Governing Board Special Meeting and Regular Meeting - February 26th, 2026

001and Natalie Holloway. The pledge of allegiance we will let will be led by Cadet Ana de la Cruz. After the pledge, please remain standing for the national an anthem tonight. The national anthem is recorded and performed by Stapley Junior High Band. Please stand. Please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance 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. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] [music] Heat. [music] [music] Hey, Heat. Thank you, Mesa. I JOTC and a special thank you to our Stapley Junior High band. We will begin tonight's uh governing board meeting with a video on governing board procedures and then I

002will read a statement. [cough] >> Welcome to the Mesa Public Schools governing board meeting. We appreciate your interest in the district. The five elected governing [music] board members serve without compensation and volunteer countless hours. The president and the clerk of the board are elected in January. Under state law, the governing board may only discuss and vote [music] on matters that are on the agenda for tonight's meeting. Agendas are posted at minimum of 24 hours in advance [music] on the Mesa Public Schools website and in the curriculum services center. Copies of tonight's [music] agenda are located in the lobby. At every regular meeting, the public may speak on any item of business [music] on the agenda that the board discusses or requires the board to take action. During the second regular meeting of each month, the

003agenda will include a call to the public. This is an opportunity to speak to the governing board about a school district matter that is [music] not on the agenda. If you wish to comment on an agenda item or participate in the call to the public, please complete a request to address [music] the board form before the designated time as public comment. The form is located in the lobby. The duration of public comment and call to the public is 15 minutes. [music] Members of the public will be given a maximum of 3 minutes to speak once recognized by the governing board president. The president may set specific time limits for speakers and the duration to maximize the opportunity for individuals to offer their viewpoints. We ask that all speakers show respect and courtesy to others. Comments

004must [music] pertain to the matter that is within the jurisdiction of the governing board. This is not an appropriate [music] forum to complain about an employee, student, or others. State law prohibits board members from commenting [music] on or discussing the matters presented at the end of the call to the public. The board may ask the superintendent to review [music] the issue or place it in a future agenda. A board member may also [music] briefly respond to criticism of a board member or the governing board. [music] If you would like the board to consider adding an item to a future agenda, you may submit your request in writing and the governing board president and superintendent will consider your request. Thank you for your attendance and involvement in tonight's meeting and for allowing this meeting to be

005conducted in a peaceful and productive manner. This is an official governing board meeting. The board has important business to conduct that is essential to the operation of the district. Everyone is welcome to express ideas or concerns to the board in accordance with the agenda. The poster in the boardroom describes positive behaviors expected and behaviors that cannot be tolerated. Please speak and act respectfully and actively listen. Be kind. Verbal harassment, abusive or foul language, intimidation and disruption have no place in a classroom or the boardroom. Please, no side conversations or reactive comments. They can be disruptive. It is a governing board president's responsibility to maintain proper order so the board can conduct its business in an orderly and efficient manner. If you are disruptive or interfere with the conduct of this meeting, you will be asked

006to leave so the board can conduct the business of the district. We're now down to our calendar. Uh Dr. Strong, please give us a review of the governing board calendar. >> President Davis, members of the board, March 12th, 2026, we have a 4:30 executive session. Student discipline matters will be discussed. 5:00 p.m. study session and a 6 pm regular meeting. March 16th through 20th, 2026 is spring break. No school uh in Mesa public schools and limited district services are available during that week. We have no meeting on March 26 due to the timing of spring break. April 1st, 2026, we have a 9:30 a.m. board extended study session where we'll continue our capital plan work. April 9th, 2026, a 5:00 p.m. study session followed by a 6 p.m. regular meeting. This concludes the calendar for

007the next couple of months. >> Thank you, Dr. STM. I'm now going to turn the time over to Miss Jen Snyder, director of communications, and she will show us what's inside Mesa Public Schools. >> All right. Good evening, President Davis. Members of the board, I'm thrilled to be up here again. Before we get started with tonight's uh find out what's inside presentation, I do want to share some exciting news that we learned on Friday. We have three A+ schools of excellence, Doppson, Kerr Center for Agra Science, and Zaharis Elementary. We'll be celebrating them at our next board meeting, but I just wanted to acknowledge that because that is some very exciting news. All right, so let's get started. Mace public school students are shaping the cities of tomorrow. At the future city competition, middle junior

008high students are presenting innovative city models, applied design, thinking, and research, and showcase collaboration, problem solving, and a focus on sustainability and community impact. Last Friday, students and staff celebrated those accepted into Shepard College Prep's inaugural class of of for 2006 2007. The celebration gave incoming students a morning to build connections and start new traditions. This week is public schools week, a time to honor the incredible contributions of our incredible teachers, staff, administrators, students, and families throughout the district. It's an opportunity to reflect on the vital role of public education in fostering opportunities in education for every child. This morning was wonderful. Uh I've also had the privilege along with several other people to participate in Read for the Record. Through Jumpstart's Read for the Record, students join millions of worldwide for the largest shared

009reading experience, helping raise awareness for early literacy and get high-quality books into the hands of children who need them most. Uh, like I mentioned, I had the privilege of reading at Patterson Elementary, and it was an absolute delight. February is career and technical education month. Mace Public Schools offers 23 different CTE programs across the district. Each each CT program leads to college and career pathways, giving students the opportunity to earn industry certificates and explore future careers. Congratulations to Red Mountain High School's unified basketball team on an incredible season and a runner-up finish at the AIA state championships. Mace Public Schools loves the dedication, teamwork of our student, staff, and the athletes that they bring to the all of our unified sports. And we can't wait to see the same passion carried into track season. Everybody

010wants to be a Whittier Wildcat. Whittier Elementary students delivered a perfect performance of the Aristocrats on Wednesday morning or last week, hitting every note and stealing the spotlight. Uh check out our arts page uh on the website to see some more upcoming uh productions throughout the district. Earlier this month, it was National School Resource Officer Appreciation Day. Thank you to all of our SRO's for keeping our students and staff safe. We appreciate your dedication to the well-being of Mesa Public Schools. The Mountain View High School Speech and Debate team had the privilege of attending the Harvard National Speech and Debate Invitational. Congratulations to Ameilia Clement for placing in the top 10 in the Congressional Debate out of nearly 180 students nationwide. We're incredibly proud of our students for their outstanding representation on the national stage.

011Mace Public School's Native American Education Program and Native American parent committee hosted a ribbon skirt and shirt and skirt making class. Over three nights, students and families explore the history and traditions behind ribbon skirts and pattern making, connecting their culture in a meeting in a meaningful way. Another congratulation goes out to Mrs. Gabby Morales of Whitman Elementary on being selected for a SUNTC Heroes and Hard Hats Award. A parent of one of her students nominated her for the special honor, recognizing her dedication to creating a classroom where students felt supported from the very first day. Through the program, she received her teacher wish bringing valuable supplies to her students and classroom. And then I want to give a special shout out to my my very talented team. Uh last week we collected 14 aspiration awards

012from the Arizona School PR Association. Uh these awards covered video, photography, special purpose publications, multimedia marketing and newsletters. Um just a I very proud of my team and I'm very grateful for the talent and the passion that they show to Mace Public Schools. And thank you Chad and the ones in the back who help run our live stream smoothly. And that's it. >> Thank you. And I think we should give our communications department a huge round of applause. [applause] as well as all the other exciting things going on in our district. So, thank you. Um, I'm going to turn the time, Miss Snder. Thank you to Dr. Strong for our recognitions. President Davis, members of the board, tonight we have several rec staff recognitions from the Arizona Music Educators Association Awards. We'll ask honores to

013stand from their seats when their name is called. We will then take a brief break during which the honores will have an opportunity to come take pictures with the governing board. Right in between, we're going to do a school spotlight as well. The following individuals received awards at the 2026 Arizona Music Educators Association Conference on January 30th. Brennan Harris [applause] I was I was at Red Mountain yesterday and so I got to recognize Brennon yesterday. So this is two times in a row. Guitar teacher Red Mountain High School received the OM Heartsell Excellence in Teaching Music Award. Dana White, not here. Dana White is an orchestra teacher at Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies. Uh they uh Dana received the OM H Heartsell Excellence in Teaching Music Award. Dana could not be here tonight, but we

014are grateful for their uh uh for their work. Mike Rapier, [applause] >> Mr. Mr. Rapier is the principal at Poston Junior High. Received the outstanding administrator award from the Arizona Music Music Educators Association. Congratulations, Mr. Rapier. [applause] >> Scott Bergener. [applause] Scott is our K12 music specialist in the district and he received the George C. Wilson Leadership and Service Award. Thank you for all you do for our students, Scott. >> [applause] >> and John Schneider. [applause] John is a choir teacher at Franklin Junior High. He received the Arizona Coral Educators Junior High Choir Director of the Year Award. Congratulations, John. [applause] Thank you for representing Mesa Public Schools with excellence. We will move on to our school spotlight now before taking a break for handshakes and pictures. Our school spotlight of the month program is

015designed to provide our community with an inside look at our schools. In addition to a video showcasing the spotlight school, we honor a classified staff member, a certified staff member, and a student from that school. As a reminder, when I call the spotlight honores, you will stand. But first, Chad, can you please roll our video? [music] Britain has a lot of community and they make everybody feel special in their own way. The golden rule is to treat others how you want to be treated and I really value that every day. I like the teachers because a lot of the teachers [music] are very creative with their lessons and they try to really [music] hard so their kids can learn. Recently in science we did a experiment where we mixed cornstarch and water and made a

016non-newtonian fluid called [music] oobleck and it was really cool. Hawaii. Okay. [music] I really like art because I get to be creative and have fun. Oh, I love art because sculpting and just painting and all that's really fun. Our school does really well at making things fun. It's special is PE because I like moving around and getting to play sports. I really like after school sports. I enjoy doing running club. I love running because [music] it's just one of my favorite hobbies. >> [music] >> Our school gets you really involved. They know your name by heart and it's just [music] like, "Oh, so you do remember me." This is just a really fun place. >> Brennan Elementary School would like to recognize Jennifer Pñena. Jennifer, could you please stand? [applause] >> [applause] >> Miss Pena

