001Easy for me. All righty. Well, good evening everyone. Thank you for waiting while we um had to wrap up a um executive session. So, um, we already did the, um, call to order in our roll call. So, we'll call this meeting now to order. Um, and then if you don't mind, we're going to stand up and do the pledge of allegiance. And right after the pledge of allegiance, we sit down and we have a brief moment of silence. So, um, Director Jones, you want to kick us off with the pledge of America to the stands nationy and justice for all. Okay. All righty. Thank you very much. Um, do I have a motion to approve this evening's agenda? Motion to approve the agenda. Second. Okay. Mr. Chavis. Mrs. Evansson? Yes. Mrs. Heights? Yes. Mr. Jones?
002Yes. Miss Lima? Yes. All right. Do I have a motion to approve the meeting minutes um from February 6, 2024, February 13, 2024, and February 20th, 2024 board meetings? Motion to approve all the meeting minutes. Second, Mr. Chavis. Mrs. Evansson? Yes. Mrs. Heights? Yes. Mr. Jones? Yes. Miss Lima? Yes. All righty. Um we we are now going to move into our recognitions. So first up we have the Health Occupation Students of America, the HOSA state winners. And Director Evansson is going to do those. And board members, if you have a large packet of recognitions, grab an extra board member. We can help you pass those out. So good evening everyone. Would Jacel Diaz Korea and Sa Christensen Dang it. I'm sorry. SIA. Thank you, ladies. The Health Occupation Students of America, HOSA, is a national
003student organization that promotes career opportunities in the healthcare industry and enhances the delivery of quality health care for all individuals. HOSA provides students with opportunities to develop the leadership, technical, and communication skills necessary for a successful healthcare career. The HOSA state competition is an incredibly competitive event that challenges students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in various healthcare disciplines. Going to try this again. I'm sorry if I messed this up. Jesselle, a Palisade High School senior, and Cala, yes, a Central High School senior, shined during the state competition. They placed first for their healthcare display presentation, earning them a well-deserved spot at the International Leadership Conference, which will take place in Houston, Texas this summer. Both Jesselle and Sila are con constantly working hard, showcasing their dedication and commitment to success in both their academic
004and career pursuits, earning them a well-deserved spot among the state's top healthcare students. The board of education is superintendent, Dr. Hill would like to congratulate these ladies on an exceptional achievement and wish them the best of luck as they represent our state in the HOSA national [Applause] competition. All right, thank you. And then next up we have the um girls wrestling state winners. And so yes um when students when you come up if you could just wait a moment so Cali can get your pictures. Uh we like to post those and put them in our newsletter. All righty. Will the students and coaches of the Phoenix girls wrestling team please join me at the front of the room. [Applause] This season, the Phoenix wrestling team showcased remarkable talent and determination with over 30 athletes competing
005at the varsity level. Their impressive performance extended beyond local competi excuse me, competitions as they brought home six tournament titles, including regionals for the second consecutive year. as they took on tough competition at the state tournament. Each athlete demonstrated resilience and tenac tenacity and the team brought home a second place finish. Individually, the Phoenix girls had 12 state tournament qualifiers and six state placesers including Harley Prader finished fourth as a freshman. Molly Dair, Ila Castro, and Adalie McNeel securing third place finishes as seniors. Shilley Tucson placing third as a sophomore and Clarice McCoy achieving second place as a sophomore. These accomplishments highlight the talent and skill within the girls Phoenix wrestling team and the dedication of our D51 student athletes. The team success this season was a result of was a result of collective effort.
