001Am I on? Oops. I'm off. I'm on. All right. Welcome. Thank you for coming to the meeting tonight. What a crowd. This is really This is great. See all your new faces up there. I would like to call this meeting to order and we will start with the welcome which we just did and I would love it if you would all stand for the pledge. >> Want to lead us? >> Oh to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Good job. All right. The approval of the agenda. We will consider approving the agenda as presented. Do I have a motion on the board to approve tonight's agenda? >> I'll make that motion. >> Do
002I have a second? >> All those in favor of approving the agenda signify by saying I, please. >> I. And it passes unanimously. Good. We'll just go straight to German now. No, I'm joking. Approval of the minutes. We will consider approving the minutes from our last study session and regular study and voting session which was on April 7th, 2026. Do I have a motion to approve our minutes from April? >> I'll make that motion. >> And do I have a second? >> I'll second. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. I. >> All right. Pass. Any nays? Passes. 5 Z. Number five on our agenda this evening is what we consider the approval of donations. And we are going to consider those by listening to what Jen has to say. All right. We
003have several this month. One for $100 to the PHS challenge club from Eststeron Living Trust. Richard and Maline Ti Truyho. donated $50 to press PHS athletics in memory of Clara Smith. The Veronica M. Wilson Trust donated $3,000 to the PHS band, which is pretty amazing. A donation from Prescuit Frontier Rotary Club in the amount of $14,000 for the elementary summer school program. They also donated a $4,000 donation to the Discovery Gardens tuition donation. P USD Education Foundation from Henry Dolberg in the amount of $1,500 for Granite Mountains camping trip donation. >> That's so great. The Mountain Institute Career and Technical Education uh donated $250 honoring Loretta Halford for being the CTE Rockstar Teacher of the Year. So, that's pretty great. Katherine Houston donated $100 to PUSD Native American Education and the Monday Club donated $100
004for a tree at Granite Mountain. >> That's pretty awesome. All right, let's moving on. We don't need to make an motion to approve those. We do need to make a motion to approve the donations. Do I have a first on that? >> I'll make that motion. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor of approving these wonderful donations signify by saying I. >> I. Any nays? and it passes 5-0. All right, maybe my favorite part tonight, our presentations. And we are going to start with our Keystone graduates. And Kelsey's going to take over. Yes. All right. Um I cannot believe we're standing here with our second graduating class of Keystone participants. Um just to remind you, this is a group who decided to jump right into teaching. they had a
005bachelor's degree in another field and they decided that they were going to find their home here in PUSD. So, they put a lot of trust into us as far as helping guide them um when they did not when they hadn't been in a classroom before. So, not only were they participating in their first and second years of teaching, but they were also going to class weekly um learning all of the things that it takes to be a really good effective teacher. And I can tell you they have done that and then some. Um, our Keystone teachers are some of our top tier teachers within the district. Um, being able to have them come to our district and work with our amazing teachers, um, both Jolie Tickner and Lisa Dirian to guide them in how to
006become great teachers. It's it's been a really successful program. So, tonight I'm really honored to introduce to you our two graduates. Um, first we have Stephanie Bowen. Steph, come on up. Steph is a first grade teacher. Sorry, I know it's not fun to be in front of everybody. I get it. Um Steph is a first grade teacher at Abaya Jed. She actually started in second grade and then moved to first grade this year. So she's found her home there. And then we have Nicole James who is our PE teacher over at Mile High Middle School. So, Jolie or Lisa or Carrie Vickerman who's been one of the instructional coaches, do you guys have anything you want to add about these two and their journey? >> I would just say I've known Steph since the Miller
007Valley days. We taught Miller Valley together and it's just been great to see you grow. I'm proud of you. Good job. >> Well, I think our two of our board members have something for you to present to you tonight. um as a congratulations for all of your hard work over the last couple of years and I can't wait till you have that certificate in your hand. So send us pictures. We want to see it. >> These are what we call our challenge points and they're presented to people that have done a wonderful job so far and we're honoring you tonight and thanking you for making a difference in our district and welcome and we love you and I CONGRATULATIONS and thank you to the team of support who supports them every day. We appreciate you
008guys. >> All right. How fun was that? All right. Let us move on to our next presentation which is equally fun for me to do this evening and that's to present our plaques to our governing student representatives on our board and is that going to be you and me? >> Sure. Yeah. Is that is that okay? Great. >> I go again. >> Fantastic. >> Can I just mention >> Madam President? Is that all right? >> Yes. board members, you're aware that that um there's a there's an elected school board for every uh public district school or public district school district in the state of Arizona. Very few of them have student members who are who are invited to attend. Something is relatively unique. I've been asked by other school districts, tell me about your program
009and how you get We've been doing this for how many years now? Somebody who's been here longer than me. Brian Sarah7. >> Oh my goodness. Okay. So, there you go. Almost almost 20 years. That's spectacular. And I don't know that we've had two better representatives than we've had this year. That Shay and Jackie, you've done such a great job being well prepared, attending agenda review meetings when you had the chance to do that, always having great questions and great um great input uh for the board this year. And so we want to thank you for your work with us this year. And we've got a special plaque and I think challenge coin as well. Anything please? Yeah, I do. I have done a lot of research in the last couple days trying to determine if
010there's any other school district in our state that has students on the board. I couldn't find one. I found an article back in the Arizona Republic from 2023 that mentioned what a good idea it was, but as far as I can find at this point, you're it right now. So, I find that working with you guys gives us a great perspective of what's going on in the board. It keeps us in line with what's happening out there when we tend to sometimes forget about what's going on. You bring determination and confidence and just a sense of what the future might be for all of us with kids like you in charge. It has been absolutely my honor to work with you this year and I wish you all the best of luck on your next
011journey because I'm not worried about you at all. So this says recognition of for their excellent service as president Unified School District governing board student representatives. You brought perspective to our discussions, intelligent inquiries and thought and insightful suggestions. We thank you both and know you have I just said that you have a bright future in front of you. And this is presented to you on the fifth day of May by the governing board and staff of school. >> You also get a challenge card because you deserve it. >> Thank you so much. Um Sarah, before Keystone people leave, did you get a picture? >> Sorry, we got a picture last year. Do you remember that? furniture. >> We should be >> That's the stuff we get in the paper. Perfect. Thank you. >> Let's get
012a photo of it. >> Yeah. also move. >> So, Shay and Jackson, before we transition on to our next agenda item, I'll mention to you as well. We we've watched again several uh great student governing board representatives over the last several years. Prior to my being in this position, a couple of my own children decided that they wanted to apply for this and were chosen. And of the two of them, one of them is is working in city government right now, was impacted by her um by her experiences here and one's working in Congress. So, I don't know if that will what you did here will will help shape your future in those ways or in different ways, but hopefully you found the experience valuable as well. >> Another president perhaps. >> Maybe maybe I'd
013vote for either one of these young people for sure. I just wanted to say thank you so much for this opportunity. It really has meant so much to me. Just coming to all of these meetings has really changed my perspective on Prescate so much. Like I have so much more appreciation for our schools and I just appreciate everything that you guys do for us. So thank you for all that. >> Pretty neat. >> Ditto. >> All right, moving on. We still have a large crowd. We lost a lot of our crowd. So, those of you that stick around, thank you so much. Let's move on. >> These are the die hards. These are people who are Take care. >> On to number seven, our summary of current events. And we're going to start out with
014Mr. Clark Penny. >> Okay, super. Um, let's see. We've got a little slideshow as usual. So you are probably aware board members that um our PSD education foundation every year has shifted uh instead of doing individual smaller grants to to classrooms and teachers they're doing larger grants to schools. We're doing that on a rotating basis. A couple years ago a significant grant to the high school high school put together monies that they've been uh setting aside from as they get a little bit from the district every year for capital things and then some additional donations and whatnot and revamped their library and it's terrific. you've had a chance to look at that and it's become kind of a student union uh area and super cool. Last year Mile High said we have not had new
015furniture in like 25 years and there's no furniture forthcoming so we're going to do it ourselves. Bought some cool furniture that's modular and students are able to write on desks and figure out math problems and you know just really cool things and Granite decided they want to do their library as well. So it's in progress right now. I just went I was there I don't know three hours ago maybe and looking even better than this but you can see they've got some of the wraps that they uh ordered from those companies. You can see one of the windows on the right with the the grizzly being put on it. You can see the finished product with that grizzly up in the upper leftand corner there. It looks great inside. And Sarah, remind me of the
016date. Is it May 18th that we're doing it? >> Yes, >> there's a there's a reception. >> I think it's the 19th. >> Okay, there you go. May 19th. There's a reception for that and and reach out to us. We'll make sure you've got the right time. You've already sent that. Good. Good. Okay. Super. So, from 3:30 to about, you know, 4:30 or something like that with a with a short um program in air quotes at 4. So, if you'd like to come by and see it with other folks that day, that's awesome. If not, there'll be other opportunities to get by. But, it's it's uh going from a very 1970s worn out school library feel to a kind of a dynamic meeting space for kids, for uh for their staff. There's not a good
017meeting place at the school for staff. They just kind of crammed into one corner around some literally 1970s vintage tables that we've moved on from. Yeah, it's going to be pretty exciting. We're so grateful for the education foundation stepping up and for the vision of uh Mrs. Hughes and her librarian, Mrs. Stump and and other folks who have who have jumped in there to make that happen. >> It is May 19th at 3:30. >> There you go. Got that. And anybody who's interested is invited to that. I just every once in a while when I'm walking around schools, I see something I think that's super cool. So, you know, we had testing this last week, standard or last last week, this last month, standardized state testing, and some of our kids are like, I couldn't
018care less. Give me the paper. I'm going to fill it out. I'm done. Some do their best to fill out the right answers. Some just put CCC CCC and they're done. So, our our test scores sometimes reflect the fact that we've been unable to motivate every kid intrinsically to to show us their best work. But I love when the kids are motivating each other. This was in the third and fourth grade hall at Taylor Hex about two or three weeks ago. These were some examples of of some of the the motivational posters they'd written for each other to say, "Hey, we've been working hard all year long. Now, let's show those people statewide how how we do things here at Taylor Hicks." I kind of love that. Again, we struggle with with motivating kids to
019do that sometimes, especially at the higher levels and whatnot, but it was neat that you're going to blow this test away. You're exploding with knowledge. I'm not sure what that is in the middle there, but maybe >> it's the nacho test. >> Robots. >> Oh, okay. It's a thing. All right. All right. some kind of a thing that that younger people who are like tuned into the world know about and I'm I'm just like all right I'll listen to what you say and then yeah don't look that's my favorite on the right that's not your test >> nacho test >> anyhow kind of fun all right let's see all other great things going on I think uh we've mentioned before that um that uh went actually I put this in my board report not here
020in our meeting 4.0 dinner that's been hosted by the Lions club Mr. Remind me how many years that's been happening. Did they say >> I don't Well, they did say >> they said decades. I mean, it's like 40 years or something. >> I think it was >> I don't want to guess. >> Okay. >> A good long time. Used to be Prescott High School only. They've expanded this. They invite Bradshaw Mountain and they invite Basis and then, you know, the other charter schools and whatnot, Chino Valley to be there. The the largest group of seniors who'd made it from start, we don't have the largest graduating class, Bradshaw does, but the largest group of seniors who'd made it from the start of high school all the way to the end of high school with a
0214.0 0 gradepoint average or higher. Some of the schools uh weight their grades. We do that only for our AP classes. Some will do that for their dual enrollment or other classes. At any rate, was Prescott High School with 55 students out of 350 or so graduates. So a really significant percentage of kids would held themselves to an incredibly high standard and two of them are with us in the room this evening. So congratulations Shay and Jackson on that. And there they are with actually sir, do do you mind going back? The the there's a couple of of the the Lions Club president and then the lion on the right. Ben Kle is their youngest member in the Lions Club probably by I don't know 70 years something like that. And he he gave the
022keynote address that evening. He's a Prescuit High School graduate as well. So we were pretty proud of him. >> Very cool. >> Okay. Super. This is so we just mentioned this earlier. Loretta Halford uh was was named the CTE teacher of the year at Prescuit High School. She teaches in both the fashion design program and the early childhood education program. So you can see some folks from the CED district and uh what I'm pointing at Loretta. I'm not sure why. So there we go. We're super proud of her. She's she's terrific. More CTE related um festivities here. These are each of the students in in our programs who were named uh the the CTE student of the year within their program. So, you know, there's about 20 programs district-wide between the seven districts. And among
