001All right. The regular meeting is called to order at 5.06 p.m. May I have a motion to convene into executive second? I so move. Second? Second. Motion by Member Davis, second by Member Santry. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion passes 3-0. We are now in executive session. All right. May I have a motion to conclude executive session? So moved. Second? I will second. Motion by Member Davis, second by Member Walsh. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion passes 3-0. Executive session is concluded at 5.21 p.m. All right. The regular meeting is called to order at 6.01 p.m. At this time, all blue cards need to be turned into the board secretary if you wish to request to speak to the governing board. School board meetings are held in public to conduct the business of
002the district. Kyrene School District believes in education is a partnership between school and home. And we not only respect the rights of parents and guardians, but value their role in our district. Students thrive when we all work together. As always, board meetings will be live streamed on the internet for those who cannot watch the meeting live. A recording will be made available and posted online within 48 hours. Board agendas may be obtained from the district office and on the Kyrene website 24 hours in advance of each meeting. Our superintendent, Laura Tenias, and senior leadership are with us tonight. Item 2.2 is roll call. Will board members state their name for the record? Cedric Collins. Bunny Davis. Kevin Walsh. Amy Satre. Trina Nelson. Let the record show five board members are present. Item 2.3, a moment
003of silence in the Pledge of Allegiance. I see the wonderful principal of Centennial Middle School in the audience. Mr. James Martin, would you lead us in a moment of silence in the Pledge? You can just stay where you are, too. Thank you. Item 2.4 is our land acknowledgement. Kyrene School District acknowledges that our community of schools is located on the ancestral lands of the O'odham and Peeposh peoples who have inhabited these lands since time immemorial. With this land acknowledgement, the district formally recognizes the traditional care and keeping of these lands by Native peoples allows us to be here today. Item 2.5 is the Kyrene Promise. We promise to provide welcoming, inclusive learning environments in which every student is honored, valued, and feels a strong sense of belonging and purpose. We promise to provide rigorous, responsive
004learning environments in which every student is given what they need to develop knowledge, skills, confidence, and a passion for learning. We promise to provide vibrant, world-class learning environments in which every student believes they are empowered and prepared to make a meaningful impact on a rapidly changing world. Item 3.0, are there any items for changes on tonight's agenda? All right, seeing none, may I have a motion to approve tonight's agenda? So moved. Motion by Member Walsh. Is there a second? I second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion passes 5-0. Item 4.1 is Superintendent Report. Superintendent Tenias. Thank you, President Nelson, Governing Board members, staff, and community members and students here as well. I am excited. I have a pretty good update this evening to share with you. So I'd like to start with just sharing
005a little bit about our Guiding Coalition. You're going to hear more from our Guiding Coalition in one of our February board meetings. So I'm really excited. But I just want to share that Kyrene received nearly 100 applications from across the district. These are our staff members, so educators within the district. to participate in the Guiding Coalition, a collaborative team of teachers, school leaders, and educational support professionals working together to help move Kyrene forward. This strong response reflects the deep commitment our staff have to Kyrene students, schools, and the future of the district. The Guiding Coalition held its first meetings this week, bringing together a diverse group of voices representing multiple roles, perspectives, and experiences from our district. United by a shared purpose, coalition members begin the work of listening, learning, and engaging in thoughtful dialogue
006focused on strengthening our district and ensuring decisions remain centered on student success. This group will serve as an important forum for collaboration and problem solving as Kyrene continues to navigate change and plan intentionally for the future. So again, I'll be inviting the coalition and members of the coalition to speak at our February 24th meeting. A favorite tradition among our elementary schools, Kyrene students recently celebrated the 100th day of school, a fun milestone marking 100 days of learning this year. Our schools embrace the day with creative activities, and some students even woke up a little older, bringing smiles while celebrating how far they've come since the start of the school year. Last week, the top spellers from across Kyrene competed in the district spelling bee. Congratulations to all of our students who participated in both their
