001meeting of the governing board. We're going to go ahead and call this meeting to order at 6 pm and we're going to go ahead and get started with the pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence. >> 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. Um, first up is discussion and possible action to approve the board meeting minutes dated January 13th. Can I get a motion? >> Move to approve the board meeting minutes. >> First, second, and second. All in favor? >> I. All right, that brings us to our construction update. Amber Bordis and Bob Lawson, President Davis, members of the governing board. Um, our team would like
002to provide an update on upcoming projects that are scheduled to support existing sites in the coming months. Um, this presentation falls under effective operations and systems. Projects tonight are made possible because of the adjacent le uh ways levy the governing board approved to support required road improvements and bus and fire lanes at school sites. Without this funding source, these projects would not be possible. An overview of our school district. We're currently uh 48 square miles. We serve 15,600 students. And for planning purposes, we look at our district in three regions. Our boundaries go up to the northern portion um on Warner Road all the way down to the bottom of the blue um looking at Empire Road and the projects that we're discussing tonight are in all three boundaries. And at this time, Bob's going
003to provide an update. >> Thank you, Amber. Good evening, President Davis, members of the governing board. As Amber mentioned, we have some updates for you tonight. Uh all of these updates are tied to our adjacent ways funding and the projects that we're doing with that funding. Uh first off, we have uh repairs and new paving to some of our bus and fire lanes. This will be occurring at several of our schools. Uh the first part of this is will be crack sealing uh the lanes, slurry coating, and then striping and curb painting um at Desert Mountain. Francis Brandon Picket, Faith Matters Hosman, Gateway Polytenic, Katherryn Mechum, Barney, New Barney, and Silver Valley. We also have new paving occurring at several of our schools. This includes Jack Barnes Elementary, Queen Creek Elementary, Queen Creek High School,
004and Queen Creek Queen Creek Junior High School. Those schools will be received there. We're actually going to do milling and then uh new pavement at those schools. We're currently working on the scheduling of the repairs with the contractor to start this spring and to be completed by this summer. We'll be coordinating the work with each of the schools and also community educa education to be sure that there are no disruptions to the school or any activities going on. Our next update is the Grisman High School to Cloud Road extension. Our last update uh tonight u is to provide you with information of the status of the project. What we currently have is the town has reviewed our construction plans and have they've now approved it. We're working with the irrigation district to move forward. Uh
005there's a relocation of a water line there. Uh construction is scheduled to start in March and be completed uh in July. This project is um again funded by adjacent ways. Uh this is going to include as you can see on the diagrams there a northbound uh paved roadway up to a roundabout that'll be on Cloud Road. And all of this uh will be completed again by mid July. And uh we are working with the uh the city as far as uh the final phases like the traffic control plans and things that'll be going on during that project. And with that, that concludes our update for tonight and I'd be happy to answer any questions. >> Any questions? All right. Thank you. That brings us to our superintendence report. Dr. Perry Barry. [clears throat] >> Uh
006President Davis, members of the board, community members, thank you guys for being here. I always give a superintendent report through the lens of our strategic plan that has five priority areas. And so I've got the lots of co lots to cover. Under priority one, effective operations and systems. I'll begin with this priority. And uh um this is really the foundation for everything we do as a district. A recent statewide review was conducted by the Arizona Attorney General's Office. This in-depth review is done annually and uses 10 key financial indicators to assess our district's stability or the stress level. They examine areas such as enrollment trends, budget capacity, reserves, and all kinds of financial health indicators. And this report comes to all Arizona districts throughout the state and was published by different media outlets outlets. And
007we are very happy to announce to our community and our board that um the attorney general's report designated Queen Creek as very low risk. And so as you probably have read or heard, there's tremendous financial pressures occurring and continuing to increase throughout Arizona. Queen Creek was not ind identified as a high risk in any one of their categories, confirming that the district's financial indicators remain well within the state guidelines and compare extremely favorably to districts statewide. This designation reflects Queen Creek strong financial stewardship, thoughtful planning, and long-term stability under the AG's review framework. Congratulations to everyone. Recent school choice and kinder roundup events uh were coordinated districtwide. District teams strategically aligned staffing, scheduling, and facilities uh to to ensure smooth operations across multiple campuses. We are proud of the families that continue to choose Queen
