001Heat. Heat. N. [Music] down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] down [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Hey. Hey. [Music] Hey. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down [Music] down. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] Hey, beat [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] down down down down down down [Music] down. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music]
002Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] All right. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down down down down Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Hey, Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] down down down down down [Music] down. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down. [Music] Thank you. down again. Okay, you're good to go. I would like to call this meeting of May 29, 2025 to order. Thank you to the live simultaneous Spanish interpreters for joining us tonight. We're also live streaming our meeting. Roll call, please. Miss Harper. Miss Applegate. Yes. Here. Miss Kenworthy. Here. Miss Parker here. Miss Reed here. Dr. Varta here. Will
003you please stand and join me in the pledge of allegiance? 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. Is there a motion to approve the May 29, 2025 meeting agenda? I move to approve today's agenda as presented in board docs. Is there a second? Second. Any comment or objection? It has been moved and seconded to approve the agenda of May 29, 2025. Roll call, please. Miss Harper. Miss Applegate. Yes. Miss Kenworthy. Yes. Miss Parker. Yes. Miss Reed, yes. Dr. Varta, yes. The agenda is approved. The board of education will convene an executive session pursuant to CRS24-6-42 subsection 4FI to discuss a personal ma matter, specifically the superintendent midyear check-in. Is there a
004motion for the board of education to convene an executive session under CRS24-6-42 subsection 4FI to discuss a personnel matter, specifically the superintendent midyear check-in? I move to convene an executive session under CRS 24-6-424FI to discuss a personnel matter, specifically the superintendent midyear check-in. Is there a second? Second. Any comments? It has been moved and seconded that the board of education will convene into executive session. Roll call, please. Miss Harper. Miss Applegate? Yes. Miss Kenworthy? Yes. Miss Parker? Yes. Miss Reed? Yes. Dr. Varda? Yes. And that passes. The board will now convene in executive session which is closed to the general [Music] public. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down down down down Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat.
005N. [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] down Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] One of the key responsibilities of the board of education is policymaking. We create and adopt policies that shape how our schools operate everything from curriculum decisions to policies that ensure every student feels a sense of belonging. Our policies help ensure consistency, fairness, and excellence across all district schools. We work hard to ensure they reflect our community's values and serve
006students best interests while following state and federal laws. [Music] School boards are advocates for students, teachers, and schools, whether at the local, state, or even the national level. We work to ensure our district's needs are heard. This includes pushing for adequate funding, better resources, and policies that benefit our students and our community. Advocacy is a critical part of making certain our schools have what they need to succeed in providing the educational experience students deserve today. You can view our board legislative agenda by visiting [Music] jecoubschools.org/board. Community engagement is at the heart of what we do as a school board. We represent the voices of Jeco families, students, and all of our community members. We hold public meetings. We listen to concerns. and we encourage everyone to share their thoughts and opinions about the district. Your
007feedback helps us to make better decisions for our schools and shape our district's future. [Music] One of the most important roles we have as a school board is hiring and evaluating the superintendent who serves as a district CEO and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of our schools. We provide the support and guidance they need to effectively lead and evaluate their performance to ensure progress towards our educational goals. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down. [Music] What's [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] As members of your Jeffco school board, we help set the vision for our district's future. We work closely with Superintendent Dorland and her staff to ensure that our goals align with our community values and the needs of our students. Whether it's improving academic achievement or enhancing
008school safety, we are committed to Jeffco's mission of providing a world-class education that prepares all Jeco students for bright and successful futures as local and global [Music] citizens. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] down Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Hi, I'm Mary Parker, a proud Jeffco school board member. Do you ever wonder what a school board does? We're a group of elected volunteers who help set the direction for our district. From shaping policies to approving budgets, we ensure that every student in our community has access to a quality education. It's our job to listen to families, students, and educators to make informed decisions that benefit everyone in our school community. For more information about the work of our board, including our meeting schedule on how
009to connect with us, please visit [Music] jeffcoubschools.org/board. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down Heat. Heat. N. [Music] As a school board, we're responsible for overseeing the district's budget. Every dollar matters when it comes to providing the best education possible. We carefully allocate funds to support teachers, maintain facilities, and improve student programs. It's our job to ensure financial transparency and accountability while balancing the needs of students, staff, and taxpayers. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Down. Heat. [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down. Heat. [Music] One of the most important roles we have as a school board is hiring and evaluating the superintendent who serves as a district CEO and
010is responsible for the day-to-day operations of our schools. We provide the support and guidance they need to effectively lead and evaluate their performance to ensure progress towards our educational [Music] goals. Heat. Heat. [Music] ities of the board of education is policym. We create and adopt policies that shape how our schools operate. Everything from curriculum decisions to policies that ensure every student feels a sense of belonging. Our policies help ensure consistency, fairness, and excellence across all district schools. We work hard to ensure they reflect our community's values and serve students best interests while following state and federal [Music] laws. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. [Music] Heat. All right. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down down down down
011down down down down down down [Music] One of the most important roles we have as a school board is hiring and evaluating the superintendent who serves as a district CEO and is responsible ible for the day-to-day operations of our schools. We provide the support and guidance they need to effectively lead and evaluate their performance to ensure progress towards our educational goals. [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] down down down down down down down down down down [Music] Community engagement is at the heart of what we do as a school board. We represent the voices of JCO families, students, and all of our community members. We hold public meetings. We listen to concerns, and we encourage everyone to share their thoughts and opinions about the district. Your feedback helps us
012to make better decisions for our schools and shape our district's future. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. [Music] Down down down down down down. [Music] School boards are advocates for students, teachers, and schools, whether at the local, state, or even the national level. We work to ensure our district's needs are heard. This includes pushing for adequate funding, better resources, and policies that benefit our students and our community. Advocacy is a critical part of making certain our schools have what they need to succeed in providing the educational experience students deserve today. You can view our board legislative agenda by visiting jeffcochools.org/board. RG [Music] slashboard. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] down Heat. Heat. N. [Music]
013Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down down down [Music] down. Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] As a school board, our focus goes beyond just today. It's about the future. We are committed to the long-term planning that ensures the district's continued success. A thriving district where all students can achieve their biggest dreams. From updating facilities to integrating new technology, we consider how today's decisions will impact students in the years to come. Our focus is on sustainability, innovation, and growth for the future of education in our community. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Down down down down down down down down down. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Down down down down down down down [Music] down. Heat.
014[Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] down. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Hi, I'm Mary Parker, a proud Jeffco school board member. Do you ever wonder what a school board does? We're a group of elected volunteers who help set the direction for our district. From shaping policies to approving budgets, we ensure that every student in our community has access to a quality education. It's our job to listen to families, students, and educators to make informed decisions that benefit everyone in our school community. For more information about the work of our board, including our meeting schedule on how to connect with us, please visit jeffcoubschools.org/board. [Music] Rorg/board. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat.
015Heat. N. [Music] Down. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] down down down down down down down down down down [Music] down Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Hey. Hey. [Music] Hey. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] As a school board, our focus goes beyond just today. It's about the future. We are committed to the long-term planning that ensures the district's continued success. A thriving district where all students can achieve their biggest dreams. From updating facilities to integrating new technology, we consider how today's decisions will impact students in the years to come. Our focus is on sustainability, innovation, and growth for
016the future of education in our community. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down. Hey. Hey. [Music] Hey. [Music] School boards are advocates for students, teachers, and schools. Whether at the local, state, or even the national level, we work to ensure our district's needs are heard. This includes pushing for adequate funding, better resources, and policies that benefit our students and our community. Advocacy is a critical part of making certain our schools have what they need to succeed in providing the educational experience students deserve today. You can view our board legislative agenda by visiting jeffcoubschools.org/board. RG [Music] slashboard. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. down down down down down. [Music] School boards are advocates for students, teachers, and schools. Whether at the local,
017state, or even the national level, we work to ensure our district's needs are heard. This includes pushing for adequate funding, better resources, and policies that benefit our students and our community. Advocacy is a critical part of making certain our schools have what they need to succeed in providing the educational experience students deserve today. You can view our board legislative agenda by visiting jeffcochools.org/board. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] down down down down down down down down down down down down down Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Community engagement is at the heart of what we do as a school board. We represent the voices of JCO families, students, and all of our community members. We hold public meetings. We listen to concerns, and we encourage everyone to share their thoughts and opinions about the district. Your
018feedback helps us to make better decisions for our schools and shape our district's future. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down. Heat. [Music] One of the most important roles we have as a school board is hiring and evaluating the superintendent who serves as a district CEO and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of our schools. We provide the support and guidance they need to effectively lead and evaluate their performance to ensure progress towards our educational goals. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down down down down down Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] As a school board, we're responsible for overseeing the district's budget. Every dollar matters when it comes to providing the best education possible. We carefully allocate funds to
019support teachers, maintain facilities, and improve student programs. It's our job to ensure financial transparency and accountability while balancing the needs of students, staff, and [Music] taxpayers. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] down Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down. [Music] As a school board, we're responsible for overseeing the district's budget. Every dollar matters when it comes to providing the best education possible. We carefully allocate funds to support teachers, maintain facilities, and improve student programs. It's
020our job to ensure financial transparency and accountability while balancing the needs of students, staff, and taxpayers. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] One of the key responsibilities of the board of education is policymaking. We create and adopt policies that shape how our schools operate. everything from curriculum decisions to policies that ensure every student feels a sense of belonging. Our policies help ensure consistency, fairness, and excellence across all district schools. We work hard to ensure they reflect our community's values and serve students best interests while following state and federal laws. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down down down down [Music] down. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat.
021Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat up [Music] here. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down down. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] Down. Heat. [Music] Hey, [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] down. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] down Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Hey. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] and And
022the school board has just finished its executive session and we are returning to the public session of this meeting. We are going to start the meeting with honors and recognition. Every month the board of education has the pleasure of recognizing students, staff, schools, and community members for their achievements and contributions to our community. Um, and in the spring like this, we have a lot of people to recognize. So, we are going to move into that honors and recognition right now. For our first recognition of the evening, the board of education is pleased to honor our district winter and spring athletic state champions. And to begin, we'd like to watch a brief highlight video of these athletes. [Music] Heat up [Music] here. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Yeah.
023Heat. [Applause] [Music] So, we have a lot to celebrate here and I know not everyone's here, but we are going to read everyone's name. So, athletes, will you please make your way to the front of the board as your name is called? And presenting board members and Jeff Co's executive director of athletics and activities, Patrick Simpson, can you please make your way to the front of the boardroom? All right, so we are going to start out. Um, Director Kenworthy from Arvvada West High School. The board of education is honored to recognize Austin Utili. Austin won the wrestling class A class 5A 150 pound individual state championship. Congratulations, Austin. [Applause] So, it's my understanding that Coline was not able to make it tonight. Um, but I do do want to acknowledge um how well the students
024from my former employer um did. So, from Coline High School, the board of education is honored to recognize Tobin Ule and McKaina Hust. So, if you could Oh, they're not coming to the front of the room. That's right. Um, Tobin won the swimming class 5A 100 meter breast stroke state championship. Congratulations to Tobin. Mcka H won the wrestling class 5A 130 lb individual state championship. Congratulations Mcka. And now from Dakota Ridge High School, the board of education is honored to recognize the boys lacrosse team. So if you could step forward, we have some certificates for you. Uh is Dakota Ridge here? Oh, bummer. Okay. All right. Well, the boys lacrosse team won the class 4A state championship. Congratulations to the entire lacrosse [Applause] team. Okay. Okay. from Evergreen High School. The board of education is
025honored to recognize, and you can come up to the front of the room, Carson Harrington, Duncan Salman, Talib Riddle, and the entire girls lacrosse team and the entire girls soccer team. [Applause] Okay, I'm going to give it just a minute, but we're going to do each one. Okay, Carson Harrington won the diving class 4A state championship as well as the CHSCA 4A diver of the year. Congratulations, Carson. Duncan Salman won the swimming class 4A 100 meter butterfly state championship. Congratulations, Duncan. [Applause] We're not done. Um, Talib, I hope I'm saying your name right. Talib Riddle won the swimming 3A 500 meter freestyle state championships. Congratulations. Okay, the Evergreens girl Evergreen girls lacrosse team are the new 4A girls lacrosse state champions. Congratulations to the entire girls lacrosse team. And finally, the Evergreen girls soccer team
026are the new 4A girls soccer state champions. Congratulation to the entire girls soccer [Applause] team. All right. And up next from Jefferson Junior Senior High School, the board of education is honored to recognize Isaiah Gyos and Samuel Rosales. Are you here? Okay. Well, oh, yep. Yay. [Applause] Isaiah Gyos won the boys wrestling class 3A 144 lb individual state championship. So congratulations to [Applause] Isaiah. And Samuel Rosales won the boys wrestling class 3A 132 lb individual state championship. So congratulations to Samuel. I don't think any. And next we have um champions from Pomona. Do we have any Pomona uh sports athletes here? If you are here, please come to the front and I will read the names um of everyone. And there are a lot. Um, from a Pomona High School, the board of education is
027honored to recognize Angel Serrano, Derek Barrows, EMTT Mson, Justice Gutierrez, Caleb Yara, Lincoln Valdez, Timberly Martinez, and the entire boys wrestling team. Angel Serrano won the boys wrestling class 5A 138-lb individual state championship. Derek Barrows won the boys wrestling class 5A 145 lb individual state championship. EMTT Mson won the boys wrestling class 5A 175 lb individual state championship. Justice Gutierrez won the girls wrestling 5A 100 pound individual state championship. Caleb Ba won the boys wrestling class 5A 165pound individual state championship. Lincoln Valdez won the boys wrestling class 5A 106B individual state championship. Timberly Martinez won the girls wrestling 5A 140B individual state championship. And then the entire boys wrestling team, no surprise here, won their seventh straight class 5A team state championship titles. So again, congratulations. So thank you to all our athletes and their
028coaches for sharing their exceptional accomplishments with our entire district. And for our final recognition of the evening, I will hand it over to Director Reid. All right. And um and I'm hoping that this individual will correct me if I say this name wrong. The board of education is pleased to recognize is it Basil? Yes. Okay, perfect. Le Payne, yes. A recent graduate of Lakewood High School for her outstanding artistic skills in designing the logo for the new ERP program. Will Basil please come to the front of the boardroom to receive the Our Learners Our Future recognition the Jeffco team leading the new ERP collaborative with students from Warren Tech to design that uh led I'm this I'm sorry it's not written in a way that makes sense to me at the moment um but they
029collaborated with students students from Warren Techch to design the logo. In alignment with Jeffco's commitment to providing extraordinary student experiences that celebrate individual strengths, students created multiple logo concepts. Ultimately, Basil's design was selected as the winning logo for the new Jeffco ERP program. Basil shared, "When I first started this project, I took a lot of inspiration from the reference images we were given that looked like stacked glass. I wanted to combine it with the leaf motif common in Jeffco branding. I changed the opacity of the colors where the leaves overlap so they can blend and look like stained glass. But I didn't do this to the whole leaf to ensure that the majority of colors would remained brand would remain brand compliant. Basil continued, "Originally, there were only three leaps in this design, but through
030communication with the client, I decided it would be more representative of all the facets of the Jeco community that this system brings together if the full range of colors in the marketing guidelines were represented. I wanted the logo shape to be unique so that it could be as recognizable as a standalone mark like the Jeffco Thrives logo. I decided on this lotus shape because it's reminiscent of how the sun looks when it's rising above the horizon. Along with that, the lotus flower represents rebirth, which is fitting considering how the ERP system is being completely replaced. Congratulations to Basil on her achievement and the lasting imprint the design will have on Jeffco. [Applause] So, congratulations to all our [Applause] recipients. In the month of May, we are commemorating Mental Health Awareness Month, National School Principles Day,
031which was May 1st, National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5th through 9th, School Lunch Hero Day, May 2nd, National Speech Pathologist Day May 18th, and National School Nurse Day May 7th. All of these uh proclamations are in our um agenda and we encourage you to read them. So items 4.01 through 4.06 are presented um as the proposed proclamations for the month of May. Do I have a motion regarding the approval of the proclamations? I move to approve items 4.01 through 4.06 on the actions proclamations section as published in board docs. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? It has been moved and seconded to approve the May proclamations as presented in board docs. Roll call, please. Miss Harper. Miss Applegate. Yes, Miss Kenworthy. Yes, Miss Parker. Yes, Miss Reed. Yes, Dr. Varta. Yes, that motion passes.
032And before we move on to the public comment, I just want to um give this opportunity if any of the um honores or recipients or anyone who was here just for the beginning of the meeting, if you would like to leave now, um this is a good time to leave and then I will read the um comments uh of the um procedure that we'll be following for public comment. Um our public comment tonight will be divided into two sections. First, the board will hear public comment regarding the 2025 2026 budget, followed by comments from our associations and then the general public. Tonight's meeting was noticed as a public hearing in connection with the proposed district budget for fiscal year 2025. Every year or 202526, every year the public is invited to view the proposed budget.
