Any questions, just email them to me, whatever the questions they are, and we'll get them over to Mike. And then Monday night we'll meet again and we'll go through all the other questions before we get to the meeting on Tuesday where we will be voting on the budget. Okay. Good. Good plan. All right. I want to thank Cara, your entire team. I I know the work that the long nights um that you guys have put into really dissecting this budget. It's it's this is probably my four years on the board. I I this is the most in-depth that I've actually had, you know, explain to me about just everything that's in this budget. Um it's very clear and um I appreciate all that work. I think even for us new members and the members that have been here, it's just important for us to understand it because at the end, you know, we're the ones that have to, you know, put our stamp on it.
SMED teachers have taught for many years have been told that they should have enough experience to handle their classrooms without the support of a parah. PAR educators are a critical component in a special education classroom for many reasons. We re we rely on the support of paras for academic reasons such as providing small group or individual student support. In many cases, they are also necessary in providing behavioral support when students elope, meltdown, or need assistance with crisis situations. In every case, the PAR provides support and insight that is directly tied to our students making progress toward their IEP goals. The overage of para educators is an HR issue that should not be solved by punishing our most exceptional student populations. The priority of PAR support should not be given to inclusion classrooms in the general education setting when separate settings are experiencing similar or increased behavioral and academic challenges than we have ever encountered.
Ethics prohibits us from that. We don't have the freedom. We don't get paid. We don't get benefits, but we don't have the freedom like they do on the council side to do whatever they want and they can comment. So, it becomes a little overwhelming when all of a sudden your phone starts blowing up that people want you to respond to something and you can't and you want to in the worst way because you want to say, "No, no, no, that's not true." So, you have to wait for everything to just generically unfold. So, to those that are um basically stirring the pot and and trying to like get get us to react, it's not going to happen because we know our role and I'm very proud of the commissioners that sit at this day because you do a very very good job. Also, with that being said, this group has worked really hard on the next process that we have to um face, which is the board vacancy, and we're going to be going back in to um public about that.
Your birth rate suggests 2.2 per thousand. Other sources suggest that that rate of birth could be six per thousand. How was it that that data was not included in the discussion or that um that explanation of the data that was used to make decisions? My understanding is that the current birth rate is 1.6. So instead of 2.2, it is actually 1.6. your chart shows 2.2 >> but if you do look at it so assuming that we continue with the birth rate of 2.2 two, then the birth rate of babies who are deaf or heart of hearing will remain stable as long as birth rates remain stable. But the birth rate is not stable. The birth rate is declining. Therefore, we see a similar decline related decline to the births of babies who are deaf and heart of hearing >> up through 2025. But after 2025, you have no information that suggests that birth rate and the level of deaf heart of hearing per thousand is going to stay the same.
Our special education students matter and need support. Our special education teachers matter and need support. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right, Kian Peak, then Autumn Dies and Anna Delgado. So, Kian, then Autumn, then Anna. Hello. First of all, thank you for saying my name, right? It's a weird name. I'm sorry about that. I also got super excited. I'm like, "Oh, yay. I get to speak early." And then I looked at the time and it's 10 p.m. Uh, anyways, good evening. Long time no see, man. It feels like we were just here. Uh, I'm fighting that winter crud. Please forgive me. I told you my fight was just going to get stronger and louder. I'd like to quote some data that was posted yesterday. The voice of Apple Valley, which if you're still watching, please post me. I would like some traction, internet traction.
Mr. Shahada, for the longest time, when I was growing up, I thought my name was Billy, Jane, Tom, and Judy because that's the way my mother used to call us. So, I only answered to that for the longest time. I never answered to my own name. Don't worry about it. It's all good. We're all We're building the ship as we're going, and I'm I'm a-okay with everything. Um, do we have any um new business? Anyone? This is Mr. Commissioner Kenova. >> So, actually, I think this is old business. We talked about this last time about modifying our policy for selecting a board member and having it be more like a voting process. >> I just forgot where we're at with that. >> Um, we I think we we're going to go in executive session just to discuss it again because we do have a legal question on it.
