Wow. See, one, two, three. Nose goes. Will you introduce yourself and everybody else, please? I will. I'm Trish Smith, the instructional coach for Carol Ray, in place of our wonderful principal, Chris Bergen. This is Carrie Kepler, our reading specialist. This is Shireen Nman, our PE teacher and the wonderful, wonderful lead on our team for our application. And this is the wonderful first grade Tammy Kitagawa extraordinaire. Uh, this was really a team effort on our part. Many, many players and as I said, Sheree was the lead. It was a renewal for Carol Ray as well. We love our school. We're really proud of all the hard work that everybody put in. Um, what else was I going to say? We did it on uh during COVID the first time. So, it was a nice experience uh to have all of this this time around. Yeah. Sh.
I respect that that they they're asking us to look at that. But as I can tell you, the administration and teachers and this board have looked at that. But what you have not looked at is the class size guideline policy that has not been reviewed in 10 years. So I'm asking Mr. Bishop and Mr. Shazer that immediately starting with your next agenda. If you could put this on your agenda to lay out a timeline of what would be some of the things that we would look for in what makes up our class size policy. That's nothing that we're going to be able to do in 24 hours from last night. and the recommendation from the administration that I spoke to today and based upon where we are and based upon what we know about our class sizes. We stand by where our class sizes are right now and what was recommended.
I think what makes our school great, too, is we have a lot of longevity with our teachers. In fact, the three of us here have been there since Carol reopened back in 2000. So, we have several teachers like that at our school. We rarely lose a teacher, and if we do, it's often to retirement, which good for them. And uh so, we we were doing pretty good with that. And I do have to say, even though I was a lead, it took a team effort to do it all. And everybody contributed and if I asked people to do something, they did it. And that's what makes our team so great. If a kid needs support, we jump on the If somebody teacher needs support, we jump on the bandwagon. Everybody works together. Tammy. Oh. Oh. Well, pretty much Teres said it all. It feels like a good redemption from our co application and it's just a wonderful school to be at and um yeah, I can't be with a better staff.
But fully acknowledging that there does need to be a look at our class size guideline policy because what we are presenting to you does it it could be viewed as miscommunication to the the community because we are below our class size guideline. So that that's recommendation number one that we really need to um look at that. Then I heard over the past two weeks some specific recommendations of what can be and and I respect the board of finance. They didn't tell us what to do. They just gave some of their thoughts and some of their ideas and the campus supervisors came up. Technology came up. Staffing and technology staffing at the central office came up. So this is where I'm going to ask Mr. Bush and the finance committee to really look at some of these things. So my recommendation to you to come up with the $158,000 is the following.
Well done, Carol Ray. if you'd shake hands. You should probably Thank you. Thank you so much. Next up, the flagship elementary of Gilbert Public Schools, and that is Gilbert Elementary, the Tigers. Come on up. Justin Shrima, principal [Applause] extraordinaire. Smile. You guys won something. It's all right. This isn't a police lineup. You're good. Justin, all yours. All right. Thank you. I have a wonderful staff here and uh this is Gilbert's first recognition as an A+ school and we're incredibly grateful for the honor. Um it's a whole team and community effort. We do so many great things to support kids both inside the classroom and outside the classroom from teaching in two languages to our wonderful kindness club and our folklorical dancing. So, we just try to support kids in every way we can and we have an incredible staff and community to help support us throughout the entire journey.
$92,000 in non-certified staff reduction. That would equate to approximately 4.25 staff. Now what would be on the table could be proposed new staff or current staff that are already on the the current staff and I would ask the finance committee that's why we have the finance committee to start looking at this. One of the things as you said Mr. Daniels is that we don't have to provide to the board of finance specific line items. We just got to provide where specific items we just got to provide where the reductions are going to come from and that's how we report out each month that we report out and non correct me if I'm wrong Mrs. Robbins non-certified is a category within our budget. So my recommendation would be to reduce non-certified by $92,000. And that may come in a variety of different ways when we really sit down and analyze that as an administration and a a board of education in particularly the finance committee.
So, we're very grateful. We introduce them. Absolutely. We have Stacy Aldana. She's our Spanish coach. Marbel Medina, our um regular coach, academic coach. Claudia McNeely, reading specialist. Avette Romero, first grade dual language Spanish teacher. And Scott Frank, our math specialist. Congratulations, Gilbert. We're very proud of you and you had this year's spelling bee winner. I mean, it's a banner year for Gilbert Elementary. Thank you guys. Hanging banners in the hanging banners. It's all you do. Go ahead and shake hands. Sorry. Sorry. Sidebar. Sorry. We were just practicing your smile. Well done. And last, just because they start with a Q, Quartz Hill Elementary, Dr. Joan Henry, [Applause] principal. Look at there. Well, well, there he is. Yeah. Joan, I'm gonna let you introduce your crew. Okay, go for it. All right. Okay. Thank you for allowing us to be here. We This has been a few years of crazy, of hard work like everybody else.
