001All right. Um, we do have a quorum uh with four of the five board members here and uh the agenda. Is there any adjustments to tonight's agenda? Okay. Do I hear a motion to adopt the agenda with flexibility? I'll second. Okay, I'm going to turn it over to the superintendent who I believe is going to recognize some special folks. All right, good evening. Um, first we have Miss Fusk. So, will you come up please? We received word that uh she is an educator of the year called the Cherished Gem of Education. [Applause] represented by um Lambda Delta Kappa Gamma 2025 group. So congratulations. We wanted to I have a big tall trophy. Why did you bring it? We could have danced around. I I could have worn my crown and my rose that I got
002with it. It was so sweet. And they said that I'm the first principal that's ever been nominated. So congratulations. Well deserved. Well deserved. Thank you. [Laughter] Next up is Miss Lockwood. Um Taylor Middle School has received the showcase Kept Kids Heart Showcase School of the Year. Again, this is the third year in a row that they have received this distinction. So would you like to talk a little bit about that? Sure. Um so capturing kids arts is a is a process that we have implemented now for multiple years. We're like on year six and um you know revamping and re working the image of Taylor. Um, you know, inherently middle school schools across the nation have have not the best connotation to it. Um, but it was uh Costanos is an eyes goal to really
003showcase the great staff that we have and the even better kids that Lovington has. And um it means the world to us to be able to put another year of hearts up on our banner in the gym because the students that go to our school, we believe that we are building their futures and their successes and um we're working harder than ever to get them up to the high school uh with a knowledge of who they are and how to be the best versions of themselves. And that was represented in our capturing kids hearts survey and that the kids take. And then um also there's a traction visit that happens from our capturing kids hearts uh like mentor specialists. They come on campus to actually take time from wherever they are. They're across the world
004or not world but nation to uh come visit specific campuses. And so this year u we had Jen Swinkler. She was our capturing kids hearts uh person and she came and visited and she said, "You know what? I don't say this often, but I'm going to tell you that I've never had a visit like this one." And um we had one of our students that has made a huge turnaround in his in his life, and his education give her the tool. And so, um, he was really excited to be able to do that and had great things to say, but just the ability for her to walk in and feel, uh, included. And I think that she probably would have stayed multiple days because she just felt like that was a place that, uh, is
005good and true and honest in what we say and what we do. And, um, yeah. So, I'm thankful to be able to lead that school and I brought y'all some gifts because without you guys, we wouldn't be able to do the work that we do. So, I appreciate you and we appreciate you, Miss Lockwood, and Mr. Costanos and your hope team. Well, and you know, the thing that really strikes me with that, Lacy, is that you've got a different group of kids every year. And so, for your campus to reach this continual goal with a thank you with a different set of kids every year for three years in a row and been working on it. I mean, that's really cool. So, thank you very much. You guys work really hard at that. So, that's
006right. Last but not least, Mr. Haggler. So, Mr. Haggler, I think we had him a couple of months ago and he told us that he was going to go represent us um in Oklahoma and uh he has come back as the ACT region 4 new teacher of the year. [Applause] So, would you like to say some words? Sure. I'm not as cool as Lacy. I didn't bring gifts. I'm sorry. Starting this journey in energy education, which isn't really a thing yet, and we're making it a thing, has been a trial. It's been interesting. It's been entertaining, and we've learned a lot. Um, what was really really cool, though, is as as I went to region 4, it was an opportunity. I work really closely with Carl'sbad. They're also developing an energy program. We work very
007closely together. And she her name's Hannah Vans. She's their energy teacher. She was presenting there. So, I was like, "Well, I can go help her present. I can hang out. I can kind of watch and see." I got to met meet the executive deputy director of the National ACT organization, which was really cool. He's a nice guy. And leading up to it, a lot of my friends were like, "Do you think you're going to win?" I was like, "Well, everybody tells me that Texas and Oklahoma skunkas, but I don't do anything to lose, so we're going to go try." Um, I did the interview off the cuff because apparently they were supposed to email me the interview questions. And then she was like, "Did you get the questions?" And I was like, "No, ma'am." And
008she goes, "Well, let's reschedule." I was like, "I shoot better from the hip. Let's go. Let's just do it." Um, and so then I got there and kind of flying in, I was like, "You know what? No, I like I want this. I want to win this. Not for me, but for Lovington and for New Mexico and for energy education." And I think that it was just a really, really big honor to be able to represent those three things and stand on that stage with the best of the best across six states and be the one that wins. So, uh, there's five regions in ACT. So, myself and four other national finalists will go to Nashville, Tennessee in December. And with a little bit of luck and hopefully a good interview or actually I think
009there's two rounds of interviews, maybe I'll bring a national title on the way. Fantastic. None of that is possible without Thank you. I just I really wanted just to highlight some great things that's going on in the district. Can since we have Kayen and Lacy here, it's my understanding that they're doing something really unique this week up at Taylor. Is that something that they could share about? Now, what I heard was gobbledegook from my sources, but I put it together and thought, "Okay, I think this is you're you're presenting CTE stuff to these students. Is that right?" Would would you guys share that with the board because I think it's a a great opportunity for our kids. So, what we're doing right now is in conjunction with a high school and it's the first time
