED. UH, YOU ARE THE CHANGE AGENTS OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES, UH, THAT WE NEED FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. L-E-D-W-P HAS PROUDLY SUPPORTED THIS PROGRAM SINCE THE BEGINNING AS PART OF OUR LONGSTANDING PARTNERSHIP WITH L-A-U-S-D. OUR SUPPORT IS AN INVESTMENT TOWARDS THE INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP OF OUR CITY'S YOUTH. AND WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF OUR YOUNGER GENERATION TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY. IN FACT, IT'S THE ONLY WAY IT'S GONNA HAPPEN. THESE PROJECTS TACKLE REAL SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES THAT LET STUDENTS LEARN BY DOING, BECOMING PROJECT MANAGERS, CONDUCTING ENERGY AUDITS, AND DEVELOPING PLANS TO REDUCE ENERGY USE AT THEIR SCHOOLS. THESE AREN'T JUST SCHOOL PROJECTS, BUT THEY'RE MEANINGFUL STEPS THAT HELP MAKE OUR CAMPUSES GREENER AND OUR CITY MORE RESILIENT. L-A-D-W-P IS CONTIN IS COMMITTED TO PURSUING A HUNDRED PERCENT DECARBONIZATION OF OUR GENERATION RESOURCES BY 2035. AND YOUR HEROES FOR ZERO PROJECTS DIRECTLY SUPPORT THAT. UH, THESE PROJECTS HELP US STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ZERO NET ENERGY READY AND BY REDUCING YOUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION, MAXIMIZING ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AND ADOPTING SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES TO THE STUDENTS HERE TODAY. DON'T STOP NOW. KEEP MAKING CHANGES AT SCHOOL AND AT HOME. TALK TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND SHARE WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED SO EVERYONE CAN BE A LEADER IN SUSTAINABILITY. IN CLOSING, L-A-D-W-P IS VERY PROUD TO PARTNER WITH L-A-U-S-D AND THE L-A-U-S-D STUDENTS. UH, YOU ARE THE FUTURE. YOU'RE THE HEROES THAT LOS ANGELES NEEDS, AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHERE YOUR IDEAS TAKE US. THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE. SO HAVE A LITTLE SURPRISE FOR ALL OF YOU TODAY. SO SUPER LEONARD CARVALLO WANTED TO JOIN US IN PERSON TODAY TO CELEBRATE YOUR AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENTS. ALTHOUGH HE COULDN'T BE HERE, HE RECORDED A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO SHARE HIS CONGRATULATIONS AND, AND HIS SUPPORT. SO LET'S HEAR HIS MESSAGE. HELLO, THIS IS SUPERINTENDENT ALBERTA VAL, AND I'M THRILLED TO SHARE AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY THAT BRINGS [00:40:01] SCIENCE, SUSTAINABILITY, AND STUDENT LEADERSHIP TOGETHER IN A POWERFUL WAY. WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE HEROES FOR 0 20 24, 20 25. NOW IN ITS SEVENTH YEAR. THIS ANNUAL CONTEST CHALLENGES STUDENT TEAMS FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE TO HELP THEIR SCHOOLS BECOME ZERO NET ENERGY READY BY REDUCING ELECTRICITY USE, MAXIMIZING ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, TAKING ACTION. THROUGH THIS CONTEST, OUR STUDENTS BECOME ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS, CONDUCTING ENERGY AUDITS, CREATING CONSERVATION PLANS, IMPLEMENTING REAL WORLD SOLUTIONS, AND SHARING THEIR FINDINGS WITH OUR SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY. BUT THIS ISN'T JUST A SCIENCE PROJECT, IT'S AN EXPERIENCE, A JOYFUL, CREATIVE, AND HANDS-ON JOURNEY THAT BUILDS CRITICAL THINKING, PROBLEM SOLVING, AND TEAMWORK. THESE PROJECTS SUPPORT ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, FOSTER WELLBEING, AND PROMOTE PURPOSE DRIVEN LEARNING. THANKS TO THE GENERAL SUPPORT OF THE LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER, EACH YEAR, WE AWARD ONEW TEAM FROM ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL WITH $25,000 TOWARD THE SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT AT THEIR SCHOOL. AND EACH OF OUR SEMI-FINALIST TEAMS RECEIVES $5,000 TO CONTINUE THEIR SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS. WE ARE ESPECIALLY GRATEFUL TO OUR CLIMATE LITERACY CHAMPIONS, INCLUDING THE 258 EDUCATORS LEADING THE WAY THIS YEAR. AND TO THE MANY TEACHERS PARTICIPATING IN HEROES FOR ZERO. YOUR GUIDANCE MAKES THIS CONTEST A SUCCESS. AND YOUR LEADERSHIP IS BUILDING A GREENER FUTURE TO OUR STUDENTS. YOU ARE THE CHANGE MAKERS. YOU ARE THE INNOVATORS. YOU ARE THE HEROES FOR ZERO. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE INCREDIBLE IDEAS YOU BRING TO LIFE. LET'S LEAD THE WAY TOGETHER FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY. SMART LOS ANGELES UNIFIED. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, SO STUDENTS, ARE YOU READY TO CELEBRATE? AND NOW THE MOMENT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR OUT OF 70 REGISTERED TEAMS, WE CELEBRATED THE, WE CELEBRATED TOP 10 FINALIST TEAMS REPRESENTING THE FOLLOWING SCHOOLS. CASTOR STREET, STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, CESAR CHAVEZ LEARNING ACADEMIES, CHILDSWORTH CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL, EAGLE ROCK ELEMENTARY, ELIZABETH LEARNING CENTER. WOO, NOBLE AVENUE ELEMENTARY. YEAH. OPEN MAGNET CHARTER, WOO, PACOIMA MIDDLE SCHOOL, WOO EE EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX, AND WOODLAND HILLS ACADEMY HUMANITIES MAGNET. EACH OF THESE TEAMS HAS SHOWN THE RIGHT TO BE HERE THROUGH THEIR PASSION, INNOVATION, AND PERSEVERANCE. IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS, WE'LL REVEAL THREE, WHICH THREE TEAMS WILL EACH RECEIVE $25,000 TO FIND A SUSTAINABILITY RELATED PROJECT AT THEIR SCHOOL. AND WHICH SEVEN SEMI-FINALIST TEAMS WILL LITERALLY RECEIVE 5,000 FOR THEIR SCHOOL-BASED SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES. THAT'S RIGHT. NO ONE KNOWS YET. SO THIS IS A BIG REVEAL AND WILL BE A SURPRISE TO EVERYONE. LET'S SEE. OH, ALL RIGHT. AND TO OUR SEMI-FINALS, TO EVERY STUDENT, TEACHER AND TEAM IN THE ROOM, YOU'RE ALREADY HEROES. YOU HAVE TAKEN ACTION, YOU HAVE INSPIRED OTHERS, AND YOU HAVE HELPED LEAD THE CHANGE TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THE HEROES FOR ZERO PROGRAM. THANK YOU. SO LET'S GO TO THE FIRST ONE. THE FIRST ONE IS THE GREEN EAGLES AT EAGLE ROCK ELEMENTARY, WHICH PRODUCE PRODUCED, WHICH THEY PRODUCED A BEAUTIFUL REPORT ADDRESSING THE HERO'S ELEMENTS, MADE ANNOUNCEMENTS, EDUCATING THEIR STUDENT BODY WITH ENERGY EFFICIENCY [00:45:01] TIPS AND HELD SUCCESSFUL EARTH DAY FAIR, REFLECTING THE HARD WORK OF BOTH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. SO, CONGRATULATIONS. THE NEXT ONE IS NA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THE CLIMATE PLAQUE, WHICH THEY MADE MANY EFFORTS, INCLUDING EDUCATING THEIR COMMUNITY, MAKING ANNOUNCEMENTS AND PARTNERING WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS, ALL OF WHICH LED TO A SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN REDUCING ELECTRICITY USAGE BY 28,000 KILOWATT HOURS. CONGRATULATIONS. NEXT ONE. IT IS OPEN MAGNET CHARTER. THE ENERGY SAVERS MADE USE OF THE WONDERFUL OUTDOOR SPACE TO SHOWCASE THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS ELEMENT. THE PARTNER WITH FIFTH GRADE CLASSROOMS ON THEIR STUDENT LED RECYCLING PROGRAM AND DEVELOP AN EAGLE WARRIORS PROGRAM. THEY ALSO PARTNER WITH MANY ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS HILL THE BAY, TREAT PEOPLE, AND REDISCOVER CONGRATULATIONS. NEXT ONE IS THE PACOIMA ECO PAR PANTHERS, WHICH YOU DID AN EXCELLENT JOB ADDRESSING THE HERO'S ELEMENTS THROUGH EFFORTS SUCH AS CONNECTING CLIMATE ANXIETY AND HEALTH AND WELLNESS, PARTNERING WITH THREE PEOPLE, AND SO-CALLED RAN AND EDUCATING BOTH THEIR CAMPUS AND THEIR COMMUNITY. CONGRATULATIONS. NEXT ONE. WE HAVE ELIZABETH LEARNING WELL, CHATSWORTH, WE BYPASS ONE. UM, YEAH, WE HAVE THE CHA WITH CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL, UH, STEAM AND MAGNET CHALOS FOR CHANGE. SO THEY DEVELOP ENERGY PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND ENERGY WASTE THROUGH PLUG POWER LOADS AND STADIUM LIGHTING. THEY'VE DEVELOPED A PEP RALLY THAT REDUCE THAT OR SCHEDULED REDUCE STADIUM LIGHT USAGE AND A LOT OF THE EFFORTS THAT THEY'VE DONE TOWARDS REDUCING CONSUMPTION, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT, UH, UH, IN INCORPORATING EFFICIENCY MEASURES INTO PRACTICE IN 3D PRINTING CLASSES. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR CHATSWORTH CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL CHANCE CHANCELLORS FOR CHANGE. NEXT ONE, WE HAVE ELIZABETH LEARNING CENTER, THE MAORI BULLDOGS EAGLE CLUB CONDUCTED WORKSHOPS, ORGANIZED EVENTS, AND CREATED A STUDENT GUIDE AND INCORPORATED ENERGY STAR. THE TEAM ACHIEVED AN AMAZING REDUCTION IN ELECTRICITY USAGE BY 109,000 KILOWATT HOURS IN ONE MONTH OF IMPLEMENTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES, SUCH AS TURNING OFF LIGHTS WHEN THE ROOM IS NOT IN USE, UNPLUGGING DEVICES AND CHARGERS AND OPTIMIZING THERMOSTAT USE AND USING NATURAL LIGHT. SO, CONGRATULATIONS, ELIZABETH LEARNING CENTER. SO THE THE LAST ONE, UH, IN TERMS OF OUR SEMI-FINALISTS IS THE CLIMATE CRUSADERS AT THE FROM CESAR CHAVEZ LEARNING ACADEMIES. THIS TEAM SHEAR CLIMATE ACTION KIT SET UP RECRUITMENT KIOSKS AND PROMOTED THEIR ENERGY EFFICIENCY EFFORTS IN THEIR SCHOOL PARADE. THE STUDENT AUDIT TEAM CONDUCTED REMINDERS TO UNPLUG DEVICES ON FRIDAYS, ALL OF WHICH LED TO 57% DECREASE IN ENERGY USAGE SINCE ENERGY AUDITS WERE IMPLEMENTED IN SEPTEMBER, 2024. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR CLIMATE CRUSADERS. NOW, THE TIME THAT EVERYBODY WAS WAITING FOR AS WELL, TO ANNOUNCE THE TOP THREE TEAMS THAT WON $25,000. WE'RE GONNA START FIRST WITH OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. AND THE TOP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS PASTOR ELEMENTARY. THEY DID AN EXCELLENT WORK IN ADDRESSING THE HERO'S ELEMENTS, WHICH WAS VERY IMPRESSIVE. THE PARTNERSHIP TO BRING, UH, IN A DOCTOR FOR THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS CATEGORY STOOD [00:50:01] OUT AND EACH ELEMENT WAS WELL, UH, VERY WELL THOUGHT THROUGH. BUT LET'S WATCH YOUR VIDEO SO WE CAN ALL WEAKNESS THE WITNESS. YOUR GREAT WORK SEE THAT. HOW CAN BEING ENERGY EFFICIENT TO A HEALTHIER SPACE OR COMMUNITY? WE INTERVIEWED A PEDIATRICIAN TO LEARN THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF NOT USING ELECTRONIC DEVICES. VICE HURT OUR EYES AND MAKES US DISTRACTED. AT SCHOOL, WE CREATED A BROCHURE TO EDUCATE STUDENTS TO MAKE THEM MORE AWARE OF IT. WE CLEANED UP CAMPUS DURING THE GREAT CAST OUR BEAUTIFICATION DAYS TO REDUCE THE USE OF AN ELECTRIC BLOWER, THAT 10 PIECES OF PLASTIC. HOW CAN WE TEACH OTHERS ABOUT ENERGY CONSERVATION? WE HELD SCHOOL-WIDE ASSEMBLIES ABOUT HOW TO SAVE ELECTRICITY. STUDENTS CREATED POSTERS TO INVITE AND TEACH OTHERS HOW TO SAVE ELECTRICITY. CLIMATE DRAGONS CONDUCTED RESEARCH USING WEBSITES SUCH AS L-A-D-W-P. L-A-D-W-P HAS A VERY AGGRESSIVE GOAL TO ACHIEVE A HUNDRED PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY AND 25% LESS WATER THAN ASSUMPTIONS BY 2035. HOW DO WE MAKE PARTNERSHIPS? DID. WE COLLABORATED WITH LOS ANGELES HISTORIC PARK TO LEARN ABOUT ACTIVITIES THAT USE ELECTRICITY AND CREATED A NATIVE AND HORRIBLE GARDEN TO COMBAT URBAN HEATS. WE HAD TO TAKE CARE OF OUR MARKET. WE WORKED WITH THE LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD OF CHINATOWN TO SET UP A CONTEST FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN FROM BOOKS ON HOW TO SAVE ELECTRICITY. WINNERS WILL BE POSTED AT THE CHINATOWN LIBRARY. WE INTERVIEW PROFESSIONALS FROM CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES IN LA METRO. WE LEARN URBAN HEAT, OUR AREAS OF HEAT, WE CITIES OR TEMPERATURES AND NOTICEABLY WARMER. IF WE AGREE OUR SCHOOL, WE CAN REDUCE THE HEATING INDEX BY MAKING MORE SUSTAINABLE OUTDOOR AREAS. WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAXIMIZE EFFICIENCY? WE FOCUSED ON EDUCATION THROUGH SONGS AND HANDED OUT RED ENVELOPES DURING LUNAR NEW YEAR WITH ENERGY TIPS INSIDE OF THEM USING A WINE METER. WE CALCULATED THE WATTS USAGE FOR DEVICES, BOTH ON AND OFF. IT'S AN ENERGY TANTRUM BECAUSE EVEN WHEN THE MONITOR WASN'T ON, IT WAS USING 10 WATTS. SO YOU RECOMMEND TURNING IT ON EVERY DAY INSTEAD OF JUST LEAVING IT IDLE? YEAH. IF YOU JUST LEFT IT ON, EVEN WHEN YOU'RE NOT USING IT, THEN IT'S JUST GONNA KEEP ON USING, USING WAT 80 WATTS. WHAT WILL WE DO TO REPRODUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION AT OUR SCHOOL? TELL ME, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES AT OUR SCHOOL IS THE LACK OF SHADE, WHICH CAUSES HEALTH ISSUES LIKE OVERHEATING AND LIMITATIONS FOR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES. WE PROPOSED AN IDEA FOR OUR PLAYGROUND, WHICH IS TO BUILD A SOLAR PANEL SHADE STRUCTURE. SOLAR STRUCTURE SAVES ELECTRICITY AND PROVIDES SHADE. WE CREATED A MOBILE SOLAR PANEL SHADES STRUCTURE. WHAT ARE THE LITTLE GREEN THINGS ON TOP? LITTLE GREEN THINGS ARE THE SOLAR PANELS. WE DID SOME CALCULATIONS HERE, AS YOU CAN SEE, AND WE NEED ABOUT 78 POUNDS. WE LEARNED THAT SAVING ENERGY IMPROVES HEALTH BY DOING A DIGITAL DETOX. IF WE WANNA REDUCE ENERGY AT OUR SCHOOL BY 20%, UNPLUG THOSE DEVICES. SPEND MORE TIME OUTSIDE UNDERSIDE, WORK WITH OTHER, AND INNOVATE. IF WE WANT 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2035, WE NEED TO CALM CLIMATE DRAGONS. ALL RIGHT. CONGRATULATIONS. UH, CLIMATE DRUG ONES AT LER. GREAT WORK. NOW WE'RE GOING TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL. AND FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOL WE HAVE WOODLAND HILLS ACADEMY. THE, THE ENERGY HEROES TEAM AT WOODLAND HILLS ACADEMY HUMANITIES MAGNET DEMONSTRATED EXCEPTIONAL COMMITMENT TO UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING ENERGY. USE THEIR INITIATIVE IN REACHING OUT TO STAKEHOLDERS LIKE THREE PEOPLE. AND THE ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE. COUPLED WITH CREATIVE APPROACHES LIKE SAM AND THEODORE PUPPETS BROUGHT THEIR IDEAS TO LIFE. THE PROPOSED BRILLIANTLY CONNECTED ENERGY USE TO HEALTH IMPACTS USING REAL WORLD DATA FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS. THEIR GENIUS IN ADDRESSING HERO'S ELEMENTS THROUGH PRESENTATIONS, VIDEO SKIS, AND STRONG PARTNERSHIPS ALONG WITH SHARING FINDINGS VIA VIDEOS, BROCHURES AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT SHOWCASE A GENUINE DRIVE TO EDUCATE AND PROMOTE WIDER ADOPTION OF SOLUTIONS. SO CONGRATULATIONS ON ON ALL [00:55:01] OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AND LET'S WATCH THEIR VIDEO AS WELL. GOOD EVENING, LOS ANGELES. DID YOU KNOW THAT USING ENERGY WISELY IS BETTER FOR YOUR HEALTH, YOUR BUDGET AND THE EARTH? RECENTLY, SOME SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS FROM ONE HILLS ACADEMY HUMANITIES MAGNET MADE IT THEIR MISSION TO LEARN WAYS WE USE ENERGY AND WAYS WE CAN CONSERVE IT. STUDENTS TOOK A DEEP DIVE INTO USD'S ENERGY USE DASHBOARD. THEY WERE SHOCKED THAT SCHOOLS USED SO MUCH ENERGY AND IT COSTS SO MUCH. AFTER THIS BASELINE STUDY, STUDENTS INVITED PRINCIPAL MICHAEL SWANSON TO SHARE HIS IDEAS ON HOW OUR SCHOOL INTRODUCED THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY USED EVERY DAY. THESE CLEVER ENERGY HEROES KNEW THAT THEY WANTED TO TAKE ACTION AND INSPIRE OTHERS TO CONSERVE ENERGY AND TREAT OUR PLAN WITH RESPECT. THEY FORMED GROUPS FOR EACH LETTER OF HEROES AND NAMED THEIR TEAM ENERGY HEROES. LET'S HEAR HOW THEY'RE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN SHARING THEIR KNOWLEDGE WITH OTHERS. TAKE IT AWAY. GROUP H XAVIER, WHY YOU CONNECTED? BY FINDING WAYS HOW ENERGY EFFICIENCY CAN IMPROVE OUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS. WELL VERSUS VIOLENCE CAN EXPLORE HOW ENERGIES IMPACT OUR LIVES. WE FOUND EVIDENCE THAT NATURAL LUCK CAN AFFECT PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH BY IMPROVING MOOD AND FOCUSING, GETTING OUTSIDE THEIR PLATE RATHER THAN STAYING INDOORS. IMPROVE YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH. SO LET'S ALL OPEN THOSE BLINDING DOORS AND LET'S SUNSHINE IN. I'LL TURN OVER TO YOU. GROUP E. MY NAME IS SANDRA AND MIKE AND OUR GROUP'S MISSION WAS TO FIND A WAY TO EDUCATE OTHERS AND HELP THEM BE AWARE ON HOW TO BE ENERGY EFFICIENT. CREATED A PUPPET SHOW WHERE OUR ENERGY HERO SAM TEACHES THE PUPPET THEODORE ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF ENERGY CONSERVATION. WE DESIGN THESE PUPPETS OUT OF RECYCLED MATERIALS. I HOPE EVERYONE ENJOYS OUR SHOW. TAKE IT AWAY. EMMA. SANDRA, YOUR PUPPET SHOW SOUNDS GREAT. WE REACHED OUT TO PARTNERS IN OUR COMMUNITY TO FIND, TO GET EVEN MORE OF OUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED, EVEN AS TREE PEOPLE TO COME SHARE OUR PRESENTATION TO THE ENTIRE SIXTH GRADE. WE MADE A SLIDESHOW WITH INFORMATION THAT WE LEARNED AND OUR PLAN IS TO BE MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT. LET'S SEND IT OVER TO FELIX TO SHARE WHAT HIS GROUP LEARNED. THANKS EMMA. AFTER RESEARCHING OUR SCHOOL'S PRESENT AND PAST ENERGY BENCHMARKS, WE HAD SOME EASY FIXES TO OUR, TO HELP OUR SCHOOL'S MAXIMIZE ENERGY EFFICIENCY. FOR EXAMPLE, WE CAN CLOSE DOORS AND WINDOWS ONE HVAC UNITS ARE ON, BUT WE ALSO HAD SOME QUESTIONS. SO MADE A PRESENTATION OF OUR FINDINGS. SINCE THAT LEAVES THE ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE CONTROLS OUR ENERGY USE. WE EMAILED THEM OUR PRESENTATION. WE WERE SO EXCITED WHEN WE SAW THE RESPONSES TO OUR EMAILS. THOSE EXPERTS ARE THE ORIGINAL ENERGY HERO. HOW COOL TO GET EMAILS FROM EXPERTS. OUR GROUP LEARNED ABOUT ENERGY USE IN OUR SCHOOLS IN A VIDEO TEACHING OTHERS HOW TO REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION AT SCHOOLS. WE ALSO PRESENTED IDEAS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES. SCHOOLS MAY BE ABLE TO USE IN THE FUTURE. WHEN WE SAVE ENERGY, EVERYONE WINS. ISN'T THAT RIGHT, ALLISON? YOU'RE RIGHT, ISAAC. AND THAT IS WHY OUR GROUP NEWLY COULD HELP OTHER CLASSROOMS AND SCHOOLS BY SHARING ALL OF THE GREAT IDEAS WE DISCOVERED. WE HAVE DESIGNED THE BROCHURE SHOWCASING THE INFORMATION OUR ENERGY HEROES HAVE LEARNED, AND THE PRESENTATIONS WE CREATED. THIS BROCHURE WILL ADVERTISE TO TEACHERS AND OTHERS, THE PRESENTATIONS WE HAVE TO OFFER. THEY CAN REQUEST A LIVE PRESENTATION OR TEACHER CLASS USING OUR MATERIALS. WE HOPE TO SHARE. WE ALL WE HAVE LEARNED. WELL, THERE YOU HAVE FOLKS. ONE, TELL ACADEMY HUMANITIES MAGNET TOOK A CREATIVE APPROACH IN SHARING WHAT THEY LEARNED ABOUT ENERGY CONSERVATION AND MEMORIES OF ENERGY. THEY CERTAINLY EARNED THEIR TITLE OF ENERGY HEROES. ALL RIGHT, CONGRATULATIONS. WOODLAND HILLS ACADEMY HUMANITIES MAGNET. SO THE LAST ONE THAT WE HAVE NOW, DRUM ROLL . OKAY. AND THE WINNING TEAM IS FOR A HIGH SCHOOL SANTI EDUCATION COMPLEX. OKAY. MEMBERS OF THE SANTI SCIENCE CLUB AT SAN EDUCATION COMPLEX, YOUR DEDICATION AND INNOVATION HAVE TRULY EXCELLED. THE SANTI SCIENCE CLUB ENERGY AUDIT SUMMARY AND PROACTIVE NEXT STEPS DEMONSTRATED CLEAR FORESIGHT THERE. OUTSTANDING WEEK LONG SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMMING. ENGAGED THE ENTIRE SCHOOL, SHOWCASING COMMITMENT TO HERO'S ELEMENTS BY EFFECTIVELY REDUCING ENERGY USE BY OVER 127,000 KILOWATT HOURS IN FOUR MONTHS, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANT COSTS WAS SAVED. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOUR SCHOOL'S COMMUNITY WAS HIGHLY INVOLVED. THE IMPRESSIVE CONSERVATION PLAN, INCLUDING OUTREACH WITH INTERACTIVE PRESENTATIONS, DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND COLLABORATIONS WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE FARMERS AT THE MARKET. LA COMPOST AND TRIP PEOPLE PROVES THAT CLAP IS LEADING BY EXAMPLE. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ACHIEVEMENT. THAT'S WHAT YOUR VIDEO. WE ARE THE SAN SCIENCE CLUB. WELCOME TO SAN HIGH SCHOOL'S HEROES PROJECT. WORKING HARD TO MAKE OUR SCHOOL MORE SUSTAINABLE, ENERGY EFFICIENT, AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY. OUR GOAL TO REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION, RAISE AWARENESS, AND CREATE A HEALTHIER GREENER SCHOOL COMMUNITY. LET'S BREAK IT [01:00:01] DOWN PLEASE. ENERGY EFFICIENCY ISN'T JUST ABOUT SAVING POWER. IT'S ALSO BY CREATING A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT. BY REDUCING OUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION, IT IMPROVES AIR QUALITY, IT REDUCES POLLUTION, AND CREATES A COMFORTABLE SPACE FOR LEARNING. GOOD AFTERNOON. TO RAISE AWARENESS. WE'RE HOSTING A WEEK OF SUSTAINABLE ACTIVITIES. ON MONDAY, WE'LL PLAY TRIVIAL GAMES WITH OUR PEERS TO TEACH THEM ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY. BY ENGAGING EVERYONE, WE CAN ALL BECOME MORE CONSCIOUS OF OUR ENERGY. YOUTH TUESDAY STUDENTS WILL PLEDGE TO TURN OFF LIGHTS, UNPLUG ELECTRONICS, AND BE MINDFUL OF THEIR ENERGY CONSUMPTION. IT'S ALL ABOUT SMALL ACTIONS LEADING TO BIG CHANGES. SHARING IS KEY. ON THURSDAY, THE SANTI SCIENCE CLUB WILL TEACH STUDENTS HOW TO PLOT SEEDS AND GROW THEIR OWN FOOD. THIS NOT ONLY SAVES ENERGY, BUT ALSO ENCOURAGES SUSTAINABLE LIVING. WE ARE EXCITED TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED SO OTHER SCHOOLS CAN TAKE SIMILAR STEPS, MAXIMIZE EFFICIENCY. WE'VE ENCOURAGED OTHER PS TO UNPLUG UNUSED DEVICES ON CAMPUS IN ADDITION TO SAFE ENERGY ENERGY. GOOD MORNING FALCON. CONTINUING THE SCIENCE CLUB'S GOAL OF THE HEROES PROJECT COMPETITION, WHERE WE PRACTICE SUSTAINABILITY BY SAVING ENERGY. WE'RE ASKING TEACHERS TO TURN OFF UNUSED DEVICES DURING NON-SCHOOL HOURS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE SCHOOL. THE SCIENCE CLUB WILL BE HOSTING MEETINGS TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS TILL THE END OF THE COMPETITION AND ENCOURAGE TEACHERS TO RESORT TO NATURAL LIGHTING INSTEAD OF KEEPING FLUORESCENT LIGHTS ON. THIS ALSO BENEFITS US STUDENTS WHO OFTEN SUFFER FROM HEADACHES, EYE DISCOMFORT, OR EVEN THE INABILITY TO FOCUS AS A RESULT OF FLUORESCENT LIGHTS. WE WANT TO OPTIMIZE OUR ENERGY PERFORMANCE TO LOWER CONSUMPTION WITHOUT SACRIFICING COMFORT. WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP. WE REACH OUT TO LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO WORK TOGETHER IN ENERGY SAVING INITIATIVES. IT'S ABOUT BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND MAKING A BIGGER IMPACT. WE'VE ENCOURAGED TEACHERS TO INCLUDE LESSONS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY SO STUDENTS HAVE A GENERAL KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT BENEFITS THEM IN OUR PLANET. MS. S CLASS IS DOING A HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER PROJECT BY CREATING THEIR OWN WATER WHEEL. THIS HELPS THEM LEARN HOW TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY AND POWER WITHOUT USING FOSSIL FUELS. MAKING A RENEWABLE WAY OF GENERATING ELECTRICITY AND POWER. BY FOLLOWING THE HERO'S FRAMEWORK, WE'RE MAKING OUR SCHOOL A MORE SUSTAINABLE PLACE, ONE STEP AT A TIME. THROUGH EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY EFFORTS. WE ARE CREATING A FUTURE WHERE EVERYONE CAN THRIVE IN A HEALTHIER, GREENER ENVIRONMENT. IT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO CONTINUE THIS JOURNEY. OUR GOAL IS TO HELP SANTI BECOME A ZERO NET SCHOOL WHERE WE USE NO MORE ENERGY THAN WE PRODUCE HEATHER, WE CAN ALL BE ZERO FOR A SECOND. SO LET'S GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO ALL OF OUR WINNERS, TO ALL OF OUR TEAMS. ONE THING THAT I WANTED TO SHARE, UH, DR. RIVAS AND DR. TO MS. NEW BILL, BOARD MEMBER NEW BILL, UH, 10 YEARS. THAT WAS A VISION THAT WE CAME UP TOGETHER, WORKING WITH OUR DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION, OF HOW WE CAN ENGAGE OUR STUDENTS INTO REAL, REAL LIFE ACTIONS BY INCORPORATING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ARTS, AND MATHEMATICS. AND I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, 10 YEARS LATER TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE, THE WORK THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE DONE, IT'S A GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT. SO I'M VERY HONORED TO BE HERE WITH YOU TODAY AND SHARING THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF OUR STUDENTS. AND NOW I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU IF YOU HAVE A FEW WORDS TO SAY AND SHARE WITH OUR STUDENTS AS, UH, AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD. I WILL THEN INVITE YOU TO COME DOWN HERE BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA BE HANDING OUT THE CHECKS TO OUR STUDENTS AND GIVING A A FEW MINUTES TO SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT WANNA SHARE SOMETHING FROM THE WINNING TEAM. SO WITH THAT, UH, TURN IT BACK TO YOU, DR. RIVAS. THANK YOU MR. CLIOS. UH, FIRST OF ALL, I AM IN AWE IN ALL OF YOU. IT'S SUCH A THRILL TO SEE EVERYONE, EVERY SINGLE STUDENT HERE THAT'S PRESENT SEMI-FINALS AND FINALISTS IN ACTION, UH, LEARNING AND ALSO REACHING OUT TO YOUR PEERS AND TEACHING THEM AS WELL. IT'S, IT'S, I'M REALLY JUST, UM, BLOWN AWAY. I REALLY AM. JUST TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN YOUR SCHOOLS AND WHAT MORE YOU CAN DO IN THE FUTURE. AND THANK YOU ALL TO THE TEACHERS, UM, TO THE ADMINS, EVERYONE WHO ALSO MADE THIS HAPPEN FOR THEM, BECAUSE THIS IS REALLY, AS WAS MENTIONED, THEY ARE THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINING THIS, THIS PLANET. BUT I WANNA OPEN IT UP TO, UM, MS. NEW BILL IF SHE HAS, YOU KNOW, ANY COMMENTS AND ANY OF OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS AS WELL. [01:05:06] WELL, AS MENTIONED, UM, THIS WAS AMAZING, YOU GUYS. AMAZING THE WORK. UM, PUT TOGETHER THE TEAMWORK, UM, THE PARTNERSHIP AS MENTIONED, THANK YOU TO, UH, YOUR STAFF, THE TEACHERS THAT HAVE SPONSORED AND SPENT COUNTLESS HOURS, UH, WITH THE STUDENTS. AND JUST EVEN PUTTING TOGETHER A PRESENTATION. YOU GUYS DID AN AMAZING JOB BEING ABLE TO, UH, EXPRESS WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING AND JUST BEING A LEADER ON YOUR CAMPUS. WE SAW YOU SPEAKING TO OTHERS, UH, SHARING YOUR VISION WITH THEM. AND IT IS AN HONOR TO BE ABLE TO WITNESS OUR STUDENTS, UH, CONTINUING THE LEGACY. AND AS MENTIONED, THIS HAS BEEN, UH, A DREAM OR VISION, UM, TO SUSTAIN OUR PLANET. AND YOU GUYS ARE DOING YOUR PART. AND SO I SAW SOME THUMBS UP OUT THERE. UH, I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT WE GIVE YOU A THUMBS UP AND TO GIVE YOURSELF ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE. 