And so there are some classrooms that already have that in there that kids put it in when they come in. Uh but according to this, the kids are not supposed to have access to it at all during the day, right? >> And so that would just mean they have to transport it from one class to another and then so then now you're monitoring that. >> So really it's it's they just need to keep it in one spot for the day. you say that of course there will be exceptions with diabetics and like >> a dual credit class emails have to be dual authenticated and so all of my students that do an IU class when they log in it will send them a code to their phone. So there will be lots of those things that will come up. So we have a lot of diabetics, a lot of >> people will sign up for the class now.
So they'll get the lower numbers that were not pulled and they'll go at the bottom. But don't but have her call me tomorrow and I'll verify exactly what her opportunities are because I don't want to give you something that's not correct. Uh but I do know that uh she won't be they won't be part of their the original lottery. >> Okay. Thank you. So this total of people that apply. >> Yes. >> And they all going to go in the lottery? >> Yes. >> All of them? >> Yes. >> Okay. Okay. A lot of people. >> Anybody else? >> Thank you. Mr. Superintendent, how many seats are available in the total? >> 500. So, um at this uh point in the venue, uh the uh word just the city was looking for a um a uh 21E, which is a uh environmental study of the property to make sure there was no uh environmental issues that's been completed.
But very often people are preferring Zoom because of their timetables and their busy schedules. So it's a combination of those things and we will work uh again with Mrs. Near in terms of setting up literally a schedule for that. We'll typically spend three days perhaps sometimes here sometimes via Zoom and we'll break up these opportunities typically in 30 minute intervals um maybe five or six people we can accomplish this quite easily. And of course the survey at the end again as de Dr. Smith mentioned gets compiled into that. Yeah. >> Thank you. I I I don't have any um you know stakeholders to add other than those that my colleagues mentioned, but I do have a question and I want to say I appreciate the fact that you do um bring in the community, the parents because we are, you know, we're a Hispanic community here and and I was going to ask about bilingual and I don't know if this is the appropriate place on your agenda, but I was going to ask about bilingual material.
Um, Dr. Shane McCord, I'll hand it over to you. >> Thank you, Madam Clerk. Governing board members. Good evening. I want to welcome everyone joining us in person and online to the board meeting this evening. Just some announcements and a a little proclamation. Uh, fourth grade water festival. Yesterday and today, our fourth grade students went to the town of Gilbert Civic Center to learn about water conservation and water pollution. Through collaboration with the town of Gilbert, the University of Arizona, and volunteer students from Camp Overdie, this day was possible and it was incredible. Thank you to Barbara Tory and Michael Cowan in our district science department for making this possible. uh appreciate and everybody that was able to go out there and partake in that. It was a great day. Uh read across America week. Next week is read across America week. Our schools have invented invited many guest readers to their campuses to help spread the joy of reading to our students.
>> Yeah. >> More and pay for their their investment in the study alone just in that part. So, uh again all the communications and working through that. Grant gets all the he works behind the scenes with all the vendors. any rebate that you that they're out there, whether it's equipment, lighting, anything like that. We don't we don't take that. That's directly at your money. So, that will come right back to you guys from the I know some contracts you have that where anything like that is a part of, you know, part of the contractor. Uh but we don't that's that's yours. We feel like that's our ability to help you have more money in the district which ultimately helps kids and that's kind of what we do what we do for so and to add to that too we will do the rebate for you guys like we I understand teachers facilities administrative staff they're busy um and we actually just got I don't even know if I've told Dennis this but we just got approval from Duke um for all the LED work we did and all the school did was provide an account number and they have a $70,000 check coming their way that we're sending directly to them.
>> A lot of doctors. >> Well, I I I know it it will be better. I know. I mean because you know I get reports and I know what my own kids you know do and say and it's like they they need not to be distracted when teachers are trying to do their job. >> So teachers. >> All right.
