And I I did send a a message to our staff um today to just follow up on how much we appreciate everything uh that they do. So, I'm going to leave it at that uh Mr. Shidler because I'll be speaking for a while later on in the agenda about the annual report.
Um, this would be a full-time teaching position. In that proposal, uh, we do not change our teacher count at all. So, the number of teachers we have doesn't go up. It remains the same. We do not increase our admin count at all. Um, that stays the same. And we also do it at a cost that's $18,000 less than what we had budgeted. Um, and so, you know, I think we're we're hitting the targets that we need to hit. Um, and again doing it in a way that's uh not just budget neutral, it's it comes at a at a savings.
Students earning a chord have met the requirements of the national organization and have excelled in areas of leadership, community service, and academic achievement. If you are wearing an honor cord, please stand and be recognized. [cheering] [applause] Thank you. You may be seated. Some of our seniors are wearing a special red, white, and blue cord signifying that they have a parent who has been deployed in the military during their high school career. Please stand so that we can honor you and your family for your sacrifices and service to country. [applause] Thank you. We have one more special group of students. Those wearing the Flight of the Eagle medallion today. Flight of the Eagle recipients, please stand and remain standing. The Flight of the Eagle. [cheering] The Flight of the Eagle recognition is an exclusive Pine Creek recognition and was established with the first graduating class, the class of 2000, to recognize no more than 10% of the graduating class who have demonstrated academic achievement as measured by an overall GPA of 3.75 or higher, demonstrated characteristics of integrity, positive attitude, leadership, responsibility, care, and concern for others, and the ability to achieve above and beyond as measured by receiving at least five nominations.
Letter B, sorry I'm looking at the wrong thing again, is the HIMD award. Mr. President Modia, we had two uh recommendations for the HEOD award. Please let uh help me welcome our uh principal from the primary, Miss Jennifer Enriquez Benson. Let's give her a round of applause for a great story coming up. And board members, please join me in the front. Good evening, President Bundia, governing board members, superintendent Diaz, and community. Uh, before I read this letter, I would like to ask all of Miss Black's students to come up. So, if you're in Miss Black's class, come on up. Miss Pete, can I get your help? >> Stand Stand over there with all of them. Okay. When we're done, we're going to make a straight line. >> You can give it to them. >> Your friends are waiting for you. >> I know. We saw you.
Uh oh. And and we want great things to happen, but it's about the process of getting them there. So, we're we're excited about Coach Stebons joining us. >> Congratulations. Alec, how old are you anyway? >> 34. I just have a question. Anybody can answer this. When the legend Paul Marorrow started here, he was like 25. It was his first job out of college. >> He worked at >> Yeah, he went that young. >> He started when he was like 25, but he was the head coach. Yeah, he was a little older. >> So, you got a whole career ahead of you and we're looking forward to it. Excited. I'm looking forward I got to coach Alex when he was a little younger and I know what kind of intensity he brings to the to the program and so I'm excited about that. I know he'll hold kids accountable.
So that was the first time we did that this year. There's also a dinner cruise where you're sailing down the batonic and you get to have dinner on the boat with your friends. There's another school with the same age that's on it and the kids dance and a lot of our a live DJ, some of the kids that do friends from another school. So not only is it educational, but the kids work hard to earn this trip. So we do also try to throw some fun some aspects into it as well. >> Um so I this was of course my first time going. I do recommend being a shaft road. I told the story to the ladies on the bus that were downstairs double decker that when my husband and I would be in DC and see all these schools of kids everywhere, we're like, "Oh my gosh, it must to be them right now." all those kids.
And then the other part of that is um what do you do when you have your students in your small group? How do you use these materials that we have? And so our next steps in terms of coaching are to continue those coaching cycles. Um we are reaching the end of the year very, very quickly, and a lot of this work that we're really proud of, we started in the second semester this year. So, we are working on developing a plan where we're able to begin in August next year. Another commitment we made was that we would establish monthly data meetings across the district with all K-3 teachers, not just those four high-priority schools I identified. And so, we did develop our data reflection protocol. We have two different sets. One is for foundational skills, and then one is specifically for our third-grade common formative assessment data that's based on comprehension skills.
