001Good evening everyone. It is Wednesday, May 14th at 6:30. I call this public hearing open. Lisa, please call the role. Shante Rothschild, I. Ben Owens, Carolyn Lopez, present. Patty Coutrey, present. Robert Downey, present. And I move an item 1 C, public hearing on approval of the fiscal year 2025 budget revision. Mr. Harmon. Good evening, President Downey, members of the governing board, and Dr. Lopeman. The purpose of this uh presentation and hearing is to highlight the final revision of the budget adopted in July. The areas of focus include ADM and our three main funds, M capital, and classroom site fund. The state funding formula is based on ADM. Our actual ADM grew by 362, just seven short of our projections. ADM receives two sets of multipliers known as group A and group B weights. Our total
002weighted student count is 100 above our projection. This will result in additional budget capacity in several areas of the funding formula. The bottom graph shows our year-over-year growth. We grew by 362 ADM or 4.1%. For M, we have slight increases in carry forward Prop 123 and the RCL to DAA transfer. That's our M that's transferred to the capital funding formula. For the more significant changes, the one-time FRPL or poverty weight was rolled into the RCL for the adoption. Originally, the uh the poverty weights were supposed to be increased within the group B formula, which would make those increases ongoing. But after we proposed our budget, the legislature moved the move that part of the budget for the FRPPL to a one-time add-on of about 200 $285,000. The revenue control limit and the M override both
003have significant increases due to the increase in our weighted students. Overall, our general budget limit of M is 1.2 million over the adopted limit for the capital budget. the one time DAA um was rolled into the DAA allocation for adoption. Um similar to the FRPL weight, the DAA formula weights were supposed to be increased for inflation, which would be ongoing, but after the proposed budget, the legislature approved the budget with the DAA adjustment as a one-time add-on. That's about $240,000. The estimated carry forward was understated by about 2.5 million and the transfer from Mino to capital um saw a slight increase. Our actual interest earned was 88,000 above projections. Overall, our capital budget limit is increasing by 2.6 million. Uh our classroom site fund had minor changes in carry forward earned interest in our overall
004allocation with a budget limit decreasing slightly by about $59,000. summary just highlights th those three main funds. Overall, this budget is increasing by 3.8 million from adoption, mostly due to those uh increases in weighted counts. I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have or we can open it up for public questions. There's no questions from the board. I'll open it up the um item 1E which is actually the public has um an opportunity to come and ask any questions or to make any comments on the fiscal year budget. Thank you Mr. Harmon. When I move on to item two adjourn the public meeting so moved. Second. Lisa we have a motion to second. Shante Rothschild I. Caroline Lopez I. Patty Coutrey I. Robert Downey. I so moved. We now move on to item
005three. Good evening everyone and welcome. It is Wednesday 14th at 6:35. I call this meeting to order. Lisa, can you please call the role? Robert Downey present. Patty Catra present. Carol Lopez present. Ben Owens. Shante Rosschild present. Thank you. Now move on to um pledge of allegiance and invite Dr. Robinson 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 move on to item 1 D adoption of the agenda. Motion second. You second. Yes. Oh, sorry. I didn't need it. Lisa, we have a motion to second. Shante Rothschild. I. Carolyn Lopez. I. Patty Coutrey. I. Robert Downey. I. So moved. We now move on to item four,
006superintendent report. Dr. Lupman. Thank you, President Downey. Maricopa Unified, Kasa Grande Elementary, and Kasa Grande Union High School Districts recently collaborated to propose a minor boundary adjustment aimed at better aligning district lines with current and projected growth. This adjustment would shift a five square mile area in the southeast corner of the city of Maricopa from Kasa Grande districts into Maricopa Unified School District, allowing future students to attend schools closer to home. A recorded version of the public forum is available on the MUSD website. In partnership with Ecorrise and Southwest Airlines, six studentled projects at Desert Sunrise High School received $2,756 in grant funding to improve air quality, reduce food waste, and conserve water. One team is launching a composting program to divert over 526,000 pounds of cafeteria waste each year. Another is building vertical gardens
007and leading water conservation efforts that could save 614,000 gallons of water annually. With hands with hands in the soil and eyes on the data, students are improving their school in smart, sustainable ways. Maricopa High School 24 Pinch students stood out at two major competitions this year. The Arizona Skills USA state conference and the National Cyber League. At Skills USA, Bryson Perez earned a silver medal in internet working, a hands-on event that tests real world technical skills. Robert Semitz made a strong showing at the National Cyber League. In the first year of competition for Maricopa High School, he placed 37th out of more than 1700 high school students across the country. He also ranked 230th overall out of more than 8,500 participants, including college students and professionals. Robert went a step further by earning two industry
008recognized certifications, security plus and CISA plus, which are key milestones on the path to a career in cyber security. Together, the 24 Pinch team finished among the top 60 high school teams in the nation and ranked in the top 400 overall, earning challenge coins and capping off an exceptional season. At Santa Rosa Elementary, students led a vibrant Cinco de Mayo celebration that honored the rich diversity of Spanishspeaking cultures. Each grade level contributed through traditional dance and dual language presentations, sharing the histories and customs tied to this day of remembrance and pride. From the sound of of folklorico steps to reflections delivered in both Spanish and English, the program highlighted student growth, cultural understanding, and a strong sense of community. At Desert Wind Middle School, sixth graders in Team Luigi hosted a trash and show that
009transformed recycled materials into a lesson in creativity, design, and environmental responsibility. Students designed and modeled original outfits using only repurposed items, blending imagination with intention. Along the way, they explored the impact of waste, the importance of recycling, and how innovation can inspire sustainable choices in daily life. Third grade students at Santa Cruz Elementary brought The Lion King to life through two well-crafted performances that showcased both talent and skill. The grade was split into two casts, giving every student the chance to take the stage and play a role. Preparation began last school year with costume design and continued into spring with coordinated rehearsals in music, dance, and theater. The experience blended academics and the arts, leaving students with skills that will carry far beyond the stage. I I was there on the second night, and it
010was just delightful. It was wonderful. The Butterfield Student Council took a closer look at government in action during a visit to the Arizona State Capital. From debating a mock bill on the official state ice cream flavor to touring the Capitol Museum, students gained a firstirhand look at how government works at how government works. State representatives and staff helped make the experience memorable by bringing the legislative process to life. Maricopa Unified is proud to announce that Maricopa Virtual Academy has been named a 2025 top virtual school by Imagine Learning, a distinction earned by fewer than 200 schools nationwide. This recognition reflects the commitment of our MVA students who demonstrated academic growth in both math and reading through their daily engagement with the digital curriculum. In an environment where flexibility meets high expectations, MVA has become a
011space where students take ownership of their learning with access to the guidance they need to stay on track. Maricopa High School boys volleyball team wrapped up a strong season by securing a spot in the first round of the AIA state tournament and finishing among top 16 teams in Arizona. They earned top 10 placements in both of their in-season tournaments and competed against some of the highest ranked programs in a very competitive 5A region. Just as important, the team maintained academic eligibility throughout the season, demonstrating a balance between performance on the court and in the classroom. Over the past couple weeks, we've just been really busy celebrating um a lot of things. Most importantly, we celebrated teacher appreciation week, school nurses day, and classified staff appreciation. These recognitions speak to the heart of what keeps our
