001I know. All right. Good evening and thank you all for being here. We're going to go ahead and get started with the regular meeting of the governing board. Call this meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. We're going to start with the pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence. and we will be led um in the pledge by Payton from Francis Brandon Picket. Yeah. All right. Thank you. First is discussion and possible action to approve the board meeting minutes dated December 2nd, 2025. Get a motion. >> So moved. >> First. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All in favor? I >> I. >> All right. That brings us to construction update. Amber Bordis and Bob Lawson. President Davis, members of the governing board, tonight's construction update encompasses the work that's been completed through
002uh during January. Oops, excuse me. Um this presentation falls under our strategic plan within effective operations and systems. The projects being discussed tonight are really um encouraging the district to optimize the use of funds through fiscal f uh responsibility. Tonight we're going to be talking about some BRG projects and some statuses there along with some capital planning components um within the district that we have been planning for and talking to the uh for planning purposes. We look at our school uh districts as u in three planning parts, excuse me. We're 48 square miles. Um we currently serve 15,600 students and for planning purposes we look at our district in three regions. You'll see in the orange portion is um the eastmark area, the city of Mesa, which is um the northern portion of our district.
003We look at the central portion of our district in the purple and then the southern portion of our district um in that blue piece there. And we are currently um growing in all of the areas of our boundaries. And our projects that we're talking about tonight are really focused in all three areas as well. Uh tonight Bob's going to have an update on our building renewal grant awards because we did receive a status update from the SFD along with a highlight of our Chrisman High School grand stands. Bob, >> thank you. Amber, President Davis, members of the governing board. Tonight we've uh got a couple updates. Uh really exciting news for our building renewal grant awards. Uh on December 26, we were notified that five of our applications were approved to move into the assessment
004phase. The uh assessments that were awarded uh two of them are for the weatherization of New Barney and also Jack Barnes. Uh these weatherization assessments will identify work and improvements needed on the exterior envelope of the building including paint, doors, windows, uh joints, things like that. It'll also identify uh the uh projected cost involved for those repairs. The other three assessment awards uh were for roof replacements. This was for Queen Creek Elementary, Desert Mountain, and New Barney. These assessments will again identify any of the repairs and and replacement work needed as well as the projected cost. Once we complete this uh assessment phase, we'll be moving into the design phase of the BRG program. So, we can hopefully get these advanced into construction phase very quickly. The next update that I have is on the
005Chrisman grandstands. Work on the football field homeside grandstands will start in the next few weeks. The contractor will begin the construction of the new Grahamstand footings which will ultimately support the uh bleachers themselves. And this work uh this initial work will not be disruptive to the school. Uh they're uh access to the the bleachers [snorts] uh things like that will remain. Um they're they're going to barricade these areas off just so we don't have any uh people accidentally tripping over anything. Um things like that. Um the bleachers will be coming in right after the end of the school year and so installation of those grandstands will begin then. We're real excited about this because this project is going to add 800 878 new seats to the home grandstands. And with that, that's the uh project
006updates that we have. And I'd be happy to answer any questions if you have any. >> We still have uh grants for well, we have one that's already to the construction phase that we're waiting an award. That's Queen Creek High School. Uh we also have grants that uh we're waiting on assessment award for the the junior high and also uh picket are the the two others that we're waiting for award notification on. >> And just to clarify for everybody here um just because we've made it to the assessment phase is not the phase that allows us to actually build. It's just the phase that allows us to see what do we need to do and then we have to be awarded that money in order to actually go forward with the project. Is that correct?
