>> Yeah. So, oftentimes we establish a touch point. Sometimes it's just an email like twice a year like, "Hey, what' you update?" Some districts want to do more often, you know, particularly if you guys do a lot of work by yourselves. Um, and we can train you to update it yourself. Others are like, "I don't want to touch it. I don't want to add to my plate." They just keep a running list and they send it to us and we we can update it for them. I would add to it's great for superintendents and boards who are trying to communicate with the community about why they need to do a project. This will print out the pro this will print out the report for you to present and u it it tells the story very clearly. >> Would you be available to help present? >> Oh, I would.
It could be issues with AI. um uh decline in enrollment. Special ed often is a is a uh challenge simply because of the way things are now in terms of fiscal and some of the uh cost factors. So I'm just trying to set the tone here a little bit, but if I may, we'll start with uh Mrs. Pena again. Challenges. >> Yes. um challenges I I I see is um to complete our measure K funding of course because you know we're still there and you we had a 10-year mark. >> Um but there's still a few projects that need to be done. Um but I I think also we have um our properties that we have for sale. >> I see. and you know um they're out there but we need to know you know um complete what we said we were going to do with the projects remaining.
>> So, as long as you have a quorum, then we're good. >> That is correct. Yes. Thank you. >> Okay, great. The voice from beyond stared at me there for a second. [laughter] >> Someone is talking to me and I can't see them. Okay. Um, we have to vote. So, I'm do >> we have to make a motion? >> Yes. [laughter] Yes. Um, would anyone like to make a motion for the approval? >> Yeah. I move that we approve the FY2026 budget revision number two. >> A second. >> Great. Okay. So, we'll go ahead and take a vote. All those in favor say I. >> I.
Yeah, we normally would do all that too. It's just, you know, that's part of the partnership. Uh the last step um trying to make sure I don't spend too much of your guys' times is we create scenarios. And I just clicked on a scenario um that has a fixed budget. You know, 11.6 million. So that's if if you know exactly how much you can or want to spend, you can create a 10-year plan, a five-year plan, a needs and wants plan, a wishes plan. It's really open to whatever you guys want. Um and then you load your projects in. And you see in the the budget the buckets up here, it tells you what your budget is, what is the escalation impact, you know, because you don't things that you buy today aren't going to be the same price two years from now. And then with that escalation, how much we're estimating that project and what's really cool is this is all live updatable.
>> Yeah. >> You know we have two projects that we need to and I think for a new superintendent coming in that I think that I see that a challenge for that that new superintendent. >> Sure. >> You know um to jump on board and find out what we were doing and to um complete it the way we started it. you know, I don't want someone to come in and all of a sudden they're gonna have their own idea and it's all going to change. >> Yeah. >> Right. Um and and yeah, also the declining enrollment, >> certainly. >> That that's like the number one. >> Sure. >> But um and our budget, you know, budget changes all the time. So I those are kind of the biggest challenges that I that I see because I I I I see I feel we're doing a great job, >> but these are like one of the big big things that I see that it will be a challenge.
>> Any opposed? And that passes. Great. All right. Um, we'll move on to number nine, request for future agenda items. Does anyone have anything that they would like to put on for a future agenda? Nope. All right. I believe President Thompson usually says if you have anything you'd like to put on an agenda, please feel free to contact him and get that put on there. Um, we'll move on to number 10, board reports. And, um, we have the audit committee with Mr. Chad Thompson. Do you have anything you would like to contribute this evening? Do you have any updates? >> Nothing tonight. Thank you. >> Great. Thank you. Okay. City of Mesa leaison, that's me. Um I have nothing to report. And then employee benefit trust board member, Mr. Jesse Brainard. >> Yes. So, we um the EBT board recently met and we approved a rate change um involving medical and dental that will draw down just over a million dollars from the EBT trust fund.
So if you're saying we want to do this, but this is outside our budget. What happens if we move this band renovation up to 2026? You'll see the price will change. It was 7 something million and now it is 6.5. And if you go back up here, the price again auto updates. So it gives you guys that flexibility of how can we be most responsible with our dollars to fit in the projects that we need as a district and and still be, you know, financially responsible. This district knew they only had 8 million, but they wanted us to evaluate $12 million worth of items to help them prioritize. It's one of the best parts of this job is working with you through this process. So, we stuck everything in 26 and then they started saying, "Okay, we can do what we don't do now, we'll do in 2030." And then they started moving things to 2030, moving it back, talking some more.