012schools running. Students are learning because teachers bring equal part skill, heart, and hustle. Nurses know when it's Yeah. Nurses know when it's a big deal, when it's a band-aid, and when it's both. That's true. And our classified staff. Uh well, they're the reason the lights come on, the wheels keep turning, and the day stays on track. Every role matters. Together, they create the kind of schools where people go go allin so students can go all out. And that's my report. Thank you, Dr. Litwin. And I move on to item five, governing board members report. Member Rothschild. Good evening, everyone. And um first wanted to take an opportunity to congratulate all of our amazing students, teachers, um classified staff. We know that there's lots of work that goes on throughout the year. Um but this particular
013month, it's just been overwhelmingly amazing to see all of the progress, hard work, just the smiling faces, the winning teams, athletics, academics, just amazing. So wanted to applaud everyone uh for that. Um so much activity going on yesterday. Uh went to um uh Desert Sunrise with the intent of helping to uh judge a debate and was met with the surprise of a practice safety drill. And so with that, it was a reminder of all of the hard work and planning that our support staff and teachers do to keep our students safe. So while I didn't get to judge the debate, I'm sure they did amazing. Um but it was a great reminder that our student safety is always on the mind um of our support staff, teachers um and superintendent uh team. Um in addition
014um also got the privilege yesterday at Maricopa High School to celebrate some of our amazing seniors. Uh just to see the amount of scholarship dollars that are earned just here in our school district. Uh it was breathtaking. Um, I know parents are happy because that's less money that comes out of their pocket, but just a reminder of the amazing work um that is done not only here by our teacher, support staff, but also by the students and how creative they are. So, um, just congratulations in advance to all of the graduates and those moving on to um, their next year and their academic uh, journeys. That's all. Thank you, member Lopez. Thank you, President Downey. I was able to go to Santa Rosa school last week and got to partake in their career day, uh,
015which was a blast. I visited kindergarten class and a first grade class. Kindergarten class had lots of questions about careers, which was great. First grade class just mainly wanted to know what my kids' favorite foods were, which was also great. Um, but it was nice to be able to share and and help inspire and and water the seeds of our our young mind. So that's it. Thank you, Vice President Curte. Thank you, President Downey. Um, so this year is kind of fun because um I got to experience and attend some of firsts in celebrations. um was at the Desert Sunrise High School Senior Award night, a first. It was pretty awesome. Um and then last Friday I was at the Desert Sunrise FFA Awards followed by um a first uh kindergarten senior walk. So, the
016kindergarteners from uh Saddleback and the seniors from Desert Sunrise uh were on the football field and at sunset they actually walked to the 50ard line and then exchanged notes and hugs and it was an awesome experience. One of the teachers um came up with the idea and it was so heartwarming to see the kindergarteners just saying, "Wow, here I'm coming." And the seniors going, "Well, now I'm going." So, it was actually really cool and it was the first ever. Um, I've also was able to attend the Butterfield Talent Show. Um, and I was at the MHS underassman awards yesterday. No. Yeah, yesterday. And then the senior awards last night. Um, I try to make a commitment to attend at least one event um, for each school just to show our support and the achievements of
017our staff and our students. Uh, there's been some years where I have not been able to complete it and I'm really hopeful that I'll be able to hit everything this year. So, I'm off to a good start. Um, and I did attend the trashin show at Desert Wind Middle School, and that was again another first that I think they're going to keep uh doing annually, but what fun that was. The creativity of those kids is just amazing, and the research that they did for each country that they represented. I attended a city council meeting and I wanted to share this. Maricopa has what they call the citizen leadership academy. It's through the city, but recently, in fact, they just announced at the last council meeting that that class has been approved so that students can
018earn the seal of civics literacy to be applied to our high school seniors. They take the citizen leadership class and a couple of other um classes needed, but then they can earn an additional seal when they graduate. And I thought that was really cool and I wanted to share that. So, if anybody's thinking about that next year for parents and juniors out there, um, start thinking about it. It's really cool. Thank you. Thank you. Um, I actually sat in on an ASU teaching and learning webinar on durable skills for students. I attended the Maroba High School spring dance. Um, it was excellent. The production, the sound, the dances, choreography, just absolutely amazing. I would just recommend put it on your calendar for next year. It was a good probably hour and a half of constant
019entertainment. Really good. Um I was able to judge two of the uh Desert Sunrise speech and debate sessions. Impressive, excellent from the um eight contestants that I was able to review. some of the interesting winners I thought were interesting. Um, they voted well the one the three that I came to mind that one schools should require uniforms. I thought that was an interesting one for a high school too. I'm going college education should be totally funded by public funds and self-driving cars are safe. um interesting comments and uh just interesting to um hear the the informed and educated input from the students. Um they all at least all the ones I seen were really good and um as some of the other members were saying last night I attended the um Maroba High School um
020honors graduation class. Um again a lot of impressive students. I think it was just over 34 million in scholarships for seniors that are seniors um actually achieved this year. Um a lot of money, a lot of happy parents out there. They're not going to have to fit the total bill. And that's all I have. So move on to um item 6A, retire recognition. Dr. Lukeman. Thank you, President Downey. Tonight we celebrate the lasting contributions of our retirees. On behalf of the governing board and the entire district, thank you for the time, energy, and heart you brought to your work. Your legacy lives on in every classroom, every hallway, and every life you touched. At this time, I'd like to invite our governing board to join me down on the floor as we recognize each one
021of these extraordinary people and their extraordinary careers. And now I'll turn it over to director of communications. Well, good evening everyone and thank you all for joining us tonight. We have the distinct pleasure of celebrating some truly remarkable individuals who have devoted many years um to serving the students of Maricopa Unified School District. As they step into this new chapter filled with travel and grandchildren, hobbies, and no alarm clocks, we take this moment to honor them. I'm proud to recognize this group of educators and professional support staff. Whatever your role, I assure you, you made a difference in the lives of students. On behalf of our superintendent, the Maricopa Unified Governing Board, and the 9,914 students we serve, I extend to each of you our heartfelt gratitude and appreciations. Now, it gives me great pleasure
022to present the Maricopa Unified School District retirees. Please come forward when I read your name to receive your recognition. and then make your way to the stage. Um, and please remain standing on the stage until the end of the recognition and we will all join each other or we'll all join each other for a group photo. Congratulations to Dr. Lorraine Connley, director of data and assessment from academic services. nine years of service. Zoya Cruz Beckett, EEL and Spanish teacher from Maricopa High School, 12 years of service. Paula Pavlowski, administrative assistant, Maricopa High School, 12 years of service. and Deborah Bailey, kindergarten teacher from Santa Cruz Elementary School, 13 years of service. Kathleen Deetsz Jerome, kindergarten teacher from Maricopa Elementary School, 13 years of service. and Judy Whitlock, bus aid from transportation, six years of service.
