001All right, I am going to call this meeting to order. Sorry for the delay. Start with the roll. Director Assad Lucas >> here. >> Director Batistelli >> here. Director Goldstein >> here. >> Director Marsh Holen. >> Director Potter >> here. >> Okay, I will entertain a motion to approve the agenda. >> So moved. Second. Director Sad Lucas I. >> Director Bastelli I. >> Director Goldstein I. >> Director Potter I. >> Okay. Rise if you are able for the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right. Um, superintendent update. I think I'll just share a little bit about uh the journey I've just been on to Portland,
002Oregon, learning more about the state of Oregon's health insurance plan for school district employees. Uh so for about the last 20 years they've had a mandatory statewide health insurance plan that instead of Adams 12 getting its own insurance and Kit Carson School District getting its own insurance and Aspen getting its own the entire uh group of state employees with a couple of large district exceptions have all had to be part of this pool and purchase health insurance together. There wind up being a number of carriers, two main providers in Oregon, Kaiser and then a group called MODA. But a lot of provisions that are really interesting. Um, one is that because of this pooling effort, there's a lot of elimination of brokerage fees and administrative costs. So that comes as a savings to everyone. And
003in Adams 12, we spend $25 million a year uh paying for 95% of the premium cost for our employeeonly coverage. So, if there are ways that you can reduce that by even 5% a year, you're looking at more than a million dollars a year in savings. In Oregon, throughout that 20-year period, they have a statutory cap that limits annual increases in health insurance premiums to 3.4%. And the broader private marketplace has been at a 9% increase. So, they've substantially uh reduced their cost increases from both the employer and the employee side through that structure. There are occasions that they get to 3.4% 4% they have to make changes in plan design, deductibles, out-of- pocket maximums, co-pay amounts, and things like that. But a lot of what they've done in terms of cost containment is to
004limit all non-reural hospitals to 200% of the Medicare rate for services provided inpatient or outpatient in hospitals and that has resulted in substantial savings in that state for insurance. So it was just an intriguing uh meeting for us. There were members uh the public employees retirement association who were there who currently do provide both retiree and some active employee insurance plans in the state of Colorado. So they have statutory authority to do something broader than they currently are doing and there were representatives from caseby the rural alliance. Um the Aurora CFO was there, a teacher from Summit School District was there. It was really a productive day and a half of learning and finding ways to move forward that can not only allow us but other districts to spend less on health care. Definitely intriguing.
005So that's why I came scrambling in a little bit late. Um but we'd love to get something done here in the next couple of years. And some of those states that took four or five years of talking about it and introducing bills that weren't successful before they got over the hump. I think for us, some of our next steps are to look at other states throughout the country that have done something like this and try to cobble together a path that makes the most sense in Colorado. So, productive time, more to come at a later meeting. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for taking that on. [snorts] All right. Board of Education comments, recognition, awards, and vision. Director Potter. >> Thank you, President Goldstein. It's a little odd sitting here doing this for the last time
006after four years, but here we are. So, you're going to have to bear with me. Usually, I keep it quick, but tonight's a little bit a little bit longer. So, early in my term, our superintendent, Chris Gaddki, shared a quote with me. A quote I'd heard many times, but this time it stuck with me in a profound way. It shaped who I am, not only as a board member, but as a leader, friend, parent, and a person. He said, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." This meant to listen before I spoke, to ask questions instead of making assumptions, and to always believe that even when we disagree, understanding is possible. But over time, I learned something difficult. Understanding only works when it's mutual. You can model it, invite it, hold space for it,
007but you can't make others walk that road with you. And sometimes leadership means being misunderstood because you're willing to stand where others are uncomfortable standing. There were moments during my service when I felt completely alone. But in those moments, I reminded myself why I was here. I was here so that the sophomore who stands alone for the pledge of allegiance knows that someone else is standing for them, too. I was here so that teachers who quietly chose not to participate in a themed protest day didn't feel shame or silenced for it. I was here for the parents who were afraid to speak up because they were worried about retaliation. And I was here for every student, teacher, and community member who simply wanted to be respected for thinking differently, believing differently, or being brave enough
008to stand alone. Because that's what leadership should protect. Not conformity, but courage. True leadership is not about controlling a message or winning favor. It's about character. It's about doing what's right, even when no one thanks you for it. And if that kind of leadership means standing alone sometimes, then I stand proudly. I'd rather be alone in integrity than standing surrounded by approval that costs my conscience. I want to take some time and acknowledge my husband Evan who's handling yet another baseball practice tonight. So, thank you for your strength, patience, and unwavering support. To my three children, Landon, Railan, and Jordan, you are my greatest purpose in life and my daily reminder of why this work matters. Thank you for going without bedtime kisses and home-cooked dinners and homework help at times so that I could
009serve. Your sacrifice is not one any of you understood and at times it was incredibly difficult and I am sorry for that. But my accomplishments are our accomplishments and I hope one day you can see the difference that we made. To the voters who entrusted me with this responsibility, thank you for your confidence, your courage, and your belief that my voice at this table mattered, even when I felt it didn't. Your trust has meant more to me than you will ever know. Serving this community has been the hardest but most meaningful honor of my life, and my hope is that Adams 12 continues to grow into a place where courage, integrity, and respect for all voices are not just talked about, but lived. To every student, parent, staff, and community member watching, keep standing for
010what you believe in, even if you're standing by yourself, because no, you are never really standing alone. I look forward to being here one last time on December 1st for the swearing in of the new um district 3 director and modeling a peaceful transfer of power by welcoming to the Adams 12 board of education. Thank you. >> Thank you, Director Potter. Director Badestelli. >> So I guess I will start out with yesterday I went to the student and family resource center tour. They were able to move to a new much needed facility and it was wonderful to learn about um transportation issues among our unhoused youth and migrant student populations and our foster youth and making sure that they get to those schools where they need to be. Um, the next thing we learned about
