Governing Board Meeting June 25, 2026 5PM

001He was just passing by. He's the first one on the agenda. Oh man, that's a nice $10. Yeah. FI2027 proposed expenditure budget. Mr. Jim Servin, chief financial officer. Information and discussion. Mr. Servin. Madame President, members of the board. Um, it's time to start thinking about the new school year that's coming up. And one of the first priorities that we have is to come up with a proposed budget. The purpose of this meeting, this section of the meeting, is to give the general public and the um distinguished people here a um a rundown and basically a summary of what the budget will look like based on information that we have currently. before went too fast. Uh the district continues to improve its financial condition. Uh we have based on all of the uh efforts that have

002been done by all the staff uh and Mr. Kenny, we have uh put ourselves in a good position starting 2027. We no longer have a loss carry forward from a prior year and instead we will be actually moving forward with a fund budget fund balance moving forward into 2027. We still are going to carefully monitor expenses along with the recording of revenues and um watching grant um funds and getting the money as fast the cash as fast as we can on all monies due to the district. Um we were able to employ um uh take care of employees with uh uh pay increases which will be discussed later on in the meeting and student counts. We'll be carefully monitoring them along with staffing levels and make changes as quickly as possible um in the event

003that student counts uh drop beyond our um reasonable expectations. I've prepared a summary that compares the final 2025 annual financial report which is the AFR. It takes the final 2026 school year annual financial um report estimate. So that means right now we are still paying bills. We are not incurring that many expenses right now since this is the windown of the um year. But um we still have a few days left in the uh the year and there's always that air conditioner at the last minute or repair at the last minute that we have to take care of for M. We obviously um end going to end the M budget at 40,000. If you look to the right hand column, you'll see that next year's budget is projected to be 44 million. That's because we're

004not starting off 2027 with a loss like we did the prior year. We actually have a carry forward for classroom site fund. It continues to uh grow modestly and um we are pretty much ending um higher for 2027 budget because the amount keeps going up that we get from the state um due to the funding for 301 monies grants. Grants are always an estimate at this point. We have two kinds of grants or two levels of grants in the title programs. The title programs don't illegally end until the federal fiscal year, which is September 30th. So, while we're applying for new grants that start June 1st, we actually still have grants from the prior year that will keep running until September 30th. So, it always makes the budget numbers funny because we have to try

005to account for both budgets, what's left in 26 and what's new for 27. So, we've got two numbers running and then after we do the revision usually in December, that trs up all of the budget um balances that are carried forward because we've got this this information that still we're still booking grant expenses and so forth as as contractors turn in their last of their bills. Our average daily membership as you can see um is is still estimated to stay within a reasonable range. Um if that changes the um obviously the amount of the total budget available in M will drop. The good news is though that because the legislature stayed in session too long, the budget forms were not fully finished until the legislation was passed. So there will be some money coming forward

006when we file a revised budget by September 15th. So we will pick up a little bit more money for the extra money that the every year that the legislature bestows on school districts. So that number could probably go from 300 to 400,000. So we have some cushion if we lose stu some students uh at the 10th day when school starts again. There'll be a little bit of money available for cushion. So hopefully we don't have to drop below $44 million in the budget. And then also the group B weight for um special ed students um is is there and uh it gives us both an idea of where we stand with that. That all affects how much we get obviously in M which is a good healthy number this year. the capital budget. Obviously, we

007are not spending any money in the capital budget and that's count 610 unrestricted capital and we're basically saying at the end of the year we will still finish the end of the year at around $15 million negative balance moving forward. Every year we receive funds um of about $2.5 million and that goes into paying off the debt. So it's pretty much if we do nothing else um we we pretty much got seven you know six seven years six years to pay it off. However this the sale of any type of property and so forth can also be allocated to that capital as well as m can be allocated to that. Are there any questions from members of the public or any board members? Okay. Any questions from the public? No questions. What about the members?

008I have a couple of questions. Okay. Okay. It's uh the first question is how was the budget developed to support our strategic plan priorities? Um obviously they they're taken into account. We uh we take some input. We got input from the departments in need. For instance, I received the technology department gave me their their needs to continue with the technology um uh items that we are uh in committed to every year as far as software and some hardware. Um Dr. Mesa's office also put in uh along with some CNI type stuff, teaching and learning uh programs that they will also need. And in addition to that, there was also money that was um set aside for um professional development, not grant money, but this would be this would be M budget money for board members

009to attend um conferences and so forth. Are we going to get these replaced? probably because it'd be nice to have a permanent sign. Um, we had them before. So, yes, that's why I'm asking. I don't know what happened to the other ones. I don't know. We had zero cash now. That's why I'm asking. Um, Dr. Lily um for teaching and learning what kind of um as you mentioned before I I know that you know and I I kind of asked in the previous meeting um by visiting schools. So what kind of um things are you asking for teaching and learning? Uh so with teaching and learning we are fortunate that we have um curriculum materials that have been already purchased. So that's not that's typically for that department one of the largest um ticket items

010on the budget. Um in terms of uh needs teaching and learning has uh put out for professional development um this year we started with a reboot of the PBIS which is the positive behavior intervention um program and we plan to continue that. a lot more of the professional development development items uh for this upcoming year. I might add to that that along with what Dr. Mesa said, "Is a district had the foresight back when there was the funds to do that, the ESRE money funds to buy a six-year program that was prepaid for six years that allows us to have continuing uh curriculum under what was adopted by the governing board and that will expire in 2028." will be the last year. So at that point in time, the district will have to in its

011budget planning start considering the renewal when that comes up. But the program has definitely been used uh extensively um from the time that it was adopted and paid for and we're still under that that prepayment. Okay. The other question, how does a proposed budget move us forward for long-term financial stability? Uh the the goal obviously is to continue increasing the amount of carry forwards every year and also increasing the amount of cash carry forward. They kind of go hand in hand. Um that way we're we basically have money in the bank if you will and we also have healthy carry forwards for future years when the times might be a little bit tougher than the p previous year. And the last question, as the board as a board receives the monthly finances updates throughout the

012year, are there any concerns that you or Mr. Kenny um have that are watching closely that the board should be aware of? I'll let Mr. Kenny answer that question. He's he's the overseer of that concern. Well, I I mean I obviously I'm constantly monitoring the cash flow and um because as you know Maroba County no longer is willing to register wards um and so I monitor all cash, all invoices going in and out um going out to be paid and make sure that we're and I do I do I do even six week eight week cash projections flow projections um personally to keep keep track. We're we're in our lowest cash time right now because we've received most of our tax revenues at this point. So, the only funds that we have coming in right

013now are um basically state aid payments. So, and this time of the year, we have a large expenses. We pay, you know, completion of contracts for teachers. A lot of payrolls gone out. We have paid out probably 700,000 600 700,000 from teachers who are retired and stuff from the retirement benefits and stuff this things there. So, so we're eating into our cash right now. Um, you know, going down. Luckily, we've got a reserve that's going to carry us. My projections show that basically in July, of course, I don't know if you guys know, but the state has a holdback of our some of our funds that we get this year every year. and we got about $6.5 million coming in July. Last year we had to use that pay our TANS loans. We don't have

014a TANS loan this year. So what does that do? That puts our funds back in there. Um from a budget standpoint, obviously we, you know, we're always monitoring the budget and seeing where we're at in projections there. Um and we try to play conservative effort in that aspect and hopefully increase on that manner all the time. So constantly it's a constant monitoring and adjustment and discussion with the administrative team and stuff there if there's concerns coming up. And what's an update on the on the $10 million that uh that we got the bond and what's the update on that? I have to when are we getting that? The bond the bond will be um aggressively marketed as soon as we get our audit report. We're still working with the auditors day every day. Um, we're

