Uh so some of the um the university campuses they have these blue lights, right? Blue light phones. What are they called? Emergency phones. Um >> Oh yes. >> Right. >> Uh is there is there any possibility of putting something like that? um couple of them >> those are kind of like on campus for emergencies and I think it's more for like safety among like college campuses. I'm not sure if we need anything specifically like that at a middle school campus, but >> so I'm trying to see if we can some of the concerns about safety that parents have expressed can alleviate that saying that you know >> and I think the majority of our teachers usually have their doors open. They're very accessible. If somebody were to come to them, they would make sure they get the proper support in my opinion. radios, walkie-talkies, whatever it takes to get the message to the front office so that they can get the support that they need.
So, they they shared that at school they know they some of the AI is used to help to write scripts for assemblies and and give them some some chances to perform. Uh but they really see it right now as a tool to find information. Their recommendations as we kind of explore this is that we provide our students with lessons so they understand what isn't okay and what is not okay in that world and then guidance on how to use it successfully. All right. So, we went and spoke and we used too many people cuz I did not attend. But I sure get to present about that and it is my old school. So, 22 students at Chico Junior were part of the student LCAP meeting. And of course the first thing that we talk about is the academics. Students shared that they really love teachers being very clear and precise with their directions.
Rather than breaking these up into multiple things, too, you know, you take big categories and do the category one at a time, right? Does that make sense? Um, so April and I were looking from funding sources. Um, probably we would split this into two different pots. Um, probably pull some from our normal technology budget within the operations fund. Probably pull some from some remaining 23 geo bond dollars. Um, so that neither one take the total hit. Um because inevitably, yes, technology-wise, we don't necessarily expect anything within the the 26 budget year that we'd have to like come back with some major item, but there's still going to be stuff, right? I mean, last summer we had to replace battery backups because they got rained on. Uh water fell on them. We won't call it rain, but we we called it rain. Sam and I called it rain because it felt like it was raining in the building.
Um, mainly students who have behavioral or emotional issues. >> Hello, I am Suzanne Evans. Um, I am the director of exceptional needs for Clint County Joint Services. Um, I am a um, graduate of Clint Central, so I see a lot of faces that I grew up with. Um, so it's nice to see all of you. Um so my background is um I um first was a special ed parent actually here at Clinton Central many years ago and then um went back to school and got my special education degree. Ended up at Western and taught there for several years. Um I was one of those crazy um middle school special ed teachers. Love those junior high and middle school kids. Um and then my director at the time had come to me and said, "You need to be a d." and I really drugg my feet and um I finally got my director's license.
So, we're going to see how this goes. >> So, Jaden starting off with plenty of um starting off with plenty of slingshot bullets, trying to keep Samus at a distance. And since Samus has a lot of projectiles, that pocket ability mentioned previously is going to be pretty pretty uh good in this uh type of environment. >> Pretty good. does the fishing rod. >> Mhm. Did we explain the fishing rod yet? >> Uh, I don't think so. >> Okay, so the fishing rod is basically Well, it performs like a fishing rod. Jaden can cast the line anywhere and if he catches his opponent, he can throw him immediately after. It has a very big range. Very big range. >> He's going to pocket that and throw it right back at him. >> Jumps right over. been throwing out plenty of plenty of u what's the word?
Um, and then all the students that showed up today, just like Dustin said, a wider range and, you know, being on the board for, I guess, going on my fifth year, I'm seeing these kids grow up, you know, when they're coming in here getting the awards and everything else. So, it's sort of cool to see that. And then Cubfest, um, I did not know there were that many people in Jefferson County and stuff. So, it was great. Uh, the school really, the junior high did a fantastic job. Everyone that pulled together uh to put that activity on, it was huge. So, if you missed it, not very many people missed it. You'll have to hit it next year because it's a really good event. It really will open your eyes to everything that's available, you know, even out in the community through the school and everything.
So, Abhishek has every opportunity he can get to go to whether it's school, work, the military, whatever it might be, that he's prepared to do that. That our launch students that you saw tonight are prepared to enter into that program. And that we're providing them the opportunity to be ready to be independent as they were talking about tonight, right? That is our goal. That's our charge. And I can't speak more passionately enough about what I get excited about. It's preparing that. Where I get a little down is when I can't do that for everybody. When I can't provide what we need. So, what I heard last time, what I presented last time, and what I heard from you and the feedback from you is where I'm going to go with the story tonight. Okay? Um We've we've shared this. We have five schools, 360 employees, 2,800 students.