023those seven districts and and the the different programs, they choose in the welding program or in the fire science program or whatever, a student of the year. And these five students from Prescuit High School were named among all their peers from all of the participating schools the student of the year within their program. And so you can see the kids there. Braden Davis in welding, Michael Godell in computer program, Bri Brea Highlip in dental assisting. So Dr. Megan's making some notes right there. >> Uh Megan Lip graphic design and Troy Spicer in robotics. So we're super proud of those kids. >> This is not CTE related per se, but Kelsey, do you want to actually share about this? Would you mind? >> Kel Kelsey represented our district in this function. So >> was that last
024week? >> It was just last week. Yeah. So last Friday um got to go out to Humbult. They hosted a reception for um the county nurses because of the rural grants program that um both Senator Bliss and when put together for our our school nurses. And so they had an opportunity to really tell him how both of them how important school nurses are, what what they do day in and day out. And then really they brainstormed some ways to continue that grant funding for rural nurses. So I think they walked away with some ideas of where to investigate and where to maybe find some additional pots of money. But it was just really nice to be able to thank them for really putting some work into helping not only you know recruit but retain um
025really quality school nurses that you know some districts are not fortunate enough to be able to do without funding like this. >> Super. Thanks. And thanks for representing us there. It's nice that we've we've kind of got the ear of of our representatives from this area when they're in the area. Both both Win and Bliss were able to attend this one, right? Yeah. We're still we're still working on uh creating connections with Senator Finch, but but Representative Bliss, whose daughter attended daughter children attended Prescuit High School and whose wife actually works for us and um Representative Bliss who was a graduate of Prescuit High School and longtime resident of Prescuit are pretty tuned into our schools. We appreciate that. So, Rising Stars, I think most of our board members were able to be there last
026night. I had several comments from people about that's super neat that there was such great board representation. Thank you for that if you were able to be there. These are the seven students that the PSD Education Foundation honored last night and you got to hear more about them and their their individual stories. What a neat program that is. Uh with the exception of the MC, everything was stellar. And there's the the uh distinguished educators who were >> the best recovery ever invited back next year >> who were recognized along with them. So we love that program. It's a neat thing. >> Yeah. And then I think Kelsey's got a couple of different things that I'll have her share as well. So, um, Miss Hobbeck, who's the librarian over at Lincoln Elementary School, helped to coordinate
027with a children's author to bring them not only to Lincoln Elementary, but they attended, um, I think an event at Yavapai College as well as Paragrain downtown. Um, but she came and talked to every single Lincoln classroom and not only showed her books and and they talked through them, but she really talked about her process as a writer and an illustrator. Her books are beautiful. if you've never seen them, if you've never had an opportunity. Um, >> there's a little illustration in the corner that's kind of representative. It's cute. >> Yeah. Beautiful, sweet message and great illustrations, very child-friendly. Um, but she got to explain just her process and her thinking and why you can do anything you want to when you're writing a book, especially kids books. So, it was a great opportunity for
028our kids. >> Neat. And then I've got one additional thing and I think Kelsey, you've got one additional thing as well. I forgot to mention, we don't have a really great slide for this, but um you know that we apply for a lot of grants. Nearly 10% of the the of our total funding comes from grants from the federal government or state government. That doesn't come easy. As you probably know, we've got a whole team of people in our grants department who are paid for from largely from the grants that we get ourselves, right? So there's not an operating cost to the district for that, but they do bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. It's a significant part of what we do. With every dollar that comes comes a string. And remember
029I mentioned to you there's hundreds of thousands of dollars. There are maybe not hundreds of thousands of strings but but hundreds and hundreds of strings attached. There are if you're going to accept money from a private organization or from the state or the federal government particularly. There are multiple things that they want you to do in terms of tracking how that's used, reporting back, etc., etc. And it's real easy if there's 15 things you're supposed to do to get 14 of them right and one of them not quite right and then they correct you to get you back on path. And again, times multiple grants, hundreds of areas where we might have stepped on the off the path for just a second when somebody would have had to guide us back on. We got our
030um our audit from the fiscal auditoring fiscal monitoring auditor, excuse me, at the AD and grants management. Zero findings for the year. Every single thing that every single person asked us to do for every single grant, our grants department did perfectly. And that's a real credit to Jamie Buuna who's the head of the grants department, all the folks who work with them. But Jamie came around if I'm not mistaken right and and recognized Brian and Kathy Moody who's our purchasing director and Sarah for the great teamwork that they provide with her. Anytime there's a grant, these people have to step up and provide information reports. They're a big part of the tracking progress, etc. So, a pretty neat thing and we're we're proud of the way that our district is run. >> That's awesome. >>
031And then I think we got one last thing. Is there a slide for that or not? A slide. Oh, great. I I've asked Kelsey if she wouldn't mind just presenting really quickly some of the work that our district leadership has been doing the last couple weeks because it's it's important and exciting and worth noting. >> Yes. So, the last two Tuesdays we have pulled together our district leadership team along with our team of instructional coaches. So, we had 25 individuals in the same room and these are really our instructional leaders throughout the district. And we were asking them to look at our teacher evaluation tool. So we adopted what's called um Mccro which is our the company that we use for our framework for instruction. Um we use their it's called their Q's framework for
032evaluation. So it stands for content understanding um environment and support. So the different categories within the teacher evaluation and we knew that in 2022 they came out with what's called the new classroom instruction that works really with the foundation in brain science and how do students learn information and most importantly how do they retain information uh we know we always had that that problem of like I've taught them this I've taught them this >> they knew this last week what happened >> yes so it you know I experienced that myself when I went from third grade or from an eighth grade teacher to third grade and I was like oh I was teaching teaching some of these same skills in in different grades, but um how do we get kids to really hold on to
033what's important to be able to use that in a future context? So, this brain science was a foundational piece. So, we did a training with all of our um instructional coaches and principles a couple years ago and it was fabulous, but we were still coming out of COVID. We were still not fully implementing the entire evaluation tool um because of the new brain science components. And so, you know, we've done a lot of work on our instructional framework and our instructional model over the past couple of years and that those systems were in place and this was the year we said, okay, now we're going to bring in the brain science component to help wrap all of this together and help complete kind of the system. So, we did intentional trainings on brain science throughout
034the year. We broke it into different components and by the end of this year, we had finished, you know, at least training initially all of our staff on that. So what we've been doing these last two Tuesdays is a lot of conversation around instruction and how does instruction look when you're truly maximizing the brain science research that Mccrell has presented for us. And so we had six components within the understanding column which is really the the instructional component and it has taken us I would say eight hours total on those six because we've had such rich deep conversation around what is good instruction what does it really look like how are we going to evaluate that within a classroom so we are going to continue this work throughout the summer to redefine and make sure
035that that brain science component is folded in but man I think just being in that room with those instructional leaders over the last couple of weeks. We have some amazing educators in our district who are really helping to create a system that creates some clarity for teachers around here's what good instruction should look like and then we're going to come up with a plan of how do we continue to support you to be able to offer this kind of instruction at whatever levels from kindergarten even preschool all the way through 12th grade. >> Great. >> Thank you for that. It's terrific work and I I mean we're not there yet, but I I wanted Kelsey to give us an update because it's just it was been great deep discussions about what are we going to
036do to help kids achieve what do we do to help teachers to help kids and I mean we all the person hours spent so far 25 times eight right I mean a lot >> that's yeah >> a lot 200 did I do the math right Brian >> 200 person hours on this and we're maybe halfway through so >> yeah and speaking of teachers It is teacher appreciation week. So, just want to give a shout out to all of our amazing teachers out there. Um, I know schools are doing a lot to celebrate them, but if you see them, give them some extra kudos this week. They're they've made it to May and uh they're doing an amazing job. So, >> Yep. They're running low on kudos. >> Running low on kudos. >> Great. That's all
037for us, man. >> All righty. Mr. Brett, >> anything you want to come talk to us about, share with us? >> Um, I thought Rising Stars last night was incredible. was my first time ever attending that event. I felt bad for missing it last year and I prioritized it this year and I was glad I went. Um, I love the fact that they recognize the students and the teachers at the same time. I've never seen uh an event quite like that. Well attended the who's who of Prescott. I felt like we're there to honor. Um, I thought it was fantastic. >> Um, for half of the month I was closely attuned to the Badger tennis um >> until until there was a tragic event and then I uh had my sights somewhere else. Um and
038then I also went to lunch with our good superintendent and enjoyed uh visiting with him and going over his goals and that. Oh, I also attended um the Sound of Music at Yapai College which starred a number of our um PUSD students and they did a phenomenal job showed off their talents and made me proud. Mr. S, >> what have you got? >> So, attended the uh Lincoln flag ceremony this month along with the talent show which was just just to even get up there in front of your peers and >> and sing or dance or do funny skits or whatever. It was amazing. So, um yeah, fun to watch that. Um and then the whiskey off-road with the PSD Education Foundation. It was a another good great year. um you know it just gets
039more and more refined and uh boy I don't know we we just realized we've Jen we've been doing it for 10 years so now and somehow figured it out you know group of of parents at the time >> look at us so um and then we uh um just want to let the public know so if you hadn't heard Dr. Paul Hicks had passed away um he is the son of Dr. Taylor Hicks and um they um the Hicks family really does keep the can do award uh going and talked to Missy and Scott Hicks, former president as well, board member um asked um how can we donate h how could well really Dr. Paul Hicks really wanted um to in le of flowers to really have something go to the schools and they they
040chose the can do award. So all the pro all the donations now will be asked to go to the candy award. So we'll be reading those off I'm sure. >> Super cool. >> Andy. >> All right. So a few things. Um I was able to attend the the CED teacher of the year award for Miss Halford which was really nice. That was really uplifting and good to see her with her students. um got to do a triple crown of baseball, tennis, and softball against Flagstaff in one day, which was amazing that they were all playing Flag Staff. That surprised me, but I guess we >> they all save money. >> Yeah. Save money on transportation. >> They'll intentionally schedule softball and baseball with each other occasionally, but tennis at the same time. That's that's just
041coincidental. >> Really active really active day. It was good to good to get and see a little bit of each of those. >> Um, rising stars last night. One comment that came up, you know, I talked to Miss Nelson, I think at the end, >> and just said, uh, you know, she was complimenting how we've got such great students, and I just said, well, we've got great teachers, too. So, just trying to make sure we let the teachers know that >> the students wouldn't be there in that in that award role if it wasn't for what you did. So we we want to make sure we thank them also, >> which we did certainly, but like like Kelsey said, we need to just make sure we appreciate them this week if we can. >> And
042then I also was able to volunteer at the Whiskey Off-Road. Um it's always I think that's the best weekend in town. Um and what what the foundation has done. Um I think we need to work on that Hensley distributing though. Those those guys were not It's only been 10 years. I don't think we >> I mean, >> we're going to keep trying for a few. >> Those guys keep >> They're talking about making some adjustments going forward. >> Yeah. I think their their level of concern about the number of finishers doesn't match with the actual number of finishers we have, which is in the thousands. And >> yeah, >> and the number of amount of product that's given out is a quarter of that at most. So, >> they need to chill out a little
043bit. Yeah, >> in my opinion. Anyway, that's it. But it was a great event. >> Absolutely. >> Madam President, can I make a real quick piggyback comment on something that Mr. Fraer mentioned? >> So, you mentioned you talked with Miss Nelson last night at the at the banquet. My wife had a chance to visit with her as well. Adam, she's been teaching for us now for two years, three years. >> She's finishing her second finishing her second year with us. She for a long time taught at one of the charter schools in town, a well- reggarded charter school, and enjoyed her time there and decided to shift to us over at PSUSD. My my wife was talking with her about that and she said,"I just love teaching at Prescuit High School. I love all of
044the things that kids can participate in." The other school I was at was good, but it was kind of like playing the same note on the piano over and over and over and over. And now kids have the whole keyboard here. It's a beautiful music. Prescuit High School is is my place. So, I was I loved I loved hearing that from her. >> Jen, >> well, it's a busy time of year at school with when you have a senior especially. Um, so I just want to say thank you for a safe and wonderful prom. I think prom is I I think I was sharing with you as a parent you always worry a little bit on prom night and this is my sixth I guess child to go to prom. I don't know. I think
