It's too bad that so many schools get some of the bad press, but seeing the excitement that Principal Lopez has for the changes that are being made, um there's some great things happening at Simon. So it was wonderful. Wonderful to be there on the campus for a little bit. All right. Thank you. Hi, Maria. Um, anybody else? Yes. Uh, I had the privilege of being able to attend part of Combmes High School's mock interviews, um, where they had, I think it was mostly seniors, but it appeared to also be some of the CTE students as well. Um, from my understanding, it was upwards of about 450 students, which is amazing. Um, that's increased. Yeah. And then there was about 50 to 60 professionals that were there from all um, different walks of life, um, different local businesses. And it was it was amazing really truly to see them take time out of their professional days uh to come and donate their time and time is valuable and to donate their expertise and their experience and to be able to uh see these young their youth the our future, right?
I believe the counties put them together because they're all being paid from the same pots. They're all being paid from the property tax. So, yes. Right. But it'll show um it'll it'll be separate from the any overrides or your primary your fund. It'll be a separate line item, but I believe the new debt service gets added to whatever's left of your old debt service. Okay. Yes. And that old debt in four years is paid off. Correct. Okay. Yep. In July 1, 2029, that is gone. Perfect. Thank you. So, I have a slightly technical question. We take out the um we take the bond. We approved the bond tonight for 43 million. Okay. You get it at the end of May. If we don't use it for several years, we still have to make these payments and we're still charged interest rate. Okay. Sure. Um, but when you we have a what we call a due diligence call with for every bond deal we do required for federal securities purposes and the district has to tell us the lawyer not me the lawyers um that you reasonably expect to spend the money within three years.
So we'd be pivoting away pivoting away from Star Renaissance and moving to one of these two benchmarks. And then lastly, I just want to remind parents a notification went out. There is a digital safety parent workshop. Um thank you Miss Potter for signing up. I know you did. Thank you. Um it is on Wednesday, April 2nd at 6:30 p.m. It is an informative session um with the Illinois Attorney General's office and essentially the main topic is how to keep children safe in today's digital world. So if you're available at that time interested in that conversation and that discussion, you're more than welcome to partake um in that information is on our websites. And that is it for me. Thank you. Uh next up is the committee of the whole update. Um we had a review of the bills. Uh went over the custodial bid. Uh had D26 policy manual reviews of section one and section two of our uh board policy.
I will um reach out. I think that may also be in there as just a to ensure the flags are raised. Also, during like really um inclement weather when it's pouring out or really snowing, they may do it instead of having the kids go out. But I can double check on that and make sure. But I know at least because I traffic more up this road than our other schools, but Deer Path in in the junior high definitely I've observed our students um with the support of an adult raising the flags. But I can definitely get back to you about the other schools. Okay. I love that because I agree. Thank you. That's all I have. Thank you. And then just my only comments is I'd like to see some type of assurance for our current staff that they're going to, you know, they've been through a lot the last, you know, up and down.
Thank Thank you. Uh next up is Mrs. Judy. Um yes, I would like to encourage all parents and community members to take the time. This this isn't probably the most uh exciting thing that you'll ever read, but to read through our policy manual, and I'm I'm taking Katherine's banter up tonight. But no, it the information in there is very very important, especially for parents to know your your students responsibilities within the school and the school's responsibilities to them. Um and also if parents have any kind of questions on curriculum development there's the policies are laid out in there and the school board always uh governs by policy. So if you know if you have a question on policy any community member is um there's a you know free to bring that up for discussion. So, it is very important as a parent, I think, that you become familiar with a lot of the policies in that manual.
We note that tonight there is no board action. You will be asked to consider resolutions after the second hearing, but again, tonight is just for the public to be able to hear about the project, the maximums, and to ask you questions. Thank you, Miss Mlullen. I'll recognize Dr. Brown. Good evening. Tonight, we stand before you not just to present a project, but to share a story. A story of our community, our children, and our unwavering commitment to their future. This year, we've dedicated ourselves to aligning every action with our district's heart, student achievement, valuing every individual, and a relentless pursuit of staff and student well-being. It's this very heart that brings us to the critical issue at hand, the need for a comprehensive early learning center. Imagine our dedicated teachers, the very backbone of our educational system, facing the heartbreaking choice between their passion for teaching and the impossible reality of inaccessible child care.