That was the main thing that we were planning on and that's what we voted to do. So to hear that things are different and that changes have been made or you're experiencing different things and through a different lens that's really important and maybe we need to revisit all of the listening sessions and have new listen new new listening sessions in this new span of time with the new data that we have so we can see where you all are at. So I really appreciate you coming in and telling us um that the information has changed. Thank you. member web. >> Thank you for being here. Um, this is more for Mr. Brownie and Miss Fenomore. I know that when we were doing our tours, we got to see some of your really cool shop exploratory shops. I was hoping that you could give more about what you are offering for UAS at GHS level and for Miss Fenomore what you guys are doing for UAS at GMS.
Um we have our GHSTV um that is also is growing all the time and and continuing to move in a direction we want. So, that's exciting to see as as well as he does the yearbook and a few things like that, but just that idea that that students are seeing more um episodes of JHS-TV and what the good things we're doing. Um we also have our um What's new to us is our innovation career pathways that we've been working on. So, with Assistant Superintendent Sullivan, we've been building um our team that's working on this new pathway um and it's a way to to really kind of start finding some students that are looking for something that isn't necessarily um shifting to another school to find it, but they can find it here. So, manufacturing is the is really where we're heading with that right now with other options down the road as we build that.
>> [laughter] [gasps] >> I don't have all the accomplishments that Terry has just yet. But, the two biggest tasks ahead in the next couple weeks, um one of the two biggest that I have in front of me is really going on a bit of a listening and learning tour. So, I already have meetings scheduled or about to be scheduled with the director of all the academies, with our current community partners and corporate partners, kind of starting all that outreach. So, with that said, I welcome connecting with any of you. I would love to hear your perspectives and ideas and how we can grow partnerships for the academy. So, thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you. Thank you, Mary, and thank you, Terry. And thank you both for the introductions. All right. Wraps up for superintendent's report. Okay. Um next we have uh board standing committee reports.
>> Okay. >> Yeah, fair enough. I just wanted to see how we can alleviate that safety concern because the parent might be visualizing that the student at the far end of the campus uh you know has to run all the way to the office to to say you know to share some some you know emergency issue. Um but to get that clarified maybe let the parents let the students know they can pretty much go to any classroom in case of an emergency. So >> good. Okay. >> Thank you. I also have a few questions too. Thank you so much for the wonderful presentation. This is really good for us to know especially as we consider a district-wide policy. But I just had a couple of questions. Um I grew up in the age of cell phone and so I actually went to middle school and everyone had iPhones.
And here's the key part about it is teachers provide a reasonable amount of homework and help students feel successful. And I was like, "Hmm, so what does a reasonable amount mean? Like it is a one homework assignment per day or two?" So, just the fact that the kids were sharing that, that's really positive. Uh particularly over the summer time, sorry, the spring time once athletics is hitting pretty hard. Teachers using gauging strategies and do not lecture for long periods of time. That definitely reflects with the way our school district has been I'm going to use the word hammering with teaching strategies across the old grade levels and particularly tier one engagement strategies. So, the fact that students are starting to pick up on that, that is huge. That means that we're being successful with that. Academic success, of course, is another uh class uh that students were very thankful that they had.
Um but, you know, I mean, there's inevitably going to be things obviously, right? I mean, you know, um, talking about, you know, the cafeteria computers, things like that. Just different things that have come up. So, hate to go eat the entire technology equipment budget for 26 in February and March and then be like, well, hope nothing breaks for eight, you know, months or whatever. So, >> how long does it take to do this, too? I'm curious. >> So, this would be a summer project. Yeah, because we'd be shut down for what, Sam? Two weeks. >> It' be like a two week process for start to finish because every single the little white boxes are hanging in every single room. Um, every single one of those will have to be replaced. We have multiple IT cabinets. Every single one of those will be ripped apart and rebuilt.
Um there was an opportunity to come back to Clinton Central. I was director of student services, but most of that was um the special education role, so I see lots of familiar faces um over there. Um so, um I've been married to my husband Brian for 33 years. He's a Clint Central graduate. We have um three children um and we have um four grandchildren and our love is being pop on Gigi. There's nothing like it. Um I love what I do, but I'm going to be honest, I am looking forward to retirement so that I can spend a lot of time with them. Many years down the road, Dr. Hannah, many years. Um, I have three of my bosses here tonight and I just want to say I didn't realize everyone was going to be here. I think Levi kept that detail out so that I would come.
