yesterday I have had a sharp stabbing pain in my lower left side right above my hip that has has not gone away on a 0 to 10 scale the pain has been a six so when we say since 2: p.m. and when we say it has not gone away we are using time sharp and stabbing pain is the type of pain we describe our location of the Pain by saying in my lower left side right above my hip and we describe the intensity by using that 0 to 10 scale now when we use pain scales it helps very much to use a scale with a preestablished baseline if you have ever been to the emergency room you might notice that many people say my pain is a 10 I have seen people say my pain is a 10 who were giving birth having hiy stones but also I have seen people say my pain is a 10 um for paper CS right so using a baseline for reference for example if a broken bone is an eight my pain right now is at A7 this helps the doctor understand what that scale means to you so use a baseline you are familiar [Music] with so an example of self advocacy in the situation we described when the doctor is ignoring our symptoms would look like I don't feel comfortable going home with this level of pain and you are speaking too fast for me to understand i' like to request a translator so that we can talk more about my symptoms for our next scenario we are going to to look at school for those of us who have children in school your child has an I that allows them to get extra time when taking a test due to a learning disability your child comes home and tells you that their math teacher is not allowing them to use their extra time so you schedule an IEP meeting with your child's teacher and special educator the teacher tells you that he does not allow extra time during tests and that your child won't get special treat like that in the real world so a few tips about school based self advocacy as someone who works in schools making specific asks is helpful if I say to a teacher help my child they are not accountable to one specific action we could Define help my child in many ways so instead I would say I would like to revisit Kayla's IEP plan if you request a specific action that means you can also request specific followup for example please email me in the next two weeks to let me know what steps have been taken to address this just like with medical information you have the right to print it copies of information like school policies your child's records IP plans anything we also recommend just like with doctor's appointments coming to parent teacher conferences with questions written out and of course stay in communication I always appreciate when parents and caregivers are very involved and advocating for their kids because my students parents know what they need better than I do so staying in constant communication is very helpful so our response to this scenario could look like oh my child's IEP isn't special treatment it's something they have a right to in school I really want them to succeed in your class if you feel like you can't work with me on this I'd like to include the vice principal in our conversation to see if she can help explain it the next scenario we are going to look at is work because we know sometimes your boss or manager might not be acting in your best interest so in this scenario you recently started a job working at a restaurant you told your boss in the interview that you you are not free to work Mondays and Wednesdays after 3:00 because you need to pick up your child from school you notice this week's schedule has you listed as working Monday from 2: to 8 when you ask your boss about that she says unfortunately we are under staffed that day so I'll need you to come in anyways so our tips for professional self advocacy framing asks Within Mutual interests sometimes we have a boss or manager or supervisor who cares about our interest sometimes we do not so let your boss know how your requests will benefit both of your interests an example could be saying I feel really drained having four night shifts in a row when there are some morning shifts in my schedule as well I feel energize coming in to work and I finished t so much more quickly use evidence um so when advocating at work do not be afraid to ask for raises or promotions the worst thing they can do is say no but we can't often get them with without asking um so come come to meetings prepared with evidence maybe with sales records maybe with a customer revieww um if they say no to a raise or promotion ask your employer what they would like to see from you in the future also proposing Solutions if you know that what you are asking may cause a problem for an employer come up with a potential plan to counteract any negative side effects so if I am calling out of work I can ask someone to cover for me or suggest another option so one strategy we can use when we are communicating and setting boundaries with people who have power or influence over us is instead of setting a consequence like I will with my job use feelings as consequences for example I could say if you go through my phone without asking I I won't have you over anymore if I see a friend go through my phone but if I'm talking to my mom I can't really say that so instead I could say it's hard to feel close to you and enjoy spending time together when I can't trust that so we see this in our example here [Music] unfortunately I set my availability as before 300 p.m.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Thank you. All right. The purpose uh the purpose of tonight's meeting is really to um to uh talk really to um we were directed by the board of finance last night to reduce our budget by $158,000. Um and um I think I think the way I'd like to approach this is to um to get some recommendation from Dr. Gman to see where he's coming from. He's our pay professional. The the one thing that that worries me sometimes is when people make uh comments uh because they have strong feelings and I understand that but it's not based in fact or data. Um and that's the reason why we have a professional uh administration team with uh Dr.
