001So nice to see so many people came and joined. We don't normally have as many visitors, so thank you for coming through the board. >> Um I'm going to call the meeting to order and the first order of business is our student representative report. >> Um so theater held um a show for their play blue on Monday, Tuesday this week. We also have our upcoming student staff basketball game and talk show in the next two weeks as a fundraiser for our sparrow. On March 6th, there will be a driveby donation here at PHS from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. where you can donate clothes and everyday essentials. Um Meta and BSU came together and are holding a spring formal dance on March 14th and are currently selling tickets. And today is the sports um the winter
002sports ceremony for all the students that did a winter sport right back from 1937. >> Hi, my name is Rachel Puffin. I'm a senior and she got a lot of good stuff out of that. Um we are wrapping up our winter sports season and tonight is our awards night for that. And we had two wrestlers um place at state and we also had our twotime um swim champion Quinn Davis plays really well in all of his events. Um oh what else was I going to talk about? >> Yep. For um our seniors um shout out to all of our help in FPC because Monday was a big day for us. Um, it was the OSAC day for one of our biggest scholarships and there was so many people in the future planning center and Sonia
003and Christian and Maggie handled it like champs. Um, and then also to really annunciate um, the staff versus student basketball game. This is our second or third year second or third year doing it for our Sparrow. I think it's our third year. Yeah. >> Um and we would love all of you to come to support um our sparrow Katie um along with the talent show that is also a fundraiser for Katie and also just a really good showcase of some of the really like cool talents we have here at Phoenix. Um, also today, this week is classified, >> yes, classified staff appreciation week. And as a leadership class, we actually got together after school today and made everybody muffins. >> Yeah, >> thank you so much. Um, next we have Accentuate Positive. >> Good evening,
004board. Kaylin frog, principal of Phoenix High School. Um, just to echo what uh Rachel just talked about, today u marks towards the end of our classified staff appreciation week. We literally could not do anything that we do without our classified staff and so we've been thankful to celebrate them this week and really all year. Um, and so I just want to shout out to them. The list is very long so I won't go name by name. Aaron will be for that. >> Thanks. just wanted to keep talking so >> um speaking of classified staff I do want to shout out specifically to a new classified staff member Sarah Crawford I don't know if you know her but she is our new office manager at the high school and she um is really making magic happen
005just tightening systems and u just making things run more smoothly for everybody involved and I just can't say enough positive things about her so I wanted to make sure we knew about that additionally Um we are wrapping up our second formal evaluation um for uh teachers who are in probationary status and I was able to um go into several classrooms. I wanted to shout out to Moth Watkins, Aurelia Donnelly, Vanessa Vega, Lee Larson, Monica Gonzalez and Alexis Wilson who are rockar teachers even as second and third year in the district. They are engaging students in a multitude of ways, including with student discourse, and watching them in the classroom brings tears to my eyes. They're amazing. Last but not least, I wanted to shout out to Brie Chapman um who is a huge um advocate
006for um students in special education programs and is just a legacy advocate and a true pirate. her and I have been talking um on and off about how to engage alumni and how to make our new building feel um more traditional. Um and I just really appreciate her and that's all from the pirate shed. >> I'll stand up here so I'm not in the corner. Uh good evening board. Casey Homestead, principal at Silent Middle School. um echoing what's already been said so far, but a shout out to our classified staff. Um we've been doing each day a different way to celebrate them. And I think just echoing what Kayn said specifically, like thinking of just how our school would run without them. I don't think that it would. Um and not only that, but just
007the relationships that they build um with their kids and knowing our kids by name um and supporting our kids, not only in the class, but on the playground, in the cafeteria. Um it's uh incredible. I'm very grateful to them. Um I I it's been talked about, but we're in the middle of a social studies adoption work for 612 and just wanted to I guess give a shout out to that process. Um working with the high school and our teachers collaborating together. Um and Kelly Soder and Alyssa Barber helped lead some of our conversations this last week and just excited to pick something and looking at something again supporting all of our kids, but especially in 612. um on that around an important topic of social studies in our world. Um and then on that note,
008I just am giving a shout out to the proud principal at Phoenix High School in Camros. Um her and I have been having a lot of conversation this year just around how we can work more together on on some things. Um, and so just appreciate your insight and excited for just uh looking ahead and some things that we're going to be able to do together for all of our kids especially helping that transition from middle school to high school. Um and then finally um we have uh Allison and I miss H and I the assistant principal um really working on our SST which is our student support team um and uh really developing a better system and how we're talking about kids that might be have struggling might be having a hard time um and
009what things are we putting in place to not only try to help them grow but maybe looking at evaluation or whatever it might be and I think um and just giving as a big shout out and like we have a really good system now and that we're good when parents do ask about more support that we can go to that team um and sit at the table to talk about how we can best support that is all from town to >> thanks Casey Kenter principal at Orchard Hill Elementary and as well I'd like to thank our classified staff who've had a a fabulous week so far the staff room is really interested interesting it's decorated and like a Persian theme and I've had several conversations with some staff who were I remember as a young
010child like thinking that a flying carpet might actually be real but I don't think they are but there are some hanging in the staff room but so uh classified staff are great two of them Holly Swift and Katie McCormack uh this year again organized our books and beyond got some years ago at a different school organ battle of the books uh uh competition at Orchard and our championship team will be going to Central Point in a few weeks to uh compete. Also, I want to thank Officer Camps and Sergeant Layman. They came up to Orchard Hill last week to do our lockdown drill. Um it's amazing. Every time you do one of those, you discover something new and a better way to keep kids and staff and people safe if something terrible would happen to
011school. So, I appreciate their expertise. Lastly, I want to thank uh Mary Martinean and Elizabeth Maven. They are special education teachers. And I know Dr. Lambert has some guests here today or tonight to talk to about uh the endeavors that special education is undertaking. But uh Mary and Beth embody that phrase of they're there for all students and it's a joy to watch them work with with their staff. So, thank you. Uh, Sean, >> I'm just gonna sit I'm gonna sit over here because I'm taller when I stand when I say it and Heather has me. She needs me to say her announcements, too. So, I'm going to get that up in a second. But, hi everybody. I'm Sha, principal at Phoenix Elementary School. I just want to welcome everybody. I have some families here
