001district's October 28, 2025 governing board meeting. We will begin with roll call attendance. Mrs. Ross, >> present. >> Mrs. Williamson, >> present. >> Mrs. Garcia, >> present. >> Mrs. Lean, >> present. >> And on present, all board members are in attendance. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance and remain standing for a moment of silence. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please be seated. >> On to item 1.3, adoption of the agenda. Would somebody like to make a motion on the agenda? >> Madame President, I'd like to make a motion to approve the agenda. We have a motion. Would somebody like to second? >> Second. >> Mrs. Ross seconds. Mrs. Ross. >> Yes.
002>> Mrs. Williamson. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Garcia. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Yes. >> And on yes, that motion passes 5 to zero. Item 1.4, board meeting minutes not previously approved. Would somebody like to make a motion on the minutes? Madam President, I'd like to make a motion to approve the September 9th regular minutes, the September 10th special meeting, October 8th board retreat and October 14th, 2025 work session minutes and also October 14th, 2025 special meeting. We have a motion. Would somebody like to second? >> Second. Mrs. Mrs. Ross seconds. Mrs. Ross, >> yes. >> Mrs. Williamson, >> yes. >> Mrs. Garcia, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lean, >> yes. >> And on yes, that motion passes 5 to zero. On to information only items 2.1 governing board members report. Anybody want to start? Mrs. Ros, you
003have anything? Um, yes. I went to um Four Peaks and I got to see some of the dual language students. They're just so adorable. But what really impressed me is that the teacher was giving them instructions conversationally in Spanish and they knew what he said and I had no clue. So that was that was pretty impressive. >> That's it. >> Thank you, Mrs. Williamson. >> Um let's see. We attended a board retreat on the 13th and just went over our um self-board evaluation and some of the board rules, roles, and responsibilities. And then also on Tuesday the 21st, my husband and I had the privilege of going to the high school and visiting the welding class >> um with Jeff Cox and Noah Worley. That was great. Really, really enjoyed that. Thank you, Jeff. [laughter]
004Um, it was just great to see what the kids were working on. And, um, some of you may not know, my husband and I have a welding shop, so that kind of is our interest. So, it was very, very cool just to see what they're doing. And their instructor, Noah, he's he was great. So, that was good. >> All right. Thank you, Mrs. Garcia. >> Um, just a couple upcoming events. So, I was invited to do the November 5th um senior interviews again this next following week. So, next week or next board meeting, I'll have an update on that. And then I was asked by um BGFL and AJ Little League just to announce that they're having a cornhole tournament on November 1st. Um and all the proceeds are just to uh help with the
005fundraisings for their uniforms and trophies and things like that. So, they're inviting you all out. Um and that's going to be at the mage. And if you guys want more information, um, she said it's on Facebook, so you can look it up. And that's it. >> Thank you, Mrs. Lane. >> I had the privilege to watch the girls volleyball team play a couple times. I forgot if they won or lost, but they played really well. That's all I remember. >> Cute. That's one of my favorite sports. Okay. Um, I attended the Broken La fundraiser, the complete cars experience. And I have to tell you, it poured and rained that night. I couldn't believe it. I I was lucky I made it there. I was It was so brain, but it was a nice event. They
006did a great job and the money is being raised for the Cactus Canyon Junior High um field and Pam Burks is the one who put it on and I appreciate her doing that and I think she's going to be doing another one in February. So, we'll see what that's going to be about. All right, on to the superintendent report. Dr. Papardo. >> Madame President, members of the board, community, staff, and students. Glad you're here tonight. I got to follow up with the cars report. We had some great donations. We had donations from Fat Man's Pizza, Rosadis, and Papa John's for food that night. Drinks from Bashes um and from and soda from Bad Habits in Gold Canyon. also the overflow emissions to provided water. Uh we had monetary donations as well from Albertson's and Safeway,
007uh Big Old Tire and Copper Resolution. U they they've earned about $6,000 in this project so far. So that's that's a we're on a great start. That's a great run for us. >> Um at the uh as you at the start of the school year, we were down about 13 kids. Um, so from the 20th day to the 40th day, we've gained another 19 kids over past that. So, you know, we're on a little bit of a rise there. Um, during the fall break, uh, the administrative team worked on two initiatives. A portrait of a graduate as well as AGI and that role it'll play in Apache Junction. AGI was rolled out about five years ago, so we're trying to catch up on that trend. Um last week got to attend the coalition for re-imagining
008high schools. Um I'm going to take the high school principal and the junior high principal out to Agra Fria to see what they're doing to innovate their schools and that's coming up. Uh also attended the LEAP conference on reimagining schools. uh went to homecoming volleyball games and I was at the ASA leadership uh this past the past few days. Um great announcement I want to make about Four Peaks Elementary. Uh you will remember two years ago, four out of our five schools were in school improvement. None of our schools are in school improvement anymore. Four Peaks got out. We got a letter from the State Department. Okay. So that's really really good news. Um I see you have uh the report by the principles for relay coming up here. I want to have the principles
009come up madam president and do that report. That's a lifechanging inservice opportunity we have from relay a learns and trans about um what that looks like in schools. So, if I have the principles come up, >> we let you leave us one. So, Good evening, Madame President, Dr. Papalardo, members of the board, community, family, students. It is our honor to be able to share with you an exciting opportunity that our district site leaders have been attending. also our site academic interventionists attended the last session which was very eye openening for them for us to be able to collaborate together. So I want to share with you collectively we as a principal team the whole premise and basis is to make sure that as an instructional leader the school principal will need to create a strong
010and supportive school culture. Our principles have partnered with relay graduate school of education and a leads in a continual development plan for leadership. This partnership intent is a meaningful impact for both teachers and students. Relay's approach is a hands-on and uses best practices. This practice aids school leaders in guiding weekly planning meetings with their teachers and the effective use of creating and utilizing exemplars purposefully. The partnership with a leads has helped us as principles to connect with our other network of leaders who are passionate for achievement and reflective um learning. that's aligned with Arizona's vision for student success. So, um during our first session, we set the foundation that of an effective coach teacher relationship. What does that look like? That it's important to make sure that we as leaders aren't just having those coaching
011moments, conversations when it comes time for evaluations or observations, when we do post conferences that we need to make sure we're doing realtime coaching with our teachers. and also to identify and craft high quality action steps for the teachers to help strengthen what happens in each and every classroom. And also we practice how to use the see it, name it and do it. So we want to make sure we take the great intent, the great thinking, the great planning, creating those exemplers ourselves along with our teachers to do comparisons in order to make sure that high quality instruction learning where students are doing a lot of the heavy lifting of learning and thinking in the classrooms. And so we need to make sure that as principles we're utilizing using multiple lenses, bite-sized and measurable feedback
