So most of our students come from that but parents can refer their students to the program. We also get referrals from day youth services and the data juvenile review board. So really trying to find the students that are most in need that really could use that support. But of course at the end of the day we know that every student needs and deserves a mentor. So we're working hard to make those numbers increase year after year. I'm happy to share that um we almost doubled the number this past year. We ended last year at 92 mentoring matches and now we're at um 143. So we're just at the 150 mark. So, little by little, we're getting there. And again, sorry for the small font here, but um this is this year comparison at each of the schools. So, you'll see that most of our um schools, we were able to place more mentors or at least keep the same number.
This is not about numbers that we put in presentations to see always how the district is doing. This is about a student sitting in a classroom and what a teacher has to do in order to move that student as quickly as possible to grade level expectation. So, as we continue this campaign, um, you know, we're always open to feedback, but that was a big shift in the district this year, and we appreciate the principal and the departments and the teachers openness to try this. And to see the kind of results that we're seeing in reading and math for the growth for this year in March has been been fantastic. I thought that was my idea. Yeah, I know. So, There's many people. So, one of the things that really I just pulled it up in front of me because where we I gave you information in the packet.
That's a giant percentage of kids and we don't know how close they are to being in the green. They might be a couple points away. I just always feel like that yellow is a an opportunity. Not that the red isn't an opportunity, but the yellow is a giant opportunity. And I feel like we should really be those are the looking at that and trying to target those students pretty hard right over to get them over to the green. Yep. That's a lot. 44% on the map. It's a giant window. Agreed. Diane, did you have something you wanted to say? I just wonder what we could do as a district to talk to parents to alert them that they have to be involved in their children's education. You can't expect everything to be a teacher, right? And what what can we do to have an influence concerning for example children being on social media which we know is up to six hours a day that many are addicted or it's being used as a babysitter.
Um and then we're finalizing preschool and TK classroom locations. We've met with the principles and um taking a look at any restroom modifications that need to be done based on some of those placements for uh some of our uh special needs programs, especially at the preschool level. As far as moving, um Tony's actually met with all of the schools multiple times um and met individually with staff members that have requested it to talk about the moving schedule and what that might look like. Um, so he's been responding to those questions and concerns and the recommendation for the award of the moving services is actually on this evening's board agenda. I believe it's the last item on the agenda. So, we'll have that mover in place. We'll be able to then finalize plans with that mover and give them uh more of an approximate amount of um moves that we have based on the classroom configurations that um we've been going over with all of the school sites.
After class, she tidies up without a sound. She lifts the chairs and makes sure joy is found. She's a leader, strong and brave, doing good because it's right. She makes her day a masterpiece profound. She's respectful. She's ready, always kind, a rare example of the best you'll ever find. With a spirit full of grace and a come uplifting face, she makes her day a masterpiece in every way. Please join me in celebrating the third grades. the third graders most a mo uh the third graders this month's superintendent award recipient Miss Arya Padal is mom here family here. Everybody, two, three, five. Awesome. [Applause] Hi everyone. Let me present to you our next award. It's from fourth graders. She is an exceptional leader who exemplifies academic excellence, integrity, and commitment in our school community. consistently performs in all learning areas and is known for positive attitude, responsibility and dedication.
U what will happen just for your own knowledge is the staff has already received a contract. That contract is based on this year's current uh salary. Um, if you approve this, then we'll come back most likely at the May board meeting with uh a list of all the individuals and what the increase would be. And then if you approve that, then we would go ahead and and give an amendment to the contract which would go out to staff right after that and that would be the acceptance of the new salary schedule. So I'd recommend approval as presented. Now we had an extensive study session on this. So, um, but if you guys have any other questions, um, we'll take them now. The study session we had a long few weeks ago was very helpful. Yep. Okay. Okay. Then I will take a motion. I motion to adopt the 202526 salary increase proposal as presented.
We're a growing district. There's a lot going on. Um, I want the community to hear that you and maybe Dr. Lman will have a comment that you've seriously thought about the amount of work you're taking on for the next two to three years. Um, and just I'll leave that there. Can you make a comment? So the we're not going to this for the sake of getting money, having money in the bank and not being able to use it because we lack resources or skills or whatever. Yeah, we have the resources and the skills to take these on. We're we're very confident that we can uh run these two projects at the same time. We This isn't our first goaround, so we're a little bit better than we were with Desert Sunrise. And I think that project turned out pretty well. I would add that we've selected a familiar team with a proven track record and we know that the students are coming and we have we the demand is there.
