001to order the regular meeting of the governing board 6:00 and we're going to start with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence and we will be led in the pledge by Hannah Ganyon. >> I pledge allegiance 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. >> All right, thank you. First up, discussion and possible action to approve the board meeting minutes dated July 7th. Get them. >> So moved. >> First, do I have a second? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Aye. >> All right, construction update, Amber Bordas. >> President Davis, members of the governing board, tonight I have a construction update. So, each month we provide a construction report to provide an
002update on all district projects. This presentation aligns under effective operations and systems. All projects are planned to optimize the use of available funds. Tonight's projects are largely funded from the new school construction dollars by the schools facility division due to our student growth. In looking at our district, Queen Creek Unified serves 48 square miles. We currently have 15,600 students and for planning purposes, we look at our district in three regions. We have the northern portion of our district which which serves the city of Mesa or the Eastmark area. We have the central portion of our district which is largely the town of Queen Creek. And then we have the southern portion of our district, which is also in the town of Queen Creek. Um tonight's presentation, you're going to hear about projects that are in
003the northern portion of our boundaries and the southern of our boundaries. The first one is Eastmark High School, which is in the northern portion of our boundaries. We were excited to be able to add the last remaining parking lot to this campus. Um this campus is you'll see that there's a picture here, but this is currently available for students. Students are parking there. It was ready for the start of the school day. This was funded through the SFD based on our academic space allocation that we received last year. But this project is completed. Remaining at Eastmark, we have our locker room area. This was part of our PE academic space that we were providing to the campus. Originally, we weren't able to complete this project due to funding limitations, but now that the SFD released
004the remaining 3%, we were able to add scope back to this project. We have the wild the wall tile is complete. The coil doors have been installed and it has passed the health inspection. Right now it's being cleaned to be able to turn over to the site. There was a bit of a delay in this project as we were trying to match the windows to the existing campus, which took a little bit longer. But we anticipate this will be ready for the site in the next couple of weeks. Now we're moving over to the southern portion of our district. We're looking at Crismon High School. We were able to pave the main student lot on this campus. It provided approximately 600 spaces. This was available for the first day of school to students and they
005were able to park on paved parking rather than that gravel lot that we've had since the school opened. This was funded due to new student growth and we were able to pay for this with school's facility division funds. There is one last portion of the parking lot at Crismon that's currently under construction and meeting with the contractor on Friday, they anticipate that that'll be done by the end of August and that'll provide additional spots to the campus as well. As we know, this campus is growing. Remaining at Crismon High School, we were able to add the hit space, which is additional out like PE space, if you will, but it's outdoor. We have these spaces at Queen Creek High and Eastmark High School, so we were able to add this to Crismon High School using
006those additional funds for academic square footage. All the exterior work's complete. I saw students in this area last week. Weight equipment was delivered and is currently being put together, but they are utilizing this space. This next project is at Crismon High School. This is the field remediation project that we're working through with Core Construction. We were having drainage concerns from this project that was impacting the track and also the field area. The drain work has been completed. They were able to aerate the ground to help with our soil. What we love about having great partners in our district is that we were actually concerned with the grass growing in this facility because we didn't feel like it was meeting expectation. Core Construction met with us right away. They addressed the concerns and this field is
007being completely resodded. It's anticipated to be completed by Friday. It's still on track to be turned over by August 24th so they can have their first home football game. Against Eastmark. So it'll be a fun Eastmark against Crismon game, which is so fun. And then the last one we wanted to bring to your attention is we were able to expand the bleachers on that multi-purpose field to support athletics and that has been completed. So we were able to double the capacity on the home side to support home games. And at this time I'll take any questions. >> [clears throat] >> Any questions? Just wanted to clarify. So like the additional bleachers and things like that, we were able to find that from through some of our SFD funding and things that were left over. So,
008it wasn't new money that we were spending, but rather money that's very specific to the campus. >> Correct. So, the award came from the new schools the schools facility division under new school construction and you have to utilize those funds for the award that you have that project. Yes. And you'll see that under an action item we have a capital planning and it specifies where we're asking for that growth and that's how that money's allocated and we have to spend the dollars on that campus. >> Perfect. Thank you. >> Great question. Any other questions? All right, thank you. That brings us to our superintendent's report, Dr. Berry. >> Uh President Davis, members of the board, community members, thank you for being here. I give my strategic I give my superintendent report through the lens of
