Again, that was money that came out of the COVID and we just I just put that down there so you could see that again they were onetime stipens went for a couple years then the money ran out. But we want to show you how we tried to make sure that we um provided additional funds for our staff uh even when it was onetime monies that we knew we couldn't bury into the operational uh expenses because we wouldn't be able to support it in the future. With the extracurricular, we have had to to um uh freeze them the last couple of years to make the budget work, but you will see that when I first got here, the extracurricular stipens were calculated off of 43,000. So, we made the move in 2223 to put it with what the base was, which was 50,000. And so, we have had an increase of 154% 15.4%.
The recognition earned a new collection of books for classrooms and library spaces expanding access to reading resources for nearly 900 kth through fifth grade students across the campus. These books won't stay on the shelves for long. Soon they'll be carried in backpacks, opened at kitchen tables, and read under the covers long after bedtime. Maricopa Elementary School, another highlight, hosted a pow-wow that brought together students, families, and community members in celebration of Native American culture and traditions. The event featured traditional dance performances representing tribal communities from across Arizona and surrounding states. People came from all over [snorts] along with music, cultural presentations, and opportunities for community connection. The event was made possible through collaboration with the Native American Advisory Committee and the Maricopa Elementary School PTA, reflecting a shared commitment to honor Native American cultures and traditions while helping students and families. Santa Rosa Elementary School's Hispanic Cultural Night brought language learning to life through the work of its dual language immersion program.
So again, congratulations to our leader of fine arts. routine. >> Thank you for all your work every day with our kids. >> Well, many of the kids that have come through tonight. >> Well, that's why it's just me. Yeah, that works. Now we're going to do elementary school and have come up. >> All right, we don't mind that people left. So anyway, thank you for having us come share. We love um getting to talk about our school and sharing what we're doing um this year. So we want to start off with our celebrations. One of the things I'm very proud about is the list of community partners we have. This list grows every year. It is our goal as deputy elementary to become STEM certified. And that's a huge task. It's a big undertaking that will require a lot of um support and help. And so we depend on our community partners, the time that they give to us, our resources they donate um and the experience that they share with our students to help us achieve that goal.
>> And so that's an average and that's average student, right? Like that's average student. We know that per average per pupil spending we're 362nd out of 396, >> right? So the other thing that's been discussed is that structural changes have been made. So are these the only structural changes that have been made reducing these positions, moving some other that at the schools to allow them to be work because yes, the 2.75 million if if the override passes will be there moving forward, right? >> But we also know that costs will go up moving forward. So what other structural changes have been made to allow this to be a longer term solution than just one year? >> Yeah. So this is a structural change because [clears throat] operational overrides continue, right? It doesn't go away. It becomes part of our tax base. So that is how it is a a structural um change.
And then I think the next town meeting they made it 90 seconds, but honestly, you cannot say anything substantive in 90 seconds. It's It's really hard. And then So, we changed it that it would be 3 minutes. And we didn't say anything about the second minute. Without We didn't say anything about people not being able to come up a second time. So, for some reason, you can now get up for your 3 minutes, but now you can't get up a second time, which I don't know about you, but >> Well, so I I don't understand this because town meeting is the legislative body of the town and it's very important in New England town government and unless we change our form of government, it should be taken seriously and I feel like the time limit So, I I did read a bunch of people um the League of Women Voters in like Stowe area, they studied um all those area towns and a lot of them do have a limit and they they were trying things to encourage more participation.
So I know you know this I'm like a broken record um and for those of you don't know I'm saying it cuz I've been on the trip probably 10 times um but it just um I hope that it never ever stops. If I if it's my last words here, please do not ever stop approving trips like this because it's the best thing in the world. And I thank you all for being who you are and going. So, at this point, do we want to just take a motion to approve provide preliminary approval to the trip? >> Yes, please. Okay, I'll make that motion. I'll second. All in favor? Aye. Have a great trip, ladies. All right, yay! Thank you. I hope you don't mind, we're going to take a few minutes here. Oh god, and I might need those tissues. >> [laughter] >> Um we wanted to offer our sincere appreciation for everything you've done.
Okay. You guys are getting Are you staying down there with him or I'm going to What? That's half? Half. Half? Already? Quarter. It's half. Come on. Dude, but the baseball was kind of fun though. I thought that was pretty cool. And I got the hang of it. I felt like I was in the game, you know? Maybe you should get a tight shot of like the homerun or something. Here, I got to think I can try that. Yeah, so generally we do >> That way you have something interesting to look at, you know. Generally during race, I have this is two cameras. Camera one always goes to the home team. That was just behind them like it's all along and then camera two What? Away. Stephan. Get a shot of them. Close up. So we we can we can set up the box. Do you want to set up the box?
