5/20/25 Board Meeting

001All right. Well, good evening everyone. We'll go ahead and get started. All right. Good evening. Thank you. Uh, welcome students. Uh, I know we have a full house tonight because I saw the stacks of recognitions that we have this evening. So, thank you for coming out. I know school is wrapping up. So, um, we're going to go ahead and call the meeting to order. After that, we do the pledge and then we have a brief moment of silence and then we'll get into recognition. So, um, Amy, we can go ahead and do roll call. Mr. Chavez here. Mrs. Evansson here. Mrs. Heights here. Mr. Jones here. Miss Lima here. All right, we'll go ahead and stand and do the pledge of allegiance. And Director Jones, can you kick us off? To the flag of the

002United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. All righty. Thank you very much. All right. Do I have a motion to approve uh this evening's agenda? Motion to approve agenda. Second, Mr. Chavez. Approved. Mrs. Evansson? Yes. Mrs. Heights? Yes. Mr. Jones? Yes. Miss Lima? Yes. Right. All right. Do I have a motion to approve the meeting minutes from April 1st, 2025, April 15, 2025, April 18th, and April 21st, 2025? Motion to approve the minutes. Mr. Chavez, approved. Mrs. Evansson, yes. Mrs. Heights, yes. Mr. Jones, yes. Miss Lima, yes. Okay. Uh, first we have our I voted sticker contest winners and Director Evansson is going to kick that off for us. Um, for our smaller groups, um, we will have you stay

003at the front for pictures and then for our larger groups, um, Callie's going to have you go out into the lobby area or maybe even outside and take your picture. So, um, just go back to your seat and then we'll coordinate afterwards to get all your pictures uh, for Cali. Could I have Will, sorry, Will, Jessica Selby, Leila Lejack, and Jacob Walden please join me at the front of the room. [Applause] The Mesa County Elections Office held its annual I voted sticker contest designed to showcase the creative talent of first through 12th grade students in Mesa County while fostering a sense of civic pride and community engagement. More than 150 students submitted their designs and Mesa County elections judges had the tough job of narrowing it down to 16 finalists. From there, the community stepped

004in to vote for their favorites. And we are excited to share that three of the winning designs came from D-51 students. Jessica Selby, fifth grade, Thunder Mountain Elementary. Leila Lejack, 8th grade, Redlands Middle School. And Jacob Walden, who is not with us this evening, seventh grade Independence Academy. Their awesome designs will be featured in the I voted stickers during this year's election season. A fun and creative way to celebrate civic engagement. The board of education and superintendent Dr. Hill would like to recognize these talented students on not only their creative creativity and artistic talents, but also their active participation in being civically engaged at a young age. We look forward to seeing your designs featured this year in this year's I Voted stickers. Congratulations, Jessica. Congratulations. [Applause] Now, if I could have Matteline Palamire's, Carly

005Temple, Claire Miley, and Maline Davis please join me at the front of the room. [Applause] National History Day in Colorado is a challenging hands-on social studies and literacy program that helps students learn real world skills like research, critical thinking, and communication. Through project-based learning, students take a deep dive into topics, analyzing sources, and draw meaningful conclusions, helping to prepare them for success in school and beyond. This year, the top two projects in each category at the state competition earned a chance to compete at nationals, and four D-51 students are heading there in June. Orchard Mesa Middle School students Carly Temple took first place for her individual documentary. Claire Miley earned first for her individual website. and Maline Davis placed second in the individual exhibit category. Maddie Palamire's from Independence Academy also won first place in

006the junior individual performance [Applause] category. These students spent countless hours researching, asking big questions, and telling meaningful stories from the past. Along the way, they built skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom. They're not only passionate learners, but also thoughtful, well-rounded individuals who understand just how much history shapes the world around us. The board of education and superintendent Dr. Hill would like to congratulate all four students on this well-deserved achievement and wish you the best of luck as you compete on the national stage next month. [Applause] All right, up next we have our Colorado Student Media Association award winners. All right. With the students and advisers present from GGHS Orange and Black Newspaper, please join me at the [Applause] front. The Grand Junction High School student newspaper, The Orange and Black, earned a

007record-breaking 19 awards at this year's Student Media Association Best of Colorado 2025 contest. This statewide competition had more than 1300 entries and recognizes the best student journalism, print, online, and broadcast. Now in its 107th year of publication, The Orange and Black is still going strong. The year's award includes four first place wins and recognition in areas like breaking news, design, podcasting, photography, and reviews showing the wide range of talent and hard work from the student team. A huge part of the success is thanks to leadership and senior editor-inchief Marie Caulkins along with co-managing editors Serenity Schmidt and Laya Montram. Their dedication along with the entire student team raised the bar and set a new record for awards won by publications in recent years, surpassing their previous high of 11. Highlights includes include Marie Caulkins, first

008in single page print design and recognized in eight total categories. Laya Matram, first in breaking news coverage and recognized in two categories. Serenity Smith, Schmidt, first in feature, first in news feature photo and co-winner in podcast. Eli Schultz, first in critical review and recognized in multiple other categories. Desmond Danzo, Lincoln Mcuade, Woody Zedner, Abigail Young, Ramona Ripple, Freya Corbin are also a more winning cont uh contributors. Their work not only showcases creativity and skill, but also reflects dedication, collaboration, and real world journalism experience these students are gaining throughout the program. Under the steadfast leadership of GJH teacher and newspaper adviser Steve Fox, the board of education and superintendent Hill are proud to recognize these talented young journalist journalists and congratulate them on their record-breaking achievements. We are looking forward to continue to follow the stories

009as they share through the GJS Orange and Black. [Applause] Freya Corbin. All right. Ramona Ripple. All right, let's give another big round of applause. You're [Applause] guiding with the FBLA. FBLA students who qualified for the National Leadership Con conference, please join me at the front of the room. Can I have their adviserss come up as well? Yeah, we might as well all come up at the same time. At the end of April, students from all four of our high schools represented D51 at the Colorado FBLA State Leadership Conference in Denver, joining over 3,300 students from across the state. FBLA Future Business Leaders of America helped students build real world skills in leadership, business, and communication. This three-day event featured more than 700 business related competitions, workshops, and networking opportunities. allowing students to showcase their skills

010and connect with peers and professionals. The students here tonight are standout had standout performances and either placed in the top three at the state competition or secured a hard-earned spot at the national conference in Anaheim this June. Their hard work, dedication, and professionalism are something to be proud of. Alongside individual awards, Grand Junction, Palisade, and Central High Schools all earned the recognition of Gold Champion Chapter Awards, which honors local chapters for outstanding engagement and achievement throughout the year. In addition, GJHS and PHS were presented with the Peak Five Award given to high school chapters that demonstrate excellence in chapter management and member engagement. These accomplishments reflect the commitment of our students and the individual support of their adviserss. The board of education and superintendent Dr. Hill congratulate these students on their outstanding achievements at the

011state level and wish them continued success at the national competition from Grand Junction High School. Advisor Suzanne Dun Dunlap. [Applause] and students Aiden Inis, Ben Garin, Alex Kersh, Jonathan De Jesus, John Asbel, and for Palisade High School advisor Melissa Wright. [Applause] and students Alvina Nicodemus, Haley Shackleford, Ian Robinson, Leo Zoo. Did I do that one right? Oh, yay. And Aspen Johnson. [Applause] And from Central High School, Nicole, help me with the last name. Piagua. That's right. That was close. That was not bad. And Travis McCarthy. [Applause] Those two there. And students Ronan Norman and Michael Jones. Well done, everyone. [Applause] with the students who placed in the state level and qualified for the national competition for the family career community leaders of America and their adviserss. Please join me in the front of the room.

012[Applause] I have got them all. This April, these students competed in the state FCCLA competition. FCCLA or family career and community leaders of America is a studentled organization that focus on family and consumer sciences, education, leadership development, community services. At the 2025 Colorado FCCLA state leadership conference, over 1500 students from across the state participated in various competitive events, workshops, and leadership activities. District 51 was well represented with more than 40 students from Grand Junction, Palisade, Fruda, Monument High Schools attending the conference. These students showcase their skills in areas such as fashion, construction, policy, advocacy, and more. Notably, 13 students from Paliside High School and one student from Grand Junction High School qualified for the National Leadership Conference in Florida this July. Palside High School FCCLA chapter received the Golden Chapter of Merit Award recognizing their

013excellence in chapter management, member engagement, and program involvement throughout the year. Additionally, advisor Amanda Thally received the FCCLA Advisor of the Year Award. Yeah. Celebrating her outstanding leadership, dedication, and contributions to the success of her students and the Palisade FCCLA chapter. The board of education and superintendent Dr. Hill congratulates all participating students and advisers for their dedication and achievement at the state level. Well [Applause] done. In Grand Junction High School, advisors Jen Campbell Wilson and Casey Jackson. [Applause] Oh, come on. That's okay. That's okay. Aiden. Aiden Inis. [Applause] Then we have Alyssa Johnson, [Applause] Felicia Martinez, [Applause] Payton Brown. [Applause] Hey [Music] Campbell Pyard. Thank you, Cassidy. Posta. Thank you, Candace. Cadence. Cadence. Sislo, Paliside High School advisors, Amanda Tally, advisor of the year, Katarina Weber, Lauren Spriggs. We're going to do a power clap.

014Do you guys know that? So, after everyone, we're just going to do a power clap. Okay, let's start over. Katarina Weber. Oh, you guys are good. Lawrence Spriggs, Haley Shackleford, Caitlyn Spalding, Kira Trousdale, Addison Fox, Lucas Lopez, Khloe Cumins, uh Katie Arcade, Ricky Fernandez, Ian Rashan, Violet Gray, Kai Rubish, Olivia Thally, Tagan Speder, Lanessa Aspen, Kennedy Steven, Gabriella Spriggs, Piper Wesowski, Aaliyah Ia Craig, Marily Bogard, Michaela Trousdale, Anna Lopez, Iris Wrath, Delaney Stevens, Logan Gandandy, Ella Graco, and Alexis Porter Monument High School. Advisor Kimberly Weber can help me say the names. Michael D. Ro. Okay. Okay. Gabriel D. [Applause] Zoe, Smelzer, Greta, Martin, [Applause] Madison, Redberg. Thank you. between all of you. I I'll get it right. Thank you all. And give us time to pass it up. [Applause] All right. Well, well done. Um

015well, that concludes our recognitions. So, um if you guys will give you a few minutes to go ahead and exit out. So, the two big groups, um, please meet Cali out front so that she can get your, uh, photographs. And thank you all for coming this evening. See you later. For those of you that are walking in, if you want to sign the uh comment, please do. The comment she's over on the table over there. So, if you want to sign the comment, the audience comment, please do. Okay, we are going to pick back up just so that we can keep our meeting on track. So, uh next up we have our board reports. So board um uh good things. Um obviously last week we had uh graduations. So yes, eight in total I believe.