007school bees and in the district bee. Josh Garcia, a seventh grade student at Kyrene Del Pueblo Middle School, was declared district champion after he correctly spelled the anticipated championship word harbinger. Josh followed. I probably didn't even pronounce it correctly. That's why I'm not a. the person who does that. Josh follows in the footsteps of his older sibling, Isabel, who won the District B the past two years in a row and went on to compete in the National B. Best of luck to Josh, Ismael, and Laura, who will all represent Kyrene at the Maricopa County Regional B in February. And Kyrene will have two bands performing at the 2026 Arizona Music Educators Association Conference this month. Congratulations to Pueblo Symphonic Band, who were one of only two middle school bands selected by the Arizona Band and
008Orchestra Directors Association to perform at the conference. Symphonic Band, comprised of 38 students and led by Arlie DuPlessis, will be taking the stage this Friday in downtown Mesa. The Kyrene de las Brisas Mallet Masters, led by Tracy Werner, were also selected to perform at this event by the Arizona Society of General Music Teachers. So congratulations to our students and their teachers on this phenomenal achievement. I'm very excited I will be there to get to watch our musicians. Also, just a reminder, we are one week away from enrollment opening. So as a reminder, enrollment for all grades preschool through eighth grade and before and after school programming will open at 630 a.m. on Tuesday, February 3rd. More information about enrollment can be found online at kyrene.org slash enroll. Also would like to take a moment, since
009we won't have a board meeting, to recognize our school counselors next week. Schools across the country will recognize National School Counseling Week-themed School Counselors Amplify Student Success. This observance highlights the vital role our school counselors play in supporting students' academic achievement. well-being, and future planning. Especially during times of change and uncertainty, school counselors provide stability, guidance, and connection, helping students navigate challenges while keeping them focused on growth and opportunity. We are so fortunate here in Kyrene to be able to provide this level of support to our school communities and are grateful for our counselors' compassion, professionalism, and steady presence they bring to our campuses. Please take a moment next week to celebrate the school counselor at your student's school. And that concludes my superintendent update. Whoops. That concludes my superintendent's update. That's coming later. All
010right. Item 4.2 is board member statements. Do board members have any statements this evening? Board member Davis. Thank you. I just want to put in a little plug for school counselors also, because I was a school counselor at one point in my career. And it's not an easy job and one that we greatly appreciate their expertise, especially in these hard times. So thank you all, counselors. my former colleagues. And I also, oh, I wanted to mention that I also went to the Spelling Bee, and it was wonderful. It was so much fun to watch the kids. They were so composed, you know, and they were all nervous as could be, but they just performed beautifully, all of them. So that was a real delight. Any other members with statements? All right. Item 5.1 is School
011Board Recognition Month. Superintendent Teniez. Thank you, Board Member Nelson. I know last meeting we mentioned in my superintendent update that January is National School Board Recognition Month. So I just, in recognition, would like to share that we are celebrating our board members who make an impact on our community in more ways than one. We asked each of our board members to share photos from their time in elementary school, along with a few reflections of what they loved about school, the educators who made a lasting impact on them, and... how education has evolved over time. These little glimpses offer just a small, sorry, these offer just a small glimpse into the reasons why they chose to serve and choose to serve, including their shared belief in the power of public education and a deep commitment to
012today's students and staff. You can see these on the district social media pages. We've been highlighting a new board member every couple days, I believe. Stay tuned. Look for those. I would also like to take a moment. My team is going to bring up. We have a little gift of appreciation, nothing big, but a little thank you. And we just wanted to say thank you for being the heart of public education in Kyrene. We deeply appreciate the time, care, and wisdom you share in service to our students and community. Your leadership helps ensure welcoming, rigorous, and world-class learning environments where every student feels valued, empowered, and prepared for the future. So thank you on behalf of myself and my cabinet. We just really appreciate you as governing board members. So thank you. Thank you. Okay.
013Item 5.2, best part of the night, is our Kyrene Super Students. So Super Students are nominated by their school principal and are chosen based on the competencies that are outlined in the portrait of a Kyrene kid, which you can see up there. They're adaptable learner, self-advocate, community contributor, communicator, critical thinker, problem solver, or collaborator. A Kyrene Super Student exemplifies these values in all they do in the classroom, on campus, and out in the community. All of our Super Students this evening will receive a certificate and a token of congratulations from some of our partners, including KTR in Alatouke, Jeremiah's Ice, Zeke's Pizza, and the Kyrene Foundation. So students, as your name is read, what we'll have you do is you'll come up to the front and you'll kind of stay up in front of the...
