I'm happy to answer any questions you have. >> Can I get a motion? I move that the governing board approve the Arizona Teacher Residency Memorandum of Understanding between the Arizona Board of Regions for and on behalf of Northern Arizona University and the Morirana Unified School District. >> Can I get a second? >> Second.
Second by Cheryl, any discussion? How is this funded? This is completely through a food service grant, so there's not a cost to the corporation. It's reimbursed. Any additional discussion? All those in favor? 7-0. What a great program. Um next we have a couple of resolutions. Yes, the first resolution is a standard resolution because of the distance between the two meet our next meeting. It's authorizing the treasurer deputy treasurer to make payments of claims without prior board action to the April 9th meeting and allow treasurer deputy treasurer to make transfers appropriation within education debt service and operations in order to balance major fund classifications. I'll entertain [clears throat] a motion to approve. So, moved. Motion by Pat, do I have a second? Second.
I can tell you just in as the the scope of the budget um that those are unfortunate circumstances that happen. Um, I don't specifically budget a a line item amount for that and build the budget on that. If that is a circumstance that happens during the year, then at that point is where we would how much it is, how much is this going to impact the budget. Um, and if adjustments are needed, I would go to the school committee for that. >> That makes sense. All right. Sorry if my question was very specific, but I'm just curious. Um, >> anything else? >> Uh, if I have the floor. Um, sure. Um, I was wondering if uh we benefit from any vacancy savings when our um positions are left vacant. We get to benefit from say like not having an a music teacher for a while.
But >> yeah, my my only hesitation with that number of trees is just finding the places for them. Yeah. Again, I only want to follow the direction of the forestry plan and the and Becca's recommendation. You know, >> I think if there's I think if there's no place for them, then they don't get planted. If if Becca, you know, we don't just take please, we we won't just put a tree in a place that it would be likely to fail. So, if we don't have locations for them, then they then they don't get planted and, you know, we don't we don't need those trees then, right? Yes, I'm kind of making the assumption that after the forestry plan that there is somewhere in the town that we'd use >> some trees. >> We can make that assumption and if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.
The second piece is the district level for Danbury public schools, the district level for Norwok and the district level for Stamford. So it also takes into consideration, you'll see what that has looked like over time. You know, every district was higher as a part of the 2018-19 school year and folks have been kind of recovering since then. We're in a similar um trajectory as the other districts um but we we vary greatly in our pupil pure pupil expenditures. So with according to the last 2324 we were at 17,100 where Norwok and Stanford were significantly above that with with a uh total operating budget that was significantly more than what Danbury public schools is operating with. Um, so just kind of side by side what that looks like and just to give you some indication of where we're going as far as our where we are right now and what is the most current data.
You are amazing people. All we're asking is to work with us. We are amazing people. We dream big. We want our students to thrive and we're asking to work with you, not against you. Changing teachers salaries. I don't understand. I don't get it. This is our future. If you honestly feel anywhere in your body that this is not right, stand up. Be an inspiration that we know you are. Be that person that stands up and says, "I believe in the dreams of the students we serve." Not the administration, not the teachers, the students. I ask again kindly please let us work with you. Let's make something out of nothing cuz that is where I feel we are going right now. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Next for an agenda item, it is, and I'm so sorry if I mispronounce her name, is it Ba Tarsuk?
And so today we thought that we would share some of the things that we're doing. Um we look at our Eagle enrichment in some categories. So you can see some fun photos up there about getting active. So different types of gross motor and fine motor games. Our teachers from the Philippines do a lot of their cultural activities during this time as well. So, we offer Filipino language, Filipino dance, um, and getting to know their culture and kind of integrating it with ours. We've had teachers who have done other languages, sign language. So, it's really fun. And if you look at the last one, we try to partner with people in the community. So, that is one uh that was from last year. That's the former Mojave High School cheer coach doing cheer class. Um, so learning all kinds of skills. We also look at like arts and crafts.