I'm also recommending that we take out $48,000 out of the technology budget and we really look at what is planned for technology next year. Are there things that as you know as we've discussed we have a replacement cycle. Do we need to look at replacement cycles? Do we look at our younger students not getting technology at all? And I think in 24 hours to give specifics of what that technology would look like, I I I just don't think that um is something that um this team is prepared to do. But overall, $48,000 reduction in technology. And then, as you heard last night, we have $18,000 in property liability and insurance. So that is a total of $158,000. So there's a few recommendations. Recommendation number one is for the policy committee to really look at the guidelines that we have for classroom size and that's going to take time.
So, um we just watch everybody and try to do our best and try to improve every year. We went from a lot of A's to a C, which devastated us because we know we're not that. And then we came back up to an A, and then we got the A+. So, this year has been amazing. It's all due to Bla1. Um, Bla1 and why he's up here, besides being fantastic, was the voice of our narrative that we turned into A+. Because part of my job when I started at Quartz Hill, and I won't go on forever because this isn't me, but was to kind of rebrand Quartz Hill. And we wanted a culture and climate that the the elementary kids would love and enjoy. And we looked at trailblazers and they're like, "Oh no, we couldn't find one we liked." And then we found the bear.
That that that's not anything that's going to be quick. Number two would be the finance committee to really over the next few months dig into what is the best thing looking at our proposed staff that we have and then our current staff of non-certified which would equate to about 4.25 and then really work together on what that reduction is going to look like. What I do want to share that 0.12 of this budget is in supplies. So you're not going to hear the administration talk about supplies. We're we're talking about people and and I do think the the the board of finance um mentioned that last night that they're concerned amount amount to staff and I did hear um that specifically concerned about technology also of how much technology do we need? So I'm giving you what I heard over the past two weeks. I do want to share that if there are further cuts, we really will have to look at that third grade the the third grade section for next year full well knowing that this administration feels that the best environment for their learning is in two se is in um six sections what they're currently in.
And the kids voted on it. And so we have Blae. Blae had his birthday this year. Big party. It was um five years old, right? Five. And he's at every event, but his voice was spoke about Quartz Hill and our narrative. So it was only right that we have Blaze stand up for all that we are here. What about all the kids? We have everybody that represents our programs here at Quartz Hill. Amanda Hamilton is resource in our sped program. Rudy Cota does an amazing job with our accelerated program. And Darling Hibbs, I mean, art is art. She's our beloved art teacher. And that enables the kids to succeed in all the academics. So, we couldn't handle all all our kids or or grow all our kids without everybody here. So, that's Cortill. Excellent. Look at that. Blake governing board. I think we need a district mascot just so something to and if one of you would put it on every board meeting that would be great.
I'm also concerned about what our current kindergarten enrollment is coming in. We're right at our class size of 18.3, which is on the high end of our class size for kindergarten. That's 110 students. And I, as I've always said since we started this budget process, we need to keep that in mind. So that's where we are. a lot of reflection, respect everything that I heard over the past two weeks from community members and from board of finance members and I my recommendation is 92,000 men certified which equates to about 4.2 4.25 staff member reduction a reduction in technology 48,000 and then proper property insurance liability of $18,000 for a total of $158,000.
Congratulations Cortil. [Applause] Good to see you. Congratulations. All right. Now, Cortill, we're going to take your picture and but stay up here because then all the rest of you are going to come back up for that group picture that I spoke about. There you go. We knew it. There it is. All right, rescue. Come back up. Tall people in the back and electric bike riders. Yeah. Come this way. Come to the middle a little bit. People have a breath. Look at this. Congratulations. [Applause] Next up, we would like to honor athletic director from Highland High School, Mr. Brandon Larson. Come on up, [Applause] Brandon. Now, Brandon, how long have you been an ad at Highland High? Uh, year six. Year six. And this year, Brandon won the 6A Fiesta Region Athletic Director of the Year from the Arizona Intercolastic Association. That's a big honor. If you don't know about athletics in the East Valley, especially in this region, it's extremely competitive.
I'll take any questions or discussion. Okay. Thank Thank you for that your recommendation. So, what I'd like to do is uh just pull each board member if they have questions or comments or suggestions. Let's get it all on the table. Um and uh then we'll move forward after that on how we want to shape this and uh in in in light of the superintendent's recommendation. So, I'll go online first because I think that's easier. Um Felicia, do you have any comments, questions, or thoughts you'd like to share? Um just just um reflecting on on what uh Dr. Gman just said in regards to the cut, is there any wiggle room to move some of that cut from the non-certified staff over to technology based on our previous spend on technology and the trend? or is the the way that you split it look to be the best moving forward?
