001Good evening everyone. It is Wednesday, November 12th at 6:30. I call this meeting to order. Lisa, can you please call the role? >> Robert Downey, >> present. >> Patty Coutrey, >> present. >> Carolyn Lopez. >> Ben Owens, >> present. >> Shante Rothschild. >> Thank you. We now move on to item 1 C, pledge of allegiance. And I've asked Mr. Fdugo to lead us in the pledge. >> To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. We now go to item 1D, adoption of the agenda. >> I motion that we accept the agenda as written. >> I'll second. Lisa, we have a motion to second. >> Ben Owens. >> I. >> Patty Catra. >>
002I. >> Robert Downey. >> I so moved. We now move on to item two, superintendence report. Dr. Lopeman. Thank you, President Downey. MUSD celebrated construction prog progress at K8 number one with a cornerstone ceremony that brought together city leaders, our governing board, planning principal Elizabeth Allison and partners from Chase Building team. With energetic performances from the Desert Sunrise High School band and color guard, the event captured the excitement surrounding our newest K8 school. The site is buzzing with activity. More than half of the concrete slabs have been poured. Two main wall sections are topped out and the remaining footers are moving steadily toward completion. We're right where we want to be, on schedule and within budget. The child nutrition team hosted the first of many in-person nutrition education classes last week at Santa Rosa Elementary.
003Led by nutrition manager Vonzel Cash and catering manager Fabiola Delore, students participated in a halfhour course focused on balanced nutrition, healthy habits, and exercise. The lesson ended on a fun note when Buckus Broccolini made a cameo and instantly stole the show. He proved once again that eating well comes with the side of smiles. It was an exciting week for MUSD athletics and activities. Maricopa High School boys swim placed 12th out of 32 teams at the state meet, breaking multiple school records, while Desert Sunrise High School swim athletes delivered outstanding performances and personal bests. On the field, both Maricopa High School and Desert Sunrise High School football teams advanced to the playoffs, making a strong finish to their seasons. Maricopa High School cheer earned top honors, capturing the world class championship title and Arizona crown first
004place, while the MHS volleyball team claimed the regional championships regional championship and also advanced to the playoffs. In the arts, the Desert Sunrise Marching Band and Color Guard proudly represented their school at the Amba 2A Championships, rounding out a week of outstanding achievements across MUSD. Congratulations goes to Stephanie Reinhardt, principal at Santa Cruz Elementary School, for being named the GCU November Principal of the Month since joining MUSD in TW. I know it's a showstopper. Since joining MUSD in 2017, Principal Reinhardt has led with vision and heart, guiding Santa Cruz to an A-rating and launching the fine arts signature bro program and the first Boys and Girls Club chapter in Maricopa. Her dedication to fostering academic excellence, creativity, and community shines through in all she does. We're proud to celebrate her outstanding leadership and commitment to
005students and staff. Way to go, Stephanie Reinhardt. School resource officer Brian Brown recently made his final call, closing a 20-year career devoted to serving and protecting the Maricopa community. For the past several years, he's been a steady positive force at Desert Wind Middle School. His leadership, kindness, and easy rapport with students and staff made him so much more than an SRO. He became a mentor, a guide, and a familiar face students could count on every day. We're deeply grateful for his service and for the care he poured into Desert, the Desert Wind community. His impact will be felt for years to come. MUSD honored 30 staff members and their families along with 15 community members at this year's Veterans Day breakfast. Our students made the morning especially meaningful. DVC opened with a beautiful national anthem.
006Air Force ROC cadets led a thoughtful missing man ceremony. Culinary students prepared and served breakfast. And the Desert Wind Middle School dance team brought great energy to the armed forces medally. We're so grateful. We were also grateful to hear from MHS security guard Mr. William Cochran who shared his experiences. It was a powerful reminder of the significance of this day and the way our students and staff show up to honor those who have served. I'm especially grateful for the colleagues who step in to cover classrooms so our staff who are veterans can be present at this morning event. That commitment to one another is what makes MUSD special. Good attendance is essential for success. Tonight we're celebrating three schools whose extra efforts have paid off might be four schools as I look down at this
007list. I hope we brought enough money. Um each [laughter] whose e extra efforts have paid off. Each school will receive a certificate and $250 that we hope will support the strategies that work best to promote good attendance. Principles, when I call your school, please come up to to the dis to receive your certificate from from President Downey. Congratulations goes to for best first quarter attendance Pimabute Elementary School. [applause] Come on up. Right up here. Runner up for best first quarter attendance, Santa Rosa Elementary School. [applause] Yay. Most improved student attendance, Maricopa Elementary. [applause] >> Congratulations. >> Yes. [gasps] >> And the runner up for most improved student attendance, Maricopa Wells Middle School. [applause] Yeah, I might [applause] have a heart attack. [laughter] >> Yeah, we don't need an injury. >> Thank you. The Arizona Department
008of Education has released the 2025 A tof school letter grades and Maricopa Maricopa Unified School District continues its upward trajectory. MUSD maintained a B rating reflecting growth and a shared commitment to academic excellence across all school across all schools. Each letter grade represents a combination of grade level proficiency, student growth, and additional points such as attendance, acceleration, and readiness indicators. Growth carries significant weight, comparing a students current test score to peers with similar prior year scores, while proficiency reflects mastery of grade level academic standards. Together, these measures provide a meaningful picture of both achievement and progress. This year's results show that MUSD schools are moving forward. Maricopa Elementary has improved to a B letter grade and Desert Sunrise High School earned a B for its first official rating. Desert Wind Middle School advanced to a
009C, showing measurable student growth. Other campuses including Santa Rosa Elementary, Maricopa Wells, Maricopa High School, and Maricopa Virtual maintained their letter grades while continuing to show improvements in certain areas. While some schools experienced a decline, these outcomes help us identify areas of focus and strengthen our support for teachers and classrooms. Our shared commitment to excellence and growth guides every step we take. And tonight we celebrate one of our brightest highlights, Pimabute Elementary School, which has regained its A letter grade. [applause] This achievement reflects the dedication, teamwork, and high expectations that define the Pimabute community. At this time, we invite principal Vieiraa and and former principal Allison and all the Pumute staff who are present to come forward to pose with your banner that you've worked so hard to receive. We would love a photo of
010those of you who made it out tonight. Just join us right up here on the on the stage. Please come on up. Let's have another round of applause for Puma. [applause] I'll come up. I was going to come up. >> [applause] >> And Mr. Downey, that concludes my report. >> Thank you, Dr. Lupman. We now move on to item three, governing board members report. Member Owens. All right. Thank you, President Downey. Um, all of my uh report revolves around sports. Um, and primarily because I've got an involved kid, right? So, um, going back to, uh, o October, uh, with the support from the district, um, and Desert Sunrise, uh, admin, uh, MHS admin and, um, uh, Mr. Male, uh, we, uh, as a district pulled off the first Sonor Sonor and Desert Swim invite down
011in Copper Sky. Um it was a great success and we've had uh uh a lot of the the word is on the street. Um so we've had a lot of teams reach out and say hey next year we want to make sure that we're invited to this thing. So um we're hoping next year to have a waiting list. So that's a that's a good deal. So, uh I also attended this past weekend uh D3 uh swim state with uh where Desert Sunrise was at and then uh 2A marching band state at Campo Verde uh where Desert Sunrise was at all in the same day. So, um in addition to that, multiple swim meets and that kind of thing. So celebrating um uh senior nights wi with our kids and some football games along the way
012and all that stuff. So >> [clears throat] >> uh it's been a been a busy fall. Congratulations to all our athletes that uh that made it to a through a season. Uh it's a lot of time. It's a lot of dedication. Uh congratulations parents and thank you as well. That's all. >> Thank you member Owens. Vice President Catra. Thank you, President Downey. I can certainly relate to what you're going through because I remember those years. Uh I was able to attend the cornerstone event and it was kind of fun, but I'm sure that they um removed my block and put it up correctly after I left, you know, just to make sure that I didn't feel bad. Um, but it was an interesting uh it was really kind of cool to have to do, you
013know, and actually building being part of this whole concept that we're that we're, you know, embarking on. This is something new we've never done. So, I thought was very cool and very honored to be a part of it. Um, and then I was able to attend the veterans breakfast. Um, and I can't say anything more than what Dr. Lopeman already shared with that. And that's all I have. Thank you, Vice President Curte. I attended the veterans breakfast and nothing else to add. So, we'll now on move on to item four, recognition, specifically 4A, spotlight recognition. Miss Terry All right. Well, good evening and thank you all for being here tonight. The Maricopa Unified School District is excited to honor Spotlight recipients across three categories: MUSD employees, students, and student athletes. Before I begin, I'd like
