001e e e ready we all set you set good okay good evening can I call the meeting to order and have a roll call please Dr Lopez here miss mcris here Mr Holt here Mr Willard here Mr Carlson is absent can I have a motion to adopt the agenda I make a motion that we adopt the agenda as presented second all those in favor I I I can we please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence IED Al to the flag of United States of America and to the rep for it stands one nation God indivisible with liberty and justice for all thank you next item is item D recognitions Dr you guys want to join me some FR ch okay we have some uh we have some exciting recognitions tonight
002uh looking forward to uh to the next few minutes here uh to kick us off I would like to ask Mrs Nikki Tapia to join me up [Applause] front you don't know what you're clapping for yet so tonight we get to recognize Mrs Nikki Tapia one of our outstanding teachers at Coyote Trail Elementary School who was recognized as the 2024 annual science Teachers Association at the 2024 annual science Teachers Association conference back in November as a state level finalist for the presidential awards for excellence and Mathematics and Science teaching the award was established by Congress in 1983 and is among the highest honors bestowed by the United States government to K12 science technology engineering and Mathematics teachers from each of the 50 states each year through the presidential awards for excellence in Mathematics and Science
003teaching the president of the United States recognizes outstanding Educators from across the country who teach stem at either an elementary or secondary grade level uh grade level recipients of the presidential award represent the best of stem education demonstrating deep content knowledge of the subjects they teach and the ability to motivate and enable Student Success awardees reflect the expertise and dedication of the nation's teaching core and they demonstrate the positive impact of excellent teachers on student achievement the National Science Foundation administers the award on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology policy would you please join me tonight in congratulating Nikki [Applause] Tapia certificate there's more hold on hold on we have the plaque the official plaque so very cool certificate wow so now we squeeze congratulations these are the guys by the
004[Music] way okay so tonight we have two additional recognitions we're going to start uh these two with honoring Dr marabel Lopez governing board president for her service in unwe ing dedication to the Morana Unified School District Dr Lopez has been a dedicated member of the musd governing board since her election in 2005 that's 20 years people 20 years of service to this community after completing her first four-year term she was reelected in 2009 2013 2017 and 2021 over the course of her service Dr Lopez has demonstrated leadership by holding the position of board president for six years and vice president for three years Dr Lopez's heart has always been in education in her 30 years in education she has taught Spanish at Catalina Foothills and bilingual and regular education in Sunnyside School District she served
005in administrative roles in the Sahar School District Florence school district and and coolage school district and her commitment to educ and I remember this conversation that we had uh her commitment to education took her back to the classroom where we talked about her wanting to finish her career uh back in the classroom as a third grade teacher in the Sunnyside School District currently Dr Lopez has dedicated the past 20 years in addition to her day job advocating for the students parents and staff of the Morana Unified School District her work with school districts throughout Southern Arizona has given her a broad perspective on education and as an elected member she has participated in the Arizona school boards Association conferences and represented the district at Pima County uh Schoolboard meetings and attended National and state conferences
006these experiences have provided Dr Lopez with opportunities to stay informed on current issues and have prepared her for the difficult decisions that she as a part of a five member board has had to make in regards to the district's budget boundary changes policy changes school closures and of course the impact of the covid-19 pandemic during the challenges she continued to advocate for the community and she worked collaboratively with our other school board members and the District administration the staff and the parents to ensure that our students receive the best possible educational opportunities Dr Lopez has said that her boardsmy students to re Higher Goals I think we would all agree that her boardmy has delivered on those goals the Morana Unified School District will truly miss Dr Lopez's servant leadership her vision and her guidance
007on behalf of the governing board and the district I would like to present to Dr Lopez an engraved clock I'm making sure I drop this that's 25 years it's pretty cool and it's heavy so be careful so please join me in a round of applause and thanking Dr Lopez for her service hold on thank you thank you all right thank you all right also this evening we would like to take a moment to honor Mr David Willard governing board member for his service and commitment to the Morana Unified School District Mr Willard was appointed by Puma County school superintendent Dustin Williams to the Mirana Unified School District governing board Mr Willard was sworn into office and September of 2023 to fill the vacancy that was left by the unfortunate passing of Mr Dan Post when
008appointed to the governing board Mr Willard stated I am looking forward to serving families of the Mirana School District education is a vital part or is a v is a vital part of future success and I will do all I can to help teachers and AD and the administration inspired the students of Mirana to embrace learning at every level as a member of our local community I know our town is better when we all bring a spirit of cooperation and participation to the table and especially to the classroom let us all step forward together and continue the success of Education in Morana Mr Willard delivered on that statement during his time on the board in the 16 months since his appointment Mr Willard has remained steadfast in his commitment to serving our families our students