016Yes. So the only one I missed was uh Gateway which Barb took care of that and handled that one which was great. Yeah, it was they were they were all very touching, very amazing. They were wonderful. Yeah, it was a fun week. Uh lots of lots of good graduations. Any other good things that the board wants to share? I know there was PBLS, KPPS. Gosh, there were all kinds activities that the board participated in last week. So, um, anything else? Okay. All right. All right, Sierra, we are ready for D51 happenings and celebrations. So, um, as you come in, please find a seat. There is no standing room, so you have to find a chair, please. Hello board. I'm Sierra Coulson, marketing and communication specialist for D51 schools, here to share with you the D51

017happenings and celebrations. So to begin, uh Stephanie Williams is the principal at Thunder Mountain Elementary and she is May's golden apple recipient. She was nominated Yeah. Yeah. Um she was nominated for her unwavering dedication to students and the entire Mountaineer community. Her student first mindset drives every decision she makes and her leadership has left a lasting impact on the school. A true ray of sunshine, Stephanie brings warmth, positivity, and joy to everyone around her. Be sure to congratulate her the next time you see her. There's so much to celebrate in the month of May. From our incredible teachers who shape minds and inspire us each and every day to our dedicated school nurses who care for the health and well-being of every student. We also honor our school lunch heroes who fuel learning with nutrient-dense

018food and kindness, and our amazing interpreters who ensure every voice is heard and every family feels seen. And don't forget our school communicators, the behind-the-scenes storytellers who keep our communities informed and connected. Each of you plays a vital role in the success of our schools, and we are thankful for the passion, talent, and heart you bring to your work. At D51, we believe every student's path deserves recognition. whether it leads to the arts, the military, or any other passion. Central High School hosted its first ever performing arts signing day, celebrating students who are continuing their passions in music, theater, and design at the college level. Central and Freda Monument High School also honored students during military signing day, recognizing those who have committed to serving the US military after graduation. Thank you. Dual Immersion Academy

019hosted the annual fifth grade pathway to the seal of biiteracy ceremony, celebrating 29 students who completed volunteer hours in both languages and demonstrated strong skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. These students show what it means to be globally minded and future ready. Congratulations to all our award recipients. You make D51 proud. An event favorite, Palisade High School students released their 2025 batch of endangered razorback suckers into the Colorado River of the largest release releases yet from their onampus hatchery. With this year's group, students have now helped return over 1,250 native fish to their natural habitat, but not before giving them a smooch for good luck. This milestone highlights the impact of studentled conservation and real world learning. Thank you to assistant principal Brooke Caster and teacher Patrick Steele for leading the way. It's safe

020to say the spa the Special Olympics track and field competition is one of the most unforgettable days of the year with schools packing the stands at Stoker Stadium to cheer on their classmates. The energy is electric and the support is unmatched. The commodery on and off the field is a true reflection of the connection, inclusion, and community our athletes experience, not only during the event, but in their classrooms year round. A huge thank you to the volunteers, staff, and pair of professionals who go above and beyond to support, coach, and celebrate our students. Your dedication is what makes this day so special. And finally, to the class of 2025, D51's largest graduating class with over 1,400 students. More than 1,200 of you earned over 12,000 college credits through our partnerships with CMU and CMU Tech.

021And beyond that, many of you challenged yourselves through AP courses, the IB program, and STEM pathways. For others, simply earning that diploma is the achievement that matters most, and we celebrate all of it. At every graduation, it was clear this class brought something special to their schools and teachers. The speeches were funny and moving. Even without knowing each of you, it's clear that you will be missed. We can't wait to see what you all do. Congratulations to you all. And that's all we have for May. I hope you all have a wonderful and restful summer. Don't forget to stay posted with all things D51 by following us on social media at D51 schools. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you. Okay, up next we have our superintendent report. Dr. Hill. Um, so we have one item tonight

022and I'm going to have Mel come on up and it's our uh budget update. So we'll have Mel present that. All right. Good evening board. Uh the presentation tonight is to update the board, staff, and community on the district's finances ahead of the preparation of the proposed budget. Budget is an ongoing cycle as you know. Uh the spring is spent monitoring revenue projections and planning for the next year. There are several statutory deadlines that also must be met around budget prepar preparation and approvals. By May 31st, school districts must uh present publicly uh their proposed budget to the board. This is followed by two public hearings that are held in in June. Um and then by June 30th, the board must approve uh the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1st. Um lastly, school

023districts can read budgets as we typically do by January 31st in order to provide a mid-year true-up following October's student count. The setting of school finance uh funding by the state is always a lengthy process and one of the last items to be approved in the legislative session. This year um was a little bit unique in that concerns for next year's funding really ramped up in November with the governor's proposal. Um his proposal would have completely eliminated student count averaging reducing funding in D51 next year by $9.5 million. This was in response to a very real financial pressures at the state level um as they contended with a $1.2 billion deficit. Uh thankfully the worst case scenario was avoided for next year thanks to lawmakers who rejected the governor's proposal and the elimination of student

024count averaging and insisted on beginning implementation of the new funding formula that was passed just last year. This wasn't without compromise, though. The implementation of the new funding formula was slowed from six to seven years. Several hold harmless provisions that were key to districts supporting the new formula last year were removed. Additionally, changes to student count averaging are not going away. Next year, student count averaging will reduce to four years. The following year, 2627 will reduce to three years or be replaced by a tob determined smoothing factor. All of this means less money going to schools than was promised last year at this time. The quote above uh from the Colorado Sun puts that figure at $16 million less than what was expected statewide. A component in school finance funding is inflation. The state uses

025Denver Aurora Lakewood uh consumer price index or CPI. Next year that funding component is based on a 2.3% CPI. I point this out for a couple of reasons. The projection going forward is for this figure to return to the 2 to 2 and a half% level similar to 2021 and 2122. Uh secondly, because this is a component in funding, it has been a significant factor in the revenue increases districts have received in recent years, as you can see by that spike with inflation peaks of 8 and 5.2% used in the formula funding. Um, additionally, another important factor to the large revenue increases in recent years has been the state's buyown of the budget stabilization factor. again meaning large chunks of money coming back to school districts across the state. These components as well as ESSER

026grant funding have done a lot to mask some of the inherent problems we now face with declining enrollment. So, putting all of this information into numbers, next year the district's PPR, per pupil revenue rate will increase by about 4%, $429 per student. Um however with projected enrollment declines of 483 students and the reduction of student count averaging from five years to four years we are expecting funding for about 665 fewer student FTE. When you put these numbers together that nets to just about a million dollar increase or a half a percent of increase. Um, some context. This same slide last year at this time that we were presenting had nearly $10 million in new revenue that we received. Increases to state categoricals are expected to be minimal as well as projected increases to the ROC

027federal uh reimbursements. In fact, the largest category that you see up here is one that we generated internally through increased interest earnings and investment returns, contributing an additional $1.5 million to next year's budget. This increase is the result of leveraging one-time reserve dollars to create reoccurring revenue streams. Total new revenue projected for next year is 2.9 million. The district is making, excuse me, um, efforts on many fronts to control costs. Of course, the largest of which is right sizing staffing to reduce student counts through school closures and systemic staffing adjustments. 2.4 million will be saved from the elementary school closures, another 900,000 from other systemic staffing reductions, and over 400,000 from changes being made at Gateway. The district will also realize savings through the end of the train lease energy performance contract which will be

028paid off in November. Additionally, as opportunities to restructure positions or utilize other funding sources become available, we're doing that as well. Reducing an instructional coach position and moving three mental health therapist positions to Medicaid grant funding. The end of GMI stipens as negotiated in the current agreement will provide about 93,000 in savings and a few contract true-up type items at the bottom also contribute to savings. In total, these reductions will provide nearly 4.9 million in savings to be reallocated towards necessary cost increases. Another factor that's contributing to a particularly difficult funding year is that costs are increasing dramatically in health insurance and student transportation. The district remains committed to increasing their proportionate share of health insurance premiums for employees at a cost of $2.8 million next year for increases that will begin with open enrollment

029and uh December paychecks. Um, this means that another 1.4 million will need to be added in the 2627 school year in order to increase the budget for the months of July to November of the plan year. Our contract for student transportation also requires a large increase next year of $1.7 million. Um, future yearly increases in this new contract are expected to be around5 to $600,000. Um, I mentioned earlier that our PPR number is increasing the amount that we receive per student. And when that happens, that means that our pass through funding to our charter schools also increases. And additionally, they're expecting an additional 55 student FTE and that contributes to the $1.1 million in pass through funding to our three district charter schools. The next two items are true up to current costs, replacing current

030salary and benefit budgets with actual current costs and pay assignments and concurrent enrollment continues to increase in utilization and costs as well. Although an increase in utilities is expected, the 132,000 up here on the screen, it's important to note that over the last two years, efforts made by district operations team have resulted in $1 million in avoided costs, meaning this number could be much larger both last year and going into next year than it has been. Um, lastly, the contracted service line item for the district lobbyists is increasing for the first time in many, many years and was paid for internally by reducing a contracted grant writing line item on the previous slide by an equal amount. That's the $12,000. And these necessary costs total $6.9 million. Just some additional information on the health insurance

031plan. The 2.8 8 million represents about a 17.8% mid-year increase, bringing our health plan up to $28 million annually with costs shared between the district and employees. The increase is in line with many other districts across the state and other plans locally as hospital prices and pharmacy costs continue to climb. The chart here shown here demonstrates that even though this isn't a direct pay increase to employees, it is most certainly an important benefit as the district will be picking up the majority of cost increases at each tier. For employee only coverage, the district will continue to pay 100% of the premium covering the entire $131 monthly increase. For employee post child or children tier the district will pay an additional 15235 per month while employee costs will increase 6529. The employee plus spouse coverage the

032district will pay an additional 157.85 per month while employee share will increase 10523 per month. And lastly, for family coverage, the district will pay an additional $28427 per month, while the employee share will increase 5774. In light of the financial constraints we find ourselves in, there wasn't a budget request process this year. Instead, just a few items rose to the level of priority additions. The largest is the addition of the PYP at Taylor Elementary directly supporting the strategic plan area of robust and aligned options and completing the IB pathway. Physical activities is a fund that's particularly impacted by the transportation cost increases because of the volume of student athletic travel as well as increasing costs for officials. Um the transfer will increase by $50,000 from the general fund into the physical activities fund in lude

033needing to increase student fees. Uh the compensation oversight committee also continues to meet and review positions for market on an uh annual basis. The positions approved for market adjustment since January to be effective in the next school year total $57,000 in the areas of technology comms and tech parapros. Lastly, a small change in position at career center due to a vacancy. These additions total just $215,000. So putting all of these figures together creates the district's current base budget scenario. While we continue to work towards a balanced budget, expenses currently slightly exceed revenues based on these items presented. The current 2425 budget includes a use of reserves of $810,000, an amount authorized as one time to be corrected through school closures. New revenues of 2.9 million plus identified savings of 4.9 million help but don't quite

034offset increased costs of 7.1 million. As we all know, school district funding often es and flows and is unpredictable because of a variety of state factors outside of our local control. Even though the position we find ourselves in isn't what anyone wants. I would be remiss to let us lose sight of the recent gains we have all worked so hard towards when funding has been there. These include increasing teacher starting pay over 33% since 2021 from 375 to 50,5. Uh the re-implementation of educational lanes in 2324. Average teacher salary has increased by 38% since 202021 from 50,921 to 70,340. Um, looking cumulatively in this period of high inflationary pressures, D51 has also been able to provide cost of living increases that have outpaced the CPI increases provided by the state. Over 82% of the district's

035current general fund budget goes towards salary and benefits. The recent pay increases have contributed to salary and benefit cost increases from 139 million in 2021 to 202 million in the current budget year. That's shown in red on the graph to the right. Similarly, total expenditures and transfers have increased during this time frame from 179 million to 247 million and that's shown in yellow. Um to help keep pace with these significantly increased costs, the district has made a concerted effort to improve reserve levels from 14% to 22% of expenses in the same time period shown in blue. Um it's a little hard to see the trend lines that are on this graph, but the trend lines are steeper still for the salary and benefits and total expenses than for the re growth in reserves. These reserve

036gains were made by leveraging one-time esser grant dollars that did not limit the general fund dollars available. Reserves play a critical role in ensuring fiscal health stability and to weather unexpected challenges. When we talk about reserves, it's important to realize where we've come from. Um the graph here shows our p reserve percentages compared to those of our peer districts. In fiscal year 2020, our reserves were less than half that in percentage to our next lowest peer district. Simply put, nobody was doing what we were doing. By 2023, we were able to improve these levels again without sacrificing general fund dollars, but still ranked second from the lowest among our peer districts. In times of declining enrollment, we have been relatively proactive compared to many districts across the state and country who are just now contemplating