014to thank our sponsors at Freddy's Steak Bers and Frozen Custard, BaskinRobins, and Optin Circle Entertainment for making tonight special for our honores. Our first honores are our spotlight employees of the month, dedicated staff who go above and beyond to meet the needs of our students and school communities. Congratulations, Spotlight employees. As I call your name, please come forward to receive your certificate and give a quick fist bump to the governing board and Dr. Lopeman and then head to room 123 for a group photo. Mr. Harmon, give us a wave so they know where room 123 is. All right. Congratulations to John Ballis, school psychologist, Butterfield Elementary School. Nikki Coleman, ESS paraprofessional, Maricopa Elementary School. April Hardy, long-term substitute, Pimab Elementary School. Courtney Dillard, ELELLL teacher from Saddleback Elementary School. And Bella Washington, third grade teacher,
015Santa Cruz Elementary School. [applause] Jessica Campbell, reading interventionist, Santa Cruz Elementary School, and Olga Miller, behavior tech from Desert Wind Middle School. [applause] Courtney Turpin, ELA ESS teacher, Maricopa Wells Middle School. Paul Weir, history teacher, Desert Sunrise High School. >> Katherine Leon, administrative assistant, Maricopa High School. What is happening? Hold on. We're having technical difficulties here. >> There's Katie and Angelique Yuria Rodriguez, attendance clerk, Maricopa Virtual Academy. Mario Duncan, security officer, Ram Academy, and Megan Webb, child nutrition worker from child nutrition. [applause] Congratulations again to these outstanding employees. Next, we are thrilled to honor Spotlight Students of the Month. Each month, school principles select these remarkable students for their outstanding commitment to their education, their school, and their community. These spotlight students exemplify the portrait of a graduate by being communicators, innovators, resilient achievers, critical
016thinkers, and principled leaders. They set the bar high and shine as role models for their peers, their schools, and our entire district. Congratulations, Spotlight students. As I call your name, please come forward to receive your certificate and give a quick fist bump to the governing board and Dr. Lopeman. And then head to room 123 for a group photo. And Miss Mr. Harmon is standing by. Congratulations to Lvia Tohi, third grader from Butterfield Elementary School. Lavvenia shows strong communication through her collaboration and thoughtful contributions. Benjamin Truckner, fourth grader from Maricopa Elementary School. Benjamin demonstrates resilience and creativity as a compassionate leader. Mercy Lindsay, third grade student from Pimabute Elementary. [applause] Mercy leads with integrity and makes positive choices every day. Ebenezer Leslui, second grade student from Saddleback Elementary School. Ebenezer leads with kindness and takes responsibility
017in all she does. Evelyn Hawkins Maxwell, kindergartener from Santa Cruz Elementary. [applause] Evelyn approaches challenges with perseverance and thoughtful problem solving. Connley Arn, first grade student from Santa Rosa Elementary School. Connley leads by example with his kindness and positive attitude. Jaye Dodel, seventh grader from Desert Wind Middle School. Jaye shows teamwork and responsibility with a positive spirit. Taylor Schroeder, eighth grader from Maricopa Wells Middle School. [applause] Taylor stands out for her leadership and dedication to excellence. Samuel Munoz, senior from Desert Sunrise High School. [applause] Samuel leads with resilience and integrity in all he does. Sir Kendrick Ross, senior from Maricopa High School. Sir Kendrick inspires others through his service and strong character. Andrew Platt, eighth grader from Maricopa Virtual Academy. Andrew shows perseverance and strong commitment to his learning. and Katie Vargas, senior from Ram
018Academy. Katie inspires those around her with curiosity and determination. Congratulations again to these outstanding spotlight students. [applause] Tonight, we're also honoring our outstanding student athletes. As I call your name, please come forward to receive a certificate and give a quick fist bump to the governing board and Dr. Lman and then head to room 123 for a group photo. Congratulations to Josh Arvio, sixth grader, the cross country runner from Desert Wind Middle School. Mia Gomez, eighth grade cross country runner from Desert Wind Middle School. Edward Schweitzer, eighth grade cross country runner, Maricopa Wells Middle School. [applause] Michaela Mercia, seventh grade wrestler from Maricopa Wells Middle School. [applause] Caitlyn Kinsler, senior volleyball player from Desert Sunrise High School. [applause] Jenna Dwang, freshman flag football player, Desert Sunrise High School. [applause] Michael Sanchez, senior wrestler, peer instructor from
019Maricopa High School. And Ailani Washington, senior volleyball team captain from Maricopa High School. Congratulations again to our student athletes. [applause] And in partnership with the Maricopa Rotary Club, we'd like to honor a deserving group of students. Rotary honors young people who are developing leadership skills and making a difference in their communities. Rotary students, as I call your name, please come forward and Mr. Wells and Miss Coutree will present you with a special certificate. And in addition, you'll receive a $50 gift card on behalf of the Rotary. A special thank you goes to John and Mary Lou Smith Education Foundation for their sponsorship that helps make tonight special for our honores. Congratulations to Alani Wendham, sixth grader from Desert Wind Middle School. Adeline Gorewood, eighth grader, Maricopa Wells Middle School. [applause] Gianna Gilbert, senior from Desert
020Sunrise High School. Valyriia Coronado Rivas, senior from Maricopa High School. [applause] Regina Haro, senior from Maricopa Virtual Academy. and Katie Vargas, senior from Ram Academy. [applause and cheering] >> Congratulations again to our Rotary students [applause] and to all of our honores tonight. Parents will take a five minute break to allow everyone who was here for recognition to make their exit and then we will begin the business portion of our meeting which you're all welcome to stay for. I'm so proud of you. Yes, I get to go to this town hopefully. Huh? >> Yeah. >> Are you There was motorcycle accident going northbound this afternoon on 347. So they were telling I may not want I love that color. Just check it. celebrations. >> That's nice. >> All right. I like that they actually you actually
021announce okay you can go >> most boards don't do that and people are that don't know are kind of nervous about leaving and they shouldn't you know I mean >> no you shouldn't be during >> Right. Right. So no this was real nice to say okay we're going to take this break and you can all go do something else. [laughter] Yeah, pretty much. >> Jillian. >> Yeah, she's been a she's been a good a good addition. >> Yeah. I heard [clears throat] she brought up the tool live in order to dispel someone's idea. Right. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Well, thank you very much. That's good to hear. We've we've been impressed by her, too. And, you know, we go through some young people. It's [laughter] >> everybody. >> No. or at least not do particular
022kinds of work or >> Yeah. Specifically 5A classroom spotlight desert sunrise school Mr. Ferdo [applause] all right good evening President Downey Dr. Lowman, members of the board. Uh, tonight I'll be sharing on how our CTE teachers are strengthening instruction by using student data to drive decisions and by working collaboratively within their PLTS. Here with me is Miss Jen Selena, our CT hospitality management teacher. Um, she will also be assisting me in this presentation. Um, this work aligns with our school core values which align with our district strategic plan. You're probably wondering right now why um why uh the title full uh full equation where math and language arts power career education um CTE courses are not only important for um experience hands-on experience for our students um to prepare them for college career um they
023are essential for our uh school's letter grade um and so This past year we earned 19.2 out of 20 points um for our uh CCR points which whenever a student completes the actual program we get recognized with that with points. Um and so for our first year ever um our official letter grade as Dr. Lman stated earlier on uh we uh earned a B. So, I want to give a shout out to Desert Sunrise teachers staff, um, community members, our support, governing board, Dr. Lopeman, cabinet, um, for helping us achieve that because without everybody, then we wouldn't be there. And so, again, going to get a hand round of applause, everybody. [cheering] Yep. Let's do it. All right. I We have the clicker. All right, there we go. Um, our classroom spotlight aligns with goals
024one through three. Every student graduates uh access and equity and organizational culture and MUD strategic plan. Our goal is for all students to be at or above grade level and meet all Arizona progress meters. Click. There we go. Our portrait of a graduate. Our CT classroom students are developing key attributes from portrait of a graduate. They're gaining skills to succeed from high school to all career paths. I'd like to especially highlight communicator and critical thinker as the main focus, but innovator and resilient achiever are attributes that are regularly used in our CTE classroom. All right. Why is CTE, ELA, and math? Integration Arizona ELA and math state standards into career and technical CTE is essential because it directly addresses the need for college and career readiness. Modern employers demand graduates who possess both technical skills