009our strategic plan. I'd like to first um recognize uh strategy number one. Our priority number one, let me start over. It's been a minute. Uh priority one is safe and healthy environment. I'm sorry. I'm still backwards. I'm going to start over again. Priority one is effective operations and before students ever walked into the classroom this year, hundreds of employees had already had uh been at hard work uh making sure that everything was ready. And one of the thing things [clears throat] our community doesn't always see is the planning that goes into opening our school doors each and every year and I want to personally recognize our maintenance and grounds department, the custodial um the small but mighty HVAC crew, Amber Bordas, the HVAC partners that pulled off uh a great opening. Uh let's give them
010a quick round of applause. I would also like to recognize our transportation department. Every day they safely transport thousands of students across one of the fastest growing communities in the country that's um often times under construction and uh rain or shine and in our case 110° heat, they show up every day focused on getting students safely to and from school. We have a fleet that's I think we have 85 drivers, we have trainers, trainees, route managers, mechanics, directors and and they they're like unsung heroes and I really appreciate all the work that they do. Yes, thank you. PRIORITY TWO IS A SAFE AND HEALTHY learning environment. Safety is always our top number one priority. And this month our sports medicine trainers attended specialized training focused on heat illness prevention, emergency response and caring for injured
011student athletes. Living in Arizona, training is especially important as our fall sports gets underway and it's extremely hot and humid out there. We also had approximately 70 staff members complete CPR and first aid certification before students returned. Coaches, paraprofessionals and special education staff all participated because we know that preparation matters. When emergencies happy happen, every second counts and we're committed to making sure our staff members are all ready. Priority three is effective partnerships. >> [clears throat] >> One of the things that makes Queen Creek special and unique is the incredible support we receive from our families and our community. We recently welcomed PTO and booster leaders from across the district for training and collaboration. These volunteers give countless hours to our schools and we're grateful for everything they do to support our students and the
012staff. Um So, let's give our PTOs a big round of applause. We also hosted our first of the year faith leadership break breakfast, interfaith breakfast. It was another reminder that when schools, families and businesses and faith organizations and community labor leaders come together around a common purpose, students benefit. Strong partnerships help build strong schools. Exceptional personnel. Just a few weeks ago, we had the privilege of wel- welcoming I think a hundred plus new teachers to Queen Creek during the new teacher orientation. Over four days, they learned about our culture, collaborated with colleagues, and began building a relationship that would help them and their students be successful this year. I also want to recognize staff members from Desert Mountain Elementary. Oh, uh did you want to show that video? No? Okay. I also want to recognize
013the staff members from Desert Mountain Elementary and Mountain Trail Academy who spent time serving ice cream at Handles and connecting with members of our community. Those conversations may seem simple, but they build trust and remind families that we're always approachable and engaged. And priority five is uh student success, the reason we're all here. And the best part of every week is talking to talking about our students. And at Crismon High School, our Link Crew students welcome freshmen to campus with tours, activities, encouragement, and plenty of smiles. And they set a tone for what it means to belong within Queen Creek Unified. Let's watch this video. >> That you can see that they have a little apprehension about coming to such a big school, but that's what we're here for. We do tour the whole school
014with them and get them feeling comfortable and we see that apprehension fade away hopefully by the by the end of the day. >> We're the Crismon Link Crew and we're super excited for our seventh and ninth graders to join us today. >> We hype them up in the auditorium, we play games together, so we're trying to have fun, build teamwork, [music] and also get them comfortable being here. >> They're super scared, so it's cool to see them get more comfortable in school and stuff. >> It's the go, you're going to love it. >> It's fun. No, I did enjoy it. First day of school, especially first week of school, they'll remember our faces and be able to be like, "Hey, where's this class? Where's this going?" >> The idea is that they form lasting relationships
015and >> [music] >> stick with their upperclassmen. >> Moving up to Queen Creek High School and Eastmark High School, seniors recently gathered before sun sunrise to celebrate the start of their final year together. It's one of those traditions that reminds us school is about much more than academics. It's about friendships, memories, leadership, and preparing young people for what's next. Those are the moments that define our district. And with that, that concludes my superintendent report. >> Awesome. Thank you. All right, that brings us to our call to public. I will read a statement and then we will go from there. Individuals who wish to address the board are requested to complete the appropriate form prior to the meeting and give the form to the board secretary. Members of the board may not discuss items that are
