001Hello Roosevelt community. I'm Dr. Danny Portio, your superintendent, and this is our monthly recap of our governing board meeting. And I'm Dr. Ashley Hodgej, your governing board president. The budget for 2025 2026 was adopted, and we're excited to share that it includes $3,000 raises to the base of our teacher salary schedule. Due to careful planning, our budget also reflected a $ 1.5 million contribution towards our reserve funds. These funds are critical as this nest egg will maintain stability in the district when we face challenges in the future. Building this nest egg advances our progress towards becoming a self-insured district, which will allow us more ownership and flexibility over costs related to employee medical care. We also shared highlights from the Roosevelt School District climate survey. This year, over 4,000 students, nearly 500 staff members, and
002more than 1,600 families participated, and their message was clear. Roosevelt is a connected, supportive, and student- centered community. Nearly 90% of students reported feeling safe at school, and the majority of parents believe their children are learning meaningful content and are on the path to graduation. These responses reflect the heart of our mission to create a highquality learning environment where every student feels they belong. >> We are also proud of the strong collaboration among our school teams and community partners. Staff shared a strong sense of teamwork and commitment to student well-being. While families reported feeling welcome and valued, these results reaffirm the great work that's happening across the district and the importance of continuing our focus on family engagement, emotional safety, and academic outcomes. The results also showed growth in school connectedness, student support, and the
003consistency of behavior expectations. Teachers noted a strong increase in the visibility of schoolwide rules, and families highlighted the importance of daily attendance and feeling welcomed. These insights will continue guiding our academic and social emotional strategies. >> The board also approved this year academic interrum goals one through four for the upcoming school year. These updated goals establish measurable priorities, including improving oral reading fluency in the primary grades with a specific focus on second graders. Additionally, we aim to increase reading and math proficiency across all grades, placing particular emphasis on grades 2, 3, five, and six. Another priority is to reduce the percentage of students performing at the minimally proficient level by the time they take the exam in April of 2026. The reinventing Roosevelt initiative update this month was regarding facilities, transportation, and the repurposing of
004district buildings. This summer, our team has been busy with several projects, including installing new flooring at Concho San Julian and remodeling restrooms at multiple sites. The new Sunland building is nearly complete. We're waiting for the driveway and bus lane to be finished, and the furniture is expected to arrive the week of July 21st. We're excited to welcome staff and students to this beautiful new space soon. At the meeting, the board also approved installation of safety perimeter fencing around Bar School. Thanks to the support of our voters when the bond was passed last November, we plan on installing safety perimeter fencing around other campuses and either rebuilding or significantly upgrading our other facilities. For transportation, we're finalizing general education, bus stop times, and parent information this week. Families will receive these details by the end of
005next week. Bus stops will remain at the closing school sites to ensure students have transportation to their new schools and existing stops within former school boundaries will also stay in place. Regarding the repurposing of our buildings, we had an initial meeting with our consultant in June. We have several more meetings scheduled this July to finalize the plan and timeline. This work will include community outreach sessions and research to identify facilities and services which will best serve the South Phoenix community before we advertise potential partners interested in partnerships and leasing opportunities. >> Our district leadership will continue to collaborate with the auditor janitor to strengthen our operational practices in fiscal management. Regarding enrollment, we are pleased to share that we are over a thousand more students enrolled compared to this time last year. We are actively
006encouraging families to enroll their kindergarteners as soon as possible to support effective teacher assignments. Additionally, we are asking families to reenroll their students early each year as this allows for us to plan better to meet student needs. Budget appropriately, staff our schools, and design programs to support our student success. As a reminder, our back- toschool health fair is happening July 19th. Students will receive free backpacks, school supplies, vaccinations, and information about free sports, physicals, and so much more. We hope to see our families there as we prepare for a great school year. And don't forget, Meet the Teacher Night will be on July 31st. We are excited to reconnect with our families and students. If you have a family that hasn't reregistered, please encourage them to visit our website and enroll as soon as possible.
007We're also looking forward to our annual employee convocation on August the 1st held at South Mountain High School from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00. It's a time for us to come together, reflect on our journey, and celebrate the year ahead. >> Remember, you are the genesis of change, and together we're building a culture of performance.