009and our staff Mr Willard has proven to be an exemplary member of the board his leadership his active participation his fiscal expertise have made an immediate and significant impact and although his time on the board was brief his strong advocacy for the musd community will leave a lasting impression and his guidance will be missed on behalf of the governing board in District I would like to present you with this smaller engraved clock [Applause] it is it's very congratul all right where do you need us Mark congratulations Mr Dr Lopez you guys are done you cannot go home okay I do have board comments so let me get my [Music] okay next item is item e board Communications president Lopez superintendent streer my fellow board members uh good evening everyone I want to start by sharing
010a few highlights of some recent activities that I've attended I had the pleasure of attending a School site visit with Dr Lopez at the Dub Mountain C stem K8 school where I saw firsthand the Innovative learning happening there I also participated in two strategic goal committee meetings which continue to provide valuable insights into our District's directions additionally I attended the Morana choir holiday concert with fellow board member Mr hold where uh the students showcased incredible talent and spirit it was a truly a joy to watch tonight I want to take a moment to recognize Dr marabel Lopez for her many years of dedicated service to our district and her invaluable mentorship ship Dr Lopez your contributions have left a lasting impact and I wish you all the best in your well-deserved retirement I also want
011to thank David Willard for his service and commitment to our schools Dave your dedication is deeply appreciated and I encourage you to consider running in two years as we approach the holiday season I want to wish everyone student staff families in our community a joyful and restful holiday thank you for all you do to make this District a great place for Learning and growth I just want to Echo the sentiment of Miss M cronis we had a wonderful time at the Maranda Middle School choir event it was fantastic uh I can admit honestly I am very musically toned deaf and it was a very pleasurable to listen to so great job to all the students and the director Chelsea AE uh we got to attend a strategic planning committee about the future of Marana district
012and I encourage every member of the community to join us as well at those events that are posted uh I wanted to Echo a little bit more of the sentiment of Dr Lopez uh dedication to the district and it's much appreciated as you embark on a new adventure uh David Willard same to you as well and I am sad that it has only been 16 months but I'm excited to see what you do in the future thank you I also um just want to thank Dr Lopez you been a great mentor and a friend and it's been a great experience H 10 used to be my favorite number um but I'm not so sure it's my favorite number anymore it's really been a great privilege and an honor to serve on the board I I
013it's been far more rewarding than I thought it was going to be and I really really enjoy getting to know the administration seeing the great work of our teachers seeing the Excellence of our students and our Athletics I mean I can just go on and on about what an amazing District we have and I'm just very very grateful that I've had this time to serve I'm certainly mulling over um I've had a lot of support and a lot of encouragement someone actually asked me to be like the Terminator and said I'll be back but I don't know if I'll do ask me in January it's been a little bit of a a strange season but uh great holiday season to everybody and um I'm not I'm GNA stay involved and I I realized um this
014is my last meeting that I can show up at every meeting for three minutes and say whatever I want so you might expect that thank you everybody very much I can't top that off um just once again thank you to everybody these 20 years have been absolutely amazing um you know being in education itself it's really helped me grow so I wish all of you the best of luck I look forward to visiting the new school and um new schools with an s um gosh thank you for my family for being here there's Levi he's Mr Dove Mountain so um yeah he's like my fake grandkid but um thanks you guys for coming and um you know I had the speech written out and I was thanking all the people that started 20 years ago
015with me and I can remember Betty tankersley um probably these names that you guys probably haven't heard because it's been a while but um it was a group of teachers that came up to me and said you got to do this and it was the best thing I did so thank you everybody and Kathy I wish you the best and I'm sure we'll see you so thank you I'd like to just add one more thing if I can um I also want to say Kathy and to Roy Alexander um you're going to do great just charge in and and be who you've been made to be and um Mr Holt miss m cronis you've been a great mentor as well I kind of get a little nervous because I didn't write it down but I
016just want to thank everybody and even Mr Carlson as well offered great support to me while I was here and Dr Sher thank you and your staff um all right next item is f remarks from the public R York yeah well I'm just here to join this big love test so so brace your yourselves uh good evening president Lopez members of the board senior staff and community members on behalf of the Morana Education Association I would like to take a moment to recognize and thank two incredible individuals who have dedicated themselves to serving our students staff and Community with unwavering commitment first to Dr Marbel Lopez your many years of service to this board and district is a testament to your enduring passion for education and your belief in the potential of every student your