012and some former families here, so I'm excited to hear from them. First of all, I just want to I really could echo everything that Kent just said about classified employee week. It's been a really fun week celebrating the the great um people that work in our schools and that are just part of we're a big family and a big team and it just feels really fun to be able to celebrate and honor them. Uh also we have our really awesome presentation happening here and so I just want to recognize we have Allison Bailey, Sarah Ryerson, and Erica Kazerati. They're our fed and behavior coaches. And when I say coaches and case managers, that's what they're doing. They embody the idea that we are here for students and by serving students we help support staff and
013we help support all students and they are anytime anybody has a challenge they are there helping supporting in any way shape or form and so I just want to say thanks the three of you guys are the best team ever. Uh, also we had had OB on Friday. So we this year instead of just having one or two coaches, we had our fourth and fifth grade team really divided at conquered. And so we had four people kind of leading the charge, but then they also had like practices in this room in the morning and the practices in this room in the lunchtime. And what I appreciate about that when you think about the inclusive work, we don't have afterchool practices. We have practices before school when kids get there for breakfast and during lunch so
014that any kid regardless of where they live if they have to take a bus can participate in OBO. So I want to give a big shout out to Amy Hartley and the Anoliva Elliot Kima and Zoe Boils for leading the charge on that. Then finally I want to just say our MIL team which stands for our math implementation leadership team has started doing some peer coaching and peer observation. And so we had two teachers from Orchard Hill come over and visit a teacher from Phoenix and then two teachers at Talent. So we're doing a lot of cross district observations and learning from each other and with each other. So I want to give a big shout out to Jamar Boyd for helping support and lead that. And then all of the um like basically all
015of the milk team members are uh observing each other. So it's really fantastic. And then here let me get this sweat. There it goes. And then I'll go back to heaven. >> You're gonna go twice. >> Yeah. Cool. Or Eron Santi PT. Um, unlike Kayn, I am going to call out all of my classified staff to celebrate tonight because I care about him that much. So, uh, we're excited to honor Danny Goodman. That's the heart of our operation, classified appreciation day. She truly does it all at our school. Registering students, raing field trips, purchasing supplies, doing small group instruction, uh, among many, many other things. So she makes all of our jobs easier and she's a huge support for our family and students as well. So uh want to thank her. She's an amazing employee
016and great colleague. So thanks to Danny. >> Back to Shauna. >> Hi folks. I am Heather Lo. I'm talking I'm representing Heather. She said things are moving at and shaking at TES as we launch into spring. Our mirror project is underway. Students have been busy making ceramic salmon that will be the centerpiece for this project. The PTA is hosting an annual family dance night this Friday at 6 PM and the event is free and we can't wait to book in with our families. Our amazing teacher music teacher, sorry, Sage Mendes, has planned an incredible spring concert that will take place at TMS next Tuesday, March 10th. Because of the or because these events are highly attended by our TS community, she has decided to offer two showcases. So kinder, second, and fourth grade will perform
017first at 5 to 6:10. Then 1st, 3rd, and fifth, and ODP will perform from 6:30 to 7:15. So please join us. Finally, our awesome PE teacher, Mr. Kyle Carson, is hosting a new event next week, active families week. As part of our work on the wellness leadership team, he has invited families to join in their child's PE class. Active families are healthy families. So kudos to Cl for this innovative idea. Thank you, Amy, food service. And I actually just want to start with thanking Joe as well as the office managers at the elementaryaries, uh, especially Cheryl, Wendy, and Diane for helping us get out the future chef news. Uh, we just kept pushing, but ultimately we ended up having 15 participants, and we've got nine that we will be announcing on tomorrow, uh, that will
018be competing with us. So, we're really excited to have them come join us for the future chef cooking. Friday is actually also employee appreciation day. So, all of the food service staff will be getting a little cookie treat and thanks for everything that they do. And then, as you guys know, we just wrapped up some action plans from the fall food service survey. Well, the spring food service survey will be coming out shortly. So, look forward to getting everybody's feedback. Hopefully, you've seen some of our changes. We plan on the biggest probably action item is the new bulk staff meals that we'll be rolling out here next week. And then just for a little um teaser, we've got uh KD RV who's been um calling us and emailing and I think he might be featured
019in a couple stories here coming up in food service about our food program. >> Thank you. Right. You're going to hear enough from me tonight, but I have to sort of take a moment to celebrate a huge accomplishment that we had in our district and really thank our office staff and Charlene Patton at the district office. Last week was vaccine um exclusion day and that means that any student that doesn't have their state required vaccine must be you know removed from school and of course we want to focus on attendance. Um, and we have for the very first time since I've been here, zero exclusions. That's >> a really good job. You know, they're the ones who collect immunization data, report it to the counties. So, it really comes down to um all of our
020office staff are really >> Thank you all. Is there anything from the board? Hey. Yeah. >> Um, last Wednesday, I think it was, I attended CTE night here at the high school with my daughter and it was very well attended. It was also super fun. Like he me and my daughter just had so much fun walking around. We were actually escorted by Lincoln. >> That was really cool, too. And then, yeah, we just went to all the different CTE programs. They gave a little feel about what the program is and what it does and she's super interested in a lot of it. It was a lot of fun. Was very well put together. >> I have something else I totally forgot about. Um I think it was last Thursday. Um we as a leadership class
021got to go to the middle school. Um which was a really cool opportunity because we normally at the high school have what we call lead crew. Um which is run by Mrs. Campbell and she that is like an incredible program. It was so fun to be a part of last year and then this year um it was not able to be brought to fruition, but it's a program that pretty much helps escort the eighth graders into freshman year. We accompany them throughout their whole year and have lots of fun activities. And so without that, leadership was able to step in. We got to visit the eighth graders and kind of like answer questions. And a lot of the time they're not super like asking questions about it, but we actually had like a lot of
022really good reports from students and leadership students that also went there. And at least in my group, I didn't even get to go through like the fun stuff because they were just asking like logistical questions. And so that was a really cool thing. >> Great. >> Yeah. Um I went to the play. Sarah called me and said, "We used to go to the play. Do you want to go to the play?" and I said yes. And it was good. It was one of the better ones we've I've seen in the last few years. And what I was most impressed with and want to shout out was the community. The bleacher. There was so many people at the play. I we looked around and we were like, "Oh my gosh, people showed up for the kids.
