High schools I I I heard cost about $130 million on average. So, that that would probably double the education tax for that bond alone. So, I I think this is a great great time for us to do something different. understand that taxpayers have been hurting for the last four years with high inflation. We have um foreclosures I see are already starting to go up a bit, especially in my neighborhood. And we should understand that uh when people have been squeezed at the grocery store that asking to keep the tax rate at the same level is probably not the most wisest if we want to get something passed. Uh this reminds me of like where I work. You know, I'll go in and ask for I need six headcount because I feel that my my employees or my team members are overworked and well the budget can only call for three.
Thank you. Well, I'll say it real quick. It's it's always amazing me to me the small small world in education, you know, as as someone who's a a teacher in Valley View and seeing some of our candidates with a Valley View background and and also I I do have to give a shout out to one of my wife's uh dear friends who who was also introduced as well. So, uh yeah, it's it's a small world and that's the part I love about this community to say the least. [Applause] Uh, next board. I'm really pleased and grateful for the leadership of our members in our transportation department, communications department, as well as in our district level schools team for really preparing uh tonight's presentation. I want to open it up to Mr. Ofi. I want to thank you for your leadership um in supporting some of the both the information that we are reviewing and really kudos to the board for your commitment and your support for a hazardous study back in I want to say October or November where that was approved and I want to thank you for this uh momentous shift and uh this was uh very important.
And so um I just know I sat in a cohort uh update today, a cohort meeting today to hear all the wonderful things that are going on. And I will tell you that folks are working hard to make sure that students are going to graduate. So we're somewhere between 88 and 92%. Our general diplomas uh looks like we will be handing out um about 1% 10 about 10 of them uh alt diplomas somewhere uh in the neighborhood of six. Um and then I think one of the really um um impressive stats is that somewhere around 50% of our graduating students will be receiving some kind of an honors diploma. So uh it's about 49 and a half% at North and about 49.8 at East. So we are seeing uh a lot of strong outcomes across both schools. Uh next slide please. So success indicators for us uh number of students who are coming off of the credit deficiency list.
I just want to make sure somebody can make sure represent the board. Thank you. I will say this extension out there. So we just appreciate all the work. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. We know there's two other districts within our area here who are beginning to have similar programs, if not the exact same program. Yeah. springtime. Uh, April showers bring May flowers. Of course, May flowers bring nobody. Okay, thank you. But just looking out the window here at the grass and the grounds. Um, you can imag you know what it's like to keep up with your own property. this time of the year, mowing and edging and everything else under the sun to do it. Uh to keep up the grounds of all of our buildings, including the one we're at right now, is pretty impressive. Appearance means everything uh coming up to a building.
it will just help hopefully connect to the eastern uh with the western side of town and um through recreation which is kind of a kind of a neat thing. So in order to uh move forwards and and finalize that purchase uh it just needs board approval. Most importantly yeah see that all the time. Yep. All right. Can I get a motion? Have a motion. Do I have a second? Second. All right. Any further discussion?
I I know what you go through and I know what you're doing and um and and just if you give me just 30 more seconds I have to say I've got three former upward coaches over here. I got a former student. I got a former co-orker. Um I I I just appreciate all of you people. I My our grandson uh that's graduating had some challenges and uh this high school did some great things for him. I just we love this place and I appreciate the opportunity to serve and uh just thank you. Don't move. Don't move. From from a parent that's had you've had all my kids, especially the oldest one. you've always been about the kids. So, thank you. And because you I've known you very well for a lot of years and you've always been about the kids. So, from a parent who have had my kid as a principal, you've done very well and you've Yeah.
Three good towns. Yeah, three good towns. It's true. Three good towns here today. All right, Hollison going to try to get one on. Works it around their own net. I mean around the Raider net. Pass up to Roi to Anastasia. Anastasia on that far side. 20 up to Roi. Roby pass up. We're just working the ball around pretty well right now. Oh, and look at that. What a sneaky play that was. Muelagott gets another one. You thought he was thinking pass the whole time. I think he had Abstice thinking that he was not gonna shoot that. Yeah, he snuck it right by. He's definitely their shooter. So whether he misses the net a few times or not, you you want the ball in his stick. So that was 30 seconds into the fourth quarter when it took um 9 and a half minutes in the third quarter for the first goal.