Great save from Perella meeting Montemayor right right in front of the net. It's still going to be white ball though. This is Olson. Olson a little spin there. Goes back. Passes to Hartnett. Hartnett to Henry Buckets. Henry Fallow with it. Spin move. Bucking it, trying to get some good position. Great defense though from Logan. Henry thought about it. Now, there you go. Nice passing. Good save. Will Perella making some big saves. Keeping his team up by only one. The lone one goal. Oh, good good play there from Cavaliero blocking the pass, but Medway still somehow gets it. This is Pillared in the corner. Pillared and Shake loose entering pass to Drake and Drake fires one in. Two nothing right now. Fantastic pass from Pillared. All right, so Raiders found themselves here down by two. Definitely in no position to be scared yet. As Will Perella assists making a bunch of saves.
Any questions, comments from members? >> Great. >> No, really appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> All right. And um at this time uh I'd like to invite up our our guest uh for a presentation about electric vehicle charging uh from Fulcrrim Energy Solutions >> if I may. >> Yes.
Any questions, comments from members? >> Great. >> No, really appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> All right. And um at this time uh I'd like to invite up our our guest uh for a presentation about electric vehicle charging uh from Fulcrrim Energy Solutions >> if I may. >> Yes.
They did this with the help of Mrs. Lopez. They did this. This is a great accomplishment for them, but this is something that we have here at Stadley Ruff and we hope to continue on in years to come. Thank you everybody for coming out and thank you parents for supporting us. Have a good night. I just want to say to you and to you as well that um I was here just a few weeks ago and what you was probably what could have been one of the best run podcasts in the district. And I say that if you can tell Mr. Bettish I said that too. Mr. Vanish, you know, has kind of has the real estate in that market, but you this group is is phenomenal. And um the presentation was wonderful. And I I have to say I think maybe all year I've had some pretty tough questions asked of me this year.
to the economic, political, and social development of California and the nation. California and our nation cannot thrive if our people don't understand and respect each other. Thank you for all you do to safeguard the rights of all students in this district by following this guidance and providing bias-free education. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Tina Divera. Good evening, superintendent, board, and cabinet leaders. My name is Tina Divera, and I've been a proud Ruskin parent for nearly 15 years with four children who have gone or are going through the school. Um, I'm here to represent the front desk, um, the front office staff with one clear request today. Ruskkins front office needs an additional full-time clerk. This school year has been unlike any other. The merger brought a significant increase in student population and with it a strain on our front office staff that has simply not have not been met with enough support.
Today, we gather in a place that stands as a symbol of commitment, discipline, and service here at Clune Arena on the grounds of the United States Air Force Academy. This is a place where young men and women choose a path defined not only by achievement, but by purpose, by a commitment to something greater than themselves. And today, Class of 2026, as we celebrate your milestone, you also are so important to identifying that purpose and making a difference in this world. Today marks the culmination of all your hard work, your dedication, and your resilience. You faced late nights, challenging exams, moments of doubt, but you persevered. You balanced friendship and homework and just enough sleep to function the next day. This is your moment to reflect on all you've accomplished. Our vision in D20 is that all students have the knowledge, skills, and character necessary to be successful beyond graduation, and none of this would have been possible without the help of your family, your friends, your teachers, your coaches, and other mentors.
This kind of service reminds us that giving back can start right where we are. So, as our chapter membership moves on, we don't just leave with the a list of completed service. We carry with us the understanding that even the smallest actions can have a greater impact than we might expect. Thank you. >> [applause] >> At this time, will the new inductees please rise. >> [applause] >> Raise your right hand and repeat the NHS pledge after me. I pledge to uphold I pledge to uphold the high purposes of the National Honor Society the high purposes of the National Honor Society to which I have been selected. to which I will be true to the principles for which it stands. I will maintain and encourage the high standards of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Thank you. You may be seated. >> [applause] >> Now, please welcome our chapter secretary, Chad Gillard, to our podium.