023Normally there's not very many seats." But this was well attended. And I thank the families and the community for showing up and supporting students. Carolina to Nora, our nine-year-old, um, last night and she really enjoyed the play and she said, what did she say? She said, "My brain was amazed and confused and amazing." But it's a really good production for what I heard. >> I am with Nora. My brain was confused and whatever at the same time. >> Um, okay. Next is citizen comments. Do we have anyone not here for the program report who wishes to address the board? >> Okay, we'll move along. Uh, PTA OSA. Do we have anyone from the association? Oh, you're here. Okay, good. >> I thought maybe you were with the program report. >> Hi, good evening. I'm Lana
024Morales. I'm representing Phoenix Talent Education Association, our certified union. Um, PTEA is happy to report that we are excited by the collaboration and inclusive process that our members engaged in for the adoption of the 612 social studies curriculum. We're also happy to see that our feedback for next year's academic calendar has been incorporated by the superintendent and school board and are hearing positive feedback from our membership. On a more difficult note, co-presidents Laura Leam and Sandra Trangelo have asked me to share a letter and statement from them regarding probationary influence. To the members of the Phoenix Talent School Board, Phoenix Talent Education Association is dismayed that we once again had a high number of recommendations for probationary non-renewals with there being five this year. In the other 13 school districts in southern Oregon combined, there
025were eight total, which places us at the highest amount of recommendation for non-renewables in Southern Oregon by a lot by a large margin despite being one of the smaller districts. The numbers are stark considering that 22% of our newly hired employees for the 2025 2026 school year were recommended for non-renewal. We had a high number of non-renewals last year as well, disproportionately affecting our first year and early ed early career educators. While these educators are not entitled to the same protections as contract teachers, we strongly believe that Phoenix talent should be a place where firstear and early career educators are nurtured and can grow, not a place where we hire them, give them difficult assignments and inconsistent membership or support and then non-renew them when they aren't successful. The turnover rate we are seeing these
026last few years is too high for a district our size. This turnover forces us to ask difficult questions. What are we doing to support these new teachers with functional and funded membership programs? The district chose to dismantle the formal staffto staff inhouse members mentoring program and we are now seeing the effects of this choice. >> Are we giving new newly hired educators what they need to be successful or just drumming them out when they are not showing success and progress after just a few short months? Is Phoenix talent a place to start your career or move on early or move to early on or just a place where the only only the seasoned can threat? This model is not sustainable and these difficult questions need to be asked each time we make a recommendation for
027non-renewal or we will find ourselves one day with too many vacancies and a reputation in a small valley as a school district that is not a friendly place to be a new or early career educator. PTA believes that we can do better for our probationary educators, especially those who are just starting out in a profession that desperately needs a new generation to continue to continue to do this critical work. And Laura, thank you. >> Thank you. Okay, next is superintendent report. >> Yeah, thank you, Chair Campbell. I just want to echo the uh uh classified appreciation week. Um it is so amazing to see their uh partners and colleagues, the teachers association to help support that. Uh and the administrators to really kind of help support that and elevate uh what our classified staff does
028every day for our kids. And so um have a tremendous staff of uh classified employees. I want to recognize that tonight. Um also in your folders you will have see from uh southern ESD they put out a blueprint and beyond. Um and so that is there for your enjoyment and reading and um understanding. Finally my last topic is we have been in communication with uh OD about policy JFC. Um and you have some communication in your packets about that. Um if you don't know what that policy is, it's a cell phone policy that had a lot of um discussion leading up to adopting that. Uh uh I sent some clarifying questions back to OD. They sent some information back and so Chair Campbell and I will talk about uh when we want to bring that
029to the board and how we want to uh address some of those things at a later date. Not tonight. Not all at least. Okay, thank you so much. Um, >> I I wanted to reiterate that SOS S SOESB's new building will have a O they're having a open ceremony and ribbon ribbon cutting on April 14th. Um, I know I was there at the ground meeting and that's like right three doors down from my childhood home. I'm connected to that land right there. Um, so I just want to say that you might want to put that in your calendar um to attend that. Super cute. Um, I just want to ask a quick question about the letter that was read. Um, the mentor program that was was it state funded? That was a state funded program,
030correct? Jessica might be able to talk about that, but we've we've changed that model um a number of times, but we we provide mentors to our uh new teachers and we had a model that um was using full-time teachers along with mentoring as well. Um and so we've we've had a mix of how that uh runs and we'll we'll evaluate see the success of that. But yeah, we continue to have a mentor program here. Okay. >> Thank you. Um, next we have a program report on inclusive practices. >> The moment you've all been waiting for. So, Tiffany Lambert, it's all yours. >> Around this way to give Jessica the microphone. Thank you, Tan Cam. Um, I first want to just recognize the amazing people in the room. Um, our families, students, and our amazing special
031education staff. Uh, I've had warn like I I don't like getting emotional, but it really warms my heart that they're here. I've been a a public educator, a special educator in Oregon for almost 27 years now, and I have never worked with a better crew. Um, when I talk about inclusive practices, it is because we have skilled, amazing, caring individuals in our special education program. And I really don't think what I can describe tonight can happen uh any other place. In fact, we're the one school district in southern Oregon that has an intentional focus on providing police of services. Um it's really I'm just going to go through some history to just kind of explain um why I have included some slides and then I really want you to hear from our families and students.
