The next speaker is Percible Sero. Did I Okay, that is correct. Good evening superintendent and board of and board members. My name is Pcel Szo and my youngest daughter Sloan is a kinder student in the special needs SDC program at Lane View. I'm here to address a concern that impacts not only my family but many others in our community. The need for our children to have immediate access to a restroom. As we transition to Northwood, it is critical that we consider the unique needs of our children, our younger special needs students, particularly those whose restroom needs are outlined in their individualized education plans, their EIPs. Without this accommodation, we risk compromising their health, their safety, dignity, and ability to fully participate in their education. My child, like many others, is still developing essential potty training skills. For childrens with develop developmental delays, especially those with autism, restrooms access is not a simple routine or task.
You know that's not what I said. The rest of it is handbook dilations from the school that I broke without, you know, talking to me. Next, multiple students stated that there were no bathrooms at the restaurant you stopped at. And when you failed to stop the Hill Ben, you ignored students who asked to use the bathrooms and drove through without stopping. In their own group chat, they mentioned the bathroom thing and how bad they all got to go pee. And they also mentioned somebody should ask this guy to stop. Then they don't mention it again. And when you see the evidence, you will know if I would have denied them in any way, it would have been known. Then after that, again, without being talked to, I get more handbook guidelines for what I have done wrong. The most egregious and concerning incident was the fact that the students also stated, "You dropped them and the equipment off at the softball field approximately 8:30 p.m.
Good evening members of the board and our community. It's a highlight to come and celebrate our students. And our students of the month are being recognized under the portrait of a graduate for integrity. And so I'm excited to share some of the um words that have been shared by the schools, their principles and teachers about the work that these students have done. Students, as I call your name, come and join me. I'm going to say a few words. Then after that, you're going to cross the room and gre be greeted by some board members and receive uh a medal courtesy of the Combmes Education Foundation and a certificate. First from the high school, McKenna Tojo. All right, the high school can find a time to recognize McKenna. Uh, from Col's Center for Success, Hiro Flores. Come on over, Hyro. Few things to say. Hiro stays true to his values and morals and is a responsible young man.
So, we keep track of that as well. In the orange, we're estimating interest right now 4.75%. I am hoping that's conservative. I'm hoping you're going to be between four and a quarter and four and a half percent. The last several weeks interest rates have gone down 30 basis points, up 40 basis points, down 50. I mean, it's been it's been a rodeo ride the last several weeks. Uh, so, but all in all, all that volatility, it hasn't really come out of a I mean, a little bit higher rates than than the last previous four or five months. But thankfully, it's not just constantly going up. As an example, we see a lot of up and down. Right now, tariffs, no tariffs, whatever is happening worldwide. um impacts the bond markets and the stock markets, but we are long story short, we're we have a placeholder of 4.75% interest.
So, congratulations to Leo and his coach, Miss Swanson, for this amazing accomplish accomplishment and representing the district so well. So I got to attend a assembly on behalf of Leo and the wrestling team and Dr. Paul's um did proclaim that today at Kerry Junior High was Leo Zavala day. So um I think that was pretty cool. Um on the operations front, the staffing process has kicked off for the 2526 school year. Thank you to Mr. Daroo who is ill this evening and his administrative assistant Mr. to Sue Hostman for their hard work and efforts to make the process as smooth as possible. I want to remind parents again um about the five essential survey. That window remains open till March 28th, 2025. And it provides valuable information from various stakeholder groups, including our students, parents, and our teachers around areas um such as effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supported supportive environments, and ambitious instruction.
Okay. Thank you, Julie. Thank you for for asking great questions. Um, now I'm now I'm stuck with the not so great ones. Um, so citywide came in significantly lower. Is there any hesitation there um with that bid coming in so low? So we we do understand uh your concern. In fact, when we saw that uh number come up, I told Mr. Martin we're going to be having PTSD from a prior experience. Uh but we really dived in and looked at the bid that they provided. Uh looking at making sure they had the appropriate staffing. Uh we set the the minimum wage levels for the employees to make sure that they would not be receiving a pay cut which has happened in the past. Uh so we were able to verify that the the salary number that they had within the bid uh would actually cover uh salary uh for the employees.
