001Okay. Yes. >> Okay. 6:00 I'm going to call to order the Apache Junction Shif School District August 26, 2025 zoning board regular meeting. We will begin with roll call attendance. Mrs. Lane >> present. >> Mrs. Williamson present. >> Mrs. Ross present. >> Mrs. Garcia is absent. I'm sure she's having more fun. Okay, so we have our quorum. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance and remain standing for a moment of silence. >> I pledge algiance 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. >> Item three, adoption of the agenda. Somebody like to make a motion to adopt the agenda. >> Um, I'd like to make a motion to approve the agenda as presented. We
002have a motion when somebody like a second. I'll second Miss Lane seconds. >> Mrs. Lane, >> yes. >> Mrs. Williamson, >> yes. >> Mrs. Ross, >> yes. >> And yes, that motion passes 4 Z. >> Okay. Um to item 1.4 meeting not previously approved. I'd like to make a motion on the minutes. I >> I'd like to motion to approve the July 22 regular meeting minutes, August 6 board retreat and special meeting minutes and August 12, 2025 work session as presented. We have a motion like a second. >> Did you say August? >> Okay. So seconds. Miss L. Oh yes. Yes. Mission pass on to information only items. 2.1 governing board members report. Do you have anything you like to report? I have the privilege of um visiting all the schools. I have a lot
003of time because um your school started before my schools did. though. Um, so I decided to write everything down so I can just stay with the facts and not act on the motion. I had been privileged to visit all of the campuses last month. I observe a lot of good things and some things that need improvement. One concern I have is the lack of funding for each school site. I know this is based on ADM. However, most schools do not have enough money or paper to spend three months. Some teachers have asked for supplies for their classrooms that are essential but have been denied. Not sure what the schools are going to do come October. Almost all the sites had ACs that were out, but to my knowledge, this has all been fixed since my
004visit. We are missing a lot of teachers. At one of the campuses, the principal showed concern for an employee when she when we were walking past the bedroom. They asked what was wrong and the employee said, "There are just way too many kids in the classroom." The principal came back with, "It isn't any more than usual. Perhaps the usual is too many and we need to cut down on our numbers. But it's hard to do that when we don't have enough sped teachers to begin with. There are classrooms with just too many children in it. Some classrooms have behavioral problems just because of the sheer size of them. Dr. Papalardo is is proud that there are few people in the old school. However, I wonder if more should be in there as I saw a
005teacher scolding a student for behavior on one of my walks. There is a teacher at one of the schools that is afraid to go to her job because the student has threatened her and nothing has been done to the student. Well, he did get suspended for a few days but is back on campus and is still and still has the opportunity to threaten his teacher and has teacher morale is down due to lack of support when it comes to discipline. Another incident, my nephew told his teacher that there were too many students in the classroom. My nephew in turn told me about this during my tour of his school. I had the privilege to walk in his classroom. And yes, there were about 15 students lined up on the back wall in chairs. No desks,
006in chairs. The principal stated that the teacher may that maybe the teacher was doing something special. However, I knew this was a class where one grade level teacher quitted and the class was split between two classroom teachers. One of my biggest concern since our last meeting is something that Dr. Papler had said to me. He told me that he does not want this job. In fact, when I shared this with my closest friend, she told me that this was not the first time that he has said this to somebody. Prior to him telling me this, he threw his keys on the table and said that he would be more than willing to walk out that door if I did if I did not want him there. This is not a decision for me to make.