015down to just the little items that seem to be a a bug in their bonnet. I've been talking to them almost daily now and trying to get I'm trying to get it released by the end of this month, maybe a few days after that, but we're close. There was one or two other items that we had to research because it's not there. I mean, the information is not there from prior periods and stuff there, but you know, we've been able to answer most 90 99% of the questions. Fixed assets was are were a mess there. So, um, you know, that was a big issue that held up and now there's a few other few funds that were we're down to one or two things that were there and I'm hoping they can still get it

016released by June 30th. If not, it's probably going to be uh here uh shortly thereafter, but um I'm pushing them. So, just to get clarification, so we start a new budget July 1st. Um we're still waiting till this audit is done. Once the artist is done, then that's when they're going to go out there. Um, you mentioned to do the the um what did you market? They'll do marketing. They've already they've already done some marketing, but until you've got the audited financial statement, you know that they no one will move forward with that. And we're down to questions now like what happened to the assets at the two buildings that we uh sold and so forth. And and then um the last thing that I have is as uh then we start the new year

017um we're going to plan to have a board retreat sometime in August. And I would love for um you know to have a training or uh to talk about how what are we going to do to get out of receiverhip moving forward if you know we could talk about that in in our board retreat in August. Okay. Any else? Any questions besides myself? Madam President, Mr. Gwa. Yeah. Uh, just on Mr. Serbin on um because of the bond and we know there's going to be marketing, right? So, the estimated time that they might be able to go out and sell it, would that be in the first quarter of 2027? Would that be in the second quarter? Because it certainly won't be in the fourth quarter of 2026. No, I get the impression it' be

018in the first quarter of 27. Okay. So once it gets uh marketed and if somebody picks it up then what's the time frame before you know the funds actually start to flow? It'd be on the more or less the closing of the deal. Um it it from that standpoint but I don't anticipate it taking uh the whole process taking more than three months. It doesn't when you do a normal bond. It's usually a three-month period of time um before you get the the proceeds. So this one's a relatively small one and they're doing uh they're planning to try to do a private placement which means the people then there's a lot less bureaucratic tape to follow go through with and that uh the funds will come in within you know quick period of time. Okay.

019So to um President Himemenz's point, so when we sit down and we do the retreat and we start to look at, you know, how can we service the debt, right? Realistically, the 10 million won't even come into play until towards the end of this school year, 2627. So we'll actually be planning for the 2728, whatever those funds that are available that come through in order for us to be able to look at our cash flow, right? I mean, it'll be that timing, so it won't happen right away. We're also going remember we have to get voter approval. Yeah. Um at the ballot in November. So that would then give us the green light after that to start the process also of the marketing it to close schools. Okay. And part of that, so just along

020that same line, um because of some of the things that we know are happening as far as new capital needs that we have now, uh will we be looking out into the future about perhaps doing another bond for capital in the future for HBAC's, for buses, all the things that we typically would have done? That's always a prerogative of the governing board to look at that and and uh frankly, it's it's probably something that we should explore. We once we get the ship, you know, writed up and we start getting the current debt paid off with our friends at Talison, I would definitely say it would be worth exploring a a specific capital bond for the things that that we need on an ongoing basis. What every year just in fixed agreements for software and

021licenses, educational software, just software in general is close to a million dollars. Right. Okay. Just trying to project out a little bit further. You know, glad you brought that up because that's something that I would like to have another bond next year to get out of debt. So, that's why I was asking kind of the timeline of of of this this the bond could not be used for retirement of existing debt. So, we've we had to have assets to back up the the 10 million that that we received in the in the bond. And those assets now have been covered. So there is no more assets that we can utilize to come out for another debt relief type bond. Instead, this would be a bond for things that we've got to have. It is also

022talking about a refresh of computers, both student some student computers and teacher computers. Uh that's that's not cheap to go out for that. So there are definite needs from a capital standpoint and we can't pay for them out of unrestricted capital because it's negative. So that would be the opportunity at that point in time. I don't know this is the appropriate time to talk about all this stuff, but I think some of it it would be a good in in the retreat to talk about um some of the options. There are alternative ways and stuff there when you talk about the bond being used for certain expenses that would relieve other funds that could be used to the bond to pay down the debt. But we can't take a bond now and pay that we

023we'd be in trouble breaking the law and stuff there. So then we just don't have it. Okay. So um that's something we'll discuss and thank you. Any further questions? Okay. Now I call uh regular meeting to order. Uh, Miss Guzman, can you please lead us in the pledgece to the flag of America and to the republic for it stands nation God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Roll call. Governing board president, Miss Patricia Gimenez, present. Governing board vice president, Mr. Harry Garwall, here. Governing board member, Mr. Mr. Rudy Santa Cruz present. Governing board member Miss Maria Hernandez here. And governing board member Miss Maria Guzman present. Thank you. Okay. Next approval a motion to approve the June 25th, 2026 regular governing board meeting agenda. Is there a motion? There a second. Second.

024Okay. Call for the vote. Motion carries. Next, approval of May 14, 2026 public hearing and regular government and board meeting um minutes. Is there a motion? Moved. Is there a second? Second. Any questions um changes? Hearing? None. Call for the vote. Okay, motion carries. Next is governing board reports. First is Miss Guzman. Thank you. I don't have a report. I just want to thank thank everyone for being here today. Thank you. Okay. Um, next is myself. I also want to welcome everybody and uh it's going to be a little bit different this year having one board meeting a month. So, expect to have a long meeting. No more hour meetings. That's done. It's over with. Um, I do want to share something. Um, and and you know, I officially filed my nomination uh petitions. Like

025I always said, I'm going to continue serving in this community till the community doesn't want me. I have always said that um I'm going to stay here. And I just want to kind of um read this really quick. Besides submitting my petitions for the Isaac school district board, I also submitted my nomination petitions for city council for district 4. For 20 23 years, I have stood alongside Isaac students, families, and employees. I've seen the success in our challenges and the impact of our schools have had on this community. I have always believed that leadership means showing up when things are difficult, not walking away from the problems. That's why I remain committed to helping Isaac regain stability and move beyond receiverhip. Whether serving our schools or advocating for neighborhoods, my mission has always been the

026same. fight for the people of this community and work to towards a stronger future for our ch children and families. I look forward of of this year and working together and um you know just putting Isaac the way it was and I am not going to leave Isaac till that happens. So I'm still here and we'll see in November what the community wants but they've been very responsive. So, I have gotten very great support. So, I thank every uh community member that signed my petition and that they've been very supportive. Like I said, as a leader, which I do consider myself a true leader, you don't shy away from problems. You stay and you fix them. Um that's it. Thank you. Next is Mr. Garwell. Yes, Madam President. Just a couple of things. First of

027all, thank you um for providing the opportunity for professional development. Um and so this uh this last June I attended the ASB summer leadership institute in Flagstaff. Uh the retreat really brought schoolboard members and superintendents together to sharpen leadership skills, strengthen governance practice and align their vision as a team. This year's institute embraced the theme and it was a great theme was the peak performance leadership at altitude and flag staff nationally you're going to have altitude in there right? uh encouraging governance teams to elevate their leadership, navigate challenges together and reach new heights and service to their students and communities. It was really a great opportunity to be able to share, you know, with my colleagues around the state and some of the things that we've done in a positive way to help us to

028move Isaac forward again and so that, you know, we get away from this negativity aspect that we're we've been facing. And so there were a lot of questions and it was a good exchange but you know I think as we walked away uh people were confident in where we're going to end up um in this next year you know for moving our our our situation forward and then overcoming it. Um as a result of that I received eight hours certificate of professional development credit which is something that's now required by the state or the county right for us to be able to get professional development. So, I've got eight hours already put to towards that. And it didn't hurt that it was in Flagstaff when it was 100 degrees here in Phoenix day, you know.