Thank Thank you for not saying in class. We appreciate that. Um Why do you think they named you athlete of the year? >> I don't know. >> Administrators. Oh, there you are. Oh. Yeah. You look good though. You got a tie on, too. Mr. Stegall, come on up. I want you to say a few words about McKenna. This is current assistant principal of Mesquite Junior High, but taking over as principal next year, Mr. Johnny Stegall. >> So, how we chose McKenna is not only McKenna is our athlete of the year at Mesquite Junior, but what was awesome is as the district part other athletic directors had recognized McKenna, what she did on the field as well as off the field from when she would help clean up. She'd be there to support. She was always uplifting other players, even players that weren't even on her own team that other athletic directors noticed when she was visiting.
Hi, my name is Michelle Smith. I am a teacher here at Mooney Elementary. With collaboration with our safety team, we came up with the bike bus. We construed many a meeting to decide how we could get these kids and parents safely to school. >> Today was like really fun. Even though we did get wet and a lot of stuff, it was just really fun. think about like, oh yeah, we got away. We were like splashing each other with the bikes and stuff. >> Really like hard like riding in the rain and it was like so bumpy out there, but I really liked it and I hope they do it again. >> I got to hang out with my friends, bike with my grandma. >> When we start getting to school, I was kind of a little slow >> down a hill. It's going to be so much easier >> cuz I kind of went out and she Yeah.
So I think that we cut it because Boylston gave us a number and said if you don't hit this number then we'll go through an override and you'll go to a ballot. So we were kind of like up against a rock and a hard place. I think that Boylston is in a very different position than Berlin and I hate to have to look at the two towns differently, but I think the goal next year, at least my understanding of how and correct me if I'm wrong, how you know, in conversations with some of the select board members is the town understands there's deficits. They're looking to potentially push a prop two and a half next year. So I think Jessica's point is and you could make this argument for there are other things, you know, the adjustment counselor, I don't know how many emails we've gotten, 30 emails about that, you know, moving that back to full-time too is to use some cash to float the year.
will take any questions out of the superintendent's office at this time. >> Seeing none, thank you Dr. Preston. Uh I assume Lucas you will be sharing some of the uh excitement from the band and chorus trip. >> I had assumed that uh Dr. Gross was going to go for it. So uh we did our spotlight on something else this month. Okay. >> But I can talk about it. I know. >> I know you can talk about that just about anything, but the band high school band had a spectacular trip to Orlando. Uh, and you can fill us in when we get to the Zoom reports. Okay. Uh, Mr. Bishop. >> Sure. Thank you, Mr. Schler. Uh, and board members. Uh, this past month has been a very busy one. Um, yes, spring break and some great trips for for students. Uh, but in this past month, our students and staff have been working very hard.
I kind of need to pause there to answer any questions and and get any any thoughts on that proposal. Go ahead, Amory. >> Okay. on that um on the sheet that you sent us today. >> Yeah, >> I'm not understanding a couple things and it's probably very >> I I'm going to get to that sheet on the next on the next slide >> because it talks specifically to that position of the retire >> Yeah. Okay. Uh Ann >> Yeah. So, I'm my biggest concern is that we're hiring a teacher leader to do what a principal was doing before for Darcy in terms of running that early childhood. >> Yeah. So, >> not not entirely not entirely. So what we're doing is dividing up um the responsibilities within that position where that person would focus on the really the non uh uh administrative tasks. uh a lot of parent communication, a lot of teacher communication, IIA assignments, visiting um preschools um and then working with the administration at Barnum to execute the uh administrative tasks.
from staff from different areas, including curricular departments, individual athletic teams, and school sponsored activities at Pine Creek. Please join me in recognizing these students for being an honored part of this now 27-year tradition. [cheering] >> Thank you. You can have a seat. And lastly, I am so very proud to introduce the class of 2026 validictorian and saludiatoran. These students ranked number one and number two in an extremely high achieving class. I am pleased to introduce Luke Chung. Would Luke's family and friends please stand and be recognized. [applause] Luke Chung is our 2026 Saludiatoran. Luke Chung is passionate about foreign policy and international development. An active competitor in model UN, he serves as president of the Pine Creek team and represents the USA abroad on the all-America team, winning first place at tournaments, including Oxford, Yale, and the Canadian National Tournament. Additionally, Luke is president of the speech and debate team.