007However, if someone does not like nor wants his job, they are more than likely not giving their 100%. Our students in our district deserve more. makes me question his job performance. But on a positive note, I visited the CTE director in the high school. The program appears to be strong and is such an asset to our high school students. Cactus Canyon is divided has divided the buildings into different houses and it looks fun and definitely builds school and grade level spirit. At the academy, it was great seeing the kinders learning so deep eagerly and all the donations. I love when our community pulls together to help us out. At Fton Trail, each building has a sensory path that allows students to follow patterns of movement to get their wrinkles out. This improves their focus and
008kindergarten has done an amazing has done amazing already getting small groups and centers underway during the first month of school. I loved watching the Spanish immersion classes at Fort Peaks. I saw the progression from kids starting out to a classroom taught in wait starting out to a classroom that was taught in full Spanish. I'm extremely jealous and I wish I had that when I was growing up. Lastly, I went to bingo for bingo for books at Desert Vista. I forgot how many books were given out, but at the but at the end all students there had the opportunity to grab two books on their way out. Everyone walked out there out of their winner except for me who did not get a single bingo with but nine different bingo cards. I was so sad. >>
009Thank you, Miss Williamson. Um, I had the privilege of touring Cactus Canyon Junior High last week, Thursday, um, with Mr. Paperman, and I love the all the different themes of all the buildings. It's great. It looks like a lot of fun for the kids and, you know, getting them excited about being there and kind of making it their own. So, that was really cool. Um, and it was just really good to see and just visit with Mr. Paperman. And uh, yeah, thank you for the invitation. >> Mrs. Ross, is there anything you like to report? >> Nothing. Thank you. >> Okay. Well, I had a busy week. I visited the high school. I met with our CT director, Mr. Pox, and I am really excited about future for CTE and the direction we're going. Um,
010I visited with Mrs. Gen and she will be presenting tonight. She has some great news to share with us regarding AP classes. I visited Cactus Canyon Junior High during spirit week. That was fun. I attended the prep assembly and I have to tell you the kids were so excited and it was a little loud but we do have 80 more students this year at Cactus Canyon than we did last year. So that's probably why. Um and speaking with uh principal paperman um we have girls basketball. Is that still >> they they lost one but they I left tonight. They are winning 20 to1 when I left. >> Very nice. So girls basketball is on the road. Um I visited Pearl to Charles and the campus with Miss Smith and we had homework fun. One of
011the students in one of the fourth grade classes thought we were sisters. So that was cute. And one of the teachers actually has a barcode that parents can scan, which I thought this was really cool. I wish I have this on my children room. And you can listen to your child read. If you scan this barcode, they will read to you. It's so cute. Um, and then one other announcement I just want to make is that Panal County Superintendent um is going to have a training. Um, this county training will be held here in our district September 8th and September 15th at 9:00 am and it will be open to all school districts and board members that are want to participate. And that's all I have. Dr. Pard, >> Madam President, members of the board,
012community, students, specified we're here tonight for you. So, we're glad you're are in attendance and community members. Um, couple things I wanted to highlight for you that uh in the eighth grade class that promoted last year, there were 162 students that promoted, 153 of those students chose the high school. So, that's a phenomenal number. Okay, that's absolutely phenomenal. Um so basically our enrollment is stabilizing at the current time we're down less than two stu 10 students from the end of last year at the current time. Um Gen 10 which is at all all of our campuses um was awarded a grant an actual grant. They picked AJ High School to be the recipient of that grant and they're going to start a robotics club for our kids there where they'll be able to join national
013competitions. So, that's a great opportunity for our kids coming out of elementary and middle school. Um, want to add to that that the specialed leadership team has worked very very hard. All positions are filled in our special ed special education department. I sent that letter out to parents Friday afternoon. So, at this time, I'd like to invite Megan Carbina from the AJ Library to share what she has for us tonight. Thank you. >> Good evening, Dr. Kakango, Madam President, members of board, and parents, teachers, students. Um, thank you so much for having me tonight. My name is Megan Carbiner. I'm outreach librarian at Apache Junction Public Library. And last year at the beginning of the school year, I shared a little update about the library. And so I'm back again. And um I was actually
014asked by a focus group we did with community partners, including teachers, if I could come quarterly to these meetings. So thanks to Dr. Palo, I'll be coming quarterly to give updates about the public library. So thanks for having me. Um, I just want to mention that we have had some great partnerships with the schools in the district already. We have met with all of the teachers in HUSD to talk about our student library cards and different library resources. So, thank you to all the schools for having us. Um, we also were able to come to many meet the teacher nights, not every single one because they happen at the same time, but we came to as many as we could and we're going to try to come to even more next year. Um, we also
015have already come to the high school and junior high to visit with students and check out books with their student library and it's been a great success so far. Um, if you haven't heard about our student library card, this is, I believe, our third year. Um, having a student library card, it is not a physical card. It is just a student's ID number and they can come to the library or come to our mobile library and check out three books or audio books by just telling us their student ID number. and that's automatic. You don't have to sign up for anything. And with that, they also get online resources. So, one of the best online resources I want to highlight is our Brainsfuse online tutoring. And every day from 2 to 11:00 p.m., uh, students