017is a beloved educator at Britain Elementary who creates a warm, welcome, welcoming classroom environment where students feel very safe and valued. She holds high expectations for both learning and kindness, skillfully tailoring instruction to meet each child's needs. Her compassion, professionalism, and dedication make her an invaluable leader and a great member of the Britain community. Congratulations, Miss Pñena. [applause] Next, Brenton would like to recognize Miss Anne Payne. [applause] Miss Payne is Miss Payne is their spotlight classified staff member. Anne Payne is an instructional assistant and a valued member of the Britain Elementary family known for her positive attitude and her presence. Her reliability and dependability make her someone the whole staff counts on every day. and she consistently rises to the occasion. Thanks for all you do for kids, Miss Payne. [applause] And finally, Britain would

018like to recognize Brooklyn Davis. [applause and cheering] Brooklyn is a sixth grade student who has been part of the Britain family since kindergarten. Brooklyn participates in student council, running club, drama club, choir, and after school sports. a testament to her enthusiasm, commitment, and school spirit. As she does all these activities, she brings energy and positivity to every activity she joins and is a shining example of what it means to be a Britain Bear. Congratulations, Miss Davis. [applause] To all the music educators uh and principles and all the people from Britain, congratulations for tonight's recognitions. We're now going to take a brief break. You're welcome to come forward. We'll have some organized photos. Please join us. Miss Cider, can you direct us? Thank you. >> We'll have all the music award winners please come up first

019and we'll take a group photo of you all with the first shake the governing board's hand and then we'll take a group photo with you all. >> [applause] >> and then [applause] and then next we'll have uh Miss Miss Pñena if you want to come up first and we'll and we'll have all of the Britain come up and we'll do one at a time though if you guys want if you your family here or anything like [laughter] >> Oh, move up to the light. >> Oh, I forgot to give you yours. Good. And next we'll have Miss and also the principal come up. We got to be in the light. >> Okay. And um Brooklyn [applause] Okay. And we'll do one with all of the Britain family. Go ahead. >> All the Britain folks, >>

020all of your Britain bear up here. >> [applause] >> Congratulations everyone. Congratulations to all that are recognized and you're welcome to stay and enjoy the meeting or go party elsewhere. Congratulations. We will continue moving on with our meeting. Before we begin public comment, just a quick reminder that policy 1-302 says that call the public is limited to issues within the jurisdiction of the board and is not an appropriate form for persons to complain about a specific employee, student, or other person. Mrs. Chappie, do we have anyone signed up to speak? >> We have 10 people who have signed up to speak tonight. Since we have 10 speakers, each person will be given three minutes to speak. And Mrs. Chaffy, will you lead us through this agenda item? >> Absolutely. I'm going to call the first

021three names and they can come and line over up on the side of the board meeting room and I'm going to call the next three names so that you know that you're on deck. We'll first have Melissa Allen, then Mark Lowe, followed by Inger Habar. On deck we have Graham Core, Rebecca Hopman, and Mark Kimell. We'll start with Melissa. Looks like maybe Melissa's not here. So, we'll move to Mark. >> It looks like Melissa's not here. So, we're going to move to Mark. [clears throat] Good evening, Madame President, board members, all family of low, first name Mark, an autodidact lifelong pattern recognition specialist. Last Sunday, I read the Tribune's coverage that this supery failed to comment about an 11-year-old boy who placed his hands on a 12-year-old boy boy while saying, "I want to rape

022you." but did comment in the section about the 88% of its budget being for personnel. It strikes me that this avoidance of 11-year-old's mental illness can be considered as root cause as a root cause for declining enrollment, but not all reasons for declining enrollment and is evidence of the bubble you live in. Your comfort is dysfunctional. That 11-year-old sexual predator should have been summarily expelled and not be allowed to cause finite budget resources to be wasted or diverted for his mental health. It seems this superintendence is not tightly focused on education, but rather indoctrination. What is rewarded is repeated. I am not surprised by the highly compartmentalized behavior as intentionally or accidentally verbalized by the recent appointment of a school principal who stated with a smile on her face, she would ghost whisper teachers when

023necessary. This gives continued importance to my outstanding request for any and all and each and every written communication between Tammy Stass Summit Academy and assistant superintendent teaching and learning Dr. Tracy Islas Dr. Forless Mrs. Miss King and Miss Holly Williams between each other and all outside consultants pushing the grooming indoctrination agenda as stated on the record that I made on September 30, 2024, your public records request 2024 101 to which no response has been provided. Recently, I received an incomplete response to my request for the purchase or lease agreement for your legal s offices at 63 East Maine, including a copy of the deed, what appears to be for the entire building, which is interesting and in need of further clarification. Although I made a request by Although I made a request for the buy

024sell agreement buy lease agreement for the offices located at 1025 North Country Club at the same time, no response has been given yet. Superintendent Strom, I expect and implore you, implore you to address the selective, inconsistent, and belligerent behavior engaged in public school records requests, especially mine. I regard this superintendent's lack of transparency as a public servant failure, and I took and I look forward to being res look forward to it being resolved eventually. The truth always comes out. Thank you for your attention to these matters. Good evening, board president and board and members of the board and the community. My name is Ingra Bear. on February 12th, an incident at the varsity uh girls basketball game between Mountain View and Mesa High. And I want us all to only f focus on the facts.

025A weapon detection system was operating at the entrance. An individual triggered that system and a firearm was confirmed. District policy and Arizona state law clears are prohibited on any school sponsored events and there is no gray area. There is no discretion. The technology worked. The failureship was leadership. The individual admitted he had a gun and instead of following required protocol, which mandates immediate escalation and law enforcement notification, he was told to take the firearm back to his car. After doing so, he was allowed to enter the gym and remain inside for over 26 minutes. Eventually, he was removed, but no one called the police department. No one called Mesa PD and I have confirmed that that there was no incident reported and the failure to report and not did not happen at one level. It

026happened at multiple levels of leadership. All of the following were informed that evening and the Mountain View athletic Mountain View athletic director, he did not call the police. Mountain View principal did not call the police. District athletic director did not call police. and the district supervisor that oversees all secondary schools did not call police. This was not a rumor. This is not speculation. It was confirmed weapon on school property during a school event. Now, let's talk about accountability. At Mesa High School, administrators were placed on paid administrative leave because of a separate incident that did not include a firearm. Charges were recommended, but the city prosecutor declined to file. Yet those administrators remove remain removed and their pos from their position to this day. No charges, no prosecution, but immediate and ongoing consequences. At Mountain

027View, where a firearm was confirmed on campus and required safety protocols were not followed, there has been no equivalent action. This is inconsistency and not a small detail. It's a leadership decision. So, the questions are simple. Why was law enforcement not called? Why were families at Mountain View and Mesa not notified that a gun had been confirmed on campus? Why does the accountability appear to shift depending on the campus? And what was the message that and and what message does that send to our community of safety and fairness? Safety protocols exist for a reason. They must be applied consistently every time and at every school for every employee because when a firearm is confirmed on a school property, transparency and action need to. Next, we'll hear from Graham Core, Rebecca Hopman, and Mark Kimble. On

028deck, we have Jason Smithson, Casey Baxter, Ed Steel, and Britney Slant. >> Test, test, test. There we go. Hi, everybody. My name is uh Mr. Graham. I'm a special education teacher with the city as well as the current serving uh Mesa Education Association Union President. I'm just coming today to share some feedback from the ongoing uh involuntary transfer process as well as the reduction in force that we've been having. This feedback comes predominantly from me, just from my unique position as an employee association president, as well as conversations I've had throughout the month with staff members impacted as well as at our general membership meeting that we had last night. So overall, the transparency, responsiveness, clarity that I've personally received at the district level really has been a cut above than what we've been receiving

029out elsewhere in the state. So in NPS, the district level HR staff has been doing a phenomenal job. I especially wanted to thank Justin Wing and Susan Jenny just for some suggestions that came about during our employee relations meeting in regards to path to teach options as well as options for our retired folks. It just showed a level of humanity in a in a process that can feel very cold and sterile. So again, everyone involved in the HR process at the district level, I think really deserves kudos. Uh however, as with any organization, as information flows downstream, there were just a few hiccups. uh a site level administration uh there was just some stop and start their information was shared at different times different sites some teachers and educators were made made aware at the

030site level as soon as the internal principal memo uh went out as well as some people found out uh from Dr. Sham's letter. So there was just people finding out a a whole day ahead of time just depending on the school that they happen to work at. I think that this information and this process is too important to have that level of inconsistency from sight to sight and I'd really like to see moving forward with the regional model that this information just sort of be streamlined to have more unified front leaning on the regional directors. The number one piece of uh constructive feedback that I personally received uh revolved around the appeals process both for the involuntary transfer process as well as the rift process. uh people when undergoing uh when they learn that they're

031being involuntarily transferred or that they're being rifted, they have the ability to appeal and so they're given 72 hours to uh submit their appeal evidence forward. It's very vulnerable position to be in. It's a lot of emotion that's involved certainly just being involved in the involuntary or the riff process in general. was just a very sensitive place to be. And some people received the denial letter back uh in some cases within 10 minutes of having submitted that appeal that they spent, you know, hours agonizing over sending. And so that's just a piece of the process that I feel could use review and could use uh changing for next year. But overall, as I said, just from my position as employee president, just collaborating with uh district level staff to answer folks questions. It really has

032just been a great experience. I ask questions, I get the answers, and then I share it with the people who need it. It's a it's a wonderful system where we're able to help people uh just in need of help at this point in time. Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Becky Hopman. I'm from Skyline High School, a teacher. I'm representing teachers at my school and also um members from the general MEA meeting from last night. Um I sent this as an email in case I talk too much. I had intended to um start from the beginning. I'm sorry. Um I do not wish to publicly draw attention to individual employees. These concerns deserve to be heard, but in a way that protects the people who have already been deeply affected. The recent rift process

033has been extremely tense and anxietyinducing for staff. Teachers understand that declining enrollment can result in reduction in force. However, how leaders communicate and support employees through such decisions reflects the district's values. This year, the communication and handling have not met the standard that employees deserve. The principal at my school informed our staff elected EIC committee that as of lunch on February 16th, he did not know which staff members would be laid off. He stated he received an email from human resources on February 17th at 4:10 p.m. and Rift notifications were sent to staff at 5:00 p.m. that same day. He felt that receiving the news by phone might have been even more distressing than an email since it was after, you know, contract hours. However, the email that was sent was an unprofessional form letter

