001Good evening. Is that on? Can you hear me? Okay. So, we are live streaming in case there are people who were not able to make it. So, thank you to our tech department for setting this up. This is not our normal place for a board meeting. So, it requires a lot of tech gymnastics to make this happen. Um, I'm Dr. Dhaka, superintendent of the school district. For those of you who I have not met, um, what I would like to do is give you a little bit of an overview on what we're going to do. When our retirees come up, I'll turn it over to Lauren in a few minutes and and the retiree and their speaker will come up. They'll do their presentation and then the two of them will ask to go over
002to the balloons where Dena is going to be so that you can take a picture. And then after that we will do another photo with the retiree, myself and the board officers. At the very end we want to do one big photo with everybody. So please stick around for a couple of extra minutes. Before I turn it over to Lauren to announce our retirees. There are a few that were not able to make it tonight. So I'd like to recognize um Bill Peterson, an atrisisk teacher here at the high school. Shauna Bream, first grade teacher at Olmstead. Crystal Foe, special education associate associate here at the high school. Kelly Griffin, another first grade teacher at Olmstead. Lisa Hfner, a general ed associate at Karen Acres. Judy Perhaska, special education teacher at Metro West. And Judy
003Winer, Adventure Time Secretary. So, if we want to give them a a round of applause. This is exciting as I think about my retirement which won't happen for se I think seven more years. That's my goal. So, we'll see. But this is very exciting and I know it's also scary as I started thinking about mine and do I have any money? Do I want to travel? What am I going to do? The answer is I don't know and no, I don't have any money. So, you just have to to take that leap and do the do the best you can. But the goal is to have fun. You guys have worked for years and years and now it's time to think about you and take care of yourself. So, let's celebrate the other half of
004our retirees. And I'll call Lauren Dryfe, director of operations, to come up and do that for us. I am also honored to be here tonight to make these introductions of a wonderful uh group of retirees this year. Uh we will start uh with Tim Carver coming up to um honor Mike Marino. So if those two can come up that would be great. Stand up here, Mike. Thank you. So we decided we're going to do a roast of No, I'm just kidding. We're not roast. Are you kidding me? This guy um when you know lifelong resident of the community. Uh I married in many years ago into a a wrestling family which I didn't grow up wrestling. Didn't know anything about the sport. Um and have come to know and love the the hard work, the
005dedication, the commitment that comes with it. Well, the other thing that happened along the way in my family was that I got a chance to uh meet this guy uh long before um he ever came to teach or coach here. And one of the thing that we talk one of the things we talk about um and as badly as we all want to win and and it's going to be a common theme with all the people I talk about today is whether it be in the classroom or in the on the court or in the field or on the mat they want to win really bad but is that they're great people and uh Mike was one of those people that at a time in our community where we really needed somebody to come into
006you kind of a you know a a transition from somebody who had been here a long time and to step in and establish new community and new tradition uh yet recognizing embracing the old. Mike did those things and we also had a lot of great success during that time. Um but the thing that I'll appreciate more about Mike uh than anything that ever happened on the mat was what he did in the classroom. Whether it be with our people PE, with our Special Olympics, with so many kids that needed a firm and strong person to be there for them, hold them accountable, keep the standard high, Mike did those things. and uh and and then at the end of uh well almost the end of his career getting a chance to to coach uh my
007son and uh get to have that personal impact on him. Um and I'll say to too for me professionally, Mike was always there for me in lots of different ways. um when he came up to to stop down in the lunchroom a few weeks back and kind of had a smile on his face and I was like, I guess that conversation's coming. He's getting ready to retire. And he sure enough, he said, "Hey, this is going to be my time." Uh it's nothing but gratitude that I have for Mike. And um the nice thing, too, if you don't know, we're not going to change the name tag very much on his door. We actually were able to hire another Mike Marino. Um so, he's kind of going away, kind of not. So Mike, congratulations. Appreciate
008it. [Applause] It is truly a joy to celebrate my lifelong friend and colleague Sarah Cullinan tonight. the superstar in sneakers, talent in a track suit, and the heart behind over three decades of doing unforgettable things for the students in Urbandale. Sarah didn't teach kids how to move. She taught them why movement matters. From the first time a kindergartner tags a classmate with a foam pool noodle to the last high five after field day, Sarah made sure that every class was a celebration of movement and teamwork and joy. Her motto, healthy bodies, healthy minds, wasn't just a phrase on a banner. It was the heartbeat of her teaching. She founded running clubs and led jump rope for heart campaigns. was named the Project Fit America National Allstar Teacher of the Year and inspired generations to chase
009their very best, not just in PE class, but in life. Sarah brings fun to everything that she does. As witnessed by the equipment in her PE storage closet, there are parachutes and hula hoops, spider balls, pool noodles, and rubber chickens. And to the untrained eye, it might seem ridiculous, but I'll assure you, each item had a purpose and was used to create lessons that were age appropriate, inclusive, and fun. Each day was met with a spirit of grit and perseverance. Picture Sarah racing between schools with 24 jump ropes around her neck or chasing runaway bowling pins across the Valarious parking lot, still making it to class on time. And yes, she even powered through a full day of teaching once after mistaking her sleep aid medication with her multivitamin. And she never missed a beat.
