It also brings consistency. Right now supports can look very different from classroom to classroom. A structured AI approach helps ensure students are supported in a more consistent and equitable way across the district. This will also support teachers by saving time and allowing them to focus on instruction and connection. This isn't about replacing teachers, it's about giving them better tools and a consistent platform to build resources that work. Access to learning for students like my son should not depend on the classroom they walk into. Thank you. Uh next up is Terry Moody. Hi, my name is Terry Moody and I am a retired teacher who happens to live in the Dysart Unified School District boundaries. I also have grandchildren who attend three different Dysart schools. And I'm here tonight to address [clears throat] the ICE detention warehouse much like the gentleman whose first name I got but whose last name I don't recall um that's being developed within the Dysart boundaries.
Any discussion? Questions? I think we're ready to move to a vote. All those in favor of the recommendation, please say I. I. Any opposed, same sign. Oh, I'm sorry. I was supposed to do a roll call. I messed that up. We're going to do a roll call vote. Mr. Schulz. I. Mr. Glick. I. Ms. Lloyd. I. Mr. Stenner votes I. Mr. Nowlin. I. And Mr. Major. Yes. Thank you. The motion is approved. >> [applause] [applause] [cheering] [applause] >> Congratulations, Mrs. Mockus. Congratulations to your family. And uh Mrs. Mockus was selected among a a high number of really talented internal candidates and some external candidates with lots with lots of experience um and she was the the preferred candidate by the cheering section in the back that you can see standing back there and their colleagues. So, congratulations, Amy. much. I think this isn't my notes, but the number of Richards Raiders shirts is just so exciting to see.
This is exactly what Central Noble is doing. Just so you know, the budget process for a school starts 18 months in advance. So, we are well underway um planning for our 2027 budget. Let's talk about some scenarios. Tonight, we're going to talk about consolidation. So, scenario A is consolidation of the primary and the elementary starting this fall for the 2627 school year. What we wanted to show you with this information is we kind of gave you utilities ex expenses for the primary and the elementary for the calendar year 2025. We have to remember that for half of 2025 the primary did lose a third of their students. Um so and that but you can see that their utilities were still um over 100,000 whereas the elementary is by far our most economical building. um they were just right about 93,000 for their util their utilities.
Um we had five stipulated facts to which the applicant agreed to four. And um the first uh the first fact was that a majority of the site is within flood plane. The second site uh the second fact was that the conservation commission has jurisdiction over activities that alter flood planes. Uh the third was that the site is contaminated. The fourth was that the site is within 100 and 200 foot riverfront area. The fifth fact was that uh historically the buildings on the site uh flooded. Uh we did not come to an agreement on that fact. Uh we um uh the conservation commission uh feels that they that they have historically. Uh the applicant has not agreed to that. Then we move to the topics of discussion uh for the hearing and they are in this order. uh one contamination, two storm water, three flood plane and four wetlands and riverfront area.
Looked like uh Ashland may have been able to beat them to the end line, but not the case. Norwood will have the ball and try to take it up up the field with 9 minutes, 55 seconds left in the first quarter. Goalie ball in the crease. Apply some pressure. Got some middies coming back into attacking zone, trying to clear that ball. That is a tough one. When that hits the ground like that, that is a tough ball to corral. Ally Marseglia picking it up. Going right to goal, I hope. Give it a nice rip. Nice check by Norwood number 615. Ashley picks it up. She's going to settle that down maybe a little bit. Brings it back to X. She's going to go right to goal. Ooh, dropped the ball, unfortunately. There you go, nice pick up by Ryan there to pick it up again.
So when we're talking about innovation and supporting um new teachers to come into the field, I really question the position of the board if they're choking the pathways that are helping students who don't have money actually become teachers. And I I understand that the board is looking for a high quality lensure procedure, but there has to be other ways because if somebody's innovative and giving people money to go to school and be a teacher, why would we kill that? Thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> Okay, we have Amanda Lar in support. Amanda, they didn't sign up. So, all of these people I'm going to read next is in support, but none of them signed up. But I will ask if anybody wants to um testify. So Kimberly O Kiku Katana Katania uh Lynn Yoshoka, Angie Smith, Leila Kambonga, uh Elwin Watkins, Stephanie Pasheko, Christopher Just Cara Dot, uh Cherylyn Pang, uh Leah Balttero, Sandra Yap, Stephanie Kirk, and Carlton Ho all in support.
Our charter school students are over the 650 mark right now. So, we have 650 students or 668. 668 to be exact, students that live in the city limits and go to charter schools that we're responsible for. So, it's something you have to keep in mind, too. And then that brings us all the way up to tonight. Um and then the the uh the hearing where you guys now get to uh interact a little bit. Um the board gets to um look at the finalized and vote hopefully to adopt this tonight so we can kind of move forward. Let's look at some of the enrollment numbers. We're at 435 with preschool. Obviously, since I've been here now, we had some preschool changes a little bit with regard to some of the state funding and and some of the areas with um Greater Bergen uh and Head Start and whatnot and this is where we're at, 435.
