Trustee Highlights

Monterey Park student leaders Natalie, Malinalli, Joshua and Verenice, accompanied by Principal Sherry Dessert-Villaneda and Vice Principal Luis Vargas, led the audience in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in English and Spanish.

The students also talked about important events taking place at Monterey Park, including the recent Attendance Power Day, during which the school's and District's PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) team led an all-school assembly and played a student-friendly version of "Hollywood Squares."

The Board of Trustees acknowledged the week of January 26, as Great Kindness Challenge Week. The California Department of Education, in partnership with the Great Kindness Challenge, encourages all teachers, staff, students and families to participate, because by working together, we can empower students to create a culture of kindness, not only in schools but throughout the world.

In addition, the Board acknowledged three of the nation's great Civil Rights icons—Martin Luther King Jr., for whom a national holiday and Day of Service is celebrated the third Monday of January; Rosa Parks, whose Feb. 4 birthday is celebrated in California on the first Monday after her birthday; and Fred Korematsu, whose Jan. 30 birthday is celebrated in California as The Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. The late Japanese-American activist resisted the internment of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans during WWII.

Looking ahead to February, the Board of Trustees acknowledged the week of February 2-6 as National School Counseling Week, which highlights the vital role counselors play in students' academic and social-emotional growth. This year's theme is School Counselors Amplify Student Success, and the Board thanked the District's 17 counselors on supporting student learning and helping students prepare for the future.

The Trustees received an information report on the District's Nutrition Services Program. Director Christina Varela discussed the ongoing effort to provide students with freshly prepared food. Currently, 64 percent of breakfasts and 79 percent of lunches meet that definition.

Among the new offerings are barbecue beef and pork, snack packs that include turkey, cheddar, crackers, ranch dip made with Greek yogurt and apple slices and celery sticks.

In addition, she discussed recent equipment purchases that assist Nutrition Services staff in preparing freshly made food, including ovens and blast chillers for the base kitchens. Commercial dishwashers for the base kitchens are expected to be delivered in February.

The Trustees received an information report on the 2025 California School Dashboard and chronic absenteeism and suspension rates. Among the recommendations presented by Virginia Garza-Núñez, Director of Assessments & Accountability:

• Improve implementation of successful actions, including identifying districtwide strengths, gaps and patterns across student groups;
• Align dashboard findings with goals and metrics in the District's Local Control & Accountability Plan (LCAP).
• Determine areas of focus at the site level, review action plans and goals in place, and update if applicable.

Area 1Trustee Art Galimba joined medical and office staff from Kaiser Permanente on Jan. 17 as they conducted their annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at Kammann School. Mr. Galimba worked with Dr. Meena Pai, Kaiser's physician-in-chief for the Greater San Jose Area, on weeding and beautifying Kammann's garden, and on painting Kammann mascot paw prints on the blacktop to lay out a path for a new running club. Other Kaiser staff members spent time glowing up a staff lounge. "Shout out to Kaiser!" he said. "Hopefully (Principal Dave) Parr will grow some vegetables in the garden now."

Board Clerk and Area 2 Trustee Jennifer Zanzot visited the District's Maintenance & Operations department to learn about playground surfacing, and saw a demonstration of a new device that measures safe impact levels on different types of surfacing. She also visited the Winter Intersession camp at University Park school, and participated as a player in the "Hollywood Squares" Attendance Power Day event at Monterey Park School, put on by District and site PBIS experts.

Area 5 Trustee Jessica Powell visited staff at University Park School.

Vice President and Area 4 Trustee Amy Ish attended the Winter Holiday program at University Park School on the last day of school before break, and complimented the school's parent coordinator and parent group for the great job they did on decorating for the special day. Trustee Ish also attended the District English Learner Advisory Committee meeting, and noted that the committee members are enjoying learning about the culture and climate of each school.

The next regular Board meeting takes place on Feb 10, 2026. All meeting agendas are posted to the District website the Friday before the meeting.