033Any person paying school taxes towards Jefferson County Public Schools may file or register via email or via mail, comment or objection to this budget prior to its adoption. Additionally, members of the public were invited to address the board in person tonight. The board plans to vote on adopting the 2025-26 budget at the June 12th, 2025 regular board meeting. Please come forward now if you have comments specific to the FY 2526 budget. Welcome. Please introduce yourselves. There we go. Thank you and good evening. Um, my name is Gary Colbert. My address is 10550 West, Lakewood, Colorado. Uh, the topic we're interested in is the fiscal year 2526 budget. and I am Teresa Shelton, 2405 Fossil Trace Drive, Golden, Colorado. Thanks. We are members of the district's financial advisory committee, which meets monthly to review and become
034informed about the district's current and long-term finances. We periodically present our observations and recommendations to the board. Uh we also all have varied backgrounds in the accounting and finance field. Through our interactions with district staff and our monthly meetings, we have a good understanding of the district's overall revenues, expenses, and other factors impacting budgeted and projected financial results. We come to you tonight because of the financial urgency that we believe [Applause] exists. Briefly, just to frame the situation, as Gary mentioned, the district faces a pretty challenging moment right now with upward pressure on operating expenses and downward pressure on our revenues because of the declining enrollment environment we all find ourselves in. for fiscal year 25 that's just ending here in June. Spending will exceed our revenues and the resulting net loss from that unbalanced
035budget results in about $30 million being drawn from sorry, excuse me, $40 million being drawn from the general fund and $5 million from the food and nutrition services fund. Uh those numbers again re reflect the reserves being drawn down to fund that spending for FY26. The proposed budget that was presented to the board on May 9th has a similar situation in that spending will exceed revenues again as projected and that will further draw down the district's savings account. And currently that's estimated at approximately $30 million being drawn down in the general fund and $3.3 million of the savings being drawn down for the food and nutrition services fund. Given those projected net losses, the FY26 proposed budget also showed a deferral of about $15 million of transfers from the general fund into the capital reserve
036fund. The FAC uh met with the board back in March, so a few months ago. And in that presentation, we emphasize that drawing down reserves to fund recurring operating expenses, not one time, but drawing down reserves to fund recurring operating expenses is unfortunately not sustainable in the long term. Additionally, deferring capital maintenance contributions could lead to some difficulties with funding and keeping up the uh school infrastructure into the future. So, we have recommendations to summarize. Systemic changes in revenue and expenses are necessary. Current projections show that the district's reserves will be depleted in three years and will also violate the board's own policy within two years. Our recommendation is that the district staff from the direction of the board should evaluate and implement strategies necessary to mitigate a larger financial crisis. These include some combination
037of the following actions. Seeking voter approval for an increase in local property tax revenue. Reducing expenses in staffing and/or programs. And finally, reducing expenses through additional cost efficiencies or minimizing future cost increases. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone else that is here for um discussion on the budget? Okay, then moving on. As part of our collaborative agreement that we reached with JCEA and Jespa during collective bargaining negotiations, the board reserves the first um 20 minutes of public comment for our associations. 10 minutes each for Jespa and JCA to address the board regarding negotiation processes and interests. Additionally, tonight JCAA has also requested 10 minutes during the allotted time for association comment. So we will hear um from Jespa followed by JCEA and JCAA in that order. Um
038and following the associations the board will listen to public comment on any topic. Uh this is an opportunity for the community to share their thoughts with the board. During public comment the board does not engage in discussion with or respond to individuals. Each speaker for public comment has been given a number and the board invites you to come up in that order. when the person before you completes their comments, you may step up to the podium. And we listen with respect and ask that those who address the board do the same. So, do we have um some people here from Jespa? Welcome. Please introduce yourselves and you have 10 minutes. Good evening. Darcy Hassler, Jespa bargaining chair, par profofessional. I'm Xander Kashub. I am Jesper [Applause] President. Um I'm a proud Jeco employee. I'm a
039food service worker represent members of Jesus. Uh we're the Jeffco Education Support Professionals Association. For those of you who do not know who we are, we're made up of food service workers, custodians, techs, para educators, bus drivers, office professionals, uh but we're also parents, grandparents, caregivers, former students of Jeffco, uh and other community members. We're the backbone of Jeffco. We're the people who keep it running. We show up every day for Jeffco students with pride and care. We're also proud members of Coloradoatans for the Common Good, where we work alongside civic organizations, faith institutions, labor unions, and nonprofits to grow a movement rooted in justice and dignity for working people. So, why are we here? Relationship between district leadership and the people who work and learn in these schools is uh broken, flawed. There's a
040word for it. One of these words, right? We've seen it in top- down decisions that ignore staff and family voice. We felt it in threats for reducing staffing, reducing hours, unsafe working conditions, and a lack of respect for the workers who make our schools work. When we speak up, we're called troublemakers or liars. These are leadership choices. They're failing our students and our communities. We believe in a Jeffco where every student is safe, every student is supported, healthy, and inspired to reach their full potential. When you say you want schools where students can thrive, we take that to mean where every child learns in a school that's clean. Who gets to ride a bus that's safe. Where every student is fed a nourishing meal with time to eat it and dignity for the people who
041are preparing that meal. Where every classroom has par educator support. where every student with special needs receives the full services listed in their IEP. Where every school is fully staffed with professionals who are respected and paid fairly. Where every Jeffco worker, no matter of their title, can afford to live in the community where they work and access affordable health care without skipping essentials. This is the Jeffco our students deserve. And when we invest our dollars in our values, it's absolutely possible. When we've come together, we've made real change through community organizing. We've won raises for the lowest paid staff. We've fought back privatization in our transportation department. We've secured universal free meals for students at the state level. We've expanded training and development opportunities for support staff. But to be honest, today we face district
042leadership who ignores the people they're supposed to serve. They're counting on us to be divided, tired, or afraid. We're not. Let's be honest. I'm not here to convince this board of anything. I'm here to speak to to directly to the people of Jeffco, to parents, caregivers, and students. This is your fight, too. Because when workers are respected, students thrive. When schools are staffed, classrooms are successful. When communities organizing organize, real change happens. So, I'm inviting everybody here tonight, join us, talk to a JESPA member, sign up to attend a small community meeting across Jeffco this summer with CCG. If you're watching online, go to jeffcoespa.org. Add your name. Help us build a community-led platform for the upcoming schoolboard elections this fall and beyond. We're not just fighting for better pay or working conditions. We're fighting
043for a better Jeffco for your kids and ours. If you share this vision, please don't just clap when I'm done. Connect with us. Organize. Help us build it. To my co-workers, this is your voice. We're done waiting. To my community, the time to get involved is now. If you believe JEFCO students deserve better, join us. If you believe JFECO workers deserve respect, join us. If you believe thriving schools begin with a thriving staff, join us. While I stand here in front of the board, again, I want to speak directly to the people in this room and to the people watching online. If you care about Jeff Co's kids, if you believe every worker deserves dignity, if you want to see change that goes deeper than just a budget line, join us. Sign up. Show up.
044Help us build something bigger. Because we cannot win this alone. The schools our students deserve are the schools our workers deserve. And the people of Jeffco, not just this board, are the ones who will make it happen. Thank you. [Music] Thank you. Now, do we have members of JCA? Welcome. Hey, uh, good evening. I'm Richard Sanchez. I teach sixth grade social studies at Bell Middle School. I'm also JC I'm also a member of the bargaining team and JCA's organizing action team chair. Rob Cassidy. I'm a teacher at Stanley Lake High School, a science teacher, and I am also on the JCA bargaining team. And I am Anna Bryant, first grade teacher at Hackberry Hill Elementary, and also a member of the bargaining team. All right. Good evening, members of the Jefferson County Board and Superintendent
045Dorland. We are here tonight to raise a serious and growing concern, one that affects every stakeholder in Jefferson County Public Schools. That concern is the ongoing silencing of the very people who are the heartbeat of this district, its educators. A clear example of this can be seen in the current state of bargaining. Uh in just a moment, you'll hear directly from my two colleagues who serve with me on the JCA bargaining team. But first, I want to take a moment to provide uh to provide some important context. The current state of bargaining has been exhausting and disheartening. The district's latest compensation proposal consisting of steps, lanes, and a 1.5% cola amounts to a pay cut when measured against the rising cost of living and increased uh cost of benefits. It is not a respectful offer.
046And to be frank, we believe it will allow the district to continue to save money to invest in consultants, central administration, and other district priorities that have little to no impact on our students. Let me be clear. In its current form, this proposal will not be ratified by our [Applause] members for benefits. The associations in agreement with the back want a percentage-based model across plans to keep families from being priced out of coverage and to give the district more stake in the premium increases. Although the district has made a commitment to give additional funds for employee plans with children this year, their current proposal is not percentage-based across plans. For the following two years, a monetary amount is calculated and that dollar amount is applied to all plans equally. The district's proposal does not go
047far enough towards a percentage-based model which um has resulted in bad will. The teams are currently far apart with compensation with significant discrepancies in overall costs associated with the changes. JC is confident that the district's step and lane estimate of $6.9 million is grossly overstated. Although the employees move up every year on the salary schedule, those leaving generally exit higher on the schedule than the position of new hires. As a result, the changes average out to be costneutral over time. Two, year after year say that there's a cost of millions and millions of dollars for step and lane movement is not valid as this would result in all employees eventually being at the top of the schedule. Furthermore, the district has provided costs in their estimates but refuses to acknowledge savings. While the district has
048noted a reduction of 63 JCA staff members at a savings of about $6.96 million, this isn't factored into the projections um for the employee salary costs. In addition, a 2% stipen is not being continued. Although this money was one time and we respect that there is no obligation to continue this payment. This will save approximately $ 8.5 million for next year's budget as compared to the current year. a savings not factored into the cost calculations. Furthermore, the district is not acknowledging the increase of $7.6 million in state fund funding um which is also taking into account the decline in enrollment. This is after the decline of enrollment. There's still a 7.6 million increase in funding from the state. In addition, for the first half of this year, the district has underspent on general instruction compared
049to the budget. For this year, JC estimates that this underspend will amount to approximately $14 million. The district is right on with the spending, though, but if spending is less than um is less than budgeted for JCA, it must be spending more elsewhere. Additionally, while teachers have decreased 9% over the past decade, as reported in the comprehensive report, central administration staffing has increased over 36%. For next year, we will again see a decrease in educators. But the district only recently acknowledged after many, many requests that central administration numbers will be static. Why are areas of the organization furthest from students not seeing the same or greater declines compared to the teachers who are in daily contact with the students? JCA has shown that the amount of money the district is receiving is increasing. It's shown
050that the last and best offer by the district spending on the unit will actually decline. It's shown that the district underspends on budgeted amounts to teachers to fill other areas of the budget. We wonder where this money is going. We wonder if the projected deficit for next year um if it, you know, is matching last year. What other areas does the district deem as more important for funding than its educators? We wonder given that we have given a la been given a last and best offer for both compensation and benefits. How much does the district actually value its educators when evidence shows value being ascribed elsewhere in the budget? It's difficult to believe that the district values educators when we simultaneously receive compensation proposals that are a pay cut and are told no to all
051the language proposals we're offering at the table. JCA and district members worked together on article 13 leaves and article 18 special education throughout the fall. Both teams tried to create joint proposals to bring to the negotiations table. However, even with all the time and effort from both parties when language was presented at the table, the response was, "We aren't able to do that at this time." With article 13, JCA brought forward a proposal that included a switch to a general leave system as well as a short-term payout for unused time. The short-term payout was the recommendation of the district as an incentive for educators who use less leave time, but even that was struck at the table. The lack of progress on article 18 has been especially disheartening. For 5 weeks, no language was returned
052from the district. For five weeks, no negotiations to improve working conditions for speicators were able to occur. And when the article was finally presented back to JCA, it was returned to its original language with no new solutions offered. Why is our voice and our time at the table not being valued? So, I've as you've just heard from Rob and Anna, compensation, special education, and leaves aren't just line items. They're about the people who show up every day for Jeffco students. Even when the system isn't showing up for them, our superintendent and deputy super superintendent have lost focus on what really matters. empowering the voices of all stakeholders in this community. The educators, support professionals, families, and students who make up the heartbeat of this district are being left out of the decisions that impact them
053the most. We hear a lot of talk about our people, our strength. But when you propose a 1.5% cola, which amounts to a pay cut, when planning time is taken, when sped educators are burned out, and when you tighten your grip instead of listening, that phrase rings hollow. And yes, you may be thinking, we gave raises last year, but the reality is that raise has been eaten up. A dozen eggs in Colorado last year average $263. Today they're close to $6 to $7. The average cost of living in Jefferson County has gone up over 6%. Your educators are spending more and keeping less and still showing up. The district needs leadership that empowers people, not silences them. It's time to listen to the community you serve and act in alignment with the values you hold
054uh you say you hold because we don't just want to be heard, we want to be valued. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you. Do we have members from JCAA now who would like to come up for public comment? Welcome. Please introduce yourself. You have 10 minutes. I'm John Dapano. I'm the executive director of the Jefferson County Administrators Association. Michelle DeAndrea Austin, principal at Bell Middle School and former president of JCAA. Jeff Pearson, executive director for the Department of School Safety, former president as [Applause] well. Good evening, JFO board members. I haven't seen you for a long time since yesterday at our celebrations. Um, thank those of you who came for coming and those of you who then we missed you. is always a great celebration. Our JCAA board of directors has asked me to thank you
055for your good work this year on behalf of Jeffco public schools, our children, our community, and all our people. We know it takes a toll on you to be public leaders and to navigate leading a great school district during these challenging times. Jeffco has overcome difficult times before. Most notably during Coline when I served as the board of education president. Our district rose from tragedy and turmoil then because we worked together. We supported each other. We believed in each other. The board led and the entire district and community collaborated and linked arms together to do what is right for students. Consistent leadership and collaboration are crucial for our district's success, especially during challenging periods. We cannot afford to fracture when disharmony is sown by some of our own people. Jeffco has a very strong culture
056and in Jeffco our people care about each other. that made all the difference before and it always will. There is something you can do. First, we urge the board of education to insist on decorum in its meetings. Second, please insist on our people working together with respect and grace for each other. Personal attacks on individuals in public comment have deeply pained our staff, leading to personal and familial threats. Some employees have even had to avoid their own homes and stay in hotels to protect the safety and well-being of themselves and their families. While we understand the source of these attacks is not the board of education, we ask you to actively enforce your board policy regarding public comment decorum. We can and must do better. Help us by calling for decorum in your meetings and
057end these personal and unfair attacks. Next, we believe the recent no confidence vote against Superintendent Dorland is a personal attack and a negotiation tactic. Our district's work benefits our children and we fully support Superintendent Dorland's leadership and the direction she leads Jeff Public Schools. Student achievement is rising, often exceeding preandemic levels. Through the annual Jeffco listen surveys, students, staff, and families show increasing confidence in the district. Discipline and expulsion rates are declining. Math and reading scores are increasing. a direct result of the superintendent's focus on student outcomes and to instituting consistent highquality instruction materials in all JECO schools. These factual gains stem from focused leadership and a shared belief in every JECO students potential. Any consideration of leadership changes should occur outside of negotiations to avoid disruption. Pursuing such changes during negotiations would deeply harm
058Jeepico schools, students, staff, and families for years. The resulting climate of mistrust would be distasteful, dysfunctional, and neglect student well-being. These theatrics during negotiations are disappointing and selfserving. Let us be clear, the JCAA board of directors 100% supports Superendorland's continued leadership. Having served almost 15 years on the Jeffco public schools board of education and having worked with many of our superintendent, I confidently state that superintendent Dorland is one of the finest superintendents who has ever served in Jeffco and she has our full confidence and support. We thank you for your work and hope you have a good summer. on behalf of the JCA board of directors. Thank you. Thank you. Um and that leads us into the public comment on any topic. Um as mentioned uh every person should have been given a number and
059um just to reiterate we do listen with respect and ask those who address the board to do the same. And do we have someone with number one? Do you have number one? Would you please come on up to the podium? Do we have number two? Initially, I was unsure on whether JCA was going to get their time, so I signed um us up and we just used that time. So, I'm just going to give my number two spot to Brooke Williams. Okay. Okay. Uh, Brooke Williams, uh, Jeff co-parent, um, our educator and JCA president. You want to introduce yourselves? Angie Anderson, social studies teacher, Jeff Co, JCA secretary, and NEA board of directors. Elizabeth Canner, JCA treasurer, a math teacher at Nevada High School, parent to two, Jeff Co-raduates and a resident. Dale Menhaland, uh,
060JCA vice president, social studies teacher at Pomona High School and father of two Jeffco graduates. All right. We are here tonight representing the educators of the Jefferson County, the members of JCA and the Jefferson County Education Association representative council and the board of directors which serves as the two main elected representative bodies for the voice of thousands of educators in Jeffco public schools. We have the solemn responsibility to inform you that by unanimous vote of both the association representative council and the board of directors JCA is taking extraordinary but unfortunate necessary steps of issuing a vote of no confidence in superintendent Tracy Dorland. We have submitted a letter which in full disclosure has also been shared publicly with you that provides indepth discussion of what we brought um of what brought your employees to this