016have access to online tutoring. And this is in a whole range of subjects, a whole range of levels. And all of the tutors have gone through a rigorous screening process with background checks, reference checks, interviews, skills assessments, and extensive training. They have at least a four-year degree, plus prior teaching and tutoring experience. There's also a live monitoring system that reviews interactions in real time. We have a 98% satisfaction rate with Brainfuse from all the students that have used it. And this is led by a tutor that's vetted and an expert. It's not AI or any automated box. So, it is really helpful tutoring. All students have to do is log on with their ID number and they have access to that every day from 2 to 11 p.m. We also have Wi-Fi at the library
017as well as Wi-Fi hotspots that can be checked out by the parent for a month at a time. So, if there's any challenges with Wi-Fi or internet, we can help with that. We also have reservable study rooms that can be reserved with the student ID number as long as the student is nine or above. They can be alone in the library, otherwise they need to with them, but they can reserve a room for study sessions at the library. We also have programs year round for all ages. Um, anyone who lives or works in Apache Junction, so any teachers in Apache Junction get a full access library card and that allows them to check out 30 physical items plus access to all of our online resources. Everything I've mentioned today gives them access to that totally
018free. So, we hope you will visit us at the library at your earliest convenience, just a quick five minute drive from here. And I did bring some flyers about our student library card and some of our events that I'll leave outside when I go as well as my card if you need any more information. So, thank you so much for having me and please reach out to the library in any way. >> Thank you, Madam President. Employees of the month and the student. >> Thank you. Madam President, governing board. I'm Ken Morris. I'm the food service director for the district and I would like to present Linda Smith from four peaks, our employee of the month. Um, Linda joined our team in 2021. and she's cafeteria assistant at Fort Peaks Elementary School. It's obvious that
019Lincoln is a fan favorite when students come into the cafeteria for lunch. Linda is that employee that will jump in and wear two hats wherever needed and as she covered for her leave last year when her leave was needed in another area. She always has a smile for her customers and she takes pride in her kitchen. Linda is a kid's first employee. Make a smile. Bad promise. One more. All right, on to student of the month. >> Guys ready one. Sorry. told me that when I was doing good. >> All right, Madame President, members of the board, Dr. Papa Lardo, members of the community, colleagues, and families. My name is Kelly Fam. I'm the principal of Desert Vista Elementary and I'm honored to present two of our amazing fifth grade students for recognition tonight. And
020our first Mustang is Yita Ortiz Islas. So Yita, who is a lifetime Mustang, has been recognized before for both her character and academics, and it's easy to see why. She was one of just five students to score highly proficient on her reading preassessment and also scored proficient in math. She mentioned to me that she likes the slower pace of testing this year because it gives her more time to really focus on learning and practicing those new skills. And right now she's excited, believe it or not, about exponents and even said that she wishes she learned them earlier since they helped her with other math topics. Y is also in her second year of orchestra and she feels that having a year of experience helps her understand the frustrations new players go through. On top of
021that, she's also serving as co-vice president of student council this year, showing her leadership in Mustang Pride. Outside of class, she reads as a big reader and we had a fun conversation about a book that she's currently reading, which is called This Is Not a Drill, and she definitely made me want to check it out. Um, she's also been diving into art. She said she was never an art person before, but she asked a friend to help her, and now she has filled up several notebooks with her with the drawings. Mr. Smith, her teacher, states that Yita is a kind, caring, and friendly student who always brings her smile to the classroom. She's thoughtful to others, works well with everyone, and makes people feel welcome. Her positive attitude and warm heart makes her a joy
022to be around. She's a hard worker whom I can trust in the jobs and class that need that special, responsible touch. We are so lucky to have her in our class this year. Congratulations, Shita. And our second incredible Mustang, there he is. >> Uhhuh. Is Amias Leslie. You can already see his personality shining, can't you? So, we also had a pretty lengthy conversation. Uh, for those that know Amias, you have to listen quickly when he speaks. Um, his favorite color is purple and his best friend is Julian. I had to mention the name. It was super important to him that I mentioned the name. He enjoys playing Minecraft and the Roblox game grow a garden. Math comes super easy to him, but his real passion is computer science, coding, and building with Legos. He shared
023that he'd love to be a master Lego builder or create his own games one day because he can imagine all of that in his brain. Like he knows exactly without building it what pieces he actually needs. Um opposite of Yita scores that was proficient on the reading and just one of six students to score highly proficient on the math pretest. And of course we also spent some time talking about the house that's being built. We super excited for that to be done. um and also talked a lot about auctions and all sorts of things. Yes, I'm not going to go further into that. Amaya's creativity, determination, and love for building, whether it's with Legos and coding or even dreaming about his future, show that he's already on his way to turning big ideas into reality.