011was Medicaid and SNAP and the district provides much neededed resources to families and applying for those. I was surprised to see the length of the Medicaid application. It was stunning. I think um my mortgage app kind of compared uh to that application. Um we saw uh we were able to make talk with some of our family liaison in particular for Reed. I apologize. I don't know his name, but I know he's a great uh source of support for our families from Afghanistan at the Thornton High School. Um, and he's much beloved and everyone always has wonderful things to say about him and he was celebrating some of the successes of our Afghanistani students. Um, finally, we were able to see some of the resources that they offer at that center. um a resource closet with
012food um uh hygiene products um [clears throat] clothing uh you know just all of the basics. I guess uh the other thing I will say is that I work at CU Boulder in the school of education and while the faculty are very very knowledgeable about um public school funding in Colorado, I I'm not sure that the staff have that same uh awareness. And so I gave my um staff colleagues a quick 10-minute whirlwind tour of how school finance in Colorado works. And I have to thank Gina Laneir for being such a great educator. It took me eight years, but I think I figured it out. [laughter] Um, and so finally, I would like to, you know, we I can't end without saying something to Director Potter. Um, because I appreciate the sacrifice that goes into
013serving on the board of education. I appreciate the missing family dinners and not always being there for all the things we want to be there for our kids around. And so, um, I just want to thank Director Potter for being willing to make that sacrifice because it is a sacrifice. Um, and also you director Potter has made some great connections between the Adams 12 school district and the Chamber of Commerce that I think Adams 12 has benefited from. Um, and we may not have always agreed on things or seen eye to eye, but it's always good to have that voice who doesn't align all the time. It gives you perspective and and you learn from them. So, Director Potter, thank you for your service. >> Thank you, Director Bastelli. I am going to read Director
014Marsh Hen's words. She sent them to me. Uh, sorry, I am unable to attend tonight. My job has me out of town at the National League of Cities. My comments are short tonight. I just wanted to elevate and thank the student family resource center and the work they do has already been referred to. I think each board member was able to attend that that opening and it was truly eye opening both the need and the way because and and in the way that because of the work Adams 12 is able to meet the needs of these students during all the times that they may need support. A big congrats to Lisa Reid and her whole team. I also want to take a moment to thank board member Potter. I appreciate her willingness to serve on
015this board and the voice she has brought regarding our charter schools. I wish her the best in all her future endeavors. Finally, I hope everyone has a great and warm Thanksgiving. So, that's director Marsh Holens. And now, Director Lucas. Good evening, everyone. Um, [clears throat] yeah, I was just going to also speak to the student family resource center. um [clears throat] and just all the great work that um many of the departments have come together to provide for students over the years. But this new location provides the space um to provide those services in a more uh meaningful impactful way. Um and so and and not [clears throat] just for the staff but also for community members needing it. Um, I was able to meet with, um, [snorts] Shannon Hancock, who is the executive director
016of our, uh, FiveStar Foundation, just to kind of dive more into, um, needs of students and families of Adams 12 and especially with food assistance um, in particular because that's a lot what they do. and just the information she shared, especially within the last uh month or so with the shutdown and um with SNAP benefits uh being cut and the increase of needs for so many families um and students. Uh when I worked as a school-based therapist, we always knew before a long break was going to be rough. Um we're going to see a major increase in behaviors because the anxiety and the stress and the fear that students had with um security, with food, with housing um was really really rough. And I think a lot of times a first indication is to I
017mean at least back in the day and even well before I was therapist but you know they're being bad they're being and then know like behaviors are a message and an indication of something. Um, [clears throat] and it's usually our job as, uh, you know, be therapists, uh, educators, uh, leaders to understand what they're trying to say and what message they're trying to give us. Um, so with that being said, uh, especially with the tour of the new facility, one of the one of the things, um, that they had is a sample of what a hotel room looks like that a family of five sometimes lives in. Um, and again, I've been doing this work for so long, and what I don't think a lot of people understand is are families that cannot pro uh
018afford an apartment or housing or secure fundings for that. Often have to house with others. and um sometimes in a one room hotel and um it's it's just not sustainable. Kids can't really do homework there. Um there's sometimes safety and security issues and so it's just really important to have that at the forefront. Um, and especially this time of year where we might start seeing some increase in behaviors that are unpleasant and hard to maybe deal with. But again, it's our kids are they're trying to tell us something and um definitely need to listen. But um just the increase with food, there's a lot of great work that's being done by the foundation and by food for hope and partnering to provide to ensure that kids um [clears throat] have meals for over the break
019because without that sense of security of school where they can for sure get those two meals a day, um that can be really scary for kids and really hard for families. And so they have done such great work in providing that and having a big distribution tomorrow for um for meals being sent out. Food for hope has done so much and has increased their um output of um support for for many students and families. And so I just there's a lot more information that um can be shared, but definitely something to look into and try to understand all of our community members. Uh lastly, I just want to also thank Director Potter for her service. we were elected together the first time and um and so again, yeah, there's a lot of sacrifices that go
020into this and a lot of missed family time and um you know, trying to balance [sighs and gasps] life and work and all that with wanting to do best by kids. And so thank you for your time and energy and I wish the best for you. Thank you. All right. Um I also went to the FSOP open house that we all we all went all five of us and um it was really well put together to give you a full experience of what the things that they do there. And um I think everybody here so far has um pretty much said you know said it well. Um I also and uh director Assad Lucas we went to um a night of um honor and um superintendent Gdowski with the public education business coalition. um they