It's going to increase or decrease. And with the reputable sources that are saying that could go as high as six to one, six to 1,000, there's a tremendously large number of children that are either unidentified or underidentified that have u hearing loss. Superintendent Reichman, if I can interrupt. Um, if we can have uh, director of operations, Albert Duff, provide a little more context. He was one that helped develop that chart. >> Absolutely. My name is Albert Duff, the director of operations, uh, board president Buchanan, members of the board, Superintendent Reichman, Assistant Superintendent Catch. >> Robert, I'm going to interrupt you for a minute. >> Um, I would like to be able to answer that question. >> That's fine if you just let me let me say this. This question was directed to the superintendent. I understand that but I don't believe that the question is clear.
um shared that 87% in participation, 78% of voters have no confidence in Superintendent Nelson. I'm not saying this is my belief, too. But how am I supposed to have confidence as a 16-year-old when it took five months to get any kind of response to my querying concerns? I say this especially because the agenda last month reads information on SB 328 and ABUSD rural um status for purposes of exemption from education se code section 46148. But superintendent Nelson, you said it was basically a conflict with elementary start times and money for busing. You said other successful districts following the law such as Victor Valley Union High School District don't have to worry about the littles. There seems to be some nonfeence going on here. You failed to act to obey the law, completely ignoring the health of all high school students. Is this laziness in your performance or just absolute disregard for the care and concern of students?
Okay. And then when we come out, we're going to actually somebody on the board is going to actually make the motion to suspend that policy so we can institute our own um our own process. For what the public doesn't realize is that we have a policy on the books of how we nominate the vacancy applicant. It was similar to the way we used to do it years ago. Whoever got out here pressed the button first, nominated that person. We went around the room and voted. We didn't have a chance to vote for a slate of candidates. Uh, Commissioner Kenova brought it to our attention. We discussed it last meeting. We have some more tweaks to make on it. We're going to go back in because we're going to be discussing that tonight again. And as soon as a process is finally uh agreed upon with consensus, we will come out or we will notify the public of what what we're doing and how the process is rolling out.
>> Go ahead. >> Okay. 2.2 bursts per thousand is data from the Arizona Commission of Deaf and Heart of Hearing. >> Correct. >> The other the other part of that is that there are reputable sources that rec recognize that could go as high as six. So we have a gap somewhere in there that was not accounted for. And what that says to me as I look at the chart, there's a large group of children that are either unidentified or certainly underidentified. As we heard our early childhood person talk here, some parents don't know. They're afraid to ask. Um, if we can't get into that unidentified population, that's where your numbers are going to come from. And if we look at the rate of six per 1,000, what we're going to see is potentially 400 plus more children. And I chose to look at the year 2020 to ask if at 2020 that number rose to over 400 above the number that was on your chart.
Should I, as well as all the others, have no confidence and not just the administration of the district, but the board too? How am I assured that you are going to stay proactive like you said you were when you disregarded the law for seven years, took five months to give me a response, and have admitted it may take a year or more to finally put it in effect if you finally discuss it. If after all the stakes I am going for go beyond wages and standards of living, I am asking for betterment of health and mental well-being being backed by a law that your ignorance has led you to not follow. I still plan on continuing to attend monthly and even if I don't or don't speak somehow someway I want to be that thorn in your side because as much as I want this to directly benefit me it is ultimately up it is ultimately about the well-being of the future generations.
Can't do it until the board actually discusses it. We did did discuss an hour before. We're going to discuss again. Plus, we're also going to discuss a contract matter, policy, and an employee matter. So, we have a lot to discuss. So, any other new business? All right. With that being said, how long do you think we will be in exec? >> Uh, say an hour. >> Well, an hour for you guys for your stuff. What about us? Um, >> let's stick to an hour. >> I'm gonna I'm gonna say an hour and a half because if we become longwinded, it'll come just out. >> We We have a We have a lot of opinions to vote on this, but an hour and a half. So, uh, could I have a motion to go into executive session? >> Second. >> Motion. Motion by, uh, Commissioner Kenova, second by Commissioner Brun.
Those children are now school age. And we know that the largest number of children that have hearing loss have acquired hearing loss. So, those are children haven't been identified yet. And yet, they're going to show up in schools. They're going to show up here. They're going to show up in public schools somewhere. And somebody's going to say, "Where is ASB to help us?" That's question number one. Go ahead. That's a lot of numbers. I know. when you are talking about the data, I would be happy to sit down and share with you what data we are working from because I do think from the data and our understanding, we are serving most families in the state of Arizona who have babies who are identified with hearing loss. And we are very proud of our early learning program and our early intervention services because we have reached out to most families in the state and we have provided services to them.