All right, Miss Miss Black's class, can you show me active listening? Can you show me active listening? >> Show them a heart and listen to what is going to say. Ready? >> All right. On April 27th, 2026, Miss Black experienced a medical emergency in her kindergarten classroom. During the emergency, the kindergarten students remained calm and worked together to help their teacher. A group of students quickly ran to the office to get help while others while others stayed calm in the classroom. The students acted quickly, bravely, and responsibly during a very serious situation. Their teamwork, courage, and ability to remain calm are commendable and deserving of recognition. Today, I would like to recognize these kindergarten students with the HIMDOG and courage award for their bravery, quick thinking, and compassion toward their teacher and their classmates. Congratulations We are brave. >> We are brave. >> I can't hear you.
That's what we need and I'm excited. >> Thank you. >> Looking forward to >> So we need a motion then to accept item 2.11 as presented to us. >> And can I before we motion, can I make one other clarification? Um, and it was stated on here as far as the behavior interventionist position, which is not Alex. Um, >> oh, >> that we stated it that it would be for an inschool suspension and that that actually is not going to be the priority because we want to get the kids back in class. We want it to be someone who works with our kids and gets them back in the classroom as opposed to an ISS monitor. So, it's going to be someone who continually works gets to know the kids and works with them on behavior. And this is not a new position. This is a classified position that we are um moving from the elementary school as one of the out of the classroom uh support positions that we had.
No, >> but it's not that way. It was so much fun. But I used to say, gosh, you never want to do that. >> Do it. It was so much fun. We had such a good time. I mean, they learned, we learned. Um, the kids are great. I just I can't say I can't say a million I can say a million good things about it. That's how much of a good time I really went. >> Yeah. really recommend being a shaper when it was a good time to hang out with my son and also his friends and get to meet a lot of different places. All the experiences that we shared together I actually learned from as well. So I picked up stuff that I didn't learn in history myself. I really enjoyed the spy museum. It's really interactive and I really enjoyed our guide.
And so, at the time that we developed this progress monitoring monitoring report on April 17th, each K-3 team across the district had already met two or three times, and in those like very only meeting two or three times out of the 70 K-3 teachers, 76 right away were able to make changes in their classroom. And so, some of those were they finally started using small groups, or they selected the more appropriate materials. And then, there were teachers that with just two to three meetings weren't ready to start implementing changes, and so our coaches have been working with them as well as the site administrators in working that communication loop to be able to ensure that by the end of the school year, which really our fourth the fourth data meeting was in just like a couple weeks ago, I think was when the final one was.
So, not only was she representing Mesquite Junior well, she was showing what it means to be an athlete in Gilbert Public Schools, which was awesome. And so, that's why all athletic directors unanimously voted for McKenna. Her name came up right away for female athlete of the year, and we're very proud of what she's done. >> Well done. Give her a hand. Congratulations. [applause] If you'd shake hands. Mr. Stegall, why don't you stand up and get in the picture. >> Congratulations, Mr. Stegall. [applause] >> And last but not least, and I don't believe they're here from Desert Ridge Junior High. He's got a Come on up then, Mr. Cruz, the principal of Desert Ridge Junior High. So, from Desert Ridge Junior High, the male junior high athlete of the year, and how do you say his first name? >> Tage. Tage Farnsworth. So, please give him a hand.
cheered me on. >> You got this. Keep going. You got it. >> My name is Danisha Kojo and I am a almost 17-year resident and parent of five through Mon Elementary. I'd like to thank the administration for what they've done today for allowing the kids to have this bike bus. This was absolutely amazing. I mean, the children being able to go back to the old school getting out and even in the rain. Some of the parents were like, "Okay, oh my goodness, this is a bit much." But the kids, of course, they love it. It felt good when my dad was there and I faced my fears and when I got to school, >> all the people, they were just screaming and then I'm like, "Okay, I did it." Yeah, it was super fun. It was a lot of fun. I'm really excited. >> As you can say, this is a really good way to get our parents engaged with our kids.
Obviously, you would have to use the cash proportionate so you'd give whatever the ratio is, Aaron knows it, 65 35, whatever it is, Boylston Berlin. Um and then it would either pass in a prop two and a half and in a budget for next year or I don't know what's going to happen. If it doesn't pass then yes, obviously that's going to be a completely different picture. So then it's going to go to next year? If the prop two and a half does not pass, I think I think next year we're we don't have a choice. We're going to it's going to either be prop two and a half or yes, there's going to be drastic cuts. >> Because it would be we would have to cut this plus Yeah. Correct. If the prop two and a half doesn't pass then yes, we would have to So that So that plays into our end goal of passing a prop two and a half adding things back in the Exactly.