006Their support for one each other or one another and shared commitment, excellence and determination led to be recognized as a powerhouse in the region and a fierce competitor at tournaments and duels alike. The coaching staff has been invaluable in shaping these athletes both on and off the mat and their dedication to fostering a culture of greatness and instilling pride in the team's accomplishments have positively and significantly impacted the team success. The board of education and superintendent Hill would like to recognize the girls fenus wrestling team for an outstanding se season. Congratulations on your impressive achievement at the state tournament and a shout out to all of our individual placers their outstanding accomplishments. Well done, Leila Castro. Castro, Clarice McCoy, ClariS McCoy, Miss Molly Dair, I know, right? Oh, yeah. Annayia Gualadaro Zarate. Oh, hey. Use
007what you said. Here you go. Marissa Martinez Quazada. Guys are killing me here. Harley Prader. Is that it? And then everybody else isn't here, right? And then coaches, Mr. Dan Berkkey. Coachad. Chad. Chad Dair. [Applause] Yeah. One co one one coach on either end. There you go. So, I know there was a there was a lot in that announcement. There was a lot in that announcement, but the team got second place at state. Can we give him another big round of applause for taking second place? All right, well done. And next up, we have the Southwest League boys basketball player and coach of the year. And director Lima will present this one. Will Jet and Mike Wells, please join me at the front. Jet, a sophomore at Fruit Monument High School, was named the 2024
008Southwest League Player of the Year, and head boys basketball coach Mike Wells was named the 2024 Southwest League Coach of the Year. It came as little surprise when Jet Wells was named player of the year. Jet's performance on the court this season has truly highlighted the versatility and talent of this young student athlete. Known for hitting his long range shots, Jet boasts an impressive average of 14.9 points per game, far surpassing the n national average of just 4.9. But his impact on the court goes beyond scoring. His determination shines through as he averages 2.2 steals per game and one block per game, showcasing his all-around skills. Yet, what truly sets him apart is his exceptional teamwork, dedication, and leadership. Especially remarkable given he is just completing his sophomore year. Head coach Mike Wells joined the
009Fruta Wildcats boys basketball team in the beginning of the season after a nine season tenure with Fra Monument High School girls basketball team. Coach Wells brings a wealth of experience to the team and spent the season focusing on promoting stability and resilience. He prioritizes structure and fundamental skills both on and off the court, which led the Fruit of Wildcats to an incredible season finish as they went undefeated and completed the final eight at the state tournament. The board of education and superintendent Dr. Hill would like to recognize Jet and Mike on this amazing accomplishment. Your dedication, leadership, and commitment to your team inspire and uplift everyone around you. We look forward to your continued success in the future. [Applause] Sorry. Will Chloe Simons and Don Baver please join me at the front of the room?
010[Applause] Khloe is a shooting guard for the Palisad Bulldogs basketball team and head coach Don Baver have been named the Western Slope League Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively. This year, Chlore demonstrated incredible skill and ta and talent, averaging 16.7 points per game, far exceeding exceeding the national average. She showcased versatility on the court with 1.5 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. Defensively, she was a force to be reckoned with, averaging an outstanding 2.4 steals, effectively detering opponents and disrupting their offensive strategies. Additionally, Khloe led the league in overall free throws, highlighting her impact both on both ends of the court. Under the guidance and leadership of head coach coach Don Baver, the Palisad Bulldogs finished 17 and seven, their best finish since 201617 season. Coach Baver approaches coaching with unwavering
011dedication, passion, and high standards. He expects continuous progress from his players, emphasizing daily improvement. He works hard to foster an environment of trust and support. Coach Baver believes that players often reflect the characteristics of their coaching staff, so he leads by example, bringing intensity, high energy, and competitiveness to every practice and game. The board of education and superintendent Dr. Hill would like to recognize Khloe and coach Baver on these well-deserved recognitions. Your leadership has made a significant impact on our student athletes and teams. We're grateful for your dedication and invaluable contributions to the D-51 athletic [Applause] community. Congratulations. [Applause] All righty. And just so we're clear, I got the privilege to announce quite a few of the Phoenix games, and I butchered their their names all season long, too. So, all all season. All righty.
