Finally, the program has given me time for self-reflection. I found a new confidence when walking throughout our district and speaking with all levels of employees and knowing who and where to reach out for whatever my needs may be. During last week's final session, it was said that the inner circle of HUSD is a small one, but an open circle for communication. I truly feel that the circle just grew larger with everyone around me completing HLA. Thank you for this amazing experience. It's actually sad to see that it's ended, but I look forward to next [Applause] year. My name is Renee Roberts. I'm a teacher at Bridges Elementary. I would like to take this opportunity to share a few words about the Higgley Leadership Academy. This year, it has offered valuable professional development by helping me gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence to take on leadership roles within my school and district.
Okay. Sure. We're in the middle of it still. So, yeah. I know it's winding down for the year, but So, it's two two people for that position. Yeah. Okay. So, Dr. Hall has in case one of us can't make it. Correct. Yeah. Okay. So, Dr. Paul is not here, but we're going to leave it open for him to it. Anybody else? Okay, Bill, I just want to give you a heads up. You may be the only one. Okay, it's all right. Yeah. And then the last one was our safety committee. Um, we had some representatives there. I just need to let you know they meet at 6:30 a.m. So, if you're not a morning person, um, this might not be your committee. They meet uh usually once a month. Um they will talk about uh they meet with all the other responders in the area just to hear all the great things that we have planned, things that are going on in the community and some things that are more of the behind the scenes.
Any discussion? I move approval of this resolution. Second. All in favor? I Next is consider the K5 reading curriculum. Yeah. So, um following the review of uh the Indiana Department's high quality curriculum materials list, um committee reviewed and discussed uh both CPLA and Open Court um as the the two front runners for our reading curriculum. Um so, a committee of teachers, coaches, uh Dr. Riker, myself and uh Monty Thompson met and reviewed those and um the coaches took that a little bit further. Um we used the rubric that is in your packet there too to to guide that that conversation and selection and uh we believe that both CLA and open court can best support our students. And um so I would recommend approval of adoption of CLA for grades K through three and then open court for grades four through five. questions of discussion.
So, okay. That's good. I wanted some representation today. Uh tonight I also want you to know there was an insurance committee that's been established and later tonight Jordan will give an update on uh the insurance committee. Uh there's also a bond committee that's been established. The town will be moving towards a bonding package. We heard some things about Mills Pond. Those are the some of the things that'll be in that bonding package. And uh I've appointed Russell Bush to be on that. Russell, they've held their first meeting and Russell will give I think he's online tonight. Russell will give a report on that later. Um I want to make mention to the board that we have coming up now in very short time we have promotion ceremonies for uh our sixth graders, our eighth graders and of course we have uh graduation. So I want you to think about that.
That's why I want to leave you with this. As you figure out what you want to be, don't forget to surround yourself with a community that supports you as you figure out who you want to be. Because in the midst of uncertainty, your people will matter more than your plans. You'll need voices around you that remind you of your worth, that help you laugh when things get heavy, and challenge you to become your best self. And just as importantly, the world will need you to be the kind of community for others. We've seen what it looks like here at Rampart. You've been there for each other, cheering each other on, picking each other up, showing up day after day in big and small ways. That's what real community looks like. And it doesn't end here. Take it with you. Rebuild it wherever you go. So, class of 2025, as you step into the scattering, do it with courage.
She is a bright soul, a joy to be around, and a talented musician. Seriously, now that you're able to hear her perform today with the band, savor it. She is incredible. She puts so much passion into every aspect of her life. Her music, academics, relationships with friends, families, and teachers, and even with the speech she will share with you all today. She is incredibly humble and has always offered herself as a support for those who need it. She has absolutely earned the honor of standing in front of you all today. Everyone, please join me in giving a round of applause to our saludiatoran, Rebecca Boswell. Good afternoon. It is an honor to be here today with you all to celebrate one of life's most memorable achievements. I think we can all agree that high school is a challenging time in our lives, but it becomes much easier to get through when students receive support from the people who care about them most.
But with determination, support, and perseverance, I learned that it isn't about the mountain, it's about the climb. Step by step, I found the strength to keep moving forward up to conquer my steepest mountain. Through this hike, we found a village of mentors and teachers who lifted their students up, helping us rise above our limitations while seeing and valuing each of us for who we are. We found a village. Like my mom always says, it takes a village to raise a Gabby. Freshman year, I took ASL and I learned the sign for thank you. You sign thank you like this. Let's all take a moment, whether you're a senior or not, and right where you are, find your mentor and just sign thank you to them. Ready? Go. Every single one of these teachers is dedicated, compassionate, and truly cares about each one of us. I want to give a huge shout out to Katie Reer, Jake McBride, Amy Reigger, CR, and Eric Kerui.