021have an event every year and they they highlight certain things that are educationally oriented and one of the big um highlights this year was they highlighted principal Kate Claver from STEM launch. She was a PEBC fellow um and they provide scholarships for educators. That's that's what they do and and training. Not just schol it's not scholarships, it's training. and they just train them how to be great educators and they put together a really cool video and because it was STEM launch they featured the Beaver um problem based learning and uh it was really good and and so there were a lot of uh representative students there and staff and um uh Rachel Callas was one of the class um room teachers that was involved in the whole um problem based learning on the beaver if
022you remember um they had a beaver problem in the creek, Nyiver Creek, and uh they had to figure out what to do to help the beavers because they did not want them euthanized. And so they put this whole plan together that they actually made to fruition and they moved the beavers. And I did hear that they moved them downstream. And I've heard there's been some issues downstream with the beavers, but not at not at stunch anymore. But anyway, it was really it was really great to see her honored. Um yes, I too want to thank Director Potter for her service. um you know it's always great to have different perspectives and um I feel that whenever you wanted to bring something forward we brought it to the table and discussed it and I I appreciate
023that and I would do too wish you the best of luck and I think you're still going to be in the community and we'll still see you around. So, um, thank you. And there there's a lot of sacrifices to this highpaying job, but I'll tell you, um, I'll speak for myself. I love this role. I love being able to do this, and I think the rest of you do, too. So, anyway, on that note, we are going to go on to board business. And the first thing we want to do is we want to recognize a very special student. Um Cameron Neely is here tonight with his um family and he's here with Jod Roer who is the principal of Thunder Vista. And I'm going to let Principal Roer say a few words. Um I'll
024just kind of prime it. There's an eighth grade career fair every year in Adams County and every single eighth grader in the whole county and then a few from Broomfield too because you know we have a few schools there which I think is where you live and um they get to go to the it's been at the Adams County Regional Park the last couple years and there are so many um um businesses and and higher ed and training grounds for for kids to explore as eighth graders so that they could um start thinking about what they want to do when they graduate from high school. And um if you've ever been to this event, I I go every year because I really love watching it. Um it is such controlled chaos. But I tell you,
025it's it's valuable and I think Cameron's going to have a little bit of a chance to share how he found it valuable because he was recognized as um the top student of the Adams County Education Consortium's Career Expo. So, um, Principal Roer, you want to say a few things? And Cameron um, Thank you. Thank you, Superintendent Gdowski. Thank you, board, for having us here tonight. We are super proud of Cameron. Thank you for allowing us some time to celebrate him tonight. Again, this was put on by the Adams County Consortium and out of over 5,700 students in 47 schools, Cameron came out as the top student. So, we are very proud of his success. We have his teachers here tonight as well that have supported in the career expo. And I know just as a
026school leader, I really appreciate the opportunity to bring these opportunities to our students and let the community and county see how incredible they are and really let our students see the amazing things that are out there for them as well. Would you like to say a few words? >> Um, I just thought it was a super great experience. Um, I I I don't think it'd be possible without Miss Roer, all my teachers, uh, all like doing different roles and, uh, just letting me to do that experience was awesome. >> What was your favorite career that you visited? >> Um, I just like the Air Force. Um, I asked a lot of questions about that. Um, yeah. So Cameron was honored by the Adams County Commissioners too a while back at a Adams County Commissioner meeting.
027Cameron, but what do you think you want to do when you go on to higher things? >> Um, I want to go into law and be like a lawyer. >> Good choice. Good choice. [applause] So, we wanted just to recognize you with just a a certificate, but this is something to be so proud of. And um we want to make sure I signed it. I did. And um just say thank you and we appreciate you and we wish you the best. >> Thank you. [applause] Congratulations. [applause] >> So Cameron, as Miss Goldstein's walking back up here, I'll just say a couple of quick things. One is uh given your interest in being an attorney, just know that there's at least three attorneys in the room right now. One is Kathy Shannon. Oh, four. Aaron Oberg,
028raise your hand. Kathy Shannon, raise your hand. Mr. Phil Spar and then I used to be an attorney uh before doing this job. So if you have interest in talking uh to people who've done that work in the school space and in Aeron's case has really deep knowledge about applying that background into finance and accounting. We'd all welcome a chance to talk with you. And I guess the other thing I'd say it's a great gift whether you choose law or some other profession. The gift of making a really strong positive first impression is so important in life and your ability to do it time after time after time and win people over in that big setting is just so impressive. So congratulations. Well done. [applause] All right. Okay. Thank you, Cameron. And you guys are
029welcome to stay as long as you want. Um I have to backtrack. Um, sorry cuz I was scrolling through the agenda and I went too far. Um, I would like to go backwards to general public comment. No one has signed up to address the board tonight. >> All right. Now, we need to go on to board committee liaison reports. Um, DAC and LRPAC. Is there a DAC report? >> There is a DAC report. Um we met as a group uh last week I believe and Gina was there with us even though she was very ill. She came to talk about some really important topics around school funding and the bond and the mill levy override and how all of those things function. Um and we also received an update from the uh sub commmittee in
030the DAC who attended the um really interesting charter school leaders meeting uh and got some more information on how that works and they are making slow but steady progress on the spending survey for the school accountability committees um and yeah so they're making good progress. >> Thank you. LRPAC met on November 5th and um I attended that meeting and that was a Thursday. It was two days after the election. Um we obviously talked about the Millivvy override passing and um what that means for us. Um we also um talked about, you know, that we are declining enrollment. That is still an ongoing factor that we're going to have to um grapple with. Um we also talked about the rising cost of living and aging in place population. That means um people are staying in their
031homes longer and longer and uh not selling them to a younger family. Um we talked more about enrollment um numbers [snorts] and then we talked about um capital plan uh capital planning software and we've talked about this as with the board too about um replacement costs um for capital improvements and we've switched software so it has a function of the amount of um deferred but we changed we decided not to use deferred I We were talking about we we gave an opinion on what we wanted to use the word deferred or um um >> Renewal, right? Thank you very much. Um the the the group recommends um renewed. Okay. And we'll talk more about that as we as we talk about what came out of that meeting. And um they that's what they gave for
