The District Board of Trustees convened for its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 10. After beginning with a brief moment of silence for the death of political activist Charlie Kirk earlier that day, the Board commended the M-A Chronicle, heard updates from each school principal—during which Mr. Losekoot praised freshmen participation in M-A’s new classes and extracurriculars—and confirmed the hiring of 16 new staff members to the District. After brief public comment regarding the quality of Ethnic Studies curriculum, the Board voted 3-1 to confirm the sufficiency of textbooks and materials across courses and schools, before ending with a discussion of the 2024-25 Unaudited Actuals Financial Report.
M-A Chronicle Recognition
The meeting began on a high note, with Superintendent Crystal Leach recognizing some of the Chronicle’s achievements. “There have been at least two times that [the California School Boards Association] has posted a link to an M-A Chronicle article,” Leach said. “I don’t think that they understand that it is the student journalism paper, so it’s pretty special.” She explained that the program is open to anyone and supports the transformation from beginning journalists into chief editors.
M-A Principal Karl Losekoot followed by acknowledging the program’s growth—from offering only one section three years ago to currently offering three. He praised the Chronicle’s recently-won National Pacemaker Award, and recognized improvements in layouts and photographs that contributed to the honor. He also distributed copies of the April 2025 edition of The Mark, which featured different students on the cover, to the Board. “Yesterday, they reached a new milestone, where they had one story reach 50,000 views in one day,” Losekoot added.
The Board awarded certificates to Journalism advisor John McBlair; the Editorial Board, featuring Gaby Foster, Becca Koenig, Rose Chane, Leah Collins, Alessandra Hartwig, and Isabel Habibi; and Managing Editors Jenna Lee, Caitlin Smith, and Ben Warner.
Course Material Sufficiency
The Board then moved to discuss and vote on the sufficiency of class curriculum and materials, like textbooks, district-wide. Before the vote, the Board heard public comment from community member Linda McGeever, who argued that the Ethnic Studies class curriculum was inadequate to pass the standards set by California Education Code Section 60119, since the curriculum remains incomplete. “I respectfully urge you to consult legal counsel,” she said. “Certifying sufficiency under these circumstances would not withstand legal or public scrutiny.”
After brief discussion, the Board voted 3-1 in favor of certification, affirming the sufficiency of course material for all classes. Trustee Mary Beth Thompson joined the majority, arguing that the standards of “equal access to high-quality education” were met, and that the unfinished nature of the curriculum wasn’t a factor. Trustee Sathvik Nori dissented. “I was a little uncomfortable [proposing],” he said. “But I’m supportive of the Board’s decision.”
District Finance
Assistant Superintendent Christine Gong reviewed the District’s Unaudited Actuals—a financial report detailing expenditures and revenues—revealing stronger-than-expected revenues, but persistently high spending.
Gong noted underwhelming increases in property tax income, around 4% instead of 5%. Although this knocked off almost $280,000 from the District budget, the 2.349 million dollar increase in federal, state, and local revenues easily compensated.
The District also saw lower-than-expected spending—salary and benefits were $577,000 lower than expected, and around four million dollars were saved through “carryover supplies,” unused funds for textbooks and technology from last year.
Even with millions saved, Gong explained that expenditures remain very high, according to plan. Salaries, supplies, and millions set aside for legal settlements, including a million dollars for a settlement with biotechnology company Genentech, are set to contribute to a $7.8M deficit.
The meeting ended with Trustee Thompson suggesting it was time for the Board to have discussions over the role of AI in the District, a sentiment that was met with the agreement of the rest of the Board. It’s still unclear when the issue will be discussed.
The Board will convene again on Oct. 8.