034containing grammatical errors and even an upside down second page which is attached on my email. My principal wished to notify staff on February 17 simply to acknowledge that rifts had been issued so the rest of the staff could breathe. He claims human resources would not allow it. Preventing principles from offering basic reassurance to employees during such a stressful moment only amplified confusion and fear. I've spoken with teachers at three other high schools who shared that their principles communicated with staff prior to February 16. In previous years, the district has been more transparent about the roof timeline and process. This year, the handling felt rushed, inconsistent, and unnecessarily secretive. A story was printed in the Mesa Tribune on February 24th with an interview from several district leaders. Dr. Strom stated, "We're working with the principles who

035are really determining how to allocate their staff at the schools. Yet principles across the district are saying that they were directed by human resources. It appears at best that employees are receiving conflicting information and at worst that they are being lied to. Regardless, each side seems to be hiding behind ignorance and deflect and to deflect criticism. That is not a value that we should uphold. I do not envy the board or district leadership for having to make these difficult decisions. However, the choices have been based strictly on numerical considerations with limit regard for individual limited regard for individual circumstances or the human impact. Employees were rifted based solely on relative evaluation scores within departments that sometimes consisted of only two people. One teacher was let go. Superintendent Stum, President Davis, and board members. Good to

036be with you this this evening. Appreciate all your efforts. My name is Mark Kimell. I'm here on behalf of my grandson, his parents, community members who have spoken with me regarding the protest of Poston Junior High and other sites across the district. [clears throat] We are deeply troubled by the events of January 30th, 2026 during the student walkout protests uh protesting federal ICE operations. Reports indicate that administrative and security staff actively facilitated the walkout by unlocking certain gates and leaving the front gates open on a closed campus school. This allowed hundreds of students to leave during school hours without parental permission or sign out, directly contradicting the strict closed campus policy that staff confirmed to parents just days later, requiring adult and ID verification for early release. Most concerning is the danger this created [clears

037throat] for students, including my grandson, who wanted to peacefully express his own convictions, an exercise of his first amendment rights. He was surrounded by an aggressive crowd. Students attempted to physically assault him, and only the quick intervention of two larger friends prevented potential serious injury. The situation grew chaotic with students throwing large uh objects at police, resulting in at least two arrests, including one for aggravated assault to a police officer. This situation violated several key Mesa schools policies. Close campus policy, MPS student handbook, which requires parental sign with adult presence and ID verification for any departure. Student social media post planned the exit at 10:04 p.m. after the fifth period without permission, aligning with the mass unauthorized departure. um aligning with the mass un unauthorized departure that occurred attendance and un unauthorized absence guidelines handbook

038ARS15-83 which classify such departures as unexcused. The premeditated plan resulted in the prolonged absence near empty classes. One ESA class had only four students out of 30. another uh science class only 12 out of 30 plus and reports of students going to fast food or home for the rest of the day. The community asks were [clears throat] attendance records taken after lunch departure if not why not student conduct and campus disruption policies governing board policy which prohibit major interference with school activities. The student organized social media recruitment We will hear from Jason Smithson, Casey Baxter, Ed Steel, and then Britney Slant. >> Members of the board, Dr. Stum, I want to begin with my own accountability. With the Mesa High situation, I reacted before I had every fact in front of me. That's on me

039and I apologize. Passion without full information can lead to mistakes, and I own that. While I understand there are limits to what can be discussed publicly, what disappeared is the process of transparency and that is the larger issue. Tonight, I want to start with talking about CCA. Why does the opt- out window vary by campus? Why are students required to take a freshman seminar course that many families view as unnecessary? Why are academy pathways selected prior to information being sent home to parents for review? Children benefit when parents are involved in guiding academic decisions. This should be standard, not optional. It should also be clearly communicated that core classes are optional. That information is not consistently shared and it concerns families. District leadership may believe the opt-out process is clear. From the parent perspective, it

040is not and it appears to vary from school to school. Transparency cannot depend on which campus your child attends. Now, let's talk about block scheduling. I continue to hear concern from families and students. If we want meaningful data, we don't need five campuses a block. One or two would provide comparison. This model is expensive and many families question whether it's improving outcomes. For students with special needs, where routine and consistency matters deeply, large-scale disruption has real consequences. If we continue to dismiss parents' concerns, we should not be surprised when enrollment declines. Mesa families are engaged. When they feel unheard, they do not quietly walk away. They mobilize. Listening is not weakness. It is leadership. If we want families to stay in the district, the formula is not complicated. Quality teachers, safe campuses, fiscal responsibility, academic

041excellence, real transparency. Finally, tonight we have 50 people who are facing a riff. All because previous school boards and previous superintendents have failed Mesa Public Schools. If sacrifice is necessary, it should begin at the top. I believe district ad administration should model shared responsibility through a 20% temporary pay reduction until the budget stabilizes and trust is rebuilt. If we say we are all in this together, then that commitment needs to be visible to the community. Thank you. [applause] Good evening, Madame President, Dr. Straw, members of the board and superintendency. My name is Casey Baxter and tonight I'm here because I truly believe if you look for the good, you'll find it. So tonight I'm looking for the good in our parents. I want to thank the parents who volunteer in classrooms, who serve as chaperones,

042who give their time not because they have extra, but because they choose to make that time. Thank you to the parents who donate snacks or organize meals and support teachers and staff during long nights like parent teacher conferences because those gestures matter more than you know. Thank you to the parents who send that early morning email explaining their child had a hard start to the day. That communication builds trust and it helps us respond with understanding. Thank you to the parents who reach out when their family needs support. You allow us to partner with you and connect you to resources and that takes courage. Thank you to the parents who get their children to tutoring, music rehearsals and concerts, athletic practices, games, academic competitions, performances, and everything in between. The car rides, your schedule juggling,

043and your late dinners. Your commitment shapes our students futures. Thank you to our guest readers, our equipment managers, your instrument luggers, your booster club leaders, your PTO members, and all those quiet helpers who never ask for recognition. And thank you to those parents who listen to understand, who partner with us, who model resilience, kindness, and responsibility at home. Public education works best when schools and families stand together. And tonight, I simply want to say that we see you, we value you, and we are grateful for what you do every single day for your children and in our community. So, thank you parents. >> [applause] >> Good evening, President Davis, members of the board, um Dr. Stum and leadership. My name is Ed Steel and uh I'd like to congratulate our recognition uh recipients tonight as

044well as the music award recipients. Um, I'll make it no secret I'm I'm a proponent of kids learning music in in school. I wish I had I can't read a lick of music or play a musical instrument, but I can see what it does for a young person's uh mental state. Um, I want to make a couple of comments regarding my participation in the community curriculum advisory panel. um something I'm I'm very grateful to be on. Uh we had a we're going through a lot of supplemental material review right now and there are pages and pages of new material to look at. I had a lot of concerns on quite a number of them and and I I will say at our meeting Monday uh Alli Hamilton uh Dr. East and Eric Vonberg provided a

045lot of good input that kind of relieved a lot of my anxiety over that. Um, but that being said, I do want to make a comment on a couple of um, resources that I still have some concern on. And I'm going to ask you to uh, listen to these comments with the backdrop of the Mesa Promise where the promise is that kids graduate ready for career, college, and community. The first one is an already approved resource called DBQ project. And as I was going through the lesson, there's one in social studies and it asks a couple of questions. What type of citizens does a democracy need and what do good citizens do? Here's their answer. There are people who person who are personally responsible and take care of themselves in the community. I think that's

046great. There are people who actively participate in and serve as leaders in the community also great. There are people who look at the community and try and get to the root of an injustice. And that's where I have the problem. I think we can all align and be unified against looking at and get to the cause of injustice. But where the magic trick happens is when we go to define what an injustice is. We wind up with what we had here a couple of weeks ago where 14, 15, 16 year old students are disobeying authority, walking out on campus and protesting this injustice which happens to be law enforcement doing legal things enforcing the law. Um, I'm not going to get to my second one, but I do want you to take that in the

047backdrop of if we're teaching this kind of thing and we expect something different than what we saw. I think [applause] good evening. Um, my name is Britney Slant and I am one of the severe disabilities teachers that we have in our district. I teach at L Elementary School. I've been there for the last 13 years and I've been an educator for 19. So, um, I've been there a while. Um, and I'm here today because I do believe in our MPS promise, especially that I know my students by name and that we serve our students by strength and need. Um, those are really important in special ed because I write it all the time about our strengths and our needs. However, two recent developments are going to make this very challenging for us to fulfill that

048promise in our severe disabilities programs. First, in late January, I was informed that I would be losing one of my living skills assistant positions because I had eight students and that did not justify having three aids. Tradition or historically for the last few years, our ratio has been eight students, two aids, and one teacher. When we reached nine, we could work with the district to solve how we met that need, usually through the allocation of a third aid. The last time I collected data in order to support a third aid was in 2023. I had nine students, two aids, and I was spending approximately 2 hours a day by myself while the aids were taking care of these students needs such as twoerson lifts and toileting, tube feeds, other medical procedures our students need. This

049past Monday, I had an aid out. So again, I had my eight students with two aids. I was curious, so I took the data. two and a half hours that I was by myself with my students while the aids toileted one student because they required multiple aids. So when we have cutting this aid position simply because of a budget line or a ratio ignores the need of these students. um and it can create something that we just simply cannot effectively meet that need. The second item as I was looking at this is that that class ratio I thought of 18 28s somehow somewhere has been changed and instead of having eight students we now are supposed to have 10 to 12 students with two aids. I was never informed of this. I'm not sure when

050it happened. Nobody I've talked to has found that. So, please look into this. >> President Davis, that concludes our public comment for tonight. >> Thank you. We will move along in our agenda to a review of the agenda. We will now review the consent agenda. All items on the consent agenda are approved with one vote with no discussion. If a board member would like to pull a consent agenda item, please do so now. Okay. Thank you, board members. I do not see any pulled. Thank you. Um to our personnel request. Do I have a motion to approve the personnel request including the addendum and stipen? >> So moved. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Any discussion? Seeing Seeing none, Miss Kirby, will you please take our vote? With a vote