024Mr. Smith says that Amias is a hardworking and determined student who always gives his best. He takes his learning seriously and never gives up. His focus, effort, and positive attitude will help him grow so much this year. He is kind and friendly to everyone. He improves the class every time he walks in. I look forward to seeing how far he will go this year. Congratulations, Amayas. And we are proud to have both of these remarkable students as part of our Desert Vista family. >> I'd like to bring up Mr. Goodman, the principal of the academy. Yeah, you are sure. >> Thanks for rubbing it in. >> I'm gonna do the young lady as well. All right. So, the first ever Golden Way student of the month goes to Arya over here. Um, Arya is a
025from Miss Jones um, a sweet and kind scholar. She always tries her best and she models great behavior. Arya goes out of the way to help her teacher and other students. She is a fantastic role model for others and to emulate. Keep up the great work, Arya. Um, I had the pleasure of actually subbing in kindergarten for one of my days of Judy and um, I could see the model student that she was. Um, no redirection whatsoever led other students in what they were doing. So, um, it was a pleasure to be in the classroom. Congratulations, Ara. >> There it is. Well, I can't tell that I'm my second student I do not believe is here. Um, Santiel Romero. All right, I can go ahead and read it. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Um, he
026is the first to raise his hand, the first to offer help and the first to clean up. Consistently models these virtues with a smile on his face. Santiel continues to strive to go beyond by challenging himself and teaching others. And I also subbed in that classroom. And a cute story that I'll share even though he's not here is I gave a writing prompt that says I like. And I gave different versions of that to my first, second, and third graders. And since he was a third grader, I asked him to write um I think it was seven words. Um and he asked me, "How do you spell your name, Mr. Bitterman?" So at the end of of course I like was Mr. Bitterman right at the end. So, I don't know if I did something
027right or if he was kind of sucking up, but you were right. It was uh it was welcome. Uh and I my honor to introduce from four peaks the principal, Mrs. Broma. >> Thank you. All right, governing board members of our staff, family members, and community. I am honored to present to you um two of our fifth grade students from four piece elementary and Sapphire. There we are. So I welcome Sapphire Hill up front. So she has been a road runner since first grade. She says what she likes about Fort Peaks is the field trips and the purple tickets. So, we've implemented that this year with our new PBIS. And she said she loves it and her brother likes it because it motivates them to do their best. She says, "I love my teachers." And
028she says she's also part of student council and is in our after school guitar club. When she graduates from high school, she would like to play college volleyball and studying fashion design. And with that, I asked more. She says that she absolutely loves to sew. and that she um had made her own dress. She makes pillows and she took a sewing class that she says it's important to do these things in order to go into the fashion industry. So I wish you the best there. So her teacher Mr. Shaba says that uh he goes to say about Sapphire. Sapphire has entered fifth grade as a willing learner and an exemplar of consideration, kindness, and moral understanding. There is a wisdom and practicality to her words, typically um befitting one with much more life experience. As
029such, it is easy for her to reach a mutual understanding of expectations with adults, and she navigates through tough situations with grace. She meets the ideal of improving upon her skill set each day, doing so with a positive attitude, no matter the chaos. her full participation in all things never falters, solidifying um as let's see, I'm sorry. Um her as a student worth aspiring to, Sapphire is capable of achieving all that she wishes and it is a pleasure to serve as a brief guide during her life's journey. Congratulations Sapphire for being now. I'd like to welcome Saden Hernandez. Well, this is Tayen. He has been a roadrunner since second grade. What he says he likes about the school for peace is that the teachers are really nice and kind. His favorite class is art because
030he likes drawing and painting. He says after school he would like to go to college to be a doctor. He says because it's important that he wants to save people's lives. Zayen is in band learning to play the drums. All right. Miss um Chapone says that this about Zu says Zaden is a sweet and respectful young man who consistently demonstrates kindness towards his peers and teachers. He approaches his work with a strong sense of responsibility and puts forth great effort in everything he does. Zayen is hardworking and always strives to do his best even when faced with challenging tasks. He also enjoys participating in class discussions and activities which shows his eagerness to learn and stay engaged. His positive attitude and dedication makes him a joy to have in the classroom. So congratulations Dan Bur.