010There would be sledding trips and outings to the bowling alley and swimming pool. Second graders dancing in top hats with canes to Frank Sinatra. A spring egg hunt that was almost foiled by those pesky lawnmowers. And not to mention the famous Olmstead night at the basketball game where the students danced in dance bags and left uh Heather Burnside from WHO 13 speechless. Yeah. Through it all, Sarah's focus was never about winning races or making champions, but rather asking students to reflect. Did you try your best? Were you a good teammate? And did you display good sportsmanship? And that's exactly what makes Sarah an exceptional educator. For 32 years, she's been a life coach for little humans still learning to be strong, resilient, and kind. Sarah, your legacy lives in the confident strides of thousands of
011kids who learn to believe in themselves. All because of you. You've touched the lives of so many with your hustle, your humor, and your heart. And on behalf of your students, colleagues, and the whole Urbandale community, we thank you. You've run a beautiful race, and we're all cheering you tonight as you cross this well-earned finish line. I love you, pal. [Applause] Congratulations. Thank you so much. We have all right. Good evening. It is both a joy and a challenge to try to find the right words to celebrate someone as remarkable as Brenda. Today we honor not just her retirement but her legacy, one that has shaped the heart and soul of Webster. Brenda has been part of Urbandale for 27 years, 27 years, and she helped open Webster and has been the heartbeat of our
012school ever since. In my 21 years in education, I have never worked with a secretary quite like her, a true servant leader. Her work is calm, steady, often behind the scenes, but it lifts up every single one of us. Brendan ensures we can do our jobs well by doing hers with unmatched care, efficiency, and joy. You ask, and it is done, usually before you even finish the sentence. She is the magic behind the creative bulletin boards. Every beautiful detail in our teachers lounge. Every perfectly run Veterans Day assembly. Every kindergarten night, every open house, every single special event. Her fingerprints are on everything that makes Webster feel like home. Quite simply, Webster is Webster because of Brenda. But here's the thing. As much as her work is outstanding, it's her heart that makes the difference.
013Brenda has created systems and set expectations for how we treat one another with kindness and grace, with service, and with a whole lot of laughter. Her legacy won't retire with her. It will continue on with every detail she's designed and every person she's impacted. As I've been working on a slideshow for her retirement party, I realize that at least half of the picture is Brenda's in costume. That alone tells you who she is. Uh whether it's full scuba gear, an astronaut suit, a pajama day complete with curlers in her hair, Brenda never holds back. I'd actually really like to see her closet. Um she goes all out because she knows that she brings joy to our staff and our students. She makes school fun. She makes school feel special and she does it with humility
014and heart. While it's hard to imagine Webster without Brenda, it's easy to picture her fully enjoying her muchdeserved retirement. I hope she's taking her bright yellow convertible on long carefree drives with the top down on a Tuesday just because she can. After years of her being here early, staying late, and showing up for absolutely everything and everyone, it's time for her to show up for herself. And on a personal personal note, Brenda, these past three years, your care, your guidance, and your unwavering support have meant more to me than you'll ever know, and I would not be heading into year four without them. I'm forever thankful. You really are the best, and we will miss you more than words can say. Congratulations on your retirement. You have more than earned it. Thank you. [Applause] Well,
015I just want to talk about my dear friend Patty. Um we've known each other for over 27 years and um she started in the district subbing in 1995 and she subbed all over and but preferred kindergarten at that time and during that summer of 1998. Patty subbed in the Adventure Time program and she made connections with all of us and that fall she became a site director for our before and after school kindergarten program at Homemstead Elementary. Um, she was such a great importance to our program and I don't even think you understand how much of a key player she was in our summer program because she was the greeter and she made sure that all the notes and the field days and the and the age groups had their notes for what they should
016bring for the camps or whatever they were doing. Um, we decided one year that we were going to provide hot lunch because the parents wanted it. She was in charge of ordering all those lunches and getting them their, you know, having them come pay for them, you know, all of it. She was in charge and she did it with a smile on her face and she was happy about it. She was and she and she was she just did an amazing job. I don't I don't know if anybody could have done that any better than her. So um for so one summer we decided in 2001 that we needed to start a preschool program because we were not meeting the LR need LRE needs of the ECSSE program. So my our director at that time,
017Teresa Clifton, decided that we needed to start a gened preschool program so that we could interact some of those children with our ECSC program. And it was that time that Patty was called and she pioneered that preschool program. She was the first to start that. She she relied on I don't know if anybody remembers this, the mailbox newsletter. She relied on that quite often to come up with developmentally appropriate activities for the children. But she also attended trainings like echars and handwriting without tears. And Patty taught at Mstead and Jensen, Rolling Green and Webster at for preschools at all of those places. And during her years of teaching, she was um she was a UKLP representative and she was a mentor for new teachers. Patty always had amazing centers in her classroom. And in case
018you don't know this, she's like the Goodwill guru, okay? And she would go find the most amazing things at Goodwill that were like brand new, like all the Melissa and Doug things, new tractors, new blocks, all this stuff. The kids loved it. And as teachers, we kind of counted on if she could find something, we give her money to find it for us. Patty has this way of making preschool special for each child and their family. She goes above and beyond by making gifts, sending pictures, and communicating with families. Parents felt they were a part of their child's education in her classroom. Patty started some awesome traditions like the turkey trot. The families brought food for the local food bank and the kids walked in turkey hats and families joined in. And a lot of
019the Webster families throughout the whole grade levels brought food during those times, too. And I know we can't do this anymore, but she had this a this awesome activity where she made apple pies. And then the next day, the families would come in and enjoy those pies together. When children see Patty in the hallway, they they they wave, they give her hugs, they give her high fives, or they stop in after school to see her. She always has been willing to help people or staff at the schools she worked for and to show she was part of the team. People will miss her bubbly personality and her greeting in the hallways. We wish you all the best in your new adventures. We love you. [Applause] Um, Going back uh how many years at Bentley? 17.