051of four yays, you have approved the personnel request, including the addendum and stipen. With the approval of the personnel request, we have a principal to recognize. Dr. Mesa, I'm going to turn the time over to you. >> Thank you so much. Thank you, Madam President. Members of the governing board, we do have an incoming principal to recognize tonight. Um, and just as a reminder, we've adjusted our procedures a little bit. Um so everyone will remain on the dis as I introduce principal. Um and then at the end we'll take another quick break for photos. Um I'd like to introduce Brad Kasabum. Can you please come to the podium? It's my pleasure to introduce Brad as the incoming principal at Mesa High School. Brad started with MPS in 2007 teaching seventh and eighth grade history at

052Brim Hall Junior High and is currently serving as acting principal at Mesa High School. Brad holds a bachelor of arts and secondary education from a ASU and a master's degree in educational leadership from NAU. Brad. >> Yep. District leadership, uh, the Mesa High community and guests. It is truly an honor to stand before you today as the newly appointed principal of Mesa High School for the 2026 2027 school year in the Mesa Unified School District. First, I would like to thank the governing board, Dr. Stum, Mr. Wing, Dr. Eless, uh, Dr. Mesa, and the entire district leadership for their entrusting me with this incredible responsibility. I am deeply grateful for your confidence and for the opportunity to serve the students, staff, and families of Mesa High in this role. Second, I would like to thank

053I would like to say thank you to all the mentors that I have had worked with under or in my during my career. Your leadership, mentorship, and belief in me have shaped my growth as an educator and leader. I am thankful for your support and for preparing me to lead one of the most historic and proud schools in the in our district and state. Third, I'd like to thank my family for their love and continued support, especially my wife who is very supportive with Mesa High being my second home. um through all the long nights and events and work, she is always there for me and I am eternally grateful for her. Finally, to the Mesa High community, our dedicated teachers and staff, our resilient and talented students, our supportive families, alumni, and community partners.

054Thank you. Mesa High is a rich tradition of excellence, pride, and opportunity. It is a school with deep roots, high expectations, and a heart for students. I am honored to continue working with the community that cares so deeply about the students at Mesa High School. As I step into this role, I am most looking forward to listening and learning. I look forward to building strong relationships with students, partnering with teachers to support powerful instruction, collaborating with families, and celebrating the achievements that make Mesa High special. Together, we will continue building on legacy of excellence while preparing every student for a successful future. As I transition into the principal ship, I will focus on these key these three key areas to positively impact student outcomes. First, high quality instruction in every classroom. We will strengthen instructional

055practices through collaboration, coaching, and datainformed decision-making to ensure every student has a success, has access to rigorous, engaging learning experiences. Second, a culture of belonging, and high expectations. Every student deserves to feel seen, valued, safe, and challenged. We will cultivate a culture where relationships matter, experiences are clear, safety is a priority, and students are supported to meet high academic and personnel standards. And then third, college, career, and life readiness for all students while continuing our traditional school approach. We will continue to expand opportunities and remove barriers so that every Mesa graduate is prepared for college, career, and community. Mesa Heist's future is bright. I am excited to lead with integrity, transparency, and high focus on what is best for students. Together, we will honor the traditions that make Mesa High exceptional while pursuing continued growth

056and excellence. For the past 13 years, I have been proud to call myself a jack rabbit. I can I am excited and proud to continue being a Jack Rabbit. Thank you again for this opportunity to serve and I look forward to the important work ahead. Thank you. Thank you so much. [applause] If you're here to uh support Brad, please stand and let's give you a round of applause if you're here to support Brad. >> Yeah. Thank you so much for being here. [applause] All right. At this time, we're going to take just a quick break to get some photos with you and the governing board. >> Can do that. >> [applause] [laughter] >> Um, Madame President, I just had a request uh sort of a point of information now that the personnel request has been

057approved that if Dr. Stum could give us a run through of the of the riff details of the personnel request. >> Yes, Dr. Strong. >> Yeah, we're going to have Miss Jenny. She's in the back of the room. Uh, she's the executive director of human resources. uh run us down the numbers side of the riff in terms of employee counts. >> Just to clarify the question, the numbers for each. Sure. >> And good evening. Sorry. Good evening, governing board president. Thank you. Uh there the final numbers there were 33 FTE for department certified personnel >> M Jenny 33 >> for the departments were part of the reorganization that we announced in the fall. Is that correct? The majority of those or all of them? >> All of the 33 were from the reorganization that was

058shared with the board in the fall. >> Perfect. Then there were 15.5 FTE of teachers for special area teachers. There were a total of 6 FTE from two part-time teachers having a further reduced contract. Both teachers who had a reduction were already part-time. So a total reduction of the two part-time teachers was 6 reduction. Okay. And then there was one full-time FTE of it's in the counselor section and it was a social worker. Thank you. >> Thank you. Appreciate you. >> Moving next in our personal items. Um, do I have a motion to approve the 2026 27 language for employment contract templates? >> So moved. >> Do I have a second? >> I'll second it. >> Thank you. Any discussion? >> Just to confirm, there's no changes to the contracts. >> Yes. I mean, Mr.

059Re. >> Yeah. Each school year we ask the governing board to approve the contract language, but for this year, uh, there are no changes to the language. >> Thank you, Miss Kirby. Will you please take our vote? With a vote of five yays, you've approved the 2026 27 language for employment contract templates. We're on a consent um all items listed will be considered as a group and will be approved with one motion. If a board member would like to spotlight or comment on a consent agenda item, please do so after the vote. Do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda according to the recommended action for each item? So moved. >> Do I have a second? >> I'll second. >> Thank you. Miss Kirby, will you please take our vote? With a vote

060of five yays, we've approved the consent agenda items according to the recommended action for each item. Madame President, may I make a comment? >> Yes, please. Um, I'd like to uh highlight um the um gifts and donations that the district receives. Um, in this month's report, we see numerous donations by PTO's. And I want to accentuate what Miss Baxter said um about the importance of parent involvement. Um, it's clear that our our parent organizations support the many beneficial activities on our campuses by raising money, by hosting activities, by providing support to teachers and kids, and um and particularly all of the field trips that we that we just um approved. No kid is denied access to a field trip because they can't pay. And many times it's um PTO's as well as ECA donations that

061make those field trips possible for all kids. Um also I noticed another um generous donation by the Mesa Ho Cams and the Mesa Ho Cams are celebrating their 75th anniversary this year. And I know they just had a big celebration last week and um they are one of the most charitable organizations in the city of Mesa particularly for youth sports and we know how important sports are to kids and to our families and to this community. So I want to thank parents and organizations like the Ho Cams for their service to Mesa Public Schools. >> Madam President. >> Yes. Um, I had a a couple of people that were curious about the um item number E, the contract for Boys and Girls Club. There seems to be a Can you clarify really quickly where the

062funding comes from and >> and how that worked? >> The federal government sponsors 21st century learning grants for communities. Uh, a lot of school districts apply for these grants. This grant was applied for in 2021 via board approval. um and is granted at Stevenson and Eisenhower Eisenhower. The way a 21st century learning grant works is you partner usually with a third party after school or before school service provider. Most programs are after school and that thirdparty service provider comes in and provides services. The grant money comes into the district and then the district pays the provider for providing after school care and services. In this case, it's the Boys and Girls Club that's our afterchool provider for our 21st century grant at these two schools. The way the grant's structured is in the first three

063years the grant pays for 100% and then it phases down to 75% of each of those two years. Um districts will make a choice when they have to pick up the 25% for remaining year four year five of what fund to pay it out of. Uh we're likely in this district uh like 99% likely because I think we've came to the conclusion last night that we're going to pay this out of the community education fund uh not out of our M fund uh with teachers. So, our community education fund was was built primarily on us providing after school care to families for decades in this district. It's got a fund balance of close to 9 to $10 million depending on when you check it. And so, we have the $25,000 for the two sites it

064takes to cover the 7525 split. We do think it's a high value for our district to be able to provide after school care uh for free by the way at these two sites to parents uh uh at a 75% discount rate even in the years four and five where the grant picks up 75% not 100%. That's the 21st century grant in a nutshell. We are, by the way, reapplying as the board has approved, I think in the January meeting. We're reapplying at Eisenhower for sure and Stevenson and Stevenson for the 21st century grant again in another five-year cycle. So, a new fiveear if they're awarded. Sorry, let's be real clear. If they're awarded a new five-year cycle start, >> do we know how many kids that serves by chance? >> How about this? I mean,

065as opposed to me stating a number, I I think I have a general idea, but let's get you the numbers from Eisenhower and uh Stevenson and we'll put it in status. >> Yeah, I think that's a great opportunity, especially for our families that um that need after school care. >> Board member Hutchinson. >> Yes, thank you, President Davis. Um I was in contact with one of the principles and I said, "What what are these after school activities?" And um the Boys and Girls Club helps provide the um support for the Disney musical at his school. Um for choir, for student leadership development, sports and STEM equipment, um support for the family literacy program which um helps our adults learn English. Um as well as providing two meals. Um so this is this is um really

066enriching and enhancing um the experience of our kids at school. Um and I and I might add that that um Eisenhower, one of the beneficiaries is an A+ school. Um so um it it there's tremendous value as Dr. Stum said and I'm glad that we have um agreed to apply again for this grant. >> Thank you. We'll now move into action items. Do I have a motion to approve approve a contract award of $2 million for districtwide athletic sponsorship and rebate program? >> So moved. >> Do I have a second? >> I'll second. >> Any discussion? I'm going to start with um turning the time to to Mr. Moore to start us off. >> Yeah. Thank you, board president, members of the board. to give you a little context on this agenda item. Uh this

067agenda item is a a new award for um athletic uniforms um to be purchased. Um the awarded vendor game one was uh came across as a single award uh due in part to the rebates that they provided above and beyond other vendors. So how uh this RFP works is uh when districts uh purchase uniforms and oftentimes in a newly uh this is kind of the new approach uh it's a more uniform approach but by issuing an RFP and selecting a single vendor uh we have now consistency over um uniform brands as well as uniform um items that we're purchasing. And so um again a single veteran award also provides um additional rebates um due to the volume with that award. Um other so this uh award tonight is again to under arour the method in

