Recommendation to receive and file a report from Long Beach Unified School District Board Member, Dr. Felton Williams, on the 2017 Urban Educator of the Year, Green Garner Award.
I'm sorry. Oh, I'm sorry. That was the item. I meant the item for Dr. Williams where I'm looking at the wrong one that got moved up. Item 26, 26. 171717. Communication from Councilwoman Gonzales. Councilman Andrew's recommendation to receiving file a report from Long Beach Unified School District Board member Dr. Felton Williams on the 2017 Urban Educator of the Year Green Gardener Award. You anyway. Fine. Thank you, Mayor. First of all, this is going to be very exciting for me to be able to present this award to a very outstanding individual, because the fact that the work that he's done, not only in the city of. Long Beach International, this individual, he is someone that. You will not only hear about tonight, but you hear about this guy all over the world, because I can just see that's the type of movement he has in his heart. And so, you know, my colleagues, I'm bringing, you know, basically great joy to celebrate the work of this long time friend and colleague, Dr. William Felton. And, you know, his enthusiasm for education, youth has spanned decades, decades, and he's an advocate and a change agent in programing for marginalized communities. His leadership has been recognized on a national level, earning him the national highest honor as an urban educator of the year. Great job, Dr. Felten, and I want you to keep the work. And so after this, I would like to I'd like to bring this ad, my colleagues, you know, help me pass this. And I have I know I have some other people want to speak on this item. So, you know, we'll wait until after this and I'll have a certificate I'd like to give. Absolutely. Councilmember. Councilman Gonzalez. Yes. So I have a few things to say. So thank you so much for being patient, everyone with us. This is definitely something that deserves a lot of time. So a bit about our distinguished, honorable Dr. Felton Williams. He worked in education spanning about 45 years. From 1972 to 79, Dr. Williams held several administrative positions at Cal State Long Beach, which include administrative analyst, instructional services, administrative assistant to the Director of Public Policy, Administration, and Supervisor of the Learning Assistance Center. During this time, he helped develop computer assisted registration and the Public Policy Administration Graduate Program. Dr. Williams also served as the Director of Affirmative Action and Assistant to the President from 1979 to 1994 at Cal State Dominguez Hills, when Dr. Williams was dean of the School of Business and Social Science at Long Beach City College. He was elected onto the school board. Since then, he has been a proponent of the academic and career Success for All Students initiative that recently established Ethnic Studies program with Cal State, Long Beach and Long Beach City College Promise. Dr. Williams was recently awarded the 2017 Urban Educator of the Year from the Council of the Great City Schools. This award was named after Richard Green, first African-American chancellor in New York City, and Edward Gardner, former Denver school board member. And it comes with a $10,000 scholarship to a student in the winner's district. We're looking forward to who you select. And it is no secret that his passion in ensuring that every student in Long Beach succeeds definitely matters to him. And Dr. Williams, we thank you for your service to students in our city and we congratulate you. Thank you so much for being a friend. He and I share a family hometown. I grew up in a few different places, but San Pedro is where we call home to many of our family members. And so we have that bond and connection. And I really appreciate you being here and thank you for your work. I think now, Councilmember Andrews, there's a video that will play on behalf of Dr. Williams. Congratulations, Dr. Williams, on the 2017 Green Garner Award. We can't thank you enough from the Lumbee Unified School District for everything that you've done for our young people from the day that you stepped on as a board member. You've been a huge advocate for equity and access for all of our kids. And because of your efforts to lead our initiatives, our district is recognized as one of the best in the nation. You truly have transformed the lives of thousands of young people and our entire community. So on behalf of all the children, their parents, our teachers, our community stakeholders, and the Board of Education and myself, thank you for a job well done. Williams has the wherewithal to. Reach back on life experiences that none of us on the board. He brings those and the most meaningful way to policy, to discussions. To better the future of our kids in business schools. He advocates for programs that benefit students. He's an articulate voice on the in their defense and on their behalf, as well as for the teachers. He understands that the teachers and the classified staff, the community as a whole is all part of this effort. We also saw some great injustices in this community and actually. And so he dedicated his life to be the change process and to. Part of the process. You know, one says you can't bring the change process unless you have a seat at the table. I think Dr. Will and Sara, he knew that education was the key. So we went into the military. Came back through the GI Bill, got his education, gets his Ph.D. from Claremont. So he not only is a great role model for other African-Americans and for all students, he is one who models on a daily basis what one should do if they want to bring about change. I think for his own upbringing and maybe some of the challenges or the injustices that he's seen in his own life has helped him to perhaps see that in. Others and. Want to create a way in which people can excel, be able to move forward. His work in the NAACP, I think, has a lot in terms of building his character and his passion for education and just. We were wanting to create a around that because we know the