02017. Here at Urbanddale, we had a situation where we had a couple open teaching science teaching positions here at Urbanddale High School. I I kind of feel weird. I'm talking about Lee, but I'm going to be talking about Marcy. But um and uh there was a couple that applied for the positions here from Musketine, uh Iowa. And of course at the time, you know, we're kind of in a a similar time now and in there, you know, there's just, you know, all these elementary teachers all over the place and just a handful of science people. Well, we were fortunate in Urbandale at that time. And it's hard again to talk about Lee without also talking about Marcy, um, his wife, who we're going to honor here, I assume, real real soon. Um, that we got
021just, uh, we got two gems. Um, no geology, pun intended there, but we we really did get two awesome people people that or and again, sorry, talk about Lee here. So, so one of the things uh that that we've absolutely loved about Lee is his commitment and again kind of like we talked about with Mike, but the commitment to learning, commitment to though I'm going to talk about him as a coach too and he's an amaz I mean amazing coach. He's just as amazing of a teacher as he is a coach and pours his heart into what he does every single day with our kids and all of our kids know when they're in his classroom that he cares about them and cares about their learning. Um and he's been for uh you know really
022holding down the chemistry for uh department for some time uh with us here at Urbanddale High School. Um but then about uh 12 years ago the head cross country job opened up and he stepped into that role and I'll tell you what um again one of the things just gives me chills talking about and we've had a ton of success taking teams to the state tournament. teams from Urbanddale High School, little Urbandale. I say little, but in the metro, we're little um over and over again having the success. But the thing that always um I have the greatest joy talking about or thinking about or hearing about when I think about Lee as a you know, I mentioned the the culture he creates in his classroom for learning. Um, but then as a coach, the
023culture that he creates, of connectivity, of compassion, of support, of, hey, seniors, let's make sure that freshman's got a, hey, let's make sure that he's, you know, got a ride to, you know, they don't have a car yet, so they need a ride to practice or whatever it may be. that Lee finds a way that that you have these these kids that and also that great things come about in their own athletic and personal development under his care as a coach. And and I can just look back at so many kids that have, you know, of all places. Like I said, we're we're the the the little fish in a big pond that Lee has created a culture of of that community, of that support, of how do we bring everybody together to have great
024success. Um, and I think one of the things that that I I would imagine if I were to ask Lee, I don't know that I've actually asked him this, but one of the things that I I'm certain he's very proud of, is to speak to that culture and that re that how do we grow our own? Well, we just hired a new social studies teacher, Payton Mars, former Urbandale cross country runner. He's coached was an assistant I think under Lee this last year um and and is going to be a teacher for us and coaches track as well. So um I just can't say enough good things about the again that legacy that you can see is very evident and quantified in in Payton coming back and wanting to continue to give back and he
025and I'll tell you in his getting too much about the interview but Payton but Payton talked about community and he talked about the community that was built here. um and that he that he lived under uh coach Hamaran. So anyway, let's give it up for Lee. Thank you, Lee, for everything. [Applause] So, like I said, yeah, let's clap up Marcy. So, like we said, Marcy uh has been the other part of the Hammeran team and and one of the things to mention right away since we just talked about Lee's coaching is being the wife of of a coach and anybody and I we've got a couple more and I probably should have mentioned Christy, I see Carol, I got a whole bunch of people. But uh but uh certainly and having the unique role of
026being able to um you know be there for him and for uh that work is so important. But more importantly in the classroom, Marcy has been um just a stalward in our e well I say e but our environmental science but supporting some of our limited language or English language learning students for ever in Urbanddale and yeah 16 years and and and the the beautiful thing about what I always appreciate and love about Marcy's classroom because Again, it's one of those places where there's so much that she does that you you until you go in and see it, you don't realize all the scaffolds and all the support that Marcy was one of the first people that I think of in our science department to say, again, thinking about some of that some of our
027that part of our population, hey, the bar is up here. What are the scaffolds that we can provide to help? And then take some away and then help and take some away so that kids can achieve great things. And I'm I'm as pleased as anything to say that this is one of the best years we've ever had in terms of achievement in particular in the area of science around that. And I think you know I I would be remiss if we if I didn't recognize Marcy for her leadership uh within that area of our program and our science department. Uh she's also and it's and one of the neat things um you know she PLC's with her husband you know and and that they they and then with Casey and then it was Katherine and
028it was all these different people but always this this spirit of evolving and growing and I mean I think about you know probably if you were to say you know Lee and Marcy who have you know teaching a few years but this idea that never quit learning never quit establishing what are ways that I that she as a teacher can elevate and grow her game and she continued to always do it and and to the benefit like I said of our students of all of our students our district mission teach all reach all Marcy has definitely helped to embody that. Um, not to mention I will also be forever grateful and I don't know what I'm getting. Marcy, I might have to send these things home to your home email. But Marcy is always good