037the realities we have been dealing with. We would be in a much worse position had these recent cost-saving measures not already been taken. 1.6 million was saved from the closure of East Middle School, 2.1 million in savings from Fruda 89. 2.4 million now from with the elementary school closures and 1.4 million now in central office reductions. These savings, though painful, now total over $7.5 million in avoided costs. savings that have been reallocated over the years to provide pay increases and help cover other increased costs such as the health insurance and transportation transportation cost pressures we faced this year. We remain committed to continuing to identify areas for budget savings. While we have long reviewed non school-based administrator vacancies, an additional measure we'll be taking going forward is to review all non-school-based position vacancies before we

038hire as well. We still believe that the implementation of the new finance formula will improve funding levels in D51, but it will be over time. In the short term, the reductions to student count averaging will likely outpace any gains provided in the new finance formula uh during the long phased implementation. We have to consider the long term as 2627 will almost certainly be a tough year as well. With the reduction to just three years of student count averaging, the only hold harmless provision currently being proposed would revert funding levels back to 2425, our current budget, meaning the $1 million gained for next year could very well be taken back in the following year. All while continuing to manage ongoing projected declines to enrollment. Outside of the general fund, there are several significant pressures and other

039funding sources as well. We believe that title one allocations will be left intact for next year and those allocations are expected soon. Other federal funds such as title two and title three are less certain and allocations aren't expected for those funds until mid June. Uh recent federal budget proposals have also signaled that funding for other programs may be reduced or eliminated going forward. The state's healthy school meals for all program is currently only funded um through midyear uh pending approval by voters in November to increase taxes. The universal preschool program remains an underfunded program as well. It's important to know that the district currently supports nearly $33 million in salary and benefit costs from funding sources other than fund 10. Reductions to any of these funding sources could impact fund 10. With ESSER funding ended,

040fund 10 is once again the district's only backs stop to cover shortages and other funding sources. These are uncertain funding times for sure in a lot of areas and we have been and will continue to do our best to manage the needs of and responsibilities to students, staff and the community in ways that are sustainable for the long term. Um I'll close as I began with some reminders in regards to upcoming timelines. With negotiations with MVA ongoing, we have delayed the formal presentation of the budget to May 27th to allow for the most complete budget possible to be presented. We are required by state statute to present a budget by May 31st. Um that presentation is followed by those two budget hearings held in June and a formal budget adoption taking place by June 30th.

041Do you all have any questions? Mel, back to the um federal grants. Do you have any um expectation on what what might happen there? Are you hearing anything that would be um I mean obviously what we're most afraid of is further shortfalls. Um, yeah. So, I think title federal dollars isn't it's not a huge percentage of our budget, but when when we're at this point in time with budgets, um, could be devastating, right? Like many of our budgets, our grant budgets with the recent increases in salary and benefits are tighter than they usually are as well. And so any reduction, especially in grants that have a lot of staff positions, um we would have to make some decisions on whether to continue those from other funding sources like the general fund. Okay. Any I mean

042are there any rumors any anything to kind of that kind of from or I think title just waiting waiting title two and three are the ones that we've heard are the most at risk um for funding. those have a number of staff positions in them. Um, our 6B allocation is also one that we're watching closely just with student declines. Even if the rate were to be pretty stable, we might still re be realizing reduced funding um, in that area. And that one again is very staffheavy. Um, and then the skinny budget that was proposed, it's kind of like the governor's proposal that it's not really what the budget is ultimately built off of, but it's definitely a starting point of priorities. Um there were reductions proposed to um several other school type federal grants um

043like migrant education um to name one that I recall off the top looking at title monies they're only funded by the feds by the by the federal government right so no money's coming for state or within our budget so if we lose the federal monies then our title programs are gone. Yep. Yeah. And again, we feel pretty confident that title one, that's the one that our schools benefit from, um will be okay for next year, um the schools have been building their budget in uh based on I think it's a 10% decrease, a slight decrease that they were expecting. And so they've been making plans for that. And so as long as allocations come in relatively close to that, um there shouldn't be an impact to our schools next year in their title one budgets

044at least. So, Mel, going back to um insurance and um the amount the dis do you have kind of a total of what um I think it was slide 11, you know, the district's taking on a portion of that share so we don't have to pass that that whole share on to um you know, our our staff. what what's kind of that total that that the district's going to carry for that increase of insurance? Yeah. So, that's the 2.8 million um for next year. And next year, again, our fiscal year is different than our plan year. So, it's a partial year increase. So, it'll be 2.8 for the second half of 2526, but then that following year, we'll need to be mindful to include additional 1.4 million. So, in total, it's $4.2 2 million increase

045between those two pieces. Um what we've learned from the past, right, is that every year we need to be increasing our premiums and district share of health insurance in order to keep up with cost. This year just happened to be a larger increase um than we've been able to or than we've needed in recent years. Well, I know mine went up 30% like 39%. Yeah. my my own glad not to be there. Um yeah, 17.8 we realize is a steep increase. Um I think that one of the um priorities of the district is always to maintain employee only coverage paid at 100%. We know that's invaluable when it comes to recruiting and retention of all positions across our district. And then um the family tier also just being really mindful of that total cost and

046trying to keep that down as much as possible for families. Yeah, that um that employee plus family the district share is rather robust what the district covers which is nice for um the employee plus plus the family. So um okay so 4.2 total. Okay. So with us getting 10 million in new funds last year and us just getting what a million 84,000 this year um in new funds and next year not being terribly optimistic that we'll even get a million um what projections I mean you've been in the district a long time obviously seeing a lot of different fluctuations um and anticipating that we might go to three-year funding average. Um how have you seen this squared up before? Um obviously um the the reserves help us with a softer landing in the event the

047state pulls some I mean if if if next year's a harder spot than we're in. So, right, I guess for us, you know, for the board and the community to kind of understand again, we don't know what next year will bring, but just to try to anticipate, you know, what the state is doing because the majority of our dollars come from the state and so that is how we're funded. I mean, unlike the county and the city, we don't get sales tax, we don't get other sources of revenue. So, we we rely heavily on the state. I think if I'm thinking back to the way back, right, um this one feels a little bit different just because we're not in the midst of a recession like we were in 2008, 2010. Like those were really

048hard years and that's when that budget stabilization graph, all those reductions began because of state shortfalls. Um I think back to that time um being in a different role. I was in payroll at the time and so certainly people's pay was impacted and that was really hard. Um we rift positions during that time. We had up to five furlow days during that time. Um I I mean that was very difficult time and the way that we finally got all of those furlow days back was by passing a mill levy override in 2017. It was literally that many years um that pay was impacted because of the recession. I don't think this one is long duration like that. I think that this coming year and the year after will probably be pretty tough with limited amounts

049of new funding or at least we know the floor is that our hold harmless would be moving back a million dollars. um we don't have anything to suggest large budget reductions, just a severe limitation of new money. And so I think that's an important difference to realize. Um but unfortunately, anytime the state is changing those student count averaging because of the rate of our declines of student enrollment, that's going to be really impactful and offset any of the gains that we're gaining from the new finance formula. And so once that bottoms out, if we get to three years of averaging and it sticks there or if we go down to two years averaging or the smoothing factor and some of all of those pieces get worked out, once we have that new normal, um then

050we should start seeing some of the gains from the implementation of the new finance formula. And again, that's of course as long as the state is able to continue that. We're always at their mercy where such a large portion of our funding does come from them. But I would expect that 25 26 and 26 27 to be kind of the worst of it barring anything else crazy happening. Do you think that with continued inflation though um because like you said our busing contract is increasing, food costs are increasing, like we're still seeing the increase just like you know all of us with our home budgets were seeing increase you know the district's seeing increase. Do you think we're gonna see, you know, some of that kind of, you know, I guess come back at us

051as well, you know, as far as a challenge is, you know, I I really think health insurance and transportation increases this year were kind of a one-two punch that those were both really large increases. And it's not to say that there won't be increases in future years um because we know we're already the 1.4 million for the following year in health insurance. Um, our parah contribution rate also hasn't increased in several years and so I might imagine an increase in 2627 as well because that's closely tied to um, PAR's unfunded liability, their proportion of the plan that's funded. And so when their investments in stocks and that sort of things are underperforming, that's typically when we see rate increases kick in as well. So I might anticipate that. So, I definitely think there's some things

052on the horizon that we need to be mindful of and plan for. Um, but hopefully they aren't to the large dollar amount that they are in this year board. Any other questions for Melanie on the budget? Okay. And I just want to thank you guys. I know this is um not good news, but it's not new news either. It's something that you guys have been working very closely with us and understanding and interpreting and uh and planning for and so I thank you for that as well. Thanks Mel for explaining the budget. Appreciate your time on it. So okay. Yes. Thank you. It takes her a lot of time to put that together. So um All right. So next up we have audience comments. Um, so I, uh, how many do we have? 40. 40ome.

05340. Okay. So, um, we will, uh, so, Director Jones, um, will call the first person and then, uh, the person on deck just so that we're ready and we try to make, um, um, this as expeditious as possible. Um, you have three minutes to speak. Um, there's a light here to my left. So, that'll go red, um, yellow, green, or excuse me, green, yellow, red. Um, and there's also a tone. Yep, there we go. So, when you have 30, when you have 30 seconds left, um, you'll hear the tone and that's just telling you that you have 30 seconds left to wrap up. Um, and then when your time is up, um, we will have to cut you off just so that we can, um, get through all of the public speakers this evening. Um

054we do ask that everybody is um just mindful of um just the words that we use tonight. We know that there's frustration um and just uh just just be you know obviously express what you want to express. Um also if it's duplicative um we're just trying to obviously get through everybody this evening. So if somebody comes up and you agree with what they have to say um you can say that you agree with what they have to say and then add um your unique comments to that. Um, also be mindful of conversations in the audience because your neighbors might be wanting to hear what um the public is wanting to say and um then we'll go from there. So, okay. Yes. And um so what we'll do is we'll we might have to obviously announce

055for some people outside that we'll have to come in and give comment. So, all righty. Uh, so first up we have Miss Carrie Hicks and on deck Heather Nicholson and then Heather Nicholson. I see you on here twice. I got you. All right. Thank you. I guess if you know um if you know of a person that's maybe outside if you could help us maybe Oh, okay. Oh, thanks. Okay, never mind. Andy's got it. I'll go right out, too. I got right here. I got a whole bunch right here. I got I got I got names here and I got names here. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Ready? Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Uh my name is Carrie Hicks. I'm a second grade teacher for the district. I'm here to ask you to support teachers and students

056with right-sized classes, address student and staff safety, and continue down the path towards living wages in District 51. First, I support the language the district and MVA negotiated for student and staff safety. It was a difficult dialogue, but I felt that the compromised reach would put us on a path towards a solution, although more work is still needed. Next, I'm asking that you honor covered employee steps this year. This is far from the most impacted budget we've ever faced. The money is there. In fact, this agreement does not cost the district more. It simply makes sure that teacher salaries do not go down next year, which is what will happen if the proposed one-time payment that is being proposed by the district district is pushed through. This is a step backward for teachers and it

057has long reaching implications toward undoing the gains we have made in the past few years to get wages that are comparable to other districts of our kind. We need a living wage. Costs in our area are rising. We not we need to be able to afford basics such as housing. Please do not undo the hard-fought gains of the past years when it is not necessary to do so. MVA has stated that if hard decisions need to be made next year, we will make them. The reason given by the district for not honoring our contracted steps was because of uncertainties about next year's budget. Please let the process work next year. Don't make decisions based on things that we cannot possibly know at this time. Finally, we need a process to find a solution to class

058sizes that are too large. I understand that a cap with a demand for immediate action is not the solution. This is not the solution we are asking for. Several ideas were presented, but the negotiations process stopped. Class size affects kids too much for these ideas to be pushed down the road. I have experience with a current system for addressing class sizes. Three years ago, every first grade in my school had 28 first graders. I had 29. When I saw my class list, I immediately went to my principal to find a solution. This is the process that is currently in place. From there, we were told to wait until school started to see who actually showed up. They all showed up. I went to my principal. I was told that we had to wait until that

059my the October count. I waited until the October count. I went to my principal again. I went to my area director. I went to the superintendent. And finally, I spoke at a board meeting. The frustrating thing is there were other primary classrooms in the district with less than 16. In fact, the smallest class in the district for primary grades that year was 12. The inequity of this cannot be understated, particularly when looking at the high number of IEPs, read plans, and social emotional needs in my classroom. We added a new teacher that has three and a half months of students with high needs not getting the individual attention they need over 38% of their school year. It's simply unacceptable and the consequences for those students last for their entire life. Please support a procedure to

060help students and staff impacted by inequitable class sizes. It is central to the mission of our district of safe and supported students, staff, and families. Thank you. Up next, we have Heather Nicholson and on deck Sabrina Jackman. This is one two three and that's 41 42 43 44. So she's on the other page. I'm sorry. Go ahead. Ready. Members of the board, I have some questions for you. Why are you not doing your job? You were elected to these positions in order to support students and educators in Mesa County, but that is not what you have been doing. For the second year in a row, you won't even talk to us at negotiations. You have sent a lawyer. Why? What are you afraid of? Another question. Why are you lying to teachers and community members?

