do the best we can with what little we have. i would be remiss if we did not think the city or be thankful we are in san francisco -- thank the city or be thankful we are in san francisco. our residents and voters continue to support the school district in many ways. i also want to thank the board of supervisors and the mayor for releasing the rainy day funds which are pretty much depleted. the first year we got rainy day funds, we got $24 million in this year we got $6 million. next year will be even worse because the city budget is not looking that great. but having said that, we're in a much better place than most. i think carlos would agree that whenever we are outside of san francisco, people are envious on how we have been able to get the tremendous amount of support we do get from san francisco

residents. just a very big public thank you and shut out for that. if it was not for you, we would not be able to continue to do the hard work we do with our students who are our highest priority. this was also a reminder to us that we have got some things coming up. we're doing it to your budget in two years and we're looking at a prop h renewal and a children's fund renewal. i do not want us to sit idle on this and as my colleagues have clearly articulated, we have to be strong and continued to advocate for funding from the states so our city does not have to continue to augment what they cannot provide. and we have to make sure that we continue to keep our nose to the grindstone and do the hard work

that we do. and continue to thank our voters who support us in the ways they do because we're going to -- we have got to -- two large funds that have helped us through many years and we would not able to get through these terrible budget times without it. just a heartfelt thank you to all of our san franciscans who continued to support our school district and to the city for all their continued support as well. i am a little curious if we have the kind of list of what we would restore should any special money comes falling from the sky. i know there are multiple conversations that are happening not only on the city side but in other places.

these are hard conversations to have and in years past we have asked for some way of thinking about how we restored if we do not have additional funding so there are not -- we're not fighting over crumbs. the days that our kids are out, is that going to be our first priority? is it some other places that we want to start considering and when will we have some kind of sense of what's that this will look like after having heard many conversations from many of us, we want to continue to invest in. that is what this is for us is an investment. i want to get a sense from you what that looks like.

how we restore 22 -- always an optimist, wanting to know how we can do some of that and wanting to have some planning so that we are not scrambling later to think about how we can ensure that our strategic plan continues to get implemented properly and that we fund the things that are important and valuable for our students. thank you. president yee: i will offer some thoughts quickly and may be one of our superintendent's -- maybe one of our superintendents can chime in. i think the two things you articulated are at the top of the list. so try to preserve as many instructional days or restore instructional days to the greatest extent possible, that is definitely a high priority.

and the other, apropos of the earlier discussion about credit recovery, we do have a fairly serious urgent issue with respect to the class of 2014 and the class of 2015. based on the statistics that commissioner fewer and others have mentioned tonight about the these are better, in those classes. those are high priorities. i would say one other thing depending on the priority. we do have a seriouswe have a sh the prospect of these passes not passing in november. if neither of these does not come through, it is going to be extremely disruptive, to say the least, and chaotic.

it will be very, very difficult for us to withstand that. if there are prospects for additional funds other than what we have planned for, that is another consideration, whether anything can be put on reserve to prepare for that possibility. it is multiple tracks. i think those three concepts together are what i would put out there for consideration. >> i would agree, but on top of that, when you say if things happen to work out better -- if either of those initiatives passes, particularly the governor's initiative, we still have to make cuts. that is not going to be enough to be the magic thing that would fall from the sky to allow us to have additional resources to put back programs. realistically, the putting back

programs, in the best case scenario, is probably a couple of years away. that is why we make these projections, three years out. even if the initiatives pass, i do not want anybody in the public to be under the assumption. of course, the board officers will support the initiatives. it is later in our agenda. of course we will support them. we have already cut all we can. having some money is better than not having any. but even with the initiatives, we are still going to make big cuts. this budget is predicated, best case, the we will have to make quite a few cuts. the governor's initiative does not, contrary to popular belief, restore all the things we have. this is not like country music being played backwards, and you get back everything.

it does not work that way. what he is going to give us back is what they have already taken away from us. i will remind everybody they took over $20 million. it was $2 billion this year, $2.20 billion. that is about $20 million for us. they took away that last summer. we are not even getting any of this faq. when people say we are going to pass this and it is going to help us, it will help us better than none, but we have been basically in deficit, all the school districts. they are not making up the money they have already taken away from us. i wish i would share the optimism for the good things. having said that, we are still going to negotiate with our collective bargaining partners. we always have.