012Well, Christina Manzanerys, please join me in the front of the room. [Applause] Christina, a senior at Central High School this year, has excelled as a standout point guard at the Central Warriors, earning her title of Southwest League Player of the Year. A driven student athlete, she is consistently pursuing excellence both on and off the court. Being honored with the title of Southwest League player of the year is a testament to her dedication and talent. Christina has always shined brightly on the court, captivating spectators with her dynamic game, a versatile scorer with a strong defensive instinct. She dominated the league this year, leading in scoring, field goals, steals, three-pointers, and blocks. Additionally, she ranked second in free throws and assists, finishing her high school career with an impressive, 1244 points. Transitioning from a f transitioning from
013a focus and individual success from prior prioritizing teamwork. Christina's growth as a captain and individual is equally inspiring. Whether deciding to pass or she could shoot or mentoring younger players, she embodies the spirit and commodity of sportsmanship. Coach Mary Don had nothing but positive remarks about Christina, praising her work on and off the court, her dedication, sportsmanship, and leadership, stating, "Christina is the best player in the SWL this year. had a fantastic senior citizen and like so many before her left a positive mark on our program at Central. I will miss coaching her. The board of education and superintendent Dr. Hill would like to commend Christina on her dedication to her team and sport. Congratulations on being named the 2024 Southwest League Basketball Player of the Year. We wish you all the best in your
014college career. [Applause] All right. And then Director Chavez is going to do the Grand Junction High School academic team state and Governor's Cup award winners. Would the Grand Junction High School academic team members and coaches please join me in front, please? [Applause] Thank you. In mid-March, the Grand Van Junction High School academic team completed the state knowledge bowl, bringing home gold for the 26th time. That is truly amazing, guys. 26th time. Grand Junction High School placed first in the 4A classification and won the Governor's Cup for the 21st time, an award given to the best team in the state regardless of classification. Under the experienced guidance of head coach Cody Shraftoft, the team consisting of Sam Gudat, Alexander Change, Jameson Whiteford, Matty Kowski, Logan I don't know how to say that last name. Joe, thank
015you. Macy Mcome, Steuart Collins, Brenda Schwarz, Neil Scott, Eric Turlo showcased their intellect abilities at the tournament held at Ames Community College despite stiff competition from 60 other teams statewide. Grand Junction High School successfully defended its title, highlighting their incredible knowledge, depth, and effective teamwork. The board of education and superintendent Dr. Hill would like to congratulate congratulate the Grand Junction High School academic team on another outstanding season. Your hours of practice, hard work, and dedication continues to support your reputation as a state at state best academic team and your first place finish is truly welld deserved. And as an alum, I am very proud of you guys. [Applause] Sam good Logan Middle. Thank you, man. Thank you all. [Applause] All right. Well, thank thank you everyone. Um Cali will get your guys' picture out in
016the lobby just because you're a larger group. So that concludes um our recognition. So, um, unless you guys want to really stay for the rest of the board meeting, we'll give you all a few minutes to, um, thank you all for coming. They were fun to watch. How's it going? [Music] I was going to I thought you were going to talk about your good things. Oh, you didn't hit anybody. All righty. Well, we can always give them a few moments to to get out of the room there. So, well done to all of our students. So, all right, moving along in our agenda. Um, we have board reports. So, board, any good things or good updates? Um, from the last gosh, it's been a few weeks since we've met since we had spring break. Um,
017so spring break. Yeah. Um, nice weather except for today. So, all right. Um, any committee or activity updates? I don't think there's I know we all been meeting with committees, but I don't think there's anything big to update. Um I know we're moving forward with policies, but we still have a few things to get um updated before we have some more policies come forth. Okay. All right. Um Sierra, are you doing D51s or do we need to wait for Cali? Are you Oh, you're doing it. Okay. All right. I just All right. So, next up, we'll have our D51 happenings and celebrations. one next to you is on this one. Okay. Hello board. I'm Sierra Coulson, the marketing and communication specialist for D51 schools, and I'm here to share with you the District 51 happenings
018and celebrations. To start off, Justin Brown, a dedicated first grade teacher at Pomona Elementary for over 20 years, is March Golden Apple recipient. Known for inspiring his students to strive and tackle new challenges, Mr. Brown fosters a nurturing environment that encourages achievement and excitement for learning. Additionally, he pioneered Pomona's snowshoeing expeditions to the Grand Mesa 22 years ago, enriching students understanding of ecosystems. Thanks to Mr. Brown, students not only excel academically, but also learn to appreciate the great outdoors. Congratulations, Mr. Brown. You are truly golden. D51 STEM's third Mesa contest of the year. The Balsa Bridge building contest saw Redlands, Orchard Mesa, Mount Garfield, and West Middle School students showcase their engineering skills. In small teams, they face size constraints to design and build bridges with superior strength to weight ratios. Congratulations to all the
