When we talk about authentic experiences, it doesn't get better than that. In retiring from full-time teaching, Don intends to spend more time focusing on writing, and we cannot wait to read whatever she publishes next. She also intends to stay close to teaching on a part-time basis, and we are confident that the students she has will continue to benefit from meaningful insight and authentic experience she has. Congratulations, Donna. This is awesome. >> Congratulations. Okay. Is that what we're doing? >> We're doing the lineup. >> Uh we'd next like to invite up to the podium retiring teacher Jill Close. We Yeah. Come to stand next to Dr. S. >> We are pleased to recognize Jill Close this evening. Jill's career has focused on the students who have had the most specific needs that require high level of insight, care, support, and accountability in order to be successful.
I don't want to call it categorical, it isn't, but it isn't LCFF funding. Um, and then eight and nine are very similar, the reading and math sort of intervention programs. Just a note about number eight is that that is where we're going to put the lion share of our learning recovery emergency block grant funding in order to bring intervention to the school sites. Those positions, if they are positions or extra hours, have not been filled at this moment because we're going to wait and work with principles to decide what exactly is the need at each school site. And of course, class size reduction. We continue to fund the excess cost of that using these these funds again with consensus by the community. What I just realized isn't here is number 11. It's another required goal. You're going to notice that it had no expenditures. Uh 211 is the English language development training goal.
Why do we need the superintendent's interpretation looking at, and we already know the data? Why do we need the superintendent's interpretation about that. Like, we already the data? Why do we need the superintendent's interpretation about that. Like, we already the data? Why do we need the superintendent's interpretation about that. Like, we already have the data. Why do we need superintendent's interpretation about that. Like, we already have the data. Why do we need superintendent's interpretation about that. Like, we already have the data. Why do we need the interpretation? No, the interpretation doesn't, uh, you're thinking of the next No, the interpretation doesn't, uh, you're thinking of the next No, the interpretation doesn't, uh, you're thinking of the next step, uh, the plan and the No, the interpretation doesn't, uh, you're thinking of the next step, uh, the plan and the No, the interpretation doesn't, uh, you're thinking of the next step, uh, the plan and the evidence.
>> Couldn't have done it without Miss Geeks and Carlin and everyone else who helped. It was most definitely a team that >> um, I mean fantastic as you know anything forward to town meeting. I know how much effort is involved. you can relate better than most. >> Um, but can I'm just curious with this sort of behind you, um, thoughts on goals for for next year or other things that you're hoping to work on? >> We're really just hoping to build on this momentum. Um, to be honest, we're a pretty small group, so we're hoping to get more members and bring in more people to do more stuff. Um, we have LA this year, we also worked on the Mass Energize youth climate solutions project. Um, Ally Shepard, she isn't here today, but she sort of headed that. So we're hoping to make our impact like even bigger with that this year.
Jill began her career in Cheshire public schools as a pair educator at Hum in 1997. She moved into a special educ special education teacher role at Humon and Norton in 2002 and she's been a special education teacher at Cheshire High School since 2010. If you meet Jill, she has a quiet and calming presence and it doesn't take long to see why she might be so effective with students who have a wide variety of needs. Jill always puts her students first. She creates a safe space where students know they are cared for and supported. Her commitment to supporting our students with kindness and unwavering care to their well-being has left a lasting impression on our school community. Jill's regular education colleagues will tell you that they very much value when Jill is the case manager for their students in their classes and even more so when they have the opportunity to teach alongside her.
We had planned to play for pay for things like the glad training, but Miss Torres was able to get the county to cover that cost with SOS funds and so she was able to save that 56,000. Good job. I know. Finally, our last district goal is our all about family engagement. And so it's our family centers which again this will now be funded by a combination of community school grants and the learning recovery emergency block grant will have a small portion of that goal. Um the translation services will continue as you know now we have translation service not only our in-house translators but we have services for um for example deaf and heart of hearing and that requires a couple of different contracts because the services are sometimes intermittently available. And then finally, the parent engagement um helping us maintain um communication and and the surveys.
But before we get to uh, you're thinking of the next step, uh, the plan and the evidence. But before we get to uh, you're thinking of the next step, uh, the plan and the evidence. But before we get to that, the interpret the step, uh, the plan and the evidence. But before we get to that, the interpret the step, uh, the plan and the evidence. But before we get to that, the interpret the interpretation just tells us, evidence. But before we get to that, the interpret the interpretation just tells us, evidence. But before we get to that, the interpret the interpretation just tells us, what is? The superintendent that, the interpret the interpretation just tells us, what is? The superintendent that, the interpret the interpretation just tells us, what is? The superintendent believes the data Great! So he interpretation just tells us, what is? The superintendent believes the data Great!