061decision. However, we would like to briefly share with you um now our rationale. This is not a ploy. This is not connected to bargaining. And for the record, we have not ever done this as far as I've been a leader in Jeffco. Item one, disregard for shared leadership and our community. We have seen time and time again Superintendent Dorland's leadership defined by unilateral decisions rather than one that ensures all stakeholders have a meaningful voice in decisionmaking. Number two, lack of transparency and accountability. While some decisions affecting our school district must be made quickly and are the purview of the superintendent's office, too often decisions have been made behind closed doors, without explanation. Sadly, we have seen time and time again decisions made without fair and transparent communication, and without voice from our communities, failure to
062address urgent conditions in schools. We have continued to share our concerns about unsafe learning conditions along with insufficient student and educator mental health supports. Instead of partnering with educators to find solutions, we have been dismissed or seen little to no action to address these concerns. While morale, retention, and student outcomes continue to suffer. We do not bring this vote of no confidence lightly. We bring it because our students, families, communities, and the educators who show up every day to support our community and teach our students all deserve leadership that is honest, collaborative, and responsive. Superintendent Dorland's actions have been misaligned with the values our community expects and our students deserve. We all deserve better. We urge you to act swiftly and decisively for the integrity and the future of our schools, students, and community. Hold
063your employee accountable and demand that Jefferson County Schools once more move forward and restore partnership and trust. Thank you for your [Applause] time. Thank you. Do we have number three? Welcome. Please introduce yourself. You have three minutes. Board members, thank you for the opportunity to speak to today. Uh my name is Courtney Capeek. Address is 6500 West 13th Avenue, Lakewood, Colorado 800214. And my topic, I believe, is now 8.11 as opposed to 9.11. Recommendation for non-renewal of a probationary teacher contract. The decision made by the district that my contract be non-renewed for the 2526 school year based on a quote failure to report information regarding a fellow staff member that ultimately compromised the safety and security of one or more students and quote is accusatory on no grounds given my declaration of innocence and the
064fact that law enforcement's full investigation found no evidence or proof that I had any knowledge of or involvement in the intentions and actions s carried out by the person under investigation. The decision I made to fully cooperate with law enforcement prior to knowing the purpose of the investigation was driven by my concern of and priority to protect the safety and security of all students and members of the Green Mountain High School community. And it is important to note that I learned of the person under investigation's acts and offenses alongside everyone else who attended the stand-up meeting at GMHs on Wednesday, May 14th. There's a parallel in the position that I share with the Jefferson County School District in this matter. Regardless of the relationship to the person under investigation being personal or professional, both parties
065were affiliated to him through association. If I am to be held accountable in this way, I'd like to ask how the district is going to be held in the same standard. There is a quantitative leap in the probability of compromising the sta the safety and security of students considering the person under investigation was vetted by the district to not only work at Green Mountain High School but also Bear Creek High School, Evergreen High School, and the Cherry Creek School District. The scrutiny, isolation, and embarrassment that I have experienced throughout my administrative leave is unmmerited and aligned with a guilty until proven innocent mindset. a guilty by association without any evidence even though I was excul exculpated by the law. To review the district from the district I received no communication without first seeking it by
066my own initiative. The district provided no information of the mandatory processes and timelines that would ultimately determine my future. And I was only informed only two days ago, Tuesday, May 27th, that the factf finding stage was to be initiated on Wednesday, May 28th, yesterday, a day before this final board meeting for the academic year. So I circle back to the ask to my ask in the letter to each of you that you received last night upon me receiving my non-renewal notice. This certainly feels like the recommendation to non-renew me is based on political expedience. And I ask that you consider my situation not only through a procedural lens, but also with human compassion. I'm not just an employee. I'm a lifelong member of the Green Mountain community. And Green Mountain High School is not just
067where I teach, but it is also the school I graduated from. It's the school that shaped me. I respectfully request your vote to renew my contract on the basis of these facts, professionalism, and my demonstrated commitment to the school and its students. Because becoming the theater director and the educator at GMHS has been the greatest honor of my professional life. Teaching is not just my career, it's my calling where I have found purpose. Thank you for your time and consideration. [Applause] Thank [Music] you. I'm going to ask in the interest of time, we have a lot of people signed up to speak tonight. I appreciate the support that you want to give, but please, we're going to have to let us proceed. Number four. Who has number four? Did do we have number one? I
068thought number one was JCA. Nope, we do. Okay, come on down. Um, please introduce yourself and you have three minutes. Okay. Hello, my name is Sarah and I stand before you uh not just as a parent, but as an advocate for the safety and well-being of every student athlete at Conifer High School. I'm formerly requesting the removal of coach Austin Mory from his coaching position given his limited wrestling experience, lack of co coaching credentials, and injuring my daughter. On the third day of wrestling season, my daughter Natalie Harren substained a grade two 30% tear to her right UCL. This is not a minor sprain. National Institute has confirmed that it takes 24 foot-lbs of force to cause this kind of injury. This was not a live wrestling match between peers. It was a coach who
069improperly demonstrated a move resulting in my daughter not participating in wrestling. This injury is not an unfortunate accident. As the faculty have alluded to, this is negligence by an inexperienced coach. During my meeting with Austin, he admitted his wrestling experience was as a high schooler and when his wrestling shoes were stolen, he never returned to the sport. Now almost 30 years later, he's decided to start coaching again based on the recommendation of coach Nick Adamson. This was a rush decision due to the last minute startup of the girls wrestling team. My daughter is a knowledgeable grappler. She has worked with probably 20 or more coaches, attended multiple wrestling camps and clinics. Since the day of her entry, I have met with faculty, attended medical appointments, documented conversations, and followed every proper channel. It even cost
070me my part-time job. Just three days into his new position, Austin my already injured a child. In a typical workplace, any employee would be replaced or on leave pending investigation. Instead, we were offered insulting suggestions that Natalie could continue with wrestling without a coach. This is the opposite of support safety. It is avoidance. Plain and simple. I want to be clear. It is not my goal to destroy someone's career. It is to protect student athletes. The athletic department has created culture of injury, intimidation, and silence. And silence is tolerated. Now, once was my daughter or I interviewed uh regarding her injury. During multiple um encounters, this coach has uh with the sports trainer for the past six years has I'm sorry, the sports trainer who's been working there for the past six years has resigned
071because of the toxic environment. During a meeting, coach my demonstrated lack of ownership by stating he had nothing to apologize for regarding the injury he caused. During this meeting, I asked Coach Nick Adamson either to remove coach Austin or replace him with a coach from the boy team. He was willing to do neither. The risk I'm sorry. Um Dr. Christina Wilson, MD, and children's head of the hospital have met directly with the principal and the sports director, her um going over concerns regarding injury [Applause] reporting. This is more than just about my daughter. This is about every student's right to a safe, competent, and supportive athletic environment. The athletic department needs to stop sending messages that injuries and toxic behavior is acceptable. Coach Moy is not the right fit. And each day he remains in
072the position, more students are at unnecessary risk. So again, I'm demanding that the athletic department start taking accountability for the coaches. Starting with Coach Mory being relieved from your position. Thank you. Thank you. I'm going to ask please if we not applaud at the end. Sorry. Thank you. Um and do we have number four? I crawled up before but nobody came up. Do we have number five? Number five. Number six. Oh, number seven. Welcome. Please introduce yourselves and you have 10 minutes. Good evening. My name is Tiffany Losaso and I am the digital teacher librarian at Mandalay Middle School. I am supported by a group of other DTLs from various schools around Jeffco. Katherine Dockerty from Westwoods Elementary. Denise Cushing from Bradford South. Sandy Cowayati from Bradford North. Corey Chub from Drake Middle. Toby Erle
073from Oberon Middle. Sarah Hammershame from the Manning School. Judy Sims from Pomona Junior Senior. Sarah Swan from Arvvada High. and Tiffany Denton from Sylvester Academy. There are many others who wanted to join us tonight but were unable to be here. We are here to share some serious concerns we have for our JUFCO public schools libraries. Governor Polus signed Senate Bill 63 into law on May 1st, 2025, mandating all school districts implement transparent policies for the acquisition, retention, display, and use of library resources by September 1st, 2025. This bill protects materials from removal before due process and safeguards library staff as well. While Jeffco policies were once considered clear, we no longer believe this to be true. It all starts with former B board policy JL which was removed in June 2023. At that time, DTL's
074did not have a district voice because we were between DTL coordinators. Former policy designated that we have both an elementary and a secondary book review team with criteria for our work. These committees are made up of DTLs from across the district which means experienced, licensed and trained professionals are dedicated to this work. I currently serve on the secondary review team and many of the DTLs behind me currently serve or have previously served on one of the teams. When JJL was quietly removed without our input, we were left with current board policy J, which has only one small section committed to library resources that states the teacher librarian along with district personnel have shared authority for selecting and eliminating library materials. This is the only sentence that gives librarians directions. It is not clear which district
075personnel are included in this language or even what the process actually is. This ambiguity has stripped DTLs of our voice and undermined our expertise. You might think we are overreacting, but sadly this has already been happening in Jeffco. In January 2024, the wildly popular manga series Assassination Classroom was submitted to the secondary review book committee. Multiple DTLs on the team read and reviewed the series. There was heavy discussion while using our rubrics and the team came to the agreed recommendation that this book was appropriate for only high schools, no other school level. However, shortly after this recommendation was made, schools with this series received an email stating that the book was labeled as not appropriate for any Jeffco school and the series should be removed immediately. Apparently, an unknown district leadership team reviewed the book
076and changed the committee's recommendation. No one knows who was on that decision-making team or when or where they met or even what criteria was used to reverse the decision. This new vague shared authority was behind closed doors and wasted the time and value of our committee itself. Then in October 2024, multiple books were removed from a school library shelves by the principal at the directive of district admin. This action directly violates board policy KECR and bypasses both the required school level and district level review procedures which are designed to ensure transparency, fairness, and the protection of intellectual freedom in our schools. Upholding this process is essential to maintaining trust, educational integrity, and the rights of our students and our educators. On October 16th, all DTLs received an email from our district coordinator saying we were
077to spend the next day reviewing our library cataloges for books with controversial topics instead of any other meetings or appointments we previously had. We were sent a list of words to focus our work that included topics like violence, pornography, cruelty, and other broad terms that could have resulted in the removal of most of our non-fiction and historical fiction sections. Our bookwing policies have always been focused on age, usage, and condition of the materials, not controversial catchphrases. We are also explicitly told not to print or share this list which was underlined. This past February, a group of secondary DTLs sent a letter to Superintendent Tracy Dorland, Deputy Superintendent Kim Leblanc Sparza, and Chief Academic Officer Renee Nicthotus expressing our concerns. We invited them to sit down for a discussion which was unsuccessful even with the multiple
078attempts by us to get on the schedule. Finally, JCA Union President Brooke Williams invited two of our members to meet with Dorland and Dr. Kim in early March. The two expressed their concerns and promised to have Renee follow up with us, which never happened. With SB63 now passed, these issues are critical to avoid future lawsuits. We urge the reinstatement of board policy JL or the integration of clear committee structures into current board policy J. We demand transparency in book challenges and approvals and respect for our professional titles, licenses, experience, and education. We are the experts on what is appropriate for our students and our community. We implore you to make these changes as soon as possible and are willing to help along the way. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Do we have number
079eight? Number eight. Welcome. Please introduce yourselves and if you are a group, you have 10 minutes. Hi, we're part of Engaged Jeffco. My name is Emily Batista. I'm a Jeffco parent and resident. I'm Allison Fipps. I'm part of Engaged Jeffco and I am an Arvvada resident. Don Fritz and I'm a member of Engaged Jeffco and I am also an Arvvada resident. Good evening, directors Varta Reed, Parker, Applegate, and Kenwi. We're grateful for the opportunity to engage with you throughout the second half of the school year. I'm speaking tonight on behalf of Engage Jeffco, a parent and caregiver advocacy group committed to equitable education through transparent collaborative partnerships. As you round out this school year and finalize next year's budget, we want to comment on the importance of thoughtful investments that will shape our children's educational
080experience for years to come. First, supporting school safety through smart investments. First, we want to thank you for holding the safety summit earlier this year. Your responsiveness to community concerns demonstrates the collaborative leadership we value. We're grateful for the educators and staff who create safe, caring environments for our student, our children every single day who make up the majority in our district and appreciate you resourcing them. However, as you consider next year's budget, we urge you to reconsider investing in visitor management screening technology. In our financially constrained environment, there's limited evidence that visitor screening addresses the core safety concerns our community faces. Instead, we believe our precious resources are better invested in the people who keep our kids safe, our teachers, counselors, and support staff who build trusting relationships with students. Second, investing in our
081educators is investing in our children. This brings us to our second point. Without our teachers and staff, we don't have a district. As parents and caregivers, we see firsthand how dedicated educators impact our children's lives. When our educators feel valued and can support their own families with livable wages and benefits, our students receive the best possible education. We support the collaborative approach outlined by JCA leadership in their April letter to you. The issues they've raised, from healthc care benefits to authentic community engagement, directly impact our children's educational experience. When teachers are worried about making ends meet or feel excluded from decision-making processes, it affects classroom morale and ultimately our students learning environment. We urge you to prioritize people over technology in your budget decisions. Jeffco already ranks at the bottom of regional pay scales. Investing
082in competitive compensation and benefits isn't just about supporting our educators. It's about ensuring we can attract and retain the talented and trustworthy professionals our childrens deserve. Finally, partnership and decision-making. We appreciate the collaborative values we've heard expressed by other stakeholders in Jeffco and agree with their calls for transparent, inclusive decision-making. As parents and caregivers, we need authentic partnerships with both district leadership and our educators to address the challenges facing our schools. This means avoiding closed door decisions, especially when they affect our neighborhood schools, our highest need learners, such as those attending alternative education campuses, and the communities they serve. We're committed to working together, board, educators, families, and community to create the highquality, equitable education every Jefferson County student deserves. As an established community voice, we look forward to continuing this important partnership in the
083next school year and beyond. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Do we have number nine? Again, I'm going to ask you please to hold your applause. Thank you. Number nine, welcome. Please introduce yourself. Can I get these? Uh, hello. Thank you for having me this evening. Apologize. I have a cold. I'm stuffy. Um, my name is Karen Carpenter and I live in Lakewood, Colorado. And tonight I'd like to let you know about Wear Orange. I have two daughters that attend Jeffco schools and are going into fourth and seventh grade grades in the fall. I'm a proud product of Jefferson County schools. I attended Coline High School as did my family, my husband, and my husband's family. Today, I represent the Coline, Jeffco, and Doug Coch chapters of Moms Demand Action. The Coline
084chapter encompasses the Coline High School area along with parts of Littleton, Anglewood, Arapjo, and Doug Co. We are hosting a Wear Orange event Friday, June 6th at 6 p.m. at the Coline Memorial at Clement Park. Wear Orange is National Gun Violence Awareness Day. It is dedicated to honoring the lives of people in the United States affected by gun violence. It is a day to remember victims and advocate for change in gun violence prevention. And most importantly, it also honors the memory of Hyia Pendleton, a young woman tragically killed by gun violence. She attended President Obama's inauguration and then came home and the following week she was uh shot and killed. Um so his administration also was responsible for creating wear orange and national gun violence a awareness day. The color was chosen because it's her
085favorite color and it's often worn by hunters symbolizing a call for safety and unity in the force of in the face of gun violence. Uh we wanted the Jefferson County School District community to be aware of this event and ask that you attend if you are able. Uh we feel like this is an opportunity for our neighborhoods to come together um not only Jefferson County, Arapjo, and Douglas and honor any and all victims of gun violence, both um mass shootings and those close to home. Um, I left a flyer with you can look at. Um, we will meet at the entrance to the Coline Memorial at 6 p.m. and have a brief discussion survivor story followed by a remembrance of those who are no longer with us due to gun violence and then Nella's Frozen
086Yogurt has agreed to host us and hopefully there can also be some happy moments that evening. Thanks so much for your time. I'd love to introduce my colleague Kia Ruiz. Hi everybody. My name is Kia Ruiz. I am the Jeffco BS smart lead. I'm a parent of two middle schoolers of Mountain Phoenix Community School. I'm a resident. Uh B Smart is our program for gun violence prevention with Safe and Secure Gun Storage. And just here to say as we're going into summer, please have that message going out to families to secure your firearms. We already have that recognition when children register for school. Uh but there's going to be a new uh law coming out uh in January about disseminating information about keeping our kids safe with safe and secure gun storage. We already do
087project child safe. We work with children's hospital. Uh but I recommend also doing this because the programs you mentioned do not talk about the role of firearm and suicide as well as parents talking to each other with the ask. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Do we have number [Applause] 10? Welcome. Please introduce yourself and you have three minutes. I'm kind of short. Hi, my name is Becky Pesh. I live in Indian Hills. Uh, not long ago, parents became coming before this very board wanting to know how their children had been socially transitioned at school without their approval. It was eventually revealed that hiding social transition from parents was not an oversight. It was Jeffco's policy. With HP251312 in effect, this overreach is the law across our entire state. Would you please respond to