031I would like to invite Pat Smith, principal of >> Good evening, Madame President, Dr. Balardo, members of the board, community, family, students. It is so great to see you this evening. I'm here to recognize two of our amazing Bobcat schlers. And the first student I'd like to call up from Mrs. Delong's class is Sage. In what teacher had to say about Sage and why she's being recognized as one of our students of the month, as well as what I've grown to love about Sage as well. Sage goes above and beyond in seeking excellence in her work in the classroom and models respect. She is actively engaged in her learning and strives to get the most out of her education. She is unwavering in her commitment to being a scholar who seeks to expand her understanding
032of academic concepts she is learning. Sage is not afraid of challenges and is not afraid to ask questions to further her understanding of learning. Way to go in setting high expectations for yourself and seeking to learn in all situations. As a principal, I love seeing her sweet smile and kindness shine through each and every day. Sage believes in setting goals for learning and is often seen helping. Helping others to not only learn new things, but she encourages them to make great choices. Sage, we are all so proud of you and it is a pleasure to see you grow into the wonderful young lady you are and be a leader on our campus. Congratulations on this recognition at one of our students of our next scholar I'm going to call up is from Miss Adams class
033and it's Dylan Q. His teacher shares with me, "In a few short weeks since school started, Dylan has shown a great work ethic. He has a genuine love of learning and works hard to complete any task put in front of him. If he gets something wrong the first time, he tries again." Dylan is willing to ask questions and deepen his understanding so that he can excel. He is a great friend to others and it is not uncommon to see him helping his teacher and others. As its principal, I have enjoyed seeing him be a focused scholar in the classroom and a role model to trail. Just this week, I saw him and another student kindly high-fiving each other at the end of the school day. His spirit of kindness shone through in that moment, and
034I noticed that and recognized that in the door. You are absolutely a wonderful young man and we are all so proud of you. Congratulations on this well-deserved award and I look forward to a great school year with you. Congratulations. Next, I'd like to bring up Mr. Paperman, the principal Take that, Mr. Madam President, school board, Dr. Pardo, students, families, guests, colleagues. Um, the first students of the month for each year are a hard choice for teachers. They're just getting to know the kids, but there are always kids that stand out, stand above. The first student I'd like to call is Allison Edwards. [Music] Alison is always eager to help. She's a great teammate and works hard at each activity. Allison is a fantastic student who is eager to learn, but more importantly, she's a good
035person. She's a kind friend and patient and helpful classmate. She's an excellent person that is capable of achieving her dreams. Allison has been an exceptional support in the classroom. She consistently demonstrates responsibility and leadership as a teacher assistant, providing meaningful help to both myself and her peers. She shows patience and compassion when working with struggling students, and her positive presence truly brings light and encouragement to our learning environment. Her favorite subject in school is ELA because she likes to read. Her hobbies are sports, art, and music. Her career path might be a singer or a teacher. I think she could just combine those and become a choir teacher. And her favorite food is pasta. Our second student of the month is Vorante. The is hardworking student who wants to excel and works hard to do
036his best. He's an excellent student that has transitioned from elementary school to middle school like a champion. He is very well organized, always on task and takes the activity role of his education to ensure that he's successful. He is very attentive and consistently follows instructions which makes sense of a reliable support class. He listens carefully, actively participates in discussions and group work and sets a positive example for his peers through his focus and cooperation. His favorite subject is Mrs. Rank because he also likes to read. Um, they saw he's playing video games and he wants to play football. He's thinking about football. Got I got a team for so his activities are football and music. He wants to be an NFL player and his favorite food is stage. Once again, principal work at the high
037school. Good evening, Dr. Papalardo governing board community. It is a pleasure to be here tonight to speak to you about the two Apache High School students of the month. The first one I'd like to call up is Glenn Warner. Lemon lin favorite his favorite subject in school is currently stage craft because he gets to use the tools and build stuff. But all the time construction is his favorite class. He said his favorite memory in school so far was learning how to use the lathe in construction. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I asked. And he said super speed. Just because That would be more efficient and super convenient. That time you found for sure. All right. If he could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? And he'd say,