Luke in and out of two of the Westside defenders. She gets the ball over the restraining line. Pulls the ball back. Gets the ball over to M. Whiter. Whitward to Mckne. M. Whiter with the ball. Mac threw in and out through one through everybody. There we go. Mac Willer stops the bleeding. Finally, somebody does that. Good job by Mac. M Whit to put the Spartans up back by six. Kind of what the Spartans needed on that one. [Music] West Springfield not wanting to be a team you want to be close going into the final five minutes of the game with. You want to keep that lead at bay which the Spartans are doing and Westside keeps chipping back away slowly at it. M Whitler to stop the bleeding. Spartans up 1812 with six minutes to go. Addy Jordan wins the draw. Spins around two of the Westside defenders.
Um, so that will tell you how much time you have left of those three minutes. It is a public comment. It's not a Q&A. The board does not respond to questions as you are speaking. If there is a question, obviously you're welcome to pose your questions. Um, if there's a question asked that the president thinks should be addressed at the end of public comment, he will either address it or ask one of the administrators to do so. Um, again, you should state your name and where you're from. Um, tonight I don't see as many kids as we've had at the last few, but if there are any kids that are going to speak, please just tell us where you go to school. We we don't need to know where you live. Um, and um, yeah, I think that should be it. Just please be respectful of everyone that's speaking, address your comments to the board, and um, keep, you know, the yelling out to a minimum so that we can hear everyone.
With that in mind, we pledge to continue to serve with humility, integrity, and fervent commitment to the flourishing of this city. In this room, there are a few of us represented. Now, you can stand up and make some noise. Out of the 950, I only have a minute. Last stop, families who move from all across the United States, all across the United States to serve the city. And I have one question to ask you. Do we matter or do our votes matter? It was Jesus himself who commanded us, saying, "You are the salt of the earth. You're a city on the hill." Chris, that's that's And we have a life that cannot be hidden. We love you, Garfield. Jesus belongs to Garfield. Heat [Applause] up next. Okay. Next. Anyone else? Can I have like two separate times cuz I want to touch on the the church.
So I make it work. We you know I I I talk about kind of having to fix our sins of the past. Um and I when I talk about this I this none of this is personal. I'm not making it personal at all. Um, but when you look at the fact that what 70 buses are over the age of 15, it's because we bought a a bunch of buses at one time, which kind of gives you this bubble which is going to that bubble is going to carry unless you can continue to replace buses. If we go out and we replace all the all these buses again, we're kind of just passing the buck 20 years later. And I don't think that's fair to the taxpayers. I don't think it's fair to our stakeholders and I think we can take a step back and say, "Okay, you know what?
It took a lot longer but it was worth the wait to get this information. Thank you Dr. Katti and thank you board. I just want to start out by saying as we all are well aware transportation is very expensive to run in the district. Even though we recognize that is an important part of the operation of the district. We realize that we need to be more efficient and run the uh the operation better than we've done in the past. And which is why is one of our strategic objective in the newly approved strategic plan that we have um we have an efficient uh great customer service and at the same time being able to do it with uh with financial sustainability. And in that regards, one of the things that we asked for from the board back in October is an opportunity for us to actually look at some of the key things in transportation that will allow us to run the operation more efficiently.
And so I have uh again uh I'm able to see all of the um uh credit deficient list from day one. And when I look back and and kind of look at where we are now, about 63% of those students have cycled off. And that's a pretty that's a pretty impressive number. And what that translates into is more graduates for for BCSSE. Uh there's been a significant decrease in the number of individual students with uh failing grades again. So that uh translates into more students passing classes. Um lots of focused support uh to help students gain credits, dual credits so that we can get more students to achieve honors diplomas. And again, that's going to have us somewhere around 50% as I said on the last slide. And then we are continuing to meet with parents and students uh to increase participation and completion. And that's a big one because uh again we do have students who are um they they still need as much help as they needed on day one.
So, I want to thank those people that are on those mowers and spreading that mulch and whatever else they're doing. Thank you for that. Much appreciated. Thank you. So, um I just have a quick statement today. Um shocker, but it is uh directed towards a large number of people. So, it is our learn testing time for anyone who has kids that are out there making sure that they're getting to bed on time and that they have all of their, you know, Chromebook is charged and they have their headphones and they have their snack and I know my middle schoolers ask for peppermint candies or peppermint gum. And so I know there's a lot of work being done on the teachers ends to make sure that everything that the kids are as prepared as they can be. Um thank you so much to our teachers. Thank you to all of our staff in the buildings who are helping.
