001Good evening, everyone. Item 1.1, call to order public hearing on our instructional time model. Today is Tuesday, June 24th, 2025. Our public hearing is called to order at 6 p.m. Item 1.2 is our public hearing and our presentation on the instructional time model. I'll invite our Director of Academic Equity and Excellence, Ms. Amy Gingell, to the podium. Members of the board, superintendent, 10 yes cabinet members, and those lucky few that are here with us tonight and maybe online as well. I have the opportunity to come back together with you tonight. This is our second public meeting related to the instructional time model. So I'm going to review the presentation and then if there are any additional questions, we can answer those at the end. So the instructional time model is a requirement by state statute
002ARS 15808, which allows schools to create a model for instructional time, for an instructional time model. Students in Kyrene, we had the opportunity when we have students that are in an online program. Our current online program students are registered at Centennial Middle School and they participate in the instructional time model that we have we're proposing tonight. This time model allows school districts to provide flexibility in how in-person instruction is actually captured from an attendance point of view. And we are required by that statute to have two public meetings and approval from the governing board in order to institute our instructional time model for the 25-26 school year. So our instructional time model has four options that allow students to attend school in an in-person capacity for their instructional minutes. They have the option of attending
003their complete learning activities asynchronously. Asynchronous instructional methods can be used for extended absences for a week or more when requested by families or principals. These are in the case of a student who has a family emergency or something and would like to continue working on their schoolwork. They can be given attendance based on the completion of that work. Students may participate in asynchronous modules to complete coursework. They can also participate in the Kyrene online learning program, which is held remotely, but there is daily teacher-led instruction and online meetings, as well as they participate in also a set of asynchronous learning modules. In limited situations, which we hope don't occur often, students are able to attend teacher-led instruction in an online meeting. This is usually employed in the... need for if there was a public health
004or another emergency situation that arises and we would need to bring a school or a perhaps the whole district off campuses onto online instruction. So the attendance for this online instruction, if you are attending a teacher-led online instruction program, you will be marked present when you log into the online learning session. If a student completes asynchronous work, that will be reported as present for the class once the teacher confirms that the assignments that were required are completed. If a student has some reason that they're unable to complete their learning activities within 10 school days, they will be marked absent for the corresponding days. When students are attending remotely, each week's modules and assignments must be completed in order to receive attendance for that week. And then students that are attending online courses in Kyrene but
005are physically present in a Kyrene school building will not be participating in the instructional time model. They are considered an in-person instruction on the campus, even if they are attending an online class, perhaps from an instructor at another school or another program throughout the district. So that is our instructional time model as we present it for the 25-26 school year. If there are any questions, I can take those now. Thank you, Ms. Gingell. Board members, this was our second hearing. Any questions for our presenter? Member Davis, I know you've joined us telephonically. Any questions? I presume no. And since this is a public hearing, are there any comments from the audience? All right. Seeing none. Thank you, Ms. Gingell. Appreciate it. Thank you. Item 1.3 is conclude our public hearing. Our public hearing is concluded
006at 6.05 p.m. Item 2.1 is convene our regular meeting. Our regular meeting is called to order and convened. It's now 6.06 p.m. At this time, if you wish to speak to the board during the call to the public portion of the meeting, please turn in your blue card to Ms. Nancy Moser, seated to my right. All of our school meetings are held in public to conduct the business of the district. As always, the board meetings are streamed live to watch online. If you can't watch a meeting live, a recording will be made. available within 24 hours of each meeting. Board agendas can be obtained from the district office and the hiring website at least 24 hours in advance of the board meeting. Our superintendent, Ms. Laura Tenius, as well as senior leadership and community are
007here with us tonight. Item 2.2 is roll call. Will board members please state their name for the record? I'll call on Ms. Davis, who I believe has joined us telephonically. Yes, here, Bunny Davis. Thank you, Member Davis. Cedric Collins. Amy Satry. Trina Nelson. Kevin Walsh. Let the record show we've got five board members present this evening. Item 2.3 is Pledge of Allegiance, a moment of silence. I'm going to invite Mr. Josh Gleiter to please lead us. You don't have to come all the way up front, Mr. Gleiter. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Mr. Glider. Item 2.4 is our district land acknowledgement. The Kyrene School District does acknowledge that our community of