Um, this is just a small portion of what happens during win time. Um, we're proud of all of our students, even those that are really working hard to close their gaps, um, and work their way out into other programs. So, thank you. Thank you. And thank you, girls, for all that you're doing in the community. It's really important that we're all sticking together as a community and you're doing as a lot more work than a lot of the adults in this town. So, kudos to you. Thank you. All right. Next up, we have public participation. The board and administration welcome your input. When recognized by the board president, members of the public are welcome to supply information for the board's consideration or to express their opinion of district policies. However, dis public debate between members of the public and the board of education members or the district staff will not be permitted.
Okay. But it does pretty much everything. Um, if they have to know the result of the vote, you just have to say it out loud. Do you guys do that anyways? Yeah. Well, we'll just say it passed unanimous. Well, then they'll then they'll know as long as they're listening. How often is it really undecided before the meeting? Okay. Well, so I know that was a lot. Yeah, a lot. A lot. But we did a had to do a lot more than you'll have to do every time. Okay. Like a lot of that going into menus and stuff was just us getting this figured out on your machine. Okay. But when you actually show up, there will be less. Monday, we're going to try to do this. Okay. And meetings at 6:30. Yes. You want to meet here at 5:30? Yeah. Yeah. I'm here at Yeah, that's when I come.
Um, and we placed in the top 20 in the state this year. I think it's the third year in a row that we've placed in the top 20 in the state. Um, but we're also giving a um a surprise when they got there that we were named the most giving high school in the state of Indiana for Special Olympics. And that's through the efforts of these two ladies and the other colleagues that they do. Devin Brierly, Amy's tried to get me to do the Polar Plunge since I was a football coach and I've never done it, but I donate every year and people in this room donate, but we were the most giving high school in the state, which is a huge thing. This is a huge thing. Um, it's a a testament to our community. It's a testament to our employees. It's a testament to, you know, the city of Madison for being that, okay?
We're going to observe some beautiful mosaics and a replica of Michelangelo's Pieta at the Saint Dan Debor Pre Shrine. Um we're going to check out the tallest waterfalls in the province, the Mon Ms, and learn about some historic battles and uh you know, different legends. And then we're going to go to Valkier. That um is the um there's some some fun slides there. The avalanche, the Himalaya inner tube rental is included. Uh then they're going to go to a sugar shack and they're going to um check out the tradition of maple syrup production and the sugar shack story. And then the Arabier dug the authentic French Canadian Caban auk which is the sugar shack um that they're going to actually go and have a 17th century meal and get down to traditional songs and dances um and they're going to try to make their own maple butter.
I look forward to waking up at 6:00 in the morning, which most people don't. And I just am excited and invigorated and just I cannot wait to work with the kids, to see them, to talk to them, to offer them support. Um and uh we work really really hard as a fifth grade team to make sure that all students are heard, that they are cared for, and that they get what they need. Um and I I just love what we do. I like today we were taking sugar cubes in a container to show weathering and erosion in science and we were playing Jump in the Line by Harry Bellfonte and I had kids jumping around the room with joy shaking containers of sugar cubes and it just it sometimes is hard to hear the perceptions from the community which I completely understand. Greenfield was in a different place a couple years ago with the middle school.
Any discussion? I have one I have I have one question. Sorry. Sorry. I wasn't here last month, so it may have been hashed out. So for policy 1312 B 1312, right? 1312 the whole 1312 A and public. Yeah. Where did we get the the wording for that? like the recommend was that something that was recommended to be changed by council or there was a here filming a is public complaints and 12 on the challenge challenge material the challenge material that was you know there was the red line was very determinative and what we tried to do is make something big of a process to it instead so that there wasn't, you know, something already carved in stone in the policy. So, it gave more flexibility, but that was that that was language that uh K and I worked on and inserted in. But that was the intent is to to take out the determination and put in a process for how to deter kind of leaves it more open-ended this way.
Um, does anybody have any questions or comments about the blinds at PCS? The only comment, you know, that I'd say here is it's not just, you know, to to get the blinds. Um, you know, the optically, you know, I I think it actually is needs to be repaired. Um, so that's the only discussion that we had during finance committee. So, we have a hes and have nots situation in the school where we have some people with newer blinds and other people who have issues, but it's not just a cosmetic. That's the word I was looking for yesterday. Actually, I did get that information from John. Okay. So, we did we had some discussion at finance committee about the remaining blinds and why they were being replaced. And John U B said that about a third of them are mechanically not working. uh third are missing pieces, slats and pieces, cords and things.