019students who competed. On March 1st, we celebrated each and every employee with D-51. From teachers and speech pathologists to groundworkers and beyond, your dedication and hard work are the backbone of our community's beloved schools. Your commitment to fostering a supportive environment where every student thrives makes D-51 outstanding. Can we give our D-51 family a round of applause to thank them for everything they [Applause] do? During National School Breakfast Week, March 4th through 8th, we celebrated the significant impact of school breakfast programs on student achievement. By making breakfast a priority, we aimed to empower every child to reach their full potential, paving the way for a brighter future. For the week, our D-51 nutrition services team crafted a Surfs Up themed menu. Thanks to the healthy school meals for all initiative, D51 students can enjoy free
020breakfast and lunch each school day. The bookcliffe band school tour brought the musical talents of Butcliffe Middle Schools to dual immersion academy, Nizzley, Chapida, and Fruitville elementary schools, led by Kristen Buddha in choir, Tori Welch in band, and Cara Leonardi in orchestra. The performances showcase the vibrant music program to future middle schoolers, highlighting the joy and community of the arts. Following the tour, elementary students are then invited to instrument try it night where they can explore different instruments and discover their perfect match. A big thank you to Bookcliffe Middle School for inspiring D51's young learners and promoting the arts. The D51 adapted basketball tournament is a highlight of the year, uniting D-51 students with and without disabilities in a friendly yet competitive basketball game. Watching the players in action alongside the support of students, staff,
021and families was truly inspiring. A special thanks to Katie Hmel from D51 adapted PE and everyone involved in organizing this inclusive event for our kids. Congratulations to Fra Monument High School's Palms team for taking 12th place in the NDA Nationals competition and to the Frutam Monument High School boys basketball team for making it to the grade 8 championship in the 5A 6A division. Both teams have represented FMHS and D51 proudly and we look forward to watching your future successes. Eureka Science Museum and D51 partnered to host their annual elementary science fair. 140 elementary students participated and together they submitted 90 projects. Projects were judged by Eureka instructors over a few days and then students had the opportunity to present them to their family, friends, and community. Congratulations to our third, fourth, and fifth graders from
022New Emerson, Chapita, and Chapida for winning first, second, and third place. And lastly, district 51 students explored health science careers at community hospital, experiencing hands-on learning in various departments from ER to surgery. Meanwhile, the swap youth career and resource fair at career center offered diverse job opportunities from internships with the national parks to the marine corps. Both events emphasized real world skills, encouraging students to pursue their interests and careers with support from community partners and certification certification programs. Attending both of these career fairs was fun to witness. Our students explored potential career paths with confidence and eagerness. That's all we have for March. Thank you for helping us spend some time shouting out our amazing students, staff, and schools. Thank you. All righty. Um, just a quick reminder before we get into the superintendence report.
023Um, because we'll have audience comments coming pretty quick. The signup sheet is over on the table underneath the television over here. So, if you're new, um, and have never given public comment before, you do need to go sign up over there um before um public comment time. So, uh, next up, we have our superintendent report. All right. Uh, thank you, President Heights. Uh we only have one item this evening and um that is the topic of Grand Junction High School, Fruit of Monument High School uh and Fr's proposals for um a delayed start to next school year. Um and so um this is something that's already been shared um information has been shared with the board ahead of time. Um and so um this isn't necessarily new to the board. Uh we do have um
024reps here from those schools. I just want to say how proud I am of Fra and Junction sitting by each other and not getting into an argument. That's pretty impressive. Um, that should be a recognition at the next meeting. Um, so, uh, but no, uh, reps are here. I did promise them that they're not part of any presentation. I'm not going to make them speak, but if there are questions, um, during the discussion section, um, that y'all have about individual plans, um, they're here to answer those. Um, so, I'm just going to go over some some key points. I don't have a a formal presentation, um, but key points from the proposal that they brought forward. And then like I said, if there's any questions, we can answer those. So, um, GJHS, uh, FMHS and
025FMS staff have all requested a delayed start to the 2425 school year. Um, each of these schools will be going through major transitions leading into next school year. Um, so individually, Grand Junction High School, as we know, will be moving into a completely new um, school building, uh, thanks to our our voters who voted yes on GJHS. And so, that school will be opening in the fall um, and a completely new facility. Uh, Fruit of Monument High School will be not only serving 9th through 12th grade students for the first time since 2005. Um, but the 9th and 10th grade students will all be new to the campus next year. Uh, meaning that over half of the student population will be new to that that building as well. And then Fruta Middle School will be