068which um Mesa public schools has uh moved through this is they've um replaced uniforms at the varsity level and then um utilized those uniforms um through the lower levels as they aged out. Um, now this includes really the core uniform. So like for a basketball player, right? We're talking the singlet and the shorts. Now all the ancillary or like um additional supplemental like headbands, shoes, and stuff like that that is not really related to this award here. It's really the the varsity uniform and having that consistent um brand and consistent uniform across our our programs. Thank you, Mr. Moore. Board members, starting with uh board member Hudson, any questions? >> I did ask a um a question of the benefits of the of the contract and and I believe that the document that is on

069the agenda really does explain the benefits um to this contract. So, I appreciate your um information and assistance on that. Um, I just want to make sure for the sake of transparency. Um, and I and I asked this question in my check-in with Dr. Strom, but I would like um, uh, to hear an answer for it. And that is, do any of the, um, current MPS coaches andor programs have any um, type of um, potential conflict of interest affiliation with game one? Yeah, member Hutchinson, we did confirm with our procurement department and all of our conflict of interest forms that are required by all employees to be filled out. There's no conflict of interest on file. >> Thank you. Board member Benson, any questions? Can you just real quickly because this will be utilized districtwide

070and all of our varsity teams and as uniforms get handed down to JB and Fresh Froch. Um what's the value to all of Mesa students having the same brand of uniform? >> Yeah. Member >> maybe somebody else needs dancing. I don't know. [laughter] I mean, brand alignment um across all our sports, right? You got um a district-wide equity, right, across um both all high school levels, right? All the way from Dobson to Red Mountain. And so, um it creates uh just a district-wide unity throughout all our sports. And again, those programs um that may have not had access to to have funds to purchase uh uniforms, right? This gives that um but the incentives that we're getting back is gives us um that value back to ensure all our sports have uniforms on the renewal

071cycle in which they're due. And so >> can you tell us what that renewal cycle is? >> Is it like every? >> Well, it is not as often as you think it is. But that that's the first thing. School districts don't uh buy uniforms on a cycle of every year or every other year. It's typically in most school districts three to five years. We can ask Tommy uh how frequently we're buying uniforms for varsity, but I'd be shocked if it's outside. I'd be really shocked if it's more than three years or earlier and not shocked at all if it's a little bit later than five years. There are districts that have six year and sevenyear plans to make their uniforms last. >> Well, board president said three, so I'll go. >> Is it three? Is

072it three at Westwood? >> Yeah, three would make sense. >> Well, every every one of our high schools would be on the same cycle, would they not? I'd like to m like if it's every three years. I mean, they might cycle differently. It might be these these high schools this year, >> but it's every [clears throat] three years. Otherwise, it would totally defeat the equity piece that we're shooting for. Right. >> Remember, Benson, that that's where it gets a little tricky. In order to control cost in any given year, there are certain uniforms that cost more money for a sport and certain uniforms that cost less. So, what Mr. Eubanks has to do and I have asked this question directly of him because this is how in large school districts you typically function. This football

073program may get it in year X or year one. This other football program may get it in year four. And the reason you do that is because let's say football uniforms are the most expensive. You don't want to have every football program hit at the exact same time throughout your district because now you're going to see costs go really high one year and then when you have to buy programs like golf, you buy polos for golf, a lot less expensive for golf. And so he tries to organize it so that everyone's on the same cycle. If football gets it every five years, they get it every school every five years, but the costs aren't all hitting for an expensive sport at the same time across the district. >> Yeah, that makes sense. Thank you. Thank

074you, board member Walden. Any questions? Uh, >> no, I don't have any questions. I know it's a, you know, looks like a larger dollar amount and and that's difficult in the same night that we we have to vote on personnel and that there's a rift, but we also have to keep our programs going uh for our families. Smaller staff means smaller students means we're going to have less staff, but we're not sacrificing in the programs and opportunities and the outcomes for our students. And this board is very focused on on student outcomes, and that includes keeping our electives and opportunities open for our students to participate in. >> Thank you, board member Jaffy. I would add on to those comments that we also really value as a board student safety and it's important that we

075have athletic equipment that keeps our students safe. Um, Mr. Moore, can you tell me I can see that we're leveraging the purchasing power of a large district in utilizing this contract? Are we also allowing our sites to maintain some autonomy in this in this in this contract? Yeah, member chief I tried to explain the the general um purchase with this recommendation is that core uniform, right? Um again the basketball reference, right? The jersey and then the shorts, but the autonomy comes from right if uh a player wants to wear a different basketball shoes, they can wear different basketball shoes if they want to wear a different uh headband, right? Or you know arm sleeves if I'm keeping on the basketball reference. um the the the programs still have that autonomy to do different brands when

076with when it comes to those items. Um but it's important in some sense to have some consistency across the main uniform that the students are wearing, right? And a lot of the AA rules do require, you know, matching uniforms and stuff like that. And so, uh you know, students and uh programs still have some autonomy. Um but we try to maintain some consistency with that that core uniform. Mr. Moore, um, just one of my questions. I appreciate Mr. Eubanks and Mr. Moore for answering. I think they've filled in quite a few questions this last week on this situation. So, thank you for the responses. Um, in regards to price matching for like equipment, typically, say your booster wants to help purchase a new um, let's say jumping stand, something or or high jump mat. We

077would donate funds. the booster club would donate funds into our club account, correct? For the club to then purchase through the school district. So, we're tied to game one for those types of if they carry it. Now, what if we go to another approved vendor and they carry it and the price is game one willing to help price match with our other vendors? >> Yeah, member Davis, I would say, and those exceptions were um a booster or another entity's donating funds, right? there's some exceptions that we have to um potentially this contract, but I think game one sometimes if they're not coming to the table, right, um to match that price, uh then then we can move away from game one in that sense because that is a direct benefit to our district and a

078direct savings when um outside entities such as boosters and um other vendor donations, right, come to supplement our programs and um we do have that autonomy within this agreement. >> Okay. Yeah. >> Thank you. I think that's that's sometimes hard to swallow. These I know these booster clubs spend hours and hours raising funds and then we go to purchase something and we can find it from another vendor that's approved for that less and so if we can you know working with I'm assuming working with our school ads with our district ad then to to mitigate that process. So >> yeah, communication is key, >> correct? >> Throughout that process and so we can help navigate that when those instances come up, but we um certainly want to encourage those donations and uh find a way

079to make those happen because they do benefit our our sports program. So >> thank you. I appreciate that. Any other questions? >> But can I clarify that um the this award is coming out of our capital out of DDA, correct? Yeah. So, it's not an M. Um, >> it's not an M purchase. >> I just want to be technically correct. Member Benson, there may be some items on this contract that last for a period of less than a year that may be M based, but the vast majority of items off this contract will definitely be capital- based items. >> Okay. And I do have one one other question. Let's say that a basketball team, because that's really the only sport I like, um, wants to have all of their team have the same shoe. Uh

080can they purchase it through game one at a discount as well? If because that that would not be something that the district uh funds, but like are they are are individual teams and schools able to use our connection with game one in order to get a better price for shoes or headbands or whatever? >> Yeah, member Benson, I believe that [clears throat] is included in the contract. I will have to follow up with that specific question. But they do do like online spirit stores and like with spirit stores or like some of those um additional stores are you can get swag, right? Shirts, warm-ups, and sometimes those stores do include shoes or some of those other items. So, >> well, I was wondering is whether or not our our teams have the So, we h

081in this contract there are some buy one get one free. Um do you know if game one is through? And I hate to put you on the spot, but I'm just being the frugal-minded person I am. I'm like, "Oh, if a team wants to have all of the same shoes, which some of them do, it'd be great if they had access to a buy one get one free offer because we happen to have leverage with game one. >> I'll follow up with that answer." >> Thank you. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Moore. Miss Kirby, we're ready to vote. With a vote of five years, we have approved a contract award of $2 million for district-wide athletic sponsorship and rebate program. Do I have a motion to approve a contract increase of $525,000

082for Chrisman Elementary classrooms remodel? >> So moved. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Any discussion? I'll go to my left. Member Chaffy. Sorry. >> Mr. B, can you just give us a a quick overview of what we're doing with this remodel and why it's so important? >> Yeah. Member Schaffy. Um, this project is a renovation of classrooms that are extremely outdated. Um, and I I recognize we have a number of classrooms across our district that are outdated. Um but this these classrooms we have had um several instances where we've had to um provide or move teachers to test rooms that um have been uh I would say um have been uh not tested but um indicated where they have potential concerns of of health concerns. Um we have tested all

083those rooms and they have uh no concerns that are um of immediate concern in terms of um air quality and stuff like that. Um but we are uh concerned with keeping these classrooms in the condition or like at a certain expectation right now and which is why this has rose to the top of our priority in terms of uh bringing to the board tonight to renovate. There's eight classrooms um throughout these modulars uh that have the kind of similar classroom experience in terms of age of the classroom. Um there is and similar issues with um age with regards to you know grass kind of uh outgrowing underneath the modulars and stuff like that. And so uh again we recognize there's a lot of needs across our district. this news right now is at the top

084of our concern uh to to maintain the classroom environment and our student safety. >> Thank you. >> Yeah, thank you. And safety is extremely important as our clerk pointed out too that that is a big a big focus and it's very important to our principles and our our leaders. So that makes sense. Uh, I'll let just kind of the public know in our board retreat we had an exercise where we went through the capital needs of the district and there are many many schools that have had the small things neglected and then those small things have have piled up into into a lot of things that cost a lot of money. But I'm glad that we are, you know, taking on these these projects now uh for these schools. And uh we kind of prioritized

085too in that board retreat if people are interested you know what what we were thinking and how we prioritized it you know looking at safety and looking at the critical infrastructure first and then and then going down down from there. So I don't I don't have any questions um that the day we spent on that was was really helpful in understanding these requests. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Um I don't have any questions either. I will tell you uh I'll just say thank you from the whole Chrisman staff. Um I talked to Miss Rodakovich. Uh if if these rooms aren't aren't renovated and put back to a place that um they are reusable for students and staff should have a very difficult time um with having rooms available to teach. I think I believe

086Chrisman's one of the one of our elementary schools that's actually actually gaining enrollment. Um and um I have seen the rooms. They definitely need to be redone. Uh there's a lot of water damage and the the walls are just really hit hideous. So I want to thank the fact that this was bumped up uh on and I didn't talk to M. Mr. Dakovich, but I'm just going to assume she's going to say thank you as well because uh she really is going to need these classrooms if if her enrollment continues and she's got to have space for students. So, thank you >> board member Hutchinson. Yeah, I'm uh just a just a comment um that uh you know a remodel of a classroom is a learning space and if we are a board dedicated to

