HUSD Governing Board Meeting January 14, 2025

001e we don't good evening is this on can you hear me I cannot testing can you hear me okay good evening we'd like to get this meeting started you can't they can't hear me good evening if we can please get this meeting to order Miss Richards may I please get roll call yes ma'am um vice president miss Van Hook let the record show that all five board members are present this evening thank you please join me in a moment of Silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance I motion to approve the agenda second all in favor I I all oppose uh Miss Richards um can you give us the superintendence report please yes Vice President Van Hook tonight in higgle Adventures we have an exciting announcement can I have it pull up there we go

002we have an exciting announcement and we want to introduce the Spartan boys cross country team as they are the East Valley Conference champions again building off the success they had last year this team supported one another and overcame challenges throughout the season to win San's first ever backto back championship [Applause] all right good evening cabinet members and governing board thank you so much for having us here tonight and for your uh support of husd Athletics um while we are here well actually let's go back to last year about this time last year we were here doing the exact same thing and so um although we are celebrating something very similar we also did two things this year that we have never done before and so first I would like to invite T Jim to come

003right out front here Tay Taye loves the spotlight so this is great for him so uh Tay is our first ever individual champion in Cross Country for sasman Middle School Tay beat over 190 other Racers and beat his closest competitor by 10 seconds finishing first overall in the race congratulations Tay the other first that we're celebrating um this is the first time we've ever had a sassin team go backto back [Applause] championships and then here's a quick word from coach Al good evening we just wanted to take a moment Lisa and I and just congratulate our team um you guys have done a phenomenal job thank you so much for our parent support that we've had all season for our admin support and for your guys' hard work we are so proud of you guys

004you did a phenomenal job overcame barriers this season and really worked hard to win it for our whole team thank you guys so [Applause] much and we look forward to seeing you all back next year all right we're going to take a picture K coach H I've noticed the back of your shirt and I think your kids have them on too will you turn around so everybody can read it why is everyone chasing me [Applause] three 1 2 3 [Applause] [Music] well done Jance well done ious oh look I married next we don't have a screen I don't know there we are we want to congratulate our very own Higley public information and marketing team I'm going to read their highlights and then have them come up here and embarrass yes are you the only

005one here well then you can stand up here by [Applause] yourself and Mr Armstrong will take your picture all right each year the Arizona school public relations Association recognizes standards of excellence in public school relations through its aspiration Awards this year higley's team led by Miss Jessica Batista who's going to stand and come forward you're not getting out of [Applause] [Music] it her entire team is being recognized for newsletter that includes the Higgly highlights newsletter video series produced in house that includes the principal Spotlight series branding image package husd brand guidelines and multi marketing multimedia marketing campaign enroll now c campaign so make sure we all enroll so we have kids in our schools that are thrilled to be here I can't even believe look at that picture sure does that look like a great

006team you want to say anything all right we'll have Armstrong do you know how to use that camera [Music] right here we go ready I'll pull the pr [Applause] one I like he took two clicks yeah better than that other guy he just [Laughter] like no he's not all right next we move on to our points of Pride can Amy coach us come forward is Mara with you yes come forward these are our amazing preschool director and assistant director to announce their points of pride [Applause] thank you so much for this incredible opportunity to recognize our incredible staff students and family um we're going to start tonight with the reason we're here one of our students hi thank you I'm going to I'm proud to honor our student that won our points of Pride his

007name is Lucas Wanger if I could have him come on down with his teacher Mrs campasano his preschool teacher you both can join us I know it's so exciting it's so wonderful we even have I have a special message for you Lucas and we have a prize for you and a present so I'm going to present to you Lucas why you want our points of Pride to your family so Lucas is a shining example of kindness leadership and inclusivity at kie ecdc and he's truly deserving of recognition as a point of Pride recipient as he complet completes his second year as a little cougar Lucas has consistently demonstrated a remarkable willingness to learn and a Natural Curiosity just like we're seeing right now and an exceptional ability to include others in his classroom with joy

008and so from the moment new students joined his class Lucas made them feel welcome and warmly greeted them by saying hello creating a sense of belonging for everyone his thoughtful nature extends Beyond classroom interactions Lucas actively ensures that no one's left out always taking the initiative to invite his peers to play he um and and and offers ideas and shares his learning space he brings out the best in others by supporting their participation making sure everyone feels valued his kindness is not limited to his classmates he goes above and beyond to brighten the day of the others by sending encouraging notes in spe the special mailbox in class remembering classmates who are absent and offering a comforting pat on the B so his positive spirit's contagious and his smile lights up the playground he's an

009exceptional student friend and leader and we're incredibly fortunate to have him a part of our family [Music] congratulations so Lucas I have a question for you who did you come with tonight in your car um is it is it your family who's that [Music] that's a tough question in front of all these people mom you to say you want to say brother and sister's name in the microphone that's hard I was shy too mommy you brought Mom and Dad Nicholas Nicholas mom dad and Nicholas and and Eliana congratulations we'll go ahead you have you walk down back to your seat so much to say about that little one all right the next individual we'd love to recognize is Miss Miss Meredith Montoya come on [Applause] up congratulations little bit about Meredith Meredith our ecdc PTO

010president has truly been an exceptional leader and a wonderful asset to our school Community from the very beginning she is shown unwavering positivity and dedication to supporting our staff and students although her student attends s and ecdc she has consistently made her presence known at our kie campus she comes every week checking in delivering t-shirts and offering her support her willingness to listen collaborate and help find Solutions has made her an invaluable resource to our team her infection positivity welcoming nature and funloving spirit have created a warm and inclusive environment for everybody she was instrumental this year in supporting our ecdc during our business partner breakfast and propos the successful Higgly helps initiative providing treats to our incredible San Middle School uh teachers the day after Halloween which is very important and uh merited commitment

011and tireless efforts have made a lasting impact on our school we're so grateful for her congratulations Oh and before you leave who did you bring with you who did you bring with you my family and my in-laws congratulations oh and actually you're going to stay up here here sorry okay up next I'm happy to award our certified recipient our recertified staff and it goes to Susie J if you would come on [Applause] down so Mrs J has made an extraordinary and lasting impact on kolie ecdc campus in her first year as an itinerant resource special education teacher in this short time she's built strong connections with staff families and students providing in valuable support to teaching teams and offering resources that enhance best practices for our youngest Learners Mrs J goes above and beyond by

012constantly seeking innovative ways to improve classroom environments to Foster optimal learning and success her dedication not only strengthens the connections within the classroom but also ensures that all Learners develop the skills necessary for lifelong success Mrs J's thoughtful collaboration with the teaching team her Keen attention to the unique needs of each student and her warm engaging presence has made her a beloved and vital part of our school whether playing with students during centers participating in class meetings or supporting students on the playground Mrs J creates an environment where every child Fe feels seen valued and excited to learn we're incredibly grateful for the difference that she's made and our students continue to flourish because of her impact [Applause] Mrs J who did you bring with you tonight I brought my wonderful husband Brian and my

013youngest son Luke very nice thank [Applause] you and finishing out coly last but absolutely certainly not least Miss Mona Skyler [Applause] sorry my notes I'll we are proud to nominate Mona Skyler for our cooly classified points of Pride Mona has been an indispensable presence of kie she is consistently going above and beyond in her role as the face of kie she's the heart of our school creating a welcoming environment for every student staff member and family Mona's unwavering dedication and exceptional service to her colleagues make her an invaluable part of our team she plays a key role in ensuring the smooth operation and I mean smooth operation of our front office and continues to support the success of our school through her organization problem solving skills and outstanding leadership throughout the transition of new Administration

014Mona has been a steady Bridge making the process seamless for everyone involved her hard work attention to detail and countless hours spent ensuring everything runs smoothly never goes unnoticed Mona's contributions go far beyond her job description she's a true partner a true friend working tirelessly to ensure both centers are taken care of as a team and that staff members feel very supported monor Skyler is a backbone of kie and we are incredibly grateful for her dedication passion and commitment to our entire School Community congratulations and who did you bring with you I brought my husband Dave and Lauren and then some team members so thank you big shout out [Applause] coie okay come up we're going to take a picture there you congratulations congratulations [Applause] and as Miss Richard said we're not leaving we have

015a second uh program we'd love to shout out and share incredible staff members family and students so this time we're going to start with our certified staff member meline Marcel if you can come on [Applause] up congratulations mateline is an exceptional teacher whose unwavering positivity and dedication shines through all aspects of her work she consistently demonstrates a remarkable willingness to help others whether supporting her students or assisting her peers her positive attitude remains steadfast even in the faces of challenges such as navigating the transition during a parall loss this year and training a new one throughout these hurdles she maintains her calm stage Focus keeping her spirits high and setting a wonderful example for everyone around her Beyond her adaptability mine's kindness and respect towards both students and colleagues are evident in every interaction her

016commitment extends to initiatives like the higgle helps program where she continued uh contributed Sorry by sharing treat bags with her students again that day after Halloween uh for our sasma middle school and she creates an environment that encourages growth and success for her students she's truly a joy to work with she embodies both professional excellence and personal warmth in everything she does thank you so much congratulations and who did you bring with you I brought my husband Jeff and my son Alex congratulations if you want to remain up here okay I'm happy to announce our pride points of Pride um recipient for our volunteer Lauren Camp come on [Applause] [Laughter] down so Lauren is an invaluable member of our preschool team consistently going above of and Beyond in her contributions whether in the classroom cafeteria

