So, we obviously um have had a huge focus on attendance in the past few in [clears throat] the past few months, but we want to take the chance and the opportunity to recognize students that um that have great attendance that I think it was 90% or more we would have some type of way to recognize that. So, we ended up meeting with [clears throat] some of our student representatives at school and people that are um leaders within our school and we're brainstorming ways that we can recognize attendance and I think that's a great way for us to continue that idea that every day matters. u moving even into that everyday branding. Every day is still um all over their school whether that be in the posters, whether that be in emails, whether that be in the morning email. That idea and that branding of every day um is what is keeping consistency across the classes.
Followup to your questions or concerns may be addressed by administration through the contact information provided on the comments card. Thank you, >> Grayson Kramer. >> It's at the table up front there. This one Hello the board. Um we understand that in the community there's been recent protests at schools and we wanted to take a moment to actually come and address the board directly. We have a speech from one of the students at OE that he wanted to share. >> Hello board of education. My name is Grayson Kramer and I'm here to present my speech on uh the protest going on at Asiggo East and Asiggo High School about ICE. We've been told for countless years that we live in a country where there is justice. But what is justice when there have been homes raided, families taken, and ICE has been stuffing people into centers where they are without freedom?
We do not have any, so I will move right along this one. Um, next is reports. Next item on the agenda, excuse me. And uh, for this we have a report on strategic goal number three, which is specific to work related to positive behavior supports in the district. So, Dr. Finley, the floor is yours. >> Thank you. I'll be brief and then I'm going to turn it over to our mental wellness coordinator, Christoph. So, strategic goal three is focused on reducing suspensions, reducing expulsions, increasing attendance, all those barriers to student success. And we know that in order for students to have access to curriculum and access to the great work happening in the classrooms, um, a lot of times we have to also focus on the whole child, everything else happening in their lives. So, I've never seen anything like the professional learning community in Avon, it's extremely impressive.
>> Yes. So I think what the whole statute was trying to do was not wait for 40 years to change the compensation and that it was tied to teacher salary which would automatically update for inflation and for a percentage. So I think they were trying to say, "Hey, this is what a board can approve and it can be it could stay in the policies for a long time." >> Okay. >> Like you mentioned it, this current rate is was initiated in 1983 and hasn't changed since. >> And hasn't changed since. So I think they they knew, hey, we we haven't even allowed for for uh uh inflation, cost of living, any of that. So let's tie a percentage >> to the lowest teacher salary and this is what the the state is is allowing. >> Sure. >> Yeah. I think an additional um amount for attendance for regular meeting and and um special meetings is just not necessary.
It's meant to be achieved over time. And also an important part of goal setting is tracking and monitoring the progress that we make along the way. So goals goal one exceptional staff goal two academic excellence and student achievement goal three student well-being safety and belonging goal four modern facilities and learning environments and goal five communication culture and community connection. So as you see her goal one we're talking about exceptional staff recruiting recruiting retaining supporting high performing workforce where staff feel valued and committed to deli. So an example I'm not going to read all the action items would be something we're already working on which is implementing a formal mentoring program pairing new staff with experienced colleagues. So focusing on each of these action items, breaking them down, talking about the progress that we're making, having staff committed to our action, and of course we are going to look for results.
So these would be students that have done the coursework in the education professions pathway. So these are uh young ladies and gentlemen who have said I have interest in being a teacher and they have to take a series of courses. Uh the first would be intro to education. Uh the second is child and adolescent development and then there's a course called teaching and learning. So, their junior and senior year, they would have have the opportunity to apply um and interview with our lovely elementary school principles. And then if they were hired, they're not guaranteed a position, but if they were hired and if it was beneficial to our students at those two schools, um we would use them as instructional assistants. So, they could serve any of those roles is what our current instructional assistants do. Uh I would propose that we do pay them.
As shared last week, this is a short-term stabilization measure, not a long-term staffing strategy. The Marges will recruit, screen, hire, and assign qualified staff who meet all district credential and licensing requirements. These individuals will will remain a memer employees while the district retains responsibility for daily supervision, schedules, and student care. Because these [snorts] staff are not district employees, there will be no added benefit costs. The total cost will not exceed $100,000 annually and will be funded through the operations fund. I'm requesting your approval to move forward this evening. >> Second motion second. We have a motion and two seconds.