023And Epipano Sanchez, groundskeeper from maintenance and facilities, six years of service. L. Rodriguez, custodial rover from maintenance and facilities, 25 years of service. And Lisa Baker, librarian from Maricopa Wells Middle School, 22 years of service. Some of our retirees could not be with us tonight, but we still want to recognize them for their service. Terry Vio, maintenance worker from maintenance and facilities, 19 years of [Applause] service. Christa Holder, business accountant from business services, seven years of service. [Applause] Pablo Reyes, groundskeeper for maintenance in the facilities, 10 years of service. And Thomas Lad, food service maintenance from maintenance and facilities, seven years of service. And finally, Rosa Lopez Soberanis, custodian from Maricopa Elementary School. 10 years of [Applause] service. Retirees, retirees, thank you again for your service to the Maricopa Unified Skist. We wish you well
024in your next venture in life and many relaxing days filled with laughter, good health, and happiness. Congratulations and best wishes on your retirement. Governing board and Dr. Lopman, will you please join our retirees on the stage for a group photo? There you go. Very nice. Congratulations. Thank you and congratulations to all those that um retired have a great retirement. And we now move on to item 77A classroom spotlight Miracle Elementary School. Dr. Robinson. One moment please. Good evening, President Downey, board members, and Dr. Lopeman. My name is Jennifer Robinson, principal of Maricopa Elementary School. Thank you for the opportunity to share our classroom spotlight, differentiated instruction for all. Our focus aligns with the district strategic the district strategic plan goal one, every scholar graduates. more specifically 100% of scholars at or above grade level. This
025focus aligns with the portrait of a grad as evidenced in the innovator, communicator, and resilient achiever. After analyzing state assessment data, we identified gaps in how to scaffold instruction to meet the diverse needs of our scholars. This ensured all scholars had access to challenging and appropriate standard specific content. We explored ways to foster engagement knowing the importance of cultivating and sustaining scholars active involvement, interest, and enthusiasm in the learning process. Teachers used explicit learning targets aligned to the state standards. This clarity helped our teachers design focused instruction, building a strong foundation while allowing scholars to understand what they are expected to learn. Our teachers understand the importance of building building scholar agency by offering different ways to demonstrate their learning. This could involve allowing scholars choices in how they demonstrate their learning in various ways
026that aligns with their strengths and interests. We adjust our classroom settings and routines to support all learners needs. We provide quiet workspaces or areas for collaboration and vertical workspaces. This year, we used funding from our vision and project mo project momentum budgets to support and empower teachers in delivering differentiated instruction aligned to the rigor of the state standards. We worked with education elements and had three different training sessions focused on scholar ownership of learning with learning targets and success criteria, high scholar engagement and higher order questions. We continued our work with Kagan cooperative learning and having a one-on-one coach. We participated in building thinking classrooms book study. Through classroom observations, we realized we were overly focused on our math workbook and we were missing opportunities for intentional scholar engagement and creating conceptual understanding. In January,
0273rd through fifth grade teachers voluntarily began a building thinking classrooms book study, meeting weekly to discuss ideas, share strategies, and implement research-based practices to differentiate instruction for all of our scholars. These meetings strengthened our collective efficacy and created a safe space for our teachers to share successes, challenges, and quick refinements to maximize learning for our students. We continued our work with Michael Roberts to support and strengthen PLT work. After analyzing our winter fastbridge and mimic data, we saw the need for a more intentional differentiated instruction. In our PLT meetings, grade level teams reviewed the standards analysis and developed targeted plans using the AASA or the state assessment blueprint as a guide. Fifth grade teachers focused on numbers and operations fractions that makes up 33% of the endofear math test. Aligning DO levels with standards along
028with clear learning targets, success criteria, exit tickets, and building academic vocabulary. Our instruction is focused and improved scholar clarity strategies like vertical and collaborative workspaces. Kagan structures, defronting classrooms, and standard-based questions boosted engagement and thinking. As a result of this intentional work, fifth grade went from 7% proficient on the mimic or the pretest to an increase over time from 70% to 77% and 80%. I would like to introduce Mr. Sha Jones. This is his second year teaching at Maricopa Elementary. Mr. Jones is a teacher leader who embraces researchbased strategies to positively impact scholar learning while elevating the conversation around teaching and learning. He will focus on the math standard related to numbers and operations and fractions. his learning target. I can solve and create real world problems with addition and subtraction of fractions with unlike
029denominators and explain my reasoning clearly. I will be facilitating two thinking tasks today. Math makers is a thinking task that fosters students intellectual risk-taking while providing them with the agency to lead their own learning. Given a standardsbased skill, scholars will create real life problems that are culturally relevant and engage them in Kagan structures. They will use non-permanent vertical workspaces to create act to create application problems that are culturally relevant and also extend their critical thinking skills. AASA allstars is a thinking task that unpacks standards into application problems. By using application problems, students are able to create those deep connections that really build their learning and also um encourage them to dive deeper into the standards. Problems are designed based on the do level, cultural relevance, individual needs and interests of scholars and state standards. In
030these thinking tasks, scholars design application problems, connect ideas, analyze information, and justify their thinking. Okay, let's get started. So, I have two teams of AASA all-stars. Um, we have Jason, Kaylor, and Oed. And then I have another team of Julia and Kala. I have two teams of math makers, which is Alana and Amaya and Olivia and Kira. Right now, you are observing differentiated instruction and action for my fifth grade math scholars. um based on their consistent growth from a 7% preassessment to 80% just within a three-week period, I've really seen a mastery of the standard which has allowed me to design this uh these two activities really intentionally. Um one group is tackling rigorsbased standards application problems at DK level 4, which is really pushing them to connect the math to their community. Um the
031other group is demonstrating their understanding by creating their own standardsbased application word problems. You might hear them asking questions like, "What's the common denominator? What are the key words that you see?" Um, they're also making connections between the math and their own personal lives. Um, this differentiated instruction allows me to meet them at their level while giving them the agency to enjoy the learning. I know my scholars bring a wide array of assets and they bring them at various depths of understanding. Knowing this, I can analyze data and different differentiate instruction to facilitate equitable growth. Okay, so it looks like my teams are done. Now we're going to do a Kagan celebration which we call ballin. Okay, you guys ready? two falling. Okay. Um these activities reinforce reinforce their learning and foster creativity, cultural relevance
032and provide choice as they extend their critical thinking. This targeted approach assure ensures all scholars are challenged and engaged based on their evolving understanding of the standards. [Applause] So, some celebrations from a fifth grade math teacher. Implementing building thinking classrooms has created a dynamic math environment centered on collaborative high-level problem solving. The vertical non-permanent workspaces are key fostering visible thinking and learning, curiosity and scholar agency. We also have a fifth grade scholar who shared, "When we work together and compare our work, I understand the material better. Using whiteboards during showdown, a Kagan instructure, helps me see what I'm missing. It makes me feel more confident and my answers are more accurate. So our next steps, we'll continue to refine our teaching practice and differentiate instruction for all scholars. We'll be use utilizing building thinking classrooms
033in conjunction with Keagan cooperative learning structures to increase intentional engagement. designing tasks that re require our scholars to think and not just follow procedures. Our preschool through 2 grade special area and special education teachers will begin the building thinking classrooms book study in the fall. In August, our teachers will engage in Kagan engagement support focusing on refining building thinking classrooms through Kagan structures. Additionally, we'll receive Kagan one-on-one coaching in October to just enhance the alignment of intentional teaching practice to the rigor of the standards. And we'll also continue our work with Michael Roberts with our PLTS to keep it intentional. What questions might you have? Uh, no questions. One, just relieved that we didn't have to do the because I was getting nervous and was going to take the fifth. Um, but there were a
034couple words that you said that really stood out to me and one was the cultural relevance. I remember in school having to figure out when the train left here to get there. All of that I couldn't relate to that and that made it hard to solve. But hearing things like cultural relevance, being able to connect it to their community, um I think obviously has made a real difference. And so, um I would definitely say kudos, um to you as instructors and the students as well. You really seem to enjoy that. Um so that that was wonderful. Thank you for that. [Music] Um again, unpacking the application. So maybe I do have a question. Can you share a little bit about what that process looks like? Who's doing the unpacking? And then how do you then
035translate that into changes in the program? Well, everything that we do at our school is as a team. So unpacking the standards begins as like a fifth grade team and then within that there's our math team. Um we teach in diads, which means that I'm only teaching math. So, I really get to focus on diving into those standards, identifying the skills within them, the key vocabulary and language that those students need, and then I'm able to like present it in a way that's more accessible for the students so that they're not just seeing 5 NF. A.1, they don't know what that means. They're but they're going to understand, okay, this is fractions. We know to find common denominators. So just identifying those skills, the language, the rigor, but then also the prerequisite skills that the
036students learned in fourth, third, second, first grade, and also like the conversations that they have at home with their families about um fractions because those come up a lot in real life. Thank you. Okay, go ahead. Um, so building thinking classrooms, is this an expansion on I like thinking maps that you guys do? Is this just a next step into math into then taking that to the whole classroom or am I thinking of something else? This was truly a uh running conversation I had with Kristen Krueger who's over at Desert Sunrise and we were just talking about different strategies and then we I started talking with some folks from Desert um sorry Maricopa Wells and it they it we just started talking about the book. So we became more interested. I got some information and
037offered an opportunity for our third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers and every single one said, "Yes, we're in." We had five to six weeks after school where we just we looked at intentionally creating learning spaces and we learned together through this process. And it just it's it's it's not a program. It's just different strategies researched based around not necessarily teaching math. That's just what what it happens to be. So it will expand but it does align with the other programs and initiatives that we're using. Kagan cooperative learning structures is a way to intentionally create those groups. It's the vertical workspace that you see here. So learning is visible when we think about um I can't think of that um research but it it's now kids if they're at the vertical workspace they can look around.
