again for being here tonight. I would like to call this meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. If you are able, if you can stand and join us in the pledge of allegiance. Tonight, our land. Acknowledgement will be read
by director Bates. Hey, good evening. On behalf of this board and the Cherry Creek School District, I'd like to acknowledge that this meeting is be being held on the ancestral and unseated lands of the Cheyenne
Arapjo and OA Shao we people who stewarded it for generations. The OI
the Shaoi includes seven bands. So I'd like also to recognize that over 40 additional tribal nations likely use this area for
trade ceremonies and social gatherings. >> Thank you. At this time, I would call for a motion to approve the agenda for the April 13, 2026 regular board of education meeting. >> So moved. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second.
>> Thank you. Roll call, please. >> Directors Bates, >> I. >> Egan, >> I. >> Futrell, >> I. >> Garland, >> I. >> Ham, >> I. >> Thank you. That motion carries. At this time, I call for a motion to approve the
minutes listed on the April 13, 2026 agenda. >> So moved. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Roll call, please. Director Spates >> I. >> Egan. >> I. >> Lro. >> I. >> Garland.
>> I. >> Ham. >> I. >> Thank you. That motion carries. At this time, we will have communications from our board of education, beginning with Director Bates. >> Well, good evening again. Um, I have a
couple items I want to go over, please. One is the special audit. Uh, regarding that, last week the audit committee finalized and released the request for proposal for our internal controls audit.
The request for a proposal will remain open for three weeks with a proposed budget of $250,000. Once a firm is selected, they will conduct the audit and the committee will review the findings,
make recommendations to the board, and the district will move forward with implementing any approved recommendations. You can find the request for proposal and additional information about the audit process on the accountability web
page at cherrycreekschools.org orgacountability. Second, I would also want to acknowledge the difficult decisions being made as we work to ensure a balanced budget for the
2026 2027 school year. I appreciate the work of our district finance team and look forward to the upcoming budget pre presentations as we move forward to final adoption of a
budget in June and early June. I'd be remiss to not mention some special recognitions, you know. So, I'd like to recognize some of the great work happening at our high schools. For example, at Cherokee Trail,
we're seeing outstanding student achievement, including a student select being selected for for the prestigious US Senate youth program and the student athlete
being named athlete of the month. And at Eaglerest, it's great to see a wide range of student engagement through the performing arts with multiple upcoming productions and performances that
showcase the talent and creativity of our students. Thank you. >> Thank you, Director Bates. At this time, we will have comments from Director Futrell. Thank you, President Egan. Uh, welcome
to the North Side. Uh, I want to begin with gratitude and special acknowledgement to, uh, Prairie Middle School for hosting us this evening. Um, I dunked my first basketball in this gym. Now, it takes me 30 minutes to warm up my knees in the morning.
Nothing reminds me more than this floor. Um, I know I've made it because I'm on the notable alumni wall right uh outside of these doors and it's always good vibes um when I'm in these halls. As a proud Hawk, this space is personal for me. This is where my journey in Cherry
Creek began, where I developed a love for academics, athletics, and public speaking. It's also where my son now attends, thriving as an honoral student throughout sixth grade and preparing to have multiple pieces featured in the district-wide art show.
This year he also ran track and played basketball for Prairie, truly embracing the balance between academics and extracurriculars. So at this point I'm just living vicariously through him. I want to give a special shout out to Principal Duran and the entire Prairie
team. I've had the privilege of supporting uh regularly during lunch duties. Um and what stands out is the intentional culture and belonging here. students are supported, seen, and given real opportunities to achieve as heard
from Lily Rodriguez tonight. A few weeks ago, I had the honor of joining the team at uh Smoky Hill High School, the Cherry Creek team um for Wellfest, a powerful celebration of connection, joy, and strength. I opened that event with a poem and facilitated two
workshops well-being through creativity and identity. What stayed with me wasn't just about the sessions. It was the conversations that followed. Students shared deeply personal reflections reinforcing something we all know.
Creative expression is not a luxury. It is essential to mental health and healing. With yoga, dance, and music woven throughout the day, Wellfest reminded us what's possible when we enter wellness. I want to salute the entire team
including Diana and Mindy and Christy and Michelle and for all of their leadership um and I would gladly participate again. So, please make sure to invite me. That experience was echoed again as I served as an art adjudicator at Liberty Middle School. Once again, I witnessed
the resilience of our young people. Students who have experienced real pain and loss are using art as a vessel to find balance, purpose, and healing. It reinforced for me that when we talk about mental health, we must also talk about the arts, not as enrichment, but
as a critical support system. I'll continue this work later this month at Laredo Middle School, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to stay connected to student voice in this way. I also want to highlight the incredible engagement that's happening across the district during the spring. We recently saw over
400 students across a 100 teams participate in Robocon at Cherry Creek Innovation Campus. A powerful example of collaboration, innovation, and student leadership in action. My son participated last year, and if you've never been, I encourage you to. It's
just as competitive as our other sports and encourages our students to explore their relationship with science and math in an authentic way. As we wrap up SEMASS testing, I want to acknowledge the effort our students, educators, and families have put in. While these
assessments provide important academic benchmarks, we must remain equally committed to ensuring that our students and teachers feel supported, grounded, and cared for throughout this process. Finally, I had the opportunity to participate in our medical our final
medical advisory board meeting just recently last week of the year here in the ozone um at the Overland and Pathways uh campus. We explored the new Pathways program and expanded opportunities for concurrent enrollment
and industry certifications. What's being built here is truly transformative and a state-of-the-art of environment preparing students not just for graduation but for real tangible success and beyond it. I want to give a special
shout out to one particular student um Bailey Gray, a senior at Overland High School who continues to represent the very best of Cherry Creek. Um, she popped up in my Insta feed and through her work in broadcast journalism with OTV and her selection to the Colorado
All-Star Choir, Bailey exemplifies excellence across our disciplines. Finally, I remain committed to showing up in our schools and community supporting our uh fundraisers and all other things that we're doing um that engage directly with our students. This
weekend, I'll also spend time reading with our K through third grade students at um several different schools, reinforcing foundational importance for literacy as we do everything in support of our 2030 literacy goal. And I'll close with this. When we create spaces where people are seen, students and
teachers alike, where their stories matter, where their stories and their futures are not imagined, but we are here for them and they are built for them. We just don't educate, we transform. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Director Futrell, Director Garland. >> Thank you, President Egan. Good evening. Thank you to the Prairie Middle School community for hosting us tonight. Over the years, many of you have heard me express my unapologetic pride in being a
graduate of public schools. When moving to this state, like many families across this district and many of our students every night, I did my homework. I chose this community not only for great public schools, but because voters and residents enthusiastically support our
schools, including the teachers and staff. A great a great public education gave me and ultimately my family, a trajectory I could have never imagined. I am clear on my why and why education is so important.
Today, across our state, public education is facing real challenges. budget cuts, inflation, inflation, rising cost, including employee health care, combined with the declining birth rates, and the restrictions public entities face under Taber have once
again place Colorado school districts on their heels. At a time when many of our schools within Cherry Creek and across the metro area are making strides and seeing growth in academic performance and other indicators, it is understandable that there are that there is concern about the impact of potential
cuts. I can assure you my colleagues and I share those concerns. What I can also assure you of is this. Our district continues to prioritize students in classrooms. Cherry Creek School District prides itself on running a lean central office with the vast majority of our
funding going directly to schools. 90% of our budget is people salaries and benefits while only 3.8% support central office staff. When you see staffing changes at schools, those are driven by enrollment shifts, not necessarily
budget reductions. And our staffing our staffing ratios will remain consistent. So, how can you help? Stay engaged and stay in and continue to show up not just here in our community, but at the state level as well. I encourage you too to be
an unapologetic pro education voter at all levels including for the state, federal, and other and other offices. Your voice matters and your advocacy makes a difference. I I also want to I want excuse me, I also want to share some exciting updates across our
district. Construction on the new Laredo Middle School has reached a major milestone with with crews recently beginning to pour concrete and it's exciting to finally see this project get going. As many of you have noticed arriving this evening, the new addition across the way, the swimming pool. It
stands as it stands as more than just a facility. It represents a meaningful investment in the Overland community. One that will expand opportunities for students through competitive swimming, water sports, and recreational use. This space has the potential to be lifesaving, to build confidence, to
foster community, and perhaps to inspire future collegiate or Olympic level athletes. While we are proud of our partnership with Utah Pool, having a world-class facility on campus ensures greater access and consistency for our students and families. At the same time,
this pool carries carries a deeper significance rooted in history. Access to swimming and aquatic spaces has not always been equitable. Following the Supreme Court's rulings to to to desegregate public accommodations, many
communities across the country chose to close or even destroy public pools rather than integrate them. Others shifted towards privatization through HOAs which many of us live in today and membershipbased models creating barriers
that create creating barriers that disproportionately excluded black communities and communities of color. These systemic inequities combined with cultural and social factors including long-standing biases around black hair and identity have contributed to generational gaps and access to
swimming. And yet, water itself holds deep ancestral significance from its role in survival and movement along the Underground Railroad and its place in recreation and wellness. This new facility represents progress and intent an intentional step toward equity,
inclusion, and access. Thank you to our Boers and community members for supporting an investment that helps ensure every student has the opportunity to safely engage, learn, and thrive in and around the water. We are also proud to share that on March
11th, the Colorado State Board of Education approved Cherry Creek School District's teacher degree apprenticeship program. This innovative pathway allows aspiring educators to gain hands-on experience in our classrooms while working toward their teaching degree. Developed in partnership with the
Community College of Aurora, this program helps build a strong local pipeline for future teachers while aligning with Colorado's teacher quality standards. It is a meaningful step forward in strengthening and diversifying our educator workforce. And speaking of future educators, I'd like
to highlight one of our incredible students. This this week, the district will share the story of Smoky Hill senior Trey Greenwood. With the encouragement from teachers and counselors who recognized his potential, Trey began exploring a career in education through our future educators program. He is now continuing that that
journey that journey through the call me mister program at MSU Denver which focuses on increasing diversity in the teaching profession. Trey's goal is to become an educator and one day a principal or even a superintendent. His story is a powerful reminder of what pos
what is possible when students are supported and inspired. I encourage all of you to follow these student spotlights on our district social media channels. They truly reflect the heart of our schools. I also want to mention that the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation will host its annual golf tournament on
Monday, June 1st at the Saddle Rock Golf Course. Forms are $1,200. The proceeds help support programs and opportunities for our students, and I encourage those interested to learn more on the website. Congratulations to Lauren and Sienna Betts, recent Graham View graduates and
sisters who won the Natty, the the NCAA women's final four. That is a tremendous step in women's sports. Lauren Betts also won the MVP of the entire tournament. And a special shout out to their parents. The rest of us are very jealous that your years of dollars,
practice, endless tournaments, and all the travel and all the weekends paid off. But congratulations. It is good to see the sports parents thrive and to win. Finally, as we move into spring, we are in the home stretch of the school year, just about six weeks to go.