032because it's most important to hear from them rather than me. But when we talk about special education services, it's really a civil rights issue. History tells us that anytime a school district or organization links to more inclusive practices or desegregation that it can often come with worry or fear. We can go back to 1954, Brown versus the Board of Education. Uh the Supreme Court ruled that separate institutions are inherently unequal. And we can think a few years later our images of Ruby Bridges, little six-year-old in New Orleans who had to be escorted by federal marshals to go to her neighborhood school with her peers. And in fact, some of the teachers refused to teach her because they were worried about what it might happen in our classrooms to um other students perhaps for students with
033disabilities. civil rights going to begin for until decades later. It was in 1975 that what we now know as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act came forward that said by law school districts must provide to students with disabilities a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. Now, we're in 2026 and we still have some of our students in our state and in our country in separate schools, separate districts, um separate buses. Um and we're really working, it's been years, it's been a decade, um that we've been working for this process and uh really the that pinnacle of my career to work with such a great crew that were able to do that and work there. When I think of Oregon, when I first came to teach in Oregon uh in the late
0341900s, the kids like there was uh Fair View was um uh an institution for people with developmental disabilities. They didn't 2000. And if you don't know about Fairview, it was in Salem. Uh there's a really good documentary um it's sad. is empower it's powerful about um the history in Oregon and our um treatment of people with disabilities. So it's on PBS or OP. Um but in our district the change this just is an overview of where we come. I I've been here for almost nine years. We had students and steps programs outside of our district of ESD. We had a contract with Central Point School District where we sent uh K through 12 students to Central Point. Um we had students, our 18 to 21 year olds in transition going to Ashlin School District. And
035thankfully we have a really supportive board that was um supported us to have buy a house so we could um start our own transition program. And then we had our classrooms that you know of as TLC. They're self-contained or segregated classrooms for students with disabilities. We still have those at the secondary level and we had um ERC which is our resource room where students might get push and support or pull out of reading groups, math groups, social skills. So we started to really try to get our kids back to our district that uh included adding a program called the RISE program, a special ride teen at Phoenix Elementary School. We um increased a part-time teacher at the high school to full-time and we started our transition program. But we weren't done. Then we decided that
036we wanted to have students attend their neighborhood schools. So Mary and her team moved from Talent Elementary to Orchard Hill Elementary so that we could have a continuum of services at all three of our elementary schools. And we started to enroll students in their neighborhood schools. So kids were when they were coming into kindergarten, they were kindergarteners first in their neighborhood school and then they they also received the special ed services that they need. And now this year really where we focused was case management. So we removed the labels of TLC and ERC and speech and kids now are kind of weak. Kids are kindergarteners who receive special education services. first graders, they all have a general education classroom and we don't have a label of what program. We really move to that fact that
037special education is a service, not a place. And it doesn't mean less service for our students. It just means that we individualize the service and we provide it where we can in the least restricted environment and that includes that inclusion that all of our students are all of our students out in our school. So when I talked about like our history and some like fear that comes, I think that that just in our in our nation and our society has been the same for students with disabilities and there's been some fear. What happens when we mainstream students with disabilities? Does it mean it's going to slow the progress down for others? Is it going to like cause disruptions in the general education classroom? And we looked to national research and we saw that it didn't.
038In fact, um, kids without disabilities benefit from inclusive classrooms. Classrooms should represent the community community that we live in and we have a beautifully diverse community and that um is how classrooms should be so that when our students grow up to be adults, they are empathetic um, knowledgeable and accepting of different people. And so, um, yeah, we're we're there. So, Brent asked me to get local data from our school district from the first semester. When he asked me, and you know, I love data. I was like, Brent, it's only been a few months. I don't know. But um, I pulled it and um, really focus on behavior, attendance, things that we may have worried about, and I would like to share that with you. So, first our attendance is up and this is I know
039our elementary staff have really worked at family engagement for that but attendance is a primary indicator of belonging. We know students feel like they belong when they attend school. So, this is the first semester of last year in pink, the first semester of uh this year in purple and those are the percentage of our students who uh have missed less than 10%. So, they're regular attenders. Um I looked at our dibbles reading. The dibbles is one of the assessments we give um for foundational reading skills. And you can see our students with disabilities compared to first semester last year are up. But also our older students 1%. >> And then I ready is another assessment we did in reading. Our students with disabilities up significantly 6%. >> But also our our other students are up
040too. Everybody benefits. math the same. Looks like we also have a jump from last semester to this semester. And then when we look what we want to see down is suspension. That's out of school suspensions. And we see from first semester last year to this year, our suspensions are down. And our major office discipline referrals are down as well. and our student related staff injuries are also >> you go back. >> Yeah, >> I just want to pause on that for a second. Is that um So that's comparing like time frames. >> That's the first semester of last year compared to the first semester of this year. >> Why is that percentage going It's uh it's just a raw number. So it's 75 and 141 and then compared to 29 or 24 this year. So
041that's like a >> I have to do the math significant percentage. >> I didn't do the math. I could >> triple digit percentage. Yeah. So when we see national data as well as our own data, so far we're seeing that inclusive practices benefit all students and I believe in public education. I'm a proud product of public education. I'm a proud public ed educator. My kids went through public school. My grandson is now at Phoenix Elementary. It's awesome. Um because public education serves all students. That's why we exist. Public schools, I think, are the most powerful tool we have in our country for equity and justice and inclusion is part of that promise that we make to our families. Like I said though, it's not what I say, it's families that we've invited here. Um, it's