032their recommendations. And um next steps in that is to develop concrete replacement and reporting policies and share a few options with the group and come to a consensus on recommendations to bring to the board. So that's what we did. Okay. Um next go back to the original agenda time to recognize some of our community volunteers. So um we're going to recognize two people in our community. One is Gary Maynard and the other is Debbie Bennett. We'll we'll honor Gary first and director Potter, I believe you would like to say a few words and you have a cert. Okay, you can take it from here. >> All right. Thank you, President Goldstein. Um, and thank you, fellow board members, for allowing um this to be added to the agenda tonight. Um, I've always been a big
033believer that sometimes the quiet ones are the ones that deserve just so much attention and gratitude and sometimes the smallest act of kindness, especially when it's done consistently and without the fanfare and the attention and all the things they it just has such an impact on our students and our community. So, tonight I'm honored to recognize one of these people, uh, Mr. Gary Maynard. He has um without, you know, a lot of attention and and fuss put on that crossing guard vest and that stop sign in our neighborhood every day, morning and night, afternoon, um multiple times in the morning and multiple times in the evening to stop traffic from flying down the road. It is a dangerous road. Um people love to go speeding through this road in the middle of our neighborhood. It's
034not, you know, close to really any school. There's not a ton of kids walking. And so there's not a lot of flashing lights to warn people to slow down within our community. And so Mr. Maynard goes out there with his vest and stands in the middle of the road and makes sure that every single kid crosses that road and is on the bus safely. And every kid is off that bus and crosses the road back to go home safely every afternoon. And so I have watched him stand out there every morning and afternoon as I take my kids to school the whole time I've been on the board. And so tonight I found out he's been doing this since 2017, which is an incredibly long time to be out there protecting our kids um not
035only in my neighborhood but in our community and our Adams 12 students. So I want to present you with this certificate. Can I go down there and give it to him? Um, and thank you for your service. So, if you want to come on up, I will give it to you. >> Hey, come out here. We got a little photo. I I think [applause] I'm not sure, but I I think Mr. Maynard's family might want to take a picture with them, too. So, just wanted to say that if you want to. You don't have to. It just looked like you were ready. >> [snorts] >> Okay. Thank you, m Mr. Mayor. Um, there's somebody else who has been giving of their time and I had the personal experience of uh having her help me walk
036across the street as I took my son to school at Cotton Creek Elementary and and she's did this for years. Um, and I believe her son Xander, are you an eighth grader now? >> So, you're two years younger than my son and so and I and your mom keeps doing this uh even though you're not at Cotton Creek anymore. So, I am going to invite Principal Lizzie Gooding up to say a few words and share a few um thoughts. And um Debbie Bennett, please come up. Turn it on. All right. Hi, I'm Melissa Gooding, principal at Cotton Creek and very excited to be here tonight to honor this very special person in our community as parent um as Lorie said and then also a staff person. She's one of our class assistants in the middle
037part of the day. um but graciously volunteers in our crosswalk and you know it's rain or shine, snow or ice. I think she prides herself on the face sickles when they happen in the wintertime. Um as you guys can see she she dresses up. That's you can see her hair this evening down in that middle picture. This student on twin day wanted to be her twin and dress like her. Um pretty much if anybody else tries to cover this crosswalk, it's constant. Where's Miss Debbie? Why isn't she here? you're not her. When is she back? Where did she go? I want Miss Debbie. They really, really connect with her as a community member. And um having been an admin and served in our other crosswalk down the street from the one that she's in, it
038is just such a special position because you really get to know the family so well. And when we think about our our values in Adams 12 about kids feeling belonging and a sense of belonging, um you know, she is that face that many of our students get out of bed for and want to see in the crosswalk. Parents as well. Um she just builds a lot of deep relationships and you know sometimes this role is not easy. we collaborate on on texts of of sometimes parents, sometimes community members not um observing the rules of the road or being the kindest sometimes to crossing guards. Um and so sometimes, you know, she has experienced people being unkind out their windows or dog poop on her own windshield as a result. It's it can be a thankless
039job. Um but she does it with grace and matterof factness and our SRO and our team help support. It's just it's a big role out in the middle of the street and um our kids love her and our community loves her and I just don't think that we would be as safe of a school or certainly having that consistent smiling face in the crosswalk. We're very proud to call you our own at Cotton Creek and and know that there's just so many lives that she has touched. So, thank you for your service very very much. [applause] and we'd like to give you this certificate of appreciation. I know that for all the hours and years you've done this, it's very small, but you have been amazing and you're just an amazing person. [laughter] >> Okay,
040everyone's coming down. >> Yep. We'll get a picture like this. >> Stop the video. know the drill. >> All right. Thank you. Great job. [applause] Standby [laughter] makes it fun. Okay, just a night of recognizing service here. Our next one is recognizing Director Potter. I'll give it to Superintendent Gdowski. >> Thank you, Lori. Gosh, [clears throat] I don't know what happened on the voice there. Um, so I've done some reflecting and this is obviously our 75th year uh as a school district. I know during my tenure I've served with at least 14 different school board members. So over the course of that 75 years I'm expecting that there have been well over 50 who've done this work. Um and I would submit that over the last four years is probably one of the more challenging
041periods to serve on the board of education in the district's 75 year history. It's an easier job, a more rewarding job when there's a lot of growth going on in the district and that's been true of most of our history. It's easier when there's lots of resources and money coming in, and that's been true at many times in our history. It's easier when uh there's just widespread harmony within the community and within our country. And there's been an absence of all three of those things during the four years that Courtney has served on the board. So, as you join, we are in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic and lots of challenges that we were uh needing to address with kids being either remote or hybrid for a long time. Lots of parents having frustrations