Um it is it takes time because truthfully you don't know how to support them if you don't spend time in there getting to know them, getting to know the teachers, seeing the kids, getting to know the kids and learning more about them as individuals. So it's not something that they can even teach you in a class. You have to be there. You have to experience it. And it's challenging because I want to go in there and I want to go help, but I don't know how to lift them up. And I mean, I know how to change a diaper. I have enough kids, but it's a little different, you know? It's a little different. And I don't have a medical background either. So, there's a good balance between overststepping and providing support, right? You you don't want them to think you that they don't know how to do it.
So, fourth graders, first. >> You ready? >> Good evening. Our names are Claire, Emma, and Ellie. We are students in Mrs. Marky's class. We are learning about famous inventors and inventions during our CKLA literacy book. For instance, did you know that a woman named Ruth Wakefield invented the chocolate chip cookie in 1938? It was invented in a restaurant near Boston called the Chole House Inn. We've also have been using such skills as collaboration, research, planning, and even learning to fail when while we try tried out our own inventing and building skills. This is our invention. We were asked to build something that could throw away a piece of trash from 2 feet away. This is how it works. [snorts] You guys just very quickly explain how it works. >> Our invention is made from four cardboard boxes, two pieces of string, and about 70 pieces of tape.
>> Okay, Carol, I have I have a quick follow-up question on that. Um, I know we're focusing a lot on themies as far as uh curriculum and stuff, but can you is there anything else in the budget on K through 8? Um, >> can you just go back up? >> Yep. >> So, uh, we've kicked off um some work with the with NCAAC. We'll be coming back to reimagine the middle school. So we'll in the spring you should be getting uh you'll get some contact maybe in a couple of weeks or so when they lock in the dates. So we'll be doing um visioning work around um 68 to build new pathways pre-academy pathways at the middle school level. Okay. Um in addition the middle school has done a lot of curriculum work around math in the last uh couple of years. The IM math u we have a lot more work to do there.
>> What's your presentation on >> alternatives to alternative education? >> In conception, >> it's called build it. If you build it, they will come. >> There's baseball. >> I did. >> So, um, questions. I know you kind of read, but you know, people come in and out. So, how are we doing on staffing? >> Staffing? Um, pretty decent actually. Elementary, we've gotten some good hires. Um, we got a hire at the high school and then we had one come back, moved off to the state. Um, but we were able to plug right back in and so his turnaround time, he came in last Friday and I think he's starting this week. So, that turn around time was quick. Um, outer districts are doing pretty good, too. So, we're we're pretty good. Where's your conference at? >> Where's the conference at? >> Which one? >> Well, good luck.
We need to make sure that that's staying >> kept up. So, we don't want somebody to be sliding around themselves. So, um just some directions on how you guys feel on this with those two companies with those two different price levels um moving forward on this. So the prices don't change of the color. >> The colors do not change. No. If you want different staining in different parts of the gym, that could influence the price. If you stain the whole floor, I mean, it's going to it's going to go up in price. So, and the price that he quoted us on was the second option, right? Correct, Mrs. Murphy? Which would be the one that had the gray lines. Now, this ain't on the price. This is on the color. Um, and you might want to go back to coaching and talk to them. The lighter the color, the harder it is to see for the players.
Um we need two grounds persons, one custodian, three maintenance staff. Um and um a shout out to operations. Um out of the 1,333 um work orders, they have completed 1,179. And it's also Ross's birthday, FYI. >> Oh, today he loves the attention. um from the um exception exceptional ed um department. um the um a shout out for the professional development and emphasizing um energizing and and and in the secondary transitions for also the Special Olympics um and congratulations to Alise Lopez and Ariana Garcia for the recognition from the Arizona Council for Exceptional Children and we'll be seeing the video next month. So I I'm looking forward to that. Um uh a shout out to transportation. Thank you for submitting the 100 day uh report early um to keeping us on track. Thank you for their support. Um having said that, let's play the video of everything that happened during the month of January through the lens of the superintendent.
Not only know the content but skills on how to take that test. So um right this year we um included cougar time in our schedule. um that's an intervention time and we felt like we needed to put um 30 minutes in our spell schedule this year for students to work on algebra and to build their skills and also um so they did that first semester and now this semester they're working on science and we're using Khan Academy a program that we paid for. We have Friday school every Friday. Um, and we're averaging about 30 students a Friday. And so students can come and get caught up on work if they missed it or they come in and have tutoring with our science or math teacher that are there. So that's been very successful. Um, I can guarantee and promise you that we are having high expectations and accountability for our students.