Robersonson. All those in favor of approving tonight's agenda as outlined, say I. I. Any opposed? And that passes. Thank you. Moving on to agenda item number three, superintendence recognition awards. I'll turn the time over to Dr. Shane McCord. Thank you, Mr. President, governing board members, if you will join me in front of the dis for tonight's uh recognitions. You guys ready? I can't. You ready? All right, let's have some fun tonight. This is always the best part of the meeting. Um, tonight we're going to recognize six elementary schools, um, an athletic director, and a high school that has FFA. Are you guys ready for that? I see him there. Here we go. We're going to start off with our 2025 A+ School of Excellence Award winners. Um, six Gilbert public schools have been recognized with the prestigious A+ School of Excellence Award by the Arizona Education Foundation for 2025.
With a new milling machine, crews can now make faster inhome repairs. Town engineers are also assessing roads for larger restoration projects. Stay tuned as repairs begin this spring. This week's poll, how likely are you to attend town meeting on May 7th? The options, highly likely. I'm ready to vote. I want to go, but I don't know enough about it, and no, I won't be going. So, cast your vote and let us know. This week's community shoutout goes to Jamie and Steven Marx. This week, we're celebrating Jaime and Steven Marx, founders of Linlusion, a nonprofit dedicated to making summer camps inclusive for children of all abilities. Inspired by their son, Lincoln, who is non-verbal and has autism, they ensure kids can experience camp alongside their peers. Steven, Ashlin's former athletic director, and Jamie, a passionate advocate, work tirelessly to support children and families. You can support their mission by joining the LClusion 5K on April 6th.
because picking up my child after school isn't something I have the ability to rearrange would you like me to reach out to rashik about covering that shift or do you think you can find coverage our last scenario is a scenario with a roommate you recently moved in with a new roommate who seems to really enjoy being around your child your roommate has started to invite your child into his room alone and has been offering them candy that he keeps telling them to keep secret if you try to call your child away from him he tells you not to be rude and claims that they like spending time with him so when we talk about setting boundaries boundaries with our kids are so important so some important boundaries we or our kids no other adult should ask your child to keep secrets from you even small ones other adults should not be requesting to spend time alone with your child other adults should respect your child's physical space adults should not buy your child things without asking or telling you now it can be award to set these boundaries with roommates family people we live with so our second communication strategy for when setting boundaries is difficult is what we call a reverse boundary if you feel unsafe setting a boundary with someone instead of telling them what they should not do compliment them on doing the opposite so compliment them on doing what you would like them to do so instead of saying to a friend don't yell at me when we argue it makes me feel unsafe around you if I live with that particular friend instead I could use a reverse boundary and say I love when you stay calm during arguments it makes me feel so safe around around you people tend to respond more positively to reverse boundaries because instead of criticizing their actions you are raising actions you can do this even if the person has not done the opposite Behavior yet because sometimes this compliment can make them feel like they already did feel like it was their idea and feel motivated to do it again in the future so an example of this that we could use with a roommate who we feel may be easily offended would be it's definitely not meant to offend you this is just a policy we have to keep our kids safe they're able to Fe feel much more comfortable and enjoy their time more with adults who don't ask them to keep secrets whether these are boundaries you set for your child requests you make of your doctor um or simply making sure that people give you the respect of pronouncing your name correctly advocating for yourself is incredibly important when we advocate for ourselves we teach our children and everyone around us to do the same and we keep our whole Community safer does anyone have any questions about any of the types of self advocacy we discussed if you think of questions I will stay around for a little while afterwards so please feel free to come come up and ask thank you [Applause] w
Gman, Mr. Bishop uh and and the rest of the the the administration team uh that works through our budgets very carefully and as I um indicated two meetings ago uh to the board of finance the process starts really in October and there's many many meetings that goes on examining line items and uh costs and also you know education changes along the line there there are changes that are going on that we're not even aware of uh in how we instruct at how we teach and things that are going on in the classroom that that we don't necessarily uh need to know about. As I've always said, I remind the board this often that um the job of the board of education is to make sure our schools are run well and not run our schools and that's the job of our our professionals. So, so with that, I'm going to ask uh Dr.
Ashlin Ranch Elementary, Augusta Ranch Elementary, Boulder Creek Elementary, Carol Ray Ranch Elementary, Gilbert Elementary, and Courtz Hill Elementary all earned an A+. Gilbert Public Schools currently has 18 schools with the A+ School of Excellent recognition. The A+ School of Excellent uh award celebrates top performing schools that exceed expectations in academics, innovation, and community involvement. The rigorous achievement honors schools committed to creating safe student- centered environments. By earning the A+ School of Excellence Award, schools have demonstrated an unwavering dedication to the excellence that fosters student success. So, please give them a hand. So, we're going to bring up each school individually. Principles, get ready to say a couple words. I don't know if they told you that, but it's my show. So, haha. Um, and u just to note, Carol Ray Ranch Elementary, their principal is not here tonight. So, one of you has to decide before you ah before you get up here who's going to talk.