Report was due to us this week. That's the only thing uh that's holding up the final purchase and sale uh signing of the purchase and sale arena uh for the city and the and the owner. So uh and when they I met the lady out there who was doing the uh 21E uh and she just looking at it, she felt good about it. Plus, they already just did it for the other hanger, which is the same property practically. So, she would said she'd be shocked if there were any issues, but it takes there's a prop. They have to do a a review. Um, they have to go back and check all the records of the airport. Were there any spills anywhere in the airport, where they were, what the potential is that could affect the property and all that. So, that takes time. Uh, she expected to have all that done this week.
The survey will certainly be u translated >> right >> um any meetings that I might have with the parents or any group that needs interpretation I am available for that. >> The only time we might not have me directly have an interpreter available is if we have a large crowd. So, for example, at the community forum, >> if we have a large crowd, it makes sense to have a district interpreter or translator simply because it allows me to um describe what we're doing and not have to go back and forth. So, it's just more of a time element kind of thing. I had shared with Dr. with Madame President Benvdas earlier. Uh, in fact, Dr. Smith and I were doing that search in Bakersfield. It's been probably 70 years ago or so. And I can recall the DAC group end ending up saying they just wanted somebody young and handsome.
Thank you to all of those guest readers and thank you to our schools for being so welcoming to our community. And please join me in celebrating our five new or our new four new A+ School of Excellence winners. Campovery High School, Gilbert Classical Academy, Highland Junior High School, and Playa Del Rey. A total of 48 schools were chosen this year for this honor. And we are so proud to have our schools recognized as A+ schools. And thank you to our families, our employees, and students who make our school such a wonderful place to be and to learn. And this is a proclamation, and I'm reading it here. We have another proclamation during reports, but I'll read this one. This one's from the governor uh Katie Hobbs and it is whereas February 2026 is designated as Career and Technical Education Month by the Association for Career and Technical Education of Arizona and the National Association for Career Technical Education, highlighting the transformative impact of career technical education on individuals and communities.
That's, you know, their money to turn back into the school and add more information. >> And what's interesting is they had never received anything like that in the past. Duke said they had never written a check back to the school district. So, it's just one of the little things we try to again, those are things that I would have liked to add as a superintendent and so we're trying to deliver that deliver that for you. Our project goals again reduce transfer amount from educa from opera ed education operations to do that if you reduce the amount of expense in your operations you can build that you don't need to transfer as much so now you have more money for staff um address inefficient operations in the building envelope there's so much I mean controls the amount of money you save it's it's with just controls at HVAC is is enormous roofing rough and all.
there was a uh survey that had to be done by myself and a survey that had to be done by the owner which I sent in right away. So [snorts] um I expect to hear from her any day and then they it goes to the city and as long as it uh has a favorable finding of it no issues we can just move forward clean energy center. So on uh on uh October I mean on uh March on there let me see March 5th is it? >> March 5th. March 5th, uh the clean energy center asked if uh if I would speak to the uh the energy caucus at the state house to uh to support their efforts to receive more funding for the clean energy center. uh due to all the uh f uh funds that we have gotten, all the grants we have gotten and all the work that we have done.
And so I think that that provides you a little bit of an input about how we become partners and we become embedded with the district accordingly. And so we're really looking forward to that. Of course. >> Thank you. I just wanted to make sure we shared that with the community. definitely to have it would be worth just even if we could do some of the whether it's a zoom or just a you know small meeting >> all with the parents. Thank you. I appreciate it. >> Right. And what Dr. Smith referred to in terms of those characteristics and the input the challenges and the strength that's exactly what we would be doing um in Spanish as well. >> Okay. Timeline the timeline. Yes. You wouldn't mind this near the timeline. What you're going to see next on the screen is the timeline that we've drafted.
And whereas career and technical education equips students with essential technical and professional skills through practical meaningful applications of core subjects like reading, writing and mathematics, fostering academic success, leadership and community engagement. And whereas the collaboration between career technical educators, business and industry drives local and national economic growth by preparing students for in demand careers and strengthening Arizona work Arizona's workforce. Whereas career and technical education provides lifelong learning opportunities enabling individuals to adapt to evolving workforce needs, achieve career satisfaction and secure economic independence. And whereas the leadership opportunities offered by career technical education student organizations such such as DECA, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, HOSA, and Skills USA develop future leaders and innovators essential to Arizona's future success. Now therefore, I, Katie Hobbs, governor of the state of Arizona, do hereby proclaim pro proclaim February 2026 as career and technical education month. So, congratulations to them. We are very proud of all of our CTE uh instructors as well as our students and we always expect great things out of them and they always provide.