>> Right. >> And Mrs. Pena, you're not alone in that. You know, there are a number of districts that Yes. >> really asking themselves where are we going to be? How are we going to get there? Those kinds of things. >> And then we're know we're trying everything in our power to do the right thing, right? But sometimes it's it's it's a challenge, right, to reach them. >> Correct. Mr. Ramos. >> Yeah. I think Miss uh board member Rodriguez Pñena hit on on some of the key ones. But I think in in looking at all that and um in looking at the last, I don't know, maybe eight to 10 years with this district, a lot of the adversity that this district has faced and has overcome. Um, I think that we're going to continue to be challenged to be able to the needs of every student in our in our district, right?
Um and I know as a board we're going to have discussions, you know, regarding some of those those changes. >> Great. Thank you. Uh Gilbert Education Foundation and Town of Gilbert leazison, Miss Jill Humphre. >> Okay. So, um, last Saturday we did have our Gilbert Education Foundation fun run and, um, I had never attended that before, but it seemed very well attended, lots of people running and [clears throat] then we had the community fiesta following and it was very amazing. And I would say um, if you have, especially an elementary kid, you could have had a lot of fun um, with all the activities there. But it it was it there was a really nice turnout. It was great weather. Um and I think everyone enjoyed it. So that's my report for the Gilbert Education Foundation. And then I'm sure most people are aware that the uh town of Gilbert had a council meeting council meeting last Tuesday night in which they had to go ahead and raise the water rates 25%.
You know, it was a four-week process, but they got exactly what they wanted with the cost, and they also knew how much they were going to spend in 2030 to finish it off. >> Is there a way in the system to also connect like um where you're paying it from, like if it's a bond or if it's >> Yeah. In the in the report section, you can define funds. >> Okay. >> And there are different funds, so you can um we didn't get to it. Like Grant said, we could spend two hours going through this. There's also a crystal ball that can if you do this building, that building, um there's there's it's just so powerful. But you can definitely see if you wanted to come out of operations or there's a bond. So you did a 26 bond, you did a 27 bond, it'll show you what fund it's coming out of because you assign each one of them to that.
And then we have a whole, you know, there's students that have different needs and to be able to continue to focus on each student um, in spite of what's going on around us, right? So I think uh to me that's that's continues to be the biggest challenge so that every student can can be successful and and and kind of move the needle um as far as their academic success their their um their personal growth right and that's I see that at all levels starting from kindergarten or you know prek all the way up through high school >> so um just to me that's going to be the continue to be a a big challenge to not lose sight of you know the different needs that we have for for different for different kids you mentioned special ed, right? And >> sure. >> So, it's kind of >> and it it'll be interesting as the board progresses through this process, some of those challenges will turn into some of your interview questions.
And I will say um the I think going online and looking at the town's website and understanding the presentations um we are in a difficult place because uh our cap water um is 40% of what Gilbert has to contribute to to give us water and the negotiations right now are not going well and Arizona has quite a lot to lose if if we don't get better negotiations cuz we're at the bottom of the totem pole, I guess you'd say. So, anyway, I hope people will go to the town's website. They have a great video that explains it. They have uh a lot of information and um personally my neighborhood, I've noticed two or three people redoing their yards to make it more um desert landscaping. That's my report. >> Thank you. Uh, last but not least, Legislative Representative Dr. Blake Robson. >> Nothing to report at this time.
>> I I know that was quick. I was try again I could spend like two hours on just my site as as John mentioned there's a lot of power to it but um just want to try to give you the overviews and how we feel we can add a lot of value to you guys as decision makers so there's any last questions I'm going to kick it to Ryan uh to kind of question Josh >> I was just talking with you man >> interactive >> nobody will offend me if they get pizza >> they don't want to get cold >> I want to talk a little bit about how we approach the programmatic needs. Um, so Grant spent a lot of time talking about the physical needs, how we assess your buildings from an asset perspective. We want to talk a little bit about how we kind of pull in the educational needs of the district into the discussion as well.