010that we've ever done anything um like this. And what it is, it's called a discovery project. And in January, the LHS counselors came down and they uh did pre-registration with all of the eighth graders. So, in the pre-registration, we've worked hard with um our career cluster team, Mr. Sloan, um Dr. Parker, Mr. Williams, Mr. Haggler, and the rest of them to actually bridge a gap that we haven't bridged before. And that is really having an understanding and knowledge for our students of what they've chosen, why they've chosen it, and where they're going. So, um, what we've done is they went through the eighth graders went through pre-registration. The LHS counselors came down and they spent time with the students and they really went through what graduation requirements are and needed and how they are going
011to then in January pick a career cluster to try to um concentrate in. So they looked through them and there was videos. The whole team at LHS made videos that was embedded into a Google classroom that they got on and so they were able to watch our teachers at the high school talk about what they concentrated in. So, um there's seven clusters. So, all the students picked a cluster if they missed their pre-registration because it was a Google form and it had to be turned in at a certain time. they missed that. Miss McFerson met with each student that didn't have anything listed and talked to them specifically about the the clusters and had them choose one. So, um it's taken a while. It's taken probably since January of working together together to get this
012all put together, but we were able to do and today was our first day. And here's what we did. So, our teachers, our our uh eighth grade teachers, they also got to choose a career cluster. So, they looked at the career clusters and they got to pick a cluster that they felt that they could really benefit and guide students with exploring. So the teachers had a choice, the students had a choice and today we kicked off the discovery project and it started with all the students um in eighth grade getting on to my learning and getting logged in. They watched a tutorial video about how to use the um uh the product. They took a career interest survey and then they had a set of questions that they researched to de to to develop a
013presentation for themselves that go deep into what they want, what the experts say they like. And so they're doing a big um today they started they did they do a big research project and it's not with I told them this morning told the eighth graders this morning you know when you go into your first job or your first part of your career you get placed in a position you don't get to pick who's with you. So um LHS did us a favor and they broke out the students for us. So it really was by their interest but it was also a little bit randomized. And what this did, and I explained to them, is that this was going to be with possibly teachers they've never had. They're going to see students that they may have
014never actually had a class with. And this is a real life experience because this is how you enter into job forces and career forces, being adaptable, and having an open mind and a positive mindset about what you're doing. So, they were agreeable. They did it. And um where we'll go from there is tomorrow they have more of the research. They go to first period first. They check in, they get their breakfast, they um we take attendance and then we split them into their clusters and they'll continue to research. What's really great is this is truly a collaboration that we're the people that are putting it together forward towards our students, but it is developed from our friends at the high school. So, our goal is that they will have a clear-cut understanding of the classes
015that they're taking, why they're taking them, and our goal is that when they get to the upper levels, they're going to be completers, not just kids that do one class. They're We want We want completers. We do. It helps them and it gives them a true path. So, we've taken a lot of time and a lot of effort and they seem to be responding well. On Thursday, we will uh really do kind of our it's a big day. What we're going to do is we're going to go over and join the high school for a pep assembly. And we started this last year and it was really cool where uh the seniors have their final pep assembly and as we all together they move the seniors out we let them go on to their next
016phase because they just have right after that pep assembly just a very few things to do until graduation day once the they've had that moment which is awesome an awesome tradition we bring in the new freshmen and then we have the second part of the pep assembly where they're really being allowed to see the amazing future that they're going to have. So, and I think that's really good. They're very excited. I did have I do have to say we practiced a little bit so they don't have so much shell shock whenever we get there. But um after that we after the pep assembly we're actually going to take time on the high school campus and through their uh cluster leaders. So with their teachers they're going to go visit like they'll go visit Mr. Haggler
017in in the welding shop. They'll stop by the ad classroom. They'll stop by the culinary arts classroom. So, it's not like a full-blown tour of every single thing at LHS, but it is uh designed for them to have some exposure because they will have to walk through the campus to get to those places. And um that is something that the eighth graders have asked for. When do we get to go? When do we get to see these things? So, we just incorporated it together, which is I think a beautiful way to get them to be introduced into their next steps on their educational journey. So, in the next couple of days, the LHS teachers will come down to Taylor and they're going to stop by classrooms. They're going to introduce themselves. They're going to talk