087student outcomes, learning spaces have to be conducive to learning and these spaces need to be remodeled so that we have a learning environment that kids can thrive in. So, um, I I'm very glad that this has come to our attention and that we can do something about it right now. Thank you. With that, Miss Kirby, I believe we're ready to vote. With a vote of 5 years, we've approved a contract increase of $525,000 for Chrisman Elementary classrooms remodel. Now, down to our information items, and Dr. Glassmire is ready to go. I'm going to turn the time over to you. Um, this is on our cumulative credits in grades 9 through 12. 10 minutes to present and then we'll have 15 minutes for questions. And Mr. Wing, you're on timekeeper, please. And it's all yours. >>

088Good evening, President Davis, Dr. Strom, members of the board, members of district leadership, and members of the public this evening. Um, this is one of our continuous monitoring pieces. So, specifically tonight, we're going to be looking at semester 1 cumulative credits by grade level. Um, and we have two different ways that we're going to be looking at things as we go through. So, to orient everybody, um, this is similar to what we saw last year. We have at the end of 9th grade, students should earn five and a half, basically six credits, right? They can earn six credits. Our block scheduling allows for eight. um but our course catalog still keeps on that trajectory to hit 22 credits for graduation at 12th grade. So those are the credit buckets that we're going to be looking

089at today as far as reference. So for that what that six credits is. So credit distribution for 9th graders, we have a three-year trend here. What you'll see is that we actually have a little bit of a decrease of that light green of 2 and 1/2 credits to less than five and a half. Now remember 5 1/2 plus is the end of 9th grade. We're at semester 1. So they are definitely on track as well as possibly ahead of track. That darker green of five and a half or greater is what they should be having at the end of their freshman year. So you'll notice that there's been an increase over the past 3 years from 3 and a.5% to 9.6% 6% of our graduating or our I apologize our 9th graders as they go

090through that year in the credits that they are earning. So, we wanted to break this down because we realize we have a few different scenarios running on our schools and we've had different rollouts for our block scheduling. So, we wanted to make sure to bring that to light as well. So, our one-year block schools, so we have two of them, Mountain View and Red Mountain, um are in green here. So you'll see that they have that five and a half or greater credits. They are higher up in how many they've earned our 2-year block schools. So then that includes Dobson, Westwood, and Skyline. They have a higher percentage of that five and a half or greater. Not as high as our um Mountain View, Red Mountain, but higher than our non-block schedule of Mesa. Now,

091that being said, Mesa High has 83 and a half% of their freshman class in that light green category, which means they are on track or ahead of on track for semester 1 for 9th grade. Looking at 10th grade, we have an increase again, that dark green, they should have over 11 credits by the end. So, they are definitely ahead. So, we've seen this huge jump um this year in that 11 credits or greater. So, this is total combined credits across all of their classes. We're also seeing a drop from 13.1% to 7.6% over the past 3 years in students who are falling far behind in credit earning. So when we talk about being able students having the opportunity to graduate in four years and the credits that they need to earn, we are definitely moving

092in the right direction here. And again, it's not too concerning that we have in the light green category of 8 to 11 credits a drop down from 62.4% to 43.6% because we had a jump from 15.6% up to 39.8% 8% in the an even higher category. And once again, we wanted to go ahead and highlight some of our models that we have going on here. Again, you'll see that our two-year block, you'll see a big shift here. So remember, they then had these 10th graders, if they were at those schools last year, they've had two years of that block scheduling of the opportunity to earn eight credits over the course of the year. So, that's a big jump and really lifts that credit opportunity up for those students. So, that 11 credits are greater for

093our two-year block schools. We have 58% of those students earning those credits. Um, our nonblock that bell curve there that is at Mesa High, that is tradition on track. They are not off track. Please, let's please be very, very clear with the opportunities that they have of earning six credits. This should not be a negative reflection on Mesa High. They are two very different schedules for how they can earn credits. So, let's just make sure we don't confuse that. Um, our one-year block, you'll see that they haven't made a full transition over to where you would see your our two-year block schools, and that's because they're in year one. So, this is the first opportunity that those 10th graders are having. If we look up to 11th graders, again, these dark greens are they are

094ahead of schedule. Most importantly here again we're seeing in that dark red section which are the students who are credit off track is declining. The light red is also declining. So we are definitely getting credit opportunities and credit earning opportunities for our students. Again, you're seeing the most recent year that we have a drop in the light green, but with the opportunity in se in five of our six major comprehensive high schools, you have the opportunity to earn more credits. So, it's not dropping in a negative sense, it's shifting over to a higher category. Looking at our three different models that we have going on over the past few years, again, you're seeing similar trends like what we saw in 10th grade where our two-year block programs, we have drops at those light greens, increases

095in the dark greens. Again, the one-year block sort of similar to, but they have had a half a year on the block schedule, four credits opportunity versus three in our non-block Mesa High School. So, and once again, Mesa High is not off track. They do have 14.4% that are really off track. Um, but I do know they ask for their kids grades every single time. So, they are they are they have the interventions in place to be able to assist those students. 12th grade students. Um, we see this it's not as doesn't appear to be as big of a shift with the exception of again decline in the dark red, decline in the light red. And we are merely shifting over into a darker green. And remember, these are total credits earned. So we're looking

096at holistically the cumulative number of credits. And the goal is 22. So, we have 47.1% of our students that are at 22 credits or greater halfway through their senior year. When we look at the individual models, seeing similar patterns and trends that we saw for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders across the different models. Um, so we have our one-year block. they have a lower percentage in this particular case of the dark green. Whereas our two-year block, they've had two years as 11th graders and now 12th graders on that block schedule. So, they've been able to earn more credits. So, they're slightly lower of 41.2% in the light green, which is on track and ahead of track. And again, it's shifted over to that dark green category of 35.9% or 22 credits or greater. So, some

097of the things that we have going on in order to support our schools, MPS data explorer, our PowerBI dashboarding system is available for all of our schools, rolled out to all of our schools. It has behavior on it. It has attendance on it. They can go in and see patterns and trends, attendance over courses, days of the week. They can get into individual students. They can get into teacher classes and see how attendance is happening across those classrooms. We have role- security for teachers. So they can see their home room teacher in secondary. Um they can see their home room class. Um and then in elementary school it is the class that they usually have. Um our school data folders we've maintained and kept up with. We actually just supplied a file. Tomorrow is Friday.

098It's already there. Sh. um for incoming student data which is going to help with scheduling of students who are coming into our schools, incoming seventh graders, incoming ninth graders. So that we've been asked we they asked for that last year. So we're getting that out to them as an early release and then it'll be updated later in the summer as we continue to see enrollment. Will they get access to student assessment data, quarterly attendance and behavior data? So if they're making any interventions at the school level, they can see those changes over time. um their trending presentations they get at the beginning of the year accountability in the late fall and so we're moving in the direction of the accountability reporting data so we'll be working with our schools as we move in the direction

099of end of school year for CCRI etc and pulling some of those pieces in um and then we have also this year been offering R& office hours um so we focus a 45 minute time frame to be a 15 20 minute presentation so they can listen into how we're providing data or what they can do with it. Um so we've been working with principles um they've been coming on and saying things and some of our principles are listening to it like a podcast on their way home. So and that is it. >> Thank you Dr. Glassmire. Um forward I'll start with my right board member Hudson. Any questions? >> Thank you President Davis and thank you Dr. Glassmire. Appreciate your information. Um so we know that this information um helps the board monitor um student

100progress towards our graduation goal. And our graduation goal um we said that a school level goal of a 5 percentage point increase in the 2026 cohort will graduate on time as evidenced by their graduate code on synergy on or before June 3rd. So we're looking at a 5% increase. Um my question is um it looks like that we have a number of students on track with credits. However, we know that not all credits are equal. There are credits that are there are required classes whose credits are holy, if you will, and we have elective credits whose credits are enhancing of those required credits. Where are our students when it comes to the required classes and are they earning credits in those required classes? Say like algebra 2. >> So we did not do allocated credits.

101So what you're referencing is allocated credits. Um we have not come to the board with that report before. um if that is a direction that we want to head in the future, that is certainly something that we can go ahead and move in the direction of if that if the board so wishes on that one. Um so in looking at those pieces, one of the other pieces that I want to say is that we also have our success schools within our high schools. Um and we also have opportunities. Having those eight class period days offers more opportunities for those students who are struggling where it may it may take a little while to get through algebra 2. Um so we do have it's not just total credits. Um you're bringing up a very good point,

102but that's not something we've brought to the board yet. I I really [clears throat] appreciate that information and and um if if it's um possible um taking a look at required courses um is okay. Dr. STM is nodding. So this is this is good. Okay. >> Member Hudson said I here's here's the decisions we have to make in front of the governing board is we want to respect everyone's time and so we try to design these presentations to be 10 minutes long. If we start getting into allocated credits, then [clears throat] by allocated credits by non-block school, first year block school, second year block school, the presentation was going to build out to be so long that we would have been talking at you for an hour and a half. Sure, >> we already have

103the data and so we can get to work on >> telling you what percent of 9th 12th graders have their three and a half English credits by this point in there. What percent of 12th graders have their two and a half math credits by this point in their or sorry, three and a half math credits by this point in career. That's allocated. So, what we might do is include that in a board future board report if that's all right by the governing board. >> That would be that would be terrific. And and um I would be remiss if I didn't thank you and your staff for making yourself so available because data is important and knowing and knowing it's kind of like you know dipstick of you know how much oil do you have in

104your car? How how how much how much fuel do we have um to make sure that we're reaching our graduation goal? And I really appreciate um not only the data but the interpretation of the data, making it accessible and making sure that people know what they can do with this data. And I think uh providing office hours so that people can access you as a as as an expert in this I think is really a super important factor. And I appreciate particularly this slide that shows how you're supporting the schools and because that's making a difference obviously as well as many other factors. But thank you. >> Yeah. Well, I just want to have a big shout out to we've got a group of principles that have been phenomenal in helping us translate because we