061For instance, the contract language proposed about student behavior does not violate federal law or board policy. It is based on language from similar districts in the state. And anyway, our contract would supersede board policy if you would listen to us. MVA has to waste time. They could be working with teachers to refute the lies you keep spouting to justify your bad behavior. A third question, why are you not listening to us? I have taught English in this district for 15 years at both the middle and high school levels. I received an insulting, condescending email sent to scold teachers last Friday about quote a concerning rise in misinformation circulating on social media platforms. some of which has been used to cast the district in a negative light. End quote. If you don't want to be cast

062in a negative light, stop doing things that are and will continue to negatively affect D51 students and educators. Among many other interesting pieces of information, this email claimed that quote, "A larger class made up of engaged and focused students can often thrive and show academic growth." End quote. As an English teacher, I would like you to site a reputable source for that claim, something I ask of all my students frequently. Please use MLA format. I never once heard that larger class sizes are better in all of the very important district PD I attend four times a year, nor in any of my education classes for either my bachelor's or master's degrees. I think I know the answer to all of these questions, though. It's because you don't care. You have shown over and over again

063that you don't care how many hours a week we spend teaching, grading, planning, and emailing on our salaried paycheck. You don't care how many times I sit at my desk and cry over a student. Whether that's because one kid has been allowed to disrupt the learning of everyone else in my classroom for months on end with no consequences or support from the office or their home, or because I learned something so heart-wrenchingly tragic about a student's life experience that it is too much for me to bear. You don't care how much of my own money I spend on classroom supplies or how well aligned the rubrics I write are. But just know that when your terms on this board are up, hopefully soon, we teachers will still be in our classrooms doing what's best for

064students. That's more than I can say for any of [Applause] you. Next up, we have Sabrina Jackman and on deck, Kim Leonard. I'm here tonight to express my concerns regarding the board's impass and negotiations with MVA. It appears that the board of education has in many respects failed to genuinely listen to the educators in this district. We are professionals in the classroom each day and our voices deserve to be heard, respected and considered in the decisions that directly affect our students and our work. Student and staff staff safety must be a high priority. Nothing else in the classroom can function without it. In my decade of experience, I have never witnessed the severity of behavioral issues and safety concerns that I have this year. MVA has communicated this concern clearly and consistently. Yet, the board

065proposed a solution, a committee to work on the issue is inadequate. We don't need long-term planning. We need immediate action. Class size is another critical issue. Many of the board's recent statements show a lack of connection to what happens in our classrooms. I've taught in rooms with as few as five students and as many as nearly 40. Smaller class sizes are not a luxury. They're a necessity for meaningful student teacher relationships. Peer support, closing academic gaps, and minimizing behavioral disruptions. The board's claim that enrollment slightly exceeding the cap would trigger hiring or expansion is inconsistent with previous actions. In the past two years, the district has spent significant resources analyzing declining enrollment and use that data to justify closing numerous schools. If the district can make those largecale decisions, then it should also be able

066to manage classroom sizes more effectively with the same data. Now, let's talk about compensation. With 10 years of experience, a master's degree, additional qualifications, I should not be struggling to make ends meet for my family. According to a recent NEA study, Colorado ranks 20th in teacher pay with the average salary around 68,000, less than what's needed to sustain a family of four in a state that ranks as the 13th most expensive to live in. On average, educators make 36% less than professionals with similar education levels. The board says it must balance what is desirable versus what is affordable and sustainable. But what is desirable for the district is not sustainable for your teachers. We're being asked to survive on stagnant wages and a one-time appeasement payment while costs continue to rise. Educators like myself show

067up every single day and do our absolute best for kids. But we should not be expected to shoulder the financial burdens of the district or the state. We are not volunteers. We are skilled professionals. It's time to stop asking teachers to sacrifice more for the kids while failing to support us in return. Finally, while I'm here tonight, I want to remind the board of one thing. Your educators show up. We show up tired, sick, grieving, physical pain. We show up after being verbally and physically attacked. The very least this board can do is to do the same during negotiations. It's time for you to teach her up and show up. Up next is Kim Leonard and on deck Christy Anderson. All right, guys. If we could be respectful to one another, that's the whole point

068here. So, if we just could we just chill out. When you have your opportunity to speak, you'll have your opportunity to speak. Please stop. Thank you. Hello, I am Kim Leonard, a District 51 school psychologist preparing to retire in 11 days. Um, I want to speak with you about the request by MBEA for a stipen for in-person district employed psychologist. This issue will be part of the mediation process. School psychologists are highly educated and trained as are other district 51 special service providers such as speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. The role of the school psychologist is very diverse and ranges from conducting educational assessments for special education eligibility to providing crisis intervention and direct mental health services to acting as the special education design in the buildings. The school psychologist is

069often addressing legal and ethical issues as well as responding to inquiries and grievances from parents. We often stop many issues that never reach the coordinator or the director's desk. The school psychologists have always been on a separate pay scale even when joining MBEA. When the district moved to steps and lanes, the psychologists were also placed on the same steps and lanes platform. This has suppressed the school psychologist salaries as compared to other SSPs. The difference in the daily rate between Sykes and the other SSPs ranges from $17 a day to $25 a day. This amounts to thousands of dollars over the course of a school year. Add also that the school psychologists work an additional nine days and still make less money. It is difficult to imagine that the district was not aware that psychologists

070would be disproportionately and negatively impacted when moving them on to the steps and lanes platform. MBEA is requesting that the school psychologist be put on a separate salary schedule with salaries on par with the speech and language pathologists. This would reflect similar compensation for education and lure requirements as well as offer competitive pay to attract and retrain retain professionals. The stipen is to support the in-person district hired school psychologists for the 2526 school year. I also want to take time to point out that recently a school district publication said in part, "It is essential to reject any narrative that pits one group of staff against another. This is a blatant lie." For example, one of the first proposals made by HR included a 1% raise across the board for all employees. However, in order to

071raise the psych salaries commensurate with other SSPs, teachers would only receive a 888% raise. This was a direct attempt by the school district to pit school psychologists against the teachers. MBEA responded with a no thank you as the intent is not to create division amongst the employees of district 51 but to ensure fair and equitable practices are employed. Thank you for your time serving our community and attending to this matter. Please feel free to reach out to me if I can provide any additional information. Thank you. Up next we have Miss Chrissy Anderson and on deck Amber Shannon. Teachers recognize and appreciate the thoughtful and courageous leadership this board has demonstrated. Authentic leadership means doing the hard work even when it's uncomfortable. Just because something has always been done this way doesn't make it right

072or exempt from questioning. In fact, good governance requires fresh perspectives, accountability, and transparency. Asking questions and seeking clarity is not divisive. It's a core responsibility of any board. Historically, when MVEA NEA endorsed candidates who have received compensation since 1960 were elected to the board of education, there was little push back from the bargaining team. Boards in the past compensated by MVEA cut reading aids, changed a whole system of salaries, took chances on a new PBL learning system, spending thousands for training. Not one PEP. Hm. Yet now with an uncompensated board that is simply asking important and appropriate questions such as whether employees should be involved in negotiating their own contracts, the tone has noticeably shifted. This board has supported teachers. In the last three years, my salary has gone up 30% which is actually more.

073Um, after that they've worked tirelessly to ensure curriculum is fact-based and free from political or ideological bias, a far cry from the college units of study that were adopted with very little public scrutiny. um they've shown up at meetings, sat on countless committees, celebrated graduations, observed classrooms, and make themselves available to the community. Is it it is interesting to note that AIM2 in the strategic plan is about belonging and yet some adults are wanting us versus them. Can we also agree and come to the reality that this year's education funding is horrible? Wait, public education has never been funded in Colorado properly. It's always the same story. And yet, education is a disaster for many reasons. There are many factors that cause this. And to put the responsibility on one entity and demonize them is

074wrong. Just because you don't get your way, the story becomes they do not care for students or safety. Sit down, attend meetings that you have been invited to in a system that you created and have real tough critical discussions towards solutions and problem solving. NEA brings in $380 million a year. And in fact, in 2022 and 2023, it was 529 million.5. I would think that these people behind me could get some of that money for attendance issues, behavior issues, where's that money going? Have you ever asked where your dues are going? Do you know what you pay for? Do you know that $11 stays local here? Ask some questions. I choose to pay $20 a month to an organization that offers robust protection resources at every level, local, state, national, and most importantly, it aligns

075with my values. My dues don't go toward political causes and wearing a red shirt. Thank you. [Applause] All righty. Up next, we have Amber Shannon and on deck, Casey Cole. Um, I'm here tonight. Can you hear me? Okay. Yes, ma'am. I'm here tonight to share my concerns directly with you. concerns that I believe deserve your full attention, not just in passing, but through real engagement and action. I am here to express my deep concern regarding our ongoing issues related to teacher compensation, class sizes, and school safety. As a dedicated educator in our district with eight years of teaching experience, I believe these matters deserve your urgent attention, not just in passing, but with consistent, informed involvement. First and foremost, the current structure of our pay scale should not be subjected to annual negotiations. Teachers deserve

076the ability to build long-term financial stability and set personal budgets with the expectations that their salaries follow a consistent and predictable path barring any major financial crisis or clearly communicated and justified ex exceptions. To date, there have been no sufficient discussions or transparency around budgetary constraints to justify withholding our step. Uh reopening this discussion each year undermines the professionalism of our career and creates unnecessary stress and instability for educators and their families. Uh secondly, since you close schools creating overcrowding classrooms and increased risk this imposes to both students and staff, you need to support us. Um the like when uh sorry there are when there are fewer adults supervising larger groups of students the likelihood of dangerous or chaotic situations increases significantly. This isn't hypothetical. It's already happening. I currently have two classes with 35

077students. This leaves about 45 seconds per student after my five minute warm-up, 10-minute lesson, five minute wrap-up. It's simply not enough time to provide meaningful and and individual support, address behavioral needs, and ensure safe and productive learning environment. As elected officials representing our district, it is your duty to be present at negotiations that affect the lives of teachers, students, and families. Your absence from these critical conversations sends the message that we simply are not important to you. Would you accept somebody coming to govern how you do your job without necessary background or experience? I've bought and sold multiple homes in my life, but that doesn't make me a qualified realtor. I may understand the process, but I'm not an expert in the field. In the same way, those with firsthand experience in public education should

