Um The multi-sport scoreboard as you can see right there, I need to clean that up. That's an installation July 2024. New scoreboard from the Freeport Grant Athletics. Uh $20,502. Arizona Sports Installation for the installation of the scoreboard, $53,502. I want to highlight that athletics department granted $20,000 to the assistant athletic director at the time when he worked here with the USD and and the booster club. And so uh I wanted to stress that point. We have maybe because we don't agree on on some of the details of of the new football field grant potentially, it doesn't mean we have to work together. Look at all these accomplishments that we've done together recently for the last few years. Total cost is around $60,000 more or less on the athletic program renovations. I just wanted to share that with everyone in attendance. And I'll go to safety.
>> We may or may not evaluate staff. >> Yeah. >> A lot of buildings they don't. >> Yeah, it's up to the number of staff you have. >> So, an Abby wave. >> Hi. [laughter] >> Okay. Okay.
But at the same point, if you look at that balance that against a $500 million project an incredible debt load that the district is going to take on that's going to fall on the taxpayers. I think we got a problem. And I'll tell you what, when that referendum hits next year that's going to be a bear. We know they couldn't pass a much smaller one in Yorkville. So when it comes to this district folks, you got a problem. We need to look at a public perception on this to understand what is it we need to do, what is it we want to do. With all respect to the operations presentation was just given and I'm sure they're doing a tremendous job, not knocking them by any stretch at all. But you got to look at what the community is thinking on this. And if you're going to take a half a billion dollars in debt when you're going about to lay off teachers and staff and maybe close a building something's wrong.
Okay, thank you board members. So throughout this process and we had started looking at transportation pay structure at the beginning of this school year and I've worked very closely with Kevin Gray, our director of transportation, Kristen Williams, our director of human resources. has been involved with that group weekly and we've been meeting just to to review everything that we're doing in transportation and try to ensure that we're as clear and transparent as possible with how our bus drivers are paid. And so we have worked on um throughout the year on a few structural changes and what we've done throughout that time is made sure that we've gone to the transportation department. We've talked with them as a whole group. We offered small groupoup sessions as well in January and met with a lot of drivers at that time just to get their feedback and understand some of their main concerns with the pay structure.
And then the kids who are thriving we usually say, well, they're going to be okay regardless but just being able to push our kids more so that they have more opportunities for challenge and just being able to really see their full potential is so important. So last month we had our consultant Dr. Eris Paul here and she worked with our admin and teacher groups from first, third, fifth, and sixth grade. And we are about to have our last high ability training this Wednesday. And what's been really nice is that we've been able to give them little homework assignments to go try in their classrooms because of what you do with high ability students it truly is good for all kids. So these strategies, yes, it's going to push some kids but it's also going to be able to raise some other kids and maybe challenge them when they weren't challenged before.
And our students need to progress. Um I am so appreciative of the town uh working on better health insurance, which is saving the town and saving our um teachers and staff money, um and thankful that we have um the kindergarten fund to rely on. Um but I just want to say that clearly, even though we might come to some degree agreement about the budget a budget today, is we have some structural deficit deficits, and in the past, every year it seems like we spend not as much as we want. Um so, the town has to understand that eventually we have to come up with more money. Um and definitely in 2 years, because that's when our school choice money ends. Um if we haven't solved the problem before then, it's going to be catastrophic. Um it's the proverbial cliff. Um I would say in our own home budgets, if we saw that coming in 2 years, we'd want to solve it before we got there.
Any discussion? Make your vote. Yes, you got it. This is 5-0. Okay. >> Mhm. >> I think the one that's got the stuff. Yeah. No, no, no, Steve, no students, no. No, you have special questions? No, but but uh you you you do have um some information on 11A. On 11A sales tax.
They're actually working through two other administrative reviews besides ours, so they got a lot of work kind of on their hands with those other reviews and ours as well. We've I've already turned in all the documentation to Scott that he needs for the review, so it's already there. Whenever they get to it, they can get to it. They'll ultimately come back to us with a reasonable or unreasonable finding. Scott Gordon just kept saying that he he wants to make sure that I mean everybody understands to the best of our ability that ultimately Scott and the state board has no power to open a school building back up, and he thinks that there might be some miscommunication there on that. That the state board can keep or force the building to stay open and that's not true. Ultimately, that'll come back to you guys with their reasonable or unreasonable findings on the closure.
Ongoing grant efforts and safety considerations. Um During June of 2025, there was an intruder to the USD campus that was open at the time. This person was on their bike and made it to the cafeteria with a visible pocket knife and a carrying case and sat down to have lunch when there was plenty of students and parents present. This caused a great amount of concern as our district staff notified our SRO and escorted the intruder off campus. This person was trespassed by administration with coordination with our SRO. We started the 2025-2026 school year with our chain link and red wrought iron fences that enclose our campuses. I heard earlier mention not foolproof. I I agree. With the gates, we have more control. We didn't have gates when this person came on campus. And so the looks on those parents' faces and the staff members' faces when they realized that we had someone on campus.
Any any questions from the board? This is an action items that we'll need. >> Okay. I will make an motion for the approval of the new dean of students position at Heritage Middle School. >> And a second. >> A second. >> All in favor? >> I thank you very much. I appreciate it. >> Moving on. >> It's Marty. >> Oh, it's Marty. >> It'll be Marty. >> Marty. What am I doing? >> Policy second reading. >> Oh gosh. I'm like caught up. Sorry. >> It's okay. It's page 147. >> I'm keeping you busy. You want me to bail you out? >> Okay, I'll bail them out. >> Sorry. [laughter] Not ready. >> So, uh, this is the second reading of our trust policies, which you guys have been working on for the last six months to replace our Arizona School Boards Association policies. Um, we have, Marty and I have met with ASBA again or with um the trust again, gone back through everything, um, made sure that all language was clear.