017leadership has guided the district through times of change and growth always with a steadfast focus on what is best for our schools your legacy will continue to inspire Educators and families for years to come mea appreciates the positive relationship we forged through the years to best serve students and to elevate the profession of Educators enjoy your journey and enjoy your grandbaby thank you next to Mr Willard while your time on the board was born out of a difficult moment stepping into this role after the loss of Dan Post your contributions have been meaningful and impactful your dedication during this transitional period was been has was deeply appreciated and your presence has strengthened this community we look forward to continued collaboration with you as you've always worked to improve the lives of our community and I
018know that you'll continue to serve in many different Capac capacities um to both of you thank you thank you for your tireless service your advocacy and your commitment to the success of the Morana Unified School District you've left an indelible mark on this board and on the lives of the countless students and Educators we wish you all the best as you embark on the next chapers of your lives please know that your efforts will not be forgotten and I wish all of our community a happy holiday and restful break thank you r [Applause] next item is item G Dr streer Dr Lopez govering board members members of our audience uh I just want to start off I I hope that everybody had a a restful Thanksgiving holiday I know that this is that time of
019year that always lends itself to the opportunity for reflection and giving thanks and I want to take this opportunity to thank our staff thank our parents thank our students and thank our community uh really just thank you for your continued support collaboration and dedication to musd and Morana as a whole I also want to take this opportunity to thank Mr Willard and Dr Lopez for their service but more importantly uh just for the collaboration for our relationship uh your your impact on AMD and myself has has been immense and I am forever grateful uh for this time together as we get ready to head into the holiday break I also want to wish everybody happy holidays and I hope that you are able to enjoy some rest reflection and Rejuvenation in the coming weeks with
020that said I do want to piggyback off a couple of things that uh Miss marronis shared uh back on November 19th Dr Lopez Miss marronis and myself had the opportunity to spend the day at Dove Mountain for our superintendent board campus visit we had a great day filled with great conver great conversations uh great classroom visits uh and during our classroom visits we saw a variety activities taking place uh reading instruction collaborative math groups uh a really well put together Socratic seminar I think was was definitely one of the highlights uh for me uh I would say that uh another highlight is just the opportunity of meeting with employee groups and students throughout the day and the common theme that we heard during those meetings had to do with the incredibly strong team and support
021that's in place at Dove Mountain the students were equally excited uh about the opportunities that exist at Dove Mountain for them as well as the relationship that relationships that they felt that they had with their teachers so the team at do mountain should be incredibly proud certainly a dynamic Community oriented culture in place and I know that we all look forward to the great things that continue to come their way uh Mr Hol me mentioned uh strategic goal committee uh since our last governing board meeting we have held two uh strategic uh goal planning meetings and I want to thank the students the staff parents and community members who have been working with us to identify strategic goals as we look to the future of musd um our work to this point has really been
022centered around solidifying a portrait of a graduate and I'm looking forward to reconvening after the holidays as we will continue to move forward towards specific goals for the future in musd and I would like to conclude tonight uh just to share that on behalf of the governing board and the district that we are deeply saddened by the passing of our Town's mayor Mr Ed Hony we all know mayor Hony as a steadfast champion of the town of Morana but also as a true advocate for the Morana Unified School District his unwavering support and dedication to our community was evident in his presence at countless events and for musd this included his presence at the 2340 Foundation Gatherings at our musd community events and of course him welcoming new teachers not just to our district but
023to this community his visible leadership and commitment to fostering this vibrant and supportive Community have left an indelible mark his loss will be profoundly felt but his legacy of service and passion for Mirana will continue to inspire all of us to continue our work our condolences certainly go out to his family and friends and all who were touched by his leadership in his kindness and this concludes my report tonight thank you all right next item is item H consent agenda can I have a motion I move that the governing board approve the consent agenda as presented second any questions all in favor I I item I there is no unfinished business so we'll move on to item J this one's my favorite one Mr singer discussion approval of May mascot and colors of the new
024K8 School in gladen farms all right good evening uh president Lopez members of the board and the musd community congratulations Dr Lopez Mr Willard thank you for your service we've had a long relationship you and I you and I with Thor closure so glad we can start on end on a fun opening uh School component the purpose of this item is to provide the governing board with the recommendation the name for the name and colors of the new K8 School in the gladen Farms area after the governing board approved the attendance boundaries for the new school on October 10th 2024 an email group of families residing in the Northwest area of Morana specifically from the gladen Farms Elementary School Estus Elementary School and Miranda Middle School communities along with District staff was created an input
025form was sent to those stakeholders to collect feedback on ideas of the new school's name colors and mascot we we received over 685 responses with over 50 suggested school names color combinations and mascots we reviewed the stakeholder input at the November 21st uh board study session and the uh choices that came to the top uh for school name were Tangerine Farms K8 Desert Ridge K8 and Clark Farm K the top three school color combinations were blue and orange purple and silver and navy blue and Vegas gold based on the results of the stakeholder feedback our recommendation is the name of the new K8 School Tangerine Farms K8 and designate blue and orange as the school colors y look at my tie I move that the governing board approve Tangerine Farms K8 school as the name