042about masking requirements, quarantine requirements, hybrid versus remote. And some of those polarities have persisted and even been exacerbated during the last four years. It's been challenging. It's not the only time that we've had political polarization around education in this community in our nation. I can remember a similar time in the 80s, but it makes the job of being a board director much more difficult and at days less rewarding than when you do have harmony. It's been a challenging time in the in the funding space during this tenure. For most of the time that Courtney's been a member of the board, we were 13th out of 15th in the regional in the region in terms of funding through Mevy overrides. When you don't have money, that complicates things. This last year, 14th out of 15. And
043because of those funding challenges and because of declines in enrollment that are now pervasive not only uh in our immediate region throughout our state but frankly throughout our country. Courtney was on the board when we had to make $27.5 million in budget reductions for this year and cut 150 jobs. Those are not uh the fun and rewarding times of serving on the board that I know that some folks uh in years past have been able to enjoy. So, I'm grateful that you persisted through u what's often a really challenging and thankless period of service on the board. Even in the midst of all those challenges and turmoil, there's three things I would highlight as I think significant contributions that Courtney has made during her tenure. And there are things that others on the board have
044alluded to as I heard the remarks tonight. One is that she's done a really good job of being a bridge between the district uh and parents who often feel disenfranchised, not engaged, um coming from a different point of view or frustrated with some of the things that we're doing or not doing in the district that they'd want to do differently. And I know there have been a number of occasions where I've met with some of those parents and I know others have done the same trying to create some deeper understanding about why we do some things or don't do some things. Those efforts aren't always successful and uh getting um the end result of the place that parents might want. But I think it's a huge step forward that we're meeting and we're discussing and
045we're not hiding and ducking. Um, and the bridge that Courtney's provided to some parents who are disaffected uh with the system and dissatisfied has been really a positive step forward that I hope we'll continue to do in the future. A second piece is in the charter space and I know that there have been some reference to that too. What I've been mindful about uh given some interactions I've had with Courtney during the years is that we have lots of families or a significant number of families who have students in charter schools and in district managed schools and they're all Adams 12 schools but the way that we communicate coordinate between district managed and charter schools is not always the most effective way and for students who are participating in after school activities athletics have other
046uh things going on that lack of coordination often makes it difficult for parents to do best in supporting the needs of their kids. And I think the awareness about that and the advocacy that we do better is starting uh to take hold and make some improvements in that space. And then the final thing I would highlight is the interest that Courtney's expressed throughout her tenure and having more partnerships with the business community so that we not only receive funding but frankly the benefits of the human capital that our business community brings and the work-based learning opportunities they can provide to our students. And it was frankly Courtney's really strong voice around providing more staff to help with work-based learning opportunities for our students that brought that element into our Milvy override plan. So we'll have
047at each of our comprehensive high schools, Bowman and Washington Square, an assigned staff member who can do the really time consuming work of building connections with the business community, getting students placed, working through insurance, workers comp, all those kinds of issues that sometimes get in the way. And so that advocacy I think's going to result in some real tangible improvements in how we do work-based learning in the district moving forward. So with that uh I am really uh excited to present this beautiful work of art uh that's been selected for Courtney in recognition of her service on the board. It comes from a student artist at Stargate. I know that's a school that Courtney's felt a strong connection to given her children's attendance there. And this uh art piece was best of show in the
048district jured art show this last year. Fortunately, um the student artist was willing to sell this piece to us and it's going to be a beautiful addition to your home or office, wherever you want to choose it. So, if you can meet me down here, I'd like to present this artwork to you, Courtney. [applause] do a big dramatic still picture. [laughter] >> Turn it around this way. >> That was >> Oh, that looks great. >> And there's a caption right here that says, "In gratitude to Courtney Potter for service to the Adams community board of education director 2021 through 25." Thank you, Courtney, very much for your service. >> [applause] [applause] >> got some serious talent. >> Big time. Big time talent. >> That is really impressive. All right. audit presentation. I see Gina and
049I believe we have um our AUR we have somebody from Clifton Larson and Allan. Thank you. Good evening board. Um, I'm going to be very brief. I'm here to introduce John Paul the Shavlier. Did I get that right? Close. The night. The night is what that translates to. Um, he's the signing director for Clifton Larson Allen, our independent auditor. So, he's here to present the results of the audit. >> Sorry. >> Great. Thank you. No, I've uh I've been to France and they tell me that I'm pronouncing my last name wrong, so I I don't know. Um but again I'm John Paulalia with Clifton Larson Allen or CLA. Happy to be able to present the results of the um last year's financial statement audit. So that's the year ended June 30th 2025. So I realize
050uh at this point we're kind of on to the year ended 2026. So my intent is to kind of uh go over some of the broad strokes for what was included in the audit. um but not to go into too much detail unless there's any specific questions or things that we'd like to uh spend some more time on. So, uh to start, I'm pleased to be able to say that we were able to issue an unmodified uh audit opinion or informally referred to as a clean audit opinion. Um and so what that means is that off after all of our audit procedures were performed that we believe that um the financial statements included within the annual comprehensive financial report are materially uh correct. Um and so really the audit report is not to say if
051something's good or bad. That's really the judgment of uh the board to kind of make that decision on the trajectory of the u district's finances. but it's to make sure that the financial information is accurate. Um, so that's really the uh intent of the uh audit report. Um, so we do also review internal controls. We do if there was any concern around fraud that would be brought up, but our audits not specifically designed to be uh reviewing for fraud. So a common misconception, so I do bring that up. Um it's also something that's kind of done the audits done in uh tandem or kind of in cooperation with uh management of the district. Um but that doesn't um we're really more of the editor uh of the financial statements and the district is the author.