007>> Yes, that's correct. It's a three-phase process. >> Awesome. Any more questions? All right. Up next, we have our superintendent report. Dr. Barry, >> President Davis, members of the board, community members, thank you for being here. I have a a superintendent report. I provide every board meeting. It comes through our strategic plan lens, and there are five priority areas in our strategic plan, and I want to kind of march through a few highlights in each of these five areas. Starting with effective operations and systems. We are proud to share that the district recently published a PAFER. That's an acronym for POP popular annual financial report. This report highlights annual financial performance and provides a clear transparent look at school funding and how Queen Creek Unified School District responsibly uses taxpayer dollars to support students in
008classrooms. The paffer is available on our website and has been shared throughout our newsletter and social media channels and I would encourage all of you here tonight and all the people in our community listening to take time to review it. It's a full uh valuable information and it reinforces our commitment to fiscal responsibility, transparency and strong operational systems. And I want to give credit to our entire business and finance department for making that available. under priority two. Thank you, uh, Patty. Board member, board member two, >> you got me flustered. >> Sorry. Priority two is a safe and healthy environment. Student safety remains to be a top priority for our district. Recently, the district released an ebike safety and uh regulations video recognizing that electric bikes are increasingly uh used by students traveling to and
009from school. So, in partnership with the school resource officers and Queen Creek Police Department, our video uh brings awareness to safety protocols, proper use, and shared responsibility between students, families, and community. And at this time, I'm going to You don't have to play the whole thing, Quincy, but let's play part of it. This short part of it. Okay, >> school on your ebike. [music] Here's the deal. Wear a helmet. Non-negotiable. >> Obey the traffic laws, hand signals, [music] stop signs, the whole thing. >> No distractions. Ditch the earbuds. [music] >> Adjust your speed to the road. Fast isn't always smart. >> Keep space from parked [music] cars. Those doors open quickly. >> Don't double up. Ebikes are built for one ride. And once you hit [music] campus, walk it. No riding around school grounds. park
010it at the racks and then head in. That rule is about keeping everyone [music] safe, not just you. >> Appreciate the marketing department, the partnership with the Queen Creek Police Department, our staff. Um the video is actually probably three or four minutes long, but this is a 30 second take on that, but it's a proactive approach to keeping our students safe. Priority three is effective partnerships. Last Friday, Queen Creek Unified was honored to receive $25,000 grants from Albertson Safeway, which will be distributed across all of our schools to directly support support students and programs. In addition, Safeway donated an additional $25,000 to the Queen Creek Schools Education Foundation, uh, which will fund teacher grants and student scholarships. Specifically, that $25,000 will go into an endowment fund, which puts our endowment fund right at $625,000. And
011our goal is to raise over a million dollars for the endowment in the next few years. And we're well on our way, which will give uh student scholarships and teacher grants to the future, well beyond my years as a superintendent. So, I'm very proud of that contribution. And so, strong partnerships and local with local businesses are vital. And we are very grateful for organizations that choose to invest in our schools and our community. And here's a look at the celebration day over at Safeway. It's very easy to build relationships with organizations like Safeway. One of the first things that they did when they got into this community is they they reached out to our staff. They engaged with us. They've already contributed financial gings of $50,000. These grants serve to reinforce our commitment to the
012community and outstanding school districts. So, the Queen Creek Schools Education Foundation, we got $25,000. Prismon High School marching band and Chrisman High School, [music] $1,000 each. Queen Creek High School, Eastark High School, Queen Creek Elementary School, [music] and Queen Creek Junior High School. New Barney College Prep, Silver Valley Elementary School and Jack Farms Elementary School, Gateway Polytech Academy, Francis Brandon Picket Elementary School and Faith Mather Sausman Elementary, Catherine Michechum Barney Elementary School, Nef Elementary School and Mountain Trail Academy, $1,000 each. On behalf of our governing board and our staff and our students, we appreciate the $50,000 and we are glad to have this great new service in the in the town of Queen Creek. Under priority four is called exceptional personnel. Our people continue to make Queen Creek shine. We are proud to share that
013Queen Creek was voted best school district in the best of the East Valley edition of the East Valley Independent. In addition, the district was named runner up for best place to work. A tremendous honor and a testament to the incredible culture our staff helps create every day. Even as Arizona faces teacher shortages, uh, Queen Creek continues to stand out and we are experiencing one of our strongest staffing years in recent memory with a teacher retention rate of almost 85%, the highest in four years since COVID. Um, educators and staff are actively choosing Queen Creek to build their careers. On an individual level, I want to congratulate Cassie Kennedy, our district front office receptionist, who will who was voted best administrative assistant in the entire East Valley. We are also proud to recognize preschool teacher Lorie
014Sternberg from Faith Mother Sausman, Faith Mother Sausman, who was named runner up in the best teacher category. These recognitions reflect professionalism, dedication, and heart all of our employees bring to Queen Creek. Let's give them a quick round of applause. >> [applause] >> And Dr. Barry, just real quick, I have to say that I interact with Cassie quite a bit coming in and out of here, and she has never met a stranger. She has invited so many people, new people that are coming into Queen Creek. She's the first face that everybody sees, and I have to tell you, she does an amazing job. So, how about one more round of applause for both of them and Lori. [applause] also like to recognize uh another kind of department, small but mighty department, our marketing and PR department.