088a few questions with a thumbs up for yes and a thumbs up for no? Do you as the board support Jeffco public schools socially transitioning minors without their parents' consent? I'm sorry, we will not be responding during this period. Thank you. Okay, that's fine. Um, are you aware that Jeffco's current policies do not comply with federal law and may soon risk losing muchneeded funding from our government? Um, did you know that Chase Strangio, the ACL's lawyer for the US versus Skirmdy Supreme Court case, admitted just last December the gender transition has not lessened suicide rates for the trans community at all. One in every six US women is a victim of rape. Do you acknowledge that it is profoundly traumatizing for a female rape victim to be forced to share intimate space with a biological
089male? Would you agree that it might be difficult for girls to differentiate between a male who truly believes they are female versus a man who simply wants to gain access to women and girls in their private spaces. You just honored our amazing Jeffco athletes. Do you believe it is fair for biological males to compete against girls in sports and win their medals and scholarships? There are ways to have this discussion and have real solutions. Uh there is a discussion happening now in California that is starting to make some progress, but we need to protect all students. Um many women and girls do not feel safe and I think there's a way to protect everyone. Thank you. Do we have number 11? Welcome. Please introduce yourself. Oh, okay. Oh, sorry. Just Yeah. Okay. Okay. Jefferson. Um,
090particip participant Identific. for particip Forevasia. eliminas. Imposses. is Jefferson. [Music] for no Jefferson. [Music] Junior Confo. [Music] local includ Tortilla Raalita. [Music] person. Jefferson is my mother. participant. Jefferson. particip. inclus. [Music] Cancer, diabetes. Please. [Music] foreign polit Gracias. Gracias. Do we have number 12? Welcome. Please introduce yourself and you have three minutes. Karen Tonso Orvvada. I'm distressed by Superintendent Dorland's leadership. I speak guided by my expertise as a professor of Marita at a research university and a college of education. My experience as a mother of five and grandmother of two educated in Jeffco schools. And my heart which hurts from the damage being done to our children's educational futures. I expect school leaders to systematically enact thoughtful, caring policies that ensure every student's right to learn in a secure, stable environment. This is not the
091current situation where distrust, chaos, and intimidation reign. My overarching concern is that Superintendent Doran puts herself and the corporate side of the district ahead of the educational needs of children and youth. Three examples. First, the district dismissed behavioral learning specialists. They were put in place as recommended by the school culture subgroup of the original safety task force where I was a member. Students with behavioral issues deserve relevant support from experts. Their absence impairs maintaining school cultures needed for effective learning and learning for all students and teaching. Second, though reading remains the most important skill for school success, super superintendent Dorland has not adequately supported title one programs. Shifting Title One students to independent learning technology contradicts solid research that recommends professional teachers who use sophisticated strategies tailored to struggling readers needs. Her plan to pinch
092pennies and risk the learning of struggling readers was short-sighted and misinformed. Third, Superintendent Dorland fails to advocate for those students most at risk. Consider the case of immigrant students. She planned to allow ICE agents into schools prior to knowing if their visit was legal and later she planned simply not to comply with the board's safety plan. Her reasons centered on not irritating ICE agents and on worries about school staff during ICE face-to-face interactions. Again, rather than focusing on the safety of students, she's thought about adults. Each of these examples paints a picture of a school leader who fails to center the needs of students to maintain calm learning focused school cultures. and to inspire confidence and trust. The board knows Superintendent Dorland's track record. Can we envision that she can be trusted to use new
093state dollars to enhance programs for students or to follow or stand behind policies? It is time for the board to make hard decisions in difficult times before problems at the district can be laid at your feet. To get Jeffco schools back on track requires a new superintendent. I urge the school board to be courageous, to take the concerns of stakeholders seriously, and to write this ship by terminating the her employment. Thank you very much. Thank you. That does end the public comment. We will take a 10-minute break right now and get back for our study session. Oops, there's one more. Is there somebody who hasn't come up? 13 and 14. Sorry, I don't have any more names on my list. [Applause] Okay. Um, hello. My name is Hi Nelson. I'm the director of the Jefferson
094County Food Policy Council. We're a nonprofit organization with 350 members across the food system working towards community-led changes for a thriving food future in Jefferson County. Over the past two years, we've had the honor of working alongside the Edgewater community, the school district, and partners on the Jefferson area school food pilot. In 2023, we were asked to serve as a community partner. Over the years, our role has developed to support parents in the Edgewater community to understand um the district's school food to bring in local food partners and to coordinate and communicate with the district and its representatives. The pilotou set a goal of ensuring that quality and nutritious meals are provided to Jeffco students in an efficient manner and that all relevant stakeholders understand and support the path to this outcome. And so now
095I'm going to have my colleague Javier talk about the changes that were achieved in the pilot. Um hello my name is Javier Alvora I am the organizing manager with the Jeffco food policy council. So when I joined the project our role was to support the community in their community organizing getting together working together um and then since then I've honestly witnessed really powerful changes firsthand uh both at the school food the changes that actually happened and then also with the community um with the pilot moms who have grown tremendously as leaders. They are now confident advocates for um as you all saw earlier advocates for school food. They've done advocacy at a local level uh with the school board with the superintendent also um at the state capital with governor pulis who attended one of
096our events. Um even at the federal level with representatives representative um person they have attended meetings with her as well. So I've just seen that develop over the last two years and it's been really amazing. Um the food itself has also really improved um when the changes were guided by the community and working alongside the community. um the students um perception and and you know changes were made and that really made a difference. Um I've heard directly from the pilot moms um from community members and students themselves that they um are really excited about the pilot meals uh about the cultural recipes. Um I was at Jefferson Junior Senior High doing in um surveys a few weeks ago and some of the uh students that were telling me that they would like regularly they just
097don't eat the school meals but the day that have the garnetas tacos they ate because that's something that they really like and something that they um are used to eating at home. Um, from my perspective, the most impactful change that um, we've seen has really been the community-led decision-making in collaboration with the school district. And that partnership um, has really shown how much more we can accomplish when that decision-m is shared and community voices are part of the process from the beginning. Um, working closely with families, the district has been able to expand the capacity that they have as well. I think that was something that they shared a little bit earlier too. Um, that they want the moms want to get this done together, right, and work together. Um and then looking ahead, I
098strongly believe that this model of collaboration should continue um formalizing the pilot into like a per a permanent school food advisory group. Um we'll build on all the progress that they've done for the last two years. We accomplished a lot through the pilot. Um and we shared with you all a final report and have more community data that we can share. Um but the pilot also had challenges um to get to this outcome and initially the district's handling of community engagement um with lack of transparency about the recipe changes, ingredients, purchasing, removal of a salad bar um and just lack of transparency about staffing and scratch cooking were barriers. We also had many contentious meetings um because the community felt uninformed. um we were able to and the district struggled to communicate clearly. We were
099able to break down into smaller committees where we saw more progress this spring and so we are asking you all to create a permanent school food advisory group that can continue this work and this momentum. We've seen that um there's a lot of support in Edgewater for the pilot. We have parents here who will speak next from other parts of the district and then we have parents in the audience from other parts of the district that want to see this in their schools too. So I'm gonna um pass it to Amalia to share board. Stanley Lake High School Middle School. [Music] H Water Elementary Lumber and Jefferson Junior Senior High School. volleyball, practical golf, practical wrestling, rugg [Applause] Beef. Eyeut. [Music] Jefferson. [Music] is Lucy. So Jefferson Fore classes. Gracias. Thank you. And just checking
100anybody else who had a number didn't have a chance, then we will take a 10-minute break. Thank [Music] you. Hey, hey, [Music] hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] down. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. [Music] Heat. Down. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] down. Down. [Music] Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] It's [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down down down down down [Music] down. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Hey.
101Hey. Hey. [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] down Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Hey. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] N. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Down. Hey. Hey. [Music] Oh, hey. [Music] Okay, we are now back and we are going to move on to our agenda. On May 9th, 2025, the board held a study session that included the following topics. FY2526 proposed budget charter school conversion application for free Horizon
102Monastery School board committee appointments and finally the 2526 board calendar. I encourage you to watch the recording of the study session to learn more about these subjects. You can also visit our board page on the Jeffco public schools website and you'll find a host of information there and links to both board docs and our live stream platforms. For this evening's study session, we will be studying two topics. First, the board will receive and discuss two monitoring reports. Board end 3.1, which states that every student will be met where they are to reach their fullest potential in a way that honors, utilizes, and addresses their individual differences. and board and 3.3 that states students and families will have access to resources and community partners that support their health, safety, and stability. Due to the interconnection between
103the services that Jeffco provides to students to meet their needs and the importance of their part partnership that harness the energy and resources within the community, we're monitoring these two end policies together. The board will also vote to accept this monitoring report tonight on its consent agenda. Before I turn it over to Matt Polero, chief student success officer, and Tara Pena, chief of family and community partnerships, is there anything you'd like to say, Superintendent Dorland? Thank you, President Parker. I do want to highlight that this is a meaty report. It's lengthy. I hope the board has had an opportunity to spend time with this important monitoring report that um highlights progress and some significant challenges with uh the board ends of 3.1 and 3.3. This is really important work. It's important to me that we
104make tactical progress in these areas and see impact. And Matt and Tara have done a great job. Thank you for putting this together in a way that I think is incredibly balanced, talking both about the incredible successes and progress we've made as shown by quantitative data and also highlighting and sharing with our board and our public uh the continuing challenges that we have that we are looking forward to working hard to address. So, thank you both and I will hand it to Mr. Polo for me. All right. Uh, good evening, President Parker, Superintendent Dorland, distinguished members of our board. For our audience listening, my name is Matt Pler. I'm your chief student success officer. And presenting with me this evening is Harena, chief family and community partnership. Good evening. Um and we are going to
105be providing you an update on your board's instatements 3.13.3 which will include an interpretation um of your statements, some context, some areas where we've made progress since the last time we shared this report with you and also some newly identified challenges that we will also share some potential solutions to this evening. Um, so starting with your board's end statement 3.1, it states, "Every student will be met where they are to reach their fullest potential in a way that honors, utilizes, and addresses their individual differences." Board ends 3.3 states, "Students and families will have access to resources and community partners that support their health, safety, and stability." We interpret this to mean that Jeffco will provide one direct services and resources in schools and two connections to services and resources available to Jeffco students and families
106through community partners that address students diverse learning needs. Support their physical well-being, support their mental well-being, increase their safety, and increase their stability. And we will measure this through internal and external resources and community partnerships to enhance the health, safety, and stability of Jeffco students and families and the Jeffco listen student engagement survey. Um I do want to make note that last year in this report we also made note of a measurement utilizing the healthy kids Colorado survey. That is a survey that's administered every two years. This was not a year where we administered that survey. So next year we'll report on that. All right. So starting off with some celebrations and bright spots. So, I'm so fortunate um to be able to kick off um tonight's uh presentation with some celebrations and bright spots.
107So, for the past three years, Chef Co has remained deeply committed to knowing each student by name, strength, and need, and to creating a culture of belonging for every learner. Tonight, I'm excited to kick off our celebrations and bright spots by sharing some promising data that reflects the dedication, care, and hard work happening across our entire system. One of the strongest indicators of our progress comes from our Jeff Kalison's Panorama student perception data where we're seeing very exciting and insightful growth almost across the board. And these gains aren't just numbers on a page. They reflect real shifts in how students experience school in Jeffco. So I invite us for a minute to sit with this data because it's more than just numbers. So, as you can see up there on the screen, we are seeing
108increases um both in elementary and in secondary um almost across the board. In our conversations, in our continued engagement with Panorama, who is the vendor that we work with to administer the survey, the feedback that they have shared with with us is that um research indicates that a change either plus or minus of 1% favorability is statistically significant. And as you can see, we are seeing consistent upward movement, especially at the secondary level in areas like school climate, engagement, and belonging. And these results aren't just numbers, as I stated before. They reflect the lived day-to-day experiences of our students and tell a powerful story of progress and promise. And this kind of growth doesn't just happen by accident. It's the intentional and sustained leadership across the system. from our district and our school-based academic leadership
109teams to our proactive behavior safety teams which you read about within our um report. Um our operational leadership teams both at the district and school levels. Each of these teams have centered around student belonging and have built systems rooted in the belief that every student deserves to be seen and supported. So this data shows that that belief is taking root. students are telling us they feel more connected, more engaged, and more seen. And that's a big deal because when students feel like they belong, everything else becomes possible. So, this slide and this growth is is a huge celebration. And um we're so excited to be able to share this with you this evening. All right, it's it's me again. Um so now shifting to another powerful example of impact and and one that shows what's
110possible when we refuse to give up on our students. So first um would like to shout out the incredible work of our dropout prevention team. This year alone they re-engaged 265 students who had previously dropped out. These students just didn't just return to school. They were welcome back with personalized support and a clear path for academic and social enga re-engagement. Equally powerful is what we're seeing for our students in foster care. Jeffco's four-year graduation rate for students in foster care reached 46.7% this year. That's a 22% point increase over last year and above the state average. Behind the number is a highly collaborative student- centered approach. Our child welfare team, which is six dedicated mental health professionals, provides intensive case management, facil facilitates best interest determination meetings and works closely with schools and placement agencies
111to ensure educational stability and access to critical supports. They also implement fostering opportunities, an innovative program developed and piloted in Jeffco, now recognized as the only evidence-based approach in Colorado, proven to improve educational outcomes for middle and high school students and foster care. And these aren't isolated wins. They're signs of a coherent system working in alignment, built around student needs, and rooted in a culture of care. And this growth, especially for these two demographics, remind us that when we build the right systems, create the right partnership, and stay focused on every student's story, we create the conditions where all students can thrive and feel they truly belong. All right. So, um, one of the most encouraging trends this year is a 22.7 percentage point decrease in substance related offenses, down from 2,318 um, last year
112to 1,791 this year. And I think this decline in part um reflects stronger prevention efforts and more consistent intervention practices across our schools. with a key contributor in this area specifically um has been the utilization of our third millennium classrooms which provide students um referred for substance use um needs with researchbased tailored modules such as nicotine or vaping 101 um which is designed to match kind of the specific infraction that they're referred for and I would say equally important is also our percentage of recidivism which is low only 4% of our students who um completed a course this year in third millennium um reaffended so to speak which suggests that the intervention is not only informative but also impactful in changing student behavior when it comes to substance use um and I would say that
113these results also align with a broader trend of improvement reflected in declining disciplinary um incidents so overall documented discipline incidents are down 6.4 four percentage points this year. Out of school suspensions dropped from 4,396 to uh 3,789 and expulsions have declined significantly from 70 expulsions a few years ago to just 10 this year. Um at the same time, we're seeing an increase in the use of supportive restorative practices. So restorative conferences um are up 43.6% 6% with 1,680 documented this year. Um, and over the past three years, we've had 2,121 educators trained in restorative practices with, um, 734 folks being trained this year across 114 sites. So, uh, shout out to my team on that work. Um and overall we would just say you know that these shifts in part are driven by more consistent
114um resources and supports across our schools like the utilization of the um discipline matrix uh the school level support structures that Tara mentioned such as ALT OLT PBST you know access to essential and timely data thanks to Jill's team around the data dashboards and um the roll out of a prevention and intervention manual um which has been pretty pretty phenomenal work And those are just a few things that I think are contributing factors to some of the data you're seeing. So, moving on to things that are on track as well as some challenges. Um, as we reflect on our progress from last year to now, these areas continue to show strong momentum um and are firmly on track and each builds um on a foundational on foundational work laid out in last year's report. So
115you'll notice that last year's focused focused areas of acceleration are now um this year's on track progress updates for you. So starting with data literacy, last year we identified the need to define uh core data competencies and improve how educators and school leaders ac uh access and use data to um inform instruction and support. Um this year we've made significant progress in that regard with the launch of our student progress monitoring dashboard which is a more visual streamlined tool. Um combined with the roll out of foundational training for leaders and educators to utilize those tools. Um which we believe and if you've seen the video where our comm our comm's team put together of interviews from teacher staff. It's helping them translate data into um timely targeted action to inform their practice, which is amazing
116because previous to that they were having to go to so many different places to find what they need and now it's in kind of a one-stop shop um real time um with regards to addressing the demand for mental, social, emotional, and behavioral health resources. So following last year's evaluation um of special education mental health services specifically and taking into consideration the broader rise in student needs and the ongoing collaboration with our mental health service team. We committed to some system level improvements to deliver more timely mental health um student supports and in a way that um are we intend to reduce provider workload which is something we've heard quite a bit about. Um so this year we launched the centralized mental health evaluation team which focuses primarily on conducting initial evaluations of students um who