016not specifically identified on the agenda. Members of the board are also not able to comment even if the information is incorrect. Therefore, pursuant to ARS 38-431.01H, action taken as a result of public comment will be limiting limited to directing staff to study the matter, responding to any criticism, or scheduling the matter for a future agenda. The board requests that all comments be limited to 3 minutes or less and that the public or refrain from the use of speech or language that is inappropriate pursuant to board policy 1-302. In the event that there are more than five requests to speak, the time will be limited to 1 and 1/2 minutes for each comment. The board president also reserves the right to limit discussion whenever he or she deems such action appropriate to the proper conduct of
017the meeting. Okay, um we have more than five, so we are going to have a 1 and 1/2 minute uh limitation. So, first up is Michael Thompson. >> Make sure it's green. >> Is it? >> All right. Can you hear me now? >> Yep. >> All right. So, good evening, uh President Davis, governing board members, and Dr. Berry. My name is Michael Thompson, the engineering instructor uh at Crismon High School. I have the honor of teaching in Queen Creek Unified School District. I'm here tonight to personally thank the four governing board members who voted to approve this year's budget. That vote was about so much more than numbers on a spreadsheet. It was a vote for our teachers, for manageable class sizes, for competitive academic and CTE programs, and most importantly, for the nearly 16,000
018students who walk through our door every day counting on us. Um and I wanted to bring up one of our students who would uh thank you as well for giving us our resources and our certifications who have who had of which have already been purchased for those for our students to get certified at the end of the year. >> Uh yeah, so thank you for uh paying for the resources for us to be able to do this program, and yeah, pretty much. >> Now, I Lucian Colter Gonzalez, class of 2029, would like to thankfully say thank you to Queen Creek Unified District. I do would I just would like to say that it is incredible what you guys have done for us. I came in from 7th grade. I was in the engineering class, and
019I just like to say that it is incredible. The computer >> And that is all the time we have for you. Thank you. >> Thank you guys. Thank you for coming. Thank [applause] you for coming down here, you guys. >> Up next, Hannah Gannon. I just want to mention to the speakers tonight, it will count down on the timer so you can kind of see where you're at with your time. >> Good evening, President Davis, governing board members, and Dr. Berry. My name is Hannah Gagnon and I am a 2026 graduate of Queen Creek High School's nursing program. Thank you for continuing to support and protect our CTE and nursing programs at Queen Creek High School. Because of your support, students like me have had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and develop skills that
020prepare us for future careers in health care. As a student athlete, if I had not been if I had been required to travel to Ebit, I would not have been able to compete in my two sports, link crew, and the on-campus CTE agriculture program along with nursing. Having the nursing program on campus allowed me to balance academics, athletics, and career preparation. Through this program, I have learned technical skills like taking vitals, as well as professional skills like communication, empathy, and compassionate patient care. Earning my CNA license has also given me the opportunity to work in health care and the career exploration activities helping to discover the nursing specialties that I'm most interested in pursuing in college this fall. Thank you again for investing in and protecting the CTE and nursing programs on campus at Queen
021Creek High School. Your support gives students opportunities that truly shape their futures. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Next up is Nancy Smith. >> All right. Good evening, President Davis, governing board members, and Dr. Berry. My name is Nancy Smith, and I have the privilege of serving as the nursing services instructor at Queen Creek High School. I want to begin by thanking you for your continued support of CTE and the nursing services programs on our campuses. The opportunities that you provide through CTE are truly changing students' lives. I want to thank you for approving a budget that puts teachers and students first, and for your commitment to ensuring our satellite CTE programs continue to thrive on our campuses. Because of your leadership, students don't have to choose between participating in
022their school communities and pursuing career training. They have the opportunity to do both. I am very proud of the accomplishments of the Queen Creek nursing students. Over the past 2 years, 100% of our nursing completers have passed the Arizona technical skills assessment, and 100% have earned their certified nursing assistant uh state board of license state board of nursing license. Even more exciting than all of that, several of my students are already working in health care while finishing their senior year or starting their college journey. They are already caring for patients and making a difference in our community. On the first day of every school year, I tell my students that my goal is to train them to become my co-workers. That one day I can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in a health care setting, working
023together to save lives and make people's lives better. The standard is high, but year after year, they rise to the challenge. Thank you for believing in our students and supporting our teachers and investing in our programs. Thank you. [applause] >> Uh next up is Bella Merdek Lopez. >> Good evening Oh. Good evening board members. My name is Bella Murdock Lopez and I'm a proud class of 2026 Crisman alumni. In my time at Crisman, I got to be able to be part of one of the amazing CTE programs offered, marketing. Originally, marketing wasn't offered at Crisman High School. As our school was growing, I spent two years hoping and asking for the program to be added. When it finally became available my junior year, it quickly became one of the best opportunities a part of my