045it's sixth and I I felt different as a school board member and it's important that we we work so hard to keep them all safe and so I really really appreciate it. Um, I also attended the Whiskey Off-Road and worked the Whiskey Off-Road and um, it was it was very fun and it's always so neat to see how much our staff and our volunteers come out and support us. Like it's a lot of volunteer work. It's a very volunteer-heavy event. So, it's really cool to see how everyone comes out. I attended the Yavapai College graduation on Sunday and um one of the things that I we were trying to gather some numbers but we haven't really figured it out but over 200 people who graduated from with a certificate or a degree from Yavapai College
046were under the age of 18 and so a significant number of those kids are our kids. They're our PHS students that have earned a certificate through our CTE programs. Um, I think there were three or four that um were like Quinton that did their early college and I know at least one of those earned an associates degree and I know Quinton earned the Ajac but I'm not sure what other other kids earned but it's just really impressive what our kids are able to accomplish within our school but through our community college which is really neat. So um it was really impressive. I had no idea that many students and not all of them are ours, but a big chunk of them I bet are ours. So, we just don't know those numbers. Um, and oh,
047last night, Rising Stars, I was at Rising Stars as well. And I got a call today from another real estate agent calling me about one of our listings and she said, "Before we talk about that, I have to say that my granddaughter is Ruby." >> Oh. and she was there last night, Ruby Rafters, and her grandma was with her last night and she said she could not believe the event. It it just thrilled Ruby to be included, but also she was so impressed how we we capture what teachers see in kids that maybe isn't it's coming a little under the radar and maybe we're not always seeing it, you know, they're not necessarily showing up in all the other ways that we award kids. and and um she actually had the teacher she chose but
048she also had the teacher who chose her present at her table and it was just really special and so anyway this particular community member had never heard of us doing this before thought it was pretty impressive and was very very excited for her granddaughter so that was fun to hear I'm going to hire Ruby to be my personal shopper >> I know I know I've never seen a kid walks into Ross or Salvation Army and comes out looking like a million bucks I think she's amazing I know. >> I was I'm serious. Anything more for you? >> Nope. That's it. >> Mine's a lot of ditto stuff. I went to Sound of Music and one of my former second graders played one of the key roles in the musical. It was very exciting. I went
049to the 4.0 students banquet put on by the Lions with Clark. That was pretty awesome as well. I did get to go sing with the babies at Discovery Gardens, which is one of my all-time favorite monthly things to do. That's coming up this week. So, our our last time together. Another interesting thing for me this this month was we had a a local sorority come to the teachers closet to have their meeting and what they did in lie of their normal little orurves and snacky things is they brought treats for the nurses to give out to all the students. We had shelves and shelves and shelves of Rice Krispie treats and crackers and protein bars and all those things that then we were able to distribute to the teacher, the nurses. And I thought that
050was pretty amazing for them to think about that as they did that. And that's pretty much everything else. I did the off whiskey off-road. We had the rising stars dinner. So, pretty much ditto ditto ditto. But it was awesome. All right. How about the two guys at the end here who we won't see again? At least in this setting. >> Anything going on? >> Just on graduation. >> Come back and see us whenever you want. Graduation night. Yes. >> We'll see him on graduation. >> Yeah. So, graduation's kind of a big deal. >> Yeah. >> Just a little bit. Um but then we have AP testing all this week, too. >> And then, uh, Granite Mountain is doing a threeon-ree basketball tournament. I just know cuz my little brother's doing it. But I just thought
051that was kind of cool. So, yeah. >> Sounds like fun. Miss Sh >> graduation is coming up as Jackson said and that week is insane for us. On the 18th we have senior sunset. On the 19th I think it's scholarship and awards nights. On the 20th we're doing a walkthrough of all the elementary schools and Granite and the middle school. Just a really full circle moment. Especially for me being in a public school system since I went to Granite Mountain. It's just kind of crazy walking through there because I remember them when I was in fifth grade all walking past us. The 21st we have graduation practice and then the 22nd is graduation. So crazy. >> All right. How about community comments with the governing board? Anyone have anyone thing they'd like to bring up
052with the community members? >> I just have one that I'd like to share. I get to talk to patients all day long and school comes up a lot and so I have lots of lots of community comments and generally positive. I just had one of note that I'd like to share this this week and it was a dad who's a single dad has a kid at Lincoln and so I took the opportunity how you know how's it going and he had recently moved into town from one of our outlying areas and he just had a lot of really positive things to say. He said his his son was struggling a little bit and they the teachers and the staff had rallied around him and got him the services that he needed and just a real
053grateful dad and I wanted to pass that on. >> Nice. >> Anything else, Stan? Andy? >> Yeah, I had one. Um just uh some parents are concerned about um uh recess at Lincoln um fourth grade in particular and um and uh the word was that you know they couldn't play any sports. All the balls were taken away. What are what are kids supposed to do on the playgrounds? And I think Teresa and the teacher particularly involved did a great job of responding. um you know it isn't not anything that we really touch but they included us and and Clark uh as well and >> and just encouraged them when they responded to me just to reach out and they did and the response was you know here's the real reason and it was more about
054the competition you could still play you could still use them it's just when it gets so competitive and people were getting hurt then we just said it's just not don't play the game and so it's great when you get down to the real, you know, truth. >> I think it often starts with that conversation and sometimes there's misinformation out there, even things that are happening at recess. And once you get a conversation going and talk to the people involved, more often than not, we're able to come to a consensus and figure out what happened and it it doesn't blow up. >> Exactly. >> If you just meet it right away, I think that's extremely important. >> Yeah. Well done, >> Andy. >> Um, just a comment that I had from someone I was helping with.
055We were both parents. our kids graduated 15 and 14 years ago and 10 and nine years ago or so and uh or 12 and 11 something like that. Anyway, just just a statement that Yeah, >> that >> well you know that people of our age think the 1980s were 20 years ago. So, um, um, just a comment that was, you know, the schools aren't like they were when our kids were going through. And I I was like, that's really not the case. Um, you know, our our schools are still doing as well. It just made me think like this public outreach that needs to be done about how do we get people that don't have involvement in the school dayto day any longer to know that we're still doing the work that our teachers are
056still working just as hard. Our students are succeeding just as strongly as they were 15 years ago. Um, that's a challenge I think and it's specifically in Prescat because so many people come in that don't have a tie to our schools on a regular basis and how do we make sure that we get that word out there and it just it's a not anything we can do necessarily at this point, but something for us to be managing and thinking about, especially as we look at a potential bond and override coming up, but just we really need a good message being put out there. And I know we don't have funding. That was another comment that came about funding for teachers and staff and everything. And I'm like, we're doing the best we can. We need
057this. We would really like to get this override to pass. And it it's just this misconception that there's more that can be >> spent to to make things better. that just isn't the case with the resources we have. So, >> that's what I've retreat talk about ways to bring the public in and >> become more aware of what's happening. >> Yeah. >> Um I really haven't had much conversation other than a lot of people very excited about the bonded override. A lot of support. I would say that I went to a presented at a lunchon of about I think there were 110 people there just giving information about the bond and override and they again didn't know a lot of details didn't know facts and once you just present the facts to them then it
058was their response was overwhelming so I was very happy about that anybody else have anything about community nope all right let's move on to our action items items, our consent agenda, I believe. Is that where we are? Yes. Okay. So, >> I hope you've all had a chance to look over the consent agenda that was posted. And do we have anyone who wants anything taken out of the consent agenda at this point and moved to a topic by itself? Did I miss something, Andy? >> No, no. I I was going to ask I I don't know if we need to pull it out, but I I just would like to know more about the uh is it anou with the with PBS with Arizona PBS? Yeah. >> You know what? I had questions as well.
059>> Yeah, that's that's the one thing I'd like to hear more about. >> Superwide kindergarten readiness camp. Yeah. >> Okay. So, that is >> let me find it. 8. So, do I have a motion to take 8 out of the consent agenda and deal with it separately? >> It's 886. >> 8 A6. Did I say C? I did. >> 8 A6. >> I'll make that motion. >> All right. And I will second that one. So, do I have a majority of the board confirming by saying I >> I any nays? >> All right. And then we will pull that one and we will take a look at that one now. >> Is that correct? >> Sure. I believe so. >> You you can either look at that and then put it back in and and
060pass the entire consent agenda together or if you prefer you can pass the consent agenda without that and then talk about it then >> or can we pass this one down? >> Whichever you'd like. You can do it in. >> We should do that. Let's do that. The rest of you. So let's look at AAC which was to consider approving a memorandum of understanding between Arizona PBS Education and Community Impact Department. And that has to do with I believe the early kindergarten. Is that correct? Yep. >> So, did everyone have a chance to take a look at that and see what they thought about that? >> Would you like me to address that really quick and answer any questions quickly? Very helpful. >> Super. Super. >> So, we we have two kinds of agreements that
061we'll often enter into with other entities. uh if it's another government organization, another school district, the county, the city, whatnot, it's always an ana, an intergovernmental agreement. And by board policy, the board needs to be apprised of those and and vote on those memorandums of understanding or a different uh uh situation. It's with another non-governmental organization. Typically, uh usually there's there's something that's required or requested by the other organization that we agree to and and vice versa. And that's the case here. some it's actually pretty rare we tech by by board policy by statute we could I could just sign off on an MLOU you give me that authority but oftentimes if we want this to particularly come to your attention we'll say let's put it on the agenda uh most often on the consent
062agenda and that's the case here because it's something that we thought you'd be interested in so I'm glad that you asked thank you uh we've got a couple of preschool teachers that had some contacts with people that were for public broadcasting system down in the valley uh they've got a charitable foundation within public broadcasting system that um makes grants available to people and one of the grants that they have is essentially for summer school for preschoolers, kids that are about to enter um into kindergarten. What was the total amount? I don't remember the year. >> 6,600. Yeah, $6,600. >> Anyhow, they're making enough money available uh to pay was it is it three weeks? I can't remember the time frame. It might be on there. There you go. Three weeks. Good. That's pretty good. I
063have a lot of my information coming at me. uh for three weeks over the summer, we'll have two of our teachers that will work together and I can't remember the total capacity of their uh number of kids that are going to be able to come and essentially have a a preschool >> kindergarten preparation 20 kids. Great. Kindergarten preparation, summer school. So, the grant will will fund those those folks salaries and and we've got snacks and whatnot that are available from other funding and essentially all we're paying for is utilities to have the lights on during the day. My question was, is it running in conjunction with our regular summer school? >> It'll run it'll it'll overlap with I don't know if it's the very same days, but it certainly overlap with each other. Yeah, just
064about as long that typically we don't have um summer school available to students who haven't been kindergarten through 11th grade uh with us. In this case, we've got a something available for our preschoolers. We're pretty excited about >> pretty exciting if you've ever worked with really young children to get these four and 5 year olds involved in early literacy before they actually come to our schools. So, I thought I think it's pretty amazing. I didn't know much about it. >> I I hadn't heard. Is this a new program for us? >> It is the first time we've we've been um made aware of the grant and have applied and and we were able to receive it. >> That's pretty cool. >> Clark, will most of the students be our Discovery Garden kids? >> Yes. Yeah,
065they'll all be kids who are going into a PSD kindergarten. >> Okay, nice. >> Good question. >> And then they the the last question I had was that I see SS are set aside funds. Those are funds that >> the Department of Education has given to Arizona PBS. Those are not funds that we've been awarded. Is that >> correct? Yeah. Yeah. This funding is coming from them and it sounds like that's their funding sources that they have some extra funds. >> All right. >> Any more discussion? Anyone? Nobody. All right. Do I have a motion to approve our memorandum of understanding between Arizona PBS Education and Community Impact Department and PUSD district number one as presented? >> I'll make that motion. >> All right. We have a second. >> Second. All those in favor of
066approving this memorandum of understanding say I. >> I. Any nays. And it passes. All right. >> And Madam President, I think we need to still officially approve the rest of the consent agenda. >> That's what I'm going. >> Okay. Great. Great. You could have done that all together. Whichever you'd like to do is great. >> I was going to do that. >> Super. >> Okay. So, >> I thought I saw you paging forward. take a look at our consent agenda, which is 8A. Do I have a motion to approve our consent agenda as listed in the program? >> I'll make that motion. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All right. All those in favor of passing the consent agenda as it is outlined in our board program, >> say I. >> I.