105can provide the data but we can't take it any further. The other thing is my team has become amazing and people who are not my team but also part of research and evaluation like John House and Jeffrey and Dr. Gibbs um we had they have it's really a ven diagram of support um so we have very much pulled together to go ahead and support these pieces. So it is it is definitely a full-fledged team effort um as well as out in the field. So that's to pull those pieces together and we're we miss some things. Let's be super clear. It doesn't always but we've tried to fill the holes as we go if anything gets missed. >> Thank you, Miss Spinson. Um I'm probably less concerned about the um number of students that are on

106track to graduate simply because of uh on on block as I do just really quick math looking at the credit distribution for 12th grades. Um if I make the assumption that if they have uh 19 to 20 less than 22 at this point um 22 or greater they can already graduate. So, um, and then if I make the assumption that at least some portion of that 12.4, uh, we'll get to there, uh, by the end of the the, uh, year with strong supports, which, um, most of our schools have now. Uh, that's going to put us at approximately on average across the district a 95% graduation rate. I, if I did my math right, >> remember that graduation rate is also cumulative across 9th through 12th grade. Any student who walks in their doors counts

107towards that graduation rate. So these are current students who are enrolled in the schools. Graduation rate also includes kids who come in the door and go out of the door. And so one of the things that we get reports from from the state and we have our front office follow up on is where when those kids leave, where do they go? because they stay on our graduation report and our graduation rate until we get confirmation of where they've gone or where they've transferred to. So, please be aware that it's not just our currently enrolled students. It is any student who has walked in our doors from 9th grade all the way through 12th grade. >> That's right. It's the cohort. >> It's the cohort. >> So, it the nth grade cohort that gra Sorry, I

108Yes, I I do recall that now. So, um I'm more concerned with the number of students. So, like if I look at 9th grade, um the the ability to uh already we have um some ninth graders in our block that already have five and a half credits. They're going to have by far more credits necessary by their junior year. So I would like for us to be a as we continue to get this data and we can look at the difference between first off two questions need to be answered in my mind um one of the reasons and one of the uh rationale for going to a block schedule was to improve graduation rate. So uh is that actually occurring? I would kind of also like to see um how many kids are having to

109retake their algebra 2 class that now they don't have to do it at during summer school or an A hour because they have those eight credit opportunities. These kids that are at five and a half already five and a half credits at the end of first semester, we're not worried about them. More than likely, they have student student uh behaviors that are going to put them they're going to graduate. it's the other students that are um potentially a concern, right? So, I would like to see how many duplicate classes are having to be taken and whether or not that is a sufficient reason to maintain a block schedule uh to does that make sense to just to ensure kids that would not have a uh some of it is there's a lot of reasons why

110kids don't pass a class. I totally get that. Um, but I'm also concerned with the number of kids that potentially are going to be able to graduate substantially early and how that impacts our ML and our uh budgeting. So, all of those factors have to be balanced and weighed in order for us to be viable. We are our budget is dependent upon student enrollment. Um, and if we have kids that are able to, they have 22 credits by the end of their I mean, some of them potentially if they're really go-getters, they could have their 22 credits by the end of their sophomore year, right? Potentially. [laughter] So, how do we then entice them uh to stay, especially with the number of bud the number of um of uh staff positions that we've had to

111cut? So, this is a a delicate balancing game that I really I I think we really need to be cognizant of that and we need to be paying attention to, yeah, this is great. It seems that they're on track for graduation. What if they're on track for severely early graduation because that's going to really negatively impact our budgeting and that will then become this vicious cycle that once again, I mean, two years in a row we've had to do a riff and that is not acceptable in my mind. So, uh, I would like to make sure that we're paying attention to some other factors as well. >> And I would I would as a response to that, those are similar conversations that we've been having. So, those are all what we will be looking at

112going into the ride. And that's great because that's exactly what our community is going to want us want to see as well because I I do believe our community wants a viable Mesa public schools and uh Mesa public schools that's here for another hundred years another uh how long's Mesa High been around? 100 plus, right? 125 something like that. Like Mesa is a vibrant community. Uh it's a well-knit and well uh connected community. They want their public schools to be maintained and to stay viable. So, >> no more. >> Thank you, board member Walden. >> Thank you. Um, for the students that start with Mesa Public Schools in 9th grade and stay through till 12th grade grade, I think Dr. Strom knows the graduation rate for those students, it's like 95% or something. >> Yeah,

113we brought that to the governing board maybe two years ago. I think it approached 95%. It's about the right number. Uh what would shock people is that it's in the range of 60 to 65% of kids that we have in the senior year that were actually with us their freshman year. So people assume we had these 12th graders all four years. 40 30 to 40 let's say percent of the kids that are with us 12th grade year weren't with us all four years. They were in and out or they just arrived their 11th grade year and their 12th grade year. So yeah, 95 if they stick with us all four years, right? Uh 90 it's like a 95% graduation rate. We haven't pulled that by the way and since we pulled it last. So we

114could we could pull that number again. >> Yeah. Well, and I think Arizona is like a true school choice state. We can see more of that fluctuation. It's going to become no matter what we do, uh as there's more choices and options for families, I think it is going to become less common that we see students from 9th all the way through 12th grade. So that that could be something to to continue to to look at for sure. And I I think you know with the graduation requirement too it and I remember when we were setting these goals and and looking at that a big part of it too is is that data cleanup and uh having to be accountable to students even though they have left and maybe we we don't know that they've

115left and and trying to do that record cleanup. So, I want to say thank you to the principles because I know that that you have that work that you're doing that might feel really challenging. You don't get to like interact with students, but you're doing data cleanup, but it's it's so important to, you know, to show what the actual graduation rate is of of the district. So, it's it's hard when families leave and, you know, we don't know where they go. Um, but I'm glad that that's a focus now that, you know, we can really see what our what our results are, right? Because we we are becoming data driven and we're our goals and everything are around student outcomes and so that that those steps have to be taken so we know if we're

116really offering a a successful product. Uh, I I differ a little bit in my opinions. I don't think it's a bad thing for students to graduate early. I think there are going to be students that want to stay in the district, especially for electives, the socialization, the traditions like senior prom. I hope I hope we never have to see another day where kids don't get their senior prom or graduation ceremonies because the state and government's done something dumb and shut schools down or something like I hope that day never comes. I certainly am not for that. I would show up and chaperon and do whatever I needed to do to keep those things going. Uh, but I think that those are the moments that I think keep students in regardless of credits. And I think

117it's really about choice for them and what kind of customization they want to see in their high school experience. I think there's a lot of students that would probably do better if they sort of got into the adult world sooner. And some kids like to stay younger longer and some are just like I was one of them. I couldn't I couldn't wait to grow up, right? Like I was just I was done. I loved college. I was happy to, you know, to kind of be around adults. And so I think it's it's good that we have those options. I I don't think it's good that our budget is going to be impacted by block scheduling, but I feel really confident in the solutions that the district is is talking about because I think that there's

118a lot of there's a there's there's pros and cons to everything we do and there's been benefits in in trying to modernize and customize education for the 21st century. and thinking outside the box to provide more opportunities and electives for students. I I certainly think for those students that that are ready to do more, they I think that's great. They could graduate early, right? Like I I don't think that's a a bad thing. So that's that's that's my two cents about it. I know that uh I know there's a lot going on that uh isn't and that's not on the agenda, so I won't I won't go there. But I I am glad that we are continuing to be data driven and uh continuing to to listen to the community and and look for ways

119that we can make all all individuals happy in our district. Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you, board member Chaffy. I do echo the sentiments of my fellow board members that I appreciate that we're moving in the direction of data and accountability and I know it's been a lot of work and I especially appreciate that you're making that data available to our sites at all levels that teachers can see that that we can be all on this same team together. Um and I really appreciate that you broke down the data first like one year of block, two years of block traditional. I think that that was really helpful. I do think we need to understand whether students are earning the right credits and making sure that they are on track to graduate with the things

120that we're requiring of them. We do have some required courses that we require as a board and that the state requires for them to graduate. I think um to address Dr. Stro's concerns about the time, we can probably find a medium ground between 10 minutes and an hour and a half, but we are a chatty board, so I don't know. Um, I know that one thing, one solutions that we've talked about is the district creating a video presentation before that we review as a board and kind of come with our homework before we get here. That way we could do a deeper dive and be ready to have a conversation about it. Um, I know that I had asked for this information last year when we talked about this data because I do think it's

121important. We want to make sure, especially if our board goals are around math and ELA, even if we wanted to start there, that might be a good spot. So, I think that doing that will keep us moving forward and making sure that we're meeting the needs of these students. I I want the public to know that we've not changed the graduation requirements. They have stayed at 22. But I also want transparency that we've made some stipulations around how many classes juniors are taking and seniors are taking to to kind of mitigate the effects of of the budget. In looking at this presentation, I see that 60% of our 11th graders have 16 and a half plus credits in the two years of block. What is our plan for seniors? Do we have a plan, Dr.

122strong to >> Yeah. I mean, the idea is once they get to senior year, they're taking their typically government and economics class, their English 12 class, whatever that is, honors, AP, uh, IB, their math class, their fourth and final year of math that they have, and then we're getting them massively involved in work-based learning and internships, uh, apprenticeships eventually. We've we're talking about short apprenticeships recently at the national level. uh short-term apprenticeships are something that that is is of value. Uh we're meeting with MCC uh and their president uh uh on partnerships we can do with MCC to get those seniors down to MCC. MCC is a great option for low uh a very affordable uh college option to kick off your college career if you're interested in going down there to study. So there

123there are plans for what to do with those seniors during those senior year if they don't want to take advantage. I will tell you uh high school education's the last point in time that you get a free education in life. And so I would encourage any and all parents that if you have the opportunity to tell your kid not to take that half day and I know it's a tough conversation. I've been there before. But if you have opportunity to tell your kid don't take that half day and take eight credits and get that classroom experience and get those uh content areas accomplished as much as you possibly can against all the learning experiences we offer here in Mesa Public Skills. uh we'd love for you to stay for eight periods with us and and

124learn. You know, it's the last time it's going to be free. So, uh that's another plan of ours is try to promote the classes, the right classes for kids so they stay with us and stay engaged in the learning environment. So, Dr. Eis has been at this way longer than me because the plans for all this started maybe six years ago. So, if you have anything to add, Dr. Eis, I defer. >> No, I think you mentioned all the opportunities. there are going to be required classes that they have to take their senior year that typically most kids don't get it under their belt. And then all of those opportunities that Dr. Straw mentioned, um all of those dual uh enrollment courses and and the partnerships that we have with our universities and community colleges.