029too. Like if I ever made like a little like a mistake in my new weekly newsletter, she you know and the principles all know this. She got to somebody that is always going to have a good eye and Marcy is caught many times even after graduation recently and she said now you know the state track meets the same day and and I kind of had remembered that but this was about two months ago or maybe month and a half and Marcy's like you know that the state track meet is the same day as graduation and anyway we made some adjustments and we're going to work it out. So anyway, bless her heart. Marcy is um again, but like Lee and Marcy have earned just an awesome career. I'm I'm grateful too. Um it's so sweet
030that their daughter is going to be graduate. Their last of the Hammeran kids are coming through and they were able to to be a part of their whole journey as well. So congratulations, Marcy. When I started teaching at Jensen 15 years ago, Julie was both my teaching partner and mentor. I was so lucky to have such a supportive and involved mentor. Julie helped me with everything from figuring out what to even teach to staying with me until the late late hours of the evening so I would feel somewhat prepared for the next day. Anyone who knows Julie will not be surprised by this because Julie is a giver. I have always known her as a person who will do anything to help someone. Over the years, she has gone to the hospital to teach a
031student who was hospitalized. She has gone to a family's home to help with homework for a kid whose parents were unable to help the child. Julie spent countless hours both fundraising for and planning our trips to the Omaha Zoo because she knew our kids needed a chance to see the world beyond their neighborhoods. Perhaps my favorite story of Julie's dedication to her students was on the day of a student's birthday. The child was so excited to bring cupcakes and share them with the class. However, Julie discovered that they were crawling with ants. You see, the family had left the cupcakes in their garage and the ants invaded. Julie knew how important it is for a child to celebrate their birthday with friends, so she went to the store and bought new cupcakes. To save the
032child's dignity, Julie told the class that she dropped the original cupcakes. I'm sure to this day no one else knew what Julie did, but I'm positive the birthday boy remembers. I know this because I, too, won't forget all you've done to help me. I am forever grateful for your support and guidance through the years. And it will be hard to walk down the hall and realize you're not there as you retire from teaching. Because really, we all know you won't be able to stay away from school. I hope you get time to relax and do what you enjoy. Um, Julie's career is really marked by high standards. And if you've worked with her, you know this to be true. She always leaves things better than she found them. And when I first got to know
033her 25 years ago, I was on the other side of the district. Um, and at that time, we had district meetings where all the fourth grade teachers would come together. Um, and at that time, you know, she's taught everything. She taught core where she would teach one grade in the morning and a different grade in the afternoon. She's taught um, special ed. she's done, but spent a big chunk of time in fourth grade and second grade. Um, and so at that time and always always doing so much district committee work. And so at that time we when we were meeting Julie just like she does with her fourth grade students that struggle with like a hard math concept and maybe the program isn't explaining it very well. She has some little trick or a visual
034or something with her fingers to make sure they just oh like that and they get it instantly. And she did that. I watched her do that with teachers around the district as well. And so those teachers, the whole team would know exactly what was coming up the next month. They had all the materials they need. All the cards would be cut out and organized and put in these little soap containers that she had bought at Dollar Tree for everyone. And and we would be in the teachers lounge and I would be like, "Wow, I'm so excited to teach this next unit." And they're like, "Wait, your cards were cut out. What grade do you teach in?" I was like, "Oh geez, I shouldn't probably say that." So just that high level um you know that
035comes from that long hours and she does that because she always would just say those kids you know the kids deserve it or well it's just not right we have to redo it and would redo the whole thing and um with 30 years we're going to really miss that knowledge that she takes. You could pick any standard any teaching standard and Julie could tell it to you forwards backwards. She could say, "Oh, that's not how it was worded 12 years ago. I used to say it like this." She knows exactly all of those details that are so helpful um when you're trying to break things apart. I was just um talking to the teachers in the teachers lounge today and sharing with them what I was going to say today and did they have anything
036to add. And just like she said, the teachers in my ring said, "Well, she's just like, well, like she's my mom. Like she was my mom when I came here. She did everything for me. Um those same high standards that she has for herself and for teachers in the profession, she also holds for students. And I thousands of times I have watched her teach a lesson and the kid the child that is struggling the most to understand, she's leaning into that kid saying whispering in their ear saying, "You know, you're a genius, right? and I'm not going to let you not do this because you are a genius and we're doing this and that child does every single problem. And at the end of the year, they cry all year. It's so hard. I can't
037Why do I have to do They're crabbing all the time about the work. And at the end of the year, they're clinging to her leg like they can't believe how much they have learned. It's so common for me to have my EL students make two two and a half years growth in one year with her. Sometimes I forget how remarkable that really is. Like don't look at me. Um, and I guess Julie, what I would say is you seem in your element when you're teaching kids how to write a good story. And I think it's because you yourself love a good story. And at the end of the day, you hear laughing when we're just talking about the things that happened throughout the day. And so in these last couple months, the last couple days,