012because as you know teachers, if you get too much information all at once, you're going to take little bits of it anyways. So we want to make sure that we strengthen the instructional practices but provide that support to our teachers. That's the main important thing is to support our staff and also using of those exemplers, you know, talking about what would that look like and I know my colleagues are going to share more of that with you as far as what that process would look like and also how do we frame that feedback? How do we make sure that we're clear and concise with our communication with that sidebyside real time coaching with our teachers? >> Next slide. So the title of what we attended was planning meaningful instruction which included the no and the
013show. Go ahead Leon man of many or few words depending on how we look at it. So tonight we're going to look briefly at um what a reflective practitioner is going to be. I'll just memorize that. Um so we're going to take a look at um some reflective questions and we can't run the video. Is that what you've said? Okay. So we had a video prepared for you tonight. Um and we're just going to go ahead and speak about what those questions would have been on that video. So, the video that we watched was actually um a second grade reading lesson and they were reading a book called Clementine, which is above a second grade reading level. But that doesn't mean they can't still be challenged with answering those higher level questions. So, these are
014the um these were the questions that were posed to us. the first two questions. I'm not sure why they all say one, but the first two questions were posed to us before we even started watching um little snippets of the video. And if you were able to watch the video, um you would see that the students are doing most of the work. They all had copies of books in their hand. They had all done annotation um in the books as well. They made notes in the margin. and before they even got into um reading what they were going to be reading that day, they had that time to turn and talk. What do you think we've read about so far? So, they go through that part and then um as the teacher, they're working on
015looking at what and why uh do Clementine's emotions change throughout the chapter. And so as he's reading them, he's teaching them some of the higher level vocabulary words that would have been a little bit more challenging for them at the second grade level. But most of it is focused on the students talking to each other, the students doing the heavy lifting, the students doing the learning, and they get to a point in the video where they talk about, well, why did she write all of this stuff in her journal? And they have these rich discussions. Well, I think they talked about it because of this. And then they would either go like yes I agree or they would have other hand signals that they would use and it's like okay you didn't understand or you
016have something different to say and they they would have the students call on somebody else. It's like, oh, you have something to add on to that. And so the teacher was just there as a facilitator and the kids were the ones that were doing all of the work, which is super exciting to see. And that's something that we want to make sure that we are using to um strengthen our instructional practices and showing. We're sharing these videos with our staffs as well so they can see you can do things like this, but you just have to make sure that you're prepared. You read the material ahead of time. You work on preparing those questions. think is it Russell? >> So knowing the what is the purpose of know and show? Um we all know students
017need to have content area knowledge. The second part of that is how do we know that they've mastered it? So we have to have a way that students will be able to actually quantifiably verify that they are actually showing it through formative informative assessments through uh different types of activities and presentations. So clearly the first thing is the no we have to define what students are going to know. So we're going to have to define specific terms of the learning objectives. What do we want the kids to learn? How is it tied directly to the state standards? How students will demonstrate the mastery of that knowledge is the show. What methods will they use to display those mastery? Um, as I said earlier, the different types of assessments, whether it's a a some type of
018test, assignment, performance, the process aligns the lesson activities and the assessments with the learning standards. It's not purposeful if the work that we're giving them is not aligned to the standards. the standards are determined to be what the kids need to learn in the state of Arizona. Sorry. [clears throat] Um so if it's not tied directly to those standards, we're not doing what we need to do to make sure those kids are learning it. Um all parts of the lesson must be purposeful and worked towards the same goal. Uh the entire time allotted must be focused on the standards and skills related to the identified objective. Um and now we'll show you uh how the know and show chart is utilized. >> [clears throat] >> Okay. So to further this, so the the purpose of
019the know and show is for our teachers. It's for the teachers to sit down as they're planning what their instruction is going to look like throughout that week, that day. And it's for them to identify what is it like uh Mr. Mr. Paperman said, "What do the student students need to know and how will they show that they learned it?" And so we have actually been working on this since uh last year and we've really been working with our teachers um writing stronger learning objectives. And I have an example of my this is a first grade learning objective is this is what they post in their classroom um every day. They have to have it posted. And I know it's hard to see, but in this picture, they have to identify that learning objective for
020their math, reading, writing. Um, and here her the grammar that uh and then in here, because it is first grade, they take that objective and they break it down to what it is they're going to be learning. Why do they have to know this? Because you know how the students or kids are always, why, why? Well, here it is. Every teacher has to say why. Because they don't know why they have to learn math. It's hard. Why do I have to do this? Well, this is why. And this is why how it's going to connect your future learning. What we're going to do next. And then they need to know how are they going to do that? And that's part of the know and show. We need to identify as educators, how are they going
021to show that mastery? what do they need to do to show us that they understand and that they are meeting whatever that standard is that learning objective um in their work. So this can be done in different ways. So the next step in this training that we attended they talked about we need to identify the verbs. Okay, those are those action steps. So the I had my teachers once they have it in there they need to underline the verbs. So the teachers need to know that's part of the how. Okay, they're going to be writing. They're going to count. They're going to organize. And then in some of them, they have actually have them circling or identifying also the noun. You know, who has to do this? How is it going to be shown? So
022now you can walk in to uh my campus and every teacher does this. Every single one. And they also talk to the students before they start and they tell them for each one in math. This is what we're doing before they start math. So they understand the what, the why, and the how. Then um the next one. So as as our teachers are planning, one of the things we ask them so that um is think about the questions. So my questions I have in here is what questions do I ask myself to prepare to teach this lesson? So as will there be any misconceptions? Is there anything in here the students may not understand or not connect or you know so what do I need to do to live um eliminate any misconceptions? The other