038If you think about a traditional classroom work is typically on the desktop. So as a teacher in the room I can quickly see who has what and make adjustments or make suggestions. I love it. And I love that you're going to move it also to the K first and second grade as well and then build upon that. So, thank you. Very, very impressive. Scholars, you did an amazing job. I think I'd still be up there trying to figure out the fractions. [Applause] So, it was so impressive to see the data that you showed within such a short period of time, the increase. Um, but I I want to know what challenges you faced and how you overcame those. Some challenges that I faced was getting the kids to buy into the content. Um, for a
039long time, these kids were used to learning in a really traditional way. But in my room, I had to defront the classroom and really get those students to buy into their learning. And through doing that, I was able to facilitate activities rather than stand up in front of the classroom and give them information like they're a bank. Um, now in my classroom, these students, they stand when they work. They have to justify their thinking. So, I went from having a room of scholars who didn't necessarily realize their potential to now I have fifth grade leaders that are ready to go into middle school showing their skills and everything that they've learned. So, one challenge was really just like fostering that confidence that wasn't initially there just because of the traditional learning setting that they grew
040up in. Thank you so very much. I love hearing that and I hope that that is shared throughout the entire district because I think it's really really important that we build up our kids confidence. Thank you. Yeah, I agree. Um really impressive. Um when I was writing down I mean things that we've spoke to before about critical thinking, getting the kids to do critical thinking. I always say um out of the I'm one of six boys, I'm the only one that graduated high school, but I actually think my brothers are cleverer than I am because they learn critical thinking, not necessarily academics. They learn how to think and how to work and all had good lives, good careers. Um communication and teamwork. We know today's generations struggle at that. Struggle to get off that phone,
041off that um computer. So that I can see the kids talking to each other and working with each other. That's impressive. I can see fun. I assume that's what you're getting. I hear fun from you in the classroom that you're having fun. I'm sure that gets into the students as well. But if you're the teacher's having fun, the kids will have fun. Um I Kira, I think it's Kira, that's that was actually her statement that you read from the student. Um I'm not sure I could do anything as good as that to make a statement like that. It was informative. It was well structured and you had plenty of $20 words in there. Really impressive. Soon the rest of the kids are the same. Well done. Um, one of the themes I tend to call
042on, we actually give money to the schools to go and do things. We encourage schools to be creative. And this I'm not looking for a response from Dr. L. I'm not putting her on the spot, but one of the themes I come over is not every school that doesn't nec every school has to do unique things. We can share things and we should look for opportunities. I like the way you said halfway through the year you did a course correction, you did an evaluation course correction. That's what you need to do when you're doing something brand new. And well done on that. But also if it's a best practice that's maybe encourage other schools to pick this up and run with this. As I say, we give money. We encourage individualism of within the schools
043and the principles to try things. But if there's a best practice out and certainly as the other members are reflecting the increase in what three weeks I think it was from 7% to 80 to 80% in three weeks. I mean that's impressive. That is impressive. Something works here. And I want to go back to it just looks every looks like everybody's having fun and if you're having fun then you will learn and you will enjoy school and run into school instead of running out of school. So thank you all very much. Thank you. We now move on to item 7B, curriculum materials in MUSD core supplemental and auxiliary. Dr. Scott. Oh, I think I'll have some stuff to move around. What an impressive group of scholars. Correct. That's just absolutely amazing to watch. Good evening,
044President Downey, members of the governing board, Dr. Lopeman. Tonight, I'm here to share with you MUSD's practices regarding instructional materials implemented in our classrooms and with the processes that we put in place to asssure that this is done with fidelity. This is an ongoing process and I will be asking for approval of our supplemental materials at our next governing board meeting. We align our initiatives with our strategic plan and in this case we're focused on ensuring access of excellence to all of our students. In addition with our portrait of a graduate, we align our initiatives emphasizing our commitment to the five key attributes embedded into our portrait of a graduate. The two statutes provided on this slide provide guidance to all school districts regarding the core adopted text, supplementary materials, and textbook adoption process. In
045addition, our trust policies 5-207 and 208 define our curriculum adoption process and availability and access to instructional materials. I would like to calibrate the definitions of the different types of instructional materials within this slide. First, we have adopted materials, and these follow that formal adoption process that includes a 60-day public display and review of the materials and must include governing board approval. In addition, this includes all electronic digital resources and possible supplemental resources that are included with the adoption such as mass math manipulative kits that are tied directly to the units. Our supplemental materials are resources that we support financially provide data as well as provide ongoing professional development and training throughout the year. And our ancillary materials are materials that are specifically aligned to the adopted curriculum and enhanced lessons. Principles approve these materials
046and all of these materials are also aligned to state standards for our textbook adoptions including the recent math adoption. We adhere to the board policy and state laws to ensure proper procurement. Our process involves inviting multiple vendors and includes stakeholder groups such as K12 staff, administrators, and parents. We display materials at school sites in the district office for at least 60 days to gather back feedback before seeking governing board approval. Thanks to our governing board support, we provide enriching and up-to-date curriculum for teachers and students. Supplemental materials are approved in two ways. They are part of the governing board adopted textbook process or we bring annually a list to the governing board as you will see attached to this presentation. As part of the supplementary materials process, we have also added an additional level of
047security for our technology- based materials. We added the trust ed apps dashboard that is located on our web page under our educational technology. All all governing board approved electronic resources are found on this page. These are some of the examples of our ancillary materials that our principles approved for to be utilized within their class their classroom sites at each of the different classrooms. And here we've provided different examples of adopted text, current supplemental materials that have been adopted, and some of the ancillary materials. And I'm here for any questions. Doc, and maybe I misheard. Did you mention something about security for Yes. All of our electronic um materials have to go through a vetting process. And so they're vetted through our uh through our TIS's, through our academic services department, through our director of technology,