This includes newsletters written by local leaders um who are now saying that we should pause the plan. What those advocating for pausing the plan are saying is that those of us who did show up and who did voice our opinions don't matter. That after a transparent and publicized process, we should disenfranchise certain voices. You'll often hear the dichotomy where some of us are deemed activists while others are simply concerned residents. This language also serves to disenfranchise certain voices cuz I too am a concerned citizen uh and concerned resident who plans to spend the next 50 years in Ann Arbor. And I'm very concerned about how we're going to grow to meet the coming challenges. I'm here today speaking because on top of sharing my opinions a year ago, I have to come here again to make sure that that engagement mattered and that we don't arbitrarily pause because some people don't like the what came out of that process.
So I'm here to answer questions. U part of my job is to testify as a professional planner that has created the plan in in consultation obviously with the municipality and and the uh affordable housing committee. Next slide please. Um, so this is a little off, but that's okay. I I think you can still see it. Uh, so so generally the Fair Housing Act, uh, defines what affordable housing is. And affordable housing is, uh, affordable to low and moderate income households. Uh, and that really is folks that make 80% or less of the median income. So what you see up here is for region four which this municipality is in. We have six regions in the state of New Jersey. Uh there are this particular region has Ocean Mercer and Mammoth County as part of the region. In this region uh the median income as determined by federal income limitations that are then brought down to the state level um is $104,000.
Um it's the one where celebrations are in the air as you've seen our calendar. We've had a lot of exciting events for our students this past month as we wrap up their hard work and the school year. So, with registration and open enrollment, just an update, we have returning students trickling in. So, please parents, please make sure that you get our students registered so we can make sure to start to get our class rosters in order. Um, we do have some pending withdrawals with families that are moving. Kinder registration looks great. We have 55 students. We are looking at getting 60 students. We have 300 kinder teachers. We have 81 open enrollment students that are registered and accepted. And we have 10 and 16 open enrollment students as well. And if you recall, we do have on our buses open enrollment being accepted now. So I really think that that's helped us get some students um in our school app for open enrollment.
It has provided a supportive environment to grow professionally through collaboration, experience, mentorship, and exposure to real world scenarios and challenges that prepare us for future leadership roles. The academy has fostered a culture of continuous learning and encourages us to work together to find solutions to the challenges education brings today. It also creates a network of professionals that share a passion for student success and school improvement. By investing in the leadership potential of its educators, the Higgley Leadership Academy has strengthened the overall quality of education through collaborative learning, mentorship, and targeted training. We have enhanced our ability to drive instructional improvement, foster positive school culture, and implement strategic initiatives. I'm grateful for the opportunity to attend. I'm Michael O'Neal from Higgley High School. Uh they say it takes a village to, you know, build a child. I, you know, I'm a dad, so but I also think it's that way for a leader.
Um but board member uh participation is really um recommended so that you can help u listen and voice um your um your thoughts. I think Jamie meetings at 6:30 in the morning. Yes, sir. Do you at least get coffee and donuts? We do feed them and a lot of it's because the um a lot of the first responders are on shift really early in the morning. So that's how we have to do it. Wow. And there are representatives from all the schools who probably need to get back to their buildings, right? So that's why we have done it. Um but like I said, it turned out pretty pretty good. So uh Jamie and Nelson were on that. So uh did you want to continue? Yeah, I'm Yes. Great. Anyone else want to be our second? Any early birds? Oh, look at that. Great. I love the opportunity where Jadeie get those hands going.
I move approval of the K5. Second. All in favor? I. Okay. Moving on to personnel. Is that correct? All right. Uh first retirements, we have three retirements. Uh between the three of them, we have 94 years of Crawford's old Community School Corporation. Um Brian Miller who long time was kind of our alternative school teacher um this last year went over and helped with the virtual school electives. Um but Ryan is ready after 31 years with Crawford Community Schools to um you know head off to do some things he enjoys. Um Stephanie Tuthero um been a longtime consumer science teacher, facts teacher, had retired for a brief moment a couple years ago and uh you know rescended that retirement to come back and um she now thinks it is the time. So after 35 years with schools and Kathy Tobias, another person who has kind of retired before um coming back who's been over the adult ed program.