008schools is located on the ancestral lands of the Othav and Piposh peoples who have inhabited these lands since time immemorial. And 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 our 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 learning environments in which every student is given what they need to develop knowledge, skills, confidence, and a passion for learning. And finally, 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. That is the Kyrene promise. 3.1
009is our preview and approval agenda. Board members, any changes to tonight's agenda? Seeing none, would someone like to make a motion to approve? Motion to approve. Motion by Vice President Nelson. Is there a second? Second. Second by Member Satri. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes 5-0. Item 4.1 is our Superintendent Report. Superintendent Tenes. Thank you, President Walsh, governing board members. I just wanted to take a moment. I do not have a update this evening presentation-wise. It's a little bit quiet right now with it being summertime. But I did want to just take a moment. This evening is Ms. Carrie Furity, our associate superintendent. This will be her last governing board meeting in this role. I do not know if it will be her last governing board meeting ever.
010She may join and visit us, come watch our meetings. But we just wanted to take a moment to actually. you know, spend some time just thanking her for her service. She has been serving Kyrene School District for 30 years. She has served in a lot of roles, starting as a teacher in the district and has been in leadership for some time now. And this district is so much better off because of the work that she has done. And the lasting impact she will have left on our school leaders and our district leaders and the systems that she has put in place will outlive her, I'm sure, and will be in place in Kyrene for many years. So we are very grateful for her service and just want to say thank you. Thank you, Superintendent Tannis.
011Item 4.2 is board member statements. Do any board members have statements this evening? I'll start on calling Member Davis. Thank you very much. I want to just second Superintendent Tenyez's comments. I was unable to attend the bell ringing ceremony and I sent a little note of apology, but even in the short amount of time that I've been able to work with you, you've just done a marvelous job. It's so clear. And I wish you all the best, good health and enjoyment in your retirement. I hope we see you soon. Thank you, Member Davis. Any other board members? I would just like to say congratulations on a great career. You know, I know it's tough when it's time to walk away because you're like, I've done this every day. even when I wasn't getting paid. So,
012you know, it is difficult to find something else to do with your time, but I appreciate what you've done for me since I've been on the board and what you've done for all of us and making our process here a whole lot smoother and easier. Thank you. I appreciate it. And enjoy your time off. Drink lots of coffee. It's been really great getting to know you, Carrie. I wish you lots of happiness in your retirement. I am so thrilled for Carrie to be retiring. She's so well-deserved. One of the things that I've enjoyed knowing Carrie during my time of being involved with Kyrene is just the way she pitches in and just does what needs to be done. One of my first interactions with Miss Purity is when there was... unexpectedly a principal opening at
013a middle school and all of a sudden popped up in her saber cap, black and red, just, you know, willing to pitch in. I've seen her being a crossing guard. She, she really is about team Kyrene and supporting our kids, supporting her other colleagues. And it has just been a joy to interact with you over the years. And I'm So thrilled about your well-deserved retirement and all of your upcoming adventures. Thank you. I'll echo that sentiment. Carrie, you're one of the most authentic people I've ever had the privilege of working with, not just on the board, my entire professional career. It's rare to find somebody of your quality, and this district has been blessed to have 30 years of it with you. So I hope you have a fantastic retirement. I hope most Tuesdays you
014don't watch the board meetings. But you can check in from time to time. Thank you. Item 5.1 is our request to speak to the governing board. As per Board Policy 1302, the Kyrene Governing Board invites the viewpoints of citizens throughout the district. In person, members of the audience can address the governing board by filling out a blue card. We can also accept electronic public comment. Those electronic public comments will be submitted with the online invitation that is sent out with each board meeting notification. We do set time limits based on the number of participants that have submitted in-person public comments. Tonight we have one. So that will be Miss Furity, and we're not even going to time her. She can take as much time as she would like. We did this so it will only