As we're all aware, the building on Sweetwater has been purchased for ICE to use as a human warehouse. This has been done without any notice to or input from any city, state, county, local government, school district, or other regulatory entities. I feel that the Dysart Unified School District Board must make a clear and concrete stand on this issue. There are many fiscal reasons why the board should take a stand and I'll name a couple of them, but there's a million. Number one, the warehouse would really necessitate additional cost for student safety both coming and going to school and in the schools themselves and hiring more security officers would stress an already stretched budget. Two, the district would be responsible for schooling any minor within the ICE facility which would also place a financial burden on the district in hiring qualified teachers to handle those students and to educate them.
So, um thank you to them for showing up in that way. Thank you, BCSC school board members for your approval and for your trust in me to be the next principal at W. D. Richards Elementary School. I want to thank the interview and selection committee for their time, care, and thoughtfulness throughout the process, and for their trust in me to lead the team at Richards. I also want to thank Dr. Phillips, Dr. Stallbaum, and Dr. Hack for this opportunity and for the ones that have come before that have prepared me for this role. I am so proud of the work that we do in BCSC and honored to lead the team at Richards in those efforts. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Chris Smith and Darren Sprong for their mentorship, guidance, and leadership, and for the opportunities they granted me to really grow as a leader at Parkside and at Richards.
Centobyl Elementary is also getting a solar project to be completed by June 2026. This project is estimated to cover Central Noble Elementary's current AE expenses. That could obviously change if we do add students and staff to that building, but we do anticipate seeing a reduction of utilities to the elementary due to this project. It is hard to estimate exactly how much we could save by closing the primary, but even with keeping the building at a stable temperature, we know we can capture utility savings along with transportation expenses and a much better utilization of all resources on one campus. Consolidation scenario B. This proposal would be to consolidate the primary and elementary starting the fall of 2027 for the school year, the 2728 school year. We have some expenses to consider if we uh keep the primary open for another year. We need to replace the repeater um that is that keeps our radios functioning between the locations.
We asked for the following documents. Ram report which is a uh a report that discusses how remediation uh would take place on the site. Uh peer review for wetlands, [snorts] a peer review for storm water. We also asked for a peer review for the RAM report and all correspondence between the applicant, the LSP, the DP, the EPA regarding the RAM report. Subsequent to that hearing, uh the RAM report was uh determined to be invalid and so that is something that the applicant is going to be working on going forward. We asked at the second meeting that in lie of there not being a an effective RAM report uh that we have a soil management plan. I believe that the applicant's going to speak to that this evening. Uh we then conducted uh a sitewalk um a week ago Saturday and uh then scheduled this hearing.
Peyton up top. Over Ryan Adorno. I don't know why I always have to say both her first and last name, but Ryan. Ally with the ball. Nice cut there. Erin Hickey looking for some offense. Ooh, nice stop by the goaltender. Oop. Nice. Ally comes up with it again and scores. Ally Marseglia's second one on the season. That is great work by Ashland. Erin Hickey got off great shot. Goalie made a terrific save, but they hung with it, hunted down the rebound, put it into the net for a 1-0 lead. How about Ryan Adorno keeping the play alive twice there to keep them in the offensive zone? Well, we talked about the draw controls are are very important, but also getting those ground balls and and maintaining possession. So, at this point, Norwood hasn't been able to get the ball past midfield due to the the pressure that Ashland's putting on it after even losing the ball in the offensive zone and not allowing it to get cleared.
Anyone here wishing to testify that hasn't signed up, please go forward. >> Hello chair Sarah Millen on behalf of myself um coming to speak in opposition. So, you've heard from the testifiers today. I have the privilege of teaching with Sha Anishimoto and she's one of the best inabased science teachers I've ever seen. Um, and she deserves to have a license. And seeing um the other thing I wanted to bring, they've said everything, but I think it's important to mention there is a fear about what will happen if you speak truth to power that there'll be retaliation against you. And as the HSTA's teacher lobbyist, I will say I understand that because when I come to this this committee and I tell you our stories, there are a lot of teachers who are afraid to speak up. and if there's a culture put in where there's fear of speaking up to say what they're going through, what they've experienced, that's a bigger picture of what the board looks like at this time.