How have you dealt with it? How have you experienced this? Tell us a little bit more. How have you, you know, dealt with student achievement or special ed funding crisis and so on, social emotional needs, things of that sort. Member Greer, challenges. Yes. So a few I would I would say um continuing to increase our academic achievement >> um safety and also perceptions of safety >> as well as as it's it's been mentioned a lot of work has been started with facilities but it will need to be seen through and so um the the work though there will definitely some work to do in that regard. >> Thank you Mr. G. >> Mrs. Well, >> let's see here. I um would have to say ditto again. But the challenges that our new superintendent will also have to um face is that you know coming into a district that has moved the you know the um what would you say has moved from and I'm going to say this you know being investigated for corruption you know and so forth.
Thank you. >> Okay. All right. Moving on to meeting dates. >> All right. Thank you. Um, our next meeting is actually next Tuesday. It is a work study. Want to let everybody know that meeting will will start off at 6:30 with an executive session and regular meeting will start at 700 p.m. And then our policy meeting is on the 23rd of March when we come back from spring break. And then we'll have a regular board business meeting and that will be on Tuesday uh March 31st. Uh please note as I had uh sent to you earlier last well I think it was last week um that meeting will start at 5 with exec sessions. We'll have three of those exact sessions and the meeting will actually uh the board meeting will actually start at 6:30 p.m. that evening. But board members, we'd like you here at 5:00 p.m.
We know that you're going to have teaching and learning goals. You're going to have educational programming goals. They're probably different if we look 5, 10, 20 years than they are today. So, it's our job to help work through that process, understand what those goals are, and facilitate some of those discussions and help align the physical environment that supports those goals. Some of the ways that we help define the division uh define the vision with you is through staff surveys and we can do student survey as well to give us a lot of data points back on how they view your facilities. Are the classrooms adequate from a space perspective or from a technology perspective. There's a lot of different questions that we can ask them up front to help us understand what are the issues that they deal with every day. Um even down to comfort uh physical comfort of the space as far as heat.
Now we're on the right track. I I don't want to see that back. So one of the challenges would be is that um making sure and I agree with Rodriguez Pñena that the money right the challenges is making sure that the money gets spent in what we have said as this board right now >> but those genuine and authentic reflections of the past are important for the future. >> Absolutely. >> So we understand that very well. >> Yes. Madam President, challenges >> uh I think a lot of them were shared by my colleagues. Academic achievement, safety, um facilities. I think that uh it's been it's been a while that the community you know we they saw, you know, not not not a lot of stuff happening because it's it's all about right. it's visual to some of us and um so I appreciate that this leadership team and you know my colleagues here have have placed that at the forefront changing that image.
that night. And that's it for the upcoming meetings. >> Okay. Um we need to move we adjourn from >> No, we just move into >> we just move into executive sessions. Okay. >> So item number 12 we're moving into executive session. Uh do I have >> So do you want to do both executive sessions at I'll just make the motion for both at the same time. >> I think yeah be easiest right? >> Yeah. Um, I move that we have executive session pursuant to ARS 38-431.03A1 for discussion or consideration of a new superintendent employment contract for new superintendent and also an executive session pursuant to ARS 38-431- sorry. 03 A4 for discussion or consult consultation for legal advice with the governing board's attorney and for the governing board to consider its position and instruct its attorney regarding a new superintendent employment contract contract negotiations and related matters.
Is it too cool? Is it too humid too dry? And then we want to jump into an ideation session. That's probably my favorite. That's our opportunity to come down and meet with your staff and your admin. It's time to meet with the students or the community members, whoever we decide we want to engage in this process. Um, but we want to again think long term. We want to kind of take budget out of the concerns for an ideation session. Just collect as many of the ideas and the wants and needs as we can at that time. We want to learn about your community. What's unique to your zip code? What are your strengths and your weaknesses? What are some of the opportunities that you've identified here? And these are just some an image of some students that presented back to us some of their ideas of what their ideal school would look like.
So I would love to see that continue. Uh I think also continue to work look at the challenges that that with the cost of living right increases what what is what is the next plan? Do we have that factored in? Um, and then our retirement Kalpers for our staff because you always hear about Kalpers, right? Are they ever going to are they going to be able to meet the adjustments that Kalpers puts forth? And so I think for me it's really about protecting those things that are important because if we we need to be keep our teachers here if we're going to deliver the services to our students and produce a a great product which is right achievement >> that recruitment and retainment is real critical obviously to the success of a school district. By the way, I was going to mention that uh we provide a 90-day plan for whomever you're going to select, but that 90-day plan as that person works in conjunction with the board.