So I would definitely investigate that. Um, in the past I've done some little fundraising so that we have uh like we would fund raise for like the the the incidentals and you know to have some spending money or to be able to um cover the the tips that you would want to give to the driver and that kind of thing that comes as part of this. So, um, I've done things like, you know, the restaurant fundraisers where you go to, you know, you sign up with a restaurant, they give you a percentage of, you know, those are pretty easy. There's no overhead there. Um, so I'm definitely open and willing to think about ways to make it something that is um, within the reach of every student that is interested. Awesome. And I also plan on Yes. I also plan on speaking to Mr. Chidau, the the teacher at at Maynard High, to see what he has done in the past for some ideas.
And they also state their assumptions which were 25 kids in every room at every hour of the day. That means teachers sharing classrooms. That means teachers on carts without their own desks or resources or a place to do their planning or grading. And what happens when 40 kids need to take my history class? We have one class of 25 and then another of 15. And what do we do? Because we need 25 in each room. We fill it with 20 more kids doing something else. It doesn't make any sense. What about lunches? We would need four or five lunch periods. Means the first one probably starts at 10:00 in the morning. Any of these issues would have been more than immediately apparent in any conversation with a staff member or especially the superintendent if there had been any conversation. So my point is that we may be able to fit physically 788 students into that building, but we cannot educate 788 students in that building.
And so, um, Terry Brunelli, who works in our office, got them to start doing a taste test. So, before we introduce a new item into the menu, they're doing taste tests for the kids to see if they like it. And so, the most recent one was the ravioli bites. Toasted. Toasted ravi ravioli bites. Um, so the kids asked for something different as a pasta option. We found toasted ravioli bites. We did a taste test. They loved them and now they're a part of our menu. It's like breaded ravioli. Something more than just chicken nuggets and French fries. What's the matter with chicken nuggets and pizza? Friday night. They still love pizza Friday. Yeah. Pizza pizza Friday. You know, I have no problem with pizza Friday. We had a board member who was really upset about it, but I have no problem if they if the kids will eat.
Does anyone have any questions or comments about the computer replacement? I am I was wondering what happens if we don't like if we were to not make this change and like do the computers I mean free of my technology ignorance also like Windows run these computers and so they would not be able to be run or certain programs would not be able to be run they'll turn on they'll turn on but you wouldn't be able to use them things like that uh but they won't be able to push out the security updates that we need that we've been working very hard for uh to make sure that our network stays secure. So the updates, the patches, everything that Microsoft puts out, they will not be able to be updated after this change. And then some of the software that we use may not be applicable on it.
It is appreciated and noticed. Lastly, as a community member and parent, I ask the board to create more opportunities for families to engage in these important discussions. There are many to be had as a community. Our schools are strongest when educators, administrators, and families work together to support our students. And there is a scarcity of opportunities for parents like me who are willing to work with you to engage in the improvement process. We're here and we can help. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Thank you. Would anyone like to come before the board that did not sign the signs sheet at this time? Going once, going twice. Okay, we'll move on down to the agenda. Consent calendar. Teresa motion that the board of education approve consent calendar exhibits 25-50 through 25-55 in accordance with accordance with 11 minutes 3525 policy committee 25-50 32525 superintendent evaluation committee 25- -51 325 25 Special Board meeting 25-52 32625 Community Relations Committee 25-53 uh 32625 regular board meeting 25-54 at 4225 policy committee 25-55 by Teresa I hear a second Second.
So typically if you're not familiar with the IRA test, they score on a certain level. the test gets progressively more difficult as they answer questions correctly. So they'll start it, let's say in the fall that they tested at a first grade level. Their first set of questions would be at a first grade level and as they continue to answer right, it gets more difficult. They each have a target growth of 100% obviously and that is what a typical one year's worth of growth that a student at that level would make. So I looked at it. I had nine of my 20 students did not meet their 100% goal in fourth grade. Now, that's not a knock on anybody. It's very challenging. This year, all nine of them made 100% grade level growth. Six of which madeund over 150% growth. Three of those students are diagnosed with slicing.
Because they didn't take both tests. So, there are going to be a handful or two or three students that aren't they just they just weren't around for the they weren't around. Maybe they don't test for whatever reason. and maybe they didn't finish the test because during the testing window they were out sick and weren't able to to complete the test. So, there are there are different reasons why not all of our students would be represented on this report. Yeah, it's just a it's just pretty much a high percentage non- testers, right? I mean, I could drill down deeper and actually figure out which kids those were and we, you know, like we can look at that and ask ourselves why and maybe, you know, work on that. But those are the the main reasons why a student would not be on here. Yeah, I think to tie along with that because if you look at reading and they have students assess out of the total, you have 580 out of 803.