029So, I really appreciate it. The other thing is I really look forward uh to joining schoolboard members, superintendents, and legal experts for three days of learning, connection, and advocacy at this year's milestone theme, 250 years of America, 50 years of law law conference leadership. So, this is the annual law conference that we sit down and we have experts come in and tell us what's happened, what's going to be happening in advance. Um, and it's always a good time to be able to sit down and look at these because that's when a lot of the bills start to get developed for the next legislative session. So, it really gives us a jump start on what may be coming down, you know, at the legislature this year. And so as a result of that, I'm looking at

030it forward to it because it's going to be the honors of five decades of governance education and legal leaders who have shaped public education in Arizona. And so with that said, you know, as President Himemenz said, um I consider myself a leader in this. I've been doing this for about 25 years now. And so uh these law conferences, I think with the exception of maybe four, I've attended every year. And I think it's a really good opportunity for us as schoolboard members to sit down with some of the legal beagles and identify how we can navigate through some of these issues that we have right now, but also what what's going to be coming up in the future because public education is not on a good road right now. Um, and we haven't been in

031a while. So, we really need to become much more proactive. So, with that, Madam President, that concludes my report. Thank you. Next is Miss Hernandez. U Madam President, I don't have a report. I just want to welcome everyone and appreciate that you guys came out in this heat to attend and be here and hope you're enjoying your summer to the best ability that you can. Thank you. That's it. Thank you, Mr. Santa Cruz. Thank you. U I I also want to thanks everybody for showing up in this heat. I know it's not the most pleasant time to to come to our meeting. So, I just want everybody to be safe and stay away from the heat. So, thank you. Okay, thank you. Next is superintendent update. Dr. Mesma, Madame President, members of the board, Isaac

032community, it has been some time since uh we had our last meeting and I think we need to get used to that. Uh over the past several weeks, our schools proudly celebrated kindergarten and eighth grade promotion ceremonies across the district. These very special milestones recognize the hard work, the growth, and the achievements of our students as they transition to the next chapter of their educational journey. We congratulate all of our promoting students and extend our appreciation to our families, our teachers, the support staff and administrators who have guided and encouraged them through the year. We're proud of our students accomplishments and look forward to their continued success. Next, I along with principles and some district leadership team members uh had the opportunity to attend the 2026 Elementary and Secondary Education Act conference. This is an

033annual conference put together by AD and is dedicating to empowering districts like ours to build and strengthen effected effective federal grants uh programs and support our students achievement and success. The conference provided valuable training, technical assistance, and collaborative learning opportunities focused on leveraging federal funding to drive meaningful and measurable outcomes for our students. Our team gained pra p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p practical tools, uh resources and strategies that will enhance program implementation, strengthen support systems for students and families and and ensure that our federal resources continue to make a positive impact across all of our schools and community. June 4th was

034also a day when the Heart of Isaac Community Center partner with St. Mary's Food Bank to host a community food distribution event. And to ensure that uh the event was smooth and organized, local families were able to pick up advanced tickets for their food boxes. Waiting out in the heat is no fun. This vital collaboration provided essential groceries and nutritional support during summer months for neighboring uh families, reinforcing the cent's ongoing mission to serve as a resourceful health and wellness hub for our Isaac community. The very next day, uh, June 5th, the Isaac School District, uh, parent education team hosted a family literacy day right across from us at Isaac Middle School, which also serves as the official kickoff for the annual summer reading challenge. Families from across the district gather for a morning filled

035with interactive literacy activities, games, and community resources, and most importantly, book giveaways designed to encourage a love for reading with our students. This successful event provided parents with practical tools to support language development at home, ensuring that students stay engaged and inspired to learn throughout the summer months. Our summer school program was successfully conducted from June 1st through June 18th. And throughout the program, students gained in meaningful learning opportunities designed to strengthen academic skills, support their growth, and prepare them for up for the for the upcoming year. We extend our uh thanks to our families for their continued partnership and commitment to ensuring that their children attended and were ready every morning. We also thank our teachers, administrators, and support staff for their commitment to student success and coming in and teaching during summer. That

036hard work and dedication provide students with a positive and enriching summer learning experience. We recently also hosted the kinder here we come event in partnership with the heart of Isaac. We were pleased to welcome 41 families who participated in this existing opportunity to learn more about uh school particularly kinder and receive resources to support a successful transition to kindergarten. Families received information about kindergarten, our jump start will which will take place in July, strategies for preparing children's for school, access to a variety of free community resources. Events such as this strengthen our partnership with families and help ensure that our youngest learners begin their educational journey prepared, confident, and ready to succeed. In your board packet, you will also find three additional items um for information as you requested. First, you'll find the district organizational

037chart you approved in a previous meeting filled with the staff member names. You also will receive the number of students enrolled in our district from Lasparansa Terrace. And finally, you'll h you have the most updated uh stuff uh updated with number of staff members returning and our vacancies. Madame President, that concludes my report. Thank you. This information and discussion action first is I have a motion to approve the FY2027 proposed expenditure budget. Mr. Jim Servin, financial officer information, discussion, and action. Is there a motion? Is there a second? Second. Any further questions? There are none. Call for the vote. Okay. Motion carries. Next is June 2026 financial overview. Mr. Jim Servin, chief financial officer, information and discussion. Madame President, members of the board, we're uh we're getting down there to the final wire. Um there'll

038be probably one more of these which will basically be a quick summary of where we ended up um for the incumbrance period though. That's that's in mid July. I've given you a list in the report. Um, okay. Let me move the screen. There we go. Um this is as of June 17th and the maintenance and operation budget shows um a budget of 40,000 million expenditures of 35.5 incumbrances which is purchase orders that are outstanding that have u expectation of either receiving bills uh on uh June in June or early July of 3.7 million. I know from continuing to watch the incumbrance uh amounts that that number uh is high. Therefore, that will add to the carry forward that shows up in the uncommitted column. So, we can probably reasonably assume that we'll close out many

039of the POS that are currently in incumbrance and that will free up additional budget. Um, we've got all the funds. If there's any particular fund that you'd be interested in uh uh learning about, please let let me know. But this is our budget and expenditures at that date. Cash balances, as Mr. Kenny said, they are down. We normally have been ending in 78 million in cash and as of 616, the cash balance was about $4.8 8 million which again at this point in time because tax revenues aren't in um it lowers down we will get a cash infusion from state aid for the state aid they hold back from all districts until u following month. Are there any questions? The board have any questions? I don't have any questions but um hopefully like sometime in

040July. You are you going to be here in July? You're going to work in July? Yes. I I'll just call you to make an appointment to see you. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Next. Approval. Approval of FY2026 2027 janitorial services contract renewal with ABM Industries. Mr. Jim Servin, chief financial officer. Information and discussion. Is there a motion? There a second. Second. Um Servin. Uh, Madame President, members of the board, and the public, back in March of 2005, uh, the district uh, went out and did three RFPs. One of those RFPs was for custodial services. It the, uh, RFP was awarded on a five-year basis, uh, or a short five years because it was a midyear and it's still considered a year with ABM um, janitorial services. um they have been the the uh custodians that

041provide a night service where the classrooms are cleaned. They also provide uh when we need them um on a on a high higher basis. We they fill our day custodian positions um as well. We have some district employees that are day custodians and we also have some ABM employees. The the interesting thing is is that when in fact a school is has a ABM employee for a a day custodian, the principal and the staff at the school can ask that they be that that ABM employee be hired as a district employee. Uh we've seen we've had that happen. We have a new employee coming in in July that was a former ABM employee and he'll become a district employee because of his u dedication to the school that he's at. Um, so these dayporter positions

042are very important because they become the in effect the helping hand of the principal when there spills and thrills during the day, when they need a quick cleanup in the cafeteria, emptying the the trash cans when they're full, you know, get full of food and paper and goods and so forth. The day custodians or day porters um are there to take care of that. And so we've got a mix right now. We've got pretty much half are district employees and half of them are um ABM employees. So that contract that's part of the contract that we can do that, but the original RFP pretty much covers the nighttime custodial services and that's what we're asking that that contract be renewed for the the uh second year. Does the board have any questions? Um, I do.