008Creek Unified School District. During this week, we had 410 new families visit our elementary schools and 300 new families toured our junior high schools, which was an increase from last year. And I'd like for you guys to watch this quick video. >> I'm Kennal, the principal of Jack Barnes Elementary School, and we are happy to celebrate school choice week. >> I chose this school because the teachers are absolutely incredible and the support staff is amazing. >> Kinder Roundup really helped us see what made Quick Elementary the right fit for our family. >> I chose No Barney College Prep because of the great teachers and community. It's helped me prepare for what's next. >> I love my teacher and learning. I like GBE because the teachers just believe in you every step that you take and
009they help you [music] every step you take and that just helps you grow confidence and everything. [music] Under priority two which is safe and healthy environment. This is equally important to strong operations is ensuring that our schools remain safe, supportive and healthy learning environments for all of our students and staff. Next week we will celebrate school resource officer appreciation day. Queen Creek Unified is fortunate to have three dedicated law enforcement professionals from Queen Creek and Mesa Police Departments helping to keep our schools safe. These officers have built strong relationships with our students and staff. They spend time in the classroom teaching our students about laws, amendments, and drug dangers. We are very grateful to have Chrisman's officer Shipman, Queen Creek High Officer Allen, and Eastark High School Officer Lantern as part of the Queen Creek
010family. Yeah. >> [applause] >> Priority number three is effective partnerships. It's something that we value. Um, strong schools are built through strong relationships and our district continues to benefit from meaningful community and industry partnerships. Queen Creek High School recently hosted a health science lunch fair connecting students in local Arizona colleges and healthcare career pathways. Participating institutions included Arizona College of Nursing, Gateway Community College, Puma Medical Institute, Chandler Gilbert Community College, and others who shared valuable information about programs, certifications, and post-secondary opportunities. Over at EastMark, Health Occupation Students of America, HOSA, partnered with American Red Cross to host a variety of uh of different blood drive operations. And yesterday all of our Chrisman PE students became CPR certified thanks to the uh Queen Creek Fire Department. So awesome work uh to share. Priority uh next priority
011is exceptional personnel. Silver Valley Elementary has been selected as a teacher created material spotlight award recipient TCM for the 2526 school year. This recognition highlights their school culture, collaboration, and strong partnerships, and is truly a reflection of our incredible staff and community up in that area. TCM hosted a school celebration event that uh to present the award and gifts to our educators on January the 14th. And priority five is the reason we're all here, and that's student success. It's ultimately our our ultimate priority. And Chrisman, I have several announcements. Chrisman High School students recently completed the region 2 future business leaders of America FBLA conference at Arizona State University. Uh competing against nearly 700 students across the East Valley, Trisman students returned with 25 medals demonstrating strong preparation, leadership, and realworld business skills. 25 medals.
012That's impressive. Yeah. [applause] Queen Creek Unified School District students also excelled in the 26 uh district spelling be which was held over at our PAC brought together our top spellers from our elementary and junior high schools across the district. After several competitive rounds, third place went to Randy Gabriel Rosas, a seventh grade student from East Mark High School. Second place went to Jack Cook, an eighth grade student from Chrisman High School. And first place and in our audience, I'd like for him to come up and be recognized. The champion, Jacob uh Valentina Mendoza. Come on up, Jacob. [applause] Jacob, in preparation for regional spelling be, I want to have you spell a word on the spot. Is that all right? Wait, how do you spell meticulous? [applause] >> I'm thinking about having Dr. Wolf challenge
013him with a word. Do you want me have you give you a word, Dr. Wolf? >> Dr. Dr. Wolf, can you spell acquaintance? [laughter] It's a fifth grade spelling word, Dr. Wolf. Well, maybe maybe we'll move on. >> Too much pressure. We got stuff to cover. Jacob, congratulations and good luck in the next round. Okay. Yeah. All of you guys [applause] [applause] also like to recognize a couple of other students. Keegan Rogue from Queen Creek High School and a recipient of a $180,000 NOTC Marine Corpse Operations Scholarship. This scholarship gives him the opportunity to attend college fully paid with a guaranteed career upon graduation. Keegan is pursuing his goal of becoming a United States Marine Corps pilot. Congratulations, Keegan. >> Is Keegan here by any chance? [applause] >> He is not here. And last but
014not least, I'd like to recognize Zachary Goodell, East Mark High School senior, who is committed to serve in the United States Navy. That concludes my superintendent report. Awesome. All right. So now that brings us to our employees of the month and our students of the month. We will start with our employees. Um the power of one awards are given during the board meeting each month to selected recipients at each school. For this award, a person is selected from among those eligible who has clearly demonstrated the outstanding qualities and efforts in making a difference that we look for in our Queen Creek schools. We would like to invite the following individuals up that were selected by Faith Mather Sausman Elementary. And I apologize if I mispronounce anyone's name tonight. Sophie Santa Cruz, [applause and cheering] [applause]