038weeks, really enjoy hearing these stories that people are telling because you've got some good ones. And when we pulled up tonight and it was hailing as she walked in, I was like, it would hail like that's just kind of we can't make this stuff up in education. So I'm just grateful for a lot of really great memories and the high standards that you have brought to the district. You have definitely left things better than you found it. I am honored to get to recognize Martha Racker who um has served as my administrative assistant for the last three years. Um, I first met Martha when I was a high school student uh twirling my whistle as a lifeguard um at Crown Point and Martha would bring her family out. Um, and I'm so happy that our
039our paths crossed again um when she um moved to Bowling Green um to serve there. Um, and I'm sorry that I'm wearing my Iowa. It was Iowa day at school today for our uh alphabet countdown, but I did think there's no family that loves Iowa more than the Rackers, so I feel good about this. Um Martha is she is a quiet and humble um and incredibly unassuming person. And yet somehow she manages to hold the entire place together. Um, and honestly, she's she is the behind the scenes superhero and the and the quiet powerhouse that gets things done. She keeps me organized. Um, she takes care of my calendar. She protects my time, which is huge. Um, and she has uh perfected the art of swooping in um at just the right time to make
040sure that I am moving to the next thing without embarrassing myself uh too much. Uh she gives her time and energy so generously to everyone um our staff, our students, families. Um it's honestly a mystery that she gets anything done in the day because she is interrupted every two minutes all day long. with every task. Uh but some somehow she does it all and does it phenomenally well. Um it's like you have uh a few extra hours than the rest of us u in the day. Uh she has brought a calm um stability to every building that she's touched. Martha has served at Jensen Mstead Rolling Green and Karen Acres. Um, and when it came time to move entire schools from one place to another, um, Martha, um, kept us all in line. she um
041really was the brains behind um the Mstead move and then taking all of that insight and um applying it to Rolling Green and helping us get everything there in our you know short four weeks before we started classes after after moving. Um, Roland Green and Karen Acres are forever better because of Martha's experience, her kindness, um, and her fierce ability to make things happen quietly, efficiently, um, and without ever asking for credit or recognition. Um, so Martha, I thank you for being the rock of our team. Um, we're so lucky to have you. Um, and we will absolutely miss you with everything. Congratulations on your retirement. [Applause] Hey. Um, so right around that same time, Mike walked up to me in the lunchroom. I had a similar conversation with Sam and and and again um
042a common theme with the people you've heard me talk about tonight is um care, community, and and loyalty. Um I can say from a personal standpoint that I couldn't say about the other two coaches and their sports that uh Jay-Hawk football for me runs deep my whole life. a huge part of of me and I know this isn't about me but I will tell you that Sam is one of three coaches that we've had in our school for the last 60 years almost. Um so when that time came up when one of my mentors uh coach Mcclit was moving on um and and Bill was in the process of looking for who's going to be that next person to lead our program. Um it was it was uh you know at the time I didn't
043know Sam although I come to find out later he was part of the Cedar Falls team that beat us to go to the dome but or you know that's that's a whole another thing but it speaks to his his great credentials. But this guy from West Delaware that was coming down and and was going to come over and take over our our community or or our our program and our community. Little did I know, like with Mike, like with Lee, Marcy, we were getting an amazing coach who established and had great success in one of the toughest sports to do it in our in especially when you're the the little guy. But also, it was so much about I came to find out was about people and about kids and about growing people and about
044cultivating people and about welcoming them in and showing them the right way to do things in a sport that takes so many there's so many parts that come in or a part you know that it's it's like you know managing an army. You got this that coaches all these coaches and stuff. Sam has always found a way to make it one that other people are feel very much a part of that they are that they lead and and you know whether it be their segments or whatever it may be but also that the kids know it's their program and that they're going to do it the right way the Jay-Hawk way um and and over the time and and of course then Sam in the later part from a teaching standpoint you know helped us
045to bring on our our wonderful uh facility and our weight facility and now you know primary part of Sam's day is overseeing the development and the cool thing and this is one of the things I love that people don't realize it's not just about as football players with Sam it's about all of our kids how do we make them better how do we grow them as as PE because our program our strength program has kids way beyond our our football players that are a part of it and I can say that there's communities around here that aren't like that um but at the same time um there's nobody somebody I would rather have had to personally to lead our program for my son to get to to play for um and to grow under uh
046than than Sam Anderson. And I'm happy for him that he's at a a point in his life where he's going to be able to now go and see a guy like Allan Lazard, maybe play on a Sunday and not have to worry about lesson plans the next week and all those kinds of things and and just a and also just be be more time or spend more time with family because that's another key theme. all these guy these people, guys and and women both it's been about they've been great models about being great fathers and great husbands and and Sam is one of those people that I'll always look up to and respect and be grateful that we have the time to be Jay-Hawks together and uh I wish you the best as you move
