001Individuals wishing to address the governing board are to complete a public participation form looks like this in the hallway and provided to the governing board executive assistant, Mrs. Goff, prior to the start of the board meeting and comments need to be district related. Thank you. We are going to begin in about four minutes. Are you actually Okay. Me too, girl. I need you. [Music] Can you hear us? Sandra, yes, I can hear you guys. I was muting so I couldn't find the mute button, but yes, I can hear you. Okay, Dina has Gail on her phone, so we're going to do the best that we can. Okay, thank you. Yes, I can. 6:00. Okay, it's 6 o'clock. We are going to call to order the Apache Junction Unified School District's May 27th, 2025 governing board
002regular meeting. We begin with roll call attendance. Mrs. Ross, Mrs. Williamson, Mrs. Garcia Mrs. Lean and I'm present. All board members are in attendance to by phone. Gal, you want to just mute uh mute us? Mhm. Okay. Please rise. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance and remain standing for a moment of silence. To the United States of America. Please be seated. Item 1.3 Item 1.3 adoption of the agenda. Any discussion on the agenda? Somebody like to make a motion. Madam President like to make a motion to approve the agenda. We have a motion. Would somebody like to second? I'll second. Mrs. Williamson seconds. Mrs. Ross. Mrs. Williamson. Yes. Mrs. Williamson. Yes. Mrs. Garcia. Yes. Mrs. Lean. And I'm yes. And I'm yes. And the motion passes 5 to zero. Item 1.4, board meeting minutes
003not previously approved. Would somebody like to make a motion on the minutes? Madame President, I'd like to make a motion to approve the April 22nd regular meeting and May 13, 2025 work session and special meeting minutes. We have a motion with somebody like second. I'll second. Miss Williamson seconds. Mrs. Ross, yes. Mrs. Williamson, yes. Mrs. Garcia, yes. Mrs. Lane, yes. And yes, and on yes, a motion passes five to zero. On to information only items. 2.1 governing board members report. Mrs. Ross, is there anything you want to report? No, thank you. Mrs. Williamson, um, I had a chance to attend the scholarship night. Um, that was great to see all the hard work that the students did and the awards that they received, scholarships they got. um just always a good a good thing to
004see. And then also um attended of course the Apache Junction High School graduation. Um unfortunately I didn't really get anywhere else because I wasn't feeling good due to some major allergy issues. So if you hear me coughing or anything, I'm not sick. I promise it's all allergies. I'm glad you're staying over there. Not I went to the doctor so we don't Anyway, the graduation was great. Um it's just always good to see what these kids do and it's such an exciting time. So, it was good. Thank you. Mrs. Garcia, anything you want to report? Okay. So, I wasn't physically at the scholarship. I was trying to close a deal on one of my parents. So, she face lived me so I could watch it while I was trying to get a contract under wraps for
005her. And so, she did get the house. But I'm always loving watching all the kids get the scholarships, all the awards that even our local communities um give out to our kids. And then the eighth grade promotion was awesome. Thank you for all the hard work on that. And then of course the high school graduation. I thought Mrs. and her staff did an amazing um job just the setting everything up and the ceremony and the band and all the families that showed up and it was just it was a really great night. So, thank you for that. That's I'm sure there's more, but Go ahead, Mrs. Lean. Anything you'd like to report? I did the same thing that Judy and Cammy did. the awards night, the graduation, etc., etc. I also went to Desert Vista
006and watched Mrs. Spot ride a donkey for the jump rope for heart winners. Um, I also went to AJ City Council where um our youth advisory council was presented an award. So, those are the couple things that I did. Very nice. Okay. And I got to tell you, I had a busy couple weeks. So, I attended scholarship night with you and Dr. Pepalardo and Sandra, and it was really nice. I mean, it's amazing the amount of scholarship money that comes in. Um, I attended the TLC promotion. Alexis did a great job. Those kids are adorable. I just can't I mean, they did such a cute job. Um, I attended the Balora, which was a blessing to see so many students show up for that. It was so nice and the Lord was definitely in the
007house that night. Uh Tuesday the 21st I attended the EBIT completion ceremony as a board member. I was invited and also my grandson graduated which was really nice. Really nice to see the amazing I mean they have it three days in a row. There's so many kids. Um Wednesday I attended the Cactus Canyon promotion which is always nice. The kids are so cute. I can't believe they're going into high school already. uh Thursday at the high school graduation. And I think that's it. I'm going to need a vacation. I'm really glad summer is here, guys. Can't believe this year has gone by. It's been so fast. So, on to the superintendent report. Dr. Papalardo. Madam President, member of the board, staff, and community members. Uh May is a very, very busy month at schools. Um