Still moved. Second. Any discussion? Hearing none, if we can take a vote. Katherine Potter, yes. Mindy Hartman, yes. Jason Jansik, yes. Darling, yes. Ann Sanuchi, yes. Stacy Salt, yes. Julie Jetty, yes. That motion is approved. Uh it item 8.3 is the approval of policy 2160 checklist for selecting a board attorney. Um I'm going to ask the board if for a motion to table this until next month at our cow meeting. So moved. I would like a motion. A motion. Yes. Yes. Is there a second? Sure. I'll second it. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. If we can vote on that, please. Mindy Hartman, yes. Jason Jansik, yes. Darling, yes. Ann Sanucci, yes. Stacy Salt, yes. Julie Jetty, yes. Katherine Potter, yes. Will be tabled until next month. Next up is item 8.4, Four, the approval of policy 2170, the procurement of architectural auditors, engineering and land surveying services.
President Darling. Yes. Can I just ask would you like to send um action or consent? Um we should be able to put those with the exception of 140 into consent. Yep. We'll exclude 140 and then put the rest in consent. Yep. Perfect. Thank you. Okay. uh policy 222, community guidance and long-term strategy development. Uh this is specific to D26. It's not a press policy. Um Miss Hartman said that this is on her list for review for almost the same reasons as she had brought forth policy 130 school district philosophy. Um the section on community core belief she says and maybe it should just read uh revisiting the strategic plan every 5 to seven years. Um my suggestion would just be to list the five strategic plan goals here or list those in policy 130. I agree with you there's a question of that. Um but placing the strategic plan goals in 130 makes more sense as this policy um is more board directed guidance and section one of the manual is more focused on the broader district understandings.
You've got to be able to demonstrate that you've actually retained this information cuz 30% just seems like wouldn't seem like a goal. Oh, I see what you're saying. So we and now I'm with you. So our as a district, remember this is our final year that we're saying that we want students to be at the 30th percentile, right? So the data that you're seeing is reflective of that 30th percentile benchmark. So that means that we want our students, right? If they are showing proficiency, can I go to the next one and then we'll come back? Let me explain. Yes, I know where you're going. Let me go with the reading. Let me go with the reading because it's a little bit more clear and then we'll come back this way. Okay. All right. So, let's go to reading. When students take the reading assessment, right?
Good evening, uh, school board members. Um it's um great to be in front of you tonight and to say thank you uh for the leadership that you're showing our community in tackling a very large issue not just here in Jefferson County but throughout the state and providing us the opportunity to have child care to help attract and retain top talent. Um we um continue to see that as a major hurdle for us uh and for our workforce. Um, we have a top uh 10 employment group that meets uh two or three times a year and it is certainly our number one issue in conversations and for the school corporation here in Madison to be taking a leadership role and helping us in our community uh is formidable. Uh other communities aren't that lucky and are having to solve those problems in other ways. And it gives us the city of Madison and our economic development efforts to focus on other important things uh other important quality of life issues.
So we've got about a $557,000 increase. And you know it's one of those things it's a moving target. This could change dramatically tomorrow. We could have, you know, students move out, thus reducing that number. We could have students move in, um, thus increasing that. Or we could have students who are currently in the district who we we have been working hard and we just haven't found the right fit for them and and we just have to understand that that is something that um is always um out there. uh Erin Lash Chappelle. I obviously she's been here twice maybe already uh three times. Um talking about the uh Ashlin Middle School schedule uh and um that was her big charge at the beginning of the year and she's still with us at least. I'm thankful for that. Um, but it came uh with some potential savings and I want to stress that the folks who are part of those half teams, no one lost a job because of our change in our schedule.
Um so it's very important that today as you heard from all these teachers and these two wonderful students who are here that it's education is very important and actually we wouldn't have teachers or superintendent without students. So let's think about that. um you know so I just want to make that very known and very clear. So thank you. Appreciate everybody. I have some questions. Oh sure if you don't mind. I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about what your experience has been like on the human rights commission and over any overlap you see between the commission's work and the Greenfield school committee. Um so uh I was elected in October. Um, I was selected vice president about a month or two ago. Um, I guess my work is really amazing. Um, I get to hear from people all over um, the city about what they want in their community.
Uh, our March community meeting uh, was a great success. Uh we had um uh if you didn't know uh our very own sixth grader Shelby Winter uh was in my personal opinion the star of the show of um she played Flounder in Ammy High's uh production of The Little Mermaid. I think she still has three performances going this weekend which is amazing. Um, and like so as as a fellow like theater geek. Um, so I did that all through high school. Like the poise that she has at sixth grade in a high school production on stage with significant amounts like significant lines. It wasn't just like the cute little kid that comes out and says something like she had a huge role and was amazing. Um, so we're super proud of her. Um, Miss Kiesel, Mrs. Sparo and I have been attending a couple of job fairs.