015be three minutes. President Walsh, Superintendent Tenius, members of the board, colleagues, staff, and community. 30 years ago, I crossed the threshold of this room. I was a recent ASU graduate, Forks Up. newly married, and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I had a passion for teaching young children, and I was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to teach kindergarten in Kyrene. So I crossed that threshold with a great deal of optimism, hope, and joy. Little did I know how much I would come to love Kyrene or how much of my career I would actually spend right here in this boardroom. During my journey in Kyrene, I've had the opportunity to work alongside some of the finest educators and leaders you will ever meet. When I first started
016thinking about what I would say to you this evening, I thought I would list the individuals who impacted me personally and professionally during my time in Kyrene, but I quickly realized that I could spend my entire three minutes doing nothing but listing those names, and I would still not have enough time to name every person who made a difference difference in my life and in the lives of our Kyrene students, staff, and families. Kyrene is filled with humans who are dedicated and focused on what is best for kids. No matter which school or department I've worked in in the last 30 years, in every conversation, in every hard decision, we have held our students at the heart of our work. It is one of the things that makes Kyrene unique and special, and one of
017the reasons I have spent my entire career here. why I chose to live in the boundaries, and why I trusted Kyrene with the education of my own precious children. As I prepare to close the chapter of my life entitled Kyrene, you are all facing what will likely be one of the hardest chapters in the Kyrene story. As you enter into that chapter, I trust that you will continue to hold our Kyrene kids at the center of difficult decisions that you face. Over the last few years, I have often been referred to as the Kyrene historian. And in this unofficial role, I have learned one really important lesson. Our amazing history serves a singular purpose, and that is to guide and shape the decisions that we make for the students that we are serving today. The
018decisions that we are going to make for the group of five-year-olds who will join our Kyrene family on July 23rd. walking into their kindergarten classrooms with the same optimism, hope, and joy that I had so many years ago. I challenge you as you move forward into this next chapter to make your decisions for the future of Kyrene and not for the past. Tonight, I want to pause and thank every one of you for making Kyrene what it is, for taking that clueless 20-something and guiding her through an amazing journey of a career through multiple school buildings, roles, and positions. I have learned so much and benefited personally and professionally from the experiences I had as a result of being part of Team Kyrene. I leave knowing that Kyrene is in the hands of people who
019love it just as much as I do. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Fiorite. That concludes our public comment for the evening. And good thing, because that's a tough act to follow. Thank you. Item 6.1 is our consent agenda. Board members, any changes to the consent agenda? Seeing none, would someone like to make a motion to approve? Aye. Motion. Motion by Member Collins. Is there a second to his motion? Second. Second by Vice President Nelson. And I think she beat you by just a moment, Member Davis. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes 5-0. Item 7.1 is our instructional time model. Board members, we've had two public hearings and accompanied by two presentations from Ms. Gengel. She's here if you have any questions. If not, would someone like to make
020a motion to approve the instructional time model for the 25-26 school year? Aye motion. I have a motion by Member Collins. Is there a second to his motion? Second. Second by Member Satri. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The motion passes 5-0. Item 7.2 is our City of Phoenix SRO, that's School Resource Officer, IGA, that's Intergovernmental Agreement. We love our acronyms. Kyrene School District for the 25-26 school year. Board members, this is our contract with the City of Phoenix for a school resource officer for our three middle schools that are located within the City of Phoenix. We do have similar contracts that are entered into with the City of Tempe for our one middle school in the City of Tempe, as well as... City of Chandler, for our two middle schools
021that are located in the city of Chandler, it just happens to be that Phoenix is up first. Any questions? Mr. Josh Gleiter is here to answer them. And we also have an opportunity for discussion. If there are no questions or comments, we can take a motion to approve. I have no questions. All right. I have a motion by Member Collins. I will second his motion. You had no questions. No questions. But I motion. I motion. Mr. Collins has a motion. We have a motion to approve the intergovernmental agreement with the City of Phoenix to provide three school resource officers. I will second his motion. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes 5-0. Thank you, Mr. Collins. Item 7.3 is our proposed budget for fiscal year 25-26. We will invite