Hearing none. All those in favor? Any opposed? Absolutely. And understand. All right. That motion will carry. All right. We have a excuse me, a request for the Tiger Cub Collective TCC online store and online payments. Yep. So the Tiger Cub uh collector has been u very busy and certainly they've been uh designing, producing and filling orders already and essentially this is kind of the next step in order to kind of scale scale the business the student run business um is to be able to move forward uh with uh taking online payments um and setting up an online store. And so, uh, they've met with myself, they've met with Mrs. Romer. Um, there's good communication, uh, between, uh, the Tiger Cup Collective and us. And essentially, I feel like we have a a good organization, uh, from which to work that would allow us to do this.
The guy that sat beside me and his daughter got he told me I was his principal. I didn't catch that one. I So, yeah. Thank you. Thanks, Gary. Thank you. Okay, moving on the agenda. Move on to item H1, March 2025, financial reports. Thank you, Mr. Allen. Uh, first of all, I'd like to say that I know Becky Smith, but I am not Becky Smith. Wow. However, I was trained by Becky Smith to give these financials. So, I'm going to give it my best. All right. Wow. You beat us to the punch. It's being recorded. We'll share it with her. Yes. I just hope she's not watching the live stream. She's watching. Oh, darn it. All right. So, uh the first thing you'll see up here, board, is the uh March financials for the education fund. And if you notice, the uh budget order in the green was for the $40 million.
It only took 30 seconds in this quarter, folks. Yeah. And he gets his fourth goal of the game. And uh Raiders are up seven-6. Panthers are closing that lead fast. All right, let's see. Hart looks like he's going to win the draw, but he's chasing the ball. And he does. Hart now with some speed going to slow it down a little bit. Pass it to Fowler. Fowler with it behind the Hollist net. Looks like he's going to make a run. Nice pick from Bobby, but didn't quite work out. Atwood dribbles it. Atwood on the 40 trying to work his way in. Great defense though from number 10 McLaren. You got Olsen with it. Olsson, a little spin move there. Olsen. Nice cutting action there past the fowler. Fowler up to Hart. Hart to Atwood to Hartnet. Hartnet looks like he's going to go in. Hart it.
Gets up the field. Addie turns around yard sale in the middle of the field. She gets the ball to Kenner Marino. Ken Marino fires it over to Calibies. Calibies fires it in the middle of Mckne and a save by Davis. Davis has got Mcknney's number today. Westside quickly making giving headway as they're getting the ball up the field. Good job by Grace Howard as there's another yard sale as Grace Howard knocks the girls stick out but gets called for the foul. I don't know how they got that that hash mark on it. Huh. That looked like the uh fall on Howard is a little bit more on the other side. So, I don't know how she ended up with a straight up shot. Molly Finn. Nevertheless, Molly Finn gets her second goal of the half. [Music] West Side not letting Esau Meadow pull away. 1813 437 left.
Are we ready to go? Uh, my name is Bob Duca. I'm 35 years in this town. First, I have to say, uh, as a taxpayer, I have a hard time accepting the line, that proverbial mag falling out of the sky. That's my tax dollars you're talking about, sir. That was a terrible choice of words. Uh, I'm not here tonight to advocate for any layoffs, busing changes, healthc care in classes, make classes bigger. What I am going here to talk about is the $9 million you have in additional spending. 11 positions, $8 million worth of cash going to the reserves. Now, your audit shows that you have $3.7 million from last year, still in there. And the $8 million, by the way, is baked into every budget moving forward. So, next year you have $8 million you're going to spend. X mill you have $8 million.
You have five minutes. Wow. It's rude. I don't know whether or not. Those are the rules. It's 5 minutes. All right. For the uh parishioners of the church, I know why you're here. Because of a post that I put on social media the other day. I was answering the many calls, emails, and texts that I received from residents. I don't know if everybody here knows that I am the new mayor of the city of Garfield, and I had to answer them. I did not put down the church. I just wanted to make sure I put out there that it was legal to do if it was being done correctly. That's what I put. You can read the post. It's there. Now, I did say I mentioned Mr. Ramos. Is there a special favor going on? Because he's the board president. I did post that and there's a reason why.