038"I don't think it counts the place." But then more than like his dream job when he grows up is to be an electrician. Just a few teacher comments. Favor. So his um stage craft and video production teacher says he's also in drama club and very involved and always ready to work in a selfarter. And in economics teacher says he's the pleasure to teach as he works very hard in his class and is concerned about getting good grades. He is respectful and humble and makes his teacher a great experience. Congratulations to your prospect and I believe she had to work this week. She's not here. I'm going to just share one teacher comment so you get to know this other outstanding student of ours. Um the one of his teachers credit that she has good attendance
039is very conscientious with grades and is respectful. She's very outgoing outgoing and worthy of acknowledgement in her school work. So congratulations to her. >> Let's have the front row just take the step off and stay right there. Um you guys in the back just kind of go a little more centered. Yeah. >> Just to fill it out a little more. A little uneven here. Let's get back a little bit. Pay attention to mine. All [Music] right, that looks looks great, actually. >> All right, big smiles. Everyone look up at me. >> Big smile. >> So, you blinked. Let's do one more time. Remember big smiles. Everyone watching you. Okay, you got the P sign. >> Three, two, one. >> Oh yeah, that's the one. >> Stay up here for pictures. >> Okay, parents, your turn.
040Thank you guys for coming out. to public comments. Make a quick announcement. Speakers are asked to limit their comments to three minutes so that everyone who wishes to speak will have the opportunity for ARS38-43102 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 any questions or discuss the issues with you. Thank you. All right, our first speaker, Miss Terara Gardner, come on up. Fair warning, I will break into tears. Just ignore them. Just what I do. My grandson Dylan is autistic and in the start program at Cactus Canyon Junior High. He has attended AJ since he was three first TLC then for Peaks now Canyon. His father also attended school district graduating
041from AJ High School in 2010. Dylan started and started program in November of 2024 under the teachings of Miss Lee. I've come I have been coming to these board me since I was told there would be changes to the stars program for this school year and that Mrs. Lee was no longer going to be there. I was sitting here last month when you asked for an update on the special ed program and so I thought I would speak tonight to make sure the update you got from the special ed department was not all hearts and flowers. Mrs. Okconor is wonderful. She is doing the best she can with double the amount of students that were in the classroom from last year and the lack of staffing some days. Other staff members do pitch in when
042they can, but there is not the stability to the class like there was last year. My grandson is struggling. Struggling because he is not getting the same oneonone time that he got last year with his teacher. Struggling because there are so many students with loud negative issues that are overstimulating and he's a follower. Last year, my grandson made huge strides in the education. He was finally earning A's, B's, and C's instead of C's, D's, and Fs like he learned at four peaks. We are concerned with how his grades will be this year as behavior issues seem so dominant. We have met with Mrs. Okander to discuss the things that Dylan has said to us and find out what the new structure of classes and how we can help. I do hope that further investigation is
043done into how the stars program can get back to the success it was last year. Based on my meeting, interactions, and conversations with other people, I do not feel that Mrs. Preston is the one to get it done. Mrs. Preston sees the students as the stars program instead of individuals with individual needs, individual strengths, and individual weaknesses. This was clear to me the first time I met her, and she proceeded to tell me that my grandson had never been given the chance to succeed in gened classrooms without bothering to learn that Dylan had only ever been in gened classrooms prior to November of 2024. Thank you for this time to let me be heard and your continued attention to this struggling department. Thank you. Dr. Would you please follow up? >> Yes, we will follow
044up the education with special education leadership team. >> Perfect. Thank you. All right. On to information and discussion items. Advanced placement update. Mrs. Skin, come on up. Good evening again. Good to see you all here. Thank you for staying. I wanted to give a brief update to our advanced placement program at the high school and its growth over the last two years in particular. Um we have had at the high school advanced placement just in case you're not aware is um a a test students can take at the end of a specific course and if they score three through plus they can uh potentially earn college credit for that course depending on where they're going and what their topic is. So um it's an opportunity to earn college credit in their high school with their