Any questions? I think I'm still recovering from DC. Thank you. Thank you. I'll read Mr. Miselli's report for tonight. He is um in his hometown being given an award, a public safety award for his service on the uh police commission, I believe it is. So, he's not here tonight. So, uh, the Folton High School Concert Band and Concert Choir students departed for Orlando, Florida to participate in the Disney soundtrack session workshops. Students will work with Disney clinicians to choose and rehearse excerpts of Disney movie soundtracks and create professional quality recordings to mash up with movie clips. They're going to be busy as well. Um, students will enjoy experiences in the Disney parks and will return to Bolton on Sunday, April 11th. As you can notice, our two board of ed student reps are not here. Grace and Andrew are part of this trip. So, that's why um their absence is is noticed.
Um you'll see there's a few increases. Um King Street Intermediate's been um really great. Um, we've been working really closely with the social worker there and really identifying a lot of fifth graders that could use a positive role model in life before that transition that happens with fifth to sixth grade. Um, and I think it's a great model that hopefully we can adopt across the other schools too to really get fifth graders with a positive role model. So when they go to that new school, it's a little less scary because their mentors there waiting for them. And then again, this just shows the growth this past year. um you know each month you really add um more matches because grades and of course we do have some loss of matches and some closures um data grades pretty transient so sometimes students move out of the district um or move away um so of course that's basically the biggest um driver of why our matches close early and when does this happen as well as the mentor is willing able matching with a new student that is um you know needing of a mentor kind of from one of her students that having a mentor has truly been a blessing.
I know we're jumping around because I want to make sure it's interactive and and involved real humans in the discussion to um to center the work. But I think the the data also is outdated already because I already continues to happen. And what I'm looking at in front of me that you don't have on the screen, we'll get to the screen in a moment, is every single grade level, third through 5th, range, excuse me, 3rd through 8th, range from 133% growth through 150% growth in terms of the median. So if you lined up all the the the numbers from lowest to greatest, that middle number um It's not in there. No, no, it's No, it's not in there. Would be one. Like I said, it's because we pulled it today. I'm pulling it right this moment would be 143. So really exceptional growth from third grade all the way through 8th grade.
When we try and give the information out, send the information out. Um maybe we can put together some data or some um flyers we can push out on parent square. Um that's what we you know we can we can give the information but we can't go home with them. But I mean giving them some statistics, giving them, you know, dad doing blasts on parent square or whatever. For example, telling them if a child doesn't read it by fourth grade, they probably won't graduate high school. I mean, that's a fact. Terra just volunteered to make them. I like I used to work in marketing. You're awesome. Make them fire. They could give me some data. Yeah. I mean if they if they knew if parents knew that statistic you know that might wake up you know and then practical ideas of how they can get involved you know just encouragement maybe care.
and we'll be able to start planning that out so that um we can hopefully seamlessly move our staff this summer. That's all for business. Before you go, Kevin, are there any additional questions for this section? Questions, comments from the board? None. No, none. Good evening. Just a quick update on the enrollment and the student placement piece. So um this past uh March 28th, the school placement letters that were sent out to all of the parents at Cherrywood, Lane View, and Toyon were due back at their home school letting us know if they are coming back and accepting the um new placement for their students. And so the school clerks are tabulating those results. uh the last week and reaching out to parents who had not submitted the placement letters and so they were doing that the week of March 31st. Uh we sent out another reminder the early or this week and for the most part we're getting pretty good results either by uh phone calls, emails and making um just to confirm our numbers so that we can uh look at the number of students that are going to be placed at our new schools.
Her leadership, commitment to coming to class every day and genuine care for others make her a deserving aspirant for the superintendent student. Michael Leah and together with her parents to receive the [Applause] award. One, two, three. Awesome. This is for um I want to present our recipient for tonight's award. Um we have Christian Herrera. Christian is a shining example of what it means to be responsible, respectful, and ready. As a fifth grade student, he shows maturity beyond his years through his kind actions, helpful attitude, and eagerness to learn. Christian dreams of becoming a chef one day, and his dedication to learning shows that he is serious about reaching that goal. He listens carefully. He participates with enthusasm and takes pride in improving his work. So let us all congratulate Christian Herrera. A spell. One, two, one, two, three. Smile. One more. One, two, three.