Plenty of projectiles as well. Plenty of projectiles and attacks. >> Does the don't does the don't sign. We saw that quite a bit uh last round. >> Yeah. >> Yep. For air. >> Mhm. Does another forward air. And another for air. >> It likes those forward air. And another forward air. >> That's good. And another for air. And another foreign air. And another foreign air. And it kills. >> Yay. >> Those foreign airs coming in clutch for J. >> Yeah, that was impressive. >> Mhm. Since they don't take that much time to start up like >> Uhhuh. >> Yeah. He freaking took those out. >> Yeah, that was huge. >> He was able to just annihilate T. That is freaking awesome. >> And that's his go-to character. >> That is his go-to character. That we would say that's his main. Um main being like your main character you use.
So, just everyone that was involved with that, thank you very much because you guys did a really good job with that. Uh before I turn it over to Dr. Brown, I just want to remind everyone that the board will conduct a work session on Thursday, April 2nd, 2026 at 4 PM. The next scheduled regular meeting of the board of school trustees will be held on Wednesday, April 8th, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Turn over Dr. Brandt. >> All right. First of all, as the others have said, congratulations to the 83 students who were recognized tonight um at the board meeting. It was an incredible night to celebrate for 30 minutes, one name after another, of students that have just stepped up to do things outside of the classroom um and just achieving great success. And to their sponsors and those adults who have mentored and worked with them, we greatly appreciate all that you're pouring into our students.
Our per pupil cost is about $18,000 all in. Um thank you to Mr. Kendall. He's done a lot of work pulling some data. So, normally I would have to go into the DESI website and pull it myself. Paul's done that, so I just got to remember to copy it. So, thanks for saving me a little bit of time. I think it's critically important our community does understand that the $44 million $44.4 million that's that's appropriated at town meeting isn't the true cost of what it takes to run the Ashland Public Schools. We have another $4.4 million that we use, whether they're grants, um whether they're school choice funds, whether they're building revolving, transportation. Our true cost to run the Ashland Public Schools is closer to the $50 million range. Uh this these are FY26 numbers. Um so, uh and you can see 79% of our budget are is salaries, right?
I mean, I know there's maker space which is a a favorite of my child. space. >> Yeah. So, we have to begin with we have the things that have been there for a while, right? We have our culinary um we have our um Boston teaches both uh construction as well as sustainable energy um sustainable agriculture rather. We also have our um a few different art um classes that are provided and they they kind of vary through the years, but there's um there's ceramics as well as graphic design. Um we have our GHS TV um that is also is growing all the time and and continuing to move in a direction we want. So that's exciting to see as well as he does the yearbook and a few things like that. But just that idea that that students are seeing more um episodes of GHS TV and what the good things we're doing.
And so, that's where they would have that pathway that starts at 9th grade with a concentration each year um that leads them to an internship and and then involvement. So, we we kind of have this close um relationship with local manufacturing, so we can have students that that want that. And again, other options that'll come after that. So, a lot of good opportunities. Hopefully, I didn't miss any. And then our our foreign languages I guess as well fall in that category, um which is awesome, both Spanish and um French. Um we have makerspace for all of three grade levels. We also um our unified arts department is is pretty diverse. So, we have makerspace, we have theater, we have graphic design, art, we have a PE, health, and our band. So, we have a fifth grade band, a sixth grade band, and a seventh grade band, and wind ensemble.
So, do any of our committee chairs have anything to report today? No? Um the community relations committee is having a meeting on March 19th. Thank you, Al. Uh finance committee will be meeting next week. Um I think it's the 18th. Don't quote me on that one. Um Curriculum committee is tomorrow. >> It's tomorrow. Okay, good. So, we have everybody is scheduled. Um anybody else want to? No? Is it possible that I can ask my question now concerning the community relations or do I wait till the discussion? It's up to you. Do you want to uh is this about the uh I can ask them now. Yeah. Okay. My um just uh a little rundown. Okay? So, you might have to put on your hat and just wait just a minute. First, I have think that the Danbury school system has did and has done an excellent job in highlighting our school.