014the little podium here while your name is read. One of the board members is going to read the narrative that your principal wrote for you. People will take pictures. Your parents and family will be so proud of you. And then once all nominations are read, we'll have everybody come up. We'll take a group picture. Parents, you can come up and get all the right angles that you want up in the front. Yeah, we're very, very excited to have you here this evening. And I'm going to kick us off with my super student. There we go. My super student is a sixth grader from Centennial Middle School named Valerie Castaneda. Valerie is being recognized as a community contributor. It is a tremendous honor to be naming Valerie a Kyrene Super Student. She is a shining example
015of a community contributor at CMS. She consistently is looking for ways to help others and make our school a better place for all. She shows kindness, responsibility, and respect in her interactions with classmates and staff alike. Whether working in a group, assisting her peers, or volunteering her time, Valerie leads by positive example. Her willingness to contribute and support those around her makes a meaningful difference in our campus. And our CMS community thrives because of super students such as Valerie. Congratulations. I am super excited to introduce from Kyrene De Los Lomas, fifth grader Caroline Sommer. Caroline is being recognized as a problem solver and a collaborator. Caroline is a positive and engaged collaborator who works well with her classmates and values others' perspectives during group work. She contributes meaningful ideas and helps keep her group focused
016and productive. Caroline is also a problem solver who approaches challenges thoughtfully, asks good questions, and works with others to find effective solutions. Her teamwork and problem-solving skills make her a valuable member of the classroom community. Congratulations, Caroline. I am proud to welcome up a fifth grader from Kyrene de las Menidas. She is Alicia Hazel. Alicia is being recognized as an adaptable learner and problem solver, and she knows right where to go for the camera. We are proud to recognize Alicia as a Kyrene super student. She truly exemplifies the portrait of a Kyrene kid by valuing her learning, showing continuous growth, and approaching each day with a positive, adaptable mindset. She embraces new situations with confidence, perseveres through challenges, and consistently demonstrates kindness and respect towards others. Her actions reflect the best of what it means
017to be a Kyrene student, and we are so proud to celebrate her well-deserved achievement. Congratulations. And it is my distinct pleasure to welcome and congratulate Danielle Hughes, an eighth grader at Centennial Middle School. Danielle is being recognized as a community contributor. Danielle Hughes is a shining example of a Kyrene Super student through her consistent contributions to the CMS community. As an avid student, she goes above and beyond by running the CMS Roar store every Tuesday and Thursday, ensuring it operates smoothly and welcoming everyone with a positive attitude. Danielle also volunteers her time in one of our science classes, where she supports both students and teachers in meaningful ways. In addition, she steps up for every avid volunteer opportunity that comes her way, always eager to serve and make a difference. Her reliability, leadership, and commitment
018to helping others truly sets her apart. as a community contributor. Congratulations, Danielle. All right, all right, all right. From Kyrene De Las Manitas, I have the pleasure of introducing Nguyen Nguyen Ngoc Lan, also known as Lucy, sixth grade. Lucy is being recognized as an adaptable learner, community contributor, and critical thinker. This sixth grade student is an outstanding community contributor, adaptable learner, and critical thinker. She approaches every assignment with diligence and consistently completes her work to a high standard of excellence. She leads by example, willingly offering to help others and actively participating in classroom activities. Her positive attitude, strong personal aspirations, and respect for herself and others reflect a deep sense of dignity and responsibility. She is a dependable role model who strengthens our learning community through both her actions and her character. Let's give it
019up for Gwen Wang-Nachlin, also known as Lucy. Congratulations to our super students. We're going to pause for a second so we can take a quick group picture. This photo is for students, principals, teachers, if you're here, board members. We're going to head on down. If our sponsor is here from Urban Air, they can come on up as well. Families, you are free to stay with us for the rest of the evening, but you're also free to go out in the hallway, take more pictures with your teacher communities. We're just so happy you were here. So congratulations again. All right. Item 6.1 is correct. Request to speak to the governing board. I've been told that we do not have any in-person blue cards for this evening. Written comments are allowed to be submitted electronically through the
020link sent out by board notifications, and those will become part of the minutes of the meeting. Let's see. Item 7.0 is consent agenda. Are there any changes to the consent agenda tonight? All right. May I have a motion to approve consent agenda? Motion. May I have a second? Second. Motion by Vice President Satri, second by Member Davis. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion passes 5-0. Item 8.1 is the Governor's Budget Proposal. I'm going to welcome Associate Superintendent Chris Herman to the podium. Thank you. Colleagues and community. We have a brief presentation on the governor's budget tonight. We're going to really just kind of talk about the things that Governor Hobbs talked about during her budget preview on January the 16th. And so as we begin to kick off the meetings and presentations that deal