022Mr. Herman to join us from parts afar if he can hear us. Yes, I can, President Walsh. Thank you. Thank you, board members and Superintendent Tineas. I'm sure thousands there in the board meeting that I can't see tonight. I do want to see or say before we get started in tonight's presentation about the proposed budget, we really should have a quick discussion about what's happening at the state level because at this time there really has been no agreement on a budget for next year. So that does have some implications for us. And we'll talk a little bit about what that means, but both the House and the Senate have introduced separate budgets, but neither of these seem to have the approval approval of either side, nor the governor. So it's really difficult to predict what
023that means. We are still hopeful that things will get settled to some degree before the end of the month. But things often happen quickly. And at this time, that's just what the situation is. School districts are required to have budgets adopted and sent to the state by July 15th. So we really don't have the luxury of waiting and have made our best estimates on state funding for next year based on the guidelines from various groups and the information that we know as of today. And unless there are legislative changes. We are not allowed to make any changes to our budget between the proposed and adopted budget. So tonight we will vote for the proposed budget. We have to wait at least 10 days before our budget can be adopted. And so that creates a little
024bit of complexity for us moving forward. And I do want to say, though, because Kyrene is in a solid financial position, we always have the ability to use things like our reserve balances to help buffer any catastrophic or emergency situations. And although we are hopeful that doesn't take place and that's not necessary, I do want the board to know that we have the ability to respond to situations like that without it creating. some very negative things for our students or for our staff. So if there are any budget or legislative changes this week, we will absolutely respond appropriately and stay in compliance with whatever those guidelines would be. We also have the opportunity to make budget updates throughout the year, which in this case may be necessary due to the circumstances that we're facing right
025now. And I think, I believe Superintendent Tenius is maybe advancing my slides. So. I can't see the screens, but I will trust that she's on the same page with me here. The second slide I have really is just a placeholder. We really want our community to know that if they have questions or want to know more details about the budgets, we put together a book every year. We'll talk a little bit more about how the 25-26 budget annual report will come together. But we really just... put that out there as a reminder for our community on the transparency and commitment that we have here at Kyrene. The next slide is just the timeline. And again, you can see we've accomplished a lot of the things on this timeline already. And so for tonight, the presentation
026is mostly a recap and an update from what we discussed and reviewed during the last study session on June the 10th. And now our internal budget numbers, we have finalized them after some small adjustments have been made over the past few weeks. And tonight we will review this proposed budget in some summary level and ask the board for a vote. And then we will also need to call for a public hearing to be held on July 8th for the purpose of adopting our budget. And I always like to keep this slide in our community's mind before we do any budget adoptions because as we talked about during the June 10th study session. It's really important that our community understands some of the important foundations that are in place from Kyrene's annual budget from our procedure
0273-101C. And that procedure was implemented in the spring of 2020 to provide additional clarity, transparency, and accountability to our budget process. So many things that happen behind the scenes that our community may not know really are represented in this budget procedure. And presenting a sustainable and balanced budget is really the cornerstone for our overall budget process. And a balanced budget means that our current year ongoing revenues are equal to or perhaps even greater than current year ongoing expenditures. However, there might be considerations and exclusions made for situations such as one-time expenditures. instances where expenditures are made from prior year carry forward or sometimes called reserve balances, or perhaps some timing issues related to when expenditures are made versus a different period in time when revenues were actually received. It's also important to reiterate that Kyrene
028uses zero-based budgeting concepts, which means that expenditures must be reviewed and justified independently each year. And also, our budget resources are aligned to support the overall goals and objectives of the district. And this practice helps ensure financial responsibility, maintaining alignment between our financial resources and our district-wide goals and initiatives, and really to maximize the resources available to support students in the classroom by focusing on keeping our budgeted dollars in the classroom at a very high level. Kyrene also takes a very long term perspective with our capital planning. And that means we develop comprehensive long range plans for our curriculum, facility and technology needs and also assess what our reserve balances might be across the district. And these practices ensure that the district has visibility into these areas and is able to develop plans into future