024high school experience. Through marketing and DECA, I gained so much more than business knowledge. I developed skills in communication, networking, teamwork, professionalism, leadership, skills that will benefit me no matter what career I'm in. With the guidance of my amazing teacher, Ms. Storm, learning was always engaging and hands-on. Whether we were analyzing Super Bowl commercials, creating marketing projects, competing in DECA, or attending DECA events like NASCAR or the Cardinals game, I could always count on the opportunity to grow my passion for marketing and business. These experiences also grew my passion for owning my own business someday. Not only to help me provide an advantage in pursuing a career This Not only helped me provide an advantage in pursuing my career because my TSA certificate, along with my customer service and sales certificate, allowed me to excel
025in my first ever job interview where they offered me the job on the spot. All this said, I would like to say thank you to our board members. We are beyond grateful for your help. We encourage you to support the CTE programs as they've supported us because at the end of the day, these classes aren't just a class. They help you build or help you build a resume. They're laying the foundation to a brighter and more successful future. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you. Next is Summer Morris. >> Good evening, President Davis, Dr. Perry, and board members. My name is Summer Morris. When I was asked to speak about the importance of CTE courses, I agreed because as is issue matters deeply to my family. Both of my daughters graduated from Queen Creek High
026and both found their passions through CT classes. My youngest, class of 2022, took culinary arts and agriculture. Those classes sparked her love of cooking, animals, and nature. She recently graduated summa laude from ASU with a degree in biological sciences. She is going to pursue her master's and hopes to work in conservation and field research. My oldest, a 2019 Bulldog graduate, took graphic design with Mr. Ramirez for 3 years. She told me those classes helped her discover what she wanted to do and gave her the foundation for her career in design work. After earning her degree in digital design with an emphasis in animation, she worked for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Cardinals, ASU Athletics, the Rattlers, and the Phoenix Suns. Last month, she accepted her dream job as a motion graphics coordinator for the US Soccer
027Federation. Without these CT courses on campus, I truly believe my daughters would not have discovered their career paths as early as they did. These classes provide real-world skills and give students the chance to explore careers before they graduate and enroll for college. Not every student will find their passion through CT. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Next, Veronica Pelayo. Sorry if I mispronounced that. Uh there's a Vivian and a Veronica. >> I'm Vivian. >> Okay. Well, Vivian then. >> Yeah, okay, sweet. >> Good evening, President Davis, Governing Board members, Dr. Berry, and members of the community. My name is Vivian Pelayo and I graduated from Queen Creek High School in 2021. During high school, I had the opportunity to participate in both the graphic design program at Queen Creek High School and the Evit Future
028Engineers program. Looking back Looking back, both experiences helped shape my future in different ways. The Evit Future Engineers program helped confirm that architecture was the career path I wanted to pursue by exposing me to different engineering fields, and the graphic design program gave me the skills and confidence to succeed once I started that journey. Today, I'm studying architecture at Arizona State University, continuing into my master's program, and gaining professional experiences through internships. Because of the graphic design class that I took at Queen Creek High School, I entered college already familiar with the programs like Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop, which are constantly used in architecture to present um diagrams and communicate different ideas. And beyond software, graphic design taught me how to present ideas visually, organize information, and confidently share my work. I also wanted to
029recognize my teacher, Mr. Ramirez. He connected students with opportunities beyond the classroom, including an internship opportunity through AZ Youth Force that introduced me to photography. Um since then, I've still continued to work at that. It's been 5 years since graduating in 2021, and it's been building these skill sets since then. And then, looking back, graphic design is much more than an elective. It gave me the skills, confidence, and opportunities that continue to benefit me today. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you. And last up is Veronica Pelayo. >> Good evening, board members. I am Vivian Pelayo's mom, very proud mom. I just want to restate the how important it is. You've heard many members here express the importance for this CTE, and I just want to say thank you to those that still believe in
030that, and to keep the programs at our schools so they the students have the ability to continue on campus, continue to bond with their friends, and if they want to expand their knowledge, there's they still can without having to leave the campus. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> All right, that is all of our call to publics, and we are now to our consent agenda. I can take this in its entirety. >> Move to take the consent agenda in its entirety. >> I first, do I have a second? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Aye. >> Can I make a quick statement? >> Sure. Yeah. >> I just want to say how excited I am and how grateful I am to the the Goldwater Institute for putting together the history curriculum we
031just voted to adopt. And for Katie for working so hard to bring it into the district. This is a massive opportunity for anybody who doesn't know. It's upwards of a $300,000 donation of a whole history curriculum that we just got into our district. It's a beautiful story of America, and I can't wait for you guys to be able to experience it. >> Yes, very exciting. >> And bonuses for teachers. There's going to be bonuses for teachers who who teach this, so very exciting opportunity. >> [applause] >> All right, that brings us to our public hearing. We're going to go ahead and call to order the public hearing to ARS 15-905 at 6:27. Um Okay, that brings us to our public hearing for proposed expenditure revision, Jessica Johnston. >> Good evening, President Davis, members of the