Uh, and they're all eyes are on all those programs that are in the 6A Fiesta region division. And in order to gain recognition like this, you have to run great programs. You have to run clean programs in the sense that all your grade checks are done. All your coaches are doing what they're supposed to be doing. All your players are supposed to be doing what they're doing. And to receive this honor, it just doesn't rotate to the next person. This goes to people who truly care about uh high school athletics. And not just athletics, it's also about the student athlete. And so we wanted to make sure we recognize Brandon for that achievement tonight. and we wanted to say thank you. Do you want to say a few words? Sure. No, I'm appreciative of you guys inviting me out here. Um, at the end of the day, Highland has an amazing community.
When I was looking at technology today, um with Mr. Bishop and when I met with Mr. Delmastro last week, we thought about 48 to $50,000 if we needed to make a cut would would be the the part that we were at. And honestly, I took the $92,000 for the non-certified based upon that's new staffing that we had and that was a a question that we've heard. Um, and I think this board needs to really look at it through the finance committee of where we are with campus supervisors versus existing staff that we already have. Um, I I think that's a worthy discussion for the board, but I took the exact number that we have for non-certified uh new staff. Okay. And you don't see that um making more of a gap um not not having those positions moving forward with new student enrollment? I know we don't have high enrollment, but like the new kindergarten students and things like that, like the staff that we may need as far as non-certified goes, I I I think any reduction in in our staff would be a um it would hurt kids.
We have an awesome leader and and Mr. E is our principal. I have amazing coaches and kids. So, it makes my job really easy. It's really just kind of letting them run and being a servant for them. So, I'm super appreciative of my community and like the success is all on them. I just kind of help kind of drive the way. Excellent. Congratulations. Thank you, Brandon. You shake hands with the board. Brian, you want to get up here? Okay, just check. You got shorts on. I know. [Applause] Next up, we have Gilbert High School FFA State Champions, Casey Farnsworth. Come on up with your crew. [Applause] Oh, we've got over here. Why are you standing over there? Come on over. Come on. Congratulations to you. Thank you. You have uh Gilbert FFA attended the Arizona FFA spring conference competition in a wide or competed in a wide range of career development events which was held at the University of Arizona.
Um because but the 92,000 is new staff. So that's when we would have to weigh as a a board of education and in finance, do we want there was some talk to have one campus supervisor and then not have the two-day campus supervisors. So I think that's a discussion that we would need to have and my recommendation would be to have that conversation at a finance committee and um then that that hit would be less from the staff that we currently have. should. Okay. Thank you for that clarification. Okay. Um Kim, are you ready or you want to take a minute? Yeah. Let me let me let me correct something. The the the 92,000 I'm not proposing taking away the um the the Thrive Social Work order. So the the the campus supervisors are a total of $60,000. There would be $32,000 from existing staff that we already have to keep that.
Our Gilbert High meets evaluation team took the title of state champions and will be traveling to Indianapolis Indiana this October to compete at on the national level. This contest is rigorous consisting of retail meat cut identification, carcass judging, primal judging, quality and yield grading, bone and muscle identification, and formulation scenario problems. Say that again. Most of you don't even know what that means. I was an assistant principal at Gilbert High back in 99 to 2001. And if you don't know it, Gilbert High has a meats lab. Me- AS lit slab, meats lab. And I didn't know this. And so, um, I walked into this room cuz I started in the summer and there was nobody there and everybody took vacation. I got the keys and they said, "All right, just don't burn the place down." Okay. So, I walk into this room and there's a cow hanging and I'm like, "Oh my god, what what I was a sixth grade teacher about 10 minutes before that.
Yeah. To keep the social worker is what you're saying. Correct. Okay. Okay. Kim, are you ready or I know you were struggling to get on so you um the connection is poor and I apologize for having difficulty logging in earlier. Um yeah, I couldn't get in but I um I'm just taking in what he's saying and I'm thinking um on it and I can add it's something you come back to if you want. Yes. Just to clarify, three areas of non-certified technology and insurance. That's what I said non-certified for 92,000 technology 48,000 and the prop property and liability insurance 18,000 for a total of 158,000. Do you know the areas of non-certified more in specifically? No, I think that's what we would have to discuss as a finance committee that like I I could say just cut the three campus supervisors and then I have $60,000 of that and then I got to find $32,000 of existing about 30 of existing which it it could be a parah it could be a a secretary that would it could be all anything in non-certified is going to be cut.