023part is what knowledge you'll need to activate that prior knowledge because not all students have that same level of understanding or knowledge. Not everyone I'll make it not everyone's been up north and seen the snow. So if my reading passage is about my snow adventures, well, do I need to activate some knowledge? Do I need to show them pictures? What do I need to do? And then also part of that is activating is what questions? How do I get these the students to think deeper so that my lessons are where the students are actually doing the learning? They are the ones that are thinking deeper. They're collaborating with each other, communicating. So just to close that. So just to reinstate what my colleagues have talked about is that our main takeaway from this was that
024we have to closely work with our teachers through coaching um to building strong and meaningful instructions where students are digging deeper in their learning. So our jobs is to be that coach for our teachers so that our students are having receiving that enrichment in that instruction and their learning. So that was our class. We enjoyed it. We're enjoying the relay. We're enjoying what we're learning so that we can bring it back to our campuses and work with our teachers. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. >> Um, you know, we are very fortunate to be a part of these of this training these uncommon schools. It was meant to be just for the academy, but they were generous enough to do it for all of our schools, including the high school. So, we're very fortunate to
025have had three trainings. Um, next month we'll bring in the assistants who went to the last training and give you their perspective of what they learned. Okay. So, at this point I would like to invite up the >> employees of the month. >> Yes. The employees and student employees of the month first. Yep. All right. Well, thank you. Um, Superstition Mountain Classical Academy would like to recognize Miss Christine Jones as its certified teacher for the month of October 2025. [applause] a truly exceptional kindergarten educator who has made a powerful impact since joining our campus, thankfully our first year. Stepping into a brand new school with a new mission, Miss Jones embraced the challenge with grace, professionalism, and heart. Mrs. Joan leads a uniquely diverse and dynamic kindergarten class, which includes several students with individual education
026plans. and she has gone above and beyond to provide individualized instruction to meet every child's needs. Her commitment to inclusive practices and her deep understanding of early childhood development are nothing short of inspiring. U Mrs. Alexis Scott shared a beautiful thought that I'm going to share. She said um it made my heart beyond happy when Miss Joan shared this year's kindergarten group is one of her best groups she has ever had because they all came from preschool and are so unique with their need for differentiation. Miss Jones has strong classroom management. This is me. Creating a nurturing and structured environment where her students can thrive. She is highly admired by both colleagues and I impressed how she has embraced the ideal of teacher leadership on my campus with our new staff. We are incredibly lucky
027to have such a dedicated, talented, and passionate educator on our team. Thank you, Miss Jones, for the incredible work you do every single day. You're making a difference, and we're honored to have you on our campus. >> [applause] >> Superstition Mountain Classical Academy would like to recognize Mrs. Laura Angus as its classified staff for the month of October 2025. [applause] Mrs. Zangis serves as both our registar and health aid and is the true face of superstition mountain classical academy. Nobody wants to see mine. Hers is much better than mine. As my very first hire, Mrs. Angus has shown from day one the qualities that make the classical academyy's culture begin as she models our virtues. Mrs. Angus exemplifies exemplifies kindness, professionalism, and care, greeting every student, family, and staff member with a welcoming spirit and
028all of them by name. Mrs. Angus shows her exceptional planning and organiza organiza organization, keeping our school running smoothly and efficiently as she positions staff in needed areas and find substitutes on a minute's notice. Her flexibility and calm demeanor allow her to handle any challenge, always finding a way to get the job accomplished with grace and precision. Beyond her daily duties, Miss Laura, as I've heard so many times called, provides guidance and direction to staff, an ear for our children to listen to, and always ensures that everyone feels supported and informed. I've had full trust in Laura from our first meeting and interview. She understands my vision for the school and is an integral part of that mission. Her selfless dedication, effectiveness, and genuine compassion for make Mrs. Angus, an invaluable member of our school
029community and a shining example of excellence. Congratulations. [applause] >> Yes. Thank you. >> Picture time. Smile. The first time it isn't [laughter] >> down there. Congratulations. [applause] >> Um, just a real personal note. Um, thank you so much ladies for my transition to this area. Um, it wouldn't have been made as simple without the two of them in my corner. So, I appreciate them very much. I'm going to start with my kids. Um, thank you ladies for presenting. Both of my students are from third grade, Mrs. Rice class. I'm going to start with third grader uh Carter Demery. [cheering] >> [applause] >> Carter is a kind, helpful, and supportive scholar who consistently lives out the student oath. She assists Miss Rice and her fellow scholars in reaching their full potential. Her coursework is always excellent,
030and she continually challenges herself to improve. Carter goes out of her way to show kindness and demonstrate strong character even when no one is watching. >> [applause] >> And our third grade young man is Walter Fr. [applause] right right there. Walter. Walter is a funny, light-hearted, and hardworking scholar who consistently puts his best foot forward. He makes a conscious effort that no one is ever left out, shows up ready to learn, and approaches each day with a positive and optimistic attitude. His humor makes learning enjoyable for those around him. And he demonstrates through his actions that dedication and fun can go hand in hand. [applause] Thank you. And from Desert Vista, Miss Kelly >> Fant. I always have to hold this thing because I'm too short. >> You know, Ed and I'm not good at
031this. Okay. Um, thank you, Mr. Bitterman, Madame President, members of the board, Dr. Papa Lardo, members of the community, colleagues and families. I am Kelly Fant. I am the principal of the amazing Desert Vista Mustangs. I'm honored to present two of our amazing third graders this evening. Her recognition. Our first Mustang is Jazelle Dalby. [applause] Jazelle is a very sweet girl that always has a smile on her face except for right now cuz I think she's super nervous. She says her favorite thing about Desert Vista is everything. >> Her favorite subject is math because she loves to make things equal. I think she gets that from mom. Mom was a former math teacher, too. She's also an avid reader and has started reading a series called In a Blink, which is all about fairies. I
032always love talking to the kids about the books to find out like what other books we need to get in our library. Um, when she's not reading, she enjoys swinging, although she wishes she had a swing set at home. Hint hint. Um, she has a few little Frenchies at home. Um, she mentioned Aries and Gemini, and when she loves playing with them, she admits that she'd rather still curl up with a good book. Um, her favorite color is purple. And although she hasn't settled on a career just yet, she's thinking about becoming either a clothes designer or a baker. And one thing she is sure about is her grandpa's world famous macaroni and cheese. So, we need to share a recipe here or something. So, she loves that. Her teacher, Mrs. Hannah, states that Jiselle