025and strong fundamental abilities in complex communication and mathematical reasoning. Um, embedding these academic standards makes learning relevant by demanding demonstrating to students exactly how their literacy and numeracy skills are critical for reading technical manuals, calculating materials, solving problems on job sites, and commuting prof communicating professionally. The fusion of academic rigor with hands-on application ensures students are equipped not just for high school diploma but for the four E education entrep entrepreneurial employment and enlistment schoolwide systems um to achieve comprehensive student success in high school. A foundation of organizational structure and pedagogical practices must be in place. Grade level teams and co-eing ensures instructional consistency, collaborative problem solving among staff and tailored support for each student within inclusive classrooms. Each framework strengthened by common formative assessment with data which provide timely actionable feedback to teachers allowing them
026to adjust instruction instantly and close learning gaps. Finally, securing innovative CTE grants and prioritizing real world activity opportunities provides the necessary resources and context to connect abstract learning to authentic career demands, boosting students engagement and equipping them for the critical practice skills demanded by college and industry. Now our current CFA data from Miss Alena and she is going to elaborate on this slide here. For this school year as a site we have been given CFAs which is common formative assessments every Friday. The table you can see here shows my CFA data starting from August 1st to the last to this last Friday. The red bar shows the first time all students took the CFA. Uh for the video you're going to see here in a little bit. We're looking at 1017. 91% of my students
027got 100% on their CFA. The blue line shows the students who did not get 100% originally, but after retach our 911 jumped to 95. The CFAs given are based off content with a focus on math and ELA standards where I work in conjunction with math and ELA PLTS. data driven instruction. These five instructional strategies are exceptionally valuable in high school career and technological education classes because they are they are the means by which data-driven instruction ensures workforce readiness and skill mastery. CT su success demands on applying academic knowledge to technical tasks and these strategies provide the structural structure for the application. Where is it? There it is. Go ahead. Everybody has this slideshow in Google Classroom. Today we're going to talk about Halloween candy and how it is a big business. >> My name is
028Miss Selena. The kids call me Miss Jen. I teach hospitality management. Today's lesson is encompassing three different parts here in hospitality management. We cover the basis of hospitality as well as we touch a small bit on marketing because it is an indirect job of hospitality management. So today's lesson is all about Halloween candy marketing. We're using statistics from children and adults to see which candy is most favored in the state of Arizona. We do a lot of probability and statistics. We're also working on our finance seal for our diploma. The ELA portion of this assignment, uh, we are using a lot of author claims based off other research that has been done as well as articles written on America's most favorite candy and then breaking it down by state. >> This class incorporates ELA by
029Miss Jen giving us different things to research about like hotels and things to put on our resumes. going through multiple lessons that I teach throughout the year. I actually provide so much math based off of what we do in our business here on campus. We're constantly doing percentages, revenues, profits, as well as they are always doing case studies for different businesses, what works, what doesn't, risk management, all that sort of stuff. Everything in my classroom is preparing them for the real world. I believe in providing them with life examples left and right. I mean, if they can survive me, they can survive anybody. >> We're keeping that. [laughter] [applause] >> All right. Our next steps. Our next steps focus on continued growth and collaboration through targeting professional development. We will engage in lunch and lunch
030and learns, strengthen PLT collaboration with math and ELA departments, and participate in CTE specific professional development opportunities to enhance instruction and student success. Some celebrations. My goal for these kids long term is to always have them provide exceptional customer service as well as learning and absorbing real world skills. >> Awesome. All right. Well, thank you for allowing us this time to present u our great work in that's happening at Desert Sunrise High School. Um, real quick, again, I'd like to take a shout out to thank my staff, my team, admin team. Um, without them, the teachers, this wouldn't be possible. Um, but right now, I'd be open for any questions or comments. Uh, I appreciate how and totally understand how you can incorporate what the kids are learning in their math and bring that into
031a business into real world, right? Like like uh you both have mentioned um how are you doing this across other in other CTE areas as well? Well, I couldn't highlight everybody tonight. >> Well, yeah. [laughter] So, we we chose this because it's been a rapid growth, real excitement on the campus. Um, and again, another huge shout out to Micah Braden with the video. Um, we're that's just a glimpse of other programs that we're looking to expand and grow. Um, but everybody, so with Dr. Lopeman, her vision on making sure that we're giving those experiences to our students, um, we really kind of took that in this year and we're like, you know what? We're going to try this. We're really going to dive a lot. We're going to dive deeper and we're going to we're
032going to bring CTE into math PLTS and ELA PLTS and we're going to we're going to see what happens. And there's some other exciting things that are happening, but I'm not going to unveil them today. But we are doing that. We're bringing everybody in so that way we're able to support our students and get those extra reps in practicing with ELA standards or math or both. And so we're really excited and I'm just grateful for the team to believe in what our what we're trying to do here and not and their willingness to try. So, you know, we we can't make progress if we're not willing to try different things. So, hopefully that answered that. >> Yeah, close enough. So, a follow-up question to that um is have you seen a typically, right, you kind
033of get the math teachers kind of do their thing. They geek out on math, right? And then the this the uh ELA teachers kind of stick to their little group, that kind of thing, right? And then you get the uh the your electives and you know they kind of do their thing. So by bringing everybody together and kind of cross-pollinating so to speak >> you know do you see a difference in your team? >> Absolutely. And I again with their open minds and and forward thinking they're willing to to to take a look at that you know because like you said back in the day even when I went to school which is a long time ago uh believe it or not um I remember and I talked to a lot of my teachers and
034coaches to this day and they worked in silos. They didn't work like we're working collaboratively. So when I talk about these ideas and when we meet with Dr. Dr. Lopeman and cabinet and to discuss these in our leadership on trying new things and how to bring this all together. It's a foreign concept for for some people that have been doing this back in the day. So, um and I think that that's the difference between us being successful and and not because these are we're taking care of and making sure that we're not having missed opportunities. So, we're having opportunities daily in all classes to ensure that they're getting the exposure to content, but not only that, to to make that real life connection because I could remember my my teacher, one of them specifically, uh,
035give me a worksheet for math and hey, good luck, you know, and the big question is always why are we doing this, you know, and so I think by doing this, we're answering that why. So, >> great. Thank you. >> You're welcome. And I was just going to comment on that. I like the fact that you are incorporating math and ELA into these realworld applications. And because kids will go to school, why do I need algebra? I'm never going to use algebra when I graduate. I Why do I need to have this skill? Why do I need to know how to research anything? And by you bringing this in, showing them that maybe if they were a little hesitant on the regular math class or the ELA, well, now they see a connection. And so
036now that maybe sparks their interest, well, maybe I really should be paying attention and doing this work. So, I appreciate this. Um, I loved seeing this and I can't wait to see how it results in the end of the school test scores. um because obviously that data is going to tell us whether or not we're on the right track. So, thank you so much. >> Absolutely. Thank you very much. >> So, yeah, again, I'll just underline the real world application. Um I got five brothers that never graduated high school, but they all ended up with really good jobs because they were clever and somehow along the way they learned the real world application and they became trade people and [snorts] made quite a nice living out of being trade people. Um the other thing I
037like is the calculated risk takingaking looking for opportunities and taking calculated risks. Um it is how we move forward. Um and even the mistakes we make sometimes that's when we learn learn the most. >> Absolutely. I couldn't agree when we learn the most. So um build upon the success. Congratulations and thank you. Any other comments? >> Thank you. >> Awesome. Thank you very appreciate it. Thank you very much. [applause] We now move on to item six, work study, specifically 6A, Maricopa High School Workforce Development Project Scope of Work. Mr. Harmon and Dr. Scott. >> Good evening, President Downey, members of the board, and Dr. Lman. The purpose of this presentation is to review the workforce development project at Maroba High School and the potential of expanding the current scope to include the historic gym. We