So in their models they need to show composition. Are they atoms, molecules, ions, and the states of matter? Are they solids, liquid gases, or are they aquous solutions? So, this is a particle model of uh the products. However, students also draw the reactants and show how how the particles rearrange. So, they're showing um what happens during a reaction and they also need to explain why that happens. And then we have symbolic. Um so here students are putting together the um chemical formulas, writing balanced equations, paying attention to the ratios and um which they will eventually use in um calculations. So as you can see at any given moment students are navigating between all of this um which takes time and practice and this is why we are focusing on student mindset. So if we take a look at this mindset pillar, um I thought this is really cool because we saw this as like a continuous process.
Um there also course selection has been um in full swing um and people have been meeting with their counselors and um choosing their courses. And I just want to point out there's been a lot of um expansion in post-secary opportunities whether that be TCD and that real world um application is a super important aspect to the things that we're offering here at DGN and DGS. Um attendance and everyday um culture. So I kind of covered that but a stronger focus on showing up and being present is shown throughout the school. So just to summarize that um student accountability expectations, so higher standards across classrooms and more consistency and follow-through with staff. Students are getting one warning, they're getting that second warning and then there's that followthrough and that followthrough has been shown to um help less like we're running into that less. People are pulling out their phones less and the phone is going away.
The protest in our oe OEHS and OS will not only stand up for our own rights and morals, but it can exhibit our own values which are being violated by ICE on a daily basis. The first amendment of the constitution states US citizens with five core freedoms. Religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. Now, let's take a quick look at the actions ICE has done over the past year. With the right of religion, ICE has continually disregarded religious practices and confiscated various items that express identity. With the right of free speech, many reports have indicated that ICE has targeted activists for their protest and more specifically the No Kings protest that occurred. With the right of press and assembly, ICE agents have stopped, threatened, or confiscated many devices from citizens filming in public or even within their own homes. And finally, for the right of petition, ICE has refused direct court orders to refuse immigrants that have been detained.
I know in any school that I go into, and this is because of the great work with Carrie and her team, but you'll see them focused on specific academic standards. you know, every student's getting the same thing in any building you walk into. And it's that collaboration, that support that's that's incredible. So, it's really what we aspire to do as well um in the area of student behavior management, student mental health, wellness, and I know we have some work to do in this area, but I think we've made great strides and there's so many good pieces in place. So this is the other piece to the puzzle to make sure that students have that great academic success, that growth that they need. I say this all the time. I have never met a bad child. I've never met a student without great potential. I've met some along the way that have made bad choices.
um it's something additional to track and then it's just additional funds that we don't have to you know consider that as part of it. I think you know there's a lot of work that we looked into what other committees town councils >> um neighboring schools like Tri County just took the same um approach and and voted that as well. So I think you know considering that it's fair and like you said setting up for future possibilities for people who want to take on this journey. >> Well that's that was my concern was I agree with what you all were saying is I didn't want to create work for somebody to have to track what meetings we attended and when we weren't there. If you're at half a meeting or it can get pretty dicey. So I I think from my understanding that if you look to go with the first bullet and just go with the the base rate um and if we tie it to a percentage then it will always follow any future incremental races that we vote in for the BC staff and administration and teachers that >> I can go ahead and make it sounds like we've all kind of said the same thing in a little way.
Goal two, academic excellence and student achievement. An example here of an action item would be to conduct a K through2 curriculum alignment and coherence review on a reoccurring cycle. So even though we have separate buildings here at Deli, we want to make sure that we are seeing that consistency throughout K through 12. Um and then additionally um looking here, another action item would be increasing access to dual credit, CTE, and career pathway course work aligned to student interest and workforce needs. So those are some just examples for academic excellence and student achievement. Goal three, student well-being, safety, and belonging. So an example here would be to uh review and enhance safety school safety protocols, supervision plans and response procedures. Something I've shared in previously is [cough and clears throat] implementation of a safety app. So that's a way in which we're making progress. Um our administration team have already been trained um and we have our staff training coming up here in the spring.