033is an outstanding student who consistently demonstrates academic excellence, leadership, and strong character. Jiselle takes initiative in group projects and often steps up to support both peers and teachers. Her positive attitude, respectful behavior, and willingness to help others makes her a role model in the classroom. She sets a high standard for her classmates and truly exemplifies what it means to be a leader in school. Congratulations, Jazelle. [applause] And our second incredible Mustang is hiding over here. This is Javier Okampo. [applause] >> So Javier has been part of the Desert Fist Vista family for, in his words, many years. You know, since kindergarten, because you know that's a lot of years for a third grader. He says one of his favorite things about our school is that most of the teachers are nice. And his favorite teacher
034so far has been Miss Sutherland, which was his second grade teacher. Um because even when the students were misbehaving, not him, um she stayed calm and never yelled. Math is also Javier's favorite subject because he has enjoys challenging himself, especially with multiplication and division. very unusual for third grade. He loves to read the Plants Versus Zombies books, and when he's at home, he likes to spend time with his family, board games like Monopoly with his dad, or play Xbox with his sisters. He spoke very highly of all of his sisters. He has four. >> Yes. [laughter] His favorite food is steak. And when he grows up, he's considering a few big dreams. becoming a doctor, a YouTuber, or a third grade teacher because he says, "I already know what they have to learn, and I
035can teach multiplication and division." Miss Fury's, his teacher, says that Javi is an extremely hardworking student. He puts forth his best effort in every subject and is ready to grasp new concepts and ideas. He's always eager to learn and participates in class. He's always paying attention, asking questions, and giving answers. He has an enthusiasm for learning and often goes above and beyond his work. He is a role model to all of his classmates and he's tries to help everyone in a kind way. Javi is always wearing a smile and is very polite. Students look to follow his example and she appreciates his dedication to excellence. So, we're proud to have both of these remarkable students as part of our Desert Vista family. Congratulations to you both. [applause] And now I'd like to bring up Miss
036Braxma, principal of Four Peaks. All right, Madame President, governing board members, Dr. Papalardo, families, colleagues, and community members. I am really honored to present to you a four peaks fourth grade students. So, let's start with Ilani Reaino. Um, please come on up. Don't be shy. Okay, [applause] >> that's right. So, this is um Ilani. I had to hyphenate her name. So, I she said so I say it right. Okay. So, she has been a student at Four Peaks since kindergarten. Uh she likes that all the students and teachers are really nice at Fort Peaks. [snorts] Her favorite subject is math. And I had to know why. I said, "Why do you like math?" Her response is, "I am really good at it and it's fun to do." Okay. So, I also asked, "So, what do
037you also do you enjoy doing?" She told me she's part of the guitar club um and with Mr. Muller and when she grows up, she said she wants to go to college to be an artist. The reason why is she says she loves to draw. I asked her what does she like to draw? She says any living thing is what she enjoys. Um, her teacher, Miss John, says that Iani consistently demonstrates outstanding behavior, responsibility, and a strong commitment to learning. She comes to class prepared, participates actively, and sets a positive example for others. Her hard work, respect for peers and teachers, and eagerness to improve makes her a true role model in the classroom. So, congratulations, Ilani, for representing Four Peaks. >> [applause] >> NOW I WOULD LIKE TO invite Nathan Hernandez to come up.
038[applause] >> This is Nathan. He is also a fourth grade student. And Nathan has also been at Four Peaks since kindergarten. Nathan says that he also likes all the natural things around Four Peaks campus. That's what he likes about Fort Peaks, the the natural things. He's those like the trees and the plants, right? Anything out there. He says it's beautiful. Uh he said he also likes to come to school to see his friends and teachers. Nathan says that his favorite subject is you will not guess everything. Everything. I couldn't get him to tell me one specific thing. No, he says he loves everything. And I asked him why. Not everyone says that. He says because I love to learn. I truly love to learn about new things. He says the this is why. He says
039the more he practices the better he gets at it. >> And this is why I like to learn. So then what do you want to be when you grow up? He goes, I want to go to college and be a surgeon. >> However, he says he's not sure what because I go, do you want to work on brains, hearts? And he's not sure that's what he wants to do. He knows he wants to be in a hospital and he wants to be a surgeon. So his teacher, Miss John, says that uh Nathan consistently demonstrates exceptional academic effort, responsibility, and leadership within the classroom. He approaches each task with focus and determination. He maintains a positive attitude towards learning. He shows respect for both peers and teachers. His strong work ethic, integrity, and commitment to excellence
040makes him an exemplary student and a positive role model for others. Congratulations, Nathan. [applause] All right. Now, I'd like to invite Pat Smith, principal at Peralta Trail. [applause] Good evening again, Madame President, members of the board, Dr. Papalardo, community, family, students. It is my privilege as the principal of Peralta Trail to present to you and honor two amazing scholars on our campus. Um, so first I would like to bring up from Miss Meechum tonight must be celebrating third graders at the elementary. She's a third grader in Miss Meechum's class and that is Brryley Wayne Scott. >> [applause] >> Her teacher, Miss Mechum, shares with me that Brightley is an amazing new student at Peralta Trail this year. She's bright, kind, and hardworking, and she always gives her best. Her creativity and positive attitude are shining
041in the classroom. Not only is she an incredible friend who loves to help everyone around her, but her effort is also topnotch. Her handwriting is amazing and her love for writing is helping her grow tremendously. Her grades are always great and her effort shows in testing through the continuous growth that is seen. She never gives up. I am so proud of her and can't wait to see her grow even more this year. Bryley is so deserving of this award and we're lucky to have her as part of our school family. As her principal, I love seeing her kind ways and leadership on our campus. She is thoughtful and respectful each and every day. I have noticed her ability to set goals for herself within her classroom with her learning. However, even more so, it warms
042my heart to see her help others through the support she gives on campus. It is not uncommon to see Brley welcoming a new student, helping a staff member, or just showing kindness on the playground. She has an amazing smile as you can see and her smile lights up any room she enters and she is respected by her peers and our staff at Peralta Trail. Brryley, you are an amazing young lady and you are going to continue to do great things. We are all so proud of you and congratulations on being student of the month for Peralta Trail. You deserve this award and to be honored this evening. >> [applause] >> My next student is actually out not feeling well today. However, I still want to recognize him and he's an amazing scholar out of Mr.