052Uh so making sure that uh what's included in there we're reviewing to make sure that it's accurate. So, uh this is kind of the uh typical scope of the annual uh comprehensive financial report. Um that would have all of the financial information for the last year, all of the required disclosures under governmental accounting standards. Um there is a slight change this year with what's included in the report and that normally the single audit report is also included within this. Um the single audit is an audit over federal awards. Um so the annual federal uh funding that most of which is passed through the Colorado Department of Education. Um there's audit procedures performed for that. Uh they have the federal government through the office of management and budget has delayed issuance of what's referred as the
053compliance supplement which kind of has all of the specifics of what they want auditors to look at. Um they did release a draft of that. So, we're probably 80 90% complete. Um, but at this point, we're not able to move forward with that until the federal government releases the final version. Uh, so typically that comes out in May. Uh, at this point, it still is not released. So, we're not sure on what the timing will be for that. That's not in uh specific to Adams 12. that's every government and uh any nonprofit or other entity that's receiving federal awards is all uh basically facing this delay. Uh the required timing for that uh is 9 months after year end. So uh there's still time for everything to be done uh within the normal kind of
054time frame for that but it is later than what the district normally has. Um the financial statement audit however that was on time with the same typical uh timing and so uh that uh typically they're presented together. Uh but for this year based on that timing they're presented separately. In terms of findings and recommendations uh we don't have any findings audit adjustments things that rose to the level of communication to the board. As with every year, we do have best practice recommendations that we discuss with management of the district. And so that happens throughout the audit, but none of that really rose to the level to um be warrant the attention of the board. So something we bring up, but is not something that is a concern uh for the board. So I do have
055just a couple of slides just outlining some trends uh that you'll see within the financial statements. So, the first um and not to go into too much detail on kind of how things are set up, but the district like um every other uh school district in Colorado presents two sets of financial statements. One is on a long-term basis and one is on more of a budget bas uh basis. This is uh showing your assets minus your liabilities. Kind of this would be the ending number on that long-term basis. So, what that's going to include is all of the school buildings. Um, it's going to include uh your bonds and it's also going to include the net pension liability that relates to participation in PAR. I know that's something that we've talked about. Um, that's been
056required to be presented for about the last 10 years on the district's financial statements. So, if you'll see, you'll notice that all of the numbers are negative on here. Um though that uh negative number has been decreasing over the last uh five years, most of that uh is really relating to that net pension liability. Um so on this slide you'll see that that's around for fiscal year 2025 that was around 700 million. Uh which is really why that uh number is negative. Uh when you have your assets minus your liabilities, that net pension liability is an actuarily calculated number by PAR. It's not something that the district could pay even if you had 700 million that you didn't know what to do with. Um doubt that would happen, but you couldn't pay it even if
057you wanted to. So it's really kind of more of anformational disclosure. uh something to be aware of that in the future either uh contributions would need to increase, there'd need to be an increase in uh state direct payments to PAR, which is currently happening, or a decrease in benefits in order for PAR to continue uh funding uh in the long term. So, that's kind of the purpose of that, but that's really more of a 30 plus year outlook than something that's um you know, right now. I'll also bring up the net OPED liability. You'll notice this is a much smaller number. Um, OPED stands for other post-employment benefits. It's not something you normally hear discussed, which is why I have a slide on it, just so you know what it means. Um, this also relates
058to PAR. There is a health care subsidy that's also provided to retirees. Um, and so it's basically calculated the same way as the net pension liability and goes into the financial statement. So bring it up just so you're aware of what that is. Okay. So um the other thing that I wanted to talk through is the fund balance for the district. This is on that current basis. So this is going to be a lot closer to the uh outstanding cash balance that the district has. Um and what you'll see I have it divided into two different categories here. Kind of the light uh blue is going to be what's included in the building fund. This is primarily the results of uh bond issuances. So you'll see back in fiscal year 19 there was a lot
059of bond proceeds sitting in the accounts over uh you know the next five six years those decrease as all of that gets spent and then there was another bond issuance of 186 million including the premium in fiscal year 2025. So you'll see that there's a really big increase in the amount of the fund balance. But again that's a lot of that's relating to the cash that's being held relating to that debt issuance. If you look at the dark, that's really kind of excluding the bond proceeds. So you see fiscal year 2025 is right around the same amount that was um sitting in uh fiscal year 2024. So that was kind of it for you know the hundred some pages that the financial statements are. Um but did just want to give a really high level
060overview of that. Um, again with the single audit, normally we would kind of talk through this in more detail, but again, it's still in draft form at this point. Um, the district did receive around $33 million in federal awards in uh fiscal year 2025. There's two programs that were required to be tested. Uh, so that's what's kind of still pending uh finalization of that and that's based on the federal government guidance for what programs are required to be tested each year. they have a formula uh and so the nutrition cluster and then the refugee and entrant assistance uh grant were both the ones that were required to be uh tested for fiscal year 2025. At this point we don't have any uh findings or um question costs or concerns. Uh but obviously uh that's still
061preliminary at this point. Um there's also kind of a two slides on required communication. I'll say there's not this is things that were required to mention to the board at the end of uh our audit but it's pretty much the same as previous years. Uh there was a new change in accounting standard uh related for compensated absences that relates to the liability for uh sick and vacation time. So paid time off. Um, it wasn't an overly significant change uh for the district, but it did slightly uh change the amount that's presented. It doesn't change the district's responsibilities or how employees would take time off or be compensated for that. It just reflects uh what number is presented within the financial statements for that. [snorts] Um the other thing that um I want to point out
062is that there's no uncorrected or corrected misstatement. So the information that we received from the district was what ended up in the financial statement. So a very uh clean and smooth audit. There wasn't a lot of things that we needed to do in order to you know as the editor of the financial statements get to the end product. So uh very nice job by the district in um keeping very accurate um records. That's really kind of everything I have. Again, uh kudos to um the district for a very smooth, clean audit, everything on time and just pending kind of the federal government to give the AOK to be done with this single audit as well. So, I'll pause if there's any questions, comments, or discussion. >> Any comments, questions, or discussion? >> I just want