067>> Any naysay? >> All right. Our consent agenda is passed 5. All right. Now we're moving forward. >> Okay. >> Two. Let's see. We're almost down to our public hearing. We're going to talk a little bit about budget. Sarah, do we have anyone from the public who would like to speak about the budget? >> Then we do not need to recess at all to discuss a budget item. And we can go on, I believe, to We do not need to recess. So we could go straight to the study and voting sessions. Is that correct? All right. So is do we have anyone from the public who would like to speak about our voting sessions? No, we have none as well. So let's move down to HC1 which is going to be Brian. This is I
068believe our third look at the budget. Is that correct? >> As presented. Yeah. >> Oh, wrong item. Sorry. >> I'm on the wrong item. No, my my response was wrong. >> You're being funny. >> I was being I was being eight eight hours at work. >> Okay. I like funny. All right. >> Um Yes, it is. Uh because the legislature didn't have the budget uh their budget done by the time um budget forms needed to go out. We did the first uh the adopted and the proposed budget on draft forms. And so we did a budget revision in August. Yes. And then um we were more than 1% um over what our actual ADM was, our our our budget capacity, which means we needed to do a December revision and then this is the mandatory
069end of the year revision um to capture our 100th day ADM and >> close the books on this year. >> Any questions, concerns, comments for Brian before we move on? I don't have any. >> Oh my goodness. I This is >> all is well, Jen. >> Wow. I said I I I estimated 640 for the meeting. I actually um uh you know, really when it comes down to it, uh you guys already saw a little bit of the ADM uh impact of the lower when we did the, you know, philosoph philosophical um budget package in in March, which we did atone to the ADM loss. Um, interesting enough, between the budget revision, which was based upon, I believe, October's ADM's projections for the 100 day, and where we are in this budget revision, it was
070only 11 110m less. >> So, it was right where um we were, most of the kids, you know, didn't show at the beginning, and we kept we kept them throughout the end of the year and only had 11 less between October and and January net. So, um, you know, I'm thinking that our we won't know exactly what our carry forward is until the annual financial report, which is will be in the October meeting, uh, because we can still pay bills and receive revenue for services we did um during the year all the way through August 30th. So, but I'm thinking it'll probably be somewhere around 2.6 million, which is less than this year because it was right around 3.5. >> And so, we want to settle right around 2.1 million carry forwarded. Anything more, we're
071doing a disservice to our kids that we have now. Anything less, we're not being really financially responsible for unforesee things in the future. Obviously, a bond and override would help both of those situations if the voters so pass it. Um, but uh yeah, so probably looking about 900,000 less in carry forward and and we're going to have to attune for that as we go forward. Otherwise, it's you'll dip too low. >> All right. You're happy with the numbers? >> Love it. >> Good. All right. >> I'd like it to be >> Any other comments? You'd like it to be more? >> I mean, just for the record, I'd like us to have more. >> If Jen's happy, I'm happy. >> Jen's happy. We're happy. >> No pressure. She's our numbers girl. Do we have a
072motion to approve the revisions of the 2025 2026 budget limits for M and budgets as presented by Mr. Moore? >> I'll make that motion. >> Do I have a second? >> I'll second. >> All those in favor signify by saying I. >> Any opposed? and it passes. All right. >> Thank you very much. >> Our next very important thing, Clark's going to present this, is to consider approving a sewer line easement at Taylor Hicks Elementary School. >> They were going to send me a map for this. I apologize. Great. So, you've had a chance to see it. We're looking at a 10, if I'm remembering correctly, by 18 foot section of land. There you go. >> Right in the corner of our of our Taylor Hicks um elementary school. Yeah, you can you can that
073that's great for scale. You can see kind of the area that um that the school is uh built on and the little tiny fraction of land we're looking at there. My understanding is there's already a sewer line that's running under that. Um and the city is looking for an easement to be able to build a device up from the sewer line to relieve pressure which um uh mitigates odor all along the sewer. >> Love ground odor control device. >> There you go. In some cases when the city is seeking uh a property easement from a property owner, the property owner seeks compensation monetarily. In this case, the the u plot of land is is so small and there's no impact on our operations in any way. The amount of money that it would, you know,
074if we by the time we got an assessment on what it was worth and whatnot, that the assessment itself would probably be more than the amount of money that we would get from the city. Plus, we as you know, we partner with the city reciprocally on so many positive things. My recommendation to the board is that we let the city do their thing in the corner there and and not try to charge them for it. >> Questions? Questions? >> I agree. >> What smell? >> There's a device. >> Will it smell? Yeah. The first that was the first question I asked. Is it is there going to be >> no noticeable odor will be? >> Yeah. Is there going to be any impact on our operations at all? Particularly smell ongoing. They said no. The
075opposite is true. there's a chance for I don't know exactly how sewer lines work or how far underground it is or anything else but there's a chance for odor in the neighborhood without doing this and and once they do this that should eliminate that chance for everyone including ourselves that's what I'm told by >> questions comments >> people who know what they're doing >> player that's >> okay all right do I have a motion to approve a sewer line easement at Taylor Hicks Elementary School as presented by Clark >> so moved >> do I have a second >> I'll Second. >> All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any nays passes 5 Z on and upwards. 8C3. I think that is Adam. Finally, it's only six. >> That made me feel
076good. That was very nice. I >> I figured it was Oh, no. But >> Oh, yes. I was going to talk to us about volleyball and spirit lines. basketball. >> Yeah. So, it it is the time of year where some of our programs are going to be doing some uh team camps and traveling over the summer. So, all three of these that I'm about to talk about are all um overnight trips, though. The first of which is our boys basketball program, who is not only going overnight, but they're going out of state, if you guys will approve. Um they would like to go to uh the University of Gonzaga for a team camp. I'm sure Jax is pretty upset that they're doing that the year after he's done. >> I might get to go as
077an assistant. >> Oh, look at this. He's got a plan. All right. So, there you go. Um he's signing up to coach right now. Um but uh nonetheless, team camp's very common for these programs this time of year. This one being different that they're going to fly um out to uh take part in Gonzaga, but they stay in dorms. Um usually food is included. They get to play lots of games and it's a great way for teams to bond together. >> Do we have the air tickets yet? >> Yes. >> Oh, good. >> Just because fuel's going up a little bit. They proactively grabbed those with the hope that you will approve. They will obviously be able to adjust that if you do not >> tickets. >> All right. >> I just had a question.
078Can we have questions? >> Yes, sir. >> Um I was just wondering how they're getting to the the airport. Are they taking a bus or are they flying out of Prescuit? I don't think it's >> No, I believe they're flying out of Phoenix and I I'm assuming that they're >> Coach Steedman said that the plan right now was to go through and do like parent car poolool scenario to get the kids down there. Um, but if that is an issue, he could always go through, but I just can't imagine wanting to have one of our school uh buses parked at an airport. You you guys get where I'm coming from? >> Looks like go. >> That's all I'll say. >> I've got one stipulation though. We'll try to get you up to go. >> Okay.
079I've got I got a mission for >> Okay. >> for Coach Steady and and uh >> Okay. I know. >> Okay. Well, they give it to somebody else. Okay. So, anyway, so um >> so I have a great uncle Chuck Galagoski. >> He is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. >> Can you find that picture and take a picture in front of it? And uh >> we may have >> Would that be great? >> We may have that. I I can make that request of coach Steedman that he make sure that he honor the >> great >> Chuck >> Golagoski. Golagoski >> and any any season tickets they could forward to relatives of alums. That would be fantastic. >> Look at this. I think everybody's going as a coach. Who's signing up? Let's go. Who's
080going to get >> t-shirt? Do we need to rewrite this motion? >> Sarah's taking careful notes over here. >> Do you get all that revisions there, Sarah? All right. Any other comments? This is kind of exciting. >> I just thought it was well written out. I thought it was very comprehensive and they did a great job. >> All right. Do we have a motion to approve this out of state travel request for the PHS boys basketball students, PUSD staff members, and volunteers to attend the camp at Gonzaga University in Spokane from June 26th through July 1st. >> I'd gladly make that motion. >> Good. I will second that one. >> Okay. >> Do >> all in favor of the motion signify by saying I I. Any nays? And passes. Okay. One down, two to go.
081>> All right. >> Let's move on to volleyball. >> Yeah. So, hopefully we've all gotten over our jealousy over that trip because I'm jealous, too. Um, the next one is a great trip as well. So, our uh girls volleyball program is looking to go in July to the NAU team camp. So, it's overnight, but obviously a little easier with the travel scenario. No flight involved. Um but same type of scenario. They get to have um at least eight matches um with their new coach um and new staff. So they'll be traveling. Great opportunity for them to get to know, build, and bond. Um and they will be staying in dorms as well. >> And another great place for them to go. >> Another really great place to go at that time of year. Any comments,
082concerns? All right. >> I just have one concern. Um and maybe it's not a concern, but it says the girls will pay their own way. Is there a is there a option for >> relief val if there was a girl who who couldn't financially do it? Her family couldn't do it. >> Yeah, you know the booster programs always have ways to work their ways through that and help programs. Um I think new coach hasn't had his uh time to establish that. So it was easier for him to just say that they will um each have that split charge. But I there's always ways as we uh take care of our student athletes. >> Good. All right. >> Conscious of that. >> Makes sense. >> Good question. Good. Do I have a motion to approve the
083travel request for the PHS girls volleyball students, athletes, PUSD staff members, and volunteers to go to Flagstaff for a camp from July 14th to the 16th as presented by Adam. >> I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. I. >> Any nays? >> All right, Mr. Adam, last one here, buddy. All right. So, we also have the PHS spirit line and uh another version of a team camp. They go down to Phoenix. Uh it's actually at the Arizona Grand. Um and they spend a few days working on technique and and learning um going through and competing in small group scenarios. Um so, this is very much the same type of idea except they get to be at the Arizona Grand, not dorm rooms. So, >> that's
084right. >> Maybe a little nicer. >> Better pools. >> I I did have one question. It looks like the estimated cost per girl is 625 with the total cost for the team is 2500. My math says that's four girls. >> Does that sound right? >> That doesn't seem right. No, >> it does seem right or doesn't >> does not seem right. No, >> I just thought that there was something wrong with the arithmetic there, but I'm not sure. >> Yeah, I don't think that's the correct total cost there. Um >> they might have been thinking that the girls are going to pay 625 and then the teen was going to come up for 2500 because they have three different funding sources, >> right? So I that's what I would assume because you know they're still
085paying for bus and travel. So that is part of the deal. You know they'll have a bus driver so that bus driver will stay. So there's room and board for that bus driver as well. So I would assume that that's all part of it. I think that the um usually the spirit line program picks up part of that and then the athletes or families pay for their own. >> Just curious >> as as someone who has sent >> his own child. >> Are we okay to approve that pending a change? I think they just think it means the team cost is 2500 and the students are 625 each. >> Yeah, the motion is not to approve a certain cost. So you if you've got questions about that like us to put on pause, we can
086certainly find back to you. >> I trust that I think this sounds correct the entry for the whole >> Yeah, that makes sense to me. All right. Do we have a motion to approve this travel request for the PHS Spirit Line students, athletes, PUSD staff members, and volunteers to go to Phoenix from July 10th through the 13th? >> So moved. >> Do I have a second? >> I'll second. >> All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> All those opposed say nay. And it passes 5. Valerie Stone, did she go to PUSD schools? >> Yes. >> I think I had her in second grade. That would not surprise. >> Doesn't surprise me even. This doesn't surprise me either. >> Yeah, she was a good student. >> I had her in 10th and
08711th grade, I believe. So, there you go. >> Good student. All right. >> All right. Thanks you guys. >> 8D information and discussion items. Brian, >> school budget summary report >> as presented. >> Ditto. >> Do you have anything to say about that? >> As presented. That's it. Just as presentative. No one has any comments. >> I want to know if Jim has any comments. >> Comments. Do you have any comments? >> I had comments last year this time because I was unclear on the fact that some of them have asterisks and they weren't empty yet, but you've clarified that for me over last year, so I'm good. Sweet. >> Okay. >> All right. Do we have a motion to Oh, do we need Yes, we don't need a motion. It's an information item only.