043Swiss's third grade class and that's Tulie Trout. [applause] His teacher, Mr. Weiss shared with me that Tulie has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and leadership within our classroom. He consistently excels in both ELA and math, earning top scores in both areas. Beyond academics, he is an eager learner who embraces challenges, often seeking out new opportunities to grow when he finishes assignments early. Recently, he has been building and creating code for a Lego education robot, even taking the initiative to help classmates with their own robot projects. These robots use the coding that has been created by the students to complete missions through their movements. Till's com collaboration, curiosity, and drive to succeed make him an excellent role model and a truly deserving recipient of this award. Smart, kind, and respectful are three of many words that I
044would use to describe Tuli. He's on our campus as a a role model Bobcat at Peralta Trail. And as his principal, I am proud of his curiosity for what can be. Goal setting to achieve more and always setting the exemplar of what it means to show our Bobcat grow philosophy, which is grow, respect, overcome, work, and lead. Tulie may seem to be shy. However, I enjoy listening to his conversations and seeing how caring he is towards others. He is a true friend to his peers. He is a role model student and well respected by all on our campus. Congratulations on this award, Tulie. Keep shining bright and I look forward to all you have yet to accomplish. We are very proud of you. [applause] At this time, I would like to invite up Mr. Paperman,
045the principal at Cactus Canyon Junior High. Thank you. So, uh, thank you, Madam President, school board, Dr. Papalardo, um, families, students, colleagues, and community. Um, both of the students that we have as student of the month this this month are in our AVID program. They've had a very busy day. Um, this morning, many of our AVID students had a field trip to Arizona State University's Tempe campus. So they are probably already exhausted. Yeah. So but I thank you for being here both you guys. So the first student I'd like to call up is Jennica Larson. [applause] Jennica also uh joined AVID this year and is truly shining in our class. She is such a hard worker and determined to do her best. Jennica might be quiet at times, but that doesn't stop her from smiling
046and showing kindness to others. Congratulations. Keep up the great work. And that's from our avid teacher, Miss Burn. Jennica's favorite subject in school is math because when she was little, she was really good at it and still good at it and she always passes it. Her hobbies are playing basketball and hunting. Um, she always tries out for basketball for school and plays the violin. Um, she wants to be a teacher. and her favorite food is steak. Our second student of the month is obviously another avid student and that is Alexis Ramirez. [applause] Alexis is such an amazing scholar. He always strives to do his best and is true role model to his peers. He is always willing to help others and lend a hand when needed. He joined AVID this year and is already making
047such a positive impact in the classroom. Great job, Alexis. You deserve it. Foreman necessario. Excellent. Alexis de Mes. [applause] So, his favorite subject actually is AVID and he's really good at it. Um, his hobbies outside is uh he likes camping and spending time with family and friends. Um, he likes to play soccer. Um, but he played last year. Um, he wants to go to college, but he also is thinking about becoming a barber. And his favorite foods, he doesn't have one. He likes everything. Uh, next up will be the high school with Miss Melinda Oar, the assistant principal. [applause] >> Thank you. I'm excited to be uh here representing the high school and to um share our student of the month, our two students of the month because they're fantastic. Um first one I would
048like to invite invite up is Jade Schustster. Jade is an 11th grader on our campus. Um a few things about her. We asked her what her favorite subject in school was and why. and she says history because I love to learn about what happens in other places around the world and she loves learning about our country as well. Um we she was asked what was one goal she had for this school year and it was to become more confident. Someone at school who has made a positive impact on her. She says Mr. Stapleton because he has taught me that I'm smarter than I think. And then advice you'd give to other students to be successful. I love this one. She says, "Never give up. A grade doesn't determine your self-worth, and always try your best.
049Just two quick comments for Jade from some teachers that we got. Um, this one is from Mr. Walker. Says, "Jade is extremely hard worker. She works hard to get her assignments done in class and actively participates in labs. I've seen her play several flag football games this year and she plays with intensity and heart. She is truly deserving of this award. Great job, Jade. [applause] Our second student we'd like to recognize tonight is John Beltran. [applause] John is also 11th grader on our campus. Um, so he was asked some of um those questions as well. And I love his first answer. We um asked him what his favorite subject in school was and why. And he just says math. No reason. No why. And I get you. Who who doesn't want to do numbers? Math
050should be the best on everyone's on top of everybody's. Um one goal for his school year is to maintain a 4.0 unweighted GPA. Great. Great goal. um someone at school who makes a positive impact on you. Mr. Matlo, he's a great leader and example to you on campus. And then advice you give to another student to be successful is to establish a per a purpose and to follow it. Great advice. Um and then some quick comments from some teachers. Um this one's from Miss Emmens. She says, "John Beltran goes above and beyond in the classroom, participating thoughtfully, completing assignments with care and encouraging classmates through kindness and teamwork. John's dedication and respectful behavior sets a wonderful example for others. I'm so proud to celebrate John for student of the month for representing the values of
051responsibility, perseverance, and excellence every day." Congratulations, you two. Thank you. [applause] All right, picture time. [laughter] That's a little parents. Thank you. Congratulations. All right, we're going to take a five minute 10-minute break. 10 minute. 10 We're going to resume our meeting. We're on item three, public comments. I'm going to read a little public comment. Speakers will have three minutes to speak so that everyone who wishes to speak will have the opportunity for ARS3843102H prohibits the governing board from discussing items which are not on the agenda. If the item you are addressing is not on the agenda, please do not expect the board to answer questions or discuss the issue with you. Comments need to be district related. Alrighty, Tara Gardner, come on up. Um, I'm sure you remember I spoke two months ago. I
052would have spoke last month if well if the date and time hadn't been changed without updating the AJ USD app. Today I'm going to read to you the email that I sent to the principal on 1023, which I've yet to receive a reply to. I'm not saying Mr. Paperman is ignoring it. He just hasn't reached out to me. Hello. I'm writing to you because I cannot say this to you in person without crying. And I need you to fully hear me, please. We are quickly approaching the one-year mark when DJ reached his breaking point at school and had to go to an emergency medical health facility. Just like last year, the horrible behaviors of the kids around him and lack of immediate discipline are becoming DJ's perception of normal. In November of last year, he