021with the budgets in this coming year, I do always like to start with a timeline for some of the key events that will take place over the next few months in the spring. And you can see that many different activities are being worked on right now and simultaneously and also into the coming months. And over the next several months, work will take place on developing our operational budgets. That work, those areas deal with things such as making enrollment projections, estimating revenues, identifying and prioritizing capital projects, determining our organizational staffing. and things like employee compensation. And each of those areas will be brought forward to the board in more detail during the upcoming spring study sessions and board meetings. And once those activities have taken place, and once the legislature has approved a budget, the overall
022district level budget can be pulled together in the actual review and the voting for the budget would take place at the end of June for the proposed budget and then in July for the adopted budget. So as far as the governor's budget highlights, each year at the beginning of the legislative session, the governor will typically release a budget proposal that outlines any spending priorities. However, this is just a proposal and typically serves as the starting point for negotiations in the upcoming legislative session. By no means is this an assurance that these amounts will materialize as a legislature must ultimately determine and pass the final state budget. So the items listed on this slide relate to highlights from the governor's statewide budget proposal just for K-12 education. You can see there's $174 million included for year-over-year
023inflation funding, and the governor is using a 2% inflation factor for increasing the base-level state funding amount, which is a requirement by state statute. And it states that school districts can receive an inflation increase based on the lesser of 2% or the annual change in the GDP price deflator, which is a measurement of inflation. And that GDP price deflator was 2.1% over the prior 12-month period that ended in October. So that gives us a pretty good idea that we're going to be in that range once everything is finalized. So it's important to understand that a 2% increase in funding is the maximum amount that public schools can receive from the state according to the laws that are in place for public educational funding. There's a $29 million amount listed for one-time funding proposed to increase
024the district and charter additional assistance, which is the state funding for capital. And that's based on annual increases that were enacted in the beginning of fiscal year 23. And if you remember from last year's budget, the funding for the current year in fiscal 26 for capital increased amounts also came from one-time funding. And ongoing funding is not set to begin for annual increases until fiscal year 28. So this would hopefully bridge us until that's set to be state law. There's a $37 million amount also proposed for continuing funding based on the free reduced price lunch group B-Way. And again, if you remember from last year, funding for our current year in fiscal year 26 for this area also came from one-time funding from the state. And again, continued and ongoing annual funding for this particular
025area is not set to begin until fiscal year 28 from a state legislative perspective or state law perspective, I should say. Last year, there were also discussions about renewing Proposition 123 as a way to provide additional ongoing and sustainable increases in school funding. But unfortunately, no solutions were ever. were ever brought to the table and resulted from those conversations. So for fiscal year 27, the governor's budget proposal is again asking for a renewal of Proposition 123, and that would provide about $271 million in additional ongoing funding for basic state aid for public schools. A little bit of history about Prop 123. That was approved by voters in May of 2016, and that was done to amend the Arizona Constitution. as part of a lawsuit settlement regarding the lack of state funding for inflation several years
026ago. The basic concept was to increase the state's land trust distributions that are set for public education funding from a 2.5% up to 6.9%. So you'll sometimes hear an increase of 4.4%. That was what was done with Prop 123 in the fiscal year 16 through fiscal year 25. And that was done in order to offset the state's general fund requirements for increases in our basic state funding. Beginning with the current 25-26 year that we're in, and it was specified in the Prop 123 language, the percentage of state land distributions reverted back to their pre-fiscal year 2016 levels, meaning that it went from a 6.9% allocation back to the original 2.5% level. But the state's general fund was required to absorb that difference, which was about... $286 million. So it's important to mention that this change,
027when you talk about going from 6.9% back to 2.5, was really a mechanism of where the money came from and did not result in less money for Kyrene or other public schools. So when the governor and other groups talk about the opportunity to increase funding for Arizona schools through a renewal of Prop 123, what they're really asking is to increase the state trust land distributions from our current 2.5 percent, possibly back to the increased 6.9 percent levels, because the state trust... land trust is in a healthy position and it actually exceeds the balance projections from when Prop 123 was originally enacted well over a decade ago. So making that change, if that were to take place, would result in an additional $271 million to go back into state-based level funding for public school education. So