078not be determining the direction of our schools without input of those who live it every single day. Some people sitting here in front of us have been very vocal supporters of chart charter schools. But it's important to recognize that charter schools under operate under very different set of rules than public schools. Unlike public schools, charter schools can limit enrollment and turn students away when they reach capacity. Their teachers are not always required to hold state lure and they have significantly more discretion in removing violent and disruptive students free from the bureaucratic hurdles public schools must navigate. What's more concerning? Thank you, Miss Shannon. [Applause] Now, we have Miss Casey Cole and on deck, uh, Sean Henry. Ready? All right. Good evening and thank you all for being here today. I come here today as a

079community member voicing her perspective on the events that have unfolded recently. I have a unique filter to process the past few weeks since I'm both a former teacher and I have attended and worked on numerous negotiations in the past. In general, I am someone who tries to unite others and focus on solutions. I work hard to see both points of view. I ask questions. I seek information from all parties and I watch events in person to form my own opinions based on what I've seen and what I've heard, not what others tell me. After all my asking, listening, and watching, it's clear that the district and board were expecting to follow a long-standing tradition to form committees, and teachers on the MVA bargaining team clearly wanted it all in public for everyone to see. We

080can all agree that in the past, forming committees has been the most collaborative process. The question, though, is why the educators felt like they couldn't or didn't want to form committees. When I read the letters put out by the board and from what I heard at negotiations, the board and the district seemed not to know why. And if that's the question of the hour, did any of you genuinely ask? And if you asked, did you listen? And to be fair, Dr. Hill, you did ask those questions at the table. And I appreciate you asking those questions. You did not get an answer. And you reached out to other teachers, but I feel like it was a little too late. I also would argue that this isn't really a new thing, bucking tradition. It's been happening

081a lot recently. things like the long-standing tradition of board members attending negotiations, paying half the presidential salary, trusting our expert educations, educators, and proven processes to select the best resources for our students. And even in the last year, the district bringing language to negotiations table without bringing it to committees first. So the answer to the question of the hour is there's no trust in the people or the processes. I'm not here to say that either group should do something just because the other person started it. We're all adults here. We don't need to fall into kindergarten playground splats. However, this current impass, the first one in 40 years, is the result of actions over the most recent years that have undermined educators and stoke the narrative that MVA is a machine we should rage against.

082The truth is MVA's membership is 100% D51 educators. Treating MVA as the machine in which to rage against is synonymous with raging against your very own employees. This is not simply my experience or my own individual opinion either. Numerous community members who have watched negotiations and recent board meetings have noticed these same actions to and echo my sentiment. Listen, we can't go back and you know you're right. We should have a lot of these topics should have been discussed in ongoing committees over the past few years. We can't change that now. All we can do is look back and see where we went wrong to make changes. So perhaps we can move forward remembering that educators are experts in their field field and the members of MVA are your educators, your employees and the people

083who greet and care for our children each and every day. We can remember and treat every single person at the negotiations table as a colleague and most importantly a person deserving of basic respect and All righty. We have now we have Sean Henry and on deck we have Ira. Is it Creaseman? Hello, my name is Sean and I'm a teacher in D51. I am upset and concerned with the state of negotiations and the board's lack of participation in that event. Um there is an imbalance with problem solving from the board to the teachers. The master agreement is the foundation of our working relationship between the school board and the teachers of this community. What I saw at negotiations this year was a group of teachers trying to problem solve and the district representatives largely just

084saying no. Not problemolving, not suggesting a compromise, just saying no. That's an embarrassment to us as a community, teachers, and you. This situation was made worse because you weren't there. It sends a clear message that says you don't care or want to communicate or work with the teachers of the Grand Valley, but rather tell us how we're going to be treated, the conditions that we're going to work under in a unilateral decision. And that feels awful. I don't always agree with the representatives um the academic officer the head of HR always with MVA representative even the superintendent but at the very least they were there and that makes a difference any group of kids in school would earn a failing grade if their work was as one-sided as this negotiation was. There have been and

085remain opportunities for compromise from schoolboard representatives regarding negotiations and they should make greater effort to find middle ground. The community and I believe what we see. What we see are options being proposed by teachers and schoolboard representatives largely saying no without proposing a compromise. What we see is schoolboard representatives not working with teachers at negotiations and schoolboard members unwilling to work together at all because they're not there. I can't think of any situation professionally where leadership who needs to be there to make decisions doesn't participate. That's a bad feeling. This community needs leaders who will do better and who will work together, who show up. Please do that. [Applause] All righty. Next up, we have Ira Krieman and on deck, Shelby Frederickson. [Music] All right. Good evening. My name is Ira. I am an NVA

086uh member and this is my 15th year working with School District 51. Over the past several weeks, the D51 Board of Education has se shared several lengthy communications regarding this year's negotiations. These letters have been sent after 5:00 PM on Friday evenings, a time unlikely to support productive conversations. Mesa Valley Education Association believes it is the responsibility of all organizations that employ or represent large groups of employees, especially during negotiations, not to escalate tensions through reactive public messaging. That said, we would like to provide some factual context and corrections. Mesa Valley Education Association is not a faceless organization, nor something that exists separate from the educators who make up its membership. It is instead, or it is rather disingenuous, to abstract the organization from it, from what it truly is. Hundreds of educators, teachers, counselors,

087and psychologists who constitute the majority of licensed staff in the district. MVA is your child's fifth grade teacher, their middle school band director, their high school math interventionist, their trusted and respected adult. The collective mission of these over 800 educators is to advocate for better working and learning conditions for the students and staff of district 51. And we take that responsibility very seriously. For 40 years, the educators of MVA have bargained on behalf of all covered employees currently over 1,300 individuals in relative equilibrium with decades worth of school board members. This is something we pride ourselves on. Core to our belief is that educators deserve a seat at the table when decisions are being made about our livelihoods and our students. This year's impass, which is the first since the 80s, is distressing and disheartening.

088Problems of this nature did not arise with our previous board of education, nor the one before that, nor the one before that. Mesa Valley Education Association and the members that make up the organization have not substantively changed in that time. But this board of education has this year's impass, the first in decades, reflects a dramatic change not in us but in how this board has chosen to operate. Thank you for your time. [Applause] All righty. Up next we have Shelby Frederickson and on deck Tracy Serach. To continue from that, the starkkest change to this process has been the withdrawal of members of the board of education from the negotiations table. Current board of education members have not appeared at the table in negotiation committees, in caucus, or in active, direct, or sustained dialogue with members

089of the Mesa Valley Education Association negotiations team since 2021. This has led to a breakdown of collaboration, miscommunications, and mishandling of issues that are deeply important to our educators, our students, and our community. Communication from the current board of education regarding this year's negotiations appears to speak with authority from firsthand knowledge of events. This is far from the truth. When you remove yourself from the process, it's hard to speak with authority about a process you haven't participated in. Much of the board of education's justification for being absent from the table centers on leaving negotiations to the negotiations experts. Members in the Mesa Valley Education Association are not full-time career negotiators. There are educators in your students classrooms who have given up hundreds of hours of their personal time to interview hundreds of colleagues and to

090analyze hundreds of contracts, state statutes, and academic studies. They have crafted language that is rooted in lived experience and the expressed needs of those who serve the district most directly. There are many late nights, early mornings, and weekends away from spouses, childrens, and loved ones involved in this process. In return, the board of education has refused to even be in the room to witness the proceedings themselves, have honest dialogue with the team, and understand alternative perspectives. The board of education and district staff have not worked in good faith this past year to resolve issues at the lowest level and honor the voice and expertise of educators. Grievance timelines have been ignored. Employees have been placed on leave without their contractual right to have the association notified and request their representation at the meeting. Displaced teachers

091have been denied their right to priority hiring. The recommendations of curriculum committees have been rejected. None of these issues should be about union versus non-union. These issues are about educator voice. what's best for employees and students and what's been agreed upon in a legally binding agreement that the board of education entered into. Thank you. Okay, up now we have Tracy Serach and on deck we have looks like Lori Nielson. Good evening. Thank you for hearing us. Um, so impass this year was initiated by the district as evidenced in the videotapes. After days of negotiating with little movement, the MVA negotiations team agreed that it did not seem like there was a path forward without mediation. When one side comes to negotiations with substantive proposals and the other side refuses to engage with the substance of

092said proposals, that leaves only one choice. We would have been happy to stay at the table or reschedule more dates. The district team expressed no interest in either. The Mesa Valley Education Association compromised in good faith with the district team to tenatively agree on student and staff safety language. All the language that was brought to the table by the MVA team was squarely rejected. The district simultaneously claimed to not have enough time to fully review it over the period of a couple weeks and that it contained a series of violations of state statute. This is contrary to legal advice from multiple Colorado Education Association lawyers and is difficult difficult to reconcile with the fact that much of the language came from current union contracts around the state and even existing D-51 board policy. The D-51

093attorney specifically singled out section 4 of our student and staff safety language that was proposed as containing legal violations. Um the language is as such. The principal or their design shall provide subject to availability and legal privilege information concerning any student whose history includes the commission of violent, dangerous, harassing or intimidating acts to covered employees who have direct contact with and/or supervisory responsibilities for such students. The sharing of information shall be for the purpose of providing a safe environment for staff and students. Information provided shall be treated confidentially by all those receiving such information in accordance with furpa. So there was an intentional language um in this section so to include like state and federal statutes. Thank you. [Applause] All right, up now we have Lori Nielsen and on deck, Kelly McKay. After the D-51

094attorney threatened to call an impass on the first night of negotiations in a sidebar, the district cancelled the full day negotiation session planned for the next day, April 26th, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Members of the MVA negotiations team offered to still hold the session, allow the district to work through the language, and be available to answer questions. This offer was turned down. The district then requested a 4 and a half hour closed dooror meeting with select members of the MD MVA negotiations team on Friday, May 2nd during regularly scheduled teaching hours. When MVA MVA informed the district that it would make itself available to answer questions, but wanted the whole team present and would not be passing proposals back and forth, the district cancelled. This prompts concern about why the district would decline

095opportunities for transparent public collaboration. On May 5th, there was a meeting held between the association president, the hired facilitator, and members of the district team to discuss the procedure moving forward. This meeting also took place during working hours. The only other invited attendee from MBA was the central west central Colorado uniserve director who could not attend due to a last minute conflict servicing another member of the association. This meeting still took place lasting approximately 30 minutes and the agenda items were discussed. Claims that the meeting was cancelled are inaccurate. [Applause] Up now we have Kelly McKay and on deck Mo McDougall. Hi, thanks for listening. Um, it has been my honor to be a teacher in the district for 27 years. Um, I speak on behalf of my students, our students in the whole district,

096my colleagues, and the profession. The educators of Mesa Valley Education Association are acutely aware of financial difficulties presented by inadequate funding for public schools in Colorado. We live it every day in our classrooms. In fact, we are so acutely aware of that that our educators together with 40,000 other educators across the state who are members of the Colorado Education Association fought a multi-year battle with the Colorado State Legislature to end the budget stabilization factor last year, returning 141.2 million to public education last year alone. Advocates on the local and state level for Mesa Valley Education Association were directly responsible for the increase of funding to our schools. Do you think that ed thousands of educators across the state, including educators from Mesa Valley Education Association, took to the capital again on March 20th of this

097year to fight against a budget proposal that would have slashed up to $9.3 million from the state funding allocated allotted to D51 for the 2526 school year. This resulted in a reversal of course at the legislature and go govern governor's office directly resulting in the roughly $2 million increase in state funding to D51 we will see for the next school year to suggest that educators are unconcerned with fiscal responsibility overlooks our sustained advocacy. Our financial proposal, which included steps and lanes to all eligible educa educators in the district and a 2.3% stipen to those educators who were not eligible for a step due to years of service, costs roughly the same as the district's current proposal. The difference is that the steps contribute to parah and they are promised to educators in exchange for the