018about um the programs and what they can expect. And they've also LHS has also developed many um projectbased learning activities and the students will be the start they'll be starting and finishing them and we'll finalize on Friday with a um with an assembly for the eighth graders where a representative from each uh teachers cluster will present what they've learned. That sounds great. It does. You did a much better job of explaining than what I heard from. Not gonna throw any names out there, but and much really exciting. Yeah. And much to their um much to the students knowledge of what they know going on. It's very little because a we don't want to overwhelm them. B we want them to come to school. So like having like we're going to do this really cool thing
019is you know enticing for them to to try it. And so they got the whole rundown today and I think they're excited. It'll be good. I love the collaboration, you know, that you guys are doing with this. So, and it does hopefully make that transition smoother. So, well, thank you. Thank you for telling that. That's pretty exciting. That's it. Okay. All right. Well, then we're going to move right on into uh information. First up, director's reports, and I'll open it up to the board for questions. Oh, I'm giving board members just a minute. I also want to thank Mr. Williams. I actually was thinking about this about the parking for Sunday. I thought, I wonder how he's going to do this. And when you sent out that email, I'm still having to turn it a
020little bit to figure it out, but I thought I liked where it said there will be parking attendants to tell you where to go. And you know, but a lot of thought into that. So, thanks for sharing that. I figured we were pink. We're pink. That's Yeah. Yeah. So, okay. Yeah. Okay. Great. Okay. Questions from the board on any of the reports? Do you have anything? Um, oh yes, it was download. Is that is it? No. No. Okay. Okay. All right. All right. All right. Well, then we're going to move right on into superintendent updates. I do want to thank Mr. Williams and his team. They have done a phenomenal job really thinking through the process of what graduation is going to be at high school and then afters too. So it's pretty exciting and
021I'm excited to see you tomorrow. Be there Wednesday. Okay. Good. Okay. All right. Any questions for the superintendent on any of those items? Okay. If not, we're going to move right on into routine matters. We'll take items one through four as part of the consent agenda. Do I hear a motion to approve as presented? Okay. All right. Thank you. Next item, budget adjustments. The first budget adjustment is a decrease in our federal fund for RLIS of $22,814. It's a decrease um for the revised FY25 final award. And then there are four budget adjustments that are transfers with between functions to ensure that we have a 1% sufficiency in budget for the county tax collection cost. Okay. So that means only 1% is left in each of those. It means that um we are only allowed
022to budget 1% for an expense which is a which the county takes 1% of our taxes for the um housing. Oh yes. And so at the end of the year I always have to go in and adjust that because we usually get more than what we're allowed to budget for. Okay. All right. Thank you Tanya. Any questions for Tanya? Okay. Okay. Do I hear a motion to approve adjustments as presented? Okay. Okay. Next item. Bids. Okay. And so we're going to utilize all three of those. The top one um is that one we've used before? Okay. Okay. I that was an unfamiliar name and I I just was not clear what that was. Okay. Okay. Questions from the board. And how do how do they submit that bed? Is it per hour that they're going
023to bill us this much per hour or it's usually like a retainer? It it is an an hourly rate and it depends on who is actually performing the work whether it's an attorney or an assistant. Okay. And so those are listed out with this being an RFP. Um the amounts were not considered as the main objective. Okay. So Okay. No, they've we've done this in the past and it's they've been great. So, okay. Thank you. Thank you, Tanya. Okay. Superintendent's recommendation. Okay. Do I hear a motion to approve the bids as presented? All right. Thank you. Next item, donations. Uh we have four donations listed for scholarship after grad skills and interact club. Okay. Oh okay. Okay. Did Mr. Okay. Motion to approve the donations is presented. Also move. All right. Thank you. We're going
024to move right on into old business. Second reading to consider approval for policy service advisories 261 262. This is our second reading. The governor signed House Bill 171. requirements for student um to graduate and this is for incoming freshmen and so it's just going through telling you some changes one of them is to remove the requirement for demonstration compiles which we are ahead of the and CT education work. Okay, great. Okay, questions from the board. I I have a couple of questions on page nine, number seven, seven and a half, elective units and and it's all of those those are all this or this or this or this or this. Those are all choices. Yes. Okay. And and then on page 10 it says um the uh so they can get algebra 1 and geometry
025prior is if they do algebra 1 and seventh grade and geometry in eighth grade. Is that what we're looking there? A single course credit units earned in health, algebra one, and geometry prior to enrolling at high school shall satisfy. So they can actually get geometry at Taylor Middle School. No. Okay. At the high school. Okay. So and a history. Is there a history? No, just a health. Did there used to be credit? Okay. So, do we need to take geometry out of there? Does it matter? Yeah. Out of where? Out of um page on page 10. It says but prior to enrolling in high school. So that would be eighth grade because I believe there's somewhere in statute or policy um that eighth grade certain courses at the eighth grade level can count towards graduation
026but not the seventh grade. So it can count we just don't offer it. So what we need to do is to our friend Dan and see that might be a that might be a typo. So, thank you for Yeah, I'm I'm wondering if that isn't because I've never seen where geometry could be part of that. Okay. Yeah. And so, we'll we'll talk to Dan and uh so that last then that last paragraph, the superintendent shall develop a graduate profile that is specific to the community and articulates. Is that what our portrait of a graduate that we already have in place is? Yay. So, we've already got it in place. Okay. Good. Good. Yay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for bringing that up because I I have a feeling that's just a a misprint. Yeah.