028that would potentially be new money for schools. The challenge with renewing or changing Prop 123 distribution levels is that the formula for the state land trust distribution is established in the Arizona State Constitution. So any result of making a change to that formula or the extension of Prop 123 for additional years perhaps would require voter approval. for an amendment to the Arizona Constitution. And there is actually also some dispute over whether congressional approval might be needed just to make things more complicated with that issue. The other thing that's mentioned, too, you may have seen was the governor is also proposing the issuance of a three-year, $1.5 billion bond to address the underfunding of statewide school facility and capital needs. And that could be done without requiring additional general funds spending from the state or any
029tax implications for our community because we'll talk a little bit more about that. But I should say that building renewal grants are... that are issued by the school facilities division are the primary source of funding for public schools for facility needs. But building renewal needs far outpace the state appropriate amounts and it's estimated that it's underfunded by about $200 million a year statewide. And what that means is many project requests that go through the building renewal grants, they either get delayed or they're never funded at all. So, by issuing these bonds, the concept is the cost of that issuance would be paid for by a portion of the funding received from Proposition 123, and that repayment cost for year one of the bond would be estimated at $37 million. And then finally, a small amount
030listed, but similar to last year's budget, there's a proposal to help students who are eligible for reduced-priced meals by covering the copayments that would otherwise be charged to lower-income families. So besides those areas, another budget topic that was mentioned, again, like last year, was the possibility of reforming the state's universal ESA voucher program. One of the proposals listed by the governor would implement an income cap on eligibility for ESA recipients if household incomes would be greater than $250,000. That's estimated to reduce the burden on the state budget by about $89 million. Another proposal is to eliminate ESA voucher holders or eliminate the holders from carrying forward unexpended balances from one academic year to the next. And that possibly could free up about another $158 million out of the state's budget and could be allocated towards
031other needs. And then a final proposal. would be, again, to increase the accountability, transparency, and student safety within the ESA program by doing things like requiring private school teachers and tutors to obtain fingerprints, clearance cards, just like public schools do, ensuring that private schools receive ESA public fund reporting, ensuring that they're reporting the use of those funds, just like public school districts do, and then prohibiting the use of ESA funds for luxury spending items. Today, things like ski passes, jewelry, luxury car driving lessons may be eligible for those vouchers. So those are the kind of things that were mentioned by the governor as far as those limits. And finally, it should be noted, even though it's not part of the budget proposal, that the aggregate expenditure limit for next year has already been exempted for
032the 26-27 budget. in the school year for next year. And what that means is that public school districts will be able to spend the money that will hopefully be appropriated by the legislature and the governor's office once a budget bill is finally passed. So not a whole lot of details to share, but did want to give you some of the highlights, and I'm happy to answer any questions that you might have. Thank you, Mr. Herman. I always look forward to your budget presentation, so spring's coming. Board members, do we have any questions for Mr. Herman? Member Davis. Thank you very much, Mr. Herman. Very interesting. Did the governor address any alternative propositions to funding public schools other than renewing Prop 123? If you're asking for new monies or new funding, is that— Whatever Prop 123
033was supposed to do, is supposed to do, if it's left up to the voters, if they say no, then what happens? So— There's lots of what ifs with that question, right? So if it were put on the ballot, there would have to be some language specified. If it was exactly the way the governor had proposed going from the current 2.5% level to possibly the 6.9% increase, let's just say that was what was put on the ballot. If the voters approved it, then that would be enacted whatever the year. that was proposed, right? So it could be for the 26-27 school year, could possibly be a different year. It just really depends on what the negotiations would be between the legislature and the governor to put that out there. But it wouldn't be for the 26-27
034year. It wouldn't be for the up. It wouldn't be for the coming year. It would be for the following year because it wouldn't be until a June vote, or I'm sorry, November vote. But if the communities in Arizona voted no for that, then there would be no funding. It would need to be an amendment to the Constitution which requires the vote of the citizens to pass that. Okay, so, and this may not be a question for you, so. It sounds like if it doesn't pass, there's no plan for increased funding for schools. There has been no discussion other than the things that I've listed for funding beyond what we currently receive. Okay. It's the list. I mean, we wish it was a bigger list, but that's the list. I just wanted to confirm that. Okay.