Alongside standardized testing, our schools are alive with concerts, performances, athletic events, and countless moments of learning and growth. It is a busy and exciting time across the district. Like every year, I am inspired by our students and excited to see what the future holds for all of our littles. Happy spring and let's
finish strong. Thank you. >> Thank you, Director Garland, Director Ham. >> Thank you, President Egan. Uh, thank you to Prairie Middle School and the Chir Creek staff for setting up here and allowing us to be here on the north
side. Uh, I was a proud parent of a child that went here to Prairie and then on to Overland. So, I kind of feel very happy to be here. Uh, I'm also going to talk about something uh, Director Green just talked about, Grand View High School. Hopefully you all watch the
NCAs. Uh, one thing I got to talk about is congratulations Director Bates for Michigan winning Uh, no. Seriously, congratulations. But hopefully you all got a chance to watch the women's NCA. It was fantastic this
year. Uh, Grand View graduate Lauren Be uh Betts, who who's one one of the nation's top high school recruits, led the UCLA Bruins 79 to 51 victory over South Carolina. And if you follow women's NCA, South Carolina is always
one of the best. Uh Betts was named uh the final four most outstanding player and is projected to be a top five draft pick in the uh women's uh draft which is I think next week. Her sister, a freshman, uh Sienna is also at UCLA and
uh played in the game. And the the let's not forget the assistant coach u Michaela I hope I don't mess this up on Yenware uh uh who also went to Grand View High School. But the one I want to really focus on is the head coach at
Graview High School, Joshky. He was a former Blazer for those of us on the north side, taught at Overland. He has coached Graview High School to many, many women high school championships, and he's the one who's develop helped develop these young women
to be champions. So, if you see Josh, tell him thank you. Uh he's got a wonderful program there. Uh last month uh was Cherry Creek Reads Week. I think all the board members uh we got to go around to all the different schools,
well not all, we got as many as we could to read the book All the Stars in the Sky. Um it was a great book. I love one of the things I was at uh Creekide Elementary speaking to a kindergarten class. they kind of actually maybe
misinterpreted the uh meaning of all the stars in the sky. So it turned into a 45 minute discussion on space and stars and uh how fitting that we just watched the uh Aremis crews fly around the moon and
back and those kindergarters thinking of space and what they can do that to get there is amazing. Uh it was a special time. I can't wait. I I think we need very quick reads every week. It's a it's a great program. Uh last last month, if
any of you were here, you you heard me talk about the importance of the destination imagination program. Uh it is such a great program creates working together as a team, coming to
solutions, problem solving, public speaking, performance, developing crafts. Uh, I was a coach years ago and I loved doing the program there and I spoke about the importance and how well our teams did. But was even
better this weekend I was able to go up to Golden to Colorado School of Minds and Cherry Creek Schools had nine teams in the state finals. Uh, they all did great. Uh, the only problem was they scheduled like Cherry Creek Schools at the same time. So I could only get to
three of the nine performances. uh two from Sky Vista Middle School and one amazing performance from freshman at Cherry Creek High School. Uh they they were amazing. Uh the team's name was Con Conservatory of Matter and
I believe they had eight young men with some of the most elaborate costumes and props to demonstrate what they were doing. They were so good. They run the won the Renaissance award at the state for being one of the top performances
uh there. So brilliant program. I was so glad I was able to uh witness three of the nine. Uh and and to see our kids in action, that's that's what we cherished. And let if you have DI at your school, please thank your team coaches, your
educators, and your kids. Oh, and don't forget the parents that are giving up time for these kids as well. So, that concludes my comments. Thank you. >> Thank you, Director Hamick. Good evening again. Thank you to Prairie Middle School for hosting our meeting
here this evening and to Principal Carol Duran. And thank you to our safety, security, technology, and setup teams for making these meetings possible in these district schools. The board of education met last week to continue work around putting the theory of policy
governance into practice and how to utilize each of our individual skill sets to ensure that we operate as an efficient and effective governing body. The board in partnership with interim superintendent Dr. Jennifer Perry also continues to take action to increase
transparency, oversight, and communication between this district and our community. I'd like to correct some misinformation around an agenda item on the bond redemption fund that is rel related to misalignment
in timing of property tax payments and entrance principal payments due to money being available in a payment not yet due. There is an opportunity to transfer this money and invest it. The bond redemption fund is a debt service fund
and is not related to the 2024 bond. Many school districts do this every year. It complies with state law and has been standard practice for decades. I'd like to to congratulate the 22 students or schools for receiving the
John C. Irwin Award of Excellence and or the Governor's Distinguish Improvement Award this year. The John C. The Irwin Award is given to schools that exceed expectations on the academic achievement indicator of the state's school performance framework over a rolling
three-year period. The governor's distinguished improvement award established in 2002 recognizes schools that demonstrate exceptional longitudinal academic growth. These schoolsized in May. Congratulations
again. Congratulations are also in order to our partner, the Denver Summit Football Club, for their record-breaking kickoff game at Empower Field on March 28th. Through our partnership with this team, 50 students had the opportunity to
attend the inaugural home game. And a unique opportunity was also offered to eight of our female student athletes to participate on the field as fall retrievers. The games certainly showcase the community's overwhelming support for
women's sports and the National Women's Soccer League, and we're so proud to have them as our partner. The multi-year process to replace aging and deteriorating buildings on the Cherry Creek PK through 12 campus starting with Cherry Creek High School
has begun to ensure a fully operational campus throughout construction will be delivered in two phases. Phase one will include demolition of the two district administrative buildings on the corner of Union and Yuseite Streets on or about
April 20th, 2026. It will also include relocation of Cherry Creek High School's tennis courts. This work has already started and will conclude in mid August. Redeveloped parking areas and a primary vehicular entry to campus from Union
Avenue. Construction of new CCHS academic and athletic buildings. This construction will begin following the demolitions and the run is expected to complete in fall 2028. Finally, the last piece of phase one
will be the demolition of the existing West building, which will occur in late 2028. With construction beginning, a meeting is being held for the community on Monday, May 4th. We are also sending regular updates about construction
activities through the city of Greenwood Village and directly to our local residents and families. the work to build a new Holly Hills Elementary School, which will accommodate both Holly Ridge prek through 2 grade and
Holly Hills 3 through 5 into one preK through 5 elementary school is well underway. Construction is progressing steadily with the first of two project phases expected to be completed by fall 2026. We are celebrating construction
progress with a beam signing with students from both Holly Ridge and Holly Hills on May 4th. You can track the progress on all of our 2024 bond projects at www.cherrycreekschools.org
2024 mill and bond. Please join us for our next district accountability meeting this Wednesday, April 15th at 6:30 at the instructional instructional support facility. Members of this committee advised the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education on spending
priorities, parent engagement policies and practices, and they applications for charter schools. As you heard tonight mentioned by a couple of our students, it's the season for many wonderful students, staff, and community events.
Please consider attending one of the many upcoming band, coral, theater, or athletic events at our district high schools. Dr. Perry, I'll turn this over to you now. Thank you. >> Uh, thank you, President Egan. I appreciate being with you tonight and
happy April. Um, as many of you know, spring is budget season for school districts. And as we work to present a final budget for the 2627 school year to the board of education, um, that'll happen in June. While the state is not
cutting K12 as significantly this year, funding is not keeping pace with the rising costs of delivering highquality education. Regardless, my commitment is to deliver a balanced budget without pulling from reserves. Our people are
are our greatest asset. These decisions are not easy. In fact, they are incredibly difficult because there's no way in an organiza in an organization whose budget is made up almost entirely of people to avoid impacting
individuals. But they are necessary to ensure the long-term strength and stability of our district. Our priority has been to minimize impact in the classroom whenever possible including reloc reallocating resources to make investments and reductions when
necessary. One example of this um is that based on student needs we have reduced the number of mild moderate parah professionals while increasing the need the number of severe needs paras. As always, when tough decisions are made
regarding positions, we continue to work with those who are impacted to find other positions for them when possible. Along with reductions in staffing, primarily at the district departments, we are also pursuing cost-saving measures across external contracts,
supplies, food purchases, travel, and overtime, etc. Doing things like this are keeping us from having to make the very drastic decisions that other districts are making. As I stated in my letter last week, any changes to building staffing
are due to enrollment, not budget cuts, and are decided by the building principal. One other fact to consider is that when the community sees names listed on the consent agenda each month, those people are leaving for a myriad of reasons. For instance, this month almost
a hundred people on this list are retiring or moving out of state. This document is not an indication of eliminating a position. Primarily, it indicates a change in who will fill that. By reducing costs and a strengthening accountability, we are staying focused
on what matters most, which is educating students and delivering on our promise for excellence for all. That said, budget reductions of any size are difficult. I recognize that these decisions are impacting families, students, and staff. For more
information about these budget reductions, you can visit the accountability web page as previously mentioned. Some of the other things that are happening in uh spring as we head into this final stretch of the school year is we are fullheartedly in the middle of CAMass, PSAT, and SAT across
the district. These assessments, as mentioned, provide a consistent way to understand how students are progressing towards grade level expectations and help us measure their readiness for the next grade and their college and career pathways. Thank you for all you do to
support our students and your students during this time. As for the more fun and celebratory things I get to talk about, I had the opportunity to spend time with the superintendent's advisory council last week where students from across the district presented proposals to the
strategic planning team. Their ideas focused on studentled efforts to strengthen literacy, build connection among high schools, reduce exclusionary discipline practices, and better support families who speak languages other than English, primarily other than English,
among other priorities. Student voice is a powerful voice is a powerful VO uh force and I am deeply value their perspective. Our focus remains on ensuring academic excellence and opportunities for every student. Here are just a few things uh
that are evidence of that. This year we had 1,021 students in our district honored through the college board national recognition program which provides students with the opportunity to showcase their hard work and accomplishments on their college and school uh scholarship applications.