I don't know if it's lack of foresight, lack of planning we know through prior discussions there were some very poor financial decisions made in the past are now being overcome. All due credit that you're making those changes. But you got to look at it from a couple of standpoints. Number one, obviously the financial impact of what you're doing. Don't forget the public perception part of what you're doing. You could be doing the absolute right thing, but boy if it looks bad to the community, you have absolutely no shot. None whatsoever. And I just wanted to present that to you, so hopefully that's something you can discuss at future meeting. Thank you all for your time. Thank you. Kate Fish. Good evening everybody. I'm Kate Fish and I'm here with my husband Pat and we're here to represent our daughter who is a fifth grade student at Boulder Hill.
Um, and so we've had a lot of good feedback throughout this semester. And right before spring break, we went back with some of the the um, you know, resolutions that we've come up with. And I think we've come up with a good structure. I think it's something that we spent a lot of time on. We made sure throughout this process that we were looking at each individual driver and making sure that no one was getting paid less throughout this process. It was really important to us and we wanted to make sure that it was clear and that that that structure was in place. Uh and u so we did that. We also after we came back and and showed them the new structure right before spring break um we offered individual meetings. We sent out uh emails with exactly what each employee would be making the following year.
And then we're also going to be diving into the use of AI and how we can really use that to help plan. So AI is a great tool to help us as teachers but you also have to have a critical eye and look to see if it really is following like research-based uh practices so that we can implement it with fidelity instead of just taking it for as it is. And then we've also been working with Dr. Jenny French in terms of secondary literacy at the junior high and at the academy. And it ties really well with what Landis was talking about with the explicit instruction. It's so nice being able to see that the work that K through six has been doing really ties with the work that we've been doing at those two buildings. And just being very intentional about how we teach things in terms of vocabulary, in terms of how we approach text, and so we are seeing those gains.
Because we want to know ahead of time so we can plan. So, I just want to plant the seeds for the community to know we need to do something really in the next year, not in 2 years. Um and I personally support the 5% increase. I'm 5% increase budget, and I support using the kindergarten stabilization fund to fund the um 178 and 309,000. Yeah. Um anyway, I just want to say that I I wish we had more, and um I think that we'll be okay this year. Um but we would be better if we had more. That's it. Thank you. Mr. Oliver? I just have another follow-up to the point that was made earlier about the kindergarten position at Quinn. I certainly, one of the things that I first did was uh when that was uh up for discussion is that I requested our current and proposed projections for kindergarten enrollment across all three schools for next year.
If you have any questions about any of those positions uh that are listed in that document, please let me know before the May meeting. Again, a reminder, we do approve the fall, the winter supplemental. We hold off on spring until the spring seasons are over, evaluations are done. Spring will be uh those those positions will be uh approved at the June meeting. But we won't have an executive session on that. Yeah, unless unless you unless you need one or want one.
So, I kind of keep you guys up to date on that as we go through. So, we're working on next year's purchase orders as well, trying to do what we did last year and get a little bit ahead. Um Miss Shiki talked a little bit about preschool. I just wanted to make sure that that you guys knew that our staff over there is working on preschool splits. Um and preschool splits can be changed all the way up to the start of the year, but guys, this is tough. The the preschool, I mean, I think we only have one or two families request afternoon classes. We can't have all those kids in the morning classes. So, I mean, there's no way to make that feasible at all. Um and no matter how we split that up, we're going to have families upset somewhere. So, ultimately, [clears throat] we're trying to do our best to try to make sure we're trying to do what's best for the kids, but ultimately, make sure it's feasible for our faculty and staff.
This was the second time he had come on campus with a visible pocket knife that would be a 3- to 4-in blade. He was sitting down at one of the tables looking. When you go through that and I hear earlier about minimal incidents. I got to share with everyone here I'm just telling you our story. So I'm going to speak with my heart on my sleeve but also share the facts. That's That is a concern and a risk that is very difficult to take and I'm not willing to take that risk. I wish everyone here could see the look on staff members' faces when they had someone and at first this person was confrontational. We had to invite this person back in the meeting with Mr. Mondale wearing my office. He still works here at present and our SL. And this person was still arguing with us.
We had a couple policies we wanted to double check on. Um they're exactly what we thought they were that we had localized before with um ASBA. So we made sure that the trust policies were remaining consistent. And then we started working on the form bank which you don't have to approve. You only have to approve the policies. The forms are like like if someone wants to come and visit the classroom here's a form for it. You like that kind of a thing. So this is the second reading.
And we stand before you tonight because we have exhausted every appropriate administrative channel available to us and we have not received what we believe is an adequate action in response to our concerns. Um since November of this year, we've been raising documented concerns about a pattern of inappropriate boundary violations towards our daughter. I want to have her fifth grade teachers. We brought these concerns first to building building administration, then to HR and most recently to district leadership. At each step, we were told the situation was being addressed, that coaching had occurred and the directives have been given and that a plan was in place. At each step, that pattern of inappropriate behavior continued anyway. Uh we're not here because of a single incident, we're here because of a sustained documented pattern of conduct that began at the start of this school year and has persisted through and after every um coaching has been provided.
If they had questions about that, they had an opportunity to talk to human resources at that time. So, really trying to spend some time with each employee as needed to make sure that we're hearing exactly um what their concerns were and that they understood exactly where their pay was was coming from and what it looked like for each of them. So, um, all of this new pay structure will go into effect for the 26 27th school year. And as we started talking with the drivers, some of the key themes, and this was throughout the course of of this semester, they do love their jobs. They love working with the students. U, they love the community connection. It's important work. They're the first face that our students see in the morning when they come in. They're the last face that they see as they leave. It's a great connection to school.