053was moved to the Stars program and the behaviors improved. Yes, he still had issues, but he did but did not have to be sent home or regularly sent to the office. Already this year, he has been suspended three times. This is outrageous. He is in a program for behaviors and instead of dealing with the behaviors, he is being sent home not learning anything, not getting his academic studies fulfilled. I am so flabbergasted as to why some of the kids who were in regular special ed classes last year were all of a sudden in the special stars program. Why are there so many kids in one classroom? I guess I need better understanding of what exactly the stars program is. Or is this just the show that we now have to live with because Aaron Preston
054was allowed to ruin the department? We do everything we can to teach DJ right from wrong and send him to an environment where he is learning these horrible offer slang words and violent behaviors. And this nonsense of DJ getting in trouble last week and we were not told about it until Monday. He had the weekend free from punishment and and punishment enforced days later. As I say, this is keep saying this is ridiculous. You know us. You know, we do everything we can to get DJ in line. All the progress we made last year has gone to He is believing behaving worse in school this year than ever before. It's because he's learning these other kids bad habits and h behaviors and mimicking them because they are getting away with it. It since there's no
055because they are getting away with it since there's no there's so many of them in that classroom. Sorry. Something needs to be done to reduce class sizes and get the program back on track. I will keep complaining up the chain until good behaviors are made. I wanted to start with you first as I respect what you do try to do for this school every day. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Gardner. Dr. Papar, will you please follow up with her? Okay, Jody Erlick. >> Good evening, Dr. Papalardo, President Kimbull, the board members, and the public. I spent five years up there, and I still like get super nervous. So, bear with me. >> Don't be. I don't have any kids in this district. I still live here. I have commercial interests here. I want this
056district to succeed. It's was great seeing the relay presentation and the students of the month. That's always the best part. Um unfortunately, I'm speaking tonight to call for some accountability from the district for its lack of support for stu for lack of support for students that I've witnessed firsthand. despite the repeated slogan of kids first that in that word accountability which I think is really overused these days and unfortunately rarely achieved. Um our junior high launch launched its first ever cross country team. The boys made history by winning the conference championship. Yet they did it with virtually no help from the school district or from the school or the district leadership. Coach Ratowski stepped up when no one else would. She created a safe structured environment for 30 kids. She got 30 kids to enjoy
057running for like more than one time. So even if you just think about that, she was not only their coach but also their tutor emphasizing academic. And anybody who knows me knows that I am like number one is academics. But there was no planning for uniforms, equipment, supplies. She was left to figure it out herself. I paid for those uniforms. The athletic director attended the home meets. The principal didn't attend a single meet. Not even the championship meet. Every other district had leadership present. Ours had none. Afterwards, there was no acknowledgement, no celebration, no recognition. A social media post about a month later. For some of those kids, that would be the happened to them the whole year. The team wasn't even given proper photos until a month after the season ended. That's not kids
058first. We used to celebrate successes here. Now, the same coach is leading the junior high boys soccer team. And again, no fields to practice on, no uniforms for their first game, which I came from tonight. If it weren't for Traston Yates, they wouldn't even have lines on the field. The district's known for months there was going to be a soccer season. Yet nothing's done. That's not an oversight. That's systematic failure. And it's a pattern. Instead of providing resources, coaches are being told to create their own booster clubs for fundraising to buy their own uniforms, which means forming a legal entity, assuming financial responsibility, filing reports annually. It's not fair. That's the district shifting its responsibility onto the staff who are already doing more than their fair share. If this board and district truly believes in
059kids first, then it's time to prove it with action. Show up for events, fund the programs, plan ahead, and recognize achievement. Emily's athletes didn't just succeed, they thrived on the field and off, which speaks volumes of her impact and the lack of leadership elsewhere. We need people like her to want to stay here. So stop Kids first and being kids first, especially when no one's watching. >> Eddie Huff, good evening uh to the board and community. After 16 years of honest, respectable, and diligent service, my father, Eddie Huff, has been the target of discrimination since the return to his job this month. Countless hours of donated time to the community to provide your children with an adequate, safe, and comfortable learning environment. Serving the district in many roles, high school and middle school coach, security
060at many high school sanctioned events, and even a truency officer. My father loves this district and the families that make it. A familiar face throughout the district was removed from his position of 16 years without notice. The reason provided being because I can move you where I want. This is not the first time my father has experienced such actions, consistently being passed over for multiple jobs throughout the district in which he is clearly qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qu qualified as a prior area ser super supervisor of Chaz Roberts one of the largest air conditioning companies in the valley servicing an area from Prescott to Tucson. This is not any way my father would
061have handled this had roles been reversed. As a former student of Apache Junction High School, I am witness to the disrespect and discrimination that my father is experiencing. So much so that I was forced to move after my freshman year, then becoming a victim of retaliation by previous administrators who have since apologized for those actions. Their apology does not excuse their actions. It simply highlights the fact that they also recognize that they were wrong, validating my belief that they were targeting and discriminating against me. Many of these instances have gone without consequence to any of the individuals displaying discrimination. In a time where respect, justice, and accountability are preached so heavily and so deeply required in society, I ask that the board show my father the respect he has earned over his years of service.