117are potentially in need of special education which ensures that they get timely access to support when they need it as opposed to waiting. Um which ultimately can lead to reducing the burden on our mental health providers in our schools. And then of course um you know two years ago we had launched our partnership with Hazel Health which is our teleaalth physical social emotional and behavioral health um service. Um at that time we started with at home support services only. Last year we piloted inschool support services um to ensure that our students were getting access to the care that they need when they need it. Um and that's gone so uh well so far. We've also made some targeted investments in response to our data tied to student well-being such as partnering with girls on the
118run um and the Jeff Co Stepup 5K to promote physical activity and support uh mental health and well-being. So, if you'll recall last year, we had talked about um how our healthy kids Colorado survey data suggested that there's more sedentary behavior than ever before, particularly with um young females. And so, Girls on the Wrong was a small investment and partnership that we made to um promote greater physical activity for for girls who are interested in that. Um, as you recall, we also launched a comprehensive program evaluation of specialized programs across my division in student success in partnership with Mccrell International. Um uh just to recap, the purpose was to kind of assess the effectiveness, alignment, and impact of our programming in areas such as special education, gifted and talented health services, and student services. And
119that work is now concluded, and we're on track to translate the findings um into a coherent multi-year, multi-phase strategic plan for my division um that will touch all aspects of the organization at some point. Um, but that said, there are already some enhancements that are underway based on early findings. So, um, some examples of that include partnering with Jill's team to pilot AI tools to improve the quality and efficiency of developing student plans like IEPs and 504s. Um, shout out to Kraton Middle School special ed team who is rocking this work. Um, and who will also be presenting at Courage to Risk next year, which is a conference for special educators in general. Um but that is helping reduce time that educators are spent on those kinds of tasks like writing the plans. Um and
120those plans are actually um becoming more practical practical and easily understood by parents who have students with those plans which is a nice benefit to that. Um other areas where we've made some enhancements this year was just improving our family engagement efforts. So, we had our inaugural Jeffco parents encouraging parents conference which was a conference for parents designed by parents and caregivers. Um, which was amazing. Our goal was to have a hundred people and we had well over a 100red people attend the uh event. Um, and then of course we're starting to uh lay the groundwork for a more coherent district-wide uh tiered system of support with an emphasis on all sum and few um which is an effort that connects directly to a support structure that I'll be talking to you about here in
121a moment. Um tier do you want to talk about the dropout prevention? Perfect. Thank you. Um so coupled really closely with that first bullet around data literacy for informed decisionmaking. really excited to report out around the dropout prevention early warning indicators that we have been working to establish and identify over the course of the last two years. And so we've worked um really hard and collaboratively with many departments um to gather data and put tools in place um to support the early identification of students at risk for dropout. So in the written report um you will see we uplifted um two really important interventions. first researchbased case management um where we're are working intentionally um to to build relationship with students but also help support really in the three areas of of early warning around
122attendance behavior and course completion to ensure that students have wraparound supports and we're working in partnership with schools and families to ensure that our students are supported especially we talked earlier in that celebration the students that have re-engaged um and we're working really diligently with the right tools and supports to ensure that um we we intervene a a lot sooner um before students are are dropping out. And really what we're seeing is really excited that this year we advanced our efforts to address student disengagement by integrating early warning indicators into the school and student progress monitoring dashboard with PowerBI. Um these indicators again attendance, behavior, academic performance, course completion are critical in identifying students at risk of dropout. um with combi when combined with interventions like the no wrong door approach that you saw that
123it doesn't matter especially within the division of family community partnerships whomever a student is referred to um across our vast um department that students and families will be met with compassion with dignity and with informed um resources and solutions to help ensure that they remain on track for graduation. Um we are seeing um just a lot of success in in our supports to ensuring um that students stay engaged and we're also receiving a lot of feedback in in empathy interviews and and the data that you saw earlier in our panorama survey data that these supports are helping students to one feel a sense of belonging but to stay engaged in school. And then for the upcoming school year, enhancements will be added to our dashboards to provide new tools to support educators and predictive analysis
124that proactively identify potential offtrack risks to intervene earlier for student success. And so, not only will it be within the filters within the um student progress monitoring dashboard, but we will actually have a platform that identifies those students right off the bat so schools can intervene a lot sooner. So, just a lot of promising practice. All right. So all of that to say um we're proud of the progress that we've made um towards your board ends and uh we also have some challenges that we need to address and we've heard loud and clear or I should say we've heard clear and consistent messaging from our schools and that's that our schools um have shared that sometimes they experience a lack of coherence and timely alignment between instructional systems and the supports needed from the district
125to um address things like academic and behavioral challenges. Um and we would agree that um at times our central response has been spread across departments and while each team is doing important work, we're not always doing that in sync. Um and so as a result when you know students are struggling whether that's with academics behavior attendance engagement or have a need for enrichment or acceleration um it can trigger kind of a flurry of reactive efforts by a single team. Um sometimes without the broader coordination needed to have a lasting impact. Um and these challenges we know are deeply and interconnected and no one department can effectively um address those things alone. So in response to that, we're bringing a solution this evening um where we're going to be enhancing our district level structures this upcoming
126school year to build a more coherent, responsive, and proactive system. one that is aligned across teams and better positioned to act in a timely um coordinated way to support the full range of needs that our students have in our schools and also a structure that matches the structures that the schools have. Um so you just take a second to look at this image. What you're seeing here is for uh is a vision for how four key district multidisciplinary teams or academic leadership team um the uh operational leadership team the thriving school support I'm sorry thriving school support teams and our positive behavior and safety team um will work together around uh real system levels issues like rising elementary behavior or uh 9th graders who are off track to graduate, for example, which you all know
127aren't necessarily uh theoretical problems. They're real challenges that our schools face to some degree. And with our current response systems, while well-intentioned, we haven't always been as coordinated as we'd like to be. Um, and we know we need to have a stronger, more integrated structure in support of our schools. So, that's what this is. Um so that said, one of the clearest gaps in our systems has been the absence of a systemic proactive approach to behavior, safety, and student well-being. Um too often our efforts have been um reactive and somewhat disjointed, making it harder for schools to access timely and aligned support. Um that's why we're creating this district level PBST. Um we believe that this structure will fill um a critical void by leading with prevention not just reaction and by working in close
128partnership with these other essential teams like ALT to um deliver coordinated strategic and student centered approaches across the system when schools need it. So if you think of this system like an orchestra because I was just talking about a musical I had attended. Um each team plays kind of a different instrument, right? Our ALT plays um leads with instructional excellence, another handles operations, one centers on student well-being, and then one brings it all together. And so when the orchestra is operating from the same music sheet and the same tempo, you get this beautiful harmony. Um whereas without that harmony, what you have is a bunch of solo performers, right? And so what we're really trying to do here is um be aligned and coordinated in our efforts to uh support our schools greater than we
129have been in the past. Um so together these four teams will provide a foundation of infrastructure built for consistency, coherence, and belonging. And going back to what I said earlier, they'll all operate using sort of this all sum and few approach. And to kind of break that out for you in simple terms, um all schools, you know, benefit from universal supports. You know, there are some schools who need more targeted um support and then there are a few schools who need intensive coordinated support maybe across multiple areas. That's kind of the lens these teams will uh approach their work through. And all of this is really about making a shift from a fragmented response to a more proactive response where schools can receive the support that they need when they need it. Um, different than
130they are now. Um, so to kind of put that into context, uh, put together just a madeup example that might resonate. Um, so let's say our teams notice uh, a spike in behavior incidents in a group of elementary schools. Um, these aren't one-off issues, they're patterns, right? We're seeing more office referrals, inconsistent tier one practices or universal supports, and staff are raising concerns about school culture, safety, and support. So, in our current system, the response can feel um disjointed and delayed. Um but in the structure we're building, this is exactly the kind of challenge our core district teams, the ALT, OLT, PBST, and the TSST are designed to tackle together. Um so, here's how it would work. Um, RA might use learning walk data from the thriving school support teams to identify gaps in student
131engagement and maybe instructional consistency. Um, they then might compile and offer strategies to enhance universal instruction. Um, because engagement and behavior as we know are closely connected. Um, our PBS team which would be our new team would focus on aligning some of the social emotional behavioral supports. They may offer coaching um tools and or guidance tailored to each school's needs, working proactively to support adult practice and strengthen schoolwide or classroom systems before issues and concerns grow greater. Um the OOLT might examine some operational factors like are staffing shortages or substitute coverages impacting um consistency and if so maybe they provide a workforce solution to help stabilize conditions for um students and staff at the school. And then going back to the thriving school support team which really is the integration hub um they would ensure
132that each team's support is aligned and timely and responsive to what's actually happening on the ground. Um and they would be responsible for monitoring the progress and adjusting plans alongside school teams and leaders. So they're kind of the conduit between uh the school and the district teams, but the structures are all aligned between the school and district, which is not something that's um all the way in place yet. So each team has sort of their own distinct role, but they're moving together, responding to what the data is telling them, um not working in isolation or reacting after the fact. Um so um again you know potentially uh if it worked perfectly um this might be a result that you would see clear alignment across teams led to faster more coordinated responses. Um tier one practices
133improved in identified schools. Maybe staff were reporting greater confidence in managing behavior. Um data trends are now monitored regularly to catch early signs and deploy deploy support proactively. Um, and what makes this kind of coordinated response possible, I think, is the foundation that we've been intentionally building over the last couple of years, right? So, we've invested in highquality instructional materials to ensure that every student has access to rigorous standards aligned content. Uh, we've been focusing on improved data literacy, you know, including the launch of the student progress monitoring dashboard, but we also have district dashboards that these teams can be utilizing. Um, and then we of course have the structures already in place at the school level. Um, and then last but not least, you know, we're committed to ensuring that our students have clear,
134steady, and high expectations wherever they're at in Jeffco, that every part of our system is working toward our shared goals and that every student feels seen, valued, and included. Um, so that wraps up our presentation for Modern Report 3.1 and 3.3. What questions might you have? Thank you board members. Questions, comments. Well, first thank you for this. This is a a lot of data and it's in going through it, it's exciting to see because this is really critical to our our students and so I really appreciate that. Um my question is is around the inschool Hazel Health that you mentioned, Mr. Polo. Mhm. I know in the past if it was in the home, parents had to be present. How does that work when it's an inschool situation? Yeah. For the pilot schools, part of
135the commitment is ensuring that an adult is supervising the session. Um, nothing has changed about our consent process. So, there's still required consent from parents or guardians for students to participate uh or receive services from Hazel. and they're also aware and a part of the process for planning when those services will take place. Parents can say, "No, I don't want my child to have that access at school. I'd prefer to do that in the home setting." Or they can say, "I'm comfortable with um the inschool support services cuz our evenings are really I mean our Yeah, in school support services cuz our evenings are really busy." Thank you for that. You're welcome. Um are we also is it a when we're bringing those into the school is it a replacement per se and um it's
136supplemental. It's supplemental. Okay. So it's things in addition to having a school psychologist and correct and all those things that we're already offering. That's right. So sometimes um students need um a different level of expertise um and that expertise may not always come through an educational provider. Sometimes it comes through an external clinical type provider. Um, so supplemental. All right. Thank you so much. Thank you for all your work on this. It's a big report. Um, and I thought it was really useful. I just have a couple of questions. Um, I'll start with the teams at the end. Um, I like this integrated structure. I think it's useful to look at all parts of the system. I wonder for the Are you saying the PBST team is a new team? It's a new district level
137team. So, our schools already have a PBST that was an outcome of their um the collective bargaining process a couple years ago. Um so, this would be a team that's now formalized at the district level. Will it be made up of current employees or is this something we have to have new funding for? No, there's no funding attached to this whatsoever. So, it's utilizing existing resources. Um, so the way we're envisioning this is, you know, um this is kind of the whole child team, right? So it would be uh current employees or leaders from say um uh Drew's team like our director of discipline or Terara's team or director of student engagement, my team, director of student services, so on and so forth. Um that would make up this body and at times there might
138be a need to bring in like an external partnership or partner that's already established so would not be any additional cost to the district. Okay. Um throughout the report there's mentions of different um trainings that folks get like for example crisis prevention trainings. Um and then these teams as well. Um do we utilize um our resources like um the Frank D'Angelo Center trainings? Uh I was looking through what they actually offered this week and there's so many. Um does our district use those trainings? I wasn't sure. Um I don't know. That would be something I had to look into. I don't know if anybody else knows the answer to that question or not. It would probably be helpful if we knew which training specifically you were thinking about. Oh, well they I mean they have
139deescalation trainings, resiliency and mental health. I mean the list is like very comprehensive. It's and and pretty it seems like um they bring in really great trainers. Got it. Yes. uh to some degree we do. Um but for crisis prevention intervention uh specific to deescalation and as a last resort like restraint and seclusion, we utilize the uh CPI institute for very specific reasons because um the strategies that are used in say a school safety perspective might be different than um kind of an educational lens. But we partner very closely with Jeff Pearson and um utilize some of the Frank D'Angelus um okay trainings that are offered. Um it's funny because I see other districts like showing we went to the Frank D'Angelo Center and got all these trainings. So I just wondered how much our
140Jeffco um teams use those trainings as well. Um on the table table five on page 20 the discipline by behavior type. Um that was really good to see. I wondered if a lot of that had to do with kind of the I'm making an I guess this is a question was it with the rise during COVID of discipline um needs that we hear a lot about from our school communities. Um uh so I was I was just glad to see that table and that those those numbers are going down. There's a couple of sections, of course, I'm not on the page, where they um go up. And I just wonder, do we do we look at those and then say like, okay, let's study those and see why those certain areas have gone up. Um,
141for example, um Oh, I can't. Sorry, something's covering my screen. Thirdderee assault disorderly conduct. Oh, wait, no, not that one. So, sorry. There were two uh violations of code of conduct and um disobedience defiant of repeated interference. Anyways, I'm just curious like how do we look at these data and say where are we going to put our resources and how are we going to address where we're seeing increases in those specific areas. Absolutely. That's an excellent question. I would say um I'll chunk that question into two parts. So the first would be I believe that in in some of these instances and this is conversation with with our director of discipline areas where we are seeing increase um in incident um could be um inference of two reasons. One is we have set an expectation
142that our elementary are now documenting um classroom infraction um both major and minor um discipline incidences which in years past they haven't. If you're familiar with PBIS, many of our schools use Swiss data um to identify trends and um times of day and in location and building where we're seeing trend behavior taking place and they're using that to help inform decision-m and we did not have clean data to help inform at the system level much to your point Dr. Varta where we're seeing incident or areas of current concern where we can deploy appropriate resources. So one, I would say we have cleaner data now and so um I believe that what we're seeing here is actually what's reflective in the system. I would say too um last year you heard um around the roll out
143of um our discipline matrix and the work that we've done to align expectation and language around how we are assigning consequence to student behavior as they're happening um at really all um ranges across the contin of student behavior. And so I believe greater clarity and understanding of how we're assigning consequence um is reflective in this data as well. And then as far as training goes, much of that is what you see, especially the work that's happening in Matt's team, the restorative practices team. Um which is a team that was formerly in my department and so grateful they get to be part of really that social emotional team. When we think about that tier one best practice, um much of that training is built into restorative practices team. We actually just had um a two-day training
144today around establishing your prevention and intervention manual and coming with your school team to identify best practice and have some common expectation and calibration around what is our school um discipline policy going to be around cell phone usage and and you know incidences of um of you know habitually disruptive. are we going to be in alignment that after the third redirect we're sending that kid to the office versus every different teacher has a different approach and so that prevention and intervention manual training that happened today has been really wellreceived and having intentional time um educators were paid to be here to do that. having some intentional dedicated time to establish processes um also helps them know okay now that we know these are our areas of opportunity what are some of that training and and
145most of that has been one we offer discipline training um each year over the summer um uh and then finally um that restorative practices training that's offered throughout the course of the school year um for for all schools and then we have cohort schools that are receiving some targeted um support and coaching throughout the I was just going to say and also part of um the idea behind the four teams that we mentioned earlier is that this PBST essentially would own this data and regularly monitor it, engage in thoughtful conversations and dialogue with um kind of a multidisciplinary team that um is interconnected with the ALT and OLT so that we're more coordinated and how we approach some of this data than we have I want to just um build upon that a little bit.