038get that into presentation mode. I'll work on it. I can go anyway. So, so the early scope of this project was a rough uh started with a rough budget based on the estimated square footage and a dollar per square foot amount. The early focus was on the 800 building that is beyond useful life and in need of replacement. To begin the project, we assembled our team of contractors, architects, and school representatives. We engaged a steering committee and surveyed our students to identify programs. We also identified existing programs that would be better suited in the new building and we identified new potential programs to bring to Maricopa Unified. One program that surfaced in the steering committee was an ed professions lab to include child care for MUSD staff. Let me turn over turn this over to
039Dr. Scott to tell a little bit more about the Ed Professions Lab. >> Good evening. our this is an amazing opportunity where we can potentially expand our education professions classroom where we could have a campus-based preschool on the on the MHS campus that will enhance student professional readiness. This addition would this possible addition would pro provide aspiring educators with structured hands-on experiences, mentorship and co-eing opportunities daily and within every class period that uh MHS has in ed professions program. Additionally, by offering highquality affordable child care, we can address financial barriers for many of our employees, demonstrating our commitment to their well-being. This opportunity provides integrated learn an integrated learning component while providing lowcost ch staff child core child care and this will this is a powerful tool to not only attract new talent to MUSD
040but significantly increase the likelihood of retaining our experienced and dedicated staff. >> Thank you Dr. Scott. Uh the need for public access for this program brought our attention to the historic gym at MHS. Similar to the 800 building, the gym is also beyond useful life and in need of replacement. The historic gym preservation and renovation project has been something we've been working on for a long time and have potential partnerships that are pending. Our architect Don Brewaker and SPS Plus have done a lot of work uh design work on the on the old gym renovation and showed the team the potential opportunity for the Ed Professions Lab. Due to the overall needs of the historic gym building, the basic renovation would be required in order to construct the Ed Professions classroom and lab space. Expanding
041the scope of our workforce development project and leveraging our available funds while taking it taking advantage of the timing of demolition and construction with our partners with Core Construction and SPS Plus, this is likely the best opportunity to both renovate the historic gym and add an Ed Professions lab to the district. We're able to explore this concept because of the several funding options available to us. We're able to fund the basic renovation of the gym with the proceeds of the land sale. Even if our pending partnerships fall through, we can adjust the design and scope of the project to meet our budget and have a renovated gym space. The demolition of the highlighted areas in this image, the addition of the Ed Professions classroom, lab, and restrooms will come from available bond funds. As this
042aligns with our promised to add workforce development programs to the district. Once we complete the design of the full project, we'll bring a GMP or guaranteed maximum price to the board for approval. This concludes our presentation. We'd love to answer any questions you may have and seek any feedback about the potential of this project. We plan to bring an item to the to the board for approval at our December meeting. Thank you. >> So much to process. Um I think that that's awesome to be able to have that um opportunity not only for our students but for our staff as well. Um I will be interested to see like more of the plans. So, what's in front of that gym now that we would be demolishing? Is that the old used bathrooms that we couldn't
043use? Was that >> Yeah. The yellow portions you'll see on the front Yeah. Um are where the the old locker rooms are. >> Those are the areas that are not part of the the historic frame of the >> Quanz Quanet hut style gym structure. and that that area will be situated so that like kids can't run on campus. >> Yeah. Um a lot of work will have to be done, you know, on fencing to to make sure that all of the areas are designated and and separated. All of that would be uh ironed out within the design process. >> Did the area in the yellow have the asbestous as well? >> That is correct. Yeah, those are the areas that will be demolished and remediated. Well, I'm happy to see that the gym project's moving
044forward. >> Thank you. >> Well, you took most of my questions, so thank you. I appreciate that. Um, I know since like be my first term on the board, right, this thing has been talked about. So, I agree that um kind of moving forward with this uh is a a really great opportunity. So, uh, if we spend the money to to do the renovation on the gym, and you said that that's going to be forthcoming, and, um, are there opportunities to, uh, to use that as part of the education for MHS, hold PE classes, basketball, all that stuff. Uh, I'm assuming that right now I know that the HVAC system doesn't function correctly in there. Can you elaborate on that a little? >> Yeah, the the basic renovation would make sure that all of those
045spaces are safe and usable, including all of the special systems like electrical, uh, HVAC, plumbing. Uh, it would require fire suppression. That gym does not have fire suppression. So this would bring it all up to a usable safe uh space not just for MHS but even for this uh this could be part of the PE functions of the of this uh ed professions lab as well even but yeah this there's a lot of uses that MHS will find for for this space and even the community you know after school hours. >> Great. Thank you. >> Love the concept. Love the idea of synergy. I mean in the construction side and the fact that our students will get experience and for be able to provide services to the to the our employees. Um but I my
046business mind goes to cost of ownership. It's fine creating a building but I don't know the business model but I suspect child care is pretty expensive to run insurance that type of stuff. Can have you thought about the cost of one of the thought about comment at this stage? I know it's early on your thoughts on the cost of ownership. >> Yeah, I'll take a stab at it and um the ed professions program currently exists and the the students have to go to one of our existing elementary sites for the lab time. This will allow them to have lab time right there in their own classroom and the most of the existing staff will be the staff that that works with the children as well as the students. There could be some additional pair of
047professional staff that may be needed and leveraging the CT funds could help this be you know M neutral and if I missed anything Dr. Scott resources from it to state priority funding >> and the model would be that the district is not going to lose money. It'll be budget neutral, but the ability to bring lowcost child care because child care because of the fact that these lab spaces are needed for instruction is really a winwinwin for the students, for the staff, and for the community. >> Excellent. Excellent. >> That did just spark a question. So, this is going to be held at MHS. We also have Ed Professions at Desert Sunrise, do we not? So would they be able to part they wouldn't be able to participate in something like this? Then >> we can
048still utilize where we can bring them over to the campus just like they currently go right now to some of our elementary campuses. We can also transport them over to MHS so that we can utilize that at professions area for both schools. >> Thank you. >> Fine. Thank you both very much. Very interesting. Thank you. We now move on to um 6B superintendence Kit Binary Committee update. Miss Pastor Good evening, President Downey, Dr. Lman, members of the board, and members of the community. This presentation this evening is meant to uh provide an update on boundary work for our new K8 school. And uh I will cover the guiding principles that shaped our work, the next steps leading up to um the board's uh potential approval of the recommendations in December. This work aligns with goal
049four uh community pride from our strategic plan. transparency and inclusivity in this um approach with our boundary work is a part of what helps cultivate this sense of belonging and pride in our schools and our community. So this slide here shows the stages of our boundary work. It officially began in August when the board took action to approve the formation of the superintendent boundary committee. That committee was intentionally composed of a diverse group of stakeholders representing multiple schools and perspectives. The committee met on three occasions once in September, twice in October and each mil meeting built upon the last uh using data and discussion to shape our potential boundary maps that we were taking a look at and um always with the lens what will best serve our students and families. We then held three
050public meetings uh November 5th, 6th, and 10th. Uh there'll be another virtual meeting for uh interested staff tomorrow afternoon. And um throughout each stage, transparency has been a priority. Each meeting has been publicly noticed. And then the end of our timeline there takes us to this evening, um the work study, and then a potential approval in December. So from the beginning the work was grounded in a clear set of guiding principles. Um first we're planning for future growth. Maricopa continues to grow and we want to ensure that our boundary decisions will remain effective and work for us for the years to come. Second, we work to balance enrollment across K5 and 68 schools in this boundary adjustment. This is essential not only to avoid overcrowding but to ensure that all programs can deliver programs equitably.