>> Any questions or discussions? All those in favor? >> I I >> Thank you. >> I >> Motion carries. J9 Mr. Bane discussion approval of youth on their own data sharing agreement. >> Yes. Thank you, President Micronis, Vice President Raymond, members of the board, Dr. Strer, senior staff, and those in attendance. I'm here tonight requesting approval of a data sharing agreement with Youth on Their Own and Chapen Hall Center for Children. Uh, Youth on Their Own is requesting participation from four public school districts in Pimac County as they conduct an evaluation of their stipen program. youth on their own enrolled students are eligible to receive a monthly stipend of up to $400 uh based on attendance. Uh the stipend is a tiered system where if students attend 85 to 100% days of the month, then they earn that $400 stipend. Using data from the 2324 school year through the 2627 school year, they are hoping to determine youth on their own is hoping to determine that the stipen program improves student attend attendance and academic performance in the classroom as outlined in the data sharing agreement attached to this board item.
Second by Kurt, any discussion? All those in favor? 7-0. Um next resolution. Next I'm asking board to approve the following resolution. The superintendent of schools is specifically authorized to pay the early retirement incentive payments to teachers specified in the attached document titled JCS E2026 early retirement payment in the amount specified in the attached document. The document is incorporated into this resolution by reference. This is a one-time payment and it's for the following people: Ed Ertel, Karen Field, Gina Gallion, Luanne Gant, Todd Hearn, Emma Lovegrove, Elizabeth McGuire, Roxanne Norton, Jennifer Posey, Lori Shepherd, and Susie Webster. We'll entertain a motion to approve the resolution as read. I have a motion by Mary Lynn. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Pat.
There was vacancy savings from not having a music teacher for a while. if that is a positive impact on the budget or if that's not considered. >> Yes. So, if there's a position open and we're waiting to fill it, um then that means there's we're not spending the money out of that budget line. So, if somewhere else in the budget um we were spending higher than we anticipated, those savings can offset it. Um, if we get to the point at the end of the year where we might be under budget because we for some reason there was many staff that were out in unfilled positions, it it doesn't happen so often in Pelum because it's so small. Um, but then that at the end of the year could allow us to use less school choice money than we planned, saving more for a future year in most cases.
Right. >> So, Matt, is 19 possible or are you going to make a counter offer? >> Oh, we're h feel like we're haggling. Um >> I if if if Becca finds locations for 19 trees, I'm happy to plant 19 trees. It's just it's just that that large of a number is something I'm nervous about committing to and being stuck on it. >> What do you mean being stuck on it that they have to be planted? >> Yes. >> I mean, >> no, I think that's up to Becca. And if she doesn't have locations for the trees where they can thrive, then we're not going to waste money. So, is there a particular reason we can't say 19 trees planted over the course of 24 months in the town of Ashland at Becca's uh discretion with input from various committees, select board, I know the comprehensive plan certainly thought about certain areas of town needing more coverage.
This was these are our projections for where our students ended last year. It is not public data yet on um for the Connecticut ed site. Um but what we project and what we've been working on state on is this is where we are. Um so again previously I was showing you our accountability rate that was like our report card grade almost. This is actual graduation rates. So if you look at our 2425 school year compared to the 2324 that was in the accountability index, we've increased overall uh graduation by 6.4 percentage points. Our high need students went up by 7.1. Our multilingual lingual learners did a tremendous change and an increase of 17.9. Our free and reduced lunch students went up that qualify for free or reduced lunch went up by 2.5 and our students with disabilities went slightly down at 3.7. Another piece I know um some folks had some questions about where are we now with some proficiency level at this point of mid year and um I just wanted to give you just kind of a quick snapshot and what that's looked like from the beginning of the year to the middle of the year.
Madame President, members of the board, uh my name is Bat Tashuk. known here as Kasha's mom. She's on the poster right there. Um I brought a visual aid with me, but I would like to address my um uh the previous speaker and I would like to say I second everything he said. We want to work with you. We want to support you and I believe you're not bad people. I read your bios as well. And I believe you want to help and you want to be leaders and you want to protect those children. I am here to tell you that I disagree with the whole organization chart of ASDB. I disagree with money being spent on top administration and all of those positions. You don't need that many especially when you cut the whole school of the blind. I am here presenting you but birth rates that we heard so much about birth rate in Arizona actually went up from 2003 slightly 0.35% it's not a lot of growth but it is growth but comparing to population growth in Arizona because believe it or not it's not by birth we're Amazonians but also people move here like I did I moved to Arizona and I'm raising my family here in Arizona.