146I believe um in the celebration of the data that you saw around expulsion from 70 expulsions to 10 um what is not mentioned in here um but I think is attributed to that um is um our school review team. So as our student review team which is SRT and that has been really a labor of love over the course of the last three years in which we take a a trauma-informed equity approach to making decisions and recommendations around specific discipline and misconduct in the classroom. That being said, we do believe that the PBST that is that is recommended to have a central team really brings that up in altitude to say there are some underlying root behaviors that are happening that are contributing to that individual um student in that individual classroom. And we want
147to be able to analyze and look at that trend data at the system level and have a team of mental health providers um you know potentially some school leaders and other that can really help inform and maybe identify where we have blind spots and trainings or deploy resources to help um you know a school that might be seeing some systemic issues um really really grounded in trauma-informed and equity centered practices. And again, I believe that much of the success we're seeing around the expulsion is is that collaborative approach and a multid-disciplinary team. And I believe that we'll see some of the same success with with the launch of the PBST PBST as well. Last, I I just want to say thank you for some of these really specific um focus areas like um the success
148around re-engaging for dropouts. I think that will uh it I'm I'm glad we're paying close attention to to kids who probably need extra attention. Um and the parents engaging encouraging parents event. Um I do a lot of work on systems of care with babies and young children with special healthcare needs. And we work with parents and if you ask them what their number one support is, they always say other parents or their family. Um no matter how many system supports we put in place. So, I can imagine that would be an encouraging and and way to strengthen that social support system for for these parents. And so, I'm I'm grateful for that work. Thank you. Hello. And thanks thanks for um delivering this information to us. Um questions about the PBST. Just for clarity's sake,
149um the example that you gave us was a school a school level sort of systemic, you know, multiple incident issue. This is the PBST going to be dialing down into specific student issues. Um I I think it what the intention is like utilizing data as kind of like an early warning indicator like when you start to see some discrepancies to say okay let's have a conversation with that group of schools or that specific school's TSST which is like their core four that includes like their community superintendent um their special education liaison so on and so forth to say hey let's have a conversation around uh why the data looks the way it is and let's have a conversation with that school leader to see what support if any they might need given what this data
150might be telling us or not. Um but yes, it could get down to the classroom student level. Um I would say that that's not always going to be the case, but absolutely. Yeah. All right. And um I should I should say that wouldn't necessarily be the core focus, right? That's not the primary use of the PBSC, right? Okay. Um the other question I have is um around chronic absenteeism and attendance. Is there a way that PBST or this coherent system of support is going to where would um like chronic absenteeism fit into here as far as coming up? Is it that's exactly right. So this we're uh this summer we're going to be doing some work to really establish like what metrics are each team going to be responsible for monitoring regularly. Um and absenteeism
151and engagement will be one of those data points that the PBST is closely monitoring. I would my apologies for the interruption. Um I would also say that um you know the work that you saw in the student perception survey data we are seeing tremendous growth and we always have an opportunity for growth and creating um cultures of safety and belonging having high expectations and high supports for not only instruction but for culture um encourage students to come to school right and so the other work that is happening within um um the quality of the instructional experience the extraordinary student experiences I mean there's there's a lot that we believe will attribute to that and um it is something that um is um nationwide um continuing to be an issue. Um two things that you saw
152in the report. One is that we do have representation on a CDE um committee that brings districts across the state together to really address and identify um barriers and opportunities to address chronic absenteeism. And so we um are learning some lessons that we're looking in ways that we can use um data but also opportunities to engage in some of our most vulnerable communities. And so that's work that my team is is really looking at very closely having the dropout prevention truency team um within my division. Um and then finally um our DAC um has um established um chronic absenteem asm absenteeism as a special project and they're also really looking at scale where we have communities where students um are struggling to engage and um how might we lean in and engage in some focus
153groups, some empathy interviews and address needs and remove barriers to help encourage um regular engagement in school. So there are some things happening at scale and that's going to be a systemwide lift that we're going to need to continue to pay attention to. Thank you. Um I just want to lift up the um articulation area work that happened in the Alama articulation area around um taking a look at early indicators for chronic absenteeism and hopefully some of the knowledge that was gained there in that articulation area can be pulled into conversations with PBST when it comes into that comment is very timely. just met with Trevor, members of my team and I just met with Trevor um who is the dean of students um who was dean of culture um who is really focused on
154improving attendance in the Alamita articulation area and shared some tools and some lessons learned um and some growth and opportunity and I know that he's meeting with some other schools and done some outreach and so um I think some of the tools that he's established um align and complement nicely to um PowerBI and the dashboard and there's some unique things that he's been able to do around um student engagement and after school activities and sports and things that I think are really interesting and so excited to stay engagement with him and see how might we use that to help inform um our strategies for next year. Excellent. Um I'm happy to hear it that um the work that he's been doing is going to carry forward. Um the only I think the last question I
155want to ask is just when do you anticipate that this will actually launch? I'm Yeah. Um so we are actually carving out a good chunk of time beginning in June. So, in the next couple of weeks to really um start to put provide some clarity around how these teams will operate and um the roles that they'll serve, but this will be something that's in place to launch the school year as a part of our strong start initiative. Um so, right away. Excellent. Thank you so much. All right. Thank you very much. Um I find this data very helpful. Um, you know, it says as we hear from so many people about the direction that our district is going in, the data says we're going in the right direction. And I really hope that our community
156is paying attention to that. Um, because it's solid. It's evidencebased and I appreciate that. Um so on that on that particular point um can I assume that with the results that you are anticipating on slide 16 that we will be um using data to see whether or not we are actually achieving those results and um when when might we is that something we would well I say we that the board would hear about uh next spring to to sort of show what has happened or would we hear sooner? Um I would anticipate um one this is a a a challenge or an area of focused acceleration within the monitoring port. So absolutely we commit to circling back and sharing progress over the year and um I would imagine there will be opportunities in regular board
157update or the or the different engagements that we have to to share progress um as as as we implement um this new structure. Um, so excited to share that and and would really provide feedback at at your request and so really yeah excited to see where it takes us. Yeah. Another thing I'm really excited about is is you're talking about the SRTs and those have been around actually for a long time in the district. It's really nice to see them actually be becoming effective. Um, I think one of the things that we've tended to do in this district for a long time is to halfway implement things or to start and then stop and then shift gears and do something different. And we never give something a chance to work. And so, um, seeing us
158really settle into this thing that had tremendous potential and make it work for us is very exciting to see. Um and um my my only other question really um is I know we just looked at data uh earlier about how being in CTE programs is impacting student graduation rates, student achievement rates, all of those kinds of things. Um do we have a sense of how that is impacting absenteeism? Are students more likely to come to school if they are in a CTE program? I think that is a fascinating question. I would imagine somebody smarter than me has that data somewhere. Um, and so I think that we can look into that and get back to you on that. I think that's that would be a a really interesting correlation to take a look at. I
159would imagine um I'll I'll just I'll just guess um you know to make an educated guess that when we're seeing especially um uh the um decline or um the addressing of disproportionality in access especially for our students of color and CTE programs and closing those gaps which is so exciting. Um I would I would imagine um that students that are that engaged and that committed to their outcomes and to their future um are in school. Um um that is also something that has come up as as an outcome and you'll you'll um hear about this next year. Our equity accountability committee and and and our participants there are wanting to hear a lot more about career pathways especially for students of color. Um, so there are so many ways of interconnectedness, but I think that's
160a data point we should definitely bring back. So, thanks for asking. Anecdotally, I'll just share a quick story and I'll refrain from sharing the student's name, but I was out at um Arvvada West High School um recently and um uh I got the opportunity to talk to a young lady who's graduating this year and she actually shared a story of her boyfriend who is also graduating this year who was on the verge of dropping out and the whole purpose I was out there was to learn more about the counseling program that they've established because it's a bright spot in our district. And um in her story she had shared that um her boyfriend was not coming to school. And then he got connected to a counselor who connected him to um a local internship where
161he could work with his hands and I think it was in the field of construction and he actually had shared or she shared on his behalf that he found a new purpose for coming to school. So I would say that anecdotally yes I think that assumption is that when kids have purpose and relevance um they will show up. So yes thank you very much for this and I just have one question. Um are we using first team data to um inform us in this in these ends because I didn't see it mentioned in here. Yep. Um so you will see me again next week so I will be reporting on board ends 2.2 and 2.6 six and you will get a lot of first data and talk about the impact that that's having um in
162the system and the reason I ask about it in these um ends is that um the um parent supporting parents event was really really good but what I did learn from it is people don't know what resources there are or what path to go through a lot of frustrated parents and I keep and I think most of us keep trying to direct them to the first team to get you the start. Yeah. To your question. And there's some some other kind of lowhanging fruit and that emerged from the student success program evaluation. Just for example, like putting some of those resources on our website um and sharing them with families or letting our families know that they're available on our website. So, there's some immediate things that we're doing in that regard, too. I think
163you probably heard that in my session a little bit. So, one thing you'll also hear next week that I think is directly connected um is the launch of academic partnerships where we'll actually um host um centrally and regionally parent workshops at kinder, 6th, and 9th grade for families at those key transition points and let them know around the programming, the access, the process, and the ways in which they can gauge and support. as a mom of an incoming ninth grader and an and an incoming senior, there are still a lot of things that I don't know about just how to access information. And so, thankfully, I have a really great school and they answer all my questions. But, um, we need to make certain that information, especially about some of this tremending programming and supports
164are more visible and more accessible for families. And so, we'll hear a little bit more about that next week, too. But, you you see so much alignment in all these different things, which is great. Okay. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Absolutely. Thank you so much. Thank you. Um, next the board will speak with TDPAC leadership. Um, I'm trying to see if they Yes, the acronym for um, technology and data privacy advisory committee. Um, and uh, they will tell us about their strategic initiatives on the committee and topics of shared interest. And before I turn the time over to Joe Ibeck, chief information officer, Christopher Linton, director of information security, and Mike Wright, TDPAC committee member, is there anything you'd like to say, Superintendent Dorland? Thank you, President Parker. Thank you to Miss Ibach, Miss
165Linton, and Mr. Wright. Thank you for being here. Thank you for being patient and being here so late into the evening. We appreciate that. Thank you also for your service on on this committee. I think it's a really exciting time for technology in many organizations and industries, but in particular in public education. Um, and while I know we need to strike the balance between supports for students that are live, in person, and amazing educators, um, we we have to also acknowledge that there are technology supports that we can begin leveraging both in the student achievement arena, um, but also in our operational efficiencies, in HR, in transportation, in all kinds of things. um especially as we're learning more more about the organizational benefits of AI and so so grateful that in that wild west of
166technology times we have experts in our community who are willing to come to the table and advise us give us thoughts talk to us about safety measures um appropriateness inappropriateness of the use of these tools given their industry expertise Mr. right, is one of these people. So, we appreciate your expertise and you lending it to our school districts so that we can get the work we're trying to accomplish with technology um safe and right for our kids. With that, I'm going to hand it over to Miss Ibeck. All right. Good evening, members of the board and Superintendent Doran. Thank you for that introduction. Um, as Director Parker already uh mentioned, we'd like to call our technology and data privacy advisory committee TDPAC. So, you'll hear that acronym over and over in tonight's presentation. And uh
167for the sake of putting faces with names, we'll go ahead and just redo introductions even though we've talked about who we are already. Um I'm Jill Ibec, the chief information officer here at Jeffco. I'll turn over to Chris. Christopher Linton, Director of Security. There we go. Christopher Linton, director of information security and IDAM. I'm uh Mike Wright. I'm president of a campus guard, a cyber security consulting company, and I'm a dad of two Jeffco students. All right. And before we get started with our agenda and getting into our agenda, I do want to recognize and thank Director Parker as our honorary board member. Uh she was a trooper this past school year and attended every single TDPAC meeting. So, we appreciate your support and advocacy and being present for us. Our agenda tonight uh we
168would like to cover with you um what we talked about over the school year 2425. So we want to do a TDPAC year and review. You may recall in our September meeting together, I can't remember if it was the study session or a regular meeting uh but in September we did come to uh one of those meetings and talk about what we hope to accomplish from an agenda perspective with the board. I'm happy to report that we did accomplish talking about all of those items and some and we're going to look at uh what those things were and review those with you tonight. Um, additionally, I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Linton. We received some great feedback in our last TDPAC meeting last Thursday about uh what we can look forward to in
1692526 and I'll turn that over to Chris when ready. Okay, just some logistic changes to notify the board of for this year. Uh, one of the things that uh we are so thankful for is we had a committee chair stand up and uh volunteer to be the committee chair overall. This is a first for TDPAC and it's something that we are very thankful for. Uh Aaron Norton is our committee chair. You may recognize that name and face. I believe that she is also a member of the district accountability committee or DAC. Uh very very thankful to Aaron and of course Mike. Uh he's done this a couple years in a row. So so thankful to have the partnership with Aaron and Mike here tonight. Um we also have worked to make improvements uh to to
170communications and collaboration with TDPAC and between district staff using collaboration tools. So we use Microsoft Teams uh when we are not meeting. And so we aim to meet about four to five times a year pretty much quarterly. And in between those meetings, we seek more feedback with TDPACK by util utilizing our collaboration tool. And so our meetings are very much an asynchronous fashion. Um our Microsoft Teams collaboration tool is very much an asynchronous tool that we use to communicate uh throughout the year with TDPAC. So lots of improvements there that we're looking forward to even more next year. As well, we also enhanced our meeting documentation and feedback process. So using technology because it is TDPAC um we are recording and transcribing our meetings and we're using AI to create meeting notes and post them
171to our website. So being innovative as we can. Uh one of the things that also happened logistically this year is we were able to onboard an external facilitator. So we are thankful once again to the board for support of uh Trace Fast from the Keystone Group um stepping up and keeping us on track and keeping us facilitated throughout the year. Okay, as promised, uh we're going to go through the topics that we spoke to the board about that we hope to achieve in September and go through our 2425 school year TDP pack year and review. Um so, first and foremost, uh one of the recent board written updates that you may have received was about where we've went this year with AI and education overall here at Jeffco. So, of course, one of the first
172topics that we wanted to take to TDPAC was AI. It was a hot topic. It was something everyone was talking about and we were clamoring to get their feedback as you can imagine. Um, in that board update, we talked about building a framework built on best practices and principles around AI. Um, that's for our students, that's for our community, that's for our staff and the entire Jeff code community. Um and so when I think about the framework that we built this year, uh it was done with TDPAC's input and we are so thankful with what we've learned with them throughout the year. Um so not only did we create this framework and some websites both internal and external to serve those populations in our community. Um we also did some pilots as well, some AI
173pilots and uh we looked at TDPAC to really lean into what it meant for data privacy as we thought about these pilots. uh what it meant for data governance as we thought about these pilots. Um so really really thankful to TDPAC for leaning in on these two topics. I'm going to pause and ask if Mr. Wright would like to lean in. Sure. Thank you. Um as you can see by these topics there's combination of you know timely fast evolving areas like artificial intelligence. Uh we we talked about the use of AI by educators by like admin staff by students. It's every every time we we spoke about it multiple times and every time we did it's like there was something new that had come out since the last time we talked about it as well.
174So I I know that this is going to be something we're going to spend a lot of time on in the future as well. Um but I'm I'm a big like the Jeffco AI website that that was released I like really well done like as a parent looking at it like it gives me sort of a sense of comfort as well uh that that the district knows what is doing when it comes to AI. um high impact like the ERP modernization. I mean that's not something that's I don't know like a as popular to like you know any any given community member for example but such high impact from a from a dollar standpoint but also from just a running a business standpoint. Uh that that was really good conversations that we had. And then
175like some more social topics like the the last one the device usage that was one of the topics that I think we discovered. Um we had a you know we had a lot of passion around uh and a lot of like diverging opinions around. So I think that's also something that we're going to continue to to talk about a little bit more as well. Yeah I would agree and uh just want to tag team with Mr. Wright here and talk about two of the other bullet points that that are listed here on this slide. And so um another thing that uh TDPAC helped us out with here at Jeffco quite a bit was talking about setting up data governance here officially as a framework here at Jeffco. It's another first for Jeffco. We're very proud
176of it. The framework that we set up is of course around our student data which is primary and we look forward to extending that framework to other data sets like employees and operations type data. Um and so TDPAC, once again, thank you to uh of the to the crew for leaning in and reinforcing that we're doing the right thing around data governance. Um operations in support of student outcomes um is all about feedback that we get from our school leaders. And so uh the last two falls, we've sent out a panorama survey to our school leaders to talk about how we are doing from an operational perspective. And one of the things that we've heard loud and clear from our school leaders is that they need access to systems faster, especially at the beginning of
177the school year. Um, and so we have what is a of course another legacy system provisioning our folks as we onboard them. Uh, especially at the beginning of the school year. Uh, we have experts all over in this space from TDPAC. Mike uh Mike and friends I will say and uh they really leaned in to um understand our current environment and helped us understand what's out there and how we might be able to modernize as well. So we're really really really thankful um for for TDPAC leaning in there for what we call our identity and access management uh type functionality. And then just continuing on, um the first meeting I was able to attend this um last year was in December at the end of 2024. Um at that point we had Malina and Jeff
178from the security and emergency management team and they came and spoke to TDPAC about the secure environments and district presentation really leaning in about how security cameras, uh key fobs for doors, secure vestibules, both current state and potential future state um can be used to really keep our students safe in all the schools. and it was a good conversation. We had breakouts at TDPAC um talking about how we can utilize technology um in those school uh situations. Continuing on more in the February meeting, we did provide an update about Gaggle. If you're not familiar with Gaggle, Gaggle is a school monitoring uh software and they reached out to our district leadership and offered a free safety audit. So what our purpose, our role was in the update at the February TDPAC meeting was to update
179TDPAC about what that Gaggle safety audit would entail, how we would go about provisioning that data to the Jefco us workspace domain and what Gaggle has recently completed. It was about a 45day audit um of the data and they're in the process of compiling that report and then we'll be providing it. So we look forward to sharing more details about that in the interest of student safety. We've also had some great updates um from Kevin Han and his team related to the data governance committee and sharing out 2D to TDPAC, how the data governance committee is continuing to watch and monitor um new and evolving software solutions that the district use is using and how it integrates with our district data. Um we did have a brief update related to the visitor management and volunteer
180system and that has started to move forward at a project level. Is there anything you'd like to add on that one? uh you can continue and if there are questions I'm happy to jump in. Sounds good. But we're I'm excited. I believe that was one that in the um in this coming school year that we will see more updates and we'll likely be able to report back to TDPAC. And then finally, as Mike referred to earlier, probably the most robust conversation in the February meeting was about that that Jeffco purchased network devices and student usage and really robust conversation. So that's one leading into the next slide that I think we're excited for TDPAC to continue to discuss in the 2526 school year. Anything to add on that, Mike? Yeah. Uh, thanks Christopher. So one
181one thing I'd like to focus on on the first bullet point regarding the safe and secure environments district presentation. One thing that a lot of people don't really think about is nowadays physical security mechanisms are all network-based, computer-based, right? So there's a cyber security aspect to those as well. Um, so I really appreciated having that discussion with with the folks that came in uh to talk about that and to talk about some of the the latest threats and risks that affect things like badge readers and cameras and and that sort of thing. It it uh again, you know, I don't want to sound like a broken record, but it gave me a good sense of comfort, right, that um we're thinking about the right things when we're implementing and modernizing these systems. Thank you. And
182the next slide, please. Oh, thank you. I didn't see it there. Um, so then our final TDPAC meeting of the year was just last Thursday. And what we were trying to do with this and what I'm excited about as I've had conversations with both Aaron Norton as the chair and with Mike is we really want this to be a communitydriven committee. We don't want this to be the district pushing topics um to the TDPACT committee, but to hear from those TDPACT committee members what's important to them, what resonates with them, and what topics they would like to discuss. Um, so thanks to the Keystone Foundation. Um Renie was able to help facilitate last week um to kind of brainstorm and talk about what topics have potentially we haven't quite finished such as the student technology
183usage um and AI of course because that's an ongoing issue and we were able to start workshopping those and start talking about potential TD TDAC topics for this upcoming year. Um two that I wanted to highlight for this section is specifically related to potential monitoring and filtering tools. Um, so depending on what some of the results of that Gaggle safety audit, there's potential real-time monitoring that a software like Gaggle or also securely, which is our current web filtering software would be able to provide related to student website searches, student um, website activity, emails, communications to provide real-time information to help protect students. Um, but due to the potential privacy implications of that, we definitely want to have TDAC involved to be able to weigh in on those topics um, so that the community is informed.
