001Thank you for the opportunity to address you on behalf of CSEA members. As we start the new school year, classified employees have been leading the way in getting our students enrolled, registered, and into their classes. Our faces and registars have trained and assisted parents with creating parent areas accounts and online data confirmation. Our health techs, LVNs, and athletic trainers have been gathering immunusmations, physicals, medication orders, and health condition documentation from families, making referrals to clinics and doctors when needing, and helping to ensure that our students health will be taken care of while at school. Purchasing has been hard at work, getting items, filling orders, so there's furniture in classrooms, and needed supplies for both students and staff. And let's not forget the staff in accounting that's making sure that the bills are getting paid. Our
002network analysts, programmer, information specialists are ensuring we have functioning internet and Wi-Fi, usable Aries, creating job forms, and doing so much to support both our students and staff. our HR and benefits folk who have ensured our vacancies are filled or being filled and helped with onboarding all the new employees so they're ready to start. Payroll who kept us going through the summer to make sure everyone who's working got paid and processed all of CSA's Junth settlements in a very timely manner. all the school site staff who have already answered thousands of phone calls and helped thousands of parents, families, students in person to provide vital information, soothe fears, and welcome them to AUHSD. All the other district office-based secretaries, technicians, and specialists who are usually working hard behind the scenes to get everything set up
003and ready to go for all the many different departments. our translators and language assessment people who have been working with families and students to get them at the right school in the right classes and give them all the information they need, especially in this time of uncertainty that strongly affects our immigrant population they work with. Our campus safety aids who are our first line of keeping our students and campuses safe. And let's not forget our 550 plus instructional assistants, about 400 of whom spend their entire day with the students, not just in the classrooms, but in the hallways, at lunch, and even in the bathroom. They support our students with the highest level of needs. And when one of them is missing, their absence is keenly felt by both the staff and the students they
004support. Classified employees are often said to be the backbone of a district. But that's not all that we are. We're also the voice answering the phone, the face that's often the first one that they see entering the district or the school, the hands that comfort the sick and injured, the bodies that are the first line of defense and protection when keeping our campuses safe, and the hearts that care for and support our neediest students. Because after all, we're classified and we're CSEA. Thank you, >> Lacy Munger, APGA. >> All right. Good evening, President O'Neal, members of the board, Superintendent Matt Suda, soon to be Superintendent Frerieded, um executive cabinet, and community members. Um, welcome to the 202526 school year. I'm honored once again to represent AHSD's 79 counselors across the district. On a personal note,
005congratulations to Dr. Frerieded. Um I had the privilege of working with him at Ball after transferring from Cypress. He was my principal and I can now proudly say I knew you when although I said that to him also when he became assistant superintendent of human resources and then of ed division. But congratulations again. Um Dr. Freed has always supported the work of counselors recognizing our essential role and we look forward to the continued collaboration in his next chapter and this next chapter for our district. Our counseling team brings a median of 10 years of experience and a deep commitment to knowing the need in every story of our student. That commitment shows up in real results. And so for the class of 25, just to rewind a little bit, um here are just some numbers
006for our community members and board to hear, our graduation rate increased last year to 94.4% which is a 1.2% increase. Our A throughG eligibility rose to 56.1% which was a 1.7 increase. And among our most impacted subgroups that we're looking closely at in our district, as everybody in here knows, are English learners. They are projected to go from 25.4% to a 31.9% A throughG eligibility rate. Our students with disabilities are projected to increase from 17.5% in 2024 to 24.8% last year and our socioeconomically disadvantaged students are up to 53.3% in A throughG rates. These gains reflect targeted datainformed work by our senior and our grade level counseling teams who offer consistent personalized support for our students every day. For many counselors, the school year didn't end on May 23rd. In fact, 66% of our high
007school counselors worked summer school, ensuring students were correctly placed in credit recovery and acceleration. And as a result, over 8,000 grades were recovered during summer school this year. Meaning that over 8,000 grades were brought up from D's and Fs to C's or higher. 2,300. [Applause] That's good. 2,381 students were enrolled in CVA acceleration courses. So that way they started the year ahead in whatever way that they were for different programs. And hundreds more of our students were supported through our Gilbert summer bridge program, our summer language academy, and dual enrollment with Cypress and Fullerton College. Behind every one of these numbers was a counselor checking the classes, solving problems, and even quietly answering their emails during the summer, even if their out of office reply might have said otherwise. On July 16th, we launched the
008year with our all counselor professional development day, followed by our lead counselors attending leadership advance with their site leadership teams. Um there's a I want to give a special thanks to our counselors on special assignment who helped plan and present two of these sessions and worked over the summertime to do so. This year brings new counselor placements with the addition of two ILC's and the merging of Orange and Western. And while transitions are never easy, our team meets them with the same professionalism and unwavering commitment to student well-being no matter where we might be placed. And as we look ahead, we stay grounded in our values of equity, inclusion, and belonging. The American School Counselor Association issued a position statement that APJ strongly upholds, and it reads, "School counselors promote each and every student's academic,
009career, and social, emotional development regardless of immigration status. They advocate for students right to access in free and appropriate educ um public education and advocate with and on behalf of students to ensure safety. If a student needs an alternate pl an alternate placement counselors in our district are ready to respond with compassion. Let me close with the words of two of our students from the class of 2025 in their senior exit survey. Our first student, "My counselor helped me figure out the things that I needed to do. I was never alone." our second student. I was fully supported. Counselors never judged. They kindly helped. The voices say it all because while our data will always move the system and we will continue to share the data, the relationships that counselors have with their trans with
010their students are what transform it. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> I didn't call your name. You didn't. You >> you just knew you were next. Jennifer Socai. Thank you, Dr. Shasai. >> I'm always last, so I always know it's me. First of all, on behalf of Alta, we would like to congratulate Dr. Frerieded, our future superintendent. Thank you for all of your 7 a.m. phone calls. Thank you for your leadership. We look forward to continuing our mission and vision with you. Let's see. Good evening to our leaders near and far. To students, families, how bright you are. In person on or online, you're gathered here to mark a school year filled with cheer. With hearts renewed, our purpose is clear. Our wildly important goals steer this year. Each student present, engaged each day, A
011through G ready, on their way. At Kennedy High School, the pride ran deep. 539 freshmen to keep for the first time during the school day's light orientation set their dreams in sight. They played they learned they met their peers heard student voices loud and clear workshops games and panels inspired planners and t-shirts sent home hearts fired. At Magnolia, the Sentinels came 1,568 strong in name. The band rang out. The cheer team soared. ASB's banners and pep rallies roared. The campus alive with joy and pride. Student and staff walking side by side. High hopes rose with each filing smiling face. This year's journey a thrilling race. Orange View and Western made history a new launching their 7th through 12th with a dedicated crew. ASB and Cheer gave the warmest start while link crew guided with maps
012and heart. We thank the district team who came to guide support and cheer by name. Your president made the pathway clear for a smooth successful hopefilled year. Across AS a AUHSD the doors swung wide. Opportunities await just inside. With pride, purpose, and dreams to steer, here's to a phenomenal school year. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you. Next, uh, is there anybody here from the PTA representing PTA? Nobody. Okay, but we'll move on to 8.1 presentations, District English Learner Advisory Committee, and we'll turn this over to Dr. Freed. >> Yeah. So, it's my pleasure to bring up our now director of curriculum instruction,