Town Manager Coffee Hour. Join Michael Herbert for coffee and town discussions at the Ashlin Community Center April 16th, May 21st, and June 18th. Very exciting news. A Red Sox ticket auction. Bid on four tickets to see the Red Sox versus Blue Jays on April 7th. The online auction runs March 23rd to 30th with all proceeds benefiting the Ashlin Public Library. the Boy Scout Troop 232 pancake breakfast and food drive on April 6th. This will be held at the Ashlin BFW from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Support the Ashlin food pantry with a non-p perishable donation. Also coming up, the Greater Ashlin Lions quiz night on April 11th. This will be held at the VFW at 6:30 p.m. So grab a team and compete for some prizes. The Town Forest Orientation Walks. Join a guided walk of Ashlin's newly acquired forest land. This will be March 28th through 30th, April 4th through 6th, April 18th through 20th, and May 2nd through 4th.
Gman to make some remarks on what he heard last night, where he thinks the board should maybe direct some of this um where where our cut should be coming from. and he heard some of the comments uh before. Thank you. And and he heard some of those comments. Before I do that, I have to open up to public comment. I'm sorry. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people in the crowd. Lost my place. So, is there anybody in the audience for public comment? No. Okay. Is there anybody online that would like to make public comment? If you're joining us online, you'd like to make public comment, you can use that raise hand feature of Zoom and I will call on you by your Zoom name. Okay. All right. So, I'm going to turn it over now to Dr. Grossman to give us uh some of his thoughts and where he thinks the board should be uh moving in this direction.
Mr. Bergen uh sends his uh apologies. He he had emergency with his family that he had to attend to. So, uh but we know those from Carol will be here. So, let's start off in alphabetical order. This is if you want to retain that A+, you're going to need to know how to do this. The first one is Ashlin Ranch Elementary. Are you by your lonesome tonight? I am. Well, first I missed that memo. So, Jason, where are you? Just make a middle note. needs to check the emails. No. Suzanne Carlson, principal of Ashlin Ranch. Do you want to say a few words? Sure. Of course, I'll say a few words. Um do the microphone for the record. Okay. For the record, um despite the um that all of my wonderful staff aren't here. Um they would have um loved to attend. I just um Ashlin is deserving of the A+ because we put kids first like we all do.
The RSVP is required. That's all for today's update. Stay tuned for more news and remember to participate in your community events. A heartfelt thank you to town manager Michael Herbert and the entire town staff for their efforts in bringing us this informative newsletter. And thank you all for joining today. My name is Hi Silver. Good night and go clockers.
And then what I'd like I'd like to call in each board member to get their comments uh tonight to see what they're thinking. And then uh hopefully by the end of the meeting, we'll be able to uh decide where to go. There there's a memo that has to go out to the board of finance. uh by tomorrow letting them know acknowledging the cuts and generally speaking where the cuts are coming from. So Dr. Gman morning uh thank you so much. I I just want to give you some the the board and the community that may be watching the the recording of this when it goes out that as Mr. Janu says that the the budget process starts early on in in August and we take it really seriously and we try to be as transparent as we we can. One of the things that I want to commend this board on is that we do have a finance committee that meets monthly that really looks closely at our monthly financials and really guides the work from a financial standpoint that we're trying to do throughout the year and moving forward.
Um my staff and my parent community make me proud every day and I am so proud to be the principal of Ashland. Um we renewed the A+ and we were given um A+ right as we went into co and so this is especially um unique um because we didn't get to celebrate like we wanted to last time. So um thank you and um we are just so excited to be standing here this time. So give them a hand. Stay here if you would. So this is how it's going to work. We're going to take individual pictures with the board and then at the end all six schools will come up and we'll take a group photo. So go ahead. You're starting. Shake hand. There you go. We've got a routine here. Go ahead and stand in the middle, Suzanne. Oh gosh. Yeah. First one through the wall.
