But this the fields are are down much lower. They're they're more at the um if you remember. So, what's a little bit hard to see, this part of the building is um I'm trying to make sure I say this right. Um the this part of the building is three stories. I could probably pull up a a grading plan, but the the fields are low, right? This corner is higher. Um but it it all kind of slopes off as you go down that hill. >> Um but you'll see here this like little bubble here, that's our limit of work. So that'll all just remain exactly as is that forested that forested edge. >> Kelly, can can you confirm is that buffer 30 ft or 20 ft? >> 30. >> So the uh note on the GCG, which I think it's a 0.9 um that refers to a 20 foot buffer.
um to a to a total of 182. Um in region two in Maricopa County, um we are serving 270 DHH students, 128 blind and low vision students to total 392. In region three, southern Arizona, we're serving 254 deaf and heart of hearing students, 111 blind and low vision students currently with a total of 358, bringing our complete total to 932 students as of uh end of business today. >> Thank you so much, Assistant Superintendent Cooper. Good evening, Board President Buchanan, Superintendent Reichman, Deputy Assistant Superintendent Catchoff, members of the board, ASDB staff, students, families, and community. Following the February 5th meeting, the board's recent decision regarding our Tucson campus and how we continue to address our budgetary shortfalls. The operations and support services team has been working on executing the operational path forward. Specifically, how we are managing the shortfalls this year and the logistics of our transition to the new site in Oral Valley.
And we hope that those uh numbers roll over to next year, you know, so that folks can get take take advantage of childcare center from the beginning of the year and not just, you know, from March, but better March, April, May than not at all. Exactly. So, exactly. And then it'll probably carry over. We hope. I hope. We hope. Got your fingers crossed. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. End of my report. End of my questions. Well, so far for that part. So far. Yeah. Um, item 2.9.
Is that not the same? >> So I think this is a different and Matt I'll let you comment. I think this is a landscape buffer, not a setback. >> Yeah. To hopefully clarify the the 30 foot you see kind of uh car I don't know if you can do the cursor, but the third Yeah. So that's the zoning setback. So again, I know we talked about this a while back. So the building itself respects the 30 foot zoning requirement and then you can see the 50 foot which would be the traditional buffer. So part of the building is in that. And then we're about 20 ft. You can see how, you know, the tree line does stagger a little bit. So, at its tightest point, it probably gets a little bit less than 20 feet. And then it's at its kind of its widest, we probably get to 20.
By the end of the fiscal year, we will have completed the first major phase of our staffing realignment through natural attrition and the reduction in force. With the board's approval to move forward within the reduction of force of about 80 teachers and staff, the human resources team the past few weeks has been working on providing letters to impacted staff informing them of their employment status for the new school year. While the reduction of almost 80 positions is a heavy loss, it is actually one of our steps to try and bring our staffing ratios in line with our current and projected enrollment of students. As you are already aware, the agency has not had enough funding to continue providing annual salary increases for staff. To address our current budget constraints, we are moving away from the previous model where salary schedules allowed for an annual step increase.
Oh, I should I should ask, does anybody have any questions for Dr. Stewart? I mean, I'm putting her through the the paces down here because she makes me go to this class. Um, she didn't make me That's That's a lie. Twisted your arm. Yeah. Um, if you guys get a a chance to take a class like this though, it's really an eyeopening thing to be able to actually talk to you of a little bit about the budget and to have an understanding of this much of the budget. So, thank you. Thank you for your patience with me. No worries. It's kind of nice to be able to talk about it and not get deer in the headlight looks back. Well, you still get those. Um, item 2.9. I think that's where I'm at. Mhm. Yeah. I'm shoveling papers here. Sorry. Item 2.9, board member updates.
So, I would ignore for the purposes of this, ignore the 30 foot number. That's just calling out the the side setback that that we're respecting. >> Yeah. Yeah. And it's a little bit confusing too, uh, Deepa because the because of the shape of this, you'll see even though this is on the side of the property, this is a rear setback because of the direction and then we go back to a 25 sideyard setback. Um, it's a little bit, again, we've talked about this corner at Nauseium, but it's just a little bit of a wonky situation. >> So, the black dash line on this is your property line, >> correct? Yeah. >> Correct. Okay, >> thank you. >> Um, that's all I had to present. Just again, I just wanted to, you know, kind of get you up to speed. um make sure you were aware that the stuff that we hadn't talked about had been addressed and um I guess open it to any comment or um the other thing I think we'd like to talk about a little bit is the status of our decision.