026moving into a new building next year and we'll be serving sixth through 8th grade students for the first time uh, since 2005 as well. So, these are all um, some big shifts that are happening. Um, all three schools will also have a large number of new staff next year because of the additional FTE added um due to boundary changes and the reconfiguration in Fruda. All three schools will release um 2 days earlier this school year to accommodate building moves um while staff are are on contract. And just want to point out that's a standard practice that we have in the district um to be able to offer that when we have a major shift like this. And so there will be time at the end of the school year um for staff uh to be
027able to work on um um getting things ready for the moves. Um but because of the timing of everything um thinking through the acquisition of a c or certificate of occupancy for GJHS um the modulars and the furniture moves for Frontman High School and then the Fruda um middle school furniture material supplies everything that has to be moved. um school buildings won't necessarily be completely ready to welcome all staff back until after they've gone off contract for the summer. Um and so the expectation of saying you have to come back early off contract to get things ready um is not necessarily fair. Um and so these three schools um have requested um time at the beginning of the year to allow staff to be ready for a strong start uh with students on the first
028day of school. and they've put together very comprehensive plans that I've shared with the board as well on what they want to utilize that time for. Um I won't go through those plans completely, but I do um just want to highlight um that for Grand Junction High School, uh we start on a Wednesday next school year uh as a district, their request would be to start on Friday. Um and they have a two-day plan for what they would do um within that building within their building for those uh two days with staff. And you think about being in a new building, how do we do drills? Um, you know, where are things located? Um, just um I said I wouldn't go through the plans and now I'm starting to go through them, but um there's
029a lot in the plans on what they want to utilize those two days for so that they can be ready to welcome kids on the first day, which would then be um that Friday. So, theirs is a two-day proposal. Um and those items are in there for you to review. And then Fruto Monument High School has asked for um a one-day delay. So instead of starting on uh Wednesday, um they would start on um Thursday, but actually on Wednesday um the 7th, they would have um a portion of their students coming in for sort of an orientation in the morning and then uh staff time uh in the afternoon to be ready for the kids to come back the next day so that all students would start on Thursday 9 through 12th. Um and then
030also the same thing for FA Middle School. uh they would have one day on that Wednesday to work with staff to be ready to welcome students back on um Thursday. So a two-day for junction with the new building and then a one day for Fra um area secondary schools. So um again if there's questions about specifics about the plans um we can talk about that but um that's a request from um from this the principles and their staff. Um, and so I, you know, I would say when it, just to be honest, when it was first brought to my attention, I wasn't a huge fan of it. Um, because I don't think anybody wants to lose instructional time. Um, but also not a fan of staff feeling like they're not prepared to have a strong
031start to the school year and the staff at these three schools worked really hard on this plan collaboratively um, on the plans for their schools. um and they've asked to be successful at the beginning of the school year and I think this is a good opportunity to help them be able to be more successful uh moving into these um new situations. So um there's not a vote for the board. You don't have to take a vote on anything. You've already adopted calendars. This is just more of a public discussion. Um if this is something that u we all feel comfortable moving forward with and um the principles will communicate that with families and start preparing them for what the start of the school year would look like um for them next school year. So, with
032that, unless there's any questions, um, I'll open it up. No, I thought our conversation was good about all of that. I makes total sense. They're going to need a little more time. All right. Sounds good. You didn't have to speak. I have Principal Cluser give his acting debut that we got to see a Beauty and the Beast, though. We got with our good things. It was a fantastic really good job. Right. So, you up the Annie for all the other uh principles to have to make acting debuts um in their next place. Maybe assistant principles need to go as well. Well, I just one so thanks to the board for supporting this and then uh again thanks to the um not only the admin but the staff at the buildings that put the time into
033um putting these plans together. So I um this will be good for staff and students for the start of the next school year. And that's all I have for my report tonight. Thank you. All right. Thank you guys. Yeah. Yeah. All right. We are now up for audience comments. So, um there's three minutes for audience comments and Director Jones will um do the timer. Let's see. The light is here. Here we go. So, we have the light here. So, we'll be green, yellow, then red, and you'll hear the tone. So, how many people do we have for public comment? Well, we're going to make this easy. Uh, Miss Miss Howie, you are first up and last up. [Music] Welcome back. We've missed you at the meetings. Good to see you again. Got my cataracts removed.