Um, adding solar can do that and I'm going to turn that over to Jennifer in a second. Uh, improving the learning environment. That's that's our goal in all the in all your buildings. We'll want to develop short and long-term facility plans and create future uh budget stability. I mean, that's um, again, I always said to my boards, we're the financial. This is it. the buck stops with the board and the superintendent on the financial stewardship of a district. Uh and then was sorry the last one was yeah and we want to increase the life and functionality functionality of the current facilities foreseeable future. If it makes sense to build something new, add something new, renovate here. I would think been my experience of done it all is it takes a little bit of everything. Um there's a lot that can be done to really improve a facility and maybe not have to not have to tear part of it down.
Uh they thought that we would be a strong uh candidate to uh go over how we've benefited what we've done with funding from the clean energy center. In fact, today we were just notified we were awarded another $750,000 to continue our clean energy. That's the third large grant we've gotten from them, more than any other institution school in Massachusetts. They're very pleased with the work that we do and and how we apply uh those uh funds. Uh so that's just uh another example of you know how we've uh continue to uh and that goes to helping us uh finish developing new curriculum buying new equipment towards uh training them for alternative energy uh sources. Uh in this particular grant uh Susan and I spent probably three days determining where we should uh what kind of projects we should fund. One of them was a a windmill.
This is particularly important as the board begins to contemplate and look at their calendars and schedule. Um it is a draft but it's probably well not probably it is the timeline that we believe um matches the timeline that you would have for a new superintendent to begin by July 1st. So if you wouldn't mind looking at that. Not sure if we can scroll that up a little bit. There you go. So, I know that the board approved leadership's associates contract and agreement on February 10th. Here we are on February 24th, our initial meeting determining characteristics and skills and qualities by the board. But we do want to try as much as possible to adhere to a timeline. We believe the comfort zone in terms of working with your technology department, with the surveys, with Mrs. near on scheduling those appointments with all the stakeholders. We could typically begin on March 9th through the 20th and have those surveys available for your public.
And last but not least, you know what's coming up? Spring break. It'll begin on Monday, March 9th, and continue through Friday, March 20th. School resume on Monday, March 23rd. And I hope everybody finds some time to find some peace and relaxation and hopefully a little sun in the fun and uh enjoy your spring break. Madame Clerk, that's all I have for this evening. >> Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to um agenda item number five, request to speak to the governing bird. I have one request to speak tonight. I'm going to try so hard with the last name. Jonathan, >> we need to read. >> Oh, the ad admonition. Sorry. Um that's usually my job. >> Just one minute. We need to read the admonition. >> You're good. You can stand up there. It's all right. [laughter] >> Yeah. um request to speak to the governing board pursuant to ARS 38-431.02.h.
Maybe there's parts of this facility when you get into the study that make sense that this section needs to go in something new. We we get all that. So, we're not going to push uh we're not going to push from the study try to think let's push them into a new facility if you don't need a new facility, but you may need new components or new parts. So, let's do do the best we can uh again for the district. And so, with solar, I'm going to turn it over because there's a lot of nuances with this um with with it and and still there's still a short period of time if that's something that that you have an interest in that we can still do it before the incentives run out. So, I'll let Jennifer kind of talk about that. >> Sure. >> Sorry, I have to apologize.
are going to uh build a windmill on site. Uh they're funding that project uh as another alternative energy that we can teach our students and also help finish funding the um the uh geothermal project uh out at the barn. We hired a company that has the expertise in developing and uh so the company's going to train our kids and our instructors on how to put in uh clean uh geothermal uh equipment uh and finish up that project. So some of that funds that we just got awarded will go towards paying that finish up that project. Uh so that's that was uh we've been very fortunate to have a great relationship with them. So, we were we're kind of excited to uh go before the the House on the 5th to uh talk about the benefits we've uh received from those grants. Uh I invite anyone that would like to attend, you're welcome to attend on that day.