We recognize the value of the annual step increases that many of our staff had relied on. However, due to a lack of available funding, the agency can no longer sustain the model of our current salary schedules. We are currently and continue to work through recruitment and retention strategies and included in consent agenda item 6.2 are proposed changes to the teaching staff salary schedule. The modifications to the teaching staff salary schedule are being brought forth this month prior to issuance of teacher contracts so that when staff sign their contracts, they are aware of the changes. Similar modifications for other salary schedules will be brought forth to the board in our May meeting. Our current teaching salary schedule is capped at 25 years. However, with the proposed changes, it will be based on a placement structure capped at 10 years strictly on earned degrees, certification requirements, and years of experience.
Oh my gosh. I think Barb, how many kids did you read to? Um, let's see. I read to not kids, but classes. Classes. I read to three classes at uh Diamondback and I read to six classes at Desert Valley. Wow. So I read I think she's the wiener. I read to nine classes this week and stuff. Thank you, Barb. Sheila, you see the the level you have to step up to. I know Fred was in. Fred, would you how many classes did you take? I rent to two classes. Yeah, me too. It's sunrise. Did you have fun? Oh, yeah. Which which schools? Uh Sunrise. Sun Oh, Sunrise. I'm glad somebody got both of them. Both of them would were kindergarteners, but the the little ones are just so sweet and they have no filter. And they one of one of the first questions I got asked is that one of the young men says, "Well, how old are you?" So, I tried to dodge that for a little bit, but he wouldn't let go.
I know we um we were given a draft and that has been um I just have to figure out how to stop sharing here. Stop sharing. There we go. um that has been iterated upon um by um both Jasmine and the and the planning board I believe and then also um Matt. So um that's all I have to offer you. So I'll let you let me know. >> Yeah, I just just to jump in a minute about the decision. Um, that's something the planning board's going to need to go through in detail because I did notice that it was quite changed um uh by I I can't remember um who had looked at it um from Fletcher Tilton and um in a different way than what our decisions the format our decisions usually are in. So, the planning board is going to want to review that carefully and we may be likely reverting to our standard um decision rather than those comments that were that were changed.
The annual step increase is being discontinued to ensure long-term sustainable fiscal and financial resources. Future increases for teaching staff will be contingent on funding and limited to two pathways. Educational advancement where they move to a higher degree. For example, moving from a bachelor's to a master's or if the board approves a general increase for all staff, which traditionally has been about 2%. The new teaching salary schedule will be for new teaching staff and upon board approval would become effective July 1st. The current teaching staff salary schedule remains active until August 1st, specifically to honor approved grade advancements. On August 1st, all staff will officially shift to the new teaching salary schedule where their pay will remain the same because they will be grandfathered into their hourly rates. They will not be losing any pay. We me recommend the approval of the changes to the teaching staff salary schedule as presented in consent agenda item 6.2 2 to eliminate the annual growth of the 2% allowing the agency to operate within its current funding realities.
So now that whole class knows how old I am, but I'm not telling you guys. I was in It was fun. I was in a second grade class at Desert Valley. She's gone. Nope. Nope, she's gone. Yeah, she's gone. Yeah. Um and the teacher was kind of upset with the kids because the kids were being very social. It was just a social class. I'm sure that she has her hands full 99% of the time. I mean the other time there she's hoping they're all sleeping. Okay. Um but it was so much fun. I was I'm with you, Fred. It was just it was so much fun interacting with them on that level. It was just really neat. I was reading uh Where the Wild Things Are. Oh. And they Oh, man. That that book they loved. They just loved it. I chose it because it's got cool pictures.
So, I just wanted to make you aware of that. Um, but we will be we will be looking at that and to see what we want to do with it. So, I think in looking at the comments about the decision, it would really be more comments about um about conditions if there were comments on conditions. um that were going into that and how those would be how those would be worded. So, but again, that will probably be then finding its way back to I'm not sure if the board even had a chance to really go through um go through that decision at at this point. >> That was the one you sent yesterday. >> That was the latest version prior to that. >> There was a red line version and a clean copy version. That's the one I'm referring to. >> But that came yesterday, right?
Following board approval from February 5th, our director of operations, Albert Duff, has been leading our logistics of finalizing the lease and our transition plans. And as previously mentioned, we project about a 45% reduction in annual utility and maintenance cost. And those back office savings will be able to redirect towards instructional spending and protecting our Tucson campus educational programs and support services. Our current focus is currently the Tucson campus operations. However, we continue to review efficiencies across the agency in all of our departments and educational programs. Last but not least, as it pertains to our three ongoing external audits, no new updates have been received from the auditing entities at this time, and all three audits appear to remain on track for completion within the next six months.