017or on the playground she's always ready to lend a helping hand whereever needed her dedication extends Beyond her scheduled responsibility as a middle school ta yes we're honoring our yes and she volunteers each morning before middle school starts without any expectation of recognition Lauren plays an integral part and role in supporting the classroom and ensuring the smooth operation of the school day she's not only attentive to her own task but also takes initiative to support her fellow Middle School Tas making sure they're prepared and ready to leave on time her positivity is infectious and her constant smile makes her a blessing to all who work with her with two years of classroom assistance under her belt she's Pro she's proven herself to be a reliable proactive and uplifting presence on the campus congratulations [Applause] so

018Lauren who have you brought here tonight with you my mom and dad wonderful thank you here all right and again the reason we're here one of our students I would like Jay trout to come on up and Jay is coming with his teacher Miss Garrett who was the person who nomin ated you congratulations yeah we would like to nominate Jay for San Miss Garrett shared that Jay is so full of life she loves hearing that good morning Miss Garrett as he comes in as Jay greets her at the door each morning she really en enjoys that when he walks into the Kinder prep classroom the whole room lights up with his energetic Spirit the students look forward to his arrival because they can't wait to build those colorful towers with him on the rug and

019to chase hula hoops together at recess Jay is such a happy and enthusiastic learner he is always contributing and adding to their class discussions with a big smile on his face and you can bet that Jay has a funny real life story to connect what he's learning about he is a friend to all and a leader in the classroom and we are so proud of you congratulations Jay High with all your congratulations guess what can I ask you a question who did you bring with you Mommy and Daddy and liby oh let's see where are they wave there they [Applause] are we just one more okay we're going to finish it off with our classified points of Pride recipient Miss Nicole Camp come on [Applause] down we are honored to nominate Nicole camp for the

020classified points of Pride award in recognition of her unwavering dedication exceptional service and tireless commitment to the um as the San ecdc Community as the office manager Nicole has been in invaluable support during a time of significant transition and growth she's navigated the challenges of a leadership change with Grace and professionalism ensuring that San's teams needs were met and that the 2425 school year began seamlessly Nicole is the face of saucan she's creating a welcoming supportive and inclusive environment for students staff and families alike her exceptional organization attention to detail and positive attitude are EV evident in everything she does she's often one of the first to arrive each day ready to set the stage for a successful day ahead Nicole's deep care for saam and school family shines through her willingness to go above

021and beyond making her an essential part of our success it is with immense gratitude and admiration that we nominate Nicole for this well-deserved recognition [Applause] thanks and Nicole who did you bring tonight I brought my incredible daughter my family and my school family wonderful congratulations thank you congratulations we love your mom I'm heing it or all right now I need principal Kelly papy and assistant principal Chrissy debono from Coura Elementary [Applause] good evening everyone board members cabinet thank you so much for having us here um we are thrilled to be able to recognize some of our shining stars um this is always just a a really neat night and it's great to see all of the people here to support our amazing team members so we're going to start off um with our certified staff

022member um and individuals that are being recognized tonight you're going to come up as you saw you'll stay up here we'll take a picture and don't forget to mention who you brought to celebrate you with um all right so our certified staff member I want to congratulate Miss Mina cosmi come on up [Applause] Mrs cosmi is a third grade teacher at Cortina and she embodies all that it means to be a lifelong learner Mrs cosmy has been a teacher at Cortina since 2016 during her time here she has touched the lives of so many and she has helped contribute to a culture for Learning and positivity as a third grade teacher with many years of experience she actively seeks new strategies and methods to reach her students by taking classes and implementing new ideas that

023she learns this keeps learning fresh and engaging for her students and demonstrates her willingness to ensure that her students are getting the best learning experiences each and every day her sincere nature enables her to establish trusting relationships with stakeholders and helps Foster a learning environment where students feel safe and cared for Mrs cosmi is intentional and focused on meeting the unique needs of each of her students she does this by planning datadriven differentiated learning experiences and offering small group instruction and interventions Mrs cosmi consistently collaborates with her team supporting the goals of the grade level and our school she is also involved outside of her classroom through NHS and participating in service projects she is a role model demonstrating a quiet yet powerful strength she prioritizes others stays true to her commitments and finds Beauty

024and joy in the Journey of lifelong learning we are so fortunate that Mrs cosmi chooses to be a member of the tiger team congratulations [Applause] and who did you bring with you tonight I brought my loving family and my wonderful Cortina [Music] family you good evening I'm Chrissy devono the proud prin assistant principal of Cortina Elementary and I have the great privilege and honor of recognizing our classified staff member of the month so please join me and welcoming up front Miss Aralia [Applause] caranza hardworking efficient and dependable are three words that come to mind to describe Miss Aralia she is our day custodian here at Cortina and our campus shines brightly each day thanks to the wonderful job aalia demonstrates she is quick on her feet and answering every radio call and being proactive in

025addressing needs as she sees them often before even Mrs py and I can see them she's addressing them she maintains the highest levels of professionalism in her role and is thankful in her or thoughtful in her approach to ensuring that her daily tasks are not only accomplished but plans for the next day are in place and materials and setups are arranged ready to go we never have to fret about what's to come she's got it taken care of aalia supports our lunchtime schedule and has positive interactions with our students helping them learn appropriate mannerisms while eating supporting both their Natural Curiosity through conversation with them and also ensuring that our students have a safe and fun place to eat and socialize aalia has been with Cortina for several years and our school just would not

026be the same without her so thank you aalia for sharing your caring in generous spirit with us all and congratulations on your [Applause] recognition and Aralia who did you bring with you tonight oh thank you my family and Cortina he's my f here hello family thank you all right it is time to recognize our student so let's have Claire Hartman come on up to the [Applause] front all right when I think of this student a couple of words adjectives in particular come to mind that align with our roar's expectations and the character traits that we focus on regularly at Cortina these words are respectful responsible and caring Claire is a fifth grade student leader at Cortina being involved in NHS and tiger ambassadors she not only focuses on ensuring that she is meeting all of

027her roles and responsibilities as a student but she also models for others what it means to be a tiger who Roars as an ambassador Claire can be seen greeting students as they enter the gate and assisting with our kindergarteners during lunches when she interacts with others you can quickly see The Compassion Care and joy that she shares with those around her just an example of her Caring Heart one morning when a kindergarten student was reluctant to leave their mom and enter the gate for school Claire leaned down offering reassurance and guidance to the student which helped put them at ease and the student then willingly entered the gate with her ready for a day of learning this is just one example of how she makes a difference at our school through her participation in service

028projects school activities and going out of her way to include others in and out of class sharing a story with teachers and staff Claire's heart of service and her joyful Spirit shines bright Claire's teacher shared that Claire is an absolute doll those were her words she is the hardest worker and is very determined to learn and understand the concepts being taught in class she supports anyone in need going the extra mile to help others and be a friend Claire is someone who possesses I'm missing part of this I can ad Li but I want to share what her teacher said um Claire possesses many character traits such as honesty compassion fairness responsibility trustworthiness and respect thank you Claire for being a strong example of a tiger who Roars and for going out of your way

029to spread kindness and a spirit of community across our school Cortina would not be the same without you Claire and I just want to say this is a young lady that I have had the pleasure of just being able to watch her grow and flourish she's overcome some challenges and has just blocked AED and bloomed in so many ways and and being a student leader and just doing amazing things on our campus and truly making an impact for others at Cortina so thank you and congratulations [Applause] Claire do you want to share who you brought with you I brought my family and some of my teachers swee okay please join me in welcoming Miss Katie Patterson our volunteer points points of Pride recognition to the front of the room thank you Katie her husband and

030their three boys joined our Cortina family this school year after moving from California and she welcomed the opportunity immediately to volunteer at our school and has been a wonderful addition to Everyday Life on our campus Katie works hard to ensure that our staff and students are supported through time in the classroom working with students and time outside of the school day preparing teacher materials including fabulous bulletin boards and other resources that our teachers greatly appreciate our hway are always brightened with her creative designs and her warm and friendly nature bring smiles to every single individual she interacts with on campus Katie's invested in our school's motto impacting the future one child at a time because she seeks to make sure that each student in her three boys's classroom has what they need and never shies

031away from an opportunity to help Katie is on campus nearly every day of the week and everywhere around campus doing what is best for our staff and students our campus would not be the same without her generous spirit and we cannot thank you enough Katie for all you continue to do and I have to share this little story I believe in serendipitous moments in the world and we always get excited when we have new families join us and um through a mutual friend um a friend had shared oh the Patterson family is coming to Cortina and through some reflection I realized I taught her brother-in-law when he was in fourth grade and our families know our each other from our time in Tucson together and it was just this exciting moment to feel like a

032full circle so we are so incredibly grateful you choose Cortina and congratulations thank you for all you [Applause] do wel right oh Katie who did you bring my husband and my three boys [Applause] e e e next next on the agenda we have request to speak can you please play the video Miss Dan can we do upcoming events real quick no problem I am so sorry I totally skipped over that okay upcoming events include Wednesday next Wednesday the 22nd we have a board work study session here it starts at 500 p.m. next Thursday cabinet and board are invited to Coronado Elementary for school visit January 28th Tuesday is Kinder Roundup at all of our elementary campuses please invite your neighbors and let's fill up these sessions and on Thursday January 30th at 6: p.m. here

033in the district office boardroom we have a social media and a Youth Development parent event and that concludes upcoming events there we are right thank you for that um next on the agenda is request to speak can you please play the video we value input from our constituents this time on our agenda has been set aside for anyone from the audience who wishes to address the board those that wish to speak should have filled out speaker cards which are due prior to the start of our meeting members of the board may not discuss comment or take action on matters raised that are not specifically identified on the agenda therefore pursuant to ARS 38-4 31.0 1i action taken as a result of public comment will be limited to directing staff to study the matter responding to