029years to address any major financial needs. Because we have some one-time expenditures included in the 2025-26 budget, I wanted to recap what those amounts relate to, which should be shown on this slide here. During the last board meeting, we talked about expenditures that would be considered one-time in nature, meaning that they might occur during the upcoming 2025-26 year or be spent in future years in order to support Kyrene's strategic plan. So this slide was presented and discussed in some detail during the June 10th board meeting and shows the entire list of 7.4M dollars of 1 time items that are included in our 2025-26 budget with an asterisk on 1 of the lines showing which items are expected to span over multiple years. Kyrene's able to commit money towards these areas. primarily as a result of
030expenses coming in lower than budgeted amounts during fiscal years 23 through 25, and we've made the commitment to invest or reinvest those savings into these areas rather than just letting reserve balances increase. This slide with the financial totals summarizes the financial picture for total revenues and expenditures for all of our governmental funds and fund types for next year. You can see that the total revenues are projected to be $191 million next year versus total expenditures at just under $223 million. And these amounts include some very small adjustments from what was presented back on June the 10th. On the surface, the proposed budget may appear to be unbalanced because of that difference between revenues and expenses. But when determining if the district has a structurally balanced budget, the focus should really be primarily on the general
031fund category, not all of the funds, because the general fund is where most of our day-to-day ongoing operational activities will occur. So you also need to separate the ongoing revenues and expenditures from those general funds versus any one-time amounts. And so I've added separate columns to show any amounts for those one-time revenues. And for next year, there really aren't any, but just made it zero to be consistent with the expenditures. And you can see on the expenditure side, we have about $7.4 million of one-time non-recurring activity, which those amounts were covered on the previous slide. So, within the general fund, I've highlighted the ongoing amounts and you can see that the ongoing revenues of 112.2M dollars are essentially equal to the ongoing expenditures of 102.5M dollars. And there are some small operational funds within the
032special revenue categories. That would be able to balance that small difference of 300,000 dollars, which means that next year our budget is balanced from a structural and ongoing perspective. And I also want to point out that the ongoing expenditure amounts that you see on the slide include. 4.2M dollars of permanent expense reductions that the district has committed to for the 202526 year. And those reductions were needed in order to make our budget balance to offset the funding losses that are expected from next year's enrollment changes. When you look at the other lines and funds besides general revenue. especially on the special revenue and capital project fund lines like we discussed in last time's board meeting, there are often timing issues between when spending occurs versus when funding is actually received. And this accounts for the
033differences that you see between fiscal year 26 revenue and expenses within those fund types. On the next slide, we talked a little bit about what are the next steps. So the next step in the budget process would be to vote on this proposed budget this evening and call for a public hearing to be held on July 8th. All of the state required forms for the proposed budget have been uploaded into BoardDocs according to all the criteria required by state laws. And in two weeks, we will hold a public hearing on July 8th to review the budget. and then vote to adopt the budget during the normal portion of the governing board meeting as the final budget information needs to be submitted to the state by July 15th. And again, that's assuming nothing, you know, major
034changes as far as legislative updates or other situations once the state brings a budget forward for Arizona. After all that work takes place, we'll work on the fiscal year 26 annual budget report with the goal of submitting that to ASBO International for evaluation and consideration for their meritorious budget award. And that award is reconsidered and reevaluated on an annual basis and must be submitted within 90 days of our budget being approved. And again, like we mentioned earlier, this is what we see as of today. But if there are any new developments in the passing of a state budget, we will absolutely follow that guidance and perhaps bring that back to the board if we need to on how we move forward. And so with that, I'm happy to answer any questions that our board members
035might have. Thank you, Mr. Herman. Board members, any comments or questions? Not here in the boardroom. Member Davis, any questions? Yes, I have a question. Thank you. Chris, I was just wondering, you said something about you thought we needed to have a discussion when you started your report. I'm curious if now is the time for the discussion or exactly what? What you were hoping would be the discussion. So I'm happy to answer any questions about the process to get to the final, the final finish line, basically for our budget. This year is a little unique as far as where we stand, because our state has not passed a budget. So we've made estimates for the funding that we expect to receive from the state. And really that big biggest estimate relates to an increase for.
