Our action items and discussion updates and votes include stipened adjustments. We'll have reports of school committee members. And then I will move to enter into executive session under GL chapter 3A section 21A7 to comply with or act under the authority of any general specific law or federal grant in aid requirements under the open meeting law solely for the approval and potential release of prior executive session minutes from October 11th 2023 January February 14th >> yeah 2024 That's needs a correction. March 13, 2024. May 10th, 2024. June 12th, 2024. November 13, 2024. December 11th, 2024. January 22nd, 2025, February 12th, 2025, and June 11th, 2025. And um not to return to open session, we will then we will adjourn. Okay. Um, I will take attendance. Everybody okay with the order of business this evening? Marcy, >> yes. >> Tina, >> yes. >> Paul, >> yes. >> And, uh, Mark will be here, uh, eventually.
Anybody online has any questions? We'll also open it up after the superintendent's presentation. We'll certainly open it up to the board members if you have any questions, clarifying questions. We'll open it up to the public one more time to see if they have any questions. My goal tonight is uh if we are uh ready to vote, then we'll move this along. Um and we'll have plenty of other opportunities for public input as we go through the process with the board of finance. So with that, no one in the audience. So Cara, we'll open it up online. Is there anybody online that would like to uh >> The only person online is Claudia. So Hey, Claudia, get better. You're listening in. I know you're not doing well. Um, okay.
Uh I know having two storms uh the way that we had them and the timing of them was not easy on everyone, but thank you to everyone who helped out in any way possible, whether it was um you know uh doing the actual shoveling, spreading assault, maybe walking a couple extra blocks because uh some areas by your house were not cleared. Um but again, a big thank you to our custodial staff um and Mr. Alfano for for organizing that. I know it was not easy uh given the con conditions of the buildings. Um but again a big thank you. Thank you for that. Um, one thing I do want to point out, um, because of the snow, um, and the change to our calendar that was approved, uh, months ago, I would like to recommend, uh, changes for the upcoming calendar to replace a few of the snow days that we had.
in AP calculus during his junior year. Among his many strengths, he is respectful, hardworking, and always upbeat. Regardless of the day, the month, the season, he's usually smiling, and he always has a positive take on things. The qualities that impressed me the most were his academic curiosity and his courage. He consistently sought to explore the most advanced concepts and he did this by engaging with the most challenging problems even when he was not sure about how to proceed. This willingness to explore, this willingness to risk being wrong is really what distinguishes him in our class. It enabled him to be the first and sometimes the only student to connect the dots among the most advanced topics. Beyond math, he excels in all his classes, sporting an unweighted GPA of 4.0. In other words, he's earned the highest grade you can get in every high school class that he's taken.
So if you guys don't mind we can just go through the one that sounds most finished, which is the students clubs and activities. And then um, kind of like just confirm, is that good with everybody? Sounds good. Good with me. So if I share All right, so um, there's actually you're the first um, Sorry, I got to position this little um, screen better. Um, Evan, you're the first comment. Do we have curricular groups that students can earn credits for attending? And I don't know unless BPA has one. So we are we did talk about that and the answer is no, we don't have any. So I think we just didn't delete that comment. Okay, let me I'll resolve it. Um, typically we've left stuff in, like we left the I I'm almost certain we left the marriage one in a few years like the first year.
For my seventh graders, what they get to do is they get to work with these tiny microcontrollers, and they get to hook up a lot of different motors, gears, attachments, and we get to do fun engineering projects. And then for my eighth graders, I'm actually teaching them Python, which is a very sought-after programming language that if they start doing now and start learning, by the time they get out of high school, they may not even need a college degree. They could just go straight into software engineering. In my GenTech class, which is where we do a lot of coding, we do fun projects like learning how to make an alarm system, learning how to make video games and various projects that help us learn, especially since we're so surrounded by technology today. Learning about how things work and how to fix things on your own.
The highest recognition in governmental financial reporting. This national honor places Maricopa Unified School District among the very best in the country for financial transparency and reporting excellence. It reflects the precision, accountability, and discipline stewardship our community expects and our students deserve. Congratulations to Michaela Bonate of Desert Wind Middle School for being named the 2026 Middle School Educator of the Year by the Save Our Schools Arizona Network as part of the Champions of Public Education Awards. This statewide recognition reflects the exceptional teaching and leadership she brings to her seventh grade science classroom each day. Her impact on students and families is clear, and this honor places a well-deserved spotlight on the excellence across Maricopa Unified School District. The Maricopa Unified School District Exceptional Student Services Department recently hosted a transition fair designed to help families of students with special needs prepare for life after high school.