034any criticism or scheduling the matter for further consideration and decision at a later date also we ask that audience member practice proper public meeting decorum refraining from either negative or positive responses including clapping or verbal outbursts to ensure fairness to All Points of View those that refuse to follow these rules may be asked to leave in accordance with policy bedh public participation at board meetings if considered necessary the governing board president shall set a time limit on the length of the comment period in order to ensure that each individual has an opportunity to address the board the president may also set a time limit for individual speakers thank you for your [Music] cooperation um first up is Heather Balch good evening happy it on oh there we go uh good evening and happy New Year

035I just wanted to say hello to our new board for the next uh two years before our vote there was one topic on the agenda that I did want to address I saw that we are considering moving our start time back to 5:00 which I'm in full support of um it's difficult when these meetings run as late as they sometimes do um and that moving it back to that 5:00 start time would be beneficial I think for a lot of us the other point that I want to bring up and I've been trying to think of how to tactfully say this is that I think Higley has a really good problem we have so many amazing teachers and classified staff members and amazing teams and championships and I think it's great that we celebrate it

036I really do I don't want this to come across that I don't want to celebrate it but I think maybe moving forward perhaps at the beginning of next uh school year we look at maybe revamping the way we do things so that we're not spending 45 minutes to an hour on the celebrations before the meeting starts that's it thank you next next step is Timothy's Chow so Tim can't be here tonight he just St out to go get this Middle School child that's okay okay I'll I'll call the next person thank you um Kim Jackson good evening District members administrators parents and students my name is Kim Jackson I stand before you today to advocate for the addition of a physical education release time option or independent PE into our high schools and junior high

037schools this idea is not new neighboring districts such as Gilbert public schools and Chandler Unified School Districts have already successfully implemented unique programs and it's time for us to consider the same opportunity for our students the concept is simple yet impactful a physical education release time option allows students who are actively involved in organized sports or other structured physical activities outside of school to fulfill their PE requirements without taking up valuable space in our already crowded PE classes this program would decrease the risk associated with high school High student numbers in physical education classes and create a safer more effective environment for students who do participate on campus Beyond addressing logistical concerns this option provides academic benefit by freeing up a class period students can focus more on their core subjects or pursue additional electives

038that align with their passions and career goals whether it's taking an advanced math class or dual enrollment course or exploring the Arts students would have time to engage more deeply in their acade academic Journey without compromising their physical fitness furthermore this program acknowledges the hard work and dedication of students who already spend hours training and competing outside of school from club soccer players to competitive dancers these students are meeting and often exceeding the physical education requirements providing them the flexibility to earn credit while continuing to excel in their extracurricular activities is a step toward recognizing and supporting their efforts as we look to Gilbert and Chandler as examples we can see that this is practical and proven solution that benefits students teachers and the district as whole it promotes a safer environment eases schedule pressures

039and allows for more personalized education experience it also should be considered an amen it our district is in need of exciting Innovative and creative ways to attract families and turn students to its campuses this new amenity could do exactly that let's take this opportunity to show our students that we value their individual needs and are committed to providing them with an education that supports their success in both in and out of the classroom thank you if I can please make this a call for Action to have the board and admin look into into this I have paperwork um from Gilbert public schools of how they do this um and Chandler in particular has uh it's called Elite Performance Academy both things are available on Gilbert's Gilbert Public Schools website as well as Chandler Unified District's

040website as well is the next person Jana Mason not yet okay thank you uh Maryanne Paskowski good evening board I come here talk to discuss our agenda points 5.1 and number eight number eight dealing with our start time I'm not sure if the board realizes that the Middle School families who are involved in after school tutoring and after school clubs those don't get out till 5:00 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. so if we move the meetings back to 5:00 P pm. you are disenfranchising the Middle School families of Higley unified considering the fact that Higley unified is fighting to keep families might not be a good idea to disenfranchise the Middle School families who feed into our high school programs furthermore when it comes to number 5.1 and our Higgly vote this at evening for President

041and Vice President I would really like to see Miss Anna as president because she has put in the time the effort and continually reaches out to the community for various viewpoints I think she is very deserving of that position as president thank you for your time thank you next up is Dave Burner good evening board thank you for your time and your volunteering I know what it takes my background is that of a CEO and working with CEOs and I'm here to talk about my interfacing and working with Anna van hul over the last couple of years I have found her to be outstanding is a dedicated well informed individual I run a meeting a little bit of two miles three miles from here we have 150 members I ask Anna to come in every

042now and then and represent the school district and she comes well prepared she knows all the topics she puts together a PowerPoint presentation and she presents an incredible representation of this board and the volunteers that are here today and I think that she would just be an outstanding president of the board so I want to recommend that you vote for her being president thank you very much thank you next up is Linda Payne board members and welcome to the new ones that are here and of administration my name is Linda Payne and I'm a member of this community and I'm also talking to I don't even know if you voted to put in a new president or not but if you haven't I also would like to really encourage you to put in Anna she

043has not missed any meetings that I know of to vote she has not she has done her homework every time she does the research she really has in my opinion shown that she loves this district and she wants to make it work and I think she would be an amazing board president and the other thing is that the time that you want to change to from 6:00 to 5:00 there are so many parents that cannot come and we're talking to parents a lot trying to get more and more of them to come but 5:00 is just out of there's too many things going on at 5 o'clock and six o'clock is a much better time and all with most of the parents that I talk to they would really prefer the six o'cl time and

044I really think as a board member I'm board members you need to listen to the parents and and Community here I know last year when you voted on the on the dress code it was such a disappointment because we had so many people here that were against the changing the dress code and for whatever reason you decided to go ahead and change it and it has you know it has really run a lot of this the parents away from this school district you're losing so many students that would like to come here but because of the decisions that were made on a lot of the things last year they they don't want to they want to go to a different school and they've gone a lot of them have already left and and we really

045need to encourage them to try to stay because it's you have a lot of really good programs here but if you would just consider these things and I thank you for your time thank you next up Kathleen Richards good evening board and District administration happy New Year thank you for the opportunity to speak I want wanted to take a moment my own um life reminded me that perhaps there are others in the same situation and that is around the um tax credit that families are able in Arizona to dedicate to our Public School Systems uh this is not something unique to Higley District you do not have to live within Higley School District uh you just have to live in the state of Arizona so for example my own parents who live in Gilbert Public

046School District make sure to donate their tax credit to one of my daughter's schools we have an elementary school student and a middle school student and the end of the year came and went and I realized that I had not done my part of sending our donation to realize that we're still able to do that until April and given the fact that our community uh did not pass the continuation of the M override um line item on our ballot in 2024 the impact of which you can see already in our agenda tonight discussing the cuts of teachers from our elementary schools our high schools our middle schools 11 Transportation individuals potentially cut these are cuts that are going to affect every single family so if there is a small way that you would like to

047have a positive Financial impact and perhaps did not have an opportunity before December 31st to do so I just wanted to be a voice to remind our community that that opportunity still exists and it is still something that you can do through the Higley website or you can do at the individual sites and I just wanted to thank our current sitting board um especially those members who have made it very clear How Deeply you support public schools and specifically the higgle Unified School District you speak about our district in positive ways this is not to say that you do not ask for improvements where improvements are needed and I look forward to seeing what those genuine Public School supporters have to do for us in the remainder of 2025 thank you thank you next up

048is Jana Mason I'm speaking for Jana Mason with her permission and the paperwork's been filled out um she can Miss D hook this is Jennifer mclenon um you can't substitute a speaker in the public comment the person has to actually be present for uh the public comment to occur oh we've done that before that's why I thought it was okay you have okay so miss Richards is telling me that you have done that before advice of council is that you not do that in the future since it has been a past practice and there wasn't notice to this individual uh we could permit that today but uh going forward you should require individuals to be present thank you good go ahead Miss Jackson uh I'd like to push back on that some parents can't make

049it and the fact that she can't make it tonight is because she's at a wrestling match for the junior high school and her son was part of the country cross country club that actually won the award tonight so she would be here but she's at a sports event uh dear Higley school board members my name is Jana Mason I'm a parent of three children within the district I have won an elementary middle school and high school I'm also a former physical education teacher I taught in Mesa and I am a huge advocate for PE I am also a current Fitness at trainer I know the many benefits firsthand of a quality program and believe Higley has one but today to to suggest that some children can gain many benefits like teamwork Health coordination and many

050other skills in either a team and or an individual sports program I believe greatly in our school district however it has proven difficult for my te te to manage Sports and homework due to the early morning or late evenings of practice my teen boys are up till at least 10 almost every night doing homework but many times they have been up till 11 or 12 I know that a 6-hour PE release time would give my boys an extra hour to get homework done allowing them to get to bed at a more reasonable time I am for a 6th hour PE release time for these students that are involved in our extracurricular sport within our schools or within our community please consider this program to help our youth within the district manage their academic and extracurricular

051Sports this can improve grades and healthier sleep schedules by allowing them to get to bed earlier thank you for your time this evening sincerely Jana Mason thank you so much and uh Miss Richards if we can obtain some information I'd love to get more info on that thank you so much absolutely all right now on to 5.2 election of I'm sorry or 5.1 sorry it's written incorrectly on here um 5.1 um election of governing board president um we will now take nominations for governing board president I move to nominate Vice President Van Hook as president while we might may not agree with every decision Miss Van Hook makes her dedication and transparency in the this district is truly admirable over the past two years her thorough research and detailed explanations and questions related to agenda