088Thank you. All right. Let's go on to 8D3. request for future auditor general classroom report. Gosh, I'm messing up at the bottom. I did so well until the bottom of 86. >> You're doing great. >> 82. The auditor auditor general classroom spending report. Brian, >> would you like me at the podium for this or? >> Yes. Okay. >> Yes, we want you at the podium. >> You asked for it. >> I was looking that way when I said it. I should have said it. >> So, yes, >> this question is for anyone but Brett. >> All right. Um, >> excuse >> we we typically go over this in April, but April's meeting was particularly long. Um and so uh once again just for um community and viewers and and the courier uh every year all
089districts uh get analyzed based on their spending and their annual financial report and all the good factors by the auditor general and it's a total package called the the the uh school uh spending report but for districts. Uh this year we did there was uh 208 districts that had results that were um a page on the auditor generals that you can go to and see how all of their spending breaks down into categories. Um un for me unfortunately uh charter schools which are public schools are are excluded from this analysis. So 2008 districts no charter schools and that's what this slide says. So go ahead um just a little bit about of demographics. Um our demographics uh we are in different peer groups obviously our counties YI um but uh they group us based on
090operational groups, transportation groups and then also achievement groups um based on similar size districts for the transportation miles traveled to the area. Um but just some of the things to note and actually I highlighted green which did not come up very well. Um the uh I have this year's student. Uh this is by the way for fiscal year 25 which is what I did not say. So it's not the current year. This is for last year's um uh school year. Uh just compared to last year we had uh 35 3560 students. The year before it was 36 uh 36 which you know just kind of shows that we are uh decreasing. >> Brian, will you clarify for us when you say students? I thought it said ADM there. Will you explain the difference for us?
091my world a student is an ADM. So an ADM is a student who is with us from the first day of school all the way through the 100th day. If they are consecutive consecutively enrolled within that period, we receive full funding or one ADM every day is a percent. So if a student is enrolled with us for 20 days, we only receive no 20 Yeah. 20 days 20% of the funding. uh student comes the 101st day, we receive zero dollars for that child until the next year. And hopefully they come back and are here for the first 100 days. >> And Brian said before, and you're aware, preschool students are enrolled with us. We get zero ADM for them. Kindergarten students are enrolled with us. Even if they're here 100 days, we get half an
092ADM, etc. So, our current enrollment drops off toward the end of the year as families do different things. But at any rate, 3762 currently as opposed to last year's 3560 ADM. >> Yeah. Um in in preschool we have about 200 students that attend our Discovery Gardens. Most of them are tuition. We do have about 40 or so 37 students that do have an IEP. So they have um special education needs. Preschool and kindergarten only funded half, including if they have special needs, that is also half um at the preschool. Uh so uh five-year change in student attending uh last year compared to five years ago. Um interestingly enough I oh it was 3%. I thought I switched those numbers drop off the fifth year from last year and actually it goes to 6%. So just
093with you know that's the COVID years now we're hitting and so you start f not factoring um uh FY19 or the um 1920 or 1918 school year and the n um the 1920 school year. I bet you that number is going to say eight next year because until we rece um the homeschooling and and whatnot um it's still going to show a decrease. uh special education population. Uh governing board kind of asked what our what our percentage and what the trends are. Um from last year to this year, uh we're now at 14% rather than 13%. So 14% of our students um have special needs in which we um deliver services. Unfortunately, those services very much outweigh the funding that comes with them. Uh but 14% of our students have an IEP. English language learners
094stays um at 1%. So it input last year. Interestingly enough, this one blew me away. Last year, um, on the report, which is based on the previous year, uh, Prescuit's poverty rate was 13%. Which put us right on that cusp because they group us in achievement by that poverty rate. It's 8% in Prescuit. Now, I mean, that just blew me away that the poverty within our boundaries for Prescuit Unified School District, it's only 8%. If you look at our district, Lincoln is at 60% free and reduced. Taylor Hicks and by a Jud even is is is well over 40%. >> They're all title one schools. >> They're all title one. Granite Mountains a title one. And the only reason why our district our district's right around 35% free and reduced uh qualifying. And the only
095reason why that's not probably around 40 or even higher is because high school students and parents typically don't fill out free and reduced paperwork because kiddos bring their bring their food and or buy at the snack bar rather than get a get a meal. >> So that 8% reflects the poverty rate in our community. >> Correct. >> And we're actually experiencing much higher than that in our schools. >> Absolutely correct as well, >> which makes complete sense for what we know to be true of our community. >> Yeah. Absolutely. Have we seen, Brian, have we seen the percentages in our schools drop at anywhere similar to that? >> No, they're continuing to go up and lunch does go up every year. >> I mean, there's been a couple years because the October 1st day is
096when you know you you can qualify uh specifically for title one services and uh even the 21st learning uh community school grants that uh all four schools have, you have to be a 40%. We would do a push right before because they'd be we don't we don't have to do that now. It's it's increasing rather than decreased. I was just floored that it went down. >> Is that a pretty >> a pretty even comparison? Is the poverty rate calculated similarly to how we calculate who qualifies for free and reduced lunch? >> No, I have no idea what that poverty rate calculation on what the census says a household based on income number. However, they do it's our community's poverty rate. And I don't know what that calculation exactly is. >> I'm not sure they balance
097out. >> I I know that it's not the same measure, but I I don't like Brian, I don't know how it's calculated for the auditor general's report on community poverty, but but as as you've pointed out, >> the the people who are cashing out in Orange County and moving here and buying a $2 million home are mostly not bringing kids with them that they put in our schools. amilies kind of struggling a little bit that have kids in our schools, >> you know, and I'm hoping that >> this actually has a message uh for initiatives, you know, that might be, you know, on a ballot that people can weigh, you know, if they want to vote yes or no without saying any bias on my part. Um but our schools when it comes to it
098have really needy kids you know and um from a state level um you know we get 2% or inflation whichever is lowest lower when it comes to funding increases. Our students have needs and it outweighs uh when it comes to the poverty level of our community significantly. >> Is there any data and we we have a couple hundred students every year that come from outlying communities not in our boundaries. any data on if those if those students are the higher free and reduced lunch than our average population or >> I can try to find that out. I there is not a >> don't that >> I would have to I would have to take two different data um sets and and merge them um take our free and reduced student population go into our student
099information figure out who does not live in Prescuit merge to see what kind of percentage that is if you're interested in that I can do that >> if it would take a lot of work I'm I'm not interested it because it I don't know if it really matters that much but I just was wondering as my mind was trying to >> figure work with these numbers. I thought maybe, you know, maybe that's a piece that >> but I'm not sure we would do anything differently with that with that data anyway. But >> if I was sitting in that chair, I would absolutely do it for you. >> All right. The slide before last thing, graduation rate, we did and do as of last year have two high schools. We have an alternative high school for
100our dropout recovery program and we do have PHS. Both of those graduation rates are in this figure and I think it's pretty astronomical about what PHS is doing and also what Christina Tim is doing when it comes to our students that are in the Genesis program for it to jump 4%. Because this is all of our students at 9 through well 12th grade, you know, at graduation, right? So 84% that's a big jump about 4%. >> Yeah. I >> that's amazing. >> I uh recently read something about CTEs and the impact of that too and the increases and statewide we're right around 98% um c of students graduating from CTE which obviously helps with that retention rate. So all the more reason to keep on you know highlighting it and using it and getting everybody
101in it. So it's really great. Brian, did you have time to This is just the Auditor General's report for our district's passing rate or excuse me, not our passing rate, our graduation rate. Did you have time to parse those out and figure out uh with our dropout prevention program, which we typically if we have a year where 25% of those kids graduate, we are loving it because 100% of those kids were not going to graduate before we got them in the dropout prevention program. But that that folds in with PHS's graduation rate to combine for 84% which is like Brian's saying, that's stellar. the the regular high school plus the dropout prevention high school together. Did you have a chance to parse those out yet or not? We we'll try to do that for you
102in the future and get exactly according to there's there's varying ways to calculate graduation rate, right? Are you talking about the kids who started with you as seniors and finished as seniors or started as freshman and finishes as what happens to the people who move, people who move in, etc. There's lots of ways to figure that. So, you'll hear graduation rate uh bandied about a little bit, but you know, no matter how you slice it, that's a terrific rate, especially Considering that >> do we have any idea what percentage of our Discovery Garden kids stay in PUSD for kindergarten? >> We do. I don't have that data at my fingert on Saturday. >> It's a it's a little low. And the reason because both neither Prescat Valley nor Chino Valley have um as much capacity
103for uh preschool students as we have in Prescuit. So there's a lot of families that that drive their kiddo here and then once they're putting a kid on a bus for kindergarten, they don't want to put their kid on the bus for kindergarten. They'll start in Chino Valley schools or Pres Valley schools. So we got a lot of families that do that. There's also not preschool available through some of the charter schools in town. There's families who are, you know, they're in Sky View people forever. They're going to be Sky View people until the sun burns out. They'll send their kid to us for preschool and then they'll go to Sky View. But of the families who don't have something predetermined, they're going someplace else, we retain most of them. We'd like it to be
104higher. We're looking at does it make financial sense for the board to significantly supplement financially the preschool which is serving both kids who are going to go into our schools and kids who will go elsewhere. We might want to look at that in the future, but for right now, we're real pleased with what we've got. And I can get you that data. I'll make a note. >> I know something did tell me it was it was certainly >> lower than you thought. >> No, high. It was It was the majority. >> I feel like it's overity, but it's over 50%. Yeah, it's over 50% of students stay in PUSD. >> I know that Stacy Williams did a survey of her f of their families. I think it was in February of where they intended to
105go. it wasn't as high as Stacy wanted it and she was going to actively reach out and make sure that they knew, you know, what our our our kindergartens looked like, tours and things because she really owns and she wants every one of, you know, our little kiddos that's before kindergarten to continue to benefit because they rave about preschool and it's part of PUSD. Please continue your next 13 years with us. >> So, all right. Um, this is really, you know, what we're judged on, and that is how many dollars go into certain categories. Um, I'm going to go really quickly over those categories. Basically, instruction is anything that happens in the classroom. Coaching actually in is included in that instruction category. Student support services are really most of the related services for special ed
106but in also including counselors, office clerks, academic adviserss, instructional support for us really is it's our instructional coaches make up 90% of that spending. uh administration got you know it's self-explanatory but what a lot of people don't realize is even the district office who does payroll who works in HR uh even grants who you know bring in money um uh a principal's admin assistant that's all administration um and sometimes you know people just think that's principal superintendent assistant superintendent uh plant operations that's all facilities anything that has to do with our our grounds or maintenance of our buildings. Uh food service. Brett, anyone want to guess about what that is? Brett, food service. Okay. Okay, Brett, it's food. Just want to let you know. See, I'm going to get you back for that. All right.