051Um third uh we look at the convenience for families and transportation efficiency. Um our intent is to minimize travel distances whenever possible and keep neighborhoods intact whenever possible. We paid attention to feeder patterns uh so families could see how elementary, middle, and high school boundaries um connect. And um finally, we wanted our final uh recommendation to be easy for families to understand. Um boundaries shouldn't feel confusing or arbitrary, and they should be easy to comprehend once they um look at them on our website or at a map that might be in front of them. So speaking of maps, let's take a look at some maps. So as a part of the committee's final work, these are the boundaries that are being recommended um for consideration for our new K8 school that also adjust our elementary
052and our middle. So to look at things big picture, if you were to go to our uh the landing page for boundaries, currently you have a map for elementary, a map for middle, and a map for for high. So these um changes would impact the elementary map, the middle uh school map, and show where um the uh boundaries for the new and first K8 would be. So in this particular map, the K8 is that darker brown color with the red star indicating where that K8 is. The white stars on this map show where our current elementary schools are and uh their boundaries are shown in the in the various colors. And then you also see the middle schools are the gray stars and our two high schools are the um dark black stars. This map
053shows us u middle school boundaries and so that would include um the K8 boundary and then um an adjusted boundary for Desert Wind and an adjusted boundary for Maricopa West. So this slide is helpful. The map zooms in now to show more detail within the K8 attendance area. You'll notice two shaded regions within this boundary. That yellow striped region represents students who are currently attending Santa Cruz. Um that with this adjustment um would be in the attendance area for the new K8. And the red striped area represents students who are currently attending Saddleback but with this adjustment in uh July of 2026, they would transition to being in the attendance area of the new school. Uh the committee spent considerable time analyzing things like enrollment data and neighborhood patterns to see um that this recommendation
054would be um logical and also have minimal disruptions to families. is one of our guiding principles was that we know there is another K8 school on the horizon. And so in the scenarios that we considered, we wanted to do everything possible to ensure that we're not putting families in situations where they would be moving um twice or or multiple times. This next map is similar to the previous one, but focuses on grades six through eight and shows how those new boundaries would uh affect certain middle school students. Um with the um blue striped area being Desert Wind uh attended uh zone families that would be a part of the K8. And then the uh red stripe on the bottom there are students in Maropa Wells area that would be within the attendance area of the
055new KA. In addition, this is a closeup of another area that we looked at in um in an intention to adjust and bring more balance to elementary enrollment specifically Pimabute. So, Pumabute as we look at the future years does have uh a slow decline in enrollment were we uh not to make any adjustment to Pumab's attendance zones. And so what this change does is moves grids five and six from Butterfield to Pum. These particular uh grids five and six, they um have very few families currently. There are 11 school age children with the Moonlight neighborhood in particular having potential for growth. And so um these are families that will move into new homes and they will be a part of uh Puma but's attendance area um should we move forward with this particular change. So,
056as I stated earlier, um we've had several public meetings. Community engagement um has been a part of the process with our public meetings. Um we um held them at uh different areas, one at Santa Cruz and here at district office. Um and then we'll have a virtual meeting tomorrow. Um we also made sure that we have a solid plan for communication once we have a decision. So on December 11th um maps will go on the district website and in school letter school newsletters and we will have communication ready to go to families. In addition, um we'll use processes that we had in place previously where we have telephone scripts um and we contact the families that are impacted um so they not only receive it via email but they also get a phone call um
057with information and uh are able to um ask questions and um ultimately our goal is to ensure that no family is surprised by the outcome of the process and everyone understands um the reasoning Uh I want to thank the members of the boundary committee for their um work. Um it was a commitment of time and the principles. It's hard for them to do that at the end of the day. So I really appreciate principles that were part of it. Um it's been a communitydriven process, one that reflects our district's values of fairness, transparency, and planning for the future. And um on December 10th, I'll return to the board with the final recommendation for approval. Um, additional questions you might have this evening about enrollment and housing projections may be answered tonight in our presentation with
058applied economics, but I open it up to any questions about the process or feedback. >> Yes. Um, so I know that we're going to have another presentation on the demographics of what is to come. Um, one of the things that did kind of concern me a little bit with moving the Pimab, but boundary to include that moonlight um, development that's going up is that I thought Pumabute was like already like to like almost capacity. Are they going to be able to take on an entire development when that gets built out? That's a concern. >> Um, and if it doesn't get answered in the next presentation, I really would like to know the numbers of those Santa Cruz students that are going to the K8 as same with Saddleback, Desert Wind, and uh, Maricopa Wells because
059we're transitioning everybody. We're not It's not a slow transition like we did at the high school K through eight. they're going >> right and um we do have those numbers. We're looking at the opening year of the new K8 to be around 440 students kindergarten through 8th grade in its first year. So it's not, you know, it's smaller than the other schools about the same size as Pimabute is now because it's designed to uh accommodate the the newer developments, you know, when the boundary changes uh like the district boundary um and the other some other newer developments. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Yeah, >> but I think you're going to see you'll you might see a little bit of that in the presentation from applied economics. >> Now, I I I like it. It still it's
060still and I can't tell from this map, but are you still splitting like Rancho half? You're still splitting Rancho halfway right between Santa Rosa and Puma View. >> We did not make a change to those. >> So, that one is still split. >> Yeah. >> Okay. You know, one of the impressive things about your question is it mirrored the questions that we had in our committee meeting. >> Great minds think alike >> apparently. >> And the fact that we've engaged some experts, they had already thought about this stuff too. And I think we added a meeting with our consultant because because of some of the questions that that had surfaced. We certainly didn't embark on this thinking we were going to change any other school boundaries, but as we saw the enrollment projections and want
061to keep schools as you know at capacity to to the greatest degree possible. That's what opened up the conversation um over the you know looking at the projections over the long term. So interesting. Well, and I one of the other questions that I had, and I don't know if it really um boundary-wise, is if we've got some seventh and eighth graders, obviously they would be going to well, seventh graders would be going to eighth grade and they could be transferred over, but if they were in a program like blended learning or an athletic program, are they going to have that opportunity to apply to have a boundary exception? >> Yes. >> Okay. And um although I wish that we would have had more parents come out to our public meetings, but I do recall one
062family that I met at a public meeting um shared exactly that scenario. And so what's nice about having the opportunity to explain these processes in person, I was able to talk about how fluid and easy it is to do open enrollment really at all of our schools. And so, um, that will be part of our communication plan. Um, so that families that are interested in the K8 but perhaps are not part of the attendance, uh, zone for the new K8, they can choose to attend. And vice versa, if a family learns that they're now a part of the new K8 attendance area, but they choose to remain at Wind or Wells because they're a part of a program or just that they want their child to finish, then we're able to provide for those accommodations.