we did in the last two years. obviously, the integration of having back those school days is paramount for all of us, because it is unfair to students and our employees. each day is about a half percent decrease in a much they earn. that is not fair. why should they be carrying the burden of this crisis alone? those are things that are critical to us. if moneys come available, of course that is something we are going to try to get going as quickly as possible. but i would not get our hopes up that high right now, because what lies ahead, even if things pass, are really difficult times. commissioner maufas: we have been talking about this for some time, so i will be brief again. there are some things i think are pretty imperative. i think this conversation, even

though we are voting -- voting on tonight's budget, is something the public should have an opportunity to participate in. i guess i am asking the budget share. will we have an opportunity, deputy superintendent lee and chair mendoza, to have further discussion on our budget situation? as we even move through the year. i get that we really concentrate a lot of our effort on discussing the budget in these last few months, where we all come together and sit here. even in budget committee meetings, we are having augmented discussion, focusing on our budget. but at that meeting, it was not so packed with a full plethora of our constituents, who i think really need to be -- all of our interested parties need to be part of that conversation.

i am so appreciative that coleman was able to participate. there are priorities. it is not like their priorities are not our priorities. they have worked closely with us. i guess my brief question is, will we be able to really craft a way to keep this discussion on going? i know that is staff time. i just think the public needs to stay engage with us. i mean, if i go for the last month of my activities, senators called, plural. supervisors wanted to know numbers. furlough days, and all kinds of questions. i was asked for a couple of extra copies of our budget, so i

could go through it with people. what are the things people here care about? i told them to bring five different color highlighters. not everybody has interests in the same areas, but let us start there. do not come to this meeting without several highlighters, so you will be able to get to this large document and better understand our budget. there is a huge learning curve for myself, but also for others in the community. i am willing to have those discussions. but i think a lot of the rich confirmation happens right here, when we are all together. i am explaining stuff second- hand and third hand. the could get it here first him. that is number one.

i want a way for us to continue this discussion about our budget, and not have its so concentrated toward the spring, but maybe matriculate it through the year. it is important that people stay engage. this is not going to change for a few years. we might as well get folks in a mode of understanding. i think they will do that or participate more if they are with us to read the year, having an ongoing discussion about our budget. i am hoping that can happen. i know that this work, but i am looking for a way to start to craft that possibility and probability. that is what i discovered, over just these last two months, when the budget comes up. i have wondered every year, but i have never had an answer to alleviate that concern.

now, i think i have it, which is an ongoing discussion. i think it is important that people stay with us. they drop off the radar, and go to other issues. but this is going to be with us, so i think it is ok to keep folks engage with us. i would rather have them engage throughout the year, understanding the need to -- instead of a surprise, it is an ongoing understanding, and there is a partnership with us. i wrote down notes, but i want to better understand what you were saying about the 180 to 160. it is for 2012/2013. it is supposed to get reduced another 15 days in 2014. is that it? or do we do it any way we want?

they have just given us 15 days. do we justify fat reduction? -- do we just make that reduction? >> it has changed significantly. if i can summarize that particular issue, just in chronology of what it used to be, what was considered normal, and the developments that have taken place? for many years, i am not sure how many, but for a long time, california had a minimum school calendar of 180 days. that was the standard for a long time. i believe it was starting in 2010/2011, or thereabouts, that the state, through legislative action, as a means to get one

more tool for school districts to survive this fiscal crisis, reduced that minimum of 180 days by five, to 175. it allows school districts -- it did not mandate, but allowed school districts to have a school calendar that was five days shorter period in our district, as you know, for the last two years, including the air we just finished, we reduced our calendar by four days, down to 176. the state-required minimum was 170 high. the proposals for the next two years, in the january budget of the governor, and continued in the may budget proposal, was to -- i am sorry. i think the concept was in the january budget, but the actual

specifics were introduced with the may revision. school districts would be allowed to reduce another 15 days over the two years, for a total of the next two years. whether it is seven days and eight days -- it was not prescribed. that was a little bit different. it was between the following two years. school districts could reduce by a total of another 15 days. that was in the governor's may revision. that was basically endorsed through most of the legislature's deliver to of processes. what changed -- deliberative processes. in the last 20 or hours, the

legislature, in their budget trailer bill, they specified that instead of another 15 days over the next two years, it could be 15 days each year, to go from a minimum school calendar of 175 days all the way to 160 in each year. there would be a minimum school calendar of 160 days, each. that is 20 days shorter than what it had been for many years. in our district, we are at 176. where we will end up is still being discussed. but that is the proposal by the legislature. on the issue of the communications, community engagement, commissioner, i personally think that is a good idea, in terms of trying to engage members of the community

who are interested in learning about our budget situation, or our budget generally. it is not the kind of topic people can typically absorber in a one or two meeting discussion. the challenge is not just about the staff time. i think we can find the time to do some meetings, using the budget committee, in the fall. i think an additional challenge 's is how to find people who have an interest, or even a latent interest, and make them aware of these meetings, and really get the turnout. we did have some budget community meetings as part of this cycle. they were not overwhelmingly popular, but they were attended. we had a decent turnout in those meetings. i was happy to see some new faces, not that i mind seeing

not new faces, but it was good to see people i have not personally encountered before. they were asking good questions and everything. i think there is potential. it certainly would help make it worthwhile if we had the demand out there of interested participants. we would do a lot of work to put those on, but if the folks do not come, it would be less satisfying for everybody, i think. we have had some partnerships with community organizations, where we have produced these types of events. if we had something like that again, it would be promising. i am not opposed to it. president yee: thank you. at this point, i want to call -- i have been told, or it was suggested, that we should have a vote on this item.