026of the new school and designate the school colors as blue and orange second any questions I do Mr singer is this is this your recommendation as you will be the principal of the school it is my recommendation and what is your recommendation for mascot oh so um we had some options what felt a little bit awkward was picking a mascot when we didn't have a name and colors to go with it so at now um after tonight if you were to approve the vote we would send another survey with the name of it and the colors to the community and get their input do you do you have a personal favorite so far I have some that I do not particularly care for feels like a personal attack I try to get him on the
027record saying it but I couldn't I couldn't do it smart all right all those favor thank you thank you say sting r no that's a terrible name item J2 Mr B discussion approval of additional title and Staffing positions thank you good evening president Lopez vice president mik cronis members of the board Dr streer senior staff members of the audience I'm here to request additional Staffing uh for our Title One schools each year meoc and other public school districts are awarded carry forward funds via the Essa Consolidated entitlement Grant carry forward funds are dollars that are unspent during the previous school year and then redistributed by ad for the next school year this year we are requesting positions at each of our Title One schools these are year-end positions made possible Again by the previously mentioned
028carry forward funds I worked with each Title One principal on selecting positions that will provide just in time uh additional just in time academic and behavioral support uh for their respective School communities in the memo I have included a detailed list of the staffings uh the Staffing at each school that each school is requesting as well as the cost uh both salary and benefits per position uh that is being requested what questions can I answer for you well make I move that the governing board approve the addition of the following one FTE position one reading specialist at Butterfield Elementary School two title one par professional at De graia Elementary School one Title One PA professional at Estus Elementary School two Title One PA professionals at Picture Rocks Elementary School one intervention specialist at quell Run
029Elementary School and one reading specialist at Roadrunner Elementary School effective immediately second any questions yeah I do can you just explain for everybody what PA professional is specifically yes great question thank you so a PA is a support staff member um who is essentially like a classroom Aid uh at Title One schools we call them uh title one pair professionals uh there is uh an extra certification process that exists at Title One schools because we do receive federal funding um so they do have to be par Pro certified any additional questions all those faor thank you j3 Mr gagoski good evening Dr Lopez members of the board Dr streer senior staff and members of the audience uh I'm coming tonight to request uh additional uh permanent van special needs van driver uh we started the
030year with seven permanent van drivers those routes have expanded to 11 those additional four routes that we um needed to cover this year are currently being driven by properly trained bus attendants and we are looking to move one of those bus attendants into an eighth permanent position and that'll allow us to hire another bus attendant for that position I move that the governing board approve the addition of one special needs ban driver for the remainder of the 2425 school year effective December 13 second any questions I have just one question so this is obviously part of the need of just the complete growth of our special needs group and I mean are we going to need another in a month or two I think who knows right right we don't know so yeah because a
031couple of those routes are actually for students even on mckenny vento and so the we don't necessarily know when they're coming in need that service um but we do have backup bus attendants that are able to still provide service on our routes so those folks can still um drive so this this situation gives us the flexibility to staff our bus attendance but also provide B service we don't know but we're in pretty good shape right now what can you just van van specifically can you just is it van or is it a special is it can you just give a little more it's a van yeah so it's one of the seven New U mini vans it's a good question because we have seen a transformation in the van services that we are but these
032are the new Passenger not the van that we don't drive those anymore okay perfect all right all those in favor I I thank you thank you right Mr Bart thank you Dr Lopez members of the board superintendent streer and guests uh as we have in years past in Mar Unified School District when we are allocated prop 123 funding we do some accounting magic figure out how much that would be for all staff to receive um the allocation this year is $852,500 um the recommendation would be to spread that over two payments as we have in years past for $190 54 now one payment would be this month and another one would be this spring and it's based on the FTE so if you're a 1.0 you'll get the whole kitten Kaboodle if you have less
033than a 1.0 it'd be pro rated appropriately I move that the governing board determine that determine that sufficient funds from proposition 123 revenues are available to pay all employees $381 and 8 cents based on FTE and fiscal year 2024 2025 I further move that this amount be paid by way of two one-time stiping paid in December 2024 and may 2025 respectively second any questions all those in favor I I I thank you okay the next item is item J5 to conduct an executive session have a motion I move that the governing board conduct an executive session pursuant to ARS 38-43 1.03 A1 Personnel relating to the superintendent evaluation do have a second second all those in favor I all right thank you everyone for coming so e