Oh, he does upbeat, but Sephro doesn't even punish. And he does a dash attack over to the left and tries to follow up with a forward smash, but Cloud was on the back side of him. All right. All right. They're in their They're in each other's faces right now. In each other's space. So they So Seov does a down tilt and tries to capitalize on it. Yes. Blocking a neutral B from Cloud. Oh, a back air from Cloud though. I even did a little research online. Apparently Cloud's back air is like really good. Oh, and so is his upbeat. Oh my gosh. But Sephro's upbe is nothing to sneeze at either. Does a dash attack all over the stage, man. Yeah. Throwing out a quite a few attacks. Sephro is playing to win, I tell you. All right. Does a down air launching cloud off to the right.
>> Any discussion, comments? >> I think the only comment I'll have is um when we get down to new business, there's quite a few uh big ticket items on there and we'll do roll call votes on each of those instead of proclamation votes. So just to give everybody a heads up. So hearing no questions. Uh all those in favor signify by saying I. I >> oppose. Same sign. Motion carries. Brings us up to student Rotarian January and February. >> Yeah, I have a couple Rotarians here with us. I'll ask Abby Green to step up first. I'll do a little little reading about her and then get a picture and she can shake the board's hand. So Abby Green, January Rotarian of the month is Abby Green, daughter of Jason and Cindy Green. Abby has been a member of the French club and Sunshine Society and currently holds position of vice president and national honors society.
Um, we I will ask if there's anybody either online or in the audience that wants to offer a public comment. We don't see anybody online and we just have our student advisory council here. So, seeing none, um, we'll call up the Student Advisory Council for an update. Hello, everybody. You made it here in the slushy, snowy streets. >> Yep. Green. All right. Hello. Can you hear me? >> We can. Great. >> Perfect. Um, I'm Zoha Sidali. I am in 11th grade. And as for an update, we have a lot going on in March. Uh, for one, Stuco is hosting a spirit week the week of St. Patrick's Day. It's in hopes to boost a little bit of morale. May is a very sorry, March is a very long month. There's not a lot of days off, so we're hoping to bring some school spirit with that.
So, hearing none, I'm gonna close public comment. Maybe some folks might join us as we go on. I'm gonna pass it to Dr. Gman to kick it off. >> Super. K's gonna pass out presentation. >> So, the the presentation I would ask with the presentation Yeah. You know, I'm gonna I'm gonna ask the superintendent to pause. We we have public comment right now. I I don't know if you joined because you'd like to say something tonight. Sure. So, that's great. If you just come up to the podium, give us your name and your address. That would be great. Thank you for being here. You're representing the entire community. So, >> um thank you. My name is Sue Benson. I live on Sweet Heart Mountain. Sorry I'm late. So close. Um, two, I have a couple questions. One, it just came to my attention recently that we are receiving funding from the state of Caner Connecticut for our intermediate school and I was curious about the purpose of that funding, the amount of the funding, how long that funding will continue, um, when it ends, what will be the impact on the budget when it does end.
So, I would like to uh recommend turning March 20th, which was a planned full day professional development day, into a um half-day professional development day. So, we would bring the students in to the buildings in the morning and then in the afternoon, we would have a staff uh professional development day on March 20th. And the second day um that we do need to incorporate back into the calendar. I would like to recommend May 22nd. This is the Friday before Memorial Day. This was a scheduled full day off for all staff and students. So I would ask that the board consider having May 22nd be a half day uh for students and staff before the Memorial Day break. Okay. Um, kindergarten and prek registration is going to be up and coming in the next couple weeks. Uh, kindergarten registration has been posted on our social media accounts.
This achievement has been recognized by his induction into both the National Honor Society and the Math Honor Society. He's got a particular interest in computer science and he's pursued it via coursework and also via his own independent projects. His programming includes a terrain generator and an implementation of Conway's game of life. Now, if like me you're not familiar with Conway's game of life, check it out online. Very interesting, very impressive. In any case, these coding projects again reflect his genuine passion for learning and for innovation. In addition to his academic achievements, he demonstrates leadership responsibility and reliability with his work experience. He currently serves as a lifeguard at the Y. He holds a certification in CPR. He's also worked as a cashier. His extracurricular involvement also very strong. He's a three sport athlete, cross country, swimming, and track and field. He serves in student government.