Additionally, we have 13 Daniels funds recipients this year. This scholarship is among the most selective and soughtafter in the US and is awarded based on commitment to community service, academic potential and financial need amongst other things. We're anxiously awaiting the final
decision on some veter scholars. We know we had step uh 11 students apply and we wish them luck. We actually know a little bit of behind the scenes information. It's just not released yet. So, we're excited about that. We do congratulate those 20 schools receiving John Irwin and and Governor's
Distinguished Awards. We had 12 schools honored last year and we appreciate the state for continuing to recognize so many of our schools. And last week we celebrated 250 outstanding staff at the celebration with the super superintendent at Eagle Crest High
School. Employees were uh honored for their service to students and for demonstrating the core values of whole well-being and engagement. I looked forward to a strong finish to this year. We'll come back to you in May where it's my favorite presentation of the year
where we celebrate um and center the accomplishments of our graduating seniors. Approximately 4,000 hands will get to shake in just about six weeks. And with that, I conclude my comments and I will introduce our um uh board presentation this evening with student
health uh led by uh chief of health Miss Michelle Weiner Robb as she brings her team up and gets ready to present. Gosh, Dr. Perry, I thought we were your favorite presentation of the year. >> Well, kids are kids are pretty good.
>> That's fine. >> Are we loaded here? Can you guys advance? Hey, good evening to the board. I'm sorry we're sharing a mic, but I promise you we won't scoot it around. Um Oh, thanks. Oh, hey. Thanks. Um, see, I am her favorite. Get her mic. Um, we are
so grateful to be here tonight. Again, my name is Michelle Winrab. I'm very honored to serve as the chief health officer in Cherry Creek Schools. We have a very big team, as you know, uh, who serve our nurses, Jen Ellerbrook, the director of health services, Andrew Russell, um, our director of mental
health services, and our Medicaid team is also under student health. Linda Keely is here as that director. Tonight we really wanted to focus on two other aspects of this work. One falls inside mental health and that's our social emotional learning screener and Diana
Raric, one of our amazing social workers and coordinators, is going to speak to that. But before she does, Nicole Maher, who is the assistant director of health services, but the lead for all things student family resources in this district. And she's going to define that
for you all and let everybody know what that includes. And so with that, I get to introduce them and let them take off. >> Perfect. Hi, good evening. My name I'm the assistant director um of student and family resources and I just wanted to
say that in Cherry Creek, we know that every student deserves access to their education. At the same time, we know that some students face barriers that make the access a little bit harder. Things like not having food, stable housing, or clean clothes. When those
basic needs are not met, learning cannot happen. Student and family resources exist to remove those barriers so students can fully access their education. This work is deeply connected to whole well-being because when students feel safe and supported,
they're ready to learn. So, I wanted to take you kind of on a journey of how student and family resources became. And it really started with McKenna Vento. So, McKenna Vento is a federal law which is grounded in FAPE, free and appropriate public education.
At its core, FAPE is about access. McKenna Vento requires us to remove barriers so students facing in housing instability can continue their education. So if qualified, a student has the educational right for immediate
enrollment, meaning we don't have to wait for like a birth certificate or something like that, school selection, transportation, and access to their same opportunities as their peers. Really, school becomes the place of a student stability.
Sorry. So what does McKenna Vento look like in Cherry Creek schools? Well, housing instability doesn't always look the way that people expect. Under the law, it includes families sharing houses due to economic hardship, students living in
hotels, motel, cars, campgrounds, shelters, or families being displaced by natural disasters such as fires or flooding. Students are identified through the enrollment process and/or school referrals at which point our Mckin Vento
team connects with families to determine eligibility and support. We currently have four Mckin Vento coordinators in our district partnering very closely with schools and departments to make sure these educational rights are protected. We currently serve about 900
students that qualify for McKenna Vento and 30 of them are considered unaccompanied youth and by definition that are students that are in the presence of without a parent or guardian. So knowing this, student and family resources was
created. Something that is just so near and dear to my heart as a nurse, as a human, and just as a mom in general is knowing that at some point in our life, we all need help. And so Masle's hierarchy of needs is where this comes in. It's not just a it's not just a
theory. If basic needs are not met, then students cannot access their educational day. This is the understanding that led to student and family resources and we just celebrated our one year. Um so now we support the entire district
with essential needs. Um to give some perspective, three years ago we had nine food and resource pantries. Today we have 34 serving over 1,000 people a month. We also provide support for staff because support goes both ways. From
October to April, we've served over 600 staff support bags um meeting needs in real time. And then I hope you can see that picture up there. That's Lucy. She's our blender bike and it's she comes to all the resource fairs with us. Um students jump on and they're able to
make smoothies with that bike. Oh, go ahead. Thank you. Um, so this past year we were really trying to build a year of trust and it's also a celebration of the wonderful things we did. One of our biggest highlights is the spring resource fair and we hosted over a thousand people at the spring
resource fair giving families access to backpacks, immunizations and sports physicals. And this is a time where families felt it might be difficult to show up in large groups. I would also like to take a moment to celebrate all of our departments. Um, anytime we call
for anything, they always say, "How can we help?" And my best example of that is, um, our Inside Out program is a summer program, and we really wanted to focus on giving students in hotels and motel some summer opportunities. And so we connect with the Inside Out U program
as well as food and nutrition and transportation. And we were able to get 13 students there uh, last summer. And this this next summer we're up to 26 students. And in the middle of all this hard work, uh, life happens just like it happens to
us. And SNAP benefits happened. Uh, families lost their SNAP benefits, their paychecks, and we responded with food and essential supports. We've also responded to immigration related concerns and public health needs, ensuring that schools remain a safe a
safe place with access. All of this really reinforces how closely student well-being and learning are connected. And now tying back to our strategic plan, I want to make the connection clear that if students cannot see, they cannot read. And so we have partnered
with two um vision community partners uh and they have screened over 700 students with 500 receiving glasses free to families completely. We've we've also provided 930 vaccines and 839 dental screenings through community
partnerships. So, we have some inside information. >> Sorry, we don't take anybody. >> Um, so we have two students that we know of that are under the Mckenn Vento that did qualify for the Beter Scholarship.
Um, so I won't say any names. Um, so really this is what happens when the community comes together, the school comes together and barriers are removed and access is protected. I really wanted to give a special thank you to our board of education and the
Cherry Creek Schools Foundation. Um, when uh when SNAP benefits really affected our families, um, you guys just showed up for us. And uh just to give some perspective to this number, previous years we've only earned like the most of $5,000 and this year we
earned $51,000 which went right back to families and right back to food and essential supports. Um okay. So then everything that I've shared tonight just exists because the need is there. It's not because we wanted to create additional programming.
And as we reflect on our first year, we just we do see an opportunity for a centralized student and family resource center. Can you imagine a place where you walk in and you get enrolled and school supplies and a fresh food market? It would just mean a difference and it would provide more access for more
families. Um so thank you for your time and your commitment to serving all students in Cherry Creek schools. Student and family resources exist because access matters. When barriers are removed, students are able to read, learn, thrive, and find
their pathway of purpose. It truly is an honor for me to do this work. Thank you so much. Then when we come to the social emotional learning screener, uh many of you have heard some of this information for the newer board members. Um this is our second year being universal in terms
of having all of our third through 12th graders have access to this screener and their opportunity to share their voice. Uh we started with a pilot four years ago with one that first year, one um administration to the second year and then the last two years we've done a fall and spring administration giving us
the opportunity to see some impact between the school year um and information from our students. This year we were really excited that our response rates were up to 83% in the fall. Um for for a context nationally uh
the organization that we our vendor tells us that 70% is um sometimes average in a lot of school districts. So that's a pretty excellent response from our students um sharing what they're experiencing and and how they feel about their skills. In the spring it often goes down a little bit as it did for us
um to 80.7. Um and what's really exciting is how the partnership between this information and data is now um being focused on by our directors at the educational operations um level. So instead of um being siloed in a department, it's really integrated with
the literacy plans, our disproportionality plans and whole well-being. And so when directors are meeting with the principles, um the buildings are looking at this data for their own building specifically. So you'll hear tonight more about our district response rates and some of that information from the district level, but
know that the work is really happening at the local level and it looks different for every school because um some schools already have excellent sense of belonging and and trusted adults. So they may be focused a little more on growth mindset or they may see that um emotional regulation is really
low. So they target that and then our um our directors are supporting that and other departments are supporting that. Um you'll see 62% overall sense of belonging. That's um on a scale of one through five. I always have to give the context for this because that seems it
is lower than it really should look. Um and I'm excited that the reporting data is going to look a little different next year because that is only counting kids who say um high strength and strength four or five on a liker scale. And then the threes kind of that middle level is
usually about 25 to 30%. So if we include that we're like 87%. Um and our goal of course is to have no students saying that it's an area of deficiency. But um we have grown over the last four years and then specifically on the next slide I'll show you um or on the next
slide I'll show you where we've grown over the last two years even. So we are seeing some immediate growth in the areas that we're targeting both as a district and in individual buildings. So as a reference um educational operations so those are our directors
are going to the buildings are looking at these priorities the literacy whole well-being and disproportionality and specifically we also want to look at within whole well-being is there disproportionality right and or how is this how can we use literacy to grow some of these skills um and so one
something that's exciting is we're we're starting to partner more with like curriculum instruction and um some of the other instructional partnerships because social emotional skills is all of what our teachers do, all of all of what our educators have to. Um, and one of the things this year that we've kind
of fine-tuned and gotten um stronger with is our understanding of some of the metrics. um when you're dealing with various questions that are composited, understanding what's the difference between um a percentage of questions answered favorably versus a percentage
of students that answer favorably was a um a refinement and a clarity we had to come to as a team this year. Um which I think will serve us better moving forward to really understand what we're representing because we want to be representing those individual students. In this slide you'll see um
developmentally oh let's see on this from left to right we always tend to read slides left to right um when we think of strengths again that's the 3.5 or um or greater on the light scale we're seeing students respond that their
sense of um well-being is reflected at these percentage rates across various demographics um culturally and um developmentally or age wise. And what's really interesting is this is also important to look at at each school level, right? So this is a district-wide
um summary of our students. And it's um somewhat easier to interpret because there's larger numbers in some of the demographics. Um because at some schools you might have a very small number of students in in one of those categories. Um
and what we know what we're seeing is that there's there's a discrepancy there and that concerns us. We want to continue to build places of belonging uh like at the affinity groups our student was speaking about from overland and like um the multiling I can't remember
what it's called the by seal of bi literacy um those are things that are helping our students have a sense of belonging with um from various cultures and then when we think about developmentally we also see our younger learners have a higher sense of
belonging u they report a a greater um experience of strength because they developmentally, right? I mean, remember when we were third graders, it was so exciting to be there and we know that some of that shift is developmental, but we also want to continue to be a place
that's engaging and at all of our schools um have that as be as close to 100% as possible. We also know that when we come when we think about change over time, um it's easier to see a shift in our secondary um students. So you're
seeing um the breakdown between elementary responses and then our secondary because those um surveys are just slightly different. They're the same question for this particular domain, all those four questions on the left are the questions. But you'll see
that from the fall of 2024, so a year and a half ago or two school years ago, we were at 49% for secondary. and we've grown 5% um in that year and a half, which is a really exciting celebration to me because that represents all of our sixth through 12th graders that are reporting.