We really want to feed into like the mind, the body, and then the artistic side of our students. So you can kind of see some of the things that they're working on. And the best part is they're not in their regular grade levels. So they get those positive peer mentors across K4. They get to work collaboratively and and that hour is just I think one of the biggest exciting things that happens at Desert Valley. in our attendance on those Thursdays happens to always fall between like 96 and 97%. Um, the kids just love that hour. They literally show up to school, please don't check me out. It's Eagle Enrichment Day. So, we love that for them. And then a lot of STEM, science-based, engineering, mathematics, critical thinking. So, you can see some of those activities um that they're working on in there. So tonight we're going to do some live presentations of some of the Eagle Enrichment classes that we've offered this school year.
We will share three sets of data if approved with youth on their own in Chapen Hall. The three sets are data of students enrolled in Youth on Their Own. Uh students identified as homeless or unstably housed, that's Mckin Vento, um and then all other students. Data will be collected for 8th through 12th graders, um only for the following years, 23 24, 24, 256, and 26 27 next year. All data shared will be furpa compliant meaning we will uh strip all identifiable markers um from the data uh in which uh is documented in the data sharing agreement. Uh this data sharing agreement has also been approved by our district's legal council. >> Can I get a motion? I move that the governing board approve the data sharing agreement with youth on their own and chapen Hill Chapen Hall Center for Children. >> Can I get a second?
Any discussion? All those in favor? Six. Abstain. Travis abstains. One. And I'd like to point out two things there. One, this is still available up to March 20th. So, we went ahead and brought who we have at this point. So, we could be bringing back more names our next meeting. And then, I just would be remiss if we didn't take a moment to pause and say what a wonderful group of dedicated individuals that are retiring and recognize the positive impact that they as a group have had on this community. And I know Karen's here with us this evening. Um and it gives me chills to read and look at this list of names because they are people that are just phenomenal and they have dedicated their lives to the children of this community. So, thank you to them. Thanks for pointing that out. Thank you.
>> Okay. Yeah. Interesting. Thanks. >> Okay. Um, have we got someone else out there? >> Not yet. But similarly, I'll watch to see if a hand comes up. >> Okay. We like to hear from you. It doesn't have to be just questions. It could be observations or comments as well about the fiscal year 27 budget. I will just add I mean given that um there are no hands raised um in terms of um advocating at the state level advocation towards rural school aid would be tremendous help to POE. Um, so if there's one thing that you're going to support, um, as the the at the state level we move through the budget process, I would just encourage you all to consider advocating for rural school aid money and an increase to that. >> Thank you, Shannon. >> Well, hi, William. Yeah, before it sounds like we're going to be wrapping up soon, I just need to say something about the process tonight.
So there's plenty of data sources for Becca to peek at, but to me, why not say 19 trees over 24 months or something like that? >> Is does that sound Does that sound good, >> Matt? >> Um, yeah, if we want to go with 19, just as long as we have the asterisk of there aren't 19 spots, there aren't 19 spots. Um, I don't think we need to necessarily do the over the 24 months period. Um, I think that a a realistic timeline for this would be in the spring planting season of next year. Um, and I think we get um you can probably get most of them done within the the same planting season. >> So, you're saying spring of 20 2027. So, I would say then we would want the spring of 2028 to finish the 19 that were not planted. >> Let's just say 24 months to make it easy.
So, our K3 students are assessed on the Dibbles assessment. That is a state requirement. We have to assess students using an approved assessment for um uh three times a year and we report that data to the state by student. Um since adopting um the new ARC core program and the Hill for literacy strategies that we've been doing a lot of professional learning about, we've been seeing some really significant gains particularly in our lower grade levels. So I just wanted to highlight that a bit. This is what it currently looks like. BOI mean meets beginning of the year. MOI is middle of the year. So overall you'll see red are the students who are well below. Um and yellow is below but progressing towards meeting um grade level and then at grade level is your green and blue is your above grade level. So if you look at where we are with kindergarten from where they entered, it is a dramatic difference by midyear.
My children were born here, but not every single child is born in Arizona. But our population growth goes up year by year significantly about twice as average in United States. In 2020, we only had 334,000 people in Arizona. In 2024, we have 7 thou 7,500,022. When ASDB was established, we had 23 times less people in Arizona. So, how can you say birth rates matter? And how can you say birth rates are going down? That's why you're shutting down school for the blind and well really you will shut down school for the deaf pretty soon because the practices enrollment practices in ASDB today are not sustainable. We know it as parents the employees here know it. Everybody knows it. The the people who graduate from here they know it. There's a waiting list in a school for the blind. children are not admitted, there's no public outreach to tell the parents that this is available for their students.