063to say kudos to Gina and Aaron for another unmodified um audit opinion. Um, I think that's a pretty big deal from what I've heard and it just goes to show how hard you work to make sure that everything is clear and transparent. So, thank you for that. >> Ditto. I mean, we can't thank you enough and appreciate your expertise, Erin and Gina, and your team. >> Yeah, >> it's a lot of work and it's hard to understand. [laughter] So, thank you. And I've uh said my thank yous to Gina and Aaron before. I'll just uh say that they're welld deserved the comments that board members have made. I just would also say John Paul, you and team appreciate your work very much. I think over the course of my time, there have been years where
064it felt like there's frustration on one side or the other in this process because of like staffing challenges or information access. There's times that we've had to kick the can in terms of getting audits done because of things that have slowed us down. And so it just feels like it's been very very smooth the last few years and appreciate you and your team uh and our team as well for making it. So I did see something on that last slide that I think you uh moved past that referenced charter schools. I think I just want to check base because I haven't heard anything from uh Gina about this. Do we have all our charter school audits done too because I think they're like incorporated into what you do. If you could just do a quick
065update there. I assume everything if they are in is good to go there too. >> Yep. And so, um, what's included there? It's called a group financial statement. So, the district, uh, includes all of the charter schools within its financial statements. Um, all of the charter schools have separate audits. So, they issue their own separate, uh, financial statements. They, uh, have their own auditors that review that. And then uh our responsibility is really just reviewing the work that the um auditors did in terms of you know they issued their report and we're relying on their uh opinion uh in order to include that within the financial statement. So that's what that line relates to. >> Thank you John Paul. >> Thank you. Okay to some more fun stuff. Proclamation Proclamation Adams 12 day recommended action
066to adopt the proclamation declaring December 12th, 2025 as Adams 12 day as presented. >> So moved. Second. So this year is the 75th anniversary of our school district. And the reason that December 12th has been chosen to celebrate Adam's 12th day is because it's the 75th day of school. And when I think about how many of those years I've been a part of this district, [laughter] it's more than half. Somebody made some comment about I've been around for almost half. I'm thinking more than half. But anyway, we've as a district, our history is very rich and um I think it's it's great to celebrate this. I also want to um point out um Raquel Williams and her crew for all the work that they've done and Joe Ferdani um on digging up all this stuff
067on Adams 12. And I learned a lot about um how we document and store our documents. Um there's actually um a digital document depository of all kinds of stuff and and it made me go look through some of my old pictures and uh I'm sure a few others. So, um, and I also appreciate the thoughtfulness in making sure that we did this in a way that was, um, definitely visible yet not costly because, you know, we do have to be frugal with our our funds. So, anyway, anybody else want to say anything? It's exciting to celebrate um 75 years of a community or educating a community and providing not just even education but I mean Adams 12 is I think the largest employer in Adams County, right? Yeah. And so it's just where it started
068off a few schools and now it's >> correct? >> Yeah. 56 schools. So um it's grown and has been serving kids and community for so long and will continue s serving for many more years. So it's great to be able to celebrate. I think one of the most exciting things about celebrating 75 years is it doesn't I did not graduate from Adams 12. I never attended an Adams 12 school. My husband is a graduate. My children will all graduate, but I still feel like I'm part of the family and no matter where I go in this community, somebody has a story about Adams 12. It could be something as small as, you know, they went to Chicken and Pickle and there's an Adams 12 student that they had waiting on them. And then they had
069an amazing experience and how great is Adams 12 to you know seeing 5B paintings on cars to you know whatever it is somebody no matter where you are in this community you have some sort of positive story about Adams 12 and I think that's truly special and something you don't find everywhere. So great work. Um, Superintendent Gaddski, board, former boards, former employees, um, everyone from the last 75 years that's helped make Adams 12 such a special place. And don't forget all the ones that graduate from here and come back and work in our district. I see one back there. Um, and the way that these celebrations were tied in at different schools, too. Um, and some of our schools are are celebrating milestone years this year, too. And you know, like Westlake had their 50th
070and um I think Northland's at 60 and maybe Thornton High is too or they were last year. >> 50. >> Yeah, >> right. 50. [laughter] [snorts] So, no, I think North Glenn is at 60. >> Northland's at 60. >> Yeah. 50. >> Yeah. >> All right. [sighs] I guess I will just say ditto to what everyone else has said. Celebrating a 75 year anniversary is a big deal and there's also so many other things we have to celebrate this year. Um, and to be honest with you all, I was looking for a few celebrations. I needed a win. So, we have the superintendent of the year sitting over here in Colorado. Um, our mill levy override passed. Um, and yeah, we're just in a good place. So, this feels like the a good time for
071this sort of thing. >> Director Assad Lucas. >> I. >> Director Batistelli. I, Director Goldstein. >> Hi, >> Director Potter. >> I >> All right, so December 12th, wear your Adams 12 gear. >> I think we'll be at CASBY. Okay. Uh, next, um, as an action item, revision to the graduation requirements. We have talked about this um, and we're going to decide how we want to vote here. And because it's a two-pronged choice, I'm gonna give you guys the and the audience and everybody else the two options. And then once I say what the two options are, one of you can make a motion to whichever option you would like to move and then somebody has to second it and then we'll just go from there. So option one is to revise district policy 6340
072graduation requirements to require successful completion of personal finance literacy and healthy choice choices courses to graduate beginning with the class of 2029. The other option is to clarify district policy 6340 graduation requirements that students must enroll in personal financial literacy and healthy choices courses but are not required to successfully complete these courses to graduate. So, do one of you guys want to make a motion to either one of these options? I would like to make a motion for option one to revise district policy 6340 graduation requirements require successful completion of personal financial literacy and healthy choices courses to graduate beginning with the class of 2029. >> Do I have a second? >> So moved. >> You second. >> Second. >> Okay. >> It's [laughter] okay. All right. Would you like to speak to your motion
073director uh Sad Lucas? >> Yeah. So put in a lot of thought about this. Um and you know we've had a lot of discussion and work study and our last board meeting. Um, you know, and even our last board meeting when we were discussing it up here after the presentation, one of the the themes that just kept coming up is um [clears throat] when we set a bar, our kids will rise to it. And um [clears throat] and I think we owe it to our kids. We owe it to community to set that bar. um in this I think you know I was talking to somebody the other day and um [clears throat] with so some of our clients can't have electronics so they have to learn how to budget right like the old way
074and like it was I mean school finance seemed easier to understand than them trying to gather a concept of budgeting and financial literacy and all that. And um and it's just it's it's so crucial and we talk so much about wanting to make sure um our communities continue growing and being sustainable and financial literacy is such a significant part of that. um also for um healthy choices. That is a topic that is incredibly important to me. Um when our kids can understand for themselves and for others healthy um choices, they can develop healthy relationships. um it be intimate friendships, employment, whatever those relationships may look like. Um and again, it continues building strong communities and um empowers I mean just overall mental health. But yeah, so that's why I think requiring this is so important