We're probably more tightly aligned with surrounding school districts relative to extracurricular stipens than some of the other ones. But this is just designed more than anybody else to understand that our goal is always to help our staff. That's what we said one of our priorities were. And although 1% this year may not be a ton, it still is uh uh you can see over seven years. With your support, I know it's not all of you have been on the board the whole time, but with your support, we've been able to do that for our staff. So, so the first recommendation would be that pay increase. What you'll see on the agenda tonight will be the pay increase, the recommendation of the pay increase, the 1% um and changes to the salary schedule uh that reflect it. Um once you approve that, we will actually make the the changes throughout the entire system.
The pack came alive with vibrant costumes, music, dancing, and proud families as student students confidently sang in spoken Spanish, many in a language that was not their first. The evening was so powerful. Uh it was such a powerful reflection of Maricopa Unifi's portrait of a graduate attribute attribute of communicator with students using language to connect across cultures and confidently take center stage. I was in the front row along with Miss Rothschild, Miss Lopez, Mayor Smith, uh Mr. Smith, and it was so great. It was such a vibrant, amazing show. I'm so thankful I went. And it's this is one of many celebrations of our portrait of a graduate where every kid gets to participate. Uh all means all. Last week, Desert Sunrise High School and Maricopa High School celebrated the achievements of their graduating seniors. Of course, governing board members and high school administration teams presented silver badges of distinction to validictorians Andrew Wilson of Desert Sunrise High School and Kaia Dobers of Maricopa High School along with saludiatorans Isabelle Mosca of Desert Sunrise and and Holden Gerky of Maricopa High School.
The Mass and Community grocery project is one of our many community partners. Um, this is done through Aara or Rico and she came to me a couple years ago wanting to do a kitchen challenge with our students and our parents. And it's an opportunity for them to come to school in the evening and have a free meal. They can submit a recipe, a family recipe, and Chef Gabby, which is a chef from downtown, will choose one of those recipes, and she'll cook it in front of uh the parents, showing them how to make it more nutritious and budget friendly. And the kids get to participate and they get all excited because they get to put on the sanitation gloves and they mix and they measure and they make a mess and they enjoy helping her. One of the fun things that she does with them is she'll take one of the menu items and she'll uh create it in two ways.
It's it is a way to you know affect that um that deficit. >> Um does that answer? >> Well, but like so we have this 2.7 if if this override passes, it's going to cover this year's budget. >> Right. Next year we're going to have contracts that are more Right. So, how how other are there other things that have been done within the school department besides these positions besides these things? Right? Are they looking at combining programs or or or is it really just these positions? Right? Because we have other programs that are not funding themselves or not supporting themselves, >> right? So, that we're having to pay extra more money toward. will help too is that this will also start will support um athletics and and what you you historically we know has happened in the schools right is because we haven't had enough money to fund schools appropriately for public education which which is you know >> pro that and public safety are the two most important things that a a community um expects from their property tax right So um so this you know this these are how to address it in in terms of going forward it this absolutely does a huge has a huge impact on that because it does >> allow us to start using monies from those one-time funds to support maintenance issues and things like that that currently we we don't have the funds to take care of.
They did They didn't promise that. The participation didn't really change. So, participation in government in general, that's one of the reasons we're doing this podcast, is a problem. So, I I think especially with the citizen petition increased to 12 3 and unless we hear people saying I really want 4 or 5 or 10, I'm I'm kind of okay with that to try that as if people have a perception that it's smoother. Um but I think the unwelcoming I think there's so many ideas that we could try. Um, sometimes there are complicated articles, and the way I feel like it's often presented is like Oz, like or this is Oz, the great Oz is telling you what it should be. Exactly. >> And I I'm not even saying that's wrong, but it I feel like that perception isn't great. And I I was reading some other things we could do is if you had a like a third-party document, like a knowledgeable resident that was speaking about it.
Um you have supported the students of Ashland unequivocally. We know that. Um everything you have done and everything you have spearheaded has been in their best interest. So, thank you. More specifically, we can't say thank you enough for everything you've done for us. Um your support of the Make-A-Wish Club started way back when when your own child was part of our club and you chaperoned our first trip. Who would have known then a mazillion years later that you would still be chaperoning with us? Um with the exception of the worldwide pandemic and your daughter's wedding, you have attended every single one since then. You have shown our student volunteers the true meaning of service and the impact we can make. You have have also impacted our students in the most wonderful ways by forging relationships with hundreds of AHS students and the Make-A-Wish Club. Our service trips will never be the same without you, but we know that Give Kids the World will remain a special place for you and know that your service there has not ended.