043Okay. The first question that I have is, have we obtained the anticipate have we obtained the anticipated savings from the outsourcing custodial uh services? Yes, we have. How much? Uh, I would have to sit down and dollarize that. I didn't know that would be a question that I should come armed with. But I can tell you and members of the board that uh we are projected to spend $912,000 in custodial services and that includes both their day porters and their nighttime custodians. Okay, that's that like probably when when when we meet in July. Um, has a company kept staffing levels to meet the services? They've kept staffing levels to meet the scope of the work of the RFP. The scope. And the reason that I'm asking that um I think you have a representative here.

044Correct. We do. You do. The reason that I'm asking that because you know in previous meetings and um I've been getting phone calls from um and some teachers that uh sometimes they feel overwhelmed um that they have to get their trash themselves and they have to uh you know that's why you mentioned that the custodian is mostly for the night correct that the crew that we have. Correct. And that's probably why like because they have to do things during the day and I guess during that's that's my follow-up question that I was going to have. Um, we approved the contract as part of their commitment. A part of the commitment was to prioritize the hiring of the staff that we had. So, how many staff members are former um um Isaac? Currently, there are five

045former staff members with ABM with ABM. Yes. That is staff that that have stayed with IBM. ABM. They're they're still five of them are still working for ABM. So, how many are So, those five are the night custodians. They're some of the night custodians. There's there's about 20 night custodians in total throughout the district. How many night do we have? And how many during the day? So we have five day porters and we have approximately uh the full-time equivalent let's say of 20 custodians and then the last question that I have well two more um what is the contract termination clause state and are you comfortable um that the termination clause gives the district the protection the protection it needs? Yes. the the contract it there's a process that's followed in order to to terminate

046a contract. It's very formal. It obviously has to have a input from many different sources including the maintenance department. The um the facts that have come across u a good reference point is the books that are placed in each school there. It's a binder. The principles and staff are encouraged to put in any problems with the service, any concerns that they have with that service in that book. That becomes a written record. And that record then serves as a an ability for the manager of ABM to make staffing corrections if necessary, training corrections. It allows the maintenance department to intercede. One of the things that you have when you have contracted company and they have contract we have contracted with them is if we find somebody that's not doing their job we can request that

047they be replaced. Um that's one of the advantages of that uh particular scenario. um the books. Um uh if I may, Madame President, uh Martin Poff is here and he can uh talk to about an email that was sent out in 2025 to the staff. It essentially the email in a nutshell says principles make sure that your staff is aware that that this book exists and this is basically your complaint forum. We have some schools that are very good about writing things down. Then the ABM manager here is able to see that and make corrections. We have other schools that very few entries appear. Therefore, we can only assume that if there are few entries and they also have to mark down at what they've corrected that problem. But if we see a book that's

048got very few complaints or issues that they found, then we can only assume that at that particular school everything is running well. So for clarification, the staff and the principal should know that there's a book there. Instead of them coming to me and telling me there are these complaints, they should be referring to the school. I could tell them, you need to go to the school and you need to address this with your principal to make sure these concerns are being taken care of. Absolutely. Who's the manager of of You mentioned there's a manager. Brian Mamus is here from ABM. So he he's the manager. Okay. Well, that's why I mean they wanted to see. So yeah, can you please tell me because I would like to know because that's a complaint that I get

049and I want to make sure that you know that we're that they they're aware of this and they come to you and making sure that we're addressing these concerns. Madame President, if I may have, Mr. Brian, can you come up to the podium, please? Thank you. Good evening. Uh, thank you. I'm, you know, happy to be here um for this uh uh board meeting and uh um so my name is Brian Mammoth, regional director uh operations for uh Arizona for uh ABM and specifically Isaac School District. Um our management team is consisting of myself, we have a project manager, her name is Cecilia Ruiz, and uh we have uh supervisors as well uh on a nightly basis here. So, okay, that's good to know. Thank you. You're welcome. And just the last thing, um this

050is probably for a future item agenda. I would like um a presentation, uh Mr. discernment on the cost savings not just on the custodial but also on the food services to see how we're doing because I know that's something that you know we did we had to uh you know do that the rip just kind of for our information just kind of something in the future even in our board retreat just I want to be able to see that that's all the questions I have does anybody else have any questions oh who you oh well you say you didn't address me so I don't You just looked at me. No, no, actually just to follow up because of, you know, what was what you pointed out as far as people calling you up, you know,

051so that begs the question, you know, how have we gotten the information out to the staff and the principles in regards to how do you lodge that complaint? Uh, obviously there's a breakdown of people are calling you directly or maybe they're just not being communicated well. Uh, so Dr. Emma, is that something that we've gone out to purposely inform folks, you know, how to go about that process? Madame President, Mr. Gwald, uh we have in multiple occasions during district uh meetings informed um the principles of the process to um record any complaints and um and what the followup on those items is. Um if they're continued uh complaints um please ensure that they are communicating directly with the principal and or the department supervisor. Thank you very much for being You're welcome. Thank you, Mr.

052Surman. Okay, call for the vote. Okay, motion carries. Next is item D, approve of salary increase. Dr. Lily Mesa LMA, Superintendent Miss Sylvia Karisa, executive director of employee relations, information, discussion, and action. Is there a motion? Is there a second? Second, Miss uh Miss Alma, Madame President, members of the board is community, uh we're bringing a recommendation for a salary increase for eligible returning employees for the 2026 2027 school year. As part of our ongoing commitment to our employees, we conducted a review of employee compensation. The review included examining current salary structures, market competitiveness for hardto- field positions, internal salary alignment, and the district's overall financial position. Based on that review, we are recommended a targeted salary adjustment designed to accomplish three main goals. First is here we go to improve our competitiveness in the

053labor market for hardtoill positions so that we can continue uh to attract and retain highquality employees. The second goal is to improve internal salary alignment by addressing areas where compensation may no longer reflect comparable positions and years of service. And third, to ensure that any compensation improvements remain fiscally responsible and aligned with district's financial recovery efforts. This recommendation represents a balanced approach that recognizes the value the valuable contributions of our employees while remaining mindful of the district budget assumptions and long-term financial sustainability. The proposed compensation plan provides salary increases for all eligible returning employees. The only exceptions are employees who have already received a salary adjustment as a result of accepting a new position within our district for the upcoming school year 2026 2027. And since those employees have already received that compensation adjustment through

054their new placement, they are not included in this recommendation. To meet the objectives of improving market competitiveness and internal alignment, the proposed increase will vary between a one and a 1.5% depending on the employees placement within the salary structure. This is a one-time adjustment that will be applied directly to the employees base salary providing a lasting increase that rather than a temporary stipent or a supplemental pay. As shown in the table, the proposed salary adjustments are projected to increase uh gross pay by approximately 321,000 districtwide. When the associated benefit uh benefits cost are included, the total annual financial impact is approximately $368,000. To break that down, our hourly employees account for approximately 137,000 of that total cost. That includes benefits. Salaried employees account for approximately 249,000 of the overall cost including benefits. So that's the

055combined district of 386 uh,000. Importantly, this cost has already been incorporated as Mr. serving mentioned into the fiscal year 27 proposed expenditure budget and is uh supported by the projected revenues included in the district's budget assumptions that are shared with the board earlier this evening and I would like to invite Miss Karisa to present on the last two slides a collaborative united effort among among the cabinet members HR business services teaching and learning alongside the superintendent and our dict district receiver all uh collectively evaluated internal salary alignment, retention needs and specific market gaps as previously mentioned for the hard to fill roles. Uh we collectively looked and aimed to keep that the balance balance the need to remain market competitive with strict fiscal responsibility and of course as previously mentioned long-term budget sustainability. Next slide