035Thank you. Member Walsh. Thank you. Mr. Herman, although I always do like to hear from you, I don't always like to hear about our state's funding decisions for education. I am encouraged, at least in part, that our governor has proposed some sensible reforms on ESA voucher spending. I think, as we've seen over the last few years in practice, the majority of ESA voucher spending that drains the coffers of public schools like Kyrene is largely going to high-income communities. In fact, I think the study shows that if you look at the top quartile of most wealthy zip codes in Arizona and compare them to the least wealthy quartile of zip codes in Arizona, the higher one is getting 10 times more voucher funding than the lower. 10 times. And the fact that we are continuing to
036have, without really any caps, funding on this largely unregulated voucher spending is concerning to me. I am encouraged to see that the governor's proposed things like prohibiting luxury expenses over $500 that in the past have paid for tickets to Arizona Snowball. Which sounds lovely, but wouldn't that be great for all of our kids in Kyrene to have those funds? So I don't have a question for you. I am just here to marvel at the consistent inability of our legislature to fund public education. And I thank you for being able to, without emotion, present to us the challenges ahead. And you always do a good job with that. So thank you. Any other questions? Mr. Herman, I do have a question. So you've identified the $271 million in potential additional base level funding and the $1.5
037million bond for facility needs. Those are conditional on the renewal of Prop 123, correct? Correct. But you just indicated that... If there were to be a renewal or any changes that would occur or be voted on until November, correct? Correct. So how do those two lines impact the 26-27 budget if we have to wait until November to vote on them? Yeah, that's a great question. I'm just a little confused about that. Yeah, I would really need to dig through what the governor's words on that would be, unless Mr. LLL has more knowledge of that. I think it really all depends on how the legislature or the law would be written, right? If it would be retroactive or not. And I don't remember reading that off the top of what I picked out. So I'll look
038through that again. Yeah. And I know one of the things, and I think I'm going to start to piggyback off of what board member Walsh was just saying, is I appreciate all of the thought and the care the governor puts in the budget, thinking about what can she work collaboratively with the legislature with. However, outside of the representatives we have in our personal area, we know they aren't always friendly to public education and leaving such a significant portion of the budget that you are trying to craft for this upcoming year. I think it really puts us in. I mean, we always take the most conservative approach. You do a great job. I mean, it's your job to, you know, bring a balanced budget based on the most conservative projections. But just to live in an
039area where we are continually at the mercy of, you know, a legislative body that is hostile to public education is very frustrating to be able to plan and support our students. The other piece. You taught me something very new today. I did not realize that providers who are providing services through ASA don't have to go through a fingerprint clearance process. That is breathtaking to me from a student safety perspective. And I just cannot imagine. I just I cannot I cannot imagine that. And it is just blown my mind. So. A lot to sit with. But I appreciate your work. Look forward to hearing more about how we are navigating the uncertainty, especially as the legislature continues to do its work. So thank you. Thank you. Oh, sorry. Member Davis. Sorry. I just. From my previous
040question, you could tell that I was a little concerned about Prop 123, and I don't expect you to have legal answers. This may be a question for Mr. Allel, but I did a fair amount of work on Prop 123 in its original iteration some years ago. And it was my understanding that there are certain accounting rules that are supposed to be applied. to the state land trust and that for whatever reason and however it was done, those were altered so that more money could be taken out. And the concern that I remember hearing about at that time was that The State Lands Trust, the one from Arizona, was considered, I know this for a fact, to be the gold standard for State Lands Trusts. And they were created by Congress when Arizona became a state.
