In some of these cases, it may have only been like with Bob four years with us, but he's had a full career of 30 plus years in other school districts. And so, we just thank them for everything they've done. Okay, we have volunteer recognition. I'm going to pass on the volunteer because he couldn't make it. So, I'll grab him in June because I want to make sure he gets recognized because he's a special gentleman. Perfect. Okay, then um we we'll just jump on to a student of the month. All right. Uh good evening, Madam President, members of the board. Dr. Wyman and Miss Winger. I am filling in for Dr. Middleton tonight for student of the month. Last time I did, I told him I might not give it back. And I'm going to say that again because it's always a pleasure to get to recognize some of our outstanding students.
They're not going to have to fit the total bill. And that's all I have. So move on to um item 6A, retire recognition. Dr. Lukeman. Thank you, President Downey. Tonight we celebrate the lasting contributions of our retirees. On behalf of the governing board and the entire district, thank you for the time, energy, and heart you brought to your work. Your legacy lives on in every classroom, every hallway, and every life you touched. At this time, I'd like to invite our governing board to join me down on the floor as we recognize each one of these extraordinary people and their extraordinary careers. And now I'll turn it over to director of communications.
Yes. But how do we find that balance um as a select board, right? It's it's it's where what policies can be discussed or implemented to find that balance between wanting more people to live downtown but also encouraging businesses um and having space for those businesses to be there. What What are some strategies? So, think on that a second and I'm going to have Joe start on this one. Thank you. Um this is not something new and and Calvin is part of our affordable housing trust committee. This is a a concept that we have discussed for a number of number of years and uh have brought up several times over this past year. Um the concern is getting getting people to wanting to live closer to town. Um you're not going to have families moving in closer to town. I have concerns with children in railroad tracks.
So I I bring that up every time, but we we've obviously spoken about it multiple times. Yes, I am a firm believer also that everybody has the opportunity. Um we've already been able to fund one student going going in the past when we officially put the information out this evening. I'll make it very clear if anybody has any financial challenges that could impact their ability to go to come have a private conversation with me and we do have a fund that can help offset the financial challenge. Yeah. Awesome. Just looking for a vote to Oh, sorry, Mike. I just wanted to say that I've heard this presentation a number of times and maybe it's because I experienced it last year, but this this was by far the the the best presentation I've heard regarding this trip. So, I want to commend the four of you for really doing this trip justice and um letting people know exactly how meaningful it really is.
And our focus has been on the continued implementation of our high quality instructional materials. Um, and we're going to continue that work. We actually had a meeting this morning looking ahead to next year, closing out this year. And, um, I can anticipate we'll continue to deepen our work on lesson internalization, prioritization, um, and supporting students to take ownership of their learning and um, be engaged in new ways and opportunities. Also wanted to shout out the admin team. We had five administrators, principles, and department heads um participate in mock interviews for prospective teachers at the University of Massachusetts on a t on a Wednesday evening before the April break. Um it was a good opportunity both for our staff but also for prospective students. those students went through a round of interviews with our administrators and it allowed us to um pitch the district as well.
And our focus has been on the continued implementation of our high quality instructional materials. Um, and we're going to continue that work. We actually had a meeting this morning looking ahead to next year, closing out this year. And, um, I can anticipate we'll continue to deepen our work on lesson internalization, prioritization, um, and supporting students to take ownership of their learning and um, be engaged in new ways and opportunities. Also wanted to shout out the admin team. We had five administrators, principles, and department heads um participate in mock interviews for prospective teachers at the University of Massachusetts on a Tuesday on a Wednesday evening before the April break. Um it was a good opportunity both for our staff but also for prospective students. those students went through a round of interviews with our administrators and it allowed us to um pitch the district as well.
So this agenda includes uh three federal mandates, two state mandates, plus five policies on the routine calendar, one with a recommended revision and the other four with no changes suggested. Uh the federal mandates involve a series of discontinued policies and replacement policies. Uh policy 4000.1 and 5145.44 44 are uh basically rolling us back to where we were last November before we changed the policy in the first place. So based that is being done based on it or being recommended based on advice from the attorneys in CA uh the two title N policies we just adopted last December should be discontinued and replaced with the former policies in place under the 2020 regulations. And I put in some legal excerpts because the the voluminous information coming in this regard. So I tried to just find the the the uh the excerpts that led to a conclusion and I included those with the uh the uh policy agenda.