047on. Thanks. [Applause] Okay, sorry. The rain distracted me and my printed paper. So, I wrote this down so I could be quick and maybe catch up on some time. Um, I'm terrible at public speaking. It's not my forte at all. And I'm also terrible at goodbyes. So, um, hopefully this will keep me on track and, um, let you all know how we feel. I am always starruck when I come into a building. I admire teachers and educators with all of my heart. You guys do the hardest work in the world. Um I know because I do it myself, but I also have five kids who you've all touched incredibly deep. Um thank you feels inadequate in this situation, but there's really no other words. So um I'm going to tell you thank you for touching
048so many lives, not the lives of our students, but the lives of their parents and our community members. And also, thank you um for doing everything that you do in our buildings every day, all day. You've had an impact on um not just our students, but our entire communities and your co-workers. Thank you for stepping up, spending countless hours working for and worrying about your students, choosing to do the right thing even though it's often not the easy thing. Thank you for being you, sharing your talents and your passions, your enthusiasm for learning with all of UCSD. Thank you uh to your families who supported you while you both sacrificed time and energy for your students benefits. Enjoy your retirement. You truly earned every second of peace and quiet, rest and relaxation. Um, and spend
049your time however you want, when you want to do it. If the quiet becomes deafening, the stillness becomes lonely, and you need a little excitement and unpredictability, you know where to find us. Thank you so much for everything you've done, and congratulations. [Applause] to go ahead and get this meeting started with the public hearing for the fiscal year 2025 certified budget amendment. Does anybody have any questions or anything to say about the certified budget? Okay, hearing none, we'll go ahead and call the meeting to order with roll call. Hower here. Kent here. Me. Mankey here. Van Risewway here. Williams here. Young here. I would move to approve the agenda. Do we have a motion? Do we have a second? Good. Rise wipe seconds. Okay. All those in favor? I I oppose. Motion passes. Catherine, you're
050on. Our district mission is to teach all in retail. Our district vision is that Urbandale will be a school district that brings learning to life for everyone. Our Urbanddale uh school board mission is to partner with stakeholders to teach all and reach all through governance of board policy and operating protocol. Thank you. First up is board recognition. Looks like we have one student here. Approval of agenda first. Oh, sorry. We did. Did we? Yes, we did. I moved. Gotcha. So we have some board recognition tonight for students who have been awarded the seal of literacy and this is a recognition for students who are proficient in two or more languages which is a big accomplishment. I will read all of them but let me do yours first. That's and Aiden. Yes. Sorry about that. Nelson
051and I say correctly. Okay. First we'll recognize Paris Nelson who is receiving a seal of literacy in Spanish. [Applause] for other students that we'd like to recognize who are not able to be here. All right, good. recognize Matthew Davis also for a seal of literacy in [Applause] Spanish. And we also have Sean Bowser, Jacqueline Mado, Marco Tinario, and Dara Martinez for a seal of biiterate biiteracy in Spanish. And we have Sophia Reese for a seal of biiteracy in German and Aman Muik for a seal of biiteracy in Bosnian. Very impressive. [Applause] You know, this is the time. superintendent report. Okay, a few things for tonight. I want to clarify on graduation this Thursday, one of our messages went out and it had the wrong time on it. We did make the change to 7:30. So,
052anyone out there planning to go to graduation, please make sure that 7:30 is what's on your um agenda. Also, for lunch balances, we're at the end of the year and there might be students who have lunch balances. If you're a graduating senior, then next week we will transfer that balance to a sibling. If you don't have a sibling or you don't want it transferred, there is a Google form on our website that you can ask for a refund or you can ask to donate the money to the angel fund. If you are a returning student in the fall, you need to contact the nutrition office. And if or by email, phone or email, and if there's no response by the end of May, then we assume that you intend to donate. So, if you're listening,
053um [Music] 515-457-6911 is the number that you would call. We want to remind students and families there's no school on Monday, Memorial Day. And for incoming kindergarteners, uh safety city registration ends May 30th. This is traffic, fire, home, playground, and other personal safety. You have experience riding a bus. You'll be This will be taught by the Urbanddale Police Department. you'll get a free bike helmet and a t-shirt as well as daily snacks. So, if you are um interested in signing your child up for that, you have until May 30th. Uh continued reminder about our registration, our kindergarten students open enrollment is due by September 1st and we're way over half of our students registering. So, this is a really good thing. So, do we have another Can I stop and recognize Sean? See, you ended
054up coming back. I did. Let's see. Sean. Yeah, Sean is receiving a recognition for literacy in Spanish. So, we wanted to make sure that we receive this pretty big deal. [Applause] Thank you. Have a good meeting. Thank you. See you. um while he's um going to dinner and enjoying your evening, I wanted to point out too, all the board members have a a goodie bag at their seat. Um this was put together by our nutrition services department. This was our thanks to all the staff. They all received these in their buildings today. So, we wanted to make sure that the board also got them. We held them from teacher appreciation week because they had so many things going on, we didn't want it to get lost. So appreciate nutrition services putting those together and hopefully