056please. Uh upon board approval, HR will begin issuing contract addendums and salary adjustments and notices. Uh changes take effect July 1 or on the first contract or work date of the employee um as applicable. So that concludes our presentation and we're happy to entertain any questions the board may have of us this evening. Thank you. Does the board have any questions? Okay, hearing none, call for the vote. Okay. Motion carries. Okay. Item E, approve a m mutual termination agreement between ISA school district number five and stellar virtual Arizona for the operation and management of saw water virtual school. Dr. Liy Mesalema, superintendent information, discussion and action. Is there a motion? Is there a second? Second. Dr. Mesalemma. Madame President, members of the board, Isaac Community, we are requesting approval of a mutual termination agreement between

057Isaac School District and Stellar Virtual Arizona for the operation and management of Saguaro Virtual School effective June 30th, 2026. This agreement establishes the responsibilities of both parties to ensure an orderly and compliant transition by outlining the reconciliation of all financial obligations and compliance requirement. Additionally, Stellar Virtual Arizona will assist with any necessary audits and support the secure transfer of district information and records. This agreement has been reviewed by legal counsel and provides a clear framework for transition and termination of the agreement. We respectfully recommend to the board approval of this mutual termination agreement between Isaac School District and Stiller Virtual Arizona. I am happy to answer any questions the board may have. Thank you. Does the board have any questions? Okay, hearing none, call for the vote. motion carries. Next item F, notice of public

058meeting to receive information regarding the intent to close the Isaac Online Prep Academy. Dr. Lily Mesa, superintendent, information and discussion. Is there a motion? Is there a second? Second. Okay. Oh, it's information. Sorry. So, Dr. Mesa Lema, Madame President, members of the board, tonight I am presenting information regarding the district's intent to close Isaac online preparatory academy. This presentation will be will provide background information, enrollment and financial data, operational considerations and next steps as we evaluate the future of this school. ISC uh online prep academy also known as IOPA was established to expand educational op options for students and families seeking virtual learning environments within our district and across Arizona. During the 2024 2025 school year, the district operated two programs, a synchronous online program managed internally with our own staff and curriculum and partner

059with Stellar Virtual for the operation of a of an asynchronous program utilizing their staff and curriculum. Due to the high operating cost of the synchronous program at the end of the school year 2024 2025, as you may recall, we discontinued the synchronous model and continued Isaac on online prep academy or IOPA with stellar virtual partnership as we were intending to have the program generate revenues for the district. However, a review of this year's operations to include current enrollment and financial data indicate that the program is no longer sustainable and does not align with the district's fiscal recovery efforts. One of the primary reasons for recommending closure of IOPA is its low enrollment. The program served only 36 students throughout the year and this includes students that enrolled and then later withdrew from the program during

060the year as represented by the students that were enrolled at the start and then the end of the year. The overall number of students served is very small and no longer serving students within our district boundaries. Due to the small number of students served, it does not support the continued investment of district resources required to support the operations of the program. Finally, the program is not generating the sufficient revenue to justify the continued operations. Based on the June 26 BSA 55 report, the program generated approximately $105,000 in gross revenues. Of that amount, the district retained only about $5,200 while approximately $100,000 was paid to the online provider. The revenue retained by the district does not offset the cost associated with the supporting and the administering of the program. In addition to the financial challenges, the

061program requires significant support from district staff, technology services, enrollment management, compliance reporting, student records, and ongoing oversight of of all required staff time and resources. Given given the limited enrollment and financial return, continuing the program is not aligned with the district priorities and sustainability operational efficiency as well as uh sustainable student services. Stellar Virtual initially notified families on February 12th of their intent to close their operations through Stellar Virtual Schools. Families were provided options to transfer to another stellar online school, enroll in their neighborhood schools. Again, the students uh none of them were within our school bounds and obtain student records as needed. Notice of this public meeting was provided on June June uh 17th and tonight's meeting provides information to you and our community regarding the district's intent to close IOPA and allows an

062opportunity for public comment. The recommendation to close IOPA is based on low enrollment, limited financial bene benefit and operational demands in alignment with the district physical uh fiscal recovery goals. The next board meeting is scheduled for July 9th at 5:00 pm in this room uh where uh the board will consider uh closing of IOPA as an agenda item. That concludes my presentation and I'm happy to answer any questions the board may have. Thank you. Does the board have any questions? Okay, hearing none, it was just information. So next, approval of facility use agreement and lease of school property between Isaac Elementary District number five and Right of Passage, Inc. Southwest Leadership Academy. Mr. Jim Servin, chief financial officer, information discussion and action. Is there a motion? There a second. Second, Mr. Servant. Madame President, members

063of the board, as you're aware, we have been uh leasing out to um a school by the that we call Smith School, and it's being leased by a um more or less a charter high school district that goes by the name of Right of Passage. Uh this lease has been um a year-to-year lease, and it's been renewed now for a few years. Um this current year it has we've included a 2% increase which brings the approximate amount of the annual rents to $381,000 to the district. In addition to that, starting last year, we put caps on the utilities um because the district is paying the utilities and the one area that is most we keep the eye on is uh the water because they have not really nice playfields there and it uses a lot

064of water. So, we did put budgetary restrictions on them so that they have a particular three-year average that they have to um stay within to avoid, you know, excess water expenses to the district. So, this lease is a a renewal of that. They'll be under that same budgetary watch for their water usage. All the other utilities are within reasonable lines and and staying nice and uh re steady with that. um consistent with what our district does and uh we look forward to another year with uh hosting the uh Smith School right of passage um people renting from us. Does the board have any questions? Mr. Gwell, so Mr. Serbin, when we were talking about a 2% increase, uh does that really cover the costs of the operation of the facility there? Uh it's so obviously

065some costs go up, some costs go down. In past years, the district has spent a considerable amount of money on um air conditioners has been our biggest expense. Um it's been very, you know, quiet this year because we pretty much replaced all the the major things that are going to go wrong. Are prices going up more than 2%? Yes, we're all aware of that. Um, but like all school districts, their limitation is they're pretty much limited within the amount that they get increased as well, unless we had another tenant that was was um qualified tenant that was willing to rent at a higher rate. That's why we do it one year at a time. If something should come up, a tenant would want to increase that amount, then we would entertain that. Yeah. Well, I

066always find it interesting because, you know, as we we've said a couple times, uh, public education is is a whole different u, you know, industry and and when you look at commercial residential, you know, you always look at market rate and you see what the uh the adjustments have to be made on a on an annual basis. U, but in schools, you know, it doesn't seem to work that same formula. You know, it's just what we can get by on. And uh I think sometimes that's what uh gets, you know, school districts into a situation, right? But again, it's up to us to make sure that we've got the right people in the positions uh that are making these decisions on our behalf so that we're able to go ahead and start moving forward. Otherwise,

067you know, we're continue to be a loss leader in my world, you know, in everything we're doing as far as even leasing out properties. Um so it's important for us to at least understand what our return on investment is when we start to think about these things. But um it doesn't really fit this this this model very well. So that's a little bit of uh my frustrations, you know, on a on a day-to-day basis when I look at this industry in particular. So that's why I asked the question because I didn't think 2% was going to be covering all that, you know, but uh at the same time, that's that's about the best we're going to be able to do right now. Yeah. Unfortunately or fortunately, this the school was built by the school facilities