You are putting down your book bag and you're getting out there. They're getting a solid 45 or more minutes of PE which has shown the the results there. Chronic absenteeism another thing with that we're proud since um the return to CO that you can see the trend lines are trending down which is what we want to see and especially note that it's the the the blue the high needs is also coming down so we are really proud of the work that our PPS and our school counselors do um and when we talk about all this vision is not enough you go back I can go back is is now 16 so we're now below we're below [Applause] I need to put my middle school voice on. Thank you. I'm glad to know that. Um, vision is not enough. It must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps.
Any discussion on this outside the door? Do you guys have any questions about this? No. This is um yet another requirement by the state. Imagine that. And so, but this is actually this is this is good and and much needed. Um we we do this pretty much already. Um, but now starting this coming school year, you we the board has to approve the adoption of the screener, which is going to be Dibbles, which we already have. Um, and so we have folks that are already trained on that anyways. And so that's one of the ADOP um state adopted screeners. And so this is sort of a formality where the board has to approve using that screener. And that is on the list um from the letter from Tony Thurman um of which of the screeners that are allowed to be adopted. And the good news was we already had it.
A fair wage increase for all CATAB members that will help to attract and retain qualified staff. Reduce the cost of health care. Eliminate two unnecessary professional development days with no loss in compensation. Expand prep time for K3 teachers. Class sizes for TK and K3 that will allow us to provide the best instruction for our students. case load for SLPs and SDC teachers that reflect the increasing needs for these critical services. Tonight, CATAB members and you've already heard from parents will speak again on the importance of achieving these goals. What CABB educators and teachers want to know is when we give 100% to our students, why is management offering 0%. We give 100%. Why offer 0%? We give 100% why offer 0%. We give 100% why% offer 0%. So these are the voices of our members. All right. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Following the removal of the contents, a comprehensive damage review process will occur and we'll begin to define the scope of the necessary reconstruction and repairs necessary. Please note, we don't have a definitive timeline on when the building's full return to occupancy will occur. I do also want to assure the board and the community that the district does carry insurance uh for this type of event. So we will be covered and going forward as we receive additional information and have uh progress related to the restoration process. I will be updating the board. Any question from the board at this point? We will give updates. So uh with every cloud and in this case it was a big smoky black cloud there is a silver lining and we had so many staff members uh come together. But tonight, we want to honor one that you all know very well.
and has been nationally recognized for accomplishments in the engineering field. Please give it up and a big hand for Bren Mros who will be speaking at our future school. Class 2025, how we doing tonight? Oh, that was kind of weak. Parents and family, how are we doing tonight? I fear you did not win that one. You see, our freshman year of high school, we were asked to write smart goals. Now, for anyone who doesn't know, the intention was that by the end of our time at high school, we would have accomplished these goals and gain skills to use in our future endeavors. Wow. My goal was to be the class of 2025 graduation speaker. And I recognize that might sound random. I mean, after all, the majority of your goals revolved around your grades or your sports or your plans after high school, and understandably so.
These students ranked number one and number two in this extremely high achieving class. Ava Lewis and Kushi Turu, please join me at the podium. [Applause] You can stand on either side of me. First, I am pleased to introduce Kushi Tuluru. Would Kushi Kushi's family and friends please stand and be recognized? Congratulations. [Applause] Kushi Tuluru is our 2025 saludiatoran. She is graduating with a 4.78 GPA. Kushy has been on a mission to reduce an in disparities in healthcare. Her journey has led her to help give back to her community and learn from many health care professionals along the way. She plans to continue her work in university and beyond. because she served as a school officer for the National Honors Society, Future Business Leaders of America or FBA and Science National Honor Society. She is both a 2024 Colorado Health Occupation Student of America State Champion and a 2024 Colorado FBLA state champion.
Um, not a surprise. It seems to go this way a lot. But we're going to start with a student that we need to uh get up here and get recognized because she's got an orchestra concert to go to. So uh we're going to begin with Harmon Elementary and our character trade of the month communication and start with Aaliyah Figureroa. [Applause] All right. Aaliyah consistently expresses her ideas with clarity, whether through her writing or during class discussions. Her thoughtful participation, active listening, and ability to respond appropriately in both group and individual settings set a positive example for her peers. Whether she's giving a presentation, working on a long-term project, or contributing to a classroom conversation, she does it with confidence and purpose. Aaliyah's dedication to setting and achieving personal academic goals is also a reflection of her strong communication skills and a commitment to growth. Harmon is so proud of you.