015Michelle Cardona. So here [applause] >> Tiffany Dunford, [applause] Yaliss Nur Nurlu, [applause] Kelly Stannic, and Nicole Hunt. [applause] We would now like to ask Mrs. Sher Towns, the principal of Faith Matter Elementary, to say a few words about these individuals and how they were selected. Congratulations to my ladies of here. Um, so I'm going to read off my notes. You don't uh become a school of excellence by accident. It takes hard work, dedication, and a team of people who show up every day for our students. At Sausman, we are fortunate enough to have many individuals who deser who do that each and every day and they deserve recognition. The individuals standing here tonight were nominated by their peers for going above and beyond in their roles. Whether it's educating our students, ensuring student safety, guiding
016student leaders, supporting classrooms, volunteering their time, and sharing our story on social media, or making sure our staff is supported behind the scenes. Each of them plays an important role in our success. Thank you for everything that you do for Sausman. It truly takes many hands to educate our children. Congratulations to Sophie, Michelle, Tiffany, Eliss, Kelly, and Nicole. We really appreciate all of you. [applause] Congratulations. If you guys could head to the back of the room, we'll do pictures in just a little bit. Yeah, to the back there. Yep. We'll do pictures in just a minute. Okay. We would now like to invite the following individuals that were selected by Desert Mountain Elementary. Lorie Morris, [applause] Dorothy Sullivan, [applause] Mary Pastino, [applause] and Dr. Jim Gaudy. >> [applause] >> We would now like to invite
017Dr. Amber Allen, the principal at Desert Mountain Elementary, to come on up and say about these individuals. >> The power of one reminds us that a single caring person can create a ripple effect that strengthens an entire school and community. DME's progress is not only built through plans and programs, but by people who make daily choices to believe that their actions matter. Thank you for supporting DME and our community where the power of one lives every day. Congratulations. [applause] Congratulations. If you guys could also head to the back of the room for pictures, that would be great. Thank you. All right. Student of the month statement. The student of the month award recognizes and promotes success of QCUSD students. Recipients are chosen based on the characteristics identified in the PBIS program such as be kind,
018be respectful, and show integrity. The student of the month student is conscientious and exhibits a determination to learn while demonstrating these positive traits. We would like to invite the following students from Faith Mather Sausan Elementary and Desert Mountain Elementary who are examples of these characteristics for this recognition. JC Morgan, [applause] Theo Silva, Silva Galetta, [applause] Matteline Curl, [applause] and Leroy Cox. >> [applause] [applause] >> Congratulations to all of you and thank you for being such great examples in our schools every day. You guys could meet us at the back of the room for pictures. That would be great. All right, we're going to go ahead and get started back again. Okay, we are on to our call to public. Individuals who wish to address the board are requested to complete the appropriate form prior to
019the meeting and give the form to the board secretary. Members of the board may not discuss items that are not 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 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 three minutes or less and that the public refrain from the use of speech or language that is offensive or 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 one and a half minutes for each comment. The board
020president also reserves the right to limit discussion whether he or she deems such action appropriate to the proper conduct of the meeting. Okay, we have four requests to speak and first up is Brandy Does that work? Okay. Yes. Like that. >> Okay. Awesome. Good evening. Um my name is Brandy and I am a parent and advocate and the executive director of Raising Voices Coalition. I'm here tonight because of recent language used by a member of this board, specifically the use of the Rword on social media to describe a political opponent. I'm not here to attack anyone. I'm here to educate you on why words like that matter and why they directly reflect how students like my son are treated in this district. My son, named Tyson has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. He uses a wheelchair
021and a communication device, but cognitively Tyson is atypical. He understands complex ideas. He jokes. He argues. He reads, he learns. What he lacks is expressive speech, not intellect. Before moving to Queen Creek, Tyson attended a district where his special education teacher believed in inclusion. He spent about 50% of his day in general education with his peers. He learned grade level math, reading, and writing using his communication device. He was included, challenged, and respected. When we moved here, we were promised the same. Instead, we spent an entire year, roughly six IEP meetings. I was told by a principal and district staff that I was highly intimidating because I followed up weekly asking for my child's schedule and service updates. It took nine months to schedule an inservice for his teachers on how his communication device worked.