063>> And I know that one of the biggest questions that we will probably get is the transportation should they choose to enroll in another school because of a program that is offered. Um, that'll be one of the the the deterrence for them to be able to do that. So, I'm anticipating because we did get a few of those when we did transition into Desert Sunrise for some of the other programs is that yes, they could absolutely um enroll do the open enrollment process, but the transportation was not being provided and that could be a hardship to some of these families as well. So, I look forward to how we're going to address that. >> Thank you. I know it's hard to come up with a perfect solution that satisfies everything. There's lots of dimensions to
064this um as you said, but I do appreciate you and the team and the boundary committee taking in so much in the way of even just down to the convenience to the families um all the different aspects of your basically merging elementary and middle school. Therefore, there's two levels to accommodate. So, I love the the idea of the communication plan. I know you've gone above and beyond. Um I will make a call out like you just mentioned that um parents please call um p miss pester or miss mrs pastor um call in find out what's going on. They're more than willing to answer your questions and provide you as best they can answers and what's going to happen next uh next summer. So um thank you and thank the b the members of the the
065boundary commission on on what they've done. >> Any other comments? Okay, we'll now move on to item. You any last minute comments on that? We now move on to item 6 C it Naming Miss Pastor. So here I'm pleased to provide an update on the KA naming process. And this process included a public survey and a collaborative community think tank event. Uh although tonight's agenda um we're not here as an action item, the presentation will provide the board with an update on the process and it marks an important milestone as we prepare to open MUSD's first K8 school. In August and September, we invited the community to help us shape the school's identity through a public survey. We received 179 responses and that included students, staff, parents, and community members. Participants were asked to think
066about names that reflect the district's values and spirit. And from that input, three main themes emerged. Most predominantly, a desire to honor former superintendent Alma Faroh. Second, an emphasis on innovation and learning. And another theme that uh came out in the survey was a connection to the sonor and landscape and that defines our community. This new K8 represents uh a big step a big step towards the future for Maricopa Unified and it will serve as both a neighborhood school and a signature school with work-based learning as a focus. We used a familiar process facilitated by an outside consultant that was inclusive, transparent, and communitydriven, ensuring that the name truly reflects Maricopa's identity. On September 25th, we hosted the K8 naming think tank facilitated by partners in participation. The event brought together district staff, parents, and
067community representatives. We even had a student. She was a second grader, so we had to explain a couple of things, but she was a joy to be a part of the group. Um, at the start, we revisited the core values of our naming process. That a name should stand the test of time, that a name needs to reflect the core values of our school, that a name represents hope and opportunity. And ultimately, we want a name that inspires students and embodies the strength of inclusion, the diversity that we have in Maricopa. These principles guided the group's work throughout the evening. Uh during this event, we broke into small groups and we reviewed the themes that surfaced during that survey. But each group was also invited to extend the brainstorming beyond what was in the survey
068and to explore new ideas and perspectives that aligned with our shared values. We discussed how various naming ideas reflected the school's signature focus on work-based learning and how each could represent a spirit of hope, innovation, and inclusion that we want the new K8 to embody. Through the process, the group had a strong sense of shared direction and we came to consensus on a short list of names to bring forward for consideration. As part of the thinktake experience, we invited graphic artist Terrell Hansen to capture that evening's conversation in real time. So a couple of slides previous there was a picture and um this was a mural and she was doing this creating this as we went through the evening and the result is this beautiful mural a visual story of the ideas values and the
069collaboration that shaped the naming process. We also had the murals made into postcards as a thank you for all of the participants and I left a few with Lisa Han for all of you um as a small token of appreciation for your part in the naming process. Um the piece this mural which actually is unfinished because that blank area under September 2025 is waiting for the name. Um so that will be added. So this mural um captures the spirit of collaboration and this next slide highlights where the group ultimately landed. The two names that rose to the top after thoughtful discussion and alignment with our shared values. So through this process the group came to consensus on two names that truly reflect the spirit of the community and the vision for the new K8. Uh
070the first Alma Ferrell in Innovation Academy or Alma Ferrell Academy for Innovation. The group was open to either um ways to group those words. Honors a leader whose lasting impact on Maricopa Unified School District helped lay the foundation for the success that we build upon today. Uh the second Sonorin Vista Innovation Academy or Sonorin Vista uh Academy of Innovation typo there celebrates the beauty of surrounding landscape and represents forward thinking and optimism. After reviewing both options and considering the survey and committing and considering the group of the the work of the group, the administrative recommendation to the board will be that we name the first K8 the Alma Ferrell Academy of Innovation. At this point, I'm going to turn it over to Superintendent Lopman uh and we will uh talk a bit about our >>
071Right. So you can see the the um result of the work there. And then I wanted to surface the policy for the board's consideration. Um we're looking at uh offering a proposal, a formal proposal for board action in December. And I I wanted the board to um think about this policy. Uh think about the policy and the name that we're proposing. Um and the name that we're proposing um certainly has tremendous relevance and history and um it all the the the group that met also considered the policy too and understood the policy and and had the perspective that they did what the policy asked and they came up with a with two recommendations. So with that, I will um leave it to you. Well, I think all of you know that I have a very
072special place in my heart for Elma. She's why I'm a board member and I think it's a great honor to be able to call to name a school after her, especially one that is going to be a first in MUSD. Um I do I like the Alma Ferrell Innovation Academy. I think less words is better. So um but um uh I want to thank you and all the committee members um for really uh working on this. Um and actually both names are really great but I am just thrilled to be able to honor Alma. So thank you I think that's that's it. Thank you very much. And again, I just want to take the opportunity to thank the members of the U committee that did the review and invested the time and effort. Um I
073do know that some of the members were previous board members with a long-term experience in Maricopa and Maricopa Unified School District. So that just re to me just provides support on what they came up with that it's meaningful not only for the past but also looking forward to the future with the K8 schools and the focus that we have had over the last I I want to say four or five years but obviously be being established more with the K8 schools and the new building at the high school. We're about innovation moving forward creative and um creating a workforce for the future. So thank you. Thank us all. >> Now move on to item 6D, applied economics demographic study. Miss Pastor, Mr. B Bremer. >> So at this point, I'll hand things over to Rick
074Bremer and Don Graves who are here this evening to share our annual demographics uh report. President Downey, members of the board, uh Dr. Lman, it is our pleasure to be here tonight to share I hope quickly. I know you had a huge agenda tonight. So there's there's we could have talked longer. I'd left some stuff out, but I'll try to make it quick. I am going to follow up on two things about that presentation that we just heard that um do come to mind. One is that with the opening of of a of a new school, it's always hard to know exactly who's going to want to go. And since it's a K8, which as you point out is the first one in the district, it's even a little bit harder because we know that
075there's going to be or I know there's going to be some number of seventh graders this year who just don't want to make that transition for eighth grade. But there's also going to be people that are in the other attendance areas who are going to be looking at this sixth grade option, you know, in a setting like this that are going to be attracted to it. And so the 440 whatever number is that we're we're banting about is likely to get is is probably wrong, number one, but number two, it's going to include I would think more sixth graders than we think and less eighth graders than we think. But there's going to be really no way to figure that out ahead of time unfortunately. I mean you probably do some early enrollment kind of
076stuff and get it and get and get a good handle on it which which will help but from this point of view you know it was a little bit difficult. Um, one of the other things I ordered actually two more. One of them is that the attendance area in and of itself as it looks right now for the new K8, it looks a little odd and we did it on purpose because we did not want to move kids twice. And knowing that we're going to get approval in the next year or two or three at the most, you know, for another one of these schools, we, you know, we basically kind of let Saddleback get overloaded a little bit in the in the early years of these projections so that we don't move those folks
077down in the south twice. The other thing we did was be very careful about when and how we move um residents of the auction community and that was an important consideration kind of all the way through. The last thing I'll address is the Moonlight Ridge. You know that that issue up there and um we looked at other ways to try to get, you know, more more kids into the into the school and um it was a robbing Peter to pay Paul kind of a proposition and so with Butterfield being in the position it's in you know you know sort of the logical move at least for the time being is to come across and get those two grids five and six that that you were shown now five years from now seven years from now
078when that project really is humming and then there's another one south of it called Hajins Farms. It actually should have started by now, but hasn't. I believe there'll be another boundary change that will be necessary at some point. It can't probably can't carry it all forever, but there's a state land parcel there in between, you know, where the development is now and uh Moonlight Ridge. And so that one, you know, may get cabbed off at some point so that we don't run that school over capacity. But we know that schools actually lose normally 30 to 40%. As a matter of course from their high enrollment part point to where they bottom out. So uh we need to make sure that we keep our spaces filled at the same time. So it's a bit of a