042about belonging. And so we have Julian here. We're gonna watch her video first. What does inclusion mean to you? >> Inclusion is being included. I want to be part of Disney club and be in the classroom. >> What helps you feel included in school? I love daily club being together in school. No separation. >> What makes learning harder? >> It is hard when teachers are not patient. It is hard when no one includes me. >> How does inclusion benefit students without disabilities? It helps your student know I exist and autism is real and not scary. >> What do you wish teachers understood about inclusion? >> I want them to be nice to me. I want to be together. >> Inclusion is important. Yeah, you can hide your face. You can do this. >> I don't
043want to look at me. >> Yeah. >> Good evening. My name is Jan Cruz. I am 50 years old and I am autistic. I want to share how being in regular classes and school class helped me succeed. High school was hard for me at first. I was overwhelmed but being in regular classes helped me grow in many ways. My teachers believe in me. My support me and help me do my very best at all on my work. I I also have my siblings and DFPs that help me learn the social CLI. Being in club has helped me make friends and work with other classmates. DNA club is one of them. It is easy to talk to the same people that share the same interest as me. Being in the club that has helped me work
044on a team with others. It closed to learn, grow, and most belong. Thank you for living at the person like me. >> Yeah, I'm ready. Good everyone. I leave a paper for everyone so you can read >> this with me just in case you don't understand what I say. I do my best. I do like Julian. He worked so hard and I wanted Yeah, it was really everyone look at me and I say yes but you can do this. This is very important thing for you. So good evening everyone. My name is Rosa Noah and I am the prom mother of my son Julian Cruz who who is 15 years old and he has and has no filters. When he wants something and you tell him no, he say you're breaking my heart. He is
045ninth grade at Phoenix High School. I am here to share my experience as a mom of a child with disability who is included in a regular classroom. Inclusion has no educational placement for my son. It has been an opportunity for growing below belowing and dignity since being in a general classroom. I have seen Jo Julian growing socially, emotionally, no sorry words and academically. He learned he learns from his teacher but he also learn from his peers how to communicate, how to collaborate and how to be part of a community. Most importantly, he feels that he belongs. But inclusion not does not only benefit Julian. His class classmate sorry his classmates are learning something just as important. They are learning empathy. They are learning patient. They are learning that everyone has a strength strength and challenge
046like me in this moment. And that difference are not something to separate us. They are something that make make us stronger inclusion work of the team. We have building build together teacher support staff and family. When we focus on Julian strays instead of his limitation he tries. When we believe in his potential he raises to meet it. As a mother, I am not asking for a special treatment. I am asking for opportunity. I am asking that my son is seen that be seen no by his disability but by his ability to learn, grow and contribute. Okay. Um, these school years are some of my most impactful years on his life and I do not want him to feel lesser than his peers because of his differences. I want him to grow and knowing that he
047belong belongs not just in his classroom but in his community. These school years are some of sorry I truly believe that inclusive education benefit all the students when children's are learned together they grow together and when we create classroom where everyone belong belongs we build it we build a stronger more compassionate future. Thank you for your time and for your commitment to all the students and I have Spanish the other side. Can I take the request? It is just so unfair that her words are so beautiful and for us not to have that in Spanish would just be so wrong, especially when we're talking about inclusion. So, if you can please read it. You can tell challenge my myself because Julia Phoenix High School. Fore! Foreign! Foreign! Prosper. Fore! Fore!chch! bring it brings some um
048from just the last thing this this is from Oregon Council develop disabilities so Julian and are in the poster last year and this year so we have two student from Phoenix high school and I'm very proud wondering. >> I'm proud too. Thank you. Rosa and Juliana and their family have taught me so many things over the years. A big thing about rightful presence. Um Rosa uh is a fierce advocate for her son. Um but all too often families have to fight to have their their children included. And a right-wing presence means that students with disabilities don't have to earn their way into the generalized classroom. They belong because of humanity, because they're part of our community, and they're a member of their neighborhood school. So, she has taught me so much about that. Yes, ma'am.
049Would you like to go Okay. foreign family. They're here to share their experience. >> Yeah, the fifth graders. Thank you. Impossibility. So, we're also in Alama Fire. survivor. I have three kids. Um, one of them that graduated two years ago with honors. I have a scholarship in she's gene and she also has anosophy. She's um she has an illness but that didn't stop during the fires. She still got awards and and I also have a son alone. He's a senior here at his high school and it has been a challenge you know with this because we didn't know anything about you know with his capacity and now that we know it's been a challenge. He started kindergarten with us in a continued classroom and now for the last two years it's been in a regular
050classroom. We have noticed a difference from And I'm hoping that when he goes to middle school next year that he will be in a regular classroom. I have seen the difference that he has grown. Uh his teachers have grown. Uh his classroom uh had grown and the whole you know class has grown. He was in the whole time. I'm very grateful for that time and I'm very grateful um to be here and thank you for listening me. I want to thank you. As my wife said, we're very happy that he's been included. So next year, I hope it's the same. and you know um we're very happy to see him grow. The valley is growing. We're growing. So we just want to keep our you know growing and learning. So thank you Gracias. Phoenix. family
051with my son. He's also a fifth grader. There were also an Alama fire um survivors and he experienced kindergarten like for a few months in another school and it was a horrible experience and she was very fortunate that she got him into a Phoenix Elementary where her other kids had gone and she says since he's been there everything has been amazing. He's very happy. He likes to come to school. The experience he's been included in all the classrooms in both music he's been always included. Everybody knows um freaking in school. So she's very grateful that he loves coming to school and has he has seen him grow and um she wants him on Saturday or Sunday he gets up asking am I going to school you know today because he really enjoys being in school