It makes me understand that this space is limited. But when I tried to apply to CNA, I was told that I couldn't. Even though that program was never required anything specific from any student in the past, it has always been open to those who wanted to try. But now because of this whole academy system, the students are being deprived of opportunities that could help them in their career paths. I've worked hard to build my my future in healthcare. I write house certificates from my freshman year and from this year through clubs like wholesale and careers which shows my dedication and commitment to this field. Because of the academy placement, I missed out on the change to take programs that would have helped to support my college goals including opportunities connected to CNA and the MP which would make my college application stronger and more competitive.
Um and then after they left we said you know anytime you want to come in and it was super fun I'd love to. She took that very literally. Um, and that led to a lot of emails. Um, but what what I want to get to and I want to talk about the way it played out was uh this was a coaching and teaching cycle that has led to unbelievable dramatic changes. In my classroom, I'm going to speak specifically to Houston scores. Um, that I've seen this year both in math and reading because a lot of what we've done has been focused on language. Uh, I'm at Park Avenue. Those of you who are familiar with the Park Avenue demographics, we are a tremendously ML is the turnout, but we have a lot of students who English is not their primary language in my class alone.
So level four is standard exceeded, level three is standard met, level two is standard nearly met and level one is standard not met. So the first one on the top left as the supporting document is the IR proficiency projection in math. The first page just kind of gives a summary of the report. So if you scroll to the second page, you'll see the comparison for the projections from diagnostic one to diagnostic 3. And if you scroll down further, that does it by grade level districtwide. Important to point out that the reason it's grade three through eight is because those are the students that test for state testing. And you can see there on that u on page two the bar graph um the projections in the upper right hand corner it says it's projecting proficiency at 26%. Um last year our proficiency of met and exceeded was 25%.
These children relay rely heavily on their teachers for guidance, encouragement, and sometimes physical assistance. When restrooms are located outside the classroom, it creates challenges. Teachers cannot assist inside the restrooms due to privacy concerns and the walk itself can cause anxiety or difficulty for the child. This is disruptive and can create negative impact on their learning and emotional well-being. According to California Education Code section 56,000, students with disabilities are entitled to a free and appropriate public education, which includes providing reasonable accommodations such as bathroom access as outlined in their EIPs. And the importance of minimizing disruption to a child's routines is also reflected in section 220, which mandates that schools ensure equal access to educational opportunities without discrimination. Having restrooms inside the classroom will eliminate unnecessary disruptions, allowing students to remain engaged, focused on their learning. It is also it will also help preserve their emotional stability and dignity, allowing them to thrive in a safe and respectful environment.
and drove away." students said it was Garp and an upper classman who is a junior and is 16 years of age turned the light on in her car and stayed with every student until they were picked up. I will be happy to let you know the cameras in front of the parking lot are finally being fixed. But the ones on the library from what it does show vindicates my side of the story, which is I showed up, let the girls unload the bus, put the equipment up, and then they all walked two vehicles. or if they were in the dark. We all know there's a street light right there next to the rock wall where everybody sits to be picked up where I was sitting. I drove the bus off because there was only cars in the parking lot. Picked up my car on the bus, drove back by and there were still only cars in the parking lot.
He has shown through hard work and dedication courses can be completed successfully. He is preparing himself for his future after high school. and CCS is so proud that he represents our campus with his integrity. [Applause] Congratulations from Combmes Middle School. Shayen Hyman. Shayen. Here's what the middle school has to say about Shaylin. Shaylin is a model student, a poster board for the definition of integrity. She is honest, trustworthy, fair, and respects everyone and everything. She has great character, and is constantly setting an example in her honors classes. She is a role model for her peers. [Applause] Congratulations from Combmes Traditional Academy. Axel Galang [Applause] Let me tell you about Axel. He consistently displays an outstanding demonstration of honesty, responsibility, and strong moral character in the classroom. He values and does what is right even when no one is looking. He never takes shortcuts, asks for help when needed, and is a positive influence in class.
We're hoping to outperform that. We're we're uh with your permission tonight, we'll move as quickly as as possible to get into the market to lock in interest rates. So, you have no more interest rate risk on this upcoming sale for 43 million or 42750. Um once you lock in rates, then we will know what that interest rate is for your bond sale this year. Again, hopefully it's below 4.75% overall. Um but that's what we're targeting for now. And then not knowing what rates are going to be a year or two out, we just did 5% for the next sale. That's just a placeholder. That's in 2027, April, spring of 27. Two years out, you it doesn't have to be two years out. It can be a year and a half out. It can be three years out. You can sell your next bond sale whenever you want to.