052items and diligent oversight has given parents confidence in the process Miss Van Hook remains a strong advocate for accountability and transparency always working to support the best interests of our students and District I'd like to nominate um sorry this thing all right um I'd also like to nominate myself um over the last two years I've worked hard to improve our district by focusing on transparency and curriculum finances and operations my goal has always been to build trust between the district and our community and make sure resources are used effectively I've pushed to ensure that funding goes directly to the classroom where it benefits students and teachers the most while ensuring that raises are financially sustainable in the long term I've applied my knowledge of state laws to protect districts from potential legal challenges helping to

053shape policies that ensure accountability and compliance I've been actively involved in key policies like making um sure our counselors don't cross a line that could lead to Serious legal consequences creating a vaccination policy to ensure parents are informed about exemptions and speaking up when the district was at risk at violating state laws by using taxpayer money for race-based training additionally I brought to light the issue of inappropriate content accessible to our elementary students through the pebble go application which was ultimately blocked from our students even with a full-time job family and my advocacy work I prioritize staying involved in both the district and the community I've attended every board meeting and study session for the last 2 years leading by example with my perfect attendance making sure I'm always prepared doing my research to ensure

054I'm asking the right questions not just to inform myself but to educate the public I'm often the only one asking questions that helps us understand what's really going on I've also attended the new teacher orientation for the last 2 years in a row and show up to as many district events as possible because I'm committed to supporting our schools teachers and students thank you so much um any other um nominations actually do we I have a question does there need to be a can you miss mlen can you please clarify for me before I nominate um so typically in a nomination from the floor which is what you're doing you would receive all nominations and then the board would vote vote in the order received thank you thank you I'd like to nominate board member

055Wade for uh president for the 2025 School uh year um board member Wade cares deeply about the Higley school district and public education um she too has attended every meeting has volunteered attends uh School visits and um after school visits when she can um and I think she would be a great asset to are or uh to run the meetings for us as well are seconds required okay no seconds are not required for the nomination process thank you for asking Mr Glover well thank you any other nominations uh no I don't have a nomination but I feel considering my name is out there I'd at least like to express some things um I'm a itive of that I think um my schedule is is definitely conducive to being able to go to a lot of

056the events um I look I care a lot um about Higley and I care a lot about the things that take place here and how we continue to move forward and be a district in which that is not only recognized in our area as a district you wish to send your kids to but a district across the state and Beyond um I do wish to correct I did miss one meeting I just wanted to C cuz when I was elected I had a a previously scheduled cruise that I did not miss but outside of that I do routinely attend those events the things that I have the hardest time uh going to would be evening events because I have young children I don't know about the two newest board members but I'm the only one

057with both kids still solidly in elementary so um I'm appreciative of that obviously uh should that be the way things vote I would be more than happy to uh you know do what I can forly all right um all in favor for um my uh for me as president um I I all in favor of Amanda being president I I I all right um Amanda is the um new board president and um do you want to run it typic typically the board president would then take over so all right so now we move on to agenda item 5.2 uh election of governing board President we will now accept or sorry Vice President we will now accept uh nominations for vice president um I will nominate myself for vice president I'd like to nominate um Miss

058Schultz any other nominations okay cool um so all those in favor uh for Anna Van Hook as vice president Hi I okay all those in favor for Tiffany Schultz as vice president I I I will also be an I so Tiffany will be vice president this where I now can continue on or do we need to move or do you want us to keep us here well we'd have the new president take the middle seat sure with the vice president on the side all right so and then I think Christine will we can help with name tags or we will take a three minute recess while we rearrange here we go ch e e e all right all right to those lovely audience members who are also cold at the present moment in time I

059too have put on my jacket uh I am being told that we are figuring it out I say the those of you who are teachers just keep pushing it over and over again m m Richards it'll go eventually you have the power whereas they just say that's unfortunate all right has that been 3 minutes I have no idea at what time I said three minutes all right cool good talk I motion to approve consent agenda items 6.1 through 6.14 second we no longer do the time for right all those in favor I excuse me hi I'm Sor I apologize all those opposed oh sorry motion passes 5 Z go ahead I just want to mention um item 6.14 was added um very late yes yesterday or yes yesterday before the agenda went live um I

060don't know if it was just like a last minute thing that was added but if we can be notified a little bit of ahead of time um just to kind of give us time to be able to review the document being added that' be wonderful thank you okay this moves us on to uh hold on now I got now I've got two agendas in front of me sorry yeah know ADHD is real items information item 7.1 first review of 2025 2026 maintenance and operations budget we will now hear from Mr Mo on the first review of the 2526 maintenance and operations budget thank you Pres president Wade members of the board tonight we'll be presenting the first review of the FY 26 M budget feedback I think it's that all right maybe that works there

061we go so just a reminder um for our new board members and our community is our our Arizona School District budget timeline as um our board knows and most of our constituents we operate on a fiscal year that is not a calendar year and so our budget that we're looking at today is in preparation for our July uh next year uh school year and so our timeline uh hasn't changed in the last few years but uh we are working towards that June timeline in which we propose and officially adopt this budget uh when those final forms come out uh but as our as our board knows we um issue contracts in March and so um the reason we bring forth this budget early and look at projections early to get the board comfortable uh with

062attentative approval to give us Authority um to issue contracts in March so uh again we're working for that that June uh timeline and so we're six months out and so you'll see a lot of the information this presentations estimates and information to come um but we do have some known that we've uh started to project out so looking at kind of the known and what is uh taking in to uh assumption in this presentation in our projected budget numbers on the far left um you've heard this term several times and it's uh not going away but um the aggre expension limit or AE um there is some uh optimism that it will be Exempted or there will be some permanent um legislative exemption in the state budget process that is currently just undertaken uh this

063week and so uh there's been some bills proposed to potentially include the aggregate expension limit exemption in this the K12 or state budget process so if the state were to approve the budget uh the a would be Exempted for schools for that year and so that would give us some reassurance way earlier in the in the year um that we wouldn't have this fiscal cliff hanging over our heads come March so I'm optimistic that there'll be some permanent uh solution to the eel going forward which will give us some certainty when we're projecting out our budgets on the middle um our known budget implications um this is kind of our state or known assumptions the first bullet the estimated 2% inflation adjustment to the base level support So currently I monitor the state's um budget

064in the state inflation level uh there's a statue um a stat State Statute that's in um that's current right now and which states that if the inflation level is above 2% uh the state is minimally obligated to to provide a 2% in adjustment to the base level support and as a reminder the base level support is our per pupil amount that we uh are allocated by the state and currently that's at $513 and so um in this presentation I'm assuming a 2% increase to that current base level support um some other known the Arizona State Retirement System which the district is a um mandatory member of um the State retirement system came out with uh FY 26 numbers and uh good news for both the district and employees is that those uh percentages are decreasing

065and so for the uh State Retirement System asrs um the amount for the district and the employees is going down to 12% that's a negative. 27% reduction um for context on the district side that's a savings about $200,000 uh for our budget next year so um good news uh going into next year in regards to that um obligation that we have on the alternative contribution rate um a little lesser known but this is a rate for employees state employees who have retired uh from the system and now have been hired back and so we have very few individuals that we um have are employing that have already retired um so the monetary benefit from this uh percentage decrease which is greater than the the a larger plan um is far less it's approximately $3,000 in

066savings for 26 so um some good news for both the district and employees on that State retirement percentage on the third column these are some of our Higgly Higgly special knowns I would say um we have continued to transfer uh M dollars to fund our Middle School lease payment we still have uh 28 years left on our Middle School lease payment our current o obligation for next year principal and interest is $3.55 million and so uh we'll continue U to propose transferring M dollars to Capital in which uh the lease payment must be paid from capital and so that's why we're transferring uh to cover our principal interest payment for next year um the board has previously approved um additional transfers from OTA major projects um in the years past uh we are not recommending

067any additional transfer at this time uh for any major projects just highlighting some of the challenges that school districts uh not only Higley but Across the Nation have faced is with enrollment and so just a reminder our budget formula is largely based on the multiplier of enrollment right we take enrollment times the base level support and that generally gives our our budget limit um we are not immune uh to enrollment loss and this is again um in December if the the bordering members I presented not only our enrollment loss currently but our neighboring districts um and in we're in line with about 3% loss and that's across kind of the East Valley so we're taking uh some greater projections in terms of enrollment loss into 26 uh so what this graph represents is the uh

068previous three years so fiscal 22 through 24 those are actual enrollment numbers both preschool through eight on the top and then uh our secondary 9 through 12 on the bottom um currently fy2 that's our current uh ADM numbers we'll have some small fluctuations because that's as of December and then as we um audit and reconcile to 100 day ADM numbers um there'll be some small fluctuations with that FY 25 number but what we're focusing on this presentation is projecting out for 26 and as the board um again previously approved going into 25 we approved um we estimated that we were going to be budgeting to 100 ADM loss as as we've known and as uh we looked at the budget in December we're actually realizing uh far larger um over 300 and enrollment loss and

069so um we need to be a little more aggressive with our projections and just match our FY 26 projected ADM to a number that's more in line with what we're seeing on most recent ly in our most recent revised budget so in FY 26 we're projecting a 300 unweighted ADM loss um and I've kind of graphed what that 26 would look like on um basically off of historical numbers and so on the preschool through 8 we can continue we're continuing to assume um a steady decline in elementary and again a large part of that is our corts are being smaller our Kinder Cort as it's smaller this year and as that moves up through first second and fourth um we're seeing that attrition uh steadily through just smaller cor horts um on our lower grades

070on our secondary schools um we are starting to see those Peak out um in in some fashion and so we're starting to budget for a slight decline at our secondary schools for 26 so looking at some of those assumptions again um projecting out our maintenance and operation budget for FY 26 um on top is our current Revis budget this was uh just presented to the board on December 10th um the 125 million that includes again I I indicated trending ADM loss because again we haven't find we haven't reconciled to 100th ADM yet um but that trending ADM budget loss um is currently at 239 we are transferring um are not only our Middle School lease payment but the one-time supplemental funds for Capital um in this year's budget and we currently have an estimated budget