125>> I really appreciate that. I think it's very important to me. I'm seeing some high school students really struggle to get their needs met because the master schedule is so complicated when we put block schedule in college and careermies. It's really important to me that we flex the systems to meet the needs of our students. So, I would just encourage us to keep having those conversations with our sites to make sure that we are offering robust opportunities and that we are promising we are delivering on the promise that we're making to these students. May I make one more comment too just just to piggy back off of that because I had already you know brought up school choice but I think something else I I you know I didn't mention is that we do have

126students because they haven't been with us since 9th grade but they do vary in in their credit hour achievements as well. So, some are in credit recovery and then some like have they have way more credits than they need already because they were homeschooled or went through like an alternative school program where they gained credits. But it's becoming I think more of a trend where we're seeing people maybe who weren't part of the public school system come to high school for the reasons that I mentioned like having the traditional experience of the school dances and and the sports and the different electives. And so that is something else that I think that we we achieve through through block through looking at things differently is that we can accommodate a variety of of different needs in

127the same schedule. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um I also want to thank Dr. Glass Meer and team for your opening up office hours and the different communications going to our sites. I think that is a huge uh benefit to our our sites. um a long piggybacking along with these credit hours and especially as we get these students that are 11th and 12th that have extra um time in their schedules. I'm hearing different rumblings at sites of kids not being able to take certain CT classes because they won't be completers of those courses, but they want to try say a first year automotive, but they are a senior and so they can't complete and so they're not being able and I'm just throwing out that class. I have no idea. I I'm just

128those kind of things. But I'm hearing that um they're not being able to take it if they can't take the two years. Um and I think that is a disservice to our students if we're not going to let them try. I think the whole point of having extra credits or eight hours is to try new things and give these students opportunities to try especially if they have room in their schedule. So I don't know who Dr. Eless. Yes, we're always looking at at different options and opportunities and um even within the CTE what we can look at in terms of um if they're not if if students are interested for example in CTE classes but they don't want to take the full program then looking at ways that we can create similar kinds of courses

129so that they have opportunities to do that and expand um on on those things and then like you mentioned with the two two classes and and having those options. So, those are all conversations that we're looking at right now as as we're building out um what that program of study looks like. >> Okay. Thank you. I just want to make sure that our students do have options to try new things. But I think that's the great thing about especially this block schedule is opening those opportunities to try new and if we're limiting like I know um then that's taking away those the whole reason in going to this >> President Davis uh you know it's a really delicate a lot of these conversations even with juniors and seniors having more credits it is there's so

130many complexities into our system I mean you have kids graduate early that's probably good for the kid that means you don't get revenue out of that kid when the when the student's a senior and they're not with you anymore. That then probably results in the school district looking at not needing as many teaching staff, right? And so what I'm trying to use that as example of there's just a lot of complex everything's very nuanced and very complex in your situation with CTE classes. Dr. is working with her team to explore what opportunities we can have for junior and senior year. But I want to be clear and and rightfully so out of the auditor's report that just came out on EVIT. They're the auditors report is saying the state is making an investment into career

131and technical education for the kids and they're telling EVIT we want outcomes for kids. So EVIT is responding to that report and saying back we need this type outcome and this type of outcome and this type outcome. Part of that in our CTE programs is they were expecting us to have completers and completers in these programs take two to three years. And so maybe a value statement we need from the governing board is we're more than willing to respond if we have a finding on completion. We're more than willing to respond to EVIT like hey we do have a a low completion rate completer rate two-year completed rate in this program but it's because we're giving exposure to 11th and 12th grade and that's where the value of Mason Public Schools lies. That's great. We

132need a value statement probably on that and maybe that's something we can ask you in follow-up questions is like are we willing to live with that? What will happen as a result though is EVIT's got their metrics they have to make because they are funded with state legislature expectations. We don't begrudge them for that. They are funded with state legislative expectations. And so the results can will end up being where we've got to try to figure out the best situation for EVIT and the best situation for Mesa public schools all at the same time. Let alone the solution set of having classes that model like the CT class that maybe aren't CT classes, which is what Dr. Eases was talking about. >> Yeah. I do want to mention though, right, with the 12th graders, but

133right now any 9th, 10th, or 11th grader can take a CTE course. So, I may have missed that part, but we we don't not allow students to take CTE courses. >> It's 12th and the three-year class. There's are some three-year classes that be are the probably more specific to the question you're asking. >> 12th grade students enrolling in a first year class and then the classes that require three years in order to be a completer. >> [snorts] >> I figured there was more to the story, which usually tends to be the case. But I think I do appreciate the efforts being made to come up with ideas. Maybe not necessarily be a CTE class, but something that would model something near that. So, thank you. Um, thank you, Dr. Glassmire for your time. Um, board

134members. Oh, do you want to >> may make a comment? Thank you. Um, I taught high school for 30 years. So, I know that when kids came to school, it wasn't just about academics. some academics are important, but it was also about the arts and it was also about athletics. And right now, our kids are taking advantage of many many different opportunities. And when I think about graduation plus, graduation plus means is just not graduating mean they're going to they're going to graduate with certifications. They're going to graduate with college credits, whether it's AP or DE. And when I was an AP history teacher, my first initial meeting with parents, I said, "This is what the AP test costs. 280 bucks at the time. Kids could get six hours of credit." Six hours of college

135credit. I told them what that six hours of college credit cost at Notre Dame. What that six hours of college credit cost at ASU, what it cost at Harvard. It's cheap education and kids can get that education with their cohort in their neighborhood schools and parents can save a heck of a lot of money. I know that my two daughters graduated from Red Mountain and they were already sophomores at ASU. Saved my family a whole bunch of money. And when I think about all of our kids, our I believe that our enrollment from Mesa public schools to EVIT has grown tremendously this year. So kids are taking advantage of the opportunity of having the required classes done and now okay here's what I think I want to do and pursuing it. Um, I I really

136believe that graduation plots with the certifications, the opportunities for college, and then all of the wonderful programs. We saw our music educators who were awarded tonight with tremendous peer awards. We have these amazing programs. That's what'll keep our kids in school and they'll be even better human beings for it. So, I I'm Let's Let's go with it. Yes. May I? >> Um I am not opposed to a try a student staying for any of the social. I think that's great. Um I do think it is a balancing act that we as a board have to take seriously. Um, in regards to uh dual enrollment and um college courses, are we actively uh am I just going to make an assumption that in nth grade when students come in, they're meeting with their guidance counselor, is

137that what they're still called? uh to set out a plan that um are we actively communicating that we have and we have opportunities for kids to take ASU courses. We have that now, right? Did that start this year? >> We're still working on all the processes for that, but yes, those are approved and we're working through all of the logistics with ASU on like the payment and the eligibility and all of those things. >> So, that hopefully will be up and running next. >> Yes. But Yep. And to your first question, um the counselors do meet with the students. Um they're required to fill out their ECAP, their four-year plan. Um and meet with them periodically throughout those four years about all of the opportunities. Yep. And their scheduling and all of those things as

138they're selecting courses because I do think it's good. I I agree that having more credits allows them the flexibility of learn. That to me is what high school was about is exploring different things that I didn't know whether I would like it or not like it. We have to make sure though as we have this as we're navigating this you know because Thomas soul says there are no solutions there are trade-offs there's simply trade-offs so we have to make make sure that we're balancing trade-offs we have to make sure that we are providing the robust opportunities that we are currently promising for kids uh if they enter into a block schedule high school at 9th grade we have to make sure that we are actually able to provide all of those robust opportunities and that

139inexpensive college. Uh I would love that. I mean I would have loved that. Uh of course college wasn't super expensive when I went. [laughter] However, that has to also be part of our plan. And we can't provide robust opportunities if our budget is consistently uh taking a hit. That is the reality of life. Money makes the world go around in some situations, right? So, we have to do we have to be objective. We have to it is a balancing act to make sure that we are actually living into our promise for these nth graders that started on block that potentially could earn uh 32 credits by the end of their senior year. If we're providing great internships, if we're providing robust opportunities to get kids graduating with as a sophomore in high in college, that'd

140be phenomenal. >> Well, but those Okay. So, the if we already have that in some situations, those are with I'm assuming really highly motivated kids that are uh have really good work ethics and student uh behavior patterns and habits. But if we're providing that then that's that's fabulous that I just want us as a board focused on are we actually going to be able to live into the promise that we are making. I I think we are as a board like I I really feel like there's a there's a lot of work and a lot of effort that's happening and and it doesn't all happen on the dis right like we've staffed for the next school year already but we're looking beyond that too like it's not just it's not well here's things we like

141and now nothing's going to change. I think we've got leadership actively working. I know that since Dr. Strong's taken over. I've been I've had more transparency and more communication with district leadership than I had I think in my first few years. Uh but so I there is a there is a lot that's happening and a lot that that we're looking at. So I don't want to give off the impression that or what it sounds like that we're you know we're not focused on that because we're not going into the future plan details, right? But there's a we all want the same things. I think we all want those opportunities. We want students to have the experience they want to have and when we get feedback from families and and students are having a bad experience,

142I think it equally hurts everybody. >> Mhm. >> Nobody's not taking that seriously. We take it very seriously. And I think that's why you see so much communication that's happening uh with the board members. I I assume you all have the same or having the same experience I have or you're probably working more on the board than you might have done in in the past because we are taking every every complaint so seriously and I also want to thank you for all your hard work. [cough] Our team is pretty phenomenal. number people are always fun. >> Thank you again, Dr. Glassmire and board members. Thank you for your questions. If you do think of any other questions, there is a follow-up spreadsheet. So, please add your questions there. And with that, do I have a

143motion to adjurnn the meeting? >> So moved. >> Do I have a second? >> Seconded. >> Any discussion? Seeing none, Miss Kirby, will you please take our vote? There's no >> Did you have an extra? >> I think so. >> Oh, I I saw I stole the bully pen. >> I'm so used to stealing blue pens from the city because they have the best blue pens. [laughter] >> Every city meeting I go to, they're the best blue pens. They got the big >> with a vote of five. Yes, the meeting is adjourned at 8:15. Thank you and have a wonderful evening.