027Okay. So, I'll I'll certainly reach out to Dan on that. Yeah. Okay. All right. Any other questions on that? Not. Do I hear a motion to approve the policy service advisories as presented with the noted exception about the geometry because I think that will be removed from that. Oh, I so moved. Okay. That's not up. Okay. New business. Did yours come up? One didn't come up. Oh, there it is. Just now. Thank you. New business. Item one, consider approval of memorandum of of agreement with the Lee County Sheriff's Department. We are very excited about the opportunity to advance school resource officers into our district and we will be partnering with the county sheriff's office. They have Okay. The details of that right now. Will they be put in the same place as the others were?
028Or Okay. Okay, couple of typos that I'm uh in the very first it's called a memorandum memorandum of agreement and then the very first thing says this memorandum of understanding also known as an MOA. So okay, a little confusing there. And then it refers to the 2425 school year. So I think we need to be sure that that's clarified as well. Go to 2526. Sounds like a a great opportunity. Our current security situation is complete at the end of the school year this year. Is that correct? The last day of students will be after Oh, okay. Oh, good. After grads, not the last day that the students are Oh, yeah. Okay. Okay. Including after grads, but I I I thought I thought they did, but Okay. Okay. All right. Other questions, comments from the board.
029No. Okay. Do I mo do I hear a motion to approve this MOA is presented? I'll second. I look forward to seeing this transpire. It's a great opportunity to also we're I you know there's probably students that may be interested in that pathway and what a great opportunity and they do have a couple leadership programs great that they're well and I liked where it talked about the education piece that the officers will also participate. So that's great. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Next item, consideration of adjustments to the teacher housing policy. Bringing this policy back to the board. In the last couple of years, we have had we have allowed our tenants to have pets and they have moved out a lot of damage maintenance in clean. So I am proposing that we say no in
030that move forward as they move into those apartments. I'm assuming that doesn't mean um if they have a what are those called? Beta fish. No, I would say that no before a dog makes a break. Um a a security dog or a security boo service animal. I mean, I don't know that we'd have a teacher that would but that would not be considered a pet. Correct. That's a service animal. Good point. I just didn't. Okay. So, no deposit then. Well, the one month's rent. Yeah. Deposit. Okay. I saw the 500 was was out. So, just the security deposit. And how much was it? One month's rent. Okay. Because I know people that do this much. We had one Okay. Okay. Any other questions from the board? Not. Do I hear a motion to approve the
031recommended adjustments? Next item, consider approval of the proposed SY 2526 calendar. We meet again. those results reports and then you will notice before spring break. Good Friday. It's just another great I was impressed with the turnout for the voting. Wow. We you know I am very proud. I have to give kudos to our directors and our principles for getting good. That's great. Yeah. And it doesn't have anything to do with this calendar, but I have been approached by a couple of teachers that uh said now that we're going more days since they've been hemp employed, we've had the 10 PTO days and the two early days and the two business days. And was there any way that they could get more either more PTO or more personal leave days or more personal business days? For
032days, they have to earn it. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I did tell them Walmart was hiring and we changed the policy to where they can use those. Oh, yeah. For anything. Thank you. I would bring it to you after I told them Walmart was hiring. Well, thanks for everybody's work on this. We're ready to move forward and families can and teachers can make their plan. So, do I hear a motion to approve the recommended calendar for next year? I'll I'll move. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, communications director. Okay, thank you. Next item. Consider approval of the 2526 proposed budget. You're fine. That's a lot. So in your budget, what will be presented tonight is of the proposed outline summary. You also have a one page simple. Um, our focus is on aligning our financial resources with
033district priorities to support student achievement and long-term success. This budget reflects intentional investments in areas that directly impact student learning and staff support and academics. We're updating curriculum and enhancing digital resources to improve outcomes. Technology upgrades like device replacements and better connectivity will mo will modernize our classrooms. We're also continuing to invest in school safety and in keeping our salaries competitive. Our operational fund is supported mainly by the state equalization guarantee. You've heard me say SEG, which makes up over 55 million. Additional funds support specific areas like transportation, food services, and athletics. Our grants, both federal and state, provide critical support for programs like Title One, Medicaid funded services, and local initiatives. The operational budget is projected to grow by just under 4 million, a 7.4 increase over last year. This increase will support a