071balance carry forward in M of 21.5 million now looking at 26 with some of the known that I've just alluded to we're again we're projecting a 300 unweighted ADM decrease uh this is be our first year of our override phase down so as as the board's well aware uh we did not pass our override continuation November we are currently operating year five of5 so this is our last year fully funded uh in year six we now have to phase down by basically 1/3 that monetary value is about $5.1 million we have to cut from our budget in FY 26 and again I alluded to um you know our our unique lease payment um that is $3.55 million and then estimating with those factors taken consideration our estimated budget balance car forward as current projected is

072about $17.5 million so um taking our current budget and doing the difference off our defi 26 projected budget we're looking at a $ 9.2 million U budget decrease that we'll have to address going forward so one of the main uh before I turn over to Sher to share some of our recommendations that we currently know one of our main uh expenditures as a school district is is salaries and benefits and so um you I'm going turn it over to Sher to share um some recommendations for 26 thank you Tyler um president Wade members of the board with this projected budget decrease of approximately 9.2 million due to both the drop in enrollment and the failure the hsd override Continuum um that was not approved in November district and school have me administrators have met several

073times to make thoughtful and intentional decisions while we continue to ensure our kids are getting the best education possible we're in the business of developing people and that includes our educ ators our employees and our students I've had the privilege of working here for 14 years and I care so much about the decisions that are being made that impact our employees and our students so in other words I love this District a funding decrease of this magnitude though has led to some difficult decisions regarding right sizing or reallocations moving into next school year some considerations include not filling current vacancies restructuring departments and positions and as a school district our top priority in this scenario is to achieve these changes through natural attrition and to fill vacancies with current employees that meet the qualifications to

074best support our students the culture of pgly is one thing that makes our district unique and exceptional and this is not something we plan to relinquish during these challenging circumstances so in the next two slides you're going to see position recommendations for the 25 26 school year both at the district and School site levels and remember when you're looking at these slides it's for next school year not right now so this first slide represents the recommended reductions or transfers at the district office level I'm going to say it again we are going to work so hard to achieve this through natural attrition we want to support our employees um and we are going to do the very best we can with your support so when you look at this chart you'll see there's a District

075administration position that's being reduced in addition there's a maintenance and rounds position reduction there's also one being transferred to rental funds which is a positive move in the right direction I think you're aware that we rent our facilities on a regular basis and it's been well maintained and operated and you just approve some changes in those fees next you're going to see a reduction of four positions in special education and one transfer to Ida grant funding be in mind some of these have restructuring plans and the works at Services you're going to see a reduction of six positions with 1.5 being transferred to either foreign exchange funds or to CAD CTE funding anytime we can look at our positions and transfer them to other funding sources away from m&o is a positive move Finance there

076are two positions within that part department that are being reduced Higley Center for the Performing heart Arts you'll see a 1.4 HR in student services 2.5 in transportation 11 positions bear in mind some of these um positions listed on this chart are vacancies that we haven't been able to fill so a total for the district office is 32.4 whoops wrong way you go all right next this slide reflects the school sites there are 18 positions at the elementary level once again looking at natural attrition every year we look at our schools how many kids do we have in our classes do we need to write size appropriately based on en enrollment so what you're seeing on the elementary and secondary teachers is not that um unusual than the past couple of years but it's part

077of this bigger puzzle that everybody needs to understand special ed 2.8 positions custodians eight positions site Administration one Elementary classified 8 Insight information technology to that is a total of 50 positions once again natural attrition some restructuring and also some current vacancies this all adds up to a total of 82.4 FTE districtwide and a total budget reduction of $5.1 million so it's essential that we continue to engage with the community to raise awareness about the importance of funding for education and how further support can help the district move forward by the end of this week district and campus admin Administration will communicate directly with any departments campuses or individuals impacted for the 25 26 school year we also sent a letter to staff this afternoon you should have received it as well while the district

078is facing significant financial challenges with the continued support of the community staff and policy makers we can work together to find Solutions and ensure that our students educational needs remain a top priority the district will continue to communicate keeping all stakeholders informed of any proposed changes and the rationale behind them so it goes without saying I'm a little emotional and I'm trying to keep it together but we appreciate being able to share this information with you and the rest of the community and our staff so now I'm going to turn it back over to Mr Moore do Madam president do we are we going to wait till the end before we make any comments is that the protocol honestly usually we do and that they go through it and they can have it but if

079you have a question that's addressed right now it's totally fine I just wanted to voice my support I know it's not easy um to to share point uh the positions are one part of the equation and so um as we continue to work uh through the budget process we have kind of another set of variables in which we I'm calling or labeling as fixed costs with it being January and we're 6 months out before our next budget cycle um we are still waiting on a few a little bit of information um not because of us but so for example our insurance carriers don't have rates out yet um some of these conversations are still being um had and before presenting budget numbers I want to make sure that uh we're confident with those numbers and

080that they're going to be uh numbers that we can utilize in projections going forward so we're still working through um property Casualty Insurance workers compensation again our reinsurance carriers are don't have our new year rates yet and so um waiting for those before we provide numbers utilities uh we're reconciling our utilities um some pros this is your two of two of town of Gilbert's increases so we should be relatively flat in terms of those rates that we're being charged we also are looking at being um a little more aggressive with how we monitor our utilities and and manage those so over breaks weekends or off times in which we are not using uh sites or rooms are not being used um we're going to be a little more aggressive with how we manage uh those

081temperatures uh whether we turn stuff on or off um with being respectful with uh facilities that are being used or being rented and so um that's one area we're looking at on the flip side SRP did come out with a notice that they're researching their rates um we did get a letter from SRP saying if any rate increases were to take place they would be in November of the following fiscal year so it's kind of like a mid-year hit so we'll be projecting some conservative budget numbers for that in anticipation of a rate increase I don't think they've ever said they're coming up with rate increase and not increased so unfortunately news there um on Department of school budgets uh this is a small portion of our total operational budget uh we do allocate School

082budgets based on ADM um those budgets are used to buy paper and a lot of your daily needs our department budgets uh annually meet with our department dep heads to discuss um our department budgets um we're finalizing some of those conversations um but we have made some reductions across the board uh in regards to all our department spend and so um hoping those decreases will offset some of increases we'll more than likely see on the insurance and utilities um but just we're still early in the budget conversations and so some of these will come back in February Andor March when we have final numbers so what we do know as of now as I've just presented the FY 26 projected proposed budget of 116 million represents a decrease from our current year budget of $9.2

083million what Sher just presented was uh position recommendations going for 26 of a $5.1 million and reduced M um budgeted positions uh which would still leave us right now at a projected budget deficit of $4.1 million one thing I want the board to maybe get comfortable with or um entertain is the idea of us um again it's not sustainable but budgeting next year to a deficit and utilizing some of our carry forward that we've accumulated with Co relief dollars um to sustain some of our programs for a greater period of time while we go through this transition so um again it's not something I would recommend ongoing for a long period of time um but we have a a carry forward that is large um and utilizing that to continue our support for our schools

084um is something I would like the board to either uh entertain or um provide me any feedback if if there something they feel comfortable as CFO with the district um it's difficult for me to put up there or budget or recommend budgeting to a deficit but um I do feel we have the contingencies in place uh to do that for a year or maybe two and continue some of the supports that we have at our schools um uh on you know for an extended period of time so just looking ahead we have our next forward board meetings and looking at February 4th we'll bring a second review of this um I hope to have some more information with some of the 2B determin items um one thing we will start uh with District administration and

085and with our site leaders is looking at a phase two so uh we know going into 26 uh we have to reduce our override by 13 um there's still we currently don't have a resolution or any sort of authority right now to put a continuation on November so um District commission I think it's prudent to go through the process of looking at the next phase of the continuation phase down uh we'll bring forth those recommendations on March 4th I'll bring a third review and like I've stated uh we typically ask the board for tenative approval of this budget so we can HR can issue contracts um one tidbit is contracts are all now all districts are aligned on March 15th no District can issue any earlier so kind of puts us all on the same

086playing field but that is the soonest board meeting in which prior to we can issue contracts so at that same board meeting um we hope to present again not only the phase two U projections but have the board either give District uh consideration whether you would like to consider going uh for an override continuation in this upcoming election uh with the information on phase two and an exercise that District administration will go through you'll have both recommendations of either continuing the phas down or um the option to put the continuation back on the November ballot so uh that timeline we hope just the board gives us some direction on April we'll switch the conversation to the other side of our state budget which is our capital budget uh we'll have our first review of our

087f26 capital budget on the um first review I uh would strongly might consider bringing forth some recommendations considering a possible sale lease or exchange of real property for our uh land that is um would it be west of Target we have 18 Acres of property back there um with the continued failure of bonds um we have and our still need of capital funding uh this is an alternative solution to Garner additional dollars for the district to use to support some of our Capital needs which would be potentially sailing leasing or exchanging our uh vacant property um so we'll uh bring forth that conversation on April and then April 22nd we'll look forward for tentative approval for our capital budget again that's to get ahead of the purchases that we typically make prior to the school

088year starting so I items that take extended time uh to come in for delivery um large H units are still 12 weeks 18 weeks out and so um with our Capital plan we'd like to make those purchases ahead of time and so we have those in July with our short summer window uh you us getting started back on July 17th we have limited time to get into sites and make those Capital Improvements um for the next school year so with that we'll be happy to take any questions all right Madam president may I um first of all um Mr Lon Heiser after I'm having a hard time hearing you clearly Mr Moore and I think it might be the speaker but can we just check your mic not right now we can do it after