107Transportation happens to with our, you know, transporting students to and from school. Um we again put more in this area when it comes to instruction and utter general started putting instruction student support and um instructional support student support instructional support at in one category called classroom spending. Um we're over 71% again. Last year we were right at 72. It did dip a little but uh it's very minuscule compared to um every well the other districts. Next slide we'll show what that is. Mr. Tenny did ask me to do a visual. What does that look like on a pie chart? If those three categories are put together and I think it really says a statement visually that if you're talking about every dollar that's our operational spending, you know, you're looking at pro, you know, well
10871 cents per dollar is in the areas that are impacting kids directly. Um >> it's essentially three times all the other categories put together. That's something we're pretty proud of. It's >> so I even made sure the colors match of the other categories. >> Nice. >> I did that for Brett. So, all right. Any questions on this slide? >> All right. When it comes to our operational measures, we're compared to that peer group. Once again, it's 13 districts. Next slide, you'll actually see what those peer groups are, but they rate us compared to our peer average versus where we're at. And I think this is the first well no maybe the second or third time that I mean we're very low in the three out of four of which they do rate and low. Once
109again that does kind of come at a cost. Our buildings are old and you know we're putting low in comparison to our peers. It's a balance of we got to make sure that our environments for our students are just as um as as as good as the curriculum or the teachers or anything else or uh the administrator leading uh his or her staff. So it just this is an information the the notes I think are are are really the impact about since se 2017 we have not been comparable. It goes low, very low, comparable, high or very high. When it comes to administration spending for the last essentially nine almost a decade, to our peers, we've been comparably low or very low. um you want to ex even go further out of the 191 districts
110um that have an administrative rating and I don't know why maybe because it's size why the other 50 some don't but only uh 25 out of theund 90 149 have very low so we're within you know what is that about 17 uh percentile even more out of the 207 that do have an administrative per pupil were 17th um lowest I guess uh 17th least of administration per pupil. The lowest is Blue Elementary that has 12 kids. The highest is Apache Elementary School that has three kids and they spend $27,000 per kid. They must have a superintendent for that district to have that. I have no idea how. I just thought I'd put that in there for your viewing pleasure. So out of those 17 districts that have a lower administrative cost per pupil, >> how
111many of those are union? Are we judged >> on union high school districts? >> Yes. Yeah. That is actually taking everyone. So >> out of the 17 I would say most of them 13 14 of them are the messes, the Chandlers, the ones that economy of size makes it so that it can be low. But also we've got Mingus who has a superintendent and principles and assistant principles >> and district staff in addition to for for students for 1300 students. >> You're making a great point. The the makeup of the district impacts significantly how much administrative spending there is per pupil. And so it it can skew that tremendously. Brian's two sub bullet points at the bottom point that out really well. Right. We're we're in what the the thousand dollar range 6.97 that's a
112lot lower. 27,000 per student is a lot higher. Both of those are skewed by the type of district there. And you're exactly right. A you're exactly right. >> Union high school districts which are are school districts as you know but some of our um audience may not are high schools only. They're like Phoenix Union. It's only high schools. There's no middle schools or elementary schools etc. They tend to have a little bit higher cost per per kid for administrative spending etc. So yeah, the the best measure is the first one. It's the one that the auditor general points out for us specifically >> and it's similar districts, districts that are similar to us. It does include one. I think Union High School District not >> No, they actually I think they got I think that
113or whichever one that was. I think it's out. >> It's not on I don't think it's on here. >> We used to have one. Maybe we don't. >> Well, we have Buckeye, which is >> Okay. Yeah, Buckeye Union. That's right. At any rate, of similar dis district districts that the auditor general says you ought to be spending about the same. There's no better district in the state by a long shot. It's not even close. It's not even close in terms of administrative spending and classroom spending both. And we're pretty proud of that. >> You know, the way that they pull us is all account coding. And there are ways be because you're audited twice a year by an audit firm that you have to hire independent. It's mandatory. But for them to really analyze every
114coding and every position, there is ways to shift coding to the instruction. And so we I can attest code extremely accurate. And so our student support service, which is on here, 11.5% is actually higher than most of our operating peers. We do have 14% of our students that have those special needs. We also have related service providers that are compensated well because it's demand and supply and contracting with a company for those services are even more expensive than having them on. And so I know our percentages are very accurate in the sub3. But I do also know that there it's very easy if if you know the system to inflate the instruction. taking all three together, you cannot get away with having something that is a facility uh HVAC cost being instruction that would get
115flagged immediately. So when it comes Well, we're going the wrong way. When it comes to this, this is I'm I'm very proud of our district and this is something our community absolutely should know for any reason they might want to. >> And just to the Arizona Auditor General is a statef funded office, correct? I think so. >> Yes. >> So, it is established by statute and the legislators. So, any questions about our scores of being very low or where we rank should not be addressed to this district. They should be addressed to those legislators that don't understand what this means. So I I just want to make sure publicly that point is out there because that is happening and legislators are questioning districts about these numbers that are provided to them by a state office.
116>> Yes. Independent state office >> that uniformly judges all 208 districts. no charter school 28 districts and it should be addressed to them >> by by state statute which those legislators >> set. So >> yes, >> that's where the questioning should be. >> Andy, you're you're referring to a phenomenon we sometimes encounter which is people kind of have a a mindset that they they they want to see either um what's the word I'm looking for? either affirmed or >> or not. And if if if you're thinking schools are wasteful, etc., and you see this data, it doesn't doesn't match with that. And so sometimes people question it because the facts don't match with their mindset. If you're thinking schools are great and they're doing the best they can, especially here in Prescuit, this data matches
117with that. But you're exactly right. If they want to question the facts and the data, this is not data that we've produced. It's data that's produced by state agency that's that's created by legislator. attack comes to you >> sometimes >> and that's what needs to stop. You know, >> there is nothing false about this. So, if it doesn't support your opinion, >> right, >> that's not our problem. >> Make that a bumper sticker. All right. Okay. Thought it sounded good. Um All right. This is the other I think well communicated because we also get the you know there is too much administration. Um and it's very defined what is administration by coding it's function 23 24 and 2500 functions um and this is our these are our peer groups and um last year we were
118second to lowest and humbult was lowest now this year it kind of it actually flipped a little bit more and that's not surprising because Humbult actually did make a decision to go away from some instructional coaches and put administrative assistants at their elementary no assistant principles at their elementary levels, which actually jumped them from the lowest administrative to fifth lowest. Um, but we're at 9%. It's actually, I think, the lowest that since I've been in this position. Once again, just like the plan operations, you can go too low with administration because if you don't have a superintendent or an educational leader at the site guiding, um, we become independent and and standards are not equally as hit from classroom to classroom. So 9% is I think pushing it, but um I can't say enough about
119the administrators we do have. And the fact that we do have them with only spending 9% is actually a a slight miracle. >> I'm super proud to present this graph to our community. I'm less proud to present this graph to our administrators. >> Yeah, >> very transparent. >> That's very good. Can you uh explain again and we've heard it many times but um just for everybody's edification what comprises a peer group like how do we fall into this what are the categories? >> Yeah. So it comes to there are like I think seven different peer groups and it really has to do with the size of your district. I mean, it's not just if you're K12 because some of our peers are union high union districts, but we're in operational peer group three. And it
120really is a band of students. It probably has to do a little bit with I don't know if it has to do with the economy of, you know, the the poverty level. Um but uh you know we are not connected with Mesa but we're also not connect we are connected with Humbult which is a little bigger but not Chino which is you know about half the size. So, you know, you can look at I I've looked at, you know, the operational peer group ones and you can kind of see the methodology of how they group, you know, because most of ours are like either northern, middle, or north of Arizona. And so, I think geographic may come into a play, but it's mostly these are the districts that if you choose to have a superintendent,
121you know, you're probably similar amongst your peers because of size. If you choose to have three superintendents with similar size district, you're probably going to have this slide be a little bit skewed that way than being on the lower end. So, it's just hey, how you choose to set up your district will be reflected in your similar size peer group. >> Yeah, I don't know if I answered your question. >> Okay. Any questions on administration? >> Those are set the peer groups are set by the state as well. set by the auditor general. >> Okay. >> I'll underscore what Brian said as well. We got great administrators. We pay our administrators. Close your ears for just a minute. Could go literally anywhere else in the United States of America and make more money. They could
122go to down the road. They could go to Phoenix. They could go to Colorado and make more money doing the same thing. But they love the kids here in Prescuit. A lot of them have graduated from Prescuit. It's in their hearts. And so they do what they do very very well for less. That's the case with all our employee groups, right? You know, our bus drivers make less, our teachers make less, etc. The employee group of all of them that are farthest from their peers is our administrators. And again, that plays well on Main Street, but it it could come at a cost. And so far, fortunately, we've not seen that. We've got great administrators. >> Indeed. >> Uh, next slide. Teacher salary. Um, former superintendent Joe Howard was in his glory in 21-22 when
123we dipped right above that state average. >> We had a celebration. >> Yeah. And then a new superintendent came in and went downhill. >> Um, >> taking shots at everybody from the podium. >> This is the podium is, you know, this is a roast. It's not a presentation. >> I have a question about this. Yes, please. >> I I know the teachers and I don't I don't >> this this might sound like I'm don't uh a little uneducated in this category, but I know they have a great uh retirement plan. Is that factored into these numbers or are those numbers separate? >> No, this is what number what represents the number here is their contract amount. their 301 both teacher compensation and prof per performance pay in this year they actually standardize the coding within
124teachers it usually used to just fall in one coding and it doesn't matter if we were paying them for sports after school care a club or anything and they broke it into like five different categories um they actually clumped about four of those five categories together as calling teacher pay which is this. So none of the benefits fall into this number. It's purely what their gross is in the four areas in which the auditor general say this should be teacher compensation. I think that there still needs to be a little bit of of of not following what they said, but a little bit more education on exactly what those four because I think there's still a little bit of of ways that it can make your teacher average higher. Um, but our six uh our
12561,28 I think it says is is is pretty pretty accurate. Um, and then you know what? I think the 65,000 is pretty accurate, too. The next slide you're going to show, see our peer group and red, if you see it on the next chart, is they're operating on an override and some of them are 15% overrides and their teacher pay is higher than ours. their taxpayers said yes, we will fund our schools more than what the legisl legislator set forth because we know the best thing we can do is put good teachers in front of the kids to make an impact on the rest of their lives. So yes, we are unfortunately lower and this shows our peer group. So we're the green, that's the 61,28. any district in red is operating off of an
126override. And I couldn't tell you if they were in the first five years which it's fully funded or the sixth or the seventh in which it's declined. Um I can say you know Humbult made a big jump from where they were. But I also know that they here's another way that you can kind of make this a difference if you wanted to in a particular year is because some districts have a larger carry forward in that 301 compensation. And so I look up what our neighboring districts pay in 301 because we all get the same amount per pupil but we all have different carry forwards. And last year, Humble decided to pay about 3,000 or a little under 3,000 out of their reserves over what they paid the previous year. And it just happens that
127I'm right about how much more their average pay versus ours on this chart. Teachers just received a little bit more. They received a little over 15,000 about 15,800 in 301 and last year we gave 13,100. So that made a difference with Humboldt jumping on this chart. If Humboldt's dipping into their carry through money now, the carryover, don't they have to continue to do that? >> No, because 301 compensate if they want to continuously pay, you know, hey, you know, they may have enough carry forward to sustain a 16,301 payout for the next eight years. And maybe how much a child is worth >> will continue to go up to catch up with that and they can continue. But it's a dangerous precedence. You know, we've been paying about 13,000 or 13,100 for the last three