062I ask that the board provide justice for the wrongdoings committed against my father and hold the parties responsible accountable for their actions. Thank you. >> Dr. Papalardo, [applause] >> will you please follow up? >> Yeah, I will. >> Yes. >> Public comments. Thank you. >> All right. Moving on to information and discussion items. 4.1 9th grade on track grant. Miss Vera. Good evening, Madam President, members of the board and community and staff members. Um, I'm asking for your approval to go for the ninth grade on track uh grant through AD. It's a five-year grant. That purpose is to help students in nth grade stay on track to graduate high school on time. So, uh, we have to partner with a institution that has already proven that they work well with nth grade students and are
063successful in it. Um, and so it's just application process. The grant has not opened yet, but it's just to make sure that you guys are aware that we're going out for this long-term grant. Any questions on it? >> Mrs. Ross, any questions? >> Mrs. Williamson? >> No. >> Mrs. Garcia? >> Mrs. Lane? >> No questions. >> Thank you. Dr. Papardo, is there anything you want to add on the grant? uh the grant opens soon and we're it is a competitive grant that we have to apply for for the ninth graders uh to keep them in the high school. So we're hopeful that we get those funds for ninth graders. >> Great. Thank you, Miss Verna. All right. On to the consent agenda. What's to make a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> Madam President,
064I'd like to make a motion to approve the consent agenda. >> We have a motion. Would somebody like to second? Second. >> Mrs. Ross. Seconds. Mrs. Ross. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Williamson. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Garcia. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Lean. >> Yes. >> And on. Yes. That motion passes 5 to zero. On to action items. Specific items of district business. 6.1. Approval of the 2025 2026 fundraising list. So, we discussed this in the work session. Um, the governing board is required to approve student fundraising activities on an annual basis. A list of current fundraisers for the school year is presented with the understanding that additional fundraisers will be submitted for approval as they are proposed throughout the year. Do we have any questions on that? >> Mrs. Ross? >> No. >> Mrs. Williamson? >>
065No. >> Mrs. Garcia? >> No questions. >> Mrs. Lane? >> No. >> Dr. Papard, anything you want to add on that? >> As more come through, there'll be others that if they if other groups decide to do fundraising, then we'll bring you back more each month. Okay. >> Okay. So it's a preliminary list. It's never really completely done. >> Right. And this is something that we started doing because it was by statute we had to do. >> Yes. By statute you have to do that. >> Okay. And like to make a motion on the approval of the 2025 2026 fundraising. >> Madam President like to make a motion. >> Sorry my mic wasn't on. Like to make a motion to approve the 2025 2026 fundraising list. >> We have a motion. Would somebody like to
066second? Second, >> Mrs. Ross seconds. Mrs. Ross, >> yes. >> Mrs. Williamson, >> yes. >> Mrs. Garcia, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lean, >> yes. >> And I'm yes, that motion passes five to zero. >> Item 6.2, approval of the Green and Waste Solutions LLC solid waste consulting agreement. We went over this in the work session in reviewing all vendor contracts for the maintenance and facilities department to ensure that the district is receiving optimal value for service. Charges from the current waste management provider increased by approximately 70% from the previous year. Because the district did not have a signed contract in place, bids were solicitated from multiple vendors. After careful evaluation, green and way solution was selected as the most coste effective option. This change is this change is projected to save the district approximately 10
067to 12,000 annually. The contract includes a provision for renegotiation after three years which may provide additional opportunities for cost savings. In addition, Mr. Talent had told me that they've added since the work session there's new concessions so there will be no overage charge. Um there's a donation of 140 cubic yard per quarter which is equal to $2,000 in savings. Um all brand new dump dumpsters for each campus and free delivery which is an additional $250 savings. Does anybody have any questions on that? You said it was a threeyear. >> Yep. >> Okay. >> Yep. It gets renegotiated after three years. >> Any questions? Mrs. Ross? >> No. >> Mrs. Williamson? >> No. >> Mrs. Garcia? >> No questions. >> Mrs. Lean? >> No questions. >> And I have no questions. Okay. Dr. Papalardo, is there
068anything you want to add? >> Uh, we should take the deal. >> Yeah. >> You know, it was a little confusing because we had the the city with the republic thing. So, but for commercial, it's different. So, that was good to know. All right. Would somebody like to make a motion on the um green and waste solutions? >> Madame President, I'd like to make a motion to approve the Green and Waste Solution LLC solid waste agreement for three years. We have a motion with somebody like to second. >> Second. >> Mrs. Ross seconds. Mrs. Ross, >> yes. >> Mrs. Williamson, >> yes. >> Mrs. Garcia, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lane, >> yes. >> And I'm yes. The motion passes 5 to zero. On to item 6.3, approval of the addendum to student placement agreement with
069Arizona State University. So we discussed this also on the work session. This name change will enable additional colleges to place their students with AJUSD for a variety of field experiences including teaching, nursing, social work, and other professional placements. Any questions on that? >> Dr. Papalardo, do you want to add anything on that? I think the more college students we get here and be a part of us, more likely are to be able to hire them and retain them in the future. >> Okay. Mrs. Ross, do you have any questions? >> No. >> Mrs. Williamson? >> No. >> Mrs. Garcia, >> Dr. Papalardo, can you just explain the process just a little? >> So, when we sign this agreement, right, it goes out to all the colleges. They they're informed. They will contact us if they
070have interns or student teachers or someone who wants to do observation hours. They will contact us. We'll set it up through Mera and depending on what it is, we will place them if they want to be here. >> Okay. >> Right. M any questions? >> No questions. >> All right. Would somebody like to make a motion? Madam President, I'd like to make a motion to approve the addendum to student placement agreement with Arizona State University. We have a motion with somebody like to second. >> Second. >> Mrs. Ross seconds. Mrs. Ross, >> yes. >> Mrs. Williamson, >> yes. >> Mrs. Garcia, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lean, >> yes. >> And on yes, that motion passes 5 to zero. >> On to item 6.4, approval of the affiliation agreement between Maricopa County Community College District for