068board back in the day. Um it was very expensive to build. um we we have access to the cost amounts that were spent on the school and we are not in a con we are unable to sell that school. It belongs to the state and so development or leaseold improvements are highly restricted um given the fact that it's it's not our physical property. We get it as long as we're going to continue to use it. That does include renting it. Um but if if we could not go out on the open market and sell it um to obtain cash. Okay. Any further questions? Karen N. Call for the vote. Motion carries. Next is item H. Recommendation of approval of administrative staff promotion. Miss Elena Estrada as director of student services. Miss Sylvia Karisa, executive director

069of employee relations, information, discussion, and action. Is there a motion? Is there a second? Back up. Okay, Miss Karisa. Good evening, Madame President, governing board members, and Dr. Lily. I'm pleased to present a recommendation for the promotion of administrative staff. Your approval is requested tonight for the promotion of Miss Elena Estrada to the position of director of student services. Miss Estrada has been a dedicated member of our district team since 2006, successfully serving in a variety of vital roles, including preschool teacher, instructional specialist, and her current role as special education coordinator. Throughout her tenure, she has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, a deep commitment to student success and extensive expertise in supporting our students and families. Because of her deep inst institutional knowledge, dedication, and proven track record, we believe she's exceptionally wellqualified to lead the

070student services department and continue advancing our district's mission to meet the diverse needs of all our scholars. I respectfully request your approval of this recommendation. Okay. Does the board have any questions? Okay, call for the vote. Okay, motion carries. Congratulations. Um, I want to say something. if you want to say something. Um, I have known you since I started as an employee. I think I was a parent. I was a parent. I was a pair professional. We worked together at the preschool. Our kids are the same age. Um, I You're homegrown. You're our family. I mean, you've been here since I've been here. And to me, it's an honor and and seeing you grow and seeing you what you do and how much you care for our students. So I we couldn't got the the

071best person for this. So I thank you for staying with us. If you want to say something, you have the floor up to you. But good evening, governing board president, Mr. Menz, governing board members, superintendent Dr. Mesma, district leaders, colleagues, family, and community members. So, I joined Isaac family many years ago, actually in 1994. I just graduated. Um, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the district leaders and governing board for your confidence in me and for entrusting me with this important responsibility. I am proud to serve the district whose work is grounded in the values of access, excellence, collaboration, and accountability. I believe that our greatest success comes from working together by partnering partnering with one another and remaining focused on the needs of our students. We can continue creating and learning

072environments where every child feels safe, valued, supported, and empowered to achieve their full potential. I love coming to work each and every day. I'm excited for the work ahead because I have so many things to learn. I am humbled by the opportunity to continue serving this incredible district. I hope to make people smile more as we work together to continue to build upon the strong foundation already in place and continue making a positive impact for students and families. I would also like to thank my family who are here in my heart and in spirit. They've been an amazing support system and I'm grateful and thankful for the opportunities to have learned from so many dedicated educators, families, Mr. Serban, Mr. Kenny, students, Dr. Misma and leaders within the district itself. You too Scotty Sala. Thank

073you again, governing board members and district leaders for your trust and confidence. I'm deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve in this position and continue serving my second family, the Isaac district community. Thank you. And as we go to item I, end of the year teaching and learning report, Dr. Dennis Lton, executive director of teaching and learning, information and discussion. Mr. Madame President, members of the board, Dr. Milema. Um, do I have the clicker? So, this evening I'm going to be sharing some information about some of our programs and some end of year data uh related to pillar one, which is educational excellence for our strategic plan. So the first for the first piece I'm going to ask um our teaching and learning coordinator is Tina Aragon to present uh data on some

074of our our programs that we've been working on this year. Good evening madame president, board members and superintendent. Um, under pillar one, educational excellence and district our district remains focused on three core priorities. Closing opportunity gaps, improving reading and writing achievement, and strengthening math and science outcomes. To support these priorities, we implemented both afterchool and summer programming designed to provide targeted academic intervention while also offering students meaningful enrichment opportunities. These programs were intentionally structured to accelerate learning, address unfinished learning, and support students growth in a well-rounded way. Our after-school tutoring program focused on targeted intervention in ELA and math. At the middle school level, programming ran from January through April, while elementary sites began in February and continued through April. In addition to ELA and math intervention, we intentionally incorporated a well-rounded STEAM focus to

075provide students with engaging hands-on learning experiences. Funding for ELA and math supports came through Title One, while steam programming was funded through title 4. At the middle school level, we also piloted immerse, a language development program funded through title three. This program was designed to strengthen academic language, support multilingual learners, and build language proficiency across content areas. Program schedules slight varied slightly. Elementary schools operated Monday through Wednesday. Middle school operated Monday through Friday with no classes on Thursday. This structure allowed us to provide consistent intervention while balancing staffing and student participation. Our summer school program continued this targeted support and was fully funded through title one. The program focused on ELA and math intervention while ensuring every site also included an enrichment component to keep students engaged and promoted well-rounded learning experiences. Summer programming ran

076from June 1st through June 18th, operating Monday through f Friday for five hours each day. Overall, both our after-school and summer programs were designed to provide focused academic intervention, enrichment, and equitable access to support all learners. Along with general academic programming, we also ensured specialized populations received targeted support through intervention and evaluation services. Here we can see our specialized instruction classroom data across sites. These classrooms provided targeted support for students requiring more intensive intervention both academic and be in academic and behaviorally. The purpose of including specialized instruction during before and after school programming was to ensure students receiving services continue to have access to structured support beyond the regular school day. This allowed us to provide additional opportunities for skill reinforcement, intervention, and individualized instruction. This final slide shows our Childfind evaluation data. Childfind is

077an important process used to identify students who may need special education services or additional support. Through these evaluations, we were able to continue early identification efforts and ensure students with potential learning needs were recognized as early as possible. This work supports our commitment to providing equitable access to services and ensuring students receive the interventions they need to be successful. For the next piece, I I will be uh sharing some data from the ID uh reading and math benchmark. And as we had discussed earlier in the year, this was very much an adjustment year for the schools uh because at the end of last year, we lost a lot of of our experienced teachers. And then we had staff and students moving to new sites because of the the closure of our two our two school

078sites. And as Dr. Mesma mentioned, we had to really focus this year on uh school culture and classroom management uh pieces because we have a lot of new uh teachers coming into the district. So as we look at the data um this is almost like a reset year like postco. So this will be kind of our baseline and so the plan is moving forward we will be building from from where we are where this year. So the district goal is to um increase proficiency which is the green by 20% or more in reading and math and to reduce the the red which is students that are um two or more levels below by by 20% also. So the top graph is showing reading. So you can see as a district in reading we met the

079goal of increasing by 20%. Um on reducing the students that that are below level we didn't we didn't hit that goal. So we only had 14% in reading and then for math we exceeded goal 25% but for reading uh sorry for reducing the students below level uh we just missed the goal we had 18%. Um so we we hit the goal of increasing um the students to getting students on level but we didn't hit the goals for um meeting closing the gap on the students that are working below level. Um this is the data note just for Alti Butler school. So you can see uh Butler uh they met three of the four goal areas and they were above 25% for reading and math. Um so they were they they exceeded the goal for those

080two. Next uh site is Esparanza. You can see again they hit the they hit the goals for increasing the students on level. Um but they just missed the the the second goal of reducing the students below level. This is Isaac Middle School. Uh we didn't hit sorry we didn't hit any of the goal areas on that one. I go back back again. Yeah, sorry. Isaac Middle School. Um, and I will talk about that in in a little bit. Uh, this is JB Sutton. JB Sutton made all the goal in all all four areas. And so, um, they were, I think, the only site that that managed to do that this year. So, Zo, they met the goal again in increasing the percent of students on level And they hit uh they also in math they