079concern, but I think you're like like uh um Dr. Lopeman said, you guys ask the exact same questions that I heard come from the committee uh from the committee work. So, I I'll get I'll get on with our presentation now. And uh since you all are all veterans, I'm not going to spend a lot of time telling you about what we do, but we we study enrollment and demographics and Don talks to the builders and we do projections for the district and then also for the subdist areas, which is, you know, what we've been talking about. We affectionately refer them as grids. Um, we have five new grids on the map this year out in the annexation area and I understand that that's not official yet, but moving ever ever closer uh to inclusion. We
080did include those five grades now in the new K8. So any of the growth that occurs in that area would actually be targeted into that school as well. Um, but we do all the modeling we do at that level of geography. That said, we'll start start up with, you know, the basically uh the 40th day headcount enrollment information that we that we show every year. Um enrollment up up this year, however, not quite as much as we were expecting quite honestly. Um we're going to talk about why we think that was the case. Um but you know, nonetheless, the the district has grown by, you know, 80%, you know, since since since 2010. So, it's one of the places it's actually still fun to come to because I get to talk about growth instead about
081declining and closing schools. So, it's been a lot of fun for me. Um, this um little bit of a bump though that we've hit with the rate kind of not hitting what we would like it to do um is the fact that not this year, but last year we had a new charter school open in the in the district. And that's a step function. You know, they they're kind of always full. So their their enrollment is fixed and then it bumps up and then it's fixed and then it bumps up. And then the other thing that we we we have some numbers on even is the impact of the enrollment uh empowerment empowerment scholarship counts and that's you know we're seeing that across the state and particularly at the lower grade levels. Um and that
082kind of comes out in this chart where we look at the distribution of enrollment um by grade level in these groups. We call them cohorts. um you have a very interesting distribution like this. Notice that the K2 group is you know typically now the smallest. If you went back and looked at this chart in the 2000s during the boom that was the biggest group and that group could grow again once we get you know the rate of development back up a little bit but for the time being it's fallen to be one of the smallest groups. The oddest thing is that we're still having an issue with retention at sixth grade. And so I'm very hopeful that this new model of school will help address that because it's very odd to have the six eight
083cohort have a smaller per enrollment per than the K2 group and then it pops way back up again at high school. So you've done really well at the high school level and we know that across the district kids come back out of charter schools you know from 8th to nth grade. So that's, you know, keeping those numbers up and they're that line is probably more reflective of what's really going on in the in the school age population growth than than the other ones just because you have a really high service rate among amongst high schoolers. Uh we talk about the grids and this is just a map of where the students live today and this is just the number of of students in um that come from each one of our [snorts] planning grids. um
084now have a real heart of the district where there's more than 500 students per square mile in in the in in the core area of the district which um actually does help even things out in terms of enrollment. Um the last five years have brought us 2100 new school uh new students. So everywhere where you see red or pink on this map, there have been enrollment increases. Some of them very very large. Um, we're looking at though areas there, like I said, like in the Pima area, Santa Rosa area where these communities are built out, they're starting to age in place. And so that's what opens up the space for us to do, you know, some other things, you know, to help Butterfield out in the meantime. But, uh, most of the growth still up
085in the north, you know, northeast, I would call it quadrant of the district. Uh, the exception now is we're really watching the southwest corner. And when we start talking about that next K8, you know, we've kind of left an area down in that portion of the district that would be a logical next place perhaps. Um I talked about the, you know, the growth of charter schools. It does continue to increase, not very fast. Um it's gone up by a couple of hundred students over the last couple of years though because of that 250 I think because of that new school opening up. Um and that's going to continue to happen from time to time. It just is. Um it's not as big of an impact in the last two years though really as what we're
086looking at with the with the ESAs. And you realize when it went universal in 2223 and the number jumped from I can't quite read it to 300 and something. Um almost all the students who took an ESA in that year were already in a private school. They were the first ones in the door because they were already paying tuition. So what's happened though in the in the two years since is that the percentage of that are coming out of private or out of public school has gone up and up. So the big jump that you had of like 550 last year and 350 this year at least half if not more of those are coming at at your expense. And um you know the program did not grow quite as much in 2425 as it
087did before but we haven't seen a cap and we still haven't seen it you know what I would call really stabilize in any in any way. And so um that's definitely a a negative and that's probably the biggest reason why our enrollment numbers didn't get to where we wanted them to particularly this year. I think last year we were very close anyway but this year it's definitely catching up with us. And I talked about that when I was Looking at this chart, that K2 number, that K2 line, see how it had a slope from from the from CO forward from 2020 all the way through like 24 25, we had a pretty nice upward slope on that blue line. And see how it flattened out. That's ES. That is pure and simple. That's that's that's
088who takes them. Kindergarten and first graders. And the interesting thing is is that it's not dependent now on private schools being available for you to go to. Because the other thing that's happened in the last two years is that you know a great percentage of the uh people who are taking one are homeschooling and so now we've seen homeschooling rates go from 2% to 5%. since since since co. So it's, you know, staying home and taking your $7,500. In terms of the demographics, taken out the table and put in a chart. The green at the one at the top shows population growth. Obviously, uh, back in the year 2000 when there was 4,000 people here, we never knew there would be 40,000 people in 2010. Um, I have a I have a I have a
089remembrance of the first time I met Elma. Barl was clear back when there was 4,000 people in town and I was seriously afraid of that woman. She was a strong leader. I'll tell you what and she made a big difference but I was definitely like okay this is this is this is wild. So anyways the uh a really really good person but the so their p our population has grown uh dramatically. The the difference is that in during the big runup, you can see that red line on top is the share of that population under the age of 18. And so we went through this t-fold growth period and the share of that population that was under 18 remained still very high, 32%. So the main thing we're seeing since then is um you know
090more older people and more aging of the existing population. And so at the bottom you see that chart with the red bars. householders under 55 and the green part is householders over 55. And so what you see obviously is that um you know the the younger group isn't keeping pace. It's two to one 3 to one in favor of householders over 55 at this point. And not only that, of the ones under 55, a smaller percentage of them are owners. So we're seeing, you know, more rental housing and more of the coming in. All of those tend to have a negative impact on school age population for household. It's not like you're not going to have any growth. It's just dampening, you know, what we've been used to seeing after we build a house. Don's
091going to talk about building houses. [clears throat] Build about 9,700 in the last 10 years. Uh if you look at the chart, if you look on the left side or the last half that chart you'll see where the district was coming out of the recession and housing is pretty pretty low, not a lot going on, was kind of up and down a little bit. And then right about in the middle, you see this big explosion in 2021. And this was because you had multiple projects that either started or expanded all at the same at the same time. So you had this big jump in single family growth. This is also when you started getting some multifamily. And as we go forward and farther to the over to the right, the single family has fluctuated. Part
092of this is from subdivisions building out and other ones not starting up as soon as you would like. And as we get in the last couple of years, what we have is a pretty uncertain and unstable housing market. So projects that should be starting or holding back. Projects that are going are just not moving as fast as they should, not having the kind of production rates. So things are a little bit uneven now and probably for the next couple of years. The multif family market, you see, you had no multif family, you know, construction here few years ago. It started and a couple of things to point out is we put in when the apartment complexes or whatever it is are permitted, but the build time and when they get occupied can stretch out. Uh,
093for example, that uh project over on Porter, it's only half built, but they've been working on it for two or three years. And so, this slows down and it spreads out. The other thing is we have multif family, just multifamily. What we've got here in the district that's different than just about everywhere else is a lot of diversity in what is being built. Everything is not a high-end high rent uh apartment building. You've got some of those. You also have some more affordable units, Roars, Dominiums going and uh some of the single family rental construction. So you have different types of units which will probably have different types of households. So, this is something where, you know, the district's doing a little bit better. I think some the market's a little better. Uh the potential
094that's coming up, you know, you got about 50,000 units that we've identified that could become active in the next 10 years, and that's about double what the current inventory is. What will happen is this is referring to when we expect projects that could start. It doesn't refer to the build rate. So things are not going to go completely insane in three to five years. This is when projects could start. And these numbers will keep changing as we learn more. We put in more detail and some of this information changes. But the uh the short uh thing to take is you've got plenty of room to grow. That is not a nation. The map here is colorcoded. Red is an active subdivision. So you've got like the corner of uh parts of Rancho Mirage or the
095eastern part of Rancho Alado. This is active. So they're building houses right now. And as you go into the oranges, that means it's coming up in the next, you know, one year, three years. And we have this going on. And then there's the yellow. This is the stuff that's farther out. Now, right now, and for the next few years, your big growth areas is over here on the east side around Sarrento. That's a a big growth area. And if they're building now, they're going to keep building. the southwest area around Amarillo Creek. They're opening a new phase and should be building in another next year. Uh Papago Estates which is renamed now to Palomino Ranch. They are masquerading. They should start their first phase uh sometime next year. So you have a growth area there