098years of service that will affect their end of the year. The steps will never be regained once it's gone. Last year's steps were frozen back in 2008 financial crisis. There was a promise to restore all missteps as soon as fiscally financially feasible. This promise was never followed through and on hold. We hope to avoid repeating past mistakes that eroded that trust. Steps and lanes are a large factor in retaining and recruiting educators in our valley and our profession. In times of continued critical educator shortage across our nation, we seek to provide our educators and students with stability and continuity in the classroom by providing the working conditions necessary to support retention and well-being. Thanks. Thank you. Right up now, we have Mo McDougall and on deck Amy Sue Jaick. Hi, my name's Mo McDougall and

099I've been a teacher in D51 for 20 years. Um, and I'm going to continue on what everyone else has been saying. Um, our financial proposal concerning critical need stipens to retain and recruit school psychologists we we do have is based in urgent need. Less than half of the school psychologists currently working in district are directly employees. The majority are contracted out a third-party company and many work remotely from across the country. These contracts cost the district more than the average in-person psychologist salary. Not only does this create legit logistical challenges to serving students and staying in compliance with many state and federal laws that school psychologists deal with on a daily basis. It signals a need the district should be eager to fix. Our proposed solution is a stipened to ensure non-contracted student psychologists remain

100competitive with the market and other special service providers in the school district in order to recruit more applicants and retain the in-person psychologists we do have. The cost of our proposal is roughly the equivalent of one FTE or $100,000. Finally, the district has accused us of pitting employee groups against one another by discussing administrative salaries. The reality is the district has created the conditions in which employee groups are pitted against each other by tying the salary adjustment of all employee groups to the bargaining work. Mesa County Valley Education does on behalf of teachers, counselors, and psychologists. Tying all raises to our bargaining process necessitates that discussions be had about what it means to a firstear teacher making $50,000 to get a 5% raise versus what it means to an administrator making 150,000 plus. When the

101district costs out of price, I'm sorry, when the district costs out of the price of a step during negotiations. They price out the total cost for all employees, not just those that are bargaining with. Then they tell us that it's not financially feasible. It was pointed out, it was claimed by an MVA member at negotiations that spending central administration constitutes 43% of the spending. We admit it was inaccurate. According to D-51 budgets audit analysis, spending on administrators not at the school level has risen 29% from 2019 to 2024. At the same time, spending on educators is only risen 19%. [Applause] Up now we have Miss Amy Sue Jabernick and on deck Carrie Immel. [Music] Okay. Thank you ma'am. Uh so after her will be Thomas Archer Eer I apologize. I'm Amy Sue Jaffa. I'm the

102president of Mesa Valley Education Association. Ultimately, all these issues mentioned by the previous seven speakers were meant to be reconciled at the negotiation table. That is what bargaining is for. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Instead of litigating these issues via all staff emails and Facebook posts, we invite the board of education to confront these issues head-on in person with those they were elected to represent, serve, and are required to participate in the bargaining process in good faith at mediation. The educators of Mesa Valley Education Association have no ulterior motives in this process other than to fight for the best possible working and learning conditions for our students and staff. We will continue to do so if need be, but ultimately we would rather work collaboratively with members of the board who share that goal. I

103have a copy uh for each one of you, including you, Dr. Hill, of the petition that we put up. Um, we posted a week ago. When I walked in, there were 2,35 signatures. Over 850 of them were educators or staff who work within the school district. The petition says, "We the teachers, school psychologists, counselors, and community members of Mesa Valley Education School District 51 stand united in support of contract language on student and staff safety, class size, and fair compensation. On May 10th, the school the district 51 board of education chose to initiate impass rather than work toward a compromise on these critical issues. At the heart of this conflict are proposals to ensure safer schools, manageable class sizes, and a fair salary schedule that honors the working experience of educators. The district has refused

104to offer a step increase this year, effectively freezing pay for the vast majority of licensed educators. Step movement is not a bonus. It is the foundational part of our agreed upon salary structure. Freezing steps not only breaks trust, it threatens educator retention and long-term financial stability, including retirement contributions. At the same time, the district has rejected contract language that would establish clear expectations around class sizes and support systems for school safety. These aren't extreme asks. They are common sense solutions grounded in data, research, and experience. We support the following. Stronger enforcement of safety protocols to protect students and staff. Protections for educators who are assaulted, stalked, or harassed at work. Intervention plans for students with habitually disruptive behaviors. Administrative transparency and follow through when addressing safety concerns. Clear enforcable class size limits based on the

105best practices and students needs, remedies, and supports. when the class side limits are exceeded. That's on the salary schedule for the 2025 expecting experience and commitments already [Applause] made. All righty. Up now, Miss Carrie and Thomas, you're on deck. Thank you. I've been following the happenings in the district 51 school board for the last months and I wish to express my concerns. The fact that the school board members who were elected to represent the community choose not to participate directly in the negotiations with MVEA union representatives seems a dereliction of duty. If the union representatives rank and file educators can represent their part of the negotiations, so should the board members. The failure of board members to even attend negotiations sends a a message to educators that they aren't interested in engaging in the educators

106concerns and has a detrimental effect on morale. The contract language that the MVE wants to want once voted on by the board deals with issues related to class size and safety in the classroom. This is something that we as community members want for the well-being of our students. Contract negotiation has not gone to the mediation for decades. This stalemate represents a failure of district 51 to work with educators towards a mutually acceptable solution for problems identified by the education professionals. MVA MVA's goal to ensure a healthy and safe environment. Why has district 51 not been able to work with our educators on pro providing solutions? It has the appearance of a transparent attempt to impede the ability of MVA to create a healthy and safe environment that will ensure that the district 51 and our

107communities students have the professional supported educators like they deserve. Regarding school closures, why is district 51 closing the schools while at the same time opening charter schools? Charter schools siphon off funds from the public schools in the district, thus reducing resources for the public education in our community. Charter schools are not required to have licensed staff. So, how can we be assured that our tax dollars are supporting adequately trained educators? Our community has asked for public schools, not charter schools. The MVA seeks to ensure that educators receive the predictable support from administrators that they have had since the 1970s, which is necessary for them to carry out their duties as educators. I fear that the current board board's leadership based on the district's behavior during these negotiations is not willing or or able to guarantee

108that MVEA and the district's educators are treated fairly and honestly like they deserve. Thank [Applause] you. Now we have Mr. Thomas Aker and on deck she Well, that was Thomas. Shane Burton and on deck Gary Christ. Good evening. Thank you for uh the opportunity to be to Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and address you guys. And I wanted to say thank you for u the Saturday morning coffee. What a great forum to be able to talk through things and convey things without a clock going try to get through some stuff and and I communicated a lot then I am from Gateway School a Gateway School parent and just concerns on uh what's going on out there and trying to move forward. What I'm going to do this evening is hopefully

109lay out some steps forward and uh I'm speaking for myself. I speak for some in the community, some in the community maybe not so much. But this is just one parent with some ideas. Uh sort of a three-step what's, you know, I would like to propose that maybe the gateway area in southwest Mesa County isn't a good fit for district 51. That uh and that leading towards what I had said on Saturday, maybe we can become our own district out there. You know, District 51 is an urban district. We're very rural out there. We have an area that covers roughly the size of Rhode Island that is the the school has drawn from. Not a lot of people out there. And that's part of the problem, you know, with our low numbers out there. But,

110uh, you know, in the facility that we have out there, the district has, uh, district 51 has said that it's going to take about $7.2 2 million to bring it up to district standards, district 51 standards. Being a rural area out there, we can get by with what we have out there. In most cases, we don't need to throw millions of dollars to make it work to teach our our students out there. And u the other end of it is what's we're faced with is busting our students uh a long ways to come into town now or basically online learning. Um, in doing some studies since I last spoke with you, I believe what's being proposed would be the longest bus route, school bus route in the state by almost uh a third more than

111the next one. The next one is up in Clark near Steamboat Springs where they do about a 95 mile round trip where we're more 140 mile round trip. We would like potentially to give a shot at having our school back, having the facility back. Like I had said, a quick claim deed. it was given to district 51. Same thing could happen coming back to us. Our uh and we like we can educate our students uh potentially with that being a rural school district. Um, and I guess we would ask that district 51 and the board of education here would be like a big brother and help us through this process because the state board of of uh education doesn't want little small school districts. But it makes sense in this case and probably a lot

112of other ones that I've talked to. Thank you again. Thank you, Mr. Burton. All right, up now we have Gary. Is it Chris? Yes. And on deck we have Ginger Berry. Thank you, Skilboard. There's quite a bit going on here tonight and I don't want to add to your burden here, but u I think you guys are doing a tough time with the budgets and uh everything like that. question I I have is um uh why is the population Mesa County continued to growing but the school has been declining over the last several years? That's that's a question I might have to have to uh do a core request on that. But uh anyhow, the reason I'm here tonight, uh I have a property located at 5361 and a halfy way in your district. This

113is in the property on the west side of Nestle Avenue or Nesley Elementary. A couple years ago, I complained to Eric Nelson, who was the director of maintenance at that time, about a tree that was still on the east side of the irrigation ditch uh easement that was actually on Disney property property. I looked up the property and it run relying it runs through the middle of the ditch to where it meets the end of the ditch and Texas Avenue. After complaining about the situation and no results for the past two years, I'm now pleading my case with the Mesa County uh school district board. The tree has been getting bigger, has now becoming even more of a problem. And I had to clean up several uh falling branches over over the past several years,

114my yard, and with the high winds. Earlier this spring, one of my other prop places I have, the wind caused a tree to fall into another home in the subdivision. And in my personal place at 613 uh uh Marana Drive, it blew one of the trees into the power line. This is also a utility and irrigation ditch easement just like the one at Nor at Normandy Way. And this at the tree at um uh at Nesley is also getting bigger and it caused flooding on my property and the neighbors. I am afraid that it may fall and plug the irrigation ditch and also by doing that will cause more flooding as well like in the past. Uh since Gran Valley irrigation is not maintained the the irrigation ditch uh call advice statutes uh 7-42-1 through8

115uh requires that the land owners uh have maint maintain the indie ditch for irrigation the purposes and shall maintain the baitments. Uh also noted notice uh when I was doing my research here that uh ma uh Nesley Elementary applied for a new building from from Mesa County just this last month for remodel of the school Nesley. Also notice that they did not apply for a permit for the wood fence that they put up. And to make this point, the school already has a chain link fence near the property line of my property and uh Nley Elementary. Why do they need two tree uh two fences and and double fencing with a 4ft gap there? And because of that, now Mesa County has no has violated Mesa County Land Development Code by putting up a wood

116fence and not getting it permitted. The Mesa County Land Use Development Code section 8.03 fences require any fences or walls that exceed 7 feet in height must shall be considered structure and also requiring planning clearance. All right. Now that Nley has two fences that also violating the the um uh nauseous weeds and uh other weeds in that for section and also that is part of code 804. I'll put the stuff into you guys and I'll be in touch with you. Thank you. All righty. Up now we have Ginger Berry and on deck Laurel. Is it Heimstra? Hi. I'm here tonight not just as a teacher but as a someone deeply invested in the truth in fairness and in the future of our schools. We are at a critical moment, one where trust is breaking down,

117not just because of disagreement, but because of how the disagreement is being handled. Let me be clear, our educators are not refusing to come to the table. We are and have always been ready to negotiate in good faith. What we are facing is not a stalemate caused by unwilling teachers, but by a school board that refuses to engage honestly. Instead of dialogue, we have been met with delay. Instead of cooperation, we have received misleading public messages designed to paint us as the problem. The pressure emails being sent out filled with halftruths and distortions are not just irresponsible. They are a direct attempt to manipulate public opinion by misrepresenting what's really happening. That's not leadership. That's damage control. And to the board member who asked a concerned constituent if they had been living under a rock