071Rio Salada. So, we talked about this in the work session. This agreement with Rio Salado College is designed to strengthen this district's teacher requirement pipeline. I mean recruitment pipeline. Through it this partnership, Rio Salatada students are able to complete their required student teaching hours with district schools. While the district benefits from early access to a pool of well-prepared teacher candidates who may be considered for employment upon completion of their degrees. Any questions on that? Dr. Paplar, do you want to just add a little bit to that before we >> Yeah, this is the other one. >> Sorry. Rio Salado would be be a pipeline for us, right? Because they they are doing a degree program now for people who are re changing careers, right? They already have a bachelor's, so they want to teach. They
072want to become teachers, right? >> So, it's advantageous for us to partner with them, >> right? It's a partnership. >> Any questions? Mrs. Ross? >> No. >> Mrs. Williamson? >> No. >> Mrs. Garcia? >> No. >> Mrs. Lane? >> No. >> Somebody like to make a motion? >> Madam President, like to make a motion to approve the affiliation agreement between Maricopa County Community College District for Ria Salado? We have a motion with somebody like to second. >> Second. >> Mrs. Ross seconds. Mrs. Ross, >> yes. >> Mrs. Williamson, >> yes. >> Mrs. Garcia, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lean, >> yes. >> And I'm Yes. The motion passes 5 to zero. On to 6.5, approval of policy 5-2161 assessments. So, Dr. Papalardo. >> So, this is the one we pulled off the agenda earlier when it
073was up. Mhm. >> And the reason we pulled it off is because they weren't clear what assessment was to be used early that would count for ACT scores. Okay. So, we had to go back and get clarification from them. And their their clarification is [snorts] that Arizona only has one a one test they use and that's the ACT test. So, no matter when they use it, we're allowed to accept the score, >> right, >> and turn it in for the student. Okay. >> Right. >> Because be otherwise we had to get that clarification because otherwise a student could have taken the SAT and that would not count. Right. >> That's what I was going to ask you. >> Perfect. Perfect. All right. >> Was kind of wide open that >> that's why we went back
074for clarification. Make sure what that was. Okay. >> Great. >> Yeah. >> Any questions on that, Mrs. Ross? >> No. >> Mrs. Williamson? >> No. >> Mrs. Garcia? >> No. I was just going to ask about the SAT. >> Yeah. Mrs. No questions. >> No questions. Would somebody like to make a motion? Madame President, I'd like to make a motion to approve approve the policy 5-21601 assessment. We have a motion. Would somebody like to second? >> Second. >> Mrs. Ross seconds. Mrs. Ross, >> yes. >> Mrs. Williamson, >> yes. >> Mrs. Garcia, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lean, >> yes. >> And I'm a yes. A motion passes 5 to zero. On to item 6.6, approval of the Arizona Department of Education applications for the 9th grade on track grant. Mrs. Veron just >> discussed that.
075>> Any questions on that? >> Mrs. Ross, >> no. >> Mrs. Williamson, >> no. >> Mrs. Garcia, any questions? Mrs. Lane? >> No. >> Questions? Would somebody like to make a motion? >> Madame President, I'd like to make a motion to approve the Arizona Department of Education applications for the ninth grade on track grant. >> We have a motion. Would somebody like to second? >> Second. >> Mrs. Ross. Seconds. Mrs. Ross. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Williamson. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Garcia. >> Yes. Yes, Mrs. Lean. >> Yes. >> And I'm yes, that motion passes 5 to zero. >> Okay. Item 6.77, approval of the superintendent out of state travel to Los Angeles, California on December 7th through the 9th, 2025. Dr. Paplard, you want to give us a rundown on this? >> So, as we
076discussed in the work session that was invited by this company, RTM, they're not selling anything. They're trying to bring a group of innovative superintendents together from around the country to discuss topics of the day such as AGI, future of graduates, um preparing a workforce for 2030. Um gathering those ideas to inspire districts to do better for their kids. >> Any questions on that? Mrs. Ross? >> No. >> Mrs. Williamson? >> No. >> Mrs. Garcia? >> No. >> I was just laughing at your I was thinking about what you asked and how he was getting [laughter] there. >> Yeah. >> Is he driving? >> Mrs. Le questions on that. >> All right. Would somebody like to make a motion? >> Madame President, I'd like to make a motion to approve the superintendent out of state travel
077to Los Angeles, California on December 7th through the 9th, 2025. We have a motion. Would somebody like to second? >> Second. >> Mrs. Ross, seconds. Mrs. Ross, >> yes. >> Mrs. Williamson, >> yes. >> Mrs. Garcia, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lean, >> yes. >> And on Yes. The motion passes five to zero. >> Okay. We have two executive sessions we are going to enter into. So, I'm going to motion for both executive session. >> You guys ready? >> Yeah. >> Okay. All right. Like um would somebody like to Well, >> there's two. >> So, I'm going to do I'm going to say them both and then Cammy, if you want to Okay. A motion to convene executive session pursuant to ARS 3843103A7 to discuss the lease with the Department of Forestry and the Thunder Mountain
078premises and 6.9 motion to convene an executive session pursuant to ARS 38431A1 to discuss the superintendent evaluation. Would somebody like to make a motion on the executive session? Madam President, I'd like to make a motion to convene an executive session present to a AR338-431 03A7 to discuss the lease with the Department of Forestry at the Thunder Mountain premises. And also like to make a motion to convene an executive session present to AR S38 341A1 to discuss the superintendent evaluation. >> We have a motion with somebody like second. >> Second. Mrs. Ross seconds. Mrs. Mr. Ross, >> yes. >> Mrs. Williamson, >> yes. >> Mrs. Garcia, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lane, >> yes. >> And I'm a yes. That motion passes 5 to zero. We're going into executive session. Put some pep in the step. Let's
079go. All right, we are going to reconvene in public. Item 610, approval of the short-term amendment to sub lease with the Department of Forestry at the Thunder Mountain premises. Somebody like to make a motion like to make a motion to approve the shortterm amendment to subies with the Department of Forestry at Thunder Mountain. We have a motion. So we like to second. >> Second. >> Mrs. Ross seconds. Mrs. Ross. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Williamson. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Garcia. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Lee. >> Yes. >> And yes. That motion passes 5 to zero. Request for future agenda items. Anyone? >> Uh, can I have special on the work session, please? >> Special education. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Anything else? Somebody like to make a motion to adjurnn? Madam President like to make a
080motion to adjurnn. >> We have a motion. Would somebody like to second? >> Second. >> Mrs. Ross seconds. Mrs. Ross. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Williamson. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Garcia. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Lean. >> Yes. >> And I'm a yes. That motion passes 5 to zero.