096that's coming up. And then of course the annexation area is another large area that's that's coming up. And those three areas, you know, we'll have about 60% of all the growth in the next 10 years. But then you've got all this other growth that's spread out throughout the rest of the district. So this is going to be an issue for the planning uh boundary people because you have uh you're going to have shifting growth shifting growth levels and shifting growth locations and one area starts to build out growth will shift over to another area. So you're going to have it's a moving target. So that makes things a lot more interesting for Mr. grammar who gets to deal with what that means as far as the kids. >> When I look at the units coming
097online here, the the the housing units, the the new single family and multif family, what I'm doing is looking at when they're actually going to get occupied. So, you saw Dawn's distribution of when they were permitted. We had a really odd thing happen where we had one group of apartment complexes finish up and finally get occupied. And like he said, we had these other ones where all of their construction timelines got extended. And so now we've got a situation where between now and next fall, we're looking at 1,200 apartments coming online. And as it and as Don said, it's got a variety. It's got workforce housing. There's affordable housing mixed in with that. So, it's not going to be just the, you know, the the high-end, high amenity stuff that typically doesn't really give us
098very many kids. And so even and then you see the single family, you know, continuing in this around 11, 1200 range at least for the next few years, which as Don said is a little lower than we had been expecting in the past just because of the market conditions and some builders going like nothing's nothing's wrong and some literally sitting on the sidelines looking in. It's a real mixed bag right now on the single family side. But with that big blob of U And so about 27,000 units probably built you know in the next 10 years about 5,000 of that multifamily. Um in terms of the what that means in terms of the change of enrollment as you can see this year was only 182 uh in district increase uh K12 smallest increase uh in
099in several years. Um and again it's not consistent with what's going on with the housing. Housing is not quite what it used to be. But we we've got enough units coming online. We should have gotten more students than that. And that's why I'm continuing to point at, you know, options, ESAs and and those kinds of things as as the reason why we're really not hitting on that. Next year, maybe 440. There's a lot of apartments coming online and even with a minimal uh assumption of how many students per unit, we're going to see some enrollment growth out of those this year in addition to what we've normally been getting off a single family. So, uh, 440 students next year, probably hanging in that two or 30 hundred range though for the next two years after
100that, as Don was saying, before we get the all these other new projects off the ground and we get some confidence back in the housing market because right now are just not uh are just not taking a big a big a big risk and neither are the buyers because they're afraid interest rates are going to continue to go down. And so even though they're going down, they're still sitting waiting for it to become more affordable. We don't know about those about about capture rates particularly with the different options in people have in terms of choice. And so we always give the district a range of projections. And so 440 would be my middle uh my sort of the middle number for next year. But the likely range is between 270 and 610. And I realize
101that's That's a fairly wide range, but um that's the reality that we're working with because there's a large population, a lot of construction going on, and it's choice that is not predictable the way my other models are that's really driving the enrollment. So, uh makes Mr. Harmon's job much more difficult because he has to think about whether he can, you know, put together a program to to handle 440 and and a budget based on 270 because that's kind of the where what he has to do to play it safe with current year funding. Um the district is still experiencing, you know, slower growth than, you know, we maybe maybe would have expected. Um but you know the school age population is still increasing and I see it really like I say keep saying more a
102function of alternative providers. Uh demographic characteristics are shifting. We saw that more older householders in particular but overall your you know your rate is still much higher than in most areas that we work with that are really established and are truly in that aging uh category. um saw single family, you know, sort of taking taking a little bit of a break compared to what we've seen sometimes in the past. But um every indication is that the market's going to come back and that there is plenty of projects out there in particular that people are spending money on right now, buying land, putting in infrastructure. So they're getting ready. It's not like they're not going to sit out forever. They're they're they're making those kind of investments. Future enrollment will continue to be impacted by choice.
103I think we all we all know that. But you're you know obviously positioned to grow um incredibly again. Maybe not tfold in 10 years, but I certainly hope not at this point. But uh uh it's it's a it's a it's a great community and you've done you put the pieces in place and I think it's starting to pay off for you. I'm going to be really anxious to see how the K8 uh you know impacts the whole picture. So we would take any questions. Um, I appreciate the uh the work and um we're a we're a very data driven board, so we like seeing numbers and you know uh graphs, you know, that kind of thing, right? So, um uh working with the with the boundaries and that kind of thing. There's a lot of
104the stuff is so messy, right? And it's so unpredictable um that uh you know there could be an event tomorrow. Let's hope not. And everything >> co you know I mean I mean prior to that there was nothing like that on on our radar. Yeah. >> Yeah. Exactly. >> You're right. That's the world that we work in. But I go back to, you know, I've been doing this a very long time, like 30 years now as applied economics. And before choice was what it was, we could be very much more accurate. >> I we're very good at actually figuring out how many school-aged persons are going to be in an area. How many of them are going to decide to go to your school or that school is that's where the that's where it gets
105exciting. >> Yep. Yep. That's uh where I was going to uh going to head. Um seeing those numbers of of the the ESAs and that kind of thing and how that specifically impacts our district. That was very very in uh great info. Thank you. >> I'll basically say ditto for member Owens. Um I think Dr. Lopeman and the team and the previous boards as you have sort of reflected a position does pretty well um for growing. Maybe we're not going to go as quick as we can but I also want to bring in the the word sort of the last 30 minutes is innovation. I think the innovation has came from Dr. Lope and her team and from the board. Um hopefully that will reflect having students choose us to pick up your other theme.
106Um what I'm getting is the the student population for Maricopa is going to grow significantly. Our opportunity is to capture those students. >> Correct. >> And with what's happening at many of the schools like we heard their high school today present doing something different. We heard Dr. Lman talk about um not only the school grades but the district grade because it is separate and it's they're all going up. That's got to provide an opportunity as well. And quite honestly, I'll throw out a challenge to the council as well of bringing in work because if you can bring in work and factories and businesses that'll attract the younger younger parent or parents families and obviously with them will come to kids as well, >> right? And actually all the job growth that's coming to Kage and
107Cassagran, right, >> doesn't hurt you a bit either. >> There's a you know, you have sort of a modern community compared to to the Cassagrand proper. So I think there's a lot of people that are more comfortable in this environment but want those jobs, >> right? >> So I think you know you've kind of got you got a good position. >> I was going [clears throat] to say real briefly about the service rate was that it's you know it's it's 58 whatever percent and that's the it's the only district that we work for that has had any increase at all since co. So even if it's a small increase and this actually I don't know if it's for better or for worse, but it puts you three points ahead of Scotsdale. They're at 55%. So,
108just to put everything in perspective, it's it's not the same world it used to be. You know, um we were used to that 80% sort of rate where we could really predict. And when it gets into this range, a hiccup comes along and you could go plus or minus, you know, in a big in a big way because there's 7,6700 kids in the community that don't do. So there's a lot of potential. >> No, they're coming. Thank you very much. Very interesting, very informative. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Okay, Lisa, we don't have any I don't have any cards. So there we can skip um item seven call to the public. We now move on to item eight, consent agenda. >> A motion to approve. >> Second. >> Lee, we have a motion
109to second. >> Ben Owens, >> I >> Petty Coutrey, >> I. >> Robert Downey. >> I so moved. We now move on to item nine, action items, specifically 9A, discussion and possible approval of the personnel schedule. Mr. Beckett. >> Thank you, President Downey, members of the governing board, and Dr. Lumen. you have a personnel schedule in front of you tonight. I'll take any questions that you have. >> Mr. Beckett, um I don't really have a question. It's just it was disappointing to see that we had so many pair of professionals um in the first part of that HR agenda. Um that still I get there's various reasons why these people are are leaving, but it's just it's disruptive to the classroom. and I would love to be able to crack that nut to figure out
110what we can do to make them stay >> for our students. >> I appreciate that. I can just tell you that we have an active committee working at this point in time in a retention plan, not only for our certified staff, but also for our classified staff. So, we're we're looking to crack that as well. >> Thank you. >> If there's no other questions, I motion that we approve the HR schedule. >> Lisa, we have a motion in a second. Did you second Mr. President Donnie? >> Oh, I thought you did. Sorry. No, I'm getting ahead. >> I'll second. >> You've been there all night just behind me. Lisa, we now have a motion in a second. >> Ben Owens. >> Hi. >> Patty Coutrey. >> I. >> Robert Downey. >> I so moved. >>
111Thank you, Mr. Becket. We now move on to item 9B. Approve to adjourn to executive session. The government board may vote to convene an executive session pursuant to ARS FI15-843B7 public disciplinary proceedings for discussion of a student disciplinary matter and for a student appeal. >> Motion to journ to executive session. >> I'll second. >> Thank you. Have a motion to second. >> Ben Owens. >> I. >> Petty catra. >> I. >> Robert Downey. I so moved. We'll not go into executive session. Um I want to say basically that's tonight over. You can stay if you want. We have no idea how long we're going to be in executive session and fundamentally we have no items after this particular executive session. So thank you all for being here and staying for what is an unusually long
112um board meeting. Thank you.