Um it's basically just um a energy solution that you spread that committee. So we're hoping to use that to make it another a really big impact. >> Wonderful. >> That's great. Well, as someone who's also been up at town meeting when standing up in front of the microphone, you were totally poised and a complete professional and really I mean you should be really proud of yourself and you're off to college next year. Yes. So, I mean, don't have a junior. >> She's a junior. >> Oh, a junior. She's a junior. Okay. I was thinking you were a senior. I was like, "Wow, you're ready." So, um, it was just really great to see our students really using their voices in front of the town and for the whole town to hear what you guys have done this year. So, well done. >> Thank you. And we, it was everyone in the club was really did like all the work.
Her colleagues will also tell you that she is lightning fast to respond to any email. Jill's genuine care and warmth that she brings will be misses high school. She's been a strong advocate for students and keep focused on working for the absolute best for her students. As a Cheshire High graduate herself, her commitment to supporting students in this school community with kindness will be a wonderful legacy to leave behind. In retirement, Jill plans to uh move full-time to Vermont with her husband, where they spent some time building their uh retirement house. I can attest Vermont's a great place to be. Uh Jill, we thank you for your nearly 29 years of service to Cheshire Public Schools and wish you nothing but the best in retirement. Thanks. Next up, we'd like to invite Budan Catwaro up TO THE PODIUM. IT IS OUR PRIVILEGE to recognize the contributions and career of Budan Kadaru, physics teacher at CHS.
So I mentioned the learning recovery emergency block grant funds. Just a reminder, they are essentially very short term. So, anything we're doing there is coming with a kind of an off-ramp and a a reminder that these uh funds will be ending and unless we have another funding source or a different category we can put those expenditures into if it's a position, but that position will have to be eliminated at the end of the funding. And so, that's two years out for us. We have kind of our I want to say next year's year two because technically funding did come this year, but it came so late it made no sense to spend it without a plan. So we are going to expend the money in year 2 and 3 26 27 and 2728. It will be it must be expended by July 1 of 28 or sent back.
So he interpretation just tells us, what is? The superintendent believes the data Great! So he should be. A transact. Yeah, so part of this is the super figuring out. A transact. Yeah, so part of this is the super figuring out. A transact. Yeah, so part of this is the super figuring out. Is there a disconnect between? A transact. Yeah, so part of this is the super figuring out. Is there a disconnect between? Um, is there a disconnect between where we are and where Um, is there a disconnect between where we are and where Um, is there a disconnect between where we are and where the board thinks we are and Um, is there a disconnect between where we are and where the board thinks we are and Um, is there a disconnect between where we are and where the board thinks we are and having this superintendent's between where we are and where the board thinks we are and having this superintendent's between where we are and where the board thinks we are and having this superintendent's interpretation is important?
I was just like the spokesperson. So, >> wonderful. >> Congrats. Thank you so much. Thank you all for coming. >> Last question. Is there any advice you would give to somebody else who was going to do this as well? What is the >> Okay. number one piece of advice you would give somebody if they were walking behind you >> in terms of just presenting this time meeting as a student. Yeah, >> I think the biggest piece of feedback is it's going to be a lot of work and you're going to have to like do a lot of meeting with different people, but it's definitely worth it because there's going to be people who will in groups who will have a lot of support for it even though it there's going to be most definitely setbacks. So, just get to town, get through all the meetings, all the re research and like setbacks and then get to town meeting and it's going to be great.
Prior to his time in Cheshire, Budan taught science in Jamaica. He was hired at CHS in August of 2003 and has been helping students make sense of things like force, motion, vectors, energy, and magnetism ever since. I'm sure it's not hard to imagine that there's not a boundless number of teachers qualified to teach high school physics. It has been Cheshire's good fortune to have Budan who not only knows the science of physics at a deep level, but also approaches teaching in such a thoughtful, caring, and humorous way. If you are a student in Mr. K's class, there is no doubt you're going to learn how to take notes well, and you will also experience spinning, dropping, bouncing, pushing, pulling, sliding, and more. Mr. Cat's current room sits at the intersectional hallway where it's kind of easy to see what the good things going on in the class.