i will not tell you who. hear me out on this, committee. it was so long ago, we forgot, you know? ms. haskell, roll call, please. commissioner fewer: yes. commissioner maufas: yes. commissioner mendoza: yes. commissioner murase: aye. commissioner wynns: yes. president yee: we were going to go jumping into the special order of business that is related to this, but i see it is already pretty late, and we have not gotten to -- excuse me. we have not gotten to the public comments yet. i would like to do that right now. this would be the item under public comment. i will call these names, who

have signed up for this particular agenda item. yes, it is rough when we have lots of stuff to talk about. ok. michelle parker, macarthur -- martha aaron felt, patrick charles smith, maurice edwards, there is a shirley without a last name, oscar james, diana daniels, and that is it. how much time should i give them? one minute each.

let's go. >> we have been here since 5:00. >> you can't give us one minute? >> we have been here since 5:00. >> i am a parent of elementary schoolchildren and a middle school child. when i want to clear my head, or think clearly and solve a problem, i go on a run, or i go on a long walk on our great hills of san francisco. i have friends who are much faster than me, who consider running a religion. they do it to keep their mind sharp and healthy. there are many families that are fortunate to have the time and means to provide physical

activity outside of the school, but many of our families do not have that opportunity. the only way to make sure our students have the opportunity to get a healthy mind and body is to our public education system. it is even -- my goodness. quickly, i will wrap up. it is mandated through the state that there is 200 minutes of p e in elementary school for every 10 days of school. i am working with advocates in shape of san francisco, to the department of public health. we are encouraging, even through the funding crisis, that we think creatively to make sure our kids are getting physical activity every day so they can think better and perform better in school. president yee: is martha here? she left? next. >> i asked the young lady

standing behind me to hold a banner in front of her face. the reason is she is here because she was molested in school. reports are made, but nobody does anything. we tried to talk to the principle, but nothing happens. we talk to you folks, but nothing happens. it is almost foolish for us to keep coming here, talking to you. i think the senator for sending his people to hear this meeting. it is wrong for you to do this. you count dollars. i look at children. if you kill a child, your money can never replace them. you get them one time. i spoke to you last meeting, and you all sent me a response to what i asked about. i asked about the principle sitting on a child. my understanding, the principal ways over 300 pounds.

the letter i received in response is that it never happened. they looked at a video. i would love to be able to see the video myself. in response to the video, and this is my question to you -- i have teachers who say they witnessed what happened, and the principal did it. i have security that worked at the school at the time of the incident that were right there. they say the incident happened. my question to you is where the teachers and the security -- were they not telling the truth? were they being dishonest? if you are telling me the teachers that you have hired in our school district are dishonest, but in your videos are true, so everything the teachers have done in suspending over 200 ethnic children from this particular school was a lie. but if you say that are telling the truth, this letter you sent

me is a lie. which is the truth, and which is false? i want to get to the bottom of it. some other people say this whole committee ought to be indicted for fraud, child abuse, sexual harassment. these children should not have to go to school and the subject of this. you sit here, counting dollars and cents, while children are losing their way. they are discouraged. they go for guns because they are not getting educated. but you take those who are doing so well and parade them up here, as though you are doing a good job. you are not. every child that fails, you have failed them. stop playing games with their lives. they did not do anything to you. you people need to wake up. >> amen. amen. [applause]

>> nobody is doing nothing about it. and nobody doing nothing. complaining about this young man who has been putting -- president yee: excuse me, ma'am. >> whatever. >> mr. superintendent, earlier, he spoke about fighting for our children, and teacher's stepping up and doing their jobs. what about our children's rights? that is what we have been doing, coming down here. we are stepping up. but our complaints are ignored. everything is being swept under the table. you know there is a big problem at an l. k., a big problem. -- at mlk, a big problem. being a former chairperson and pta president, i know this is a

one-year obligation, to have to be looked at after the year is over. how come this is not happening at mlk? why isn't this happening? why is this administration being allowed to retaliate against parents and teachers who speak against them? i was informed by one of the teachers that mlk administration had me under their sights for speaking against them. my kid has been there for two years. a 3.0 or better grade student. i would hate to be tied up with your 17 law firms for the one year i have to go to get my kid to cross the stage. i want to thank you for passing the kipp academy charter. it is something we can look forward to and hold a heads up high. ur