118on Facebook, let me be absolutely clear. That kind of language is unacceptable. Our community members are not ignorant. They are not out of touch. They are parents, partners, and taxpayers. People who care deeply about what's happening in our schools. To dismiss them with insults instead of listening to their concerns shows a troubling lack of respect for public input and accountability. If the community is asking questions, maybe it's because they haven't been hiding under a rock. Maybe it's because you haven't been transparent. Maybe it's because the information has been hidden, twisted, or communicated in ways designed to confuse or misrepresent rather than inform. We are not here to be insulted. We are here to be heard. And now, members of the public, our fellow teachers, parents, our neighbors, our supporters are being told that they'll be

119escorted out of meetings for speaking in support of our educators. Community members are showing up with signs of support, are being told that they have to vacate, and people are being denied access into public meetings, which is a violation of state law. Let's be very clear, intimidation is not governance. Silencing voices does not make the issues go away. It just makes worse. We want schools that are well resourced. We want classrooms that are safe. We want manageable class size. And we want fair treatment for our teachers, staff, and who give their hearts and souls to this work every single day. But none of this can happen without honest, respectful negotiations. We will not be silent. We will not be misrepresented represented. And we will not stop fighting for what is right, not for us, but

120not but for the students and the families that we serve. Stop hiding behind your emails and shutting down voices. All righty. Up now we have Laurel Heimstra. And on Good evening. My name is Laurel Heimstra and I am here in several different roles. I have been an educator in D51 for the past seven years. I teach in a middle school where things can be extremely rough. I am also here as the grandmother of four D51 students. While there's been some focus on pay, which I also believe is important, I really want to focus on staff and student safety. of my four grandchildren, two have been pulled out of school this year because of events that happened in their classrooms and in their hallways. Events that put them in danger. Events that had them coming home

121bruised, battered, mentally harmed, emotionally harmed. to be told that nothing could be done because they had not been physically touched on the school grounds. Teachers are experiencing these very same things. Teachers are being bitten, hit, shoved into walls, having things thrown at them, not to mention the names they are called and the threats that are made towards them. And yet when we ask that that be addressed, our board decides that we need to study it for another year with no guarantee of any positive outcomes. I have also had incidents like these. I go back as do most of these teachers. And yet we talk about wanting to retain our teachers. How do we retain teachers in an environment when they are threatened and treated terribly day in and day out with no real consequences to

122the students who do that? While my two grandchildren are at home, one to be homeschooled all of next year, the people who did this to them are still in the classroom. It is not okay. It needs to be addressed. And waiting another year leads only to more people being harmed. Please come to the table. Help us solve this. Make our schools safe. [Applause] All righty. Up now is Joan Axim. Axel. Is Joan here? No, it's Joan. J O N. J O N. Joan Xelm. A X T H E L M. Okay, we'll move on. How about Austin Hadley? Hudley. Is it Hudley, sir? Or Hadley? Thank you. All right. Um, I don't have as well prepared remarks as some of my colleagues. I've been writing them down as I've been sitting here. Um, I would

123echo a lot of what's already been said, but I'm also just going to share a story. I'm a pretty dedicated educator. I care deeply about what I do and the people that I work for who I consider to be my students in the classroom. Uh, my car is one of the last to leave every night. You can ask anybody. That being said, even on a $60,000 a year salary with eight years of experience and a bachelor's degree, uh, plus 30. Last night, I worked five hours doing deliveries and gig work. I needed to make $100. I made 80. Sometimes I do better, but the point is, as a full-time teacher making 60K a year, I still need to do this. Um, my salary looks good on paper, but when it comes down to it, costs

124keep going up. My mortgage is over two grand a month and it's not showing any signs of slowing down. So, while I'm no stranger to living on a tight budget, as costs increase, the budget does get tighter. And of course, that's true of all entities, whether it's personal or it's a school district. um to the school board, I would ask you guys to stop sending a lawyer and come to negotiations face to face in good faith as arbitrators of the public trust. To district admin, I would say that if a step freeze is necessary, I'm okay with that. Like I said, I'm no stranger to working on a tight budget. However, true leadership would be you doing the same that you ask of us. That's all I have. [Applause] All right, next up we have

125Trent Weiss. Is it Weester? And on deck, Katherine Vetling. Good evening. My name is Trent Worster and I'm off in uh in the car in the last car in the parking lot next to Austin out there. Uh, I've taught in this district for 26 years, and for most of this time, contract negotiations have been collaborative. Teachers, district administration, and board members have sat down face to face, working through disagreements and finding solutions that honored the profession and supported our students. But that process has changed. Since 2021, that spirit of collaboration has been eroded. The board no longer attends negotiations. Instead, legal representation is sent, which has led to little constructive dialogue and little effort on the part of the district to compromise. This change isn't just procedural, it's personal. Educators on the negotiations team aren't

126just advocating for union members, but for all educators in the district. Even those who are not members ultimately benefit from what is decided in this process. We're not pushing for anything radical, just common sense priorities like fair workloads, reasonable class sizes, and fair pay. Because ultimately we know staff well-being helps with student success. We have negotiated substantial raises in recent years and a return to steps and lanes and these gains have helped us reach a competitive standing relative to other districts. But the district now tells us there's no money to honor steps this year. Excuse me. The difference is significant and would be a big step backwards. Freezing the pay scale can have a permanent financial impact. Steps are not onetime bonuses. They're part of our promised compensation and long-term and affect long-term earnings and

127retirement benefits. A veteran like me may not feel this loss as much, but newer teachers stand to lose thousands of dollars over the course of their careers. The NVA MVA team came to the table with reasonable, thoughtful proposals and a willingness to compromise. But there was little meaningful dialogue. Misleading emails replace genuine engagement. And this year, for the first time since the 1980s, we have reached an impass. When the board isn't in the room for these discussions, it leads to a lack of credibility when it comes to speaking about the process. It's hard to understand the stakes when you haven't directly listened to the people affected. The educators of Mesa Valley aren't trying to be combative. We're simply asking to be heard, to be at the table, and to be treated as professionals who work

128long hours, including nights and weekends, to support our students. To our community and fellow educators, I urge you to raise your voices, stay engaged, and demand that our board honor its responsibility to represent and serve and to wear those red church. We've seen districts across the state and nation lose educator voice at the table. A shift that almost always leads to lower pay, reduced benefits, and no guarantees for critical professional supports like protected planning time. These are very these are the very conditions that make it harder for educators to do what they do best. Support and inspire students. Thank [Applause] you. Okay. So, just so everyone is aware, we are at our hour, but I'm not going to stop. We have three names left. So, Katherine Bentley, you're up now. And then Deborah Deborah Morland,

129you're on deck. Good evening. I'm here tonight to express my support for the dedicated district 51 board of education, teachers, superintendent, and the hardworking administration. I've been acting actively involved in this district, not only as a parent, but as a volunteer and someone who deeply cares about this community. My spouse worked his entire career teaching here. We are both proud alumni of District 51 ourselves. Many of our friends still work here. This system matters to me. Lately, I've heard criticism directed at the board over this year's negotiations. Criticism I believe is unfair and disconnected from recent history. I would like to remind those who have forgotten or enlighten those who were not aware. Over the past three years, the board has gone above and beyond in negotiations, reinstating steps in lanes, approving consistent raises above

130the requests, providing additional contract days for special education teachers above the request and improving health insurance options while actually saving money to name a few. For that, I want to offer heartfelt thanks to this board and to Brian Hill. In times of declining student numbers and budgets, their leadership has driven meaningful progress. Not just the 30% plus increased teacher compensation, but in broader policies and philosophy. Not all problems can be solved in an instant. Smart solutions require thoughtful process. Actionable decisions and results are what matter. Let's keep that in mind. Now, to be candid, over the years, I've been disappointed with MVEA's support for individual teachers when it's really mattered and MVEA's current negative stance regarding the 2025 negotiations. That said, I do value the union's role in creating a structure for communication between teachers

131and leadership. Not every teacher has the energy or resources to advocate alone, and the union helps provide that collective voice. But when that voice turns towards emotional posturing and scare tactics, it loses impact and only creates chaos. Right now, we have one of the most teacher supports I can remember. This should be a moment for real opportunities, not division. If you're a union member, I urge you to demand better from your leadership. Let's not miss this chance while we have a board that has proven to make courageous changes at District 51. I know this team is well equipped to solve the problems presented with negotiations and my best wishes to all. Thank you. [Applause] Okay, up now we have Deborah Morland and our last one is Miss Carrie Thornton. Hi there. I'm Deborah Morland. I

132live in Fruda and I came tonight for uh to um speak on a several different topics that all tie together for me uh of something I'm really passionate about. And it first of all, I'd like to say that I I totally um am in agreement with Christy Anderson. And I want to start out by saying that I'm I want to recognize courage when it happens. And I it takes a lot to stand up when you're the minority and to be speaking about a new paradigm that isn't accepted and is actually, you know, there's some pretty rough hazing that goes on around it. So, I I I really am in admiration for Christie for speaking up and helping to bring out options that are available to teachers. I have tremendous respect for teachers and I my

133heart goes out to you. I know you have tremendous challenges and and the board same for the board. You know, you put in a lot of hours and you really all I believe are sincere. But I think it's really time to look at at what has be become embedded into the system very deeply and is very concerning to me. I'm a former um counselor. I'm retired and I'm grateful that I'm not still in the profession because there's some really profound concerns about things that are being imposed from the top down from our our state that are very radical agendas and they have been passed off as as being oh this is the normal way to do it now. Well, it it it really isn't the healthy way to do it. And um I under that

134same uh subject, I want to um acknowledge the courage of Barb and Andrea and Angela for signing on to that letter about the the high school athletics and um it's just such a tremendous concern that boys would be competing with girls and we know that there is not. It's a myth. I mean it is just a fabrication that boys are girls because they think they are and it's physically um invading the safe spaces of girls. I I grew up in the 60s and 70s and you know there was a great concern about women's lib and I want to just take the last time is recommend this book lost in trans nation a child's guide a psychiatrist's guide to out of the madness considering what's just happened in our state with the legislation and with the

135imposition I and the unfortunately I I think teachers should look at the values that are they are signing on to just like I had to discuss. Thank you, Miss Morlin. In the [Applause] schools and board, I apologize I didn't flip this over. There are actually three more names in the bottom that I missed. I apologize. So, up now is Carrie Thornton and on deck is Miss Jessica Hearns. Carrie Thornton. Okay, I'm going to move on to Miss Jessica Hearns. And then on deck is Danworth. Our teachers are phenomenal and they need support. They need a lot more from their district. I appreciate how hard our teachers and educators work. I seek to garner support from as many in our community as possible. One of the reasons that I'm running is my desire to create and

136maintain a culture of collaboration and support for our teachers, moving us beyond unproductive divisions and enlisting our teachers at the problem solving table. The primary job of a school board is to connect to the community that they were elected to serve. These are quotes from each of you during your campaign. These are statements that you made before you had power in your seats when you were optimistic and you wanted change. I'm here tonight to ask you to reflect on these statements of unity, support, and service. Because from where I sit, which has sometimes been in chairs at the back of this room during negotiations, I haven't seen a board that believes in unity, support, and service. I've seen a board that is digging their heels into a policy from 1988, despite teachers begging for change

137in class size, despite hours of public comment on class size, and despite being told by your leadership that class size will be a priority in school closures. Your constituents have used three minutes here and three minutes there to grab your attention in this very room. But when your own employees came to the table asking for change with language that had teeth, all I saw from you was unproductive division in editorialized letters about a negotiation space you did not even sit in. To quote President Heights once more, "Concerning the public square with discourse, disagreeing with those elected is not only protected speech, but appropriate when those we elect fail to represent the interests of their constituents. You have failed at the support you promised to champion. But you can write the course and hear them now.