089before everyone packs up I I hear you guys fine it was just really hard to hear I don't know if one of these is out or something uh but it was you heard that um but I understood everything you said but it was just hard I was I didn't want to stare at your mouth but it it was a little bit hard to hear um okay so first I just want to say you know when you enter into the educational world this this to everybody that's out there as well you heard some of these folks when they were here talking about who did you bring I brought my family and I brought my school family these when we talk about some of the cuts we're talking about um I know it's not easy I know

090it's not easy for you I know it's not easy for the cabinet I've lived through these before it's terrible these are human beings these are people we work with we live with we you know we sweat with we grieve with we celebrate with um it's a difficult thing so I acknowledge the work you're doing and I you know you you presented you did a good presentation that would have been very difficult for me um and it will be difficult when we ultimately make some of these decisions but I also wanted to say to our people in a in a school budget generally speaking and Mr Moore correct me if I'm wrong I don't want to I don't want to give misinformation but when you talk about a school's budget about 70 to 80% generally goes

091to M and of that 70 of the M of that percentage 70 to 80% is really just people um and it's it's it's salaries and benefits so when you have to make Cuts we can cut things but ultimately when you have to make these Cuts it's it's people it's the people in our community that signed up for a job to make our community a better place and uh so that's what we are talking about um that's not an easy thing and so when you cut staff and you cut some of the supports for staff that makes everyone's job just a little bit harder so um you know one of our responsibilities or things that we worry about as board members or that I worry about I shouldn't speak for others um is teacher retention St

092staff retention not just teacher retention staff retention so um I would just encourage uh Mr Armstrong Mr lsen Heiser all of you to just start thinking about and ask the staff what things can we take away because we were taking away people but what other responsibilities can we take that will make your life a little bit easier because we are asking our teachers to do so much more than they ever have done the school day hasn't gotten any longer salaries are you know have gone up you know modestly since I've been around here um but we just continue to ask more and more and our you know our state keeps adding things and we have to add this and we have to provide that it's a lot and it might be a worthwhile conversation and

093sometimes some of these things don't even cost any money but but it's time and things that we do because we've always done I would just encourage those conversation when you have to make Cuts cutting some of the things that we just don't need to maybe do anymore or as a waste of time and just as an example way back in Gilbert Gilbert days way before the internet I've been teaching a long time so in the 990s uh the the kids that lived in Gilbert didn't didn't travel the world or couldn't see the world via the Internet so we started Gilbert started a program that was called art masterpiece and parents would come in it was a good way for parents to come in and be involved and it was a way for kids to learn

094about artw work from around the world but now we have the internet and so our art teachers can show them all these works of arts and we have plenty of other opportunities for parents to come in but we still continue to do art masterpiece and it takes away it's just a day you know a month a couple times a year that you know teachers have to rearrange their schedule and all this stuff it's just it's a it's a sometimes an added stressor for teachers so these are just things I would just ask you to have these conversations as we make Cuts try to um you know ask people what else we can take away off their workload thank you president Wade Mr Moore um so last night I asked um for a list of positions

095that are budgeted but not filled vacancies um and you provided the 5.1 million that's shown on page eight um and I just so at one point the state legisl had a 4% cap on our on our carryover um and they got rid of that cap but we've functioned anywhere between 6 and 11 million carry forward within our district um and our enrollment was much higher um and I don't know what the what the percentage of the our carry forward is today um I don't know what it equates to based on my calculation I would say about 133% um closer to 20 so carry forward closer to 20 so yeah I mean even when we had a 4% cap we functioned and our enrollment was was much higher and um you know the the amount that

096we're getting um now is much higher and so with our current budget we've got 17 million uh more when you compare our budget to our actuals of what we spent last year we've got 17 there's a $17 million difference uh and with even with that $5.1 million reduction uh that would sorry let me read my notes um so you know we're having to resign employment and and terminations and and all these changes but why can't we just simply eliminate the excess budget capacity and then you know there's not this impact so out of out of the the total positions listed There are 16 positions vacant which equate to based on the numbers you provided today so that equates to 665,000 um I support moving positions uh to different uh funding sources that's great that we

097can do that um and and that allows us to preserve positions without um you know no affecting staff and then obviously with declining enrollment we can justify the cuts um and and I get that um but as far as the funding like we have this very large budget capacity uh so my concern is aside from the declining enrollment is there a possibility to retain some of our teachers by just cutting the budget capacity and utilize that to reduce our class sizes um Not only would that benefit our teachers it gets money into the classroom um but it's also a great way to it's like the best advertisement you can give like small class sizes you know and that's that attracts families um so you know I I appreciate all the work that you guys have

098put into this and there you know and I understand that for instance the um 11 uh bus driver positions those are positions as you mentioned that are open have not been filled so it's not like we're getting rid of you know current bus drivers that's not the case um and and I want the community to understand that there are many positions here that nobody is sitting in they're vacant um so I I would like to see if uh you know by cutting These unutilized funds um allow us to PR to preserve our teachers and in order to avoid unnecessary layoffs and then be able to you know that will allow us to prioritize student outcomes by putting these teachers in in classrooms and reducing our class sizes um and I mean we have we have

099the money in our carry forward and we've functioned before as I said with higher number of students we have less students now and if we can work this around to to preserve our teachers um and you know I mean that would be a great opportunity um and I know you've mentioned before that we don't you know we don't like using our carry forward and we're saving it for a rain rainy day well I mean what is considered a rainy day is this not a rainy day um so I'd love to see it used in that in that way um money to the classroom smaller classroom sizes and we get to preserve our teach features thank you president would member van H can I just comment on that I think so what I've heard is so

100you would recommend keeping the 5.1 million in reductions with the exception of the vacancy save you know positions that are not filled so you know if we assume that nine so maybe it's an $8.5 million deficit that we'll take into the next year that would bring our carry forward down to 13 million that's not sustainable an ongoing basis basically would be kicking the can down the road for a greater layoff in maybe 27 or 28 what I'm saying right here is $9.2 million is is the deficit that so we take all the positions that are being budgeted all the department budgets against our state approved budget balce our state approved budget and we're realizing a $9.2 million deficit for next year we can certainly sustain that and drain our carry forward um but that is

101not a ongoing solution um we would just be kicking this reduction down down the road to next year and so um what we've recommended is is almost a phased reduction by budgeting to a deficit of of 4 million again that's not the final number but is to steadily U make some I would say right sizing right is the kind of word that we're utilizing for enrollment loss while saving basically the deficit is saving all these positions in the override uh while the board considers potentially going out for continuation again so um certainly the board approves the budget and if that's the direction the board wants to go um I would just heavily advise to consider the implications for 27 will be double what you're seeing tonight because you're just kicking the can down the road

102assuming enrollment loss continues at the at the rate it is you know but it is uh it is an option but I I'm just saying we we basically just be kicking the can down the road so go ahead president Wade Mr Moore uh I I understand what you're saying um but I I also want everyone to understand the reason why our our carryover is so large is because because of the covid money um and where would we be if that Co money didn't exist decisions that we would have made to ensure that the budget that we had prior to covid that that was sustainable and we need to go back to functioning in that manner knowing I mean we should have functioned in that manner knowing this money wasn't permanent and so we've budgeted we've

103got a large carry forward we need to be be able to go back and function in a manner that is just the money that we're receiving we know there's no covid money um and we need to be able to utilize this money that we have um and allow us to get that money into the classroom um and you know I if I may I'd like to um read some that I wrote um so the district went out for a bond and override against expert advice and they both failed the bond committee made a huge mistake by putting both on the ballot even though Higher Ground Representatives advised against it um and now here we are when the salary proposals were presented to us last year the only option given to us was a 3% raise

104across the board I try to make the case that it would be better to give teachers 3% raise and limit Administration to a 1% a 3% raise for admin given their higher salaries what is far more than what teachers would have gotten again nobody listened to me and that is why I voted no unfortunately um you know it was misinterpreted that I I didn't support teachers by voting no and that was not the case I asked Mr Moore at the time if salaries would be sustainable and he reassured both myself and board U member Anderson at the time that it was sustainable but in reality it was sustainable with the hopes that the override would pass um and we need to ensure that um you know as far as we've you know there's I think

105you showed the on there the land that was on yeah so um you know we're now making payments on that land we're not paying taxes it's a revenue Source um I also recommended possibly considering you know we do have seven schools that are under 60% capacity um possibly considering you know consolidating a couple of the schools um and you know the it's expected that our enrollment is going to drop even more now next year um and you know after consolidation we can possibly have a revenue Source by leasing out those those schools um to bring in more funding um but again like we need to scrutinize also spending um you know when you look at the vouchers there's there's a lot of wants versus needs uh and you know we prioritize our budgets uh when

106expenses get tight and and the district needs to do the same um you know and our concerns about lack of En you know with enrollment going down uh we also need to consider what is it that we're doing that isn't working and what are other districts doing that is working that is attracting our students um I've spoken on on many issues that uh you the parents that I know that have pulled their children and and why they're leaving I've I've asked to remove certain things from our from our district to in order to preserve students and that request has been ignored um and so you know if we're truly caring about our declining enrollment we really need to look at what's causing it other than um you know birth R because there are other reasons

107um I mean the the best form of marketing is word of mouth and sadly you know when I see even in my own neighborhood Facebook page when parents ask you know what's which high school is better Perry or you know another school in Chandler when they live in our district uh it's it's sad to see um and anytime I see that conversation like I it's heartbreaking that there's not positive stuff being said and and that people are looking seeking alternatives to our district so all these things I think need to be looked at um and if we could spend some of our some of this carryover and go back to functioning like we were prior to co um then you know I rather do that than see us uh laying teachers off um that's all