008the balorate attended scholarship night with you guys. um high school graduation, junior high graduation, um kindergarten, all kindergarten promotions, preschool promotion, um the elementary music program played, the junior high program, the high school performing arts. It was amazing month of of of the arts. Um we had the elementary math beat that was terrific. We had the elementary basketball game finals hosted at Cactus Canyon. Place was packed. It was wonderful. Uh I want to introduce to you the new athletic director for the high school, Traston Yates. If you want to That's you. Yep. That's you. There you go. Welcome. Well, welcome. Welcome aboard. And I'm going to have uh Mr. Jeff Stri come up about and talk about the Build America Club. And I think he has some awards to give. A yes, you want to
009use mic Austin's got 10 minutes. stand here. I'm Jeff Stall. Um I'm Jeff Stubel. I'm with the Rhino Recreation Center. We do a program every year. It's been our I think we're on our eighth or ninth year probably going on 10 years. So we we work with the elementary kids in the schools and we call it's called the Building America Club. And what we do is we go through a program of reading a book and this year we did the money grew on trees. We did that one last year because you guys didn't go through it last year. So, we got See, he says he doesn't talk. But what's the deal? But, uh, anyway, what it's a book that we go through and it builds leadership and entrepreneurial skills and they learn a lot of
010life skills and relationship skills and everything that goes along with it. But at the end of the program, at the end of the program, the kids have to come up with a civic u program that they're going to do for the community. And this year, the kids decide, this is two of the kids. They decided to do a lemonade stand. You guys want to talk about anything about the day? Well, okay. [Music] lemonade. Okay. What did you do with the lemonade stand? Do you remember how much money we raised? Do you remember how much money we raised? $564. $564. [Applause] So, and where did we where did you The thing is is that I'm an adult and I want to thank Mrs. Smith and her staff because um I don't do this alone obviously and
011um they they were really uh diligent and everything and being there for me um to for those times because over the course of a year I can't always but they always helped out. But the whole gist of this is that it's not I don't do anything but be there and kind of lead the conversation and kind of give them ideas and go through that process. But it's all about the kids making things happen. The the slogan of the Rhino Recreation Center is the Rhino Recreation Center is where kids are in charge. The Rhino Well, it is. Anyway, these kids had to come up with the ideas, make sure everything was there. I I got them obviously posters and stuff like this, but they did all the drawings. They asked Mrs. Smith. They wore her out
012and all she did was sit there on the day of the lemonade. [Music] There you go. But anyway, so who did you decide the money was going to go to? Yeah. And so they they uh decided that and so because I'm an adult most days um I contacted the Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation actually and they paid these gave the kids these They gave the kids they gave these kids what they what they did and did so that the kids so that the kids get got the recognition. When I talked to the young lady, it really it was really quite moving on my part to hear her the just the joy that she had by knowing that these kids for her children. I just I just what we do every year is just make sure that
013you guys understand what our young people are doing out here in our community and the recognition that they get for doing the service to their want to thank that. Anything else, Austin? I don't know. [Applause] We need a picture. Dr. P, you want to get a picture? Where is our picture guy? Oh, Mrs. going to get it. Okay. Congratulations. Good job. Madam President, that concludes the superintendent report. Thank you. Good job. All right. On to public comments. asked speakers are asked to limit their comments to three minutes so that everyone who wishes to speak will have the opportunity per ARS38103H prohibits the governing board from those trust who know that they really care about them one of the things they have concerns about is you know umack so justify there's lack of services for the
014special education students when there's not um appropriate staffing giving them and appropriate public education.