022That training was 1 hour long. I was accused of colluding with his previous school and making up his competence. I was told the staff here knew better than I did what my child needed. I left one IEP meeting in tears and refused to attend another one without an advocate. By the sixth meeting, the district handed me an independent education evaluation or because they knew I was right, but they didn't know how to change. I knew we were facing another year of isolation in self-contained classroom with rope learning of ABCs and counting to 10 while my son was capable of so much more. So I made the choice I could sue the district or I could protect my mental health and his by choosing ESA. I chose ESA not because I wanted to leave public school
023but because I had lost faith in the system that was willing was willing to learn how to serve him was not willing to learn how to serve him. There is a book on and a movie on Netflix called out of my mind. It's about a girl with cerebral palsy who can't speak but is highly intelligent. My son is that child. And students like him and like Melody and Out of My Mind are sitting in classrooms across this district right now. The problem is not that these students are incapable. The problem is that the adults don't listen how to communicate or how to move past outdated assumptions. When leaders use dehumanizing language, even casually, it sends a message to staff. Thank you. >> Thank you. All right. Up next, Rachel Mosafade. That's impressive. When does my
024timer start? Okay. Hi. I think most of you up there are familiar with me. I am Rachel Mustivad. I am a mother, a voter, a leader, a community member, and I am an advocate for disability rights. I have been to just about every cafe meeting in this room since 2018. Um, and I've served the school community in a variety of ways for years. I even got that power of one award, not once but twice. Um, I am not, however, a public speaker. So, if I get emotional, just know that it's not because I'm intimidated or scared. It's because I'm tired. I am tired for a lot of reasons. I'm tired because I left middle school 35 years ago, and yet I'm at a school board meeting tonight to defend the wishes of the disability community
025to an appointed member of the school board. Miss Anderson, we haven't met in person yet. So, hello to you. I'm here tonight because of your flippant extremism and your use of the rword as an insult on the internet. There is a long painful history associated with that word and it is absolutely not okay for someone in a role such as yours to be using it at all, but especially in a public way. The disabled community is currently sustaining attacks from every direction. Inclusion, equity, healthcare, independent living, education, voting, housing, safety, etc. Believe me, I'm involved at the Capitol. All of those things are under attack. We need our local leaders to have our backs right now more than ever. I feel very strongly that people in our community that are in your position of leadership
026should be at the very least respectful of the disabled community. As an advocate and a mother of a disabled child, it is my duty to call you out on this and to fight for the simple dignity of my daughter and her friends. I don't want just an apology. I want you to understand why it's not okay to use the word. So, I am asking you to maybe spend some time in a self-contained special education classroom in this district if they'll have you. Or maybe join us this Saturday at my daughter's special Olympic Olympics cheer competition. Ask anyone there how they feel about your use of the word. I am also asking you to please go to the spread the word derogatory language section of the Special Olympics website and see what trainings they have available
027for you. Thank you. All right, up next, Jason Smithson. My name is Jason Smithson. I am the parent of a seven-year-old child with autism currently enrolled in Mesa Public School. I am here today to address the documented and troubling pattern of conduct towards students with disabilities as well as recent public statements made by board member Anderson. Queen Creek's history with special education children is well documented. In 2023, a discrimination complaint alleged that a student was repeatedly removed from class because of his disability. In another instance, a family sued the district alleging that a 9-year-old child with autism was abused and left alone in a room for hours. As a district, it is unacceptable that vulnerable students continue to hear the consequences of poor judgment and a lack of accountability. Miss Anderson, you were appointed to
028this seat following Mr. Knox stepping down. That comes with responsibility and awareness. It is deeply concerning that you chose to publicly use a slur commonly referred to as the Rword. The word is widely recognized as offensive and harmful to the disability community. For families of children with special needs, it comes the same way or sorry, it carries the same weight and harm as other demeaning slurs. It's used by a sitting board member is indefensible. Yes, you do have the right first amendment right to your personal opinions. You have the right to hold up signs protesting ICE on your personal time. Yet holding public office, especially one charged with overseeing the education and safety of children, demands a higher standard. Words matter and impact matters more than intent. Your words alienate a significant portion of the