Thank you and good night. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Um, I'm going to give four then just in case the two might are they're still here. Autumn Diesson, Anna Delgado, and then we have Annabelle Alcantthar and Sarah. I apologize. It's with a D. It looks like d eu h e. Do you know it? Okay. >> Okay. See if I can reach the mic. Okay, I did not have anything prepared to say. I didn't think I was going to have any time to speak, but um we had to wait so long a lot of people had to get home and weren't able to stay. So, I I'm a parent. My name is Casey Weston. Sorry. Um I am a parent of three children in the district and one my oldest in special needs. My youngest is also heart of hearing and is also has an IEP, but my oldest has a one-on-one.
Uh, Commissioner Paris. Roll call. All All in favor? >> Voice vote. All in favor? I. >> I. >> Anyone opposed? >> Action may be taken at the conclusion of the executive session. >> Action may be taken. >> May be taken. >> The eyes have >> to be continued. Thank you, >> Madam President. Fiveminute recess. >> Absolutely. For you, Commissioner. Five minutes. You want six, >> huh? helping him kill himself. That's what he said. >> You got to shred it. >> 23rd Monday. >> All right. Motion to reconvene from executive session. It's 9:28 p.m. Roll call. Uh, Mr. Bruniac >> here. >> Mr. Kenova here. >> Mr. Perez, yes. >> Mr. Ragel here. >> Miano present. >> Miss Wararez here. >> Vice President Santiago >> here. >> President Bassford, >> I'm here. I need a motion to uh approve G1 through six. >> Motion. >> Second.
>> I I understand no question about the early learning program because we heard from a person here who who cited exactly what happens and that's the type of service that we need to have and our early program by our own data says it's increasing. My suggestion is there's a deeper look at that not at the birth to three but at the five and above because that's where the big population is going to hit schools and it's going to hit schools next year. And the reason I asked that question is then that's le I would think legislation or information that would go to jail to say no you need to fix our buildings we need more because we got a lot more kids that are potentially going to be here and that's that's the deaf heart of hearing population there's equally important information about the visions but we'll finish with the deaf part first >> board member Kaylor if I may.
I am also a volunteer. I help out in the family center which has not been spoken up about enough today which I understand there's a lot of people that are at risk and this is going to be devastating to our community all around. It absolutely is and I know this is a difficult position to be in. I absolutely understand that. We all understand that but the people that are at risk are not the ones who made that situation and these students are going to suffer. I am there a lot at the school. I see it. My child will suffer. Other kids that don't even have one-on- ones or paras are going to suffer because that time is going to be taken away from them from the teachers that they need the support. The schools need the support, the family centers and ours. I'm at Yakaloma.
>> Motion by uh Commissioner Ciano, second by Commissioner Suarez. Roll call. >> Uh, Mr. Bront. >> Yes. >> Mr. Kenova. >> Yes. >> Mr. Mr. Harris. >> Yes. >> Mr. Ragdale. >> Yes. >> Miano. Yes. >> Mr. Suarez. >> Yes. >> Vice President Santiago. >> Yes. >> President Bassford. >> Yes. >> Motion carries. >> Any other business? >> Motion to suspend bylaw 0143. >> Second. Motion uh to suspend bylaw 1043 by Commissioner Brun 0143 by Commissioner Brunak. Seconded by Commissioner Suarez. Discussion. >> See none. Roll call. >> Mr. Bruniac. >> Yes. >> Mr. Kenova. Yes. >> Mr. Paris. >> Yes. >> Mr. Ragdale. >> Yes. >> Mr. >> Yes. >> Mr. Suarez. >> Yes. Vice >> President Santiago. >> Yes. >> President. >> Uh, yes. Just so the public knows that's the um the what we talked about before, the policy 0143 is to suspend the way we do elections for our next meeting.
>> Yes ma'am. When you're talking about an increase of possibly 400 deaf and heart of hearing children, um we are talking about that as a statewide projection, these are not 400 children that are at school age that are exclusively attending the Tucson campus, which is what uh a lot of this discussion is about. we are talking about 400 statewide that would be in our itinerate services or possibly our PDSD campus or served in their home districts exclusively without ASDB intervention. So I don't feel that throwing around an inflated number of 400 in a way that skews it towards Tucson campus alone is a fair assessment of what it what we are actually here to talk about which is moving our Tucson campus and preserving an statewide agency. >> I appreciate your perspective. We disagree. Um there there is more than just what goes on in the Tucson campus and those 400 children could end up anywhere.