052and he has really enjoyed his whole time and finish elementary and she's very grateful and she loves the fact he changed his life from the bad experience he had for a few months and then moved to our school and she's hoping that next year when they go to Talon beautiful sport that he has the same experience that he'll be included in every class and have the opportunity to be with everybody else. >> And she wants to thank you for this district providing that experience for the family. Oh, any staff features staff is on. >> I'm gonna stand. No, I'm not Garrett. I'm one of the amazing magical wand holders from special ed. Uh, and we are here to yeah corroborate everything that our boss has said about inclusion. It's a uh system, right, that only
053takes place and is successful when the whole system works together. So from our little rooms to the bigger genet to the actual district to you know you guys being um engaged with us in the community and seeing our amazing kiddos because you know Ricky is everywhere in the valley so everybody knows I'm um it's a work in progress. uh we have amazing uh experiences but also a lot of uh struggles throughout the inclusion is a new system right it's a new it's a new chapter in our district and um we have gone to visit schools where they successfully are trying every day every year is different and for us it's the same thing we are seeing that if there is some new rules not rules but if we were able to follow with I believe
054that all of our kiddos belong and some of those fears that some of our uh adults still have, you know, of having our kiddos who were basically in that secluded or not secluded but inclusive classrooms that they're coming into their classrooms to understand that they will be supported that we're there to make this road for our kiddos and for them a better experience. and and we do have successful stories of kiddos who have started in inclusion which makes it of course a much easier when they are you know moving as a cohort from kindergarten all the way to high school but even with those kiddos that are coming into a fifth grade class that they just want to be part of the the classroom right they're there for different reasons academically they not might access
055I mean they might not access the curriculum as their peers would still want to be included they still want to be part of the PE section, you know, they they want to have friends and and and um I can say that now observing and going into some of the classrooms, we can actually see other kiddos benefiting from it because they see this kiddos who they used to see just on the hallway. So now they're being part of their classroom and seeing some of the behaviors that some people are afraid that oh it's it's going to become aggressive, right? because of what some of our kiddos do to self-regulate. But when those other kiddos start ignoring because it's part of who that person is is amazing how it gets it becomes invisible. And that's something that
056we still teaching some of those some of those uh adults that don't understand. It's okay. It's part of who they are and that's why you have to support. So, I want to say that um it's hard because we're not going to color it for you and saying, you know, we don't have a pink rose uh glasses every day. Sometimes come with them, but the majority of the time we do get kiddos who communicate through their bodies. We understand it because we are part of it. We understand it. We see it. We are like, "What are you talking about? He's just screaming. It's all right. He's not throwing a chair today." Um but even when those chairs get thrown out there is protocols that we encourage our teachers to basically look at um IEPs are developed
057not for us because we create them but the IEPS and it's it's an individualized educational plan that goes for everybody that is engaged and involved with that student to understand oh this is what they need so how can I make it accessible so I just wanted to say thank you for allowing us to expand our process and for allowing us the agency to still be in a trial mode every day. If you see us with the very long face, it's not about you is that we probably just got spit at on the way to the bathroom. So, thank you. >> I just want to say, you know, have something to say. I'm very in um I've been in the district for quite a long time, but most of my career in this district was when
058I was a consultant with ESD. Um I Kristen and I and most we have all all of the team. We've um were at the infancy of this inclusion path. We are not there yet completely, but we've made great progress. And I want to thank all of you for accepting and and embracing this inclusive path that we're on and know that it does take a team. And um thank I'm very grateful for my team because I couldn't do it without them. I have six staff and I know it sounds like wow that's a lot of people but we have kids that have such diverse needs that in order to be able to put them into a regular classroom and to have it be functional and meaningful they need that support and so I appreciate that and
059I do agree with knowing well there are sometimes bumps and I sometimes I go home feeling like I haven't done the best I could but I I know that we're all here as a team. And I got to say, Tiffany, I appreciate her more than anything. We couldn't do this without you. >> Hi, and I wanted to share that uh the Israel in the bilingual program and most of the families from the bilingual program at K Elementary are pirate survivors also. And it's so beautiful the way they embrace and they're so happy that they are with their classmate. They see me at church. They see me catechist every night together. So it's beautiful. The family has done maybe Ricky mom cannot go on a field trip. Say don't worry I have your kid. I'll take
060pictures of it. They take care of each other and they're happy that their kids are learning, you know, to be, you know, included and and learn from their classmates. Um, I don't know some of you guys have gone to our summer school program uh that we bring the teachers from Mexico. We bring in for a month and uh in July they come a whole month and in Mexico we're not ready to do this yet. We're not ready to. So they always come and they're so eager because they get to participate in the whole day they're with them or when they teach him dance and stuff and they say is he going to be able to do this? Is that Yeah. just let them in. We'll see how it looks like. And every year they say,
061"Oh my gosh." And I mean, I even talked to the director from Mexico City goes, "Hey, I've heard you guys do this. How do you guys do this?" Well, we did the first time. We do the whole year. This is how it looks like and stuff. And then, but they're very excited about the teachers are very like they include the kids. They haven't the whole day. And they're come, they get to dance. D got to participate and see the show because they both got to to dance with they they were doing the whole thing with everybody else. It was beautiful to see. So they're taking that knowledge and everything they want to know more about because they're very impressed what we're doing here in South District. So thank you for allowing them. >> That's all
062we have for you. Can madam please share what she just shared in Spanish please? That's what I'm saying. Thank you. >> Um I would like to thank you all. um we don't always get to see the beautiful faces that go along with um all the great things that are going on in our schools and um I'm probably more emotional today than I was our first board meeting after the Almeida fire um just seeing the impact that this is having. So, thank you for coming and sharing it with us. We appreciate it. >> Um any questions? >> I just want to recognize Laura and it makes me emotional. You've been here for I don't know a hundred years. >> Before you go, can you please interpret what Michael just shared? >> Sorry. Victoria. Okay. We Mr.