128years. And this year, I just actually sent an email about 20 minutes ago, not that I was working during the board meeting, telling teachers that they're going to receive equivalent of 13,100 um on their next checks. They've received 3,000 in December, but they'll receive 10,100 in two weeks from this Friday. and then performance pay um four weeks from >> Humble was paying their folks less for several years. So they built up a surplus and now they're paying that out. So they're temporarily higher than us. >> Yeah. I mean, I looked and, you know, they had they had a sizable like four million carry forward in in in 301 money and, you know, and, you know, it was okay for them, but I would hope that our teachers, if they knew we did that, they'd be
129going, "Why aren't you paying that out or or getting us professional development all of the areas that 301 could be spent on, but we spend most of it on teachers." Brian, um, since Humboldt's our closest peer group in this particular thing, can you tell us if if their ADM is increasing or decreasing over the last couple of years? >> Decreasing. >> Theirs is also decreasing. >> Increasing faster than us. I could probably in 25 seconds pull up their spending report and see what that 6%, but I what I'll email the board. >> It's fine. I was just curious if if they're seeing growth, you know, with um with a lot of families moving to that area, you know, versus being able to choose to live in town and I was just wondering if their ADM
130is going up, but they're also struggling with loss. Okay, >> that's just I don't need specifications. the most recent report which again reflects it's we've got a year lag time may show a slight increase in the ADM but talking with their their superintendent I know that they've gone down uh in enrollment this year >> particularly in the high school >> they're hit harder than us by vouchers uh first of all and at the high school level there's a there's a preference regionally for people to gravitate to Prescat High School >> from from charter schools from Chino Valley High School and from Bradshaw as well so they've actually gone down in their high school enrollment this year while Prescott High School's gone up a little bit even We're being hit by vouchers as well. >> So,
131I I I hate that we're successful at the expense of our neighbors, but that some of that is happening. >> Yeah. Okay. Thanks. I was just curious. >> Cool. Anything else on this slide? >> I will uh I will say that, you know, Mr. Tenny does anything and everything he can to get as much money in her teachers pockets. And so, the previous chart was my little slight was no reflection on Mr. Tenny. And so, just the needs to know that. Yeah, except just realized he's my boss. >> It's it's quite interesting to me to note that we're we're about $3,000ish and change below the state average in spite of the fact that we put more of what comes to us into the classroom than any other place. That just shows there's less coming to
132us. And you know that we've talked about that before how our our funding is in the bottom 14% of all school districts within Arizona, which used to be 49th in the nation and dropped to 50th in the nation. We just got a report today of Yeah. terms of perfume coings >> do >> to the bottom we got >> and I know we also track um our retention so teacher is that part of this at all >> do you have that part of >> um you know Annie from you know teacher retention standpoint going into this year are we still between about 15 and 20% retention rate going >> no we're slightly less than that we're probably closer to about 14% >> 14% >> our retention rate actually is the opposite of that our retention rate
133that's our loss rate 86% Our loss rate is 14. >> Okay, >> just to be clear, >> you know, just one of the other things, you know, so that you know, one obviously the support that goes into retaining is a huge deal, right? And they know that we're working towards getting this right. Um and then also but the all the other supplemental things that help with with the teachers and like the closet and you teachers closet and and the um the education foundation or whatever. So, you know, hopefully this helps with that offset that we just always hear how much money that the teachers are putting into their own classroom and whatnot, too. So, um anyway, so another piece of, you know, beyond your comment, Brian, about our superintendent, but um all the work that
134he does to make sure that everybody's taken care of, that's that also helps with that. Um >> we've got 500 people doing that. I'm just one of those people. You guys are kind. You >> We have to give Brian a hard time. >> I'm I'm trying to write my wrong. >> Yeah. All right, >> you're fine. You're fine. >> You know, I do think from a district standpoint, there are a lot of intangibles and even from a prescuit standpoint. I mean, we have trees like I think Jane said at one point, but um you know, just even the support our teachers do, our our new teacher induction, mentoring with our instructional coaches, the curriculum that the governing board has approved over the last four years, more curriculum adopted >> in the last four years than
135I think the 23 years I've been an administrator in the district. And so I'm hoping even though this and more importantly oops that you know it doesn't help that we live in an extremely expensive place but our teacher you know the fact that we have four houses for you know for teachers to come and have reduced rent. I mean I just think this district does a whole bunch to attract and the retention of teachers is is a testament to that. >> Yeah. Well said. Brian, would you go to the bar graph one more time? I just did some some quick math. If we added 5% to what an average teacher makes, you can see we're the green bar, right? That would bring us to 64436. Now, everybody else is going to go up next year,
136just like we will, right? But if we add 5%, you can see that would put us firmly toward the top of our our peer group. So, if the override passes, we're going to be in the same position as the three red bars to the right of us being able to pay our teachers more, much more competitively. The only the only school district in our peer group that would pay substantially more than us is Kasana. They're just they're operating on a a huge override and have different priorities for their funding and newer buildings etc. >> And I would put a caveat on that and that's with a 7% possible override but with only 5% of that going to raises whereas our our legal council and you know our our consultants basically 5% ask is unheard. I
137mean, why why ask for five, you know? So, I mean, when you ask for an override, you're you're 10 12. I mean, it's some are 15%. >> If we did typical overhead, we'd be number two in this group. >> Absolutely. Substantially. So, >> but again, our reasoning is because we're listening to the community with our dollars. >> We want to be super careful with tax dollars and frankly, we want something sustainable. >> That's right. >> Exactly. >> If it passes this year and doesn't pass again five years from now, Everybody's fall. >> Yeah, there's no way we couldn't do a a pay reduction in that case. >> Okay. Uh they also put us in an achievement peer group. It has um which this does not show that because our achievement pair group is based on
138poverty and I just don't understand the rationale of that. your your boundary poverty d does not we're we're just we we're an example that doesn't match our schools free and reduced percentage. What what this is is you know it's just our neighboring districts. It's it's what we have around us. And so in math, you know, there was 188 uh districts with scores and you can see how with ELA and science and just ranking them uh based upon the p the the passing percentage. Um where we fell within those total districts and then the percentile ranking of those districts. Um I mean every single one we're at least in the the 20th percentile with SC science being 17th or 70th percentile and then just a graph when it comes to PUSD HUSD Chino Valley and then
139where where the state is and we always we have room to grow. I mean it's why we do what we continue to do. you know, we're no child left behind and that just means we're going to keep on working until every child passes within the confines of what this tests because this is just a point in time testing for the kids and does not culminate every single experience of what they learn throughout the 180 days. But >> Brian, clarify once again what PSD percentile means so people don't misinterpret that. So if you were if you were to take all 188 and where we fall um if we were if we were the best we'd be in in in a category of our own and we'd be the zero percentile. And so it's where we fall
140in that. >> So the lower that number is is the better. >> That tells us we're in the top 19% of all school districts in Arizona for math. >> Correct. the top 20% of all school districts in Arizona for ELA and the top 17% of all school districts for >> and this does not have anything to do with funding has has nothing to do with size of the district. This is literally a comparison up there of every district that receives a score in Arizona. Doesn't matter if they're on a 15% override or they just their school was just built and they have the most educational environment with flexible furniture. This is every district and we are we outperform one out of every five districts. No, we perp perform four out of every five districts uh
141based on uh on just the once in April's testing window. >> How come some districts don't have scores? >> There you Well, I was going to ask something else. >> Kills. See, they don't have >> it' be best. Yeah. Go. >> So, there's a variety of reasons. The most common reason that they don't have scores is because they don't have enough students in that cohort. >> They don't have reported scores. >> Reported scores. So, it has to be 10 or more. And so, you see a lot of the smaller districts don't have 10 or more in certain categories, so they don't report. >> So, does that explain the difference between the math number of districts and the ELA? >> That just seems odd to me, but >> could be. You know, once again, this is
142the data file that the auto general at one three years ago, we actually did not have an ELA score. >> Oh, okay. >> Um, and I have no idea why we didn't have an ELA score. And that year, I got that number and it was it was three years ago. I got it from Kelsey because we had an NA. >> Yeah. >> I don't know why. >> Didn't care enough to ask because I had the resource to find out exactly what our passing was. The other reason is if there's something under review, if they're, you know, if they've challenged what the state had reported to them or they have data that's different, if they're still reviewing that, they won't put those scores until they're finalized. >> Jane, you're great, great context, Kelsey. I appreciate that.
143And Jane, you're exactly right. Science gets tested at at different levels, different grades. So, that being different than that, >> but truthfully, math and ELA are the same kids being tested every district. It ought to be exact same number of districts reporting scores. >> I think it's maybe what Kelsey said about their >> Yeah. And I think that maybe that was the reason that three years ago we didn't have a score for ELA. >> It's just interesting. >> Do we have similar data on ACT scores? >> We can. So this includes our ACT scores. >> Oh, it does. >> But we can break ACT out of that. >> Didn't we just see that in your report this week? >> What do you remember from the report? I can I can clarify. >> I remember we
144were better than everyone else. So just we broke out just our high school scores and compared ourselves to the public schools in Cookanino County and county. >> So basically northern Arizona with the exception of some reservation schools. >> We most of those schools have different dynamics than us and don't tend to score as well. So rather than compare ourselves there we we compared ourselves to other schools that have similar demographics of us. The problem presents itself when we start or not us but other people start comparing our ACT to the rest of the like Massachusetts. >> Yeah. >> Or New Jersey because it's just they have 2% of their kids. >> Yeah. But >> you're you're exactly right. And Jen, back to to your point, we have the highest math scores in Northern Arizona by
145a long shot and the highest ELA scores in Arizona. Did we have science scores broken out of that as well, Adam, or did you just share math and ELA with me? I think it's just math and English. >> Okay. Yeah, we can figure that out. I'm guessing it's probably follows that same pattern. So, do we want our kids to do better? Absolutely we do. But are we doing very very well in comparison to other districts with similar demographics and similar resources? Yeah, we are absolutely >> because Arizona statewide now does ACT for every student, >> but other states that we're compared to do not. So, that doesn't it's not at all >> comparing the same thing. I don't think I have the 220. >> I think that last How many did you think? >> I
146think it was >> most recent I checked there. >> Did you say nine? I thought it was eight. >> Okay. >> So, there about 15 states that require. Okay. So, that's one little >> 2024 of how all the states break down and how many of their kids are required to take it. >> And it's >> it's very interesting. What it means is that most of the kids taking the ACT nationwide are students who are self- selecting collegebound students who often take it more than one time. >> Correct. >> Many of them in their senior year where we're we're testing juniors of course. And so of course the national data is going to be higher, but it's not substantially higher. our every single junior has to take it scores compare pretty favorably with your state's seniors
147who are collegebound and paying >> $98 or whatever it is to take test that a couple years ago when you look at you take the top let's say our top 10% of our seniors or top 13% >> and you compare them to states that are only testing 13% of their kids we're way up there it's it's incredibly Yeah, compared. >> That was that's an insightful question because you're looking to compare apples to apples, right? Just our top kids. What are how do our top kids compare to Massachusetts or Connecticut or Kentucky? >> I kept that. >> They blow them away. >> I was I was flabbergasted how well we did compared to that. >> Yeah. Very cool. I I know I asked for this in a past meeting, but I would like to see those
148CTE assessments too at some point and see if we can get those to compare them to other districts that have similar types of CED to see how our because that is a separate assessment. >> It is. Yep. >> I mean, our kids take AP exams, you know, for I mean, so there's >> all of a additional data that we should do a better job of advertising with people. I feel like you presented AP to us last year after all the AP exam. Well, obviously we don't have that data yet because they're testing right now. >> Yeah. But it was >> Yeah. >> Was it I think it was 82 or 83% of our AP kids scored three or higher. Is that what sound right? >> 20% over the previous >> again as far as public
149info goes. >> Absolutely. That's all stuff that >> something I sometimes battle in the community is people will say only 46% of your kids are passing math. That's abject failure. What's the matter with you? And I kind of think to myself, have you ever like followed baseball? If there's somebody who's batten 298, that person's doing really, really well. They're only getting the ball and play and getting on base a third of the time. But if you compare it to other people, that's where the real data comes through is is not looking at 40% or 40% or 34. That that's almost meaningless. It just depends on how, you know, difficult your test is. >> How you compare to other people is really meaningful. And we compare very very well. I'm I'm super tired of trying to