048and then we um put them all on our trust ed web page that's found under that educational technology piece. And then as far as the ownership of the materials, um are is it kind of a lifetime purchase? So once we purchase materials, do we own it? Is it more of a we have access to it for a certain amount of years? Great, great question. Our text, our adopted textbooks, we are adopting them for a seven-year period. So that way we can stay up to date with all of our curriculum based off of the state standards. So we have a timeline that has for each of our different core areas that has a 7year adoption process. Thank you. Adoption cycle. Dr. Scott, the supplemental materials though, those can be changed on a yearly basis depending on
049what the schools are finding the support that they need. Absolutely. And we will bring that to the governing board annually. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you, Dr. Scott. No problem. Now move on to it work study specifically a superintendent goal six improvement in the delivery of special education services. Dr. development. Thank you, President Downey. Uh the superintendent's goals, which are my goals, uh embody the district goals, which are articulated in the MUSD strategic plan and are crafted in pursuit of every student realizing the MUSD portrait of a graduate. At the board's direction, a sixth goal has been added to drive improvements in the delivery of special education services. You'll hear tonight from Mrs. Kristen Nash regarding her important direction of her staff, collaboration with principles and psychologists, and ultimately the teachers in the classroom. You'll see
050how we're making a difference for students on the metrics that matter, demonstrating growth towards individual goals, demonstrating mastery of grade level standards, and contributing to the culture of the school through participation in extracurricular activities. You'll also hear from members of my cabinet. Each of them will present their department's efforts and outcomes towards the improvements in the delivery of special education services. Miss Nash. Okay. Good evening, President Downey, governing board members Dr. Lopeman and cabinet. I'm excited to share the incredible work my team has accomplished this year with the exceptional student services department. While ESS touches all four goals of the strategic plan, tonight we'll focus on goal one, ensuring every student graduates by maximizing tier one instruction and supporting the whole child. When we think about the portrait of a graduate, we want all five
051attributes to be visible throughout our prek12 ESS experiences. This alignment is central to our vision and daily practice. This presentation provides an overview of the data related to Dr. Lman's goal six indicating progress we've made in several key areas. We'll explore matrix within goal six demographics, academic progress, and celebrations that reflect our growth and commitment. So, okay, MUSD's population is currently at 19%. As compared to the national average of 14, this is not unexpected given our district's unique setting, somewhat of an educational island. Most private and charter schools in our area do not typically enroll our high incident students. Looking up and then here you have our demographic breakdown which is actually pretty comparable to just Maricopa's demographics as a whole. Looking at third quarter progress grades compared to previous quarters, we saw improvements in
052K5 ELA which is in part to the Spalding implementation. When looking at 612, we saw improvements through our co-op models aligning with grade level standards and core curriculum. These metrics help us assess mastery of grade level standards. We're proud to report a strong percentage of ESS students participating in AIA sports as a true celebration of inclusion. We also brought back Special Olympics this year and eager to grow this program further. If you haven't had the opportunity to go see some of those events, it's pretty fun. All ESS seniors have individual transition plans in their IEPs. Even more exciting, these now begin as early as the students freshman year, helping them build post-graduation skills. So, celebrations, we have some powerful wins this year. School preschool inclusion jumped from 4.2% to 19%, which is a 352% increase
053in that inclusion model. When AD reviewed our files this year, we achieved 100% compliance on all of our subsequent files. Additionally, 100% of our transition plans were in compliance, another major milestone. We're also enhancing our in-person services. In the 2526 school year, all elementary sites will have in-person psychologists, which is important for customer service, especially for those families often experiencing the valuation process for the first time. We are excited to fill our compliance position in late November. Having this position assisted with the submission of subsequent files, all of which were found to be in compliance. Shown on the slide are her action steps in creating sustainable compliance with the use of the ADA guideeps, targeting trainings, and IEP reviews. Additionally, the lead psychologist position was introduced at the start of the school year to enhance
054support and oversight of our evaluation process. She played a key role in ensuring that the evaluation files reviewed by AD met compliance standards. Beyond that, she reviews incoming evaluations off offers targeted guidance to evaluators and has implemented systems designed to ensuring long-term compliance within ESS. These strategic actions received positive feedback from both school psychologists and related service providers, particularly due to the value of having dedicated individualized support. In partnership with academic services, we've created intentional professional learning opportunities. ESS staff have participated alongside general education teachers in sessions like unwrapping the standards and differentiation trainings. We have conduct conducted weekly walkthroughs in ESS classrooms to provide feedback. and support around success criteria and learning targets. We've implemented systems to strengthen communication and customer service, increase our training opportunities, continuous feedback loops with site administration. This year,
055we launched the ESS parent advisory committee, which allows me to connect more closely with families. This group is beginning is in the beginning stages in developing of a district-wide ESS PTO to host events and build a community. In July, we'll reopen the application to welcome more families. We had 30 join this year. Many were unable to attend regularly, but we are excited to grow this participation. Thank you again for your time and continued support. I'm incredibly proud of the growth, collaboration, and outcomes we've seen this year. The future of MUSD's ESS department is bright, and we look forward to continuing the work with passion and purpose. Any questions? I know it was a lot of information fast. Sorry. Yeah, that was pretty fast. I was right like really really fast. So, I might have to
056come back to you. You're good at some point and some stuff. Yeah, but you did a really good job. So, I don't So, first of all, thank you. Yeah, thank you for taking over a department program. Um, I'm happy to be here. Or a district program that really needed some help. I I'm really really grateful for that. That's where I came in was when things were not so good and we had a lot of angry parents and and I appreciate your attention to it. I do have just a couple questions so if you don't mind or do we let the other people talk? I was like, yeah, do you want them to go? You're you've already started. Go ahead. I'm so sorry. You got the floor. Okay. So, the um I might jump around here.