036State inflation funding that increase that is required under statute to happen every year. But because our state hasn't passed a budget, technically that money has not been appropriated, if that makes any sense. So they're obligated based on statute to provide that. We've assumed that that will happen according to the guidance that we've been given for what to expect. But again, because the state has not technically passed a budget, those numbers are still estimates. I can't predict what will happen in the next week. You know, there's almost daily conversations happening between the House, the Senate and the governor. But it's hard to predict how this will all turn out, what a budget might be, whether that be in a kind of a skinny version or whether that encompasses more areas for funding or for restrictions or
037for different areas. We can't wait any longer in order to meet our timelines for July 15th. So those were some of the things I wanted to mention earlier that, you know, it's a little unusual this year on the situation that we're faced with. But this is how we're expecting to move forward. And again, if we get different guidance or have to do something outside of what our normal process is with the board to have a budget, you know, finalized, then we'll absolutely do that. Thank you. When you say when we get further advice or guidance, I think is the word you used. Where does that guidance come from? To what are you referring? It could actually come from a lot of different areas. So sometimes there might be laws passed or budget areas that have.
038New new fund requirements, right? I mean, that's happened in the past with things like prop 301 changes that changed how our fund accounting worked. There might be some issues if there are funding possible new funding areas, I should say. That there might be some restrictions on how that money is spent, which may change how we normally would have either allocated that money or different groups that that money might be available for. So it really does depend on what the state comes back with. Sometimes that guidance can happen from the state's auditor general's office. Sometimes that guidance is provided from our external auditors on how those. Maybe requirements are interpreted. It could actually come from the Department of Education as well, based on how. how and what the budget from the state says. So those are
039typically the three state agencies or independent agencies that we get guidance from. We also have, I believe I can see Mr. Lelvel, Jordan Lelvel there. And so again, if there's any legal changes related to budget or funding areas, you know, we might get some guidance from him and some of the, you know, outside counsel as well. So it really depends on what happens between now and a final budget passed by the state. Okay, so you just your role is to you are serving by waiting as Milton said, those only serve who also sit and wait. Is there anything and this may be a question for for a. Superintendent and maybe a discussion. I don't know when to have it if not now, but is there anything that. Anyone can see that we as a board
040might be able to discuss and have some effect on this process. It's a good question. Member Davis. I think Mr. Herman consistently demonstrates more grace and referring to the legislature that I'm capable of. You know, I know he says this is an unusual circumstance. It's unusual in that we've never had a government shutdown, and it looks like we might be flirting with that. But it's not unusual that Mr. Herman is being asked to put together a budget with basically no insight as to how that's going to come out from the state until the 11th hour. And it's probably not the 11th hour. It's the 11th hour and 59th minute and 58th second. So consistently, he's finding himself in this position. We're not unique. It's not just Kyrene. It's every public school. It's not just every
041public school. It's really any source of government funding, any nonprofit that receives grants from the states. Most state organizations that rely on funding from the state budget. We're all left in this limbo. For my part, I think the only way we can really. speak is to speak at the ballot box. But, you know, I don't know if there's anything else that we as a district can do other than do what we continue to do every year, which is plan for the worst and hope for the best. And that's kind of where we're at in my view. But Superintendent Tanya, so that's exactly what I was going to say. And I think the other is just to stay true to our process. You know, Mr. Herman has done a really nice job making sure that we