We will have a meeting before that. We meet on the 3 this uh in June early because of the uh end of the year activities and just a reminder we meet at 5:30 that evening on the 3. Um just a word on the election analysis. So on the election we had a 16% voter turnout. Uh there was quite a uh a movement uh across the town to get voters out and um the election before or the referendum prior the year prior um the percentages were closer to 20% 21%. So, um I don't know if that's indicative of the fact that people feel that the budget is is is fine and that we're doing a good job as our elected officials. Uh clearly it won and a win is a win. But um every year it becomes more and more difficult. I think it's incumbent upon the board right from the start of next year and we did that this year beginning in January when we first got the first preliminary budget is to uh extend ourselves out into the community as much as we can and reminding them that uh we need to vote.
Write your own playbook. Give yourself permission to move at your own pace. Celebrate your friends, even when their paths look different than yours. And above all, stay rooted in community because no matter where you go, you don't have to go it alone. Congratulations. We are proud of you. It is now my pleasure to introduce this year's student speaker at large, Cassie Navaro. Cassie is Cassie is joined tonight by her mother and father, Katherine and James Beasley, her twin sister, Eco Navaro, siblings, Na Natalie, Robin, and Talia and Hope, and her grandparents Janet and Larry Hutchinson, as well as other close family and friends, Cassie Navaro. All right. Hi, everyone. All right. Thank you, Mrs. Sanders. The class of 2025 knows what it means to be brilliant, and not for the reasons one might assume. In hearing the word brilliance, some might think of an academic scholar or a prodigy or talented athlete, and some of us are admittedly neither of those things.
These extraordinary people deserve the utmost thanks. I would especially like to thank our superintendent, Mrs. Ginger Habberer, the members of the Academy District 20 school board, Liberty High School's principal, Mr. Matthew Sison, honored guests, and all of the amazing parents, friends, and family for playing this supportive role. I would also like to thank my family, my mom, my dad, and my brothers, Jack and Will, for being so loving to me. Unfortunately, Jack is not in attendance today because he is serving our country overseas. And I know that takes greater courage than it does for me to get on this stage and give a speech. So, I think I'll give him a pass this time. But without a doubt, the reason all of us are gathered here at Clooney Arena today is to recognize the incredible class of 2025. [Applause] Everyone always says life is not fair.
Honestly, I can't imagine making it through high school without you all. Thank you for knowing me better than myself at times. Thank you for answering my endless questions and for grounding me when I needed it most and for always being the ones I could count on no matter the situation. When my trail got rocky, you were there with strength, wisdom, and encouragement to keep me moving forward. There truly aren't enough words to express how grateful I am for each of you. When it comes to guidance and support, I can't forget Miss Webster. I struggled to find the right words to share how thankful I am for you. You have been my rock, steady through both the good days and the hardest clims. No matter how tough your own week was, you always showed up with a smile and a heart ready to help. I'll never forget the little moments like when you made lunch for some of us during work week or when you teamed up and make me take walking class because you know me way too well.
And it's perfectly fair to not like the draft plan. We still have several months of public feedback and engagement, which is doing exactly what it was designed to do. Anyways, thanks to the planning commission and especially the planning department staff for all of the hard work you put in over the last several years into a plan that affirms our need for more housing, for equity, and for sustainability. Thank you. Thank you. Hello. Good evening. Uh my name is Claire Kolivar. I live at 704 Hutchkins on the old west side. And unfortunately, I'm going to have to be one of those to come up and thank you for taking time for the comments, but I am going to be appealing to you and to the city council to pause the plan. So, I have to disagree a little bit. Um, I'm I don't consider myself a disengaged citizen.
So folks that make 80% of that or less are considerate moderate, low and very low ve is uh 30 sorry 50% of the median income and very low is 30% of the median income. So what does that equate to? It equates to 130 to $230,000. somebody that is within the low to moderate income um uh range of a twoerson family uh can afford anywhere between 130,000 and 230,000 home. They also can afford a rental unit uh that would be typically a one or twobedroom and that would be a th000 to $2,000 a month and that runs from very low to moderate very low f people who are considered very low income um typically cannot qualify for a mortgage. So mortgages uh or forale homes are usually at the low and moderate income level. Rentals are from very low to moderate income. Uh just so everybody's aware if you're thinking about well how how does somebody qualify for affordable housing?
So, just keep the registrations coming and keep recruiting your friends to come to our school. Tax credit update. Our latest update, as of May 12th, we have $199,000, the tune of 73.90 from our um amazing community members, business owners, families that donate tax credit funds. And as a reminder, we use tax credit funds to support our clubs, our sports, our tutorials, and um we're just super excited. So, thank you so much. Please again continue to encourage your friends and family members to donate tax credit. And also tax credit funds is what our eighth graders use to go to civics um as well. So, um, this money, does this money include the tax the dollars that have been donated? Just just if there were tax [Music] credit SMB update, the new age back unit in the middle school is progressing. We know that we've had trouble with the unit on and off for years.