'CAUSE WORK WELL DONE. THANK YOU. JUST WANTED TO ECHO MY APPRECIATION TO ALL OF THE STUDENTS AS WELL, AND TO ALL OF THEIR EDUCATORS AND FAMILY FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE. UH, AS A ADVOCATE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND COMMUNITY ISSUES, IT'S REALLY INSPIRING TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE TAKING UP THE CALL TO GET INVOLVED AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND CHANGE THE SYSTEMS AND CHANGE YOUR SCHOOLS AND CHANGE YOUR FUTURE. SO, REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE STUDENTS BEING HERE AND ALL OF THEIR EDUCATORS WHO ARE HERE AND THE, THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE BROUGHT THEM UP. THANKS. WANNA, I JUST WANNA SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SEMI-FINALISTS AND THE FINALISTS. AGAIN, I THINK YOUR WORK IS REALLY EXCITING, UM, WITH REGARDS TO HOW YOU THINK ABOUT ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND HOW WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF, UM, REDUCE OUR IMPACT BOTH AT SCHOOL BUT ALSO IN YOUR HOME. SO HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO CARRY THE MANTLE AND KEEP EDUCATING YOUR PEERS. SO CONGRATS. JUST WANNA ECHO, THANK YOU SO MUCH, TEACHERS, STUDENTS, UM, WE'RE INSPIRED AND SO GLAD THAT YOU ARE THE FUTURE. THANK YOU FOR TAKING ON THIS GREAT WORK. IT'S DEFINITELY THANK YOU TO L-A-D-L-A-D-W-P FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP AND JUST MAKING ALL OF THIS, UH, POSSIBLE. AND ALSO FOR, UM, THE FUNDS THAT YOU'VE BEEN, THAT YOU PROVIDED. APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. YES, GO AHEAD, MR. GREAT. GREAT WORK EVERYONE. THANK YOU. SO THE WAY WE'RE GONNA GO ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME BIG CHECKS HERE AND LITERALLY BIG CHECKS FOR YOU THAT YOU'RE GONNA TAKE WITH YOU. WE ARE GONNA INVITE, UH, BOARD MEMBERS AND TASK COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO COME DOWN, UM, AS WELL AS OUR L-A-D-W-P PARTNERS AND ANYBODY FROM THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION. I SEE JERRY HERE, BING AS WELL. AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA CALL THIS SCHOOL. SO WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO HAND A CHECK TO YOU. WE WILL TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH AND THEN, UH, YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME TO GO TO, UM, THE, UH, BLUE ROOM THAT WE HAVE OUTSIDE THE BOARDROOM SO WE CAN BE ABLE TO GET SOME, UH, GET YOUR LUNCH AND REFRESHMENTS. SO AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS. WE'LL CALL ONE AT A TIME SO WE CAN MAKE SURE WE GO THROUGH ABOUT THE, UH, CEREMONY. SO, UM, LET'S GET EVERYONE DOWN HERE. EVERYBODY WOULD LIKE TO COME DOWN HERE ALSO. MR. TORRANCE. SO THE FIRST SCHOOL THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO ASK TO COME DOWN IS PACOIMA MIDDLE SCHOOL, THE EAGLE PANTHERS PACOIMA MIDDLE SCHOOL. AFTER PACOIMA, WE WILL CALL EAGLE ROCK ELEMENTARY. SO BE PLEASE BE PREPARED TO COME DOWN AS WELL. THANK YOU. BIG CHECK. YOUR MONEY'S COMING FROM YOUR RIGHT. . THEY CAME THE FURTHEST OF WOODLAND HILLS, HUH? YEAH. SO [01:10:01] WHY DON'T YOU COME, COME, COME, COME RIGHT OVER HERE. YEAH. HE WANTS TO HOLD THE JACK. YEAH, THE PHOTOGRAPH. JUST MAKE SURE WE GET HERE. JACKET. YOU WANT IT? YOU CAN. DON'T HOLD IT BACK. I WANT SAID NO. I WANT HOLD IT. SQUEEZE, SQUEEZE, SQUEEZE. OKAY, THERE'S CAMERA THERE. ALRIGHT. EAGLE HERO. THANK YOU. SO GREAT. THANK YOU EVERYONE. SO THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE EAGLE ROCK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CONGRATULATIONS. TAKE THE CHECK. THE CHECK IS YOURS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR I'M GONNA SHARE THAT, THAT EVERYBODY'S GONNA BE SEEING THEIR VIDEOS OUTSIDE. THANK YOU. SO PLEASE NOTE TO EVERYONE AS THE STUDENTS COME DOWN IS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE SHOWCASING ALL THEIR VIDEOS INSIDE THE BLUE ROOM. SO WE SET UP THE PROJECTOR SO EVERYBODY CAN SEE ALL THE VIDEOS. AFTER EAGLE ROCK ELEMENTARY, WE HAVE CHATSWORTH CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL. CAN YOUR FACE? YEAH. PUT A LITTLE LOWER. LOWER. CAN SEE YOUR FACE ON. CONGRATULATIONS. CONGRATULATIONS. NEXT ONE. WE HAVE CHATSWORTH CHATTER. CHADSWORTH CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL. MIGHTY AF. AFTER CHATSWORTH, WE HAVE ELIZABETH LEARNING CENTER. SO CHADSWORTH. OKAY, GET CLOSE EVERYONE. WAIT. MR. PRETTY. COME ON THIS SIDE. YEAH, YOU THE MIDDLE. OKAY. RIGHT THERE. THERE YOU GO. RIGHT. ELIZABETH. LEARNING CENTER. COME ON DOWN. ELIZABETH LEARNING CENTER. OKAY, ELIZABETH LEARNING CENTER. RIGHT HERE. CHECK. WANT A CHECK? CONGRATULATIONS. NEXT WE HAVE NOBLE AVENUE ELEMENTARY GO. YOU DID CHECK. LETS GO OVER HERE ON THIS SIDE. KEEP GOING. BOTH SIDES. AFTER THAT WE HAVE CCLA. CLOSE IN THE CALL US IN THE BACK. CALL US IN THE BACK. COME ON THAT SIDE. COME ON THAT SIDE. [01:15:08] HI, HOW ARE YOU? NEXT, NEXT ONE. WE HAVE THE CLIMATE CRUSADERS. WE HAVE THE CLIMATE. CLIMATE CRUSADERS FROM CCLA. OKAY, LET, LET'S GET CSAR TRAVERSE AND THEN WE HAVE THE OPEN MAGNET CHARTER ACADEMY. COME, COME, COME IN THE PHOTOGRAPH. YOU'RE FAMOUS RIGHT NOW. USE YOUR, USE YOUR SIGNATURE NOW. COME ON. SOME OF YOU GUYS WE'RE GONNA SCAN IT FOR CHECKS. YAY. RADIO GOOD. ALRIGHT, WE HAVE EVERYONE. YES. ONE MORE GENTLEMAN COMING DOWN AND, ALL RIGHT. AND THEN WE HAVE THE ENERGY SAVERS FROM OPEN MAGNET CHARTER SCHOOL. OPEN MAGNET. CHARTER. WHERE IN FRONT? 1, 2, 3. HERO. OKAY. NOW FOR THE $25,000 WINNERS, WE HAVE CASTOR STREET ELEMENTARY, CLIMATE DRAGONS. CONGRATULATIONS. YOU GUYS HOLD IT IN. ALRIGHT. GOOD JOB. FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL, WE HAVE WOODLAND HILLS ACADEMY, WOODLAND. OH, OKAY. WOODLAND HILLS. HILLS WOODLAND. WOODLAND HILLS. AND THEN WE HAVE EE EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX. AND WE HAVE TWO KIDS WITH PUPPET, REBECCA AND CHANDRA ON EITHER END OF THE CHECK THE MIDDLE, YOU CAN HOLD, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THEM IN THE MIDDLE. SO JUST LET REBECCA AND SANDRA GET LIKE, RIGHT. REBECCA AND SANDRA. DID WE STAND RIGHT IN THERE? OH. ALRIGHT. THERE YOU GO. THAT'S NICE. IS THAT GOOD? VERY GOOD. IF YOU'RE BEHIND OTHER PEOPLE, GO IN A WINDOW. READY? HERE WE GO. HEROES. HEROES. ONE MORE. AND HEROES. HEROES. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK [01:20:01] YOU. AND LAST OUR SANTI EDUCATION. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. SO, GOOD JOB. GREAT JOB. THANK YOU THAT CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. THAT'S TO YOU. $25,000. WOO. OKAY, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, SHIRT. ALRIGHT. THERE YOU GO. THERE YOU GO. ALL SAN RIGHT FRONT. HEROES. HEROES. HEROES. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. CONGRATULATIONS. AND, AND THIS CONCLUDES OUR HEROES FOR ZERO CEREMONY, AS EVERYONE MOVES INTO THE BLUE ROOM FOR LUNCH AND REFRESHMENTS. THANK YOU EVERYONE. THANKS SO MUCH. THESE ARE THE FUN. FUN. THIS IS THE FUN STUFF. DAVID AND I SAW THIS FROM INCEPTION WITH A VISION AND EVERYTHING, SO, AND NOW WE'RE GETTING READY FOR THE BIG NYU. WELL, THAT WAS EXCITING. AS OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS COME BACK TO THEIR SEATS, ALL THE HEROES ARE NOW ENJOYING SOME LOVELY FOOD AND SNACKS AND DRINKS TO CELEBRATE AS THEY TAKE HOME. A TAKE TO THEIR SCHOOLS OR BIG CHECKS. SO PROUD OF THEM. I KNOW. ENERGY, ALL THE ENERGY'S GONE. NO, BUT WE'LL KEEP UP THE ENERGY. WONDERFUL. WELL, THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL OUR HEROES FOR ZERO AWARD RECIPIENTS. YOUR HARD WORK VISION AND LEADERSHIP REMINDS US THAT, THAT STUDENTS ARE NOT ONLY THE HEART OF OUR SCHOOLS, ARE ALSO THE AT THE FOREFRONT OF CREATING SOLUTIONS TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS. CONGRATULATIONS TO EACH OF YOU AND THANK YOU, MR. CRITO CLIO FOR BEING THE, THE PRESENTER, THE MC, TO THE, UH, WONDERFUL CELEBRATION. AND THANK YOU TO THE TEACHERS AND SCHOOL STAFF WHO HELP GUIDE AND SUPPORT THESE INCREDIBLE PROJECTS. YOUR EFFORTS SHOW WHAT'S POSSIBLE WHEN EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER. NOW, AS WE CONTINUE WITH TODAY'S MEETING, WE'LL SHIFT TO [IV.a. Updates from the Eco-Sustainability Office] A BROADER LOOK AT THE DISTRICT'S PROGRESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY. FIRST, WE'LL HEAR FROM MR. CHRISTOS LIO AND OUR CHIEF, A, OUR CHIEF ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER. AND MR. JAMIE TORRANCE, SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE SUPERINTENDENT WHO WILL WALK US THROUGH KEY UPDATES FROM THE, UH, FROM THE ECOSYSTEM LIBERTY OFFICE. THESE INCLUDE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BOARD'S RESOLUTION TO STRENGTHEN GREENING THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND IMPORTANT WORK UNDERWAY TO EXPAND CLIMATE REIL, UH, CLIMATE LITERACY ACROSS ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS, AND ENSURING THAT EVERY STUDENT HAS THE ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS NEEDED TO THRIVE IN A CHANGING WORLD. SO, MR. CHRISTUS KLIA, MR. TORRENS, UH, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, DR. RIVAS. SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SHARE THIS UPDATE THAT WE, WE WILL BE ABLE TO, UM, AT LEAST GET INTO A CERTAIN LEVEL OF DETAIL, AND THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE 'EM AVAILABLE FOR EVERYONE TO SEE IN GREATER DETAIL ON OUR WEBSITE. AND WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE IS ACTUALLY THE WWSD ARTS FESTIVAL IN 2025 THAT WE HAD ABOUT A MONTH AGO. AND I'M REALLY HONORED TO SEE OUR TEAM WORKING WITH OUR DIVISION, WITH THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION, TO BE ABLE TO HAVE IT BOTH OUT, OUT THERE AND JUST CHALLENGING GI COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS AND, UH, SHARING IDEAS WITH THE STUDENTS AND REALLY HELP THE STUDENTS CREATE, UH, SOME, SOME SOLUTIONS OF HOW WE CAN BE ABLE TO HELP GREEN OUR SCHOOLS. THEY'RE ACTUALLY HANDING OUT A LOT OF, UH, SIBLINGS AND THEY'RE HANDING OUT A LOT OF, UH, DIFFERENT PLANTS THAT THEY CAN BE ABLE TO PLANT THEIR HOMES IN SCHOOLS. SO THAT WAS A, A GREAT EVENT, VERY WELL RECEIVED BY EVERYONE. BUT WHAT I'M VERY PROUD ABOUT TO SHARE, IT'S, IT'S OUR ANNUAL REPORT. THE ECO SUSTAINABILITY ANNUAL REPORT WAS PUBLICIZED A FEW MONTHS AGO. AND, UH, THAT WAS THE FIRST REPORT THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PUBLICIZE. AND IT DOES SHOW OUR ACHIEVEMENTS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO, UH, AT LEAST NOW SHOWCASE AND SHARE WITH EVERYONE AND WANT TO DO THIS BECAUSE WE WANT TO HAVE THIS LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY OF PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO SEE AT ANY LEVEL TO SEE THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AT TELE UNIFIED. IT'S SOMETHING THAT I FELT LIKE WE HAD TO DO A BETTER JOB IN TERMS OF US SHOWCASING AND SHARING THE WORK. SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO, UH, DOWNLOAD THIS, UH, THIS INFORMATION. ACTUALLY, THERE'S A, ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT, UH, SIDE, SIDE CORNER, THERE IS A QR CODE. OR IF YOU [01:25:01] GO TO OUR WEBSITE AT LAT.ORG/ESSO FOR ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD AND GO THROUGH THE ENTIRE REPORT. THE REPORT ITSELF, UM, JUST TALKS ABOUT OUR VISION, OUR, OUR MISSION, OUR VISION TALKS ABOUT THE OBJECTIVES THAT WE SET UP AND PROGRESS TOWARDS THOSE OBJECTIVES. AND WHAT IT DOES, IT SHOWCASES SOME OF THE MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS THAT WE, WE HAVE DONE. AND THE IDEA IS THAT WE DO THIS YEAR BY YEAR, SO WE CAN BE ABLE TO SHOW ALL THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE, UH, WITH, WITH THE COMMUNITY, WITH, UH, PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE, BUT ALSO BEING ABLE TO GET FEEDBACK BACK IN TERMS OF IF THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE WE SHOULD BE DOING, SOMETHING WE'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT. SO HERE WE'RE SHOWING SOME OF THE MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS, INCLUDING SOME OF THE FUNDING OR THE WERE ABLEI SECURED IN, UH, SCHOOL YEAR 2324, THAT WE'VE, UH, PRETTY MUCH WAS SECURE OVER $60 MILLION. AND WE'RE ABLE TO, THROUGH THAT, THROUGH THOSE PROGRAMS TO DEVELOP HELP, UH, CONTINUE GREEN OUR SCHOOLS. WE HEARD SOME OF OUR PARTNERS TODAY ABOUT SOME OF THE KAFI GRANTS AND SOME OTHER GREEN INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE. BUT IN ADDITION, UM, OTHER GRANTS THAT CAN HELP OUR TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFY ITSELF, WE'RE ABLE TO ACTUALLY ACHIEVE, UH, OVER, UH, CLOSE TO $16 MILLION IN, UH, COST AVOIDANCE AND SAVINGS FROM OUR UTILITY. SO THIS MEANS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO LOWER THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE'RE PAYING TO THE UTILITIES BY $16 MILLION. AND THAT WAS A GREAT SAVINGS AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO TO THIS FOR THIS YEAR AS WELL. WE'RE ABLE TO REDUCE OUR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS BY 23%. AND AS YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU SEE THE DASHBOARD WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT METRICS THAT WE DEVELOP. THIS METRICS WILL HELP US. THEY HELP US BY BASELINING CERTAIN ITEMS THAT WE WANTED TO, TO AT LEAST, UH, CONTINUE TO MONITOR AND SHOW IMPROVEMENTS, INCLUDING OUR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, OUR CLEAN ELECTRICITY, OUR ELECTRIFICATION, CLIMATE LITERACY THAT YOU HEARD ABOUT FROM OUR CLIMATE CHAMPIONS EARLIER TODAY. AND SORRY, FROM OUR STUDENTS ABOUT BEING A PART OF THE CONTEST THAT, UH, SUPPORTS CLIMATE LITERACY IN OUR SCHOOLS, OUR CAMPUS GREEN PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE, AND HOW WE'RE PROGRESSING IN TERMS OF LOWERING, UH, OR ACHIEVING OUR 30%, UM, GREEN RESOLUTION BY 2035. WHAT A STEWARDSHIP, WHICH SHOWS HOW WE CAN BE ABLE TO MINIMIZE OUR WATER CONSUMPTION. WE'RE ACTUALLY MINIMIZE OUR WATER CONSUMPTION BY 28%, UM, FROM A BASELINE THAT WE DEVELOPED IN 2014, THAT THAT EQUALS TO OVER HALF A BILLION GALLONS OF WATER. THAT'S ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY FEEL OVER, UH, UH, A THOUSAND OLYMPIC SIZED SWIMMING POOLS OF WATER THAT WE WERE ABLE TO AVOID THROUGH DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE. THE SAME THING WITH OUR, UM, WITH OUR ELECTRICITY, WE'RE ABLE TO REDUCE OUR ELECTRICITY BY 13%. THOSE ARE ACTUAL REAL SAVINGS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SHOWCASE. WE ENGAGE OVER 73,000 STUDENTS THROUGH OUR CLIMATE LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS. AND THE PLAN IS TO CONTINUE ENGAGE MORE STUDENTS UNLESS WE UN, UNTIL WE ENGAGE EVERY SINGLE STUDENT TO OUR PROGRAMS TO HELP US ACHIEVE OUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES THAT WE HAVE IN TERMS OF, UH, CLIMATE LITERACY AND EDUCATION. AND THEN OUR GREENING CONTINUES WITH A LOT MORE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE. WE, WE COMPLETED EIGHT OF THE ENHANCED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM, GRIEVING PROJECTS. THOSE, THOSE ARE REAL, UH, THEY WERE REAL EXCITING PROJECTS THAT CAME TO US VERY FAST AND WE'RE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT WITHIN A YEAR OR TWO YEARS TIME. WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS, AND WE'RE ABLE TO ACTUALLY DO, UH, EXECUTE 'EM IN A, IN A VERY, UH, UM, UH, COST EFFICIENT, UH, UH, SOLUTION THAT WE APPLY TO THOSE PROJECTS. THE SAME THING WITH, UH, SOME OF OUR SEEDS PROJECTS. AND WE'LL BE HEARING MORE UPDATES FROM MS TALKS IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE GREEN PRO PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE IN MORE DETAIL. BUT WE CONTINUE TO MONITOR ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS AND CONTINUE OUR PROGRESS TOWARDS OUR 2035 GOAL. THE SAME THING WITH THE, UH, ELECTRIFICATION. YOU'VE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT WE CELEBRATED A FEW MONTHS AGO IS THE ACHIEVEMENT OF A HUNDRED PERCENT ELECTRIFICATION OF ALL OF OUR DISTRICT GARDEN MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT. THAT'S, THAT WAS A EFFORT BY WORKING WITH OUR FACILITIES MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS. UM, AND THAT'S, THAT WAS ANOTHER VISION THAT STARTED ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO OF HOW WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO GET THERE. AND WE ARE ABLE TO ACCESS FUNDING TO HELP OUT, TO SWAP OUR EXISTING EQUIPMENT WITH ALL ELECTRIC TO BE ABLE TO LOWER OUR EMISSIONS AND REALLY CREATE, CREATE A, A GREATER FUTURE AND A HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT WITH, UH, FOR OUR, UH, FOR OUR STUDENTS AT OUR SCHOOLS. SO THIS IS, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT AND, UM, IT'S NICE FOR EVERYONE, ANYONE WHO WANTS TO LOOK AT IT. WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE SHOWING OUR PROGRESS AND CONTINUE MONITORING OUR PROGRESS AGAINST ALL THE DIFFERENT, UH, THE DASHBOARD ITEMS THAT WE HAVE. WE'RE ADDING A FEW MORE ITEMS AS WE'RE LOOKING NOW, HOW WE'RE, HOW WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO, UM, ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN OTHER AREAS AS WELL. YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. WE'RE LOOKING AT E-WASTE. WE'RE LOOKING AT WASTE MANAGEMENT, HOW WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO MINIMIZE, UM, OUR WASTE CONSUMPTION. [01:30:01] UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT PROCUREMENT. WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT ALL DIFFERENT, UM, AREAS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND HOW WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO HAVE A MORE SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL DISTRICT THROUGHOUT. THE NEXT ITEM I WANTED TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE IS OUR CLIMATE LITERACY TASK FORCE REPORT. THIS WAS A, A RESOLUTION THAT PASSED IN, UH, 2022. AND, UH, WE ENGAGED WORKING WITH THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION, AND WE AS, UH, ECOS SUSTAINABILITY TOOK THE LEAD WORKING ASIDE WITH THE TASK FORCE THAT WAS DEVELOPED OUT OF THE REQUEST FROM THE RESOLUTION AND THE, UM, UNITED TEACHERS LA AGREEMENT THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP A TASK FORCE, UM, FROM PEOPLE THAT WERE REPRESENTING THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION, THE FACILITY SERVICES DIVISION, UTLA, TRANSPORTATION AND OUR OFFICE. AND WHAT WE DID, UH, THROUGH THAT, AS WE ESTABLISHED THAT TEAM, WE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS. WE STARTED, UH, A FEW YEARS AGO, UH, BY IDENTIFYING THE TASKS AND ROLES. SO WE'RE ABLE TO AT LEAST SHOW PROGRESS ON THE WORK THAT WE WERE DOING. WE THEN STARTED MEETING AND, UH, MEETING AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS TO BE ABLE TO INSPIRE, UM, OUR TEAM AND SEE OTHER BEST PRACTICES. WE MET AT LACEY, THAT'S THE LOS ANGELES CLINTECH INCUBATOR. WE MET AT SODA MAOR, WHERE WE SEE THE, WHERE WE SAW THE AC AGRISCIENCE PROGRAM AT THAT LOCATION. AND I ASKED TO SEE ANYONE WHO HAVEN'T BEEN TO SODA MAOR TO SEE THE AGRISCIENCE PROGRAM. IT'S AN AMAZING PROGRAM. SO THROUGH THOSE, WE STARTED, UH, IDENTIFYING AND DEVELOPING, UH, THE DIFFERENT RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE FOCUS AREAS THAT WE WANTED TO WORK ON. WE THEN HAD A PUBLIC MEETING AND WE SOLICIT, WE SOLICITED THE FEEDBACK AT THE PUBLIC MEETING, AND THEN WE CONTINUED DRAFTING THE REPORT. THE REPORT, IT IS NOW READY WITH FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS. YOU CAN FIND THE REPORT AT LAT.ORG/CLT FOR, FOR CLIMATE LITERACY TASK FORCE. AND IT'S FOCUSING IN FOUR AREAS. IT'S FOCUSING IN CURRICULA, CURRICULUM, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, OUTDOOR EDUCATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE. AND IF YOU SEE SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I'M HIDING, UH, ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PRESENTATION IN TERMS OF CURRICULUM, OUTDOOR EDUCATION, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND INFRASTRUCTURE, AS WELL AS FUNDING OF HOW WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO PURSUE MORE FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS. ALL THE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE, UM, THERE AS RECOMMENDATIONS. THIS IS JUST A SNAPSHOT OF THE ITEMS. WE'LL BE PREPARING TO DO A FULL PRESENTATION AT THE NEXT, UH, GREENING AND CLIMATE RESILIENCY COMMITTEE MEETING, WHICH WILL BE INVITING ACTUAL MEMBERS FROM THE TASK FORCE, UM, BE HAVING THE, UH, UH, DR. FRANCIS BAYES FROM THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTIONS TO PRESENT, ALONG WITH, UH, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE UTLA SO WE CAN BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON THE SPECIFIC AREAS THAT THEY TOOK THE LEAD OF IDENTIFYING THE RECOMMENDATIONS. SO THERE'S SOME GREAT RECOMMENDATIONS THERE. UM, IT'S EXCITING. AND THE IDEA IS THAT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE REPORT ON THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND SHOWING PROGRESS AS WE MOVE FORWARD. UH, SO WITH THAT, UM, I WANTED TO AGAIN, UH, THANK, UM, EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED US THROUGH THIS EFFORT. IT WAS A LOT OF WORK. UM, THE REPORT IS PRETTY AMAZING BECAUSE THE DETAILS DOWN A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON. AND, UH, SOME OF THE, UH, SOME OF THE MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE HERE ALSO, UM, ON OUR COMMITTEE HERE, THEY'RE A PART OF THIS TASK FORCE. SO I WANNA REALLY THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR TIME AND CONTRIBUTIONS, UH, FOR LOOKING AT SCHOOLOGY, LOOKING AT THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE, ORGANIZING THAT INFORMATION, AND THEN EXTENDING, EXPANDING TO AREAS THAT WE WANNA BE ABLE TO DEVELOP, UM, MORE CLIMATE ULA. SO THIS IS GREAT WORK IN PROGRESS, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO BE SHOWING THE FULL BLOWN PRESENTATION IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. SO, UM, WITH THAT OPEN TO ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE WE GO TO THE NEXT ITEM OF OUR PRESENTATION, WE, WHICH WE'LL BE PRESENTING, UM, AT THE STRENGTHENING GREETING INITIATIVES THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP, WHICH I'LL BE INVITING MR. UH, JIM TORRANCE TO COME UP TO THE PODIUM TO GIVE AN, UH, AN UPDATE ON THAT AND THE PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING, AND ALSO BE HERE TO BE RESPONDING TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. SO, MR. TORRANCE, I'LL TURN IT BACK TO YOU. THANK YOU. PUT THE, JUST, YEAH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, CHRISTOS. GOOD AFTERNOON. BOARD MEMBERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS GREAT TO BE HERE TODAY. UH, I MEAN, IT'S, THIS IS THE WHAT MAKES IT ALL WORTH IT, RIGHT? OUR STUDENTS AND, AND, AND SEEING THEM AND THE, THE, THE JOY IT BRINGS TO THEM. AND THE, UH, BASICALLY INCULCATING FROM A YOUNG AGE, THE, THE, UH, IDEAS OF CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP FOR OUR LIMITED NATURAL RESOURCES. SO IT'S, IT'S GREAT TO BE PART OF THIS. I WANTED TO JUST OPEN BRIEFLY WITH A LITTLE BIT OF A, OUR VISION FOR THE ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE. I MEAN, THIS, UH, UH, [01:35:01] ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, UH, WE ESTABLISHED THE ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE AND ELEVATED IT TO, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, BASICALLY A CABINET LEVEL FUNCTION UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF, OF CRISTOS. UH, AND IN DOING SO, THE, THE FOCUS WAS TO, UH, FOR THAT, THAT OFFICE TO FOCUS ON, UH, ENTERPRISE WIDE, UH, ISSUES, FOR EXAMPLE, NOT, UH, NECESSARILY DRILL DOWN ONTO INDIVIDUAL PROJECT ISSUES, BUT, UH, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES, POLICY DEVELOPMENTS, AND SUPPORT SOME OF THE, UH, THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY DISCUSSED, OR LOWERING OUR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, LOWERING OUR OVERALL CARBON FOOTPRINT FOR THE DISTRICT, UH, BUT DOING IT ACROSS DIVISIONS. UH, THE, THE, UH, ONE OF THE SLIDES HE SHOWED WAS, UH, THE DIFFERENT METRICS AND DIFFERENT, UH, UH, ITEMS THAT WE'RE MONITORING AS FAR AS PROGRESS, WHETHER IT'S FOR, UH, WATER CONSERVATION, ELECTRICITY USAGE, WE'RE GONNA GET, UH, DEEPER INTO SOME OF THOSE AREAS. UH, BUT THAT, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO SEE THE ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE DO, IS ESTABLISH METRICS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT FOR ALL DIFFERENT AREAS OF OPERATIONS, NOT JUST THE, THE FOCUS ON, ON FACILITIES. TRACK THOSE AND, AND, UH, LOOK AT BEST INDUSTRY PRACTICES ACROSS THE NATION. UH, AND THE MORE WE LOOK, THE MORE WE FIND THAT WE'RE, WE'RE LEADING IN A LOT OF THESE AREAS. SO THAT'S A, IT'S A GOOD THING, BUT IT'S, IT'S ALSO A CHALLENGE. SOME OF THOSE THAT YOU SAW THERE AND THAT WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON ARE ENERGY AND WATER CONSERVATION, BECAUSE THOSE ITEMS IN PARTICULAR BRING US DIRECT, UH, UH, RELIEF TO THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH THEN ALLOWS US TO HAVE SOME, UH, ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY IN, IN, IN SUPPORTING THE, THE OFFICE, THE FUNCTIONS OF THE OFFICE, OTHERS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR A WHILE, THAT WE WANT TO ELEVATE THIS PARTICULAR YEAR, RECYCLING, COMPOSTING, AND SOLID WASTE REDUCTION. WE HAVE, UH, IN THE NEAR FUTURE, BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A NEW CONTRACT FOR SOLID WASTE, UH, AND RUBBISH SERVICES. WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE IS DIRECTLY EMBEDDED IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS AND PROMOTING GREATER RECYCLING AT OUR, AT OUR SCHOOLS. UH, THE OTHER, AND HE MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT, IS, UH, PROMOTING EFFICIENCIES IN, IN, UH, OUR DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, FOOD AND NUTRITION, ELECTRIFICATION OF OUR, OF OUR KITCHENS, ELECTRIFICATION OF, OF OUR BUS FLEET AS WE ACQUIRE NEW BUSES. UH, BUT AGAIN, LOOKING AT THE, AT THE PROGRAM LEVEL, UH, AND THEN WE SAW, OBVIOUSLY THE STUDENT CENTERED ACTIVITIES THAT THE ESO IS INVOLVED WITH. THE GREATEST EXAMPLE TODAY, HEROES FOR ZERO, AND THERE ARE OTHER PROGRAMS TO ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO, TO PARTICIPATE AND BE, UH, GOOD STEWARDS OF OUR ENVIRONMENT. ONE THING THAT'S GONNA HELP TIE THIS TOGETHER WITHIN THE NEXT, UH, YEAR AND IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, IS GONNA BE STARTING, IS A ECOS SUSTAINABILITY PLAN THAT, UH, WE'VE, UH, UH, CON WE HAVE SELECTED A, A FIRM THAT WE'RE GONNA BRING TO THE, TO THE BOARD TO, TO START AND LAUNCH AN E SUSTAINABILITY PLAN. AN ORGANIZATION OF OUR SIZE REALLY SHOULD HAVE THAT FRAMEWORK IN PLACE, UH, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TYING EVERYTHING TOGETHER. AND THAT THE ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE IS LEADING THAT WORK, BUT INVOLVING ALL ASPECTS OF OUR, OF OUR, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, OF OUR DISTRICT, ALL DEPARTMENTS, ALL DIVISIONS, UH, PARENTS, STUDENTS, UH, SCHOOL SIZE, EVERYBODY GETTING INVOLVED. UH, THE, UH, ANOTHER, UH, HIGH LEVEL FUNCTION THAT THE OFFICE IS GONNA BE DOING IS VETTING AND REVIEWING NEW TECHNOLOGIES, NEW SYSTEMS, AND, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE, UH, IMPLEMENTING BEST INDUSTRY PRACTICES, NOT JUST, UH, ON THE FACILITY SIDE, BUT OVERALL ON, ON SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY DISCUSSED. UH, I KNOW UP TO NOW, UH, ESO HAS BEEN FOCUSED DISPROPORTIONATELY EARLY ON FACILITIES, UH, AND, AND BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF THE STAFF CAME FROM, UH, CHRISTOS, OBVIOUSLY MANY YEARS, IS IN OUR, OUR FACILITIES DIVISION. UH, AS I MENTIONED, NOW, WE'RE GONNA BE PIVOTING A LITTLE MORE TO PROGRAM LEVEL AND, AND, UH, UH, UH, HIGHER LEVEL, UH, FUNCTIONS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT. ESO IS GONNA CONTINUE TO BE THE LIAISON FOR OUR THIRD PARTY, UH, PARTNERS ON ENTITIES THAT, THAT WE DEAL WITH, UH, ON A REGULAR BASIS. THAT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE. WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO BE POINT. HE'S GOING, CRYSTALS AND THE TEAM ARE GONNA CONTINUE TO, TO ASSIST AND SUPPORT THEM THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS, BECAUSE THAT'S, UH, KIND OF A NICHE THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE PRESERVE, WE ENCOURAGE AND WE SUPPORT. SO THAT'S NOT GONNA CHANGE. UH, ESOS GONNA CONTINUE TO PROVIDE INPUT ON OUR DESIGN CRITERIA, UH, SPECIFICATIONS FOR, FOR CONSTRUCTION, WHICH HAS BEEN AN ONGOING FUNCTION THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, WHETHER IT'S LEAD, UH, PRINCIPLES FOR SCHOOL CHIPS, THAT'S NOT GONNA CHANGE. WHAT, UH, THEY ARE NOT GONNA BE DOING OTHER THAN THE THIRD PARTY PROJECTS IS MANAGING PROJECTS, RIGHT? WE WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, UH, AVOID SILOS IN THE ORGANIZATION. AND ONE OF THOSE SILOS IS HAVING MULTIPLE, UH, FACILITIES DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION. I THINK THE MANAGEMENT OF PROJECTS, UH, AND DELIVERY OF THOSE SERVICES ARE BEST HANDLED BY THE FACILITIES DIVISION UNDER MS. STOKES LEADERSHIP. LEADERSHIP, [01:40:01] WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO HAVE INPUT, OBVIOUSLY, IN DIFFERENT PHASES, BE THE LIAISON WHEN THERE'S, UH, ANY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED WITH OUR THIRD PARTY ENTITIES OR ANY OTHER, UH, UH, UH, POTENTIAL INITIATIVE THAT COMES UP IN THE FUTURE. SO, UH, AF AFTER SAYING THAT, NOW, I'D LIKE TO GET A LITTLE BIT INTO THE, UH, THE, THE UPDATE ON THE BOARD'S, UH, STRENGTHENING GREETING INITIATIVES THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS RESOLUTION, IF YOU'LL BRING THAT UP, CHRISTOS. SO, WELL, I, I MEAN, I'LL START BEFORE WHILE, WHILE THEY BRING THAT UP. BUT AS, AS THIS, THIS RESOLUTION, UH, UH, APPROVED BY THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY CALLS FOR, IS TO STRENGTHEN, UH, OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR THIRD PARTY ENTITIES, WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING US MANY FOR, FOR YEARS AND, AND DECADES ON GREENING OUR, OUR CAMPUSES AND, AND MAKING OUR SCHOOL, UH, GROUNDS MORE SUSTAINABLE AND MORE, UH, UH, CONDUCIVE FOR STUDENTS TO PLAY OUTSIDE AND TO, TO HAVE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES. SO, JUST, UH, REVIEWING THE OBJECTIVES OF THE, OF THE, UH, RESOLUTION, OBVIOUSLY, STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS, UH, REMOVING INTERNAL FEES AND, AND ALLOCATING FUNDING TO COVER FEES THAT CANNOT BE REMOVED. UH, PRIORITIZING REVIEW OF GRANT FUNDED, UH, UH, GREENING PROJECTS TO ENSURE TIMELY COMPLETION IMPLEMENTATION OF A COHESIVE PLAN TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS AND STRENGTHEN THE PARTNERSHIPS. SO I'M GOING TO, UH, GO AGAIN, UH, AND JUST RESTATE THAT WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE COLLABORATION, THE PASSION THAT WE SEE WHEN OUR THIRD PARTY ENTITIES COME IN, UH, AND PRESENT AND, AND INTERACT WITH US. WE'RE VERY, VERY HAPPY AND VERY GLAD TO CONTINUE THAT WORK. UH, AS I ALREADY MENTIONED, E SSO IS GONNA REMAIN. THERE'S NOT GONNA BE ANY CHANGE. THEY'RE GONNA REMAIN THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR OUR THIRD PARTY ENTITIES. UH, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT OBVIOUSLY WAS, UH, HIGH ON THE LIST IS, IS FUNDING, UH, SPECIFIC TO SUPPORT THESE ENTITIES, UH, IN THE BUDGET THAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE BOARD, UH, AS ON A TENTATIVE BASIS, UH, LAST WEEK, UH, THERE WAS AN, UH, INCLUSION OF, OF FUNDING FOR THESE, UH, YOU KNOW, IN RESPONSE TO THIS RESOLUTION, UH, OF, UH, OF FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE, UH, THE, THE WORK OF THE, UH, THIRD PARTY PARTNERS. UH, WE VIEW THIS AS FUNDING TO HELP OFFSET AS, AS IS MENTIONED HERE, THE REMOVAL OF INTERNAL FEES. THIS FUNDING CAN HELP OFFSET SOME OF THOSE FEES SO THAT THE FOCUS OF THE, OF THE PROJECTS THAT ARE BROUGHT TO US AND THAT ARE APPLIED THROUGH GRANTS, THE FOCUS OF THAT CAN BE ON EXPANDING SCOPE AND DOING THE MOST POSSIBLE AT THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE SELECTED. UH, SO THAT IS, UH, IN RES DIRECTLY IN RESPONSE TO THE RESOLUTION THAT IS BEING RECOMMENDED FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 AND, AND PROSPECTIVELY BEYOND THAT. UH, SO THAT IS DI I KNOW THAT WAS ONE OF THE, THE BIG ISSUES THAT WE HAD PENDING. UH, THIS IS, AGAIN, IS GONNA ENABLE THE PARTNERS WHEN THEY GO OUT TO KNOW THEY'RE GONNA HAVE SOME, UH, RELIEF TO COVER OUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT, OUR DESIGN REVIEWS, AND SOME OF THE, THE EXPENSES THAT ARE INCURRED BY THE DISTRICT TO CARRY OUT THESE PROJECTS. UH, THE, UH, THERE'S, WE'RE GONNA GET INTO A LITTLE BIT GREATER DETAIL, UH, AND I'M, I'M GONNA KIND OF TURN IT OVER TO CRYSTALS NOW TO GO OVER SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, SLIDES HERE. I'LL BE HERE, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO IT NOW OR AT THE END, BUT MAYBE IT'D BE BEST IF HE GOES THROUGH THE REST OF THE, OF THE PRESENTATION TALKS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS IN GREATER DETAIL. I KNOW ANOTHER CONCERN THAT WAS RAISED THAT HAD TO DO WITH STAFFING OF ESO. PART OF THE, THE REASON WE HAVEN'T FULLY, UH, IMPLEMENTED THAT IS BECAUSE WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF THIS TRANSITION. WE DIDN'T WANT TO GO OUT AND START HIRING, UH, A NUMBER OF PROJECT MANAGERS AND, AND STAFF IS GONNA BE DOING TASKS THAT ESO IS NOT GONNA BE DOING EXCEPT FOR THE THIRD PARTY ENTITY. SO, HE'LL, HE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. AND AS PART OF THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR FY 26, THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME, SOME CHANGES IN ESO AND SOME AUGMENTATION OF, OF, UH, POSITIONS. UH, SO, UH, I'LL LET MAYBE TURN OVER TO CRYSTAL'S NOW. THANKS, JIM. SO, UM, YEAH, SO PRETTY MUCH, UH, WE'RE GONNA BE, IN TERMS OF COMMITMENT TO PARTNERS, WE NOW WALK THROUGH SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE HERE AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IN TERMS OF CONTINUING, CONTINUING THE WORK AND EFFORT THAT WE HAVE. WE'VE ESTABLISHED MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH THE, UH, LIVING SCHOOL YEAR COALITION, AND WE HAVE BEEN MEETING, IDENTIFYING SOME OF THE CHALLENGES, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE THE, THE SUPPORT THROUGH THE E SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE. AND I KNOW THAT, UH, CERTAINLY, I MEAN, THE ASK IS TO BE DOING MORE, AND AS WE [01:45:01] REALIGN AND HAVE EVERYTHING IN PLACE, WE BE ABLE TO HELP SUPPORT ONCE, UH, UH, THE FUNDING IS PLACED, BECAUSE THE FUNDING WAS, I THINK, ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DISCUSSING. AND THEN, UH, WE HAVE, WE'RE DEVELOPING THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, WHICH, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GONNA BE ACTIONS THAT DESCRIBE THE COMMUN COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHENING THOSE, UH, UM, THOSE INITIATIVES. AND, AND ALSO STRENGTHENING, UH, STRENGTHENING, EXPANDING THE GREENING PARTNERSHIPS. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON WHEN, WITH THE HOPES THAT WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO EXPAND INTO THAT. IN TERMS OF THE REMOVAL OF INTERNAL FEES, WE'VE, UM, WE HAD A FEW DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR PARTNERS, AND WE TRIED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ACTUAL COST. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE, WHAT IS THEIR UNDERSTANDING AND HOW MUCH OF HELP WE NEEDED TO PROVIDE. SO WE'VE, WE LOOKED AT IT IN, YOU KNOW, THE RESO THE RESOLUTION QUOTE FOR ABOUT $3 MILLION. AND, UM, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT IN TERMS OF, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO PAY FOR THE PROJECTS THAT WE MOVE FORWARD OR PAY ANYTHING THAT WE'VE COMMITTED TO DATE. SO THEN WE IDENTIFY WHAT, WHAT WE'VE CALLED SOME L-A-U-S-D FEES, WHICH IS ACTUAL, UM, CHARGES WE INCUR WHEN WE DO A PROJECT VERSUS WHAT IS, UH, SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FROM THE OUTSIDE, LIKE THE DIVISION OF THE STATE ARCHITECT ACCESSIBILITY. SO, UM, THOSE VARY AND VARY BY THE SIZE AND COMPLEXITY OF THE PROJECT, AND WE NEED TO SOMEHOW SIT DOWN AND REACH, UM, A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MUCH WE CAN HELP SUPPORT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, AND SPECIFICALLY AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH NEW INITIATIVES, TO KNOW UPFRONT WHAT THE NEED AND ASSISTANCE WILL BE. UM, SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, AS MR. TORAN SHARED, TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE $3 MILLION RIGHT NOW, AND WE'LL SEE HOW FAST WE CAN PUT THOSE IN PLACE SO WE CAN BE ABLE TO HELP SUPPORT SOME OF THOSE INITIAL FEES THAT OUR PROJECTS ARE, UM, ARE INCURRING. AND THEN WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE HOW WE CAN BE ABLE TO CONTINUE SUPPORT. UM, IN TERMS OF PROJECT ELIGIBILITY, WE LOOK AT, UH, ORGANIZATIONS, UM, UH, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND WE LOOK AT, UM, DIFFERENT TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS, HOW WE CAN BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY PROJECT AND ELIGIBILITY AND SUPPORT SOME OF THOSE, UH, PARTNERS THAT REALLY CAN HELP HOW, HOW HELP US ACHIEVE THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE. SO WE TRY TO BRING MORE FUNDING THROUGH DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROGRAMS. UM, SOME OF THE DISCUSSIONS THAT I HAVE WITH THE DWP THAT ARE HERE WITH US TODAY TO SEE OUT OUT OF THE NEW MOU IF THEY CAN ALSO HELP OFFICER SOME OF THE CAUSE THAT WE'RE ACURING RIGHT NOW. SO WE'LL SEE HOW THAT'S GONNA GO WITH THOSE DISCUSSIONS. AND THEN, UM, TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE SOME OF THE GREEN PERMEABLE SPACES ON OUR SCHOOL SITES. WE KNOW THROUGH THESE PARTNERSHIPS, WE CAN REALLY DO A LOT MORE IN, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE GETTING MORE GRANT UH, SUPPORT THROUGH THESE PROJECTS, THAT WILL ALSO, UH, LOWER OUR UTILITY COSTS BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA BE USING MORE DROUGHT, TUNNEL AND PLANNING AS WE MOVE, UH, FORWARD. IN TERMS OF OUR REVIEW PROCESS, UM, WE'RE LOOKING ON HOW WE CAN STREAMLINE THE REVIEW PROCESS. WE DISCUSS AND WE IDENTIFY DIFFERENT SCENARIOS AND SOLUTIONS. THE IDEA IS TO HAVE A, A PROGRAM MANAGER WHO BECOMES A, THAT KEY PERSON FROM INCEPTION ALL THE WAY TO COMPLETION AND ENGAGE AN OAR OWNERS AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE FOR ANY SPECIFIC FIELD THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN THE FIELD, BUT LIMIT THE TIME OF SUPERVISION BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THAT YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE SO MUCH SUPERVISION, SUPERVISION ON THOSE TYPE OF PROJECTS. AND, UM, AND SO WE, WE CONTINUE TO KIND OF STREAMLINE THE, UM, THE, THE REVIEW PROCESS IN TERMS OF, UM, UH, MAINTAINING A 10 DAY REVIEW AS SUGGESTED BY THE PARTNERS. BUT THERE'S FEW OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE IN PLAY IN TERMS OF THE, UH, INTAKE, UH, ACCEPTING THE PROJECTS, THEN GOING THROUGH THE, UH, THE, UH, REVISIONS THAT WE SENT BACK TO THE PARTNERS, AND THEN, UH, THE, THE COMMENTS RETURN BACK TO US. SO WE TRY TO STREAMLINE THAT, BUT IT'S GONNA TAKE EFFORT ON BOTH SIDES IN TERMS OF DEVELOPING PROJECTS AND THAT ARE, UM, THEY DON'T HAVE AS MANY COMMENTS ONCE WE GET MORE ACCLIMATED WITH OUR REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS. AND THEN AS WE RECEIVE THOSE PROJECTS FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE'RE TIMING AND WE'RE JUST MOVING THOSE FORWARD THROUGH THE ASSISTANCE OF, UH, AN IDENTIFIED PROGRAM MANAGER. SO SOMEONE WHO STAYS WITH A PROJECT AND REALLY CONTINUES TO MAKE SURE THAT IT MOVES THROUGH THE PROCESS AND DOESN'T TAKE MORE THAN THE, THE TIME THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED HERE. SO, UM, THERE'S, UH, THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE IN IN MIND IN TERMS OF, UH, BEING ABLE TO STREAMLINE THE REVIEW PROCESS AND IT'S, UH, MOSTLY ENGAGING AND, AND ONCE WE ISSUE THE HOW TO GUIDE THE REVISED, HOW TO GUIDE TO ENGAGE OUR PARTNERS SO THEY CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW WE FUNCTION INTERNALLY AND UNDERSTAND OUR SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS, UNDERSTAND OUR REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF OUR GUIDELINES AND SPECIFICATIONS, AND THEN BEING ABLE TO, TO [01:50:01] HELP, UM, ACCELERATE THAT REVIEW PROCESS. SO, UM, THE, A LOT OF THESE ITEMS WILL BE ON THE HOW TO GUIDE IN MORE DETAIL IN TERMS OF THE STRATEGIES FOR TIMELY START OF CONSTRUCTION. UM, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF DELAYS, UM, HOW WE WE'RE ABLE TO TRANSITION PROJECTS TO GO INTO CONSTRUCTION AND, UH, THE HOW TO GUIDE WILL BE SHARING ON THAT. AND THEN, UH, BY, UH, THE IDEA IS TO HAVE A, WHAT WE CALL AN ONBOARDING CHECKLIST OF ITEMS. SO THE PARTNERS WILL HAVE IT AND THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS REQUIRED ONCE THEY START DOING THE WORK. AND THEN, UM, THE, UH, THE, THE, THE PROCESS, THE ACTUAL PROCESS FROM BEGINNING TO THE END, WE'LL SHOW, WE'LL BE SHOWING THOSE THAT ON THE HOW TO GUIDE IN TERMS OF WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT AND DOCUMENTS TO PROVIDE TO US AND, AND, AND BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE PARTNERS AND THE SCHOOL, UM, DISTRICT SO WE COULD BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE THE PROCESS. SO, UM, IN TERMS OF THE PROGRESS REPORTING, UM, AGAIN, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA BE GETTING MORE INTO THE HOW TO GUIDE, BUT THAT'S WHERE, UM, A LOT OF THE COMMENTS THAT CAME IN IN TERMS OF HOW WE CAN BE ABLE TO, UM, ACCELERATE AGAIN, EVEN SOME OF THE, THE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE SEEING IN TERMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS, WE HAVE SOME IDEAS, AND SOME OF THEM WE PUT INTO IMPLEMENTATION ALREADY IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL SIZE AND COMPLEXITY OF THE PROJECTS, THAT IF IT'S A, IF IT'S A SMALL PROJECT, INSTEAD OF DOING A FULL DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, WE CAN DO A DIFFERENT TYPE OF AGREEMENT. WE CAN GET A LICENSE AGREEMENT. UM, WE JUST HAVE TO DEFINE THE WORK UPFRONT SO WE KNOW WHAT KIND OF A PROJECT WE CAN HAVE IN PLACE. WE, WE LOOKED AT THE, UM, TERM DEVELOPER AND WE REPLACE IT WITH A PARTNER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN HELP STREAMLINE THAT PROCESS AND, UH, AND HELP THIS PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN US AND THE, UH, AND, AND THE PARTNER, THE GRIEVING PARTNERS. AND THEN, UH, WE'VE, UM, WE TRY TO IDENTIFY EVEN IN MORE DETAIL THESE TYPE OF PROJECTS TO SEE IF WE CAN AVOID, UM, SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE HAVE FROM THE, UH, THE, THE STATE ARCHITECT IN TERMS OF, UH, THE, UH, ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. IF IT'S NOT REQUIRED, THERE'S PROCESS THAT WE CAN BE ABLE TO HELP. AND, AND THEN WE WILL MAKE THE, THE ACTUAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND AGREEMENTS, UH, A LITTLE SHORTER OR DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF OUR STAFFING. UH, MR. TORRE'S MISSION ABOUT THE STAFFING REQUIREMENTS THAT WE MADE, WE TRIED TO FILL THE REQUIREMENTS. AS YOU KNOW, YOU ARE PROBABLY VERY WELL AWARE OF SOME OF THE BUDGET CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE. A LOT OF THESE POSITIONS WENT ON HOLD, BUT ONCE THEY OPEN UP, WE'LL BE ABLE TO BRING SOME MORE PEOPLE TO HELP SUPPORT THE EFFORTS THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN PLACE. AND, UM, AND ALSO THEREFORE, UH, FOR THESE TYPE OF PARTNERSHIPS, BECAUSE WE NEED TO HAVE DEDICATED PEOPLE TO HELP US. AND, AND THAT'S THE, THE IDEA. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE PUTTING INTO THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE ABLE TO GET DEDICATED PEOPLE TO HELP SUPPORT THE PROJECTS THROUGHOUT. SO, UM, UM, THAT'S WHERE WE ARE WITH ALL THOSE, UM, DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WE HAVE UP THERE. AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND, UH, OPEN IT UP TO ANY, ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. SO THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU. UM, BEFORE WE BEGIN THE QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION, I JUST WANNA EXPRESS MY CONCERN AND DISAPPOINTMENT THAT DESPITE THESE UPDATES WE'VE HEARD TODAY, UM, WHICH I WILL SAY VERY MINIMAL, UM, WE HAVE YET, WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND PROGRESS. AND I UNDERSTAND THESE ARE THE ISSUES THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT WERE DUE WITHIN 60 DAYS OF THE RESOLUTIONS ADOPTION. THE RESOLUTION WAS PASSED IN FEBRUARY, AND WE ARE NOW NEAR JUNE, AND OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITIES AND NONPROFIT PARTNERS ARE STILL WAITING. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT AS YOU HEARD EARLIER TODAY, SO ARE MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS, WE HAVE THE CAL FIRE, WE HAVE UNTIL MARCH 20TH, 2026 TO SEE THE COMPLETION OF THESE PROJECTS. AND A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS ARE, WILL BE MINIMIZED BECAUSE OF ALL OF THESE DELAYS. UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT LARGER SHIFTS MAY BE HAPPENING ACROSS THE DISTRICT, PARTICULARLY IN HIRING, UM, DELAYS AND THAT WE'RE, YOU ALL ARE NAVIGATING THROUGH THESE CHANGES. BUT WE MUST HOLD FIRM TO THE MISSION AND SUPPORT THAT THE OFFICE REPRESENTS, BUT ALSO THE SUPPORT THAT OUR SCHOOLS NEED, AND PARTICULARLY OUR STUDENTS. THE GOALS OUTLINED IN THE RESOLUTION REFLECT CLEAR MANDATE MADE BY THE BOARD, WHICH WAS UNANIMOUSLY, UH, VOTED ON. AND THESE ARE THE COMMITMENTS WE MADE PUBLICLY AND UNANIMOUSLY THAT MUST BE UPHELD DESPITE PLANNED SHIFTS. UH, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVEN AS SYSTEMS EVOLVE, THE COMMITMENTS TO EQUITY, CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS ARE NOT DEPRIORITIZED OR DELAYED. OUR PARTNERS AND OUR STUDENTS DESERVE [01:55:01] A FULL THOUGHT FOLLOW THROUGH. UM, AND I'M SAYING THIS MILDLY ABOUT MY, MY DISAPPOINTMENTS AND THE PROGRESS WE MADE THUS FAR. SO I DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS BEFORE I OPEN IT UP TO, UM, THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND MY BOARD COLLEAGUE HERE, AS I MENTIONED, THE RESOLUTION CALLED FOR A REPORT, WHICH THIS COMMITTEE HAS YET TO SEE. SO WHEN CAN WE EXPECT THIS REPORT AND THE HOW TO GUIDE THAT YOU HAVE MENTIONED THAT WILL STREAMLINE THESE PROCESSES AND IDENTIFY, UM, FUNDING AND EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR TO CHANGE? WHEN WILL WE SEE THIS? YEAH, THE HOW TO GUIDE. IT'S PRETTY MUCH READY FOR ISSUANCE. SO WE WANNA HAVE IT ISSUED BY IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. SO WE'LL HAVE THAT OUT IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. UM, THE REASON WHY IT TOOK A LITTLE LONGER IS BECAUSE OF THE BACK AND FORTH DISCUSSIONS AND, AND IDENTIFYING SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT CAME UP FROM, FROM EVERYONE. WE HAD A LOT OF COMMENTS THAT CAME FROM THE HOW TO GUIDE. UM, SO THAT'S WHY, UH, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE INCORPORATE ALL THE COMMENTS, BUT WE REALIZE WE AT THE SAME TIME THAT YEAH, YOU CAN ADDRESS ONLY SO MUCH AND IT'S GONNA BE A CONTINUED WORKING DEVELOPMENT. THAT'S WHY WE'LL BE ISSUING IT IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHAT IS THE IMP THE OUTLINING PLAN THAT WE WANTED, THAT THE RESOLUTION CALLED FOR? WHEN IS THAT COMING COME THROUGH? YES. UM, DR. RIVAS, THE, UH, THE REPORT THAT, UH, YOU'RE DESCRIBING THAT DESCRIBED IN THE PLAN, WE WANT TO HAVE EVERYTHING IN PLACE BEFORE WE CAN DO THAT. WE HAVE THE, THE BUDGET CYCLE COMING UP JULY 1ST. WE START OUR NEW BUDGET YEAR, AS YOU SAW IN THE, IN THE, UH, PROPOSED BUDGET. THIS WAS A PRIORITY. IT, IT WAS NOT JUST A LINE ITEM AND THERE WAS A PRIORITY THAT WAS, UH, CALLED OUT EVEN IN THESE TOUGH FINANCIAL TIMES. UH, SO I, I WOULD ENVISION BEFORE YOUR THE, THE NEXT GREENING AND, UH, COMMITTEE, YOU WILL HAVE A FULL REPORT. WE'LL BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU A MUCH BETTER FEEL FOR THE PROGRESS. WE WILL HAVE HIRED ADDITIONAL FOLKS INTO THESE POSITIONS THAT ARE, ARE BEING CREATED RIGHT NOW. SO I WOULD MAKE THAT COMMITMENT TO YOU BY THE NEXT MEETING OF THE, OF THE GREENING COMMITTEE, WHICH I BELIEVE IS, IS, IS IN AUGUST, OR? YES, WE'RE ON AUGUST, SEPTEMBER. OKAY. SO WE HAVE TO WAIT TILL THAT TIME. WELL, WE CAN GIVE YOU AN INTERIM REPORT. WE CAN DO IT VIA, UH, UH, A BOARD INFORMATIVE, UH, PRIOR TO THAT, BUT BE PREPARED TO PRESENT AND TO RESPOND TO ANY QUESTIONS. AND WE'RE NOT GONNA STOP WORKING BECAUSE THE SUMMER IS HERE. ON THE CONTRARY, THIS IS THE TIME WHEN WE ACTUALLY RAMP UP BECAUSE STUDENTS AREN'T ON CAMPUS. SO WE LOOK TO, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT TIME TO, TO GET SOME OF THESE, UH, PROJECTS, UH, GOING AND, AND ACCELERATE. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I'LL GIVE YOU THAT, THAT COMMITMENT. AND, UH, WE ARE NOT BACKING OFF OF ANY OF THE COMMITMENTS THAT WE'VE MADE. WE'RE JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A PROGRAM THAT IS NAMED SUSTAINABILITY, BUT IT IS SUSTAINABLE. WE'RE LOOKING FOR RECURRING REVENUE STREAMS, WHETHER THEY BE FROM SOME OF THESE COST AVOIDANCES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT. WE'RE LOOKING TO GENERATE SAVINGS IN OUR UTILITIES BUDGET, UH, TO BECOME A VIRTUOUS CYCLE. USE SOME OF THAT MONEY TO BE REINVESTED TO KEEP THIS GOING BEYOND JUST $3 MILLION COMMITMENT THAT WE'RE MAKING RIGHT NOW. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, NOT A BOARD INFORMATIVE, BUT AT LEAST A DRAFT OF THIS PLAN, BECAUSE BOARD INFORMATIVES JUST GIVE YOU ENOUGH TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS A PRO, THIS, THESE ARE THE STEPS THAT ARE BEING TAKEN, BUT A DRAFT OF THE PLAN TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT IT'S, IT'S THERE'S A PLAN IN PLACE RATHER THAN JUST BULLET POINTS OR, OR, UM, OR STEPS THAT YOU'RE ALL ARE TAKING. I WANNA SEE SOMETHING SOON. YEAH, UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU. UM, THE NEXT QUESTION IS, CAN YOU CLARIFY THE ALLOCATION OF 3 MILLION TOWARD ALLEVIATING THE FEES OR CAUSED BURDEN BY, UH, GREENING PARTNERS? SURE. CAN YOU CLARIFY THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE? ABSOLUTELY. THAT, UH, IF YOU RECALL, IT WAS, UH, ONE OF THE PRIORITIES PRESENTED IN THE, THE BUDGET, UH, PROPOSED BUDGET THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DRAFTING NOW THAT WE PRESENTED THE BOARD LATER THIS MONTH, UH, OR IN EARLY JUNE. THE, UH, THE IDEA THERE IS THERE, THE GREEN PARTNERS HAVE COME TO US AND THEY'VE TOLD US THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS, FOR EXAMPLE, PROJECT MANAGEMENT, THERE'S DESIGN REVIEW, AND THESE ARE NOT NECESSARILY FEES. I MEAN, THESE ARE COSTS THAT THE DISTRICT INCURS THAT HAVE TO BE CHARGED TO SOMETHING. WE CAN'T HAVE PEOPLE WORKING ON, ON, ON THIS TYPE OF, UH, UH, THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO CHARGE THEIR TIME TO, TO A REVENUE SOURCE. SO THAT WAS THE IDEA HERE IS FOR THE, THE, THE, THAT REVENUE STREAM TO BE ESTABLISHED. UH, AND FOR WHEN, WHEN THESE PROJECTS COME IN, UH, MOST OF THE TIME THE GREETING PARTNERS HAVE ALLOCATIONS IN THEIR BUDGETS WHEN THEY SUBMIT FOR A GRANT, THE GRANTEE, UH, OR THE GRANTOR IS AWARE THAT THERE'S GONNA NEED TO BE DESIGN REVIEW. THERE'S GONNA BE SOME SOFT COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROJECTS. BUT WHAT WE'VE SEEN RECENTLY IS BECAUSE OF ESCALATIONS IN THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION, THE GREEN PARTNERS ARE COMING BACK TO US AND THEY'RE SAYING, HEY, CAN, CAN YOU HELP OFFSET THIS SO WE CAN KEEP MORE, MORE SCOPE [02:00:01] IN THE PROJECT, WHICH WE FULLY AGREE WITH. SO THAT IS THE IDEA IS AS THEY COME INTO US, WE'LL ESTABLISH BASED ON THE, ON THE, UH, UH, GUIDE, HOW TO GUIDE, THERE WILL BE A, A, UH, DELINEATION THERE OF WHAT THE COST WOULD BE FOR THE DISTRICT, WHETHER IT BE FOR DESIGN REVIEW, PROJECT MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING, WHATEVER THAT MAY BE. AND WE'LL SET UP UPFRONT WITH THE GREETING PARTNER, OKAY, THIS IS HOW MUCH WE CAN COVER. THE REST OF THIS, UH, WILL HAVE TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GRANT. SO THAT IS THE, THE FRAMEWORK WHAT WE'RE WILL, WE'RE EXPECTING TO DO, AND BE VERY DIRECT WITH 'EM. THIS IS WHAT WE UNCOVER. WE WANT TO DO IT OVER AS MANY PROJECTS AS POSSIBLE. SO IF THERE ARE SOME THAT THE PARTNER CAN COVER MORE COSTS, THAT LEAVES MORE FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR OTHER PROJECTS, BUT IT'S FOR THEM TO KNOW COMING INTO IT EXACTLY WHAT WILL BE AVAILABLE. JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON, ON THE, ON THE FUNDS, WHAT IS THE PLAN TO MAKE THE FIRST 1 MILLION IN DISTRICT RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR NONPROFIT PARTNERS AS OUT OUTLINED IN THE RESOLUTION? AND IF THAT PLAN ISN'T READY TODAY OR SOON, WHICH IT SHOULD BE, UH, WHEN CAN WE EXPECT TO RECEIVE IT? SURE. THE, THE, UH, WE HAVE CRYSTAL'S MENTIONED, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN SUBMITTED TO US THAT HAVEN'T LAUNCHED. THE PRIORITY WOULD BE JULY 1ST WHEN WE ENTER THE NEW BUDGET YEAR TO GO BACK THROUGH THESE AND INFORM THE, THE PARTNERS, THIS IS HOW MUCH WE CAN, WE CAN FUND OF THE SOFT COST OF THE DISTRICT, UH, FEES AS, AS THEY'RE CALLED FOR EACH OF THOSE PROJECTS. SO THEY WOULD KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT UPFRONT BEFORE THEY START. AND, UM, MR. CHRISTOS, UH, MENTIONED A COST EFFICIENT APPROACH TO THE ELLP FUNDS, THE ELOP GREENING PROJECTS. CAN THAT SAME COST EFFICIENT APPROACH BE APPLIED TO GREENING PROJECTS LED BY NONPROFIT PARTNERS? CAN WE, CAN THAT BE POSSIBLE? YES, WE CAN. AND ACTUALLY WE'VE, UH, SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE HAVING WITH THE KAFI PARTNERS PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, THE KAFI GRANT FUNDED PROJECTS IS TO APPLY SIMILAR METHODOLOGY IN TERMS OF, UH, LOCATING WHERE WE NEED TO HAVE THOSE GREEN IMPROVEMENTS AND, UH, THE TYPE OF GREEN IMPROVEMENTS SO WE CAN BE ABLE TO STEER 'EM WITHOUT HAVING TO REQUIRE, UH, DIVISION OF THE STATE ARCHITECT, UH, REVIEW AND APPROVAL. AND, UH, SO WE'RE EXPLORING THAT AND THERE'S SOME PROJECTS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE TAKING THAT DIRECTION SO WE CAN ACCELERATE AND MEET THE MARCH OF NEXT YEAR'S, UH, IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINE. AND I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT BOND FUNDS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, UH, AS ELIGIBLE TO DEFRAY OR MITIGATE THE FEES OR COSTS FOR GREENING PARTNERS. CAN YOU CONFIRM THE 3 MILLION OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS INCLUDE BOND FUNDS? HAVE YOU LOOKED INTO THAT? YES. AT THIS POINT, THIS IS ALL GENERAL FUND. WHEN WE GET INTO BOND FUND, AND I'M NOT THE EXPERT WHERE YOU HAVE, UH, LEGAL COUNSEL HERE THAT CAN GET IN, IN GREATER DETAIL, UNLESS THE ENTIRE PROJECT IS FUND FUNDED FROM BOND REVENUE. UH, I DON'T, I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S PROPER FOR PAYING JUST THE SOFT COST OF A PROJECT THAT'S FUNDED THROUGH A GRANT, UH, USING BOND FUNDS. AND I DON'T KNOW IF MR. GODA CAN CHIME IN OR, OR ADDRESS THAT, IF YOU DON'T MIND. DR. RIVAS DOES. YES, THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. UM, OKAY. MY LAST POINT, 'CAUSE I KNOW, UM, WE MAKE SOME QUESTIONS HERE. UM, HYPOTHETICALLY SPEAKING, ASSUME THAT I AM A NONPROFIT, UM, A GREEN PARTNER WHO IS RESPONSIBLE TO PAY THE 50 K IN FEES TO HELP GREEN, FOR INSTANCE, CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. HOW DO I GO ABOUT ALLEVIATING THIS COST BURDEN? WHO DO I CALL? WHAT FORMS DO I USE AND WHEN DO I EXPECT TO SEE THE PROCESS GET ON THE GROUND? IS THIS PART OF THE PLAN OR DO YOU HAVE SOME IDEA OF WHAT THE PROCESS MAYBE IS GOING TO BE OR HOW DO NONPROFITS YEAH, THE, THE WAY THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS, UH, AS WE HAVE THESE MEETINGS WITH THE LIVING SCHOOL YARDS COALITION, IS TO IDENTIFY, UM, AND ASSOCIATE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONIES PER PROJECT, SO IT CAN BE FAIR TO ALL THE PARTNERS IN TERMS OF THE PROJECTS THAT THEY HAVE. AND, UH, BASED ON THAT, LET'S SAY IF WE IDENTIFY THAT WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO ALLOCATE $50,000 PER PROJECT, UM, TO PER, UH, TO THE PARTNERS, THEN THAT 50,000, THE DISCUSSION IS WHAT FEES ARE TO BE PAID. WE KNOW SOME OF THE FEES, LIKE THE, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE REVIEW FEES WILL BE ABOUT APPROXIMATELY $30,000. THEN WE HAVE SOME FEE TO ANOTHER REQUIREMENTS. SO WE WILL IDENTIFY THOSE THREE, UH, FOUR ITEMS THAT CAN BE PAID OUT OF THE 50,000, WHATEVER THAT NUMBER IS, AND WE'RE GONNA USE THAT CONSISTENCY FOR ALL THE PARTNERS AND ALL THE PROJECTS. THAT WAS THE IDEA. THEY ARE BASED ON HOW MANY GRANT APPLICATIONS AND PROJECTS WE HAVE TO MEET THAT MILLION DOLLAR, OR DEPENDING HOW MUCH ALLOCATION WE HAVE PER YEAR. UM, THAT WAS THE, THE THINKING. THAT'S WHY WE ASKED THE PARTNERS TO IDENTIFY THE FEES. WE, WE HAVE THAT ACTUALLY, THAT INFORMATION AND NOW IS US LOOKING AT HOW MUCH MONEY WE HAVE AND PUTTING THE MONEY ASIDE FOR THOSE, UH, THOSE LINE ITEMS. [02:05:02] OKAY. AND LASTLY, CAN YOU GIVE ME A BALLPARK ESTIMATE OF THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT EXTERNAL PARTNERS ARE LEADING OR PLANNING TO LEAD OR, UH, TO GREEN? OUR SCHOOLS ABOUT APPROXIMATELY ABOUT 60 PROJECTS. 60, YEAH. UH, AND, UH, SOME OF THEM IN, IN IMPLEMENTATION, SOME OF THEM NEARING COMPLETION AND SOME OF THEM, UH, THAT GOING THROUGH PLANNING AND DESIGN RIGHT NOW, IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU CAN PROVIDE, UM, THE BOARD, UH, A, A TIMELINE OR, UM, AN UPDATES OF WHERE THESE QUARTERLY REPORTS, UH, TO, SO WE CAN, YOU KNOW, UM, BE ON TOP OF THE PROJECTS AND WHERE THEY ARE. BECAUSE WE'RE CONSTANTLY RECEIVING EMAILS AND, YOU KNOW, PHONE CALLS AND MEETINGS WITH GREETING PARTNERS WITH OUR SCHOOLS, AS YOU SAW HERE TODAY EARLIER, UH, WANTING TO KNOW WHERE, WHAT'S GOING ON. AND IF WE HAVE A, A QUARTERLY REPORT THAT SAYS, OKAY, THIS IS WHERE IT IS, AND AT LEAST WE, UH, WE KNOW WHERE INSTEAD OF HAVING TO EMAIL YOU OR CALL YOU OR OR MISS TOS HERE AS WELL, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE A QUARTERLY REPORT ON, UM, THE 60 PROJECTS AND, UM, EVERYTHING FROM WHERE THEY ARE IN, IN THE PROCESS AND WHAT IS THE EXPECTED TIME OF COMPLETION. I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION. DR. WAS ABSOLUTELY. AND, AND AS WE NOW DEFINE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND WE HAVE FULL COMMITMENT, WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING IS ON THE NEXT, UM, EVENT MEETING OR EVEN EARLIER, WE'LL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THOSE AND GIVING YOU THE, THE KIND OF TIMELINES AND WHERE THEY ARE. SO AT LEAST EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS WHERE THESE PROJECTS ARE, AND WE HAVE TRANSPARENCY THROUGHOUT. YES. AND LET'S CLARIFY THE PROCESS FOR OUR GREEN PARTNERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. UM, SO ANYWAY, SO, AND THEN I JUST WANNA, UH, STRESS THAT WE NEED THAT DRAFT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND WE NEED TO CLARIFY THE PROCESS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. ABSOLUTELY. TIME IS TICKING. THANK YOU. UH, SO NOW WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO ANY BOARD MEMBERS OR, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO HAVE ANY QUESTIONS HERE BEFORE WE GO TO OUR LAST PRESENTATION. NO. GOOD. THANK YOU. UM, DR. REVIS, AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING WITH US. AND I TOO WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED WITH THE BULLET POINTS BECAUSE IT DIDN'T REALLY CAPTURE WHAT WAS NEEDED. UM, AND SOME WAS ANSWERED HOWEVER, THE HOW TO GUIDE, WILL IT BE BROKEN UP IN CHAPTERS? WOULD THESE BE THE CHAPTERS OF THE HOW TO GUIDE? WHAT EXACTLY IS THE HOW TO GUIDE? AND CAN YOU GIVE US LIKE, HOW DO WE USE IT? ABSOLUTELY. UM, SO PRETTY MUCH, UH, THE, THE HOW TO GUIDE, IT'S A, IT'S A DOCUMENT THAT STARTS FROM THE INCEPTION, INCEPTION OF A PROJECT. ONCE WE, A PROJECT STARTS ALL THE WAY TO THE COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT, AND IT GOES THROUGH THE DIFFERENT STAGES, UM, OF THE PROCESS FROM THE BEGINNING, WHO YOU CONTACT, UM, WHAT, UH, WHAT THE GRANT IS, AND THEN, UH, WHAT KIND OF AGREEMENTS WE NEED TO HAVE IN PLACE, WHAT KIND OF, UH, UH, SUPPORT YOU NEED EVEN TO OBTAIN THE GRANT FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND IT TAKES YOU ALL THE WAY TO, UM, CONSTRUCTION, ADMINISTRATION AND CLOSEOUT. SO ALL THOSE STEPS ARE DEFINED IN THE HOW TO GUIDE. AND WE DID THIS SPECIFICALLY TO HELP SUPPORT ALGORITHM PARTNERS. IT DOES INCLUDE THE FEES, ASSOCIATED FEES, HOW MUCH IS, UH, THE, THE FEES SHOULD BE IN TERMS OF WHEN WE DISCUSS FEES OR HOW MUCH, UH, WHAT THE COSTS ARE FOR, FOR US DOING BUSINESS WITH, UH, THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. SO THE PARTNERS ARE AWARE, IT, IT GETS INTO THE DETAIL OF, UM, THE DIFFERENT PHASES OF, UH, SCHE. I DESIGN, DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCTION, UM, UH, DSA REVIEW AND APPROVAL. AND THEN THROUGH THE TRANSITION PROJECTS PROCESS FOR, UH, PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION IN TERMS OF CONSTRUCTION AND CLOSE OUT. SO ALL THAT WILL BE A PART OF THE HOW TO GUIDE. NOW, WE DID ISSUE THE HOW TO GUIDE ABOUT FIVE, SIX MONTHS AGO, AND WE'VE, UH, OR MAYBE A LITTLE, UH, MORE THAN THAT. AND WE'VE ASKED FOR COMMENTS. WE RECEIVE COMMENTS FROM THE PARTNERS, RECEIVE COMMENTS FROM OUR FACILITIES AND EVERYBODY ELSE THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE, THE, THIS, UH, HOW TO GUIDE. WE TOOK ALL THE COMMENTS WE INCORPORATING OR PRETTY MUCH DONE WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMENTS WITH A PLAN TO ISSUE THE HOW TO GUIDE AS I SHOW IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AT THE LATEST. OKAY. UM, WITH THE HOW TO GUIDE, UH, ARE YOU LOOKING TO ONBOARD, 'CAUSE IT, YOU SAID POSITIONS AND ROLES FOR ESO WILL BE DISTINGUISHED OR ESTABLISHED. NOW, WILL THOSE ROLES BE MITIGATED OR REMOVED FROM THIS HOW TO GUIDE IF THEY'RE NOT, UM, AVAILABLE? IF THESE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ARE NOT FULFILLED, CONSIDERING THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITIES THAT WE DO HAVE FOR THIS DISTRICT, IF THOSE ROLES ARE NOT TO BE FILLED, HOW DOES THE, HOW TO GUIDE STILL CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD? YES. IF I MAY, THE, THE HOW TO GUIDE IS INTENDED FOR THE AUDIENCE OF OUR THIRD PARTY [02:10:01] PARTNERS IS KIND OF TO EXPLAIN TO THEM HOW TO GO THROUGH, UH, AN ENTIRE PROJECT WHEN YOU'RE SCOPING THE PROJECT, WHEN BEFORE YOU EVEN SUBMIT FOR A GRANT, HOW TO WORK WITH US TO, TO TRY AND MITIGATE ANY POTENTIAL ISSUES FURTHER ON THE TOPIC THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE MENTIONING BOARD MEMBER IS CRITICAL AND THAT'S PART OF THE, OUR ONGOING BUDGET DISCUSSION. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE ARE THE RIGHT POSITIONS TO MANAGE THE PROGRAM. THIS IS ONE SMALL ASPECT OF WHAT ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE IS DOING, IS MANAGING THE, THE GREENING PARTNER PRO PROJECTS AND, AND THAT, BUT THE BROADER, UH, SCOPE OF THE ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE IS WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, DISCUSSING ABOUT WHICH POSITIONS WE'RE GONNA NEED, UH, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE, UH, THAT IF THERE ARE POSITIONS THAT ARE TIED TO GRANTS, BECAUSE PART OF THE MONEY'S COMING FROM GRANTS, THAT THOSE POSITIONS BE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, AND THEY BE FUNDED AS, AS THE PROJECTS COME THROUGH, THE, THE FUNDING FOR THAT POSITION IS, IS ALLOCATED AND, AND EXPENDED FROM THE GRANT RATHER THAN FROM THE GENERAL FUND. THIS IS IN NO WAY INTENDED TO BE A, A BURDEN ON THE GENERAL FUND. IF ANYTHING, IT'S IT, WE'RE LOOKING AT A LONG TERM TO BE RELIEF TO THE GENERAL FUND BECAUSE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING ARE GONNA END UP SAVING US SIGNIFICANT MONEY IN THE LONG TERM IN 10, 20 YEARS IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BOARD'S GOALS FOR, FOR SUSTAINABILITY, GREENY, ELECTRIFICATION AND, AND AND SUCH. GREAT. UM, AS YOU MENTIONED THAT WITH THE POSITIONS THAT ARE NEEDED, AND THIS IS INTO THE STAFFING OF ONE OF THE BULLETS HERE, ARE THOSE, 'CAUSE YOU'VE MENTIONED ABOUT 60 PROJECTS. IS THAT ABOUT AVERAGE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO BE DONE AND OVER A COURSE OF, WHAT LENGTH OF TIME ARE THOSE 60 PROJECTS THAT YOU MENTIONED? SO WE HAVE, WE HAVE DIFFERENT GRANTS THAT WE'RE WORKING, UH, WITH. SO THE LARGEST ONE IS THE KAFI GRANT AND THOSE ARE 43 PROJECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. UH, OUT OF THOSE, THEY HAVE A DEADLINE OF MARCH OF NEXT YEAR. THAT'S THE INITIAL DEADLINE THAT THE GRANT HAD. UM, THERE'S ALSO REQUESTS NOW FOR EXTENSIONS OF THE GRANT AND I KNOW THAT IT'S AN ONGOING DISCUSSION AT THE STATES SO THEY CAN BE ABLE TO EXTEND THE GRANT. UM, WE WE'RE HEARING DIFFERENT THOUGHTS. WE HOPE THAT THAT'S GONNA GET EXTENDED. IF IT DOESN'T GET EXTENDED, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA SEE, HOW WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO MANAGE THAT. SOME OF THE OTHER GRANTS, UH, THEY'RE, UH, GRANTS THROUGH THE CNRA, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, UH, THE, THIS IS CALIFORNIA NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCY OR OTHER GRANT PARTNERS THAT WE'VE ENGAGED WITH, UH, THE REMAINING AND, UH, THOSE HAVE DIFFERENT DEADLINES. SO THE, UH, THEY'RE, THESE PROJECTS ARE GEARED TO BE COMPLETED IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. WE'RE ALSO APPLYING RIGHT NOW, THERE'S STILL DISCUSSIONS FOR OTHER GRANTS THAT ARE COMING UP THAT WE'RE GONNA BE PARTNERING WITH THREE PEOPLE AND SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, GRIEVING PARTNERS THAT'S GONNA GIVE US ANOTHER TWO, THREE YEARS IN THE FUTURE FOR FUTURE GRANT APPLICATIONS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING WITH. SO THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES COMING UP. WE'RE GONNA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE AS WELL. SO THE TIMELINE VARIES ANYWHERE FROM ONE YEAR TO THREE YEARS. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE IDENTIFYING GRANTS TO CONTINUE THESE PROJECTS 'CAUSE THEY'RE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE WORK THAT WE DO. GOT IT. WITH THE PERSONNEL NEEDED FOR WHAT WE DO HAVE CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW WITH THE 43 MENTIONED FOR CAL FIRE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE LARGEST, WHAT IS MANPOWER NEEDED TO SUSTAIN THAT THAT IS FULFILLED? WORST CASE SCENARIO THAT WE HAD TO GO TO THE 26 YEAR, UH, DEADLINE AND IT'S NOT EXTENDED WITHIN, WITHIN THE ACTUAL SUPPORT THAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW FOR THOSE PROJECTS, WE'RE LOOKING ABOUT ANYWHERE FOUR, UH, APPROXIMATELY FOUR POSITIONS. UM, THEY VARY DEPENDING ON WHAT STAGE OF PROJECTS ARE AND, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, BEING ABLE TO BRING SOME OF THE SUPPORT IN TO HELP US OUT. UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE'VE UH, MAY HAVE TO, UH, I GUESS SOME OF THE TEAM MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE, WORK ON OTHER ASSIGNMENTS TO COME AND HELP SUPPORT THAT EFFORT AS WELL. SO WE CAN CONTINUE THAT, UH, THOSE PROJECTS BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THE DEADLINE IS COMING UP SHORTLY. YES, AND I MEAN, AND AS MENTIONED EARLIER IN THIS, UM, MEETING, IS THAT WE DON'T WANNA SEE THAT FALL THROUGH. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT'S SUSTAINED AND BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY GOT THE GRANTEES TO SAY, HEY, WE, WE WANT TO DO THIS. AND THEY'VE GIVEN US THAT OPPORTUNITY. SO HOPEFULLY THAT CAN BE FULFILLED. UM, QUESTION ABOUT, UM, AND FORGIVE ME IF, YOU KNOW, WE GO BACK, BUT YOU TALKED ABOUT THE FEES AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT. I THINK THAT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONCERNS THAT WE'VE HAD. WERE WE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT WE ARE ABLE TO ELIMINATE AS A DISTRICT COST VERSUS SOMETHING AS MENTIONED BEFORE WE SAID WOULD BE, UH, OCCURRED BY THE GRANTEE, BUT IF THE GRANTEE IS OBVIOUSLY A SMALLER GRANT, THEY CAN'T, UH, ENCOMPASS THAT. HOW DO WE KIND OF EARMARK WHAT WILL GET WHAT, 'CAUSE YOU SAID $3 MILLION, WOULD THAT SUSTAIN HOW MANY PROJECTS OR ONCE THAT 3 MILLION RESERVE IS GONE, DO WE NOW DISCONTINUE WORKING ON THESE PROJECTS? RIGHT. NO, UH, THANK YOU. THE IDEA IS THAT THEY'RE PORTRAYED AS FEES, BUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY JUST COSTS THE, THE DISTRICT INCURS. WE HAVE STAFF OR [02:15:01] CONTRACTOR PROFESSIONALS OR STAFF THAT WE HAVE TO PAY TO RE RE UH, REVIEW THESE DOCUMENTS TO MANAGE THE PROJECT. SO IT'S NOT THAT THE DISTRICT IS IMPOSING A FEE OR, OR ANYTHING, WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL THAT THIS, THESE EXTERNAL FUNDS ARE COMING TO US, BUT WE HAVE TO CHARGE THE, THE INDIVIDUAL'S TIME TO SOMETHING. SO THAT'S WHAT THIS $3 MILLION WE'RE ENVISIONING IS ALLOCATING THAT TO STRETCH IT OUT AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO AID THE INDIVIDUAL THIRD PARTY APPLICANTS AND WHATEVER THE, YOU KNOW, WHICH TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN, I MEAN THERE WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO PROBABLY COVER ALL THE COSTS FOR ADMINISTRATION, BUT THERE ARE COSTS WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY SUBMIT THE GRANTS THAT ARE FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION AND OVERHEAD. SO IT'S TOO, AND IT'S GONNA BE A PROJECT SPECIFIC DECISION. IT'S GONNA NOT GONNA SAY, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA ALLOCATE X AMOUNT FOR ALL PROJECTS. SOME MAY NEED A LITTLE MORE HELP, SOME MAY BE A LITTLE NEED, A LITTLE LESS. SO WE'RE TRYING TO STRETCH THAT MONEY TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE TO BENEFIT AS MANY, UH, OF THESE GRANTS AS WE CAN. APPRECIATE THAT. AND, AND JUST INDULGE ME A BIT HERE WITH YOU, STATING THAT IT'S ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. NOW, WITH THE ONBOARDING OF CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS FOR PROJECTS, WOULD THEY BE ABLE TO BE CER THEY HAVE THE CERTIFICATION TO REVIEW THE PROJECTS TO ENDURE THAT COST AS THEY ARE WORKING FOR THE ESO? IS THAT YES, SIR. DOES THAT WORK OR NOT WORK OR IT HAS TO BE AN EXTERNAL PARTNER THAT DOES THAT REVIEW OR DOES THAT REVIEWER PART OF OUR ESO TEAM ALREADY? NO, IT WOULD BE EITHER A PART OF ESO OR PART OF FACILITIES RIGHT NOW, UH, THE, THE STAFF, UH, SOME OF IT IS IN-HOUSE STAFF. A LOT OF THESE FOLKS ARE CONTRACTED PROFESSIONALS, WHICH IS THE, THE PREFERRED MODEL BECAUSE IF, IF THE FUNDING GOES AWAY OR THE GRANTS DRY UP, IT'S A MATTER OF JUST REDUCING THE, THE EXPOSURE OF THE DISTRICT. WE DON'T HAVE TO GET INVOLVED IN REDUCTIONS IN FORCE. SO WE, THE, THE CONTRACT PROFESSIONAL IS THERE WHILE THIS WORKLOAD IS, IS NEEDED, AND THEN AS IT WINDS DOWN, THEY CAN MAYBE REASSIGNED TO SOMETHING ELSE, BUT THEY'RE NOT, UH, AN EMPLOYEE THAT WE'RE HAVING TO, TO, UH, REASSIGN OR, OR LAY OFF AT ANY POINT. BUT COULD THEY BE ONE AND THE SAME? YES. MEANING THAT IF THEY WORKED ALREADY FOR US, THAT THEY WOULD ALREADY BE PROVIDING THIS SERVICE, WHICH, I MEAN, THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS, AS YOU SAID, SOME COULD GO LONGER, SOME COULD BE SHORTER THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THAT WORKLOAD. BECAUSE, I MEAN, YOU'RE TALKING TO AN EDUCATOR HERE WHO, YOU KNOW, SALARIED EDUCATOR WHERE YOUR TIME JUST, IT, YOU MAY HAVE TO PUT IN MORE TIME HERE, WHICH YOU NEVER SUSPECTED, BUT THAT HAPPENS, RIGHT? NO, THE PREFERRED SCENARIO WE DISCUSSED THIS WITH, WITH, UH, UH, FACILITIES IS FOR HAVE A SINGLE PERSON THAT, UH, OR SINGLE, THAT HANDLES A PROJECT ALL THE WAY THROUGH SO YOU'RE NOT HAVING HANDOFFS AND HAVING TO BRING OTHER FOLKS UP TO SPEED. THESE PROJECTS ARE SMALL ENOUGH THAT A, A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL CAN HAVE THE SKILLSET TO DO THE PLAN REVIEW, TO MANAGE THE, THE CONSTRUCTION, AND TO HELP IN THE CLOSEOUT, MAYBE WITH SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM OTHERS, BUT HAVE THAT ENTIRE SKILLSET TO CARRY THE ENTIRE PROJECT THROUGH IT. IN PARTICULAR, FOR OUR THIRD PARTY, UH, ENTITIES, THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE DEALING WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE. 'CAUSE THAT CAN BE VERY DISRUPTIVE AND, AND CONFUSING TO THEM. SO HONORING THAT PART OF THE REQUEST THAT THEY WANTED A SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT, WE WOULD LIKE TO MAINTAIN THAT SAME INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNED TO A GROUP OF PROJECTS THROUGH THE DURATION. GOT IT. THAT MAKES SENSE. OKAY. UM, AND WHAT WAS MY LAST, AND I KNOW YOU MENTIONED, UM, AND I GUESS IT, IT, IT CAN CAUSE A LITTLE FRUSTRATION CONSIDERING THE TIME SPAN, UM, ON THE RESOLUTION BEING THAT IT WAS FEBRUARY AND HERE WE ARE IN JUNE, UH, THE END OF THIS WEEK. THAT IS IT POSSIBLE, OBVIOUSLY, AND NOW YOU HAVE TO WAIT TILL AUGUST. SO IT'S A WHOLE NOTHER, YOU KNOW, YEAR, BUT THAT, THAT CAN, YOU KNOW, BE SPED UP. AND I HAVE TO REITERATE THAT BECAUSE I THINK IT WASN'T, NOT THAT DR. S DIDN'T DO AN EXCELLENT JOB MENTIONING IT, BUT I DO WANT TO SAY IT AGAIN. 'CAUSE I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE SAID AGAIN, BECAUSE THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO MAKE VALUABLE DECISIONS. WE NEED TO HAVE INFORMATION TO DO THAT. AND I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT IT'S IN A TIMELY FASHION AND TO BRING EVIDENCE OF THAT PROGRESS, BECAUSE TO BRING US BULLET POINTS DOESN'T REALLY GIVE US EVIDENCE OF THE FEES OR THE COSTS THAT WERE DISTINGUISHED OR SHOWN TO BE WHAT THE RESOLUTION WAS TO BRING TO THE SURFACE. IT WASN'T REALLY EXPRESSED TO THIS GROUP, AT LEAST NOT TO ME. SO IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME TODAY THAN IT WAS IN FEBRUARY. SO, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. NO, I UNDERSTAND. AND I MEAN, PART OF OUR CHALLENGE DURING THIS SAME TIMEFRAME IS WE HAD A BUDGET PROJECTION FROM THE STATE IN JANUARY THAT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER, UH, THAN WE HAVE RIGHT NOW WITH THE, THE MAY REVISION TO OUR BUDGET. AND THAT WAS THE, THE CONTEXT AS WE WERE WORKING WITH AS WELL. WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE MAKE A COMMITMENT [02:20:01] THAT'S SUSTAINABLE. I KEEP REPEATING THAT WORD, THAT IT'S NOT JUST GONNA BE A ONE AND DONE, THAT WE HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE OR THESE GRANTS AS THEY COME UP, THAT WE'RE WELL POSITIONED TO CARRY THEM FORWARD, THAT WE HAVE THE DISTRICT TEAM TO MANAGE THEM, AND THAT WE BRING UP, UH, CONTRACTED PERSONNEL IF THAT'S APPROPRIATE, OR IN-HOUSE PERSONNEL TO, TO CARRY THEM THROUGH. BUT YES, WE WILL GET BEFORE THE, THE NEXT MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE, WE WILL PROVIDE A WRITTEN UPDATE. YES. AND JUST AS SOME OF THESE BULLETS HERE, I DON'T THINK THEY'RE NECESSARILY ATTACHED AS YOU'RE MENTIONING TO THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY OF SUSTAINABILITY OTHER THAN MORE SYSTEMATIC ON HOW WE FUNCTION IN THAT WAY, WHICH REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE BUDGET IS, THIS IS HOW IT'S GOING TO FUNCTION. UM, AND OF COURSE, IF THERE'S LESS MONEY, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S LESS TO BE EXPECTED. HOWEVER, THE SYSTEM IS NOT THERE. AND I THINK THAT'S THE PIECE FOR ME THAT'S MISSING, THAT IT WOULD BE BEST TO HAVE SEEN THAT SYSTEM IN PLACE AND YOU CHANGE THE NUMBER, HOW YOU NEED TO CHANGE THE NUMBER, BUT THE SYSTEM OR THE HOW TO GUIDE ALL THOSE THINGS ARE NOT THERE. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, I DON'T THINK CHANGES BASED ON HOW MUCH FUNDING WE HAVE THAT SHOULD BE CONSISTENT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENT. YOU'RE RIGHT. UM, THIS IS MORE THE, THE FUNDS WERE ONE ELEMENT OF SO MUCH MORE. SO IT'S A SYSTEMIC CHANGE THAT WE REALLY WANNA SEE HAPPEN AND, UM, IT'S NOT HAPPENING. UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT POINT. SO, ANY QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? GO AHEAD. UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND ENTERTAINING A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU TO BOTH OF THE BOARD MEMBERS FOR REALLY GOOD QUESTIONING. I, I THINK WHAT I GET CONFUSED BY, AS YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WHO WORKS IN THIS FIELD IS LIKE WITH YOUR ELOP, YOU ARE ABLE TO REPORT LIKE THE ELOP PROJECTS, I THINK MAYBE 14 OR SO IN TOTAL, YOU KNOW, THAT WERE, I THINK COMPLETED AND THEN LIKE, IT SEEMS LIKE THE PROCESS FOR THESE THIRD PARTY GRINNING PARTNERS FEELS SO DIFFERENT AND SO CUMBERSOME. AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE FEES OR THE COSTS, FEES ARE LIKE SOMETHING THAT YOU CHARGE SOMEONE. SO THAT'S WHY IT BECOMES A FEE BECAUSE IT'S LIKE, OH, I'M PAYING A FEE FOR A SERVICE. AND THEN A COST IS SOMETHING THAT YOU ABSORB. IT'S JUST THAT'S WHAT THE COST IS, RIGHT? SO IT DOES BECOME A FEE WHEN YOU TRANSFER THAT FEE TO, YOU'RE CHARGING THAT TO THE GREENING PARTNERS, RIGHT? SO THE COST, I, I GUESS I'M CONFUSED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IF ELOP, YOU'RE ABLE TO ONE, COMPLETE PROJECTS SOMEHOW ABSORB THE FEES, LIKE, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE DISTRICT AND THEN, BUT WITH THESE LIKE CAL FIRE PROJECTS OR THESE OTHER PROJECTS, THAT'S NOT THE CASE. SO I JUST NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOU'RE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD ON ONE HAND, BUT NOT SO MUCH ON THE OTHER HAND. AND HOW WE CAN SOMEHOW REACH A HAPPY MEDIUM, YOU KNOW, WHERE IT DOESN'T FEEL SO BURDENSOME. BECAUSE IF A THIRD PARTY GREENING PARTNER IS ALREADY GETTING FUNDS TO LIKE SUPPORT THE DISTRICT AND GET, HELP THE DISTRICT MEET THE ITS STATED GOALS, THEN IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE TO LIKE INCUR THOSE SOFT COSTS. EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE COSTS, I'M NOT SAYING THERE'S NOT COSTS TO LIKE REVIEW, BUT YOU ALREADY HAVE LIKE THE STAFF IN PLACE. SO IT'S, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT MODEL OF LIKE, OH, YOU HAVE TO CHARGE IT TO SOMETHING BECAUSE IF I'M BEING PAID AND SOMEONE COMES TO ME WITH A PROJECT AND THEY'RE LIKE, OH, CAN YOU REVIEW? WELL, I'M ALREADY GETTING A SALARY, SO IT'S LIKE, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY I WOULD BE LIKE CHARGING THEM TO LIKE REVIEW SOMETHING THAT I'M ALREADY LIKE AL. SO IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN THAT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. YEAH, WHILE THE BOTH, UH, BOTH OF THE PROGRAMS ARE GREENING PROGRAMS, THE ELAP ALREADY HAD FUNDING ASSIGNED TO ITS PLACE. SO IT'S A, IT'S A FUNDED PROGRAM THAT WE HAD THE FUNDS UPFRONT TO PROPERLY MANAGE ALL THE WAY TO THE END, UH, COMPARED TO THE CALFIRE GRANT THAT NOW, UM, A GRANT APPLICANT APPLIED FOR THE GRANT AND HE'S RECEIVING GRANTS AT A CERTAIN TIME. HE HAS TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF HIRING THE ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS TO HELP THEM PLAN AND DESIGN THE PROJECT AND GO THROUGH A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT TO HAVE THAT KIND OF A CONTRACT IN PLACE WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SO THEY CAN BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THAT PROJECT. SO, UM, THERE'S BIG DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO PROGRAMS. WHAT WE'VE DONE, UH, ON THE, ON THE ELAB PROGRAM THAT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. UM, AND WE'RE TRYING TO APPLY IT ON THE KAFI AS WELL. IT WAS ACTUALLY MOSTLY THE REVIEW PROCESSES AND ALSO REVIEW NOT JUST SO MUCH INTERNALLY, BECAUSE WHEN YOU DO A PROJECT INTERNALLY, YOU CAN RUN IT THROUGH THE PROCESS AND IT'S MORE SEAMLESS. IT DOESN'T GO BACK AND FORTH AND CHANGE HANDS WHEN YOU DO IN YEAH, INTERNALLY, YOU MOVE THE PROJECT THROUGH THE PROCESS AND WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HIRE OWN ARCHITECTS OR DO SOME IN-HOUSE DESIGN TO MOVE THOSE FORWARD. UM, SO WITH THE PARTNERS, YOU KNOW, IT, IT TAKES THAT KIND OF THE OTHER PARTY THAT HAS TO COME ENGAGE, YOU KNOW, HAVE CONTRACTS WITH THEM, THE PARTNERS HAVE TO HAVE CONTRACTS WITH THEM. AND [02:25:01] SO IT TAKES A LOT LONGER. ALSO, IN TERMS OF THE, THE REVIEW AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECTS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE ON THE EL LAB IS TO IDENTIFY THE TYPES OF PROJECTS THAT DID NOT TRIGGER STATE OF THE ARCHITECT REVIEW. SO WE'VE, WE'VE, UM, I PERSONALLY MET WITH THE STATE ARCHITECT AND WE DISCUSSED HOW WE CAN BE ABLE TO, UH, MAKE THOSE PROJECTS A LITTLE UNIQUE, A LITTLE DIFFERENT, BUT STILL PROVIDING THE GREEN THAT'S REQUIRED ON THE SCHOOLS ITSELF. IT WASN'T A COMPREHENSIVE GREENING OF THE ENTIRE PLAYGROUND, BUT IT WAS SPECIFICALLY PLACED IN STRATEGIC AREAS OR IN THE CERTAIN SPACES WITHOUT INTERRUPTING WHAT WE CALL THE PATH OF TRAVEL. UH, THAT AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE ARCHITECT, THEY GAVE US A GREEN LIGHT THAT I COULD BE ABLE TO PROCEED WITH THAT ASSUMPTION AND THOSE REQUIREMENTS. SO I WAS ABLE THEN NOT TO HAVE THE SUBMITTAL TO THE STATE ARCHITECT AND CONTINUE THOSE PROJECTS BY US CERTIFYING THAT THESE ARE NON DSA REVIEW PROJECTS. NOW, ON THE OTHER ASPECT, THE KAFI PROJECTS, THEY'VE, UH, THEY WERE DESIGNED AS A FULL DEVELOPMENT OF A GREEN SCHOOLYARD. SOME OF THEM, THEY'RE VERY COMPREHENSIVE, GREAT PROJECTS, BUT THAT TRIGGERED A DSA REVIEW THAT TRIGGERED TO HIRE SOMETIMES, UH, ARCHITECTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY INCORPORATE ALL THE REQUIREMENTS THAT A PROFESSIONAL KNOWS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE IT GOES THROUGH THE STATE ARCHITECT FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL. SO IT KIND OF CHANGED THAT PROCESS A LITTLE BIT. THAT'S WHY THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, COMPLEX PROJECTS. BUT WE, UH, USING WHAT WE LEARNED OUT OF THE ELAB OR OTHER PROJECTS NOW FOR THESE CAL FIRE PROJECTS, SO WE CAN STREAMLINE THAT PROCESS AND ACCELERATE THEM THROUGH A DIFFERENT, UH, DIFFERENT PROCESS. AND THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA BE ON THE HOW-TO GUIDE, BUT ALSO MEETING WITH PARTNERS AND EXPLAINING THAT PROCESS. ALSO, SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAD TO DEAL WITH IS THIS, YOU KNOW, AND, AND SOME OF THE SPEAKERS MENTIONED IT, IT WAS SOME OF THE DIVISIONAL INSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS FOR, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT NATURE PLAY, AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE EDUCATE EVERYONE IN TERMS OF WHAT THOSE REQUIREMENTS ARE. SO WHEN THEY'RE DESIGNING PROJECTS, THEY'RE DESIGNING BASED ON THE, UH, DISTRICT REQUIREMENTS, SO THEY DON'T BE ABLE TO, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO GET ALL THESE COMMENTS AND GO BACK AND FORTH THROUGH THAT PROCESS. SO THAT'S A, THAT'S AN EDUCATIONAL PROCESS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE IMPLEMENTING AS WELL, ON HAVING TRAININGS ON OUR PARTNERS. AND, UH, WE'VE BEEN MEETING ACTUALLY WITH THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION, WE MET WITH THE LIVING SCHOOL YEARS COALITION. THEY IDENTIFIED A INDIVIDUAL THAT MET WITH THE, UH, WITH THE DIVISIONAL INSTRUCTION TO STREAMLINE THOSE NATURE-BASED PLAY REQUIREMENTS. SO WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY'RE DESIGNING, SO WE CAN BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE THE REVIEW PROCESS AND THEN STILL MEET THE DISTRICT REQUIREMENTS. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, THE OTHER THING IS, I JUST WANT TO ELEVATE AND REITERATE THIS TIMELINE. SO EVEN WE HEARD IN THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD THAT, YOU KNOW, FUNDS WERE AWARDED IN LIKE 2022, YOU KNOW, WHERE STUDENTS WERE THIRD GRADERS AND NOW THEY'RE FIFTH GRADERS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SEE THE BENEFITS OF, YOU KNOW, OH YAY, WE'RE SO EXCITED THAT WE GOT, YOU KNOW, THIS AWARD AND WE'RE ENGAGING COMMUNITIES AND STUDENTS AND LIKE THESE PLANS. AND NOW HERE WE ARE GRADUATING AND WE'RE STILL STILL NOT SEEING, OR WE'RE SEEING A VERY SCALED DOWN VERSION OF A PLAN, BUT STILL NO ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT PLAN. AND SO I'M WONDERING, JUST LIKE WHEN IT COMES TO, YOU WOULD THINK THREE TO FOUR YEARS IS A, A, A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF TIME TO LIKE COMPLETE A PROJECT. UM, AGAIN, WHILE SOME OF THESE PROJECTS MIGHT BE MORE COMPREHENSIVE, I THINK SOME OF THEM ARE PRETTY SIMPLE. YOU KNOW, JUST TRYING TO KIND OF MEET THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY AND THE DISTRICT WHERE YOU ARE, BUT JUST GET MORE GREEN ON, UM, JUST IN THE PROCESS OF LIKE PLANTING MORE TREES AND CREATING TREE CANOPIES, ET CETERA. SO I'M JUST LIKE WONDERING, CAN YOU PROVIDE SOME INSIGHTS FOR THE TIMELINE AND WHY IT TAKES SO LONG AND LIKE WHY WE MIGHT BE IN JEOPARDY OF NOT COMPLETING THESE PROJECTS IF THERE'S NOT AN EXTENSION? 'CAUSE NOW WE'RE LIKE 10 MONTHS, YOU KNOW, BEFORE THE DEADLINE FOR CAL FIRE. YEAH. SO THIS PROJECT SHOULDN'T TAKE MORE THAN TWO TO FOUR YEARS AT MAX. UM, THE REASON WHY THEY TOOK A LITTLE LONGER IS, UH, THROUGH THE PROCESS OF APPLYING FOR THE GROUND AND THEN GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS GETTING ACCEPTANCE, UH, ONCE YOU HAVE ACCEPTANCE OF THE GROUND THAT YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF EXECUTING WHAT WE CALL A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. AND AS THEY GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT DOES TAKE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME TO GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND A LOT OF THE AGREEMENT PARTNERS. UM, THEY'VE, UH, THEY ENCOUNTER SOME OF THE CHALLENGES IN TERMS OF THE LANGUAGE OF THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, WHICH WE'RE TRYING TO, UM, NOW MITIGATE AND, AND JUST REMOVE IN SOME OF THE CASES BECAUSE OF THE SIZE AND COMPLEXITY OF THE PROJECTS. SO, UM, THE, UH, THAT WAS A BIG HURDLE. UH, AND THEN IN TERMS OF THE, THE ACTUAL FUNDING IDENTIFIED TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR SOME OF THE SERVICES, WHEN WE DO SOMETHING INTERNAL, WE HAVE THE FUNDING AND WE CAN BE ABLE TO PAY OUR STAFF WHEN THEY'RE ASSOCIATED WITH A PROJECT, WHEN THEY WORK. UH, WHEN WE ASK SOMEONE TO REVIEW, FOR EXAMPLE, A SET OF DOCUMENTS, WE THEN HAVE TO GO TO, UM, THE PARTNERS AND ASK 'EM TO PROVIDE US THE FUNDING. AND SOMETIMES THEY DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING BECAUSE THE, THE, SOME OF THESE GRANTS, THEY DON'T GIVE YOU UPFRONT FUNDING, SO THEY HAVE TO FRONT FUND THE PROJECT. SO ALL THOSE SIX THINGS ARE CAUSES FOR DELAY THROUGH THE PROCESS. NOW WHAT WE'RE DOING IS STREAMLINE THE PROCESS [02:30:01] AND IDENTIFYING THIS IS WHY THIS, HOW TO, IT, IT IS IMPORTANT AND THIS KIND OF TIME WITH THE PARTNERS TO SEE WHERE DO WE TAKE, UM, MUCH LONGER TIME AND HOW CAN STREAMLINE THAT THROUGH COLLABORATION OF HEARING THE COMMENTS AND US COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS TOGETHER. AND ALSO IDENTIFYING FUNDING UP FRONT SO THEY KNOW. ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO REITERATE IS THAT WHEN, WHEN THE GREEN NEW PARTNERS APPLY FOR THIS GRANT, UH, FIRE WITH THE, FOR THESE GRANT AGREEMENTS, UH, PRETTY MUCH, UH, THE KAFI GRANT AGREEMENTS, WE'VE SHARED UPFRONT THAT THE DISTRICT HAD NO FUNDING TO SUPPORT THESE PROJECTS. UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY WHAT WE'VE SEEN OURSELVES NOW IS THAT WE'VE ASKED TO PROVIDE FUNDING. AND IT'S DIFFICULT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO FUNDING ASSOCIATED TO SUPPORT THESE PROJECTS. THAT'S WHY WE HAD TO FIND SOLUTIONS AND, AND WE'VE HIT OURSELVES IN A DIFFICULT TIME WITH A BUDGET TRYING TO IDENTIFY FUNDING AND, AND THERE'S SOME FUNDING COMING TO HELP SUPPORT US RIGHT NOW. BUT WITHOUT FUNDING, THIS IS WHERE WE'RE HAVING A LOT OF CHALLENGES, I'LL SAY MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. AND, UH, BACK TO BOARD MEMBER RENEWABLE ABOUT THE PROCESS, I AGREE THE PROCESS IS BEING STREAMLINED. I'M VERY HAPPY WITH THE NEW PROCESS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE, UH, SO WE CAN BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE THIS. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING AS WE MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU. I'LL JUST SAY, UM, A COUPLE OF COMMENTS. ONE, IF YOU COULD DETERMINE A WAY TO STREAMLINE THAT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WITH THIRD PARTY GREENING PARTNERS THAT REALLY PUTS IN A MENU OF, LIKE, THIS, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE OFFERING, RIGHT? LIKE TREE PLANTING, UM, YOU KNOW, NATURE NATIVE PLANTS. SO WHATEVER THE CASE IS, LIKE A MENU OF THINGS THAT ARE PRETTY STANDARD WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT THAT'S SPECIFIC TO SCHOOLYARD, GREENING THAT'S IN ALIGNMENT WITH YOUR GREEN SCHOOLS FOR ALL PLAN. I THINK THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, MINIMIZE YOUR, THE DISTRICT'S BURDEN AS WELL AS THE BURDEN ON THE GREENING PARTNERS. SO THAT'S JUST A SUGGESTION, UM, TO LOOK AT HOW TO STANDARDIZE THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE YOU WERE SAYING, KIND OF REMOVE LANGUAGE THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY APPLICABLE BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A CAPITAL PROJECT IN MOST CASES. IT'S NOT DEALING WITH BUILDINGS OR MOSTLY DEALING WITH THE SCHOOL GROUNDS. AND THE BIGGEST THING IS LIKE REMOVING ASPHALT, WHICH WE HAVE SO MUCH ON OUR CAMPUSES. UM, AND THEN, SO THAT'S ONE SUGGESTION, AND THEN I HAD ANOTHER THOUGHT AND NOW I'M LOSING IT. SORRY. UM, OKAY. THAT'LL, THAT'S IT FOR NOW. YEAH. AND, AND THANKS FOR THE COMMENT. AND WE WERE DOING THAT AS YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE STARTED, UH, SEPARATING THE DEVELOPMENT VERSUS WHAT WE CALL A LICENSE AGREEMENT THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A FASTER PROCESS. SO WE, WE WORK WITH A PARTNER SO THEY CAN UNDERSTAND AND SCOPE THE PROJECTS CORRECTLY, YOU KNOW, FROM THE BEGINNING, UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN THIS PROJECTS WERE SCOPE OR SCOPE AS A FULL GREEN GREEN SCHOOL YEAR IMPROVEMENT THAT REQUIRE ALL THESE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS REQUIRE ALL THE DSA REVIEWS, UH, PROCESSES, AND, YOU KNOW, AS THE TIME GOES AND, AND YOU HAVE FUNDING ISSUES THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO FIND, UH, OTHER SOLUTIONS TO MITIGATE THE ISSUE. AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE. THANK YOU. IF YOU REMEMBER, YOU CAN ALWAYS CHIME IN LATER. YES, LAUREN, GO AHEAD. YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I, UM, ALSO REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO CAME TO MAKE COMMENT AND THE GREAT QUESTIONS FROM MY FELLOW COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND THE PRESENTATION. UM, AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE OF, UM, HOW MUCH THIS OVERLAPS WITH, UM, MAKING REAL, UH, BEING ABLE TO ADVANCE CLIMATE PROGRESS IN WAYS THAT ARE BRINGING REAL CHANGE TO COMMUNITIES, WORKING CLASS COMMUNITIES AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. ESPECIALLY WHEN WE LOOK AT WHERE THESE SCHOOLS ARE, IT'S A LOT OF SCHOOLS WHO HAVE REALLY LOW SCORES OR ON THEIR, OR REALLY LOW PERCENTAGE OF, OF GREEN SPACE IN OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS OR SCHOOLS THAT ARE IN VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES LIKE WE HEARD TODAY, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES. AND THAT THESE PROJECTS ARE WAYS TO HELP BOTH BRING REAL CHANGE IN THESE COMMUNITIES AND TO THESE STUDENTS AND THE EDUCATORS AT THOSE SCHOOLS, AS WELL AS TO, UM, BUILD THAT FAITH AND, AND, UH, HOPE AND COMMITMENT TO OUR PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS LIKE OUR SCHOOLS. I'M SO PROUD OF LUSD, I WANT EVERYONE TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT THE DISTRICT, AND I WANT THEM TO, AND THIS IS A BIG PART OF THAT, RIGHT? WHEN THEY SEE THESE PROJECTS HAPPEN AT THEIR SCHOOLS, THEN THEY FEEL, UM, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THEIR SCHOOL. THEY FEEL EXCITED ABOUT LUSD. AND THIS IS, I THINK THESE PROJECTS ARE ABLE TO BE A BIG PART OF THAT. IT'S ALSO SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE KNOW FROM THE GREENING PLAN, WE KNOW FROM, EVEN WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE, UM, BOND AND THE STATE FUNDING MEASURES LAST FALL, THAT THEY'RE, THE NEED THAT WE HAVE IN LUSD IS GREATER THAN THE RESOURCES WE CURRENTLY HAVE. SO THESE EXTERNAL PARTNERS ARE SO IMPERATIVE TO LIKE BEING ABLE TO MAKE THE CLIMATE INVESTMENTS WE NEED TO MAKE, TO MAKE THE CHANGES IN THE STUDENTS' LIVES THAT WE KNOW THAT THE DISTRICT IS COMMITTED TO SEEING HAPPEN. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE QUESTIONS AND, UM, UM, PIECES ON THIS. AND I, I HAVE SOME OTHER QUESTIONS TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND ALL THE DIFFERENT PIECES. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD IS THAT, UM, SOME OF THE, UH, A NUMBER OF THE CAL FIRE PROJECTS THAT ARE STILL UNDERWAY, THEY MIGHT, UM, NEED TO DOWNSIZE THE AMOUNT OF GREEN, UM, GREEN SPACE THEY'RE ABLE TO DO [02:35:01] ON THE SCHOOL SITE. UM, GIVEN THE, I THINK PART OF IT'S LIKE COST INCREASES BECAUSE OF THE TIMELINE OF THE PROJECT. WE KNOW CONSTRUCTION HAS GONE UP AND THE, AS WELL AS THE, UM, THE DESIGN REVIEW COSTS. SO ONE, UH, AND I APPRECIATE THE GENERAL COUNCIL CLARIFICATION ON BOND DOLLARS. IT FEELS LIKE THAT THESE SCHOOLS, LOOKING AT THE, THE SCHOOLS WHO HAVE GOTTEN THESE PROJECTS, THEY'RE FOR THE MOST PART FROM GLANCING AT IT, UM, IN THAT LESS THAN 10% GREEN SPACE, UM, SCHOOL SET OF SCHOOLS, THOSE REALLY HIGH PRIORITY SCHOOLS FOR GREEN SPACE INVESTMENTS. SO ONE QUESTION I HAVE IS IF THE BOND DOLLARS CAN BE, UM, IF BOND DOLLARS CAN BE, UM, ADDITIONALLY CONTRIBUTED TO SCHOOLS TO, UM, PROVIDE ADDITIONAL GREEN SPACE AT THOSE SCHOOLS. SO, UM, BEING ABLE TO, UM, HELP PRESERVE THE ORIGINAL SCOPE OR VISION OF A PROJECT, THAT'S ONE QUESTION. AND THEN RELATED IS, UH, BECAUSE ON FUNDING IS IF THE, UM, THE 1 MILLION PER YEAR FOR THREE YEARS WOULD BE ABLE TO REIMBURSE PARTNERS WHO HAVE ALREADY, ARE ALREADY HAVE PROJECTS UNDERWAY. SO THOSE ARE MY TWO FUNDING QUESTIONS. THEN I HAVE A STAFFING SHIFT QUESTION AND A HOW TO GUIDE QUESTION. SURE. NO, THANK YOU. ON, ON THE, UH, WHETHER BOND PROJECTS SHOULD AUGMENT THE SCOPE OF THE EXISTING, UH, PROJECTS. I MEAN, UH, WE WOULD, UH, WORK WITH FACILITIES AND DEFER TO CHRISTINE. I KNOW WE ALWAYS, UH, TRY TO DO THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THIS MONEY BECAUSE, AND THIS INVESTMENT, BECAUSE IT'S A VERY GOOD RETURN FOR US, RIGHT? WE'RE GETTING PROJECTS AT A FRACTION OF, UH, OF, OF THE INVESTMENT EVEN WITH THIS, UH, $3 MILLION INVESTMENT. SO WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL AND THEY, AND WE, AND THEY'RE VERY CONSCIOUS OF THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE SELECTED BY OUR GREETING PARTNERS ARE SOME OF THE HIGHEST NEEDS SCHOOLS. NOW, IF THERE ARE SPECIFIC ONES THAT COME UP, I MEAN, WE WOULD WORK WITH FACILITIES AND SEEK, IS THERE SOMETHING COMING UP AS OUR PROJECT, THE FACILITY IS GONNA BE DOING AND SAY, OKAY, MAYBE PART OF THAT PROJECT CAN INCORPORATE SOME OF THE SCOPE THAT WAS NOT ABLE TO BE DONE BY THE GREENING PARTNER. SO YES, THE ANSWER TO THAT IS YES. AND WHAT WOULD BE, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT THE SCHOOL CAN BE DOING TO ENGAGE WITH FACILITIES IN THAT PROCESS OR, OR ANY ECONOMIES OF SCALE AS PROJECTS ARE ARE UNDERWAY? OR, I KNOW BOND DOLLARS COULD ALSO BE IF THERE'S A CONTRACTOR COMING IN FOR THE PORTION OF THE PROJECT FUNDED BY CAL FIRE, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU WOULDN'T, YOU WOULD NOT WANNA, OR IT SEEMS LIKE IDEALLY THAT WOULD BE KIND OF COMBINED IN SOME WAY WITH A POTENTIAL BOND FUNDED PROJECT AND NOT HAVE IT BE TWO DIFFERENT PROJECTS ON TWO DIFFERENT TIMELINES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT YEAH, AND I, I MAY DEFER TO CHRISTINE ON THIS, BUT THE, THE, THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A BOND FUNDED PROJECT ARE DIFFERENT BECAUSE YOU HAVE A-A-A-P-S-A AGREEMENT AND THERE ARE OTHER REQUIREMENTS WHEN WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THAT. IT HAS TO BE PRE PREVIOUSLY APPROVED BY THE BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AND THE BOARD. SO AUGMENTING IT, OR IF WE, YOU KNOW, AS WE FIND OUT THAT SOME OF THESE PROJECTS MAY BE SHORT FUNDED OR SCOPE IS BEING DELETED, WE CAN INCLUDE THAT AS POTENTIALLY AS A DEFICIENCY THEN IN OUR FACILITIES DATABASE AND SAY, OKAY, WHEN, WHEN A, A FACILITIES PROJECT IS DONE HERE, KEEP IN MIND THAT THEY WERE GONNA DO THIS, THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO, UH, AND STILL TRY AND GET US UP TO THE, YOU KNOW, TO THE GREEN SPACE, UH, TARGET FOR EACH OF THOSE SCHOOLS. BUT, UH, TWO, TWO CONTRACTORS WORKING AT THE SAME TIME, I KNOW CAN, CAN POSE SOME PROBLEMS. YEAH, I CAN ALSO ADD, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A TWO-PRONGED APPROACH OF FOCUSING THE CAL FIRE RECIPIENTS ON THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE LESS THAN 10% GREEN SPACE TO COMPLEMENT THE WORK THAT THE DISTRICT IS DOING WITH BOTH ELOP FUNDS, BOND FUNDED PROJECTS, AND NOW WHAT IS COPS FUNDED PROJECTS ON THE REMAINDER OF THOSE SCHOOLS. UM, AND WITH OUR COMBINED INVESTMENTS, I THINK WE HAVE OVER 50% OF THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE LESS THAN 10% GREEN SPACE NOW HAVE PROJECTS ON THEM THAT ARE GOING TO INCREASE SCREEN SPACE THERE. SO IT'S A, UH, NOT A JUST SUPPLEMENTING THE PROJECTS AT THE CAL FIRE SITES, BUT WE'RE USING BOND FUNDS TO ADDRESS THOSE SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE CAL FIRE PROJECTS TO BE ABLE TO RISE AND ADDRESS ALL 220 SCHOOLS ON THAT LIST. THAT'S HELPFUL. I THINK ONE OF MY QUESTIONS IS IF A PROJECT AT A SCHOOL WAS INITIALLY GOING TO SAY, GET THAT SCHOOL TO THE GOAL OF 30% OF THE SCHOOL YARD IS GREEN SPACE, BUT THE DOWNSIZING IN THE PROJECT SCOPE MEANS THAT NOW THE SCHOOL IS GONNA GO FROM 5% GREEN SPACE TO 15% GREEN SPACE, THEN WHAT OPPORTUNITIES MIGHT THERE BE FOR THE THERE TO BE, UM, FOR THAT SCOPE TO, OR THAT THE SCALE OF THAT PROJECT TO BE PRESERVED THROUGH ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM THE DISTRICT? OKAY, LEMME SEE [02:40:01] IF I UNDERSTAND YOU. IF, IF I, UH, A GREENING PARTNER PROJECT CAME IN AND MOVED THAT SCHOOL NOW UP THE LIST, UH, YOU KNOW, A LOWER MAKE IT A LOWER PRIORITY ON THE, ON THE GREENING INDEX BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT WAS DONE, BUT STILL NOT GETTING TO 30%, WILL THAT AFFECT RIGHT, THE, THE RIGHT ARE WE, UH, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. UH, HONESTLY, I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER FOR THAT. TO SOMETHING WE WANT TO WOULD WORK WOULD BE UNFORTUNATE IF THE PROJECT THEY WERE GONNA HAVE HAD TO GET SIZE DOWN, NO, I DON'T THINK THEY, THEY PRIORITY, NO, THEY WERE ALREADY SLATED FOR A PROJECT THAT WOULD NOT BE REMOTE. WE WOULDN'T DE DESCOPE THAT PROJECT. BUT IF, UH, IN THE REVIEW OF THIS, IF WE'RE DOING SOME WORK WITH A GREENING PARTNER THAT THAT INCREASES THE GREEN SPACE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THEY'RE NOT ADVERSELY IMPACTED ON A, ON A BOND FUNDED PROJECT AT THAT SCHOOL. SO WE WOULD BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO DO THAT. OKAY. THAT'S HELPFUL. AND ON THE, UM, WOULD THE, FOR THE MILLION DOLLARS, IF IT'S PER YEAR FOR THREE YEARS, IF IT'S APPROVED IN THE BUDGET, UM, COULD YOU, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO SAY NOW, OR WOULD IT BE ABLE TO BE INCLUDED, THE FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION, WHETHER THAT, WHETHER PARTNERS WHO ALREADY HAVE PROJECTS UNDERWAY COULD GET REIMBURSED FOR, FOR THE COSTS? I THINK CHRISTO'S TOUCHED ON IT. UH, IF THE PROJECT'S FINISHED, UH, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE NOT GONNA GO BACK AND REIMBURSE SOMEONE FOR A PROJECT THAT'S FINISHED, BUT I THINK IF THEY'RE IN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS RIGHT NOW, WE WOULD PRIORITIZE THOSE AS FAR AS BRINGING THEM UP AND LOOKING AT THEM IF, IF THEY'RE AT RISK OF, OF BEING DESCOPED BECAUSE OF, OF FUNDING REQUIREMENTS. BUT AGAIN, WE, WE HAVE A, A LOT OF NEED AND WE HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF OF FUNDS, SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE DO USE IT AS, AS JUDICIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE TO GET THE BIGGEST RETURN FOR, FOR OUR INVESTMENT AS WELL. THAT'S HELPFUL. I HAVE, SO THEN I HAVE, UH, RELATEDLY KIND OF MAYBE, UH, HOW TO GUIDE QUESTIONS AROUND SOME OF WHAT YOU SAID ALSO CRISTO AROUND, UM, THINGS LIKE DSA REVIEW AND THE, UM, YOU MENTIONED UTILITY FEES POTENTIALLY, OR LIKE UTILITY RELATED EXPENDITURES OR COSTS OR WHATEVER THE BEST WORD IS, OR, UH, AS WELL AS, UM, UH, DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION RELATED REQUIREMENTS FOR NATURE PLAY. SO ONE QUESTION WOULD BE, IF THE HOW TO GUIDE WILL BE ABLE TO LAY SOME OF THAT OUT OF HOW TO AVOID DSA REVIEW OR HOW TO RESPOND TO THE NATURE BASED PLAY REQUIREMENTS AS THEY CURRENTLY EXIST, FOR APPLICANTS TO BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT BEFORE THEY DESIGN A PROJECT. AND THEN ANOTHER WOULD BE WHAT CHANGES MIGHT NEED TO BE MADE THAT ADVOCATES COULD HELP SUPPORT AT ANY OF THOSE DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS TO ADDRESS WHAT YOU MIGHT GET CHARGED FROM DWP OR WHAT DSA REQUIRES, OR I DON'T KNOW, WHICH, WHETHER THE, HONESTLY THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION IS LUSD OR THE STATE OR , WHICH ENTITY IT IS. BUT ONE THING I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ALL CLEAR THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANNA AVOID DSA, I MEAN THE, THE REALITY IS THAT DSA, IT'S THERE TO HELP ENSURE THAT WE EVERYBODY HAS ACCESS TO THOSE PLAYGROUNDS. UM, NOW WHAT WE'RE DOING SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, AND IF WE DON'T HAVE A HOLISTIC PROJECT AND WE ARE DOING PROJECTS THAT, UH, WE CAN SEGMENT TO, TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF GREENING ON A SCHOOL AND SHADE, WE CAN DO THAT. SO, UM, THERE IS, UH, DSA REQUIREMENTS, THE STATE REQUIREMENTS, WHAT TRIGGERS THE DSA REVIEW. AND FOR US, WE MORE, MORE THAN HAPPY TO EDUCATE EVERYONE WHAT THOSE REQUIREMENTS ARE, THE PUBLICIZED, BUT WE'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO IDENTIFY 'EM AND SHARE THIS WHAT TRIGGERS A, A STATE ARCHITECT REVIEW. BUT, UM, IN REALITY, EVERY PROJECT THAT YOU DEVELOP, IT HAS TO BE AN ACCESSIBLE PROJECT. YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PROJECT'S DOING ACCESSIBILITY. UM, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IF IT DOESN'T GO TO THE STATE ARCHITECT THAT UH, YOU'RE NOT COMPLIANT WITH ACCESSIBILITY. THE PROJECT HAS TO COMPLY WITH ACCESSIBILITY, IS THE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT THAT IS TRIGGERED WHAT'S CALLED THE PATH OF TRAVEL THAT THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN WHAT WE CALL ABOUT A 20%, UM, ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT FOR THE RECORD, THAT WE AS A SCHOOL DISTRICT, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO AVOID AND WE'RE TRYING TO DO THINGS THAT ARE RIGHT FOR OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR STUDENTS, RIGHT? AND, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT IN THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT, WE SCOPE THE PROJECTS CORRECTLY. SO WHEN WE'RE APPLYING FOR A GRANT, WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE PROJECT IS, WHAT WE'RE APPLYING FOR, AND I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE VERY BENEFICIAL TO ALL OF US WHEN WE SIT DOWN TO, WITH A PARTNER TO APPLY FOR A GRANT, WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE COMMITMENT IS BY THE DISTRICT VERSUS THE COMMITMENT BY THE PARTNER. 'CAUSE A LOT OF THESE GRANTS DO PAY FOR THESE REVIEWS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THAT ARE INTERNAL REVIEWS. THEY DO PAY FOR A LOT OF THE FEES THAT, UH, WE, WHAT SO CALLED FEES FOR THE DISTRICT APPLIES FOR. AND WE DON'T WANNA BE ABLE TO GO BACK AND, AND NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE, UH, OF THOSE, UH, UH, GRANT FEES THAT CAN PLAY TO OFFSET SOME OF THE COST OF THE PROJECT. WHAT WE CAN DO IS TO IDENTIFY UPFRONT, AND WE'VE DONE THAT ON SOME OTHER PROJECTS. WE'VE DONE ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE IN PACOIMA MIDDLE SCHOOL THAT WE'VE, UH, IF WE'VE WANTED TO SUPPLEMENT [02:45:01] WITH, UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDS, WE WILL, WILL, IT HAS TO BE PRESENT. THE PROJECT HAS TO BE PRESENTED TO THE BOC AND, AND BOE FOR APPROVAL TO SUPPLEMENT AND, AND HELP YOU SUPPORT THE PROJECT TO GO FURTHER. SO THAT'S THE RIGHT PROCESS, BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE SCOPE IS FROM THE BEGINNING, WHAT THE, THE GRANT IS BRINGING IN AS YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS AT THE SAME TIME. SO WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THOSE AS WELL AND SEE HOW WE CAN SUPPLEMENT AND, AND EXPAND SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS. BUT, UH, BUT IN TERMS OF, UH, AS LESSONS LEARNED, WE'RE GONNA BE SHARING WHAT WE LEARN, WHAT WE KNOW TO DATE WITH OUR PARTNERS SO THEY THEY HAVE THE SAME LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE WHEN THEY DEVELOP THIS PROJECTS AS WE MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU. AND I THINK THAT DOVETAILS WELL WITH MY LAST SET OF QUESTIONS AROUND THE, UM, THE ESSO ROLE OF ESO AND ROLE OF, UH, FACILITIES AND THE PROJECT MANAGER TYPE OF POSITION THAT Y'ALL MENTIONED. THE, UM, UH, WHERE WOULD, IS IT KNOWN YET WHERE THAT PRO PROGRAM PROJECT MANAGER POSITION, IF THAT WOULD BE AN ESO OR FACILITIES, IS THAT KNOWN? YEP. FOR THE THIRD PARTY, UH, PROJECTS THAT FUNCTION'S GONNA CONTINUE TO BE AN ESO. THEY'RE GONNA SERVE AS THE LIAISON AND, AND SERVE TO GUIDE THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT FOR OTHER GREENING PROJECTS. UH, THAT WILL COME UP. THAT'S THE, THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT, THE DESIGN REVIEW, ALL THAT WILL BE IN FACILITIES. AND SO THEN THAT THE ESO PERSON WOULD BE COORDINATING WITH FACILITIES FOR THE DESIGN REVIEW, BUT THEY WOULD NO LONGER HAVE A ROLE IN DESIGN REVIEW? NO. FOR THE GREENING PARTNER PROJECTS, YES. UH, ALL THE ENTIRE, THAT WOULD ALL BE, UH, MANAGED THROUGH ESO. OKAY. I'M TALKING ABOUT OTHER PROJECTS, OTHER, OTHER TYPES OF GRADING PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT THIRD PARTY. OKAY. THAT'S HELPFUL. THANK YOU. OKAY. AND THE, UM, OKAY. I THINK THAT'S HELPFUL. I MIGHT HAVE, I'VE GOTTA WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT I APPRECIATE THAT CLARIFICATION. UM, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTIONS. MR. OSI, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS TO COMMENT? YEAH, I'M SO SORRY THAT I CAME IN. NO, IT'S OKAY. TOWARDS THIS PART OF THE MEETING, BECAUSE THIS IS A VERY EXCITING MEETING. I'M JUST WONDERING IF EACH BOARD MEMBER WOULD BE ABLE TO KEEP TRACK OF PROJECTS IN HIS OR HER OWN DISTRICT. 'CAUSE IT'S SUCH AN ENORMOUS THING. SO I, I HAVE A PERSON AND MY STAFF WHO DOES FACILITIES, AND WE MEET EVERY MONTH AND WE SEE WHERE OUR PROJECTS ARE GOING. I'M JUST WONDERING IF THESE PROJECTS ARE ALSO ON MY LIST. I DON'T KNOW. AND I'LL HAVE TO CHECK TO SEE, BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHERE WE ARE AND KEEP BUGGING EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT MOVING FAST ENOUGH. BUT EACH REALLY, EACH BOARD MEMBER SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE TO HIS OWN DISTRICT FOR MAKING SURE THAT PROJECTS ARE MOVING ALONG. THAT'S THE ONLY WAY. IT'S, IT'S JUST AN ENORMOUS, ENORMOUS THING TO DO. BUT IF YOU BREAK IT DOWN TO SEVEN, IT'S A LITTLE EASIER. YEAH. FOUR PRESIDENT. YEAH, WE, WE AGREE A HUNDRED PERCENT. DR. RIVAS ASKED THAT QUESTION EARLIER TOO. AND WE'RE GONNA BE DEVELOPING, WE'RE GONNA BE DEVELOPING THOSE, THOSE REPORTS TO ENSURE THAT ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THIS THIRD PARTY GREETING, UH, PROJECTS ARE IN TERMS OF FROM INCEPTION ALL THE WAY FROM THE BEGINNING, ALL THE WAY TO CLOSE OUT TO CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION. SO WE, WE KEEP THAT ACTUAL, WHAT I, WHAT WE'LL DO, AND I, SOMETHING THAT I LOVE TO DO MYSELF, IS WE'RE GONNA MAINTAIN THAT ACCESS, SO YOU HAVE ACCESS LIVE AS WELL. SO YOU CAN SEE THE UPDATES ON THE REPORT. I THINK THAT MAKES IT MORE TRANSPARENT. IT'S A LOT EASIER. SO WE DON'T HAVE TO ALL THE TIME, UH, SEND YOU A, A, A REPORT. IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN HAVE ACCESS TO. WE SHARE THAT WITH, UH, WITH YOUR STAFF, AND THEN YOU'LL KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE. AND IF YOU NEED A AN IN-PERSON, WE CAN DO THAT AS WELL. OKAY. YEAH, THAT SOUNDS GREAT. OKAY, TWO MORE QUESTIONS. WE HAVE TO MOVE ON BECAUSE WE, WE HAVE ONE MORE PRESENTATION. OKAY. YES, LAUREN, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'M SORRY, I, THE, GOING BACK TO YOUR EARLIER PRESENTATION, I HAD THAT SAME SIMILAR QUESTION. SO I WONDER IF GENERALLY IN THE, UM, OR IT MIGHT JUST BE A REQUEST THAT IN THE, UM, THE DASHBOARD, IF, IF THAT CAN LINK WITH, I KNOW FACILITIES ALSO HAS A DASHBOARD, BUT SOME OF THE, A LOT OF THE LINKS ARE BROKEN. SO YOU'LL SEE A PROJECT IS UNDERWAY, BUT YOU CAN'T GET ANY OF YOU LIKE THE LINK FOR ANY OF THE OTHER INFORMATION ON THE PROJECT, UH, DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE. AND SO IF THOSE, IF LIKE YOU COULD CLICK ON THE BEAUTIFUL CIRCLE CAMPUS GREENING AND SEE WHICH SCHOOLS THOSE ALL ARE, AND THEN ALSO SEE WHICH SCHOOLS ARE, HAVE PROJECTS UNDERWAY AND GET SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT'S PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ON WHAT THAT PROJECT IS GONNA LOOK LIKE AND WHEN THE ESTIMATED COMPLETION IS, THAT I THINK WOULD BE REALLY INCREDIBLE. AND WHETHER WHEREVER THAT LIVES, WHETHER IT'S THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OR FACILITIES DASHBOARD OR THE ESO DASHBOARD OR HAVE THEY CAN ALL CROSS LINK, THAT WOULD BE REALLY, UM, INCREDIBLE, I THINK. YEAH. THANKS. YEAH, WE STARTED THAT PROCESS AND IF YOU SEE SOME ON OUR WEBSITE NOW [02:50:01] FOR THE, UM, THE ECOS SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE, WE'RE IDENTIFYING THE PROJECTS WHEN WE PUT LITTLE PICTURES OF THE PROJECTS AND EVENTUALLY WE GOT, WE WILL MAKE IT SMARTER SO YOU CAN BE ABLE TO, TO SEE, UH, ONE OF THOSE THREE, FOUR UPDATES IF THEY'RE IN PLANNING, DESIGN OR CONSTRUCTION, FOR EXAMPLE, OR COMPLETED. SO AT LEAST, UH, YOU CAN BE ABLE TO SEE LIVE DATA. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO DO, BUT AS WE GET MORE RESOURCES AND WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'LL GET MORE SUPPORT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT. THANKS. OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO CIRCLE BACK TO MY THOUGHT THAT I LOST, BUT I FOUND IT AGAIN AND I WROTE IT DOWN, UM, . SO I JUST, UH, WANNA ENCOURAGE, WHETHER IT BE, UH, MS TOES OR YOU KNOW, THE ESL OFFICE TO REALLY USE YOUR FULL WEIGHT OF THE DISTRICT TO, YOU KNOW, LOBBY, IF YOU WILL, THE STATE FOR THE CAL FIRE EXTENSION. UM, THIS CAL FIRE GRANT OPPORTUNITY WAS THE FIRST IN THE COUNTRY TO LIKE AWARD FUNDS FOR SCHOOLYARD, GREENING. I'M SURE L-A-U-O-C GOT A GOOD CHUNK OF MONEY THAT WAS ALLOTTED FOR THAT. AND SO WE WANNA SHOW, I THINK, COLLECTIVELY THAT IT WAS A GOOD INVESTMENT FOR THE STATE TO LIKE, YOU KNOW, ALLOCATE FUNDS FOR THIS AS A CLIMATE MEDICATION STRATEGY. AND SO I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ALL, I'M SURE YOU HAVE, BUT I JUST WANNA ENCOURAGE YOU, SO USE YOUR FULL WEIGHT AS A DISTRICT, THE LARGEST DISTRICT IN THE STATE, SECOND LARGEST IN THE COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, IN YOUR VOICE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, GET THAT EXTENSION. YEAH. AND WE ARE, SO I, I MET WITH OUR OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AND I DID ASK HIM TO HELP SUPPORT THIS. AND THEY, THEY, THEY'RE WORKING ON IT. UH, THAT'S WHY THEY SHOW WITH US THAT THEY, THERE'S STILL DISCUSSIONS TO GIVE THAT EXTENSION. SO WE'RE NOT LETTING IT GO. AND, BUT THE CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE IS WE HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS AND THOSE DECISIONS HAVE TO BE DONE NOW TO MEET THE MARCH OF NEXT YEAR. SO THAT'S WHY IT'S KIND OF A, A LITTLE CHALLENGING SITUATION, BUT WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM TO HELP US DO THAT. THANKS. WONDERFUL. WELL, THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING ALL THESE QUESTIONS AND, UM, THIS DISCUSSION WILL CONTINUE AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THIS DRAFT OF THE PLAN, UM, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIATE IT, YEX. NEXT WE HAVE OUR FINAL PRESENTATION. THANK YOU FOR MS. TOES FOR BEING PATIENT AND BEING HERE WITH US. AS WE CONTINUE, UM, [IV.b. 2025 Greening Forecast ] THE LAST PRESENTATION OF THIS COMMITTEE FOR THE YEAR, UH, OUR CHIEF FACILITIES EXECUTIVE WILL WALK US THROUGH THESE PLANNED INVESTMENTS, INCLUDING HOW PROJECTS ARE BEING PRIORITIZED AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR SCHOOLS FACING THE WORST HEAT AND THE LEASE GREEN SPACE. SO AS MS TOS, UM, HEADS DOWN TO THE PODIUM, I WANNA THANK, UM, YOU AND EVERYONE HERE, UH, FOR JOINING US. AND THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GREAT. GOOD AFTERNOON, FELLOW, UH, GREENING COMMITTEE MEMBERS. SO THE PURPOSE OF THIS PRESENTATION TODAY IS TO FOLLOW UP ON AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT MADE AROUND, UM, OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCELERATING GREENING PROJECTS, UM, BY BRINGING A $700 MILLION INVESTMENT OF GREENING PROJECTS TO THE BOND OVERSIGHT AND TO THE BOARD THIS YEAR. THESE ARE BOND FUNDED PROJECTS, AND TO TALK TO YOU IN MORE DETAIL ABOUT WHAT THESE PROJECTS CONSIST OF, UM, AND THE STATUS OF THOSE. UM, AND I'M ALSO GONNA BE SHARING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, SOME OF THE OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDS WE HAVE AND THEN WORK THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE UNDERWAY. SO WHEN I TALK ABOUT, UM, UPGRADING SCHOOLYARDS TO ALIGN WITH THE GROW GREENING SCHOOLYARDS PLAN, YOU PROBABLY RECALL THE GREENING SCHOOLYARDS PLAN CAME FROM THE BOARD RESOLUTION FOR GREENING OUR SCHOOLYARDS. AND IT INCLUDED IN THAT PLAN THAT SCHOOLYARDS SHOULD BE AT LEAST 30% GREEN SPACE OR NATURAL. AND THEN WE ALSO INCLUDED THAT SCHOOLYARD SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST 20% SHADE COVERAGE. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR CURRENT FUNDING SOURCES, THE BOND PROGRAM FUNDS MAKING THE LARGEST AMOUNT, UM, ELOP FUNDS. THERE ARE SOME COPS FUNDED GREENING PROJECTS. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR GRANT FUNDED PROJECTS. SO WE HAVE, WHEN I TALK ABOUT GREENING PROJECTS, THERE'S REALLY TWO TYPES OF PROJECTS. ONE'S WHERE THE PRIMARY SCOPE IS TO GREEN PLAYGROUND. SO SPECIFICALLY THE PROJECT IS TO DO GREENING. AND WE HAVE ABOUT $700 MILLION OF NEW PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN OR WILL BE DEFINED IN 2025. BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE'S A NUMBER OF PROJECTS WHERE WE DO 30% GREENING OR TRY TO ACHIEVE AS MUCH GREENING AS POSSIBLE AS PART OF A LARGER PROJECT. SO THAT MIGHT BE A PORTABLE REPLACEMENT PROJECT, A COMP MOD OR MAJOR MOD. SO THE POINT HERE IS WHILE WE HAVE 700 MILLION OF PROJECTS THAT ARE GONNA SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS GREENING, WE'RE DOING A [02:55:01] LOT MORE GREENING WORK AS PART OF A OTHER LARGER PROJECT WHERE GREENING IS DONE INDIRECTLY. SO IN TOTAL, UM, THAT INVESTMENT IS $703 MILLION OF BOND FUNDED PROJECTS. MOST OF THIS IS, UM, WE'RE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DO BECAUSE OF THE PASSAGE OF MEASURE US. UM, AND THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS IS APPROXIMATELY 130. AND YOU'LL SEE THOSE CATEGORIES ARE, AGAIN, THESE ARE ONE SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSING GREENING SPACE ARE EEC, OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS AND CAMPUS UPGRADES, PLAYGROUND AND CAMPUS EXTERIOR UPGRADES, SEEDS, GREEN SCHOOLYARD UPGRADES, AND SHADE SHELTERS. THERE'S A LOT OF UPGRADES IN THERE. SO I'M GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH WHAT EACH OF THOSE, UH, TYPES OF PROJECTS ARE. SO, E, EC, OUTDOOR CLASSROOM, CAMPUS UPGRADES, I THINK MOST OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THOSE, OR YOU'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT THEM. REALLY FANTASTIC PROGRAMS THAT ARE FUNDED THROUGH BOND PROGRAM FUNDS DESIGNATED TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. UM, THESE ARE PROJECTS WHERE, UM, WE SIGNIFICANTLY REDO THE OUTDOOR, UM, AREAS OF THOSE. WE TYPICALLY BUNDLE THESE PROJECTS WITH HVAC OR OTHER UPGRADES TO THE FACILITIES THAT ARE NEEDED SO THAT WE CAN NOT DISTURB THOSE CENTERS FOR A PROTRACTED AMOUNT OF TIME. AND WE HAVE ECONOMIES OF SCALE BY PUTTING THAT UNDER ALL UNDER ONE CONTRACT. WE HAVE 11 PROJECTS THAT WE'RE BRINGING FORWARD THIS YEAR. THERE'S ONE PROJECT IN APRIL, THREE PROJECTS THAT WE BROUGHT IN MAY, AND THERE'LL BE SEVEN ADDITIONAL PROJECTS THAT WE'RE BRINGING IN FALL. THIS ALREADY IS ADDED TO THE 25 PROJECTS THAT WE COMPLETED. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE 21 THAT ARE IN CONSTRUCTION AND ANOTHER EIGHT THAT ARE IN DESIGN. SO THAT'S APPROXIMATELY 50, MORE THAN 50 PROJECTS ALREADY UNDERWAY. AND THEN WITH MEASURE US, WE'RE ABLE TO BRING MORE. THE IDEA IS WITH MEASURE US FUNDS WE'LL ABLE TO COMPLETE ALMOST ALL OF OUR EECS WE'LL BENEFIT FROM THESE OUTDOOR, UM, CLASSROOM PROJECTS. THE NEXT TYPE OF PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE ARE CALLED PLAYGROUND AND CAMPUS EXTERIOR UPGRADE PROJECTS. UM, WE'RE GOING TO BE BRINGING A TOTAL OF 21 PROJECTS TO THE BOC AND TO THE BOARD. WE ALREADY HAVE 15 PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDERWAY. UM, SO THIS COMPLIMENTS THAT THESE PROJECTS ARE PRIORITIZED BY THE WORST CONDITION OF THE ASPHALT AT THE SCHOOLS. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS WHERE THE ASPHALT IS SO BUSTED, UM, AND DETERIORATED THAT IT'S EITHER A SAFETY ISSUE OR IT BECOMES AN OPERATIONAL ISSUE. SO WE'VE LOOKED AT THE FACILITIES CONDITION ACROSS THOSE PLAYGROUNDS. UM, WE'RE ADDRESSING THE WORST FIRST, RATHER THAN REPLACING IT JUST WITH NEW ASPHALT, WE'RE GONNA BE INCREASING THE PLAY, UH, GREEN SPACE AT THOSE SCHOOLS BY 30%. INSTALLING LANDSCAPE TREES, GREENING, SOLAR REFLECTIVE COATING, WHERE WE DO HAVE HANDBALL COURTS OR BASKETBALL COURTS. UM, AND THEN WE USE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ALSO PAINT THE ENTIRE CAMPUS BECAUSE WE CAN'T DO THAT WITH BOND FUNDS BY AND OUT OF ITSELF. SO THIS IS A WAY TO ALSO GET THE SCHOOL PAINTED AND THEN WE REALLY ARE ABLE TO TRANSFORM THE ENTIRE EXTERIOR OF THE SCHOOL. THE UM, REASON THAT WE'RE WRAPPING IN THESE OTHER THINGS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY HEARD BACK FROM COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS PRINCIPALS IS GETTING THAT WHAT'S CALLED CURB APPEAL WHEN YOU PASS BY A SCHOOL OR YOU WALK ONTO A SCHOOL. SO MUCH OF HOW YOU FEEL INVESTED IN THAT SCHOOL IS HOW KIND OF WELL MAINTAINED AND HOW IT LOOKS. AND THESE PROJECTS WILL GO A FAR AWAY TO TRANSFORM THAT FEELING OF THE EXTERIOR OF THE SCHOOL. THE NEXT ONE THAT WE HAVE IS, UH, THE HUMBLE BUT IMPACTFUL SEEDS LEARNING GARDENS PROGRAM. THIS IS A GRASSROOTS OR IT COMES FROM THE SCHOOL UP, IT'S NOT CENTRALLY PRIORITIZED. UM, SO WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 17 PROJECTS THAT WE, UM, ANTICIPATE JUST BRINGING THROUGH THE FIRST PART OR THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR. UM, AND WE WILL BRING MORE FOR THE SECOND HALF. THESE ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND TO 150,000 SCHOOLS PROPOSE 'EM. UM, AND THE DISTRICT SUPPORTS THEM BY DOING WHAT WE CALL GARDEN READY, PUTTING IN THE IRRIGATION, THE TESTING, REMOVING THE CONCRETE, UM, AND PUTTING IN TESTING THE SOILS SO THAT WE CAN SUPPORT GREEN SPACE THERE. SO, UH, AT LEAST SEVEN, PROBABLY MORE. AND THEN NEW, UM, TO US. WELL, NEW TO BOND FUNDED PROGRAMS, [03:00:01] WE HAVE PROJECTS THAT WERE FUNDED OUT OF COPS, UM, IS GREEN SCHOOL YARD UPGRADE PROJECTS. THESE ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE PRIORITIZED SOLELY BY THE LACK OF GREEN SPACE AT SCHOOLS. SO WE HAVE 15 OF THESE PROJECTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY. THE PURPOSE OF THESE PROJECTS IS TO TAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WITH LESS THAN 10% GREEN SPACE, UM, AND INCREASE THAT GREEN SPACE TO 30%. SO USING THE GREENING INDEX AS THAT PRIORITIZATION. UM, WE LOOK AT REPLACING ASPHALT WITH GREEN NATURAL ELEMENTS, CREATING OUTDOOR CLASSROOM SPACE, LANDSCAPING TREES, GRASS PLAY FIELDS, ALSO DOING THE REQUIRED ACCESSIBILITY UPGRADES. IT ALSO COULD INCLUDE THE REMOVAL OF RELOCATABLE BUILDINGS. IF WE HAVE BUILDINGS THERE THAT ARE NO LONGER NEEDED, OFTENTIMES THOSE PORTABLES WERE PLACED ON AREA THAT HAD BEEN GREEN OR WERE PART OF THE PLAYGROUND, WE WANNA REMOVE THOSE AND THEN GREEN BACK THAT SPACE. AND THEN SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO DO UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, BRINGING IRRIGATION OUT AS NEEDED. SO 32 PROJECTS ARE ANTICIPATED FOR THE FALL OF 2025, USING THAT GREENING INDEX PRIORITY TO COMPLEMENT THE 15 THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN DESIGN. AND THEN ALSO NEW WITH THE PASSAGE OF MEASURE US IS WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT A PROGRAM TO INSTALL SHADE SHELTERS OVER PLAY STRUCTURES, ALSO ADDRESSING THAT KIND OF COOLING ISSUE THAT WE HAVE AT SO MANY OF OUR PLAYGROUNDS. THIS ONE, THERE'S $40 MILLION THAT HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED. WE HOPE TO GET TO AROUND 50 SCHOOL SITES. WE'RE COMING UP WITH A PRIORITIZATION MODEL FOR THAT AS WELL. LOOKING TO BRING THAT TO, UH, THE BOC AND THE BOARD IN THE FALL OF 2025. THIS IS TO PLACE NEW SHADE SHELTERS ON TOP OF EXISTING PLACE STRUCTURES. UM, THE RESPONSE THAT WE'VE GOTTEN FROM MANY SCHOOL SITES, ESPECIALLY UNDER HEAT EVENTS, THOSE PLACE STRUCTURES BECOME SO HOT THAT STUDENTS DON'T EVEN WANNA USE THEM. AND SO THESE SHADE SHELTERS ARE MEANT TO COOL THOSE PLACE STRUCTURES. AND WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, UM, THAT THIS IS, AS I'VE MENTIONED BEFORE, IN ADDITION TO ALL THE WORK THAT WE ALREADY HAVE UNDERWAY, WHICH IS ALMOST A HALF A BILLION DOLLARS OF PROJECTS THAT SUPPORT GREENING DIRECTLY. SO JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR. UM, WE BROUGHT TO THE BOC AND THE BOARD BETWEEN AUGUST AND MAY 52 PROJECTS, WHICH HAD A TOTAL VALUE OF OVER 325 MILLION THAT INCLUDED THAT PACE UP PLAYGROUND AND CAMPUS EXTERIOR UPGRADE PROGRAM, EEC, OUTDOOR CLASSROOM AND CAMPUS UPGRADE PROJECTS, GREENING SCHOOL YARD UPGRADE PROJECTS, AND SEEDS LEARNING CENTER. SO WE'RE GOING TO PROBABLY DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF GREENING PROJECTS AS COMPARED TO WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR TO WHAT WE'RE BRINGING TO THE BOARD IN 2025. THANK YOU MS. STOKES. UM, NOW I WILL, UM, OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS FROM COMMITTEE MEMBERS OR MY COLLEAGUES. NO, GO AHEAD. GO AHEAD MR. . THANK YOU FOR SHARING. APPRECIATE THIS. UM, AS YOU MENTIONED, THE PROJECTS THAT ARE ONGOING GOING AND THE PROJECTS THAT WILL BE HAPPENING ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE TOTAL NUMBER HERE. CORRECT. SO WHEN YOU SAY, UM, LIKE THE 21 TOTAL AND THEN YOU SAID THERE'S 15 IN PROGRESS, THEY'RE NOT ONE AND THE SAME. CORRECT. THE ONES THAT ARE INCLUDED HERE ARE ONLY THE PROJECTS THAT MAKE UP THE $700 MILLION OF GREENING SPECIFIC PROJECTS THAT WE'RE BRINGING IN 2025. SO WE HAVE BROUGHT SOME PROJECTS, 'CAUSE WE'RE ALREADY IN MAY, BUT WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED HERE IS THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE UNDERWAY. GOT IT, GOT IT. OKAY. AND THEN WITH THE SCOPE, AND THIS KIND OF, YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING EARLIER TO KIND OF TIE IN, UM, THOSE SCHOOLS THAT WITH CAL FIRE BOND, WHAT SCHOOLS WILL BE IDENTIFIED TO MEET THAT REQUIREMENT WHERE YOU, YOU KIND OF OVERLAPPED WHERE WE KIND OF FITTING IN OR CONNECTING FUNDING. WHAT EXACTLY PROJECTS ARE THOSE? ARE, ARE THEY AMONGST THESE HERE? SURE. SO WE HAVE, UM, AND I'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE THE LINK TO IT. UM, AND THAT IT'S PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. SO I BELIEVE IT'S IN THE GREENING INDEX. UM, WE HAVE A LIST OF ALL OF THE TWO OVER 200 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT HAVE LESS THAN 10% GREEN SPACE. AND THOSE ARE RANKED, UM, WE USE CRITERIA OF NOT ONLY THE PERCENTAGE OF PAVEMENT VERSUS GREEN SPACE THAT WE HAVE, BUT WE ALSO THEN WEIGH IN THE CAL AND VIRAL SCREEN, [03:05:01] WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT THE BOARD ASKED US TO CONSIDER IN THE RESOLUTION, WHICH REALLY LOOKS AT WHICH COMMUNITIES ARE MORE HEAVILY IMPACTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE. SO THEY MAY HAVE, LOOKING AT THE BROADER AREAS, WHERE DO WE SEE THAT THERE MAY BE HEALTH IMPACTS, EQUITY IMPACTS, SO THAT WE'RE NOT JUST LOOKING AT RAW FACILITIES DATA. SO USING THOSE TWO CRITERIA, WE RANKED ALL OF THOSE SCHOOLS AND THEN WE HAVE A LIST OF WHERE THEIR PROJECTS AT EACH OF THOSE SCHOOLS. AS I WAS SAYING THAT WE PROBABLY HAVE PROJECTS AT OVER 50% OF THOSE SCHOOLS. THE IDEA IS FOR THE REMAINING GREENING SCHOOLYARD UPGRADE PROJECTS, UM, THAT WE'RE TARGETING THOSE SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE PROJECTS, SO THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, FURTHER REDUCE IT. THE GOAL IS TO GET ALL 200 AND SCHOOLS TO BE OUT OF THAT LIST. RIGHT. SO THEN WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT TRANCHE, BUT THE PRIORITY IS TO ADDRESS SCHOOLS WITH LESS THAN 10%. GOT IT. GOT IT. AND THEN ON THE BACK HERE YOU MENTIONED THE 52 PROJECTS AND THESE ARE ALREADY IN PROGRESS ON THIS LAST YES. OR WHAT WILL BE THE 52 IS WHAT WE BROUGHT IN 2024. GOT IT. SO IN 2024 PROJECTS RELATED DIRECTLY TO GREENING, IT WAS 52 PROJECTS THAT WERE BROUGHT AND WE JUST USE AUGUST, 2024 TO MAY. 'CAUSE THAT'S WHEN OUR BOC AND BOARD MEET. BUT YES, FOR 2024, WE BOUGHT 52 PROJECTS AT 3 28 THIS YEAR WE'RE DOUBLING THAT AMOUNT. WE'LL BE BRINGING 700 MILLION AND THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS IS A HUNDRED. THAT 113, OR SORRY, 131. 1 31. GOT IT. OKAY. I DO APPRECIATE THE SEEDS PROJECT. I KNOW IT'S ONE OF YOUR LITTLE GUYS, BUT STILL THE SCHOOLS REALLY LOVE THE PROJECT. THEY REALLY DO. SO I KNOW THAT, UH, PARTNERS OR SCHOOLS SUBMIT PROPOSALS. RIGHT. SO, UM, HOW ARE YOU DISTRIBUTING SEEDS PROJECTS ACROSS THE WHOLE DISTRICT? SO WE, WELL, I SHOULD FIRST SAY THAT WE DON'T DENY ANY SCHOOL THAT HAS MADE AN APPLICATION FOR SEEDS. I THINK THE ONLY TIME WHERE WE MAY HAVE IS IF THEY'VE ALREADY GOTTEN TO SEEDS PROJECTS AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE EXTENDING SEEDS OPPORTUNITIES TO EVERY SCHOOL BEFORE WE GO BACK TO ANOTHER SCHOOL. UM, BUT IN TERMS OF HOW WE ROLL OUT THE WORK, WE LOOK AT TRYING TO DO THAT AT, WITH A GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF EQUITY SO THAT WE'RE NOT FOCUSING ALL IN ONE AREA OR ANOTHER, BUT SEEDS IS ON A ROLLING BASIS. SO WHATEVER SCHOOLS KIND OF HAVE EXPRESS AN INTEREST, WE WORK WITH THEM TO SUPPORT THOSE PROJECTS. UM, AND THEN TO UNDERTAKE THE WORK. THERE'S NOT A, WE'RE NOT GOING TO CAP IT AND SAY YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY MORE SEEDS PROJECTS. THANK YOU. AND WE DO REMIND OUR SCHOOLS WHEN WE VISIT THEM ABOUT THE SEEDS GRANT, AND THEY'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. UH, LAST QUESTION. UM, YOU KNOW, THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY IS VERY, VERY HOT AND BOARD DISTRICT THREE IS SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY. AND I ALWAYS WONDERED WHY ON EARTH WOULD ANYONE EVER HAVE PUT A SHADE STRUCTURE, I'M SORRY, A PLAYGROUND, A AN APPARATUS WITH NO SHADE STRUCTURE. IT, IT JUST, IT'S, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE. IT IS SO HOT THAT YOU CAN'T PLAY ON THAT. SO I'M JUST KIND OF HOPING THAT IN THE FUTURE, MAYBE THAT YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MA PUT A PLAY STRUCTURE OUT THERE WITHOUT SHADE BECAUSE IT, IT'S VERY, IT'S BAD FOR THE KIDS AND THEY WANNA PLAY ON THOSE MONKEY BARS AND ALL THAT STUFF, BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A, A SHADE STRUCTURE. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S SOME KIND OF A SUGGESTION THAT WE COULD MAKE THAT, HEY, SCHOOL, YOU WANNA HAVE A PLAY STRUCTURE THAT'S FANTASTIC. SHOW US WHERE IT'S GONNA BE PUT AND IF WE SEE THAT IT'S IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOT PLAYGROUND, THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE A SHADE STRUCTURE OR THEY SHOULDN'T PUT THE, THE APPARATUS THERE. YEAH, WE DO DO THAT NOW ON OUR PROJECTS WHERE WE'RE INSTALLING NEW SHADE, NEW PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT TO INSTALL A SHADE COVERING OVER THOSE. THE ISSUE THAT WE RUN INTO IS WE HAVE SOME PLAYGROUND APPARATUS THAT NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED. THEY'RE OLD AND WE DON'T HAVE THE REPAIR FUNDS TO PUT A NEW STRUCTURE, A NEW SHADE SHELTER OVER IT. SO WE'RE USING OUR BOND FUNDS TO REALLY UNDERTAKE THAT, THE NEW SCOPE OF WORK TO COME BACK AND PUT THEM OVER EXISTING STRUCTURES. AND ONE MORE SUGGESTION ALONG WITH REPAIRS. I BELIEVE THAT A SCHOOL SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO INSTALL A MARQUEE UNLESS THEY HAVE INSURANCE, TO MAKE SURE THAT AFTER THE WARRANTY RUNS OUT, THAT THAT THING IS NOT GONNA BE BLINKING EVERY SINGLE DAY AND ALL THE LETTERS SCRAMBLED, SO YOU SHOULD HAVE SOME KIND OF AN INSURANCE THING. IT'S TERRIBLE WHEN YOU GO BY A SCHOOL AND IT'S BUZZING AND FLASHING. IT'S TERRIBLE. BUT, UH, WE DON'T HAVE IN OUR DISTRICT A REPAIR DEPARTMENT FOR, UH, OUR MARQUEES. I KNOW THAT. AND THE MARQUEES BASICALLY EMPTY. IT'S JUST A, SOME KIND OF A ELECTRONIC BAR THAT DOES IT, BUT WHEN IT BREAKS, [03:10:01] IT LOOKS PRETTY BAD. THANK YOU. YES, MCKAYLA, GO AHEAD. I JUST, SORRY I MISSED MOST OF YOUR PRESENTATION. I HAD TO STEP OUT FOR A CALL, BUT, UM, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION WITH REGARDS TO THE SHADE STRUCTURES AND THE COST OF THEM. AND THEN ALSO LIKE, YOU KNOW, IS THERE A BALANCE THAT CAN BE STRUCK WITH, YOU KNOW, THE AMOUNT OF SHADE STRUCTURES THAT THE DISTRICT INVEST IN AND WHERE THOSE SHADE STRUCTURES GO WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, TREES OR SOMETHING ELSE THAT CREATES, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE BENEFITS AND, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE SHADE STRUCTURES ARE GETTING PRETTY PRICEY RIGHT NOW, AND OBVIOUSLY THERE'S SOME PLACES WHERE WE NEED TO USE THEM. BUT I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT IS THE THOUGHTS ON STRIKING THAT BALANCE, BRINGING THE COST DOWN AND MINIMIZING YOU KNOW, JUST BEING REALLY STRATEGIC WITH WHERE AND WHEN TO USE A SHADE SHELTER. YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, MY TEAM IS LOOKING AT AS WE LOOK AT HOW TO PRIORITIZE SHADE SHELTERS, IS LOOKING AT WHAT IS THE PERCENTAGE OF SHADE ON A CAMPUS, BECAUSE THERE'S SOME SHADE SHELTERS THAT MIGHT HAVE OR BE ADJACENT TO TREES VERSUS OTHER SHADE SHELTERS THAT DON'T HAVE ANY TREES WITHIN ANY PROXIMITY. UM, YOU KNOW, THE FOCUS HERE IS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE MANY SHADE STRUCTURES WHERE THERE JUST ISN'T ANY SHADE AND WE'RE NOT ABLE TO UTILIZE THEM DURING HEAT EVENTS AND TO PROVIDE SHADE SHELTERS OVER THEM. WHEREAS, YOU KNOW, WITH A TREE BEING SO MANY FEET AWAY BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE RUBBER MATTING, THEY MIGHT NOT GET THE FULL BENEFIT OF BEING AS SHADED AS IF THEY WOULD HAVE A SHADE SHELTER. THE DISTRICT WAS ABLE TO PUSH LEGISLATION THAT KIND OF IDENTIFIED THAT THIS WAS A EMERGENCY, GIVEN HOW MANY HEAT EVENTS WE HAVE AND HOW LONG THEY LAST SO THAT WE DO NOT HAVE TO, UM, DO A DA UPGRADES WHEN WE'RE JUST DOING A SHADE SHELTER. THAT'S A STANDALONE BY ITSELF. WE'RE TRYING TO DO AS MANY AS WE CAN IN RESPONSE TO WHERE WE KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, CLIMATE IS GOING. UM, SO WE STILL HAVE TO GO TO DSA FOR THE STRUCTURAL SUPPORTS OF THOSE SHADE SHELTERS, ESPECIALLY TO WITHSTAND THE WINDS THAT WE SEE IN THE VALLEY AREAS. UM, BUT WE WILL PICK UP THE A DA UPGRADES IF WE DO ANOTHER PROJECT AT THAT SCHOOL SITE, BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO INCUR THE COST ON THESE. THEY'RE STILL ROUGHLY AROUND 300,000, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY UNFORTUNATELY MAY GO UP GIVEN WHERE WE SEE COSTS. BUT WE ARE TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING TO MAKE THEM KIND OF COOKIE CUTTER PRE-APPROVED BY DSA AND THAT LEGISLATION THAT WE GOT PASSED AS HELP. YEAH, THANKS FOR THAT. I JUST ASKED BECAUSE YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY 300,000 IS A LOT OF MONEY AND IT'S LIKE A SHADE STRUCTURE IS KIND OF LIKE ONE PURPOSE, RIGHT? IT'S JUST PROVIDING SHADE WHERE IT'S LIKE IF YOU THINK ABOUT INCREASING A TREE CANOPY, YOU'RE GETTING ALL THOSE BENEFITS FROM NOT JUST PROVIDING SHADE, BUT ALSO LIKE MINIMIZING A LOT OF POLLUTANTS THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE IN PROXIMITY TO STUDENTS. SO, AND THAT IS WHY, UM, YOU KNOW, INCLUDED IN THE GREENING PLAN WASN'T THE RECOGNITION THAT IT'S NOT JUST GREENING THE SURFACE AREA, BUT ALSO ADDING TREES. SO IN ALSO ADDING THAT 20% SHADE, UM, TO THE REQUIREMENT. YEAH. LET ME JUST ADD THAT SOME PARENTS GET SO FRUSTRATED ABOUT NOT HAVING SHADE STRUCTURES THAT THEY BUILD THEIR OWN AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE DOING THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY DANGEROUS, THEY'RE UNSTEADY, THEY'RE HOMEMADE SHADE STRUCTURES STUCK IN A BUCKET OF CEMENT AND TWO POLES AND, AND, AND, AND THEY'RE TRYING THEIR BEST. BUT THAT'S A VERY DANGEROUS THING TO DO, AND WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW, WE SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED AT OUR SCHOOLS. THAT'S YEAH, I KNOW. OH, I UNDERSTAND. AND IT MUST BE THE SAME PARENTS. 