108thank you uh board member Van Hook I wish to take some time to address some of the things that you are expressing because I think in in large Parts I agree with you in certain ways but I also think you're you're expressing things sometimes that seem counterintuitive so for example having worked in this District previously when we have had to make cuts and when we were operating at a very minimal carry forward functioning does not equal thriving and that is a very important distinction in that not only you throughout your speech other individuals who have spoken before us today alone as well as in the past talk about how we are always competing to get kids what do we do to capture people what do we do the expectation that we would maintain a St

109magnet budget and still be capable of doing that is disingenuous it is impossible for us to both create the best teachers because look I lived in this district and worked in this district and teaching is a small world and you will hear people talk about when I first got hired and I recognize that we have come a long way so I need to emphasis I came back here for a reason everybody told me I was crazy for coming to higgling the salary was low the Str was high and the things that they were experiencing you didn't experience elsewhere and part of that reason is because we were functioning not thriving and it is hard as a staff to put up with you add to that the stress of teaching over the last several years it

110has been studied it is documented we talk about the stress that staff and students are experiencing all the time here and again functioning does not equal thriving teachers will make it work we are some of the craftiest individuals like individuals who have nothing learn how to figure it out right people who don't have money learn how to budget we figure it out staff that doesn't have the resources we figure it out and to Mr Glover's point I'm so very grateful for your recommendation to talk about ways in which we can say hey staff what is something that you just don't need to do because not only do we have these extra things we're asked more of us we talk about the covid funding and why we shouldn't have just stockpiled it and to some extent

111you are right we keep that carry forward to help float when things get tough and that is literally what is happening right now instead of taking that budget cut of the 9 whatever it is that we have to do we are looking at what ways can we look at positions that aren't filled fine we've been operating under them we will continue to function as they are we have normal attri all the time because teachers move they they want promotions or they look at different opportunities and everything else so when it comes to laying off we may not we may not that that still exists as a possibility depending on what things Shake as March comes around and everything else and I hope that we not only have staff that recognize that they are valued and

112desired here and we are working hard to create that and I feel greatly that our Administration has done that and Mr Moore a lot of that is to your credit and ways in which you have looked at things because you not only look at numbers which I think matters but you also recognize that it's tied to people and so every time you have made recommendations that are difficult I am grateful that you at least appreciate the difficulty and the weight behind that we saved that covid money because we knew these things were happening and so I hear you and I think it we are correct we are now at a point in which yes we are moving into that carry forward to Mr Moore's point to just go through and take it all right now

113it is easier to operate with a little bit less each time right it's like the frog in the pot you can sit there and you can feel it a little bit each time but if you pull the rug out from under me I am definitely going going to feel that and so if we can do it in this fashion where we can make it slower and we say okay here are the hurts that we're already experiencing here's how we can offset and let's see what new hurts we have going forward and dear Lord maybe we can appeal to this community to remind them of what it looks like when we just function higgle in the last8 years has made a remarkable turnaround remarkable we are thriving and part of that is because the decisions that

114the admin has made to look at staff and students and figure out what it is that they need and we rout routinely do that here as far as the bond in the override I think it is disingenuous to say that a experts didn't recommend it our district recommended it they would be the experts in this situation and I appreciate the care and the time and the consideration they took to that our community didn't go for a bond like so many communities throughout our state and a large part of that is because our state budget in a way that makes us have to beg and that is hard because everybody is feeling the hardship of inflation and everything else when it came to the override we barely lost but we still lost the idea that we

115shouldn't ask for these things or we shouldn't do these things I agree that it is an absolute frustration we should angle that towards our state legislatures and say this is too much it is painful repetitively and we see it across the board and part of that reason is because the expectation is that we are to function and not Thrive and then what's worse when we function we get left and right told all the ways in which we are failing that is a hard space to exist if you don't provide us the funding and the support that we need and then you get mad when we go out of the way to take the best we want the best staff we want the best students we want the best program those things cost money and if

116we don't continue to grow we will absolutely fall to the side another number I wish to challenge is your % capacity most of our schools are K through 8 when they were originally built almost all of our elementaries I think somebody wasn't but that Bridges because they're new okay they're k through eight what that means is they're designed to have a larger student body than a k through six so when we say 60% capacity this does not mean that we are paying staff for only 60% of the students we give FTE based on the students available so the schools that are at 60% capacity is because we have space and unlike in Mesa that is ancient and had uh Portables and those types of things we don't have that because they were built as a

117K through 8 these numbers matter The Details Matter so yes while they are operating at 60% capacity that is 60% of what the building is capable not 60% of what we are paying for those things matter and so I think it's important as we go through through this next year is going to be rough And as far as staff having been a staff that had to do this and having to sit through an Administration that talked to you in a way that showed you they did not care I appreciate the care and the effort and the concern that has gone through here today because this is not easy and so I appreciate that and I think it's important to keep in mind we are in a position that other districts are not and part of

118that reason is because of the admirable work and the attention to detail with respect to financing that we have done to put us in a position where we may not have to have massive Rifts like some of our other neighboring districts are President Wade um I just want uh the exact words that were going through my mind is that there's a difference between functioning and thriving um I just wanted to say a couple things I know that was very hard for you Mr Richards to get through and um hard for Mr Moore and all of you to work through this and I appreciate the care that you've taken um and what we're able to do I appreciate the fact that we do have the carry forward so we are able to absorb some of this

119and I hopeful that the community we won't have to go so far um down the road before they understand that the that the um override is not a want but a need for us um and that we do have to beg for it as a school district I also just want to clarify the drop enrollment is largely due to the birth rate we are not the only District um we are not the only city it is across the the country in fact I just learned it was across the world that they are experiencing a decline in enrollment um because people are having less babies and you'll notice it in our numbers and the way we start with kindergarten and it works its way up so um I just want to say that I appreciate all

120the you've done um and that um I won't get into that any further but I will just thank you president Wade I just I'm kind of new here obviously but I just want to tell you all that um you're doing a great job um I it is wonderful that you guys are being melodic touching base with the admin and seeing where certain things are honestly the economy is not great honestly I know in a lot of people's personal budgets they're having to kind of reassess and touch base so I just want to commend you guys that you guys are doing a great job and we all have valid points and we do need to touch base on all of these things yes it's helpful to recruit more students and all those kind of things these

121are all contributions and factors that we have to navigate but I am so grateful for every everybody's Insight that we can touch base on all of those different things thank you madam president thank you Mrs charman uh congratulations that was your first time talking publicly good job um I just wanted to add a couple of things um and uh Mr Moore May attack me in the in the parking lot later for saying it but uh you know when school districts budget sometimes we do have unfilled jobs and uh that does end up with a little bit of uh uh money left over at the end but it is certainly not enough to mitigate the the numbers that we are seeing um that work still has to be done you know when you're short a custodian

122the garbage is either going to pile up or someone's going to do it and you're working in an environment where you have people that will continuously pitch in and do it if I had a magic wand the people who do those things I would give them a stien uh or something because it is a little bit left over that you do have at the end of the year it's something that's always irked me and bothered me um because people just do what needs to be done and that's the kind of people that we have in public education in this country um I also want to say that when overrides Sunset just to explain further you have a grace period where onethird of what you were spending is cut and did you have to make some

123serious plans the next year it's 2/3 and then it's gone um so the state allowed for that for us to have to do that Charter Schools don't have to do that um but we have have to go out we have to ask every couple every five five years uh is it five or seven five uh to get that reapproved and it seems like you know it's we're taxing again and again and again but that's just the way the system was designed it's confusing uh deliberately but we can't magical thinking and magical math isn't going to get us out of this okay we can't have it all some of these cuts are going to hurt I wish they wouldn't I I can wish all I want but uh they're going to hurt the other thing I

124just wanted to add is you know I'm a Scot I'm of Scottish ancestry so that means Deep Pockets and short arms I'm Frugal so um and you're allowed to laugh at that that's supposed to be funny um you don't have now I felt like I just made you do that um but one of the things that that that if when you carryovers are important uh excessive carryovers this is things that teachers and and staff kind of fight about all the time but it it affects your bond ratings which means you're paying interest and as a Scotsman I don't like paying interest I want to pay as little as possible um so when you don't have strong carryovers it does affect your bond rating right and you end up paying more in interest and things like

125that which is stuff that we could use to put in to our classrooms to pay teachers more Etc so that's just another little thing to think about as the carryover will disappear I mean it it's it will it will shrink it has to president Anderson um she's not here oh I'm sorry have it sorry president Wade um so I when I say function I don't mean like survive uh again he mentioned that our carryover as is at about 20% um and that's a large carryover that's not surviving that's not functioning um and even at you know if if we were just to cut 5 million from from our current carryover that would leave us $112 million that's still an amazing carry forward um and so you know obviously when salaries are introduced and staff um

126admin present the salaries and you know it's their salaries um who's going to argue against their own salary being increased um we hired Higher Ground as the expert to tell us whether they should both be put on the ballot that is the expert that we paid we spent 200 almost $200,000 to put the bond in override on that ballot with the expenses of Higher Ground and paying per voter for for that to go on the ballot um and so that was the expert that the district used so when I say expert that's who I'm talking about but again we have a we have a good amount in our carry forward and if we're going to be using it for a rainy day this is a rainy day and we could we should be utilizing that