063for school. She wants to uh thank you for that comment. And she says, "Yeah, it's been it's been challenging, especially that we moved. She lived in Central Point for a few years and she was bringing them back and forth. She had a middle a middle school, a high school, a one with us. She was going back and forth, back and forth. But my commitment to having them in this district, and I have seven years with him left, and I'm committed. I don't know how I'm going to do that, but I'm committed that I want him that to graduate. And I don't live in the area now. I live in Mes. I bring him and take him every day. And I want him to um to graduate from uh Phoenix Elementary from uh Phoenix High School
064Res. >> Hey Laura, real quick, I just want to uh thank the families for being here. And I I will tell you um what Tiffany shared at the beginning of this program, we missed a boat on not translating that uh to you all because that was very well said and um and we'll be better. We're learning as we go and uh we'll make sure that we um you know make sure you can participate in all ways possible because this whole program should have been uh there for you as well. Thank you for your courage and showing up today. Thank you. experiences. Um, I Um, either Wow. She sings. She does it all. >> And um I'll say it in English. Thank you so much. I know it takes so much courage and so much time
065and you're all working and you're busy and you're still showing up in such a beautiful way. We would love to continue to see you not just today but in future meetings and huge apologies for us not having interpretation because especially it's kind of ironic we're talking about inclusion and we didn't include you since the beginning and that's on us. Um so thank you. Thank you for your grace and for your courage just to share your stories and we want you to be included and we're committed to ensuring that we can support you. I know that you have a phenomenal liaison um through LA. Many of you have long life or long relationships you for so many years. Um but I'm also here to be of service to you and we're just really grateful. And if
066any of you have not been to the um dance program that >> LA mentioned, it is phenomenal. I'm like in tears. All these kids are dancing. It's really beautiful. It's really like a missed opportunity for the board when we don't go. >> It's a whole showcase and it is so so so important. And this sweet little boy, not only is he like a phenomenal dancer, he's also a great singer. I just learned from LA. So, um, thank you for everything. >> Thank you. We're gonna take a 10-minute reset. >> That was awesome. >> Thanks a lot. We've had a couple long program reports, but worthy. >> So good. >> That's great. Thank you. Um, okay. Next is the consent agenda. Do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> I move to approve
067the consent agenda as presented. >> Second. >> Thank you. Are there any objections? Hearing none, the consent agenda is approved. Next is the uh information and discussion legislative OBA update. >> I will make this quick mostly because I've been so busy I haven't been able to keep up but this is the last week. There's been a lot of things going on as you probably have seen and um last week of legis last week of legislation. Yeah. I was talking about legislation. I thought you guys all were on my feet stumping. >> So, um Oh, yeah. So, I So, I'm It's the last week of legislation. Things are um going really really fast. Uh if there's a call to action, I will let you all know. I usually get the call to actions like the night
068before. Last one I sent out, I literally it was like less than 24 hours. So, I apologize, but thank you all for when um it is called to action that you um participate. And then OSBA, I don't have any updates early for OSBA. Oh, payday is coming on up. I did get that there's openings, but it looks like hotels may be full, but we can talk about that as well. But, um there I started making a list of other opportunities for training. Um but I did not bring it, but I will send it on to Denise. Um, real quick on the SEI filing, >> did that used to be a different time? >> It's always been March 15th. Okay. >> Can I ask a clarifying question about It's once per term. >> It's one per
069year. Yeah. >> So, we're all this year. >> Yeah. We all do it. >> We have to do it every single year. >> It's the filing on the It's not the training part. It's the filing on the >> Oh, that's right. I'm thinking of the ethics. No, >> not that. Okay. >> Oh, it opens up. >> Thanks. >> Yeah. >> To make sure we're not accepting. >> Yeah, it opens on the 5th of March. >> I might just make a couple legislative um there is uh just budget wise, it did come out, you may have saw that um they're not going to really necessarily cut K12, a state school fund. they're going to utilize pulling money from um uh just kind of carryover money from a number of different areas. And then there's a there
070is a bill that was I think it was sponsored by uh Rep. B Y B Y B Y B Y B Y B Y B Y B Y B Y B Yoner from Grants Pass about the AED and the heart uh really and we've been way ahead of the game with project Adam not only at the high school but also moving uh forward at the middle school as well and all our elementary. So and that actually had passed both house and senate. So, that will that'll pass and I'm imagine it's going to be an unfunded mandate, but we're already uh sweet out of the game. >> And I think people are going to talk to me about it because when I was up in Salem, I'm like, "We've already done that. We've got grants." So,
071I referred them to Tiffany Lambert and said, "Tiffy, they're like, "How do you guys do all this stuff?" And I said, "Because we have amazing staff." And talk to Tiffany. she can tell you >> something that is really that will help you. So >> I hear that CTP funding is not going to be cut like they said. I don't think so. Yeah. >> I think according to Stacy um this year is okay. It's the next year that we're really going to have to buckle down. And um Medford has offered to host a legislative reception type thing. And we're thinking now that this is going on, I think we're going to do a spring uh spring summerish one to because a lot of things start coming before the end of the year. So that's something that
072I and Jay and Nathan will be working on um after legislation session. So So we'll keep you informed on that. >> Great. >> Thank you. Committee reports. I know we have one. I have almost >> I got back and get my notebook and I was almost late. >> Um I attended the safety meeting, the inter agency meeting this morning at the district office. There was approximately I didn't count but I think there was about 15 people in attendance. Um we had a lot of discussion surrounding lockdown and secure drills, things that went smooth as well as different wrinkles and procedures to fix and work on. Uh we were discussing doing a door audit around the district to ensure doors latch properly as well as updating communication messaging during the drills. Busing is and continues to
073install dash cams that are both front and driver facing. Um, the fire district has new devices that have the ability to shut down oxygen if there if it senses like a fire in the lines and they're working on distributing those through the community. Also, there was an announcement of a room reunification drill that is happening in Central Point School District on April 22nd. No, I >> I don't have the information available yet on the time, but that is what I have. Thank you. >> I have a question. So, um I noticed a post on social media about concerned people not in Phoenix particularly not stopping for buses. Someone had seen a lot and of course the responses called the police. Was there a conversation of joint with the city and us maybe maybe again um
074communicating with the public the importance of stopping for buses and I know sometimes the uh during the police will sometimes follow buses to make sure that people are following and and give out reminders. Was there any discussion about that this talk about that yesterday? >> Yeah, I that didn't come up at all. I've um noticed at least in talent little community uh up in police presence during the school pickups and drop offs. >> I don't know if that's like standard around the valley, but I've noticed it around the town that I live in. >> I saw it over here too by the by the field by the district office that time people get pulled over all morning. I would have worked. I'm like, good. If you're not following the rules, children safety is first. If