041And the purpose was for education. Ninety-some-odd percent of the trust was supposed to be used for education. And it was and did increase in value year after year after year. So that Arizona's state land trust was the golden standard, as I say, the gold standard around the West. My understanding at that time, and I don't know if the governor addressed this or not, and I'm just curious, that the monies in the state land trust were to be withdrawn for educational purposes in emergency situations. And nowhere have I ever learned or seen or understood that. an unwillingness to raise taxes is an emergency. So I'm just curious if there's been any discussion about whether or not this withdrawal of state land trust money to take the place, in my opinion, of raising taxes so we can
042pay for public schools, which is the duty of the state, not the feds, the state. Was any discussion had about that at all? So in the many documents that were released on the governor's budget, I did not see that level of... Now, it doesn't mean that those discussions aren't forthcoming. But I did look really quickly because I may have misspoke earlier. These increases for the 301 funding, or 123 funding, I should say. would be for the fiscal year 27 proposal. So again, I don't know how the language would work on a voter referendum, right? There's a lot to be assumed there. But if it is assumed that this would be funding in fiscal year 27, even though the vote would be in November, it would have to be retroactive, right? So I think that's the
043recommendation, whether or not that actually is the language that might make it to the finish line is to be determined. But as far as the language about emergencies and, you know, constitutions or is that constituting the tax increase emergency or not? None of that language was really spoken to at this time. OK. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Herman. Item 8.2 is the annual addendum to Superintendent's Contract Performance-Based Compensation for Plan FY2526. Superintendent Tenias. Thank you, President Nelson. Governing Board members, as you know, Arizona revised statutes. ARS 15341A39 governs the Kyrene Superintendent's Performance-Based Compensation Plan. Annually, I bring forward the criteria to the Governing Board. And typically we have done this in December, but because we changed some of our timelines for some of our activities to January, this is happening in January of
044this year. The board has approved the criteria to be based on my final appointment. performance classification, which comes directly from my evaluation. It's very much my performance-based plan is very similar to our teacher's 301 performance-based plan. And so it's based on my final performance classification, which is my evaluation score. And the second part of my criteria is based on my performance goals. Some years, more goals than others. Some years, only one goal like this year that was around long-range facility planning. I am happy to report that I have met my goal for the year. And you are all very aware of my performance evaluation. And so tonight it is up to the board to have a discussion and decide, shall they approve my performance-based compensation? Just for the public's information too, this is already approved
045in our budget and is part of my contract. And it's statute-driven that a portion of the superintendent's salary is based off of a performance-based plan. Right. Thank you, Superintendent Tenius. Do any board members have any questions or statements? All right. May I have a motion to approve the superintendent's performance pay based on the addendum to the superintendent contract and performance-based compensation plan for 2526? So moved. Is there a second? I'll second. Okay. Motion by Board Member Walsh, second by Member Collins. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion passes 5-0. Item 9.1 is any board committee or conference reports. Do any board members have any committee or conference reports? Member Davis. Thank you very much. I am the appointed governing board member for the Kyrene Employee Benefit Trust, KEBT. I now know what that means, which
046I think is progress, right? For this school year, and I attended the last meeting they had on January 20th of this new year. KEBT reviews the financial status of the trust each meeting by reviewing financial and claims reports that are prepared by outside consultants. I want to thank our eminent financial leader here who was at this meeting and made things very clear and asked questions. And thank you for being there and doing that. I'm pleased to report the trust fund balance remains very strong and the claims and expenses are continuing to run within budget for this school year. During the next month, KEBT will be reviewing the health plans, health plan renewals for the 26-27 school year, and we're anticipating minimal changes to the health plans, which is a great achievement, I think. So congratulations
047to everyone for using it appropriately and within the rules. The following is an important reminder that KEBT folks and the benefits team would like... me to project out to you all. Benefits eligible employees, please be sure to complete your annually required online employee benefits open enrollment process this spring for benefits you wish to have beginning July 1st. The window will open on April 13th and closes on May 1st. That's April 15th to May 1st. All current year benefits end on June 30, 2026. Our next meeting is going to be in early February on the 3rd. That's it. Thank you, Member Davis. Item 10.1, any items, do any board members want to list any items for future consideration? All right. 11.1. Our next regular meeting date is scheduled for February 10th. May I have a motion
048to adjourn this evening's meeting? Motion to adjourn. I will second that motion. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion passes 5-0. This meeting is adjourned at 6.48 p.m.