034All right. Okay. so I can see you all clearly. Alrighty then. I'm here to talk about Gateway School that has a total of 15 students, preK through 12, a ratio of one teacher for every two four students, and the school represents 100 families. There is a full-time facilities manager, a full-time principal who with salary and benefits makes about $190 grand. If you were to close the entire school, you would save about $740,000, twice as much as what you saved when you closed East Middle. If you reduce the student teacher ratio, you could save in one year $350,000. If you eliminate the pos uh principal position and share principal ship of gateway with a principal in the valley, you could save $190,000. and I'm thinking that that would be a nice little fund for you to
035put towards the Orchard Mesa School. Thank you so much. All right. Thank you. Let me grab my All right. Next, we're going to be moving into our consent agenda. Um the consent agenda contains personnel actions and acceptance of gifts items that are not 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. Is anyone requesting any items to be removed? So just to note um we do I think in in the hires though we do have three principal hires which um I suppose we could highlight after we um okay you guys don't want to pull those out separately. Okay. All right. We can vote on it and then um if Dr. Hill wants to make
036any um comments they can. All right. Um may I have a motion? Oh, excuse me. Hold on. me. The amount for the donations or gifts was $17,623. Do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? Motion to approve the consent agenda. Second. Okay. Mr. Chavez, yes. Mrs. Evansson, yes. Mrs. Heights? Yes. Mr. Jones? Yes. Miss Lima? Yes. All right. Um, did you want to make Yeah, just really excited about the um the admin hires. So, um uh Mr. Dickies will be at uh the new principal at Bookcliffe Middle School and he's been the um assistant principal there. Um and so he'll continue serving uh the Bookcliffe Middle School community. So, we're very excited for him. I um I like to text the administrators and say, "What are you most excited about um moving to
037these roles?" And so, he shared with me that um he's very excited to get to continue working with the amazing and dedicated staff at Bookcliff Middle School. Um, we've got a lot of good things going on and I hope to build on our momentum and help make Bookcliffe an an even better school for our deserving students um and their families. So, if we can give him a big round of applause for his new role at Brookliff Middle School. And I I do want to thank uh Terry Reququa who's been uh serving as the interim there um all school year. Um really thankful for her coming back from retirement to to help out at that building. Um, next up, these next two are not principal hires, but they are, um, administrative hires. So, um, u, Miss
038Carrie Boinger, who is currently the principal at Tupe Elementary, will now be, um, filling the role of a director of site leadership because there's a vacancy there. Um, and so we're very excited for, um, her to be moving into that role. And I asked her the same question. Um, she said that um, I'm extremely excited about the potential um, that it this creates for options. I'm excited that we um can better support building and student needs and um I want Mesa County to be the district that everyone's talking about and flocking to be at and I'm excited to be a part of that work and so we're very excited for Miss Bowlinger to be moving into this role as a site director. So, can we give her a big round of applause as [Applause] well?
039And then the last one, um we uh have an opening for for director of special education. Um another very important position um for our district. And so, um, Mr. John Paul Burton will be coming from actually outside of the district, and you can see all of his, um, credentials there, but comes with a wealth of, uh, experience and knowledge. Um, and so, uh, I did I have not actually met him in person because I'm not a part of of this hiring process, but I did text him today and, uh, asked him the same question. And he said, "After visiting the community a couple times now, I'm very excited to be a part of it and to become part of a passionate team working together. I felt easily connected with um your team and hope to
040be able to help shape an already strong district into an even stronger one. I look forward to meeting and working together with everyone. So, can we give him another round of applause as well? So, um those are the three admin hires and again those were vacancies that that um needed to be filled. I know we've got a couple other ones that we're still interviewing for and so we'll bring those forward um at the next meeting. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Um we're going to move into our business items. So board, we do have the um fee schedule um that we need to look at. So do I have a motion to approve the fee schedule adoption? Motion to approve. Second. Okay. Um any questions? I don't think there were any big changes or anything
041on the fee schedule. Um it's in your packet or there's the um the breakdown if you have anything. So I do have a question. Go for it. Um so I know in the the preface of this it talks about um applying for free, you know, like our uh I'm sorry, let me get my words together here. Our indigent students, you know, applying for certain or families applying for certain assistance. And I noticed that in the fifth line it says a lot of students. So it says the fees are mandatory but then it says the required items or materials or comparable alternative will be provided. Students will not be excluded from the class or classroom activities if the fee is unpaid. Um how does that work into the total fee I suppose is my question. Is