Granted, we don't have every student reporting. Um and we can see in the elementary it's stayed more steady at that 67% strength area. Um and of course 54 we want to keep growing that and I I think we I can get caught up in the numbers, but again remembering that
that's the the students that are reporting strength. And another celebration is that last bullet on the lefth hand side that our student support question of these four questions is um consistently the highest area our students are rating. So both our elementary and secondary students um of
all the relationships um are saying that their teacher support is the highest and that's really key when it comes to the rigor and um our students attaining the the learning we're wanting to them to experience. schools in partnership with those
directors are embracing more morning meetings which we know help build belonging and connection. Um and they're alsating success plans either using curricula or um other interventions like relational lunches. Uh we have one
school that's focusing advisory on building social emotional skills. So schools are doing different things and we have we do give them the freedom to do that and then share what's what's working with other buildings to amplify it. This is the full kind of example um
across all eight top domain areas which is difficult to see from this distance so I will read them to you. The top one is emotional regulation. Um that's the area where we can show the most growth and this first slide is our elementary. The second is growth mindset. Um, which
is is an area we can grow. Uh, self- advocacy, self-management, sense of belonging, social awareness, supportive relationships, and then trusted adults. So, you'll see the trusted adults is our highest area, which is awesome. We know that a student having a trusted adult um
can be the key factor in their attendance, in their engagement, in their willingness to ask for help, whether that's academically or personally. Um, and so we celebrate that. Of course, we want to continue to grow that. We do also celebrate the growth that we've seen across some of these areas
since the fall. And then from our sixth through 12th graders, you'll also see here, um, it's not sorted in the same way. It I would high on the top this this time, but the trusted adults and supportive relationships again are our highest areas of strength for students.
Um I don't know what I just hit there. Um so our supportive relationships are our greatest celebration and the greatest area for our students to grow is growth mindset. And interestingly this is um also consistent with what
we've seen in um some of the staff staff surveys is that growth mindset is an area some of our staff say we need to grow in. Um so successes is we continue to see growth. One of our schools saw movement from fall to spring of 33%
um in a in the area they targeted. They targeted growth mindset and wow did they reach it. Um and then across our our secondary and high schools, we're seeing consistent growth at a smaller percentage rate. Um but we're seeing that across both of our first two
universal years. Um, we also have our schools reviewing open-ended questions because within the survey, students have the opportunity to answer a couple of open-ended questions and that can give us really valuable subjective data about what can um increase relationship and
trust and safety for them. And lastly, um, another huge celebration for this year is that families can now directly get their report within the um, document delivery portal of P school. They don't have to email anyone. They don't have to ask a principal. It's right in there. And for next year, uh, we're going to
continue working on the success plans, building on what's working, um, deepening recommendations and supports for staff and also creating some resources for families. So, thank you for your continued support of these efforts. Um, I hear students, you know, I we also do focus groups with
students and it's exciting to hear them talk about some of the ways they want to see belonging grow. similar to the superintendent's council. Um, students talk about just wanting to know more of the clubs and activities that create that that space and sense of belonging. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Director Bates.
Uh yeah, it's really impressive work supporting students and families. You know, as these programs continue to grow, especially the resource pantries and screenings, how are we measuring the long-term impact on student outcomes like
attendance, engagement, or academic success? happy to happy to attempt to answer that as best I can and then I'll have my friends for the for the real work. Um in terms of making this, you know,
sustainable um you we are absolutely well first of all acknowledging one more time the partnership that we have with um Cherry Creek Schools Foundation and um uh did I answer the right question?
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, you know, part Sorry, I have a really hard time I'm hearing across the way. It's the sound is really not my friend today. Um, you want to you want to answer this one or do you was this? Okay. So, um, again,
our partnerships are really critical because inside the district, as Nicole mentioned, and and certainly what Diana called out in terms of our executive directors in, um, in educational operations, having those partnerships internally is one. Having partnerships outside is the other. And the reason I
wanted to thank Angie and the foundation is because they're making inroads for us across well-being, period. um especially for student family resources and its growth, but also in support of social emotional wellness for our kids. And
having them be our partners here allows us to then explore these corporate partnerships and things which frankly um we we know that there are entities that partner with us in other ways that are super interested in supporting our students this way. I think it's just
been trying to figure out the right opportunities to offer them and with Angie's and her team's help, we're getting there. We really are. >> That makes sure. >> Yeah. And you know, I think what's really exciting and Diana mentioned it
in in her work as it relates to the strategic plan. We are starting to see direct through lines. We knew it would be coming and we've seen glimpses of them in the last two years of this work. But now we're seeing through lines in terms of how we work together with the
literacy team, with the whole well-being team, with disproportionality across sped and across other populations in in in school. And what what I know is that the data that we are acrewing through
that work is showing us um you know direct results related to kids coming to school being present which is more than just showing up obviously actually attending class doing that work. And then in terms of the um student family
resource data, we are very fortunate again another you know partnership internally with information systems. They have created what is a an internal let me stress internal dashboard for all of the services that we offer through
our students and families. And that dashboard allows us to see growth. It allows us to see deficit. It allows to see what we're spending. And it does allow us to track our kids. these amazing kids as you saw from that slide and what they achieve when they have
access but how how that that is shifting in terms of attendance because when we make it accessible they want to come to school that is not the issue. >> Thank you. Just one follow-up question you know with the the multiple data uh
points you shared around sense of belonging and differences across grade levels and student groups. How are we prioritizing where to focus resources that have the greatest impact? >> Yeah, it's a good question. As I focused
on in the presentation, a much of the decision- making is local, right, within each school because we know each community has um has a different personality, has different needs. So, when it comes to the resources, the majority of the resources, as Dr. Perry mentioned, is is
our people, right? Is relationships. And so much of the interventions that we're seeing schools do just has to do with shifting time, you know, allocating who's spending, you know, spending some intentional time with kids often is some of the simplest interventions we're
doing. So, um, we we experiment with it. If it's working, if we see it, students respond to it, we amplify it and share it. Um, and so that really it's it's that data point of iterate, you know, what do we believe? Try it, see if it worked or not, and if it didn't, we try
something different. Thank you. I I have no further questions. >> Thank you, Director Bates. Director Futrell. >> Thank you, President Egan. Uh Diana, thank you uh for all of this information. Um especially I I'm really
um interested around um the data that our our schools are seeing from all of these uh screeners. I I know my generation uh you know, we were told to walk it off. Nobody nobody asked us um any of these questions. So I'm I'm really interested in once we collect this data and we're able to translate
it, h how quickly are we able to turn that into real support um in the classrooms for for our kids and what kind of accountability is around that? >> Good question. I think the real support is immediate. I mean our buildings are
seeing this data and principles are sharing it with teachers. teachers each also have a dashboard for their own classes. Um, and they can then fine-tune their um, you know, kind of the instructions that they're instructions the supports or the um, opportunities
are giving their kids immediately. And as I said, some of our schools are seeing, you know, up to 30% change. Um, which that's an extraordinary one. I would say that I would not expect that year after year. Um, but it's it's exceptional. And when we think about
your question was two parts like how immediate do they see this? Um and then we also have the opportunity anything of concern in the open-ended questions. Um we both have like an immediate every night we check the questions if there's like certain keywords. Um I would be
into contact with the building the next day. Um but sometimes kids say things like um you know I wish my teacher would just listen more or you know would lower her voice or whatever you know and so seeing some of those trends um you know grade level teams or principles or
teachers individually can then respond to those sorts of things as well. >> Wow. So action plans are being put into into place almost immediately. >> Yeah. And then as far as that accountability that accountability comes again at the the teacher level. Many of our teachers are starting to use it which really excites me. Um we even have
like departments. I'll I'll highlight that many of our trusted adults as you as you focused on are in the arts and expressions and creatives um aspects of school um and then yeah grade levels and principles and then the executive directors when they're meeting uh with
the schools. This is a part of the dialogue that happens. >> Fantastic. Thank you. >> Um Nicole, I have one question for you. Uh congratulations on on all of your work. Uh 34 resource pantries is amazing. Can we have a round of applause uh again for that? I don't know if you
heard that number, serving over a thousand people um monthly. That that that's a lot. And then you add in screenings and all the other direct supports. Um I just want to know more about like what the long-term uh strategy is for sustaining this um
scaling it up or down. >> Yeah, I love that question and it's something that I was considering too, especially with how this world is just evolving so quickly it seems like. Um but you know we have these great partnerships that even Dr. Perry um
provided with our community and we've done these amazing events called done in a day and uh really it's like uh a business or whoever is interested in helping us will raise a bunch of food and then we'll stuff those red bags together and then they'll bring it to
our students. So we did that with um a community partner recent recently and that was like 300 bags they gave us for spring break. >> Wow. So, I mean, I really just feel like because we have a centralized office, uh, people know kind of where to put somebody that's interested in helping
our students. And I will tell you, I get a lot of outreach from our community that just says, "How can we help?" And I just think that's the best. I mean, our community is the best. >> Truly. Yeah. >> Yeah. Outreach and community support's the way to go. Thank you. Thank you for all the work that you're doing. >> Thank you. >> Those are my questions. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Director Futrell. Director Garland, thank you. um when you talked about this this school in particular that had a the 33% growth rate the growth and the growth mindset category um like what what precipitated that and what do students think that growth
mindset is or what are some other examples? >> Um so I don't fully know all the answer to that. I I know that they were doing some specific lessons about what it means to be in a growth mindset and some of the
language. Um I think they also talk to teachers about when you know when questions are asked to reaffirm that questions are an important way to grow. Um I so the this is my belief I don't this is not all from observation. Um
anecdotally I've also heard that like they use some of our curricula. Um and I think one of the pieces of growth is just reminding kids that they've learned you know when you didn't do something right one time you learned it and did it the next or the third or the fourth time. Um so that that perseverance
um yeah so but that's that's a place we again kind of ask principles to share out with one another how they're doing that because um the data the spring set just came out back after um spring break >> so I haven't had a chance to go out to that school yet but I certainly will.