Um you know, the uh the changes have been a little bit um progressing a little bit up and down. Uh we are we have a um you know, I don't want to say it, but I but I will because I think you need to hear it. The projections for next year are even bigger for preschool. Preschool, we get a lot of aid, okay? It's called PEA, right? Preschool expansion aid. Preschool expansion aid. Uh however, it's not 100%, okay? The board still has to put a percentage of the local tax levy into the preschool amount. So, it's important that you understand that. However, I think the past 2 years we've done an excellent job trying to build everything that goes to the preschool into that preschool grant that we can, including salaries and and and and things of that nature. All right, here's our current enrollments, you know, as of March.
Three, enrollment could potentially decrease as families choose to leave the district and the city of Surprise rather than have their children educated near this facility. Decreased enrollment would also push the district's budget to the breaking point and could mean the necessity of eliminating classes and teachers and support staff and possibly even closing schools. However, to me an even more compelling reason for the Dysart School Board to take a stand against this ICE warehouse is to fulfill the district's own mission, power in preparation, excellence in the journey, and success for a lifetime. If the Dysart School District truly intends to prepare students for a lifetime of success, the board needs to show the students that the Constitution, the very laws that should be the anchor of our society, are important and worth fighting for. It would be easy for you to say as the board that it's not our job and metaphorically shrug your collective shoulders.
Also, thank you to my family for their support and encouragement. I have the best crew in the world and I'm so grateful. I am thrilled to be returning to Richards as the building principal, having previously served there as a school counselor, teacher, and a parent in that community. I have a deep familiarity with the students, staff, families, and community as a whole, and I'm so excited for this opportunity. I have loved and been so grateful for every role I've had at Richards, and I feel sure that this one will be equally fulfilling. I am committed to approaching this role with energy and with joy, intently focused on the well-being of every student and staff member. Prioritizing stakeholder and community engagement is key as we work for student success. I also have a history of really valuing collaborative relationships as we work to achieve excellent results for students.
That is an estimated cost of 60,000. We need to replace some necessary switches and access points for our IT network. Uh we have quotes on that. It's about 45,000. The geothermal is coming to the end of its useful life in that building. Replacement would be over a million dollars there. continued shuttle expenses from the Albian to um primary campus. And this option, it does give the district full time to fully plan and execute the consolidation, but it will cost us more money in the long run. And then consolidation scenario C, Central Noble does not consolidate the elementary schools. In this scenario, other significant cuts would have to be made. Um and that would include cuts to the upkeep of our buildings and grounds. Payroll cuts would be inevitable. This would affect students, staff, and families. If Central makes no changes at all, by 2028, the education and operations funds will both be in deficit spending, and the DGF would not approve our budget.
Uh we've also uh forwarded a number of questions, several pages of questions that are uh the conservation commission's uh peer review, if you will, um to the applicant. Uh we have not received a response to those questions uh to this date. So I think have I left anything out? I think that's where we are at this point. So, uh I believe this evening's uh uh discussion is going to be relatively brief. Um uh some procedural issues will be discussed and and if I'm not mistaken, unless things have changed, uh the substantive discussion of 10 to 60 will be continued to May 4th, but we will get to that uh shortly. Okay. Thank you, Carl. So, with that opening, would the applicant like to address these comments? >> Uh, yes. Good evening. My name is Chris Lucas with Lucas Environmental Professional Wetland Scientist and Registered Professional Soil Scientist.
Ooh, nice jump by Peyton Tripp. Lily Viti on the circle. Lily Viti is typically an attack. She's going to go right to goal, hopefully. Rip this shot, put it in the net. Nope, she holds on to it, goes to X. Maggie McGinness. Ashland two for two on draw controls. Such an important part of the game. Ashley Forrester! Well done. >> We got another goal. I should be definitely playing the goal sound. It's my my job here. I'll wait. Oh, there we go. Well done. Yeah, impressive. Just took me a second. Two nothing Ashland. >> Two nothing for them. Nobody's working the scoreboard, apparently, but hopefully that will we'll keep track for them. But, I guess we're going to have to. Here we go, Peyton again on the draw. Lily Viti on the circle. Nice win. Peyton, surprisingly, did very well at the draw last game as well versus Hopkinton, even with the loss, but uh That was Not a not a not a not a player that has taken the draw in the past, so I'm a little surprised.
So, I just think it's really really important especially this HTSB controls the future of our profession and so we need to make sure we're being mindful and that people are comfortable really telling telling it like it is and what's going on. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anyone else wishing to testify on this item? Um members, we don't normally question uh those that come in, but because there are many in opposition, I am going to ask a couple questions of those. And if any of you feel comfortable in answering it, if you can come forward of any of these this issues that you pose, have that been communicated with the Hawaii Teacher Standard Board? So, anybody feel comfortable want to come up and respond? Yeah, I just want to make sure that you know what you folks are telling us these are things that might have been also told to the board or not and they're unaware of it.