150express to people >> when people say when you bring up your test scores, then we'll give you resources. H that's kind of backwards. Help us out. If you have a test that's so hard and the highest score out of a thousand people who took it was was was a 50%. >> I have >> and you scored 49%. >> I got a 50. >> You did unbelievable on the assessment that was ill matched with the content that you should have known >> or the or the way it was presented. >> I took a physics test in college that I got a 55% on and I went home and cried and it turned out to be a B+. Yeah. Well, there's a reason why there's norm, you know, norm norm adjustments when it comes to >> and
151it's it's the difference state has set us up to fail is the difference between passing versus proficiency. And we're they're interchanging these words and these criteria when proficiency does not mean passing by any stretch of the imagination. Um, you know, I use the example of talking to a a former neighbor who studied Chinese at Embry Riddle, went and lived in China for a year, speaks it fluently, but I asked him, "Are you proficient in Chinese?" And he said, "No, not by a long shot." So that's a difference. He's fluent in Chinese. He can pass any exam you want to give him in Chinese, but he's not proficient in Chinese. So that whole idea and this this >> they're not synonymous >> bothers me to no end because we're talking about passing percentage and we need
152to have data that reflects passing and not proficiency. So 46% proficient is pretty good. >> Well, it's better than four out of five districts out there. >> Yeah. >> And Kelsey, talk about partially proficient. I was just going to say that when you add in and you look at our students who partially proficient, they have a lot of skills. They just don't have all of the pieces quite yet and >> to match wherever the bar was set, sometimes arbitrarily for these tests, >> right? And sometimes it's not even that they don't have the skills, it's they were couldn't navigate the technology component of the assessment in order to show that um which is pretty unfortunate. Or in some of our cases, especially in elementary, it's a one day in time. It could have just been
153an off day. So it's not a true measure of what students know and can do. It's just one measure. Often >> times tests don't capture that anyway, right? Like we it it's very challenging to create a test that captures proficiency >> in its whole the whole picture of what that looks like. Correct. >> And then you combat having to do posters to motivate each other to do the best. You know, that's not your test. Not your test. That's not your >> because this this means nothing to the students and yet it means unfortunately a lot when it comes to externalizing the test. >> And you've also got students like the the group I volunteer with on Tuesdays that >> will say right out, I have no interest in taking these exams. >> It's a six
154test we put in front of them in the last two weeks and they're like, I'm done. >> I have an ACT. I'm going to make a Christmas tree on. >> It's high stakes for you, but it's not high stakes for me. So, yeah. >> Right. I'm gonna I agree with you and I'm gonna turn a new leaf. I'm not going to be mean and point out the fact that Jane just got the nacho test um I just thought the the the light went on and I viewed it from the podium. If I was sitting in my chair, I would not have seen that as well. So, thank you Brett for putting me up here. This was such a good spectator spot for the light that Jane had and the embarrassment that she just said to
155Clark. I just got a nacho test. Okay. And finally, any questions? Because >> I have one that I already asked, but evidently we have an answer now. What percentage of kids from Discovery Garden go on to PUSD kindergarten? >> We do have it. >> And we have a number. >> I do. Yeah. So Stacy Stacy Hop is our Discovery Garden and I texted her and >> she said, so we've got we've got solid data from last year and then we've got data that's self-reported by parents for this year. Last year was definitely one of our better years. Where were we at? Sorry, let me find it. 82% last year. So 82% of our kids. Yeah, that's a very that's a very high percent this year. She says it's in the low 70s and she's very
156frustrated. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> That's still not that bad. Absolutely. I told her that's actually pretty good, Stacy, given the fact that a lot of people are coming to us from Chino and Prescuit Valley and then reasonably make a different decision for their kindergartener. Right. >> Right. Um I think one of the comments that was made to me was also that there are other schools that allow students to go into kindergarten a little bit younger >> and without the testing and the the assessment that we do. And so um I think that also attracts some of those families whose kids are kind of more on that cusp of age group. Can you tell us how many states if you guys even know or I mean is it still common that kindergarten isn't fully funded
157out at the state level? I mean are we the only state? >> We're not letty funding kind of a friend and it's >> Gemini. >> You're right. I mean I have clawed up all the time so I could just ask. >> Let me see what it says while you're talking about other things. I'm still thinking about the nacho test. >> Sorry. >> Asking to blow that one for a little while. That's good. >> You know, and and and and what's hard is that we actually made that decision. We were fully funding kindergarten at one time and then in 2008 2009 >> that's when y >> that was taken from us. And then unfortunately we also and and you know in this slide I feel bad. This does not mean our neighboring districts are not putting
158forth a product that their kids can thrive. It's just you know it's just geographical comparison and you know they're taking the same tests as us and it's natural to to compare. But um you know it it it ended up being that we used to charge parents tuition. Um and have a curriculum that was mainly in the morning because we had a handful of it or we just want our kiddos half day and they went home at noon. Um and then just by competition and the nature of enrollment um you know Humbult started offering free kindergarten and then the next year or the same year we needed to as well because we couldn't afford not to. But it's about $300,000 of nonfunding that we receive at the dis at the state level because we fund our
159teachers fully without charging any tuition. Although we're we're only funded 8:00 a.m. to noon from the state, >> which is equivalent to about a 1% raise about 300,000. >> That's pretty that's >> a little bit more, but >> a little bit more. >> So, this is just AI. >> Mine, too. Take that. >> It'll be interesting to see what your AI says versus mine. >> So, I get two different things. >> As of as of recent data, it says only 21 states require school districts to offer half day kindergarten programs instead of full day. And then I asked for list and it's listing only like seven states. >> California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas, Michigan, and Idaho. >> Mine says that states that require and fully fund kindergarten are full day kindergarten are about 16 to 17
160states. >> That fully fun place in terms of the let me see if I can get some. >> It depends on how you ask the question, right? >> Because there are states that kindergarten is not not mandatory. Yeah, but I mean the point is just like you said, >> just funding. Yeah, >> we're we're getting funding for a half day. So we we could do what some people used to, but almost nobody does that in Arizona anymore. Every school district recognizes how important it is for kids to have a full day of kindergarten and how uh difficult it is to put family in a situation like Brian's talking about. We don't have enough money. We can only get half as much education for our kid this year as everybody else and then we'll start them
161at a disadvantage in first grade. That'll carry on. We just didn't want to see that anymore. We said, "Okay, we're going to squeeze it from someplace else. will pay teachers less across the board and we'll pay for full day kindergarten out of the meager funds that we have. >> Absolutely. No doubt that early intervention and early education is the most important to set a kiddo on a trajectory. And it's a little embarrassing that our state only funds it half. >> Well, it's also disappointing if Jen's figures are correct that 16 states fund full day kindergarten. >> Yeah, it doesn't seem to be a majority. >> That's kind of disappointing for the country. >> It's a little bit disappointing as well. >> It's against all of the research about how >> that every one of the
162states would say is absolutely true and yet it's not a priority knows that instinctively that that's just not right. >> So I asked the question differently, Jen, is it matches with yours a little bit better. What states fully fund kindergarten? Says currently 14 states plus DC. So 15, you got 16. >> So the majority do not fully fund kindergarten. It's ridiculous. >> 34 states do not fully fund >> full day kindergarten. That surprises me. Actually, it makes me feel a little better though, like we're not for once the bottom of the totem pole >> and yet we're still 50th. >> Here we are. We have a little win there. >> Hey, if we funded kindergarten, we'd be 49th to end the day. >> Oh, this is interesting. So, I'm now seeing funding disparity. 32 states
163full fund kindergarten at the same rate as first grade when it is offered, but they might not require districts to offer full day. So, that's a different situation. You see what I'm saying there? So the states that that have a requirement for full day kindergarten and fully funded, there's 15 or 16 near most states, the majority of states, there's only about what what does that mean? There's 28 that don't. The majority of states that says do fully fund kindergarten at the same rate as their first grade, but they don't always require by law for kids to go to kindergarten. That's not unusual. Most states don't require kindergarten, right, >> by law. So the data we were getting is both of those two pieces together required by lawyered >> different different situation >> and just so
164you know the uh AI also told me that the poverty line is is the free lunch is 130% above poverty line >> okay >> 130% and reduced lunch goes up to 185%. >> So that's why our number is so much higher than our poverty line in our community. I mean one of the reasons >> because of the >> because we a family of four can earn up to 41,800 where in real poverty line for federal government family of four can only earn 32,000 >> for the federal poverty line. So it just and still get free lunch and reduce lunch even more. >> I was going to say the red lunch is not necessarily below the federal poverty line. You're right. They're measured in two different ways. >> But that's the general math behind it. >>
165Thank you. I just have one quick comment on, you know, a lot of these numbers we get is where we're comparing ourselves to other people and I think we can I don't see this in our district, but I think some people could get a little bit lax or I guess Roosevelt said comparison is the thief of joy and so if we continually compare ourselves with other people um we might we might lol ourselves into a situation where we don't want to be. But I don't see that in this district. I see the coaches and the teachers and the administrators striving to to do what's best for the kid, not just do what's best compared to what our neighboring district or, you know, another state is doing >> and and set by precedence of the governing
166board because that's exactly what you guys >> Well, one aspect of that is when we have so many student presentations at our board meetings to celebrate instead of because we like to celebrate >> the good things that are happening, >> keep striving for excellence, doing our best for the kids. When we compare ourselves, one of the most important comparisons we can make is how we did last year. How last year's third grade cohort did in fourth grade, right? How this year's third grade cohort did compared to last third >> last year's third grade cohort. All those pieces of data are important to us. Are they the only measure of our success? Far from it, right? That's what you've been talking about all evening, but they're an important one. We pay a lot of attention to
167those standardized test scores, even the ones that come from the kid that were making the Christmas tree on their ACT bubble in sheet. >> We're looking at the clock. We look at the whole thing and say, "Are we getting better? Are we moving the needle? Are we striving for excellence?" Yes, >> I like that point about comparing ourselves to our former self. >> And I think that that's it. I mean, education when it's disjuncted disjointed when it comes to grade levels. I mean, just having a different teacher every single year, you know, be I think it's a hardship. And and I loved when, you know, I had teachers that looped at Taylor Hicks at one point. >> Um Yeah, I know. And it's amazing the amount of time you gain by not having it set
168different precedences. But it's about tracking the child in itself and the growth at that child because >> you know sometimes this is where they're at and they have gained more than a child that you know came with a whole bunch of skills into kindergarten. So, >> I told Kelsey this was only be like five minutes and I thank you for holding. >> I'd like to make a motion that we end Brian's uh presentation. >> Are we Brian? >> Sarah, are we going to get those slides because they're more up to date than the ones I have printed. Get this. >> Yeah. Good. Excellent. Because they're a little more up to date than what I have. All right. Are we done here with this conversation? >> Okay, then we can move on to 8D4, which is
169our next meeting dates. >> You skipped 83. >> I missed that. I did it again. I'm getting punchy. >> 83 request for future agenda items. >> I don't. >> And we had mentioned one and I said we should do that future. Anybody remember what it was? I said assessment comparison. >> So that's one thing we want to do for sure. Yes, >> when we get AP data back, we'll get that ready for you again and then see Ted data and see if we can get comparisons. We'll work with Stitler and say, "Okay, here's how our kids did. That sounds pretty good, but is Baton 301 really good or is it really bad?" And then we can get some comparisons. See? Oh, yeah. It's really good. >> Stuff will be good. All right. Good. Anybody else
170have something for the future items other than I still want to see a phonics lesson someday? I guess Sarah's not going to do it. >> We've got Amazing teachers. >> I know. So, I do want to do that at some future work. >> It was a UFly, right? >> Yeah. >> I think it's important for people to realize that we do teach an intensive rigorous phonics program. >> We haven't given that up. All right. Now, I can go on to D4. >> Very good. >> Our next meeting will be on June the 25th, which is a Thursday at 5 o'clock here in the district boardroom, which is good because you get back from your trip and I get back from my trip. We both would have missed it if it had been on the Tuesday.
171And we didn't mess up your Grand Canyon trip, do we? >> No, that's in September. >> But I will miss the next two board meetings. But I will I will call in >> to be clear. You you would have missed even on the 23rd. It's not like we messed you up. >> I'm working out of town that day and I will do my best to be here especially. >> We'll still have >> Okay, >> we'll have a Yeah, >> we got I'll call. >> So, As long as at least one of you calls in. >> All right, other dates. Do I need to talk about all the other dates? >> Yeah, those are all posted. But >> just for the note of the board, there's a lot of great things that are coming up at
172all of our schools, but here's some from the high school that >> because there's a couple I'm going to not be able to miss. I can't do graduation. >> I can do that. All right. Anything else? And I'm like, what? >> Get to do it. >> Anything else for the before we adjourn for the evening? It's only 10 after seven. This is good, guys. All right, we're a journal.