045high school teacher. So should mention that first. So advanced placement at the high school has been steadily growing and what I presented to the board um this evening is a six well five years of growth from the number of tests we did the number of exams number of students the number of students with scores of three plus and then the percent uh total 80 students with scores of three plus so from 2024 my first year at high school we had 80 students students total taking AP exams. This past year in 2020, end of year 2025, we had 75 students take exams or AP students. So again, that's a crazy growth there. Um we had 10 total exams given in 2024. In 2025, we gave 101. Um, in 2024 we had four students with scores of
046three plus or 50% of the students that took tests got those three pluses. Um, this past year we had the 101 exams. We had 27 students with three plus for 36% pass or three plus rate which while that percentage of students with three plus dropped. If you look at the number of students now taking tests, being exposed to this higher rigor and this this higher curriculum, it's really super exciting. So, so far for the 26th school year right now, and this is not independent students. This is the number of students across all classes. We currently have 246 students enrolled. Um, there might be overlap though again. 246 students in AP classes right now. >> Yeah. since um I do want to give credit to the teachers who are a trained and teaching these courses. It's
047it's a lot of work on their parts and they do their spectator training over the summer and they're doing a great job to attract 10 or 10 students. >> Any questions? >> No, I do. I'm sorry. I don't I don't understand what what's >> so you can score one through five on the data. >> Oh, okay. So, it's a five point scale. Yes. >> Okay. All right. >> Mr. Ross, any questions? >> No. No. No questions. I just have to take the classes. >> Thank you. >> Dr. Is there anything you want to say about AP classes? I want to say that Mina has done a great job. We're treating people classes getting that job done. If you look from where it began with eight students to where they are today, we're on the board
048six. >> That's amazing. It's amazing. Moving on to the consent agenda. Would somebody like to make a motion on the consent agenda? Madam President, I would like to approve the consent to agenda as presented. Do we have a motion? I like to second. I'll second. M. Mrs. Lane. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Williamson. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Ross. >> Yes. Parts of zero. On to action item 6.1. The rule of the imprints of honor memorandum volunteer wraction high school. Um, this is come up and just kind of give us I know you did in the work session, but this is so good. I'd like to talk about it. >> So, imprints of honor is the former Veterans Heritage Project and its goal is to capture the stories of our nation's veterans before they pass away and
049their stories still get shared with anyone. So, um, right now in Arizona, there's a chapter where, um, the way it works is your students will interview veterans and then the students will write this story and it will be published into a book at the end of the school year. So, um, our goal this year is to complete five interviews, which is it's a a decent goal because from the time you interview the veteran, write the story, design the layout to go to publication. It's going to be a significant amount of work for the students, but we're super excited to bring this to the high school and begin capturing more stories, especially in Apache Junction and our community. >> I guess any questions on that? No, I think it's great. Mr. >> No question. Mrs. Ross,
050anything on that? >> No questions. Dr. An for people that they can honor for their service to the country. Thank you very much for bringing that to us. >> Thank you. >> All right. Motion. Madam President President, I'd like to motion to approve the imprints of honor of me and volunteer waiver with Punj. >> I'll second Miss Lane. Second Miss Lane. >> Yes. >> Miss Lson. >> Yes. Mrs. Ross. >> Yes. The motion pass. 6.2. Approval of the following policies. Policy revisions as follows. Policy 1-302 governing board meetings and open meeting of all departments. Policy 1-401 parents legal guardian rights in education and 1-401A procedure. Policy 5-401 policy interview notification and policy 5-402 department of child safety interview and custody. make a motion on policy zero. 2.3 approval of procure 4-302 speed leave personal or
051sick leave discuss session like to make a motion madam president I'd like to make a motion on procedures 4-3-2 leave personal or I have a motion second I'll second Mr. Yes. Mrs. Mrs. Ross >> request for future agenda items. Anyone? Madam President, can we get an update on the stars department? >> Anything? [Music] All right. Motion to return to second. >> Yes. >> Is there aware I'm going to rinse off.