057the 352% inclusion because of how it says inclusion in preschool students. Is that also that much of a jump because of how we restructured it? 100% part of that restructure. Yes. Okay. Um and then are we keeping data now? Are teachers keeping IEP goalbased data? So, if we get a parent that comes and says, "I would like a copy of the data to support this decision," we now have those records. We are actively working on making sure we're taking that appropriate data. I know. Perfect. Everybody struggles with data and that's been a point of focus for us, but we're getting there. We're getting there. Perfect. um seniors with transition plans versus compliance on post-secondary transition plans. What's the difference there? So, every single student by the time they're 16 prior to a recent law change
058has to have a post-secondary transition plan in their IEP. Yep. So, all of our students by the end of their freshman year now legally have to, but all of our seniors do. Now, they don't have to master those goals, but we have to show that they're making progress to those goals to then help them in the workforce or whatever they're going to do postgraduation. And then are we is there plans to eventually do that uh for fifth grade going into middle school and middle school going into high school. I've actually met with my program specialist on that and we're starting we had several conversations especially with our middle school teams to make sure that they're already having those conversations with parents because I know it was me as a former ESS middle school teacher. Those
059conversations are so important to happen earlier. So, we're hoping to continue to just trickle that down to all the grade levels. Perfect. Thank you. That is all of my questions for right now. I appreciate you. Um it really is. I am so happy right now. I am just so I got goosebumps. Okay. And ESSPTO like we're working. Yes. Okay. That was it. Okay. Is there any other questions? Yeah. Yeah. Um it's not going to be as long as that. I promise. So, can you just ex explain to me what the listening sessions with stakeholders look like and how much participation you had in that? So, on average, we probably had about five parents show up to our parent advisory committee. We had them about once or twice a quarter. um and we sat down and
060listened to any of their feedback and then provided we did bring ud doll shame in to do some presentations. I had raising special kids come in and do a presentation for them. But it's really just been that open forum for that communication and I've built some good relationships that they've been able to like bring any concerns that they've had whether it was for their specific child or for somebody else that they've heard and then being able to talk to the site administration to address that. So, it sounds like those must have been some great presentations, especially bringing in those other people. Did we by any chance record that or have a virtual option that because some of our parents may not be able to come because they've got other commitments. We did have a virtual
061option when raising special kids came in and did that. Um, but we'll definitely have to explore that opportunity for our future one. Sadly, I think that's the way of the future that we're going to be going more virtual than in person. I prefer in person, but you know, that's not how today's living is anymore. We can definitely facilitate that. That Well, thank you so very much. Very impressive. Thank you for all of your hard work. I know you stepped into it and you've really um raised the bar. So, thank you. I appreciate it. Okay. Any other questions? Uh Director Nash, uh first of all, want to give you kudos. Um this particular area is very near and dear to my heart as a neural spicy person uh myself. Um so just kudos um when met
062with um Dr. um Lo um Lopman and um her team uh we talked in great depth about all the work that you've been doing. And so uh with that just a few questions. So the 8% to 100%. So, you're saying the first first visit as a as a um school district, we received an 8% rating. We had 8% compliance. So, out of all the files that we had submitted to them, we had 8%. We did have 60 days to correct those and when we gave them all those corrections, they were all found to be in compliance. And then we've given them subsequent files since and all of those files have been found compliant. Okay. Which is wonderful. Uh so with that then my question is um that progression was that documented? So should you win
063the lottery or something and we somehow fall back into less than ideal standards is that process documented to get us back to where we we have actively been creating those processes for the whole entire district. I will say even my previous district before I left I left them everything that I had created. I brought it with me too, but I left them everything. And even working with my team, we're organizing that stuff a little bit more better so that no matter who comes in, they have access to that stuff. Wonderful. Um I did have a question about the advisory committee. I believe you mentioned that um more parents would be invited next year. We're going to open the link again in July, just inviting everybody again to apply. So if more families want to join,
064they're they're welcome to. Those are all my questions. Thank you. Dr. Nish, I think you have another part of this to go through. I do. So come up. I've got Miss Miss Pastor, Miss Mr. Harmon, Miss Terry, and Mr. Beckett who will share their progress towards helping my department. Thank you. Right. Good evening. Um so here our cabinet members will be talking through some of the different strategies that we use in order to um build upon this work within the area of supporting our ESS students. Um here you see some of the actions that were taken to support um ESS students uh on part of the administrative services. I'd like to highlight uh a close collaboration I've thoroughly enjoyed working with Miss Nash, but also with the AP TOSA dean group, our behavior specialist, and
065with PBIS systems to provide training and support for equitable and best practices when uh disciplining students that have disabilities. Uh so this data here guides some of our uh continuous work and shows you a glimpse at um one way to look at this. What you see here are um the total number of incidents in which a student with an IEP or a 504 um resulted in an infraction that led to an out of school suspension. Uh that second column there is the total number of incidents for all of last year. And then your next column shows the total number of incidents for quarters one through three. So this analysis took us up till the end of third quarter. And then you could see highlighted on the last column there that we're showing improvement in the
066majority of our schools and um moving in the right direction. our uh next steps within administrative services uh are to I I really look forward to strengthening that collaboration collaboration so that we're not working in silos so that we're bringing together ESS school psychologist everything we do under the umbrella of PBIS behavior specialists our PBIS or our AP TOSA dean group and um working together for the prevention of behaviors that may lead to student discipline and then in the equity equitable um treatment and um fair approaches um towards handling that when it does happen. I hand it over to Mr. Harmon. Great. Thank you. To start the process of supporting special education through the efforts of business and facilities, we collaborated on ways we could enhance the classroom environments through cleanliness, lighting, and access to
067quality furniture and equipment. We conducted an audit um to identify any areas of concern. All of our campuses go through a deep cleaning process during the during the school breaks of summer, fall, winter, and spring. The audit noted that some of the classrooms needed to be um needed to go through a deep cleaning more frequently and have carpets extracted more than once a quarter. That led to developing a cleaning schedule on a monthly basis. The audit also helped assess the cost of upgrading the lights in our our special education classrooms to LED. We plan to begin those con those conversions in next year's budget. The custodial teams and extra volunteers stepped up to come in on breaks, nights, and weekends to deep clean and extract carpets and to go the extra mile for our special
068education students and make sure that they have a welcoming, clean classroom. These 43 special education classrooms received extra attention and care on a monthly basis from October through March. Our next steps will be collaborating with the SS department to refine our focus and frequency of cleaning and create a plan to enhance the sped classrooms with furniture and equipment upgrades to ensure that all students have safe and attractive learning environments. Miss Derry, hi. Good evening. Good evening. Um, our work with Miss Nash and the ESS department um was really around parent feedback and how to um make our web page more um digestible and having those core resources available for our families um easy to navigate, easy to understand. So, we started with our website. Um, as Miss Miss Nash said, she brought a wealth of
069knowledge and a lot of material from her other district. Um, so it made our job really, really easy. We just had to make sure that it was digestible um and and had a nice layout and was easy to navigate. Um, as you can see, our ESS web page is up to almost 1,800 views. And then we also worked on um some different onepagers um that included the idea timeline, the child find flowchart and the ESS lease restrictive environment process. And again, Miss Nash brought us all of the information and we just helped it helped make it a little more digestible um and gave it a little um visual flare and some branding. Um what we noticed um as we as we revamped our our web pages um and our website in general was that um
070our our analytics were really very basic. That's the those are the analytics that came along with the website. So, our next steps include inserting some code so that we can start using Google Analytics so that we can dive in a little deeper to see where people are spending the most time. Are they downloading these onepage IDA timelines for their own use? Um, how many visits each of those things are getting so that we can really start to tell where our families are spending their most time. And then with that, I'll turn it over to Mr. Beckett. Thank you. Obviously, the action steps that you're looking at here tonight reflect uh the challenges that not only Maroba Unified School District faces, but also districts across the United States. It's getting the appropriate people uh into the
071classroom for fill rates and also is focusing then on making sure that they're appropriately certified. Those six steps were uh action steps that we took this year. These are the outcomes that we're looking at. As of July 2024, we had 100% fill rate. Very excited about that. U excuse me, a 95% fill rate. Again, our goal is obviously to get that 100%. Additionally, we were looking at appropriately certified. Not all of our teachers are appropriately certified for their assignments. And so there's a breakdown there of the percentage of people who are appropriately certified, those that are working on an alternative certificate, and those that were emergency certified. Additionally, I just want to thank the board for their good work on establishing the clear guidelines for studenttoteer ratios. That's been very helpful for us in terms