'CAUSE I SEE THE SAME STRUCTURE AT DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. YEAH, YEAH, I KNOW, I KNOW. I, I AGREE. BUT IT'S STILL DANGEROUS FOR THE KIDS. YEAH. YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, I HAD A QUESTION. UH, SO DO YOU, YOU SAID, UM, THAT THE SEEDS FUNDING IS ROLLING SO THERE'S NOT LIKE A A SO MANY LEFT AND THEN IT'S OUT OF MONEY. WELL, IF WE HADN'T PASSED MEASURE US, WE WERE GONNA BE AT THAT PLACE. OKAY. UM, BECAUSE THE ALLOCATION OF $5 MILLION, UM, HAD BEEN KIND OF ACCOUNTED FOR, RIGHT. WITH PROJECTS THAT WERE IN THE PIPELINE AND UNDERWAY. NOW THAT WE HAVE MEASURE US KIND OF A REFRESH OF THAT MM-HMM . IT CONTINUES TO ROLL. OKAY, GREAT. THAT'S SO GREAT TO HEAR. THE, UM, THE, AND SO IT SOUNDS, I THINK YOU, YOU MAY HAVE JUST ANSWERED THIS, BUT JUST TO CONFIRM IN THE, THE ROLLOUT OF THE SHADE SHELTERS FOR PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT, THAT WOULDN'T CHANGE THE, UM, CALCULATION FOR A TREE CANOPY GOAL FOR A SCHOOL. OKAY. NO. UM, THE, AND THEN I THINK ONE, UM, [03:15:02] KIND OF BACK TO MY NERD INTEREST IN LIKE ALL THIS INFORMATION. SO WITH THE, UM, WITH ALL THESE DIFFERENT PROJECTS, IS THERE, UM, THAT ARE UNDERWAY, IT'S VERY EXCITING AND IS THERE, UM, WHAT'S THE BEST WAY FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO KNOW WHICH PROJECTS ARE WITHOUT LIKE GOING THROUGH ALL THE BOC, YOU KNOW, APPROVALS AND REFERRALS AND THAT KIND OF THING. LIKE WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO KNOW WHAT'S, UM, UNDERWAY? AND THEN I WOULD ALSO BE SO INCREDIBLE TO BE ABLE TO SEE HOW THAT'S CHANGING THE PERCENTAGE OF THE SCHOOL YARD WITH THESE PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, BE CREATIVE WITH HOW YOU CAN ADD GREENING IN PROJECTS LIKE PACE UP THAT ARE PRIMARILY NOT GREENING, BUT IF THAT, HOW CAN WE KNOW HOW THAT MIGHT BE SHIFTING THE NEEDLE FOR THE GREEN SPACE AT THAT SCHOOL? UM, AND THE, UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S ONE QUESTION. YEAH. AND THEN I JUST WANTED TO GENERALLY ECHO THE, WHERE I THINK WE ALL ARE, BUT JUST THAT THE, THE POINTS AROUND, YOU MENTIONED THAT SOMETIMES ASPHALT, BROKEN ASPHALT CAN BE DANGEROUS, BUT ALSO WE'RE ALL, I THINK RECOGNIZING IT INCREASINGLY THAT EXTREME HEAT IS ALSO SO DANGEROUS. AND SO IF THERE ARE ALSO WAYS THAT WE AS ADVOCATES CAN BE HELPING THE DISTRICT MAKE CLEAR OF THAT TO, UM, REGULATORY BODIES OR, OR WHAT HAVE YOU TO ENSHRINE THE IMPERATIVE THAT WE HAVE INCREASED GREEN SPACE AND SHADE AT SCHOOLS TO ADDRESS OR, YOU KNOW, THINGS AROUND HVAC TO ADDRESS, UM, THE HEAT STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS ARE DEALING WITH. AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW. BUT YEAH, JUST A QUESTION ABOUT THE, UM, WHERE WE CAN SEE ALL THAT'S GOING ON AND, AND HOW THAT MIGHT BE SHIFTING THE NEEDLE. 'CAUSE THE GREENING INDEX SO THAT THE GREENING INDEX ISN'T A, A STATIC IMAGE OF WHERE THINGS WERE, BUT EVOLVING AS THINGS EXPAND. RIGHT. UM, SO THERE IS A LINK ON THE FACILITIES WEBSITE, UM, AND I CAN MAKE SURE YOU ALL GET IT. UM, IF YOU GO TO THE FACILITIES, JUST GOOGLE FACILITIES, L-A-U-S-D, THERE'S A BOX THAT IS CALLED LIKE THE FACILITIES DASHBOARD, AND YOU CAN SEARCH BY PROJECT TYPE. AND ONE OF THE PROJECTS TYPES ARE, UM, GREENING, PAVING AND SHADE, I BELIEVE IS WHAT THAT CATEGORY IS. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED, UM, THAT ARE PRIMARILY BOND FUNDED. SO THE CAL FIRE PROJECTS WOULD NOT SHOW UP ON THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT FACILITIES EXECUTED PROJECTS. UM, AND THAT'S A GOOD WAY TO SEE IT WILL LIST WHAT THE PROJECT BUDGET IS, WHERE IT IS IN ITS STATUS WHEN IT'S ANTICIPATED TO COMPLETE. UM, AND THEN WE'RE WORKING WITH THE ESO OFFICE WHERE WE CAPTURE FOR EVERY PROJECT, UM, WHERE WE ARE IMPACTING GREENING, WHETHER IT'S ONE OF THE 700 MILLION THAT ARE GREENING SPECIFIC OR IT'S LIKE A COMP MOD WHERE WE'RE GONNA TOUCH GREENING, WHERE WE WILL BE ABLE TO UPLOAD, UM, THE PERCENTAGE OF GREENING THAT'S ANTICIPATED TO HAPPEN IN DESIGN AND THEN BEFORE IT STARTS CONSTRUCTION, AND THEN AFTER IT'S CONSTRUCTED WHAT THE ACTUAL NUMBER IS SO THAT THE EO OFFICE CAN THEN FORECAST, YOU KNOW, HERE'S WHERE WE HAVE NOW, BUT HERE'S WHAT'S IN PLANNING, AND THEN HERE'S WHAT ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, WILL BE, UM, SO THAT I THINK IS VERY CLOSE TO BEING SORTED OUT. THAT'S REALLY EXCITING. AND JUST THAT THIS DASHBOARD IS WHERE YOU CAN SEE WHICH PROJECTS ARE CLASSIFIED AS PAVING, GREENING TYPE, AND THE COMPLETION ESTIMATED IN THE BUDGET, BUT NOT THE, WHEN YOU CLICK ON THE, THERE'S LIKE A LINK THAT IF YOU WERE GONNA CLICK ON LIKE ATWATER ELEMENTARY, UHHUH THERE, IT'S LIKE THERE WAS SOMETHING THERE , BUT THAT DOESN'T WORK. SO LET ME CHECK. YEAH, WE HAD TO MIGRATE THIS SITE DURING CYBERSECURITY. YEAH, I WASN'T AWARE THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING STILL BROKEN, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE IF IT IS THAT IT'S FIXED. THANK YOU. YEAH, I THINK A LOT OF THINGS WENT AWAY AFTER THAT. THANK YOU. WONDERFUL. I HAVE ONE QUESTION SINCE, UM, THERE WERE TWO OF MY OTHER QUESTIONS WERE ALREADY ASKED, WHICH WAS GREAT. UM, WITH THE CLIMATE IMPACTS ACCELERATING, IS OUR PA OUR CURRENT PACE OF GREENING BOLD ENOUGH TO MEET THE MOMENT? AND WHAT OTHER STRUCTURAL SHIFTS WOULD YOU SAY ARE NEEDED TO MOVE FASTER, UM, CENTER EQUITY AND DELIVER TRANSFORMATION AT SCALE? ANYTHING THAT YOU FEEL? THAT'S A BIG QUESTION. UM, I WILL GIVE YOU THE FAC THE FACILITIES PERSPECTIVE IS, UM, GIVEN THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE, WE ARE MOVING VERY AGGRESSIVELY, RIGHT? SO THE FACT THAT WE'RE ALMOST DOUBLING THE AMOUNT OF PROJECTS THAT WE BROUGHT JUST FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR IS HUGE. THE AMOUNT OF INVESTMENT THAT THESE, UH, BOARD APPROVED IN [03:20:01] MEASURE US $1.2 BILLION OUT OF $7 BILLION FOR FACILITIES UPGRADES AND GREETING IS JUST A HUGE IMPACTFUL INVESTMENT. UM, I THINK THE CHALLENGE IS, IS, YOU KNOW, THERE IS ALWAYS MUCH MORE WORK TO BE DONE. AND WE HAVE, EVEN THOUGH $7 BILLION IN FACILITIES SOUNDS LIKE A LOT, YOU'RE COMPETING FOR SEISMIC UPGRADES AND HVAC AND ROOFS THAT LEAK AND ALL OF THOSE HAVE CONSEQUENCES FOR HOW WE OPERATE OUR SCHOOLS AND THE HEALTH OF OUR STUDENTS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I WISH WE HAD MORE MONEY. I WISH THAT WE HAD MORE MONEY FROM THE STATE. I WISH WE HAD MORE MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT, UM, ALL OF THESE REALLY IMPORTANT NEEDS THAT WE HAVE, NOT JUST IN FACILITIES, BUT OVERALL TO SUPPORT, UM, WHAT'S NEEDED TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, MS. UH, MS. TOES FOR THAT, UM, PRESENTATION. VERY COMPREHENSIVE AND VERY FORWARD-LOOKING PRESENTATION. SO FALL 2025 OR 25, 26, ACTUALLY THE WHOLE YEAR IS GONNA BE FULL OF PROJECTS THAT WE'RE ALL GONNA BE VERY, UH, VERY HAPPY FOR AND SEW OUR SCHOOLS. UM, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO IT'S ENCOURAGING TO SEE THE SCALE OF INVESTMENT BEING PLANNED AND THE INTENTIONAL FOCUS ON TRANSFORMING OUR SCHOOL YARDS INTO GREENER, SAFER AND MORE INSPIRING SPACES FOR OUR STUDENTS. WELL, WITH THAT LAST PRESENTATION, NOW WE'LL MOVE [II. Public Comment (Part 2 of 2)] ON TO THE SECOND HALF OF PUBLIC COMMENT TO ENSURE EVERYBODY HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. MCCLEAN. HERE WE GO. ALEX HALO. I SEE YOU'RE STILL ON THE LINE. ALEX HALO, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. ALEX HALO. HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE SURE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. OKAY. MY NAME IS ALEX HALO AND I'M A 12TH GRADER AT THE LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE VIRTUAL ACADEMY. I UNDERSTAND THAT TODAY'S MEETING IS ABOUT BEING GREEN AND WHATNOT, HOWEVER, THE HYPOCRISY IS CLEAR. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, L-A-U-S-D MANDATED THAT VIRTUAL TEACHERS GO ONSITE AND STILL TEACH REMOTELY. YOU TALK ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, WHAT ABOUT ALL THE EXTRA POLLUTION AND CO2 YOU ARE ALLOWING TO BE RELEASED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE? THE VIRTUAL ACADEMIES WERE ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO BE OFFSITE, BORN OUT OF THE REALIZATION THAT MANY STUDENTS THRIVE IN THIS ALTERNATIVE ENVIRONMENT, WHETHER IT BE DUE TO HEALTH ISSUES, TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, WORKING ON THEIR OWN BUSINESS, WORKING BETTER INDEPENDENTLY OR BULLYING. HOWEVER, AFTER THREE YEARS, OBTAINING WAS ACCREDITATION AND FORMALLY GIVING TEACHERS AND STUDENTS FLEXIBILITY TO PROVIDE EXTRA ONE-ON-ONE SUPPORT, WHICH IS NO LONGER THE CASE. L-A-U-S-D REVERSED COURSE. REMOTE WORKERS ARE FORCED TO GO ONSITE TO STILL PERFORM REMOTE DUTIES. LOGICALLY, HOW DOES THIS MAKE SENSE? HOW DOES REQUIRING A REMOTE TEACHER TO COMMUTE IN A HIGH TRAFFIC CITY ONLY TO WORK REMOTELY ONSITE, REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH YOUR GOALS AROUND THE ENVIRONMENT? MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOW THIS TIME ONCE SPENT WITH STUDENTS NOW SPENT IN TRAFFIC SUPPORT STUDENTS SUCCESS. IF YOU CARED SO MUCH ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE FUTURE OF OUR PLANET, YOU WOULD CHANGE THIS POLICY IMMEDIATELY. TEACHERS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO SPEND HOURS IN TRAFFIC IN GAS GUZZLING VEHICLES. INSTEAD, YOU SHOULD HAVE THE CHOICE TO WORK OFFSITE. WE, THE THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS AND OBSERVERS ACROSS L-A-U-S-D ASKED THAT TO MAKE, MAKE THIS MAKE SENSE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. OKAY. BRIANNA HERNANDEZ, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. BRIANNA HERNANDEZ, GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS BRIANNA HERNANDEZ AND I'M A SOPHOMORE AT THE LEADERSHIP REPUBLIC SERVICE VIRTUAL ACADEMY. I CHOSE VIRTUAL LEARNING AFTER EXPERIENCING INTENSE BULLYING AT MY PREVIOUS SCHOOL. IT WAS AFFECTING MY MENTAL HEALTH AND MY ABILITY TO LEARN. WHEN I WENT VIRTUAL, I FINALLY FELT SAFE. I COULD FOCUS, I COULD BREATHE. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME, I FELT LIKE I BELONGED. BUT LATELY THAT SAFE SPACE HAS BEEN CHANGING. THIS YEAR MANY OF OUR TEACHERS WERE MOVED TO PHYSICAL CAMPUSES, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE STILL TEA TEACHING ONLINE. IT MIGHT NOT SEEM LIKE A BIG DEAL, BUT IT'S HAD SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES, BACKGROUND NOISE, SHARED CLASSROOMS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, FIRE DRILLS, AND DISTRACTIONS MAKE IT HARD TO CONCENTRATE. IN FACT, YESTERDAY MY TEACHER HAD A FIRE ALARM THAT MADE HER LEAVE OUR ZOOM. THIS HAPPENS OFTEN. SOME DAYS IT FEELS LIKE CHAOS, AND IT TAKES ME BACK TO THE, TO THE STRESS. I WORK SO HARD TO ESCAPE WORSE. TEACHERS ARE EXHAUSTED. THEY'RE SPENDING HOURS, COMMUNITY COMMUTING HOURS, WHICH COULD BE SPENT ON ME AND OTHER STUDENTS. THEY NO LONGER HAVE TIME TO RUN CLUBS. THAT HELPS US WITH FRIENDSHIPS AND COMMUNITY. THE ONE-ON-ONE SUPPORT WE USED TO GET HAS ALSO BECOME RARE. AND FOR MANY OF MY FRIENDS, THAT EXTRA SUPPORT WAS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GIVING [03:25:01] UP AND PUSHING FORWARD. IF L-A-U-S-D REALLY WANTS TO SUPPORT YOUR STUDENTS AND NEEDS TO PROTECT THE PROGRAMS THAT WORK, GIVE TEACHERS THE OPTION OF WORKING FROM HOME, AND IF THEY, AND IF THEY DECIDE TO STAY IN PERSON, DON'T MAKE THEM SPEND UNNECESSARY HOURS IN TRAFFIC. AND LET'S STOP PRETENDING THIS POLICY ISN'T HURTING US. IT IS. VIRTUAL LEARNING SAVES MY EDUCATION AND ME. PLEASE DON'T TAKE THAT AWAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. OKAY, LET'S SEE. SEAN, I, I, I DON'T SEE YOU ON THE LINE. SEAN, ARE YOU IN THE ROOM? NO. SEAN. ISABELLA TELLEZ, ARE YOU ON THE LINE? NO. ISABELLA TELLEZ ALSO NO. ISABELLA TELLEZ IN THE ROOM. AND THEN WE HAVE CHRISTOPHER. PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. CHRISTOPHER, UH, HELLO. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE SURE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. OKAY. 3, 2, 1. HELLO EVERYONE. AND MY NAME IS CHRISTOPHER SELLA TORRES, AND I'M A SOPHOMORE AT THE LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE VIRTUAL ACADEMY. I CHOSE VIRTUAL LEARNING BECAUSE IT OFFERED MORE LEARNING BENEFITS AND CIRCUMSTANCES GOING ON IN MY SIDE. COMING FROM A LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLD AND BEING UNSTABLE, TO SAY THE LEAST. THE VIRTUAL ACADEMY HAS BROUGHT A SAFE SPACE WITH WONDERFUL TEACHERS AND PROVIDED MORE GROWTH WITH LESS CHALLENGES. HOWEVER, THIS YEAR, UH, SOMETHING CHANGED NOT FOR THE BETTER. I MUST SAY. NUMEROUS TEACHERS WERE REASSIGNED TO PHYSICAL CAMPUSES, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE TEACHING ONLINE. WHAT IS MORE LUDICROUS IS THAT THE TEACHERS HAVE TO SPEND UP HOURS EACH DAY DRIVING TO SCHOOL AND HOME. THIS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE. IT WASTES TIME AT SOLUTION AND PUTS MORE DRIVERS AT RISK ON THE ROAD. EVEN WORSE, MANY TEACHERS FACE THE SUFFERING OF HAVING THEIR ROOMS TRASHED AND BEING NOT SAFE IN THE SCHOOL AND EXPERIENCING CAR CRASHES. THIS IF DOESN'T, IF THIS DOESN'T EVEN RAISE CONCERNS, I DON'T KNOW. WHAT WILL THE TRAVESTY OF HAVING TEACHERS WORK IN SCHOOLS AFFECTS STUDENTS AS WELL. MANY TEACHERS ARE NOW IN A SHARED ROOM. THIS MAKES IT COMMON TO HEAR OTHER CLASSROOMS IN THE BACKGROUND, WHICH IS EXTREMELY DISTRACTING. EVEN WORTH RAISING PRIVATE CONCERNS BY HAVING OTHER INDIVIDUALS HERE, PRIVATE DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR TEACHERS. THIS DOESN'T FEEL OR SOUND LIKE A SAFE FOCUSED ENVIRONMENT. ALSO, MANDATORY EVENTS SUCH AS FIRE DRILLS DISTURBS OUR LEARNING TIME BY TEACHERS NOT BEING ABLE TO HELP US WITH ANY CONCERNS OR WITH ONE-ON-ONE TUTORING. THERE NEEDS TO BE BETTER SOLUTIONS. TEACHERS SHOULD HAVE THE OPTION TO CHOOSE BETWEEN WORKING REMOTELY OR ON CAMPUS, BUT AS CLOSE OF A LOCATION TO THEIR HOMES AS POSSIBLE. HOWEVER, IF YOU'RE THINKING, WELL, THEY HAVE TO BE TOGETHER, NO, THEY DON'T. MANY TEACHERS ALREADY WORK AT LOCATIONS OUTSIDE OF THE MAIN WELCOME CENTERS, INCLUDING JUST TWO TEACHERS AT A SINGLE SCHOOL. THERE SHALL ALSO BE A ROTATING ON-CAMPUS SCHEDULE TO END THE DAILY DISTRACTIONS, BOTH WE AS STUDENTS AND TEACHERS HAVE TO FACE IN THE CLASSROOM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND GOODBYE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. OKAY. UH, LULU VARELA, I SEE YOU'RE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK REMOTELY, BUT YOU ARE NOT ONLINE RIGHT NOW. UH, ALEXANDRA TEJEDA. ALEXANDRA T YOU'RE ALSO NOT ON THE LINE. YOU SIGNED UP TO SPEAK REMOTELY. AND THEN MS. LUCIN, I SEE YOU ARE ON THE LINE. PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. MS. LUKINS. MS. LUKINS, I SEE YOU UNMUTED YOURSELF. UH, ONCE YOU BEGIN SPEAKING, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. HI, BOARD AGAIN. GRATITUDE TO STUDENT SINGH WHO ENCOURAGED VIRTUAL ACADEMY VA STUDENTS TO CONTINUE ADDRESSING THE VA CHALLENGES. AND THANK YOU STUDENTS FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND WAITING AND YOUR SACRIFICE AND SUPPORT BY SPEAKING. SO I'M A TWO DECADE LONG L-A-U-S-D SUBSTITUTE TEACHER. I HOLD THREE DEGREES. I'VE BEEN WITH THE VA SINCE THEY BEGAN AT YOUR MAY 13TH BOARD MEETING. I SAID HOW ONLINE STUDENTS ARE BEING DISTURBED WITH BELLS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS AS VA EDUCATORS LOSE TIME DRIVING TO PHYSICAL CAMPUSES JUST TO OPEN THEIR LAPTOPS. THE COMMUTES TAKE AWAY TIME FROM THESE STUDENTS POLLUTE AND ADD TO COMMUNITY TRAFFIC, WHICH RUNS CONTRARY TO THIS COMMITTEE'S GOALS. AND BY THE WAY, COMMITTEE, PLEASE LOOK INTO HOW GEOENGINEERING IS ALSO HARMING US. SO AN IMPORTANT ISSUE I WAS UNABLE TO ADDRESS WAS IF A TEACHER HAS A LEGITIMATE REQUEST TEACHING THESE ONLINE STUDENTS FROM HOME, WHY ARE REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS BEING DISREGARDED? WHY WOULD YOU MAKE AN EDUCATOR CHOOSE BETWEEN THEIR HEALTH AND OR THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS FOR THEIR JOB? ESPECIALLY IF THERE'S NO UNDUE HARDSHIP? YOU, YOU TALK ABOUT EQUITY, YET YOU'RE IGNORING YOUR OWN LEAVE. I SAY I FOR ONE CANNOT AND WILL NOT GO AGAINST MY BELIEFS. DO WE ENCOURAGE OUR STUDENTS TO GO AGAINST THEIR BELIEFS? CONSIDER BECAUSE YOUR ADMIN ARE WITHHOLDING TEACHING WORK MEMORIAL DAY, WE HONORED THOSE WHO GAVE LIVES UP FOR OUR RIGHTS. [03:30:01] I EMAILED YOU A PICTURE OF MY DAD'S WORLD WAR II MEDAL. IT SAYS FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION. AND IF WE WISH TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS, PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR EDUCATORS. THIS BEGINS WITH RESPECTING THE STUDENTS AND THE EDUCATOR'S NEEDS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. ALL RIGHT, HOW ABOUT SEBASTIAN HERNANDEZ? I SEE YOU'RE ON THE LINE. SEBASTIAN HERNANDEZ, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. SEBASTIAN HERNANDEZ, SEBASTIAN HERNANDEZ, I SEE YOU ONLINE. PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. ALRIGHT. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS SEBASTIAN HERNANDEZ. I'M A RESIDENT OF BOARD MEMBER DOCTOR DISTRICT, AND I AM A STUDENT AT LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICES VIRTUAL ACADEMY. I CHOSE TO BE VIRTUAL BECAUSE I STRUGGLED WITH BEING AROUND PEOPLE. I GET REALLY NERVOUS IN GROUP SETTINGS SOMETIMES I JUST FEEL LIKE I DIDN'T FIT IN EITHER BECAUSE OF HOW I DRESS, HOW I LIVE, OR JUST WHO I AM. BEING IN A TRADITIONAL SCHOOL SETTING WAS OVERWHELMING VIRTUAL LEARNING CHANGE THAT IT GAVE ME SPACE WHERE I COULD ACTUALLY FOCUS WITHOUT THE CONSISTENT PRESSURE. FOR THE FIRST TIME, I FELT LIKE I COULD BREATHE AND JUST BE MYSELF WHILE STILL LEARNING AND DOING WELL IN SCHOOL. BUT THIS YEAR, THE ENVIRONMENT HAS GOTTEN HARDER TO LEARN AND OUR TEACHERS WHO STILL TEACH COMPLETELY ONLINE WERE FORCED TO GO TO PHYSICAL CAMPUSES. NOW THEY'RE STUCK IN SHARED CLASSROOMS DEALING WITH NOISES, DISTRACTIONS, AND TECHNICAL ISSUES. THEY EVEN HAVE TO DEAL WITH BURGLARIES. THAT HAPPENED JUST RECENTLY WHERE TWO TEACHERS HAD THEIR CLASSROOMS BROKEN INTO AND HAD THEIR DEVICES STOLEN. THIS ALSO MEANS MORE MONEY LOST FOR L-A-U-S-D THAT COULD BE OTHERWISE REINVESTED TO STUDENTS. AS STUDENTS, WE FEEL THE EFFECTS. IT'S HARDER TO CONCENTRATE. THE SUPPORT THEY USED TO GIVE US ONE-ON-ONE ISN'T AS AVAILABLE ANYMORE. AND FOR STUDENTS LIKE ME, THAT EXTRA OUT REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE. THIS ALSO CONTRADICTS THE ENTIRE REASON THAT YOU ARE HERE TODAY. YOU SAY YOU, YOU SUPPORT YOUR ENVIRONMENT. THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOW IT? THIS POLICY LEADS TO MORE TRAFFIC WITH LONGER COMMUTE TIMES, AND IN TURN CAUSES MORE EMO EMISSIONS IN OUR ATMOSPHERE. NOT EVERY STUDENT LEARNS THE SAME WAY. FOR SOME OF US, VIRTUAL SCHOOL IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE WE FEEL LIKE WE BELONG. PLEASE GIVE OUR TEACHERS THE OPTIONS TO WORK FROM HOME OR CLOSEST CAMPUS POSSIBLE. VIRTUAL LEARNING HELPS STUDENTS LIKE ME FINALLY FEEL SEEN. DON'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. OKAY. CAROLINA GAMMAGE. I SEE YOU'RE ON THE LINE. CAROLINA GAMMAGE, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN. CAROLINA GAMMAGE. HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? CAN PLEASE GO AHEAD. GO AHEAD. HELLO, GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TODAY. I'M CAROLINA PET. I'M AN HONOR STUDENT REPRESENTING THE LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICES VIRTUAL ACADEMY. I AM HERE TODAY TO SPEAK ABOUT AN ISSUE OF OVER 300 DEDICATED EDUCATORS BEING FORCED INTO SMALL SPACES. WHILE THEY COULD PERFECTLY PERFORM FROM THE COMFORT OF THEIR OWN HOME, IN FACT, THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO FOCUS BETTER FROM THE COMFORT OF THEIR OWN HOME AND DELIVER PERFORMANCE WISE IN MUCH GREATER WAYS FOR US STUDENTS, WHICH IS WHAT LUSD CLAIMS TO BE THEIR MAIN OBJECTIVE, WHICH IS WHY US STUDENTS ARE TAKING TIME OUT OF OUR DAY TO DAY TO TRY TO PROPAGATE A CHANGE TO THE SYSTEM THAT IS NOT SERVING OUR ABSOLUTE THRESHOLD OF PERFORMANCE. FURTHER, I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW A SCHOOL DISTRICT OF SUCH GREAT MASS AS LOS ANGELES WOULD ALLOW FOR THIS HARM TO OCCUR. I PERSONALLY HAVE EXPERIENCED THESE CUBICLES ON VARIOUS CAMPUSES AND FOUND THEM NOT ONLY POORLY MANAGED, BUT FURTHER, EXTREMELY DISTRACTING. FROM THE LOUNGE ANNOUNCEMENTS TO MANY EDUCATORS SHARING THE SAME ROOM SPACES, THERE JUST ISN'T ENOUGH SPACE TO PERFORM SUCCESSFULLY AND TO TEACH IN PEACE. NOT ONLY, UH, IS THERE A POOR SOURCE OF OXYGEN, SINCE THE AIR CIRCULATION ISN'T ENOUGH TO BE GOING THROUGH ALL THE SPACES PROPERLY, BUT THERE ALSO ARE MANY PEOPLE IN THE SAME SPACE, WHICH ALLOWS FOR HARMFUL TOXINS TO BE INHALED. HOW IS IT THAT THE GOAL TO SAVE FUNDS AND ENFORCE SUSTAINABILITY ALLOWS FOR THIS TO EVEN BE AN IDEA? I, AS A STUDENT, FIND THIS VERY HYPOCRITICAL. THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION IS SIMPLE FEATURES ARE BEING BROUGHT IN PERSON FOR A SENSE OF CONTROL OR OVERSIGHT, WASTING ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF COMPASS SPACES ACROSS THE ENTIRE DISTRICT, ALL WHILE WASTING ELECTRICITY AND ENCOURAGING CARBON FOOTPRINT AND LOWERING EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS. WHY? WHICH GOES AGAINST ALL THE L-A-U-S-D STANDARDS ARE FOR PLEASE, [03:35:01] LET'S COME TOGETHER TODAY AND TRY TO FIND A SOLUTION AND HELP EDUCATORS THAT WE LOVE TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM TO THEIR ABSOLUTE ABILITIES. SO I ASK YOU HERE TODAY, YOUR TODAY TO CONSIDER THIS. CHA THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. OKAY, WE'LL CALL ON SHAIL ARD. YOU'RE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK REMOTELY, BUT I DO NOT HAVE YOU ONLINE IN FRONT OF ME. UM, CORINA FLORES. ALSO, YOU'RE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK REMOTELY, BUT I DO NOT HAVE YOU IN FRONT OF ME. AND THEN ALAN GONZALEZ, UH, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO CALL IN. I DO NOT HAVE YOU AS A CALL IN GUEST. SO THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, WELL THANK YOU MR. MCLEAN. AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR PUBLIC SPEAKERS. I CAME HERE, UH, THAT I SPOKE TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL, UH, FOR COMING FORWARD TO TODAY ON THIS LAST, UH, MEETING OF THE GREETING SCHOOLS AND CLIMBING RESILIENCE COMMITTEE. UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED DEDICATION TO CREATING GREENER, HEALTHIER AND MORE CLIMATE RESILIENT SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT LOS ANGELES. I'LL ALSO WANT TO EXTEND A HEARTFELT THANKS TO MY COLLEAGUES, UM, ON THE COMMITTEE BOARD MEMBERS SHER, HE NEWBELL AND BOARDS PRESIDENT, MR. SCOTT SCH MESEN FOR YOUR STEADFAST SUPPORT AND THOUGHTFUL ENGAGEMENT, UM, IN THIS COMMITTEE. AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR EXTERNAL REPRESENTATIVES, LAUREN AKIM FROM LANE GLORIA MEDINA, FROM SCOPE DAVID MCNEIL, FROM BALDWIN HILLS CONSERVANCY, AND MCKAYLA RANDOLPH FROM GREENING SCHOOLS. UM, GREEN GREENING SCHOOLYARDS AMERICA. YOUR EXPERTISE IN ADVOCACY HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE IN ENSURING THAT OUR WORK STAYS ROOTED IN COMMUNITY EQUITY AND LONG TERM IMPACT. AND ALSO A HEARTFUL THANK YOU TO MR. CHRISTUS CLIO AND ALSO FOR TO MS. CHRISTINA TOS FOR YOUR WORK AND, UM, ALL THAT YOU DO AND ALSO ANSWERING ALL THE VERY TOUGH QUESTIONS. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE FINAL REPORT, UM, IN HOPEFULLY SOON, IN AUGUST, IF NOT SOONER. UH, THIS CONCLUDES OUR FINAL GREETING SCHOOLS AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE COMMITTEE FOR 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR. WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THIS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT WORK TOGETHER IN 25 26. AND WITH THAT SAID, HAVE A BEAUTIFUL AND RELAXING SUMMER, AND THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.