drive system. Is seeing students succeed. He wants to close that achievement gap. He wants to see students graduate from high school. He wants to see those students go on to college, enjoy successful careers, and have successful lives. He knows the risks. We're done. So for him, it really is about getting as close to the end zone as possible so that we can share the rest of the nation. How this can be done in the general with the Legion of Ideas has been growing nationwide, but I think Dr. Ruth. It gives it further emphasis. It's nice to read about a district in its successes. When you have an individual as articulate and well-informed as Dr. Williams. In that message forward. Personally, it makes a tremendous impact. I think what gives them the greatest satisfaction is knowing he's made some contribution to the welfare of others. And that's what motivates. Now. Karen. I'd say equity. Charismatic integrity and I would say commitment. A great board member should be. You're going to speak for the city, which is. Great. And we do have a couple. Let me get to a couple of the council members and then I'll have Dr. Williams come up. Councilman Price. Thank you. Well, Dr. Williams, congratulations. I'm so proud to know you and to hear about your accomplishments. That video was beautifully done. As a council member, I'm very proud to have you here with us today so that we could recognize you for this. But more importantly, I'm really proud as a Long Beach Unified School District parent. I started my political career by being active on my PTA, and so I am very much in tune with the needs of our students and the expectations of the parents in terms of what the. School board does. And the satisfaction that parents in my circle have with the way that Long Beach Unified is run. And that has a lot to do with you and your leadership and that of your colleagues. So I congratulate you not as a council member tonight, but as a as a parent of two children in the very district that you have worked hard to build and strengthen. The only thing I will say is I was very disappointed that there was not a Wilson cheerleading squad in the final shot. But Councilman Andrews and I have an ongoing rivalry as I'm about to become a Bruin family member. But one of the things that I love about our school board is that you understand, celebrate, appreciate that diversity and that that level of levity that we have when we have the banter back and forth about our schools. Because really, at the end of the day, it's every single one of these schools that's fantastic and offering our kids opportunities every day. Thank you for being a role model to them and inspiring all of us in terms of your leadership. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Austin. Thank you. And I'd like to just. Also take this opportunity to congrats, congratulations. And I say congratulations to Dr. Williams for the honor. I'm glad that you're here. And I'm glad my colleagues brought this item forward to give you your due respect as an education leader, as a champion for mentoring in our city, young men and boys of color an example and as a class example of an elected official who carries himself with great integrity. I've watched you've been involved for many, many years. He is always been a voice for equity and of course, quality education and a steady force for poor in our city. He's everywhere. And all the events, he's he's popping up and making sure that he's representing the school district to the fullest. I want to also thank you as a parent in our schools. I want to thank you for the work that you do to impact the lives of students and parents along with unified and throughout our state . You are certainly known and have helped put Long Beach on the map as a as a league leading and distinguished district. And on a personal level, you have been a friend and a confidant and a mentor on so many levels. Again, it's my honor here. And thank you for all you do. Thank you. Councilman Ringo. Thank you, Mayor. I've had the privilege of working with Dr. Williams for many, many, many years. We worked together one at one time, Islamic State, when he was there at the Learning Assistance Center, and I was across the hall at a tutoring center, and we were both worked together for a while. And then we saw when our different ways and we came back together again when I was a member of the Board of Trustees at Army City College, and he became a board member at the at the Board of Education. And we worked together to help put to to craft what is now known as the College Promise, which is a nationally recognized program that puts brings together community colleges and school districts to create student success, not only locally, but nationally. And so I want to congratulate you on that as well and congratulate you on your award. Well-deserved. Thank you very much, Councilman Mongo. I was an echo the comments of my colleagues. You're such a role model to so many. And you do so much for the community, not just what you do on the board, but what you also do for the community and the nonprofits and the churches and every other group that you touch. And so thank you and thank you for being there to take coffee on a Saturday to be a mentor, because that's really important to the future of of Long Beach. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Supernormal. Congratulations, Dr. Williams. I just have a very quick anecdote. If you want to know where Dr. Williams priorities lie. Last week, we were all set to celebrate this night here in council chambers, and there was a conflict. So rather than come here and get all this praise, he went to a ribbon cutting at Browning High School. So that tells you what he's all about. Thank you. Thank you. And Dr. Williams Felton, obviously a huge congrats. We're so proud of our school system. We're so proud of your leadership locally and across the country. And I want to invite you to come up and say a few words. And as Dr. William is coming down, I just want to let you guys know, if you decide to change this profession, Dr. Williams can say, yeah, yeah . Thank you all so very much. Good evening. Good evening. Honorable Mayor Garcia, members of the city council. Thank you all so very much for your wonderful comments. Let me just take a quick second to introduce two of my colleagues that are here tonight, our board president, Megan Kerr. She's here and my fellow board member, John McGinnis, which you both stand, please. Thank you so much. And to Councilman Andrews and to Councilwoman Gonzalez, thank you so much for this opportunity for my hometown girl from San Pedro. And if you don't see it right, we know you're not from San Pedro. Some people try to pretend that they're from San Pedro, but they just don't get it right. But a home grilling for Councilman D Andrews who spent so much time over there, you may as well have been from San Pedro. So the I really want to basically just say that, you know, even though I was a recipient of the award, the award is about much more than me. And if I can just quickly just highlight some of the notes at the event in reference to that award. And so I want to just take a moment to read that information. It's about my appreciation to Aramark and Scholastic for their continued sponsorship of this award. More importantly, I deeply appreciate the continued efforts to add value to the lives and aspirations of urban schoolchildren throughout America. And in today's climate, this support is more crucial than ever. I want to extend my appreciation to the men and women and students of the Long Beach Unified School District for adding meaning to my life. They take their responsibility seriously in the worst of times, in the best of times. They are committed and resilient and work diligently to provide challenge and opportunity to each and every student. Added to that, as a city government under the leadership of our current mayor, Robert Garcia. That, along with the other district partners, do not hesitate to serve as a crucial link to the success of our students. Recently, the Long Beach Police Department sponsored a shopping outing with students from Washington Middle School shot with the Cup. Other partners have stepped forward to provide free eye examinations and glasses to every student in the district who needed them. Similarly, the city prosecutor, Doug Halbert, has worked with the district on a consistent basis to fashion programs for our students and their families that are fair and compassionate. Other activities, such as free school uniforms, are provided to students who are unable to afford them. Just to cite a few examples of the individuals and organizations that make Long Beach what it is. We had approximately 500 business partners when I first joined the board in 2004. Thanks to the great work of our staff, we now have over 1500 business partners who provide every conceivable form of support imaginable. This was the climate in Long Beach and it is an enduring one. It is a testament to the broad level of community and business support in the city. I want to thank our superintendent, Chris Steinhauser, who does not waver in the face of challenge, particularly when it comes to ensuring equity and opportunity for each and every student in the district, as evidenced by providing district supported PSAT and SAT exams. Khan Academy Pairing University have some ethnic studies classes just to name a few. His support has been unwavering in responding to the challenges and academic success of students across the board. And it has been my sincere pleasure to work with him. He is not only the superintendent of one of the nation's most effective and nationally recognized urban school districts that is recognized for its efforts in closing the achievement and opportunity gap. But he is also my friend. During my 13 year tenure as a member of the Council Great City Schools to include serving as its chair, I've come to truly appreciate the important work of the Council on behalf of the nation's urban school districts. That work is and remains first class. My thanks to the men and women of the Council who continue to endure and claim the moral high ground on behalf of our students. They are indeed blessed with excellent leadership and the person of the Executive Director, Michael Casserly. And finally, to be the recipient of the Green Gardiner Award is a testament to the many people who work day in and day out. None of us make such opportunities on our own. And again, I want to thank Councilman De Andrews and Councilwoman Linda Gonzalez for this opportunity to be with you this evening and to take people who are here tonight who came to support me. And I would like to ask them to stand, please. And again, thank you all so very much. BOLTON We're going to come up there real quick. Why don't we all go up and take a photo with better. Be. You might want to put that back to Susie. What is this place? I told you. You like to speak? When the doctor speaks for me, I have to tell him time is up. This guy is a great archer. I can say. Thank you. Okay. Here we are. You go down there. Okay. We're going to look over here real quick. All right. Okay. Yeah. Doug. You guys very good. John McGinnis. Everybody. Everybody. It's all right. No, no. Come on. Let me go. Come on, you guys. We're trying to get everybody to squeeze in. Please. She's coming. Come up. She's coming. Yeah. You stand right here. Don't worry. Yeah. Yeah. There we go. Okay. All see it? All right, everybody, that's easier to do. One more. Awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for waiting. Okay is a public comment. Dr. FELTEN Before we see none. Dr. Williams, congratulations again, and let's give him another round of applause. Okay. I apologize. So it's just the the the second the second agenda item that was asked to move up and that was some. We'll do that one. That's the last one. I'm sorry. Please vote. Cast your vote out, please. 25 married into public comment. And that would it be a public comment? Motion carries. Okay. So it'll be, it'll be item 20 then public comment and consent. I don't know, item 20. That's not the item. You wanted to name Mr. Aston, because it's not quite 19.