Thank you for your time and consideration and I won't mention the name because you said not to mention other employees names. Okay. Um so the second thing I wanted to address was the two predition two professional development days that have been added to our workload every year. Um we have done several surveys and over 75% of our teachers find that they are ineffective for what for their needs. Personally in my classroom I have not found them to be relevant to my subject matter. In fact, I have gone out and found professional development in other places. For example, Santa Cruz County um board of education where I found where I went to professional development over the summer. And from that, I had three lessons plans that I brought to back to my class. A clan uh land acknowledgement, mapping a growing nation, and Native American artifacts, which I got specifically from a professional development done outside this district.
Thank you for your time. [Applause] Yeah, Mr. President, members of the board, and members of our community. Um, in my report, it's going to be pretty simple. Uh, everyone in here sees the three state championship trophies. And I [Applause] think I'm sorry, I'm going to stand up and I think we all should stand up for these groups. Congratulations. My uh my report is is pretty simple. Um this is their time. This is their time and I just want I would like to call all of them up here and have them each uh just tell say their name. We met last Friday, Miss Valenuela and myself with the team. But before we do that, this is on the Canyon Athletic Association uh Facebook page. I believe their uh their participation during the state championship. So, Miss Vanosa is going to show it. Then I'll ask our captains to lead their team up here.
the young men and the young women that went in there and they were able to practice their interview skills um in a setting that is not as uh daunting as maybe like a make it and break it real life. Um so it it's really amazing. Um hats off to everybody that put that together. I was very impressed. Um, and then I also was able to attend Ranch Elementary's carnival and fundraiser and they had an amazing turnout. They had a dunk tank. They had all sorts of carnival games and hot dogs and food and DJ and bounce houses and all sorts of fun stuff. Um, their PTA absolutely amazing. They did a wonderful job. Um, my kids, I even took some neighborhood kids with me over there and we all had a great time. So, it was a wonderful community event as well. Nice. Okay. No one else.
Okay? So whatever amount you're taking down this year not all your 70 million just the first sale that you intend to spend it within three years. If you don't it's not like you lose the money. You just need to call your your bond lawyer or me. I'll turn you on to your bond lawyer to just make sure that you're following federal regulations after year three. But most districts get all their bond money sold within three years. Every once in a while they can't spend it by that deadline. I've never had it had it be a real problem. Um things change, projects change, sometimes delays happen, supply issues, whatever, and it winds up being four years. uh they really want you spending at least 85% of that 43 million within three years. It was actually in preparation but since you've gone down the path for Mr.
Many of those items we'll be discussing tonight. Next up, we have the consent agenda. Included are those items that are routine in nature. Should any board member wish to remove an item from the consent agenda, the item will be discussed at the end of section 8. 7.1 is the open session minutes from the February 24th, 2025 regular board of education meeting. 7.2 is the closed session minutes from the February 18th, 2025 committee of the whole meeting. 7.3 total bills and payroll for the board approval are in the amount of $1,690,398. 7.4 is the treasur's report. 7.5 is the resignation dismissal retirement. 7.6 are the approval of employment. 7.7 is the destruction of closed meeting audio recordings. 7.8 is the disposal of surplus assets. There were none. 7.9 is the D26 policy manual section 1 policies 10 and 130. 7.10 10 is the D26 policy manual sections 2 policies 2 two sorry 222 and 21 150.
So I'd like to maybe have some asurances from citywide that, you know, we want to make sure we're keeping as many of those employees as possible. Yeah, I agree. Thank you. Any other questions? Okay. The I mean the pricing in line, so uh we can just we'll discuss it one more time before we vote. Yep. Be action. Yep. All right. Thank you. Next item up is um the D26 policy manual review section one. And we have a checklist that we kind of are going to be going through policy-wise. Correct. So there um board members were asked to um submit any of the policies out um that are within the policy manual or even policy that may have been omitted um based on the committee's recommendations um that came from sections 102. So the board could have further discussion and make some decisions um um on those and then the board would take action on those.
And I I also noticed that we've hired another bus driver. So, I think um we're probably in a very enviable place among local districts of we're probably almost full staff with our our number of bus drivers. And that's oh, that's been hard to do the last few years. And I think that, you know, um, these people do just an awesome job in taking our children to and from school and and watching over them for the time going to and from school. So, I'm glad that we're really up to almost full strength. Thank you. Knock on wood. Next up, Mrs. Sanuchi. Um, I first wanted to I think Dr. Qu is gone. Um, I um I think it's amazing what Wind Time is providing for these students. I'm hoping that um we hear more about these passion projects. I think the organizational skills as well as the speech skills are going to be important as they move on to high school.