>> Thank you. Um and I think that concludes my questions, but I just want to um comment and just how phenomenal that we had um two students who are Mckin Vento eligible and to win the beter scholarship. That is phenomenal because as we all know those students have the
highest rates of dropouts, foster care, all of like all of those things. But just kudos to you and your department for just supporting those students. And then just even um some of the things that we heard today um with the students being able to express their
gratitude for teachers that are willing to lean in and do the SEAL work. Um and I know like that sometimes that's a bit controversial for people, but um but yeah, that's I mean we're connectional humans and so that students are able to articulate and express to their teachers
and um the staff that you were the reason why I made it. And I know that even sometimes as teachers, you may not think, you know, what am I doing here? Is this making a difference? But to hear those stories today and those two scholars like yes, whatever that secret
sauce is, bottle it and keep doing that. But just thank you um for doing that. That that is amazing. Absolutely amazing. And Nicole, I see your nerves and you did an excellent job today. So I I feel your pain with that. Thank you. I'm that I'm finished.
>> Thanks, Director Garland. Director Ham, >> just a couple quick things. One, during my opening remarks, I made a comment about our Grand View High School student, Lauren Betts. She was selected number four by the Washington Mystics.
So, that probably came about while I was actually talking about it. So, I wanted to share that. Uh, you know, I love your presentation, how it's supporting our student wellness, our well-being and safety. I mean, these are the things that are going to lead our kids to
complete their pathway to purpose uh and grow their growth mindset. I mean, it's all these things all go together. My one question is, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you mentioned you had like 900 students
uh from the McKini Vanto Act. Are those kids at all our school at all our schools throughout the district? >> They are. We do not have a school in this district that does not have students who are identified under that federal statute for being unhoused. And
that number is uh statistically low right now, but we are serving families who also don't qualify because they may not be able to complete the paperwork or trust to do that. And so we work with
families based on their needs to make sure that they're accessing their education. So um in this time we are looking beyond the the federal law mandate because we know we have families out there who who are not comfortable completing that that paperwork.
>> Great. A big shout out especially to the 90% higher on the uh uh students that feel they're in a supportive relationship and have trusted teachers because when we have that kind of trust the academics and the literacy will
follow. Uh well done. Uh that concludes my uh questions. >> Thank you Director Ham and thank you to the three of you for being here. It's always nice to see you. I'm reminded and echoing my colleagues when I say, you
know, back in the day there was nothing like this. And then even in 2019 when director Garland and I ran the first time, this looked so much different. And so I just appreciate you leaning into the work, continuing to grow and be
curious about it and know what serves our kiddos. So thank you. It's it is you're right, uh to director Hamrik's point, if about this. There truly is a hierarchy. They need to be healthy physically and mentally. So, thank you
for doing that and appreciate you. >> Thank you so much. Right. It is at this point in our meeting that we make time for members of the audience who have completed the online public comment form prior to noon today to address the board of education.
In order for everyone to be limit your comments to a maximum of two minutes, a buzzer will sound at the end of two minutes. That's not We've changed. We have the the newest one.
>> I have A buzzer will sound at the end of the two minutes and the microphone and audio will be automatically muted. Each speaker may only speak once during public comment. Speaking time may not be shared between speakers. This is your
opportunity to make comments to the board of education in accordance with board policy. It is not a question and answer session. Please confine your comments to matters that are gerine to the business of the district. Further, please recognize that students attend most of our meetings. Any speaker whose
statements or behavior are unrelated to the business of the district, appear threatening or unsafe or or inappropriate for K12 students may be interrupted or warned, and their opportunity for comment terminated. Audience members who speak are asked to
do so in a respectful manner and the audience is encouraged to listen respectfully. Any speaker or audience member who disrupts the good order of the board meeting including the speaking time of others may be asked to leave. We are very interested in your feedback and
will listen carefully. On behalf of this board, I want to thank you in advance for your comments and for taking the time to come to tonight's meeting. Mr. Lindberg, will you please call our first group of speakers? >> Yes, thank you. Uh, we I'll call up
batches of five. So, the first five, please line up behind the microphone. Uh, the first name is Jenny Campbell, Leslie Dalton, Kathy Spears, Tiffany Milclo, and Kathy Katie Freeman.
Good evening. My name is Jenny Campbell and I'm a special education teacher of 19 years in Cherry Creek, eight of which in ILC, 11 in moderate needs. While I serve in various leadership roles within CCA, tonight I am speaking as an individual with serious concerns about
recent cuts to special education, specifically the loss of our moderate needs pair educators. We were told that studentf facing positions would not be reduced and yet these are the exact positions that are being cut. Positions that directly impact student learning every day. Our moderate needs paras are
not optional supports. They are essential. They bridge the gap between our small group instruction and the general education classroom providing real-time modifications supporting executive functioning and ensuring students can access their learning alongside their peers. They are they are
our eyes in the classroom and they respond in the moment to student needs. What is most concerning is that these decisions appear to be driven by comparison by what other districts are doing rather than what our students and our teachers truly need. Cherry Creek
has never been like other districts. We're known for going above and beyond our for our students and that is what has made us exceptional. Research tells us that early intervention matters in our classrooms. We're seeing the results every day. Our
data shows growth in reading, math, and our other IEP goals because our paras are helping our students apply what they learn not just in isolation but in real classroom settings. I invite you all to come to Pineriidge and see the impact for yourselves where the students are
not only improving academically but demonstrating reduced behaviors and increasing their independence because of these supports. Our moderate needs paras are more than than positions on a budget line. They are the difference between the access and frustration, between
dependence and independence, between students just getting by and truly succeeding. If we remove the very people who make access possible, Hi, I am a proud Cherry Creek District parent and a dedicated moderate needs
pareducator who believes in every student's potential. Over the past few weeks, the district decided to reduce and eliminate positions. At the last board meeting, the district special education department informed us about declining enrollment but a surge in special education populations. Yet this
k these cuts to these vital programs were made. An external audit may have revealed that neighboring districts have underutilized positions, but the very essence of Cherry Creek success lies in the people we lost. These positions are the backbone of Cherry Creek's
excellence and what attracts parents to our schools. Jobs were not the only thing that were lost when these decisions were made. caregivers, ambit ambitious young professionals, devoted mothers and fathers are losing paychecks, earned PTO, and vital benefits. Classroom teachers, special
education staff, mental health providers, school administration will lose support in finding helpful and innovative strategies, adapting materials, and assisting with classroom logistics to help impacted students succeed. They will lose an extra supportive ally to help a disregulated
student regain composure, ensuring a safe learning environment and uninterrupted instruction for all. Students on IEPs will lose their personalized attention and tailor academics that they receive and deserve. They will lose the stability and routine
which each will which will increase behavior. They will lose the people who give their blood, sweat and tears to ensure that they feel successful, safe and cared for. IEPs will be impacted. Paris and privilege of entering many
classrooms. Sadly, the biggest loss to all these students with whom they have built relationships and connections. They will lose their trusted adults, their cheerleaders, their shoulder to cry on, their encouraers, their mentors, and their advocates. Even with all that
will be lost, Paris will still walk through the doors of their Good evening. I am here today as a parent of two students, a moderate need student and a general education student. I have also worked as a parah for CCSD for nine years dedicated to excellence.
The phrase has been used to describe CCSD for over for decades. For the first time in over 15 years, I am at heartbroken doubting that CSC CCSD will stand for this. You have lost sight of what's differentiated CCSD as a district
dedicated to excellence. It is not the smartboards or facilities and definitely not the administrators or HR. I am relieved to hear Dr. Perry recognize this. Let me let me reiterate. It is the people that show up every day to love, support, and educate the 55,000 students that are counting on them to be there.
CCSD has the most amazing teachers in Paris, yet the district can discard all of the LD pairs. Have you been in the schools and witness the challenges these paras face? Our kids are not a number on a spreadsheet. How are you going to meet the educational and social emotional needs of the students who have IEPs but
are not ILC? It is absolutely the hardest job, especially with the behaviors we have to contend. Your staff is amazing. It takes the best kind of person to do this every day. This is what makes CC CCSD better. Make no mistake about it. This is not a special education pro problem. This affects
every student. By eliminating LD PAR positions, you have now put GENED teachers in classrooms with many struggling and vulnerable students without support compromising the effectiveness of their teaching and communicating to every student that they cannot depend on you for what they need most. Every student deserves an
education. Every student deserves to feel safe and be included. You have violated every one of CCSD's so-called core value, growth mindset, equity, whole well-being, engagement, and relationships for these students that depend on PAR support. You can hide behind a budget crisis and try to manage
the impact by making cuts that are detrimental to the community you serve. But the truth is, you have an obligation to your students, community, and staff to live up to the to your core values you promised to every student. And Hi, I'm Katie Freeman. I'm here on
behalf of my son, Oliver Freeman, who is profoundly autistic and non-verbal. And I'll be honest, I'm a little pissed I have to be here. I've had a really rough day and sorry to be candid with you, but I'm going to advocate as quickly as possible. I Ali is a constant constant noise is a
constant hyper vigilance that I have to stay ready for at any given moment. And I cannot imagine as a parent of just one child what it's like for one of my educators to walk in the door every moment of every day with 26 of these children in the classroom. I'm used to
stress. I don't know if they know this, but I was one of the first women attached to naval special warfare, special operations, and a SEAL team in Afghanistan in 2012. When when I was there, I was attached to support for a group of 24 guys and they
had hundreds of people behind them as support. And what happens when that support is cut? People's lives are in danger. Danger. I'm also a nurse in a trauma unit or used to be. And again, hundreds of people supporting those trauma teams. And when we cut support,
what happens? The patients suffer. The people suffer. Programs matter, but people matter more. And with you guys cutting these folks, 51 of them to be exact. These programs are going to suffer and these kids are going to suffer. And I know you guys care about
the suffering, but the budget doesn't align with that. So, I need you to try to figure it out and fix it. I went off I went off my speech. I'm sorry. I'm nervous. But I currently program where I have 35,000 lives to
look after on any given day. You guys have about 53,000. I work with a team of five people and a smaller budget than you guys have. I know you guys are smart enough to figure out that these people are worth every
>> I'm sorry, your time is up. Okay, as I call names, please be reminded to uh state your name as you start. Bridget Nelson, Ellie Mullins, Aaron Guggenheim, Carla Royel, and Jessica Nelson.