042are compliant with all of the required dates for when everything has to be submitted. And we move forward with our best estimates is the best word I can think of that he's shared. And when we have more information, then we adjust at that time. But, you know, I will say that over the years, and I think Mr. Herman and I had this conversation, you know, like he said, the 2% or the inflation increase is statute driven. We're going to get it. It just might be a timing piece. And so it's going to end up happening. It's just when and how that happens. So we still can plan for that and have it in our estimates going forward in the budget. Yes. And I think that, Both both you superintendent 10 years and Mr Herman have
043done a fabulous job of staying as possible and really. Going as much as you can with the flow of this and when the water dries up and there is no flow as the elected body of the school district. We're elected just like the people down in the legislature are elected. And so as many of you know, I've mentioned this before, I just feel personally, and I know I'm just one board member, but my own personal opinion is that we as a board, we may be... I would love sometime to maybe make an appointment or make a motion or make a suggestion that we have sort of a strategy meeting, so to speak, or is there some way we can support this incredible work that our administrative staff is doing to keep. Kyrene, as a leader
044in education in this state, I think we're in a position to hopefully maybe figure out something we can do as a board to support legal action. I don't mean to sue the legislature. I don't know how that came out of my mouth, but it didn't sound right once I said it. But just to figure out ways that we can actively and conspicuously support your work, whether it's engaging our parent groups to start to advocate. Directly for us, and for their kids, that's the most important thing. I'm just, I'm not sure how to go about operationalizing what I'm saying, but. It's just something as part of the discussion of this budget. I know that there are all kinds of creative in quotes ways that certain people in the legislature attempting to use to. to fund our
045schools, our public schools. And I'm not 100% sure all of them would pass legal muster, to be quite honest. And I don't know what we as a board, if we even want to, but I would love to figure out if there's a role that we can play to help you guys out instead of, you know, just thanking you a million times, which is very well deserved. I guess that's what I have to say. I'm done. I think it's worthy of a conversation, Member Davis. And if not part of this agenda-sized item, I know that next month, in less than one month's time, we have a scheduled board retreat on, I believe it is Tuesday, July 15th. So as part of that retreat, Member Davis, it would be... I think, opportune to agendize this very discussion
046about how the board wants to address some of these issues in terms of taking communications, declarations, stances, if the board would be up for agendizing that. Member Davis, does that work for you as well? Yes, it does. Thanks very much. Very good. So Superintendent Tanyas, for our retreat on the 15th, let's just be sure that we agendize that. for our discussion. And as always, our retreats are streamed live on the internet and open to the public. Very good. Thank you, Member Davis. Any further comments or questions on the proposed budget? All right. Seeing none, would someone like to make a motion to call for a public hearing? Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself. With someone, let me make a motion to approve the proposed budget for the fiscal year 25-26 school year. A motion to
047approve the budget for the 25-26 fiscal school year. I do have a motion from Vice President Nelson. Is there a second to her motion? I second. I have a second from Member Collins. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes 5-0. All right. Item 7.4 is call for a public hearing and a board meeting on July 8th. Unless there's any questions at this time, I'll make a motion to call for a public hearing and a board meeting on July 8th, 2025 at 6 p.m. at the County School District Governing Board room to adopt the 2526 budget. Is there a second to my motion? I second. Give it to Member Davis because she probably said it first. It just took half a second to get here. All those in favor, please
048say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes 5-0. All right, item 8.1, board committee updates and conference reports. Would anyone like to provide an update on their committee or conference work? All right, I see none. Item 9.1 is policy 5409, prohibition on harassment, intimidation, and bullying. First read for her last official act in the boardroom. I will turn it over to Ms. Carrie Fury. Good evening, members of the board. Recently, as assistant superintendent, Lisa Gibson and I were working with a family regarding a bullying complaint that came through from one of our schools. We identified that the definition of bullying contained in our policy was not as clear as it could be. Parents, in working with them, believe that the third portion of the definition regarding interfering with the student's ability to participate or benefit from