081they hit the goal for reducing the students below level. So they hit three out of the four goal areas in Mitchell again we hit three out of the four goal areas they were increased their reading by 30% for exceeding the goal and the same thing with math and um and then they they also met the math reducing the the percent of students below level. Um, Mars Canudo, they just missed it on the math is 17% and 17% so they came close but they didn't quite get to the 20%. And then Po Sol um they met in math they they met the goals for um increasing beyond level and decreasing the the percent of students below level. So some takeaways from the benchmark data at the end of the year is that we did meet the

082the goal of increasing the percent of students performing above level by 20% or more. However, we didn't not we didn't meet the the goal of reducing the percent of students two or more levels below by 20%. And um so that points a need to revi uh revisit and revise our tier 2 intervention plans. The the work that we do to to help students to catch up like uh Miss Aragon was just sharing our afterchool programs where we target students and we really focus in on their specific needs. Um Isaac Middle School recommending that they need targeted district support in both reading and math for the the 26 27 school year. And um we continue to see a drop in performance from kinder to first grade in both reading and math. And um our kinder students

083do they do quite well like we're we're at about the 35th percentile nationally which is not where we want to be but um in first grade that drops down closer to 20%. And so, uh, we we need to really have a team to look into the root causes of why are we seeing that drop in first grade? Because then that gap starts to open up and then it it's more work as as years go on to to close those gaps. So, does the board have any questions at this time? Thank you. Does the board have any questions, Madam President? Mr. Garwell. Yeah, just a couple comments and then a question. Um so I know we're all aware that you know the key indicators for success for students are typically you know third grade level proficiency

084in reading and then u math at at the middle school. Uh those are really g the gatekeepers for our student achievements right to be able to move forward to have success. Um, so I'm glad that we're moving towards that. And although we're not we didn't make the efforts, I mean, didn't make the the goals on some of those. But I guess the thing that troubles me the most right now is that this last bullet point where our kinders to first grade, right? That's a gap. Uh, I understand the other ones when you said there was a cultural shift because of school closures. You know, we had to contend with all that, but in the kindergart from kinder to first, it's typically the same body that's moving forward. So I I guess that's to me uh

085doesn't doesn't bode well, doesn't explain, you know, or give me any comfort because as you mentioned, if you're going down from kinder to first, then by the time you get to third, you're already behind and and Dr. Lema, you know that for me, proficiency has always been my top priority for our students here. I've said that since day one. So I'm really concerned about the fact that we're seeing a drop in performance from kinder to first. And I would really encourage us, you know, to a hard look at that and come up with you know what are the root causes you know is it I I won't even guess you know you all the subject experts but there was no cultural change there was no impact to anything else outside of the elements that we

086had there when they first walked into kinder to going on to first grade you know so that's very troublesome to me because I know that if that continues to move forward in that same direction by the time we get to third grade reading proficiencies we're not going going to meet that goal and we just set our kids up for failure. So question for you is, you know, can we find that out? And I I know that you're going to be looking at the root cause. Um but I really would suggest that we look at that very very closely and we really stay on top of that between now and the beginning of the opening of this next school year. Any further questions? Thank you. Next we have approval of grades six and eight English language

087arts textbook adoption. Mr. Dennis Latin, executive director of teaching and learning information discussion and action. Is there a motion? Second. Okay. Mr. Latin. Madame President, members of the board is a community Dr. Mma. As doc, as Mr. Serbin mentioned, we had secured um longer term contracts with many of our our textbook or curriculum programs, but unfortunately our 68 English language arts did expire. That agreement did expire. And so that forced us to go out then and be looking for options again that were uh budget friendly. And again, our our coordinator Tina Aragon, she led this adoption process and she will share about that now. Tonight, Dr. Lton and I are presenting our recommendation for the grades 6 through 8 English language arts textbook adoption. Our goal was to identify a high quality instructional resource that

088would provide rigorous standard aligned instruction while also meeting the needs of our teachers and students across all our middle school campuses. There were several important reasons we began this adoption process. First, our previous adopted textbook purchase had expired, requiring us to identify a new instructional resource. Second, due to funding limitations, we needed to explore options that offered greater financial flexibility. Open-source materials became an attractive option because they reduce long-term costs while still maintaining quality. Third, we wanted to ensure all students across our three middle schools had access to a guaranteed and viable curriculum, meaning every student receives access to aligned, rigorous instruction regardless of campus or teacher. Finally, we prioritized resources aligned with Arizona State standards and capable of supporting our multilingual learners. We intentionally designed the adoption committee to include multiple perspectives. The committee

089included middle school ELA teachers from all three campuses, an instructional coach, an assistant principal, a and curriculum leadership. Most importantly, teachers voice remains central throughout the entire process because teachers are the ones implementing the curriculum daily. Their feedback on usability, rigor, and practicality was critical in selecting the best resource. Our adoption process followed a structured timeline to ensure transparency and thoughtful decision-making. The process launched on April 2nd. By April 9th, we had selected the textbook options for review. During April and May, materials were publicly displayed and committee members used evalu evaluation rubrics to review each option. All rubric evaluations were submitted by May 22nd. And tonight, we are presenting our final recommendation to the governing board. The committee reviewed three highquality curriculum options. Common lit 360, open up, and core knowledge ELA. Each resource offered

090strengths, but we evaluated them through the lens of district needs, implementation feasibility, and long-term sustainability. To ensure the review process remained objective, we evaluated each resource using common criteria. We looked at standards alignment, reading and writing rigor, cultural responsiveness, student supports, teacher supports, digital resources, and assessments. These this criteria helped us determine not only which curriculum was academically strong, but also which one would be most practical for classroom implementation. As teachers reviewed the material, several themes consistently emerged. Teachers prioritize accessibility for students, strong standard alignment, student engagement, intervention support, and realistic implementation. Across these areas, Common Lit consistently scored the highest. Teachers felt it offered strong instructional rigor while still being practical to implement in real classrooms. When committee members submitted their final votes, the results were clear. Common lit 360 received all six first

091choice votes. Neither open up nor core knowledge received a first choice vote. The unanimous result reflected strong consensus among committee members. While common lit emerged as the strongest option, the committee also identified areas requiring additional support. One concern was the limited availability of hard copy materials since the program is primarily digital. A second concern was that writing instruction would need additional supplementation to fully meet district expectations. To address these concerns, we developed mitigation plans, including professional development, curriculum mapping, and common assessments. These supports will help ensure consistent implementation across all campuses. Our implementation plan is already underway. During summer 2026, we are developing curriculum maps and pacing guides aligned to district expectations. Teachers will receive professional develop professional learning to to support effective implementation during the 2627 school year. We will continue support through professional

092learning communities, classroom walkthroughs, and progress monitoring. This will help ensure the curriculum is implemented with fidelity and adjusted based on student outcomes. One major advantage of this adoption is financial sustainability. Because common lid is open source, it significantly reduces curriculum expenses compared to traditional textbook adoptions. This creates opportunity to reallocate funds towards other important supports such as teacher coaching, professional development, and intervention supports. Based on the committee re committee's review, teacher feedback, and evaluation data, we recommend adopting Common Lit 360 for grades six through 8 English language arts. We believe Common Lit offers the best balance of academic rigor, teacher usability, student accessibility, and long-term sustainability. This adoption will help ensure all middle school students have access to highquality ELA instruction aligned to district goals. Thank you for your time and consideration. At this time,

093we are happy to answer any questions. The board have any questions? I do. Um, approximately how many sixth to 8th grade students do we have? I have about 1500. So my next question is I like I mentioned before when I do my my visits they're each going to get a book correct or they're going to make copies. that's one of the options. It's also um could be uploaded to their Google classroom. So it's all digital. So um those are the things that we're working out now. So some of the teachers will get a hard copy for themselves um as part of the program. But in order to make the copies, we would have to put in um a work order of it. Okay, I'm confused. Madame President, if I may um explain. So the the