055you enjoy this next. You do the retirement please. Okay. And we just wrapped up before we started here with a retirement reception for this year's retirees. Um Sam Anderson, Shauna Bream, Brenda Briggs, Julie Crowley, Sarah Cullinin, Crystal Foe, Kelly Griffin, Lisa Hfner, Lee and Marcy Hammerand, Mike Marino, Bill Peterson, Julie Prohaskca, Martha Rert, Patty Vanscoy, and Judy Wy. Thank you so much for all that you have done for our district, our students and community. And the last thing under my report, I don't see Brandon, so if there's questions, I will try my best to answer them. The concurrent enrollment courses, this is something that requires the board to annually approve the list of courses that we have available at our high school uh for our students that are concurrent enrollment with community colleges. And if
056you um look at the link, you'll have the list in there. We'll ask you to vote on this at the June 9th meeting. So, for now, we just wanted to put this in front of you so that you could um let us know if you had any questions or concerns about any of the courses on the enrollment list. Okay. Thank you. We have no student representatives tonight. No, we have no public comment. No public comment. So, we are on to the consent agenda. So I would move to bring the consent agenda forward. Many will second. Does anybody have any questions, comments, discussion? Hearing none, then I guess we're ready for a roll call. Kent, yes. Me. Minky, yes. Ben Riswick, yes. Williams, yes. And Young, yes. Hower, yes. Thank you. And that pushes us down
057to the second reading and approval of the updates to policy 639. There any questions? This was presented at the um May 5th meeting. So, I would move to approve uh updates to policy 639. Williams will second. This one can just be Yep. So, all those in favor I I opposed. Motion carries and we're on to the curriculum updates. These were also all presented at the May 5th meeting. So if there are any questions, I'm sure Mr. Shout would be available to come up and answer them. But first up is the social studies 9 through 12. I would move to approve the 912 social studies and science electives covered in the May 5th meeting. Yeah, we'll second. Okay. So all those in favor I I opposed. Motion passes. Up next is the K12 visual arts curriculum.
058Young will move to approve the K12 visual art curriculum. I'll second. And again all those in favor I post. Motion passes. Moving right along to the 912 world languages curriculum. Mankey will move to approve the world language instructional materials. Williams will second. All those in favor? I I opposed. Motion passes and the flexible student and support application. I would move to approve the flexible student and support application covered at the May 5th meeting. Yeah, we'll second. Okay. All those in favor I I opposed. Motion passes again. On to our new action items. First up is the middle school boiler replacement. So Eric was unable to be here tonight, but I told him that I could handle this part. I cannot handle the next part. So, he will be here. Um, there's actually two components to
059the motion. Um, I don't know how familiar you are with the HVAC system in in our district, but right now the middle school is if it was going to be cold, would not be functioning properly. So, we've asked them to come in and do an assessment, and it it does need to have components replaced. We won't know the exact cost obviously until the bids come in. Um, so what we're asking tonight is for you to take two actions I believe could be read in in one motion. The first one is to establish June 5th as the bid date that we open the bids for the boiler replacement. And the second one is to establish June 9th as a public hearing um back at the district office for the boiler replacement project. So, if there's any
060questions on the actual system, I think Lauren has probably more detail than I at this point. Would are there any questions? No, I was going to um make a motion to establish a bid date of June 5th at 2 p.m. to receive bids for the middle school boiler replacement project. Yeah, we'll second. Okay. All those in favor I I I opposed. Motion passes. We need the second. And then we need a second motion, too. I would also make a motion to establish a public hearing date of June 9th, 2025 for the Urbanale Middle School Board Replacement Project. And we'll second. And again, all those in favor? I I opposed. Motion passes. On to the new handicap van purchase. The administration recommends the purchase of a 2024 Chrysler Pacifica Bronnability van. Um, this van will have
061a cost of $84,000. It is ADA compliant and will have a ramp to pull two wheelchairs in and out of it. Um, will help in taking the kids to all the events and field trips and things that they need. We've been looking for this for years and most of them are aftermarket additions that the state will not approve and we've had to take one kid with a wheelchair and then come back and get another one and it's not very efficient or equitable for the students. So, this is allowing us to expand our ability to take our students as Stephen Cedar Rapids has um Cedar Rapids schools has two of these vans and they have passed the inspections. I I did my best to try to put our inspector to them and it just will not
062operate in a fashion where they can do it because the the he is on one side of the state and they're on another side of the state. So, but with the same vehicle passing inspection by the same inspector, we're assuming it will work. Okay. And did you say this will be covered out of pebble? This will be a pebble. We have this on our pebble plan for next year, but this is there's they have two of these vehicles left after this one. And once they're done, um they'll have to order new vehicles and get them all built in. So, it could be another, you know, year or better on the van. And also, the big thing is tariffs on possibly the new vans would be about5 to$7,000 in addition to what we are now. Young
063will move to purchase the new handicapped van, the 2024 Chrysler Pacificico Bronability. Williams will second. Okay. And this will be a roll call. Mey, yes. And Riswick, yes. Williams, yes. Young, yes. Hower, yes. Kent. Yes. And up next is the UEW salary change. I'm going to let Lauren present this one for us. So, um if you read through the details of what we proposed, uh obviously we're proposing a significant increase in a couple of our positions compensation. Uh currently we have an HVAC uh journeyman on staff as well as a uh a plumber that is on staff. Uh we have an open position uh open journeyman position at this time that we have um it's been open for months and we've had trouble getting uh any qualified applicants. It remains open at this time. Uh