049services only apply to a persistent issue as opposed to any of the three listed items, which are severe, pervasive, and persistent. The recommended changes to the policy simply include reformatting the definition. to provide clarity stating that to find bullying, an investigating administrator must find that all three elements of the definition exist. Since we are only recommending formatting changes and no actual changes to the wording or the intent of this policy, we are recommending that the governing board adopt this policy on the first read so that this is in place as we head into the 25-26 school year. Thank you, Ms. Fierty. Four members, any comments or questions on this item? I have one. If nobody else does, I'll wait. No, please, Member Davis, go right ahead. Am I correct in understanding that in order to
050be, quote, guilty of bullying, you have to have severe, what was the second one? Pervasive or persistent. Is it or, or is it and, and, and? The second bullet point is an or. So it's either severe or pervasive or persistent. But you need to have the power imbalance, one of those three, severe, pervasive, or persistent, and that it interferes with or limits the student's ability to participate. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Member Davis. Vice President Nelson. Okay, so I'm reading, so bullying would need to include all three of these pieces, because if I'm reading it, I see, you know, it just says behavior by one student toward another, that involves... and observed or perceived power imbalance, we struck out the and, is sufficiently severe or pervasive. And then we go to the and. So when
051I read it, it reads to me like only two and three, only two of the, it doesn't read to me that all three need to be present. Maybe I'm just reading it wrong. Yeah, I know. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Okay. I didn't hear the answer. So it looks like there is a, looks like it's kind of struck out, but it's not struck out. It's underlined. It's a colon. It is some type of punctuation that is acting as a construction. Okay. Thanks. Any other feedback on the policy? And if for some reason, when we track change it, if for some reason it is not the correct punctuation, we can. adopt it with the correct punctuation. If you want to add that to the motion, if when we take the, I think the line is cutting off
052the tail, but if for some reason that's not, it's a semicolon. Yeah. Okay. All right. If there are no other feedback, would someone like to make a motion to approve the first read and adopt? Policy 5409. Actually, President Walsh, I think it's the numbering that makes it confusing, too. Oh, we'll hold off on the motion. In what sense is the numbering? Yeah, where it says 1, 2, 3, maybe it would be like colon and then two bullet points underneath. Well, I think all three elements need to be met, which is... Need to number them. Which is why it's intended to be 1, 2, and 3 with a semicolon. Okay. Maybe... If I want to call an audible, could we replace the word that with where each of the following elements are met or something to
053that effect? Yeah. It's a good idea. Yes, we can make the change. Mm-hmm. So can I just confirm that we are going to replace the word that in the sentence, bullying means any aggressive behavior by one student toward another student. We will remove that and replace it with the phrase where each of the following elements are met. Yes. Does that work for this board? Yeah, that's better. Yes. Great. Just meant to clarify. All right. Thank you all. With that being said, would someone like to make a motion to approve the first read as amended and adopt policy 5409? So moved. Motion by Vice President Nelson. Is there a second to her motion? Second. Second, my member Satri. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion passes 5-0. Item 10.1, items for future consideration.
054Do board members have any items they'd like to list for future consideration? I see none. I have 11.1. Our next regular meeting date is scheduled for July 8th, 2025. I have 12.1 adjournment. Would someone like to make a motion to adjourn? Motion to adjourn. Motion adjourned by Vice President Nelson. I will second her motion. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion passes 5-0. We're adjourned at 6.51 p.m. Have a good night, everyone.