072of determining need and so that that work has been very very beneficial for us all. On top of that, not all we can not always find a direct hire when it comes to some of our positions. And so, as a result, we are working with contracted service providers outside of the district. And we have been working with Miss Nash and her department on establishing an approved list of providers. In addition, we're going to be taking some of the responsibilities away from the ESS staff and we'll be doing the screening ourselves in HR, allowing uh them to be able to concentrate on things directly related to exceptional student services as opposed to personnel matters. And then finally, I think a point of real note here is we actually filled all of those leadership roles in that
073department. uh we have gone the last few years not really filling roles that we needed to have filled and it's been exciting for us to be finally get that taken care of. Next step, we'd like to have 100% of our ESS staff appropriately certified by 2027 and that's our goal and I believe we have some questions and please if is there anything we can answer, we'd love to do so. I have a question for Mr. Harmon. That is a lot of information guys. very nicely nicely done. Thank you so very much. Really does help um not only us understand but anybody who's watching and our wonderful audience over there, which by the way, there's plenty of seats over here. Um so you said um part of the budget uh facilities was um the furniture and
074the fixtures. Are we looking at buying um more I don't have your duty furniture? What budget's that coming out of and what's the target date for that? Yeah. So, that's our next step. That'll be something we'll try to tackle next year. That'll start with a conversation and meeting with uh our special education department principles and then looking at the sites to see it could just be replacing existing furniture, could be looking at um flexible furniture, could be maybe their storage needs. Um we haven't really identified those areas yet. Um but that's what the plan is for next year. So, so that would come out of our capital budget then. Correct. Correct. Thank you. I have a question for Miss Pastor. Mrs. Pastor, sorry. So, discipline best practices. Can you elaborate more on what our best
075practices are? And then a follow-up question to that is equitable treatment and fair approaches. How does that look if for children and their families that may not follow through on their buy in or their their responsibility in those situations? So I'll start with your first question. Your first question was about um best practices and discipline um overall. So um we look at several things. we review uh statute in particular for K4 students we have some specific guidance of um what can and can't happen and then our policies um there are two policies that give us uh significant guidance and then uh we also have um our student handbooks and the code of conduct. Um then another important part, a very important part of best practices with discipline is due process. Due process with students has
076four parts and I've um gone over that a few times with APOSA deans of what that looks like um and how that plays out with students of all ages. And then your second question was remind me the second question. So equitable treatment and fair approaches. So, how do you work with children that or and their families that don't follow through on their part of their responsibilities in a situation? If you're doing best practices and you're doing what you should be doing and the teachers are doing what they need to do, but the family may not be following through on their end. I guess my my bigger question is what is our staff left to to be able to to handle that? our our focus during training sessions is around um what is within our control
077especially when those moments are presenting themselves. Okay. So, with it, one thing that's very important to consider when disciplining students is to make sure that you've identified that the student that you're looking into a matter um has a a disability and that um you reach out to the case manager to get some more information so that when you're speaking with the student, as the dean, for example, I'm taking into consideration the fact that I now know this is a student um with autism and here are some things the teacher told me is important to know in working with with him or her. Um and um and to make sure that we reach out and collaborate with those staff members when we work with fa families. Um I I love how Miss Nash talked about how
078we're opening those doors for building relationships and partnerships to get as much support as we can because that is within our control. Thank you. Oh, Miss Pastor, um, Member Lopez, uh, triggered a a question, um, which is one of the reasons why I love having all these board members up here with the different mindsets and different ways of thinking. Um, training for our teachers because a lot of our IEP students are in our general education classes. um what is the training looking like going forward so that all teachers know how to handle this the various situations because I know that there could be a situation happening in one grade level in a classroom and the admin is there but then there's another situation happening because you know it does kind of happen sometimes at the
079same time and we can't clone everybody. So, how are we training our teachers and are we making sure that our teachers are understanding all of our best practices? Great question. Um, and something I'm looking forward to when returning teachers come back on contract, but before student starts, we have some plans um for some consultants to come in and work in a couple of those areas. one in particular with preschool through second grade um uh because that age group is a little different and then another for our upper elementary and our secondary students that focuses on understanding um I call it behavior 101 uh some of the why behind um what some of the behaviors that we see and then some uh strategies on how to deescalate situations with all types of students. So, we have
080some great plans in place for right when teachers return. If I could just piggyback on that question and and I apologize if you've already answered it. Um, so there was a a slide that listed the increase and decrease in some schools for out of school suspension. uh for those schools that had increases, are we seeing a trend in a particular um behavior type or action that would result in us maybe looking at our processes or the way that we um are working with students prior to getting to that point? In short, are we seeing this one particular action or behavior that is driving that increase? And is there anything that we can do proactively to help curb some of that or give attention to? I think uh we need to continue to focus on looking
081at students because one thing I may not have um spoke about was those numbers do include um the same student that may have multiple incidents. And so, um, another data piece that was interesting to look at is the number of students that have are approaching or have more than 10 days of OSS. And so we want to um look at what revisions need to be made to IEP plans or 504 plans so that the same student isn't presenting in the dean's office with the same behaviors or similar behaviors repeatedly. So that is one thing that is an area we do need to work continue to work on. And are there other um demographics? Um is there another way to drill down even further to kind of look at uh specific demographics to identify any other
082uh trends that we might need to focus on? Yes, I typically at the end of the year do uh a more thorough analysis that looks at um all sorts of angles and I'd be happy to share that with Dr. mean to share with board. Thank you. All I'm going to say is uh to the group. Excellent. Um what a difference in 12 months. What a difference 12 months can make. Um I will say that um about two months ago, we actually went into some of the classrooms. I'm going to stir it up a little bit and say to the teachers and people who work in those classrooms, ask for what you need. Um there's some things that I've seen that were very simple that I think could help. For I'll give an example. Um I
083noticed that one of the teachers was using the the pad control and the student was having to use that. The student was struggling to use that pad. Ask for a big mouse. I mean seriously a wireless big mouse. Ask maybe for a light pen or something like that. I want to just encourage the people in those areas to ask for the things because there a lot of we don't have a lot of money but there is money available I suspect or can be made available for that type of stuff because not only will it help the student but it also helps the teachers and the supporting support staff in the room so they're not struggling um for three or four minutes to get someone to use this thing that I even I can't use. I
084mean I only can use a wireless mouse or a wired mouse. So just encourage people to ask and um make it a no, but if you don't ask, you definitely have a no. So thank you all. Really impressive. Sorry, Dr. Lman, do you want to wrap up? No. Okay, that's that's that's that is it. That's the progress report. Thank you. Thank you. Very impressive. Okay, we now move on to item nine. Call to the public. A member of the board may not discuss items that are not specifically identified on the agenda. Therefore, pursuant to ARS 38431.01i, 01 I action taken as a result of public comment will be limited to directing staff staff to study the matter responding to criticism or scheduling the matter for a future agenda. The board requests that all comments be
085limited to three minutes or less and the public refrain from use of speech or language that is offensive or inappropriate pursuant to policy 3-203. Please state your name and just reinforce you only need to state your name even a little card calls for your address. Um, Maya Jubberry. Okay, I can go now. Okay. So, uh, good evening everyone. Uh, my name is Makia Dubberry and I I stand before you today to share the distressing and ongoing ordeal my son Jamir Deubberry Milton has endured at Maricopa High School due to harassment, discrimination, and systemic failures of this administration. Since February 2025, Jir's teacher, Miss Zoya Beckett, has repeatedly accused him of cheating, leading to unwarranted disciplinary referrals, seat reassignments, and a drastic drop in his grade from a B to no failure. Both referrals were thrown
086out. Unfortunately, the issues continued. In March of this year, we sought help from the dean of students, Mr. Miller. uh upon several calls, several emails um that were not answered, I had to go in to be able to meet with him to discuss my concerns that I had with Mrs. Becket. Every meeting that I had with Mr. Miller, he would tell me that he would get Mrs. Becket and my son together for a meeting. We only had one meeting scheduled where my son came to school early and Mrs. Becket did not show for the meeting. Unfortunately, we were gas lit every time I met with Mr. Miller to believe that he was helping us and that we would be able to get this problem under control. Unfortunately, we never met. Um, and the problems persisted.