That's what we know today. Um again this is all potentially subject to change at the government level. So um we had quite a bit of community input and really good dialogue about the best expenditures there. And as I mentioned, the great majority of the funding is going to professional development of staff and then intervention, which could be staff time or it could be positions and it will depend on the school site. And that seems like a lot, but we know that that's actually not a lot of people want to spread across 13 schools. And then our equity multiplier schools, High Desert Premier Academy and Apple Valley Virtual Lumped into goal four. That's because they're both alternative sites and they all almost always will qualify because they easily hit that 25% non-stability rate quite easily. And so they are they are working there to bring in they have an extra counselor at each uh at those school sites to support.
the board thinks we are and having this superintendent's interpretation is important? the board thinks we are and having this superintendent's interpretation is important? Part of bridging evidential having this superintendent's interpretation is important? Part of bridging evidential having this superintendent's interpretation is important? Part of bridging evidential disconnect? Anybody else? Why interpretation is important? Part of bridging evidential disconnect? Anybody else? Why interpretation is important? Part of bridging evidential disconnect? Anybody else? Why is it important to have the Part of bridging evidential disconnect? Anybody else? Why is it important to have the Part of bridging evidential disconnect? Anybody else? Why is it important to have the super we already have the data disconnect? Anybody else? Why is it important to have the super we already have the data disconnect? Anybody else? Why is it important to have the super we already have the data we already have the is it important to have the super we already have the data we already have the is it important to have the super we already have the data we already have the interpretation we already have?
So, yeah. >> Thank you. All right. Thank you. >> Well, thank you so much for coming out this evening. Definitely appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> Thanks very much. Have a great night. >> All right. Um and next we'd both like to welcome the conquered education fund to come up. So before we get to that um yes given my position on the board of responsible from discussion on this topic. >> Okay. Thank you for that. >> You need one more chair. >> You can grab one more check. fun. >> Thank you so much for coming. >> Thank you for having us. I don't know if um everyone knows who we are. We're Cockard Education Fund. We raise uh raise money to help support the teachers and the students in uh funding new and innovative uh pilot programs and and uh other things. Uh we we accept grants, applications from teachers uh at the at the school and um do a lot of hard work uh in raising the raising the money and then uh you know assessing the grants and and giving them out.
It also means it's very easy for him to pull you into one of these hands-on experiences. I can distinctly remember standing with a weight on a string, swirling around, letting it go, trying to hit a target. Um, that experience helped showed me that objects leave the circle traveling tangent to the path, which is a nice illustration of Newton's first law. and is the kind of hands-on experience Budan regularly provide to students in his class. And if you didn't know, Cheshire had a cricket club for some time and Budan was the adviser for that club. In retirement, Budan will still be focused on force, motion, and energy, but it'll be the kind of force, motion, and energy generated by his grandchildren. Budan, we hope you enjoy your growing role as grandfather as much as we have enjoyed your contributions to CHS. Congratulations and thank you for your 23 years of service.
They have a the champions program embedded. They get lots of extra funding for u field trips and intervention for students. Then at Phoenix Academy and Yuckoma, some similar activities, but their goals do differ slightly. And of course, they have their metrics are all based on students in the red and that varies yeartoyear. Yuckom Elementary missed qualifying for funding for next school year by really ultimately one student. So they have to be greater than 25% non-stability. They were exactly 25% non-stability. So if we had one more student have a not complete school year there, of course that would have been for 23 24 school year. It's it's always looking way back in time. Um then they would have qualified for money next year, but we never know. And so we um Mr. Clark had and his team including his school site council had not had chosen not to expend all the funds in year one.
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And so this year we had had a great um grant season. We we received 31 grant applications which is a record for us. Was great. Um unfortunately we were only able to fund 17 of them. But, uh, fun fundraising is a little down across the board, I guess. Um, but, uh, but we we ended up, uh, raising, uh, granting just under $65,000. Uh, we have a nice big check for and it it uh it ranged in there. There were a few buckets that it it kind of fell into. There's mental health, uh, special education, uh, technology, um, you know, some of some of the it it was over all the different schools, CCHS, uh, CMS, the all of the, uh, elementary schools and, uh, uh, Ripley, CIP, uh, as well as well as the anchor program we were supporting. So, that was great to see to get, you know, applications from them.