Good evening, Dr. Perry and members of the board. My name is Bridget Nelson, vice president of the pack, representing nearly 1,000 PAR educators who support students across Cherry Creek schools every day. I'm here because the people who care for our most vulnerable
learners who deescalate crisis, provide one-on-one academic and behavioral support, and keep classrooms running cannot afford to live on the wages this district provides. Many para educators work full-time yet rely on SNAP,
Medicaid, and other public assistance just to meet basic needs. That should never be the reality for professional educators. Most cannot afford to live independently. They depend on spouses, partners, or roommates to cover essentials like rent, groceries, and
gas. Even then, many still struggle. District health insurance is especially burdensome for a PAR educator. adding a family to their plan. The cost is so high that after working eight hours a day for 10 months, they would take home
roughly $1,000 for the entire year. Next year's health insurance premiums were released today. Moving forward, Paris will actually owe the district money after working all year. That is not a benefit. It is a barrier. We are losing
skilled, dedicated pareducators, not because they want to leave, but because they cannot afford to stay. High turnover forces the district to spend more on constant hiring and retraining while students lose the stability of
experienced support staff. Retaining PAR educators is not only the right thing to do, it is the most coste effective. We are asking you to recognize the value of PAR educators not just in words but in wages. We are asking you to make it
possible for these professionals to build sustainable careers in the Cherry Creek School District and continue supporting the students who depend on them every day. Our schools cannot function. Hello, my name is Elle. Mullins and I'm a junior at Eaglerest High School. I am
also a member of the Eagle Crest dance team. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you today. It truly means a lot to share part of my story. This district has truly changed my life. For a long time, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in the future. Like many students, I was still trying to figure out who I was and where I was
going. But because of the teachers in my life, teachers like Miss Shams, Mr. Brennan, Miss G, Mr. Sloan, and Miss Stell, I discovered something that completely changed my path. They showed me how powerful a teacher's impact can truly be. Watching the way they cared for their students inspired me. They
made me realize that teaching is more than a job. It's an opportunity to guide, encourage, and truly change lives. Because of them, I realized that I wanted to pursue teaching and hopefully make the same difference that they made for me. That is why the future educator program has meant so much to
me. Having the opportunity to explore teaching while still in high school has been an incredible experience. It has given me confidence, relationships, and experiences that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Working with my students has been the most meaningful part of this journey. Although they are young, they have already had such a huge
impact on me. Seeing their excitement to learn and hearing them say they want to become teachers one day is something I will never forget. However, they are seven, so I can't say much about their jobs in the future. But moments like that remind me why to teaching really matters. Programs like FE and AE are
incredibly important because they have give students real world experiences to help them discover passions that they may not have known they had. For students like me who are still figuring out our future, these programs open doors. You can't get this kind of experience just anywhere. These programs truly change lives and they changed
mine. I strongly encourage you to continue supporting FE and AE so many more students can have the same opportunity I did. And someday I hope to stand in my own classroom and change my students lives the same way that my teachers changed mine. Thank you.
>> Hi, my name is Carla Royel. I'm here again to advocate for our multilingual learners at Overland High School. specifically tonight are um Spanish speakers at Overland and um our cultural liaison Noanes. Um these are our
students and they are all Spanish speakers that she has influenced. We have Victoria, Yles, Naker, Marvin, Anel, Clayber, Alejandro, Yarini and Octavio. I am here tonight on their behalf. Um Maggro has spoken for them
for the past number of years and they are here tonight to speak for her. She has been removed from Overland. She has had a number of job offers in the district and she has turned them all down. She would like to remain at Overland and we would like to find the funding for her. We I am here to read a
letter from Octavio's mom. Octavio went from being an almost dropout at Overland to being our star pitcher on the Overland baseball team. And this is a letter from his mother. I'm going to read the first half and then Jamie Logan's going to read the second half. Dear members of the board of education,
Dr. Perry, the members of the audience. I write this letter not only as a parent, but as a mother who once had to make the hardest decision of her life. The decision to leave everything she knew behind in Venezuela in search of a hope for her child, my son Octavio. We did not leave because we wanted to. We
left because we had to. In Venezuela, life became uncertain. There were days when there was not enough food. When safety was not guaranteed. When dreams felt like something only other people were allowed to have. Like so many others, I made the painful choice to leave my home, my family, and everything familiar so that Octavio could have a
chance at a better future. When we arrived in the United States, I believe that the hardest part was behind us. I was wrong. Octavio struggled in ways I could not have imagined. A new language, a new culture, and a new school system overwhelmed him. He began missing school. His grades fell. I watched him
slowly lose confidence in himself. As a mother, it broke my heart to see the same child I brought here for opportunity begin to feel lost instead. And then everything changed. Thank you. Megan Candon, Kathy Valadez, Barry
Alpert, Cole the Reed Porter. Hi, my name is Kathy Baladez. I was a special ed teacher at Village East for 26 years. I retired and came back last school year to Pine Ridge to work as a mild moderate needs. I have heard that the reasoning for this
mass termination of mild moderate needs pairs is that no other local district has them. So why should we? That to me is analogous to the question, if everyone else jumps off a cliff, are you going to do it, too? I wish you had taken the time to see the benefits of
having the pairs in the Jedi classrooms, but since that didn't happen, this is what you'll find as you soar over the precipice. Down the slope, you will find special ed teachers hanging on to branches. I can verify that a special ed teacher's job is equivalent to two full-time jobs. One
is teaching, the other is paperwork. meetings and hopefully some plan time. Now, they will need to cover time in the Jed classroom as well as direct instruction in groups. This will be difficult to do. Further down the slope, you'll find Jed teachers huddled on a
ledge. Their jobs will also become harder as they will have less support dealing with behaviors and students not on grade level who will require extra time and guidance. It will affect their entire classes. and the river at the bottom of their students. The gened
population will be gainfully swimming, but their progress will be slowed as our teachers need to diversify more. Some mild moderate needs students will drift along, not learning and not doing any work without someone to encourage them. The ones I fear for the most are
the ones who don't qualify for ILC, but who benefit from support in the classroom. Without a support system on a regular basis, they will drown. They will have difficulty understanding assignments and feel more out of sync with their peers than they already do.
They know they struggle and this will affect them academically, socially, and emotionally. These cuts will affect students directly. Hi, my name's Cole. That's my par. She's amazing. Um, I've watched dedicated peer
professionals like Kathy work sideby side with our students in special education in ways that go far beyond the basic support. They have been the essential bridge that helps our students generalize the skills they learn in my small groups into other areas of their school day. This generalization is where
the real progress happens and our paras have been instrumental in making it possible. They have also been an incredible partners to us as special education teachers. By providing consistent skilled support throughout the day, they allow us to focus on instruction, data collection, and individualized planning rather than
being pulled in too many directions has been better than has been better teaching, improve student outcomes, and less burnout for the entire team. Most importantly, they have strengthened the whole school support network. They communicate effectively with case managers like myself, collaborate with
general education staff, and help keep and help build consistent highquality support that every child with disabilities deserves. Because of their work, I have successfully staffed out several students over the years. Students who no longer require special education support. This is something I
was never able to achieve without them. For these reasons, I respectfully request that we reconsider the proposed budget cuts to these positions. Without their support, I will need to replicate their rules through additional special education services. This would require me to add extensive push-in minutes to
IEPs, ultimately increasing our special education FTE needs. When considering the budget, it's also important to compare the cost. Licensed special education teacher is significantly more expensive than a pair professional. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Hello, my name is Barry Alpert and I am an ILC severe needs parent educator at Fox Hollow Elementary. I'm speaking today as a parent, a community member, a staff member, and someone who cares deeply about the children in this
district. I need to be direct. I am exhausted. We have all shared stories, raised alarms, and pleaded for the staff and students equity and safety. Yet, it feels like those concerns are ignored. Parents trust this district with their
children. Staff show up every day to protect, teach, and support them. We, the schools, are the front lines. And despite our dedication, we are met with decisions that make us feel undervalued, unheard, and unsafe. It is unacceptable
that staff fear fear for speaking up about student well-being. No one working in a school should have to choose between their job and their integrity. And let me be clear, a 6% cut to special populations may look small on paper, but
to family it feels like 100%. Every cut to a frontline position harms not just students with IEPs and ALPS. It harms every classroom, every peer, and the entire learning environment.
The leadership making these decisions needs to ask themselves a simple question. Are we serving our community or are we abandoning it? Our students deserve better. Our staff deserves better. And this community deserves a
district that invests in the values it claims to uphold. Thank you. Thank you for having me today. My name is Reed Porter and I'm a father of three students. My middle son, Abel, has Down syndrome and I'm deeply concerned about
the announced cuts to interventionists and pair professionals. I want to be clear. I don't envy your position. I understand that funding commitments are lagging and every allian item needs to be scrutinized, but decisions to cut special education support staff carry long-term consequences that outlast any
individual budget cycle. We've been told that no student on an IEP will be impacted by these cuts. But my son, Abel's school, is cutting a position for an interventionist that spent countless hours building his reading comprehension with no plans to replace that support. Abel's IEP specifically states that
he'll receive one-on-one support during reading for decoding and comprehension with specialized literacy instruction daily. That's not a suggestion. That's a legal commitment. I want to remind this board state investigators in in an idea non-compliance case this year stated the
idea does not excuse non-compliance with IEP implementation due to staffing shortages. Beyond IEPs, I've heard of other schools that are losing their entire mild mod para teams. When that happens, behavioral support support falls entirely on classroom teachers,
teachers who are already stretched thin. The National Council on Teacher Quality specifically warns districts that anticipate financial constraints should limit abrupt reductions in support educators due to their roles in both student success and teacher working conditions. Tonight, it was mentioned
that CCSD is decreasing mild mod pairs but increasing severe needs pairs. I'm not experiencing this. At Able School, there are two outgoing ILC students, but eight incoming. Despite this, there are no plans for additional severe needs pair professionals. I urge you as you
balance this year's budget, consider how deeply you cut into the people who hold our most vulnerable classrooms together. Thank you. Ununice Ununice Botwe, Emma Gonzalez, Sandrina Robinson, Nicole
Beravik, and Britney Scoffield. >> My name is Ununice Bachway and I'm originally from Ghana, West Africa. I am education specialist with degrees in special education K12 um masters in CLLDE and a postgraduate in education
leadership slash uh special education leadership. I currently sit on the par board of trustee for the school division. The core of my professional and prof uh personal life is guided by moral and ethical values of integrity,
honesty, respect and humility. I do not negotiate respect not with anyone. My history with the district dated back in 2010. I began as a preschool TA went on to be a preschool teacher and on-site director
and then I became um a read art teacher before leaving um Cherry Creek. I gained valuable experience while learning how m microaggressions can operate in quiet and undetectable
manner. My exit in 2019 was because a a dan director stated that I have no language. Meanwhile, I speak um three languages. I came back to Cherry Creek after four years. I thought it would be a change. But when
you are when you come back and you are being told that one of your coworkers is untouchable because of a relationship with a director in the district that is disturbing. I have had to make choices because of
decisions by um district personnels such as um Jenna Jenna Snake or whatever her name is and Adriel Fwood. Because of that, I was told it would be better for me to leave the district. It
will be in their in my best interest to leave the district. So, I left. All I'm asking is retain your teachers. >> Your time is up. >> Good evening, members of the board. My name is Emma Gonzalez and I'm speaking on behalf of the pair professionals. I
grew up in an individualized education program and I felt that the program I was in was beneficial to me and now I am helping children in need of support as well. As par as paraprofessionals, we are the hands-on support in your classrooms. We are the ones who deescalate crisis pre provide one-on-one
interventions for most of our vulnerable students and ensure that every child regardless of their challenges has a fair chance at learning. We are not just extra help. We are the safety that keeps these classrooms going. The per the proposed cuts to our pay and our
staffing levels are not just budget adjustments. They are direct hits to student sability. When you cut a parah, you are not just losing a losing an employee. A student also loses their advocate. A teacher loses a partner and a classroom loses balance. Less staff
means less time for safety issues and less time for individualized instruction. that our students are legally and ethically entitled to. We can't expect the schools to thrive while we are removing the people who are doing the heavy lifting. Furthermore, we must
address the reality of pay. We do this work because we love our students, but passion doesn't pay for our groceries, gas, or even our own children. You will spend more money on turnover, retraining, retraining, and substitute coverage than you would by simply paying a living wage to the experienced staff
who are already here and dedicated themselves to the district. I am asking the board to look beyond the spreadsheet and to see the students who will get the left behind if these cuts move forward. Please prioritize the people who make education possible. Protect our position so we can't continue to protect and
teach our students because without Paris, it will be difficult. Thank you. >> Hello, my name is Cindrina Robinson and I'm here to speak on behalf of Heritage Heights uh Academy which is a core knowledge K through8 chartered school in
the district. I'm here because I am also a very proud uh 74 year old grandmother who adopted her three grandchildren at the age of 66 and they were all under the age of five. Why did I select a
chartered school when I am a public school fedam? And I say that because I'm also a Bulma fellow, a building owner and managers association uh international and there's not a trophy downtown building downtown that doesn't have my name on it. And that was earned
through public education. But sometimes uh a chartered education or private education is what's needed for some families. My three grandchildren, they are um thriving. Uh, Heritage Heights offers a rigorous uh, curriculum which
is intellectually stimulating. It emphasizes cultural diversity and literacy diversity and cultural literacy as well as a very safe and welcoming community for every student for the 566
students that attend there. What I'm asking is that you look beyond the stigma of charter. Sometimes schools like this are needed for people like myself and others that have special needs. My one of my granddaughters,
she's got ADD. She decided that she wanted to repeat because she knew that she needed to be better. I didn't have to ask her, but that's the the safe and security that children in that environment are thriving. We've got a
waiting list of 1,400 students. Please do not deny them the opportunity to thrive as my children are thriving thriving. And by the way, I applaud you all. I've lived in the district since 1989 and I love Cherry Creek.