087Um, even when Jir would go to Mr. Miller himself, um, Mr. Miller at one time mistaken him for a student that was suspended. Um, meanwhile, this left Jir feeling very anxious and demoralized. Unfortunately, the situation escalated in May. May May 6, Mrs. Becket physically snatched a packet from my son's hands after denying him the appropriate amount of time he was entitled to finish the packet after an excused absence that Monday. On May 8th, in a meeting with the principal, Mrs. Becket and my son. Miss uh the principal um later found out that she was violating policy. Due to his absence on Monday, he should have been allotted an additional day to finish the packet rather than having to finish the packet during the class. After much going back and forth, Mrs. Becket agreed to allow
088him to finish the packet and that he would pick it up that day. My son went in to pick it up after the end of his class. She was not there. He called me at 2:33. A teacher who was on the phone with Mrs. Becket attempted to help my son find the packet. Um, he was not given the right packet. It was wrong. He explained that, but he was dismissed. The next day, May 9th, I met with Miss Pastor to let her know of the issues. Is that my time? Yeah, that's your time. Are you going to finish it pretty pretty soon? Yeah, I'm almost done. I let her know a little bit longer, but um please respect the time that everybody gets. Yes, I let her know of the issues as well and her
089and the principal talked despite the no contact order and directive on May 12th. Miss Beckett confronted my son twice in one day. Once going into his econ class and demanding he take the test and then snatching the test from him during that class. She again intimidated him when he was in another class to take the test without her. She would not allow Sorry. Um, we need to if you're speculate, everybody does. I don't mind going over 10 or 15 seconds, but um, that's fine. Um, Dr. Lman is part of this process. Can we ask you to look into this and study this, please? Yep. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Um, we have Gabby Potter. Hi, good good evening. My name is Gabby Potter and Joan Moss with the American Legion Axelary and we would like
090to thank MUSD for the support during this school year and with our programs that we have. One of the programs was uh provide um school supplies to me military families. Uh we are going to be presenting uh citizenship awards to for MUSD elementaryaries um students for their outstanding behavior. Uh we uh had the opportunity to recognize um seven senior students joining the armed forces after graduation and also we would like to thank you for the support to our local veterans and your partnership with the Veterans Day parade. Um, we present this plaque in recognition and sincere appreciation for the assistance which contributed to the advancement of the American Legion programs. Thank you so much. Thank you. And and we have a citizenship pen for Mrs. Lman. Thank you. Yeah, that's a real quick. Maybe we'll
091do Can we do it whenever we break for the executive session which might be pretty soon rather than going through me. Thank you. Okay. Um, we now move on. That was that was the last one. We now move on to note item 10 consent agenda. So moved. Second. Lisa, we have a motion to second. Shante Rothschild. I. Carolyn Lopez. I. Patty Catra. I. Robert Downey. I. So moved. We now move on to item 11. Action item specifically 11A. Discussion and possible approval of the personnel schedule. Mr. Packet. Thank you. President Downey, members of the governing board, and Dr. Loen. You have the personnel schedule in front of you tonight. Uh, I will take any questions you have at this point in time and I have some introductions that we can make. Mr. Beckett, yes. Where
092are we at as far as going forward to the next school year? At this point in time, member Coutrey, we're looking at 13 classroom positions still open, five specials positions still open, and four special education classrooms still needing to fill. So, we're we're working on those solutions. About two months yet. We're cautiously optimistic we'll be ready. I noticed on the on the HR agenda there's a lot of uh resignations and the classified areas as well. Um I know that that's one area that we've been addressing. I appreciate that. Um, and so I am also looking forward to hearing what your plan is for our paras because I know that that's a big that's a big one that we see throughout the year and I know that that's not an easy position to fill and to
093retain. I mean, we've we've been very fortunate with some that have stayed for a very long time and I'm I'm very grateful, but I also have seen that turnover and so thank you. [Laughter] Love it. Any other questions? I'd like to make a motion that we approve the HR agenda. Second. Lisa. Lisa. We have a motion to second. Shante Rothschild. I. Carolyn Lopez. Hi. Patty Catra. Hi. Robert Downey. I. So move. Thank you, Mr. Becket. May I move on to item? Oh, no. He's got some Oh, that's right. You have some recognition. Make some have some people special people in the audience tonight. I'd like to introduce like to first start with Karen Vieiraa. Karen is going to be our new Pum principal next year. [Applause] Additionally, I'd like to recognize uh Crystal Eim as
094well as Victoria Malone. Both of these women were involved in our lead forward program this past year. They'll be moving from the classroom into teacher on assignment roles at our elementary school. And have both of them stand, please. And then finally, I just want to recognize a rock star that we have had at MEES for quite a while. Uh this year, Tasha Copper is going to be moving to Butterfield Elementary School to support that school. And we're thrilled with this uh this uh her willingness to do this. I think it's gonna be a great team over there at Butterfield. So we like to recognize her tonight as well. [Applause] Thank you, Mr. Becket. I move on to 11B. Discussion of possible adoption of the resolution approving an the MOU regarding the possible boundary adjustment. Mr.
095Harmon. Thank you, President Downey, members of the board, and Dr. Loman. You have an agenda item before you to approve a resolution um to sorry to adopt the resolution to approve theou which will start the process to finalize this um minor boundary adjustment. Take any questions you might have. Mr. Harmon, I actually I was not able to attend the uh the session that we had regarding um uh the proposed boundary uh with Kasa Grand Union, but I did watch it afterwards. Um, unfortunately there was no comments and questions, so I don't know if we just did an excellent job explaining it. I'm going with that version. So, but thank you. Um, the information was, you know, very clear, very concise, and very easily understood, and it's obvious that, um, all three districts want this to
096happen. And it makes perfect sense that Maricopa residents go to Maricopa Unified Schools. So, any questions? Make a motion to approve theou. Second. Lisa, we have a motion to second. Shante Rothschild. I. Carol Lopez. I. Patty Catra. I. Robert Downey. I so moved. Everyone to item 11 C. approved to adjourn to executive session pursuant to ARS 3843103A3 and 4 discussion and or consultation with legal advice with the board's attorney andor to consider the position and instruct its attorney regarding renewal of the superintendent's employment and related superintendent employment agreement and performancebased pay plan and related matters. The attorney may be in person. I believe the attorney will be here tonight. Um yeah. So we need a a motion a second to motion a second. Lis have a motion to second. Shante Rothschild. I Carol Lopez I.
097Patty Catra. I. Robert Downey. I so move we now move into executive session. There is one other action item. There might be one other action item after the um after the executive session, but I cannot guarantee how long we're going to be in the executive session, but you're more than willing to stay. What do you want? Hello. I don't know what I won't. Okay, thank you. M it is 9:50. We're now back in general session. Um just a note that member Lopez needed to leave. Um we're now move on to item 11D action to approve the direction given to the governing board attorney if any during this active session. We actually have given direction to the governing board attorneys. We're now um the motion here is to basically approve that the attorney can talk to
098Dr. Lopeman and do a new contract. So moved. Second. At least we have a motion to second. I I I so moved. We now move on to item 12. Ajurnn. Motion. Second. Please have a motion to second. I I I so move we're not adjourned.