015Um this is a department that has recently been recognized by the Arizona Schools Public Relations Association, also known as ASPRA, for receiving a total of nine awards for achievement in school communications. These honors reflect our team's dedication to clear, engaging, and impactful communication that supports our students, staff, families, and community. Recognition from Asper highlights Queen Creek's commitment to best practices in storytelling, branding, and public engagement. Give Irene and her department a round of applause. [applause] Nine awards, that's a lot. >> I did all right. And uh the last priority is the reason we're all here and that's student success. And I would like to invite Paisley Rogers to the front of the room. Paisley, are you here? Come on up, Paisley. [applause] I want to say a few things about you, Paisley. Pa, are your
016parents here? Please stand and be recognized. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. Student success remains at the center of everything that we do. And a big congratulations to Paisley Rogers of Chrisman High School, who has been named a semi- finalist for the Flynn Scholarship, a highly prestigious national honor. This achievement speaks volumes about Paisley's hard work, leadership, and support from her teachers and the school community. And to that, Paisley was just named Distinguished Young Woman of Arizona for 2026. Congratulations. [applause] Distinguished Young Women's is part of a national scholarship program that promotes and rewards scholastics, leadership, and talent in young women. And this summer, Paisley will be part of the Distinguished Young Women's National Finals. So, thank you for raising such a great young lady and congratulations and good luck this summer. [applause] And that concludes my
017report. >> Awesome. Congratulations. All right, that brings us to our employees of the month and students of the month. We will start with our employees and let's see here. 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 who were selected by Katherryn Mechum Barney Elementary. And I apologize if I mispronounce anyone's name tonight. Kelly Ruth, [applause] Jodie Anderson, >> [applause] >> Belinda Gerard [applause] and Gabe Seiggoia. [applause] We would now like to ask Mrs. Don Harrington, the principal of Katherryn Meech and Barney to
018say a few words about these individuals and >> Good evening. Good evening everyone. Um I am honored to stand here with these four incredible individuals who exemplify the saying to help yourself help others at KMBBE. These four don't just show up. They take ownership of our school. They mentor students and staff. Can you hear it? That's not working. >> That's not [laughter] >> They mentor students and staff. Um they volunteer their time. >> Yeah. >> Um they are dedicated to our staff and student success and they go above and beyond. So thank you for all your efforts. Oh, there it goes. efforts to ensure our students are safe, encouraged, and challenged and celebrated. This power of one award acknowledges the powerful difference a single person can make and celebrates the positive impact each of you
019individually have. To each of you, thank you for being the difference makers that make KMBBE so special. Thank you. >> Congratulations. [applause] >> We would like to invite you guys to the back of the room for group pictures. We will now like to invite the following individuals that were selected by Francis Brandon Picket. Lisa Maldonado, [applause] Wendy Rowan, [applause] Stacy Fisk, [applause] and Cheryl Hast or Haste. [applause] Mrs. Stacy Duke, principal of Francis Brandon Pricket, would now like to say a little bit about these individuals and how they were selected. >> Testing. Okay, we got it. Good evening. Um, tonight I have the honor of recognizing a group of individuals who truly represent what we call our power of one. The belief that one person living with respect, integrity, kindness, and positivity can create meaningful
020impact every single day. These individuals serve our school in different roles, supporting operations, partnering with families, leading classrooms, and caring for student well-being. Yet they are united by the way they show up for others. They lead with heart, professionalism, and a strong commitment to doing what is right for kids. They step in without being asked, solved problems with grace, encourage those around them, and consistently model the character we hope to instill in our students. They remind us that leadership is not about a title. It's about service and the positive impact we have on others. I'm so grateful for the example they set and the difference they make every single day. Thank you for being the power of one. [applause] Congratulations. And if you guys could also head to the back of the room for pictures,
021that would be awesome. All right. Next up, our students of the month. The student of the month award recognizes and promotes the success of QCUSD students. Recipients are chosen based on the characteristics identified in the PBIS program such as be kind, be 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 Katherine Meech and Barney Elementary and Francis Brandon Pik Elementary who are examples of these characteristics up for recognition. Mila Aretta [applause] Payton Spade, [applause] Henry Shoen, and Charlotte Randall. [applause] And before we send you guys back to the back of the room for pictures, I just want to congratulate you all and you should be proud for being selected all your peers
022and congratulations. Thanks for being such great examples in our district. [applause] We're going to take a quick break for pictures and then we'll resume in like five minutes. All right, we're going to go ahead and resume our meeting. If you guys would like to move any conversation out into the hallway, that would be great. Thank you. All right, up next is our call to public. We have one called to public here. Um I'm going to read a statement and then we will proceed with that. 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 not specifically identified on the agenda. Members of the board are also not able to