Hello ladies and gentlemen. My name is Nicole Bervik and I am an alumni of Heritage Heights Academy. I transitioned to HHA at the beginning of sixth grade from a local public school where was I where I was a high achieving student eager and ready to learn. On my first day at HHA, I was greeted with genuine
warmth from my teacher and new classmates. Despite this positive beginning, I felt overwhelmed academically and quickly realized that I had an educational gap between what I'm expected to know in the core curriculum of the charter school versus what I knew coming from a neighborhood school. The
first year coming to HHA was challenging, but help came in many forms. the welcoming atmosphere of the school, Miss Miller Forest smile at the beginning of the day and with help from my teachers and support of my peers, I was able to close the gap and return to being a high achieving student. Through
the rigorous curriculum at HHA challenged me to expand my world my world view and pushed me toward a true love of learning which ensured my success not only in HHA but in high school as well. Last year, I graduated from with honors from CEC High School,
earning my associates of science, CNA certificate, and Spanish by literacy certificate while still in high school. The skills I acquired while at HHA still guide my decision-making and perspective today. I truly believe that every child deserves an opportunity. As I stand here
before you tonight, I see myself as a testament to how a charter school can change the experience of a child and the educational life of a student. Therefore, I respectfully ask the board to allow Miss Miller Forest to open a secondary HHA location and extend these same opportunities to many more
students. Thank you very much. Hello. Uh my name is Britney Scoffield. I'm here to uh speak on behalf of the special education teams in the Paris. I am a mother of a student on an IEP with special needs and another of a neurotypical child. I attended CCSD
schools K through 12 and I am an employee in the district. This is copy text from the email regarding the 6% cut in special services budget. A majority of the affected positions though helpful in day-to-day programming are not required and not will not negatively
impact any students IEP or ALP. If this is true, the positions that are being cut are helpful, then cutting them is harmful to classrooms. While we claim that people are our priority, these sped cuts are not putting kids or people first. When we have lower adult support in the classrooms, specifically in the
form of paras, it hurts not only our special needs kids, but will, as a waterfall, affect our gened kids. CCSD must continue to provide the least restrictive environment for all students, including those with IEPs. This is not only a legal obligation, but one idea we've built our district on for
decades. I encourage you to spend a day with a parah whose job is being cut. With fewer adult employees and an increase in students in the ILC, in which my school is specifically impacted, our IEP kids will lose time in the gened classroom andor have increased
pressure put on our incredible sped teachers. The support for all students to be in general education classrooms is part of what makes all of our experiences in our school community. Please decrease the planned cuts on our special services teams in all schools so we can continue to be the district of
example in Colorado. We can't continue to be the district to recommend for these services if we don't continue to serve our kids as we promise. Alyssa Agafia, Anne Moore, Melissa Brooks, Carly
Holiday, and Brandon Sorry. My name is Anne Moore. I'm a former administrator and teacher, a past parents council president and PTCO president, and I'm currently a coach and sub in the district. Tonight, I am speaking directly to Prairie Middle
School community. Last Thursday, the district announced more than $20 million in cuts. At the very moment your students need more support and intervention, they are about to receive less. At Prairie, only eight% of
students are proficient in math and just 19% in language arts. Prairie is on a priority improvement plan. Colorado's clearest signal of urgent academic failure. This is your child's reality. While your students are sitting in
class, many are falling through the cracks. They are passed along without the skills they need, and they are arriving at Overland behind and are expected to catch up. Now, instead of intensifying support and interventions, the district is cutting them. Students
who cannot perform at grade level will struggle in high school. They will fall further behind. Some will disengage entirely, and too many will graduate unprepared for life. This is happening to your children now. Over 55% of your
property taxes go to this district. When 92% of students are not proficient in math and 81% are not proficient in reading, your children are being left behind and the district is responsible. Why are outcomes as low? What is being
done differently right now to fix it? And why are supports being cut while when students are still struggling? Your children do not get a second chance at middle school. Demand answers, demand a plan, demand results. Your children deserve more than empty promises. They
deserve to be taught to think, to learn, to achieve, and to care. Thank you. >> Good evening and thank you for the opportunity to speak and thank you for the hard work that you do for our districts. My name is Melissa Brooks and I'm the parent of a first grade student
in the district who relies on special education services every day. I'm here to speak about the 6% reduction in the special population's budget. When we talk about a 6% reduction, and it may seem small on a spreadsheet, but to families like mine, it is everything.
It's not abstract. It's real people. It's support. It's the difference between access and isolation. That 6% represents the support my daughter relies on throughout the school day. It's the special interventions teacher that helps
her access materials that move too quickly in the genad classroom but isn't fully addressed in other settings. Children like my daughter live in the in between. They don't really fit in one program or another. Yet, they're the ones being
asked to absorb the impact. We're told these roles are not required. There will be no negative impact. But families like mine know the reality. We see the difference these supports make. We feel it immediately when they're reduced or removed. Cherry Creek School District
speaks about values like equity and whole well-being. But values are only meaningful when they are help us guide to make difficult decisions. Equity is not about giving every student the same thing. The district values explained. It's about breaking down barriers to
provide fair access to all students like my daughter need these supports. And as a first grade student, she's going to need this through the rest of her educational career. We're talking about more budget cuts, and it's terrifying. As a parent, I understand you're facing difficult financial
decisions, but right now, it's a growing population and the most vulnerable students who are being asked to carry the burden. Good evening. I'm Karly Holiday, president of CCA. I want to start by acknowledging what Dr. Perry and our CFO
have attempted to do in a very difficult situation. Bring transparency to hard decisions. That matters and I don't take it for granted. I also recognize that some of these budget cuts are necessary. That's not in dispute. What I want to name and echo tonight on behalf of our
educators is the weight of what these decisions mean for the people who had no hand in creating the conditions that made them necessary. Educators and support staff did not overspend. They showed up through a pandemic, through years of being asked
to do more with less, and they continue to show up, even fighting for better funding from the state. and yet they are absorbing the consequences without having had a real seat at the table when those decisions were made. That has to change. Adding urgency to this, as we
enter open enrollment, employees just received next year's insurance rates. Some are facing monthly premium increases of 226%. Families are seeing 40% hikes. That is real money out of real paychecks for people who did not cause this problem or
discuss the solution. I believe there are still places to look before we ask employees to observe more outside contracts, programs that aren't delivering value to the people doing the work. And as this board surfaced so pointedly in last week's study session, the question of what Heritage Heights
Academy is actually paying the district for special education services. If we are not being red reimbursed dollar for dollar, that is a gap worth closing. I appreciated your questions on that and I hope you continue to pull on that thread. I was just officially elected to lead
this association and the work I'm most committed to do is building a genuine partnership between this district and the people who make it run. Not transactional, not after the fact, shared decision-making from the beginning. We are a public good and the
people. >> Your time is up. Thank you. Um, hi. I'm Brandon, uh, Brandon Bar, sorry. Um, I'd like to begin by thanking Mr. Futrial and Elementary special education directors, Julie Sauerberg and Ste Steven White for taking time to
respond to the email my wife and I sent um expressing our concern about these cuts to special education. Uh, that said, we remain deeply concerned about the decision to cut so many professional positions across the district. Uh my son is able to participate in the general education classroom because of the
support of his wonderful paras who work so hard to take care of him and to provide him the resources that he needs to succeed. Um next year his school is set to lose several special education paras and it's hard to believe that he and students like him will have access to the same level of success. Um and
that breaks our heart. Um in March Mr. White presented that to the board that while overall enrollment across the district is uh declining, enrollment in special education is increasing and it feels deeply counterintuitive to cut support for a growing population of our students. Uh despite these assurances
about right sizing, it we've lost confidence in the district's ability to ensure that IEPs and 504 plans will be adequately adequately met. The district was aware that it lacked the interpreters needed to prop properly support uh deaf and heart of hearing students earlier uh earlier this year
and last year and rather than bringing in available interpreters from an agency the district allowed students to go months without the support they need to be successful. Um this we are also wildly concerned about the the these positions being cut to save um money
while while there were actively auditing for fraud within potentially fraudulent um um contracts with accelerated education. Um I apologize. I'm deeply nervous. Um our family is deeply concerned about um whether the district will be able to
adequately serve our son and so many other students. um these this is a population that is not going to always have the ability to express their needs and ask for help when they need it. So here we all are doing it. Please
>> thank you. Amanda Theer, Anelkus Ecman, Munos, Jamie Logan, Tatiana Stern, and Suzanne Swag. Hello, my name is Amanda Theer and I'm here to speak about the pattern of
behavior that has left this whole community that you've just heard from feeling sidelined and silenced. We've all seen the recent Denver 7 investigations by Tony Kovaleeski. These reports are not just noise. Deeper transparency problem in this district.