So, I'm going to circle back to that when I'm done with some of my comments because I I think that's a key component of some of the work that we need to do moving forward. Another component that I think we really need to look at and I want to let the the community know and I know the board knows is that the board of education actually has a policy committee that meets regularly monthly and this policy committee is charged with really looking at the policies that make up the public schools and spend a lot of time by that on that and our finance committee is chaired by Russ Bush and our policy committee is chaired by Mr. Daniels remember me Mr. Shiver sorry about that Mr. and they spend a lot of time on it and the committee members spend a lot of time and I think that plays a part in what we heard over the past couple weeks.
[Music] Congratulations. Next up, Augusta Ranch. We have Principal Terry Barnes and Dean of Students Lana Moore and staff come [Applause] up. Congratulations to you guys. Um, Terry, would you like to say a few words and introduce your guests? I would love to. So, this is really a truly an honor for Augusta Ranch. Um, the school works so hard and so deserving. We are so proud. So, not only do we have Lana More Dean, but two teachers that were very instrumental in writing and rewriting, reviewing, and putting this huge document together. So, thanks to Anna Keenan and Abby Schrader. Congratulations, Augusta. Go ahead and shake hands with the board. Take a little picture. Come on. We'll you guys come to the middle. We'll gather around you. Wait till we get everybody up. Augusta. Next up, the Boulder Creek Bulldogs. Principal Jim Leaper and [Applause] crew. Congratulations to you.
I want to commend the board for all the work that they have done relative to this budget. And I want to remind everybody the the budget that we're talking about is not the administrative budget. It's the Canton Board of Education budget. And we heard a lot of people that spoke about support the education budget, don't cut anything. We heard some people that that were concerned that the budget was too high and that the they gave specific examples of where in recommendations where they felt that the budget could be cut or reduced. So for the it hasn't even been hours. for the past 24 hours. Like some of you, I left the meeting last night saying, "Okay, there's $158,000 that needs to be reduced from the board of education budget. Where would these reductions come from?" We had the same thing happen last year that we had to reduce funding and we we went to a meeting like we are right now and you asked me for recommendations and I gave recommendations.
Will you introduce everybody? I will. Good evening everybody. This is Angie Sarlo, my math specialist and math coach. Kim Sters is my instructional coach. Lori Torres, our media specialist. Connie Cornell, my admin assistant. And Sandra Kane, first grade teacher. Talk about this. Okay. All right. Here we go. Next thing. Uh when I I've been at Boulder Creek 5 years now and when I got to Boulder Creek we really focused on planning and teamwork and when you focus on planning and teamwork I feel like the results come. It took us a little while to get there but we've gone from a C to a B to an A to an A+. So we're really proud of that. So it's all about the people that I work with and I really appreciate them. Well done. Well done Boulder. Congratulations. Congratulations. Talk about my bike. I'm here to talk about this.
This one's I think a little bit more complex because there were some comments yesterday that I truly respect and I respect when people ground things in data and are concerned about for example class size that came up and our policy of where we ground the amount of students that we have in our classrooms. particularly at the elementary level. So I respect that comment and the comments that other people make that we need to take a look at that. But I want to acknowledge also that I know the administrators looked at it and I know you looked at it. So it's not a new conversation for us. But m Mr. was in and the board before I give you some recommendations and my thoughts my recommendation one of my recommendations is charging Mr. Bishop and Mr. Shidler as much as I could charge a board member I could charge uh Mr.
You're not sitting down yet. You're the star of the show. We're going to gather around you. You're good. You're good. Just a fun fact for everybody. Yeah, Mr. Leaper has what kind of bike? Well, are we going to do this? It's an electric bike. Sometimes he rides it from Boulder Creek or from home to Boulder Creek. Sometimes from Boulder Creek to Community Ed when we have our meetings. And it's the most awesome site because you got this big dude on this electric bike. He's got a helmet on. He's very safe. But the first time I saw somebody driving a bike down the street and I was like, "God, that looked like Jim Leaper." And I think I say something about it at every meeting. It's just to let you know I'm thinking about you. All right. Next. Carol Ray Ranch Elementary. Who's the lucky? Trish wins.
Bishop for the policy committee to look at the class size policy. That policy was last looked at approximately 10 years ago. A lot has changed in education in 10 years. And I don't think anybody was um disrespecting the administration or the classroom teachers and how we came up with the engines. I think people were really just saying look at your class policy and you're below your class policy and why. And that's where I have a tremendous amount of respect for the administrators in the classroom teachers and kids of what's best for kids. And that's where we came up with the sections that we came up with, but it is below the class size guideline. So I do respect the individuals that question the the board and why we are below the the class size in particularly the second grade going into third grade. I respect that.