023comment even if the information is incorrect. Therefore, pursuant to ARS 38-431.01H, 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 president also reserves the right to limit discussion whenever she deems such action appropriate to the proper conduct of the meeting. All right, that brings us to Jennifer Lindstöm. Hi. Um, my name is
024Jennifer Lindström. I'm here tonight to speak to my concerns about the turnover and communication around that turnover at East Mark High School. Before I get into that, let me just tell you all a little bit about my family. Um, my oldest son graduated from East Mark High School last year. He was third in his class. Um, he started there in seventh grade, the first year the school was open, and he played football all six years. My middle son is currently a junior at Eastark. He's also ranked in the top 20 for his graduating class. He's played football there since seventh grade, is a multiport athlete, and is also currently attending EVIT for fire science. Uh my youngest is in sixth grade at Katherine Meechum Barney. Um he's a straight A student and has served on
025their student lighthouse team for four years. Last year, last year he was named the town of Queen Creek star student for the school. While yes, I'm a very proud parent, I don't say all this to brag or because I think my opinion should matter any more than anyone else's. I say it because I think my kids are the type of students you want to see in your schools. Um, and as of right now, my youngest will not be attending school within the district next year. As I'm sure you're aware, at East Mark High School, we're currently on our fourth principal and third athletic director in five years. Now, we're about to be on our fourth head football coach in five years as well. I've been through them all, and for me, this is the straw
026that broke the camel's back, so to speak. Two days before winter break, our head football coach, Jason Lions, was called in for a meeting where he was told to either resign or be fired from his coaching position due to performance reasons. The official word from admin is that he stepped down. What followed says otherwise. He was immediately relieved of his football academy and weights classes. Um while he still is on staff teaching junior high PE classes the rest of the day. He was not allowed to speak to any of the players. Uh there was a player meeting called by the principal the next afternoon that lasted two and a half minutes. Um and unfortunately the players left booing. This is not what happened at all. It's actually the exact opposite. The previous two times when
027we had football head football coaches who truly left of their own accord um and and resignation. Um needless to say, everyone feels lied to. Anyway, uh I could provide a laundry list of statistics illustrating improvement in categories both on and off the field. behavior, academics, um a playoff run, college interests and offers, all the things that um in one-on-one meetings Dr. Gouty, R A Matt Akins, and our principal Chris Webb touted as reasons that Lions was >> Sorry, your time's up. >> Okay, I'll follow up with an email. >> Thank you. All right, next up is our consent agenda. I can take in its entirety. >> Move that we take it in its entirety. >> Second. First and second. All in favor? >> I. >> All right. Action items >> about the consent agenda. >>
028Oh, about the consent. Yeah. >> Just for people who show up to this meeting, I encourage everybody if you want to see what we just voted on, come to the study session and that you'll be able to see kind of everybody discuss what we're voting on. That was a new thing to me when I didn't understand the meeting. But if you come in at 4:30, it's open to the public and you can see all the policies and everything we vote on. This was all discussed. We we have all come to the consensus that yes, we all agree with this. But the process happens during the study session and emails which are also foyer requested. So you could always request emails to see how the process works. >> Awesome. Thank you. All right. Action items. A
029discussion and possible action to approve the north locker room construction at East Mark High School using core construction. Amber Bordis, >> President Davis, members of the governing board, Queen Creek Unifi has Queen Creek Unified has worked to expand the scope of a project at East Mark High School using school facilities, new construction funds. The PE addition um that was just opened was originally constructed without finished restrooms or locker rooms on the north side due to budget constraints. Um based on the remaining ward award that is available within the balance, the district collaborated with the architect and contractor to add the boys and girls locker rooms and restrooms, coaches offices, and more than 275 lockers per locker room penny board approval tonight. This work will complete the building and be in alignment with the master plan
030and requires no additional district funds. We're recommending approval. Awesome. Any questions? All right, I can take a motion. I move to approve the north locker room construction at East Mark High School using court construction. >> First, do I have a second? >> Any discussion? All in favor? >> I thank you. All right. Personnel. I can take that in its entirety. >> Move to take personnel at it entirety. >> First, do I have a second? >> All in favor? I >> All right. Uh, brings us to announcements. Is that right? Upcoming board meetings. Tuesday, February 3rd, we have a 4:30 study session with a six o'clock regular session. Tuesday, March 3rd, 4:30 study session, 6 o'clock regular session. And Tuesday, April 7th, 4:30 study session, 6 o'clock regular session. Calendar of events. Thursday, January 15th is
031the district spelling bee. Monday, January 19th, civil rights day, no school. Thursday, January 22nd, is a district PTO meeting at 1:30. Thursday, January 29th is kindergarten roundup from 4 to 6 PM. With that, I can take a motion to adjurnn. So moved. First, I have a second. All in favor?