042there already a known percentage to an extent that you know 80% of parents are paying it, 20% aren't. So now the 80% are taking over that that loss or where does the extra funding come from if a parent doesn't pay? Melanie is going to come up and I know that we had to re when we went to um when we it kind of changed our free and reduced lunch which was kind of how we ended up monitoring some of this. I'll let her explain it more, but I know we ended up having to discuss that last year. Yeah. So, I think it's kind of encapsulated into our annual review process anyways that we're looking at account balances in all of these fee accounts at each school. And so, we're looking to make sure that they
043aren't carrying over too much money, in which case we would look to reduce a fee or to temporarily sus suspend it. Um, and then we also look to see if it's just not enough to keep up with costs. But essentially what ends up happening when fees are waved or reduced is the building budgets often kind of pick up um the difference that's needed. And so I know that's something that we're looking at as part of our strategic plan area too is just right now we budget the same amount per student at each school AC by grade level. Um, but we're kind of delving in deeper to that to make sure that we know that not each school has the same collection rate on those fees either. So, I think more to come on that, but
044it is just kind of something that we review line item by line item each year, too. Is that something that title one funding can offset at all? Because I know that there's stipulations for each fund. Yeah. So, title dollars can um only be used to supplement, not supplant. So, if it's provided at another school with general fund or with fee dollars, we can't use title dollars to pick up the difference. Does that help? Any other questions? All right. Any other questions or discussions? Okay. I want to make sure everybody's clear. Are you good? I want you to feel comfortable. Are you stuck on how we are accommodating for it? Because I know we used to be able to um estimate it right by our free and reduced lunch. And so I think they're still, and
045correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we're still utilizing some of those numbers to guess how many or estimate how many kids we will have to or that would fall into that. I'm probably not explaining it very well, but how I guess is your question more like how how do we know what we're going to be spending or or what will be waved? Well, I suppose to an extent it's how do we know what we're going to be spending and then how do we and I get you you're saying like a lot of that offset cost comes out of the general fund from from the particular building. That's what I'm understanding. And then I guess I just think how does this how does this affect how do we how do we end up getting
046that money? Is it just something that comes out of and general funding? I know we get, you know, some from the state and then we have our our bonds and our mills and things that offset a lot of different other things. So, I guess I'm just trying to figure out like would would this increase the probability of us asking for more? Oh, I see what you're saying. You know, is this going to affect our would this affect our taxpayers more? And I did see that there were some that were cut, some fees that were cut. But I just think about how much our taxpayers are paying right now. Right. Because if they're if the fees being waved that it's being supplemented from somewhere else. Yes. And yeah, gauging how much that would be and whether
047that would increase over time. Um and whether we would need to ask their community for more help to help supplement the kids who need help with these things. And if they even realize that that's what their money is going towards. Right. Right. Yeah. No, that makes sense because it would all come out of the general fund for the supplement. Sorry. Okay. So, each school is given the same amount per student regardless of their free and reduced lunch percentage differences right now. And so that's where it's not necessarily changing the bottom line in the general fund, but I think some schools probably feel more of a a strain on their school budgets or need to look for other areas to make up that difference based on the fees that are being waved. Um, but I mean
048that is part of it. Not all of our families opt to have their fees waved even if they qualify. They have to fill out a form um asking for that to happen. So one school could be more burdened than another. So then Right. Right. They don't get any more money. So how Yeah. That just Yeah. So, I think that's why we're that's why we're looking at it and part of the strategic plan um area that we're in is that we've always said that it's equal because it's the same dollar amount by per student at each school. But we know that when you break it down and really start looking at the dollars available to schools based on what they're collecting or based on what they're able to fund raise or get donations for, it's not
049necessarily the same across the board. And so we're kind of we'll be looking at that more I think next year in year three. Um but for right now there isn't a difference in what they're receiving. Would it be difficult if there was just one larger pot of money? I mean, I know we give our schools a lot of autonomy to do a lot of things, which is great, but in this instance, would it just be better if there was one I mean, it all is one pot of money, but then once like, you know, if some of our schools were more impacted, they obviously then get more support versus schools that are less impacted. Yeah, I think that's what we're looking at. Okay. Yeah. is um hoping to be able to pull data of the
050number of fees that are being waved um in addition to just what their free and reduced lunch percentages are um knowing that not every uh family takes advantage of that. So really trying to tease out the true impact to a building of the fees that they aren't collecting. That makes sense because then if you know a school that's more impacted would have to pull out of their own budget to cover those things versus another school that doesn't and then they get to utilize or keep basically keep funds they already had to do other things. And I feel like that I yeah I feel like we're kind of shooting ourselves in the foot that way um by being able to help serve our students. So I'm I mean I'm just glad you're looking at it. I