075because it it we set a bar and kids will rise to it and we will see the benefits of it. To um directors Lucas' point, I think, you know, setting a bar high is pretty important, but also when weighing both of these options, we're not making calculus required to pass. um these are not classes that should be, you know, extra require extra studying and tutoring and all of the things. Um and so I hope that there isn't a lot of stress from students around the fact that this is going to be a requirement, but also I appreciate that even with this being a required class to pass, parents still have the opportunity to opt out of portions. Um I think that can also, you know, be a little bit misleading to be like, "Oh, it's
076required. I can't um opt out, but they can. And so I appreciate the thoughtfulness around that piece. And I think it sends a really important message that in order to pass this class, which is required, you have to show up to class. And if we can start um building some healthy habits around the importance of being in class, I think that could go a long way um district-wide, especially as we take some steps towards addressing chronic absenteeism. So that's really why I leaned towards option one as well. And I think it's I think it's a smart choice. >> So what I will say is I was probably the person who was more hesitant about option one but not because [clears throat] I don't disagree that they should be requirements in the schools. It was mostly
077because the performance at two um high schools made me a little concerned but I think that those concerns have been alleviated. Um students can opt out and opt into other alternatives. this will be taking place in 2029 and so there is ample runway time to kind of get a look at what's going on in those two schools and you know make sure that things are working for students the way that they should. So I am not averse to it um at that at you know for any reason and I thank um the deputy superintendent and um the director of curriculum and the chief academic officer for um uh listening to those concerns and responding. Thank you. Yeah. And I too um I would I agree you you know you ra you set a bar and
078and I I guess I I kind of have to channel my son because um well he already took healthy choices and he did just fine in it. Um and personal finance definitely will be something that he's going to need. But he tends to be that person that you say, "Okay, this is my expectation. he will do just enough to meet that expectation and then when you raise it a little bit he will do just enough to do the next expectation. So I don't think he's any different than a lot of kids. Um and so you know he was my my northstar on that one. But anyway I too um support option one. >> I'll just uh elaborate a little bit more. Uh I think the two schools that Paula's had concern about are Thornton High
079School and FiveStar Online Academy where the course failure rate has been high in um healthy choices. We did some speculating about root cause behind that. Is it potentially that there's lots of multilingual learners at those schools and they're having a difficult time with the the language and the reading assigning those classes. Some wonder on my part about as Courtney raised is it about absenteeism which I know is higher at those two schools than many of the others. There may also be things in terms of how we're delivering the courses from a presentation and content standpoint that we can revamp to make those courses more engaging. So the commitment I made u to Paul is that we'll dig into those things deeper to see um what we might need to adjust so that more students are
080equipped to be successful. But I concur with everyone else's comments that raising the bar on these um expectations for really important classes for kids to complete successfully is the right thing to do. >> Director Assad Lucas >> I. >> Director Batistelli >> I. >> Director Goldstein >> I. >> Director Potter >> I. >> Okay. Action item resolution Thornton Development Authority Land Acquisition. We have a resolution you've seen to um I will entertain a motion to adopt the resolution authorizing the acquisition of real property from the Thornton Development Authority as presented. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Just to remind you, this is the property that's just a little bit north of the existing Thornton High School. It is part of the redesign and redevelop rebuild of Thornton High and it's on the north west side
081of the campus. Did you want to talk to that, Phil? >> Just briefly. This is uh an important part of the Thornton High School campus. It's a acquisition that district staff has worked on for many months uh with the city of Thornton and Thornton Development Authority. The board's been kept a breast of developments there uh for months and we are scheduled for closing this Friday. So, we need this official uh resolution uh to show the title company uh and the city that we mean business and I strongly recommend you approve this resolution. >> Comments, questions? >> Director Assad Lucas >> I. >> Director Batistelli I. Director Goldstein. >> I, >> Director Potter, >> I. >> There you go. Okay. On to minutes. Recommended action to adopt the minutes of the work study session and regular
082board meetings of November 5th, 2025 as presented. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Director Assad Lucas. >> I. >> Director Bastelli. >> I. >> Director Goldstein. >> Hi. >> Director Potter. >> I. >> All right. Consent agenda recommended motion to approve the personal actions as presented. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Director Assad Lucas. >> I. >> Director Batistelli. >> I. >> Director Goldstein. >> I. >> Director Potter. >> I. >> Okay. On to um the next action item. I am going to entertain a motion to recess for an executive session to receive legal advice and discuss student matters regarding an expulsion appeal pursuant to board policies 2.0 general operating limitations 2.1 treatment of students, their families and community members and Colorado revised statute 24-6-424B and H. So is there a a motion? So moved.
083Second. >> Director Assad Lucas. >> I. >> Director Bastelli. >> I. >> Director Goldstein. >> I. >> Director Potter. >> I. And then we will be returning after the executive session um to make a decision on what we talk about. Okay. What about the parents? Do we want them here? >> I They have >> Do we tell them that they can come here if they want? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Somebody doing that? >> I'm not [snorts] >> I can go I can go tell them. >> They're waiting in the room behind us. sitting computer right here. >> I think Lee just said he could go. >> Would you go tell him Lee? >> Okay. >> Lee can go say, "We're waiting for you guys. We need to use the bathroom." >> I know I do.
084>> Okay. So, because what I need to say is >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> Courtney's going to go home and have a glass of champagne. I always have to wonder, so what was my son doing at that time of day? >> Hello. >> Um, >> I think though >> like to make a So, but how do I like to make an in the decision of the government? >> What's it say there? So to recess for an executive session make a motion to affirm >> but don't have to do in open session. One of the following motions should be made with oh mentioning a student name. Got it. Got it. Got it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Well, there's different kinds of there are different kinds of that, right? There's the high
085focus and there's the low focus. >> What am I doing? >> Everything in between. I said, "What am I doing tomorrow? I got to be in Greenwood Village at Junior Achievement by 7 a.m. So, uh, >> oh, I'm going to a Medicare seminar. >> A Medicare seminar. >> Something on that. And maybe you should go check this out. >> Did you say you're 64? >> It's a little bit early for me. Okay, we are back in we are out of executive session. Okay. Is there someone that likes to make a motion that would like to make a motion? I'd like to make a motion to affirm the decision of the superintendent with respect to the expulsion of the students. Um discussed so moved. >> Director Assad Lucas I. >> Director Batistelli I. >> Director Goldstein
086I. Director Potter >> I Okay, just want to wrap up. Thanks for the meeting. Our next meeting will be on December 1st. That is not Wednesday. It's a Monday. and we will be swearing in our board members that were just elected or reelected. And um the agenda's on um we'll be talking about um taking the oath of office. We'll elect officers and we'll talk about CASBY and we will also establish um our tax revenue and mill levy. Any comments, questions?