184Um I if it's always about a balancing act of trying to weigh the privacy versus protecting student safety. Um as I mentioned the that Jeffco purchase network devices and student usage topic I definitely expect that to be a robust conversation continuing into the next year. And then one that I believe Miss Pena referred to in the previous section um but related to cell phone policies. Um, the state of Colorado recently passed and Governor Polus signed the Colorado House Bill 251135 and it dictates that I believe it's in the next year, so about 13 months, um, you as a board will have to put together a policy related to cell phones and we, um, we're looking forward, I believe in June, um, Lisa Ru and her team have a report related to cell phone policy that
185she'll be sharing out. Um but then we're looking forward to both TDPAC and DAC really trying to lean in and help support those efforts and support you as a board in this next year um to consider what policy might be a good fit for Jeff. And then obviously um ongoing discussions as this AI landscape continues to evolve. Very excited about our AI website and the resources but there's still a lot of work related to that um that will continue to change and evolve. What would you like to add, Mike? Uh thanks. Yeah. So, one thing that piqued my interest in the last presentation uh that just preceded this one um in the intersection of uh some of the monitoring that we're talking about is, you know, obviously we have we're going to have to as
186a district balance um monitoring student activity on district-owned devices um and potentially using some of that information to maybe help identify and prevent some of the issues that we were just talking about in the previous presentation. But balance that with like the the regulatory and the socially expected privacy expectations of students. So I expect that to be a really good discussion for us to work through next year. All right. And with that we welcome questions and dialogue from the board. Board members questions comments. Thank you so much for coming through to talk to us tonight. Um, I know we're going to have to have the cell phone policy discussion. That's going to happen have to happen. I am curious if there's been any discussion at TDPAC about a district level AI policy. Um, talking to
187other board members across the nation, honestly, um, in February I got some information about the necessity of AI policy for safety for safety reasons. um not using our student data to train um AI tools. And so I'm curious if if you all have had any of those conversations. Uh yeah, actually this did come up really early on uh with TDPAC in that early September meeting that I spoke about with AI. Um one of the things that we did strategically is is we're watching this space evolve and we're watching what other school districts are doing. We're watching what's happening at the state level. uh but we did take action when we built that framework by adjusting existing policies around discipline and other behaviors um to include AI as a technology. So we did make adjustments to
188existing policy should we need to consider something more robust just for AI as a technology we certainly are monitoring that space and uh may have to do so depending on what happens at you know the regulatory the state layer. Thank you for that. Um it it did not become clear to me until February when I was talking with other board members the urgency around paying attention to that for student safety. Um, the other question I have is not related at all to the things that you have brought up here, but I am curious about sort of social media trends and the impacts that they're having on our device usage uh particularly in middle schools and what the impact has been from I don't know Chromebooks and lead. Yeah, I'll lead us in here and look
189to uh Chris as well to chime in. Um, one of the things that we also spoke to TDPAC about early on, I don't believe it was uh combined with the AI topic, but more along the lines of student device use and and what's happening out there in the social media world. That prompted our student technology services team led by Shawn McDermad, uh, which includes our educational technology team to do a uh, pilot at, uh, some very brave schools and articulation areas that we have, I would say. Um and so what we did is we were able to make adjustments at the network layer uh Jeffco network layer that is of course um to block certain social media sites and to try to understand what is happening in the classroom. It's a little too early to
190talk about that data as we're just wrapping up getting that data. It's very pre preliminary um and we're still trying to crunch it and work with our academic leadership group to be able to understand how to utilize it as well. Uh but we did do some experimentation and you once again it's one of those spaces that continues to evolve. It's a hot topic. Also came up in TDPAC about uh and we had polar opposites on TDPAC about how they felt about cell phones and classrooms and social media as well. Um so we're going to use this group to continue getting that feedback and continue informing us and continue getting dialogue and information uh and what's going on out there in the K12 space um as we learn and go along. Great. Thank you so much
191and thanks so much for your volunteering participation. I'm glad that we have some experts because it's not me on um what we should how we should manage our technology in education. So, thank you. Um thank you. I don't have a lot of questions. I just I want to share my I have an enthusiasm about AI that um I was asked at an event recently. Someone said, "What do you think about AI and how it's destroying our kids' way of thinking?" And I was like, "What?" because I run this company where we have nine people and we've had to become smaller because of fiscal constraints. Um, but almost everyone on my team has an AI assistant and it has doubled our efficiencies and our production. Um, like for example, our our marketing and communications person, we
192do network science stuff. So, he has a network science AI assistant so that when he puts out marketing stuff, he can check with the assistant and the assistant can kind of um look at it and and make sure it's scientifically accurate or whatever. But um what I'm excited about is for our kids like I think a lot of people are afraid of what this is doing and I think definitely the safety thing. It took me going through years, not years, a while of using Chat GBD before I realized that unless you have a paid subscription, all your data is fair game and they can use it to to make it learn. But once you have a paid subscription, it it won't there's a policy they won't take, but who can pay for it, you know?
193So, there's a lot of things, but um I think our kids need to be ready for the market that's going to expect them to be an employee like like I'm expecting my employees. So when someone comes in and we're interviewing, we'll ask them, "What kind of AI skills do you have and how do you use it?" And I have data scientists and tech developers and they all use it in a different way. Um I probably use it the least to be honest. And so, um, I just I think it's exciting to work on this from a also very positive perspective in ways that we can make our kids marketable and the kids that folks want to hire because they're coming out of our schools with these skills that are just going to make them, you
194know, the best candidate because they know their biology, they know their reading, and they also know how to use AI um to enhance their their work. So, I'm just a big fan of of keeping everything safe and no plagiarism, all the things everyone's worried about, but just really digging into how it helps even our district, you know, be efficient and then our kids um be just worldclass leaders because they have those kinds of skills. So, thank you for for caring so much about that. I'm a little geeky about it, so I was excited. If I can just uh add one thing to what you said. Um I mean at at my company when we interview uh new employees that's already one of the questions we're asking. How do you use AI? What are you playing
195around with? What are you experimenting with? What's your experience with using it? So I mean imagine 5 10 years from now when some of our younger kids are graduating and entering the workforce. I mean how how proficient with the latest technology they're going to have to be? I I just remember if you just a few years ago the big question in tech companies was what's your favorite app and people would tell you their favorite app and it was supposed to tell you about them you know but now I think the questions have changed a little bit in this direction too. So um thanks thank you so much for everything you do. This is just it's such critical work and it's just constantly changing and so I profoundly appreciate the people in our community who have
196expertise in this area who are volunteering that expertise for our students. Um so I greatly appreciate it. Um there was one comment tonight in public comment and um sometimes you know we hear one thing from community and then we have community groups that specialize in a thing and so I'm I'm I'm interested in that too and I sort of want all of our community to hear about it. So we had a community group who advocates very strongly and and I greatly appreciate this from them that we that we collaborate with community that we hear community and one of their suggestions was that they felt like the visitor management and volunteer system was unnecessary. And so I'm interested in um sort of like a a quick and dirty overview of TD PAC's discussion about this particular
197issue. Um I I will kick us off here. This is something that we have yet to uh bring up formally as far as a decision about any types of systems or technology with TDPAC. However, uh what Mr. Linton uh was mentioning I think on his first slide is that we did have Jeff Pearson's team uh join us and do the same type of presentation. I I believe that was uh given to DAC and maybe other committees as well. Um we're still gathering lots of information here too. We obviously have um some types of systems in place today that are are live. Um and we have to gather our requirements and understand what this district would need before we can understand uh a large-scale system effort. And so that's something that we're trying to take our
198time and be deliberate about before we make decisions. And of course asking TDAC to weigh into as well. If I can add to that, uh when when we did talk about uh school safety, physical security, uh we that was part of the discussion that we had. Um and we separate for that session, we had separated into smaller groups to kind of have separate discussions about you know some of the aspects of of what we had just learned. Um and the smaller group that I was a part of kind of settled on the fact that listen like things like visitor management physical security controls just like information technology or cyber security controls it's extremely difficult to give like a quantitative risk assessment you know number for it right um however uh doing some sort of qualitative
199risk assessment on a control like that combined with other physical security controls that we have it's kind of outside the wheelhouse of like TD Back itself, but it is something that we talked about um is you know it whether or not it had been done we're not really sure you know that was a part of the discussion but to have to do some sort of risk assessment on controls like that the public may not end up seeing seeing that right um and whenever you get into qualitative risk assessments you start getting into more subjective discussions if this happens then this what's the impact how do you how do you assign an impact to to certain things you may have low likelihood good high impact events. When you think about the equations for risk assessments, it
200it gets it gets really difficult. Um but I I guess you know I I I heard that comment as well. Um my my reaction to that was like I I don't I don't think a risk assessment um fairly done would result in a relatively minor um control in terms of implementation and maintenance like a visitor log would be. Uh I I don't think a risk assessment would result in recommending that that not be done. It's almost like there are some things like putting on your seat belt. It's it's relatively quick and easy to do, but it can potentially have a high impact in terms of saving your life. Um, when I look at uh compliance frameworks uh across the corporate world for things like credit card security, there's a standard called PCIDSS. Um, financial institutions
201that are licensed in New York have to comply with the New York Department financial services cyber security regulations. They all require things like visitor logs. Not because visitor logs itself is meant to somehow prevent something massive from happening, but it's part of a defense in depth framework. So under the assumption that one of your controls may fail, another control may may pick it up then. So I I mean I see visitor logs as just me a part of that defense and dev framework. Um again, thank you for all you do. This is a I mean all of our committees are super important but this one really tackles some some sticky wickets in a lot of ways. So we really appreciate you. Um I just had kind of two questions. The first when we talk about
202AI and I think I've asked this before so I'm I'm kind of validating what I think I heard in previous meetings so forgive me. Are we when we think about AI are we considering kind of a closed Jeffco AI that's not necessarily out in the ethos of the whole internet? That's what we were talking about. Is that correct? Uh not not exactly tonight. So when I talk about a framework, it's more about our philosophy uh our principles, our best practices and our citizenship. Um so so we have some tools that we have vetted already that are uh ready for use uh for our teachers for example. Um so the framework is really all about acceptable use um best practices and principles. Now um I'm going to actually turn turn it over to Mr. Linton about
203what you're talking about which is building generative AI for Jeffco. Yeah. So related to that topic um for staff as Jill was referring to we do have as part of our Microsoft 365 instance a co-pilot that we have an agreement with Microsoft that that data is not being shared outside. So that's something in our Microsoft Teams and we've been encouraging staff to do this that if they want to use recording or transcription for a Microsoft Teams meeting in which they might be discussing sensitive student information or Jeffco information that's being kept inside just as a Jeffco email would and it would be protected and my team has actually been really trying to look for and crack down on any unauthorized AI and trying to build more robust vetting process um because there is a lot
204out there. they're springing up all the time and it's very easy for people to see, ooh, this is a shiny new thing. I can add to Microsoft Teams, but it doesn't have that same privacy and compliance in place. And then I also know to add to it, um Sean McDermad, the student technology services director, has been working um related to Google Gemini. And at some point in the future, if that is approved for student use, that will also be a closed system of our Jeffco us workspace. And what I really like about that from an information security perspective is it will be tied into our Google vault functionality. So the same way that in in the event that we have to do an investigation, the same way that we can see uh Gmail emails, Google
205Drive files, we will also have auditability of that Google Gemini chat transcription um in that safe environment. So it's something his team has really been leaning in on um to keep that safe and protected if and when it's opened up for student use. That's really helpful. Thank you. So if a if a teacher is using AI now, it is in the it is in the ethos, if you will. I'm using all the wrong words. I if it is the Microsoft 365 copilot. Yes. And then I would encourage you to um check the new website. It's jeffco.ai and that will redirect um to the public facing page. And then there also is an internal staff page on the Jeffco the team Jeffco internet to provide additional guidance related to vetting and best practices for teacher use
206and for some of the different teacher use cases. I would just add that we welcome your feedback as you peruse our new website as well. Um so we have also engaged TDPAC and asked them uh for even more feedback as once again they did help uh give us information that helped us build this framework out appropriately. Awesome. Thank you. I think of particular um importance though is just dig digital literacy in general. I mean and it's evolved from lock your computer when you walk away, don't share your password, don't use the same password from multiple sites, don't share potentially embarrassing information on social media, be now it's also be aware of how your AI provider is going to be using the data you provided. And if you're not sure, don't use it. Right? So it's
207there's a there's a significant awareness and training component uh in and not just for like Jeffco staff but it's you know we we also talk about like how students may may be using AI either now or in the future. That's a part of it as well I think. Thank you. Um a lot of these topics do impact students. I mean all of them right? AI social media devices their usage data privacy. Does TDPAC get or are you planning to get student voice at all in making some of these recommendations? I think that's a fantastic question. It's not something that um we have uh that has come to us quite yet. Um but because uh Mr. Linton is now the uh director of information uh director of information security and identity. That's a mouthful. I would
208love for you to weigh in on on what that could look like. I I think I would really love that. Um, we had at a recent Jeffco town hall quarterly, I think it was earlier this year, the Jeffco student leadership board actually came to us and spoke about their usage of Google Workspace versus Microsoft and weighing in on some of those. So to have that same voice, I think at TDPAC would be very welcomed. Um, in my experience with Jeffco IT in particular, I've loved the experiences especially with the Jeffcon and then recently with we have what's called the take apart day and we actually get to go to the middle schools and the students get to take um broken Chromebooks. they disassemble them and then reassemble them and it it's it was a wonderful
209experience and I think it really helps ground a lot of the IT team in why why we're here that we're really about serving those students. So I think we should look at um yeah it trying to include that student voice and what would be a thoughtful and strategic way to do that at future TV pack meetings when the board hears about the cell phone policy update. I think it's next month. And um so we have had additional conversations with JSLB students around cell phone policies, around the use of AI and social media um supports and education, around safe use uh usage of social media. those things probably could many of them as you go into next year with TDPAC be great opportunities for a connection between JSLB and our and our committee. So I'm looking
210at Tara and she's nodding and I see that she's going to um help us maybe get that bridge built. Thank you. Thanks. I I love that idea. I think that's really valuable. And I think to to your point, we're also teaching the kiddos, right? So Jeff Con's a great example of hey you could have a session on do you know how to use AI? Do you know what happens to your data in AI? I think um your committee in particular has such an impact on the way our students think about and use technology that I would just really encourage any and all opportunities for that. Okay. Well, I don't have questions because I've been part of your meetings. Um but I do want to make some comments for everybody here. First of all, as far
211as student voice for AI, in the two studentled town halls that I did, it was the AI that got everybody involved that that everybody was talking because most of the time there were just three or four that would speak up and the others were not sure what they were doing. But anyway, so I love that um conversation with them. Also, I am so excited that our this committee and all our committees have parents with students in Jeffco schools and um I want to communicate to the community that um we've got these advisory committees. You know, we're not in a ivory tower. We're not just making decisions without any input from um you know, the the users of our services. So, thank you for being a parent on this. Also, we have some higher education members
212um a couple school of minds um professors and boy they have a head start of us on us with their AI. I thought it was fascinating listening to how they were um working with their students on that and this is specifically for Mr. Polero and I want you to know that my daughter who is the sped teacher in high school um she was part of the pilot study you know the training she is raving about Gemini so not only is it helping her with IEPs um but it is also um I think I mentioned to you helping her uh catch students up if they missed some lessons and how is she going to let them know what they missed and and it was particularly the podcasting ability that she could put together. So, her kids
213were motivated and energized and they wanted to see what did I miss just because it was in a much more fun format than just trying to read somebody's notes. So, there's were just a few things that I wanted to point out that I think are very exciting. And with that, thank you so much. Thanks for sticking around late. All right. So, um, now next we have an action item on the Arvvada Aquatic Center, and we will formally consider the resolution authorizing an additional investment in the Arvvada Aquatic Center in the amount of $3.5 million. Is there a motion to approve the resolution authorizing an additional investment in the Arvvada Aquatic Center of $3.5 million? I move to approve the resolution authorizing an additional investment in the Arvvada Aquatic Center in the amount of $3.5 million.
214Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? I have a little. Um I just want to share I I think this is something that well for the listening public that we've talked about in study sessions and we have been presented to and so I know and I think we even discussed it in one of our study session 30 minute sessions and so I just I want to lift up that there's been a lot of thought that's gone into this and for me personally it's been a really difficult decision um because we as we've heard all night we're faced with a lot of budget challenges right now and our relationships with our municipal leaders are very important and our partnerships with our municipal leaders are very important and so I just want to lift up that I
215know I in particular and I know from the conversations we've had on the dis that this whole board has taken this vote really seriously. I'll just add one thing. Um, it's hard for us to know. None of us were on this board when this was proposed or negotiated and none of us voted on the original financing of this. So, it's difficult to know what the intention was. But um for my personal questions of folks who were in those negotiations both on board and then with the city, I get the impression that the idea was that we were splitting the cost for this pool and as partners that was um that was our obligation. Um and the benefit to our students has been great. I met several swimmers this week who um I talked to about
216swimming there. Um so I'm glad we have a place for our students. I don't think we could have afforded this on our own. Um, so it's just difficult for us to to to quite know as a board who is is doing this many years later. Um, but I do agree we've put a lot of time and thought into this and I would like to comment too um as the mother and grandmother of a lot of swimmers and I went to see my granddaughter swim at the new center uh two weekends ago and it was fantastic. It was her first time in long course. She was scared and she loved it. Um, that having been said, I appreciate the fact that we were not on the board when we uh when it was voted on. I
217have spoken to two members who were on the board um when they voted on it and they both told me that they thought that's all that they were obligating the district to was the initial um outlay. Um and so that will um inform my decision. I do believe we're in a a severe budget crunch right now. I'm looking under co couch covers or whatever it is to find money for our um employees for their compensation. So that um is why I will be voting no on this tonight. Okay. It has been moved and seconded to approve the resolution authorizing an additional investment in the Arvvada Aquatic Center in the amount of $3.5 million. Roll call, please. Miss Arbor. Miss Applegate. Yes. Miss Kenworthy. Yes. Miss Parker, no. Miss Reed, yes. Dr. Va, yes. Okay, that
218motion passes. And that moves us on to the consent agenda items. Uh 8.01 through 8.28 are presented in board docs as a proposed consent agenda. As a reminder to our listening public, the board received a preview of these items at our May 7th and 9th study sessions. Do I have a motion regarding the approval of the consent agenda as presented in board docs? I move to approve items 8.01 through 8.28 on the consent agenda as published in board docs. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? It has been moved and seconded to approve the consent agenda. Roll call, please. Miss Applegate? Yes. Miss Kenworthy? Yes. Miss Parker? Yes. Miss Reed? Yes. Dr. Barta? Yes. Okay. Um, and that consent agenda item passes. So, the final agenda item of the evening will be leadership reports. Uh,
219first we have the opportunity to hear from Superintendent Doran regarding updates on the work of the district since the previous regular business meeting. Thank you, President Parker. Um, the majority of my time since the previous meeting has um been um enjoyed at graduations. And so it's been a long evening and I want to take just one minute to say congratulations to all of our incredible graduating seniors including my daughter Olivia Dorland um who I got to see graduate on the Golden High School graduation stage and it was incredibly special for me. I also want to thank all of the amazing educators, school leaders, um, educational support professionals, parents, guardians, grandparents, friends, and other family who have been part of the lives of our seniors as they've gone through our schools and have partnered with Jeffco
220public schools uh, to support every graduate um, in the success that they experienced over the last month. I also hope that all of our families had the opportunity to just take a minute and um mark that important occasion in their child's lives and really take some time to enjoy it. I know I did and I'm grateful for that. And so congratulations seniors. Um, we are all behind you and hoping that the experiences you had in Jeffco help you achieve your biggest dreams. Okay. Any other directors ready to go? Yeah. All right. So, since our last meeting, I attended negotiations which gave me an opportunity to talk to to speak one-on-one uh with individuals or in small groups with employees. And I really appreciated that opportunity and and the people who came up and took the
221time to speak to um both director Parker and me. Um, I had a chance to meet with the Mamas del Piloto before this meeting even before the meeting today and I appreciate all of their hard work and um and the delicious food. It really is very good and and I am hoping that we are able to um really meaningfully integrate what we've learned from them and I know that there's going to be some challenges to that but I I think that we can rise to that challenge and definitely had the opportunity to attend some joyous graduations very busy month of celebrations and congratulations to the individuals up here who attended did graduations of children and stepchildren and um it's very exciting. Um and then I'm going to spend most of my time on the thing
222that I was really surprised at my reaction to it at at this opportunity and I've been talking to every single person who will listen just because this is what I want to talk about. So I'm going to lift up a particularly impactful event for me. I had the opportunity to meet with students at the Jefferson Junior Senior High School newcomer program. And for anyone who's not familiar with the newcomer program, um it is for our students who are very recently immigrated to America and have just enrolled in Jeffco schools and are kind of getting their feet under them in the American educational system. It's available K12 in different iterations in several schools with high uh recent immigrant populations. This is a new initiative for this year. It was also my first experience as we talk
223about using technology and using apps using the Google translating app and I was delightfully surprised. It was so easy and I was able to have these really comfortable natural conversations with students um who are in the program. So I could really hear directly from them. There were no adults who were helping to interpret or translate. It was their words and my words and an an actual natural give and take between us. And what I learned is that our newcomer students are understandably and even predictably worried about immigration policy and um very concerned about discrimination in America in general. And I was not surprised by that, but um but I was very moved by what they had to say about it. I also um learned that they wanted more classes that teach them how business works
224in America, how to network, how to move their careers successfully along the paths that they want. I spoke to a particularly ambitious and charismatic young man who absolutely insisted upon using English with only very few prompts from the translator. And um it I was just amazed at the progress that he clearly had made in his time here. And um he has his own YouTube channel for teens who are recent immigrants to help them understand about American culture. And I mean it was just the coolest thing ever. I was so psyched by the whole thing. Um and so the other thing is and I asked them a lot of questions about do you feel safe in JCO schools? Do you feel welcome in Jeffco schools? Um you know how's your experience here? And I was so
225glad to hear and they I mean school board member really didn't mean much to them just like it doesn't mean anything to any teenager I talked to to be perfectly frank except for the Jeffco student leadership otherwise they're like yeah whatever we don't even know what you do and and it was still kind of like that. So I did not have at all the sense that they felt like they needed to please me. Um they were just they genuinely are happy. They feel um safe. They feel welcome. They deeply appreciate their teachers. Um they deeply appreciated that Jefferson Junior Senior High School and that JCO were working so hard to help them succeed. They understood that that was important to us and they um it was important to them. Their only criticism was a lack
226of opportunities to blend more with American students. They had spent the year together for most of their academic classes and they felt like it had become too easy to rely on their native languages and they wanted more academic and athletic opportunities to be pushed harder and to more fully integrate into their new home. And I suspect from what I saw from these kids that next year they are going to be ready to push themselves and they're going to do it. Um, so I of course I believed in the importance of the newcomer program and the mobile welcoming center and the family ambassadors and all of the other services that have been created by you, Superintendent Dorland and Terrapena and other members of um the cabinet and and other Jeffco leaders and the teachers who have
227been involved. But there was something so satisfying about seeing how much the kids that we are serving are doing with the help that we've provided and it was just incredibly rewarding. So I just wanted to tell you guys about it because it was just the coolest thing. Well, I'm happy to follow that. I'm glad you had that good interaction. Thanks for sharing. Um, so I missed our April uh 10th board meeting in person. So it's been a while since I've been here for a full-on board meeting. Um, but since then I've attended eight out of nine graduations that I'm slated to attend. I have one more tomorrow evening. Um, and then that graduations are always a highlight. It's a joy to celebrate with our communities. Um, and I'm I'm inspired by our student speakers every
228time at those graduations. Um, it's very touching. I also got to attend the middle school Battle of the Books, which was thrilling. Um, and has inspired me to read books next year so that I know the answers to some of those questions. Um, but it was really exciting to feel the energy in the room during that event. Um, beyond that, I've had individual meetings with lots of community stakeholders. Um, participated in an Elevate Education podcast that is still yet to come out. Um, but soon will be out. Um, I've visited with both our remote learning program and our virtualmies to learn a little bit more about what they do and how they operate. Um, we did have a panel. We heard from AEC folks about concerns. Um, and I was glad to be there and
229to hear community feedback from those programs. Um, I also attended community meetings at Bear Creek High School and in Evergreen to talk with community members and hear their concerns. We attended the Good News Breakfast um attended I also attended a negotiation session uh and a middle school art show. I mean the list is very long. Um, Jeffco Thrives Awards, Alita Attendance Pilot Information Meeting, Evergreen Community Action Meeting about education, the retirement dinner, I'm going to lift that up. I think we shook hands with close to 100 people. And based on the number of years of experience, it had to be over a thousand years of ex of experience in education. Well beyond a thousand years of experience. Um and so grateful for the um just the the long and dedicated careers of so many people
230who are uh you know moving out of service this year and and some of them are going to come back and give us a little bit more time. But that was um really moving and inspiring for somebody who only spent five years in the classroom. I just am in awe of the longevity for some folks. Um, I also attended a DAC meeting. Um, and I also sent my kid to Greece on a school trip with his middle school folks. And so, shout out to the Carm Adventurers in Greece. Um, what an awesome experience for our students who have access to those trips. Um, and the JCAA end of year breakfast. So, there's just a lot of things. May is busy month and things I want to acknowledge is that um the result is that as
231I slide into the end of May, I am utterly exhausted and I think that a lot of other folks are as well and I just want to acknowledge that. Um it has been a a difficult school year and um I just want to hold I want to hold space for that. Um, and for folks in our community who are are still um, you know, we're moving into summer vacation and I think a break is really needed and deserved by everybody in our community. So, I hope that folks get some rest and some renewal because it has been a really hard year. Um, but I also want to lift up my joy at um, despite the difficulty that our students and our staff members are, you know, continuing to work together and to collaborate and to
232have conversations. They're not all easy. Some of them are hard. Um, but we're continuing to show up. And that is the best that we can ask is that we do the next right thing. um and take the next step forward um together in good faith to support our kids and put our kids at the center of the work that we're doing. And um for that, I just wanna I want to say thank you to everybody in our community who is centering kids um in conversations and in the work that they're doing. I have been to all the things that have been mentioned. I am fairly overwhelmed right now with um all of the things going on in our district. Um the standstill of our JCA negotiations, a budget that we are supposed to approve here
233in a few weeks that has a $40 million deficit included in it. Um I'm pretty just overwhelmed with what we should be um doing right now. And I I I am hopeful that um we can focus as a team on on write uh writing some of this ship. Um I welcome all the feedback and community interaction and we'll continue to do that work um as well as I can. I thank the teachers and our school communities for all the work they have done this year and um look forward to uh their um rejuvenation over the summer so that we can start the new school year um in in great ways for our kids. So um that's it. Thanks. Okay. Um I Yes. Oh, you didn't go yet. Please go. Since you get the presidential privilege
234of going last, I'll I'll interrupt. Um, I want to add I I the MAMA's group. Um, I do think we should add that to our discussion for our study session on that advisory. You're already done. Director Reid way ahead of me. Um, I also want to lift up the graduations. They were really special and it was um a once in a-lifetime opportunity. um to be able to hand my stepson his diploma. So um I just appreciate all of you for letting me do that, all of you for letting me do that. Um it's really meaningful. Um and it's really cool to see how each graduation is unique and how each high school, no matter charter, you know, comprehensive, big, small, they all have their flare and what makes them special and they celebrate together and
235it's really powerful. Um, I was also at the JCAA breakfast and I want to say thank you to all the principles. I know it has been a hard year and so thank you to all of our administrators and the people who are there answering questions from parents and managing carpool lines and managing drop offs and managing the whole gamut. Um, I want to say thank you to our teachers. I know um we're we're there and everyone does deserve a much needed break and so I'm I'm very appreciative of them and our staff and our schools. We we couldn't do it without you. I want to give a special thank you to our activities security team and Principal Graham from Golden High School. I had a 5-year-old that whacked her head pretty hard at a lacrosse
236game. And lo and behold, here comes our security team. Um they were right there. They helped her. Principal Graham went and got ice. Um it's just really cool to see um a bunch of people react to a little girl being injured no matter where we are. So a huge shout out to to them and our EMTs um who who came to help her. So and then also as we think about graduation, we heard it a little bit earlier, I think from Miss Pena, Mr. Polero that, you know, kindergarten, 9th grade, sixth grade, just because we graduate from high school, there's a lot of movement in our schools. And for um as a parent of a kid starting kindergarten and college next year, um those transitions are not forgotten. And so, thank you guys for recognizing
237that. There's a lot of parents who are anxious for the new beginnings that are coming next year. And so, I appreciate that those resources are out there for our parents. And if they're still listening at this late hour, reach out to your new principles, ask the questions, get on the site. There's a lot of information out there. Um, and I have a lot of gratitude for everyone at the table and everyone at that table um for the year. Thank you. Um, I um I had a hard time writing down my remarks for this this evening. In fact, I didn't do it until just now. Um, I also attended the JR J RLP um, school which I thought was fascinating. I learned a lot there. And also the Battle of the Books. I also have this
238um, uh, readings. Yeah, reading list. I have to get it in advance though. I'm not that fast a reader. Um, I also went to the Green Mountain and Bear Creek uh, community meetings. I went to the art shows which is always a highlight of um, of the school year. And I purchased a piece of art from a Fletcher Miller student and um I have it in my study right now and I got to meet the artist and it was very special. So I was very excited about that. There are so many bright spots in this district and um we saw a lot of them tonight. Um and then when you go to the um graduations and you see all the the students with either their academic um cords, you know, you know that they put
239all their effort into um being the best student they could. Um but there's also the wonderful creative caps that the the students um uh design and and the only thing I did not like about it was the back flips. Um and Chatfield has to do a much better job of not having back flips. Um but um there's also end of year celebrations which I love. It's great. So usually this time of year I'm very excited and I want to thank all the um the staff that's still here late at night when we're going over the agenda time. Um and it was wonderful to see the principles and um appreciate them. But um all these bright spots um are overwhelmed by a cloud of mistrust right now. And it it breaks my heart to see it.
240Um, as Abraham Lincoln said, a house divided against itself cannot stand. So, I think that it's up to all of us, whether we're um on the on the cabinet, the superintendent, the school board, in the schools, parents, teachers, um, sport personnel, community members, we have to all ask ourselves, what can I do better? What can I do to to repair this? So I know over the last year and a half I have some broken relationships um with the associations. Um so it it's not right for me to just wait for them to come and apologize or to say hey can we start over. I have to do something too. So I encourage everybody else to think about what you individually can do to help repair this distrust. And one thing specifically I ask is that
241um whenever you point out something that's going wrong, I just urge you not to ascribe bad motives to whoever it is that you're criticizing. We are all humans. We all make mistakes and there is plenty of responsibility to go around and there's plenty of healing that we can all contribute to. So, I personally am excited that this school year has um ended on such a high note for our students and our um and our schools. I mean, the the information we saw tonight has been so so heartwarming actually. Actually, I'm looking at Amanda over there and I have to give her a shout out because of all the all the people sitting on those the tables right now, you're all working really hard, but Amanda most most definitely. Um, but with that, I think we
242have reached the end of our night and um we will stand adjourned. Our next meeting is a board study session scheduled at 3 PM on June 4th here at the Ed Center. Good night everybody. [Music]