051think that probably a better way for us to make sure that we're um that we're getting all students served and then we're not also um hurting the school itself and their own budget to be able to do things by having to compound fees from their own budgets. Yep. Agree. So, do you feel that we'll have better data as of next year when we when we revisit this? Yeah, I'm I'm hope I'm hope uh hoping that we do because I think it was this is our second year now. I think that it's been the waiver's been part of their online application and so that definitely increased the access to it and so I would expect that more families are having their fees waved and then now there's also the direct certification of u Medicaid eligible families
052and so we definitely want to just look at a couple of years of data to see what that's looking like now that things have kind of normalized coming out of 2020. But even with that, what you're telling me is even if the fees are waved, then the burden still comes back on that particular school from right now. And so what would we we would be looking further into doing is possibly um giving more general fund dollars towards those schools that aren't able to generate the fees from their communities. Is there any other funding that we could apply for that would offset that? Not that I know of. Um, I mean those schools do tend to be the ones that get title one dollars, but again that has to be for things above and beyond what
053other schools are being funded for, but they would have increased resources through staffing and discretionary dollars there, too. I mean, I would say that that that does level the playing field somewhat. They're using the title dollars for other things that the other schools don't have the title dollars to use instead of their general fund. instead of their general fund. But I I'm really glad that that's something that is being looked at because it does it does appear to be possibly quite inequitable between especially the Yeah, I think it even though the title one dollars could offset it, my my whole concern is that title one dollars should be there to help supplement you know resources or learning opportunities and not to just offset fees because that's what title Title One dollars are there to actually
054help support the students instead of just covering the fees. I mean, I'm glad they have it and it doesn't have to come out of their general fund. But just like with ESRE dollars, I mean, those fees were, you know, really meant to be to pour back into the students um you know, for those extra resources or programs that those students need at those schools. So, um Okay. Well, I I feel good that it's being looked at and we're getting the data and we're So, do you have I just want to make sure everybody feels good moving forward with the vote. So, is there any other questions? All right. Okay. Seeing no other discussion, we can go ahead and take the vote. Mr. Chavez, yes. Mrs. Evansson, yes. Mrs. Heights, yes. Mr. Jones. Yes. Miss Lima.
055Yes. All right, that one passes. Um, okay. Board open discussion. Is there anything that um I I just wanted I know I'm not on the board, but um you're kind of an honor interview. I feel good. No. Um I feel bad that I mentioned um Terry Reququa and all the service she's given to the district and I didn't mention Paul JB who's his retirement is what's freeing up the space for the site director position. So, I just also want to thank Paul JB for um all the service that he's provided to our school district and the leadership um he's provided and he's going to be a huge um loss to our um district as well. I know he's not here, but and I don't even know if he's watching online, but very appreciative to Paul
056and everything he's given to our district. That's great. Yes, we appreciate those who step back in and help us and we will miss those who have um given lots of service to the district. So, is Paul aware that you kind of never really get out? Every time somebody retires, you know, they're they're back. They're back at least a little bit and we appreciate it so much. Um, all right. Any other open board discussion? Uh, me. I just want to say congratulations to all the uh our middle school had their wrestling championships this weekend and I think we had two or two state champions from West or something like that. So, but uh yeah, congratulations to all those guys and those kids out there that made it out to to Denver for for their little wrestling
057championships. That's great. All right. Um our future meetings, um we have our next meeting next week because we uh had a break with spring break. So, April 2nd, we're back here for our board work session. Um and then April, uh 13th is the board coffee at Fruitville. Do we know right now who can make that? I I'm able to go to that one. I I think I can make that one to be back. Okay. Okay. All right. I will be at the dodgeball, the adaptive heroes dodgeball. Oh, nice. Okay. And thank you, um, Director Chavez for holding down the fort by yourself on the last board coffee. So, thank you. Um uh and then uh April 16th will be our next board business meeting. Um do keep note that because we have so many administrative
058hires coming up this time of year, the board may be calling um some special meetings, which we tend to do virtually because they are done within about 5 minutes. Um but those will likely pop up here or there if we have to do some administrative hires. But but with as many meetings as we have coming up here, we can likely put those into those meetings. So, just to to make everyone aware. Um, okay. Well, if there's nothing else, do I have a motion to adjurnn? So, moved. All right. Thank you everybody for your time this evening. [Music]