0344% raise for staff and help cover rising medical and risk insurance premiums. These adjustments are essential to remain competitive and protect the district from growing liability costs. Instructional services represent the largest part of our operational spending, close to 34 million, serving 285 full-time employees in the instructional services. We've increased compensation in that group by 1.8 million and benefits by over 570,000. In support services, we've shifted some costs like maintenance supplies to local county tax collections and health care to Medicaid funding. This helps us free up operational funds for other priorities. Overall, this budget reflects efficient use of resources while maintaining core functions. About 59% of our operational budget is focused on direct instructional services, classroom support, teaching staff, and learning materials. The remaining 41% supports essential wraparound services like counseling, student health, transportation, and facilities
035maintenance. We're keeping our focus on what students need both inside and outside the classroom. Our people are our greatest asset. 84% of our operational budget goes directly to salaries and benefits. This reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting the dedicated staff who make student success possible every day. Our proposed average teacher salary for 2526 is just over 82,000, a 4% increase from last year. This exceeds both the adjusted state and national averages, positioning us as a leader in educator compensation. Strong salaries help us recruit and retain top educators and reinforce our investment in teaching quality. This budget is more than numbers. It's a strategy for impact. We're connecting every dollar to student achievement, school safety, and strong partnerships with families and the community. The resources outlined here build the foundation for academic excellence, operational strength, and
036a vibrant future for every Wildcat. So, that concludes the presentation, and I stand for questions. That was fantastic. Thank you, Tanya. I know that took a lot of work, you and your team, but that is great. Will we get a copy of that? Lovely. I will definitely have Vanessa give you a copy. Okay, that is fantastic. So, I'm going to open it up for questions from the board. I have a question about the budget itself. Go back to the slide that says investing in our people, please. That right there, we need a big poster of that to take to job fairs. We need to start going out and telling people this is what we pay. We need certified teachers to come to Lvington because you make good money and then we maybe won't have so
037many long-term subs if we can get some certified teachers interested in that making that kind of you guys. When I retired in 2019, 35 years 37 years experience and a masters plus 45 I was making 72,000 and that was with my my increment for science Olympia. So, I mean, they're making good money. And if we made that one right there into a poster and said, "Come to Lovington. You won't regret it. We have a new Main Street. You can drive all the way down now." Um, I just I really believe that we if we got that out to some job fairs, we could start recruiting some people to come. Very good. Certified teachers to come. And I always think about a former board member that he would always say, you get to have your cake
038twice because with that kind of a salary, it totally impacts your retirement and and there's good retirement in New Mexico. So, absolutely. Well, if we don't have administrators that are able to go, I'll go. You make me a poster and I'll take it. The last investing the future of every one resource at a time building foundation for academic excellence, teacher growth and community success and that strategic plan. But that sentence right there is so powerful. I'm going to be writing that in our cabinet room as well. But that is that sums it up. We'll make that poster, too. I'll take both of them. Well, and I do appreciate I I mean, you know, I always get nervous as we start inching towards 90% because it it we've seen other districts that have gone too far
039that direction and it's very difficult for them later. And so 84% is a is a great number and yet we're able to really support our people. So, this was great. Thank you very much. Very good. Thank you. Any other questions, comments from the board. Thank you, Tanya, to you and your team for putting all of this together. Superintendent's recommendation to approve. Okay. Do I hear a motion to approve the proposed budgets as presented? Make the motion. You two wake up down there. Okay. All right. Thank you. Okay. Quickly, other information. A reminder of the upcoming law conference. Unless you uh tell Vanessa directly that you're going, you will not have registration or a room made. So, um, and then the leadership retreat in July. I believe it's in Cloud Crop, but we've not received confirmation
040on that yet. Um, public comment time. Is anybody here for public comment? All right. Is there anything else? All right. Thanks, everyone. Do I hear a motion to adjurnn? Okay. Thank you guys.