127money um and you know when we when we say deficit like we're in a deficit that that word is kind of misleading because in reality it's it's just a deficit from where we want to be not necessarily where we're at um and so I want to make it clear that um it's not we've we've worked with less money it's it's not the I just don't like the word deficit being utilized in this situation because we've got a good sum in our carry forward thank you sorry just one final point before we move on something else we have to keep in mind with that uh excess and carryover as you describe it we also have aging buildings and our bonds did not pass and so this summer in August williamsfield was without AC and we have

128to think about those types of things we have I don't remember Corda it was Corda that had something is it not look at that look at me remember the water broke um and so I again I also think some of these things again to express to the community we have to ask ourselves what it is that we hope to accomplish because at the end of the day we we legally are required to provide a certain set of things for the the students that come to us that is our legal obligation not only to our community but to any student who desires to come here and it would be uh a dereliction of our duty if we did not think long term and so again I I just am am grateful for the preparation that we

129did knowing this was on the horizon we've known that carry forwards and overrides and things like that are difficult to pass our own District's history is for them to not pass then for us to feel what that feels like for a period of time before then they pass and we try to you know work to to recoup in this effort maybe we will experience it differently this year so I appreciate that any other comments or concerns before we move on to action items so um moving on to action item 8.1 discussion of board meeting start time it tells me I'm supposed to turn to you Miss Schultz vice president Schultz thank you president Wade um I asked for this to be an agenda item we had moved the meeting start time from 5:00 p.m. to

1306: p.m um as a few members of the community had asked for this um since then those members of the community haven't attended the meetings and it hasn't increased our meeting attendance at all um what I have heard is how late our evenings are how late it is for our cabinet to be here and late for other staff and members of the community um given our our ending times sometimes go 9 9:30 10:00 um it was discussed that our uh points of Pride was 45 minutes long um so if you want to attend the meeting maybe you would miss the points of Pride um and we would start at 5:45 unless that's something we're looking at shortening which I I don't believe we are but um uh you would still be able to attend the

131meeting possibly it's something where we would be able to allow for um requests to speak to happen after the points of Pride if it's a matter of people getting here on time but I think it would make things easier on our staff our admin and all of us rather than being here until 10 o'clock at night president Wade I would like to say something while finishing early in the evening may it could potentially be helpful but starting meetings at 5 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. creates a real challenge for families extracurricular activities often run right after school and 5:00 p.m. is a common time for families to have dinner and catch up during a busy day we've already seen how the earlier start time made it harder for people to attend when meetings were held

132but obviously you're stating otherwise tce um but in my opinion it disrupts routines and limits participation which reduces the community's involvement is what I would believe sticking with a 6 p.m. start time I believe strikes a better balance allowing families to stay engaged for a quick minute while managing their other commitments they have thank you thank you mrman I just want to say that I was open to giving it a TR to see if more community members would attend and be involved and and it didn't happen so to me it didn't work and we're we're keeping people here longer and and my kids curricular activities start at 6:30 so I would argue that there are both early activities and later activities and and I also eat at either 4: or 9:30 p.m. depending on their

133activities as well thank you president Wade um moving meetings back to 5:00 p.m would create challenges for many in our community with the current 6 p.m start time we can hold executive sessions at 5 when needed if meetings start at 5: executive sessions would be at 4: um and that's a huge problem for those of us who work um that's one reason why we changed it to 6: p.m. the decision to move to 6 p.m. last year was in direct response to feedback from families teachers and board members many people supported change and it's been working well why undo a thoughtful decision that reflects what our community asks for we've already we're already the only District in the East Valley to start meetings this early most districts begin at 700 p.m. so our 6 p.m.

134start time is already a compromise that balances accessibility with practicality it allows parents to have dinner with their families give teach gives teachers time to wrap up the day and helps board members manage their work families and personal responsibilities before having to be here for the meeting changing it now would upset that balance and make it harder for people to participate keeping meetings at 6 ensures that people can attend stay engaged and feel part of the process changing the time back to five is completely unnecessary and doesn't serve the community even those who can't attend in person prefer the 6 p.m. because it allows them to get off work and be able to watch it from home or on their way home from work if there's a specific concern behind the proposal we should address

135them directly rather than reversing the decision that works for most of our community the 6:00 start time is a practical choice that aligns with our goal to serve everyone let's stick to what works and keep our meetings accessible and welcoming as many people to as many people as possible instead of assuming that nobody's paying attention just because they might not be here um and so for me it's very difficult because I don't get off work until 4:00 4:30 and I mentioned this last time when we voted to move the time um and you know this allows me to be able to get off work and and get ready and be able to have something to eat before attending the board meetings and so I don't I mean I I truly don't understand uh the the

136purpose of moving it because um you might not see people in the audience uh but that doesn't mean they're not paying attention and they're not watching um so I I ask that we remain at 6 it's a new board it's a new year and see what the attendance ends up being and if um you know we don't see attendance or involvement then we could maybe possibly consider changing at that time um but you know even for me it's it's very difficult uh to be able to get off work and and rush over here um so that's all Madam president so I don't I don't have a preference one way or the other um but I will say I am a I am an early riser um so you're approaching my bedtime already right now um

137I think what people are really wanting to have and see are shorter board meetings and I realize I I'm I'm part of the problem I've rambled a little bit tonight I will work on I'm out of practice a little bit and uh so I will work on being succinct and get my big questions answered I don't think I threw a bunch of questions at you guys yet but uh I'd like to I like to do those before the meetings to get it all ironed out and then if there's something that I feel the public needs to know so I will work on better uh being better at that the only thing I would add to this conversation is I wouldn't mind hearing from our constituents uh so if people want to email me uh I'd

138love to hear that I'd love to get feedback from the staff members as well as how they feel about it um so I'm I'm not committed one way or the other whatever is best for the majority of this community is is you know what I will will do President we Mr GL uh I want to clear the reason that I brought this forward was because of feedback from the community and the staff um I honestly don't know that one is better for me yes the board meetings are extra long needlessly most of the time um so that does present a problem but I it was the the feedback from the community and the staff that I that I asked to bring this forward okay thank you I um I wish to add to that because

139prior to see seeing this on the agenda I actually already had some parents and staff honestly talk to me about the the board time frame um I I personally my preference I think is irrelevant with respect to the larger hole because I have flexibility if I need a sitter I need a sitter those kinds of things um one thing I wish to express is that I outwardly you're trading one problem for another so I I I think it's important to understand that there are always going to be some Community who are better served by a 5:00 and some Community who are better served by a 6:00 I don't think there is any solution that could possibly exist that would create you know peace and harmony for all so the idea of that I think does

140matter um I also think of the obligation with respect to staff um just in general I I think for those parents who can come here for points of Pride and do the recognition and even you know public speaking we can see that this current board meeting there were not enough seats for the people who were here and then after all of that is done everybody leaves and so if the argument is that people need to be home with their families well then that's still possible that's still actively happening and in this case if I was a point of Pride recipient we can go out to a restaurant and celebrate and I'm not on a limited time schedule I I think there is always a scenario that we can create that will be you know this

141works for me and my family and this is hardship here or whatever I think to Mr Glover's point there is benefit in maybe sharing with the current board members what some of that is and if you are a Community member who was listening to this obviously you can email us be sure to note that there are two new board members and make sure you have the spelling right and all that jazz um but I think maybe we could look at revisiting this after we get some of that if it's easier for people to make a decision I have no idea the way the vote's going to go at the present I just I think there is something to be said about the fact that there has been no observable change in the last 6 months

142from what we've seen in terms of people who arrive and you are trading one problem for another so they are always going to exist for the staff members that go to work and then hang out at the building which is great I know you always can find work to do uh this is just another hour before you can go home and I I at the end of the day uh will always do what I can to respect teachers and their time and their energy because uh you are constantly exhausted so um I you I would like to motion to table it um essentially and then maybe we can get some of that and decide um if if we don't you know second and move forward with that we can also obviously vote and see where

143we stand currently I'm cool either way president okay okay and a second my motion do you do we have to vote on that right now or can we express certain things do you care either way can I say something Madam president you do need to vote on the motion that's on the floor okay and then miss Schultz can comment before the vote good ah okay so I can motion for the vote and then ask for comments before we vote or we have to vote first I'm just trying to understand uh Madam president uh Higley unified doesn't have rules of order that discuss when the board can comment or state so typical protocol and you're the one that you've been following all evening is that comment is held before the vote um so if you want

144to if somebody else does want to have a comment I would go ahead and take that now but typically comment should conclude then there would be a motion and a vote right after so that's on me I see it I see it all right good talk go ahead I'm actually fine you have nothing no I'm so glad you pointed out my mistake here know you're to say nothing president president Wade um I do want to point something out um Miss uh uh board member um Schultz uh me mentioned that sometimes board meetings are long needlessly um and I just want to point that out that um asking questions and and requesting answers um is not needless um and as I mentioned earlier in my speech I tend to be the only one that that asks

145questions that comes here prepared um and request answers not only to educate myself as a board member but also for our community members so um it's not needless it's very important um so that our community has the answers that they need thank you uh all those in favor of table 8.1 discussion of board meeting start time I I uh all those opposed motion carries 5 to zero to table I hope you're taking adequate notes because I did not write down who's who seconded all that jazz So Good Times thanks it's a lot going on at the present moment all right next on the agenda is uh nine future agenda items does anybody have any future agenda items for governing board to have running record of potential items placed on future agenda all right great good

146talk I motion sorry we move on to 10.1 executive session pursuant to ar ar 38-43 1.03 uh A1 I motion that the governing board adjourn to Executive session pursuant to ARS 34313 A1 for discussion of consideration of employment assignment appointment promotion demotion dismissal salaries disciplining or resignation of a public officer appointee or employee of any public body uh Miss Van Hook seconded all those in favor I I all those opposed motion carries 5 to zero yeah when we move in there all that jazz