138Come willing to listen. Come with ears and spirit you had during your campaigns. And while I hope you'll reconsider stances and med mediation and start supporting your teachers at the end of my three minutes, I know my words can't change your actions, but they can change mine. And when I run again for district A in 2027, you better believe my platform will be to support these teachers. [Applause] Did Carrie Thornton come in? Okay, up now we have Mr. Danworth. And our final one will be Miss Anna Elliot. Good evening. Thank you for your time. uh class-sized language was brought before by the educators of Mesa Valley Education Association in order to address a very real concern from both educators and parents alike. The language provided numerical caps and multiple possible remedies to address class size

139overages once those caps were exceeded. The numerical casts were devised by the team after consulting numerous pre-existing contracts, academic studies, and the Colorado financial adequacy study. The Mesa Valley Education Association team came in with model language, which is what you do in traditional negotiations. You bring the best language possible and look backwards from there. That was not possible as the district declined to engage with the proposal's substance. Instead, they proposed another committee citing conflict with board policy and cost. The negotiations team was prepared with alternative proposals that were costneutral, proposals that were never shared because the district would not engage uh in earnest. It should also be pointed out that the board policy is subordinate to contractually agreed upon language. Contractual language is essential because it supersedes outdated board policies. If I contract services from

140a company for $2,000, but I have a household policy of never paying more than a thousand for said services, especially if my household policy hasn't been revised since 2002. My policy has to be modified to meet the new current reality, a contractual obligation. The board claims they prioritize adaptable solutions over rigid mandates. Yet, when it comes to negotiations, that flexibility is not extended. District budgets are a statement of priorities. District financial audits are publicly available on both the D-51 website as well as the Colorado Department of Education. The publicly available data contained within the 2024 annual comprehensive financial report shows that the infund balance of district 51 grew by $26 million in the last year. In fund balances have increased every year since 2020, more than quadrupling, jumping from around $15 million total to roughly

141$71 million for 2024. Great. Thank you. I appreciate your time. [Applause] All righty. And our final comment this evening will be from Miss Anna Elliot. I know Will, you saved the best for last, right? You missed me. Thank you. I appreciate all of you being here even when I couldn't be, but I felt it was important today. I um heard a lot of comment about this was the first time that they didn't have the board of education sitting down, but I remember in watching campaigns kick off that the majority of the vote that brought you here was because we were ready for change, not only in this district, but about nine others. I want people to remember that before then the the directors that were sitting in your seats before you came on board, if

142I remember right, were either prior uh union members or or teachers or principles that were sympathetic to the union unto itself as mentioned about the union pay 50% to the uh president of the union. So that should be expected that the board of education would would leave the negotiation part to um the administrator to handle. It was a much friendlier board towards the union before the conservative um board that we flipped. And now before I end up here, I want to say I am we need a good piece of news. I was at the DIA PUR awards today. Um, I was so proud of the principal, Tyler Mclofflin. He loves those kids. He knew everyone by their name. He had those kids. Um, proud to be Bobcats. And I'm glad to have a Bobcat there.

143I had the additional pleasure of meeting this guy out here, too. And it was fun to watch them get their award and see who um um got the PUR prize out of it. and everyone supported one another. Collaboration like that, we should be proud to have young leaders coming out of that group that know how to get along no matter what you look like, what language you speak. Um, you're learning to get along and to support and encourage others. And that's how Purr awards come. And I'm so proud of what Terry Mclofflin and his staff have done for DIA. We need to replicate that in more of our schools beginning in elementary and kindergarten if we want to see a reduction in the terror and fright that takes place in our middle schools and high

144schools. Thank you for the time. [Applause] All right, President, that concludes our announcements. Thank you everybody for coming up speaking. Okay. All right. Thank you. All right. Um, next up we have our consent agenda. Um, the consent agenda contains personnel actions and acceptance of gifts, items that are routine and can be approved by a single motion. Items on the consent agenda will not be discussed individually by the board unless an item is removed for individual consideration. Board board. Does anyone um requesting any items to be removed from the consent agenda? No. Okay. Um may I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? Motion to approve the consent agenda. Second. Okay. Go ahead and take the vote. Mr. Chavez, approved. Mrs. Evansson? Yes. Mrs. Heights? Yes. Mr. Jones? Yes. Miss Lima? Yes. All right. So

145for this evening um for our business items, we have a resolution to approve a reallocation um of the 5 million to enhance the safety and security at um Central High School. So I will read the resolution um and if we have that we can make the motion second have discussion and Clint is here to answer any questions during discussion. So, um, whereas the school district has the opportunity to enhance the safety and security of Central High School with a design that improves the adjacency of classrooms to administrative offices and the updated design reduces the number of buildings and entrances to better support a single point of entry um, strategy to align with best practices in school safety. And the school district has realized five million in savings from the safety and security allocation within the

146district's bond program. And the use of these savings for the central high school pro excuse me central high school project remain within the overall bond authorization approved by voters and does not exceed the total bond program budget. Now there therefore it be resolved the board of education directs the superintendent um or the designate to proceed with the comprehensive remodeling project at Central High School utilizing the 5 million in savings from the district's bond program. So do I have a motion to approve um this this resolution? Yes. Motion to approve the resolution. Second. Okay. Um any discussion or questions for CL on this? So, if you guys recall at the workshop last week, um they presented the savings that we had from the safety and security. And so, since those bond dollars were saved, um they

147proposed the new layout that um gives a better safety and security with the classrooms being closer to the administration. Um and that money can then basically be reinvested into Central High School. So, any questions? Okay. Yeah. All right. I'm getting good at surmising these. So, all right. So, no other no discussion. We can go ahead and take the uh vote. Mr. Chavis? Yes. Mrs. Evansson? Yes. Mrs. Heights? Yes. Mr. Jones? Yes. Miss Lima? Yes. Okay. Um, any open board discussion? Um, I don't know if we're supposed to or not, but during comment, there's a lot of stuff being said about board members and how we don't care and how we don't show up and how we don't engage and how we don't talk. And the frustrating part for me is a lot of the conversation,

148a lot of things that we go over, we talk about it in board meeting after board meeting after board meeting and it's empty seats. And it's hard to engage and equip or empower and inform or be transparent when you have empty seats. We're not working together if nobody shows up or you're not listening. Um, I'm not saying that anybody's hiding under a rock or being ridiculous. I understand we all have lives, but we say some pretty important things in these meetings. And then when it comes out, it's now the board doesn't care. I know that this board has been to schools a lot. We give up our regular days to do and we choose to. We go to schools. We're in the schools. We're walking to schools. We're talking to teachers. We do that because

149we want to, not because we have to. We do it because we love our kids, our students, and our teachers. I have personally have a lot of teachers that are friends. I coached at Central for 15 years. So, I coach with with teachers. I coach with administrators. I talk to administrators. I'm in the schools because we want to be. So, it's not that we don't like anybody. We don't have anybody. So, we can't say show up and use your voices if you don't show up and use your voices. So, and that goes for everybody, our community, our teachers, our parents on both sides. It's not a us versus them. We respect what you guys do. I love what you guys do. We wouldn't be where we are without teachers. What we just need to figure

150out a way to be all together. It's just a frustrating situation when we hear stuff like that or I get an email but not your sincere thoughts. It's just an email that's been sent by somebody and you just sign your name to it. Send me your thoughts. Send me your email because I'm going to respond to you the way that I want to, not the way somebody's told me to. So that's all I ask. So that's that's what I have for board. Any other board discussion? Yeah, I guess um there was one comment um made that the board hasn't participated in any negotiation committees and maybe maybe I don't understand but um director Lima and I were on the herpic committee this year and we met January, February and March with um most of the

151the MBA negotiation team um and we sat there waiting for language um on safety and security and classroom size and every month. Nothing was ever presented to us. So maybe they meet a different negotiation committee. I don't I don't know. And then I know you were on her with Dr. Schulty's the first couple years. So I I mean I guess I don't understand some of the comments um where the board's not involved. Um so I you know again just just trying trying to get clarification on some of those comments. So any other open board discussion? You know the only other um comment was uh there was a comment made about uh charter schools and we have not approved a new charter school. Yeah. So we have three declining enrollment. Right. We had three that um

152have applied. One actually dropped out this week. They um yeah backed out. So, um, and I I think there's some misconceptions with charters. Um, they actually follow the state protocols with sped and, um, other I mean, they can't just kick kids out as well. I mean, they have to follow the same protocols um, with expulsions um, and everything. as far as I'm I mean they can't just they can't just expel kids or or kick them out per um year, you know, at their at their um at their leisure. So, I think there's um I mean, we have three in our district and we can't just kick kids in, you know, take kids in or kick kids out. Um we get in trouble. There's laws that pertain to, you know, kicking kids out of school. So

153I I think there's some misconceptions there as well. So because we have three in our district that we oversee. So So I'm going to I do want to say um just a little bit more. Um I agree um I think we've agreed for the last three and a half years that um we want people to be fairly compensated for what they do. We've um done a lot of work the last three and a half years to make sure that we came to the table with the maximum amount of increases that we could. Um I also agree that our school district should be fairly funded and it is not. It's not even close. For us to be 174 out of 178 districts in this state is ridiculous. And that if if if we if this board

154could do something to change the way we are funded, somebody show me the way. I would be happy to step up and spend the time and do that work. But we are not. We agreed to move to steps and lanes out of an urgency both from our teachers and the district staff. They they everyone believed that that was the best way to go and that we needed to go back to that so that we could get back to that fair compensation. No one wants to freeze. And I and I will uh I did get confirmation. This isn't just teacher wages that are frozen with the not going another step this year, but it's everybody. Um, a step costs $3.4 million and we got just over a million dollars in new money. That's ongoing dollars. That's

155that's we've got to continue to be have that funding from the state in order to be able to do that. I don't even want to talk about what happens if we're we then don't get that money the next year because that means reductions and nobody we do not want to go backwards. This has been hard fought to get where we are. It's really about the funding on so much of this. The other misnomer that I I heard someone say is, you know, how much power is in this position? And I'm not sure what that's referring to because it sure feels like we're powerless in a lot of ways. There aren't enough psychologists coming down the pipeline to have in-person people in ways that we would like to. We have to go to contracts because there's

156no other way to do that. There's no other way to cover it. Class sizes, uh, safety and security. Gosh, if I could tell you how many times I've heard from a teacher, a friend who's a teacher, a teacher that I've never even met before, who deals with behaviors in a way that is is really something. Yeah. Our hands are tied. We don't get to make every decision. If somebody can find a way out of that, that'd be awesome, too, because we would take the responsibility to do it. The state doesn't allow us to have that responsibility. There are so many laws and and you know, this brings up again, we can sit at the table. We can't do anything without running it through a lawyer because lawyers make all of these rules at the state

157level and we are just tasked with following them. We don't have the luxury of being able to design our own rules. So, in closing, I would just I would just hope that our teachers understand where we have our hands tied and how hard we've fought to get to where we are now, which I, you know, is is a great deal better than when we um started in this position. So, thank you for all that you guys do. We we do appreciate you. Thank you, Director Lima. I think that we all share in that sentiment. So, it's been I think it's weighed hard on all of us when we, you know, heard about the budget and trying to figure out a way forward. Um it's certainly not been an easy thing to try to navigate for

158sure. So, anything else? Okay. All right. Um well, we have let's see future meetings. So, um May 27th, we'll have a virtual meeting just because we need to have um a budget update um prior to the end of the month. Um, and then June 3rd, um, we'll have a work session and June 17th, we will have a board business meeting. And then the board typically doesn't have meetings in July unless we absolutely have to. So, we do get the month of July off. Um, so we'll just have those two meetings for June. So, do have a motion to adjurnn. Motion to adjurnn. Okay. All right. Thank you.