I I I read about the crayons and about Mr. Fuzzbuzzer being the favorite puppy of all the animals in the house and stuff, but the crayon one was the cutest one. Yeah, you talked about the crayon. Yeah, it was a cute one. And I saw those books I think at Target and I almost picked one up after you talked to me about it. Yeah. Uh Charlene, did you get a chance? Um, I did read two three classes, but unfortunately it wasn't in our district. Where was it? Um, it was the fifth grade. Yeah, that's okay. That's okay. You're still reading the kids and showing us. They had fun. And I want to thank Lance for putting together that whole list and trying to herd cats. Yeah, that had to be interesting. Um, thank you very much for doing that. Mhm. Coming up. Anybody got anything coming up once I get my badge?
I was thoroughly confused why I had two trying to figure out what they were until I figured out. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Just m Madam Chair, if I may, just to clean up any confusion, there was a a version that was submitted uh through Jasmine and planning a couple weeks back and then the the version yesterday just we we talked further about the shity which we'd also like to talk with the board at at some point hopefully tonight or in the very near future. So there was only one minor change from that prior version, but there was something circulated about two two and a half weeks ago, I think. So I'm not sure if board members have had a chance to look at that, but that is substantially the same as what was circulated yesterday. >> Yeah, I'm not sure I'm not sure we concentrated on at that point because with with the project as it kept getting continued, obviously we're going to kind of wait to see what happens with the project before we revisit the decision.
That wraps up my report as there are no other important updates to provide at this time and I'm able to answer any questions you may have. >> Shaina, this is Mike. Um, have there been projections? I'm sure there have been, but uh, are you able to share projections of the administrative changes? what what the fiscal effect will will be from that >> specifically to the relocation or >> no specifically to uh the the new roles of uh of the assistant superintendence of the the the movement that's been that's occurred in the restructure. Yes, the with the deputy assistant superintendent of education there will be a minimal increase of um and with the executive director of outreach programs combined it'll be less than roughly I believe 15 to $20,000 increase between the two and we will have operational savings through the salary of uh the deputy assistant superintendent catch off.
Your badge? Oh, and I got some Oh, yeah. I lost mine. I lost mine. So, I have I may be able to find mine somewhere in storage, but that might take a while. No, I I just lost mine somewhere out there. of course somewhere out there. Somebody's running around with my badge. Can't remember where mine is. I want to go and observe the Thursday eagle. Um that would be I think that would be a lot of fun. That looks like she she has those kids. Yeah. Okay. Uh anything else, board members? No, I had u I went to breakfast. Yeah, we did too. Yeah, that was that was interesting. One one of the things though that um I discussed with uh Miss Mccan is it? Well, hi there. There she is. Didn't see you sneak in there. Um, but one of the things that uh we discussed was that I noticed that uh with the arrival of the buses not all being at the same time at 7:00, you know, some of the kids didn't have but five minutes to gobble and go and it was uh uh you know, some of the kids just came in and got their plate and then the The bell rang and they just ended up you know, disposing of their food.
So um we didn't focus on it too much at for for months really. we started to look at it. We we talked about um different findings that the board usually talks about and puts and puts in our typical decision and um and then we didn't see it for quite a long while. So I don't think we probably revisited that until the project was coming back back to us. So um so there like I said there may be um I'm I'm most interested I don't want to speak for the board. I'm most interested in um changes to proposed conditions that that um the the YMCA may have issues with and we would want to know that. But in terms of the way our decision is written and the text that we use um that um will be up to the board. U Madam Chair, if I may, there are a couple of uh notes in these GCG reports that really looks for board approval and DPW.
>> Okay. And there has been a vacancy that's longstanding vacancy also. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> I'd like to see that that data please if we can. I'm sure we all >> other questions. I see no other questions. Thank you, Shaya. >> Thank you. >> Moving on, we will move on to agenda item 1.6, Six, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instructions Report. Interimm Deputy Assistant Superintendent Choff. All right. Good afternoon, Board President Buchanan, members of the board, Superintendent Reichman, Assistant Superintendent Cooper, and the ASDB community. As Superintendent Reichman discussed, ASDB is currently moving ahead to prepare for the 2627 school year and for the future, be it at the two campuses or through our statewide programming. As ASDB moves forward, important decisions will continue to be needed by this board. There have been many tough decisions made this year, many cuts which have taken place, but if we remain just in survival mode indefinitely, it will lead to the burnout of all of us.