Do you suggest Katie and Jay that we leave uh, definitions even though they may not pertain to now or do you do you think we take it out? Yeah, I think we had discussed leaving it in on the off chance that an opportunity did become available. I know that the like credit thing isn't a thing obviously, but I don't I don't think we saw any harm in leaving it there for now. Okay, perfect. Um, the faculty advisor and the faculty sponsor, I just wanted to make sure because this year we're going to well actually last year too, we were allowed to have a classified employee um, do it, but in years prior it was always it had to be a certified teacher. So I just wanted to make sure that this was good and that we didn't have to worry about funding issues. No, I think since it just says means an employee and it doesn't specify what type of employee, I think we should be good.
As an elective teacher here at Park, I get hands-on with our steam signature program here. I get to offer traditional art classes but also art classes that have a steam focus. For example, one of those art classes is game on where we make things that you can play, wear, and interact with. And so we look at how art is also functional and how art meets engineering and connects with technology. My favorite thing about being at a steam school is the art part. We get to do projects like clay projects and 3D projects and drawing projects. Students at Madison Park who attend the REACH program take math and English language arts 2 years ahead of their peers as well as getting some extra opportunities for field trips. Lots of project based learning in the classroom especially in English language arts and social studies. There's a focus on deeper thinking and getting students to really take a complex idea and break it down.
More than 20 families met with nine community v vendors and gathered information on vocational rehabilitation, Arizona Division of Developmental Disability Services, guardianship, and adult programs available after graduation. The evening provided practical resources and clear next steps as students move toward adulthood and greater independence. Winter sports delivered incredible performances across MUSD. Maricopa High School qualified five wrest five wrestlers for the state tournament highlighted by Kaia Jesi who made history as the first female wrestler in MHS history [applause] [applause] to win the 126 pounds AIA Division 1 state championship title. and she's here. You're going to have to applaud again. [gasps] Um, she got that division one state champion title. Desert Desert Sunrise High School also celebrated success on the mat with four wrestling state qualifiers. In team competition, MHS boys basketball earned the 5A Sonorin Region Championship and advanced to the state playoffs, while both MHS boys and girls soccer teams secured spots in the state playoffs.
Oh, and does and does an explosion on his shield. All right. They're They're moving. They're maneuvering, I tell you. Oh, and and Sephro gets a forward smash over to the left and a neutral special, but Cloud jumps over it. All right, Sephro getting himself back down to the stage. He does a forward smash. And because of the super armor, it freaking takes Cloud out. Not his stock, though. Oh, but speaking of stock, Sephro loses his second. This one is a very close game, though. If Sephro can get just one more good hit on Cloud, he should be able to take the stock. And speak of the good And speak of the good attacks, he did that dash attack. All right. He's doing a little dash dancing. Trying to trying to clown on Cloud over there. All right. All right. Does a forge smash. Knocks him over.
She has also been on girls bowling team. What's your score? What's your best score? >> Score was like 180. >> Pretty respectable. Um and two years on the tennis team. All right. Two years on the tennis team. I'm sorry. Two years on bowling team and four years on the tennis team. Outside of school, Abby participates um in table groups at Bridgeway Church and attends Abundant Life Church. She has been dancing at Christy Wright School of Dance for 13 years and has been a member of the competitive dance team for 11 years. She has been an active volunteer across America, Cook Humane Society, and Christy Wright School of Dance. Abby also participates in Distinguished Young Women's Program where she was named the 2026 Distinguished Woman of Miami. She is currently on a on track to graduate with associates degree this May through IvyTech uh community college.
Also, in March, we have Flag Day, so students will be representing. It'll be a schoolwide assembly. Students can represent flags that they resonate and they um present to the school why it resonates with them and just different parts of the culture from that flag. Um, and it really shows the culture and diversity within Ashland. Um, March also marks the end of winter sports. Um, a majority of the sports have already ended or are ending within the next two weeks and the portal for spring sports signups has opened for my knowledge. Um, March also has some important academic um, stuff happening. MCCAST is happening for 10th graders and also the seal of a bi literacy exam is also happening for 11th and 12th graders. Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Yash Bedet and uh we also have some other more important academic deadlines. We have the course selection deadlines for students on March 6.
Um, That's my question. I don't know. >> Did you say the intermediate school or this middle school? You said middle school. >> Was the intermediate school? >> I think you're asking I was I think you're asking for the middle school. >> Is it the middle school? >> Yeah, that's what we're receiving so far. >> Okay. Middle and I'm sure the superintendent will answer that for you. You have other question. >> Um yes, my other question first. Um go ahead. Go ahead. the people in line, they don't mind. >> I also understand that it's not uncommon for us to go over budget in a calendar or fiscal year um for our education budget and that that amount is then requested from the town um board selectman and they can approve it or not, but that they generally do approve it. And I was just curious for this year, is it anticipated that we will be over budget again requesting more funding um for the bet board of ed then was in the budget that we as citizens approved last year.