094curriculum itself, it's all digital. That's why it's called open source. It provides teachers the ability to print uh selected pages. Whatever the student is going to need, that can be printed, but it does not come with uh workbooks. So it's digital like our previous adoptions and this is what um decreases the cost of a new adoption. The fact that we can have it available online free of cost. The um the only um drawback to that is um copies need to be made for any items that the students need to have printed in front of them. as um Miss Aragon say the resource will be on the computer for for students as well. That's kind of like an issue to me. So if somebody needs a copy, I mean what's the timeline of getting that copy

095and giving it to the student like you said they have to request it? you mentioned. Well, no, teachers can make copies on their own, but if it's like a bulk, like let's say they want them for every single student in their class, they have the option of having the copies made and this way it's not part of the teacher's responsibility or sometimes it's just uploading it into Google Classroom and the kids have access the the story is there. Everything's digital so it can all be uploaded. But for some students having those hard copies is what a teacher might need for her small group. So, it might be a few copies. It might be like a harder text that they want to copy for each each group, but then they make one copy, one set, and

096they reuse them per um section that comes through their their classroom. And the one that you're recommending, how is this going to accommodate our special needs students? So, they within each of the curriculums, they have supplemental resources for both language learners and um students who need additional support. So they have scaffolds embedded just like all other curriculums. So it had all the components that all other curriculums have. It's just not a physical book. It would be um an online resource. Um well they're sixth to eighth graders. They should be computer savvy. Correct. And on their phone. How much did this cost us? This will be free. Um free. Yes. And the there's no such thing as free. So the PD if we get PD um the PD would cost us um I think can you

097explain PD again? Uh professional development. So an onboarding someone would come a trainer would join us and kind of show the walk the teachers through the program talk about the routines but the the cost is free for the um the digital sources. Mr. You don't want to pay for your Just kidding. Well, I mean that's great. I mean, if I am support of, you know, if this is good for our kids. Um, I always just kind of think, you know, I mean, they're sixth to eighth grade. They should be, you know, I'm still old school. I have to get used to this, but I always like, you know, my heart copy, but Well, that's great. Okay. Well, you know, we've been doing I look forward to when I visit schools to to go and and

098see what they're doing. Um, so I look forward to doing that. But the teachers have been excited. We started the curriculum mapping process and they've been very excited. Are you guys going to take pictures when you guys have this, you know, present it to us, showcase it, I mean, everything that we're doing, you know. Okay, perfect. Well, thank you. Okay, well, call for the vote. Okay, motion carries. I have to get used to these meetings. Okay, item K, approval of 2026 2027 teacher evaluation handbook. Miss Silia Garisa, executive director of employee relations information, discussion, and action. Is there a motion? Is there a second? Second. Miss Karisa. Good evening again, Madame President, governing board members, Dr. uh Mes Lily Mesma. Uh this evening, I'm pleased to present the overview of the Isaac School District teacher

099performance evaluation handbook for the upcoming 2627 school year. So to guide our discussion this evening, uh I'll start to share or in sharing why this evaluation handbook exists. Um as I've shared previously in this annual presentation, our ultimate purpose is to improve the quality of instruction, strengthen our staff's profess professional abilities, excuse me, and emphasize a culture of open communication and effective teaching. The components built into this framework include teacher self- assessment, formal and informal observations, the vital pre and post observation conference conferences that allow for collaborative communication amongst the evaluator and the teacher or the employee being evaluated. Now, for those worried about any major overhauls this year, I have great news. Our annual review resulted in really minimal changes. And those minimal changes were more with the formatting and of course updating the

100school year to 2627. There h there have been and will not be upon your approval no changes to the evaluation process. This is really good because it allows and it's we are being very intentional about continuing our established procedures and standards to ensure consistency and equity across the board. And of course, our teacher teachers also appreciate the consistency of having the same teacher evaluation framework from year to year. Uh if as we take a closer look um in regards to the evaluation procedures, again they're the same that has been presented to you in past years. Um it involves as I stated earlier uh the procedures is one complete classroom observation with the teacher self assessment the pre and the post observation and then of course a summit of evaluation that has a combination of what

101the evaluator collects during the learning walk which is basically the uh principal or the evaluator uh collecting data on the teacher during those learning walks and they use that to also give them the overall score for their uh evaluation. And speaking of evaluation, the individuals are able to earn one of the following ratings. Highly effective, effective, developing, and ineffective. Uh the timeline here that is or this just gives you a flow of what I've discussed. Obviously, it starts with the teacher self-reflection and assessment. Then the evaluators engage in the learning walk to collect data. The first observation um which uh before that is the pre-observation or the pre-conference so that the principal and the teacher can speak about the lesson speak about the standards and speak about what subgroups of scholars they have before them

102and what the evaluators should expect to see during the observation. Then um moving on to the additional uh learning walk, excuse me, followed by the second observation that um if the individuals meet the criteria, they would just repeat that cycle again. just to give you a little bit uh of information or just a review if you will of our evaluation framework. It is set with the four cornerstones um that really allow the teacher to guide their planning, guide their practice and really allow them to reflect on the questions of how are they organizing the rules and procedures in their class? How do they prepare students and present new learning? Are they building positive relationships and a sophisticated culture of thinking? And finally, how are they deepening and applying, celebrating, and motivating students learning while staying

103committed to their own professional practice? Again, this is a framework that we've had for years and just reviewing some of the major components that the teachers plan and of course have to discuss with their evaluator. The next area is the the five episodes of effective instruction. And there again, this is what the teachers really look at and discuss with their principal or administrator on site as they prepare for their lesson and they are engaged in the reflection and have open lines of communication about the lesson with their evaluator. Finally, uh I in full transparency and fairness, we do have obviously the appeal process that that is embedded within our teacher evaluation process and handbook. Teachers uh are able to initiate this. They must submit a written reaction or rebuttal within 10 calendar days. This this

104is first reviewed by the building administrator and can be escalated to district administration if a res if a resolution is not met. Excuse me. So that is embedded within our handbook. It is also important to note that our handbook strictly compi strictly complies with Arizona Revide Statute 15-537. State law mandates specific guard rails including at least two actual classroom observations of an an uninterrupted lesson by a a qualified evaluator. And then of course that there must be 60 calendar days between the first and the last observation. Furthermore, observations cannot be conducted within two instructional days of a school holiday or break lasting a week or more and written feedback must be delivered to the teacher within 10 business days following the observations. These are all embedded in our evaluation handbook. Evaluators and teachers are also

105aware of the of this state uh revised statute that's been embedded. Again, just wanted to reiterate uh reiterate, excuse me, and emphasize that there is no change to the process, which is good and allows for consistency and continued reflection and refinement on the teachers end and of course on the evaluator's end as well. This concludes my presentation to the board. I am happy to entertain any questions you may have. Okay. Does the board have any questions? Okay. Hearing none, call for the vote. Okay. Motion carries. Next we move on to Um, consent agenda. Can I have a motion to approve the consent agenda pulling item 9J? Is there a motion? Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say it correctly, Dr. Lily? Yeah, correct. Yes. NJ. Okay. Is there a second? Second. Okay. Um, call for the

106vote. What happened? I fell asleep. telling you how where am I? Right here. Okay. So, you sending. Okay. Technology. Thank you. Okay. Motion carries. Next, we have called to the public. Madame President, this evening we do not have any requests to address the governing board. Okay. Next, uh, enrollment, average daily membership and average daily attendance for the sum of ADM enrollment 4648, average daily memberships 3849, average daily attendance 3768, enrollment 4,158. Our calendar is July 25th, 2026, Isaac school district number five, healthcare molina back to school health fair at Isaac Middle School. July 30th, back to school rally at Morris Kayuda. July 30th, meet the teacher night, August 3rd, first day of school. Uh, and if I don't hear any objections, our next governing board meeting will be here 5:00 p.m. Thursday, July 9th. So

107meeting a journal.