029very families this board is entrusted to serve. I am not here to call for your res resignation. I am not here to have the board censor you. Though in 2022, the Supreme Court did rule that a school board does have the may do so without violating the First Amendment rights. I am here to ask for something more important, accountability. This is an opportunity to take responsibility and to apologize without excuse or deflection. I sincerely hope you choose to or you choose not to repeat the pattern of your former colleague by doubling down. Finally, to the board, you must do better. Better oversight, better culture. Families are watching. The community is watching. And children with disabilities deserve for more than the history suggests they have received from this district. Thank you. >> All right. And last,
030we have is it Karen Oliver? >> Press this. It's on. Okay. Um, my name is Karen Oliver. I am a retired teacher from Queen Creek. Um, I spent 10 years at New Barney in a special education classroom. And I, um, I've recently checked up on one of my students. He's now, um, over 18. And, um, I just wanted to check up on him in regards to the situation with ICE out in our communities. Um, and as a one of the leaders of the Queen Creek Santan Valley Indivisible, we've been delivering groceries and helping people. And one of the things we did today is we delivered packets to every school in the school district. And um I emailed um a soft copy of this packet to Quincy today. Um it's got information from ACLU and other
031organizations. I know because I worked here that you guys have probably already discussed this and are on top of it. But just in case there might be something in here that might be helpful, I'm hoping it is. And that's all I have to say. Um I just want to keep our kids safe. Okay, thank you. All right, that is the end of our call to public and we are on to our consent agenda. I can take this in its entirety. >> Move to take consent agenda in its entirety. >> Second. First and second. All in favor? >> I. I just want to say with the passage of this update to this policy, uh, I think it's very important that when we're dealing with any sort of explicit material that we go above and beyond to
032protect our children to make sure that safeguards are always as strong as we can possibly have them. I always think it's better to air on the side of caution, which may include some people choosing to to not try that route. And I think that that's okay. I think when you're dealing with children's minds, that the more caution the better. And I thank everybody who worked on this policy update for all your time and effort. Thank you. >> All right, that brings us to action item A, discussion and possible action to approve employee compensation packages identified market adjustments and staffing for fiscal year 2627. Amber Bordis, present Davis, members of the governing board, over the past several months, the team has shared the proposed FY27 compensation and staffing recommendations through governing board briefings as [clears throat]
033well as the January and February study sessions. Using guidance from JB Rewards to improve our salary schedules with the available budget next year, we are recommending a 2% increase for certified, classified, and administrative employees along with targeted market adjustments for identified people. Within this recommendation, the district is requesting an increase to the teacherbased salary of $56,125 and a hard tofill schedule that has been discussed to continue our efforts in attracting staff to the district. The district is also proposing strategic staffing adjustments to support continued district growth and priority needs with administrative spending remaining modest at approximately 65% of the operating budget. These recommendations include a mix of budget neutral changes and limited FTE additions in educational services, technology, and the business office. These adjustments are designed to strengthen instructional support in math and enhance operational
034capacity. The overall goal is for the district to remain competitive in attracting and retaining high quality staff. Supporting materials outlining the financial details and staffing adjustments have been included for the board's review, and we're recommending approval. >> Awesome. I mean, um, we we can all agree teachers always teachers and staff are the heart of our district and what help our kids be educated. So, we know that they are always deserving of more and um, but I think in a time where neighboring school districts are doing budget cuts and closing schools, it's really impressive that we're able to even offer such packages. Um, and we did spend a lot of time, we had individual board briefings, we had two study sessions, we had the super advisory council discuss this and so I feel like really confident
035in where we came to on this. >> Great job to Amber and Jessica for putting this together. That's a lot of work to look through. >> That's awesome. >> With that, um, are there any questions? >> Okay, can take a motion. I move to approve the fiscal 2026 2027 employee compensation packages identified employees market adjustments and staffing. >> Have a second. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> All in favor? >> I. >> Okay, that brings us to personnel. I can take this in its entirety. >> Move to take personnel in in its entirety. >> Second. >> First and second. All in favor? >> I. >> Okay, that brings us to our announcements. Upcoming announcements. Um, we have Tuesday, March 3rd, a 4:30 study session with a six o'clock regular session. Tuesday, April 7th, 4:30 study
036session with a six o'clock regular session. Tuesday, May 5th, 4:30 study session. 5:30 retirement years of service reception, followed by the six o'clock regular session. Um, calendar of event of events. Thursday, February 5th is the interfaith breakfast. Tuesday, February 10th is the spring coaches breakfast. Monday, February 16th is President's Day, no school. And Thursday, February 19th, is the business partner breakfast. And with that, I will take a motion to adjurnn. I >> motion to adjurnn. Second. >> First and second. All in favor? Hi. Hi.