032governing board. Tonight we have a revision to our fiscal year 2027 operating budget. Um tonight's presentation falls under the key priority area of effective operations and systems, and uh specifically optimizing the use of funds, and as you'll see later on um in the presentation uh some one-time funds that are available um through the state's adopted budget. Um this uh slide is capturing our budget timeline for the year. Um our budget was proposed on June 16th and then later adopted in a public hearing on July 7th. Um that was the formal adoption and then tonight um in August we have our first revision to that budget. Um tonight's budget revision is um serving just a couple of key purposes. Um first of all um the Auditor General's office released the final budget forms uh after our
033budget proposal this year and so um tonight's uh revision uh revises that budget onto the final forms, which is required. This revision is in accordance with Arizona Revised Statute 15-905Q, which allows for that revision to take place in order to um capture any changes that were made by the legislature after the budget proposal. Um tonight's um budget includes the pupil funding um 2% increase that was included within our adoption, as well as some additional funding allocations, which are captured on page seven of the budget. Um there's also a minor adjustment to a special education budget on page two and that's to help ensure compliance with the maintenance of effort for fiscal 27. Um this evening we have um three pieces that are added on um to page um seven on lines 10 uh A, B,
034and C. Um that includes uh one-time allocations for uh additional state aid. There's a statewide allocation of about $75 million there, as well as a district additional a distance assistance supplement at 23 million. Both of those are allocated on a proportional basis to districts based on their ADM and that proportion of ADM that the district captures. Um as well as a one-time free and reduced lunch uh weighted uh uh supplement of $37 and that's calculated based on the district's proportional weighted ADM for free and reduced lunch. We're estimating based on those numbers that our state aid is about just under a million dollars of additional capacity and the district additional assistance is about $350,000 and then that additional B weight is about $225,000 of added capacity that we're adding to our budget with this revision.
035This slide captures just the difference between our adopted and our revised budget here tonight and you'll see down towards the bottom the total general limit that free and reduced B weight has been added to our operating budget and the maintenance and operations and then the district additional assistance and the one-time state aid has gone into our capital budget capacity. As far as next steps, again the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will adopt and finalize the tax rates for fiscal 27 later this month. We have the option to revise potentially our budget again in December and then final revision in May I'll be happy to share our fiscal 26 annual report with you in October this year. With that I'm happy to take any questions. Any questions? >> Okay, that brings us to our public hearing
036request to speak regarding expenditure revision for 26-27. Any requests to speak regarding that? Okay, so we will have an adjournment. Can I get a motion to adjourn? >> So moved. >> First and second. Okay, all in favor? >> Aye. >> All right, next up discussion or action items discussion and possible action to approve the FY 26- revised expenditure budget Jessica Johnston. >> President Davis members of the governing board Um, to your board documents is the revised expenditure budget for fiscal year 27. I recommend approval. All right, can I get a motion? >> I move to approve the FY 26-27 revised expenditure budget. >> I have a first. First and second, and this will be a roll call vote. Um, so Samantha, I. >> Jennifer, I. >> Matt, I. >> Kelly, I. >> The motion passes.
037Next up, discussion and possible action to approve the Arizona School Facilities Board Capital Plan. Amber Bordes. >> President Davis, members of the Governing Board, the capital plan is due to the Schools Facility Division on September 1st each year for any districts that are requesting additional, um, academic space. This planning document provides an opportunity for us to share growth projections and enrollment that we're enrollment that we're experiencing. The document is a formal request for new school construction dollars. All capital plans are reviewed by the Schools Facility Division over the next few months, and they provide a recommendation to their board in December. Queen Creek Unified is requesting the consideration for two elementary schools and junior high and high school academic space, specifically at Crismon, to complete that campus to support the projected growth. We're recommending approval
038tonight so we can submit this by the September 1st deadline. >> Wonderful. Any questions? All right, I'm going to take a motion. >> I move to approve the Arizona School Facility Board Capital Plan. >> First, I have a second. >> Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor. >> I. All right, personnel. I can take this in its entirety. First, I have a second. >> Second. >> All in favor. >> I. All right, announcements. Upcoming board meetings, Tuesday, September 8th, uh, Tuesday, October 13th, and Tuesday, November 10th. Calendar of events, Tuesday, August 25th is the business partner breakfast. Thursday, September 3rd is the LOL conference. Monday, September 7th is Labor Day, no school. And I can take a motion to adjourn the meeting. >> So moved. >> First, I have a second. >> Second. >> All
039in favor. >> I. >> Thank you all for coming. >> Thank you.