Well, good evening everyone and thank you all for joining us tonight. We have the distinct pleasure of celebrating some truly remarkable individuals who have devoted many years um to serving the students of Maricopa Unified School District. As they step into this new chapter filled with travel and grandchildren, hobbies, and no alarm clocks, we take this moment to honor them. I'm proud to recognize this group of educators and professional support staff. Whatever your role, I assure you, you made a difference in the lives of students. On behalf of our superintendent, the Maricopa Unified Governing Board, and the 9,914 students we serve, I extend to each of you our heartfelt gratitude and appreciations. Now, it gives me great pleasure to present the Maricopa Unified School District retirees. Please come forward when I read your name to receive your recognition. and then make your way to the stage.
I that's that's not a good formula. That's not a good mix. I'm sorry, that's me personally. Other people may like that. I just I just think it's a disaster waiting to happen. Um, but if you have senior citizens, which we have at 119 Main Street, and if we can develop that a partial area uh to continue providing housing for seniors in the downtown area, well, that they can walk. It makes it easier for them to if you have businesses that are associated downtown, they can easily walk to these locations. We've just done the revitalization downtown. The sidewalks are wider. Uh we have more pedestrian crosswalk signs available and um it makes it a little bit safer. I'm not saying completely safe, but it's a little bit safer for for them all. So I mean that's that's one way to look at you said respect to policies.
So, thank you for Yeah, you all are amazing. And of course anyone who uh parent thinking about sending your kids um obviously we're biased at this point but the chaperons uh Miss Shields and Mr. Man and whoever else goes are are amazing. They've been doing it for years. They've developed relationships with the um facilities and you can absolutely feel confident that your child is going to Awesome. I would move to approve the Makea-Wish out ofstate trip as presented knowing that the dates are tentative and subject to approval by the superintendent. Second. All in favor? I I Okay, so much. Nice to see you all. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, next up, going back to the top. Going back. Pitway school community engagement presentation, please. Oh, well hello. I will tell. Okay. Okay. Beautiful. Okay. Tell me when to click. Sure. I think everyone here knows me, but Sarah Davidson, the preschool director and the sped coordinator.
So, we've talked a little bit about our recruitment efforts, our partnership with UMass is something that we value and um another thing that we continue to want to grow and foster moving forward. The extended year, extended school year program, our summer program planning is underway. Um, again, we had a lot of interest from staff and we're working out some some details, but if people had questions, they can certainly reach out to my office or pupil services. Um Sarah Crawford, one of our assistant special or pupil service directors is the coordinator for the program. So, we're working closely um on offerings for the summer. And then finally, I was fortunate enough to attend a short portion of the training active bystandard training happening happening at um Greenfield High School today. This is for from Quabin Mediation's training active bystandard program. Had approximately 30 students attend a training over the last two days.
So, we've talked a little bit about our recruitment efforts, our partnership with UMass is something that we value and um another thing that we continue to want to grow and foster moving forward. The extended year, extended school year program, our summer program planning is underway. Um, again, we had a lot of interest from staff and we're working out some some details, but if people had questions, they can certainly reach out to my office or pupil services. Um, Sarah Crawford, one of our assistant special or pupil service directors is the coordinator for the program. So, we're working closely um on offerings for the summer. And then finally, I was fortunate enough to attend a short portion of the training active bystandard training happening happening at um Greenfield High School today. This is for from Quabin Mediation's training active bystandard program. Had approximately 30 students attend a training over the last two days.
Uh the next policy is 0523 and again based on advice from the attorneys in CABE this should be discontinued in its place there is an existing policy in our catalog presently and at CAB's model policy library proposed as a replacement uh presently policy 6121 is uh uh in the education section our instru instruction section. Forgive me, I forget. Anyway, it's been modified to change one word in the name and give it a new number to be policy 0112 and titled non-discrimination and education and this again is to comply with federal mandate. Then we have new policies under state mandate. Uh policy 5131 9111 uh is the Connecticut school climate policy. Uh this goes back to the 2023 legislative season for adoption by July 1, 2025. So we're mandated to do this by that date. uh were required to adopt this specific policy and its language.