At the same time, we're being asked to accept $23 million in cuts. Yet the decision-making process remains a black box. Nobody can see in. The board announced an independent audit to rebuild trust. But the trust is not
built in secret. How were the audit committee members selected? Who chose the facilitator? Someone with prior ties to district leadership. And what is the full extent of that relationship really? And if these meetings are only about setting RFP criteria, why are they not
open to the public? When the meetings are closed and questions go unanswered, it creates the appearance that decisions have already been made. We deserve to know, is this audit truly independent or it is it an already curated process? Transparency is also about what's not
being said. Why are district accountability committee budget meetings being canceled during a financial shortfall? Where is the public discussion about how 159 job cuts will impact student safety and learning? At the same time, this district committed
millions to a new soccer stadium. While we all support women's sports, the optics do matter. While student support roles are being cut, the community sees leadership tied to highcost partnerships. Finally, we must address the line between public service and political campaigning. Using board
related events or student images in campaign materials undermines public trust. Our children are not campaign props. The community is paying attention. We want transparency. We want accountability and leadership that
prioritizes its students. It is time. Thank you. >> Hello. My name is Jamie Logan. I'm a teacher right here at Overland. Um before I continue the story of the parent um who we're speaking for, I just want you to look at my kids, right?
These are your kids. These are our kids. And there's a thousand more students at Overland that are really they're impacted every day by a woman named Magro. That's Spanish for miracle. And she literally is a miracle at Overland.
And so we're we're here on behalf of the students and families who are impacted every day. Um and also a teacher. I I couldn't do my job without her. So, we left at this and then everything changed. We were blessed to meet Wagro, our cultural liaison, an extraordinary
woman who saw my son not as a problem but as potential. She understood his language, his culture, and most importantly his heart. She reached him in a way that others could not. Magro encouraged him. She guided him. She believed in him. Because of her, Octavio
began attending school regularly. His grades improved. His confidence returned. He found a sense of belonging that had been missing since we left home. Today, I'm proud to say that Octavio is not only succeeding academically, but he is also thriving. He's a member of the varsity baseball
team. Do you know what it takes to even get a physical in this town? He's on varsity baseball. He's doing so well. He's not just a player, but a starting pitcher. Watching him stand on that field strong and determined. I see the dream I carried across the borders
finally coming to life. This transformation did not happen by chance. It happened because Magro cared enough to step in to understand and to uplift. Agro did more than support my son. She changed the course of his life. As a parent, there are no words strong enough
to express my gratitude. She gave my child back his confidence, his direction, and his belief in himself. She reminded him that where he comes from is not a limitation but a strength. I respectfully ask that you not only recognize me logger's dedication.
Thank you. Good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Suzanne Swang and I'm a fifth grade teacher and a parent in the district. I would like to share my classroom perspective on the cuts to special education services,
particularly the reduction of staffing and support of for students with mild to moderate needs. Paraprofessionals and sped staff are essential. They allow us teachers to effectively differentiate
instruction, support offtask behavior, to ensure all students can access grade level content, and so much more. In our school newsletter this month, our principal proudly wrote, quote, "Our school has been recognized as one of
only five schools in the district to receive the Governor's Distinguished Improvement Award. This is the second year in a row that we have received this prestigious award given to schools who exceed academic growth expectations.
This honor reflects the dedication of our students, the hard work of our staff, and the strong support from our community. We are so proud of this accomplishment." End quote. The success we are currently seeing at our school is not accidental. It is the result of
teachers collaborating with sped teams and parah professionals to provide consistent targeted support. I currently have six students 1/4 of my classroom who receive sped services and many of
them continue to need additional assistance when they return to the classroom. I also have six students some overlapping who require regular and at times intensive behavioral support from mental health and paras without the
behavioral support that creates a very real challenge when a teacher is managing behavior who is delivering instruction who is working with small groups who is providing intervention or extension we cannot reduce support and expect I'm sorry your time is Nicole Wing, Melissa Scully, Sarah
Olmstead. Hello, members of the board. I'm a parent of two daughters in special populations. My nine-year-old's in the ILC program and my 14-year-old is in the GT program. Uh for today, I want to focus on the sped students because they are among the most vulnerable. Um
families like mine, I chose the district specifically because of its promise. Um you know, dedicated to excellence. Uh we trust that means every child. Um but I'm deeply concerned that these budget cuts are going to put that promise at risk. Um, since the 2122 school year, overall
enrollment in the district has decreased by 2.08%. In contrast to that, your sped population has increased by 1.5. Yet, we're proposing a 6% reduction to a population that's growing. That is not just a budget decision. It has real
consequences for real children. I also must question the claim of the independent study that the district did that mentions special populations as being overstaffed. Anyone that spent any significant time in the ILC knows that that feedback is
laughable and quite the opposite of overstaffed. ILC teachers, resource providers, pairs, and therapists are working their absolute max as it is. the assurance that these cuts will not impact IEPs and ALPS. It's just simply
not reality. The numbers and the lived experience say otherwise. As a parent of a child with special needs, this isn't theoretical. Um, this is personal. We dedicate our lives to helping our children reach their full potential,
becoming active members, productive members of society. These cuts will mean less resources, more risk, less time these children will be able to spend in general population of classrooms because of staff short staff shortages. The research proves increased time spent in inclusive general education settings
positively correlates with better post school. Good evening. My name is Melissa Scully. I have been an active parent in the district for more than 15 years. It's nice to see you, Dr. Perry. I ask you guys to look at these budget cuts
instead of as a negative, as an opportunity. We have spent a lot on a lot of programs that aren't effective. We are buying iPads and Chromebooks for first graders. That's not a great use. We have so many studies that show we need our kids are
on screens all the time. That's a great budget cut. Let's get rid of screens in classrooms in elementary schools. And let's return to hands-on learning, learning that's fun, small classroom sizes, plenty of supports for every kid
that needs it. Every parent and teacher and para that's come here tonight, that represents a minor number of all the other people who are thinking what they think. If people come here to talk to you and show up, that's a fraction of what people are thinking out there. So, I just encourage you to, this is crazy,
but if anyone's ever seen the movie Dave, right? Like I'm dating myself. You had a politician who wasn't really a politician and he threw out as usual and he threw out all the bureaucracy and they started with what mattered. And I challenge you to start
with what matters and it's our students. It's every single person that's facing our students. We need a return to discipline. We need a a classroom, not not just basics. math facts, curriculum that works,
phonics, site words. Let's start with building blocks that we know are effective and make sure that our kids are walking out literate. We have a huge problem with decline in performance. Throw it all out. Look at what's effective and get rid of anything that
is not effective and give all of our children the support that they need to be successful. So that's my challenge to you. Thank you. My name is Sarah Olmstead and I wanted to talk about the between the board and the community that is widening. While
the press exposes corruption and mismanagement, this board remains silent, abdicating its primary responsibility of independent oversight. You recently allowed the formation of an internal audit committee that is frankly
a conflict of interest minefield. By allowing the district to staff this committee with its own upper leadership, you have authorized the district to grade its own homework. Why is CFO Scott Smith on this committee? He oversaw the period where 33,000 was paid out for
travel in a single month. that exceeded district caps. Along with payments, the Denver Post reports had no documentation and another $57,000 of travel expenses that weren't even authorized. Under his watch, our S&P
rating is dropped to a double A due to quote declining reserves and elevated debt burden. Why have you, the board, tasked the person at the center of a financial controversy with deciding what you
Furthermore, you see the board member Terry Bates, husband of former board president Kelly Bates, who helped hire Chris Smith. Terry is also the CFO at RK Industry, one of the largest mechanical contractors in the region.
This isn't just a potential conflict, it's a blatant one. Does this board truly believe that an auditor with ties to district contractors and former leadership can be impartial? District le leg legal counsel also takes a spot. Their job is to protect the
district from liability. You trust they'll disclose they'll dis expose any discrepancies. Board members, you are the final line of defense to 52,000 students. You are not
here to be cheerleaders for the admin. Good evening. My name is Alisa Agapiva and I'm here to speak about the Heritage Heights Academy. I'm a mom of children from a multilingual family. I'm not here as an expert. I'm here as a parent who
wants the best for my kids. Just like everyone in this room, as a parent, I've seen how important it is for schools to truly understand and support children who come from different cultures and experiences. Every child learns differently, and not every school
environment is designed to meet those needs. That's why this matters so much for me. A new charter school could be a real opportunity for more families like mine. A place where kids who come from different backgrounds, who speak
different languages, and feel seen and supported, not like they're behind, but like they belong. Diversity isn't just a word. It's our reality. Our kids are growing in a diverse world world and schools should reflect that. When
children learn alongside classmates from different cultures and experiences, it makes them stronger, more understanding, and better prepared for the future. The curricul curriculum matters, too. Our kids need teaching that meets them where
they are. They need teachers who understand different learning styles and backgrounds and who help build confidence, not just academically, but personally. I just want my children and all children to feel like they have a fair chance to feel supported,
encouraged, and excited to learn. Also, my daughter is on a 504 plan and she is highly supported. I truly believe the new charter school could help more that happen. Thank you for listening.
President, all for tonight. >> Thank you. It is at this time that we move to consideration of the consent agenda. May I have a motion to approve the consent agenda resolutions number 26.4.1
through 26.4.23. >> So moved. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Roll call, please. >> Director Bates, >> I. >> Egan, >> I. >> But >> I,
>> Garland, >> I. >> Hammer. >> I. >> Thank you. That motion carries. Our only remaining business tonight is to announce that our next regular meeting will be held on Monday, May 11th, 2026 at 700 p.m. This will be at
Horizon Community Middle School, 3981 South Reservoir Road in Aurora. May I have a motion to adjourn the April 13, 2026 meeting? >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second.
>> Thank you. Roll call, please. Director Spates >> I >> Egan >> I >> Garland >> I >> Hammer >> I >> thank you. That motion carries. We are adjourned at 9:19