064we also are in a very competitive market in the metro area um both for uh schools that are trying to u fill positions uh to do as much as they can in-house that includes us. Uh when we have to call out for these skilled trades um to include electrician which we haven't had an electrician on staff for many years now. Uh the hourly rates are between $150 to $200 an hour for the skilled trades. Uh and then it's significantly higher for some of the specially specialy items like elevator uh repair and things like that. Um, our goal with this is to uh maintain our current positions and uh possibly give us the ability to um maybe get applications um that would be seen as something that is competitive with others. Um uh so while it
065does seem like a significant increase, uh we do believe that this is a a cost-saving um action potentially based on um what it costs to hire out all of these services. We have one position that's still unfilled, correct? In that area that's been unfilled for a little while and that's putting us in a little bit of a predicament to not have those tradesmen on staff. Uh if you remember a few years ago, we added the assistant uh building and grounds position uh because we had had such difficulty in hiring another electrician after the last one retired. Um and that certainly has been a beneficial uh thing that that the board supported and that we were able to hire um just short of a couple of years ago. What questions can I answer? I would move
066to approve the change to the UEW salaries uh schedule. I'll second rise. Thank you. This will be a roll call again. Ben Riswick. Yes. Williams. Yes. Young. Yes. Hower? Yes. Yes. menty. Yes, passes 60. Thank you. And up next is the contract for transfer of state funding. So this contract was um written in conjunction with excuse me both the AEA and uh overseen by ers the AEA you know the changes that have happened. we are going to have to send 90% of the money that is collected through taxes up through the A.E.A. this is the mechanism that the state is going to use for us to be able to do that. So it's outlining how the business department if you've looked at the contract how many payments when those payments are made. So that the
067details of that are really for Steve's department but they've asked us to bring this to our board so that our boards approve it. Um, and then we would take this and send it back to the A.E.A. so. So, they have all of the different districts on board with it. And Allers did, like I said, uh oversee the edits to it. So, what you have in the um agenda item is what I received directly from the AEA. Any questions? and Razer will move to approve the contract for transfer of state funding to the AEA. Yeah, we'll second and it's another roll call. Williams, yes. Hower, yes. Kent, yes. Young, yes. Ben Riswick, yes. Mankey, yes. Me, passes 60. Thank you. Now, the approval of the amended fiscal year 25 certified budget. Yep. The uh administration recommends
068uh the approval of the amended 25 certified budget. Um as you can see in the details there um where we're increasing a couple of um categories due to uh several increases in items that have come up. And uh this will be no uh increase in any property taxes due to any of this amendment at all. I would move to approve the amended fiscal year 25 certified budget. Then res will second that. Young. Yes. me. Yes. Kent, yes. Hower, yes. Ben Riswick, yes. Williams, yes. That's a 60. Great. Durham food service. Durham school services contract. Uh, yes. If you remember a couple of meetings back, you approved the awarding us awarding the RFP to Durham pending a contract. And this is what you see on the agenda is the contract that was finalized through uh back
069and forth conversations with Durham's legal team and our legal team. So this is the culmination of that and it's ready for board approval. Are there any questions? I'd just like to point out we won't have to we have a three-year contract so we won't have to agonize over this again for a while. And there's no more RFPs for a while. Yeah. Steve and I are glad about that. I would move to approve the Durham uh bus services contract. Can I just ask a quick question? Does this will this affect the pay when we set the pay cost for the pay for the pay zones? Does will this change at all because of what this contract comes out at or we just kind of we set the pay zones. So I that doesn't come from No,
070but I meant the amount that they pay that we pay for the pay zones. Um, I'd have to check because they're kind of increases as inflation and costs go up for us, but I'd have to check with uh what those I I don't think so. Okay. I'm just curious. This wasn't a deal breaker. I was just curious like how this affects, you know, we're locking this in for three years. So, will our pay will the cost for the people in the pay zones go up? Is that locked in for the next three years? Or is that still going to be is that a variable because are there variable costs in this like with a fuel s charge or something like that? It could be because there's room in the contract for some of those things
071to happen anyway. There's not it's not a locked in 100%. You can't change your price for three years. If things go up, there's conditions in there for that. So, I'd have to check. I can report back in our Are you talking the amount that parents would pay for the pay zone? Is that okay? I think the board sets those numbers for that. I do I will revisit it just to make sure. But keep in mind even if fuel costs go up, we pay those. The district pays. I know. But I'm saying but I mean the variables that would enter into it, right? But I'm just this is more of a a broader question of you know for the parents saying okay are my the rates for my pay zone going to go up because I
072you know I'm paying in the pay zone for three years. So, will it be still be the this rate that I've been paying or is this going to go up going to go down? I was just curious that amount I don't think has changed in probably I would guess 10 to 12. Okay. See, that's the answer I was looking for. Like, we haven't changed it for 10 years. The same amount for take to change it again. So, I'm good. Do we have a second? We need a second. And it's our last roll call. Uh, Mankey. Yes, Kent. Yes, Young. Yes, Williams. Yes. Hower. Yes. Ben Risick. Yes. Me? Passes. 6. I would move to ajourn. Do you have a second? All those in favor? I I opposed. Thank you.