075you're not following the rules, then we need to >> Okay. Any other committee reports? >> Following the rules for the art. Sometimes you just need to let things land. Okay. Action items. Uh, renewal of teacher and administrative contracts have uh before. Go ahead. I think I have to declare conflict of interest. Am I the only one left who has to do that? >> Yes, >> I think so. Yeah. >> Well, can I show the only one left? Okay. My wife's on this list. So, go ahead. >> Yeah. I'll just say you have the updated list and the list that we'll be moving forward for recommendation to the board. And I want to just thank the administrative team for uh their continued effort and uh ensuring that we um have the best people moving forward. And
076that's what you see there. >> Is has this always been an action then or been? Yep. Okay. All right. >> You're let that um do >> to approve the renewals of teacher administrator contracts as presented. I'll second make you or any discussion. >> Yes. >> Don, >> yes. >> I abstain. >> Yes. >> Okay. Question passes. Um, OSAA cooperative sponsorship. >> Yeah. This needs board approval as well. And this is a tough one. We we have we ended up having eight softball girls. And so instead of just not really having a season, we have um Ashlin has about 10 or 12 um which is not necessarily something you can kind of um count on to finish a season either. So, we have uh been in discussions for the last few weeks to do a co-op
077and OSAA needs board approval and so this will allow us to have uh a full season and also have our younger kids be able to play as well because we should be able to have a JV team as well. So, um this is a first for us. We haven't done this. Um it's it's tough, but it also keeps our uh sophomore go play this spring. I'm curious about like where will they practice? >> They're they're uh so some of that is in discussion. It might work out pretty well. Apparently Ashlin has field issues and so um we will yeah we will so we offered obviously all our field of practice and so we'll we'll have to follow. So when you co-op you actually take the ADM you have for Phoenix High School, ADM you have
078for um Ashlin High School and then put it together. We will stay as a 5A school, thank goodness. Um, so we will follow that 5A schedule, Ashlin schedule to play in. Um, and then we can pick up some other games in our our 4A schedule for some of the J teams. Um, but we will probably play have a mix of uh home games if they do have a field at all. If not, we'll play all our home games at uh Phoenix High School. >> And then there'll be some decisions on what uniforms you wear. Exactly. >> Don't bring me an Ashlin. >> Well, we felt like if we're playing home games at Phoenix, we wear Phoenix and then we wear Ashlin on the road. If we're playing home games in Ashlin, >> Yeah. >> wear
079Ashlin and then play Phoenix on the road. So, >> makes sense. >> How do we work out like the staffing, the coaching staff? >> We we will continue to keep our our staff because that's not going to be easy. Actually, we we practice separately the last couple days. Um and so we have our coaches. We have two coaches here and then they'll have their coaches as well and then with our with two teams we will work out how that co how that coaches coaching will work out. So, they're excited. Both teams are. Yeah. >> Just about the coaching, it's not like official, but like I heard I was talking to Coach Hall about it because he's our head softball coach and he said that some of their staff that is like newer coaching coaches are
080going to be working with his assistant for like the JV team and he's probably going to be coaching varsity with their >> Oh, >> that's how we get in. I think both programs understand the value of we we have seasons for uh all our girls in softball, which is >> I love this. Yeah. Because >> there isn't a feeder team from the middle school. That's been kind of a thing going on for a few years and they were worried about this that there's there's there aren't girls playing there to come into the high school. So maybe this will beef up the program. >> You can have about 12 or 13. We did have two of our better players get hurt uh and one had surgery. So they're done for the year. So once that happened,
081we were starting to look at other options. So yeah, >> I move to >> Thank you. >> Yes. >> I move to approve the agreement for an OSAA cooperative sponsorship for softball between Phoenix High and Ashlin High Schools for the 2026 season. Joseph second. >> Thank you, Nancy. Thank you, Diana. Any discussion? I love this innovative way to find a solution that's mutually benefiting for our students. And um I might have said this here, but I think it's just worthwhile saying in the Southern Oregon Success Network meeting that we recently had. I love that somebody said even though the you know it's not our district and their district, all of these kids are going to be in our community someday. And I think that this is just a really beautiful way to continue to support
082that um collaborative spirit and continue to just provide opportunities and very outside the box sort of thinking which I think we need to do more because resources continue to dwindle and I think that together we can be stronger. So I love it. >> Yeah. Well said. I'll let you go first. >> No. Just kidding. >> Becca, >> yes. >> Do >> yes. >> I vote yes. >> Uh the next meeting agenda is there for your review. This is a work session. Um >> yeah, this is a work session and so we have David Williams from Piper Sandler and it's uh giving kind of some options for uh refinancing bond dollars and and options for uh just they're the experts in bonds. So, um, they'll be here and then obviously the board self-evaluation. I did want
083to add one more if we could just just to review the academic calendar at this time so we can approve it. Um, the first meeting in April uh because we've been we already are getting calls on >> when's when do you start school, when's your breaks, that sort of stuff. So, um, >> yeah, >> that'll just be a review and we will answer any questions at that time and then approve it in April. >> I don't know if we need to. >> No, go ahead. Um, I just wanted to acknowledge the great loss that Ashine School District just had a few weeks ago. And um, I'm incredibly grateful for the staff and community that continues to come together and find ways to wrap our love and support for those kiddos. And even though they're not
084in our school district, that feels incredibly heavy as we have a bunch of really lovely students here. Um, and what a tragedy. And I'm really grateful for the continued support of parents to have a drug and alcohol-free grad night um, as a means to help keep students safe. And what a beautiful way to end the year, but just want to say that that's it's been very heavy and may our kiddos be safe. >> Thank you. I'll uh um thank you for bringing that up. I think you know that Sunday was a tough morning obviously for the Ashland community and then really preparing for Monday. Um and then and Joseph kind of put out a hey we need some support and I think every district had somebody sending them there. They ended up having you know
08526 27 people. We sent two counselors um and so they were really able to help you know >> have some people to help them grieve to help them work through and process. So um and it's still obviously very raw challenging for that community. So >> may we continue to find ways to support again these are our kids that are in our community whether they're engaged in work or their families. I mean that's it's a huge huge loss and um yeah I hope that we can continue to find ways to be good. I mean we're literally tonight. >> So um >> yeah so thank you. Thank you for sending that. >> Thank you. I'd also like to say that you know there the bombing by Israel in the United States of 100 girl school andund almost
086170 students killed is extremely hard as as an American and as knowing what is happening and this is all of our future and it will affect our students And that's just it's really tragic. So they have to work on peace and unity and compassion which today was a perfect example. >> They poured on increasing compassion. >> Well said. Good job. >> Um >> sorry I thought you raised your hand. >> Okay. Yeah. Um, I personally knew the students from Ashland, so that was really hard for me and my friend group >> to hear and know about. Um, and I know that as a leadership class, we are trying to find a way to help them or assist them or just express our empathy for them in any way possible. And if any of you would
087like to be involved with that, me, Elliot, and Lincoln would all love that. Um, or if you want to just reach out to Miss Robin, it might be something as simple as a card in a basket >> or um I know we sent a couple of students to um the um vigil. >> Yeah. >> So, >> thank you for sharing. Sorry for the loss group. keep us posted and let us know how we can support. >> Okay, for that we are at your feet.